#case review | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

masterdetectivexx · 4 months

Note

Hey bro, I can't wait to read your analyses of the recent files!! And what do you think will come next year?

File 1119-1122 Review

While I am unfortunately disappointed by how the previous Heizuha-confession- build-up cases (File 1113-1118) wasn't continued by another Ōoka/Heizuha build-up case, I thought this Kid-heist-turned-into-murder case was overall a very entertaining standalone case, and surprisingly also the first 4-file case in awhile. It was a very nice way to somewhat incorporate Kudo Shinichi into a case without wasting the spare antidote, by having Kid disguise as him (like he did with Sherry during Mystery train case) with Conan's guidance in order to solve the case. This is the first manga case that we see Kid disguise as Shinichi since the manga confirmation (in File 1018) that events within Movie 3 (like Kid figuring out Conan's true identity) is canon.

It was nice to finally have Hakuba Saguru return after years since his last appearance in the Detective Koshien case (back in Kir arc), and to see him have an indirect meeting with Kudo Shinichi. It was especially exciting to see him come close to not only figuring out that Shinichi is being impersonated by Kid, but also Conan's true connection to Shinichi.

There was great potential for Hakuba's role in the story if he had learned of Conan's true identity and it could have created an interesting rival-dynamic between them, that would be less friendly than Conan's relationship with Heiji (which ironically would be the anime staff's original intention for Heiji when they requested that Gosho introduces a detective rival). Unfortunately, it amounted to only being a mislead and Hakuba only deducing that Conan relayed Shinichi's words through phone to Kid.

While one could still hold out hope that Gosho is playing us further and hiding a future twist that Hakuba only pretended to have not figured it out and decided to protect Conan's secret, it's more likely that Gosho simply decided to properly establish the lines that Hakuba can't cross in DC as a secondary Magic Kaito character and that his involvement in DC will only serve as crossover fanservice rather than anything substantial in the DC story. This is of course disappointing, as he has already made iconic imprints in the DC franchise, and would have gained from getting more spotlight in the DC universe as well (not just MK).

The best part about this case is Shinichi's new affirmations of his feelings for Ran, when they had a cute romantic moment that reasaured Ran that she is still in Shinichi's mind despite avoiding to meet her.

It did its job in resolving some of my yearning for new ShinRan development since them becoming an official couple.

It was interesting to learn how Gosho is further confirming that some movie-only Kid stunts are also canon, seeing as he had Ran point out that Kid has repeatedly disguised as Shinichi, after she figured out his disguise, despite it being the first time in the manga.

This is an interesting implication, because in the already canonized events of Movie 3, Ran never learned that the Shinichi that appeared at the end (to help cover for Conan's identity) was Kid in disguise.

This would mean that Gosho is implying that the Shinichi-disguise stunts in M8, M14, M19 &/or M23 are also semi-canon.

It was only fair of course for Gosho to not tarnish the romantic ShinRan scene in this case by having Hakuba confirm to Ran that it was not meaningless words from Kid, but rather Shinichi's true words.

As for what we can expect from the next case, the official magazine preview for File 1123 was leaked recently that teased that we are getting a Sato-Takagi case combined with the Kanagawa police, which are Chihaya & Juugo (the pair from the recently introduced romance subplot).

It looks like it will basically be a new Juugo-Chihaya romance case with Sato-Takagi developments on the side, and more potential for Hagiwara and Matsuda to come up in flashbacks. It might be a more action-heavy case as well, seeing as it starts off with a car chase in an abduction case, so it's looking to be an exciting case overall. We can only hope that it leads to some main development, like if Gosho incorporates Furuya Rei into the case (in the spirit of the Wild Police gang), and by extension further build on his last requested mission by Falcon Elder to investigate Conan (File 1115)... or even better, continued developments with Rum.

#detective conan #rum arc #kaitou kid #kudo shinichi #ran mouri #hakuba saguru #edogawa conan #detective conan movie #movie 3 #file 1119 #file 1120 #file 1121 #file 1122 #file 1123 preview #case review

40 notes · View notes

exigencelost · 1 year

Text

anyway not only did the “legalization” of cannabis in California fail to free Black and Brown people imprisoned for the sale and possession of cannabis, it also did not halt urine testing for cannabis as a means of re-incarcerating people on parole and probation, or change the fact that folks in California prisons who test positive for cannabis can lose visitation or be put in solitary confinement

#prisons #drugs mention #i don't have like. a review of where and in which cases the final bullet is true that i can link here.#this is not a news headline i am speaking in my capacity as Some Guy

22K notes · View notes

banetech · 2 years

Text

Best iPhone 14 Pro Cases | Nomad, Apple, OtterBox, Spigen, and MORE!

Best iPhone 14 Pro Cases | @Nomad, #Apple, @OtterBox, Spigen, and MORE! #iPhone14ProCases #iPhone14

Here are some of the best iPhone 14 Pro cases you can buy! There are so many case options these days, and you can find something for just about any occasion or need. Some people prefer minimal designs to rugged protection and something in between. This video covers a variety of options, and I go over general information about iPhone 14 cases. In this video, I am using an iPhone 14 Pro, but you…

View On WordPress

#case review #iPhone #iPhone 14 #iPhone 14 Pro #iPhone 14 Pro Max

0 notes

reddbl · 8 months

Text

He too dreams about it.

#about the other one dying #heishin #hurt/comfort #hattori heiji #kudo shinichi #dcmk #detective conan #It was manga chapter 228 and anime episode 174 for those who want to review this case!#my art

829 notes · View notes

koldusek · 15 days

Text

The universe has answered my prayers!

#I'm crying it's too beautiful #I think I need to review the rating of my favorite vnc covers #vanitas no carte #vnc #the case of vanitas #les memoires de vanitas

115 notes · View notes

kirby-the-gorb · 1 month

Text

#kirby #daily kirby #my art #digital #hal laboratory #nintendo #so like aliexpress used to have a terrible reputation in terms of like quality and truth in advertising and such right #but like. amazon and etsy are swamped with bootleggers and dropshippers now too #so I figured like. can't be any worse right?#besides I know how to double check descriptions and measurements and examine images critically #I've shopped shady sites before like back when banggood was the only place to get those cute diy miniature kits #(now you can get them at regular craft store chains which is Wild to me)#but I have never opened aliexpress because everyone was always just like 'Never Go There'#(but then again these days folks are doing massive temu hauls left and right)#(so clearly norms have changed even if common perception of aliexpress has not)#I open it up and I immediately find the rug I spent an entire day hunting for unsuccessfully earlier in the month.#and a ton of incredible bootleg kirbs.#and a style of hair clip I've been hunting for for *years*.#soooo I spent the entire day in a pastel fugue lol #(I have not spent any money yet but I'm probably gonna)#(so like I can't confirm that you're not gonna get scammed or whatever just like. use common sense.)#(don't trust sale prices read descriptions/reviews when available and try to avoid work stolen from independent artists)#(that's usually gonna be on printed stuff like phone cases and posters)#(and tbh I have no qualms with stolen official art as long as the quality is as advertised)#(but there's a big difference between stealing from Multinational Corporation and stealing from Some Guy)#anyway done rambling now <3

145 notes · View notes

animehouse-moe · 8 months

Text

I Miss The Case Study of Vanitas Because Sex

Okay, please forgive me for the clickbait-y title, but I just had to take it. The whiplash is too fun to me. Anyways, yes, I miss The Case Study of Vanitas (both as an anime and manga, since we've not gotten vol 10 in English yet) because of sex. Not the act in and of itself, but the appeal, the tension, the experience. Animanga isn't nearly as sexless as North American media, but it presents its own unique challenges and issues. So, if you don't mind, please humor my little foray into an attempt to explain the decoupling of fan service and sex appeal, with The Case Study of Vanitas as a medium.

⚠️Warning: I've done my best to keep it spoiler free, but by nature there is mild spoilers in regards to characters and certain interactions.⚠️

Is The Case Study of Vanitas about sex? Well, obviously not, no, it's about vampires. But as much as it's about vampires, it's also about despair, hope, penance and revenge, and the intricacies of the human condition. It just happens to feature vampires as the selling point. And I believe therein lies the best explanation of Vanitas: it's not about sex, but rather contains those aspects as a part of the people that exist in its world.

Fanservice has become a rather perverted term. Rather than appealing to a broad range of applications, fanservice tends to exclusively apply to displays that are sexual in nature (most typically in regards to catering to male audiences). In that way it's not particularly awful in how the term itself has shifted, but the use of fanservice is borderline pathetic in most series. A gaudy display of body parts, it hangs on excessive scale and movement to catch the eyes of touch starved individuals. I don't need a ballooned bosom besetting my vision before bobbing about in a baroque display for all too long. That's not the point.

But what is the point? Well, I've prattled on long enough so here's an example.

A look in the eyes, the right lighting. Even simple posing. Sex appeal is not limited to explicit displays of sexuality, but is rather the personification of both the character's intent as well as their external perception.

There are so many moments in this series that are in no way explicitly sexual, but can easily be perceived to have sex appeal or sexual tension.

But then, how would that appeal not feel weakened? It's a good question, honestly, and an important one to ask. When you display the chest of an underaged girl enough times, it won't elate the audience enough to be perceived as "good". It's a universal issue with storytelling, so how does Vanitas get around it?

My answer (and perhaps not the only answer) is how this appeal and tension is derived. I had sort of said it earlier, but didn't really explain. Its source is the very nature of the characters and world. It is not an external force exposing these facets, but the machinations of the plot and its pieces themselves.

Have a look at this example here. Vampires are hot, right? Their power, broody nature, and the concept of the unknown have played into their eroticism and appeal since time immemorial (seriously, look up Carmilla). Vanitas pounces on that concept and immediately plays into it. We don't get blood sucking every episode and every second, no. But we get it enough to provide variation, it appears at the right time to provide another layer to the nature of the story and characters.

Anyways, the example. Lord Ruthven and Noe. Two vampires, engaging in something strictly non-sexual. He is simply biting Noe. But the posing, the nature of the layout. It presents tension. It presents Ruthven's ownership and commanding nature of Noe in this moment. Domination and subjugation.

Even more is this sequence. The commanding nature that presents a clear power dynamic. The phrasing. It absolutely exudes sexual tension. But nothing of the sort is apparent in the actual interaction.

So what's the deal here. I know I had spoken on how characters themselves can convey tension and appeal without explicit intent to do so, but how can circumstance and interaction play into it as well?

Another lovely question. What comprises the act of sex? What are the pieces that elate, entice, and encourage someone? Well, aside from the answer that it's down to the individual, there's a few core pieces. The "top and bottom" dynamic is certainly the one that appears the most when dealing with pairs. Another, while a bit unseemly and slightly (?) taboo is the concept of fear and violence. Of course, I don't mean in any serious context, but the concept is how those things make you feel, and that they stem from that similar power dynamic. Perhaps that's the best word to describe it with: power dynamic. It's all about how two characters interact with each other, where they stand in relation to one another. The above image is the perfect example of that, and the following is how to build on it.

Vanitas and Jeanne, an incredible combination born not out of a mutual desire for the other, but the sheer interest of one and the needs of another. It's a one sided love spurred on by the actions of one that encourages the other to let loose. It creates the interesting dynamic of a power bottom that remains refreshing alongside the other relationships that exist in the story.

So here's a clip of that dynamic.

The way the camera and characters hang on each moment, the way the layouts aim to both obstruct but also apply razor focus. The voice acting. All of it, every single moments provides for that tension and appeal, and it extends past the act of sucking blood and into the souls of the characters themselves. A terrible plead that spills from blood stained lips, a promise that comes from the origin of that crimson.

This "sex appeal" and "sexual tension" is not something manufactured, but the absolute core of these characters. The act of domination, the incredible an undesired need of a substance, the mental fractures eroding at the ego of a person. All of these moments stem from the very souls of the characters and bubble up to the surface in these forms of expression. Where words will not do, actions speak in their place.

Also, Vanitas moaning. Yes please. The greatest benefit to this series is the fact that it's willing to lean into the men as well. This is not "just" for the guys (and lesbians), no. This is for everyone, but especially those that enjoy a side of insanity and toxicity to their romance.

So that brings us to the end. Vanitas is not "about" sex, Vanitas is sex and is the purest way to deliver on fan service while providing sexual tension and appeal. It's subtle, subdued, infrequent and benign. It does not bend to the desires of the viewer, but rather stems from those of the characters. And so many series need to take note. "Lucky Lecher" and perversely excessive displays have no home in my heart when there are far more artistic and desirable sequences that can be produced.

210 notes · View notes

neversetyoufree · 1 year

Text

So while I've seen a thousand jokes about this scene and Noé slapping a snapchat filter over the rat bastard in his memories, I do think it's worth analyzing what goes on here, because it's just a really well-executed example of how memories change with time and fondness.

Most of the posts I've seen have contrasted this shot of Vanitas to this one from chapter 1:

and that makes sense! They're both similar shots of him standing at the top of the steps in front of the windows, and they're also the faces that make for the biggest contrast between the two versions of the scene.

However! If you look at the actual dialogue, this super-romanticized shot of Vani isn't entirely from Noé's memory of Vanitas's speech on the podium. It's more complicated than that. Just like what often happens with real memories, when Noé recollects Vanitas's request to use his strength, he blends it with other memories of the same scene.

In the original version of this conversation, the "lend me your strength" line comes while Vanitas and Noé are still standing on the same level. This is the moment that the dialogue from the romanticized memory comes from,

and you can see immediately before and after this moment that Noé and Vanitas are still together on the lower church floor.

Vanitas only heads up the stairs to the windows/podium once he's well into his final "I will save you whether you like it or not" speech, which is what he's saying in that especially manic/bloody panel that I posted above.

When this moment flashes through Noé's mind at the start of chapter 52, he blurs the whole thing together rather than pulling any accurate memory. He puts Vanitas on top of the stairs by the window, the most dramatic and memorable staging from that scene, and has him say his "be my shield" line, the part where he's reaching out to Noé personally. Beyond the romanticized snapchat filter aesthetic of the memory, the very basics of the words and staging of the scene betray how Noé misremembers that moment.

In chapter 1, Noé reacts to "lend me your strength" with flat disinterest and "I will save you without fail" with borderline horror. In 52, however, memory Noé reacts to the blended mix of those two moments with tender admiration, showing how he's now come to view Vanitas.

Every single thing about those two pages of flashback works to show how Noé's view of Vanitas has changed. (And also to provide a contrast to the violence that immediately follows it, lol).

It's just a really well-executed example of how romanticized memories actually work in people's heads. Everything blurs together until only the best and grandest parts of the moment are left, and only then does it get the fluffy beautiful filter. And this treatment tells us so much about Noé's feelings on Vanitas at the time.

#the inaccurate flashback blocking is just such an interesting little detail to me #I love things like that #tiny background things that most people don't care to notice but that can add so much meaning when you think about it #vnc #vanitas no carte #the case study of vanitas #manga #the vanoé agenda #english major hours #ID in alt text #my drafts are glitching so I have to post this without reviewing the final version like I usually do #so if something's messed up here. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ sorry

572 notes · View notes

detectivejimmykudo · 4 months

Text

YO detective conan got on the top 50 anime and manga in 2023 year in review

#case closed #dcmk #detco #2023 year in review #tumblr2023 #year in review #detective conan

144 notes · View notes

stuckinapril · 2 months

Note

Can dementia be prevented?

Reducing the risk of it yeah, w a healthy lifestyle. Preventing it no. The first patient I saw w the specific case of dementia I’m studying is a literal heart surgeon 💀 not the average bear at all. Big brain & healthy (according to his wife) & yet started showing symptoms over a course of 6 years.

It’s so fucking scary what dementia does to you. It’s far from just being cognitive stuff/memory loss. Your behavior changes, your cognitive skills are impaired, your motor skills take a hit. The heart surgeon I’m talking about is struggling w mouth function rn, bc his muscles are atrophying as a direct result of his dementia. He legit went from operating cardiovascular surgeries last October to now not being able to speak. It’s different from case to case, but when it’s aggressive it’s fucking aggressive. The neurologist I’m shadowing was talking about how she doubted if he’d “still be here within the year” and I wanted to throw up bc what do you mean if he’ll still be here!!

#His wife loves him sm too #And I gave her a hug on my way out of the clinic #She pulled me into it literally. The caregiver’s burden is real #They don’t have kids either so idk what she’ll do when/if he passes away #And that was the first case that I saw too. Just one. And already so much to unpack #I’m doing my chart review on another patient but his story is no more sunny #Dementia is fucking vicious #ask #med tag

58 notes · View notes

originalartblog · 9 months

Text

WHY HAS MY SKK CUDDLES POST BEEN FLAGGED AS EXPLICIT

#TUMBLR WHAT IS HAPPENING #the ask for review button is broken on mobile i'm gonna have to do it on desktop #not art #also since when has it been the case #i never got a notification fot that #the weird week continues on apparently

152 notes · View notes

vic-draws-sometimes · 2 months

Text

If you're a fan of The Batman (2022) I highly suggest this comic

The Riddler year one

First of all, the cover is gorgeous and the art is phenomenal. Stevan Subic's dark yet semi-realistic style really works well with Edward's (The Riddler) state of mind.

But it's also filled with pages from Edward's journal (?) And we can see his descent into his ideologies. At first its somewhat clean and readable but it gets more and more jumbled. There are even binary codes and I had fun translating them (most of them are just "the Riddler" and question marks, at least from what I got).

And if you're obsessed with Batman like I am, he is too! Here are my favorite pages

"Your beam lights the sky and I look out the window. Waiting. Silently calling out to you. Just think what we could do together! It's getting harder to live with this. To hold this alone. In my darkest hours I need you, and your light is there for me. "

And (months?) later, when anticipating meeting him

"I wish I could tell you that I will turn myself in. I wish I could tell you not to worry, it's all part of the plan. That you and I will be safe aboard the ark. But I can't. This (the plan!) Is the only way for me to find you. (Believe me, I have tried.)

This is the only way for us to meet. It will all be worth it in the end.

Together we might call it a beginning. "

It reminds me of the Joker's obsession with Batman in The Batman Who Laughs (or anytime really), but in a more "we could be a great team" with a dash of parasocial relationship.

All of that to say, if you see this comic, grab it!

I got the book 5 out of 6 and it's not confusing at all, I'll be looking for the other ones.

#the batman 2022 #battinson #batman #the riddler #edward nygma #but in this case #edward Nashton #this looks like a review lol

45 notes · View notes

banetech · 2 years

Text

MagBak iPhone 13 case and wallet

The MagBak iPhone 13 case and wallet are great minimalist protective options. I’ve got the iPhone 13 mini for this review, but there are many other devices. MagBack iPhone case and wallet Review The case is made of a soft texture that feels nice to the touch. However, the material marks up with fingerprints quite easily. Other than that, I like the case a lot. It checks off most boxes that I…

View On WordPress

#magbak #magbakcase #magbakwallet #magsafeaccessories #magsafecase #magsafewallet #Case #case review #iPhone #iPhone 13

0 notes

welcometogrouchland · 1 year

Note

im so predictable. time skip huntlow

[ID: a digital drawing of Hunter and Willow from the owl house in their epilogue designs. The image is a redraw of the "girl kissing guy against a fence" meme. Willow holds Hunter up against a wall of vines and kisses him, while he grabs onto the wall behind him. There's a cartoonist "smooch" onomatopoeia written between the two and the background is orange. End ID]

Had to fulfill this request in the most obnoxious way possible. This is what timeskip Huntlow was made for, in my eyes <3

#the owl house #toh #hunter toh #willow park #huntlow #watching and dreaming #i wasn't originally gonna use my texture brush for the lines #but it got me out of the ''dont wanna go past the sketch in case i ruin it'' stage. so ultimately I'm cool w it #also listen I'm. not good at drawing kisses #i do not understand how 2 draw them. but i tried VERY hard here 😭#yeah she's kinda just kissing his mouth and hes not really kissing back but it's fine. it's in character #i think this is good huntlow art bc when i showed it to izzy she leaned forward until her face touched the screen #and then she started air-punching me #that's a top tier friend review and that's all i need #also no shading bc ha. hahahaha. hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahah #no <3 #<- i am very tired <3

272 notes · View notes

mst3kproject · 1 year

Photo

Goncharov

Why the hell is an MST3K blog rising from the dead to review a forgotten Martin Scorcese film? I'd never heard of this movie until it suddenly became a meme, but I had a day off work and I figured I might as well see what all the fuss was about. Now I want to talk about what I saw, and this is the only movie blog I have, so I'm doing it here.

Ivan Goncharov is the biggest, baddest motherfucker east of the iron curtain, richer than a tsar and colder than a Siberian winter. He's got a beef with Neapolitan mafioso Mario Giglioli, so he heads to sunny Italy to confront him in person. His closest confidante, Andrey, thinks it's suicide to do this on Giglioli's home turf but accompanies Goncharov anyway out of loyalty. What follows is a two-hour dick-measuring contest as Goncharov and Giglioli try to out-intimidate each other, culminating in an orgy of gunfire where only one will be left standing... and this is the kind of movie where you can't take it for granted that it'll be the guy whose name is the title.

That's the ostensible plot, anyway. What makes Goncharov a far more interesting film than such an outline might imply is that the argument between the mobsters is just a backdrop. Having set up Goncharov's hard as steel, cold as ice reputation in the first act, the movie then sets about deconstructing it. Goncharov goes from a terrifying figure devoid of all morality to a tragic antihero, a man who has come to believe his own hype so completely that he can no longer let himself be human.

This is demonstrated mainly by watching the breakdown of his relationships over the course of the tense three days in Naples. The most important person in Goncharov's life is Andrey, the only one he comes near being vulnerable with. Their relationship is depicted as very touchy-feely in a literal sort of way, with Andrey helping Goncharov with his coat and shoes, lighting cigarettes for him, and touching his shoulder or arm as Goncharov confides in him. The framing emphasizes these touches in a very homoerotic way, and I don't think I've got my tumblr goggles on here. These guys have fucked.

As Goncharov becomes more and more obsessed with being tougher and more ruthless than Giglioli, whom he sees as an effeminate softie, Andrey tries to persuade him that the other man is not worth this sort of obsession. Whatever Giglioli did to insult Goncharov (we never find out), Andrey is of the opinion that they should just leave a dead horse in the asshole's bed and move on. Goncharov's pride will not allow him to do that, and the less subtle Andrey is in his attempts to dissuade him, the more Goncharov pushes him away, finally abandoning him entirely. The tragedy of the ending comes from the fact that Andrey refuses to abandon Goncharov in turn.

We also see Goncharov with his wife Katya. He is frequently cruel to her, and she tolerates it because he gives her expensive gifts and because she is seeking a vicarious mending of her relationship with her abusive father - she was never able to earn his love, but perhaps she can earn Goncharov's. This is doomed to failure, as much because of Goncharov as because Katya doesn't actually want it to succeed. Nursing a black eye, Katya pours her heart out to a bartender, Sofia, who tries to help her escape... but this cannot work out, either. As Katya herself says, she doesn't know who she is without her issues.

I am pleased to note, by the way, that every single major character in the movie is named and I can remember them all, which is a bit of a treat for me (I need to watch good movies more often). The only exception is Goncharov himself. The end credits list him as Ivan, but nobody ever calls him that, not even Andrey or Katya. In a flashback scene with his parents, neither calls him by name. This flashback, fascinatingly, is filmed in the first person, looking through Goncharov's own eyes. We are not allowed to see him as a younger, softer man. He refuses to show that side of himself even in the privacy of his memories.

These quieter moments contrast with scenes of ever-escalating brutality, as the Russians and Italians try to force each other to back down by the murder of underlings. The fact that it is literally a contest, and that Goncharov is aware of this and describes it as such, makes the worsening violence ever more meaningless. The death of Giglioli's confessor is particularly awful, and the way Goncharov's goons treat the chapel has to be ten times worse if you're Catholic (fun fact: this scene is apparently removed from the Italian version on Netflix, which must make what Andrey says while waiting for the train into a hell of a non sequitur).

At the climax, the two really can't do anything but kill each other, because it's the only place left to go. Giglioli's priest and mistress are dead. Goncharov's men are almost all dead or out of action, and Goncharov believes Andrey to be dead. The initial insult, whatever it was, is no longer relevant. They have pushed each other to a place where reconciliation is unthinkable. Whoever blinks first loses, but both have already lost so much that victory means nothing. Worse, each recognizes that the other is in the same position, and neither can acknowledge it.

This means Goncharov can also moonlight as an examination of violence in media. Why do movies showcase violence, and why do we watch it? The initial posturing serves a purpose - Goncharov wants Giglioli to know he's here to personally demand an apology, and Giglioli wants Goncharov to know he's outnumbered and should quit while he still can. But once it becomes an exercise in one-up-manship, the 'messages’ vanish and the men are now killing for the sake of killing. Violence in movies can often be gore for gore's sake, pulling out more and more stops in the effort to shock an audience that has been desensitized by years and years of this. That is what Goncharov and Giglioli are doing to each other. Truly distressing moments like the fate of the priest, or what Giuseppe "Icepick Joe" Cozzolino (dressed as a maid!) does to Sofia when he assumes she's Katya because she was in Katya's hotel room, make us wonder why we're watching this - and the mobsters wonder why they're doing it.

In the end, it's all just a blood-soaked version of the sunk cost fallacy. Goncharov had come too far in his vendetta to stop now. Andrey has followed him too far to turn back. Katya has been married to him too long to leave. Of course, any of them could quit at any time and escape from this terrible spiral, but they are unwilling to entertain the possibility. Like Goncharov himself, Andrey and Katya are prisoners of the identities they have built for themselves, and because their identities are so tied to him, they have to go down with him.

One thing I haven't seen a lot of discussion of on tumblr is the way the film uses the contrast in climate. Goncharov in Moscow is in his element. When you see his breath in the wintry air it's as if he's breathing smoke like a dragon. While other people huddle in the cold he stands up straight and tall. In Naples, on the other hand, he is out of place. He wears lighter clothing, but continues to choose long coats and upturned collars, while Giglioli goes around with his shirt unbuttoned. This should serve to emphasize Giglioli's home field advantage and yet, as we see through Goncharov's eyes, they just make Giglioli look soft. His apparent weakness makes Goncharov want to appear even stronger.

On a related note, it is interesting to me how sunlight is treated as something very unfriendly. In Russia, it glitters on ice crystals in the air and lights up condensation, harsh and white and giving no warmth whatsoever. In Italy it bakes and shimmers on stone and asphalt, casting harsh, black-edged shadows and emphasizing creased brows and frowning mouths. Outdoor scenes are, as far as I can tell, always hostile interactions. Even indoor scenes in natural light: the priest dies with harsh sunlight streaming in through the broken chapel window. When characters are softer with each other, it is always under artificial illumination. Sunlight is too bright, too revealing. People like this need some shadows to hide in.

Did I like this movie? That's a tough question. It's not really the type of movie you 'like'. It's definitely powerful and well-constructed, thoroughly absorbing and all that. There's a taste of Greek tragedy in the inevitability of the ending and the way Goncharov is eaten alive by hubris. But I wouldn't say I liked it. The characters are all terrible people whose arcs involve them getting worse, and the whole thing feels deeply claustrophobic, as if I, too, am trapped in Goncharov's downward spiral. When characters realize their mistakes, it is only when it's too late to correct them - but only in their own minds. It's a very pessimistic story, about human beings who are overcome by the very worst parts of themselves.

Is Goncharov deserving of all those glowing reviews? Yes. Was it unfairly snubbed at the Oscars because the academy was turned off by the violence? Probably. Will I ever watch it again? Fuck, no.

Excuse me, I have to go watch some Pixar movies if I ever want to smile again.

#mst3k #reviews #episodes that never were #goncharov #70's #there are horses in this movie #unreality #in case you've been on twitter or something all day #this movie doesn't exist.#i read six text posts and pulled this out of my ass at one in the morning

443 notes · View notes