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alwaysahiccupandastrid · 17 days

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Pixar did not have to go as hard as they did with the Kronos Unveiled scene in The Incredibles (2004), yet they did anyway and gave us one of the best scenes in modern cinema. Literally cannot stop thinking about how good this scene is, from the animation to the build up to the soundtrack.

I don’t think I truly understood how dark this scene - and this film - was a child: Syndrome is systematically and strategically luring in superheroes and killing them off in order to test and improve his Omnidroid design… these people were not only supers but they also had family and loved ones too, just like Bob, and one day they would have just disappeared because chances are they weren’t telling people where they were going because it was "top secret" and against the law. They thought they were doing something good, like helping the people in the island, while also getting to relive their glory days, perhaps even paving the way for superheroes to make a proper comeback… only for Syndrome to kill them in cold blood.

Most of these people can actually be seen at Bob and Helen’s wedding in the beginning of the film - they weren’t just random supers, they were their friends, people they worked alongside and cared about. It’s even worse when you realise that Bob probably blames himself because, after all, Buddy/Syndrome was his biggest fan and he dismissed him by not letting him help.

The relief on Bob’s face when he realises Syndrome doesn’t know where Helen is - meaning he also doesn’t know where their children are because he didn’t realise they were married at this point - is so realistic and gut wrenching to see. The relief contrasting with the anguish of knowing how much danger they and their entire family could have been in the entire time without even knowing...it's so well-done, you can literally feel it.

It’s also worth noting that originally the next target wasn’t Mr Incredible but Frozone - that was who Mirage was trailing, hence why his location is “known”. Imagine if she/Syndrome hadn’t realised that Mr Incredible was with him and they’d lured Frozone in instead as planned; he would have gone to the island to fight the Omnidroid 8 in a volcano setting. We saw how being in the burning building dehydrated Frozone and made it impossible to use his ice powers - presumably it would have been the same in the middle of a lava filled volcano, and he’d have been slaughtered just like the other superheroes before him.

This scene shows an entire generation of superheroes - Bob, Helen and Lucius’ generation - wiped out all because Syndrome felt slighted by his hero as a child, because he internalised that slight and let it drive him to revenge. And, if we take into account the deleted alternate opening scene, it’s mentioned that superheroes "aren't supposed to breed” - meaning there’s a likelihood that Violet, Dash and Jack-Jack are among the very few supers of the next generation. I know that it's deleted and so not really canon, but it's definitely a concept to consider, I think.

Then there's the fact Syndrome named the project "Kronos" - Kronos was a God who overthrew his own father in order to take over his rule, and then he ate his own children to prevent them doing the same thing to him. It feels like it reflects Syndrome once looking up to Mr Incredible and even saying "I could be your ward!", meaning Mr Incredible adopting or fostering him - the project name is a metaphor for Syndrome destroying the Supers, especially Mr Incredible, who he viewed as a father figure. The Omnidroids he built killed two birds with one stone: not only was he able to acquire the data to upgrade the robot to its final design, but it also eliminated the real super heroes and so left him as the last remaining "superhero", even though his powers are man-made, not something he was born with.

Not only did he want to become the only remaining superhero by killing the real ones in revenge, he also planned to sell his inventions at some point so everyone can be super - because "when everyone is super, nobody is". It's like a final blow to the memory of the superheroes he had killed.

I've talked too much about this scene but God... I love it so much more as an adult because it's just so chilling to think about. I'm sure other people can put it much more articulately than I just tried to, but I just really wanted to appreciate this scene.

#the incredibles #pixar #disney #mr incredible #elastigirl #bob parr #helen parr #edna mode #syndrome #buddy pine #kronos #kronos unveiled #cinema

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magpigment · 10 months

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MAJOR, MAJOR SPOILERS FOR GENLOSS EPISODE: THE CHOICE

hello! these are my reactions and thoughts as i watched the third, and final, part of generation loss! not really an analysis, tho it does have some of my theories that were developed as i was watching. enjoy i suppose, lol

ok this is dope opening footage

who the hell is the mask person just walking around??? why are they in a mall??? hello???

does mask persons mask have the showfall symbol on it because i genuinely can’t tell lmao

ENHANCE

ok well it’s still just as blurry as before because like. obviously. but i’m almost positive their mask DOES have the showfall symbol on it. cool 😎

why are there so many mask people actually

are they like. guards?? is this fnaf: security breach??? thas crazy lmao

why was that one wearing a fedora 😂

also this dynamic camera shot is low key making me motion sick lmao, even if it is super cool

that’s a super helpful directory right there yep!

ah yes, the smoke gala, my favorite

why did that one showfall symbol on the glass look like it was painted in blood or something and how did they get it so neat. did they paint it on w a stencil using blood instead of paint. i need answers

oop hello ranboo

ok finally ranboo took off the bundle of like wires or paper clips or whatever that was dangling from their neck, i was wondering what that was lol

ohhhh ranboo trying to talk to the person filming is super cool

who the hell is talking to them rn lmao

hello hacker guy

his name is HEDGE?? did i mishear that

ok so i was right! when the mask is glowing red it means he’s being controlled

also i didn’t even know ranboo here was able to take off their mask. i thought it was like. attached to them or something.

ok i’m genuinely like on the edge of my seat lol

oooof ranboo is finally realizing that the people who died are like actually dead! yikes lmao

those are some pretty good effects for the blood tho like that looked pretty real all things considered. or like it’s the right color more or less

aaaaaand there’s the grappling with morals and survivors guilt and trying to reconcile being under someone else’s control while simultaneously realizing that the things you did while under said control was at least somewhat responsible for like, what, four? at least? people��s deaths!

….i feel like hedge or whatever he’s called is like for sure lying. i mean i know at least some of the people are in some capacity still alive but ALSO. i feel like he’s lying to ranboo to keep him from just leaving lmao. also i feel like that exit door prolly wouldn’t have worked anyway so whatever

this is such a cool setting btw, the amount of work that must’ve gone into this is insane. and also the soundtrack is phenomenal

i’m like super sus on this hacker guy lmao

UHHH YEAH I AGREE WHAT IS THAT???

‘it’s locked up, it’s secure, don’t worry about it ^^’ homeslice that thing is behind the least secure covering i’ve seen in my life. that thing looked flimsy as hell

i feel like this hacker might not know what he’s doing

i did not catch any of what that hacker said he needed, in one ear and out the other

‘..are these people, or machines, or-‘ uhhh i think the answer to that is YES.

i feel like i’m about to get jumpscared lmao

i feel like these guys won’t be ‘pretty much harmless’ in a bit tee hee

ranboo sure is going through it huh

‘how long have i been here’ i’m not sure you’ve ever left, buddy.

also, showfall SET UP MISSING POSTERS for ranboo on the OFF CHANCE HE ESCAPED??? BRUH. absolutely bizarre behavior

the fucking whiteboard in the corner with basically the plot of the series so far 😂

‘DAY 2 PLAN!!

-puzzle

-electric chair

-audience will chose

two plus two equals five

-black light closet

decoy “planned case of death” ‘

along w a couple doodles and some other stuff i couldn’t quite make out so that’s cool lol

ranboo is ahac- assigned hero at construction

i’m like convinced gl!ranboo is not like a full flesh and blood human being, homeslice is a lab baby for sure

oh there’s a day one plan whiteboard too but it wasn’t completely shown

imagine being payed to sit in a room completely still for however long lmao

did one of the people standing in the window leave?? 😂

oh that’s such a cool way to incorporate the viewer interaction or whatever again, with the hacker intentionally seeking them out for their input and ranboo being completely against it because ‘they might try to kill me’. i’m not gonna say it’s foreshadowing, BUT- it’s like for sure foreshadowing not a doubt about it lmao

lmao ranboo this is why you always listen to chat, they’re always right without fail /j

but honestly the audience hasn’t steered him wrong so far for the most part, at least for like the puzzles and stuff

oop bye hacker

oh he’s called hetch (?)

oop the people are moving around now that’s ominous

oh god the security

welp :D

that’s not good ^^

I CAN HEAR CHARLIE JN THE BACKGROUND MY BOY WHERE ARE YOU

i admire those people’s ability to just completely not break character to this tall person running up to them and desperately trying to get their attention lmao

the headphones probably help lol

ok what the actual hell is charlie literallt even saying right now 😂

the amount of times i’ve said that should be concerning but honestly i’m just resigned to it at this point. that’s my streamer 💔

sup my dude lmao

LMAO RANBOO JUST BREAKING CHARLIES CAMERA 😂

charlie sounds so fucking confused and sad nooo

ok genuinely i do not understand how the puzzler died AT ALL. literally what even happened there

i can’t get over how much taller ranboo is than charlie, charlie looks itty bitty but he could also just straight up deck me so i’m getting mixed signals here XD

charlie is such a good actor i’m losing my mind

that is a very big mall lmao

i like just noticed that piercing alarm noise ouch my ears

SUBA hell yeah

ah yes, jake’s, my favorite store

i’m surprised they actually found a functioning directory

oop. that’s a corpse

OOP THATS A SPOOKSTER YIKES RUN RUN RUN RUN LMAO

i should not be watching this at like 2am lmao

du du du du minecraft minehunt that’s crazy

CHARLIE PARKOUR AWAY I BELIEVE IN YOU XD

charlie has an axe what will he do

ranboo with a knife what will they do

(im pretty sure i know what they’ll do with that knife 😅)

charlie has died a lot yeah lmao

charlie w a frying pan what will he do XD

yeahhhhh i had a feeling they wouldn’t just be able to leave lol

that cameraman got moves tho lmao, mad respect

oof running up stairs, ouch

‘OH WHY DIDNT GOD GIVE ME LONGER LEGS’ mood, charlie, mood

yeah i’m sure they’ll be able to emotionally process this later lmao

oop hacker is dead

oop never mind yikes

…yeah it’s just a flesh wound i’m sure he’ll be fine 😅

that dye is not gonna wash out of that guys hand easily yikes. fake blood can be a bitch to get out of things lmao

ALSO I WAS RIGHT, ranboo and charlie and all the others aren’t actual humans technically!

diversity win! you and your friends are artificially created humanoids designed to play a role in horrific death games for the mundane entertainment of a faceless audience!

ok so the hacker is called hetch? cool

i’m also like mostly certain that the hacker is grizzly im pretty sure. maybe. i’m not great w voices i’ll be honest lol

oop. ranboos just committed a murder lmao

baby’s first kill in cold blood, i’m so proud 🥰 /j

charlie looks awfully blasé about the stabbing that occurred right in front of him

THE LOOK HE GAVE RANBOO XD

why’d ranboo ditch the knife bro they might need that later :(

goddd the soundtrack is literally so good tho

OH THATS WHY RANBOO SAID THAT THERE WAS A WEIRD PAINTINF, I WAS RIGHT, IT WAS IN REFERENCE TO SEEING ‘the fourth wall’, THATS SO COOL

oop bye bye charlie 😭

i feel like homeboys about to get eviscerated and like actually disemboweled this time

omegalul 😂

RANBOO GET THE BUTTON GET THE BUTTON GEY THE BUTTON

HELL YEAH

NEVERMIND

THIS PROBABLT ISNT GOOD 😅

uhhhh sup buddies tee hee

oh they’ve stopped moving that’s good

conveniently placed button

i mean not convenient enough i guess cuz like charlie is currently bleeding out or something but THATS BESIDES RHE POINT

i’ve almost managed to convince myself this has like a somewhat happy ending

aaaaaand never mind

the way my stomach genuinely fucking DROPPED when i saw that guy appear in the doorway immediately after ranboo bowed jesus christ my heart

i reiterate i absolutely should NOT be watching this at 2am yet my hubris knows no bounds

and also now my cat is meowing at my door bruhhh stop ruining the ending of this for me, max /j

the immeasurable dread in my gut right now, yall 😅

bye bye ranboo 👋

BOXED LIKE A FISH RANBOOS BOXED LIKE A FIS- *gets shot*

i fucking KNEW hetch was a goddamn bootlicker!!

fuck you hetch!!!

oh oof what happened to their mask :(

i knew this goddamn audience interactive element was gonna bite me in the ass jesus christ

ranboo is fucking stellar at acting which is why i can safely say i am in absolute goddamn shock!

oh homeslice is just straight up crucified wow

i wonder if there was any alternate ending or if the vote was precast to always end the way it did. because i know how this ends, and it is not a happy ending. i don’t think there was ever any way it COULDVE been a happy ending. this was always a tragedy, and the hero is always doomed by the narrative

oh just the abrupt and complete SILENCE upon the box closing, before it slowly zooms out and the theme fades in and swells as the blood drips down from the box??? holy shit that’s so fucking cool

the way this entire thing was directed and performed is a goddamn masterpiece, this was phenomenal and an absolute blast all the way through!!! i’m so so so glad i watched this and i so so so wish i had watched it earlier

i’m in shock y’all that was so cool

this is definitely going on my list of all time favorite pieces of horror media!! mannnn that was done so unbelievably well i’m absolutely blown away!!

i can’t wait to just lose my mind about this for the next like. forever i suppose

i can’t wait to analyze this dude i’m so excited!!!!!!!

#dandy talks #genloss #generation loss spoilers #generation loss #genloss ranboo #genloss slimecicle #genloss charlie #generation loss slimecicle #generation loss ranboo

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sevrai · 10 months

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Armored Core

I went on a journey this year. Or maybe I should say I continued an old journey.

On July 10th, 26 years ago, the first Armored Core released in Japan. On an unknown day about 20-ish years ago a young me stumbled upon a copy of Armored Core 3 for the PS2 in a used game store.

It's been some time since I decided to indulge in a lengthy, meandering post about my loves and hobbies outside of awkward Twitter threads, so I wanna air my thoughts on the Armored Core series! (This is gonna be a long post, primarily for my own enjoyment. You have been warned.)

Most who know me online or read my comics will know of my penchant for fantasy, but not all may know of my love for the "Real Robot" subgenre of mecha. As someone obsessed with DBZ and magic, you'd think I'd fall more into the epic "Super Robot" camp of mecha anime, but growing up I felt captivated with Gundam Wing and the Universal Century OVAs that aired on Toonami and Adult Swim. They hard-wired my DNA early on. (With the Escaflowne film later impacting me so hard with it's grounded mecha and magical fantasy setting that it played a huge role in inspiring WOE, though my comic is noticeably lacking in Guymelefs.)

Naturally that awe and love for such works made me feel incredibly drawn to Armored Core 3 when I first saw it. It was my introduction to a series that I wouldn't comprehend the true breadth of for well over a decade.

I was terrible at it, both due to my lack of experience with TPS games and the oldschool control scheme, but the customization, detail, and overall atmosphere of the game were incredible to experience all the same.

It wasn't until the holiday season of 2008 that I was finally able to fight through an AC campaign, when I was gifted a PS3 and several games, among which was Armored Core: For Answer. It blew me away. I already had fond memories of bumbling around AC3, but For Answer's over-the-top presentation, haunting soundtrack, challenging gameplay, and dystopic atmosphere really sucked me in.

Along with Demon's Souls it kick-started a general admiration of FromSoftware and the distinct games they developed. After getting swept up in the excitement of Dark Souls, me and a friend dabbled in Armored Core V and Verdict Day, even playing a decent amount of the territorial multiplayer, but it never drew me in like AC3 and AC4A did.

The years went on and although I always adored Armored Core, I took my sweet time getting around to going backwards in the series. I've always been a fan of emulation and rarely used to feel a particular drive to collect physical games, (can't say the same for myself nowadays. Sorry, wallet!) but I always remembered how much AC resonated with me, and when walking around used game stores I would muse to my friends that I wanted to someday collect all of the Armored Core games in physical form.

I made relaxed progress grabbing the games when I saw them over the years, but at the end of 2022, the Game Awards hit everyone with a bombshell reveal. The show faded to black, the screen eventually being lit by the Bandai Namco logo, followed by a little red light. Something in my soul knew what was coming as soon as I saw that simple red light start to glow, I jumped out of my seat and exclaimed out loud "Armored Core!?"

youtube

It was a trailer for Armored Core VI: Fires of Rubicon, the first new AC game in ten years. It was a surreal moment that still makes me smile now.

The series was always niche, but since it went dormant From has achieved superstar status as a developer thanks to the Souls series and Elden Ring. There's now more attention and interest in Armored Core than it has ever gotten in the past. It didn't dawn on me until a buddy messaged me shortly after the reveal that the prices of the old games were gonna go crazy from the huge amount of people who were From fans but had never heard of AC, and were now interested in trying the old games.

Some were content to wait patiently to see if the market and prices would calm down, but I took a gamble and started shoring up my collection ASAP. Sure it felt embarrassing paying so much more for several of them than they were going for a mere few weeks earlier, but I supplemented my hunt by selling a few rare old SHF and Figmas.

After a few tense months of scanning listings for good prices with some very focused personal criteria, the result was expensive but satisfying;

On top of this investment I even went all-in on the Premium Edition of ACVI. Perhaps people should rightfully poke fun at me for throwing so much money around for video games about giant robots, but it's not often I can say I accomplished a goal of this caliber in my life.

Now with all the games in hand a new journey had begun; from collecting to playing. I've played Armored Core games off and on since the early 2000's, but I was only just now finally making the pilgrimage through the series proper from the very first release, alongside the huge wave of newcomers dipping their toes into the old games before the new one comes out. Like an Armored Core version of Billy Madison.

I started playing the PSOne Classics release of AC1 on my PS3, before transitioning to my PS2 Slim once all of the PSX games were in my hands. Learning that both systems used funky software emulation for PSX games I went on a subquest of ordering and cleaning up a SCPH-39001 model PS2, (which was super nostalgic in it's own right since I started with a fat PS2 in 2003,) hooked up to a massive KV-36FV310 via component cables. I even went down a DualShock 2 model rabbit hole. Every game now looks and runs like a dream on this hedonistic setup.

As of the day I'm posting this silly blog post, I am seven games deep. I have 100%'d, (all parts unlocked, all missions complete, all enemy AC beaten both optional fights in missions and in the Arena,) without any Human PLUS enhancements or OP-INTENSIFY used, and even sticking with the default control scheme:

Armored Core

AC: Project Phantasma

AC: Master of Arena

Armored Core 2

AC2: Another Age

Armored Core 3

… And right now I'm just a few percent shy of 100%ing AC3: Silent Line. Sorry if this sounds like juvenile bragging, but it's always been hard for me to focus on and finish games. My ADHD has me jumping from game to game for years on end, never seeing many of them through to the end, so I want to indulge in a bit of pride being able to spend several months blasting through these games without slowing down, and without taking any shortcuts.

Admittedly I haven't played on Hard Mode in any of the games that have offered it, and Silent Line is really pushing me to my limit demanding S Ranks on every mission, but I'm still enjoying it and hoping to finish it up in time to sample a bit more of the games I missed out on, as well as make a nostalgic return to For Answer, by the time ACVI comes out.

Returning to Armored Core 3 felt especially sentimental. Like a return home. I'm sure many people can relate to the feeling of returning to a childhood game with newfound abilities and knowledge, finally able to do what your younger self could not. Having beaten the game that started this whole obsession for me about two decades ago is a really great feeling.

I adore these games. I always loved the few I did play as a youngster, and knew that From was a consistent enough developer that I would enjoy the rest as well, but not to the extent I truly have. Despite the time and money spent collecting them, I still underestimated just how much I'd fall in love with each and every one. Even the aspects others struggle to return to. I love the FCS quirks, the turn speed, the bunny hopping, the heat and energy management, the opponents riddled with cybernetic enhancements pushing you to your limits, I even love the old controls of using L2/R2 for vertical camera movement. For all it's quirks and older design philosophies it's such an engrossing and immersive series.

ACVI will be a very different, (and streamlined,) beast. I'm okay with this. My adoration for old Armored Core will only make it easier to return to and appreciate this storied series I've gone to such lengths to collect, even after the new one releases. I trust From to do the series justice, no matter how easy it is for newcomers to jump in.

I love Armored Core, I love this genre of mecha, and I hope lots of people will learn to love it as well. I want the new game to do well so we can see more in the future. I sincerely doubt anyone will actually have read all of this, but if you did, thanks for your time. I know my rambling can be unfocused and pretentious. I don't need to put this much effort into waxing nostalgic about video games, but I miss the part of me that used to do this on a regular basis.

(I also apologize for how much my comic updating will probably slow down when ACVI drops, regardless of what momentum I can build through July and August.)

#rambling #blog #armored core #video games

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idontbeatgames · 4 months

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Pretty good soundtrack and some beautiful visuals - those are the only two things I can positively point out about Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom. As a hardcore DCEU fan that almost exclusively makes videos about DCEU movies or topics on Youtube, you might be expecting a positive review from me but quite frankly, this entire movie is an absolute disaster. The editing is terrible, the pacing is nonexistent, the characters have zero character arcs, there’s very little meaningful dialogue shared between characters throughout the entire movie and every moment that should be a payoff moment isn't a payoff moment because of the editing, and the story - in general - is extremely lackluster for a long-awaited sequel. Full length review below!

Aquaman 2, in theory, should've been a layup for DC after the success of Aquaman. This is a movie that, on paper, should've been the sequel we all wanted and a sequel that blew us out of the water, obvious pun intended. This should've expanded on Aquaman and Orm's relationship, this should've given Aquaman legitimate growth so he can become something more than the lovable "dude bro" goofball that he is and Atlantis should've seen some level of exploration or expansion that made such made what was a visually stunning underwater city even cooler. And, honestly, this sequel should've made us at least feel something while watching it. Instead, Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom can be added to the pile of terrible DCEU-Era films that were very clearly butchered during their post-production process. Just like with Wonder Woman 1984, this movie fails to capitalize on anything that made us love the first Aquaman film. I genuinely can't emphasize this enough: this is an extremely disappointing sequel. We deserved something so much better than what we got. What makes all of this so frustrating is that it feels like somewhere in the deep depths of Atlantis, this movie was supposed to be this heartfelt adventurous movie about two brothers who couldn't be any more different finally bonding and finally working together for the greater good. It felt like somewhere along the lines, Orm was finally going to get his deserved emotional redemption arc that finally brought Aquaman, his family, and the Aquaman supporting characters together. It felt like finally we were going to see a DCEU film that was going to pull at our heartstrings because we were finally getting to see previously developed characters grow beyond their origin story movies.

And though you can semi-see some of these plot points throughout the film, none of that is actually in the movie because all of the setup and moments that should've helped this hypothetical story come to fruition were just… missing. It's hard to even say that this movie has an identity because it's tonally different in each part of the movie. The beginning is a fun comedy movie that matches the feeling of the first film, the super-fast middle section of the movie is a buddy-cop comedy film with Aquaman and Orm going on a relatively short journey to find Black Manta's headquarters and then the final act of the film - which is also short and extremely unclimactic - feels like the ending to an emotionally epic superhero movie that simply doesn't exist with the theatrical version of Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom. This sequel's theatrical cut might be so bad that it rivals the original Suicide Squad's theatrical cut. That's how bad Aquaman 2 is. You experience nothing but complete whiplash throughout its entire run time.

Honestly, Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom should've been called Aquaman and his lost sense of Cohesion because this movie lacks any sense of cohesion whatsoever. One thing happens in one scene, the next scene comes along and it feels completely disconnected from what just happened in the scene prior. One character acts one way in one scene, they act completely different in another. One moment that should be emotional is happening right in front of you and then it's immediately followed up with epic music for what should be this epic payoff moment that pays absolutely nothing off because there's zero setup in Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom. There are so many moments or elements in this film that just don't add up due to the movie's butchered editing and all of the flaws ultimately make for what is a frustratingly disappointing experience.

Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom is a genuinely terrible superhero movie and yet is somehow the most fitting end to a completely lackluster cinematic universe that lacked any cohesion, world-building, or charm.

#idontbeatgames #dc comics #dc movies #dc films #dc extended universe #dc universe #dceu films #dceu fandom #dceu #jason mamoa aquaman #dc aquaman #aquaman movie #aquaman #aquaman and the lost kingdom #aquaman 2 #superheroes #movie reviews #movie review #film review

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greensparty · 2 years

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This Month In History - September

Here are just a few of the pop culture landmark anniversaries I am raising a glass to this month:

Sept. 5, 1957: On the Road release

In Sept. 1957, Jack Kerouac’s magnum opus was released. Here is my piece I wrote in 2017. Happy 65th On The Road!

Sept. 11, 1992: Crossing the Bridge opens

In Sept. 1992, one of the most underrated movies of the 90s was released. Writer/director Mike Binder has gone on to have a big career in both film and TV, but this was a remarkable debut IMHO. A few years after high school Mort (played by Josh Charles) still hangs out with his high school buddies in suburban MI in the late 70s, but he aspires to being a comedy writer. When they get an offer to transport drugs from Canada into American, he has some decisions to make. It is a really personal coming of age story and I highly recommend seeking it out. Happy 30th CTB!

Sept. 14, 2012: The Master opens

In Sept. 2012, Paul Thomas Anderson’s epic about a WW2 vet looking for some guidance via a new religion was released. This was a very polarizing film and in 2012, a lot of audiences just didn’t get it. I’ve seen it quite a bit since then and the cinematography, the production design and the ensemble are all incredible, but it’s really about the utter sparks flying between the leads Joaquin Phoenix and Philip Seymour Hoffman. PTA has said that this is his favorite of his films. I don’t agree with that, but its definitely one of the best of the 2010s (I named it #38 on my Best Movies of the 2010s list). Happy 10 Master!

Sept. 15, 2017: Concrete and Gold release

In Sept. 2017, the Foo Fighters’ 9th album was released. After a number of albums recorded in their studio, and various high concepts (recording in a garage, recording an acoustic side and an electric side, recording a each different track in a different city) which were all good, this was a return to basics. The band recorded in a studio with noted pop producer Greg Kurstin. I named this my #1 Album of 2017 and my #10 of the 2010s. Happy 5 C&G!

Sept. 18, 1987: Amazon Women on the Moon opens

In Sept. 1987, one of my favorite sketch comedy movies was released. Similar to Kentucky Fried Movie released a decade earlier, this was a series of skits, mostly spoofing late night TV. The problem with most anthology movies is that some are stronger than others and in this one there were several directors, but I found it all to be super funny. I watched it when I was a tween and have watched it a number of times since. Happy 35th AWOTM!

Sept. 18, 1992: Singles opens

In Sept. 1992, Cameron Crowe’s Gen X romance set during the Seattle music scene in the 90s was released. Here is my piece I wrote in 2017 and here is my review of the 25th anniversary edition of the soundtrack. Happy 30th Singles!

Sept. 21, 2007: Into the Wild opens

In Sept. 2007, Sean Penn’s best movie as a director was released. Here is my piece I wrote in 2017. Happy 15 ITW!

Sept. 22, 1982: Family Ties premieres

One of the best family sitcoms of the 80s premiered on NBC in Sept. 1982. In many ways this show was way ahead of its time by showing the political divide within a family, with ex-hippie parents and kids including young republican Alex P. Keaton brilliantly played by Michael J. Fox. But the show was actually very funny and it addressed many serious issues for a sitcom at the time. Happy 40th FT!

Sept. 24, 2002: Sea Change release

In Sept. 2002, one of Beck’s best albums was released. Here is my piece I wrote in 2017. Happy 20th Sea Change!

Sept. 25, 1982: Silver Spoons premieres

In Sept. 1982, one of my favorite sitcoms as a kid premiered on NBC. Ricky Schroeder played a tween who goes to live with his rich Dad, who didn’t know he had a son from a previous relationship. The laughs were big! And every kid wanted to live in that house with a train running through it and video arcade games. Happy 40th Silver Spoons!

Sept. 26, 1987: Alf animated series premieres

In Sept. 1987, after the success of the live action Alf sitcom, the animated series premiered. Here is my piece I wrote in 2017. Happy 35 Alf animated series!

Sept. 26, 2007: Echoes, Silence, Patience and Grace release

Speaking of Foo Fighters, their 6th album was released in Sept. 2007. Here is my piece I wrote in 2017. Happy 15 ESP&G!

Sept. 27, 1992: The Ben Stiller Show premieres

In Sept. 1992, one of the all-time great TV sketch comedies premiered. Here is my piece I wrote in 2017. Happy 30th TBSS!

Sept. 28, 2012: Looper opens

In Sept. 2012, one of the best sci-fi movies of the century was released. Here is my piece I wrote in 2017. Happy 10 Looper!

Sept. 30, 1982: Cheers premieres

In Sept. 1982, one of the longest-running TV sitcoms premiered on NBC (BTW Sept. 1982 was a big month for NBC!?!). Cheers was about a neighborhood bar in Boston run by a former Boston Red Sox player Sam Malone. Even though it was filmed in a Hollywood studio, I always thought it was so cool how they made references to Boston and the area. The show lasts 11 seasons and didn’t lose its steam or jump the shark. It was a show I discovered in re-runs midway through the series run and then got hooked on the new episodes as they were airing. Happy 40th Cheers!

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juneviews · 2 years

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I'm not really in the bl community but watch some here and there and Not Me has totally won me over, not just within Thai BL but across all, it's such an important show and the acting is crazy good. I can confidently say it's very close to being my favorite BL of all time and I've been in this for almost two decades. I'm also gay so incorporating the themes they do meant so much to me. I do love a silly BL but my favorites are one with depth, which Not Me totally has beyond so many. I keep reading about how bad gmmtv has been for the show and can I ask is it getting good reception or not? It would be such a disappointment if everyone involved in making this are not getting their deserved flowers.

ahhhhhh, this makes me so happy to read!!! not me definitely is one of the best BL shows out there, frankly in terms of quality only I told sunset about you surpasses it but that's it! I also love silly bl shows tbh, it's just that obviously they don't hit the same as shows that don’t go very deep in their story. but yes, gmmtv has been absolutely terrible at advertising this show & its cast, they cut the show's budget for an original soundtrack & probably more things, pushed forward the airing date so the filming & editing was super rushed (episodes are literally edited days before airing which is never the case usually!)... needless to say they did everything to sabotage this show getting the love it deserved, and in a sense it worked bc not me didn't blow up nearly as big as it deserved. it honestly deserved to be the biggest bl show of all time, but alas the lack of promotion & frankly the bl audience not supporting this show enough didn't make that happen. that being said, I don't consider not me a flop AT ALL! this show is still very popular, and especially if we consider it more a political/action show than a bl, it becomes the most watched drama EVER in that category after girl from nowhere! and the reception has been extremely good, almost everyone who watches this show absolutely loves it! so even though not me deserved way MORE, at the very least the people who have watched the show definitely know its worth & love it! <3 (that being said I'm more so worried about this show not getting any awards bc those are usually a popularity contest & between bad buddy & kinnporsche... I'm scared :((()

xxx

#answers #not me #not me the series

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introvertguide · 3 years

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Easy Rider (1969); AFI# 84

The current movie under review from the AFI top 100 is the counterculture road film, Easy Rider (1969). As a note for anybody looking for screen captures, this is also the title of a magazine with many scantily dressed women next to vehicles, so be specific with your google image search. The film combines the hippie lifestyle with the beatnik concept of being free from "the man." It spoke to a lot of Americans at the time who were fighting back against government restrictions on one hand and the freedom of Civil Rights on the other. The film ended up making almost 100x the budget and was one of the first super performing, low budget indie films. The film was written by Peter Fonda, Dennis Hopper, and Terry Southern. It was produced by Fonda and directed by Hopper. It is funny to think about now, but it was basically Peter Fonda's hippie son and some of his buddies getting together and making a movie about a road trip. Well done! Before we go any further, let's get the normal warning out of the way...

SPOILER WARNING!!! I AM GOING TO SPOIL THE MOVIE THAT DOESN'T REALLY HAVE A MAJOR PLOT!!! WHAT STORY THERE IS I HAVE SPOILED SO WATCH THE FILM FIRST IF YOU DON'T WANT ME TO RUIN IT FOR YOU!!! YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!!!

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Wyatt (Peter Fonda) and Billy (Dennis Hopper) are freewheeling motorcyclists. After smuggling cocaine from Mexico to Los Angeles, they sell their haul and receive a large sum of money. With the cash stuffed into a plastic tube hidden inside the Stars & Stripes-painted fuel tank of Wyatt's California-style chopper, they ride eastward aiming to reach New Orleans, Louisiana, in time for the Mardi Gras festival. This all happens either in silence, in Spanish, or beneath the in-coming planes at an airport, so there really isn't any dialogue. It truly is exposition at the most basic level. What the director is basically communicating is "two guys got some money, here's how, now don't worry about it and enjoy the travel montage."

During their trip, Wyatt and Billy stop to repair a flat tire on Wyatt's bike at a farmstead in Arizona and have a meal with the farmer and his family. It is kind of interesting because Wyatt talks later about nobody being willing to help him, yet he is invited to use the barn and tools and then invited to have dinner with the whole family. Later, Wyatt picks up a hippie hitch-hiker, and he invites them to visit his commune, where they stay for the rest of the day. The notion of "free love" appears to be practiced, with two of the women, Lisa and Sarah, seemingly sharing the affections of the hitch-hiking commune member before turning their attention to Wyatt and Billy. The people at the commune seem to like Wyatt and want him to stay, but Billy doesn't seem to fit in and he is antsy to get back on the road. As the bikers leave, the hitch-hiker gives Wyatt some LSD for him to share with "the right people".

Further down the road, the two see a parade and playfully join the back. The pair are immediately arrested for "parading without a permit" and thrown in jail. There, they befriend lawyer George Hanson (Jack Nicholson), who has spent the night in jail after overindulging in alcohol. After the mention of having done work for the ACLU along with other conversation, George helps them get out of jail and decides to travel with Wyatt and Billy to New Orleans. As they camp that night, Wyatt and Billy introduce George to marijuana. As an alcoholic and a "square", George is reluctant to try it due to his fear of becoming "hooked" and it leading to worse drugs but he quickly relents. It is funny when Wyatt calls it "grass" and George doesn't know what that means. I don't know about other areas, but any 13-year-old where I live would most likely know what Wyatt was talking about.

Stopping to eat at a small-town Louisiana diner, the trio attract the attention of the locals. There is a booth packed with young girls next to a booth packed with what I can best describe as hicks. The girls in the restaurant think the trio are exciting, but the local men and a police officer make degrading comments and taunts. Wyatt, Billy, and George decide to leave without any fuss. They make camp outside town and talk about how their freedom scares a lot of people. In the middle of the night, a group of locals attack the sleeping trio, beating them with clubs. Billy screams and brandishes a knife, and the attackers leave. Wyatt and Billy suffer minor injuries, but George has been bludgeoned to death. Wyatt and Billy wrap George's body in his sleeping bag, gather his belongings, and vow to return the items to his family. This happens really fast and I wasn't really sure what had occurred or that George was dead. First time I saw this, I was looking at something else for 30 seconds and turned back to see Wyatt and Billy going through a wallet. I rewatched and the time between George going to sleep and the duo going through his wallet after death was about 37 seconds.

Wyatt and Billy continue to New Orleans and find a brothel that George had told them about. Taking prostitutes Karen (Karen Black) and Mary (Toni Basil) with them, Wyatt and Billy wander the parade-filled streets of the Mardi Gras celebration. They end up in a French Quarter cemetery, where all four ingest the LSD the hitch-hiker had given to Wyatt and experience a bad trip. I had to double check the name, but it is the same Toni Basil of "Oh Mickey, You're so fine, You're so fine you blow my mind, Hey Mickey!" fame.

The next morning, as they are overtaken on a two-lane country road by two local men in an older pickup truck, the passenger in the truck reaches for a shotgun, saying he will scare them. As they pass Billy, the passenger fires, and Billy has a lowside crash. The truck passes Wyatt who has stopped, and Wyatt rides back to Billy, finding him lying flat on the side of the road and covered in blood. Wyatt tells Billy he's going to get help and covers Billy's wound with his own leather jacket. Wyatt then rides down the road toward the pickup as it makes a U-turn.

Passing in the opposite direction, the passenger fires the shotgun again, this time through the driver's-side window. Wyatt's riderless motorcycle flies through the air and comes apart before landing and becoming engulfed in flames. A helicopter shot shows the carnage as the truck drives away and the credits roll.

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This movie is not what I would call my personal favorite, but many critics have praised it for the dialogue, visuals, and story. I am assuming when mention is made of the dialogue, it is in reference to Jack Nicholson, because the two lead characters are that mix of uncomfortable and annoying that you get with sometimes who is inebriated in some way. They repeat themselves, say phrases that make no sense and then laugh about it, and constantly say "what?" so the line is just repeated. The actors were often high during the making of the film and that is not at all surprising.

It seems funny to me that Dennis Hopper acted, directed, and partly wrote the script for the film, yet he gave himself the part of basically the third wheel. The character of Billy seems like he wants to be rich and have nice things but has fallen into the hippie lifestyle. He seems uncomfortable with the drug deal at the beginning. He doesn't want to pick up the hitcher. He wants to leave the commune and get back on the road. He insults George and has to apologize. He is the first to talk about the girls at the diner. He wants to go get prostitutes at the place that George talked about. He is the one that flips off the guys in the truck. Billy is the driving force of everything that goes wrong.

We can't talk about this film without mentioning the soundtrack, because it is kind of what the movie is famous for. Songs on the sound track include: "The Pusher" and "Born to Be Wild" (Steppenwolf), "The Weight" (The Band), "If 6 Was 9" (Jimi Hendrix), and "It's Alright, Ma" (Bob Dylan). Try putting this soundtrack on while driving and you will realize how perfect it is for a road trip. I don't think there has been a better grouping of driving songs.

So does this movie belong on the Top 100 American movies? Well, I guess. It was a watershed independent film during a time of major change in America and the world. It caught the interest of many in a generation and that is interesting enough to experience. Now would I recommend it? Not really. The film was kind of boring and the end is not satisfying. It is fascinating on many levels and I thought that the conversations that involved the character of George were good, but all lot of the movie is kind of slog. The campfire conversation between Wyatt, Billy and the hippie is just painful. It is maybe ironic, but this is a road trip movie that doesn't really move. It is worth watching if you are interested in the time period.

#easy rider #peter fonda #dennis hopper #jack nicholson #indie films #road trip #60s #hippies #introvert #introverts

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dustedmagazine · 3 years

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Music for Films, Vol. II: Chick Habit

For good and for ill, Quentin Tarantino’s movies have been strongly associated with postmodern pop culture — particularly by folks whose reactions to the word “postmodern” tend toward pursed lips and school-marmishly wagged fingers. There for a while, reading David Denby on Tarantino was similar to reading Michiko Kakutani on Thomas Pynchon: almost always the same review, the same complaints about characters lacking “psychological depth,” the same handwringing over an ostensible moral insipidness. Truth be told, Tarantino’s pranksome delight with flashy surfaces and stylistic flourishes that are ends in themselves gives tentative credence to some of the caviling. Critics have raised related concerns over the superficiality of Tarantino’s tendency toward stunt casting, especially his resurrections of aging actors relegated to the film industry’s commercial margins: John Travolta, Pam Grier, Robert Forster, David Carradine, Darryl Hannah, Don Johnson and so on. There might be a measure of cynicism in the accompanying cinematic nudging and winking, but it’s also the case that a number of the performances have been terrific.

The writer-director brings a similar sensibility to his sound-tracking choices, demonstrating the cooler-than-thou, deep-catalog knowledge of an obsessive crate-digger. Tarantino thematized that knowledge in his break-through feature, Reservoir Dogs (1992). Throughout the film, the characters tune in to Steven Wright deadpanning as the deejay of “K-Billy’s Super Sounds of the Seventies”; like the characters, the viewer transforms into a listener, treated to such fare as the George Baker Selection’s “Little Green Bag” (1970) and Harry Nilsson’s “Coconut” (1971). As with the above-mentioned actors, Tarantino has sifted pop culture’s castoffs and detritus, unearthing songs and delivering experiences of renewed value — and thereby proving the keenness of his instincts and aesthetic wit. “Listen to (or look at) this!” he seems to say, with his cockeyed, faux-incredulous grin. “Can you believe you were just going to throw this out?” And mostly, it works. If the Blue Swede’s “Hooked on a Feeling” (1974) has become a sort of semi-ironized accompaniment to hipsterish good times, that resonance has a lot more to do with Tim Roth, Harvey Keitel and Co. cruising L.A. in a hulking American sedan than with the Disney Co.’s Guardians of the Galaxy (2014).

In Death Proof (2007), Tarantino’s seventh film and unaccountably his least favorite, soundtrack and screen are both full to bursting with the flotsam and jetsam of “entertainment” conceived as an industry.

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In just the opening minutes, we see outmoded moviehouse announcements, complete with cigarette-burn cue dots; big posters of Brigitte Bardot from Les Bijoutiers du claire de lune (1958) and of Ralph Nelson’s Soldier Blue (1970) bedecking the apartment of Jungle Julia (Sydney Tamiia Poitier); the tee shirt worn by Shanna (Jordan Ladd), which bears the image of Tura Satana; and strutting under all of it are the brassy cadences of Jack Nitzsche’s “The Last Race,” taken from his soundtrack for the teensploitation flick Village of the Giants (1965). Bibs and bobs, bits and pieces of low- and middle-brow cinema are cut up and reconstructed into a fulsome swirl of signs. And there’s an unpleasant edge to it; the cuts are echoed by the action of the camera, which has been busily cleaving the bodies of the women on screen into fragments and parts. First the feet of Arlene (Vanessa Ferlito), propped up on a dashboard; then Julia, all ass and gams; then Arlene’s lower half again, chopped into slices by the stairs she dashes up (“I gotta take the world’s biggest fucking piss!”) and by the close-up that settles on her belly and pelvis, her hand shoved awkwardly into her crotch.

As often happens in Tarantino’s movies, furiously busy meta-discursive play collapses the images’ problematic content under multiple levels of reference and pastiche. The film is one half of Grindhouse (2007), Tarantino’s collaboration with his buddy Robert Rodriguez, an old-fashioned double-feature comprising the men’s love letters to the exploitation cinema of the 1960s and 1970s. In those thousands of movies — mondo, beach-cutie, nudie-cutie, women in prison, early slasher, rape-revenge, biker gang, chop-socky, Spaghetti Western and muscle-car-worship flicks (and we could add more subgenres to the list) — symbolic violence inflicted on women’s bodies was de rigueur, and frequently the principal draw. Tarantino shot Death Proof himself, so he is (more than usually) directly responsible for all the framing and focusing — and he’s far too canny a filmmaker not to know precisely what he’s doing with and to those bodies. The excessive, camera-mediated gashing and trimming is a knowing, perhaps deprecating nod to all that previous, gratuitous T&A. His sound-tracking choice of “The Last Race” metaphorically underscores the point: in Bert I. Gordon’s Village of the Giants, bikini-clad teens find and consume an experimental growth serum, which causes them to expand to massive proportions. Really big boobs, actual acres of ass. Get it?

Of course, all the implied japing and judging is deeply embedded in the film’s matrix of esoteric references and fleeting allusions. You’d have to be very well versed in the history of exploitation cinema to pick up on the indirect homage to Gordon’s goofy movie. But as in Reservoir Dogs, Tarantino doesn’t just gesture, he dramatizes, folding an authoritative geekdom into the action of Death Proof. In the set-up to Death Proof’s notorious car crash scene, Julia is on the phone, instructing one of her fellow deejays to play “Hold Tight!” (1966) by Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick & Tich. Don’t recognize the names? “For your information,” Julia snorts, Pete Townsend briefly considered abandoning the Who, and he thought about joining the now-obscure beat band, to make it “Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick, Tich & Pete. And if you ask me, he should have.”

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It’s among the most gruesomely violent sequences in Tarantino’s films (which do not run short on graphic bloodshed), and Julia receives its most spectacular punishment. Those legs and that rump, upon which the camera has lavished so much attention, are torn apart. Her right leg flips, flies and slaps the pavement, a hunk of suddenly flaccid meat. Again, Tarantino proves himself an adept arranger of image, sign and significance. Want to accuse him of fetishizing Julia’s legs? He’ll materialize the move, reducing the limb to a manipulable fragment, and he’ll invest the moment with all of the intrinsic violence of the fetish. He’ll even do you one better — he’ll make that violence visible. Want to watch? You better buckle up and hold tight.

Hold on a second. “Hold Tight”? The soundtrack has passed over from intertextual in-joke to cruel punchline. It doesn’t help that the song is so much fun, and that it’s fun watching the girls groove along to it, just before Stuntman Mike (Kurt Russell) obliterates them, again and again and again. The awful insistence of the repetition is another set-up, establishing the film’s narrative logic: the repeated pattern and libidinal charge-and-release of Stuntman Mike’s vehicular predations. It is, indeed, “a sex thing,” as Sheriff Earl McGraw (Michael Parks) informs us in his cartoonish, redneck lawman’s drawl. Soon the sexually charged repetitions pile up: see Abernathy’s (Rosario Dawson) feet hanging out of Kim’s (Tracie Thom) 1972 Mustang, in a visual echo of Arlene’s, and of Julia’s. Then listen to Lee (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) belt out some of Smith’s cover of “Baby It’s You” (1969), which we most recently heard 44 minutes before, as Julia danced ecstatically by the Texas Chili Bar’s jukebox. Then watch Abernathy as she sees Stuntman Mike’s tricked-out ’71 Nova, a vibrating hunk of metallic machismo — just like Arlene saw it, idling menacingly back in Austin, with another snatch of “Baby It’s You” wisping through that moment’s portent.

For a certain kind of viewer, the Nova’s low-slung, growling charms are hard to resist, as is the sleazy snarl of Willy DeVille’s “It’s So Easy” (1980; and we might note that Jack Nitzsche produced a couple of Mink DeVille’s early records, connecting another couple strands in the web) on the Nova’s car stereo. Those prospective pleasures raise the question of just who the film is for. That may seem obvious: the same folks — dudes, mostly — who find pleasure in exploitation movies like Vanishing Point (1971), Satan’s Sadists (1969) or The Big Doll House (1971). But there are a few other things to account for, like how Death Proof repeatedly passes the Bechdel Test, and how long those scenes of conversation among women go on, and on. Most notable is the eight-minute diner scene, a single take featuring Abernathy, Kim, Lee and Zoë (Zoë Bell, doing a cinematic rendition of her fabulous self, an instance of stunt casting that literalizes the “stunt” part). Among other things, the women discuss their careers in film, the merits of gun ownership and Kim and Zoë’s love of (you guessed it) car chase movies like Vanishing Point. One could read that as a liberatory move, a suggestion that cinema of all kinds is open to all comers. All that’s required is a willingness to watch. But watching the diner scene becomes increasing claustrophobic. The camera circles the women’s table incessantly, and on the periphery of the shot, sitting at the diner’s counter, is Stuntman Mike. The circling becomes predatory, the threat seems pervasive.

If you’ve seen the film, you know how that plays out: Zoë and Kim play “ship’s mast” on a white 1970 Dodge Challenger (the Vanishing Point car); Stuntman Mike shows up and terrorizes them mercilessly; but then Abernathy, Zoë and Kim chase him down and beat the living shit out of him, likely fatally. In another sharply conceived cinematic maneuver, Tarantino executes a climactic sequence that inverts the diner scene: the women surround Stuntman Mike, abject and pleading, and punch and kick him as he bounces from one of them to another. The camera zips from vantage to vantage within the circle, deliriously tracking the action. All the jump cuts intensify the violence, and they provide another contrast to the diner’s scene’s silky, unbroken shot. The sounds and the impact of the blows verge on slapstick, and our identification with the women makes it a giddily gross good time.

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So, an inversion seeks to undo repetition. Certainly, Stuntman Mike’s intent to repeat the car-crash-kill-thrill is undone, and predator becomes prey. But, as is inevitable with Tarantino’s cinema, there are complications, other echoes and patterns to suss out. For instance: as the women stride toward the wrecked Nova, while Stuntman Mike pathetically wails, the camera zooms in on their asses. Bad asses? Nice asses? What’s the right nomenclature? To make sure we can put the shot together with Julia’s first appearance in the film, Abernathy has hiked up her skirt, revealing a lot of leg. Repetition reasserts itself. In an exacerbating circumstance, Harvey Weinstein’s grubby fingerprints are smeared onto the film. Rodriguez’s Troublemaker Studios is credited with production of Grindhouse, but Dimension Films, a Weinstein Brothers company, handled distribution.

When the film cuts to its end titles, we hear April March’s “Chick Habit” (1995), with its spot-on lyric: “Hang up the chick habit / Hang it up, daddy / Or you’ll never get another fix.” And so on. Even here, where the girl-power vibe feels strongest (cue Abernathy burying a bootheel in Stuntman Mike’s face), there are echoes, patterns. Note how the striding bassline of “Chick Habit” strongly recalls the pulse beating through Nitzsche’s “The Last Race.” Note that March’s song is a cover, of “Laisse tomber les filles,” originally recorded by yé-yé girl France Gall. The song was penned by Serge Gainsbourg, pop provocateur and notorious womanizer. The two collaborated again, releasing “Les Sucettes,” a tune about a teeny-bopper who really likes sucking on lollipops, when Gall was barely 18; the accompanying scandal nearly torpedoed her career. Gall refused to ever sing another song by Gainsbourg, and disavowed her hits.

Again, that’s all deeply embedded, somewhere in the film’s complicated play of pop irony and double-entendre and the sudden explosions of delight and disgust that intermittently reveal and conceal. Again, you’d have to know your pop history really well to catch up with the complications, and Death Proof moves so fast that there’s always another reference or allusion demanding your attention as the cars growl and the blood spurts. Too many signs to track, too many signals to decipher — that’s the postmodern. But perhaps we have become too glib, assuming that all signs are somehow equivalent. Death Proof insists otherwise. Much has been made of the film’s strange relation to digital filmmaking, of the sort that Rodriguez has made a career out of. Part of Grindhouse’s shtick is its goofball applications of CGI, all the scratches and skips and flaws that the filmmakers lovingly applied. They are digital effects, masquerading as damaged celluloid. Tarantino cut back against that grain, filming as much of the car chase’s maniacal stuntwork in meatspace as he safely could. Purposeful practical filmmaking, for a digitally enhanced cinematic experience, attempting to mimic the ways real film interacts with the physical environment and its manifold histories. Is that clever, or just more cultural clutter?

Amid all the clutter that crowds the characters onscreen, and their conversations in the film’s field of sound, it can be easy to lose track of the distinctions between appearances and the traces of the real bodies that worked to bring Death Proof to life. Which is why Tarantino’s inclusion of Bell is so crucial. She provides another inversion: Instead of masking her individual presence, doing stunts for other actresses in their clothes and hair (for Lucy Lawless in Xena: Warrior Princess, or for Uma Thurman in Tarantino’s Kill Bill films), Bell is herself, doing what she does best, projecting the technical elements of filmmaking — usually meant to bleed seamlessly into illusion — right onto the surface of the screen. And instead of allowing one group of girls to slip into a repeated pattern, bodies easily exchanged for other bodies, Bell’s presence and its implicit insistence on her particularity (who else can move like she does?) breaks up the superficial logic of cinema’s market for the feminine. She disrupts its chick habit. There’s only one woman like her.

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Jonathan Shaw

#music for films #chick habit #jonathan shaw #dusted magazine #death proof #quentin tarantino #reservoir dogs #grindhouse #Dave Dee Dozy Beaky Mick & Tich

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365days365movies · 3 years

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May 7, 2021: TRON (1982)

Starting to leave lo-fi sci-fi with this one.

Can I just say, I am VERY excited for this one. Mostly because it’s hard to get more ‘80s than this movie, specifically in terms of computers. I’ll explain. Y’know Jurassic Park? Yeah, the same movie I’ve brought up far, FAR too many times this month. Is...is that my favorite sci-fi movie? Shit, it might be? I’ve read the books, I’ve seen the movie COUNTLESS times...I’m pretty sure it is! Huh. Go figure. Anyway, where was I?

Oh, right! Remember the most irritating character in the movie? This is, in my opinion, older sister Lex Murphy. In the book, for the record, she’s a VERY different character. She’s the youngest sibling amongst the two, and she’s a sports nerd who hates dinosaurs. And she’s also the most annoying character in the book, so at least they kept that consistent. However, you may be saying to yourself: “Jesus, this dude really loves Jurassic Park. Even in the intro for Tron, he’s talking about it. Why the hell does he keep bringing it up?”

Well, allow me to explain. When I was 9 years old, I was super into two things: dinosaurs and reading. You may think that I wasn’t very popular in school as a result. And the truth won’t surprise you. Anyway, on January 3rd, 2001, it was a cold morning in the supermarket when

...OK, lemme get to the point. IT’S A UNIX SYSTEM!

See, this moment when Lex hacks into the computer to reactivate the locks (a task given to Tim in the book, but whatever) does two things. One, it makes Lex relevant in a film and story where she’s almost entirely unneeded. And two, it established something in the minds of movie-watchers everywhere: a completely misguided idea of what computer programming is.

And this is just one of MANY examples of Hollywood weirdly representing computers to the public. This was kind of a trend throughout the ‘80s and ‘90s, as computers were beginning to become available to the public. Examples are:

WarGames (1983), dir. John Badham

Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991), dir. James Cameron

Revenge of the Nerds (1984), dir. Jeff Kanew

Weird Science (1985), dir, John Hughes

Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014), dir. Russo Bros

That last one isn’t a great example, and it’s not even within the right time period. I just love Arnim Zola, and he NEEDS TO RETURN to the MCU. Goddamn it, I want this guy back, complete with his full robot body! COME ON FIEGE, LOOK AT THIS GUY! That last one may or may not be my fanart for the character with my own design NEVERTHEGODDAMNLESS!

Look, all you gotta do is connect the various machinations of Arnim Zola to the foundations of AIM, which is easy given their link in the comics. Zola and his fellow Paperclip scientists helped fund Aldrich Killian’s AIM, and the project to give Zola his sick-ass robot body eventually wound up being a part of the project that would create the hovering robotic chair used by this guy.

THIS IS ALL I’VE EVER WANTED PLEASE

...Ahem.

Anyway, the weird-ass ways that Hollywood’s represented computers, hacking, and all other associated things can be traced back to 1982, when the first film to use mostly computer generated imagery for its setting was created. This was, of course, Disney’s TRON. And while I haven’t seen it before...I’ve see its sequel in theaters?

On a related note, Tron Legacy might be a mediocre film with a mediocre soundtrack, but GODDAMN DO IT LOVE THE FUCKING VISUALS. It’s genuinely my favorite aesthetic. That whole “outlined in light” thing? Goooooooh, BABY, how I love it.

Style over substance, but OH THE FUCKING STYLE

Anyway, despite that, I’m looking forward to seeing where the whole thing came from. I dig that style, too. Is there a name for those aesthetics? Let me know, so I can devote my life to it forever. Anyway, shall we get started?

SPOILERS AHEAD!!!

Recap

So, we start this movie off with a BANG, jumping into an arcade where two kids are playing none other than Lightcycle, and jumping into said Lightcycles to meet one of the drivers, Sark (David Warner). A sadistic program, he takes great pleasure in executing programs in Lightcycle races.

One of these programs, in fact, is being brought into imprisonment now, to be set against Sark in a race. The program, Crom (Peter Jurasik), speaks with fellow prisoner Ram (Dan Shor), where we get some idea of the lore of this place. Many programs believe in “the Users”, god-like figures who they believe created them and tell them what to do. However, the mysterious Master Control Program is rounding up the programs that believe in Users, taking over their functions or executing them. Diggin’ the lore so far.

In the real world, we meet Kevin Flynn (Jeff Bridges), a computer programmer commanding his own program, Clu (also Bridges), and...look, I’m not sure what they’re doing, but OHHH. IT’S A UNIX SYSTEM, BABY. The beautiful bullshit that this movie uses to denote computer activity and programming, it’s...MMMMMMMMMCHEF’SKISS, it’s so FUCKING GOOD!

Anyway, Clu’s apparently being sent to find some information, but he’s caught by Master Control. Jeff Bridges shows off some pretty over-the-top acting, but it’s charming as hell. Clu’s interrogated by Master Control Program (also Warner), and killed, or “derezzed”. This frustrates Flynn, but why?

Well, we get a clue from MCPs concentration with Ed Dillinger (David Warner), who arrives at his office in the COOLEST FUCKING HELICOPTER I HAVE EVER SEEN. I will never make enough money to have this helicopter, but maybe one day I can do it to a car, holy shit. Anyway, Dillinger lands and enters the ENCOM building, where he speaks with his computer table, which contains MCP.

Is this a thing with computer programmers? Do they, like, physically talk to their programs, and the programs talk back? Is this a thing that happens? Are the conversations interesting? Are IT people literally computer-whisperers? I gotta talk to my friends in computer sciences and IT about this.

Apparently, Flynn’s been snooping around their servers for a specific file, and they’re trying to stop him from getting that file. Meanwhile, in an office in the building, a man named Alan Bradley (Bruce Boxleitner) is blocked out of the system in an attempt to flush out Flynn’s location. Bradley’s summoned to the office for what seems like a routine interview, but is actually more of an investigation. Doesn’t go anywhere.

On a side note, by the way, it would appear that MCP is somewhat in control of Dillinger. Although, how and why is unknown. In any case, he’s attempting to amass power. Additionally, the fact that he’s directly speaking to one of the Users is...interesting. And on a second side note, Bradley is preparing something, a security program called “Tron”. That might come up later.

MEANWHILE, elsewhere in the building, a group of scientists are conducting an experiment to digitize solid matter and transport it into computers. It succeeds with an orange, much to their delight and celebration. One of these scientists is Lora Baines (Cindy Morgan), Flynn’s ex-girlfriend and Alan’s current girlfriend. They go to the arcade to reconvene with Flynn, much to Alan’s irritation.

Flynn not only owns the place, he’s also a game whiz, brilliant computer programmer, and recently fired ex-employee of ENCOM. He’s also been sneaking into the ENCOM system, and he details exactly why he’s moving against them. While working for ENCOM, he had started writing programs for some very complex video games, which could’ve have made him quite a bit of money. But Dillinger stole his files, and uses it to climb up the ranks to Senior Executive of ENCOM, while Flynn lounges in relative poverty. He’s planning on getting into the system to get evidence of Dillinger’s wrongdoing.

The trio plots to take down Dillinger and get the evidence together, breaking into ENCOM that night. Meanwhile, Dillinger’s meeting with Walter Gibbs (Barnard Hughes), a co-founder of the company, and one of the other scientists who made the digitizing machine. Dillinger says YOUR TIME IS OVER OLD MAN, and brushes off his concerns about he’s handing the company.

He’s not the only one with issues, as MCP decides to take over FOR Dillinger. Apparently, Dillinger’s talents are stealing data and creating Cybernet/HAL 9000. Good job, buddy. But that may end, when Alan goes to finish and install his program, Tron, which will hopefully take MCP down. Meanwhile, Lora and Flynn go to the basement with the digitizing machine. At the computer terminal, MCP decides to stop Flynn by...well, you know where this is headed.

Yup! Flynn’s brought into the computer by Lora’s machine, and is digitized and put into the game grid. And since we’ll be spending a lot of time there, I think I need to acknowledge something: I really love how this movie looks. The CGI is rudimentary, but it’s used surprisingly well. Consider that this is also made in an era where this is the kind of imagery that computers could literally generate at the time, and you’ve got a pretty great movie in-context.

Flynn, now in those spiffy program duds, is sent by the MCP to compete in the Game Grid, under Sark’s supervision and tutelage. He’s thrown into the brig with the other imprisoned programs, where he learns more about this world. Once brought into the throes of the Game Grid, he’s told that those who believe in the Users are to be trained poorly, ensuring their inevitable death. Meanwhile, those who renounce their belief will be spared. And of all the programs who still believe in the Users, there is none quite as powerful...as Tron (Bruce Boxleitner again).

We see Tron’s badass skills in Ultimate Frisbee. And OK, it’s not Ultimate Frisbee, but you throw discs that contain all of your essence and all of the things you’ve learned in your time there. You basically pour your entire essence and being into the disc as you throw it. So, really, it is Ultimate Frisbee, according to that one dude who’s REALLY into Ultimate Frisbee.

Flynn is commanded to play one of these games, and he winds fairly easily. However, when he defeats his opponent, he’s almost about to die. However, Flynn refuses to finish him off, leading Sark to do so instead. And Sark is tempted to kill Flynn as well, but he holds off at the last moment.

Flynn finally gets to meet Tron, where he feigns being a program that knows of his User, Alan. Of course, Tron looks exactly like Alan, which is why Flynn blurts out his name. But as they’re discussing this, Flynn, Tron, and fellow prisoner Ram are sent to compete in the Lightcycles. And, yes, I’m now looking for a game like this on my phone, because GODDAMN to I love Lightcycles. Can’t WAIT for the Disney World ride, oh my GOOOOD.

So, our guys get in the Lightcycles, and they outmaneuver Sark’s guys. They’re actually able to escape the arena and the Game Grid, making it outside the citadel. They encounter a, uh, bitstream, and soak up some energy before moving on. On the way, though, they’re nearly killed by Sark’s guys in tanks, and Tron is separated from Flynn an the unconscious Ram.

Flynn and Ram finds a place to rest and hide, and Flynn discovers that, as a User, he actually has the ability to somewhat manipulate the reality within the computer, and he makes a version of MCPs ships, the Recognizers, which resemble the villains in Flynn’s game that Dillinger stole. Now realizing that Flynn is a user, Ram asks him to help Tron, before dying and disappearing into pure code. Whoof.

Tron, meanwhile, ends up finding an input/output program named Yori (Cindy Morgan), who helps him in his escape. She takes him through the city, where we see some interesting designs for control programs, almost like a Hunger Games Panem sort of deal.

Flynn has trouble driving his ship, as he meets a “bit”, a small bit of data that only answers in yes or no. He, too, ends up in the city, and you start to notice that this film has a really heavy influence in our cyberpunk concepts and fashions today. Honestly, I really dig this whole thing. Kevin uses his programming powers to disguise himself as one of Sark’s guards, while Yori and Tron find their way through the main citadel of the guards.

They make their way through to the access tower, where they ask the program Dumont (Barnard Hughes again) to let them access the interface that will allow them to speak with the Users, specifically Alan. Reluctantly, Dumont agrees to let Tron through, where he goes to the access port. Which, for the record, looks awesome. He goes to speak with Alan, and he does that one pose. Y’know, the famous Tron pose that’s on the poster?

Yeah, that’s the good stuff. Anyway, he gets information written onto his disc that’ll allow him to kill MCP. Neat. And unfortunately, that’s exactly when Sark and his guys show up, taking Dumont away as Tron and Yori escape. Yori gets them onto a Solar Sailer, a device that will transport them to the central computer. Tron fends off some of Sark’s guys with video game noise kicks, and the Solar Sailer arrives to take them away.

Sark chases after them, but the pair manage to outrun his very cool-looking ship. MCP threatens to destroy Sark for his failure, but he promises that he’ll be able to get them. On the ship, Tron looks down at the side to see Flynn hanging on. Turns out that he was one of the guards that attacked the two. Tron pulls him up onto the ship, and Flynn reveals that he is, in fact, a user. He also reveals that Users aren’t exactly the gods that programs believe them to be.

Anyway, how’s Dumont doing?

Ah.

Well, the Recognizers find Tron, Yori, and Flynn, and chase after them on the light beam the Solar Sailer is on. However, with his User powers, Flynn manages to get the Sailer onto a different beam, while pulses on the original beam destroy the Recognizers.

Doesn’t end up mattering much, though, as Sark finally catches up and intercepts the group. The Solar Sailer is destroyed, and Yori and Flynn are thrown in the brig with Dumont, who’s still alive! Can’t say quite as much for Tron, apparently. But, again, I can only assume that Ton is still alive. We’ll see, though. Sark denies Flynn’s identity as a User for some reason (I mean, MCP told you who he was, but OK), and he sentences them all to death. Outside the ship, of course, is Tron, who’s hiding and waiting for the right time to strike. And that is when we finally see him.

Glorious. Absolutely goddamn glorious. MCP is taking the remaining programs that believe in Users, Dumont included, and incorporating them into his mass. Meanwhile, Sark has found Tron, and the two are fighting with a classic game of Ultimate Frisbee. Tron nearly defeats Sark entirely, but MCP revives him, and gives him the power to take out Tron. He grows gigantic, and it looks genuinely really convincing.

Flynn prepares to take out MCP once and for all, and kisses Yori just beforehand, which is weird as shit. He jumps into the program, and controls it just long enough for Tron to throw his disc at it and land the finishing blow. And with that, MCP is ended, and the threat of take over is gone! The I/O towers light up, and the Video Warriors have won! Don’t ask me what that means, I study birds.

And with ALL OF THAT DONE, Flynn gets the proof he needs from a print-out that, to be honest, I feel like he could’ve just typed up himself. It doesn’t look like that much. But, still, MCP is gone, Dillinger’s screwed, and Flynn now gets a cool-looking helicopter of his own, as the new CEO of ENCOM. And from there, he will become a deadbeat dad that abandons his kid to live in computers forever. Or something like that, it’s been a while since I’ve seen Tron Legacy.

And that’s Tron, a goofy movie of its time, but one that’s a lot of fun all the same. And with some effects that, to be honest...I actually really liked! But more on that...IN THE REVIEW! See you there!

#tron #tron 1982 #steven lisberger #jeff bridges #bruce boxleitner #david warner #cindy morgan #barnard hughes #science fiction may #sci-fi may #user365 #365 movie challenge #365 movies 365 days #365 Days 365 Movies #365 movies a year #useranimusvox #userbrittany

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olderthannetfic · 4 years

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Fuck branding and consistency: For my precious Miami Vice, we’re going full 80s!

Miami Vice is a cop show from the 80s that helped usher in an era of neo noir and radically altered how television is cut and scored. It is both an ensemble crime show and a buddy cop show. The central duo are Sonny Crockett (Don Johnson, center) and Ricardo Tubbs (Philip Michael Thomas, on the left). They start out pointing guns at each other and end up best friends... with a detour through amnesia and attempted murder along the way.

Their boss, Martin Castillo, is played by Edward James Olmos, who has had the exact same death glare for his entire career as you can see above. Rounding out the main ensemble were two comic relief guys, Switek and Zito, and two women, Trudy Joplin and Gina Calabrese.

Yes, they’re super hot, and I ship them too, along with the very obvious Crockett/Tubbs, but that is... not what the fandom shipped. More on that later.

MV had only a medium size fanfic fandom. As a source of annoying middle aged men who own that speedboat and still don’t wear socks, however, it is unparalleled. It was a mega-hit in its day but is largely ignored now.

As far as I can tell, the height of the slash fandom was just after the show ended, around the time Escapade was getting going. It was something that was in the air (hah) at the time but not popular enough to make it onto the program much. There were a scattering of vids and panels in that era, including:

1992 - Miami Vice (cops and music, right, well, maybe there's a little more here...)

Indeed there was, but you won’t find that out from most people! The cultural osmosis version of this show is deeply offensive to me, far worse than “womanizer Kirk” and its ilk.

I. How I got into the fandom

Miami Vice is a brilliant show, so far ahead of its time that it instantly dated itself and has been a subject of constant mockery by people who only know it vaguely from cultural osmosis during the 90s. Its revolutionary editing is what inspired me to go back to film school. Its cinematography is equally iconic. The soundtrack literally changed television forever. And no, children, synthesizer is not automatically a bad or cheesy instrument. Jesus.

I got into MV in 2010. I’d been reading about it in the first Film Noir Reader and had been intrigued by the black and white stills. I looked it up and found that it was a rare DVD release that secured all of the music rights, unlike the butchery of Wiseguy and too many other shows. I bought it on the spot.

It was a religious experience.

By 2010, even the little Yahoo Groups fandom it had eventually grown was long gone. The zine fandom certainly was. I started buying all of the used zines I could get my hands on. One thing stood out to me over and over: Rico, my favorite character, does have great fic, but it’s all gen and het. The slash zines treated him with absolute contempt. The only fan from the 90s slash fandom who had any clue how to write him was @flamingoslim.

So I did what any fan would do: I got into her current fandom, Starsky & Hutch, and stalked her to her S&H con.

What?

II. Why didn’t fandom love Rico?

So why were the slash zines like that? Yes, okay, the answer is racism.

But the more zines I read and the more oldschool fans I’ve talked to, the more apparent it is that the way it played out is specific and interesting, not some generic “he’s not hot” thing. The big problem was that the slash zines came from a tiny handful of publishers, with the more popular ones coming from a single publisher. Looking at their editorials in the front of volumes, I see cartoons of the two of them dressed as their ship, Crockett/Castillo. I’m getting full on otherkin vibes from how they talk about that ship.

This was very clearly a case of hating the other man who got in the way of the OTP. Even so, the particular way Rico was written in many of the stories in those zines is incredibly racist. Flamingo writes him as a supportive best friend to Crockett. This was... not the norm.

This wouldn’t be such a big problem except that this was not an era when you just go on AO3 or even FFN and post whatever you want. Getting a zine together is hard. It takes money. It means finding a printer that is willing to print gay shit--something that can still be an issue in 2020. It means having a job and a lifestyle where being outed as a publisher of gay shit will not fuck you over. They were the only game in town, and their bad takes ruled the fandom.

Contrast to the gen/het zines: Rico wasn’t specifically more popular than other characters, but he wasn’t in the way of somebody’s OTP, so he shows up pretty often as a major character, written similarly to how he is in canon.

The gen/het zines are also just plain well written, making all of the characters more nuanced and interesting than in a lot of the slash fic. That’s what happens when you’re dealing with tiny fandoms and tiny numbers of writers: one or two great talents shape the whole feeling.

The other answer to why people weren’t super into Rico is simple: Castillo.

MV is a show full of buddy duos. And then there is the boss, a mysterious lone wolf whose identity only goes back a handful of years. He is aggressively moral and incorruptible, yet also executes a counter-revolutionary in cold blood rather than let the CIA take him back to South America to continue his reign of terror.

What, you think Castillo isn’t a murderer?

Hate to break it to you, but not only is he, but Rico is the one who found out and never reported him. It’s one of the most interesting moments between them.

I’m not surprised fandom wanted to ship Castillo with someone. I just wish people hadn’t only ever reached for Crockett/Castillo when Castillo/Tubbs has just as much great material. But if I get started on my ship manifesto for that, we’ll be here all day!

Suffice it to say that MV suffers from what lots of old fandoms do: people only rewatch certain parts, and it’s hard to remember which bits are fanon.

I’ve heard people say that Rico didn’t seem like he really cared about Sonny on the same level that the oldschool slash juggernauts did. I think this is a combo of not rewatching the episodes more heavily focused on him and of fandom liking a particular kind of woobie/enabler ship. Rico usually caved in the end, but he set boundaries in a way some of these ships never did. He was also portrayed with a particular kind of bragging confidence that is way more common in black characters. I think it reads wrong to some people, though in fact, he’s just as much of a ride-or-die bestie as the usual slash duos from back in the day.

The same thing happens with a lot of specific moments fic does heavily reference. Many significant Crockett/Castillo moments involve Crockett being the only one who can get through to Castillo, yet in those actual scenes, it’s Tubbs who does or it’s both Crockett and Tubbs.

Yes, friends who I will be seeing at Escapade, even that scene and also that one. You are just flat out wrong.

III. The Fanworks

First, my eternal rec. It’s het with an OFC. No, no, come back! MV was one of those fandoms where this was sometimes the best fic, and all the more so since the ship is with Castillo, he of the mysterious past and not enough personal connections.

Dark Side of the Moon by @dejlah

I also really love Temper of Revenge by Mary Van Deusen. It’s one of three she did to the same song and it’s about the dark, dark ending for the comedy relief duo. If you’ve heard Francesca Coppa talk about vidding history, you’ll have heard of this vid. (No, we’re still not the same person.)

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I’m also a big fan of MVD’s Crockett/Castillo vid, Ready for the Times. It manages to perfectly capture the dominant fanon take on the ship. I can’t even put into words exactly why, but it brought back all that fic powerfully.

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This fan-made trailer does a good job of showing the kinds of twisty episodes he got:

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My first vid I ever sent to Vividcon was a Gina/Trudy one that gives a good sense of the awesome costumes and also how often they had to go undercover as hookers. (AO3)

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And finally, for those of you who don’t want to watch five whole seasons of 80s TV, I vidded that arc. (AO3)

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Wow, this is only like 15 screens. Practically a haiku when it comes to me talking about Miami Vice!

#escapade 2020 #escapade con #fandom history #fandom meta #miami vice

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goldenavenger02 · 4 years

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What you should watch while staying at home part 2! AKA the Disney+ list based off the U.S selection.

Disney+

Lab Rats (TV show)

Rating: TV-Y7

Summary: A scrawny 14-year-old, having discovered his inventor stepdad has three bionic, super-powered teens living cloistered in a secret lab beneath their home, brings them out into the world.

Seasons: all four seasons and the spin-off are on Disney+, except for part 2 of Lab Rats vs. Mighty Med because that is a Mighty Med episode and Mighty Med is not on Disney+ at the time of this post.

Why you should watch it: Lab Rats was the reason I started writing fanfiction (if you're brave and like first person fics, my profile on fanfiction.net under the name Brentinator is full of cringe worthy fics) and it's probably the reason that I like action/adventure so much. It's super funny, it's very dramatic and it has good messages about family and teamwork.

Kickin' It (TV show)

Rating: TV-Y7

Summary: A once-in-a-generation young karate fighter named Jack joins the Wasabi warriors.

Seasons: 1-4 on Disney+

Why you should watch it: it's a comedy about teenagers in a karate dojo. Yeah, it's Disney so it is cringy, but it makes for some good laughs. Leo Howard is a little cutie, there's an episode with Billy Unger (Lab Rats) and Kelli Berglund (Lab Rats). There's some whump in a bit of it, and Jason Earles (Miley's brother in Hannah Montana) is the sensei. It's great.

Austin and Ally (TV show)

Rating: TV-Y7

Summary: Following the lives of Austin, an aspiring confident musician, Ally, a quiet talented songwriter and their two friends.

Seasons: 1-4 on Disney+, part two of the New Year's special is season 2, episode six of Jessie.

Why should you watch it: this was the first Disney Channel show I watched. Ross Lynch was my first celebrity crush, the first soundtrack was my first CD, and Trish gave me some representation as a plus sized woman/teen. It's pretty cringe, but the songs are all amazing and some of jokes are knee slappers.

Good Luck Charlie (TV show)

Rating: TV-Y7

Summary: The Duncan family are adjusting to the surprise birth of their fourth child, Charlie. When parents Amy and Bob return to work they put their latest addition in the care of her three older siblings.

Seasons: all seasons and the movie in between seasons 2 and 3 on Disney+, the second part of the Christmas episode in season 4 is in season 3 of Jessie.

Why should watch it: it's just a good comedy about a family with a lot of kids.

Brave (movie)

Rating: PG

Summary: Determined to make her own path in life, Princess Merida (Kelly Macdonald) defies a custom that brings chaos to her kingdom. Granted one wish, Merida must rely on her bravery and her archery skills to undo a beastly curse.

Why should you watch it: this movie holds a very special place in my heart. I watched this movie with my grandpa the Christmas before he died, and it's a memory I hold very close. It's also the best Disney princess with red hair, fight me. And my Merdia Halloween costume where I carried around my dad's bow and arrows can't be beat.

Chicken Little (movie)

Rating: G

Summary: After ruining his reputation with the town, a courageous chicken must come to the rescue of his fellow citizens when aliens start an invasion.

Why should you watch it: a lot of people say this is Disney's worst animated movie. But this is a very nostalgic movie for me, and some of the jokes can't be beat. Also, aliens.

Bad Hair Day (movie)

Rating: TV-G

Summary: A buddy comedy about a high school tech-whiz whose prom day abruptly shifts into a wild ride across town, thanks to a down-on-her-luck cop and a jewel thief.

Why should you watch it: it's Ally from Austin and Ally and the mom from Good Luck Charlie trying to protect a missing necklace, and the two of them grow a motner-daughter type relationship during it.

Descendants 2 (movie)

Rating: TV-G

Summary: Mal, Evie, Carlos and Jay try to adjust to life in Auradon, but Mal becomes overwhelmed with pressure and returns to her roots.

Why should you watch it: I love the Descendants franchise, but the second movie has the best songs, the best acting and the best villains. I'm obsessed with China Anne McClain and she's a great villain. But watch the first movie. After all, it has Dove Cameron, Booboo Stewart, Sofia Carson and the late Cameron Boyce with some of their best acting being displayed.

High School Musical 2 (movie)

Rating: TV-G

Summary: School's out for summer and the East High Wildcats are ready to make it the time of their lives after landing jobs in a wealthy country club owned by Sharpay and Ryan's family.

Why you should watch it: I'm not a huge HSM fan, but I love Sharpay and Ryan, and I love the movie that's on their turf. It also has my favorite HSM song in it, which is Bet On It. Probably watch the first movie first though.

Geek Charming (movie)

Rating: TV-G

Summary: To win a school popularity contest, a high school diva permits a film club classmate to record her popular life, but the film starts documenting her decline instead.

Why you should watch it: this is possibly my favorite DCOM, and Sarah Hyland is so good at her job, it's insane. It's overshadowed by what happened between the leads afterwards, however.

How to Build a Better Boy (movie)

Rating: TV-G

Summary: Teenage tech whizzes unwittingly use military software to program a robotic boyfriend.

Why you should watch it: probably why I like it so much is because it has China Anne McClain and Kelli Berglund, and it's a cool concept. Also has Noah Centerpiece if you like him as well.

Teen Beach Movie (movie)

Rating: not rated

Summary: Two surfing lovers, whose doomed relationship is nearing to a close, find themselves swept into a a dimension traversing wave that sends them into a beach movie musical in the 60's.

Why you should watch it: it's not a great plot, but the acting is pretty good and the songs are so amazing. Also, Ross Lynch. Not a huge fan of the sequel, but you should still check it out if you like the first one.

The Emperor's New Groove (movie)

Rating: G

Summary: Emperor Kuzco is turned into a llama by his ex-administrator Yzma, and must now regain his throne with the help of Pacha, the gentle llama herder.

Why should you watch it: this is the movie I grew up on. I knew all the quotes, I knew all the jokes, and one time I barged into my sister's youth group shouting "boom bam, baby!" It's so good and so funny.

Finding Nemo (movie)

Rating: G

Summary: After his son is captured in the Great Barrier Reef and taken to Sydney, a timid clownfish sets out on a journey to bring him home.

Why should you watch it: my other childhood movie. Also knew the quotes, and the jokes, and I spoke whale in church when I was very young. There may also be a Finding Nemo Irondad AU from me in the future.

Holes (movie)

Rating: PG

Summary: A wrongfully convicted boy is sent to a brutal desert detention camp where he joins the job of digging holes for some mysterious reason.

Why should you watch it: to this day this is the most accurate book to movie adaptation I've ever seen. Also, Madame Zeroni.

Mickey, Donald, Goofy: The Three Musketeers (movie)

Rating: G

Summary: Mickey, Donald and Goofy are the French three Musketeers.

Why you should watch it: well, it's what the summary says. The Mickey Mouse gang as the musketeers. And it has la pit in it. "No, not la pit!"

Pocahontas (movie)

Rating: G

Summary: An English soldier and the daughter of an Algonquin chief share a romance when English colonists invade seventeenth century Virginia.

Why should you watch it: is it historically accurate, no. But does it have one of the sweetest romances in the history of Disney, I would like to think so. And Pocahontas is just one of my favorite Disney princesses, even if she's not technically a princess.

Tangled

Rating: PG

Summary: The magically long-haired Rapunzel has spent her entire life in a tower, but now that a runaway thief has stumbled upon her, she is about to discover the world for the first time, and who she really is.

Why should you watch it: a carefree princess, a attractive and hilarious thief and the cutest little chameleon ever! The animation is gorgeous, the songs are amazing and Mother Gothel is such a good villain.

Pooh's Heffalump Movie (movie)

Rating: G

Summary: A Heffalump is heard trumpeting in the hundred acre woods. Winnie the Pooh, Tigger, and Piglet are scared and rush to Rabbit's house for advice. Roo joins them and they all agree that Heffalumps are nearby after finding a huge footprint. They decide to set out on an expedition to catch the Heffalump. Roo is not allowed to come along because he is too little.

Why should you watch it: I watched a lot of Winnie the Pooh movies when I was little, because Winnie the Pooh is my mom's favorite Disney franchise, but this one is my favorite. It's so soft, and it has a good lesson that even if you're different, that doesn't mean you're evil or scary.

Read it and Weep (movie)

Rating: TV-G

Summary: A shy and retiring high school student develops a peculiar alter ego that changes her life forever.

Why should you watch it: it's about a writer in high school! This is one of my favorite Disney movies ever, and I highly recommend it to everyone.

Sky High (movie)

Rating: PG

Summary: Set in an era where superheroes are commonly known and accepted, young William Stronghold, the son of the Commander and Jetstream, tries to find a balance between being a normal teenager and an extraordinary being.

Why should you watch it: clearly, I like movies and shows about superheroes (I mean, I write for Marvel). This movie is about William, who hasn't gotten his powers yet, and has been lying to his parents that he has before he goes to superhero high school. The ending is weird, but I love this movie.

Tagging some people so it gets spread around: @marvelous-writer @clover-roseee @canary-warrior @blondsak @breanadaveport-mendel @seek-rest @willelbyers

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sagehaleyofficial · 4 years

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HERE’S WHAT YOU MISSED THIS WEEK (1.8-1.14.20):

NEW MUSIC:

· Record Store Day went on social media to unveil its 2020 date, which is set for April 18th. Last year, a special edition turntable manufactured by Crosley Radio was available at select record stores.

· Green Day took to social media to share a GIF announcing their new track “Oh, Yeah” will be released later this month. Additionally, they also confirmed a rumored tracklist that was anonymously sent to a fan earlier this month.

· Spanish Love Songs announced the release date of their third studio album, Brave Faces Everyone, on February 7th via Pure Noise Records. The band also released a new single “Kick” with an accompanying music video.

· New Found Glory announced that they are looking to include fans in filming a new music video. Recently, guitarist Chad Gilbert took to Instagram to tease that the band have been working on a new album, which will follow up their 2017 release, Makes Me Sick.

· Silverstein announced a release date for their next studio album, A Beautiful Place to Drown. They also dropped their latest single off the LP, “Infinite,” featuring Underoath and The Almost musician Aaron Gillespie.

· In a very recent interview, Senses Fail vocalist Buddy Nielsen revealed what he thinks will be the title of the band’s eighth album, calling it Hell is in Your Head. The frontman also talked about the relationships between this new album and their 2006 record, Still Searching.

· Evanescence dropped a music video for their cover of Fleetwood Mac’s song “The Chain,” which was featured on the soundtrack for the video game Gears of War 5. Singer Amy Lee also lent her vocals to the game’s launch trailer just prior.

· The 1975 announced the debut of a new song titled “Me & You Together Song,” set to drop this Thursday. Their fourth studio album, Notes on a Conditional Form, was then pushed back from its original release date on February 21st to sometime in April.

· Halsey took inspiration from country music in her latest single “You Should Be Sad” off her upcoming album Manic, dropping this Friday. She revealed on Twitter that the track was inspired by some of her favorite female artists of the genre, namely Carrie Underwood.

· Creeper announced the release date for their upcoming album, Sex, Death and the Infinite Void, along with a brief tour in the UK. The band teased fans on Twitter prior to the announcement by posting a series of periods and short videos.

· PVRIS dropped a haunting acoustic version of their song “Hallucinations,” originally the title track of the band’s latest EP. Singer Lynn Gunn also shared it on her own Twitter feed, saying “It’s chill.”

· The upcoming film Birds of Prey is getting its own soundtrack, appropriately titled Birds of Prey: The Album. The soundtrack features Halsey, K. Flay, a collab by Megan Thee Stallion and Normani, and more internationally-acclaimed female artists.

· Paramore frontwoman Hayley Williams teased what could potentially be a lyric from her upcoming solo project debut, Petals for Armor, releasing January 22nd. Clues of the new project surfaced on Instagram and city streets with a release date for some time this month.

· A recent video shows Halsey in the studio with Bring Me the Horizon’s Oli Sykes and Jordan Fish. It appears that the video is referencing her new song for the Birds of Prey soundtrack titled “Experiment on Me.”

· Alexisonfire dropped a new single titled “Season of the Flood,” which marks their third new song in 10 years and premiered on BBC1’s Rock Show. Last year, the band dropped two singles, “Complicit” and “Familiar Drugs.”

· Point North’s new song, titled “Into the Dark,” just dropped, featuring current tour mate and Sleeping with Sirens‘ singer, Kellin Quinn. The bands are currently on tour with Set It Off and Belmont.

TOUR ANNOUNCEMENTS:

· Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival announced the lineup for the festival’s 2020 dates. This year’s headliners include Tool, Lizzo, Tame Impala, Miley Cyrus, Bassnectar, Flume, Oysterhead, Lana Del Rey and Vampire Weekend.

· The Almost frontman Aaron Gillespie recruited his Underoath bandmate Tim McTague to join him on stage during a show at the Orpheum in Tampa. Gillespie shared photos of the evening, touching on the “unnecessary friction” at The Almost’s formation in 2005.

· In anticipation of their upcoming release Father of All… next month, Green Day announced that they want to host a wild party at a fan’s house. In a video posted to Instagram, Billie Joe Armstrong talked about wanting to play in one very lucky fan’s backyard in California.

· Halsey announced the dates for the North American installment of her Manic World Tour. It was also announced that CHVRCHES, Omar Apollo, blackbear and PVRIS will all join her on select dates of this tour.

· Circa Survive announced that Polyphia and Gouge Away will join them on their Blue Sky Noise 10-year anniversary tour. The band took to social media to announce the supporting cast for the tour.

· Billie Eilish, Gwen Stefani with Blake Shelton, Aerosmith and Lizzo will all take the stage at this year’s Grammy Awards on January 26th. R&B songstress Alicia Keys will again host the ceremony.

· Post Malone was announced to headline the “Bootsy on the Water” pop-up event at one of this year’s Super Bowl kick-off parties in Florida. Fans have the opportunity to see the rapper live, but tickets range from a hefty $1,000 to $150,000.

· The Maine announced their second edition of 8123 Day to celebrate their 13th anniversary as a band. The event will offer fans fun opportunities such as an online scavenger hunt, contests, new merchandise and more.

· My Chemical Romance’s return show grossed nearly $1,500,000, making history as the highest-grossing show at the venue ever. A Paradigm agent, Matt Galle, spoke with Variety last December about how everything came together.

· Joe Rogan, Jim Jefferies and Whitney Cummings are joining forces to appear at Stand Up for Australian Fires, the Australia wildfires benefit show taking place on January 26th. Proceeds from the show, co-produced by Kevin Lyman and Joe Sib, will go to Wildlife Warriors.

· After announcing their first full U.S. headlining run last month, Sleep On It finally announced the opening acts for the “Pride and Disastour.” The band’s upcoming tour, which kicks off at the end of February, will be supported by Bearings, Between You and Me and Neverkept.

· Sleeping with Sirens revealed a stacked co-headlining run with the Amity Affliction kicking off in April. The tour will begin April 15th in Reno, Nevada, and conclude May 23rd in Milwaukee with support from Stray from the Path and UnityTX.

OTHER NEWS:

· The Maine drummer Pat Kirch married his longtime partner Shacara Nemetz, with his bandmates, family and friends in attendance at the ceremony. Last September, the couple also announced they were expecting their first child together.

· One talented drummer took on the challenge of combining 50 My Chemical Romance songs in 10 minutes. The fan in question, Sage Duvall, is a member of Florida-based indie band Raggy Monster and impressively recorded it all in one take without the use of a click track.

· Bad Religion announced the release of their new book, “DO WHAT YOU WANT: The Story of Bad Religion,” which is set to drop on August 20th by Hachette Books. The autobiography is a deep examination of the band’s four decades in rock music.

· Music IP investment company Hipgnosis Songs acquired 157 songs from alternative icon Tom DeLonge‘s catalog. “All the Small Things” and more Blink-182 hits were reportedly acquired.

· Ice Nine Kills joined numerous musicians in fundraising to help put an end to the Australian wildfires plaguing the country. The band is selling a T-shirt featuring a kangaroo dressed as horror icon Freddy Krueger, with all proceeds going towards Australia’s relief efforts.

· The upcoming film Birds of Prey revealed its second official trailer, which may reveal what happens to Jared Leto‘s Joker character. Recently, lead actress Margot Robbie, who plays Harley Quinn, confirmed that Leto would not be in the film.

· Featuring a red, black and white color palette, Vans’ latest “I Heart” shoe collection recently hit their online store. The line showcases the phrase “I heart boys, I heart girls” in a continuous pattern.

· Neil Peart, iconic drummer and lyrical voice of legendary Canadian prog-rock act Rush, has passed away. Rolling Stone reported that Peart had succumbed to aggressive brain cancer at age 67 after a brave three-and-a-half-year-long battle.

· The Umbrella Academy fans were surprised last week when the comic series appeared as a question on the game show Jeopardy!. The show is currently hosting its “The Greatest of All Time” tournament, which has three record-breaking former contestants playing.

· Blink-182 joined the relief effort toward stopping the Australian bushfires by releasing a new merch collection. Proceeds from the shirts will go towards Australia Zoo, which is giving medical help and rehabilitating to sick, injured and displaced wildlife in the country.

· Blink-182 drummer Travis Barker is partnering with Barrett-Jackson to sell a few of his vehicles to the highest bidder. There will be three cars up for sale – a 1941 Cadillac 62 Series convertible, a 1960 Cadillac Coupe Deville and a 1972 Chevrolet K5 Blazer.

___

Check in next Tuesday for more “Posi Talk with Sage Haley,” only at @sagehaleyofficial!

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sign-from-god-complex · 5 years

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why not both!!! and superheroes! cause why not!! (also this is not a drabble length, but hopefully that’s alright, hahah)

warnings: minor character death (in the recent past) and minor injuries (if I missed anything let me know!)

tag list (since this is longer): @mutechild @super-magical-wizard

Roman landed haphazardly on the concrete outside their house, stumbling his way into the living room. His vision was blurry with tears but he could vaguely make out the shapes of his roommates getting off the couch and hurrying towards him, watching him as he collapsed to the ground against the nearest wall.

“Roman?” Logan asked, worry colouring his tone, “What happened? Are you alright?”

Roman shook his head and he could feel Patton's arms wrap around him as he held back a sob.

Blinking away tears, he could see dark eyes scanning every inch of his body as Logan took his seat in front of him. Although he knew he looked like a mess—his suit was torn and his face was bruised—Roman knew he wasn't going to find anything too horrible. Not on the outside at least.

“Th-there were some- some people-” He sniffed, trying to calm his breathing even a little bit. “It was a robbery—armed—and I- I thought I- fuck!”

Roman tugged at his hair, trying to find some relief from the anguish that was rising up inside him, choking him until he could only gasp. He could feel gentle hands moving his hands down to his lap and it made him want to scream. He didn't deserve this kind treatment; not after today.

“Hey, hey, calm down.” Patton grabbed Roman's face in his hands, stroking his cheeks with his thumbs to wipe away the tears. “They can't hurt you anymore.”

Roman buried his face into Patton's chest, shaking. “That’s not the point, Patton! I should have been able to save them! I should have done something! I mean, what kind of superhero am I if I can't-”

“Roman.” Roman flicked his gaze over to Logan, his expression was kind but firm and Roman was fighting back tears again. “You cannot save everyone. Every ”superhero” knows that.”

He shook his head. “But I should've-”

“No buts,” Patton continued softly, “We need you here—the world needs you here!—and you getting yourself killed trying to save one person who couldn't be saved is the worst thing you could do. For all of us.”

Logan placed his hand on Roman's arm, drawing his attention away from Patton once again.

“Think of it this way. You tried your absolute best to save this person, correct?” Roman nodded emphatically. “Then that is all you possibly could have done. You may be considered a “superhero”, Roman, but you have limits; you cannot perform the impossible.”

Roman knew they were right, of course he did. He grew up on superhero movies, on fairytales with dashing knights and acts of bravery, they were never able to save them all—at some point, without fail, every single one of them had to lose. But god, somehow Roman had thought he was going to be different. How naive.

He sniffed, wiping at his eyes before sighing heavily.

“Yeah, I know, guys, I do. It just-” He gave a humourless chuckle. “It doesn't feel like it, you know? It feels like I should have been able to do more, even if I couldn't.”

Patton sighed, tightening his hold on Roman's shoulders and rubbing his hands up and down his arms, generating friction to fight the chill that pervaded Roman's very being.

“We know, love, we know,” he whispered.

Roman let himself be comforted for a moment, let his mind wander past the tragedy of the evening and to a place more secure. Safe. Being wrapped up in Patton's arms was one of the most calming places to be—they all knew that well.

“You're not going back out on patrol tonight, are you?” Patton's voice was incredibly concerned and in response, Roman shook his head.

“No, I texted Virge; he should be able to handle the rest of the evening.”

There was motion opposite them and Roman watched as Logan stood up, offering his hands out to Roman and Patton. “Well, then I think a movie may be in order, is that correct? Would a Disney film be acceptable to you, Roman?”

He accepted Logan's hand up, watching as Patton did the same, and the two of them heaved themselves to their feet. Roman took a moment to steady himself, feeling the way his feet were firmly planted on the ground.

“Yeah, Logan, I, uh-” He took a deep breath. “I think that would be good. I'm just... gonna get changed first.”

Logan nodded thoughtfully before heading off to the kitchen, Roman assumed to prepare the snacks.

God, he longed to get into pyjamas. His suit was comfortable—after all it was designed to be that way—but right now all it was doing was bringing back bad memories. He could feel every way the suit didn't fit quite right due to a rip or a tear; it forced into his mind the feeling of the knife so close to his skin, adrenaline pulsing through his veins and a body, dropping to the floor in front of him.

He took another breath.

No. He had a responsibility now. He knew from the beginning that things like this weren’t easy—there were always going to be days like this, days when the weight of the world felt as if it lay solely on his shoulders and he’s struggling to stay standing—but what he was doing was important. Patton was right. He was needed. There were more lives out there left to save and it wasn’t going to happen if he hid himself away now.

“Patton?” At the sound of his name, Patton snapped his head upwards from where he was staring at the ground, humming in acknowledgement. “Is there... any way you would be able to fix my suit before tomorrow evening?”

Patton gave a warm smile, eyes bright. “I think I can manage that.”

So Roman headed upstairs, stripping down to his underwear and neatly folding up his suit to place outside Patton’s door later. The pyjamas he chose were soft against his skin and Roman had to pause for a moment to remind himself that was okay. He was allowed comfort. He didn’t deserve to suffer, no matter what transpired today. And maybe he didn’t believe it, but he was getting there.

When he returned back downstairs he was greeted by the smell of popcorn in the air and the soundtrack to Mulan playing in the background. Logan was curled up in the armchair, his eyes glued to his book—though Roman couldn’t imagine it was easy to read in the dim light of the television—and Patton was snuggled up on the couch, beaming up at him.

“We figured you needed a feel-good movie,” Patton said, pulling back his blanket and patting the spot next to him, “Come sit! I need a good cuddle buddy.”

Roman slipped in next to him, feeling the warmth Patton so naturally generated sinking into his skin. Subconsciously, Roman leaned in a little closer, trying to get more of that warmth for himself. Patton must have picked up on this because he wrapped his arm around Roman’s shoulders, tugging him in closer towards him.

“Gosh! You sure are cold, huh?” Patton laughed, “Still a super great cuddler though! You might even say your cuddles are… un-brrr-lieveable!”

There was an audible groan from Logan and Roman covered his face with his hand to try and hide his amusement.

“Aw, come on, Lo!” Patton’s eyes were bright as they focused in on Logan. “No need to give me the cold shoulder. My puns are snow joke!”

Patton looked so absolutely delighted with every word that Roman just couldn’t hold himself back. “I’d say you heat it out of the park with that one, Pat.”

Patton’s eyes widened in surprise, his grin shining even brighter than before.

“Not you too!” Logan whined—he’d never admit it was a whine, but it definitely was—but the other two ignored him.

“Oh really, Roman?” Patton’s grin turned mischievous. “Would you say I’m… hot stuff?”

The two of them dissolved into uncontrollable giggles, Logan simply sitting there scowling at them. “Are we going to begin this movie or not?”

“Yeah, yeah, Logan, go ahead and play it,” Roman gasped through his laughter. Patton turned his head into Roman’s shoulder with a snort before reaching over and picking up the popcorn bowl from the table in front.

The intro to Mulan sounded around the room and Roman felt okay for the first time that evening.

#sanders sides #sanders sides fic #roman sanders #patton sanders #logan sanders #platonic logince #platonic royality #ask lo #lo can write #400 milestone

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letterboxd · 5 years

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Life in Film: Daniel Scheinert.

The Death of Dick Long director Daniel Scheinert (of “the Daniels”) talks stressful comedy, the South and Richard Linklater as he answers our life-in-film questionnaire.

Daniel Scheinert made a splash on the indie-movie scene in 2016 with the surreal and crude Swiss Army Man, alongside directing partner Dan Kwan. For his second feature with A24—and first away from the Daniels—Scheinert returns to his Southern roots with The Death of Dick Long.

Set in small-town Alabama, the story follows bandmates Zeke and Earl doing everything they can to avoid having to explain how their friend Dick Long died the night before. Billy Chew wrote the script, and Scheinert broke out in a nervous sweat when he read it. “I love comedies that are stressful. I get bored in movie theaters a lot and this was not boring.”

Chew, one of Scheinert’s BFFs, also has professional history with the Daniels: he’s acted in their shorts, and co-directed the interactive documentary The Gleam with Scheinert. “He lived in Alabama for a long time and that’s where I’m from, so I got excited about making his movie while Dan Kwan wrote the first draft of our new movie.”

Sunita Mani and Andre Hyland in ‘The Death of Dick Long’.

That’s right: the Daniels are far from over. It’s just that other-Dan is “not from Alabama so it’s a fun chance to explore the few things that are not in [the Daniels’] Venn diagram of interests. But Dan and I have been busy, we’re still trucking, we’ve got more movies to make.”

Premiering at the 2019 Sundance Film Festival—just as his “arty farty” debut did—The Death of Dick Long is, according to Letterboxd reviews, “pretty bonkers, surprisingly touching, melancholic, and—in certain aspects—relatable,” with “early Coen brothers” vibes in its portrayal of loveable idiots on the run. The best compliment of all for Scheinert? It is “the most Alabama film of all time.”

“With this one I just wanted people who were colorful and interesting, who had Southern roots, because one of my least favorite things is Hollywood actors faking Southern accents. The cast is like a mix of folks who travelled in and there’s a lot of folks around Birmingham, Alabama where I grew up. Sarah Baker, who plays Officer Dudley, is a super-talented pedigree actress who travelled in and did all her scenes with Janelle Cochrane, a local actress who did theater in Birmingham. She plays Sheriff Spenser and that’s just how she acts [in real life].”

Now that The Death of Dick Long is out in the world, one of Scheinert’s favorite things is to pull out his phone and record audience reactions. “I have ten recordings on my phone of different theaters in different parts of America reacting to this movie because it’s fun.” He argues that laughter isn’t the only fun reaction to get out of an audience: “It’s just as fun to get absolute silence if they’re leaning forward and hanging on every word. It’s really fun to get people whispering or gasping or uncomfortably moving around in their seats, and this movie gets all of it combined. It’s rewarding.”

Sarah Baker in ‘The Death of Dick Long’.

Daniel, it’s time for your life-in-film interrogation. What was the film that made you want to become a filmmaker? Daniel Scheinert: Oh man. It was the show Jackass. I think there’s a whole generation of filmmakers who saw Jackass and were like “you just filmed your friends doing stuff and that’s content?!” My favorite movies look like they were fun to make, which I feel is true of all of Spike Jonze’s stuff too.

What’s a bizarre movie that you recommend to everyone? Not to everybody, but this year I’ve been telling people to see Greener Grass, which is a bat-shit crazy movie that a bunch of comedians shot over in Georgia that just is a crazy satire of nuclear families.

Since Hallowe’en is coming up, what’s your favorite scary movie? White Chicks. So scary. I think their white faces are the scariest monsters in movie history. I don’t watch it every Hallowe’en but that’s one of my favorite scary movies.

Which dark comedies and crime movies did you watch in preparation for The Death of Dick Long? I rewatched episodes of Breaking Bad because I love how information is revealed in that show. It’s fun and colorful and vivid. Billy and I rewatched American Movie, which is one of our all-time favorites about buddies. That egotistical guy who just wants to make his goddamn movie, wilfully ignorant of the trainwreck of his life, is so relatable. A while ago I made Billy watch The Celebration with me, which is… some people would call it a drama, but I think it’s one of the funniest movies ever. It’s a European film about a 60th birthday party going horribly, horribly wrong.

‘The Death of Dick Long’ director Daniel Scheinert.

Which film do you think best represents people from the Southern states? I love that question and I was having a hard time coming up with one. Last year I watched Hale County This Morning, This Evening. It’s an arthouse documentary about rural, black, Southern life. I grew up near there and I had never seen the images from that movie [on screen]. Some of them were very familiar but some of them were not.

What’s your go-to comfort movie? The one you re-watch every year, you’re down to watch any time (and how many times do you think you’ve seen it)? It’s Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. I’ve probably seen it start-to-finish like twelve times. I watch pieces of it and listen to the soundtrack all the time. Or Wet Hot American Summer. Similar number—maybe twelve.

What film do you have fond memories of watching with your parents? That was a fun question. Probably, Airplane!. I watched Jackass 2 with my dad and he laughed so much, it was really fun. He’s a very serious man, until he’s not.

What’s a classic that you just couldn’t get into? Would you call High Fidelity a classic? The “guy moping about his ex-girlfriend” genre is just rough for me. Maybe I’ll try it again someday but High Fidelity, man, is tough.

[Daniel later sent us Billy Chew’s answer: Gone With the Wind. “He hates it. I've never seen it. But you look back and it’s a super-problematic celebration of the good ol’ days before the Civil War. Fuck that.”]

Do you have a classic that you’re embarrassed to say you haven’t watched? So many. I missed some Martin Scorsese movies. I’ve never seen Raging Bull. I know. I was talking about this the other day, I don’t know if I’ve ever seen Back to the Future Part II from start-to-finish. I think I’ve seen pieces of it on TV. Dan Kwan is a super-fan. I don’t know if I’ve seen [the first Back to the Future] either. That’s embarrassing. I always wail on time-travel movies and I haven’t even watched these.

Which film was your entry point to foreign-language cinema? I don’t know if Miyazaki counts because they dubbed Princess Mononoke so it’s probably Amélie. Actually, as a kid I was obsessed with the black-and-white Godzilla movies, and I would watch all of them, subtitled. I’d invite my friends over and they would get bored while I would get so excited about that monster smashing those cities.

Virginia Newcomb in ‘The Death of Dick Long’.

What movie scene makes you cry the hardest? It’s Freedom Writers. Anything with inner-city kids expressing themselves just strikes me out, and while that movie is not perfect, once the kids start reading their poems and their stories to the class, I just lost it. Later I found out that Richard LaGravenese, who made that movie, cast real kids and had them tell their real stories, so that’s probably why it hit me so hard. It wasn’t just a screenwriter.

What director do you envy the most? I always talk about this because my answer is Richard Linklater. As a kid, I wanted to find a filmmaker who I could look up to. I needed to find one who made multiple good movies because I want a whole career, so that shortened the list. But then also I needed filmmakers who are not assholes and that cut the list way down because you find out all your heroes are assholes. And then I needed to find people who were also good parents, you know? Because so many filmmakers are divorced or don’t see their families, and basically it just [came] down to Richard Linklater.

What’s a film that you wish you had made? Let me think. What’s that movie, I always forget the name, where he’s getting out of the limousine? It’s an arthouse film with, uh. [Daniel starts googling]. It’s French… Holy Motors! You ever seen Holy Motors? It’s a batshit crazy movie starring Denis Lavant. He’s just the best. It’s just him getting in and out of a limousine and wandering through a bunch of absurdist short films with each one zany in a different way.

What’s the best film of the decade, in your opinion? That’s a tough one. It’s probably Moonlight. I love Moonlight so much. For me, it opened up empathy I didn’t know I had. After the third act of that film, I felt I grew as a person. My other answer, I googled it, is not this decade but it came out in the last ten years, is Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs. It’s just a perfect film. So I’m a super-fan of Moonlight and Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs.

A24 is held in incredibly high regard—both in the industry and by the Letterboxd community—for the sheer quality of its output. As a filmmaker, what is the day-to-day experience of being in their camp like? I feel spoiled. Half of my favorite movies I go to see and I go “Oh man, that’s the logo in front of my movie!” I got to meet a handful of the other filmmakers, which I feel so fortunate to have done. They’re such a hands-off company in a really cool way. I just feel like I got to make my movie and they just trusted me. They’re not helicopter parents.

‘The Death of Dick Long’ is distributed by A24 and in US cinemas now.

#daniel scheinert #dan kwan #the death of dick long #swiss army man #a24 #film director #director #filmmaker #q&a #letterboxd

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amwilburn · 5 years

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Captain Marvel

I actually walked into this with the Mrs with fairly high expectations, not from knowing any of Brie Larson's previous work (other than knowing she'd already won an Oscar for "Room"), but because Kevin Feige and Marvel Studios have delivered time and time again, *especially* on the more obscure or ridiculous characters. I remember as a kid thinking: what kind of stupid character is Ant Man, where every issue I'd read his only use was to get inside a computer and rip out the wires. With Captain Marvel, I didn't even really know who she was. Lesser studios would've set this film up with low expectations, introducing a relatively low profile character; Marvel looks at this as an opportunity to tell a new story.

And boy did they. Without giving too much away, they manage to truly surprise in this film. Not a spoiler: this film is hillarious; wife and I were laughing and grinning from beginning to end. Without giving too much away, it's great to see Ben Ben Mendelsohn excercise his comedic chops; without spoiling the context, he gives one of the funniest on screen eye rolls ever.

The unrelenting pacing never let up; bouncing around between comedy (especially if you remember the 90's), action, mystery, there was never a part that dragged. For me, I haven't had this much fun in a film since the original Gotg; where they managed to make the entirety of the film funny, but still have high stakes, without fully crossing the line into silly (like Gotg 2 did, where 2/3 of the jokes were simply Drax laughing).

Your mileage may vary:

Well, ok, it crossed the line into silly when they were experiencing 6 g's. Maybe a little *too* comic book a moment. And while inextricably entwined with the rest of the MCU, it wasn't the deepest film.

If you're a die hard comic book fan, and you think everything needs to be completely true to the source material to be good, you will have many problems with this film; not least of which is them flipping the script on a few things, including her origin (personally this one's better, although it leaves me with another plot hole). On the other hand, they *did* throw in pretty much every comic book iteration of her hair / helmet as fan service.

The obvious comparison to a female led super hero film is 2015's Wonder Woman (which was also good); I've read complaints that Gal Gadot had a more powerful on-screen presence. True; she was cast perfectly, and looked the part of a Greek God. You might have issues with Marvel's equivalent fumbling around 'stilted dialogue' and mostly winking and smirking; this didn't bother us because the origin story *is* Carol Danvers discovering her own origin, and she initially has no idea what she's capable of.

I thought they did a really good job of de-aging Sam Jackson and Clark Gregg (not really surprising, considering the how well they de-aged Kurt Russel for the opening of GotG2), but I've seen reviews calling it creepy. I'll admit, it's not 100% natural looking yet, but for an action film (as opposed to a serious drama), I thought it held up. *Much* more natural than the CGI characters in Star Wars: Rogue One.

If you're tired of origin stories (but how else are they supposed to introduce the lesser known characters? Spiderman didn't need an origin story because of how well known the character already was). Also, if you're tired of buddy road trip comedies.

If you don't have a love for 90's music; the soundtrack was really great! Although not quite up to the lofty standards of GotG.

You won't like this if you dislike cats (or flerken), or need your super heroines to wear skimpy outfits.

You might even enjoy this film more than the Mrs and I did, if you view the character as a living embodiment of redefining female empowerment. Inspiring, even.

Oh, and for the reviewers out there who were confused by why a flerken cat is named Goose? Top Gun. Maverick (Tom Cruise's) co-pilot. Same reason the original comic named it Chewie (although ironically, that name still would've made sense here). Watch the film again, and you'll see why.

*We* plan to!

Pure fun. 9.3/10, A-

*note "fun" and quality of a film aren't completely tied together; The Dark Knight is a 10/10 A++, but it's not the most "fun" film.

#filmreview #MCU #CaptainMarvel #moviereview

#film review #movie review #mcu #captain marvel #brie larson #marvel

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