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beauticate · 6 years

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The Beauticate Team Tested This Skin-Renewing Peel

There’s no denying that skin peels yield results. The problem is knowing which type will suit your skin – and, let’s be honest – there’s often a little bit of fear around how your skin will react. Redness, flakiness and sensitivity are often unfortunate bedfellows of the peeling process. In a bid to nix this pain point, Dermalogica has just launched their new Pro Power Peel – a fully customisable professional treatment that can be tailored to your skin type, and is buildable according to how you feel on the day. We decided to test it out on each of our different skin textures to see just how customisable it really is… read on to see our verdict.

Sigourney Cantelo, Editor and Founder, Skin type: Dull/Ageing

Aware that my skin’s cell turnover is considerably slower than that of the other girls on my team (in your twenties it takes about 20 days for a new skin cell to rise to the top; as you age, that slows to 30 days) so it’s clear that I’m going to need all the help I can get. Under the ‘skin concerns’ section on my pre-peel treatment form I write AGEING AND DULLNESS in capitals and underline it twice. My therapist, Britt, smiles sympathetically and leads me through to the treatment room. She knows my kind. Acid junkies are a dime a dozen in the 35-plus market. We lived through the first wave of glycolic peels in the nineties (the ones that left you looking like SATC’s Samantha) and never quite recovered. Even though I should know better, my instinctive reaction is to err on the side of burn. If I’m not shedding like a snake then it probably didn’t do anything. However, when I sit down with Dermalogica’s Head of Education Emma Hobson, she explains that peels have come a long way in recent years. “Previously you had the very strong doctor’s peels, which could only be administered by doctors; but they were quite invasive,” she explains. “Whereas now they can formulate these peels that you can get some fabulous results with, using some great ingredients, in a short period of time, without the traumatic down periods that peels used to have.” Music to my ears as I totally forgot, when booking this peel, that I have an event tonight and a photoshoot in two days time. Britt reassures me: “We’ll go easy, I can customise your peel, and judge how your skin is responding with each layer,” she says soothingly before painting on the first coat – the UltraBright peel. It barely touches the sides. The next layer she applies is the AdvancedRenewal which contains glycolic acid to help minimise those pesky lines. This one is a little tickly but nothing unbearable. I know it’s doing its job, and after a super relaxing facial massage, I take a look in the mirror and can see that it has, too. The best part? I had no redness, no peeling, no downtime – nada! Only gorgeous glowy radiance and high-beam cheekbones. With minimal recovery and compliment-getting results, I’ll take this kind of peel any day of the week.

Tess Schlink, Editorial Assistant, Skin type: Normal/dehydrated

The day of my peel, my skin and I were in dire need of some TLC – hormonal, super-dehydrated and suffering from a late-winter cold. My therapist Britt (whose glowing skin from her peel the week before got me excited for similar results) assessed my skin to pinpoint the concerns she wanted to address, and decided on two different acid peels: the PowerClear peel (using salicylic acid to decongest and prevent breakouts) and the UltraBright peel (where lactic acid helps to hydrate the complexion). I was nervous that it would be painful (but hey, no pain, no gain, right?), but beyond a little tingling and warmth, it was barely noticeable. She then went back in with the PowerClear peel to spot treat blemishes, following with a neutralising solution to restore the skin’s pH to normal levels. After a quick spritz of the UltraCalming Mist (my secret weapon to soothing skin post-peel), she popped on the Hyaluronic Acid IonActive Serum and a red LED light, to deeply hydrate and stimulate skin renewal for even more glow. After the treatment, my skin was already noticeably clearer and more radiant - a little flaking around the chin in the days that followed, but it disappeared pretty quickly. A week in, and my skin is better than it has been in months – even Sig (who knows good skin) complimented me on how nice it was looking at the moment. I’m sold.

Marina Gainulina, Beauty Writer, Skin type: Combination

With spring right around the corner, it was definitely time to ramp-up my, – I confess – rather lazy winter skincare routine. Safe to say I was equal parts excited and nervous for to try Dermalogica’s latest in-store offering, seeing as it’s one of the few brands that never causes a bad reaction on my super temperamental visage. Brittany, my therapist, began with a quick face-map to determine the concerns – and boy, were there a few. Dehydrated forehead and cheeks, oily t-zone, hormonal breakouts on chin – you name it, I’ve had it.

The procedure commenced with a double cleanse (a little trick that really makes a difference), followed by removal of any natural oil, in order for the peel to penetrate the epidermis layers most effectively. We then proceeded with the acid peels – with the Face Map as reference, Britt choose two to target my individual skin concerns. The first was the PowerClear peel to fight congestion and hormonal breakouts. A second, Ultra Bright peel was applied to the cheeks and forehead, targeting dehydration and hyperpigmentation. Surprisingly there was no pain, just a slight stinging and warmth that was more than bearable. The acid was left on the skin for just a few minutes, followed by a neutraliser and a sneaky bit of red LED. Post-facial? I was a happy gal – my often reactive skin was clear, bright and glowy. I had the option of applying makeup straight after but decided to go without for the rest of the day. A week later and the texture is smooth and my notorious hormonal breakouts didn’t read their ugly head (pun intended) - a win in my books!

Molly Gay, Features Editor, Skin type: Sensitive and prone to breakouts

Confession time. Despite my months immersed in the beauty world, this was my first chemical peel. The lead up was quite nerve-wracking, due to the fear of the unknown and horrific tales of treatments gone awry. It also didn’t help that, en route to the treatment, my husband pleaded that I wouldn’t come back looking like an extra from a horror film, like the girls from the post-peel horror stories he’d heard. Thanks, babes. All worries were put to ease upon arriving at Dermalogica. Britt, my therapist, reviewed the questionnaire we filled out and assessed my skin type, concerns, and goals. As someone with the worst skin type in the world - sensitive AND prone to breakouts - I was convinced that she would take one look, deem me unfixable and administer whatever house peel was on hand (is that a thing?). Contrary to my dramatic and unwarranted assumptions, the exact opposite occurred. The trickiest of skin types was no match for their mix-and-match peel system. To address the overall dullness that is often associated with a long winter hibernation, she applied the UltraBright Peel, which targets the appearance of dullness and ageing with a high concentration of lactic acid. A few minutes later I was a little disappointed and relieved to think that the treatment would soon be over. I had to contain both my excitement and internal panic when she proclaimed that the next layer would be the PowerClear Peel (a salicylic, mandelic, and malic acid powerhouse mixture) to my breakout-prone jawline. I’m sorry, another layer of acid? Didn’t she know I wasn’t going for the ‘Third-Degree Burn’ look? After the application, she asked how it felt and, to my surprise, everything was okay. In fact, it was better than ok, it was downright painless. Throughout the entire treatment, the most obvious sensations were slight tingling a bit of warmth on sensitive areas, like under the nostrils and cheeks. Despite the sensations, my skin looked positively radiant and without a trace of inflammation or redness. My skin actually looked so good that I taught a Barre class just hours after receiving the peel and got a collective compliment from the class about how I was glowing. With maximum results and minimal downtime, this peel is officially my go-to treatment.

In association with Dermalogica. Photography by Amy Hibbard; makeup by Yolanda Lukowski; styling by Paige Murphy

You might also like:

A Beginner’s Guide To Acids

Sigourney’s Best Time Saving Beauty Hacks

What I Wish I Knew Before I Got Acne (Again)

#peel #Pro Power Peel #Dermalogica

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geekns · 7 years

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The Many Layers Surrounding Kylo Ren

The Reylo community has spent a lot of time speculating which pieces of Kylo Ren’s costume are coming off in the Last Jedi (the helmet is getting pulverized, obviously). I think that the headcanon is that the more layers Kylo Ren sheds the closer Ben gets to redemption. Nothing to do with wanting to see more of Adam’s skin. Nope.

But as it turns out, Adam Driver just recently verified that this theory has merit. In fact, it was already a factor in TFA.

I remember the initial conversations about having things 'skinned', ... peeling away layers to evolve into other people, and the person Kylo's pretending to be on the outside is not who he is. He's a vulnerable kid who doesn't know where to put his energy, but when he puts his mask on, suddenly, he's playing a role. JJ had that idea initially and I think Rian [Johnson, director of The Last Jedi] took it to the next level. ~Adam Driver, GQ UK

When i read this, i knew that a comprehensive rewatch was in order (no pun intended). I watched TFA focusing on what Kylo Ren’s costume changes were, what it signified, and how it made me feel. I basically geeked out big time and wrote a massive meta post. Warning, this is image intensive.

The Force Awakens

As i’ve mentioned in the past, all three of the main characters in TFA start off masked. Finn takes his armor off piece by piece in the desert (starting with his helmet as he climbs into the tie fighter with Finn). Rey leaves her mask and speeder behind on Jakku. Kylo wears his mask for the first two-thirds of the film and has so many layers in his costume that the only skin we ever see is his face and where the saber cuts his clothes away. Here’s one fan’s breakdown of Kylo’s costume’s layers:

Kylo wears a helmet, neckseal/collar, sleeves, tunic/gambeson, midcoat, surcoat, hood/cowl/cape, gloves, belt, pants, and boots. He’s wearing all of it when he makes his grand entrance, at Poe’s interrogation, and in the aftermath of Poe and Finn’s escape.

Kylo’s costume tells us that he is untouchable, powerful, angry. He’s basically Darth Vader Jr without the need for any apparatus to keep him alive. His first costume deviation is when Kylo is informed that BB-8 has escaped with Finn and “the girl”. He’s still in full getup but his hood is down. This is the first time we get to see any indication of what’s going on beneath the hood other than a wannabe Darth Vader. He’s starting to realize that he’s made some mistakes, gets a little sarcastic, and throws his first tantrum.

He was actually sarcastic with Hux as well, but his disappointment here feels different. It’s not intimidation and impersonal anger but deeply personal and untempered. When he froze the blaster bolt and threatened Hux he was in perfect control; here he is barely held together. Though i think it’s worth noting that Hux chickened out when he sent a subordinate to report and Vader would have gone the whole way and killed the messenger. Kylo wants to be like Vader but isn’t fully committed.

So far the wardrobe change with his hood signals a vulnerability, the persona starting to falter, etc. It's telling that the hood is back up when Kylo and Hux come before Snoke but completely absent when we next see Kylo in his quarters.

In his quarters, Kylo sits for the only time in the whole film. This is a man of action. His hooded cowl and surcoat(s) are stripped away (he’s still got the belt on but he’s in the tunic), head down, asking for forgiveness because he’s feeling a pull towards the Light Side again. Which means it’s a recurring “issue” for him. This is also the most relaxed/casual we see him throughout the entire film and his helmet is still on! The fact that he’s only half clothed but his skin is still fully covered is telling. Kylo doesn’t allow the outside world to touch him, he is completely isolated.

In Rey’s Force Vision we see Kylo in the rain fully clothed but hood down (of all the times to put your hood down, pouring rain makes the most sense, am i right?). Here is a big reason that i think the hood is significant. In her Vision, Kylo first saves Rey (the man he kills is raising a weapon to attack her, or perhaps Luke) then standing further away and seeing Rey for the first time. His body language is tinged with a distinct sense of surprise spearing him into action (he starts to move towards Rey). We still don’t know if this event was in the past or will be in the future...but I headcanon that Kylo has had (multiple) Visions of Rey and this is still depicting a future that we have yet to see.

Later in the same Vision, a far more menacing Kylo stalks Rey, hood up, lightsaber lit, in a snowy forest. This portion of the Vision we know is in the near future, though it’s kind of mixed up. Rey will initially meet him with his helmet on, hood up, just as in the Vision, but not on Starkiller Base, rather just a short run from where she’s having the Force Vision. When she eventually sees him in the snow his appearance will be altered.

In this Vision, Rey has reason to both trust and fear Kylo before she even meets him in person. The hood is the only difference between the two appearances. This one layer has meaning. Hood up, Kylo is fully an extension of Snoke’s power. Hood down, the man beneath the mask is struggling to assert himself.

On the way to Maz’ Castle to pick up the map, we get to see present-moment Kylo as Hux orders Starkiller Base to fire. Once again, Kylo’s hood is down; this, along with the music, framing, and zoom, indicates that he does not approve of this new weapon. He’s about to feel millions, if not billions, of people die, just as Ben Kenobi did in a New Hope.

Moments after this screenshot, the red light cuts across his helmeted features, but from this angle i am reminded of the way he is about to threaten Rey with his lightsaber in the woods. Snoke’s commands signify intimidation and power on a much greater scale than what Kylo is willing (hoping?) to exercise or accomplish. His reach is terrible, and that threat is always hovering at Kylo/Ben’s own throat.

Which brings us to the scene we’ve been waiting for: their first actual meeting. Kylo pursues Rey through the forest, hood up, in full intimidation mode, much like in Rey’s recent Vision of him (but during the day without snow). It’s an interesting choice for him to stalk her in this way, ostensibly fully in control again and a tool of Snoke, only to choose to abandon the search for BB-8. I wonder if he could he feel his mother’s approach? Is it only his personal connection and fascination with Rey overpowering his sense of duty? How do we decipher his motivations?

Throughout the film, Kylo’ primary source of contact with the people and objects around him are through his lightsaber and the Force. The only things we see him touch with his gloves on are his helmet and Rey when he catches her before she can fall to the ground. Even when his hood is up this is more exposed than he has been with anyone up to this point. But incredibly he drops his guard even further as soon as he has her restrained on Starkiller Base.

Once in interrogation, he’s still fully geared but the hood is down again. Once again, with his hood off his powerful menacing aura almost seems relaxed and casual. He’s clearly trying to seem less intimidating to Rey than he did with Poe. And as we all know he even takes it a step further and unmasks himself for the first time.

Keep in mind that just before this scene we just saw Leia telling Han that she believes there is still good in their son, setting us for the unmasking of Kylo revealing his face. Rey still sees Kylo as a monster, but we have just heard from his mother and his own mouth that his allegiance to the Dark Side isn’t as strong as he would have Snoke, his coworkers, and his enemies think. Even with the mask on, we have already seen that he has doubts; they are only magnified with his mask off.

He just told Rey that she is his guest, which insinuates a certain level of personal attention and protection that he didn’t give Poe. He only interrogated Poe after no one else could get the intel, he hasn’t let anyone touch Rey, and his body language when Rey wakes is the most submissive that we’ve seen him. He didn’t kneel to Snoke or Vader’s helmet. Remember that his hood was up when he interrogated Poe and now he doesn’t have his hood or his mask.

Without the mask he isn’t disfigured or monstrous, he doesn’t even look angry so much as regal. He still asks Rey questions expecting answers, but he doesn’t brutally rip the information out of her head the way he did Poe, he doesn’t go for the throat. He goes for the good cop strategy instead and tries to be sympathetic with Rey. This must be challenging for someone who lives his life holding everyone at his considerable arm’s length and allows no one to see his face... let alone touch him. Rey isn’t having any of it and blocks him from extracting the information either kindly or cruelly.

The next scene has intrigued me for a long time. All of a sudden, Kylo isn’t just unmasked in front of Rey, or even just Snoke, but Hux as well. It’s apparent that he feels a certain amount of confidence being open with Snoke, that without the mask Ben is struggling to assert himself, but as soon as Hux enters the room Kylo’s face becomes a blank mask of its own. It’s incredible to watch. It magnifies the importance of his decision to not only remove the mask for Rey but show his true face.

And then we have a series of continuity errors. I don’t even know how Kylo got his mask back when last we saw it was in the interrogation room with Rey, but his cowl is suddenly absent (when he was clearly wearing it in the chamber where he was talking to Snoke). Not only that, but the cowl is back on as soon as Kylo gets to where Rey is meant to be waiting. Cue tantrum #2.

Kylo is definitely having a bad day. While his attention is on recovering “the girl” he strangely keeps taking his cowl on and off. (Note: he didn’t even ask Rey’s name, he didn’t give her his, and I’m pretty sure that Rey was too busy mentally resisting him to catch on to who his daddy is.) Kylo is driven to find Rey across a variety of locales and we are going to just have to wonder what scene was cut that explains what happened to the magical cowl (which incidentally remains down even when it’s being worn in the search montage).

Kylo is not at his best at this point, his chaotic outfit changes keep him from seeming as put together and menacing as he might wish to be. This actually helps reinforce his mental state. Kylo without his hood seems exposed, without his cowl at all even moreso. He surely must be wondering how this scavenger is hiding from him so effectively but is even further distracted by daddy’s arrival. Apparently his objective to kill his father takes precedence over finding the map or the girl who has resisted him.

I do think it’s worth noting that in the deleted scene where he visits the Millenium Falcon he enters the ship with his cowl on, hood up, and goes to the cockpit alone where he puts the hood down and grips the pilots’ seats with intensity.

The above-pictured scene on the right (where he senses “Han Solo” for the first time) is the last we see of the cowl in this film. It’s not unusual to feel that the face we show the world has been stripped away to reveal our old insecurities when we are reunited with family.

We next see Kylo in the same hallway he was in earlier (on his way back to interrogation after talking to Snoke)... only this time we see him walk directly into the room where he will be confronted by his father. Oops. I’m sure it only looks like the same ceiling with a tighter framing and is actually in a completely different part of the base. Completely off topic, but i love the way his coats move as he sweeps around the planet, brooding, but back to the analysis.

So at this point it’s pretty clear that Kylo is starting to shed layers. He took the cowl off three times, put it back on three times, and it’s just a continuity nightmare... but it is off for the rest of the film. It is the first layer that he permanently sheds, so there is something to this analysis. Meanwhile, Kylo’s helmet has just come off for the second time and he's looking more vulnerable than ever before.

Kylo claims that Ben is dead but also shows Ben’s face before making the aforementioned claim. He’s only undermining himself here, but it is past time for the audience to get to know more directly what Kylo is feeling and it’s only fair to let Han see his son one last time.

It’s difficult to judge how much of Ben’s pain and confusion is an act and how much of it is real. I tend to think that Ben is not as good of a liar as he thinks/wants to be and already knows that he is effectively trapped by Snoke when Han steps closer and says “When he gets what he wants, [Snoke]’ll crush you.” Ben actually takes half a step backward, almost as if he’s trying to hide in the dark. Is he more afraid of his father or the truth? Han continues:

“You know it’s true.”

“It’s too late.”

The dialogue is raw, painful. Kylo doesn’t believe that there is a way for him to go back to being Ben, to his mother, to the Resistance. He knows better than anyone how powerful Snoke is. A lot of people assume that Kylo’s loyalty is to Snoke and the First Order, that he is firmly anti-resistance and possibly even brainwashed. I don’t believe that. I believe (as Han suggests) that he legitimately feels that he has no place else to go. That he’s playing a part because it’s what people on both sides expect of him. Before this film has even begun, doubts have taken hold of Ben. I think that his loyalty is solely to Vader’s cause, misguided as that is, but that he is mainly driven by fear. It’s the one thing Rey plucked out of his head. I mean look at this face...

This isn’t some completely confident heartless murderer, he didn’t want to kill Han to begin with and he regrets it even more after he does do it. If Kylo were as heartless as he claims, he could have left the mask on throughout the conversation or sneered and raged like his grandfather did while dueling his namesake... who was the closest thing that Anakin had a father.

(Patricide is the same crime Darth Vader committed in a New Hope when he defeated his adopted father. Obi-Wan went into exile for decades not only because the Jedi were being hunted down but because of the shame of his failure to raise and train Anakin in a way that would have kept him emotionally whole and able to resist the Dark Side.)

So we get to see Kylo be more like his role model, but there are tears in his eyes when he’s doing it. He’s being torn apart. That isn’t a lie. And the only time anyone touches Kylo’s skin in this entire film (save with a lightsaber) is when Han caresses his son’s face in the same exact place Rey is about to permanently mark him and then falls to his death.

All of the time spent under his mask, the assumption is that the emotions that Kylo feels the most are anger, hatred, power, and unwavering purpose. As soon as his mask is removed we see the truth: fear, conflict, indecision, loneliness, emptation. We get to see what hatred looks like on his face soon enough when he looks at Finn and demands the saber that he believes to be his birthright. There is no hatred in this moment, only uncertainty and regret.

After spending about three-quarters of the film with Adam Driver in a mask it’s a relief to be able to truly see Kylo Ren’s face. He feels things deeply. During the forest dual we get to see rage, pain, determination, surprise, and calm focus. We get to see how much strength his body and mastery of the Force provides him with, to the point of feeling that he is toying with Finn and even Rey until she finds her own focus. It’s almost as if, with the mask finally off, the real Kylo/Ben is able to be released. This fight isn’t about the map and Snoke’s orders, it’s deeply personal.

But despite the fact that Finn’s defeat is casual, almost perfunctory, it’s clear that Kylo doesn’t want to harm Rey. Keep in mind, when Finn fought with the saber the first time he was quickly defeated by another stormtrooper. His training seems to be a little spotty, he should have grown up learning how to fight hand to hand just as much with blasters. Kylo deals with Finn quickly and efficiently and turns his attention to his personal objective.

In contrast, Rey grew up defending herself with her staff. We know that she’s a good fighter and that no one was able to overpower her until Kylo used the Force. And despite her strength in combat, she still cannot hold her own against Kylo unless she uses the Force as well. It’s not that Kylo’s toying with her so much as trying to seduce her in an oddly misguided way. She is forced to fall back repeatedly until he corners her cliffside and offers not to show her the power of the Dark Side, but to teach her about the Force.

This is not the same offer Vader was making at the end of tESB, father and son ruling the galaxy as equals. It’s not about obeying Snoke and bringing the girl to him. And it’s not even about the saber at this point. It’s about whatever they felt together when their minds pressed against one another. It’s about a shared destiny. Which Rey doesn’t even consider, meditates, and comes back kicking yet again.

Kylo and his costume don’t come out unscathed. Finn cut Kylo’s right shoulder, Rey slashes at his left leg, stabs at his left shoulder, and cuts his face from forehead down to his right shoulder dividing collar, coats, and sleeves. After being the best at piloting and saber fighting and Force use and who knows what else for most of his life, it must be a hard blow to his ego. But Kylo isn’t angry or afraid; he’s in awe.

The Last Jedi

At the end of TFA Kylo is wearing a helmet, collar, sleeves, gambeson, midcoat, surcoat, hooded cowl, gloves, belt, pants, and boots (the pieces in italics are damaged, the crossed out ones almost certainly lost on Starkiller Base). After looking at promotional images and behind the scenes footage i think it’s safe to say that Kylo will be starting off the film with significantly less clothing even from the outset. At the beginning of the film his neckseal, gambeson, coats, and hooded cowl are already gone. He’s been stripped down to helmet, cape, sleeves, quilted tunic, belt, pants and boots.

The new tunic is still sleeveless, shorter (to hip rather than knees), and its collar is only about half as high as the old one. It’s one piece of clothing that seems to be present throughout the film. That and the gloves, boots, and trousers. His pants are no longer thick denim but a lighter cotton that is probably closer to what’s worn in the First Order uniforms. They’re also very form fitting in some of these shots.

To sum up, he’s still fully clothed, but with fewer layers, less coverage. It’s more lightweight and less armored. He’s not putting forth the same TFA appearance, which focused on intimidation. This is far more open and accessible. I’m sure Adam was thrilled with the change because i’ve read the TFA costume is very warm. Which is very necessary in RL if you’re wanting the protection that armor provides, but would be miserable to shoot in under all the lights.

The new cape is much more Vader. There’s no hood anymore so (once again) he’s going to be more exposed/relateable throughout TLJ. Kylo will spend some time with his helmet and new cape but I predict that neither will survive very long in the film. In most pictures that we have access to they are completely absent. They are focused on in the lift:

...outside the lift (apparently on the way to Snoke’s throne room)...

...and inside Snoke’s throne room. he famous smashed helmet shot makes it obvious that the helmet’s days are numbered, the only question is how long it sticks around. They are really driving its destruction home in the trailers (not this finished product on the left, which is gorgeous, but Kylo holding it in the lift and punching it into the wall.

I just wanted to point out that BTS info stated that Kylo’s saber wasn’t finished in TFA (it’s mentioned in the Amazon X-Ray), Rey seems to have cut it apart at the end of their dual before cutting Kylo’s face, and now it looks brand new. So the saber is new, too, even if it shares the last saber’s general design. But i wonder if Kylo is still hung up on wanting Anakin’s saber for himself.

Kylo does still have his cloak on when leading stormtroopers into battle on Crait, and i originally assumed that he would be wearing his helmet, but if you look closely you can see his face from above. I think that we’ll get to see Adam’s face for most of the film (yay) and without the cloak for a good portion of it. The Tie Silencer scene, for instance, must be earlyish in the film judging by the space bandaid but there is no cloak or helmet present.

And i know that i’m not the only one who has noticed that the belt seems to be completely absent in the extended hand shot. It’s really hard to tell but i think it’s at least a possibility that the belt will be missing for part of the film. We also know (from the novels as i recall) that the belt has a tracker in it.

One last thing (well two, really). Notice how matte his overall look is. I assume this is to emphasize how wrapped up in the Dark Side he is, but the tiniest bit of Light is still shining through. The shiniest elements of his costume are the helmet, gloves, and belt. His TFA costume was the same way, mostly matte, those three elements reflective. IMO, those are three costume pieces most likely to be discarded before IX. There is a strong focus on hands across all the trailers (Mark tweeted about this) and the fact that Kylo never gets to actually touch anything or anyone in TFA means that they want this to pay off. I am hoping that the next person to touch Ben skin to skin is Leia, but i predict that in the final scene of TLJ he and Rey will be together and his gloves are going to be gone.

There is one additional costume change to mention. There’s one shot of Kylo that isn't obviously set on a First Order ship where he’s wearing something that’s made of a shinier fabric (see his shoulder on the left). I originally thought there may be more than one cloak in use (since the one in the Vanity Fair shoot seems more reflective than the one in the red poster or outside the lift, both as pictured above)... but i now believe that it’s a leather jacket that hasn’t been shown anywhere else.

So you know how a lot of the footage isn’t showing us Kylo and we know that he’s on Ach-to and on Crait? I suspect this jacket is very important and is from a scene so guarded, so under wraps, that we have no way of knowing when or where it is in the film...but i really, really hope that it involves a reunion with his mother (or Rey).

#the force awakens #kylo ren #meta #the last jedi #speculation #reylo fam #ben organa #just let him actually touch someone and be touched

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ahnmin · 6 years

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12 Favorite Films of 2017

12. mother!

One of the things I admire most in filmmakers is a fearless commitment to realize their vision, no matter how deranged. During this movie’s apeshit third act, I kept wondering how the hell Aronofsky pulled it off. It becomes more and more unhinged, continually toppling my expectations. And all in service of a singular message howling across the movie theatre. Some people love it, others loathe it, but the reason why reactions have been so strong is because the filmmaker straight up went for it.

11. War for the Planet of the Apes A striking portrait of a leader during crisis and how the surrounding conflicts and responsibilities shape them. I love how it’s a journeying western that flows into a prison break. The fact that Caesar is fully CGI is worth noting for how invisible it is. For once, CGI is not concealer, it is the brush stroke.

10. On the Beach at Night Alone Is it possible to be nakedly brave and selfishly vain at the same time? Hong Sang-soo and Kim Min-hee decide to go so far and so deep into their personal lives as to be wildly radical both in Korea’s lynch mob celebrity culture and in the boundaries of traditional storytelling.

9. Graduation Moral quandaries are to Cristian Mungiu as salmon is to a master sushi chef. He slices the morality into perfect slabs, cutting against the grain to release maximum ambiguity and dissecting them into their smallest possible components. Here, he sharpens his knife against parenting, governing systems, and the rules involved. Many long unbroken takes of two people verbally jousting along with well-paced editing tell a story of how rules, though meant to maintain order, cannot be blindly followed.

8. Get Out This movie is not just an intellectual exercise aimed to impale the fraudulent do-gooder majority. Though as proven by now, it is magnificently that. I think what makes it so successful in its execution and atomic bomb reception is that it is a haphazard napalm strike straight from the gut of Jordan Peele. Of course it is encased in a genius strategy, but I believe the emotional battle cry is what drives it all the way into the skulls and sternums of people everywhere who need to wake the fuck up.

7. Dunkirk Yes, I saw this in IMAX 70mm. Twice. The sheer size of the image was all engulfing. But that conceit alone isn’t enough to cover a feature narrative. It’s the virtuosic filmmaking—the impossible agility of the elephantine IMAX camera, the clarity of time-space editing between Land, Sea, and Air, the concisely written and staged wordless sequences—that maximizes this survival story into a visceral and unforgettable experience.

6. After the Storm “Did you become who you wanted to be?” a son asks his father. He contemplates the question, wondering what to say to his son while unable to pay child support, unsuccessful in winning back his ex-wife, and finding himself penniless just like his own late father. Are we bound to make the same mistakes as our parents or can we break free and become who we want to be? This movie doesn’t have any simple answers but it dares to wrestle with those complicated questions.

5. The Shape of Water This movie doesn’t just highlight flaws, it unashamedly celebrates them. Through a restlessly floating camera, a magnificent use of color, and a shimmering performance by Sally Hawkins, it lifts those flaws until the things we find embarrassing and the things we hide in fear ultimately transcend their “limitations” and elevate to what they truly are: signs of unexplainable beauty.

4. Phantom Thread Speaking of flaws, we are as much drawn to each other in relationships by our annoying quirks as we are by our admirable strengths. With a dizzyingly well-placed camera, a gorgeous score, and a powerhouse trifecta of performances, Phantom Thread showcases the complex nature of romance and how sometimes, more than our kindness and vulnerability, it is our longing to be needed and taken care of that messily glue us together.

3. Okja Just like Ahn Seo-hyun sprinting relentlessly through the running time, the movie follows suit in a rocket launch of mayhem, bizarre humor, political satire, and most precious of all, familial love. With pristine creature effects, Okja is given the proper heft and tangibility to deeply express all the nuances and specificity of her sisterhood with Mija. Taking a cue from Spielberg, Bong Joon-ho uses that sacred relationship to ground this zany globe-trotting (pun intended) adventure, and that is what I love about all his films. In whatever mode or tone they’re in, the beating heart is full of warmth and intimacy, and then on top of that he layers the exciting genre elements and excellent filmmaking craft. Okja is no different because the camera swings around like a beautifully controlled acrobat, the blocking/staging is always sensational and adroitly choreographed, and the wildly fluctuating tones are well managed and coalesced into a single piece. Finally, shout-out to Steven Yeun for being the perfect embodiment of the clash of East and West in a role that only someone with his distinct upbringing and Hollywood clout could play.

2. Mudbound With the cascade of different narrators weaving throughout, this movie is about equality—not just equal rights, but an equal depth of pain and an equal potential to love. Everyone is given a moment to shine or be humiliated without any judgement or bias. The characters collide and harmonize in deft handheld camerawork and dug-from-the-earth production design. And it’s in that egalitarian landscape that makes the horrific inequality all the more devastating. Also there’s a reunion scene with a son coming back home from war and being embraced by his father that made me cry harder than anything I watched this year.

1. Blade Runner 2049 I love the extremely impressionistic photography, the glorious production design, the deliberate pacing, and the wild abandon of Denis Villenueve to take a beloved franchise and make it his own. But it’s my favorite of the year because for me, it’s about sacrifice. Everyone has a Messianic complex and wants to save the world. But being Christlike doesn’t mean to be spotlit as the Chosen One—that is the dream of the Narcissist. Genuine transcendence and generosity come from giving up that position and downgrading yourself so that another could be given that seat of honor. And in today’s climate of megalomania and self-aggrandizing fanaticism, a little bit of selfless sacrifice could be of use. ----------------------------------------

Honorable Mentions:

20. The Meyerowitz Stories (New and Selected) - One of the funniest movies of the year. Baumbach shows a new level of confidence in his bombardment of dialogue and exploration of ridiculous family dynamics.

19. Gerald’s Game - Well-crafted, well-written intimate terrifying single room thriller. 18. I don't feel at home in this world anymore. - Well-crafted, well-written intimate quirky comedic thriller. 17. Split - Shyamalan continues to get his groove back.

16. Gook - Stunning debut film filled with tons of heart in under-seen contexts.

15. The Lost City of Z - The tension between chasing your dreams and fulfilling your duties.

14. Baby Driver - An unhinged musical made with a stunning command of craft.

13. Star Wars: The Last Jedi - Rian Johnson crafts a meta narrative out of the most famous film franchise in history, infusing his own anxious ambition to leave the past behind in order to become a trailblazer.

#best films of 2017 #year end list

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