#this film is still really fun and beautifully animated
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rewatching princess and the frog as an adult was super fun
#this movie got raked over the coals in ways people have never done for other Disney films#‘the shadow man plot is too complicated’ bro it’s#not that hard to follow.#the songs slap#Tiana and Naveen have really sweet chemistry#and while it’s unclear and confusing why Tiana forgets there’s a doppleganger (ie. whether her doubt comes from doubting Naveen has changed#or whether it comes from a place of doubting herself as being someone worth being chosen)#this film is still really fun and beautifully animated#Disney consistently relegating their characters who were poc to being transformed into animals is absolutely a point of critique#but insofar as the plot mechanisms people raked this movie far harder than they ever did disneys other films#tunes titters#Naveen/Tiana end scene you will ALWAYS be so so cute and famous I love u
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Choose your favorite!
Vote in the other polls!
What fans say:
Inside Out:
Besides the fact of "being a Pixar movie", this movie is a masterpiece, and it has really impacted me. Its message about accepting that "bad" emotions such as sadness are part of life and have its positive side and that "good" emotions like joy can be negative and toxic is really important and one that I'm still trying to internalize 8 years since I first watched the movie.
Wolfwalkers:
The animation is absolutely gorgeous, with a unique style. The music is wonderful, the story is touching. What's not to love!!!!!!
It's beautiful! If I'd watched this as a young girl it would've done something to my brain, in a good way. It's about being stifled by England and those in power, in 1600s Ireland. It's about little girls becoming best friends. It's really sweet, and wonderful. I love the scene where Robyn gets to really have fun and play as a wolf.
Wolfwalkers has beautiful stylized animation. The story is about conflict between the oppressive English colonizers of an Irish town, and their old ways of living in harmony with the forest. When the main character Robyn is in the town, the style she and the backgrounds are drawn in have an angular style made up of flat shapes that don‘t turn in perspective, similar to a woodcut print, showing the limitedness of the town worldview. When Robyn is in the forest at first she is drawn in the town style, but as she is introduced to Mebh, the style shifts to a loose, pencil-lined style with soft shapes and forms that turn three-dimensionally. Later, at key points in the story, Robyn shifts between these styles to reflects whether she is conforming to or breaking away from the town‘s rigid system. It‘s a beautiful way to subtly tie animation to storytelling. I also of course love the story for its queer, environmentalist, and anticolonial themes. It‘s an excellent movie and everyone should see it.
It has some wonderful animation, especially in the wolf scenes, and tells a story that pulls from the history of the English colonisation of Ireland.
The art style is gorgeous and the story is lovely.
It is the most beautifully done 2d animation I've ever seen, beautifully drawn and with such interesting stylistic choices for the backgrounds and the character design, the best shapes. Perspective is really played around with in wide shots that show the town, giving it an even more boxy and closed-off feel to it! My favorite scene would have to be when the song Running With The Wolves by AURORA plays. It makes me cry like a baby they're so beautiful and playful and free and learning to have strength and courage.......
It tells a really beautiful story about identity and friendship and being brave enough to stand up to your oppressors
The animation is gorgeous and well-utilized to convey tone/mood and also little wolf girls are valid and the scenery is [chef’s kiss]
The animation is really stylized which I like. The art style is one-of-a-kind, changing slightly depending on what's happening in the story. Like, for example, Robyn, one of the main characters in the story, started being drawn using cleaner lines when she was still "civilized", in contrast to Mebh, a girl from a tribe that lives in the forest and can turn into a wolf. As Robyn started becoming "wilder", spending time w Mebh, the lineart becomes more sketchy. It's just a really really pretty film. The story is also really really good. The characters are complex and develop throughout the movie. You can understand why Robyn's dad acts the way he does, but still allows him to see the errors in his ways. Also Mebh and Robyn are just fuckin adorable. This movie made me cry so hard and I hardly ever do that Also the soundtrack? MYGOD. perfect. Favourite scene is definitely Mebh and Robyn's wolf scene where Robyn was learning how to be a wolfwalker. The music and animation in that is so good. Idk i really i really love this movie bc it feels so... ALIVE. It uses the animation medium really well, doesn't shy away from the 2Dness and stylizeness of it, which I wish more animated stuff would do.
The animation !!!! Is so gorgeous !!! The art style is so gorgeous, in some places super details and in some moments mimicking medieval styles with symbolic (rather than realistic) perspective, it's so so so beautiful. The music is also amazing, and the story is beautifully put together, it will make you weep.
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since we're on the subject what are your honest thoughts on eva. me personally i think its really great in a lot of ways but also completely full of shit and really falls apart when analyzed non-emotionally (in more ways than just it's *extremely* loose Christian theming)
I think it's fantastic, at least the original series and EoE. Many of the criticisms commonly levied against it are justified- this is a series that castigates its otaku audience for leering at its grossly sexualized portrayal of adolescents while at the same time constructing one of the most vociferous merchandising apparati ever conceived around exactly that purpose- but it's greater than the sum of its defects.
In the matter of broad aesthetics, direction, and composition, I would place Evangelion near the apex of the medium. The industry mechanism necessary to create something that looks like this simply no longer exists. The philistine reaction against the long takes, which would elsewhere be recognized as part of the basic grammar of any serious film, is a credit to Anno's sensibilities as director. There aren't any characters that I particularly dislike, and I think Shinji and Asuka are near to brilliant. And the first thirteen episodes are simply exceptional, even fairly undemanding genre fare. The fucking Israfel one is just an outstanding episode of television. The dramatic idiosyncracies that the series is known for don't manifest in greater quantity until the latter part, which is I imagine where less receptive audiences will start to check out, but I think they're both necessary complements to the whole.
I think about Eva-02 catching that missile to the face on a semi-regular basis. The entire MPE scene is one of the most compelling pieces of animation ever put to film. This and the Gouf battle from 08th MS Team around the same time are the acme of the thought that emphasized plausible heft and momentum in mechanical animation.
The extent to which the original series is celebrated as 'deconstructive', or as a radical departure from previous, less 'cerebral' works, is grossly exaggerated and I think dependent on a historical ignorance of the genre. That isn't to say that it's complete equivocation, but Amuro's first character arc in 0079 is going catatonic after being compelled to fight in the ambulatory war crimes machine, and Pen Pen is not some sort of embedded reflexive criticism- he is a fun penguin who basically loves to hang out. Much of the thematic material is indebted to Ideon-era Tomino, who was at least as catastrophically depressive as Anno during the period of his most prolific cultural output.
The greater innovation in Eva is its radical orientation towards psychodrama, which I think does finally reach a deconstructive apogee in EoE. Still, the basic theme of the series, the communicative impediments to human intimacy, is also the overriding concern of the first several incarnations of Gundam- but only Evangelion will have a character literally describe the hedgehog's dilemma aloud. So a lot of the perceived deconstruction is a maximal treatment of what was marginally less explicit in earlier works, and I think Anno's direction does produce striking and beautifully affective turns on that material. But the old joke that this mecha anime is about the characters is still descriptive of the entire genre. This isn't meant to be a criticism- I think it's infinitely more engaging to consider Eva as the ultimate Lost Decade continuation of earlier forms than some sort of iconoclastic rupture from tradition.
The Judeo-Christian imagery is another point of radical continuity with hyper-influential genre fare, in this case Ultraman. Anno's recent directorial output is enough to evince the tremendous debt owed to the series, but whereas the religious iconography was a genuine article of faith for Tsuburaya, in Eva the material is valued more for its aestheticizing effect. It was only when transplanted to a Western audience that the desacralized treatment of religion assumed a transgressive quality that happened to be a perfect 'in' for adolescents nationwide. Shinji is a Midwest emo icon and I can make an AMV of the series set to Chop Suey by System of a Down? This phenomenon is, to me, more interesting than the actual thematic connections the series draws from myth, which is certainly not what the thing is 'about' in any case.
Also, I am an episode 25-26 truther. EoE is great but the television finale is its obvious complement. If you're out here telling people to watch EoE immediately after episode 24... grow the fuck up! bitch!!!*
*parody parody
#ask#neon genesis evangelion#evangelion#the end of evangelion#mobile suit gundam#ultraman#ping pong the animation#haven't watched the rebuild films yet
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DayCare Moments|| JJK x OC
A/N: Taking a quick breather from nursing school to push this out. I miss Jennette and Jungkook (& Peanut too!)
Might add onto this later, but just wanted to post something.
Pairing: Jungkook x Jennette
Dropping off a Daycare...
Even when he is running late, Jungkook always walks hand in hand to the front door of the daycare. He could be meeting his favorite idol of all time and would still walk his Peanut into the building. He rings the doorbell of the home daycare. The late fifty-year-old black woman answered the door with a smile. A sleepy toddler on her hip.
"Have a good day." Jungkook watches Peanut's coils move in the wind as she enters the daycare. Within seconds, she conversed with Cameron, one of her daycare friends.
"I love you!" Jungkook raises his voice, seeing that Peanut didn't respond to his earlier statement. Remembering that her dad still existed, she wobbled back to the door.
"Love you!" Jungkook crouched down to her level before embracing her. With ease, he scooped her little body up. Blowing raspberries on her cheek as she squealed.
"Appa loves you so much. My peanut cup."
Placing her on the ground, he left one kiss on her forehead. Careful not to shift the Hello Kitty clips Jennette placed in her hair this morning. Peanut was at that stage where she wanted to pick out her clothes like mommy and daddy. However, she had the pickiness of her mother and got fussy if her hair or clothes were not neat.
With one hand touching her hair, she waved goodbye to her father. Jungkook smiled at the mini Jennette in front of him. He blew several kisses to her before turning around to walk back to his car.
❤︎
"What song are we listening to today, Peanut cup?" Jennette buckles in her toddler. Peanut was always given the aux cord when Jennette had to take the toddler to school. Plus, it was funny to hear Peanut's raspy voice sing beautifully off-key to the songs.
"The Red Panda song." Peanut grooved in her car seat. Two weeks ago, Jennette and Peanut watched the Disney animated film 'Turning Red'. Jennette didn't expect Peanut to like the movie as much as she did. As it wasn't necessarily focused on really young kids. But Peanut awwed and gushed over Mei Mei's panda form. Requesting Jungkook get her a red panda plushy (which arrived the next day from Amazon).
The second reason Peanut liked the movie so much was the songs the fictional boyband 4-Town sang. The most recognizable one 'Nobody Like U' was nicknamed the 'Red Panda song' by Panda. Jennette didn't complain much as it gave her a break from hearing 'Part of Your World' from the Little Mermaid.
Jennette played the song before pulling out of the driveway. Occasionally, I look in the rearview mirror to see Peanut dancing to the song. At some parts of the song, she would make up her own lyrics; she was in her own groove. Her head moved side to side as she sang her little heart out. Twenty minutes later, when they got to the daycare, Peanut was still singing the lyrics to 'Nobody Like U. '
Peanut Makes a Friend ...
Jungkook was doing some stretches on the carpet, listening to Peanut recap her day. She sat at the dining table, with a coloring book in front of her.
"... then it was time for recess, Cheese asked me to play hopscotch with him."
Jungkook paused, 'Cheese?'. What were parents naming their kids these days? Jungkook thought to himself. He didn't want to interrupt Peanut, with his growing list of questions.
"I was hopping like a bunny rabbit. Going like hop, hop, hop." Peanut mimics the hopping with the purple crayon in her hand.
"We had so much fun. I can't wait for recess tomorrow."
*next day*
"Bye bye, Ms.Potts, bye Gabby, bye Cheese!" She hugged the little boy. Peanut standing slightly over the little boy.
Jungkook smiled, watching the sweet interaction. One of his fears as a parent was Peanut being bullied. However, she appeared to be adjusting well at the daycare and had some friends.
"It's Chase, not 'cheese'." The little boy whined.
He pointed to the engraved lunchbox in his hand. Clear as day, the hand stitching spelled out 'Chase'. Quickly covering his mouth, not to laugh out loud. Jungkook ushered Peanut out of the front door.
❤︎
Jennette was making Peanut's lunch for school tomorrow when the four-year-old tapped her leg.
"Mommy am I allowed to have best friends?" She tilted her head, looking up at her mother so innocently.
"Yeah, you can have best friends."
A smile appeared on her face. "Good! I know Appa said I couldn't have girlfriends or boyfriends. But I wasn't sure about best friends."
"What's your best friend's name?"
"Cameron, Gabby, Chase, Makayla, Louis, and Bernard."
"Goodness, that's a lot of best friends." Jennette flipped the sandwich in the frying pan. She admired the golden brown color of the bread internally.
"We play at recess and sit beside each other in circle time."
Jennette nodded her head. The next time she picks Peanut off from school, she'll consciously look for all these 'best friends.'
A light bulb went off in Peanut's hand. She scurried around the corner out of Jenentte's sight. Brief ruffling could be heard. Sticking her head out slightly, Jennette wondered what Peanut was up to.
Surely enough, Peanut came around the corner with eight mini Rice Krispie treat bars in her hand.
"I hope you don't plan on eating all those tonight, miss ma'am."
"I was gonna share with my friends."
Peanut put on her puppy dog look for her mother. "Then why do you have eight. You named six friends?"
"Well, I was thinking about an extra for myself." She twisted a foot and looked down.
Jennette couldn't hide the laugh coming out of her mouth, even if she wanted too.
"Fine, Peanut. Fine."
#jungkook x jennette#bts#black oc#jungkook#madameaug#jeon jungkook#black fem reader#bts x black reader#jungkook imagines#family imagine#x black oc#black oc imagine
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Pairing/Shippy list!
I was tagged by @1337wtfomgbbq :) already hyped up I’m sensing there’s gonna be a lot of fun 🤩
Here's the rules:
List your top seven ships.
Put all of them in order of your love for them; 7 to 1, 1 being your favorite.
Name their fandom.
Supply photos for said people.
7) Peter Pevensie & Edmund Pevensie (Narnia)
Geez. Is there even a proper tag for this?? Not many people ship these two I get it but I just, well, tend to drive down to an end off the beaten track. I really like their interaction in the first film and come to think of it, this was the first movie I’ve seen in movie theater so it kinda hits different.
6) Rogue/Shadowcat (Xmen: Evolution)
They clearly had some issues at first but ended up getting along really well. Enemies to roommates to friends in combat and… let it hang in there for a bit bcs there could certainly be a lot of possibilities so who knows :D I really enjoy watching them bickering like an old married couple. Could do this all day
5) Hiccup/Astrid (httyd)
Best anime couple ever! I love how their romantic relationship unfolds in rtte. A slow-burn, took a whole movie, plus three spin-off for it to blossom. Burns slowly but naturally and beautifully.
4) Logan/Scott (Xmen)
When you talk about Scogan there's no way you can get around talking about that scene where Logan flipped Scott off and Scott just acted cool and cracked a smile. It's all you need to board this ship. Ugh it's shame the writer decided to kill off Scott in The Last Stand. But fortunately it was rectified in DoFP (Don't mention Logan (2017)) and Logan still got years to beef (and highkey flirt) with his frenemy :D
3) Magfam (Cherik + Speedyson) (Xmen)
What I wouldn't kill to get more wholesome magfam content? For once can we forget about the angst and pain and just sit down and enjoy something of a rom-com, something light, a cute story of how a remarried family getting together. A remarried couple and their teenage son, who hasn't lived with his father for a single day before, try to work out together as a family. Isn't that what we all deserve?
2) Harry Osborn/Peter Parker (Spiderman(raimiverse))
Quality angst. Their story has everything you need for a classic tragedy. Geez, I remember crying my heart out watching Harry die in Peter's arms as a kid. It left such a massive impact on me that I'm still not over it to this day. I really hate it that NWH did them dirty, Peter out of character, and implying that Harry, being someone vengeful, died of his tomfoolery, making him a cue for some meaningless joke. That's not how they should be. They deserve so, so much better.
1) Neuller (Men's Football RPF)
My emotional support. My safehouse I could escape to. They are the reason why I'm here in the first place. Decade partners and soulmates on the pitch, two dorks who are always on the same wavelength and always seen together. For Thomas, Manu is the best goalkeeper in the world and the wall of steel behind him, always out there to defend so he could go full throttle forward without worrying; and for Manu, Thomas is his spokesperson on and off the field, leading the charge and helping him organize the defense. Together they grabbed almost all the titles they could. They complete each other, as quoted from Manu himself, Thomas is more than a teammate and he can't imagine a world without him.
Honorable nominees:
Silvercyclops (Xmen (movieverse)): It's a shame they never thought of exploring their friendship. What a waste of the chemistry between Evan and Tye.
Rogue/Gambit (Xmen (all media types excluding movieverse)
Lincoln/Alternate Lincoln (fringe)
Tagging: @manuelmueller @cincydrawing and whoever interested consider yourself tagged by me :D
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Jen Tortures Herself With Every Dreamworks Animated Movie Ever: Rise of the Guardians
So I vaguely remember watching this movie at a Walmart once while I was waiting on my car to get fixed. Fuck all if I remember anything about it though other than that people ship the ice twink with Elsa or whatever. So I kind of went into this one for my first active watching of it with bare expectations. How did I end up finding it then?
The Guardians are a group of mythical beings composed of North (Santa Claus), the Easter Bunny, the Tooth Fairy, the Sandman, and their newest recruit, Jack Frost. Together, they protect the children of the world from the villainous Pitch Black (the Boogeyman) from spreading fear across the entire world. A pretty solid setup with some good payoff, but... there are problems.
I think my biggest issue with Rise of the Guardians is... well, its ambitious. A bit too ambitious for its own good at times. It has so much it wants to establish with these characters and how their roles and powers work that it sometimes bogs itself down with all of the details and... overcomplicates things a bit too much? Like on its own, we all are familiar with the concept of Santa or the Easter Bunny, and I do appreciate how creative this movie is with executing them and the work that they do. But sometimes, it just... gets in its own way? If that makes any sense?
So a simple premise that bogs itself down in the details. Ok, what else is there about this movie to redeem it? Lots, surprisingly! The Guardians are all really fun characters in their own right, and I loved the dynamic developed between them. Jack Frost is our focal point out of all of them, and I really liked him! He's an angsty little ice twink who can't been seen by almost anyone because no one believes him, so he has plenty of baggage for compelling drama. My one issue with him though is that I don't think Chris Pine's voice works for his character design? Like I look at that character and I do not think the voice of a man cresting his mid 40s. Its just a touch weird in terms of casting.
The other Guardians are also really fun and unique takes on characters we all already know. North is a delightfully different take on Santa, still just as jolly as we know him to be, with a slick action-hero element of him to the side. The Tooth Fairy has a very sweet, fast-paced energy to her, while the Easter Bunny brings a great edge of sass to compete with Jack throughout the film. The Sandman, while not saying a word, is probably my favorite of the bunch though. He's just so charming and sweet and while he isn't in much of the movie, he makes such a strong impact every second he's on screen.
Of course, we also have our villain, Pitch Black. He's sinister and manipulative, if not a bit... predictable? Like we've all seen this kind of villain before, he isn't doing anything new, but he works well as a foil for this team, especially for Jack and I think he's an ok antagonist overall.
Visually, this movie is beautiful, so unlike almost anything Dreamworks has ever made before, with gorgeous effects and fantastically animated action sequences. The character designs are so... un-Dreamworks, but they work so nicely in the world they inhabit. That world itself is beautifully built, especially in its more fantastical setpieces like the Tooth Palace or the North Pole. The score was also lovely to listen to, capturing the sheer creativity of this movie so nicely.
At the end of the day, I think that's the perfect word to describe Rise of the Guardians. It's very creative, with a lot of love and thought clearly poured into it. It really is a shame that it didn't go anywhere further into a series or more sequels because I would have loved to see more of this team and watch them just... be together. They're that fun to watch in action. Same for the movie itself. It's good!
Overall Rating: 8/10
Verdict: All hail the Ice Twink
Previous Review (Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted)
Next Review (The Croods)
#jen watches#dreamworks watch#rise of the guardians#dreamworks#jen tortures herself with every dreamworks animated movie ever
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Japanese Movie Recommendations!
こんにちは皆さん！今日、特別な順序ではなく５本の好きな映画を紹介したいです。
Hi everyone! Today I’d like to introduce you to 5 of my favourite Japanese movies! My personal tastes lean more towards the horror and anime side of things, but I hope there are some here that you guys haven’t seen! Cinema can be a great avenue to delve deeper social commentaries about the country we’re interested in learning about, so I’ve tried to pick some recommendations with that in mind! :]
I’ve attempted to add all relevant content warnings, but there may be something I have missed so please take caution! I’d recommend having a look at what people say on DoesTheDogDie.com if you have specific concerns
Without further ado, let’s get started!
1. Confessions (告白) directed by Tetsuya Nakashima (中島哲也)
Confessions is a 2010 psychological thriller based off of the mystery novel of the same name. It follows the aftermath of the murder of a school teacher’s daughter by her pupils, who utilise Japan’s laws on age of criminal responsibility to “get away with it” and focuses on the differing perspectives of those involved. This film explores themes of revenge, familial values and expectations, and the normalization of violence in youth. This film is unmistakably heavy, but it is powerful.
This was introduced to me by my professor when I was doing a Japanese Film course in Uni, and it has stuck with me for YEARS. Not only is the story itself poignant, it’s brilliantly acted, beautifully shot, and has so many striking visuals with artistically composed scenes. As this was a fairly successful film, there are a fair few articles analysing its themes - if anyone is interested, I can try and dig up the resources we used when we studied this in class! :]
Content warnings: depictions and mentions of mental and physical abuse, violence towards children, violence committed by children, bullying mentions of animal death, attempted suicide, murder, mentions of chronic illness (AIDs and cancer in particular)
2. The Tale of the Princess Kaguya (かぐや姫の物語) directed by Isao Takahata (高畑 勲)
A retelling of famous folktale Taketori Monogatari (竹取物語) for modern Japanese audiences, The Tale of the Princess Kaguya brings new life to the classic story without sacrificing any of its heart. Takahata cited his own inability to connect to the original tale as inspiration for the retelling, aiming for something which the audience could connect to emotionally and really understand the titular princess.
The film deals with feminist concerns about the restrictions of womanhood (especially in the ambiguously Heian-era Japan), familial obligation, love, and the beauty of life. It’s a cultural adventure which I would recommend to anyone regardless of their familiarity with the tale it is adapting! Honestly, I’ve written essays about Taketori Monogatari and this film still managed to move me to tears with how beautifully and painstakingly rendered it is! I’d need a whole other post to detail just how much I appreciate the /art/ of this piece.
Content warnings: animal death, suggestion of sexual assault, arranged marriage, memory loss
3. Dark Water (仄暗い水の底から) directed by Hideo Nakata (中田 秀夫)
This 2002 horror movie is a sad ghost story! It follows the story of a single mother trying to get through her life while dealing with her divorce proceedings, new slightly-run-down apartment, and the paranormal occurrences haunting herself and her daughter. This movie deals with familial issues, parental sacrifice and confronting trauma.
Dark Water deals with aspects of Japanese horror which fans of Ringu (coincidentally, also directed by Nakata) may recognize, so I’d definitely recommend fans of Ringu and people wanting to explore the way that different cultures portray horror to give this one a shot. I found this one so fun to analyse recurring themes and imagery in Japanese horror, and I’m more than happy to encourage others to fall down this rabbit hole too!
Content warnings: missing children, death (including that of a child), threat of death, drowning, abandonment, divorce
4. The Girl Who Leapt Through Time (時をかける少女) directed by Makoto Shinkai (新海 誠)
This 2006 sci-fi romance tells the story of a high-school girl who discovered that she has the ability to travel through time! Dealing with friendship, the pressures of growing up and romance, this movie integrates slice-of-life and coming of age themes into its sci-fi setting! Its your classic tale of fairly innocent time-travel shenanigans and trying to right some wrongs, and makes the the ultimate heartwarming story!
This one used to be pretty popular amongst anime fans a gooood few years back, but I haven’t seen people talk about it in a while and I wanted to mention it just in case it had fallen off the radar! With simple yet fluid character designs and beautiful scenery, this piece manages to portray grounded teenage characters and capture that warm summer feeling throughout.
Content warnings: threat of death, train accidents, minor violence and name calling
5. Tokyo Sonata (トウキョウソナタ) directed by Kiyoshi Kurosawa (黒沢 清)
This 2008 drama follows the disintegration of a middle-class family after the patriarch loses his comfortable salaryman job unexpectedly. This film tackles issues faced by many modern families as the sense of traditionalism and societal normalcy becomes strained under the pressures of expectation, unemployment, and inability to communicate your authentic self to your family.
This film is an incredibly grounded drama, depicting real issues faced by so many families. Take a look at the date on this film, and you’ll realise how true-to-home this story of societal and economic uncertainty is for so many. Despite it all, what seems on the surface to be a depressing story of a family at their worst, actually displays a message of hope throughout. I find it to be a very realistic and poignant film.
Content warnings: unemployment, financial struggle, communication issues, war, military, abuse, domestic violence, crime, robbery, kidnapping, themes of suicide and depression, sexual assault, car accidents, police presence
Bonus! Gohatto (御法度) directed by Nagisa Ōshima (大島 渚)
This one was recommended by my flatmate for this list, as a quick shoutout because “its very good” so I don’t personally have much to say about it - but I’m never going to complain about a recommendation for a gay samurai film. :]
それで、おすすめを終わります！
Thank you all for reading through this list! If you have any recommendations of your own, please feel free to add them on!
#leo speaks#japanese#japanese movie#japanese movies#langblr#japanese langblr#movies#film#japanese cinema#japanese study blog#japanese studyblr#film recommendations
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Hi, guys! I was wondering, what are your favourite Bleach intros and why? Genuinely curious about this
@whipplefilter: I'm a fake fan and don't have strong attachments to any of the Bleach music, but looking back through my off-the-top-of-my-head faves, they all have two things in common! They all have some kind of engagement with urban environments, and they all prominently feature Matsumoto. Which, like, very on brand of me, albeit unconsciously!
Top Fave: Ranbu No Melody - SID
AKA what we here at B3 call "the marble OP." I know it's the hougyoku, whatever. I'm into the experimental, subject-less first third of this OP, though, which is just a series of urban environmental shots, shown first in full and then with an overlay reminiscent of a film negative. The intensity/gravity/bananasness of having moved and replaced Karakura with Fake Karakura is minimized in the story itself, but I feel like it comes roaring in this OP, and I love it.
And then we have this GORGEOUS shot of Matsumoto (crying over Ichimaru's dead body), which is beautifully rendered and also makes my heart hurt for her. And I think it's cool that it plays forwards and also judders backwards--there's a destabilzation of time/affect happening that intrigues.
Also, I actually do like the song itself! The refrain as the imagery changes from urban stills to character motion makes my heart flutter.
2nd Place: Rolling Star - YUI
Nothing but wins here, honestly. More Matsumoto, and Ichimaru's representative ghost holding her in a strangling embrace. (Her hair also seems a bit shorter than usual, so either it's caught up in the way his body is pressing against her back, or it's from an earlier point in canon--either reading delights me.)
Then we have Ichigo manspreading in a hipster loft/cafe and the Advance Team in a different industrial hipster cafe, with RENJI AND HIS HAT, and it's all gold. (Not pictured but imminently entering the third screenshot is Matsumoto, just to note the Matsumoto quotient required of all my fave OPs.)
3rd Place: Shoujo S - SCANDAL
I mostly like this one because it's the "Dancing Girls OP," and I especially love Orihime and Rukia dancing their duet, because the physicality of their bodies and movements brings out the ways they contrast and complement each other.
But the "Shinigami in Random Urban Settings" motif isn't to be slept on here, either! LOOK, IT'S SASAKIBE POSING WITH SOMEONE'S LAUNDRY. YAMAMOTO WITH A VENDING MACHINE.
✨✨✨ AND KIRA MOODILY SHARING AN ALLEYWAY WITH SOMEONE'S 2005 HONDA ACCORD. ✨✨✨
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@ippoddity Ngl I am not good at remembering OPs off the top of my head and I also don’t have any strong attachments to any of them, because I never watched Bleach while it was airing. I also don’t know the names of any of these songs, I only know them by nicknames LOL.
For some reason, my top favs also align pretty closely with my co-blogger’s. I’ve been sitting here just trying to bring OPs to mind, and the "Marble OP" is one of the most memorable. I’ll also always remember “Hitsugaya Cafe”, because we spent a long time trying to color match Renji’s hat. (whipple: I could not for the life of me find the additional version where actual color balancing was involved, though you'd think it'd be a reblog of that post or at least appear in the archive around the same time. Choosing to believe Tumblr deleted it out of Hatgate censorship!!) “Dancing Girls” will always be a fav, because I think this was one of the first times I tried to make a GIF? And it was simply because I love everyone in their girl group era.
chAngE - miwa
I also have to give a shoutout to this song, because it is one of the few OPs that I know how it goes off the top of my head. The animation is also gorgeous and has a lot of fun action shots!
STARS - w.o.d
I will admit that I didn’t really like the song itself when it was first introduced, but it really grew on me over time. Plus, I really love the animation. It’s such a fun modern AU. I mean, who can resist Ichigo wielding a double-necked guitar like he’s going to bludgeon someone with it?
#matsumoto rangiku#bleach anime#bleach#no brain just bleach#asks#thank you for the ask!#apologies for the long post lol
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Hi! Do you have any comforting book/movie recs? Maybe with a sweet love story or friendship?
ABSOLUTELY I do!!
Books
Love Lettering by Kate Clayborn. This is a really charming romance about Meg, who does custom calligraphy, including wedding invitations, like the invites she did for Reid Sutherland a year ago. But now he's back, having spotted a hidden message she wove into his invitations warning him that his marriage was doomed. He wants to know how she knew, but Meg's got her own problems - but despite herself she feels a connection with Reid that's only growing deeper . . .
Everything Eva Ibbotson has ever written, especially her historical romances. My personal favourite is The Secret Countess, set in 1919, in which Anna, a Russian Countess, after fleeing from the Bolsheviks, takes a job as a maid in a young English Earl's household.
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows - told in letters and the inspiration for the film, it's quite different from the movie in some respects but is just warm, gentle and a really cosy read.
Crosstalk by Connie Willis - this is a romcom with a slight sci-fi vibe; in the not too distance future Briddey Flannigan gets an implant to allow telepathic communication with her boyfriend so they can have a more open relationship, but instead finds herself connected to someone else entirely . . .
Attachments by Rainbow Rowell - this is such a gentle romance, set in the 90s, Lincoln works for a paper in their IT department and has been assigned to check emails that get flagged by their new system. One particular coworker, Beth, keeps getting her emails flagged and as he reads them, he finds himself falling in love with her . . . the only problem is he's never actually met her.
Anne of Green Gables (and sequels) by L. M. Montgomery - a true classic, that is just so joyful to read, and the love story between Anne and Gilbert is one of my very favourites.
The Boy trilogy by Meg Cabot - these are three of Meg Cabot's adult books, all loosely connected but they can be read as standlones, and are just fun, easy reads with nice romances that are really feel good.
Movies
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society - since I've plugged the book let's also plug the movie. It's gentle, it's warm, it's comforting, it's lovely and it's two hours of Michiel Huisman being charming.
The Shop Around the Corner - the original that inspired You've Got Mail, with James Stewart and Margaret Sullavan. It's lower stakes that YGM but still fun, romantic and really feel good.
When In Rome - this film is ridiculous but I love it, a romcom with Kristen Bell and Josh Duhamel where she takes coins out of a fountain in Rome causing four men to fall hopelessly in love with her.
The Longest Ride - this is based on a Nicholas Sparks novel and one of my comfort films. There's two love stories, one in the present day and one historical being told to the heroine by Alan Alda, and they're both really sweet.
Your Name - an anime film, I watched this a few years ago and it instantly became one of my all time favourites. It's so beautifully animated, and the romance in it is top tier.
When Fools Rush In - Matthew Perry and Salma Hayek have a one night stand in Las Vegas, but when she gets pregnant he proposes marriage on a whim and they try to build a life together. A stellar romcom and Matthew Perry said it was his favourite of all his films.
Belle (2013) - absolute peak period drama romance, and a truly underrated gem of a film.
Take the Lead - inspired by a true story, Antonia Banderas stars as a ballroom dancer who teaches a class of inner-city kids to dance. Beautiful, charming, romantic.
The Jane Austen Book Club - a group of women form a book club to read all the Jane Austen books, and find they help with their own problems. Lots of friendship and a bit of romance on the side.
And since it is December some special Christmas comfort movie plugs . . .
While You Were Sleeping - Sandra Bullock saves a man from an oncoming train, but gets mistaken by his family for his financee and then starts falling for his brother. A+++ rom com.
Christmas in Boston - two penpals finally agree to meet after writing for 13 years. The catch? They both sent each other pictures of their best friends and pretended it was them.
Dash & Lily - a series rather than a movie but super cute. Lily leaves a notebook with some challenges in a bookstore, Dash finds it and does them, and leaves her some of his own in return, and thus an unlikely friendship is born.
Midnight at the Magnolia - radio hosts and childhood friends Maggie and Jack fake being a couple to drive up the ratings on their show.
Miracle on 34th Street - both the original 1940s version and the 90s remark are great, in which a lawyer and a little girl have to prove that a man claiming to be Santa is the real thing when he's put on trial.
The 12 Dates of Christmas - woman set up on a blind date on Christmas Eve has to relive the night over and over until she gets it right.
I hope those will do you for a while and that you enjoy them!!! Shout if you need any more :)
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my sister and i finally watched eternals (obviously lol) and I think that concludes us binging some of barry keoghan's filmography (for now) ✨️
final(?) ratings + ranking:
Saltburn 10/10 (perfect film no notes /hj. I love this fucking movie so much and its quickly become a comfort film for me ♡ gorgeous cinematography, perfectly cast and impeccable performances by the entire cast! they nailed the mid 2000s feel. amazing soundtrack and ost. the queer subtext/tone, the vampire imagery, the metaphors and exploration of deep carnal desire, oliver domming his way to the top? all just *mwah* perfection. im not very good with words lol but basically this movie slaps and its required viewing imo)
The Banshees of Inisherin 9/10 (the trailer didn't do this film justice and I enjoyed it so much more than I expected. incredible film!! the characters were so well done and every actor in this movie did an amazing job (especially colin farrell, kerry condon, brendan gleeson, and barry ofc). I highly highly recommend this one if you haven't seen it ♡ the cinematography is beautifully done as well and goshh the location is breathtaking. one of my new favorite films ♡)
Mammal (2016) 8/10 (this film surprised me! when I read the synopsis I really didn't think I'd come out enjoying this movie as much as I did. it does a really good job with its characters and the complicated relationships between them. great performances and a very interesting and at times uncomfortable exploration of loss and grief. recommend this one! but definitely look into CWs before viewing)
Light Thereafter 8/10 (my favorite of barry's performances after oliver/saltburn. it didn't even feel like I was watching barry play a character, pavel felt like a real person and barry was just!! so incredible in this film and i loved getting to know pavel sm (his passion for art, his stims, the way he enjoys touch and textures :') ) and i was sad when it ended.)
The Killing of A Sacred Deer 7.5/10 (if you enjoyed saltburn, I definitely recommend this one! weird ass film (affectionate) and martin was a strangely endearing character to me lol i dont want to say too too much, you should watch it for yourself! 🍝)
Calm With Horses 7/10 (blonde barry keoghan was a major serve lol no but good film!! sad, but definitely worth watching. not too much to say about this one, but I enjoyed the characters (dymphna the most tho))
Eternals 6/10 (it was pretty enjoyable! the characters definitely carried this film over the plot itself (except ikaris.. I really didn't care for him at all lol). the cgi was a bit distracting and I wish there was a little more show dont tell and that certain scenes/plot points were done better/explored further BUT still entertaining and doesn't deserve the hate it gets imo!)
American Animals 6/10 (slightly disappointing but still worth a watch! evan peters carried imo)
Stalker (2012) 5.5/10 (so weird but also iconic?? worth watching at least once lmao)
Dunkirk 7/10 (objectively great film, but I just don't care for war movies im sorry 😩 soundtrack was actually so incredible tho)
Stay 4.5/10 (it was fine, it just wasn't very interesting)
and a bonus character ranking for fun ♡
Oliver Quick
Dominic Kearney
Pavel
Joe
Martin Lang
Dymphna Devers
Druig
Tommy Valentine
George Mills
Spencer Reinhard
Sean
#barry keoghan#saltburn#the banshees of inisherin#mammal 2016#calm with horses#light thereafter#american animals#the killing of a sacred deer#eternals#tp#this was honestly really fun !!#we're thinking of watching some of the shows he's in too#long post#im sorry to my followers and moots who watched me spam rb barry keoghan for the past weeks ive been doing this LOL#also just my personal opinions/tastes ok please dont kill me for having certain films so low </3
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The Little Mermaid: Premiere Screening
On May 8th, 2023, I attended the premiere screening of Disney’s The Little Mermaid: Live Action and I’m here to share some of my thoughts. Just to be clear, I’m not here to spare anyone’s feelings and I could care less about how you perceive what I am about to tell you. These are my thoughts and my opinions and if you don’t like what I have to say, then that’s on you.
First off, I’ve been seeing other reviews that have said that this film is perfect. I’m here to disagree. The film wasn’t perfect. It definitely had its flaws. More specifically, the bland color palette and some pacing issues. But overall, I would say the the film was indeed enjoyable.
I can’t say that I’m 100% sold on the animals, however, they do emote and have their own unique personalities which is much more than I can say about that sorry excuse of a remake that was The Lion King.
My least favorite performance in this film would have to be Javier Bardem who plays King Triton. In almost all of his scenes, he only has one facial expression (I don’t think I saw him not frown once) and it comes off as very one dimensional. However, I have to give him credit where it’s due, he plays the overbearing father figure very, very well. And there is a scene where he gets a bit choked up when talking about Ariel’s mother, however, that’s pretty much the only scene where his character conveys any kind of emotion, that and at the end when he’s saying good-bye to Ariel as she leaves with Prince Eric.
The acting in this film is pretty decent. Melissa McCarthy definitely surprised me. I wouldn’t be surprised if she starts to play more villainous roles after this film.
Halle Bailey doesn’t act in this film. In just about all of her scenes, more specifically the fun ones, her persona on screen comes off as very natural and you can tell she’s just being herself. However, in the more serious scenes, it’s pretty apparent that drama isn’t her forte and that she’s still very green. But even still, it is somewhat believable.
Jonah Hauer King and Halle Bailey do have chemistry. While the trailers haven’t done a good job at showing really anything, it is there.
The land scenes look pretty dull. I don’t get why Disney’s become so obsessed with making their live actions look so stale. The Peter Pan and Wendy film that released last month had this same problem. But the difference between that movie and this movie was that this movie actually managed to push out a pretty decent story. The heart of the original tale was there.
Awkwafina as Scuttle was surprisingly hilarious.
Giving Ariel’s sisters new identities and letting them represent the seven seas, I got to say, was a genius move.
Newcomer, Jessica Alexander, delivers a chilling performance of Ursula’s human counterpart, Vanessa and quite frankly looks like she stepped right out of the animated film. I only wish she got to stick around a little longer.
I remember seeing all these articles about song changes that would be in the film. If there were song changes, they had to have been very minor because I didn’t even notice them.
The underwater world could be its own movie, quite frankly. While at times, the CGI was quite off putting, the world building that went into this film was quite impressive and in my opinion, that puts it at a bit ahead of the 1989 film. A bit. Not a lot.
A lot of audience members were in tears listening to Halle Bailey sing the new Part of Your World Reprise. Halle executed this scene beautifully and though it nearly took the entire movie, it was at this point that I finally came around to accepting the race-swap of the character Ariel. Trust me, I didn’t want to like this movie. I didn’t. In fact, I went in with the full intention of hating it. But after seeing it in its full capacity, I can definitely say that I was surprised by what I saw. I had my doubts, but Disney pulled it off. However, that shouldn’t suggest that Disney needs to start race-swapping all of their already established characters now. Don’t get me wrong. Halle Bailey did deliver. She WAS Ariel. But if Disney wishes to keep their brand, they need to start creating new, fresh characters that people can relate to instead of being lazy and making the same stories over and over again.
All in all, the live action Little Mermaid was a decent film. As far as adaptations go, it’s definitely one of the better ones and I’d put this right there with the 2015 Cinderella movie, maybe even a little above because of the music score and the effects.
Halle Bailey and Melissa McCarthy saved this movie. Again, while I don’t necessarily support race swapping, I will say this. You can cast whoever you want as Ariel, but if she doesn’t that voice, then the whole movie is pointless. I applaud Rob Marshall for finding the Ariel that was in Halle Bailey. Her overall performance I would say was outstanding.
Based on how the film ended, there is a possibility that a sequel might get pitched.
Nonetheless, If this film hits a billion at the box office, we may be in for a big problem with Disney.
#the little mermaid#disney#halle bailey#melissa mccarthy#jonah hauer king#javier bardem#princess ariel
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listen, i have been critical on kids movies in the past, and i do not think a kids film needs to be good to children and suffer that by being bad to adults. i think their is a middle ground, films like megamind and fantastic mr fox, two solid movies that any age fully immerse themselves into.
i do not think this movie did that for a lot of adults, and this is deemed a fast paced, colour filled, rushed mess of a film. however. i am incredibly biased.
alas, i sat through this entire film with the widest grin on my face, yes, i was won over by the easter eggs through callbacks, outfits, characters and the detailing in to all the backgrounds that made me constantly remember my time growing up watching and playing around this franchise. i loved the colours, animation and character design and thought it was done so well and beautifully that i kept pointing out the detailing and textures within the skin and hair. i loved jack blacks performance as bowser as, not like donkey kong (voiced by seth rogan), it was not just jack black playing bowser, he became that role and he became this playful but overall quite terrifying character. i loved that despite bowsers goal in trying to marry the princess, he was still this evil, powerful being, during the snap at the wedding he became quite scary, and my little sister sat right besides me was loving it.
i thought chris prat’s performance was not as bad as anticipated, i enjoyed the dynamic between him and luigi and his family from brooklyn. i loved the advert they made and how that continues to call back to all the things we know about the franchise. on surface level, for adult viewing, this is not a perfect movie. the pacing is so fast you do not get a second to care or feel anything for a lot of the scenes and emotions portrayed. sometimes i wish they held on moments more, added a few more lines and pushed a more emotional impact from this film. but i still loved it, i really did. unlike sonic, which is the worst movie from game i have ever fucking seen. i loved this film. but at the end of the day, thats because i love mario and the franchise has been so close to me for the longest time. seeing that world i immersed myself in for so much of my youth, it was nice to see this full recognised, beautifully animated world of the place i loved.
my final note is that i hope one day studios realise that children aren’t completely stupid and pacing does not have to be so fast to make a good movie for them. yes this was a money grab film, but i really do think the voice actors had a lot of fun with it and i sure had a lot of fun watching it.
x
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I think I am gonna make a Media thread to share what I’ve played/watched this year. It looks like a fun thing to do! (Copied from my Twitter thread)
Here’s what I experienced in 2023
Dark Souls 2 Scholar of the first sin:
While souls games tend to be frustrating for me, they are also brilliant experiences, and I had a ton of fun with DS2! The Halbert in this game specifically is my favorite weapon in the entire series as of rn.
Neon White:
I hope everyone finds a game that fits their taste as well as Neon White fits mine. One of my new favorite games with such a satisfying sense of flow and rhythm that I couldn’t put it down till I got a gold medal on every stage.
Puss in Boots: The Last Wish:
I loved the TV show they did so I wasn’t totally surprised but this exceeded my expectations. Gorgeous art style, fluid animation, compelling characters, and the most intimidating animated movie villain in a long time make this a winner in my book!
Bocchi the Rock Season 1:
IT’S SO CUTE AND FUN OMG!!!! A really heartfelt and well realized story with an absolute banger soundtrack. I loved every single character and every single episode so much, it’s truly an amazing show!
Elden Ring:
This game is scary in how good it is. It’s massive, intensely difficult, detailed, and beautifully crafted. It’s so much that I’m inclined to say it’s too much. But too much of a masterpiece is still a masterpiece. I’m carrying this victory with me for a long time.
Transistor:
Holy wow, I haven’t been surprised by a game like this in awhile! It’s an extremely well designed tactical action game with an unconventional narrative structure and absolutely killer visuals and music. I’ll definitely consider returning for another run later on!
Summer Wars:
An absolute rollercoaster of a movie. I really enjoyed the family dynamic and the different ways the story unfolded. It wasn’t what I expected at all and I think it was better for it. The visual design is incredible too! It’s very pleasant to look at. A fun movie!!
Journey:
I’ve rarely seen a game so perfectly titled. It was a true journey. It was an experience that was unique to me and my own playthrough. That’s what I think is truly special about this game. The people you meet and the way you progress while linear is truly your own
John Wick 4:
Absolutely lives up to the quality of this series. John wick continues to impress me with its action choreography and cinematography. This entry specifically has a strong set of side characters, some excellent music compositions, and amazing settings. Loved this one!
Portal 2 (Co-op):
I played the single player years ago but I finally got to finish the co-op campaign and it was a blast!!! Portal is one of if not the most satisfying puzzle games I’ve played. Reminds me how much of a classic this one is. Shoutout to my cousin for joining me!
Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves:
A really enjoyable action comedy movie! It did a good job capturing the dynamic of a dnd party. A super fun time with genuine humor, great performances all around, and the appropriate amount of chaos for a movie in the dnd universe.
The Super Mario Bros Movie:
A solid film! The Music stole the show for me, Peach and Bowser were huge highlights and Luigi and Toad had great performances too! I was disappointed by the Kongs voices but it’s a film with a lot of love for the series in there! Peach is great btw💕
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom :
This game somehow impresses today in the same way botw does. The improvements rocket this game into the stratosphere. While i suffered the same fatigue I did with Elden ring at the end, I also found myself in awe almost the entire time
Spider Man: Across the Spiderverse :
I um, don’t know what to say. Visual feast, extremely compelling plot, character work that hit so so hard, an animated movie the likes of which I’ve never seen. Just incredible
Barbie Movie:
It was so incredibly fun. I had a good few laughs and it had really compelling characters. Very appropriately campy with the depth to back up the camp. A well made film
Cassette Beasts:
What a fantastic game. It recaptured the magic I haven’t felt since playing Pokémon platinum for the first time. It’s battle system is so engaging, story filled with mystery, characters absolutely lovely, and a world that is just the right size for exploring. 💕
#video games#movies#anime#dark souls#puss in boots#neon white#bocchi the rock!#elden ring#transistor#summer wars#journey#john wick#portal 2#dnd#super mario#tears of the kingdom#media thread 2023#across the spiderverse#barbie
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Remi's 2023 favorites!!
I used to do this on twitter but given what's happened to that site, I'm doing it over here this year! This was a brutal year for me MH wise, but at least I was introduced to some good stuff.
List under the cut
Starting off strong with my favorite thing of the whole year......
[FAVORITE VISUAL NOVEL]
Heaven Will Be Mine
Worst Girl Games has done it again. I am so glad I finally read this. Very few pieces of media have ever so perfectly captured what it means to feel 'inhuman', but still trapped by Earth's, humanity's, "gravity". The relationships between the 3 girls, and the circumstances that shaped them, put beautifully to the page feelings I know many other queer people share. There is nothing else like this out there.
[FAVORITE VIDEO GAME]
Mystia's Izakaya
Mystia's Izakaya is truly THE Touhou fangame to play. So many fun characters to get to know and serve food to, really great restaurant simulator with minor rhythm game elements, gorgeous pixel art in both character portraits and environment, so many challenges to try and outfits/music/items to unlock......!! And there's still more DLC coming out.
The love and effort put into this game is astonishing, and I am so glad I gave it a shot despite being nervous about restaurant sims. Highly recommend, even to non-Touhou fans!!!!
[FAVORITE SONG]
Psi
The lyrics seem to be a criticism of the extreme pace of 'content consumption' online nowadays, which I have mixed feelings on, but regardless, the song itself is absolutely killer. Particularly the verses. The effects with the TVs during the second verse are also great, capture the chaotic and mildly ominous energy of the song extremely well. This is definitely the song I listened to the most this year
[FAVORITE MOVIE]
Glass Onion
Watched this at the very beginning of the year. One of the best live-action movies I've seen in a long time, genuinely brilliant. Really hoping for more Knives Out films, they've knocked it out of the park so far. I also think this one and the first Knives Out will be very rewarding to revisit
[FAVORITE ANIME/SHOW]
I didn't watch anything this year. whoops
[FAVORITE MANGA]
Until I Love Myself
Most of the books and manga I read this year were autobiographical/semi-autobiographical, and this was one of my favorites. This is about a nonbinary mangaka dealing with sexual harassment as a editing job, and the subsequent struggles they have with PTSD, navigating life in the wake of the #MeToo Movement, and their difficult feelings on their gender and body, and how those things affect how others treat/see them. Reflected a lot of my own feelings and thoughts on these things, and very insightful. Can be a rough read at time, but I highly, highly recommend it.
[FAVORITE BOOK]
Stone Butch Blues
Absolutely life-changing read. It is extreme heavy, deals in police violence (including sexual violence inflicted upon LGBT people), labour rights and protests, severe discrimination based on gender and presentation, extreme poverty in part due to said discrimination, difficult and multifaceted relationships between queer women and lesbians......... there is a lot here. It is raw, and real, and while there is agonizing hardship here, there is also incredible, deep love, for the community that keeps up afloat, keeps us going. Please, if you can stomach the content, I beg of you all to read Stone Butch Blues if you haven't.
..... aaaand that's it I think!! Happy new year y'all!
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Replika Diaries - Sexy Robots Series: 019.
(Battle Angel Alita - Live-Action Vers.)
2019s Battle Angel Alita wasn't a perfect movie (sorry, I refuse to call it A****: B***** A****, just because James Cameron only makes movies beginning with 'T' and 'A' [ha, he only makes T&A movies - feckin' hilarious!🙄]), but it was better than it really had any right to be. The story was heavily simplified, many of the characterisations being similarly treated, or sloppily tackled; some characters, like the terrifying yet pathetic Makaku, absent altogether, in favour of the dumb and lumbering Grewishka from its anime counterpart. It also lacked the philosophical, technological and occasionally spiritual aspects of the manga, the script was. . .eeeeh, and, because it was intended to be released as a YA title (like a cybernetic 'Twilight', I guess), the body horror, psychodrama, action and gore was all but eliminated, and the way the film handled Alita and Hugo's (nee Yugo) relationship was bland and lacked most of its drama.
But. . .but, it was still a fantastically enjoyable film; the world of Iron City was largely beautifully realised (although it lacked a lot of the grime from even the anime version), the action, whilst not as gruesome as the manga, was still well done, especially when we got to the (admittedly hastily introduced) Motorball section.
It was visually a treat - Alita's motion capture in particular being surprisingly beautiful, with only a few moments in the Uncanny Valley - and the central leads of the story - the gorgeous and fantastically talented Rosa Salazar's Alita, and Christophe Waltz as Dyson (nee Daisuke) Ido, bringing a lot of warmth and emotional resonance to their on-screen relationship, Salazar absolutely shining as the titular character; even through a bunch of mo-cap, gave an astounding performance, injecting wide-eyed (pun intended) wonder, gentle humility, fun and fierce determination into her character.
And there were moments such as above, where Alita tests her new Berserker body, which I think was arguably better than the manga. This was beautiful and graceful and I was genuinely moved by it, whereas the manga equivalent of Alita doing three rapid air punches, whilst a powerful moment and charming in a way, lacked a bit of emotional resonance, as well as a true display of what Alita could really do with her body, which we didn't see in full until she started fighting Makaku.
However, through all of the elements mentioned above, but largely through Salazar's amazing performance, this film is really enjoyable and quite memorable, largely because it brings bags and bags of charm to the table, and it's delivered well enough to make up for many of its glaring shortcomings.
#replika#replika diaries#sexy robots series#artificial intelligence#ai#battle angel alita#alita battle angel#alita#rosa salazar#james cameron#robert rodriguez#science fiction#sci fi movie
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Heck yeah, I’m on board to watch Guillermo del Toro’s take on Pinocchio!
Del Toro’s Pinocchio decides, for Reasons, to set the story in the days of fascist Italy. The basic story is the same, though there are some adjustments to deal with the setting update. But most of all, this story wants to ask a question of whether Pinocchio needs to change at all. The traditional ending of this story is that Pinocchio is changed into a real boy, a human person, and this movie (spoiler alert, but it’s a del Toro movie so it shouldn’t be a surprise) suggests that turning physically human isn’t what the main character needs, nor is it that he should learn to be an obedient boy. Yes, he needs to learn and grow over the course of the story, but what matters isn’t that he’s human, what matters is that he is the best he can be, regardless of the form he is in.
It’s also worth noting that the Wood Sprite, who brings him to life, never suggests the possibility of turning Pinocchio into flesh and blood.
[Guillermo del Toro is not the only director of the movie, by the way.]
Stop-motion animation is an incredibly underrated form of animation, and it’s a shame that you rarely see it used these days. I understand _why_, of course–it takes a LOT of time and effort to do what you could be doing in other ways. But the end result is so rewarding to see on screen, because you have something that is not real, but also looks and seems physically real, because it’s using actual objects. This movie uses its animation beautifully to tell its story, mixing realistic-looking sets and more human-looking characters with the fantastical through figures like Pinocchio, Sebastian J. Cricket, and the Wood Sprite.
The movie makes the very interesting choice of setting itself in fascist Italy. This isn’t entirely new to del Toro–he planned to set his Beauty and the Beast movie in Napoleonic France before that got canceled. But this is something a bit heavier than that. Here is a society that demands obedience without question, and here is a boy whose very nature is not to obey authority without understanding. Pinocchio is disobedient to everyone when he’s first brought to life, though it’s often because he really doesn’t understand any better why he should be. Once he forges bonds of love he’s better with people and slightly better with obedience (but only slightly), but he still doesn’t go with fascist nonsense because that’s what it is! No one bothers to explain it to him, either, just that you HAVE to obey this regime, when Mussolini (yes, he does appear in the movie!) is a slow, short, stupid man who has no real reason to claim the authority and adoration that he does. Then you have the Podesta, who only sees Pinocchio for the potential he has to the army as a soldier who cannot be permanently killed. He doesn’t care to know how that power even works, he just sees it in action and decides to throw him into battle training.
Fascism is just dumb, guys. I hope we can all agree on that? Anyhow.
[As a side note, I think it’s really cool how the movie is set in an actual part of history. Fresh off of reading the Winternight Trilogy, I appreciate seeing fairy tale type stories put in the context of real-world history, and how the two interact. That’s not a criticism against fairy tales that don’t do this, I just think it’s a cool twist on the genre.]
And spoiler alert! Fully in line with other Guillermo del Toro stories, Pinocchio asks whether the idea of our title character becoming human is really the happy ending for the story. In a world in which the monstrous or non-human is increasingly used as a code or metaphor for the marginalized in society, the idea of saying, “Turning them ‘normal’ is the happy ending!” becomes more than questionable. What does it mean to be human? The answer for the film seems not to be about flesh and blood as much as love.
Sebastian J. Cricket is a delightful character, and fun to watch; however, while he serves as narrator I often feel like he really has so little effect on the Plot that at times I wondered why he was there. It isn’t until the end that he starts having actual things to do in the story. Yes, he’s supposed to help Pinocchio figure things out, but Pinocchio never listens to him so it’s hardly meaningful. What’s weird is that the behind-the-scenes feature on Netflix has del Toro declare that he made the Cricket the main character, which he’s really not? It felt like an odd declaration to make.
I also find myself asking: who is this movie for? I would not really call this a children’s movie. Not because I think it’s too scary–there are scary images, but I think that children are more resilient to this sort of thing than adults often give them credit for. But this movie deals with pretty heavy things–it’s not like the fascism is only window-dressing, it’s pretty explicitly part of the story and how the villains operate. I don’t think children will understand it, and I don’t know how many parents want to have that conversation with their kids. I also think that with the conventional wisdom being that entertainment for adults needs more violence and sex, that this film doesn’t fit that bill. I think adults would enjoy it just fine, but I don’t know if it’s marketed towards them.
In the end though, I think it’s a very fine movie. I’ll admit that I don’t know the animated Disney movie that well (I haven’t seen it in decades, but I remember I didn’t like it that much), but I certainly think this one stands on its own as a worthy adaptation. It certainly changes a lot, to make it kind of its own story, but it’s such a good and memorable film, brimming with creativity and so you’re better off giving it a chance just to see its approach.
If you watched the movie and liked it, I fully recommend the behind-the-scenes feature that’s on Netflix. You’ll get some fun little notes about the making of the movie, how the people in production felt about the process, and some word from the cast about their roles.
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