#he is so completely not a contender that its comedic to me. you think WE could have had a LIFE TOGETHER?

[distraughtlesbian]

literally the best part of this whole stupid book iwlove weird obsessed horndogs thee villain archetype of all time. he’s so silly. “we could’ve had a life together”, he says to his lesbian ex-neighbour who he’s just shot with a crossbow bolt meanwhile her girlfriend who he’s also just shot is half dead across the room. god i love it here he said me and the bad bitch im going to fumble

#WHAT A FUCKING FREAK IJBOL!!!!!! #MORE PSYCHOSEXUALLY OBSESSED WEIRDO VILLAINS PIXELBERRY I KNOW YOU HAVE IT IN U. #their villains are usually so cringe and one note at least this one is memorable #mind you this could have used more buildup. up until like chapter 19 he still had the benefit of the doubt #his ass was NOT beating the twist villain allegations but the fucking freak allegations were a whole separate beast #and he could be presumed innocent in those. like sure i guess these are just average fanatic werewolf hunter antics. #like EYE had my suspicions. him sending that frat bro to sexually harass mc was a fucking freak move #but like in general he was coming off as someone who was just a normal amount of concerned about a friend of theirs falling in w a cult #like girl why am i following my cringe fwb into the pool house to be all ‘babe this isnt u :(’ #i dont CARE i wanna go engage with the twist antagonist who at this point my mc still thinks is kind of normal/their friend!!! #but alas that’s just pb for you. we WILL NOT stick a landing ever. they make all the new writers swear to never write a villain that makes #sense or is well foreshadowed. ONLY side characters who you would never suspect bc they have like 5 lines in the whole book. #like you’ll never be duffy veilofsecrets you’ll never recapture that magic. #anyway. markus choicesalpha the fucking weirdo cringefail stalker incel loser you could have been…kermit looking out rainy window dot png #maeve speaks #playchoices #choices #pixelberry #choices alpha #channing lowe #markus barnes #side note this whole thing probably has a Much different vibe with a male mc #but as it is it’s like ijbol. channing is cringe and emotionally unavailable but how could you POSSIBLY compare to a buff werewolf bitch #he is so completely not a contender that its comedic to me. you think WE could have had a LIFE TOGETHER? #even if my mc had never ever met channing SHE IS A LESBIAN!!!! SHES GAY DUDE STOP IT LOL #and with a female mc and male channing its like yeah whatever average incel number 10 billion. wow youre going to kill me bc some other guy #is hotter than you? eyeroll. at least channing canonically gives great head.

[soul-dwelling]

Would you like a B.ichi anime, especially if it gave the series a proper ending?

I definitely want a B Ichi anime–but, ideally, if it was me, I have some caveats in this post-Fire Force world: 

First, start with an OVA to test the waters and get the character dynamics figured out. 

So much of the B Ichi story depends on the characters’ chemistry, and a lot of the series is hard for me at least to wrap my head around. Shotaro is both a lovable goofball and a kid contending with a lot of trauma over his condition and lost friend. What is Emine’s role in this story when he is largely in the background? As you say, a proper ending would be great–and a proper ending depends on fleshing out more to Emine, who really is operating in the shadows (for good narrative reasons) and doesn’t get much until the very end of the manga to show more about himself. 

And we have similar problems for motivation and progression for the other characters. Yohei is about the only supporting character who I feel like gets a complete arc. Mana’s arc is left incomplete–so, a proper ending would need to show her family, maybe that brother of hers who is referenced. Tool kind of gets close to a full narrative arc, but I think his story isn’t done, not without seeing other kappa to learn more about his place in these various worlds. 

If you can pull off an OVA that can quickly summarize the personalities and goals of these characters, and their dynamics with each other, then I think you can pull off an anime adaptation. 

Second, that proper ending needs to be planned out well. As much as the Soul Eater anime ending keeps looking better and better compared to what happened with the manga (and the contradictions thanks to not just one but now two prequels), I would want an anime studio that really figures out how to reach a satisfying conclusion that answers remaining questions, including world building. And it needs to be done where we’re not rushing with a gecko ending, similar to some of the weird swerves that the Soul Eater anime brought (e.g. fridging Eibon’s wife for some lackluster motivation). So, I would want a B Ichi ending to dig more into the roles that the Dokeshi Hunt, the Dokeshi Federation, and the Masked Assembly all have. And we have to figure out why Charisma Justice is somehow simultaneously both a famous superhero and someone Rodigy didn’t recognize. 

Finally, and speaking of an anime studio, I need a studio that can handle something really cartoony. And I don’t think David Pro, regardless its relationship with Ohkubo, is the right choice. I get that this is all explained (poorly) by how the Fire Force manga wraps up and how Soul Eater looks, but the Fire Force art style just is not cartoony enough, whereas Studio BONES’s design for Soul Eater is so much better than the manga and how I would want B Ichi to look. But if it couldn’t be Studio BONES, I would want a studio that can really lean into a cartoony look and type of animation–really flexible, able to mix both fluid animation and limited low-frame animation that can alternate between action-pack fights and really abrupt moments for comedic effect. 

Oh, and don’t let Ohkubo near this. And on a related note, fix some of the dumb gags. Shotaro getting tricked into putting Mana’s bra on his head is hilarious and built out of the characters’ personalities; a dumb panty gag with Tool is not.

#b ichi #ask dwells

[nclkafilms]

My 2021 Oscar Predictions

It seems like it was a decade ago, that I cheered for and celebrated a historic night for Parasite as Bong Joon-Ho first surprised by taking home the Best Directing Oscar ahead of Sam Mendes only for the film itself to surprise even further by taking home the biggest of them all. What a film, what a night! And what a year it has been since then; the film industry - as anything else in our lives - has been turned on its head by the global pandemic that continues to redefine our reality. Many big films and award contenders have been postponed. But where one could have feared that this would have given us a lacklustre group of nominees, this is in no way the case. Instead the lack of the big budget films has granted space for smaller, indie films treating us to interesting visions, stellar performances and new cinematic experiences. The biggest loss of course being the lack of cinema experiences; out of all the 56 nominees I have shockingly and sadly only seen 2 in the cinema: Tenet and Mank. I did, however, manage to see ALL nominated films before the show for the first time ever.

So who will win? Here are my predictions: (In paranthesis are my personal ratings of the films from 1-5)

Best Picture

The Father (4,5)

Judas and the Black Messiah (4,5)

Mank (3,5)

Minari (4,5)

Nomadland (5,0)

Promising Young Woman (5,0)

Sound of Metal (4,5)

The Trial of the Chicago 7 (4,0)

The biggest of them all seems likely to be one of the most predictable of them all. Chloe Zhao’s Nomadland, which triumphantly transcends the boundaries between documentary and fiction, has taken home close to every major award possible. The story of Fran, who’s lost everything and embarks on a spiritual journey through the America of the modern day nomads, is an awe-inspiring achievement and will be a deserved winner. The only films that might have a slight chance of causing upset seems to be my personal favourite, Promising Young Woman, the wonderful Minari, that could continue the Korean triumph of last year, and Aaron Sorkin’s Oscar-bait ensemble hit, The Trial of the Chicago 7, which could end up as the Green Book of this year. It is amazing to see films such as The Father, Judas and the Black Messiah and Sound of Metal be acknowledged with this particular nomination, but I don’t see them winning. Mank seems like an easy film to like, but a hard film to love and as such, I don’t see it winning - especially taking the preferential ballot system into consideration. I would have loved to see Soul continue the tradition of nominating animated features for its beautiful take on life. 

Who will win: Nomadland

Potential spoiler: The Trial of the Chicago 7

Personal favourite: Promising Young Woman

Should have been there: Soul 

Actor in a Leading Role

Riz Ahmed, Sound of Metal (4,5)

Chadwick Boseman, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom (3,5)

Anthony Hopkins, The Father (4,5)

Gary Oldman, Mank (3,5)

Steven Yeun, Minari (4,5)

Chadwick Boseman is the only actor here, whose film is not nominated in the Best Picture race, but yet, he is the one on everyone’s lips before the big night. Sadly, this - of course - is partly due to his tragic and way to early death. The entire narrative surrounding his death and the fact that only he knew about the illness, while filming Ma Rainey, adds a truly tragic nuance to his powerhouse performance. To me, he does, however, balance on the edge of being too theatrical (goes for everything concerning that film) and it is mostly in his more subtle scenes that he surprised and impressed me the most. The performance of the year is undoubtedly Anthony Hopkins in The Father in my opinion; he manages to capture all the little nuances, confusions and frustrations of growing dementia. A truly ruthless performance! I also have tons of gratitude for Ahmed’s deeply moving and involving work in Sound of Metal, and Steven Yeun’s subtle performance in Minari. Gary Oldman is good as always in Mank, but yet, I see him as the one who could have been snubbed. I would have liked to see the likes of Delroy Lindo (Da 5 Bloods) or Mads Mikkelsen (Another Round) here.

Who will win: Chadwick Boseman

Potential spoiler: Anthony Hopkins

Personal favourite: Anthony Hopkins

Should have been there: Delroy Lindo/Mads Mikkelsen

Actor in a Supporting Role

Sacha Baron Cohen, The Trial of the Chicago 7 (4,0)

Daniel Kaluuya, Judas and the Black Messiah (4,5)

Leslie Odom Jr., One Night in Miami… (4,0)

Paul Raci, Sound of Metal (4,5)

Lakeith Stanfield, Judas and the Black Messiah (4,5)

This one is Daniel Kaluuya’s to lose. And he will not be doing that. While you can argue that he might close to a leading role in Judas, but that does not take anything from his truly stunning performance. Such an interesting actor creating such an interesting character! His closest competitors seem to be Cohen for a role that hopefully can open up more dramatic chances for him and Paul Raci, who creates an endearing character in Sound of Metal. Oh, I would also love for him to win! Leslie Odom Jr. will probably have more open doors in Hollywood after his deserved nomination and Lakeith Stanfield will be asking himself how come he ends up as a supporting role for a film in which he was clearly the leading force of the story. His performance, however, is brilliant and impressed me further upon a recent rewatch of Judas. Could have been great to see Bo Burnham here for Promising Young Woman, but honestly I do not see who he should have replaced apart from Stanfield, who - as said - belongs in another category.

Who will win: Daniel Kaluuya

Potential spoiler: Sacha Baron Cohen

Personal Favourite: Daniel Kaluuya / Paul Raci

Could have been there: Bo Burnham

Actress in a Leading Role

Viola Davis, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom (3,5)

Andra Day, The United States vs. Billie Holiday (2,0)

Vanessa Kirby, Pieces of a Woman (3,5)

Frances McDormand, Nomadland (5,0)

Carey Mulligan, Promising Young Woman (5,0)

Perhaps the most unpredictable race of the evening! Everyone except Kirby has taken home a major award in the run-in to the Oscars. For that reason, I am having a hard time seeing Kirby take home the win for her otherwise stunning and powerful turn in mediocre Pieces of a Woman. Andra Day took home the Golden Globe, but I think the questionable quality (nicely put) of the film will make it hard for her to repeat that victory here. McDormand is beautifully subtle in Nomadland and could easily deserve the award, but the narrative is against her as she has already won two Oscars and took one just a couple of years ago. With this in mind, I think this is between Davis and Mulligan. Davis’ performance - not unlike Boseman’s in the same film - is close to being overdone, although it is a truly transformative performance. I will, however, say it should have been nominated as a supporting role. She took home the SAG and has a strong narrative for a win. Mulligan, in Promising Young Woman, is the best performance in my opinion and a minor favourite to win; she surprises with something completely new and risk-taking while still delivering the quality and nuance we have come to expect from her. A cheeky bid for who I would have liked to see, would be Jasna Duricic of Quo Vadis, Aida?, who I think carried that film on her shoulders with an intense performance.

Who will win: Carey Mulligan

Potential spoiler: Viola Davis

Personal favourite: Carey Mulligan

Could have been there: Jasna Duricic

Actress in a Supporting Role

Maria Bakalova, Borat Subsequent Moviefilm (3,5)

Glenn Close, Hillbilly Elegy (1,5)

Oliva Colman, The Father (4,5)

Amanda Seyfried, Mank (3,5)

Yuh-Jung Youn, Minari (4,5)

For a long time, Seyfried seemed like the one to beat here with a lot of buzz before Mank was released. While her performance is delightful, her role is, however, extremely limited and I actually ended up being surprised she was even there on nomination morning. Colman and Close famously battled for the leading actress award two years ago with Colman surprisingly (yet, deservedly) taking home the award. That left Close Oscar-less still, but while the narrative might be with her, it would be a shame to give her the award for this performance in this film. Bakalova is the surprise: raunchy and ruthless, she is not only the rare comedic nomination, but also one of the most daring performances of the year. I would love for her to win, and should she win it will not just be because of THAT hotel room scene. Her turn in Borat is surprisingly funny and layered. I do - however - think that everyone has been as charmed by Youn as I have been. Her grandmother in Minari is the heart of the film and she creates one of the most memorable on-screen grandmothers in recent time. I would have loved to see Dominique Fishback from Judas, although her role was also quite small.

Who will win: Yuh-Jung Youn

Potential spoiler: Maria Bakalova / Glenn Close

Personal favourite: Yuh-Jung Youn

Should have been there: Dominique Fishback

Animated Feature Film

Onward (3,5)

Over the Moon (3,0)

A Shaun the Sheep Movie: Farmageddon (3,5)

Soul (4,5)

Wolfwalkers (4,0)

Soul is winning this one with no real competitor. It is an amazing film by Pixar - both storywise, philosophically and in particular technically. But it is also daring as it is close to being there first truly film MAINLY for adults. Pixar competes against themselves, as Onward is also here. Netflix joins the animation race with the charming Over the Moon, while Aardman Studios are here with Farmageddon, which is a simply delightful children’s film. Wolfwalkers is perhaps the most interesting when it comes to animation style as the handdrawn animation follows the emotions of the characters.

Who will win: Soul

Potential spoiler: Wolfwalkers

Personal favourite: Soul

Cinematography

Sean Bobbitt, Judas and the Black Messiah (4,5)

Erik Messerschmidt, Mank (3,5)

Dariusz Wolski, News of the World (3,0)

Joshua James Richards, Nomadland (5,0)

Phedon Papamichael, The Trial of the Chicago 7 (4,0)

I was happy to see Judas being recognised here, but it hardly stands a chance, despite its great work with depth. The same can be said about Papamichael, whose nomination I honestly do not understand, and Wolski, who produces some stunning vistas in the otherwise disappointing News of the World. Messerschmidt’s black and white work on Mank is a joy to behold, and while the Academy typically love black and white cinematography, I only see it as a potential spoiler. Joshua James Richards manages the otherwise small Nomadland into a grand and stunning film with some of the most beautiful images that I cannot wait to enjoy in a cinema. I would have loved to see Hoyte van Hoytema be nominated for his work on the otherwise faulty Tenet. 

Who will win: Nomadland

Potential spoiler: Mank

Personal favourite: Nomadland

Should have been there: Tenet

Costume Design

Emma (3,0)

Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom (3,5)

Mank (3,5)

Mulan (3,0)

Pinocchio (1,5)

This is Ma Rainey’s to lose with all of its broadway costumes. Personally I rate the costumes in both Pinocchio higher and I would have liked to see Promising Young Woman nominated, although I know how rarely contemporary nominees are in this category.

Who will win: Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom

Potential spoiler: Mank

Personal favourite: Pinocchio

Could have been there: Promising Young Woman

Directing

Thomas Vinterberg, Another Round (5,0)

David Fincher, Mank (3,5)

Lee Isaac Chung, Minari (4,5)

Chloé Zhao, Nomadland (5,0)

Emerald Fennell, Promising Young Woman (5,0)

It is a historic year for this category; the first time that two female directors are nominated in the same year. Chloé Zhao will also find her way into the history books as the only second female winner of the category for her work with Nomadland; a film which would never have existed without her. Fennell and Chung are her closest competitors, but despite their deeply personal and commited work they do not stand a chance. Mank is as Fincher as it gets, but the films is just not very good in the end. Finally, as a Dane, I am of course ecstatic to see Vinterberg here for his masterful work on Another Round. I would have loved to see Florian Zeller for The Father, though!

Who will win: Chloé Zhao

Potential spoiler: Lee Isaac Chung

Personal favourite: Chloé Zhao

Could have been there: Florian Zeller

Documentary (Feature)

Collective (4,5)

Crip Camp (4,0)

The Mole Agent (3,0)

My Octopus Teacher (4,0)

Time (5,0)

For a long time, Time or Collective seemed to be the ones to beat here. While Time, which I reckon to be one of the best, most impactful films of the year, remains my favourite, I think it might be too slow for some people. Collective shares the same issue as the entertaining The Mole Agent; they are in a foreign language. Thus, we end up with Crip Camp and My Octopus Teacher. The first is undoubtedly the most important of the two, but I do think that the heart-warming and surprisingly effective story of man and nature in Octopus Teacher will charm its way to a surprising Oscar! The fascinating micro-cosmos of American politics portrayed in Boys State was snubbed here!

Who will win: My Octopus Teacher

Potential spoiler: Crip Camp

Personal favourite: Time

Should have been there: Boys State

Documentary (Short Subject)

Colette (3,5)

A Concerto is a Conversation (3,5)

Do Not Split (4,5)

Hunger Ward (3,5)

A Love Song for Latasha (4,0)

Notoriously difficult to predict, this years documentary shorts are no exception. Four of them are mainly journalistic, with A Love Song for Latasha standing out with its artistic aspects. I think that will tip the votes in its favour.

Who will win: A Love Song for Latasha

Potential spoiler: A Concerto is a Conversation

Personal Favourite: Do Not Split

Film Editing

The Father (4,5)

Nomadland (5,0)

Promising Young Woman (5,0)

Sound of Metal (4,5)

The Trial of the Chicago 7 (4,0)

Traditionally the film featuring the most and the most clear cuts will take home this Oscar, making Trial the traditional favourite here. However, Mikkel E.G. Nielsen’s close collaboration with the sound designers of Sound of Metal seems to have pushed that film closer to a suprising yet deserved award. For me, however, the confusing, unstructured work of Yorgos Lamprinos in The Father is the best of the year. Mank would have liked to have this on nomination morning.

Who will win: Sound of Metal

Potential spoiler: The Trial of the Chicago 7

Personal favourite: The Father

International Feature Film

Another Round (5,0)

Better Days (3,5)

Collective (4,5)

The Man Who Sold His Skin (3,5)

Quo Vadis, Aida? (4,5)

Collective follows Honeyland’s example from last year with a double nomination for international and documentary, but it will not win despite its high quality. The Man Who Sold His Skin is an interesting and thought-provoking take on the refugee crisis and Better Days is a surprisingly effective YA adaptation with some criticism of the Chinese school system - they will be happy just be there. Quo Vadis, Aida? Is a really good film with a towering lead performance about one of the most gruesome historical events post WWII. However, and this is not just because I am Danish, Another Round will take this home. The film that grew from initially being a celebration of the Danish alcohol culture organically grew into a celebration of life in the shadows of a personal tragedy for director Vinterberg. At its heart is a beautiful performance from Mads Mikkelsen and a fascinating study of the Danish alcohol culture in the universally recognisable struggle of life. Its take on the built in paradox of our teenagers being stressed out in order to gain access to the same life that the film’s four protagonists desperately try to escape, is thought-provoking and well-portrayed.

Who will win: Another Round

Potential spoiler: Quo Vadis, Aida?

Personal favourite: Another Round

Makeup and Hairstyling

Emma (3,0)

Hillbilly Elegy (2,0)

Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom (3,5)

Mank (3,5)

Pinocchio (1,5)

Despite being a horrible film, the makeup and prosthetic work in Pinocchio ought to secure it an Oscar here. However, this will be given to the theatre makeup work in Ma Rainey.

Who will win: Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom

Potential spoiler: Hillbilly Elegy

Personal favourite: Pinocchio

Music (Original Score)

Da 5 Bloods (3,5)

Mank (3,5)

Minari (4,5)

News of the World (3,0)

Soul (4,5)

News of the World is a good yet classic western score, Da 5 Bloods is a nice score to listen to but does not fit in the film and Emile Mosseri’s brilliant score in Minari might be a bit too simple for some people. This means that this a battle between Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross and themselves for their buzzing 40’s score in Mank and amazing collaboration with Jon Batiste in Soul. Reznor and Ross will be taking the stage along with Batiste! It is close to robbery that Ludwig Göransson is not nominated for his towering Tenet score!!

Who will win: Soul

Potential spoiler: Mank

Personal favourite: Soul

Should have been there: Tenet

Music (Original Song)

“Fight for You”, Judas and the Black Messiah (4,5)

“Hear My Voice”, The Trial of the Chicago 7 (4,0)

“Husavik”, Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga (3,0)

“Io Si (Seen”), The Life Ahead (3,0)

“Speak Now”, One Night in Miami… (4,0)

“Husavik” is a great song and is the only of the songs to truly play a part in the film rather than just being a credits song and I think that should always be a factor! However, this is Leslie Odom Jr.’s for the beautifully subtle “Speak Now” - he is an amazing singer! “Green” from Sound of Metal should have been here, I have to say.

Who will win: “Speak Now”

Potential spoiler: “Husavik”

Personal favourite: “Husavik”

Should have been there: “Green”

Production Design

The Father (4,5)

Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom (3,5)

Mank (3,5)

News of the World (3,0)

Tenet (3,0)

The wonderfully simple, yet effective production design of The Father really should be winning this. However, The Academy always love representations of Hollywood and - to be fair - the work in Mank is incredibly detailed and beautiful to look at. Honestly, I would have loved to see Emma - that film was one of the most beautiful of the year!

Who will win: Mank

Potential spoiler: The Father / Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom

Personal favourite: The Father

Could have been there: Emma

Short Film (Animation)

Burrow (4,0)

Genius Loci (3,0)

If Anything Happens I Love You (4,5)

Opera (5,0)

Yes-People (3,0)

Yes-People is funny but uninteresting. Genius Loci is visually fascinating but also very abstract. Burrow is classic Pixar charm. If Anything Happens I Love You is an emotional gut-punch. Opera is transcending the film media being more of an art installation rather than an actual shortfilm; it is however both visually and visionary in a league of its own. So obviously, it will not win. Disappointing not to see Out here!

Who will win: If Anything Happens I Love You

Potential spoiler: Burrow

Personal favourite: Opera

Should have been there: Out

Short Film (Live Action)

Feeling Through (4,0)

The Letter Room (3,5)

The Present (4,0)

Two Distant Strangers (2,0)

White Eye (3,0)

Two Distant Strangers seems like a late frontrunner here, and while it is impossible to disasgree with the importance of the film’s topic, I simply did not like the film. I found it both exploitative and overly symbolic leaving me with a bad taste in my mouth; difficult opinions to have regarding a film about such an important topic. None of the other four truly stand out, but I would love to see the inclusive and touching Feeling Through receive the Oscar.

Who will win: Two Distant Strangers

Potential spoiler: The Letter Room

Personal favourite: Feeling Through

Sound

Greyhound (2,0)

Mank (3,5)

News of the World (3,0)

Soul (4,5)

Sound of Metal (4,5)

Rarely has a film been so defined by its sound as Sound of Metal. It is not only groundbreaking but also deeply fascinating, impressive and involving; a main factor in the film’s success. It is difficult to predict as this is the first year the two awards (Editing/Mixing) have been combined. Greyhound might have been able to grab an editing award had they been separated still…

Who will win: Sound of Metal

Potential spoiler: Soul

Personal favourite: Sound of Metal

Visual Effects

Love and Monsters (3,0)

The Midnight Sky (2,5) 

Mulan (3,0)

The One and Only Ivan (3,0)

Tenet (3,0)

A category that would probably have been dominated by films such as Godzilla vs. Kong, Dune and Black Widow in a normal 2020, has now granted space for the charming animals of The One and Only Ivan and the surprisingly entertaining and heartfelt Love and Monsters. It does, however, seem like an obvious opportunity to give the supposed “saviour of cinema” Tenet one award. 

Who will win: Tenet

Potential spoiler: The Midnight Sky

Personal favourite: Tenet

Should have been there: Soul

Writing (Adapted Screenplay)

Borat Subsequent Moviefilm (3,5)

The Father (4,5)

Nomadland (5,0)

One Night in Miami… (4,0)

The White Tiger (3,0)

The White Tiger is the odd one out here with its overly told and clumsy voice-over, whereas Borat is another example of the weird definition. While the main character is not new, the film is obviously an original story. One Night in Miami… is a much better adaption than Ma Rainey, but The Father is even more successful in its journey from stage to silver screen. Zeller’s screenplay is masterful and daring in its ruthless depiction of dementia. However, it faces stern competition from Chloé Zhao who might add her first of many Oscars of the evening with this award for a rare adaptation of a non-fiction work into a fictional story. 

Who will win: The Father

Potential spoiler: Nomadland

Personal favourite: The Father

Writing (Original Screenplay)

Judas and the Black Messiah (4,5)

Minari (4,5)

Promising Young Woman (5,0)

Sound of Metal (4,5)

The Trial of Chicago 7 (4,0)

I was immensely happy to see Judas and Sound of Metal here as they told well-structured and well-paced stories, while this was the biggest nail in the coffin for Mank as David Fincher’s father missed out on a nomination for the film about one of history’s best screenplays. The battle is seems to be between the king of screenplays Aaron Sorkin and a certain promising young woman, Emerald Fennell, who has written the best screenplay of the year in my opinion. Look out for Lee Isaac Chung as he will be ready to pounce with his deeply personal screenplay for Minari, should the battle between Fennell and Sorkin fall flat. The extremely charming and funny Palm Springs should have been here!

Who will win: Promising Young Woman

Potential spoiler: The Trial of the Chicago 7

Personal favourite: Promising Young Woman

Should have been there: Palm Springs

I wish everyone the best of Oscar nights! May the best films win!

#Oscars #Oscars 2021 #Oscars Warm Up #My Oscar Predictions #Oscar Predictions #Academy Awards #Academy Awards Predictions #Nomadland #The Father #The Trial of The Chicago 7 #Sound of Metal #Judas and the Black Messiah #Minari #Mank #Promising Young Woman

[halcyon-travesty-blog]

I HAVE SEEN THE NEW DRAGONS MOVIE!!!

I’ve just seen what might be the best movie ever (I don’t live in the States so earlier release!!) and need to process my emotions and discuss discussable points through this rant post, so fairly obvious warning: 

SPOILER WARNING SPOILER WARNING SPOILER WARNING SPOILER WARNING SPOILER WARNING

Alright, you have been warned. 

PS: an edited, spoiler-free version may be posted later

THE HIDDEN WORLD IS AMAZING! Such a beautiful story, a more-than-fitting conclusion to the epic tale of dragons, vikings, love, loss, leadership, growing up, acceptance, strength, becoming who you were always meant to be, and, perhaps most importantly, learning to let go and stand on your own.

I’ll try and sort aspects of the movie by paragraph but this is pretty much just a therapeutic emotional outpouring so here we go. 

First cab off the rank (although it may be obvious), the animation was incredible. The village, the Hidden World, every island and ship and dragon and outfit enriched with vivid colour and intricate detail. The outfits were a particular highlight for me (a la my post a few months ago about their battle suits - they look even better on the big screen); even the updates for characters like Valka and Eret were great. The obvious question I guess is: was the Hidden World itself worth it? A HUGE YES. I thought maybe it would remind me of another other-worldly movie (e.g. James Cameron’s Avatar), but it didn’t; all I could think about was how beautiful the world’s design was, with all the colours and lights, waterfalls and chasms and crystals and, of course, dragons. 

Grimmel was a good villain, nothing ridiculously ground-breaking or whatever, but not a bad bad guy by any means in my opinion. There were also three warlords who had employed him whose roles were very minor and pretty much just a way for him to discover that (prank!) he hadn’t killed all the Night Furies after all. The movie isn’t really about the villain though, he’s more of a plot advancer, a catalyst if you will. 

The Stoick and lil baby Hiccup flashbacks are gorgeous and serve almost as a form of conscience and inspiration for Hiccup: a monologue on love (sparked by a cute “are you gonna get us a new mom?”) that Hiccup recalls when considering letting Toothless go be with his love, the Light Fury, is particularly poignant. 

The Dragon Riders are wonderful and hilarious once again, and a particular highlight of the movie for me was how they were learning to work together more, a la Race to the Edge, especially (sobs) without their dragons. Astrid and Hiccup have many great moments together once again. For those wondering who won between Rufflout and Rufflegs: Ruffnut says she can’t choose between Snotlout’s ego (“I don’t know if he’ll ever love me more than he’ll love himself) and Fishlegs’s meek nerdiness, but at the Hiccstrid wedding says (or maybe jokes) that she chooses Fishlegs because she “likes sensitive guys.” The replacement of TJ Miller is nothing to worry about: it’s noticeable if you listen closely, but definitely not a problem. Ruffnut’s prisoner monologue is a comedic highlight, Tuffnut’s “boy talks” in regard to marriage! (more on that later) are also great, Fishlegs is pretty much just Fishlegs and Snotlout’s banter with Eret and Valka are fun. Our teenage adventurers have grown up, and with growing up comes responsibility, something I’ll explore more in...

Mature Chief Issues (TM)! Hiccup is a young chief with many balls to juggle: raiding trapper ships and rescuing dragons, a dragon overpopulation crisis on Berk, managing viking and dragon priorities, his relationship with Astrid (and the possibility of marriage), threats from enemies across the seas (and the target he has inadvertently made Berk), the legacy of his father (considered one of the greatest chiefs of all time), and (perhaps most importantly) his own self-esteem, acceptance and self-worth, fundamentally the question of his worth without Toothless. This is one of the reasons why I (and many others I suspect) love this franchise so: it deals with mature issues like responsibility and leadership in a meaningful and realistic way. When Hiccup says they’re all going to pack up and leave in search of the Hidden World, he faces opposition and doubt, and as the film progresses he must further contend with the conflict with Grimmel (and events such as Ruffnut getting left behind at the base) and Toothless’s budding relationship with the Light Fury. 

A lot of people have been complaining that the Light Fury has been ‘feminised’, and that she shouldn’t look like she does from a zoological standpoint. I read a particularly good post a while ago by a tumblr user who was a zoologist or something like that (no disrespect intended, just can’t remember exactly); if you can find it I recommend the read. I agree with the points made in those arguments, but can’t help thinking that her design is beautiful, and her personality is definitely not weakened. She glistens in the moonlight and fights with incredible strength and can turn invisible at will for goodness sake. Their love is sweet and wholesome and makes for a breathtaking flight sequence and a funny scene reminiscent of the Hiccup-Toothless bonding and drawing scene in HTTYD1. The dragon babies are cute (although I don’t understand why they’re each blotchy black and white when Night and Light Furies are apparently the same species, so therefore based on gender the kids should be one or the other, but anyway) and the Light Fury provides Toothless with someone to spend his life with in the Hidden World when the dragons go away.

Yes, it happens. We knew it would. “There were dragons when I was a boy” sent me into a flurry of tears, and Hiccup and Toothless’s reunion with their kids at the end of the movie was...I don’t really know what to say. But I’m getting ahead of myself here. The dragons go because, as Hiccup says, “The world doesn’t deserve you”. More enemies would rise to fill Grimmel’s place, and dragons will never be truly safe unless they disappear. I think most movie-goers will know deep down that humans and dragons aren’t going to end up living in the Hidden World together like Hiccup suggests; it is, quite simply, not meant to be. Toothless leaving allows him to complete his journey of becoming, in terms of being an alpha and literally standing (flying) on his own (with a self-functioning prosthetic tail). Toothless leaving is also the final step in Hiccup’s becoming, as he learns that he is strong, can stand on his own and lead, even without his faithful dragon by his side. It is hard, as Astrid says, but he can do it, because he has always been a great viking, and has the support of his friends and family. Letting go takes courage and maturity, but can sometimes be the only way you can become who you are meant to be. Hiccup and Toothless’s parallel journeys are truly something to behold. There is a lot more I would like to say on this, but at the current moment I believe I lack the eloquence to do so. In summary, the moment is beautiful and everything you don’t want it to be. 

On a happier note, THERE’S A HICCSTRID WEDDING!!!!!!! Following much jest and uncertainty (aka foreshadowing) throughout the film, Hiccup and Astrid have a beautiful winter wedding with the whole village present. Gobber cries, Snotlout cries, Fishlegs cries, I cry, you cry, everyone cries. Astrid’s hair is left down, the bride and groom wear white (don’t think vikings actually did wear white but they look awesome so whatever), there’s a couple of traditional viking things and then comes love then comes marriage then comes BABY IN A BABY CARRIAGE!!!!

The auburn-haired girl, perhaps 7 or 8 years old, and the blond-haired boy, maybe 5 or 6, joined their mother and (bearded!) father on an unexplained boat journey to the entrance to the Hidden World, where they meet up with Toothless, the Light Fury and their children and we come full circle, with the kids holding out their hands and Toothless leaning in, an image we know and love all too well. They fly together, we the audience are promised that dragons did exist and may return someday when the world is worthy of them, and the movie ends. 

One of my favourite things about this franchise will always be its maturity and the beauty in simplicity (aka a story of growing up and letting go). I can tell you from the bottom of my heart that this is one of the most beautiful movies I have ever seen and I literally feel privileged to have experienced this story. I cannot recommend it enough and intend to see it again sometime in the next week. More posts and analysis and etcetera will come (apologies for the hiatus - exams and Christmas and yes hectic), especially after it is released in more countries, and I hope everyone loves this film as much as I did. 

#httyd3 #httyd 3 #how to train your dragon 3 #how to train your dragon: the hidden world #the hidden world #my heart #tears #hiccup #toothless #hiccstrid #astrid #hiccup horrendous haddock iii #SPOILERS #httyd 3 spoilers #the hidden world spoilers #httyd 3 review #the hidden world review #ruffnut #tuffnut #snotlout #fishlegs #night fury #light fury #valka #eret #gobber #stoick #stoick the vast #dragons #dreamworks

[lovetheangelshadow]

N'Pressions: Lego Movie 2

I know this is rather late, but I have had my hands full for the past couple of months until I could finally get time around to sit down and write these. So I apologize in advance with my thoughts being rather late into the game when everyone else worth listening to has given their two cents.

I’m not going to lie. There was so much against this movie succeeding besides the weather. Not only did you have to contend with it being a sequel to a major hit films that had for good and bad made some influence in the animation genre; but it was also competing with Alita Battle Angel (a big James Cameron film) AND How to Train Your Dragon 3 (a much awaited ending to a long running DreamWorks franchise). Not to mention with the objective failure of the Ninjago movie obviously made both the studio execs and audiences wary. That being said, I don’t think it would have benefitted from holding off for much longer.

So the film takes place just after the first movie with the Duplo invaders. Emmet tries to make peaceful ties with them that end up blowing in his face and the invaders go after anything bright and colorful. Five years later we get a Mad Max inspired Apolcalypseburg and while everyone else has taken a darker outlook on life and appearance; Emmet remains the same albeit a little scratched up with fingerprints and some of the decals scraped (nice detail by the way). Emmet shows Lucy/Wildstyle a dream house he’s built for them that seemingly attracts the Systar System and they send General Sweet Mayhem. The citizens take shelter in Batman’s bunker but a mercy act from Emmet freeing a stuck star shaped missile lets Mayhem in and she kidnaps Lucy, Metalbeard, Benny, Batman and Unikitty to a matrimonial ceremony held by the queen of the Systar System. After being scolded by the citizens of Apolalypseburg for not being tough and too weak to be of any use (citizens are jerks no matter the story I swear), Emmet builds a rocket ship to save his friends.

In earnest, I give points for the Lego team choosing to go with what is essentially a space rescue story rather than another chosen one tale. If there is one real good quality I can give for all four of the lego movies is that each film has its own unique aesthetic that separates them. Like if you just gave a background shot or even a color palette, each movie has their own theme to them which is not really something you could say of a lot of other animated sequels like Kung Fu Panda, Toy Story, or Ice Age. And I really appreciate them for that. There is also a very noticeable animation upgrade from the pervious Lego Movie besides the obvious advances in animation technology. Like they are actually using other household materials to achieve effects as well such as UltraKatty’s tail turning into a bottle brush when she gets flustered and Queen Watevra Wa’Nabi’s throne room moat is silk curtains which you see later in Bianca’s bedroom. Not to mention the previously noted fingerprints and scratches.

So story wise, unfortunately the story is not as polished as the first movie. Like Good Cop/Bad Cop and President Business, two major characters of the first films, are practically shoved to the side for this one. I mean, Business is the allegory for Finn and Bianca’s father, so why is he practically so absent for five years after spending 8 and a half building this Lego World into his concept of absolute order and perfection? In essence his kids have pretty much destroyed what he’s built and he barely does anything about it? Granted I am not entirely sure what sort of purpose Business could serve especially with the tone and themes they were going for. Maybe like have his try to resolve things but continuously fail? Or…or maybe throw his hands up in defeat and hint that if they don’t do something to fix the issue Armomageddon will be coming down upon them. No one knows what he’s even talking about and just keep warring with the Duplo invasion. I dunno, maybe we’ll get more answers when the Blue Ray comes out with the commentary. As for GCBC, maybe be the ones telling off Emmet for his apparent weakness in kindness and tell him that he didn’t get to be Lord Business’ second by being soft hearted and overly optimistic.

That being said we also get a slew of new characters this time around: the totally not evil Watevra Wa’Nabi, General Mayhem, Ice Cream Cone, and Tumblr’s favorite Rex Dangervest. Seriously you can NOT tell me Lego didn’t know what they were doing when they made this guy. You KNOW how the internet gets over attractive cartoon characters! Admittedly Emmet doesn’t have the strongest personality and is kind of more of a vessel for Finn (and particularly the audience) but like the first movie he is surrounded by a large cast big personality characters that balances things out. Also like the first movie the antagonists (both Rex and Watevra) much like Business aren’t entirely in the wrong or right but instead are the extremes that sometimes in a way can become toxic if pushed too far. Business was the extreme of perfection and order, Watevera and the Systar system represented absolute optimism, and Rex was the symbol of toxic cynicism. Though I will give credit that both Watevra and Rex definitely feel like much more complex antagonists than Lord Business.

While Watevera genuinely wants peace between the Systar System and Apopalypseburg she isn’t above using force, coercion, or manipulation to get there. She basically offers gifts/bribes to bring the leaders to her side and toys with Batman’s insecurities to get him into marrying her. The entire film portrays her as a scheming, brainwashing, shape shifter whose end goal is the end. Though you cannot really blame her since it was suggested the Systar System has been trying for years but kept being pushed back because they were seen as an invasion. Also they’re terrible communicators. Also I have to give props for Animal Logic and them having to animate this gal and in Lego bricks no less. Like it’s not like a slime where you have plenty of freedom; each curve and twist is an actual Lego brick. That can NOT be easy to animate.

Rex on the other hand plays with Emmet’s anxieties of not being tough enough and essentially not being the person Lucy wants him to be. And you can’t completely blame this guy for lashing out at being stranded and forgotten. If there was one thing Emmet valued above anything even before the inciting incident of the first Lego Movie, was his friends. You saw his hurt when shown that the other construction workers didn’t even seem to care and just saw him as an average nobody. Heck, even with the party bus scene the others show a hint of concern that they hadn’t seen Lucy on the ship with them but when the llama driver cranks up the music they immediately forget about her. Not to mention with the time machine, he could have easily gone back to even before General Mayhem kidnapped his friends and prevented all this in the first place, but instead chose to save Emmet only and bring everyone else down to the same miserable state he’s in to feel the same hurt he went through for years. In a way he reminds me a lot of Lotso from Toy Story 3. Both were the favorite of a child and were lost by that same kid later to be replaced and forgotten. However I am a lot more sympathetic for Rex than Lotso though I haven’t put my finger on exactly why.

Another thing to note is that this film is also a musical and it has been quite a while since I’ve actually like really enjoyed an animated musical. Like the songs actually feel like they move the story forward instead of being there for just being there. There is one arguable exception, but it is still a fun song (Gotham City Guys if you must ask). Of course then there is the blatant Catchy Song that is such a laughable parody of itself and much like Everything is Awesome, its used as like a brainwashing song. Speaking of which, we get two versions of Everything is Awesome: the much more light hearted Tween Remix and somber/hopeful Everything is Not Awesome. My only gripe is that Rex did NOT get a song. Seriously guys, a reprisal of the last verse of Not Evil as he’s strapping Emmet to the eject chair would have been bloody perfect!

Though the movie is not as comedic as its processors Lego Movie and Lego Batman, I honestly still enjoyed myself. I think it is largely in part because I relate to the film a lot more than the first one since I have a sibling of my own and remember the cooperative and combative play session we had together as kids. Something I give credit for is that the film doesn’t really portray either the girl’s or boy’s way of playing the superior one. Honestly they don’t even really bring up gender roles or at least smack you in the face with it. And believe me I have seen the whole gender roles thing done so much worse. I could have done without that line from General Mayhem about Lucy doing all the hard work and Emmet getting the credit and I think having that in the trailer might have hurt things as well. I think it would have been better if Mayhem just said there is nothing special about Emmet and laughs that she’s supposed to take this guy seriously compared to others like Batman and Metalbeard once again driving in what would eventually lead to the creation of Rex. Still even with some of the plot issues, it still feels like a much more complete film then Ninjago and I hope that we can at least get the Billion Brick Race before they decide to just cut Lego off as a viable film universe. I’m Noctina Noir, and I’m one Nox of a Nobody.

#lego movie 2 #lego move 2 review #noctina noir

[donheisenberg]

Top 20 TV Shows of 2017:

So this is the bit where I talk about how difficult it is to write a top 20 list because of peak TV, yada, yada, yada. If you are into TV criticism you have read it all before several over the last few years, the thing is while it might feel like a cliche it is totally true and with every year it become more true. Trying to watch everything out there is impossible and trying to then narrow down what you have watched to a list of 20 is almost as difficult. Every show on this list had an outstanding year as shown by some of the shows I left off of the list. In any other year the likes of Curb Your Enthusiasm and The Americans would be givens even if they just had middling seasons but not this year. It was truly a great year for TV and here are my top 20 shows of 2017.

Shows I Did Not Get Around to Watching/Completing That May Have Made My List: The Deuce The Handmaid’s Tail (to watch) Legion (to watch) Better Things Search Party Difficult People

Honorable Mention: Rick and Morty (season 3): Shout out to Review as well, which was excellent but just had to few episodes for me to really count it. In terms of Rick and Morty it was often in the news (or at least the twitter news) for the wrong reasons this year as a group of its fans decided to act like complete dickheads for a period of time. All of which deflected from the fact it had its best season ever. I’ve always had issues with the show and basically how pro-Rick and his asshole behavior Harmon and co seem to be and this year didn’t necessarily dissuade me of that but on a week to week basis it was crafting, ambitious and well thought out stories, at a rate the show had never before.

No 20: Fargo (season 3): As many observed this was not Fargo’s finest year and it maybe took a while to get going. It is also the case that 3 seasons in it is tougher for a show as idiosyncratic as this one to surprise us. When a seemingly major character dies in episode 1 it is less of a shock than it should be because that is what happened in season 1. Yet at the same time I so enjoyed this season and the performances by the likes of Carrie Coon (more on her later), Ewan MacGregor and David Thewlis and you still had episodes as excellent as The Law of Non-Contradiction.

No 19) Veep (season 6): Similar to Fargo this was a just slightly below average year for Veep, but even then the quality of the ensemble is so far above any other comedy out there and the quality of the writing/jokes/insults is again just of the highest order. There are few shows I enjoy more than Veep.

No 18) Master of None (Season 2): In my review I did write about how aspects of MON did frustrate me. For it’s social awareness, it is a show that wants me to desperately feel sorry for the man with seemingly the nicest/most privileged life in the world. The extent to which the show is essentially lifestyle porn at times can be a problem and the extent to which the show never questions Dev’s actions can also be a little off-putting. Yet having said that the good outweighs the bad and then some. The show crafts so many beautiful fully realized episodes and months after watching it is episodes like Thanksgiving that stick with me, more than the show’s flaws.

No 17) The Young Pope (Season 1): I’m not sure I get The Young Pope. I love it but I’m not sure I get it. Even in this age of weird TV there is something truly odd about this show. So difficult to write about because it does not conform to any conventions or labels and that’s why it makes this list. Having said all of this I’m not quite sure the show ever hit the heights of its pilot (even if it remained excellent throughout) and that’s why it is not a little bit higher.

No 16) Brockmire (Season 1): Brockmire is exactly the sort of gem that can get lost in this golden age, but for those few of us who did see it we know that it was one of the most raucous, hilarious and endearing comedies out there. I don’t know or care about baseball at all but I do love Brockmire and can’t wait til it comes back.

No 15) Brooklyn Nine Nine (season 4/5): Just as Brockmire can get lost in a sea of amazing shows, B99 is the sort of show that you can take for granted so easily but 5 seasons in and it is still full of heart and brilliant gags. More than that though this year on a couple of occasions we saw the show break-out of its comfort zone with episodes about Terry being racially profiled and more recently Rosa coming out to her less than progressive parents. Those episodes showcased a different side of the show and demonstrated how B99 is not just a great sitcom but an important one. Nine Nine!

No 14) Preacher (Season 2): Parts of season 2 of Preacher were as good as anything on TV. The opening scenes of the first two episodes, as well as standout episode Sokosha plus a whole host of other moments, showed how Preacher could execute some of the most ambitious TV out there to near perfection. It was not all perfect and the season might have benefited from being 10 episode long rather than 12 but nonetheless I love this show and it seems to only go in one direction. Bring on season 3.

No 13) GLOW (Season 1): GLOW was sort of the perfect summer show. It was funny and likable and so binge-able. Netflix makes a lot of deeply serialized shows, designed to be consumed in one sitting so as you find out what happens next. Glow was not that. What GLOW was, was a show that quickly established an ensemble of distinct and interesting characters who you wanted to spend time with and for that it was a standout show.

No 12) Better Call Saul (Season 3): It pains me to put BCS at number 12, in any other year this could be a contender for my number 1 spot but here it does quite make the top ten. Part of the reason why it is a little lower than you might have excepted is that at this stage I don’t have to tell anyone how good this show is. Into it’s third season and BCS was possibly better than ever. Certainly episodes like the chilling Lantern and in particular Chicanery mark series high points and some of the finest TV I’ve seen all year.

No 11) American Vandal (Season 1): American Vandal is a curious show. It is ostensibly a parody, yet by the time you finish it you look back and think that was funny but not funny enough to be making this list necessarily. What it was though was the most engrossing show of the year. And it all centred on the question “who drew the dicks?” Yet for the silliness of the premise I could not have been more intrigued. AV found new ground for the most tired of sub-genres, the mockumentary and in the process delivered an absurd but in many ways tragic story of a stupid but well meaning kid in high school whose life goes array for reasons that have little to do with him. Defining the pleasures of the show may not be straight, but boy was it insanely watchable-the Netflix model at its best.

No 10 )Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt (Season 3): Similar to B99, UKS is the sort of consistent joke machine that you can take for granted, and that many have, but for me this year there were few shows enjoyed nearly as much as it. I thought the show delivered its best season. The work of Ellie Kemper and in particular Titus Burgess can match any comedic performers on TV. Again though amidst all the laughs is a very human character study piece of an abuse victim and maybe where the show’s genius thoroughly lies  is in the way the show balances these two sides of itself.

No 9) Crazy Ex-Girlfriend (Seasons 2/3): Rachel Bloom’s musical comedy/drama goes from strength to strength. Like many shows of this list it perfectly balances cartoonish sensibilities with discussions on mental health and never more so than in the first half of season 3. In addition to that though are the musical numbers. At times I’m just in awe of how spot on and clever their parodies, my favorite this year being “Let’s Generalize About Men” and for that it had to make my top ten.

No 8) Bojack Horseman (Season 4): In its 2nd and particularly 3rd seasons Bojack became a show that delivered some of the most outstanding individual episodes of television, possibly ever. Escape From LA, Fish Under Water and That’s Too Much Man are just incomparable half hours of TV. Season 4 did not deliver a single episode of quite that standard. What season 4 did do though is deliver quite possibly the show’s most consistent, revealing and hopefully season. Something we all needed at the end of the show’s previous season.

No 7) Catastrophe (Season 3): Okay it was only 6 episodes along, but I ask this question every year, is there a better written show on TV? There might be snappier dialogue out there, there might be more profound existential musings on some other show, but there is no show with more wonderfully naturalistic dialogue on now or possibly ever. Also there is not really a couple of TV I root for quite as much as Sharon and Rob and I really just want to watch the two of them on screen together as much as possible.Plus the final episode of season 3 was just the perfect send-off for Carrie Fisher and for that alone it deserves it place on my list.

No 6) Jane The Virgin (Season 3/4): Now four seasons in Jane the Virgin still has the power to surprise and hit me emotionally as much as just about any show on this list. I would go as far as to stay no episode of television this year hit me as hard as (spoilers) Michael’s death which was absolutely devestating. But when it comes to Jane the Virgin it is not just the big gut-punches that count, it is the smaller moments as well. The other scene that sticks with me most from its episodes this year is when Rogelio (often the show’s most comic presence) opens up to Xo about how he hasn’t been able to grieve properly for Michael, who was his best friend, because he knew he had to be strong for Jane while she was grieving. It is a comparatively small moment but every bit as resonant. I can take or leave all the intrigue concerning the Marbella but week after week the show delivers moments that really effect me, which even in this golden age can’t be said of too many show.

No 5) Twin Peaks (Season 3): It seems to me that Twin Peaks has either been number 1 or completely absent from every critics list. And I can understand both positions. Twin Peaks was fascinating in a way that television and art more generally rarely is. It was also incredibly and deliberately frustrating at times. I’m almost reluctant to point out how obviously frustrating parts of the revival were because I feel like I might be missing something. On the other hand because its Lynch and because he is a widely and rightly acknowledge genius I think some critics have been too forgiving of some pretty blatant narrative issues, that on another show they would have lambasted. Ultimately though it was the TV event of the year and nothing quite engaged me on a week to week basis like it did. More than anything though there were certain moments, particularly toward the end of the season, that were greater than anything else on TV this year. Moments I completely lost myself in, in ways that are quite difficult to explain and for that I won’t be forgetting the revival for a very long time.

No 4) Mr Robot (Season 3): If season 1 was clinically perfect, in a way no show since Breaking Bad has been, season 2 was an over-ambitious, definitely fascinating, mess. I was a bit of an apologist for the largely disliked second season-but even I was somewhat disappointed after the heights of season 1. Season 3 not only got the show back on track but it found a balance in the ensemble that neither season 1 (which was almost all Elliot) or season 2 (which felt like very little Elliot) had. It also starting making sense again and the show successfully battled the urge to be overly opaque or to have unnecessary twists. All of which meant that we got some of the show’s finest hours yet specifically the thrilling fifth and sixth episodes as well as the surprising and heart-warming eight hour, not to mention the finale which had a bit of everything. And for all its pessimism few shows made me happier this year, because I was so delighted to see this great show prove all the doubters wrong.

No 3) The Good Place (season 1/2): Michael Schur has secured himself a place in TV history with The Office, B99 and in particular Parks and Rec, already but with The Good Place he has gone one further. We all knew he could craft wonderfully funny and likable sitcoms, but here he has delivered a show as twisty and as engaged in huge philosophical issues as any prestige serialized drama. The Good Place is not necessarily a sad-com like many of the show’s on this list but it is possibly the most plot driven network sitcom ever. The thing is the plot has real stakes and is completely unpredictable as well. The huge twist at the end of season 1 showed that even in the age of Reddit you could pull out the rug from underneath your audience and I did not think that was possible. I don’t know how much longer they can continue it but as of now The Good Place is just about a perfect piece of television. 

No 2) Halt and Catch Fire (Season 4): Without spoiling what is number 1 on my list, when it aired I thought nothing would come near it but Halt and Catch Fire came very very close. Back in its much derided first season Halt was a jukebox spitting one antihero cliche after another. In some ways it never strayed too far from the conventions of the antihero drama but what made it different was that at a certain point it just wasn’t about antiheroes. Sure all the characters were deeply flawed, none more so than Joe, but their constant strive for something more, for some kind of connection felt so human you could not help but love them. The final four episodes were TV drama at its best and when it ended I really struggled with the notion that I would not be spending more time with these characters, but if anything made it okay it was how well they stuck the landing. Speaking of which..

No 1) The Leftovers (Season 3): No show has ever made quite the impact in such a short space of time. The Leftovers conclude its mere 28 episode run this year, just 28 episodes yet about half of them are nothing short of masterpieces. That includes just about every episode in this final run. It’s tough in just a paragraph to breakdown what made The Leftovers such a transcendent piece of television-so to be glib I’ll say it took the ambition and phantasmagoria of Twin Peaks and combined it with the heart and focus on character of Halt and Catch Fire. LOST-one of my absolute favorite shows of all time-will define Lindelof’s career but The Leftovers is ultimately a more complete and mature piece of work. The writing, performances and direction coalesced to give us something often hilarious and surprising and always deeply powerful. There may never be a show like The Leftovers again and for those reasons it was always going to be my number 1. 

#best of #best of lists #the leftovers #carrie coon #justin theroux #halt and catch fire #the good place #mr robot #rami malek #twin peaks #jane the virgin #Catastrophe #bojack horseman #bojack season 4 #crazy ex girlfriend #unbreakable kimmy schmidt #american vandal #Better Call Saul #preacher #veep #fargo #brooklyn nine nine #brockmire #rick and morty #glow #the young pope #master of none

[its-just-like-the-movies]

Arsenic and Old Lace (44, C+/B-)

How does one react to a project that is so determined to be strange, and hilarious, and morbid, all at the same time, and yet winds up being none of those things through the sheer effort of trying to accomplish it? That was the thought running through my head for a good portion of Arsenic and Old Lace, which features a pretty game cast burdened by a director who doesn’t seem to be in sync with his own material. There’s a surprisingly hefty amount of plot and characters running around, filling in its two hour run time absolutely fine, but almost none of it feels like it’s in the right key. In fact, the film is given a pretty straightforward, straight-faced treatment by director Frank Capra as he asks Cary Grant to contort his face, voice, and body into so many odd and strange positions and registers. The sheer range of sounds and movements, anxious tics and nervous screams Grant is asked to perform is unlike anything I’ve ever seen in film, fascinating to witness but also excruciating to watch, and who knows how laborious it was for him. His central performance is symptomatic of the film’s worst problems, stretching for effect when the material is potent enough to work with a little less obvious effort. And yet, it’s also a sign of the film’s most compelling efforts, the sheer spectacle of itself and willingness to go that far into comedic overplaying. It’s an interesting lark, constantly threading the needle between an inspired concept and a palpably miserved execution.

So what is this mad plot, you may be asking. Well, the sell line that got me to look into the film is that a man learns that his aunts have been serially slaughtering random, lonely old men as a giddy hobby to save each man’s poor, unfortunate souls. What we also have to contend with is the newly-married wife of that man, shoved out of his life as soon as he learns what his aunts have been doing. This man also has one brother who believes he’s Teddy Roosevelt, and another who’s a career criminal partnered with a plastic surgeon, both on the lamb with a bunch of body parts. There’s also two bumbling cops running around the neighborhood, though they aren’t smart enough to pick up on much. Cary Grant’s character is also named Mortimer Brewster, in case you wanted to know for a fact that this was written in the 1940’s, and his marriage is ever-so-slightly controversial because he’s written multiple books on the bounteous beauty of bachelorhood and the mundane monstrosity of marriage.

But, like his wife, this basically becomes an unnecessary add-on to an already busy film. Second-billed Priscilla Lane’s entire part is seemingly built of the character demanding attention not just from new hubby Mortimer but from Arsenic and Old Lace itself, popping in at random and trying to get her new hubby to remember she exists. This gag reaches its nadir after Lane is nearly killed by the criminal brother, who mistakes her for a burglar, and we are forced to watch her scream about her near-fatal encounter to Grant as he ignores her completely during a phone call he started just after she began her speech. She storms out in fury, and he looks up to wonder what’s got her in a fuss.

Then again, a lot of the film’s scenes feel as though they’re in poor taste, if not just poorly staged. Scenes like Mortimer’s discussion with a sanitarium director who requests if his brother could think he’s Napoleon instead of Teddy Roosevelt given the surplus of Roosevelts they already have, two separate metafilmic instances of characters describing plays that act as narrations of someone trying to kill them, every aforementioned moment with Lane, and a running joke about the second brother’s new face greatly resembling Boris Karloff, all feel like they’ve missed the landing by a good few feet, though some more than others. In fairness, the Karloff joke comes from the original Broadway run starring Karloff in the role as an in-joke, but that doesn’t mean it works quite as well here. Hell, what made it work then? Director Frank Capra’s biggest issue frankly seems to be a lack of shaping of the film’s morbid humor, even as the actors have all been encouraged to do the absolute most they possibly can. Grant’s mugging should work better than it does, but his triumphant, anxious giggle and jump after realizing brother Boris knows about a new body where an old one had been is also the only moment this film ever made me laugh out loud. Josephine Hull, as one of the murderous aunts, is a visible exception to this demand with her casual tendencies, body moments, and line readings, a contrast made even stronger by the permanent grin and upper-register voice work of Jean Adair as the other Brewster sister. Everyone else in the cast falls under the umbrella that Capra’s direction has egged them into, doing fine work in limited parts without challenging or doing much with them.

And yet, for all my palpable misgivings about the film, I wouldn’t call it a bad one at all. The missed opportunities can’t impede that, at its base, this is a strange and fleetly edited object. If I’m not that excited about it, I can’t say that I feel any strong hatred for it, or regret my time with it, even if I don’t plan on watching it again. You could do a lot better when it comes to finding weird, morbid shit from the 40’s, but as far as a selling hook you really can’t beat Arsenic and Old Lace’s “Cary Grant finds out his aunts are serial killers” line, and that arc is certainly the film’s most interesting. In fact, even if some overall narratives were easy to predict, one a scene-by-scene basis the film felt pretty unpredictable, doing its own weird thing whether you liked it or not. The Boris Karloff brother doesn’t even make his introduction until an hour into the film, and does so with absolutely no warning that he’ll be showing up. It’s moving at its own pace, and whatever that pace may be, it’s certainly commendable for doing so.

#arsenic and old lace #my posts #my reviews #1944

[owl-eyed-woman]

Attack on Titan Season 2 Episode Analysis - Episode 7 (Episode 32)

After last week’s thrilling cliff-hanger, it’s finally time for some ‘close combat’. Yes, this episode knows what it’s about, and that is action, action, action. To be honest, when I realised that this was going to be an action-heavy episode, I feared that there wouldn’t be much for me to analyse here – I mean, it’s thrilling action done well, what more is there to say? On rewatch though, it’s clear that there’s a lot going on beneath the surface, particularly in regards to who Eren is and how his style of fighting reflects his psychology. It’s been a while since we’ve had an Eren-focused episode, hasn’t it?

The episode starts with a brief flashback all the way back to episode 3 – those were the days! Usually, I wouldn’t deign to comment on an episode recap, but this recap isn’t just reminding us of a previous event. Instead, the audience is forced to re-contextualise this moment and actively reframe it within the context of Reiner and Bertholdt’s betrayal. This was once a beautiful scene about the formation of an unexpected bond and growing mutual respect between four people who had experienced the horrors of the titans firsthand. Tragically, this once genuine moment is now tainted by deceit and betrayal. Still, we absolutely can’t forget that Eren is fighting one of his closest comrades, someone he trusted with his life for 5 long years! And, to put it bluntly, Eren is pissed.

In the last episode, we experienced the immediate emotional fallout from Reiner’s duplicity, as Eren shifted from paralysed shock to grief. Now, as he begins comprehend the depth of Reiner’s betrayal, Eren is consumed by bitterness and rage. Everything he thought Reiner was - strong, loyal, steadfast, reliable - has been comprehensively and cruelly demolished.

This is so devastating for Eren not just because he loved Reiner dearly, but because Eren wanted to be Reiner. For Eren, Reiner was the perfect model of a soldier and everything Eren aspired to. In this way, Reiner’s betrayal, unlike Bertholdt’s, is a personal affront to Eren; he hasn’t just lost a friend, he’s lost his ideal. Poor Eren just can’t catch a break.

Reiner as the Armoured Titan is a striking, intimidating opponent, to say the least. It’s strange to think that even though we’re over 30 episodes in, this is only the third ‘Titan Eren vs Titan’ battle we’ve seen (and only the second ‘Titan Eren vs. Titan-shifter’ battle). So though the novelty definitely hasn’t worn off, AOT still makes sure that each iteration is compelling and fresh by introducing new challenges to overcome and seemingly unbeatable abilities. AOT knows that you don’t need to reinvent the proverbial wheel every time, but you do need to tweak it just a bit to keep the audience invested.

Thus, a pattern of escalation and complication is evident in every titan battle we’ve encountered so far. We can basically view Eren’s first transformation in Trost as a kind of tutorial level in titan shifting. Tasks like defeating normal titans or successfully moving the boulder all function to demonstrate Eren getting a handle on his powers and establishing the basic rules of this ability. So in the scheme of things, the challenges here are comparatively simple (OK, it wasn’t simple at the time).

With Annie as the Female Titan, the show started to add new obstacles to complicate this formula. Against the Female Titan, Eren had to contend with mental and emotional challenges in addition to a physical one. Annie was a formidable opponent combat-wise, but she was also highly intelligent and, even more importantly, a friend. Thus, the main conflict for Eren against Annie was learning how to overcome the emotionally devastating challenge of fighting someone you’ve trusted for years and psychologically move past this.

Now with Reiner, we see AOT continue to evolve Eren’s titan-shifter battles by further centring the main conflict in Eren’s psychology and emotional perspective (we’ll get to that in a bit).

But on a more basic level, he is quite simply the most intimidating enemy physically that Eren has ever encountered– I mean, he’s a Titan with armour for god’s sake! Reiner’s ridiculous strength is made abundantly clear from the beginning with our first establishing shot of the fight showing Reiner’s punch literally sending Eren flying through the air. It’s practically comical! In addition to this, it’s quickly established that Reiner’s armour is impervious to Mikasa’s blades. For both titans and humans, Reiner is set up as a nigh invincible enemy and the greatest challenge combat-wise that Eren has ever encountered.

So with Eren as the clear underdog in this fight, the fun is in seeing how he can possibly even the odds. One thing is clear: this isn’t a fight Eren can punch his way through. He’s going to have to use more than brute strength to possibly stand a chance.

Facing this seemingly insurmountable challenge, something starts to shift within Eren. Fuelled by the memory of the destruction of Wall Maria and the death of his mother along with countless innocents, any regret, sadness, or confusion dissipates and is replaced by white hot rage. Only one things remains startlingly clear; Reiner is a monster and he must be destroyed.  As Eren rises up from the ground, the camera sweeps over his weird, bumpy abs before showing Eren standing proudly, ready to fight. This shot communicates one idea; Eren is powerful enough to defeat Reiner.  

And then he gets punched again, twirling through the air! It’s important to note that Eren’s impotence is purposefully comedic, with the sudden cut to the eyecatch heightening the absurdity of this moment. This entire scene then, with its powerful angles, empowering music and inspiring sentiments, functions as purposeful misdirection.

But we still need to ask, why doesn’t Eren succeed in this moment? Why isn’t his willpower, resolve and rage, which were so essential to defeating Annie, effective against Reiner?

On a basic level, we could say it’s just because Reiner is physically stronger than Annie. But I believe the reason for Eren’s failure goes much deeper than this. Ultimately, Eren’s success or failure in this fights comes down to his morality, his psychology and how he perceives his opponents. This came up in my analysis for last week’s episode, but essentially, this conflict with Reiner relates to Eren’s strict adherence to an extremely black and white view of morality and his almost compulsive need to clearly place people into this stark dichotomy of good or evil.

Eren’s done this exact thing several times throughout the show. It happened with Annie and, even more notably, when he first met Mikasa. It’s (surprisingly) easy to overlook, but Eren basically murdered two men when he was just a child. I’m not saying his actions weren’t justified, but realistically, any other child would have been traumatised by this experience, or simply unable to commit such an act in the first place. Eren, however, was able to remain completely unfazed precisely because, in his mind, they weren’t truly human. They were animals and thus he faced no ethical dilemma when killing them. It’s almost disturbing how easily Eren is able to compartmentalise complex moral situations and even people by reducing them to completely inhuman or monstrous forms.  

As Eren prepares to fight, he starts to fall into this familiar pattern. He calls them ‘pests’, and declares that he’s going to ‘exterminate’ them, already starting to conceive of Reiner and Bertholdt in inhuman terms, as insects, animals or monsters. By doing this, Eren forces himself to repress his emotional turmoil and erase any feelings of friendship by reducing them to mindless monsters to be destroyed.

In the past, Eren’s ability to apply this dehumanising morality to the situation at hand has been essential for his survival and success. Quite simply, he wouldn’t have been able to defeat Annie if he hadn’t been able to conceive of her as a monster, not a human being who was once his friend.

Crucially though, the fact that Eren dehumanises his enemies so frequently and comprehensively has serious ramifications for his mental wellbeing. You see, in order to effectively utilise this ability, Eren has to rely on the worst parts of himself (his rage and his hate) and repress the best parts of himself (his compassion, his idealism and his loyalty). In the process of harnessing this monstrous side of himself, Eren literally loses his own humanity that he treasures so, so much. Ultimately, by dehumanising others so thoroughly, Eren essentially participates in his own dehumanisation as well.

So when he starts to dehumanise Reiner, Eren is essentially reverting to an emotionally unhealthy and psychologically damaging pattern. Fundamentally, on an emotional level, Eren can’t keep this up without self-destructing. But on a simple tactical level, the benefits of this method, specifically the monstrous determination and strength boost, aren’t enough to defeat the pure might of Reiner.

Faced with this conundrum, Eren suddenly recalls his cadet combat training with Annie. It’s an innocent, tranquil time, even though Annie is absolutely destroying Eren. Eren’s impulsive and angry fighting style is simply no match for the cold calculation and skilful timing of Annie. But more importantly, during this training match, Annie teaches Eren how to use opponent’s force against them, along with specific wrestling holds to incapacitate and defeat a much stronger opponent.

Then, Mikasa comes over and requests Annie try her technique out on her. Crucially, Annie admits that she is unsure if it will work, as her combat style was made to be used on humans, not beasts like Mikasa. Though Annie’s intention was to insult Mikasa, this point is absolutely crucial and will ultimately enable Eren to gain the upper hand against Reiner.

This flashback gives Eren a genuine breakthrough. Tactically, Eren learns to harness a new technique that is tailor-made for defeating brutish fighters like Reiner. But more importantly, this style is specifically intended to be used against ‘humans’, not ‘beasts’. Until now, Eren has been fighting ‘beasts’ like a beast himself. But he can’t do this with Reiner. This time, he has to fight Reiner on equal footing as a human. Basically, in order to use this technique effectively, he has to acknowledge Reiner’s inherent humanity.

This shift in perspective is immediately apparent as Eren battles Reiner. He no longer conceives of Reiner as a pest or vows to destroy or exterminate him. Instead, he gloats over the fact that because he fought with him as a cadet, he knows their weaknesses and how he can defeat them.

Before this moment, Eren has always needed to dehumanise his enemies, reducing them to inhuman monsters and repressing any emotional connection. But in this one episode, his friendship with Reiner and understanding of him as a human being is no longer an emotional hindrance for Eren. In fact, if he can remain conscious of Reiner as a human, he can use this knowledge to his advantage. Now, by no longer relying on dehumanisation and rage to win his battles, Eren must instead utilise planning, strategy and composure – essentially, he must retain his own humanity and rational control over the situation. This a huge breakthrough for Eren, both emotionally and mentally.

It’s also a huge step forward for Eren morally and ethically. What Reiner and Bertholdt did was despicable, monstrous even!  But this is not necessarily at odds with their humanity. If there is one truth in AOT it’s this: humans have the potential to do monstrous, despicable things, but we still need to acknowledge this as a part of our humanity, rather than consigning this to the realm of monsters and beasts. Only then can we truly grow as people.

By acknowledging Reiner as a human during this battle, Eren is slowly incorporating moral nuance and understanding into his worldview. No, he’s probably not ready to see the virtues of his enemies or the vices of his friends. But still, it’s an important step towards recognising the monstrosity in humans and the humanity in monsters.

So with all this in mind, Eren is finally able to gain the upper hand against Reiner, incapacitating Reiner completely before TEARING ONE OF HIS ARMS OFF! I’ve rambled on far too long about the character implications, so let me just say that action-wise, it’s awesome seeing the addition of martial arts and dynamic strategies in a titan battle!

Additionally, while Armin, Mikasa and Hanji worry that Eren has lost control, Eren remains entirely lucid and rational throughout this entire episode. So here is yet another benefit to viewing one’s enemies as humans rather than monsters – Eren can retain his own humanity and control.

In this one episode, Eren has made so much progress with his titan powers, as well as substantial progress as a character! So, of course it’s disheartening when he is so soundly defeated at the hands of Reiner and Bertholdt.

I guess everything was going a bit too well for Eren, as everyone seems to forget their initial plan to escape in their desperation for just one success. Basically, they got cocky.

So while in the end, Eren failed abysmally, we mustn’t forget the significant breakthrough he’s had morally, emotionally and mentally. Let’s just hope it sticks!

#attack on titan #shingeki no kyojin #shingeki no kyoujin #snk #aot #Eren Jaeger #eren yeager #Eren #reiner braun #Bertholdt #bertholdt hoover #reiner #armored titan #anime #reviews #anime analysis #aot episode 32 #snk episode 32 #snk ep 32 #aot ep 32 #anime criticism #attack on titan season 2 #aot season 2 #shingeki no kyoujin season 2 #shingeki no kyojin season 2 #snk season 2

[journalism130survivor-blog]

The China Anomaly

What is the best season of Survivor? Some say Borneo, the very first. It set the precedent for every following season and set the precedent for reality television. It was exciting, raw, and showed people in their natural state. Some say Micronesia, the first Fans vs Favorites. A battle between everyone’s favorite personalities and those that adore them. The rise of the Black Widow Brigade is enough to make anyone admire that season. No matter what your favorite season is, nearly everyone lists season 15, China, in their top five seasons if not the number one pick. There weren’t any special thematic twists or returning players. It was just a regular season, and yet for some reason it just has a different visceral feel to it that audiences always react to and connect with. My good friend Lukas and I met through an online Survivor game, and in our free time have had many conversations revolving around that special X factor that is so visible in China. 

During our first online game together, we had to make a tribe flag as fast as possible during a challenge, while making it look semi-nice. Here was my submission with all of our tribemates names included!

He agreed to let me interview him on this extraordinary season and why its just so beloved.

How long have you been a fan of Survivor and how many of the seasons have you seen?

I’ve been a big fan of Survivor for about 6 years but have memories of it playing around the house for as long as I can remember. Over this amount of time, I’ve seen roughly 35 out of the now 37 seasons.

Across the board, season 15, China, is considered one of the best seasons by many and is often a fan favorite. How does it rank for you?

It’s by far my favorite! It certainly has tough competition with some of my other favorites, but China represents everything I love about the show. The cast is incredibly relatable yet diverse, the gameplay is complex and strategic, and the location is jaw-dropping. Most survivor seasons feature these same elements but never to the degree and method that China did. It’s simply the best.

Was there anything different about this season that isn’t present in others?

I think what really makes China stand out is right in the title. China itself! Aside from a  fresh terrain not previously depicted in the earlier seasons, this season took the castaways to an abandoned Chinese village for a challenge, the Shaolin Temple, a bustling townscape, and even a sleepover atop the Great Wall. Alongside this, the culture of China seeped into every aspect of the game including the tribal council set and challenge designs. What other season has castaways clinging to a gigantic dragon for immunity or carrying flaming balls across sand gardens?

If the winner had been different, would the reception of this season have changed?

Funnily enough, the winner of this season almost was different. Going into the final episode, the jury was slighted for Courtney Yates, the runner-up, to take the prize. However, Todd Herzog did what no other castaway had noticeably done: he swayed the jury with the best final speech and answers the show had ever seen, another reason the season is so highly regarded. This aside, the winner of the season plays only a minor role in the overall quality. China saw one of the best casts the show has ever compiled so any result surely would have been well-deserved and well-received.

Most of the other highest rated seasons tend to feature returning players (Micronesia, Heroes vs Villains), yet China had all new players. Did this add to the quality? Do you prefer seasons with new, returning, or mixed castaways?

China would not have been the same with returning players. There is something about newcomers seeing China for the first time and playing the game for the first time that becomes poetic. IT allowed for growth over the entire season to be showcased. Despite China being all newcomers, I prefer mixed casts that pit veterans against newcomers. These seasons often show a dichotomous story of the unknowing vs the vengeful and always result in a layered timeline that can be watched over and over. It should also be noted that many of China’s newcomers later became the very veterans that make mixed seasons so great!

How did James getting voted out with two idols in his pocket affect the ratings and the legend of this season?

James getting voted out with two idols in his pocket is what many would regard as the most shocking moment of the entire season. Going into his final episode, James was a top contender to win the season. Naturally, fans begged CBS to let him continue his story on a future season. Their wishes were granted and James returned two times, both resulting in injuries that compromised his shot at a million dollars. That didn’t stop him from conjuring up $200,000 in two fan-favorite awards though! Now, James stands as one of the most infamous contenders that truly represents the unforgiving, unpredictable, and unforgettable nature of the game itself- and it all started in China.

Did James’s mistake have an impact on future players and the science behind an idol play?

James’s mistake was unprecedented in Survivor and really showed that an idol play starts long before a tribal council. It takes an incredibly perceptive player to utilize one correctly (let alone have two and use them both correctly). After James’s mistake, hoarding more than one idol hasn’t been a common occurrence. For example, five season after China, Micronesia-winner Parvati Shallow used two idols in just one tribal on other people as a safety precaution. Compared to James, who didn’t even lay one for himself, post-China players seem to be much more cautious when it comes to possessing an idol. Overall, James showed that having an idol doesn’t make you safe; having good judgement and timing does.

Do you remember watching this season live (or for the first time) and who was your favorite character? As you’ve rewatched it has your favorite changed?

Funnily enough, I was only 8 years old when China first aired. Whilst I didn’t watch it live, I remember watching it for the first time vividly. On my first watch-through, it was hard not to root for the comedic relief Courtney Yates. Anytime an annoyance occurred Courtney’s commentary would leave me wanting more of her (even if her gameplay didn’t). As I’ve revisited the episodes, I’ve found myself rooting for Peih-Gee Law, the underdog that fought her heart out until her end. Erik Huffman also stands out, as he is one of the few fit young men that survivor has casted that isn’t awful (it’s the truth!). And, of course, watching China means watching Todd Herzog rise to the top and being okay with it all the while.

You already touched on it a bit, but the final tribal council performances from this season are often referred to when listing the best and the worst overall performances. What made Todd’s so much better than Amanda’s and Courtney’s, and what about theirs was so disastrous?

China’s final tribal... whew. Going into it, each of the three finalists were somewhat equally matched. It all came down to what they presented, and Todd hit the nail on the head. He was unapologetic and owned all of his dirty moves. He explained why he wouldn’t have succeeded any other way and how he truly did outwit and outplay. Todd hoped for an understanding jury, and he was met with one. Amanda, on the other hand, did the opposite and hoped for a bitter jury. Because of this, her answers were very apologetic and weak and the jury ignored her completely. Courtney finished the game as she started it: sarcastic and uncaring. This obviously led to Todd outshining her on every front and ultimately helped him win.

[recentanimenews]

Relive Some of Our Favorite Gross Moments in JoJo's Bizarre Adventure

JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure is many things. One of the most unique properties in the entire world of anime, it is constantly oscillating between hot-blooded action, clever strategic planning, over-the-top theatrics, and even slapstick comedy. JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure is confident in many things, one of which is its own ability to completely gross out its viewers. If you’re keeping up with the latest season, Golden Wind, you’ve already seen a truly bizarre prank played on Giorno courtesy of Abbacchio. Giorno handled it like a star, but it got me thinking: could this be the grossest moment in all of JoJo’s? Looking back five seasons in, it's had a lot of gross moments. Over the many decades he's worked on it, creator Hirohiko Araki's brilliant creative mind has produced a never-ending stream of diabolically golden situations, and David Production's adaptation has perfectly illustrated them at every turn. So, I decided to go back and try and find as many moments from the series that were just as gross, if not grosser.

A Head of the Curve

At this point in JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure, fans had already seen some pretty wild stuff. Cats ate puppies, mustachioed men punched frogs, and a severed head spit roses at immortal vampires. Despite this, I don’t think anyone was quite prepared to watch a severed head use its own blood vessels as lassos for some good ol’ fashioned body snatchin’. Just a talking head by itself? Sure, that’s fine. I’ve seen plenty of those over the years. Some blood coming out of it? No problemo. Arteries, though? Just thinking about it sends shivers down my spine. Some parts of the body were simply never meant to be autonomously wielded. Being immortal sounds cool, but if that’s what it gets me, I think I’m good for now.

Something of a Similar Vein

Oh, now this one is perfect. See, not only do we get everything gross with the vein stuff from before, but not we ALSO get gross nail stuff thrown in as an added bonus. Esidisi of the villainous Pillar Men fancies himself a master of boiling blood, which is exactly what t sounds like. He ejects his own arteries from beneath his skin and pours his own raging hot blood onto his enemies to defeat them. To top it all off, he just has to go and lift up his fingernails like tiny keratin cellar doors so that the boiling hot blood vessels can get out. It’s a good thing I’m not a Joestar, because I would just lay down and start crying right there.

Esidisi Hitches a Ride

What, did you think Esidisi was done being just the grossest imaginable thing alive? You’re dead wrong, buster. This ungodly monstrosity survives death as nothing more than a brain and—you guessed it—mass of blood vessels. He hitches a ride on Joseph’s back and possesses the body of Suzi Q. before finally being defeated by Joseph and Caesar. This might very well be the grossest fight in all of JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure. If nothing else, it sure is a sight to behold.

Also, Joseph peeps on his mom in this episode. To be fair, he doesn’t know she’s his mom yet, but that’s still pretty gross, dude.

Cherry Boy

Stop that.

A Lesson in Infrastructure

Question: what do you do when you accidentally build a pig pen too high below your restaurant right below the restrooms? Apparently, what you do is give your customers a stick and tell them to go to town on it. Another thing you could apparently do is just forego paper and let it lick your butt instead. I’d also like to point out that in this same very scene, Polnareff finds the man who murdered his sister. JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure is a great show.

BABY STAND

JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure can be a pretty brutal show. All of its villains are built up to be some of the worst people imaginable so that their eventual deaths at the hands of our heroes become all the more satisfying. Death 13 eats it harder than anyone else in the entire series. Like, literally. Kakyoin literally forces an evil baby to eat his own poop. At one point in Diamond is Unbreakable Josuke turns a guy into a rock and he still got it better than Death 13. Never under any circumstances mess with Kakyoin and his naps.

A Man of Culture

I don’t know about you, but if I found out that my favorite manga artist lived down the road, went to go get his autograph, and subsequently found out that he liked to lick spiders, I would respectfully excuse myself and move the next day. Listen, I don’t think René Magritte needed to sit around all day eating pictures of pipes to paint some art. In fact, I have a sneaking suspicion his art was better BECAUSE he didn’t do that, but hey, what do I know?

Cannibal Rat-Infested Japanese Farmhouse

This one’s another prime contender for grossest moment in all of JoJo’s. After tracking down a rat that became a Stand user, Josuke finds it in an abandoned farmhouse taking food from a fridge. Only, it’s not actually abandoned. Its owners are just a writhing mass of melted flesh the rat put into the fridge as a living food source. This nightmarish power is somehow used to comedic effect when Jotaro acts completely nonchalant over his own arm melting off.

Nailed It

I know that he murdered, like, a lot of people and all, but this is probably the worst thing Yoshikage Kira ever did. Just use a trash can, dude.

I Think That's His Tell

Last, but certainly not least, we have the canonical proof that aliens have extremely weak stomachs. Protip: next time you decide to cheat at a game of cee-lo by having your friend turn into dice and rig the game in your favor, make sure he has a tiny little bucket at the ready.

While all of these moments do gross me out, I can’t even begin to imagine a JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure without them. Each and every one of them was used to either uncomfortably terrifying or completely hilarious effect. Part of what makes JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure so special to me is its unparalleled ability to juggle so many different tones at once and still nail every beat perfectly.

Which of these moments is your favorite? Are there any others you think belong on this list? Let us know in the comments below! Now if you’ll excuse me, I think my tea is ready.

-----

Danni Wilmoth is a Features and Social Videos writer for Crunchyroll and also co-hosts the video game podcast Indiecent. You can find more words from her on Twitter @NanamisEgg.

By: [email protected]

#Anime #News #Latest in Anime News by Crunchyroll!

[junker-town]

Around The Rink: The next great hockey sketch is likely about your favorite NHL GMs

Move over Chance The Rapper.

The last thing the hockey world needs is another mailbag where readers like you ask writers like me the hard questions. You know, those five or so tough nuggets of hockey that I crack open to you like I know the inner workings of the league itself every week with jokes and topical answers.

If you’re looking for a mailbag like that, you’ve come to the wrong place. Instead, we here at SB Nation will be your MC with one solitary hockey question each week for our panel of bloggers from the NHL team sites you know and love. You can certainly pitch questions to our lovely team, but we’re here to debate, discuss, and maybe settle some ideas and issues across the hockey world at large.

Why? Because it’s fun, and you don’t need us yelling into the already crowded void of mailbags you’re likely up to your ears in. So, instead, sit back and relax as we guide you through the whimsical, wonderful, and wacky questions we come up with to torture our NHL team blogs.

To kick off the first edition of Around The Rink, our topic today is...

Design your own hockey comedy skit

Mary: We’ve all watched the recent Saturday Night Live hockey reporter skit with Chance The Rapper, yes? (This is your PSA to do so if you haven’t!) My question to you today is more open-ended in nature, but will likely produce hilarious results given your range of comedic talents. Now that we all know what one hockey skit looks like, design your own hockey comedy sketch. And, go!

Alex Temes, Five For Howling

Okay here's my sketch; it plays off of SNL's famous fake newscasts/live look-in style skits. Starts on a TSN-like Trade Center spinoff set on deadline day. The set has a general host, say James Duthie, and two analysts who are getting all of the trade calls and are breaking all the news, say Uncle Bob and Elliotte Friedman.

The third guy, specifically John Shannon, is constantly beating an Oliver Ekman-Larsson trade. He breaks in every 30 seconds to update them on Ekman-Larsson rumors. Every time Shannon does that, the crew follows up with a live look in at Ekman-Larsson's house in Arizona. But every time they look in, Ekman-Larsson is doing something completely nondescript and relaxed; he's chilling in the pool (in February), he's watching TV, has some teammates come over for lunch, etc.

Photo by Elsa/Getty Images

Poor OEL...

Kaitlyn Dividock, Pensburgh

Pitch: “Woes of Edmonton’s sucking Oilers and its brand new lineup of superstars”

Canadian hockey media is… well… it’s something. So I was thinking of playing the role of Edmonton’s new general manager so I could throw together an Oilers team the higher ups, the journalists, and the fans just can’t hate.

So, ahem, I just got offered the job and will be leaving Pittsburgh. Hey thanks, I’m honored. Glad to be here. That Peter Chiarelli guy wasn’t very good, eh? Glad that dude’s gone! But, folks, I have an important job to do. I haven’t seen something this sh***y dealing with oil since Mark Wahlberg in Deep Water Horizon. As we all know, Connor McDavid is the sole reason why the team is playing like garbage right now – obviously. No doubt about that. But since we paid a billion dollars to sign him for the remainder of the decade and can’t trade him like the totally logical and definitely not nonsensical thing the media believes to do, we should round up some super talented, super cheap guys who’ll deliver the slap in the ass this team needs.

Without further ado, get ready to welcome our new top-six, grade-A, extremely fit, gonna-lead-us-to-a-conference-and-Stanley-Cup-championship Edmonton Oiler forwards: right wing Jack Black who can tickle the twine just as beautifully as he can tickle guitar strings, left wing Mike Myers (because Toronto sucks amirite!), right wing Alex Trebek because I’m pretty sure he’s Canadian and also corrected a contestant on Jeopardy! on the proper pronunciation of Evgeni Malkin, left wing Norm Kelly because he’s a badass and has spicier Twitter fingers than Kevin Durant, and also my nephew, because he’s a better scorer than McDavid and also because he said please.

That’ll do it. That’s a contending team Wayne Gretzky would be proud of. Trust me, I was responsible the 2013-14 icing of superstars Tanner Glass, Taylor Pyatt, and Brian Gibbons during my tenure with the Penguins. I’m a genius.

Mary Clarke, SB Nation

If I’m asking writers to be creative, I have to put myself on the line too. My skit would be simple. It would involve Canadiens’ GM Marc Bergevin, Oilers’ GM Peter Chiarelli, and Canucks’ GM Jim Benning in a Charlie Brown style football joke. All three are insistent that trading a star player will bring them incredibly solid returns and help reset their franchises. After all, they’ve seen it work before, so why can’t it work for them?

The run up and hold all seem perfect, but instead they get the football pulled away at the last second. The placeholder then reveals themselves to be a Predators fan, a Islanders fan, and a Panthers fan respectively for each as they make off with the returns of the deal. The skit would, obviously, be punched up by topical jokes about tampering, players with “personality problems”, and a return to “old time hockey” as seen fit. End scene with the fans toasting to the GMs’ gullibility.

[duanecbrooks]

In Favor Of Geeks     Facts: 1) It has at last finally been cemented in my mind the format in which I'll watch My Two All-Time Favorite Narrative Television Programs, namely the 1990s Fox prime-time soap Pacific Palisades and the much-more-recent NBC interracial sitcom Truth Be Told--two series that, as I am well aware, most folks would not list as their All-Time Favorite Anythings--on YouTube (watch one show one week, the other show the next week); 2) It has come to pass that it looks to be highly unlikely that I'll be seeing the just-released Baywatch theatrical-film-reboot any time soon, as it's not playing at any picture theater that I can easily get to. And it's said facts that are a major factor in my coming to a major realization concerning myself. Namely...     I am and have been throughout my adult life a geek in the Meghan McCain tradition.             I mean it. I have and have long had a monumental sweet tooth for pictures in which gorgeous, sexy ladies either star or are prominent players and wherein the aforementioned ladies display most if not all of their gorgeous, sexy bodies--indeed, as I've disclosed to you before (and, as I recall, more than once), my All-Time Favorite Theatrical Offering is the classic 1980s theatrical-film film noir Body Heat. I have seen almost every big- and small-screen presentation that has featured my woman Robin Givens, not to mention the fact that I've hoarded away just about everything that has been written about her and just about every magazine cover that has showcased her since she came into public view--indeed, my All-Time Favorite Media, and I believe I've dealt with before also, and, again, more than once, is and has long been Heart and Soul magazine's 2010s cover article on her. Turning to TV specifically, during the 1980s I regularly savored the comedic antics of Ed O'Neill and his Married...With Children family and the campy/melodramatic antics of Joan Collins and the Dynasty Carrington family. And during the 1990s I luxuriated in the plush sexiness of Pamela Anderson and the rest of the Baywatch lifeguard femmes--this was, of course, long, long before her current incarnation as an unbearably shrill, unbearably self-righteous "activist"--and in Heather Locklear's spicy, delicious Melrose Place bitchiness. I eat up and have always eaten up Entertainment Weekly magazine's "Reunion" issues, the issues wherein the casts of much-known and much-beloved pictures and television shows are brought back together and look back upon their projects. My All-Time Favorite TV Program is the Kathie Lee/Hoda Today show. And I wholly love, love, love my computer and my DVD player.                 So there's my geekdom, standing tall and proud. The fact is, geekdom has made and continues to make formidable contributions to the celebrity/entertainment sphere and to the culture overall. Indeed, to be a Meghan McCain-esque geek is an entirely worthwhile station in life, one that is in no capacity to be scoffed at, one that is, au contraire, to be eminently cherished.                   The reasons this is true are two.                   First: To engage in geekdom is to involve the mind and the psyche thoroughly and totally, to involve oneself to the degree that all problems, all concerns, all hang-ups, all neuroses are not only successfully mashed down but are sent out the door completely. With geekdom, the brain and the senses are fully enveloped in the activity at hand, are wholly embracing of whatever media is partaken of. Thus, for that time the consumer becomes a 100-percent functioning person, his/her complete self all enwrapped in whatever form is being taken in. This, of course, means an absolutely engaged, absolutely there person, which is, naturally, good for the country as a whole. A personal example, one that, once again, I've taken up in the past and, once again, more than one time: Whenever I'm enmeshed in sexual fantasies regarding My All-Time Favorite Make-Believe Girlfriend Teri Ann Linn, my hang-ups and my neuroses and the rest of my assorted looninesses are pushed down entirely and, very often, go out the door completely. At such times I'm thoroughly, totally present, thoroughly, totally in the moment. At such times I'm fully focused upon what I'm doing and in no sense do my various crazies constrict me, which is, of course, nothing but positive concerning my well-being as a person and my inclination to contribute to society. Also: With pretend lovers it's fully not necessary to have to tolerate what is often personal female goofiness ("Space! I need SPAAAACE!").                         That's the first reason. Secondly: Geekdom ensures that we see creative folks and creative forms in their proper perspective, that we not blow them up into being more than what they actually are. As did not happen when, during the 1960s and the 1970s, Rolling Stone magazine seriously questioned rock stars regarding U.S. Vietnam policy; or when Life magazine, during an article on the veteran cinematic director Sam Peckinpah, actually expressed disappointment that Peckinpah failed to fill the role of National Sage (said magazine poutingly asserted: "One hoped that the man who has captured violence so well in his films would be able to tell us where he is leading us. But one can't look to Sam Peckinpah for any...cure [for the appallingly high degree of violence in America]. He is too wrapped up in his own complaints"); or when the longtime actor/dancer/writer Shirley MacLaine, as she herself revealed in her super-bestselling personal-essay compilation I'm Over All That And Other Confessions, got not on the Nixon "show business enemies" list but on his "political enemies" list--and that his White House had her New York apartment searched and had her telephone lines cut to ensure that she got the point; or when, after the Dixie Chicks--a singing group--did their sounding-off on then-President George W. Bush, both of my hometown newspaper The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette's handkerchief-head, ever-whining black columnists, along with--hold on now--Time magazine in a cover story, seriously depicted the Chicks as gutsy freedom fighters; or Bush himself, who as President of the United States of America daily faced having to make decisions that majorly impacted the fortunes and even the lives of many, who consistently grappled with issues of monumental national and international import, actually contending that the worst moment of his presidency, the occurrence that was its lowest point was when one black rapper--repeat, one black rapper (Kanye West)--publicly badmouthed him (i:e; West's nationally televised assertion that Bush "doesn't care about black people"). And: There are the facts that this same rapper has announced that he intends to make a serious run for the presidency in 2020--and that he's been taken seriously by much of The Mainstream Media--and that, of course, our current commander-in-chief came into major public attention as a "reality-television" attention slut--which, come to think of it, largely accounted for his political success.                     It was the greatly-esteemed interviewer Dick Cavett who asked the Pulitzer Prize-winning composer/diarist Ned Rorem why it is that artistic institutions flourish so much more when conservative White Houses are in power than when liberal ones are. Rorem's answer: "Because liberals view the arts as vehicles for advocacy and propaganda, while conservatives see them as outlets for leisure and reflection, which is what the arts are [emphasis mine]." In truth, geekdom is to be applauded and cheered for serving as a reminder that creativity, while it can, yes, be intellectually stimulating and psychologically fulfilling, is at heart a leisure activity. And that that fact should at all times be kept in mind while engaging in it and/or while consuming it.

#Pacific Palisades #truth be told #Meghan McCain #Body Heat #robin givens #Heart and Soul Magazine #geekdom #teri ann linn #rolling stone magazine #rock stars #U.S. Vietnam policy #life magazine #sam peckinpah #shirley maclaine #the dixie chicks #kanye west #dick cavett #Ned Rorem