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catbountry · 25 days

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It's been a year since the premiere of Trigun: Stampede. The series, despite the fears of the fans of the '98 anime, actually turned out really good; Yasuhiro Nightow is a big superhero comics nerd, and wanted to have this new anime adaption be an adaption similar to the adaptions of the MCU, back when those movies were consistently enjoyable, and I daresay a bunch of the people watched Trigun probably were either already anime fans, or they were nomad fans who may have been really into the MCU at one point.

I have a lot of thoughts on an American perspective on Vash the Stampede as a character, with a lot of comparisons to American comic book superheroes. And while Trigun wasn't my first anime, I was hooked on it, as someone who grew up around Batman and Spawn's 90's popularity. During my first Otakon in 2001, I must have seen a dozen Vash's and Wolfwoods. I remember the year there was a Wolfwood cosplayer whose Punisher gun was shaped like the Star of David instead of a cross, making him a rabbi. That shit was amazing. The larger point is that I've loved this character for more than half of my entire time being alive, and I haven't seen a lot of discussion of Trigun viewed from a more political lens, and why it resonates so much with Americans (or at least me, who is an American) in particular

Buckle up, kids, this is gonna be long and rambly.

There was a period of time where I watched nearly every single new MCU movie in the theater. It was exciting seeing adaptions of comic books that would have probably never gotten a movie before the success of The Avengers. And I don't think it's a mistake that the most comic book-y of the movies are usually the best; Guardians of the Galaxy and its sequel remain as probably my favorite MCU movies. Nightow was working directly with the studio making a new Trigun anime and reportedly got the crew to watch a bunch of Marvel movies to set the tone for the anime as an adaption; it's why Vash got a completely new redesign that freaked all us old fans the fuck out. Though it appears that once again, Trigun tried and failed to get that massive Japanese audience that most successful anime have. But boy, oh boy, do us westerners fucking love Trigun, especially us Americans. Nightow's love of superhero comics bled into Trigun, and it just so happened that he was incredibly influenced by Spawn, Hellboy and Batman as much as he was influenced by Akira Toriyama and mechanical art. McFarlane Toys released a Vash figure that is McFarlane'd the fuck up. Nightow loves all superhero comics but especially the Blade trilogy.

Just look at this and imagine being 13 years old and seeing this on a screen for the first time with the instrumental hard rock opening.

Also, I wouldn't actually get around to reading Spawn until I was an adult, but you know what? It's pretty good. The writing is definitely weaker than the art, but holy shit, that art goes hard and I still think that shit's cool as fuck.

As stated before, around the early 2000's Trigun was considered peak anime, though it's been more overlooked in recent years in favor of Cowboy Bebop, an anime that has aged gracefully by comparison. But while Bebop has that sort of timeless cool and level of quality that drew the attention of filmmakers like the Wachoski sisters, Trigun has that very specific kind of adolescent sense of coolness that comic book fans get, especially back in the 90's before this sort of thing would be smothered to death by MCU's Joss Whedoning of superheroes. Spawn, Hellboy and Batman are still cool. And Trigun also has a shitton of guns, obviously, given that Vash being an incredibly OP gunslinger in a world where everybody has guns.

And America loves guns.

I think the contrast of Vash's pacifism while still wielding a gun is extremely interesting because it's not something you see very much (I bet if I watched more westerns, I'd have a better idea if this is a trope in them at all). Batman does not use guns and doesn't kill people, which is why there's still discourse around Tim Burton's Batman films to this day still; I don't think Kevin Smith has budged on this. Other more morally grey superheroes will use guns (by this definition I'm counting The Punisher even if he doesn't have any superpowers, unless you count severe PTSD as a superpower). And a lot of them had huge surges in popularity in the 90's around the time Nightow was making Trigun. Vash posed like Batman or Spider-Man looking brooding (like the gif above) happens a lot in the earlier issues even though that's not really his character.

Several years ago, there was an attempt by a conservative thinktank to discredit a bunch of Hollywood actors saying that gun violence in America is a serious issue and contrasted their statements scenes of them shooting guns in movies, but if we're being real here, gunplay in movies can be really fucking cool. Again I invoke The Matrix, or movies by Robert Rodriguez and John Woo. Look at video games, and compare the decline in violent crime that's been happening here since the 70's and 80's, as culture warriors bemoan movies and video games for becoming more violent. Remember when Wayne LaPierre, vice president of the NRA, brought up fucking Splatterhouse as a reason why Sandy Hook happened? Do you know what Splatterhouse looks like?

It looks like this.

You know how these guys constantly say the only way to counter a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun? Usually, the inference is that if the "good guy" with a gun shoots, he's shooting to kill. Deadpool and the Punisher would shoot to kill. But Vash is constantly trying to avoid it. And I remember as a teenager finding that really cool? And the manga and anime don't shy away from how impractical Vash's pacifism is. It's a bit more realistic than Steven Universe's ending, but also Steven Universe was made for children.

I know Avatar: The Last Airbender is often invoked when criticizing Steven Universe's philosophy, but I haven't really seen Vash's similar philosophy criticized in the same way, and I think a lot of that has to do with the presence of Wolfwood, who is the "I think we're gonna have to kill this guy" guy. I'm honestly surprised I haven't seen art of this yet. I may have to get on that. I already drew Vash horrified at the Trolley Problem.

Vash is a character designed with maximum coolness in mind, but also an overpowered being who is capable of killing millions, and in the anime, he somehow destroys July City without killing anyone directly, but the destruction of the city led to a bunch of people dying. He's so deeply committed to not wanting to kill anyone that he's probably killed more people than he would have if he just shot Knives. The best Batman stories acknowledge that Batman's refusal to kill Joker has similarly results in the deaths of people Batman could have prevented if he killed one guy, and this could also apply to Vash's relationship with his brother Knives, who was kind of destined to be a mass murderer with a name like that, let's be real.

Online, we tend to joke about bringing out the guillotines, or justify not feeling an sympathy for billionaires who die in a sub trying to view the Titanic. But if you were given a gun and a real human person begging for their life, what would you actually do? Do you honestly think that you would be the ethical Death Note user?

Vash has guns but he chooses not to kill people; he prefers to not even use them unless he has to, instead opting to run away and look cool doing it somehow.

He really, really doesn't want to kill people. He doesn't become numb to people dying. It hurts him every single time he watches someone get killed. In reality, most of us that aren't sociopaths would be distressed at the thought of killing someone. The only reason armies in real life work is that they become inoculated to the idea of violence and dehumanize the enemy. Vash is no soldier. He is idealistic, he is empathetic, and he sees every human being as a person worthy of life. Batman refuses to use guns, as that's how his parents were killed in front of him. Vash has to use guns in order to protect people from getting killed. He has the ethics of Superman but the tools of a comic book antihero. He's the logical conclusion of an shonen anime protagonist in a world that chews up anyone with that kind of optimism and hope and spits them out. And yet... he still keeps going. He remains committed. He's still cheery, goofy, lovable Vash.

Batman used to kill people, in the earliest comics. With the Comics Code Authority, no superheroes could kill people. In the 80's, comics were getting darker and edgier, taken more seriously. While Alan Moore's Watchmen delved into the moral complexities in a world with superheroes that was similar to ours, Frank Miller was keeping Batman consistent, even as Gotham got darker and uglier.

Batman is a vigilante. The police can be helpful or they can fuck up everything, depending on what's needed for the story. In Batman Year One, there's a scene where Batman crashes a party attended by the elites of Gotham, politicians and mobsters mingling.

Seeing this during the Bush presidency blew my mind. I don't want to get into just how perfectly the members of his administration seemed to resemble a rogue's gallery of sorts with the shared goals of making a lot of money and bombing the shit out of Iraq and Afghanistan. I was extremely anti-war even before the 2000 election as a very opinionated 14 year-old watching, Jon Stewart on The Daily Show and feeling relieved that a grown-up was able to see through all the bullshit; it helps when the guy who's against the war and killing people is funny. I remember writing in my diary at 12 years old after Columbine happened that I wanted to take all of the guns and melt them down in a pot, similarly to that scene in Superman IV where he throws the entire world's nuclear arsenal into the sun. But also that same year I would fall in love with The Matrix... and not long after that, Trigun.

Again, we come back to the idea of someone using a gun, a weapon designed to kill people, and using it in pursuit of the exact opposite. That resonated with me. I myself was very idealistic, and the political climate of my teenage years seemed to do almost everything to stamp that out of me. Things feel just as fraught two decades later, but in slightly different ways. Pacifism is looked down upon, as indicated by the backlash to the ending of Steven Universe, and how one crazy lady called Rebecca Sugar, a Jewish person, a Nazi for writing it that way. But for Steven, things worked out. For Vash? Well, he still has hope somehow, despite everything. I think the fact that he strives to protect human life, even when someone is a complete monster, is admirable in that it cuts to the very basic desire to not see people hurt. But we're also selfish, and scared, and sometimes it's hard to conceive of a solution to a problem that doesn't involve violence. Seeing dead bodies on TV or the internet upsets us, but we're often paralyzed by feeling like we can't do anything, and even if we tried, we'd likely perish in the attempt. We desire revenge, punishment for those who transgress by inflicting violence, and we can rationalize using it against the right targets. Vash the Stampede would have a fucking breakdown dealing with the state-backed violence that's been a part of geopolitics pretty much as long as there have been states and geopolitics. Vash would try and solve the bombings of Gaza with an impassioned plea for both sides to stop fighting before he would somehow wind up making things worse and it would eat away at him inside, no matter how brave a face he puts on as he tries to find some kind of hope in a hopeless situation. And... you know what? I kind of wish more people would be like that. Maybe if there were enough people like that, these sorts of things wouldn't happen in the first place. I wish more people could look at human suffering and feel compelled to try and stop it, not discriminating against one side or the other, trying to understand why people are doing what they do. Seeing anti-war protestors in Tel Aviv brings back memories of protests against the start of the War on Terror, and how hated America was internationally during those years, even when most Americans approved of the war. Michael Moore was booed at the Oscars for condemning George W. Bush and the War on Terror. It's terrifying that those in power want us killing each other and have conditioned us to support it. I want so badly for human beings to come together to just stop the violence, but it feels impossible, like we're destined for failure, like we might somehow make things worse or become worse versions of ourselves full of hatred and ugliness. But we should want to try, even if it's hard or unprofitable or we have no idea how to even do it. Somebody actually dedicating themselves to trying to fight our violent impulses out of love is appealing, and if they're more powerful than use, and can do more... well, I want the biblically accurate angel with every mental illness willing to martyr himself over and over again. But it is more fun when he's Bugs Bunny about it.

#political bullshit #trigun #comics #tl;dr #not fanfiction #I am high right now I hope this still makes sense when I'm sober

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eddieredmayneargentinablog · 3 months

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News of "The Day of the Jackal" series!

Úrsula Corberó, Charles Dance, Richard Dormer Join Eddie Redmayne in ‘The Day of the Jackal’ Series. (THR, February 23, 2024)

Additional new cast members for the large-scale assassin show for Sky and Peacock, which also stars Lashana Lynch, include Chukwudi Iwuji, Lia Williams, Eleanor Matsuura and Jonjo O’Neill.

Eddie Redmayne and Lashana Lynch will be joined by Úrsula Corberó, known for her role as Tokyo in Netflix hit Money Heist, Charles Dance (Game of Thrones, The Crown) and Richard Dormer (Fortitude, Game of Thrones) in the upcoming TV adaptation of The Day of the Jackal for Sky and Peacock.

Corberó will play Nuria, “someone at the heart of The Jackal’s personal life, entirely unaware of who he truly is,” while Dance will feature as Timothy Winthrop, and Dormer will play a character called Norman.

Also joining the cast are Chukwudi Iwuji (Guardians of the Galaxy, The Split) as Osita Halcrow, Lia Williams (The Capture, The Crown) as Isabel Kirby, Khalid Abdalla (The Crown, The Kite Runner) as Ulle Dag Charles, Eleanor Matsuura (The Walking Dead, I Used To Be Famous) as Zina Jansone, Jonjo O’Neill (Andor, Bad Sisters) as Edward Carver, and Sule Rimi (Classified, Andor) as Paul Pullman.

Redmayne plays the famous fictional assassin in the original series based on the Frederick Forsyth novel and award-winning 1973 film adaptation of the same name from Universal Pictures. The star is also executive producing the show.

The Day of the Jackal is being billed by the producers as a “bold, modern reimagining of the beloved and respected novel and film.” While staying true to the DNA of the original story, which was set in 1962 and based on attempts to assassinate French president Charles de Gaulle, this contemporary drama will delve deeper into the chameleon like “antihero” at the heart of the story in a “high octane, cinematic, globetrotting ‘cat and mouse’ thriller,” set amidst the turbulent geo-political landscape of our time.

The Day of the Jackal is being billed as a “bold, modern reimagining of the beloved and respected novel and film.” The original was set in 1962 and based on attempts to assassinate French president Charles de Gaulle. The new contemporary version of the drama will delve deeper into the chameleon-like “antihero” at the heart of the story, with the producers promising a “high octane, cinematic, globetrotting ‘cat and mouse’ thriller” set amid the turbulent geo-political landscape of our time.

Cécile Frot-Coutaz, CEO of Sky Studios and chief content officer, said on Thursday that the series is “going to be a massive show for us,” adding: “This is probably one of the most ambitious or large-scale production that we’ve mounted. It’s an epic action thriller.”

#Eddie Redmayne #eddieredmayne #redmayne #the day of the jackal #ursula corbero #lashana lynch #sky tv #peacock #the hollywood reporter

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felassan · 11 months

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Article: 'EA Sports and EA Games Splitting Apart in Internal Shakeup'

EA is undergoing a major internal reorganization, with EA Games being renamed "EA Entertainment." Electronic Arts is undergoing a major internal shakeup, announcing today in a message from CEO Andrew Wilson that it is realigning its major studios and its leadership structure in an effort to "empower our creative teams." The reorganization includes splitting EA Games and EA Sports, with the former being renamed "EA Entertainment" in a signal that EA intends to expand beyond games where possible. "We’re building the future of interactive entertainment on a foundation of legendary franchises and innovative new experiences, which represents massive opportunities for growth," Wilson wrote in a message announcing the news. Laura Miele, previously EA's Chief Operating Officer, will take over as EA President of Entertainment, Technology, and Central Development at EA Entertainment, where she will work closely with Vince Zampella and other well-known executives. Cam Weber, who rose out of EA's football games, will continue to lead EA Sports. Both will enjoy expanded control over their respective labels intended to give them more oversight over budgets and decision-making flexibility. Wilson will continue to preside over both organizations as EA's CEO. The moves coincide with news that Chief Experiences Officer Chris Bruzzo is retiring, with EA Chief Financial Officer Chris Suh also departing the company. David Tinson and Stuart Canfield respectively will take over their responsibilities. The moves are the latest in what has been a major reorganization for EA. Earlier this month, we reported that Star Wars: The Old Republic is on course to move to a third-party developer, with many of its developers being given the opportunity to move elsewhere in the company. It's unclear whether the current reorganization will result in layoffs. As before, EA Sports will continue to look after the F1 series, which just releases, as well as PGA Tour and the newly-acquired Super Mega Baseball. This is on top of traditional blockbusters including Madden, the newly-renamed EA Sports FC, NHL, and the upcoming College Football reboot. EA Entertainment, meanwhile, will encompass Respawn, DICE, Ripple Effect, Ridgeline Games (Battlefield), Full Circle (Skate), Motive Studio (Iron Man), EA's Seattle studio, BioWare, and the EA Originals label. EA also includes numerous mobile games, including Star Wars: Galaxy of Heroes and the recently-released Lord of the Rings: Heroes of Middle-earth. While dramatic on the face of it, much of the current structure will remain intact, with Zampella continuing to lead Respawn and Battlefield. Samantha Ryan will likewise continue to be in charge of BioWare, Maxis, Full Circle, and Motive Studios. Apart from giving studios leaders more control over their respective domains, the big change appears to be centered on separating out EA Sports, which continues to be EA's biggest profit driver. EA's soccer sims in particular continue to be major money machines for EA, with FIFA 23 pushing the publisher near $2 billion in net bookings. "Over the coming months, Stuart, Laura, Cam, and David will partner closely with studio leaders to implement these organizational changes, further embedding dedicated capabilities into franchise teams and driving operational rigor," Wilson wrote, claiming that "EA's business remains strong."

[source]

#dragon age: dreadwolf #dragon age 4 #the dread wolf rises #da4 #dragon age #bioware #mass effect #next mass effect #video games #long post #longpost

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luimnigh · 4 months

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Movie year 2014?

send me a year and i'll tell you my favourite movie of that year

Ah, 2014. In Ireland, we have these massive exams at the end of our final year of secondary school (high school) that determine what college courses we qualify for, called the Leaving Certificate.

On the eve of the first of the exams, my Aunt took me to the cinema for one last piece of relaxation before the massive stress of the next two weeks.

Having never watched the show or the prior movie, we saw The Inbetweeners 2.

It was the awkward, cringeworthy experience of my life. I have no idea why that show is beloved by British people of my generation.

Anyway, on to the good stuff. 2013 reignited a love of animation in me, and there were some damn good movies this year. Big Hero 6 and How To Train Your Dragon 2 were great films.

It was also quite possibly the best year of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, as the two films they released were the iconic Captain America: The Winter Soldier and the beloved Guardians of the Galaxy. And this is also one of the few years Fox put up some resistance, as X-Men: Days of Future Past is point-blank one of the best X-Men films. Shame Sony screwed up their offering.

Though speaking of action, this was also the year we met John Wick. Meanwhile Kingsman: The Secret Service showed us how traditional, cheesy/campy Bond can work in the modern world; and Edge of Tomorrow/Live.Die.Repeat./Live.Die.Repeat: Edge of Tomorrow is some fantastic sci-fi, even if the studio flip-flopped on the title. The original Japanese light novel is called All You Need Is Kill, to add to the confusion.

And if we're talking about action, I legally have to bring up The Raid 2: Berendal, even if I haven't been able to watch that in full.

Personally I think The Theory of Everything was the better of the two biopics about British scientists that came out this year.

While I'm not the biggest fan of horror (I'm a scaredy cat), It Follows is fucking amazing, absolutely loved it.

To go to horror-comedy, What We Do In The Shadows has been a surprisingly impactful movie for a little indie film from New Zealand.

And 22 Jump Street is great, even if it's been tarnished by recent accusations against Jonah Hill.

...but for my favourite? Why it's the other Lord and Miller film of 2014. Before they gave us the massive crossover of the Spiderverse, they gave us the massive crossover that was The Lego Movie. I still have a minifig of Vitruvius on my shelf. Up until 2021, I had a newspaper poster of the movie hanging on my wall. I just loved it.

#movie ask game #asks #anonymous

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theresattrpgforthat · 1 year

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Hi! Sorry if someone's already asked something similar, but I'd love some recommendations for space fantasy games!

THEME: Space Fantasy

Hello friend! You're the first request for this but I'd be lying if I said I wasn't already cultivating this very list!

Solar Blades & Cosmic Spells, by Diogo Nogueria.

The universe is in collapse, as planets and systems struggle for freedom under the rule of sinister despots. Against the malevolent sorcery of the Overlords stand the few remaining bearers of the legendary Solar Blades.

What will you do when the forces of the Void close in?

Solar Blades & Cosmic Spells is a rules light, Star & Sorcery Role Playing Game with an Old School spirit. This is a complete Role Playing Game, inspired by the Old School Renaissance, the Pulp Literature and the many Science Fantasy stories brought to us by movies, comics and games. Based on the Sharp Swords & Sinister Spells RPG, this game system provides players and Overlords (that's how we call the GM in this game) a set of flexible and streamlined rules, as well as an array of tools to make gameplay fast and fun, allowing them to have exciting adventures with solar blades and cosmic spells!

This game borrows a number of concepts from other game styles including rolling for attributes (a la OSR games), an overarching concept (similar to FATE games), and a character archetype (similar to a character class or a playbook). The system uses only d6s and d20s for dice rolls, and outlines rules for combat, although not as much for Social challenge. This reflects the traditional OSR ethos: if the characters are using creativity to solve a problem, reward it, rather than making them roll for it. There’s also a ton of advice on using sorcery, piloting starships, and encounters with other creatures, hostile and not. If you like having lots of toys to play with, as well as wealth of advice for the GM, you might want to check out this game!

GSXX: Generation Ship, by Harper Jay.

Hundreds of years ago, humanity left the Old World behind in massive generation ships. Dozens of these ships set off into space, seeking new homes. Much of the interior of these ships was set up for farming, and humans took many plants and animals into the stars with them.

The spirits of the Old World came with them. Cut off from the Earth Mother, they changed and evolved. Most found peaceful and content lives, but some lost themselves while out in the Void, becoming wayward and chaotic.

You play as a group of individuals living on one of these ships. While violence and strife are not unheard of, there is enough to contend with when drifting through space without fighting your fellow travellers.If you like quick, light, character creation and the story of a community that must work together in order to survive, Generation Ship might be for you.

Brigand Galaxy, by Hella Broke Studio.

Brigand Galaxy is a game heavily inspired by 90's sci-fi anime in tone and aesthetics. With a focus on the crew as family, and the inevitable confrontation of hidden pasts and troubles coming into conflict with your present selves. It's about cool narrative fights, both outside and inside space ships. It's about running from your past as every good Anime protag does and about bonding with your fellow crew as you scrape a living out of odd jobs and trying to find that one big score.

Welcome to a world of magic and science alike. Where the mystical leylines work as interstellar highways between systems, and where blaster pistols mix with magical spells and mysterious powers.

Brigand Galaxy is a PbtA-style game that aims for dramatic stories that tie the players together. This game is still in production, so the Bare Bones edition has the rules, equipment, and playbooks, but not much in the way of lore or setting. However, if you get the Bare Bones version, you’ll have automatic access to the final version down the road!

Light, Beacon Edition, by Gila RPGs.

You are a Beacon, an immortal guardian of humanity. Light courses through you, granting you incredible power, and the ability to fight back the darkness that besets humanity from all sides.

Strike out on missions across the Sol system. Wield powerful weapons, unleash devastating powers, get all the loot.

LIGHT Beacon Edition is the definitive version of the LIGHT TTRPG. First released in 2020 as a one page homage to the video game Destiny, LIGHT has expanded over the years with tons of new content. That has all been bundled together into a single book, with new layout and art to bring you the very best of LIGHT.

As a Beacon, you were granted near immortality and incredible power due to a solar event. Humanity has spread itself across the Sol system in a new golden age, and you are its greatest protectors. Strike out on missions across the system as it is beset from all sides by alien threats that would see our Light destroyed.

If you like modular character builds that can be continuously adjusted to suit upcoming challenges, and if you like high stakes in which humanity’s golden age hangs in the balance, you might want to check out LIGHT.

Scum and Villainy, by Off Guard Games.

Unwise deals. Blaster fights. High adventure among the stars. Welcome to the world of Scum and Villainy.

Scum and Villainy is a Forged in the Dark game about a spaceship crew trying to make ends meet under the iron-fisted rule of the Galactic Hegemony.

Work with the members of your crew to thrive despite powerful criminal syndicates, warring noble families, dangerous aliens, and strange mystics. Explore the ruins of lost civilizations for fun and profit. Can your motley crew hold it together long enough to strike it big and insure your fame across the sector?

Do you want to explore the galaxy? Make some credits on the side? Maybe strike out against a galactic empire? Scum and Villainy can do all of these things, and more. With an original universe with sliding scales on artificial intelligence, mystical powers, and galactic hegemonies, this game allows you to draw on themes from your favourite space-themed media while still putting forth a unique twist. Using the Forged in the Dark system, this game depends on a quick-to-grasp graded success system, with tools that reward you for pushing yourself closer and closer to the brink in exchange for pulling off some daring heists.

HighWinds, by Karrius.

Highwinds is a sci-fi fantasy space opera RPG, focusing on wild, action movie style fights. Take the role of resourceful heroes on the edge of space and fight pirates, save people from killer robots, and explore ancient vaults locked in astral space.

Highwinds contains all you need to play, and is designed for 1-6 players and one game master. For playing in person, three six-sided dice are recommended for each player. 15 sample characters are included, ready to play as both PCs or antagonists.

If you want to blend elements from a number of different space genres, or if you want lore that has some of its own unique elements, Highwinds is one to check out. Your characters have the opportunity to dip into martial, magic, and psionic talents, and contains unique species, bringing the fantasy to space-fantasy. The game uses d6s for Task Resolution rolls, and at character creation you take Skill Bonuses to reflect your character’s aptitude and training. There’s detailed rules for combat, vehicle management, and taking care of your home base - so if you like getting into the bits and pieces that build a more versatile campaign, Highwinds is a game worth checking out.

Galactic 2e, by Riley Rethal.

GALACTIC is a belonging outside belonging game, inspired by star wars.

tell the character-driven, relationship-focused space opera stories you want to see in the world, using playbook archetypes like THE ACE, THE DEFECTOR, and THE DIPLOMAT, and create a unique and colorful world with pillars, places, and traits that flesh out different factions, forces, and characters in your story.

If you want to tell a Star Wars story and you don’t have a GM (or someone who wants plot out a heavily detailed campaign), or if you want to play now, rather than set up a 2 hour character creation session, Galactic 2e is the game for you. Tell rich, emotionally satisfying stories using a system that doesn’t even require dice. (Also - have you ever wanted to play out your Star Wars ships? You can totally do that in this game.)

Galactic 2E has an abundance of supplements thanks to a game jam that ran back in 2021, so take a look at what you’re interested and pick out whatever makes the perfect Star Wars game for you!

#space #fantasy #dnd #indie ttrpgs #game recommendations #gosh I love star wars #don't worry #not everything in this list is star wars with the serial numbers filed off #asks

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kosmos2999 · 6 months

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Star Trek: The Animated Series 50th Anniversary Episode Review

Episode: The Time Trap

Season: 1

Episode: 12

Stardate: November 24, 1973

Original airdate: 5267.2 – 5267.6

Written by: Joyce Perry

Directed by: Hal Sutherland

Music by: Yvette Blais and Jeff Michaels

Executive producers: Lou Scheimer and Norm Prescott

Studio: Filmation Associates

Network: NBC

Series created by: Gene Roddenberry

Cast:

Captain James T. Kirk (voice by William Shatner)

Mr. Spock (voice by Leonard Nimoy)

Dr. Leonard “Bones” McCoy (voice by DeForest Kelly)

Lt. Uhura, Devna, Magen, Kali (voice by Nichelle Nichols)

Lt. Hikaru Sulu, Kuri, Klingon #1 (voice by George Takei)

Eng. Montgomery Scott, Kaz, Kor, Xerius, Gabler (voices by James Doohan)

Nurse Christine Chapel (voice by Majel Barrett)

Synopsis:

The crew of the USS Enterprise was assigned to survey a sector of the galaxy known as the Delta Triangle. More precisely, to research about the mysterious disappearance of a high number of starships on the region from ancient times.

Once there, the ship had a massive failiure of its sensors and to make the situtation worse, they were received by a squadron of three Klingon battlecruisers, Captain Kirk orders Lieutenant Sulu to fire phasers to the IKS Klothos. The shoots made point blank on the Klingonian vessel but it disappeared, not destroyed.

One commander of the remaining two Klingon ships blamed Kirk, but the captain decides to move forward to the same place the Klothos was at maximum warp speed. As closer it gets to the place, the ship's crew felt very dizzy by the effect of an ion storm. Suddenly, they were in a place the captain describes as “an interstellar Sargasso Sea” filled with a lot of centuries-old alien starships. One of them, the USS Bonaventure.

The Entrerprise had another encounter with the Klothos, but right at the moment both of the captains orders to attack their foes, they were suddenly transported to one of the ships. The one that gathers the Ruling Council of the area named Elysia. That council is composed of 123 races that learned to live peacefully over one thousand years. Every act of violence is punished severely. It is not a parallel universe, is a place with no stars nor planets, a place where time ceased to move, a pocket in the garment of time.

Captain Kirk and Captain Kor are facing charges of committing acts of violence and they are both facing a sentence of a hundred years of immobilization of their ships and crew. The council's leader, a Romulan named Xerius pardons both of the captains due to their ignorance of Elysia's law. They were turned back to their respective ships.

At the Ruling Council, an alien female with psionic powers named Magen perceived both of the crews from the Enterprise and the Klothos are planning to escape. Another of the Ruling Council members, an Orion slave girl named Devna was opposed to that idea because she deemed they will die and appealed to Xerius to stop them but the council's leader told her it does not infringe any of the Elysian's laws to try to escape from there.

At the Enterprise, Kirk tries to find the way to escape from there. He has to do something quickly before the disintegration of the dilithium crystals. The Klingons tried first, but they were unsuccessful. Spock devises a formula based on the failure of the Klingonian ship. He proposes Kirk a solution by linking both their ship and the one of their foes using both warp drives together as one.

During the gathering of both captains and first officers aboard the Klothos, Spock showed very friendly with the Klingons. It made Doctor McCoy very suspicious about the welfare of their first officer. He asks Kirk to talk with him about the subject and he agrees. Spock tells the captain that he felt the thoughts of the Klingonian officers and knows that although is not clear for him, they are planning something evil.

The Elysians celebrated a party for both Federation and Klingonian crews. After performing a dance, Devna told to the federation captain that she wanted to be on her home planet again but she thinks it is impossible to move out from this place and begs Kirk not to try. He told her that his home may not be perfect as Elysia, but it is his home no matter its imperfections. Also, during the feast, a Klingon officer started a fight with McCoy. Both ships' captains were on trial by the ruling council again as responsible for the conduct of their crews.

This time, Kirk begs pardon for Kor and his crew because they need them so much for their escape plan. Xerius understood Kirk's intentions and granted the way out of the punishment to the Klingons. During the trial, a female Klingonian officer named Kaz, put an explosive capsule in the warp drive control computer system of the Enterprise.

As the launch of both of the ships' begins, Magen perceived the sabotage to the federation's ship by their counterparts. And the council sends the message to Kirk. Spock throws out the capsule out of the ship before it explodes at warp 8. Both of the ships made their way out of Elysia. Kor takes all the credit for their success, but it is unimportant to Kirk.

Fascinating Facts:

This episode was written by actress and writer Joyce Perry. It was inspired by legend of the Bermuda Triangle. A region located between Bermuda, Florida and Puerto Rico. According to the myth, there was a lot of mysterious disappearance of ships and airplanes in that area. An urban legend very popular in the second half of the 20th century. It was the source of inspiration for many science fiction and fantasy works of that time.

Also, it is a mention of the Sargasso sea. A region in the north of the Atlantic Ocean that has an abundant brown seaweed called sargassum. It also bounded by four currents forming an ocean gyre.

This is the second time the Klingon character, Kor has appeared in a episode. The first time was in a season one episode, “Errand Of Mercy”. It was played by actor John Colicos. He was not available at the time this episode, the voice for Kor was played by James Doohan. Colicos returned to the Kor character years later for three episodes of Deep Space Nine.

This is the last time the Klingons made their appearance with smooth foreheads. Years later, their appearance changed for the 1979 film, Star Trek: The Motion Picture.

This is the episode were Nichelle Nichols played the most characters in a single episode. A total of four: Uhura, Devna, Magen and Kaz.

Most of the designs for the starships stuck in the area of Elysia were unapproved designs for the insectoid pod starship from the pilot episode, “To The Farthest Of The Stars”.

#space opera #space western #filmation #star trek #70s sci fi #star trek: tas 50th anniversary #star trek: the animated series 50th anniversary

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kylesvariouslistsandstuff · 6 months

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I have jumbled thoughts on WISH looking to fall short of industry projections, its low CinemaScore grade, its low chances at scoring a great multiplier that helps it climb, and Disney's overall bad film year - on their centennial no less.

The success of GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY VOL. 3, the excellent legs ELEMENTAL scored after such a poor opening weekend, and how well THE LITTLE MERMAID did domestically tells me everything I need to know, I feel.

GUARDIANS VOL. 3 had a solid opening for an MCU sequel, down a bit from what VOL. 2 pulled in back in 2017, but still good. Legs carried it past $350m+ domestically, and it made over $845m worldwide. It's probably my favorite MCU movie in a while, and it resonated for a lot of other people, too. Can't say the same about MULTIVERSE OF MADNESS, LOVE AND THUNDER, QUANTUMANIA, and THE MARVELS. The Marvel Cinematic Universe is now a mess of rushed movies that are either homework or you have to do homework in order to keep up with them, GUARDIANS VOL. 3 not so much. I extend this to last autumn's BLACK PANTHER: WAKANDA FOREVER as well.

ELEMENTAL, like most of the recent films overseen by current Pixar leader Pete Docter, told a personal story in a fun, appealing, and visually stunning way. Despite existing next to other family films in a crowded June/July, ELEMENTAL grew some serious legs and did really good overseas. I'm confident LUCA and TURNING RED, had they been released theatrically in a world where COVID-19 never happened, would've done pretty darn well. LIGHTYEAR is the anomaly here, the rare Pixar film that audiences just didn't take a liking to. But I can't hold it against Pixar, Docter lets these filmmakers make the movie they see fit, and sometimes in the world of the arts... It's not going to sit well with everybody. Luckily, ELEMENTAL had a real rebound and nearly made 2 1/2x its posted budget.

THE LITTLE MERMAID got by on being almost beat for beat a redo of a beloved animated feature in Disney's library, and it also helps that some of the actors did a pretty solid job. (I haven't seen the film, only bits and pieces at my movie theater job. I'm not into these remakes.) While this movie couldn't cover its costs worldwide, as it had a hard time in certain large markets, it still did pretty great here.

But I think Marvel, Disney Studios (as in the end that does all the live-action and CG tech demo movies), and Walt Disney Animation Studios are in need of some course correction. I get the sense that the latter two arms of Disney's massive film machine aren't really letting filmmakers make the movies they want to make... But rather making the films for them, and someone steps in to do the job. That's also pretty much the case with Marvel, but sometimes they let a director do what they want. Sometimes. James Gunn got more freedom on VOL. 3, and Ryan Coogler got a lot of say on WAKANDA FOREVER.

Pixar feels the most free of the divisions to me, outside of 20th Century Studios and Searchlight. I feel their recent animated offerings have more of a voice and a personality, they feel like their filmmakers' own creations. Everything from LUCA to ELEMENTAL, all these post-Lasseter movies. I'm not really getting this kind of thing from the Disney Animation films made under Jennifer Lee's leadership, and given how audiences reacted to STRANGE WORLD and WISH (as in, those who actually saw them), I suspect audiences aren't, either. Are their movies being noted to death by upper management? That FROZEN II documentary did reveal that these films are test screened for toddlers, and then stuff is cut out to make things less intense. As if they are sanding off the edges of a perfectly fine piece of furniture.

Maybe it's not villains and such that people missed in Disney animated films of late. Maybe they weren't upset at twists or whatever...

... but rather, they were not too fond of writing that feels like it got doctored relentlessly into being FROZEN 6.0, and also the lack of bite and that classic sense of danger that complimented the magic and "warm fuzzies" quite nicely in the more beloved Disney animated movies. You think Walt Disney gave two craps about the angry letters he got from parents over the frightening moments in SNOW WHITE and PINOCCHIO? If a Disney film has to be a little scary and intense, it should be. I don't understand this new thing where they hold back. Look at how warmly received DreamWorks' PUSS IN BOOTS sequel was last year; a good helping of some scary stuff for the kids in the audience should only help it do better, so long as everything else adds up.

(Note: "Warm fuzzies" was something a friend of mine, a fellow Disney enthusiast named Jim Miles came up with, and I use that phrasing quite a lot!)

The horizon for both studios is curious. Pixar's next is a guaranteed hit with INSIDE OUT 2, it's ELIO that's the more curious one. It'll be Pixar's 2nd-ever post-outbreak theatrical release of an original animated movie. WDAS' next is unknown, and they have ZOOTOPIA 2 and FROZEN III on the horizon, both of which sure to cover any recent losses. Maybe WDAS-2024 shows a change in direction, maybe it's another round of what STRANGE WORLD and WISH had to offer. Maybe it'll be taken back and retooled if WISH comes up short? There will likely be a much needed strike for animation when the Animation Guild can make that happen in mid-2024, so maybe we won't be seeing that very film next year. Stuff will likely be pushed back again, for a strike that NEEDED to happen. Maybe some self-reflection and strikes will do this studio good, they seem to be in a funk.

And in live-action land, you would think a new HAUNTED MANSION movie with that kind of cast (well, except for Jared Leto, yuck) and a rare-for-Disney PG-13 rating would be an all-timer, right? Big flop. Massive budget, probably noted to death, too. If not, then... Decisions were made, and audiences just didn't care for them unfortunately. The remakes, even the ones that make good money at the box office, are largely agreed to be stinkers. Audiences may have flocked to most of them, but if they weren't based on beloved movies... How would they have done? And what's next? A LION KING prequel that I'm certain won't make much of a stir, a delayed and iffy-looking SNOW WHITE remake that I feel will also have trouble at the box office... And more animated movie-based pictures, and some theme park ones maybe. They've run out of classics to remake, so now they're trying theme parks again. They keep trying to get this TRON-in-name-only movie off the ground that's not a sequel to TRON: LEGACY and doesn't involve anyone from the previous two films. And they're doing sequels/prequels to the remakes. But as we saw with ALICE THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS and MALEFICENT 2, that's not a guarantee. People came to see the car they loved with a new coat of paint, not a similar car made afterwards.

So, I think Marvel, Disney Studios, and WDAS are at a similar point to where the Disney enterprise was in the early-to-mid 1970s. Maybe even into the early 1980s...

youtube

Above: This logo, for the enterprise's 50th anniversary in 1973, would show up before the films released that year... Presumably, the Buena Vista distribution title card would follow. It does not appear on home video editions of the Disney films released that year. i.e. ROBIN HOOD, CHARLEY AND THE ANGEL, etc.

I think this is all telling me that some audiences aren't necessarily upset at what kinds of stories Disney is choosing to tell, but are instead a bit unsatisfied with the way they are telling those stories. That merely the reliance on brand names and what worked a decade ago is not enough anymore:

I think about where Disney was by around 1975-76, inching up on a decade without Walt Disney, and a few years after Roy O. Disney's passing... And it looks as if Walt Disney Productions at the time were delivering what was guaranteed to be successful... In 1965...

You had cheaply-made kid-friendly comedies starring TV mainstays and often times they co-starred an animal (THE BAREFOOT EXECUTIVE, MILLION DOLLAR DUCK, GUS, take your pick), you had standard adventure movies (such as TREASURE OF MATECUMBE and THE ISLAND AT THE TOP OF THE WORLD), you had the occasional long live-action musical with animated scenes in them (BEDKNOBS AND BROOMSTICKS, PETE'S DRAGON), and the occasional animated feature film that was always directed by Wolfgang Reitherman and had that same lazy vibe that he'd been employing since THE SWORD IN THE STONE a decade ago...

You look at what Disney had to offer on the movie front from around 1969-1976, and it's like backwash from the early 1960s, and what worked back then... Interestingly, it was the animated movies that continued to do well during that period, contrary to popular belief. But nothing was a massive blockbuster domestically, on the level of 101 DALMATIANS or THE JUNGLE BOOK...

So, again, I think of Disney's output roughly 1967-1979... And I see what's coming out now as backwash from 2013-16. Guaranteed smash hit movies - Marvel superhero spectacles, remakes of animated classics, FROZEN-esque family movies... no longer foolproof. Pixar looks to be weathering this just fine, even if this timeline did not see LUCA and TURNING RED hit theaters nationwide. I still reckon those would've been big, big hits in a not-COVID world. How ELEMENTAL did tells me everything.

There was one lucky arm of Disney that somewhat avoided all of this... STAR WARS...

STAR WARS is largely just streaming shows now. There hasn't been a feature film since THE RISE OF SKYWALKER back in 2019. SOLO was the first movie in the whole franchise to actually lose money at the box office, the lowest-grossing film remains that very cheap CLONE WARS theatrical pilot movie. I feel SOLO lost money simply because the director change and subsequent refilming of almost the whole damn thing ballooned the budget, and there's only so many people you can drag to a Han Solo origin movie when a Wikipedia article is right there. Releasing it so soon after THE LAST JEDI didn't help, either. STAR WARS movies aren't MCU movies, I think you kinda need to let those sit for a little while. SOLO, I think, would've probably done better if it had been a Christmas 2018 release. Not the May right after LAST JEDI's December 2017 bow. Disney plans to release two new STAR WARS features in 2026, and well... Good luck with that. The new STAR WARS movies will be a test, to see if audiences will keep showing up for these movies. They aren't even entries in a new trilogy, so there's that.

Lucasfilm did do a new INDIANA JONES movie that did disastrously. Maybe audiences just weren't down for another adventure with Indy, maybe the market was a little too crowded, maybe those who saw it just didn't take to a Spielberg-less Indy movie. (Not a dig on James Mangold, but maybe audiences felt his absence?) Maybe it just cost too fucking much... Lucasfilm seems to just be "Star Wars Studios" now. They lost the rights to the book CHILDREN OF BLOOD AND BONE, which they were supposed to adapt. They've barely made any live-action movies that *aren't* STAR WARS or INDIANA JONES on a consistent basis since RADIOLAND MURDERS all the way back in 1994. Like, what did they make between '94 and now that wasn't part of those huge franchises? RED TAILS, and an animated movie called STRANGE MAGIC. Both of which bombed... But I will be fair to Lucasfilm, a good chunk of the not-SW/Indy movies of the late '80s/early '90s also flopped.

Speaking of that... I also feel that Disney should probably invest in lower budget movies again? Not necessarily "cheap" stuff, but lower budget stuff that's more experimental and more creative? Not the kinds of movies that they can send straight to streaming, but small little movies that do okay in theaters and sorta help build a back catalogue for them. Why wasn't something like CRATER a theatrical release?

One of Disney's biggest live-action successes, a looooong time ago, was HONEY, I SHRUNK THE KIDS. Produced for $18m, grossed over $200m worldwide and spawned some sequels. Did you know that movie actually outgrossed THE LITTLE MERMAID that same year? That's right, in 1989, HONEY made more money than MERMAID... Which film do you think is better remembered?

Anyways, what ended up happening after Disney's weird era after Walt's passing? In the late '70s and early '80s, they genuinely tried to experiment and redefine what a "Disney movie" could be, but a lot of it went south. TRON was probably the most successful of these experiments, but even that didn't measure up to expectations. Touchstone was set up, and they hit the ground running with SPLASH in 1984, and had quite a few successes into the late '80s... Films like THREE MEN AND A BABY and GOOD MORNING, VIETNAM. But that was Touchstone... Mainline Disney was where things needed to be happenin'...

And they weren't really... THE BLACK CAULDRON, THE JOURNEY OF NATTY GANN, ONE MAGIC CHRISTMAS, they were all coming up short. The little bit of respite came from efforts like FLIGHT OF THE NAVIGATOR and THE GREAT MOUSE DETECTIVE, smaller-budget productions that made their money back.

Eventually, the tides changed, and it was time to make movies that took the audience by surprise.

While it was released under the Touchstone banner in 1988, I'd say WHO FRAMED ROGER RABBIT was the movie that really got the ball rolling... And then that would be followed by OLIVER & COMPANY, HONEY I SHRUNK THE KIDS, THE LITTLE MERMAID, BEAUTY AND THE BEAST, etc. All of which reversed course for the studio's film output. You couldn't convince anyone over the age of 12 to check out a "Disney" movie in theaters five years earlier in 1983, but by the beginning of the '90s, you had all the demographics showing up to some of their films...

Maybe that's what Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures will discover again in this weird post-outbreak, post-streaming world. They've hit this wall before, and they've gotten over it...

Maybe it's time for them to take a daring leap and make a proverbial new ROGER RABBIT-type movie that makes a Disney movie neat and worth checking out in the theaters again...

AND ALSO, TO TREAT THEIR FILMMAKERS AND STAFF BETTER, but that's another story.

#Youtube

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charliethomascoxuniverse · 1 year

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Marvel is Right to Have Faith in Daredevil - Despite Charlie Cox's Doubts

By Joshua M. Patton December 27, 2022 (X)

Charlie Cox keeps tempering expectations about his Daredevil: Born Again return, but everyone else - from Marvel Studios to fans - has faith in him.

Charlie Cox has been recently doing rounds of press, invariably being asked to talk about Daredevil: Born Again. In one, he expressed concern that the massive 18-episode solo series may not "hit the spot," resulting in him setting down the horns for good. It's a fair guess, especially with streaming services' strategy for originals narrowing in focus. Yet since he was the star of the most successful of the Marvel Television series on Netflix, Marvel Studios and Disney+ have clear faith in his ability to deliver.

Cox is an adept actor, and his humility may also be a way to deflect from revealing things he's not supposed to. He was more convincing than Andrew Garfield in the run up to Spider-Man: No Way Home, at the very least. If Cox really does still have doubts about his ability to become the Robert Downey Jr. of Disney+, perhaps that's what makes him the perfect Matt Murdock.

Daredevil: Born Again's 18-Episode Series Order Is a Leap of Faith

Until 2022, the average Disney+ original series from Marvel or Lucasfilm ran for roughly six hours per season. Then Andor dropped 12 episodes, with another 12 currently filming. Tony Gilroy had a vision and Lucasfilm didn't want to risk getting it wrong. Daredevil: Born Again could be the Andor of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. A long-game series that looks at the more TV-MA side of the MCU sounds just like the spot the studio is trying to hit.

When working as a young producer on the 2003 film adaptation, Feige championed the script. If it irked him that Daredevil was handed to Jeph Loeb and Marvel Television when the rights came back to Marvel, he's not taking it out on Cox. In fact, Cox helped erase the film version of the character from the fans' consciousness. This was a challenge his fellow The Defenders costars did not face. From the massive season order to his rumored appearance in Echo, the only person seemingly left with doubts is Cox himself. In fact, there was no reason to believe Daredevil would show up in Deadpool 3 until the actor denied it.

Kevin Feige is a big fan of Daredevil, and he wasn't allowed to use the character in the movies. Now he can and has the added benefit of being given an excellent actor to portray the character. It's clear that he no longer sees anyone other than Cox as capable of the role.

Marvel Studios and Disney+ Have Big Expectations for Daredevil and Charlie Cox

Cox may have expressed his doubts because he is aware of how important Daredevil is to Marvel Comics. He is, effectively, the Marvel equivalent of Batman. He is the king of their street-level heroes -- first on the scene for muggers, ninjas and all manner of mildly-powered individuals. In the comic books, he has also gone toe-to-toe with the galaxy's biggest baddies, including Mephisto. If Marvel Studios remains committed to establishing a TV side of the MCU, it will be built on Daredevil's back, just like Iron Man carried the films.

What makes Cox so important is how well he plays the character. His performance as a blind hero is nuanced and respectful to an impressive degree, according to Vice. During and immediately after fight scenes, his out-of-breath acting is some of the most intense in the game. Viewers believe that Daredevil clearly wins the fight, but he's wiped out after doing it. And with the help of Elden Henson and Deborah Ann Woll, he imbues Matt with a heart and pathos that makes all of his superhero work feel more than believable.

Charlie Cox is either truly humble or adept at using humility to deflect questions about projects he can't talk about. Either way, everyone from Feige to the fans knows that Daredevil: Born Again isn't his "last shot." It's what he's due for his accomplishments so far.

~*~

#I have every faith in Charlie despite the massive pressure he's under ❤️#charlie cox #matt murdock #daredevil born again #article

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sixstringphonic · 10 months

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Sean Gunn Calls Disney CEO Bob Iger A ‘Sh***y Person’ If He Thinks Strikes Are ‘A Shame’

The "Gilmore Girls" alum also said he barely gets any residuals from the WB series, even though it's a hit on Netflix. (7/17/23, HuffPost)

Sean Gunn blasted Disney CEO Bob Iger over the executive’s recent comments about the writers and actors who are fighting for more equitable wages and working conditions.

The actor — who plays Kraglin in Disney’s “Guardians of the Galaxy” movies and has provided motion capture for Bradley Cooper’s CGI character Rocket — questioned Iger’s sense of morality after the CEO said it was “a shame” that the Writer’s Guild of America East and West and the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists are now both on strike. (HuffPost’s unionized staff are also members of the WGAE.)

“I think when Bob Iger talks about, ‘What a shame it is,’ he needs to remember that in 1980, CEOs like him made 30 times what their lowest worker was making,” Gunn, the brother of “Guardians” director and now-DC Film co-CEO James Gunn, said from the picket line in a short video that was shared by The Associated Press Friday.

“Now Bob Iger makes 400 times what his lowest worker is,” Gunn went on, “and I think that’s a fucking shame, Bob.”

“Maybe you should take a look in the mirror and ask yourself ‘Why is that?’” Gunn said. “And not only ‘why is that’ ― is it OK? Is it morally OK? Is it ethically OK that you make that much more than your lowest worker?”

“And if so, why? Why is that OK? If your response is that that’s just the way business is done now, that’s just the way corporations work now — well, that sucks,” Gunn continued. “And that makes you a shitty person, if that’s your answer. So, you should come up with a better answer than that.”

Last week, Iger took a break from the Sun Valley Conference in Idaho, an annual gathering of millionaire and billionaire CEOs, to complain to CNBC about the simultaneous Hollywood strikes. Iger was dismissive of the protests, which have called attention to the immense wealth gap between executives and workers. He called the protests “disturbing” and said picketers’ demands are “not realistic.”

Iger, whose compensation package amounts to as much as $27 million a year, argued to CNBC’s David Faber that the strikes “will have a very, very damaging effect on the whole business.” (Members of both guilds have repeatedly said that studio executives could quickly end the strikes by agreeing to a fair deal.)

“It will affect the economy of different regions, even, because of the sheer size of the business,” Iger said. “It’s a shame, it is really a shame.”

Gunn, who is also known for playing the kooky Stars Hollow resident Kirk Gleason on “Gilmore Girls,” emphasized the income disparity between CEOs and workers while talking to The Hollywood Reporter from the picket line Friday.

He told the entertainment magazine that he “particularly wanted to come out and protest Netflix,” citing what he called a lack of residuals he’s received from the company’s profits for streaming the incredibly popular WB series. Gunn appeared in 137 episodes of “Gilmore Girls” between 2000 and 2007, according to IMDb. He also appeared in the show’s 2016 Netflix revival, “Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life.”

“I was on a television show called ‘Gilmore Girls’ for a long time that has brought in massive profits for Netflix,” Gunn told THR. “It has been one of their most popular shows for a very long time, over a decade. It gets streamed over and over and over again, and I see almost none of the revenue that comes into that.”

THR notes that although “Gilmore Girls” is available on Netflix, residuals from the show come from Warner Bros. Discovery, the studio that produced and licenses the series to the streamer. The outlet also notes that Gunn and his co-stars get paid the same in residuals “regardless of how many people watch the series wherever the studio places it.”

Despite this, Gunn stressed that Hollywood’s current business model doesn’t work anymore for the people who actually make the product, and that many working actors and writers are financially struggling.

“You really need to rethink how you do business and share the wealth with people,” Gunn told THR. “Otherwise, this is all going to come crashing down.”

#SAG-AFTRA strike 2023 #WGA strike 2023 #I stand with the WGA #I stand with SAG-AFTRA #support the WGA #support SAG-AFTRA #support the unions #SAG-AFTRA #WGA #bob iger

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overobsessedfanboy23 · 3 months

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I cannot shake off the fear that the Velgearians' deaths are permanent

Studio Bridge doesn't have a precedent for deaths the way Gallop did. The closest thing we had to temporary deaths in Bridge was the characters being turned to ice in the Great King of Terror arc and that arc had a heavy emphasis on trying to save the ones who'd been trapped in ice. This Velgearians' death arc though? I don't think the idea of bringing back the Velgearians who've died has graced even a single character's lips yet. It still could in the last few episodes to be fair but so far, it's all about preventing more deaths which at this point, let's be real, is all of one death: Yudias. But if anything, the opposite of saving the Velgearians has come up in the most recent episode:

These lines in particular really fuck me up. Because on the one hand, I see the reasoning: life shouldn't be eternal and we all have to accept death eventually. But on the other hand, the Velgearians have entire goddamn galaxies in them! Look at this dialogue from episode 89 when Kuaidul explains why he's dying:

Is he saying that the Andromeda Galaxy ITSELF is dying here?! Because that's how it reads to me! We know Yudias has to survive since he's on the season 3 poster and, if my logic with Kuaidul is correct, Yudias's galaxy is the Milky Way and you can't exactly kill that galaxy off and still have a world.

My point here though is that if this logic is correct, then it's not just Velgearians who are dying: it's all life in the galaxies inside of them across the vast universe which humans haven't explored more than a tiny piece of that are dying. More lives than we could ever feasibly comprehend or know are having their lives snuffed out swiftly and prematurely. This goes far beyond just the quote on quote "artificial lives" of the Velgearians. I know the end of all life in the universe is an eventual inevitability and can be considered "just nature" but the way it's been presented in Go Rush with all these fantasy elements, like the reason the Velgearians existing in the first place being the actions of one individual, prevents me from seeing it as "just nature" as Zwijo is apparently claiming.

The Creator, from what we know so far at least, has honestly done something sinister and horrific by molding parts of the universe itself and stuffing them into what we know now are mortal, albeit long-living, beings whose lives are flickering out and by extension, seemingly ending the lives inside their galaxies suddenly, pre-maturely and, in my eyes despite Go Rush claiming otherwise, unnaturally.

How much of this the writers intended I have no clue but the more I think about the implications, the more horrified I feel. And I'm not sure what's worse: if the writers did fully think all this through and are permanently killing the Velgearians knowing all this or they didn't think it through and they've just dug a massive hole for themselves.

But why do I think these deaths are permanent in the first place? After all, Yugioh and shounen in general is no stranger to temporary deaths and bringing back characters through whatever means necessary because they want to write dramatic deaths and sacrifices but need to keep the characters around in some form to advertise their cards.

Well, I've seen every Yugioh series twice each and here's every non-evil (or at least not fully evil) duelist character who permanently died. Apologies if I miss a few:

Atem (Freed his spirit by going to the afterlife in the very last episode.)

Daitokuji (Died a villain and a traitor but lingered as a ghost who acted as a guide to Judai at times.)

Roman and Goodwin (Villains who at one point, wanted to do the right thing and were "lead astray." Chose to stay in the afterlife.)

Paradox, Bruno, Aporia, Z-One (Villains whose ultimate motive was trying to prevent a doomed future and in the cases of Bruno, and Z-One (and debatably Aporia), ultimately sacrificed themselves for Yusei to save the future.)

Yuto, Yugo, Yuri, Serena, Rin, and Ruri (Died and became part of Yuya and Yuzu as spirits.)

Haru and Bohman (Honestly just pawns of the pure evil Lightning but believed in their cause to the very end. Were reunited in the afterlife I believe?)

Earth, Windy, Flame, Aqua (Gave up the last of their energy to Ai, permanently killing them. Should be noted that that Flame and Aqua never used their own decks, instead giving them to characters who did live so their cards were still advertised.)

Roboppi (The consciousness that made him who he was permanently dead and gone forever due to being unnaturally given free will.)

So uh... there's some overlap with these deaths and the Velgearian deaths that have occurred in Go Rush so far, particularly the ones who died and didn't come back as ghosts. The VRAINS deaths especially are the most egregious to me since all the temporary deaths (excluding Ai) were human and every single one of the permanent deaths were AIs. They were all an "artificial intelligence". I know these shows were produced by different studios but VRAINS killing all "artificial life" then one of the subsequent shows describing lives that are currently dying in troves as "artificial" is unsettling, especially since VRAINS isn't even an outlier. Fully evil or not, most of the permanent deaths in Gallop Yugioh (that didn't come back as ghosts like the Yu boys/bracelet girls and Daitokuji), were either non human (ie: the AIs in VRAINS) or "gave up their humanity" as part of their evil, like the Stars of Iliaster putting their consciousness inside "artificial" android bodies to extend their lives and carry out their evil.

The way I see it, Go Rush's latest episode claimed that since the Velgearians' lives are eternal and artificial, keeping them alive would be "unnatural" and thus they should accept their deaths. And honestly, in the context of Velgearians, most of whom don't even know that their lives are "artificial," is just horrifying and messed up.

So I hope my aimless overthinking speculation here is wrong. I hope they aren't all permanently dead because it would be a miserable end to their stories. The only thing in my mind that makes me question my own reasoning is not knowing when the Go Rush writers knew for sure they were getting a third season, as I doubt they would've killed all the Velgearians knowing that could've been the final note of their show since the target demographic of the show is still children. Still, I don't know when in production they knew they were getting that third season so again I just can't be sure...

#yugioh go rush spoilers #go rush spoilers #rambles #the brainrot is brainrotting

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x--daughters-of-darkness--x · 1 year

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New IN THIS MOMENT Song 'I Would Die For You' Featured On 'John Wick: Chapter 4 - Original Motion Picture Soundtrack'

Lakeshore Records is set to release "John Wick: Chapter 4 - Original Motion Picture Soundtrack" digitally March 24 with an original score by Tyler Bates ("John Wick", "Guardians Of The Galaxy"),and Joel J. Richard ("John Wick", "The Andromeda Strain"). Bates and Richard, their scores an integral part of the success of the first three installments of "John Wick", return with another masterclass in high-intensity compositions that feature an array of instruments — including treated piano, mandolin, acoustic and electric guitar, bass, harmonica orchestra, synths, and found object percussion. Bates also produced songs performed by Lola Colette with Nick and Sam Wilkerson of the punk band WHITE REAPER on drums and bass respectively, as well as tracks with IN THIS MOMENT and Manon Hollander. In addition, the track co-written and produced by Bates with vocals by avant pop phenomenon and cast member Rina Sawayama, "Eye For An Eye", is available digitally. The Lionsgate film directed by Chad Stahelski and starring Keanu Reeves, Donnie Yen, Bill Skarsgård, Laurence Fishburne, Hiroyuki Sanada, Shamier Anderson, Lance Reddick, Rina Sawayama, Scott Adkins and Ian McShane is in theaters and IMAX on March 24.

Bates told Entertainment Weekly about his collaboration with IN THIS MOMENT: "'I Would Die For You' is a song that I wrote with Maria Brink and Chris Howorth of IN THIS MOMENT and [also] produced. Chad, literally, out of the blue, called me up, and he's like, 'Yo, Tyler, do you know this singer, I love her, Maria-something, she's in this band, IN THIS…?' I'm like, 'IN THIS MOMENT?' He said, 'Yeah, that's it!' I said, 'I'm actually working on their new record right now. [Laughs] They are real fans of 'John Wick', which is really cool."

"John Wick: Chapter 4 - Original Motion Picture Soundtrack" track listing:

01. Big Wick Energy 02. Nowhere To Run (Lola Colette) 03. Sand Wick 04. Change Your Nature 05. Continental Breakfast 06. Wick In Osaka 07. High Table In Osaka 08. A Grave Accusation 09. Grief On A Train 10. I Would Die For You (IN THIS MOMENT) 11. Of Mincing & Men 12. A Grave Situation 13. To Get Back In 14. Killa's Teeth 15. Ambition And Worth 16. Dog Lover 17. JW, Loving Husband 18. Stairs Arrival 19. Marie Douceur, Marie Colère (Manon Hollander) 20. John Wick Rises 21. Paris Radio Intro 22. Chess Club 23. Urban Cowgirl 24. Quite The Mess You've Made 25. The Ex Ex 26. The Ex Ex Chapter 3 27. Arc De Triomphe 28. Wrong Train 29. Sacré-Coeur Sunrise 30. Pistol Procession 31. Ten Paces 32. Twenty Paces 33. Helen A Handbasket 34. Eye For An Eye (Rina Sawayama) 35. Cry Mia River

Bates regularly transitions from scoring some of the world’s biggest film and television franchises, such as "Guardians Of The Galaxy" and "John Wick", to rocking massive audiences in the world of rock music, and back to the studio again writing and producing records with artists like HEALTH, BUSH, IN THIS MOMENT and STARCRAWLER, to name a few. In 2004, he created the menacing audio backdrop for the popular Zack Snyder reboot of "Dawn Of The Dead", beginning a string of nearly a dozen box office number ones that have contributed to well over five billion dollars cumulative worldwide box office gross for his projects. Bates then teamed up with Snyder again for the films "300", "Watchmen" and "Sucker Punch". His oeuvre expanded to include films like "Atomic Blonde", "The Devil's Rejects", "The Day The Earth Stood Still", "William Friedkin's Killer Joe", and TV shows like "Californication", "Punisher", "The Purge", "Kingdom", "Salem", "The Exorcist" and more. More recently, Bates scored the blockbuster "Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs And Shaw", "Deadpool 2", "Jamie Foxx's Dayshift", Ti West's 2022 releases "X" and "Pearl", "The Spy Who Dumped Me", plus Genndy Tartakovsky's acclaimed animated series "Samurai Jack" and "Primal" on Adult Swim. After scoring Cirque Du Soleil's "R.U.N.", Bates embarked on the 2022 world tour in support of Jerry Cantrell's latest album "Brighten", which he also co-produced. With more new projects on the horizon including "Agent Elvis", Tyler Bates will undoubtedly continue to redefine what a composer is as a shapeshifting artist who's architected one of the most kaleidoscopic resumes in music.

Last October, IN THIS MOMENT released an EP called "Blood 1983". The effort commemorated the tenth anniversary of IN THIS MOMENT's gold-certified album "Blood" (2012) and was made available digitally across all digital service providers as well as CD via BMG.

"Blood 1983" was co-produced by Bates and Dan Haigh, and mixed by Zakk Cervini.

Since coming to life in 2005, IN THIS MOMENT has presided over a diehard fan base under the watch of "mother" figure and frontwoman Brink — joined by co-founder and lead guitarist Howorth, bassist Travis Johnson, guitarist Randy Weitzel and drummer Kent Dimmel. As millions convened upon the group's otherworldly and unforgettable concerts, they quietly emerged as one of the most influential and impactful bands of the 21st century.

To date, in addition to the gold-selling album "Blood", the quintet has garnered two gold singles — "Blood" and "Whore" — followed by Top 25 entries on the Billboard Top 200 with "Black Widow" (2014) and "Ritual" (2017). Bringing their total stream tally well past 200 million as of 2020, "Ritual" elevated them to new creative and critical peaks as well. Between selling out headline tours coast-to-coast, the group performed in arenas everywhere alongside DISTURBED and appeared at countless festivals from Welcome To Rockville to Sonic Temple. Along the way, they assembled their seventh full-length, the aptly titled "Mother" (Roadrunner) with longtime collaborator Kevin Churko (OZZY OSBOURNE, FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH).

IN THIS MOMENT is Maria Brink (lead vocals),Chris Howorth (guitars),Travis Johnson (bass),Randy Weitzel (rhythm guitar),Kent Dimmel (drums).

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#maria brink #In This Moment #I Would Die For You #2023 news #John Wick #soundtrack #metal ladies #metal bands #metal music

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disappointingyet · 5 months

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A bunch of movies that didn't make my final films of the year – some of them are very good, mind (and one or two really aren't).

Godzilla Minus One

Very much not to be confused with the current US Godzilla movies, this comes from Toho Studios and not only goes back to the start, but the story is all about Japan coming to terms with World War II. Our central (human) character is Koichi Shikishima (Ryunosuke Kamiki) a guilt-ridden former fighter pilot trying to get by in bomb-flattened Tokyo. He acquires not one but two found families: a young woman and the child she rescued from the rubble, and the crew of the minesweeper he finds work on. The healing for both the material and psychic damage seems underway when a massive, mysterious creature – which Shikishima encountered during the war – reappears, only bigger and with new powers…

G-M1 is a talky film with sombre stretches (there are jokes, too), with lots of grief and guilt and trying to figure out how not to make the same mistakes again*. And, in between all that, we get a big stompy monster (this is mean Godzilla, not saviour Godzilla). The special effects do the job: you’re unlikely to be awestruck, but equally I didn’t spend any time wanting to chuck something at the screen as I often do with (say) Marvel movies.

Satisfying.

(*I was trying to think of other movies where I successfully guessed what was going to happen not so much because of plot tropes as ideology… the only one that springs to mind is the Robert Aldrich-directed Burt Lancaster & Gary Cooper Mexican-set Western Vera Cruz.)

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem

What were the odds, in the year of full superhero backlash, that there would be a critically endorsed Ninja Turtles movie? But here it is, and yes, it’s good. Essentially, TMNT:MM is (as far as I know) lo the first post-Spider-verse film, embracing the idea that comic-book adaptations can look drawn. This is 3D computer animation, but it’s not trying to look solid or clean, and so you don’t end up with Shrekian chunkiness. It’s weird and colourful and sometimes rather beautiful.

It’s a basic origin story: how did these strange creatures come to be, why do they regard a rat as their father, what other weird animals are lurking in New York? Well, for one, Superfly, a massive insect styled after Ron O’Neal’s Blaxploitation antihero and voiced by Ice Cube.

The movie leans hard into the ‘teenage’ part of the title - these are kids, cocky, confused, bored, trying to fit in and figure themselves out (often contradictory impulses.) The script is by Seth Rogen and chums, so doesn’t take itself too seriously.

There’s an argument to be had about whether famous faces deserve to be the voice leads in animated movies - surely specialists are better at the job and anyway, much of the time nobody recognises it’s eg, Chris Pratt. But here, I think the star casting works - as well as Cube, we get Jackie Chan being very endearing as Splinter the rat, a brief but perfect turn from Giancarlo Esposito and the ubiquitous Ayo Edebiri as April.

The soundtrack is ace - and maybe gives away who the target audience is: it’s a bunch of late 1980s/90s hip-hop standards.

The storytelling isn’t groundbreaking but the visuals are so good. One of the best surprises of the year.

Dungeons & Dragons: Honour Among Thieves

Essentially: ‘You know that game the kids in Stranger Things play? The one people used to get beat up for been associated with but now movie stars boast about their expertise at? Let’s do a Guardians Of The Galaxy-style film based on that.’ So they did, and gathered a more-than-decent cast: Chris Pine*, Michelle Rodriguez and Hugh Grant, and send them off on some questing. The jokes do the job, the dialogue largely non-fantasy mode, Rodriguez does all the action and Pine is the Hannibal Smith-esque generator of plans (but w/tragic backstory). As this kind of adventure movie goes, it’s comfortably above average: not as good as the first Guardians, the first Pirates Of The Caribbean or Jumanji: Welcome To The Jungle, but better than most of the tosh out there. *Brudenell Road’s most famous former resident!

They Cloned Tyrone

Strange things seem to be happening in the hood and a drug dealer (John Boyega), a sex worker (Teyonah Parris) and – reluctantly – a pimp (Jamie Foxx) team up to investigate. This is a comedy with sci-fi elements as well as things that would be horror if this had a different vibe. Maybe think of this as a much broader take on Jordan Peele’s Get Out or Nope or a less way-out Sorry To Bother You. Although it’s set now, there are nods to the Blaxploitation era (Foxx’s hair, various cars.) There’s a nice murky look to the night scenes, a tangible atmosphere and an excellent cast – so plenty to enjoy.

(Netflix)

Theater Camp

Fond and indulgent mockumentary made by a bunch of chums who grew up as theatre kids. Very familiar set-up: much-loved thespian institution (in this case, a summer camp) has its future under threat – will everyone rally round for a big show to save the day?

There are plenty of familiar faces here, particularly if you’ve seen Booksmart and The Bear (Molly Gordon, who is one of the directors, writers and stars of this links that terrific film and that excellent TV show.)

Ben Platt, who has become even more mocked and reviled in critical and showbiz gossip circles than his Pitch Perfect cast mates, makes the wise decision to write himself a largely dickish character to play.

Theater Camp mostly manages to be the right kind of silly – I enjoyed it a bunch. (Disney +)

Bottoms

Extremely daft although reasonably fun comedy. Rachel Sennott and Ayo Edebiri (who are both 28 years old and aren’t trying to fool you otherwise) play a pair of unpopular high-school kids who start a female fight club with the hope of hooking up with the cheerleaders they have crushes on. It’s very silly, gets a reasonable amount of mileage out of people punching each other and has plenty of decent jokes. Had me thinking of Rock ’n’ Roll High School more than I expected.

Three Musketeers: Part 1 - D’Artagnan

Yes, yet another version of the Dumas book. This one has the virtue of being actually French. The vibe is somewhat gritty: the fights include guns and punching rather than only elegant sword work. Many of buildings are actual historic buildings rather something fairly see-through cobbled together on a computer. We get Vincent Cassel and Romain Duris as Athos and Aramis, plus Louis Garrel as the king. I’ve never really got Eva Green but she makes perfect sense as Milady. What’s added (from what I remember of the book) is a conspiracy involving a war-hungry faction at court and the Protestant rebellion.* Anyway, this is a solid and satisfying period action movie.

*To be clear, the siege of La Rochelle is in the book - it’s what leads to that that’s new here.

Maestro

Are you intrigued by the idea of current movie stars attempted many-layered 1940s accents? How about a film half in the lushest of lush black & white and half in fairly authentic-looking late 1960s colour, also rather beautiful? Tidal waves of great, great music? Fully committed performances? Some genuinely extraordinary, including a scene where biopic slips into ballet…

Bradley Cooper’s Leonard Bernstein biopic is wildly ambitious, and it succeeds more than I was anticipating. Cooper, as often, gives a better performance than I expect him to. Carey Mulligan is excellent as Felicia Montealegre, Bernstein’s wife, even if the accent escapes her occasionally. It looks and sounds incredible.

But? It’s a big film with a small story at its heart. Firstly, what happens to a marriage between two people in the arts when their careers have very different trajectories? 'Isn’t the only other film Cooper has directed A Star Is Born?', you point out correctly.

Secondly, what happens to that marriage if it begins with the acceptance that one of this pair is going to continue shagging other people, but once there are kids to consider that seems less cool and you don’t feel like trying to explain to your daughter why her middle-aged father is chasing young men around, especially because this is only the 1970s…

I’m certainly not saying a film needs to say big stuff. But Maestro has a scale and sense of importance that seems at odds with what it wants to talk about. We do get some scenes with Bernstein pronouncing about music in grand terms – and those are the worst parts of the movie. But other than hearing the tunes, we don’t really get much of a sense of why Bernstein was such an imposing cultural figure. Credit to Cooper for acknowledging the pivot that most based-on-real-life stories take if they span a fair bit of time: things are fun, and then they are difficult. In Maestro, that fun part is not just in b&w, but the rules of space and time don’t apply. As we’re watching them, that’s clearly the case within scenes, but as we learn in the colour second half, things that you would have guessed took a couple of weeks took several years. All of that first part, it seems but is never stated, was lovely memories that edit all the tricky stuff.

Not a wholly successful film then, but one I’m really glad I watched and even a little regretful I didn’t see it on the big screen. (Netflix)

Creed III

Better than Creed II, nowhere near as good as Creed. Michael B Jordan does a decent job as the director and introduces some interesting visual elements. There’s no Stallone, which I’m fine with. The issue is a classic genre film trap: how to get the main character back to doing the thing the franchise needs them to do, even though that’s a terrible choice. Weirdly, for once, if this was hyper-realism, that wouldn’t be a problem – legendary boxers clamber out of retirement and back into the ring the whole time, often repeatedly. But in this movie, Adonis Creed seems to have too much going on – as the beautiful, successful guy with a beautiful, talented family – and to be too smart to get himself clobbered again. True to life, but somehow implausible within this fiction.

(Prime)

Babylon

Damien Chazelle’s massive, noisy discursion on the history of Hollywood is a film I definitely enjoyed talking about – there was so much to debate. But it was probably more fun talking about it than it was watching the last two hours of the movie (maybe watch the two big set pieces at the start and then stop?)

Full review here

Air

Schlubby dudes sit around in dingy offices arguing about the details of a deal for a young athlete to endorse a shoe. Not a painful watch, but nothing that Affleck/Damon manage here convinces me that this is a story worthy of cinema and not a very long Nike ad.

Full review here

Barbie

On the one hand, most of Barbie was fun, and an impressive feat of multi-level storytelling (eg, the very niche joke at the expense of fans of 1990s indie band Pavement.) Could’ve done without the Will Ferrell and Rhea Perlman bits, but a billion-dollar box office movie taking the piss out of the patriarchy is a great thing.

On the other, as much as I want to celebrate popular art, in my heart I know I’d rather Gerwig was making films like Lady Bird or Mistress America. Much as I hope Boden and Fleck’s future work is more like Sugar or Mississippi Grind than Captain Marvel, and that Cate Shortland goes back to films like Somersault and Lore instead of Black Widow.

Ferrari

In some ways, this could be a companion piece to Maestro – another film about wife who has sort-of-tolerated the chronic infidelity of her giant-of-the-20th-century husband. Although, in this case, he's only cheating with women and by the time the film is set – the late 1950s – only one woman. In Michael Mann's movie, Adam Driver plays Enzo Ferrari, Penélope Cruz Laura Ferrari and Shailene Woodley the mistress. These people, you may have noticed, are not Italian. Yes, this is a film in English in which the actors do accents to indicate they are speaking Italian (the bit players, confusingly, talk actual Italian). I'm generally not in favour of that approach. This isn't a biopic, as such – it seemingly takes place over a few months as Enzo faces simultaneous work and personal crisis, linked by Laura, who was his work partner as well as spouse. Cruz is excellent value as the fuming, grieving Laura. Driver – has his hair ever been this short on film – is good too, and wears excellent suits. It looks lovely, too – whatever issues Mann had during the early digital switchover (Collateral?!) are long past. But the ending just fizzles out, in a way that leaves me wondering (other than Cruz being entertainingly furious) what this was all about. And the big events just before that are handled in a way I found both clunky and kind of distasteful. (I feel you need to be at least somewhat careful portraying real-life tragedies on screen. And also announcing your characters bear no responsibility when with all things taken into account, they do.) One of those films that I was very into when I was watching, but increasingly less so on the walk home.

No Hard Feelings

The sort-of-return of the once weirdly popular older-woman-deflowers-kid ‘raunchy comedy’ genre. This being 2023, the kid is a legal 19 but socially awkward, inexperienced etc (I mean, to be fair, there are a lot of people like that). Jennifer Lawrence plays the desperate-for-cash local who is hired by a Princeton-bound nerd’s parents to make a man of him. The film is well cast, and some of the jokes work… ‘the hey! we’ve all learned something’ stuff maybe less so. Pretty OK.

The Killer

Michael Fassbender plays a stat-bore hitman in David Fincher’s fan-boy-pleasing thriller. Some generally sane critics reckon it’s a blinder. I reckon it’s cliched, obvious and very grating. (Many of the arguments in its favour are based on the idea that it is Fincher taking the piss out of himself – to which I say, who cares?)

Starts well as Fassbender is patiently doing the tedious prep for a kill in Paris, but goes duff quickly once he’s off on the obligatory revenge kick. Fassbender’s American accent is horrible, the gags are thumpingly obvious and yet triple-underlined in case you didn’t get them the first time. I kept hoping against hope that one of Fassbender’s enemies would finish him off and we’d be done with all of this. Tilda Swinton is good but she only gets one scene. (Fassbender had a supporting role in Fincher’s bestie Steven Soderbergh’s somewhat similar Haywire, which – for my money – is way better.)

(Netflix)

Love At First Sight

Industry wisdom is the romcom is one of the genres people will no longer pay to see in a cinema but will consume happily on streaming. Netflix is notorious for putting out loads of them with TV-movie production levels. This is maybe one of their higher budget efforts? I saw it because Haley Lu Richardson was great in two of my favourite movies of recent times: Columbus and Support The Girls.

LAFS* feels like three different ideas chucked together. First, a high-concept romcom with lots of vibrant colours and some bollocks about fate and Jameela Jamil as the narrator who pops up in turn as a flight attendant, immigration officer, bartender, helpful passerby…** Secondly, your contemporary British comedy where the characters are all wearyingly eccentric (so many British films, whether comedies or thrillers, just try far too hard.) Thirdly, a melancholy film about two people in pain who make a connection on a transAtlantic flight. Unsurprisingly, these three ideas constantly undermine each other. (Oh, and the London geography is just distractingly nonsense.)

*The title of the book this is adapted from is The Statistical Probability Of Love At First Sight, which is a much better match for the theme and tone of the story.

**An idea seemingly nicked, as I’m happy to admit I didn’t know when I watched it, from Max Ophuls’ 1950 classic La Ronde, emphatically not a romcom.

(Netflix)

Documentaries

Squaring The Circle: The Story Of Hipgnosis

What was Hipgnosis, you ask? Hipgnosis was a little company that designed the covers of long-playing records, most famously for Pink Floyd and Led Zeppelin. Its founders Storm Thorgerson and Po Powell were dope-smoking chums of the future members of (The) Pink Floyd in Cambridge (the city, not the university) who had enough photographic and graphic design nous to turn a favour for mates into a lucrative career.

Everyone in this documentary talks about how grumpy Thorgerson (who died in 2013) was: ‘He was rude to everyone,’ someone says. Now, as it happens, a long, long time ago I used to interview designers and photographers about famous album covers for a rock magazine. Almost all these chats happened over the phone… except for the one with Thorgerson about the Floyd’s Wish You Were Here. Thorgerson invited me over to his large, comfortable north-west London home and we sat drinking tea as he told me about how the LP sleeve had come about. As I remember it, he was an excellent host and I sat there feeling guilty about how bloody hideous I thought almost all of his work was and how unbearable his old mates’ music was. Maybe he’d mellowed by then.

Anyway, this documentary was made by Anton Corbijn, legendary rock photographer/terrible feature film director, which accounts for the interviewees being shot in elegant, flattering b&w. Corbijn’s movies are utterly humourless so it’s a pleasant surprise to find plenty of chuckles here. The heart of the film, indeed, is a series of tales from the mid-1970s in which the album shoots involve vast expense, effort, travel time and even danger… and afterwards everyone decides for all the record buyers will notice, it could have been done round the corner or just in the studio…

If you like a rock dinosaur, there’s a bunch here: Planty! Pagey! Macca! Gabriel! And the surviving Floyds, of course. Speaking of which, my big concern watching this was the presence of Roger Waters and Noel Gallagher, both extremely low-quality human beings. Fortunately, restricted to talking about album covers (both) and the early days (Waters) they are non-toxic. Just why Gallagher is here is a different question. He has no connection to Hipgnosis – not as a client nor even (as far as made the cut) as a fan. He just talks about album artwork in general, including his daughter not knowing it was a thing that exists. So he’s effectively the cut-price Bono, here to provide uninformed vibes and enthusiasm – but as the man who shot U2’s most famous images, surely Corbijn could have got the real thing?

There’s a tradition of documentaries – which I think this fits into – that work two ways depending on how you feel about the subjects. If you think the cover of (say) Led Zep’s Houses Of The Holy is a great piece of image-making, here’s the inside story of how it came about. On the other hand, if you find the aesthetics of 1970s rock grotesque or funny, then this is an entertaining account of how completely everyone lost the plot as the cash (and coke) rolled in. (Netflix)

Little Richard: I Am Everything

You can see why people want to make documentaries these days about Little Richard – he was black, he was gay, he did some drag early in his career and certainly had no truck with the 20th-century western version of masculinity. In 2023, if you want to celebrate a rock ’n’ roll pioneer, he’s more appealing than one of those white guys with their child brides. (Before we overtip the balance, it's almost certain that Richard also had sex with teenage girls when he was an adult, even if they weren’t his main area of interest.)

The big problem I had with this film – which got some rapturous reviews – is not its fault at all. What happened was that earlier in the year I had seen the BBC’s Little Richard: The King And Queen Of Rock’n’Roll, which has some of the same interviewees (plus Keef rather than Mick as their Rolling Stone), much of the same archive and – as the title suggests – the same contemporary take. I Am Everything’s director Lisa Cortes does try to do some things to make this movie-like, including having clouds of glitter and bursts of high-speed nature montages. She also has some current musicians in to a play a few songs, almost always a bad move in a music documentary. There are some good academics etc here, but alas, if you’ve recently heard all this stuff, I Am Everything doesn’t add that much. But if you’re not familiar with this story, this is a great place to start.

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alwida10 · 1 year

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What does Bob Iger‘s return mean for the MCU?

Everyone who thought that perhaps the recent decrease of quality in the MCU might be Chapek’s fault, and now things will get better… sorry - that won’t happen.

Iger was in charge while the MCU made Disney bigger and bigger. Under his lead the company showed an outstanding growth. And for some reason, he left the company right when the first news of Corona indicated it would be something Big. In February 2020.

Interestingly, there had been several people discussed as possible successors, and everyone was surprised it was chapek. He had a reputation for being less liked and being not creative but more business-orientated. His most important flaw was he did not have Iger‘s talent for socializing and making friends. A bad trait for a ceo, but a wonderful trait for a scapegoat (Disclaimer: I have no intention to indicate Chapek would be nice or redeemable. even bad people can be used as scapegoats.)

Just look at the timing! The Corona stock market crash was on 20. February 2022, and Bob Iger left Disney on the 25.February 2022.

Chapek had to deal with the stock market crash, the following lock downs, and the massive bad news on how Disney treated its employees. All things Iger would have had to deal with if he had been CEO. But he wasn’t. Chapek took all the blame.

And now, coincidentally, when Corona has more or less stared to become endemic, and the risk for further lock downs is low, Iger is back in charge „saving“ the company. 🙃

The downfall of quality in the MCU is another topic, which escalated in 2014, when Feige and Perlmutter had a fallout, where Feige threatened to leave if no way was found he could make decisions without Perlmutter interfering. Iger supposedly tried to find a diplomatic solution, but after that didn’t work, he took marvel studios (the part of marvel that produces the movies) and ripped it out of the rest of the Marvel-company. Disney had bought Marvel in 2008, but allowed them to keep their company structure until then. In this old structure a creative committee had to approve all movies. The writers and directors often bemoaned not having the creative freedom they wished for. HOWEVER, this process ensured the movies would have less consistency errors and the moral messages stayed in line with the comics. Perlmutter was kept in charge of marvel comics, while Feige took over the MCU, henceforth unregulated by the former creative committee which consisted of comic book authors, and Perlmutter.

Feige established a new creative committee consisting of marketing specialists etc, who started their work by approving infinity war and endgame.

To understand the development, you need to understand what both of them brought to the mix. Feige‘s talent and curse is the same. He takes big risks. Superhero movies were not considered „good“ enough for the normal cinema, before he changed that. It was a Genre people looked down upon. His vision, which he followed since he was an intern at marvel, was to make the genre big.

Perlmutter, as a grumpy old man including all the pros and cons that come with that, managed to add to the mixture by giving the sincerity and respectability, the first movies needed to be taken seriously. (Just picture them like Odin and Thor in the Bifrost-scene, only that in this case Odin/Perlmutter was banished.)

And Feige brought all the glory people wanted, and since a lot of the old crew was still there the movies in the time of the restructuring kept a bit of the „old“ flair. Age of Ultron was the last movie the old creative committee approved. The movies after that (Dr. Strange, and Antman) were a bit more funny, but they did not fall out of the old trails entirely. but then Thor Ragnarok came, convincing everyone that being weird and colorful was something all MCU movies should be, instead only the Guardians. Before this was the signature of the Guardians of the Galaxy, making them stand out. Like the Thor movies‘ signature was to be a drama, resembling Shakespeare, and the Captain America movies were war-movies. All sub-franchises had a signature. Until TR broke it up.

IW was written and planned quickly after TR and perhaps they didn’t have time to adapt to the „new“ taika style there. But endgame definitely went much further in the direction of TR with all its depression jokes and big scenery.

That is the style Feige inspires - creative freedom without any regulation. Perhaps best shown in the Loki series and She-hulk. Can good things come from that? Definitely! Black Panther is an example for that. But good things should pass quality control all the same. The bad things should be filtered out.

#to take a metaphor from biology #Feige is Mutation #perlmutter was selection #without selection you get the weirdest outliers #like Thor Love and Thunder #MCU salt

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