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#NOT HATING ON NICHOLAS HOULT
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where is the freak swag
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familiar in distress
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kwistowee · 6 months
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For anyone who may find this useful. ♥️
FULL (non-crack) GIFSET HERE
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gorypizza · 7 months
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was dying in maths and decided to draw renfield
somehow it looks even worse than my old drawings
hi again renfield nation
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thegreatmadness · 4 months
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alternative poster for the great season 3
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louisetaylor · 1 year
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SO I just saw The Menu and I have Thoughts
SPOILERS AHEAD
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First, the ending. The movie was Meaningful and Dramatic and I expected it to end with a BANG (which technically it did) but like a Metaphorical Bang. As in, something a little bit more emotionally resonant than PUTTING FRICKIN MARSHMALLOW SHAWLS AND CHOCOLATE FEZZES ON THE GUESTS AND CALLIN IT SMORES. It was too silly to be scary. Anticlimactic. Anya sitting on a boat, watching the flames, wiping her mouth with the precious Menu and eating a cheeseburger? That almost made up for the smores incident. "sMoReS rEpReSeNt eVeRyThInG tHaT iS wRoNg wItH uS" says the murderer who becomes what he hates most.
Also, is it just me, or do all villains have the sharp black-and-white morality of Pick Between Two Sides? "Only a Sith deals in absolutes" said a man who knew that Murder is Absolutely Wrong, but the murderer (and the pretentious food critic) is not absolutely irredeemable. (Said pretentious food critic's best trait was her sincere interest in food, even when she knows she's about to die. Special interests be that way, whether you're autistic or not.)
The cooking of the cheeseburger, like the redemption of Anakin, was sweet. The movie would have been too dark without any love at all. Whoever posted that "horror is a love story" was right, and The Menu nailed that. (except for the smore incident. I'm trying to think of a better climax...I was lowkey expecting Margo to drive the boat through the window of the restaurant and save everyone, but my NVLD ass didn't realize she couldn't see the fire until the Explosion.)
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josefksays · 2 months
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Nicholas Hoult as Harley in The Favourite (2018)
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cinnamontoads · 1 year
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finally read the last warm bodies book nobody fucking move
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The Great season 3 is out. let's go peter/catherine bitches
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takenbypeter · 4 months
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Hi! Could you write a Hank McCoy x Reader fic with one of these dialogue prompts? (Whatever you feel like)
5. "God, you always make me blush so damn much." (Nicholas Hoult is always blushing so I thought it would be nice if Hank did as well)
23. "Wait...are you making pancakes? Can I help?" (He seems like the type of person who cooks)
25. "Have you been drinking enough water?" (He is a doctor)
I'm pretty sure I read every fic with him in this site and I want more.😂
Doctor’s Orders
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Hank McCoy x reader
Number 25: “Have you been drinking enough water?”
(Reader is AFAB)
Hehe I couldn't decide so I did all of them, sorry it took so long, I went through like a no writing phase but I think I'm slowly returning
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Sometimes you hated having a uterus. More specifically you hated it when it was that time of the month. How you hated even being born whenever that time hit and of course that was today. 
Instead of listening to your body and wallowing in pain as the cramps hit hard that morning, practically almost making you spit up your dinner from the night before, you put on your adult shoes and chose to be productive around the X-mansion as you usually did. 
Most days weren’t so bad, you’d help with the younger level kids here and there before you did some of your own training but today? Today they were rowdy for whatever reason, maybe the weather, all you knew was that you wanted this week to be done already. 
You tried your hardest to just be there, be present as you seemed to be running around all day at different peoples beck and call when all you really wanted to do was curl up and scream but of course that wasn’t like you. So you had to plaster a fake customer smile. But you could even barely do that anymore as halfway through the day you decided your body couldn’t take it anymore. So you went to the one place you knew no one would bother you. 
The labs. 
Most of the time it was just Hank in the labs and you of course didn’t want to bother him when he may be working but then again he was your boyfriend and you were in a lot of pain. So you went. 
You entered his labs slowly and peeking around the entrance, you saw that luckily he wasn’t dealing with any chemicals at the moment. 
“Thank god you’re working,” when he worked that meant everyone knew not to disturb him, well everyone but apparently you. 
His arms set down whatever thingamabob was in his hands, “please come in why don’t you?”
You did realize it was rude, “sorry,” you mumbled out as you backed up into the nearest corner and squatted down. With your knees to your stomach you instantly felt better even if only just a little. 
With your head tucked into your legs you could just feel the strange sight he most certainly had on you. “Don’t mind me…” you breathed as a big cramp just made its way, “just go about your way, I promise I’ll be quiet.”
“If you think I’m going to be able to focus while you’re scrunched up in the corner like that you’re absolutely crazy.”
“I’m fine,” you said, your voice muffled.
You didn’t see it but you could tell Hank was staring at you. But he was staring at you not with disbelief more with worry. 
“What is it?” He asked. 
“Nothing just got my period this morning, I’ll be fine.” Typically this only happened to you on maybe the first two days and usually you just toughed it out.
Suddenly an overwhelming cramp could be felt in your lower stomach area, you groaned as you leaned forward, your knees now against the floor with your forehead touching the floor “…just give me a moment,” you said, refusing to move from that spot with your arms clutching your body. 
“Have you been drinking enough water?”
Ugh. That question wouldn’t have annoyed you if the answer was yes. But it’s not your fault everyone seemed to need your help left and right. 
“Maybe half a bottle so far,” you said. 
His mouth drops, “that’s not nearly enough.”
“Yeah yeah, thank you doctor,” you cut off, still hurting.  
You don’t pay mind to the noise you hear shuffling before you see a bottle being held out towards you. 
You reach out, taking it with a thanks. “Wait here,” he commands before he turns around. Not like I have much choice, you thought as you closed your eyes again feeling a little bit better as the cramps randomly subside for a moment. 
Pretty soon you hear Hank’s footsteps come back and you begin to hear shuffling beside you. Curious, you open your eyes and watch as he sets down a blanket beside you. Then a makeshift pillow made out of a jacket. 
He didn’t even have to say anything and you moved there willingly. You didn’t care that the floor was hard underneath, you were just glad to lie down somewhere. 
While you lay there on your side feeling like garbage he hands you a warm heating pad which you gladly take and he moves the water bottle closer to you before he takes another blanket and covers you with it. 
“Drink your water and let your body take a break,” he adds. 
Once he makes sure you’re all settled his eyes catch yours as you lay with a smile on your face. 
“What?”
“You love me,” you sing-song almost like a kid would. 
Although a grin starts to tug at one of the corners of his lips he reaches out dragging his hand down your face closing your eyes in the process as you would a departed person. 
“Get some rest.”
Your eyes open again as you watch him leave your side to return back to his work. ‘He loves me,’ you teased once again in thought as you snuggled with the blanket and heating pad.
~
Dialogue Prompt #2
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moonlightchess · 11 months
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We really slept on Renfield. We really goddamn slept on Renfield, y'all. I know we all hate Awkwafina, for obvious reasons, but besides her, this movie was AMAZING. A cinematic depiction of a cis male victim of platonic abuse struggling to escape his toxic cycle with a Nicholas Cage just going FULL Bela Lugosi with the I VANT TO SUCK YOUR BLOOOOOOD, AH AH AH! The way he slowly emerges into the sunlight as he finds the strength and support to defend himself against his abuser! The way his entire relationship with the female lead was about how much he admires her and wishes he could be as strong and principled as her! The color plays! Nicholas Hoult's eternally British anxiety! The cinematography! Fuck out of my face, Renfield was so GOOD!
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aloneatpeace · 9 months
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𝙰𝙿𝙾𝙲𝙰𝙻𝚈𝙿𝚃𝙸𝙲 𝚆𝙾𝚁𝙻𝙳
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Characters
KIM NAMJOON AS KIM NAMJOON
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KIM SEOKJIN AS KIM SEOKJIN
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KIM TAEHYUNG AS KIM TAEHYUNG
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MIN YOONGI AS MIN YOONGI
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JEON JUNGKOOK AS JEON JUNGKOOK
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JUNG HOSEOK AS JUNG HOSEOK
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PARK JIMIN AS PARK JIMIN
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NICHOLAS HOULT AS GALLY
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LORENZO ZURZOLO AS THEODORE
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Of course there will be some changes in the plot. And love Lorenzo as Theodore nott and he can be tresa.
Kindly ask if this isn't your cup of tea don't come here hating. For me writing what ever I write is only escape from all the shit I have been going through even the writing seems to be affected by it so I ask you to not hate on it.
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fouralignments · 4 months
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Here me out.
Headmaster Peter
Has that been done yet?
Am I saying that because I don't want Hank to have the job. That I hate him and I don't want him to have good things Happen to him?
Yes.
Peter could totally be awesome in that position after spending time with both his dads; Peter wearing his hair in a messy bun; like Charles being a heartthrob to the students.
I don't trust Hank around students. Frankly, I don't trust him at all; if he had the chance to get his former research job back, he would take it without a second thought. In my opinion, I think Hank resents Charles
Hank is the one person who I think would betray the team; at least with Raven, she could be a double agent at Charles's behest if she was more rouge like, again I don't like that they turned into a straight good guy, she should be more independent, though still visits and being an awesome aunt to Peter, from Charles. Hank would just straight betray the team.
Though I have nothing against Nicholas Hoult and good for him at getting the part of Lex Luthor in the new DC movie universe.
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ladyantiheroine · 1 year
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I know everyone is sick of live action remakes but I wouldn’t hate to see Nicholas Hoult as Victor in a live action Corpse Bride.
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thegreatmadness · 8 months
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just got the news about the show's cancellation and i cannot say i'm surprised or sad about it after having finally mourned and moved on. the entirety of the great season 3, especially the ending, and its lackluster promotional run, proved the executives at Hulu, and more fatally Tony McNamara, had no faith in a post petercatherine world without Nicholas Hoult. rightfully so. choosing to revert back to historical accuracy after cementing Peter and Catherine, and Nick and Elle, as the DNA of the show was its downfall. also it's very funny to me how clear it was Tony hated what he had let his own show become, as evidenced by Katya's play criticising Catherine's rule and legacy. his satire felt like a thinly veiled way to distance himself away from every writing decision he had ever made, basically since the second half of season 1, and to disavow his own creation entirely.
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grigori77 · 4 months
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2023 in TV - My Top 10 Shows
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10.  THE MANDALORIAN (Season 3)
The fortunes of post-George Lucas Star Wars have really fluctuated over this past decade, for almost every blissful high there has been an excruciating low to tip the balance back on its axis … thank the gods, then, for the consistent success of Lucasfilm’s biggest success story since they were bought by Disney, their streaming service’s epic and expansive series following the (mis)adventures of Mandalorian bounty hunter Din Djarin (the legendary Pedro Pascal) and his adopted ward, the impossibly adorable Force-sensitive baby Grogu.  The show’s gone through some major shake-ups as it’s expanded its outlook in the SW universe beyond just Din’s own experiences to take in the larger canon, and some purists have complained that it’s starting to lose its identity because of this, but as long as Jon Favreau and Dave Filoni continue to present a finished product of this consistently high standard it’ll remain EMINENTLY worthy of our time.  I for one actually really LOVED the greater prominence of Katee Sackhoff’s Mandalorian royal scion Bo-Katan Kryze throughout this third season as her rise to prominence makes her almost as much of a key character now as Din himself, and given how this season delivers what feels like a comfortable close to the original Mando’s story, I think this does a really beautiful job of setting up how the series could most smoothly continue in the future.  So long as it remains as exciting, inventive, emotionally rewarding and downright GORGEOUS as it has been, I’ll keep watching.
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9.  THE GREAT (Season 3)
Hulu’s opulent black comedy satire from Aussie playwright and screenwriter Tony MacNamara (The Favourite, Poor Things) recounting the youthful rise to power of the mighty world-renowned Russian monarch Catherine the Great (albeit very loosely) has been a very enjoyable TV distraction these past few years, particularly once things starting really going to shit, and this latest (seemingly LAST) season is no exception. Elle Fanning continues to excel in what’s become the best role she’s had to date as Catherine, still effervescently self-confident despite her growing exasperation with her ongoing struggle to bring her adopted home of Tsarist Russia into Enlightenment and away from the far more base urges that have held it in their grip for so long.  This is made all the more difficult by her persistently complicated and tempestuous love-hate-love-hate-love-murder-murder-stabby-stabby relationship with her husband Peter III (the always brilliant Nicholas Hoult), who’s FINALLY trying to learn to better himself for the sake of his own deep love (and throbbing carnal obsession) for his wife and the mother of his adorable infant son Paul.  Fresh difficulties arise to baffle the lovers at every turn, from dastardly courtly machinations to civil unrest and an EXTREMELY ill-advised “accidental” war with Sweden, and it doesn’t help that their various friends and advisors – including Phoebe Fox’ spiky Marial Brezhnev, Peter’s complicated aunt, the Empress Elizabeth (the delightfully ODD Belinda Bromilow), and, of course, Adam Godley’s spectacularly perverted Russian Orthodox Archbishop “Archie” Samsa – largely seem to be in it for themselves.  It’s anarchically brilliant as ever, every episode proving more chaotically unpredictable, gleefully off-the-wall and endearingly, downright FILTHILY hilarious than the last – it’s a rare thing indeed to get a comedy show that’s THIS fiendishly ingenious, making it a consistent must-watch.  Unfortunately, the story has finally reached its (admittedly wise) conclusion, but I’d love to see Fanning revisit Russia’s greatest ruler sometime in the future …
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8.  AHSOKA
It was one of my greatest pleasures from the second season of The Mandalorian to get to see the live action (re)introduction of Anakin Skywalker’s wayward padawan Ahsoka Tano, now grown up and truly come into her own despite years spent in self-imposed exile after the Galactic Jedi pogroms and the subsequent collapse of the Empire.  Seeing her return (however briefly) in the ultimately disappointing Book of Boba Fett was one of that show’s saving graces, so it seemed to only be a matter of time before she got her own series on Disney+, and gods knew I was one of the most hopeful.  Thankfully, the wait has not been in vain – this is BY FAR the best piece of Star Wars-based TV I’ve had the pleasure of indulging in this year, Dave Filoni not only allowing us to spend plenty more time with our girl but also getting to see a resolution to the open ending of the very enjoyable Rebels series as we see some of her key Rebellion-era comrades return as well.  Rosario Dawson has really grown into the title role now, bringing fresh nuance and complexity to a character who was already SO INTERESTING, and the new additions here are very welcome ones, particularly Natasha Liu Bordizzo (The Society) as my very favourite Mandalorian, Sabine Wren, who’s become Ahsoka’s very reluctant apprentice after showing some small aptitude with the Force, as well as the late Ray Stevenson and Ivanna Sakhno (The Spy Who Dumped Me) as mercenary former Jedi Baylan Skoll and his vicious apprentice Shin Hatti, who are working to bring the infamous Imperial Grand Admiral Thrawn (the legendary Lars Mikkelsen, finally getting to portray his chillingly masterful villain in live action) back to the Galaxy Far, Far Away.  This is a rich, evocative and epic adventure story that takes this well-trod universe to intriguing and exotic new worlds as it opens the saga out to intriguing new possibilities, and while this was conceived as a limited series I’m personally holding out real hope for more moving forward … and I KNOW I ain’t alone …
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7.  GOOD OMENS 2
Neil Gaiman’s adaptation of his own much beloved collaborative novel with the legendary late fantasy author Sir Terry Pratchett was such a perfect piece of television that it was a no-brainer for Amazon Prime to greenlight more, making it most fortuitous that the two writers had already made impressive progress planning further adventures for the wayward divine duo of the angel Aziraphael (Michael Sheen) and the devil Crowley (David Tennant), so he already had a starting point for more.  Ultimately this is less THAT specific story than a bridge between the main story from the novel which formed the first season and the next saga, but that doesn’t make this any less worthwhile an experience, Gaiman again proving he’s one of the very best writers OUT THERE by presenting us with another exquisitely crafted sextet of hour-long episodes of gleefully comic theology-themed speculative fantasy which does a beautiful job of expanding the universe and offering rich and rewarding new character arcs for our two favourite gay angels.  Giving away much of any of the plot would do the brilliantly twisty story an injustice, suffice to say that the arrival of a VERY NAKED amnesiac archangel Michael (the wonderfully game Jon Hamm in a MUCH more expanded role this time round) on the doorstep of Azirapahael’s book shop sets another potentially cataclysmic true-existential crisis into gear which will have massive repercussions for our reluctant heroes moving forward into the inevitable third season.  Nice to see that Amazon have ALREADY asked Gaiman to bring the series to a satisfactory close, then.
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6.  THE LEGEND OF VOX MACHINA (Season 2)
More rightly renewed genius from Amazon Prime, this time with the second season of the animated adaptation of the first campaign of Critical Role’s TTRPG live-play webcast series, still undeniable essential viewing for both fans of professional Dungeon Master Matt Mercer and his friend’s online antics and just those who enjoy their fantasy adventures a bit more irreverent and adult.  Given that the second major arc of the campaign was already a doozy, I knew ahead of time we were moving into what was sure to become an even more potent stretch of the saga than we got in the already impressive first season, and the deeply-committed folk behind it have NOT disappointed with this follow-up.  The stakes have been raised CONSIDERABLY as the fantastical land of Tal’dorei falls under the brutal sway of the Chroma Conclave, a collective of tyrannical dragons bent on bloody conquest, so it’s up to the dysfunctional adventuring party of Vox Machina to save the day.  Oh dear … this is JUST as much fun as the first season, with plenty more thrilling action, side-splitting satirical comedy (thank you AGAIN Sam Riegel for the gift of pure, unadulterated R-rated JOY that is the gnomish bard Scanlan Shorthalt) and inspired creative invention, but once again proceedings are tempered with plenty of powerful emotional heft and heartfelt LOVE for the characters these players created and remain STRONGLY connected to so many years later.  Since Amazon wisely made the decision to commission the THIRD season WELL in advance of the second’s release we already know there’s more coming, and given where I already know this story is headed I can’t help getting REAL excited for its future …
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5.  THE LAST OF US
Okay, here we go, finally time for the proper ORIGINAL STUFF … yeah, it’s been a particularly great year for new IPs on the small screen, meaning that my Top Five all get to be completely fresh and “original” properties instead of continuations or spinoffs from existing series.  One of the most deservedly long-awaited, well-received and rightly ACCLAIMED new shows to emerge in 2023 was HBO’s highly anticipated adaptation of the much beloved post-apocalyptic zombie survival horror video game series from Naughty Dog, and their wise move to team the games’ original creator Neil Druckmann with Craig Mazin, the man behind the now legendary Chernobyl miniseries, has paid off SPECTACULARLY here, since this is one of the very best TV series I’ve come across in a good long while, a work of breathless brilliance and soul-destroying POWER which just left me SPEECHLESS at the end of SEVERAL episodes in its all-too-brief run back in the New Year.  Pedro Pascal may be The Mandalorian, but I think he's found his TRUE greatest role EVER here in Joel Miller, the world-weary survivor of a particularly nasty zombie apocalypse who lost EVERYTHING in the collapse, only to be given an opportunity twenty years later to make a difference when he’s charged with taking Ellie (Game of Thrones’ Bella Ramsey), a wilfully tough teenage girl who’s IMMUNE to the cordyceps fungal infection that brought down the world, across the American hellscape in the hope that she can help with the creation of a cure.  Given that Joel lost his own daughter in the initial outbreak they naturally start to bond, their burgeoning connection creating a powerful driving throughline at the heart of the series as it goes from bad to worse to TRULY FUCKED and beyond … this is everything The Walking Dead always tried to be but never QUITE managed to become, a brutally challenging but infinitely rewarding tale of hope, love and compassion in the face of Armageddon, and since there’s still a second game to adapt and plenty of potential for expansion besides, I for one CANNOT WAIT for the second season’s arrival in 2025 …
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4.  SCAVENGERS REIGN
It’s also been another really great year for ANIMATION, particularly grown-up fare, and this brand new series for Max was EASILY the year’s most unusual and effortlessly ORIGINAL piece of work, in some ways frequently becoming downright DISTURBING, but often with a stark, challenging BEAUTY to even its most TWISTED creations.  Relative newcomers Joseph Bennett and Charles Hueffner have taken their original short film and expended it into a sci-fi story of rare vision and endless invention, following a scattered collection of desperate survivors from a colony ship crashed on a miraculous but deeply hostile alien world fighting to reach what’s left of their ship in order to have a fighting chance of building a new life, maybe even ESCAPE if at all possible.  They’re an interesting and rewardingly well-rounded collection of characters, each of their disparate storylines providing equally fascinating arcs across the series as they encounter weird, wonderful, unfathomable and sometimes downright TERRIFYING alien phenomenon building up to a thrilling and suspenseful climax which gives the season a strong conclusion while laying ground for possible future development.  The animation from Titmouse (The Legend of Vox Machina, Pantheon) is FIRST RATE and refreshingly unique, with the design-work frequently reaching OFF-THE-CHART levels of artistic creativity, while the writing proves impressively robust too, creating realistic character arcs and compelling stories that keep the viewer invested to the end.  Given how the ultimate climax, I wouldn’t be sad if this really WAS all we got, but I hope this gets picked up for more, it’s DEFINITELY worth signing up for a longer haul ...
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3.  ONE PIECE
Another year with Netflix DOMINATING the small screen with their Original Programming then, although I’ll admit when they were putting THIS together I was, like a whole lot of people, extremely pessimistic of its chances.  If there’s ONE THING I’ve learned over the years as a fan of the genre, it is EXCEEDINGLY RARE for Western adaptations of manga and anime to work, PARTICULARLY in live action – like many, I STILL ain’t gotten over the HORROR of what Netflix themselves did to my beloved Cowboy Bebop … thankfully, somebody in creative control was paying attention to that, because FOR ONCE, this is one of those infinitely rare occasions where it’s actually WORKS, and VERY WELL INDEED.  Thankfully, the original creator of One Piece, Eiichiro Oda, was brought onboard as creative consultant by showrunners Matt Owens and Steven Maeda (Lie To Me), and they CLEARLY listened to him because this is EVERY INCH a madcap, sprawling classic anime comedy adventure show brought to vivid life in live action – I’ll be honest, I never actually got into the manga or anime myself, there’s just WAY too much of it for me to even know where to begin or really want to commit to it, but I’ve watched plenty of other shows like this, and I’ve learned the ropes well enough to know they got it VERY RIGHT here.  It’s a fantastically rich world for their creatives and an incredibly game cast to play in too – obviously, the beating, thriving HEART of the series is, rightly, Iñaki Godoy (The Imperfects) as Monkey D. Luffy, the irrepressibly UPBEAT wannabe pirate who wants to find the legendary treasure of the title and become truly the new King of the Pirates, although like many I’m sure I definitely fell hardest for Roronoa Zoro (Mackenyu), a roguish master swordsman who wields THREE BLADES, and Sanji (Gassed Up’s Taz Skylar), a talented cook and unapologetic ladies’ man who’s also a powerful martial artist who fights exclusively with his FEET.  The whole crew that Luffy brings together are a sweet, lovable bunch, while the bizarre assortment of freakish pirates, criminals and marines they encounter are uniformly bizarre and thoroughly memorable, while the show is a masterclass in controlled anarchy, well-written character work and the perfect balance of riotous comedy and stirring pathos.  The end result was definitely the year’s most effortlessly ENJOYABLE TV show, and one I’m definitely in for the long run with.  Good thing Netflix have already greenlit season 2 …
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2.  THE FALL OF THE HOUSE OF USHER
Mike Flanagan really has become one of Netflix’ most powerful secret weapons, each one of his original series proving to be an undeniable MASTERPIECE of inventive writing and ingenious direction coupled with sheer, heart-wrecking FEELS.  Such is the case with his latest offering, an admittedly BALLSY take on the collective works of Edgar Allan Poe, all filtered through a modern-day reimagining of one of his most famous stories, although this is definitely something a little different from Flanagan.  This time, instead of focusing on a family of dysfunctional but ultimately decent people who love each other deep down, the Usher clan are, almost to a man, some of the most DESPICABLE excuses for human beings you’d probably never wish to really encounter in your life.  The head of the family, Roderick (another magnificent turn from the great Bruce Greenwood, alongside Midnight Mass’ equally excellent Zach Gilford as his younger self), is a morally bankrupt born salesman who seized control of the massive pharmaceutical conglomerate of Fortunato with the help of his even more viciously sociopathic genius twin sister Madeline (Mary McDonnell and Willa Fitzgerald), and his equally precocious offspring are, collectively AND individually, just as unpleasant as him – the only ray of light is his granddaughter Lenore (Doctor Sleep’s Kyliegh Curran), the only Usher with compassion, decency and a truly gentle heart.  Unfortunately their empire is built on lies, murder and a dark, demonic bargain made with an unknowable angel of death, Verna (Carla Gugino), who’s finally come to collect on the debt, and she plans on taking THE WHOLE FAMILY as payment.  This is the most PURE piece of horror that Flanagan has made to date, his usual restraint largely absent as he lets rip in a series of brutally ironic and fiendishly twisted murderous reckonings that sees each member of the family meet the worst fates you could possible imagine, while the true monstrous depths of how this all came to be are slowly revealed in typically non-linear narrative fashion.  In the end, while The Haunting of Hill House remains Flanagan’s finest hour on the small screen, this may be his finest work for Netflix since, and it’s definitely the darkest and most cathartically MONSTROUS work he’s produced to date.  I really do hope he lets his dark side out to play again before too long …
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1.  BLUE EYE SAMURAI
While we champ at the bit for the long-awaited second season of Arcane, Netflix have thrown us a fresh bone to chew on in the meantime with this truly INCREDIBLE new adult animated series from screenwriter Michael Green (Logan, Blade Runner 2049), who co-showruns here with his wife Amber Noizumi and animation storyboarder-turned-director Jane Wu (Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse).  To be honest, this show could have been PRECISION CRAFTED expressly to appeal directly to ME, this is SO MANY THINGS I love all in one package – it’s a gorgeously animated, super-violent action thrill series telling the story of Mizu (Man Seeking Woman’s Maya Erskine), a half-white, half-Japanese woman who has to hide both her heritage AND her gender as she wanders Edo period Japan as a lethal ronin samurai in search of the unknown white man who fathered her so she can murder him for making her a monster in the eyes of the country she was born in.  Thankfully there are only FOUR of them in Japan at this time, and her current target is Irish gunrunner Abijah Fowler (a fantastically oily vocal performance from Kenneth Brannagh, who gets to use the accent he originally grew up with), a brutally subtle hulk of a man who’s got his own far-reaching plans for the conquest of the very country he’s a dirty little secret in … Mizu is an INCREDIBLE creation, a fierce warrior with truly astounding talent with a blade matched only by her ice cold determination to mete out her vengeance by ANY MEANS NECESSARY, and I am ABSOLUTELY BESOTTED with her, I swear.  Fowler, meanwhile, is one of the very best and most well-written, super complex villains I have come across in a good long time, while he’s just another one of a whole RAFT of fully fleshed out and compelling characters which also includes Darren Barnet (Never Have I Ever) as arrogant but principled samurai Taigen and Heroes’ Masi Oka, who frequently STEALS THE SHOW as Ringo, a portly sushi chef born without hands who becomes Mizu’s incredibly unlikely protégé through sheer force of will and an unendingly sunny disposition.  The action sequences are some of the best the year’s offered up, captured in a fascinating mixture of 3D flare with a distinctive mock hand-painted 2D finish which makes for some very distinctive animation that obviously owes a whole lot to the influence of Arcane, paying off equally well in the distinctive character designs and gorgeous watercolour-styled panoramic vistas.  Most of all, this is some of THE MOST SKILLFUL writing I came across in all of 2023, even putting some of the year’s most impressive BIG SCREEN offerings to shame with its ingenious plotting, peerless character development and handling of intriguing, powerful themes of gender and sexual identity, body positivity and systemic racism which are just as potent today as they were in the historical period they represent.  This is IMPORTANT television then, but most of all it’s just DAMN FINE WORK, and I cannot wait for the now greenlit second season to arrive …
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Honourable mentions:
Our Flag Means Death (season 2, HBO Max), Sweet Tooth (season 2, Netflix), Loki (season 2, Disney+), Scott Pilgrim Takes Off (Netflix), Foundation (season 2, Apple TV+), Star Trek: Stange New Worlds (season 2, Paramount+), Shadow & Bone (season 2, Netflix), Chainsaw Man (Crunchyroll), The Witcher (season 3, Netflix), The Wheel of Time (season 2, Amazon Prime Video)
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