#also it has like the best opening scene in cinematic history

[gingerlilys]

“I want a story where the villain is the main character”

Megamind

“I want a story where the villain defeats the hero”

Megamind

“I want a story where the hero says fuck it and just gives up”

MEGAMIND

“I want a story where the villain gets the girl”

MEGAMIND. YOU WANT MEGAMIND.

#megamind #also it has like the best opening scene in cinematic history #even fate picks it’s favorites #is such a badass line

[bestanimatedmovie]

Choose your favorite!

Vote in the other polls!

What fans say:

The Lorax:

Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse:

It had a very big impact on meme culture. And a really catchy soundtrack. Plus it has the silly sexy green man. What more could you want from a film.*

The Once-ler and the let it die song. This movie is glorious.

It is legit the mother of all great animated movies nowadays. From Mitchells vs the machines to the new mutant mayhem movie! The plot is so good and you can really see character development from almost all of the characters, plus the designs are BANGER.

THE MUSIC?? TOP FUCKING TIER. THE CASUAL DIVERSITY? IT ALSO HAS LITERALLY THE BEST SHOT IN CINEMATIC HISTORY (Miles rising after taking his leap of faith)

BRO THE ANIMATION IS SO SICK. The amount of sheer effort put into this movie is insane. The character growth was so amazing to watch and such a great movie to analyze. Best scenes are obviously the leap of faith. Actually gorgeous. And also the scene where aunt May sees Peter b after her Peter died. Her “you look tired, Peter” is just so heartfelt

Where the hell do I even start. The visuals are incredible and the plot is engaging. Every scene is perfect.

This film has EVERYTHING. Humor, action, inspirational scenes, kickass music, absolutely killer animation, an art style that is an homage to comic books, loveable characters, a talking pig, DR OLIVIA OCTAVIUS, I could go on

This is the best superhero movie ever made, the leap of faith is one of the best movie scenes of ever

The animation style is better than all the others, and makes the movie funnier too! The representation is also good, and the romantic storyline isn't too prevalent in the movie. Probably the best animation Marvel has made. My favorite scene is when the villains show up to Aunt May's house -- its my favorite fight scene!

I’m sure this movie’s been submitted already because it’s arguably the greatest animated film of all time. I have a personal connection to it because I saw it in theaters on opening night with my late father, and we both loved it and I still do. The animation is revolutionary and it’s one of the only 3 movies that make me cry.

gsksvbsvsbsvs I love everything about it, I love the animations, the story, the soundtrack also the style of animation AAAAAA its so beautiful its art it belongs in a museum i get goosebumps everytime I rewatch it

It’s just so good. All the characters are amazing and I love Miles dad. It’s hilarious and sparked my love for spider-man. It’s such a sweet movie about finding yourslef and has such a powerful message. I totally recommend it so I’m not adding spoilers, but like. Ohhhh, it’s so good.

Interesting villains, well-developed character arcs, a fresh take on Spider-Man, unique use of animation, funny, good use of multiverse that adds to the nature of the story being told, complicated character dynamics

It's the best animated movie because A: it takes one of the most well known comic characters of all time, kills him off in the first few minutes, and then shows you every cooler version of him. B: Has a large amount of representation in its main cast, considering that they're all versions of Spiderman, and that requires a white guy by default. C: everything in it is so well done I can't pick a favorite scene, but the most iconic is the jump off the skyscraper window.

The animation is incredible, the movie has so much story and heart, and there’s a perfect balance between humor and seriousness. And the soundtrack slaps

This is probably the best animated film I've ever seen. The animation is definitely the highlight, the way they blend comic book art styles and 3D animation is an absolute joy to look at and is so overwhelmingly creative, every frame of this movie is gorgeous. The impact this had on the industry is undeniable, as we start to see more and more movies getting more creative with their animation styles. It's not just the animation though. All of the characters are entertaining, all of the jokes land and the story is really well done. It leaves me blown away every time I watch it.

This movie kind of changed the western animation industry from the ground up. Apart from being expertly written, funny, and heartfelt, it is also stellarly animated, with a unique visual style that takes direct inspiration from the comic books it adapts and mixes 2d- and 3d-animation in a way and to a degree that hadn't really been seen before in western mainstream. Its critical and monetary success paved the way for mainstream 3d animation to open up to new and excitingly stylised movies that were like a breath of fresh air between the generic Pixar-style animation that had been the largely unchanged norm in the industry since Toy Story circa twenty years earlier**. ITSV divides the screen like panels on a comic page, it uses dots and lines for shading and gradients, doesn't shy away from lowering framerates for stylisation, and makes liberal use of onomatopoeia, both to comedic and dramatic impact. Impact frames and SFX are often hand-drawn and stunningly colourful, and even the simple dialogue scenes astonish with an expressiveness and realism in their depiction of emotions that makes me rewatch a two-second scene of Miles laughing fifteen times in a row. My favourite scene has to be the What's Up Danger scene, the emotional climax of the movie. Set to an absolute banger of a song, it is the moment the entire film has been building up to. I won't spoil anything plot-wise in case you somehow haven't seen this movie, but both from an emotional and a visual standpoint it is Fucking Dope. Conclusion: Spider-Man: Into the Spiderverse is my favourite movie of all time and I could talk about it for hours. If you haven't seen it, go watch it. Thank you.

Have you SEEN the Whats Up Danger/rising and falling scene? it's a work of art that makes me fall in love with storytelling all over again whenever I see it. Also the impact that it's had on animated film is absolutely being felt at current, if incrementally. Incredible film.

It has an amazing art style based on comics and mixed up due to genre differences. It's really fun and the characters are great, even the side ones. The story line is great and I love Miles and his family.

*Mod note: errr, quite a lot more than memes and music actually

**Mod note: amen

#The Lorax #Spider-Man Into the Spider-Verse #best animated movie #round 2 #tournament poll #tumblr's favorite

[nayeonline]

my 5 favourite k-pop music videos <3

I love music videos, and in k-pop there are a lot of mildy shitty ones, but there are also some amazing ones that are just as iconic as they are aesthetically pleasing. Obviously budget will come into play here, so big 4 groups will be more prevalent on this list, but I tried to be as fair as possible, within reason. Also, I'm a girl group stan, so don't expect many boy groups. Obviously I will forget some, but maybe I'll make a part two, and you are very welcome to leave your fave mvs in the rbs or comments. This list is in no particular order, lets gaur

1. 'Feel Special' - TWICE (JYP Ent.)

This music video inspired this list, and for good reason. 'Feel Special' is in my opinion, the epitome of Twice, as they stand today. It encapsulates their more mature concept post 'Yes Or Yes', but it doesn't alienate their debut cuter concept, it rather welcomes it with open arms and celebrates it as a part of Twice's history, something their newer releases occasionally struggle with. Visually its a feast, its decadent and lavish, and positively gorgeous. Each member has her own movie-esque set, employing various genres and aesthetics, and then the members unite in the most glittery set ever concieved, the gold contrasting their raspberry and champagne outfits magnificently, while also referencing the group's official colours, as seen on their lightstick. The whole video is cinematic and opulent, and every detail, down to Sana's dip died pink hair, and Nayeon's stunning ginger curls which I wish she would bring back, is flawless. The only gripe I have is Chaeyoung's unblended foundation in her solo scene, but hey, we aren't all be perfect. My favourite scenes in this video are the afor-mentioned glittery golden arches group scene, as well as Jihyo's rainbow vintage television scene, that was surprisingly ahead of its time in terms of its retro aesthetics. It's a must-watch music video for the history books, and it's Twice's best song too - it deserves no less.

2. 'Why Not?' - LOONA (BlockBerry Creative - ew)

Note: If you would like to watch this m/v, please stream it from a non official yt channel, in accordance with the boycott. They will usually be marked with 'Boycott Ver.' in the title or something similar.

Loona has a lot of amazing music videos in their arsenal, but 'Why Not?' goes above and beyond. It's one of the most visually striking music videos I have ever seen, and its grasp on colour, composition, and rhythm is completely unparalleled. It's vibrancy is just gorgeous, full of neon lights and shining metallics. The video exists in a constant state of dichotomy: both cool and warm, metropolitan and pastoral, manmade and fantastical. You would assume this would ruin the video's visual message, but the contrast actually enhances it, as well as furthering the group's lore. it's unafraid to experiment with aspect ratio and camera movement, and along with the subversive editing, the final product is unique as well as timeless. Who cares that the last five scenes were neon and retro-futuristic? It's time for Heejin and Hyunjin's black and white minimalist mildly 1920s suited up dance break with a 4:3 aspect ratio of course! As the song itself says, why not? It's as playful as the song, as well as being visually stunning. My favourite scenes include Choerry's upside down mirror moment with the neon lights, as well as Kim Lip in the field with the funky glowing orbs, and of course the cult circle on the moon scene. Fucking iconic.

3. 'Ditto' (Sides A & B) - NewJeans (Ador)

Note: I have a full review of this song, if you are interested.

Where the other videos on this list are overwhelmingly vibrant or cinematic, 'Ditto' is understated and personal. Arguably one of the most influential k-pop music videos of all time, it breaks every rule of what a music video of this genre looks and feels like, rejecting glamour and high fashion for an unromanticized schoolgirl aesthetic surrounded with melancholy. It's heartfelt and unassumingly tragic, and truly makes the viewer yearn for a time they only half remember. It is one of the most beautiful pieces of cinema I have ever seen, and I am so happy that K-pop stans loved it to death as I did, despite how starkly different it is to most everything in k-pop before it. It does however remind me of f(x)'s '4 Walls' m/v, which isn't a shock as Min Heejin (ew) was their creative director also. It also has vibes of the cult classic (?) Japanese movie 'All About Lily Chou Chou'. It has sparked many trends in the industry, including but not limited to: b-roll interspersions, the typical schoolgirl aesthetic, and the general rejection of the polished, glitzy vibe we expect of k-pop idols. Their impact on trends is notable, but in my opinion, no one has executed this aesthetic to the standard that NewJeans has. The unassuming tragic beauty of 'Ditto' is difficult to put into words, you must go and watch the two music videos for it - they are life changing.

4. 'Kill This Love' - BLACKPINK (YG Ent.)

Say what you will about Blackpink, but they KNOW how to do a music video, and 'Kill This Love' is one of their best; it is beyond extravagant. The sets are huge and striking and insane - Jennie floats on the heads of two enormous swans and all four girls dance in the middle of a huge fucking BEAR TRAP and its ridiculously cool. The fashion and styling is amazing too - my fave looks include Jennie's Lara Croft moment with the braid, Lisa's big ass fur coat from her cereal scene, and Jennie's gorgeous eye makeup from her shopping scene with Lisa. In a word, 'Kill This Love' is extra(vagant). Even the scenes that are conceptually ordinary - Lisa's cereal aisle, Rosé crying in her car - are elevated into the extraordinary. There is no real storyline or through line between the scenes other than their saturated colour palettes and the members themselves, but who cares? The members look like fucking goddesses, the dance looks amazing, and there are MULTIPLE jaw-drop moments throughout the runtime - what more do you want? Where 'Ditto' rejects the typical k-pop visual aesthetics, 'Kill This Love' epitomizes them. If I wanted to explain to western pop stan what k-pop is about, this is the video I would show them first. My favourite scenes include: the group scene with the exploding statues and the bad bitch combat outfits, Rosé caught in the storm with beautiful lighting, and THE BEST SCENE IN A BLACKPINK MUSIC VIDEO EVERRRR... Jisoo's goddess moment with the sun and the reflections. Nobody does music videos quite like Blackpink.

5. 'What Is Love?' - TWICE (JYP Ent.)

This music video is so unbelievably special to me. It doesn't break any boundaries with camera movement, editing, or aspect ratio like 'Why Not?', and it doesn't entirely reinvent the typical k-pop music video like 'Ditto' either, but I think it is one of the best music videos ever because it is so FUN. 'What Is Love' is a music video that is a series of references to iconic movies, most of which being about love, as the title suggests. It harkens back to 'La La Land', 'La Boum', 'Pulp Fiction', 'The Princess Diaries', and many more, with the girls playing the characters, on their fictional discovery of what love truly is. It's so special to me because it reminds me of doing exactly what the girls are doing with my best friends and my big sister - trying to learn what love is from the movies is something almost everyone has experienced, and thus the whole video feels nostalgic both for its references, and for its overall concept. It's fun and lighthearted and a memory of simpler times. Oh, to be a 12 year old obsessed with 'The Princess Diaries' again, to be a tween watching 'Pulp Fiction' with your big sister when it's probably not age appropriate, to be young teen watching 'La La Land' right when it came out. What a time to be alive. That's what 'What Is Love?' is, it's a celebration of life, of growing up, of being just a little naive and knowing it. Iconic, truly.

#this was so fun #should i do a part 2??? #lmk ur fave mvs too #twice #feel special #what is love #sana #mina #momo #jihyo #nayeon #jeongyeon #tzuyu #dahyun #chaeyoung #loona #loona boycott #why not #loona why not #loona ot12 #jinsoul #choerry #kim lip #yves #chuu #olivia hye #gowon #yeojin #heejin #hyunjin

[27emailsicantsend]

Season 3, Episode 7 Thoughts

I know this is literally me skipping straight to the end, but I absolutely love seeing Maddox doing the opening recap. I’ll be honest, I thought she was just going to be a series regular for this season only and that the Maddox/jet storyline was just for this season. It was going to be wrapped up in a pretty bow for camp. But the ending with Maddox having feelings for Ashlyn makes it seem like this isn’t the end? I don’t know if they will have her return next season (which idk how because I think they’re from Cali, not SLC) or have her and Ashlyn writing and then maybe bring her back for an episode or two next season? I’m just really curious how this storyline will play out. That’s the one thing about this show. I see storylines (like ricky and lily) and think they’re going to go on and on and they end in like, one episode. But then I see other ones (like p*w needing to break up) and think they will end in a few episodes and they go on for longer than expected. I really am kept on my toes quite a bit with this show

Lol this is a small detail but during the recap they overlap the sounds from one scene to the next and when EJ rejects Gina’s promposal, the show overlapped that scene with the cheers from color wars and Jet winning 😭 I’m weak that is so funny

This is going to sound freaking weird, but I loved the scene of ricky eating the pizza. It was really cinematic?? Like the budget was showing. Idk why it all went to Richard shoving his face full of hot grease but I’ll take it. It kind of reminded me of a scene you would have seen in something like those cartoons come to movie (captain underpants, diary of a wimpy kid, etc.)

Also i doubt Joshua was acting at that point because i heard that’s why people don’t eat a lot in movie scenes: because they have to take bites for every single take. And having to eat bites of something for 20 takes in a row can really add up… so he might have been feeling a little ill after depending on how many takes this scene was

Lol the fact that ej was compared to a 1980’s villain and then wears THAT attire to the dance (it could be late 1970’s). He really went fully into character 😂

I LOVE Carlos and ricky’s friendship. Ricky helped Carlos with seb and I think Carlos not only caught on to what gina was saying last season when she talked about “someone” bothering her, but he also sees that ricky has the hots for gina, so he might have connected some dots. I’ve been saying this for a hot minute now but I think Carlos and Ashlyn are going to be key players in rina getting together and they kind of already have been. Ashlyn knows Gina’s backstory and Carlos knows about Ricky’s crush and that gina was bothered by “someone” (him) last season. It’s going to be cool to see how it all plays out, but I love Carlos being on the lookout for ricky. Especially where he can be known to “instigate” or “stir up drama”, I think he and ricky have a good enough friendship that Carlos has his back and that’s why he warned ricky the confession could be shown sooner than he thinks. I’m totally rambling but it’s only because it makes me feel soft inside 🥺

And Carlos used his one phone call to know more about the tea?? I don’t think it was all for ricky, but like, he probably asked because he was looking out for him. I’m just AHHHHH

Ricky throwing up over gina. He screamed (yelling at the cameras and Corbin about best summer ever), he cried (in his bunk), and now he’s throwing up. The perfect trifecta ❤️

I loveeee seeing all the girlies get dressed up beforehand together. It’s just so cute. Some of my favorite moments with my friends are just in the time we’re getting ready before we go out and we just hype each other up. This scene just brings back those happy mems ❤️

This has been pointed out on tumblr (as well as some of my other thoughts probably so I’m sorry if I’m a little repetitive) but I love that Gina talks about the possible history of camp prom and then they parallel it with ricky. Great minds think alike ig

Ashlyn you’re so cute!! And I love that they made her coming out a big thing for her but not big in a negative way. They kind of handled that scenario more with Maddox, but with Ashlyn it’s just been chill. She learned more about herself like she would a new hobby, and she finds it positive because “her dating pool got bigger”. It was also cute to hear her say she has a crush on Val. Obviously there is going to be some… discussions had when she gets with big red again because they’ve made it clear this season they’re still talking, but for now I am just enjoying seeing Ashlyn finally accept who I have seen her be since season one with her sword 😂

Something that bothers me about gina saying in front of all the girls, including Ashlyn EJ’s COUSIN, is that she felt like EJ’s been ignoring her. I guess maybe they didn’t want to make it their business but why didn’t anyone say anything? Is it because they thought gina could handle it on her own? Idk it just makes me sad that they knew he’s been a tool but it seems everyone’s kept quiet with him

JET

They really were leaning into the 70’s vibe with him huh 😭 it’s so good. I just can’t stop thinking of him sitting in the cabin picking his hair to get it that big and it’s like, one my favorite hc’s ever. Maybe he had the other boys helping him? Lol

“No I already did that jet” PLS Maddox you dont have to be so loud

Ricky and his cleavage is SENDING me. Boy, if only 😂 i saw someone post pics of him on twitter where he wore even deeper v necks irl (josh) and i just love when shows make little call outs like this. Like in Valentine’s Day when Taylor Lautner says he is uncomfy taking his shirt off. Just GOLD

There’s some camper in the background getting dressed and to idle he is doing little dance moves and I don’t know why but it’s killing me 😂 like he couldn’t think of anything else to do. And then sometimes he just stands there like 🧍 Just watch him next time you rewatch this scene hahahaha

“Like slapping?” PLS RICHARD again why is everyone on this show so LOUD. Just so out of pocket and for what 😭

I love that JOJO is a guest star but is still wearing the most Jojo siwa outfit I could think of. They really weren’t going to let her get out of loads of colors and sparkles

I actually feel a little bad for Jet. Like I know he screwed up but over time we’ve learned that a lot of his actions weren’t intentional and I think Maddox just refused to listen to his side so much that is caused more catastrophe than what it was worth. This scene was hard to watch because it seemed like Maddox didn’t care what the explanation was going to be or how hard he was trying, she was still going to decide to be mad. I’m glad they didn’t drag it on much past this because I think I would have started to dislike Maddox instead of understanding her side, which is not what I wanted to do

Lol Maddox saying, “maybe I do need a friend” and jojo just nods like, “please girl I know” hahahahaa I don’t think jojo meant to make that face though

This is completely irrelevant but I remember watching this thinking how much I wouldn’t enjoy this dance because I wouldn’t know ANY of the music. I’m probably in the older crowd of people who watch this show and even I don’t know a lot of 70’s music so I don’t know how literal gen x’ers would be having that much fun dancing to it

Carlos you do NOT look like miss Edna from hairspray. Hairspray is one of my FAVORITE movies of all time and that is not what he is giving 😂 i don’t get this joke. I think there were about a million other references that would have gotten closer. I think he looks more like a Cheetah Girl than anything but that’s just me

Look I KNOW ej is stressed about the play, but ricky is right. He could have waited even an hour or two and then returned back to his work. As much as EJ doesn’t want to be like his dad, the workaholic side seems exactly like a “Cash” quality and I don’t know that he realizes that yet

Interesting that ej chose a quote about Kristoff wondering why Anna chose to be in a relationship with a guy she just met. This was foreshadowing to the break up later, no doubt

Also if you have the captions on, ricky says in quotes “wait. You got engaged to someone you just met?” And then NOT in quotes, to Carlos, he says “he’s got a point” (talking about Kristoff). Even ricky is wondering why someone would just jump into a relationship with someone they barely know. I know this is definitely more towards p*w, but this could also reflect ricky trying to date lily as a last resort as well. There are just layers and layers to this show guys

THE BEST PART

YES RICKY CHOKE

I mean what-

Just like this man is literally DUMBFOUNDED by Gina’s beauty

His reaction is 10 times bigger than her own boyfriend’s

I said this before but her BOYFRIEND asked if ricky was ok. If ricky needed air 😭

Ricky’s eyes are THE BIGGEST heart eyes i ever did see. The other time they get this big is in their convo scene outside the barn when they’re on the bench

And also gina left him speechless??? Like that’s queen behavior.

Not only is he speechless but he is sweating and shaking!!! Someone get this boy some milk! 🥛

Like gina honey, ej was never going to care about you like ricky does and this whole scene proves it

Not to mention ricky and Carlos see her first… EJ looks up a few seconds later when he’s not so immersed in his work! They purposely leave him looking up a little bit later in the camera. That is symbolism people!! He is putting his work and everything else in front of seeing gina. He looks at her second because the person who puts her first is already looking! (They do this again later in the episode when she is sad and looking for ej and the person who sees her first, ricky, is already looking at her yet again!)

And can we talk about the ROMCOMIFICATION of this entire episode… well season? I know it’s intentionally supposed to feel like one but this scene did it justice. The slow motion, music in the background, gasps ricky is trying to gasp next to her boyfriend… I literally feel like I’m just watching one of my favorite movies right now. AND, this is my favorite “boy sees pretty girl” reaction I think I have ever seen… ever. Which is saying a lot because I watch a LOT of romance.

And like, they show Ricky’s face first and you just KNOW that he sees gina. EJ’s dialogue about needing to “stay in the zone” helps set this up, but even without it, you can just tell how WHIPPED this man is from the second he sees her. And while we never saw it, let’s not pretend he didn’t do this every time he saw her this season because she honestly looked SO CUTE in every outfit

All 3 girls were serving breakfast lunch and dinner as they should!!!

Again the show breaking the fourth wall “you refuse to dance in front of people” “I have two left feet” and one of the biggest things jojo is known for is dancing hahahaha

I love the swing in the cabin it’s so cute

I like that Maddox’s parents weren’t upset about her being gay. They alluded to this in the first few episodes, so I’m glad that was a misdirect and that her parents were nice to her about it

“The night’s not over, neither is the summer” I really hope this means that some of the characters spend time together throughout the summer and that the show talks about it a little in s4. I answered an ask tonight about this and how cute it would be if rina spends summer together before school starts

THE PIN ARE YOU K-WORDING ME

But does anyone realize the implications of this!! We never see Ashlyn tell anyone she is queer in the show but Carlos shows up with the pin. And she talks about it a little in the cabin when she talks about “vibes”. This means that within the span of one night she’s already opening up to people about it which I think is so sweet! I am just so 🥺🥺 proud of her!

As much as ej has been not the ✨greatest✨ I really appreciated this part with him reassuring Carlos. It brings me back to the other seasons EJ’s which i liked quite a bit. (Aside from the beginning of season 1). It feels very much like something HE would say and not this self-centered version he’s becoming. I like seeing that part of him still inside him.

I also feel really fondly of Carlos storyline because body image is something frequently addressed in women. While it is a bigger concern for women, it doesn’t mean that men don’t deal with it. You ever wonder why there are gym rats that are typically male? That’s typically a body image/low self-esteem thing they are trying to cope with. It’s nice to see some male perspective on this topic too ❤️

SEBBYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY he is so cute 🥺 the show feels so much more whole with him back. I am really excited to see the full cast (ig outside of nini) back together next season. They just work so well together and play off each other in a really nice way. It’ll feel complete 💕

I’ve also seen this talked about so i wont say too much on this, but I think it’s really important that we recognize why ricky didn’t say anything when gina asked him to dance. This shows his character development. He actually looks a little misty eyed when gina asks (like seriously i have it paused rn and it looks like he might cry). And I think that’s because he might feel not only a little like a second choice, but also because he wants to dance with her so bad but knows it would be hurtful to ej after their little back and forth they’ve done all season. Literally three cheers to josh for his acting this season because WOW. You can just see so much complexity behind his thoughts in this moment and really feel the hurt, confusion, and fear that he’s working through in that moment. He walks away out of overwhelm again and it’s just… AHHHH

I’ve seen some people say they don’t like this version of “I wouldn’t change a thing” and some of the other music this season but I actually have liked the campiness of the songs. I think they did a good job making them their own without taking away from what they used to be. This was a really fun version of this song and I think it was well performed

Also, I LOVED the line “maybe we’re ready to be happy again” are you kidding me?? 🥺 that was SO SWEET. It’s just so simple but I think that’s how sibling relationships work. While there might be tough dynamics at times, for the most part, a lot of the relationships started off as simple. Playing together, little fights on the playground, getting tucked into bed by your parents. This line brings back the simplicity of who they used to be and the song reempahsizes that because it was her favorite to sing when they were little. It was just a well-worded speech from Maddox

“If you’re thinking of dancing, you’ll regret it if you don’t” MR CASWELL. ELTON JOHN. Do you have ANY idea the words you speak? Or do you just say words and hope they mean something? Because his emotional insight as of right now is about at a 0 🙄

And then he LOOKS AT GINA and walks out?? Either he knows he messed up big time or he really just could care less about making things right with her. I think both things might be true at this point. I didn’t even notice him leave this part until this second watch around. Elton john is who is gonna drive me insane song, that’s who

Ok seb chile like this song wasn’t even meant for them but they just ran up and took the mic and the seb decided to absolutely slaughter everyone else’s performance with his vocal run but slay ig

I made a post about this already but the lyrics they used to overlap this scene with gina being sad because the partner she was SUPPOSED to have the last dance with was ej. But as I noted earlier homeboy left. So when she looks, she sees ricky (also noted above that he’s already looking at her). “I can’t stay mad at you for anything” “we’re Venus and mars” (completely different planets- gina is change and ricky is stability), “the harmony to every song i sing” gina is the music in ricky which is why he has the rina cue every time he gets stronger feelings for her. There are LAYERS TO THIS. I want to scream from the rooftops how much I love this show and I still don’t think it would be enough

And then Ricky trying to cheer her up?? But then he’s probably thinking he hurt her when he didn’t dance with her and that’s why she isn’t reacting, so then he stops. But also technically he is still dancing at gina (not really with but I digress)… so this could be like him still showing up for her in the best way he knows how. He is such a silly, sad boy 😭 literally just a golden retriever it hurts so bad

Did you hear how Ashlyn said “we have heard… SO much about you?” Oooh i don’t know that Maddox’s feelings are unreciprocated 👀

RIP P*WELL 2B-3x7 YOU WONT BE MISSED

This entire scene is just gina stating was Rina’s have been saying since day one about why p*w doesn’t work

Timberly GETS it or else it wouldn’t be stated so explicitly in the show

He is putting everything, even this important scene where gina wants to check in, before gina. Her asking him to put the binder down was a lot bigger than maybe this scene is making it out to be. She’s been asking him to put his work aside all season and she just never comes first to it

And listen, I said I don’t want to talk about this too much and I don’t, but the age gap allegations aren’t out of proportion! I’ve seen people say the age gap shouldn’t matter. If they love each other they will make it work… which yes and no. But gina is literally stating IN THE SHOW that their ages and life stages are in completely different points. That EJ isn’t a camper anymore; he’s acting more like an adult/post camper in charge of the younger ones.

Then when ej tries to make a point that ricky is the problem (an argument I’ve seen) gina again says, it’s not about him! Because it isn’t. Ricky had been minding his own business and just being a good friend. In fact he put p*w first several times above his own desire to be with gina. He even did it IN THIS EPISODE in front of gina when she asked him to dance. She states that she just wanted a future with ej! That the problem lies within p*w’s relationship!

And then she NAILS IT ON THE HEAD with what Rina’s have said a million and five times. Gina is CHANGE. She doesn’t want maybe. She wants stability. Someone who shows up and stays. Not someone who keeps her on her toes and uncertain all the time.

And that they were great for five minutes at the beginning of the summer. They were only a honeymoon phase like Hans and Anna!

“Could it really be over if it never got a chance to start?” But when it is boiled down to it, there were no fireworks. There was no chemistry. The thing that they were hoping and searching for that would make them last was never there (which was stated last episode)

SEBS COMEDIC TIMING IM DONE. THE SILENCE IS SO LOUD

And then him just walking away 😭

I saw someone comment about how they were thinking about how long and how hard seb must have been searching for ej just to say that and that makes this part SO MUCH FUNNIER

This gives the same energy as when the whole cast was fighting and ricky completely unprovoked was like, “JET AND MADDOX ARE SIBLINGS???”

Not ricky dumping his traumas from s1 on a stranger 😩

Ricky is SO soft in this season. What an interesting parallel AGAIN to gina wanting to come first and ricky literally leaves his convo halfway through to chase after her and make sure she’s ok 😭 I’m so-

And then the show just stating the parallel to the homecoming dance. The only other parallel i wish they had was gina pouring a drink on ej 😔 maybe in another life

But this scene shows so much care and compassion from ricky. When she drops the things out of her purse and he just reassures her that it’s really ok while helping her pick up the mess she’s made (read that last sentence again there might be symbolism there). He just wants to help her feel ok about her feelings and that is soooooo

And not only here, but later on when he’s about to reveal his crush, he sees that she is vulnerable and it’s not a good time. If he was a jerk he would do it at the time because he would care more about his needs getting met. That HE was heard and he got this worry off of his chest. It would be s1 ricky behavior. But this time, because he sees that gina just needs him to be there for her, he puts his needs aside to make sure she’s ok. “Love is putting someone else’s needs before your own”-Olaf.

But also look at Gina’s face when he tells her he has something to say. And the tone of her voice? You can’t tell me she didn’t sound excited? Intrigued? I think she was hoping ricky might have opened up about his feelings tonight but again, he knew it was the wrong time and place. But when it’s the right time? Right place? The payoff is going to be SO GOOD. And she said thank you when he told her it can wait. Like she appreciated him not putting too much on her right now since it wasn’t the right time. I don’t think she’s upset at all about waiting for what he has to say here.

THE RINA CUE I’M- just wheel me away 😭 I’m not gonna survive this season

Also I think Dewey cutting in was our way of knowing that it could have been a kiss but I also think it wasn’t supposed to be heavily implied. They don’t lean into it or get close enough to have one. They just look at each other close and it’s in these shared moments that we can see that spark between them. I said this in another post but their shared looks are almost more intimate than a kiss and I think that says something about just how deep their relationship goes.

Kourtney’s song being a prayer is so beautiful. She has mentioned being religious before (singing at church) and so I think it’s sweet hearing her bring this part of her into her music

Also Dara wrote such a lovely song. I am really impressed by the writing and singing talents of this whole cast. They’re just so talented and it shows well in these deeper moments.

Kourt climbing the wall to overcome her anxiety is symbolic of else climbing the mountain to overcome her fear. She talks about how her ice powers live in fear and the way to calm them is with love. We see that the love kourt feels from the other girls calms her enough to climb the wall. ❤️

Ricky and carlos calling each other bro is something so special to me?

Also i like that ej was the one who dunked ricky with water. Idk it kind of made me feel like this was the show hinting at them possibly becoming friends… again? I know it’s been debated if they were or not but at the beginning of the season and a couple times last season it seemed like their friendship was starting to go somewhere. The scene when ricky comes in the cabin and they both say their night was confusing…. I kind of wish we would have seen a little more than that. A discussion about why could have been healing and bonding for them, but I understand with time constraints and the need for gina to tell ricky she broke up with ej why they didn’t. I’m just saying… it might have been a nice scene. I really do hope that now that p*w is bones, maybe ricky and ej can find a place to try to heal their hurt friendship again

“You’re one of us now” this was so?????? After her feeling so left out and distant from everyone it was really sweet seeing them verbally say that she belongs

Carlos explaining the show premise to seb 😭 this is the seb i missed sm!!!! Can’t wait to have him back next season ❤️

RICKYS GLEE AND HUG when carlos called him his hero 😭😭 you cannot tell me they don’t have the SOFTEST friendship in the world. I’m so obsessed with their dynamic!!!!

And now that gina feels better, ricky starts to tell her but then he’s sees ej so he backs off? He KNOWS they’re broken up, but he AGAIN doesn’t want to put his fear (or need) in front of gina when she’s already been through so much that night. His decision to just hold off was a HUGE sign of his growth… especially with how quick and on the spot he made that decision

I already talked about this a lot in an ask so I won’t get too deep into it but I have been bothered by gina saying “friendly fibs” are ok when she went off so much about how she hates liars? I think she had to say it so that ricky wouldn’t feel bad about walking around what he wanted to say for the sake of not stressing gina out on an already difficult night… but this line felt SO counterintuitive? Idk. I just found it a little off? I’d love to hear your guys’ opinions on it though

And you can’t tell me gina didn’t know where this convo was going. The lead up to it was ricky talking about WDYKAL and how intense it was romantically… like cmon. My girl might be a little heart broken but she’s not stupid. This is gina porter we’re talking about here. I’m just waiting for the “say it”, so he ACTUALLY states what he feels instead of dancing around it one of these days. (Maybe episode 8??)

I don’t feel like we’re going to have to wait until next season for the pay off with this plot (of ricky confessing his feelings because of the doc). It would be weird for them to make a whole plot around Ricky’s feelings and this documentary, as well as the scene in the bushes for a whole season- just for there not to be any conclusion to it this season. The seasons, while a part of a whole show, still act as complete stories within themselves. The documentary and summer camp are a complete story that needs resolutions that lead into potential cliff hangers next season. I think gina will find out Ricky’s feelings because of the doc but the cliff hanger will be that we won’t know hers and they won’t get together until next season. That wraps up the storyline this season but still rolls over into the next season to make the season feel more enmeshed with the show as a whole

Ok ricky don’t act so excited they broke up 😭 lmaoooo

The third “good night Ricky” of the show 😭 and then the look back???? Why are andi Mack plots making an appearance in hsmtmts?? Lol

I’ve seen some people say she looked back because she knew there was more and wanted him to say it and ricky didn’t because he thought that him fibbing had ended that problem. Which yes, could be. And also look at that smile on her face?? Ooh she knows there’s more and it’s some VERY good news for her

But either way, gina is going to find out about the doc, so fibbing doesn’t really resolve his issue, but maybe he found resolve in just letting it be instead of trying to get on top of it or fix it due to stress. Ricky you’ve grown so much my boy 😭

The “buckle up” was another parallel to “buckle up wildcats” 🥰 cuteeeee

Also what the h*ck is gonna happen episode 8? As I’ve said in another post, reviewers said they aren’t getting early access. Literally ALL of us are in the dark outside of a couple of screenshots and a title. We knew drama would be stirred up ep 5 but people still had access to it, so to me that seems like the show wasn’t AS worried if a review accidentally said too much. But where this is SO secretive and we know Channing and Corbin want MORE drama than before, me thinks this episode is going to be 3x5 on steroids. Even Sofia said there will be twists and turns we weren’t expecting. I’m freaking scared for 3x8 😂 but also hyped. If you have any guesses or predictions (spoiler free please!!) feel free to send them my way!

I love how much Tim is putting into the show even OUTSIDE of it. His care for making sure things go exactly the way they need to makes these episodes more exciting and thought provoking. I just feel more invested in this show than I have in one in awhile and that feeling is really nice ❤️

Gosh this was long!!! I didn’t think I had so much to say but I guess I lied hahaha enjoy ig if you make it this far!

#rina #ricky Bowen #gina porter #ricky x gina #seblos #seb #carlos #hsmtmts #high school musical the musical the series #Maddox #jet #ashlyn caswell #Madison #episode 7 #episode thoughts #rambles

[thecriticalbuck]

Series Review - Moon Knight

Moon Knight is the latest Disney Plus series from Marvel Studios, with Jeremy Slater as head writer and Mohamed Diab as lead director. Starring Oscar Isaac, May Calamawy, Ethan Hawke and F. Murray Abraham, the series follows Isaac’s Stephen Grant, an English gift shop clerk at a history museum, who life is thrown into chaos as he uncovers a plot involving Egyptian gods, ancient relics, and a mercenary named Marc Spector who appears to be Grant himself.

As the first MCU Disney Plus series to showcase a new character to the franchise, let alone one as unique and complex as Moon Knight, all eyes were on what the series would bring to the everlasting Marvel Cinematic Universe. I personally was excited to see this character come to life; his design and backstory always fascinated me anytime he appeared in Marvel cartoons or video games I saw growing up. And it’s safe to say that Moon Knight, much like the character himself, is outright fascinating and complex, arguably one of the most well-thought-out, mature and emotionally resonant products to be delivered by Marvel Studios.

While all members of the cast and crew obvious contribute to the success of this series, it is no understatement that Oscar Isaac’s performance as the titular character is what brings the series to an entirely different level. For some context, Moon Knight in the comics is a character that typically suffers from Dissociative Identity Disorder, or multiple personalities. The series actively delves into this facet of Moon Knight, with Isaac portraying both American mercenary Marc Spector and English clerk Stephen Grant. While early on, Isaac’s accent switching and character choices around Grant seem obvious and silly. However, he stretches himself beyond what most other MCU actors get to do, delivering both incredibly impressive transitions between the characters of Grant and Spector, and some absolutely heart wrenching emotional beats, particularly in the fourth and fifth episodes.

All other cast members are in top gear as well. Calamawy portrays Layla, Spector’s wife who was unaware of his DID. Watching her develop a dynamic with Grant, a person she gets along with much easier than her actual husband, is a fun and interesting relationship to see unfold. Hawke does great as the villain of the series, cult leader Arthur Harrow who seeks to resurrect a malevolent Egyptian goddess named Ammit. And Abraham’s voice performance as Khonshu, the Egyptian mood god who gives Spector/Grant their title and abilities as Moon Knight is as humorously petty as it is eerily intimidating.

As with any MCU project, effects and art style are on point; the Egyptian aesthetic to the character of Moon Knight, as well as a majority of the story taking place in Cairo, is a unique choice for a Marvel project. Creatures and monsters that appear throughout the story are thoroughly creepy, and make for some fun action scenes. I also appreciate that the two identities of Spector and Grant each have their own “suit” when becoming Moon Knight. While Spector has the classic hooded superhero design, Grant’s suit is very much akin to the “Mr. Knight” look from the comics, and really helps establish the differences between the two identities and their unique skill sets.

If there is a complaint to be had, I would say Moon Knight suffers from the same syndrome that all the previous MCU Disney Plus shows seem to have, which is that of the rushed ending. Moon Knight’s last episode is the shortest of the six, and must cram in a lot of resolution in its short time. To be fair, it answers all the questions that are absolutely necessary, while leaving many doors open for continued exploration. But the risk here is that a lot of the story feels unresolved, and many of the more abstract and symbolic elements of the story somewhat confuse more than they highlight. For me it ultimately works, especially with the end credits scene (which I would argue is one of the best the MCU has made thus far). But this six episode series would likely benefit from being a seven episode series, as it would have more time to breathe and flesh out some of the catharsis further.

Despite a somewhat rushed ending, I stand by the opinion that Moon Knight is the best Disney Plus series to be produced by Marvel Studios thus far. It is likely one of the best productions to come from Marvel Studios in Phase 4, and could be one of their standout projects overall. Isaac delivers an outstanding performance that I hope he gets to continue in the future in whatever capacity he wishes. How this will fold into the larger universe remains to be seen, but if we can achieve even half of what Moon Knight achieves here in this limited run, I will happily see this character again and again.

9/10

#series review #marvel #mcu #moon knight #oscar isaac #may calamawy #ethan hawke #f murray abraham #marc spector #steven grant #jake lockley #layla el faouly #scarlet scarab #khonshu #mr knight #ammit #taweret

[new-losangeles-ca]

Pet-friendly Community

Owning pets, like dogs, provides numerous advantages to individuals. They offer companionship, reducing feelings of loneliness and promoting emotional well-being. Pets encourage physical activity through walks and play, contributing to a healthier lifestyle. Many people pamper their dogs due to the unconditional love and joy they bring, enhancing overall happiness. Eighth and Grand offers studio, two bedroom, and one bedroom apartments in downtown Los Angeles, delivering stylish urban living and recognizing the importance of pets. With a pet spa and dog run, residents can easily cater to their pets' needs, fostering a pet-friendly community and ensuring that residents and their furry companions enjoy a fulfilling and enriched living experience.

The Livability of Los Angeles, California

Los Angeles, CA, offers a mix of livability factors. Its diverse neighborhoods provide a range of cultural experiences, and the city is a cultural and entertainment hub. Outdoor enthusiasts enjoy its beaches, parks, and hiking trails. However, challenges include high housing costs, traffic congestion, and air quality issues. The quality of education and healthcare varies across areas. The climate is generally pleasant, but the risk of natural disasters like earthquakes and wildfires exists. The city has made efforts to improve public transportation and sustainability initiatives. Overall, LA's livability depends on personal preferences, with access to amenities and opportunities balanced against the challenges posed by its size and urban dynamics.

TCL Chinese Theatre

The TCL Chinese Theatre, located on the historic Hollywood Boulevard in Los Angeles, is an iconic movie palace symbol of the entertainment industry. Originally opened in 1927, it has hosted numerous film premieres and events, attracting celebrities and movie enthusiasts alike. The theater's most distinctive feature is its Forecourt of the Stars, where celebrity handprints, footprints, and signatures are immortalized in cement blocks. Renowned for its lavish decor, including a giant dragon on the facade, the TCL Chinese Theatre continues to showcase films in its grand auditorium while preserving its rich cinematic history. It is a must-visit destination for those seeking a connection to Hollywood's glamorous past.

Best Places to Experience Art in California

California is an excellent place to experience art due to its diverse and vibrant art scene. Cities like Los Angeles and San Francisco are cultural hubs with numerous museums, galleries, and public art installations. Los Angeles boasts renowned institutions like the Getty Center, LACMA, and the Broad, showcasing various artistic styles and periods. San Francisco offers the SFMOMA and de Young Museum, highlighting contemporary and classic art. Both cities also embrace street art and murals, creating an immersive artistic atmosphere. With a rich blend of local and international influences, California provides an inspiring environment for art enthusiasts to explore and engage with myriad creative expressions.

Link to maps

TCL Chinese Theatre 6925 Hollywood Blvd, Hollywood, CA 90028, United States Get on US-101 S 5 min (1.0 mi) Continue on US-101 S to W 6th St. Take the 6th St exit from CA-110 14 min (7.1 mi) Continue on W 6th St. Drive to S Grand Ave 3 min (0.5 mi) Eighth and Grand Apartments 770 S Grand Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90017, United States

[greensparty]

Movie Review: Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny

Has there even been an action movie hero as good as Indiana Jones? It’s a rhetorical question, but the fact that you’ve just thought about it means that Dr. Jones is easily #1 if not in the Top 5 action movie characters of all time! The very first Indiana Jones movie Raiders of the Lost Ark was released in June 1981. It marked the first collaboration between the cinematic icons director Steven Spielberg, producer/creator George Lucas, and star Harrison Ford. What I wouldn’t give to have been a fly on the wall as these three were on set making this epic action adventure. When I was 5 years old, this was released in theaters and being the Star Wars fan I was, I wanted to see it. But I got kind of scared in the first few minutes, so my Mom took me to Superman II in the next cinema over instead. Years later, after I saw the 1984 prequel Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, I re-watched Raiders and loved it. In English class in Junior High we did a whole dissection of the story and characters of Raiders and I had an even deeper appreciation for it. In 1989, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade was an adventure with Indy and his father that I saw opening weekend and loved. After traveling to Venice, Italy I had an even stronger respect for filming of the action scenes there. In 2008, a later-in-life Dr. Jones gets into a new Cold War adventure in Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. That one gets the worst wrap of them all it’s not as bad as everyone thinks. Bottom line, even when it’s bad, it’s still better than most adventure movies. Raiders stands as a near-perfect film: just one epic action set piece after another. Now the sequel from director James Mangold Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny opens this week.

movie poster

Here’s the plot overview to the best of my ability to not spoil: In a prologue during the Allied liberation of Europe in World War II in 1944, Indiana and colleague Basil Shaw (Toby Jones) are captured by the Nazi’s and Nazi scientist Jürgen Voller (Mads Mikkelsen) has found half of Archemedes Dial, which can enable time travel. Skip ahead to 1969, Dr. Jones is now divorced and he’s about to retire as a college professor. He is now a grumpy old man (you almost expect him to quote Dana Carvey’s SNL character or Clint Eastwood’s Gran Torino character). He is approached by Basil’s daughter who is also his God-daughter Helena (Phoebe Waller-Bridge) and she is after the half of the dial. But then as Voller and his goons are after Indy, Helena makes a run for it and Indy chases after her. They find themselves banding together, even if suspicious of the other, to find the other half of the dial. There’s also brief appearances from old friend Sallah (John Rhys-Davies) and ex Marion Ravenwood (Karen Allen, who I interviewed in 2017).

me with Karen Allen, who plays Marion Ravenwood, for an interview in 2017

One of the biggest complaints fans had about Indy 4 was that aliens do not belong in Indiana Jones’ movies. While you do have to suspend disbelief at the thought of one man taking on an entire army in chase after chase and an ark that makes Nazi’s heads explode, it is based in history and aliens make it sci-fi. Here with Indy 5, the haters are going to be unhappy that time travel is finding its way in. It’s not far from the historical themes of the previous films IMHO. The script is, well, not perfect and it’s definitely lacking Spielberg and Lucas. James Mangold is an able director (re-watch Cop Land or Walk the Line if you doubt it) and he is definitely bowing at the altar of Spielberg, but storywise it feels like it was made by a committee as opposed to a singular vision. Biggest complaint I have is Helena. Why did they have a daughter of a close friend we are only now learning about be the anchor for this story? I think a much better move would’ve been if it was the daughter of Short Round and that also would’ve brought back Ke Huy Quan (how cool would that have been?) and for the audience it would’ve been a deeper connection to the older films. Now that I’ve complained, let me just say it was definitely better than Indy 4 and boy is the nostalgia on full blast! Seeing Harrison Ford back as Indiana Jones...well, he could read the phone book in that hat and whip and it’d probably be exciting. This doesn’t rank nearly as high as Indy 1-3 and at times I wanted to just re-watch Raiders, but when it gets going and Indy is outrunning the bad guys on a horse in NYC, you know it’s going to be a fun ride, even if it can’t live up to its own legacy. There’s been loads of sequels and reboots lately, but this one had the biggest shoes to fill and it couldn’t possibly fill over 40 years of watching and re-watching a classic, but I give credit for trying. Again, a bad Indiana Jones movie is better than most adventure movies and having Harrison Ford at 80 give this legendary character a send off is worth seeing!

me hanging with Indiana Jones

For info on IJATDOD: https://www.lucasfilm.com/productions/indiana-jones-and-the-dial-of-destiny/

3.5 out of 5 stars

#indiana jones and the dial of destiny #indiana jones #james mangold #steven spielberg #george lucas #raiders of the lost ark #indiana jones and the temple of doom #indiana jones and the last crusade #indiana jones and the kingdom of crystal skulls #film geek #movie review #karen allen

[back-and-totheleft]

To mark the fifty-eighth anniversary of the assassination of President John F. Kennedy as well as the thirtieth anniversary of his landmark film JFK, three-time Oscar winner Oliver Stone returns to the scene of the crime in his new documentary JFK Revisited: Through the Looking Glass.

After scoring an Oscar for writing 1978’s Midnight Express, 1991’s JFK capped what is arguably the most meteoric rise of a filmmaker with a radical sensibility in Hollywood history. Stone’s 1986 classic grunt’s eye view of combat, Platoon, earned four Academy Award nominations and won four more, including Best Picture and Best Director. He was also nominated that year for Best Writing of both Platoon and Salvador, which explicitly opposed President Ronald Reagan’s Central America policy. The Vietnam War veteran won his second Best Director Oscar for 1989’s antiwar Born on the Fourth of July, which was also nominated in the Best Picture and Best Writing categories. Two years later, Stone’s enormously controversial but influential JFK received six nominations, including for Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Writing, and won in the editing and cinematography categories.

Less well-known, however, are Stone’s more recent documentaries about Fidel Castro, Yasser Arafat, Hugo Chavez, and 2012’s nonfiction miniseries for Showtime, The Untold History of the United States. Now, that cinematic scourge of the status quo is back with the nearly two-hour documentary JFK Revisited: Through the Looking Glass. In it, Stone goes further than he did in 1991 in trying to crack the case and reveal who the great helmsmen of Kennedy’s assassination were. The seventy-five-year-old auteur spoke with Jacobin via Zoom from his home in Los Angeles and proved, as the Russian revolutionary poet Vladimir Mayakovsky put it, there’s no gray hair in his soul.

ED RAMPELL There is an age-old debate as to whether or not art can change the world. But your movie JFK seems to have settled that question because after it was released in 1991, the President John F. Kennedy Assassination Records Collection Act (ARCA) was passed by the US Congress in 1992. What was that law, and what did it do?

OLIVER STONE The law mandated that a panel of citizens would examine the records — not all of them, but a good portion of them — then they would have access to them, and they could declassify them. I don’t know what the exceptions were. The Assassination Records Review Board lasted until 1998, it worked for four years, then they ran out of money. As US district court judge and chairman of the Assassination Records Review Board John R. Tunheim says in the film, it could have gone on for a long time, because there was a lot of information. But they did what they could, and they actually did some very good work. And that’s why we wanted to bring attention to it in the film. It’s a rare occurrence when a film can cause any kind of honesty on behalf of the government.

Let’s not kid ourselves on the government, the representatives — among them, Joe Biden — who voted for it and who recently classified the files again for another few years. They were giving in to public pressure — a lot of people wrote letters and were upset. One of the reasons they were upset was the House Select Committee on Assassinations’ (HSCA) files, as we said in the crawl at the end of the film, were closed until 2039, I believe. But they haven’t opened them. The House Select Committee has not given those files.

Nor have we seen files from the CIA, which are very important. And I’m talking about the agents around the case, around the Cuban community. People like George Joannides and David Atlee Phillips. E. Howard Hunt — who confessed on his death bed to a lot of stuff that was going on — as well as William Harvey, who was a very important agent with the Cuban station in Miami, who was around the edges of this assassination and a real Kennedy hater. These people were important. But also, more important, were Allen Dulles and Richard Helms. These were the guys who were the bigger fish.

ED RAMPELL What is some of the new and most important information you discovered because of ARCA and other sources since you made JFK in 1991?

OLIVER STONE You’re asking me a huge question. First of all, they declassified a lot of files; among them we find clear evidence that Kennedy wanted to withdraw from Vietnam, from the Pacific SecDef meetings in early May, ’63.

We find out that Lee Harvey Oswald has the fingerprints of intelligence all over him for years. They’ve been reading his mother’s mail for three, four years. He’s an agent — or he’s some kind of contact with the CIA. And he’s protected. Because he comes back from Russia, nobody talks to him, nobody debriefs him. But he’s sent on various assignments, in New Orleans, Fort Worth, and Dallas, until he can be used.

You have all the autopsy evidence, which we knew about back then, but now it’s more confirmed than ever. That there was a big hole, an avulsion wound in the back of Kennedy’s skull on the right side, which indicates clearly a shot from the front. [The Texas School Book Depository building, where Oswald purportedly fired from, was behind the president.]

It puts to shame the Warren Commission — we go into details of the fact that it was really a “Dulles Commission,” more than a Chief Justice Earl Warren Commission. Dulles controlled a lot of the proceedings and made sure the CIA did not reveal any information. They did not even know there were Cuban assassination plots. They did not know about the history of assassinations by the CIA. They were kept in the dark.

They did not know about the history of assassinations by the CIA. They were kept in the dark. The nurses, all the people at Parkland Hospital [where Kennedy died], they were talked to. We talked to the FBI agents James Sibert and Francis O’Neill, for example, who were at the Bethesda autopsy [of Kennedy], and with their own eyes, testified to the hole, to the wound, in the back of Kennedy’s skull. And when the official photographer John Stringer was asked again if these were his photos of the autopsy, he said, “Clearly, no. This is not my film.”

Also, in the shot, in the open car, his skull was seen flying off. Pieces — the Harper fragment was found in the street the next day [by William Harper at Dealey Plaza] and wasn’t admitted to testimony. [Conspiracy theorists consider the Harper fragment to be evidence that JFK was shot from the front, from the storied grassy knoll.]

President John F. Kennedy’s motorcade in Dealey Plaza in Dallas, Texas, where he was fatally shot. (Rob Wilson / Ixtlan Archive) The testimony of the three women in [the Texas School Book Depository building], the three secretaries — secretaries are very important, because they pay attention to details — the moments the shots are fired, they’re on the fourth floor, two of them run downstairs, within a minute — they never see Oswald in the staircase. Then Dorothy Garner, their supervisor, an older woman, who’s also very bright, she goes to the edge of the stairs and doesn’t see Oswald when she’s looking down. So, how does Oswald get the hell from the sixth floor down to the first floor in one minute, even less? You can’t stash the rifle, do all the things he’s supposed to have done on the sixth floor. Which leads me to believe he was not even on the sixth floor. A lot of people have said that already, and I believe it, but definitely, the way the bullets were laid out, the way the rifle was left, no fingerprints on the rifle — nothing could have held up in court. No fingerprints on the rifle at all—it’s not the same rifle! It’s not the same bullets. We go into all that. All of the original evidence from day one was corrupted.

ED RAMPELL A lot of this is in JFK Revisited: Through the Looking Glass.

OLIVER STONE We also have a lot of other details, like the movements of Oswald, the protection for Oswald, the “flash warning” that’s removed on him so that he’s not picked up before the Dallas visit. There’s a flash warning given by the FBI — that pulls off any Secret Service from picking up Oswald, which he would have been picked up on.

ED RAMPELL The single detail that is most chilling to me regarding the assassination is “the two Oswalds.” Can you tell us about that theory, and do you believe that’s true?

OLIVER STONE We went into that in the 1991 movie. In this version, we simply show the two other assassination attempts on Kennedy, in Tampa, Florida, and Chicago. In both cases we have an Oswald figure; he wouldn’t have been called “Oswald” necessarily. We have two men who are exactly the same profile as Oswald — marines, went to Russia, came back, and seemed to have agency [CIA] connections.

There was a tall building in both cases, which the motorcade was supposed to go by, the tall building was perfect to slow down the vehicle, like it was in Dallas, and the assassination would have occurred. The one in Chicago did not go forward because the Secret Service was warned and Kennedy canceled the trip. In Tampa, it did go forward, and nothing happened. But there was a lot of talk. In other words, they were look-alike assassination sites, exactly the same, with the same kind of profile. And also, both of these other men had also joined the Fair Play for Cuba Committee and were involved in pro-Castro activities. So, whoever was going to take the fall for the assassination had to have Castro links. Which indicates that they were trying to blame Cuba and the USSR for the assassination.

ED RAMPELL What has still not been declassified and released through ARCA and other sources?

OLIVER STONE House Select files, which have not been declassified. Those are the ones that originally — remember, they came to the conclusion that there was a conspiracy. That was classified right away. So, we don’t know exactly how they came to that conclusion. That’s a big deal.

In addition to that, of course, the CIA files. The Secret Service destroyed their files in 1995 because the investigators were barking around and asking questions about these two Kennedy trips to Chicago and Tampa. And of course, we know the story of Abraham Bolden — that’s an important story, the black Secret Service agent who Kennedy, it was one of his ideas to hire a black agent. He wanted to integrate the Secret Service.

We want to know more about these people, I mentioned some of them before to you, and that would be valuable — but we don’t know, because they’ve stonewalled from the beginning. For example, George Joannides, the guy who ran the Miami CIA station, very crucial in the Cuban community, was reappointed to work with the House Select Committee in 1975, ’76. But it was never revealed to HSCA Chief Counsel Robert Blakey that Joannides had worked with the Cuban community in 1963, ’64. That’s an outrageous thing. Blakey was shocked. He said, “I’ll never believe the CIA again. They told me he hadn’t been involved in the case. I wanted an objective, outside observer.” But Blakey was fooled by the CIA.

ED RAMPELL What do you suspect is the role of former CIA director Allen Dulles in the Kennedy liquidation and the cover-up?

OLIVER STONE Plays a huge role that we can never — we’ll never find a smoking gun that links him. But he was all over the case. After he got fired by Kennedy in ’61 he was bitter, he said so later to writer Willie Morris about his feelings about Kennedy, who he said “thought himself a god.” He was fired with two of his people. But Kennedy never cleaned house, which was huge. He should have gotten rid of everyone.

Because Helms basically took over the agency — he was the assistant to John McCone. McCone was an outsider — Helms ran the place, and Helms knows a lot. So, we should have the files on Helms, as much as possible. He was working with William Harvey — he brought Harvey back to work with the Cuban community.

We’ve been in forever wars — we never stop. And we know also know now from the film that Lyndon Johnson was against the withdrawal plan from Vietnam, you see. We have a phone conversation with him and Robert McNamara, and he says to McNamara, “You know, I was against you and the president.” He was very cocky at this point — but when he was vice president, he would shut up. So, you know that Lyndon Johnson totally opposed withdrawal from Vietnam, which Kennedy definitely wanted. McNamara made it very clear in his book that Kennedy was going to withdraw from Vietnam, win or lose. The same thing was said by McGeorge Bundy.

Now, you can argue that we don’t know what would have happened, but the man, Kennedy, we try to establish, was an anti-colonialist. He’d been involved in Algeria, he’d been involved in Vietnam as early as 1954. And he said repeatedly these Third World countries needed their independence, and he was against the concept of a Cold War, against communism being used as an excuse to suppress independence — in the Congo, in Vietnam, in Laos, in Algeria, all over the world. And in Latin America, especially, he was very strong with his Alliance for Progress.

All of that was scrapped when he was killed, by Johnson. All of that was scrapped. The whole era of hopefully progressive policies on the part of the American administration was changed. We went back to the old hardcore Dwight Eisenhower–Allen Dulles way of dealing with foreign countries.

ED RAMPELL So, what was Oswald’s actual involvement, and what role did he play?

OLIVER STONE Speculation, but I definitely don’t believe he was on the sixth floor. I believe he was working with contacts in the agency [CIA]. He had contacts — he was an informant for the FBI, too. He knew Jack Ruby, who killed him.

He knew he had been set up. I think that he knew he was in trouble. When you see the man in the corridor, you see a completely cool operator who knows how to behave in these situations. He wasn’t the so-called crazed, lone-nut assassin who screams, “I got him! I got him! I did it for my country!” All that shit — no. He was saying, “I need a lawyer.” He wanted a lawyer, which is one thing, and he said, “I don’t know anything about this.” Which is true — he didn’t know anything about the actual killing.

He really was a man, I think, who was cool under pressure. He talked with the authorities at the police station after several hours over Friday, Saturday, before he was moved on Sunday. But no records were kept of what he said.

ED RAMPELL Isn’t that strange?

OLIVER STONE Well, everything is very disturbing.

ED RAMPELL What would you say to somebody who dismisses the Kennedy assassination as just “ancient history”?

OLIVER STONE Oh, bullshit!

ED RAMPELL What is its relevance to today? Why is finding out the truth about who shot JFK so important in 2021 and beyond?

OLIVER STONE Because in 1963, our so-called democracy went down the drain. After Kennedy was killed, there’s been no American president — none! — who has been able to challenge the authority of intelligence agencies or the military. Their budgets keep growing, and they have carte blanche. In other words, no one can change what they’re doing, and they’re on a course to protect our national security — which, of course, they define in the most unrealistic terms. So, under that aegis, you can do pretty much whatever you want. You cannot touch national security as president — it’s a third rail in politics.

I think the media has no desire to bring this back as a subject. It’s a memory hole. But it’s very important because you have to behold American foreign policy, what we’ve been doing. We’ve been in forever wars — we never stop. That’s what Kennedy was fighting about — he was a warrior for peace, for peace. And he saw the problem of Pax Americana — his speech at American University, his desire for détente with the Soviet Union, and Cuba, too. He was a man who’d been to war, he knew war, he didn’t believe in the generals anymore. He thought they were old men who’d lost contact with reality.

Operation Northwoods, all the crazy schemes they devised to invade Cuba, shocked him, horrified him. That’s what he was dealing with — a war-state mentality that came out of the 1950s. It’s actually true, the Pentagon wanted war with Russia, they wanted to go for it now because they figured in the future Russia would build up its nuclear arms. And they wanted to get them now. This was the Curtis LeMay point of view.

-"Oliver Stone Talks to Jacobin About JFK’s Killing," Jacobin, Nov 21 2021

#oliver stone #jfk: destiny betrayed #jfk #jacobin

[tonkiteach]

Skylab studio nj

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#Skylab studio nj

[bananafilms]

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[thekatebridgerton]

Is it bad that I don't want Sophie Beckett to be a POC? It's because putting a POC in a Cinderella story (which Sophie and Benedict's story is), opens up to the dangerous white savior trope with the rich white man saving the oppressed POC working woman. I cannot think of any way to carefully handle that and still stay loyal to the books. But that doesn't mean Sophie has to be an english actress. If the show makes Sophie Irish, the show can still address the same issues about working women in Regency England with added historical accuracy - as we all know the British were beyond horrid d*cks to the Irish for centuries. And that's an understatement.

I’d like to point out that Nicola Coughlan is Irish. And that I do love the implication of the Featheringtons might Irish roots. Hopefully her Irish heritage will get brought up in the show next season. Your question does makes me wonder how well Nicola would have played Sophie if she’d been casted opposite Luke Thompson tho. 

Now put on your seatbelt anon you're about to hear a rant.

First of all let's get this out of the way, I am in no way opposed to seeing a black Cinderella on Bridgerton. One of the best Cinderella's in cinematic history was a black woman, which was Brandi in Roger and Hammerstein's. And Brandi's Cinderella is so great, beautiful, flawless in the way she played it that surpassing her has been the challenge of every Cinderella that came after including Lily James.

If someone like Brandi played Sophie, Bridgerton would rise so high, because there's something about a black woman not putting up with oppression any longer and quite literally giving Benedict the dressing down he deserves, that would be so cathartic for me. You wouldn't even notice the white savior trope because she would kick it out of the way with the force of her performance. The way the actress plays the role has a lot of power into how the character is perceived. Take Gugu Mbatha-Raw in any role ever. Most notably in 'Belle'. when she's on screen, the depth she gives to her performance makes white people look like they're not even trying. 

If Bridgerton did cast a black actress as Sophie, unless the actress was anything short of spectacular, her performance would be compared to Brandi. Because Brandi set the standard for POC Cinderella scenes.

Now let's leave aside that Benedict is a classist duck to Sophie for a moment. And focus on the fact that Sophie Beckett has arguably the most tragic backstory out of the four Bridgerton wives. Kate, Penelope and Lucy at least had families who gave a thought to their happiness. Sophie didn’t. Her backstory is going to hurt regardless of who plays the role, it’s literally written that way. 

Which brings us to my rant, if you examine the amount of times the Cinderella trope has been used in a movie or tv and cross reference that with the amount of times a non-white actress played the role, you start to see a disturbing trend. Which is this: when not performed by a white actress, Cinderella is performed by an actress of South American/Latino descent. Most recently Selena Gomez, Sofia Carson and Camilla Cabello. And Dania Ramirez in that season of OUAT I didn’t watch.

As a Latina myself if you think the slavery implication in the white savior trope is bad when Cinderella is played by a black actress then it's just as bad when it's performed by a Latina. People don't talk about it that much because Latina skin can pass for white under a certain tan booth light. But make no mistake, the implication is there. 

Hot take: Actresses with South American/Latino heritage, aren't all born to play the role of maids or any other type of oppressed citizens. Despite what Jlo made Hollywood think in Maid in Manhattan. In fact neither are black women. Bridgerton at least got that right when they cast a POC as Queen Charlotte.

If you cross reference the amount of times Cinderella has been played by a black woman in movie/tv and you get 1, which is Brandi, the Cinderella who set the bar really high. 2 if you decide to count Rags where Keke Palmer plays the prince (which I don’t count) but it’s worth mentioning. 

Rant ended back to Sophie and Benedict.

Now, with the exception of the casting of Daphne, ( which I think could have gone better, because Phoebe’s performance was lackluster compared to costars like Nicola Coughlan, Ruby Barker and Sabrina Bartlett) Bridgerton casting has always been really successful. I personally love who they picked as Kate and Edwina. From what I can see in the recent clips, Simone Ashley can give a lot of depth and nuance to Kate. 

I hope that they do the same for the casting of Sophie and bring in an actress who can portray Sophie as someone who refuses to be the victim and has never lost hope. Which is the beauty of Sophie’s character. Personally I’ve never seen an Asian Cinderella in western tv, if they cast an actress with Asian, Pacific or Caribbean heritage, they would actually BE breaking ground and doing something that hasn’t been done before. Even another Desi actress would do well in that role.

 I’m the first to raise my hand in favor of more Asian representation in Bridgerton because we didn’t get any in S1 and for a show that’s supposedly so diverse that kinda bummed me out. And it would also have less racist connotations because at that historical point in time, the British (in my limited understanding) had a less oppressive relationship with Asians. At least compared to other cultures that they were actively suppressing, enslaving or destroying. 

I still trust that Sophie’s actress will be spectacular, and hopefully she might make me feel something beyond boredom towards Benedict and redeem him in my eyes. Because out of all the Bridgertons I care about his manpain the least in An Offer From A Gentleman. And I still cared about his manpain the least in Bridgerton S1 (regardless of how well Luke Thompson played the character.). 

Ps: pardon if I used racial terms that offended anyone here. In my culture calling a person Black, White or Latina, isn’t seen as an insult. So if any of you got offended, it was completely unintentional. 

#sophie beckett #benedict bridgerton #An Offer From A Gentleman #bridgerton diversity! #but done right #this needs to be said

[goldlightsaber]

the dark knight

Here is another movie analysis/review that no one asked for about another personal favorite of mine.

The tension of The Dark Knight hinges on everyone underestimating the Joker. Everyone within the movie, that is. Christopher Nolan creates dramatic irony in that the audience knows something the characters don’t, such as: The Joker is fucking terrifying. The opening bank robbery scene tells us right away Joker is not to be trifled with — in a matter of minutes he steals probably millions (?) of dollars and kills all of his own men without blinking. Then we see his face and it’s lacerated and caked in frightening makeup. Right away the movie tells us, “This man has no regard for human life (including his own) and is more clever than all the men around him put together. Be scared.” 

Bruce Wayne and the mob aren’t so worried though. “One man or the entire mob? He can wait,” Batman tells Gordon when Gordon asks what Batman thinks about dealing with the Joker.

“Some two-bit whack job. Wears a cheap purple suit and makeup. He's not the problem,” Maroni tells his men and the other mob bosses in their meeting.

But the Joker is the problem, and he’s about to become an even bigger one. He makes his presence known a few moments later in the mob meeting -- and he’s unhinged, sociopathic, and dangerous. 

In essence, The Joker has been ringing a warning bell again and again but everyone chooses to ignore him, thinking he’s not much of a threat. 

The first half of the movie? Bruce is busy with other things. He’s hunting down Lao, the mob, stopping copycats, getting a new suit fitted. He isn’t very concerned about the Joker -- at least not until everyone Bruce loves is threatened. 

The first time the Joker really solidified his notoriety is in the scene where he murders Judge Surillo and Commissioner Loeb — the tension and drama of this sequence is UNPARALLELED, Han Zimmer’s high-paced musical score, the jumps from scene to scene as two of the Joker’s targets are killed off...and then boom, the Joker himself, coming after Harvey in Wayne Tower. Only then does Bruce start to look at him a little more closely.

What is so impressive about the movie is the layers it works with -- the complexity of the plot’s unraveling. It isn’t just A leads to B, it’s A B C stacked on top of 1, 2, and 3. I love to re-watch it because over the years, even with the amount of times I’ve watched it, I pick up on something new I haven’t noticed before. For instance: I never noticed that Bruce and Coleman Reese exchange a glance of recognition at the intersection accident -- I never even picked up the fact that Reese could recognize Bruce by face and that what that scene was meant to convey was how, after saving his life, Reese of course wouldn’t want to reveal Batman’s identity. A subtle conclusion to that whole side-plot (and this existence of smaller plot points is what makes the movie so rich and complex in the best way possible).

The Dark Knight also has my favorite ever Gotham (the Gothams throughout the trilogy are all a little different from each other) -- I love this cool, clean, metropolis with echo-ey streets. When I stayed in downtown Chicago a few years ago (where the movie was filmed), I was in absolute awe because it looked and felt exactly like The Dark Knight’s Gotham. I felt like I was in the movie.

Ugh, just look. ^ Nighttime Gotham is my favorite (as is Batman’s).

The Joker: I think enough has been said about how Heath Ledger completely changed the game for what it means to be a villain and how his performance is one of the best in all cinematic history. But I’ll add a few more words. I gasped at a few points in the film when he was on screen (even though I have seen it several times over the years). This was either in reaction to a) the violence of his actions or b) the seamlessness of the performance. And it never feels like a performance. It feels like Heath embodied the Joker mind, body, and soul (or total lack of soul). I, at times, felt truly spooked by the total lack of empathy and mirth behind his eyes. During one scene he almost rolls his eyes into the back of his head and I audibly gasped. It gave me shivers. 

As for my biggest criticism of the movie...

...the gaping absence of meaningful female roles. Rachel is there, of course, but she kind of does that thing where she functions as a sounding board for the agony and grief of the men in the movie, namely Harvey and Bruce. She has a few cool lawyer-y moments. Her biggest shining moment and display of agency, though, was her decision to marry Harvey and not Bruce. I think there was immense power in her decision to not wait around for Bruce  -- but I remember always disliking her for that choice because, of course, we are meant to sympathize with Bruce. How could she not wait for him? He’s Batman! He loves her! Frankly, she looks like an asshole making that decision. Here he is, putting his life on the line every night, but still faithfully loving her and asking her to wait just a little longer. Ugh! However, now that I’m older, I think she made the right decision. She’s right, she can’t wait around for Bruce to stop being Batman -- he could go on for-freaking-ever, it’s a part of him, and it’s unfair to make her wait. But I think everything about the way the situation is framed makes us want to sympathize with Bruce. I, however, think Rachel deserved sympathy too. Even though she’s framed as “not getting” the importance of Batman. It’s frustrating that Alfred has to explain to her that Harvey and Bruce understand that Batman is “something more than a hero.” He explains (mansplains?) because apparently she doesn’t get it.

Gordon’s wife is kind of written that way too -- she only ever really cries in the movie, angry and sad at the system that takes her husband away from her, similarly to how Rachel is upset about what is being done to Harvey. 

Another pattern in Nolan’s Batman films is the little Batman fan-boy. It’s never a girl, always a boy who happens to accidentally see Batman and be in awe of him. It’s not Gordon’s daughter, Barbara Gordon (a HUGE character in the comics!!!), who reacts to her daddy being involved in Batman’s drama. It’s his son. The daughter has no speaking lines. I’m pretty sure we don’t even get to see her face, it’s completely obscured throughout the whole movie, we only see the back of her head or the side of her face. It just makes me mad because it implies that only little boys think Batman is cool and only little boys like action and want to be super heroes. And like, no. Case in point: me being a fan of this movie. I can’t un-see it when I watch it and it’s my biggest pet peeve. 

The boat scene is iconic and the stuff of philosophical debate -- seriously, my Philosophy 101 professor played this scene in class to use it as a example on a lesson about moral choices. I think there is a lot of commentary to be made on how the movie portrays authority: the rich, criminals, law enforcement -- especially viewed from the lens of today. But I think the boat scene has a very timeless lesson about the great equalizer of death and how, stripped of their titles and positions in society, people are just fucking people, and a “regular citizen” is never necessarily better than a “prisoner.” It asks the question of: what makes a person good? Is it their adherence to the “rules” of society? Who makes those rules? Are the rule followers moral just for being rule followers? It’s like the Joker said: in their last moments, people show you who they really are. But he’s always counting on people to be selfish animals deep down, meanwhile Batman is counting on the opposite: that people can ascribe to a higher ideal the way he does. Luckily, in the conclusion of this scene, Batman turned out to be right.

I’m sure then, behind the walls of his “padded cell,” the Joker was livid finding out no one learned the truth about Harvey -- though the Joker appears to lack a motive other than for fun, he is very reliant on people succumbing to their baser instincts, and he would hate to find out that he failed to demoralize people (I don’t think he would’ve let Harvey’s image remain untarnished if he had come back...).

Hans Zimmer score: unbelievable. To die for. Those few melodic piano riffs in between the louder, booming action tracks: *chef’s kiss.* Coupled with the brilliant action sequences, his score makes the movie the heart-pumping action flick that it is (though that feels like a reductive description). 

And the ending: there’s something so beautiful in Batman’s sacrifice at the end of the movie. He is wiling to take the fall so that Harvey can remain a symbol of hope because hope is sometimes the only thing left to hold onto. Maybe it’s how Bruce functions too -- he needs to believe that Rachel would’ve chosen him if it weren’t for the mask, even though we, the audience, know it’s not true. But I think, to some extent, it keeps him going. It’s a pure intention -- to give people something to believe in so that they may live another day, may have some chance at happiness. I think Christopher Nolan has been masterful in wrapping up endings that way -- in some deep, emotional truth, in that sometimes we are soothed by faith, even if that faith is grounded in half-truths.

Overall, a stellar film.

#the dark knight #batman #dc #bruce wayne #the joker #joker #christopher nolan #film #cinema #heath ledger #the dark knight trilogy #rachel dawes #harvey dent #i've been trying to publish this for days now lol #kept getting distracted

[jq37]

The Case File – Mice and Murder Ep 1

The Case of the The Pernicious Party  

Hello, hello, hello! It’s been a hot second but your resident D20 recapper is back to tackle the newest season: Mice and Murder! Y’all had to know I wasn’t gonna sit out the murder mystery, are you kidding me???

I might be playing around with the format a bit in the coming weeks to make sure I have the best possible system for keeping track of possible clues, suspects, and theories as we untangle whatever web Brennan weaves for us this season so don’t be surprised if things change a little. 

Anyway, without further ado, onto our mystery!

Summary

In case you missed it, this season takes place in an alternate, Zootopia/Wind in the Willows-esque universe where all the characters are animals but history seems to have happened in more or less the same way--for example there was still a King Charles but he was a King Charles Spaniel (cute Brennan). Our story specifically takes place in the English village of Tufting Meadows.  

We start with Katie’s character--Gangie Green (Weasel/Thief Rogue) in the graveyard of the Anglican Chapel (Our Lady of Prayerful Paws). Gangie, we learn, is an orphan who was kicked out of the orphanage at some point for thievery. Obviously, he’s not reformed of the habit because he is here to do some graverobbing. On a nat 20 (that Katie hilariously doesn’t notice even though her total is like a 29) Gangie can see through the window of the rectory that there is a weeping window inside--Catherine McCabbage who is being (dubiously) tended to by Raph’s character, Vicar Ian Prescott (Owl/Bard, College of Eloquence). 

Ian comes from a line of men of the cloth but he’s not exactly the best speaker despite his subclass. He’s doing his best though! The widow’s husband (Conor McCabbage) died at the local mill in what has been declared an accident but she suspects foul play. She’s been hearing his voice on the wind and wants Ian’s professional opinion on whether this could be a sign from God or if her husband might be speaking to her from beyond the grave or something like that. Ian gives a very muddled and not very comforting answer but seems pretty sure that something sketchy did in fact happen. Then, he sees a crack of lightning outside which illuminates the graveyard where he gets a glimpse of Gangie. 

He goes to check it out (and Gangie fully has an elderly goat he’s dug up slung over his shoulder) but “gravedigger” is his legit job so Ian decides to assume whatever’s going on is legit and not ask too many questions. He goes back to the widow (who, before she leaves, says that maybe sometimes people need to work on God’s behalf) while Gangie takes the body Loam Hall (a massive manor, built into a hill).

We cut to the next day and our next two characters! 

At 22B Hamsted Street in a pretty well appointed home are Ally and Grant’s characters. First up, we have Lars Vandenchomp (Huge ass Doberman/Battlemaster Fighter) who is so tough looking but also so Swedish sounding--it’s A Lot (so, incredibly on brand for Ally). Lars is security for Grant’s character Sylvester Cross (Fox/Inquisitive Rogue) who is a kinda (to use Grant’s word) “foppish” Sherlock Holmes type. He was hired by Squire William Thornwall Brockhollow to figure out what happened with Conor McCabbage (and clear him of negligence in running the mill) but he couldn’t find any evidence of any funny business, making this the only case he’s never cracked. He’s not as young or popular as he once was so this is, understandably, bumming him out. He’s even more bummed out when he realizes that William has invited him to his 60th birthday party that’s happening that night (as kind of a prop to show that he did his part in trying to solve the mystery) and Lars has already RSVP’d yes. He grudgingly agrees to go as it’s one of those asks that’s really more of a veiled demand but decides to pull the money he was paid from the bank first so he can return it and really stick it to the guy.

Finally, we cut to our last set of PCs who are on their way to Tufting Meadows via a very luxurious train. Inside are Sam and Rekha’s characters! Sam is Buckster $ Boyd (Peccary which is like a small boar/Mastermind Rouge) a Texan Oil Tycoon who acts exactly how you’d expect a Texan Oil Pig to act. Yes, you pronounce the dollar sign as “dollar sign” (even though as we find out later his middle name is Cassius so it’s like Cash which I think is super cool). With him is Rekha’s character, Daisy D'umpstaire (Raccoon/Assassin (???) Rogue another American (from South Carolina) though it seems she’s My Fair Lady’d herself into an upper class socialite (her last name was previously Dumpster). They’re traveling with their accountant, an Armadillo named Armond who seems kinda skittish and concerned about their travel expenses but Buck tells him that to make money you gotta spend money and they’re gonna make a *ton* of money on this trip. They’re also so so mean to him for absolutely no reason. 

When the train stops, they’re greeted by Templeton Padhop (a frog, natch) who is the chauffeur of Loan Hall, sent to fetch them. A wheel on his car is broken so he joins in on the Armond abuse immediately and has Armond roll into an Armadillo ball and replace it. Poor guy. When they show up they're greeted by a footman--a pug in a bowler hat named Milo Snout.

Meanwhile, Lars and Sly (Oh, Sly fox, I see what you did there Grant) are similarly greeted by another footman--a lizard named Basil Baskins. On a 23 perception check, Lars sees that Jeremy “Jez” Brockhollow is inside (the son of William who is a badger btw) and also clocks Gangie (who they know as a career criminal who disappeared like a year ago). Gangie doesn’t notice Lars though. 

Ian, who is also invited, shows up at about the same time as Sly but very quickly, the conversation is taken over by Lucretia “Lucy” Brockhollow, William’s older, eccentric sister who immediately gets into it with Lars about astrology and the occult (she thinks bad stuff is happening because of a curse let loose when Sly’s old rival--a rabbit named Fletcher Cottonbottom who is the son of his former employer--opened an Egyptian tomb). They’re thick as thieves right away because Ally is a nonsense magnet. And not like a regular magnet, one of those big electromagnets. 

Daisy and Buck spot William’s kids--the aforementioned Jez and his older sister Constance--along with their husbands Dr. Corbin Magpie (Constance’s and obv a magpie and a doctor) and Osmond Sheffield (Jez’s who is a Ram and a lawyer). Daisy is too stuck in her conversation with a truly unhinged squirrel (Lady Eugenia Bristlebrush who clearly does not know she’s in a murder mystery because she just keeps talking about how much she hates and wants to kill everyone) to hear what’s going on but she indicates the conversation to Buck who is able to eavesdrop and hear that they’re lamenting that Catherine--the widow--RSVP’d no which is gonna look really bad, like they didn’t invite her (bad PR). 

Buck, introducing himself as a business partner of William, eases into a conversation with the husbands which their respective spouses also join into and we learn that Buck's dad was British and a friend of Willian’s. Buck bonds with Jez (who is a bit of a dilettante) really quickly since Buck is ready to go drinks-wise immediately (and there’s a stellar pun about the “American [Drinking] Constitution''). Through the window, Buck notices Gangie outside getting his attention. 

At the same time, Ian is going from party guest to party guest, giving out the penances he forgot to earlier at church (as one does). We see him talking to the Lord and Lady Bramble (a cow and hedgehog, respectively) and while she wants to pray her way out of situations without doing any legwork, he wants to buy his way out and gives Ian 250 pounds. A frustrating but financially lucrative conversation.  

Buck goes outside to talk to Gangie who has a list of names of the bodies he’s been collecting. We’re not told what Buck is doing but it seems that this list is extremely valuable to him in some way. Gangie (who Buck keeps calling Gangly, to his annoyance) pays him handsomely (like, with a 50% tip) for the list (and Gangie gives him the real list, despite Brennan saying he didn’t have to). We also learn that Gangie has allegedly been getting the orders from someone in Loa Hall and they flow from William himself.

Matilda Molesly (a mole and the head maid) invites Gangie to come in from the rain--she’s the only person who’s been consistently nice to him and he agrees to come in for tea and scones. 

Everyone is ushered together by the butler (because of course there’s a butler--he’s quite literally a fancy rat named Thomas Gilfoyle) and William gives a speech where he wishes Conor well and kinda highlights that he did hire Sly to solve the case in a “Hey, I did my bit don’t blame me” kind of way. He also makes a 150k pound donation to the church (and Ian thought 250 was good) and tells his daughter not to read the praise he got for it from the cardinal when she mentions it (I wonder if that was choreographed). Sly interrupts the speech to “magnanimously” give his money back, to William’s annoyance. Buck notices that Lawrence Longfoot (a nouveau rich, rabbit photographer) takes a pic of the scene but with Sly in the foreground and William in the background. 

Then, a few things happen at once (in a very cinematic way):

As the camera flashes, Mrs. Molesly drops her tray, eyes hurt by the light. Lady Calliope Fawnbrooke (Deer, Matron of the Arts) helps her up.

In the moment of dark, after the flash goes away, the butler disappears. 

Buck thinks he sees a shape through the window, out in the rain. 

A cheer goes up for Sly for returning the money but all Sly can focus on is one figure he recognizes in the back of the room. Daisy, who is downing her drink and not cheering for him. He downs his as well, and looks at her until she breaks the stare and leaves the room. 

And this episode doesn’t end with a dead body like I thought, but with a flashback to a younger Sylvester, 12 years ago when he first met Daisy.

PC INTERPERSONAL DRAMA Y’ALL!!! Get HYPED! 

Case Notes

Here is a compilation of all the characters (PCs and NPCs introduced in this episode). 

Sly mentions that Ignatius Cottonbottom faked his own death as a part of some scheme which seems like a backstory point that might come back later--we now know that there exists a way to convincingly fake your own death in this world. 

Sly walks with a walking stick because of some “mysterious accident” but we’re jumping into a flashback next week so it looks like we might find out about it pretty soon. 

Sly also mentions he used to be the personal physician to the elder Cottonbottom so those are skills he has. I wonder if that’ll be useful to this healer-less party. I wonder if cleric was even an option in this world which seems to be low to no magic. It would explain by Ian is a bad and not a cleric. 

Lars has a military background which I wanted to mention in case it becomes relevant later. 

And Dr. Magpie grew up poor and still acts it a bit even though he married a very rich woman. Brennan uses the very good line, “He forces his body into the shape of an apology”

This might be a really deep cut reference but did anyone else here was the old Britcom “Keeping Up Appearances”? Cause I was getting serious Bouquet/Bucket energy from Daisy. 

This is an all College Humor season and it shows. The energy of 6 (7 if you count Brennan) top notch comedians sparking off of each other, trying to one up each other is off the charts. Some of the best bits this episode:

“When God closes every door but one, you go through the door that is open.” followed by “I’m an owl by the way.”

“Time is money, here’s both” from Buck re his inscribed gold pocket watch--everyone at the table loved that so much and they’re right. 

Armond going from being a third to a fourth wheel. 

And the names--I already shouted out a ton on the main recap but also a rat butler (like Rhett Butler) and naming the mouse Cat(therine). Can’t forget Gangie Green/gangrene from Katie. Also points to Ally for the data stealing Eel Musk which broke Brennan a little. 

I know we just went through this with Crown of Candy but what are these animals eating? Like, in Zootopia there were only mammals so we can assume the carnivores are eating like birds and fish but there are sentient birds here. I know this isn’t important. I’m not trying to do a CinemaSins gotcha. I just wonder, you know?

Y’all were waiting for all the lights to go out during that speech and then come back on and there’d be a body too, right?

If Brennan makes the bad guy a chicken or a duck or something so he can make a “fowl play” joke, he is cordially invited to catch these hands. 

I have been waiting for Raph and Katie to do D20 forever. Their specific brand of nonsense on Rank Room was always amazing. 

I love love love that Grant and Rekha are the PCs that have ~a past~ because they are so funny together. If you haven’t seen their episode of Game Changers, you absolutely must (it’s also a murder mystery actually!). 

#dimension 20 #dimension 20 spoilers #mice and murder #mice and murder spoilers #the case file #points and also glares to camwritery for pointing out that grant also went for the silver fox pun #i will be fighting both of you at my earliest convenience

[weclassybouquetfun]

I had my date with destiny and it was amazing. 

Unlike most films which received multiple shuffling due to the pandemic, THE GREEN KNIGHT only had one losing its May 2020 release date (and a screening at the cancelled South By Southwest festival). That time allowed for director David Lowery to forego the more commercial cut of the film and edit it into the film it is now - a film slightly divisive due to it’s ambiguity, a more contemplative film on the meditation on what it is to be a good person and less an actioner. 

So not the Gawain of 2004′s KING ARTHUR played by Joel Edgerton.

But it’s for the good because I loved spending over 2 hours immersed in the lush, Irish landscape

and gazing at Dev Patel and his toned chest. 

Don’t take my word on Patel’s gorgeousness. Here’s what his costar, the sonorous voiced Ralph Inerson, The Green Knight himself said on a recent podcast. “(Dev) is very, very special and incredibly beautiful. As a 51-year old straight man he makes you doubt every now and again. He's so beautiful and an absolute brilliant actor. He's so soulful like very few actors you find at the level he's working at. He's intense in a way that makes sense. He brings everything to his performance. It's a joy to be working face-to-face and one-on-one scenes with him. He's one of the best I've ever worked with.”

Lowery tweaked many elements of the original poem and Arthurian legend by taking major plots and streamlining it, as well as streamlining characters. He also introduced a character  from another lore into this one (played by Erin Kellyman, THE FALCON AND THE WINTER SOLDIER).

and went further into Gawain’s interaction with a scavenger, played by go-to-creepy-character actor Barry Keoghan. 

More non-spoilerly THE GREEN KNIGHT talk.

I avoid trailers for films I really want to see so I don’t get spoiled, so I only had my idea of what the film would be. That idea was that it would be more action-adventure but after ten minutes I knew that wasn’t what this film was.  It really is like being lured into a tale, it felt very immersive thanks to Daniel Hart’s striking score and the cinematography. 

The performances were incredible. Patel is one of the best actors out there - just look at his recent roles and how he can play the gamut from dangerous leading man (THE WEDDING GUEST), comedy (THE PERSONAL HISTORY OF DAVID COPPERFIELD) and LION and THE GREEN KNIGHT both where he’s a someone driven by wanting to find the truth in who he is as a man. 

Gawain so close to greatness thanks to his uncle King Arthur (the sublime Sean Harris)

*David Lowery spoke of how they all pronounce Gawain (Ga-Wayne), but Sean Harris pronounces it Garr-win. Knowing that Harris puts so much thought into his character and choices, Lowery never corrected him. 

but ultimately someone who has yet to come into self, instead spending his days boozing and nights in a brothel in the bed of Essel (Alicia Vikander).  

Gawain begrudgingly starts on his path the the greatness he’s seeking when The Green Knight (Ralph Ineson) 

no CGI for Ineson (FaceTiming his wife on set). 

challenges King Arthur’s court with a “friendly Christmas game” where if the challenger lands a blow to The Green Knight, a year from then The Green Knight can land the same blow to the victor.  Gawain lands a successful blow and has to face the aftermath - a journey to the Green Chapel to let The Green Knight give his answering blow which could surely mean death to Gawain. 

Along the way he encounters people  such as The Lord and Lady (Edgerton, Vikander) whose motivations he, and the audience is unclear of: helpers or hindrances or something more?

I love that the film is open to interpretation and that is wholly cinematic with rich characterizations. 

- And for those of you counting - which is no one, just me, this film has four Armie and Timothee Cinematic Universe-rs. 

Of course Dev who was in HOTEL MUMBAI with Armie. 

Sean Harris and new father, Joel Edgerton were in THE KING with Timothee Chalamet.

Joel was to be in GASLIT with Sean Penn, Julia Roberts and Armie but he, like Armie, departed the gig for decidedly different reasons.

#the green knight #green knight #dev patel #ralph ineson #alicia vikander #sean harris #joel edgerton #film #films #cinema #movies #charmie cinematic universe #barry keoghan

[x--daughters-of-darkness--x]

HALESTORM: Behind-The-Scenes Footage From Making Of 'Back From The Dead' Video

HALESTORM has shared behind-the-scenes footage from the making of the official video for the band's new single, "Back From The Dead". The track is taken from the group's upcoming fifth full-length album, due in 2022. Directed by Dustin Haney (Noah Cyrus, Luke Combs) and produced by Revolution Pictures, the clip features frontwoman Lzzy Hale and the rest of the band in a morgue and cemetery somewhere between life and death.

Lzzy says: "'Back From The Dead' is about survival, not in a physical sense, even though I know we all have been touched by death especially these last few years. This song is personal and written from a mental health perspective. I wanted to give myself and the world a hard rock song we could shout out loud as the gates opened again. I was on the edge of this world getting completely lost in oblivion, but even though it was the harder of two choices, I didn't just let the darkness and depression in my mind dig me an early grave. I didn't just sit and let it take me. I've erased my name from my headstone, so save your prayers, I'm back! I hope this song, as I pass it on to you, reminds YOU of your strength individually and that you are not alone."

She continues: "The video was so much fun to film! Dustin Haney is an amazing director. Dustin and his team really helped bring my words to life and the video is one of the most cinematic pieces we've done in years! I hope this song, as I pass it on…reminds YOU of YOUR individual strength and that you are not Alone. Raise your horns!"

By breaking rules, bucking trends, and busting down doors, HALESTORM has surged through rock 'n' roll on a singular path without compromise or apology. Along the way, the Pennsylvania-bred and Nashville-based quartet — Lzzy Hale (vocals, guitar), Arejay Hale (drums), Joe Hottinger (guitar) and Josh Smith (bass) — has collected a Grammy Award, scored successive number ones at radio, garnered multiple gold and platinum certifications, and performed to sold out crowds on five continents.

Going against the grain again in 2021, the band weathered the flames of chaos in 2020 and returned stronger than ever with their most empowering and undeniable anthems to date.

"Throughout the pandemic, I was writing a lot of melancholic and hopeless songs about the ups and downs of the world," admits Lzzy. "I've been in this group longer than I haven't been in it. We've always had shows. Even when I was 13 years old, we had a couple of bowling alley gigs once a month. This was the first time I didn't know if we would ever play again. However, I started to use music in the same way I did as a teenager—to get myself through this situation that was plaguing us all. I sidestepped and said, 'Let's keep our heads up, get our attitude back, be a light in the dark for a second, and celebrate the fact we're surviving and there's hope for the future.' So, we started to write songs that were a reminder to ourselves of who we are and what we're capable of. That became the mission statement."

In a way, it's always been the mission statement…

Since roaring to life in 1998, HALESTORM has uplifted audiences with a combination of sonic ass-kicking, provocative songwriting, and unshakable hooks. The four-piece received a Grammy Award in the category of "Best Hard Rock/Metal Performance" for "Love Bites (So Do I)". The song also minted them as the first female-fronted band to hit #1 on the Active Rock radio charts. Thus far, their discography spans two gold albums "Halestorm" and "The Strange Case Of..." , a platinum single "I Miss The Misery", and two gold singles "Here's To Us" and "I Get Off". Between surpassing one billion cumulative streams worldwide, they've notched two consecutive Top 10 debuts on the Billboard Top 200 with "Into The Wild Life" (2015) and "Vicious" (2018). The latter represented a critical high watermark with Rolling Stone citing it as "a muscular, adventurous, and especially relevant rock record." In its wake, "Uncomfortable" emerged as their fourth #1 at rock radio and earned their second Grammy Award nomination, while Loudwire christened HALESTORM "Rock Artist Of The Decade" in 2019. Not to mention, they have supported everyone from HEAVEN & HELL and Alice Cooper to Joan Jett on the road.

Even as the world went dormant during 2020, Lzzy remained prolific. She lent her voice to collaborations with everyone from Dee Snider of TWISTED SISTER, IN THIS MOMENT, APOCALYPTICA, and Mark Morton of LAMB OF GOD to EVANESCENCE, Cory Marks, and Mongolian phenomenon THE HU. Additionally, she joined forces with a trio of legends — Corey Taylor of SLIPKNOT, Scott Ian of ANTHRAX and original SLAYER drummer Dave Lombardo — for the theme song to Netflix's "Thunder Force". Plus, the group contributed a cover of THE WHO's "Long Live Rock" to the documentary of the same name. Expanding her presence across television, she hosted the AXS TV "A Year In Music" series, joined the cast of Hit Parader's "No Cover" as a judge, provided the singing voice for Bella Thorne in the Prime Video hit "Paradise City" and launched her own show "Raise Your Horns" on Rolling Live. On the channel, she appeared in Mike Garson's David Bowie tribute with a performance of "Moonage Daydream" alongside Broadway star Lena Hall. She also participated in the platform's Ronnie James Dio tribute, supporting the Stand Up And Shout Cancer Fund.

At the same time, she remained a huge proponent of encouraging the dialogue around mental health. She participated in a Grammy Mental Health panel and empowered the next generation of rock musicians as the keynote speaker at the Little Kids Rock Modern Band Summit. She also made history as Gibson Guitars' first-ever female ambassador.

"I've learned a lot about myself through all of these different projects," she admits. "I said 'yes' to various adventures, and it made me a better artist."

Working out of her home studio in Nashville, Lzzy and the band channeled this renewed spirit into the music at the onset of 2021. Collaborating with Scott Stevens of THE EXIES, the musicians hit their stride and cooked up the single 'Back From The Dead'. Dramatic distortion and drums rumble as she screams, "I'm back from the dead!" HALESTORM come out swinging as punchy verses give way to a call-and-response chorus shocked to life with a searing solo and thunderous groove.

"We needed a reintroduction," she exclaims. "We needed something that simply said, 'Hey, we're back'. The live show is the time we feel as truly alive as we can be. When you walk out on stage with your guitar strapped on, your guys are next to you, and you have an audience looking at you, it's everything. We're celebrating the fact we're all back together again. Whatever it is that was trying to destroy that part of myself and my bandmates that our fans need couldn't do it. It failed miserably. We're fucking back."

From the moment the band graced the stage at a secret Nashville gig, they were indeed "back," albeit louder, heavier, and emboldened by an unbelievable year. Amped up to jump back in, their tour schedule took shape with festival dates followed by a co-headline run with EVANESCENCE in the fall.

Readying their fifth full-length album, they're delivering the soundtrack for a world ready to roar again.

"We've lost a lot of people, but we can start healing again," she leaves off. "I appreciate the little things even more. I don't only feel this confidence in myself, but also in every one of my band members. We're not the same people, none of us could ever be. HALESTORM is my source of my joy. It's my connection. It's the closest thing to my religion. We're moving forward. With this next album, I hope we're able to create a greater sense of community. We have a beautiful opportunity. When you listen to it, I want you to feel like you can walk through any fire."

#lzzy hale #Halestorm #Back From The Dead

[thesims4blogger]

The Sims 4: Sims Sessions Official Details and Web Page

The Sims team has announced Sims Sessions, a social media and in-game experience that will be free for players who own The Sims 4. Maxis has launched the Sims Sessions web page with details and information on the music artists featured in the event.

Sims Sessions (Key Features)

Light up your summer with the hottest tracks from your favorite artists. Experience Bebe Rexha, Glass Animals, and Joy Oladokun for the first time all over again—in Simlish! Catch the live event from June 29 at 10 a.m. PT to July 7 at 10 p.m. PT.

Shop the Festival – Buy artist-themed merchandise, run your own craft sales table, or snack like a rockstar at a food stand!

Camp Out – Festivals are fun but exhausting! Get some sleep in one of the tents—or Woohoo to the music.

Enjoy the Show – Gather around the stage to watch, dance, and cheer on the performances!

Perform on Stage – After the performances, go on stage and keep the tunes flowing. Jam on the piano and sing your heart out.

Sims Sessions (Featured Artists)

Bebe Rexha

Diamond-selling and two-time GRAMMY®-nominated New York City native Bebe Rexha is a musical force to be reckoned with. Her RIAA Platinum-certified debut album Expectations (released June 2018 on Warner Records) contained the Platinum single “I’m a Mess” and the global chart-topping smash “Meant to Be” (featuring Florida Georgia Line), now RIAA Certified Diamond. “Meant to Be” held the #1 spot on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart for a record-setting 50 straight weeks, the longest reign ever by a female lead artist, and won Top Country Song at the 2019 Billboard Music Awards and Best Collaboration at the 2018 iHeart Radio Music Awards. It was subsequently nominated for Best Country Duo/Group Performance at the 61st annual GRAMMY Awards® in February 2019, where Bebe was also nominated for Best New Artist.

Early in her career, Bebe won the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences’ Best Teen Songwriter Award, and then formally burst onto the scene when she wrote “The Monster,” a worldwide hit for Eminem and Rihanna that was certified 6x Platinum by the RIAA. Bebe went on to co-write and carry the instantly recognizable hook for the 3x Platinum “Hey Mama,” by David Guetta, which was nominated for a Billboard Music Award for Top Dance/Electronic Song. Bebe also hit #1 on the Billboard Pop and Rap charts with her 5x Platinum “Me, Myself & I” with G-Eazy. In 2017, Bebe released the critically acclaimed EPs, All Your Fault: Part 1 (with the Platinum single “I Got You”) and All Your Fault: Part 2 (with “Meant to Be”). In conjunction with GRAMMY® Week 2019, Bebe launched the GRAMMY® Music Education Coalition’s (GMEC) national campaign on behalf of its new All-Star Ambassador program. Better Mistakes, her new album, includes the hit singles “Baby, I’m Jealous” feat. Doja Cat and “Sacrifice.” To date, Bebe has amassed over four billion YouTube views and over 12 billion total global streams.

Glass Animals

Since 2010, Glass Animals have redefined alternative pop with their experimental sounds, cinematic visuals, and narrative lyrics. The Platinum-Certified UK quartet—Dave Bayley [lead vocals, guitar], Drew MacFarlane [guitar, keys, backing vocals], Ed Irwin-Singer [bass, keys, backing vocals], and Joe Seaward [drums, backing vocals]—first presented their signature style on their 2014 breakout debut, ZABA. It yielded the Platinum single “Gooey” and elevated the band into the global spotlight. 2016’s How To Be A Human Being notably garnered a nomination for the prestigious Mercury Prize. However, Glass Animals lifted off to a new stratosphere with Dreamland in 2020. It marked their first Top 10 debut on the Billboard Top 200, while their global smash hit “Heat Waves” has amassed millions of streams to date, went Platinum in numerous countries, gave the band their first #1 on the U.S. Alternative Radio Chart, Top 15 at Top 40 Radio, and hit Top 10 on Spotify’s US Chart. Skyrocketing to the forefront of popular culture, they garnered nominations in the categories of “Top Rock Song” and “Top Rock Album” at the 2021 Billboard Music Awards, delivered knockout performances on Billboard Music Awards, The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, The Late Late Show with James Corden, and Ellen, and lined up global headline dates for the 2021 Dreamland Tour everywhere from legendary amphitheaters such as Red Rocks to Bonnaroo, Life Is Beautiful, Outside Lands, and more. The band sold over 130,000 tickets in three days for their 2021-2022 North American tour, with the majority of the tickets selling out instantly. All the while maintaining their unique connection to their fans by creating their open sourced website where fans can create artwork based on the world of Dreamland, putting on a “Live In The Internet” concert that sold 25,000 tickets worldwide, and more. They created unique music videos during the 2020 pandemic by DIY-shooting solo in Dave Bayley’s apartment directed solely over Zoom (“Dreamland”), asking neighbors to shoot on their iPhones while Dave walked down the street (“Heat Waves”), and inviting fans to take 3D scans of their heads (“Tangerine”). Racking up billions of streams across their catalogue, they even made history as “the first UK band to capture #1 on Triple J’s Hottest 100 since 2009” with “Heat Waves” down under in Australia, leading to the longest run at #1 in 2021 on the ARIA Official Singles Chart. Ultimately, Glass Animals continue to redefine what alternative can be, while they quietly overtake the mainstream.

Joy Oladokun

With a guitar in hand, baseball cap over her eyes, and hooded sweatshirt loose, a woman sings with all of the poetry, pain, passion, and power her soul can muster. She is a new kind of American troubadour. She is Joy Oladokun. The Delaware-born, Arizona-raised, and Nashville-based Nigerian-American singer, songwriter, and producer projects unfiltered spirit over stark piano and delicate guitar. Her music and story galvanized a growing fan base as she completed a successful Kickstarter campaign to release her independent debut, Carry. Her song “No Turning Back” soundtracked a viral baby announcement by Ciara and Russell Wilson, opening up the floodgates. She landed a string of high-profile syncs, including NBC’s This Is Us, ABC’s Grey’s Anatomy, and Showtime’s The L Word: Generation Q. On the heels of in defense of my own happiness (the beginnings), she garnered unanimous critical praise. Billboard touted the album as one of the “Top 10 Best LGBTQ Albums of 2020,” while NPR included “i see america” among the “100 Best Songs of 2020.” Predicted as on the verge of a massive breakthrough, she emerged on various tastemaker lists, including Spotify’s RADAR Artists to Watch 2021, YouTube “Black Voices Class of 2021,” NPR’s 2021 “Artists To Watch,” and Amazon Music’s “Artist To Watch 2021.” Not to mention, Vogue crowned her #1 “LBTQ+ Musician To Listen To.” She kicked off the new year by making her television debut on NBC’s The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon with a stunning and stirring performance of “breathe again.”After attracting acclaim from Vogue, NPR, and American Songwriter, her words arrive at a time right when we need them the most.

#the sims 4 #ts4 #sims 4 #sims sessions