#credits were the best part both cinematically and musically

[justanotherwriter140]

Kung Fu Panda 4 - The Movie

The last really, really long discussion post (for now).

Major spoilers ahead!

This review is full of spoilers, so please refrain from reading through it until you've watched KFP4. I would highly suggest doing so, as I want everyone to form their own opinions without my influence. The movie has its flaws (some of which admittedly being a bit distracting), but it's a fun film that has things to offer.

Kung Fu Panda 4 is a fun movie (take that as you will) that takes its audience on an action-packed, surprisingly funny, yet relatively contained adventure on which Po doesn't really do much. It's an inconsequential, safe sequel that doesn't really hurt the franchise but adds close to nothing.

I had a good time watching the movie. It was obviously produced with its theater experience in mind and the action scenes especially reflected that priority. The humor was actually funny sometimes and I enjoyed Po and Zhen's dynamic. During the film, I was able to put most (most!) of my grievances aside and take the movie for what it is. I've discovered that the best way to watch KFP4 is with low expectations and an open mind.

I have a lot of things to say about KFP4, both complaints and compliments (though the former might be taking the forefront in this review), and I hope this review can help those of you who have seen the movie organize your thoughts. I've been having a lot of trouble with that specific aspect of things myself. Those who get it get it.

With that said, let's get into my full review of KFP4! I've been waiting for nearly 2 years to write this and I'm so excited to share every single thought.

I'm going to follow the format of my first discussion post and curate a bulleted list of my thoughts, followed by an analysis of each of these points. Keep in mind that everything I say is IMO and this is more of a rant post than anything else.

Here are my main points:

The Furious Five's role is comically minuscule in the context of the film. Their actions are inconsequential and add nothing to the plot (a confirmed last-minute add), and they have 30~ seconds of screen time. Shifu is also largely irrelevant.

Mr. Ping and Li's presence has little to no effect on the movie (though I won't complain too much because they were pretty fun to watch and this movie has bigger problems). In almost any scenario, I am adamantly against having characters present that don't add anything to the narrative; however, Mr. Ping is an exception. I love Mr. Ping. James Hong is a gem.

Zhen's screen time is not utilized well and her character is underdeveloped. She definitely wasn't annoying, but I didn't find her either compelling or funny enough to warrant the screen time she was given, especially considering it wasn't used to establish a backstory/strong motives. This makes me feel bad for the character because the movie kind of screwed her out of any substantial development.

The Chameleon, while complimented greatly by Viola Davis, is an underwhelming villain. Viola Davis is amazing in this film and I would suggest watching it for her performance if for nothing else, but the Chameleon is underwhelming considering the super cool concept behind the character.

The film feels very rushed. Apologies to those who disagree, but I think the pacing is atrocious and the final fight is anticlimactic. The movie felt like a word-vomit with no discernible intermissions that stops abruptly when the film ends.

I felt as though Po didn't change/grow as a person and the audience never had a chance to either bond with or relate to his character. His internal struggle is kept to a minimum and we don't spend a moment alone with him as an audience, which is disorienting and distracting. Watching the film felt like running into an old friend at the store who's too in a rush to have a real conversation.

The action scenes were strong with few exceptions. Creative art direction was utilized and I thought the martial arts choreography was entertaining and dynamic. I love the color palette of the film and many scenes were very impressive visually.

With my main points established, I do believe it's ranting time. Strap in, folks.

Let's start strong with the Furious Five: I'm gutted. Chagrined, despondent, crestfallen, etc.

The lack of the Furious Five negatively affects KFP4 so much, because not only does their absence hurt the atmospheric integrity of KFP as a franchise, it also forces KFP4 to bring in a slew of different characters—all while still noncommittally including the FF at the very end because I believe the marketing team required it—that clog up the cast a bit. It all goes to show how important strong, established side characters are.

The Furious Five are side characters, but the role of "side character" does not equate to being irrelevant, expendable, or exchangeable. I recognize that the Furious Five aren't super developed as characters beyond a handful of lines that allude to traits sprinkled sparingly among the members; however, I believe that the tiny bits of development we have been given have proved impactful in the past. Tigress's development in KFP2 is a prime example of how much narratively conscious changes (however small they may be) can positively affect these movies.

Because of limited runtimes, the Furious Five often operate as more of a singular unit than five individuals. Even so, I don't think discarding them is valid. They're so important to the KFP universe (to Po's universe!) and not having them with him feels so wrong. The Furious Five are fully integral to the heart of Kung Fu Panda, which is why I believe a lot of those who have seen the new movie have expressed something feeling "off" or something being missing.

I agree with this sentiment. To me, KFP4 didn't feel like a KFP movie. I don't need a Furious Five spin-off movie and I can be fully content with a KFP5 centered around Po's journey as an individual as was intended from the beginning, but he can't carry an entire movie on his back. As strong as he is in every sense of the word, he is only one character. He's the centerpiece of the franchise, but a centerpiece can only go so far without the rest of the design, so to speak.

For me, the Furious Five's absence is one of this film's biggest faults. It's huge and glaring. I know I'm not the only one who feels this way, either, because the friends with whom I saw the film refused to talk about any other aspect of the movie after seeing it. Seeing them at the end was better than nothing, of course, but it was a disappointing culmination after eight years of waiting.

That all is to say I feel robbed. Despite all of this, though, I understand that there were reasons why the Furious Five weren't included in the movie. I don't believe the production team would exclude the Furious Five unless they weren't given a choice.

Shifu and Po's dynamic continues to be thoroughly delightful but their interactions are short and simplified. I would have loved to see more of them in this film, especially considering the extreme relevance of teacher-student relationships in KFP4. I (somewhat) digress, though, because the idea of Shifu having to live at the Jade Palace with only Po for an extended period of time is hilarious enough on its own. Maybe that's what the short film is about!

The comedy is odd but has some jokes that stand out. Po maintains a healthy relationship with his inner sass, which I think makes him more fun to watch and kind of eradicates the man-child verdict. Some jokes don't land, of course, but I genuinely thought KFP4 had some funny moments. Mr. Ping was consistently awesome and Po had some good lines sprinkled throughout the film.

As for Mr. Ping, he and Li Shan are the subjects of the film's B-plot as they follow Po to Juniper City out of shared concern for their son's safety. In my mind, they don't add anything to the story that couldn't have been brought about by other characters, but they had their moments of being entertaining. I enjoyed their silliness and thought they had a cute dynamic if nothing else.

Speaking of other characters, I want to discuss KFP4's deuteragonist and why I genuinely feel bad about the way her character was treated.

I want to let it be known that I'm still not on board with Po passing the Dragon Warrior torch to another character. While I agree that his arc is now calling for him to have a student, I disagree with the notion of him retiring from his DW role.

As I stated in my first discussion post:

Didn’t the initial significance and nuance of the title come from the fact that there is only one person who can be the Dragon Warrior, because the concept of the “Dragon Warrior” isn’t so much a title as it is Po himself? The universe (Oogway) must choose the Dragon Warrior because they are a singular being of legend. It is one person, and that person is Po. Wasn’t the point of the first film that the title ultimately doesn’t really matter because there is no “secret ingredient,” so to speak? The title doesn’t actually give Po anything. “It’s just you,” Po says, and that was the resolution.

When it comes to Zhen as a character, contrary to what I predicted I would think of her, I thought she was okay. While I was still a bit distracted by how out-of-place her design looks, I wasn't truly annoyed by her at any point and she and Po had some cute moments. Even so, I think their relationship could have been a bit more refined and developed.

While it's evident that Po and Zhen are meant to have a teacher-student/mentor-apprentice dynamic, I think their relationship feels half-baked. There were parallels that contradicted one another and ended up being confusing come the film's conclusion, and the nature of their relationship seems to vacillate depending on the scene. Additionally, the strength of their bond goes from zero to one hundred within thirty-ish minutes and left me with a bit of whiplash.

We're shown that Po and Zhen care about one another, but we're never shown why. They have a brief conversation during which they bond over being orphans, and Zhen says at one point, "You're actually a good guy," but that's it. This obvious lack of development is a bit disorienting because we're later led to believe that Zhen and Po care very deeply for one another when there's almost nothing to back it up.

A scene that sticks out to me when discussing this is when Zhen attack-hugs Po in a way that explicitly mirrors Tigress's hug from KFP2. This happens around the beginning of the third act, and while it had the potential to be an endearing moment, I think it fell flat.

The impact of Tigress's hug was brought on by her character's hardcore nature and reputation of being heartless, further strengthened with the knowledge that she was hugging Po (which was obviously way outside her comfort zone) as a show of companionship and fundamental understanding. Tigress hugged Po because he needed someone to recognize his strive for closure.

Zhen's hug had little to no impact because she had no reason to do it and it didn't indicate growth. She hugs Po because she's sorry for betraying him and doesn't want him to be killed by the Chameleon, but neither of these things are newly-established via this hug; we have already gathered by now that Zhen regrets betraying Po and doesn't want him to get hurt.

The hug is far from the movie's weakest point, but I think it's unnecessary given the context. I'm big on hugs in movies (an underutilized form of platonic affection, in my opinion), but it didn't fit here. I don't hate it, and I see it as an honest effort to bring emotionality to Po and Zhen's relationship, but it seems arbitrary.

Zhen and Po's relationship has a lot of potential and I'd be open to seeing more of them in the future, but I think some more thoughtful development needs to occur before I can humor it further. Even so, I can see myself featuring Zhen in some future post-KFP4 one-shots—sparingly, of course, because we have a lot of Furious Five content to compensate for.

Overall, they had a cute dynamic and some sweet moments but I'm not attached. I'm on board with Po having a student but I think their relationship needs a lot more development, something that this film unfortunately didn't give them time to either accomplish or earn.

Now, onto the Chameleon!

The concept of the Chameleon's character is admittedly super interesting. She's the deuteragonist's fastidious mother figure who feels that Zhen owes her a debt and as a result holds her to an impossible standard. That dynamic had the potential to be so interesting but I didn't think it was explored at all. There is no indication of Zhen having any internal conflict about fighting the Chameleon, no emotional complexity between them at all; it's disappointing because I think it would've added a bit of earnestness to the film.

Additionally, the idea of a shape-shifting villain is versatile. A shape-shifting villain gives those telling the story a lot of room to experiment with the protagonist and different ways in which the main character can be challenged and tested. It's yet another good idea utilized poorly. Just one idea: the Chameleon could have disguised herself as one (or several) of Po's family, friends, etc. and brought to fruition a new arc with his character (seeing as he arguably doesn't have one in this film), but she only disguises herself as Zhen very briefly in the movie.

Furthermore, the Chameleon completely relies on the powers of previous villains to pose any sort of threat to the main characters. She summons Po's former nemeses from the Spirit Realm (despite there being little logic in doing so considering Kai's literal evisceration) and takes their kung fu abilities for herself.

An excerpt from my first KFP4 discussion post that I think is relevant to the point I'm trying to make:

I don’t think it would be in the best interest of anyone if the past villains were to come back in any way that’s not a flashback (even then, I’m not sure I’d see the point). In all honesty, I thought that the whole point of the villains was that they died and stayed dead. They were defeated by Po once and for all as a testament to the idea of establishing Po's character growth and journey as a person through the bad things he’s able to overcome. It’d be highly contradictory to the messages of the other films if these villains were to suddenly come back.

While there was an honest effort made to portray the Chameleon as intimidating, I never felt as though any of the characters were endangered by either her or her army of lizard henchman. She's a visually appealing character (aside from her eyes, which I thought more resembled those of a gecko than a chameleon) and I greatly enjoyed Davis's performance, but overall I don't see the Chameleon as a notable villain.

The return of Tai Lung (had he been on his own) had the makings to be an excellent story, especially considering the importance of teacher-student dynamics in KFP4. To see him interacting with Shifu would have been incredible and could have led to further closure on Tai Lung's end (because I think that's kind of what the team was going for anyway), but it didn't happen.

It was nice to see Ian McShane reprise his role, but I wish Tai Lung's characterization had been more reminiscent of the way he was in the first film and more complimentary of his overall character arc. Tai Lung isn't a one-dimensional villain with a singular goal and motivation, and I couldn't help but feel as though the complexity of his character was simplified for the sake of KFP4's narrative.

Tai Lung's presence in KFP4 may be odd, but Shen and Kai's appearances are even more so. Kai, if I remember correctly, was fully obliterated by Po, reduced to literal particles on screen (which is kind of wild now that I think about it). Shen being in the Spirit Realm makes sense all things considered; however, Po and Li had no visible reaction to his presence, which seemed a bit unlikely considering Shen's deeds. This plot hole can likely be attributed to the fact that Shen and Kai's cameos (to my knowledge) were last-minute additions to the movie.

I have to talk about the pacing. I have to. I'm sorry, bear with me.

To me, the film's pacing is erratic and disconcerting. While I can appreciate a quick-moving narrative that doesn't dawdle on storylines that aren't interesting/important, KFP4 kind of flings itself too far in the opposite direction and ends up being frighteningly fast-paced. Once the credits began, I felt like I had been holding my breath for the entire movie.

KFP4 is confusing because while the runtime is standard for a KFP movie, it feels incredibly short. At the same time, the film's story moves at a breakneck speed and leaves little time for heart and development. These things culminate into a barreling boulder of a movie that simply doesn't have time to let its characters, story, or audience take a breath.

A fast pace is not inherently negative, but I don't think it worked in the favor of KFP4. The KFP franchise has always been very emotionally grounded (and just very grounded in general), so to see a film in which emotion/heart takes an aggressive backseat in comparison to action and comedy is jarring. While I think it's unreasonable for fans to expect the same emotional integrity as the original films to be present in the current and upcoming ones, I still think there's room for Po to grow and I felt as though the notion of him developing further was brushed aside in this film.

As for Po's growth, I felt it was nearly nonexistent. The previous trilogy wrapped up his character's journey beautifully and I know that KFP4 was bound to struggle with this particular aspect of making another KFP film; however, just because the strongest pillars of Po's character are established doesn't serve as a valid excuse to reverse his development and repeat what he learned in KFP3.

In KFP3, Po learned firsthand that he is capable of spreading wisdom and teaching kung fu. He also learns that he is constantly growing and that change is inevitable; there is always something more to learn.

"If you only do what you can do, you will never be more than you are now."

"I don't want to be anything more, I like who I am!"

In KFP4, Po pushes against this narrative despite fully accepting it in KFP3, actively reversing crucial parts of his character development achieved in the latter. KFP3 was non-ambiguously about learning to cope with change and responsibility, and I can't help but feel like KFP4 is simply copying this message while not adding anything to it.

Additionally, I felt that KFP4's Po generally felt less personal than he has in the past. In every KFP movie up to the franchise's most recent addition, I felt very connected to Po as an audience member. I felt like I was truly seeing the world of KFP through his eyes. I consider this to be one of the franchise's most impressive feats; it's incredibly difficult to build a universe around a character without making the audience feel limited to one perspective and one part of the world.

With KFP4, I felt both limited and disconnected. The world didn't feel as vast and all-encompassing as it has in the past and Po didn't seem fully like himself. This could be me nitpicking (as I'm prone to do), but I can't recall a single moment in the movie in which Po was alone on screen. Scenes like these are crucial for me because I see them as a meet-cute between the character and the audience, a moment for us to cross the bridge into their world in a way that's silent and intuitive. These little bonding moments are absolutely integral to feeling connected to a character.

Po's dream sequence in the first KFP movie is one of the best examples of this. It presents his aspirations, alludes to his way of life up to the point of the movie, and showcases his personality. During Po's dream sequence, the audience is quite literally inside Po's mind; we're there with him, seeing what he sees, subsequently feeling what he feels. Po is a dreamer at heart and makes the audience feel like dreamers, too.

In KFP4, I felt like I little to no point of reference when it comes to how Po was feeling. I didn't feel immersed in him and his world.

I know I've been very "doom and gloom" throughout this post, which is an exhausting mindset for everyone involved. I want to end my critique with something positive because I think some praise is deserved. Let's just say the movie could have been a lot worse, the details of which I'm sure you're all well aware.

The color palette of the movie is beautiful and somewhat reminiscent of the first film. While the animation style of KFP4 is far more simplistic than its predecessors, I was very impressed with its use of shadow and light. Po's many faces were also hysterical, props to those who helped make him as expressive as he is.

Additionally, the movie's action sequences were clearly thought out and discussed in great detail. The experimentation with camera angles was really fun to watch and I enjoyed the majority of the film's fight scenes. They were fun, bouncy, and entertaining, and quite likely reinstated audiences's love of watching a cuddly panda kick butt.

Congratulations, you've reached the end! Thank you so much to all of you who took the time to read this unnecessarily long and detailed review. As long as I help someone translate their conflicted feelings into coherent thoughts, I'll call it a win.

I want to reiterate that I don't hate Kung Fu Panda 4 and I had fun while watching the film. It has its flaws and there are a lot of aspects that I dislike, but the effort of the crew is obvious and I greatly admire and respect the hard work put into the film by those who worked on it. This does not at all excuse my issues with the movie, but it's worth saying.

As for the future of the series, I only hope that the next installment is more considerate of the franchise's origins and why Po's story is being told in the first place. I fully believe that another sequel could be good given a strong, passionate crew with a great understanding of the characters and world (and I wouldn't be averse to some previous directors returning, just to put it out there).

Thanks again to those who took the time to read this crazy excuse for a movie review. Feel free to either disagree with me or add things in the replies/reblogs, I'm always looking for more thoughts to think.

Until next time!

#kung fu panda 4 #kung fu panda #dreamworks animation #kfp #kfp 4 #movie review #i'll add the actual picture of the furious five's cameo when i can get ahold of one of decent quality #my time has come #it wasn't THAT bad #i didn't love it #but it is what it is #it's a tentative 6/10 all things considered #free the five #perhaps i treated kfp3 too harshly #don't get me wrong the movie had good qualities and i can tell a lot of work went into it #a lot of missed potential imo #a lot of characters done dirty #i didn't even mention the score but i thought it was just okay #i wasn't wowed #i know close to nothing about composing though so i should probably just not even go there #credits were the best part both cinematically and musically #i feel mean but i'm not going to be dishonest #bc obviously you all simply must know how i feel about the silly panda movie #a more detailed version of the grievances i have w the dragon warrior plot can be found in my og discussion post if anyone's interested #as well as my thoughts on bringing back old villains #might make some edits to this in the future but this is all i have to say for now

[chaithetics]

A Cinematic Lover Chapter 1

Pairing: Dieter Bravo x f reader

Word count: 3.7K

Chapter/content warning: 18+ MINORS DNI (no smut in this chapter), mentions of substance use, chronic illness, endometriosis, fibroids. (Reader doesn't have any physical descriptions or implied characteristics but does have chronic illnesses and is explicitly diagnosed as having endometriosis, fibroids and vaginismus, which will be mentioned in more detail in further chapters).

Summary: Dieter Bravo is a fan of a screenwriter and may have a small crush on her. He seizes the opportunity to finally work with her on her latest project but is this more than a crush?

Note: I plan to finish/post the next part of The Miller's Buttercup on Monday or Tuesday. I've just been toying with this idea for a couple of weeks now and really wanted to finish part 1 (I wanted to procrastinate) and was inspired to finish it after reading some of the wholesome Dieter x horror lover fics by @coulsons-fullmetal-cellist (I was procrastinating and reading their fics, would recommend you do the same).

Let me know what you think! I hope you enjoy :)

P. S the Dieter Bravo gifs are killing me

*********

Sati Gajjar was talented, there was no doubt about it, she was finally getting the recognition that she deserved and her name was becoming a hot one to work with. She was down-to-earth but assertive, articulate yet kind, and passionate with a clear vision always in sight. She was your best friend and had been ever since you two met in middle school maths, a subject you both couldn’t stand. 

You’d both quickly bonded over books, music, films and television. Media marathons quickly became a staple in your friendship. You both loved storytelling and started making short films together in your early teen years. Sati was articulate but she wasn’t quite the wordsmith or poet that you were, you had a way with words and a million ideas for stories. Sati brought your words to life, she was direct and she knew how to make people listen, she knew exactly how to utilise a set, actors, and a camera to make your ideas better. 

You were a dynamic duo. Most of the work in both of your filmographies were collaborations but with more opportunities, schedules and life you’d both recently done some non-dynamic duo projects. This film was not one, it was your first time working together properly in what really wasn’t long for industry time but felt like forever for the both of you. Your last project together was technically writing an episode of Black Mirror that Sati directed, it didn’t line up though as you were working on something else in Australia so you weren’t on set together and during the writing process it had just been the usual influx of back-and-fourth messages and some video calls. 

Sati wished that you were here now, you both had producing credits, Sati was directing and you had written the script, it was a Blumhouse Productions feature which was big for both of your careers. You were in Australia wrapping up filming of an HBO Max limited series you’d created, written and were a co-Showrunner of. It had been your biggest creative responsibility yet and you were anxious and sleep-deprived, which Sati was well aware of. 

Your presence was missed more in the current circumstances, Sati had a meeting with the lead actor in your new picture, Dieter Bravo. It was clear that he wasn’t super interested in being at this meeting, which didn’t please Sati but she didn’t let it show. 

Sati absentmindedly tapped her fingers against her chair as the actor sunk further into the chair in the office, he looked like a slob and had his sunglasses pulled down low on his nose. He was visibly hungover and his head was pounding, his agent Abby was far more involved in the small talk than him. As the conversation continued it became clearer that nobody else was joining, Dieter interrupted Sati and Abby by snapping his fingers and then saying your name. 

“Hmm?” Sati asked looking over at him. She wanted to like him as they’d be closely working together but while she found this behaviour somewhat intriguing for the enigmatic reputation of Dieter Bravo, she was finding it off-putting and concerning for his potential work ethic. 

“Where is she?” Dieter asked. Abby sighed and rolled her eyes, she had already told Dieter that this meeting was just with the director and that you were unavailable, it was no secret to her that your involvement was a significant factor in him taking on this role no matter how much he tried to downplay that fact. 

“Unfortunately for us, she’s wrapping up a project at the moment, post-production in Australia. She sends her apologies though and will be with us for production.” Sati calmly responded, smiling at Dieter. 

Dieter groaned lightly then pushed his glasses up a bit more and nodded. It was too early in the day to be talking about work for his liking especially with a hangover. Meeting you was the main incentive for being up this early, he knew you wouldn’t be here but he still held out hope that maybe you’d have shown up. Dieter was a fan of your past work and he wouldn’t admit it to his agent or the director across from him but he had a little crush on you, despite the fact that you’d never met. He was sure that Abby knew this though.  

As the meeting eventually wrapped up, he lazily shook Sati’s hand and left. She was nice enough and she was firm, Dieter could tell she wouldn’t be impressed with his antics, he imagined you wouldn’t either if you two were so close, he’d have to keep that in mind. 

**********

You didn’t know what a healthy sleep schedule was, your sleep schedule had always been atrocious. Cramps were in full swing and could feel a distinct pain in your ovaries and bladder, yay for endo and fibroids you bitterly thought. You didn’t have your period but you were experiencing a mild flare-up, which was part of what was keeping you up, along with the general stress of life. You were an anxious bean to your core, a fact you’d never argue with. 

You sat at a desk, sipping some peppermint tea and with a heat pad down your pants as you reviewed the final cuts of episodes while following along with a heavily annotated and doodled-on script. This show had been filmed in Australia and post-production was based here as well, a lot of the creative talent on this show was local which you’d liked being involved with. But you would also be the first to admit that this job and the timezone difference certainly didn’t help with your already problematic sleep schedule. 

It was almost 2 AM for you, you heard your phone vibrate on the desk and looked over. It was Sati, seeing her name and picture light up your phone screen made you smile, you loved her more than anything. Rubbing your eyes, you picked your phone up quickly, almost clumsily dropping it 

“Hey boss,” you answered, somewhat tiredly but your tone was still chipper, more than what was natural for this hour. 

“Not sleeping huh?” Sati playfully questioned, well aware of your sleeping habits and what you’d say.

“You’re the one that called,” You responded matter-of-factly with a smirk on your face that you knew she’d somehow know about despite not being able to see your face. “Turns out that a whole new timezone just keeps the sleep schedule just as troubling.”

“So I shouldn’t move to New Zealand and become a sheep farmer?” Sati asked with a chuckle, “Wait for a few more jobs I reckon. But you know I’m in Australia and not New Zealand right?” You joked in a deadpan tone, causing Sati to laugh, “Yes, I know they’re two different countries. New Zealand just seems nicer, less spiders!” Sati dramatically exclaimed. Which made you laugh, nobody had a phobia of spiders quite like Sati, you wouldn’t remind Sati that you hadn’t been attacked by any spiders or seen any gargantuan ones. You’d already done it and she wouldn’t have a bar of it. 

You remembered that Sati had had a meeting with the talented but notorious Dieter Bravo and that was probably part of the reasoning behind this call so you finally dared to ask “So, how did it go?” 

Sati sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose before answering. “He was well, bored to say the least? And hungover? His agent Abby was fine, he didn’t really have much to say.” “Oh?” You queried, his substance use was highly publicised, and his reputation included him being a brilliant actor but an eccentric personality, to say the least. All of these were facts you both were aware of. 

“He asked about you, it’s like the only time he spoke.” Sati teased with a confused but amused tone. “Wait what?” You were surprised at that, Sati’s name was obviously bigger than yours, her role naturally meant that she was more of the face of behind-the-scenes work and you had no problems with that. You loved storytelling but you hated the spotlight from a young age. You’d had people compliment your scripts but you’d never had someone as big as him express an explicit interest solely in you, well your work. 

“Yeah, I swear it was the only time he spoke! He’s a big fan of May, Abby made that clear, that the script and working with you was why he wanted the role.” Sati stated, she was well aware of your disdain for the spotlight and your difficulty with praise, and she was glad that you at least got the flowers you deserved out of her awkward meeting. 

“That’s so wild-” you said, pausing to yawn and push some loose strands of hair behind your ear. “I can’t believe he’s seen it-” “Of course, he’s seen it and of course he loved it. It was a hit! Remember?” Sati said excitedly with a playful tone in her voice. You smiled and rolled your eyes despite remembering Sati couldn’t see that, “Shut up,” you said playfully, then sighed as you rubbed your eyes, “It’s just still so surreal.” 

“Yeah, I know.” Sati laughed softly, recognising your voice was becoming a bit more tired. “Well, I’ll let you go, sleep with the Crocs and whatever else it is you’re doing down there.” 

“I prefer brunches with koalas actually Sati.” You remarked. “Well, at least the Crocs don’t have chlamydia.”  Sati quipped back, you chuckled dryly and rolled your eyes at that. 

“I love you too Sati, well good night and morning to you.” You replied as you felt sleep catching up more with you. 

“I love you. See you soon.” Sati said and then she hung up. 

You didn’t know what to think, you expected that Sati’s meeting with Dieter would either be an absolute trainwreck or he would somehow disprove his reputation, that maybe it was all an act. You’d never expected in a million years that while the meeting wouldn’t be the highlight of Sati’s day that he’d somehow end up turning out to be a fan of your work. You felt yourself smile at that, and you tiredly scolded yourself, you didn’t need the validation of a stranger and it felt weird knowing that the enigmatic, finicky Dieter Bravo liked your work. It felt even weirder that that had made you smile. 

******** 

It had been a few months since Sati had had that meeting with Dieter and called you.  Post-production had wrapped up in Australia and you were now back home in the USA, you were glad to be back home, the familiarity was comforting and put you at ease a bit. Filming was still almost a month away but you had already had some meetings with Sati and other cast and crew members which had gone well and you were having one with Dieter this afternoon. You were curious to meet him and this curiosity grew alongside anxiety with knowing that he had specifically mentioned your work. 

You were now at a cafe waiting for Sati, you’d worn one of your black turtle necks with black trousers with an emerald green coat hanging off your shoulders. You weren’t in a creative block but had a million ideas, which was typical as you were entering a project, you’d been typing away when Sati came over.

“God, do you ever take a break?” 

“Ain’t no rest for the writers. We’re wicked creatures.” 

“You’re not Mike Flanagan, you don’t need to be pumping out at least one amazing thing a year,” Sati scoffed as she sat down. 

“It’s just future ideas.” You replied and Sati quirked an eyebrow which made you smile, “I’ll spam you and pick your brain about it later, okay?” She smiled and nodded as she made silly plot guesses as she rested her chin on your shoulder, reading what you were typing as you both waited for Dieter to come.  

Little did you know, Dieter was also genuinely anxious to meet you. Dieter looked around the cafe and he quickly saw you and Sati. He felt a blush creep up his neck to his cheeks as he saw you, it was surreal to see you in person. Your face was scrunched up in concentration, you were typing away and Sati was leaning on you. You said something which made her double up with giggles, and whatever she responded with broke the look of concentration etched onto your face with a smirk. You then laughed and took a sip of your water. As Dieter made his way over to the table, he couldn’t help but think how gorgeous you looked when your face was screwed up in conversation but also when you laughed. He wanted to make you laugh and he hoped he’d be able to hear that sweet noise in person today. 

“Hey,” Dieter started as he awkwardly fidgeted with his hands, you and Sati looked up at him. You smiled warmly at him and closed your laptop. 

“Hey, it’s lovely to meet you-” You put your hand out to shake his as he responded. “Uh, yeah, you too.” He shook your hand gently but firmly, your hand felt so small in his big one, and you felt a tingle as your hands touched which made you smile softly. Dieter felt it too and blushed at the sensation. 

Dieter sat down and drummed his fingers softly against the table. Sati got up and looked over at Dieter, “I’ll go and order, what do you drink Dieter?” Dieter answered with his order which made you and Sati both raise your eyebrows at the amount of caffeine but Sati went off to the line. 

“How are you?” You asked Dieter genuinely but anxiously. It was bizarre seeing a celebrity as big as him in front of you, you’d be working with him and he was apparently a fan of your work? It was wild. You knew he was attractive but he was also somehow more attractive in person, there was something charming about his tousled curls and the way he seemed to fidget. Was he anxious as well you wondered? Dieter looked at you like he was taken aback, you noticed his eyes changed but you weren’t quite sure what the change meant. 

He was taken aback by your question but smiled, he could tell by your tone and the way you were looking at him, it was genuine. It wasn’t the small talk or robotic answer with an expected vague and positive answer kind of question. “I’m alright, how are you?” He answered, he was, he was more anxious than anything but he didn’t want to admit that. You nodded and answered that you were alright as well. 

“Were you working on something?” Dieter asked, his warm chocolate eyes flicking over to the now-closed laptop. You nodded sheepishly. “What is it?” Dieter was genuinely curious and wanted as much of a glimpse into your mind as possible. 

“Just a few ideas in my head, nothing concrete super concrete at the moment. I’ve been talking to Sati about something based on Violet Paget’s works. I’ve also been toying with the idea of a Medea adaptation for a couple of months, a psychological drama with subtle horror elements.” You replied, feeling a bit self-conscious over a borderline rambling, Dieter nodded and smiled as you spoke though, it didn’t seem forced and it reassured you a little. 

Dieter hadn’t heard of Violet Paget before and made a mental note to Google that name as soon as he left. But he could easily see how a story like Medea’s could be adapted into something deeply emotive and visceral, especially by you. He smiled at the thought of how you’d adapt a story like that, something already heartbreaking and expand it in that provoking way into something also beautiful. 

“Maybe I could read Jason? If that helps your process or fits a future casting call.” He beamed with a growing smile. You smiled in return which reassured him that his offer wasn’t a cocky move. But you raised an eyebrow in surprise at his knowledge of the story. “What?” He asked, worried for a moment that maybe he’d overstepped and did indeed make you uncomfortable. 

“I was just surprised you knew Medea and Jason.” You answered with a warm smile which made Dieter relax again. 

“I did my tragedies,” Dieter responded proudly. 

“Huh,” You chuckled which provoked him to raise an eyebrow. “Well, we’ve only just met but you strike me as more of a Shakespeare guy I guess.”

“Am I that brand of pretentious?” Dieter asked in a teasingly offended tone. You laughed and shook your head reassuringly which made Dieter laugh. 

Dieter was secretly a people pleaser and he desperately wanted to impress you and the ease in the conversation and the laugh he’d gotten out of you relaxed him. It was as you laughed that Sati sat back down. 

She was quick to notice the difference in Dieter’s attitude and persona with you present. He was sober for starters but he was engaged in the conversation and he seemed to hang on to every word that left your mouth, which Sati knew you didn’t notice. 

The conversation flowed for a couple more minutes and then your drinks were brought out. You sipped on your chai as Sati then spoke about some pacing and shot sequences she had in mind that impressed Dieter. He asked some questions about his character and context which you answered thoughtfully, Dieter knew this would be a hit and easily one of the best projects he’d be involved in. 

As the conversation went on he was quickly picking up on your mannerisms. Like Dieter, you were also a fidgeter, you would fidget with the corner of your clothes, he assumed this was an anxious habit but he picked up on that it was something you also seemed to do subconsciously. Sati was clearly the more extroverted of the two of you, she was a bit bolder and it was clear that she adored you but Dieter quickly knew you were the warmer one of the pair. He wasn’t too surprised but he had expected you to be more gloomy based on your works and how you seemed to stay out of the public eye. 

You also had quite an expressive face, it would be great for the stage he thought, he also quickly learned that when your expression shifted into neutrality it wasn’t necessarily you being upset but that it was a shift for deadpan delivery. You were witty and some of your humour was silly but you definitely had a dry sense of humour. It always made Sati laugh and she didn’t seem as much of a serious person as he’d assumed when they’d met. You seemed to delight in making Sati laugh, which made Dieter want to make you laugh even more. You weren’t just ridiculously talented but you were kind, caring and funny, wanting to bring laughter to your loved ones. It was true though, you often used humour as a coping mechanism (you still loved a good, big fat cry) and you just wanted to make everyone happy. 

Dieter was easy to talk to and you felt surprisingly charmed by him, the knot of anxiety in your stomach slowly untangled throughout the conversation. You knew you shouldn’t have made assumptions but he was surprisingly a good listener, he was attentive, and he asked good questions regarding the project which you appreciated. You wanted to work with passionate people, people who cared and that was always more of a gamble on the slightly bigger projects. 

After a couple of hours, cinematography came up and you all spoke about Bones and All, at this point Sati checked her phone for the time and looked up. 

“I’m sorry but we should probably head off now, for the next item on the agenda,” Sati remarked. 

“How long do we have?” You asked Sati, being absolutely unaware of the time with your phone in your pocket and your laptop closed. “Just under an hour,” Sati responded, you nodded and Dieter tilted his head to look at the both of you. 

“I’m sorry, it was so lovely to finally meet you.” You said looking at Dieter, he smiled and blushed slightly, “It’s okay, it was great to meet you too.” He said smiling at you, he then turned to Sati “And it was great to catch up again. Thanks for making the time for this.” He answered. 

You all got up and said your goodbyes, he went in the car with his driver that was just outside of the cafe. You put your hands in your pockets and looked at Sati as you both waited for your Uber. “You made it sound a lot more professional than what it is.” You said. Sati looked at you and raised an eyebrow teasing, “It’s important.” 

You chuckled at that and playfully rolled your eyes, the next item on the agenda was going to a local cinema for its special screening of Dario Argento’s Three Mothers trilogy. It felt almost rude to end the meeting on that but you had been looking forward to this with Sati so you didn’t say anything. 

As Dieter sat in the backseat of the car, he pulled his phone out of his pocket and quickly Googled you. The fact that you and Sati seemed to be going to the same “item on the agenda” reassured him that this meeting didn’t end because you had a date. Plus he was certain that you seemed almost disappointed in having to leave, he hoped that wasn’t a delusion. But he still needed to check. 

You didn’t have a ring on your finger but that didn’t mean much, your Wikipedia page didn’t mention a partner but there wasn’t much there under ‘Personal Life’, he’d gathered you were a private person anyway. He checked your Instagram and it didn’t look like you had any partners. He knew you and Sati were assumed to be partners often but you’d both denied this and Sati had a long-term girlfriend that the public knew of. 

He exhaled and leaned back into the seat, it looked like you were single, well he took the lack of evidence of a relationship as a good sign. He then remembered you’d mentioned Violet Paget, he typed her name in and clicked on her short Wikipedia page. Part of Dieter had hoped that meeting you would squash his little crush but now he just felt smitten.

Tag list: @pedritosdarling @read4funz @undermoonlightwalk @daddy-din @cowboychickenlittle

#dieter bravo #dieter bravo x you #dieter bravo x reader #dieter bravo fic #the bubble #pedro pascal #pedro pascal fandom #pedro pascal characters #chronic illness #chronic illness reader #endometriosis #endometriosis reader #fibroids #horror #the bubble fanfiction #dieter bravo fanfiction #jose pedro balmaceda pascal

[future--ghost]

SPOILERS FOR IN SPACE WITH MARKIPLIER PART 2

PROCEED WITH CAUTION

A detail I found interesting, in the "Let Go" End of In Space With Markiplier we get to talk with Ms. Whitacre and she comforts us telling us we made beautiful choices and that if the universe was made up of right and wrong choices then it's not even a choice at all. When we get the "Hold On" End of In Space With Markiplier we only talk with Mark, Ms. Whitacre is nowhere to be seen. Not saying she's inherently evil or bad I'm just saying it's interesting how she was there in our time of need but we were there for Mark in his time of need. We literally play the role of Ms. Whitacre in the "Hold On" End. Also I just think Ms. Whitacre is cool.

Before proceeding don't judge me understand I'm an idiot

SO I JUST GOT BOTH THE ENDINGS AND HOLY SHIT. I got the bad ending first and wow was that a trip just sending me back to part 1. Then I tried again and did all the options I didn't do, I saw Wilford 'MOTHERLOVING' Warfstache and I was so unbelievably happy. That's besides the point though, I got the got ending and oh my god when I heard the music that plays in the background of every serious, sad, and important moment of the Markiplier Cinematic Universe I was like "Yep, I'm here, I'm at the best possible ending." I love the good ending having Darkiplier after the credits and sending us back to A Heist With Markiplier.

ANYWAYS THANK YOU MARKIPLIER FOR ANOTHER MASTERPIECE!!!

#in space with markipler spoilers #in space with markiplier #part 2 #endings #spoilers #iswm #ISWM #ISWM PART 2 #iswm part 2 #ISWM 2 #iswm 2 #in space with markiplier 2 #in space with markiplier part 2 #just saying stupid stuff #just rambling

[yestolerancepro]

My dear girl, there are some things that just aren't done, such as drinking Dom Perignon '53 above the temperature of 38 degrees Fahrenheit. That's just as bad as listening to The Beatles without earmuffs!” A blog inspired by the music world of James Bond  Part 3A The Bond songs I am not so keen on Thunderball and The Man with the Golden Gun

Introduction

Hello there as part 2 covered the Bond songs that I love its only fair we cover the Bond films/songs that I don’t really like.

Thunderball

Originally meant as the first James Bond film, Thunderball was the centre of legal disputes that began in 1961 and ran until 2006.[14]

This article from the Screenrant website details how Thunderball nearly become James Bonds debut adventure at the cinema and if it had been made how it would have altered the James Bond film series over the next 61 years read it by clicking here https://screenrant.com/james-bond-first-007-movie-thunderball-franchise-changes/

 Former Ian Fleming collaborators Kevin McClory and Jack Whittingham sued Fleming shortly after the 1961 publication of the Thunderball novel, claiming he based it upon the screenplay the trio had earlier written in a failed cinematic translation of James Bond.[15][6] 

 The lawsuit was settled out of court; McClory retained certain screen rights to the novel's story, plot, and characters. By then, Bond was a box-office success, and series producers Broccoli and Saltzman feared a rival McClory film beyond their control; they agreed to McClory's producer's credit of a cinematic Thunderball, with them as executive producers.[16]

Later, in 1964, Eon producers Broccoli and Saltzman agreed with McClory to cinematically adapt the novel; it was promoted as "Ian Fleming's Thunderball". Yet, along with the official credits to screenwriters Richard Maibaum and John Hopkins, the screenplay is also identified as 'based on an original screenplay by Jack Whittingham' and as 'based on the original story by Kevin McClory, Jack Whittingham, and Ian Fleming'.[16]

The 5 Basic rules to get a James Bond film to work

Let me start by saying that is a lot to like about Thunderball so I will start with the positives first and tell you why I don’t really like later,

The are 5 key areas in any Bond film that need to be tackled if you want to stand a chance these are in no Particular order the Bond Girls the gadgets the Villians the story and the music Thunderball as produced by Kevin McClory hits 4 of the 5 of these key objectives right on the nose indeed The What Culture website picked out the Bond girls in Thunderball as their standout moment of the film

22. Thunderball - The Bond Girls

With its bloated length and excess of underwater action, Thunderball's definitely the worst Bond film of the 1960s, and the unofficial remake, Never Say Never Again, is arguably better but it's still an enjoyable, glamorous retro action flick that gets some things absolutely bang-on - most of all, its Bond Girl characters.

While the Bond Girl was always a very important part of the series' formula, it was only with the fourth film in the series that the Bond series got this archetype absolutely right for the first time.

Few of the Bond Girls from the first three films were all that great. Even the best such character from the first three movies, Dr No's Honey Ryder (Ursula Andress) doesn't get enough to do in her film.

In contrast to its predecessors, Thunderball did a great job with its Bond Girls. There are two main Bond Girls - Domino (Claudia Auger) and Fiona Volpe (Luciana Paluzzi) - and they both rank amongst the franchise's finest even after all these decades.

Domino is a fantastic female lead that really feels like a fully-realized character, mainly because she actually has a compelling story going on. Ultimately, it's her actually who kills the lead antagonist, not Bond.

Similarly, Fiona Volpe is a very sinister and unsettling femme fatale who feels like a real threat to Bond and, even if her death scene was disappointing, she's still among the finest female villains in the Bond canon.

And talking about Fiona as played (Luciana Paluzzi) - The movieweb film website picked her as number 1 in their list of the deadliest women in the Bond Franchise this is what they had to say about the deadly SPECTRE female agent.

SPECTRE’s skilled assassin Fiona Volpe (Luciana Paluzzi) is tasked with seducing and killing a French Air Force pilot, and helps a fellow enforcer surgically alter his face to resemble the victim and take his place. Their plan is to steal a nuclear bomber armed with two warheads. After seducing and making fun of 007 (Connery), she holds him captive with the help of two other agents, but he manages to escape. Later, she catches on with him at a club, and attempts to distract him with slow-dancing, while her henchman fires at him from behind a curtain. But Bond spins her around just enough for her to be the bullet’s recipient.

“I forgot your ego, Mr. Bond. James Bond, who only has to make love to a woman, and she stars to hear heavenly choirs singing. She repents, then immediately returns to the side of right and virtue... but not this one!”

Volpe is the ultimate female villain because she is one of the few who are immune to 007’s charm. One of her most memorable scenes include her firing missiles at a car she’s pursuing on her motorcycle.

Q Branch

Gadgets again Thunderball scores high in this regard as well in fact it out does its predecessor' in the area Goldfinger and that used a lot of hardware.

In Thunderball we have :

Homing pill

When Bond takes this pill, it emits a signal that can be detected only by a certain receiver

Air supply

A small device that can be carried on the person without notice and when in use, is held in the mouth to provide four minutes of air in emergencies when the user has to go underwater. (Effectively a miniature Scuba set.)[18][9]

Underwater jetpack

Bond is equipped with a jet-propelled scuba tank.[9]

Breitling 'Top Time' Diver Chronometer watch

with built-in Geiger counter.

Underwater camera

capable of taking eight shots in succession in darkness using an infra-red film.[21]

Geiger counter camera

A camera that conceals a Geiger counter. Bond gives this to Domino to look for the bombs on the yacht.[22]

Miniature Very pistol

a pocket-sized flare gun firing a red signalling beacon.[22]

Cassette recorder hidden in book

Bond uses this to learn that Quist is hiding in his hotel room.[23]

Perharps the most famous of all the gadgets is the Bell Rocket Belt Jetpack indeed it top the list of Best Gadgets used in the Bond films on the Den of the Geek website

1. The Jetpack

Whether it’s science fiction or semi-realistic thrillers, the jetpack has become an example of a gadget that has captured moviegoers’ imaginations. Humans want to fly and the concept that one could be propelled using the thrust of an engine strapped to their back is a thrilling proposal. Jetpacks of course exist in the real world, and the iteration seen in Thunderball is not quite as fictionalized as many might expect, despite it differing from the hydro-packs audiences can actually experience today.

007 has flown a wide array of aircraft in his time, yet none seem quite as volatile as Connery’s backpack during his fourth film’s opening sequence. The Bell-Textron gear was originally built for the U.S. military but could only last in the air for about 20 seconds, making it a largely redundant design. Despite the dangers it posed, the production strapped Bond (or a stuntman) to the jet, with the character making a quick getaway through the air from his pursuers. It’s a remarkable moment in the movie, with the sound design reminiscent of a powerful plane thruster, helping to sell the idea of its sheer strength. Bond might look slightly clumsy getting lifted in the air by the jetpack, but the premise itself was intriguing enough to mesh well with his style and there really wasn’t anything cooler to a kid watching the scene for the first time.

The final great strength of Thunderball is the amazing score by John Barry the above part of the blog quotes the sleeve notes written for the 2003 re-release of the full Thunderball score under the James Bond remastered series by Neil Bond.

Music

John Barry produced one of the most cohesive and propulsive of all of the Bond scores for Thunderball but he faced some trouble over his original title song taking his cue for Japan’s nickname for 007 Barry wrote a sly,insinuating tune called Mr Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (with lyrics by Leslie Bricusse and recorded it with both Shirley Bassey and Dionne Warwick . In keeping with his prior approaches to From Russia with Love and Goldfinger, Barry also wove his title melody into the fabric of his score and jaunty tune worked particulaly well as a counterpoint to the Bahamian night-life depicted in the film.

click here for a link to a you tube video of the song https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nrNeTRrX4Zs or if you perfer the Shirley Bassey take on the song click here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l1debbldqGc

A change of course

However shortly before the film premièred however the producers realised the previous films had featured the films title in the song and they requested that Barry write a new song called Thunderball Not only did Barry face a rush deadline but Ian Fleming’s original title did not lend itself particularity well to lyrical treatment Since know one was actually sure what a Thunderball was.

Barry turned to Song writer Don Black to describe a mysterious man who runs while others walk and who strikes like Thunderball opening with a menacing six bar brass fanfare derived from The James Bond theme. The songs ambiguous lyrics meant the singer could be describing Both Bond or the films villian Largo

The song was recorded by Tom Jones who reportedly nearly passed out recording the songs final note

For the score Barry was able to write a great deal of atmospheric undersea water music for 007s survillance of Largos operation with low flutes and undulating suspended textures Early on the composer introduces a slow and subtle expression of the pulsating 007 theme he first created for Russia with love this theme became the basis for Barrys scoring of the Spectacular underwater battle and the climatic fight aboard the disco Valantie

The result is the most sustained and spectacular action music in the franchises history Barry was under enormous pressure to finish The Thunderball score and he only completed the first half of it when it became the time to release the soundtrack album

Part of the unreleased Thunderball score was included on the 2nd disk of the American version of the first Best of Bond CD in 1992 which featured a Thunderball suite of music totalling 16 mins of music the CD also included the Bassey and Warwick versions of Mr Kiss Kiss Bang the complete score was released in 2002 as part of the James Bond remastered series in 2002

But doesn’t include the Shirley Bassey or Dionne Warwick recordings of Mr Kiss Kiss Bang.

So after all those positives what don’t I like about Thunderball?

Well I find it really hard to watch at 2 hours 10 mins the film is a bit too long for me and the film editor Peter Hunt who did such a good job on the other films really should have got together with the script editor and cut a good 10 or 20 mins to make a much pacer film.

to watch a trailer for Thunderball click here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7JowkFmI1Fo&list=PL17vqAEJv6CUxmeZBk3JGDLBbcPEd4CDp&index=9

to watch a video with Sean Connery’s best moments as James Bond from the Storm Chaser Z Youtube channel click here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yfRuzgSR_XE&list=PL17vqAEJv6CV1syq4_fFKgBwSqGdJzH9z&index=288&t=56s

To read an article about how the Sean Connery James Bond films are ranked by James Bond fans click here https://www.cinemablend.com/news/2554534/james-bond-sean-connerys-movies-ranked

To watch  a Sean Connery tribuite video called Thunderball 007 click here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZYMZTIncsCM

The Man with the Golden Gun

Roger Moore’s 2nd film as James Bond released Just a year after Live and Let and Die I think it was released to the public too soon as with any James Bond film even the bad ones there are some good things in it I like the Title track by Lulu (which was never released as in the UK or the US) the Bond girls in the film played by Maud Adams Andrea Anders and Britt Ekland as Mary Goodnight are Both very good.

 As is Christopher Lee playing the man with the Golden Gun himself Francisco Scaramanga The What Culture website picked out his performance as the best thing in the man with the golden gun here are there comments

 The Man with the Golden Gun, with its low stakes, dull story and general lack of memorable moments (aside from, perhaps, the barrel roll jump) which was highlighted in another article about James Bond this time looking at the 25 best set peices in a James Bond film  the barrel roll jump  was  number 24 in Yard Barkers list

This is a fairly standard car chase at first, and a highly annoying one at that given the presence of Clifton James’s J.W. Pepper. Why the redneck Louisiana sheriff from “Live and Let Die” would be vacationing in Thailand is a mystery for the ages; all that matters is that he’s along for the ride when Bond improvises a jump across a collapsed bridge with two spiraling ends. The “corkscrew jump” made the Guinness Book of World Records, but plays rather underwhelmingly in the movie thanks to composer John Barry’s baffling decision to score the stunt to a slide whistle.

The Man With The Golden Gun is easily the single most mediocre instalment of the series. That being said, it is still fairly watchable, mainly because the villain is so great.

A superbly crafted, ultra-cool and gloriously badass assassin, Francisco Scaramanga is an exceptionally entertaining antagonist who really stands out in what is otherwise such a low-effort of the series. It certainly seems like more effort was put into him than into any other part of the movie.

He was already a very strong villain on paper, but Scaramanga was elevated to an absolute all-timer by one of the most on-point casting choices in Bond history. The great Sir Christopher Lee fit the part like a glove and gave an absolutely formidable performance.

As much as Scaramanga deserved a far better film than the one he got, he's still one of the best Bond villains ever.

And the Golden gun itself was number 4 in Den of the Geeks Best Gadgets to feature in a James Bond film

Going back to the villainous theme, The Man With The Golden Gun included such a spectacular gadget that the film was named after it. The talented and deadly professional hitman, Francisco Scaramanga, had been given that very nickname because of the unusual firearm he carried with him. It might have been a calling card that has featured in the legacy of Bond pictures, but the gun was also crafted in a genius way to conceal it in everyday life.

Firing golden bullets, the weapon was custom made to separate out into different fragments, each of which represented a regular item: a pen, a lighter, a cigarette case, and a cufflink could all be disassembled from the firearm. Low frequency metal detectors are also far less effective at finding gold, meaning security would be a lot easier to travel through with the device on one’s person.

The slow assembly of the gun helps to raise the ominous tension of any scene. The gadget is such a perfect display of James Bond movies at their best, the narrative itself being driven forward by this conflict-causing surprise weapon, which not only rivals some of the best guns that Q has created but has also been involved in plenty of other Bond projects. It’s difficult to find a spinoff game for instance that doesn’t allow players to utilize the popular golden artifact.

So why does The Man with the Golden gun miss its Target?

Guy Hamilton’s direction he was so good in Live and let Die yet its so bad here the man problem is James Bond himself Guy Hamilton has forgotten what made Roger Moore Bond tick there are even a few scenes in the film where Guy is trying to turn Roger Moore’s Bond into Sean Connery and it doesn’t work  

Setting the film during the Energy Crisis of 1973 has dated the film very badly lastly why are people who work for Universal exports so angry with each other and acting out of character? To watch a trailer for the man with the golden gun click here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gF5fr3Zhi7E

To watch a video review of the film by Oliver Harper on his own You Tube channel click here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p1kiQD7J-ao

Pictures Thanks to Google images

1) one of the many posters for James Bond Thunderball 1965

2) Domino and James Bond at the Beach

3) Fiona Vulpe

4) Q on holiday in Thunderball

5) James Bond with his Jet pack

6) Dionne Warwick

7) Shirley Bassey

8) Tom Jones

9) Man with the Golden Gun poster from 1974

10) one of the best stunts ever seen in a Bond film the barrel roll from Man with the Golden Gun 

11 and 12 Francisco Scaramanga  with his Golden Gun 

Notes

Thank you to the following websites for their links and content What Culture website for their best moments of Bond Den of the Geek for their top 10 countdown of Bond Gadgets Wikipedia for its background material on Thunderball

Oliver Harper youtube channel for the retrospective review of Man with the golden gun Stormchaser Z for the James Bond era videos also Neil Bond for his Thunderball soundtrack sleeve notes

And the Yard Barker website for their article title 25 Best Set peice from the Bond films

If you have read and liked this blog please consider giving a donation to the Tolerance project by clicking on this link https://www.gofundme.com/gnk3ww

#you tube #Oliver Harper Youtube channel #james bond #Sean Connery #Roger Moore #Maud adams #Man with the golden gun #thunderball #John Barry #shirley bassey #dionne warwick #tom jones #Tolerance Project blog update #harry saltzman #Albert R Cubby Broccoli #Stormchaser z #Den Of Geek #don black #leslie bricuss #What Culture website #Google images #neil bond #wikipedia #Tolerance Project Blog update extended edition #YardBarker website

[countessofravenclaw]

The 2022 writing Advent calendar: Day 7

7. Watching a Christmas movie

Funnily enough, I have not yet written a purely Gastina story during this calendar… lets fix that!

So, if you have seen Princess Switch one and two, that will greatly benefit your understanding of this, but that is not required.

“I can’t believe you convinced me of this,” Gastón said to Nina as he opened Netflix on their TV. “We could just watch Infinity War and Endgame again.”

Nina had somehow made him promise that when their 2021 Christmas exam season was over, they’d do a Netflix hallmark movie marathon. Apparently there were many trilogies of different Chirstmas movies on Netflix that he had never heard off. They had really similar taste when it came to media and in general nerdiness, but this was something they really differed.

“Not happening,” Nina said as she sat down on the sofa next to him, “We can rip apparent storytelling methods and motifs of future Emmy nominations later. The Boba Fett show is coming out in January after all.”

“I am still a bit confused why they are making a show about him.”

“Me too, but at least we will learn about tusken raiders and how he actually made it out of that Sarlacc Pit,” Nina said, “But, don’t change the subject. We are watching these holiday movies, you promised…” she ran her finger on his chest, pretty outrageous move on her part because she knew what it did to him.

“Why can’t I ever say no to you?” Gastón groaned, trying to keep himself from losing focus. “Okay, you win. Where do we start?”

“I think the Princess Switch franchise had their third movie come out this year.”

“That name already sounds stupid.”

“I know,” Nina laughed, “But that is the point of these. They are bad by design. They are not supposed to be cinematic masterpieces, but just fun time.”

“With two Vanessa Hudgenses?” Gastón had finished scrolling through Netflix and had the movie up on the screen. “Well, she has gone far from the High School Musicals.”

*

“Okay, that was not half bad,” Gastón said as the credits rolled. 

“See, I knew you would like them,” Nina smiled at him.

“Well, I guess you were right. It was nice, like in a cheesy way. But this would never happen in real life.”

“Yeah, genetics don’t work that way,” Nina laughed, “What did you think about the romance between the duchess and the normal guy? I felt like it was bit off.”

“Yeah, I agree with you on that,” Gastón pondered, “I guess the problem is in the fact that the guy, Kevin was it, though she was his best friend, who he had known since high school. He was never in love with the duchess, but her as his best friend.”

“Thats right. It was more about him seeing a new side of Stacy, which made him fall in love with her, and not about him falling for this completely different person. If I would be writing this, that would cause so many problems in the future.” Nina continued, “Counter that with the actual Stacy and the Prince, who did not know that duchess, I think her name was Margaret, beforehand at all. He fell in love with her as herself.”

“And I thought you could not get anything deep out of these movies,” Gastón laughed, “But the ending was a bit odd, I will stand by that. I have heard of impulse proposing, it actually happens, but after you have known each other for two days? This isn’t Vegas.”

“Christmas magic I guess, you have to admit it was kind of cute.” Nina tilted her head toward him, “So you are you are not going to do that?”

“Propose on impulse?” Gastón eyed her varily. “I mean, do you want me to?”

Silence loomed over them for a moment, before they both burst out laughing. 

“Maybe give it couple more years.” Gastón brushed a hair out of Nina’s face, “finish the degrees and such, and I know I have made some impulsive choices, but I think Matteo has taught us that you need to think things over in life. ”

“And in love?” Nina asked him with a raised eyebrow, “Now you are just quoting Frozen. Speaking off, could we still be able to get tickets to that before Christmas, or will they all be sold out?”

“I don’t know,” Gastón shrugged, “I’d imagine it can be hard, but we can try. But let's look at that tomorrow.”

“Anyways, we got totally off topic,” Nina suddenly noted, “We have more movies to watch. Princess Switch has a sequel.” 

“Of course it does,” Gastón sighed and clicked the remote to put the second movie on. 

*

“Well, that plot was so much more convoluted than the first one,” he commented after the second movie was over. 

“Well, yeah, I have to agree.” Nina agreed with him. “It was good, but the first one was much more simple. You can only get so far with no villain.”

“My problem is with that Margaret again,” Gastón continued, “Their romance was on shaky ground, to begin with, but now she became the Queen. That kind of defeats the purpose what the first movie tried to do with her.”

“She is never going to be a normal girl,” Nina noted, “You would not think she would want to rule a kingdom from the first movie, and I don’t think she and Kevin can ever make it work now.” 

“But they did… with an impromptu wedding at an airport.” Gastón shaked his head. “Like half of the things in these movies would never actually happen.”

“I thought you, as a person who feels in love with someone without ever seeing them, would have a bigger liking for these cheesy tropes,” Nina teased him. 

“Only because I was already in love with you in the first place,” Gastón countered while slipping his arm around her waist, pulling her closer. “even if it took me a year to realize it.”

“Well, you got there in the end,” Nina put her arms around his neck, “There’s still the third movie left, we’ll just have time to watch it before it is midnight.”

“Actually, I have a better idea,” Gastón suddenly smirked and pulled her into a heated kiss.

“Is this your way of trying to talk me out of watching that third one?”

“Maybe, is it working?” He said before moving his lips to her neck.

“Yes.”

So, I absolutely adore the first two Princess Switch movies, and yes, they are not perfect and I have complaints (like I always do), but they are exactly those bad Christmas movies that I love. But I actually despise the third one, since it absolutely missed the point that made the first two, especially the first one so good. That's why, they do not end up watching it, before getting distracted.

Also, side note here: I just threw that brief proposal conversation there, because even if this is happening, like established, in 2021, so Nina is in her last year of bachelors and Gastón his first year of masters and the actual proposal is three years away (By to way, go read it), they definitely still had open conversations about getting married. I firmly believe that once they got back together at Oxford, they pretty fast knew that they were IT for each other. I mean Gastón definitely knew it during SL as well

Geez, you can tell this is about Gastina, when I write full manifesto here in the notes

#2022 Writing DCLA+ advent calendar #Gastina #Soy Luna #the princess switch #The princess switch 2

[birdybat]

Batfam’s movie

There’s a mystery drama film on the Thomas and Martha Wayne about their life and death. It’s really dramatic and cinematic with really nice background music. It’s a Wayne Productions movie with Bruce providing family records and permission to film on Wayne Manor grounds. He provides photos, references, costumes that the Wayne’s actually wore. And the film crew has access to all Wayne owned buildings for filming. Bruce helped casts to get actors and actresses that best resembled his parents

The family actually participated many of the shootings with:

Dick playing a footman in a gala in a comedic role when Thomas and Martha went to a fundraiser where they first started dating. He’s on screen for 4 minutes and has a couple lines but stuck around to support his siblings when they were shooting.

Jason appeared for a short second as a passer by for legal reasons (because he’s you know… legally dead) but he’s credited at the end for both his role and stunt performer (yes it’s got a lot of action in it it’s in Gotham ok).

Tim plays a friend of Thomas when they were at school as a fellow aristocrat who was there when Martha and Thomas first met. He encouraged them to get together. Tim has the most lines out of all of them.

Damian plays a 9 year old Bruce just before their death but he wasn’t allowed to speak and was kept in the background due to a publicity agreement with Talia (she doesn’t want Damian to be on the news or be recognised in public because it could affect his daily life). For this reason he isn’t credited. He was very vocal in filming and directed some of the stunt scenes. Young Bruce was played by at least 3 different actors so Damian was only on for 3 scenes. He put blue contact lenses on and styled himself to look like young Bruce.

Stephanie plays an orphan that Martha meets near crime alley that inspires her to help fund a homeless project as well as build new orphanages that is a loving and warm place for orphans in the city. Stephanies role continues to influence Martha throughout the film which leads to Martha breaking down realising how fortunate they are.

Cass performs in a Don Quixote ballet where Thomas takes Martha for a date which is attacked. She’s fully credited for her role

Harper does backstage as well as props. She introduced some friends from the homeless shelter for roles in the movie.

I’ll do a part 2 for Duke, Kate, Barbara, Alfred, Talia and Ra’s.

#batman #damian wayne #dc comics #batfamily #robin #talia al ghul #bruce wayne #ra's al ghul #dick grayson #tim drake #jason Todd #cassandra cain #harper row #stephanie brown #nightwing #red hood #red robin #spoiler #batgirl #blue bird #batfam

[popentertainment-interviews]

Rebecca Hall, Tessa Thompson, Ruth Negga & André Holland

Veteran Actor’s Directorial Debut Passing Explores the Lives of Two Mixed-Race Women in 1920s New York

by Brad Balfour   As the film Passing opens, two childhood friends run into each other while “passing” as white women shopping in midtown Manhattan. Both are living in middle class adulthood; in the course of the narrative, they become increasingly involved with each other tapping into their common insecurities. While Irene "Reenie" Redfield [Tessa Thompson] identifies as African American and is married to a black doctor Brian Redfield [André Holland], Clare Bellew [Ruth Negga] "passes" as white and has married prejudiced, wealthy businessman John Bellew [Alexander Skarsgård] who is unaware of his wife’s origins.   Based on American author Nella Larsen’s novel – first published in 1929 – it’s set primarily in 1920s Harlem. The story centers on this reunion and their increasing fascination with the practice of "racial passing.” Clare’s attempt to pass is the novel’s most powerful depiction and a catalyst for the tragic events that follow once the two enter each other’s circle. Larsen was informed by her own racially mixed heritage and won praise for the book’s provocative narrative. Now celebrated for how it addresses race, gender and sexuality, all capably presented in this sensitive and subtle film as well. The 39-year-old Hall’s initial directorial effort is already garnering critical acclaim for her Netflix release. From her first onscreen appearance at age 10, Hall’s been racking up breakthroughs since she appeared in The Prestige, Christopher Nolan's noted thriller. In 2008, she received a Golden Globe Best Actress nomination for playing the lead in Woody Allen's romantic comedy-drama Vicky Cristina Barcelona. Hall then appeared in an array of acclaimed films including Ron Howard's historical drama Frost/Nixon (2008), Ben Affleck's crime story The Town (2010), the superhero film Iron Man 3 (2013), and the monster film Godzilla vs. Kong (2021). Born in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, cast member Negga grew up in Limerick, and received Oscar and Golden Globe Award nominations by playing Mildred Loving in the controversial historical drama Loving – she won the Irish Film and Television Award for Best Actress. Negga also appeared in Isolation (2005), Breakfast on Pluto (2005), and Warcraft (2016) as well as television projects such as the BBC’s Criminal Justice, RTÉ's Love/Hate, E4's Misfits, and ABC's Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. She’ll be on Broadway with Daniel Craig in an all-new production of Macbeth directed by Tony Award winner Sam Gold (A Doll’s House, Part 2; Fun Home). In her 30s, Thompson has also established professional acting credits through the Los Angeles Women's Shakespeare Company while studying at Santa Monica College. She appeared in The Tempest and Romeo and Juliet, earning her a NAACP Theatre Award nomination. Her cinematic achievements were established through leading roles in Tina Mabry's independent drama film Mississippi Damned (2009) and Tyler Perry's drama For Colored Girls (2010). She also gained favorable notices for her work in the comedy-drama Dear White People, and as civil rights activist Diane Nash in Ava DuVernay’s historical drama Selma (both in 2014). She also took on more mainstream roles as she co-starred as Adonis Creed (Michael B. Jordan)’s love interest and eventual wife Bianca Taylor in Creed (2015) and Creed II (2018) and played Valkyrie in the Marvel Cinematic Universe superhero films Thor: Ragnarok (2017) and Avengers: Endgame (2019).   On a Broadway stage, Holland starred in August Wilson's play Jitney in 2017. In 2020, he played a lead role on the Netflix musical drama series The Eddy, directed by Damien Chazelle. Before that he was widely known for his 2016 performance as Kevin in the Academy Award-winning film Moonlight. In The Paris Theater, this Q&A was conducted with Hall, Thompson, Negga and Holland, who explored what it took to bring this project to fruition and how it felt to wrap themselves in what life was like in those days. New York City has always been a place where life happens, and it has shaped who we are today – something that was revealed in this film and poignantly discussed after this preview screening.   When did you realize there’s something here that you wanted to make into this movie?   Rebecca Hall: I remember specifically seeing the book in the window. Then I finished the book, loved it, opened my laptop, and started writing the screenplay. It was suddenly like being possessed. I think that I had freedom to do it because honestly, I didn’t think it would end up like this. Or I talked myself out of it.

I just was struck by the modernity of this: how it speaks to so many aspects of humanity, in this tiny, tiny book. Now it’s not just racial passing, it’s all the ways in which the thing that you think you believe in doesn’t match up with the thing that you want. The ways in which we all put ourselves into containers or let other people put us into containers, and then we’re massively spilling out of them because nobody can be defined by one thing. That is a very contemporary idea.

We have words like intersectionality or something [like that]. I was blown away by that, so when I arrived to work, I just thought I wanted it to look a certain way. I came up with ideas that shocked when [placed] in the movie. I got really attracted to the screenplay, thinking, “I’m going to get into this because I’ll never make it. So it’s fine, this is just for me.” Then it was a 13-year process, maybe not quite 13 years. It was about a six-year process of me getting the nerve to take it out of the drawer, and then another six years of actually trying to get it made, which is normal.   What was one of the early shots that you had in your mind? Rebecca Hall: Of the feet. Also I had the idea of the meeting between the two of them. I committed self-matching at that scene. [That was] in my head. I look at her playing the central character and is she in a place where she was being observed – and you didn’t know why she was hiding from something – to a place where she was taken in this room and was feeling safe. Then she’s looking around and suddenly there’s this other person looking right at her.   In an interview you talked about bringing Tessa and Ruth to your house for a weekend before going into production because you felt that it would be imperative to have that time together. So tell me all about that: what did you do?   Rebecca Hall: Well, I’m an actor so I understand rehearsal very much, so I just kidnapped them [laughs].   Was it like a rehearsal at the house or was it bonding time connecting everyone?   Rebecca Hall: There was some. [They] and I sat down and did a lot of work. We’d sit down and go through scenes a lot. Mostly it was just time for the two of them to be together and explore each other’s [thoughts].

Tessa, you said that you were terrified to take on this role. But you did it with such grace and depth. It was a beautiful performance. What ultimately made you say yes? What intrigued you about diving in? 

Tessa Thompson: I guess I like being terrified. In the sense that when I am approaching work, there’s something that is central to the thing that I’m not sure that I can do. In this case, it had to do with being in the character and also that there was this – so much is expressed, as Rebecca said, with her example of that panning shot of their passage. It focused squarely on Irene’s obsession with staring at her. Without the movie looking away, and looking back, there is no cinematic journey. So Rebecca was able to tease that out, and so I felt very comfortable. If she could do it…   What I was worrying about for myself is, there’s this incredible document in Nella’s words. There was a wealth and a depth of feeling that this woman has inside, when you don’t have a lot of dialogue to express that. Also in that she’s playing someone that’s quite restrained, the moments when she’s feeling strongly is whenever she’s around this person and that stirs things in her – [which I had to express]. She’s a feeling person. How do you say that without saying that? That terrified me. Then also other stuff terrified me, but I won’t go into that. But the easy thing is that she just needs to be really beguiled and blown away by this woman and look at her.

Ruth, in bringing this really complex woman to life, what compelled you to play her?

Ruth Negga: I love the word “haunting.” I love it. I was haunted by this book. I was haunted by these characters. I think what struck me most is I never really read a friendship like that. The full, deep complexity of female friendship with all the usual attractions, and also repelled by one another at the same time. That push and pull. We have all combatted the disease of UJE: the ugliness of it, the jealousy, the envy. I was bewitched by these women.    For me, for Clare, I was so curious about this woman – her intention of living so fully and authentically. It brings to mind a Mary Oliver quote: “What is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?” Clare, for me, she embraced it fully and deeply. I guess after reading it, I found – I don’t know, this atmosphere of sense of ending somehow that haunts the book and that lingers way after the final frame. I think Rebecca shocked us, and that’s a terribly hard thing to do. I don’t think I’ve ever seen film writing that captures the feeling, the emotion, having read it, onscreen, sufficiently.   Had you read the book before anyone suggested you read it?   Ruth Negga: Yeah, I’d read the book. I had wanted to work with Rebecca for a long time. We met up in New York and she said she was adapting this, and I [said] I’d do it anytime, anywhere.

André, your character is so complicated and so rich. There are so many scenes that jump out at me when I think of them. But I ask you what I was asking them: what was it that intrigued you about this character, and do you want to explain it to the audience?   André Holland: This character gave me a chance to explore this world. I think that’s one of my favorite things about this job: getting a chance to learn about men I didn’t know before. I didn’t know about Nella [Larsen]’s work, I hadn’t read that.   In the dinner table scene, there’s an argument that you have with the other characters. It’s very much of that era, but also very contemporary. Black parents have had these conversations all the time. What was it like preparing for that and diving into that performance?   André Holland: Well, I was really looking forward to that scene from the very beginning. Which is exciting.   Tessa, how was that exciting for you?   Tessa Thompson: What struck me is just that: how modern it felt. And this was before the events of last summer. But it’s like forever and always in this country, right? I think that’s the negotiation you make as a parent to black children and in particular, I’d say, to black men. So there was that on one hand, and to activate that which would do him a favor even now. On the other hand, I think the scene has a uniquely important physicality that it felt like we were playing a piece of music together. To me there was a real specificity in rhythm. That was what I liked.   Something that I really enjoyed about this project is the precision, because of the precision of every angle. If you were off your mark by a little bit or just objectively not in the right place, Rebecca would come and be like, [gestures] “Once again.” But I don’t know – I like that. I didn’t do sports and I’m not into doing anything else. This is just something I like, so I’ll do it right.   Ruth Negga: You did, you know?   Tessa Thompson: And inside the form is such freedom when you know what the form is. When I was in Shakespeare and the Classics – she knows, go see her in Macbeth.

Ruth, you talked about the precision of the technicality of the camera. How did that stretch you as an actor? How did you get that joy of finding freedom? 

Ruth Negga: In order to play you have to have rules because it just tightened everything up. I felt a great comfort and relief in it because I think the way Rebecca works is a very lavish process. We were let in on this. This wasn’t a proletarian office. We knew that there was a goal as we were playing, and we were recruited. And that’s a lovely thing, I think, about Rebecca and especially her being an actor as well. There’s a gift in ensuring trust. That’s a lovely thing for an actor to have, a director’s trust, and to let us in on it. We had freedom to discover within the scene, working with Tessa and Andre.   The framing is so beautiful. There is such a precision, there is such a beautiful stillness in every shot. How did you arrive at that framing for the visual language of this film?   Rebecca Hall: It’s as I said earlier. An inherent problem adapting this book for the screen is that if you were unable to show the inside of your protagonist’s mind, it would be lies because she’s not truthful to herself. That’s the whole point of this story. She doesn’t really know who she is. She’s so bound up in the idea of this respectful, proper, erect life – wife, mother, everything – that there is no room for her expression of herself.   So this was the bottom of that problem: How do you get you guys in on that? How do you show that? And I think the formality of it felt to me, finally, correct, that there should be a way of slowly giving signals to the audience that this person is unreliable, and finding the visual language to do that. You slowly start to see what you are saying or she is saying it, maybe it’s not real. It’s fuzzy, it’s blurry, and you literally use lenses that compressed the image, but were soft on the top and bottom. That creates that there’s a sense that her world is dissolving around her.   Also, it occurred to me of what I thought about this novel a lot. The 20s are famous for being loud – the Jazz Age, color, photographs. This book was so simple and held so much in because it allows you to do the work. So I can’t help thinking about what is the simplest version of this? That comes down to shot-by-shot. I don’t want to have to cut away, so let’s see how long I can contain the two-shot. Let’s use a mirror if we have to. So let’s play a two-shot in the mirror with that person as well.    That formality also literally puts them in a box, it puts them in this place of restraint – Irene, specifically.  It should feel claustrophobic. The music is deliberately beautiful, and haunting. It’s deliberate. So I was very specific about everything.   I was curious as well.    Rebecca Hall: Yes. Correct. Well, she was an exile for most of her life. That song that you hear all the way through the movie, I heard it when I was doing a rewrite at some point. Not right from the beginning, somewhere in the middle. I remember hearing that piece of music and thinking, that’s the film. That’s the time, that’s the feeling, and that’s the sensibility, that’s what we’re looking for. If I can make this film sound like how this sounds, then it’s worth it.   The house [which was used in the film] was a character as well.   Rebecca Hall: Well, the house was pretty bright. I did want the feeling that the house was meaningful. It was meaningful to be there in Harlem, in that house, in a brownstone like that. Knowing that these houses and these spaces, and the apartment that’s at the end of the film was a historic building. There were probably parties in the ’20s that took place in that building.   Ruth Negga: Yeah, I think so. The house, the residence, we learned a lot and we would use the bedroom as the place where we were all sitting.   Tessa Thompson: We’d all be sitting in this bedroom together. It was a little claustrophobic. Which was helpful for me because Irene was supposed to feel very claustrophobic. [I would go] “Irene would love this.” But the bathroom was open, and I could go in there. I was very happy for you except when I had to pee.   Ruth Negga: And it’s the set you want to work in…   Rebecca Hall: There were things that weren’t right.   Ruth Negga: I believe that when I’m not working, I’m haunted. I think bricks and mortar and molding carry memories. I am living there. All the memories that one would have in Harlem are so vibrant and so, of course, it has its own costume. I love that. So yeah, I definitely felt that. All that for a lot of nothing [in the end].

Copyright ©2021 PopEntertainment.com. All rights reserved. Posted: November 3, 2021 .

Photos ©2021 Brad Balfour. All rights reserved.

#Rebecca Hall #Tessa Thompson #Ruth Negga #Andre Holland #2021 #Director Interviews #Actor Interviews #Passing #Brad Balfour

[smokeybrandreviews]

Smokey brand Movie Reviews: Super Green

The Green Knight s finally out and i can see it without having to wait a month and a half! I thank A24 for this rather quick turnaround because this thing has been on my radar fr what seems like forever! I’ve written about this before but A24 is my favorite studio releasing content. Neon is a close second and Netflix is making a real charge, but A24 releases classics. Some of my all-time favorite films are A24 products. Ex Machina, Hereditary, Under the Skin, The VVitch, Uncut Gems, Zola, Midsommar, Lady Bird, Eighth Grade, The Lighthouse, High Life, The Monster, Enemy, Climax, Room, The Killing of a Sacred Deer, The Disaster Artist, and Under the Silver Lake have all impressed in one for or another, all of them A24 offerings. This studio is f*cking amazing and i cannot sing it’s praises enough. They’ve been around for less than a decade, A24 was founded in August of 2012, and they’re brought this level of quality consistently. The Green Knight has all of the workings to slide right into my all-time list, just like Ex Machina and Hereditary did before it. Let’s see if i really love it as much as i think i will.

The Exceptional

The first thing that hits you is how f*cking gorgeous this film is. Seriously, i was immediately captivated by that opening scene with Gawain rushing for Mass. It definitely opens up as the film progresses and you are treated to one of the most visually striking films of the year. This movie could give Denis Villeneuve, Ari Aster, or Robert Eggers a run for their money. Seriously, you can frame several shots in a museum and no one would know the difference between that and the Van Gophs on display.

I r0aely mention this but it’s absolutely necessary that i do in this particular review because it was just that memorable. The sound design made this film. I’m not talking about music choice or score, but the actual sound effects for specific scenes. That sh*t was some of the tightest I've ever hear on a film and it really added to the overall experience. Just the way the Green Knight creaked and popped as he moved was more than enough to get this mention but there is so much  ore than just that. I hate that i had to see this at home because, f*ck, this thing would have sounded like god in a proper theater.

I mentioned that you can frame these shots in a museum before and a lot of that shine belongs to the cinematography. The shots chosen for this film are breathtaking. I imagine a lot of that has to do with location but even the scenes filmed in dank castles and murky bogs popped with that same, meticulous, shot composition and it really gave those scenes life. The were ties when my jaw dropped at the majesty of a scene. The one with the giants immediately comes to mind. Like, f*ck, was that beautiful to witness.

In that same breath, you have to know when to pull back. Editing is just as important to a film as anything else and The Green Knight is cut with a precision I've rarely seen. This thing has no fat whatsoever. It presents to you exactly what you need and little else. I love that. I love that this film has a story to tell and it tells it with extreme prejudice. These cuts were made with intent. That’s rare nowadays.

I also have to give a nod to the use of color and lighting. Again, it’s not something i ever really focus on but goddamn is it necessary for this review. Light plays a very important role in how this story was told. Certain scenes absolutely need it and others are perfectly accentuated by it. It takes a deft hand to juggle such a nuanced aspect of film and The Green Knight has done that the best this year. So far.

This film has a very real, very potent, atmosphere. It’s not tension, not like Uncut Gems of Good Times, but there is this unrelenting sense of dread that runs through this entire film. It’s measured and restrained but it’s always there. I appreciate that. For a film to illicit such emotion out of me is testament to the mastery of it’s visionary.

All of the praise I've given to the technical aspects of this film would be for naught if i didn’t recognize the director, David Lowery. This dude is fast climbing the list of my favorite directors. I actually listed  bunch above but, after seeing what he’s gone with this film, dude is really making a case for himself. He did the Pete’s Dragon remake which i hear as pretty good, and A Ghost Story but i haven’t seen either. Not really my cup of tea. But if they’re as good as The Green Knight, i might have to revisit that thought because, holy sh*t, this dude can direct the f*ck out of a film.

The writing is on point. I legit hesitated to put this on here because it is the weakest aspect of  everything else in this film but that is misleading. The writing is exceptional. There is no way this film could be as good as it is, if the script was dog sh*t. The material given to these performers had to the top tier in order for them to give the performances they did and and they definitely f*cking did that!

This whole cast really f*cking delivered. Sarita Choudhury as Mother and Sean Harris as the King were easily the best of the supporting cast but everyone else brought that same energy. Joel Edgerton, Kate Dickie, and  Barry Keoghan, all deliver powerful performances. Hell, this is the best I've ever seen Erin Kellyman act and i have to give a lot of credit to the overall quality of this cast delivered. That said, there are three individuals who put everyone else to shame and i say that knowing exactly how much praise i just heaped upon them all.

Alicia Vikander comes in and delivers on two roles, Essel and the Lady. This isn’t surprising at all because she always delivers. I’m never disappointed by her performances. Admittedly, i haven’t seen many but that’s because she is very particular about the characters she signs on to portray. That said, it’s weird the two performances she’s done that immediately jump out to me, are both with A24 films. Her Eva in Ex Machina, and that film in general, is what made me even take notice of both her and A24 as a studio. Here we are, seven years later, and she’s still blowing my mind. F*cking exceptional.

Ralph Ineson is almost unrecognizable in the Green Knight make-up but the second he opens his mouth, you immediately recognize that gravitas. There is a weight to this character and you f*cking feel it with every move Ineson makes. Dude isn’t in it much but the scenes he does appear in are absolutely stolen by this big, green, maestro of his craft.

More than anyone, this is Dev Patel’s film. This dude is a great actor but it’s rare someone gets a part where they can really bite into the content but that is not the case with this role. No, sir, this sh*t was tailor made for Patel and he definitely digs right the f*ck in. His Sir Gawain is just as good as his Jamal Malik from Slumdog, if not better. Seriously, this film would be nothing without Patel. As outstanding as every other aspect that i gushed about in this brilliant goddamn film, the very best is Dev Patel’s performance. Seriously, that sh*t, alone, is worth the watch.

The Verdict

The Green Knight is f*cking exceptional and exceeded all of my expectations. This year long wait was more than worth. It's the best film of the year so far, leap-frogging into my top twenty all-time and I've seen thousands of films. This thing is a masterpiece on all levels. Narrative, plot, lighting, performances, sound design, composition, editing, score; It's the closest thing to a technically perfect film I've seen in quite some time. If Dev Patel doesn't get an Oscar nod for this, there is no justice in the world because he f*cking carries this movie. Patel is easily the strongest force driving this incredibly compelling watch, but Alicia Vikander, Erin Kellyman, Sarita Choudhury, Ralph Ineson, Sean Harris, Kate Dickie, and Barry Keoghan all match that energy with f*cking gusto. I was absolutely mesmerized by the way these absolute masters in their craft, embodied and gave their respective characters life, particularly Vikander. She never disappoints.

The only issue I see that would hinder someone actually getting into this film is the fact that it's a little long in the tooth. You never really feel it, as long as you buy into the fact it's a character study and not a high concept fantasy film filled with dragons and sh*t. If you think Michael Bay and Zack Snyder are the pinnacle of cinematic excellence, pass on this. You won't make past the first tn minutes. Also, make better life choices. No, this is about Gawain and it never deviates from that core drive. Weird sh*t happens, sure, but it's nothing as fantastical as Smaug or a Balrog. Even so, this f*cking movie kept me glued to the edge of my seat. I loved every second of it and cannot sing it's praises enough. My only regret is that I didn't get to see it in a proper theater. This f*cker would have been a real experience to see on a proper cinema screen, especially that shot with the giants. The Green Knight is outstanding and deserves all of the praise it's gotten and so much more.

#Smokey brand Movie Reviews #The Green Knight

[sinceileftyoublog]

Pitchfork Music Festival 2021 Preview: 15 Can’t-miss Acts

black midi; Photo by YIS KID

BY JORDAN MAINZER

While yours truly won’t be attending Pitchfork Music Festival this year, SILY contributor Daniel Palella will be covering the actual fest. If I was attending, though, these would be the acts I’d make sure to see. 5 from each day, no overlaps, so you could conceivably see everyone listed.

FRIDAY

Armand Hammer, 1:00 PM, Green Stage

Earlier this year, New York hip hop duo Armand Hammer released their 5th album Haram (BackwoodzStudioz) in collaboration with on-fire producer The Alchemist. It was the duo’s (ELUCID and Billy Woods) first time working with a singular producer on a record (though Earl Sweatshirt produced a track), and likewise, The Alchemist actually tailored his beats towards the two MCs. Haram is the exact kind of hip hop that succeeds early in the day at a festival, verbose and complex rhymes over languid, cloudy, sample-heavy beats, when attendees are more likely to want to sit and listen than dance. And you’re going to want to listen to Armand Hammer, whose MCs’ experiential words frame the eerie hues of the production. “Dreams is dangerous, linger like angel dust,” Woods raps on opener “Sir Benni Miles”, never looking back as he and Elucid’s stream-of-consciousness rhymes cover everything from colonization to Black bodily autonomy and the dangers of satisfaction disguised as optimism. (“We let BLM be the new FUBU,” raps Quelle Chris on “Chicharrones”; “Iridescent blackness / Is this performative or praxis?” ponders Woods on “Black Sunlight”.)  There are moments of levity on Haram, like KAYANA’s vocal turn on “Black Sunlight” and the “what the hell sound is this?” type sampling that dominates warped, looped tracks like “Peppertree” and “Indian Summer”, built around sounds of horns and twirling flute lines. For the most part, Haram is an album of empathetic realism. “Hurt people hurt people,” raps Elucid on “Falling Out of the Sky”, a stunning encapsulation of Armand Hammer’s world where humanism exists side-by-side with traumatic death and feelings of revenge.

You can also catch Armand Hammer doing a live set on the Vans Channel 66 livestream at 12 PM on Saturday.

Dogleg, 1:45 PM, Red Stage

It feels like we’ve been waiting years to see this set, and actually, we have! The four-piece punk band from Michigan was supposed to play last year’s cancelled fest in support of their searing debut Melee (Triple Crown), and a year-plus of pent up energy is sure to make songs like “Bueno”, “Fox”, and “Kawasaki Backflip” all the more raging. Remember: This is a band whose reputation was solidified live before they were signed to Triple Crown and released their breakout album. Seeing them is the closest thing to a no-brainer that this year’s lineup offers.

Revisit our interview with Dogleg from last year, and catch them at an aftershow on Saturday at Subterranean with fellow Pitchfork performer Oso Oso and Retirement Party.

Hop Along, 3:20 PM, Red Stage

Though lead singer Frances Quinlan released a very good solo album last year, it’s been three years since their incredible band Hop Along dropped an album and two years since they’ve toured. 2018′s Bark Your Head Off, Dog (Saddle Creek), one of our favorite albums of that year, should comprise the majority of their setlist, but maybe they have some new songs?

Catch them at an aftershow on Saturday at Metro with Varsity and Slow Mass.

black midi, 4:15 PM, Green Stage

The band who had the finest debut of 2019 and gave the best set of that year at Pitchfork is back. Cavalcade (Rough Trade) is black midi’s sophomore album, methodical in its approach in contrast with the improvisational absurdism of Schlagenheim. Stop-start, violin-laden lead single and album opener “John L”, a song about a cult leader whose members turn on him, is as good a summary as ever of the dark, funky eclecticism of black midi, who on Cavalcade saw band members leave and new ones enter, their ever shapeshifting sound the only consistent thing about them. A song like the jazzy “Diamond Stuff” is likely impossible to replicate live--its credits list everything from 19th century instruments to household kitchen items used for percussion--but is key to experiencing their instrumental adventurousness. On two-and-a-half-minute barn burner “Hogwash and Balderdash,” they for the first time fully lean into their fried Primus influences, telling a tale of two escaped prisoners, “two chickens from the pen.” At the same time, this band is still black midi, with moments that call back to Schlagenheim, the churning, metallic power chords via jittery, slapping funk of “Chondromalacia Patella” representative of their quintessential tempo changes. And as on songs like Schlagenheim’s “Western”, black midi find room for beauty here, too, empathizing with the pains of Marlene Dietrich on a bossa nova tune named after her, Geordie Greep’s unmistakable warble cooing sorrowful lines like, “Fills the hall tight / And pulls at our hearts / And puts in her place / The girl she once was.” Expect to hear plenty from Cavalcade but also some new songs; after all, this is a band that road tests and experiments with material before recording it.

Catch them doing a 2 PM DJ set on Vans Channel 66 on Saturday and at an aftershow on Monday at Sleeping Village.

Yaeji, 7:45 PM, Blue Stage

What We Drew (XL), the debut mixtape from Brooklyn-based DJ Yaeji, was one of many dance records that came out after lockdown that we all wished we could experience in a crowd as opposed to at home alone. Now's our chance to bask in all of its glory under a setting sun. Maybe she’ll spin her masterful remix of Dua Lipa’s “Don’t Start Now” from the Club Future Nostalgia remix album, or her 2021 single “PAC-TIVE”, her and DiAN’s collaboration with Pac-Man company Namco.

Angel Olsen; Photo by Dana Trippe

SATURDAY

Bartees Strange, 1:45 PM, Red Stage

One of our favorite albums of last year was Live Forever (Memory Music), the debut from singer-songwriter and The National fanatic Bartees Strange, one that contributor Lauren Lederman called “a declaration of an artist’s arrival.” He’s certainly past arrived when you take into account his busy 2021, releasing a new song with Lorenzo Wolff and offering his remix services to a number of artists, including illuminati hotties and fellow Pitchfork performer (and tour mate) Phoebe Bridgers. Expect to hear lots of Live Forever during his Pitchfork set, one of many sets at the fest featuring exciting young guitar-based (!) bands.

Catch him at a free (!!) aftershow on Monday at Empty Bottle with Ganser.

Faye Webster, 4:00 PM, Blue Stage

Since we previewed Faye Webster’s Noonchorus livestream in October, she’s released the long-awaited follow-up to Atlanta Millionaires Club, the cheekily titled I Know I’m Funny haha (Secretly Canadian). At that time, she had dropped “Better Distractions”, “In A Good Way”, and “Both All The Time”, and the rest of the album more than follows the promise of these three dreamy country, folk rock, and R&B-inspired tunes. Webster continues to be a master of tone and mood, lovelorn on “Sometimes”, sarcastic on the title track, and head-in-the-clouds on “A Dream with a Baseball Player”. All the while, she and her backing band provide stellar, languorous instrumentation, keys and slide guitar on the bossa nova “Kind Of”, her overdriven guitar sludge on “Cheers”, cinematic strings on the melancholic “A Stranger”, stark acoustic guitar on heartbreaking closer “Half of Me”. And the ultimate irony of Webster’s whip-smart lyricism is that a line like, “And today I get upset over this song that I heard / And I guess was just upset because why didn't I think of it first,” is that I can guarantee a million songwriters feel the same way about her music, timely in context and timeless in sound and feeling.

Catch her at an aftershow on Saturday at Sleeping Village with Danger Incorporated.

Georgia Anne Muldrow, 5:15 PM, Blue Stage

The queen of beats takes the stage during the hottest part of the day, perfect for some sweaty dancing. VWETO III (FORESEEN + Epistrophik Peach Sound), the third album in Muldrow’s beats record series, was put together with “calls to action” in mind, each single leading up to the album’s release to be paired with crowdsourced submissions via Instagram from singers, visual artists, dancers, and turntablists. Moreover, many of the album’s tracks are inspired by very specific eras of Black music, from Boom Bap and G-funk to free jazz, and through it all, Muldrow provides a platform for musical education just as much as funky earworms.

Revisit our interview with Muldrow from earlier this year.

Angel Olsen, 7:25 PM, Red Stage

It’s been a busy past two years for Angel Olsen. She revealed Whole New Mess (Jagjaguwar) in August 2020, stripped down arrangements of many of the songs on 2019′s amazing All Mirrors. In May, she came out with a box set called Song of the Lark and Other Far Memories (Jagjaguwar), which contained both All Mirrors and Whole New Mess and a bonus LP of remixes, covers, alternate takes, and bonus tracks. She shortly and out of nowhere dropped a song of the year candidate in old school country rock high and lonesome Sharon Van Etten duet “Like I Used To”. And just last month, she released Aisles, an 80′s covers EP out on her Jagjaguwar imprint somethingscosmic. She turns Laura Branigan’s disco jam “Gloria” and Men Without Hats’ “Safety Dance” into woozy, echoing, slowed-down beds of synth haze and echoing drum machine. On Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark’s “If You Leave”, her voice occupies different registers between the soft high notes of the bridge and autotuned solemnity of the chorus. Sure, other covers are more recognizable in their tempo and arrangement, like Billy Idol’s Rebel Yell ballad “Eyes Without a Face” and Alphaville’s “Forever Young”, but Aisles is exemplary of Olsen’s ability to not just reinvent herself but classics.

At Pitchfork, I’d bet on a set heavy on All Mirrors and Whole New Mess, but as with the unexpectedness of Aisles, you never know!

St. Vincent, 8:30 PM, Green Stage

Annie Clark again consciously shifts personas and eras with her new St. Vincent album Daddy’s Home (Loma Vista), inspired by 70′s funk rock and guitar-driven psychedelia. While much of the album’s rollout centered around its backstory--Clark’s father’s time in prison for white collar crimes--the album is a thoughtful treatise on honesty and identity, the first St. Vincent album to really stare Clark’s life in the face. 

Many of its songs saw their live debut during a Moment House stream, which we previewed last month.

The Weather Station; Photo by Jeff Bierk

SUNDAY

Tomberlin, 1:00 PM, Green Stage

While the LA-via-Louisville singer-songwriter hasn’t yet offered a proper follow-up LP to her 2018 debut At Weddings, she did last year release an EP called Projections (Saddle Creek), which expands upon At Weddings’ shadowy palate. Songs like “Hours” and “Wasted” are comparatively clattering and up-tempo. Yet, all four of the original tracks are increasingly self-reflexive, Tomberlin exploring and redefining herself on her terms, whether singing about love or queerness, all while maintaining her sense of humor. (“When you go you take the sun and all my flowers die / So I wait by the window and write some shit / And hope that you'll reply,” she shrugs over acoustic strums and wincing electric guitars.) The album ends with a stark grey cover of Casiotone for the Painfully Alone’s “Natural Light”; Tomberlin finds a kindred spirit in the maudlin musings of Owen Ashworth.

Get there early on Sunday to hear select tracks from At Weddings and Projections but also likely some new songs.

oso oso, 2:45 PM, Blue Stage

Basking in the Glow (Triple Crown), the third album from Long Beach singer-songwriter Jade Lilitri as Oso Oso, was one of our favorite records of 2019, and we’d relish the opportunity to see them performed to a crowd in the sun. Expect to hear lots of it; hopefully we’re treated to new oso oso material some time soon.

Catch them at an aftershow on Saturday at Subterranean with fellow Pitchfork performer Dogleg and Retirement Party.

The Weather Station, 4:00 PM, Blue Stage

The Toronto band led by singer-songwriter Tamara Lindeman released one of the best albums of the year back in February with Ignorance (Fat Possum), songs inspired by climate change-addled anxiety. While the record is filled with affecting, reflective lines about loss and trying to find happiness in the face of dread, in a live setting, I imagine the instrumentation will be a highlight, from the fluttering tension of “Robber” to the glistening disco of “Parking Lot”.

Revisit our preview of their Pitchfork Instagram performance from earlier this year. Catch them at an aftershow on Friday at Schubas with Ulna.

Danny Brown, 6:15 PM, Green Stage

The Detroit rapper’s last full-length record was the Q-Tip executive produced uknowhatimsayin¿ (Warp), though he’s popped up a few times since then, on remixes, a Brockhampton album, and TV62, a Bruiser Brigade Records compilation from earlier this year. (He’s also claimed in Twitch streams that his new album Quaranta is almost done.) His sets--especially Pitchfork sets--are always high-energy, as he’s got so many classic albums and tracks under his belt at this point, so expect to hear a mix of those.

Erykah Badu, 8:30 PM, Green Stage

What more can I say? This is the headliner Pitchfork has been trying to get for years, responsible for some of the greatest neo soul albums of all time. There’s not much else to say about Erykah Badu other than she’s the number one must-see at the festival.

#pitchfork music festival #live picks #armand hammer #dogleg #hop along #black midi #bartees strange #faye webster #georgia anne muldrow #angel olsen #st. vincent #tomberlin #the weather station #yaeji #oso oso #danny brown #erykah badu #jeff bierk #triple crown #saddle creek #memory music #fat possum #warp #chase macinski #parker grissom #jacob hanlon #mark quinlan #vans channel 66 #retirement party #varsity

[letterboxd]

We Bought a Cryptozoo.

As their kaleidoscopic new film Cryptozoo lands in theaters, filmmakers Dash Shaw and Jane Samborski talk to Jack Moulton about misguided compassion, the beholder’s share, Akira, Watership Down and life imitating art.

“Occasionally we watch a horror movie together, but I like to do things while I watch and Dash wants the lights down. We spend so much time together working so when it comes time to relax, I want to be as far away from him as possible.” —Jane Samborski

“Jurassic Park on acid.” This is the mystical world of Cryptozoo, the new film from personal and professional couple Jane Samborski and Dash Shaw. Cryptozoo takes place in a 1960s hippie society where mythological beings—griffins, krakens, unicorns, gorgons and the like, collectively known as cryptids—live among humans, though unhappily, since people have a habit of hunting them down.

We meet Lauren (voiced by Lake Bell), a protector of cryptids, on a mission to rescue a baku—a Japanese supernatural creature that devours dreams—from the military, who plan to weaponize its powers. However, in collecting all the cryptids into a sanctuary that feels more like a mall (echoes of Disney’s Epcot are plainly hinted at), the cryptozookeepers begin to realize that those they’re trying to safeguard are likely better off without their assistance.

Loaded with clear allegories for xenophobia and colonialism, Cryptozoo has proven both a hit and a miss among Letterboxd members with the nature of its metaphors, even if we can all agree it absolutely skewers white-people-savior complexes. Shaw and Samborski placed careful focus on the casting, for example, enlisting Greek actress Angeliki Papoulia to portray Phoebe, a Medusa-esque character from Greek mythology, who assists Lauren in her journey to locate the baku, and provides an essential perspective and critique on Lauren’s overzealous activism.

Steeped in detailed and surreal world-building, the kaleidoscopic, hand-drawn approach can become pure sensory overload. More than a few of our members felt compelled to light up first and check it out again if it ever hits Adult Swim. But among those happy to be overwhelmed, Andrew found himself “captivated by its tactile imagery; its texture and sketch and color, the full-body chills and immense sense of self—it is beautiful and passionate.”

Cryptozoo premiered earlier this year at Sundance, where it picked up the NEXT Innovator Award for its makers. (Although only Shaw is credited as director, Cryptozoo uses an ‘A Film By’ credit to emphasize Samborski’s visionary contribution as animation director.) The couple had previously collaborated on Shaw’s debut feature, My Entire High School Sinking into the Sea, which is much more of a roughly sketched-out daydream, whereas Cryptozoo represents a more serious shift, and a step up in ambition and craft.

Making films is far from Shaw’s only enterprise. After graduating from the School of Visual Arts in Manhattan, he has written comic books, graphic novels, lyrics and plays. Meanwhile, Samborski has appeared in several films as an actress, and lent her animation skills to productions including Netflix’s Thirteen Reasons Why. Among their animation influences, the pair have mentioned the films of Ralph Bakshi, Suzan Pitt’s Asparagus, René Laloux’s Fantastic Planet, Takeshi Tamiya’s Astroboy and the century-old films of Winsor McCay and Lotte Reiniger (especially The Adventures of Prince Achmed).

Shaw and Samborski sat down with Jack Moulton for a chat about expanding the scale of their work, life imitating art, the “heft and violence of Watership Down” and the best comic-book film ever made.

‘Cryptozoo’ director Dash Shaw and animation director Jane Samborski.

What stuck out to me when I finished the film was your ‘A Film By’ credit; it wasn’t just Dash, it had Jane’s name as well. How were the directing responsibilities divided in order to explain that credit? Dash Shaw: It just felt like the most accurate way to describe the movie.

Jane Samborski: I make a lot of the decisions about character acting and I’m taking the voices and using them to inform my understanding about the characters. In some cases, I was able to use video reference of the actors, but most of their physical mannerisms are coming from my brain, so in that way I’m taking a directorial role. While there’s a huge amount of the aesthetic direction that’s coming from me, Dash is definitely the one steering the overall ship. There were a few instances in the film where I got a little off-message and he pulled me back.

DS: Maybe it’s even more confusing with animated movies because people are doing a lot of different things, so when it comes to crediting we talk about what we think makes the most sense. We could have written our names on the backgrounds to try and figure out who drew what, but it just seemed like a film by the both of us.

JS: Everything is by us, except this thing, and this thing, and this thing…

What I found really interesting about the film is the way that all the characters are so fallible. It demonstrates how an egocentric allyship can do more harm than good. Why was it important for you to explore that idea of misguided compassion? DS: I think that that happened while trying to do something else. I had seen this Winsor McCay short, The Centaurs, and I wanted to write something Jane would enjoy painting. My first idea was about mythological beings, and then the next idea was that they were from actual mythologies in our culture and instead of being a fantasy world, they’re in our world.

That is when my mind went to these things that you talked about, like museums attempting to take imaginations from all over different cultures and introduce them to the public, and how that often damages the power of those artworks. There’s definitely a Cryptozoo movie that could’ve been made by a different person that didn’t get into any of this stuff, but because of my personality, those things ended up being embedded in the script.

You embraced the opportunity to utilize thin lines in Cryptozoo, as opposed to the thicker lines of My Entire High School Sinking into the Sea, which opens up what you can achieve cinematically. Can you talk about expanding that scale and how that may have approached your limitations? JS: It definitely was one of the first aesthetic decisions that was made in the film. There’s a broad simplicity to High School Sinking, so we wanted to zero in on fewer but more specific drawings. I was doing quite a bit of minor puppet work, especially in the latter parts of High School Sinking. I really love working in that way, so this was a match that played to an aesthetic that I responded to for a long time. It was logistically a lot more difficult as it’s very hard to turn in space with a puppet, so there were definitely times where we would run up against a problem and then throw out our rulebook and do cell animation. But I think that is the joy of setting up your own rules—you keep them as long as they’re useful to you.

Your film acknowledges very early on that “utopias never work out”. On the other hand, perhaps utopias never work out in movies because they’re just not dramatically interesting to explore when they succeed. What are your thoughts on sculpting a utopia in commercialized fiction? DS: You kind of know that it’s going to fail as soon as the movie starts. It’s a good fall. I find utopian art very inspiring and beautiful and that’s what I like about a lot of the art of the 1960s. I would not put this movie up against that imagery.

JS: Yeah, a utopia is certainly something we all want to experience but not necessarily something we want to hear a story about.

DS: That’s something that’s famously said about what’s really powerful about early seasons of Star Trek, and seeing all of these different people working together.

I imagine it was strange to be working on Cryptozoo for so many years, and then you have a storming-the-capital scene in your film, which premiered at Sundance only a couple of weeks after it happened in the real world (for very different reasons). How did that make you feel regarding the film’s timing? JS: It was a bit of a freak out!

DS: It was strange, even if we didn’t have that line in our movie, just to see that going on. It made me think of this art school thing, the “beholder’s share”, where the artists make 80 percent of the work in their time and place, and then the last twenty percent is completed in the viewer’s mind, in their own time and their place. You have to love that hand-off.

JS: The world changed so much over the course of making the film. Dash wrote the film before Trump was elected President. We started out with a script that we thought was talking about really interesting things that felt a little bit further away. As we worked on the project, it got closer and more real, so we just hoped that we were able to talk about it with honesty. The project feels like something larger than us and that’s really exciting.

When you look at some of the reactions, you can see how it’s really easy for audiences to dismiss the movie as too weird, but I do feel there are many accessible and mainstream elements to the plot. What are your instincts for playing in and out of the comfort zone? DS: One of my first ideas for wanting to make animated movies is that they would have a pop-art quality. They would be blockbuster movies that have been defamiliarized—they’ve been messed up, disorientated, changed, altered in some way. High School Sinking is like Titanic, and Cryptozoo is like Jurassic Park. There’s a blockbuster movie inside of them, but we keep veering away or disrupting it in some way that might make it seem stranger. It was right there as one of the first missions of making these films.

JS: I feel very differently. I love the experimental stuff, but if there wasn’t a clear story through-line, I would get bored. It’s the perennial music-video problem—it’s all gloss and no heft. So we have that clear action-adventure storyline to pull you through this crazy ride. We feel differently about what it’s doing for the audience, but it seems to be working, whichever one of us is right!

Are there any hidden or background details in the animation that you’re concerned people will miss? JS: For me, if somebody felt that there was so much going on that they wanted to watch it two or three times and they found something new each time, that would be the best thing ever. The idea that I would be able to make something that is worth multiple viewings far outstrips worrying that somebody is going to miss something I did.

What was the film that made you want to become a filmmaker? DS: I wonder if Jane is going to say Watership Down…

JS: I am! That was my favorite movie as a child. I liked to torture my friends with it. It’s particularly that segment right at the beginning when they tell the myth of El-Ahrairah—it’s so expressive and less representational, but it also has this heft and violence. It was definitely the first adult animated film that I saw. My parents wouldn’t buy it for me because it was at the local library, so we’d rent it again and again and I’d watch that beginning segment over and over and it would get scratchier and scratchier, so eventually the VHS just snapped from me watching it so many times.

DS: I would have to really dive deep to come up with a really good answer to that but for some reason the one that pops into my head right now is Todd Haynes’ Poison. I saw it at the School of Visual Arts. Poison felt like a collage movie with three different parts that kept pulling a special combination of ingredients. It felt like an art film and it also had very overt genre elements that were being used in an unusual way. It was one of the key movies to me that had a great independent spirit.

El-Ahrairah faces a challenge in the prologue to ‘Watership Down’ (1978).

What animated films have you seen recently that blew you away? DS: I want to plug an incredible movie we just saw at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival, Bubble Bath, which is a restored Hungarian film from 1980. I hope it will get a US release.

JS: We were also lucky enough to see an exhibit [at Annecy] for Michel Ocelot. I had seen the Kirikou films, which are phenomenal. I really like his work.

Do you have any movies that you often watch together? DS: We really don’t watch movies together. I wish she would watch movies with me!

JS: Occasionally we watch a horror movie together, but I like to do things while I watch and Dash wants the lights down. We spend so much time together working so when it comes time to relax, I want to be as far away from him as possible.

DS: I’m really glad we saw Bubble Bath together.

JS: That one was just amazing.

You’re a comic book writer, Dash. What’s the greatest comic-book movie ever? DS: Akira.

JS: Yeah, hands down.

Related content

Our animation correspondents Kambole Campell and Alicia Haddick in conversation about the 2021 Annecy International Animation Film Festival

Letterboxd’s Top 100 Animated Feature Films, a list by Rahat Ahmed

Vulture’s The 100 Sequences that Shaped Animation list on Letterboxd

Follow Jack on Letterboxd

‘Cryptozoo’ is currently screening in select US theaters.

#cryptozoo #animation #animated film #dash shaw #jane samborski #ralph bakshi #psychedelic animation #2d animation #hand-drawn #hand-drawn animation #letterboxd

[aion-rsa]

Sailor Moon Eternal Brings Long-Time Fans’ Dreams to Life on Netflix

https://ift.tt/eA8V8J

This Sailor Moon Eternal review contains NO spoilers! Read on with confidence.

Back in 2016, the final episode of Sailor Moon Crystal closed out the manga’s “Infinity” arc and in its last moments teased what every fan was hoping for next, something we’d all been deprived of for far too long… a faithful adaptation of the manga’s fourth arc, entitled “Dream.”

The premise of “Dream” is that on the day of the solar eclipse, the Dead Moon Circus, an ancient enemy of Silver Millennium (the Moon Kingdom) appears in Tokyo. Their leader, a withered hag named Zirconia, sends her minions to locate the Silver Crystal—big surprise—as well as a new MacGuffin called the Golden Crystal. This is so her mistress, Nehelenia, can step up as the rightful ruler, or so she claims, of both Silver Millennium and Earth. Around this time, a Pegasus appears to Chibi-usa, asking for her help in defeating Nehelenia. The Sailor Guardians, all freshly minted high school students, step up to face this new threat, only to be hit where it hurts when the agents of the Dead Moon get inside their heads, triggering their deepest fears in order to take them down.

“Dream” was where the manga, having just hit its stride in the previous arc, really started to go for the gold in terms of character development and mythology. The Sailor Moon team was finally complete, and we got to explore the hopes and fears of each character. We saw flashes of Silver Millennium that not only built upon the backstory we first saw back in the “Dark Kingdom” arc, but gave that backstory further depth and new context. 

We even learned more about Elysion, the Earth realm to which Prince Endymion was heir. All that and Chibi-usa got a love interest who was more than just a generational Xerox of her father; Helios was a completely different character from Mamoru with his own distinct personality, motives, and backstory. “Dream” was, for many fans, where the story of Sailor Moon went from awesome to enthralling.

And then Sailor Moon SuperS, its anime adaptation… was not.

Look, SuperS had a lot going for it. I think it gets more hate than it really deserves, but a lot of that is because it took so many liberties with the story and omitted so much of what made “Dream” great (most notably the return of the Outers), which rubbed a lot of people the wrong way. Not to mention the tonal whiplash of going from the bittersweet darkness of the previous season to something a lot more lighthearted and comedic outside of a few key episodes.

Which is really just a long-winded way of saying that Netflix’s Sailor Moon Eternal was a long time coming, and fans were hungry for it. It’s legitimately good with a few very minor caveats, and it’s now available on Netflix.

The change in medium works fine. The cliffhanger that Part 1 ends on plays out a little differently from how it does in the manga, but everything is still there, just rearranged to make Part 1 a satisfying movie unto itself, which I wholly approve of. And due to the nature of the earlier acts of the arc, Part 1 feels somewhat episodic. Shuffling a few scenes around might have made it a stronger adaptation and a more cinematic experience, but it was faithful to the source material, which is what the fans wanted, so it gets points for that.

There was a shift in the extent of the localization. Sailor Moon Crystal’s English dub eliminated a lot of the Japanese language elements like honorifics, and while I understand that to a point, hearing Usagi call Mamoru “Mamo” always struck my ears a little wrong and took me out of the moment. In the Sailor Moon Eternal films, that problem no longer exists, and hearing Stephanie Sheh (Usagi) and Robbie Daymond (Mamoru) call each other “Mamo-chan” and “Usako” felt so natural that I didn’t even notice they were doing it for, like, the first 40 minutes. Which is as it should be.

Overall, the Viz dub cast does a great job, having really settled into their roles, and it’s also nice seeing John Eric Bentley, Michael Yurchak, and Erik Scott Kimerer showing their range by adjusting their performances to match the differences in the Amazon Trio’s manga counterparts. Oh, and the music is pretty good too, better in Part 2 than Part 1, but not by a very wide margin.

As for the story, were cuts made? Obviously. All you have to do is look at the total running time to see that. But to be honest, it’s not really anything anyone but the most fundamentalist fans will miss; all the beats are there: the character development, the power-ups, the villains, the cats’ human forms, the Amazoness’ entire storyline, Chibi-usa’s entire storyline, and (thank you, God) Mamoru’s entire storyline—something he desperately could have used in the later seasons of the ’90s anime, where he had been reduced to the most boring and unengaging love interest since Raoul from Phantom of the Opera. It’s all there, folks, and if you loved the manga, you’re going to love Sailor Moon Eternal. If you��re unfamiliar with the manga, but have been digging Crystal, you’re going to love it. And if you prefer the ’90s anime to the manga… you’re still probably going to enjoy it a great deal.

Oh, and do yourself a favor and watch the closing credits to both movies. Part 1 features a cover of “Watashitachi ni Naritakute,” the first ending theme for SuperS as well as a post-credits scene that teases Part 2, and Part 2 has a cover of “Rashiku Ikimasho,” the second ending theme for Supers. I was hoping for a post-credits scene for Part 2 that might tease an adaptation of Stars, but sadly… no such luck, so we’re going to have to live with that suspense a little longer. I’m guessing an adaptation of the final arc of the manga is going to be predicated on how well Eternal does, but hopefully, we won’t have to wait until 2026 to see it.

cnx.cmd.push(function() { cnx({ playerId: "106e33c0-3911-473c-b599-b1426db57530", }).render("0270c398a82f44f49c23c16122516796"); });

Overall, I give Sailor Moon Eternal, Parts 1 & 2 the seal of approval. You’re going to have fun and feel that Sailor Moon love where it hits you best, so make a double-feature night of it, pop some popcorn, and dream a little dream.

The post Sailor Moon Eternal Brings Long-Time Fans’ Dreams to Life on Netflix appeared first on Den of Geek.

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#aion-rsa #Den of Geek

[zippityzap]

My Top Ten Favourite Moments in Sonic Games

The past 30 years the Sonic series has had a lot of memorable moments, too many to list fully, so in celebration of my recent follower milestone, today I’ll be presenting and explaining my personal top ten favourite moments. I would like to emphasise that this list is very subject and is highly influenced by my personal experiences with the Sonic series. It’s not intended to be objective by any means, and I would love to hear what moments you guys would put on your own lists! Additionally, this list is only for things from the games, in the future I’ll make another list for other Sonic media

Without further ado, let’s get started!

10) City Escape’s GUN truck

Interesting set pieces and small scripted moments in levels have been a staple in the Sonic series since the beginning. Sure, they’re not always challenging from a game-play standpoint, but they’re always an entertaining spectacle. One of the most ionic of these moments (and one of my personal favourites) is being chased by the GUN truck. City Escape is already a highly memorable level from the get-go, but the truck sequence is the cherry on top. An additional shout-out to both of the Generations versions of the level for not only bringing it back but changing it up just enough to surprise you and keep you on your toes!

9) Escaping Null Space

Forces is one of those games that I would describe as a truly mixed bag. Yeah, there are a lot of things about the game that kinda sucked or were disappointing, but when it hit a high, BOY did it hit. While I agree with many people that having the Null Space portion of this level actually have gameplay in it would’ve made this moment impact a little harder, I’m just in love with that transition from the silence of null space to the bombastic chorus of Fist Bump. I thought it was a really exciting moment that hypes you up for the rest of the level.

8) Sonic Heroes’ opening cinematic

Heroes was my first 3D Sonic game, and consequently it was my introduction to a lot of things that are staples for the Sonic series. Vocal themes, an extended cast and their interpersonal relationships, story routes that connect to each other. These are some of my favourite things about the Sonic series, so even if some aspects of the game aren’t that great, I could never ever hate or even dislike Heroes. I feel like the opening cinematic to Heroes (the one with the theme song as the music) is the aspect of Heroes that really encapsulates those feelings best. I must’ve spent hours as a kid letting it play over and over again singing along to it.

7) Shadow the Hedgehog (2004) title screen cinematic

Before you laugh, here is where I must remind you that this list is extremely subjective and highly influenced by my personal experiences and memories. Ok now imagine this: you are a 7-8 year old kid, and your experience with media that isn’t mainstream radio or educational children’s tv shows is fairly limited. You’re getting deep into the Sonic series for the first time thanks to playing Heroes and seeing some of the cartoons and you’re interested to know more about the series. You visit Sonic Central, the official site at the time, and they have a music player with a variety of songs from the games. One of the songs it plays is I Am (All of Me). I won’t lie, I was a little blown away because I’d never really heard anything like it before, so I go to find out more about the game it’s from and I come across that opening cinematic.

I think it’s very, very, easy as an adult to laugh at the Shadow the Hedgehog game and it’s… direction, but adult me was not the target audience of that game, kid me was. Say what you want but the effect that game was going for I think is something that just hits best with sheltered little kids, and I’d be curious if anyone else had a similar experience.

6) The ending of Sonic and the Black Knight

I won’t go into too much detail on this one, since this is very much a fan favourite moment and many others have gone into detail about why it’s so great. Black Knight is certainly one of the games that captures Sonic’s character the best, and his words at the end of the game certainly encapsulate this. Followed by the amazing credits theme of Live Life, the ending of Black Knight is certainly one of the most emotional moments in the series.

5) Sonic Generation’s credits

Anniversary games can be a bit of a controversial subject for the Sonic fandom; 06 was one of the games released for the 15th anniversary while Forces is often considered to be a 25th anniversary game. I think Generations really achieved the feeling and the specialness of a celebratory event though. It’s one of my favourite Sonic games and the whole game is full of brilliant moments but I feel the credits really evoke the celebration vibe: a Sonic 1-esque music melody as the credits song, showing footage from the original games each stage is from, and the cherry on top: a ‘Happy Birthday’ message to Sonic recorded from fans who attended the 2011 Sonic Boom and Summer of Sonic conventions. It genuinely warms my heart every time I finish the game.

4) Metropolis Capital City level

Forces gets another representation on this list! Honestly, I believe the parts of Forces that were exciting, such as this, really demonstrate my opinion that Forces had a lot of potential to be a really good game. But I digress, this was my favourite level from Forces because it shows how fun of a villain Infinite could be. The way that Infinite follows you for most of the stage and uses illusions to fuck around with the stage itself? That’s really fun, and it’s not just stage gimmicks for the sake of having a gimmick, it ties into the powers of the villain and makes the player feel involved in a way because Infinite is messing around with you specifically and is having to make to think on your toes. Granted, part of makes this stage stand out so much in a good way is because it’s so different from the rest of the game and it takes you by surprise, so maybe the impact wouldn’t be as hard hitting if this sort of design was used more in the game, but c’mon when you have a villain who’s powers are illusion-based, the sky’s the limit!

3) Sonic Unleashed’s opening cutscene

Can you believe this game came out over a decade ago and the opening cutscene still looks this stunning?! Depending on who you ask, some might even argue that this cutscene has yet to be topped, and honestly, I’m in that camp. Not only is the rendering beautiful and the choreography of the action exciting, but this scene does a wonderful job of setting up for the viewer regardless of how much prior experience they have with the series who Sonic and Dr. Eggman are, as well as setting up the events of the game. I recall being very happy when I heard the animation team for this cutscene would also be handling the animation for the movie.

2) Beating Sonic Unleashed for the first time

So, this is another pretty personal one. I played Unleashed for the first time a few years ago and it is in my opinion, one of the most difficult Sonic games. Sometimes intentionally, sometimes for completely bullshit reasons. My first ever run of Eggmanland was around 40 minutes long and apparently that’s considered a pretty decent time for your first go, but christ it was a nightmare to finish (looking at you, that one section where you have to platform on pipes without a drop-shadow). The following boss sections weren’t much easier- I don’t rage much with video games, I tend to whisper swears under my breath at most but that part where you’re running on the Gaia Colossus had me screaming in anger every time I lost a life.

BUT when I finally beat the difficult sections? Felt like finally cracking your back after feeling stiff all day. Like taking the first sip of water after a walk on a hot day. The relief and satisfaction I felt was indescribable and slowly winding down while Dear My Friend plays as the credits theme was blissful. I don’t play difficult games that often so Unleashed is one of very few games that I have this sort of memory with.

1) Watching my dad get the good ending of Sonic 1

Here’s a small amount of backstory for this pick. My dad got his first job at 19 and he used his first pay-check to purchase the then newly released Sega Mega Drive. He had a lot of games for the console including Sonic the Hedgehog. He kept the console and games in good condition, and they were still perfectly playable by the time his first child was born (aka me!). Sonic 1 was the first video game I can remember playing at roughly 2-3 years old. I wasn’t good enough to get past Green Hill Act 3 but I loved watching my dad play through the game.

I’ll admit; his playstyle’s a little odd, he avoids speed when he can and instead, he likes to search for as many rings and extra lives as possible, but it was so enjoyable to watch nonetheless. The best bit was whenever he would manage to get all the chaos emeralds in a playthrough and be able to get the good ending. Sure, the only difference between the good and bad endings is just some flowers, but it was nice to see him be happy that he was able to achieve that ending.

And that’s the end of my list! Upon looking over it I realise most of it is either openings or endings to games…oops. I suppose they tend to be parts of games that get special attention during development since they bookend the journey. When I get around to making the second list, I’m sure it’ll have more variety, and as I said before, I’d be very interested in hearing what everyone else’s favourite moments are!

#sonic the hedgehog #sonic forces #sonic unleashed #sonic heroes #sonic generations #long post

[crusherthedoctor]

Alright, Crusher. Let's open a can of worms here. What are your top 5 favourite Sonic games in order, and what do you like about them? I'm really curious as for as long as I've been following you, you've only mainly focused on the bad aspects of Sonic, both the games and the fandom, both new and old.

I'd say I give praise to the things I like more often than you give me credit for. Yes, I've criticised IDW and the Twitter/YouTube community a lot, but have you not seen all of my posts relating to the movie? :P

Still, any opportunity to gush about the good is appreciated, so here we go. Note that these lists tend to slightly change depending on the day and mood, and this one is no exception. Also note that I actually like a lot of Sonic games, so it's never easy to narrow it all down to five.

1. Sonic Mania - It's a very close call between this and #2 below, but Mania edges out just that little bit more due to the additions of Mighty and Ray, the gorgeous graphics, Tee Lopes' fantastic compositions, the Hard-Boiled Heavies, the brilliant reimaginings of old zones alongside the equally amazing new ones, and the clever Easter Eggs and little references sprinkled throughout the entire thing. A gargantuan amount of love was put into this game, and it shows and paid off handsomely.

2. Sonic 3 & Knuckles - Sonic 1 and 2 are great, but the one that gave us the & Knuckles meme will always be my favourite in the Genesis trilogy. Sonic 3 - the full Sonic 3 - makes it very clear from the moment Sonic jumps off the Tornado that it's a step up from the first two not just in gameplay, but presentation as well. For that reason, I guess you could also say it has my favourite “story” out of all the games, since due to the more cinematic nature of the game, Eggman really gives it his 110% from start to finish, without getting fucked over at any point. It's a simple yet grand adventure to stop the Death Egg from relaunching, and I always have a blast with it.

3. Sonic Adventure 1 - This is a game that I like more and more as time goes on. I used to enjoy it enough, but wasn't super impressed with it, to the point of putting it and SA2 in the same rank. But since then - possibly due to comparing it more thoroughly with SA2 and other 3D installments - I started to appreciate so many details great and small. Despite kicking off the alternate gameplay schtick, everyone not named Big is still fun to play as (and even Big honestly isn't that bad, since you can complete his story very quickly). Its soundtrack is one of my absolute favourites in any video game, and despite how aged the graphics may be nowadays (and the downright hilarious character animations), the environments are still really lush and retain a whimsical edge. Chaos also remains the best of the giant monsters, though that’s hardly a difficult feat when looking at the competition.

4. The Sonic Advance trilogy - Cheating, but it is my top five after all. The first and second installments were the first Sonic games I saw and played respectively, but even putting nostalgia aside, they hold up as solid titles on the GBA, with some of the best music and graphics on the system. The third one is more flawed due to the occasionally weird level design and some other design choices, but I still have fun with it overall, and the team-up gimmick lends itself to some fun combinations.

5. Sonic CD - As far as level design goes, I think it's just okay for the most part. But everything ELSE really elevates it IMO. With the time travel mechanic, the game is allowed to tell a story without saying anything, like S3&K would later do. The zones (sorry, rounds) are given a lot of different contrasts between their different incarnations, and every last one of them are pleasing to the eyes, even the dilapidated Bad Futures. Eggman also told us in song to Get Some Help, which was really thoughtful of him.

If you're wondering what the #6 runner-up would have been, it’s a tie between Generations and Rush Adventure. :]

#Crusher's Asks #Opinion #Sonic the Hedgehog #Sonic CD #Sonic 3 & Knuckles #Sonic Adventure #Sonic Advance #Sonic Mania

[gascon-en-exil]

A Game of Thrones 10th Anniversary Season Ranking: Part 2

Link to Part 1

Time for the bottom half of the list. The four seasons here will surprise no one, but the order might.

#5 Season 6

You can tell what I most what to talk about here...but there's an order to these things.

S6 actually has a bunch of great ideas, but they drown beneath the most slapdash plotting and character work the show has seen yet in order to set the stage for the narrower conflicts of the last two seasons. It's notorious for bringing back characters who haven't been seen in a season or longer only to kill them off (Balon Greyjoy, Osha, Hodor, the Blackfish, Rickon, Walder Frey) or awkwardly graft them back into the main plot (Sandor Clegane, Bran). There are plot threads that ought to be compelling but are too rushed in execution, like the siege of Riverrun, Littlefinger's hand in the Battle of the Bastards, or Daenerys's time back among the Dothraki and then finally getting the hell out of Meereen. Arya hits on the only interesting part of her two-season sojourn in Braavos - a stage play, of all things - only for it to stumble at the end with a disappointing offscreen death and some incomprehensible philosophy ahead of the start of her murder tour of Westeros. There's also so much cutting off the branches, enough to be conspicuous; the final shot of Daenerys leading an armada of about half the remaining cast she assembled partially offscreen says that better than anything else. Well, not anything....

Highlight: Without exaggeration, the opening of S6E10 is easily my favorite sequence in all of GoT. The staging, the music, the mounting suspense even as it becomes increasingly obvious what's about to happen, the twisted religious references particularly in Cersei's mock confession to Unella, Tommen throwing himself out a window because he can't deal with the reality of how terrible his mother is, how Cersei gives absolutely no fucks whatsoever about murdering hundreds of people at once in a calculated act of vengeance largely prompted by her own poorly thought out actions - I love it all. It's the single most masterfully-executed act of villainy in the whole show - Daenerys torching King's Landing probably has a higher body count, but the presentation there is all muddled - and if I had any doubts about Cersei being my favorite multi-season major character they were silenced in this moment. The explosion of the Sept doesn't sit perfectly with me, because I liked the Tyrells and because of what I said about deaths like theirs and Renly's in the previous post under S2, but I think that unease only cements the strength of this sequence. It's an overused phrase in fandom these days, but GoT at its best is all about moral greyness that gives its audience room for multilayered reactions. Cersei nuking the Sept and making herself the sole power in King's Landing, which in a sense is just a more overt example of the kind of character/plot consolidation elsewhere represented by Daenerys's armada, is one of those events that's impossible to approach from a single angle if you care about any of the characters involved. And hey, it's not in the books (yet, presumably), so unlike Ned's death or the Red Wedding the GoT showrunners can take the credit for realizing this one.

Favorite death: Even leaving aside the Sept and related deaths there's a lot of good ones to choose from in S6. Ramsey is cathartic but too gory for me, Osha's was a clever callback but a little delayed, it's hard to pin down specific deaths when Daenerys incinerates the khals, and Arya only gets half credit for Walder Frey and his sons when she saves the rest of the house for the opening of S7. I'm thinking Hodor, not so much because I enjoy his character or the manner of his death but because it's a clever bit of playing with language (that must have been hell to render in other languages for dubbing) wrapped up in some entertainingly murky consent issues and some closed time loop weirdness. It's all very...extra? Is that the word for it?

Least favorite death: Offscreen deaths continue to be mostly letdowns, in this case Blackfish and the Waif. Way to botch the ending of Arya's already near-pointless Braavos arc, guys. Speaking of Arya, this spot goes to Lady Crane, whom the Waif somehow kills with a stool or something. It's a dumb way to send off an entertaining minor character.

#6 Season 8

I swear that I'm not putting S8 this high solely because of Jonmund kind of sort of happening. I've never been very interested in either of them and the sex would be far too bear-on-otter to suit my pornographic preferences, but even so the choice to close out the series with them is hilarious.

I really don't need to elaborate on why S8 is down here; everyone who's ever watched the show has done as much in the nearly two years since it wrapped up. I do however need to explain why I've ranked not one but two seasons below it. My biggest argument here is that I don't believe it's fair to critique S8 for problems it inherited from earlier seasons. A non-comprehensive list:

Mad Queen Daenerys: unevenly built up beginning from S1 and continuing in some form through every following season

The questionable racial optics of Dany's army: also seeded as early as S1 and solidified by S3 with the Slaver's Bay arc

Cersei only succeeding because she makes stupid decisions and then lucks out until she doesn't: apparent from S1, directly lampshaded by Tywin in S3, fully on display with the Faith Militant arc of S5-6

Jaime not getting a redemption arc or falling in love with Brienne: evident with his repeated returns to Cersei throughout the show as one of the most consistent elements of his character, particularly in S4 and during the siege of Riverrun in S6

Tyrion grabbing the idiot ball/becoming a flat audience surrogate mouthpiece: started in S5 around the time the showrunners ran out of book material for him and wanted to make him more of a PoV character and his arc less of a downward spiral, although I've seen arguments that changes from the books involving his Tysha story and Shae set him on this trajectory even earlier

The hardening of Sansa's character: began in earnest in S4 and never let up from there

The strange ordering of antagonists: set down by S7's equally strange plot structure - the Night King had to come first with that setup

CleganeBowl and the dumber twists: from what I've heard the whole thing of writing around fans on the internet guessing plot twists started pretty much when the book content ended, so S5-6 maybe?

Yes, there's plenty to criticize about S8 on its own merits...but just as much that was merely the writers doing what they could at that point with deeply flawed material.

Highlight: This may sound cheesy, but the better parts of S8 are almost all the cinematic ones, whether that's E2 being a bottle episode with tons of poignant character send-offs before the big battle, a handful of deaths with actual satisfying weight like Jorah's and Theon's, and an epilogue that incorporates both closure for individuals and the broader uncertainty of messy socio-political systems that GoT has always been known for before working its way back to the Starks at the very end for some tidy bookending. Even imperfect moments like the Lannister twins' death and the resolution of Sansa's character felt weighty and appropriate based on what had come before.

Favorite death: Forget about the audio commentary attempting to flatten Cersei's character; Cersei and Jaime Lannister have an excellent end. Cersei especially, as the scenes of her stumbling her way down into the catacombs as the Red Keep crashes down around her really show off how her world is abruptly falling apart and how she retreats into her own self-interest at the end in spite of her demise being at least partially of her own doing. There's some stupid moments associated with these scenes, like Jaime dueling Euron to the death and CleganeBowl, but I can excuse those when the twins end up dying exactly where you'd expect them to: in each other's arms, in a ruined monument to their family's grand ambitions that, like Casterly Rock itself, was taken from another family.

Least favorite death: Quite a few dumb ones in S8 have become forever infamous. Missandei sticks out, and for me Varys too just as much because of how the writing pushes him to do the dumbest thing he could possibly do purely for the sake of killing him off ten minutes into the penultimate episode. But no one belongs here more than Daenerys Targaryen, killed at the height of a rushed and uncertain villain reveal by a man who takes advantage of their romantic history (who is also her family, because Targaryens) to stab her in a moment of vulnerability - pretty much only because another man tells him that Daenerys is the final boss. Narratively speaking that might be the case, but even so this is the end result of multiple seasons of middling-to-bad buildup. Not even Drogon burning the symbolism can salvage that. Also Fire Emblem: Three Houses did this scene and did it better.

#7 Season 5

...Yeah, we're going to have to go there.

Sansa's rape is not a plot point that personally touches me much. It's terribly framed in the moment and the followup in later seasons is inconsistent at best, but it's not a kind of trauma I can relate to. On the other hand, in the very same episode Loras is tried and imprisoned for homosexuality, and Margery faces the same punishment for lying for her brother. That hits much closer to home, not just for the homophobia but also for the culture war undertones of the not!French Tyrells persecuted by a not!Anglo fanatic who later reveals himself to be the in-universe equivalent of a Protestant. The trial is just one part of Cersei's shortsighted scheming, just as Sansa being married off to Ramsey is part of Littlefinger's, and both of them get their comeuppance in the end...but it's unsettling all the same. I especially hate what the Faith Militant arc does to King's Landing in S5, swiftly converting it from my favorite setting in GoT to a tense theocratic nightmare that only remains interesting to me because Cersei is consistently awesome. What's more, pretty much everything about S5 that isn't viscerally uncomfortable is dragged out and dull instead: the Dorne arc, Daenerys's second season in Meereen, Arya in Braavos, Stannis and co. at Castle Black. The most any of these storylines can hope for is some kind of bombastic finale, and while several of them deliver it's not enough to make up for what comes before, or how disappointing everything here builds from S4. S4 has Oberyn, S5 has the Sand Snakes - I think that sums up the contrast well.

Highlight: S5 does get stronger near the end. As much as his character annoys me I did like the High Sparrow revealing his pseudo-Protestant bent to Cersei just before he imprisons her, and there's a cathartic rawness to Cersei's walk of atonement where you can both feel her pain and humiliation and understand that she's getting exactly what she deserves (and this is what leads into the climax of S6, so it deserves points just for that). The swiftness of Stannis's fall renders his death and that of his family a bit hollow, but it's brutal and final and fittingly ignominious for a character with such grand ambitions but so little relevance to the larger story. The fighting pits of Meereen sequence is cinematic if nothing else, and even the resolution to the Dorne arc salvages the whole thing a tiny bit by playing into the retributive cycles of vengeance idea (and Myrcella knows about the twincest and doesn't care, aww - no idea why that stuck with me, but it's cute all the same). Oh, and Hardhome...it's alright. Not great, not crap, but alright.

Favorite death: I don't know why, but Theon tossing Myranda to her death is always funny to me. Maybe because it's so unexpected?

Least favorite death: Arya's execution of Meryn Trant is meant to be another one of the season's big finale moments, but the scene is graphic and goes on forever and I can't help but be grossed out. This is different from, say, Shireen's death, which is supposed to be painful to witness.

#8 Season 7

I can't tell if S7's low ranking is as self-explanatory as S8's or not. At least one recent retrospective on GoT's ruined legacy I've come across outright asserts that S7 is judged less harshly in light of how bad S8 was. If it were not immediately obvious by where I've placed each of them, I don't share that opinion.

Because S7 is just a mess, and the drop-off in quality is so much more painful here than it is anywhere else in the series except maybe from S4 to S5 (and that's more about S4 being as good as it is). The pacing ramps up to uncomfortable levels to match the shortened seasons, the structure pivots awkwardly halfway through from Daenerys vs. Cersei to Jon/Dany caring about ice zombies, said pivot relies largely on characters (mostly Tyrion) making a series of catastrophically stupid tactical decisions, and very few of the smaller set pieces land with any real impact as the show's focus narrows to its endgame conflict. As with S6 there are still some good ideas, but they're botched in execution. The conflict between Sansa and Arya matches their characters, but the leadup to that conflict ending with Littlefinger's execution is missing some key steps. Daenerys's diverse armada pitted against Cersei weaponizing the xenophobia of the people of King's Landing could have been interesting, but there's little room to explore that when Cersei keeps winning only because Tyrion has such a firm grip on the idiot ball and when Euron gets so much screentime he barely warrants. Speaking of Tyrion's idiot ball, does anyone like the heist film-esque ice zombie retrieval plotline? Its stupidity is matched only by its utter futility, because Cersei isn't trustworthy and nobody seems to ever get that.

And how could I forget Sam's shit montage? Sums up S7 perfectly, really. To think that that is part of the only extended length of time the show ever spends in the Reach....

Highlight: A handful of character moments save this season from being irredeemable garbage. As you can guess from my screencap choice, Olenna's final scene is one of them, even if Highgarden itself is given insultingly short shrift. S7 also manages what I thought was previously impossible in that it makes me care somewhat about Ellaria Sand, courtesy of the awful death Cersei plans for her and her remaining daughter. The other Sand Snakes are killed with their own weapons, which shows off Euron's demented creativity if nothing else. I like the entertainingly twisted choice to cut the Jon/Dany sex scene with the reveal that they're related. And, uh...the Jonmund ship tease kind of makes the zombie retrieval team bearable? I'm really grasping at straws here.

Favorite death: It's more about her final dialogue with Jaime than her actual death, but again I'm going to have to highlight Olenna Tyrell here for lack of better options. She drops the bombshell about Joffrey that the audience figured out almost as soon as it happened but still, makes it plain what I've been saying about how Jaime's arc has never really been about redemption, and is just about the only person to ever call Cersei out for that whole mass murder thing. There's a reason "I want her to know it was me" became a meme format.

Least favorite death: There aren't any glaringly bad deaths in S7, just mediocre or unremarkable ones. I still think the decision to have Arya finish off House Frey in the season's opening rather than along with their father at the end of S6 was a strange one that doesn't add much of dramatic value.

#Game of Thrones #GoT

[shemakesmusic-uk]

Wallice has shared her subversive new single 'Hey Michael'. 'Hey Michael' amplifies her blood-thirsty nature, a revenge anthem that finds Wallice turning into a worse villain than her erstwhile love interest. A song about toxic tendencies and how they manifest in our lives, 'Hey Michael' twists and turns around American Psycho imagery. Wallice labels "a revenge anthem for anyone who has encountered a gaslighting, manipulative person. It’s what I wish I would have said to all the ‘Michael’s’ I have met in my life. It can be substituted by many names, we all know or have met a ‘Michael’ though. Somehow the world revolves around them and they just can’t catch a break, because they never do anything wrong and it’s usually your fault. You should have listened to your gut instinct and swiped left on this Michael. This isn’t a man-hating song, it’s just something many people can relate to. Sometimes it’s embarrassing to admit just how bad a friend, date, or romantic partner was and a lot of the time, I would just smile and laugh off stupid remarks but when I think back, I wish I had told them off. But at the same time, my persona in the song is not the best person either. I literally say: I think I want to start a fight, which one is your girlfriend? The whole song is funny because I am so focused on how shitty Michael is that I don’t even think about how shitty I might be as well." Directed by Phil Stillwell, the video takes place at a house party, with Wallice interacting with various 'Michaels' before her behaviour spirals into something much, much worse. [via Clash]

In the same vein as Massive Attack’s suburban groove and social commentary in the mid 90’s, KITA have captured the rhythm and heartbeat of suburban Pōneke; a city abuzz with a vibrant music and dramatic performance scene in their brand new track and official video, ‘Private Lives’. Weaving together elements of vintage rock, pop and soul, and warm hints of synth, KITA have created a skin-prickling piece of magic with ‘Private Lives’, a deeply beautiful track penned in 2020’s lockdown, that delves into the unknown of what happens when the blinds are shut – the parts of life that are unseen by others. "Standing from my kitchen window during lockdown in Aotearoa, sinister thoughts entered my mind about what could be happening behind closed doors for people”, says front-woman Nikita 雅涵 Tu- Bryant. The video tells the story of a father and daughter’s relationship amongst snapshots of everyday life and its monotonous anonymity, while things aren’t always what they appear on the surface. Late at night the father can finally reveal his true self, adorning makeup and sequins, only to be spied by his daughter. The two then share a special moment of dressing up and dancing together, a true celebration of individuality, self-love and the beauty of self-expression.

'Just Chemistry' is the third single from Dance Lessons, a London-based, female-fronted and produced trio, creating what they define as Serrated Pop. 'Just Chemistry' is a delicate hymn to the unspoken. Dance Lessons return with their signature sound – minimal production, sleek vocals and intricate arrangements. Ann says: “'Just Chemistry' is about the over-complication of our relationships. It’s about the things that are left unsaid in-between the awkward text messages and conversations, and how the absence of knowing can be misinterpreted as doubt. Last year was a difficult one. For a long time, I felt at the mercy of my emotions. I doubted where things were going. I lived in the future and found it hard to commit to the present. But these moments of not knowing can be equally thrilling and beautiful. And that’s what the song is about: finding beauty in the unspoken. In most cases, it’s chemistry that makes us fall in love. Things end, all is temporary. Let’s not go to war with one another over it.” Nat says on the video: “A friend told us about this weird and wonderful house in North London that feels a little like stepping into an acid trip. We obviously wanted to check it out. It’s completely surreal, all over the place (in a great way) and generally eclectic, which felt inherently us. We instantly wanted to do something there and asked the owner for permission to shoot a music video. We filmed during lockdown and were let loose embracing all the oddness of it. Ann also designed and created the outfit she wears in the video, something she does with most of her wardrobe. It was shot, directed and edited by our hugely talented friends Ben Hanson and Simon Frost from Borderland Studios.”

Returning with her first offering of the year, North London’s rising star Laurel Smith is ready to reveal her anticipated new single, ‘Out the Cage’ accompanied by an action packed and thrilling cinematic style music video directed by Jeremie Brivet and Jai Garcha. Sticking to her winning recipe of moody, dark, electro-pop production paired with effortlessly edgy tales of narrative lyricism, ‘Out the Cage’ is the next huge single from the young, innovative artist that is sure to follow the same trajectory of success as its predecessor, ‘Game Over’ released late last year. A songwriter and recording artist, Laurel Smith has been writing songs since the age of sixteen. With each single she’s released, Laurel has continued to adapt her sound and aesthetic, consistently honing her craft and evolving her brand. She has carefully carved out her place in an ever crowded industry and proceeds to turn heads at every corner. “‘Out The Cage’ is a song about breaking out from your constraints, both physical and mental. Although it can be interpreted in any way, when I wrote it I created a story around a bored housewife, falling out of love with her husband, she fantasises about tying him up and leaving him to be a badass assassin in a video game type world, roaming the city at night and living a life of unpredictability and excitement”.

Hailing from the Philippines, singer-songwriter Laica is coming off a breakout 2020. Now the 21-year-old is gearing up for the release of her debut album I’m so fine at being lonely. The first single off the project, 'love u lately' is here, accompanied by a music video directed by Cooper Leith. 'Love u lately' is a relatable and infectious track. The song revolves around dating, understanding mixed signals, and the confusion that surrounds that world. Lyrically, Laica walks us through her experiences here, voicing her thoughts and frustrations about someone who she just can't seem to read right. Production-wise, the track is carried by a pulsing synth and a groovy bass. Together, the track feels upbeat. The vibe created by the production stands in contrast with the more emotional lyrics, making the track complex and interesting. The music video takes the concept of 'love u lately' to the extreme, in a fun and playful way. Laica is seen capturing her dream boy and attempting to use witchcraft to finally win him over. The video has a very DIY feel, which could serve to add to the reliability of the track. It’s a great extension of the track and taps into everyone’s most fantasy-driven realities. [via Earmilk]

At first, Emily C Browning wasn't sure what to think. Spurned, rejected, and cast aside, she was angry, furious, and - at times - utterly bereft. Usually she'd utilise songwriting as a vessel for her emotions, but when she was so conflicted, and feeling so negative, that it just didn't enter her mind. The Christchurch, New Zealand artist needed to take a step back, and when she located some perspective, she was ready to act. New single 'I Wasn't Into You Anyway' is a soaring slice of revenge, one that finds Emily C Browning taking full control of her music. Her first solo production credit, its reminiscent of those surging, empowering Maggie Rogers bops, while also containing similar DNA to Sharon Van Etten's work. Lyrically, it's absolutely her own creation, with Emily leaning on those often-hidden feelings. She comments... "Everyday for a month I wrote in my journal: I want to write a song about feeling rejected. But I couldn’t figure out how to keep it light and funny, it can be quite a painful topic and I didn’t want to sound too heavy. But I kept working on it everyday and came up with this song. I then spent another month recording it, trying to capture a sound that stayed upbeat and playful. I put so much time and energy into the song that I ended up completely forgetting about the person who rejected me in the first place (honest, I swear)." [via Clash]

Alt-pop force Holly Humberstone returns with new single 'Haunted House'. The songwriter's potent debut EP Falling Asleep At The Wheel was a sensation, racking up more than 100 million global streams. A bona fide phenomenon, Holly returns with a single that displays a more nuanced, reflective side to her work. 'Haunted House' digs into childhood, and looks at the way memory can frame the way we construct our identities. She comments: "I wrote this song about the old and characterful house I grew up in. The house is such a huge part of who I am and our family. With my sisters and I moving out and living separate lives, coming home feels very comforting and one of the only things keeping us all connected." Playing with concrete imagery and no small degree of invention, 'Haunted House' connects art to life in an enchanting fashion. She adds: "The house is almost falling down around us now though, and we’ve realised that pretty soon we’ll be forced to leave. There’s a cellar full of meat hooks and a climate so damp mushrooms grow out of the walls. Loads of people have probably died here in the past but I’ve always felt really safe. It’s like a seventh family member. It’s part of me." [via Clash]

In 2019, the Boston-born and Brooklyn-based indie rock album Crumb released their debut album Jinx. Crumb haven’t yet announced plans to follow that album up, but they’re definitely working towards something. Last month, the band came out with a one-off single called 'Trophy.' Now, they’ve followed that one with two new tracks, and they’re both winners. The new songs 'BNR' and 'Balloon' both fit nicely into Crumb’s comfort zone. The band’s sound is a rich, sophisticated take on psychedelia, with blissed-out lead vocals from Lila Ramani and with some great funky drum action. The band co-produced both songs with Foxygen’s Jonathan Rado, who’s done great recent work with people like Father John Misty and Weyes Blood and the Killers and who knows how to make oblique ’70s-style pop sound good. But Crumb themselves deserve a ton of credit for coming up with a sound this layered and weird. They’re the rare circa-2021 band who might remind you of Broadcast. In a press release, Ramani says, “‘BNR’ is an ode to my favorite colors. I had a weird obsession with those colors in winter 2018-2019 and felt like they would follow me around everywhere I went." 'BNR' also has a cool music video. Director Joe Mischo starts the clip off as a hallucinatory reverie, but he turns it sharply towards horror at the end. [via Stereogum]

Last year, Limerick poet/musician Sinead O’Brien released her debut EP, Drowning In Blessings. It was a unique work, a handful of songs featuring O’Brien’s sing-speak over spindly, post-punk guitars. It garnered O’Brien a bit of buzz overseas, and it left you wondering where she might take her music from there. Now, O’Brien’s back with a new song called 'Kid Stuff.' “‘Kid Stuff’ shows up all different tones on different days,” O’Brien said in a statement. “There’s something alive in it which cannot be caught or told. It is direct but complex; it contains chapters. This feels like our purest and most succinct expression yet.” Like Drowning In Blessings, 'Kid Stuff' found O’Brien working with Speedy Wunderground mastermind Dan Carey. Musically, it hints at a level up moment for O’Brien. There was something alluring and jagged about Drowning In Blessings, but 'Kid Stuff' places her usual approach over a song that is surprisingly groovy — maybe even a little danceable. It comes with a video directed by Saskia Dixie. [via Stereogum]

Das Beat are made up of German actress and vocalist Eddie Rabenberger and Agor of Blue Hawaii. The pair have just shared their first single 'Bubble' online now and are set to release their debut EP Identität on June 4 via Arbutus Records. Born in Berlin during 2020’s legendary lockdown, Das Beat seeks to blast both boredom and boundary. Dabbling in German New Wave, Italo Disco, Indie & Dance, their sound is unified by vocals from Eddie Rabenberger, sung in German and English. Amidst playful lyrics one finds a strong underlying pulse (das “beat”), pinning down the duo’s meandering atmospherics, dreamy synths, guitars and percussion. The duo is half-Canadian and half-German. Agor (of Blue Hawaii), moved to Berlin from Montreal in 2018. Eddie is a theatre actress originally hailing from a small town in Bavaria. Together they find a strange but alluring symbiosis - like Giorgio Moroder meets Nico, or Gina X Performance meets The Prodigy.

St. Vincent has fully embraced the ’70s aesthetic for her retro-sounding new record, Daddy’s Home. Now, she’s diving headlong into the animation styles of the era with the video for 'The Melting of the Sun'. Presented as a “betamax deluxe release” rip from “Candy’s Music Video Archives,” the clip blends live action shots of St. Vincent herself with the wavy, intermittent animation frames any Schoolhouse Rock student is familiar with. The psychedelic lines fit a song called 'The Melting of the Sun' perfectly, as do the drawings of the legends mentioned in the song’s lyrics like Nina Simone, Joni Mitchell, and Tori Amos. St. Vincent co-directed the clip with Bill Benz, while Chris McD provided the animation. [via Consequence]

Bay Area slowcore trio Sour Widows have released a new single, 'Bathroom Stall,' from their forthcoming EP Crossing Over, which they announced last month with its title track. The song’s build-up is subtle and poignant like Sufjan Stevens, but Maia Sinaiko’s evocative, sweeping vocals are one-of-a-kind, and the lyrics are graphic and tragic: “Do you remember it like I do?/ Your lips turned blue I had my fingers in your mouth/ And I couldn’t get them out.” Sinaiko said of the song: "This song is about a relationship I had with someone who struggled with addiction, who very tragically passed away three years ago while we were together. It’s about some moments we shared, and how it feels to walk around carrying that person and those experiences with me while the world stays normal. I wrote the song because I wanted to preserve and document what happened to me. to write out the scary stuff and just let it sit there forever. I think its funny that its called 'Bathroom Stall' and that it has that image in it: the song goes from heavy and dark to ordinary and totally pedestrian in a sentence, which feels absurd. And that’s kind of what it’s like to grieve. That’s kind of what’s hard to explain about grief, how absurd it is. Part of you goes to a different planet and part of you stays walking around like an alien on Earth, going to the bathroom and looking at the moon and shit." [via Stereogum]

As JUNO-nominated singer Kandle Osborne prepares to launch her new project, Set The Fire this spring, she shares the album’s third single, 'Misty Morning.' From being penned on a napkin while abroad to a Vancouver studio, 'Misty Morning' is a sonic journey that echoes soulful vulnerability and an honest reflection of realizing true love. For the video, Kandle reconnects with 'Honey Trap' director, Brandon William Fletcher, to create classic 40s noir-inspired cine-magic, filmed along the Vancouver coastline and within the lush landscape of Stanley Park. Kandle says: “‘Misty Morning’ is my first real love song, captured on a napkin while in Ischia, Italy when I was truly happy. My songwriting usually comes from a place of turmoil and catharsis, but this was simply a snapshot of a perfect, vulnerable moment. In recording it, I wanted to hide behind lush orchestration, but my producer/ best friend Michael Rendall had other ideas. He wanted to strip it down to just piano & a single vocal to take me out of my comfort zone and re-capture the open-hearted feelings I had while writing it. The song and the recording both hold for me a time when I dropped my guard for pure authentic love in spite of all my flaws and failures. In that moment, I felt my true value as a whole person for the first time.”

On 'Vertigo,' Alice Merton’s first single of 2021, the 27-year-old describes the long road from uncertainty back to self-confidence. It emphasizes the unrest that seizes her again and again, the thought: “Why can’t I just let it go?” These contradicting thoughts and emotions that are so familiar to all of us sum up to an overwhelmingly positive effect - 'Vertigo' leaves you empowered rather than anxious: A powerful indie pop arrangement with distorted guitars, plus Alice Merton’s crystal-clear voice. The result is reminiscent of the British Invasion, with no air of self-doubt. With its energetic live qualities, 'Vertigo' feeds an appetite for summer festivals and concerts that will definitely return at some point. Largely responsible for this is the Canadian producer Koz, a multiple Grammy nominee, who has worked with Dua Lipa ('Physical') among others. Here, too, he adds on to what has already made Alice Merton stand out from the crowd in the past - her classic pop appeal - with an uncompromising and indie attitude. This enables Alice to take another big step: She equally encourages a shaken generation and herself that there will be easy summers again. That you can dance again and lie in each other's arms. That it is absolutely fine to have many facets, to not always be clear, and that strength and weakness are not mutually exclusive.

Canadian artist Olivia Lunny's new release 'Sad To See You Happy' is a shamelessly poppy track centering an acutely relatable break-up narrative. The Canadian artist follows up her breakthrough success with a bouncy cut to soundtrack 2021’s long-awaited spring. There's a relatable tale of break-up at the heart of the gloriously poppy new single, belied by percussive instrumentation that creates a warm, nostalgic feel. [via Line Of Best Fit]

After sharing the single last month, Charlotte Adigéry is now revealing the brand new video for ‘Bear With Me (and I’ll stand bare before you)’. The first new music since her 2019 debut EP Zandoli, Charlotte says of the video, “The video is about being confined thus confronted to the way we live. The cruel irony of having the privilege of standing still, questioning and observing my life in all safety while others are fighting for theirs. On the other hand, the video is about trying to stay sane while feeling that the walls are closing in on you. Embracing boredom and finding joy in the little things in life.” Director Alice Kunisue adds, “When I listened to Charlotte’s song and what it meant for her and Bolis, I wanted the video to visually encapsulate that feeling of being stuck inside and confronted to our deeper selves while paradoxically sensing the chaos going on in the outside world without being able to do anything about it. Choosing to film an apartment room from one single angle was a way to reflect that narrowness of thought that we all experienced, but also a constraint that allowed us to explore and develop visual ideas within a narrow system, in a way having to think only inside the box, which artistically was a fun challenge.” [via DIY]

Millie Turner has shared a video for ‘Concrete Tragedy’. It’s a cut from her upcoming mini-album Eye Of The Storm, set for release on May 16, which also features a rework of breakout song ‘(Breathe) Underwater’. “This video is a visual representation of dancing on your own,” she says of the clip. “Combining the many parts of who we are when we’re by ourselves, I wanted it to feel like you’re entering a world of imagination that comes alive when we express ourselves.” [via Dork]

Doja Cat and SZA have come together for a new single called 'Kiss Me More.' When the song was announced Wednesday night, the internet flipped out, which is to be expected with these two — especially Doja Cat, who is regularly going viral these days for all kinds of reasons. When it comes to collaborations, she always finds the best people. That includes Saweetie, who appeared on Doja’s recent 'Best Friend' but then claimed that it was released against her wishes. Given SZA’s long history of public frustration over TDE Records holding back her new album, she is probably happy to have any new music out. Despite recent single 'Good Days' hitting the top 10, her restless fanbase is still awaiting a follow-up to 2017’s iconic Ctrl. 'Kiss Me More' is the first single from Doja’s new album Planet Her, scheduled for release this summer. It returns to the disco vibes of Doja’s #1 hit 'Say So,' this time with no apparent resemblance to any Skylar Spence song. [via Stereogum]

#videos of the week #wallice #kita #dance lessons #laurel smith #laica #emily c. browning #holly humberstone #crumb #st. vincent #sour widows #kandle #alice merton #olivia lunny #charlotte adigery #millie turner #doja cat #sza

[onestowatch]

Lynn Gunn’s Honest Portrayal of PVRIS’ Past, Present and Future Plus Details on New LP ‘Use Me’ [Q&A]

Did you know that quicksand cannot really sink your entire body? Hollywood renditions of this frightening occurrence showcase “Indiana Jones” type heroes desperately reaching for a branch or a vine to evade being swallowed whole by the muddy foe. In real life, however, quicksand is much denser than the human body–namely your torso and lungs. So, although you may sink to some degree, you’ll only be engulfed to about your torso region. That being said, to escape the hold of this mucky captor, you’re called to utilize, not a vine or a stick, but a natural aspect of yourself–in this case, the buoyancy of your torso and lungs. Doing so allows you to adjust your positioning so that you are on your back and are therefore more easily able to free your legs and eventually, yourself.

During moments of crisis such as this, it is not often that we think to use what comes most natural to us in order to overcome difficulties. However, as PVRIS frontwomxn Lynn Gunn discovered, tuning into your natural inclinations can be exactly what sets you free.

After battling debilitating health issues, anxieties, and multiple album delays, the refreshingly new album Use Me is here, and it has the empowered LGBTQIA+ artist plastered all over it. From the distinctively raw lyrics, impassioned vocals, dexterous commixture of that classic PVRIS Alternative Rock and new-aged Glitch-pop, and even a 070 Shake feature, this new album is taking everything we thought we knew about PVRIS to much higher heights. Use Me serves as the first release since Gunn followed her heart and came forward as the sole architect behind PVRIS back in March. After listening to all 40 emotion-inducing minutes of this cinematic project, it becomes clear that Use Me is so much more than an album, it is an unapologetic reclamation of power.

We were able to speak with Lynn Gunn before the release of the album and gather her perspective on this new era of creativity, utilizing her natural abilities for this new project, and even on supporting social justice causes.

All quicksand jokes aside, sink into this interview with Lynn Gunn below:

Ones to Watch: Although you’ve been making music for quite some time, this new era seems to be of a new bloom, not only for PVRIS, but for you. As you have stated, PVRIS is still very much a collective, but you have decided to shed the skin of “band culture” and from it emerge as the sole vocalist, lyricists, and creative director of PVRIS. How has that transition been on you all? Are people taking to it the way that you imagined?

Lynn Gunn: I didn’t really imagine anyone taking it any way, to be honest, it’s happening regardless of what others want to say or feel about it. It’s felt great personally and as a unit. I’ve seen mostly support but obviously, with anything, there’s always going to be people with the opposite. At the end of the day, this is what this is moving forward and works best for us, I know my truth and what this journey has been and looked like so far. I’ve seen so many insane and comical theories and conspiracies about the transition/negative comments… but ultimately I think anyone who decides to wastes their energy like that might find their life to be much more enjoyable if they channeled that energy back into their own life as there’s clearly a lack/wound somewhere within themselves. If that seems sprinkled with “shade”, it is, but I mean that with the most sincerity as well.

The saying goes “you can never really outrun yourself”, and from White Noise to Use Me, it seems that you’ve left a bit of a breadcrumb-trail leading us to this point. Although PVRIS has primarily been recognized as an Alternative Rock “band”, we can hear tiny glimpses of the sound that best encompasses PVRIS now throughout your entire discography.  Was this glitch-pop, disco-esque sound something you were intentionally experimenting within your previous projects?

To be honest, this is always where I imagined PVRIS’s sound living and the type of production I’d heard PVRIS songs being told through. I think in the past I didn’t fully know how to communicate the little production nuances that would have taken some tracks from point A to B, there was also a fear (that I now regret having) about straying from the “rock” production/experiencing rejection from the “scene” we initially started playing shows and touring in.

For the most part, and I truly mean this, there really isn’t that much of a difference in the instrumentation and sonic choices of this album from the first two, it’s still a very even play of organic instruments and electronic/synths, it’s just being produced through a different lens that’s a bit cleaner, crisper and crunchier in some areas. It’s a new interpretation of the woodwork that’s always been there.

What has kept you motivated to continue creating and sharing your truth with the world?

That’s a great question because I go back and forth with that feeling sometimes… Ultimately seeing comments from fans/listeners and hearing everyone’s stories and ways that they connect to PVRIS’s music is the most motivating thing in the world. I also feel that no matter what type of obstacle course the universe wants to throw me through, I’m always going to be grateful for the bruises/lessons and always going to feel compelled to create and share those truths through music.

I understand you’ve run into a deluge of unfortunate health issues the past few years that have affected you and the band greatly. If you feel comfortable sharing, could you talk a little bit about these illnesses and the ways you have had to overcome the obstacles they brought forth to get you to where you are now?

Totally comfortable sharing! I was diagnosed with an autoimmune disease called Ankylosing Spondylitis (AS) about two years ago and then about a year ago was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease. AS is an inflammatory disease that mainly attacks the lower back, hips, and ribs, but it can also manifest in a lot of other ways as well such as joint pain, chronic fatigue, and even eye issues. Sometimes when my AS is really bad, I can barely get out of bed or even roll over in bed. Over time, if not treated properly or managed, it can cause your vertebrae to fuse... I’ve heard that’s super rare though. Crohn’s is chronic inflammation in the digestive tract and is a little more embarrassing but pretty self-explanatory haha…

They definitely taught me (and by taught I mean forced me) to take time in caring for myself and caring for my body. Resting properly, staying in shape, eating super healthy, setting boundaries with work, etc. It’s also just made me really appreciative of the moments when my symptoms aren’t as bad/just happy to be alive and not have it worse. I’m determined to manage both diseases holistically and through integrative medicine, so far I’ve seen great progress.

Do you believe these difficulties aided in your journey towards this self-actualization that listeners are able to distinguish in this new era of PVRIS? If so, how/in what way?

Definitely! There are definitely some references to those difficulties in a few of the songs. I think outside of the music, it’s given a lot more self-love, strength, and patience. It’s also just created even more urgency to live my truth and to live it unapologetically in the way that I want, which naturally extends into PVRIS and the art that I want to make.

If you had to use one word to describe each album thus far, what words would you use and why?

White Noise - Freshman - everything was so new and exciting and there was so much eagerness with it, like a freshman walking through a high school for the first time haha.

All We Know of Heaven, All We Need of Hell - Bootcamp (haha) - creating it and touring it were both pretty hard experiences BUT incredibly strengthening.

USE ME - Upgrade - despite all the chaos around this release, this is the freest I’ve felt and the most confident I’ve felt about a PVRIS album.

All the visuals and music video treatments that you have conjured up have a strikingly symbolic and cinematic feel to them. However, the symbolism and tone of the music videos tied to Use Me seem to take on a different nature. Can you talk about this shift in creative expression?

Mostly just working with new collaborators (Yhellow, Katharine White and Griffin Stoddard). I feel a lot less precious about things (to a healthy degree) and much more open to letting others run with the concepts as they wish! So many fun new exciting perspectives have been able to shine through.  

I know you are a film fanatic and dabble in cinematography. Do you have any staple films that influenced the creation of the last five music videos?

The Holy Mountain was a big influence for the “Hallucinations” video, as well as [for] “Old Wounds”. For “Dead Weight”, I was actually inspired by the opening credits to That 70’s Show and Saturday Night Fever haha.

In July, you announced that the album was being pushed back so as to allow the floor for the amplification of Black voices, and to generate events in support of Black Lives Matter. Do you believe artists have a responsibility to take steps such as these to create a better future, regardless of whether or not these issues directly affect them?

Absolutely. We all need to be educating ourselves and actively doing the work to demand and create change towards a future that’s equal and just for Black lives.

Fans have been clinging to the edges of their proverbial seats waiting for Use Me in spite of all of the justifiable album delays. If you could relay one message to all the fans who have been patiently waiting, what would it be?

Please enjoy/connect, be good to each other and please please please vote if you are able!

Who are your Ones to Watch?

DRAMA, Jax Anderson, HDBeenDope, Royal and The Serpent, Nikki Hayes, Kat Cunning and LEXXE!

#PVRIS #Alternative #Pop