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notcatherinemorland · 3 years

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ok more doc whom thoughts. yes i should be asleep. no i am not <3

ok i have been mulling this over and i think what’s been nagging me is that clara (and amy until s7) has no Wants. she has no goals. she doesn’t have a self-driven desire for anything... and you know what i’d argue this doesn’t even extend to wanting to be in the doctor’s presence. i think its why she’s been coming across to me as hollow, because she wants for nothing! her temperament is so benign! she is, frankly, beige.

Martha was a jr doctor (god bless), she had a level of desire and determination baked into her character just for that. And she wanted to be seen, to be recognised by the doctor. i didn’t even mind the crush line, because it wasn’t a romance plot, it was the doctor being unable to heal from Rose to recognise that he was carting about a whole new companion. it wasn’t pure sexuality, there was attention and all sorts of things thrown into that dynamic that made it interesting. Martha was amazing and i love her very much.

Rose and Donna... they want adventure i think. they want something more than earth had to offer them. Donna i think had escapism thrown in. Rose had something to loose back on earth. they wanted New, they wanted Exciting, they wanted adrenaline and education and More Experiences. donna wanted to make her grandfather proud. rose loved her family so much.

Rose did ultimately end up wanting the doctor and u know what? it was substantiated. it was sweet. i liked it because they actually had good experiences together and they were positive influences on each other.

donna’s end makes me cry dont talk to me. angy. i start war. it’s nearly 3am so i will come back 2 her.

amy uh.... well apart from the amount of sexual desire she shoved in the dr’s general direction, she kinda wanted to be around him but More Hightened than the other 3. I’d make the argument that what she wanted was validation of her childhood memories. amy & 11 didnt really uh. spend a lot of time around each other like rose and 9/10 or martha and 10 did. they didn’t... chat. i know we were utterly spoiled by the tenent/tate dynamic banter but i don’t rlly recall amy&11 getting anything low-stakes enough to chat. there was too much SHITE! in the way. THAT’S WHY i liked god complex so much it just!!! GAVE me something about the way amy’s whole character functioned. and then it changed her and i. CONTENT. DOUBLE CONTENT. about WHY amy thinks and acts the way she does. it is LATENT in rose. martha outright articulates herself. donna grows from someone who thinks there’s nothing in her into a character with dreams and motivations who understands herself. (and then it all got taken away from her and i cried) but amy... it took a while but she got Things in the end. S7 amy i LIKED! because of her life outside the dr. she and rory had grown! and lived their life a bit more. they had Things! they had hot girl shit to do. rory had a fucking backbone would u even believe.

and fucking frankly, the ONLY thing clara has done that wasn’t staring at the dr is hold a tea mug and offer up a book. NO wait i contradict myself. i really liked her friendship with Merry in that weird cult choir ep, that was Nice. but clara doesn’t have that same..... drive for experience or recognition or autonomy/their own lives like any of the others. she just seems to stare at the dr. and i am BEGGING for literally anything at this point. just give me a reason just a little bits enough just to something we’re not broken just bent and we can learn to write female characters

for the record i also have ^ the same crit for river song but at least she’s a self-identified psychopath that’s established in the narrative to have been trained not to have wants or desires apart from murdering 11 so like. I Guess. i dont like it but at least its substantiated in a sense.

i know the way i want my visual media to be is very strongly influenced by a particular western canon of storytelling that i am now learning is very orientated around modernism and post-modernism because i like grand narrative hot girl meta shit and also character psychology. but also a) i love jane austen so much i want all characters to have distinct motivations for Acting and i enjoy watching them interact when they overlap. b) in a show like dr whom where the character arc ARE the stories. none of this plot shit, give me EMOTIONS. give me HUMANITY. give me GROWTH AND ARCS. not to get gothic lit but if your fantasy isn’t an articulation/allegory of a human experience/facet/thing, then i am simply not fucking interested.

and clara isn’t articulating anything herself, the story isnt FROM her, she’s part of this big overarching plot that isn’t about her in specific, it’s externally driven. it’s a pound shop donna. yes, donna had the same thing where her fate wasn’t her ‘fault’ in a sense - ie how martha left the tardis on her own terms - donna had something tragic happen that wasn’t derived from who she was. it HURT because of who she was. and frankly im not feeling any same optimism of pain for clara yet.

#dr who wank for ts #3AM lets go lesbians its dr whom musing time #on of these days i will write an entire essay on the companions and it will be terrible. i will have the time of my very life.

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softgrungeprophet · 6 years

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Thoughts on PacRim2 !!! Spoilers!

First of all, I had fun! Obvs it wasn’t as good as the first one but it was enjoyable to watch and I liked it

Criticisms:

Mako’s death felt cheap, contrived and uninspired. Obvs an ongoing issue in hollywood and movies at large to kill off female chars and characters of color esp woc in movies.

Would have been WWAYYYY more interested if she had taken nate’s role in the movie (sans the largely pointless, kind of amusing love... triangle...? they’re poly now, it’s law) I would have been really into this promoted, supposedly retired-from-combat Mako joining up with Jake and being his drift partner--still has the drama and injury in the later half of the movie without resorting to just killing her off. She saved the world?? You’re telling me she can come out of the depths of the ocean but not a helicopter crash? PFff whatever. Her hair was cute tho.

Some of the camera work was a little weird? It was mostly fine and I didn’t hate it, I just thought some of it was sort of strange.

Jake and Nate’s jaeger could’ve taken a departure from the naming convention with something that acts as an homage to raleigh, stacker and mako’s role in the previous kaiju war--something like the Kaiju Danger.

I had another thing to say but I forgot it... probably something minor.

Mixed about Amara listing off mech names. As a viewer I found it simultaneously a little confusing and weird, but also a cute display of how she’s obviously super into these mechs and spent a lot of time researching them.

The beginning recap and setup was goofy but i like that they included it and i think it helped set some of the tone

Things I liked:

The characters and their relationships. I thought they were pretty good and fun. I liked that Li Wen was not evil, actually.

The lighting was pretty good imo, lots of nice colors and shadows and stuff...

I liked the moments of humor. I know some people probably feel totally opposite but I like when things are willing to mix fun with their seriousness and I think it worked fine in this movie.

Rad stunts, giant robots, very good. I liked the visual design, esp for the robots, a lot--liked the departure from boob armor for the pilots, but at the same time the armor looks a lot flimsier in comparison to the first movie. But! it also seems to be sort of clear that part of that is due to increased tech--at least with like, the helmets’ visors.... I do miss the yellow-lit, solid visored helmets though :P

The mech designs were really good and clearly evolved from their predecessors in the previous generation while still taking on sleeker, more anime-ass forms. I liked them a lot, Saber Athena was supremely rad, and Scrapper was a great junker of a mech.

The line about Newt’s Mandarin made me laugh. I liked that it continued w/ the multilingual script and diverse cast. Great to see movies with leads that aren’t just white dudes and include women and people of color in prominent positions.

also jake--bi probably? nice.

also i liked the inclusion of a post-endcard but pre-credits bonus scene instead of a fully post-credits scene. I mean I understand that post-credits scenes offer an incentive to watch the credits fully and acknowledge the number of people who made it but it’s always a weird tossup of like, do i stay, will something happen...

I also really liked how the third pilot in the big tanky mech was both a drift pilot AND a gunner, i thought that was a cool approach to a triple-pilot mecha.

Overall, there are definitely valid crits to be had and it was not perfect but it was an enjoyable movie, esp since i’ve been on a mech kick lmfao

Made me wanna rewatch the first one so I might do that.

it ALSO touched on a few things that I’ve personally been thinking about wrt a mech project(s) (i guess?) of my own and wanting to see in mech media in general, like robots with musculature/life, symbiotic/parasitic robotics, junkers vs colossi and that kind of stuff... So that was neat lol

Also watching it, 4 years after the first one, where i know more about my dumb brain really made me start thinking about not just physical limitations--obviously Hermann or other physically disabled people wouldn’t be able to pilot a Jaeger the way they’re designed now--but also about mental limitations and how like, I for example, as someone with probably-ADHD who has problems with avoiding intrusive thoughts or not getting stuck in trains of memory or loops of thought would be completely incapable of drifting or piloting a jaeger cause of the rabbithole. So it made me think about how people with certain neurological disorders or mental illnesses would also be considered unfit for jaeger combat.

I’m also curious about whether or not they are going to go for a trilogy and make a third movie. Presumably it would have at least a partial focus on Newt’s Fun Little Problem BUT that also seems like a plotline that’s less conducive to high-action giant robot punchies. But I would be interested in a less Major Apocalypse-focused PacRim movie, tbh, and I’m curious to see where the mech designs would go esp wrt Amara introducing single-pilot mini-mecha into the mix... I think it could be potentially pretty neato.

Would also be neat to see the aftermath, and the evolution of the characters.

also the deadpool trailer that played beforehand made me gay(er)

#nadia rambles

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monotonous-minutia · 4 years

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“Sometimes we’re standing at the edge of a cliff, and who better to give us a nudge than someone who’s very close to us?”

--Kate Lindsey on Hoffmann’s relationship with the Muse/Niklausse.

These two have a special relationship.

They’re always up to something, and though he may not be aware--or grateful-- Hoffmann can always rely on his friend, whether it’s the invisible Muse or the irrepressible companion, Niklausse.

But primarily, the Muse is determined to make sure Hoffmann stays on track--

even if that means meddling in his love life.

To the Muse, Hoffmann’s genius is more important than any love that may come his way.

Disguising as a student and friend of Hoffmann, the Muse is always there to help, even if it’s just to give him his drink. Besides, keeping him occupied with booze helps distract him from the ladies, instead using his creativity to spin his tales.

No matter where they end up, the Muse continues to guide and prompt, pointing out details that Hoffmann may prefer not to see.

But not every moment is completely serious.

Though some do hit harder than others. No one said it’s easy being a Muse. Sometimes the greatest sacrifices you inspire are your own.

He doesn’t always admit it, but Hoffmann is glad to have a friend--

especially when he really needs it.

Devoted, sassy, and irreverent, the Muse never loses sight of the goal

even if that means goading Hoffmann into trouble;

because no matter the outcome, the Muse is always there to comfort and guide--

something the master could be a little more grateful for.

But despite the troubles, the Muse never backs down.

Because what matters most in the end is that Hoffmann’s creativity is able to be shared with the world.

And through hell and heartbreak, the Muse will always be there.

#Les contes d'Hoffmann #the tales of hoffmann #Muse #opera #opera tag #jaques offenbach #jules barbier #michael carre #character analysis #lit crit #this one gets me so emotional #monotonous minutia #is it lit crit if it's visual media?#this took a lot out of me tbh #trouser role #kate lindsey #mezzo #mezzosoprano #monotonous-minutia does lit crit

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monotonous-minutia · 4 years

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A lot of people are talking about Addison's name in Zombies and how it might mean something about her identity. Here's my take on that.

The zombies all have names that either start with Z (Zed, Zoey) or where Z holds a prominent place (Eliza, Bonzo). The wolves are the same but with W (Wynter, Willa, Wyatt).

So my first thought was, why aren't the humans names based around H? Addison could have been Hannah, or Heather, or some other H name. Same with Bucky and Bree and the 'aceys. But their names all start with a variety of letters.

What this makes me think of is how whiteness and straightness (for example) are the "defaults"--that unless it's otherwise specified, characters/people in general are assumed to be white/straight etc. So there is automatically more variety in what we expect from those demographics while the minority groups tend to be lumped together based on one or two traits.

So basically, zombies and werewolves are given names based around their identity because it's the biggest part of their personalities. But the humans get more varied names because the fact that they're human isn't on the forefront.

Whether the writers did that based on their own unconscious biases, or did it consciously to make that exact point, the world may never know.

Anyway that's my two cents~

#disney zombies #zombies 2 #zombies #names #disney movies are either intricate or oblivious #is it lit crit if it's visual media?#monotonous minutia

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monotonous-minutia · 4 years

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Bones: Zack & Gormogon

One thing that really bothers me about the Season 3 finale on "Bones"--aside from the entire thing being bogus--is the issue of the mandible. Granted, the authors did really well with what they had, being compelled to wrap up much more quickly than they should have, because of the strike. Instead of having half a season to build up to it, they had one episode to write out Zack's character, tie him to the murder in a convincing way, and craft a story around it that was appropriately emotional. Not that anything about the episode was "convincing" or "appropriate"...especially if, as rumors have it, Zack was written out of the show because the producers found out the actor who portrayed him is gay. Stupid Fox. So, given all this, the writers did a heck of a job tying up all the loose ends and compelling us to believe that this was reasonable. Using Zack's character flaws and Brennan's intense understanding of him to put it all together. But there are so many things that don't fit. There are 3 episodes that concern Gormogon leading up to the finale. The first one is the Season 3 premiere, right when Zack comes back from Iraq. So obviously he's not tied up in any of it yet. He helps them figure out the whole thing, with the diamond tooth and the second set of teeth marks. Then there's "The Intern in the Incinerator," which has less to do with Gormogon than some of the others, but still ties in. Again, Zack is seen doing everything he can to help solve the mystery. The most compelling case is "The Knight on the Grid." Zack is integral in this one, finding clue after clue that leads them closer to solving the mystery. So does everyone else, but it's pretty clear Zack is consciously trying to help them thwart Gormogon, which he wouldn't be doing if he was already working for him. The only thing that could remotely indicate his being in league with the killer is how quickly he dismisses the numbers on the bone. But it could be argued that he had his brain set on "alpha-numeric" mode, so he was trying to keep on track. He thinks way faster than anyone else, we know that. Zack is too smart to help people find clues that would lead them towards the plot he is a part of. We could argue that the clues he helps find don't ultimately lead to Gormogon, but neither do anyone else's. It's just that Gormogon is still untouchable right now. Zack is not solely responsible for their not finding Gormogon right away. None of his findings were misleading, it's just that Gormogon gets the better of them. So it makes more sense that he is legitimately helping the Jeffersonian team. The big kicker is the end. This is where the lobbyist is killed. For several episodes after Season 3 ends, we're all left believing that Zack was the one that killed this guy. But if we assume that in this episode Zack was trying to help, why would he so quickly turn around and kill someone (or, as what actually happened, tell someone else where to find the victim)? Zack said he was approached at a conference and taken to Gormogon's hideout. There would have been no time for this between Zack trying to help solve the case and the murder of the lobbyist. Then the biggie here--the killer is fast, but we can see the face of the person jumping out of the closet, and IT'S NOT ZACK. So were we supposed to know the entire time that he wasn't the killer, or is this just evidence of the fact that it was never supposed to be him to begin with? And there's the mandible, which I started this post with. Zack lies about the teeth marks on the mandible so he can use it as an excuse to do an experiment that's meant to distract the others so he can sneak the mandible away and put it on the silver skeleton. Here's the thing though. Zack is the one that grabs the package and hands it to Brennan. If he's been working with Gormogon, he would have known what was inside that box. If his job was to put it on the silver skeleton, why didn't he just keep the box to himself and wait till he could sneak it down to the vault? He stays late at the lab all the time; he could easily find a time when no one's around. He didn't have to give Brennan the box, but he did, knowing he was making his own job harder. We could assume that he didn't know what was in the box, but upon its being opened, realized what he had to do with its contents. But that leads us to another dilemma. Why would Gormogon put Zack in that spot? Why would he make Zack's job harder? He could have sent the box directly to Zack if he simply wanted him to do something he couldn't. He could have arranged another meeting to give Zack the mandible in person. He could have done it himself, as he's had access to the vault via the mirrors. There are so many alternatives to handing over the mandible in such a way that the others would see it before Zack had the chance to make the switch. So either he purposely put Zack on the spot, or Zack for some reason wanted the others to get involved with the mandible. Is this just poor writing? Or am I the one that's missing something? I'm genuinely befuddled here. Zack says that the Apprentice is expendable. We see this in action when the first Apprentice they encounter (Jason from 3x1) either kills himself or is killed by Gormogon after his carelessness inadvertently leads the Jeffersonian team to the Gormogon vault. Gormogon does not hesitate in disposing of the ones who are no longer useful to him. Was the whole deal with the mandible his way of disposing of Zack? Was he setting Zack up for failure because Zack wasn't good enough? Was that his way of sacrificing Zack to the cause? If so, why then? Did he think Zack was too weak? Was he too close to the rest of them? Did he find someone better? Were the writers planning to elaborate on the story or are these all things that occurred because the whole thing was rushed? Because honestly, half of this could have been solved by just having someone else hand Brennan the box. That seems like a pretty big thing right there and I'm surprised no one else is talking about it. Granted this was over ten years ago. I'm a little late to the party. If anyone has revelations clue me in. I think about this way too much. I have an entire schematic put together of all of this. For real. I have a conspiracy board full of pictures and leads, complete with color-coded strings connecting related ideas and themes. I spent hours on it. Days. It's sad really

#bones #bones on fox #zack addy #gormogon #yes i know i'm late to the party #but i still have a lot of feels #zack is my son okay #he deserves better #fox should have just paid their writers better it's not that hard #seriously #lit crit #literary criticism #is it lit crit if it's visual media?#monotonous-minutia

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monotonous-minutia · 4 years

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I’m gonna get a little rambly about a kid’s movie today

It’s pretty obvious that the first Zombies movie is about racism and segregation, and general discrimination about minorities. There are stereotypes associated with zombies, the humans don’t want them in their school, the zombies are left the most run-down part of town to live in and “get the worst jobs.” There’s some pretty impressive examples of social justice commentary which is surprising for a kid’s movie. Eliza and Zed argue over what is acceptable progress--Eliza wants a revolution, while Zed is okay with the slow progress because “baby steps are still movement.”

But to me the second movie is even more impressive. It takes the discussion of minority struggle a few steps further, showing how different minority communities have different experiences, and how acceptance of one group does not mean acceptance of all, and progress is not irreversible.

In a way, the zombies are like the “model minority.” Most of them take what they get without complaining. While they’re segregated in Zombie Town, they don’t protest or riot trying to get out, and when they get skimpy acceptance at the school, most of them don’t object. They just appreciate what little they’ve been given. They comply.

When the werewolves join the school, though, they act out. They don’t immediately fall into a submissive line; they show their true colors as fierce and somewhat aggressive individuals. When Zed encounters this, he encourages them to be like the zombies. The subtext there is that if the werewolves would just settle down and be meek like the zombies were, they’ll get accepted.

Another aspect is how the werewolves are immediately given full access to the school and all its classes, rather than restricted to the basement as the zombies had been. Despite the fact that Zed wants to be a champion for the werewolves, understanding their struggle, he admits he’s jealous that the werewolves got everything “on a silver platter” while he and his community had to fight for it. He wants their vote, but he doesn’t want to associate himself with the werewolves, calling them “furballs” and making sure he does not go back to being considered a “monster” like they are.

Even after experiencing segregation and discrimination, Zed still has it in him to be prejudiced against the werewolves. As he eventually states himself, “We came from the bottom, then became the problem.”

FURTHER, Disney is touching on indigenous rights with the history of the werewolves. “Settlers” came to Seabrook and fought off the “monsters” that already lived there. The werewolves are then forced to live in the Forbidden Woods and the humans almost forget they ever existed. When the werewolves return to Seabrook, they point out the inaccuracies in the history textbooks that claim the werewolves attacked the humans, when in reality the werewolves were the ones who were under attack as the humans appropriated their land. When Zed leads the team to crash the Prawn, they’re told that only Seabrook students are allowed to come in. Wyatt points out, “We’re from Seabrook too. The originals, in fact”--pointing out that the werewolves have the original claim on this land.

Disney is teaching kids some pretty complex concepts here.

#zombies #zombies 2 #disney movies #kid movies #diversity narratives #is it lit crit if it's visual media?#i think too hard about kids movies #but seriously this one is pretty impressive considering what disney has done in the past #like actually literally addressing injustice and discrimination??#and intersectionality??#anyway that's what i've got

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monotonous-minutia · 4 years

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Les contes d’Hoffmann (Munich 2011) pt. 4

More reactions but fewer pictures

So this version was very interesting. First, it was a mixture of spoken dialogue, recit, and sung dialogue between the big numbers. So that made the dialogue kind of mixed-up as it was a patchwork of the versions I’m used to.

Then, there were some pieces missing, some new pieces, and familiar pieces that were shortened or slightly different. The Septet in Act 3 was gone completely, which is supposedly more authentic, but it would have been interesting to see how this cast handled it, especially Damrau, because she’s a goddess. But the way they did Act 3 wouldn’t have had room for it anyway. More on that later.

This production was very Niklausse-centric (100% okay with me since he is my favorite character). Brower is overall fantastic in this role and gives us a really layered portrayal of the character. I was a little concerned at first when there was no costume change between Niklausse and the Muse because I saw that in another one once and it was handled very, very poorly. But they pulled it off here and in some ways it made everything more gay because he was Niklausse the entire time, and is literally declaring his love for Hoffmann while in male form so it’s like...obviously. How can anyone watch this opera and not understand that it is gay.

It focused on Niklausse a lot--he was even listed in the credits before Hoffmann. In some productions I see the camera tends to focus on everything but Niklausse and we only see him when he’s talking or doing something important. But this time the camera followed him around almost more than it followed Hoffmann. I really think they were embracing the idea that this is actually his story. I mean, he gets the opening and the closing numbers, and all of his motivation comes out within the first five minutes of the opera. The overall plot is him watching Hoffmann’s love life thwarted over and over and in every single act he has a moment where hes making it painfully obvious that he wants Hoffmann for himself. It’s easier to forget that in the shortened versions which is why I like the extended ones the best. The only time the camera DOESN’T flip over to Niklausse every couple seconds in this one is, ironically, one of the most important moments: when he runs away from Pitichinaccio in Act 3 after being kidnapped. Apparently that’s when he saw Giulietta take Hoffmann’s reflection and somehow figured out how to fix it by the time he made his way back.

In this one Niklausse is ALWAYS doing something. The only other one I’ve seen where he’s this busy is the Met’s Sher production. He’s all over Hoffmann, all the time. He’s running around being adorable. He’s spying on the other characters. He’s eating a popsicle while watching Hoffmann serenade Olympia. He’s giving Lindorf the roses Stella left for Hoffmann and helping him cut off the stems, just to be spiteful. He REALLY does not like these ladies. He can laugh at Olympia because she’s a robot, but boy does he hate Giulietta. At some points he looks like he’d like to go fight her himself. But he’s too busy keeping Hoffmann out of trouble...as best as he can.

I loved Villazón as Hoffmann. This was my first time seeing him in a comic role. I wasn’t sure how he’d handle it, because sometimes it’s hard for actors to go from one type of role to another. Also, though, Hoffmann is kind of a comic and dramatic role. Villazón manages to match them both. I love his ridiculous dance moves in the Olympia act and his awkward, smoky flirting with Giulietta in Act 3. He seems consistently irritated with Niklausse but he also kind of has RBF anyway. The only thing I’m missing is his interactions with the villains. They take out the entire insult duet that they’re supposed to have in the prologue and a section of the Trio des yeux in Act 1, as well as their interactions before and after Schlemil’s death because they did it so differently. Because of these a lot of their interaction is missing, which takes a lot away, I feel. Especially a shame because Relyea is fantastic as the villains, taking on each persona with ease and making them totally believable as incarnations of the same person. His Miracle was phenomenal. I got so many chills.

Damrau. OH MY GOD ahhhhhhh. She’s so fantastic I can’t handle it. I love her so much. I flipped out when I saw she was playing ALL the heroines. Hot damn. She did it so well. Like I would have believed it was actually four different people because of how well she encapsulated all the characters. Her fierce, broken Antonia, her blank-faced, flighty Olympia, and her seductive, malicious Giulietta were all so well done. She had an interesting portrayal of Stella--usually I see her as kind of a snooty figure, or dismissive, but this one seemed really sympathetic. She doesn’t have any lines in this one, but she’s so expressive as she sneaks into Hoffmann’s room in the prologue to leave him the letter, and again in the epilogue only to find him dead drunk and having torn up the picture and flowers she gave him. I actually felt really sorry for her.

And of course her signing is phenomenal. EEEEEK. She gets all of Olympia’s coloratura on point and her Antonia is so wistful and her duet with Miracle was phenomenal. And Giulietta was ridiculously sexy and she got a whole new number which is awesome because in some versions the character doesn’t really have a lot to do, and the song, though it was short and not in itself spectacular, let Damrau continue to show off her skills.

I’m going to take a moment to talk about the poison scene for my own edification. In the Wikipedia and Britannica summaries of this opera, both describe Act 3 (Giulietta) ending with Dapertutto trying to poison Niklausse because he’s tired of him constantly rescuing Hoffmann, but Giulietta drinks the poison instead and dies. I have never seen a production where this happens, or read a version of the libretto where it does, so I don’t know where that comes from. There IS a part in the original play (of the same title) at the end of Act 3 where this happens: Hoffmann wants to see Giulietta, Niklausse (who is called Friederick in the play...I do not know why) tells him he’s going to get a ride for them and drag him home of he has to. Dapertutto goes to Hoffmann to try and convince him to go to Giulietta because it’s all part of his plan; Hoffmann tells him he can’t because Friederick is coming back, and Dapertutto gives Hoffmann a sleeping potion to give to Friederick. It turns out to actually be poison and Giulietta drinks it before Friederick gets back. But again nothing like that has ever happened in any production I’ve seen. I’ve seen her get stabbed plenty of times but this is the only one where she drinks poison and it’s not even close to what happened in the play so idk how it even got here. But it was an interesting device and it suited this production. I just wish we could have seen the moment where Niklausse breaks free from Pitichinaccio and runs out.

The set was so great. I loved it. Like Sher’s, it did a great job of balancing the comic and the dramatic parts of the opera. Act 1 was all pastel colors and patterned wallpaper, vibrant, eccentric costumes and bright lighting. Act 2 was dark and sombre, and the house was crowded with furniture and a bunch of giant books which really helped me feel the suffocation that Antonia was experiencing. And Act 3 was open, dimly lit, and had that huge mirror. There was a distinct divide between the two spaces--Giulietta’s room and the hallway--but there was no wall, so seeing the action on both sides, but not having them interact or being very aware of each other, was a really interesting dynamic, especially in the Hoffmann/Giulietta duet where they’re in the room getting saucy and Niklausse is stuck outside with Pitichinaccio, staring at the door. And then the prologue and epilogue, going back and forth from the tavern to being Hoffmann’s room in what appears to be a hotel (or maybe an apartment). The fact that those two sets are really similar though, and travel right into each other, adds to the feeling of intimacy; Hoffmann is letting the others into his life, even as he enters their space (the tavern).

I can’t get over Niklausse coming out of the wine cabinet. And Hoffmann not thinking twice about it. Was he just too drunk to think it was weird? Or is he used to Niklausse hanging out in strange places? Also Lindorf didn’t seem to think it was odd that Niklausse tagged along for his aria or took his hat for him or helped him cut up the roses. It’s interesting because there are some versions where there’s a bit of an association between the two, because they have similar goals but different methods (though there is a notable exception to this, but that is a rant for another day). Sometimes I wonder if Lindorf has any idea that Niklausse is also the Muse. Here it’s left ambiguous, but also Lindorf doesn’t have a lot to do, because his duet with Hoffmann is cut short and he doesn’t talk in the epilogue at all.

There are literally no two Hoffmanns that look alike. I’ve seen several, and even revivals of old productions sometimes have differences. There’s literally a whole book about it (which I most definitely did not spend a ridiculous amount of money to buy). Even so, this was the most interesting edit I’ve stumbled upon. It would have helped to have English subtitles so I could better understand the parts I wasn’t familiar with, though I was able to use Google Translate at some points.

Overall this was solidly one of my favorites. Niklausse was surprisingly adorable, despite looking creepily similar to Hoffmann. It was quite gay, but not as angsty as some others, because Niklausse was rarely in doubt of his ability to win the day--even during the Violin Aria; he recovered fairly quickly. Only in the Giulietta act did he seem to be nearing the end of his rope, so tired of Hoffmann’s BS and having to constantly drag him out of trouble. They have an interesting device throughout where Niklausse writes in a notebook at the beginning and end of each act, as if he’s recording their adventures. He’s positively giddy in the epilogue when the book is finished, to the point that he just laughs when Hoffmann yells at him. He has what he wants and he knows he won. I am a sucker for the angst, though, and am known to destroy myself by repeatedly watching various renditions of the Violin Aria that break my heart. This one could have been gayer in that sense, but again, the way Niklausse is portrayed in general is super gay and the fact that Villazón plays Hoffmann as pretty gay too helps in that area.

Also I will never get over this picture.

I’ll leave you with that.

#Les contes d'Hoffmann #The Tales of Hoffmann #opera #opera tag #Jaques Offenbach #Jules Barbier #Michael Carré #opera reactions #opera analysis #monotonous-minutia reacts #monotonous-minutia does lit crit #is it lit crit if it's visual media?#monotonous minutia critiques

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monotonous-minutia · 4 years

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Thibault appreciation post

This kid deserves a post.

Poor little Thibault just wants to stay with his princess and be her loyal servant but instead of just rollicking in the Spanish court flirting with ladies (which does happen sometimes) he gets caught up in this huge political conversation and bears witness to sometimes literal battles between church and state and watches Elizabeth go from a sweet sunshiny princess to a morose and depressed queen and sees all this suspicious stuff happening in the court. The poor kid didn’t sign up for all that. Someone hug him for me please.

#thibault appreciation post #don carlo #don carlos #opera #me being nerdy #i call him thibault because even in the italian version he's from france so he would be thibault just saying #also I love the ones where thibault is super femme and we can imagine she's a bb gay #monotonous minutia #is it lit crit if it's visual media?

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monotonous-minutia · 4 years

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Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt: Mixed Feelings

Late to the party, as usual, but let’s talk about Kimmy for a minute.

Watching Season 1, I pegged the show as undoubtedly one of my favorites. I found Kimmy totally relatable--here I am, a 24 year old acting half my age, bemused by the world, walking around in contented obliviousness, and just constantly expecting the best from people, thinking everything I say is clever or funny. Then Season 2 happened, and while I still loved it, some aspects were getting a little iffy for me, like the commentary on "social justice warriors" and Titus putting on makeup to look Asian (more than a little iffy on this one). The Season 3 became even more doubtful with is ludicrous depiction of feminism and "special snowflake" millennials, and the insinuation that being rich and white does not equate to innate privilege (in Xan's case), and I'm like of course you would say that, Tina Fey, because you're rich and white. Then simultaneously making fun of trigger warnings and accurately depicting Kimmy's triggers when it comes to her trauma. Then Season 4, in two parts, with its ups and downs. First of all, that mockumentary was hilarious, and I needed more of it. But the whole storyline with The Reverend just didn't seem like it got wrapped up for me. I loved Kimmy writing that book and the kid calling her asking about it and explaining how it made him feel, and Kimmy realizing that she can make an impact through art. And the second part of Season Four holds one of my favorite episodes of the season, where we get a version of the story that may have happened if Kimmy hadn't been kidnapped. Her speech at the end was gold--she hates what happened to her, and wishes it hadn't happened, but there's no going back to change it. It made her what she is today, and as awful as that is, it's what happened. I think a lot of us who've experienced trauma can relate to that. Growing up home schooled in an abusive family f*cked me up, but if I'd gone to public High School, I'd probably be dead. So although I wish every single day that my childhood could have been less painful, I recognize that the experience is what got me where I am today. That, I think, was exceptionally pulled off in the show. But I'm still confused about other aspects of the show and trying to muddle through them. If anybody has any insight, hit me up. It's been bothering me since May 2017 when Season Three came out.

#unbreakable kimmy schmidt #kimmy schmidt #social justce #feminism #possible racism?#confusing #befuddling really #monotonous-minutia #lit crit #literary criticism #is it lit crit if it's visual media?

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incarnateirony · 4 years

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I feel like the lit crit crew around here really needs to understand what counts as “text” in modern media, AV medium included.

Key points

In fact, if you google as much as “Television Literacy”, I think fandom will realize it’s a little late to the party in all directions. In fact the cases *against* Television Literacy aren’t even against the raw, and universally understood idea that the different medium requires being differently literate to different forms of text, just that Television Literacy itself does not lend to greater general literacy, eg, if you’re literate in TV, that doesn’t mean you’re literate in books (and, alternately long entered into the discussion before whatever points fandom tries to climb into here, just because you’re literate in books does not mean you’re literate in TV.)

This fandom’s bizarre use of text, subtext, canon and everything else routinely drives me bonkers because fandom insists on only taking text and canon as, equivalently speaking, the dialogue in a book rather than all visual elements associated with the rest of the storytelling.

And I just needed to lob that out there because it’s been chewing on me for years at this point.

Anyone genuinely curious can start with this nice 25 year study of television and visual literacy, visual vocabulary, and more. The heavy citations to the work can be easily cross searched from there.

But if you really want to go digging there’s a whole “Language of Film” website about this. (x) (The Media Literacy Clearinghouse is a nationally recognized media literacy resource website. Thousands of schools and organizations link to the Media Literacy Clearinghouse and many of his resources have been recommended by: Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences; Access Learning; ASCD; Assn of Media Literacy; Australian Teachers of Media; Blueprint for Democracy; Cable In The Classroom; Education Week; Edutopia; INFOHIO; NCSS; NCTE; PBS; School Library Journal, and School Library Monthly.) Through it you’ll find things like “how to close-read media texts” (x) These things that make visual text work is, well, very familiar! Shot blocking and all kinds of fun dynamism is part of media text study!

I was gonna try to find a free PDF of “Mastering Media Literacy” to link too but am only pulling up truncated versions. On the other hand, I’ve discovered a small ream of books about this in the search (x)

It’s an enduring frustration tbh, because people focus so hardline on things that are spoken, “inarguable” text, while ignoring visual, set, or even enacted elements of actors to call it subtext (unless it’s like, about kissing I guess, for some reason people act like that one visual thing would be text and not subtext, IDK, it’s wild out here) – and it gets people who listen to them, as thinkers, *really fuckin confused* when it turns out that like, dialogue can be faulty, but that’s the only form of text they’ve had jackhammered into their head, so in an entire season of Unreliable Narrator as the damn plot, now everybody’s thinking text is plotholes and whatever else and I feel like our discussion around here has made a huge-assed mess and confused people that ironically would have been far more media literate before diving into the misguided lit crit hole. So here, have some resources.

Hell it’s not even just plot holes. Fandom has been weird-reading text so long that now when the full body text is framing the thing they were hunting for in subtext, they still think it’s subtext and have lost the plot on what visual medium text is, while the rest of the general TV literate GA is consuming the body of text, and my head hurts.

#lit crit #subtext #text #canon #av medium #meta #lgbtqia adjacent

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