#always adore Alison Brie

[jimalim]

Today I binge watched Apples Never Fall on peacock. It's only 7 episodes, a nice mystery with a fucked up family story. Lots of talented cast. Would recommend!

[mydinnerwithabed]

Community rewatch: 1x04 - Social Psychology

You sat in a room for 26 straight hours, didn't that bother you?

Yeah, I was livid.

Then why didn't you leave!?

Because you asked me to stay and you said we were friends.

[whereforarthur]

The Green-Eyed Monster: Part 1

Requested by @slutforthegubes​: smut fic that's mgg x female reader, maybe something where he is on set of a movie and he has to film a sex scene and she gets really jealous. then they go back to his trailer and have some rough sexy times.

A/N: This is my first time ever writing smut so hopefully you guys enjoy and this is also my first request! And please let me know what you think and if there were any warnings I forgot to mention also going to post a part 2 later in the week since this one got away from me and is already at 2k words.

Taglist: @slutforthegubes

Requests are open!

Category: SMUT (NSFW)

Couple: Matthew Gray Gubler x Girlfriend!reader

Warnings: Smut, cursing, chocking, degradation, oral sex, penetration, Daddy kink.

Word Count: 2,018

******

“Jealousy is all the fun you think they had.” 

- Erica Jong

You loved whenever Matthew invited you to set for Criminal Minds especially when it was for the episodes that he directed. Those were his favorite, you loved to watch his eyes light up as he told the actors what emotions they should be expressing for this particularly scene and when he told the cameraman to pan the camera down as the actress wept and fell to her knees. You loved to see your boyfriend in his nature element, he was born to be an actor and you were there to support him in every single acting job and adventure that he embarked on.

But this, you did not love to see.

Matthew had just invited you on set for a Netflix movie called Horse Girl that he had a small role in, you loved to see him work so of course you agreed to go with him, without even knowing what scene he was about to make you watch.

He knew you were the jealous type, right, RIGHT?

You knew the struggles of maintaining a relationship among actors, you being one yourself, but after 3 years of dating you had gotten use to the crazed teenager fan girls for the one and only Dr. Spencer Reid. Though you never experienced the feeling of jealously whenever you visited him on Criminal Minds because Spencer didn’t have many sexy scenes that you could have gotten jealous from.

But this ohhh, you had the slightest of inklings that Matthew knew exactly what he was doing when he invited you to set that day. You knew that he wanted to watch you squirm. Push your buttons to where you were at the point of walking off the set, but your legs betrayed you as you couldn’t help but watch the scene that unfolded in front of you.

That chain, That Stupid Fucking CHAIN

He just had to wear it to set that day. You watched it dangle back and forth as he relentlessly pounded into Alison Brie, his co-star, a sight that you were accustomed to. (Although it was always you that he was pounding into not some actresses) You would usually tug on it as he pounded into YOU, curses slipping from your lips as you felt his fingers rub circles on your clit, begging you to “come for daddy” which you did like the good girl you were for him.

You think that that’s what pissed you off most about watching the sex scene. The thought that you should be the only one to see him like this, the only one privileged enough to watch him as he experienced euphoria, the only one able to make him come undone.

You couldn’t stop yourself from raking your eyes up and down his shirtless torso, a sight that you swore you could never get enough of. You lifted your eyes back up to look at his face, loving the way his stubble perfectly accentuated his chiseled jawline. The one that you would tease him about, telling him that he was like a work of art, joking that his jawline was sculpted by Michelangelo himself. And those lips that you told him were gifts from Aphrodite herself.

You adored this man

As soon as the director yelled “CUT” you smiled gently at Matthew and gave him two thumbs to tell him that he did a great job, too good of a job in your opinion. You turned on your heels away from the sound stage and began to walk to Matthews trailer.

You were ashamed of yourself for getting jealous from his acting but also by the fact that you were extremely turned on right now. To the point where you could feel your arousal through the thin fabric of your leggings. You began to mumble curses at yourself as soon as you entered the trailer, slamming the door shut behind you. How were you going to explain yourself to Matthew when he asked you why you practically ran away from set?

Oh, I’m sorry that I”m acting like the spoiled little brat that I truly am

I’m the only one you should be destroying, not her

Not Her

Knocking you out of your thoughts, was a gentle hand being placed on your shoulder, who you immediately recognized as your loving boyfriend Matthew. Which only made you feel worse about running off of set. You turned to face him, your cheeks flushed from both embarrassment and arousal, you couldn’t place the look on his face, but as soon as your saw his plump lips turn into a smirk and you locked eyes with him. You saw how dilated his pupils were, you knew exactly how he felt.

Turned on

It was like you two didn’t even have to communicate with words, because just with a couple of seconds of staring into each other's eyes you knew exactly what was in store for you.

You began to choke slightly as he applied just the right amount of pressure against your throat as he pushed your front against the trailer door. Releasing his grip on your throat, he raked his hands up and down your torso till they landed on the curve of your hips.

“Jealousy is an ugly color on you” he whispered in your ear as he roughly thrust his impressive bulge into your backside leaving you a whimpering mess as he bought one of his hands up from your hip back to your throat, squeezing tightly exactly like he knew you loved.

“Do you know how embarrassing it was for me to see you run off of set, getting questioned by Alison, wondering why you didn’t want to meet her,” he began to shout into your ear, tears beginning to prick at your eyes as his hold on your neck tightened. You couldn’t even muster out a response (even though you knew that whatever you said wouldn’t dissuade him from giving you the punishment that he had in store for you) before he spoke again.

“No, of course you don’t because you were just acting like the selfless, fucking brat that you are! Isn’t that right y/n...” Wanting you to respond he softened the grip on your throat just enough so you could whimper out those words.

“Yes, daddy”

“Good girl at least you know how much of a fucking brat you are.” He lowered his voice this time now gently saying this into your ear as he bought his right hand up from its position holding your hips in place to stroke your hair before he removed the hand from your throat to spin you around so that you were now facing him.

He began to wipe the few tears that fell from your eyes and gave you a gentle peck on your lips raking his eyes up and down your body with concern, making sure you were okay before he continued his assault.

“Now are you going to be a good girl for daddy or am I’m going to have to punish you” he simply stated as he made direct eye contact with a glimmer of lust and darkness in his eyes.

“I will be a good girl for daddy” you gladly said back to him. Even though you did love his punishments. Right now all you wanted to do was worship this man, to tell him that no other women could make him feel as good as you did.

“Good choice princess, now why don’t you get on your knees and put that pretty little mouth to good use.”

Before the last word even came out of his mouth you were on your knees massaging the outline of his cock through the fabric of his jeans. Licking your lips you could feel how hard he was, which turned you on even more.

He began to undo his belt before you even got the chance to, you are way to entranced in stoking him through his jeans. As soon as he got his belt undone he tossed it behind him, not having a care in the world where it landed.

You helped him push his pants down to his ankles not caring right now about taking them off.

You brought one hand up to grip his shaft while the other one was pressed against his thighs. You licked your lips once again before you began to kitten lick the tip of his cock, the grunts that fell from his lips were the only thing you needed to hear from him that told you that you were doing a good job.

As soon as you brought your mouth directly on his tip, finished with teasing him and licking up his pre-cum, his hand was on the back of your head making a makeshift ponytail with your hair.

He roughly forced you to take him down his throat, clearly fed up with your teasing. Which only allowed you to moan against his length as you began to choke on his cock. He released the hold on your head slightly as you began to bob your head up and down his length, stroking whatever length couldn’t fit into your mouth.

You opened up your eyes to gauge his reaction and a moan fell from your lips when you were might with the sight of sweat beading on his forehead as he threw his head back in pure bliss. Another moan fell from his lips as you gagged on his cock. He bit down on his lips in between every moan. He was absolutely breathtaking.

Matthew began to set his own pace as he began to thrust into your mouth, you slacked your jaw to allow him to fit better and rested both of your hands against his thighs. Your eyes met as he threw his hand forward to look at you, a whimpering mess with tears streaming down your face and spit running down your chin. But to him, it was one of the most beautiful sights he had ever seen. Upon making eye contact with more groans fell from his mouth, and the grip on the back of your head tightened, signaling to you that he was close.

“Now that’s my good girl letting daddy fuck himself with that pretty, little mouth.” With every word muttered he thrust deeper into your mouth hitting the back of your throat every time.

But before he came Matthew pulled you off of his cock, grabbing your hands from their position previously gripping his thighs which left crescent shape marks at which he giggled at.

As you stood up wobbling a little bit from the numbness of your legs after being dormant for so long, he held you in place as you wiped the spit from your chin. When you were finished cleaning your face up, he once again brought one of his hands up to rest against your neck, like the necklace that you could never leave home without. He roughly kissed you with so much dominance and passion.

You were aggressively making out, you let him win the battle of your tongue's fight for dominance as his hands made their way behind your knees as he picked you up and sat down on the little couch that the trailer had.

Since you were straddled on his lap you began to grind your clothed pussy against his bare cock, moans began to fall from both your mouths as you threw your head back a slight giggle falling from your lips of how good this felt.

Before you could even try to get yourself off he gripped your hips holding them in place and stopped your grinding. A whimper fell from your lips as you pouted, which would have normal pissed him off but with how turned on he was now he couldn’t even think of punishing you. 

He brought your lips back up to his and muttered into between kisses that you were both wearing too many clothes and that if you were going to cum it was going to be with his cock buried deep inside of you and when he commanded you to.

Part 2 coming soon!!!

[local-femme-gentleman]

my favourite shows on netflix

*ON netflix, NOT netflix shows - although there are a couple of those in here*

1. Peaky Blinders Starring Cillian Murphy and Paul Anderson

“I don't pay for suits. My suits are on the house or the house burns down.” (exquisite storylines, exquisite acting, exquisite cinematography, costumes, sets, writing, everything - if a perfect show existed this would be it. An easy, and very much deserved, 9.5/10)

2. Patriot Act  Starring Hassan Minhaj

“In many ways this election is about what it means to be indian - and no you can’t just marry into it.” (funny, informative, satirical, and one absolutely terrific comedian, it makes you laugh and it makes you think - and i just adore it, I’d give it a pretty solid 7.5/10)

3. Pose Starring Ryan Jamaal Swain and Mj Rodriguez

“I'm not looking to be somebody's plaything. I want romance. I want to fall in love. I deserve that. Not some bumped up boy toy.” (Beautifully shot, stunningly acted, some much needed representation, and just a great set of storylines - i love it, and it’s a solid 9/10)

4. Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries Starring Essie Davis and Nathan Page

“Having grown up in second-hand flannels, there is nothing quite so divine as the feel of silk underwear.“ (Stunning costumes, great cinematography, fun murder mysteries, and one of my favourite female protagonists in any form of media - 8.5/10, easily)

5. LOVE, DEATH + ROBOTS Starring different actors per episode

“the cosmos was already speaking it’s own truth, far far better than he every could” (a broad range of stunning animation styles mixed in with new supernatural and philosophical themes introduced each episode, i just love good adult animation, a little graphic but a solid 7.5/10)

6. One Day At A Time Starring Justina Machado and Rita Moreno 

“Mom, you said minibars were introduced by the CIA to punish poor people.” (One of my favourite sitcoms ever, it’s funny, heartfelt, and has a good does of latinx, lesbian, and genderqueer representation, while also dealing with problems like drugs and alcohol - easy 8/10)

7. Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency Starring Samuel Barnett and Elijah Wood

“There is no point in using the word 'impossible' to describe something that has clearly happened.” (Probably my favourite netflix original, it’s fun, absurd, a little scary at times, but a really good time, i always get sad that when I think of how it wasn’t given a third season - 8/10)

8. The Good Place Starring Kristen Bell and Ted Danson

“I know it sounds crazy, but if it weren’t crazy they wouldn’t call it a ‘leap of faith.’ They would call it a ‘sit...of… doubting.” (I love this show so much, it’s philosphical, funny, and and pretty good 9/10. It’s Micheal Schurr’s best show so far in my opinion - Office fans don’t hate me)

9. Mad Men Starring Jon Hamm and Elizabeth Moss

“But that’s life. One minute you’re on top of the world, the next minute some secretary’s running you over with a lawn mower.“ (I love everything about this show- the look, the feel, the characters. I’ve seen the whole thing three times, I enjoyed it more every time, it’s a 9/10 and i love it)

10. Bojack Horseman Starring Will Arnett and Alison Brie

“You didn’t know me and then you fell in love with me. And now you know me.” (Since it’s release it’s become pretty much my favourite show. Heartbreaking, funny, my favourite characters in any type of media - 9.5/10, I don’t know how many times I’ve cried over the free churro monologue)

[mtvswatches]

Underrated rom-coms that I absolutely adore *chef’s kiss*

In no particular order. Click the titles to see the trailers.

The Truth About Cats and Dog - Uma Thurman and Janeane Garofalo star in this 90s gem. Janeane’s a radio host and vet who falls for one of her callers after helping him deal with his dog. Uma is her neighbor and ends up impersonating Janeane by her request because she is very insecure about her appearance. Meanwhile, she maintains amazing phone conversations with the object of her affection. First female masturbation scene I ever saw in movies. Female friendship is strong in this one.

Sleeping with Other People - A kind of homage to When Harry Met Sally if it was set in the 2010s and was much raunchier. After a chance encounter at university, Alison Brie has sex for the first time with Jason Sudeikis. They only meet again many years later and strike up a friendship in which they both dispense relationship and sex advice to the other. Each of them has their own hangups, and time and again rely on each other to get through stuff. The story does develop in the way you’d expect, but both leads deliver great performances and you can’t help but fall for them as they fall for each other. There’s a scene in particular that gives me a lot of feels and made me swoon over Jason Sudeikis, which had never happened before. (Spoiler alert: this scene.)

While You Were Sleeping - Sandra Bullock in one of her earliest, breakout roles. This is one of those movies with a #problematic lead whose behavior is probably criminal, definitely creepy and if you really start dissecting it, you realize that the heroine is actually the villain (My Best Friend’s Wedding, I’m also looking at you.) Anywho, Sandra is a lonely, single woman who works in the booth at a train station or something and daydreams about one of the daily commuters, Peter Gallagher. She ends up rescuing him after he falls to the rails. He ends up in a coma, and because of a misunderstanding, his family believes her to be his fiance, and she enjoys so much living out this fantasy that she fails to correct them. But his brother, a very swoony Bill Pullman, is suspicious of her and in an attempt to figure out whether she’s lying or not, they end up spending a lot of time together and well, you can figure out what happens later.

A Lot Like Love - I guess this one was a more deliberate attempt to recreate and modernize When Harry Met Sally. Starring Ashton Kutcher and Amanda Peet, it tells the story of a boy and girl who meet at the airport and end up spending a day together and forming a unique bond. Throughout the years, they keep crossing each other’s paths, and each time they grow closer and more intimate, although the timing is never right. You can guess the rest. It’s a very sweet movie with an absolutely amazing soundtrack. 

Definitely Maybe - Raise your hand if you’ve loved Ryan Reynolds and watched pretty much everything he was in since you saw him in 1996′s Sabrina The Teenage Witch with Melissa Joan Hart. Anyway, if you’re a fan of love stories that span years and How I Met Your Mother but hated the ending, you’ll love this one. Ryan’s character, now divorced, retells his three most important past relationships to his curious daughter after she asks him how he met her mom. While that relationship obviously didn’t have a happy ending, reminiscing about his past love life helps him figure out that there may still be a chance to hold on to the one who got away. 

The Wedding Date - With a plot seemingly straight out of fan-fiction - single woman hires date to go to sister’s wedding in England where she’ll run into former fiance - this movie is extremely tropey and predictable. Yet, it kind of works for me. Dermot Mulroney is extremely dreamy, and the UST between his character and Debra Messing is palpable. 

Before Sunrise (and Before Sunset and Before Midnight) If smart dialogue and beautiful backdrops are a huge turn-on for you, this is your movie and your saga. While the plot is virtually non-existent - two young adults meet on a train in Europe and end up spending a day together in Vienna - this is one of those movies that are brilliantly written and in which the dialogue is the plot. Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy play wonderfully off each other and you almost feel you’re watching the events transpire in real-time. There is something wonderful about watching two people slowly fall in love with each other as they talk and get to know each other in a way that people rarely do. There’s also the charm of knowing there’s an expiration date to their encounter and the desperation of not wanting it to the end. I adore this movie, this couple, this saga, this director.

Reality Bites - Yes, I do have a thing for Ethan Hawke. Sue me. This is 90s Wynonna Ryder at her best and Hawke at his broodiest, bad-boy-est. This is the quintessential Generation X movie (that’s actually the title the movie was given in my country...) in which you see twenty-somethings struggling to become adults in a world that keeps changing the rules. It touches on many issues that are relatable to young adults while at the same time giving you an insight into this group of friends who try to navigate adulthood while remaining true to who they are. Wynonna and Ethan have insane chemistry, and their scenes together still give me butterflies. 

High Fidelity - A heartbroken John Cusack, who owns a record store and is obsessed with making lists, decides to make the list of his top five breakups, hunt down his exes and have heart-to-hearts about why they think their relationship didn’t work. He views these relationships and breakups as formative experiences that led him to where he is today and ultimately affected his most recent relationship, which he thought was the one. Great soundtrack, great cameos in minor roles, and John Cusack, for fuck’s sake, what more could you ask for?

Chasing Amy - Granted, this one probably doesn’t hold up so well in this day and age. I mean, comic book writer Ben Affleck falls for lesbian Joey Lauren Adams and actively tries to have her switch teams? Hmmm. Even when I watched this back then that part definitely felt ... wrong. Yet... I’ve always felt the message of the movie about sexuality - and ultimately about love - was that it is complex and it fluctuates and that we are kind of doomed if we keep slapping labels on ourselves and holding ourselves to the standards of said labels. There are definitely homophobic lines, but it’s a very interesting movie to watch mostly because of Alyssa’s character and her journey in the movie. Give it a try and tell me what you think. 

Just Friends - Another Ryan Reynolds flick, arguably more of a comedy than a rom-com but feels underrated either way. Former fatty Ryan has made a name for himself as a music producer or something after he escaped his hometown and the friend zone (I KNOW) he inhabited during his highschool years. Having to take care of pop star Anna Faris (who is absolutely hilarious in this movie), he ends up accidentally returning to his town and running into his high school crush and best friend again. Now exuding self-confidence because of his looks, he decides he will get her to sleep with him to fulfill his teenage fantasies. As he attempts to woo her, he slowly reverses to his high school appearance, which undermines his confidence and brings his issues to the surface. It’s a silly, fun movie that doesn’t pretend or aim to be anything else, and both Ryan’s and Anna’s comedic skills are brilliantly displayed in it. You’ll laugh a lot, is what I’m saying. 

[daleisgreat]

Scott Pilgrim vs. The World

A movie podcast I listen to, The Big Picture, did a recent episode on the 10th anniversary of 2010’s Scott Pilgrim vs. The World (trailer). Coincidentally enough, that film remains in my backlog box all these years later, so I made sure to re-watch it before giving that podcast a listen. For those unfamiliar with this film, it is based on a series of six graphic novels of the same name by Bryan Lee O’Malley released between 2004 and 2010. The basic gist is that Scott Pilgrim (Michael Cera) falls for newcomer to town, Ramona Flowers (Mary Elizabeth Winstead). In order to win her over Pilgrim has to defeat Ramona’s “Seven Evil Ex’s.” Scott spends the rest of the film exploring Ramona’s mysterious past and dueling her ex’s while practicing with his band, Sex Bo-Bomb, as they progress through a battle of the bands tournament. Sex Bo-Bomb is one slick act! Stephen Stills (Mark Webber) is the doom-and-gloom frontman of the band. Kim Pine (Alison Pill) is a 2010 take on Daria and effectively nails her vintage expressionless glares and blunt quips. Young Neil (Johnny Simmons) is the affable, DS-loving, always ready alternate for Sex Bo-Bomb. Their #1 fan and also other girlfriend of Scott Pilgrim is one Knives Chau (Ellen Wong). Knive’s arc is probably my favorite of this ensemble cast as her journey from adoring fan and girlfriend to her final destination is a fascinating quest to see develop and a faithful translation from the books.

I first heard of the books on the videogame podcast, Team Fremont Live where they reviewed the first book and their breakdown of it caught my attention when they dissected all the nonstop videogame references that are peppered regularly throughout it. The film captures that imagery to a T where it feels like Pilgrim is living in a real life videogame. In this world suspending disbelief is required because it is jam-packed with extraordinarily choreographed battle scenes, makes anyone capable of instantly pulling off bombastic martial arts moves in the blink of an eye without any training whatsoever, and quirky little animations of objects like Mario Bros.-esque coins and pixelated items inserted throughout that any videogame fan will pick up on. The fighting game fan in me popped a little each time a thunderous “KO” blared out each time Pilgrim emerged victorious after an evil ex duel. As a lifelong fan of videogames, it was fun picking up on all the references and Easter eggs in the background throughout. Scott Pilgrim vs. the World hit at an interesting time where Michael Cera was the only established star at this point in 2010 and was riding the last wave of critical success coming off of Arrested Development, Superbad and Juno. Brandon Routh is noteworthy appearing here as one of the evil ex’s after flaming out in his single appearance in a Superman film. However, a few other stars are here right before they exploded into bigger success like the aforementioned Mary Elizabeth Winstead. Chris Evan is here as another evil-ex shortly after his two Fantastic Four films, but a year before donning the Captain America costume for the first time. Anna Kendrick is here in a small role as Scott’s sister Stacey while in the midst of her initial Twighlight run. Finally, Brie Larson is here as Scott’s evil-ex, Envy Adams and she is the lead for her band, Clash at Demonhead in my personal favorite musical performance of the film as they belt out “Black Sheep.”

It is worth repeating that I highly recommend suspending all disbelief going into Scott Pilgrim vs. the World and simply roll with it. The battle scenes are a hoot to take in and feature a ton of CG that holds up well ten years later. It is also worth pointing out this film is part absurd videogame battles, part early 20s love triangle drama and to a lesser extent part musical with several performances from Sex Bo-Bomb and other bands throughout the film. Director Edgar Wright tracked down a few bands to play the tracks for some of the featured bands in the film such as Beck performing the handful of Sex Bo-Bomb songs in addition to a slew of other tracks from artists like The Rolling Stones and Blood Red Shoes that perfectly supplement the outlandish tone of the film. It is not too often on here I recommend hunting down the soundtracks for a film, but the soundtrack for Scott Pilgrim vs. the World I wholeheartedly recommend! I think the Scott Pilgrim vs. the World BluRay may have set the record for amount of extra features for a single film in the near seven years of movies I have covered on this blog. A rough tally on my notes gives an approximate sum of nearly five hours of bonuses, and then four feature length commentary tracks on top of that! I will not detail every bonus, but will give some highlights of the ones that stood out for me. There is just under a half hour of deleted scenes with or without commentary from Edgar Wright. Most of them are extended scenes from the first act to trim out excess background info, but an alternate ending is what stood out the most that Wright explained he changed because it did not go over that well in test screenings. I can always appreciate a good blooper reel, and an excellent 10 minute reel is compiled here that I would rate right up with the stellar ones in the Marvel films.

There are three features grouped together in the ‘Docs’ section of the extras tallying up to a little over an hour. If you only had time for one of the five hours of bonuses I would go there because that has the core making of documentary which breaks down collaborating with Bryan Lee ‘O Malley, nailing the casting, detailing the extensive stunt training and interviews several of the bands about being featured in the soundtrack. Speaking of the soundtrack, there are four music videos included. Definitely check out the four minute animated short, Scott Pilgrim vs. Animation that is essentially a prequel to the film that dives into Scott and Kim’s former relationship. There are 12 ‘Video Blogs’ totaling 45 minutes that are raw on set interviews with the cast and crew between takes that sees the crew up to all kinds of mischief to kill downtime. This BluRay easily has the largest photo gallery of any home video I have covered with several hundred photos. One gallery is labeled ‘storyboards’ but each storyboard panel is nearly identical to the excellent quality of the art in Bryan Lee O’Malley books so that is essentially a free comic book adaptation of the movie buried in the extras! I experienced all four of the commentary tracks in one re-watch of Scott Pilgrim vs. the World via jumping around to a different commentary about every five minutes. Edgar Wright is on two of them, one with Bryan Lee ‘O Malley and writer Michael Bocall and the other with photography director Bill Pope. The other two commentaries are split among nine cast members, with Michael Cera and the rest of the leading cast on one and the ancillary cast members on the other cast commentary track. Wright has tons of nonstop insight and production facts on his tracks, and the cast tracks are have a lot of fun anecdotes such as Cera failing at trying to get additional people on the commentary via phone call. On top of the commentary I had on during my re-watch was also a factoid subtitle track to really take in the extra features. Despite going on now for three paragraphs about the bonus features, I think I only touched on about half of what is available, and it is truly astonishing to see how much they crammed into one BluRay disc.

A part of me thought going into this that Scott Pilgrim vs. the World would not hold up after 10 years. I would chalk that up to thinking I may have got easily won over with all the hype from being vastly into the books back then and being too caught up into the build to the film’s initial release. I can put those reservations to rest thankfully as I immensely enjoyed this ode to videogame fandom as much as I first did in 2010. Throw in a plethora of extra features to last all year to make Scott Pilgrim vs. the World one of my highest recommendations yet! If you want even more commentary from me about this film than below I have embedded the podcast I originally recorded 10 years ago shortly after seeing the film on its opening weekend. I bring on a couple other special guest hosts that are also ardent Scott Pilgrim fans and we review the film, soundtrack, the books and the videogame. Enjoy!

I brought on a couple other Scott Pilgrim experts on as guest hosts on my podcast to review the film, books, videogame and soundtrack shortly after they all released 10 years ago. Check it out in the embed above for more Scott Pilgrim goodness or click or press here to queue it up for later. Other Random Backlog Movie Blogs 3 12 Angry Men (1957) 12 Rounds 3: Lockdown 21 Jump Street The Accountant Angry Video Game Nerd: The Movie Atari: Game Over The Avengers: Age of Ultron The Avengers: Infinity War Batman: The Dark Knight Rises Batman: The Killing Joke Batman: Mask of the Phantasm Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice Bounty Hunters Cabin in the Woods Captain America: Civil War Captain America: The First Avenger Captain America: The Winter Soldier Christmas Eve Clash of the Titans (1981) Clint Eastwood 11-pack Special The Condemned 2 Countdown Creed I & II Deck the Halls Detroit Rock City Die Hard Dredd The Eliminators The Equalizer Dirty Work Faster Fast and Furious I-VIII Field of Dreams Fight Club The Fighter For Love of the Game Good Will Hunting Gravity Grunt: The Wrestling Movie Guardians of the Galaxy Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2 Hell Comes to Frogtown Hercules: Reborn Hitman I Like to Hurt People Indiana Jones 1-4 Ink The Interrogation Interstellar Jay and Silent Bob Reboot Jobs Joy Ride 1-3 Last Action Hero Major League Man of Steel Man on the Moon Man vs Snake Marine 3-6 Merry Friggin Christmas Metallica: Some Kind of Monster Mortal Kombat Mortal Kombat Legends: Scorpions Revenge National Treasure National Treasure: Book of Secrets Not for Resale Pulp Fiction The Replacements Reservoir Dogs Rocky I-VIII Running Films Part 1 Running Films Part 2 San Andreas ScoobyDoo Wrestlemania Mystery The Secret Life of Walter Mitty Shoot em Up Slacker Skyscraper Small Town Santa Steve Jobs Source Code Star Trek I-XIII Sully Take Me Home Tonight TMNT The Tooth Fairy 1 & 2 UHF Veronica Mars Vision Quest The War Wild The Wizard Wonder Woman The Wrestler (2008) X-Men: Apocalypse X-Men: Days of Future Past

[smokeybrandreviews]

Smokey brand Movie Reviews: I’m In Lesbians With You

It occurs to me that i don’t have a proper review of Scott Pilgrim on here. I really should work through the current backlog of films that i still need to watch; Uncut Gems, The Lighthouse, Parasite, Ready or Not, but i f*cking love Scott and his shenanigans so... Scott Pilgrim it is! Considering how much i love this film and the fact that I’m just going to be gushing about it for however long this review is, let’s just get this out of the way immediately: Scott Pilgrim vs. The World is an excellent movie and you should go watch it right now!

The Outstanding

Yo, before anything, can i just express how much i adore this f*cking soundtrack? My taste in music is varies wildly but, at it’s core, my heart beats for the Indie and the New Wave and the Post Punk. For this soundtrack to be packed with so much excellent, underground, indie fair? Oh, my goodness! It’s musical sex to me. Shout out to Nigel Godrich. Motherf*cker did the best of jobs on this one!

Even more than that, the way all of this music is integrated in each scene s absolutely brilliant. There’s not one note out of place or out of line. It’s rare that happens, so deftly that i actually recognize it. Usually, it’s all background noise to accentuate whatever scene but i legit took in everything.

While on the subject of music, i want to take a minute to acknowledge the sound design as a whole. Scott Pilgrim is based on a graphic novel, which i also love, so there is a rather kinetic energy that needs to be conveyed. It’s chock full of all the spastic nonsense us Millennials grew up with like Mario token sound effects and obscure cartoon references. Integrating certain sound effects like the random game noises here or there is absolute brilliance. It lends an air of authenticity to this adaption.

While i can gush about all of the audible genius for years, i would be remiss if i didn’t speak on the goddamn eye candy of this film. Holy sh*t is thing gorgeous! And not just the Evil Ex set pieces, even though those are absolute chaotic bad-assery, this entire film is a work of art. It really is. You can frame almost every shot in this thing, it’s that gorgeous.

Speaking of gorgeous, these costumes are amazing. A lot of them are ripped right out of the comic but they’re like, real clothes. Nothing feels cartoony or comic book-ish, it all feels organic to the tone of film and characters therein. Like, i wear the same kind of sh*t Scott wears. It’s all graphic tees and jeans with me, much to the chagrin of my darling missus.

The writing in this flick is absolutely brilliant. Like, seriously, nothing feels out of place, the dialogue feels organic, and the plot is a pretty decent condensing of the graphic novels original six volumes. I have interactions like these with my friends. I legitimately talk like this. Of course, there is a little polish on some of these line but, overall, it’s pretty on point.

All of this standout awesome can be traced back to the vision of it’s director, Edgar Wright. No one believed in this little experiment so he had carte blanche to create whatever he wanted and he did just that. You can tell there was a real love for this material and while not everything from the books made it into the movie, he did an excellent job of capturing the major beats and important aspects with his absolute mad style of movie making.

The cast in this thing is weirdly perfect. All of them. Every one of them. Seriously, it’s like a who’s who of young Hollywood from way back when, almost all of whom have grown into proper A-list talent and i love it! Alison Pill, Anna Kendrick, Jason Schwartzmen, Ellen Wong, Brandon Routh, and Mae Whitman are all excellent in their respective roles. There are, of course, standouts but before i get to them, i just what to acknowledge how great the casting is, overall, in this movie. You can feel the comradery onset and it’s reflected in the fact that there are no weak performances, at all, in this flick. F*ck, dude, there’s even a Thomas Jane and Clifton Collins cameo in this thing that feels absolutely at home!

This film would be nothing without the right person in the lead. Scott Pilgrim is a neuritic, self-centered, anxiety ridden, asshole of person but still lovable in a very dry and sarcastic kind of way. There are very few that can capture that energy so when i found out Michael Cera as cast in the lead, i knew this movie was in good hands. Every movie i have ever seen him in, Cera carries that energy expertly. He is he living embodiment of Scott Pilgrim. Like, this is MCU levels of casting, for real.

The second role you had to nail to make this work was definitely Ramona Flowers. You had a little more leeway with this one but i think they still nailed it with Mary Elizabeth Winstead. I’ve been a fan of hers since way back when she was in Sky High (I actually love that movie SO much) and even further back with The Ring Two, but that’s more a deep cut than anything. Anyway, Mary is perfect as Ramona and one of the best things about this movie.

So the performances of the Evil Exes are spectacular, Particularly Schwartzman’s. His Gideon Graves was just so smarmy and condescending and disingenuous you couldn’t help but hate his guts. Dude was awesome, no doubt, but he was outshined by what Chris Evan was able to create with Lucas Lee. That’s right, Captain America himself was in Scott Pilgrim as the first Evil Ex and he f*cking killed it! I’ve loved Evans for years. Not Another Teen Movie is actual one of my favorites and he was easily the best thing about those first two Fantastic Four films but you can see him shine in this role, even if it was only a few minutes.

It’s no secret i love Brie Larson. I’ve raved about her performances in the past but it was this movie that made me take notice. Her interpretation of Envy Adams was pitch perfect. It’s melodramatic and over-the-top but at the same time, incredibly vulnerable. Natalie has one hell of an arc in the book and it’s a little short-changed in the movie, but Larson makes gold with what she has to work with. Plus, she actually performs the cover to Metric’s Black Sheep. Those are her vocals and i find that to be absolutely dope.

Of course, you can’t talk about Scott Pilgrim without talking about his gay roommate, Wallace Wells. Dude is one of the best characters in the book and is an absolute scene stealer n this film, thanks to the deft hand of Kieran Culkin. It’s hard for me to praise gay character in cinema because cats always right them as caricature but Culkin’s Wells feels real and grounded, none of that Hollywood gay bullsh*t. Dude is a person that just happens to be gay and i love that.

And last but not least, Aubrey Plaza. There’s a little picture of Julie Powers that is the spitting image of Plaza. Like, her casting is as perfect as Scott’s casting. Seriously, she is what Michael Cera is to Pilgrim. It’s rare a cast in a film is so goddamn perfect. Even the MCU has had some missed but literally every one in this film is absolutely prefect and Plaza might be best of all.

Also, all of the LGBT representation. While the movie didn’t capture all of the many, many, sexual presentations, they didn’t shy away from some of the most prominent. Pilgrim’s roommate Wallace Wells, is extra gay and he has a myriad of boyfriends throughout both the book and film. Nothing too graphic, but there are scenes with them in bed and one pretty heavy make-out sessions early in the film. Hell, they even included Ramona’s one female Ex, Roxy Richter, in one of the best Evil Ex fights of the entire movie. Bravo film, bravo.

The Verdict

I said this in the beginning and just in case the previous gushing didn’t give you a clue, Scott Pilgrim vs. The World is a f*cking great film, man. It stands on it’s own as a wonderful coming of age story but it’s so much more than that. It’s a love story to music. It’s one of the best comic adaptions i have ever seen. It’s an ode to the Millennial coming-of-age journey. It’s a nostalgia bomb for kids my age, who did sh*t like play video games all day then spend all night in coffee shops that had live music and f*cking waffles. It’s an amazing representation, and unique presentation, of those early twenties when you aren’t sure of yourself or your direction or anything and you just want to drift through life for as long as possible. It’s heartbreak and new love and learning about who you are, deep down, not some shallow representation or facade. I love Scott Pilgrim because it tells a great story. It tells MY story. And it does it with a banging ass soundtrack, too.

[onceuponamirror]

thoughts on the SAG award outfits?

sure! honestly i’ll admit i wasn’t super blown away by much of what i saw, but i’ll do some of my faves!

i love love the concept of this, but i really wish the top was a full blazer instead of a corseted play on one. the bottom is so cool but i think a well tailored black jacket over the skirt would’ve just killed it. 

i think those are actually pants under all tulle, which i very much like, and this color is so so good on her, but i kind of wish the skirt wasn’t there. it’s a bit much. still like it though!

GLAM! i love this. simple with just a good twist of something exciting. 

i love a man in a turtleneck and this blazer is interesting, but it especially looks great with those pins. chadwick boseman always does something interesting on carpets and it’s awesome.

normally i’m grumbling about things being too long, but this is an instance where i wish it was actually a bit longer OR a bit shorter. however, still love this---it’s just a perfect shape on her, the color is amazing, and adore the tiny pin detail. and the arm band is so fun

i still hate prairie hems, but i don’t hate this one as much. the black polka dot looks great as a sleeve and over the busy floral. and i love the black bow, i think it makes the whole look. 

i hated her emmy’s dress but i love this one here. the sparkle is so good and the sleeves are bangin!  

things i do not usually enjoy: a handkerchief hem, and magenta. however, both work on this dress. the sleeves are super super cool and i love that she paired this with jade jewelry. however i don’t like the waist. 

i love this hollywood silver screen siren thing that she’s been going for lately.  i’m not sure how i feel about the big leg split but if you look closely at this dress there’s a gentle bit of deliberate fraying and it’s very cool. plus many points for perfect styling. a choker!

some might call this dress a bit mother-of-the-bride but honestly i think it’s just....so different! i think it’s very classy, very classic, and a perfect color. very female bond villain. love it. 

and finally, gotta give it up to alison brie for Doing That

i’m having a good time picturing her trying to sit in a car (or sit against anything at all) in this, and i can understand a lot of people not liking this, but i actually think it’s a really cool concept. the execution could be a bit different and work better imo---the tulle overlay of the satin bow makes it look bubbly and that’s not needed---but points for Going There and the instinct.

[taylorswiftstylequestions]

Hi Sarah! I know you felt about Taylor’s look, but I’m genuinely curious what you thought about everyone else’s’ looks at the globes!? Would love to hear your opinions!

I’m sure you’ve already got asks about this sitting in your inbox, but I’d love to hear your thoughts on Golden Globes looks overall!

My faves: Regina King in Alberta Ferretti (what a winner looks like), Sandra Oh in Versace (the architectural details — and so deserving to be wearing Versace), Gemma Chan in Valentino (the colour was divine), Lupita Nyong’o in Calvin Klein (glad she wore purple because she redefines what REGAL means), Alison Brie in Vera Wang (I know this was a very divisive look but I, for one, loved the dark princess vibe), Timothée Chalamet In Louis Vuitton, Emmy Rossum in Monique Lhuillier (Emmy always delivers and god bless her for it), Constance Wu in Vera Wang (that orange ribbon was to die for but I was shocked this wasn’t Dior)

Chadwick!!!! My heart sings. But I wish the sleeves weren’t so short on his Versace blazer. 

Dakota Fanning in Armani Prive looked good but think it should have been given to Nicole Kidman. Who for all my dislike at being overrated would have definitely suited the gown. 

Saoirse Ronan’s Gucci look reminded me very much of a Kaufmanfranco gown Taylor wore for a People shoot back in 2014. Loved her earrings, though. 

Julia Roberts in Stella McCartney — interesting, unexpected, and sculptural. 

I loved Camilla Bell’s gown and fierce eye makeup but wish it was served on a nominee. 

I was extremely surprised to see Anne Hathaway. Very unexpectedly bold for her. Even more so to learn that her gown wasn’t Roberto Cavalli but Elie Saab. I want to like it. Will need to sit with it more. 

Julianne Moore’s Givenchy had potential. The silhouette was so fascinating! I’m shocked it was custom considering it didn’t fit properly. Which is a shame. 

I am very into the Rosamund Pike x Givenchy unofficial partnership. So unexpected but so interesting. 

Emma Stone’s makeup was beautiful but her gown looked like it belonged to French actress Isabelle Huppert. I would really like her partnership with LV to be over so she can go back to being one of my favourites to watch on the red carpet. 

Alison Janney looked statuesque but wished her hair was pulled back and perhaps lighter on the necklaces. 

Patricia Clarkson outdressing girls two decades her senior in Georges Chakra Couture. Loved the orange colour on her. 

Danai Gurira is a fierce queen in EVERYTHING. More orange to love. 

Elisabeth Moss is dressing like the supporting actress of a b movie about college life when she is the lead actress in a highly acclaimed drama. Get your fucking shit together, Elisabeth. 

And on THAT note. I adore Gaga for committing and going there with the drama. She definitely brought the overdramatique glamour to the event. I wish her hair had not been dyed, though. It looked like an air canister of drugstore colour had been shot at her bun. It is Gaga, though. 

I loved the colour and the dark, moody makeup that was paired with Claire Foy’s sunny yellow Miu Miu gown. However, I wish it was free of embellishments and had a much better fit. A shame. 

I liked Keri Russell’s shimmering Monique Lhuillier. Ditto Thandie Newton in Michael Kors. 

Wish Janelle Monae had removed the hat from her Chanel ensemble.

What the fuck Amber Heard. I will rescind any “saloon” comments I got about Taylor’s hair by comparison to Amber. She looks very bar wench. 

Kate Mara’s Miu Miu was only acceptable if she’s pregnant. Barely. 

Wanting desperately to love Taraji P. Henson’s emerald green gown but dat gaping neckline tho … 

I loved the colour of Rachel Brosnahan’s yellow Prada but it looked like it was trying too hard to be Lea Seydoux’s yellow Prada from the 2015 BAFTAs and on that point it fails because it cannot even compare to that moment. 

Catherine Zeta Jones smoking (but dated) in emerald green Elie Saab 

Caitriona Balfe in Moschino. So interesting! And I think I liked it. 

Overall an underwhelming RC, imo. 

[robbfrankland]

1-30 go go go

1. How old were you the first time you fell in love?

I think 13 lol bless me

2. Name the first person who broke your heart

sophie

3. How many different best friends have you had in your life?

five I think

4. Do you have a best friend?

I have two!

5. Do you have any specific talent?

Guitar, drums, I’m getting a lot better at singing. I’m excellent at making cocktails.

6. Do you fit into any stereotypes? 

Not really actually, I guess punk rock dad, without being a dad

7. What’s your sexuality? 

Bisexual

8. What’s your favorite animal?

I think it’s finally time to address the fact that over the past couple of years a great shift has occurred in my life and I am now, unbelievably, a cat person.

9. What are your favorite pet names?

I’d love to be called darling but nobody ever has. I like sweetheart as well. I’m soft.

10. What do you think love is? 

love is life itself and all-encompassing of emotions, we feel it constantly in different amounts. It’s like heat... coldness isn’t a thing in itself it’s a lack of heat energy. Hate is a lack of love.

11.When did you discover your favorite band?

2014 I think? Yeah. It’s Counterparts by the way. 

12. Do you want to get married? 

Big YES I’m going to be a groomzilla

13. Do you want to have kids?

Yes I get VERY broody lol

14. When did you have your first kiss?

uhhh year 7! Cuuuuuute. Hey @ Rowan kiss me again babe you’re adorable.

15. How did you lose your virginity?

Ahaha I was 14 and we were messing around and it just happened and then she finished and rolled over and said “oh shit I’ve just shagged you...” hahaha we’re still quite good friends 

16. Have you been cheated on?

Uh-huh! Not fun :) 

17. How many times have you fallen in love, requited or not?

hahaha pass me the calculator 

18. Have you ever rejected anyone?

yeah last time I did I got slapped lmao dramatic 

19. Have you ever cheated?

it depends on whether you consider the fact that I tried to break up with the person I 'cheated' on and she completely refused to acknowledge it

20. Have you ever been in a long distance relationship?

Yeah the first time I believe I was in love tbh she was and still is an absolute sweetheart (u follow me lets chat)

21. Do you prefer the romantic or sexual aspects of relationships?

romantic, i’m a fuckin water sign what can I say

22. What’s your favorite thing about your significant other?

he’s really good at catching tennis balls and he never bites

23. Do you have a significant other?

yeah even better he’s got a tail!

24. What’s your favorite thing about your best friend?

Liv is the most intuitive person I’ve ever known, she gives perfect advice which is always always correct and she is a joyful beaming ray of soulful sunshine. We connect on so many levels, my platonic soulmate. Nic is the best conversationalist, always listens and invests in a conversation and gives a very insightful and well constructed opinion, a very eloquent man amongst his other qualities that make him so very interesting, intelligent, funny and charming.

25. Do you want a significant other?

I do but also I think I need to improve my relationship with myself and my family first. 

26. Do you like anyone?

I have little crushes, I have a slightly larger more prominent crush, and then there’s the fact that I am somewhat sexually attracted to almost all of my friends. Not in a weird way though guys don’t worry I don’t wank over your selfies. x

27. Who was the last person you loved?

soph

28. Do you have a celebrity crush?

Alison Brie, Antoni Porowski, Natalia Dyer

29. Name a song that makes you want to fall in love

Symphony of Skin by I The Mighty

30. Do you think you’ll be happy later in life?

Damn right I do I fuckin deserve it anyways

[bethanyactually]

okay, here I come! john/aeryn or jeff/annie???

UUUUUUGGGGGGGHHHHHHH well, I guess I literally asked for it so I can’t be too mad. :)

Oh GEEZ, these are two really, really tough choices. Okay. 

John/Aeryn - As much as I love Aeryn Sun—and I do! I really, really do!!—I just have so much affection and sympathy for John Crichton, and I LOVE his development over the course of the series. He starts out as a human who loves science and is an astronaut and explorer, but he’s flung without warning into a situation where he’s so totally, completely out of his depth that he’s gotta scramble like crazy to just not wind up dead. I am not an astronaut and of course I’ve never met aliens, but like…I can just identify with that general situation so much? I love how John learns and grows, and how much he is NOT the superhero of the situation. He is pretty badass by the end of the series in a variety of ways, but that badassery was earned with blood and sweat and tears, and with a ton of help from his friends. And most importantly, he has such a big heart and he loves his chosen family so much and doesn’t hesitate to tell them so??? He’s a beautiful example of how to write healthy masculinity.

(Although now that I’m thinking about it I can’t believe I am choosing John over Aeryn. She’s just so…her arc is also amazing and she starts out so closed off and unaware of her potential, and she learns to be vulnerable and to rely on and love people she used to mindlessly hate or at least look down on. She learns to science! And it’s completely adorable! And her relationships with Pilot, and Zhaan, and D’Argo! The episode where she prays to Djancaz-Bru and fights so hard to save herself and her fetus in stasis, even though she always swore she’d never have a child. UGH she’s so amazing and I love her so much.)

Jeff/Annie - It shocked the hell out of me how much I grew to love Jeff Winger over the course of watching Community, because I barely even liked him for the first couple of seasons. But his character development was so good, and Joel McHale’s acting was surprisingly so subtle and lovely. But if it comes down to it, I gotta go with Annie Edison, who is my hearts-and-flowers optimistic Slytherin fave. She wasn’t given the same kind of character development that Jeff was, but because of Alison Brie’s expressive face and perfect comedic timing, she came to life in a way that not many characters do, and I love her a lot.

Thanks for NOTHING, Doc. ;)

make me choose between two characters, shows, books, movies, actors, whatever

[taaroko]

Post-IW MCU Rewatch: Captain America: The Winter Soldier

Here we go, Winter Soldier. I somehow never watch this one outside of marathons, even though I know it’s amazing. 

ON YOUR LEFT

Steve and Nat’s friendship is awesome. I love how invested she is in his love life and how confused he is by that.

“Well, all the guys from my barbershop quartet are dead, so no, not really.” I’m still trying to figure out how to define Steve’s sense of humor. It’s like quiet, deadpan understatement? I guess? I love it.

That shield looks pretty dingy, Cap. Could do with a wash.

There’s a really random sting in the score when Nat attacks a dude, and for a second you think it’s going to be a kinda retro spy score, but then it’s just over. Weird.

Steve has by now adjusted quite well to being a part of modern tactical missions, if less so to being a part of modern everyday life.

This French pirate dude really likes his unnecessary acrobatics.

Bonus points to Cap for doing trash talk in French.

One of the best parts about Steve and Nat’s friendship is how seamlessly they work together in battle. Whenever there’s something dangerous (especially explosions) on the way, she hunkers down or grabs onto him and lets him and his shield do the work, and they don’t even have to signal each other.

“Last time I trusted someone, I lost an eye.” Oooooh I wonder if that has anything to do with the Skrulls in Captain Marvel. Can’t wait to find out.

“I thought the punishment usually came after the crime.” “By holding a gun to everyone on earth and calling it protection.” “This isn’t freedom. This is fear.” Cap is not down with your surveillance state or pre-crime nonsense.

I love the awed little kid who spots him. So cute.

*pauses on Bucky’s memorial* “When Bucky Barnes first met Steve Rogers on the playgrounds of Brooklyn, little did he know that he was forging a bond that would take him to the battlefields of Europe and beyond. Born in 1916, Barnes grew up the oldest child of four. An excellent athlete who also excelled in the classroom, Barnes enlisted in the Army shortly after the attack on Pearl Harbor. After winter training at Camp McCoy, Wisconsin, Barnes and the rest of the 107th shipped out to the Italian front. Captured by Hydra troops later that fall, Barnes endured long periods of isolation, depravation, and torture. But his will was strong. In an ironic twist of fate, his prison camp was liberated by none other than his childhood friend, Steve Rogers, now Captain America. Reunited, Barnes and Rogers led Captain America’s newly formed unit, the Howling Commandos. Barnes’s marksmanship was invaluable as Rogers and his team destroyed Hydra bases and disrupted Nazi troop movements throughout the European Theater.

Wait a second. Up top, the thing says he was born in 1916, but at the bottom, it says he lived from 1917-1944. Wow. Nice continuity there, guy in charge of putting words and numbers on a single pane of glass.

Peggy! “He saved over a thousand men, including the man who would become my husband.” Yes and that man was Daniel Sousa. Oh hey, photos of Peggy with her kids! She had at least one son and one daughter. It’s hard to tell if the girl with her in the first picture is the same one as in the second picture.

The effect to make Hayley look old isn’t nearly as good as the effect to make Chris look skinny. It’s rather off-putting, actually. But oh man her dementia is so heartbreaking. “Well I couldn’t leave my best girl. Not when she owes me a dance.” *sobbing*

“What makes you happy?” “I don’t know.” *more sobbing* Everything that made Steve happy is seventy years gone. Steve is never not sad. No wonder he refuses to compromise for a second when it comes to Bucky.

The attack on Fury’s car is so nerve-wracking and he handles it so well. I wonder if Sam Jackson imagined he was going to get so much cool stuff to do in this role when he agreed to be in the end credits stinger of Iron Man.

The Winter Soldier’s introduction is masterful.

So...Fury pretty much got out of that by using his lightsaber. :D

Hi Sharon! This is some cute flirting.

“My wife kicked me out.” Was it because you insisted on taking your super-suit out for some daring do?

There it is. That Winter Soldier music. *shiver*

I totally bought Fury’s death when I saw this in theaters. Not sad that it turned out to be a ruse (I will never be sad about Marvel pulling character death-related punches), but I do think those bullet wounds were a little too convincing.

“To build a really better world sometimes means having to tear the old one down.” Heh. Except Cap is going to be tearing down your “better” world and standing up for the best parts of the old one.

Elevator fight! I love how observant Steve is. He’s always been that way. Just quietly taking in everything around him and putting it together. He’s brilliant. And then “It kinda feels personal.” Bahaha.

So if Steve falls a couple hundred feet and lands on his shield, it absorbs the impact ‘cause it’s vibranium?

Holy crap he took down a quinjet with just his shield.

I am not a fan of Nat’s straight hair in this one, especially with that center part. But it’s still better than how it looks in Infinity War. Especially the eyebrows.

Undercover engaged hipster couple Steve/Nat is so great. Steve is so bad at it and it’s adorable.

“Public displays of affection make people very uncomfortable.” “Yes, they do.”

I love Nat putting her feet on the dash.

There’s no way Nat didn’t know who Peggy Carter was. She asked Steve to gage his reaction.

They are pretty far underground, in a bunker. How did the missile even affect them? Did they make a special chute for the missile to go into in case they needed to blow up the base? Doesn’t look like it.

The design for Zola’s computer face is effectively creepy.

Hydra’s plan is so insidious and horrifying. Screw up the world on purpose until people want to trade their privacy and freedom for security.

That’s a really pathetic amount of milk Pierce poured himself. Like two inches in a really tall glass. Weird.

So...I guess Sam has a straightener. For some reason. Why couldn’t they have just let Nat’s hair stay wavy?

Steve is so sweet with Nat. She’s numbly horrified that she might’ve been working for the bad guys this whole time and he’s all nice and reassuring. Aww.

Senator Stern arranging for a young prostitute with Sitwell is gross.

Nat: *kicks a guy off the roof* *immediately transitions to asking Steve about girls he could be asking out*

Okay how does Sam have access to military equipment like his wing pack when he’s not on active duty?

STEPHEN STRANGE. How is he already on Hydra’s radar? There’s no way Zola’s algorithm accounts for magic, and even if it does, how can it possibly predict that he’d become a master of it several years down the line? It’s not like he was dabbling in it in his surgeon days. That came about as the result of a freak car accident! Pfft. They clearly only threw that reference in there to get people freaking out about a possible future Doctor Strange movie. 

Bye Sitwell.

Hehe, as soon as the Winter Soldier shows up, Nat crawls into Steve’s lap ‘cause she knows he’s gonna have to make an insane exit and she will be PREPARED.

Okay I never noticed that Bucky ripped the freaking steering wheel out.

Gah, Steve getting tossed off the bridge and into the bus looks so incredibly painful.

So Bucky has now shot Nat twice. (I still ship it.)

There are some excellent kicks and knife fighting moves in this showdown. And the way the music ramps up is hair-raising.

I hate Runlow so much.

Maria is awesome.

Um, hi, Joe Russo. He plays Fury’s doctor! Dang! No role for Anthony, though.

“I’m with you to the end of the line.”

Yesss. Vintage Cap. And the shield is clean now! Symbolism!

HI DANNY PUDI. (Apparently Alison Brie was going to be Sharon Carter, but she had scheduling conflicts.)

I love this brave curly-haired kid. This is courage. He has no power and he’s so scared he might wet himself, but he will not launch those helicarriers even with a gun to his head.

Shouldn’t have helped SHIELD with that repulsor tech, Tony.

Okay, I guess Steve can tuck and roll to land a fifty foot drop without using the shield.

These helicarriers store their data in a really strange way.

“We’re the only air support Captain Rogers has got!” *all immediately get shot down and blown up by the Winter Soldier* Whoops.

I wonder if we’re gonna find out more about Bogota in Captain Marvel.

STEVE IS A CRAZY PERSON. You do not jump before you know you have your ride!

It’s a good thing Bucky neither knew nor cared what that data blade was.

I’d love to read a fic that’s just Steve and Thor sitting around talking about all the times Bucky and Loki have shot and/or stabbed them.

Sam has the correct reaction to Runlow’s nonsense.

Why is Jeremy Irons on the list of targets? I wish they’d put more Easter eggs in here, like the names of the Netflix Marvel characters and the Agents of Shield characters. It would’ve been an extremely unobtrusive way for the movies to reference the shows, instead of it always being one-sided.

It’s a good thing they were planning on firing after the count of 3, not on the count of 3.

Steve, you really need to work on your attitude towards exit strategies.

HOW did Runlow survive that?!

Steve would rather Bucky kill him than live in a world where Bucky can’t be saved. And that’s what saves Bucky. *wibble*

“On your left.” Bahaha.

Hi Pietro and Wanda!

Winter Soldier is awesome. I love a well-earned, narratively consistent game changer. One thing I definitely did not expect the MCU to do back then was buck the status quo, but they did it in a huge way, and they did it extremely effectively. I was deeply impressed. And it still holds up even looking back now. The way they tackle the issue of surveillance is very effective. Probably the best thing about this movie is that they realized that Steve Rogers was not going to work as a character if he adapted too much to modern times. Instead, they derived much of their conflict from the disconnect between Steve and his surroundings, and they added a deeply emotional connection at the core of it. Steve ultimately succeeds against Hydra and in getting through to Bucky by shedding his modern trappings and affiliations and going back to what he always was, complete with the old outfit and the shiny clean shield. Steve Rogers reminds us of the ideals America is supposed to stand for. Freedom, justice, honor, and truth. He makes us want to be more like that. Take a note, DC; this is the kind of thing you should’ve been doing with Superman. This is how you make a paragon character we can still be deeply invested in even as we look up to him. (They did a pretty good job with Diana, but the real test will be how she adapts in a more modern stand-alone film.)

Another great thing about this is that they kind of dumped all the side characters from Avengers into Steve’s story. As the First Avenger and as a man out of time, this a brilliant way to give him a new supporting cast without it being jarring and forcing us to spend a ton of time getting to know everyone. We already know Fury, Nat, and Maria and like them, so we’re perfectly prepared to watch them being awesome without feeling like it takes something away from Steve. We know the World Security Council. We know SHIELD. And then there’s Peggy, the Smithsonian exhibit, and Bucky that are all from Steve’s time. It’s a very solid foundation onto which we can add Sam, Sharon, Pierce, and Runlow. It just works so well. And Hydra manages to be even more frightening as an evil organization than it was in the first movie, when it was honestly kind of silly. (So many bonus points for how that played out in Agents of SHIELD, too. As far as I’m concerned, that was when the show finally got good, and it has steadily gotten better since.)

[gardenho]

ALARIC JAMES BALZER.

thirty-five. philosophy professor. husband. father of two. probably mentions the trolley problem when discussing avengers: infinity war.

ALARIC’S NEEDS.

his wife. alaric's been happily married for nearly five years (or more); they have two children, ages 3 (almost 4) and 1. when they met, alaric was seeing someone, but he couldn’t stop thinking about wife. he ultimately dumped his then girlfriend for a chance to woo wife, sparks flew, and here they are years later, still in love. ric’s the happiest he’s ever been being a dad. they’re cute; they’re partners–she’s one of the few people he really opens up to despite his natural charm that tends to inspire people. i’m thinking what they’re working through right now is wife’s next steps? does she want to throw herself into work more, does she want to take a step back from work, do they want to try for baby number three... there are options but i’m looking for domestics!!! message me if you’re interested. xo

a sister. so i was thinking ric had a sister in her thirties who was living in the area as well! the balzer siblings are ethnically half-jewish and were raised jewish. if she’s practicing or not as an adult that’s up to you! i’d like to think they’re close, but not bffs? they get along, have fun rapport, enjoy spending time together, but they’re both kind of living their own adult lives, and that’s okay. she’s probably friends with alaric’s wife on their own and life is pretty good, fam wise? he can always count on her? we can talk more in depth if you’re interested! suggested fcs: emmy rossum, alison brie, rachel bilson, ashley tisdale. can make resources for these ladies if you need them! ♡

ALARIC BALZER’S PASSPORT.

full name: alaric james balzer. age: thirty-five. birthdate: march 28, 1983. birthplace: east sussex. gender identity: cis male. face claim: ben barnes. nationality: british. current residence: chiswick. type of resident: native. occupation: philosophy professor. workplace: imperial college london. workplace relationship: adores it. feels lucky. pronouns: he/him/his. sexual identity: heterosexual. romantic identity: heteroromantic. myers briggs test: infj. temperament: melancholic. zodiac: aries. reliance on horoscopes: nah bro, but you do you. heavenly virtue: charity. deadly sin: pride. identifying traits: sincere, introspective, charismatic, driven, understanding, affectionate, restless, decisive, idealistic, insightful, earnest, principled, purposeful, musing, private. parents: gideon balzer, father. sarah balzer, mother. siblings: at least one sister. other notable family: n/a. relationship status: married. nuclear family: salma hibbins, wife. children: caleb balzer, son. freya balzer, daughter.

[smokeybrand]

Smokey brand Movie Reviews: Babyface

There's this legendary movie called The Room. It's one of the worst films ever created. It is, legitimately, an unmitigated disaster of a film. I first saw it on Adult swim. I think it was  a special April Fool's showing or something but then, thee were encores. Like, it played every night for two weeks after that. The Room became this phenomenon that steamrolled this horrifyingly amateurish, train wreck of a movie into the  cultural zeitgeist, all of which centered around the enigmatic creator Tommy Wiseau. No one knows who the hell this dude is, where he's from, or how he makes his money but, what isn't in question, is this dude's passion for being a star. The Disaster Artist is the story of Tommy, from the perspective of  “Oh, hi Mark” himself, Greg Sestero. What started out as a book full of unbelievable and ridiculous circumstance, became film lead by James Franco, with some of the most intense buzz I've ever seen. Now, years later, I've finally got a chance to sit down and check out how all of this came together.

The Wat

First and foremost, I have to say that James Franco is in fine form. He absolutely lives Tommy Wiseau. It's insane to hear that accent so effortlessly expressed from Franco. Dude even captures Tommy's enigmatic aloofness with an acute understanding that most actors don;t come close to achieving. Its weird to say out loud because Franco has so many great performances, dude is one of the best in his generation, but his Tommy Wiseau is easily one of his best.

Franco also directed this thing which probably explains why he's so great as Wiseau.  I can;t imagine it's difficult to kind of tell yourself what to do but, seeing as how he's the principal creative force for this whole production, it does make sense. Overall, I think the direction is pretty good. Franco isn't Scorsese or Kubrick but he is quite talented behind the camera.

I've seen Dave Franco in a few things. For the longest time, he's just been that kid from 21 Jump Street to me but, I must say, after watching him play Greg Sestero, dude's god some chops. There's potential there for him to be great. Obviously he's not as good as his bother comparatively but his is easily the second strongest performance in the entire film. It's weird to say that because it's very obvious Dave is kind of bad but I think that was on purpose. When he needs to be emotional, he is. When he needs to be powerful, he is. Mostly he's just this agreeable weenie chasing a dream.

Megan Mullally is in this and she's f*cking amazing. Her part is minuscule but I adore Megan and will always take the opportunity to profess that love.

The script to this thing must have been a blast to read. Some of the dialogue is hilarious in the most cringe worthy was and literally everything Seth Rogen says is gold. Dude is definitely the audience surrogate. I know a lot of these events are dramatized and played up for the camera but, I mean, if  tenth of this sh*t is accurate, what the f*ck ?

The cast in this is f*cking incredible. Hannibal Burress, Seth Rogen, Alison Brie, Zach Efron, Jason Montzoukas, Bob Odenkirk, Melanie Griffith. This thing is loaded. I mean, f*cking Sharon Stone is in this bad boy. Most of the parts are on the smaller side, admittedly, but the sheer star power permeating this experience is kind of amazing.

The pacing feels kind of wonky. I think that;s more because the nature of the film dictates as much but it can still be a little plodding at times. You feel this mostly when things have to be dramatic for drama's sake. There are certain scenes that are “movie” scenes necessary to turn this wholly alien experience into a proper film and it's in those shots that the movie loses a bit of it's self. This isn't really a bad thing, per say, just something that needs to happen.

The Verdict

The Disaster Artist is my generation's Ed Wood and it stands up to that comparison in every capacity. What Depp was able to do with Wood is exactly the same energy Franco was able to pull off with Wiseau and it permeates this entire production. Artist would not work without Franco. Thee are, of course, other draws to this flick; The cast is amazing and the narrative is f*cking bonkers, the witty and cringe dialogue, but it's driving force, the one reason to take in this experience, is definitely James Franco. His performance is one of the best and it's kind of crazy he wasn't recognized for his efforts. To embody someone so completely is a true feat and Franco becomes Wiseau wholly. The Disaster Artist is a definite watch and I give it my highest recommendation.

[romcomathon2016]

Sleeping with Other People (USA, 2015)

Predictions: Kat saw this movie when it came out. Alex, half-remembering maybe having read its summary at some point, predicted that Alison Brie and Jason Sudeikis meet in a sex-addicts support group, hook up with each other, and then are afflicted with feelings.

Plot: Well, clearly Alex did read the summary for this movie, although she also obviously forgot some parts. Alison Brie and Jason Sudeikis first meet in college because Alison Brie is stalking Adam Scott, her TA. Jason Sudeikis lives on Adam Scott’s floor and rescues Alison Brie. They lose their virginities to each other and then don’t see each other again for twelve years. THEN they run into each other at a sex-addicts support group. Jason Sudeikis is a cheater cheater pumpkin eater who can’t stop two-timing...three-timing...four-timing the ladies. Alison Brie is also cheating — but only with Adam Scott. Adam Scott with a tiny unbearable mustache. She and Jason Sudeikis reconnect and decide to become friends.

Jason Sudeikis helps Alison Brie kick her Adam-Scott habit because Adam Scott is now engaged (even though he keeps calling Alison Brie anyway), while Alison Brie...well, encourages Jason Sudeikis to try to connect with women outside of sex. Meanwhile, Alison Brie has also gotten into med school, and Jason Sudeikis is playing the long game in wooing his boss, Amanda Peet. But pretty much everyone in Alison Brie and Jason Sudeikis’s lives — including the two of them — kind of thinks that they are together. But, no, they’re just friends.

Such good friends, you guys. They are just the most platonic of pals, with their snuggling and their pet names and Jason Sudeikis teaching Alison Brie how to touch herself. This is all stuff people do with their friends. Such good friends. May we all be blessed with such friendships. Friendships that we don’t want to ruin or complicate with our obvious non-friend feelings.

Things are going fine until Jason Sudeikis and Alison Brie attend Jason Mantzoukas’s kid’s birthday party. While rolling on molly, Alison Brie manages to unwittingly attract a hot single dad. Much to Jason Sudeikis’s dismay, she goes out with him. Hot Single Dad takes Alison Brie to a fancy mixer, where she runs into — surprise! — Adam Scott and his shitty little mustache wife. Devastated, she tries to call Jason Sudeikis. However, he doesn’t pick up, because he has finally managed to con Amanda Peet into a date. At the end of the night, the two of them meet up again at Jason Sudeikis’s apartment, snuggle up in bed, and admit that they are in love with each other. “But what are two platonic in-love pals to do?” Alison Brie inquires. “Nothing,” Jason Sudeikis says, with his big emo eyes. “Absolutely nothing.” (We may be paraphrasing, but barely.)

With that, Alison Brie moves to Michigan to attend med school, and she and Jason Sudeikis say goodbye forever. Which is weird, because now we all have Facebook, so… But okay, sure. Two months go by. Jason Sudeikis is now like...boyfriend of the year to Amanda Peet?? Like, taking her kid to soccer and surprising her with a birthday trip to France???? But one day, while at brunch with her, he spies A Certain Mustache sitting across the way. How can one miss that mustache? Of course, Jason Sudeikis is filled with the urge to punch said mustache in the face. This effectively terminates both Mustache’s brunch and Jason Sudeikis's relationship with Amanda Peet.

He calls Alison Brie from the police station, partly because no one else will bail him out and partly to yell that he loves her. She yells enthusiastically back. Shortly after, Jason Sudeikis is trying to settle an emotional distress lawsuit with Dr. Mustache (oh yeah, he’s a doctor), but Mustache won’t budge. Alison Brie goes to see Mustache to cut ties and blackmail him into letting Jason Sudeikis off the hook. It works. She and Jason Sudeikis walk off into the sunset to have a quickie before they get hitched.

Best Scene: Jason Mantzoukas’s kid’s birthday party. Alison Brie and Jason Sudeikis dance together while on molly, which is pretty delightful, and then are miserable coming off it, which is also delightful. Then she gets approached by Hot Single Dad, and Jason Sudeikis is real bad at hiding his jealousy. Love it.

Worst Scene: Alison Brie trying to break things off with Adam Scott at the beginning. Oh my god, the first sighting of the MUSTACHE. But also, he is such a pretentious douche. Why is Adam Scott always a douche in movies?? Though we shouldn’t complain. Without "adam scott romantic comedy douche," we would not have this blog.

Best Line: "Yeah, it's like Ted Bundy. You can't get them into a van by just being a jerk. You've got to have a certain way about you." — Jason Sudeikis, talking about Alison Brie being an “approachable psychotic.” There were a lot of very funny lines though. This one just particularly made us laugh.

Worst Line: “Because I’d rather fail with you than win with anyone else.” — Jason Sudeikis, who was pretty much always very amusing and witty...unless he was declaring his feelings, at which point he would immediately become disgusting. Several. Times.

Highlights of the Watching Experience: So many famous people in this movie! Early on, Alison Brie breaks up with Adam Brody in a restaurant, and he has a very funny flip-out. It’s a nice bit role. Also, her best friend before she falls in love with Jason Sudeikis is Natasha Lyonne, playing yet another lesbian. Does she ever play non-lesbians? Has she just been lesbian-typecast? Discuss.

How Many POC in the Film: ...Where to begin. Um. So, we have discussed on this blog in the past the crucial and controversial question: are Greeks POC? (We think yes in old-timey Europe, but probably not in modern-day America.) Anyway, Jason Mantzoukas is Greek. Some people, however, seem to think that because he has curly hair and is the color of Scar from The Lion King that he is...black???? Clearly, the casting directors of this film thought so, because his kids are DEFINITELY THE KIDS ONE WOULD CAST if one parent was white and the other was black. Those are some freaking adorable, Afro-having, mixed-race kids. On the one hand, how...nice?? that they are...celebrating...interracial...families???? On the other hand, while we may not know if Greeks are POC, I think we can all agree that they're not black.

Alternate Scenes: How about, instead of a live-action Lion King starring CGI-ed lions, we just cast humans, AKA Jason Mantzoukas in the role of Scar? (You can't un-see it now, can you? You’re welcome.)

Was the Poster Better or Worse than the Film: ...Worse? The movie is about two people who like each other but aren't having sex, whereas the poster seems to be about two people who hate each other and aren't having sex. The poster is the poster for a movie about Jason Sudeikis and Alison Brie's crumbling marriage. Maybe she just tried to drown him, so they're talking about whether sleeping with other people would improve their relationship.

Score: 8.5 out of 10 platonic-pal smooches. It was so hard to score this one, you guys, because, on the one hand, it's pretty recent, so who knows if it will stand the test of time...? But, on the other hand, is there anything we love more than best friends who are secretly in love???????? (This is a normal thing for two actual best friends to love. Not pathological at all. WHAT? SHUT UP. WE DON’T HAVE A PROBLEM. YOUR FACE HAS A PROBLEM.)

Ranking: 7, out of the 82 movies we’ve seen so far. Kat can't remember why she originally told Alex this movie was only okay???? Maybe she loved it too much and couldn't handle her feelings, much like Jason Sudeikis and Alison Brie.

[smokeybrandreviews]

Smokey brand Movie Reviews: Babyface

There's this legendary movie called The Room. It's one of the worst films ever created. It is, legitimately, an unmitigated disaster of a film. I first saw it on Adult swim. I think it was  a special April Fool's showing or something but then, thee were encores. Like, it played every night for two weeks after that. The Room became this phenomenon that steamrolled this horrifyingly amateurish, train wreck of a movie into the  cultural zeitgeist, all of which centered around the enigmatic creator Tommy Wiseau. No one knows who the hell this dude is, where he's from, or how he makes his money but, what isn't in question, is this dude's passion for being a star. The Disaster Artist is the story of Tommy, from the perspective of  “Oh, hi Mark” himself, Greg Sestero. What started out as a book full of unbelievable and ridiculous circumstance, became film lead by James Franco, with some of the most intense buzz I've ever seen. Now, years later, I've finally got a chance to sit down and check out how all of this came together.

The Wat

First and foremost, I have to say that James Franco is in fine form. He absolutely lives Tommy Wiseau. It's insane to hear that accent so effortlessly expressed from Franco. Dude even captures Tommy's enigmatic aloofness with an acute understanding that most actors don;t come close to achieving. Its weird to say out loud because Franco has so many great performances, dude is one of the best in his generation, but his Tommy Wiseau is easily one of his best.

Franco also directed this thing which probably explains why he's so great as Wiseau.  I can;t imagine it's difficult to kind of tell yourself what to do but, seeing as how he's the principal creative force for this whole production, it does make sense. Overall, I think the direction is pretty good. Franco isn't Scorsese or Kubrick but he is quite talented behind the camera.

I've seen Dave Franco in a few things. For the longest time, he's just been that kid from 21 Jump Street to me but, I must say, after watching him play Greg Sestero, dude's god some chops. There's potential there for him to be great. Obviously he's not as good as his bother comparatively but his is easily the second strongest performance in the entire film. It's weird to say that because it's very obvious Dave is kind of bad but I think that was on purpose. When he needs to be emotional, he is. When he needs to be powerful, he is. Mostly he's just this agreeable weenie chasing a dream.

Megan Mullally is in this and she's f*cking amazing. Her part is minuscule but I adore Megan and will always take the opportunity to profess that love.

The script to this thing must have been a blast to read. Some of the dialogue is hilarious in the most cringe worthy was and literally everything Seth Rogen says is gold. Dude is definitely the audience surrogate. I know a lot of these events are dramatized and played up for the camera but, I mean, if  tenth of this sh*t is accurate, what the f*ck ?

The cast in this is f*cking incredible. Hannibal Burress, Seth Rogen, Alison Brie, Zach Efron, Jason Montzoukas, Bob Odenkirk, Melanie Griffith. This thing is loaded. I mean, f*cking Sharon Stone is in this bad boy. Most of the parts are on the smaller side, admittedly, but the sheer star power permeating this experience is kind of amazing.

The pacing feels kind of wonky. I think that;s more because the nature of the film dictates as much but it can still be a little plodding at times. You feel this mostly when things have to be dramatic for drama's sake. There are certain scenes that are “movie” scenes necessary to turn this wholly alien experience into a proper film and it's in those shots that the movie loses a bit of it's self. This isn't really a bad thing, per say, just something that needs to happen.

The Verdict

The Disaster Artist is my generation's Ed Wood and it stands up to that comparison in every capacity. What Depp was able to do with Wood is exactly the same energy Franco was able to pull off with Wiseau and it permeates this entire production. Artist would not work without Franco. Thee are, of course, other draws to this flick; The cast is amazing and the narrative is f*cking bonkers, the witty and cringe dialogue, but it's driving force, the one reason to take in this experience, is definitely James Franco. His performance is one of the best and it's kind of crazy he wasn't recognized for his efforts. To embody someone so completely is a true feat and Franco becomes Wiseau wholly. The Disaster Artist is a definite watch and I give it my highest recommendation.