#and i think the murder did such a great job of showcasing this

[sonic-adventure-3]

literally one of my favourite things about the sonic series is that all of the characters are overflowing with personality and immediately noticeable deeply warped worldviews. like a character with truly baseline “common sense” does not exist. not a single character that can play the straight man in every situation. and i love that! cause it makes for such memorable and recognizable characters in personality alone, and then you heap on masterful and iconic character design on top of that!!

[ajwamiju]

Scene 1: 'The Queen of Modern Horror'

CW: Demons, fake blood, nothing much yet tbh

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The sky is beautiful tonight.

You stare blankly at the starless night sky, the moon hiding behind the dark grey clouds as raindrops harshly pelt your face and body, doing little to wash the blood from your body. You sigh, both in relief and exhaustion as you glance a little off to your side to see the disfigured face of the murderer of your friends, unresponsive and not breathing.

Slowly sitting up, you stare the demon that had been possessing the murderer in the face, his hand extended towards you with a grin of satisfaction and anticipation. “For thee bihofþe bæ ablæ bihofþe defeaÞ mīn vessel meanſ thee art worthī bihofþe becomæ mīn.”

You stare blankly at the demon speaking in a language you can’t understand, yet somehow you understand clearly what he is speaking. ‘For you to be able to defeat my vessel means you are worthy to become mine.’. Your gaze slowly trails to his outstretched hand and a compelling force for you to take it overwhelms you.

You look back up to the demon, your eyes unfocused and dull as if you have nothing else to live for. Before your decision can be documented, the end credits roll, leaving the ending open to the interpretation of the viewers as well as a sequel to showcase your decision.

“God, that was great,” Kasumi, your good friend and manager compliments as she leans back on the sofa and places her arm over her eyes to re-adjust from watching the movie for two whole hours. “When your and Masaki’s characters thought it was over but the movie still had half an hour left was actually a good plot twist.”

“Well, Director Ukai Senior is well-known for plot twists like that.” You comment as you stand up to turn the lights back on. “You said the critics were impressed by this movie?”

“Yeah, the movie critics were absolutely STUNNED by your acting and storyline, it’s a box office hit.” Kasumi answers as she groans from the lights turning on, readjusting her vision to the new lighting. “Director Ukai Senior wants to make a sequel, it’s going to be tough to live up to people’s expectations.”

“No, no, Kasumi. Not the professional movie critics.” You clarify as you head back to the sofa. “The online critics.”

“Oh, you mean the horror junkies making movie reviews on the internet? Loved it. Said it’s a gem in the midst of the mediocre horror movies these days.”

Your lips tug into a smile of satisfaction, when Kasumi gave you the job, you were a bit skeptical and weren’t as enthusiastic as you have a reputation to uphold as being the ‘Queen of Modern Horror’. You’re glad you trusted your gut and did the job anyway. Ukai Ikkei was a bit tough to work with since he’s strict and a bit of a perfectionist, but he seemed to have favoured you and your experience as he listened to any input you gave to the script to make it less cheesy and better.

“I’ve got to give it to Yamasaki, most script writers take offense when the actors make suggestions to the storyline to make it better but she actually took time to consider and stuff. She’ll make it far in the script writing industry.” You comment as you remind yourself of the meek girl who wrote the fantastic movie script.

“Oh yeah! The online critics also complimented her again and again for her unique storyline. They say it’s a cliche that’s made fresh.” Kasumi says with a grin. “I think she’s starting the sequel for the movie as we speak.”

“Excellent, I hope to work with her again soon.” You say as you stretch your long legs on the sofa. “What else has the internet been saying?”

“Um… most are complimenting the movie… but I guess some are kind of comparing to Ukai Junior’s new movie.” Kasumi answers, thinking back to what she’s read. “The one starring Suna Rintarou.”

“Oh, you mean the thriller-gore fiasco of a movie, ‘The Crypts’? That’s also a great movie, the genius horror director genes run in the Ukai family.” You say with a nod of approval. “Suna’s acting is also great in the movie, his role as the killer in the movie looked so realistic even I was spooked.”

“You know, you and Suna are dubbed the ‘King and Queen of Modern Horror’, it’s weird that you’ve never acted in a movie together.” Kasumi comments absentmindedly as she opens her phone to look at the incoming reviews. “I think it would be one of the best movies of the generation if you two starred in the movie together.”

“I was wondering that as well, actually. I’d love for an opportunity to act with him, like I don’t even care if I end up covering my face for the role of the antagonist, I just want to star in a movie with him.”

“I’ll try to find a role for you that also stars him. I think it’d be a good opportunity for you both.” Kasumi says with a grin.

“I will literally bow at your feet if you ever manage to do that.” You say with a laugh. “I know damn well that movie will be the talk of all media if we star in the same movie.”

“Count on me, girlie. I’ve got your back.”

That was what you said to Kasumi about three months ago, thinking that the movie you’d star in with Suna Rintarou was going to be a horror movie, as you expected. But to your horror and confusion, the script in your hand is the farthest thing from a horror movie script.

“‘Sumi… when I said I want to star in a movie with Suna Rintarou, I didn’t mean a romance drama. And a series at that!” You mutter as you re-read the script your friend handed to you.

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Taglist: @mirophobic @atrashsith @lilith412426 (Drop it here to be included in the taglist!)

[zalisok]

TUA Rant #3: Characters

Spoilers ahead!

Okay, I really want to talk about the characters this season. I feel like I'm not doing the best job at summarizing their characters here, but I hope this will suffice for the time being.

Luther: Luther was just a himbo the whole season. Kind of happy-go-lucky in an unnerving way. I thought it was because he was dealing with the loss of Sloane and the trauma of going through three apocalypses and having his worldview turned around in a short period of time but no, there didn't seem to be a reason for it. (Or if there was, I missed it). I wish the show would touch upon him losing Sloane more (not only Sloane would have loved this, Sloane would have loved that) and his traumas in the past seasons (the thing with Allison? Being murdered by his dad?) Although he didn't have much going on for him, I did like how the show showcased his protectiveness and his trust in his family. I also liked his dynamic with Diego.

Diego: I feel like the writers did Diego dirty here. They turned him into a dad who makes dad jokes (and also was the brunt of the joke a few times. I don't understand the fat nonsense going on.) I feel like his character is much more than that: yes, he has anger issues and is incredibly impulsive, but he is 100% a family man. Look at his relationship with Grace. The way his concern for his family manifests as anger throughout the seasons. Look at his relationship with Stan in Season 3. I was going to say that fighting Five while the others were fighting the Cleanse was OOC for Diego but now that I think about it, it's not completely OOC. (reasoning: he was fighting Cha Cha to avenge Eudora in 1x10 while his family were trying to subdue Viktor, and his obsession with JFK in season 2. We've also seen him fight family members before (aka Luther) and there might be more that I can't remember). Anyways, the show really undermined Diego and Lila's relationship from Season 2 and 3. Diego is so much more than what was portrayed this season, and it's really unjust to him when he truly cared so much for Liia (despite the communication issues) and he just forgave her so quickly (even though she betrayed him) because they were all dying. He deserved better.

Allison: Allison was so badass this season. Her relationship with Klaus and Claire is one of the parts I like the most in this season. We do get to see the motherly bond she has with Claire. It's only ever been touched upon gently in Seasons 1-3. We never get to see her interact with Claire (except that one time she read her a bedtime story) and it's nice to see Allison's maternal side when it's always been such an integral part of her character since Season 1. Although her storyline didn't add much to the story she did have some great moments, along with Klaus. Nonetheless, I still wish her actions in S3 could have been touched upon more, especially towards Luther.

Klaus: As I said, his relationship with Allison and Claire in this season is awesome. I don't like how he seemed to do a 180 because his powers came back--from being so adamant on staying sober and being a good role model for Claire and being so afraid of dying to falling back into his old ways and being incredibly self-destructive. It was so sudden (he had just told the family off, and then BOOM, he's stealing from Allison's home?) and, to me, it wasn't immediately clear why he was suddenly acting that way. I don't like how everything that happened to him was so traumatic but didn't add any relevance to the plot. I feel like it was only there for the shock factor and for emotional impact--and like I said before it only works because we love Klaus, but what's the use of adding this in? A huge part of Klaus's character is his addiction problems and self-destructive tendencies, and we see him actually get better in the first part of the season (in some twisted extreme way). But it was all undone in the second half of the season and he died that way. Upsetting.

Five: I don't think I can express how badly they mischaracterized him in the last few episodes. For the first part he seemed okay, albeit a bit quieter and less aggressive/assertive than he usually is. But then episode 5 happened and oh boy was it a complete 180.

I feel like the Five/Lila thing would make more sense (I'm not saying it's acceptable.) if there were more buildup. But there wasn't. Which makes it worse. To make it make sense we need to see how desperate and lonely they were, and it has to be EXTREME because these two characters are incredibly headstrong and capable assassins and absolutely do NOT seem like the type of people to just give in. Especially Five. That guy literally spent 45 years in an apocalypse and always held out hope for his family. The only way I can rationalize this is that it was because Five was just done with everything--we see some of that in Season 3. I get that his more subdued demeanor in the first half of the season might have been setting the audience up for this but it absolutely was not enough.

The journal was a "???" moment for me. You're telling me Five wouldn't jump at the chance to fix things when the answer is right in from of him? You could say that "oh maybe Five is the type of guy that becomes a fool when he falls in love" because we've never seen him in love before (even if you count Delores, which, to me, is just a coping mechanism for him--he still absolutely had his wits about him and used her as a way to stay on track and achieve his goals), you DON'T INTRODUCE SOMETHING LIKE THAT IN THE SECOND LAST EPISODE.

And the subway arc didn't end up doing anything at all? (except for the stupid love triangle) Five and Lila tried to go back in time to save their family but accomplished. Absolutely. Nothing.

Ben: I feel like his character retained most of the characteristics from the previous season for the first few episodes, which is nice, in a way. (I still want to know more about Ben being a crypto bro--side note: what was that scene in the subway from Season 3 all about? Ben reading books on how to scam people via cryptocurrency? jkjk). His character also did quite a 180 when he started to feel a connection with Jennifer--but it makes sense now that I think about it, given how we know from Season 3 how badly the Jennifer Incident affected him (side note: didn't Ben already know who Jennifer was in Season 3?) The storyline between Ben and Jennifer, to me, was interesting and honestly one of the better paced storylines, but honestly I have so many questions about the Cleanse and Jennifer that I wasn't completely satisfied. The vulnerability he showed in this season was nice to watch and his last scene truly was quite heartbreaking.

Viktor: I actually quite like Viktor's arc this season, and some of his scenes were my favourite parts of the season. The changes in his character came on a bit sudden: his anger towards Reggie (and his anger in general--I understand that anger and resentment has always been part of his character, but we didn't see much of that in season 2 or 3, and the only thing we know about him in the five year gap is that 1) he's a bartender 2) he's fucked every woman in nova scotia), him not going to family gatherings to him understanding that he had to be with his family and help them--it was underdeveloped and I wish we could have seen more of that process. Nonetheless, the way he stood up for himself and actually expressed his resentment this season was cathartic, (although a bit misplaced because this timeline's Reginald is NOT the same Reginald, but Viktor really needed to get that out) and he, along with Ben were the ones that were actually driving the plot here. I liked his growth and I wish his relationship with Reginald was explored a bit more, it was fun to watch and there's so much to unpack between both of them.

Lila:

I feel like she was reduced to "mother" this season. Her storyline just consisted of marital issues, parenting issues and love triangles. There was the part in the first (and second?) episode where she was part of the CIA but that was never brought up again. She was literally trained by the Handler. She was part of the Commission. She's capable of so much more, not only assassin-wise but also power-wise. What were those laser eyes really for? Why did she only use her mimicking powers in the last episode?

Another gripe I have about Lila-- her parents. Losing her parents was really traumatic for her. Especially when the person who killed her parents was Five. But we don't see any of that touched upon in Season 4, even when her parents existed in that timeline and she had SEVEN YEARS with Five. I think they both needed to air things out to give them both closure.

One thing that I find weird is that all the female main characters always, always have a storyline of them being a parental figure in some way. Allison throughout the series, pre-transition Viktor in season 2, Lila in seasons 3-4. It's not necessarily a bad thing, it's just something I noticed. It is worth nothing that not every female character has to be a parental figure.

Also, not everything has to be romantic. Platonic relationships can also be fun to watch and impactful. And even with romantic stuff, TUA has this consistent problem with introducing a love interest for one season and it having absolutely no significance in the next. Like Eudora and Diego. Ray and Allison. Luther and Sloane, to some extent. I understand that in most cases it's because the Umbrellas are jumping through time and space and their loved ones can't go with them, but if you're going to write a romantic subplot, at least acknowledge it a bit more for continuity reasons.

There's probably more that I can say but that's all for now.

[dream-thief-forever-amen]

Eternal Brotherhood - ep 1-8 thoughts

Xiu is finally nice to Ning? Kinda sorta? Now that she’s hammered in ep 8? Ya’ll I don’t know how we are supposed to feel about this pair. I get that he is the king of passive aggressive gaslighting, but my dude… life is fleeting. Do you like her or not? Is this a pair I am supposed to ship as a couple or two people who have grown apart and don’t want let go?

Dude, just break up already. Ya’ll are that miserable couple everyone is sick of. Xiu’s little speeches to himself. Ugh. Actions speak louder than words sir.

I do wonder if he’s avoiding her cause he doesn’t line up to her father’s side of things politically and he worries he’ll have to kill the dude eventually. And then I wonder if Ning’s desperation isn’t also linked to this concern - that if she doesn’t lock him down pronto things will go dark. I guess I’m still interested in their story after all… frustrating as it is.

I really like this show otherwise, but whenever I’m having fun with Xiu or Ning separately they throw them into a scene together and then I just dislike them both again. I understand the dynamics of the other dudes and their ladies but Xiu and Ning?

I’m sure I’m not the first to point out the rather poor voice acting of Ning. The actress herself is doing a good job of being engaging but alas… poor girl was dubbed over for whatever reason. Please give me the directors cut with the original actress - I feel like it would be a totally different dynamic.

Outside of Xiu & Ning…

I’m desperately curious to meet more of the enemy. The brother of the princess who had no problem sacrificing her… or even the king who did everything to bring her home alive.

Also… are there demons/monsters in this show? There were a few snippets of conversation that implied there were OTHER others and it was as if they were not human. I’m super intrigued. Is Xiu one of these others or he is half and half? Does ANYONE know about his powers or is that his dark secret? I love this mystery.

I also love palace politics stories - especially ones that showcase all the double talk and manipulation and insane rules that these people experience in court. The scene where the sinister swordsmith politician is throwing his weight around keeping Xiu and Di Lin from searching for the princess by having them draw pictures of plants - my favorite scene thus far. I love little shitty assertions of power, how someone is using something petty and obvious to get what they want cause they know there’s nothing the other person can do about it. So fun to watch.

That old king is a piece of work, no? Sitting around playing with his puzzle box like a teenager on their phone. He amuses me greatly, especially in light of current politics. Sometimes you gotta hand the reigns to someone else - but you know these old kings are like Supreme Court justices they expect to die on the seat of power.

I’m worried about Xiu’s shifu! That goodbye was ominous. I like this dude a great deal of the three older dudes vying for power against the cranky king. Or is he already dead? Sometimes I feel like I looked away for two seconds and missed a vital piece of the plot.

Also these dudes are super comfortable with murder in that very perfunctory way that speaks of cognitive dissonance and years at war… they ain’t pausing for even a second before slicing and that’s also a nice touch.

Considering so much of this drama takes place indoors I like the decorating choices of all the locations. The color grading is very… well, this particular saturation combo is Game of Thrones all the way. Which is fine. Give us a nice snow covered landscape at some point and it will be complete.

It took me two episodes to realize this show is not historical China but a fantasy world. I mean… I think. I hope I’m right.

It’s very very hard not to look up reviews or search this site for more details but I want to avoid spoilers so I went in blind.

I can not help but think this show would be more enjoyable if I could follow it a little better. The world building is murky at this point - and ya’ll have had eight hours to help me out. I know there’s a big map in the throne room but I can’t see it… I need more color coding with the factions or something. Large ensemble stories with complex political plots are not impossible to convey - plenty of quality dramas have pulled it off - but this one… I’m not entirely sure who I should be rooting for? I wish I’d read the book.

There’s more to come so let’s see what clears up in the next ep!

P.S. the princess murdering the two dudes in the carriage was unexpected! She’s a cool character… making medicine and building fires in her pretty princess dress… Si Yilin, my dude, I like her too. I want him to explode from repression and maul her passionately like a starved animal. She’d be into it.

P.P.S - the actress who plays Ning is good and her voice is fine? Usually I’m not so turned off by voice acting but they made Ning sound like Edward from Cowboy Bebop. Who approved this? No objections were made? Ugh!

This is the actress who plays Ning and her real voice… they shouldn’t have dubbed her.

[leconcombrerit]

https://www.tumblr.com/leconcombrerit/752365988102684672/sometimes-ill-look-back-to-those-hopeful-posts

I wonder if this is a matter of "What the writers/producers/directors wanted/believed" vs "What the actor wanted/believed". I always felt like Ta himself, in his acting choices, didn't really want the story to head in the direction it did— that in his portrayal/mind, Phee has always been loyal to Non and New/Tan and their plans, and Jin was just a means to an end.

Which in a way, does kinda make sense to me? I mean, a lot of people pointed out Phee could have acted MUCH earlier if he really didn't want anyone to die, like when the first goddamn victim turned out. We didn't even have scenes of him subtly sabotaging New to stop his rampage, for God's sake. He thought of those people as his friends yet he was perfectly fine with them going bonkers and dying and killing each other until it came to his FWB? C'mon now.

Not that it would have been bad for Phee's character to want to move on, have a future. That's realistic and normal, valid, I could have gotten on board with that even if I didn't necessarily agree. But I didn't buy into Ta's portrayal of that conflict, and I personally didn't think he bought it himself either. Again, this is a matter of perspective and interpretation of the script, body language, acting choices— some people would disagree with me on this and read it all differently, and that's more than valid.

(And man, how awesome it would have been to have our Villain!Phee reveal— I always imagined it to be him stabbing someone, mostly Tee in my mind but can be Jin at times, and the camera lingers on his bloodied hand with that red string bracelet around his wrist, finally home after years of being hidden.)

Well I for one 100% agree with you, it's a very interesting view on all this.

Even this picture fits with this take ; what's the point of including it if the writers / producers weren't going to follow-up with it ? And not necessarily with Phee sticking to New's plan to the bitter end. They could have had this anger get slowly mudded with the genuine affection he'd felt for the others. They could have shown Phee grappling with it, or even made the change more insidious, until he realized he'd made his decision long ago when seeing his 'friends' in pain and danger. But they didn't. To me the transition between the shot of Phee's murderous anger to wishy-washy answers that sounded like mere deflections for New's benefit was either off-screen or nonexistent. And therefore made no sense. They made a better job of showcasing doubt, fear and guilt with Tee, for heaven's sake.

I'd even add that Copper's acting goes along with Ta's in that regard. He portrayed Jin's feelings for Non as perhaps naive but also strong and genuine. Even after he leaked the video (if he was ever supposed to have, the mess this plot-line is ugh), he felt extremely guilty. Copper made a great show of it during the scene in which Non attacks them with a knife. He was sorry. He still loved Non, for all we know. And even during the premiere after Non disappeared, he looked disgusted with himself and his friends. Dejected and guilty. Even his sulking when they first got to the house being solely due to Phee stringing him along seemed off to me. I was convinced it was about Non, at least in part. And then he confesses his guilt to Phee and bam, everything's fine and over ? Really ? Where's the guilt ? Where's the love ? Why is there no follow-up, once again ? Why won't Jin's character make sense ?

And that's leaving out some more physical inconsistencies. The axe. The engine noise. Phee's magically accurate guessing abilities regarding some of New's actions he had no knowledge of.

Not to mention that all those scenes and shots got past editing. The directing / producing team decided to keep them. Letting a few things slip I can understand, but here it's a bit much for me. When I look at other aspects of the show and how seamless, emotionally clever they were, I have to say I'm kinda baffled by how this specific storyline was handled. Everything Phee-Non-Jin is a mess. The fact that every side of the argument has rock solid elements to back up their case is bad writing to me.

We won't ever know for sure, but I'm still leaning towards the "shipping patch-up" theory. I believe (and that's my stance, not claiming it to be the undisputable truth) that Phee was meant to stick to Non and New, at least to a greater extent than he did. I believe Jin was supposed to grapple with his guilt and be defined by this rather than with his relationship with Phee, as he ended up being. I believe this is the wish and / or assumptions both actors acted upon. And I believe it wouldn't have sold the Tacopper ship enough to the producers' and company's taste. People would have ended the series with Tabarcode in mind, with hints of Coppercode and Tacopper. If they were aware of Barcode's decision to leave BOC, it would have been a bad move. If they weren't, then they were still shooting their own pairing in the foot and alienating part of the audience (although Tabarcode was a more profitable option I think, meet me at the top of this hill we'll fight a duel).)

(So true for Villain!Phee ! Although I'm a terribly mean person and would have eat it up if Phee had gotten hurt in the process. We'd then have a shot of Phee's face with the slightest hint of sadness or guilt upon looking at White and Jin -he's a good person at heart. It would have shown how much of himself he'd sacrificed for Non. AND THEN New still holds our bleeding Phee at gunpoint, leading him to the edge of the woods. New wouldn't shoot cause New doesn't kill people himself, he's our stage director ; no, he'd tell him to walk bleeding into the woods ; that he'll be forgiven if he gets lost and dies too. Because in the end, helping in Non's revenge won't ever bring him back, and that Phee still contributed in no small part to his death.)

(........... I got carried away by my own narrative and feel compelled to write it now no dear lord no again)

[dailycass-cain]

Batgirls #14 Review

After so long, after so much waiting (and hyping), Batgirls #14 was released this week. So let me dig into it at last.

Let me start off (again) for those who didn't on the visual element where the silent issue started, G.I. Joe #21 by Larry Hama (with Steve Leialoha inking and George Roussos coloring).

The issue was the benchmark for telling a story without any words. Really, I think it's something other comic historians can tell in more detail in itself.

Surprisingly Barbara beat Cass to the punch in even attaining one as the character had one in Batgirl: Endgame #1 back in 2015 during the middle of the Burnside Era.

There are a lot of visual cues that the issue shares with Batgirl #14 (there are onomatopoeias and there is "cheating" as well with Babs using a phone along (using emojis to correspond with Frankie and find Tiffany Fox) and one-word balloon (at the very end).

Overall, it's probably (for me) the best Babs as Batgirl issue of the entire 2011-2020 era.

Cass had a few things close to this (Batman & Robin Eternal #13 has some moments of silence allowing the action and Cass's visual cues to tell the story) but never full-on.

The closest we got to this was Batgirl Vol. 1 #22,  where writer Kelley Puckett would just allow artist Damion Scott to do his thing showcasing the action along with emotion within the issue.

But that was the closest we got until well Batgirls #14. That's why I'm hyped for this because it's a story element I think a character like Cass can truly shine in. Not only that, but pair the character with an artist to visually showcase this as well.

To that degree, Batgirls #14 succeeds HIGHLY in. This is the best issue of the series (thus far) culminating in five issues prior to it and highlighting all the elements I mentioned.

Artist Jonathan Case takes that banner and lays out a visual feast on this issue. There are SOOOO many moments that are so extraordinary. Case packs a TON of detail and emotion in each panel with the plot he's given.

Likewise, I think writers Michael Conrad and Becky Cloonan did a real job in laying it all the seeds they've had prior in the series (from Riddler's lingering riddles playing how Cass fully figured out where Cluemaster was hiding with Steph's letter being the final nail).

There's a great urgency Case captures with Cass throughout the issue. She knows (given the last issue of her being in the peril Steph's in) how bad the situation is.

Hence no contacting Babs, Bruce, or anyone. This is Cass ON A MISSION. I do like how this issue ties into Batgirls 2022 Annual how the League is behind Cluemaster's resurrection). For what intended purpose? Who knows? Other than it brought back one "father of the year" in Cluemaster. It almost makes me wonder if the leader of this sect of the League that has broken off (and who have Lazarus Resin) is being led by the other aka David Cain.

I mean it feels weird that the last issue kind of "forgot" he was more the monster here than Shiva, who kind of equally was manipulated by him. Showcasing that truly monstrous side we heard he was until Cass made him discover the heart he had.

I just think it would be an interesting parallel of Cass caught between two parents. Not only that but have this be the final closure of Shiva and the League.

Though I do confess it was fun seeing Shiva help her daughter against these ninjas and have a "mom" moment. With Cass having an "I could've handled that or GEEZ MOM!  Can we tone down the murder PLEASE?!"

Again I just love Case's use of colors to showcase the various moods being played out from violent red to calm cool blue.

I get it Case went all out on this issue. Literally, in just two issues he's made the um-- case why in just two issues how he's become THE artist for the book that many probably would want back (please bring him back for more DC PLEASE!).

I ain't complain about the moments that made no sense because Case just made it look so darn visually appealing.

But I will go into the big thing this issue did sort of break in silence with Steph's letter to Cass.  Because oh boy does it have some ramifications for Cass/Steph.

Though I'll fully admit I didn't mind the letter. You knew Cass was going to open the letter first when the concept was introduced in Batgirls 2022 Annual and you pieced that Steph was getting kidnapped in solicitations to this one. Just what were the words that were in it?

Steph full on admitting she had feelings for Cass and loved her.😮😮😮 Yeah, this does change the next step between the two. The question is--

What will come from this? Well, either it's downplayed, but I doubt it, as I think we don't have Cass's letter or if you have the Lazarus Resin in play means more emotional drama will soon occur.  Or it is, and extended further down the road...

Though I think we already know Cass's response to the letter as we have her creating a scarf from ripping the fabric of Steph's cloaks. Which is a totally in-character Cass thing to do.

But yeah, this is the best issue of the entire series. Even if Steph is the damsel in distress. From her letter, it still gives some much-needed characterization that's been growing with Steph. Along with well both moving more out of Babs' shadow.

Literally, Cass doesn't even go to Babs for any sort of help. It really showcases how different in tone this issue is compared to say Batgirls #1-6 and the preludes to it. These gals can handle things themselves.

Plus I did like the Tutor tease AGAIN which is well suggesting another future story of the original villain from this series.

Yeah, this was an exceptional issue of the series. It really is a strong contender for the best solo Cass story already for 2023. The art is just phenomenal. The story is gripping. Everything just connects.

It might not be fully "new reader" friendly.  I mean unless you read Batgirls #9-13, the 2022 Annual, AND Task Force Z maxi series (to at least understand the Lazarus Resin).

But you can just enjoy it for what the issue was. Reading the other stuff is an added bonus to add more to the reading experience.

I'm just amazed it took fourteen issues and we have the first real standout. Like literally, there's nothing I can nitpick at all. This issue is absolute perfection and everything I hoped this series would be.

My only fear is well-- where do you go from here? I mean that is the series biggest problem that it hasn't gotten a single artist down. It just rotating between three (so far).

Though I do love Neil Googe but Robbi Rodriguez is hit or miss for me. The book needs someone who can stay longer. Even if though it took a while man the Case issues (#13-14) were just another level of art.

I dare even to say they surpassed Jorge Corona's stuff from the prior six issues (and prelude). #14 just leaves me hungering for more Case art for this series. I'd love to see him tackle a Steph issue next.

I mean I love this stuff with what he did for Cass but it be nice to contrasting colors for Steph.

But yeah, Batgirls #14 was exceptional. A perfect celebration of the character (and history) of Cassandra Cain. Where it did it's own thing and represents a major point in this series.

Where does the series go from here? I'm really curious to see. No matter where this series goes, #14 is probably going to be the #1 highlight for many of the series.

So yeah Batgirls #14 in a quick summary:

[mangoisms]

hi i was wondering, i’ve been getting into writing lately, and i wanted to know, how do you decide on how to characterize your dc characters? i feel like you do such an amazing job and characterizing them all but when i try to write i can’t help but feel like I’m not quite doing them justice 😭

hiiii first of all thank you SO much for saying that you are too kind <333 also know that i am constantly trying to find my footing with that because it really can be so difficult.

and tbh.. hmm all i can really recommend is doing reading for whichever characters you’re interested in. for tim i did sooooo much reading and to be fair a lot of that reading was for a big oc project i had planned which has now been put on hold… unfortunately… and the fics i have for him were then practice to get into it since i felt like i was at a good point to start.

writing is also something i would recommend in conjunction with it, like build a foundation, then start writing, and adjust from there! i’ll be the dangerous ledge was really me finding my footing for his character and in circle k i felt like i finally had a solid grasp on him ^_^

but i also know the prospect of following reading guides can be intimidating… if you’re going for the bats, there are guides that showcase a general view which might be easier to get into.

like no man’s land, while a massive event, was pretty solid in terms of batfam representation (well, og batfam without jason and duke and damian). but there’s also gates of gotham, which is a little more ‘modern’ and just four issues and features some really great dick, damian, tim, and cass!!! also bruce wayne: murderer?/fugitive and batman: contagion!

team comics can also help i think so that might be something to look for? young justice (1998) is a lot of fun if you’re leaning into tim, there’s probably something with the teen titans for dick but i can’t speak too much on him. and like birds of prey for babs, that kind of thing!

there’s this guide i’ve mentioned for the batfam that has a general section for the batfam then breaks down by character. i also have a reading guide tag with some random characters, i think i have like, supergirl/kara danvers, roy harper, talia al ghul, wally, etc.

@lornahs also has a bunch of reading guides for a whole slew of dc characters that are also a little easier to approach too! for the flashfam and superfam and arrowfam (there are probably many others i am forgetting rn) i personally don’t have much for that (and you could find stuff for them on that blog i think)… though i will say, regardless of who you’re interested in, you can still glean a lot of information about others even in individually-focused comics ^_^ and wiki is useful here and there too! a small shortcut i wouldn’t recommend you lean too heavily on is basing characterizations off fics just because that can get.. tricky. i mean ultimately you can do what you’d like but personally!!! i try to stay away from that and stick to canon! some influences are okay but. it’s a balance. you know

another thing, with canon, is i would honestly recommend pre-flashpoint appearances. new-52 and rebirth can be tricky. tim was like, an entirely different person in new-52 and people hated it so much that when they did rebirth (well there were many reasons for another reboot and ooc-ness in Many Characters was a large factor) they restored him to his original origins. but also the tim in the rebirth now is just….. Hngh.

almost all of my characterizations are based on pre-flashpoint canon basically. dgmw the writing can be bad and so can the politics but idk i’m not fond of rebirth/modern comics LMAO so it’s a little like the lesser of two evils??? either way i’m definitely biased but this is what i do!

with this and lots and lots of practice (even if it’s not good!! maybe especially if it’s not good because you can look at it and see where to improve!!), that’s the best way to get into it i think!!!

i hope?? this was a little helpful!! if you have any questions, lmk i’m happy to help <333 and good luck too!!!

[ben-talks-art]

Nimona was so great I wish it was a show

After seeing the trailers and clips and hearing about the premise I was really excited about watching this movie.

It looked fun, the main lead looked awesome, the animation seemed charming, it just looked like it was going to be a good time while exploring a very relevant theme even for today.

And long story short, that's basically what it was, just a really good fun time exploring a really relevant theme. It was as super solid movie with a super solid main character.

I don't think it's perfect but it did what I hoped it would do, showing this tiny girl with a sharp-teethed smile being awesome and kicking ass.

(Spoilers for the movie below)

For those who don't know the premise, the movie tells the story about a man about to become an official knight who gets framed for a murder and ends up getting hated by the whole kingdom forcing him into isolation.

Once Nimona finds out about this she considers the idea of becoming friends with him since people also hate her for things she never did, so at least they could be hated and hunted down together.

The guy doesn't trust her at first but with time they start to get along and develop some absurdly charming chemistry and eventually through their combined efforts they managed to make people see that neither of the two is as bad as everyone thinks.

At first I was a little skeptical since I didn't want to see yet another "Last of Us" or "Logan" story about some grumpy old dude learning to be a father after taking care of a spunky little girl, a trope that I'm just freaking sick to death of seeing so much, but they handle it really well in here by instead of making it a father-daughter relationship it's more like just two outcast friends hanging out.

He's not raising or taking care of her. Heck, if anything, she's the mentor figure making him realize his views of the world aren't as simple as he thinks.

And like I said, they have such a great chemistry. At first it's the usual "simple character gasps at weird character" routine, but they drop that after some time and it becomes more about him just going along with her antics and joining in on the fun.

The best part of the movie is just these two hanging out and being weird together. I could watch a whole show about them just having fun doing whatever, I just love seeing them that much.

Their interactions are so enjoyable to watch, a lot of it coming from the voice acting doing a perfect job showcasing their personalities. I just adore hearing them talk to each other. There is so much emotion and character in their voices that I feel they could just be reading a phonebook and still would be fun to listen to.

Which kinda brings me to my one problem with the movie...

The two leads work so well together and are so likable and charming... That they kinda make the rest of the story feel just a tiny bit lacking.

The major plot involving the crime mystery is... sadly not that interesting in my opinion.

You've seen these scenes before, you heard these lines before, you know what's gonna happen and how they're gonna solve the conflict, you know exactly who the culprit is and why they did it the second they appear on-screen.

It's the usual "who's the real monster" story and "people who fear what they don't understand" plot.

It's not bad, and it's sadly still relevant to remind people that they shouldn't hate on things just because they're too afraid of the unknown, but it's just a story we've seen so many times already and there isn't really that much new here.

They play around a little with the idea that the kingdom is always trying to be under the light because they are afraid of what they can't see in the shadows with several shots of the knights being literally under sources of light at all times and in the climax of the movie we see a being literally hides their true self under several layers of shadows, and stuff like that is handled really well, but when you come down to it it's still the usual story about the dangers of making assumptions under the wrong or lack of information.

One thing they addressed that I really really liked was how they point out that kids are taught from an early age to discriminate as if it was a normal thing to do and why it's so hard for adults to let go of this discrimination since it's basically like rejecting what your entire life has taught you.

I think the story should have leaned more on that. Instead of being about solving the mystery of "who did it?", it would have been, in my opinion, more interesting if it was about Nimona showing her friend how he's been slowly brainwashed his whole life, kinda like what happened in How To Train Your Dragon where the main lead has a scene of him realizing that everything he knew about dragons was wrong, or even in this movie's creator's other work, She-Ra, where the female lead, Adora, realized she and many others were being lied on by the bad guys her whole life.

Or heck, they could have turned this into some sort of "Beyond Good and Evil" setting where our two leads go around finding proof about the lies of the government and work underground to collect evidence and show the citizens the true colors of the kingdom and through that bringing the people to their side.

I don't know, I just feel like the idea of having these two working together to reveal other truths would be more engaging than just the usual "scared people do dumb things" plot.

Again, the scenes with these two working together once they got on the same page were my favorite parts and I really wished I could have more of that.

But I know why we can't have more of that. This is a movie with three acts and we need to do the usual movie with three acts thing, establish the conflict, explore the conflict, and solve the conflict, all while introducing all the relevant characters, setting up their motivations, and having them go through some character development by the time we reach the end so we can pass on the moral of the story.

And sometimes when you need to focus on all that you end up with not enough time to focus on other elements, which is why I really feel this would work even better as a show so we could have more time dedicated to the two leads just being great and doing cool things together, exploring this world and maybe even adding other characters for them to interact with.

I feel like Nimona's biggest flaw is that its leads are way more interesting than the story they're in.

For instance, the fact that Nimona has shape-shifting powers is freaking awesome and leads to tons of cool and creative scenes of her just going from one shape to another... But it also feels like a bit overkill for the problems they come across.

I kept waiting for some sort of big epic battle where she would have to face some sort of squad of super-enhanced knights or something, or maybe they would go How To Train Your Dragon 2 and reveal they also have a secret evil shape-shifter on their side for her to fight, or maybe they would do it like in the series Kipo and have the big villain copy Nimona's power so they could have a transformation fight in the same way they did it in the Sword on the Stone movie.

I don't know, I just feel like Nimona's antagonists are kinda boring for how cool she is. She barely even interacts with them when I think about it.

But yes... I know that's not the point... It's not about Nimona punching some cool bad guy in the face as if we were in a Marvel movie...

it's about sending the message of how adults keep trying to find faults and problems in things that have no faults and problems just because of their upbringing, fear, lack of guidance, or outside manipulation, and how much that behavior needlessly hurts the innocents who have no means to resist and how that corrupts the young into following their example and keeping the cycle going.

It's about how when you treat people like monsters they start to consider becoming monsters as well, showing how powerful our actions and their consequences can be even if we don't think about it.

It's about how hard it is to sometimes see that we are making a big mistake that's keeping us from stepping into a whole new world of possibilities that might be even better than the world we have now because of how scary it is to leave your clear comfort zone and adventure through the unknown.

It's about a whole bunch of relevant themes and messages that can help people become even better people...

That said... It is a little hard to look at a character THIS cool and not go "I wish she would fight something cooler."

Like... Look at all the promotional images of her grinning while starting to shift into a dragon and tell me you don't want to see her in some super big epic battle against some really cool villain. (Or maybe that's just me? 🤔)

But... Then again, that does fit into the message of Nimona not having to be what people think she is or want her to be and instead learning to accept her for who she really is, just a girl that wants others to stop finding non-existent problems with her.

So, yeah, I'm not gonna get angry at a movie for not being exactly how I wished it was when the whole idea is that we often get too angry at things for not being how we think they should be.

Bottom line, I like Nimona. I love the leads, love the voice-acting, the transformation scenes, the chemistry between the characters, the interactions...

The message is kinda "been there done that", but many people still need to hear about it even today so, who am I to complain...

I just wish I could see the leads hanging out more and doing more things outside of this main plot. I feel like this works as a great pilot for an ongoing story with these two and would be more than happy to follow them in other adventures (the movie literally ends with the walls to a whole new world breaking down ala Attack on Titan).

So... Can I get a sequel or a tv show, please?

[adamwatchesmovies]

Guilty Conscience (1985)

When Anthony Hopkins hams it up in films like Transformers: The Last Knight and The Wolfman, you might forget how good of a performer he is. The man's won multiple acting awards. Guilty Conscience has some amusing twists and turns before ending on a “wan wan” note. This 1985 made-for-TV film would be wholly unremarkable despite its entertaining qualities if it weren’t for Hopkins' excellent central performance.

Wealthy criminal defence attorney Arthur Jamison (Anthony Hopkins) has been having affairs for years and his wife, Louise (Blythe Danner) has finally had enough. She wants a divorce - which will cost him big. With his knowledge of the criminal court system, Arthur begins planning his wife's murder.

In many ways, Guilty Conscience feels like a play. The bulk of this story shows Arthur setting up the murder, committing it, and then the whole thing revealing itself to be a fantasy. Then, he deconstructs his crime with the help of his own “devil’s advocate” (also played by Hopkins) to plan a fool-proof scenario. The film is almost entirely set in his living room. The only other significant characters are his wife and his mistress, Jackie Willis (Swoosie Kurtz). This could easily be adapted for the stage except for the awkwardness that would come from Arthur constantly talking to himself from two different sides of the room. This script gives Hopkins a fantastic opportunity to showcase how devious and charismatic he can be. He radiates a sinister intelligence as he casually plans his wife's demise and crafts two wholly different people just by changing his tone of voice and putting on a different outfit.

The film is fun for darkly relatable reasons. Anyone who’s watched enough true-crime shows has thought “those people were amateurs; I bet I could do this murder business better than them”. Not that you’d actually do it, but you think of all the steps you’d take if you did. We’ve all played the game Arthur is playing and since it’s a movie, it’s all perfectly innocent fun.

As amusing as the film is, the cheeky ending is a letdown. There’s a point where it could end and it would be dark but not darker than the rest of the film. Then, it keeps going so we can have a needless twist. Pick one or the other, not both. I also have to criticize the film’s title, which is AW-FUL. “Guilty Conscience”? What guilt? What conscience? You will find neither here, and if the second character Hopkins is playing is Arthur's conscience, it sure does a poor job dissuading him from killing his wife; all it does is say “It wouldn’t work that way, try again”.

There are plenty of fun twists throughout Guilty Conscience. Although there is one too many, this dramatic crime mystery thriller will keep you wondering what’s next and what you would do if you were in this situation. This kind of picture would be a perfect rental or a great bonus movie to include as a bonus in a “Best of Anthony Hopkins” box set. (Full-screen version on VHS, June 17, 2021)

[avhies20]

2022 has been such a great year for tv and movies for me. So to wrap it up, here are my top 5 favorite movies for this year! Long post ahead, because I want to gush about this films.

5. The Black Phone

I loved this movie because the focus was more on the victims themselves. The film humanized them. They showed that they had lives and they had so much ahead of them. Oftentimes, these kind of films glorify the killers, but this film thankfully did not do that. They did not even try to show a backstory for The Grabber that will make us sympathize for him. We were just given some hints. Doing that highlights the fact what he is, which is a child killer.

Also, the performances by the child actors were so good, especially Madeleine McGraw (Finney's determined and brave little sister) They really did such a phenomenal job. I hope they get to be in more movies.

4.The Batman

Initially, I thought this would be the best film I've watched this year but still this movie has a special place in my heart. Emo bruce wearing eye make up, played by Robert Pattinson. I can't believe that happened, but wow I am so thankful for it. In all seriousness though, this movie was marketed as an incredibly dark and violent film. It was, but I did not expect it to have such a hopeful message. That was something that I really needed at the time that I watched that film.

Another thing that made this one of my favorites is how they did Seline Kyle. They did not oversexualize her and we got to see more of her vulnerable side. Besides that, I also love the parallels between her and Bruce/Batman.

Lastly, shout out to the soundtrack. When it first came out, I replayed it over and over.

3. Nope

Jordan Peele did it again! This is such a thrilling sci-fi horror film. I'd like to appreciate the clever and gorgeous design of Jean Jacket (that's such a cool name too). There's a lot of sequences that were incredibly memorable for different reasons and it would be too long for me to talk about. But my favorite scene would probably the showdown between Jean Jacket and OJ. I think that scene showcases the main theme of this film.

Another reason why this film is a fave of mine is because it's a film where you can come up with a lot of interpretations and theories. Seeing all the Chekhov's guns paying off was so satisfying.

Before I end this part, I'd like to say that this is my first time seeing Keke Palmer's work. And wow she's such a fun to watch. She brought a really enthusiastic energy to the film that made me love it even more.

2. Glass Onion

This is my most anticipated release for December (December for me because I could not watch it during its theatre release in November) and it did not disappoint. I just want to say I want a full on movie franchise of Benoit Blanc's mystery adventures. Give me MORE. I love murder mysteries and whodunnits and this ticks everything I always wanted in a mystery story. The social commentary it does is also so on point and done in such a fun way. We get to see it come alive through a variety of crazy fun characters with an interesting ensemble of actors.

Half way through, this movie went into a direction that I did not expect. Props to Janelle Monàe for making such a convincing performance, which helped in really selling that twist. I also loved their dynamic and chaotic chemistry with Daniel Craig's Blanc. Them working as investigating partners was such a delight. Lastly, I appreciate that in the end, Blanc was more of just a "helper." It was Helen who was ultimately the "hero," it was her actions that ultimately brought Miles down.

1. Everything Everywhere All at Once

Finally we're here, this movie was the best for me. This movie made me laugh out loud (that d*ldo scene caught me off guard, not gonna lie), made me cry, made me sob, and made me rethink certain aspects of life. After watching this film, I just had to sit back and process everything for a while. The themes and messages from this film felt a little too close for me.

I feel like the editing needs a paragraph of appreciation here, because the editing of this film is WILD! I cannot believe how they even did this. Round of applause for the editors and I hope they got paid wonderfully for their amazing work.

Moving on to the performances, I just want to say that Stephanie Hsu is a talented actress. Go watch her audition tape too because she needs to be booked in more projects. Of course Michelle Yeoh, Ke Huy Quan, and all the other performers were amazing.

I hope more people get to watch this and see for themselves how much heart and thought was poured into this film.

That's all for for now. I hope 2023 would give us an equally interesting and fun set of films to enjoy. Have a great day to you all!

[pjsks]

PSYCHO-PASS (Eps. 1-5) Blog Post

In a futuristic world where you can be labeled a criminal before even committing a crime, there lies many morally gray people. You would expect that in a world where a system is in place to protect you from criminals, society wouldn’t be corrupt because the CID Public Safety Bureau is on top of anyone whose crime coefficient gets too high, but there are a lot of flaws in the system. Akane, the protagonist, is an Inspector in Division 1. As an Inspector, her duty is to keep the Enforcers on her team in check. The reason this is necessary is because all Enforcers are latent criminals—people whose crime coefficients are past the threshold of 100 that work in the interest of public safety.

I know it wasn’t necessary to watch Episode 2, but I liked how it shed more light on how Akane came to be in this field. It’s funny because her original motivation to become an Inspector was not because she had a lifelong dream of upholding justice—rather, she was the only one out of 500 of her peers to receive an offer from the Public Safety Bureau, leading her to believe that there was something meant for her in this role. However, we see that she has a strong sense of justice and doesn’t necessarily feel a desire to adhere to her society’s system to uphold her own morals—as showcased in Episode 1, where she uses her Dominator on Kogami to prevent him from killing a woman she viewed as a victim of assault rather than a potential criminal.

Obedience and self-discipline are highly valued in this society. Connecting this back to capitalism, we in our own society are slaves to capitalism in the sense that we are self-motivated to contribute to society in a meaningful way through our jobs. The people in the world of Psycho Pass are also motivated to contribute to society through their jobs, but they are also motivated to keep their hues clear so they are not prosecuted through the Sibyl System.

Both of these values will occasionally conflict with each other—a great example being Episode 3. Here we observe a crime that has occurred in a factory. The culprit of this crime, as we find out, was not only a perpetrator but also a victim of a corrupt system. He was transferred any time his crime coefficient raised above acceptable levels, which temporarily lowered his crime coefficient until the workplace harassment drove him to murder. It’s ironic because through committing this murder, his “hue” cleared. However, the whole idea behind the crime coefficient is to observe how likely it is that you are to commit a crime. The factory board did not care to investigate this crime too deeply as they were more concerned with profit than justice, which connects back to capitalism.

I really enjoyed watching the first few episodes of Psycho-Pass, and I look forward to watching more! I think I’ll definitely be finishing it outside of class-assigned viewing.

[dearqueerdeers]

no wait actually as an avid reader English classes pissed me off so bad in high school. before high school I just found them vaguely annoying because it was super easy stuff— the author says in paragraph 3 that daisy is mad. Which of these word is a synonym for “mad”?— but in high school they really started to lean into analysis that was deeper than “surface level”. Here’s the thing. I’ve been writing fanfiction since I was 11. I know how to read between the lines. I know how to analyze shit. Been doing it forever. So I get to English classes where they’re asking me to do that and I go “great! this will be fun!”— only to be told that I am, in fact, wrong, in my interpretation of whatever current book we were reading.

This happened a lot for a lot of books (I am autistic lmao), but the one that infuriates me to this day is when we read Things Fall Apart in my senior year English class. Note that we did not read Heart of Darkness, which supposedly this book was a response to, so I could very well be missing a chunk of analysis here. It essentially followed a man living in Nigeria pre-colonialism and followed his life as European “missionaries” slowly started invading the surrounding area & eventually his home. According to my English teacher, Heart of Darkness portrayed the indigenous people in African in a very negative light and erased a lot of their culture, and Things Fall Apart was written as a rebuttal to showcase the rich culture and interior lives of the people portrayed as “savages” in Heart of Darkness.

And yes, the book did a wonderful job of showcasing the presence of a thriving culture and the personhood of those living in Nigeria! However. This teacher absolutely refused to hear any analysis that painted the main character in a bad light. If you pointed out that any of his actions were bad and suggested that he had personal growth to do, she’d shut you down immediately. I specifically was told “it’s a different culture and you can’t judge them based on our cultural standards.” My class was told the protagonist was a good guy trying his best, & that’s what the book was trying to showcase. If you listened to my English teacher without ever touching this book, you’d probably think it was about a guy doing his best and who therefore didn’t deserve the violence he experienced at the hands of the colonizers. (Disclaimer here that shouldn’t need to be said but I’m saying it anyways: You can’t “deserve” to be colonized. No culture or individual person should ever be forced to endure colonization. Full stop, period, end of story.)

Here’s the thing. This dude sucked balls, guys. He murders his adopted son. He hits his kids. He abuses his wives. & the whole time shows no learning from any of these actions. And those actions formed my analysis of the book! My analysis was that this guy sucked hard and the point of the book was that even when people suck, colonization is bad. My TEACHER’S analysis (and the only analysis she allowed us to discuss) was that this guy was a good guy and the point of the book was to make us feel bad that a good guy was the victim of colonization. I don’t even think I need to unpack why that’s totally bullshit, y’all have reading comprehension skills lmao.

To this day I still bitch about this book and this unit to my friends who were in that class. Not that any media analysis should ever be considered “right” or “wrong,” but to be told I was wrong in my analysis when I so very clearly was not was infuriating.

[dollycas]

Sunday Salon / Sunday Post – A Week in the Life of Dollycas – Weekly Rewind – New Arrivals

The Sunday Salon is a Facebook group that has become an informal week-in-review gathering place for bloggers. It is also a place to share our thoughts about things of a bookish nature. You can also link up weekly on Readerbuzz. The Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted by Kimberly @ Caffeinated Book Reviewer ~ It’s a chance to share news~ A post to recap the past week on your blog, showcase books and things we have received, and share news about what is coming up on our blog for the week ahead. HAPPY SUNDAY EVERYONE! Last Saturday night a huge thunderstorm system rolled through our area. Some people had trees down and a lot of damage. We didn't lose power this time and suffered no real exterior damage but the ground couldn't handle all the rainwater. Reports said we received between 8 to 12 inches of rain in a very short time. Streets and basements were flooded including ours. Thankfully we did a major clean-up in our basement a couple of months ago and most things have been stored in plastic totes with covers. It is days like these I am thankful we are renting our home because the water was coming in so fast that by the time the landlord got here there was more than 3 feet of water down there and some of the totes were tipped over or floating. Surprisingly, none of them popped open. Our landlord is much younger and more agile than us and he knew where a release valve was and a good old plumber's wrench opened that baby up and the water started to go down immediately. He has returned almost every day since then to remove any lingering water and to relight the water heater and the furnace.  He brought in fans to dry it out and will be replacing the dehumidifier that didn't survive its plunge. I would have hated for Mr. Dollycas to handle all this on his own. Tuesday was a mostly cloudy day and we had a little rain but we were able to travel to watch our granddaughter Natalie play a softball doubleheader. She pitched the first couple of innings and did a fantastic job. They tied the first game 7 - 7 and won the second 15 - 9. Then on Wednesday, we had just a short drive to watch Remi's baseball game. I think I have mentioned this is his 1st year playing and he is now pitching too. According to Mr. Dollycas, he has a perfect batting stance. I think he has played every position except catcher. Again the teams started evenly matched but soon Remi and his teammates started making incredible hits. We heard a lot of pings as the bats hit the balls. In his league, they have to play a minimum of 4 innings but the game was out of hand. Our coaches held the boys to one base at a time and then the other team had the bottom of the 4th inning to try to catch up. That didn't happen. Our kids were thrilled to win 16 - 2, but everyone felt bad for the players and coaches on the other team. They had an off night, and we were on fire. The weather was great too. The rest of the week we stuck around home doing our normal work, reading, watching television, repeat. It was much cooler all week too, so we could turn off the air conditioners and breathe some fresh air. How was your week? Weekly Rewind - June 24 - 29, 2024 Monday - My Reading Itinerary Monday! – Week #26 – 2024 Tuesday - Special Guest Marla A. White – Author of Framed For Murder (A Pine Cove Mystery) #Author Interview / #Giveaway – Great Escapes Book Tour Plus - Breach: A Terrifying Summer Adventure by Holly S. Roberts #Review / #Giveaway – Great Escapes Book Tour @hollysrobertsauthor This book received my Paradise Rating. Wednesday - Book Blast – Audio Book – Double Scoop of Murder: Coffee & Cream Café Mysteries by Lena Gregory – Read by Eleanor McCormick @lenagregory Plus - Cozy Wednesday featuring Torn Asunder (A Maine Clambake Mystery) by Barbara Ross #Review / #Giveaway @KensingtonBooks @barbross Thursday - Special Guest Jeannette de Beauvoir – Author of The Honeymoon Homicides: A Provincetown Mystery (Sydney Riley Series) #GuestPost / #Giveaway @jeannettedebeauvoir – Great Escapes Book Tour Friday - #FlashbackFriday – Murder at the Blueberry Festival (A Beacon Bakeshop Mystery) by Darci Hannah #Review / #ARC Giveaway @KensingtonBooks @AuthorDarciHannah Plus - Lori Roberts Herbst Saturday - Special Guest – Dave Dobson- Author of What Grows From the Dead #AuthorInterview / #Giveaway – Great Escapes Book Tour @GCDaveDobs @davedobsonfromiowaon @frosthelmbooks Plus - Death By Betrayal: A Josiah Reynolds Mystery by Abigail Keam #Spotlight / #Giveaway – Great Escapes Book Tour @abigailkeamauthor @author.abigailkeam What Grows From the Dead is free right now for Kindle on Amazon. Happy Reading Everyone!!! Your Escape Into A Good Book Travel Agent Read the full article

[mediaevalmusereads]

True History of the Kelly Gang: A Novel. By Peter Carey. Vintage Internarional, 2000.

Rating: 3/5 stars

Genre: historical fiction

Series: N/A

Summary: In True History of the Kelly Gang, the legendary Ned Kelly speaks for himself, scribbling his narrative on errant scraps of paper in semiliterate but magically descriptive prose as he flees from the police. To his pursuers, Kelly is nothing but a monstrous criminal, a thief and a murderer. To his own people, the lowly class of ordinary Australians, the bushranger is a hero, defying the authority of the English to direct their lives. Indentured by his bootlegger mother to a famous horse thief (who was also her lover), Ned saw his first prison cell at 15 and by the age of 26 had become the most wanted man in the wild colony of Victoria, taking over whole towns and defying the law until he was finally captured and hanged. Here is a classic outlaw tale, made alive by the skill of a great novelist.

***Full review below.***

CONTENT WARNINGS: racism (including the n-word), homophobia/transphobia, child abuse, child death, blood, gore

OVERVIEW: I saw this book on a list of best historical fiction and tbought it would be a nice deviation from my usual reads. I know very little about the history of Australia, so I figured this would probably prompt me to go learn more. I did learn a fair amount, but even so, I can't say I was overly impressed by this novel. Though I respect what it was trying to do and the way in which it was written, I ultimately felt like the narrative progressed unevenly, so for that reason, this book gets 3 stars from me.

WRITING: Carey's prose is interesting but admittedly a little hard to read. It is meant to mimic the dialect and education level of a poor criminal, so there are a lot of run-on sentences and abbreviations, as well as a lack of punctuation (mostly commas and quotation marks). While I appreciate the intention, I do think the style made it harder for me to sink into the story, and at times, I was unsure of exactly what was going on.

There were also little things that bothered me but were probably stylistic choices rather than missteps. For one, Carey repeats the word "adjectival" a lot - no doubt as a stand in for a curse word. Still, the repetition was distracting. Carey also chooses to include the n-word without censorship, and while I know it's an imitation of 19th century racism and writing style, I couldn't help but be deeply uncomfortable.

PLOT: The plot of this book basically recounts the life of Ned Kelly from birth to age 25 (when he is executed). Ned Kelly is historically a famous bushranger who lived in 19th century Australia and is akin to a Robin Hood figure, and Carey's story seeks to recount his life and crimes from the perspective of Kelly writing to his daughter.

I really enjoyed the subject of this book and the way Carey showcased the desperation and poverty of 19th century Australian life. Characters would struggle over and over again to try to get to a place of stability, but because of the corrupt politics and so-called "Squattocracy," it was near impossible for people to make an honest living. I think Carey did a good job capturing that desperation and the unrelenting hardship, and by the end, I was fully sympathetic to Kelly's causes.

I also think Carey did a good job contructing a strong relationship between Kelly and his mother. Kelly is incredibly protective of his mother and the two remain devoted to one another, even when things get rocky. I liked that Kelly struggled with the fact that his mother kept allowing horrible men into her life but forbid her son from interfering. It made the relationship more interesting and the question of survival more complex, and it seemed to me that Kelly's love for his mother was the only unshakeable thing about this book.

I also saw a lot of value in avoiding a lot of courtroom or violent scenes. Carey is not interested in writing out a dramatic trial or detailing the day to day experience of a 3 years hard labor sentence; though Kelly is jailed a few times, he never describes what the experience of a trial or a long stint in prison is like. There is always a time skip so the focus remains on his life as a farmer or as a bushranger. Part of me thinks this is an interesting way for Carey to make Kelly feel more real (less mythical), and I'm glad we don't dwell on things thay have a tendency to be dramatized for shock value. But another part of me has to admit that it made for some really tedious scenes, and some parts of the book felt a little slow.

But my main critique has to do with the racism, sexism, and anti-cross-dressing attitudes (which elicit some homophobia). Though I understand that 19th century attitudes towards non-white people, queer people, and women in general weren't the best, most of the -isms in this book felt random or inserted for some gritty sense of historical accuracy. Intellectually, I understand that these moments serve a purpose, but they did dampen my enjoyment of this book. They didn't feel like they were inserted as a strong critique of white settler colonialism, and besides, I can't quite figure out what Carey is trying to do with masculinity in this novel. Maybe I have to think about it a little more, but for the time being, let's just say that it all feels icky.

CHARACTERS: There are a lot of characters in this book so I'll only discuss our narrator (Ned Kelly).

Carey's Ned Kelly is made out to be a sympathetic do-gooder whose only goal is to live in peace and make enough money on his farm to live a quiet life. Despite all his criminal activity, Kelly has a fairly strong sense of honor and seems to be one of the only men who has a problem with women being treated poorly (particularly his mother). As a result, he did feel like he was an honest man who just got dragged into conflict against his will.

I'm not entirely sure if we're meant to read Kelly as 100% sympathetic or if the idealistic portrait is supposed to prompt us to view him as an unreliable narrator. Maybe this ambiguity is good because it makes us think a little more about the narrative, but if I'm honest, I wasn't very interested in figuring out if Kelly was lying. Personally, the idealism made Kelly feel a little dull, and I wanted him to either have a little more grey morality or for the unreliableness to be pushed a bit more.

TL;DR: True History of the Kelly Gang is admirable for the way it seeks to capture the voice of an iconic historical figure while also demystifying his struggle with law enforcement. However, the racism, sexism, and homophobia combined with some tedious pacing prevented this book from being wholly enjoyable.

[qu-film-history-to-1968]

Italian Neorealism and Post-War Hollywood Realism

By: Alex Grinacoff

      After watching both Bicycle Thieves (De Sica, 1948) and Call Northside 777 (Hathaway 1948), I was interested to see how Italian Neorealism and Post-War Hollywood Realism both have similar aspects in the sense that they both had a greater aim at portraying what life was actually like rather than making up some sort of fabrication to tell a particular story.

      I would first like to talk about Bicycle Thieves, which I personally thought was a great film. Prior to viewing this film, I really did not have much experience with Italian Neorealism, more so just a general understanding. Although, now I can see why this film was so important as well as groundbreaking. This film portrayed the true difficulties faced by those in post-war Rome. Most of the actors were non-professional, which definitely lended its hand to making the film much more realistic as well as authentic. 

      I think this movie helped to portray an extremely prominent issue, that being the struggle to find work as well as finding the means to complete that work once acquired. The main character, Antonio Ricci, finally finds a job but needs a bicycle to complete that work. Upon having the bicycle stolen, the film follows Ricci and his son on their quest to find the stolen bicycle. The point of this film was to highlight the struggles of working-class life in a torn post-war Italy, and I think it did just that. I feel that the premise of this film can be related to by many of those who were a part of the working world at that time and who faced struggles due to the major war that had just taken place.

                                          Upon reading “Three Neorealist Classics by Vittorio De Sica” by Bondanella, I found one quote that I think both relates and doesn’t relate to this film. The quote reads “De Sica’s brand of neorealism, markedly different from the more obviously experimental film style typical of Roberto Rossellini, represents a fascinating blend of some characteristics film historians traditionally associate with neorealism (nonprofessional actors on occasion, real locations, social themes) with the most highly developed techniques of international cinema–deep focus photography, highly literate scripts (there was no improvisation in anything De Sica or Zavattini ever did together), and professional performances from nonprofessional actors.”

      I think this quote relates to this film in several different ways. For one, it talks about the use of nonprofessional actors, real locations, and social themes which all thoroughly come into play with Bicycle Thieves. The film was actually filmed on site in Rome, and as I mentioned previously, the actors were mostly nonprofessional. In terms of social themes, this film depicts an issue that many who were impoverished after the war were sadly faced with and had to figure out ways to overcome.

      Although, one way in which I don’t think this quote relates to the film is the fact that it talks about no improvisation, which is actually on the contrary from this film. The actors did in fact improvise their performances which in turn helped to add even more to the overall realistic aspects of the film.

      I would now like to talk about Call Northside 777. It was interesting to me to see how this film depicted the idea of realism compared to De Sica’s Bicycle Thieves. Rather than following an impoverished working-class man, this film follows a reporter in Chicago who successfully proved that a man who was jailed for murder was actually wrongfully convicted 11 years prior. This idea of realism showcases a different issue other than poverty. Instead, it portrays an instance of social injustice. Despite being two different real-world problems, both of these films provide a true backstory to the hardships of actual life whether it be amongst the war-stricken and impoverished Italy or the unjust determination of fate in America. In my opinion, this film’s realism can be characterized by the notions of truthfulness and actuality that are apparent throughout it.

      Upon reading “The New Hollywood: Myth and Anti-Myth” by Brustein, I found one quote that I think serves as an excellent explanatory example of how these Post-War Hollywood Realism films portrayed a new world, unfamiliar to the pre-existing Hollywood audience. The quote reads “The dirt and the cobwebs, and the sex and the violence, of the realistic film serve a partial debunking function. They expose the glittering and hyperbolic lies of Hollywood glamor…In contrast to the technical virtuosity of the CinemaScope epic, the realistic film is singular for the modesty of its presentational devices. It is frequently shot in black and white and designed for projection on the smaller, conventional screen. The director, furthermore, prefers to work in actual locales rather than on the more artificial studio lots–”

                                                 I think this quote definitely can be related to Call Northside 777. For instance, the movie was actually filmed in Chicago, which only adds to the realistic feel of the story considering it follows a reporter based out of Chicago. I would also like to touch upon the black and white cinematography used as that also adds to the realistic aspect of the film while at the same time accentuating the hardship of the characters on screen. This idea of realism can also strongly be tied to the part of the quote in which they mention the exposing of Hollywood glamor. This is because this film shows more of what life actually is rather than falsifying a fantasy-filled world.

      Although, one way in which I don’t think this quote can be related to the film is when it references dirt and cobwebs. This film doesn't portray an impoverished man, rather a man in a pretty well-off position who is dealing with a different difficult situation other than financial struggles.

      Overall, I think that these two films are the same type of realism. Despite taking place in two different countries, they both portray real world issues that many people were facing at the time whether it be unemployment struggles or social injustice. These films acted as a portrayal of life in the world as it was rather than a glorified way of life that was far from the truth of what real people were actually experiencing. 

[kween-kiri]

Ok so I just finished Maggie’s Grave by David Sodergren and I will say I enjoyed it BUT it did not live up to the hype imo lemme explain.

It’s a well written folklore come alive story and I seriously couldn’t put it down. Sodergren did a really great job with keeping you immersed in the story and making you want to read more. There were a few moments where I was a little annoyed with the short chapters and the cliff hangers. Was just being impatient probably but that’s kinda what took me out of it.

As far as scary-ness it wasn’t too bad. I only remember actually being afraid once and had to stop reading. And it was the initial introduction when the characters first see the antagonist. But like after that…idk it was just like a whole bunch of murder and everything. Like pretty straightforward killing. When i read horror I tend to be more frightened by the unknown and the impossible, but again this one felt more simplistic. Which isnt a bad thing per say! Just wasnt what I was expecting and not something i really enjoy.

A few loose ends or some shit i had questions on that I didn’t think were wrapped up TOO well by then end but i do understand not everything needs to be explained.

Characters! I think were all pretty well done! You care about them, you hate them when you’re supposed to, you love them when you’re supposed to, you laugh at them when you’re supposed to. They’re all really well written. The star of the show Beth is the extremely well done showcasing emotional complexity while also not taking away from the moving plot. I always love a character that you’re confused on whether you like or dislike. In this case, I hated her but liked that I hated her if that makes sense.

Lastly the ending! Twist endings are always fun and exciting and I kinda liked this one a lot. I wish it had been more like uhh…idk hinted at I guess? Idk i think i like twist endings that kinda come out of nowhere BUT i also like to be able to go back and be like “Ohhh i see now”

Anyway! Final Marq Rating for Maggie’s Grave is a 3/5! A nice solid little creepy read for the spooky season. Would recommend!

Next up I’ll be finishing up Haunted by Chuck Palahniuk and Killing Commendatore by Haruki Murakami.