#doing an atla rewatch and she's just such an icon

[luffys]

Azula: I can see your whole history in your eyes. You were born with nothing so you had to struggle and connive and claw your way to power. But true power, the divine right to rule, is something you're born with. The fact is, they don't know which one of us is going to be sitting on that throne and which one is going to be bowing down. But I know, and you know. Well?

Long Feng: You've beaten me at my own game.

[wilcze-kudly]

I really want to see your post about how Katara is forcefully matured by the fandom, please!

Ok, while I wasn't ready to make that post in earnest, and frankly never might be, here's some of my cursory thoughts on the topic. I'd gladly talk about it in detail more but also ✨️fear✨️

So, let's get the obvious out of the way. Katara is a 14 year old. A child, barely a teen. In fact, the entirety of the gaang is made up of children.

Now, I haven't been fully active in the atla fandom in quite some time, mostly lurking on the peripheries, because the fandom is a shitshow. One of the reasons being the fact that most fans cannot, for the life of them handle the Gaang's inherent childishness.

This isn't just a Katara problem. Other than her, Aang suffers the most for the egregious crime of being a 12 year old survivor of a genocide. Suki is, of course, mainly ignored. The interpretations of Toph can vary wildly, from her being horrifically matured to being dissmissed as a chaotic, rude child. Zuko and Sokka's immature moments are looked at more permissively, being an angsty boi™️ and a goofy goober respectively.

I do find it odd that Aang doesn't get the "boys will be boys" pass, but ok, we'll blame it on him being... bald? a nice boy? not concerned with his own masculinity?

As for Katara, her maturity is treated like... a given. She's the mom of the group, the proverbial love interest, the feminist icon, the badass fighter, the trailblazer filled with feminine rage. The trophy wife to Aang, the (Lore Olympus style) Persephone to Zuko's Hades.

And true, she is, or at least can be, a lot of these things.

However she is, first and foremost, a child. This fact is presented to us on a silver platter in the first episode, when her and Aang are penguin sledding.

Katara : I haven't done this since I was a kid!

Aang: You still are a kid!

Katara is a child forced to mature. Her circumstances forced her to try to fill her mother's place and to fight for those who couldn't do so themselves. The fandom brands her as a mom friend. Sees her purely as an icon of empowerment. Or worse, degrades her character to being a love interest.

(im talking about both sides of the kataang/zutara debate. I have my biases, but I'm sure there are kataangers who treat her like this as well. I simply have encountered very few of them.)

Her story, while yes, has many themes of female empowerment is in huge part, a tragedy. The tragedy of a young girl forced to grow up much too soon.

Sadly, this is rarely spoken about. It's not spoken about directly and therefore a lot of the fandom doesn't see this. (Or simply doesn't want to see it)

This is not to say that Katara's more mature aspects should be dismissed or buried. She displays a lot of maturity for her age, to the point of being able to go toe to toe both intellectually and physically with the (admittedly usually incompetent) adults of the show. Additionally, she evolves as a character through the durtation of the show.

But a huge chunk of her maturity being forced and therefore unhealthy is a key aspect of her character.

I think what upsets me the most is that while the critiquing the idea of Katara being treated as the mom of the group in fanon is becoming more and more common, the treatment of her as something akin to a YA protagonist is on the rise.

Both these interpretations are so insulting to the character of Katara, what is wrong with you people?

I'm currently rewatching atla with a focus on Katara as a character (while also trying to give zutara a chance I am doing my best guys) and her childishness is an integral part of her. It's sad to see her treated as an adult by the fandom. And honestly unsettling, especially with how much of like a child she acts.

I wanna finish my rewatch before I give my full ramble on the topic. I also wanna look more into the many different opinions people in the atla fandom have on Katara's treatment by the show. Though even trying to skim the surfce was like injecting lemon juice directly into my tear ducts. Also I really, really don't wanna get sent death threats again.

I want to give the topic of Katara my full attention. However I don't think I'll ever make this post, actually. The atla fandom is a rabid horrid pack of creatures and I'm not sure if I wanna engage with all that.The post would probably bash a lot of things considered key arguments for Zutara, since, looking at Zutara through a child's doesn't exactly scream 'romance' and do I really want that on my blog?

Katara's role as a child isn't valued as much as her role as a woman and I just don't want to deal with people calling me mean names for talking about a little girl being traumatised.

I'd be glad to have a discussion but I made this blog mainly to have fun and enjoy a piece of media I like. I met some truly amazing people whom I can have really great discussions with, even if we don't agree. I don't want to jeopardise that by being a pretentious dick on a soapbox.

Call this and the last few posts I made on Katara me testing the waters.

[thebakingqueen5]

azula's trauma with favoritism

it's ATLA rewatch time which means it's ATLAnalysis time which means we are discussing one of the most complex characters in the show: Azula.

So Mai saves Zuko from Azula at the Boiling Rock and we hear the iconic lines:

But just THINK about the ramifications of this for Azula!

One of her biggest traumas, as the finale and comics have established, is her mother's treatment of her: specifically, how her mother thought of her negatively and how she favored Zuko.

And then this moment!!

Mai is one of her close, childhood friends- probably one of the people that has known her the longest and knows her the best.

If Mai had said ANYTHING else, it wouldn't have hurt Azula this much, but she made a direct comparison between the two siblings.

"I love Zuko more than I fear you" which is basically just "Zuko means more to me than you do," "I love Zuko more than I value our relationship" (in Azula's mind at least) and that is EXACTLY how Azula felt with Ursa.

You can even see it in her reaction- Azula looks disappointed at most after the betrayal and Mai saying "Maybe you don't know people as well as you think you do" but THE INSTANT Mai says that she loves Zuko, we go from this:

to this:

Mai has dredged up the worst trauma Azula is aware of and ADDED TO IT by suggesting her mother was correct all along.

THAT is what breaks Azula's calm facade, and THAT is what prompts her to even THINK about shooting lightning at Mai.

It really begs the question: did Mai say what she did intentionally?

She's obviously somewhat aware of Ursa's impact on Azula, so was she trying to provoke Azula? Or was it unintentional?

um but yeah all azula hate is undeserved she was an abused, brainwashed, traumatized child thank u for coming to my tedtalk

[gilmores-glorious-blog]

i finished my atla rewatch tonight and all of sozin’s comet is making me insane i have,, Thoughts:

- zuko joining the group hug <3

- “get out of the bisons mouth, sokka. 😐”

- the way we get such a good look at azula’s trauma when ozai tells her to stay behind as he goes off to conquer the earth kingdom is so interesting,, we see how differently she’s been treated than zuko (“you can’t do this! you can’t treat me like zuko!”) but that she’s still been manipulated and hurt by ozai

- the whole phoenix king shit is so dramatic, i see where zuko gets it from… drama definitely runs in this family

- jun is so hot god bless <3

- omg gramp gramp :D i totally forgot pakku married their grandma

- god the iroh and zuko reunion……… i am so unwell…

- “fatherlord” is funny but also kinda devastating

- the lion turtle is so fucking cool i forgot about this guy

- sokka hugging piandao :’)

- god toph is so cool

- nooooooo not the one fire nation guy who’s birthday it is 😭😩😭😩😩😭😭 genuinely feel so sad for him wtf??

- mark hamill shut the fuck up challenge (only as ozai though. i love you mark hamill.)

- azula’s descent into madness over the course of this finale is actually so devastating :(

- the final agni kai is soooo cool holy shit

- not sokka’s boomerang and his space sword 😭😭

- the scene with sokka and toph almost falling just ruins me,, something about it really reminds me how young they are,,, god these poor kids :(

- yessss the goatee grab

- the shot of aang using all four elements at once will forever be iconic

- iroh burning the fire nation insignia is something that can be so personal

- katara’s bending when she chains up azula is insane

- man fuck grey delisle for being such a good voice actress because azula’s sobbing and screaming after she’s been defeated genuinely hurts me to listen to,, she makes me so sad :,(

- god aang is so cool

- sokka seeing ozai and immediately sauntering over to him and going “welllll look at you, buster” is so fucking funny to me

- oh oop i forgot zuko and mai get back together lmao (love them both just. really do not ship them.)

- kyoshi warrior ty lee :) now she has all the girlfriends

- zuko’s coronation… him and aang.. fire lord zuko……. i can and will cry about this character so much

- the whole ending scene makes me so soft,, what a good found family and good characters and good show i love it all so much :,)

[meitantei-lavi]

hi hello i'm not drinking bc i'm at work but i have a minute to rant about lok under the cut since it's my semi-annual rewatch and i have Thoughts

SO OKAY first thing right outta the way outta the bat. maybe this isn't a popular opinion on tumblr.com, but i still really like the legend of korra. and i think that the show got/gets a lot of undeserved hate and criticism. like ppl complaining that korra is immature or makes bad decisions or whatever is laughable. she's a teenager for most of the series!! of course she does dumb things, that's what teenagers do. i can't say i was much better at 17 lol.

there are some justifiable criticisms that i totally get behind, tho, especially on rewatches. like i'll agree to the end of my days that season 2 is reaaaaally rough. it's not very fun to watch until like the last couple episodes, mostly exacerbated by the korra/mako romance.

how the characters are treated is also kind of weird and a little disappointing. like, the most obvious comparison i can think of is sokka and bolin. both are the comic relief type characters, but i feel like sokka was treated a lot better and had more character growth. he starts as a bumbling, arrogant idiot, but as the series goes along, he gets to grow into a more mature, well rounded character. does he still make mistakes and act goofy? of course! but compare that to bolin's character, who is (and maybe i need to finish my rewatch to be sure) kind of one note throughout the whole series. he starts as a goofy, bumbling sidekick who has flashes of maturity, but then just kinda. stays that way. also toph being a cop? lol. lmao even.

i also feel like the series as a whole could've been executed better, but i'm not sure how/what's missing. i'm sure there are plenty of ppl smarter than me who have thought about this lmao. i guess in fairness, it's difficult to follow up one of the most iconic and memorable series of all time, especially since i think i remember reading/hearing that there were all kinds of issues b/w the writers and nickelodeon. that probably didn't help things much.

but it's great that lok tried new things, like a more modern setting and a very different lead character than atla, and lok touched on some interesting and dark themes. not that atla didn't touch on dark themes, of course, but i think continuing to not shy away from death, imperialism, etc. was a good thing. not to mention it was one of the few primetime cartoons at the time that featured two explicitly queer characters, even before same sex marriage was legalized in the US! that in and of itself is important!

so idk! maybe i'll follow up to this post when i actually finish my rewatch.

[the-golden-ghost]

Top 10 avatar episodes? (ATLA or LOK)

I've never seen LOK so... A:TLA it is!

The Siege of the North: (technically this is a two-part episode but shh) anyway WHAT CAN I SAY ABOUT THE SIEGE OF THE NORTH?! Siege of the North is flawless. Amazing Showstopping Impeccable. The scene where ash starts raining from the sky, changing the tone of the scene from peace to tension? The glimpse of the rows upon rows of Fire Nation ships and the sinking dread it brings? The waterbenders in action? The part where Arnook is going “some of these faces will disappear from our tribe for good” and it flashes to Han, Yue, and Pakku, all of whom did indeed leave but for different reasons? The part where Zhao traps the Moon Spirit and the WHOLE WORLD goes red? And then gray after he kills it!??! And the only color left in the world is the glow from the fire and YUE’S EYES!? Koh? Iroh’s confirmation that Zuko is son in all but technicality? Yue’s sacrifice? There is just SO much good stuff in this episode and I’m not even listing all of it I’m just listing what I can remember. Peak season finale 10/10. Outstanding.

The Tales of Ba Sing Se: Okay it’s pretty obvious why I like this one and the answer is “because it owns, duh” but beyond that it’s just a nice episode. It’s not big, and intense, but there’s plenty of Big Intense Episodes. This one’s just everyone going about their lives and we get a lot of quiet reminders that while these are the Saviors of the World they’re also just people (and a lemur) with their own problems and desires and wants. It’s just kind of nice to have a slice of life episode that doesn’t... feel like just an odd shoehorned plot (like some of the season 1 filler episodes I could name...) but actually feels like it’s about the characters.

The Deserter: GOD this episode is so pretty. I’m talking about the lighting and art design. Seriously go watch one of the other earlier episodes of s1 and then watch this. The soft filtered lighting with a subtle gold/orange tint to it, hinting at the element we’re covering in this episode? Gorgeous. The foreshadowing is also glorious. Magnificent, even. When I rewatched the show a few months ago I was catching little subtleties that went over my head as a kid. It works beautifully as a self-contained piece and also in tandem with its sister episode, the Firebending Masters. It’s also got the ONLY Zhao vs Aang battle in the entire season. I could go on about it more but I won’t, it’s just a SOLID episode and I think it’s underrated.

The Southern Raiders: Okay I know everyone likes this episode for the part where Katara makes the rain stop and that’s also why I like it. That was one of the most memorable moments of the whole SERIES for me. Beyond that there’s the flashback to Kya’s death which... we’ve known about it. We’ve known about it for the whole series. It’s affected Katara and Sokka deeply and we see it through their actions, but we’ve never really known what happened. Here, we do. And we get to see it from three perspectives, three times over. And then there’s Aang’s and Katara’s conflicting ideas of justice and vengeance and whether violence is ever necessary or justified. It’s just... a good episode.

Sokka’s Master: The Only Sokka Episode (but really why did it take until season 3 to give him one!? He deserves better) Anyway Piandao is the best teacher character in the series bar none so there’s that. For another thing we actually get to see Sokka at his best and realize just how necessary he really is. He sort of gets written off (even IN the show) as pure comic relief or just the One Nonbender Who Hangs Out With All The Cool Guys but here we have a Justice For Sokka episode that goes ‘you know what? Nah’ and points out that he’s a strategic genius who carries the team from behind. AND that he can be a badass, too.

The Runaway: First of all the episode opening with the END of the events was kind of a fun gimmick. I mean it’s not hard to see where it’s going but it was different. Secondly it’s about time we got a Toph episode that isn’t just about her not getting along with her teammates or about being blind. For example, in this one she becomes a career criminal. It’s what she deserves. Also the stuff about them all missing their parents and driving home the fact that this is a group of lost children is surprisingly heartfelt. (I’m not describing it well but I love this episode)

The Blue Spirit: This episode gives us some of our first inklings of Zuko As Good Guy and boy does it deliver. The thing that gets me about this one is the tension of the situation. I remember being a kid and seeing Aang trapped and alone and being like “oh shit” because for the first time, he doesn’t have his friends. Except he had a ~friend all along~. Also the herbalist is an icon.

The Avatar and the Fire Lord: We Love a Flashback Episode and we especially love one that comes with the caveat that “friendships can last more than one lifetime”. We also love to be sappy. We also love to make fun of Roku for not realizing that he was in love with Sozin.

The King of Omashu: Bumi is The Character Of All Time and I think I appreciate him more than any other minor character on the show so jot that down. This episode is so goofy and so much fun but it feels organic and light because we’re still early and we haven’t hit the point yet where the goofy episodes are annoying and out of place (looking at YOU, Nightmares and Daydreams...) also when I was a kid I totally missed the idea that Bumi was testing Aang not to see if he was smart n’ talented but to actually find out if he’d learned any of the other 3 bending episodes. “Don’t you have any surprises for me?” And Bumi’s earthbending having airbending elements that are specific to his bending... because he’s one of the only earthbenders alive who knew and trained with airbenders... I die. I feel similarly to Jeong Jeong’s firebending taking after waterbenders because he’s envied them and giving him a unique style of his own... I LOVE when the show gives minor characters these little details that make them stand out okay I ADORE it

The Blind Bandit: Okay this one’s just a fun episode and the character designs slap. The Final Battle (tm) also slaps. Toph’s bending style? The dinner scene? The reference to Dwayne Johnson? It’s all good and the animation for Earth Rumble XI was off the charts.

[fu-yao]

tagged by @leonzhng​ thanks for making me dig through my most embarrassing crushes 😭✋

i’ll tag @highwarlockkareena​ @yibobibo​ @lan-xichens​ @purplexedhuman​ @aheartfullofjolllly​ @lanzhansmiles​ @nyx4​ i feel like i tag you guys in everything i am so sorry please ignore this if u don’t wanna do it !!

putting this under a read more for reasons

MEN 2010 – 2016

literally nothing more embarrassing than falling on the same type of white man over and over again (with the exception of minho from shinee bless his heart)

tommy joe ratliff → he was the bass player for adam lambert during his glamnation era (think of songs like for your entertainment and if i had you) idk why exactly i liked him so much but i just did.... however i searched him up again quite recently and found out he’s one of those republicans that says the dumbest shit on twitter so Big Yikes

harry styles → “baby you light up my world like nobody else, the way that you flip your hair gets me overwhelmed, and when you smile at the ground it ain’t hard to tell...” and BOOM 13-year-old me was sold for well over two years

louis tomlinson → basically i liked harry most until around 2013 when for some reason i started to like him a little less, and i got more focused on louis tomlinson, and although i didn’t like one direction anymore louis tomlinson always had a special place in my heart

ashton irwin → so ashton is 5sos’ drummer, i discovered 5sos through one direction & i stanned them until late 2014

harries twins → the harries twins (jack & finn) are basically the reason i started spending a lot of time on youtube, they were funny and pretty and they just had good videos in general, so for almost two years i’d watch their content regularly

choi minho → my first steps into kpop happened bc i was watching videos on youtube (most probably the harries twins) and suddenly i saw the sherlock mv in my recommended videos so i clicked on it and then 14-year-old me proceeded to fall for minho like an idiot

brooks twins → still youtubers, the brooks twins were 3/5 of the janoskians (jai & luke brooks, beau brooks, daniel sahyounie, & james yammouni), an australian youtube comedy group that was active from 2011-2018 though i was only around from 2012-2014 (when jai brooks was dating ariana grande)

jc caylen → surprise! another youtuber! jc caylen was part of o2l (our2ndlife) a youtube collaboration channel on which each of the 6 members posted videos on a certain day in the week (mondays with connor, tuesdays with ricky, wednesdays with sam, thursdays with jc, fridays with trevi (my 2nd favorite member bc she participated on the x factor), saturdays with ricardo, and then they had surprise sundays every week) and i remember how much joy jc & the others always brought me with their silly videos

misha collins → up next, you might know him as the gay angel that was sent to superhell after confessing his love to the homophobic hunter on supernatural, it’s misha collins! basically misha was a huge source of comfort for me, and i even went around calling myself emmisha for almost two full years (cringe)

henrik holm → he played even bech naesheim in skam and my crush on him reached that level of ridiculousness where i actually tried my hand at learning norwegian (i can only remember how to introduce myself and some curse words i would make a great first impression on him)

MEN 2016 – 2021

min yoongi → okay so my baby steps into kpop happened through shinee’s sherlock, but i only got really invested when yoongi dropped agust d 1 because Holy Fuck y’know??

kim namjoon → oh man i remember thinking namjoon was cute and a very good leader and then BAM he dressed like THAT at the 2016 mma’s and i fell in love. hard

park seojoon → i started liking park seojoon whilst i was watching hwarang (you guessed it, i watched it bc of taehyung), although he wasn’t my favorite character by far, but he was very silly off camera & i liked that (i’m not that into him anymore tho </3)

kim seokjin → OH BOY LET ME TELL U i liked seokjin from the very beginning (i got to know bts in late 2014) and i always liked seeing him perform and be himself and god once i realized i had a crush on him it just hit me like a mf truck, and he’s still one of my favorite people to this day

jung hoseok → god fake love era hoseok really hits different.... also yes i know i have all of bts’ hyung line on my list BUT bts was a really big part of my life for almost 6 years soooo honestly they deserve it i still think they’re great guys

choi san → when ateez made their debut in 2018 i immediately fell in love with san, he was such an amazing dancer and he captivated me right from the very beginning, to this day he’s still my bias in ateez uwu

xiao zhan → AND THEN, OCTOBER OF 2019 HAPPENS AND I WATCH CQL AND... i fall in love with xiao zhan, something i’d never expected would happen bc when i watched cql for the first time i wasn’t as invested in the story, but i really really really liked xiao zhan and one thing led to another and now here i am as a xfx

wang yibo → the thing is, i’ve known yibo since eoeo except i didn’t know cql yibo was uniq yibo (bc i’d forgotten his name) and when i looked it up i can tell you my jaw dropped to the floor bc holy shit????? also he is very silly and i love him loads ok

lee minho → ah, the man who has been my skz bias since 2018, not only is minho my bias i also kin him (there’s a lot of aspects of myself that i see in minho and vice versa) and he’s very comforting to me

bang chan → honestly, it was only a matter of time before i’d fall for bang chan, i knew the moment i got into skz again that i’d start biasing him and, well, here i am, double biasing chan & minho

WOMEN

this list is shorter bc i’ve in general always had less crushes on women than on men??? blame society forcing me into thinking i was straight for a LONG time

ariana grande → remember the 2011 layout of twitter?? where u could not only have an icon and a header, but also a background and ur twitter page was smack in the center of ur screen with the big ugly menu bar at the top??? yeah ariana grande was always my background for my l*rr* st*l*n*s*n layouts

perrie edwards → this was right around the time she was dating zayn & little mix was breaking out into the spotlight, yeah i just really loved her

andrea russett → okay so remember o2l?? andrea russett was kian’s girlfriend for a pretty long time and they always did videos together and i always thought she was super pretty

lily collins → maybe i don’t like clary in tmi all that much but i sure liked the way lily collins looked

alona tal → MY BISEXUAL AWAKENING, it’s only when i saw alona tal in spn that i realized, fuck i might be gay

park jihyo → i discovered twice (my 2nd jype group after day6) through the like ooh-ahh mv and red-haired jihyo really did something to my heart (i just rewatched it and god zombie bang chan is so mf cute)

kim jisoo → when bp made their square two comeback i was immediately smitten for red-haired jisoo in playing with fire, it’s also when i realized she was my bias out of the four members

shin ryujin → the reason that i have blue hair is partially bc of ryujin and her amazing intro in wannabe :D

xuan lu → her portrayal of jiang yanli was SO ON POINT and she’s just such a kindhearted wonderful person wow i want her hand in marriage

lee yoobin → god i’ve known dreamcatcher from back when they were still called minx and ever since i’ve always looked at dami that bit more than the rest, i was also able to see dreamcatcher live in october of 2019 and the whole experience was just so amazing !!

FICTIONAL CHARACTERS

there’s a whole lot more than just these 10 but i wanted to fit the evolution into one (1) slide as best as i could lmao

peter pan → this movie came out in 2003 (?) and he’s honestly the first fictional character i remember ever having a crush on

legolas → i was really doubting between placing haldir or legolas here but i only really got a vague haldir obsession when i was like 14

zuko → LOOK. ZUKO IN ATLA? HOT. ZUKO IN LOK? HOT EVEN IF HE’S AN OLD MAN.

will turner → man was annoying sometimes but i really liked him and his relationship with elizabeth was cute

jo harvelle → gosh i can’t believe she’s the only female character in here???? yeah she was one of my two spn faves and i’ll never forgive the screenwriters for the way they killed her off

castiel → does your fave ever get sent to super hell for being gay? no? well. mine did

kili → fili and kili’s storyline tore my heart out, spit on it, and then laughed straight in my face, KILI WAS LITERALLY MY FAVORITE DWARF

howl → i only watched this movie for the first time in 2020 so i kinda fucked up the tl cause i watched cql in 2019 but shh, anyways howl with his blonde hair was good looking but howl with his black hair just hits differently. i want a howl

lan jingyi → MY BABY BOY, TINIE LITTLE BABIE WHOMST I MUST PROTECT ok no but seriously this kid. i love him a lot

mu qing → BARK BARK. that’s all (that’s not all i love him a whole lot and it hurts me to see so many people misunderstand his character and only see the bad parts of him when they can forgive others for fucking up (eg. xie lian himself & feng xin) but bc mu qing doesn’t deal well with emotions suddenly he’s the bad guy??? i s2g if ppl are gonna do to him what they did to jiang cheng in the tgcf la i will RIOT)

[tuiyla]

I just finished rewatching The Legend of Korra and it feels... weird? To see it all unfold again, five and a half years after the finale first aired. I’ve rewatched it a couple of times but both ATLA and LoK can be so different with each and every viewing. Well, not different, just give a new perspective. This time around I thought a lot about what Korrasami could have been if only it was made more recently.

Hear me out. I love Korrasami as it is. I have no idea exactly how strict Nick’s censorship was and even back in 2014 I wished we could have had more, something more explicitly queer, but I was and am so happy about it still. Watching Books 3 and 4 air for the first time, slowly realizing that they are actually going somewhere with Korra and Asami’s relationship, man, that was a good time. Such an experience to watch the relationship develop. I also adore both characters to death and it was once again so good to see my babies grow. I am also now the age of Asami in Book 4 (22) and and when these episodes first aired I was Korra’s age in Book 1 (17), so yeah, wild time.

But with She-Ra recently ending and that beautiful and breathtaking Catradora ending, I can’t help but wonder. I know people joke about “Korrasami walked so Catradora could run” but that really is true. 2014 wasn’t that long ago but it feels like a different world in terms of queer rep in children’s animation. In 2014, we only had “What Was Missing” and “Sky WItch” for Bubbline content. I have very strong feelings about Bubbline being crucial in paving way to animated queer rep, it only became canon almost four years after Korrasami happened.

I wonder because part of me wishes LoK came after Adventure Time and Steven Universe and She-Ra, so that Korra and Asami could have had their on-screen kiss, so that we could have had more. I’m so happy about Catradora and the future of animation and I was so happy in 2014, but now I realize that we deserved more and dammit, we still do.If Korrasami happened in 2020, it would be a different ending. As iconic and beautiful as it was to watch Korra and Asami walk into the spirit portal holding hands, it feels... Well, I don’t want to say it doesn’t feel like it’s enough now. I don’t want to minimalize the impact that that had back then. And yet, I wish Korrasami could have ran.

At the same time, what if The Legend of Korra wasn’t made in 2014? As much as I don’t want to dismiss the finale’s importance, I also don’t want to give it all the credit. Adventure Time started building up Bubbline and received backlash for it in 2012. Shows like Steven Universe set out to be unapologetically queer from the very beginning. It’s probably arrogant to say that without Korrasami we never could have had Catradora or other rep, but it was a milestone and I wonder how things would have been different without it. Maybe another show could have taken its place, who knows. It’s probably for the best that we had LoK in 2014.

Another aspect I considered is the way Korrasami had to work around censorship. I’m over trying to explain to people why their development felt organic and authentic so I’m not gonna justify it, it just did. And honestly, it might not have been was it not for the constraints of the studio. Like, I love the Avatar franchise with all I am but romance is the creators’ strong-suit, yet Korrasami developed so realistically because they couldn’t turn around and say “and now they’re in love” the moment they wanted to. That’s something you can do with straight couples, you don’t have to justify their existence. So this might have been a blessing in disguise, if you think about it, at least we got an actual relationship explored between the two before the possibility of a romance was even mentioned. That strong bond is worth more than an on-screen kiss, perhaps. Also, we have the comics.

I suppose, at the end of the day, I still appreciate Korrasami the way it was, but I’m also so happy that She-Ra and Catradora got to, just, exist. Without people calling it ambiguous, without justifications, without an explanation needed as to why it wasn’t more. It’s 2020 and we’re finally at a point where creators can tell the stories they want to tell, unencumbered by censorship. She-Ra’s triumph was not guaranteed, either, which shows that there’s still work to be done, but it’s an example of another milestone. My heart aches a bit because Korrasami’s narrative is forever tied to studio meddling and production issues (thanks, Nickelodeon), but the future is bright.

This train of thought was brought on by a particular project idea I have where I explore Bubbline, Korrasami, and Catradora, all of the individual characters and their relationships as they relate to trauma and transgression. There’s so much to be said about them, and part of it is how they show the progression of queer rep, hence this post. But the actual essay will probably focus more on the in-universe stuff. So yeah, that’s happening at some point, let me know if you’re interested and if you have any thoughts on any of this.

[that-was-anticlimactic]

it’s three am and I should I be asleep but today is the ten year anniversary of Ninjago and I’m just... so so so happy and full of genuine joy. Ninjago is the reason I joined tumblr (even if I’m more atla now, I will always be Ninjago at my core), Ninjago is the reason I began to write as much as I do now, Ninjago helped me realize third person was my writing strong suite. Ninjago is... so much to me. I was there in 2011 when it started and I remember all of the raw emotions I felt watching the show.

Finding out Lloyd was the green ninja. The ninja getting younger and Lloyd growing older. Crying at the season two finale when Lloyd broke his leg and the rest of his team got hit and turned evil. I remember being devestated when Zane died. And being so happy when he came back. I vividly remember being in the car to Dairy Queen when I was in eighth grade when I first found out Cole became a ghost and I remember watching season five in other languages on YouTube just to see what happened.

I remember sitting on my bed crying over The Last Resort. I remember the fandom screaming when Maya and Ray entered the picture and when Lloyd said “Twins look alike”. I remember everyone guessing who Samurai X would be and who the baby was. I remember episode 92 of Ninjago when Harumi died and I remember saying “the resistance never quits” and feeling such power and confidence in myself. I remember crying when Cole fell— not just because he’s my favorite character, but also because Ninjago handled that scene so well. I remember learning the scene when Lloyd finds out Cole fell in asl and rewatching that scene at least twenty times a day. I remember telling my math teacher that episode 98 of Ninjago would be live-streamed during her class (senior year of high school) and that I had to watch it because I have been so mentally distraught about the fall all week and her kids loved the show too so she let me and I actually cried in class when Lloyd “died”.

I remember learning about Ninjago anime through tumblr. I remember screeching when Cole had the nightmares about falling and when Zane was the Ice Emperor. I remember getting so excited when I found out Scott and FugiDove were voiced by Adrian Petriw and that Cole fell once more. I remember season thirteen coming out and crying again because Cole finally has a season and it was so freaking good. I remember learning that Kirby Morrow died on November 19th, 2020.

I remember a family. I remember a passion. I remember the home I never felt like I had. I remember the true potential episodes. “I know who I am”, “you are the best you”, “I’m proud of who I am and I want you to be proud too”, “I knew when I had to make a choice”. I remember “we are so hooped”.

I remember love and heartbreak, tears and joy. I remember that the best way to defeat your enemy is to make them your friend. I remember bequeath. I remember “this isn’t about numbers, it’s about family!”. I remember Jay essentially telling Cole that his feelings for him are stronger than his feelings for his girlfriend. I remember “Chen can try his best to split up our team, but he’s about to find out what happens when we put ourselves back together”. I remember that as iron sharpens iron, brother sharpens brother. I will always remember the iconic “that was anticlimactic” from Kai.

I remember “save me, Jay Walker. There’s gonna be a wedding and I want you to do something about it”. I remember that if you want soenhnjng bad enough, you find a way to make it happen. I remember Day of the Departed and how kind Cole was to Yang, how he regained his mortality and was left with his scar. I remember Cole’s relationship with Wu, how close of a bond they had. I remember getting literal chills from Britt McKillip singing “spider’s in the house, sleep, sleep. Spider bit the mouse, sleep deep. Don’t wake up or else you’ll find a spider in your mouth”. I remember laughing so hard when Cole was singing as Rock Dangerbuff. I remember Jay going mad in the realm of Oni and Dragon. I remember seeing the bones of the Ultra Dragon. I remember being so excited to see the elemental masters (and Darreth) again. I remember “there’s more to life than surviving!”.

I remember being so happy to learn that s11-13 were going to happen. I remember Vex and Akita, Unagami and Scott, The Skull Sorcerer and Vania (the Geckles and Munce). I remember Lilly. I remember.

I remember Ninjago, a show that means more to me than I can fit into words. I remember a silly television show that changed my entire life. I remember characters who brought me joy when no one else could.

So I thank Cole, Kai, Jay, Zane, Lloyd, Nya, Pixal, Skylor, Garmadon, Wu (sometimes— if he’s not hiding stuff😂), Misako, Darreth, Ronin, Pythor, the other Elemental Masters, Cyrus Borg, Dr. Julien, Lou, Ray and Maya, Ed and Edna (I love them), Morro, Harumi, The Overlord, Mystake, Faith, and so many other characters.

Thank you, Kirby Morrow, Vincent Tong, Brent Miller, Michael Adamthwaite, Kelly Metzger, Jillian Michaels, Sam Vincent, Paul / Michael / Brian Dobson, Mark Oliver, Kathleen Barr, Jennifer Hayward, Heather Doerksen, Alan Marriott, Andrew Francis, Ian James Corlett, Britt McKillip, Scott McNeil, Tabitha St Germain, Lee Tockar, and so so so many others.

To Dan and Kevin Hageman, Tommy Andreasen, The Fold: thank you so much.

[thinkingisadangerouspastime]

for the character asks, FMA Scar??

an excellent choice, my friend. the most iconic development of pretty much any character i've ever had the pleasure to read/watch!

(i know you can hardly see his face in this gif but i couldn't resist bc of mei in the background 😂)

Why I like them: his character arc is absolutely unparalleled. obv im on an atla kick right now and zuko's redemption arc is the thing™, but i personally prefer scar's development. they're clearly very different tales since scar is a victim of genocide while zuko heavily benefited from the fire nation's imperialism, but scar's arc just struck a deeper chord in me. seeing him grow from drowning in rage and pain to semi-adopting mei to becoming begrudging allies with the elrics and team mustang to working to rebuild ishval by the end of the series? holy crap. phenomenal. scar is what hama could have been tbh

Why I don’t: no reason not to like him, next question

Favorite episode (scene if movie): again it's been a while since i've done a proper rewatch so i don't remember exact episodes but i love all of his flashbacks to ishval (the one with winry's parents makes me 😭) and his fight with bradley!! wow!!

Favorite season/movie: i don't think of fma in seasons lmao. seeing him work with the elrics and team mustang in the latter half of the show is amazing though!!

Favorite line: "I am walking down a path of no return, so I will leave behind me every gift I've received from God." i had to google quotes i'll admit it but this one!! he knows, in a sense, that what he's doing is wrong and almost irredeemable, but he's compelled to do it anyway (yet by the end of the series we see him turn around). and him giving up his name because god gave it to him and thus he's no longer deserving of it 😭 literally just one thing of many that makes scar such a standout character

Favorite outfit: this probably doesn't count as an outfit but by the end of the series when he has the alchemy/alkahestry tattoos on both arms!! iconic!!

OTP: don't really have one tbh?

Brotp: him and mei. she's basically his child now, there's nothing he can do about it (not that he ever would, obviously, he adores her)

Headcanon: he visits mei in xing at least twice a year! they always try to cram too many activities into not enough time, but it's always worth seeing the smile on mei's face when they have a blast despite the time constraints (even if scar acts all gruff and serious the entire time, lmao. mei knows he had fun)

Unpopular opinion: not sure if i have one? the fma fandom is super chill and the show/manga is pretty much perfect so we're all vibing

A wish: content of miles and scar rebuilding ishval post-canon!! please!!

An oh-god-please-dont-ever-happen: scar forgetting about mei bc she's back in xing. absolutely not. their found family dynamic must forever live on

5 words to best describe them: wronged, resentful, healing, (secretly) kind, and dedicated

My nickname for them: no nicknames!

[azure-firecracker]

Tell me about your favorite SPOP or ATLA/TLOK episodes!!

BUT CRESS THERE ARE SO MANY!!!

Riiight SO! Favorite episode of ATLA is probably The Beach. I’m an Azula fan girl, obviously, and this is the episode where she is at her most human, which I love. There’s also tons of Tyzula content, and they’re my favorite ship.

But of course, so many other ATLA episodes are so good! A couple that come to mind are The Puppetmaster and the Crossroads of Destiny (which I just rewatched tonight actually!)

I’m not gonna do TLOK because I don’t remember any episode titles, and also because although I really like it and I think it’s hated on too much, I also feel like most of its episodes are at a consistent level and there aren’t really as many standouts. Though that could be because I watched most of it when I was super sick and in a haze of pain and exhaustion.

SPOP I also have WAY too many favorites I guess my top 3 are Corridors, Save the Cat, and the Finale because I’m just such a huge Catradora fan. I’d been rooting for them basically since the first episode, and these three episodes just brought me so much joy.

Thanks for the ask Cress! Love the new icon!

[quelsentiment]

hi e, 4, 10, 11, 22 & 25 for the tv asks 🌸🌷 hope you’re well, have a lovely day!! 💗

Hey Sabrina, thank you! Hope you’re having a good day too 💞

4. Who is your favourite female television character of all time?

Buffy Summers probably.

But shoutout to my girl Katara from ATLA

Also Sana from Skam

10. Least favourite character on your favourite television show?

My favourite TV show is Six Feet Under and I think my least favourite character on it is Rico. I just never really cared about his storylines, also if I remember well he fucked up many times (I mean they’re all pretty fucked up in this show, but I never felt that sympathetic towards Rico, unlike with the other characters)

11. Favourite character on your favourite television show?

Oh gosh it’s hard to choose, I think I’d need to rewatch it. I think back in the day it was Claire because she was the character I could relate to the most (like, the younger sister who’s trying to figure out what she wants to do with her life). But Ruth (the mother) is always such a mood, I think I’ll lowkey be like her once I’m an older lady.

22. Name a show that means something to you, and why?

Bojack Horseman because it’s one of the few shows that had a canonically asexual character and actually handled it pretty well. Also I just think this show is very well written, and deals with a lot of more serious and difficult topics in a thoughtful way.

25. Favourite television villian?

I have to go with Spike from Buffy. Not really a villain anymore by the end of it but we love a redemption arch in this house, and Spike is freaking iconic.

TV and film asks ✨

[jenndoesntwantto]

a tag game

I was chosen by @bihopemikaelson (thanks! this was so much fun!!) so I went with the last 5 shows in my television tag:

Pick 5 shows, then answer the following questions. don’t cheat. tag 10 (or however many) peeps

1. fleabag

2. the musketeers

3. avatar the last airbender

4. vida

5. derry girls

1. who is your favorite character in 2?

d’Artagnan all the way! What a perfect example of peak gryffindor tm, but with some hidden depth. Underneath the volatility, I think he had a very thoughtful and romantic way at looking at the world. Especially series 1 and 2 where he was more playful and kind of in on the joke of the genre.

2. who is your least favorite character in 1? 

uh Claire’s husband, I don’t even know is name. I mean he’s meant to be the worst so you know, there’s that

3. what is your favorite episode of 4?

every episode of Vida is a GREAT episode, but I was so blown away by the episode where Emma goes to that wedding with Cruz (”Episode 9″ or s2e3). It introduced Nico, and that was AMAZING, but it also featured an amazing and necessary conversation about queerness. The wedding itself was SO lovely and romantic. Plus, I really liked Mari helping out with Eddy.

4. what is your favorite season of 5?

both seasons are amazing, but I think I’ll go with the second one by like a hair

5. who is your favorite couple in 3? 

this is so, uh, basic of me I guess, but I really like all of the canon couples? I won’t name names, but honestly this is one of those shows where I have a much bigger notp than an otp. If we’re going rare pairs though, I will say I feel Zutaang is really underrated.

6. who is your favorite couple in 2?

hhhhhm, god, two canon het couples in a row, but TRUST ME, the show develops Constagnan so well (especially in s1) that it’s pretty hard not to ship it. Any sort of poly situation with the musketeers is good though. In a similar rare pair spirit to question 5: the potential of Porthagnan is criminally ignored

7. what is your favorite episode of 1?

I really binged Fleabag, so it’s hard to think about it in episode terms. The silent retreat episode for s1 for sure, but all of s2 is SO excellent--perfect open and closing episodes. My crush on Kristin Scott Thomas kind of makes me wanna say her episode.

8. what is your favorite episode of 5?

If I absolutely had to pick one probably “The Curse” from s2. The kid plot and the adult plot all really worked. And like the “Rock the Boat” scene? Perfection.

9. what is your favorite season of 2?

the best parts of s2 are the best parts of the entire show, but the best season overall is s1 hands down. It is SO much fun.

10. how long have you watched 1? 

I missed Fleabag when it first came out, but watched the entirety of it in like 2 very late night sittings back in June.

11. how did you become interested in 3? 

I had taste and was alive and still watching nickelodeon in 2010.

12. who is your favorite actor in 4?

Mishel Prada--she’s my fave character, so I’m biased, but she’s playing a character who presents herself very controlled, but has a lot going underneath, and she just does it beautifully. Shout out to Melissa Barrera though, because she keeps Lyn’s beautiful heart even when she’s at her most exhausting.

13. which do you prefer, 1, 2, or 5?

Derry Girls, because I’ve watched it 3 times in the last two weeks

14. which show have you seen more episodes of, 1 or 3 ? 

I’ve rewatched atla many, many, many times so

15. if you could be anyone from 4, who would you be?

Nico’s serenity and kindness really appeal to me. Plus, I am obsessed with her look. I’ve been looking to get some chain’s like hers ever since I saw them.

16. would a crossover between 3 and 4 work?

Hard to imagine what with mediums and settings, but they could probably be pretty good AUs of each other? Emma and Lyn could be very, very different kinds of water tribe (oh or a blended nation family like Mako and Bolin!) and the atla characters could be reacting to gentrification instead of outright war since it’s about imperialism either way.

17. pair two characters in 1 who would make an unlikely but strangely okay couple?

ok so this is so indulgent, but Fiona Shaw (Fleabag’s counselor) and Kristin Scott Thomas. Dare I say... iconic?

18. overall, which show has the better storyline, 3 or 5? 

this is not completely fair because they are SUCH different formats with very different goals, but like Avatar the Last Airbender is literally one of the most perfectly told stories ever produced for television so

19. which has the better theme music, 2 or 4?

right, so The Musketeer theme/intro is literally one of my fave opening credit sequences in any show ever. It is the silliest thing I have ever seen and perfectly sets you up for what this show is

This was so much fun! I might do it again with my most tagged shows

I’m going to pass this forward to @lunalitsol @the-walking-spoiler @kattperson @yesiamanerd @laura-arro-babbles @ricecakekate @doopderhead @jessicaisweird @angelfireeast @cherrytheangstprincess

[undeadwicchan]

Rewatching RWBY: Volume 2, Episodes 9-12 [ Live Blog]

What a calm before the storm kind of ending, just as I remember it.

[Episode 9]

I had to pause to understand what Oobleck was saying so fast…

Girls, c’mon. Oobleck isn’t that bad.

Omg Jaune’s fanboying.

That was… really awkward and tense.

Blake’s eyes lingered on Sun for a moment as they were leaving… hm…

Seeing what remains of the attempted expansion of Vale is very depressing…

LMAO, Nice loophole Ruby.

Oobleck is a very enjoyable character asfktajk

I’m gonna love the camera for this episode aren’t I?

Yang’s motivation to be huntress is that she likes thrills, but… I wonder if her motives have changed when being a huntress after everything that has happened thus far…

Weiss’s motivation as a huntress is definitely going to be further explored in Volume 7.

Blake just wants her talents to be used to better the world, but I wonder if she’ll eventually take control over the newly reformed White Fang in the future after doing what she has to do with the others.

Those Grimm are HUGE

That’s deep Oobleck.

A certain chunk of fans didn’t really like this part, but I fucking LOVE seeing Yang, Blake, and Weiss question themselves on their motives when it comes to training to become huntresses. It adds layers to their characters.

Ominous.

[Episode 10]

Glynda says the truth, and she should say it louder.

Man they both look depressed…

“Our businesses operated in ...a morally gray area” “That’s putting it lightly” Y..Yeah no kidding, just ask Adam.

Subtle hints about Adam from Blake, and I can see not just his symbol on there, but the other flowers too…

Again, I LOVE THIS. I LOVE THIS CONVERSATION.

Oobleck heard that, Weiss. ;)

Ruby’s sneaking lmao.

Taking crater face to a whole new level.

“The boss is gonna want to see this one” Again… WHERE THE FUCK WAS ADAM THIS WHOLE TIME?!

Hello again, Roman.

Thank you for the history lesson, Oobleck.

And here’s a reminder as to why Oz was so mad at Merlot in Grimm Eclipse.

[Episode 11]

There’s just something humorous about Roman’s way of bullying Ruby.

Ruby is so lucky not of those bullets hit her.

How many of Adam’s men did Adam had to give Roman control over!? Those look like hundreds!

Omg Oobleck and Ruby.

You know.. I actually feel bad for the White Fang here… They’re being forced to do Cinder’s and Roman’s bidding, dying for Cinder’s cause and not their own…  And their god damn actual leader isn’t even here!

Oh hi there Neo.

Something tells me if we were to get rematch between Neo and Yang. Neo would still kick her ass.

Like for real, that’s Adam’s right-hand man and lieutenant and he’s here, under Roman’s orders too?!

Blake’s look of concern kinda tells me, she knows how strong Banesaw actually is.

Like Mentor like Student.

And so begins… The Weiss never winning a 1v1 against a human curse….

“You think a little bow on top is gonna make people forget who you were? What you've done...?” WHAT DID BLAKE DO, RT WHY HAVEN’T YOU EXPANDED ON THIS.

Thank god for aura protecting Weiss, but oof…

Hello Raven!!

You know seeing her V2 model… I can see why people thought Raven and Adam have a connection of sorts. Especially with their appearances and weapons.

Oobleck and Zwei is probably one of the most iconic duos in the show.

That was spine-chilling to see that happen…

Once again, ominous.

[Episode 12]

MFW LAST EPISODE WE’LL HEAR MONTY AS REN, *CRIES*

Jfc, those sirens are ominous sounding.

That’s a lot of Grimm…

Reinforcements are here!

LMAO Jaune.

You can do it Jaune!

Ah man, it would have been awesome to see Sun and Neptune in action here.

Now we see Atlas in action.

Go Emerald!

CAFFEINE IS MY JAM!

LET’S GO TEAM CFVY!

YATSUHASHI!

VELVET!

FOX!!

Coco is such a badass lesbian. A true role model for all lesbians.

Glynda had enough of everyone’s shit at this point.

Alright they got rid of all of the Grimm in Vale.

I know people didn’t like how it kinda ended, but it’s nice.

Literally calm before the storm kind of Season finale. I like it.

Also Yang and Blake kinda looked like they were holding hands, but not sure.

Ozpin is not having any of the council’s bullshit.

“I will keep our people safe, you have to trust me.” Like Oz hasn’t heard that one a billion times.

“You brought this on yourself” BITCH.

Ironwood is smug about his title and towards Torchwick.

Y’know, I feel if Roman had told the truth, most of V3 would never happen…..

Oh god, that laugh, that crazed look on his face. I remember a theory or something like that where it they theorized that Roman is like unbound/unhinged without his hat.

Yeah, I don’t think Adam is too happy about that. Especially the possibility his lieutenant is dead.

AND SPEAK OF THE DEVIL WHERE THE FUCK HAVE YOU BEEN GOOD SIR?!

I DEMAND ANSWERS RT. WHAT DID CINDER HAVE ADAM DO THIS WHOLE TIME!?

Also it sucks that this scene between Yang and Raven was retconned out of the show. It would have been interesting.

Once again, it’s still my second favorite volume for all of it build ups and everything. I’m gonna take a food break and make sure… I’m emotionally ready for Volume 3…My favorite volume...

[roseisread]

My Year in Movies: Favorite Non-2018 Feature Films (Part 1)

I watched a LOT of movies this year. At last count, I had logged 229 features and 126 shorts; and that doesn’t count rewatches--only movies that were new to me.

I set a few challenges for myself as well this year. The first one was to watch at least one non-English language/US release per week--this exposed me to so much world cinema and some really amazing filmmakers. Anyone who avoids foreign films because “I don’t like subtitles” is really missing out, and I found myself craving these narratives from voices I don’t ordinarily get exposed to in my everyday life. 

Other personal challenges: Watching as many horror movies as possible in October (with horror defined pretty loosely so I could include entries from silent era and onward, as well as some comedy cult classics that have horror/thriller elements); participating in Noirvember (in addition to attending Noir City in Chicago); crossing off some major blindspots from my list (such as Bicycle Thieves, The Producers, Lethal Weapon, A Few Good Men, Grease, Home Alone 2, Brazil, and Indiana Jones & the Temple of Doom); and trying to watch movies and short films from every decade that motion pictures have existed.

In 2019, I hope to do similar personal challenges with a focus on movies made by women, LGBTQ+, and people of color, in addition to filling in the gaps of my classical/canonical movie knowledge. 

OK, so that’s enough preamble. Let’s get to the list! For this list, I’m excluding movies that were released in 2018--that’s coming but this is for movies released before that. 

50. Linda Linda Linda (2005, directed by Nobuhiro Yamashita, country of origin: Japan)

High school girls recruit the Korean exchange student (Doona Bae, of Cloud Atlas and Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance) to join their rock band a few days before the school talent show. This is just a feel good film, recommended if you enjoyed the likes of Sing Street, We Are The Best!, and The Runaways. Unfortunately, it’s out of print in physical form; but last I checked someone had uploaded it to YouTube so you might want to get on that before it’s removed. You can watch the trailer here.

49. The Blue Dahlia (1946, directed by George Marshall, country of origin: US)

This film noir stars Veronica Lake and Alan Ladd, and like any good noir, it deals with dark subjects including murder, blackmail, political corruption, and PTSD. It’s been on my watchlist for a long time, and thanks to Noir City Chicago, I got to see it on the big screen at the Music Box Theatre. For small screen viewing, you can catch up with it via rental on Vudu, Amazon, iTunes... the usual suspects. 

48. Siren of the Tropics (1927, directed by Mario Nalpas and Henri Etievant, country of origin: France)

My dearly departed Filmstruck had a spotlight on the films of Josephine Baker, and this was among them. I fell in love instantly with the lively, beautiful Baker, here playing a woman named Papitou who deals with some super scummy dudes but manages to be herself in the face of all that nonsense. Silent films can sometimes be tougher to engage with for modern audiences, but this one flies by and contains some unexpectedly racy sequences for the time. Its racial politics don’t meet today’s cultural standards, but considering Baker’s parents were former slaves and their daughter went on to become the first woman of color to star in a major motion picture, this is still a landmark film worthy of our consideration. She broke down many barriers and contributed a great deal to both the entertainment world and the Civil Rights movement, and this serves as a nice entry point into her career. It’s available on DVD through Kino Lorber, and hopefully one day soon it’ll pop up on another streaming service that carries on the Filmstruck legacy.

47. I Don’t Feel At Home in This World Anymore (2017, directed by Macon Blair, country of origin: US)

Here’s a film that goes to some unexpected places. I had no idea what to expect from Macon Blair, who frequently appears in the movies of Jeremy Saulnier; but in his debut feature for Netflix, he pulled out all the stops. Hilarious, violent, and intense, with memorable performances from stars Melanie Lynskey and Elijah Wood, this is a movie about getting in over your head and just going for it anyway. I don’t want to tell you about the plot because it’s best discovered through watching--just go to your nearest device and add it to your Netflix queue. 

46. Song of the Sea (2014, directed by Tomm Moore, country of origin: Ireland)

Absolutely gorgeous animation from the team that previously brought us The Secret of Kells, and a touching story that combines family and mythology. I adored this one. Watch it on Netflix or rent on the usual streaming sources--for a preview, click here. 

45. Yankee Doodle Dandy (1942, directed by Michael Curtiz, country of origin: US)

I always watch Independence Day on the Fourth of July; but in 2018, I decided to mix it up and cross this patriotic musical off the watchlist. I’d seen James Cagney’s gangster movies like White Heat and The Public Enemy, but seeing him sing and dance was a whole new joyous discovery. This movie is entertaining, funny, touching, and full of iconic sequences that other films would go on to borrow from. I absolutely loved it. Pretty sure I saw this on Filmstruck originally, but since that’s no longer possible you should be able to find it at your local public library or you can rent it for a couple bucks on Amazon, YouTube, iTunes, and the like. 

44. The Man Who Cheated Himself (1950, directed by Felix Feist, country of origin: US)

This tightly wound noir thriller pits brother against brother against the backdrop of 1950s San Francisco. Lee Cobb plays an aging bachelor and an accomplished police detective who falls for the wrong dame. His younger brother, played by John Dall (Gun Crazy, Rope), has just joined the police force and idolizes his older brother. Trouble strikes when the dame murders her no good husband and needs help from Cobb to cover it up. Naturally, Dall gets assigned to the case and as he begins to piece together the clues, he doesn’t like where they’re leading him. The climactic sequence is one of my favorite endings to a noir film, and I’ve seen a lot of them. Watch it for free if you have Amazon Prime; otherwise, there are a few versions uploaded to YouTube of varying quality or you could wait for it to pop up on TCM. 

43. Los Angeles Plays Itself (2003, directed by Thom Andersen, country of origin: US)

This documentary edits together clips from movies of every era that were filmed or set in Los Angeles, and explains through voiceover narration the significance of each location and the history of the motion pictures in LA. That’s it--very simple concept but also fascinating. I split this up over a couple nights because it’s pretty long, but if you’re a film fan or a Los Angeles native, this is well worth your time. The voiceover is kind of hilariously flat in its delivery--kind of a Steven Wright sound actually--but that sort of adds to the charm for me. Get a taste by watching the trailer, and then you can rent it on YouTube for $1.99.

42. A Simple Plan (1998, directed by Sam Raimi, country of origin: US)

It’s been almost two years since we lost Bill Paxton; I don’t know about you but I don’t think any other actor can really fill those shoes. This year I caught up with three films that showcased his talent: A Simple Plan, One False Move, and Frailty. He plays very different characters in each one but in many ways they all start off with a similar premise: Ordinary guy dreams of becoming more. What that “more” is for each character is what sets each film and performance apart, but Paxton provided a great canvas to paint these unique characters onto. He inhabited the ordinary man better than just about anyone. 

In this film, which I watched during Noirvember, Paxton plays Hank, a college-educated guy working a blue collar job in a small town, trying to make a better life for himself and his family. He’d like to get away from those small town roots, but his socially awkward brother Jacob (Billy Bob Thornton) relies on him. Unfortunately, Jacob is often accompanied by the hard-drinking loose canon Lou (Brent Briscoe). When the unlikely trio discover a crashed plane in the woods containing a suitcase full of cash, they each have ideas for how to handle the situation. Of course things escalate from there, and the way the movie explores human nature and family ties set this story apart. Available for online rental on the usual platforms.

41. The Iron Giant (1999, directed by Brad Bird, country of origin: US)

Given my obsession with Vin Diesel in the early 2000s, it’s pretty shocking I never saw this movie til now--sure, he and his glorious muscles don’t appear on screen, but he does provide the voice of the title character after all. When the Iron Giant made a controversial cameo in this year’s film adaptation of Ready Player One, I decided it was time I saw the source material for myself. 

This gorgeously animated fable unfolds during the Cold War era, and features an ET-inspired story arc of a young boy befriending an unlikely being that the government is looking for. If you’ve never seen it, this is definitely a must-watch. Currently available on Netflix, but rentable on other platforms too.

40. The Unsuspected (1947, directed by Michael Curtiz, country of origin: US)

I adore Claude Rains, star of this film and supporting actor in Curtiz’s more famous work, Casablanca. Here, he plays the host and narrator of a popular radio show that revolves around tales of murder--basically the Law and Order: SVU of its day. We learn early on that he sometimes draws inspiration for his broadcasts from real life criminals. When people in his own life start dropping dead, the plot thickens and he finds himself at the center of the action. A very suspenseful and well-plotted film noir, which is available from the Warner Archive collection on DVD. I got to see it at Noir City Chicago, and loved every second of it. 

That’s all for this entry--stay tuned for part two of this list, posting soon!