#it's giving old hong kong movie

[hotvintagepoll]

Propaganda

Yvette Mimieux (Dark of the Sun; Joy in the Morning; Where the Boys Are)—She is so enchanting on screen... that ethereal presence paired with her dark, sparkling eyes gives her an almost dream-like quality...

Xia Meng, also known as Hsia Moog or Miranda Yang (Sunrise, Bride Hunter)—For those who are familiar with Hong Kong's early cinema, Xia Meng is THE leading woman of an era, the earliest "silver-screen goddess", "The Great Beauty" and "Audrey Hepburn of the East". Xia Meng starred in 38 films in her 17-year career, and famously had rarely any flops, from her first film at the age of 18 to her last at the age of 35. She was a rare all-round actress in Mandarin-language films, acting, singing, and dancing with an enchanting ease in films of diverse genres, from contemporary drama to period operas. She was regarded as the "crown princess" among the "Three Princesses of the Great Wall", the iconic leading stars of the Great Wall Movie Enterprises, which was Hong Kong's leading left-wing studio in the 1950s-60s. At the time, Hong Kong cinema had only just taken off, but Xia Meng's influence had already spread out to China, Singapore, etc. Overseas Chinese-language magazines and newspapers often featured her on their covers. The famous HK wuxia novelist Jin Yong had such a huge crush on her that he made up a whole fake identity as a nobody-screenwriter to join the Great Wall studio just so he can write scripts for her. He famously said, "No one has really seen how beautiful Xi Shi (one of the renowned Four Beauties of ancient China) is, I think she should be just like Xia Meng to live up to her name." In 1980, she returned to the HK film industry by forming the Bluebird Movie Enterprises. As a producer with a heart for the community, she wanted to make a film on the Vietnam War and the many Vietnam War refugees migrating to Hong Kong. She approached director Ann Hui and produced the debut film Boat People (1982), a globally successful movie and landmark feature for Hong Kong New Wave, which won several awards including the best picture and best director in the second Hong Kong Film Award. Years later, Ann Hui looked back on her collaboration with Xia Meng, "I'm very grateful to her for allowing me to make what is probably the best film I've ever made in my life."

This is round 1 of the tournament. All other polls in this bracket can be found here. Please reblog with further support of your beloved hot sexy vintage woman.

[additional propaganda submitted under the cut]

Yvette Mimieux:

Xia Meng:

[zombiebastian]

Proof that JJBA isn't just for teens and young adults:

My Grandad, who is 71, watched Jojos Bizarre Adventure, he is near the end of part 3 now. He absolutely loves it

He's been to a lot of countries/regions that are shown in Jojos such as Italy, India, Hong Kong, Egypt, Singapore and we live in England where part 1 takes place

He loves how the story (part 3 in particular) gives off old adventure movie vibes from the 60's-80's, he loves the references to these movies too. Even the horror movies such as Childs Play and Nightmare on Elm Street, movies he's not that big of a fan of, when he sees the enemy stands that reference them he's just like "Thats sort of like those movies my kids and grandkids like!"

And most of all he absolutely loves the music references, whenever there is one he's just like "Ay that guys name is Rubber Soul, thats an album by The Beatles" or "Wait did they just say that guys name is AC/DC? Like the band?"

He also makes Jojo references sometimes, not the memes but for example if I'm taking too long to do something he'll jokingly say "Hurry up or I'll attack you with my stand!"

The only bad thing about this is the fact I have to watch the awkward scenes with him, and soon I'm gonna have to watch the magnet and baby Polnareff episodes :/ I'm probably just gonna skip them though

[atom-writings]

Let's give the East Asians some love! Japan, China, Hong Kong and Taiwan

Let's do falling asleep on top of them (Like on their shoulder or lap) (gender neutral or masculine please)

Please.

hetalia east asians when their crush falls asleep on their shoulder

1.0k words ~ gender neutral scenarios

tw: none!

a/n: guys i really like taiwan have i never mentioned that i really love taiwan

Japan

Once your head hit his shoulder, Kiku stiffened. What to others on the train presumably looked like nothing out of the regular, was to Kiku, a terror he had wished upon himself.

He'd seen movies, read plenty of books, and heard more than his fair share of music where this happened. At night, he lay awake imagining you doing this exact thing to him, yet now, here, he was panicking. What was he supposed to do?

Touching you would be a little violating, wouldn't it? So he made sure his hands were nowhere near your sleeping body. He wanted to, he wanted to brush your hair out of your face, grasping onto your perfectly placed shoulder, but NO!

He couldn't let himself do that, even as it practically seemed that you were beckoning him to. So, all he could do was watch as your chest fell and rose in sync with his. Or well, it was in sync with his at the start, but now his heart rate must be that of a man running an uphill marathon.

Every moment that you stirred, a little more blood rushed to his face. It's embarrassing, isn't it? People must think he's creepy, or that you're strangers or-

“S-Sorry...” You mumble out, your voice raspy from sleep.

“Oh!- it's uh- it was only a mistake, don't worry-”

“How long was I out?”

“Only a minute,” He stuttered, lying through his teeth.

“Wait, why is your face all red?”

“No reason!” He concluded, desperately pulling out his phone to avoid your gaze.

China

When your head fell limp against his shoulder, all Yao could do was sigh. Once again, young people had no self-control. What was he to do with you?

Although he made every effort to appear as exasperated as possible to the people sitting around you two, it was clear it was an act. After a minute passed, he loudly sighed again, before wrapping his arm around your waist.

He tried to gently pull you closer against him without you waking up, but once you stirred; he let go of your waist completely.

Instead, he covered his face with one of his hands, while the other hovered awkwardly over your body.

This was shameful, absolutely embarrassing- on your end, he means. He's an innocent party in this! You're just tempting him to hold you and cuddle with you and show you all of the pent-up affection he has for you, and in PUBLIC NO LESS!

Well, maybe he can entertain your teasing a little bit, he decides as he holds onto your hip protectively once again.

Although he internally wanted this moment to last forever, that wasn't realistic.

”Hey, hey, wake up already...“ Yao tells you quietly, his tone betraying his blunt phrasing.

”Whuh?“ You sputter out, suddenly coming to and shooting up from his shoulder.

”Don't be that embarrassed to be near me-“

”I wasn't- Yao, are you blushing?“

”No! I am a thousand-year-old man, I am beyond... BLUSHING!“ And, to prove his point, he immediately got up and ran out of the room.

Hong Kong

”This is fine,“ Chun told himself, ”This is fine and also, completely normal.“

Fortunately, his face didn't betray those thoughts in the slightest. To anyone who didn't have an encyclopaedic knowledge of his expressions, it would seem as if he hadn't even noticed your sleeping body, fallen on his lap.

It would also seem to most people that he was sitting almost completely still as he continued sipping from his soda. But to you, it was like laying on a massage chair. Somehow, his shaking was subtle and fast enough to only be noticeable to the two of you.

But when you stirred, moving close to his hips for support, he couldn't help but jump up.

You woke up, immediately groaning in pain as your head hit the table.

”Chun- wha- was I sleeping on you?“

”Maybe- ok, yeah you did, but like, it's no big deal!“ He sputtered out, looking both annoyed and embarrassed.

”Wh- ... ok?“

”Do you like, never sleep? Jeez...” He crossed his arms, refusing to sit back down with you.

You looked up at him, reading him like a book, ”Yeah, but it's no big deal right?”

“Uh, that's a big deal! How are you supposed to be healthy with no sleep?”

“Aw, do you care about my health?”

His jaw dropped for a moment, before he forced his disinterested expression back onto his face, “Whatever... you're the weird one.“

Taiwan

It would be a lie for Mei to say she wasn't enjoying herself while you napped on her shoulder. To her, the only thing making this moment any more perfect was the fact that the two of you were all alone. She didn't have to hide her blush or act shy about her hidden affections towards you.

So, the moment your limp head closed the distance, she took your hand. Her hands were soft as they intertwined with yours, and she smelled of jasmine. As you slept, she didn't hesitate to gently run her fingers up and down your arm, only sending you deeper and deeper into sleep.

Why, you could've slept like this forever, and Mei would've loved every second.

She gripped your hand a little tighter, shaking you gently.

“Time to wake up...” she whispered as your eyes began to flutter open.

“Huh... how long have I been out?”

She giggled, “A while!”

“Oh, I'm sorry!”

“No, no, it was fine!” As she smiled at you, it felt like the sun on a warm summer day.

”Really?”

“Yes, of course! I'm just glad you got some sleep,” Mei tells you softly, “Did I make a good pillow?”

“Y-Yeah, real good...“

”But does this mean I get to be the man now? Because I would love to-“

”Mei!“

”Don't worry, I'll always have you home before 7.“ She teases.

”MEI!“

[toluene-sister]

Hello!

I am in love with LISMBWYD! Circling back to TDK movie, is there a moment you feel where J's romantic/sexual attraction for Batman definitively begins? Or if not begins, then crystallizes? Or, does this start earlier, before the movie even starts? I know J talks about how enamored he was watching Batman dangle Flass off the building in BB, but is that infatuation rooted in something more even then? I'm also curious if you think it's as early as TDK where J clocks that Batman is Bruce - at what point he starts putting two and two together.

And then lastly - completely randomly - I love that moment in an early chapter with Sofia where she declares she knows how Joker got his scars, very much implying they weren't self inflicted. So, so, so curious to know more!

Thank you

X

Hi! <3

Thank you so, so much! I'm really glad you're enjoying the story so far :) The way I see it, Joker was immediately drawn to Batman, and I would even go as far as saying Batman was the one who gave him the impulse to become the Joker as we know him (Gordon's little speech at the end of Batman Begins indicates as much). One day J just saw Bats and was all like, finally someone on my level, finally a reason to get out of bed in the morning, finally someone who could match my freak <3

In the interrogation scene, he's giving B all of his best angles and speaks in a lower voice (which is like, a common thing guys do around people they're attracted to XD), plus all the shit he says ("you complete me", "maybe we could share one [a padded cell]")--like, these aren't things you just say to a guy, you know? He wouldn't say any of that to Dent or any other character, not even to fuck with them. Batman truly is special to him. I remember reading in some old interview that Heath himself said his Joker had some sort of mad love for Batman (of course I won't be able to find it with the way the internet is nowadays, but I remember it very distinctly), so all of this was definitely intentional, and suggests romantic attraction from the very beginning.

As for when I think he would clock Bruce to be Batman--I'm pretty sure he did during the interrogation scene. I mean, the fact that Bruce and Rachel were close must have been public knowledge (Bruce being the Prince of Gotham and Rachel being the Assistant DA, plus B talks about her being his oldest friend during the fundraiser, so it's entirely possible he would refer to her as such during other functions). So as soon as J ruled out Dent being Batman, it wasn't hard to deduce who's the other guy in that woman's life who would absolutely risk his life for her, and who just happens to have disgusting amounts of money and resources to be able to finance that type of gear and pull off shit like snatching Lau from Hong Kong and bringing him back to Gotham.

I'm glad you enjoyed that bit about his scars! J and Sofia are going to have a little talk about it in the upcoming chapter, but I still need to work out a few details, so it might take me a while before it's ready, but I hope it doesn't disappoint :)

[romantamsxiangshi]

Translation of Anita Mui's 1991 "似是故人来" (It Seems an Old Friend has Returned)

My first sapphic translation! Anita Mui, the Madonna of Hong Kong, has a very special place in my heart. She sang many Golden Age anthems, starred in just as many Golden Age dramas, and was named the "big sister of HK's music industry." Though she never disclosed her sexuality, she was named a queer icon for her androgyny, sexually explicit lyrics, and performance of genderqueer roles. (Think Lady Gaga.)

似是故人来 is the theme song of the 1991 双镯, or "The Two Bracelets," a lesbian love story set in the countryside of southern China. The movie was adapted from the novel of the same name by Lu Zhaohuan, and was directed by Huang Yushan. 似是故人来 was composed and produced by Luo Dayou, with lyrics by Lin Xi, both of whom operated under strict censorship and limited knowledge of the film's plot. According to Luo, Anita Mui was 2.5 hours late to the recording session (which I think is kinda gay), but finished the recording in 30 minutes.

Translation:

同是过路 同做过梦 We walked the same roads towards the same dreams.

本应是一对 We were supposed to be a couple.

人在少年 梦中不觉 I was too young, I didn’t know I was dreaming.

醒后要归去 Now I’ve awakened, and I wish to return.

三餐一宿 也共一双 Three meals, one house, the two of us together.

到底会是谁 Who will you be in my future? (1)

但凡未得到 但凡是过去 I don’t think you’ll ever understand. It’s in the past, after all. 

总是最登对 But I’ve always loved you. (2)

台下你望 台上我做 You’ll watch me from the audience, I’ll perform for you onstage.

你想做的戏 I’ll give you whichever story you wish. (3)

前事故人 忘忧的你 Old friend, you who forget your sorrows,

可曾记得起 Do you ever remember me? (4)

欢喜伤悲 老病生死 Joys and sorrows, life and death: 

说不上传奇 What are those stories next to ours? (5)

恨台上卿卿 或台下我 I hate those lovers onstage, and I hate myself offstage. (6)

我不是我跟你 I hate that I am not with you. (7)

俗尘渺渺 天意茫茫 This land is so barren. Heaven knows no shame (8)

将你共我分开 To separate you from me. 

断肠字点点 风雨声连连 My broken heart beats in my every word. This storm will never end.

似是故人来 Old friend, I thought you were coming back. (9)

何日再在 何地再聚 When will we be here again? Where shall we meet again?

说今夜真暖 This evening was so warm.

无份有缘 回忆不断 We don’t share a destiny, but I’ve never stopped thinking of you. (10)

生命却苦短 This life is so short.

一种相思 两段苦恋 One lovesickness, two bitter hearts.

半生说没完 I’ve spent half a life spent describing you to others. (11)

在年月深渊 望明月远远 Each year is an abyss, I wish upon the moon. 

想像你忧怨 And I remember all your sorrows.

俗尘渺渺 天意茫茫 This land is so barren. Heaven knows no shame

将你共我分开 To separate you from me. 

断肠字点点 风雨声连连 My broken heart beats in my every word. This storm will never end.

似是故人来 Old friend, I thought you were coming back.

留下你或 留下我在 Did I leave you behind? Or did you leave me behind,

世间上终老 To grow old in this world? (12)

离别以前 未知相对 Before we parted, did we know how much we loved each other? 

当日那么好 Those days were so lovely. 

执子之手 却又分手 I hold your hand, just to let it go again.

爱得有还无 I don’t know where to find our love. (13)

十年后双双 万年后对对 In ten years, we’ll be together. In ten-thousand years, we’ll be together.

只恨看不到 I only wish I could see it happen.

十年后双双 万年后对对 In ten years, we’ll be together. In ten-thousand years, we’ll be together.

只恨看不到 I only wish I could see it happen.

Translation notes:

(1) 到底会是谁 translates directly to "Who will it be, really?" When placed in conversation with the previous line, this line could mean, "Who will be my partner?" (referring to a love interest the speaker does not yet know/recognize) or "Who will you be?" (referring to the speaker's uncertainty towards their current love interest, and how their love interest seems foreign to them now). The lack of subjects, objects, and pronouns leaves a lot of room for interpretation, so I chose the angstier version.

(2) 总是最登对 translates directly to "Always the right one," or "Always correct." I take this to mean that the love interest has always been the right person for the speaker--hence, "I have always loved you."

(3) 你想做的戏 translates directly to "Whichever play you want to see," referring to the previous line concerning the actress/audience interaction. I chose "I'll give you whichever story you wish" because it sounded better (subjective?) and felt congruous to a number of lines besides just the previous, as well as to the song's meta context. This song was part of a broader love story/movie, after all.

(4) 曾 (ceng) implies something ancient: translated literally, the line is "Have you already remembered?" or "I/you/[subject] already remember." Considering how the protagonists of the movie view their queerness as a sorrow that must be forgotten/left behind, I decided to place this line in conversation with the previous, and go with "do you remember me?"

(5) 说不上传奇 translates directly to "They can't be considered legends," which I believe is a line meant to minimize life/death/old age/illness next to the speaker's love. I thought it was a bit awkward to refer to life/death as legends, so I used the term "stories" and added "next to ours" to match the full effect of the line and its relationship to the previous line. I converted this line into a question because a simple sentence in English doesn't quite have the same power as a short sentence/fragment in Cantonese. Questions do, though, because they feel more accusatory.

(6) The 卿 of 卿卿 (qing qing) can be translated any number of ways: "ministers (of the law)", "wives/ladies," or "lovers." There's a certain heterosexual rigidity implied in the word, which I think any English translation loses.

(7) 我不是我跟你 is the line that confused me the most, because it defies both Chinese and English grammar structures. I tried translating it literally at first: "I am not me with you," or "I am without you," or "Without you, I am not me," before deciding to go with the laziest route. Let me know if there's a better translation, please--I'm still confused.

(8) 天意茫茫 translates to "Heaven's will is wild and vast." The original line implies unknowability, but I used a pretty heavy hand in choosing the word "shame" instead. My academic justification is that shame, accusation, and frustration echo throughout this whole song, and my translation pays tribute to that. My honest justification is that I liked the angst.

(9) There is no object in this line--the speaker just says, "I thought an old friend was coming back"/"It's as if an old friend is coming back." But I liked the addition of an object.

(10) 份 (fen) could mean "to share" or "to separate" or "to share by separating" (e.g. splitting food between people). In this case, I thought it would sound strange to write "splitting a destiny."

(11) 半生说没完 translates to "half a life is not enough." The speaker doesn't clarify what they need the time for: whether to spend with their lover, to talk about them, etc. "Describing you to others" was a big creative liberty of mine, but it's also something that feels very sapphic, and emphasizes the speaker's loneliness.

(12) 终老 has the implications of taking care of one's parents when they are old: a duty, and an emotional labor. Growing old alone, without anyone to take care of you, is a very sad thing in Chinese culture.

(13) 爱得有还无 also translates to "I don't know whether this love exists" and "I don't know whether I have this love." But considering the importance of location, and the importance of journeying/coming/going, I chose "where to find."

[twig-tea]

A question for you because you seem like one of those people who has watched everything: how did you get started watching bl, and what are your ultimate favorite shows?

Double-barrelled! I'm honoured.

How did I get into BL?

The short answer is that ~2016 the YouTube algorithm served me up Lovesick and I immediately went EXCUSE ME WHAT IS THIS and looked up everything else available and watched literally everything I could get my hands on (which at the time was easy because there was only a handful compared to today, but it still felt like a wealth of content to enjoy).

The longer answer is that I used to be really involved in GL (I was the secretary at the first Yuricon in North America in 2002 or 2003) and then BL manga fandom (was in a scanlation group for awhile) through ~2006? so its extra hilarious that this wasn't my route in; I apparently took a break right before they started making live action versions in Japan. But when I got into Thai BL it was fun rediscovering these tropes in a new medium and through the lens of a new-to-me culture, noticing how they differed and how the genre had matured (and how it hadn't), and on catching up on the stuff out of Japan, seeing some of the manga I read over a decade ago come to life! So I mention this history because it's definitely a part of why I stayed (and probably why the algorithm found me relatively quickly).

I only started tracking things in a spreadsheet in 2020 (and it's not nearly as comprehensive or useful as @absolutebl 's), but I did try to backfill the highlights of what I've seen and I have over 550 rows on there, fwiw. I'm a completionist so I do try to watch everything, though that's getting more and more impossible these days.

Ultimate Favourite Shows

This question is so hard. I know you didn't even give me a limit but you have to understand @lurkingshan, I can't choose favourites, I have a draft top ten list that has been blank for 3 years because I can't commit. Okok. I'm just going to list shows as they come to me (not in any particular order):

Thailand: Until We Meet Again, He's Coming to Me, Diary of Tootsies, WhyRU, Ingredients, Not Me, Secret Crush on You, I Told Sunset About You & I Promised You the Moon, Triage, You're My Sky, Make it Right, La Pluie, My Ride, Bad Buddy, My School President, Laws of Attraction, Moonlight Chicken, Dear Dr I'm Coming for Soul, To Sir With Love/Khun Chai, The Eclipse, Midnight Museum, Lovely Writer... Grey Rainbow [ducks, hides, runs away]

Japan: Doushitemo Furetakunai (no touching at all), Kinou Nani Tabeta (What did you eat yesterday?), Our Dining Table, Takara-Kun and Amagi-Kun, Old Fashioned Cupcake, 7 Days (mon-thurs & fri-sun), His (miniseries & movie), I Want to See Only You, Kieta Hatsukoi/My love mix-up, the Cherry Magic Movie, Life~Senjou no bokura/Love on the Line, 180 Degrees Longitude Passes Through Us, Given (anime is my fave version), Tokyo in April Is..., Cornered Mouse Dreams of Cheese, Utsukushii Kare/My beautiful man

Korea: Our Dating Sim, Semantic Error, The Lover [BL side], Color Rush, Blueming, Cherry Blossoms After Winter, Love Class 2, Made on the Rooftop, Discipline Z, Light on Me, To My Star (yes both seasons), Strongberry (faves are Long Time No See, Confidential Coffee Break, and A First Love Story), Sing My Crush, Just Friends?

Vietnam: Goodbye Mother, Hey! First Love, Nation's Brother, You Are Ma Boy, Follow My Sunshine, FOOLs, Tien Bromance: My Small Family, Love Bill

Philippines: Gameboys, Gaya sa Pelikula, Boys Lockdown, Cheat [warning: horror], Your Home, Better Days

Taiwan: Be Loved in House, My DNA Says Love You, We Best Love (1 & 2), HIStory (Crossing the Line is my fave, and second fave is...Make Our Days Count [ducks, hides, burrows into ground]).

Other: Summerdaze (short from Singapore), Stay Still (Hong Kong), HeHe and He (Hong Kong, final season in progress but s1&2 are so funny) and the bromances/difficult to categorize: Scumbag System, Word of Honor, The Untamed, Guardian, Coffee Prince, Bromance (Taiwanese), Great Men Academy, Mr Queen, Sleuth of Ming Dynasty, SCI Mystery

*deep breath* ok I'm stopping lol narrowing it down any less than this gives me pain so I won't try. Also I'm sure I forgot something obvious (and Tumblr was eating drafts of this at various points). All I can say about this list is it's under 100 and that's the best I could do.

Thanks for the ask, and to anyone who made it this far thanks for reading!

[weirdstuffinthewoods]

The inevitable what if...?

Freddy vs Jason (2003)

Horror fans constantly seem divided on what constitutes "real" horror, or even "good" horror.

The issue with gatekeeping the genre is that you start to get bored with the offerings that fit the qualifications. Original IPs are best rewarded only if they're frightening enough to satisfy lovers of jump scares and dread alike. Franchises are begrudgingly watched for ever-lengthening amounts of time, and attempts at reboots are either met with rightful scorn (the moneygrabs) or badly received because fans are still clinging to the original too hard to make room for the new (think Candyman 2021). Between the two options, restricting what constitutes as worthy horror can leave you in a stale place.

All this to say- I watched Freddy v Jason tonight and it continues to be one of my Ol' Faithfuls. While not necessarily frightening, balls-to-the-wall movies like Freddy v Jason, Deathgasm, House on Haunted Hill (1999), or the Hong Kong fever dream that is Rigor Mortis offer something that truly frightening films sometimes can't- fun.

Sometimes intentionally and sometimes not, horror and comedy have always gone well together. You see it as far back as films like The Old Dark House (1932) and at Halloween haunts worldwide every year. A scare actor gets a scream out of you and you run off, laughing. The tension of a film builds and builds and is finally cut by comedic relief. Horror and comedy make the perfect group watches- the acting is usually mediocre, and someone's always going to have a questionable costume or hair and makeup choice (lookin' at you, knockoff Jason Mewes and frosted-tips cop). There's plenty to laugh at but also plenty to make you go

The film is directed by Ronny Yu, a director who also breathed life back into the Child's Play franchise with Bride of Chucky, another one of my favorites. In Fangoria 221, Yu notes that for Bride he was asked if he'd seen the original films. When he answered in the negative, he was told "No worries-you can catch up later or just forget it and start fresh." Using a similar philosophy here (as he was not familiar with either franchise before pairing the two in a match made in hell), Yu managed to keep the lore as consistent as it's ever been (not very) and also give us a horror milestone that manages to be really, really fun.

Still not convinced? Here's a short list of reasons:

The 2000s-era over saturation!

This movie focuses on BLUE as their color of choice- movies like Cabin Fever or House on Haunted Hill were very focused on RED. If you want to forget what colors the real world is, movies from this decade are for you!

The stupid one-liners!

(and casting easter eggs like Kelly Rowland here and Ginger Snaps icon in the lesser but still memorable role of "Gibb")

Joint-smokin' Freddy caterpillar (in super dated cgi, but who cares?)

The entire cornfield rave!

Who throws raves in a cornfield? Is that a thing in the midwest? Who cares? It's a great place to hide Jason's bulk and watch some obnoxious jocks get gutted.

It's like watching a wrestling match between two legends. Both Freddy and Jason have built their respective (if questionable quality) franchises that both began with iconic films that shaped the slasher genre. The pair are polar opposites in every way- Freddy a quick-witted, small, overly talkative set of brains with some knife fingers, and Jason a hulking, silent mass with both his strength and his machete on hand at all times.

The kills are still fun and the blend of practical and cgi effects don't feel totally cheap just yet, but the real payoff is the finale that pits the two legends head to head in an over-the-top, totally rock-n-roll finale. While you can and do root for both of them, the surprisingly sympathetic lens put on Jason adds a layer of connection you usually don't get with the silent behemoth, making it an impossible to call fight. I can hear the theaters full of screaming fans now.

I'm just saying- Horror, if no other genre, is a place for experimentation, especially with its long-running penchant for low budgets. Where else are you going to see crossover fights outside of fanfiction?

When given the choice, definitely champion an original idea (don't want to encourage those big budget studios too much), but if you're having a Halloween rager, why not throw on a bloody good time like this one?

[artistsonthelam]

My maternal cousin Philip Ng 伍允龍 (Ng Wan-lung) is in this new Hong Kong action movie with the one and only Sammo Hung 洪金寶 (Hung Kam-bo) about Kowloon Walled City called 九龍城寨之圍城 (English name Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In)! He got to chew scenery as a villain / Sammo's character's right-hand man; Phil's the guy at the end of this teaser trailer giving a thumbs up. 😎 The film comes out in HK and Mainland China during the May Day holiday!

(And yes Phil's the cousin with the little old lady Yorkie I'm obsessed with)

[curtvilescomic]

Madame Web - spoiler-free

So, today me and my Son went to see Madame Web

and both of us knew more than half of the Internet hates thus. And being comics nerd I was baffled. " So this old blind woman who is paralyzed in comics is played by...young ablebodied seeing Dakota Johnson?"

But let's give it a chance.

It began slow and boring and the dialogue is awful and sticking there the main bad guy? In my youth I watched loads of italowesterns and Hong Kong kung fu movies that were dubbed better. It is not a little off, it is on another continent altogether.

And like the trailer showed he looks

I know It's like Craigslist Amazon (not-quite-spiderperson) or wish suit that will not get litigated because Sony has the rights. They are not going to sue themselves.

There are huge HUGE plotholes. And most effects got a call from early 2000s. You know the drunken ex call.

The money they saved was put in I guess rights to play Toxic by Britney Spears.

It really has these flaws.

And I loved it.

No sarcasm or irony. Really. I smiled. The comics nerd in me had joyous laughter. See I do not care if you like the sixties Adam West Batman or Monica Vitti Modesty Blaise. Those are travesties An insult to comics and their creators. I see nothing good in them. And I am wysiwyg, my personality does Not change between real life and internet. Somehow with all those immense faults the movie won me over.

I turned to my Son, who loved it too. Also as confused by this.

It will flop. They will talk about superhero oversaturation etc but I honestly want to see it again. I do not want to see Morbius ever again, that started better than expected but decided to piss everything and then some away. Yet even that shitstorm is lightyears ahead of aforementioned Batman & Modesty Blaise " films". This is by same writers as Morbius. Wild.

Most will hate it.

And some will say, sure you are aging toxic cishet man who just drooled over all the girls in this. Again you can think what you want, me don't mix movies and porn I don't give a shit what your sexuality is most movies but bait there, unnecessary nudity and cheesecake / abs for no reason except for the bait.

That said besides mainly wooden Dakota Johnson highlights were Sydney Sweeney.

And I very much enjoyed Adam Scott's performance. Chef's Kiss.

Really not for everyone. But I enjoyed it. And I will buy the Bluray

[ss33hksims]

Old 60s Hong Kong Style

Probably some old photos you found in your grandma's suitcase under her bed. Remind me of the classic HK movie-"In the Mood for Love (花樣年華)". Wong Kar Wai is for sure the most talented director in HK movie industry. His camerawork is beautiful and unique that you can hardly find from others. I know my work obviously can't compete with Wong's masterpiece. Just wish to say the idea come from his movie that created a good atmosphere for me to imagine someone living in the 60s.

Not good at using Photoshop.

Use Snow app to tone the color of the pic to give better atmosphere.

Credits to:

CAS Lighting “CITYLIGHT - TORCHLIGHT" by @simplyanjuta

@northernsiberiawinds @jino-sims @goppolsme @reinasimsstory @bunbunzsims1

Reference:

[theresattrpgforthat]

THEME: Pulp Fiction

This is the pulpiest of pulp, with cheesy action, retro effects, and comically evil goons.

A note: many pulp action films carry harmful themes, such as racial caricatures and misogyny. These games do not have to be played within those tropes; in fact, many of them explicitly disavow these themes. However, you might still find elements of 80’s action movies fun to play with, such as cheesy violence, overly-dramatic backstories, and characters with way too many powers to be believable. 

Feng Shui 2, by Atlas Games.

Ancient sorcerers. Slick conspirators. Control freak monks. Cyborg apes.

Armed with the secrets of Feng Shui, all aim to conquer the past, present, and future.

Only you have the guts, guns, and flying feet to stop them!

It’s back in all its explodey, chi-blasting glory — Feng Shui, the classic game of Hong Kong–inspired cinematic action — refurbished with a fresh bag full of ammo for a new roleplaying generation! Original designer Robin D. Laws rushes your way on a bullet-riddled gurney to serve up the thrills fans remember, furiouser and faster than ever.

Feng Shui 2 gives you oodles and oodles of character options - 36 to be precise. As a game about time travel, magic, technology and action, your character could span from an ancient martial artist, to a scrounge-tech cyborg from the future. Each character comes with advancement options, five stat blocks, skills, special attacks and abilities called schticks. The schticks are where strategy will come in, as you’ll have enough to give you options, although you may have few enough resources to make each opportunity to act a strategic decision. You’ll establish a character concept and a melodramatic hook to figure out your personality and backstory, and after that, you’re ready to play! 

Spirit of 77, by MonkeyFun Studios.

Hey there, all you boppers! Get ready for slam-bang action and high octane excitement with Spirit of 77 - the 1970’s pop culture RPG that turns up the volume and never slows down! Kung-fu tough guys, good old boy truckers, starry-eyed rockers and hardboiled sleuths, all jam-packed into one funky, easy to learn game system that's Powered by the Apocalypse.

This is a self-described retro-alternative game, pulling from film noir, samurai stories, and blaxploitation films. As a PbtA game, it’s designed to really evoke genre, and boy does it evoke genre. There’s even game master advice that recommends that the GM (or, as the book calls them, DJ) arrange a playlist for specific moments within the game. This is a game of goofy, cheesy fun with over-the-top stunts and slick characters.

Atomic Robot: The Roleplaying Game, by Evil Hat.

Action! Science! Robots! Punching! More Science!

Are you ready for some two-fisted science adventure? Then it's time for the Atomic Robo RPG! Have you ever wanted to face down global conspiracy as an immortal atomic robot or Carl Sagan? The Atomic Robo RPG makes it possible.

The Atomic Robo RPG brings you the most explosive Fate Core System experience yet. This is action science like you've never seen it before, coming straight at you from the pages of the popular Atomic Robo comics by Brian Clevinger and Scott Wegener. Play as an Action Scientist or immortal robot, super-spy or pulp adventurer—or something stranger still from the hidden corners of super-science!

This game includes the core concepts of Fate, so everything you need is in one book. While Fate games are always pretty open-ended, Atomic Robo provides a lot of signatures that can help make a cohesive character group that makes sense within the fiction. There’s also an additional part of your character in this game that isn’t found in other Fate games - Modes, or broad areas of skills to help you figure out where your character is competent. You could be strong or weak in Action, Banter, Intrigue, or Science! You don’t need to be familiar with the comics to be able to play this game - there’s enough information in Chapter 1 to help you hit the ground running! 

Straight to VHS, by Lost Cat Games.

A werewolf stalks the mean streets of Miami, but not for much longer. Not if a nun (and former prostitute) named Gloria Vendetta has anything to say about it. Gloria’s cybernetically enhanced buddy in the precinct notices ties between the werewolf and the Yakuza, but why? If only the scientist (and retired heavyweight champion) Tucker Smash could regain his memories. Only he knew the antidote to lycanism, and now the plague spreads. 

This game is absolutely bonkers, in the best way possible.It doesn’t just pull from pulp 80’s movies - it pulls from cheesy 80’s movies, with wacky premises and characters that feel almost like Mary Sues. The core idea of Straight to VHS is that the characters are a combination of two tropes: a werewolf cop, a vampire hobo, a magical animal that’s also a spy, etc, etc. Much of the game is flavoured to cast your character as an actor; with range described as how close you are to the camera, while the GM is called the Director. One of my favourite pieces of this game is the character trope Paid Sponsor - you can shamelessly plug your product once per scene to give your allies advantages throughout the game.

Shadow of the Century, by Evil Hat. 

Totally rad 1980s action... TO THE MAX!

Enter a world of 1980s action adventure with Shadow of the Century, a robust setting and supplement for Fate Core.

The year is 1984, and the Shadows run the world. The Century Club has been disbanded, the Spirits of yesteryear driven underground—only to rise up alongside new wave heroes to stick it to the man!

Fight the good fight in a gonzo game of underdog heroes set against the forces of oppression everywhere. Join kung fu masters, computer hackers, maverick cops, and more to right wrongs and prevent the darkest Shadows from ending reality as we know it.

Shadow of the Century is the spiritual successor to Spirit of the Century, a game about action fiction in the 1940’s. In Spirit, characters are powerful protagonists punching cartoonish villains and saving the day in fantastical locales. In Shadow, the tables have turned, and your protagonists are working against corrupted powers-that-be, doing their best to save the world undercover while also keeping their loved ones safe. Both of these games use the Fate system, and are critically acclaimed. 

198X, by Sean. M. Dunstan.

IN A WORLD where gangs rule the streets and the police are helpless...

IN A WORLD where the rich buy and sell people's lives in the name of profit...

IN A WORLD where scientists push the boundaries of physics for their own benefit...

IN A WORLD where unknown threats can come from any world, any time, any dimension...

All that stands between the innocents of the city of Los Accíon and the forces of evil...is you. 

The mysterious Mr. X has gathered a force of brave men and women who live on the cutting edge of action to stop the forces of evil! Prepare yourself. Lock and load. Ready your kung fu. Protect your dreams. And get ready...to fight back.

A game of 80s action movie mayhem built using the 24XX system created by Jason Tocci, this game is streamlined for a quick pick-up-and-play experience.  24XX games use different kinds of dice to reflect your skills - are you good at a skill? Bump your d6 up to a d8 or a d10. Are you particularly bad at a skill? Downgrade to a d4. You’ll get a specialty, a backstory, and some cash to spend on special gear. After that the GM rolls on a bunch of random tables, and you’re ready to go.

[crab-milk]

In your Tron Uprising modern human AU, do you have any HCs for the character's ethnicities?

ah, i had to give this a bit of thought but yeah!

courtesy of my friend @miralyk, i do think of beck as vietnamese! earlier versions of beck's concept art do make him out to be more asian, and his design in general just doesn't really feel caucasian to me

i'm still considering what type of european mara would be, but i'm open to ideas! i think european culture and clothes would be fun to draw for her, but i may need to do some research into that first :'D

since bodhi is a name derivative of buddhism, i like to think he's southeast asian or more specifically, malaysian! in that same vein, i also drew zed with him being filipino in mind :D

as for paige, i headcanoned her as cantonese chinese! i share the same eye-shape as her, and her design with a high collar and sleeveless top reminds me of a very plausible cheongsam; not to mention a lot of her combat moves are reminiscent of old hong kong martial arts movies

[gaykarstaagforever]

MOVIES I AM SURPRISED I HAVEN'T SEEN

Predator (1987)

This is weird to me, because I love the Predator(s) as a monster, and I've seen a bunch of terrible Italian and Hong Kong movies that were shamelessly ripping this off. And I love Arnold more than I should. But I was 5 when this movie came out, and by the time I was old enough to see it without it giving me terrible nightmares, I didn't have an older brother or cousin to illicitly show it to me (which I'm pretty sure is how most people around my age saw it). Plus it was immediately eclipsed by all of the "Xtreme" 90s action movies it inspired, many starring Arnold, so it kind of immediately got lost in the shuffle of that VHS world.

Going into it without nostalgia and only an eye-rolling regard for most of the other movies in the franchise (most of which I also don't remember seeing more than bits of), I can say that it is a better movie than it has any right to be. But it is also kind of a mess. Basic B-.

The performances are pretty good. Carl Weathers (RIP) is fantastic as always, and Arnold is Arnold, though he seems like he's playing three different characters at various points. Which makes sense, because this feels like it is at least three different movies edited together.

One is a serious war movie about big men killing in a jungle, because they got tricked into doing it by the CIA. Another is a goofy macho over-the-top action blockbuster parody, where Arnold does one-liners and everyone else is hamming it up with random sex jokes and wacky character beats. Then the third is an action-horror movie where a lone desperate man is hunted and hunts a murderous alien monster. Accompanied by a score from a hypothetical Steven Spielberg movie about toys coming to life to save Christmas from a mean old troll.

No part of any of this gets to work on its own for more than 3 minutes, before another part of one of the other movies, or the godforsaken score, elbows its way in to throw it off. There is absolutely no tonal consistency. Which isn't automatically a bad thing, but kind of is here. I'm supposed to care about these characters enough that I care they are being murdered by a Space creature; but I don't, because I'm too distracted by which movie is doing what to them right now. If I was 14 I probably wouldn't have cared, but as an adult, I just can't get into it.

Especially not with that score. Oh my god. It's a good score, just for a totally different movie. This story needed some incidental drums and maybe a synth hook as a theme for the Predator. What it gets is a full orchestral score that has to scream the intended emotion of a scene at me like I'm not paying attention. It is unbearable and ruins everything, constantly. I very nearly watched the last 20 minutes on mute. It is just...stop. Leave me alone, inappropriate string section.

Another highly unnecessary thing is the stupid "Predator vision" sequences. The Predator is only on screen for like 15 minutes of the hour, 47 minute runtime, but I swear it feels like 45 minutes of this movie is eye-straining incomprehensible fakey thermal vision POV shots from the Predator's helmet cam.

Was this exciting new technology in 1987? It must have been, because why else would there be so much of it? And no, it doesn't build tension or reveal anything notable about the Predator. It serves no structural purpose. It just wastes valuable time that would be better used actually showing the Predator. There is exactly one cool shot using it, and that shot would have been just as cool as a regular camera shot:

As for the legitimate good, the special effects - the practical Predstor costume, his invisibility shield and weapons, all of the gory killings and explosions and gunfire - are great. As I said, Carl Weathers is the only character who is tonally consistent throughout, and I have no doubt that is mostly due to his skill as an actor. It is a genuine shame he isn't the one who survived long enough to force the Predator to rage-quit.

The last 20 minutes are the absolute best part and should have been most of the movie, where Arnold is unarmed, caked in mud, using the jungle and improvised traps to confuse and abuse the Predator. It unfortunately raises questions about how skilled the Predator actually is at the one thing he does, since with all his advanced alien tech, he can't see you if you're muddy for some reason, and he also won't kill you with a gun unless you have a gun, even if he's been hunting you and you've been seriously wounding him with sticks for like 2 days. I realize he has to folllow these kinds of rules to make the fight fair. But it also makes me wonder if the Predator is just a big narcissist whose hubris makes him a shitty hunter. You're whole thing is hunting sentient creatures in swamps, you boob. Probably get mask goggles that can see them when they get dirty?

Especially when the movie makes it clear that he, or other Predators, have been doing this shit in this exact area for decades, at least. Like, figure it out already, guys. You have interplanetary space flight, but Earth mud kills your laser / nuclear advantage? Please.

Also, how does the "fair fight" crap apply when you're strapped with both an advanced first aid kit AND a suicide vest? Those are a perpetual unfair advantage. Being weird about things because the prey dropped their gun or ran out of ammo seems arbitrarily pedantic.

Also also, you as a species are 8 feet tall, can leap from tree to tree, and have massive punching daggers mounted on your wrists. Tossing your own gun to wrestle a tired human man isn't being fair, it is cheating a little differently. Why bother? What do you gain by this?

Especially when you know that if you lose, you're going to explode, and take several surrounding acres out with you?

It is still a cool premise and a cool monster, and the movie overall is way, way better than it could have been. It has parts that are good, and lots of fun, idiotic 1980s action movie lines that we have been rightly quoting for 37 years. It is gratuitous fun, and that feels like all it intended to be, so good on it. But it's no RoboCop or Total Recall or anything. Paul Verhoeven always nails the hambone tone of these kinds of things, even when he's making something awful like Showgirls. That's hard to do, and Predator doesn't quite manage it.

I think a lot of the intense love for this movie is simple nostalgia. And that's fine. But that doesn't make it a great movie.

[tomboyjessie13-artblog]

Sorry for the long wait, I was really distracted and tired that I couldn't draw for a while. That being said, I decided to draw out Medea's ex-boyfriend Jason, the man himself(hurk) inspired by Greek Myth, and her future husband Keiji, who is a total sweetheart. 

I kept talking about Medea's love life during Part 3 and 4, so why not give them an appearance?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Jason Lennon (ジェイソン レノン Jeison Renon), was a tertiary antagonist during "Stardust Crusaders". Jason was born in New York City to a fairly wealthy family. 

He and his parents moved to California for a fresh start and became best friends and later childhood sweethearts with Medea King. But despite his well off life, he was secretly jealous of Joseph Joestar for being more wealthy and influential than him, eventually transforming into envy, and would do just about anything to be in the old man's position. 

Medea protests that he didn't need Joseph's position to be happy and should be grateful with what he had, although claiming that she's right, he began to secretly resent Medea, believing that she doesn't understand his insecurities and started to slowly distance himself from her, even going as far as to cheat on her with his classmate Glauce Ono behind her back.

The fallout upon discovering this transgression resulted in Jason getting battered by Medea and her Stand, as well as her being forced to live with her grandparents in Cork, Ireland to escape his and his family's wrath. 

A year later, he physically recovered and joined the SPW Foundation as an intern, he soon joins the Joestar group at Hong Kong as a sailor for hire in hopes of finding a way to kill Joseph, he was the only sailor to survive the group's encounter with [Strength] but was traumatized by the experience. 

It was during the group's stay in Malaysia's capital that his ex-lover Medea, now one of DIO's servants, tracks him down and finally had her revenge with him by humiliating and almost killing him in front of Joseph with her Stand's poison, damaging one of his kidneys and getting him arrested by the SPW Foundation, this ruined his chances of ever overthrowing Joseph for his money. He was last seen being disowned by his parents for his crimes.

His current whereabouts are unknown.

~Name~ Japanese Name: ジェイソン レノン Romanized Name: Jeison Renon Namesake: Jason(Character of Greek Myth and Euripides' play) John Lennon(British singer and songwriter)

~Profile~ Age: 18-19 Birthday: 1969 Chinese Zodiac: Dog Gender: Male Height: 167 cm (5 ft 6 in) Weight: Unknown Blood Type: AB Nationality: American Occupation: High Schooler (pre-Part 3) SPW Foundation intern (Part 3) (fired)

~Favorites~ Color: Cobalt blue Movie: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly Food: Cheeseburgers Band: Van Halen Hobbies: Reading

~Other Information~ Hair Color: Medium blonde Eye Color: Amber Goals: Overthrow Joseph Joestar for his money and influence (failed) Academic Major: Science Relationships: Unnamed parents (disowned) Medea King (ex-girlfriend) Glauce Ono (mistress)

Status: Unknown ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Keiji Tachibana (橘圭司 Tachibana Keiji), is a secondary protagonist during "Diamond is Unbreakable". He's an easygoing and cheery young man who works at the Sun Mart as an employee. 

He was born and raised in a Shinto household along with his older sister Yuna to his mother Sachiko Tachibana, his father, who used to be Morioh's most renowned Priest, died of a rare form of Cancer while Keiji was just a teenager.

In late-January 1989, he meets a depressed and guilt-ridden Medea King who had recently arrived to Japan after the events of "Stardust Crusaders". After hearing her story, he felt pity for the young woman and convinced his mother to give her shelter, Sachiko accepted under the condition that Medea pulls her weight around the house. 

At some point he learned that Medea has a Stand and welcomes them into the family.

Over the next few years, the two became close friends and later lovers(much to Sachiko's irritation due to Medea being a foreigner). Eventually they got married and sired a daughter named "Noriko" after Medea's late friend(whom Keiji later found out was the Kakyoins' deceased son Noriaki). 

In 1999, the mart he worked at got held up by a man being possessed by Angelo's Stand, [Aqua Necklace], with one of his co-workers getting held hostage. Thankfully he and the employee were rescued by Josuke Higashikata and his Stand, [Crazy Diamond]. 

He and his family would soon get caught up in more events caused by various Stand users, one of them being the infamous serial killer: Yoshikage Kira and his Stand, [Killer Queen].

He's one of the few non-Stand users to be aware of the Stands' existance and purpose, seeing them as gifts by the gods due to his family's spiritual background.

~Name~ Japanese Name: 橘圭司 Romanized Name: Tachibana Keiji

~Profile~ Age: 31 Birthday: 1968 Chinese Zodiac: Monkey Gender: Male Height: 170 cm (5 ft 7 in) Weight: Unknown Blood Type: O Nationality: Japanese Religion: Shintoism Occupation: Sun Mart employee

~Favorites~ Color: Orange Movie: Lupin III: Castle Of Cagliostro Food: Omurice Musician: Tatsuro Yamashita Hobbies: Painting

~Other Information~ Hair Color: Dark brown Eye Color: Brown (eyes closed when normal, opened when upset or surprised) Academic Major: Linguistics and language Relationships: Sachiko Tachibana (mother) Morioh's Shinto Priest (father) (deceased) Yuna Tachibana (older sister) Medea King/Tachibana (wife) Noriko Tachibana (daughter)

Status: Alive ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Trivia: *I tried my best not to make Jason look like his Greek Myth counterpart as depicted by "Overly Sarcastic Productions" because I wanted to do my own take on him, be a little original. Except for the thick eyebrows and sideburns, they can stay lol. Here's what I'm talking about: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b7WH30_8vos

*The reason Keiji knows about the Kakyoin family is because, while not confirmed by canon, i'm now under the firm belief that Noriaki is from Morioh after hearing about "Crazy Diamond's Demonic Heartbreak" and him being named after a building in Araki's hometown(whom he renames it to Morioh as to not piss off the locals).

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ OCs belongs to me

[the-jellicle-duelist]

random movie every week week 4/1498 - Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)

hello, i have a lot of movies and i have not seen that many of them. so every week i will watch a movie at random, and then wright a little blog about it and give it a rating out of 5 stars Previous Posts, Chronologically: google doc link

THE RULES

i can skip any marvel movie i want (because i have seen them and i don't want to watch them again)

i can skip any movie i have seen more than twice (the goal is to watch movies that are new to me, but could be interesting to return to a movie i have only seen once, hence the rule)

ratings are out of 5 stars, with NO HALF STARS. half stars are for babies

If a film is part of a series, i reserve the right to start the film series from the beginning HERE WE GO

Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)

i did roll another Indiana Jones film but i instead opted to watch the first movie of the series. i have never seen any of these films!

Raiders of the Lost Ark is about a professor of Archaeology, Indiana Jones, who is hired to find an ancient artifact before the Nazis get it. And then after a back and forth and some perils, the treasure they wanted haunts all the nazis and they all die and they're faces melt off.

i can see how if you were like, 10-16 years old in 1981 and you got to go see Raiders in a theater it was probably a blast. it has some real peak summer blockbuster energy and action. as for me, being in my mid 30's and it being 2023 and i am sitting at home, and everything is different now, i found the story and the characters feeling pretty empty. and overall it was not really ~that~ enjoyable. sort of fun, mostly mindless, pretty unoffensive.

ROTLA has the energy of a hong kong cinema film without any of the charm or skill of those kung fu movies, so the action sequences feel pretty empty. the latter half of the film has a little more tension as indy and marion are trying to escape from the tomb and everything. but as action movies go it falls beneath even like many james bond films in terms of the feeling and fun of the action.

the central tension of the film is like 'well certainly the nazis shouldn't have artifact' and while i agree, it's not really compelling that Indy wants the artifact either, when his aim is to put it into a museum. it reads pretty strangely in a time when i am questioning the legitimacy of foreign artifacts in white owned museums. Indy is not even trying to get the artifact for an Egyptian museum. so for me it doesn't really matter other than a devil you know vs. the devil who are nazis type situation.

and the ending, even tho it included nazis dying, didn't really feel earned? they died of their own hubris sure but like that wasn't Indiana Jones melting nazi faces. in a movie that was otherwise 'straight' (read; no magical stuff happening) to just have at the end some magical shit happen doesn't sit well with me

maybe i should have turned my brain off more, but i felt it was pretty off throughout the movie so i'm not sure what else i could to enjoy it more other than pay less attention, which for a series of reviews like these is not really an option.

i give Raiders of the Lost Ark a 2/5. i bet gen x dads are obsessed with it but i am not them, and it really didn't do anything for me.

as always my during the film notes as a screenshot are here:

[fireolin]

10 top films I love in no particular order

Thanks for the tag @voidcat-senket! I love heaps of movies (but didn't see many recently bc pandemic). Some of these are old but classic. In no particular order:

1. Alien - Because it’s a masterpiece of suspense. The darkness on the ship and isolation in space, and Sigourney Weaver is superb.

2. Kung Fu Hustle - Did you see my old icon? She’s my hero: The Landlady. A Chinese action/comedy/ku fu satire from Hong Kong.

3. Muriel’s Wedding: a classic Aussie movie starring Toni Collette that’s funny, nostalgic, tragic, and redemptive. Muriel, a social outcast, desperately wants to be a traditional bride with all the white froth, but is blind to the sad lives of the married women in her life. Her life changes when she steals money to go on holiday and meets Rhonda, who soon becomes her best friend.

4. Maurice (1987 movie of the book by E M Forster that he didn’t publish during his lifetime because it's gay.)  Maurice’s journey from childhood, to discovering he’s gay and struggling in English society in an era when gay sex was criminal, to finally finding true love. I watched this on DVD after I read the book a few years ago. Experiencing both enhanced them both. The visuals and music are beautiful. Seriously worth watching.

5. The Matrix - I unashamedly love the first Matrix movie. 

6. District 9: This is here to represent all the movies I love in this genre. Give me grit, aliens, and cool gear. 

7. Spirited Away. Obviously. It’s a masterpiece.

8. The Fifth Element - I was so thrilled a while back when @autumnxsunflower did killugon art based on this movie, hehehe. Yeah! 

9. Bagdad Cafe: I read about this somewhere, then watched it. A fat, corseted German woman fights with her husband in the middle of nowhere in America, and leaves him on the spot. He drives away, and she gets a room at the local truckstop and stays. Both she and the community change. This movie is haunting. Might be hard to find now, and I don’t know how it’s stood up over time, but. Just watch this. It’s very moving and uplifting.

10. Shape of Water: This is both moving and fun, and the romance is beautiful. Also a placeholder for movies with fantasy creatures, anything by Guillermo Del Toro, or set in that kind of era!

Thanks again for the tag! There were plenty of other movies on the preceding post that I loved, too. Many people I know have already been tagged, but I'm tagging: @autumnxsunflower, @decembercamiecherries, @grammarpedant, @clood, @chatxkilluaxnoir, @crowsintheforest

Only if you want to! Sorry if you've answered and I haven't seen your post yet!