#it's not great cinema but it was a fun time and i'd watch it again

[fictionadventurer]

It's been a couple of weeks since I watched The Perfect Game, but I'm still reeling from the fact that one of the best Catholic priest portrayals I've ever seen onscreen was played by Cheech Marin.

Can't wrap my head around it. Actual Cheech (of 'and Chong' fame) playing a kindly, lovable, devout Catholic priest who serves as mentor and friend and role model to this team of baseball-playing boys who take their faith seriously. He blesses the boys before every game. Teaches them doctrine while still encouraging their love of baseball. The faith is just part of their very human lives. I didn't think we could see it on-screen and especially never would have expected that casting.

[bluetimeombre]

┊ ➶ ｡˚ 　　° Call it what you want to, part two

[people actually liked it!!! and i loved it so here's more. p.s, i love tom blyth ever since i watched ballad of songbirds and snakes (four times in cinema) and i've loved timothee from the beginning and that's something nobody can take away from me!!!! also, i have nothing against kylie, i do not keep up with the kardashians so i can't say anything, but let's just imagine....]

┊ ➶ ｡˚ 　　°

liked by... yourusername, rachelzegler, jacobelordi, hunterscahfer & others

tomblyth: hermes camp!

tagged: yourusername

781k likes 309k comments

user: they're together omg!

user: it's happening, it's happening !!!

user: what is a hermes camp?

yourusername: personally i'm more of an ares girl but i'll take it

user: PLS

user: she's just like us

user: they're literally in love

user: IM OBSESSED WITH YOU

user: i thought she was supposed to be in london

user: there's a thing called a plane

user: TOM I LOVE YOU

user: he's so bf ahhhhh

user: do you think she's leading tom on and then gonna go for timmy

user: parents!!!

user: pls be together, i can't be a child of divorce again

user: yourusername i love you!!

user: tchalamet

user: tchamalet

user: tchamalet

┊ ➶ ｡˚ 　　°

you are calling... 'timothee chalamet'

you: timmy help me i'm so lost and my phone is on 2%

timothee *laughing*: what do you mean? where are you?

you: i have literally no idea, i went to get breakfast

timothee: whaaaat, i went to get us breakfast

you *walking around london looking very lost* well you didn't tell me that

timothee *smiling fondly at you, but you couldn't see as you were looking around the streets* i did, i told you last night i'd get you your favourite

you: there was nobody in the hotel and i didn't know what to do. timothee please tell me you have a portable charger

timothee: i have a spare one for you

you: thank you! you're a star- omg i almost got hit my a black cab

timothee: hey, where are you?

you: i don't know, i think i've gone in a massive circle. should i get a taxi back to the hotel?

timothee *who had gotten excited to see you*: no! no-urm- oh hey, wait a minute hold on

you: my phone is on 2% please! *but you hold on, watching- or more so listening- as timothee greets what you assume was a fan, he keeps his phone on, and you're smiling at the screen (and pulling the occasional face) whilst you wait. he quickly hugs the fan and pulls his phone back out to talk to you* mr hollywood!

timothee: shut up, ok where are you?

you: i think i'm like *you look around you, missing timothee grabbing a quick screenshot of your facetime* i'm by _______

timothee: ok, i know where that is, or i think i do. wait there, i'll come to you

you: oh! there's a cafe, i'll get a coffee

timothee: i've got you one here!

you: i can drink two, i promise

you put the phone down, wanting to keep whatever battery you had and ordered yourself a coffee, taking a seat by the window. you were just lucky you had your journal to keep you satisfy while you wait for timothee to somehow find you.

(little did you know he was literally jogging to meet you in the cafe with a dying phone.)

you were half way through your coffee when the bell above the door rang and he walked in. you hadn't realised, leaning over the journal and scribbling away.

timothee noticed you- it was a relatively small cafe for london. he snapped a shot of you before quietly coming up behind you. he took his cap off, throwing it on your hair.

'you could've been anyone!' you say, closing your journal and turning to him.

'morning!' he grinned taking the seat across from you and shuffling in. 'how did you get lost?'

'there was nobody in the hotel and they said you'd gone out ten minutes ago, i didn't know you could get so far in ten minutes!'

timothee slid a bag over to you. 'i got your favourites.'

you had no idea how to act around timothee. working with him was fun, easy, you guys get along great. but after filming and after you'd been on another set and done separate things, it felt different. you guys weren't in your own little worlds anymore. you were with tom blyth and he was perfect, and then timothee would do small things, give you his jumper or his cap or pick up things he specifically knew you liked. but he had a girlfriend, he had kylie jenner! there was no way he was doing this in hopes of gaining your attention. maybe it was just how he was with friends.

'you didn't have to do that,' you said, taking off his hat and putting it between you two.

he shrugged, leaning over again. 'what? c'mon, course i did. it's a big day.'

it was premier day. wonka was premiering in london. this was your third premier, but was sure to be one of the biggest.

timothee grinned at you, watching your lips quip up. he pulled out a portable charger from his pocket, offering it to you. truth is, five minutes ago he didn't have one but when you told him you needed one, on the way to meet you he grabbed one.

suddenly, the barista approached your table and you grabbed the bag, thinking she was going to tell you guys off for bringing in food and drinks from somewhere else.

'I'm so sorry, i'm a big fan,' she said.

you laugh, throwing him his hat as he blushed madly at being caught. 'i told you! you can't go anywhere!'

timothee greeted the fan warmly before also introducing you. then, she recognised you too. it was still new to you, being known and people asking for pictures or something to be signed, but you were more than happy to oblige.

and the pictures came out. a few of the two of you with fans and in some, maybe a lot, maybe even most, timothee was looking over at you.

user1: GUYS I LITERALY MET tchalamet AND yourusername THEY WERE SO SWEET AND LOVLEY

301 likes 100 comments

user: OMG LUCKY

user: were they on a date???

user1: noooo, i think they were just meeting up

user: they always look so good

user: imagine just going to work and meeting THEM

user1: they were so cute, timothee literally brought her breakfast, saying he got her favourites which means he knows her favourites, like that's goals right there!

┊ ➶ ｡˚ 　　°

liked by... zendaya, tomholland2013, florencepugh, kidcudi, yourusername & others

tchalamet: WONKA IN LONDON!

tagged: yourusername

1.2m likes 901k comments

user: style icon!!

user: does he realise there's other people but yourusername in the movie?

user: OMG I SAW YOU TONIGHT

user: can't believe i missed it!!

user: the last picture !!!!

user: WHY IS NOBDOY TALKING ABOUT THE LAST PICTURE???!!! THE WAY HE'S LOOKING AT HER

user: yourusername is stronger than me, if timothee looked at me like that i would melt

tomholland2013: looking good mate, can't wait to see the film!

tchalamet: thank you brother, lunch soon 🙏🙏

user: tomholland2013, ariana, what are you doing here

user: he put a whole post up just for her

user: I WANT YOU SO BAD

user: her dress, stunning!!!!

user: he's literally so in love with her

user: ARE THEY DATING?

user: he's with kylie!!!

user: apparently she was there last night

user: she's stronger than me, i would not let my man look at another woman like that

user: is ship it

user: is this movie a god damn musical?

user: how can she be with tom one minute then timothee the next

user: EVERYONE PLS THEY'RE LITERALY FRIENDS, TIMOTHEE MAKES FRIENDS WITH ALL HIS CO-STARS

user: friends do not look at each other like THAT

user: they'd literaly be the hottest couple in hollywood

user: power couple

user: ❤️

user: <<33

user: yourshipname

liked by... oliviarodrigo, tomblyth, tomholland2013, tchalamet, gracieabrams & others

yourusername: wonka, london! thank you so much for all the love on the movie. i want you all to love daisy as much as i do! and thank you gucci for the dress and making me one step closer to harry styles x

1.1m likes 701k comments

user: SHE'S SO FUNNY WHAT

user: GORGEOUS

user: OMG

user: 🔥🔥🔥

user: the last picture is my new screen saver thank you

user: HOW DOES SHE GET THAT CLOSE TO TIMOTHEE

user: HAWT

rachelzegler: the prettiest girl ever

yourusername: stfu, don't make me kiss you

user: first tom, now timothee, next she'll get harry

user: GUCCI OMG SLAY

user: my mother everybody, my mother

user: flawless

user: ur so beautiful

tomblyth: beautiful

yourusername liked tomblyth's comment

tchalamet: afterparty!!!

yourusername: dude, get through the premier first

wonkamovie: we love daisy!

user: timmy is literaly in love with you

user: plssss date timmy

user: i love youuuuu

user: wonka sucked!

user: slut!

yourusername: great song by taylor swift

taylorswift liked yourusername's comment

user: collaboration of gucci between harrystyles and yourusername when?

user: is hugh grant cgi in this movie or can he actually just do that?

yourusername: no cgi went into the making of this movie

user: she's so funny for what!!!!

┊ ➶ ｡˚ 　　°

'Timothee Chalamet!' he had been yelled at all night, by fans, by press, by anyone and everyone. he'd already posed for cast pictures, getting in a huge line, holding onto each other and taking the pictures.

so what if he had reached across the director, paul king's, back to hold onto your arm. and surely nobody would notice if he looked over to gage your reaction and see you smile at him. it wasn't like there were hundreds of camera's around him snapping a shot of every moment.

he headed over to the woman who had called his name, pausing by the barrier to say hello. 'yes ma'am.'

'woah, don't you look amazing, as always. first of, who are you wearing tonight, you know i got to ask!' she said.

'this is my man tom, tom ford,' he answered, laughing awkwardly at the end. 'i almost went gucci- it was almost gucci, but i couldn't do that to harry.'

'you look good either way, have you had much time with your co-stars so far tonight?'

'yea i mean, i've seen hugh, spent some time with keegan, love to see the man. we all got some photos-'

his attention and the press's attention is distracted when you stroll up to answer some questions not far from him, close enough to see how radiant you look close up. his lips turned into a smile, his arm hovering somewhere between a wave and a nudge to try to get your attenstion.

'oh woah,' might have slipped past his lips as the press held the microphone up to his lips.

'doesn't she just look fantastic?' she asked.

'hell yea!' timothee smiled, focusing back on the interview, 'always.'

'now i know you got to go soon, so just one final question, would you like a bit of chocolate?'

his face lit up. 'chocolate, oh my god i would love some, thank you. can i take two?' he asked, knowing what he'd do with the other. he was offered two little chocolates and quickly said goodbye. instead of heading into the theatre, he headed for you.

as you were chatting with the press, he didn't want to interrupt. instead, he slipped by, gently touching your arm and reaching over to whisper: 'i'll wait for you,'. but your camera caught your blush and the way you couldn't answer properly after that.

once you were done with your questions, timothee was still there waiting for you. he hugged you immediately, rubbing your arms as goosebumps rose on them. of course he'd think it's from the winter evening, when it had everything to do with him.

'you look amazing, timothee!' you gush, pulling back.

'me? look at you, you're so beautiful!' he said, keeping a hold on your arm.

'oh shut up.'

the camera's flashes were brighter, bigger and the shouts increased as they caught pictures of the two of you. but neither of you would stop for pictures, heading into the cinema.

'here.' he gave you the other little chocolate and the two of you un-wrapped them, popping them into your mouths. 'at least you didn't get lost this time.,' he joked.

you rolled your eyes.

┊ ➶ ｡˚ 　　°

user: omg it's happening, it's happening

user: AHHHHHHHHHH

user: mom and dad just hard launched their relationship

user: rue, when was this?!

user: a couple days ago, after the wonka press tour and the premiers, they were seen at dinner together and making out!

user: i'm so happy

user: real life lucy-grey and coryo

user: FINALY OMG

user: what about timmy :((((( he's so in love with her

user: he has a gf

user: i feel bad for timmy

user: THE THIRD PICTURE HELLO? WHY DOES MY MAN KISS LIKE HE'S STARVING

user: he only kisses her like that

┊ ➶ ｡˚ 　　°

liked by... tomblyth, oliviarodrigo, louispartrdige_, lola.tung & others

yourusername: i love british boys (i'm literally just a girl, standing in front of a boy, asking him to love her)

706k likes 201k comments

user: hard launch who?

user: they're so cute i can't

user: the caption, so real

user: omg it's so funny, do you think hugh has seen this?

user: she's back in london!!!

user: i love them please they're so cute

tomblyth: and i'm literally going to run into your press conference and ask you to be with me forever

yourusername: i'm sitting right next to you, clearly you're running nowhere

user: STOP they're so cute

user: i miss her and timmy!

user: notting hill!! she knows taste

user: i want her and timmy together

user: tom and her were made for each other, like have you seen their interviews

user: funny how timothee doesn't like pictures when it's featuring tom but he'll literally like all of her other pictures

liked by... yourusername, gq, tayrussell, emmawatson, selenagomez & others

tchalamet: thank you london! and thank you for making me a (honorary) british boy!

1.2m likes 771k comments

user: petty king!

user: plssss!! not after yourusername's post

user: he's so obessed with her i can't

user: i chose to believe yourusername took the first pic of him, it's laterally from the premier

user: COME BACK TO LONDON SOON

user: bring back little timmy tim!!!!

user: you were amazing in wonka!!

user: OMG MY MAN IS NOMINATED FOR A GOLDEN GLOBE

user: GOLDEN GLOBES BABY

user: i have the wonka soundtrack stuck in my head

user: is that yourusername in the last pic?

user: i love him!

user: marry me

user: omg he's so regulus black

user: how does he look good no matter what

user: DONT BE A FOOL AND GO GET YOUR GIRL TIMMY

user: in interviews, yourusername has literally said timmy is her celeb crush, girl same

user: how do you feel about tomblyth and yourusername?

┊ ➶ ｡˚ 　　°

582 likes

[comments restricted]

user: update, he follows one person on instragram and it's yourusername

[satvpsandowns]

I'm rereading Blue Lock after watching Episode Nagi in cinemas and I'm already at the end of Manshine vs Bastard and I keep finding new questions and answers regarding Reo and Nagi's relationship. It's so interesting. I love both of them so much, I never thought I'd get invested again in manga characters and their development.

This is my small rambling, a way to put into words what I've gotten so far.

Nagi was so angry and confused during the second selection while Reo was sad and a bit lost. I felt so bad for Nagi, he was excited while playing with Isagi, they gained Barou and Chigiri, then Isagi left, and he had to face being alone while having broken up with Reo a couple of matches ago.

After the u-20 game, Reo was trying to get back to his original plan and dream and Nagi...we still don't know that much yet, but their relationship was tense.

The Manshine game was a great battle field to showcase the new Reo, to prove his new polished weapons, he made the opening shot, and tried, for the first time, to directly work towards his ideal self: the all rounder, versatile midfielder.

Isagi and Reo's relationship has always been interesting to me. They don't insult each other, they have a certain level of respect, maybe because both are similar (overthinkers, playmakers, "average not-so-average"). But they are rarely in the same wavelength, I mean, Isagi doesn't know that much about Nagi and Reo's relationship, so he misses a couple of layers in Reo's dialogue, he sees Reo independently, so that's why I loved this game, he kept acknowledging Chigiri's and Reo's improvements: the 44 golden zone and metavision, respectively.

MC vs BM proved to the reader that Reo is a strong player, a threat, while still being insecure about his abilities, his style and his talent. In sum, a latent potential of greatness. Reo acknowledges Isagi back as someone who keeps changing and evolving in better versions of himself, he knows he's on his way too but then, Nagi happens.

I found this turn understandable. Nagi was frustrated, he said he wanted to defeat Isagi because it was the freshest problem in his mind, the easiest to articulate. Even Prince "was weirded tf out", even Reo was like "..." I'm not sure what else happened in his head (let's wait for EpiNagi ig ;_;) but he saw how strong his team was, how confident they were playing, how good Reo had gotten.

His request to Reo, the "I need you" was the breaking point. Reo was still in the process of relearning himself. Getting what you formerly wanted so desperately hits different depending on your mental state. And Reo's mental state wasn't at his best yet. The reader tends to, sort of, know whose character has already wrapped up the key points in their development, and I take Isagi and Reo's comments on each other as an affirmation of "work in progress".

So Nagi verbalising his dream, what he wanted, shook Reo's focus. And I don't blame any of them. Reo wanted to be needed by Nagi, his first friend, his partner who made his dream feel achievable, while Nagi wanted to feel the warmth and comfort (and fun) of playing soccer and getting challenged. Both wanted to feel like protagonists, just like Isagi said.

There was a chance and they took it. They succeeded immediately, and just as easy, old and new problems unfolded. Only this time, Reo seems more ready to battle on his own.

Again, Isagi's "teenage drama combo" commentary gives the reader a clue: that comfort and having a soft spot for each other is not really a problem. It's a pillar for development, a tool, but not the only one, as it can be easily read at NEL level.

So after getting back together and tying the game, Isagi recognizes Reo's metavision, but some pages later, he pushes and stops Nagi and tells him he had surpassed him. This time Nagi doesn't seem to mind, for his dream of defeating Isagi was accomplished with his "revolutionary five volley shot" or something like that. This crystallises the new problem: they might be on good terms again but it can only last so much, it may last even less. And as a reader and someone who likes both characters so much for what they, individually, entail thematically, I'm anxious and excited.

In a few words, Reo has a soft spot for Nagi, and Reo is like a compass to Nagi. That's a given. Both respect, recognize and value each other to a degree that's just SO DAMN SWEET. 

[trainsinanime]

The Movie

Under a cut because I don't know how to spoiler tag this, and I will spoil all of it. I know it's called "Awakening" in some markets, but not where I watched it so it wouldn't occur to me to block it if I were wanting to avoid spoilers, and it's a stupid title anyway.

What I will say without spoilers is: The concessions area in the Belgian cinema I was in was something else. They scan your ticket, and then you walk essentially into a small supermarket full of all sorts of snacks, including popcorn and nachos, but also bags of chips, sausage, cheese, sushi and some merch. Then you walk past cash registers and pay there before you get to your actual movie. Fun experience, but sadly the nachos didn't taste great and, according to my sister, the popcorn was kind of stale.

After that, there was a huge activity area where small children could take pictures together with cardboard cutouts, and makeup artists were painting Ladybug and Chat Noir masks on their faces. That was very adorable.

On to the movie!

Yeah, it was fine! I had a good time watching it. I really recommend watching it on a big screen if you have the chance (RIP to Americans), because the main point of the movie is that it looks really pretty. And it does! It's all so, so pretty!

The characters are all adorable. The city is way more beautiful, and it feels big and alive in a way the show could never match. The special effects are great, the fights are really nice, the scenery is amazing and the animation is so full of life!

Story-wise, I'd say it's okay. I know there are people on Twitter who say that the movie is way better than the show. These people are insane. The movie story is good, but to fit it all in, it has to squash and compress everything in ways that don't always make sense. It's very clear that this material wasn't meant for a movie. For example, exactly one character gets anything approaching a full character arc, and it's Gabriel Agreste of all people. Happens very randomly, too.

In a lot of ways, I feel like you could have done more with this. The bit of conflict that Ladybug and Chat Noir briefly develop is kind of stupid and easily forgotten. The songs (you knew this was a musical, right?) are beautifully animated, but they feel a bit perfunctory. Many of them feel more like "Let's put an I-want song here because that's how musicals go" rather than really motivated based on characters.

I don't think that's a huge problem. The charming qualities of the movie easily carry it over all the stuff that isn't that well developed. But if you ask me what the point of the movie was, the specific main story or the specific main idea, I couldn't answer. The movie doesn't really have anything like that. It is Miraculous Ladybug: The Movie, for better or worse, and it's mainly an excuse to give us beautifully rendered charming sequences tied together with the bare minimum of string to make the plot work.

Again, all that sounds so negative, but that's just because it's easier to write about the things that didn't quite work in the story department than about the great visuals and how much I just loved seeing the characters. The reality is that this movie isn't a big revelation, it isn't a much better reimagination, it's just a nice, very pretty movie that shows us stuff we already like done exceptionally well. In my opinion it was well worth the admission and the drive to Liège, and I can totally recommend it.

[gillianthecat]

I have Not been doing what I should have been doing this week, which is Not Great. BUT. I have been feeling the urge to watch BL again, so I been flittering around streaming services and binging some and dropping others. Here's the list of the 18, in the order I watched them, with brief thoughts on each. My rating (out of 10) are in [blue]. Feel free to ask me to say more about any of them!

Pit Babe (2 eps) [7]

Fun, enjoyed the tropiness of it, intrigued by Jeff/Alan, whatever secrets Charlie and Jeff are keeping, and that drifting competition which was hella sexy. I like my omegaverse fics "non traditional" so i appreciated that the first BL out there was alpha/alpha. I wasn't engaged enough to keep going, but would like eventually to pick it up again. One of the few shows I'm not filtering the tag for, so I'm enjoying other people's reactions and gifs.

My Personal Weatherman (finished) [8]

I wanted to love it more than I did, many aspects were wonderful, but the leads never felt like real characters to me, just seme/uke tropes fulfilling their roles. Actors very pretty though. I have a bunch of notes I may finish and post eventually.

Laws of Attraction (finished) [9]

10% of it was terrible, 10% was completely nonsensical (instagram live-ing your date while on the lam? really??), 10% was mediocre, 50% was good, and 20% was sublime. Film was phenomenal as the complicated lawyer with his thousands of smiles, and I now have a crush on him. I started watching a het lakorn for him afterwards (Lucky Star, free on Viki, very soap opera, he and his costar are great). I loved grandma and the batshit ex. I've already forgotten parts of the plot. Wish it could have been higher heat, the restrictions kinda fucked with Charn and Tinn's chemistry in the second half, after they got together, but Film made it work with his coy blushing maiden routine. And their chemistry pre-dating was fire. Second leads were cute and I do love me a pining bodyguard, but sadly the actors were kinda eh.

I Became the Main Role of a BL (1 ep) [9]

I am very excited about this, doing so many things well, balancing slapstick and humanity, all the little details are great. I like how the "real world" is still tropey and absurd but also noticibku more grounded than the "drama" world. I'm invested in the managers' stories. I have hopes for its sexiness, given how Aoyagi was touching Akufuji's arm in their rehearsal. Love love love Akufuji stanning.

Double Mints (finished) [5]

um. I didn't hate it. I didn't like it exactly, but there were some poignant moments. My first actually dark BL (I know Pornographer is classified as dark, but it didn't feel that way to me). Possibly there's some profundity in it, but it didn't grab me enough that I want to spend the time thinking about it. Also many plot things that didn't make sense to me. Perhaps just translation issues? Unlike the next on my list, this wasn't porn, it was a violent yakuza story. Not actually very explicit given that it's supposed to be high heat, with the significant exception of a rape scene.

The Shortest Distance is Round (Noir) (finished) [5]

I mean this is literally softcore porn with a weird dark plot around it. I think most of the actors are actual porn actors; I know the lead is. I could have thoughts on the story, but I feel like I'd need to know more about Japanese cinema to say anything meaningful. Just saying, the sexual harassment at the beginning is the tamest bit. Also a hilarious misdirect with the dead fish sleep kiss (at least for me who was going in blind). Some of the sex was hilarious (goat boy!) some of it was creepy and rapey, and some was genuinely hot.

Mr. Unlucky Has No Choice But to Kiss (3.5 eps) [7.5]

Fun and fluffy, like the premise, the seme character has charm, but soon lost interest in that level of slapstick and tropiness. May eventually finish.

Love Stage Japan 2018 (half an ep or so) [6]

Liked it more than the Thai version, which I saw a few episodes of. The set up makes more sense. Soon lost interest in that slapstick style. Wouldn't avoid it, but no current urge to return.

Utsukushii Kare 2 (My Beautiful Man 2) (finished) [9]

I love them so much! As the middle section, it didn't work as well on its own as season one (a hothouse masterpiece) or the movie (their blossoming), but it was an important bridge in their journey.

Utsukushii Kare Eternal (My Beautiful Man Eternal) (finished) [10]

So amazing. I wasn't sure that they could make a good ending of this story but they knocked it out of the park. Managed the tricky balancing act of having Hira and Koyoi grow up and learn to have a healthy relationship while still remaining their kinky weird selves. Echoed season one in so many beautiful and meaningful ways. I may eventually write more about it.

Long Time No See (movie) (finished) [7]

I didn't recognize the title so o started it without knowing anything about genre or plot. I wanted to like this much more than I did. Theoretically I am into all the elements. But somehow it didn't work for me. It felt hollow, or rather like the outline of a movie rather than the movie itself. Nothing really felt real to me. Perhaps just my mood, perhaps because I didn't recognize the name and so went in to it completely lost and confused. And the sex scenes all felt a little off, a little fake to me. Like the actors were kinda uncomfortable with it. It was very low budget for its concept, and I think needed to either be full kdrama length (maybe 8 full episodes) of get somehow even artier about it to be an atmospheric film. Which it should have been, and all indicators pointed to it, but somehow wasn't. I think I needed to know the characters better to care about. Which may or may not have required learning more about them; there are characters I've felt deeply that I knew very little about, but somehow not with these two. Also I couldn't get the sister's deal. It felt like she was hinting she knew the assassin secrets? But also not. Anyways, the leads were very pretty. And the shot of them stumbling out of the final fight was moving. I may write more later.

Dom (a Strongberry short) (dnf) [4]

Only 13 minutes long and I couldn't finish it, even with 1.5x speed in parts. Experimental little short about anthropomorphized condom boxes, and there's some sort of human plot about a virgin and his cheating boyfriend that I lost track of. It's not bad, just not what I was in the mood for.

Bake Me Please (like 10 minutes of ep 1) [5.5]

When I was talking about not being into cooking themed shows this is the kind of show I mean. It already had a bunch of tropes that are not for me, particularly random normal people treated like celebrities, and people on tumblr seem frustrated with it so it didn't feel worth pursuing.

Ossan's Love (2018 Japan) (2 of 7 eps) [8]

Seems very well constructed to be exactly what they wanted it to be. My enjoyment of that sort of slapstick and yelling style show depend on my mood, and I lost interest, but want to return eventually because it's a foundational show.

Love Mate (less than 1 ep) [7]

Some appealing elements, but got annoyed at the employee's negging and pushiness. I guess I'm too particular about realism, but in what company would it be acceptable to turn a meeting about their product into a psychoanalytical critique of why your boss can't love. Also I es confused by the bosses dating strategy. He just regularly meets up with men 1 time for awkward meals that he seems to hate and then doesn't even have sex with them? Or were we supposed to infer the sex was just censored out? Not the biggest deals but both together indicated that this show was going to play loose with logic in a way that would irritate me. And the seme was being a pushy ass.

Naked Dining (Zenra Meshi) (finished) [8.5]

Loved it overall, though had flaws. Loveblogged it so many thoughts in the tags.

My Ride (4 out of 10 eps) [7]

See today's liveblogging for my thoughts. I like many aspects, but lost interest after four eps. Didn't catch me up enough to want to binge it. I think I'm in an actor centric mode, and unfortunately none of the actors are that good in it.

Every Moment That I Think of You (finished) [8.5]

Randomly found on Gaga, 2 very short episodes from China 2021. Very appealing leads, censored, high school romance/intense friendship, partially through the pandemic. Fit a year's worth of story into 28 minutes. Surprisingly solid, though made me want to see the full length uncensored version of their love story, same actors. Ending confused me. Subtitles of voiceover implied that was their last night together but didn't say what happened, but nothing and was shown. Perhaps just a bad translation? Very low budget (sound mixing was amateur) but did a lot with what they had. Chaotic adolescent boy camera work and editing style, always moving, which fit story very well. Recommend if ok with censored stories.

[mx-piggy]

Okay I've finally watched the new Futurama... almost a week after it came out. In my defence, I had a pretty busy week, if you can class 'binge-watching several movies ready to go see stuff at the cinema and trying and failing to get some sleep before job interviews' as being busy. I digress. So, here's my review of The Temp. Spoilers ahead!!

This season has been consistently strong so far.

The Temp is an example of an episode that is all-around good; I'd rank it pretty highly amongst these revival episodes. The story is interesting, most of the jokes land, there's a lot of fun cameos and references for simpletons like myself to point at excitedly. After the devastating end of Quids Game, it was fun to see Futurama showing how great of a sci-fi comedy it is, with a fun, sci-fi, Twilight Zone-esque premise that is packed with strong comedy.

This episode definitely could have turned out more meanspirited than it did, but the crew constantly forgetting who Frank was never, for me anyway, veered into the cruelty of some of the Comedy Central episodes. I'd say that it stayed in the territory of funny, as opposed to doing a disservice to the characters like the Comedy Central era did.

The Temp actually reminded me a bit of Homer's Enemy, not just because Frank shares a name with Frank Grimes, and both episodes are named after each Frank. But, this episode feels a lot lighter than Homer's Enemy.

My only real issue with the episode is that the pacing feels a bit off at the end. I do appreciate its attempt at using a unique structure, and I would love to see further attempts from the revival to use a more a unique story structure without it being reserved for more emotionally-driven episodes like Quids Game. That said, I guess that it feels like, by the time Frank takes over Fry's identity in the main bit of the episode, it only lasts for a few minutes before they find the real Fry again. So, in total, there's only around seven or eight minutes where, as the episode synopsis describes, 'a mysterious temp worker takes over Fry's job, as well as his entire life', and we get around five minutes of that at the beginning, then three minutes in the middle of the episode. That and the six week timeskip leaves the episode feeling a bit rushed at the end, so it made it feel a bit underdeveloped. Again, it's just a minor criticism, and I liked the episode as it was; the structuring did make for an interesting story overall.

Part of me is tempted to write a Homer's Enemy-esque character study of Frank to satisfy my love of exploring characters whose lives kinda fucking suck lmao.

Something I really enjoyed about this episode is all the cameos and references it has. There's the Omicronians, Calculon, the Robot Mafia, Zoidberg's Uncle. And, I loved the incorporation of Amazonian Women in the Mood into this episode's story. It was such a fun, clever choice, and (unlike with Children of a Lesser Bog) it wasn't delivered in a clunky way. I also loved the Professor's 'I'm already in my pyjamas' (and how they subvert it).

And, this episode was so funny that I couldn't possibly list everything that made me laugh. Probably the biggest laugh was Bender's 'who the hell is he?'.

Overall, I probably liked The Temp a bit more than Quids Game and a lot more than The One Amigo, because I really enjoyed having an episode where we got to see the Planet Express crew together. Right now, I'd give this one a 7.5/10. I've used the word 'fun' far too much in this review (my apologies) but I really do want more fun episodes like this with interesting sci-fi premises and a mystery element to them, all the while being comedically strong.

As always, let me know what you thought about this episode!

[missyourflight]

some stuff i read and watched in november:

taskmaster (s16): what a delight!! what a fucking charming bunch of weirdos, sam campbell somehow everything to me now?? if you think susan wokoma is hot you should watch bbc CHEATERS etc

black swan: first rewatch for ages and it still goes so hard, Love the score, natalie as ever at her best when you can see the gears going in her head, she was perfect!!

the girl with the dragon tattoo: it's been fincher season on blank check, rewatched this for i think the first time since i saw it at the pictures and liked it much more, especially the mara/craig chemistry and all the snow and knitwear etc. it's great when she's like put your hand back in my shirt and he does it

anatomy of a fall: more snow - really liked this - between this and saint omer it's the year of french legal dramas etc. her lawyer with the hair and the chemistry and that other lawyer from 120 bpm!

saltburn: UGH. i'd heard such mixed things and i was actually having fun up until the Turn (although if they're freshers in 2006 they're not the class of 2006 are they emerald) but the ending is So stupid that it made me hate the whole thing lol. imo it's fine to criticise posh people for making shit art!! some of them make interesting art but not emerald fennell!!

the eternal daughter: meanwhile joanna hogg said posh filmmaker rights actually! i loved this, so quiet and haunting and the costumes and the hotel of it all. you can't know your parents really ever!! when i'm old nobody's going to be around to take care of me!! and so like aching as an extension of the souvenir project plus back to the evergreen joanna hogg theme of rich people having an awful time on holiday etc

napoleon: had way too much fun with this, was not prepared for it to be so funny and so full of Guys - paul rhys! tom godwin! sam troughton as robespierre??? mr segundus himself aka edward hogg!!! great year of looking at vanessa kirby's feline face between this and mission impossible. aren't we all just trying to enjoy a succulent breakfast etc

may december: my favourite thing i've seen this year maybe?? natalie and julianne having so much fun with like the monstrous performance mirrors meanwhile charles melton's performance is entirely heartbreaking?? so deeply deeply sad and moving?? goddamn todd haynes

yentl: every talks about how hot young mandy patinkin is in yentl and yet i was Entirely unprepared my god

miami vice: loved this!!! like yes it's mumble city and who knows what's going on but colin farrell and gong li going to havana in a go fast boat to drink mojitos and dance salsa and fall in love??? it's digital cinema and it's very tender!!! brb listening to numb/encore again etc

robert macfarlane, underland: a deep time journey: macfarlane is like my favourite writer on like nature and our environment and this was just so cool, caves and catacombs and nuclear waste under the ice

victoria gosling, bliss and blunder: look, some of us were deeply into and forever changed by the merlin fandom, and that's okay! this was a sort of fun modern take on arthurian legend - parts of it worked much better for me than others (morgan, wayne/gawain) but like where was merlin??? could have done with a bit more allusion to like The Past and The Myth and The Cycle but eh

anne enright, the gathering: can't think of like a better marriage of audiobook and narrator than fiona shaw's performance of this tbh - just pitch perfectly sharp and wounded. families!

michael mann & meg gardiner, heat 2: lol i had a blast with this. like the michael mann bro equivalent of an extremely purple romance novel i guess? audiobook again and the narrator does a fantastic pacino

just a note that i'm taking a bit of a step back from social media stuff for the time being due to continued bad brain/feelings about fandom/writing/self etc and also in a concerted effort to spend a lot less time staring directly into the portal. love you pals 💕

[misiahasahardname]

How would you rate your holidays this year?

they were great actually!!!

i was able to spend a lot more time actually interacting with my family than when i was there in november, and i was a lot less awkward which was a win!

i saw inside out 2 in theaters with my aunt which not only am i proud of because it helped me get over my fear of cinemas, but also paralleled when i saw inside out 1 in theaters with that same aunt!!! (didn't see it with the same cousin tho but idm)

i went to ustroń which wasn't as great as i remember it being BUT i was able to cross the czech border which was awesome!!! plus my brother wouldn't stop barging into my room in the hotel to watch tv so i got to hear a lot of czech cartoons... the language is so strange to listen to as a pole, because most of the words are so similar and yet so confusing... love that there's a kids tv channel that's called [] :D !! that's very silly, thank you czechia!!

my Polish skills actually improved a lot to the point where i actually noticed it!! i've decided i'm going to get into more Polish media and watch the Polish dubs for more things to get even better! (maybe i should actually get to reading the witcher since i have a copy...)

i visited the galeria katowicka for the first time and got a bag i had always wanted to get at flying tiger (they had SO much cool stuff in there when i went, i really wanted to get this spaceship lamp but it's like a lava lamp and i didn't think i'd be allowed to bring that in an airport)

I GOT MY YOUNGER COUSIN INTO TMNT!!!!! i watched the rise movie with him and he really liked it, and, when we went to a shopping center with my mum's friend (who came to visit our part of poland just to attend mum's 50th birthday party) he actually decided to buy himself a mutant mayhem leo figure!!! (idk why leo was the only one for sale but hey he's cool so whatever). also he really likes my mutant mayhem mikey plush i brought along and whenever he would pick it up he'd say "mikey!! :D" in this cute voice (god i love this silly kid). (i also showed him a clip of the tmnt 2012 french dub i had on my phone and he kept referencing it lol)

my mum had her 50th birthday at this cool resteraunt which was fun!! my aunt and uncle (unfortunately not the cousins) from france came especially for this which was AWESOME because i love those guys, and, as i mentioned before, my mum's friend came over too which is super awesome!! i think most of my family think they're dating... tbf i thought this too but i have a strange perception of how romance looks so. shrugging emoticon

i got to read some letters my great grandfather wrote to my great grandmother when she was in the hospital after giving birth! he always referred to her with this cute nickname which is very sweet... there was one letter i found particularly funny because i think my grandma interrupted my great grandad when writing to tell great grandma that she got a LOT of sweets from the easter bunny and is saving her some chocolate (she even wrote it on the back, too!). there were these strange stains on the letters which are either blood or something grosser but whatever. i was also allowed to bring home a photo of my mum and my aunt when they were kids (it was a photo taken when my aunt was about to(?) have her communion which explains the dress)

i did a bunch of other cool stuff which made these holidays really great!!

unfortunately, the holidays weren't perfect... especially the travelling which is strange because usually it's a really fun part of the holidays. (the trip back home was the WORST. so bad that my mum told my brother he would never travel with us again...)

honestly my brother ruined a few things for me. he stole some really nice childhood photos my grandparents had on display because he didn't like them, he got like, really physically abusive, and generally he just ruined the vibe for everyone. but i won't let that ruin my family time!

overall the holiday gets an 8.5/10!! had a great time but my brother knocks it down a few points

sorry for the long ramble lol

[thestruidora]

Am I the only one who has subjected herself to questionable "cinema" for J2?

Like, I've sat and watched Jared as Tom in Cry Wolf, and as Thomas in Thomas Kinkade's Christmas Fucking Cottage! And let's not forget the time I saw him as Clay in Friday the 13th, in which he looked so hot that it made me not care how much I hated the movie. -- I don't include either New York Minute or House of Wax in this list, 'cause I actually thoroughly enjoyed myself watching those two. It was great, clean fun.

Wish I could say Jensen didn't do me as dirty, but by minute five of Devour I knew it wasn't going to be a smooth ride. The fact that My Bloody Valentine was released in January instead of February should've also given me pause, but goddammit did he look good in that one.

Anyways, I'd still do it all over again!

[pia-writes-things]

15 Questions, 15 Mutuals

I was tagged by @viciousland, tysm (and sorry for answering so late)

Are you named after anyone? My first given name, no, but the second and third one are my great-grand-mothers' <3

When was the last time you cried? Crying as in sobbing and having tears going down my cheeks, it's been forever (like almost a year I think?). Crying as in tearing up and having one tear dropping down, it's been 2 days, during my mini 11pm breakdown because I'm sad that my year in Medellín is over and I miss my friends from there

Do you have kids? Nope, and I'm not sure I want some tbh

Do you use sarcasm a lot? I don't think so ? I use it sometimes, especially with my parents and sisters, but I'm clearly not the most sarcastic person

What sports do you play/have played? Oh ! I have done a lot of different sports in my life ! Never been good at it but, well, it was just for fun. I danced, ran, climbed, played futsal and handball. Lately I've been a potato couch but I hope I'll be able to find a climbing room in September to start climbing again because I miss it SO MUCH

What's the first thing you notice about people? Uh... No idea tbh ? When thinking about it, I have eyes, smile and height that pop into my head, but I guess it's just their general vibe really? Like, do they seem nice?

What's your eye color? Brown

Scary movies or happy endings? I mean, a scary movie can have a happy ending ? So, like, it's not really a A or B situation here. But I don't really like scary movies, so I guess happy endings

Any special talents? Uh, I don't know ? I know I cook pretty well, but I've been trained by my parents and my grand-mothers so it's more of a family thing. And I know I write well (according to my philosophy teacher and my friends) but again, I've been trained by school and fandoms on this one, we all write well 🧡

Where were you born? In Lyon's region ! Best city in my (very) biased opinion <3

What are your hobbies? Uh, lots of things or nothing depending how you look at it: watching TV series, reading, writing, cooking, baking, going to the cinema, ...

Do you have pets? I do (or, it's my family's, rather but still)! She's a grey and white cat named Tartine <3

How tall are you? 1,58m

Favorite subject in school? French (Literature), History and Economic and Social Sciences

Dream job? Publisher in a publishing house focused on Social Sciences books (Les Editions du Seuil ou La Martnière pour être très précise) or on kids and Young Adult books (Gallimard Jeunesse ou Rageot)

Thank you so much for the tag, that was so fun !

I'm tagging : @earanie, @hemerae-ramblings, @moon-arts02, @ehalatp, @sapphictea, @a-very-fluffy-luce, @cria-do-118, @riiversndroads, @maikanna, @elwenn-dreaming, @blatterpussbunnyfromhell, @sloubs, @dark-manticore, @theydoctor, @cecret-with-a-c

No pressure of course, you're just all people I'd like to know (even) better <3

[akajustmerry]

If you could pick one movie to watch for the first time again (like wipe it from your memory and Experience it for the first time again) what would it be?

oooh fun question, thank u <3 I'd pick children of men (2006). dir. Alfonso Cuaron. the first time I ever watched it I just sat quietly for half an hour afterward just contemplating the world and storytelling in a whole new way. every shot and scene in that film is one that I still marvel at now even though I've seen it countless times. to experience all that reverie again for the first time would be a great privilege! Though that movie is such a huge part of who I am I feel erasing the memory of it would erase some part of myself! It's still a dream of mine to see it in cinema someday so I can experience it on a big screen for the first time!

[monstermonstre]

31 days of horror 2023 (part 1/?)

Every year in October I challenge myself to watch 31 horror movies, 1 for each day, with varying success. If you're new here, I love horror and so the challenge is more about the commitment, than pushing myself to do something I wouldn't enjoy or do otherwise (thankfully).

So far, so good, I haven't watched anything that angered me or bored me to death. Those first 11 days were actually pretty great overall, and with only 2 rewatches.

Cherry Falls (2000): I thought a slasher starring Brittany Murphy would be an easy like but instead this was the only film in the bunch I did not care for. The attempted subversion of one of the genre's best known tropes (the Virgin Will Be Spared) was not done in a way that felt compelling; the script felt like there were too many cooks in the kitchen, like so many hands had touched it that the original intent had been lost; and aside from that one subversion it was just too bland, too unremarkable. And the transphobia didn't help. Brittany Murphy was stellar tho.

Possibly in Michigan (1983): Day 2 found me already scrambling for a short film as my day was ending, and lucky me otherwise I might have never watched this classic. "80s feminist cannibalism musical" feels like it's maybe doing it a disservice but it's what got me to watch it and I wouldn't know how to begin to talk about it in a more substantial way. If that tagline appeals to you in any way, it's on Youtube, go watch it.

The Exorcist (1973): I had seen that movie once as a teenager, when I was still very new to horror, and all I remembered from it were the scares. Watching it now, the scares are the least of the impressions the movie made on me. If I was a sadist with a cinema I'd program a triple feature on loneliness, alienation, and the loss of the body with this, Lake Mungo, and the original Cat People. (P.S.: I really recommend the following video essay.)

4. The Exorcist III (1990): First time watching and it scared the shit out of me. I loved it but I haven't been scared like that in a while. Again, there's nothing I could say about this that hasn't been said before. It had some of the worst (honorary) and best things I've ever seen. There is a carp swimming up and down in my brain.

5. Chucky S3E1: Yes episodes of TV count. Anyway, Chucky is back, it's my favourite horror franchise and the show has been, so far, one of the most fun I've had following a TV show ever. That season 3 premiere was a bit underwhelming for me, but certainly not bad. I'm looking forward to the rest.

6. Tucker and Dale vs. Evil (2010): Suffering depression from watching the two Exorcist movies back to back, I decided that rewatching a horror comedy I loved was in order. I used to worship Tucker and Dale vs. Evil, but now...it felt very "eh". I've been damaged by too many excellent films and some of the jokes from this classic just didn't do it as much for me anymore (aside from the "howdy-oh officer, we've had a doozy of a day" bit that makes me crack up every time). However it was still a good time and Dale is still one of the hottest man in horror.

7. Motel Hell (1980): Found out about this one through Stephen Graham Jones' Indian Lake trilogy and I wasn't expecting much from it so I was delighted when I found out how funny it was. Great time for slasher lovers, darkly funny, great performances, some really neat imagery (altho I could've done without the sound the "plants" made, like nails on a chalkboard). Just a silly good time.

8. No One Will Save You (2023): I appreciated the risks this movie took and its story but I struggled to get invested at all. Maybe the alien element just wasn't for me, the minute I saw one of the aliens (which kudos to the film for not beating around the bush and going straight into it) I just stopped caring. I did have a good time overall tho and I was pleasantly surprised at, again, the risks taken and the resistance to spelling every thing out to the audience. The ending was pretty neat.

9. Shutter (2004): The winner of my little poll and I'm grateful to everyone who voted for it. I have no idea how this film ended up on my watchlist but I had been putting it off for while because ghost movies are still one of the subgenres of horror that terrifies me the most. I am glad I was pushed to see this because not only was I not that scared (no really, I didn't even jump that much, I certainly was much calmer than when watching Exorcist III, I am so brave) but I really loved the film's atmosphere and visuals. It's rare, I feel, to see a horror movie so awash with light more or less constantly and still retaining a very compelling moodiness and tension. Very unique atmosphere and that ending wowed me. Also was I the only one to read Natre as trans? I even felt like the film was implying it for a while.

10. Creep (2014): Creep was also in my little poll and, when it ended, I realised I felt slightly disappointed it hadn't won. So instead of waiting on an excuse to watch it, and feeling emboldened by my frankly supernatural bravery during Shutter, I decided to just watch it. And it was the calmest I've ever felt during a found footage film. Seriously not one of the jumpscares got me, that's absolutely unheard of with me. But that didn't make me have any less of a good time. I thought it was hilarious (but obviously not funny in a way that I would recommend it to most people I know), Duplass was magnetic, and I really enjoyed the storytelling. It was also pretty close in some ways to a wrestling storyline that I'm very invested in at the moment so maybe that contributed to how tranquil a time I had. Again, if I owned a cinema and was sick in the head I'd do a double feature with this and the 2022 documentary Mister Organ.

11. Creep 2 (2017): I hate those Reader X Fictional Character fics that haunt tags on here but that's what that film was and I had a good time with it.

If you've read this far: wow. (and see you soon for part 2)

[nicoleanell]

DEAR FESTIVIDDER,

Welcome and thank you in advance!! As I say every year (or every-other-year when I partcipate) these are just some thoughts, but feel free to focus on different characters/storylines/etc. I'm excited to see anything you're inspired to make from the sources below!

I also tagged all the fandoms so you can see how often I reblog stuff about them, consider it a vidding vision board. :D

If you're checking out any of these sources for the first time, content warning for some blood/gore in Renfield (played for comedy) and blood, jumpscares, animal death in Midnight Mass.

Film (Safety)

Renfield (2023) - Listen. Cinema peaked when Robert Montague Renfield decorated his little apartment in bright '70s colors and kitty cat bedsheets to Lizzo, and then peaked a second time when Ben Schwartz snorted a centipede. This movie is bloody camp nonsense but somehow also an earnest abuse recovery/revenge fantasy, and it gave me Emotions and a crush on Nicholas Hoult. His giant sad eyes and self-empowerment arc mean the world to me.

Television

Abbott Elementary - Wholesome sitcom in the vein of Parks & Rec following teachers in a Philadelphia elementary school (as a child of two public school teachers it hits close to my heart). I'd kinda like to see an Ava vid, she's so entertainingly terrible but then has great moments of growth as well. Or one centered on Janine, Janine/Gregory, or just any kind of fun ensemble thing!

The Afterparty - Murder mystery comedy with the twist that each episode, a character gives their version of events in the style of different genre parodies. Honestly I'd be fine with just a season 1 vid because I liked it more than season 2. (With the exception of S2 giving me the Sapphic Wes Anderson Movie of my dreams.) S1 had just about a perfect ensemble (Yasper being a highlight) and great execution of the Rashomon-style premise.

The Bear - Drama/dramedy set in the chaotic back-of-house world of a Chicago restaurant. I love how real the environment, relationships, and characters of this show feel. I adore Ayo Edebiri so I'd especially like a vid centered on Sydney, her ambitions and anxiety and passion, but again anything that inspires you about the show would make me happy! I love everyone in this dysfunctional restaurant fam. I don't really ship Syd with Carmy so I'd prefer not an explicitly romancey vid.

Midnight Mass - There's a venn diagram between Catholic Trauma and Vampires that Mike Flanagan seemed to crack like nobody else ever has lol. After Hill House (which I got an incredible vid for a couple years ago) this is my favorite of his horror-drama miniseries, I really love the mood and themes it explores about faith/religion a source of both comfort and harm. Pretty much a "do whatever you want with this source" request!

Web Series/Internet Content

Dimension 20 - There's a lot of source here and even I haven't made it through all the older intrepid heroes campaigns yet (not to mention all the side quests). I've basically seen everything from A Court of Fey and Flowers onward. Favorites include Neverafter, A Crown of Candy, and I'm really enjoying the current Burrow's End series. But honestly if there's any season or mini-season or general vibe YOU especially love and would like to focus on, feel free to do so! And if you want to incorporate stuff like art, minis, fan sources, or just rely on the player dynamics, go for it. I love basically everybody but special shout-out to Lou Wilson.

Amaury Guichon (the chocolate guy) (Youtube/Tiktok/he also had a Netflix show) - Guichon is a French-Swiss pastry chef known for making elaborate, edible chocolate sculptures, and posting usually wordless montage videos of his process. I'm just kinda curious what a Chocolate Guy vid would look like! Watching his videos and the work that goes into each piece is so fascinating, and he has a really charming and pleasant vibe. Love the technical skill, the commitment to the bit, and the fact they often look like they taste good on top of it!

[delta-pavonis]

Tag 9 people you want to get to know better

Tagged by @sans--seraph, @littledreamling, @maybemalapert, @pellaaearien, @ginjones, and @academicbrainrot

Three ships: Let's see... top of my reading right now is Dreamling from The Sandman, Roy Kent/Jamie Tartt from Ted Lasso, and Harry Dresden/John Marcone from The Dresden Files. I'd give it a 90-5-5 divide at the moment.

First ever ship: Lestat/Louis all the way to the bank... to protect my money from getting sued out from under me by Anne Rice. 🤣

Last song: Run Away to Mars by TALK

Last movie: Clerks 3. It wasn't Great Cinema™, but it 100% served its purpose and laid the View Askewniverse nostalgia on with a trowel. Definitely was not expecting to get emotional at a Kevin Smith movie that night.

Currently reading: Just finished My Stranger, My Dream by SigniorBenedickofPadua. It is REALLY FUCKING GOOD. Go read it. Up next... I am going to do some more writing before I dig into reading again.

Currently watching: Leverage: Redemption. Leverage is so much fucking fun, I am glad they did it well when they brought it back. Looking forward to more Vikings: Valhalla coming up soon, as well as Star Trek: Picard.

Currently consuming: Just finished dinner, which was a salad with chicken and bacon and blue cheese because I needed something heavy on the vegetables after eating pizza all day.

Currently craving: Food? I am eyeing the last Oreos sitting on the kitchen counter. Non-food? Some time alone in the quiet to just write fic without other work I have to do. No dice, it is comments writing time in my neck of the teacher-woods. 😭

Tagging 9 People: Eh, this is making the rounds amongst my Tumblr feed right now, so if you see this and feel in the mood, pretend I tagged you. Yes, you. I want to know about you. 😉

[thegunlady]

Movies I watched in 2022

I kept track of this last year and it was fun, so I'm doing it again! I realize literally no one asked, but here is an extremely long and pointless rundown of every movie I watched this year. Complete with commentary and IMDB links. For posterity or whatever.

As before, I counted movies I'd already seen, but I didn't double up on movies I watched more than once in 2022 - which happened a fair amount as I am a serial re-watcher and comfort-movie-haver. I also didn't include a handful of movies that I put on as background noise while doing other things and didn't truly Watch.

January:

1. Zombieland (2009) - Okay the CGI is pretty freaking bad. But it's still a funny and cleverly-executed take on a zombie movie that holds up pretty well 13 years later.

2. Zombieland: Double Tap (2019) - This is pretty much exactly what you want from a sequel - more of the same with the whole main cast returning, but taken a little bit further with lots of callbacks. It was perfectly fun, but just a little too silly for me I think.

3. Brazen (2022) - Imagine my surprise when I played some new Netflix crime thriller on a whim only to discover that it's based on a romance novel from the '80s that I've actually read! I didn't even make the connection until the opening credits, despite the title and the trailer. Anyway, this movie was...almost good? Like the pieces were there, but it came off pretty much daytime soap.

4. Collide (2016) - This is another case of a movie thinking it was gonna be much cooler than it was—as evidenced by the all-star cast despite some pretty shaky writing—but tbh it was still pretty cool? I love a car movie, and I love a heist movie, and I love an action adventure that centers on a love story (although I dock points for fridging).

5. Kiki's Delivery Service (1989) - Guess who just saw this for the first time? It was me! But clearly this movie is charming at any age. It's the very definition of sweet and lovely, and the animation style is so beautiful (of course). Also Jiji is everything!!!

6. Mission: Impossible (1996) - I LOVE these movies. I'd forgotten that the first movie is really more of a classic cold war spy thriller, with a lot of intrigue and heisting and not so much action. Which I think is so smart and so much more compelling. I had a blast.

7. Mission: Impossible II (2000) - I know this movie has always been lauded as the terrible, outlier Mission Impossible movie that no one likes—and I agree that it's a hard deviation from the rest in terms of style and it IS objectively the worst of the bunch—but I really enjoyed it. More than I remembered. It has some glaring issues, but sometimes you just want to watch Tom Cruise driving a motorcycle through fire in slow motion from 3 camera angles, or doing the same backflip kick move 7 times, also in slow motion, and that's VALID.

8. Mission: Impossible III (2006) - Are you sensing a theme here? I think this might be my favorite M:I movie. It's really stylish and slick without being too over the top, and I LOVE a macguffin as the story engine of an adventure film! It keeps things simple and leaves room for more character stuff—which this movie does a pretty decent job of. Also talk about your great villains.

February:

9. Nightmare Alley (1947) - Spooky and atmospheric and compelling and fun! What is it about vintage carnivals? It's just THE vibe. Curious to see how the new adaptation holds up.

10. Nightmare Alley (2021) - Naturally, GDT's version of this movie is a spectacular visual treat, and leans in to the Fucked Up Magical Realism of it all in a way that really works for the story. But this version is WAY too long and monologue-y, with more added detail than truly necessary. It also leapfrogs over the 'fun and games' bit of screenwriting structure that really made the first movie sing, imho. It's a cool film, but I enjoyed watching the original a lot more.

11. Book of Love (2022) - This shit was so cute! Also, in a scathing indictment of modern cinema, I was shocked to discover that this isn't even an adaptation of anything! It was a clever and lovely and original romance that gets bonus points for being fairly bilingual - not entirely, but they actually do a good job of having characters who are native Spanish speakers actually speak Spanish with subtitles when talking to each other. I wish it had a little more of an epilogue though. Which I could say about so many stories, but especially romcoms. I'm going to become a youtuber JUST so I can make a video essay about the importance of showing the status quo change at the end of a story!!!

12. The Hating Game (2021) - I realize I'm completely biased by my preexisting affinity for the novel, but this movie is so much fun!! And, as I've said before, a really faithful adaptation! It's extremely silly and has a few writing issues, especially in the second half, but I don't care I love it.

13. Plus One (2019) - I LOVED this movie when it came out but I only saw it the once so I was curious to see if I'd still love it a whole pandemic later—and I do! It's fun and banter-y and, imho, a good example of a comedy that is about people who are actually funny, like, as part of their personality. Rather than essentially blank people who "funny" things happen to, like so many romcoms.

14. A Long Way Down (2014) - Aww, this movie was lovely! It's not a super original concept but a good one, and executed well. A stellar cast and just a great...well, not quite found family story, but it has similar beats and I like that it's about something slightly more than that. Also Aaron Paul and Imogen Poots should play love interests in all the movies. This is the second one I've seen and they're so cute.

15. Austenland (2013) - The perfect, confectionary Valentine's Day treat! Not that there's ever a bad time to watch this absolute GEM. It's bonkers and adorable and so much fun.

16. I Want You Back (2022) - Nothing earth-shattering but I think the characterization of the two mains was actually kind of poignant and nuanced. Also Jenny Slate is hilarious always. Why am I watching so many romantic comedies? Is it because it's Valentine's month and that's where my brain and also the Algorithm™ are pointing? Super probably. Anyway.

March:

17. West Side Story (2021) - I'm honestly not sure we really needed another adaptation of this. And this one was extremely long. But I always love a musical, it has to be said, and this one was no exception. I really love the look of it - how they made it look like kind of a cross between an actual stage play, and those detailed, built facades that were movie sets back when the original movie came out. I also love how they lit and composed every scene between Tony and Maria to make it look dreamy and incredible and highlight how they were in their own little world, and then dropped the dreamy lighting and framing as soon as their moment was over.

18. Star Trek (2009) - I just listened to the episode of Beyond the Screenplay about this movie and I was intrigued by so much of their conversation on how it ties into and diverts from the original series. It was fun to watch this movie through that lens. Also just so many charming performances.

19. Star Trek Into Darkness (2013) - I mean I watched one, so it only made sense to watch the next. It was almost equally fun! Although I was not inspired to watch the third movie, so.

20. Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021) - Geez Louise this movie hit me unexpectedly. I was anticipating multiverse spider-man(s) hi-jinx which I DID get and it was SO GOOD, but there was less than I'd hoped, and this movie is ultimately pretty fucking bleak. It's clearly designed to set up Multiverse of Madness so I guess they can undo or redo anything they want, but oof. I am straight-up Bummed Out™.

April:

21. All The Old Knives (2022) - This movie did it perfectly fine, but I'm not the biggest fan of stories that keep flashing between the past and present. It's impressive writing and it definitely can be really cool to use it for a reveal that totally changes the meaning of something you've already seen, but, imho, when you use it as the whole story engine it A. kills the forward momentum of the action and B. robs the emotional significance out from under everything because you're just constantly seeing heavy subtext you couldn't possibly parse, and then seeing even more before the first pays off. I find it a little frustrating and boring (see: Arrow). But this movie was still cool.

22. The Batman (2022) - Okay this movie is almost 3 full hours and it took me 2 tries and then 4 sittings to watch it which I'm sure was not the intended or preferred moviegoing experience™ but I simply could not get through it any other way, my friends. Also this movie was so (literally) dark I have no idea what was going on in half the scenes. And a lot of the dialogue was just SO on the nose I mean it was fine but can we have just a little bit more subtext people, please. HOWEVER it was still pretty dope. I like that it wasn't bonkers action-y and was a little more noir/hard-boiled detective vibes. And I love this new turn of weird, soggy sewer rat Batman.

May:

23. Firestarter (2022) - This was my first theater movie since 2019! There were only 2 other people in the theater, because it turns out this movie has 12% on Rotten Tomatoes, which I did not realize when I purchased my ticket. Having seen it, this does not surprise me. It's pretty bad. BUT I like Zac Efron, I like an angry young girl with powers, and I'm glad for a return to weird little 90-minute movies.

24. 2:22 (2017) - Big fan of the cerebral romantic drama with a sci-fi twist! I think the premise is amazing and the performances are good and I loved it's whole style and vibe, but I'm not sure all the mechanics fit together as well as they maybe could have. I still really liked it though.

25. Contact (1997) - The peak of alien sci-fi cinema in my book. This movie rules so hard. I love the '90s character archetype of brazen adventure-science woman. (See also: Helen Hunt in Twister, and Laura Dern in Jurassic Park). And I love a flat change arc with huge themes.

June:

26. Jonathan (2018) - This movie has a legitimately fun premise and the first half was cool but the second half just kinda fizzled and rolled to a vague stop without doing anything to tie up the themes or pay off the details that it set up. Pass.

27. Need for Speed (2014) - I love this movie so much. I've literally seen it 20 times. I just like a car movie! I don't give a shit about cars IRL but car/racing movies just have a distinctive style and set of tropes associated with them that is so fun to me. And this one in particular has a great premise and cool locations a fantastic cast that was clearly having an amazing time and I love it so much. Also my power is out so I don't have internet and this is the only thing I had downloaded.

July:

27. The Princess (2022) - Okay, so I love the concept of a reverse rescue-the-princess story where instead of a prince fighting his way up the tower to get to the princess, the princess wakes up locked in the tower and must fight her way down. I just wish this movie did a little more with it? Like they sorta tried to break the movie into 'levels' of the tower, but if they leaned into that way more it would have been awesome. The action stuff was kinda cool and I actually like that they were a little silly and anachronistic with it, but it just didn't hang together for me. The tone was inconsistent, the pacing was weird, and the movie did basically zero character work. And I'm bummed out because I feel like there could be a version of this movie that's SO fun and memorable—a la A Knight's Tale or something— but this isn't it.

28. Last Night in SoHo (2021) - Yoooo I loved this movie. I mean I am firmly an Edgar Wright fan, so I guess I'm biased, but it was so cool. We love a neon-soaked movie. We love '60s music. We love time travel—or something like it. All vibes. I didn't really love how the third act wrapped up - it sorta took a hard turn - and also we really should have seen Sam Clafin's character at least one more time than we did for everything to work. But I forgive it.

29. A Nice Girl Like You (2020) - For me personally, this was a movie with a premise/tone that I didn't find particularly fun or interesting but was saved by really solid performances and pretty flawless screenwriting structure. It was a little dated, raunchy, and cringy for my own tastes, but it hit every beat right on the head with a cast that seemed to have chemistry and have fun and I respect that. Also not for nothing but I think I might have a full-on crush on Lucy Hale.

30. Monsters (2010) - I was in college when this movie came out and I remember my roommate at the time being obsessed with it and making me watch it, but I haven't seen or thought about it again until it popped up on HBO Max today. It's a 90-minute indie monster movie that's high-tension but low-action, open-ended, and really only about two people, which is exactly the kind of story stuff I'm all about. Great work everyone.

31. Kimi (2022) - Ohh another unique, 90-minute, blessedly simple, and character-driven thriller! Let's keep it up, team. I really enjoyed this one—and oof the stuff the heroine is going through at the start of the movie is Big Relatable in this COVID world of ours.

32. The Map of Tiny Perfect Things (2021) - Bro, I'm on a roll with my last few movies. This one was extremely delightful! Y'all know how much I love a time travel/time loop movie and this one was so sweet. Also the dude in this movie (*checks notes* Kyle Allen) is going be a star he's so good.

33. Above the Shadows (2019) - This is one of those slightly frustrating movies that - imho - has a great premise and great cast and could have been AMAZING, but had a couple writing issues that made it just okay. But I still enjoyed it!

34. Jurassic Park (1993) - I mean, a legendary, ultimate classic. What more is there to say? We need more 'monster' movies that are simple and cool with a degree of whimsy and awe. The '90s were great at this, let's bring it back! Also I'm about to rewatch all the JP movies in preparation for Dominion so buckle up.

35. The Lost World: Jurassic Park (1997) - This one is markedly less whimsical than the first, with much more violence and much more annoying villains. But the cute chemistry and easy affection between Jeff Goldblum and his daughter and Julianne Moore is delightful. Also I do appreciate the turn of the dinosaurs being completely innocent and the greedy humans being even more cartoonishly evil.

36. Jurassic Park III (2001) - This movie is actually great?? I love that it's a bit more of a return to form, with Alan and Ellie of course, but also just with general fun. The horror-esque reveal of the pterodactyl and the ringing phone signaling the proximity of the t-rex are both EXCELLENT.

37. Purple Hearts (2022) - I took a break from the dinos to watch a ridiculously sappy and overwrought romance because I can't resist them. HOWEVER. This one was fucking awful. (And I am not that picky re: this genre.) The pacing and tone was all over the place, the writing was sloppy, and also it's some major military propaganda and the characters go through basically no change!!! Oof. OOF!!!

38. Jurassic World (2015) - Okay we're back and oh my god I forgot that this movie kinda fucking slaps?? It's honestly the perfect way to continue a franchise, and I love the shift of the original film being about the hubris of how, in this dawning technological age, we're doing every awesome science thing we can think of because we can, and who cares about the consequences. To this one being about KNOWING what a terrible idea it is but doing it anyway and doing it MORE because of corporate greed (although the parallels there to rebooting a cash cow film series are not lost on me). But even so, this movie is bright and fun and cool and the story is blessedly simple and I really love it.

39. Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom (2018) - I like this movie a lot, but it occurs to me that the two JP movies that actually take place in a working park are by far the most fun. The visual trappings of a theme park and something so happy turning so awful is really compelling. And so are the built-in boundaries of being confined inside the park over the course of one day. Really only the original film and the first Jurassic World have that. For the rest, the world is already in chaos and there are essentially no boundaries or much ticking clock at all - which is fine, but there's just something less urgent and Too Big about it for me, personally.

40. Jurassic World Dominion (2022) - Weirdly, this movie might have a few TOO many dinosaurs? I feel like the past movies revealed dinosaurs at key moments but in this one I'm pretty sure there's literally never someone not getting attacked by a dinosaur (or a giant bug 😟!!!) But also I loved it! I loved getting the whole gang(s) back together, and the updated feathered dinos! And the baby dinos!

41. The Gray Man (2022) - I wanted this movie to be better? It was cool overall, and there was some stuff I really liked, but it was SUPER long and big stretches were kinda boring and I personally felt like it spent too much time on all the wrong character dynamics. Poor Ana de Armas got basically zero motivation or plot work at all. We learn nothing about her and you could almost literally just edit her out of this movie and absolutely nothing changes. A bummer.

August:

42. Encanto (2021) - Guess who cried twice during this movie? It was me. I'm so glad I finally watched this it was so beautiful in every way. My heart is full. Also shoutout to the CinemaWins video about this movie for making me pause that video and watch it immediately.

43. The Time Traveler's Wife (2009) - Oh look it's me, crying at the second movie in one night (I've been kinda going through it the past few weeks I think I was subconsciously seeking catharsis via tearjerkers). Anyway, time travel and epic romance are my two most favorite things in fiction so it's no wonder to anyone that I adore this movie.

44. Uncharted (2022) - Listen I'm just generally down for a bog-standard swashbuckling, map-poring, treasure-seeking adventure movie. This one isn't really anything special but I was passably charmed and if they make more, I'll watch 'em.

45. Persuasion (1995) - I've actually never read Persuasion nor experienced any adaptation of it until now. I loved it! And, to my own surprise since I often rant about these things, I love that this movie doesn't really spend time explaining Anne and Wentworth's specific history. I don't know if/how much the novel does either, but it's kind of remarkable how much it doesn't really matter. I also love that it appears to be shot entirely on location with barely any lighting setups, color grading, or even much time spent on hair and makeup.

46. The Lost City (2022) - Hee! As a great lover of both romance novels and cheesy adventure movies, this combination of the two was - maybe a TOUCH slapstickier than I would have liked - but overall EXTREMELY delightful. More weird and silly hijinx movies!!! please!!

47. Inside the Mind of a Cat (2022) - I guess this is more of an hour-long Netflix special than a real movie and it also seems like a good dose of pseudoscience to me, but I literally don't care! It was 60 minutes of cute kitties!

September:

48. Love in the Villa (2022) - This is an objectively bad movie held together entirely by Kat Graham and Tom Hopper being great scene partners and excellent comedic actors. I can't quite say I hated it, but it's also. Not good. At all.

October:

49. Black Widow (2021) - Finally got around to watching this! Tbh this movie was like a decade overdue and not really worth the wait to me, personally, but it was still fun! I love weird family hi-jinx!

50. Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (2021) - Once again, I'm kinda burned out on Marvel movies and also this was a late-night watch after a long day of hiking, drinking, and general carousing during a family vacation, thus I was nodding off for some of it. But I liked it! It was more unique than most Marvel movies of recent memory.

51. Fifty Shades of Grey (2015) - Not to bring this up AGAIN, but I am a longtime lover of ridiculous romance novels. As such, I am used to their General Nonsense and legitimately enjoy this movie (and the other two) for exactly what they are. Which is ridiculous. I make no excuses for the weird and the problematic, I just think wildly over-the-top romance is the best. Also, this first movie really did try to do something interesting with the story before the franchise was throttled by EL James. (I highly recommend Dan Olsen's video essay about this).

52. Fifty Shades Darker (2017) - Like I said, I just kinda like these movies. I'm not proud of it. And even though the first is by far the best objectively, I think this one is my favorite? Just for silly aesthetic and trope-y reasons.

53. The Choice (2016) - I loved this movie!!! I'm a sucker for all the Nicholas Sparks movies I have to admit (you're shocked), but this one might be my favorite yet?? Excellent use of my favorite tropes re: silly and banter-y couples, and agonizing romantic beats.

54. The Host (2013) - I feel like this movie was generally panned as more YA nonsense given its source material, and then instantly forgotten about, but I actually love it! I think it's really beautiful aesthetically and the score is amazing and william hurt is weirdly SO good in his role and it's romantic and dramatic and I've seen it a bunch of times.

55. Free Guy (2021) - This movie is so silly, but it's also reasonably heartfelt and creative and I just think it's fun.

56. Avatar (2009) - The movie, the myth, the legend. With the sequel allegedly coming out, I was curious to revisit the original. The actual storyline is whatever (slash slightly problematic) but the premise is really cool and the effects are amazing.

57. The Age of Adaline (2015) - Me? Watching sweeping romantic dramas and things related to time travel? Groundbreaking. But anyway I enjoyed this movie. I kinda wanted them to do a little more with the concept, but overall it was lovely. Also whoever that guy is who played young Harrison Ford deserved to be in more than 2 scenes he fucking crushed it.

58-61. The Hunger Games Series (2012-2015) - I LOVED these books and I remember being a little disappointed by the movies at the time, but having just watched them all again y'know what? They're pretty good. And they hold up.

62. Happy Death Day (2017) - This was my Halloween movie choice! Again! I truly never get sick of it. It's more funny and clever than actually scary, but still leans on some spookiness and it's a delight. Carter and Tree are so cute which really sells the whole thing. Also you guys know how much I love a time loop. This move is kind of the gen Z answer to Scream and they nailed it.

November:

63. Dracula Untold (2014) - Okay honestly I just threw this on at random for something to watch while I organized my books into my new IKEA media stand, expecting it to be one of those nigh-unwatchable (to me) desaturated cyan fantasy/monster movies with endless meaningless exposition and monologues interrupted by boring and also endless sword fights...and it kinda was, except much better than most! I felt like it was a fun take on an overdone story and surprisingly character-driven. I won't say it's a great movie, but I didn't mind it.

December:

64. Rosaline (2022) - I loved it! I personally am a huge fan of the period-piece-but-not-really trend that's popular right now, where something takes place in the past and uses it as set dressing, but uses modern language and pop songs, etc. This movie was also even funnier than I expected—although I can't quite account for why some characters are American and some are British? Even from the same family? Did they just cast whoever and not care? Because that's actually great.

65. The Broken Hearts Gallery (2020) - I adore this movie. It's such a sweet concept, and the dialogue and chemistry between all the mains is so hilarious. Specifically the dynamic between the love interests, which I find incredibly endearing.

66. Penelope (2006) - One of my all-time favorites!!! I can't even count how many times I've seen this movie it makes me so happy. The choice to make it essentially a real-world story (minus the magic curse) but with a production design that is ever-so-slightly fantasy is so much fun. Also, I don't know if Peter Dinklage has any particular pride in or fondness for this role, but I hope he does because it's fucking note-perfect. His every expression and line delivery is hysterical.

67. Lady Chatterley's Lover (2022) - Eh. It was okay. I feel like this movie thought it was much sexier and more dramatic than it was. It also set up some wider stuff about the world of the movie that it never really followed up on. What happened to the miners and the town? With Bertha? Did anyone actually get divorced? Connie and Oliver had a whole Thing with realizing how much their dynamic would change if they were a regular/real couple outside of the lives they currently knew, but did they do anything to resolve it? We just don't know.

68. Mr. Right (2015) - This is one of my most-watched movies of all time it is goofy hi-jinx and endearing romance incarnate! Featuring two of my all-time favorite movie leads!

69. Ever After (1998) - 💜😍💚😍💚 a forever fave always. (also can you tell I'm getting bored of trying to track and review every single movie? Not sure I'm going to do this list again next year).

70. Knives Out (2019) - Never gets old! I rewatched in preparation for watching the new movie and I’m curious to see how they compare bc I love this one.

71. Glass Onion (2022) - I loved it! And Janelle Monae is a dang revelation in this movie. However (spoilers) I think whodunits are more fun when there’s a clear Murder to Solve- like in the first one. This one had maybe a few too many mysteries happening at once and starting late into the movie. I still loved it though.

[emilynightshade89]

For the cinema asks, because I know your like your creature/monster flicks:

Pacific Rim, Life (2017), King Kong (2005) and/or Kong: Skull Island (only two I've seen), Jaws (1975)

YESSSS THANK YA!

Pacific Rim

Never Seen | Want to See | The Worst | Bad | Whatever | Not My Thing | Good | Great | Favorite | Masterpiece

Guillermo Del Toro my beloved 💜 I was lucky to see this in a theater during summer and just seeing these bigass robots fight bigass monsters was just the height of entertainment for me at that moment. It had the director's look and underlying themes that I later appreciated more after rewatching and it also offered fun moments and cool concepts that I hadn't seen before. Definitely one of my many favorite "put something on just for fun" movies. 💕

Life (2017)

Never Seen | Want to See | The Worst | Bad | Whatever | Not My Thing | Good | Great | Favorite | Masterpiece

I think I caught this when it was just ending a long time ago, so I haven't seen it the whole way through but I'd very much like to.

King Kong (2005) AND Kong: Skull Island

Never Seen | Want to See | The Worst | Bad | Whatever | Not My Thing | Good | Great | Favorite | Masterpiece(s)

Put them together bc why not. LOVE BOTH OF THEM. Kong 2005 is very much a part of the hall of fame for movies I watched during my childhood, along with the Brendan Fraser Mummy movies. I remember giving it a rewatch some time ago and just being in love with the friendship between the girl and this giant ass Gorilla (played beautifully by Andy Serkis. In this house we love and appreciate Andy Serkis). The infamous bug scene is one of my favorites even tho it freaked me out as a kid and I know people think it's odd that Jack Black is there but I liked his casting in this one, it reminds me of Josh Gad being cast in Murder On The Orient Express after he had done Olaf and it really sticks out to me how much comedic actors can do drama just as well too. Jack does a great job I think and so does everyone else. <3

SKULL ISLAND LETS GOOOO. I love this movie and among my ranking of the monsterverse installments, it ranks no. 2 just behind Godzilla: King of The Monsters. The scene where the scientists and Vietnam soldiers are arriving and are greeted by Kong is just PEAK CINEMA for me!!!! Absolutely bonkers, fun, and kinda scary and it was such a great way to introduce this version of Kong. The human characters are done well to my liking, I never get bored of them and the creative kills and the environment of the island itself is fantastic as well. ALSO HOLY SHIT THE SKULL CRAWLERS ARE BADASS TOO. Cast is great, the monsters ate great, and the end credits scene is one I revisit bc it's just awesome. :)

JAWS

Never Seen | Want to See | The Worst | Bad | Whatever | Not My Thing | Good | Great | Favorite | Masterpiece

I really enjoyed this one! Despite seeing it only once I really liked how it was made and how little we actually see the shark until we need to. I look forward to watching it again sometime for sure. My only beef is that I actually don't like how effective the poster is for the shark. I love it in its design, I think it's just genius how they have the colors stick out so much, the bold red of the title, the bright blue of the ocean and the pitch black of the shark's mouth against the stark white of the background. Creepy and effective I love it but I hate it too. 🤣