#its all about the cinnamon tography

[elequinoa-world]

thoughts on Netflix’s Wednesday:

- i did enjoy watching the whole season

- Jenny Ortega did a solid performance as Wedsneday

- I want an actual show about teenage Morticia and Gomez

- Pugsley was adorable even though he wasn’t really in character, he was really cute and I want to protect him too fight me on this

- the scene where wednesday talks to gomez and tells him he’s a good father was really good

- i did like the dynamic between wednesday and morticia, living in the shadow of your mom and all, that was nice

THAT BEING SAID.

why is every guy in love with Wednesday

why are there so many boys in this show to begin with

where are the female friendships???

teenage girls care more about their besties than boys i swear

also Enid is a lesbian 100% (the whole wolfing out/coming out parallel COME ON)

grown men need to stop writing stories about teenage girls because you don’t know what yo’ure talking about you’re just trying to replicate cliché stuff you see in other medias written by men and it s h o w s

also where was the addams aesthetic? this was just a regular show about a “goth” academy that wasn’t even that goth to begin with

where were the werewolves and vampires and sirens and gorgons you spoke of??? cause i didnt see any for more than like one sec of screentime

where is the goth vibe? the whole point of the Addams family is the contrast they bring against a hypocritical hypercapitalist society, the Nevermore Academy was supposed to be full of outcasts like them but they were just.... some random teenagers dressed in a dark blue uniform?? where is the goth??? where is the criticism??? why did they scream when it rained blood??? why is wednesday the only odd one??

i was expecting something with dark humor, with an actual aesthetic because tim burton meets addams family should have been grounds for experimentation on you know, real gothic vibes, but no, there was no real cinnamon tography in this and it makes me sad

a show like this should be able to be recognisable for its visual brand on any single frame, but no, it was just... a school.... in america.... somewhere... with pilgrims maybe...

a bit disapointed that they didnt do more with the Addams thingy, cause in the end it was just another teenage show about random “supernatural” characters. the story was kind of good even if predictable and still fun to watch and i did like wednesday emotional journey to form bonds with other people, that was done well, but they should have gone with original characters if they did not want to exploit what makes the addams family the addams family....

give me more addams family in a show about the addams family ffs

and that’s my two cents on wednesday

[gravewaax]

my halloween movie picks, for your consideration:

dog soldiers- a military exercise in the scottish wilderness goes wrong. apparently this movie was successful at its release but i consider it one my favourite good-bad movies because the werewolves are so goofy. a man runs through the woods so fast that he impales himself on a tree branch. please watch this stupid movie

the descent- six women enter a cave system and end up encountering horrible humanoid creatures inside. the cinnamon tography is great, and without spoiling anything i think one of the end shots is probably one of the best across all horror media. all of the women are lesbians in my mind. they also filmed in incredibly well-constructed sets instead of actual caves because caves are dangerous and i respect them for protecting their staff. don’t watch the sequel it fucking sucks

zygote- stranded in an arctic mine, two survivors fight for their lives. a 20 minute sci-fi/horror film. i love gross flesh amalgams. i love better sci fi worldbuilding in 20 minutes than some have done across entire franchises. dakota fanning is there

nosferatu- what do you want me to say. it’s nosferatu. he is on youtube for free

train to busan- a zombie virus breaks out in korea and passengers on a high-speed train fight to survive until they reach busan. finally some good fucking zombie content. the characters are fleshed out and believable

repo! the genetic opera- a pandemic of organ failures causes one corporation to launch an organ-financing program with grave repercussions for those who can’t pay. horror/goth rock opera and a cult classic. it’s not ‘good’ but it has so much character

the guest- okay so this one is a korean drama but i cannot recommend it enough. the first episode is a little shaky and then it picks up. it’s about a psychic, a priest, and a detective with the shared childhood trauma of an evil spirit killing their families embarking on a mission to solve a string of supernatural crimes and end the haunting once and for all. i can’t find a pic but they used practical effects/a big puppet for the evil spirit which sounds goofy but i can’t overstate how fuckin creepy it looked lol

[karamazovdmitri]

What Russian movies would you recommend?

oh my god where to even start!! i really love soviet cinema so this is most of what i will suggest probably (im kind of meh on most recent mainstream russian cinema, even tho it has great pieces of guilty pleasure movies lmao) alright so settle in well okay lets start with the classics: andrei tarkovsky is my favorite filmmaker, literally anything and everything by him (just dont watch nostalghia first, but i highly recommend the mirror, stalker, solaris if you like SF, or hell even andrei rublev if thats your jam bc personally it is and i LOVED), very contemplative and slow movies though, like. you will need patience to get through his stuff, but personally i always say it feels like someone recorded a dream and you're watching that. it feels really oniric and its like you dont exactly grasp it all and when you try to explain it you cant really but good god its good

then! i will recommend one of my all-time favorite movies, and i mean it, of ALL times, the ascent by larisa shepitko. its about two soldiers during wwii who are sent off to find food, and its one of those war movies that arent really war movies you know but they are about it, and moreso, they're about like Humanity™? anyway one of the most haunting, beautiful and devastating movies i've seen ever. just beautiful in the cinematography, in the acting, in just everything honestly, its raw and profoundly human and also if youre like me and youre all about that religious symbolism? youre in for a... sad sad treat, but a treat nonetheless. it really like. got me deep like i didnt know what to do with myself after watching it but its a masterpiece 10000% (also while im there... also watch larisa sheptiko's other movie, wings)

now another classic is of course the cranes are flying, everyone knows but i need to reiterate it really lives up to the hype... just. some of the most beautiful cinnamon tography ive seen ever. like ill be honest even if i love cinematography in general i rarely go look up a cinematographer specifically but for this movie i HAD to bc some camera shots are INSANE. just one of the most gorgeous movies ive seen ever

if we're still going about aesthetic bc why not... if you liked hamlet by shakespeare, you HAVE to see the 1964 Hamlet movie its sooo gorgeous and such a good adaptation in my opinion like i just think this movie understands EVERYTHING about the essence of the play

now the next one i wouldnt necessarily put on the same scale as the others but good god is it a good watch, and its ballad of a soldier yes its another classic idc the soviet classics arent classics for nothing. this one is a really nice watch. just felt..... really nice and once again war movie thats not really showing you the war itself, i dig this hardcore

okay also ! not soviet lmfao but HUGE mention to alexander sokurov, you probably know of russian ark, if you dont, its not only a fucking prowess of cinematography, its basically one single continous shot for the entire movie and not like. a fake one like 1917 -tho dont get me wrong, loved what 1917 did-, like its deadass. press record, do the entire fucking movie, press stop. its INSANE and its BEAUTIFUL and im in love with sokurov's style, not as well known but i also loved francofonia, tho its a lot more experimental imo and is more documentary than movie, but also not documentary per se, i guess an essay of sorts, kind of confusing but i enjoyed it

i could not do this without of course mentioning one of my comfort movies™, which is я шагаю по мосве (translated as different things, like walking the streets of moscow or i walk around moscow) just a short and really sweet and light movie about . life i guess. LMAO its vague but theres really no real plot in there just a good time and very genuine and also has one of my favorite final scenes ever quick special mentions: courier, which was not my favorite but a really good movie still and it gets me bc its 1980s russia aka my jam, crime and punishment 1970 IF youve read C&P bc umm its an entire vibe, and remember when i said modern russian cinema guilty pleasure? okay well i rewatched движение вверх recently and like. it still slaps. if youre wondering (???) i need you to know i havent watched a zvyaginstev movie since i was like 16 so i dont have a concrete opinion on his stuff lmao)

sorry i wrote like SO fucking much but jaksfbajfbajsfh i hope this can provide you with some stuff of interests and btw a lot of these movies can be found with russian film hub, which basically like searches youtube and whatnot for you since mosfilm are actually pretty cool and do put their movies online

[uwuprime]

Del's WFC Seige Liveblog - 1x01

OH GOD OH FUCK

Already the animation is SO GOOD

BEE???

W H E E L J A C K???? They kept his flashers!!!!! 😃😃😃😃😃

Shit fuck gh STAY DOWN what the fu c k

Okay. Hold up.

BEE IS ACTUALLY TAKING POINT IN THIS???? HOLY S H I T

SO SASSY.

Young man you shouldn't talk like that to your-

Employer????

Wait so he's NOT an Autobot?????

GOD THE ANIMATIONNNNNN

"Kid" 😠😠😠😠😠 why is my son so angstyyyyy

"Polish my tailpipe!" UM EX C U S E ME???? THATS A SAYING?? "WELL, SCRUB MY ASSHOLE" THE FIFJRBFNDN WRITING IS A+

Ow my h e a r t

JACKIE N O

GODDAMNIT

UHHH IS THAT SHOCKWAVE?

NO????

WHAT

THE FUCK

WHY IS JETFIRE HERE????

HES WHAT

WHAT THE F U C K

OKAY HOLD TF UP SO JETFIRE IS FUCKING L E A D I N G THE DAMN SEEKERS?????????

WHAT THE F U C K

Thundercracker can find your insta. You can't hide. Unless you're Bee I guess?????

WHAT THE FUCK

W h a t the F J U C K

JETFIRE IS NOT MY BIG FRIENDLY BOY. WHAT HAPPENED TO MY MAN. DONT CUT HIS FUCKING ARM OFF????

YOU WERE LOVERS ONCE

Even the graphic parts are veautiful???? F u c k

The girls are fightingggggggg!

OH SHIT

HERE HE IS. BIG LIP MEGATRON

Okay so its not nearly as egregious as it was in the trailer

I'm not an autobot

We had a little chat

We must reach their sparks and minds

Oh I'm scared

Please tell me everyone not about to die.

OH

OH LORD HE COMING

I WANT TO SEE MY BIG BOY.

Suave smoochers Megs

I feel so deeply for WJ here. Fuck.

A coward then FUCK

DONT KILL THEMMMMMMM

NO

JETIFRE. BOO. YOURE BETTER THAN THIS.

N O O O

OH

THANK FUCK

GOD D A M N WHAT AN ENTRANCE

LET THEM GO. CHILLSSSSSSS

OH

THE TENSIONNNNNNNN

THE GIRLS ARE FIGHTING 2 ELECTRIC BOOGALOO

O U C H

GOD THE SEEKERS LAUGHING GOVES ME THE C R E E O S

DAD WOULDNT HAVE WANTED THIS

MEGS KILLED ALPHA TRION????

O O F

I JUST. F U C K . THE CINNAMON-TOGRAPHY

OH SHIR

IS THAT

IS THAT MY GIRL??????

IT HERRRRRRRRR

SHES HEREEEEEEEE

F U C K I n g R U N

ELITAAAAAAAAAA

GOD THE ANIMATIONNNNN

Hes Just a Boy, leave him alone!!!!!

Elita and Oppy????? We going that route?

HES A PAIN IN THE ASS. AAAAAAA

FUCK

SASSY BOY

I don't wanna go! Well, you're free to die to the other guys then, pal.

Nice choice

OH

GOD I KNOW I KEEP SAYING BUT THIS SHOW IS BEAUTIFULLY DONE

THE ARK????? THE ROIGJNAL ARK????????

Holy fuck.

Ratchet?????

Wait red alert is a medic?????

MAGGIE MOO MY MAN

God. SO WELL DONE.

The sensionnnnnnnnnnn

Uh oh I feel like thats coming back.

Red Alert is so kind???

Oh. Wow. This is probably the darkest a recent show has gone as far as casualties. Jesus.

Lucky me, they gave me a blaster and now I'm a soldier.

Were all soldiers now.

Holy shit. I have chills. Full body chills. F u c k

No. Lmaooo shut down immediately.

Am I that obvious?? AAAAAAA

GOD THIS IS SO. GOOD.

Neither were any of us. GOD DAMN

WE ARE NOT THE DECEPTICONS.

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

Con Con 2020 looks packed

Its cool to see the charismatic side of Megatron again. GOD it just adds so much to the conflict to see his sort of propaganda-rally thing. Just. Ugh. So relevant and very well done.

JETFIRE W H Y

Family meeting!!

Screamer you need to shut u p before you get got.

HIS ARROGANCE I ACTUALLY LIKE RHFHDHDUDUEJDJWUDJFJE

FUCK Megs is so well written

WHO THIS

IS THAT

IS THAT WHO U THINK. AAAAAA

Okay I don't know how to put a readmore break in on mobile so just. Bear with me. I can shorten it up in the morning.

Final thoughts! I am. So. Excited. The animation is stellar. The voice acting is amazing. They changed a few character dynamics ever so slightly and MAN has it worked in their favor. I'm absolutely invested. I wish o could watch more right now but I can't see straight.

[edwardashley]

not to be dramatic but i legit think the Terror might have shot up to my fav show of all time like just b/c i can’t imagine any other show hitting SO FUCKING MANY tepi buttons from the historical basis, the period detail in costumes and sets, the scenery and ship CGI, the tapping into the Vast and Lonely and Hunt fear realms esp moreso in the later eps, the cinnamon tography of the expanse, the number and breadth of characters and detail to side characters, all the character archetypes I favor, the horror tropes, the acting where the later monlogues are RIVETING, the gore, the tenderness, the angst, gOD like ive NEVER had a show where every ep i watch im like “I immediately want to rewatch that ep right now!” yet here we are but i keep going b/c the next ep it fucking does more while STILL maintaining what i loved about it before and im frankly so Astounded and Impressed by this Feat i get its not for everyone/sure there are valid reasons to Not LIke It, but its like some HIgher Deity looked directly into my brain and molded me something on a silver platter and I’m going to fucking town!!!!!!!

[formulinos]

@jedivszombie dared me to post my top 7 comfort movies in no particular order! as i am a supreme kinofile i regret to inform you i will give you also some synopsis so you guys can see these, please: 1) in the mood for love (2000) [dir. wong kar-wai]: two married couples lived next to each other in 60s hong kong (then occupied by the brits). one half of each couple (tony leung and maggie cheung) starts suspecting that their respective other halves are cheating on them with each other and join forces to get to the bottom of it. perhaps the greatest movie of all time, it's a masterclass on acting from both tony and maggie and the cinnamon tography is exquisite as well. i promise you that once you watch it you won't forget it and keep going back to it as well. the longing. UH! 2) marie antoinette (2006) [dir. sofia coppola]: basically a biopic of marie antoinette's life from her engagement to the dauphin of france, future king louis xvi until the start of the french revolution. clearly, sofia isn't that concerned about the historical subtleties - although since the film is inspired by antonia fraser's biography (very good by the way), so she actually happens to be a bit more accurate than some other interpretations of marie antoinette at least. but mainly, the film has pretty candy colours and lovely gowns, such beautiful gowns. kirsten dunst also kicks ass in the title role. 3) possession (1981) [dir. andrej zulawski]: this is not a comfort movie for most people because it's pure body horror, but i'm so fascinated i don't care. isabelle adjani and sam neill are a couple living in west berlin who go through a Very Bad Breakup, to say the least. sam starts to suspect the separation is motivated by cheating from his wife's side, but when he decides to investigate it... might as well just sat there and ate his food. isabelle adjani just gives a bizarre lesson on how to lose oneself in the character and goes full unhinged in a way i can only admire. trigger warning for every single thing that could be though, so this is def not for everyone.

4) bacurau (2019) [dir. kléber mendonça filho & juliano dornelles]: i can't go through this list without adding at least one brazilian film, and i might just do one because i kinda have a hard time watching those because they hit too close to home, but that's precisely why i like bacurau. it hits so close to home for me as a brazilian (and one who has heritage from the northeast, where the story takes place) that it's incredible. weird happenstances start taking place in the small village of bacurau, located in the sertão, while the townspeople get together for the burial of one of its most influent citizens. soon, the city disappears from all maps online and things start happening. this kinda borrows from western style films, but it's better because it's not american, so. again, it can get bloody. 5) love, rosie (2014) [dir. christian ditter]: since i suggested two weird gory films now, here's a cute rom-com that just hits all the right spots. lily collins and sam claflin have been childhood best friends who are too thick to realise they are into each other, and life forces them to go separate ways as he goes to boston for medical school and she stays in england being a pregnant teenager. the story unravels as they transition from adolescence to young adulthood and mature, still remaining friends (and lowkey in love). it never gets tiring. i love sam's dimples.

6) and then we danced (2019) [dir. levan akin]. here's a banger from georgia! a young man is a dancer trying to get in the national georgian ensemble (a very traditional, very manly occupation in georgia, actually). his best friend, a girl, tries to get with him but it never really works... until he meets another guy who joins the same company and then things just click. this one hurts but in a great way, 7) rope (1948) [dir. alfred hitchcock]: two besties decide they are the ubermensch and because of that they believe they can get away with murder, inviting their closest friends and family to have a kiki right after they kill their classmate. they also call their teacher (james stewart), who basically inspires them and who starts clocking them right early on. the movie is set during the two whole hours between the murder and the ending of the party and it's shot to look like a continuous single shot. alfred was a bitch but he knew. also the guys are gay for sure no way. anyway, these might not be the best movies ever but they are my faves and i go back to them everytime. i need to get a life. hugs and kisses.

[morqwen]

I’m so curious about what your favourite episodes of merlin are 👀

this is such a good question for someone who hasn’t watched the show in years jskdjflkd you need those rose tinted goggles of time

but honestly aithusa has always been one of my favourites like god... sumtimes u just wanna see merlins hope crushed and brought back yknow lmao i just feel like its got the complexities of good intentions w merlin fighting to do right by his mistake and then!! the cinnamon tography of him literally breathing life into the dragon *mwah* love this ep, and also a kiss for bamf merlin

and also his father’s son bc how can i not include one of the few eps arthur gets some time to think critically for once lol. like hes young hes hurt and hes still looking up to those he trusts w more experience than him for guidance. and.... he fucks up. and he knows hes fucked up and he knows this isnt the kind of king or man he wants to be. also queen annis is a milf and all milf eps are good eps especially the troll ep

[apicturewithasmile]

so i was rewatching tbl today and got to the luther braxton conclusion episode and i literally cannot stop thinking about how absolutely divine that scene is, the one where liz is still under the sedative and red is really close to her and looking at her with full attention (while ressler and samar stand next to them) like the way the scene is all slowed down and the LIGHTING is astounding, the angles,,its art so since you make gifs i thought i could share this idea with you in hope youd gif it

Hmmmm yes, that scene is truly beautiful. The cinnamon tography says it all. I might not gif it any time soon though because I'm super busy this week and I feel like there are a million gifs of that scene on tumblr already.

But maybe when I have more time on my hands again or decide to procrastinate the stuff that I should do instead.

[goalofthecentury]

for the let me introduce myself meme: 8 (books), 13, 16! ♡

8. top 5 books

ok i dont read that much anymore 😳 the last book i properly read was the song of achilles back in january and that was literally like an insane experience. i finished reading it when we were out for dinner and cried in the middle of the restaurant 10/10 recommend. apart from that i mostly read non fiction? im reading a book rn called moneyland by oliver bullough thats about like tax havens corruption etc which is really interesting but its sooo much to take in. honestly i wish i could list more but thats all i can think of rn

13. life goal(s)

ok realistically? travelling, seeing as much of the world as possible. i’d like to imagine a future without work but.... idk that involves winning the lottery or something. unrealistically id like to visit every country in the world but that is mad expensive

16. favourite movie

boy (2010) LITERALLY the best film of all time. i love a taika waititi film anyway but fuck its so good.... the soundtrack the cinnamon tography the writing...... coming of age can be cliché but its so well done and funny that i just. ive watched it more times than i can count i love it soooo much

[tainbocuailnge]

ubw anime stream except i pause every other second to talk at length about what’s going on and the cinnamon tography and what they left out or changed from the vn and what character analysis can be gleaned from any given moment and how this bit relates to the 500 other fate things at which point I go off on a long tangent about CCC (which you should all read/play) and its use of and deviation from established characters & patterns in light of nasu believing it was going to be his last fate work and now I’m talking about the parallels between apocrypha and zero and the logistics behind character clones and two hours later I suddenly remember we've been paused halfway episode 4 the entire time but also it’s really high time I go to bed now so I decide to just cut things short here alright bye folks don’t forget to like and subscribe

[d0gdaze]

Top 5 movies and why?

oh boy choosing five is hard and i could write entire essays on films i like but i’ll try to make this concise ! also i’m not gonna include any of the IT adaptions just bc i wanna spice it up a little

(no particular order)

1. fantastic mr fox

im a big ol slut for wes anderson in general but this one is just. amazing. it’s probably my most watched movie ever, like i seriously don’t think i’ll ever get tired of it. the cinnamon tography. the music. the fashion. the dialogue. that scene at the end with the wolf. “i’m not different am i?” “we all are but there’s something kind of fantastic about that isn’t there” it just makes my heart warm i love it so much. 

2. rango

yes the lizard movie. i don’t like jonathon depp really at all but like, i love this film. it’s so pretty and the character design is really cool. i wish more animated movies were like this. also it’s endlessly hilarious to me and i genuinely laugh out loud at parts even having watched it a hundred times. “thespians? that’s illegal in seven states” has me dead every single time. those walking cactus things? the armadillo? beans? the anti-capitalism? iconic, all of it.

3. stand by me

just 4 boys on an adventure and talking about their feelings. love that. teddy duchamp walked so richie tozier could run.  this film still makes me cry and i love it sm. it’s just very charming and simple and lovely and, yknow, it’s an 80s coming of age film so of course i’m all over it. 

4. napoleon dynamite

oh my gooooD a true classic. idk why i like it so much but it is just. so fucking funny to me. i can be feeling like absolute pure shit and i watch this movie and im c a c k l i n g. it’s very much a nostalgia thing too bc i watched this a lot when i was younger but its still a big fave. it’s so deadpan i LOVE IT

5. coraline

yo the animation>????? the soundtrack???????? that little cat bastard?? hell yeah. used to scare the shit out of me but now i watch it all the time. tbh any stop motion animation has me completely in awe but this one just hits all the right buttons yknow. 

honorable mentions: the aristocats, the worlds end, never let me go, moonrise kingdom, the muppets most wanted, perks of being a wallflower, back to the future, cabin in the woods, the skeleton twins, the goonies, super 8, homeward bound, bunks (lol), and definitely a lot more but like. i’ll shut up.

[thetorturedarchives]

Bez’s Grantathon Final Thots

after this month’s HG movie marathon i decided to compile my final thoughts of all of this lad’s films to see how much we rlly stan that Man

Maurice: very good very gay cinnamon tography was mostly good except for some funny cuts and transitions that Mr Ivory might’ve cleaned up but mungo was excellent five risleys out of five

Rowing with the Wind: what the fuck was that 0 pretty period frocks out of 5

The Lady and the Highwayman: maybe its bc i watched it on youtube but the film quality was DREADFUL i cldnt tell which one was huzza at first but the lady had nice tits 2 matt baynton as dick turpins out of 5

i went str8 (haha) to Four Weddings after this bc the period shit was pissing me off

4WF: charles is a bastard and carrie is a bitch they deserve each other so overall good ending, rowan atkinson was good but he disappeared halfway thru, had some Good Gay Content but then they killed off one of them so just four ‘buggers’ out of five

Notting Hill: when hugh grant said ‘and then i did the exact same thing’ about playing the awkward brit he was right but damn if i didnt lap it up, julia roberts hot, the bookshop assistant was definitely gay, v cute and genuine romance, overall four kebab anecdotes out of five

bridget jones’s diary: i know hugh grant is a womanising bastard but i did not believe him as the womanising bastard character in this story even tho he acted it well, still glad bridget dumped him tho and that fight scene was ingenius, five fight scenes set to its raining men out of five

love actually: refused to watch this one because of that fucking dance scene 0 david camerons out of 0

florence foster jenkins: bastard man. me like bastard man. good. 3 miranda sings feature films out of 5

paddington 2: hugh grant shldve played the bear 0 toys r us sales out of 5

[softbutchzenyatta]

when i first watched that performance i was disappointed by how little the bear/the pusher/the fool/shah zaman appeared in the story but the more i think about it the more i think he’s my favorite character out of them all. he is an awful person but well written i think. edgar was a very weak character in contrast but we get brief glimpses of his alcoholism and shitty fathering so we can tell he raised the fool/pusher to be sort of just ... a spiteful, delusional bastard with a similar drinking problem

at the same time i like to think of him as a reincarnation of the bear and i think him pushing rose into the train tracks was him finally fulfilling the deal he made with pearl white. maybe he snapped because rose struck the bear in the game and in his like, crazy ass drunken state, maybe he felt that in a distant life and decided you know what? maybe i will kill this bitch after all! as wrt the pusher i think its also just neat, the aesthetic of it, a woman spacing out in the new york subway playing a mobile game while a man is screaming about the world ending and its like no big deal. its a regular ass day no one gives a shit.

the lyrics of his character(s) turned out to be some of my absolute favorites... the shah resigning himself to his future as an alcoholic after he gets tired of killing his lovers and basically reflecting the pusher growing up to become just like his father... the cinnamon tography. wow... and he really said “if you can lose your temper then i can lose my mind”... the self awareness... the anger that he was treated so shitty and feeling like he deserves the right to become a terrible person because thats what everyone else has done his whole life and he thinks he should be allowed too... “if anyone pushes me, i’m gonna push them back” WOW he really pushed pearl because psychologically he felt like being a drunk bully was revenge on what people like his father have done to him.... he thought running away to play cello and do drugs and yell about the apocalypse and kill pearl was the appropriate way to stand up for himself and regain control... Art... poetry...... the drama of it all...

THATS good writing. none of this heterosexual man who makes money off of the passion, talent, and division of women nonsense

i spaced out and forgot i typed this all out sorry heres another shitty post from yours truly. you know this is just how it is when i find stories i enjoy or don’t enjoy. half of you werent even here for my months-long tirade of haruki murakami analysis/critique and you should be grateful that it’s this now instead

[asianhappinesss]

The King's Woman (2017)

Summary

Gong Sun Li, is the grand-daughter and disciple of military commander Gong Sun Yu. Jing Ke (first disciple) and Sun Li are childhood lovers and were forced to escape when Qin troops attacked. However, Sun Li’s wall-shattering beauty seizes the interest of the Qin Emperor, Ying Zheng, and she’s captured and sent to his palace. It’s then that she discovers she’s pregnant with Jing Ke’s child. Ying Zheng treats him as if he’s his own child. The tragic day arrives when Jing Ke tries to assassinate Ying Zheng.

Review

This review may contain spoilers

Watch It for the Aesthetics

The King’s Woman (Chinese title: 秦时丽人明月心) was one of my favorite dramas to rewatch back when it first aired in 2017, if only for the actors and the costumes. Set in the Warring States period of China, the drama follows Gongsun Li, a fictional concubine of the King of Qin State, and her contributions to eventual historical events. After identifying her as the girl who saved him from certain death when they were children, Ying Zheng falls in love with Gongsun Li and poisons her childhood sweetheart, Jing Ke, in order to entrap and secure her for his harem. Gongsun Li slowly develops feelings for Ying Zheng even as she defies and tries to stave off the worst of his tyrannical nature. The King’s Woman is a story about Stockholm syndrome, manipulation, abuse, and, eventually, heartbreak. I think it’s one worth watching, but it’s not without some major flaws… A+ Cinnamon Tography and Aesthetics Let’s start with some positives. This drama looks amazing. The production designer, art director, the costume department, etc. went all out. I’d not seen a Chinese period drama with better costumes and set designs since The Empress of China. I love everything every character in this series wore. The clothes are mind-blowing and well worth watching forty-eight episodes for. What’s more, this is one of the best directed Chinese dramas I’ve seen so far. There are no weird camera angles, no amateur special effects, and very little awkward choreography to take you out of the story. Every action and effect was framed perfectly. The remarkable cinematography was a breath of fresh air back in 2017. Stockholm Syndrome Passing as Romance Dilraba Dilmurat and Vin Zhang’s insane chemistry aside…You really have to go into The King’s Woman ready to buy into the romanticism of the whole situation between Gongsun Li and Ying Zheng because the moment you pull back and look at it from a more sobering perspective, the magic ceases to work. This drama goes out of its way to depict pre-Qin Shi Huang Ying Zheng as a tragic figure who’s simultaneously the cause of his own misfortunes and a victim of his personal faults. You can see at the beginning that even in his cruelty, he has good intentions. But on some level, he doesn’t understand what that means or why people are so resistant to his good will. He was a child of abuse who, consciously and not, revisits his own pain on others a thousandfold. What’s interesting is the way the narrative sides with him. As he thinks of himself as a victim, so does the drama cast him as such. It feels like we’re supposed to be in Gongsun Li’s shoes, seeing him through her eyes. This, of course, makes their relationship easier to swallow, even though we all know better. (The fact that Vin Zhang is handsome AF helps a lot too.) Nevertheless, I felt very uneasy about the moments of tenderness, playfulness, and affection between Gongsun Li and Ying Zheng, especially given how resistant she is to him from the start. I mean, did she really forget how he threatened to abort her child, separated her baby from her right after childbirth, and tried to kill her martial brothers? One moment later in the drama got to me particularly. In episodes 40/41, Ying Zheng goes on a killing spree of all his childhood tormentors, and instead of being horrified by this senseless mass murdering, Gongsun Li coddles and comforts him because he is… sad? After he killed a whole neighborhood of people? Like, boohoo, honey, he’s sad? The people he killed are dead! How the hell is that remotely acceptable to her? She clearly knows what kind of a person he was, but the mental gymnastics she does to make excuses for him is frustrating. Lastly, I think this whole trope of a male love interest falling in love with the female lead because she was nice to him for like five minutes when they were children is so trite. However, given that Ying Zheng’s a mega-creep whose relationship with Gongsun Li predicates on her developing Stockholm syndrome, it kind of works here. One-Note Characters Honestly, I wasn’t as resistant to Gongsun Li and Ying Zheng’s

relationship as I could’ve been. The drama did a lot of work brushing aside all the troubling bits. Compounded with this following flaw, rooting for the main couple was a no-brainer: Jing Ke sucks. No, not as a person. As a character. For all that he has to work with—the martial arts talent, a handsome actor, a tragic love lost, a destiny unfulfilled—he comes off incredibly one-noted. He’s straight up uninteresting, which is just about the worst thing a main character can be. This isn’t unique to him, unfortunately. Most of the characters in The King’s Woman have very little personalities to speak of. Instead, they’re relegated to playing cookie cutter roles that each serves one or two functions in the plot. I feel like the only developed character, aside from Ying Zheng and Gongsun Li, is Lu Buwei, who’s the only one with a personal agenda complicated and interesting enough. Sadly, he’s criminally unexplored and underutilized as a villain. Plot and Pacing Issues This drama is very slow. I found myself wishing I could watch it on 2x speed without ruining everything else about the experience. Instead I resorted to “skimming” i.e. skipping seconds at a time and only watching in full what felt like crucial scenes in an effort to make the story move along faster. To tell the truth, I did not missed much. This is definitely a drama you can stream in the background as you do other things. There are also a number of minor Dumb Plot moments I picked up. For instance, there’s a scene in episode 5 where Gongsun Li stabs a soldier through the hand for five full seconds before his subordinates even react. Like, they did not move or flinch until she begins to flee. It’s stupidly convenient. Another example: In episode 27, the Crown Prince of Yan sends Gongsun Li a secret message asking her to smuggle him out of Qin State. But while he does the smart thing and communicates it via a code, he also “helpfully” circled his entire hidden message for her in red ink. What do I even say? Other Nitpicks and Questions - Why does Chengjiao wear his hair in the Chu style? Was he a political hostage of Chu State? - That Godfather reference in episode 1 is hilarious and so out of place - Ying Zheng’s eyebrows are impeccable (Not nitpicking, I just appreciate his eyebrows) - Couldn’t Gongsun Li have avoided the whole ordeal had she just done her hair a different way after her wanted poster came out? - Why does she keep getting stabbed in the armpits? Final Rating and Recommendations The King’s Woman as a story isn’t executed to its fullest potentials. While I wouldn’t be as harsh as to describe the dialogue, plot, and characters as bland, they felt muted and secondary to the non-story elements of the production: the costumes, the set designs, the general aesthetic. There are Wuxia, harem, politics, and war plot threads in this drama, none of which are done well. The “romance” is riddled with problems. On the other hand, the cinematography and camera work are incredible. The crew went all out for the set designs and costumes, which are easily some of the best work I’ve seen for Asian period dramas, and kept me coming back to this series over and over again. Not to mention, I can stare at Dilraba Dilmurat and Vin Zhang all day, and I’m sure I’m not alone; there are worse ways to pass time than watching two of the most beautiful people in the world together on screen, mediocre storytelling or not. My Rating: 6/10

[psychopompian]

i was tagged by @lesbiannooras​ to describe myself in 10 movies, thank u lizzie! this is such a fun idea! these are basically all the movies that i love to rewatch

1. the handmaiden, dir. park chan-wook: my current fave! a true testament to the evilness of men and the freeing and healing and freeing power of lesbian love. i never get tired of rewatching it, it’s so complex and detailed that i notice something new every time.

2. mad max: fury road, dir. george miller: literally the greatest action movie of all time and another story of evil men being overthrown by amazing women. it’s really got everything--a great color pallet, sick action sequences, a gang of badass ladies, a strong anti-capitalist message, and a flamethrowing guitar. fucking iconic.

3. little miss sunshine, dir. jonathan dayton: my favorite depression movie about the worst and best road trip of all time. this movie reminds me that even if it seems like everything is falling to shit, things will be okay. also, it has one of the most iconic movie dance scenes of all time.

4. west side story, dir. jerome robbins: my favorite movie musical, i’ve been in love with this movie since i watched it in music class in 6th grade. even though it’s definitely outdated in some respects, the singing, dancing, music, and costumes are all so incredible, and still totally dazzle me to this day.

5. pride, dir. matthew warchus: this movie, this movie, this movie!!! it was the first (good) lgbt+ movie i ever saw, and i still cry every time i watch it cause it’s really such an incredible story. also, my mom’s absolutely obsessed with it.

6. moonrise kingdom, dir. wes anderson: this was the first movie i ever really fell deeply in love with, and it’s still very near and dear to my heart. i’ve seen it at least ten times. it’s a beautiful story and gorgeously shot, and i adore the music, the characters, the colors, and all the symbolism and metaphors.

7.  harry potter, various directors: i couldn’t choose a specific movie, but the harry potter film series as a whole was very important to me when i was growing up. even though there are so many problems with them, i still love them and watching them feels like coming home.

8. the perks of being a wallflower, dir. stephen chbosky: maybe it’s a little cliche, but i really love the book and the movie is such a good adaptation of it. it’s so honest and heartbreaking and beautiful and i love the characters and the soundtrack and the cinnamon tography. the final tunnel scene always makes me cry.

9. fantastic mr. fox, dir. wes anderson: ik ik another wes anderson movie but this is a big comfort movie for me. i first watched this movie with my cousins over thanksgiving when i was 13 and it just makes me feel so happy and warm. it’s just such a funny and unusual and clever little animated movie with so many quotable lines, and i love to watch it with my friends.

10. gbf, dir. darren stein: dont @ me pls i know its #problematique in SO MANY ways. but this is also a big comfort movie for me. during the really hard winter when my dad was away and it was just me and my sister and my mom, we watched this movie whenever we were feeling down. it’s stupid but heartwarming and entertaining, and i’ve probably seen it more times than any other movie.

i’m gonna tag @thehothsystem @timerooms @josephkecklerkin @anitas @cznerdy @jelloey @bbyfruit @heroesfromdustandclay and @emkayss and anyone else who wants to do this <3 <3 <3

[pallassathena]

why do people even complain about subtitles?? 1st of all its easy & increases general accessibility. 2nd of all two lines of subtitles isn’t gonna ruin the cinnamon tography or whatever, get off your high english speaking horse. the world is just like that: full of subtitles