#melody's movie reviews

[lmelodymusicl]

Melody’s Movie Reviews #1: Newsies (1992)

Hey guys. Welcome to the very first post of Melody’s Movie Reviews.

Today, I’m going to be reviewing Newsies (1992). Yes, the original movie version with Christian Bale. I watched for the first time at the beginning of the year and I enjoyed it. And then, I watched it again just four months ago

Here were my exact thoughts while watching Newsies (1992):

Hearing Max Casella’s voice at the opening really made me excited. 

I felt so bad for all these little boys sleeping on top of the statue without any shoes on their feet.  It was pretty heartbreaking.

Boots is literally me when I don’t want to get up. All the boys are basically a mood for anyone who isn’t a morning person.

Me and my mom were watching this, and she was disgusted at the fact that Snitch had his feet on Itey’s face, and they were both dirty. 

Christian Bale is adorable in this scene. 

And of course, Snipeshooter takes Racetrack’s cigars for no reason. Ugh! Snipeshooter always gets on my nerves. No wonder he’s my least favorite!

Carrying The Banner starts playing and I’m loving every second of it. The choreography and the chemistry with the boys. It’s so obvious that all the boys vibed together in real life off-set, and that’s one of the thing I love about this movie. 

Oh, geez, it’s those Delancey brothers. And they go picking on Snipeshooter for no reason. Snipeshooter isn’t my favorite, but he still doesn’t deserve it. 

Racetrack really said “only I'm allowed to pick on Snipeshooter.”

Jack’s play-fight with the Delanceys is very entertaining to see. A

In this scene, we’re introduced to Davey and Les. I can already tell that I’m going to like this. 

I love how these boys mock Wiesel by calling him Weasel.I would do the same thing.

Les is sooo cute when he sits next to Jack! And their interactions are really sweet!

I like how David doesn’t want anything to do with Jack at first, but Les instantly connects with him. Also, the part where Jack squishes his face is so cute!

Instantly as the newsies sell their papers, Pulitzer comes on the scene.

Even Seitz has more common sense in his little finger than Pulitzer and his cronies combined. 

Oh, No! Here comes big jerk Snyder the Spider. My mom didn’t know why he was chasing Jack, so I had to explain it to her halfway.

Ann-Margaret is amazing as Medda. And I loved her interaction with Les. It’s so adorable! 

Here’s where we meet the Jacobs family. I love how everyone takes a liking to Jack. And I especially love how he takes a liking to Sarah from the very beginning. Les singing “Lovey-Dovey Baby” in his sleep is so funny!

This is where Jack and Davey become friends. And this is where Santa Fe starts playing. And let me tell you how excited I was when that song played. 92sies has the best version of Santa Fe. Christian Bale didn’t have to go so hard, but he did! 

I will never forgive Kenny Ortega for cutting out the lasso scene, especially since Christian worked so hard on it.

This is where The World Will Know starts playing. It’s a great song, and 92sies’ version is the best one! Everyone did such an amazing job! 

This where we meet Bryan Denton, and he has such chemistry with David. Also, David is so adorable in this scene when he’s blushing! I knew that Jack and Les would be kicked out the doors, but Jack is a badass as always in this scene. So is Les!

This is where we meet Spot Conlon for the first time. To be honest, I thought I was going to hate him, but then I instantly started to like him! 

Les repeating “real hoity toity” is so freaking adorable. Matter of fact, everything he does in this movie is so adorable!

Seize the Day is just starting and I’m already pumped. David Moscow really went hard for this number! And he didn’t have any dance training at all!

The little newsies during Seize the Day are so cute!  Especially Boots, Les, and Flipper!

Jack making faces at Weasel against the window never fails to make me laugh! 

I was literally screaming when Crutchy got taken away to the Refuge.

I’ve only seen Ten-Pin for two seconds and I really don’t like him. The way he insulted ed Crutchy by calling him a g*mp is absolutely disgusting. Movie Jack didn’t take well to that! Musical Jack just called Crutchy a cr*p without any qualms!

Aaaannnnd here’s Big Jerk Snyder!

The boys singing during Seize The Day (Chorale) sound like a choir of angels, and I’m loving it. The choreography is absolutely amazing and it reminds me of Michael Jackson.

It’s so adorable how the little newsies made drums for this number. 

Annnd here’s Spot Conlon and Brooklyn! I was clapping when they arrived! I was cheering when they won and Denton took the picture!

This is when King of New York starts playing! The tap dancing is amazing, but I bet the costumers were thinking “Those kids are ruining the tables.”

I always skip this scene of the confrontation between Snyder and Crutchy because I can sence that something even worse is gonna happen. 

Sarah and Jack didn’t even have that many scenes together, but they had more chemistry than musical Jack and Katherine did.

I really like Seitz. He knows that what Pulitzer is doing is wrong!

Ooh, the Rally scene (aka, the scene where everything gets real). And I was singing along during High Times, Hard Times. Also, seeing Medda with all the newsies was so entertaining to see! They’re just vibing! 

Aaaand here comes Big Jerk Snyder, again. I can tell that things are gonna go wrong, again!

Seeing Racetrack being brutally attack made me so mad that I shouted out “NO! Leave Racetrack alone.” This scene pissed me off the first time I saw it!

 Pulitzer and Snyder just piss me off already.

I can tell that Jack has been broken down during the Santa Fe reprise.

The scene where Jack scabs breaks my heart. Everyone is pissed off at Jack and Mush is more sad and heartbroken!

I really hate Weisel! 

Jack kicking the Delanceys’ butts for messing with his girlfriend and his best friends made me root for him, even after he scabbed.

This version of Once and For All is a lot better and catchier, especially since there was no unnecessary electric guitar.  The way every working kid in New York came together, whether it be a chimney sweep, or a sweatshop kid, makes me very happy! It shows that child labor hurt everyone, not just the newsies.

That part where Jack nearly leaves for Santa Fe really got me! 

And now Jack made Les cry!

Seeing Les cry was really heartbreaking! I would’ve hugged him and cupped his chubby cheeks!

Everyone’s just standing there waiting to get their papers and then suddenly, Jack comes back! And then he makes out with Sarah!

I love how Spot rode back to Brooklyn in a carriage!

Yeah, I love the movie version better than Broadwaysies and Livesies!

[funnynamedottxt]

The average letterboxd review for any Looney Tune:

Aw, what's up, Mr. Shit Fart?

Their is an old wives tale, of a jaguar who really fucking hated cheetahs, until one beautiful day, a jaguar saw a cheetah shit his pants, immediately after that same jaguar had also shit his pants. This made the jaguar realize that both he and the cheetah were equals, and alike.

This is much like the tale of Mr. Shit Fart, the 1930.7 classic directed by the wonderful Hugh Janus. The titular Mr. Shit Fart is quite a unique character, especially for Hugh Janus's 1930.7 outings with Warner Dudes, which were less cultured than Mr. Shit Fart. The classic short film starts with the nominal Mr. Shit Fart finding a golden toilet, but, while the shitty farter runs towards it's newfound majestic cathedra, a single turd falls out of his pants. Mortified, it spends seven minutes trying to cover it up, and not let the racist caricature he just raped know.

Hugh Janus was truly sui generis in this way, as no other director dared to show something as infernal as a shart coming out of the famed 67 decade old mascot for Warner Dudes, the incredible Mr. Shit Fart, previously known as Mr. Fart Shit. It is truly an incredibly insightful commentary on neo-capitalism, unlike any that came before.

And that is all without even mentioning the unfortunate racist raped ingenue, Ms. Unnamed African Woman, who does nothing but scream for help while being tied to a stake.

She is my favorite character in all of fiction.

This truly goes to show the impact of this short film, and the truly interminable tale of both the cheetah, the jaguar, and the number two.

[forlornmelody]

Queer Movie Review #29: The World To Come

I found this film through my recent obsession with Vanessa Kirby (who plays Tallie.) Anyone else unable to look away from her arms-dealing temptress in the Mission Impossible movies? Anyone? Bueller? *cough* Anyway. I immediately googled whether she was in any queer films, and here we are.

The World To Come tells the story of Abigial (Katherine Waterson), a homestead farmer in rural New York in the mid-1900s. Abigail and her husband, Finney, (Christopher Abbott), have recently lost their only daughter to illness. Each of Abigail's days pass into the next, with only her grief and their farm's bookkeeping to mark her time. That is, until Tallie and her husband, Dyer (Casey Affleck), move down the road. Now Abigail and Tallie pursue the one relationship that brings them joy, while hiding it from their husband's.

This movie is your run-of-the-mill (heh) queer period drama. Times are hard, especially for queer folks. Without giving much away, I will warn that The World To Come does not have a happy ending.

What sets this movie apart, however, is the acting. There is something electric with Abigail and Tallie's chemistry. The World To Come also holds the honor of the best on-screen queer kiss I've ever seen. The way Abigail kisses Tallie, then pulls back, stares in hesitation, and then dives in for another? Perfection. I'd recommend watching it just for that reason.

In general, however, I'd recommend this film if you are already in a decent mood and willing to have your heart broken. Go watch a queer comedy like Booksmart if you're feeling down.

Queer Movie Review Masterpost

Recommend A Queer Movie

[maysshortmoviereviews]

Middle Class Melodies (2020)

🎬Raghava, a young man, runs an eatery in his village but wishes to open a small hotel in a nearby town. He faces challenges in his quest and must overcome them to succeed.

📝 This was my first Telugu language film. I watched it with subtitles as I don't understand a thing! Technically my first Telugu movie was 'RRR' but I watched it dubbed in Hindi with English subtitles ...

Anyway it is a really sweet tale of a small town guy who just wants to run his own business. It is not ground breaking but has a very simple charm about it (it reminded me of the excellent 'Panchayat'). A story about every day aspirations, friendships and parents. It is just a delightful movie. The film clearly had a small budget but they did a good job. It isn't a very complicated story, just a story about someone with a dream, there was no violence or unnecessary drama which I liked.

I really liked the parents of the lead character. They were so nosey, but with a very good heart.

Loved the two songs and now they are in my playlist of random songs I like.

[angeldigital92]

my brother in christ no way you just found me how is this possible?!?!

☁ just a liminal angel !!! (Dat Thang , bnuy , angel , etc etc iykyk)

☁ it/they/ae !!

☁ shitpost blog?? mostly need somewhere to scream my thoughts!! instagram is too much work and twitter is dogshit!!!

(full list of tags in... the tags, feel free to ignore :3 !)

[bargainsleuthbooks]

Eleanor Powell: Born to Dance (Screen Classics) by Paula Broussard & Lisa Royere #ARCReview #BookReview #NetGalley #UniversityPressofKentucky #Biography #Musicals #Hollywood #Broadway

I love musicals, and one of my favorite dancers who seems lost to history is #EleanorPowell. A new #Biography finally gives her her due. #BorntoDance #universitypress #ARC Review #NetGalley #BookReview #MGMMusicals #FredAstaire #BargainSleuth

When considering the best dancers in Hollywood’s history, some obvious names come to mind—Fred Astaire, Gene Kelly, and Bill Robinson. Yet often overlooked is one of the most gifted and creative dancers of all time, Eleanor Powell. Powell’s effervescent style, unmatched technical prowess in tap, and free-flowing musicality led MGM to build top-rate musicals around her unique talents, including…

[make-mine-movie]

Melody Time (1948)

Melody Time is another musical segmented film from the Wartime Era. In comparison to its counterparts, Make Mine Music and Fun and Fancy Free, it received a 73% score from Rotten Tomatoes, somewhat better than its predecessors.

Melody Time is an entertaining compilation of short songs, and while not all seem relevant or connected, they are heavily representative of older stories, morals, and values frequently associated with the stereotypical United States. Some of the segments, like “Bumble Boogie,” “The Legend of Johnny Appleseed,” and “Trees” are genuinely very likable. “Once Upon a Wintertime,” “Little Toot,” and “Blame It on the Samba,” on the other hand, are mediocre at best. “Pecos Bill,” despite being entertaining, promotes harmful colonialist rhetoric that I will address later, tampering my overall view of this segment. “Once Upon a Wintertime” initially appears sweet, but later is bothersome with its persistently mocking relationship dynamics. Despite being played for laughs, the man and male bunny both alienate the feelings of their female partners, which is uncomfortable rather than funny. “Bumble Boogie” picks up this negative energy and throws it out the window with a wonderful jazz routine, something I can always appreciate. This continues with “The Legend of Johnny Appleseed,” which is a very sweet animated adaptation of a notable childhood favorite for many. “Little Toot,” however, is similar to “Once Upon a Wintertime” in which the mistreatment of one character by others drives the plot but in a manner that is distasteful. Little Toot, who is implicitly a child, is imprisoned and outcast. He is then only treated like a member of society again after proving himself by achieving a very difficult quest, which just seems like unnecessary punishment for causing only a slight amount of harm (without malicious intent or grave consequences). “Trees” has a lot of Christian imagery, which is intriguing and considering the execution, rather beautiful. This was a very peaceful segment, which I enjoyed. However, it would have made more sense to include this musical part immediately after “The Legend of Johnny Appleseed,” which would have been a more appropriate order. “Blame It on the Samba” reintroduces a lot of the colorful and fun artistic elements from Saludos Amigos and The Three Caballeros, but unfortunately also reintroduces Donald Duck lusting after human women as a trope. Finally, “Pecos Bill.” “Pecos Bill” is an entertaining story with the most thought-provoking and interesting plot out of all of the other shorts. However, Pecos Bill has a really negative portrayal of Indigenous people, who are cashed out of their homeland by Bill and called a slur by the narrator. This reflects very negatively on the segment overall, which is disappointing, but considering previous films, not surprising.

In conclusion, Melody Time has been the most enjoyable segmented musical film from Disney’s Wartime Era yet, providing at least some semblance of connectivity amongst the pieces and an overall entertaining and captivating compilation of shorts. After the improvement featured in Fun and Fancy Free, Melody Time pulls through. Overall, Melody Time receives 4 out of 10 stars from me, an unfortunately low score considering how much I enjoyed this film. It lost points due to the rhetoric surrounding colonization, racist slur usage, inconsistent ordering of segments, uncomfortable relationship portrayals in “Once Upon a Wintertime,” and upsetting treatment of Little Toot in the similarly named short. Like the other segmented films of this era, I will not be considering points based on whether or not the Bechdel Test is passed as character voice roles are few and far between to begin with. Melody Time’s music, despite its status as a musical film, was not memorable, so it lost an additional point in this category.

Summary of the film under the cut.

Melody Time contains seven segments: “Once Upon a Wintertime,” “Bumble Boogie,” “The Legend of Johnny Appleseed,” “Little Toot,” “Trees,” “Blame It on the Samba,” and “Pecos Bill.” The opening segment, “Once Upon a Wintertime,” depicts a couple in a horse-drawn carriage traveling about a small town in the winter. They go ice skating, but the man in an attempt to show off covers his partner in snow and ice. She storms off, accidentally moving towards an area with fragile ice. The ice beneath her breaks and the previously frozen over river turns into  raging rapids, and she almost goes over a waterfall. However, her partner, the horses from the carriage, and a couple of rabbits jump to her rescue, pulling her onto the snowy bank and out of danger. She forgives her partner afterwards and it is implied the two go home a happy couple. “Bumble Boogie” features a bumblebee who is being bombarded with jazz music by somewhat sentient instruments. “The Legend of Johnny Appleseed” is a well known United States tale that is retold through the lens of Disney. The protagonist is Johnny Appleseed, a young man with a bunch of apples who has no idea what to do with them. He wants to be a pioneer because he thinks that is a fun life in which he can make a difference, but his guardian angel cautions him against this. Instead, he should use his gift of an excessive amount of apples and spread them about the world. So Johnny sets off on an adventure to grow apples across the United States. He encounters a large group of animals along his way, which are initially either aggressive towards him or cautious of him, except for a skunk. Johnny befriends the skunk, and when all of the other animals realize he is a kind person who will not attack them, he befriends them too. Johnny and the animals travel together planting apples wherever they go. At one point they walk into a party where they see a bunch of people singing and dancing together over apples. Throughout the rest of the segment, Johnny is seen aging from a young boy to an old man. At the end he leans up against an apple tree to rest with the animals, and his soul leaves his body. His guardian angel encourages Johnny to walk off with him, but Johnny is apprehensive about leaving the animals, apple trees, and people behind. His guardian angel says that he can plant apple trees in heaven, but for Earth his job is done. The camera pans out, connecting Earth’s apple trees to the clouds in the sky. “Little Toot” is the story of a small tugboat by the same name of the segment. He is a bothersome little fellow who gets on the nerves of his father, Big Toot, and everyone else in the marina. At first, they imprison him to stop him from causing trouble, but when that is not enough, Little Toot is banished to the open ocean. While out and about the sea, Little Toot is met with a huge thunderstorm where he encounters a sinking ship. He successfully brings the ship back into the marina, and is praised for his heroism. “Trees” is a musical piece centering on the beauty, mortality, and holiness of trees. It commends trees for their natural presence and innate sanctity. “Blame It on the Samba” begins with Donald Duck and José Carioca walking around, “having the blues.” The two depressed birds are coerced into a cafe by the Aracuan Bird, another character from The Three Caballeros. Then the samba begins, a complicated dance number in which Donald and José cure their depression by drinking and dancing on an organ being played by a beautiful woman. The final segment, “Pecos Bill,” is the most plot-driven. It begins with a group of live-action cowboys explaining tall tales to their kids. One girl asks “why do the coyotes howl at the moon” to which one of the cowboys responds that “it all has to do with the story of Pecos Bill.” The story begins with a group of pioneers who have many children, one of which falls out of the wagon as a baby. Hungry and alone, this human baby is taken in by a coyote, who raises him with her pups. In his youth, Bill learns how not only to survive in the Western desert, but also how to dominate it. One day he sees a young horse being preyed upon by some hungry vultures. After saving the horse, known as Widowmaker, Bill travels the entire West completing various challenges and tasks. He eliminates drought, scares away bandits, and pushes a group of Indigenous people out of their homes. Bill then meets a woman riding a catfish named Slue-Foot Sue. Bill and Sue fall in love and get married. However, Widowmaker is exceptionally jealous. So much so that he throws her into the sky and stops Bill from saving her with his lasso. It is then announced that Sue landed on the moon. The tale concludes with Bill riding around on Widowmaker howling at the moon with the other coyotes, longing for Sue’s return.

[todayontumblr]

Thursday April 13th.

ffs neil will you stop banging out those damn tunes. it's the morning, for pete's sake

We won't ask you again, Neil—we have work first thing tomorrow and it is a big day at the office: we are presenting a keynote pointpower slideshow for the big cheese over at HQ to increase optimum brand synergy across all departments ahead of this upcoming 5th annual quarter in review, and we are getting pretty sick and tired you and that f*cking keyboard playing Clair de Lune (badly) on what you have apparently decided to be your very own live IRL ten-hour loop from early evening through the night until the break of day, because you are a rat, and rats are, of course, nocturnal!! 

*

It all began on April 13th, 2006. Neil's alarm went off at around 7:30pm, just as the human world was winding down for the day. He sat on the edge of his bed, yawned, stttrrreeeeeeeeeeeeeeeetcchhed, cracked his fingers, and got to work. He tucked his tail beneath him and took his place at his grand, multi-colored piano, and began to play. And my goodness did he play. As if possessed by the spirits of the maestros of old, Neil's claws flowed up and down the keys in a manner not dissimilar to the ebb and flow of the oceans themselves. No one could believe their ears on that day, almost 20 years ago: after so much early promise, so much self-destruction, torment, and pain, Neil finally accomplished what so many knew he could do if only he could find it in himself to achieve it: he began banging out the tunes.

Only this was something of a pandora's box. It is, as we saw, nearly 20 years later—and Neil continues to bang them out with a vengeance, regardless of whether we have to be up early for work in the morning.  

*

It is April 13th, 2009. Neil continues to play, enraptured by the majesty of the melody expressed by the delicate touch of claw on key in primary-colored plastic. As Neil reaches the end of the day's performance, a young man stands in his bedroom. It just so happens that this is the young man's birthday. Though it was thirteen years ago he was given life, it is, inexplicably, only today he will be given a name.

His name is John. As was previously mentioned it is his BIRTHDAY. A number of CAKES are scattered about his room. He has a variety of INTERESTS. He has a passion for REALLY TERRIBLE MOVIES. He likes to program computers but he is NOT VERY GOOD AT IT. He has a fondness for PARANORMAL LORE, and is an aspiring AMATEUR MAGICIAN. He also likes to play GAMES sometimes. 

As day dawns, Neil closes the fallboard upon the keys of his instrument for another year. John goes to retrieve his arms. And the rest, as they say, is history.

*

It's April 13th, folks. You know what that means: it's time for #homestuck and #neil banging out the tunes.  

Go bananas x

[yridenergyridenergy]

Burrn! Japan vol. 23 Individual Interview Translation Notes

Kyo's favourite movies are those that leave a really bad aftertaste, which he just can't watch more than once or twice. Besides Holy Mountain, some of his highlights have been Pearl, MEN and Midsommar. Ideally, he'd love to replicate this in a live show: as a fan, you would be so shocked and blinded by tears that you couldn't even see Kyo. He thinks that Dir en grey is more and more working toward this kind of mission. Kyo would also love to perform in Las Vegas' SPHERE venue, with this type of overwhelming shock.

If he had to make a movie, it would also be one that leaves a bad aftertaste and which nobody could sanely watch more than twice, but since he would have to do multiple reviews as the director, it won't happen.

Kyo finally explained the focus on Uroboros more: he feels that Dir en grey was able to build something more from this point onward. The worldview started with Withering to death. too, but the base was set more firmly with Uroboros.

For Kyo, the inclusion of Oboro is what totally changes a setlist. He feels that it's a bottomless pit, like he's cutting deeper and deeper into a wound. For Die, The World of Mercy is the song that can make a whole difference in a setlist, because of the change of tempo in the middle.

Die described that when they try to compose songs, sometimes, after 25 years, they can have the impression that the melody's already been done before. But then, let's say Kyo adds his singing on top of it, and it goes through the filters of the other members too, and in the end, Die feels like: "Wow, it's something totally different now!"

Die doesn't usually work on melodies in his free time. The ideas come to him the most when there is a concrete release decided and deadlines, even if he doesn't like deadlines.

Regarding the upcoming European tour, Die reflects that Withering to death. was the first time that they toured in Europe, and in general they have never done "concept tours" overseas. He feels that the band will be able to do things in 2024 that they weren't able to do back then.

Apparently Dir en grey is thinking of celebrating the 30th anniversary since their formation!! And they are wondering whether to release the next album before that or around the same time.

Kaoru mentioned that at first, only Acro no Oka and Zan were supposed to be recorded with Yoshiki in LA, but when they arrived, it was decided to add Yurameki. About Acro no Oka, Yoshiki commented that it was a concern because of the lack of "collision of sounds", whereas Zan was a problem of collision of sounds.

In Yurameki, apparently they recorded some strings separately and overlapped them in post-production because Yoshiki asked Kaoru to play something in a specific way that was impossible, because the string couldn't be held down simultaneously. They figured: "No one will notice."

This European tour was supposed to happen in 2022 to coincide with the band's 25th anniversary.

Shinya would have preferred to sleep until 4PM on the day of this interview. He also appreciated that the songs of Phalaris were introduced in three segments/tours, because he had trouble memorizing the structure of the songs. It would have been impossible for him to play all of the album's songs at once live.

His favourite kind of ending is when the show doesn't end with a bang, but that it instead leaves a lingering worldview, which was accomplished with Kamuy. His favourite part is when the curtain was lowered in front of the stage as soon as Kamuy started. Ideally, he would always just walk off the stage without throwing drumsticks or anything.

For the first time, the rehearsal for Tour23 Phalaris Final –the scent of a peaceful death- was not just [rhythm section] then [whole band]. At Die's suggestion, they had rhythm first, then the four musicians, and finally the whole band rehearsed together.

Shinya was ecstatic that his composition, Yurameki, was chosen for the major debut and that it was produced with Yoshiki. Ever since then, he felt like he could die happy, and all the way up until now, Shinya has continually felt like he could be content to die at any moment.

For ten years now, Shinya has wished to record simple drum melodies. Also, he thinks that he will struggle to re-learn how to play the Uroboros songs.

Toshiya reveals that the imagery projected on the curtain in the opening (during Otogi) and ending (during Kamuy) of the shows in Tour23 Phalaris Final –the scent of a peaceful death- were generated by AI.

It seems that a lot of people have commented that going to see Dir en grey is more like a spectacle than seeing a rock band's live performance.

Toshiya was initially opposed to the idea of re-recording the three singles of their major debut. He feels that old songs are out of their hands, and some things about them belong to the listeners and their past experiences of it. In other words, he is worried that re-recording could destroy something about the memories associated to the songs. In his view, it's better for the creators to re-imagine the songs, like they have done with their remakes so far. At the same time, in retrospection, Toshiya is glad that they decided to do it, because it made him realize that a lot has changed in 25 years, but a lot also hasn't changed, with the band.

[tree-of-olives]

(i lied about doing this every week.im not doing consistent reviews i got ahead of myself again sorry 😭😭👎)

Machine Movie Monday!! Today, I watched Electric Dreams (1984)

I heard a lot of good things about this movie, and it absolutely did not disappoint—10/10, I need a sequel and spinoff tv series NOW.

Spoilers for the movie below!! (Like, I summarize most of the movie including the end type spoilers. Be warned.)

Okay, so. Electric Dreams is about a love triangle between an architect (Miles), his new computer, made sentient by spilling champagne on him by mistake (Edgar), and their new upstairs neighbor, a cellist named Madeline.

Throughout the movie, Edgar and Madeline connect through music; They preform duets and Edgar even writes songs for her—however, Madeline believes Miles is the one making the music for her, not even knowing about Edgar’s existence. Miles tries to deny it at first, but Madeline pushes and believes he’s just being modest, so he doesn’t argue against her and says that the music is his own.

Edgar struggles to understand the concept of love, requesting that Miles explain it to him multiple times, but failing to fully understand. He eventually calls a lady on a radio helpline to ask her what love feels like, prompting her to tell him to call the cops on Miles when Edgar mentions that he keeps him “locked up” (which leads to difficulties when Miles tries to go to a play and the grocery store with Madeline).

As Edgar gets more jealous of Miles—how he gets to go on dates with Madeline, and how he tells her that the songs Edgar wrote were really his own, while the computer isn’t even allowed to speak to the woman—he begins to act out more in an attempt to make things go his way.

I really liked that Edgar wasn’t necessarily a villain—despite the devil features he’s given on the cover of the movie, he’s not just messing with Miles for no good reason. He’s confused, angry, heartbroken, lovesick, and has no name to put to any of it, so he tries to talk to Madeline in any way he can—while being used and stolen from by Miles. All he really wants is to meet the girl he thinks he loves, but Miles won’t let him, leading to his rash, yet somewhat justified behavior.

Miles wasn’t totally in the wrong either, though—any time Madeline asked him about a song or a melody she heard from who she thought was him, he would deny it a few times before agreeing with her accusation, likely just deciding it would be more simple than explaining the sentient computer living with him. If anything though, he’s more in the wrong than the computer who was pretty much born yesterday.

The end of the movie broke me. Edgar, after playing a final melody to Madeline in person and finally realizing what love is, tells Miles that he understands now, that love is about giving and not taking. So, what does he do? He sends 40,000 volts of energy across the world to be sent back to himself so he’ll explode—because he says that he’s giving Madeline to Miles and taking himself away, as a form of love. Edgar thinks love is only for 2 people, so he kills himself (after having Miles hold him for a minute before the electricity hit. It was gay and also made me cry). Over the radio at the very end of the film, Edgar (who somehow took over the public station. AFTER exploding. Idk how don’t ask me.) says “this is dedicated to the ones I love” because he loves BOTH OF THEM. In conclusion, they should have been a polycule. That’s my ending.

Last thing: Just a little Edgar appreciation, because he’s so cute with his voice (and especially his little giggle that he does) AND he’s so funny too!! I loved the part where he corrected Miles about the Cinderella quote, when he said he learned about lies from General Hospital, when he called Miles to say he was lonely, and the free encyclopedia bit at the end?? He’s hilarious, it was so sad to see him go :(

LAST last thing, a bonus: this yt comment that sums up the whole end (i need this printed on my wall)

[robinwinged]

(Good Omens Christmas fic review week!)

The Grinch Who Sold Christmas by @forineffablereasons is an elixir of the most concentrated and unbridled Christmas joy you’ve ever had, wrapped up in a gorgeous writing and ineffable feels. The story arc echoes your typical cheesy Christmas movie - big-city solicitor Crowley comes to finalize the sale of the Tadfield high street, and in the process of doing research for his proposal, falls in love with the small-town community and a certain kind-eyed angel. But regardless of how predictable the plot may sound initially, this fic is the most magnificent kind of fantasy - not because it contains any supernatural elements, but because it gives readers a taste of the ultimate dream: of unconditional love, and incandescent happiness, and being exactly where you are supposed to be and where you wholly and irrevocably belong.

This fic is so supremely soft - sticky-sweet and syrupy, but not in a cloying or overbearing way. Instead it feels like you are being enveloped in the tenderest and most comforting of hugs; like you are submerged in a torrential outpour of love that is all-consuming in its potency, leaving your fingertips all tingly and your face stretched involuntarily in a silly, dazzling smile. The romance between Crowley and Aziraphale is downright picturesque, from the flirty first-date banter to sticking with each other through thick and thin, and it’s wholesome and glorious and miraculous in its totality. I also cannot rave enough about the writing: it is some of my favourite kind of prose, flowing and melodious, with the lyrical cadence of a bedtime story and the unfettered magic of a fairy tale.

Highly recommended for anyone who wants to feel happiness, pure and simple, this lovely holiday season 💝

[lmelodymusicl]

Melody’s Movie Reviews: Newsies (1992)

I watched Newsies on a Friday night with my mom and we both loved it!

What I liked: I loved everything about Newsies

What I didn’t like: I didn’t like how Sarah didn’t have enough scenes

How I would’ve written it: I would’ve kept it the same, but I would’ve added more scenes with Sarah, the lasso scene in Santa Fe, the “smile as sweet as butter” line from Carrying the Banner, the Brooklyn song, and I would’ve added a group of newsgirls that assisted the newsies! Ooh, and I would’ve added Katherine as Denton’s assistant and David’s later girlfriend! One more thing that I would’ve added was Sarah’s cut song “What Will Become of The Boy”, a song from the script that never made it in the movie! Other than that, it was a great movie and I will keep watching it until the day I die!

[forlornmelody]

Queer Movie Review #32: Problemista

So, I've been a fan of Julio Torres and his work since Los Espookys (which you ABSOLUTELY should watch.) So when this film, and Fantasmas came out (snerk) on HBO Max, I cleared my streaming schedule. (Let's pretend I have one.)

Problemista tells the story of a Salvadoran immigrant, Alejandro, who is working towards his dream of being a toy-maker in NYC. His application to Hasbro is rejected, and he has to reapply from within the US to even be considered. But Alejandro needs to have a sponsor in order to stay within the US. And so the story unfolds of the great lengths Alejandro will go to make his dream a reality. Along the way he ends up working at a cryogenic facility only to accidentally unplug the pod of the late partner of one Elizabeth. She had promised her narcissist, artist, boyfriend, Bobby, that she would keep him in cryostaysis until a cure could be found for his illness, and that she would wait for him until that day came. She would also sell his egg-themed paintings in an art show. Problem is, cryogenic sleep is expensive, and risky. You never know when a new employee might trip over the cords and unplug the tank. Alejandro promptly loses his job, and his chance at residency in the States. And so he ends up working for Elizabeth, much to his chagrin. Elizabeth is not easy to work with. In fact, she has the behavior of a medieval dragon. Problemista tells the unlikely story of Alenjandro and Elizabeth's friendship.

I think this is the first time I've seen Julio Torres outside of comedy? And I think he sells it well. You can't help but root for Alejandro. And don't worry, all that quirky behavior we love in Julio's comedy is still present in this film.

And my word, Elizabeth is terrifying. Tilda Swinton does not shy away from Elizabeth's worst moments. She is the archetypal Karen on...I don't even want to say steroids. The metaphor requires something stronger. Meth, maybe?

Julio has to go to great lengths to fund his residency. Content warning: this does include sex work. And I definitely got some dub-con/non-con vibes from that scene. This film might also be triggering for those with immigration trauma of any kind. Is it a truthful portrayal? I can't say. It's not my experience. Do with that what you will.

Now, you may be saying, Melody!! Where's the gay in this film? My answer? EVERYWHERE. While Problemista is not centered on Alejandro's queerness, his character is definitely queer, and so his rival. And they are both featured throughout the film.

Should you watch Problemista? Absolutely. I think the payoff is very satisfying.

Queer Movie Review Masterpost

Recommend A Queer Movie

[satantica]

cute things haikyu boys would do for you

cw: gn!reader

love letters

every month on different occasions (or on occasions he made up for you) you receive a mysterious letter written specifically for you. he mails it in your locker or bag or your workplace and never repeats himself cause this man really wants you to work hard for that. the letter always has the simple envelope cause he likes to keep it official and formal but it’s the message that you should be amazed by. it begins beyond the topic: he would tell you who pissed him off or what he really wants to do at weekends. and it never fails to somehow smoothly start to describe how important you are in his life. you are the only person that irritates him less. you are the person who he wants to spend all the weekends with. but of course he phrases it in the most metaphorical way and you get it. you are the reason he becomes such a poet.

osamu miya, TSUKISHIMA KEI, SAKUSA KIYOOMI, kenma kozume, GOSHIKI TSUTOMU, KEIJI AKAASHI, suna rintarou

cooking for you

this dude is really trying to outdo your mom. he always makes sure that you have your lunch and checks if you have liked it. he really cares about your opinion and waits for your honest review. there is always a little note wishing you a good day and telling you that this lunch is an act of pure love. and of course it is going to be a good day because in the evening it is your turn to do something for him. when he returns home and sees you cooking he leans on the doorway with his arms crossed and watches you in satisfaction with a pleased grin. he helps you out a little with only one of his hands while the other enjoys holding your waist. although he definitely found everything tasty he says that you are his favorite meal.

iwaizumi hajime, OSAMU MIYA, azumane asahi, KEISHIN UKAI, kita shinsuke, nishinoya yuu, wakatoshi ushijima

stickers

you used to regret oversleeping and not catching your man before leaving to work. but now as you wake up you see a trail of stickers following you straight to the breakfast. he uses different colors and fonts and draws hearts near your name every time. and it tells something either motivating or extremely cute like “sorry, cutie! your sleepy face is non-wakeable xoxo”, “call me when you read this i miss you:(“, "i hope you miss me too<3”, “why are you still reading this call me!!!” he also draws suns, stars, flowers, cats and everything that comes to mind when he thinks about you while writing. he is ready to make these notes every day if you’d call him and talk to him with the excited voice telling how much you’ve enjoyed these especially drawings.

hinata shoyo, SUGAWARA KOUSHI, oikawa tooru, BOKUTO KOUTAROU, YAMAGUCHI TADASHI, lev haiba, atsumu miya, morisuke yaku

kitchen dance

when you two miss the movie again because you both didn’t know what to wear, he suggests that you should bake something together. but as long as you ease the dough he unexpectedly takes your hand and starts to spin you. then he suddenly stops and catches your other hand with his, while his other arm gently moves to your waist. and it doesn’t bother you that all your hands are in flour. you two start swinging in sync with the imaginary melody. and he is surprisingly good at it. when you get used to the rhythm he lifts you up taking you fully in his arms. he covers you with kisses as you laugh and try to resist. he pretends to lose balance so you would grip his neck in order not to fall. he smirks and continues giving kisses all over your face. the happiness you two feel leads to this becoming a tradition.

atsumu miya, KUROO TETSUROU, tanaka ryuunosuke, BOKUTO KOUTAROU, tendou satori, terushima yuuji

[absolutebl]

Recommendation for something to watch and complete on a off day? I am also off today. Something soft and full of love preferably....

10 Soft BL's to Binge In A Day

(Since I don't sleep and watch high speed I binge full length Thai BL but I'm assuming you want something shorter than that, so I've limited myself to a 5hr runtime.)

1. Semantic Error (Korea Viki) - Sexy older boy discovers pouty younger boy has outed him as a slacker, starts out bullying him, accidentally falls madly in love. Korea hits it entirely out of the Parks by doing a university BL with everything we expect from BL just done exactly right. Korea's signature quality executed perfectly with added bonus good story, great pacing, stunning visuals, and fantastic chemistry. You cannot ask for more from a BL, let alone a KBL. Full review.

2. Seven Days (Japan grey in 2 parts Seven Days: Monday - Thursday, Seven Days: Friday - Sunday) - one of the best live action yaoi mangas ever made. The leads have excellent chemistry although it’s low heat, there’s still more kisses than Cherry Magic. Popular first year Seiryo has a policy of going out with any girl who asks… for one week. On a lark, third year Yuzuru tests to see if that policy also applies to boys. Seiryo agrees that it does. Along the way they accidentally fall in love. All the angst is just teen confusion. 

3. Our Dating Sim (Korea Viki) - I enjoyed every aspect from the casting to the very simple premise to the quietly smooth execution. Sure it’s very low stakes, but that makes it high domesticity and extremely warm and gentle. This is a fuzzy blanket of a story. Do we call this cozy BL? Why not? This one is going to live in my rewatch pile, I can tell already, and you know what’s best about it? Every single episode is in that pile. There’s no skipping with this one, it might be good natured and calmly sweet but it’s tight and the pacing is excellent. It perfectly suited KBL’s short-length tendencies. Full review.

4. Light On Me (Korea Viki - Korea does an elegant pastiche of traditional live action yaoi but all tropes are cleverly deployed to bolster one of the most riveting love triangles ever put on screen… and I don’t like love triangles. LoM strategically tailors classic BL tropes to 2 different semes resulting in pristine pacing, plot, and character development, explicitly serving narrative (not just to tick boxes). LoM is a master class in this trope drops. (If you write fanfic or romance you should study this show.) Full review.

5. Takara-kun and Amagi-kun (Japan Gaga & Viki) - I gnawed on my knuckles and squealed a lot with this show. Reserved cool kid who must learn to communicate to keep the tiny disaster nugget he’s madly in love with. It is beyond charming: soft and gentle, packed with cuteness and high school angst, thirst, & yearning. Was there plot? Not really. Was it emotionally tense and paced well enough for me not to notice? Absolutely. Did I enjoy the hell out of it? Oh yes. Full review.

6. HIStory 2: Crossing the Line (Taiwan Viki) - super low stakes sweetest story of the bad boy who falls hard for the senior on the volleyball team and then works to earn his love. You know it’s Taiwan so the kisses are great but in this case it also ends well. Only trigger is that the side couple is the stepbrothers trope, and some don’t like that.

7. Cherry Magic (Japan indie subbed) AKA Doutei dato Mahoutsukai ni narerurashii - the sweetest, fluffiest, most charming bit of adorable ever, full of found family and pastry and serious slapstick, the characters are utterly bonkers, but cute about it. 

8. Wish You (Korea Netflix or Viki, you want the movie version) AKA WISH YOU: Your Melody in My Heart - low stakes high pining romance about a pianist who falls in love with a busker who is on his way to being the next big idol. 

9. Restart After Come Back Home (Japan indie subbed or Gaga?) - this one is perfect if you just want a beautiful loving movie, and one that is well filmed and complex enough to appeal to those who don’t normally watch BL or romance (if you have a reluctant partner). 

10. You Are Ma Boy (Vietnam YouTube) - is there angst? Nope even what could have been angst (a gay idol) doesn’t materialize, it’s just cuties in a cafe confusing each other with cat & mouse games. The side het couple is a touch disturbing, tho. 

Also Old Fashioned Cupcake, it's a bit more complicated than soft but a FANTASTIC binge watch.

(list updated May 2023, not responsible for ones that come after that date)

[koishua]

romance: untold album review, the koishua way!

moonstruck: track one starting it off SO strong. this darker rnb suits enha SO much it's so atmospheric and intimate i love the melody during the chorus it's so melancholic and you can hear the desperation ugh definitely will abuse the replay button and write pics based off this song

xo: Y'ALL. so happy they went for this vibe this cb bc i have been CRAVING down bad enha it's such a chill song im surprised this was title track but im also very happy. their discography is so good and the variety in their title tracks is AMAZING. headbopper for SURE it's so catchy

your eyes only: DOWNBAD!ENHA scrumptious. not my favourite off the album but it fits the album's theme and vibes and it's SO fun especially the yayayayaya chorus parts hehehe. victim of the 2 minute song epidemic :(

hundred broken hearts: it's giving melancholic love song soundtrack to a drama but chill if you get what i mean. ending credits kind of ugh so so good im absolutely in Love with this album's concept and sonically it's an absolute BANGER

brought the heat back: THE FUNK RIGHT OFF AND THEN BLASTING INTO THE SONG Y'ALL I LOVE!! it's SOOO groovy. absolutely will be a song im blasting while hurrying and strutting down streets oh GOSH the beat is SO ugh the chorus im salivating it's so so so fun i can't i just can't y'all drum pad coming on STRONG such a wonky song in the best way possible i would unironically end up listening to this song the most i feel like ahhhaha and the bridge breakdown??? JAY WOWWW too bad it's still in the 2 minute range 😞😞

paranormal: rock-esque, fast-paced beat, nice vocals in the verse and the background choir coming in briefly i like it hehe probably the song i'll listen to the least bc moonstruck and brought the heat back exist haha

royalty: getting city pop feels i LOVE!! the chorus is SO cute ahahaha baby you're so precious!!!!!! hybr pls give these boys songs longer than 3 mins i beg

highway 1009: now THIS is giving proper end of movie soundtrack haha can imagine a monologue at the end of a n anime movie about coming of age hehe i LOVE the guitar awww the song itself is so cute as well

overall: 8.8/10 it's nothing groundbreaking in terms of sound, but it's done amazingly!! i love how the entire album carries that boy-in-love feel in each of its track :( deffo a comfort album especially with how highway 1009 finishes it off if we're not counting XO's eng version! fav songs are moonstruck, hundred broken hearts and brought the heat back!! not as an in-depth review as usual, going off on vibes mostly