#no actually i like jacob elordi i think his performance was good

[navyhyuck]

watching saltburn out of curiosity and honestly i liked jacob elordi in this more than i like him in pretty much anything else

[iriswestallenn]

The discourse on Saltburn is so interesting to me because you either choose to take the movie as a fun romp or a movie "that had nothing [new] to say." Or that things happened just for shock value.

While there's definitely an argument to be made that this film had nothing/little to say, (as I am struggling with some themes they seemed to drop halfway through as well,) I just took this movie as a fun romp haha. You have to sit back and remember... they drew curtains back after a major character death and the entire room was RED! They isolate their black family member. They put a deer costume on Oliver during his bday party. A DEER. This movie was never trying to be subtle.

I've seen some crazy takes like "rich people good?" lmao Felix is arguably the 'nicest' family member right? Jacob Elordi and the script honestly do a really good job showing he's just as shitty as his family. After telling Oliver about his life, he asks Oliver, what about you? Cmon, what else? Siblings? ANYTHING interesting about you? Oliver should not have lied... if he didn't though, do you actually believe Felix would have kept talking to him? Felix gathered his family around and told them exactly "what happened" to Olivers mom and dad. No one would DO THAT! Especially if you've invited this person to your home!!

This internet age refuses to accept multiple things can be true at the same time haha when Felix learned from Farleigh that Ollie and Venetia hooked up, Felix STOMPED to the breakfast table. Folded his arms, ignored Ollie, made no eye contact. Then admitted he didn't want Ollie to be with Venetia, he had a problem with THE LAST GUY he brought to their home being with Venetia. They bring a new "poor" person their home every damn Summer. Multiple truths: 1. Felix shouldn't have been friggin killed. 2. Felix was a shitty person. Jesus

I understand the shock value critique. None of the three big scenes came across like shock value to me personally. I think it's because 1. It was all coming from Oliver. Oliver slurped the tub water, he fucked the grave, he put the period blood back in Venetias mouth. I think if everyone in the family was also doing weird fucked up shit, I'd be like, oookay. Now how is everyone here a weirdo? lol but it was just Oliver. 2. I thought this was a cannibalism movie lmao so I was actually expecting worse!

Obviously people can have different opinions but this movie and its discourse have been super interesting to me. I really enjoyed this movie but my main negative is that it does present itself in the beginning of the movie as though it has something to say but it doesn't have much to say? You're also not made aware that Olivers main objective was the house. Or if it wasn't the house at the start, at what point did it become about getting everything from the family?

Remember the friend Ollie had at the school that he later dropped? That friends last words to Ollie were, "he'll [felix] will get bored of you." Or something like that. That was so dumb lmao Venetia says this exact thing later in the movie. Why not make that friends last words to Ollie about status? Tie that into what Farleigh begins to tell Ollie and make Ollies goal clear to the audience even before the "plot twist."

That scene in school with the tutor. Oliver read the whole summer reading list. He came to college ready to go by the rules and succeed. There's no clear turning point imo. When Farleigh gets there late, doesn't care, definitely didn't read the reading list, and the tutor is like, "I knew your hot mom. We weren't friends, I just admired her from afar." I wish there was more focus on Oliver realizing following the rules would get him nowhere he wanted to be.

I ended up enjoying this movie because I'm satisfied with how fun it was, how GORGEOUS it looks, and how great the performances are. Not good, great performances truly. It's so sad that this could have been a 'no plot, just vibes' kinda movie. But instead there is some semblance of a plot lol it's just not fully fleshed out. I still think people are taking it way too seriously and the genuine distain for it is odd but there's a tug and pull here for sure.

[mermaidsirennikita]

Need your Saltburn review though 👀

I will preface by saying that I personally find Emerald to be a filmmaker/writer that is rather boring at best and kind of... horrifically misled in that she thinks that shocking "darkness" = depth at worst. I think A Promising Young Woman had some fun visuals at points (and so does Saltburn--though I think this has less to do with Emerald having an eye and more for Emerald understanding aesthetic, which makes sense when you realize that her dad is an Eton-educated jeweler to the stars, King of Bling, I wonder if that possibly could ever have anything to do with a UK performer's rise, hmmmmm--) but the way it ended was just... Lol. Yes, Emerald! I know that this is how the story would probs end in real life, the women of the world NEEDED TO KNOW.

(Princess Weekes did a good little video essay about PYW btw, would recommend.)

But yeah, point is--I don't think Saltburn is a misstep for Emerald. I think she's just very mediocre and self-indulgent. You can be self-indulgent and get away with it when you have a vision and something to say (see: Baz). I don't think Emerald has something to say. I think Emerald has concepts, which she pushes to a point she thinks is edgy, but doesn't actually... string into a coherent idea.

First off, Saltburn is nothing new; and it doesn't need to be. I like the pretentious rich people problems aesthetic. I love the bacchanal of the upper crust sensibility. Hell, I loved Donna Tartt's The Secret History. Sierra Simone's Thornchapel series is one of my favorite things she's done. I love Cruel Intentions. I also love The Talented Mr. Ripley, which--

My good man. If you wish to watch what you think Saltburn was going to be, but with better actors (including Jude Law in what is essentially the Jacob Elordi role, which, uh, how we have fallen as a society) and honestly better homoeroticism in a movie made like 20 years ago... just watch The Talented Mr. Ripley.

But yeah. So, I think everything Emerald does is meant to shock but doesn't go quite far enough. It's little moments that happen, and aren't really contextualized in a way that feels like it's there to be anything more than shock value, which makes it less shocking. Like, the period fingerbang--if those characters had a dynamic which led up to that moment, if I felt the actual power play there, it might actually shock me. Or be sexy? For the record, Fair Play has a period sex scene within its first five minutes that is both more surprising and better in every way. The shit with Farleigh? Would be compelling. That was the one bit of chemistry in the movie, the moment when Oliver and Farleigh talked to each other right before the whole singalong disaster. But then it's happening and I'm like "why is Barry Keoghan fucking everyone in this movie except for Jacob Elordi? What is the point?"

And what is the point indeed. Jacob Elordi has the charisma of a medium-sized tree, and I suspect a medium-sized tree would do a better job of ditching the Aussie accent. Emerald's inadequacies could be overcome and made into a thing that is campy, maybe? Not good, but fun? Barry Keoghan does his best with the material. He's fun in the last like ten minutes of the movie wherein he's basically monologuing like a demented real housewife and dancing around naked. He tries so hard to create chemistry with Jacob, while Jacob's vibe is very "no homo". (But the character is supposed to be no homo, you say--is he, first off, because I honestly don't know what Emerald is saying, and second... Like.... The character can be not attracted to Barry's character will still giving us an essence of intrigue that would inform why Barry is spellbound.)

But the biggest issue is that the movie hinges on Jacob Elordi being worthy of obsession, and he is just a flop in this role. He doesn't sell himself as this posh, beautiful, Brideshead Revisited-But-A-Bro guy. He can't really act (there's a scene where the movie cuts to him giving a smile that I think is supposed to be charming and I went "yikes" out loud). He is up against people who are actually actors, which makes it a bit worse. Everything feels very forced and constructed, for want of a better term. If you do not get WHY this guy, then the movie flops. And try as I might, I cannot get WHY this guy.

(Might I add--the bathtub scene would've been more intriguing had we seen Jacob interact with the voyeurism, some sense that he knew, whether or not he enjoyed it. The queerness in this movie is so... It's just this queer guy being obsessed and rebuffed and murderous, and I don't know, there didn't seem to be enough exploring the ramifications of that kind of story.)

The Talented Mr. Ripley also hinges on the focal point of obsession being worthy of obsession. And again. It's Jude Law. And it's Jude Law giving a really good performance, too.

The movie also does some shit I really don't think it's equipped to do. Like, the premise is essentially the working class interloper (but like, he's not as working class as he saaaays so oooooohhhhh) is preying on this family of rich folks who offered him a place to land. And it's not inherently bad, imo, to tell that story. However, you need the rich people to have some role beyond being prey; you need to understand the predator's contempt beyond jealousy. But the rich people are cardboard. They aren't sharp. They may have a few throwaway lines that illustrate their own sins (including some very clumsily handled racism) but ultimately the movie gives Oliver more power than it does the elite upon whom he preys. So ultimately, you come away from it feeling like you're watching the anxieties of the upper class, re: the encroaching middle and working class... But there's no examination, because the rich people are just victims lol. I think it's genuine anxiety.

Yeah though, I thought it was really hokey basically.

[destinyc1020]

I watched Saltburn and Priscilla this week and I gotta say I’m starting to like Jacob elordi. I think he’s a pretty good actor and I’m just going to ignore some of the things he said in interviews lol. I even thought he was more convincing as Elvis than Austin *gasp* but at the same time I am salty that cailee spaeny was so overshadowed by Jacob in the press because she did an outstanding job in my opinion!

I'm glad you enjoyed JE's films Anon lol.

I def think he has good acting potential. He plays such a convincing jerk in Euphoria, so obviously he's a good actor. 👍🏾

I'm not going to see "Saltburn" (just not my cup of tea based on what I've heard about the movie 🥴), but "Priscilla" is still on my watch list to see! 😁

And it's okay if you preferred JE's portrayal of Elvis vs. Austin's portrayal of Elvis. You're not the only one to say that, so I guess it just comes down to a matter of taste? 🤷🏾‍♀️ There are some who preferred JE, and some who preferred Austin. I don't really think it's that big of a deal honestly lol. 😅

I actually find it weird that people even compare the two performances in the first place when it seems like the films and the focus are so vastly DIFFERENT. Not only that, but Austin had to sing, dance, play piano AND guitar, all on top of acting.... Like, he was really portraying the legend himself that most fans knew. Whereas JE was mostly portraying the man BEHIND the legend.... specifically his rlshp with Priscilla. Two totally different performances if you ask me. 🤷🏾‍♀️

But I'll watch "Priscilla" and will give my honest opinion lol. 😁

Re: Cailee....

Yea, it kinda sucked that JE seemed to be more of the focus and took most of the spotlight lol... But don't feel too bad about Cailee, because guess who got the Golden Globe nomination? 😏

[the-queerview]

Saltburn (2023)

by Emerald Fennell

My dear readers,

I know it seemes like I abandoned you, but lately I really felt no need to write about a film, that would capture a certain Zeitgeist or some surprise to me. I wanted to write about the show "los espookys" by the creators Julio Torres, Ana Fabrega, Fred Armisen, a mexian-american comedy tv, which really made me pass this quite depressing winter in Berlin. But los espookys felt more like a warm, fresh bread, that I could snack at a sunny day, so I might write about it on a better day.

Today we gonna talk about the highly controversially labeled film Saltburn, directed by Emerald Fennell, who directed as well the masterpiece "Promising young women". You might remember this heavy, metoo themed vendetta film, with the amazing violine version of Britney Spears "Toxic".

Saltburn is a film about a guy namend Oliver enrolling in oxford, starting to be obsesses with everybod¥s darling Felix. Felix, coming from a wealthy background gets tricked by Oliver into a friendship and after Oliver's father dies, Felix invites him to spent the summer at his castle in Saltburn. Living with Felix rich, aristocratic family and their flaws, Felix adapts easily with the new won luxury lifestyle and his obsession with Felix seems to grow, ending up with shocking scenes, that didn't seem to shock me at all and clearly seemed like intended provocative gestures from the director to get prices.

I won't spoiler to much here about the storyline to follow for the ones, who would like to see it and focus on the further part on my critic.

So the film starts building up with heavy color grading during the oxford times, it reminds of middle 2k format drama shows and keeps rolling up to arthouse typical shots, with intense skies in the background, different camera angles, close ups reminding of advertisement and homo erotica ala Abercombie ans Fitch. But it continues to pave its way into a forced horror shots, there are to many different genre laps in this thriller. We are dealing with such an overlap of genres, that trough the moving pictures we encounter, we get lost in the storyline. Till the first middle part of the film ( and the film is asslong) we develop an understanding of the world Oliver entered, being an outsider at Oxford. feelings of less worth trough class dividence till the mood is entirely changed and Olivers live at Saltburn reminds more of a Wes Anderson themed kill the rich format, critical wannabe but not critical at all. The portrayal of the riches and their misery Emerald is clearly missing, by still showing their glamour and their fresh "bed sheets" (a metaphor) trough the lense of a beautifully placed camera setting. Here a few examples:

So being rich is aesthetically pleasing seems like especially with scenes of Felix. the rich kid, depicted in perfect lightning, while the shots of oliver are always creepy and bizarre ( like i try not to spoiler here, you have to figure out why i say creepy, and by that i mean specifically him WATCHING, what you will understand while watching the film). Anyways the film ends with a portrayal of the riches being the poor ones and the middle class being super evil, but i wont elaborate here not to spoiler.

I think the performances of Barry Keohghan ( you might remember him from "the killing of a sacred deer" by Yorgos Lanthimos), Jacob Elordi (Priscilla by Sophia Coppola) and Archie Madekwe ( Midsommar by Ari Aster) were well played. Every character had their development, from Oli ( Barry Keohghan) starting as a loser, becoming more popular and later actually evil, to Felix ( Jake Elordi) starting as the nice guy towards the spoiled brat, that really thinks the world is made for him and he believes to be a good guy, to Farleigh ( Archie Madekwe) starting as a bully, changing towards loosing and winning and loosing in this societal game, and having as the only character at the end of the film of this male characters dominated film, complicated feelings of loss and pain.

So I think the film itself lost thou its pace. It started off like a high school drama college mid 2k, continued to arthouse sway and ended with a film, that seemed like it rather was a tv show not a film. I felt as if the director made wrong decisions towards the end. While the pace was very slowly in the beginning till the middle. the end of the film and therefor the resolution just happened to quick. I wonder how important the role of the budget was to finish it, since if you watch the film, and made films, you can only imagine how high the rentals for this castle as well as the hundreds of extras costed, if you consider this party scene. So i look it up now.

"The film reportedly had a $20 million (£18.4m) budget. Details on Saltburn's production costs remain under wraps, but it's estimated to have had a budget between $10 million and $38 million" ( google search)

Also for the ones of you who are interested what the actors and actresses earned here's https://www.showbizgalore.com/saltburn-cast-salary/

So yeah phu, I guess and this is my true honest opinion, because I believe in Emerald Fennel as a filmmaker ( love love love promising young woman), that she had probably dreamed of megacake, like the ones my friend B does, what are they called, oh yeah, MAXIMALIST CAKES. They look amazing, lashy, rich, and its really about the cover, but the inside is not as much interesting as the decour. So Emerald Fennel created a very superficial portrayal of the riches, its trying to be an eat the rich film, but it makes the middle class look scary and and its message is just loosing the point, but we have intense pictures, lots of color grading, like they did good, also the camerawork was trying literally the whole alphabet of lense operations in there. I think their money ran out and they had to finish it. So we are left with an unsatisfying speedy end, i dont believe any of this. but hey its a film.

Like it's not that deep as it wants to be. sorry Emerald, I know you can do better.

see you around

here

visiti my blog

hehehehe

[penny-hartzs]

I so agree about Charles Melton. His performance was one of the best I've seen by a young actor in decades but if you go on twitter, it seems like everybody brushed past it and they are all praising Jacob Elordi for a mediocre job at best

It's a tricky subject because on the one hand i believe that when it comes to art and cinema, Twitter does not represent the general public or even the audiences who pay movie tickets and I've seen the bubble burst for plenty white boys of the month before. But what makes me upset is all the opportunities mr. Elordi is getting right now (magazine covers, snl appearance, abundance of mainstream interviews etc) are in my opinion a way to gaslight the gp into thinking he's the Next Big Thing ™️ because his work is not enough to speak for itself. And while him and his team are successfully Razzle Dazzling us, Charles Melton is not sharing the spotlight that should be shining on him alone. He has accomplished so much this year, he gave an extremely good performance in a film that i still think about, he's young and handsome and he seems to have a lot more to say and show us. I really hope he gets his flowers when the award season starts and opportunities come flowing in. Because he actually deserves them!

[a-queen-of-the-clouds]

I would actually LOVE to explain why I think Joe’s career never took off. Because it IS bewildering when you consider his first project was literally the lead in an Ang Lee film. And I think it comes down to a few things

His desire to be uninteresting during press. This is actually the #1 reason why. Being good at press can really help an actor overcome a mediocre project. He never wore interesting clothes or showed much of his personality during press. Everything we learned about him was through Taylor.

he didn’t pick lead roles until it was too late. Every lead role he had after his debut was after folklore and the re-emergence of Taylor as an it girl celebrity so his name was tied to her more than ever. Fun fact: I think this is the reason Lily Gladstone chose to go for the leading actress is because it’s much harder for mostly unknown actors to make the jump from supporting to leading. She wanted her future roles to be leading roles. Once you establish yourself as someone that can lead, you can take on supporting (like Leo in Django or RDJ in Oppenheimer).

He’s not good looking enough to offset the fact that he’s a good but not great actor. Jacob Elordi is a good actor (he has only okay accent work and has been pretty 1 note so far), but his pretty face and long limbs will always get my attention. Josh O’Connor very easily passed as a Prince Charles lookalike, but he is so dynamic as a performer, I am seated for his work too.

I actually agree with all of this! Fwiw, I was joking about his team being the reason, he got good opportunities so that was obviously not the case (i do believe his team sucks when it comes to handling press about the breakup tho)

The number 1 reason you mentioned is the one that makes me the most furious because he never even tried. All his press is SO BORING! And what makes me angry is that I have the theory that he was kind of relying on being Taylor's boyfriend to do the promo for him, which is ironic considering that he hated getting associated with her, but honestly what else did he have in his favor? We know nothing about him besides that! He went to fucking Kelly Clarkson, the most charismatic woman on tv right now, and made zero (0) effort to come across as likable.

Another thing I believe plays a factor is, as you said, going for lead roles too late, especially not being attached to a cultural phenomenon. Look at all his peers: Andrew Scott, Paul Mescal, Jacob, and Josh... They all have in common being part of insanely popular TV shows. And the thing is that he was supposed to have his big moment with Conversations with Friends, but... It just sucked, lol. Tbf that wasn't completely his fault. I loved the book! But it was not tv adaption material, and the script didn't let him do much, which also put into evidence that he is not that good of an actor because his costar did a much better job.

He could've gotten better at his craft with more opportunities. For example, I think Jacob can keep growing because he is getting tons of great work that, if he is serious enough, will make him a more seasoned performer. (He also has so much charisma, i wish i could climb him and kiss him but i digress). But i believe Joe's window of opportunity already passed and he didn't take advantage of it.

He also fumbled the greatest woman to ever lived and no one is going to forgive him for it 🤷‍♀️ Sucks to be him.

[bridgeporthq]

Oh, look! It’s [ASHER BOONE TATE]! I heard they’re [TWENTY THREE], a [MALE], use [HE&Him] pronouns, have been in town for [EIGHTEEN YEARS ] and are actually from [HERMOSA BEACH CALIFORNIA]. They are currently working as a/an/the [RN/MED STUDENT] and living in [DOWNTOWN BRIDGEPORT]. You know, I personally think they look like [JACOB ELORDI], but that’s crazy, right? 

BIOGRAPHY: 

Triggers in Bio: Dugs, Death, Overdose

Conor Thomas Rhodes was born to two amazing parents in Bridgeport, Maine. Conor was the oldest Rhodes kid, and the only boy which meant he got to help take care of his two little sisters. Conor wasn’t a softy; in fact, he was the opposite of a softy. He was always tough, he was the quiet, don’t fuck with me kid growing up. But when it came to Olivia and Rosemary, they had him wrapped around his finger from a young age and he was like a walking teddy bear when they were around. Family meant the world to Conor something his mother Leanne and father Malcolm instilled in him from a young age.

As a child he could always be found at the baseball field. He loved everything about the game of baseball. The boy was a natural at the game from a young age, and everyone swore up and down he was going to go pro. His favorite baseball team was the New York Yankees, and he even swore one day he’d be the biggest pitcher to ever play for them. With how well he played no one ever doubted him.

In high school, Conor was like the real-life Troy Bolton. He was a star on the field, but he was also a star off the field. Conor was born to two parents that had more talent in their pinky than most people do in their whole body. Conor inherited that and was performing every chance he could. He wasn’t a good dancer, which was a hard pill to swallow when you watched his sister and his mother. But boy could Conor sing, he had a voice like no other. Think if James Bay and Luke Combs had a vocal baby, you’d get Conor. He was also super talented with the guitar and piano. Everyone still thought he was going to go pro, and pitch in the MLB but as Conor got older the more, he realized he wanted to make music. Without telling anyone but his parents he applied to Drexel University, Berklee College of Music (Spain), Bellmont University, and Carnegie Mellon University. Fortunately for Conor he was accepted to all the colleges he applied to and with the support and love from his family he chose to attend Berklee College of Music in Spain majoring in Music Production.

While attending Berklee College of Music Conor met Mariana Gutiérrez a beautiful Spanish girl from the local café next to the college. Conor tried for months to get her to go on a date with him, and every time he asked, she said no. But he knew from the minute he met her she’d be the one he married. With no luck he’d call his sister Olivia daily for advice on what to do, and finally with the right words of advice he managed to get a date with her. Conor and Mariana continued to date for all four years of his time in Spain. After his graduation he accepted an internship at Universal Music Group in Los Angeles, Mariana leaving behind Spain and going with him.

After one year in an internship in Los Angeles, Conor was offered a permanent job at UMG as a board operator. If you asked Conor when he first graduated high school if he accepted to live away from home for this long, he would have said no. But he knew that he loved what he did, and he was meant to be here in this moment. Plus, he flew home for every holiday, all the birthdays and any vacation he went on was always to Bridgeport.

Conor and Mariana spent seven years in Los Angeles, when he was offered the head music producer position at Roofless Records in Miami. For the next seven years Conor and Mariana lived in Miami. He proposed to her and less than two weeks after proposing they found out they were pregnant. Everything was going great, they visited Bridgeport and they visited Spain before they had the baby, because they knew they wouldn’t be able to travel anytime soon after having the baby. The birth of their daughter came, and Mariana tragically passed during delivery. Conor’s heart broke into a million pieces, but he knew he had to be strong and hold his head up high for their beautiful little girl Elena (Shining Light) Olivia Rhodes because she was a shining light in the time of such darkness. Conor took Elena to Spain for the burial of Mariana, and so she could meet her mother’s family before heading home to Bridgeport to be close to his family.

Four years later, and he’s currently residing in Point Breeze with his four-year-old baby girl Elena. They say time heals the wounds, but Conor is still waiting for that time to come.

[love-geeky-fangirl]

Ranking every Teen Drama I have ever watched

(Updated)

The Secret Life of the American Teenager

+ young Shailene Woodley and Molly Ringwald I guess

- everything else. Even Shailene Woodley's and Molly Ringwald's performances weren't that great because the writing is just oh so bad. The background music is bland and repetative and it sounds like out of some teenager's YouTube chanel. The plotlines are ridiculous and convoluted, which isn't neccessarily such a bad thing, because it is a teen drama show after all, the problem is the show seems to take itself too seriously. Other entries on this list also have ridiculously convoluted plotlines, but I'm ranking them highed because they don't take themselves too seriously and don't claim to be realistic like this show does. Seriously, from the title it suggests like this was going to be a real, uncensored look into high school but it's the furthest thing from it. Not to mention how problematic it is- God forbid someone suggests that a 14-year-old pregnant girl gets an abortion or gives the baby up for adoption without being seen as a terrible and despicable person.

Otp: Marc Molina x a job somewhere far, far away from these kids

Notps: every single pairing on this show

Best moment: literally none

Weirdest moment: "I'm such a whore!" "Well, you're my whore." What were the writers thinking??? Was this supposed to be romantic??

We Children From Zoo Station

+the aesthetic, the casting of Christiane, Detlef and Axel

-this was such a letdown. Honestly I was so hyped for it after seeing the trailer since I've read the book and didn't particularly like the movie- I feel like it's hard to fit all of Christiane's story into 90 minutes. That's why I was so excited about this show. Christiane's story covers so much, so it's easier to make it into a TV show when you don't want to ommit anything and butcher the story. But they somehow managed to do it anyway. They changed so much for no reason and completely erased Christiane's childhood trauma, which was important in the book. Now, I know you can say that it's just a loose adaptation, so it doesn't have to follow the book word for word. But I feel like if you already decided to tell her- a real person's story- you should at least do it authentically. Imo they shouldn't have tried to make the setting vague. It worked with Sex Education because the story of Sex Education is timeless. However, Christiane's story is not timeless. It's a true story set in the 1970s. If they were making a new show from scratch, I would have liked it. But this is an already existing story and they’re supposed to be just retelling it. My last issue is a nit pick but I wish the actresses playing Stella and Babsi were reversed. It just would've fit better.

Otps: all those kids x sobriety

Notp: Christiane x Detlef

Best moment: Christiane's first time in Sound was pretty true to the book

Weirdest moment: when Detlef became a gigolo because he needed money for his dog. Who tf thought of that?

Pretty Little Liars

+ makeup, style, the theme song, the drama and mystery that always kept me guessing, the cliffhangers at the end of each episode that made it so addictive, Emily's coming out story, Hanna and Spencer had some good lines

- the mishandling of some serious issues (namely eating disorders), romantization of student-teacher relationship, the timeline not making much sense, these writers seem to put more thought into the characters' outfits than the storylines

Otps: Emily x Maya, Hanna x Caleb

Notp: Ezria

Best moment: Hanna and Caleb in the shower (the sexual tension was cuttable with a knife)

Weirdest moments: Aria asking Ezra out in the middle of a make-up test (it was supposed to be cute but it was just cringy), Spencer trying to block A's text messages on a laptop, in the middle of a park (what? Spencer, you were supposed to be the smart one!)

One Tree Hill

+ Brooke, the theme song, Chad Michael Murray

- the casual drinking and driving (I mean seriously these kids play a drinking game at a party and then casually hop into a car and drive home??), too much basketball and cheerleading (that's not a bad thing per se but I just don't really care about neither of these things), it just seems too stereotypical and kinda bland?? I couldn't really get into it

Otp: Naley

Notp: Peyton x Nathan

Best moment: Naley by the dock

Weirdest moment: "I guess I'm just a riddle, wrapped in a mystery inside a bitch." It's not really a bad moment but a cringy line. I guess the writers though they were being clever but it just sounded bad.

Dawson's Creek

+ the clothes, the 90s aesthetic, the 90s soundtrack, many movie references, Pacey is a sweetheart, Jen is a feminist icon, dealing with mental health issues through Andie (it's rare to see in shows as old as this)

- the slutshaming of Jen really hasn't aged well, the storyline of Pacey being statury raped by his much older teacher was mishandled (it was either treated as scandalous, cool or in Andie’s case somehow shameful), same goes for Jen’s backstory- it was mentioned she was raped at 12 by an older man and then never brought up again, Dawson is the most unlikable protagonist ever and his friendship/relationship with Joey is codependent and possessive, the dialogue is sometimes pretentious and unrealistic, the timeline doesn't really add up- I can never tell what time of the year it's supposed to be, because it looks like it's always fall for some reason. And how did they sophomore year have two homecomings?

Otps: Pacey x Andie, Pacey x Joey (yes, both at the same time)

Notp: Dawson x Joey

Best moments: Jen helping Joey when that jerk was spreading rumours about her and then Jen and Joey locking Abby in the closet together (I love it when they stick together instead of tearing each other down), Pacey and Joey bickering

Weirdest moments: when Joey was upset because Dawson didn’t want to tell her how often he “walks his dog”, when Jen was about to have a treesome at a party and Dawson walked into the room and carried her out despite her kicking and screaming

Glee

+ funny, Sue Sylvester's iconic, great covers and a way to find new songs, the performances are aesthetically pleasing, lgbtq+ representation, tackling of serious issues, coming out story, a father who’s accepting of his son’s sexuality right away despite not really understanding it (it’s so rare to see, that’s why it’s so refreshing), the plotlines are ridiculous but at least the show doesn't take itself too seriously

-as I already said the 1st season was great but after that it just seemed like the writers made up a checklist of hard issues they should tackle and tried to tackle every single one of them while covering every single song and it just fell flat. Prime example- Quinn ending up in a wheelchair getting into a car crash to warn us from drinking and driving, singing I’m Still Standing and then suddenly being able to walk normally after. a few episodes Rachel and Finn got almost all songs, while other characters were criminally underrated and underused (Tina, Quinn, Mercedes). The teachers are questionable to put it mildly. Cringy moments- Finn singing You're Having My Baby to Quinn in front of her parents when it wasn't even his baby! Also no one except of Kurt looks like they could be in high school. And why are these cheerleaders wearing their uniforms 24/7??

Otps: Brittana, Sam x Quinn, Tina x Artie (unpopular opinion, I know), Mr Schue x unemployment

Notp: Quinn x Finn

Best moments: Quinn giving birth to Bohemian Rhapsody

Weirdest moment: Rachel's gross and painfully awkward crush on Mr Schue, Mr Schue joining the Glee club on the stage for a performance of Toxic and girls in the audience cat calling him (Ewww)

Euphoria

+ Zendaya's and Jacob Elordi's performances, tackling of serious issues such as drug addiction and overdose, anxiety and depression, abusive relationships and abortion in a better manner than most (if not all) teen dramas, the aesthetics, makeup and wardrobe, the musical number in the finale, the special episodes giving us insight into the characters' psychology, toxic relationships not being romanticized (which is sadly rare), teenagers sounding like actual real life teens (no "I reject reality" crap)

- lack of comic relief (why so serious all the time), sexualization of teen characters (I know this is something many teen dramas are guilty of but it's the most evident here), too much nudity (I know some of you are going to come at me with: "But it's realistic!" So what? It is realitic that teenagers get naked when they go into shower but does it mean we have to see it?? It seems to me like this show is trying too hard to be "boundary pushing" at times and ends up being scandalous just for the sake of being scandalous), these characters just aren't believable as high school juniors to me (they sound like high schoolers but they certainly don’t act, look or dress that way). There's no reason this show couldn't have been set in college.

Otps: Rue x sobriety, Nate x prison

Notps: Nate x Maddy, Cassie x McKay

Best moments: "You did this to me!" and the musical number in the season 1 finale

Weirdest moment: the fact that Maddy lost her virginity at 14 to a 40-year-old man being mentioned so casually because apparently she was "totally in control". Excuse me what??

Skins

+ style and makeup- each character has a signature trademark (Sid and his beanie, Effy's eyeliner, Cassie's soft eyeshadow), their British accents, I'm pretty sure this is the only teen drama that follows multiple classes, teenage characters being played by actual teen actors, the characters looking like average people you meet in high school and not as if they just walked off the runway, dealing with serious issues such as drug abuse, eating disorder, parental abandonment etc (yes, some people claim the show romanticized it, but I disagree. It's not the show that romanticized it- it's the fans. The show tried to portray the dangers of drugs as well as possible. Think about it- every time characters used drugs it ended in a disaster. In the pilot they thought that Cassie overdosed and ended up crashing a car while rushing into the hospital. In later season Effy hit her friend in the head with a rock because she was having a bad trip. That's not romanticizing drugs.), Effy is iconic and honestly the first episode was enough to get me hooked

- every single teacher being a creep and having a thing for a student at some point, the show can get too dark and unncessarily dramatic at times. Did that many people have to die? Did Chris's death really have to be this graphic? Timeline doesn't really add up- are 8 episodes supposed to cover the whole year? It would've made more sense if there were more episodes in a season.

Otps: Chris x Jal, Emily x Naomi

Notps: Sid x Michelle

Best moment: ooh baby it's a wild world

Weirdest moment: Chris's graphic death

The OC

+ more grounded in reality than many others on this list, the theme song, the love stories, Seth and Summer are funny, the friendships are believable and the whole group has great chemistry

- too many unneccessary fights, Luke is the worst, everyone is way too casual about drunk driving, these parents are WAAAY too chill (I know this can be said about many teen dramas but it's the most obvious here. How did the Roberts and the Coopers let two 16-year-old girls go to Mexico alone?? With no supervision?? What?)

Otps: Seth x Summer, Ryan x Marissa

Notp: Luke x Marissa

Best moments: the “oh no, there’s only one bed” in the Mexico episode, Seth and Summer's first kiss and that kiss at the yacht, Ryan and Marissa's first date by the pool

Weirdest moment: these parents letting their teenage kids go to Mexico alone. It's irresponsible when they're 16 but apparently they let them go there and party every year. What?

Gossip Girl

+ every episode having a clever title, the style, the makeup, the 00s soundtrack, the glamour of it all (it feels like reading a very gossipy magazine!), all the scandals, this show never pretends to portray the realitic teenage experience so it can pretty much be as far-fetched as it wants to and you can’t question it, it gives you a chance to live the fantasy of being super rich, living with a penthouse, riding a limo to school and going to parties in New York City every night

- the final reveal doesn't make any sense, just like with PLL these writers seemed to have put more thought into the outfits and makeup than into the plotlines, romantization of a toxic relationship, having every two straight characters date or hook up at some point, which just felt forced, mishandling of serious issues (Blair's eating disorder, Eric's suicide attempt and Serena and Jenny's sexual assault from the pilot being brought up when it's convenient but not really dealt with and brushed off at other times), sexualization of teen characters

Otps: Dan x Blair, Serena x Nate

Notps: Chuck x Blair

Best moments: the Thanksgiving flashbacks, Blair and Serena running around New York and taking selfies in stolen dresses, Nate and Serena’s first time (although it was better in the books) and then their kiss at the white party, the sheer scandal of "I killed someone", Dan giving Blair a plastic tiara to make her feel like a princess

Weirdest moments: Chuck's father returning from the death and then dying again, by yeeting himself off the roof

Freaks and Geeks

+ probably the most realistic teen drama there is, the characters dress the way I can see actual teens dressing, funny, but also heatbreaking at times, probably the only teen show that included an intersex character, the characters being a little stereotypical but self-aware at least, young James Franco and Jason Segel

- the bullying being a bit too much at times and it's a bit unrealistic that the teachers would do literally nothing about it, too short- I will never understand why this got cancelled

Otps: Daniel x Kim, Lindsay x Nick, Amy x Ken

Notps: Sam x Cindy

Best moments: Sam breaking down at the end of Garage Door, Daniel and Kim getting back together in the rain

Weirdest moment: Cindy doing a 180 and becoming super mean when she started dating Sam.

Gilmore Girls

+ so many movie, literary and music references, the quotable lines (what a great way to learn about new movies, books and bands! It’s so unique for a TV show to make you smarter), the witty banter, the comfort of the first few seasons (it really feels like wrapping a warm blanket around yourself while holding a hot cup of coffee, I can’t explain why, but it’s such a comfort show), the quirky small town with many unique festivals, many entertaining and snappy fights where everyone has a point, characters dealing with real world problems (seriously, how often do you see a storyline about termites? Or a teenager with zit cream on a teen drama show?), this is also one of the few shows where teenagers are shown to have rules and restrictions and curfews (finally some kids growing up with strict parents representation) and doing homework and studying and not just partying and drinking and having sex all the time and that’s so refreshing

- but while it is refreshing to see teenagers waiting to have sex and not doing it behind every corner, the show is kind of sex negative. Every single time a (female) character loses her virginity it ends in a disaster. Even when she loses it after she’s married! It doesn’t make any sense, unless the writers just really hated women. Also slutshaming (”I got the good kid!”) ewww. The money and budget doesn’t make much sense on the show either and the girls seem immune to calories. I know some people might come at me for this with: “But it’s just a show!” but I think it’s harmful to show beautiful, thin women eat nothing but tons of junkfood all the time and never excersize and then fatshame people who do excersize but aren’t fortunate enough to be blessed with amazing Gilmore genes, and then throw around tactless references to eating disorders.

Otps: Lane x Dave, Jess x Rory

Notps: Lane x Zach, Rory x Dean, Lorelai x Christopher

Best moments: Then She Appeared, Rory’s valedictorian speech, Lorelai’s graduation

Weirdest moment: Lorelai and Christopher getting married in Paris at 4am. That’s not how it works in Europe. Do Americans think every single Europian country works like Las Vegas, where you can just get married whenever you decide??

[jmblyajones]

Euphoria: And Salt The Earth Behind You (1X8)

1. I am so fucking nervous. I got the literal shakes watching the previous episode summaries

2. Y’all I was about congratulate Rue and “Woop woop woop” hype her in my room, then sis said “UNLESS”

3. I know there are a lot of people that hype up Rules romantically but I really love Rules as a friendship. Friendships like that are rare. Especially with how fast they clicked.

4. I love that the makeup and outfits have meaning to them. I mean a lot of films do but this show is dependent on it a bit and it’s nice to see the thought process

5. FUCK NATE JACOBS

6. Jules’s outfit is giving me little Mermaid tease! Cassie is giving me classic Hollywood vibes. Kat is giving me dominatrix, “GET ON YOUR FUCKING KNEES” type tease lol

7. So Fez didn’t go to jail thank ya Jesus!! I would’ve hid some pills under the grandma tbh

8. Idk who Nate picked to be his “show” date for prom but I was I was feeling her fuck you attitude! He told her to get her HEELS off the dashboard and sis said BET

9. Okay Rue... giving out foreshadows 😰

10. I’m definitely with Maddy on this. Why the hell does Nate have this girls ass cheeks out? Tf. I was reaaally hoping to see maybe a Jacob Elordi dick slip... whoopsy. Homeboy has been aggressive but the way he grabbed Maddy’s face was a lot

11. Has Jules been in the stall that whole time? wtf I feel like she doesn’t know what she wants. I hate when people don’t fully communicate what they want to people so no one is confused. Obviously Rue wants to be with Jules but Jules is playing the field.

12. IF KAT DOESNT GET HER FUCKING DOMINATRIX ASS UP AND GET HER MANZ I SWEAR!

13. “what’s my favorite word??!” 💃🏾💃🏾💃🏾

14. Rue finger gunning Nate on the dance floor had me falling the hell out

15. THANK FUCKING GOODNESS KAT! I am so happy she expressed her feelings to Ethan. Like my heart is soo fucking happy! I’m going to literally die happy right now! Ethan literally said that if anyone gets hurt he’s gonna try to make sure it was him! 😭😭 WHAT A MANZ!!

16. Oh shit oh shit oh shit! Is Lexie going to hook up with RUE??!?!... in my dreams I guess :///

17. I’m like half way in and I am feeling fucking scared right now. Tv shows like to ruin my happiness dude. Gosh I can’t

18. Rue spilling that piping hot tea all over Nate’s dumb truck stupid ass (I can’t even call him ugly because I’d be lying 🤦🏾‍♀️)

19. Nate scores a touch down and his papa Jacobs was like....

20. Okay that scene with Papa Jacobs and Nate was some powerful shit. I’m just gonna take the ranes on this one and say he need to be looked up in an institution. He’s got a lot of issues the father can’t help him with

21. Uhhhh, I’m sorry but Jules fell in love with Ana after one weekend?... okay

22. Fez is trying to kill his supplier? Oh gosh this can’t end well.... Wait who is he robbing?-Nah fam, that doctor is moving way to fucking slow for me man... Fez really just walked pass the kid after he pistol whipped his father lmao

23. Okay I hate to say this (okay not really) but Rue and Jules trying to run out of town was such a stupid idea. Watching them at the train station I kinda feel like their relationship isn’t a balance (like I thought it was)... it actually made me feel uncomfortable. I know Rue was feeling it when Jules left on the train without her so I can’t imagine the road Rue has ahead. I am proud that Rue didn’t go on the train. However Rue feeling so bad she had to do coke

24. Watching the flashbacks of Rue and her family and I can just feel very sympathetic for the mom. Imagine the stress of losing your husband and raising a teenager who is addicted to pills (not to mention when her mom drug tested her she tries to lie about it). Shit like that isn’t easy so I definitely feel for the mom.

25. OKAY ZENDAYA! WORK THEM VOCALS!!

26. Fuck this ending! I’m am mad as hell! Nate was untouched damn it!! Not to mention this gave me indications that Rue is dead!

Bring on the theories lmao!

Ps. I love Zendaya and Hunter’s outfits at the end, yellow is their color!

- I am happy Maddy and Nate acknowledged that they are toxic for each other and don’t need to be together. That’s a big step. I guess we’ll have to see in s2 if actions come into play

- Elordi’s performance has been top tier this season.

- I think that was the homecoming dance so this season was in the span of a semester so next season might be spring semester?

- I am surprised Cassie didn’t take McKay to homecoming. He wasn’t in the episode AT ALL

- Rue was literally wearing her dad’s clothes all season!

- y’all I forreal gotta see some Ethan/Kat video edits up in here 👏🏾👏🏾

[sammysreelreviews]

Counting Down My Top 20 Films Of The Decade: Part 1

Ok so I wanted to include pictures for all 20 films so I broke the decade list into two parts! The second part will have a way longer and more sentimental intro but I’m lazy so this one is gonna be short. If you want to read my other decade lists you can read all the television ones here, here, and here AND you can catch my previous movie ones here, here, and here! Hope you enjoy the list these movies are films I’ve seen over and over again and I know you’re gonna scratch your head at a few of these but hey I like what I like okay?! As always *THERE WILL BE SPOILERS!!!*

20. The Kissing Booth (2018)

Yes you read that right I indeed put Netflix’s The Kissing Booth on my decade list. Why you ask? Well because it’s literally the perfect movie to put on for background noise, it’s cheesy as fuck which I love, and Jacob Elordi is a fucking smoke. DEAL WITH IT!

19. Project X (2012)

Project X has a special place in my heart because it came out when I was my wildest in college. It’s a party movie that never stops the momentum and honestly has one of the best soundtracks like ever. Also the car in the pool is just fucking legendary.

18. Assassination Nation (2018)

This may be one of the most underrated films fucking ever!? The story about a town that goes batshit after everyone’s internet history is exposed is wild from start to finish. The film focuses on four besties (Suki Waterhouse, Hari Nef, Odessa Young, and Abra) who have each other’s backs when the town turns against them. Bella Thorne, Bill Skarsgard, and Cody Christian are also in this! I started to write a think piece on this movie cause I really think it says a lot about today’s society but maybe I’ll finish and release it in 2020! If you’re a woman please watch this movie! Also did I mention that, Sam Levinson the creator and writer of Euphoria, also wrote this! If you love how batshit Euphoria is this is that times ten!

17. Thoroughbreds (2017)

I only saw this movie cause it was the last movie Anton Yelchin (RIP my king!) was in and even though he had a small part in this dry dark film became one of my favorites. Besides Anton being perfect, Anya Taylor-Joy and Olivia Cooke give fucking brilliant performances as ex besties turned partners in crime. If you like Gossip Girl, dry humor, and murder this is the movie for you!

16. The Wolf of Wall Street (2013)

I knew Leonardo DiCaprio was a phenomenal actor but I didn’t really get to see his full range until The Wolf of Wall Street. Leo is always acting serious on screen and in my experience and opinion it’s easier than being genuinely funny. Comedy is hard cause you either have it or you don’t but boy did Leo have it in this one. This movie is long but every fucking scene is bonkers. My favorite might be the fight Margot and Leo have the morning after he comes home drunk in his helicopter. “YOU WOKE UP SKYLA!” Iconic, truly. My fellow film buffs may fight me but I honestly think this is one of Scorsese’s best.

15. The Dark Knight Rises (2012)

Christopher Nolan was absolutely in his motherfucking bag when he was given the job to direct a Batman trilogy. There’s been so many god damn Batman movies but none of them hold a candle to any of Nolan’s and the third installment had a lot to live up to after The Dark Knight but boy did it rise to the occasion. Bane (Tom Hardy) was a super villain who people still do impressions of and Anne Hathaway does not get enough credit for her rendition of Catwoman! Ok before I forget, Joey King is in this movie but in the flashbacks you think she’s someone else and she wasn’t famous then but I knew who she was so I knew the twist at the end of the movie. Sorry I had to get that out there. Any who, no one has made a superhero franchise, besides Into the Spiderverse, that good well like ever! And no one has ever made a third movie in a series that fucking good like, ever.

14. The Duff (2015)

The movie based on the best selling YA novel was the last great teen rom com we had in YEARS before Lady Bird and Booksmart happened. I mean it’s actually fucking hysterical and I feel like it’s vastly underrated. I personally saw it because I stan miss Bella Thorne, who is excellent in it may I add, but I think everyone should watch The Duff I HIGHLY recommend it!

13. Love, Simon (2018)

Fun fact, I saw Love, Simon in theaters THREE times. Did I cry every time i saw it? Yes. Did I see it because I have a thing for Nick Robinson? Yes. Did I write a review for it that you can read here so I don’t have to talk about it for a 4th time on this blog? Yes. Watch this godforsaken movie and if you want more LGBTQ+ movies to watch check out this list of my absolute favorites here.

12. About Time (2013)

About Time is the best rom com of the 2010’s. PERIODT! Ok I was gonna end it there but honestly guys I fucking LOVE this movie so much! First of all, I have a huge girl crush on Rachel McAdams like she’s literally perfection. Domhnall Gleeson is so charming and funny in this you can’t not love him. The scene when he goes back in time and his daughter changes to a boy!? I was SHOOK. The scene where he goes back in time to see his dad again before he dies!? I CRIED REAL THUG TEARS. If you like movies that are funny, good, British, sad, have elements of time traveling, and lovey dovey, well this is the god damn movie for you. This movie should also be a tourism ad for Cornwall cause I’ve been dying to go there ever since.

11. It Follows (2014)

It Follows was the film that made me start this blog! I’ve written about it too many times to count so my review (that I wrote four years ago!) for it is here if you want to read it. It Follows started the modern horror renaissance and it has haunted me ever since the first time I saw it and that’s why I love it so god damn much.

[constantlyirksome]

Review: Euphoria’s First Season Finale was Aesthetically Stunning but Narratively Clunky.

Going into the Euphoria season one finale we had a lot of questions: Would Fezco get arrested? Would Maddy and Nate get back together, or would he finally get what was coming to him? Would #Rules make it? Unfortunately, due to the episode's reliance on non-linear storytelling, we left with more questions than answers.

The Halloween episode used a similar narrative structure, the party was the centre of it and all the other scenes were flashbacks, in the end coming together in a satisfying way. Unfortunately, it didn’t work well at all this episode, while the core of the episode is the school dance (a classic hotbed for teenage drama) it’s not clear when all the other scenes occurred in relation to it, end it ended on multiple cliff-hangers.

Let’s talk about Nate and Maddy first. I have praised Jacob Elordi in the past because getting people to like a character is one thing, but to create and act out a character as loathsome as Nate takes talent. His key scenes with his father, Rue, and Maddy all had an incredible intensity and heat, he’s so convincing as a brute you wish that Rue’s fantasy, lighting Nate on fire and shooting him, was real.

He continues a lot of his patterns; first, he bullies Rue in a tense faceoff. Elordi and Zendaya have incredible rival chemistry, and as Nate sowed the seeds of doubt for Rue and Jule’s relationship, Rue threatened to burn his whole family down. He abused Maddy verbally and physically. The question of his and his father's sexuality popped up and honestly, that’s a thread I’m a little tired of. Internalized homophobia on that level, if they are gay, isn’t something I as a gay man care to watch.

Nate singlehandedly wins a football match but his father still berates him for not doing enough as a captain. Nate does what he does best, gets in his dads face, but his dad doesn’t back down and when they get into an uncomfortable physical confrontation where Nate is overpowered and breaks down completely. Like a child in a supermarket, he cries and thrashes and then begins hurting himself in his rage. This is a man who has gone through some serious emotional abuse, repression coupled with a genetic inflated ego, arrogance and violent misogyny. He was bound to explode, and he does so in such huge way I just have to applaud Elordi again. But the question is, was the tantrum before or after the dance?

Maddy did a lot of growing after being covered in the human manure that is Nate and decides she’s had enough.

“You’re abusive, psychopathic, and I hate the way you make me feel…” she says as they slow dance. I love Maddy, and this is an aspiring thing to see, a girl in the grips of an abusive relationship, who until now knew how sick it was but couldn’t leave, make the decision to cut it off. And props to her for trying to assure Nate that It’s Okay to Be Gay and that sexuality is a spectrum while he was screaming in her face. What an icon.

Cassey deals with her decision to terminate her pregnancy, weirdly McKay isn’t in the episode at all. At the dance, she says she never wants to fall in love again (honestly what a mood,) meaning they split up after she had her abortion, meaning either he is as shitty as every other man on the show or the show just didn’t know what to do with him. During her procedure she tunes out and listens to music, imagining herself ice-skating instead. It’s a beautifully shot moment, her on a blacked-out ice rink, completely alone, no McKay cheering her on. She does have her sister though, and at the scenes, for the dance they sit and laugh at other people which is always fun.

Kat got probably the only “happy” end to her story arc, finding Ethan on the dance floor, she realizes she can be the bad ass, confident, empowered woman she wants to be without being cruel, or shutting herself off emotionally. She finds a good middle ground and it’s very sweet to see her open up after so many episodes of her being so stoic.

Ethan delivers possibly the most romantic speech ever: “This is high school, will we last forever? Probably not. Someone will probably get hurt, but I’ll do my best to make sure that person is me.” What a cutie!  Mazel Tov to the happy couple.

Fezco and Ashtray (just learned that’s what the little kid's name is) don’t get arrested, but he is still in trouble with drug dealer Mouse, whom he owns money to. His solution is to put on a ski mask and rob some guy, I’m unsure if this man is narratively relevant, or if he’s just rich. He’s got stacks of cash and prescription pills in a drawer so Fez gets lucky either way. When the guy pulls a gun, Fez proves how hard he really is, that Nate should be worried, and beats the guy in front of his kid. Fez has been toted as the best man on the show and it’s sad to say after that scene he probably still is. There’s something so likable about Fez and Angus Cloud that has you blaming the guy getting robbed for trying to be brave instead of blaming Fez for robbing him. Audiences perceptions around men these days are so warped, and standards are so low that characters like Fezco, who seems genuinely okay deep down, become the ones we’re drawn to. It’s weird, but I’m guilty of it too, because while he gives Mouse the money, Mouse spots blood on the bills and grabs his gun, leading the question, “does Fez get shot?” and I hoped to god he didn’t.

Finally our heroes Rue and Jules. Jules does Rue’s eye makeup, in a very similar way to how Anna did hers the last episode, and sings Anna’s praises, casually letting slip that she did sleep with the other girl. Later that night at the dance Rue finds her taking selfies and sending them to Anna. While Rue and Jules aren’t in a relationship, while Jules isn’t Rue's keeper, her sponsor, or her girlfriend it still came off kind of dickish. Jules deserves to be as free as she wants but she has never been good at communicating. She tells Rue that she loves her, and she wants to kiss her, (they do, it’s very steamy), and that she doesn’t want Rue to change… But when a sloppily planned escape to the city between the two of them falls through, Jules ends up leaving Rue behind, going back to Anna essentially.

Rue and Jules were connected and were in a lot of ways perfect for each other, outsiders with the same sick views of the world, but in so many ways they weren’t right for one another, between Rue's addiction/sobriety and Jule’s lifestyle there were few ways were you could see it working out but it was still sad to see, and the way it happened didn’t make a terrible amount of sense. Jules escapes with Rue, but ditches her even though it was Rue’s plan? And the worst part is that that’s what Nate predicted would happen when he was fighting with Rue.

We end on a mishmash of scenes with Rue, Jules and her family, good flashbacks, and a flashback to a fight with her mother that was so bad Rue was kicked out of home, but when did this all happen? One flashback clues us onto the fact that Rue’s red sweatshirt was actually her dads, but other than that the scenes are confusing. Back in the present Rue puts on her dad's hoodie and snorts a line of something, officially falling off the wagon. The question, made less clear after the coming scenes, is did she die? Many people believe she’s only able to know everyone’s business every episode because she dies. 

Then, bizarrely it turns into a music video of sorts, if not a trippy one. You think Rue is revisiting more memories as she stumbles in a drug-induced state (Zendaya’s physicality here was fantastic) as her family ignores her, but then her dad is there, and then suddenly she’s in a sea of dancers and she’s (Zendaya) singing Labrinth's All For Us. (I already have it saved on Spotify talk about a BOP.)

It’s beautifully shot, choreographed and performed. The whole episode was beautiful, from the girls dance outfits, to the makeup, Cassey’s skate scene, and then the end dance. But it speaks to one of the biggest issues I have with Euphoria, which is if you take away the cinematography, great acting, the costuming and the killer soundtrack, Euphoria is narratively up and down. This episode was confusing, highlighted by the absurd ending. With season two confirmed more focus needs to go into planning for the future and making sure everything lines up. Speculation is Rue might be dead, or near dead but she only did one line of something so I think she’s fine, but alive or not the finale might have been so much more satisfying if things were a tiny bit clearer.

[zalrb]

(1/2) Euphoria finale is medicore and a bit disappointing. At least Zendaya is brilliant as usual (the last scene is a masterpiece) and I think that Jacob Elordi (Nate) was pretty solid in this ep. I 100% agree with you that he is written in such a weird way and he has problems but no one really know what his problem is, but his breakdown is a really good scene.

“ Euphoria finale is medicore and a bit disappointing. At least Zendaya is brilliant as usual (the last scene is a masterpiece) and I think that Jacob Elordi (Nate) was pretty solid in this ep. I 100% agree with you that he is written in such a weird way and he has problems but no one really know what his problem is, but his breakdown is a really good scene. Nate expresses his feelings towards his father (and probably himself), which were buried since his childhood, and Elordi's performance is great. Generally I think that Nate's relationship with his father is the most logical and best-written when it comes to his  character and Cal Jacobs, despite being horrible (or at least morally-grey) person is ambiguous as a father.  I'm glad that Kat and Ethan got their happy ending! At least for now.  What are your thoughts?”

So I’m going to be honest, I didn’t watch the very end, like when Zendaya started singing I tapped out, it’s actually a wonder I watched Glee for as long as I did because when people break out into song in shows, I watch something else so I’m going to have to take your word on it, lol.

The finale itself was indeed anticlimactic in terms of resolution. Maddy and Nate were being Maddy and Nate, I guess McKay is just gone from the picture now after the pregnancy reaction, I may’ve skipped over the part where their breakup was solidified so I dunno. Rue choosing to stay for her family was growth but then she relapses so I’m just kind of like ... ... ... OK. I don’t really see the point but sure.

As for the breakdown, legit, it was certainly disturbing when I watched it but I don’t think it was as brilliant as people have been saying, I definitely don’t think it was a badly acted scene but I didn’t think it was masterful or anything and I just wonder if it’s because after seeing pros do breakdowns

I’m just kind of like, yeah that was decent, lol.

With regards to the logic, I mean I think everyone’s actions in relation to their damage makes sense and what I mean by that is that the characters are really just archetypes dressed up and so they act in accordance to their archetype, which means that they’re all logical. What I will say about Nate is that he is one of the few characters on the show that has a personality outside of his dressed-up archetype.

[mermaidsirennikita]

what were your top 10 LEAST FAVORITE movies of 2023 (so far....)

Oh, OLIVIA. Off to your letterboxd I go!!!

But some immediate ... recent... additions:

Maestro--This is the most obnoxiously Oscar bait-y, vanity project-y movie I've seen in a long time. Like, I'm not inherently opposed to Oscar bait, I think a movie can be Oscar bait and also good. But this... I'm not super impressed by Carey or Bradley in general (I did love him with ASIB but I think he benefited from several external factors) and here??? Dry as a bone. She was better than him, but WHO WOULDN'T BE because he was giving the most try hard, bullshit performance. And cutting down Bernstein's sexuality to an OFFENSIVE and confusing degree. What even was Bernstein's relationship with Felicia? Where did that shit where she was all YOU'RE SO HATEFUL from??? I though she hated him because he was fucking around their entire marriage (even though the script implied she was... down? At one point?) and suddenly she's all YOU'RE HATEFUL AND YOU'RE GONNA DIE A LONELY OLD QUEEN. What??? And as someone who didn't know much about Bernstein going in beyond his sexuality, I feel like I still don't know much.

Priscilla--Similarly bad biopic anchored by a completely flat performance by a woman who's getting acclaim because she is the white girl of the week who everyone claims is so amazing and transformative because she has no distinguishing features and a flat affect everyone can project onto. Especially bad because Jacob Elordi can't maintain an accent to save his life and the movie was incapable of translating the incredible crush Priscilla would've felt underneath both his persona and his fame. I never got the sense of this guy's fame, and Elvis was INSANELY famous at his peak. I thought it was just bad, dude. And I frankly don't know why we felt the need for this liberation narrative when the sad truth is that Priscilla's entire career has been based on this idea that she's Elvis's widow (when they'd been divorced for years when he died and he was actually in a serious relationship with another woman when he died). And you know what? She has a right to that. I don't have an issue with that. I don't think she would've ever made as much money doing anything else, and he stole her childhood so go off. BUT. That does undermine a liberation narrative for me, and I can't get over it, especially because Priscilla has been so (willingly) in the press for the past couple of years.

Saltburn--Emerald Fennell cannot write a script and Emerald Fennell doesn't direct a super interesting movie, aside from some interesting (if not super original) visuals. I've already gone off about this movie. Barry gave a fun performance. Jacob gave him jack shit.

Anyone But You--I don't know if I'd even be as outraged about this if people didn't hype it up, but lol. It's dumb. It feels like a mid to bad romcom from 2005, which makes it worse in 2023. Finding out that the director/writer directed Easy A back in the day was suuuuch a reveal. He redid the retelling conceit, the Natasha Bedingfield deal, and the obnoxious vibes.

After Everything--Look, I didn't expect to like this, at all lol, but I did expect some laughs because I did in fact cry laughing at a couple of the other movies. BUT. TESSAH wasn't even in this for more than five minutes. Which, bless that actress, VALID. But this was like. Bad and not even bad with unintentionally funny moments??? It was mostly about Hardon??? No.

Your Place Or Mine--Can you believe this came out this year? They created a movie... so dry... and devoid of chemistry. A great example of why chemistry is important and how Hollywood has stopped caring.

Love Again--Sam Heughan. What happened. This is another one where I'm like you could've given me something. It was kind of a Celine Dion tribute piece with Celine as fairy godmother and I love Celine. But so boring. So forgettable.

Ghosted--Hideously bad. Ana de Armas is over for me lmao. I mean, she was already, but I was gonna give her a fun little romcom. Holy shit. Bad. Horrible. I kept waiting for a fun twist. NoPE!

What's Love Got to Do With It?--Bad, racist, I HATE its depiction of arranged marriage and the white bystanders gawking at it, ew ew ew hate.

Magic Mike's Last Dance--DUDE. DUDE WHAT THE FUCK WAS THIS. WHAT THE FUCK. HE DIDN'T EVEN STRIP. WHERE WAS THE STRIPPING. WHAT HAPPENED. This movie, to me, is literally the perfect encapsulation of how bad sexlessness has become in media. Can't even fucking watching a fucking Magic Mike movie without some ass. Jesus Christ. What's happened to the world.