#not overdone or showy

[seafleece]

HEARTLESS.

[aetherknit]

tnt duo meta aside like i think the glasses and the way cquackity seems to pick up little baubles and behaviors and habits from people is such a great representation of the way he is constantly trying to bury his own nature. hes not quackity, hes wilbur. hes not quackity, hes dream. hes determined to portray himself as the next big bad wolf, but its all aesthetic -- empty, overdone, and showy.

[leoramage]

okay i saw your posts in the tag and i am obsessed with the matchmaker of the stars game you do so i had to participate! Absolutely love what you're doing!

my sun is in Sagittarius, my moon is in leo, my ascendant is in capricorn & my venus is in libra 💕 (i also feel the need to add, my mars is in Aquarius & my mercury is in scorpio) ✨️

⊹     masterlist     ⊹     taglist     ⊹     game     ⊹

LOADING... COMPLETED ! THE RESULTS HAD BEEN DECODED !

the lyran mage have matched you with LANCE STROLL!

- with you both being a capricorn rising, i do believe that you and him will have similarities in life. even if you are not born rich like he does, it is possible that you have went through some events in life that did synchronize with his. you may just have approached this "canon event" differently or maybe, same too because of his scorpio mercury.

- with sagittarius sun sitting nicely in his 11th house, there is a possibility that a male figure of yours have known lance. it's giving father's corporate friend / business partner meeting the son of the ceo lmao 🤣 but regardless, you would have met through connections or friends! somewhere that involves a group of people. 

- with your leo moon possibly sitting in his 7th house, this gives the initial idealism that you're his dream partner. you're full of life and lives life to the fullest even if there's small means. he loves your bubbly attitude and maybe even your positivity!

- scorpio mercury possibly may aspect his sun, mercury, venus and chiron which i think is a good aspect so far because either way, you will be able to meet each other's approach in a relationship with your placements in the same sign! trust me, he wouldn't be able to keep his mind off you and that is personally sweet for me. he's also going to be showy with his feelings towards you and is completely fine with public display of affection, not just overdone at the top! 

- aquarius mars may overlay with either his moon or his neptune or none at all 🤔 you might inspire him to invest on his looks as he has the aquarius cusp in his 1st house. just don't overdo and nitpick at him because he's going to feel offended!

any thoughts? thank you for participating! 𔘓

[dameronscopilot]

Do you think Mitch Keller is more so a home date guy with cleaning up the dining room/living room, candlelit cooked meal, intimate setting, maybe a flower centerpiece or a fireplace set up or is he a go-out date type with setting reservations, driving, planning 2-3 activities, public places but still private and enjoyable? Or the dangerous third option: the spontaneous “you want to get out of here and do something” sort where it doesn’t matter what you do, time just seems to revolve around you and him for those hours like the rest of world doesn’t exist and can’t reach you?

NONNIE this is a lovely question!

Date Night with Mitch Keller

I don't necessarily see Mitch as the kind of guy to go for the standard "nice restaurant and classic date activities" kind of evening. It's all a bit too showy and overdone for him, it feels almost impersonal. He wants something a bit more intimate and relaxed without the façade.

And while the idea of him cleaning up his house and going the extra mile to make it cozy for a date night makes my heart absolutely SWOON, there's the whole complication of his dad living with him. He wouldn't want to kick him out of the house for the evening, considering the guy has nowhere else to go. But he would have the perfect solution—

Mitch would tell you to meet him at the bar one evening, and you'd be baffled to find the parking lot empty save for his truck when you arrive. Upon hearing your car pull up, he'd hurry over to unlock the front door and let you in, but any questions asking why in the world he'd closed early on a Friday night would die on your lips at the sight before you: a small table positioned in the center of the room (sticking out like a delightfully sore thumb amongst the regular bar seating with the table cloth and candles set upon it).

So yes, you'd have a romantic evening of dinner and dancing, but with a meal privately cooked and served by Mitch at his bar, followed by comfortably swaying in his arms under the room's dimmed lights to the soft music playing over the speakers.

(And then you'd end the night stargazing and getting handsy in the bed of his truck, of course.)

[13eyond13]

Well. I want to bring up about death note manga a bit. Do you think second half was good as the first one?

I think everything up to the Yotsuba arc in the manga is the best part of the manga and pretty difficult to improve upon storywise. I find the Yotsuba arc pretty fascinating too from a character study perspective, but I think it drags a bit sometimes and focuses too much on the ins and outs of the Yotsuba Group itself. And it maybe relies on withholding information from the audience a bit too often in order to maintain the suspense too, which can start to feel a tad cheap and gimmicky or tiresome sometimes if overdone.

The successor arc of the manga isn't as much my favourite as the L arc, but I think it does get overlooked more often than it should because fans are too upset about L's death to continue. Almost always when I'm talking to more casual fans about it they are mostly only familiar with Death Note because of the anime, and almost always they say they either stopped watching it after L died or didn't like it as much after he was gone. And I honestly don't really blame them for thinking the story goes downhill after L's death when they haven't also read it, too (even though I know some people still love and prefer the successor arc just because of the anime as well). I don't always find the successor arc as entertaining as the L arc not just because L is my fave, but also because it's way more spread-out between various distant groups with everything done mostly over the phone. It increases the showstopper theatrics with explosions and missiles and raining money down on crowds of people, but I think the real magic of the series comes mostly from the intimate and more mundane little moments between the characters rather than anything more showy and action-packed like that. And Light becomes a lot more serious and closed-off and less weirdly funny as a character to follow at times in the successor arc than I think he was before the time skip, so if you aren't feeling emotionally invested in the other characters and their fates as well then it can seem like way more of a tedious slog sometimes.

But that being said, I felt that the manga did a much better job introducing the new characters and making me care about them a bit than the anime did, and I think the successor arc introduces a lot of interesting worldbuilding and new settings and aesthetic stuff to the story that I would be sad to have missed out on too — like the way Team Kira evolves to include Kiyomi and Mikami, and Wammy's and the LA mafia and the SPK. I don't think the story would have felt as epic and satisfying and interesting and complete to me if we hadn't seen Light carry on for years after L's death, both continuing to build his dream world while also acting as L and playing several different competing roles at once. And I honestly don't think L winning instead of Near would make for a perfectly satisfying ending for me either, because in my opinion L's death was a good and effective dramatic choice. I think Near has the more sympathetic circumstances and motives, and that L was never really meant to be seen as "the good guy" or the embodiment of true justice that we should all be rooting for to win.

Overall I always recommend people read the whole thing all the way through at least once, but at the same time I also feel like I personally probably don't really want to wade through that much heavy dialogue myself again, either. And it definitely can be depressing and disturbing at times too, so I can understand why some people just don't feel up to it because of that as well.

[ouroborosgirlcocks]

just followed a few hours ago and i am smitten, please snuff me out thank you

Oooh so many choices, I don’t know just how I should do it~

Something sharp through the temple is a quick one, and it comes with a fresh hole! But that quickness can be kind of a downside….

Maybe the good old throat slit, classic, dependable, a little bit showy especially if you can get the spray right. Buuut it’s also kinda overdone ya know?

On the topic of throat decapitation is a goodie, if you do it fast and clean enough there’s even a bit while the head is fully aware while watching me fuck the body! It is a bit of a hassle without the proper equipment though and my tool for it is currently being fixed up.

Hmmmm. That’s it! I know exactly what to do! I’ll stab you in the belly button! That’s not fatal on its own true but it does give me a nice warm and tight hole to use while I work on you other ways. I’ll crack open that ribcage of yours and then I get toys too! I’ll start with the lungs, just crushing the pipe going to them. Maybe rip it out, get a very unconventional blowjob~

Once those are done though I think that’s enough foreplay, plus I’ve always wanted to fuck a beating heart while the owner watches. I assume you’re more than happy to help me out with that~

[hareefaree]

Journal - 2022 Fall Reflections - Game Design

Over the past semester, I’ve made a number of works - and even though I’m not happy with how I took care of myself this semester I can safely say that this semester of my college experience has been the most productive and creative yet. I have made works that I am incredibly proud of in close succession and have laid the foundation for multiple projects that I will be expanding on in the future! I kinda wanted to review my favorite/most exciting projects and detail why I loved them so much and where I want to take them next.

A project-by-project look under the read me, my animation work will be in a different post! :)

Personally I feel like most of my artistic work in the past few years have been stemming from a sense of grief and longing, which I feel like I’m finally starting to process both in therapy and in work (wow, working from your worst emotions unhealed actually hurts your creative process! Who knew.)  Working from these emotions raw was a good way to get them out, but I can’t say that I wanted to revisit and complete the projects I made prior to this year because they were just that - catharsis, for me. So now I’m trying to build distance again. And while the work I’m creating is still deeply personal (anything you spend hours on is), I feel safe presenting it to others now. 

I’ve also just been kinda… reconnecting with my heritage. I’m starting the process of properly learning Malayalam to help me solidify my ideas for my thesis film, and a few of the projects have just been me going through old family photos and trying to recreate the vibe of the memories I’m trying to capture (stiff and showy brown parties, photos and movies from 70s bombay, family dynamics that are exhausting and complicated but still important). I came out to myself as a lesbian this year and had the opportunity to properly explore my attraction and lesbian culture as myself, which was a long time coming. All the while I feel as through the world has suddenly become more and more reactionary, and I can’t help but emphasize the political dimension of myself and my art. 

All that to say is, I think I’m figuring out why I’m making art. So with the boring background out of the way, let’s get into what I’ve actually been working on!

GAME DESIGN

I had the amazing fortune to take a narrative design course this semester under the guidance of the creator of Twine Chris Klimas (if you’re interested in game design and storytelling just download it! It’s free, open source, and pretty versatile for text-based projects). I’d been struggling with game design prior, I wasn’t connecting with how I was being taught and I severely lacked (and continue to lack) the technical skills to make the games I want to make. But this class reminded me why I loved games so much and did a lot to reestablish my confidence.

Brown Party

Brown Party is a simple twine game and the first game design project of the semester. This was still more catharsis than art to me, if I’m being honest. I think going in there were a lot of ideas floating around - my relationship with my lesbian/desi identity, my issues with brain drain/Indian immigrant community culture, classism, and the overdone anti-artist prejudice trope. This shows in the writing - the narrative structure is a bit of a mess and I was so ambitious in terms of scope. But I made a game! 

I think, over the course of editing and revising this project that I actually stumbled upon some gems, stuff that I want to flesh out. I think it's a game that deserves to be bigger, that deserves more critical thought and cohesion put into it.

I want to genre bend this thing a ton- I kind of realized I was remembering this uncanny sense of space when I went to brown parties when I was younger. I may play with magical realism and whatever the fuck was going on in the RPG-maker horror game genre in the mid 2000s.

I also just want to hone in on the main characters, make them feel more like people and less like I’m ragging on the girls in my community. I have a lot of compassion for desi-american girls! I wish we as a community thought more about the world beyond our families but like. I grew up as that in that environment. It was grueling.

So yeah! I’m gonna be sharpening my unity skills and trying to see what sort of system would best serve this story…but its gonna be tabled for a while.

Ephemera/Your Mother Is Dead

Ahhhhh this game! I made this when I realized I desperately needed to be in therapy and it did me all the better. I had a pretty traumatic incident with my family and channelled all the fear and anxiety I was feeling at the time into this project.

This game, and I struggled a LOT with the technical aspects, ended up very different from my initial conception. The main narrative thread I was playing with was ‘packing up your mothers things after she died,’ and that vision stayed strong.

Game play wise, I was trying to build an inventory system in which you would stack things on top of other things and possibly break the things your mother had (the second person here refers to the player character! I feel like a lot of the aspects of this game were based in my heritage, upbringing specifically), revealing your own complex relationship with her. That didn’t work. I actually almost didn’t submit this because the system didn’t work. But the box packing wasn’t the important part, it was the relationship with your mother.

I think by channelling and solidifying my ideas in the writing, I was able to create a proper roadmap for where I want to take this. I will make the box stacking situation because I think it will help create closure, but I also wanted to incorporate dialogue with people, to have the gameplay be more about learning, knowing, and trying to understand how you feel about your parent.

I want to finish this game. I wanna rework the graphics so that it feels more homey and I want to create something I can properly cry my way through. 

And I will. :)

The Visitor

This was a collaboration with my good friends @addersmire (who led the charge on coding and designing the game) and Moss (I’m not sure if he has a tumblr so. hi moss, they did the sound design). I built the dialogue system (using yarn, they did the bulk of the legwork), wrote the most of the dialogue, and created the intro animation! 

It’s very different from the rest of my work this semester (probs because I was collaborating) and ended up being pretty fucking sick actually! I feel a lot more comfortable with Unity after this (especially bc addersmire is kind of a unity god? they have magical powers I think).

I’ll probs be incorporating yarn more into my work from now on since its such a good system (that needs more people to do forum answers for bc guys these hyper specific problems need answering)

The visitor is just an intro/prototype to a game we spent some time concepting. Not sure if it’ll ever be finished but it was a great experiment - you can play the intro on itch!

[minorisato]

did i piss you off? serves you right!

transformers / rodimags / wc: 726 / warnings: NA / notes: gyaru au! when roddy and maggy first meet, takes place before the other stories~

The first thing that Magnus notices is her hair. The second thing he notices is everything else.

She’s a walking infraction, really– hair, accessories, even the uniform. Bleached, overdone, made showy. Her shoes are chunky boots, definitely not school-approved. Her nails are so long, they should be classified as weapons. He can see her bra, despite not trying to. Her skirt is rolled up far too much, and while he couldn’t see anything, others definitely could. And really, any make-up at all is on thin ice, but a fake tan? Don’t you think that’s a bit much? He’s explaining all of this to her, jotting down each infraction dutifully on a detention slip, when–

“Ohhhh,” she lets out, “you’re the neurotic guy Meg mentioned.”

Magnus freezes, pen to paper, eyes blown wide. Neurotic guy? What?

Before he can regain himself and actually form a coherent response, she’s already trounced off without the slip, a bounce in her step.

He was right– her skirt is far too short.

~~~~

She’s in his first period class.

Roll call– Magnus, here. Rodimus, here. Rodimus, can you stop playing on your phone? I’ll take it if you don’t. Rodimus, stop tapping your boots, they’re distracting. Rodimus, don’t turn that into a paper airplane. Rodimus, I said stop playing on your phone.

She’s a nightmare. It’s day one.

~~~~

After class, she actually approaches him, which he’s shocked about. She’s chewing gum, one hand holding her bag, thrown over her shoulder. In the other hand, her phone, with a horrible (definitely uncomfortable to hold) phone case (comprised entirely of warm colours.)

“Rodimus,” he greets her, bowing his head slightly. “You left before I could give you your slip.”

She grimaces. “Ah, yeah, see, that’s true, I did do that, but that’s also not what I wanted to talk to you about?” It’s not a question, but her inflection makes it sound like one. “I was actually wondering if I could get a piccy of the notes?” She holds up her phone. “After you stopped glaring at me, you were writing, like, a lot? So I assume you have them?”

Again, Magnus freezes, eyes wide, staring at her. Is she being serious.

He grabs the slip he’d written earlier, silently handing it to her. She scoffs, reluctantly taking it from him, and then shoving it into her bra. “Does this mean I can’t get a pic of the notes?” She asks, pouting slightly.

Magnus digs his teeth into his bottom lip. It’d be wrong to deny her this– all students deserve a fair shot, a chance to succeed. Even Rodimus, as much as she’s annoying him. Still silently, he extends his notebook to her, and she smiles as she angles her phone, a little click noise being heard.

“Thanks, Maggy!” He bites his bottom lip harder. What. What. What. “I knew I could count on you.”

“My name is not Maggy,” he strains, gripping his notebook so hard it bends. He has a headache.

“Would you rather me call you neurotic guy?” Rodimus asks, smirking.

Magnus can taste blood. His eye twitches. “I’ll see you in detention,” he hisses, hurriedly grabbing his things and escaping to his next class.

~~~~

Second period is blessedly peaceful in comparison. He takes his notes diligently, comfortable knowing that a gal will not be asking him for a picture of them. His lip has stopped bleeding, and his headache has begun to leave him.

It’s during lunch that he feels it coming back.

“Maggy!” A voice calls, followed by the clacking of heels against tile.

He turns just in time to catch a glimpse of Rodimus, running directly at him. She has a group behind her, all varying degrees of walking dress-code violations themselves, but he hardly pays any mind to that. It’s entirely impulse that he, too, starts running, in the opposite direction. He can hear howling laughter as he does so.

He ends up eating in the office.

~~~~

Detention is just him and Rodimus. Normally, there’d be at least a few more people, but Magnus was so preoccupied with Rodimus, he suspects he simply didn’t notice other rulebreakers. He smacks himself for his lack of diligence– and for running earlier, he shouldn’t have done that.

Rodimus is sitting there with her arms folded. She’s supposed to be writing a paper on what she did wrong, but she hasn’t touched the sheet Magnus gave her. She’d immediately attempted to get on her phone, but was dissuaded when Magnus explained she’d be stuck there longer if she did. “Do you seriously expect this to accomplish anything?” She spits, pouting.

Magnus sighs, setting down his own paper. “It’s supposed to give you a moment to reflect. Give you time to think about how this will affect your future. Some students also take it as an opportunity to work on homework,” he explains. “Can you at least do that, Rodimus? I know you have homework, we’re in the same class.”

She groans, scribbles something on the paper, and smacks her pencil back onto the desk. Thirty minutes later, on the dot, she rises and slams the paper on Magnus’ desk, before strutting out.

All it says is I didn’t reflect on shit.

He bites his lip again, tearing at the skin. The paper crinkles where he holds it. Hate is a strong word. He knows it’s a strong word. It’s rude, it’s dramatic, and a strong word.

Magnus hates Rodimus.

[miss-anne-cordelia]

She’s a real pretty girl got to be, though I can’t say I’m overly partial to that pale, big- eyed style myself. I like more snap and color, like Diana Barry has or Ruby Gillis. Ruby Gillis’s looks are real showy. But somehow— I don’t know how it is but when Anne and them are together, though she ain’t half as handsome, she makes them look kind of common and overdone— something like them white June lilies she calls narcissus alongside of the big, red peonies, that’s what.”

-Anne of Green Gables by L.M Montgomery

...

[vibe-check-heck]

hello and welcome to: a photo set of (almost) all the times the og animaniacs made me have ✨outfit envy✨

i’ll do another one for the reboot

first up and my personal favorite we have

like excUSE me??? you wear THIS and expect me NOT to want to wear it every waking moment of my life??? how dare you

um yes hello this is exactly the kind of vibes i want, it makes me want to become a beautiful fairy with an outfit like this and just flutter my wings all day and vibe in the woods

this is exactly the kind of showy outfit you want. yes only this everyone else go home

these two. big sleeves and discount sherlock holmes. living the dream

one word: overalls

petition to get these three to stop having such awesome outfits like seriously we are all going to die of cuteness someday

it’s so extra that it should be tacky and overdone but it’s NOT and i love it

also shoutout to

not my favorites but these are some that just need to be acknowledged or else i will die

and who could possibly forget

no explanation needed.

[fedonciadale]

What are your thoughts on the Harry Potter movies? Do you think they’re a good adaptation of the books?

Hi there!

In general I think they are good and I like them. There are some really good scenes that live rent free in my head (and some of them were added or changed from canon).

Dobby is a free elf

The dementors circling around an unconscious Sirius and the awesome patronus

Harry resurfacing with the dead Cedric and the band playing a welcoming tune before they realize something is off.

Luna, Harry and the Thestrals

how creepy Umbridge is

The DA in the Room of Requirement conjuring patronuses.

Draco and his face when the bird in the vanishing cabinet is dead when he opens it again

How they did the tale of the three brothers - awesome

Neville against Nagini

Harry and Hermione dancing in the tent

To name just a few. And there are all these wonderful actors who really do their best to make it fun watching.

Some choices I feel were due to the need to bring books to screen and visualize that. I think how Voldemort dies in the books is way cooler but I have to admit that’s not easy to bring this on screen. To me the last Voldemort - Harry duel seem overdone and I would have enjoyed if they had depicted his spell just rebounding.... As anyone who follows me knows, I criticize JKR quite often, but I don’t have any beef with how Voldemort dies. The villain basically killing himself and how it is set up and how Voldemort’s arrogance is his downfall is just brilliant. I guess they wanted a big showy finale but I don’t like it.

Then there are some choices I really disagree with. Why does Hermione know what ‘mudblood’ means when she had no clue in the books? She shouldn’t know that, she was not raised in wizarding society and I honestly don’t believe there are books on wizarding prejudices. This is obviously a minor thing but it bugs me so much. lol. I’m all for Hermione knowing things (because she does know a lot of things) but not if it is illogical. In the books it’s R0n who knows it.

Then there are Movie R0n and Movie Ginny. 🙄 Need I say more? I could name many scenes where they suck but then this post would be way longer. lol

Thanks for the ask!

[flashfuture]

Gonna rant about an issue I have with Hal Jordan in the newer stuff. They made him have fear. And yes yes this was to make him comply with the whole overcome great fear thing. But that was the point Hal didn’t need to. It’s what made him such a strong and unique Lantern. 

Almost every character is afraid of things but Hal’s literal thing was that he didn’t have fear. He was the ‘Man Without Fear’. The Guardians note that there is no one more fearless than Hal. That is way more interesting of a psyche to look into than some guy pretending he’s never afraid. Hal had issues with being reckless because he simply didn’t have fear to temper him. He and Bart had that in common. Hal was constantly worrying his friends and family because of how he rushed headlong into things. If Hal understands fear then it’s just him being a showy asshole. Which like he was pre-reboot but in a more Hal is genuinely having fun with it way.  

And to make it clear Hal was scared of a few things. Namely losing those he loves most. His brothers, nieces, nephews, and Barry. But Hal does lose them. He loses everyone and Parallax takes over. But these were things he was scared of in the moment if that makes sense because scared is a state of panic. He didn’t sit around and worry what might happen to his family. If he saw them in danger that was different he was confronted with it. 

So let’s take the pre space worm fear icon parasite retcon and go with Hal snaps first. Hal had very few fears and all of them were realized at once. He returns from Crisis and Coast City is gone. Barry is dead. Hal wanted to fix it. He didn’t want to mourn and move past it. So he tried to change the world. Or take JLA/Avengers which happens right before Green Lantern: Rebirth and is canon. Hal sees Barry die and in seconds turns into Parallax. His greatest fear is realized and fear takes over Hal. 

And now space worm retcon. The whole reason I read Parallax getting such a hold on Hal was that he had never overcame fear before. That wasn’t in him because he doesn’t do fear. When he was terrified for Barry it was one instance in which the fear had to overcome his will for Sinestro related nonsense. 

So Parallax makes no sense either way for Hal if we take that he was scared every time he got up into the plane. The reason Kyle was able to force Parallax off him was because he was used to overcoming his fear, but Kyle is supposed to be the special one. The White Lantern who can master the emotions- they don’t control him. That isn’t Hal but a Hal who spent his life over coming fear wouldn’t get possessed by a fear worm that’s stupid. 

Give me fearless Hal who leads the charge and doesn’t falter or stumble with fear. If it’s just him trying to over compensate to give the impression of fearlessness well that’s boring and overdone. His greatest strength being his greatest weakness is everything if it’s something as unique as the absence of fear.

[ravenousgf]

New fic just dropped!

I rewrote the judo flip scene from Mark of Athena bc I hated it so pls enjoy whatever emotional crisis this is <3

I know you • Percabeth

It would probably be pretentious and overdone and showy to describe the kiss that follows as earth-shattering, so of course that's how Annabeth thinks of it.

An asteroid could hit the planet and wipe out all life, and she wouldn't care.

read on ao3

[nclkafilms]

A master’s lacking homage to a masterpiece 

(Review of ‘Mank’)

*Warning: contains minor spoilers*

In recent years, Netflix have really upped their awards season contributions by giving either huge budgets, total creative freedom or a mix of these to some of Hollywood's biggest directors. In 2018 Alfonso Cuaron gave us his deeply personal and technically impressive 'Roma'. In 2019 we received Martin Scorsese's long and long-awaited epos 'The Irishman'. Both received 10 Oscar nominations, but both also struggled to invite their viewers fully onboard (The Irishman in particular). In 2020, Netflix is back with 'Mank'; this time giving David Fincher a platform to create a black-and-white love letter to screenwriter Herman J. Mankiewicz, the often overlooked writer of 'Citizen Kane'. 'Mank' has also received 10 Oscar nominations, but has Fincher learned from Cuaron and Scorsese by making a more inclusive film experience?

In the story we follow Howard, or simply Mank as he is mostly referred to, as he has been asked to write the screenplay for Orson Welles’ first film for studio RKO. Welles has received full creative control of his films and has head hunted Mank to be his writer. Mank - being trapped to his sickbed due to a car accident - is put under pressure by a strict time limit, his secretary Rita Alexander and Welles’ desire to keep Mank away from alcohol, to which he has succumbed for years. It is, however, through numerous flashbacks to Hollywood in the 30’s that we slowly unravel the true inspiration behind Mank’s now historic screenplay for ‘Citizen Kane’. Hollywood is - as the rest of America - suffering the consequences of the recession and the film studios are under pressure from decreasing ticket sales and the threat of a democrat (or socialist as they denounce him as) running for office in California. As hinted at here, ‘Mank’ tells stories of everything from the film industry and the process of writing a screenplay to politics, media and the blurred lines between these industries while adding some remarks on Hollywood’s male dominance along the way and plenty of easter eggs to ‘Citizen Kane’ itself. We rush back and forth between Mank’s writing process and the ghosts of his past, and it is definitely an advantage to either know quite a bit about this period of time or give the film a second watch to fully understand the details of the story.

As Herman J. Mankiewicz, Gary Oldman gives another transformative performance. Oldman is without a doubt an extremely talented actor, who it is always a pleasure to observe. As Mank he gives it everything he has as the drunken screenwriter who after having fallen from the stars suddenly end up producing his best work. His acting when Mank is at his most drunk, most uncontrollable is balancing just on the edge of feeling overdone, and I am having a hard time relating to him in these scenes. It is, however, in his more subtle scenes as when he realises the potential consequences of a quick remark about the power of the film industry in relation to politics or in his final conversations with people about his screenplay, that Oldman shines the brightest. Is it an Oscar-worthy performance, though? I’m not sure. 

The other Oscar nominated performance is from Amanda Seyfried as the actress, Marion Davies, the mistress of media mogul William Hearst. Seyfried - as Oldman - gives everything and her character ends up being both more relatable and compelling than Oldman’s titular character. What she does is not overly showy, but she manages to create a character who is both seductive, funny and interesting, when it comes to her trying to find her place in the grand political and artistic puzzle that she has been caught in. The scene in which she refuses to help Mank, not necessarily because she disagress with what he’s asking, but simply to save her face, is in particular well-acted and saying for the character.  Sadly, Seyfried is not given that many scenes or material to work with, and as such Davies remains a character that I would have loved to see more of and explore further.

In additional supporting roles, Lily Collins as Rita Alexander, Charles Dance as William Hearst and Arliss Howard as film producer Louis B. Mayer stand out the most. Lily Collins manages to give Oldman some competition in their scenes especially regarding Alexander’s missing husband, Ian. Not unlike Marion Davies, though, Alexander is never explored in depth. We get a much clearer idea of who William Hearst and Louis B. Mayer were. As Hearst, Charles Dance delivers an icy performance as the mighty media mogul, who unknowingly becomes the focus for Mank’s screenplay. Dance is always interesting and his turn as Hearst is no exception. Especially the scene in which he recites the parable of the organ grinder’s monkey is memorable and satisfying to watch. As Louis B. Mayer, Arliss Howard also gives an icy, yet more explosive, performance as a man in power. If I was a film producer who has worked with Fincher, I would probably look in the mirror an extra time after seeing Howard’s performance as Mayer. He - along with Fincher - creates a cynical and often two-faced character, who ultimately follows the money and influence despite preaching about the importance of his MGM family (only to ask them to half their wages in the following scene). As such Hearst and Mayer are used to portray the cynicism and moral corruption caused by money and power; a familiar topic for Fincher, who this time aims his cinematic weapons at his own industry.

Another guarantee from a Fincher film is his impeccable attention to detail and unapologetic perfectionism when it comes to the technical aspects of his films. And ‘Mank’ is no exception; above everything else it is a technical marvel. The vision to create the film as if it was made in the 40’s has been executed close to perfection. The black-and-white cinematography in 2.20:1 aspect ratio (wonder why they went for this rather than 1.33:1) is a feast for the eyes; the addition of reel-change circles as part of the “degrading” post-production of the visuals does feel rather gimmicky, however. I got the “old film” feel without that, but it is without a doubt a detail held dear by Fincher himself. I would have preferred to either not have them or for the film to have been shot on film, though. Especially since the production design is beautiful and manages to create a believable and buzzing Hollywood aesthetic, which didn’t need the additional digital ageing on top.  The sound design works better, adding to the “old film” feel first of all because of the fact that it is in mono, but also due to it being deliberately recorded, mixed and toned to sound “old”. It feels less gimmicky than the visual aspects of the film. To round off the film’s sound is a close to perfect score by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, who once again proves their versatility by creating a playful score that oozes Hollywood in the 40’s.

Hollywood is also the main focus of the screenplay by David Fincher’s late father; a project close to the hearts of both father and son for years. But despite the endearing narrative of this aspect of the film, I cannot help but feel that the old Fincher’s script is one of the film’s main problems. It simply lacks focus and a structure that aids the story. The film is presented as the story behind the greatest screenplay of all time, but in reality it seems least interested in the screenwriting process. Of course, this holds a meaning too; about the different things influencing a screenplay, but instead it ends up standing on too many legs for it to be well balanced. The flashbacks do tell the overall story of Mank’s screenplay influences, but Fincher’s screenplay seems more interested in the politics, the film industry portrayal and the depiction of Mank’s inner demons. It never fully lands any of these plot lines to absolute satisfaction. The closest is the political story about the sudden invention of post-truth politics or “fake news”, which obviously is a comment to the current political climate. It features interesting thoughts on the ideas behind and consequences of this kind of political work, but it also distances me from the main plot, which is further sidelined by the - obviously deliberate, but questionable - lack of Orson Welles in the story. He is always in the periphery of the story, but never lands as anything but a caricature of the slightly arrogant wonder boy stripping our main hero from proper acknowledgement (for a long time). 

Now, let's return to my opening question: is 'Mank' a more inclusive film experience than other Netflix awards season darlings such as 'Roma' or 'The Irishman'? Well… While 'Mank' has been the most entertaining of the three in my eyes, the regrettable conclusion must be a "no". Looking at the individual parts they are all exquisitely executed, apart from the disjointed screenplay, and the film is an immense pleasure to look at and listen to. Ultimately it is just less than the sum of all its individual parts. It has all the components to become a masterpiece, it just never weaves them into one. It is a party that we are never fully invited to. This does not mean that I do not applaud Fincher for sticking to his visions or Netflix for giving him creative freedom, I simply just wish they did not keep me at an arm's length throughout the 131 minutes.

3,5/5

[dreamsofthescreen]

Alluring or Meaningless? - The Ending of Sorrentino’s La Grande Bellezza (The Great Beauty)

Renowned director Paolo Sorrentino's classic 'La Grand Bellezza' mixes the pathos of life with philosophical ideas, but does its ending even have the desired meaning that audiences were expecting?  

Giusi Merli in ‘La Grande Bellezza’

Paolo Sorrentino’s renowned 2013 Italian modern classic, ‘La Grande Bellezza’ (The Great Beauty) was certainly one for the critics to praise highly, yet there is a certain quality to its largely masterful storytelling that can see it lacking in true depth. Where much of the film’s entirety soars, its value seems to get lost amongst its artsy attempt to create meaning, where it really can appear as overdone and quite hollow. If we look at the last 30 minutes of Sorrentino’s work, we as an audience can certainly debate whether there is awe-inspiring significance or just overplayed rhetoric in the ending of La Grand Bellezza. Where whimsical characters and moments are introduced, viewers can be very easily swept up in Sorrentino’s foreign fairytale, where it really can be deemed as just pretentious. Yet, this point is far from black and white, as ‘La Grande Bellezza’s’ meaning is up to the audience to interpret, still making it a favoured and beloved work.

Italian director Paolo Sorrentino’s works have garnered praise for their dramatic and striking visuals, as well as their convoluted plots. He has been compared to Federico Fellini, and certainly does seem to take inspiration from the 1960s film icon. But Sorrentino is certainly no copy of Fellini, as his culturally inspired films do reach audiences well. Yet where The Academy Awards gave it the win for Best Foreign Language Film, and where critics seem to kiss it’s feet, this doesn’t always mean that it is altogether an expert piece of cinema. You can say that the beauty of film is that it can be totally subjective, which, in hand, is what makes such great art. So us as an audience can ask whether we view the film as more so pretentious or philosophical?

‘La Grande Bellezza’ follows former writer & popular socialite Jep Gambardella, a sort of philosophical muse for Sorrentino. As Jep’s life in Rome is consumed by materialism, it isn’t until his 65th birthday that he begins to look inwards. This leads him on a search for ‘the great beauty’, which has him relishing in nostalgia and existential simplicity, audiences closely following behind on that journey with him. The greater part of Sorrentino’s film does successfully have us questioning our place in the world, and where our values lie. Through comparing and contrasting the superficial high life with what’s most important to humanity, we are reminded of our own perspectives on what does and should hold the most substance or meaning.

Toni Servillo in 'La Grande Bellezza'

Yet as Jep has wandered around searching in different areas for beauty in truth and philosophy, his defining moment seems to be towards the end of the film, when he is introduced to Saint, Sister Maria. As Jep is told that she had ‘read his novel & loved it’ years before, we are left open to interpretation to who this Saint may be. Yet the answer in itself is somewhat disappointing. Again, it is not to say that the ending of Sorrentino’s film is wrong or terrible, but is surely very thought provoking.

This moment starts in the last thirty minutes of the film, and we are never given a backstory to Sister Maria when or before she is introduced. And she is introduced, literally, on a pedestal. As she sits there in silence, she wears a dusty, grey-blue nun’s habit, her olive skin lined with deep wrinkles, and expression truly dried out. Members of high society kneel to her, kissing her hands. In the chapel that she sits, there are priests, monks, African tribesmen and all in all, only established figures flocking to her, their eyes wide in honour of her presence. It is as though these figures are all awaiting an answer that they cannot find, and seek out from Maria. Though she is established as a wise old prophet with supposed life-changing aid, what makes her so respectable? She appears as though she has lived three lifetimes and has ‘only granted three interviews in all her life’, yet this alleged messiah altogether utters very little meaning. Sister Maria’s introduction has her appearing as a monumental figure, mostly due to the filmmaking aspects of the scene. In the chapel, lit with a chiaroscuro inspired light, along with medieval Roman Catholic music echoing throughout, with the purpose of warming our hearts. Contemplative looks from across the room, including a black priest, may be there to show the diversity that Maria is surrounded by, as those across the globe seem to adore her. The only interpretation gathered is that Sister Maria is an attempt to create a grandiose moment to close out the film in a profound sense. Yet what I’d gathered of this Saint, is that she lives so austerely that Sorrentino’s ending becomes muddled and pretentious.

As previously mentioned, we are never given a backstory to Sister Maria, but maybe that is the beauty of it that Sorrentino was trying to portray. This icon in the film is looked up to for her granted simplicity. But by portraying something so obscure, Sorrentino’s work doesn’t always appear as interesting, but as an attempt to do so. Is it her goodness or her stripped back way of living that those aspire to? And why does it need to be members of high society that only seek her advice? Wouldn’t Sorrentino’s inclusion of ordinary citizens make it all the more realistic, or relatable and grounded, rather than once again getting caught up in something so grand?

Her grandeur is never explained, to which we can be inspired or simply baffled by the mystery, seeing it as something that creates interest, or just remains pretentious. Yet even if her significance was explained, and made this supposed icon as meaningful as someone like the Pope or Mother Teresa, aren’t we supposed to be inspired by the ordinary and the beauty in simplicity. Isn't the point of 'La Grande Bellezza' to celebrate the simple things in life, rather than an established, worshipped figure? The portrayal of this kooky character tries to make a point towards being so well grounded, that it is absurd. As she speaks to Jep, she asks 'Do you know why I only eat roots?', to which Jep asks why, her response following as, 'Because roots are important'. Now Sister Maria's actions line up with her values and grounded nature, as she genuinely decides to eat roots. This can be seen by some as profoundly inspiring, but is altogether quite a weak attempt to deliver an overly-artistic message. And sure, it isn't all pompous, as there is a great reference to the Catholic influences in Italy and the holy hierarchy of Rome & it’s art. But it is the aureate expression  doesn’t sell it as being moving, but is instead simply too showy.

When sat down at dinner with Jep and his fellow members of Roman high society, Maria is slouching at the head of the table with a vapid expression. The attempt at meaning that Sorrentino has so clearly tried to create is open to interpretation, yet it can be said that this is not one of the his finest writing moments. Sister Maria does not speak a word, and whenever she does, it is a brooding comment that is supposed to hold substance, but instead can be regarded as pretentious. The moment she lifts her head to comment on Jep's novel, all eyes are so enthusiastically on her. Sister Maria does not sleep in a bed, as she finds Rome’s 5 star Hassler hotel, ‘uncomfortable’. Her perspective on life can be seen as purely existential and somewhat nihilistic, or greatly generous. As she works alongside the sick and supports the Third World, her abandonment of any enjoyment and subscription to poverty has us question our place. Is someone really so empathetic that they’ll refuse any comfort, because others are worse off? Again, Sorrentino does succeed in communicating a message that has us asking questions like this, yet the point is too greatly emphasised through the worshipping and dramatically overdone expression of this holy character.

As Jep focuses on switching his hedonism for eudaemonism, his perspective on the finer things in life is the things he used to have, leading him to relish in nostalgia. Sister Maria seems to be an exaggerated symbol of his changing philosophy, as well as a turning point for him to once again write, after abandoning any such creativity for decades.

Something in meeting Sister Maria has Jep retuning to Giglio Island to report on a shipwreck, again, quite symbolic of Jep’s career position, having not written a novel in 40 years. Here, he remembers his first meeting with his first love, to which inspires him to write again. Apparently Sister Maria is the bridge between Jep’s despair & newfound hope.

Paolo Sorrentino's expertly expressive film is a no doubt a masterful passion project that communicates the pathos and joy of the human condition, impacting audiences greatly. Yet Sorrentino's attempt to create something meaningful to close out an already wonderful film filled it with more vanity than it needed. It is an entirely subjective work that involves the audiences thought and we can all interpret it how we see it, which is assuredly a good thing. However, Sorrentino’s quite bombastic ending was just a questionable cliffhanger and didn't line up with the greatness that the first two hours of 'La Grande Bellezza' provided. Though a fantastic feature, Paolo Sorrentino seemed to get too lost in portraying a message so obscurely overdone, that it had somewhat lost it's original meaning.

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[wobster109]

Chopin Comp Prelims - Jul 14

Click to go to master post for explanation and link to all parts

Morning

Joanna Goranko - don't hear this nocturne much. It's not super interesting. My favorite mazurka combination! They sound nice and not overdone. Sunshine etude is light and even. Second etude is also very nice to listen to. Makes me happy :) Strong performance all the way through! Rec: Etude 10-10 (18:50)

Chelsea Guo - I'm loving this outfit - black jacket over green ball gown, looks very fancy and proper. etude 10-11 first time hearing it in the comp! etude 10-12 lol she grimaced. Don't freak out! This etude has too much pedal and isn't totally clear in LH. Nocturne a bit turbulent but chopin nocturnes are just like that! First mazurka has an interesting tone. Something about it sounds very earnest. Rec: Mazurka 33-3 (16:20)

Miyu Shindo - bold program order to end on etudes! This famous nocturne. Nice, very quiet, rumbling bass intro. Nice nocturne. Charming first mazurka. Sighhh the depressing mazurka. It's way slow. It doesn't sound like a mazurka, it sounds like depression. Can't decide if that's a good thing, it kinda fits this mazurka. I think it's too slow/free in timing. Her posture is interesting. Toccata etude basically fine, not sure about the ending. Torrent etude some unevenness in tempo, slower in the measures with large RH reach, and a few wrong notes Rec: Nocturne 48-1 (2:25)

Xu Guo - nocturne melody needs some more depth in tone! Mazurkas fine and unremarkable. Sunshine etude good dynamic contrast but massively muddy in middle section. Thirds etude also not very clear. Too much pedal and blurring. Barcarolle is pretty. Rec: Mazurka 24-2 (12:22)

Katharina Hack - gloomy mazurka time. I see the depressing etude 25-7 coming up later too, sigh. Wrong notes etude WAYYYYYY too much pedal and too slow besides. And it's kinda heavy. This is a really weird performance of it. Revolutionary etude. . . I'm nervous af. Way too much pedal again. Buncha wrong notes. This performance is falling apart and it's stressful. Eliminated. It's the less common ballade 3! I feel like I've heard it few times though. My favorite ballade 2 is prob the least common. Rec: Etude 25-7 (15:25)

Saaya Hara - first mazurka short and fun, good contrast with second. Second mazurka is charming but mega long. Really nice nocturne! Winter wind nice, clear start. Small unevenness. Uh oh slowing down. It's not bad but it's totally being controlled by how fast the rh can go. Wrong note etude fine, a little sedate. Really nice, grand ballade! Rec: Nocturne 27-2 (9:58)

Yukino Hayashi - this nocturne is cool. Octaves etude some notes mashing. Sunshine etude is turning out to be a struggle. A lot of smudging neighboring notes all throughout. Mazurkas are fine, I guess. This ballade is a bit uneventful, a bit inaccurate near the end Rec: Nocturne 62-2 (2:15)

Afternoon Wataru Hisasue - mazurka in g minor sounds bold. this nocturne is pretty. etude 10-10 it's nice i guess? honestly this etude doesn't strike me as super remarkable (the etude not the performance). nice staccato section. etude 10-4 yay I love this one! it's a moderate tempo. actually one of the slower ones i've seen here. it's really clean though. i actually really liked this performance. barcarolle nice but unremarkable Rec: Etude 10-4 (19:53) - A straightforward and clean performance.

Yifan Hou - nocturne is unremarkable. sunshine etude is good. Next etude nice, nice touch. mazurka 59-1 my favorite! thought the rubato was a bit much. next mazurka was fine, I think. Ballade love the gradual buildup to the first fast part. looks like he's having fun with the coda, the ballades do have fun codas :) Rec: Etude 10-8 (8:08)

Wei-Ting Hsieh - i'm really liking this fantasy! interesting to start with it. it's the one with the dancy coda :) nocturne 27-1 this one is kinda uninteresting. my fav mazurka again! Nice performance of it! etude 25-4 bouncy and fun! etude 10-8 right hand sometimes notes not very distinct Rec: etude 25-4 (29:30)

Yun Chih Hsu - this barcarolle again XD only having 6 long pieces is getting meh. mazurka 33-1 don't hear this one much. WHOA this crazy etude 10-1! it's mostly fine and sounds very grand. some missed on some passages throughout. octaves etude is also dramatic but not totally clear. Generally unremarkable performance. Rec: Mazurka 33-1 (18:53)

Kaoruko Igarashi - sigh this nocturne again. etude 10-4 it's not the crispest thing, sometimes sounds like a note is just a smidgen behind. thirds etude was fine i think. I feel like i'm hearing this mazurka for the first time but it's more likely that i can't distinguish them. mazurka in D major is energetic and mega famous. this one was nice. ballade dragging the slow notes out a bit too long and not always clean Rec: Mazurka 33-3 (14:47)

Hana Igawa - nocturne was unremarkable. Etude 10-1 whoo! It's crisp! This is a really nice 10-1! Then right into wrong note etude. this is a pretty popular mazurka. i like this fantasy! has a scherzo-y mood. the fantasy is really nice! Rec: Etude 10-1 (10:30) - A super-clean performance!

Grigoris Ioannou - octaves and winter wind, a showy pair of etudes. this is a nice performance of octaves with good stamina. this is a nice winter wind too! The technique is nice. Middle section loses the phrasing though and is just loud. this next piece, nocturne, this is nice too. this guy has a Sound to him! couple of short and unremarkable mazurkas. the fantasy was nice too! Guess he's not into mazurkas either Rec: Nocturne 48-1 (10:00)