#not saying those shows didnt deserve the nominations they got

[thebroadwaybi]

The amount of shows that got absolutely SNUBBED this Tony season is insane

[totaldrama-showdowns]

Submissions that didn’t make it into the Best Outfit Showdown! Including invalid ones. With the amount of characters nominated, the requirement to enter became three separate submissions! Apologies if a character you submitted didn’t make it in!

millie

“it's very cute! cute colours and it's realistic. her boots are a little off but her jacket makes up for it #millie sweep”

Leonard

“he's got that garden gnome-type swag. that spellcaster rizz. look me in the eyes and tell me this absolute LARPing chad isn't drowning in [REDACTED].”

Junior

“he looks more like a teenager than anyone else. I look at him and think "yeah that's a 13 year old". they peaked”

Bear Suit Izzy

“Go girl, you slay in that fursuit”

Izzy (in her swimsuit)

“Her outfit fits her personality pretty well already, and i think her swimsuit's even better! Especially when she has a harpon. She would have a harpon.”

pilot chef

“he didn't go to flight school but he DID buy a pilots outfit and that's what really counts :)”

jo

“she was so real for showing up to an internationally broadcasted reality TV show in a hoodie and sweatpants”

Ella

“Her dress is actually pretty! Also her dress behind above her knees fits the environment she's in”

anne maria

“she slays idk”

the ice dancers, both of them.

“they served”

sugar

“idk I like her”

mike

“Minecraft”

Julia

“It just really works for her”

Rodney

“I would wear that”

Lindsay's up the creek outfit; José; Jasmine

“It's sooo awesome I fucking love it.jkirt (jean skirt) and a cool red top?? Slay I love her sooo much

José has blue and black which slaaaays Alejandro's colour scheme I'm sooo sorry but also not really

Jasmine. Nuff said yeah boyyyyyyyyy!!!”

The local from bjorken telephone

“She SLAYED that swan. We all know that. No one else dresses better than her”

KITTY!!!

“Her outfit is totally cute and I think it holds up today :D”

Jasmine

“The colors look really good on her and work well with the environment (A female character with proper shoes! wow!) and her personality. The attention to detail that since shes so tall she doesnt really properly fit into her clothes is funny”

Heather

“It's cunty. It's iconic. It screams "early 2000s" and it's so HEATHER”

Scarlett

“really really fucking cute. Highlights aspects of her character which is especially good for her being a twist villain. The colors harmonize well especially in scenes with dark colored backgrounds”

Blaineley

“What can I say? She's hot. The outfit works”

“her outfit makes sense, unlike all of the others on this show”

Princess Courtney

“It’s purple and Courtney is pretty and I like her :)”

Drama Brothers Harold

“idk why he was in the last poll his fit goes hard”

jen

“her outfit is so cute. i love her sweater. plus she’s literally a fashion blogger”

Josee

“the color scheme is nice and idk she looks cute i love her”

Ellody

“she looks so nerdy it fits her character so well. and her outfit is just adorable”

courtney’s human cricket costume

“the little antenna are so cute. and she was so smart for coming up with it. she deserved to win that challenge”

courtney in the weird blonde wig

“the outfit isnt that special but it’s so iconic. that moment changed lives”

Laurie

“ok largely this is because i had a crush on her when i was 11”

Gwen’s pajamas

“How come Gwen goes to sleep wearing an awesome fit but when she wakes up she looks at her 3 shirts and goes "Yeah this is perfect"”

Chase…

“His outfit is good. Only his outfit. I'm a big fan of it. Chase himself sucks tho”

SIERRA CODY SHIRT

“I FUCKING LOVE YOU SIERRA”

HEATHER BUNNY PAJAMAS

“shes soooo cute!! why didnt they keep those i luv u heather it was nice to see.. heather that likes pink bunnies she tries to keep that side of herself secret too often<3”

military tank top chef

“tom of finland slay”

Prison fit duncan

“finally”

craptry sugar

“SUGA HOLLA!!! it was sooo cute i loved it the pink jeans looked great and i definitely prefer the pink and white color scheme to her regular outfit and i love her regular outfit too! but pink jeans!! i luv u sugar”

Intern Dakota

“SHE SLAYED THAT”

“slayed what else is there to say <3”

Cowboy Chris

“bro’s got the drip”

Shed

“I love their cat headphones and their gamer chair. super swag”

“Love the gaming chair :)”

Bridgette

“Her hoodie is super cute imo”

camel

“i have vague memories of a camel slaying in rr”

Ripaxel

“They rock my world like a hurricane”

[themikewheelers]

Congrats to ST for kicking ass and taking names at MTV !!!! 

[shkspr]

hi. on your post where you may or may not have ended on 'moffat is either your angel or your devil' did you have maybe an elaboration on that somewhere that i could possibly hear about. i'm very much a capaldi era stan and i've never tried to defend the matt smith era even though it had delightful moments sometimes so i wonder where that puts me. i'd love to hear your perspective on moffat as a person with your political perspective. -nicole

hi ok sorry i took so long to respond to this but i dont think you know how LOADED this question is for me but i am so happy to elaborate on that for you. first a few grains of salt to flavor your understanding of the whole situation: a. im unfairly biased against moffat bc im a davies stan and a tennant stan; b. i still very much enjoy and appreciate moffat era who for many reasons; and c. i hate moffat on a personal level far more than i could ever hate his work.

the thing is that its all always gonna be a bit mixed up bc i have to say a bunch of seemingly contradictory things in a row. for instance, a few moffat episodes are some of my absolute favorites of the rtd era, AND the show went way downhill when moffat took over, AND the really good episodes he wrote during the rtd era contained the seeds of his destruction.

like i made that post about the empty child/the doctor dances and it holds true for blink and thats about it bc the girl in the fireplace and silence in the library/forest of the dead are good but not nearly on the same level, and despite the fact that i like them at least nominally, they are also great examples of everything i hate about moffat and how he approached dw as a whole.

basically. doctor who is about people. there are many things about moffats tenure as showrunner that i think are a step up from rtd era who! actual gay people, for one! but i think that can likely be attributed mostly to an evolving Society as opposed to something inherent to him and his work, seeing as rtd is literally gay, and the existence of queer characters in moffats work doesnt mean the existence of good queer characters (ill give him bill but thats it!)

i have a few Primary Grievances with moffat and how he ran dw. all of them are things that got better with capaldi, but didnt go away. they are as follows:

moffat projects his own god complex onto the doctor

rtd era who had a doctor with a god complex. you cant ever be the doctor and not have a god complex. the problem with moffats era specifically is that the god complex was constant and unrepentant and was seen as a fundamental personality trait of the doctor rather than a demon he has to fight. he has the Momence where you feel bad for him, the Momence where he shows his humility or whatever and youre reminded that he doesnt want to be the lonely god, but those are just. moments. in a story where the doctor thinks hes the main character. rtd era doctor was aware that he wasnt the main character. he had to be an authority sometimes and he had to be the loner and he had to be sad about it, but he ultimately understood that he was expendable in a narrative sense.

this is how you get lines like “were the thin fat gay married anglican marines, why would we need names as well?” from the same show that gave you the gut punch moment at the end of midnight when they realize that nobody asked the hostess for her name. and on the one hand, thats a small sticking point, but on the other hand, its just one small example of the simple disregard that moffat has for humanity.

incidentally, this is a huge part of why sherlock sucked so bad: moffats main characters are special bc theyre so much bigger and better than all the normal people, and thats his downfall as a showrunner. he thinks that his audience wants fucking sheldon cooper when what they want is people.

like, ok. think of how many fantastic rtd era eps are based in the scenario “what if the doctor wasnt there? what if he was just out of commission for a bit?” and how those eps are the heart of the show!! bc theyre about people being people!! the thing is that all of the rtd era companions would have died for the doctor but he understood and the story understood that it wasnt about him.

this is like. nine sending rose home to save her life and sacrifice his own vs clara literally metaphysically entwining her existence w the doctor. ten also sending rose with her family to save her life vs river being raised from infancy to be obsessed w the doctor and then falling in love w him. martha leaving bc she values herself enough to make that decision vs amy being treated like a piece of meat.

and this is simultaneously a great callback to when i said that moffats episodes during the rtd era sometimes had the same problems as his show running (bc girl in the fireplace reeks of this), and a great segue into the next grievance.

moffat hates women

he hates women so fucking much. g-d, does steven moffat ever hate women. holy shit, he hates women. especially normal human women who prioritize their normal human lives on an equal or higher level than the doctor. moffat hated rose bc she wasnt special by his standards. the empty child/the doctor dances is the nicest he ever treated her, and she really didnt do much in those eps beyond a fuck ton of flirting.

girl in the fireplace is another shining example of this. youve got rose (who once again has another man to keep her busy, bc moffat doesnt think shes good enough for the doctor) sidelined for no reason only to be saved by the doctor at the last second or whatever. and then youve got reinette, who is pretty and powerful and special!

its just. moffat thinks that the doctor is as shallow and selfish as he is. thats why he thinks the doctor would stay in one place with reinette and not with rose. bc moffat is shallow and sees himself in the doctor and doesnt think he should have to settle for someone boring and normal.

not to mention rose met the doctor as an adult and chose to stay with him whereas reinette is. hm. introduced to the doctor as a child and grows up obsessed with him.

does that sound familiar? it should! bc it is also true of amy and river. and all of them are treated as viable romantic pairings. bc the only women who deserve the doctor are the ones whose entire existence revolves around him. which includes clara as well.

genuinely i think that at least on some level, not even necessarily consciously, that bill was a lesbian in part bc capaldi was too old to appeal to mainstream shippers. like twelve/clara is still a thing but not as universally appealing as eleven/clara but i am just spitballing. but i think they weighed the pros and cons of appealing to the woke crowd over the het shippers and found that gay companion was more profitable. anyway the point is to segue into the next point, which is that moffat hates permanent consequences.

moffat hates permanent consequences

steven moffat does not know how to kill a character. honestly it feels like hes doing it on purpose after a certain point, like he knows he has this habit and hes trying to riff on it to meme his own shit, but it doesnt work. it isnt funny and it isnt harmless, its bad writing.

the end of the doctor dances is so poignant and so meaningful and so fucking good bc its just this once! everybody lives, just this once! and then he does p much the same thing in forest of the dead - this one i could forgive, bc i do think that preserving those peoples consciousnesses did something for the doctor as a character, it wasnt completely meaningless. but everything after that kinda was.

rory died so many times its like. get a hobby lol. amy died at least once iirc but it was all a dream or something. clara died and was erased from the doctors memory. river was in prison and also died. bill? died. all of them sugarcoated or undone or ignored by the narrative to the point of having effectively no impact on the story. the point of a major character death is that its supposed to have a point. and you could argue that a piece of art could be making a point with a pointless death, ie. to put perspective on it and remind you that bad shit just happens, but with moffat the underlying message is always “i can do whatever i want, nothing is permanent or has lasting impact ever.”

basically, with moffat, tragedy exists to be undone. and this was a really brilliant, really wonderful thing in the doctor dances specifically bc it was the doctor clearly having seen his fair share of tragedy that couldnt be helped, now looking on his One Win with pride and delight bc he doesnt get wins like this! and then moffat proceeded to give him the same win over and over and over and over. nobody is ever dead. nobody is ever unable to be saved. and if they are, really truly dead and/or gone, then thats okay bc moffat has decided that [insert mitigating factor here]*

*the mitigating factor is usually some sort of computerized database of souls.

i can hear the moffat stans falling over themselves to remind me that amy and rory definitely died, and they did - after a long and happy life together, they died of old age. i dont consider that a character death any more than any other character choosing to permanently leave the tardis.

and its not just character deaths either, its like, everything. the destruction of gallifrey? never mind lol! character development? scrapped! the same episode four times? lets give it a fifth try and hope nobody notices. bc he doesnt know how to not make the doctor either an omnipotent savior or a self-pitying failure.

it is in nature of doctor who, i believe, for the doctor to win most of the time. like, it wouldnt be a very good show if he didnt win most of the time. but it also wouldnt be a very good show if he won all of the time. my point is that moffats doctor wins too often, and when he doesnt win, it feels empty and hollow rather than genuinely humbling, and you know hes not gonna grow from it pretty much at all.

so like. again, i like all of doctor who i enjoy all of it very much. i just think that steven moffat is a bad show runner and a decent writer at times. and it is frustrating. and im not here to convince or convert anyone im just living my truth. thank you for listening.

[camelely]

TFATWS Spoilers under the cut

Literally the following is my thoughts and opinions, and there are probably some unpopular opinions lol. It's kinda really long lol.

Starting with some positives.

I loved how the two leads had storylines that mirrored each other. Sam needed to become Captain America and gain a title and Bucky needed to move on from The Winter Solider and loose a title.

Sam. Just Sam I loved him before but now I love him more.

Sam becoming Cap.

I loved Isaiah and his story.

I loved Sam's family, how they welcomed Bucky and the struggles Sarah had.

I really liked how they spent time with both Sam and Bucky and didn't forget the show was supposed to be about both of them. Often times shows tend to lean into the more popular or fan favorite lead and this show didn't do that. When Sam took center it felt natural and when Bucky took center it felt natural.

The Wakandans were great. I love Ayo and her friendship with Bucky.

Zemo was fine and fun enough.

John Walker was incredibly done. Wyatt Russell did an amazing job and the scene with the blood on the shield will forever be in my memory. Hands down one of the most impactful MCU moments.

I like the genderbend on Karl/Karli and the direction they took her character. People that go from sympathetic ideas to unforgivable means, make good villains. I think her more boring elements come from the lack of development she got.

Now on to the negatives.

This show could have been like two hours shorter and still told the same story with the same impact. Also earlier episodes, (maybe later episodes too I might have just gotten used to it and stopped noticing lol), had some weird ADR moments. IDK what happened behind the scenes but it was noticeable.

I would have loved it if one of the episodes was a flashback episode. The Sharon twist was obvious from the first episode she appeared in but like they thought it was good enough to save confirmation for the mid/end of the finale? Both her and Karli would have been benefited from a flashback episode.

Karli should have fought Bucky while Sam was focused on Walker. Sam could have had a moment where he tells him he will never be forgiven and Walker would responded with something similar to "I do what is right. I don't need forgiveness." Then when he becomes USAgent it lands more like the next progression in an arc rather than the redemption arc this could be interpreted as. I personally think this is a stepping stone and not a redemption but the MCU (and Disney) doesnt have a great track record when it comes to handling anything with nuance and the fans have an even worse track record when handling things that arent black and white. I guess my point is they could have handled the John Walker set up better.

Speaking of set up, this entire show was set up. This is my main and only real problem with this show. Nothing felt like it was resolved at the end. Karli even says she was part of a bigger movement. Killing her didn't change the fact a lot of people felt the un blip ruined their lives. People always shit on Tony for wanting to bring people back five years later instead of going back in time but like it had been five years, while some like Steve and Natasha hadn't moved on, others had. Some had better lives. Assuming everyone wanted to back to the way things used to be would also be a mistake. This has consequences too, as we see in these shows. But ruining the lives of the people who had bettered themselves would have been shitty too. And yea some people who had been bettered were worsened once again when the un blip happened but my point is going back and erasing the five years would have been shitty too. There is not really a right answer here as the right answer would have been to either stop the snap before it happened or to come to terms with the fact that the snap can never be undone. Leaving everyone as dead might have hurt, but it was the best thing for a community that had five years of mourning and moving on and counseling ETC. Ooof that was a tangent lol and I could probably write an essay so going back to my original point about set up. The flag smashers, or at least people who think the way they did still exist, Sharon Carter is the powerbroker but Sam and Bucky dont know and now shes back as agent 13, John Walker went from war hero to committing war crimes and his journey as USAgent is just starting, Sam has taken the Cap mantle and is ready to begin acting as Cap, and Bucky is both coming to terms with and moving on from his past. Nothing is actually resolved in this mini series. I know it's supposed to make you excited for the next movie/show/season whatever but have six episodes of little to no payoff IMO made for a flat show.

Building off the set up problem. This show had too much going on. Sam and Bucky each had their own personal journey (The A and B plot depending on the episode), Sam and Bucky being friends and their shared journey (C), John Walker and the Flag Smashers (the D and E plot depending on the episode), Zemo and the Wakandans (F), The PowerBroker/Sharon (G), The boat and Sarah which could be considered part of Sam's plot but since if you cut it out the only thing that actually effected Sam's journey would be the bank in the first episode and yet it still went on till basically the end I'm calling it it's own plot (H), Valentina Allegra de Fontaine, which might be part of John Walker's story but since it's all set up for her to take a bigger role in the future and his set up could be completed without her I'm counts her separately (I), then you have the big meeting at the end, the senators and policy makers making choices the vote that they keep mentioning and once again more set up... (J). 10 ideas by my count, all needed their own set up, follow through, and payoff. And yes some stuff like Valentina the pay off will come later but still... It's all too many plots! And thats not mentioning side characters that were new to the show that they wanted to spend time with but couldn't.

Even though I think the shows aren't comparable/two different genres WandaVision had two more episodes (and yes some were shorter but I already mentioned I think FATWS could have benefited from that), completed all the main plots and had Wanda's journey (A), Vision's journey (B), Agatha, Pietro/Ralph, and the citizens of the hex (C), Outside the hex Monica (D), Outside the hex everyone else and sure you can separate Darcy, Jimmy and Heyward but none of them were setting up future stories or had their own distinctive plot outside the hex thing like Monica so she is the only one I am separating (E), the kids who could be counted as an extension of the Wanda and Vision plots since they didnt really have their own arc or story (F). 6 total. And some of those could be combined. Like I think we should separate Wanda Vision and the kids but technically they are just an extension of Wanda. And same with Monica, her story was mostly intertwined with Darcy, Jimmy and the outside the hex stuff. I separated her since I think she had enough moments to herself and she set up secret invasion or whatever, but like Valentina being a part of John's story it is arguable. Of these plots only the missing witness Jimmy thing, Wanda's post credits moment a moment seperate from everything else, Monica's mid credits i think? moment another one separate from everything else, and white vision were unresolved. They gave Agatha an opening ending but it was still an ending. And yes Darcy Heyward etc will probably come back but the plot they had here was finished. So arguably they had 2/6 unfinished plots. And if you don't count Jimmy's witness as a plot and just count it as an unanswered question then 1/6. And technically white vision is just half a vision and the other vision got a complete plot so really it's 0.5/6 At best they completed 92(ish)% of the plots and left 8 (ish) % for future stuff.

In contrast FATWS only finished Sam's journey into becoming Cap, Zemo and the Wakandans, and arguably Sam and Bucky's friendship. You might be able to argue that Bucky had a full circle moment with the guy whose son he killed, but that is one guy and Bucky has been carrying around a list of people like that guy. It's not the end of a story it is the start of a journey. And maybe it is possible to say the boat thing had an ending kinda. 2/10 completed. maybe 3/10 if you wanna push it 5/10. IMO at best they completed 50% of plot set up.

Clearly FATWS is meant to be this way and thats why it bothered me. They want you to watch Cap 4 or whatever they decide to call the theatrical movie that will come after this. I guess I was just expecting it to stand on it's own, and other than Sam's journey into becoming Captain America, which was amazing and deserved in every way, nothing this show did felt like it could have stood on its own. I know it's arguable that was the main story and only story that deserved to end. But I've already pointed out all the other running plots this show had, and I think at least two or three of them should have had follow through in the show.

Someone who plans to never seen an MCU movie after these shows could have watched WandaVision and enjoyed it. That is not the case for FATWS. If you don't plan on watching any MCU stuff in the future you won't know how over half the plots of this show will end. THis isn't even how the movies work. They each tell their own story while also setting up other things, so it is clear they know how to do this.

I can see why Disney decided to submit it as a series and not a mini series. Not only do they not want to compete with themselves (nominating WV as a miniseries) but also this isn't a miniseries.

I guess to conclude I'll say I did really enjoy watching this show. It was fun and there were some great moments. It featured amazing character and amazing actors, but I wish it had bothered to finish more of what it started.

Thank you so much for reading till the end of a post that has surely become unintelligible gloop by now. If you disagree I'd love to hear why!

[unknown-terrain]

"Emilia Clarke and Lena Headey iconic actors/characters of this show. now HBO is against them. They're trying to delete their name from everywhere. I'm so happy that they aren't park of this company anymore" emilia clarke stans echoing this sentiment acting as though lena deserved a nomination for season 8 but not gwendoline.🙄 spreading gwendoline c hate on twitter because emilia and lena didnt get critic's choice nomination.

Gwendoline’s recognition and nominations for season 8 have all been well deserved. Those jealous anti’s are ignoring the fact that Gwen was one of the few who received both overwhelming critical acclaim and fan praise. Gwen had so much award buzz last season so it’s not as if her nominations came out of nowhere. I don’t know why Emilia’s fans are hating on her for this when they aren’t even in the same award’s category because Emilia is lead actress so it’s not as if Gwen being nominated for Critic’s Choice took Emilia’s spot or something.

As for Lena Headey, Gwen deserved a nomination over her this season. I’ll go as far as saying Lena Headey’s season 8 work wasn’t worthy of any nomination tbh! She didn’t have much to do and what they did give her wasn’t anything special like the death scene which was mostly hated by the masses. Also, there was little to no award buzz for her, it was pretty much nonexistent compared to other seasons. Lena was one of the actors D&D massively favored and completely changed Cersei’s as well as Jaime’s storyline (and by extension Brienne, and others) just for her. They removed the Cersei miscarriage scene from S7 because Dumb and Dumber thought having Cersei dying while pregnant would have the audience sympathize with her and they thought it would give Lena a better chance at winning an emmy. But as we saw, it didn’t work. Lena’s a lovely person who is very supportive of her cast mates and I don’t blame her for D&D choosing to cater to her character over others just like I don’t blame her for her unhinged fans who can’t tell the difference between fiction and fantasy like them blaming her emmy loss on Gwen for example lol. 

“Emilia Clarke and Lena Headey iconic actors/characters of this show. now HBO is against them. They’re trying to delete their name from everywhere.”

I have to laugh. HBO has always been supportive of those 2 ladies. They were still promoting Emilia and Lena and including them in GoT specials, promos, submitting them for award consideration, and campaigning for them. HBO didn’t even include Gwen in the GoT character recaps but included John Bradley, Iain Glen, and others who are not as popular as Gwen/Brienne. She was also excluded from the Reunion special with Conan and as we all know…Gwen had to submit herself to be considered for an emmy nomination because hbo didn’t give af. HBO loves making money off Brienne though with all merchandise of her they’ve put out over the years.

Anyways, I’m so glad Gwen/Brienne at least was able to get the recognition she deserved last season after being sidelined by Dumb and Dumber and HBO for so long. D&D and HBO obviously weren’t expecting the level of overwhelming positive attention/support Gwen was going to receive. She also inspired a lot of people when it comes to knowing your self worth and that makes me happy. 2019 really was an amazing year for Gwen. Her haters can stay mad.

[curly-q-reviews]

ROAD TO THE OSCAR MAYER WIENER AWARDS 2K19

Black Panther, 2018 (dir. Ryan Coogler)

Nominated for: Best Original Score, Best Original Song, Best Motion Picture of the Year, Best Costume Design, Best Production Design, Best Sound Editing, Best Sound Mixing

ok y’all lets get this party started with a movie i didnt get to catch in theaters (i think i ended up renting it) but people were absolutely raving about it all of last year, and for good reason i gotta say!  it was one of the better marvel films that came out last year (though in my humble opinion Infinity War takes the gold)

speaking of marvel lets talk about it for a spell!  lets have a lil sit-down chit-chat shall we!!  cause its kind of insane how much of an american media phenomenon marvel has become, they are arguably single-handedly responsible for reviving the superhero movie subgenre and now these types of movies bring hollywood more dineros than they probably know what to do with (besides make more superhero movies).  what used to be a niche market where only your most hardcore of nerdy types dared to dwell has been embraced into the mainstream wholeheartedly, and now its hard to imagine the american film industry without them. 

from a film critique standpoint, marvel movies seem to be a hit-or-miss as far as quality, however i cant really think of a particular marvel movie that i thought was a total piece of hot garbage (the first two Thor movies come close but they were more boring than anything else).  however last year was a real success for the studio, they just kept pumping out quality movies left and right and once disney managed to get its grubby lil mouse paws on Spider-man it was a done deal baby.  DC and other companies have tried again and again to recreate the success that Marvel has managed and so far they’ve failed to various degrees.  Marvel’s just got that special something with their cinematic universe, some magical combo of great actors and creative directors and an ever-expanding budget that keeps them staying at the top every time.

so whats my stance on superhero movies???  well theyre not my usual cup of tea but i gotta say they’re real damn entertaining.  i kinda view them like a high-speed ride at an amusement park, super fun and thrilling and exhilarating and just a real good time!  but thats about as far as it goes for me, and im sure thats the same for a lot of people.  to be honest its kinda refreshing to have movies that quality-wise are up to my standards that i dont have to think too hard about.  so for me the movies i typically go for are like museums, whereas superhero movies (and action movies in general) are like a carnival.  both entertaining and fun, but the latter is just all about letting loose and not wondering about the why’s and how’s.  when i think about it, this kinda mindset is for sure a factor in how these movies got so popular, because with the shitshow that is our current government and the potential imminent death of our planet people are once again looking for movies as a form of escapism, rather than a way to get deep and philosophical and ask the tough questions and see something profound. 

with that being said, despite some exceptions that have proven me wrong to my utter joy and delight (im looking at u Logan), i expect movies that are nominated for wiener awards to be more like museums than like carnivals y’know what i mean?  u catchin my drift???  u takin what im dishin out????  the academy awards have a long history of prestige, of nominating the best of the best of any given year. quite a few movies that won oscars are now considered to be timeless classics.  which is why superhero movies, at least the typical marvel types that are chocked to the brim with CGI and epic massive fight scenes and explosions, dont really strike me as anything that could eventually become a timeless classic.  the amount of computer-generated effects alone will make these movies feel really dated as soon as like five years from now with how fast technology is progressing.  i just dont see it happening.

and that brings us to the first wiener award nominee ill be talking about, Black Panther.  this isnt director Ryan Coogler’s first time at the rodeo; his first feature film Fruitvale Station received critical acclaim in 2013, and the spiritual Rocky sequel Creed actually got nominated for some oscars a few years ago.  so we’ve got a promising and talented director at the helm which is a great start!  we’ve also got a stellar cast with the likes of michael b. jordan (who has been in all of Coogler’s films so far), lupita nyong’o, angela bassett, and forest whitaker in the bunch.  it also has the astronomical financial backing of Supreme Overlord Disney so u know this is gonna be some high-quality shit.

so i’m gonna tell y’all why i think this movie got nominated for so many oscars, because in a way i do think this movie is deserving of noms from the academy.  theres no denying that it is very groundbreaking for a movie of this scale and magnitude to have a black director and a nearly all-black cast.  in fact, i think a lot of the crew members (including set and costume design) were black as well.  thats fuckin huge my guy.  and this movie was by no means a flop either; it ended up being one of the highest-grossing films of 2018 and stayed in theaters for a loooong-ass time.  and not only were the people on this project mostly black, the movie itself is a story praising and showing off the beauty of african culture without exotifying or demeaning it in any way.  like i can say 100% without a doubt that this movie deserves its best costume design nom cause holy shit the outfits in this movie are stunning, just the perfect blend of ancient/current tribal african aesthetics and a more futuristic sleek style that any fashion enthusiast can drool over.

i cant say much about best musical score or best sound mixing or anything like that cause it all seemed like typical marvel stuff to me and wasnt all that memorable.  however i can say that the production design on this movie, while it didnt impress me as much as costuming, did still impress me.  the one thing i gotta knock it on is all the fucken CGI, like whole entire towns and landscapes were digitally rendered.  i wouldve been a lot more impressed and would agree more to the production design nom if they used more practical effects and real sets/locations. 

so.  best picture.  this is where i feel the most conflicted.  cause this is where i now have to look past all the pretty fancy visuals and music and look at the actual meat of this movie, its story and characters.  usually best picture noms also get noms for things like best actress, best script, and best director, cause those are all really important elements of a good film.  ur movie can look and sound as pretty as it wants but if the storys shit and the characters are shit and the actings shit then u dont have much going for u.

and by no means am i saying that Black Panther was shitty in these aspects, it was just well.  passable.  it was ok.  but nothing to write home about

we got some good performances from newcomers letitia wright and chadwick boseman, lupita kills it as always, but then everyone else was like.  okay.  michael b. jordan didnt really do his best in this and idk if its the script’s fault or something but it was weird.  and speaking of the script it was uuuuhhhhh well.  not great.  every time i think about that “what are those” reference i die a little inside.  and the story overall wasnt really anything new when u break it down, just another “son of king struggles to take his place” narrative.  and that aspect of the story couldve actually been more developed into something interesting, i found myself really intrigued with the political scenes.  but there just wasnt enough of that cause they needed to make more room for the PEW PEW POW EXPLOSIONS

granted, movies with lots of shimmer but little substance have been nominated for best picture before (just look at James Cameron’s Avatar which is apparently getting a sequel now????????).  and its not even that this movie is completely devoid of substance cause theres some interesting things going on plot-wise, and some stand-out characters too (shuri is the boss and no one can tell me otherwise).  its just, u know, a good superhero movie.  nothing really profound about the story itself except for the cultural, historical, and social context behind it.

so lemme get back to why i think this movie got a best picture nom.  i think the academy wants to keep up their appearance of being #woke now by continuing to nominate more than one poc-heavy project each year, but they seem to be caring less and less about the actual overall quality of these movies.  and theres even some movies on the noms list that i think actually have what it takes to be a strong oscars contender, like If Beale Street Could Talk and BlacKkKlansmen.  but i think in Black Panther’s case, they were under a lot of pressure to give it top noms (or any noms at all) because of the intensely positive response this movie got, as well as the accusations of racism to people who didnt think it was as great as fans were saying. 

also i have no doubt that Supreme Overlord Disney like threw piles and piles of money at the academy like they tend to do (cause i’d bet good money thats the only fucken way Incredibles 2 got nominated for anything)

well anyway ive gone on long enough about this, lemme know what y’all think.  really the only nom im iffy about when it comes to this movie is Best Picture, but the others i think are well enough deserved, especially costume design.  so i guess the one thing i struggle with is this: does a movie becoming a pop culture phenomenon and being groundbreaking in its cast and crew count as enough for it to be nominated for the top prize of the wiener awards, despite any fallbacks in script, direction, and acting?  idk man im just hoping it doesnt get the award by default or something but then again maybe after watching all the other nominees it may turn out that the rest of them were worse than Black Panther i guess i’ll have to find out

stay tuned for my A Star Is Born review y’all stay fresh and funky eat ur vegetables stay in school u dont need drugs when ur high on life

[eagleslouis]

Anon about Harry having no personality. I’m going to be honest. I always thought there was something weird with Harry. I discovered 1D in 2012 and I disliked him right away. There was just something telling me he shouldn’t be trusted. When I saw them in concert he was always so obnoxious and annoying. He made me cringe and wished he would just stfu. He was made to look all charming and what not but those are just characteristics he stole from the other four. Harry is a blank character. 1/2

2/2 Harry is a blank character. Easily manipulated, easily moldable to whoever the hell is having a great time doing it aka the Azoffs. Sometimes I feel bad for him. But then I remember he wanted this.

see in the beginning it was like 99% of people buying his image and then that small 1% that didnt think he deserved what he had. but now that percentage is changing hahaha. i started liking 1d like august 2011 and i mean i was good with harry i bought into the image too (which i think was at least somewhat genuine at this point anyway since it was early on) but late 2012 i got a little questioning of him and in 2013 i literally started to hate him lmao, and harry vs ot4 and the azoffs were in full force!

his moniker was the flirt anyway so that played up the charming thing. now its not quite manipulative…. its 3am and i cant think of the word but hes like that too. with his ‘uhh i mean because im a media trained mega star :)  i think everyone writes from personal experience’ like just answer the fucking question and shut up. and how everyone saw his behavior towards zayn as like.. banter, or jokes? i dont fucking know. im glad its KIND OF gone but his cupcake image drove me up the fucking wall. he really does just try to be whoever and say whatever will get him the most attention. you know damn well sott is not about politics and if it is hes just a dick.  this is a major thought of mine but like fair enough to him to not want to label his sexuality publicly but also its very obvious hes not straight so why exactly is he being nominated for awards for being a straight ally? especially for uhh.. waving a flag around. and wasnt it like the month before the “Gay album of 2017″ came out to be literally just about fucking women, he wore a small ass rainbow pin.. bye. and hes a co chair for the met gala because??? hes just like a fucking gucci billboard now. also all this time in the start of his solo career, even though he suggested the break up, he loved That Band and showed it by singing their songs on tour, how sweet. but now all of a sudden hes doubting a reunion? okay bitch. im just ranting at this point sorry lol.

but part 2 in general HELL YES!!!!! ugh i really dont think he was originally cut out for fame. i feel bad sometimes too because he was really young but liam and niall were 16 at the time of their auditions too so???  it is interesting though cause liam was originally supposed to be the star!!!!!! but we already know harry has really bad jealousy so thats probably what fucking happened, he sold his soul to them lmao. its so fucking obvious hes so fame hungry.

[simplyaiden-blog]

5,11,25

YAY!!! Thanks so much for the ask @foghedgehog!!!

okay here we go...

5) talk about your best birthday...

So my very very best birthday was my 15th birthday.  Traditionally, as a hispanic, I was supposed to have a quinceanera.  However, my mom told me that I had two options: Either have a traditional quinceanera or a 1 week cruise to Alaska.  This was a no-brainer.  Choose travel every time. It was breathtaking, and just seeing the 24 hour sunlight was something else and really messed with my internal clock.  

Second best birthday was my first year of grad school.  I had only known these people for about a month and this one girl threw me a surprise party and baked me a cake.  At this point in my life, I hadnt known such generosity or care.  And it will touched me.

11) talk about your best dream...

So my obsession with Michiel Huisman is pretty well known in this fandom.  So of course he would be a part of my best dream. @tmarie82 knows about this dream cause i immediately told her about it haha.  Anyway, i had a dream that my fiance and I met Michiel and he thought we were really cool and gave us his number so that we could hang out since Michiel lives in NYC and so do I, it could totally happen (I even took a picture of it cause I was floored).  At first we, thought he was being nice, but when we actually called the number, it was real! and we legitimately hung out and had the best time. My fiance later got accused of murder because of some suitcase left at the scene, but Michiel and I were his alibis and he vouched for my fiance.  Besides the whole murder thing, just being able to hang out with Michiel made it the best dream ever! and hey, my fiance didnt go to prison, so cheers to that! haha

25) talk about your ex-best friend

so this is gonna be a really long one, so prepare.  When I was eleven, my house burned down.  my family had to move and therefore, I had to change schools.  Pretty much the whole first year, I had no friends.  I mean, I had classmates that i got along with and would only call me to help them with homework but nothing else. Then, in 7th grade, and I met let’s call her Cami.  We became fast friends.  We became best friends in fact and did everything together.  I thought we were gonna make it. But by Junior year, the proverbial shit hit the fan.  I will start off by saying that our friend group was made up of three girls and mostly guys (guys who were as they say nerds, who had no experience with women).  And Cami started to flirt and hang out in a romantic setting with one of those said friends.  He fell hard and fast.  This was the first girl that ever paid him any attention.  However, unbeknownst to him, she was also seeing another guy, a year above us.  That year, our class organized a sadie hawkins youth fair outing.  She asked me what she should do.  I told her that i thought she shouldnt go because either of them were gonna find out and they were gonna be hurt.  She didnt listen to me, chose the guy in the year above and of course, I was right.  our friend found out and was pissed.  He started being rather snippy with her and giving her attitude and she wasnt having it.  She couldnt understand why he was mad (like seriously?! he thought you were into him! you completely led him on, what did you think was gonna happen?!) Anyway, I tried to tell her that she should just suck it up because she deserved it, in which she proceeded to say that he needed to get over it.  Flash forward to her seriously dating the guy in the year above, but the guy was a pretentious, condescending, high brow blow hard.  And she was becoming just like him.  So, as her BFF I had the audacity to tell her that I didnt like him and she needed to be careful because she was alienated everyone including our friend group.  She didnt listen and proceeded to not talk to me for an entire month as punishment.  I bit the bullet and sent her a card apologizes and letting her know I would always be there for her.  She forgave me.  However, around the same time, our other girl friend (let’s call her Kat) got a BF and they started doing all this stuff together like going on double dates and not including me.  I’d only find out about these outings at lunch the next day while they talked about it amongst themselves. This went on for months.  So, I tried to branch out and hang out with other girls.  Things were going well, until Kat’s BF cheated on her with one of the girls I was hanging out with (what are the odds, right?)  Of course I eventually get the call to let me know the situation.  I told Kat that I understood what her BF and this girl did was messed up but that I wasnt gonna stop hanging out with this group because of one mistake, especially after they had let me into their group when Cami and Kat essentially neglected and abandoned me. Kat understood.  Cami, on the otherhand, proceeded to use this opportunity to show Kat what a better friend she was to Kat by always playing the victim how the group I was hanging out with were treating her badly.  I naively would say things like “oh, they’ve been perfectly nice to me” “oh, well that’s because you didnt choose a side” stuff like that.  Then, during superlatives, I was nominated, most likely to succeed.  I overheard her say to another person that “just because someone gets good grades, doesnt mean they are gonna succeed.  I mean just look at me, I have all these patents and copyrights, im gonna be way more successful than her” (I was 2 rows ahead of her, and she was supposed to be my BFF).  Everything turned into a competition and she kept trying to show that she was better than me.  Even when she found out I was going to a community college instead of an ivy league or private unversity like she was (even though, i was doing a special program that allowed to me to transfer to those same schools but for FREE).  I was done.  I knew it was gonna be an ugly breakup if I said anything, so I just bit my tongue until we graduated.  I havent seen or spoken to her since, and were not even friends on social media. Though she did teach me how to look out for such behavior and to be a better judge of character.  So, i guess I can thank her for that.

told you it was gonna long. Sorry!

BUT THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE ASK!!! This was fun!!

GIVE ME MORE GUYS!!!

[artistsodyssey]

la la land analysis (SPOILERS)

DISCLAIMER: so this post has been made because, i texted an analysis of la la land to a friend right after we saw it (as she had requested, also because i love doing them) and then more and more people have since wanted to read it and understand it better, and tbh i was getting tired of texting 14 screenshots to people, this is copy and pasted directly from my messages, so here we have this post :) (aka its not a critically appropriately toned/written piece)

so the running theme throughout the whole thing was kind of “life doesnt happen like it does in the movies”, right from the beginning when we first see mia shes on her phone in the car, talking about auditions etc, very modern day. then when it jumps back to seb in his car, hes very “vintage” lets say, so i think her character embodied the modern day film industry and his the whole old hollywood thing.

they paid attention to literally every single tiny detail, like even down to the focusing, sometimes it was standard present day film focus/camera work and other times it was very very much like the blur/noise quality of the old films.

both the lighting and the prop lights were really outstanding too. i noticed the prop lights in so many of the scenes, they were so prominent, especially in the fades. i think this relates into what i was saying in the cinema of it being set in LA (the city of angels) (also i JUST fully got the title, wow ok) that the lights were kind of reminders or something that theyre eachothers angels. the lighting as well was so so beautiful, it was so creative, and definitely was more of a stage technique style than a film one, which i think really helped amalgamate stage and film.

the use of colours in the lighting really set the mood and created the undeniably magical atmosphere. the costumes and colour scheme of just everything really did that too, everyone was wearing a solid colour most of the time and i think that also helped link the whole stage and film thing, as well as give the old hollywood atmosphere.

something that i really noticed as well were the transitions, not between scenes but in the scene, like the camera would pan mid scene, possibly to create the comparison of current vs old hollywood, as well as maybe showing a transition within the character/relationship etc, but it was really interesting to notice.

ok no the opening scene i cANNOT. it was all done in one take, dO YOU KNOW WHAT A FREAKIN CHALLENGE THAT IS, NOT JUST BC OF THE ACTORS AND THE DANCERS ROUTINES AND TIMING ETC, BUT BC OF ALL THE EQUIPMENT. so that was another very stage like kinda thing, the opening scenes job too is to set up the entire story, so the fact that that was all one flowing scene and that it was very much a stage technique is just beautiful. i love it. it establishes the film as not just a film but a theatre piece too.

i think the whole message of the film was in the “city of angels” thing, the old hollywood references and in the ending. i think they were eachothers angels, only meant to be together for the time that they were so they could push eachother to follow their dreams. there were so many references to fate and angels etc, the way they kept showing up places, the song in the restaurant etc, which is why that would make sense.

the way the ending was a montage of an alternative life they could have had (also very stage like too, much appreciated, much difficult to do, anyways) really emphasised the point i think theyre trying to make in that “it only happens in the movies” and life isnt really like that, which is why the ending worked out the way it did. i loved as well how they didnt need to say anything, their eyes said it all like “look at you. you did it.” and that was the finishing note that we didnt hear him play on the piano, (i think the crowd cheered over it??) he couldnt have played it because that wasnt the ending, their stories hadnt had their final perfect cadence yet, the look they gave eachother was that final note, and it had to be bc theyre eachothers angels for that reason^^ and they accomplished what they set out to do.

so then i was thinking, ok the old hollywood thing is great and all but whats the relevance??? WELL i think its that theyre trying to say, like the way they were both struggling artists, how old hollywood made it look so easy and glamorous, and today it seems so hard. i think it was kind of to show that theyre not all that different, old and current hollywood. (side note: i just realised the whole “bring back jazz thing” is the same as them bringing back old hollywood) that it may seem like its entirely different now, but in a lot of ways its actually not??? so i think that relates into the whole city of angels and fate thing again, that fate and angels have always been around and that wont change. i think as well the montage at the end is suggesting, in addition to that last sentence^^, that although fate is always going to be there, life could still take any direction and you have control over that, yet still showing just how powerful fate is. i think thats a message as well to aspiring artists, that although auditions are all about chances and probability etc, you have at least some power to make your own path.

there was a lot in it too regarding that last part^^, like for other artists, in that you shouldnt be making your art to be pleasing other people, it should be for you firstly and everyone else is a bonus, between him in that band and her having nobody at her play. and then they both tried to give up and “grow up” but they knew they werent happy and followed their dreams in the end.

then there were loads of small bits of symbolism too that helped out the main story, i cant remember everything but when the rialto closed, it was at the same time their relationship started ending. when the fire alarm went off during their fight, it was the alarm in her head telling her to leave, it was also at the same time whatever had burned in the oven was revealed, just as their relationship had “burned” or run its course, there was a thermostat on the wall at some point and the wall was like a warm colour and you could see her shadow as she entered and that was kind of the warm homey happy feel she had there.

the little bits of comedy in it too were just right, like it spiced it up just perfectly. but omg overall literally everything was a perfect balance. it deserves all 14 oscars its nominated for tbh.

also, during the montage at the end when she was playing with the children, it helps when you dont think about it as “heres a montage of emma stone playing with multiple random children.”

(analytical messages from the second time seeing it, that were mussed the first)

so in the first audition when shes on the phone, shes all happy and talking at first then suddenly it gets sad and shes crying and then she gets interrupted. it was aLL FORESHADOWING OF THE ENTIRE STORY. FIRST THEYRE ALL HAPPY TOGETHER AND EVERYTHINGS GOING GREAT, THEN THEY BREAK UP AND ITS ALL OVER, AND THEN IT CUTS TO 5 YEARS LATER.

there were a lot of old hollywood references i missed the first time too, there was one actually that i noticed the first time but forgot to mention, was at the end when she walks into the coffee shop, shes dressed exactly like audrey hepburn, referencing all those movies. BUT OMG you know the scene when they go to the observatory?? i noticed his acting was very very old hollywood, i got that the first time but didnt think much of it, but then tonight i was like hmm reminds me of the short film “la voyage dans la lune” by george melies, it was made in like 1919 or something and was one of the first few films. BUT THEN it showed the ceiling of the observatory of people like dancing or something idk fEATURING A MOON, IT ACTUALLY WAS REFERENCING THAT FILM (bc in the film they all get on this lil rocket and crash into the moon but the moon is made of cheese etc)

so thats it, these are literally copy and pasted from texts, which is why its all typed like that. i hope you can understand and appreciate the film better now :))

[myinnerletters]

Covid 19 Ramblings.

28.04.20

Wtf. i dont even really know where to start with all of this, because I feel a million waves and thoughts of overwhelmed. It’s in my chest and in my heart and it feels like drowning, and suffocating and not being enough.

Never enough. Nothing’s ever enough. Career. Life. Friends. It’s all never enough. i dont know how to deal with my emotions. I don’t know how to feel them without feeling like I’m a crazy person, a feeling and a habit taught at 16 years old. Any emotion feels out of control. Feels like i’m spiralling out. I feel like im mourning for the life i had, and i’m scared i’ll never be able to return to the things that once bought me joy. WIll I ever be able to perform my show again? will there be space for the arts again? The world feels scary, and it feels like it’s cut out for the rich, conservative, like minded people who don’t like individuality and don’t want people thinking for themselves or standing up for themselves. I know there are signs for hope everywhere but i dont feel hope. I feel sad. I feel empty. I feel lonely. I feel like a pain in everyones way, and that no one cares about me. I know this is dramatic, and like a teenager thing to write.

So many people i know value their partners, they are their everything. For me, my friends were my everything. But when it comes down to it, i don’t think i matter or mean anything to them. People say so, but i think thats because i’m good at making people feel good. I’m a rock. 

Juliet wanted to talk about her mother and then she wrote a piece and asked me to read it. And the suffocating rose up in me, and i had to listen to music to drown out the silence. And i realised in that moment, that I need noise. I need distracting. Silence for me is as good as being ignored. Silence is someone hating you, someone saying they are done with you, pretending you are not important to them. And then Juliet tried to psychoanalyse me and tell me that i needed to feel that emotion, but i dont need her to tell me that when i’ve spent the last six years deeply unpacking it all.

I feel like i’m in the way. I feel like I don’t know what my purpose is. I know mum always says i know what i want but i feel so jaded now, so over it, so full of doubt and self criticism. Like my dreams and my realities cant happen. Like i dont have the same energy to pursue the things that i once thought mattered so much. Who am i if none of this matters anymore? Why do i do what i do?

And then theres the matter of dating. And the fact that, I dated an asshole last year who got me to open up. Who made me feel like I could finally cut the bullshit and have an adult relationship, something i despise that i’ve wanted. He was such a dick, constantly nitpicking me, constantly making “jokes”, constantly trying to put me down. Why? I know I never really fit the jewish school mould, but that’s fine. That’s never been me. Why did he despise my difference and think it strange and weird and want to change it. Why was i weird, and say weird things, and not as mature as him - because i chose the arts and because i was kooky? i dont think I’ll ever understand.

But now i’m so guarded. I’m so over it. I’m so ... cold? a bitch. just a bitch. I like cant handle a joke, a guy teases me and I start to get defensive. Why am i being a sarcastic bitch. Why am i pushing them away and then being like surprised when they do. Why do i keep picking assholes, expecting them to be different.

I feel like i’ve always felt like I knew these truths about me that no one else knew. The “i’m not talented” and “i’m cursed” and somehwere deep down “i’m destined for great things”. I’ve told myself for so long that I am cursed, that i dont deserve the good things, that theres no one out there for me, and that this pattern will keep continuing. 

Pre covid, i was really starting to get into the groove and making some good decisions for my life. I didn’t feel the need to search for love, I was investing the time in myself. Now i’m seperated from my friends and family, I miss everyone so much and I feel so alone. Rebecca can go to a beach house, jacqui can go shelter with her boyfriend. And then im left alone here, with a cat, crying for an entire week because my PMS is so bad and then i fear the gynaecologist gas lighting me and men gashlighting me and its a spiral.

Tonight i stopped messaging people, i felt so shit about myself. Told myself no one cared about me. Told myself they didnt care and found me annoying. I always feel that way. That people think im annoying. That i’m in the way. That i’m a nuisance. And i hang out with rebecca and its fun, and then i come up here into my room and cry again and feel uncertain and overwhelemed and like i’ll never be able to achieve anything again, and that my world as I’ve known it is over for good and theres no way forward.

It feels like giving up. It feels like constantly giving up. It feels like no energy and no motivation and no inspiration because there’s no end date in sight. I wish i could go back even to January, to hobart which was both so hard and sad and so full of joy. I wish i could hug my family a little closer when i saw them in feb, i wish i hadnt made mum feel like shit. I wish i could hug each and every one of my friends more and stayed present instead of worryign about a future that is literally on pause. I wish i had gone out more before. I wish I had lived instead of living my life according to rules i put in place in my head to tick off and complete for success. I wish i’d enjoyed my time on stage and not seeked out an award nomination for validation on my craft. I wish everything back then hadn’t felt like nothing and not enough, cause now when nothing is happening, those things feel like the world and I wish i could have lived in those warm moments of joy and excitement, instead of telling myself that they werent enough and that i had to strive harder for more. I miss the simple things the most now. I’m so sad thinking about all the things I miss. I miss my family so much. I’m worried so much about them. I wish things could kind of go back. Not to the world we were living because that didn’t work. But i wish i could go back and enjoy my life because I miss it all. 

[mrmichaelchadler]

Albert Finney: 1936-2019

The restless Albert Finney first made an impression in “Saturday Night and Sunday Morning” (1960), where he played a rebellious and fed-up factory worker who says, “What I’m out for is a good time … all the rest is propaganda.” Finney was part of a generation of British performers who did not try to hide their lower-class origins or accents, and he was maybe the strongest and most intimidating actor of his generation. (Anthony Hopkins has spoken often of how much he admired Finney’s work and its depth of feeling.) He played most often on stage, and he could be gone from movies for years at a time, even in his prime. As an older man, Finney spoke of his absences in an interview as his “scarcity value.” He knew that we would love him more if we always wanted more of him.

Finney turned down the role of Lawrence of Arabia after submitting to a four-day screen test because he didn’t want to be tied down to any contract, but he became a star in America with the success of “Tom Jones” (1963), where his naughty smile was an emblem of the period and the new sexual mores. As always, Finney looked askance at extreme success or celebrity, and after the failure of “Night Must Fall” (1964) he spent a lot of time just traveling the world with a girlfriend before taking the part for which he is cherished by the most romantic among us: Mark Wallace in Stanley Donen’s “Two for the Road” (1967), a story about a marriage in which he warmed and rescued and also tormented Audrey Hepburn’s character Joanna.

Hepburn had been in a marriage to actor Mel Ferrer where he had often treated her more like a daughter than a wife, and that marriage was finally breaking down when she shot “Two for the Road” with Finney. He was only seven years younger than Hepburn, but to her he felt like the new generation, and their fond feelings for each other suffuse "Two for the Road" with the kind of intense romantic emotion that is very difficult to fake. The way that Hepburn looks at Finney with enormous love in “Two for the Road” is a challenge that he and his character cannot match, and that’s partly what the movie is about. Joanna loves Mark in a way that he cannot love her, and this was expressed in their contrasts: his physical beefiness and her skinny frailty, his flat vowels and her fey cadences.

"Charlie Bubbles"

Finney directed an offbeat movie called “Charlie Bubbles” (1968) in which he played a successful novelist, and it was a gesture towards grappling with his misgivings over his own success. He worked sparingly and was unrecognizable as Hercule Poirot in “Murder on the Orient Express” (1974), where his characterization was somewhat strenuous. Finney was testing himself against Shakespeare and Samuel Beckett on stage in the 1960s and 1970s, and so theater audiences often got the best of him.

But in the early 1980s, Finney did his most impressive film work, turning in four performances in a row that displayed his range and appetite. As Daddy Warbucks in “Annie” (1982), Finney showed that he was capable of musical comedy and even did some light hoofing for the finale. “Shoot the Moon” (1982), like “Two for the Road,” is the story of a marriage falling apart, but this movie made far greater demands on Finney’s talent. It begins with a scene of him breaking down in tears, and he is only expected to go further and further into despair and rage as the man he is playing, a writer named George Dunlap, feels left out of family life when he leaves his wife Faith (Diane Keaton) and four young daughters.

There is a scene in “Shoot the Moon” where Finney’s George tries to get into his former home to give his daughter Sherry (Dana Hill) a birthday present. Sherry is angry with George and doesn’t want to see him, and Faith is angry in her own adult way with him, and it is in this scene of enormous pressure that Finney shows the depths of demon emotion that lurk inside him. George forces Faith out the door and locks her out of the house, and he finds himself beating Sherry because he feels she hates him so much, but then the dynamic shifts, and George looks like a beaten child himself when Faith comes rushing up to rescue Sherry. George slowly walks out of the house that is no longer his, and when he gets outside he starts to run.

When it comes to the portrayal of self-destructive and self-sabotaging male anger and vanity, Finney’s George in “Shoot the Moon” has not been equaled or surpassed, especially in the stiff way he waves right before totally mucking everything up at the very end of the film. He played an old Shakespearean barnstormer called only Sir in “The Dresser” (1983), working in balance with his longtime friend Tom Courtenay, who played the title character. Famously fond of lifting a few, Finney charted the deterioration of a clinical alcoholic in John Huston’s “Under the Volcano” (1984), a very difficult role that Finney saved from monotony with the slow-burn danger of his playing.

As an older actor, Finney’s range was just as wide. His gangster in “Miller’s Crossing” (1990, pictured at top) couldn’t be more different from his sweet gay bus conductor in “A Man of No Importance” (1994), but both of these men have Finney’s lust and vibrancy. He gracefully supported Julia Roberts to an Oscar in “Erin Brockovich” (2000), and he didn’t work too much after that; he had been retired since 2012, when he played a gamekeeper in the James Bond film “Skyfall.” Finney was nominated five times for an Academy Award and never won, and now it is too late to give him the honorary Oscar he so much deserved. Finney’s biographer, Gabriel Hershman, said today, “I couldn’t find one person who had a truly bad word to say about Albert when I was writing his biography” and went on to call him “a consummate charmer and a convivial friend.”

"Two for the Road"

There is the feeling at his death that we should have had more of him, somehow, more films like “Two for the Road” and “Shoot the Moon,” but those two movies about marriage will define his legacy as one of the finest, most upsetting, and most beguiling actors of his time. His charm was sometimes his harsh lack of charm, or withholding of charm and easy answers. Finney could have had a lucrative Hollywood career after “Tom Jones,” but he chose life and the rigors of the theater instead, most of the time. He loved horses, beautiful women, and a good drink or three. His youthful smile brought Audrey Hepburn to new life, and his doubts deepened the testing dramatic parts that he took on screen in the 1980s. Thinking about his work, I keep fastening on the moment when Finney looks at Hepburn on the beach in “Two for the Road” and says, “Too late, they cried, too late!” before giving her an enveloping kiss as Henry Mancini’s theme music swells on the soundtrack. Albert Finney. Too late, they cried, too late!

from All Content http://bit.ly/2MUiK1W

[curly-q-reviews]

ROAD TO THE OSCAR MAYER WIENER AWARDS 2K19

A Star is Born, 2018 (dir. Bradley Cooper)

Nominated for:  Best Original Song, Best Sound Mixing, Best Motion Picture of the Year, Best Lead Actor (Bradley Cooper), Best Lead Actress (Lady Gaga), Best Supporting Actor (Sam Elliott), Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Cinematography

(TW SUICIDE, ALCOHOLISM, DRUG ABUSE)

(ALSO THIS IS A SPOILER-HEAVY REVIEW DONT READ IF U HAVENT WATCHED THE MOVIE YET AND WANT TO OK HERE WE GO)

WOWEE TWO REVIEWS IN A ROW IM ON A ROLL BABBIIIEEEE

ok so remember how i said in my intro that i didnt think this movie was deserving of best picture well uuhhhhhh i lied

or rather as ive been thinking about writing this review and the points im gonna bring up i kinda realized that this is actually a very VERY good movie and the reason i was biased against it is that 1. its the latest of four count ‘em FOUR iterations of the same film and im just so fucken done with remakes, and 2. it got a lot of commercial success mainly because of lady gaga who is like not a fantastic actress but she did do a pretty good job in this????  im gonna get into that later but for now lemme slap y’all in the faces with a healthy dose of ~Movie History~

as i mentioned earlier, this movie is a remake of a remake of a remake of a classic 1937 film starring hollywood starlet Janet Gaynor called- U GUESSED IT- A Star Is Born.  the original film is not a musical at all and really has no music apart from the movie score, and is not about a musician but an up-and-coming actress’s rise to fame in hollywood.  i really recommend seeing the original film (u can find it for free on youtube) because it gives a lil glimpse into what hollywood was like for young women trying to make it big from the late ‘30′s all the way into the ‘50′s.  theres this whole scene going over how janet gaynors character esther blodgett has to go through a complete transformation, not just physically but character-wise.  back in those days in hollywood u would have a whole team give u essentially a completely new identity, giving u a new name, changing your hair and eyebrow shape, creating a whole new backstory for you, and pinning down what “type” of actress you’d be (are you more of a pure innocent waifish type?  or the hard-working mother?  or the sexy yet airheaded provocateur a la marilyn monroe?).  its really interesting!  and also shows that hollywood has always wanted to control women so nothings really changed!!!  great!!!!!!!

so the reason the sequel made in 1954 went for a more musical route is because they managed to get Wizard of Oz darling Judy Garland to play esther blodgett/vicki lester this time around.  so now instead of a hollywood actress shes a stage performer trying to get her musical career started, and the musical element of the film is presented as her various stage performance gigs instead of it being like a “the music is the script” type scenario.  this movie has arguably one of garland’s best performances on film, so im surprised that i only just found out about it when i was watching some videos about the history of A Star Is Born, but also i didnt know much about her filmography besides The Wizard of Oz anyways.

the third sequel, filmed in 1976, is the one that no one really remembers or talks about despite it starring the legendary Barbara Streisand (it doesnt even show up on the list of options on IMDb when u type in “A Star Is Born” which is kinda sad).  esther/vicki is still a musician in this one, but this time shes a Rock Musician cause its the ‘70′s and rock n’ roll is god.  her character is also vastly different than the previous two, who dont have a lot of agency in their own lives due to them being women and it being the ‘40′s/’50′s.  this esther is a go-getter, independent and an activist, who plays around with gender norms and hyphenates her last name with her husband’s instead of taking his on fully.  i havent seen this one yet but ive heard its not really the best of the bunch despite having streisand at the helm, but it did still win an oscar for best original song.

ok so now we have the newest addition to the family!  Bradley Cooper’s take on this classic story is kind of a mish-mosh of different elements from each of its predecessors, taking the rock musician storyline from barbara’s and the subplot about changing the lead’s identity from the first two.  one thing that is pretty much the same amongst all four of these however is the real meat of the story: the romance.  esther/vicki/ally’s love interest and eventual husband (a movie star by the name of norman maine in the first two, a rock star named norman howard in the third, and a country rock star named Jackson Maine in this one) stays about the same character-wise in all iterations, with a few tweaks here and there.  he discovers esther/ally performing, is infatuated with her, and helps her in some way to advance her career and propel her to stardom, all while the two fall in love and get married.  norman/jackson has one really big vice in his life however: alcoholism (and in the 1976/2018 versions drug abuse is tacked on).  this provides the tragedy for this love story, as norman/jackson cant seem to get a handle on his addictions, plus he has a hard time seeing his wife skyrocket into fame when his own career is swiftly going down the shitter.  theres a big scene in which he sabotages her acceptance speech at an award show (whether it be an oscar or a grammy), she considers putting her career on hold to take care of him, and due to the overwhelming amount of guilt he feels over all this he commits suicide.  and then the final scene is some iteration of esther/vicki/ally doing a tribute to her late husband, either in a speech with the original vicki or a singing performance with the three others. 

i had planned on watching all of the other three A Star Is Born’s in preparation to write this review but i never got the chance to watch Garland and Streisand’s takes, so all i can really compare this new one to is the original.  but man i gotta say when i watched A Star Is Born 2018 in theaters i cried like a wee baby, that shit was an emotional gut-punch, and the original was really good but didnt give me that same visceral reaction.  im a real sucker for character-driven stories and this movie fits the bill.  this is the most complex and nuanced norman/jackson’s character has ever been, whereas in the other versions hes just kind of a stuck-up jerk who is jealous of his wife and doesn’t know how to handle it.  in this one he has a soul, u can understand how he got to be the way he is, which makes his ultimate demise all the more heartbreaking. 

as far as esther/ally’s character goes, i feel like i’d like judy garland’s take more than lady gagas even though i havent even seen the 1954 version yet.  but from the clips i have seen of it judy really knocks it out of the park, we really get to see how torn up she is over her husbands struggles and she gets real damn vulnerable.  ally’s a great character dont get me wrong, shes independent and self-sufficient like streisand’s esther but with the moments of vulnerability that garland’s esther had, all sprinkled with a dash of realness.  with this ally, we get to see more of her life like where she grew up and what her family’s like, which helps contextualize the kind of person she is.  however im afraid that this new script almost gave jackson a little TOO much character to where hes suddenly the star of the show and ally almost feels like a supporting character when this is literally her story.  so idk man it kinda feels like bradley cooper like hijacked the script so that he’d have a bigger role in the movie

ANYWAYS fuck where do i go from here ive already written so much uuhhhhh ok

ok ok ok ok ok ok

do i like this movie???  yeah its really good!!  i’d say it deserves the screenplay and cinematography noms cause this movie does look fantastic and despite some shortcomings the script is also solid.  as far as the acting noms go, bradley cooper for sure deserves his, he acted the shit outta this role and really brought jackson to life.  lady gaga’s nom im a little iffy on even though i was pleasantly surprised by her turn at this classic character.  i think the script also really played to her strengths and allowed her to shine, cause she was kind of essentially playing herself.  BUT bradley cooper was able to coax out of her the best acting performance ive seen from her so far, so im excited to see where her acting career goes from here and see how she grows in this new facet of her life. 

so lets get back to the whole best picture debate again.  i think the main reason why im so reluctant to say that this really deserves that nom is that im kinda tired of hollywood rehashing the same movies over and over again, no matter how good the remakes end up being.  i want a new and fresh story to get a chance, something that’ll really shake up the industry and get its blood pumping again.  which is why im excited that a movie by yorgos lanthimos has a shot at best picture this year, cause heres a director whos trying something different.  A Star Is Born getting a best picture nom just feels to me like hollywood and the academy going with what they know works, whats safe and tried and true. 

however from a purely objective standpoint, i mean i cant deny this film is really REALLY good.  even the music is fantastic, its been a few months since i saw the movie in theaters and “Shallow” still gets stuck in my head every so often.  so u know, i wouldnt be too too mad if it does end up winning.

wow ive been writing for a long ass time my poor lil phalanges are about to fall off, im gonna end this rant here!  lemme know what y’all think, whats the scoop, whats the dealio, all that jazz

hopefully one of these days ill have time to sit down and watch The Ballad of Buster Scruggs so that’ll probably be my next review, and then i gotta carve out some time to get my lil butt into a theater to see uuhhh everything else!!  stay tuned y’all this movie train aint stoppin anytime soon we’re going ALL THE WAY BABBIIIEEEE YEEHAAAWWWWW

[curly-q-reviews]

ROAD TO THE OSCAR MAYER WIENER AWARDS 2K19

First Reformed, 2017 (dir. Paul Schrader)

Nominated for:  Best Original Screenplay

ok well uuhhh.  so u know how my plan was to watch as many oscar-nominated films this past week as possible before the awards show tonight.  well.  that uuhhhh didnt happen my dudes.  and not for lack of trying either!!  i searched high and low for theaters still showing The Favorite and all the show times I could find were while i was still at work, and its not available for rent on amazon video yet.  in fact i ran into this problem with a lot of the movies i wanted to see; theaters just werent showing them really.  which kinda doesnt make any sense cause u’d think movie theaters would jump at the opportunity to make extra money by showing oscar-nominated movies before the awards show for people who wanna check out the nominees. 

one movie i WAS able to find to rent on amazon video was First Reformed, one of a few movies on the noms list who only got one or two noms total.  paul schrader, the writer and director of this flick, previously directed timeless classics such as Raging Bull and Taxi Driver.  schrader became famous because of these two films for creating fantastic character studies, and i gotta say he lives up to his reputation with First Reformed.  its a dark, sometimes surreal, and layered look at the life of a priest who’s been through some tough shit, who now works for a large religious conglomerate preaching at a tiny “tourist trap” church that is known by the other preachers in Abundant Life as the “souvenir shop”.  his encounter with the husband of a woman who attends First Reformed sends him spiraling into self-doubt and questioning his own religion, and it all culminates in one final tragic scene that plays out like an emotional punch to the stomach

ill get back to that later but i’ll touch first on the things i really like about this film.  acting overall is very solid, but ethan hawke really delivers something fantastic with the character of reverend toller.  im kinda surprised he didnt get a best actor nom??  cause i thought he was really great.  ethan hawke is one of those actors thats been in a lot of stuff, but i can never remember WHAT i’ve seen him in, i just know hes a good actor who usually delivers solid performances.  amanda seyfried is in this too and she did pretty good, her performances for me always kinda range inbetween really good and not so great and here shes more towards the “really good” side. 

now another area where this movie got snubbed FOR SURE was the cinematography category cause this movie just looks divine.  a lot of use of natural lighting, lots of playing around with shadows and high-contrast lighting, dynamic framing of scenes.  and the movie is shot in an interesting aspect ratio of 1.37:1 (almost a perfect square) that i thought was a cool touch, it almost kinda closed things in so ur focus remains on the characters and their actions instead of the setting so much if that makes any sense.  idk it was unique and tried some different things which i feel makes it deserving of a cinematography nom but i guess the academy didnt feel the same way??

ok so the nom that it actually DID get, best original screenplay, is without a doubt this movie’s strongest asset.  the story is just.... so fucking smart, and so well-paced, dialogue feels natural but still leaves an impact, and the way this movie progresses into pure suspense by the end doesnt really hit u out of nowhere but still is jolting enough to really make u pay attention and sweat a little.  like.... holy shit.  this movies ending is so intense.  its not quite a horror movie but it kinda has some horror movie-ish moments in that it evokes such a visceral response from the viewer.  i know it was pretty disturbing for me at least, and it takes a lot to get me truly disturbed. 

shit i mean this movie was really good!!  after watching it im surprised its only got one nomination.  i suppose i could see there being some mixed feelings about how this movie ends, because its pretty surreal and its unclear if what is going on is actually whats happening or if its metaphorical/an illusion/etc.  but really thats the only issue i had with it.  guh idk man im like kinda expecting tonights awards ceremony to be a bit of a shit show but we’ll see what happens.

well i guess thats it for this years wiener awards review series!!  i might do some post-wieners reviews for movies i never got the chance to see, and then ill write a lil blog post about the awards show itself to give y’all my Thots.  until next time!!!!  drive safe!!!!!  text me when u get back!!!!!!!!!