Y'know, there's this gripe I've had for years that really frustrates me, and it has to do with Love, Simon and people joking about it and calling it too-pg and designed-for-straight-people and all the like. (A similar thing has happened to Heartstopper, but that's another conversation.)
I saw Love, Simon in theaters when it came out my senior year in high school. I saw it three times, once with my friends/parents on opening night, once with my brother over spring break, and once with my grandparents.
On opening night, the air in the room was electric. It was palpable. Half the heads in there were dyed various colors. Queer kids were holding hands. We were all crying and laughing and cheering as a group. My friends grabbed my hands at the part where Simon was outed and didn't let go until his parents were saying that they accepted him. My friend came out to me as non-binary. Another person in our group admitted that she had feelings for girls. It was incredible. I left shaking. This was the first mainstream queer romance movie that had ever been produced by one of the main five studios, and I know that sounds like another "first queer character from Disney" bit but you have to understand that even in 2018 this was groundbreaking. Getting to have a sweet queer rom-com where the main character was told that he got "to breathe now" after coming out meant so much to me and my friends.
But also, from a designed-for-straight-people POV (which, to be frank, it was written by a bisexual author and directed by a gay man, this was not designed for straight audiences), why is it a bad thing that it appealed to the widest possible audience? That it could make my parents and grandparents see things in a new light? My stepdad wasn't at all interested in rom-coms but he saw it with me because it was something I cared about and he hugged me when we came out of the theater. My very Catholic grandparents watched it with me and though my grandpa said he still didn't quite understand the whole 'gay thing,' all he wanted was for me to be happy and to have a happy ending like Simon did. My Nana actually cried when Simon came out and squeeze my hand when his mother told him he could breathe.
And when Martin blackmailed Simon, my mom, badass ally that she is, literally hissed "Dropkick him. Dropkick him in the balls" leading to multiple queer kids in the audience to laugh or smile. Having my parents there- the only parents, by the way, out of my group of queer and questioning friends- made multiple people realize that supportive adults were out there. That parents like those in Love, Simon do exist in real life.
When people complain about Heartstopper not being realistic or Love, Simon being too cutesy, I remember seeing Love, Simon on opening night. I remember my friend coming out and my stepdad hugging me and my mom defending us through this character. I remember the cheers that went through the audience when Bram and Simon kissed and the chatter in the foyer after the movie was over and the way that this movie made me understand that happy endings do exist.
Queer kids need happy endings. Straight people need entry points to becoming allies. Both of these things can come together in beautiful ways. They can find out about more queer culture later, but for now, let them have this. Let them all have a glimpse at a better, happier world. Let them have queer joy.
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josh hartnett's slightly toned dad bod in trap is infinitely hotter than him dehydrating himself for a temporary six pack and i will die on this hill. also it feels grounded in reality for cooper as a character. he wants to appear as a typical, harmless suburban dad so of course he wouldn't work out and get ripped (if he did then his wife would've been suspicious of him earlier lol). cooper's lack of an insane, intense workout routine implies that he's confident in his existing brute strength which is... hot as fuck. he doesn't need extra bulky muscles to do what he wants to do, evident in the tazing scene
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Alien: Romulus (2024)
This is a Movie Health Community evaluation. It is intended to inform people of potential health hazards in movies and does not reflect the quality of the film itself. The information presented here has not been reviewed by any medical professionals.
Alien: Romulus has strobe effects throughout almost the entire film. While most of them are moderate, the fact that they are such a constant presence compels us to give a bad score for flashing lights. Causes of the strobe effects include flickering lights, rapid-firing firearms, lightning, glitching screens, and strobe lights placed on the outside of wheeled vehicles and spacecraft.
There are a few brief uses of mild shaking camera work. There are two sequences taking place in zero-gravity environments that may be highly disorienting.
Flashing Lights: 10/10. Motion Sickness: 7/10.
TRIGGER WARNING: The normal horror elements of jump scares and gore are frequently used in this film. People with trauma around childbirth will want to exercise heavy caution around this film. There is an on-screen vomiting episode, preceded by several seconds of body language warning that it's about to happen. Multiple scenes depict people convulsing.
ADMIN BRANDON'S REVIEW: Far and away one of the best entries in its franchise, Alien: Romulus is a master class in how to utilize the best ideas from previous franchise entries. The familiar formula the movie uses is just as successful as Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. The practical effect work on display, especially with the set design, deserves the highest levels of recognition. One computer-generated element of this film may be a little off-putting, but I can't think of better alternatives to accomplish what this element accomplished. The characters may not be as charismatic as those in the original Alien film, but the lead protagonists are relatable enough to keep the audience engaged. Overall, it feels like the film Ridley Scott himself would have made with a budget like this if he had directed a direct sequel to Alien. Grade: A.
Image ID: A promotional poster for Alien: Romulus
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Deadpool & Wolverine (2024) - REVIEW
Let's be honest, it felt rather inevitable that Deadpool and Wolverine would come together and it's everything you'd hoped it to be. Anyone worrying about the prospect of a Disney owned Deadpool generally needn't worry as this is every bit as R rated and edgy as the first two movies and likewise goes all out. Does it give the Marvel Cinematic Universe a much needed shot in the arm? Not really for me because it doesn't quite feel like an actual part of the MCU even though it casts aside most of the side characters from Deadpool 1 and 2. This film instead does what Spider-Man: No Way Home did in effectively using the Multiverse phase to do its own thing. Deadpool and Wolverine at the very least is a tribute and final send-off to the Fox era of comic book movies that started with 2000's X-Men.
This still has plenty of fourth wall breaking quips from Ryan Reynold's Deadpool that pokes fun at everything from Hugh Jackman's perfect send-off in Logan, the Disney/Fox merger to even the state of the MCU itself. It never feels like it's ever being held back and is very funny from start to finish and most, if not all, of that comes down to Ryan Reynolds who has unquestionable mastered this role to perfection. But this movie has an added edge thanks to the return of Jackman's Wolverine who likewise has mastered his iconic character over the two decades. Reynolds and Jackman have incredible chemistry together whether they're working together, trading insults or fighting each other. The plot is a bit by the numbers that utilises the multiverse concept for some very fun moments that I won't spoil here but it is those moments that you'll remember rather than the plot. A big shout out should be given to Matthew Macfadyen's hilarious, villainous performance as Mr. Paradox. It's all terrific fun.
VERDICT
Deadpool and Wolverine may not reinvent or save the MCU as such, but it is consistently funny, bloody and a terrific night out at the cinema. What more could you want?
4/5
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was watching smth w/captions a while ago and when jazz started to play they captioned it as “boring music” and i keep thinking about how mad that makes me. any time captions are anything but what is literally happening that should give me grace to kick you if they say “shit” don’t write “shoot” if they say “what the fuck” don’t write “what on earth”, if they play jazz don’t impress your opinions and principles on the people relying on your service i’ll throttle you
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