#thank you so much mitty for letting me get this out of my system

[tame-a-messenger]

It might be because I’m a Starkid/TCB fan and they do kickstarters all the time (side note: there’s actually one going on right now that is on its last day so go back tinlightenment bc Chanse Arasha and Angela are gonna be in one of the projects so if you want to see them in more stuff go back it ANYWAYS back to the purpose of this post sorry lmao) but I don’t understand why they don’t just do a kickstarter for smosh summer games or anything else they want to do that’s too expensive for them to be able to just do. I mean I KNOW that if they do a kickstarter they’d be able to raise so much money. TCB has raised $200,000 in two weeks already and Smosh has a wayyyy bigger fan base who would probably be willing to fund bigger projects especially if there’s other little rewards for backing like most kickstarters have. I feel like they don’t have an excuse not to do bigger projects when they could easily kickstart stuff and make a shit ton of money. This fan base is loyal and clearly has money they are willing to give so why not take advantage of that so you can make big projects everyone can enjoy?

THIS IS WHAT I’VE BEEN SAYING

WTF

ARE

THEY 

DOING.

They have the reach, they have the opportunity, YET THEY COMPLAIN ABOUT “We thought we might not be able to keep Smosh afloat” “we didn’t know where Smosh was going” “It’s really expensive” LOSER MENTALITY!!!! YOU HAVE A HUGE FUCKING COMMUNITY WILLING TO HELP WITH MONEY OR OTHERWISE. USE IT. lame excuse. 

We have PROVEN time and time again that we’ll give them money to do cool shit, idk why they refuse to catch on… (they literally were making $262 a minute on the last fundraising livestream, they KNOW we will donate money) especially if they advertise it! and give incentives! LIKE THE DOG CONE THING THEYVE BEEN DOING! (I fucking LOVE ANGELA! she knows how this SHIT WORKS. And she always is so so so appreciative of any/all the money donated !!!<3) like I get it if they give us a days notice (like they have in the past) they aren’t going to get as much as they could.… this is giving me a headache how BAD THEY FUMBLE SIMPLE SHIT LIKE THIS, there HAS to be a reason they are so fucking bad at this stuff!

Let me in there!! I don’t know anything about running a company, but SURELY I could do better than whatever tf they’ve been doing!

Please if you take anything from this, BE HARSH ON SMOSH about why they don’t do community fundraisers for stuff!! it does not. make. any. sense. why they wouldn’t.

[rpgmgames]

March’s Featured Game: acai cOrner

DEVELOPER(S): moca & Mitty ENGINE: RPG Maker 2003 GENRE: RPG, Adventure, Surreal SUMMARY: acai cOrner is about Mizuki, someone who has fallen into the sewers and who happens to find their favorite electric guitar! Upon obtaining the guitar, Mizuki turns into a magical girl who must defend herself against spooky sewer creatures using the guitar's magical powers.

Download the game here! Our Interview With The Dev Team Below The Cut!

Introduce yourself! *moca: Hi, I'm moca, a Starbucks barista aspiring to be a writer and game developer. I have been making RPG Maker games for about six years now, with my first two projects being a Pokémon fan-game and a Corpse Party fan-game. Those two happen to be my two favorite franchises as well! I have also created the RPG Maker game MOMOKA (IGMC 2018). I have founded a group called 'Team Shibu!' dedicated to making horror games! Our current project is a RPG Maker survival horror game named 'Katharsis'.

*Mitty: Hey there, I'm Mitty! I've been working with Moca on several games for a while now, helping with mostly graphics! Please support him, as he is very kind and hardworking!! I'm also the main developer of a game called "Marinette", so I hope you'll check that one out too, when the demo is released!

What is your project about? What inspired you to create this game initially? *moca: acai cOrner is an experimental spooky RPG Maker game that only uses 4 colors! You are a magical girl with a just-as-magical electric guitar that you use to fend off spooky sewer slimes and other weird enemies you find in the surreal sewer system. It's half exploration and half RPG battles. What inspired me to create acai cOrner initially was to actually get myself back into the groove of making games again. I had just recently came back from a hiatus and found myself having trouble getting back into the development of 'Katharsis'. That's when I decided to make a short, experimental game to get the juices flowing.

How long did you work on your project? *moca: acai cOrner was finished in just about under a month!

Did any other games or media influence aspects of your project? *moca: I had always wanted to make a Yume Nikki-like game and thought this was the perfect opportunity to try. So for the more surreal parts of acai cOrner, I took inspiration from Yume Nikki and a Homestuck random planet generator. Gameplay wise though, I took inspiration from a RPG Maker game called Ghost Suburb 0! I really loved how unique it was, especially with the timer and no dialogue aspect. I knew I wanted to do something with a timer, so I tried a rogue-like approach with the gameplay.

Have you come across any challenges during development? How have you overcome or worked around them? *moca: If you played any of my previous projects, you know that acai cOrner is vastly different than anything that I have ever done. I'm so used to using words to describe the violence in my games, so when it came to making the story, I had a lot of trouble. It wasn't until I looked deeper into why people like these types of games that I had realized that people like to interpret the story on their own, guided by exploration, to enjoy these games. After that, I let loose a bit and made something more open-ended. Another challenge was the difficulty. I was the only one playtesting the game, and since I knew the game front and back, and had no trouble getting the ending. That's why when I sent out demos to friends, I was really discouraged to hear that the experience was mostly frustrating and rage quitting-inducing haha. I worked closely with their feedback and made changes accordingly to make the experience less frustrating but still difficult. *Mitty: I think I was going through a weird artblock during the development of the game, so for some of the illustrations and backdrops for each area's fights, Moca sketched out the basic idea of what it could look like, and I just put my spin on it! It made the work much easier and faster!

Did any aspects of your project change over time? How does your current project differ from your initial concept? *moca: Well, the game was meant to be short so there wasn't room for any big changes. Sure there are a couple gameplay changes and enemy tweaks, but not anything mindblowing. I added in the idea of making four surreal worlds kinda last minute, if that counts, haha.

What was your team like at the beginning? How did people join the team? If you don’t have a team, do you wish you had one or do you prefer working alone? *moca: In the beginning, it was just me! I didn't think I was gonna need any outside help since this was supposed to be a relatively easy project to release, but the further in development I got, the more I realized the game needed pizazz. The four color limitation wasn't enough for my lack of graphical talent. That's when I contacted Mitty about helping with the games battle backdrops and sprite animations! She is also a member of Team Shibu!, but we have collabed together even before that. Her art really made the project shine and I enjoy working with them on games! *Mitty: Moca contacted me, and I wanted to help! We are working together on another game called Katharsis, so we are quite familiar with each other. I like working with other people, especially if I'm not in the lead, it releases a bit of the pressure I feel sometimes ahaha

What is the best part of developing a game? *moca: To me, it's seeing everything come together and just... working exactly the way you envisioned it. As a game developer, you section the game off into parts to make development much more organized and faster but seeing it all come together in the end. Pure bliss *chefs kiss*. *Mitty: I like a bit of everything, but currently I've been enjoying animating and spritework, as well as map assets' designs a little more than usual!

Do you find yourself playing other RPG Maker games to see what you can do with the engine, or do you prefer to do your own thing? *moca: Mm... not really! I have an idea of what the engine can do, so when I do go out of my way to player other RPG Maker games, it's usually for writing inspiration rather than gameplay inspiration. Ghost Suburb 0 is something that I accidentally stumbled upon and immediately fell in love with it the minute I played it haha. (Fun fact: the developer of Ghost Suburb 0 is apart of Team Shibu! and is in charge of monster design!)

Which character in your game do you relate to the most and why? (Alternatively: Who is your favorite character and why?) *moca: There is a rat in the game that is internally called 'Ratthew' who leads you into a funky room. I relate them the most. *Mitty: I relate to the land sharks the most on a spiritual level. They are pretty much confused beans, and that's very relatable.

Looking back now, is there anything that regret/wish you had done differently? *moca: I wish I added more random spooky events and trap rooms. But the game was also supposed to be short and I knew that if I kept adding more and more things, development was never gonna end haha.

Do you plan to explore the game’s universe and characters further in subsequent projects, or leave it as-is? *moca: Well, by the time this interview comes out, there should be a new update for the game. The update should include 100% custom music by a talented composer, and a nerf in difficulty. As for sequels, who knows! The next time you see acai cOrner may be in 3D.

What do you most look forward to upon finishing the game? *moca: Definitely the fan reaction! The satisfaction of seeing your work being noticed by people and actually enjoying makes me happy. It's also the relief of just... finishing something! *Mitty: For this particular project I was obviously looking forward to seeing what people said about the little animations and such ahaha! I also was curious about the reaction to the timed difficulty mechanic, I had never seen anything like that before Moca presented it to me, so I had no idea on what people's feedback would be.

Is there something you’re afraid of concerning the development or the release of your game? *moca: How people will handle the difficulty. The game isn't supposed to be completed on your first playthrough, but in 2-3 playthroughs. There are rooms and places that are meant to waste your time that you should ideally skip the more you play. By later playthroughs, you should be shaving time and be better. I understand that it's not handled as best I could, but I think the experience should still be challenging and hopefully fun! *Mitty: I was a little conflicted on the timed mechanic, I loved it because it's pretty original and helps set an interesting athmosphere of worry and unease, and also seems to tell a bit of the vague story; and at the same time I don't like it much because I prefer more story-driven games and the vagueness mixed with the mechanic feels different from what I'm used to playing! I think it's more of a personal taste kind of thing, it was an experimental jam game, after all!

Do you have any advice for upcoming devs? *moca: Take it easy! Take short breaks throughout development. And most importantly, have fun. If it's a hobby and it's making you overly stressed, just take a step back!

Question from last month's featured dev @ressurflection: What would you say is the weakest part of your game development? *moca: Procrastination. I'm so bad at sticking to my own schedule, it's something that I try to keep in check when working with a team especially.

We mods would like to thank moca & Mitty for agreeing to our interview! We believe that featuring the developer and their creative process is just as important as featuring the final product. Hopefully this Q&A segment has been an entertaining and insightful experience for everyone involved!

Remember to check out acai cOrner if you haven’t already! See you next month! 

- Mods Gold & Platinum

[thelowlysatsuma]

I am curious about Tori’s backsTori

!!!!!! okay first of all i love you for that pun.

secondly, this is gonna double for you and the anon who asked me to talk about tori as well!

okay so! tori is a seventeen year old kid on an alternate version of earth, working in their equivalent of a policing program. like around half of his peers, he’s a shapeshifter, genetically engineered while in the womb to be able to turn into an animal in times when his fight-or-flight response kicks in. UNlike most of his peers, the animal that TORI can turn into is... well...

a llama.

the kid’s a llama.

what the fuck do you do with a llama.

consequently, tori’s been a tad bit discriminated against in his program, and hasn’t advanced through the ranks as quickly as he ought to have. in fact, at the moment, he’s stuck in a legal loophole that prevents him from advancing – permanently.

here’s my working summary of the series, which’ll hopefully help make a little more sense of things!

On an alternate Earth where living next door to genetically engineered shapeshifters puts you in a pretty mundane neighbourhood, the Skyline Agency presides over governmental proceedings, education, and – its most well known purpose – law enforcement.

Meet Tori Frei, a seventeen year old shifter whose natural intelligence and knack for reading people would normally make him a top pick for Skyline’s policing program – that is, if the legal loophole he’s been stuck in for the past four years wasn’t preventing his advancement up the ranks. However, his luck just might change when, on a seemingly routine case that sees him and his newfound partner Mitra investigating a missing ring, they suddenly get swept up into the world of Skyline’s best and brightest as they stumble into a case that has their generation’s top agent stumped.

Welcome to a world where bioengineered humans are the new normal. To a world where murder isn’t the scariest item on the agenda. To a world where anyone – even a kid – can change the system.

Welcome to Shift.

and that’s the story! they end up on a case with the falcon – otherwise known as agent akira kohli.

now, tori’s real backstory – that is, the legal loophole he’s stuck in – involves a hell of a lot of spoilers, so i’m putting it under the cut. ready? here we go!

okay! first off, warning for violence and murder. nothing explicit, but it’s there. also very light gore. oh gosh, also emotional manipulation and gaslighting. oh yeah oof his story isn’t happy.

in Skyline’s policing branch of the agency, it’s customary for pupils – especially shifters, who’ve all legally attended the Skyline academy their entire lives – to tag along on their first big mission (lead by a superior, obviously) when they reach a certain level – regardless of age. this leads to tori going on his first mission at the tender old age of thirteen.

i know, right? damn. kid is smart.

anyways, he gets paired with a senior agent who happens to be one of the people none too happy to see a llama, of all the goddamn things, being one of the fastest-advancing students of the new generation. so when senior over here sees a golden opportunity to sabotage the mission and blame it on the new kid, he takes it.

unfortunately, the mission they’re on isn’t investigating a simple bank robbery. they’re dealing with an active hostage situation. tori, the cocky teen bastard he is, finds a lead – one that would actually be decent, had this mission been approached the right way – and presents it to senior, who promptly informs him that this is his first big mission, isn’t it? and as such, shouldn’t tori be the one to pursue the lead?

tori’s lead is good – too good. he finds the hostage (another shifter, not even a decade older than tori himself, who was caught while undercover, investigating a gang) when he’s alone, but he doesn’t stay that way for long. before tori can blink, a gang member is beside the hostage, a knife to his throat.

“oh please,” tori says, hands folded behind his head like he owns the small, dingy warehouse they’re in. “you wouldn’t kill him. he’s your only bargaining chip. no one’s that stupid.”

“oh,” replies the criminal, “aren’t i?”

then she slits the hostage’s throat.

tori stumbles back as droplets of blood fly through the air in an arc, eyes widening, face draining of colour. he bumps into a warm body and whips around only to see senior glaring down at him coldly. the gang member makes a break for it, and they watch her go. senior clears his throat, and tori flinches.

“really?” he demands harshly. “you let her go?”

tori shrinks back. “i- i didn’t know-”

“of course you didn’t,” senior sighs. “why didn’t you just wait for me to back you up like i told you to?”

tori’s hands shakingly push through dark hair and he hugs himself loosely. “i- he’s- he’s dead”

senior rolls his eyes and places his hands on his hips. “thank you, captain obvious,” he bites, adjusting his collar. “now i have to clean up this whole mess, and it’s all your fault.”

he locks eyes with tori, and the boy withers under his piercing green gaze. “isn’t it?”

tori’s fists grab at his sweater sleeves, and he feels tears trail down his cheeks even as his eyes stay, horrified, fixated on senior. he tries to choke out words, but his voice breaks. eventually, he manages to calm himself enough to voice what he’s thinking.

“it’s my fault.”

and there you have it. the two return, senior spins the story to blame it on his thirteen year old charge, and tori not only internalizes the guilt and suffers through it in silence for the next four years of his life until his past comes hurtling back at him, but also gets trapped in a legal loophole that states that he’s no longer allowed to go on missions above level 1 (and even those are debatable), and that the only way he’ll be allowed to go on higher ranking missions again is if he were to help pull off a mission of level 2 or higher.

not a happy kid, then.

and of course, it doesn’t help that just when he’s making friends again, just when he starts to genuinely connect with people again, just when he starts to feel safe again, his past not only comes out, but comes out in what seems to be the worst possible way. what happens, you ask? oh, nothing much.

only that his new best friend mitra, the first person he’s started to really trust since the incident, an optimistic boy with problems of his own, only that mitti finds out about tori’s past – and finds out that the hostage he “got killed” was mitti’s own older brother. and since mitti’s only ever heard the version of the story that senior told, well. it doesn’t end well for either of them.

and that’s tori! lovely, whip smart, snarky tori, who doesn’t deserve anything that’s happened to him, but who i promise will get the opportunity to work through his trauma.

i love my llama son.

[dweemeister]

2018 Movie Odyssey

That is time on the 2018 Movie Odyssey. Though the number of total films I saw increased this year, that was mostly because of a stratospheric rise in short films I saw - thanks to my time at the 2018 Viet Film Fest and Turner Classic Movies’ (TCM) decision in March to begin airing one classic Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) short and a Popeye short every Saturday morning except in August and select Saturdays. I saw two hundred and sixty-two films in their entirety that were completely new to me this year - 156 feature-length films (includes one serial) and 107 short films. The number of features was expected to go down this year because of the Winter Olympics in February and the FIFA World Cup in June/July. With only the Women’s World Cup in June/July 2019, maybe there’ll be an increase next year (we’ll see how employment impacts the number too)?

If there is anything that disappoints me about this list is that, again, there is only one African film (a short) featured this year and one from Latin America (Roma). There used to be a handful of classic African films on Netflix, but Netflix’s recent moves to emphasize television and its Netflix originals has blocked off that possibility. So here’s hoping in 2019 there will be much more representation from Africa and Latin America - not only among short films, but in features especially.

For all those who participated and supported the Movie Odyssey in any way - by reading, liking, commenting on, or reblogging a write-up; talking with me about movies we’ve seen; or even sitting down with me to watch something... none of this possible without you. So all of you have my thanks. The Movie Odyssey continues, as always. Onward to 2019.

As many of you know, all ratings are based on my imdb rating and half-points are always rounded down. My interpretation of that ratings system can be found here. A 6/10 is considered the borderline between “passing” and “failing”. Feature-length narrative films, serials, documentaries, and short films are rated within their respective spectrums. Here is the list... beginning with Disney and ending with Disney.

JANUARY

Pete’s Dragon (1977) – 6.5/10

The Post (2017) – 8/10

Salt of the Earth (1954) – 7/10

Girl Crazy (1943) – 7/10

The Greatest Showman (2017) – 6/10

Charade (1963) – 9.5/10

The Boy with Green Hair (1948) – 6/10

Stop! Look! And Hasten! (1954 short) – 7/10

Strangled Eggs (1961 short) – 6/10

Flirty Birdy (1945 short) – 6/10

Hollywood Hotel (1937) – 6/10

Darkest Hour (2017) – 7/10

Mary and the Witch’s Flower (2017, Japan) – 7/10

Pyaasa (1957, India) – 9.5/10

Call Me by Your Name (2017) – 8/10

Phantom Thread (2017) – 9/10

A Warm December (1973) – 6/10

A Corny Concerto (1943 short) – 9/10

FEBRUARY (2018′s 31 DAYS OF OSCAR)

All This, and Heaven Too (1940) – 8.5/10

A River Runs Through It (1992) – 7/10

The Heiress (1949) – 10/10

Stop, Look and Listen (1967 short) – 9/10

The Black Stallion (1979) – 7.5/10

DeKalb Elementary (2017 short) – 9/10

The Silent Child (2017 short) – 7/10

My Nephew Emmett (2017 short) – 7.5/10

The Eleven O’Clock (2017 short) – 9/10

Watu Wote: All of Us (2017, Germany/Kenya) – 8/10

Love is a Many-Splendored Thing (1955) – 6/10

Dear Basketball (2017 short) – 7.5/10

Negative Space (2017 short, France) – 7.5/10

Lou (2017 short) – 8/10

Revolting Rhymes Part One (2016 short) – 8/10

Garden Party (2016 short, France) – 7/10

Lost Property Office (2017 short) – 7/10

Weeds (2017 short) – 6/10

Achoo (2017 short, France) – 6/10

Heroin(e) (2017 short) – 6.5/10

Knife Skills (2017 short) – 8/10

Traffic Stop (2017 short) – 7/10

Edith+Eddie (2017 short) – 8/10

Heaven is a Traffic Jam on the 405 (2016 short) – 6.5/10

MARCH

A Man for All Seasons (1966) – 8/10

The Alamo (1960) – 6/10

A Wrinkle in Time (2018) – 5.5/10

Black Panther (2018) – 7/10

The Counterfeit Cat (1949 short) – 7/10

Popeye the Sailor (1933 short) – 8/10

Piccadilly (1929) – 6/10

Stranger on the Third Floor (1940) – 7/10

Droopy Leprechaun (1958 short) – 6/10

I Yam What I Yam (1933 short) – 6.5/10

The Whole Town’s Talking (1935) – 7.5/10

National Velvet (1944) – 6.5/10

The Early Bird Dood It! (1942 short) – 7/10

Blow Me Down! (1933 short) – 7/10

Splendor in the Grass (1961) – 8.5/10

Dangal (2016, India) – 7/10

Ready Player One (2018) – 7/10

The Golden Touch (1935 short) – 7/10

Grease (1978) – 6.5/10

The Bear That Couldn’t Sleep (1939 short) – 6/10

I Eats My Spinach (1933 short) – 7/10

Overboard (1987) – 7.5/10

APRIL

Quo Vadis (1951) – 7.5/10

In Search of the Castaways (1962) – 6/10

Cimarron (1931) – 5/10

The Secret Life of Walter Mitty (2013) – 6/10

Mr. Duck Steps Out (1940 short) – 7.5/10

The One and Only, Genuine, Original Family Band (1968) – 6/10

A Quiet Place (2018) – 8/10

Little ‘Tinker (1948 short) – 7/10

Seasin’s Greetniks! (1933 short) – 6.5/10

Drag-A-Long Droopy (1954 short) – 7/10

Wild Elephinks (1933 short) – 6/10

The Cat Returns (2002, Japan) – 6/10

Spring Dreams (1960, Japan) – 6/10

The Journey of Natty Gann (1985) – 7.5/10

Gunfight at the O.K. Corral (1957) – 7/10

PK (2014, India) – 7/10

The Bear and the Bean (1948 short) – 6/10

Sock-a-Bye, Baby (1934 short) – 6/10

Crossfire (1947) – 7.5/10

The Sword and the Rose (1953) – 6/10

The Beatles: Eight Days a Week – The Touring Years (2016) – 7/10

Rob Roy: The Highland Rogue (1953) – 5/10

Animal House (1978) – 6.5/10

The Early Bird and the Worm (1936 short) – 5/10

Let’s You and Him Fight (1934 short) – 6/10

MAY

My Brother’s Wedding (1983) – 7.5/10

Avengers: Infinity War (2018) – 6.5/10

Chips Off the Old Block (1942 short) – 6/10

The Man on the Flying Trapeze (1934 short) – 8/10

The Woman in White (1948) – 6.5/10

Can You Take It (1934 short) – 7/10

Farewell to Spring (1959, Japan) – 6.5/10

Floral Japan (1937 short) – 5/10

The Wacky World of Mother Goose (1967) – 3/10

Dodge City (1939) – 7/10

Homesteader Droopy (1954 short) – 7/10

Shoein’ Hosses (1934 short) – 6/10

Wonder Man (1945) – 7/10

Hans Christian Andersen (1952) – 7.5/10

Solo (2018) – 6/10

JUNE

A Day at the Beach (1938 short) – 6/10

Strong to the Finich (1934 short) – 6.5/10

Blondie (1938) – 7/10

A Man Escaped (1956, France) – 10/10

Braveheart (1995) – 6.5/10

Hereditary (2018) – 9/10

Moose Hunters (1937 short) – 7/10

Bao (2018 short) – 6/10

Incredibles 2 (2018) – 8/10

Sleepy-Time Squirrel (1954 short) – 7/10

Shiver Me Timbers! (1934 short) – 8.5/10

Papa Gets the Bird (1940 short) – 6/10

Axe Me Another (1934 short) – 7/10

So You’re Going to Be a Father (1947 short) – 7/10

Gokurôsama (2017 short, France) – 6/10

Pom Poko (1994, Japan) – 8/10

Greyfriars Bobby (1961) – 7/10

Red Barry (1938 serial) – 5/10

Won’t You Be My Neighbor? (2018) – 9/10

JULY

The Three Little Pups (1953 short) – 7.5/10

A Dream Walking (1934 short) – 7/10

Cellbound (1955 short) – 8/10

The Two-Alarm Fire (1934 short) – 6/10

The Blue Angel (1930, Germany) – 9.5/10

The Philadelphia Story (1940) – 10/10

Big Red (1962) – 6/10

Benji the Hunted (1987) – 6/10

The Dance Contest (1934 short) – 6/10

It (1927) – 7/10

The Legend of Lobo (1962) – 7/10

Tarzan the Ape Man (1932) – 6/10

Dances with Wolves (1990) – 8.5/10

The NeverEnding Story (1984) – 6/10

Son of Lassie (1945) – 6/10

A Generation (1955, Poland) – 6.5/10

Overture: Tannhäuser (1926 short) – 6/10

Stowaway (1936) – 7/10

A View to a Kill (1985) – 4.5/10

Warlock (1959) – 7.5/10

The Steamroller and the Violin (1961, Soviet Union) – 8.5/10

Old Smokey (1938 short) – 6.5/10

Beware of Barnacle Bill (1935) – 8/10

Stalker (1979, Soviet Union) – 10/10

Moon Over Miami (1941) – 7/10

Eighth Grade (2018) – 8.5/10

The Living Daylights (1987) – 6/10

Sorry to Bother You (2018) – 8/10

The Little Wise Quacker (1952 short) – 6/10

Be Kind to ‘Aminals’ (1935 short) – 5/10

Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (1954) – 8.5/10

AUGUST

Gojira (1954, Japan) – 9/10

Christopher Robin (2018) – 7/10

Mission: Impossible – Fallout (2018) – 8/10

Licence to Kill (1989) – 7.5/10

Mare Nostrum (1926) – 6.5/10

Berkeley Square (1933) – 7/10

Crazy Rich Asians (2018) – 7/10

GoldenEye (1995) – 8/10

Hanh, Solo (2017) – 7/10 (2018 Viet Film Fest)

The Girl from Yesterday (2017, Vietnam) – 6/10 (2018 Viet Film Fest)

Actress Wanted (2018) – 7/10 (2018 Viet Film Fest)

Tomorrow Never Dies (1997) – 6/10

Cheyenne Autumn (1964) – 6/10

The Fountainhead (1949) – 6.5/10

South Pacific (1958) – 6/10

Uncle Tom’s Cabin (1927) – 7/10

Naughty Marietta (1935) – 6/10

The World Is Not Enough (1999) – 5/10

The Way Station (2017, Vietnam) – 6/10 (2018 Viet Film Fest)

It Happened at the World’s Fair (1963) – 5/10

49th Parallel (1941) – 8.5/10

SEPTEMBER

The Rains Came (1939) – 6/10

8½ (1963, Italy) – 10/10

Die Another Day (2002) – 4.5/10

The Lost World: Jurassic Park (1997) – 5/10

Tron (1982) – 5/10

Perfect Blue (1997, Japan) – 8/10

RBG (2018) – 7.5/10

The Alley Cat (1941 short) – 7/10

The ‘Hyp-Nut-Tist’ (1935 short) – 6/10

My Neighbors the Yamadas (1999, Japan) – 8.5/10

Pick of the Litter (2018) – 7/10

The House of Tomorrow (1949 short) – 7.5/10

OCTOBER

Cry, the Beloved Country (1951) – 8/10

A Star Is Born (2018) - 8/10

The Story of Temple Drake (1933) – 8/10

The Spirit of the Beehive (1973, Spain) – 8/10

First Generation (2017 short) – 6/10 (2018 Viet Film Fest)

Nước (2016 short, Vietnam) – 7/10 (2018 Viet Film Fest)

Spring Leaves (2015 short, France) – 8/10 (2018 Viet Film Fest)

Every Grain of Rice (2017 short) – 6/10 (2018 Viet Film Fest; not on imdb)

Nguyening: The Lee Nguyen Story (2017 short) – 7/10 (2018 Viet Film Fest; not on imdb)

Summer in Closed Eyes (2018, Vietnam) – 7/10 (2018 Viet Film Fest)

Untold Secrets (2018 short) – student film, score withheld (2018 Viet Film Fest; not on imdb)

Altarlife (2018 short) – student film, score withheld (2018 Viet Film Fest; not on imdb)

The Broken Bond (2018 short) – student film, score withheld (2018 Viet Film Fest; not on imdb)

Crazy 8 (2018 short) – student film, score withheld (2018 Viet Film Fest; not on imdb)

100 Days of Sunshine (2018, Vietnam) – 6/10 (2018 Viet Film Fest)

The Purple Horizon (1971, Vietnam) – 7/10 (2018 Viet Film Fest)

The Walking Dead (1936) – 6.5/10

First Man (2018) – 8/10

The Seventh Victim (1943) – 7/10

The Tailor (2017, Vietnam) – 6.5/10

The Curse of the Mummy’s Tomb (1964) – 4/10

NOVEMBER

The Old Man & the Gun (2018) – 7/10

Fallen Angel (1945) – 6/10

Imitation of Life (1934) – 8/10

Free Solo (2018) – 8/10

Mabel’s Blunder (1914 short) – 6/10

Caught in a Cabaret (1914 short) – 6/10

Floating Weeds (1959, Japan) – 9/10

The Hate U Give (2018) – 7/10

The Ballad of Buster Scruggs (2018) – 7.5/10

The D.I. (1957) – 7/10

Can You Ever Forgive Me? (2018) – 7.5/10

Alexander Nevsky (1938, Soviet Union) – 8/10

Ralph Breaks the Internet (2018) – 6/10

Cooley High (1975) – 7/10

Burning (2018, South Korea) – 9/10

Mirai (2018, Japan) – 6/10

DECEMBER

West Point (1927) – 7/10

Shoplifters (2018, Japan) – 10/10

Roma (2018, Mexico) – 10/10

Kiss & Spell (2017, Vietnam) – 5/10 (2018 Viet Film Fest)

Henpecked Hoboes (1946 short) – 6/10

For Better or Worser (1935 short) – 7/10

Dizzy Divers (1935 short) – 7/10

The Little Whirlwind (1941 short) – 6/10

The Captain’s Pup (1938 short) – 6/10

You Gotta Be a Football Hero (1935 short) – 6.5/10

King of the Mardi Gras (1935 short) – 7/10

Barney Bear’s Victory Garden (1942 short) – 6.5/10

Screwball Squirrel (1944 short) – 7.5/10

Adventures of Popeye (1935 short) – 5/10

The Spinach Overture (1935 short) – 7/10

One Droopy Knight (1957 short) – 7.5/10

Who Killed Who? (1943 short) – 8/10

Vim, Vigor and Vitaliky (1936 short) – 6/10

A Clean Shaven Man (1936 short) – 7/10

Jerky Turkey (1945 short) – 6/10

Brotherly Love (1936 short) – 8/10

I-Ski Love-Ski You-Ski (1936 short) – 7/10

Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018) – 9/10

Grin and Share It (1957 short) – 7.5/10

Alias St. Nick (1935 short) – 6/10

The Captain’s Christmas (1938 short) – 6/10

Bridge Ahoy! (1936 short) – 7/10

What – No Spinach? (1936 short) – 7/10

I Wanna Be a Life Guard (1936 short) – 6/10

Flight of the Navigator (1986) – 7.5/10

The Black Hole (1979) – 5.5/10

Pluto’s Sweater (1949 short) – 6/10

Double Dribble (1946 short) – 6/10

Aquaman (2018) – 6.5/10

The Absent-Minded Professor (1961) – 7/10

The Favourite (2018) – 8.5/10

The Cat from Outer Space (1978) – 5.5/10

Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey (1993) – 6/10

Son of Flubber (1963) – 6/10

All scores are subject to change (upgrades and downgrades) upon a rewatch.

[daleisgreat]

X-Men Apocalypse

We are approaching the release date for the final FOX X-Men film hitting theaters when Dark Phoenix arrives next week. Thus it seemed like a perfect time to revisit FOX’s previous ensemble X-Men film, 2016’s Apocalypse (trailer). Minus a couple exceptions, I have largely enjoyed most of the X-Men movies so far, even if I have barely an idea of what is or is no longer canon anymore and the many contradictions that have surfaced with each proceeding film. The filmmakers stated in the bonus feature interviews here they are essentially making up the rules as they go along ever since they introduced time travel. Regardless, each X-film in and of itself I have mostly enjoyed on its own merits, and that continues with Apocalypse. Apocalypse has greatly benefited with a second viewing a few years later. I recall nitpicking it in the theaters for its contradictions and other little details that did not match up with previous films and trying to come to terms with the unexpected costume and character design of Apocalypse (Oscar Isaac) himself as it compared to the Apocalypse costume I grew up with in the comics and early 90s animated series. Now that I got those initial puzzled impressions out of my system I took in Apocalypse on its own and those nitpicks were not as much of a distraction on second viewing.

Apocalypse transpires 10 years after the events of Days of Future Past in 1983. I liked how they set up the origin for Apocalypse in the prologue and establish how he is this god-like force to be reckoned with all these years later. Watching him grow in power as he recruited Angel (Ben Hardy), Storm (Alexandra Shipp), Psylocke (Olivia Munn) and Magneto (Michael Fassbender) as his ‘four horsemen’ proved him to a formidable force. There is a lot of setup Apocalypse’s first half of its near two and a half hour runtime. It did not feel that long however because with its ensemble cast there were so many individual stories to tell to bring everyone together that Apocalypse breezed by. Nearly all the main players from the previous two core X-Men films return like Professor Xavier (James McAvoy), Mystique (Jennifer Laurence) and Beast (Nicholas Hoult). Periphery players from before like Quicksilver (Evan Peters) and Havok (Lucas Till) also have bigger roles in this film. Young versions of Cyclops (Tye Sheridan), Nightcrawler (Kurt Wagner), Jean Grey (Sophie Turner) and yes….even Jubilee (Lana Condor) make their debut in this past era of X-films. There are a few surprises I do not want to ruin, but rest assured there are plenty of interesting interactions among the huge cast knowing how these characters will interact in movies set after this. Fassbender and McAvoy easily have the best chemistry among the whole cast and the two steal the show with their handful of one-on-one emotional scenes.

Like the rest of the X-films, Apocalypse does not disappoint when it comes to special effects. There are countless CG showcases from the Apocalypse origin story prologue, to another Quicksilver slow-motion sizzle reel, a couple of impressive destruction sequences where Apocalypse unleashes his fury and the requisite Cerebro scene gone terribly wrong. These CG sequences go hand-in-hand with most of the action scenes, and they were smartly paced in with all the setup and build to the climatic final showdown which is highlighted with Apocalypse and Xavier engaging in a telepathic duel for the ages. How those CG scenes were produced is tackled among the boatload of extra features. X-Men Unearthed is the standout extra. It is a five-part feature running a little over an hour combined and tackles how the cast and crew is handling the convoluted canon of the X-films, shows Patrick Stewart give his blessing and witness MacAvoy shave his head, breaks down the cast and goes into the nuts and bolts on how those awesome CG sequences came to be. Definitely worth a watch! There is nearly a half hour of deleted scenes with optional introductions from director Bryan Singer that includes a lot of material that seemed tragic to get cut like a feel-good 80s mall music montage set to Safety Dance that got me nostalgic for my teenage Mallrats years, and Fassbender nailing it with a emotional family scene that Singer stated was one of his all-time heartbreaking cuts to make in filmmaking. There is a killer eight minute gag reel that I would place in the top tier of superhero film gag reels, which is good company to be among.

Finally the commentary track with Singer and writer/producer Simon Kinberg is among one of my favorite commentaries I have heard in the five and a half years since I started this site. Singer is mostly nonstop with revealing facts and inspirations for the film like going into a engrossing story on the aforementioned Fassbender deleted scene, pointing out that Jubilee is in the film in one of her few lines or else I would have completely missed her, taking potshots at Marvel and FOX in the opening credits, a touching anecdote on filming the Stan Lee cameo and being grateful to Munn and Peters for knowing their Mortal Kombat references that resulted in saving a certain moment of the film. Those are just a few of the many highlights I got from the commentary so if you have time this is one of the good ones to check out. Also worth pointing out is FOX subtitled the commentary, THANK YOU! As I alluded to earlier, I came out of X-Men: Apocalypse with a far better experience on my second viewing. I only marginally enjoyed it initially, but letting some time and perspective sink in helped immensely. I am now surprisingly stoked to see Dark Phoenix when it hits next week. I highly recommend revisiting Apocalypse for a refresher on the many little plot points I would have forgotten. I no doubt agree the canon across the nearly 20 years of FOX X-films is a head-scratcher and a half to keep track of and who knows maybe their new overlords at Disney will find a way to smoothly integrate them into the Marvel Cinematic Universe. However, I would be lying if there was not a part of me that would like to see Disney keep the X-films in their own separate canon that FOX has established, quirks and all. Time will tell.

Other Random Backlog Movie Blogs 3 12 Angry Men (1957) 12 Rounds 3: Lockdown 21 Jump Street The Accountant Angry Video Game Nerd: The Movie Atari: Game Over The Avengers: Age of Ultron The Avengers: Infinity War Batman: The Killing Joke Batman: Mask of the Phantasm Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice Bounty Hunters Cabin in the Woods Captain America: Civil War Captain America: The First Avenger Captain America: The Winter Soldier Christmas Eve Clash of the Titans (1981) Clint Eastwood 11-pack Special The Condemned 2 Countdown Creed Deck the Halls Die Hard Dredd The Eliminators The Equalizer Dirty Work Faster Fast and Furious I-VIII Field of Dreams Fight Club The Fighter For Love of the Game Good Will Hunting Gravity Guardians of the Galaxy Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2 Hercules: Reborn Hitman Indiana Jones 1-4 Ink The Interrogation Interstellar Jobs Joy Ride 1-3 Man of Steel Man on the Moon Marine 3-6 Metallica: Some Kind of Monster Mortal Kombat National Treasure National Treasure: Book of Secrets The Replacements Reservoir Dogs Rocky I-VII Running Films Part 1 Running Films Part 2 San Andreas ScoobyDoo Wrestlemania Mystery The Secret Life of Walter Mitty Shoot em Up Skyscraper Small Town Santa Steve Jobs Source Code Star Trek I-XIII Take Me Home Tonight TMNT The Tooth Fairy 1 & 2 UHF Veronica Mars Vision Quest The War Wild Wonder Woman The Wrestler (2008) X-Men: Days of Future Past