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#the crazy part is that this isnt even edited its just shot like this for no reason sequentially
02x14 · 2 years
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HOUSE OF THE DRAGON, EPISODE 10 (dir. Greg Yaitanes, 2022)
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youhavebeentraceyd · 1 year
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My thoughts on The Glory
[Spoilers Below]
The editing style was hit and miss for me. See I do like the cutting away from a scene at the right moment, and then revealing the rest of the scene at a later time. It keeps things interesting. But the problem is they did it too often! To the point where I kinda want someone to edit the whole show into chronological order so that they can make it clear when something happened. I mean all I really know for sure is that Myeong-O was murdered on October 19th at around 11:20pm because they kept going back to it lol.
The final episode was a bit of a mess. They can cut out that flashback reveal of the old land lady and young Dong-Eun, and replace it with much needed final shots of the three still-living members of the shitheads. I want a where are they now scene! I needed a scene of Sa-Ra, in prison either sober from drugs finally feeling shit and regretful OR now in prison more drugged up than ever before! Hye-Jeong, now unable to talk, struggles to find work, to communicate, is unable to bag a rich man. And lastly Yeon-Jin...Don't call me sadistic but I kinda wanted to see a violent scene of Yeon-Jin in prison where a group of women (preferably five) gang up on her and force her hand into boiling hot cooking oil or something. Is that crazy? idk it just felt like the final scene of her in prison wasn't enough! I need to see her skin burn!! ....uh anyway.
What I find frustrating, is that I don't know where Dong-Eun's plans and machinations end and the on-the-fly choices of the shitheads begins. It's like...what actually was the point of her becoming a teacher? Why did she reveal herself to the shitheads at the school? Why did it feel like she barely did anything? I guess the answer is 'to keep her hands clean' but idk, it feels wishy washy. Like what would she have done if Jae-Joon actually didn't give a shit that Ye-Sol was his daughter? She told Sa-Ra to fill up a bag full of cash but didn't really give a threatening reason why, Sa-Ra doesn't reeeeaally give a shit about hiding her drug problem. And WHY didn't the shitheads just KILL Dong-Eun? They were monsters as kids they should act far worse now. They're rich enough to hire hitmen ya know? Problem solved. It frustrated me because she revealed herself, openly told them that she was going to destroy them, and they DIDN'T ban together to destroy her first? They're shitheads but do they really have shit for brains??
I did like the reveal of Dong-Eun specifically targeting Yeo-Jeong all those years back, because of his family connection to the hospital where So-Hee's body was. I liked it bc a lot of times during Part 2, his rich people privilege and family connection really helped and I kept thinking "well isnt this convenient" or "its pretty lucky that he's on your side", but as it turns out; it wasn't convenient! It wasn't luck! It was part of her far-fetched "plan". Though it's pretty dang lucky that he was so devoted to her, before she even really did anything.
Dong-Eun and Yeo-Jeong have zero chemistry idgaf. Her and Do-Yeong on the other hand! Now that was chemistry! Now regarding Do-Yeong, it didn't sit well with me that Do-Yeong was the one who murdered Jae-Joon. It makes sense to protect Ye-Sol but ultimately it wasn't really in his character to do that. I wish Ye-Sol all the best and that she seeks therapy.
Also Dong-Eun's mother? Tragic, very sad, but honestly she should've taken care of her mother years ago. She didn't need to do much to get her into an institution.
Despite all my critiques, I thoroughly enjoyed this drama. It takes a lot for me to sit through k-dramas, and this one was top quality binge worthy
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yeahiwasintheshit · 2 years
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watched that movie, Men, that came out this year, by alex garland and man, it was a wild crazy movie. its definitely a movie that will keep you captivated, esp the last third when it really goes off the rails.
tho the early parts of the move has those lulls in it where not much is going on and you can find your mind sort of wandering off, but then you really find yourself engrossed in whats happening. i was def literally on the edge of my seat for many scenes, cause alex garland really expertly crafted this icky sense of foreboding and dread. you are experiencing all these weird little creepy moments with the main character, harper, played by jessie buckley, who is really great.
i dont really want to say much about the plot in case it ruins it for anyone, eventho the plot is fairly simple, but essentially its about a woman whos gone thru a tragic experience, which still haunts her, and either as a result of that tragedy or not, she decides to rent an old old house in the english countryside, where... really creepy things start happening to her. i think id categorize this as a horror movie, but theres so much more to it than just one kind of genre. it is without a doubt a hair raiser. the hair literally stood on end for me in quite a few scenes in the early part of the movie where the threat was just starting to build.
its shot so so beautifully. garland gives the idyllic english landscapes this really creepy vibe. i noticed, more so at the beginning, (i didnt notice towards the end) that he shot a lot of scenes with a vignette on the lens, so many of those scenes at the beginning, esp along the abandoned train track and tunnel have this unnerving sense that you are watching the main character, harper, thru the eyes of whatever the threat is. kind of, pov of the serial killer a little. at least thats how it felt to me.
technically, this is so so good. from lighting to editing to even the depth of field it all helps build this claustrophobic feel to many scenes. garland even uses a couple shots that were very kubrick like. like, idk man, when you are like following a character and they are dead center in the frame and the camera is moving along behind them, it always feels creepy because of kubrick. of course the music and sound track help to build it too. its really unnerving when they use jessie buckleys voice and echo. it helps really ratchet up the tension.
man, i really want to talk about the last third because thats where it really took a wild left turn into weird body horror and its just crazy. one scene where harper finally uses the knife through the mail slot, i literally was making guttural gasps, it was gross and fantastic and weird. and thats not even the wildest part of it all lol its just so weird and crazy and gross. it was literally wtf (one minor criticism might be that all that weird shit doesnt quite seem to have a whole lot to do with all the other plot elements that preceded it... or maybe it did and i just am not smart enough to put it together. idk, either way, it wasnt enough to ruin the movie, and tbh all that crazy shit enhanced it somewhat, eventho i didnt know what the fuck was going on)
needless to say, def watch it if youre in the mood for some creepy weird gross folk-y horror. i think i have my own ideas of what garland was going for, cause like i said i def was a little unsure what was happening at the end. like i kinda thought this may all be in her head, but they make sure to show that it may not have been. that it may have all been real. idk. its all sort of left to the viewer to decide what happened, which i generally like. i dont particularly like movies that spell things out so clearly. and there is not a lot of clarity to what is and what isnt happening at the end. which im ok with.
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pearlplusau · 3 years
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Attack of the Multiverse!! (Pink Pearl edition)
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“Presenting....a new writing series! Here’s the preview of the entire story! Enjoy and thanks for reading in advance!”
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*que intense chase track
 A pink pearl in her latest crystal gem form, was blindly running into the darkened beach, where everything was pitch black. She couldn’t see the water, she couldn't see the sand, heck, she couldn’t even see the giant temple that should be located somewhere in front of her without any light source!
She couldn’t remember how long she ran, but it was more than her physic could take. As she slowed down, she huffed and puffed, almost wheezing from all the running. 
But her break was cut short when-
A sound of blast came from somewhere behind her, controlling whatever it touched as the torn objects such as floor boards, trash cans, and giant chunks of earth levitating around the enemy figure.
As Coral raced towards the temple, which was finally visible from the bright aura of the floating gem, another figure appeared, stretching out her ballerina leg and tripped the poor pink gem.
“Ooof-“ she exclaimed as she faceplanted into the sand.
 As Coral lifted her head, she saw two figures, no wait…two identical figures!
The closest figure wore the outfit she had before the rebellion, her first ever pearl form, except it's all nastified, torned up and darkened, as if someone drenched her with the colour schemes of an arch villain. Instead of buns for her hair, two shaggy and messy side ponytails wildly danced under the blowing night wind. Under her eyes was a trail of dark ink, making her look more horrifying than she could ever imagine! (She’s abandoned pearl, but let’s go with Crazy)
The other figure looked like the first figure, except she was completely greyscaled. Her entire body radiated absolutely no colour, just the dreadful shades of black and white! Her hair, too, was in a complete mess, but in a mad scientist style, where her hair looked like it was electrocuted, but more neatly and less frizzy. Anger was radiated from her twitching eye and her frozen W pose, the twitching eye was glowing with power, as if it’s holding back the power with what’s happening next!
The two of them both bore a damaged right eye, but resembled no difference to each other, they even look like-
Coral gasped, “No way! You’re…me?” as she pointed to the two Pink pearls, getting more and more confused.
“That’s right!” Crazy Pearl spoke with a raspy voice and some crazy in her eyes. “And now that we finally got you, we’ll take our sweet time to DESTROY YOU!!”
The pearl brought out a wand from her gem, and it immediately extended and sprung  into a deadly, pink, glowing rejuvenator. “Once you’re rejuvenated, you can join my little army, and we’ll destroy the worlds together! Mwahhahahhahahahaha!!”
Coral was only able to whimper out, “worlds?” as the crazy gem wasted no time and brought down her pink glowing scythe!
As Coral braced for rejuvenation, a pink ribbon lashed out and gripped on Crazy pearl’s arm. The scythe was frozen in place, but it was flung aside as Crazy was yanked out of her spot! As the ribbon retreated, another figure slowly came out of its hiding.
“You won’t be destroying anything once I’m done with you!” It’s the same voice as Coral herself, but more confident and sure. The figure had Coral’s face, her hair, her gift from Pink diamond. The more obvious significance was the green dress and the placement of the gem on her forehead. The gem in green shouted, “Earl! You take that freak while I take care of crazy here!”
As soon as she ordered, the sound of a gem retrieving their weapon echoed, “SHING!” with the sound of pistol fire not long after!
Bullets were shot, all flying towards freak pearl, but a metal trash can flew out of nowhere and acted as a shield against the attack. 
Coral saw the shooter come out with angered expression, as if she was annoyed of the constant blockage of her attacks. The shooter looked almost exactly like freak pearl, the only difference was one of them is a bleached floating freak while the other wore a long sleeved silk shirt with a diamond shaped cut around her gem, bright pink shorts with huge pink splatters and spots all over her body. Her grey hair buns had little strays of hair at the end, with far less cracks on her face. Earl also had the same cracked eye, but she’s looking a lot less freaky than her counterpart.  
As the two pearls fought as ballerinas, assassins and shooters simultaneously, the confident pearl grabbed on to Coral and ordered, “Come on! We need to get out of here! That ribbon wont hold her for long!!”
The said ribbon was wrapping up crazy pearl with a neat bow on top, however, she looked like she could break free any moment!
“Hurry!” Coral got up and they both went to help Earl. The confident pearl pointed to the levitating gem and ordered,  “Use your lance and take her down!”
“What!?” Coral questioned in surprise, “isn’t that a bit too much?”
“Trust me, it's not!”
Coral summoned and gripped her lance, aimed at the freaky pearl and threw.
The weapon was barely slapped away with the metal trash can, but that little distraction was able to give Earl the chance to finally strike and take her down!
Earl leaped into the air and performed a 10/10 somersault, she gracefully kicked freak pearl as far as she could! “Smack!”
The knocked pearl made no sound, just the sound of her SPLASH landing into the dark ocean.
Coral immediately took the chance and demanded answers from the two, “Can someone explain what is going on!?”
She looked at Earl, who, instead of speaking, did hand gestures that were clearly sign language, but Coral didn’t get the chance to study them unfortunately…
Confident pink pearl translated, “She’s saying we don’t have much time! Come one, this way!” she pointed to the side of the crystal gem temple. “There's a portal there that should lead us straight to her!”
Coral demanded as they ran, “Her who?!?”
“Coral, do you believe in alternate universes?!” Confident pearl asked.
“I do now! Seeing all of you here! Being literally alternate versions of…ME!”
“Well actually, we’re all alternative versions of the OG Pink Pearl, The original! I’m from a diamond swap universe where White Diamond and Pink diamond swapped places, I’m one of original crystal gems, without White diamonds old pearl.” C!Pearl said as Earl nodded at the side.
Earl made more hand gestures to say something, pointing to herself along with more sign language. C!Pearl translated, “That’s Earl, she’s from another timeline where she… you know what, it’s a long story, all you need to know is that we can trust her!”
“But what about the two we just fought?” Coral demanded. 
“Those two? I call them freaky and crazy! They’ve been after us ever since we started portal jumping! I’m not sure where they’re from, but I’m pretty sure Crazy is from an AU where SHE was abandoned in Pink diamond’s garden instead of Spinel! As for freak pearl, really not sure here. Maybe she’s an interpretation of how powerful she could get under a diamond’s complete influence and power?”
Coral gave another quick question, “How do we know who the original Pink pearl is if we’re all from different timelines?”
“Simple,” C!Pearl said, “she’s the pinkpearl that followed the Canon timeline, where she got controlled by White Diamond and spent 6000 years as her mindless servant! Us, however, were created to avoid that specific timeline, so she’s the root of all Pink Pearl. The most important thing to do right now is to look for the first Pink Pearl!! She’s the only one that can help us get deal with our...situation right now.”
“How are we gonna get there with these two on our tail!??” Coral said as she notices more rubble floating behind her as well as a maniacal laugh echoing louder and louder!
“All we need is to get through that portal! Those two wont be able to catch up! Come one!”
The portal, swirling in pink and white star dust, finally became visible behind one of the temple palms. Within the right distance, all three pearls leaped into the portal as it closed behind them!
Shooooofwop!
End of part ???
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Multiverse Pink pearl series! Next chapter coming in-
The two rogue pink pearls stopped their tracks when they found...no portal, nor any of the pearls they were fighting. 
The two antagonists turned to the camera, made little chuckles and pointed at you, the reader. Crazy teased, “Look what we got here freak pearl, someone that thinks this ISNT an April Fool’s special.”
Freak pearl rotated her floating junk around her until they got to a trash can. She set the trash can on the sand and tapped three times. 
Knock
Knock
Knock
There was a moment of silence and snoring, sounds like someone fell asleep. 
Crazy summoned a speaker phone from her gem, placed it at the side of the can, and screamed, “HEY PEARLPLUSAU WRITER! ITS YOUR QUE!” 
 The writer groggily woke up rubbing his eyes, “Yawnnnn….”
He fell off into the sand. 
“Heyyy there fellow readers, yes this IS an April fool’s special, a friend of mine was curious if i would write one of these and sure enough, once the idea got developed, i got straight to the writing process.”
“What was surprising is using us AU characters into his little joke writing, where are the credits you punk?!” Crazy asked in a rather annoyed tone. 
"Oh that? ” The writer continued," Credits of the characters are below! You can see the images, as well as the title of the AUs. Some of the characters are linked back to the creators tumblr account, while other creators who dont have tumblr accounts are linked to original posts, like from Instagram!! ”
Freak pearl snapped her fingers for the writer’s attention and pointed to herself, asking for her origin. 
“Oh freak pearl? I just thought it would be cool if there’s more than one antagonist for this special, so i kinda created you myself. The idea was, how dangerous can pinkpearl be with a diamond’s ability, and there you are! Telekinesis and mega white laser beams! Pretty cool huh?”
Freak pearl did not respond...well. 
“Anyways,” the writer proceeded, “writing this was a pretty fun 1.5 hours of the time i have, not including reviewing and editing tho. If theres anyone out there that wishes to continue the story in their own way, be my guest. Just let me know so i can read it myself lol, im very interested in your take of the situation! “
April fools! And thanks for reading!
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Characters (even though they’re not drawn) 
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Coral/Pink pearl from Pearlplusau - Original design by Tripixle!!
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Crystal gem Pink pearl from Diamond swap au - Credit to @dreambigstars
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Earl from WD steven au - AU character from @ask-whitepearl-and-steven
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Crazy pearl (Despair pink pearl), Design from Shrimp.face (Link to their post) 
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Freak Pearl, no specific au named, nor from any creator. So i guess she’s my AU character?
A/N: Hope you guys had fun reading as much as i had fun writing it!
Also the real new chapter coming in probs two weeks from now.
Slightly unrelated, there might not be as much visuals as there was last chapter. The drawing pen is a bit busted. 
Till then! Bye!
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sanstropfremir · 3 years
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it’s the episode 8 review!!! how many episodes is this show supposed to even be?
the stages from the episode feel like such a grab bag.... i still don’t understand why they didn’t put all the skill stages together, and then did the normal two episodes of the third round. i guess it makes sense that they didn’t want to have six stages in one episode and then three in the other two, but eh. 
feeling kinda average on these as a whole, there’s a lot of good elements going on here but probably because of my own preferences (i don’t listen to ballads or blackpink) none of them really hit all the buttons. hopefully this will be a shorter review because i'm only going to do a quick rundown of the vocal stages; i dont really have that much to say about them because they are (intentionally) not very stage picture focused. i'll do the normal stage breakdowns for the other two though, even though i won’t rank them because we still need to see the other four!
vocal stages
sf9 + tbz + ikon
not much to say here other than wow, that’s RED. glad to see some more specific use of spotlighting and i always love when they light things on fire. i do wish they had fill lit with a brighter amber so we could actually get a bit more detail on their faces, especially because there’s six of them. i appreciated the simple blocking and only using one of the ‘stages,’ this stage didn’t need to be anything complicated and it wasn’t. i don’t love spinning camera shots because they make me a bit ill, and i'll forgive the constant cutting because it's a vocal stage and there isn’t any other real movement that we should be paying attention to. not my favourite of the two, i found it visually a bit too repetitive and complex at the same time. always love a crushed velvet suit though, so bonus points for that.
atz + skz + btob
i was braced for the worst and i dont know what kind of miracle happened but it was listenable! like i said, not a ballad fan but i could listen to eunkwang all day. i love a good plinth for a ballad stage, they’re one of my favourite devices in kpop design and i especially love it with a good groundlevel fog. glad they kept it black and white for the first half of the stage, it was in line with the blooming flower projections, and it made a very clear colour arc. they kept the visuals clean and simple with very little blocking at all, a very smart choice for this stage. not sure why they decided it would be the chanel time stage, which i disapprove of because i don’t like chanel, but i do love eunkwang’s shirt with the cameo buttons and the massive turnback cuffs, very 17th and also 19th century. i know they never do it because they dont read on stage normally but yes absolutely more thin chain pendant chokers on men, thank you! i also liked that there was emphasis on a more traditional lighting scheme, there weren't any crazy concert effects, just some good directional beam spotlights and the rear stacks in the climax. 
third round stages
ikon
costume
the first look for them is definitely my fabourite of theirs so far. there’s enough variation in the jackets that the base layer of tshirt and jeans don’t look too repetitive. and i do love a good statement jacket. my favourite is probably donghyuk’s because i'm a sucker for fringe always.
i don’t like the backup dancers costumes, but given the way i’ve reacted to every other all black outfit for this entire show i don’t think anyone was surprised about that. these ones particularly irk me because they’re very matte; there's pretty much no texture or pattern differentials to define the shape of the limb, which makes them disappear when theyre all grouped together (mostly on the women). i think they probably were intending to make a statement/emphasis on the hands because of the sleeve cutoff point, but there were so many arm movements that were just totally missed because the costumes were just black voids. most egregious parts are here, with the female dancers up center. i can barely tell what the movements are unless i’m paying specific attention to them because there's so many black shapes. maybe it was the point for it to be an indiscernable writhing mass, but it wasn’t my vibe.
don’t love this styling on lisa. i hate peeptoe shoes in general but peeptoe boots are the worst offenders. they make you look like you have duck feet, no matter who you are. especially with a flat cutout like that. a universally unflattering shoe, and i would know, i worked in a shoe store for two years. this whole look is just pg-13 rihanna cfda awards 2014 and really nobody should try to run up against rihanna.
also i have to mention this because it’s actually really bothering me, but lisa’s backup dancers are serving very allgemeine ss looks and i do not like it. generally when we see ‘military’ uniforms in kpop theyre usually modelled off older styles (pre wwii) of western uniforms that usually aren’t in circulation, and they’re usually non-matching and embellished in ways that are deliberately not military. i know logically that it's a budget constraint+they’re backup dancers+current trend thing but the clean lines with only button detailing and the all black and that specific harness shape? it hit my brain the wrong way. i mean, technically those uniforms are designer because hugo boss did them, but the uh..... girlboss move didn’t land for me.
this is my PERSONAL OPINION please for the love of all that is holy do not come yelling at me about this. it’s all under a cut, you chose to read the post.
set
very glad to see some busy kitschy sets! this is a massive build, since there’s essentially three full sets here: the temple, the jungle, and the first tiny room. and all of them are very heavily decorated. 
the starting room is just five walls on casters (wheels), that have been set into place with the cameraman and ikon inside at the start, and then once they exit the walls can be easily struck and rolled off set. simple, smart, and convenient!
i missed it the first couple times around but glitching out the projections in the temple for a split second was a neat little trick.
the silver and polygonal nature of the tiger/panther/cat(?) head is a bit disconnected from the gold and the aesthetic of the rest of the stage for me. the difference between the original room set and the jungle tracks, but the cat head isnt able to make the same leap for me. i'm also not a fan of mixing metals so maybe that’s why.
the tiger/panther/cat(?) head is a fun physical transitional device; i'm a big fan of tunnels and small transitory spaces like that and if they’re well dressed like this one they do so much for establishing place and mood.
i'm very sure i’ve seen this style of polygonal animal head with laser eyes before....i cannot for the life of me remember where or for what. i know wang yibo did a panther stage for sdc3 that had a human formation panther with green laser eyes, i wonder if i'm just crossing wires.
OH nevermind it’s because it looks like the witcher medallion. wires were definitely crossed.
lighting
using purple/teal lighting for the jungle was a smart choice because purple is the direct compliment to the gold and also is much more flattering on humans than green. green is one of the colours that humans can see the most variations in, so when something is green when it's not supposed to be (like human skin), we register that very quickly and associate it with unease and sickness. you know how old fluorescent lights have that greenish tinge that kinda makes you feel ill? it's your cone cells and your brain recognizing that you’re looking at things that are not supposed to be green.
very clean colour arc, i love to see it.
sound
it’s.....fine? i don’t listen to blackpink and have no opinions on their music other than it's not my type. i dont really know what the thematic connection to the visuals is, which is not strictly necessary in a lot of cases, but i don’t particularly care for the conflation of ‘savage’ and a (presumably) precolonial religion that’s assembled from stereotypes of real colonized cultures. you can come at me about how ‘it's not that deep’ all you want but i am here specifically doing an in depth analysis, and i gotta point it out. i'm not here to pass judgement on you if you didn’t realize or don’t care or whatever, i'm just saying that it's important to consume content with a critical eye. what you do with that information is your own personal choice, but you should be aware of it at least. 
staging
they took a big risk eating popcorn right before singing, and we definitely got some residual mouth noises of them trying to clean out their teeth. eating on stage is difficult in general because you have to make sure it's not going to dry out the performers mouths, because they dont have access to water and it takes WAY longer to chew and swallow something than you would expect. there’s a LOT of testing that goes into making stage food and guaranteed it’s not made out of what it looks like or what its supposed to be; i worked on a production of amadeus were we did literal weeks of testing amalgams of different desserts to make sure that salieri could actually eat the ones onstage without totally drying him out, because fun fact about that show, salieri doesnt leave stage like, at all, so there was no way to get him water. poor bloke.
i thought the blocking of this was really smart. the long take from the ‘normal’ room and transition into the jungle was super slick, even if that weird circle the camera did while pointed up at the ceiling was unnecessary and pointless.
bobby’s ‘acting’ was extremely funny and that’s the only way people are allowed to act surprised now. edvard munsch scream style only.
the pacing is a bit off and this time it wasn’t mnet’s editing that fucked it up. as fun as it is to have a feature, clearly she wasn’t allowed within proximity of the rest of them for covid or other yg related reasons, but it made for some extremely long transitions, especially the one out of her verse. it kills the momentum of the stage in that beat, even though they manage to pick it up after.
this is a very simple little narrative arc that’s easy to follow and doesn’t require any extra explaining. which is exactly the kind of arc that groups should be doing at this stage in the game. this is a good formic step up for ikon!
i thought the turning off of the monitor at the end was fun and a good callback to them watching the videos at the beginning of the stage. a nice clean way to make it circular.
skz
costume
FINALLY something different on the skz boys! these were mostly fun eboy looks for them, and i like it on the basis that it's not the same as the last set of costumes.
bang chan out there with his thigh OUT and a (fake) bridge piercing? LOVE to see it. great work.
(copy-paste every thing i’ve said about backup dancers wearing all black)
the backup dancers that were dressed as bystanders/extras were great! they should have kept that with all of them because it would have given a little more shape to the choreography and establishing what function the backup dancers were supposed to have.
set
that is meant to be a giant rice cooker on stage, right? i think so because it's a god’s menu mashup? if that's not a rice cooker i have NO idea what its supposed to be
there’s only two large setpieces here, which was a smart way to go. i LOVE the subway car doubling as the truck, even if the truck itself makes no narrative sense. what a fun way to double the use of a single big piece. you’ll be able to see the way it moves in the full cam but it splits down the centre and there entrance doors at the back with attached stairs that bang chan and the dancers use to climb up.
lighting
not a whole lot happening here. i like the cool white leds in the subway car and the contrast with the more warm tones of the outside, which is good atmospheric establishment, but i can't discern a visible arc. 
not a fan of these projections; they’re in line with what we’ve seen from skz so far, which is: extremely literal. i dont think they’re that distracting, but they’re not to my personal taste. they really should have kept the comic panel theme that they did for changbin’s first verse, because that was inventive and fun to watch! and a great atmospheric indicator! i would love to see a bit more experimental projection use but it's hard when they don’t have a lot of time to build these stages and the lighting team is definitely working remotely.
sound
i love that they made the choice to do some actual talking, it’s a good gimmick and it works for the deadpool/comic book/fourth wall break theme, but australian accents take me the fuck out i am so sorry i cannot listen to either felix or bang chan speak english without laughing uncontrollably. 
i don’t like this arrangement but i'm not surprised about that, given my predilections. i'm also tired of skz shouting STRAY KIDS in every performance they do. i know on music shows it's probably more relevant and yea producers tags are a thing but we’ve been watching this show for nearly two months at this point. we know who you are, you can stop yelling. be more creative with it!
staging
my biggest issue with this stage is that it doesn’t have a payoff. there is an arc here: they’re stealing the truck, but why are they stealing the truck? who are they stealing it from? who are they fighting against? it's kind of important in a stage where the theme is stealing and fighting someone that you tell us who that is. in both of ateez’s previous stages were they were both stealing (rhythm ta) and fighting (wonderland), they made sure to show us who the villain was. there needs to be tension for a big blowup climax to actually pay off. whether it be against a a balloon arm kraken or a fascist government. this stage could have reached that next step if they’d just done a little bit more exposition. 
there were a lot of fun choreo moments here, and this is probably my favourite choreo of theirs so far. i thought the whole first bit in the subway car was excellent and a very fun play on those viral videos that we used to see roll around every so often of dancers doing routines in subway cars.
did it need the guns? not in the slightest. more on this point later. i could talk more about weapons and weight here, but i’ve done that several times already.
like with the tbz game of thrones stages, theyre relying a little too much on the audience's preconceptions of the source material in order to carry the theme. the guns are there because deadpool likes guns, but they don’t actually use the guns for anything? the most we get of the stealing segment is felix and the safe, which admittedly is a great bit with him leaping over and under the ‘laser’ lines (theyre likely led strips). because comic books are by nature procedural and deeply tied to narrative, it's unsatisfying when there’s no tension and no payoff.
HOW did we manage to get two stages that are blackpink covers with remote/tv static gimmick and durags? i know the slot machine of kpop tropes is not very big but surely the probability of hitting triple sevens on this one was pretty low. i’m pretty meh on both of these stages overall. skz was unsatisfying but i loved the choreo in the subway bit so that bumped it up a little ahead of ikon’s in my personal preferences, but i'm reserving my actual rankings for next week. assuming we get the other four stages next week and they dont do something stupid and only show two. which they very well might. i’ve stopped trying to understand why mnet does things the way that they do. 
as always the ask box is open, drop your comments/questions/personal opinions, i love to hear ‘em! but don’t be rude just because some of this is touchier subject material.
9 notes · View notes
ick25 · 6 years
Text
Rockman EXE Review. Episode 2
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The episode where this shot came from.
I enjoyed making the first review, I just had to continue! If I dont review them who will?  A better critic, I hope.
Once again, my sad excuse of an anime review. But you know what? I dont care! This is fun!
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That came out of nowhere.
The episode opens with a shot of Dekao’s house where he is repairing Gutsman who got damaged on the last episode. During this, we get a glimse of Dekaos messy room.
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And it turns out he owns one of them rat catching machines, also known as a cat...bot. Seems like a good purchase if you cant afford to take care of a real cat or youre just not a cat person.
But it seems its not really a good idea since an electrical surge takes over the catbot and suddently attacks Dekao, leading to an injury serious enough to be taken to the hospital.
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Dont laugh... It must be serious, its not like you can you just turn the catbot off and unscrew its head or anything.
Netto and Meiru see Dekao in the hospital because Gutsman was worried about him, and maybe trying to cheer him up by having Meiru visit him.
The visit ends on everyone laughing at his “injury” and Netto making Dekao angry by telling him he would go on a date with Meiru, of course, Meiru doesnt find this funny and hits Netto in the gut.
The next scene, Netto and Meiru are visiting Sal aka Saloma, a minor character who had a sandwich stand in the game but now owns a flower shop.
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And instead of sandwiches she serves tea.
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I’m loving the design for the tea cups.
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Sure, that is totally the face I make when I drink something hot. 
Roll wonders why Dekaos catbot suddently attack him and Meiru says that it was probably the work of World Three aka WWW. ( it doesnt stand for world Wide Web).
Netto, being oblivious to his surroundings, has no idea what World Three is, so Saloma explains him.
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If by “crimes” you mean terrorism than yes.
She also tells Netto that they were the ones behind the oven fires, because everybody has an oven conected to the internet!
After tea, Netto and Meiru continue walking through town where they encounter Masa, the local fisherman that hates technology and who only talks about fish and kids needing their daily calcium.
He mistakes Netto and Meiru being on a date and they explain to him that they where visiting Dekao at the hospital, Masa, being that crazy neighborhood fisherman that he is, believes Dekao didn’t eat enough calcium and rushes over to the hospital.
After he leaves, Meiru and Netto inmediatly spot their school teacher Ms.Mari aka Oozono Mariko, acting suspicious when entering an antique shop, the same shop own by Miyu aka Miyu...ki.
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In the anime, Miyuki also works as a fortune teller, although I’ve never seen her sale antiques.
Meiru explains to Netto why Mariko-sensei looked so suspicious, its because she doesnt want anyone knowing she sees a fortune teller and deducing by the way she blushes, she obviously asks questions about finding love.
While Mariko is dying of embarrassment with Meiru and Netto finding out about her secret, and after Masa triggers Dekao in the hospital by telling him Netto and Meiru are in a date, a strange flow of electricity is causing disasters in Dencity aka Den...san? Thats just lazy.
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A wave of crimes, indeed! But to be fair, terrorism is a crime.
Yes, World Three endangers people, but this part was really funny.
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Damn it son, if your mom runs for her life you should be right behind her!
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Todays robot master is Elecman! Or is it suppouse to be Electricman? Japanese pronounciation is hard to get.
The flow of electricity is caused by Elecman going around the citys network, because... Cyber electricity works just like real electricity? I dont know, it probably has something to do with whatever Count zap aka Elec Hakushaku is doing with his electric guitar. Its never explained.
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Back at the antique shop, after what I guess was a very long pause, Miyuki breaks the silence by saying that she sees “Flowing water”.
Netto doesnt seem to believe her of course and she suddently asks for his name, he introduces himself and then she asks for his Navis name.
After responding, Miyuki is about to say something about Rockman after a long pause. 
But Netto gets a heart attack before she finishes because of Dekaos screams, he had left the hospital and got bitten in the leg by yet another roboanimal gone crazy right outside Miyukis shop.
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He manages to shake off the pooch that then proceeds to steal Mariko-sensei’s purse for some reason, or maybe it wanted to bite her and took the bag with it when she dodged it.
Netto gives chase to the dog by putting on his skates in the most extreme way possible!
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Meiru goes along too and they both end up getting on a subway train and find out that the dogbot isnt crazy anymore due to plot convenience.
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While there, they notice the train is speeding up, the conductor notices as well and tries to stop it but hes unable to comunicate with the control central and when he attemps to switch the controls to manual...
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Yeah... I have nothing.
The passengers discover the conductor passed out and its up to the eleven year old to save the day! By throwing a fire extinguisher at the door!
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Arent fire extinguishers heavy?
The adults take the unconscious conductor out while Netto an Meiru get inside the conductor’s room.
And after a fake scare of crashing with another train, Rockman tells Netto to send him into the trains computer to find out whats going on.
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Inside the trains computer we see something interesting, the viruses invading the computer seem to be working together, we have two electrical viruses, Billies and twisties.
The billies are destroing the baracades put up by the train programs and the twisties are stunning them, paralyzing the train controls.
Rockman starts busting viruses but with the programs stunned the train cannot be stopped. So he tells Netto to take everyone to the second cart and separate it from the engine. 
Netto does so and while hes trying to separate the carts, Rockman gets struke by lightning, revealing his enemy.
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The elementary school student, once again, is doing all the hard work since nobody tries to help him separate the carts.
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He successfully separates the cart, no thanks to the adults, but it turns out he did it too soon because Rockman is still in the trains computer and Netto has to get him out of there! So he takes a leap of faith and jumps to the other cart but slips, thankfully, the dogbot jumps as well and tries to help him.
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So while Rockman is getting fried by Elecman, Netto is holding on for dear life!
Netto manages to regain balance and reconects just in time to save Rockman using the “Barrier” battle chip. Netto sends Rockman the same chips they used to defeat Fireman. The Shotgun battle chip and the sword.
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Remember, this is the original version, so the sword isnt blurred out, that was the american edit.
Elecman counters with an Elec sword, before it was introduced in a future episode, they have one of those anime shots where it looks like a draw but turns out one of them actually got hit, and for some reason that affects Elec Hakushaku in the real world as well.
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All I know is that Elecman was conected to his electric guitar and logged out once the Hakushaku un-plugged it.
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Netto celebrates his victory but forgets he has to stop the train, since Elecman was defeated the controls can now be switch to manual, with Rockmans help , Netto actives the brakes and manages to stop the train 2cm from the wall.
How do I know this?
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After miraculously avoiding the crash, Netto decides to leave the train but not before seeing Miyukis prediction come true.
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So the WWW was defeated once again, a crisis was adverted, the hero gets a hug from the girl and the episode ends with Dekao screaming in pain for the sixth time in the episode.
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What do I think?
Just like with the oven explosions, there were many things that never got to be answered, like why the robotcat never let go of Dekaos leg even after Elecman was defeated? What was Miyuki going to say about Rockman? And why is something like a subway system conected to the internet?
The art style from this episode is diferent from the previous one, a noticeble detail in the episode is that Rockman was drawen with eyebrows!
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Eyebrows! I believe this is a designing mistake.
Comparing the episode to the american dub, Dekaos dialogue involving his crush on Meiru was change, for example, the sceane where Masa is visiting Dekao at the hospital trying to get the catbot off his leg with fish, Masa mentions that Netto and Meiru were on a date, this infuriates Dekao and is the reason why he was suddently outside of Miyuki’s shop and not in the hospital. In the Dub, Dekao gets angry because he realized how dumb Masas idea was of distracting the a robotic cat with a fish. 
I guess seeing someone getting jealous and be possesive over a girl was not setting a good example for kids, specially since Dekao constantly tells Netto to stay away from “HIS” Meiru-chan.
I’ll forgive the recycled shots and animation for Netto since he did used the same chips from last time.
10 notes · View notes
comicteaparty · 5 years
Text
January 24th, 2019 CTP Archive
The archive for the Comic Tea Party chat that occurred on January 24th, 2019, from 5PM - 7PM PST.  The chat focused on Pike’s Reach by Mabs.
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Featured Comment:
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Chat:
RebelVampire
COMIC TEA PARTY- THURSDAY BOOK CLUB START!
Good evening, everyone~! This week’s Thursday Book Club is officially beginning! Today we are discussing Pike’s Reach by Mabs~! (https://tapas.io/series/pikesreach)
Remember that Thursday discussions are completely freeform! However, every 30 minutes I will drop in OPTIONAL discussion questions in case you’d like a bit of a prompt. If you miss out on one of these prompts, you can find them pinned for the chat’s duration. Additionally, remember that while constructive criticism is allowed, our focus is fun and respectfully appreciating the comic. All that said, let’s begin!
QUESTION 1. What is your favorite scene in the comic so far and why?
Superjustinbros
Hello!!
RebelVampire
hey super~!
my favorite scene is probably the fight with ezo and nefayn. largely because of https://tapas.io/episode/1179545 this page. i really just like the first few panels illustration wise cause even though theyre simplistic, i kind of feel like they convey this ominous sense of defeaning silence that is appropriate for conveying tension right after something climatic happens
Superjustinbros
https://tapas.io/episode/1234181
RebelVampire
yes there is also that scene. XD which was some good comic relief considering the comic was being very dramatic at the time.
also a good lesson about making sure someone gives permission
instead of just knocking and opening the door
Superjustinbros
yes
Because naked people
RebelVampire
another comical scene i enjoyed was the where they were showing off their drawings of pella's uncle. https://tapas.io/episode/962506 because man are those some not great drawings. especially that left one scares me
Superjustinbros
Oh my god
RebelVampire
another moment i liked, which isnt a scene but more a scene transition you could say, is when the comic switches from adelaide goofing around and then suddenly the warning bell rings.
https://tapas.io/episode/604008
in particular that page
i really love the shots and especially the ominous overtone the first panel has
cause it really helps visually convey the serious has come
Superjustinbros
I love the art style and general color scheme, lots of pinks and purples
mathtans
Made it, though I may not be mentally all here, today's been crazy.
Superjustinbros
hey Math
mathtans
One of my faves was actually to start Chapter 3, when we looked at the "villains" and the main guy was talking about how he didn't want them dead, more turned to his side. I liked the humanizing aspect of the antagonists.
Superjustinbros
Same
mathtans
Too often we just see things kind of one sided. This didn't go that way.
Superjustinbros
Villains that do more than just want the main character(s) dead are always good
mathtans
As far as comedy goes, I liked the brief scene where Adelaide "winked"... maybe... because she could have been blinking and her hair was in the way.
Though I also liked the "cold feet" bit where Nefayn was laughing and Nassar didn't know. In particular it was sort of called back later when he was thrilled that she liked his jokes.
RebelVampire
yeah i really enjoyed that moment with the antagonists. also partially cause i like it being explained why they dont just crush the army cause adelaide is already being silly meeting them on an open field and not using the fort's defenses as was intended
mathtans
Little one's fussing.(edited)
Superjustinbros
Rebel gets it
RebelVampire
but yeah i liked this humanizing affect too of course. because conflicts of territory are rarely straight forward evil guy wants to rule over all the things
Superjustinbros
^
RebelVampire
that and selfishly i really wanted to like pella and that scene proved to me that it was okay to like him cause hes just a goofy sparkly dude just trying to unite the lands.
Superjustinbros
heehee~
Mabs
Hi there! I'm Mabs and the creator of Pike's Reach! I can't stay for too long because sudden school stuff came up, but I wanted to say THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH for reading PR! Your comments are making me really happy ;w;
Superjustinbros
Hi!!!
RebelVampire
QUESTION 2. Unfortunately for Nefayn, she is cursed twice over both in body and magic. Who do you think cursed her with the first seal and for what reason? Could the culprit be Ezo considering she and Pella seemed to know Nefayn? Why was said culprit pursuing her? In other words, what are their long-term goals in using her? How powerful do you think Nefayn was before the first seal came to be? Now that Nefayn is sealed twice over to be all but human, how will this affect her helpfulness in a battle? Do you believe that Nefayn will be able to undo the seals eventually and return herself to her original form and power? If so, how might this affect her growing relationship with Adelaide?
glad you could stop by, mabs~!
im torn on the culprit issue. on the one hand ezo seems likely cause from her characterization that seems like something shed do. but on the other hand their army is kind of near the end of their campaign since pike's reach is the last one standing and they dont want to murder hobo them. so idk why theyd need nefayn. i kind of like to think theres something bigger gonna show up and pella and adelaide are gonna join forces to defeat it. and that whatever the it is is what's after nefayn. but that could be wishful thinking cause i always cheer for antagonist protagonist team ups when both are basically good dudes with different goals
mathtans
(I swear, my life after 8pm is running back and forth to my little daughter's room.)
RebelVampire
as for goals, maybe using her as a magic conduit. cause thats the only thing i can think of.
mathtans
I get what you were saying about the climactic magic fight scene earlier btw. Just I've never been huge on drama, you know me. ^.^
Superjustinbros
perhaps
also lol math
mathtans
Oh, hi Mabs! I ship everyone!
Superjustinbros
lol
Mabs
Hi there! Yes good, please ship all the characters.
Superjustinbros
Will do~
especially this page https://tapas.io/episode/1221349
mathtans
I wonder if Nefayn was originally that uncle that the General was talking about. Except that would destroy the best ship, so I'm not sure I like that possiblity.
RebelVampire
if were shipping all the ships i now accept https://tapas.io/episode/1077847 this page as canon
mathtans
Yeah, I don't know that it's Ezo. There was also that scene where Nefayn said she thought the big Pike's room seemed familiar, so I feel like she was a citizen of the place somehow.
A teamup would be pretty cool between the two groups. Maybe the West has been getting more organized than they realize, there was some mention of the latest attack being more of a ruse.
Hah. That was a funny one.
Part of me actually ships Ezo and Nefayn, in that sort of 'mortal enemies become friends' kind of deal. So I guess Adelaide ends up with the General's second in command? This was probably heresy to propose.
RebelVampire
idk. shooting someone in the chest seems like a romance deal breaker there XD
Superjustinbros
all ships set sail here
mathtans
It was an arrow of love and respect. Deep down. After all, it didn't kill her.
RebelVampire
but yeah the west could certainly become a threat. or even just one person in the west. like maybe one nation got themselves some guns and are bringing their guns to all the sword fights
mathtans
("It was worse than death, I was made human.")
RebelVampire
LOL
mathtans
As long as they don't bring the gunpowder, it's fine.
RebelVampire
Ezo wanted to make Nefayn human cause she too supports the adelaide/nefayn ship
it was the plan all along
mathtans
Actually, it's not a bad plan. Good way to make the enemy commander very distracted.
RebelVampire
and tbf it does probably take nefayn out of the battle a bit. cause being human has its mortal perils.
mathtans
Here's a possibly related question, who keeps sending the evil things to attack Adelaide? Which makes her sleep with a sword? I don't think it's the general, he seems honourable enough to keep his distance after losing, at least for a while. Maybe it's the same person who did the thing to Nefayn.
Flying is more of a problem for humans.
RebelVampire
i just assumed the magic things showed up of their own accord.
although
pella and ezo dont seem to be plagued by birds
so maybe someone is sending them
or adelaide is special and theyre super attracted to her
mathtans
Right.
Everyone's super attracted to the heroine.
RebelVampire
XD
this is an interesting line of thought
cause i definitey doubt it's pella
cause the impression i got is that this has plagued adelaide for much longer than pike's reach has been under siege
since the sword thing is usually the sign of a long term habit
mathtans
I wonder if maybe the charm that was mentioned as something to keep her safe is actually attracting all the problems. Though it'd need to be something fairies can't pick up on.
Superjustinbros
@mathtans must be one really sexy heroine
RebelVampire
these are some good catches math. i really didnt pay much mind to any of these mentions. that could be though. and tbf nefayn's powers were already partly sealed from the get go so i wouldnt be surprised if shes missing out on some magic things
mathtans
Thanks. ^^ I guess it just struck me as interesting that she's got the sleep issues, and no one else seemed to.
I was wondering if one of Nefayn's powers was to grow big.
RebelVampire
maybe. although i keep thinking its gonna wind up shes a goddess or something O_O
not a fairy sized goddess mind you cause she does mention that fairy form is not her original size
although to the stuff b4 that brings up an interesting point about how much can the magic world interact with the non-magic. cause obviously adelaide being able to see magic and stuff makes her able to interact with it. but how aware does a non magic person have to be before magic stuff can affect them
mathtans
Goddess of sparkles.
RebelVampire
like obviously the others cant see nefayn
but can nefayn like punch them
and theyll be like "oww what a random pain"
mathtans
Well, since magic mines could influence people, I imagine if you make the effect large enough, it'd register.
What if Nefayn caresses?
(I mean, kinda moot now, but still.)
RebelVampire
yeah the magic mines worked. cause if the magic can affect the non magic regardless of their ability to see it, it adds evidence to the idea those birds are super out to get adelaide specifically
QUESTION 3. Magic seems to be at the center of several other mysteries that are presented in the comic. What is Pike’s Reach’s past with magic regarding the mention of a catastrophe involving it? Is Pella onto something about everyone being Adelaide’s age? What might this have to do with the previous lord of Pike’s Reach and Adelaide becoming its lord? How might any of this relate to the fact that Nefayn appears to recall being at Pike’s Reach for a brief moment? There is also the issue of Pella’s missing uncle. What do you think happened to his uncle? How might Pella’s uncle be related to past or present events that occurred in Pike’s Reach? Lastly, will Pella ever discover the truth about his uncle?(edited)
Superjustinbros
That's a cool skill imo
mathtans
Oh yeah, my memory had kind of glossed over that whole catastrophe thing. And the age thing too. Hm, really good points. Maybe they don't physically age in Pike's? Like, they're actually 60, but have the bodies of people much younger?
Again, suspected the uncle might be Nefayn, but that sinks the ship.
Superjustinbros
lol
RebelVampire
if the uncle isnt adelaide's father i will be so surprised
mathtans
Oh! Maybe the uncle is the one who cursed Nefayn.
I wondered about that. If the seeing magic lineage was a direct ancestry. But it might make sense for the uncle to be the one attacking Adelaide too.
RebelVampire
https://tapas.io/episode/970094
like legit look at that family resemblence
https://tapas.io/episode/822837 and pella and adelaide have the same eye color too
and theres no reason it cant be both
adelaide's father and the real antagonist
mathtans
Valid arguments. Maybe it's a red herring though. (Or a red pike! Hah!)
RebelVampire
id even peg him for the causer of this supposed catastrophe. not on purpose. but he vanished and hes after nefayn to try and fix his mistakes.
mathtans
Or maybe he's dead, and he left behind the ultimate weapon to use in case of dire magic circumstances, down in the catacombs.
Or maybe he's undead. He's a necromancer.
Superjustinbros
Could be that now that you mention it
mathtans
As Nassar would say, a very grave matter.
RebelVampire
the charm is the key and thats why the birds are after adelaide. they want that ultimate weapon
birds love ultimate weapons
alternatively he couldve been the one to stop the catastrophe from becoming worse too
mathtans
Adelaide's love is the ultimate weapon.
RebelVampire
cause the fact the catastrophe only took out the elderly or so is implied makes that a very targetted attack. and him being the savior makes sense for why everyone made adelaide the lord.
mathtans
Ah, right, I guess I was still on the "elderly look young" track not the "elderly died" track.
Maybe they were all turned into fairies instead.
Maybe the uncle was turned into a pike.
RebelVampire
or everyone was
theyre all pikes
in the nearby lake
the place was previously called nefayn's love nest, but they renamed it to pike's reach cause theyre always trying to reach those pike
mathtans
spit-take
Lovely vacation spot it is either way.
Mabs
You all are absolutely hilarious and I have really been enjoying reading this. Thank you so much for reading so thoroughly gosh. I have to go to a school thing but I'll be sure to check back later and read the logs! Thanks again
RebelVampire
np and good luck with school~!
Superjustinbros
Cya, Mabs!
And good luck from me as well~
mathtans
Thank you for the creation! Hope school goes well.
Mabs
Thanks again! Bye all~ Good luck with the rest of your discussion
Superjustinbros
Bye!
RebelVampire
ya know, since nefayn doesnt quite remember pike's reach outside of haziness, i wonder if theres some magical third seal that was meant to hide her own memories. a third seal set up by certain uncles.
mathtans
Speaking of school, if there's no older adults, who runs public institutions?
Maybe she set the third seal herself. Nefayn was the cause of the magical catastrophe, doesn't want to remember it.
Everyone fighting about the love nest.
RebelVampire
idk. hard to say without an exact timeline. also without exact knowledge of their system of governance. like for example, education could just be an at home by parents thing. so no actual public institution for it. but i also dont know the cut off date. and maybe no all the old ppl are dead. more its just heavily skewed to one age group
mathtans
"We're in favour of same sex marriage." "Oh, well, we're leaving then." "You realize the founder of this place was gay?" "We're definitely leaving."
I liked Nassar's story, incidentally.
Some good zingers too. "Reel", heh.
RebelVampire
i really hope we get to see more of adelaide's group. cause i feel there isnt enough nassar yet. we need more puns
mathtans
Yis. Looked like we were getting some focus on Berlin towards the end.
RebelVampire
QUESTION 4. Despite the romance and good feels in Pike’s Reach, they are the last fortress standing against the Eastern hordes. Do you believe Pella is genuine about his desire to unite the east to make the country a better place? Why do you think Pike’s Reach is so ardent about not uniting with the rest of the eastern lands? As time drags on, do you think Pella will give into his advisors and stop going so soft on Pike’s Reach? Will Ezo being injured drive them to it potentially? Alternatively, do you think Pike’s Reach and the Eastern hordes might join forces and put their differences aside for some reason? All in all, who do you think will emerge victorious?
mathtans
Ezo's injury could do that (escalate things), since Pella seems to have that thing for her. Honestly, I don't quite see why he's so keen on the uniting to this extent... is it all ego? I mean, why not just be glad you've got 95% of the continent?
It might be interesting if they join forces though.
I hope love emerges victorious.
RebelVampire
i do think ezo's injury is gonna make pella made. at least enough to challenge adelaide to another duel. but then he might also be mad at ezo and be like wtf ezo we were retreating
i dont think its all ego
just more its kind of awkward to not have pike's reach not united with the rest
cause according to that map pike's reach is basically surrounded on all sides
by pella's united country
mathtans
They'll have to redraw all the maps if Pike's given in though.
What the PUC?
Superjustinbros
D:
mathtans
I feel like Ezo needs a friend even more than Adelaide. One who won't keep patting her on the head.
Maybe the injury will mellow her out, but I doubt it.
RebelVampire
i feel like ezo first needs to take a chill pill and stop going all life or death on everything
https://tapas.io/episode/850159 by this map id also assume pike's reach is a strategic advantage cause its closer to the west so if the west tries something its a good outpost to use to stave off an attack traveling in further eastward toward the capital
but all in all i think pella is genuine and really does want to make the country a better place.
mathtans
I can see that. It's a cool map too.
Superjustinbros
Yeah
Feels a lot like Europe/Russia/Asia merged into one
mathtans
"I will bring you love even if I have to smack you around."
RebelVampire
i actually dont know why pike's reach wouldnt want to unite with them to be honest. XD cause trade would be a nightmare at this point cause youd always have to try to skirt and sneak through the eastern horde lands. if the eastern hordes go to war with someone, land troops would be moved through pike's reach anyway. and to me it just seems pike's reach is more holding out for pride
but i guess tbf we dont know much about pella's country. maybe they eat babies and pike's reach has a strict no baby eating policy
mathtans
That's a fair point. Maybe there's something to the whole magic catastrophe, like they used to be a united continent and it went badly for them.
Jelly babies.
Incidentally, they seem to have all the major seasons, so don't live near an equator.
RebelVampire
i mean i guess it could just be an issue they dont want to be governed except by their own ppl or something. idk. i do feel the magic catastrophe has left some scares and suspicions. and ezo is proof pella isnt opposed to magic.
mathtans
Maybe, heritage and traditions or something. Ooh, maybe aliens will come and attack. That would unite everyone.
RebelVampire
this might be the wrong genre for that
maybe nefayn gets kidnapped
and they unite to save nefayn
cause love is the only thing that matters
mathtans
Could be. Oh, that's a thought, since she's vulnerable now and Adelaine owes her one or two.
Oh, and one nice bit I wanted to mention, the gag about her height.
RebelVampire
youll have to be more specific cause my mind is blanking on which specific gag youre referring to XD
although speaking of gags i liked the one where adelaide and nefayn were having the eating contest. except no one could see nefayn. XD
Superjustinbros
Alright, I'm gonna take my leave for now, thanks for the CTP and best of luck to Mabs on the story~
mathtans
(Sorry, little one again.)
The gag with Nefryn still being short... but being at an okay height. (Like, who isn't thinking that... )
That was amusing too. I wonder if you can get away with stuff when you see magic. "Uh, I wasn't talking to myself, no. Sure."
Have a good one, SJB!
RebelVampire
ah okay i know which gag you mean. that one was funny. XD
mathtans
Final closing thought, slow burn romance can be fun for when things come to a peak. Or a pike. ^.^
RebelVampire
i feel in general theres been a lot more jokes like that since nefayn became human
mathtans
It's been good for alleviating some of the tension.
RebelVampire
COMIC TEA PARTY- THURSDAY BOOK CLUB END!
Sadly, this wraps up this week’s Thursday Book Club chat for now. Thank you so much to everyone for reading and joining us! We want to give a special thank you to Mabs, as well, for making Pike’s Reach. If you liked the comic, make sure to support Mabs’ efforts however you’re able to~!
Read and Comment: https://tapas.io/series/pikesreach
Mabs’ Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/mabsart
Mabs’ Twitter: https://twitter.com/mabs_art
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survivormarmoreal · 5 years
Text
Episode #14: "i literally hate attention (i say as i broke out into song unprompted)” - Bryce
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I can't believe that I am here. I made it to the Final 4. It is very crazy. I thought that I was toast in the Final 6. So to be here now is very exciting and shocking. The final 3 is going to depend on who wins immunity. I am really hoping that I could win this immunity to secure my spot in the final 3. If not then I hope that Matt doesn't win it. He needs to be an option just in case. I'm very nervous. I just finished my rites of passage. and its crazy that its almost final tribal.
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so im getting 4th. FJKASDHFKJh this comp is so hard and like im literally not gonna be able to do endurance so i need to do well on the other stuff but i just dont see that happening... like this puzzle first try was 70 minutes FJKASDHFKAJS. AND I KNOW COUNTING WILL MESS ME UP BC IM NERVOUS WRECK i didnt even mean to caps that but its tea. like flash game i think when i played this once before i wasnt bad but maybe i was who knows. im so emo like no one is talking to me anymore FKJASHDFKJ like i guess bc its just 1 vote left they dont wanna pretend they wont cut me FJAKSDFH like my game not even that good im gonna get dragged by sharky/nathan/keaton/nicole/ everyone but brian... maybe even brian who knows NNNN. my nnn. is so iconic.. maynor who?. idk like ok so if i win immunity (which i wont) idek what to do like i feel like voting matt is the best option maybe. bc i WONT be voting maynor bc i love him (not that i dont love anna and matt) but i just feel like we've had the best relationship of the f4 and im confident that the jury will like my game more than his (maybe they wont tho... i say confident but i mean 2% (not skim) sure they will) but ok so annabelle prob is hated by jury at least from brian and maybe even sharky? but like she didnt play bad she literally made most iconic move at f6 and i respect that but idk if jurors do like ppl keep saying shes a goat  so maybe she has no chance. and then theres matt where like ppl cant be mad he voted them when everyone and their mom in this game has voted him ASDKJFHASDKJ. like so hes prob liked by jury but i just dont know if hes done anything to deserve to win. he found 2 idols successfully played 1 but that was more on anna/nicks weird sense of leaking when it didnt really benefit them.  but like ok he was least threatening member of trio who got to the end so underdog edit is there even tho he literally wasnt underdog tbh u know who was an underdog... ME. i had NO ONE but nathan for a lil.. then dennis... then he got ROBBED. so then i had brian... but he got ROBBED. and now i have maynor like ive literally flipped and flopped to better my game and idk like i am physically able to meaningfully say ive done anything good ever in life or orgs but like i didnt do too bad i think! KJFAHSDKJF... idk maybe im getting 0 votes 3rd place no matter what and if thats the case im still so happy bc ive had a lot of fun in this game and met some true friends (and keaton) but like im getting 4th anyway so doesnt matter! ugh that sounds like a final goodbye confession but i know me and im gonna confess like 10 more times before this round is over so if i do get 4th/3rd just know that this was my true end...
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So like.... I do not think i'm winning immunity. like at all. which makes me pretty nervous ngl. I really want to be there at the finale cause i think I have a good shot. If Bryce loses, i'm fairly sure i'm good to get to FTC but otherwise im scared. Making FTC would be really good for me cause I think i can out argue Maynor and Annabelle fairly well, but otherwise with bryce there idk. So like, BRYCE CAN'T WIN IMMUNITY. Also this FIC is disgusting like no thanks. I've already fucked up the 2 live ones so uh ya am annoyed :(. woo final juror here i come!
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Bryce won immunity. Im glad. I wouldnt want to be in the position to vote Bryce. I had to abstained from the counting part cuz it triggered my anxiety. I tried tho but i couldnt. This vote is going to be said. Matt is going to go 4th. And i feel really bad. We got to know each other more during every tribal. This really sucks. I just dont want to give him false hope where there isnt any. Im going to help tomorrow.
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I am so getting final juror. fuck. i knew it would happen if bryce won immunity and it fucking is. I am so sad about this. I have worked so hard all game to get here and its just being tossed away like that. I am SO sad. I have fucked up my sleep schedule for this game and now its getting me final juror. ugh. i just wanted to get to the end and like argue my case. but now? not happening :( i hate this
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I WON I REALLY WON IMMUNITY ASKDJFHASKDJF I THOUGHT I WAS GONNA LOSE WHEN I GOT 12 POSTS ASJFKHKASJFDHASDKJF THATS SO NNNNN IM SO HAPPY BUT SO SAD BC NOW I TRIED TO TELL MATT IM VOTING HIM BC I WANT TO BE HONEST BUT HE SAYS HES TALKING TO A BRICK WALL LIKE???? SORRY FOR NOT WANTING TO GIVE U FALSE HOPE AJDSFHDKAJ its honestly so rude like ive been in that position before so i know what its like when ur pleading ur case and the person doesnt seem to care and im NOT doing that. but obvioulsy i didnt just make up a plan on what to do at f4 so obviously i have thoughts and plans and im not just gonna switch it up bc u plea to me now. idk KJASHDFKJ also im so scared im gonna lose now NNN hes saying anna played so well and tbh she kind of did maybe i lose no matter what...
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So like i am leaving but its ok! why? cause i will preserve my legacy by dropping a whole ass fajita recipe here so that I can feel like i have made an IMPACT on the season. Even though like im still sad its me, im going out with a bang baby! I don't use this recipe personally ( I am a broke student) but its v.good!
Ingredients: 2 large chicken breasts, finely sliced 1 red onion, finely sliced (ready to make you cry) 1 red pepper, sliced 1 red chilli, finely sliced (optional) For the marinade 1 heaped tbsp smoked paprika 1 tbsp ground coriander pinch of ground cumin 2 medium garlic cloves, crushed 4 tbsp olive oil 1 lime juiced 4-5 drops Tabasco
Method: Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6 and wrap 6 medium tortillas in foil.
Mix 1 heaped tbsp smoked paprika, 1 tbsp ground coriander, a pinch of ground cumin, 2 crushed garlic cloves, 4 tbsp olive oil, the juice of 1 lime and 4-5 drops Tabasco together in a bowl with a big pinch each of salt and pepper.
Stir 2 finely sliced chicken breasts, 1 finely sliced red onion, 1 sliced red pepper and 1 finely sliced red chilli, if using, into the marinade.

Heat a griddle pan until smoking hot and add the chicken and marinade to the pan.
Keep everything moving over a high heat for about 5 mins using tongs until you get a nice charred effect. If your griddle pan is small you may need to do this in two batches.
To check the chicken is cooked, find the thickest part and tear in half – if any part is still raw cook until done.
Put the tortillas in the oven to heat up and serve with the cooked chicken, a bag of mixed salad and one 230g tub of fresh salsa.
hope the random person reading this uses it otherwise gj future me reading this you've officially gone insane! yeet ig?
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This is going to be a sad day. I really like Matt and dont want to vote him out but its the best option from the people available. It really sucks. I feel his pain and ahh.
I’m literally going to cry. I want to help Matt. I wish we could all be final 3 but we can’t. I’m dying emotionally. Final 4 always has so much pressure cuz theres only 4 people left. I hope Matt doesn’t hate me. I hope he understands thisnis a game move because he techinically was the underdog in the beginning then was on top then back to underdog. I just hope he doesnt take it personal that I don’t think tie-ing it for him would be good for my game.
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OMG IDK WHATS GONNA HAPPEN MATT GO HOME PLS BUT I FEEL LIKE ANNA IS VOTING MAYNOR IM GONNA BE SO SAD AHHHH DJSKFHSDKJF
Matt is voted out 3-1. He becomes the final juror.
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ok so i had the worst day of my life today and didnt plan my speech at all so thats where im at NNN time to fake smile and hope the jurors like my ad libbed speech ASFKUHDFKJ ftc starts in 4 minutes.
well.. that was interesting adsjflhasdkfj. Like i always have 0 confidence in myself so i think im gonna lose and i really do respect the game that anna and maynor played. im just sad that i dont think i articulated myself well bc like im so bad with words anajsfhakj and ppl were saying conflicting things and its just not in me to like chime in with my pov to possible sway it in my favor bc i literally hate attention (i say as i broke out into song unprompted) but yaaa like i truly think that maybe i kind of did play super well and deserve to win but either way ill be happy bc i made *some* genuine friendships and also like had so much fun voting ppl out KFADHSKJASHK. i wish i like wrote what all my confessionals were so i could reference sth i said on day 1 but it was prob like i hate my tribe they ignore me so maybe ill just say that again FKJADSHFKJ. we love coming full circle... im so hungry i didnt eat so i will now stop typing to get dinner maybe i will write another confessional. omg wait gotta have some line thats iconic in case theres an episode title... think... love talking to myself FAKSDHFKj im so funny when i was like "i realized hey i respond to myself ill take me to the end" its such a mood KFJASDHFKJ ok but hm... ok. maybe im a snake who doesnt actually care about people and use them to my advantage to get my way but at least im not jayden. OMG jk thats so mean even tho he deserves it ALSO i was gonna like comment on keaton being like "saying the n word doesnt make u racist" but then he was kind of nice to me so i didnt.. love being as fake woke as me... not being confrontational to get a jury vote... so gross NNNN wooh idk how to end this but watch waves music video normani literally snapped so hard is being as slept on as me. omg wait... maybe im a pillow bc i sure am being slept on. iconic line.... i love the hosts so much ignore literally every cringe thing i wrote in this confessional pls FKJADSHKFJ
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IM VERY DRUNK AND I DNT KNOW IF I HAD TO. BUT EITHER BRYCE OR ANNA WILL WIN CUZ IM A MES AND DONT DESERVE TO CUZ THEY WERE BOTH AMAZING FOR LETTING ME GET TO FTC. I WANNA THANK ANNA THE HOST FOR BEING AMAZING AND GREAT. I LIKED THE ALICE THEM CUZ HEART CUZ ICANT  EMOHJI, ,LOVED THIS SEASON AND UR ALL AMAZING HOSTS.
Im happy I made it to the final 3. And even though FTC was bad; I enjoyed it. I know I’m probably getting 3rd which is fine. I have so much respect to Annabelle and Bryce and everyone in the jury. I’m more excited to be able to talk to all of them again. Let’s see who is our winner will it be Bryce or Annabelle!? The hosts you guys were amazing and i had a great time this season. Im glad Jones pushed and convinced me to apply. Thank you for giving me a spot in this season. And Jones you da best. 💖💛💙
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confession time. everytime i write one of these i put the day as who are u and my name as what day is it.. my mind always having to go change it. but um didnt think i would be writing another one of these FJKSADF but i have no self control and winner reveal is in 4 and a half hours and im literally sick FAKJDSk i feel so anxious and nervous like even if i lose im gonna be happy but i just really want to win also im still trying to process ppl not liking me or my gameplay and saying i played with their emotions FJKASDHFJ i had a blast. anyways this is the anthem of the day apparently https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UhzN7SfnNeY
WHATS GOING ON?? IM TIRED IS WHATS GOING ON IM SO ANXIOUS! im sooo anxious i want to win. pls...
Bryce wins Celestial Marmoreal in a 4-3-0 vote!
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mmxvi-iii-iv-blog · 7 years
Text
Written By Her Husband, Joe.
Sally and Joe, we discover over the course of the evening, have had a rough year together; or more accurately, theyve had a rough year being apart as their marriage has been strained. Joe has been working out of London, Sally prefers her home in Los Angeles. As an actress, shes aging and less desirable for casting, even when the movie she wants to star in is based on a book inspired by her life. Written by her husband, Joe. Directed by her husband, Joe. Joe, who doesnt even like movies that much, even though her film career has enabled his expensive trans-Atlantic lifestyle and paid for their Runyon Canyon-adjacent, mid-century modern home atop of the Hollywood Hills. A coffee table picture book of a house in which only the most fabulous of parties are held and only the most fabulous of friends should be invited. (All the better to impress the little people who happen to live next door into submission over their complaints about a noisy Otis. Fabulous people dont complain about dogs barking at 4 A.M. and who wouldnt want to be fabulous enough to attend their party?) And what a party it shall be, what with guests like Kevin Kline, Phoebe Cates (who came out of retirement for the film at the behest of her best friend Leigh), Jane Adams, John C. Reilly, John Benjamin Hickey, Parker Posey, Jennifer Beals, Denis O'Hare, Mina Badie and Gwyneth Paltrow among others. With the exception of Posey who was a last-minute replacement, Leigh and Cummingwrote each character for The Anniversary Party with their real-life friends in mind, creating characters who are not exactly their pals, but could possibly be the person just to the left or right of them on any scale. If anything, it is seeing their worldview through the friends they cast that feels raw, even more voyeuristic than the subject matter itself; a couple celebrating their love surrounded by the people closest to them who know it might be too soon to pop the cork on their unending happiness. There is always an element of having to feel safe on a set, between actors and the material, and directors trusting their performers enough deliver what film needs, a relationship that has tried and destroyed many a Hollywood relationship. Watching The Anniversary Party it is hard not to feel the warmth Leigh and Cummingfeel for each one of their actors and the respect and faith they receive in turn from their cast. (In a somewhat meta moment, John C. Reilly, playing director Mac Forsyth, is discovered by Sally watching dailies of his current movie in which she happens to star in a back room shaking his head in worried disbelief at how poor her performance is in the film and how his career is going to be over if the movie flops.) Its the trust established by actors-turned-directors working with actors that helps make The Anniversary Party feel just as intimate as the setting, and when paired with the early use of digital to pull in as tight as possible when quite literally and figuratively someone is in the closet, the viewer almost feels dirty seeing the ugliness hiding in some quarters, much like a party guest who opens a medicine cabinet only to discover a truth about a friend they did not want to know. It is because of this, just as it is hard to unravel the bits that are Leigh and the bits that are Cumming, it is also impossible to separate the film from being one of the first digital success stories without acknowledging how poorly digital filmmaking was regarded at the time. (And it is a film; the great John Bailey who was behind the lens for The Accidental Tourist, Ordinary Peopledid not shoot a wedding tape, nor did his wife, esteemed editor Carol Littleton, put together a movie that was any less cinematic despite the Avid use.) It is a shame when you go back and revisit reviews and interviews from 2001, the nearly apologetic tone in which JJL and Cummingtalk about using DV and the reviews that focused on where they felt DV had supposedly faltered or was distracting without fully embracing the story and the acting, because as a viewer in 2017 those issues are so incredibly minor you barely notice them, your modern eye is willing to smooth over the difference and allowthe movie to exist on its own merits. Combined together working with their friends, deftly shooting on video you can see the direct linage back to Leighs original inspiration, the early Dogme films of the 1990s. Leigh herself sung the praises of the first Dogme film, The Celebration, and would later star in the fourth Dogme film, 2000s The King Is Alive. Attracted to the idea that making a movie didnt have to be an overblown affair, one could work digitally and save yourself hours of setup (not to mention millions of dollars off the budget), Leigh, coming off a bad breakup and a Broadway revival of Cabaret, suggested to her stage co-star Cummingthey make a movie together, keeping the intimacy of the digital part of Dogme and working with friends on reasonably paced days as not to make everyone crazy. In 2001 making a small budget indie for a mere few million bucks in less than three weeks felt revolutionary. Even the short shooting time was lambasted by Craig Kilborn for only being 19 days because such brevity in production was looked down upon as unworthy and worse, untrustworthy. And they went for it, selling the pitch to Fine Line, and spending the next year writing and storyboarding knowing they needed to go into production as prepared as they possibly could be with such a limited amount of time and coverage, discovering what would work for not only their movie but allowtheir friends to shine. Leigh herself was involved for the entirety of the editing process, making sure the movie she and Cummingbirthed together got as much room to breathe as possible, purposely lingering over moments too long as to make viewers feel as if theyre as uncomfortable as everyone in scenes. The effort more than paid off. Jane Adams as Clair Forsyth, Macs actress wife who is starving herself back to pre-pregnancy weight and completely out of her mind with worry over both her child and her career, is a frenetic delight and you find yourself watching even the most subtle things she is doing in the background as she brings such a joy and lightness to every shot she is in. You genuinely miss seeing Cates on the screen, especially as the night wears on and her character Sophia Gold lets her guard down enough to have nothing but the most brutally honest conversation about not only what she thinks her best friend Sally should do but admitting to the failures in her own perfect life. John C. Reillys Mac is identifiable with anyone who has had to deal with professional jealousy, as well as his characters inability to show any sort of weakness, even in front of his friends. While much of the story isnt exactly new or groundbreaking, nor is the mechanism for truth (everyone gets high) original, the trials and tribulations feel timeless enough that The Anniversary Party could be happening in Los Angeles at this very moment, but instead of Gwyneth Paltrow being the young ingenue honored to be playing the role of her favorite living actress, she would be the one looking across the room reminding everyone shes still the it girl of the moment who could easily play 28 no wait, 25. Make no mistake, Leighs Sally is a fighter throughout the movie, and is every woman over age 35 still proving her worth, even when shes unconsciously trying to please everyone. This is especially true as the night grows long and she is forced to remind everyone this is her house, her rules and her marriage; no one else can lay claim to intimacy that only she and Joe share, the type of confidence that only comes with age, the confidence an ingenue shrinks away from. Ultimately The Anniversary Party should be considered just as vital to Leighs career as Fast Times at Ridgemont High, Single White Female, Georgia, Miami Blues or The Hateful Eight as it offers a complete expression of her as an artist. While we cant completely untangle the film from being a joint production, there are enough beats you can see as being uniquely Leigh throughout the movie and moments one can tell Cummingis bringing out the best in her, and vice versa.
Source: http://birthmoviesdeath.com/2017/04/17/truth-and-intimacy-in-the-anniversary-party
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