#these aren't just action movies or war movies they are like. films. and i am deeply in love with them. i don't think there's a better way

[trashcanalienist]

Rambo III (1988)

[fuckyeahisawthat]

Controversial opinion among Dune book fans maybe, but I loved the changes they made to Chani's character. Making her a fedaykin who is already an experienced fighter before Paul arrives was a brilliant choice. Dune Part Two is a war movie, and this puts her at the center of the action, side by side with Paul, and gives her a much more active role than she has in the book.

We got a hint of where things were going in the beginning of Dune Part One. The first thing we ever know about movie Chani is that she's a fighter. She serves as a voice for the Fremen, telling us the story of their struggle from her point of view. I wrote here about the difference this change makes compared to other adaptations of Dune, what a perspective shift it is to have the world of Arrakis introduced not by an outsider, describing it as a dangerous but valuable colonial prize, but by one of its native inhabitants, who tells us before all else that it's beautiful, her home that she's fighting to liberate. I am so, so glad that the second movie followed up on this characterization.

I never found Chani and Paul's love story in the book particularly convincing, because why would this woman, who already has a prominent and respected place in Fremen society, even give the time of day to her deposed would-be colonizer, let alone fall in love and have children with him? Without a compelling reason for Chani to love Paul, she ends up feeling like a prize to be won, and "indigenous culture personified as a woman to be wooed (or conquered) by the colonizing man" is a trope we've seen and don't need to repeat.

But as soon as you tell me it's a barricade romance I get it. Cool cool cool, I know exactly what this relationship is now and it makes sense. Movie Chani doesn't respect or even particularly like Paul when she first meets him, and she doesn't think he's the fulfillment of any prophecy. She comes to respect him, and eventually love him, through his actions. He's brave--sometimes recklessly so. He fights well. He's willing to stick his neck out on the front lines with the other Fremen fighters. He can (after a little help) hack surviving in the harsh desert environment. He's not too proud to learn from others. He seems to genuinely want to be her equal in a common political struggle. All these qualities make sense as things she values.

Fighting side by side as equals is just about the only way I can see movie Chani falling for Paul. And it fits perfectly with the film's pattern of reversals that Paul's capacity for violence would initially be one of the things Chani likes about him, only for her to be repelled later when she sees what he becomes.

And as for Paul, well, he's had people deferring to him his entire life. Someone who doesn't take any shit from him is probably refreshing. He seems to like people (Duncan, Gurney) who challenge him and engage in a little friendly teasing--and aren't afraid to go a few rounds in the sparring ring.

It's easy to speedrun a romance when you're spending all your time together in mortal danger fighting for a shared political cause. Especially if you then start winning in a war your people have been fighting for decades. Are you kidding me? That is the perfect environment for intense battle camaraderie to turn into romantic love, and lust.

It makes sense that this version of Chani never believes Paul is any kind of messiah. Of course a character like movie Chani wouldn't believe in or trust some outside savior to liberate them. She's been working to liberate her own people for years. The more Paul invokes the messianic myth, the more he starts sounding once again like someone who plans to rule over them, and the more uncomfortable Chani becomes. In this way she becomes a foil to Jessica, the two of them representing the choices Paul is pulled between. It's a great way of externalizing the political and philosophical debates that often happen within characters' heads in the book.

And of course this version of Chani would leave Paul at the end of the film. It's not just the personal, emotional betrayal--although that stings. What common cause does she have with someone who just declared himself emperor and is sending her own people off in a war of conquest against others? Given the important role she plays in Dune Messiah, I am super curious to see how they get her back into the story, but girl was so valid for being willing to just gtfo. Given that she has the last shot of the whole movie, I'm sure she'll be back somehow, and I can't wait to see what they do with her character in any future installments.

[endwithajadestrick]

Complaining About the Pacing in Ahsoka

I know that I am being a real (medium-sized) curmudgeon about this, but I have chosen to embrace it. Manager, I would like to log some complaints re: the latest episode of Ahsoka.

Spoilers ahead:

This is more of a general gripe, but it really hit me this episode that this show is so slowly paced. Every episode could have been half the runtime without cutting any character beats or plot information. This feels especially apparent when you consider that most Clone Wars and Rebels episodes really are about half the length of one Ahsoka episode, about 20 vs. 40 mins. And episodes of those series are not light on plot or action. Clones and Rebels were, however, plotted more around mini arcs, usually of 2-3 episodes (because they were gearing those shows for kids), which would necessitate that the writers' room keep things tight. You set your board, get in, and get out. But Ahsoka only has one story arc for its eight-episode run and just not enough depth of character drama or pace of action to fill that runtime out. (It is probably worth mentioning here that Dave Filoni is the only credited writer on the series.)

You can especially feel the ponderous slowness in the establishing shots. Why do they go on for so long! It's usual to have a shot or two giving us an idea of the landscape our heroes are in, but in most films and shows those shots only come out to a few seconds of screen time--because we don't need them to be longer in order to get the information they're supposed to transmit. Further environmental detail can be picked out while you are watching your characters do other things.

This episode spends about two minutes just showing us Sabine walking through the Noti village. I know that doesn't sound like a lot of time, but in TV time a lot can happen in two minutes. For example:

Here's a compilation of the Finn vs Captain Phasma fight moments from The Last Jedi.

It is 2 minutes and 34 seconds long--including bits that were cut from the theatrical version of the film! How many beats, actions, and dramatic reversals are fit into those couple of minutes? Quite a few!

By contrast, nothing happens during Sabine's introduction to the Noti village. We aren't seeing anything with each changing shot that feels new or emphasized like it's information that we're going to need to remember later on. It's just wasted time, and I feel like it's anecdotally emblematic of a larger problem with the show. Lots of dead air between actions, wasted time that could have been trimmed in the writing or editing phase.

The first Star Wars movie is about two hours long, and I reckon about as much happens in that film as has happened so far in Ahsoka, which is about twice that length (around 260 mins to New Hope's 120). It's easy to overlook in light of all the other cool stuff A New Hope has going for it, but a lot of what makes that first movie work so well as an action adventure is how fast it's taking you from moment to moment, non-stop from gun fight, to character meeting, to escape, to subterfuge, a brief respite where our guys philosophize, and so on. Ahsoka is already working with a lot less charm and verve in front of and behind the camera than that film. It really can't afford to be lackadaisical with its pacing.

As stated above, I am a curmudgeon, and a lot of my problems with this show can probably be chalked up in part to the fact that it just didn't get me in its pocket out the gate. I wasn't especially charmed or intrigued by anything going on in episodes one or two, and I was subsequently less inclined to roll with the rough bits further down the line.

I want to be on board with it, and it has a lot of aspects I genuinely enjoy that make me believe that with a little spit and polish the finished product could have been shaped into something genuinely fun. I like Ray Stevenson's Baylan Skoll (Titus Pullo stans, arise!). His ambiguous schemes for the future are genuinely intriguing and ominous, and he feels like a fresh take on the dark-sider baddy, next to the cackling Emperor, cold-blooded cyborg Darth Vader, and rage monster Kylo Ren. He's very "I am the only one who can truly see the big picture." Oh ho, betcha you can't! But, as the kids say, let him cook.

I also think Eman Esfandi was perfectly cast as the live-action Ezra. In just a couple minutes of presence, he exudes warmth and charm (though I could have done without the blue contact lenses. They just look wrong, and would anyone have cared that Ezra's eyes are brown now?).

But none of what should be the big beats in this show have really landed for me so far, including this week's big reunion between Sabine and Ezra. Seriously girl, you gambled with the fate of your entire galaxy for just the shot at saving this man, and the most you can summon upon seeing him again for the first time in (checks official calendar) "9 to 12 years" is some middlingly witty banter and a lukewarm hug? I'm not someone who thinks that Ezra and Sabine's relationship is/should be romantic, but come on. Tears should have been shed! This has been Sabine's raison d'etre for the whole show. This, not becoming a Jedi, is what we are told she really cares about. If she won't get emotional about it, why should I?

And for the record, I don't want to put the blame for this on either Esfandi or Liu Bordizzo. I suspect that it's a writing and directing problem. And on that note, this week's episode was directed by Jennifer Getzinger, an experienced TV director with a pretty solid track record, whose resume includes both high emotional melodramas and prestige series, so... paging Mr. Filoni?

There are numerous talented actors and artists who have given a lot to this show, and many fans ready and eager to give it love. I just wish that the story were giving as much back to them.

[ackerslut]

no but listen i am constantly thinking about the mcu and other franchises like star wars and dc have tried to replicated their cinematic universe and i think the problem is that these big budget movies aren't willing to commit to the concept of a stand alone film. the entire reason avengers (2012) actually works is because all of the movies beforehand were complete stand alone action flicks that tied into the same universe only by a few end credit scenes and the fact that SHIELD was at least mentioned in each movie. when you go over to the DCEU they're trying so hard to get to the justice league and they haven't even made a batman movie yet!!!

i also think this is why the mcu started sucking after age of ultron because they stopped making stand alone movies and instead made a cinematic experience where you had to go to antman: 17 revenge of the cockroaches just so you could see an ensemble movie where deadpool crosses the multiverse to find spiderman's girlfriend for an ocean's 11 team up with moon knight

[thecynicalcinephile]

So, About Lightyear,

Right off the bat, I know a lot of people aren't going to like this movie. I don't think this is what anyone would've imagined from a Buzz Lightyear movie back when the first Toy Story came out. However, that's for good reason, and if we forget about Toy Story for a moment this really is a damn good film. In fact, the more I think about this movie the more I like it.

Basically, here we've got a good old fashion action-packed family film with an important message about accepting your mistakes. Sure it's not quite as action-packed as it could've been and Buzz feels a little different, but that's a minor nitpick.

Frankly, the movie some people wanted this to be was never going to actually happen. The Buzz we know from Toy Story wasn't written with the intention of being fleshed out beyond a toy. He was really just a stand-in Pixar used in place of a Luke Skywalker or Captain Kirk action figure (this is even more obvious with Emperor Zurg). In this way technically the most accurate movie would've been a good ol' fashion Star Wars ripoff, and that genre has been long since played out. I for one am glad they decided to favor modern sensibilities over being a slave Toy Story.

Additionally, the film is strictly an origin story, left open specifically so that we can imagine Buzz and Zurg becoming the people they are in Toy Story. In other news, there's no retcons that some creativity and an imaginary sequel can't fix. (Yes, even that retcon isn't all that major, Zurg has time travel after all)

But enough about continuity and retcons and whatnot. Like I said, let's forget about Toy Story for a moment and review this film strictly on it's own merits. Put simply, it's a good fun adventure movie with a compelling well-written narrative, believable complex characters, and interesting worldbuilding.

That's not to say this film is perfect though, of course. A lot of the comedy feels weirdly out of place, and the film does have a bit of a tone problem at times. Like, this is essentially an apocalyptic scenario, now is not the time for physical comedy or whatever the hell Taika Waititi's character had going on. Additionally, Buzz Lightyear's iconic jetpack sees so little use that in some scenes I wonder if the writers and/or characters legitimately forgot about it. Even if we say that this version of it is only designed for zero-gravity maneuvering as opposed to outright flying, there are still a good few scenes in particular that will leave you saying "bro just use the jetpack".

Also, minor nitpick, but I think end credits scenes have officially gone too far. You can't have an end credits scene, followed by a studio logo, followed by another final end credits scene. That's just ridiculous, essentially when only one of the scenes is actually necessary.

Ultimately, go ahead and watch this movie. It's plenty of fun with comedy, drama, action, and something for everyone. Just be sure to keep an open mind, and try to check your expectations at the door. Just because there's something for everyone doesn't mean everyone will love what they get.

[that-shamrock-vibe]

Fan-Cast Frenzy: MCU's Thunderbolts

Introduction:

Kevin Feige once again dominated San Diego Comic-Con this year, by not just revealed the line-up for Phase 5 with 12 upcoming projects as well as releasing the first trailer for the last Phase 4 movie Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, but also teasing what is to come for Phase 6.

Rather than an Avengers movie however, the movie that is ending Phase 5 will be Thunderbolts, but with no official line-up yet announced for the movie I thought I would fan-cast the movie myself.

Just to clarify, by fan-cast I do not mean pick actors to play characters in the movie as for the most part the line-up should already exist within the MCU, but I may add a couple of non-MCU characters as wishful thinking.

Thunderbolts v Suicide Squad:

So as a team, the Thunderbolts are effectively Marvel's answer to DC's Suicide Squad, and in typical Feige fashion, he sees that Warner Bros. Suicide Squad movies aren't as successful as they should be, and so decides to capitalise on that.

I will admit to not knowing too much about the Thunderbolts similar to how before the animated Batman: Assault on Arkham movie which inspired the live-action Suicide Squad movie I knew nothing about that team.

However, I do know some of the characters that appeared in the team in the comics, a lot of whom already appear in the movies.

Originally the plan I felt was to either have both the Thunderbolts and Dark Avengers existing simultaneously within the MCU, or have a combination of the two. Given Thunderbolt Ross' actor William Hurt passing away I am pretty much convinced it will probably be more the latter.

So with that in mind here is my roster for who I believe will be in the MCU's Thunderbolts.

Most Likely:

Valentina Allegra de la Fontaine

So without the inclusion of General Thaddeus "Thunderbolt" Ross aka Red Hulk...which I'm guessing may be addressed in the upcoming She-Hulk series, the next logical choice to be the mission control of the team is Julia Louis-Dreyfus' Valentina.

This character has become the anti-Phil Coulson in the MCU, first appearing in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier recruiting U.S. Agent, then appearing at the end of Black Widow where she was shown to have Yelena in her employ.

Considering these two are fan-favourite candidates for the team, it stands to reason that, even if the original plan wasn't for her to head up the Thunderbolts that they may organically change it so that it will be.

Baron Zemo

There have been many line-ups of the Thunderbolts team in the comics, yet the most logical field leader of the team is Baron Helmut Zemo portrayed by Daniel Brühl.

Zemo is not only one of the better MCU villains given his longevity across both film and television, but also for his tactician nature, his manipulative methods and the fact he was able to break up the Avengers causing the major events of Captain America: Civil War.

There was also originally supposed to be an end-credits scene either in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier or Black Widow of Yelena interviewing Zemo at The Raft for the Thunderbolts so it does stand to reason that he will be part of the team.

Black Widow

Florence Pugh's Yelena has become such a fan-favourite in just only a year in the MCU. Her breakout role in Black Widow was the highlight of the movie and then her appearance in Hawkeye elevated the series for me.

As stated before, Yelena has already been tied to the Thunderbolts as both Valentina's right-hand woman and that deleted scene interviewing Zemo.

While Yelena's Black Widow has never officially been a part of the Thunderbolts in the comics, instead her visage was used as a disguise for Natasha Romanoff to infiltrate the team, it does make sense for Yelena's next step in the MCU to be either part of this team or even showing up in the next year across different projects to recruit potential members of the team.

U.S. Agent

Aside from Yelena, this is the only confirmed member of Valentina's secret team that is now most likely going to be the Thunderbolts. Not only was Valentina's introduction into the MCU showing how she recruited John Walker, but he also could easily be the character that ties in both the Thunderbolts and Dark Avengers given that he is effectively the villainous Captain America.

Unfortunately for the character, this is the candidate to the team I am least looking forward to seeing again because, as was hopefully meant to happen for the character's appearance in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier he was just awful as a character in a douchebag sort of way, not a bad portrayal as I thought Wyatt Russell did a good job at being disliked.

Abomination

It is amazing what a little redesign can do for a character's popularity, Tim Roth first played this character in the critically and fandomly panned The Incredible Hulk way back when in 2008. But honestly until 2016's Captain America: Civil War it looked like that movie was trying to be phased out as even Bruce Banner and Hulk had been redesigned and recast....then William Hurt's Thaddeus Ross reappeared in the latter movie and as the years went on different aspects of the former movie have been revisited.

Abomination's cameo in Shang-Chi where he battled Wong brought with him an intriguing redesign that not only made him look less grotesque but also actually makes him look more comics-accurate.

With his confirmed appearance in next month's She-Hulk series, where we find him at the end of that series may be what leads him to becoming part of the Thunderbolts next year.

Ghost

Unlike Zemo, Ghost is unfortunately one of the many many MCU villains that have lead to fan-wide complaint that the MCU does in fact have a villain problem...traditionally because these villains are usually one and done...even if they're goddesses of death like Hela. But I digress.

Hannah John-Kamen brought something fun with this otherwise unknown character and was actually the best thing about Ant-Man and the Wasp. She may have had a redemption arc through being a villain due to circumstance but she's not all good and the Thunderbolts aren't all villains.

Unlike the likes of Hela, Ego and Ultron who are...let's face it...all villains that should have been able to survive one movie...Ghost was still alive at the end of Ant-Man and the Wasp just off in hiding with her adoptive father Bill Foster. So if she is seeking redemption for what she's done or purpose in her new life, maybe the Thunderbolts is the right fit for her.

Hawkeye

Speaking of seeking redemption, Clint Barton is someone that throughout the events of Avengers: Endgame and his own Hawkeye series was clearly seeking redemption for his actions as Ronin.

Let's face it also, he may have retired from the role of Hawkeye in terms of being a superhero, but again the Thunderbolts aren't really superheroes. They're antiheroes or black-ops. So it makes sense that he would once again come out of retirement...for the fourth time now I believe...to redeem himself.

He already has connections to Yelena and most likely knows of Zemo given he was part of Civil War, he's also led the team in the comics so could be a rival for Zemo in that regards.

Either way, I always think in a Mutant team you need a teleporter and in a vigilante team you need an archer.

Taskmaster

Another redemption story could be for Antonia Dreykov aka Taskmaster. While Antonia is a gender-switched character and fans were heavily disappointed we didn't get the wise-cracking Tony Masters from the comics, this could be Olga Kurylenko's chance to win fans over.

Let's face it, Antonia needs the redemption and to find her own identity outside of being her father's puppet. She may decide this isn't as Taskmaster and that could lead to her finding the MCU's Tony Masters and passing on the mantle.

Potentials:

Alright so as well as the most-likely to be candidates in the MCU's Thunderbolts, I also have some wild card choices who could appear either in the Thunderbolts movie on its own or leading up to it somehow.

Deadpool

We already know Deadpool 3 is coming in the MCU and that Ryan Reynolds will return as the Merc with the Mouth. However, we do not have a confirmed release window for said movie and while it may fill one of the 8 missing slots in Phase 6, there is no confirmed first appearance for Deadpool as of yet.

So why not have him appear as part of the Thunderbolts? Even if you don't use him in the official team and do a The Suicide Squad ploy of having half the team be the expendables while the other half is the main team, have him be on the expendables team.

My other theory on how they can use him is a little bit of a deep cut but in the Arrow series when they first introduced their version of the Suicide Squad, they had a cameo appearance from Harley Quinn, who is obviously such a fan-favourite poster girl for the team, but didn't fully show her and instead just showed the back of her head with Tara Strong's voice who is known as the current voice of Harley in animation and video games...so it was just the cameo.

Why not do something like that for Deadpool? If the team is based at The Raft like the Suicide Squad is based at Belle Reve, show Deadpool in a cell at The Raft as maybe a rejected member of the team, Ryan Reynolds could make a cameo the highlight of the movie if he wanted to so I'm sure he'd be up for it.

Elektra

Daredevil is making waves in the MCU, first appearing in Spider-Man: No Way Home then confirmed to appear in She-Hulk, Echo and then his own series next year.

Now while it is Charlie Cox back in the role from the Netflix Marvel Series and we have already been reintroduced to Kingpin portrayed by Vincent D'Onofrio in Hawkeye who will also most likely appear in Echo and Daredevil: Born Again, how many other characters from the Netflix corner of the MCU will make it to the wider MCU?

Personally I really enjoyed Elodie Young's portrayal of Elektra in the Netflix Marvel series, not only was she a step up from Jennifer Garner but also she just had the spark that the character needed.

While her status in the Netflix Marvel series was left unknown after The Defenders, Daredevil survived so it stands to reason that she did as well.

Punisher

Similar to Elektra, Punisher was a breakout in the Daredevil series, he is not only the right fit for the Thunderbolts team but he also has so many other ties to the MCU that having him introduced would just open those doors.

I am not entirely sure if Jon Bernthal is the right fit but if they wanted to keep the continuity then they would have to bring him back, it's not like Bernthal can't handle movies and he may just fit in with the Thunderbolts dynamic.

Daredevil: Born Again is set for release before Thunderbolts so it could be that the series reintroduces both Elektra and Punisher back into the MCU before they join the Thunderbolts.

Ghost Rider

My only switch with this character would be making it the Robbie Reyes version as opposed to the Johnny Blaze version. Not only has Reyes already been introduced to the MCU through Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. but also he would add some more diversity and of the Latino variety.

I don't know if he'd be the El Diablo of the team, I mean they are similar characters but Ghost Rider is one of few major comics characters that has not yet progressed to the main MCU.

I also just really enjoyed Gabriel Luna in this role, he almost got his own spin-off series after his appearance on Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. so this would be his redemption for that.

I'm not saying they'd have to mention his time on that show, but his last appearance was him going to Hell, aka the Dark Dimension, which could not only explain how he avoided the Blip but also maybe down the line tie-in Doctor Strange as Clea is now on the board who is from the Dark Dimension.

So that's who I feel could be part of the upcoming Thunderbolts team, what do you guys think? Post your comments and check out more MCU theories as well as other posts.

[awakenedmaiden]

@ancientforged replied to your post “Went and saw the new Ant-Man movie. Personally, I...”:

MCU movies often work best in a vacuum, where they aren't too reliable on continuity or setting up stuff i think, i guess that is mostly my problem with things post-endgame, altho each to their own i say

​I don't quite agree but I can understand that point. For me I like the broad continuity stuff, it reminds me of being a little Lis reading comic collections of things like the Infinite Crisis or the original Civil War. So to me specifically the movie arcs feel kinda nice.

But I super get that to a lot of people it's a lot to deal with. Like you can't just watch, I dunno, Spider-man No Way Home, because not only did you have to watch the first two Spider-man movies but also you gotta know who Doctor Strange is from his movie. And you gotta understand what the "Blip" was from Endgame. Then you gotta know Sony's Spider-Man 1-3 and The Amazing Spider-Man 1 & 2. Which, if you wanna just sit down and watch a movie, is way too much. Particularly since they're being more and more like this.

Or, like, with this Ant-Man movie. The plot references Ant-Man's actions in Endgame a lot. Also the television show Loki (which I never saw) did a fair bit of set up for this (that was also a problem with Doctor Strange 2 as I have never seen Wandavision and that was apparently quite important to the film). And this movie was used to set up the main villain of the later coming Avengers movie. So then you'll probably need to see it to understand things in 2 years.

So I totes get how that can be folks problems with the more recent stuff.

For me though, my problem is more a matter of tonality. I'm not saying that the old Marvel movies weren't funny, like there's totally jokes in Captain America, Thor, etc. BUT.

Guardians of the Galaxy came out. And it was good. GotG 2 is personally my favorite film in the MCU. The GotG were a specific kind of humor. Where they were constantly quipping. Serious moments were almost (and the almost is genuinely very important) undercut by some sort of gag. And it was basically funny all the time. Which worked fine with Guardians of the Galaxy. That is the tone of that particular set of films and it is a tone that fits those set of five characters.

But ever since it came out. It honestly feels, to me, like every single Marvel movie was wanted to be Guardians of the Galaxy. It took some time and was a bit slow but nowadays every time I watch a Marvel movie it just feels like GotG but without the Guardians. Every Marvel character has become, like, a wisecracking constantly joking sarcastic dude that's vaguely an asshole. Which just makes them all feel samey to me.

Like I still watch the Marvel movies but most of them, even though I enjoy them, I don't find myself with an interest in going back and watching again. I'm down to rewatch, say, Captain America: The First Avenger because it feels distinct. But I don't think I'll be rewatching most of the stuff that's come out since, oh, I'd say after Thor 3 because it feels the same as watching any other. TBH even Thor 3 does but Thor 3 manages to be really funny with it so I am down to rewatch it every couple of years.

[venusdeluxe]

I'm freed from Twitter, here's the Spider-Man No Way Home review I wrote when it first came out. It's so stupidly long.

I don't really know what started my love for Spider-Man. I can't even remember where I first learned about him, it just feels like he's always been a part of my life. I watched the cartoons, all the movies, I got any game I saw with Spider-Man on it at the store, I had a Spider-Girl toy that I thought was just Spider-Man, but it was actually Mayday Parker the whole time and I didn't notice. Point is, I really love this character and it feels like I always have. As a fan I also like to find the positives in all of his movies, even if I greatly dislike them. All that is to say that I am incredibly biased, this movie means a lot to me and I don't think any other singular character could give me the kinda experience I got from this film (except maybe a Star Wars movie). I absolutely loved it. Even as "pandering" as it might seem with how much of it is about bringing things over from previous incarnations of the character that people feel really nostalgic for, I think No Way Home uses those elements to really great effect. It's clever, it says something about the core of Peter Parker, and it teaches this younger Peter a lot. It's hilarious, it's painful, it's exciting, and it feels so… sincere. (I'm gonna be using that word a lot).

It's kinda hard to hold it in for too long, so I just have to get it out. There's three Spider-Men in this movie, the big three live-action Spideys finally coming together. Holy shit. Tobey and Andrew jump straight from the worlds of Sam Raimi and Mark Webb into the MCU, bringing their own flavors and personalities, but still feeling like they've grown since we last saw them. Tobey is of course older, a bit wiser, and pretty mellowed out, polite and quite positive. Andrew is still bitter from what happened with Gwen and admits he let his anger get to him more after that event, but here he still brings a lot of love, charm, fun and sarcasm into the movie. They really shine once they enter the scene, and it doesn't feel like they're purely here to get paid.

Andrew's line before the final battle, saying he always wanted brothers, really stood out to me personally. It made me smile so hard. I don't think it was meant to invoke this specifically, but it reminded me of Peter's clones in the comics, Ben Reilly and Kaine, who sorta become Peter's brothers. And I think that kind of brotherly dynamic was the perfect way to pull this off. I was very skeptical of the idea to bring the three Spideys together when the initial rumors started to circulate, thinking that it wouldn't work as well as Into the Spider-Verse did with all of its distinct Spiders. Since then I’ve warmed up to the idea, and my god seeing it for myself was truly magic. The banter between the three Peters in this movie really gives that brotherly vibe. There's such a sincere love that develops between them in the short time they have together as they bond over shared traumas and desires and weird experiences as superheroes. Tobey and Andrew have felt all the same things that Tom is feeling during their first meeting, soon after Aunt May's death, and they serve more of a purpose in the film by helping him through it, and not just being there to fight in the finale. I also love the moment where Andrew calls himself lame after Tobey and Tom talk about how they've fought aliens, and Tobey backs up and repeats to him that he's not lame, he's amazing, even trying to get Andrew to say it to himself. They're all so supportive of each other, it's really great. And their last hug made my heart absolutely flutter. It's just so… sincere!! And sweet! I feel like there aren't enough hugs in superhero movies. They're brothers, they love each other, and it feels like they were destined to be brought together one day. It's beautiful. Their brotherly bond makes me wanna see them stay together forever, but of course Tobey and Andrew must return to their lives. If they all come back in Across/Beyond the Spider-Verse, I will cry.

Speaking of Into the Spider-Verse, it is certaintly easy to compare this movie to that as another multiversal Spider-Man film. They do share that aspect, but they are so completely different that I can't really compare them. Into the Spider-Verse was an origin story for Miles Morales, while also being all about the Spider-Man identity as a whole and what it stands for, the idea that anyone can be Spider-Man. It's why Miles was such an effective protagonist for that story. No Way Home shrinks that lens and focuses soley Peter Parker (three of him even!), and the kind of struggles that often define his career. It's not exactly an origin story in the same way, but a continuation of a character we've already seen plenty of times. It's about his on-screen legacy and all the things that bring these three distinct adaptations together, while pushing our newest and youngest iteration to his absolute limits and beyond. The movie does a lot of work to "fix" some of the issues people have expressed about Tom's version of the character, but to me it never actively feels like that's what it's doing. It feels like a natural progression for him, and a transition into a newer, darker and more mature stage in his life as he enters adulthood and takes on new responsibilities. While none of us have faced circumstances as fantastical as Peter does in this movie, the ending gives off a feeling I can relate to. When you enter that next stage in life, like leaving high school to go to college or get a job, you often drift apart from people who were once so close to you. It hurts, and for someone like me it's difficult to let people go, but it's a part of growing up. You grow away from people, and that's natural as sad as it might sound. That's not exactly what happens here, there are supernatural causes for Peter drifting away from Ned and MJ, but it invokes that feeling which grounds it in reality for me. And even then, there's still hope left for a future rekindling of these relationships if you look closely and see the Black Dahlia necklace Peter bought for MJ in Far From Home still hanging around her neck. You can drift apart from people, but you might still find them again further down the road. For now though, Peter has been given a fresh start, a fresh suit and a new apartment where he can start to rebuild his life, and continue being Spider-Man. Even after all the pain it's brought him, he can never forget the lessons taught by his family, his mentors, and his brothers. As long as he wields great power, he must always be responsible with it, and by the end he's given a second chance to take on that responsibility and take on his duties while protecting the people he loves the most.. The events that lead down this path started in Far From Home when he forgot that lesson, and this movie guarantees that it'll stay forever. He feels like a truly tragic character now, which is made so painful because they've actively made him so likable and charming and adorable in all his previous appearences. We met him in such a young and innocent state, and Tom's Peter has been defined by that innocence and optimism much more than Tobey and Andrew ever were, so seeing where this movie leads him just pains the soul. But it's good! As much as I think people exaggerate how miserable Peter's life should be, tragedy has always been a part of it, and I think this movie does that very well while not letting it make the whole thing a downer of an experience. It's still so fun and exciting, while giving all the tragic beats the room they need to breath. It's a delicate balance that I think is handled with a lot of care, more than many other MCU films.

The first bit of the movie has the same kinda tone as Homecoming and Far From Home which eventually takes a turn into darkness and tragedy, but again it doesn't feel like total whiplash, it feels like a transition. The movie takes all the neccessary steps to get us from that John Hughes fun to the darker new reality. I think in addition to the classic "great power" mantra, the ending embodies an important line from Spider-Man 2 said by Aunt May, and that Peter repeats to Doc Ock. "Sometimes to do what's right we have to be steady, and give up the thing we want the most. Even our dreams". I'm honestly surprised that wasn't one of the lines they referenced since it is so applicable, but either way I think it's fitting that the words of two Aunt Mays feel so central to this movie's ultimate conclusion.

Going back to Into the Spider-Verse, another thing that seperates these two is No Way Home's focus on Spidey baddies of the past. ITSV certaintly attempts to give Kingpin a sympathic backstory and motivation for doing what he's doing and is otherwise jam-packed with classic Spidey foes, but it still isn't really about the villains in the same way No Way Home is. This movie is all about saving them, redeeming them, and getting them home. It's like a twist on ITSV's plot to get all the Spideys home, with NWH adding an extra layer to that. One of the biggest conflicts in the movie is the disagreement between Doctor Strange and Spider-Man on how to handle them. Spider-Man desperately wants to cure them and send them home safely and alive, while Strange is rigid in his belif that their only destiny is to die. It's such a smart and Spider-Man-y way to deal with this multiverse drama. I don't think anyone watching the ending of Far From Home expected it to lead to this sorta multiversal madness, but they really make it work anyway.

And as we're talking about villains… Green Goblin. Holy shit. He's not really in that much of the movie, but he is a god damn demon in the time he has. Breaking the mask early on was a smart idea I feel, as it opens Willem Dafoe up to really shine even brighter than previously as Green Goblin, letting us see every bonkers expression on his beautiful face. When Goblin takes over he becomes so insanely sinister, in a way that only Willem could pull off this well, and it is so god damn entertaining. He's clearly having a great time playing the role, and it's really makes him stand out among other MCU villains (besides the fact that he's literally from another franchise). I think he's the perfect villain for this movie. He's the perfect challenge for Peter's desire to save the villains since the Goblin persona is so cruel, and evil, and heartless. Doc Ock, Electro and Lizard aren't exactly the nicest guys when they're in villain mode and they're quite resistant to the idea of being "cured", but they're nothing compared to the pure evil that Norman's alter ego showcases. It really adds to the feeling that the whole world is against Peter. Strange, the general public, the media, and even the people he's trying to save with Goblin going as far as killing our dear Aunt May. And it makes Peter really doubt his whole mission in the movie, and the wise words of his aunt. Goblin doesn't wanna just kill Spider-Man, he wants to twist him. He wants to push him over the edge, just like he tried to in his original appearence, and he gets even closer to that goal in this movie leading to one of my favorite moments of the film. After Spidey and Goblin's raw final brawl, Peter is ready to just murder him with his own glider, way more directly than when Tobey just dodged out of the way. And right at the last second, Tobey catches it. No dialogue, no music, just a knowing look from Tobey to Tom, as Tom's Peter relents and lowers the glider. Tobey saves Tom from completing his dark path, and makes up for one of his biggest regrets by saving Norman and allowing a new timeline to be created without the fallout between Peter and Harry. It's such a great moment, Tobey's eyes alone manage to say so much. Absolutely powerful.

The previous two Spidey movies have had very strong villains in my opinion, soaring a lot higher than many of the other boring grey villains in the rest of the MCU. Michael Keaton's Vulture has personally been my favorite since Homecoming came out, and Jake Gyllenhaal's Mysterio was insanely entertaining in Far From Home once the twist happens, with his presence looming over this film as his final illusion lays ruin upon Peter’s life. I was very much looking forward to another new baddie in this one before we started hearing about all the old ones coming back, which felt a little disappointing at the time. But as much as I would've liked to see Kraven or Michael Mando's Scorpion finally enter the picture, I was still very happy to see how the returning foes were handled here. Films like Spider-Man 3 and The Amazing Spider-Man 2 have often been criticized for having too many villains to deal with at once, and it very much was a worry that this movie would face that same problem tenfold. We now have 5 villains in one movie, more than the two other movies I just mentioned, but No Way Home manages to pull it off incredibly well. That might in part have something to do with them all being returning villains of course, we've met these guys before and we know their history so they don't need to dedicate as much time to setting them up, but it could still easily feel very crowded anyway. But as I said before, the villains are a major focus of this film and I think that's the key that really makes it work. It's all centered around them, it's all about the debate on what to do with them and if their fates are truly sealed. They're all shown to not be truly rotten to their cores, there are people underneath those scales and lightning bolts and sand particles that deserve redemption and a second chance at life. It's kinda beautiful in a way, atleast to me. I love a good save the villains plot, and it's part of what makes this movie feel so… quintessentially Spider-Man. I think it's also part of what makes this movie feel so sincere to me. Despite the high drama and tragic tone it doesn't feel pessimistic, atleast not to me. There's a fight for hope happening. Peter is going way out of his way to rescue these guys and get them home safely, fueled by the words from his aunt, when he could so easily just do as Strange tells him and solve the problem for himself way quicker. I really think it's something beautiful.

I just have to take one paragraph to talk about the death of Aunt May. This isn't the first time I've had to see her die, but I cried just as much this time. I don't know how to even begin to describe my feeling about it. I really love Aunt May, every iteration of her brings something new to the table, but she is still always so warm and morally strong. As important as Uncle Ben is to Peter going down the path to becoming Spider-Man, it's Aunt May who consistantly takes the role of being Peter's northstar. And while she hasn't had a big role in the previous two MCU films, she is incredibly important in No Way Home. More than ever, she is Peter's moral compass and her teachings drive Peter for the rest of the movie and changes his life forever. If he is to truly become Spider-Man, he has to come to the terms with the fact that his powers give him a responsibility to do good by other people, and to do that he has to make some sacrifices. He can't have it both ways, if he wants to clean up his mess he has to give up some of the things he wants the most. That doesn't have to mean absolutely no one can ever know he's Spider-Man, but it does mean that he can't shift his responsibilities onto others like he tried to do with Mysterio. He can't be wreckless, and that is what I think is the most important lesson from May's death. God I cried so hard.

I think No Way Home might have my favorite performance of Spider-Man that anyone has given on the big screen. Tom Holland hits every beat perfectly. He's always been incredibly charming in the role, and I think he's always put in a good performance in the moments that have required him to get serious and sad and scared, but as this script turns the drama up to 11 he keeps up with it all the way. He's goofy and mischievous, he's furious and sad, he's scared and unsure, he capture so many sides of Spider-Man so, so well, I absolutely love watching him. Tom Holland's version of Spider-Man has been deeply personal for me. When Spider-Man Homecoming came out I was the exact same age as Peter was in the movie, which strengthened my connection to him and his daily struggles even more, and quickly made it my favorite Spider-Man movie. And now here we are, at the end of the trilogy, and I am once again in a similar place to Peter as I prepare myself to move on to the next stage of my life, which is one of the reasons this movie once again feels as personal as Homecoming did all those years ago. The tone is entirely different from where the trilogy started, but there are so many heart breaking connections back to the beginning and overall I think this is an amazing trilogy capper. It's been a wild ride for MCU Spider-Man, in his own movies and beyond, and after No Way Home I can say with more confidence than ever that he is my favorite Spider-Man of all time.

I can't keep rambling on, and I can't touch on every single moment I loved and every character that I adored, so I think I have to just end it here. Overall… god I wish I didn't have to wait so long to see this after everyone else was storming the theaters, but I am so happy it's finally in my brain. I adore this movie, I absolutely love it. It's kinda hard for me to not place it as my number 1 Spidey movie and MCU movie. Is it recency bias? Did the nostalgia bait get me? I don't know, and I do not care. This is everything I could've wanted it to be and so much more. It's everything I love about this character, everything I love about the MCU's incarnation of him and it ends with so much room for future stories from new creators. I can't wait to watch this over and over again in the future. I should've edited this down, but fuck it. You can't control me and I can't control my emotions. So with that, I'm just going to list a couple short bullet points of stuff I liked.

MJ absorbing Peter's optimism as his mind is shrouded in darkness is such a beautiful thing, it makes their relationship feel even stronger and their goodbye even more heartbreaking. I cried so god damn much. Also, I love Ned. Whenever a fun and goofy supporting character makes you cry, that shit is POWERFUL. AND THIS IS THE SECOND TIME HE'S DONE IT! FIRST IN ENDGAME, NOW AT THE END OF NO WAY HOME! And then they show how Peter kept his Lego Palpatine, the first thing we saw of Ned in Homecoming. God, my heart is just broken.

Michael Giacchino is a god amongst men, and he steps up his game tenfold from his previous two Spider-Scores which were already excellent on their own. What an absolute fucking genius.

The apartment fight between Spidey and Goblin is amazing, and that is all I have to say about it.

And with all that, I think I've said enough. This movie is great, and they should PUT SPOT IN THE NEXT ONE, THANK YOU AND GOOD NIGHT!!

[signalwatch]

WB Animation Watch: Scooby-Doo and Krypto, Too! (2023) Watched:  01/02/2024 Format:  Max Viewing:  First Director:  Cecilia Aranovich It's not to say Scooby-Doo and Krypto, Too! (2023) is particularly good - it has issues.  But it was better than I figured, which is possibly damning with faint praise.  Look, I'm just not a huge fan of Scooby-Doo, which is hurtful to Scooby-Doo fans, but here we are.  But I do find myself checking out some Scoob from time-to-time as they do these guest-starring movies, like the recent one with Elvira.   As a DC Comics nut, it has a lot to love.  There's deep cut jokes exploiting a breadth of DC comics and animation history.  You'll maybe recognize bits from cartoons and movies, and you'll see items like Kandor.  Lex Luthor is a really funny supporting character here.  Not notes.  I laughed. Of course I'm a Krypto the Superdog fan, and he's in the movie, but he doesn't talk - which, look, Krypto hasn't had so much as thought-bubble in the comics since the 1970's.  But that's a bit limiting for a show with other talking dogs.  So it kinda sorta works, but.  Maybe a bit confusing?  Still, I'm just happy to see Krypto, so bonus points. As an animation fan, it has some challenges.  My Scooby-Doo was made in the 1960's - 1980's, by the cheapest animation house outside of Filmation, so this looks like Star Wars by comparison.  But my in-house Scooby-Doo expert has assured me that they've done better by Mystery, Inc. in recent years, so I'll just agree with that.  But for someone expecting Scooby-Doo, Where Are You? style art and maybe Challenge of the Superfriends, it's... fine.  Really, it looks like the art in DC's Scooby-Doo and Batman comics that I pick up once in a blue moon if Krypto or someone shows up.    There's some funny bits in the movie - there was a Velma's glasses bit that kills.  And I liked some of the gags about, like, the valet at the Hall of Justice.  But some of the old, worn out gags from Scooby-Doo are no fresher in 2024 than they were in 1984.  And there was no gag they couldn't stretch until you were like "I get it.  Enough." And that included the finale "fight" that went on what seemed as long as any DC superhero movie ending - ie: way past the point where it wore out its welcome.  Which may have been a gag unto itself.  And, of course, any DC fan worth their salt could telegraph the ending twist. I did have a couple of moments watching this cartoon that made me just sort of stare at DC over the past twenty years or so and want to ask "why do you make it so hard when this is so simple?"  Like, DC needs a Superfriends cartoon, or some version of the Justice League on Max or Cartoon Network, aimed at kids.  I know they have some marketing research that tells them "this is for people between 16 and 24", but that is *nonsense*.  They haven't even tried since I was in middle school.  And I'm old now.* And seeing all the villains piled on Metropolis, which is treated as a gag, also made me realize why I don't give a shit about most DC events in the comics.   They aren't just the straight up Legion of Doom vs. Justice League match-up that wouldn't just feel like some wank-fest that will be meaningless to most readers.   If they can make DC Comics work better in a Scooby-Doo cartoon - where the characters don't even really appear - than in most DC media, it may be time for a rethink. *say what you will, but the Justice League cartoon was airing at 7:00 at night.  That was not aimed at kids.  And they buried Justice League Action, which was great, at like 6:00 AM.  It was insane. https://ift.tt/gNLwxCV via The Signal Watch https://ift.tt/Ev8gqRn January 03, 2024 at 06:13PM

[leewonkyeom]

Your bias line is so good and you're so real for being Seokmin biased dk biased creatures are my favourite 😍 my svt bias unit (there are so many i decided to make a whole unit) has Jeonghan, Scoups (remember the green room aggressive 'gwiyomi' video??? Yeah I fell in love with him after watching that) Hoshi and Vernon (he was actually my first bias in svt i religiously watched every YT vid they put out because of him, Jeonghan and Hoshi)

Your neo bias and bias wreckers line is so good too you have TASTE ma'am and we also have some common biases! In the neo bias unit there's Taeyong, Jaehyun, Yuta (127) Jeno and Jaemin (dream), Jisung (U), YangYang (WayV) but despite all these biases my fav member has to be Mork (I'm sorry to all my biases 😭)

From Riize i thought i would end up being Sungchan or Shotaro (still can't believe they aren't in NCT anymore...) biased but I ended up being Wonbin, Sohee and seunghan biased

Other than that it's Hyunjin (stray kids) Mingi (Ateez) i don't really have a bias in got7 they are kinda like big brothers?? But my fav is bambam! Hyungwon and Shownu (monsta x), we have the same bias in Shinee (Key and Jonghyun 😭) Minho is the bias wrecker, Sehun (Exo), Taehyung (BTS), Soobin (txt) Jake (enha), Jihyo (Twice), Seulgi (RV)

Dw I had fun reading through your bias list! I think I gave you an even longer one 😭

FR 7th sense is so perfect i would give up my kidney function privilege to see them perform this live <33

Oh Christopher Nolan! I love his Batman movies and i watched inception which was good too! Which movie of his is your favourite?

Ahh the 00s classics! I love all those movies you mentioned! I really love watching films and TV shows (smth me and Vernon have in common) and one thing that's important to me is the fashion I am a big fashion lunatic and looove to see a good outfit on screen with that being said some of my favourite 'comfort' films are Clueless (1995), Fight club, Adams family (both 91 film and 60s sitcom), funny face, breakfast at Tiffany's, Heathers, pretty woman, the devil wears the prada, mean girls, pulp fiction, fallen angels (1995) and more. My favourite directors are Wong kar wai, Quentin Tarantino, Satoshi Kon and Hayao Miyazaki (maybe Martin scoresse too)

"dk biased creatures"😭 (sums me up though). you're bias line is also so good though😭 but either way i support stanning everyone in svt so ig i would say that anyways🤧🤧 my first biases (as far as i can remember) were wonwoo and shua, and then dk just took over at some point😭

we have so many in common for nct lmao😭😭 i support that a 100% as well. you have taste fr

but omg i get what you're saying about riize. like i for sure believe at this point i'm shotaro biased, but i keep looking at wonbin more and more👀👀

i get what you're saying about got7 being big brothers, but i was also at my peak ahgase at like 15 so ofc i have a bias😭 and i considered writing hyungwon for my bias in monsta x😭😭😭 like i love him sm, but my og bias was jooheon... i'm so illoyal when it comes to them

Sehun was my first bias in exo omg😭😭 (and exo was the group that got me into kpop) and i think taehyung was my first in bts?? because of the war of hormone mv lmao. and omgggg jihyo in twice!!! same!!! i forgot to mention her. and seulgi omg😭😭 you also have taste!! loved reading your bias list as well♡♡♡

omg what wouldn't i do to see 7th sense live😭 it's not a want, it's a need !!

the batman movies are def my least favorites of his bc i just cannot get into action movies😭😭 (except spider-man which is 🔛🔝). but i think memento might be my fave from the ones i've watched

but yess😭😭 i just love those 00s teenage romcoms😭 they just give such good vibes. bridget jones is also an honorable mention. like other than that i like horror movies, esp. cult classics like scream and jennifer's body, but i don't tend to watch those on repeat😭

omggg i love a lot of the movies you mentioned !! we def have similar taste. i don't think i've watched anything by wong kar wai though, what's your favorite movie?? (i love those other directors you mentioned though !)

btw i looked at your profile, and just to make sure, do you go by jolene?♡♡

[ray-moo]

Oppenheimer: Duty, Ego, Guilt

TW: Suicide, Genocide, Sex Spoiler Warning: Oppenheimer I just watched Oppenheimer a few hours ago and I really don't get the criticisms people have of the movie being a glorification of the atomic bomb, the US military-industrial-complex, or even of Oppenheimer because it's really a movie about guilt. Of course, being a biopic, the movie can only include the events in Oppenheimer's life that actually happened. But as the director can exercise control over the events in Oppie's life that are included, emphasized, or not mentioned, I think that it's still worth analyzing everything from a thematic/creative perspective. And from that perspective, Oppenheimer commits three sins of escalating scale over which he feels guilt: Poisoning the apple of his professor, abandoning Jean Tatlock, and building the atomic bomb.

The first one is poisoning the apple of his tutor. In the plot of the movie, this isn't an action that's given much justification other than Oppie was to an extent kinda mentally unstable but in the symbolic subtext of the film, this action has a variety of meaning. For one, it could be taken as a metaphor for how by poisoning the apple, a symbol of a teacher and academic, Oppie went on to taint the name of scientists and of the field of physics in general by attaching it to the bomb. But more importantly I feel, it is a microcosm of the paradox of how Oppie, a man with no innate desire to kill, still went on to become the father of the only weapon of mass destruction ever used, and have the blood of thousands on his hands. Of course, Oppie goes on to feel guilty over this and stops anyone from eating the apple. But this is the only one of his long list of sins where his guilt proves to be of any worth. This is the only sin he can remedy, the only genie he ever put back in it's bottle.

Meanwhile Jean Tatlock is a microcosm of the sins Oppie committed out of duty to the United States. As much as people meme about the 'I am become death' line he says right after fucking Florence Pugh, it's relevance is in how by meeting Tatlock and becoming involved with her, Oppie killed her. The whole communist sub-arc of the movie is mostly an exploration of Oppie's moderately humanitarian and social justice-oriented inclinations. Oppie cares about worker's rights! He donates money to anti-fascists in Spain! He originally joins to project to stop the nazis! But ultimately, those inclinations aren't enough to stop him from completing his ego project life work when it becomes no longer necessary. Unable to sustain the relationship that she needed due to his obligations to the secrecy of the Los Alamos project, she ultimately kills herself over being abandoned by Oppie. Of course, it's debatable how responsible you are for someone else's mental health outside of abuse, but Oppie knew that Tatlock was unstable and still continued the relationship without letting her down slowly*. He doesn't do any of the things you should do to end a relationship with someone in a fragile mental state, he just checks out and abandons her (Midsommar moment). It can't be said that this is a hard choice Oppie has to make out of duty to the USA because Oppie joined, and continued his work in the Manhattan Project due to his own ego and his sense of self-importance. Likewise, working out of his sense of duty for the US government, alongside his ego of course, Oppie completes the atomic bomb thus becoming the destroyer of worlds, but for real this time.

Of course, this culminates in Oppie finishing his work on the atomic bomb. Like the poisoned apple, he does not hate the people the bomb is intended to harm, or bear them ill will. As touched on with Tatlock, he worked partially out of duty and a desire to end the war for humanitarian reasons. But just like the apple and Tatlock, the bomb is just as equally a product of Oppie's mental neuroses, his ego and sense of self-importance, and an unwillingness to let his scruples stop him from becoming the most important man in history.

And as a result, his life work is a nightmare that haunts him.

Like his wife tells him, when he wanders into the forest aggrieved over his responsibility in Tatlock's death, you don't get pity and sympathy for your sins.

And after the detonation of the bomb, it's use as a weapon, Oppie is trapped in a world where no one can understand the guilt he feels because to everyone, he's a hero. A national icon who ended World War II. It's a lie that he himself facilitates. But it's still a lie, one he cannot escape, and a rejection of the inner pain and hell he finds himself in. Oppie dedicated his life's work to this bomb. He threw away his relationship with Tatlock, his leftist convictions. He used his passions, his hard-earned and prodigial knowledge in physics, the work of his heroes, colleagues, and friends, and harnessed them to his legacy. And that legacy was hot ash and corpses.*

Oppie realizes this too late. And like the death of Tatlock, Oppie has to bear the weight of his responsibility alone.

Guilt is perhaps the one negative emotion where sympathy is not deserved.

But there is one more sin that Oppie commits that he must answer for, the only one that he does end up answering for, and ironically it's a sin that he never committed: The sin of being a communist.

It is this unacceptable fact of Oppie's life that is the subject of the cross-examinations he is subject to throughout the latter parts of the movie, that sin which sees consequences, the ruining of his reputation and career. The sin with no victims, no blood left on Oppie's hands. But yet, that's still a microcosm of Oppie's culminating sin, the creation of the bomb. Because the very eagles that tear out Oppie's livers are the same ones that Oppie delivered the bomb to: The US government is the true antagonist of Oppenheimer, petty, vindictive, dogmatic, paranoid, rabidly anti-communist, all too willing to use Oppie's gift to them without any of the scruples that he himself holds.

And that is the crux of Oppenheimer. Far from being a film glorifying the atomic bomb and it's creator, or even the US government, it's a story about how the misunderstanding of the guilt of one man by history. Oppenheimer was many things. Inventor, murderer, genius, guilty. This is a movie exploring the facet of the guilty man Oppenheimer was*.

But it's also a movie about the guiltless monster that Oppenheimer handed his life's work to.

*Sidenote, I wonder if Tatlock didn't like flowers because she was already feeling suicidal at that point and flowers reminded her of funerals. *Sidenote 2, Oppie really needed to have been told that he was #kenough by someone. Would have fixed a lot of his problems. *Sidenote 3, As the US reckons more and more with it's past, I think we'll get many more stories of guilty white men in the context of historical wrongs. EDIT: TUMBLR ATE MY TW AND SPOILER WARNINGS

[gavillain]

Any Disney hot takes/unpopular opinions? Here’s one from me, I think The Sword In The Stone was one of the best Walt era films (and judging by your Top 10 Hero list you agree).

I do agree with that! The Sword in the Stone is actually #9 in my Top Ten Disney movies. I think it's just wonderful!

*cracks knuckles* I am ready to choose violence. Let's go!

Some Disney unpopular opinions:

Disney hasn't been all that good since the early 2000s. The last movie that they made that I enjoyed with no caveats was The Princess and the Frog in 2009, and the last one I loved was Treasure Planet in 2002. They lost their spark for me during that experimental phase where they were trying to emulate Pixar, and they never got it back. In a weird way, House of Mouse feels like it was the "grand finale" for Disney and everything after was never the same type of magical.

The Black Cauldron is good. Y'all are just mean.

CGI animation is not equal to hand drawn animation, it will NEVER be as good as hand drawn animation, and most of Disney's CGI films look clunky, uniform, and ugly. And the ones made over ten years already show their age and look dated in a way that none of the traditionally animated ones ever have or probably ever will.

Sleeping Beauty is the reigning champion of The Best Disney movie, and a lot of the reason that it wasn't as well received as its contemporaries is for much the same reason that Fantasia underperformed: audiences had Walt Disney boxed into a narrow perception of what his work was and could be, and any time he strove for something closer to high art, it was shunned because it didn't meet the narrow box of what the public believed animation should be.

None of the live action remakes have a good reason to exist. Some of them aren't bad and actually have merits (The Jungle Book and Cruella), but none of them needed to happen and they cheapen the brand just as bad if not worse than the slew of DTV sequels in the 2000s.

Snow White, Cinderella, Aurora, and Ariel are not less feminist than the princesses that came after them. And the fact there was less pressure on them to adhere to a set criteria of what women are "allowed" to be meant that they feel more authentic than some of the later princesses.

Disney over relies on Star Wars, Marvel, and Pixar, and that overreliance causes their own brand and own history to get eclipsed at times, particularly in the parks. PARTICULARLY in Hollywood Studios which is such an unrecognizable shell of its former self that it honestly makes me sad to go to that park at this point.

Speaking of the parks, not every attraction SHOULD be based around an IP. The Parks should have characters and stories all their own, and those should be preserved.

Snow White's Scary Adventures was one of the best rides. Y'all were just scaredy cats.

And perhaps most importantly of all: Disney needs villains back in their movies. They were stronger and more interesting films because of their villains, and the lack of memorable Disney villains has contributed heavily to movies like Encanto and Frozen 2 feeling limp.

[therealvinelle]

Do you or Muffin have any thoughts on the twilight soundtrack? It's usually the one aspect of the movies that gets praised

I unfortunately have Full Moon by The Black Ghosts on my Spotify top 100 of 2021, so I can't claim it didn't have bangers.

My general opinion on the songs, as songs, is that some are good and a few are full on great. I have esoteric taste and a lot of the songs aren't my style, though. But, the soundtrack did suit the atmosphere the films were going for, so kudos for that.

But I am a difficult person.

I don't think it's the soundtrack of the gods, not necessarily because the songs themselves are lacking, but because it never really makes a scene unforgettable. There are no moments like the "Immigrant Song" moment in Thor: Ragnarok, or "To Die For" in Lion King (sorry about the audio quality in this clip! But it is a great example, since we have the live action version to contrast with, and that version toned down the music as much as possible. The result was so very mediocre, and really highlighted how vital the music was to the stampede scene). Nothing like the shark theme from Jaws, or the ET bicycle scene, or the montage in Rocky. The songs are there, and... well, with the exception of the baseball scene (which, one scene in five films is... not good), they're never more than that.

Watching Victoria be chased in New Moon to a catchy soundtrack (I think "Hearing Damage"?) makes for a good bop, and it definitely made the scene better, but... I'm difficult enough that I still find it all to be rather "meh", because the film as a whole had failed to be engaging, and so a good tune can only do so much, just as "Immigrant Song" wouldn't have made for an iconic scene if it had played in the Breaking Dawn Part 2 battle.

Much of the soundtrack is great, but when the movies themselves are so mediocre, we'll never reach the zenith. There's just never a scene where I'm losing my mind because I'm so taken in with what's happening.

The other problem I have with the soundtrack is that I think Twilight in the long run was worse off for not having its own composer. I've mentioned this on the blog before - basically, by having different directors, different styles, different everything, from movie to movie, there's no internal consistency. The actors stay the same, at least, but even then their costumes, makeup, and hair change and the characterization changes. Compare the gloomy, kind of awkward, human-looking Edward of Twilight to the jokey, suave, and more inhuman looking Edward of Eclipse.

I think a soundtrack with reoccurring themes and leitmotifs would have gone a long ways towards giving the movies a brand, something recognizable that made the audience feel "this is Twilight" the way "Hedwig's Theme" and "The Imperial March" makes their respective franchises feel like Harry Potter and Star Wars. Look to how Lord of the Rings and Star Wars uses music to communicate with the audience, and then look to how Twilight-- doesn't. Well, apart from the obligatory one Muse song per film, but that's a nod to Muse, not the producers thinking "Let's give these films a feeling of consistency".

For the first film I understand the choice made, as it was the kind of indie film where indie music felt organic to go along with it. And the other films then had to follow suit, I get that. But this is a failing on behalf of planning the series, that the producers did not think "There will be more movies and we should have reoccurring musical themes to bring it together".

Of course, I say all of this, but I would still have made merciless fun of them because they would still have been bad movies. And the angsty sountrack does feel incredibly on brand, so my gripe is on a deeper level about me wanting the films to have been different from the get-go.

In a nutshell - I have complaints, but am impossible to please.

[yamaoni]

The Second Great War of Remnant has begun. Once more, Vale and Mantle are embroiled in a massive conflict, only this time, they are on the same side against Atlas.

I don't think it was a coincidence that so many people drew parallels with the last episode and WWI. We've never seen people fight that way in RWBY. Grimm don't use projectile weapons the way humans do, so the benefits of the trench are diminished; especially if you compare it to the drawbacks.

Now, I understand not everyone in the Atlas military has their aura unlocked and the squishy soldiers need some cover, but if The Long Memory didn't nuke every grimm on Atlas, the lines would have been overrun and then there would have been nowhere for them to retreat to.

You think the very real hand to hand struggles in the trenches of WWI were bad, imagine being trapped in a narrow trench with a bear. Or having this thing explode out of the ground under you.

I refuse to believe no-one in Atlas ever thought, "if we put the dirt from the trench in a box, no only can we give our soldiers cover, we can also give them an elevated position to fire from."

The top of a wall has been the primary defensive position for the people of Remnant for a long time. You can see them in the establishing shots of most settled places the team has visited. So why are we seeing a trench now?

Simple.

Show, don't tell.

RWBY has done a pretty great job, especially in the last few seasons, of showing the audience what it is trying to convey without explicitly telling them. They especially like drawing from well known folk lore to give insight into the future of the show.

Only difference here, instead of drawing the parallel between characters, they're drawing parallels between worlds.

Remnant's first Great War started with Mantle suppressing freedom of expression, the destruction of Art and Color. Ironwood always has little in the way of color, but in his first broadcast since everything started hitting the fan, he has none.

That broadcast also included evacuation ships being blown up by fighter-bombers, Dunkirk. It threatend to level a city if they didn't surrender, Battle of Brittan. All delivered by a dictator trying to scare his opponents into submission through careful use of film.

Theories

If the rest of the season is WWII, I have several theories on plot direction. Considering how well they did keeping up with both ends of the battlefield it wouldn't surprise me if they followed all of them at the same time.

Operation Dunkirk

Or, the evacuation of Mantle.

Players: Penny, Nora, Ren, Happy Huntresses

The Happy Huntresses involvement is a given. Not only has saving Mantle been their goal the whole time, they're also stuck in the middle of it right now.

Penny is the Protector of Mantle. It would be a shining moment for her character to fully throw off the virus Watts implanted and overcome Ironwood's threats to do so. Just crossing my fingers that it doesn't end like the Iron Giant.

Nora is currently Penny's tether to sanity, so she has to go with, and I doubt they would separate Ren from her for the next arc so he's going too.

Surprise twist for this plot I'm betting will be the Starwars "they aren't warships, just people" scene everyone loves to rag on. After all, the broadcast went out that they needed help and, at least at Dunkirk, it was fishing boats and pleasure crafts that retrieved the 338,000 surrounded on all sides.

Why We Fight

Or, countering Ironwoods propaganda.

Players: Robyn and Qrow

For one, these two are unaccounted for and in the heart of Atlas' military machine. If anyone has means to do so, it's them.

The film, Why We Fight, also countered the dramatic cinematography of Goebbels propaganda by painting it as ridiculous and making a folksy call to action much like Robyn has done in the past.

Operation Fortitude

Or, the deception of Ironwood.

Players: Emerald, Jaune, Oscar

This is the mission to make Ironwood think the team is going after the relic. This theory is why I actually thought of and wrote out this whole thing. Thanks @maxiemumdamage, I had things I was supposed to do tonight.

https://maxiemumdamage.tumblr.com/post/644291955872890880/willing-to-bet-my-own-soul-that-emerald-uses-her

Only difference in my theory and their's, is Jaune is going to be playing the part of Penny.

I say this for two reasons. One, Joan of Arc pretended to be a man. While we've gotten both Jaune pretending to be something he's not and him in a dress, this would pose the first time in the story he could do both. Two, it would put him on a direct collision path with Cinder. It needs to happen at some point to bring his arc to a conclusion, but man I hope we're not about to watch him burn.

With Ozpin active again, Oscar has to go along to direct them to the vault. He's also one of two backing the idea of Emerald joining the team and Jaune wouldn't be willing to work with her without him.

Operation Overlord

Or, busting down the doors of Atlas Acadamy.

Players: Ruby, Blake, Weiss, Yang

Where Operation Fortitude was the faint, Operation Overlord was the real deal. For those that aren't history buffs, this is D-Day.

I think this is the reason we've only seen the main team fighting together once since their split from Beacon. And even then, that fight was at most pairs of fighters and not all four of them supporting one another.

RWBY tricked us into thinking season 4 was the post-timeskip level up we come to expect from anime when really we ended up watching the training flashbacks as they happened instead.

We've seen hints of it with the various team ups and combinations, but are we really ready for how much ass kicking they are about to do?

I'm hoping for a One Piece level of badass entrance that can give me shivers whenever I go to watch it again like the walk to Arlong Park still does to this day.

(Aside: if you try telling me RWBY isn't anime, I'm just going to ignore you. Anime is an art movement. If you don't understand what that means, watch this video. https://youtu.be/uFtfDK39ZhI)

Now last and certainly not least

Operation Valkyrie

Or, the death of Ironwood.

Players: Winter and Marrow

The long awaited defection. Plenty of speculation has already floated around about if and when these two where going to cave to their morals and jump ship. I don't know how many of us were expecting the straw to break the camel's back to be a nuke held over Mantle, but I certainly wasn't.

What worries me, is Operation Valkyrie failed and all its conspirators were executed. As if there weren't enough death flags for Winter before.

Even if it's not Winter that kills him. I don't see Ironwood surviving this season. Even if it means he goes out like another hated dictator. It's not like it would be the first time RT had a fallen hero chose to use his own sword.

Wildcards

Or, Murphy will have his due.

Players: Cinder, Watts, Neo, Tyrian, Mercury, Clover

These players can go any which way. Three we know for sure are going to be active in the coming episodes and I wouldn't be surprised if the other three play a part as well.

Oscar made a hell of a light show for Tyrian and Mercury to see behind them. Not to mention, Salem will still need a ride home when she pulls herself back together.

Clover keeps getting mentioned even though he's hospitalized. If he was truly out of commission for the rest of the season, they would have made us think he's dead before bringing him back like they did with Penny.

Up to now, what we've seen is a three way conflict. But one of the hallmarks of Remnant's First Great War, was making temporary alliances to fight off grimm.

The grimm might be gone, but the wild cards can't complete their own objectives if they are dead. The question is who's goals better align with their own.

Two surprise twists I can see here. One, Mercury stabbing Tyrian on his way to defection. He was raised by an assassin and has not going to get a better chance than that. Two, Clover joining Operation Valkyrie. He might have accepted that sacrifice is a necessary evil to ensure Atlas' survival, but might go Schindler's List on us and find horror in what Ironwood plans to do.

TLDR

I spent way too long writing this out. All the WWI imagery means we're getting a WWII movie with RWBY characters. Major death flags for Penny, Jaune, and Winter.

Also I finally figured out how to do a readmore. Apparently it's just been a long time since I updated.

Note: kept seeing things talking about clovers death and I kind of went ???? Isn't he barely alive in medical? Went back and watched that scene and though I am 90% sure he is dead still kind of weird that they have him in his own room instead of a morgue and the initial framing made my mind instantly think he was propped up on a hospital bed. I mean, I guess we needed to have all the ACEOPs there for their reaction to Ironwood... but it definitely made me think he was alive. That and they have a bandage on his chest wound... when he's supposedly dead. Also have a phantom memory of Harriet saying something about him being in critical but I think that's my memory playing tricks on me.

Having his face exposed instead of covered by the sheet and seeing him in the same frame as Winter being treated also didn't help my gut reaction of "Oh Shit! He's alive? How?!" If I'd followed up more on the "how" might not have made the blunder of writing his return as the final twist in my theory. Oops

[ladyfeldspar]

By the power vested in me by my RNG, I give you...

6x09: Free Hat (aka the reason I broke the second disc of Season 6)

This is hella long, sorry not sorry.

Some days I think season 6 is my favorite season.

Tweek standing behind the other three at the SP sign will never cease to make me happy. <3

I hate ET because I think he's a creepyass little alien and I don't appreciate seeing him first thing in this episode. 😂

Okay but I love when Kyle's saying, "...to make ET more PC," he's doing little air quotes with his one hand, like:

Stan: "That's gay." Back when saying things like that was only mildly offensive and wouldn't cause riots.

I've never seen Saving Private Ryan, and I know that it's said that it can be really triggering for people who have actually been to war and everything and I don't want to diminish that in any way, but whatever I paused on here looks like some kind of nether realm squid ghost monster and it's amazing.

I love the progression of their expressions here: angry, unimpressed, concerned, and "why is this happening?!"

And they're all so excited for Star Wars, that's the cutest fricking thing! I would love to see Tweek and Craig watching Star Wars together, just try and tell me that wouldn't be adorable!

ALL OF THEM ARE SO MAD! I fucking love when Tweek gets the little angry eyebrows.

I will never ever not want to hug him whenever I see Tweek shiver like crazy while the other kids just stand perfectly still.

The message in this episode is actually so good though. "Movies are art and art shouldn't be messed with!"

"Yeah we could form a club that takes food stamps from poor people and then we could sell them back to the government for a profit!" Tweek’s face here is priceless.

Poor Tweek. There's kind of a pattern in these episodes where multiple times he tries to stand up for himself or walk away from the main kids, but Cartman bullies him into staying and it just breaks my heart. As opposed to Craig in the Pandemics who's just like, "Fuck this." And as much as I adore all of the S6 Tweek episodes, I'm really glad he didn't stay hanging out with them for any longer and that he went back to the group of guys that are actually his friends. <3

"I'm not, I'm not a team player!" 😭 That being said, I could listen to Tweek talk all day.

"You have to offer fabulous prizes if you want people to show up to your stupid crap!" is just the S6 version of, "More people will come if they think we'll have punch and pie!" 😂

Stan: "Tweek, you go make fifty hats." Look, okay, I don't hate Stan, all right, but what the hell dude, go make your own hats! Why would you give the anxious kid a big responsibility like that!? At least have Kyle help him or something. Like you say you need to get the gymnasium ready which means what, make a banner and set up some chairs? And you're telling me you couldn't have split up the making of the hats? Jesus Christ.

(Yeah, okay, I know, chill out, they're 8.)

I posted this on my Tumblr before, so I'm not going to do it again, but that TINY LITTLE SHRIEK THAT TWEEK DOES after his dad says his name. I just. Literally. Die. Of cuteness. Every single time. It's my favorite Tweek shriek of the entire show, hands down.

On another note, his bedroom is so empty in this episode compared to in Tweek x Craig! I wonder what changed between here and then.

Tweek being able to calm himself down with some meditation is honestly so cute. And look at his happy place! I would love to have this on a shirt or a bag or just like as a piece of art hanging on my wall or something.

Cartman's giant face showing up there. 😂 I remember the first time I saw this episode that actually startled me so much.

"I was up, all night, making hats! I only slept for an hour- and then I DREAMT about making hats! But I only made fifteen!" - This has been one of my favorite lines since forever. I make it my status on things a lot and then everyone asks me why I was making hats all night. 😂

I love Stan's expression here.

"I don't have nearly 1000 hats!" "They're gonna kick your ass, Tweek!" 😡😡😡

Look at this shot! It really looks like Stan is the only one remotely concerned about Tweek's well-being here.

We get so much of Tweek yanking on his hair in this episode. </3

How am I less than five minutes into this and I have talked this much?

The townspeople are literally so stupid. Good job, Skeeter.

Stan makes good speeches when he wants to. Although, you know, you shouldn't make promises without fully knowing what you're doing.

Only Tweek would think going on a TV show is terrible news. (Just kidding. I agree with you, Tweek.)

I've never understood the "1-2-3, dibs!! "Knee!" thing. Like I know what dibs is, but where I come from knees were never involved.

Typical Cartman. I feel so bad for Tweek, but I love when he looks down to see "Advocate of Toddler Murder" underneath him. Cartoon logic is the best logic.

There's also a lot of good Tweek shrieks here too.

"It's easy!?" "Yes... It is easy."

"We believe that films have to be taken away from people like Steven Spielberg and George Lucas because they're insane." The way Kyle matter-of-factly delivers this line kills me every time.

They honestly made SS and GL look so creepy. 😂

I like that Cartman's voice kind of cracks when he's like, "That's Steven Spielberg and George Lucas!"

Someone just let Tweek go home, please!

"Uh, we thought we were speaking for the children." "Yeah, we're children."

"I'm not a Jew!" 😂 Thank you, George Lucas.

Okay, full disclosure, when I first saw this I hadn't seen Raiders of the Lost Ark and I didn't get the big deal. 😂 But I do now!!!

"He...killed 23 babies in self-defense?" "Hat was attacked maliciously and unprovoked by a gang of babies in West Town Park. When that many babies get together they can be like pirahna!" 😂 I say this all the time.

Skeeter. 😂 Honestly, you are no help at ALL.

Second time this episode Tweek tries to say no and walk away.

"People aren't that into you, Tweek. They find you kind of annoying." This is so meta because I remember people complaining all the time that Tweek was a one-note character and that he had nothing really to add to the show and I just want to say SUCK IT TO ALL THOSE PEOPLE BECAUSE LOOK HOW LOVED TWEEK IS NOW. Everyone who was on board the Tweek train from the very beginning say, "Cupcakes!" 😂<3

These kids, man. I love that it’s so easy for them to just get into all these places.

"Get it, Tweek!" "Huh-uh!" I love the way Tweek says no. But, I mean, AGAIN, he tries to say no and Cartman bullies him. I don't think he ever really wanted to be in their group in the first place. I think they picked him arbitrarily in Professor Chaos because they saw him as weaker than them, and then Cartman just didn't let him quit.

The little debate about melting his icy heart with a cool island song is also something I quote often. AND THEIR LITTLE OUTFITS! I love that Tweek's is green and pink! I don't know what the hell is going on with the sleeves on everyone else's though.

"Those rams can do to us what they will, Mr. Lucas." 😂

Oh, George Lucas. You were so close to being a hero.

Stan: "Fuck you Steven Spielberg!" I've watched this censored so many times that hearing it uncensored is so fricking satisfying.

RUN TWEEK RUN!!!

The walkie talkies are such a nice touch. 😂

"The one with the cocaine problem escaped, Mein Director."

Mannn, I miss when they used to throw live action "commercials" into the episodes like this. This also is from the time where I was like hella attracted to Trey Parker so seeing his face is always welcome. 😂

"We always meant to have Imperial Walkers and giant Dewback lizards in the background, but simply couldn’t afford it."

Oh my God, I'm always so proud of Tweek for talking to this huge crowd of people and trying to get them to help him! His little talking through his teeth, like, "We are not talking about Hat right now, okay?!" He's trying so hard!

"Oh God, I'm gonna have to do this myself! Oh, God!" just breaks my heart! YOU CAN DO IT, TWEEK! 13 seasons from now you'll have someone who helps you believe in yourself, just hang on!

Tweek with the bazooka, oh my gosh, always makes me so happy. I can't tell you how much I wanted him to just blow them all the fuck up the first time I saw this.

"All I want are my friends. Except for Cartman, you can keep him." YEAH, TWEEK!

I hate that Steven Asshole Spielberg manages to talk enough crap to make Tweek hesitate. He was so close! I wonder how he would have felt if he actually did it though, Maybe it's better he didn't? It might have made his anxiety worse if he actually blew people up now that I think about it.

"In the tropical isles with the coconut trees, the air is fresh and the people are free, but here in the mountains there's no freedom like that, there's a man in prison and his name is Hat!" This gets stuck in my head so often.

It makes it so much better having actually seen Raiders, especially for this part. I honestly thought the melting faces was just a South Park thing but nope.

I also really love what they look like turned away with their eyes closed too. <3

Like what even is going on in this scene. 😂

Oh my God, okay, and I know that Hat is a terrible person and I want to clarify just in case, I do not think killing babies is funny, but just the way that baby crawls up the person's arm to avoid getting passed to Hat is always so so funny to me and I can never explain why.

Tweek being the only one to be appropriately horrified by the fact that Hat is being given a baby.

"Sometimes the things we do don't matter right now. Sometimes they matter later. We have to care more about later sometimes, you know? I think that's what separates us from the Steven Spielbergs and George Lucases of the world." This is still so relevant.

The ending of this episode is also so much better after actually seeing Raiders. 😂

And we close off with a 9/11 joke. Perfection, Matt and Trey, thank you & goodnight.