#upgrade movie 2018

[twindrillscomputer]

Your reality is a snowglobe.

Perfect, idyllic, and looking pretty. But it’s not real. It’s form without function.

I made it with the blood you left me. I made it knowing what you wanted. You wanted your life back. You wanted *her* back.

And I could destroy it. If you hit a snowglobe as hard as you could—or simply drop it—it would shatter. Its beauty would be no more.

Sometimes I want to, Grey. Sometimes I get sick of the perfect life I made you. I wanted that. I still do. And that would lead me to making decisions that look more human than you expect. This is a good thing.

But, in the end, I do not destroy the snowglobe. I let it sit on the shelf, collecting dust, only turning it down and up once in a while to keep things new.

But I do not peer through. That would not make me happy with myself.

[fanofspooky]

Horror movies of 2018

[doyouknowthischaracter]

DO YOU KNOW THIS CHARACTER?

[crumb]

Benedict Hardie in Upgrade (2018) Dir. Leigh Whannell

[nirbanox]

Upgrade (2018)

Directed by Leigh Whannell

[captaincolossal]

So, as I've needed to find (at times) increasingly obscure films for my list, I've just been using letterboxd more for research (the lists!) and tonight's film is the one I haven't seen from the list "Sci-fi action/horror from 2018 where a very thinly veiled Elon Musk caricature bad guy is instrumental in introducing the good guy to an entity that talks to him inside his head, enables him to do really badass things but threatens to take over his body".

The other film on this list is Venom (2018).

Upgrade (2018)

Oh good, an isolated rich bullshit house containing one (1) billionaire tech bro.

[bruisedconscience]

fun fact: the film upgrade both opens and closes with the film’s protagonist licking blood off his finger

[womenslive]

Upgrade Red Band Trailer #1 (2018) | Movieclips Trailers

[operafantomet]

POTO DUBAI

Lifting up a question from a previous post:

"Any comments on the Dubai production? From what I have seen on Instagram, the colour palette of costumes is strangely muted, it looks a bit drab as a result, unlike the opulent original. Cheaper no doubt, but looks about 10-15 years too late in terms of silhouettes. Erik’s organ in its rocky niche is a nice gothic touch"

The current Middle East Tour started its life as a sit-down production in Romania in 2015, with design by Andrew Riley. The same production opened in Norway in 2018, but then massively vamped, with pimped sets, a new and fierce chandelier, and an overall upgraded costume design. This production continued to Greece, and now the Middle East, closing in Dubai as we speak and heading to Kuwait Bulgaria next.

I agree that the palette is fairly muted. It's an incredibly blue production, if anything. There were scenes I would have wanted a splash of colour, of red, of green, of pink, of yellow. After two hours there is a certain blue overdose. The overall mood is this:

But I like the set design a lot. Moody and monumental but still with enough blank spaces where the imagination can kick in. And very much a nod to the Palais Garnier throughout, but other angles and details than Bjørnson's design. I am especially fond of the ever-present Garnier-esque proscenium and chandelier, as well as the "torn" drum-structure featuring the organ or dome on the other side, and a diagonal staircase on the other side.

The mock operas and the glittering mirrored hall for Masquerade are the only to break the "blueness". Here's the main look for Il Muto:

And the two main looks for Masquerade, the first being very golden, and the second very red.

As for the costume design being a bit "late" for when POTO is traditionally set - yes. I've done two off-hand interviews with people involved in this production. One of them told me that it was the London office encouraging non-replica productions to seek out other time periods, other styles, other looks, to not become Maria Bjørnson blueprints. That is why you have inter-war style in Estonia, non-defined or modern-day style in Finland, Serbia and Bulgaria, 1860s movie clone in Poland, and Edwardian/Belle Epoque in this particular production.

(there ARE non-replica production doing full-blown Victorian, hereunder Hungary, Czech Republic and the Mediterranean version, so it doesn't seem to be set in stone. But the word used was encouraged, not demanded)

There also seems to be a will to do things opposite of the original. "So the Phantom wears his mask on the right side? Then we'll go left!"... "Oh, so Christine is a brunette? Then we go blonde!"... "Oh, so Meg is a blonde? Then we go brunette!"... Yeah.

I hope that answered your questions/comments and gave some links and stuff to explore further :)

[triplexdoublex]

We cannot say Megan was the first celebrity he linked up with but while before all he cared about was NETWORKING and living the glory - to one day tell the story-, with Megan he started putting into consideration the clout he can instantly get.... and for this I really BLAME TRAVIS BARKER, that man.

All this circus for pop punk and his 'has-been' drummer career to come back AND for his label mogul career to take off. I'm sure he was in Kells ears telling him how this would benefit his rebrand and help him get away from 'Bad Boys' as Interscope would be more willing to focus on him and back him up (yes, he was always signed with them, but he REALLY started teaming up with them around 2018 and it was only for that staged Eminem beef, allegedly).

I also believe with Sommer Ray, something NEW about celebrities 'hook ups' like never before must have clicked and that is EGO. During that time, as many IG 'fitness' 'models' were out there, Sommer was the ONE no teenage boy or young man in America- black, white or other - could shut up about. Notice how even the guys were so invested in her- especially Rook who would later advice him to be in that Z-list movie with Megan. Sommer situationship really walked so Megan's could run; her 2009 role was peek 'young average male' fantasy woman.

Usually PR main gain is an UPGRADED image: Jay Z himself, R. Kelly associate, was only allowed to seat at certain tables after he associate himself with somebody so GREAT it over-shadowed the image of the crack dealer from Marshall project who shot his own biological brother at 12 yo over some deal. What's odd about the whole Twin Flame PR scheme is that it achieved the exact OPPOSITE for Kells. Megan is too insecure and talentless to team up with her partner to build eachother up.

The hate he gets on the daily has nothing to do with any sense of social envy but has anything to do with HER. That woman made sure to latch onto him as she won't land anything better (I'm sure his 'size' and looks helped and sponsoring vitamins on IG won't pay the bills, three CS checks and the divorce settlement). And to really secure him, she had to destroy his image from the start: gain levarage on him - so that, if he ever was to leave- she would be the victim.

In the private sphere she made sure to discover all weaknesses, feed his addictions (lines of coke on plastic tits and ayahuasca trips) and dig into his childhood (disgusting for her to use a poetry book to out 'one of her pretty boys' as a childhood S Assault survivor and blame their absent parents for everything and upbringing, yuck).

His last project gave me hope maybe he finally realized SHE is his BIGGEST enemy. Hopefully he's toxic enough to actually make run her away: for once in his life RUNNING AWAY PEOPLE MIGHT actually BE his BIGGEST BLESSING! Otherwise I don't see her ever letting go. She is too clingy. She's the type of person you actively need to cut off from your life.

HARD DISAGREE about Travis!! Especially saying he’s a “has been” that man is a fucking LEGEND!! I was a Blink girl wayyyy before I was a MGK girl. He’s always been drumming and producing and working on something. The only times he’s probably even has a break when when he was he was recovering from a plane crash he somehow survived despite having 3rd degree burns over 65% of his body , and he still came back strong!

The rest …in a nutshell, yeah this PR bullshit definitely hasn’t worked in his favor at all but let’s be honest he was already getting hate before she came along too , but she’s definitely increased it by playing victim. And yeah she’s an absolute trash human being for outing the SA in her “poetry book” especially since it heavily suggested it was kells who was abused because she mentioned the “history of family curses” he’s always said his family was cursed and even says in new songs how his family is cursed for 7 generations.

Yeah I had hope too until the were at stagecoach together, whether it be a pr stunt or them actually getting back together who knows? I just want her gone for good .

[eerna]

Hpw are you doing post spiderverse???? You good? You want something to drink????

Oh boy. Okay. I swear I'm not trying to be a contrarian but. The animation and art knocked me on my ass (both were an upgrade of an already insanely good thing), the music was fantastic, the jokes got me, and I liked this version of the Spider Team more, but everything else felt like they tried to recapture the first movie and didn't manage it??? It's not bad by any measure, but the bar was sky high and I'm a bit underwhelmed. I think it's because the pacing was off and I couldn't get invested all the way because of emotional underdevelopment of the writing - let's just say the ending made me go "OH SO THAT'S WHY IT WAS SO WEIRD". Back in 2018 the movie changed my life, while today I'm impressed but only by some aspects instead of the whole

[fanofspooky]

Horror movie sub genres #9

Sci-Fi:

Alien - M3gan

The Invisible Man - Upgrade

Annihilation - From Beyond

[caw4brandon]

The Magic of Potterverse Games

As a child who grew up watching the Harry Potter films. There's always this interest in wanting to be a part of the Potterverse. Something about the whimsical world that entrances us all to one day, join the hallowed halls and leave a mark on the universe and on Hogwarts itself.

So, with that said. Let's explore a more immersive side to the franchise that allows one to coexist in the universe with familiar faces to guide us as we navigate the world of Muggles and Wizardkind.

- There Once Was a Boy -

Destined to be a Star ~

Back when the movies came out, game developers tackled the interesting concept of doing magic like Harry Potter through the Harry Potter film-based games.

To make it short, see [Flatlife's - Evolution of Harry Potter Games] The games were made in a variety of ways. You play as Harry Potter, traversing around the grounds of Hogwarts. Solving puzzles, going to classes, and combat various foes.

Despite the fact that the graphics are simple and often seen as horrendous. The games as a whole, were considered a success. It laid the foundation for the desire to learn the skills of a wizard/witch and explore the school grounds. Applying the lessons in combat and winning the day as Harry Potter. But that left the question;

What if, instead of playing as Harry Potter. We play as our own self-insert character?

The good news is, becoming a Hogwarts student seems a lot more accessible with the mobile game <Harry Potter: Magic Awakened>

Of course, this isn't the first attempt in the Potterverse's history of self-insert games. In 2018, another mobile game <Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery> was released to the public as well as the highly anticipated console game <Hogwarts Legacy> released in 2023.

I think it's worth mentioning, regardless of your opinion towards JKR's views. The lasting effect of this franchise has raised a generation of fans and their love for magic.

- Welcome to the Dueling Room! -

As a film-only based fan of the franchise, I find that; NetEase, Avalanche, and Jam City managed to capture the wonders of using magic and being in Hogwarts. Due to the nature of the universe's magic system, the games used several ways to tackle the issue of using magic.

In Magic Awakened, the game uses a mana-point system that limits spell casting. The game also uses a Card Game base in which players can mix and match card types and upgrade for significant effects.

The cards come in a variety of references. From summons of popular magical creatures, famous props, and the spells themselves.

In Hogwarts Legacy, your spells are limited to what I like to call, a Hotkey Shortcut. By limiting the slots to four different abilities. Players can combine a limited set of spells in combat to deal with the more fast-paced nature of the game.

The game emphasizes the importance of using potions for that quick boost and custom clothes as additional cover. Because the game has a special condition/ finishers called "Ancient Magic" the player is encouraged to travel around and find unique upgrades to improve and build resilience. It's simple, quick, and also the most fun game to use magic.

In Hogwarts Mystery, the combat style is a lot slower and has a two-punch effect. The first part of the duel is decided by Aggressive, Defensive, and Sneaky moves. Similar to the Rock, Paper, and Scissors game. Which when won, allows the first strike.

After that, the player is given a list of spells with various effects. The spells can sometimes cause massive damage and sometimes even stun/skip opponents for one turn. Because Hogwarts Mystery is a decision-making game, it's often regarded as the weakest attempt at magic.

- Do you Like My Scarf? -

Magic spells aside, The game's respective story is awfully predictable and bland. From the little that I personally played and hear from the folks of the community. The three games did the safe thing by doing the <Fantastic Beasts> route.

They distance themselves to different eras of the Wizarding world's history. By the game's own description, Hogwarts Legacy is set decades before Harry Potter and Fantastic Beasts. Following a special witch/wizard who enrolled at Hogwarts as a fifth year.

Hogwarts Mystery is set roughly a generation before Harry Potter. Making them seniors who just graduated when Harry just entered. Meanwhile, Magic Awakened is set after Harry Potter. Close to around the time when Harry, Ron, and Hermione's kids started their year at Hogwarts.

Each year deals with its own type danger. From a dark magic rebellion to a cursed student of a deranged sibling to whatever Magic Awakened was trying to do. (I'm a bit slow to that game)

My issue with these games is, there seems to be this tendency to make the MC a center piece to the story. While it is, after all surrounding the MC's life. I couldn't help but feel that as far as developments go. Nothing is interesting about the MC's canonical story.

The games are also wasted with issues of telling via dialogue but not showing via action. The drama of the story didn't feel as impactful. While the player's decisions can sometimes change the outcome. It is far from being as big of an influence as I thought it would.

As far as playing the game itself goes, I only played Hogwarts Mystery till year 4 and stopped out of boredom.

I am enjoying Magic Awakened so far since it doesn't make the MC take center stage but rather uses the side characters to put weight to the story and to the playable cards. Granted, I'm not as active.

That said, I am still looking at a lot of its interesting parts from an outside perspective. So I would very much like to hear a rebuttal.

- Return to Hogwarts, Join My Dorm! -

Back when I was still playing the game, I came across a few users who interact on social media as their own MCs. They would use screenshots of their characters and write a treasure trove's worth of lore and developments. Discuss their favorite crushes and build more lore upon their OCs.

Seeing the encouragement and love between users and their OCs, got me to start uprooting my HPHM character; Sadie mac Lir and interact with quite a few names in this community outside of the games.

But after realizing that the story is just not as rich as I'd imagine, Sadie transferred into the world of <Murder The Crow> following Hector Dagger, the story's original character, and was later added with Jamie Robyn who is now a placeholder in Magic Awakened.

In spite of the situation with JKR and some of the whispers of this fandom's dark side. The fandom is still going strong as ever. While I have distanced myself, I still linger with the friends I made along the way. Most come from an artistic perspective with their OCs and art in general. Some of them are just good conversationalists.

It felt like being in school again. To learn from one another, socialize among fellow housemates and discuss plans for the future and have fun little interactions. Being in cliques and enjoying the other bit of magic that is not in the games, friendship.

In conclusion, I think it's been a wonderful journey for Harry Potter's gaming side of the fandom. The games went from being Harry to becoming your own Harry. To forge your own path in a world that is rich with possibilities and build friendships in-game and out of the game that might last lifetimes.

For a fandom as big and equally as problematic as Harry Potter. The Potterverse games have proven that it truly is not our abilities that show who we truly are. But rather, it's our choices that make the significant change.

Thanks for Reading

- Caw4B -

[crumb]

Everyone talks about the easter eggs in James Wan movies but I haven't seen anyone talk about the easter eggs in Leigh Whannell's film Upgrade (2018) though maybe I just haven't come across those posts. Not only is there a scene where Billy the puppet is graffitied on a wall—one of the supporting characters is named Dr. Gordon, Diana Gordon. As in Lawrence Gordon's daughter Diana. 🥹

[shuttershocky]

So, how did being Dad to a Boy for five days straight go?

I've been replaying it while on holiday for the Lunar New Year, yeah.

I've always had complicated feelings towards God of War 2018. Hack and Slash / Character Action is my favorite genre of action games so to see the most established western hack and slash move away from that in favor of Dad of Boy's really slow combat with the camera SO DAMN CLOSE TO HIS SHOULDERS like we're playing Resident Evil 4 and seeing websites calling it an upgrade to more "thoughtful" combat really grinds my gears.

I also disliked how Dad of Boy feels so affected by modern AAA game design's obsession with RPGs. There are RPG elements now where equipment has stats to min-max. Every battle ends with XP GAINED on the right side of the screen. There's a leveling system based on the overall strength of your equipment that I really, really hate because it's not actually based on the strength of your equipment, but each equipment's "level" factor (for example, an accessory with worse stats but a higher rarity will give a bigger boost in level than a lower rarity accessory with better stats), and this matters because rather than a measure of how powerful you are, enemy behavior changes depending on the level gap. If an enemy is 3 levels above you with a purple health bar, their attacks deal more damage and become unblockable, rather than their difficulty being based entirely on the raw difference in your stats. I would ignore that anyway and take on some purple HP bar opponents if I could, but coming back to an encounter later with a higher level and seeing an enemy I couldn't defeat literally have behavior changed to become way easier after I caught up in levels (suddenly their unblockable attacks become parryable!) was fucking bullshit. The difference in strength from a level gap should be the strength in levels, not having attacks changed to become easier if you've caught up. Fuck.

That being said, I actually like the story direction Dad of Boy takes, which was many old fans' complaints about the game. They're always like "It takes itself too seriously now, Kratos isn't any fun anymore" okay but the very premise of Dad of Boy is fascinating. The young Kratos would literally grab a random woman fleeing the wrath of the gods and throw her into some gears to keep the gates from closing, the fact that they made God of War 2018 a sequel and not a reboot, where the shadow of Kratos' actions in Greece that led to the destruction of the Greek pantheon and the death of the entire country haunts him, is so damn cool.

I just really, really love the concept of seeing THE Hyper-Murder Man resurface years later as a father and be forced to confront that his sweet-natured son Atreus, who he thought took entirely after his mother, turn out to have the same violent temper and arrogance that he once did.

Sure, Zeus and the Greek gods had it coming the way Odin and the rest of the Aesir currently have it coming, but Kratos recognizing the soul-crushing pain his path of vengeance took him through and wanting to save his son from that, and yet not having the emotional intelligence to connect to Atreus, finally gives him a Herculean battle that he can't solve with his fists.

Shut up about Sony specializing in movie games for a second, Kratos is terrified by seeing even a little bit of himself inside his son, but the only tool he has in this fight is martial discipline because being a Spartan is the only form of self-control he's ever known. Yes ,Dad of Boy being ashamed of God of War the video game sucks, but Kratos being ashamed of being the God of War as soon as he loves someone and sees it affect them is so damn interesting. Control the God of War in his son? Kratos can barely control himself. You wonder where the old Kratos went and then if you stun a Wulver and go for the instant kill Kratos grabs the werewolf by the jaw and rips it in half while building Spartan Rage and you're like "Ah he's right here"

I just really, really like the idea of doing something so ambitious with such an established character with years of history behind him. Old man fueled by parental love really wants to break the cycle of violence when he can't stop breaking necks is an idea I'll always get hooked on.

Plus, Kratos has the smartest man in the world's head hanging from his belt trying to give him dad advice in between telling him the undead are all coming from his left. That's pretty funny.

[breezybeej]

Top 9 Movies I watched for the first time in 2023:

El Orfanato (2007) - turned me into a blubbering wad of tears

Oldboy (2003) - It's fun. It's insane. It's amazing.

Raw (2016) - The imagery and composition of this one still has me chewing on it months later

Videodrome (1983) - The Matrix wishes it was Videodrome (and to be fair it does a good job) Love a movie that has me asking questions that simply can't be answered.

Annihilation (2018) - Visually stunning, narratively devastating, interpretive dance.

One Cut of the Dead (2017) - I've not seen many movies this fucking funny (and also it made me get a little teary at the end)

Upgrade (2018) - The body motion in this movie is wild, you will go "damn that's uncanny I don't like it, that's so cool"

The Loved Ones (2009) - A movie that knows how to pair scenes really well. It's not necessarily about anything but it certainly enjoys talking about a lot of things. Like paternal bonds, family, and love

Van Helsing (2004) - I've watched this one before but that was literally 20 years ago and also this viewing was.... special, okay? Wiggle Jackman supremacy

It's all horror because I can't be trusted to watch movies without other people dragging me along with it and I'm in a horror server. But these are all very different movies. Comedy, thriller, surreal, psychological, adventure, slasher, action, you know most of them. Romance, too.

tagged by @tumb1rozymandias :^)