#which isn’t the actors fault. like the acting is good. but the camera choices and all that are just odd

[kirnet]

This is gonna be rambley but is it just me or are sw action scenes just laughably bad now? I haven’t seen the latest owk ep so I can’t comment but the chase scenes are just… meh. The fight with Vader… meh. The LEADUP to the Vader fight was fantastic and tense but the actual choreography was. Whack. (Which makes sense from obi wans pov he should be bad at it, but Vader should be chopping limbs off)

And it’s not just that but mando season 2 and bobf and the sequel trilogy. Like in my opinion the action scenes in the prequels were really good! Even the action scenes in the og trilogy, while obviously not as polished as what we can do now, hold a lot of emotional weight and entertainment value. But so much of the action in these new series that should be blowing us out of the water with the technology that they have is just. Meh.

[luninosity]

Okay, some The Falcon and the Winter Soldier episode 1 thoughts! This one will be spoilery, so I’ll tag it and put it under a cut and all of that!

Thoughts not in any real order, just as I think of them, the morning after (we stayed up to watch at midnight, and then went to bed!):

-okay, action-y opening, I’m neutral about that

-on va voir! :D :D

-I like seeing Sam struggling with the idea of the shield and his heroic identity and what being Captain America means...would’ve liked to see him try it, once, before giving it up; I feel like he would try, because it’s what Steve asked of him (and there’s a difference between doing it for that reason and doing it because he chooses to, which would’ve been an interesting tension!)

-mmm, gorgeous museum exhibit shots, and such a good backdrop, thematically, for Sam and Rhodey discussing what it means to be Captain America (also: yay Rhodey!)

-spectacular Bucky nightmare scene, recapturing the menace of the Winter Soldier; oh, so many Bucky feels, and, oh, that moment of him waking up, sleeping on his floor...ow, my heart

-on a shallower note, I miss Seb’s longer hair; it was so distinctive as a look, versus all the short-haired clean-cut Marvel Men (but I also get why they’d have short-haired Bucky in this series: distinguishing then and now, visually and symbolically)

-Bucky’s therapist is genuinely terrible (like, wow) and I’m glad he got to call her out on it (also a good nod to the Winter Soldier having some knowledge of psychology/strategy)

-good to see a character (who very much needs it) getting therapy, on screen, though!

-also nice that we’ve established that Bucky’s been officially pardoned; good to know, and he deserves that recognition that he’s not at fault

-what’s with the weird super-close-up shots? Not that Sebastian isn’t pretty, but the camera’s basically sitting on his cheek. I’m not exactly complaining but it’s distracting me from the storytelling, mostly because I’m wondering who thought this was a good stylistic choice. Those’re some lovely Seb eyelashes, but, like...pull back. Pull that camera back. Back up. Space, please.

-ooh, competence porn! Yes please. (This goes for both Sam and Bucky.)

-Torres might be my new favorite. He’s adorable. Which means I fully expect something terrible to happen to him any second now.

-both Seb and Anthony are such good actors - they’re both so good at micro-expressions, emotion in the shift of eyes or a change in stance

-I love Sam’s sister Sarah!

-more specifically, I love that it’s obviously an affectionate relationship, but not necessarily an easy one, and she has more of an understanding of how the real non-superhero world works than he does, and she’ll tell him so - I’m liking the nuance and emotion here; it feels very real, and it’s not like Melodramatic Resentment for him being busy hero-ing, which they could’ve opted for; no, it’s a genuine sort of weariness and love

-why no video games, for the kids? are they being punished? weird anti-video-game prejudice? (as someone who grew up in a household that didn’t approve of video games, I was at a *distinct disadvantage* when everyone else had this cultural touchstone and I didn’t! and because their mom doesn’t give a reason or a time limit, this blanket ‘no’ line comes off as weirdly restrictive to me - I’d’ve gone with “...until you finish a chore or read a book or do x thing first” - and of course the kids don’t listen, because why would they? idk, probably overthinking this one, but I was also always that kid who needed reasons for things - I never responded well to “because I say so” or “that’s just how it is,” but if you told me why, then I’d totally listen! anyway, this one’s just a weird personal ?? in my head!)

-love love love the bank scene - the sheer awfulness of the juxtaposition of the hero and fanboy emotions, and the harsh reality of loans and denial and Sam’s realization that he can’t help, and also his sister’s body language all through this scene

-I have questions about how the world’s working here: like, I totally believe the banks, government, etc, would be dicks about *not* helping people! yes, agreed! but on the other hand, surely, surely, there must be some provision in place for people who got snapped. Especially now that some time has passed. Like...it’s too big a thing for there to not be some sort of policy or help. The “you’ve had no income for the last five years” line reads oddly to me as justification, because...well...he was snapped! so...of course not! but then again, of course banks would have a lack of compassion. I don’t know, maybe it’s just clunky dialogue, but I kind of want more explanation of this

-also nice that they’re addressing the concept that simply being a superhero doesn’t pay, and not everyone has Tony Stark money! (side question: does Bucky have money? I know we have fandom “canon” about this, but will the show and official canon address it?)

-please don’t let anything happen to Torres, I love him

-Bucky’s trying so hard, and it’s so heartbreaking! And, oh, Bucky...stepping in to defuse problems, wanting peace, trying to care for people...the core of his character, from protecting skinny!Steve to being a good sergeant to saving Steve in The Winter Soldier...okay, show, you’re winning me over. Partly that’s Sebastian’s acting; again, just phenomenal, nuanced and subtle and complex.

-Bucky versus Lucky Cat! I’m laughing but also ouch, the swinging arm reminder.

-I appreciate a Bucky Barnes who is genuinely a soft awkward old-man dork

-I also appreciate Bucky being sweet and old-fashioned and charming - the flowers! - he’s trying so hard. Oh, my heart. (On the other hand...is dating...really a good idea? Then again, he’s a polite awkward dork and couldn’t say no to being set up...)

-how can Sebastian put so much emotion into the simple act of closing and opening his eyes?!

-I do very much want to know where Steve is and if he’s alive

-also, both Sam and Bucky speaking multiple languages! again with the competence porn and also linguistic porn, mmm, yes

-not much known about the Bad Guys yet, but that’s okay; I’m good with spending 50 minutes on character development, yes, fine by me, show me more Bucky caring for people and Sam being Uncle Sam (heh), I live for this

-it’s an interesting choice of Bad Guys, because to some extent you can see why it sounds appealing: no flags, no borders, no countries, etc - I hope we also get some more exploration of this

-I’m glad Torres is okay but I fully expect him to be a sacrifice at some point

-US Agent time! Oh, Sam’s expression(s) - just perfect. Oh, Anthony Mackie’s just great here - every reaction, jaw-clench, his posture - so compelling.

-now go get your shield, Sam!

-how are we going to wrap this all up in 5 more episodes?! Sam and Bucky haven’t even shared screen time yet! and what about Zemo? and Sharon?

-ooh, pretty credits!

-okay, I’m actually really pleasantly surprised! I went in with low expectations because I really disliked all the trailers and all the bits of dialogue they were giving us, and now I’m...cautiously optimistic!

-I’m still worried that once we get Bucky and Sam together we’re going to devolve into that specific “someone thinks that two people insulting each other is the same as humor” type of writing (and I cannot begin to tell you how much I hate the “that girl kicked your ass!” line from the trailers)

-but this first episode is such a good character-driven exploration - unhurried, deep, thoughtful, grounded - that it’s giving me hope. I actively want to see the next episode, with some excitement, so that’s promising!

[sanstropfremir]

it's kingdom time for real!!! the first episode is here and mnet finally uploaded the stages from like a month ago so i can actually watch them more than once to review.

happy to see them all actually performing. not the most interesting stages overall, but it was the 100sec one-take so i wasn’t expecting anything crazy. like the performance stages, this is about what i expected at this point in the show.

ranking under the cut, i have Opinions(tm) and they are not all pretty.

(anyone that’s seeing this for the first time, i’m a trained performance designer with over 30 credits and a decade of experience, yes i can talk about this with authority)

a few general notes:

this type of stage that mnet has built is called a traverse, or alley, stage. named exactly for the reason you think. it’s characterized by a narrow playing space with audience on opposite sides, and two entrances on either end. so mnet had a pretty typical setup. there are some advantages to this type of stage:

because of the narrow stage space and usually smaller audience capacity, the performer and audience are in much closer proximity

because of the shape of the space, blocking (choreography but for not-dance) can travel well and be very dynamic

it’s uncommon outside of midsize/small productions so there’s some novelty for the casual theatre goer

however! there are some pitfalls with this type of stage. the hardest type of stage to work with is (theatre) in the round. theatre in the round is characterized by being....in the round. that means the audience is placed 360 degrees around the playing space. which means that they can see everything; every entrance, every exit, every performer’s back, 360 degree sightlines means there is nowhere to hide. and in a medium that relies on concealment to create magic, it’s a tough stage to work with. not saying it doesn’t work. some of the most incredible shows i’ve been to have been theatre in the round, but when you go to those type of shows, as an audience member you understand that there will be some scenes where you only see the actors’ backs. there is no perfect seat in the round. the reverse is true as well, the actors can only act to those in front of them. and like i stated previously, on the production end it becomes difficult to hide things like props/set/costume changes that you might have been able to in another type of theatre. why am i talking about theatre in the round? because traverse works on exactly the same principle. even though the audience is only on two sides, the same issues still arise. directionality is key: a director has to be careful of how exactly the stage gets blocked.

why am i talking about stage formats? because the space always informs the performance, that’s why. i think mnet made a sort of smart choice to build a traverse stage. since the ‘audience’ is a video camera, that eliminates the need to play to the opposing seating banks, and opens up more staging opportunities. it’s a fancy looking stage that does what they need it to. 

now here’s my gripes. if you’re going to specifically orient a stage so that it is by nature directional, why are you broadcasting in a format where direction doesn’t matter? if the camera has no fixed position, then you’ve just skipped directly into in the round staging without taking into account the function of the space. it's a round peg in a square hole; yes it fits, but you can see the spaces where it doesn’t quite match up. for a very obvious example, any shot that is not staring directly down the barrel of the stage from left or right has audience in it. and not enough to be worthy of a reaction shots (because those are just cut in in post), but enough to just be there. why would you do that when you could just.....not? just go properly in the round and then you wouldn’t have that distraction. especially when the audience is wearing white. also, there are only so many ways you can stage on a traverse, you’re pretty much limited to directional points on a compass, because there are literal risers in the way. because of the way most groups are choreographed, the member layouts lean more towards having the members in a line than they do layering the members deep. this configuration is fine on a proscenium stage (which is what most stages are), and would even be fine on a traverse stage if you were playing to the risers. you could even do some interesting choreo alterations. but! because mnet has decided that the camera is perpendicular to the risers, that means that most of the formations are not optimized for the stage dimensions and are in fact the opposite dimensions. most of these groups are doing their longest blocking across the shortest area of stage, which is dumb. although it isn't much of a problem because the stage is still very large, but it's still a bizarre choice on behalf of mnet. why would you not arrange the stage so you have more clearance for the camera, the audience, and also the performers? i would have to check back over the rtk performances, but im pretty sure at one point they switch to an in the round stage. why are you not doing that from the start? this would also allow for more built setpieces. although it does remain to be seen if they do switch after this episode, since this particular challenge was a one-take with minimal props/set pieces. which segues to my next point: these groups barely took up the parameters of the challenge, or utilized them effectively! this is also mnet’s fault, mnet if you say that you’re gonna do a one-take, don't cut between seven other cameras!! show us the power of that single point of view! let the groups actually do some interesting blocking with the path of the camera! there’s so many interesting things they could have done, but no!! had to be boring!! i know this is technically an introductory stage, but i also don't care. these groups have (relatively) competent ADs and stylists, they can think outside the box.

ok now here’s my actual rankings:

1. btob

sorry babies, none of you can match them vocally. love you ateez but you sure fucked up picking them to go after you because they blew you out of the fucking water. and everyone else, but ateez cumulatively is the weakest vocally. more on that later. like the performance stage they showcased their strengths and the experience (and training) shows. good use of the directional stage having three vs one that came together in the middle. loved the white suit variations, im especially a sucker for a belted suit jacket. loved peniel's gigantic trench and massive earrings, very mid 90s, his stylist definitely took a lesson in how to accessorize very short hair. always love good use of fog. uniform colour theme, all elements were there to support the vocals. no complaints, chef’s kiss.

2. ikon

hey baby groups? see bobby having fun? do that more. i know you think performance face is sexy and serious but none of you know how to act and you all look dead inside on stage. the lights may be on but nobody’s home. anyways. excellent beginning formation, excellent ending formation, no complicated position changes that make the camera give you motion sickness. fun choreo that they are obviously having fun performing, which goes sooooo far in the success of a performance. only group so far to use silence as an effective device, and the arrangement was interesting and suited to the song+performance. i think it was smart of them not to deploy bobby right away, although it would have been funny to watch after whatever it was that stray kids was trying to do. again, like btob and also sf9, sticking to their strengths. costumes fun and fitting, indicative of both the colour of the group and of the song. nice detail in the monochrome and the black accent details.

3. sf9

taeyang is that bitch and they only way this would have been better is if he had actually grabbed the ties of those two other members (if you think i am going to remember anyone's names other than the people i already know you are wrong). love the confidence to waste a good chunk of your 90 seconds for walking and standing in formation. actual good use of one-take directional camera, even though they ruined it once they started dancing. choreo perfectly fine, lighting good complementary colour scheme, costumes nothing to write home about, surprisingly good projection design? wasn’t expecting that. im not the biggest fan white suit jackets over black shirts but ill give it a pass for the proper suit accessorizing.

4. ateez

i applaud your dedication to the pirate gimmick but boys you don't need that anymore, i promise. hongjoong's lil bloody cough was a fun gag that didn't draw too much attention but fit with the theme. came out of the gate strong with an actual clear narrative, which can be a challenge to do in 100 seconds, and the only group to have a narrative. also actual camera choreo! that was interesting! mnet stop fucking cutting to overhead shots! apparently im destined to always be beefing with the ateez stylists because what was the point of all that? very little variation in texture or pattern on matte all black just made any relevant details disappear. torch gimmick and end formation fun, and the arrangement had an obvious climax. weird and kinda fun projection design, but not helped by concert-style stage lighting. pick one or the other lighting designer, don't make them fight like that! props to them for actually having their mics on the whole time, even though they are probably the weakest group vocally. im also going to be beefing with the choreographer because they are always making seonghwa sing while doing ridiculous moves that make him go offkey. ateez has some of the stronger 4th gen vocals, but they're at a disadvantage because a) none of them have proper vocal training, and b) their main vocal is not actually a skilled singer and is destroying his voice.not a lot of vocals for them to showcase this stage and that was probably for the best. hanya (@changdyke) is in charge of vocals critique and will have more to say about this than me, even though i am also trained. im just here to talk about the production.

5. the boyz

im neutral to positive on tbz because i did really like their danger stage from rtk. this performance is just....fine. I don’t like the arrangement, but that's mostly personal opinion. but it doesn't have a conclusive end and the whole dissonance thing isn't really working for me in this instance. the choreo is quite flippy and tricking is not necessary for an interesting choreo. i did like the throwback/use of modern choreo, i think that's a strong choice for them and it's not something that many other groups are doing, so they should stick more to that than to tricking. the camera choreo is also not good. here’s where the clearance issues and fighting against the stage layout happen! stop making a handheld do a 180! are you trying to make us motion sick? to be fair, this is not the most egregious one, but at least ateez got it right by having a person lead the camera in a particular pattern. also, what even is the theme here? leatherclad boys in the forest? nobody give me any shit saying it's based off one of their music videos or whatever, that shouldn't matter. there should be a clear theme that can be easily identified without prior knowledge of the group, especially when this is an introductory stage and they are a relatively young group. none of the other groups have this issue. that being said, at least the costumes were interesting to look at, although thematically confusing. good use of accessories, texture, and bedazzling to make the black stand out against the stage. the hands in front of the camera were kind of fun but didnt really mean anything? again, back to the lack of clear concept. i did like them reaching out to pull that member forward, it would have been better if they had just left it at that.

6. stray kids

the more i watch this the more i hate it. im not even sorry about it anymore. starters, and i will admit this upfront: i do not like most 4th gen music, so the spiderman meme groups are already operating on a deficit in my point of view. and i particularly did not like this arrangement. same as with tbz, why did it not have a conclusive end? also overuse of sound effects. and stop saying your fucking band name! the only musician that’s allowed to do that is jason derulo and thats because hes a meme now. but twice in 100 seconds? no. and what was the point of that logo/crown reveal? im tired of crown reveals we have seen them so many times by now, we don't need to see it again. was it meant to be that they were carving it into the ground?? very unclear. there was an attempt with camera choreo, and i will admit that the pan up and then back down to the ‘wolf pack’ was probably the strongest moment in the whole performance. the lights were in their mouths, by the way. however, the rest of the choreo is all over the map, quite literally. as with tbz there’s a lot of members in the group and so in order for everyone to get their screen time they break down into smaller groups, which i don't disagree with on principle, but here.........the breakdowns are just tricking, which although eyecatching, does not a very compelling or cohesive choreo make. even the unison choreo is weird, obviously its stylized horror but it just looks awkward and strange. you can make awkward/unattractive choreo work (see taemin’s want, or even move, to some extent)***, but skz doesn't have an ounce of the charisma that taemin has so it just looks awkward. also, that rapid switch between opposite sides of the stage? nausea inducing. ateez was the one with the pirate concept but skz apparently trying to make us seasick. im not gonna say anything about that rap other than it was bad, why was that allowed on stage. the sparkthrower was fun but that's like the 14th gimmick in this 100 second stage and that’s too many gimmicks. costumes are truly nothing to write home about, extremely unclear relation to the theme. if you're gonna be wolves then at least have some fur accents or something. the makeup effects were a bit over the top and not necessary in the actual performance. a hairdresser needs to thin out felix’s hair because he looks like he's wearing one of those lego hair helmets. oh, i did like that one guy’s shirt with the collarbone cutout, but again: how is that relevant to the theme? cmon people!!!! design the whole experience!! im sure there’s more i could write but holy shit this is long and im tired and also i don't want to watch this stage anymore.

ok im done. jesus this is long. again, this is just the intro stage so i suspect that some of my complaints will become null next week, but we’ll have to see! well, what i actually want to see is changmin insulting children but i’m not holding out hope for that to happen. hopefully we see some more spectacle-y stages and i can really go in.

***this is not me saying that taemin has a bad choreo that he’s making the best of. want is purposefully choreographed that way in order to showcase taemin’s ability. same with move. the point of want is that it IS awkward and should not be seductive or appealing and yet it still is. almost like....it’s in the name of the song or something.....

[smokeybrandreviews]

Smokey brand Movie Reviews: Stop, It's Already Dead

I’ve been trying to watch Army of the Dead since it came out but every time i start, i end of bailing on it because it’s trash. Yeah, that’s it. This movie is trash. You can literally stop reading this review right now because that’s the verdict. Army of the Dead is shallow, inconsequential, zombie murder porn wit that trademark Zack Snyder, edgelord, spice. It’s f*cking ridiculous and i hated every minute of it. That’s it. That’s the review. Don’t watch this rancid spooge. Now, if you want to know why i hated it so much, read on. But it really is one of the worst things i have seen all year.

The Adequate

Dave Batista works magic with the material on hand. Zack Snyder isn’t know for having emotional bite or a realistic edge to any of the characters in his films but Batista was able to hone in on something and does a decent job of letting me tolerate this clusterf*ck. His Scott Ward is easily the best thing about this flick.

The carnage displayed while the opening credits rolled was almost as dope as Zombieland and i appreciated that. Literally the only time during the film where i didn’t feel like someone was standing on my sack and twisting.

Also, Hiroyuki Sanada is in this. I don’t know the name of his character and i don’t care i just genuinely enjoy Sanada’s work. He is an excellent actor and, similarly to Ken Watanabe, makes everything he’s in better, regardless of his role’s size or relevance.

The integration of Tig Notaro was kind of seamless. That sh*t was surprising because every one of her scenes was added in post. She had no interaction with any of the cast, not even in pick-ups. That’s just her, in front of a green screen, talking to herself. Of course, there are scenes where that is very apparent but the fact she was even able to replaces an entire actor wrapped month beforehand, is kind of a miracle and testament to the absurd technical skill Snyder wields as movie maker.

The Horrid

Zack Snyder. Literally everything i am about to unload, is Zack Snyder’s fault. This “film” is pure Zack Snyder. More so than the Snyder cut of Justice League. More so than BvS. Even more than f*cking Sucker Punch. Netflix gave this man a bunch of money and told he to go “create” and, to his credit, Snyder did just that. Unfortunately, he created hot dumpster water topped with soggy diarrhea.

Seriously, everything i have a problem with, has Zack Snyder’s name on it. He was the director, the writer, the screenplay writer, AND the f*cking cinematographer. What the f*ck, dude? Like, you want to be an auteur director, fine. Be good at it. Be good at movies if you’re trying to wear all of those hats. Zack, as a filmmaker, is bad at ALL of them. At best, he’s pedestrian, so doing all of that, just infuses abject mediocrity throughout this movie and it shows.

I’ve seen a lot of cats haring of Snyder’s depth of field choices but I'll take it one step further; What the f*ck was up with the shot composition as a whole, in this film? It was bad! All of it was so bad! There was no substance, no dynamism in the camerawork or the way the shots were set up. I’m not going to sit here and say it was just a bunch of static work, like how someone would film a play for theatrical exhibition, but it wasn’t that much better. I was watching this sh*t and thought to myself, “Hamilton had better camera work than this. F*ck.”

The whole ass plot is paper thing. I’m watching these first few minutes and it’s readily apparent that the guv’ment knows zombies be doing a zombie and Vegas is lost. Why the f*ck didn’t they nuke that motherf*cker off the face of the earth. Straight up Raccoon City that b*tch. There is nothing, no plot contrivance or mental gymnastics that could make believe that Las Vegas wouldn’t have been scrubbed off the map, within a week of this outbreak. Not after seeing actual paratroopers floating in to their deaths and straight up napalm strikes on the Strip. Why did anyone think building a fence out of shipping containers was a good long term option for containment! And that’s literally just in the opening credits! It gets worse as the flick progresses, man! The actual plot is trash!

Now, the actual premise? Interesting. It could have been interesting. But then Zack Snyder snyder’ed it up with the f*cking execution. Look, in order to write a great zombie flick, you need a strong human element. That’s where the audience is going to focus. They’re going to try and find the humanity in a sea of despair. Every great Zombie flick has a laughably strong lead and fantastic supporting characters you come to care about, usually withing the first act. 28 Days later is a fantastic example of how to execute your Zombie disaster apocalypse. You do not give a sh*t about any of the characters in Army. Snyder tries with Batista, thus the father-daughter relationship, but that cliche sh*t was cookie cutter from a whole different movie, which I'm going to get into next...

Army of the Dead is Aliens. It’s just a popularization of Aliens. It’s the same f*cking movie, but worse. There are shot-for-shot recreations in this movie, with just enough changed so Snyder won’t get sued. Just, off the top of my head, the ending. It’s exactly the same as f*cking Aliens! Literally the same goddamn ending! Heroes survive a gauntlet of monsters, rush to the top of or roof. Pilot of escape flying contraption kissing. Hero curses pilot of said whirly dervish. Queen Alien or Zombie King shows up. Pilot returns at the last minute to save survivors. Same. F*cking. Scene. And that’s just one. There are SO many in this thing you’d think Snyder watched Aliens everyday on set and just stole sh*t from that flick to add to his. It’s real bad. Real f*cking bad, man. which exasperates my next point...

This movie is f*cking boring. i was bored. If you’re stealing the entirety of Aliens, how do you f*ck that it up so bad? The same movie, which thrilled and entertained me thirty years ago, sh*t the bed so hard, today, and i don’t know how that happened. It’s infuriating when i think about it for too long. Speaking of long...

Why the f*ck is this anal prolapse, two and half hours long?? Why did you need this much movie to tell so little story? Seriously, how the f*ck is there this much run time yet, no actual f*cking characters outside of whatever the f*ck Batista was able to save with his sheer screen presence? How do you have all of this time and still not craft a character in which to invest?? In a f*cking Zombie movie?!

Also, he hired a rapist.

The Verdict

This movie sucks. For all of the reasons outlined above. I told you that in the beginning. You didn’t have to rad this far. You knew i hated this movie within the first sentence. This sh*t was a waste of my life. Batista is good in it and that sh* Snyder did with Tig was pretty cool, but everything else is bad. All of it. None of this movie is good. It was boring. It wasn’t entertaining. There are no characters. The plot is dumb. The execution is worse. The run time is absurd. Did i mention how bored i was? Army of the Dead is garbage. This is a bad movie. This is what you get when you just let Zack Snyder do whatever the f*ck he wants with no limits or boundaries. Snyder is bad at movies and he keeps proving it. I have no idea why people keep giving this obvious fraud work.

[lenalikesboots]

Bootleg Review n°1

So I watched this bootleg video yesterday and I must say...I’m impressed,

From what I know, this is the oldest video out there of the West End production of Love Never Dies. It’s completely pre-changes - it uses the soundtrack from the original album.

The leads are played by  Ramin Karimloo (as Erik), Sierra Boggess (as Christine), Joseph Millson (as Raoul), Summer Strallen (as Meg), Liz Robertson (As Mme. Giry), Richard Linnell (as Gustav)

What really bothered me at first is that it’s missing about 25 minutes from Act 1. Everything in between Till I Hear You Sing and Mother Please I’m Scared is missing. The bootleg is otherwise complete. There is some washout in bright lights and the camera strays at times from the action, and there’s a  bar that blocks some of the actors, but otherwise, this is a very a decent bootleg. 

I liked seeing the scenes that they cut off in the Australian production. I thought it was interesting. 

The Coney Island Walz is instrumental only, and it serves as kind of an Overture thing, in which, just like in Phantom, they take you back in time and set the whole setting of the show.

It goes all the way back to opening night of Phantasma. 

In the beginning, there are people chattering about the new amusement park, wanting to go in. 

After that, we get to see the whole only-for-him; only-for-you thing, which I thought was cool.

Also- Although I do think that it’s possible Meg has developed the hots for Erik,this Meg seems to just want a promotion. She’s in love with her career, not with her boss. I genuinely like that!

In Summer’s portrayal, Meg seems to be giving 110%, and wants nothing more than to be noticed and have her work appreciated. Of course it’s a blow for her when her mother told her that her boss didn’t care enough to show up. It’d be a blow for anyone, really, because it means your work is alright, but still not outstanding. What’s next, he doesn’t even know her name? Calls her Meghan, instead of Meg? 

Anyways- it’s safe to say, I like Summer’s portrayal of Meg a lot!

Next we move on to Till I Hear You Sing! I absolutely loved the way Ramin sang it for this performance!

It was absolutely breathtaking!

I’ve had chills so many times listening to him sing it, like damn!

Unfortunately, the recording stops right after that and picks back up at Mother Please I’m Scared, where it’s really mostly audio and you can’t really see a thing. 

I must say, I liked this Dear Old Friend! I liked how this time, Meg didn’t sound judgemental of the fact that Christine stopped singing to become a full-time wife and mother.

And I liked how instead of sounding bitter, Meg sounds rather confused when Christine said she was going to sing. 

Moving on- in the middle of Dear Old Friend, Gustav runs off. 

Obviously, he goes to see Erik. 

And here we come to the first thing I didn[’t like about the show: Ramin’s Erik is really cold and mean towards Gustav in this performance particularly. I know that it’s only because he believes him to be Raoul’s son but come on- even if Raoul were Gustav’s father, it’s not the child’s fault! You can’t choose your own parents goddamn it!

I liked Beauty Underneath...kind of...idk,. I generally don’t like the vibe this song gives me. 

I liked the whole “wow! You and I think the same!” idea, but the way they carried it out was bordering on genuinely creepy.

Next up! Erik takes his mask off and...fucks everything up. Kid runs away. 

I liked Christine’s reaction to all of this. I liked how she asks Madame Giry to take him away and how she apologises to Erik for her child’s reaction. 

And here we come to another of the things I didn’t like about Ramin’s portrayal of the character...Repeat after me: You do NOT strangle the woman you thought could possibly have bore your child. You. Do. NOT. 

And you do not tighten your grip when she accuses you of abandoning her- especially if you DID abandon her! Dammit Ramin! Why so angry?

Good thing that he releases her- HOWEVER...

Why so angry Ramin??? Damn!!!

Then she tries to kiss him (which I must admit- was out of nowhere) and he pulls away, still looking super angry.

 I get it-he feels awful that not even his own son can accept him the way he is. I get it. 

BUT...why take it all out on Christine?

Poor girl already had to go through enough because of him. 

Moving on: there are a few other things I didn’t like...but this time, I won’t put the blame just on Ramin.

Number one: when he uncovers his face, Christine turns away. Isn’t that kind of contradicting the whole idea behind “This haunted face holds no horror for me now”?

I understand that his face may not be the prettiest sight, and I understand that she was kinda shocked-after all she hasn’t seen it in 10,almost 11 years. Buuuut she didn’t have to full on turn away.. I thought that directing/acting choice was a little over the top. 

And number two: after Christine leaves, Erik is left all alone to think about what just happens. He seems to be a really proud dad at first...but then there is one line that really threw me off, considering what happens in the next act. “If it’s true, I’ve no reason to live” 

Uhm...dude?? If you’re planning to kill yourself, why the hell would you make a bet, which would be forcing your baby-mama and your kid to stay in America if you’d win it (and you already know you will) ?

And if he suddenly had a change of heart before that, why didn’t we get to see any of that happen? What motivated him? What made him change his mind?

Did Christine maybe ask him to make that bet? It wouldn’t be a surprise if she did....

And I am not saying this to hate on Raoul! I absolutely love Raoul and pity him greatly in Love Never Dies. He’s not an abusive monster. He’s sick! Not only is he suffering from an addiction, but he also seems to be suffering from depression.

He blames himself for all of Christine’s suffering- although, he had nothing to do with it. It all goes back to Erik leaving her, creating a vicious cycle. Christine then marries Raoul just so she wouldn’t be shunned for having a child out of wedlock. She’s obviously unhappy in her marriage, which ends up making Raoul unhappy, so he ends up drinking his sorrows away. In the end, he blames himself for the fact that Christine is unhappy. 

This is what I got from Why Does She Love Me?

Quite obviously, she doesn’t. 

He thinks she does, because she says so, but she is obviously unhappy in her marriage because she doesn’t. However, Raoul takes her sadness to mean that he is the one who is not good enough. He is the one making her unhappy. He is the one unworthy of love.

It breaks my heart that after everything he’s done for her, he ended up feeling so damn bad about himself. None of this is his fault.

 Then, in walks our second unappreciated character: Meg. There are a lot of parallels in between these two. I feel like they’re both going through the same pain, although in very different ways. 

When I watched LND for the first time, I thought this would be the start of a brand new love story, one that would steal the show, and inevitably, our hearts.

Unfortunately, that didn’t happen. 

When Meg leaves, Raoul starts talking shit about Erik, only for him to end up showing up behind the bar. Talk of the devil, they say...

Over all, I think this scene is a really funny one- probably a fun one to rehearse and perform as well. 

But the whole idea behind it...Guys, I hate to be the bearer of bad news but...Christine is a human being..She’s not property...Let her make her own damn choices for once, she never ever got to do that in her life. 

I hate how Erik starts objectifying Christine in Love Never Dies. He didn’t do it in the original, why start now?

Moving on to the next day:

Bathing Beauty is so damn catchy! Like damn!!

I love how Meg arrives in a hot air balloon. 

I liked this randition of Summer’s Bathing Beauty. I couldn’t see much of it and I couldn’t see the bathing suits either, but the whole scene was really nice. 

I felt so bad for Meg in the next scene though!

Madame Giry was waaay too harsh with her. 

Next scene is Christine’s dressing room scene.

I love how conflicted and anguished Sierra portrays her to be. And I love the contrast between the way she acts around Raoul and the way she acts around Erik. Around Raoul, she’s really sweet, like a good wife should be and she is also quite affectionate. 

But around Erik...

I think this picture speaks for itself...

By the way: The way she doesn’t question why Raoul asked her not to sing, and the way she gets all conflicted later, makes me think that she knows about the bet, but is starting to have second thoughts about it. Which is completely understandable. As a wife, her first priority is her marriage, which they could, possibly work out.

And as a mother, she has to put her son and what would be best for him first too. She can’t just force him to accept a new guy as his father- even if he is indeed his biological father. So all that anguish she’s feeling? Completely understandable. 

You can see from her body language, even when she’s singing, that she is having second thoughts. That this is really hard for her and that she doesn’t know what to do. There is so much pressure on her, the poor girl is close to breaking down on stage, in front of thousands of people.

But then Raoul leaves...And everything in her body language changes. She becomes more confident, more content with her decision. For once, she put herself first. She realizes that she will finally get to be happy. 

She, Erik and their child...

I love how happy and hopeful she looks in the next scene as well!

It’s sad that they don’t kiss in this scene, but oh well...We move...

Another thing that made me believe that Christine knew about the bet was how unbothered she seemed by the fact that Raoul left. She wasn’t shocked. She knew this was going to happen. She didn’t want it to happen like that, but it did. 

And then when she realizes that Gustav is missing, she nearly gets a heart attack, 

I absolutely LOVE Erik’s reaction to the whole thing! I love how worried and angry he got! See, this is one of those times I do appreciate his anger. 

Moving on to the next scene:

One thing I didn’t like about it was how close Erik got to Meg when he told her “We can’t all be like Christine”.

That line is such a bad thing to say when trying to comfort someone who’s having a mental breakdown...

Meg has been working for him for ten years. She has helped him so damn much, and she doesn’t even get a thank you, or a decent. No, she only ever gets all these dumb vaudeville numbers, making her a showgirl, not a respected performer. 

While Christine, who has only been in town for two days, and hasn’t been performing for a couple of years, immediately gets the aria, the nice dress and the beautiful jewelry. 

And then, he has to point out how perfect she is, in front of Meg, who then, when she just wants to talk back to him, ends up accidentally pulling the trigger. And you can tell this was clearly an accident in this performance. She even runs off to get help, only to later return, probably with a doctor on the way, when Christine is already gone (maybe. nobody checked her pulse or her breathing, and the bullet didn’t hit an important artery. She might still be alive)

I loved Erik and Christine’s last kiss. It was so sweet, so passionate. I love how he kept kissing her even after she let go.

However...I didn’t like the way Ramin portrayed his reaction to her death. I understand that the feeling he was going for was numbness, but it literally ended up looking like he didn’t even care that much. For someone who’s never seen Phantom before (maybe just read the book) , who ends up watching this recording, this is the vibe you would get from it. 

I love the fact that Meg came back and that she is holding Christine’s body. You can tell just how sorry she is. 

I loved the whole unmasking scene. I loved how Erik slowly started opening up to Gustav, when he was finally ready to accept him. And I loved the hug in the end.

And I must say: Erik is getting better at hugging. That’s good!

All in all: I really liked this recording of the show. 

If I were to grade it, I’d give it a 7,5/10.

 Before I end this post, can we please appreciate just how gorgeous that dress is? Like damn!!!

Sierra looks absolutely stunning in it as well!

(When does she not look stunning though?)

[365days365movies]

April 1, 2021: The Gold Rush (Review)

This is a classic silent film...and that doesn’t make this easy.

This is the first silent film that I’ve covered in this blog. Not the first I’ve ever seen, of course, but the first that I’ve ever had to sit down and review like this. So, before I jump into attempting to judge this film on my own merits, I have a couple things to say. First things first...why didn’t I choose The Kid, Chaplin’s first feature-length comedy film? Why The Gold Rush instead?

Well, chief amongst those reasons is simply the fact that I think this one is more important for me to watch. It’s Chaplin’s third film, he’s already an established star, and he was able to exert a lot of creative influence on this one, making this a good pick to view him as an auteur. It’s lauded as his best film by most people, and it produced one of the most famous scenes in film history (the bread roll dance scene). To be honest...I thought that it would be weirder having not seen this film, and it would be having not seen The Kid. That make any sense? It’s weird, I know.

That’s not to say the The Gold Rush is the last Chaplin movie I’ll ever see. Hell, this month, I have TWO MORE on my list, although we’ll see if I inevitably decide to watch them. I think I will, though, because they’ve been on my list for a while. Although, I’ll have to decide between City Lights and Modern Times...hmmm. We’ll see.

The other thing I want to address is what happened to Chaplin around this time. I hinted at it in the Recap, but I want to elucidate further here. In 1919, Chaplin came up with his plan to make his own film studio, uniting with famous director D.W. Griffith, and famous silent film actress Mary Pickford. This became United Artists, and was meant to allow actors to control their careers and interests, instead of relying on larger studios. And in case you weren’t sure, this studio is indeed still around! Their next film?

Oh, yeah, these are the Bond guys! What was their last film?

Ah. Well. That’s too bad. They also work with LAIKA and MGM, control the Rocky/Creed franchise alongside Bond, and are a pretty successful studio, all things considered! As for Chaplin, he made films with UA starting in 1923, with A Woman in Paris, and ending in 1952, with Limelight. He made 2 more films after this, but I’ll talk about that at a later date.

Once The Kid came out, Chaplin’s studio was a success, and he was a millionaire, and had been married to actress Mildred Harris, with whom he had a child when she was...16, oh NOOOO. That child sadly died a few days later, but their marriage persisted for 2 years, before ending quite bitterly in 1920. Chaplin wasn’t the best partner. But, losing his child ended up fueling his work on The Kid, which was a smash-hit. He wrote a book, he got engaged, he stopped being engaged when he straight-up ghosted that girl, and he filmed the drama A Woman in Paris with UA, and it was another reflection about his life, being about ill-fated lovers. It didn’t do very well.

That was made WAY worse by personal circumstances with newest wife, Lita Grey. Also 16 when they married (compared to Chaplin’s 35, BIG FUCKIN’ YIKES), this was a shotgun wedding of sorts, spurred on by an unexpected pregnancy. The two wed during the end of the production of The Gold Rush. Grey, by the way, was in The Kid, and was ORIGINALLY Georgia in The Gold Rush. But this is Chaplin we’re talking about, of COURSE this marriage was terrible.

See, they ended up having 2 kids within less than a year, because Chaplin was...Chaplin. But Charles HATED spending time with Lita, and spent most of his time away from her at the studio. The Gold Rush replaced Lita for Georgia Hale (an admirer of Chaplin since she was young), and the film was a massive success. And the marriage to Lita ended in a FIERCE divorce, which resulted in Lita taking the kids and leaving a year later in 1926. And that divorce was huge news...but I think I’ll wait to talk about that later.

Let’s get into...oh, God, she was ELEVEN when they started working together on The Kid, and they had a kid together FIVE YEARS LATER??? GROSS, DUDE.

...Let’s get into the Review.

Review

Cast and Acting: 8/10

Charlie Chaplin is, well, Charlie Chaplin. He’s keyed into his role more than anybody else in history, and the Tramp/Prospector shines here, unsurprisingly. Chaplin’s basically perfect, and for all of his IMMENSE faults as a human being, his acting in this film certainly isn’t amongst them. All credit where credit’s due, honestly. But, OK, everybody else? Honestly, pretty good! I’m not accustomed to judging silent performance, ESPECIALLY in a comedy, so the visual performances are almost all fantastic. But if you want a liiiiiiiittle nitpicking...Georgia Hale is a little stiff at times, Mack Swain is a little over-the-top occasionally, and Tom Murray is just...there. These are extremely minor, but compared to Chaplin, they don’t QUITE measure up. To be fair, though, this is basically nitpicking.

Plot and Writing: 9/10

A comedy’s strength is in its writing, which I argued in my little dissection of the comedy “genre” (you can check that our right here, if you want), as well as the performance of that writing. Which is why silent films are...complicated. So, instead, my target has to be the execution of the plot and story. And...yeah, it’s a straightforward plot, understandable story, no real strain here at any turn. It’s a good story, and Charlie Chaplin (of course) does a good job with it. Apparently, he really WAS inspired by the story of the Donner Party (meaning that the choice to film in Truckee MUST have been on purpose), which is why I KNEW that shoe-eating thing seemed familiar. The Donner Party did the exact same thing with their shoes! Y’know, before eating each other, of course. But this was a well-written story, with more complexity than expected. Or possibly necessary, because Larsen really didn’t need to be here for the plot to work. That is a little weird for me, but I also understand why he was included. Again, nitpicking all over the place.

Directing and Cinematography: 10/10

No nitpicking for me here! Charlie Chaplin is a famously good director, and this is a great example of his work. Very typical for the time, sure, and mostly just perfunctory, but it’s still a well-directed film. Cinematography was surprisingly Roland Totheroth, and not Chaplin! Not that Totheroth was a slouch either. Ol’ Rollie (as he was often billed) is one of Charlie Chaplin’s most ardent comrades (ha...communism. That will...that’ll make sense later), and accompanied him as cinematographer and camera operator for over 30 films. And this is another great example of his work!

Production and Art Design: 10/10

If Chaplin wanted to recreate arctic boomtowns and desolate cabins...gotta say, he nailed it. This looks great, and the setting feels quite authentic, all things considered. For 1925, I think Chaplin exceeds expectations here. Now, granted, there are films from this time period that have really hefty production budgets, but this one is still a great looking film regardless of that. Again, credit where credit’s due.

Music and Editing: 9/10

Funny thing; the 1940s reissue of this film had different music added to it, because Chaplin wanted different music on it, and a lot of people who say they like that release say that the music is better. Which is interesting, because I REALLY liked the music in this movie! Using covers of classical music works quite well, I think, and the original tracks are pretty great as well. I mean, just looking at the dancing rolls GIF up there reminds me of the sprightly tune accompanying it. And that music was selected by, big surprise, Charlie Chaplin. He’s not the only person involved, of course, but he was a major part of this choice. And yes, he was ALSO the editor for the film! Geez, dude wore many black bowler hats, huh? Well, that docked point is for the slightly off editing in a few scenes, but it’s really not bad. This is once again me nitpicking.

94%, and it’s worth every digit, and more!

This is one of the great American classic films (ironically made by a British filmmaker), and it’s a movie that should be seen by everybody at least once. Is it my favorite comedy? FUCK NO IT AIN’T. But mostly, that’s because this film is funny...but that’s not where its charm lies. It’s not nearly as funny as many comedies I’ve previously covered, but it has a HELL of a lot of heart to go with it. It’s a worthy film on its own merits, divorced from the normal trappings of comedies. You can literally find the film, THE ENTIRE FILM, on Wikipedia. So check it out!

But for now, let’s move from the Tramp to another dynamo of the Silent Era. And yeah, we have a few more people from this time period to cover. Isn’t that right, Buster?

April 2, 2021: The General (1926), dir. Buster Keaton

[that-shamrock-vibe]

Disney+ What To Watch: My Top 10 Favourite Disney Live-Action Remakes

#1. The Jungle Book

Not only does this 2016 live-action remake elevate the original material, not only was the first time seeing this movie in theatres possibly my favourite cinematic experience, and not only is this an all-star voice cast but Disney and Jon Favreau absolutely sell to me the experience of an almost completely CGI-rendered movie with one central “real” person and everything else brought to life via sound stage.

The 1967 animated version, as noted, is one of my favourite Disney Animated Classics. However, this live-action version is not only a more grounded version of the story but a more mature version also.

The plot of the original movie is still there with Shere Khan hunting Mowgli so Bagheera tries to take him to safety via the Man Village but the man cub wants to stay in the jungle which is where he meets Baloo but along the way also encounters various dangers.

However, the tone of the movie is decisively darker not only with Mowgli’s encounters with both Kaa and King Louie, the latter of whom seems to be somewhat of a Don in this reality, but also the relationship between man and the jungle animals is more explored with darker reasoning here.

Not only do we see how at least Mowgli’s father dies in this movie, by the claws of Shere Khan, but there is also the underline reasoning as to why Shere Khan fears man and man’s fire. As when Mowgli decides to steal fire from the man village to combat Shere Khan and inadvertantly setting the jungle ablaze on his journey, he discovers that even though these animals were civil to him beforehand, wielding fire and embracing the negative connotations associated with man makes even his wolf pack fear him.

Ben Kingsley as Bagheera and Bill Murray as Baloo are both surprising but brilliant casting choices. Not only do they embrace the characteristics of the original characters but they add their own nuances to the performances.

Idris Elba, once again, does not get enough credit for the work he puts in as the villainous Shere Khan here. Not only does he bring out the fear I had for the character as a child but there is something about Elba’s voice coming out of a realistic tiger that just seems natural.

Scarlett Johansson and Christopher Walken do the best with the minor roles they have, and to be fair Kaa and King Louie were secondary antagonists in the original movie, Kaa had more screen time granted but for this story it makes sense to just have her show up once. Also making Louie more formidable as a villain rather than being as laissez-faire as he was in the original definitely made up for it.

Lupita Nyang’o and Giancarlo Esposito unfortunately fall into the minor character category here, despite Lupita helping to promote this movie as she was on an upward career trajectory at the time. But to be fair, being in that minor character category isn’t something to be ashamed of here as there are a surprisingly high calibre of voice cameos here including director Jon Favreau, Sam Raimi, Ralph Ineson, Hannah Tointon and voice acting veteran Dee Bradley Baker.

But the biggest surprise here is the child actors before voice overs and the one main cast member in front of the camera Neel Sethi. I have to say, it’s been almost four years since the movie was released and I am shocked that this kid has not got more work. I am well aware there is a lockdown and enforced cease order on movie making, but that doesn’t mean movies can’t be cast. I mean I understood why he wasn’t the voice of Young Simba but that doesn’t mean he can’t be in other things.

I’m also a big fan of the ending to this movie. Not only is the battle between Mowgli and Shere Khan more intense, extravagant and cinematic but also the fact Mowgli does not end up at the Man Village and instead stays in the Jungle with his adoptive family and friends I feel is a better ending to the movie.

It’s not the type of movie that needs songs, but the three songs they reworked from the original movie were very cleverly used here. “The Bare Necessities” is a great little sing-song as Baloo and Mowgli are floating down the river, the little excerpt from “I Wan’na Be Like You” is not only much better than Chiwetel Ejiofer’s take on “Be Prepared” from The Lion King but the arrangement works so well for Christopher Walken’s natural style that the only thing that would make it better is if King Louie could some how get up and dance.

“Trust in Me” meanwhile plays as a great end-credits song, Scarlett Johansson does a very good job at combining the hypnotic elements of the song with the sultry new elements the character seems to bring in.

The CGI on everything in this movie looks incredible. The wolves, who are my personal favourites, look amazing and the cubs look cute. As I said before, Shere Khan, Kaa and even King Louie look intimidating. I don’t know how an oversized orangutan looks intimidating but it is managed rather well here. It all simply works so well.

Overall, there isn’t a lot I can fault with the movie, do I think it needs a sequel as the original had? No, do I think it deserves one? If the follow-up story is as good this one. Unlike the animated version I don’t want a dip in quality here.

So what do you guys think? Post your comments and check out more Disney+ What to Watch Top 10s as well as more Top 10 Lists and other posts.

[mxtons]

        richard  madden  !    |        look  at  those  camera’s  flash  for  bellamy  maxton  (  he  +  him  )  !  the  thirty  year  old  television  star  is  famous  for  their  role  as  sir  erik  in  the  hit  show:  royals.  the  tabloids  portray  them  as  being  frivolous  and  pugnacious,  however  they  are  actually  very  insouciant  and  audacious.  seeing  them  always  reminds  me  of  worn  bomber  jackets,  dark  circles  under  bright  eyes,  and  empty  chinese  food  cartons.

hello  !  my  name  is  cait  and  i’m  always  late  to  the  party  so  this  is  no  surprise  !  i’m  Super  Excited  to  be  here  and  can’t  wait  to  interact  w  all  of  you  !  will  i  be  using  icons  ?  will  i  be  using  gifs  ?  who  knows  !  there  is  ...  a  Lot  to  bellamy  (  who  i  refer  to  as  bell  ,,,  he’s  not  Entirely  happy  that  his  childhood  nickname  got  leaked  a  couple  years  back  ,  since  it’s  what  his  sister  calls  him  ...  but  it’s  caught  on  and  he’s  rollin’  with  the  punches  !  )  so  this  is  just  a  general  rundown  !  i’ll  add  more  to  his  page  at  some  point  ...  but  i’m  impatient  so  here’s  the  need  to  know  !  TW  :  ABUSE  ,  ALCOHOLISM  ,  DEATH  .

one.

full  name  :  bellamy  james  maxton  . nicknames  :  bell  ,  maxton  ,  etc  . age  :  thirty  . birthday  :  tba  . gender  +  pronouns  :  cis  male  +  he/him  . sexual  +  romantic  orientation  :  bisexual  +  biromantic  (  not  public  .  ) birth  place  :  glasgow  ,  united  kingdom  . current  residence  :  santa  monica  ,  california  . spoken  languages  :  english  and  broken  bits  of  scottish  gaelic  . height  +  body  type  :  5'10"  /  athletic  . occupation  :  model  /  actor  . martial  status  :  divorced  . accent  :  scottish  ,  west  central  dialect  . sibling  status  :  middle  child  . faceclaim  :  richard  madden  .

two.

grew  up  in  scotland  ,  youngest  of  three  children  .  father  passed  when  bellamy  was  seven  .  his  father  was  his  idol  and  the  day  he  lost  him  was  one  of  the  worst  days  of  his  life  .  ever  since  then  he  had  to  deal  with  an  absent  mother  with  a  tendency  to  drink  herself  to  a  better  day  .  with  bell  the  spitting  image  of  his  father  ,  his  mother’s  fury  was  taken  out  greatly  on  him  .  the  abuse  continued  from  his  older  brother  ,  ignored  and  looked  down  upon  as  a  stranger  among  family  .  before  his  passing  ,  bell’s  father  dotted  on  him  and  spent  more  time  in  his  youngest  son’s  company  ,  something  his  oldest  son  has  never  forgotten  .  only  his  sister  was  kind  to  him  ,  someone  who  has  come  to  be  one  of  bellamy’s  favorite  people  in  the  universe  .

left  the  house  at  eighteen  against  his  own  desires  .  he  jumped  from  one  friend’s  couch  to  another  ,  eventually  leaving  the  country  at  twenty  with  a  friend  who  had  convinced  him  to  leave  .  it  was  an  impulsive  ,  drunken  choice  he  had  made  but  with  nothing  holding  him  to  scotland  and  a  tiny  interest  in  traveling  ,  he  got  a  visiting  visa  to  the  united  states  .

his  temporary  visa  was  to  last  a  month  .  he  stayed  with  friends  in  santa  barbara  ,  california  .  the  warm  ,  sunny  beach  was  his  favorite  part  and  despite  not  liking  the  big  crowds  ,  he  did  like  the  sound  of  the  waves  outside  of  his  window  .  he  partied  every  night  ,  though  kept  to  himself  unless  he  was  drunk  enough  to  socialize  ,  and  slept  throughout  most  days  .  there  came  to  a  time  where  the  guy  he  was  staying  with  demanded  some  type  of  payment  ---  bell  had  definitely  made  his  share  of  a  mess  .  it  was  then  he  dove  into  modeling  .  something  that  was  done  by  accident  ,  a  way  to  get  a  couple  hundred  dollars  ,  turned  into  a  short  lived  career  .

what  started  as  smaller  brands  ,  a  local  sunglasses  ad  and  hand  modeling  turned  into  much  more  .  he  hated  his  picture  being  taken  but  adored  the  feeling  of  becoming  someone  else  entirely  .  plus  ,  the  money  was  amazing  .  he  turned  his  stay  into  a  work  visa  ,  extended  through  the  year  and  went  where  the  money  took  him  .

shortly  after  his  twenty  third  birthday  ,  he  auditioned  for  what  would  be  his  first  role  .  it  was  through  contacts  ,  someone  he’d  met  while  on  location  for  an  ad  he  was  modeling  for  .  he  expressed  his  desire  for  something  more  when  they  mentioned  needing  someone  for  a  smaller  role  in  a  newer  tv  show  .  bellamy  landed  the  role  ,  though  it  was  short  lived  as  the  show  only  lasted  one  season  .  from  there  ,  he  knew  acting  was  what  he  wanted  to  do  .

modeling  has  somewhat  stopped  altogether  for  him  ,  giving  him  more  opportunities  for  roles  .  while  working  on  a  movie  a  few  years  ago  ,  he  met  a  woman  that  would  come  to  be  his  wife  .  they  had  a  whirlwind  love  ,  something  quick  and  detrimental  to  the  both  of  them  .  the  two  of  them  were  engaged  only  a  few  months  before  they  tied  the  knot  .  though  arguably  in  love  ,  they  just  didn’t  fit  and  the  paparazzi  tore  them  apart  (  rumored  affairs  ,  pictures  of  bell  with  other  woman  ,  etc  ...  ),  among  other  things  .  they  weren’t  good  for  each  other  .  a  fuckin  fool  ,  bell  didn’t  sign  a  prenup  and  she  took  a  lot  from  him  ...  he’s  still  bitter  about  it  ...  REFUSES  to  work  on  a  project  with  her  !  this  is  a  wanted  connection  but  everything  just  ended  badly  with  him  ,  they  shit  talk  each  other  ...  anyway  ...

seven  years  later  ,  bell  has  earned  dual  citizenship  between  the  usa  and  the  uk  and  spends  most  of  his  time  in  california  ,  having  an  apartment  in  santa  monica  .  he  owns  a  flat  in  the  uk  where  his  sister  lives  and  visits  when  he  can  .  he  has  a  black  cat  ,  lovingly  named  nightmare  that  guards  his  apartment  while  he’s  away  for  work  .  he  has  a  neighbor  take  care  of  her  ,  this  is  a  wanted  connection  !  

he’s  currently  on  royals  and  has  been  on  since  the  pilot  !  his  character  is  adored  by  fans  ,  mostly  for  his  heroics  and  charm  !  picture  ...  yeah  ,  yes  ,  picture  robb  stark  but  as  a  loyal  knight  to  his  king  !  bell  shares  the  desirable  bachelor  status  with  his  character  but  that’s  about  all  they  share  .  he  does  not  use  his  accent  on  the  show  ,  but  does  use  a  british  accent  .  he  loves  to  fuck  around  on  set  but  when  he  hears  ACTION  he  immediately  goes  to  work  !  publicly  he  would  Never  be  involved  with  a  costar  ...  but  privately  ?  he’s  probably  fucked  a  good  amount  of  them  ...  wanted  connection  !  same  with  people  from  other  shows  !  

personality  wise  ,,,  bell  is  ...  okay  .  he’s  fine  ,  not  the  best  person  to  be  around  but  he’s  never  fake  !  the  only  time  he  really  tries  to  be  different  is  with  the  press  /  in  interviews  but  with  other  people  he’s  himself  ...  which  isn’t  the  best  thing  ??  he’s  nice  ...  to  a  fault  ...  but  he  doesn’t  really  like  the  spotlight  ,  doesn’t  like  small  talk  and  loves  keeping  to  himself  .  not  good  with  emotions  or  soft  shit  ...  a  broken  man  who  Really  needs  therapy  .  of  course  ,  he  does  like  to  party  and  make  a  fool  of  himself  when  under  the  influence  ...  just  depends  on  the  day  !  

three.

wanted  connections  !!

ex  wife  .  explained  above  !

babysitter  for  his  cat  .  preferably  a  neighbor  or  someone  who  lives  nearby  .  probably  not  someone  nightmare  likes  ,  but  they  feed  her  so  she  tolerates  them  .

costars  (  of  royals  or  other  shows  ,  maybe  they  were  on  something  else  together  ??  )  who  he  slept  with  !

costars  he  either  got  along  with  ,  learned  from  ,  they  learned  from  him  ,  or  competitions  ??  someone  he  beat  out  for  a  role  ??

someone  he  was  involved  in  rumors  with  ??  

a  pr  girlfriend  ---  this  will  be  something  that  is  just  now  starting  ,  probably  in  time  for  awards  season  coming  up  !

anything  !!  hit  me  with  ideas  !!

if  you  like  this  i’ll  tumblr  msg  you  for  plots  !  i  also  have  discord  if  you’d  prefer  that  ,  just  let  me  know  !

[frozenartscapes]

The Lion King: NOT "Live Action"

Apparently Jon Favreau, the director of the Lion King remake, acknowledges that what he’s making is, for all intents and purposes, an animated film, but he doesn’t want people to call it that. Or, to quote him: “There’s no real animals and there’s no real cameras and there’s not even any performance that’s being captured that’s underlying data that’s real. Everything is coming through the hands of artists…But to say it’s animated I think is misleading as far as what the expectations might be.“

As a fan, I think it’s important to call Disney out on its bullshit. If a movie is not filmed in real-time, using real-world subjects, it is by definition an animated film. Now, to their credit, Disney has not explicitly referred to it as a live-action film (which it clearly is not)…yet at the same time, they seem noticeably reluctant to use the "A-word” to describe it. They aren’t going to be entering it into the nomination pile for Best Animated Feature at the 2020 Oscars, and none of its promotions call it an animated film.

Why does this matter? Well, there are two reasons. First, if they admitted that this remake of The Lion King was animated, it would put them in the awkward position of having to explain why they made an animated remake to an film that was already animated. For the live-action remakes (the ones that have at least one human, so that does include The Jungle Book) you could make an argument—admittedly a mixed argument— that they were exploring the story in a new medium. But with The Lion King, Disney doesn’t have that excuse here. It’s just a blatant nostalgia-driven cash grab, and calling the remake an animated film would be admitting that. Disney likes to say they’re above such things, even though they really aren’t. The other reason is that this film was created by animators. The actors, whose names grace the posters, do nothing but voice the characters. By masquerading an animated film as a live-action one, Disney is brushing aside the efforts of its animators.

---

My response @breckstonevailskier:

This is exactly why I’m so mad about this movie. The other remakes were bad enough - I get that some of them are actually enjoyable and had decent effort (read: some of them) put in, but at the end of the day, they’re just cash grabs. Even the best made remakes are still remakes of already popular films, and have less effort put into them than anything remotely original. That’s not to say everything needs to be original, but when every movie that comes out of Disney now is either a remake of a popular animated movie (therefore a safe choice), the next in a line of millions of Marvel movies, the next in a line of dozens of Star Wars movies, the next unnecessary Avatar movie (seriously who wanted these?) or an animated movie that, in all fairness, is most likely a sequel, it’s understandable that people will start to get pissed off.

The Lion King remake is not live action in any way whatsoever. It is a fully animated movie. It’s a different kind of animation, and if the trailers are anything to go off of, it’s lazy animation. (Of course, the animators themselves likely aren’t at fault here: it’s the producers and directors who decided the animation budget and the amount of effort needed to create the movie.) I could watch a BBC documentary on lions and get more emotional reactions out of the lions in that than what I’ve seen of any of the characters in the trailers of this supposedly epic and emotional story.

The worst part is that it’s blatantly obvious they’re only doing this to bank on people’s nostalgia and love of famous people. I’m sorry but like...Beyoncé...isn’t that special when it comes to voice acting. She’s a good singer, sure, but she’s not normally put into movies because of her acting talent. She’s put into movies because producers needed a big name everybody knows. And the fact that they didn’t even have the guts to recast Mufasa is also bullshit. Because if they’re too scared to not have James Earl Jones then maybe that’s the hint that redoing this movie in the first place wasn’t the best idea.

I hope this movie bombs. I hope they don’t make enough money back to break even. I hope it sends a stark message to Disney execs that they need to cut the crap. I hope it proves to them that playing on people’s nostalgia and love of big names isn’t the only way to make a successful movie.

But the world sucks. People are sheep. And this will probably beat Beauty and the Beast for how much money it brings in. Because at the end of the day, viewers will always choose the safe option too. And Disney knows that. Nothing will change as long as people don’t start the change.

[piprocrastinator]

Let’s Chat

Hello and Welcome to my corner.

Today I’d like to talk to you all about the wonders that it 2Moons. It is a Thai show based on the Thai novel by the same name created by Chiffon_Cake.

In this episode which will be Part 1 am going to discuss season 1. Which seems like a fairly good spot to start. 

So let's get going. woohoo. 

Warning this contains spoilers for 2Moons Season 1!

Season one cast is 

Phana - Godt

I think he did a good job portraying a sassy smart boy who likes basketball and secretly loves Wayo. He gives a very good bitchy stoic face and the difference between his and Bas body proportions made them look really cute together on-screen. I think off-screen their chemistry is ... shaky, which is fine because they did good on screen and that’s really what their job was but you know cute offscreen stuff would be good. That isn’t to say that GodtBas didn’t fed the masses, because they did. They understood how to serve some cute couple stuff but like you could feel that it was like their job and stuff *flaps hands in explanation*. I like Godt off screen better he seemed less tense than on-screen.

Wayo - Bas

Man this boy can be cute when he wants to be with his cute little cheeks, ugh!  I think the way he portrayed this version of Wayo was good, he did the spacey look well while still being able to hold onto the camera which is difficult to do. He was also good at pouting, it was really cute.  Overall I think he is a better model than an actor.

NEXT!~  

I really had to contain myself because boy BOY~! do I love enjoy this couple. from the whole cast they’re my favorite. Although they are not my favorite BL on screen couple nor are they my favorite off-screen but they're still cute and within the bounds of this cast, their the best.

Kit - Copter

Let’s just start off with the dimples. THE DIMPLES!! If you haven’t seen the dimples you should. His pouting, annoyed Kit was good.  He did have some moments where I wish he would have been more emotive towards the character, like he seemed flat sometimes but overall no bad. Mainly I can’t get over the dimples, I have soft spot for them...

Ming - Kimmon

I think he is my favorite actor our of the cast. He did a good job portraying a pouty, confident and happy Ming. He made the character seem realistic, I guess.  He seemed to take over the scenes when he was on-screen.

Beam - Tee

Ok what i’m about to say might hurt some feelings so i’m going to preface, this is my opinion! not meant to hurt any feelings buuuuuuut I am not a fan of him like at all. As far as his acting goes I mean, I think as an actor he is very flat... like flaaaaaatter than my chest flat (haha bad joke by bad <.< lol) but really there was nothing to him, he was there.... 

Forth - Tae

My opinion on him is pretty... small because he honestly he didn’t have that much screen time, more than Beam (Tee) but like really not that much at all. or maybe they had the same.. either way it wasn’t much at all. He was ok.... *sighs* I really wish I had more to say about him too but um... yeah...

I feel bad judging Tee and Tae for their performances as Forth and Beam because they really didn’t have any representation int he show for this season and that’s not their fault that’s just sonf of how the books are, that first book is like PHANAWAYO!! and it doesn’t leave much room for the others and that sucks for them because this season was all they got but I mea they did what they could with what they got.

(They will all be in an upcoming drama called Hotel Stars the Series i’m super excited to see more KimCop! oh be still my bating heart I hope they have lots go cute moments ><)

Also!! excluding Godt how is no in monk training last I heard, the other five boys are in a group called SBFIVE and they’re cute in it.

NOW! Onto the main event! The Show.

2Moons is centered around Wayo and Phana. Wayo being a love struck kid who turns into a love struck college boy man? going to the same school as his crush! Like I know, right? How lucky can he be?! (Well not that lucky because he knew which school Pha was going too and applied for it but still) and it gets better, his crush actually likes him back! Double whammy! But life can’t be that easy because at first they don’t really get along which sucks for Wayo because he has this creepy shrine of Pha and thinks about him all the time in a stalker yet not stalker way. Pha doesn’t really recognize him at first either so it’s like they’re starting new again, like meeting for the first time a second time...?

Pha is the leader of the ‘Wild Doctor Gang’ (which is just him, Beam and Kit). Pha decides to hid his feelings until he sees Wayo again when he was in high school. At first he doesn’t want to love you because ‘he’s guy and I'm a guy’ and you know how it goes but then he decides I guess towards the end that - surprise! - he has feeling and everyone knew but let him ignore it because.. friendship?  Anyways, at first he like picking on Wayo and calls him Shorty and it’s cute, I guess *shrugs noncommittally*. But then one day during the Moons rehearsal he’s all like “damn who that cutie with the glasses?” and Beam and Kit are like “that’s Wayo, bitch”. (ok that’s not exactly how it goes but you get the picture.) Pha realizes that his love is close enough that he can now chase him without the previous hesitation. And the chase is on.

The first season is all about them learning each other again the then in the end they get together and exchange bracelets which, you know, is also cute.

The side story is that Forth is kind of trying to hit on Wayo at the same time as Pha and that just makes Pha jealous so they have this littler rivalry going on. Beam is just kind of there, he really doesn’t have much going on throughout this besides some random one liners that honestly don’t meant o much to this part of the series. Poor Beam, he really doesn’t get much time in this season :/ Forth gets more as he is a love rival. But honestly its not enough. but realistically this season is all Pha and Wayo and I honestly find their story kind of lake luster. It’s so..... sooooo.... ugh, like there isn’t anything new to it. Wayo is really spacey and like weird and kind of stalker-is and Pha is maybe independent but like he turns into mush around Wayo and not in the ‘awww’ way but in the ‘get yourself together boy’ way.

I do enjoy the small bit of Mingkit that they showed int he series though!

Ming is trying to hit on Kit because who knows why at this point, maybe he has a liking for when people push him away. Kit is really sassy and pushes Ming away like every chance he gets except some how Ming tricks Kit into going out to eat with him when Kits car won’t start one night after the gym and then again when he wins the Moon competition and both scenes are cute as Kit tries to look at Ming and Ming tried his best to capture the heart of the grumpy KitKatTM.

I think overall considering the cast, script and directing I give it a ... 4 out of 10.

Which sees really low, I know, but let me explain. 

1 - The cast is alright, Tee and Tae didn’t get much time but from what I did see i’m not a huge fan. Godt and Bas with their lead roles did alright, but the chemistry just wasn’t what it need to be to show the amount of love they supposedly had for each other,  (like in the books it’s a lot..) but they didn’t do horrible it just could have been better. Kimmon and Coptor I think did the best job with he chemistry out of the three couples but you don’t really get to see them toooo much so it’s almost a moot point. There was potential and I think had this show gotten another season we may have been able to see way more of it. 

2 - I like the script did alright, it gave some time for the audience to get to know Phana and Wayo slowly, which helps in growing with the characters, gaining attachment. 

3 - There are some weird directional choices (That I think might just be a Thai thing because I’ve noticed in some other shows as well. 

4 - Also the weird silences. (there isn’t so much in this show but I think that it’s a common directors choice throughout the Thai shows.) I’m not a fan of weird silences of weird pauses in speech it takes you out of the scene because you’re like ‘I see there line here but your pause makes me think you forgot it’ or ‘why didn’t you reshot this scene so that the conversation flowed like a conversation and not someone reading from a script’.

Overall 4 - Potential was there. 

Still would recommend though.

[jasonfry]

Baseball season’s ending, so time to get back to my attempt to patch up my poor movie education. Here are four pint-sized reviews of/thoughts about movies I’ve seen recently:

The Black Swan (1942)

Tyrone Power and Maureen O’Hara never really inhabit their characters or the action -- they float above the proceedings in movie-star mode. Seeing how they’re the leads, this isn’t good. In fact, it should sink the picture.

It doesn’t because the other actors are terrific, merrily chewing scenery. There’s George Sanders as Captain Leech, Anthony Quinn as his first mate, and particularly Laird Cregar as the swaggering pirate-turned-governor Henry Morgan. There’s a tragedy behind that last performance: the heavy-set Cregar, an actor since childhood, dieted ferociously in an effort to win leading-man roles, developed health complications and died at just 31. 

It should also be said that Black Swan’s camera work is top-notch: scenes are shot from interesting angles, but not at the expense of coherent visual storytelling. Put it all together and you’ve got a pirate romp that’s better than it had to be, even if the leads are the most forgettable things about it.

Captain Horatio Hornblower (1951)

C.S. Forester adapted three of his classic novels, helping the movie capture his rigid, self-doubting yet invariably heroic captain admirably. Honestly, Gregory Peck is a perfect choice to play Hornblower. Beyond that, it’s pretty standard “wooden ships, iron men” fare, but that’s not a bad thing at all. 

Some things haven’t aged well -- Alec Mango’s slathered in ethnic makeup to play El Supremo -- and the plot line about Hornblower’s wife is true to the novels but feels tacked on here. But the performances and the battles are good, and hey, Gregory Peck and Christopher Lee cross swords. What’s not to like?

Out of the Past (1947)

One of the bedrock film noirs stars Robert Mitchum as a shady private investigator trying to escape a complicated and dangerous past. Mitchum’s terrific: he’s oddly delicate-looking, yet is a commanding presence in every scene, with a gift for never seeming to be in a hurry even when guns are firing and fists are flying. Jane Greer elevates the role of femme fatale with a fine-grained, subtle performance; Kirk Douglas walks off with his fair share of scenes as a cheerfully corrupt and dangerous businessman; and Paul Valentine exudes menace as the chief goon.

Some of the film noir patter feels performative, but that speaks to the influence of Out of the Past; it was the originator and we’re used to the imitators. An interesting bit of trivia: this movie was remade in the 1980s as Against All Odds, with Greer playing the mother of the character she played the first time around.

The Long Voyage Home (1940)

John Ford’s at the directorial helm for this adaptation of a quartet of early Eugene O’Neill plays about merchant seamen during World War II. Voyage is much praised by cinephiles, but it left me cold. Despite being set on a freighter, it never loses the feel of the stage, and you can see the storytelling seams between its component one-act plays. The characters spend a lot of time talking like characters and not people, and John Wayne strains credulity as a Swedish farm kid trying to return from the sea. (Which isn’t entirely his fault -- he’s so iconic that it’s hard to read him as anything other than “John Wayne.”) Skippable, at least for me.

[writingpaperghost]

There is a Me Who Can Become Strong (Chapter 20)

Chapter 20: Like a Puzzle Falling Apart into Pieces!

Life must go on, but for Parad, that isn't easy. How can he fight Emu, knowing now that's who Ex-Aid is? And that new Gashat Kuroto gave them has a few more drawbacks then they realized.

AO3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/32857183/chapters/84288139

It was early the next morning when the CR called Director Hinata, the only ones present being Asuna, the director, and Saki. Emu – Parad, rather, had yet to come in and wouldn’t for another hour, assuming he came at all – after the events of yesterday, no one would blame him if he didn’t. Nico said she’d been planning to drag Taiga somewhere for a while and so she wouldn’t be there unless they really needed her.

“Director Hinata,” Saki begins, “After the events of yesterday… We have much to report.”

Haima and Asuna are quiet while she continued, “Kuroto Dan is dead, despite our best efforts, he was infected and disappeared.” She takes a deep breath, “We now also know the identity of Ex-Aid, who has escaped. Though… though his identity is connected to one of the CR.”

At that, Director Hinata queried, “Who?”

“Emu,” Asuna answered. Though the three presents in the room were already aware of everything, there was still a tension in the room. It was no secret that Director Hinata was fond of Emu, nor was it any secret that Parad, at least, still felt strongly about him. How the real Emu felt about Director Hinata was still unclear.

“The Emu Hojo who we have been working with… Is not the real Emu Hojo. He’s his Bugster, Parad,” Saki explained, “Sixteen years ago, Emu was infected with Game Disease and Parad was born, ten years later they were separated by Zaizen. Parad had thought Emu had died, so he chose to become Emu. But now…”

She sighs, “Now we know that’s not the case. Emu is… Ex-Aid.” She shakes her head, “We don’t know his motivations, nor do we know what he’ll do next now that Kuroto is gone…”

“He seemed pretty shaken up after infecting Kuroto…” Asuna noted, “And… And we know now that he was the one who infected Hiro during Zero Day…”

For rather obvious reasons, Haima was visibly uncomfortable, though he did a decent job at pretending he wasn’t bothered. “It seems, perhaps because he’s Patient Zero Emu is capable of infecting people, though we’re not entirely sure how much he can control it…”

“Given his reaction to infecting Kuroto, it seemed like it was an accident.” Asuna added, “That truly seemed like a genuine reaction.”

Saki continued her thought, “It also appears, based off of both Hiro and Kuroto’s infections, that when Emu infects someone, their infection progresses at a rapid pace, regardless of whether they are stressed or not.” It had been terrifying to see the same thing that had happened to Hiro happen again, even if Kuroto had technically been their enemy. Knowing now the reason why those infections were so different than the one’s they’ve otherwise dealt with. “Even though we defeated Kuroto’s Bugster, he still disappeared.” Which implied that perhaps Hiro would have died too, even if Taiga had defeated Graphite six years ago. Though there was no way of knowing for certain, since there was the possibility that Emu’s Game Disease had mutated or changed in some capacity since then.

Finally, Haima adds something, “Since we’ve only seen two cases like this, it means that he’s at least not going around and infecting people on purpose.”

Director Hinata frowned, “If you’re correct and Emu can infect people… Then that means he’ll need to be found, before more can be infect, intentional or otherwise. He’s obviously not done it much, we only have two cases that are six years apart, but there’s still the possibility it may occur again.” He sighed, “The Ministry will most likely begin a search for him. If you find him… Try to bring him in. Whether he means to be or not, he is a danger.”

Once the call ends, Saki sits at the table, closing her eyes with a sigh. In the span of less than an hour, so much had changed. They knew Ex-Aid’s identity, knew that Emu was alive and working against them, capable of infecting people despite not being a Bugster. Kuroto had died and now they weren’t even sure if whatever Kuroto and Emu had been trying to do would continue.

Then there was Kuroto’s strange behavior. The sudden change from being ready to kill Emu to almost seeming… remorseful. Like he regretted having to do that, even though before he hadn’t seemed to mind. Perhaps Kuroto was just a very good actor. He knew, that even if they defeated Charlie, he would die. Which meant he must have known what he was doing when he got infected. He’d seemed to have accepted that he would die from the moment he was infected. But why?

We’re all pawns in a game that we don’t have a choice in playing.

Kuroto had said that, but what had he meant? It wouldn’t have been the first time that Kuroto had referred to the Riders as being some kind of players in a game, but he’d never counted himself in that.

Just know I didn’t have a choice in this.

Though it seemed hard to believe, Saki supposed that she could understand how it would be possible Kuroto didn’t have a choice in at least some of his actions. But he wasn’t very specific about what he’d meant when he said “this”. Did he mean all his actions in regard to Game Disease, his actions as Gemn, or him attempting to kill Emu?

You need to find him.

Why had Kuroto urged them to find Emu? Why would it matter to Kuroto, who would be dead mere moments later?

Before… find Emu before he does.

Who was “he”? That was probably the most important question. Who was this other person that Kuroto didn’t want finding Emu? Could there be someone else involved? But then why would Kuroto be so worried about that other person finding Emu? There were too many questions about it and not enough to try to find answers.

Please, just… just try to help Emu, He doesn’t know the truth of what’s going on. He doesn’t understand the stakes of the game – not as well as he thinks he does.

Saki couldn’t help but come back to Kuroto’s plea. To help Emu. She wasn’t certain the reasons why he wanted them to help Emu but… But Saki could tell that whatever was going on with Emu, he needed help. He needed someone to show him the truth that he obviously hadn’t known. There was no reason for Kuroto to lie about what Emu thought he knew.

If Emu doesn’t know what’s really going on, then everything he’s done could have been done under a false pretense. Or – the more painful option – Emu knew entirely and just chose to act anyway. While Emu clearly cared more about what happened to the people infected by Game Disease than Kuroto had, it didn’t change the fact that he’d interfered with their operations more than once.

But Saki knew one thing: it was best that the CR find Emu before the Ministry.

---

When Emu awakes in the nest, though he doesn’t precisely remember getting into it, nor does he remember getting back to the hideout at all. There’s something holding him tightly, something warmed curled around him. It was nice and comfy, if a bit heavy, but it was a nice weight, like a nice, comfortable… something. Emu wasn’t really sure how to describe it.

Then the warm thing hugs him tighter, letting out an almost content grunt. That was when Emu realizes who it was wrapped around him, though perhaps the mismatched sleeves, one green and one red and stopping at his elbow, should have told him. Or perhaps the mess of brown hair that certainly isn’t Emu’s, that Emu can barely see. Graphite was holding him tightly, which certainly made Emu feel better.

“You’re up,” Graphite grunts, extracting himself mostly from Emu, though he still had his hands on Emu’s arms. He sits up, bringing Emu with him, “When you came back… Masamune was with you, but Kuroto wasn’t.”

Then it came back to Emu, everything that had happened the day before. What he’d done to Kuroto, intentional or not. Masamune may not have been upset but Emu… Emu was.

Emu had killed his brother, whether out of fear or not.

“Kin?”

Keep calm, Emu chants to himself, despite the way he begins to shake again, Keep calm you can’t freak out.

Graphite reaches around Emu again, this time pulling him close once more. He holds Emu tightly, “Kin, what’s wrong? What happened?”

“I…” Deep breathes, Emu, it should keep you calm, “I killed him.”

He can’t see Graphite’s face, which almost is worse than seeing it. He doesn’t know if Graphite is disappointed in him, or upset with him. He can’t tell if Graphite will leave him too, if he can’t see what his reaction it.

So Emu turns around, seeing the slight but startled expression on Graphite’s face. It could be worse, he reminds himself, and continues, “I… He said he’d kill me and so I panicked and then- and then I infected him.”

“He threatened you,” Graphite said, “You did what you had to.”

“I killed him.”

Hugging and holding Emu close, Graphite responds, “It’s not your fault. You didn’t want to infect him, but you were left no choice.” He huffs, “Clearly, Masamune is not upset, isn’t that strange? His son is dead, but he made sure you made it back here, even though you were at least partially responsible for Kuroto’s death.”

“He said that he wasn’t upset. That Kuroto didn’t give me a choice and he didn’t blame me,” Emu quietly tells Graphite, “I… He told me to get my stuff and head to Gemn Corp, after I wake up.”

At that, Graphite grumbled, “Of course, you shouldn’t keep him waiting.” Though there was something in his tone that sounded irritated. Maybe he was actually upset with Emu and was just hiding it. Maybe he didn’t want to hurt Emu’s feelings too much.

Hesitantly, Emu extracts himself from Graphite, “I don’t have much to take,” he said as he grabs a bag, already beginning to place some items in it. He places a small, blue camera in, alongside his Gemnboy. Walking over to the couch, he reaches under it and pulls out a couple photo books. “Can’t forget these.”

Almost sounding amused, Graphite comments, “So that’s where you’ve been keeping those.”

“You know that Kuroto always gave me a hard time about them,” Emu reminded him, though he quickly frowned, “I don’t… I don’t want to leave them.”

“Of course you don’t,” Out of the corner of his eye, Emu can see that Graphite has a small smile, “I doubt you’ll need to worry too much about them.”

Emu pauses, “Graphite…” He quietly began, “Are… are you upset with me?”

“Why do you think that?” Graphite’s eyes narrow, “I have no reason to be upset with you.”

At his answer, Emu looks down, his shoulders sagging, “I’m sorry I just… I don’t know what to think of myself after yesterday…” After a moment, he looks up again, “So… Do you still not want to tell anyone you’re… around?”

Graphite nods, “For now, I think it’s best that Masamune doesn’t know.”

“I wish you’d tell me why,”

“Just know that I may not be able to help you as much, if Masamune chooses to keep more of an eye on you…” Warily, Graphite sighs and gives Emu a worried look, “Be careful.”

With a small quirk of his lips which might constitute as a small smile, Emu answers, “I will.”

---

“Why are we here?” Taiga groaned, Nico leading him about an amusement park.

Nico rolls her eyes and answers, “Because way too much shit has been happening and I need to do something fun before I commit a crime.”

“You do that anyway,”

“That’s not my point,” She’s dragging him by the arm. Her eye catches an attraction and she gleeful pulls Taiga that way, “Now come on, Taiga! The haunted house!”

Which was enough to prompt Taiga with a very startled and perhaps even violent reaction as he jerks away, “NOPE!”

“Why not?” Nico whines, “What, are you scared?”

Then she recalls his reaction to learning that Takeru had been a ghost. “Oh, right…” She cheekily grins, “You’re scared of ghosts!”

Taiga hushes, “Don’t be so loud!”

“It’s not like anyone here knows you,” She scoffed, “Seriously though? You’re that scared of ghosts?”

He scowls, “I just don’t like ghosts, or the concept,” He was very pointed about his statement, “Okay? I’m not afraid of them. I just don’t like them.”

“Sure,” Nico rolled her eyes, “You don’t like them.”

Though she ultimately doesn’t drag him on the haunted house ride, she’s about to drag him off somewhere else, figuring she can get him to go on a different ride. At least, that was the plan, but then she notices some poor sap who looks absolutely terrible. Normally, Nico would just ignore him… But for one reason or another, she had a bad feeling.

She pulls Taiga down a bit, so she can say to him, “Hey, hey, Taiga. What do you make of that guy?”

Taiga just frowns, “Looks like he’s sick,” He glances at her, “Why?”

Like the choreography in a theatrical performance, the boy began to glitch. Nico looked between him and Taiga and groaned, “Okay, that one’s on me. I should have known that would happen.”

---

When Parad arrives at the CR, he’s simply grateful that he doesn’t have to keep up his appearance as Emu. Before, he’d sometimes wish that he didn’t have to be Emu, but now, now that he knew that Emu was still alive.

It felt so terribly, terribly wrong, more than ever before. He wasn’t just pretending to be his dead best friend; he was pretending to be his best friend who looked at him with eyes that held not an ounce of the care that they once held. Not that his eyes looked anything like they had.

He wasn’t really sure what he was feeling, even after having time to think on it. Some part of him still couldn’t believe that Emu was still alive. It felt… really surreal, he guessed. Parad was just. He didn’t know anymore.

His entire world had been turned upside down and he didn’t know what to do. So he just wanted to try to go through everything like before. But it was so hard, it felt so wrong. He’d be fine enough, but then someone would say his name – say Emu’s name – and then… Then it’d all come crashing back. Over and over again.

At the CR, the only ones there were Saki and Poppy, to little surprise. Poppy was fretfully rearranging the stuffed animals and various decorations in the corner where her cabinet is. Saki sits at the table, eating a slice of cake.

“Em- Parad!” At his arrival, Poppy’s attention immediately turned to him.

Saki turns in her seat to face him. Hesitantly, she says, “I’m… a bit surprised that you’re here,”

“What else would I be doing?” Parad tries not to fiddle with his sleeves, “I have a job here, after all and…”

She stands, walking over to him, “Parad, you just found out someone very important to you, someone who you thought had died, was still alive. That you have to fight him.” There’s something terribly sincere in her tone, “No one expects you to just recover from that.”

Whatever composure Parad had managed to gather since the night before came crumbling away. He looks down, clenching his fists as his shoulders tighten, “I… I don’t know what to do, Saki,” He whispers, “Everything I’ve done in the past six years… For what? For someone who wasn’t even dead? For a dream that he seems to have forgotten?”

“We don’t know much about what’s going on with Emu, we don’t know why he’s doing this,” Saki reminded him, “But Parad, everything you’ve done, it hasn’t been for nothing. Thanks to you, so many people have been cured of Game Disease. Your skills at games and your compassion, you desire to see those people smile, have saved people, have made their lives better. That was you, even if you were simply doing it because you thought it would be something Emu would do, you were still the one doing it.”

“Maybe…”

Poppy hops over to his side, “There’s no maybe about it, Parad. You helped all those people. Without you, we’d have been in a pi-pa-po-pa-panic a long time ago!”

He takes a deep breath, even though he doesn’t really need to – he’s become so used to it while pretending to be human. Shaking, he tells them, “I don’t know if I can fight Emu, now that I know it’s him.”

Pursing her lips, Saki says, “You won’t have to, I’ll do it if it comes to it,” She places a hand on his shoulder, though she removes it when he flinches, “Parad… We’ll find Emu and we’ll do everything we can to help him, you know that.”

“I know…”

Reaching her arms around him, Saki wraps him in a hug, prompting him to stiffen, “We’re here for you Parad, you don’t have to face this alone. You don’t have to be alone anymore.”

He hesitates, but returns the hug, shakily, resting his head on her shoulder, “I’m scared that we can’t… that he won’t listen…”

“We’ll do all we can,”

“But if it’s not enough?”

“It will be.”

Parad doesn’t answer, unsure of what he could even say. Saki’s words feel so hopeful and certain, but after everything that happened the day before, he finds them hard to believe. He wants to, he dearly wants it all to be true, to be more than wishful thinking but… the possibility that it’s not true alone is enough to shake him.

How much had Emu changed? Was the one who had once been Parad’s best and only friend long gone, replaced with someone with very different values? Parad could never imagine Emu as the person he seems to have become, yet Parad is still faced with the harsh reality of the situation. Emu wasn’t the person he’d known six years ago, which only made Parad wonder. Who was he now?

Someone willing to work with the Bugsters and Kuroto to complete some so-called game, but if Kuroto’s words are true, Emu doesn’t know the truth about it. In that respect, Parad could understand why Emu might do all this, if he thought that it could perhaps help people. Maybe he feels there’s no better solution. But Parad wasn’t sure how much he was willing to trust Kuroto’s words, either.

The ringing of the CR’s phone snaps Parad out of his thoughts and he quickly removes himself from Saki. Her gaze lingers on him, before turning to the phone, which Poppy had already answered.

“Okay!” Poppy says to the person on the other end, “We’ll be right there.”

Ending the call, Poppy changes to her Asuna persona with a loud “costume change!” and then turns her attention to Parad and Saki. “Taiga just called,” She began, “He and Nico found a patient at the amusement park.”

“The amusement park?” Parad echoes, then shakes his head, “Right, right, let’s go.” Beside him, Saki nods.

---

It wasn’t like it had been a long time since Emu had been in Masamune’s office, though the number of times had certainly decreased after the incident with Lazer – he wasn’t even sure if Masamune knew about that or if it was just a coincidence. It was just odd, because he’d certainly be spending more time here, now that Masamune wanted to keep a closer eye on him.

That shouldn’t make him so anxious, he’s been around Masamune for six years, the man choosing to keep an eye on him shouldn’t bother him. Maybe it was just because of how little supervision he’d seemed to have kept over Kuroto and Emu for the past six years.

Obviously, his mind tried to rationalize, Masamune was just worried after what happened with Kuroto. He didn’t know that Graphite was around to help if Emu really needed it. So, Masamune just didn’t want something bad to happen to Emu, just like when they’d first met.

He stares at one of his photobooks for a moment, then flips it open to a random page. Greeted with a picture of him and Graphite in the nest, he smiles, terribly small but present. Then his eyes drift to the next picture, one of him leaning on Kuroto’s shoulders, looking over his head at whatever project Kuroto was working on at his computer. Emu closes the book, the smile falling, then quietly sighs.

Looking up at Masamune, he asks, “Should… we be worried? Certainly, the Riders got the Gashats that Kuroto had… And that means they have access to two different Level 50 forms…” Emu wasn’t very worried about Dangerous Zombie. They wouldn’t really be able to use it, so it wouldn’t do them much good. But the dual Gashat? That was a worry.

“Don’t worry about that, Mu, none of them are used to using such a strong Gashat,” Masamune answers, “Perhaps if Hanaya was acting as Snipe, I’d be worried, but a Level 50 form is hard on most people’s bodies. It will be a while before they can use that Gashat to its full power… By then, it won’t be much of a worry.”

“Ah,” Emu blinks, “If… if you say so.”

Looking up from his computer, not unlike Kuroto would – though with far less care in his eyes – Masamune notes, “I believe a Bugster will be appearing soon. You’ll want to head to the amusement park, to ensure that the data is captured.”

“O-okay!”

---

When they arrive at the amusement park, they’re easily able to find where Taiga and Nico are, if only because Taiga greatly stands out in a crowd – and there wasn’t even a lot of people around them. Nico already had her Driver out, fiddling with the Bang Bang Shooting Gashat.

“Took you guys long enough!” She huffed when she noticed them, crossing her arms, “What if the Bugster showed up? Then I’d have to deal with it all on my own.”

Parad sighed, once again in his Emu disguise, “We got here as quickly as we could, Nico,”

Rolling her eyes, she responds, “Whatever, let’s just worry about this guy,” She gestures to who must be the patient, “He’s infected with Jet Combat. Not that I know why he’s at an amusement park.”

“Aren’t you also at the amusement park?” Asuna asked, “Are you really one to talk?”

Nico sputters something before huffing and turning her attention back to their patient. The patient’s infection flairs up, prompting the appearance of Vernier, the Jet Combat Bugster.

Saki takes out the Taddle Fantasy Gashat and prepares to transform, while Nico does the same. Behind them, next to Asuna, Parad hesitates. He pulls out his Gashat but… All he can do is stare at it.

He wanted to transform; he really did. He didn’t want Saki and Nico to have to fight Vernier alone but… It wasn’t like he’d have to face Emu… But he also knew that there was plenty a chance that Emu would appear and… And… Wasn’t he a bit of a hypocrite? To be fighting these Bugsters despite being one himself?

“Parad?” Asuna calls.

Despite everything that he wanted to do, Parad couldn’t transform. He just couldn’t. Tightening his grip around the Gashat, he quietly answers, “I… I can’t…” He looks down, shaking his head, “I can’t fight right now, Asuna.”

Asuna frowns, but quickly assures him, “That’s okay,” She says, “I’m sure Saki and Nico can handle it.”

Taddle Fantasy!

Bang Bang Shooting!

Dual Up! Tadoru Meguru RPG! Taddle Fantasy!

Level Up! Ba-Ba-Bang! Bang-Ba-Bang! Bang Bang Shooting!

As Bugster grunts appear around Saki, quickly going after Vernier, Nico fires several shots from the Gashacon Magnum at him. Sword in hand, Saki rushes towards Vernier and slashes at him. Clearly, Vernier wasn’t nearly as strong as Charlie had been, not that it was a bad thing. It made him easier to fight, especially operating with only two Riders.

Soon, Vernier had taken too much damage, returning to hide in their patient. They’d have to defeat him some other time. Still, Parad couldn’t shake the feeling that they were being watched, or something similar. But he couldn’t understand why. Everyone not involved with the CR had fled when Vernier appeared, so who could still be around…?

Nico untransforms, but Saki remains in Level 50. Giving her an odd look, Nico asks, “Uh, why are you…?”

Saki turns to face a nearby building, calling out, “Emu, I know you’re there!”

Slowly, Emu walks out from behind the building. His bangs are clipped to both sides of his head, revealing both his eyes. He doesn’t have his hood pulled up and his jacket is unzipped, revealing a Mighty Action X shirt underneath. Though he has a mostly neutral expression, there’s a small frown tugging at his lips. For the most part, though, he looks… empty, a sort of neutral expression that told nothing about what he was thinking or feeling.

He stares at them, not saying anything.

Continuing, Saki declares, “I have a challenge for you,” Her tone is serious, despite how out of character her words were, “A… game, if you will.”

That prompts a change to Emu’s expression, something curious as he asks, “A game?”

“Yes,” She confirms, “A fight will be our game, now that we’re both evenly matched at Level 50. If I win, you’ll come with us back to the CR and tell us about this… game you’re working on.”

There’s an excited twinkle in Emu’s eyes when he inquires, “And if I win, Brave?”

She takes a deep breath, then pulls something out, “I’ll give you these,” In the hand not holding the Gashacon Sword, she holds Kuroto’s Bugvisor and the Dangerous Zombie Gashat, alongside Giri Giri Chambara.

Though Emu’s eyes widen for a moment, he quickly shakes his head in a small motion. “I don’t know…” He hums, “Gemn’s stuff won’t do either of us much good. I don’t think I really want it…”

Before Saki can say anything, he continues, “But! I think I’d like a challenge, now.” He pulls out his Gamer Driver and Gashat, “Just remember Brave… I’m Genius Gamer M, I won’t lose to you so easily.”

“I’d be worried if you did,” Saki responded.

Mighty Brothers XX!

Double Up! Ore ga omae de! Omae ga ore de! We are! Mighty! Mighty Brothers! Double X!

Returning the Bugvisor and Gashat to where they belonged, Saki turns her attention to both halves of Emu, who were already rushing at her. Cyan has the Gashacon Keyslasher, leading Saki to assume that was the one Emu was controlling. She didn’t know how the damage to the Mighty Brothers was distributed, but she thought it would be safe to assume that attacking the one that Emu was in control of would probably be the most effective.

Blocking the attack of the Gashacon Keyslasher, Saki knocks Cyan off balance and slashes at him. The blue Rider didn’t react terribly, though he stumbled away, raising his weapon and firing a beam from it. So it was also a gun, that was good to know.

Something crashes into her back and knocks her down, then she sees Orange, landing in front of her. Cyan tosses the Gashacon Keyslasher to him and Saki figures that orange must be the one that Emu’s in control of right now. She stands, slashing at Orange, though he blocks it.

There was a strange aching growing through her body. At first, it was dull, but with every second it got worse. Now, it was becoming distracting, but she couldn’t afford to lose focus. She had to win this, so they could bring Emu back. If they could learn what he thought he was doing, they might be able to show him the truth. They could help him, they just had to get him to let them.

Cyan kicks her this time, reeling her focus back in. He laughs a little, “Hah! Brave, did you really think I’d make it easy? I can tell that you’re trying to figure out which one I’m controlling.” Then Orange slashes at her again and she doesn’t have time to block it. She falls to the ground, Kuroto’s Gashat and Bugvisor clattering beside her.

Trying to pull herself up again, Saki gasped when pain coursed through her body again. It was much worse than before, though she’s still transformed, she couldn’t bring herself to get off the ground. It just hurt too much.

Orange stares at her. He leans down, picking up Kuroto’s items, “You’re not used to the strain from Level 50,” He tells her. Then he pulls the double Gashat out of her Driver, tossing it to the side, “Level 50 is very hard on the human body. That’s a part of why Gemn never used it himself.”

“You can use it without problem,” Saki gasped.

“I’m used to pain,” He answers, then turns away, “I think I’ve won this game, Brave. Next time, you might not be so lucky that your opponent will let you leave.”

Emu leaves and Nico strolls over and picks up the Level 50 Gashat. Parad and Asuna are over with the patient. Before Saki can say anything, she passes out, prompting Nico to sigh.

She calls over to Parad and Asuna, “Taiga and I’ll take care of Saki, you worry about the patient.”

Taiga grunts, “Why are you volunteering me?”

“Because you can carry her, old man,” She answers, “Besides, I can already see you’re worrying.”

[scrawnydutchman]

Coco Movie Review

Note: this review contains spoilers highlighted by bold letters for readers convenience. If you have not seen the film yet skip the bold sections and come back to read them once you HAVE seen it.

So I just came back from the theater after seeing Pixar’s Coco with a friend. An adventurous little romp about a Mexican boys’ supernatural journey to find his destiny, Coco is a spectacularly colorful, visually stimulating, heartfelt and clever little masterpiece that shows that in spite of recent worries many people have been having (myself included) Pixar isn’t losing their touch in creating marvelously original animated pieces. Granted this film borrows a lot of stylistic choices from Disney Animation Studios as well as other animated films (cough *BOOK OF LIFE* cough) but it also arguably takes those choices and makes them better. I’ll delve into more detail about that in a bit, but let’s tackle this film one section at a time, starting with story.

Story:

Synopsis: Miguel is a young boy who is part of a large family in Mexico and has aspirations to become a great musician. But music is banned in his family due to an ancestor of his leaving his wife and child behind to selfishly pursue a career in it. This doesn’t stop Miguel from striving for greatness though as he feels it’s in his blood to play music. One thing leads to another and Miguel ends up transporting himself to the realm of the dead where he decides to learn more about his families past to find out just what happened all those years ago. But it’s a race against the clock as Miguel finds out if he doesn’t leave the realm of the dead fast enough he will end up staying there forever. Will he be able to find his destiny and discover the truth about his family in time?

This is a pretty typical Disney plot setup. Young protagonist wants to achieve something greater than what his family has planned for him, goes on big misadventure to discover his true destiny, his family learns an important lesson about letting their kid follow their heart. If you’ve seen a Disney movie you know the ropes. But while this storyline is undeniably common among Disney films, Coco actually has a unique take on the subject matter that I haven’t seen previous entries ever do before. The lesson of the family letting Miguel follow his dreams is still present, but this time around it isn’t as clear cut and dry as, say, Pixar’s Ratatouille, which also had an ongoing theme of passion vs. family. While in Ratatouille the family pretty much has to concede to Remy as the film demonstrates he was right all along, Coco has the angle that Miguel is also at fault for a lot of his actions and has to know the importance of family as well. The film also has a great plot twist that makes the point that there IS such a thing as going too far for your dream. Truth be told it’s probably the most refreshing take on the subject matter I’ve ever seen either Disney or Pixar do.

The plot twist in this film is arguably the most effective twist I’ve ever seen either a Disney or Pixar film pull off. Matter of fact it’s very similar to the plot twist in Disney’s Frozen, but I would argue Coco succeeded where Frozen failed. In Frozen the true bad guy is hidden through a cheat in the narrative. The prince acts all starry eyed and innocent even when in the context of the scene nobody is around him, and so it’s a bit of a cheat to have it be executed in this fashion. With Coco, the bad guy is shrouded in mystery for the majority of the film. Ernesto de la cruz plays a very similar role to Gusteau in Ratatouille, where he’s a role model the protagonist never really interacts with outside of watching films and pretending to be there with him. At least that’s what it is for the majority of the movie. But when we DO finally meet him and learn his dark terrible secret, and that he cheated and murdered his way to his success, it’s not unbelievable, because just like the main character we as the audience only saw what he wanted us to see. We only ever saw his on screen persona and heard other people talk about him, whereas again, in Frozen the context implies the prince is virtuous even behind closed doors. It doesn’t feel out of nowhere because the narrative doesn’t progress in a way where betrayal was ruled out. And this twist is beyond clever because, again, it takes the moral we all see coming and puts a completely different spin on it. There IS such a thing as going too far for your dream, and there IS a certain extent where you have to put your family before your aspirations. It’s a much more profound look than kids are used to.

Beyond the compelling plot twist and the clever spin on an otherwise overdone message, it’s a pretty cookie cutter Disney movie. There’s a comedic foil, an adorable sidekick, an ambitious young protagonist, and this time around more than a few tear jerker moments. But hey, if it ain’t broke don’t fix it. And man, when it comes to the tear jerkers, this film comes from the realest place since Pixar’s Up. The last 30 minutes are especially gut wrenching, which I for one think is a welcome compensation after Moana was pretty lacking in the sad stuff (though I will admit as a result this movie is lacking in the more comedic side). Also there’s a more than healthy dosage of Mexican culture to really break up the monotony of the story we’ve heard millions of times.

Animation/Art Design:

This. Film. Is. GORGEOUS!!! Absolutely colorful, inventive backgrounds, great use of contrasting blue with orange, dripping with Mexican atmosphere, and it really showcases some of the most impressive and inventive visuals I’ve ever seen in a Pixar movie. For one, this movie is not afraid to zoom in on all the intricate guitar playing, and for good reason. You can see every detail, every plucked string, every held note in the guitar playing. You might think this is a minor point, but take it from an animator; animating guitar or piano playing is EXTREMELY difficult especially if you want to make a point on being as accurate as possible. There’s a reason why in most animated media they zoom out, zoom in to the face or depict the playing from the other side of the piano to hide the fact that they probably aren’t hitting the right notes. Also, the way the skeletons move is wonderfully creative and interesting. So much thought went into how they walk, how they interact with their environment, how they rebuild themselves after splitting into several pieces. I especially love the squash and stretch the skeletons have; it makes them look appealingly jagged and really sells how lightweight they are without all that flesh and meat. This films is dripping with inventive visuals from beginning to end. The use of colous are on point, the lighting is great, the Textures are the best Pixar has pulled thus far. It’s a visual marvel. The character designs are great too, especially Dante the very derpy looking dog. The way his eyes and tongue look make for an effective comedic foil as well as the way his lanky scrawny body moves. In fact, the animal creatures in this movie are all very appealing in different ways. Many people including myself were skeptical about the designs of the skeletons, particularly with the big expressive Disney-esque eyes. While I’ll admit at first I thought they looked a little too odd they grew on me over time.

Also this movie is great at using it’s visuals to better progress the story, like how Miguel’s body is becoming more of a skeleton to sell the passage of time without verbally pointing it out too often.

There is just one very VERY minor issue I have with the visuals. I’m not 100% certain on this as I’ve only seen the film once thus far so it’s possible there’s just something wrong with my sight or some other reason, but I think the film uses motion blur to it’s disadvantage at times. There are scrolling shots in this movie that are supposed to showcase how massive an environment is and how many people are present in a location, but the use of motion blur makes it too fuzzy to really take in and I honestly think they laid it on too thick at times for how fast the camera actually moves. It got to a point where trying to follow the movement actually strained my eyes a little bit. It would have benefited the film more if they just left it out in certain points to make the image pop as clear as day. All well, it’s a minor knitpick that for all I know might not actually be a problem, but for the time being i’m docking a wee bit from the overall score. Besides that, it’s an undeniably beautiful flick.

Acting:

Pretty standard Disney and Pixar quality here. Every voice actor and actress in this movie does a stellar job. The cast is authentically Mexican and it shows (lncluding a Gabriel Iglesias cameo), making for greater immersion into the scenery. No performance seemed out of place, everybody got the proper emotions across. Not a whole lot else to say really.

Sound Design:

Again, pretty standard Disney and Pixar quality. Being that this movie has a heavy music theme in it, the soundtrack is beautiful and, again, authentically Mexican. The recurring song “Remember Me” is especially beautiful. This is one of those movies where the music is actually so good that I ended up getting the soundtrack on Spotify. Also, though it’s a minor addition, the mariachi cover of the music for the opening Disney logo is a nice touch. The sound effects were effective as always.

EDIT: I forgot to mention this the first time around. Not only is the music stellar but it actually plays into the plot as well in a way that’s very effective in retrospect. The song “Remember Me” has 2 versions; the opening bombastic one done by the villain of the movie and the softer, more sentimental version done by the real musician. This is actually brilliant foreshadowing to the types of characters each of them are. de la Cruz is a self absorbed, entitled asshole, and so his version of the song reflects that by being a big over the top dance number. The phrase “Remember Me” in this case is more about him telling his audience about how important he is. In contrast, the lullaby version is soft, sentimental and genuine. It isn’t superficial and it’s beautifully simple. This is a reflection of the writer. He didn’t write it to become a star. He didn’t write it because he wanted attention or glory. He wanted to make a connection with his daughter before he left. A touch like this is brilliantly subtle.

Conclusion:

Coco is tightly written with a clever and refreshing take on a recurring Disney trope. It’s visually stunning, very inventive, dripping with Mexican atmosphere and culture, and showcases some of the most heartfelt visuals and audibles I’ve seen come out of Pixar in a very long time. Really, my only problem with it was the use of motion blur at times, and that’s me REALLY stretching for something bad to say about it that I’m not even entirely sure I can back up. It’s a great film to take your kids to or to see for yourself if you’re an animation fan.

Story: 2/2

Animation/Art Design: 3.9/4

Acting: 2/2

Sound Design: 2/2

Final verdict; 9.9/10 - DAMN close to perfect.

[smokeybrand]

Smokey brand Movie Reviews: Stop, It's Already Dead

I’ve been trying to watch Army of the Dead since it came out but every time i start, i end of bailing on it because it’s trash. Yeah, that’s it. This movie is trash. You can literally stop reading this review right now because that’s the verdict. Army of the Dead is shallow, inconsequential, zombie murder porn wit that trademark Zack Snyder, edgelord, spice. It’s f*cking ridiculous and i hated every minute of it. That’s it. That’s the review. Don’t watch this rancid spooge. Now, if you want to know why i hated it so much, read on. But it really is one of the worst things i have seen all year.

The Adequate

Dave Batista works magic with the material on hand. Zack Snyder isn’t know for having emotional bite or a realistic edge to any of the characters in his films but Batista was able to hone in on something and does a decent job of letting me tolerate this clusterf*ck. His Scott Ward is easily the best thing about this flick.

The carnage displayed while the opening credits rolled was almost as dope as Zombieland and i appreciated that. Literally the only time during the film where i didn’t feel like someone was standing on my sack and twisting.

Also, Hiroyuki Sanada is in this. I don’t know the name of his character and i don’t care i just genuinely enjoy Sanada’s work. He is an excellent actor and, similarly to Ken Watanabe, makes everything he’s in better, regardless of his role’s size or relevance.

The integration of Tig Notaro was kind of seamless. That sh*t was surprising because every one of her scenes was added in post. She had no interaction with any of the cast, not even in pick-ups. That’s just her, in front of a green screen, talking to herself. Of course, there are scenes where that is very apparent but the fact she was even able to replaces an entire actor wrapped month beforehand, is kind of a miracle and testament to the absurd technical skill Snyder wields as movie maker.

The Horrid

Zack Snyder. Literally everything i am about to unload, is Zack Snyder’s fault. This “film” is pure Zack Snyder. More so than the Snyder cut of Justice League. More so than BvS. Even more than f*cking Sucker Punch. Netflix gave this man a bunch of money and told he to go “create” and, to his credit, Snyder did just that. Unfortunately, he created hot dumpster water topped with soggy diarrhea.

Seriously, everything i have a problem with, has Zack Snyder’s name on it. He was the director, the writer, the screenplay writer, AND the f*cking cinematographer. What the f*ck, dude? Like, you want to be an auteur director, fine. Be good at it. Be good at movies if you’re trying to wear all of those hats. Zack, as a filmmaker, is bad at ALL of them. At best, he’s pedestrian, so doing all of that, just infuses abject mediocrity throughout this movie and it shows.

I’ve seen a lot of cats haring of Snyder’s depth of field choices but I'll take it one step further; What the f*ck was up with the shot composition as a whole, in this film? It was bad! All of it was so bad! There was no substance, no dynamism in the camerawork or the way the shots were set up. I’m not going to sit here and say it was just a bunch of static work, like how someone would film a play for theatrical exhibition, but it wasn’t that much better. I was watching this sh*t and thought to myself, “Hamilton had better camera work than this. F*ck.”

The whole ass plot is paper thing. I’m watching these first few minutes and it’s readily apparent that the guv’ment knows zombies be doing a zombie and Vegas is lost. Why the f*ck didn’t they nuke that motherf*cker off the face of the earth. Straight up Raccoon City that b*tch. There is nothing, no plot contrivance or mental gymnastics that could make believe that Las Vegas wouldn’t have been scrubbed off the map, within a week of this outbreak. Not after seeing actual paratroopers floating in to their deaths and straight up napalm strikes on the Strip. Why did anyone think building a fence out of shipping containers was a good long term option for containment! And that’s literally just in the opening credits! It gets worse as the flick progresses, man! The actual plot is trash!

Now, the actual premise? Interesting. It could have been interesting. But then Zack Snyder snyder’ed it up with the f*cking execution. Look, in order to write a great zombie flick, you need a strong human element. That’s where the audience is going to focus. They’re going to try and find the humanity in a sea of despair. Every great Zombie flick has a laughably strong lead and fantastic supporting characters you come to care about, usually withing the first act. 28 Days later is a fantastic example of how to execute your Zombie disaster apocalypse. You do not give a sh*t about any of the characters in Army. Snyder tries with Batista, thus the father-daughter relationship, but that cliche sh*t was cookie cutter from a whole different movie, which I'm going to get into next...

Army of the Dead is Aliens. It’s just a popularization of Aliens. It’s the same f*cking movie, but worse. There are shot-for-shot recreations in this movie, with just enough changed so Snyder won’t get sued. Just, off the top of my head, the ending. It’s exactly the same as f*cking Aliens! Literally the same goddamn ending! Heroes survive a gauntlet of monsters, rush to the top of or roof. Pilot of escape flying contraption kissing. Hero curses pilot of said whirly dervish. Queen Alien or Zombie King shows up. Pilot returns at the last minute to save survivors. Same. F*cking. Scene. And that’s just one. There are SO many in this thing you’d think Snyder watched Aliens everyday on set and just stole sh*t from that flick to add to his. It’s real bad. Real f*cking bad, man. which exasperates my next point...

This movie is f*cking boring. i was bored. If you’re stealing the entirety of Aliens, how do you f*ck that it up so bad? The same movie, which thrilled and entertained me thirty years ago, sh*t the bed so hard, today, and i don’t know how that happened. It’s infuriating when i think about it for too long. Speaking of long...

Why the f*ck is this anal prolapse, two and half hours long?? Why did you need this much movie to tell so little story? Seriously, how the f*ck is there this much run time yet, no actual f*cking characters outside of whatever the f*ck Batista was able to save with his sheer screen presence? How do you have all of this time and still not craft a character in which to invest?? In a f*cking Zombie movie?!

Also, he hired a rapist.

The Verdict

This movie sucks. For all of the reasons outlined above. I told you that in the beginning. You didn’t have to rad this far. You knew i hated this movie within the first sentence. This sh*t was a waste of my life. Batista is good in it and that sh* Snyder did with Tig was pretty cool, but everything else is bad. All of it. None of this movie is good. It was boring. It wasn’t entertaining. There are no characters. The plot is dumb. The execution is worse. The run time is absurd. Did i mention how bored i was? Army of the Dead is garbage. This is a bad movie. This is what you get when you just let Zack Snyder do whatever the f*ck he wants with no limits or boundaries. Snyder is bad at movies and he keeps proving it. I have no idea why people keep giving this obvious fraud work.

[smokeybrandreviews]

Smokey brand Movie Reviews: As Hard As Chinese Arithmetic

So far, this year has been a doozy, man. We had an insurrection at the Capital. Then a big-tittied, Goth Vampire, Amazon Mommy just triggered all of the interweb’s fetishes, male, female, and other. Then, a bunch of Reddit Sh*tposters broke Wall Street for the Lolz. It has been a f*cking ride, man. I’m just happy we made it to the end of the month because, f*ck, i need a breather. Plus, the first new film of the year, a proper theatrical flick, released in the multiplex, just dropped. Since we ain’t got vaccines for the Wuha and i hate society in general, i wasn’t about to brave the outside for it. Fortunately for me, Warner Brothers said f*ck it, and decided to release their entire 2021 film slate, same day as theaters, to HBOmax. The first flick out the gate with this rather comfy release strategy? The Little Things. From what I've seen, this cast is dope but I've heard mixed reviews. Curious to see which side of the discourse I'll land on. Either way, I'm watching this thing from the comfort of my couch and i kind of dig it.

The Good

Denzel Washington is, obviously, the best thing about this flick. Dude is always one of, if not the best, thing about whatever he's in and this is no different. Washington has been acting a real long time so this the of part he can play in his sleep. I think, though, that might have been a detriment because his Joe Deacon comes across as a little “samey.” I re-watched Virtuosity the other day and this character feels like the cat he played in that, which feels like the cat he played in Man on Fire, which feels like the cat he played in Equalizer. I'm not mad, mind you, Rampage Washington is one of my favorite things about Hollywood, but I think playing this character like that was a mistake. Still, it was fun to watch.

Rami Malik plays, like, a regular dude in this. His Jim Baxter is kind of the foil to Washington's more aggressive, more passionate Deke, and it's weird to see. Like, i get it, Rami wants avoid being typecast as the weirdo but, I mean, the weirdo is where it's at, you know? If the character is well written and there's room to really dig in with an eclectic performance, why not go weird? Malek sure has the face for it.

Jared Leto just plays himself. The character he's supposed to be portraying is named Albert Sprama but this is just regular ass, crazy ass, cult leader ass Jared Leto. It's not a bad performance but you can tell Leto isn't really trying to be anything but who he is in this.

The atmosphere in this thing is palpable. I respect that. Neo-Noirs and thrillers like this need that. They need to feel seedy, gritty, dirty. For all of it's faults, The Little Things definitely nails that. It ain't Nineties grunge but it does a pretty good job of emulating that kind of energy, even if it's really just a facsimile and not the genuine article.

Listen, this is a gorgeous film. The cinematography and scene composition are top notch. As far as a visual piece of media, it really does deliver. There's this sordid, grimy, feel to the presentation that really mimics David Fincher's early work. I'm a fan of Fincher's so I noticed the similarities immediately but, as much reverence as this content has for his work, David Fincher  this ain't.

This thing is beautifully directed. I might have my issues with the film as a whole, but John Lee Hancock put his best foot forward trying to visually craft this narrative, for sure. It's a little awkward seeing dude forge this type of story considering his more, lighthearted entries into the Hollywood collective, but he approaches it with the same flair and professionalism as he does those films, too.

The Bad

Look, I love the principals of this cast. They are all great actors Individually Together, there's no real chemistry, especially between Malik and Washington. I think that's more because of the lacking script more than anything. A lot of this movie feels like it's adequacy relies too heavily on it's lead's abilities rather than a solid script or screenplay. That's a shame because a crime thriller starring Denzel Washington and Rami Malik chasing after Jared Leto sounds like a swell f*cking times.

So this thing is a period piece. It's supposed to take place in the Nineties and, as a cat who grew up during that time, this definitely doesn't feel like them. Sure, there's little nods and everything to it like music choices and certain set dressings but, overall, this doesn't scream Super Grunge, Extreme Radical to me. Which, we all know, is exactly what the Nineties absolutely were.

There is a distinct, Fincher-esque, energy to this film but it fails miserably properly capturing it. Like, This movie is trying WAY too hard to be Se7en. I understand why it would, that film is a masterpiece but one shouldn't wear your inspirations so nakedly. Makes it way too easy to draw the obvious comparison and your entry will always be left wanting. It's weird to think that Hancock thought he could do that considering his catalog of film. Nothing about The Blindside or Saving Mr. Banks gives me confidence that he can adequately pull off something as macabre as Se7en and  it really seems dubious to me that he tried.

The strength of Se7en started with what was on the page. Fincher crafted this diabolical, challenging, degenerate narrative and had the perfect cast to bring it to life. The Little Things has the ambition to pull that same thing off but the script is way too weak for that. Hancock can't write this stuff, man. Indeed, it really feels like he watched Se7en, thought up a twist, and wrote from there. Basically, he wrote this screenplay the same way Stephanie Meyer wrote Twilight and we all see how well that turned out. If you don't have a story to tell, don't make a movie. Nothing great start with just a gimmick unless you're selling toys and that only works because kids are idiots.

Bro, what is this dialogue??

This movie is long, man. Long and barren. One could say that it is actually really boring at parts. Now, I'm not saying that, I'm a fan of the slow burn, bu this was even taxing my nerves. I think, though, that a better script could have goes a long way to alleviating that. The fact that I didn't give a sh*t about anything going on with these characters really made it hard to stay engaged.

The Verdict

The Little Thing is a January movie and it's weird to get one of those in this, new Pandemic age. More than anything, it's a disappointment, especially coming of excellent January releases these past few years like Underwater, The Nightingale, and Paddington 2. This film does not come close to the quality of those and it's real deflating. I wanted to this movie to be excellent. There are a few individual components that actually are. Great lead performances, outstanding direction, beautiful camera work but the core of this movie is lacking. The screenplay is a complete letdown which is the most f*cked up aspect of this this whole situation. Apparently, Hancock wrote the first draft of this flick in Ninety-three and this is the best we got. This is the version that made the screen. F*cking trash, man. The Little Things isn't a terrible film, not at all, but it's not good either. It is an incredibly mundane and pedestrian attempt at trying to copy Se7en but it never reaches those heights. You've seen this movie before done much, much, better. If this thing as shorter, I could recommend it might higher but this whole ass, two-hour run time is a bit much. If you have HBOmax and time to kill, its a decent watch, just don't expect too much from it. If you want this to be your grand return to the cinema, pass on that. It's not worth the ticket price.

[cali-holland]

Tangled- Tom Holland One Shot

Pairing: Tom Holland X Reader

Prompt: You don’t recognize your childhood best friend after six years apart.

Word Count: 2500

Masterlist   Tom Holland Masterlist

*Gif is not mine*

~~~

2011

“I’m not that excited about leaving, mum. I’ve told you all of this before- I’ve got friends here.” You sighed as you helped her unload empty boxes from her car.

“Why don’t you go inside? I’ll move these.” She said and you nodded. Following her directions, you walked up your driveway to your door. You opened it and were stunned instantly.

“Surprise!” All of your friends cheered, standing inside your entryway.

“What-” You started in confusion, but your best friend cut you off.

“We couldn’t let you leave without a proper farewell party.” Tom stated, giving you a tight hug.

“You shouldn’t have.” You said, looking around at all of your other friends with a smile on your face.

The party was the most fun you had had in months. Ever since the news of you leaving London for Los Angeles was announced, solemness seemed to take over all of your hang outs. Tom was the last one to leave for the night, as usual. You two stood on your front porch talking under the light from the moon.

“I hope you like Los Angeles.” He said.

“Me too.” You replied.

“And you promise not to forget us- forget me?” Tom asked.

“How could I forget you? You’re my best friend, Tom, and you did all of this for me.”

“That’s the thing, Y/N.” He took a deep breath before continuing his thought, “I did all of this for you because I wanted to be more than that.”

“Really?” You asked.

“Yes. I know this is terrible timing and that we’re young, but, Y/N, I love you.” Tom said. You inhaled a sharp breath at his confession. Sure, you loved Tom, but it felt more like a platonic love than a romantic love. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said that. Enjoy California, Y/N. I’ll miss you. Farewell.” He smiled at you, before he left your house forever.

You stood on your porch for another moment, taking in everything you had just heard. Your best friend confessed his true feelings for you and you stayed silent, letting him walk away from you forever. Sighing, you stepped back inside your house.

~~~

2017

“21 year-old Y/N Y/L/N stunned the D23 Expo red carpet as she promoted her latest work, Star Wars: The Last Jedi. In an interview with Extra, the Oscar winner discussed her excitement about the expo as well as her future films. When asked if she would portray the beloved Princess Rapunzel in Disney’s planned live-action film, the actress simply stated that she loved the character and would be open to play her. Do you think this rising star will be a good choice for the film? If so, who would you chose to be her Flynn Rider?”

“Can we shut this off?” You asked your hairstylist.

“Why? You don’t like watching media outlets talk about you?” She laughed, but doing as you had requested.

“Oh yes, I really enjoy watching them discuss ‘rumors’.” You said sarcastically, using quotation marks around rumors. Both you and your stylist knew you would be Rapunzel. You had landed the role right before the expo and Disney was keeping the news a secret, until they found their Flynn Rider. The casting team had finally gotten the list of possible actors down to nine and you were to do screen tests with them to see if they had any on-screen chemistry with you.

After going through eight of the actors and only somewhat liking one, you were exhausted.

“You can’t give up now. You’ve got one more.” Your manager said as you got some water.

“I know. I just hope this one isn’t as dry. I mean, they can all act and they all resemble Flynn in a way, but I just don’t feel like I could work with any of them for a few months. There was one, but even then I could imagine us being distant costars.” You replied and she rolled her eyes at you in a playful manner.

“Y/N, the last actor is here.” The director called for you. You headed back over to the new actor in the room.

“Hi, I’m Y/N. I play Rapunzel.” You said, holding your hand out to him.

“I’m Tom, auditioning for Flynn.” He replied. As he shook your head, you felt him tense up.

“Don’t be nervous. You’ll do fine, Tom.” You stated, taking your seat in front of the camera.

“Right.” Tom said with a shaky voice as he sat down.

“And, action.” The director called.

“I know why you’re here, and I’m not afraid of you.” You said in a stern tone.

“What?” Tom asked in shock.

“I’m not afraid of you. How did you find me?” You questioned, sending him a faux intimidating look. He gulped, but didn’t reply as scripted. In an even more serious tone, you repeated it.

“I know not who you are nor how I cam eot find you but I may I just say,” He said in a sultry voice, before shifting to a more casual tone, “hi, how ya doin’? Name’s Flynn Rider. How’s your day going?”

“Who else knows my location, Flynn Rider?” You asked, unamused.

“Alright, Blondie-” He started.

“Rapunzel.”

“Gesundheit. Here’s the situation: I was galvanizing through the forest and I came across your tower and I-I- oh no, where is my satchel?” Tom asked, frantically.

“Somewhere you’ll never find it.” You answered smugly.

“It’s in that pot, isn’t it?”

“Cut!” The director said and the two of you stood from your seats.

“Good job, Tom.” You informed him, honestly enjoying his performance.

“Thank you. You too, Y/N.” Tom replied. You froze at his use of your name and he simply looked at you expectantly.

“Y/N-” Your manager called you over to her. She pulled you off to the side to discuss your schedule as the director spoke with Tom. Your eyes remained fixed on Tom as you tried desperately to place him, for you believed you had seen him before.

“Well done. I think you have a safe shot on getting this role.” You heard the director say.

“Really?” Tom asked in surprise and the director nodded.

“Alright, well, you best be going. Good work, Mr. Holland.” You jolted up immediately as you connected the dots. Your chair crashed to the ground and everyone looked at you, but your eyes remained fixed on Tom.

“Y/N, what is it?” Your manager asked, but you didn’t hear her as you made your way over to Tom.

“It’s you.” You said and he smiled.

“I was hoping you’d remember me.” He laughed lightly and you hugged him tightly in reply.

“I’m so sorry.” You pulled away from the hug and placed a hand on his cheek, “You look so different.”

“Is that a good thing or a bad thing?” Tom asked.

“Good.” You replied, making both of you laugh.

“Y/N,” Your manager cleared her throat. You two returned to earth and pulled away from one another, “You two know each other?”

“Yeah, we were friends before I moved to L.A..” You explained. The director and the casting director gave each other a look and then silently nodded.

“Mr. Holland,” The director said.

“Yes?” He answered.

“You got the part.”

“You’re serious?” You asked in surprise as Tom stood silently shocked.

“Of course. You two have history together and your on-screen chemistry was fantastic- definitely the most convincing Flynn we’ve seen all day.”

“Thank you so much.” Tom said, shaking the director’s hand politely.

“You’re welcome.”

“Y/N, your interview.” Your manager reminded you.

“Oh right.” You nodded and then turned to Tom, “I have to go, but would you like to meet up later?” You asked and he raised his eyebrows at you in shock, so you clarified, “You know, to catch up?”

“Yeah, that sounds great.” Tom replied, taking out his phone and handing it to you. You did the same and the both of you put your numbers in the phone, before switching.

“Alright, well I’ll see you later.” You stated.

“Farewell, Y/N.” He answered, making you subconsciously blush. He left the room with a smile and you were rushed off to your interview, where you would confirm your involvement in the live-action version of Tangled.

~~~

In between breaks, you had set up a time with Tom for him to come over to your place in Beverly Hills. Right on time, he arrived and, a few moments later, the pizza replied.

“So, you left London and made it big in Hollywood?” Tom asked before he took a bite of his pizza. Tangled played on the TV in the background; the both of you decided to watch it together to better your understanding of the characters.

“It wasn’t intentional, but I found out that a lot of my friends at my high school were auditioning for this one role and I decided to try it out. It was the Fault in Our Stars and I somehow landed the role of Hazel Grace. I discovered that I actually loved doing it; it was fun, so I kept doing it. Now, I’m in Star Wars and I’m going to be a Disney princess.” You laughed with a shrug as if the outcome of your random idea was normal. “You were made for the spotlight- I wasn’t.”

“You were, you just didn’t plan on it like me.”

“Come on, Tom, you were Billy Elliot and I was that person in the crowd cheering you on.”

“Agree to disagree?” Tom suggested and you nodded with a laugh. “You really didn’t recognize me? You honestly had no idea I was famous?”

“Whoa, Tom, don’t sound too cocky there.” You teased.

“You know what I meant.”

“I knew that there was a new Spider-Man and that was it.” You said in all seriousness, “You know me, I’ve never been a fan of superhero movies. And I’ve been too busy with my career to see a Spider-Man ad and recognize it as my childhood best friend.”

“I feel like I should be offended by all of this.” He stated.

“If it makes you feel any better, I haven’t watched any Spider-Man movies, but I’d still say you’re the best one.”

“That’s it! After this movie, we’re watching Spider-Man.” Tom said.

“Which one?” You asked.

“All of them.”

“There’s like ten!”

“There’s only six, including mine.”

“I’m not watching six movies in a night.”

“Of course not in a night. Some will be in the early hours of the morning.” Tom laughed and you groaned.

“Fine, let me get comfortable on the couch.” You said, moving from the table to the couch with Tom following you. He sat down and you sat beside him with your head on his shoulder, just like old times.

You two remained like that for most of the movie. You did shift around to get more comfortable, but you still ended up with your head leaning on him, cozily snuggling up to him.

“You know you’re going to have to go through singing lessons, right?” You asked.

“Yeah. They made me sing for an audition and figured I was good enough to continue through the ranks and sing with you.” He replied as the lantern scene began.

“We should sing this, just because it’s the big duet.” You said.

“You really want me to?” He asked.

“You don’t have a choice.” You stated, making him chuckle. You begna to sing along with Rapunzel in the film, “All those days watching from the windows, all those years outside looking in, all that time never even knowing just how blind I’ve been,” You finished Rapunzel’s part and Tom took over for Flynn’s.

“All those days chasing down a daydream, all those years living in a blur, all that time never truly seeing things the way they were,”

You both finished off the song, and you smiled over at Tom.

“You’ve got a lovely voice.” He said.

“Thanks. You too.” You replied. His phone buzzed and he looked down at the text with a laugh, “What is it?”

“You remember Harrison Osterfield? My buddy from Brit school?” Tom asked and you nodded, vaguely remembering him, “He just texted me saying 'How’d your audition go? Did you meet Y/N? She’s Rapunzel- I can’t believe our friend is Rapunzel’.”

“Aw, so Harrison’s happy I’m a Disney princess now.” You laughed.

“Here, let me take a pic of you to send him. He’s gone piss himself.” Tom said, switching his phone to the camera setting. You smiled as he took a picture of you to send to Harrison.

“I’m glad you and Harrison are still friends.” You said, “I really missed both of you. I’m sorry, again, for not recognizing you.”

“Quit apologizing. If you hadn’t been on TV so much, I wouldn’t have recognized you.” Tom replied.

“You’ve watched my movies?” You asked.

“Who hasn’t seen Star Wars? And Harrison’s sister made him watch the Fault in Our Stars, so naturally he made me watch it with him.”

~~~

2019

“Are you ready?” Your driver asked you as he prepared to open his door.

“Ready as I’ll ever be.” You replied and he nodded, stepping out of the car. He came around to your door and opened it for you. The screams increased in volume as you stepped out onto the red carpet. Your eyes stung already as flashes went off from every direction. You looked up down the carpet and saw Tom finishing up his photos. He smiled and waved at you, which you did back to him. You posed in front of the purple and pink background, reading Tangled in large gold letters.

“Y/N, is it true that you and Tom knew each other before filming?” An interviewer asked and you nodded.

“Yes, we were friends, but I moved away and then we ended up meeting again when he was cast as Flynn.” You explained. You were about to add more, but you were stopped when someone kissed your cheek. You turned to find Tom standing beside you with a large smirk on his face.

“You look beautiful.” He said.

“Tom, I’m trying to do an interview.” You laughed.

“What? I can’t admire my girlfriend?” Tom asked as if he had done nothing wrong and you playfully rolled your eyes at him. He kissed you properly on the lips this time. “I’ll see you inside, darling.” He took off towards the entrance to meet up with his family and Harrison.

“I’m so sorry about that. He’s clingy.” You joked, despite being flustered.