I have finally reached the 2-part finale to Disney's Kim Possible. Soon, I'll be able to finish this thing I somehow never did as a kid.
-- Also, I was right, I had only watched the show up until halfway through Season 4 originally. The whole second half that I just saw were all episodes I didn't recognise at all.
I'll need to wait a bit to see the end, however. My dad -- for some reason -- says he wants to watch the Kim Possible Live-Action movie with me. I shouldn't for my own sanity, but I'd be lying if I wasn't curious how bad it could get (it's a 3.7/10 on IMDB). I'd rather not the last thing I see from the franchise be... that... so I'll need to watch it first.
Otherwise, I'm excited to see how it all ends. Seeing it with an adult eye was really cool, picking up on references and understanding more jokes (especially having gone through high-school too now).
There was one surprising moment in Season 4
in which the Evil Ron returns for a brief moment. He was mostly a menacing sort-of joke of a character when he appeared a season before, but in this small segment, Ron became a bit unsettling. Couple his manic voice with an acrobatic skillset and a devious plan to turn Kim Possible evil, it kinda made my hair stand on end.
Finished act 2 of Arcane and it continues to be really damn good. It's as good, if not better than the first three episodes. Everything from the visuals, voice acting and writing continue to be strong. I also found the side story here to be more interesting as well! I'm absolutely in love with this show and I'm itching to see how it all ends. The only complaint I have is the Imagine Dragons cameo that kinda took me out of the show lmao. Its a quick scene so it didn't have an overall effect of my enjoyment, but it was jarringly funny seeing them in this.
"I'm posting this to Villain-stagram. There's going to be so much epic FOMO."
-Dr. Drakken, Kim Possible (2019, Disney Channel Movie)
I think that quote about sums up my internal pain watching the live-action Kim Possible movie...
Actors were okay, writing was silly (bit too much, hard to translate to live-action), and they messed with the status quo way too much. Boring fight scenes too.
Ah yes, and the Naked Mole Rat was indeed CGI.
Apart from that... I DID IT! After 12 years [give or take], I have finally seen the end of Disney's Iconic animated series, Kim Possible!
Woo! What an ending. High stakes for a two-parter. Great surprising reappearances of characters, fun team-ups and nicely wraps up this high-school saga of KP.
Season 4 was especially cool with references to previous and ongoing continuity, with Drakken being in jail for the first third (after the events of the 2005 film), as well as an outfit change and plenty of neat villain team-ups.
Season 2, Episode 25.1 "Sick Day" is still the best (half-)episode of the show. 15 minutes of comedy gold and fun writing.
Finished watching the final act of Arcane and I'm happy to report they actually managed to maintain the quality of the previous two arcs. What a fucking good show. My thoughts on the overall season are pretty much exactly what I thought about the first three episodes. The voice acting's great, it's absolutely gorgeous to look at, incredibly stylised and the writing's actually pretty damn good. Violet, Jinx, Jayce and Victor are wonderfully written characters and it was really enjoyable and at times heartbreaking to see how they evolved throughout the series. My biggest surprise was Silco, who turned out to be a lot more layered and far more interesting than I initially thought. He's genuinely a fantastic villain. I have very little to criticise. There's some minor pacing issues, some characters or moment could have had more development or build up, and I did feel a little blue balled at the end lmao.
Overall, Arcane is probably the best show I've seen all year and one of the best animated... anything I've ever seen and I can't believe it's a League of Legends show lol. Riot has talked about wanting to do more things like Arcane in both animation and live action, so if they manage to maintain the high bar this show has built then I'm definitely interested. I really hope this show inspires animation studios to broaden their art styles and experiment with more mature and adult themes. Also give me a Dishonored series in this exact style please.
Spoilerino for Arcane
Aww yeeaaaaa they announced that the second season is now in production with a little teaser featuring some new voice lines. Looks like they've already recorded stuff for it so hopefully the wait isn't too long. I hope the series continues to focus on Vi and Jynx. It's absolutely heartbreaking watching their relationship deteriorate but I absolutely love it.
Also give me a Dishonored series in this exact style please.
I saw the first episode yesterday and I thought the world and artstyle reminded me of something. Yeah, it's got that same painterly steam-punk style!
As for me -- just what I can tell from the first episode -- this has some great hooks, with the scrappy group of kids leading the way, to the imposing Vander as their guardian, to the oppressive enforcer guards that control the city above their little underground village.
Things are tense and the world building is massive. I love it.
The animation is just super dynamic. Chases have characters running into walls and stumbling on themselves. The colour palette is so pleasing and interesting to see, great mix of soft colours for calm moments, drab dreary and dark for others.
The plot -- even from the first episode -- really kicks up the stakes with what the kids accidentally cause, becoming a massive issue for people of Piltover. I'm excited to see how this develops and how they do some sort of time-skip. The promo art for the show clearly features a grown-up Powder, lookin' all cool.
Finished watching the final act of Arcane and I'm happy to report they actually managed to maintain the quality of the previous two arcs. Wh… moreat a fucking good show. My thoughts on the overall season are pretty much exactly what I thought about the first three episodes. The voice acting's great, it's absolutely gorgeous to look at, incredibly stylised and the writing's actually pretty damn good. Violet, Jinx, Jayce and Victor are wonderfully written characters and it was really enjoyable and at times heartbreaking to see how they evolved throughout the series. My biggest surprise was Silco, who turned out to be a lot more layered and far more interesting than I initially thought. He's genuinely a fantastic villain. I have very little to criticise. There's some minor pacing issues, some characters or moment could have had more development or build up, and I did feel a little blue balled at the end lmao.
Overall, Arcane is probably the best sh… [view original content]
I saw the first episode yesterday and I thought the world and artstyle reminded me of something. Yeah, it's got that same painterly steam-punk style!
The main antagonist, Silco, especially looks like he was ripped straight out of Dishonored.
Yeah they do a good job of a lot of the set up in the first episode. The world and the characters are really well established. Apparently the co-writers for the series have never had any prior professional writing experience before so it's pretty wild how well their first go went.
Also give me a Dishonored series in this exact style please.
I saw the first episode yesterday and I thought the world and artstyle … morereminded me of something. Yeah, it's got that same painterly steam-punk style!
As for me -- just what I can tell from the first episode -- this has some great hooks, with the scrappy group of kids leading the way, to the imposing Vander as their guardian, to the oppressive enforcer guards that control the city above their little underground village.
Things are tense and the world building is massive. I love it.
The animation is just super dynamic. Chases have characters running into walls and stumbling on themselves. The colour palette is so pleasing and interesting to see, great mix of soft colours for calm moments, drab dreary and dark for others.
The plot -- even from the first episode -- really kicks up the stakes with what the kids accidentally cause, becoming a massive issue for people o… [view original content]
Finished watching (Midori Days )for the first time gotta say I’m not a fan of (romantic comedies) if you can call it that it has its cringe moments I did like all the characters like Midori ,Seiji, Takako as one of my top favorites .
What really caught me off guard throughout the whole show shiori who calls Seiji her older brother simultaneously has a crush on him which is weird and raises a lot of Red flags I mean really I liked the character but too script that for the character is just beyond horrible it still confused the living crap out of me when she would call her none related brother a boyfriend in some instances but what was also I enjoyed more about the show is Midori and Seiji funny moments like when Seiji woke up and it was screaming when Midori was attached too his right hand killed me but what was also interesting was that Takako started having feelings for Seiji after he saved her from a street gang but st the end she reveals her true feelings to him but turned her down for hurt his feelings for Midori.
But other all minus the cringe and for nonstop reveal of cleavage was a 5/5 .
Finished watching (Midori Days )for the first time gotta say I’m not a fan of (romantic comedies) if you can call it that it has its cring… moree moments I did like all the characters like Midori ,Seiji, Takako as one of my top favorites .
(Spoiler)
But other all minus the cringe and for nonstop reveal of cleavage was a 5/5 .
A young fashion student moves to London, where she becomes entranced with this 60's world in her dreams. But it soon becomes a haunting, as events of decades past begin to consume her thoughts in the day.
Ooh, this was a good scary film. Not one of Edgar Wright's best, but it was still very enjoyable.
Best part of the film has to be the old-timey soundtrack. Lots of vintage tracks throughout the film, used to great effect for wonder and creep-factor.
I actually didn't find the movie all that scary. Only two moments made me jump out of my seat, but surprisingly I found the scares were pretty tame and only a bit unnerving.
I do have some issues with the film, in that it feels a bit too long with the 60's mystery that begins to develop and a certain plot point that goes to a dead end. Plus,
the ghosts that haunt her I feel don't have much scare-factor to them. They can't do anything to her, they don't harm or possess her, just stand there and occasionally make her lose her mind in public. Their face-less designs are pretty freaky though
There's a reveal in the third act that I found pretty subdued and kind of a "Oh, cool, mystery solved then", but then there's also a twist a few seconds later that I loved.
All in all, it's not the "revolution of horror" I was expecting from Edgar (like how Jordan Peele did with Get Out), but he has a good take on it and uses his editing and cinematography style really well with it.
Ooh! And the sound! Seeing this at a theatre is best, it has great uses of surround sound and volume for tense, musical moments!
Recently watched the Netflix film Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile. Directed by Joe Berlinger, it's a movie about convicted serial killer Ted Bundy, played by Zac Efron, primarily focused on his life, his numerous trials and escape attempts, and his ultimate conviction.
Right off the bat, Efron's performance as Bundy is amazing, I cannot speak highly enough of it. This is certainly not something I would have expected from the guy from the High School Musical movies, but he absolutely shines in this movie. While I can't say I'm a Tedy Bundy expert, I did also watch the documentary-series Conversations with a Killer: The Ted Bundy Tapes (also directed by Berlinger) to learn a bit more about the history. From what was shown in that, Efron captured Ted Bundy's personality brilliantly. His performance is easily the best part of the movie.
As for the story itself, it definitely wasn't what I was expecting from a movie about Ted Bundy. I should preface this by saying that it was inspired by the memoir of one of Bundy's former girlfriends, and as a result, the movie does sometimes feel like it's from her perspective, more so than Bundy's. The movie doesn't really do a great job of balancing this feeling, but it's not terrible at it, it just could've been done a bit better. It also doesn't really work as a thriller like it's trying to be, since a lot of people even know the basic history of Ted Bundy, so it trying to make us question whether he did or didn't do it doesn't work from an audience perspective. Now one of the major plot points of the movie is the girlfriend coming to terms with it and demanding the truth so that she can move on with her life, but that's the only time it actually does work, and again, because it doesn't do a great job of balancing the two, even that is hit and miss.
What I found most interesting about it though was that the movie didn't really focus all that much on the actual murders and crimes of Bundy. For a guy that killed, at minimum, 30 women, some of which he beheaded and kept as trophies (gross), the film didn't really show any of that. Instead, it focused a bit more on Ted Bundy as a person and who he was, including his insistent denials about committing the crimes. Some saw this as attempting to glorify Bundy and his actions, but I don't see it that way. It's common knowledge that Bundy was pretty much a psychopath, or at least had psychopathic tendencies. How he killed his victims with practically no remorse and almost all of his victims belonged to the same demographic, meaning he specifically targeted certain people. What this movie does is focus less on that, and more on the sociopathic tendencies of Bundy. In focusing on his relationship with his girlfriend and showing it from her perspective, we see that Bundy did actually care for and love her, a trait not seen in full blown psychopaths. Bundy was also great at manipulation, creating an appearance so drastically different from who he was that, despite the overwhelming evidence against him, some still didn't believe he was a criminal. He came off as so charming, so good-looking, so natural and charismatic, that he pretty much had his own female fan club as he was being tried for murder (not joking, that is real, women were going on the news saying how handsome he was as he was on trial for killing several women...I don't even know how to respond to that, other than get help). His persona did not match that of a serial killer, and it convinced some people and baffled those close to him when they heard about his crimes. By not really showing any of his murders, Efron acting as an innocent man wrongly convicted, insisting almost convincingly that he didn't do the things he did (Bundy historically did not actually admit to any of his crimes until a day before his execution), we see the sociopathic tendencies of Bundy, more so than the psychopathic ones.
Overall, not a great film, but definitely a good one that I'd recommend. Probably a 7/10.
And lastly one quick shoutout to the actor who played the cop that originally arrested Ted Bundy, by far the best actor in the film (no, I don't have a bias as to why I say that, what are you talking about).
I... well... I don't know how to sum up my thoughts other than: WHOA.
those last 20 minutes were tense as all hell. Holy shit.
While there's progress in re-creating magic in one town, in the other we're shown the destructive power of it.
And in the end... as Vi learns that Powder created the explosion... I thought that was gonna be the catalyst for her villain origin story (since that seemed like the direction it was going) but no! Powder's left alone and then villain Silco finds her! It's Powder's villain origin story!! Man that's a twist.
Honestly I did not expect the show to shift so suddenly into "Silco gains power and wants to topple Piltover", as I thought he'd be more subdued for longer as a background threat, but hey, it's still interesting!
Went and saw the Resident Evil(we won't fuck it up this time) reboot.
In short, it was good.
I'm a big RE fan(especially the original two games) and I liked it a lot more than the fan base generally did. I knew that they'd rush through the first two games to set up a more action heavy sequel. Anyone whom thought otherwise, is either delusional or doesn't know how a 2hr movie has to flow.
I knew story had to be cut, characters removed/combined, lore changed. This isn't The 6hr version of The Shining here. Anyone who's played the games knows that a faithful adaptation would be incredibly long.
The movie is perfectly fine and way better than the other movies.
Centaurworld season 2 came out and the series is officially over!
The season was great! Really enjoyable, funny, scary and emotional, particularly the finale. The songwriting and animation continues to be wonderful as well especially in the last 15 or so minutes which had a really beautiful moment in it that had me feeling the feels. I have to give praise to Kimiko Glenn who absolutely killed it as Horse and the rest of the cast who also do a fantastic job with both the voice work and the singing. I also once again have to praise Netflix for allowing the show to get away with so much despite its TV-Y7 rating. This definitely wouldn't have been possible on any other network without some censoring.
I do have a few issues. Some characters get shafted, new characters are introduced only for nothing to really happen with them, the first half of the season isn't as engaging as the second, and there's a bit of a cop out at the end, but they didn't necessarily lower my enjoyment of the show in a meaningful way.
It has its flaws but I overall really enjoyed my time with Centaurworld and its colourful collection of singing and dancing half-animal-half-man things. It's strange, funny, heartwarming, and special in all the weirdest places and I'm definitely going to miss it.
It's only two seasons? Huh. Makes getting into it a bit enticing since it isn't that long.
I watched the first episode of Infinity Train Book 4 last night. Ooooooh these are some Canada bois that's for sure. And they're adorable.. Love the garage band backstories they have and can't wait to see how that plays into the story.
The style of the split tape section was really neat. And it's interesting that we now have a single One running the place, doing some psychotherapy experiments of his own (linking two passengers numbers). Feels very Portal-ish, that's cool.
Centaurworld season 2 came out and the series is officially over!
The season was great! Really enjoyable, funny, scary and emotional, par… moreticularly the finale. The songwriting and animation continues to be wonderful as well especially in the last 15 or so minutes which had a really beautiful moment in it that had me feeling the feels. I have to give praise to Kimiko Glenn who absolutely killed it as Horse and the rest of the cast who also do a fantastic job with both the voice work and the singing. I also once again have to praise Netflix for allowing the show to get away with so much despite its TV-Y7 rating. This definitely wouldn't have been possible on any other network without some censoring.
I do have a few issues. Some characters get shafted, new characters are introduced only for nothing to really happen with them, the first half of the season isn't as engaging as the second, and there's a bit of a cop out at the end, but they di… [view original content]
Tonight I felt special.
I saw the new West Side Story two days before its release (at an advance screening! Thanks to some complimentary tickets from my program!)
I really enjoyed it! I'd never seen the original or the stage play, so it was my first exposure to it.
Ooh, the set design, the choreography, and the music were fantastic. I've got some stuck in my head already.
The romance between Tony and Maria was so cute.
There is one issue I have with it, that makes a bit of sense if viewed from the right angle, but it still bothers me...
This show is essentially a modern American retelling of Romeo and Juliet, set in 1950s New York City. At one point in the plot, the Sharks and Jets have a big fight Bernardo kills the Jets leader. In a fit of rage, Tony kills Bernardo for revenge for his friend. Bernardo is Maria's brother. And despite confronting him later with her grief, pounding on Tony's chest, she forgives him and begins to make love to him in the span of a minute. I get how it relates to the events of R&J, but in that modern context it felt really messed up.
I think there wasn't enough elaboration on Bernardo and Maria's relationship, given her swift acceptance of his death and willingness to devote herself to her brother's killer.
Apart from that, the rest of the film was a lot of great fun. Its well worth a watch if you're a fan of musicals.
Love watching foreign horror flick and shows Denmark did a fantastic pice .
Did like the idea of them family going on Christmas vacation in a romote island village and discover horrifying secrets in that island but what was annoying Josefine and I know it’s the plot of the story went numerous times towards the danger area of the forest just to help a baby woodland elf they ran over but scary part is they crave for flesh and killed the cat which should gave the girl a clue on what that thing was capable of but she learned the hard way of numerous villagers getting killed including the leader of village Karen which I know what she did at the end was f******* but under stable of gaining balance but backfired.
Ialso watched Jurassic Word camp cretaceous season 4
Watched a couple animated movies, Encanto and Klaus!
Encanto was really good! I really loved the music in this, especially the song 'We Don't Talk About Bruno' which is an absolute bop. It's absurdly catchy and really well written overall. 'Surface Pressure' is also pretty damn good, and I feel myself appreciating it more and more as I re-listen and really pay attention to the lyrics. Visually it's just incredibly luscious and vibrant, the animation is super expressive and it has the best clothing physics I've ever seen in animation. The way Mirabel's dress moves, bounces and flows during the musical sequences is a real feast for the eyes. The voice acting is of course great, Stephanie Beatriz as Mirabel an John Leguizamo as Bruno are probably are favourites of the bunch, though everyone in general does a good job with their roles. The characters are super charming and fun to be around, though some characters definitely are underdeveloped and I would have loved to see more of certain characters.
The story went to a place I wasn't expecting, not to say it goes super deep as something like Soul or Inside Out, but it's definitely one of Disney's more "relatable" movies. The movie itself is fairly low stakes as well. It's not a big epic adventure like Raya and the Last Dragon and more akin to something like Inside Out, with the narrative being a very personal story. The movie is about an hour and a half but I honestly think it could have been at least 15-20 minutes longer. The way certain characters develop and how certain events are resolved do feel a bit rushed.
Overall I really liked it. It's probably the best animated movie Disney's released this year.
As for Klaus. Damn, this movie's real good, I wish I had seen it earlier lol. For one thing, it's absolutely beautiful looking. The way they managed to seamlessly have the 3D models appear 2D is crazy. Everything about the visuals reminds me so much of Disney's early 2000's movies. Speaking of that, the movie in general looks and feels like an early 2000's Disney movies, especially The Emperor's New Groove, and I mean that in the best way possible. The main character Jesper, is literally just Kuzco, but if he were a mailman. The characters are super charming and funny, the dialogue's really quick and snappy, and it's just incredibly heartwarming in general. I can see why so many people were calling this an instant classic. It's very straightforward (which is why I don't have as much to say lol) and the narrative isn't anything overly complicated and it doesn't need to be. It's just a really great Christmas movie and I can see why I saw so many people calling this an instant classic. I have pretty much no complaints. It's just a fantastic cartoon.
Gonna take a second to follow up on Season 2 before I go into Season 3.
Thinking back over the vague thoughts I gave about the season, I can only recall that being a reference to what happened to Dale. So something that is becoming an issue as the show goes on is that you can sometimes tell when someone's gearing up to die and his death actually is both a criminal loss and something that was made a bit more obvious after the fact. I mean, having him be the only staunch opposition to Shane around that time kinda smelled a bit, but what actually sealed was his speech in the house being laid on pretty thick and lasting a decent while. And when his warnings about the group losing its humanity mostly falling on deaf ears, which is reversed when Carl eggs on Randall's execution, and especially him having decides he simply can't be a party to it anymore as a result came up, I really should've been clued in on what was about to happen in hindsight.
Now, a serious issue that really soured the games is that, for whatever reason, practically no character is allowed to just bow out gracefully from the spotlight after Season 1(although even that apparently would've been the same had they kept Molly's death). Season 2 was the most obvious about it given the Kenny Effect on Mike and Bonnie, but it was honestly the case throughout the series depending on how you view/handle The Final Season: aside from maybe a handful of scenarios, they almost always either die violently, go no proper resolution to their story, lose the moral high ground, have the audience turned against them, or some combination therein. And it kinda feels like that applies to the show as well, albeit to a lesser extent? Though that might just be because they have little interest in burning everything to the ground and starting over with a select few bits of carryover and even that's kinda on borrowed land, from what I've heard.
But yeah, Dale's death does feel very close to breeching that clause, especially when I later learned this was the *best" case scenario for him. Yeah, apparently his death was necessitated by the firing of the original show runner in favor of one with different ideas on what the show should be(which evidently got him fired afterwards, btw) and so his actor ended up leaving in protest. And whether that had not happened or still did, Shane was apparently gonna be end up being proven right earlier in production when Randall apparently got free on his own and ended up killing Hershel in his house, which presumably got changed when they either decided they wanted the latter to stick around or when they came up with the circumstances of the finale. There was also a time where Daryl was gonna follow up on torturing the boy with trying to kill him personally until Dale's screaming stopped him and necessitated he put him down, which may or may not correlate with Dale approving of him stepping up to do the deed so Rick wouldn't have to? Or imagine if the writers got the fucked up idea of having Shane do it, given all the shit that asshole pulled?! Add in how Jimmy(yeah, remember him) was originally gonna be in the place of the cow [in light of what happens next season] and this was about as good as he was gonna get it on such short notice.
Of course, his death also hurt because, putting aside how this was the last time a significant death would be a surprise (sorta--next time), Dale was without a doubt a favorite of the cast. While there are other characters I liked at various points of the show, he (and to an extent T-dog) were the only ones who were consistently a brightspot of this show and were always game for a highlight; Guillermo, Jenner, and Randall were cool for what time they had, Rick and Daryl have their moments, and Glenn started out fun before just sorta mellowing out around Maggie's addition, but they could reliably steal the show in ways both big and small. And while the show is still fairly good for the moment, I'll probably miss "that look" as Rick called it before too long.
And while I'm still talking about the Season, guess I spend some time recounting my thoughts on Shane. I seem to recall a few things regarding him before this: that I wasn't exactly a fan in the first season, hearing comparisons to what happened with Javier and David in ANF, and I could swear seeing a comment or two that he "didn't deserve what happened to him?" ...And my actual feelings of him throughout certain points in the show aside, my default and final answer are, like, no?
Okay, so heading that off immediately, he does very much fall into the Kenny/David character type(with Luke's general voice, for some reason) or rather vice versa in this. In fact, I actually flipflopped by the end on whether he was better or worse than the latter because, jeez, you're talking about a conflict driven character: I'd ultimately say he was better developed as a sympathetic character than David when it comes to some of what good he did try to do as well as what led him there, but he kinda teetered into being a far worse person, when you get down to it. On one hand, he did do what he could to look after Lori and Carl, tried his damnest to successfully keep Rick alive when the outbreak happened, and was technically looking out for the group at times. On the other hand, he still slept with his so called best friend's grieving window, considered pulling the hunting trip excuse early on(that was Season 1, wasn't it?), used fuckhead Ed to take his petty anger out on (genuine question: though he deserved it, did he bother doing anything about him before that? That's honestly the reason that bothers me at all), left Otis to the herd(which ended up biting Daryl in the ass, or rather, head), nearly ruined their place at Hershel's with the barn stunt, nearly got him & Rick killed over the "put em in their place" alpha male" pigshit (as Bonnie once put it) his oh so likable character is rife with, and finally pulled a nearly successful, premeditated double murder ruse so he get away with killing Randall and claim Rick's family for himself.
Like, there was a point or two where I thought, "Okay, I guess I'm starting to see why people seem to hate Lori so much"...but no. Like, say what you might about Lori--who's apparently an improvement over the original version, mind--, but her circumstance was honestly a bit more understandable considering the sheer amount of shit that came with the outbreak. And for as much as I hated David for being a needlessly insecure meathead who didn't really seem to appreciate just how exceedingly good he had it, he at least never tried to lay his aggressive hands on(which I swear recalling someone saying he should have, unironically) Kate, much less fucking rape her a few rooms down from the others. That's not to say there were no moments where you sorta understood/felt for him or that there wasn't some humor caused by him(his interactions with Dale and of course, "Let me tell you sump'n"), but honestly? Rick let him off easy. Oh and apparently doing more with him was the reason the show got made in the first place? Makes you wonder what the fuck the comic was like.
Finally finished the last two episodes of The Walking Dead Season 2 and I gotta say that it was pretty good for something part of me still d… moreoesn't intrinsically like(though that's also what Netflix's pause and "peak" feature is for ).
Knowing certain things from the mutters that were had years ago made a select few things interesting to count down to and the surprising amount of what or how that I didn't know stick out more. I have to say there were probably a few things that I wasn't too agreeable on and the gore in particular is still something I get a tad squeamish about at times, though I am thankfully at a point where I can sorta handle it(also what Netflix's pause and "peak" feature is for ).
I realize I probably didn't follow up on my thoughts on Season 1, so perhaps I can mix it in with my thoughts on Season 2 if necessary. As for right now though, I did make another tier list for how I generally felt about the characters (if th… [view original content]
So in all honesty, I sorta unintentionally gleaned spoilers as I am known to do about how certain deaths or characterizations were not planned, that a particular pattern did not go unnoticed, and that Season 3 as a whole was sorta viewed as a waste of potential(huh, deja vu). Which did sorta color my perception, expectations, and reaction a bit while watching and while I do think it ended up being a bit better paced and perhaps more cohesive than Season 2(deja tu), I will say that there was indeed some casual discarding of characters as well as it becoming easier to tell when there was going to be a major death. So while this outing of the Walking Dead was engaging and potentially the best the show has been to watch, it is definitely starting to show that the writing and direction behind the scenes is not up to snuff as it prepares to descend into what people tend to complain about with it .
Here is the traditional tier list on how I felt about the characters before I chose to rip into that debatable can of worms.
Tick Tick... BOOM is a superb musical movie that really digs into the existential dread of success and failure in the performing arts and HOLY CRAP can Andrew Garfield sing... also act but we already knew that.
So yeah some of this resonated with me in some anxious ways. Whoo, I'm only 23 tho we got time, we got time.
(Sidenote: I'm confused why the actual musical is only counted and recognised to have "premiered" as the reworked 2001 production after Larson's death, even if it's known that he originally performed it as a one-man show in 1990-91 Off-off-Broadway. I guess it was still just a workshop performance?)
Just watched Hilda and the Mountain King. Don't really know what to say so I'll keep it brief, but I thought that it was really great and if the show had ended there I think it would have been a fantastic send off to a wonderful show. The visuals continue to be gorgeous, the characters are very well written, voice acting's strong as usual especially during the movies more emotional moments, and the movie has a beautiful message about empathy, sacrifice and acceptance.
I have very little to criticise, maybe I wish some characters had a bit more screen time or more to do but that's about it. Also it's pretty clear that David's voice actor is going through puberty because throughout the movie the pitch of his voice changes every so often because recordings usually aren't done in order in animation. Can't really fault them for this but it's a little bit jarring whenever it does happen.
Overall it's great and if you love the show then you'll probably love this. Like I said, if the show had ended here I wouldn't have been mad. But thankfully we're getting one last season before we have to say goodbye the world of Hilda.
So after over a year of not getting to it, finally saw Wonder Woman 1984. It's certainly one of those movies that start out rather slow before gradually picking up(see also Birds of Prey), though it does do well at bringing things together and making the good moments feel good.
To touch on a few of the positives for a bit, a lot of the meandering in the first 40 or so minutes of the movie does come back and they do a relatively good job of bringing things together. Want to let it be known once again that I really like Wonder Woman as a superhero thanks largely to these movies: while I am aware that her powerset has been inconsistent or even a tad combo plattery over the years, she really does have some of a fun and versatile, yet mostly reigned in moveset that makes her action scenes such a joy to behold. I also quite like, for lack of a better word, how "wholesome" and "valid(wtf)" these movies tend to be at times with stuff like Charlie's singing in the first movie and everything about Steve's experience of the 80s. And lastly, I obviously want to praise the two antagonists of the movie: Maxwell Lord and the Cheetah, though they both start out rather awkward and even pitiful, pick up so much after their encounter with the macguffin that it just naturally helped the movie become more enjoyable in kind.
With that said, now it's time to recall some of the weakpoints this movie had and highlight where the it sorta stumbled as it went on. First of all, the opening scene of Themyscara really could have been shortened down or perhaps reworked in the present day; though it is exciting as well as plot important in regards to the theme/moral of the film, it goes on for a little long when combined with the scene at the mall immediately afterwards. Secondly, despite Diana was accused of being too passive early on in the movie, I feel she actually did have agency and a degree of motivation throughout it even if it wasn't played up that much. Third, while it managed to just skate the line, there were a few developments that felt a little too contrived and even forced.
However, the forth point that Cheetah and Wonder Woman Cheetah suffer and/or are defined by the male leads of the movie is a mixed bag: while Cheetah is mostly her own thing, Diana's arc does largely rely on that. Fifth, while Maxwell's arc is arguably the best part of the movie, it is worth considering that there was a bit of confusion regarding his fetters after the middle of the movie; as such, the way his character resolves, while not clear about necessarily dodging consequences, can feel a little odd. Sixth, it has been noted that Cheetah ultimately doesn't affect much in the movie and it's really unclear what even happens with her after the climax. And lastly, the actual ending of the movie as a whole, while certainly uplifted, was definitely more than a little clumsy and aimless, with the after credits sequence being legitimately confusing for those who don't know until maybe the credits.
All in all though, it was still an enjoyable movie.
I also just saw Hilda and the Mountain King. Really enjoyable movie that could serve as a cap to the series, I do hope there's more after this though...
I loved the wide-screen presentation to this, and the plot itself got really intense (as it usually does in TV Show Movie specials).
John Hopkins is usually an annoying nuisance in the series but I found him to be a lot more menacing as Ahlberg in this film. Maybe it's his character arc here, maybe it's just cause he has more lines, but he was a great antagonist.
I also loved the side-story of Joanna trying to find Hilda, she really stuffed a lot of emotion into her performance and it was really compelling.
The end was great too, with something that could be a nice ending to the show as a whole. Loved how it touched upon how some stubborn people probably won't change (or change immediately) after a major event like that, since unfortunately that's how the real world would work.
Overall, a great watch for fans of the series.
And if you haven't watched Hilda yet... why the hell not? It's one of Netflix's best animated shows.
Ah yeah and David's VA really did go through puberty in this. He either sounded like a normal high-pitched child, or someone trying to sound high-pitched. Lots of flip-flops.
Also I'm very glad to say that "RIP Cedric the Pigeon" is not a thing. He's alive at the end! Phew!
Edit: @lupinb0y
Where'd you hear that there's going to be another season after this? There wasn't anything in the credits that announced it, and I can't for the life of me find any news articles about it. Everyone's calling the Movie the end of the show!
The shows production company, Silvergate Media put out a press release a couple months ago revealing that a third season is in the works and that it would be the last one. They mention it in the third paragraph when highlighting Bryan Korn's work.
The original comic creator Luke Pearson also recently did an interview confirming that it is indeed the final season.
Of course, we had to ask Pearson if he could reveal any juicy details about the third season of the multi Emmy- and Annie Award-winning show. “Season three will move on from the events of the movie and venture into some new territory,” says the talented creator. “Although there will be some detours, it’s a more focused, ongoing story than we’ve told previously, which is exciting. It will sadly be the final season, but I’m excited for people to see what we’ve got in store — especially since we’re beyond the books, so it’s all a surprise. I’d say it’s less about checking in on what we’ve seen before, and more about exploring aspects of Hilda’s world that have gone unspoken until now.
I also just saw Hilda and the Mountain King. Really enjoyable movie that could serve as a cap to the series, I do hope there's more after th… moreis though...
I loved the wide-screen presentation to this, and the plot itself got really intense (as it usually does in TV Show Movie specials).
John Hopkins is usually an annoying nuisance in the series but I found him to be a lot more menacing as Ahlberg in this film. Maybe it's his character arc here, maybe it's just cause he has more lines, but he was a great antagonist.
I also loved the side-story of Joanna trying to find Hilda, she really stuffed a lot of emotion into her performance and it was really compelling.
The end was great too, with something that could be a nice ending to the show as a whole. Loved how it touched upon how some stubborn people probably won't change (or change immediately) after a major event like that, since unfortunately that's how the real world would work.
O… [view original content]
I watched a bit of Arcane, which my sister has been raving out. Color me intrigued. Never been interested in League of Legends, but the animation is enthralling and the characters seem interesting. May give it a watch, who knows.
Very much recommend it. Easily my favourite show of 2021. S1 alone for me has made it one of my favourite shows ever. Crazy how engaged I was with these characters and this story in so short a time.
I watched a bit of Arcane, which my sister has been raving out. Color me intrigued. Never been interested in League of Legends, but the animation is enthralling and the characters seem interesting. May give it a watch, who knows.
Recently watched the TV series Foundation based on the novel by Isaac Asimov. Really interesting plot...something like Star Wars. I look forward to continuing.
Not watching right now but finished the third season a couple of weeks ago: Succession. Banger show from HBO about a super top-percentile wealthy family that owns one of the biggest media companies from the US (with theme parks in the mix? Like a Disney/Fox News hybrid), though the show really shines on the conflict between the characters, namely between the siblings who are competing to be named successor.
Sarah Snook and Jeremy Strong both got golden globes yesterday for their roles in the show. The acting, writing, cinematography, score are all superb, it's overall a really top notch show.
I felt Stephanie Beatriz did a great job as Mirabel, giving a deep, fun performance to the character. And wow she's got a great singing voice! I only really know her from Brooklyn99 so this felt like a totally different beast.
I also really liked Adassa as Dolores, mostly because of this nervous tick she gave the character -- this just barely audible "squeak" whenever she's anxious about something -- it was really entertaining to notice.
I loved the visuals of the songs "Waiting on a Miracle" and "Surface Pressure"
The former because it feels like something straight out of a Broadway show -- a big moment occurs and all the actors freeze in place while the central character starts to sing -- and I liked the latter because it went all-out with a music-video style presentation. Plus it had a boppin' chorus.
Of course I have to say that 'we don't talk about Bruno' is my favourite track of the movie. I was wondering why I kept hearing so much buzz about it, but wow, musically and lyrically it's an impressive tune.
Some stuff I felt was a bit rushed though so I give it a 7.5/10 movie.
(Slight spoilers:
I was very, very surprised to see they incorporated elements of guerrillas and Colombian civil wars in this film (at least that's the meaning I got behind it, since I'd say the country's a bit famous for it). The flashback scene where those machete-wielding horsemen drove the people out of town and murdered (off-screen) Pedro was shocking. But, interesting history lesson in this children's film.)
If you've got a chunk of 30 minutes you want to fill, check out this video on the infamous High Guardian Spice series that's been getting a lot of criticism lately. Figured I'd share it since it's impressed me quite a bit.
It's a really well-structured and written review on how the show came to be and what exactly it messes up in its presentation and writing.
If you've got a chunk of 30 minutes you want to fill, check out this video on the infamous High Guardian Spice series that's been getting a … morelot of criticism lately. Figured I'd share it since it's impressed me quite a bit.
It's a really well-structured and written review on how the show came to be and what exactly it messes up in its presentation and writing.
Finished Episode 6 of All of Us are Dead. Gotta be honest, I still managed to find some flaws throughout this show, like questionable music choices and some moments that happened by conveniences. I probably should stop expecting this show to have very good quality writing in every way like my two favorite Korean zombie dramas.
What I loved so much about Kindgom is that it's almost plot hole free and it's very consistent.
Started season 2 of Kid Cosmic. It's gonna be real hard not to binge this whole thing, especially once season 3 drops this... Friday, I think? I wanna savour it!
Gosh this show has
A. a great sketch-book art style
B. a lot of fun whimsy and fun
C. really great writing for the characters' personalities and their relationships (Jo is the GOAT)
D. really fun humour, often great subversion of jokes tied into the world-building
on that last point: I really enjoy how the Stones in the previous season were actually supposed to be delivered Fed-Ex style to this new S2 villain character. They just got intercepted in transit, haha.
I recently finished the original Cowboy Bebop anime series.
...and what a fantastic series and ending it was. It really hasn’t aged too badly, and was very entertaining throughout, with some pretty intense final episodes.
I do not have the strength to watch Netflix’s horrible adaptation however, and will resort to reviews and clips on youtube to see just how terrible they seemed to have made it. :grimacing:
I still have the Cowboy Bebop Movie to watch in the future… and I’ve heard a lot of good stuff about that!
Comments
I have finally reached the 2-part finale to Disney's Kim Possible. Soon, I'll be able to finish this thing I somehow never did as a kid.
-- Also, I was right, I had only watched the show up until halfway through Season 4 originally. The whole second half that I just saw were all episodes I didn't recognise at all.
I'll need to wait a bit to see the end, however. My dad -- for some reason -- says he wants to watch the Kim Possible Live-Action movie with me. I shouldn't for my own sanity, but I'd be lying if I wasn't curious how bad it could get (it's a 3.7/10 on IMDB). I'd rather not the last thing I see from the franchise be... that... so I'll need to watch it first.
Otherwise, I'm excited to see how it all ends. Seeing it with an adult eye was really cool, picking up on references and understanding more jokes (especially having gone through high-school too now).
There was one surprising moment in Season 4
in which the Evil Ron returns for a brief moment. He was mostly a menacing sort-of joke of a character when he appeared a season before, but in this small segment, Ron became a bit unsettling. Couple his manic voice with an acrobatic skillset and a devious plan to turn Kim Possible evil, it kinda made my hair stand on end.
Finished act 2 of Arcane and it continues to be really damn good. It's as good, if not better than the first three episodes. Everything from the visuals, voice acting and writing continue to be strong. I also found the side story here to be more interesting as well! I'm absolutely in love with this show and I'm itching to see how it all ends. The only complaint I have is the Imagine Dragons cameo that kinda took me out of the show lmao. Its a quick scene so it didn't have an overall effect of my enjoyment, but it was jarringly funny seeing them in this.
I think that quote about sums up my internal pain watching the live-action Kim Possible movie...
Actors were okay, writing was silly (bit too much, hard to translate to live-action), and they messed with the status quo way too much. Boring fight scenes too.
Ah yes, and the Naked Mole Rat was indeed CGI.
Apart from that... I DID IT! After 12 years [give or take], I have finally seen the end of Disney's Iconic animated series, Kim Possible!
Woo! What an ending. High stakes for a two-parter. Great surprising reappearances of characters, fun team-ups and nicely wraps up this high-school saga of KP.
Season 4 was especially cool with references to previous and ongoing continuity, with Drakken being in jail for the first third (after the events of the 2005 film), as well as an outfit change and plenty of neat villain team-ups.
Season 2, Episode 25.1 "Sick Day" is still the best (half-)episode of the show. 15 minutes of comedy gold and fun writing.
Finished watching the final act of Arcane and I'm happy to report they actually managed to maintain the quality of the previous two arcs. What a fucking good show. My thoughts on the overall season are pretty much exactly what I thought about the first three episodes. The voice acting's great, it's absolutely gorgeous to look at, incredibly stylised and the writing's actually pretty damn good. Violet, Jinx, Jayce and Victor are wonderfully written characters and it was really enjoyable and at times heartbreaking to see how they evolved throughout the series. My biggest surprise was Silco, who turned out to be a lot more layered and far more interesting than I initially thought. He's genuinely a fantastic villain. I have very little to criticise. There's some minor pacing issues, some characters or moment could have had more development or build up, and I did feel a little blue balled at the end lmao.
Overall, Arcane is probably the best show I've seen all year and one of the best animated... anything I've ever seen and I can't believe it's a League of Legends show lol. Riot has talked about wanting to do more things like Arcane in both animation and live action, so if they manage to maintain the high bar this show has built then I'm definitely interested. I really hope this show inspires animation studios to broaden their art styles and experiment with more mature and adult themes. Also give me a Dishonored series in this exact style please.
Spoilerino for Arcane
Aww yeeaaaaa they announced that the second season is now in production with a little teaser featuring some new voice lines. Looks like they've already recorded stuff for it so hopefully the wait isn't too long. I hope the series continues to focus on Vi and Jynx. It's absolutely heartbreaking watching their relationship deteriorate but I absolutely love it.
I saw the first episode yesterday and I thought the world and artstyle reminded me of something. Yeah, it's got that same painterly steam-punk style!
As for me -- just what I can tell from the first episode -- this has some great hooks, with the scrappy group of kids leading the way, to the imposing Vander as their guardian, to the oppressive enforcer guards that control the city above their little underground village.
Things are tense and the world building is massive. I love it.
The animation is just super dynamic. Chases have characters running into walls and stumbling on themselves. The colour palette is so pleasing and interesting to see, great mix of soft colours for calm moments, drab dreary and dark for others.
The plot -- even from the first episode -- really kicks up the stakes with what the kids accidentally cause, becoming a massive issue for people of Piltover. I'm excited to see how this develops and how they do some sort of time-skip. The promo art for the show clearly features a grown-up Powder, lookin' all cool.
The main antagonist, Silco, especially looks like he was ripped straight out of Dishonored.
Yeah they do a good job of a lot of the set up in the first episode. The world and the characters are really well established. Apparently the co-writers for the series have never had any prior professional writing experience before so it's pretty wild how well their first go went.
Finished watching (Midori Days )for the first time gotta say I’m not a fan of (romantic comedies) if you can call it that it has its cringe moments I did like all the characters like Midori ,Seiji, Takako as one of my top favorites .
What really caught me off guard throughout the whole show shiori who calls Seiji her older brother simultaneously has a crush on him which is weird and raises a lot of Red flags I mean really I liked the character but too script that for the character is just beyond horrible it still confused the living crap out of me when she would call her none related brother a boyfriend in some instances but what was also I enjoyed more about the show is Midori and Seiji funny moments like when Seiji woke up and it was screaming when Midori was attached too his right hand killed me but what was also interesting was that Takako started having feelings for Seiji after he saved her from a street gang but st the end she reveals her true feelings to him but turned her down for hurt his feelings for Midori.
But other all minus the cringe and for nonstop reveal of cleavage was a 5/5 .
Uh...is that the NSFW visual novel that can turn into a slasher in the ending, which then got into an anime?
Last Night in Soho!!
A young fashion student moves to London, where she becomes entranced with this 60's world in her dreams. But it soon becomes a haunting, as events of decades past begin to consume her thoughts in the day.
Ooh, this was a good scary film. Not one of Edgar Wright's best, but it was still very enjoyable.
Best part of the film has to be the old-timey soundtrack. Lots of vintage tracks throughout the film, used to great effect for wonder and creep-factor.
I actually didn't find the movie all that scary. Only two moments made me jump out of my seat, but surprisingly I found the scares were pretty tame and only a bit unnerving.
I do have some issues with the film, in that it feels a bit too long with the 60's mystery that begins to develop and a certain plot point that goes to a dead end. Plus,
There's a reveal in the third act that I found pretty subdued and kind of a "Oh, cool, mystery solved then", but then there's also a twist a few seconds later that I loved.
All in all, it's not the "revolution of horror" I was expecting from Edgar (like how Jordan Peele did with Get Out), but he has a good take on it and uses his editing and cinematography style really well with it.
Ooh! And the sound! Seeing this at a theatre is best, it has great uses of surround sound and volume for tense, musical moments!
Recently watched the Netflix film Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile. Directed by Joe Berlinger, it's a movie about convicted serial killer Ted Bundy, played by Zac Efron, primarily focused on his life, his numerous trials and escape attempts, and his ultimate conviction.
Right off the bat, Efron's performance as Bundy is amazing, I cannot speak highly enough of it. This is certainly not something I would have expected from the guy from the High School Musical movies, but he absolutely shines in this movie. While I can't say I'm a Tedy Bundy expert, I did also watch the documentary-series Conversations with a Killer: The Ted Bundy Tapes (also directed by Berlinger) to learn a bit more about the history. From what was shown in that, Efron captured Ted Bundy's personality brilliantly. His performance is easily the best part of the movie.
As for the story itself, it definitely wasn't what I was expecting from a movie about Ted Bundy. I should preface this by saying that it was inspired by the memoir of one of Bundy's former girlfriends, and as a result, the movie does sometimes feel like it's from her perspective, more so than Bundy's. The movie doesn't really do a great job of balancing this feeling, but it's not terrible at it, it just could've been done a bit better. It also doesn't really work as a thriller like it's trying to be, since a lot of people even know the basic history of Ted Bundy, so it trying to make us question whether he did or didn't do it doesn't work from an audience perspective. Now one of the major plot points of the movie is the girlfriend coming to terms with it and demanding the truth so that she can move on with her life, but that's the only time it actually does work, and again, because it doesn't do a great job of balancing the two, even that is hit and miss.
What I found most interesting about it though was that the movie didn't really focus all that much on the actual murders and crimes of Bundy. For a guy that killed, at minimum, 30 women, some of which he beheaded and kept as trophies (gross), the film didn't really show any of that. Instead, it focused a bit more on Ted Bundy as a person and who he was, including his insistent denials about committing the crimes. Some saw this as attempting to glorify Bundy and his actions, but I don't see it that way. It's common knowledge that Bundy was pretty much a psychopath, or at least had psychopathic tendencies. How he killed his victims with practically no remorse and almost all of his victims belonged to the same demographic, meaning he specifically targeted certain people. What this movie does is focus less on that, and more on the sociopathic tendencies of Bundy. In focusing on his relationship with his girlfriend and showing it from her perspective, we see that Bundy did actually care for and love her, a trait not seen in full blown psychopaths. Bundy was also great at manipulation, creating an appearance so drastically different from who he was that, despite the overwhelming evidence against him, some still didn't believe he was a criminal. He came off as so charming, so good-looking, so natural and charismatic, that he pretty much had his own female fan club as he was being tried for murder (not joking, that is real, women were going on the news saying how handsome he was as he was on trial for killing several women...I don't even know how to respond to that, other than get help). His persona did not match that of a serial killer, and it convinced some people and baffled those close to him when they heard about his crimes. By not really showing any of his murders, Efron acting as an innocent man wrongly convicted, insisting almost convincingly that he didn't do the things he did (Bundy historically did not actually admit to any of his crimes until a day before his execution), we see the sociopathic tendencies of Bundy, more so than the psychopathic ones.
Overall, not a great film, but definitely a good one that I'd recommend. Probably a 7/10.
And lastly one quick shoutout to the actor who played the cop that originally arrested Ted Bundy, by far the best actor in the film (no, I don't have a bias as to why I say that, what are you talking about).
Finished Part 1 of Arcane (first 3 episodes)
I... well... I don't know how to sum up my thoughts other than: WHOA.
those last 20 minutes were tense as all hell. Holy shit.
While there's progress in re-creating magic in one town, in the other we're shown the destructive power of it.
And in the end... as Vi learns that Powder created the explosion... I thought that was gonna be the catalyst for her villain origin story (since that seemed like the direction it was going) but no! Powder's left alone and then villain Silco finds her! It's Powder's villain origin story!! Man that's a twist.
Honestly I did not expect the show to shift so suddenly into "Silco gains power and wants to topple Piltover", as I thought he'd be more subdued for longer as a background threat, but hey, it's still interesting!
Went and saw the Resident Evil(we won't fuck it up this time) reboot.
In short, it was good.
I'm a big RE fan(especially the original two games) and I liked it a lot more than the fan base generally did. I knew that they'd rush through the first two games to set up a more action heavy sequel. Anyone whom thought otherwise, is either delusional or doesn't know how a 2hr movie has to flow.
I knew story had to be cut, characters removed/combined, lore changed. This isn't The 6hr version of The Shining here. Anyone who's played the games knows that a faithful adaptation would be incredibly long.
The movie is perfectly fine and way better than the other movies.
Centaurworld season 2 came out and the series is officially over!
The season was great! Really enjoyable, funny, scary and emotional, particularly the finale. The songwriting and animation continues to be wonderful as well especially in the last 15 or so minutes which had a really beautiful moment in it that had me feeling the feels. I have to give praise to Kimiko Glenn who absolutely killed it as Horse and the rest of the cast who also do a fantastic job with both the voice work and the singing. I also once again have to praise Netflix for allowing the show to get away with so much despite its TV-Y7 rating. This definitely wouldn't have been possible on any other network without some censoring.
I do have a few issues. Some characters get shafted, new characters are introduced only for nothing to really happen with them, the first half of the season isn't as engaging as the second, and there's a bit of a cop out at the end, but they didn't necessarily lower my enjoyment of the show in a meaningful way.
It has its flaws but I overall really enjoyed my time with Centaurworld and its colourful collection of singing and dancing half-animal-half-man things. It's strange, funny, heartwarming, and special in all the weirdest places and I'm definitely going to miss it.
It's only two seasons? Huh. Makes getting into it a bit enticing since it isn't that long.
I watched the first episode of Infinity Train Book 4 last night. Ooooooh these are some Canada bois that's for sure. And they're adorable.. Love the garage band backstories they have and can't wait to see how that plays into the story.
The style of the split tape section was really neat. And it's interesting that we now have a single One running the place, doing some psychotherapy experiments of his own (linking two passengers numbers). Feels very Portal-ish, that's cool.
Tonight I felt special.
I saw the new West Side Story two days before its release (at an advance screening! Thanks to some complimentary tickets from my program!)
I really enjoyed it! I'd never seen the original or the stage play, so it was my first exposure to it.
Ooh, the set design, the choreography, and the music were fantastic. I've got some stuck in my head already.
The romance between Tony and Maria was so cute.
There is one issue I have with it, that makes a bit of sense if viewed from the right angle, but it still bothers me...
This show is essentially a modern American retelling of Romeo and Juliet, set in 1950s New York City. At one point in the plot, the Sharks and Jets have a big fight Bernardo kills the Jets leader. In a fit of rage, Tony kills Bernardo for revenge for his friend. Bernardo is Maria's brother. And despite confronting him later with her grief, pounding on Tony's chest, she forgives him and begins to make love to him in the span of a minute. I get how it relates to the events of R&J, but in that modern context it felt really messed up.
I think there wasn't enough elaboration on Bernardo and Maria's relationship, given her swift acceptance of his death and willingness to devote herself to her brother's killer.
Apart from that, the rest of the film was a lot of great fun. Its well worth a watch if you're a fan of musicals.
Benj watch on Elves on Netflix
Love watching foreign horror flick and shows Denmark did a fantastic pice .
Did like the idea of them family going on Christmas vacation in a romote island village and discover horrifying secrets in that island but what was annoying Josefine and I know it’s the plot of the story went numerous times towards the danger area of the forest just to help a baby woodland elf they ran over but scary part is they crave for flesh and killed the cat which should gave the girl a clue on what that thing was capable of but she learned the hard way of numerous villagers getting killed including the leader of village Karen which I know what she did at the end was f******* but under stable of gaining balance but backfired.
Ialso watched Jurassic Word camp cretaceous season 4
Edit : I also finished watching Better Watch Out
Watched a couple animated movies, Encanto and Klaus!
Encanto was really good! I really loved the music in this, especially the song 'We Don't Talk About Bruno' which is an absolute bop. It's absurdly catchy and really well written overall. 'Surface Pressure' is also pretty damn good, and I feel myself appreciating it more and more as I re-listen and really pay attention to the lyrics. Visually it's just incredibly luscious and vibrant, the animation is super expressive and it has the best clothing physics I've ever seen in animation. The way Mirabel's dress moves, bounces and flows during the musical sequences is a real feast for the eyes. The voice acting is of course great, Stephanie Beatriz as Mirabel an John Leguizamo as Bruno are probably are favourites of the bunch, though everyone in general does a good job with their roles. The characters are super charming and fun to be around, though some characters definitely are underdeveloped and I would have loved to see more of certain characters.
The story went to a place I wasn't expecting, not to say it goes super deep as something like Soul or Inside Out, but it's definitely one of Disney's more "relatable" movies. The movie itself is fairly low stakes as well. It's not a big epic adventure like Raya and the Last Dragon and more akin to something like Inside Out, with the narrative being a very personal story. The movie is about an hour and a half but I honestly think it could have been at least 15-20 minutes longer. The way certain characters develop and how certain events are resolved do feel a bit rushed.
Overall I really liked it. It's probably the best animated movie Disney's released this year.
As for Klaus. Damn, this movie's real good, I wish I had seen it earlier lol. For one thing, it's absolutely beautiful looking. The way they managed to seamlessly have the 3D models appear 2D is crazy. Everything about the visuals reminds me so much of Disney's early 2000's movies. Speaking of that, the movie in general looks and feels like an early 2000's Disney movies, especially The Emperor's New Groove, and I mean that in the best way possible. The main character Jesper, is literally just Kuzco, but if he were a mailman. The characters are super charming and funny, the dialogue's really quick and snappy, and it's just incredibly heartwarming in general. I can see why so many people were calling this an instant classic. It's very straightforward (which is why I don't have as much to say lol) and the narrative isn't anything overly complicated and it doesn't need to be. It's just a really great Christmas movie and I can see why I saw so many people calling this an instant classic. I have pretty much no complaints. It's just a fantastic cartoon.
Gonna take a second to follow up on Season 2 before I go into Season 3.
Thinking back over the vague thoughts I gave about the season, I can only recall that being a reference to what happened to Dale. So something that is becoming an issue as the show goes on is that you can sometimes tell when someone's gearing up to die and his death actually is both a criminal loss and something that was made a bit more obvious after the fact. I mean, having him be the only staunch opposition to Shane around that time kinda smelled a bit, but what actually sealed was his speech in the house being laid on pretty thick and lasting a decent while. And when his warnings about the group losing its humanity mostly falling on deaf ears, which is reversed when Carl eggs on Randall's execution, and especially him having decides he simply can't be a party to it anymore as a result came up, I really should've been clued in on what was about to happen in hindsight.
Now, a serious issue that really soured the games is that, for whatever reason, practically no character is allowed to just bow out gracefully from the spotlight after Season 1(although even that apparently would've been the same had they kept Molly's death). Season 2 was the most obvious about it given the Kenny Effect on Mike and Bonnie, but it was honestly the case throughout the series depending on how you view/handle The Final Season: aside from maybe a handful of scenarios, they almost always either die violently, go no proper resolution to their story, lose the moral high ground, have the audience turned against them, or some combination therein. And it kinda feels like that applies to the show as well, albeit to a lesser extent? Though that might just be because they have little interest in burning everything to the ground and starting over with a select few bits of carryover and even that's kinda on borrowed land, from what I've heard.
But yeah, Dale's death does feel very close to breeching that clause, especially when I later learned this was the *best" case scenario for him. Yeah, apparently his death was necessitated by the firing of the original show runner in favor of one with different ideas on what the show should be(which evidently got him fired afterwards, btw) and so his actor ended up leaving in protest. And whether that had not happened or still did, Shane was apparently gonna be end up being proven right earlier in production when Randall apparently got free on his own and ended up killing Hershel in his house, which presumably got changed when they either decided they wanted the latter to stick around or when they came up with the circumstances of the finale. There was also a time where Daryl was gonna follow up on torturing the boy with trying to kill him personally until Dale's screaming stopped him and necessitated he put him down, which may or may not correlate with Dale approving of him stepping up to do the deed so Rick wouldn't have to? Or imagine if the writers got the fucked up idea of having Shane do it, given all the shit that asshole pulled?! Add in how Jimmy(yeah, remember him) was originally gonna be in the place of the cow [in light of what happens next season] and this was about as good as he was gonna get it on such short notice.
Of course, his death also hurt because, putting aside how this was the last time a significant death would be a surprise (sorta--next time), Dale was without a doubt a favorite of the cast. While there are other characters I liked at various points of the show, he (and to an extent T-dog) were the only ones who were consistently a brightspot of this show and were always game for a highlight; Guillermo, Jenner, and Randall were cool for what time they had, Rick and Daryl have their moments, and Glenn started out fun before just sorta mellowing out around Maggie's addition, but they could reliably steal the show in ways both big and small. And while the show is still fairly good for the moment, I'll probably miss "that look" as Rick called it before too long.
And while I'm still talking about the Season, guess I spend some time recounting my thoughts on Shane. I seem to recall a few things regarding him before this: that I wasn't exactly a fan in the first season, hearing comparisons to what happened with Javier and David in ANF, and I could swear seeing a comment or two that he "didn't deserve what happened to him?" ...And my actual feelings of him throughout certain points in the show aside, my default and final answer are, like, no?
Okay, so heading that off immediately, he does very much fall into the Kenny/David character type(with Luke's general voice, for some reason) or rather vice versa in this. In fact, I actually flipflopped by the end on whether he was better or worse than the latter because, jeez, you're talking about a conflict driven character: I'd ultimately say he was better developed as a sympathetic character than David when it comes to some of what good he did try to do as well as what led him there, but he kinda teetered into being a far worse person, when you get down to it. On one hand, he did do what he could to look after Lori and Carl, tried his damnest to successfully keep Rick alive when the outbreak happened, and was technically looking out for the group at times. On the other hand, he still slept with his so called best friend's grieving window, considered pulling the hunting trip excuse early on(that was Season 1, wasn't it?), used fuckhead Ed to take his petty anger out on (genuine question: though he deserved it, did he bother doing anything about him before that? That's honestly the reason that bothers me at all), left Otis to the herd(which ended up biting Daryl in the ass, or rather, head), nearly ruined their place at Hershel's with the barn stunt, nearly got him & Rick killed over the "put em in their place" alpha male" pigshit (as Bonnie once put it) his oh so likable character is rife with, and finally pulled a nearly successful, premeditated double murder ruse so he get away with killing Randall and claim Rick's family for himself.
Like, there was a point or two where I thought, "Okay, I guess I'm starting to see why people seem to hate Lori so much"...but no. Like, say what you might about Lori--who's apparently an improvement over the original version, mind--, but her circumstance was honestly a bit more understandable considering the sheer amount of shit that came with the outbreak. And for as much as I hated David for being a needlessly insecure meathead who didn't really seem to appreciate just how exceedingly good he had it, he at least never tried to lay his aggressive hands on(which I swear recalling someone saying he should have, unironically) Kate, much less fucking rape her a few rooms down from the others. That's not to say there were no moments where you sorta understood/felt for him or that there wasn't some humor caused by him(his interactions with Dale and of course, "Let me tell you sump'n"), but honestly? Rick let him off easy. Oh and apparently doing more with him was the reason the show got made in the first place? Makes you wonder what the fuck the comic was like.
So in all honesty, I sorta unintentionally gleaned spoilers as I am known to do about how certain deaths or characterizations were not planned, that a particular pattern did not go unnoticed, and that Season 3 as a whole was sorta viewed as a waste of potential(huh, deja vu). Which did sorta color my perception, expectations, and reaction a bit while watching and while I do think it ended up being a bit better paced and perhaps more cohesive than Season 2(deja tu), I will say that there was indeed some casual discarding of characters as well as it becoming easier to tell when there was going to be a major death. So while this outing of the Walking Dead was engaging and potentially the best the show has been to watch, it is definitely starting to show that the writing and direction behind the scenes is not up to snuff as it prepares to descend into what people tend to complain about with it .
Here is the traditional tier list on how I felt about the characters before I chose to rip into that debatable can of worms.
Tick Tick... BOOM is a superb musical movie that really digs into the existential dread of success and failure in the performing arts and HOLY CRAP can Andrew Garfield sing... also act but we already knew that.
So yeah some of this resonated with me in some anxious ways. Whoo, I'm only 23 tho we got time, we got time.
(Sidenote: I'm confused why the actual musical is only counted and recognised to have "premiered" as the reworked 2001 production after Larson's death, even if it's known that he originally performed it as a one-man show in 1990-91 Off-off-Broadway. I guess it was still just a workshop performance?)
Just watched Hilda and the Mountain King. Don't really know what to say so I'll keep it brief, but I thought that it was really great and if the show had ended there I think it would have been a fantastic send off to a wonderful show. The visuals continue to be gorgeous, the characters are very well written, voice acting's strong as usual especially during the movies more emotional moments, and the movie has a beautiful message about empathy, sacrifice and acceptance.
I have very little to criticise, maybe I wish some characters had a bit more screen time or more to do but that's about it. Also it's pretty clear that David's voice actor is going through puberty because throughout the movie the pitch of his voice changes every so often because recordings usually aren't done in order in animation. Can't really fault them for this but it's a little bit jarring whenever it does happen.
Overall it's great and if you love the show then you'll probably love this. Like I said, if the show had ended here I wouldn't have been mad. But thankfully we're getting one last season before we have to say goodbye the world of Hilda.
So after over a year of not getting to it, finally saw Wonder Woman 1984. It's certainly one of those movies that start out rather slow before gradually picking up(see also Birds of Prey), though it does do well at bringing things together and making the good moments feel good.
To touch on a few of the positives for a bit, a lot of the meandering in the first 40 or so minutes of the movie does come back and they do a relatively good job of bringing things together. Want to let it be known once again that I really like Wonder Woman as a superhero thanks largely to these movies: while I am aware that her powerset has been inconsistent or even a tad combo plattery over the years, she really does have some of a fun and versatile, yet mostly reigned in moveset that makes her action scenes such a joy to behold. I also quite like, for lack of a better word, how "wholesome" and "valid(wtf)" these movies tend to be at times with stuff like Charlie's singing in the first movie and everything about Steve's experience of the 80s. And lastly, I obviously want to praise the two antagonists of the movie: Maxwell Lord and the Cheetah, though they both start out rather awkward and even pitiful, pick up so much after their encounter with the macguffin that it just naturally helped the movie become more enjoyable in kind.
With that said, now it's time to recall some of the weakpoints this movie had and highlight where the it sorta stumbled as it went on. First of all, the opening scene of Themyscara really could have been shortened down or perhaps reworked in the present day; though it is exciting as well as plot important in regards to the theme/moral of the film, it goes on for a little long when combined with the scene at the mall immediately afterwards. Secondly, despite Diana was accused of being too passive early on in the movie, I feel she actually did have agency and a degree of motivation throughout it even if it wasn't played up that much. Third, while it managed to just skate the line, there were a few developments that felt a little too contrived and even forced.
However, the forth point that Cheetah and Wonder Woman Cheetah suffer and/or are defined by the male leads of the movie is a mixed bag: while Cheetah is mostly her own thing, Diana's arc does largely rely on that. Fifth, while Maxwell's arc is arguably the best part of the movie, it is worth considering that there was a bit of confusion regarding his fetters after the middle of the movie; as such, the way his character resolves, while not clear about necessarily dodging consequences, can feel a little odd. Sixth, it has been noted that Cheetah ultimately doesn't affect much in the movie and it's really unclear what even happens with her after the climax. And lastly, the actual ending of the movie as a whole, while certainly uplifted, was definitely more than a little clumsy and aimless, with the after credits sequence being legitimately confusing for those who don't know until maybe the credits.
All in all though, it was still an enjoyable movie.
I also just saw Hilda and the Mountain King. Really enjoyable movie that could serve as a cap to the series, I do hope there's more after this though...
I loved the wide-screen presentation to this, and the plot itself got really intense (as it usually does in TV Show Movie specials).
John Hopkins is usually an annoying nuisance in the series but I found him to be a lot more menacing as Ahlberg in this film. Maybe it's his character arc here, maybe it's just cause he has more lines, but he was a great antagonist.
I also loved the side-story of Joanna trying to find Hilda, she really stuffed a lot of emotion into her performance and it was really compelling.
The end was great too, with something that could be a nice ending to the show as a whole. Loved how it touched upon how some stubborn people probably won't change (or change immediately) after a major event like that, since unfortunately that's how the real world would work.
Overall, a great watch for fans of the series.
And if you haven't watched Hilda yet... why the hell not? It's one of Netflix's best animated shows.
Ah yeah and David's VA really did go through puberty in this. He either sounded like a normal high-pitched child, or someone trying to sound high-pitched. Lots of flip-flops.
Also I'm very glad to say that "RIP Cedric the Pigeon" is not a thing. He's alive at the end! Phew!
Edit:
@lupinb0y
Where'd you hear that there's going to be another season after this? There wasn't anything in the credits that announced it, and I can't for the life of me find any news articles about it. Everyone's calling the Movie the end of the show!
The shows production company, Silvergate Media put out a press release a couple months ago revealing that a third season is in the works and that it would be the last one. They mention it in the third paragraph when highlighting Bryan Korn's work.
The original comic creator Luke Pearson also recently did an interview confirming that it is indeed the final season.
I watched a bit of Arcane, which my sister has been raving out. Color me intrigued. Never been interested in League of Legends, but the animation is enthralling and the characters seem interesting. May give it a watch, who knows.
Very much recommend it. Easily my favourite show of 2021. S1 alone for me has made it one of my favourite shows ever. Crazy how engaged I was with these characters and this story in so short a time.
Recently watched the TV series Foundation based on the novel by Isaac Asimov. Really interesting plot...something like Star Wars. I look forward to continuing.
Watched Hostel for the first time was pretty good for a horror movie.
Not watching right now but finished the third season a couple of weeks ago: Succession. Banger show from HBO about a super top-percentile wealthy family that owns one of the biggest media companies from the US (with theme parks in the mix? Like a Disney/Fox News hybrid), though the show really shines on the conflict between the characters, namely between the siblings who are competing to be named successor.
Sarah Snook and Jeremy Strong both got golden globes yesterday for their roles in the show. The acting, writing, cinematography, score are all superb, it's overall a really top notch show.
Watching Sweet Home
Encanto is pretty good!
I felt Stephanie Beatriz did a great job as Mirabel, giving a deep, fun performance to the character. And wow she's got a great singing voice! I only really know her from Brooklyn99 so this felt like a totally different beast.
I also really liked Adassa as Dolores, mostly because of this nervous tick she gave the character -- this just barely audible "squeak" whenever she's anxious about something -- it was really entertaining to notice.
I loved the visuals of the songs "Waiting on a Miracle" and "Surface Pressure"
The former because it feels like something straight out of a Broadway show -- a big moment occurs and all the actors freeze in place while the central character starts to sing -- and I liked the latter because it went all-out with a music-video style presentation. Plus it had a boppin' chorus.
Of course I have to say that 'we don't talk about Bruno' is my favourite track of the movie. I was wondering why I kept hearing so much buzz about it, but wow, musically and lyrically it's an impressive tune.
Some stuff I felt was a bit rushed though so I give it a 7.5/10 movie.
(Slight spoilers:
I was very, very surprised to see they incorporated elements of guerrillas and Colombian civil wars in this film (at least that's the meaning I got behind it, since I'd say the country's a bit famous for it). The flashback scene where those machete-wielding horsemen drove the people out of town and murdered (off-screen) Pedro was shocking. But, interesting history lesson in this children's film.)
If you've got a chunk of 30 minutes you want to fill, check out this video on the infamous High Guardian Spice series that's been getting a lot of criticism lately. Figured I'd share it since it's impressed me quite a bit.
It's a really well-structured and written review on how the show came to be and what exactly it messes up in its presentation and writing.
Went on a bit of a sidetrack looking into it last week myself.
Didn't know rrreviews and videos count for this thread, but cool.
Just watched Coraline on Roku .
I love Coraline. It's one of my favorite animated movies.
It was beautifully animated, I loved the story and characters .
Finished Episode 6 of All of Us are Dead. Gotta be honest, I still managed to find some flaws throughout this show, like questionable music choices and some moments that happened by conveniences. I probably should stop expecting this show to have very good quality writing in every way like my two favorite Korean zombie dramas.
What I loved so much about Kindgom is that it's almost plot hole free and it's very consistent.
Started season 2 of Kid Cosmic. It's gonna be real hard not to binge this whole thing, especially once season 3 drops this... Friday, I think? I wanna savour it!
Gosh this show has
A. a great sketch-book art style
B. a lot of fun whimsy and fun
C. really great writing for the characters' personalities and their relationships (Jo is the GOAT)
D. really fun humour, often great subversion of jokes tied into the world-building
on that last point: I really enjoy how the Stones in the previous season were actually supposed to be delivered Fed-Ex style to this new S2 villain character. They just got intercepted in transit, haha.
I finally bothered to watch “The House” on Netflix.
It felt more like an art film than a regular movie but i enjoyed the stop motion and the stories despite how weird they where.
I recently finished the original Cowboy Bebop anime series.
...and what a fantastic series and ending it was. It really hasn’t aged too badly, and was very entertaining throughout, with some pretty intense final episodes.
I do not have the strength to watch Netflix’s horrible adaptation however, and will resort to reviews and clips on youtube to see just how terrible they seemed to have made it. :grimacing:
I still have the Cowboy Bebop Movie to watch in the future… and I’ve heard a lot of good stuff about that!