Bojack and half his Galaxy Soldiers is one of my favorite villains despite being fairly underdeveloped and basically following tradition by being a Not Perfect Cell.
Coincidentally, MistareFusion just posted a review of it last week.
I watched 'Dragon Ball Z: Bojack Unbound'.
It was okay for its time, I had a few issues with the continuity... But, it's nothing that tru… morethfully ruins the experience. Same for pacing, but it's not too bad for a 50 minute Anime Film.
The art is what you'd expect if you've ever seen Dragon Ball Z. For the most part at least, the art and line work is perfect! But, the colours are definitely a bit off.
Let me stop being a bit critical, and I shall talk about the positives...
I really like the idea of a tournament, but it just took wayyy too long to get to the villain, Bojack. He doesn't show up until like 30 minutes into the film... And the film is 50 minutes long. lol
I still like the film, I just felt it was a bit bland by today's standards with the pacing of characters. But, I like Dragon Ball. So, I'm kinda used to it...
Anyway, DBZ Films are good.
I really like how they opened the show with a whole scene that was a backstory of a backstory, if that makes sense. It really set the scene for the rest of the episode. Especially since I went in kind of blind.
I was a bit skeptical at first, because I wasn't a huge fan of the previous DC shows. But, this show is good.
The special effects are amazing, I can't think of a time where I didn't see a weird-looking thing. lol
The foreshadowing with one of the characters is crazy, and the writing of the characters is excellent.
She-Ra: Season 1
This is a really enjoyable show. I may have jumped the gun a bit earlier on my huge gush about how this could be the next big Avatar-filler in my life, but hey, after finishing Season 1 I'm on board for more. First impressions, though... it does seem very positive and child-like at times, but that's only in the first half of S1. In that part, you've got episodic storytelling with little overarching story, but at about the halfway mark of the season, the real plot kicks off with a recurring guest cast, some cliffhanger episodes, and real interesting character development/allegiance shifts.
I binged those last 8 episodes last night, because I really got hooked. I fear the show might not keep this pace -- and might throw in some filler episodes -- but they do play around with season lengths! (Season 2 has half the episodes of S1 -- so that's reassuring.) Great pilot, really enjoyable voice acting, fun characters (yep, Catra's my favourite), might be a bit too bright and fluffy but its ok.
Girls Und Panzer
Japanese anime about a team of high school girls participating in tank-warfare sporting events. Just roll with it.
This show is basically pure fun, wholesome stuff, and doesn't try to hide it. The plot is pretty basic, and the physics and danger might be lax, but that's just because it knows what the audience it here for and sticks with it . Cute girls riding in tanks shooting each other. It's a weird juxtaposition, but I really enjoyed it, alongside with all the other crazy concepts the show has you forcefully accept with almost no explanation. The various groups -- and there's a lot of them -- are surprisingly well-developed, or at least they all have some depth to them. You've got the Main Character team, the Volleyball Club, the Student Council, the fragile, wide-eyed First Years, the Hall Monitors, the History Buffs, the Gamer Geeks and the Automotive Club. They're all designed uniquely and all have some identifiable quirk.
There's also a movie on Netflix I plan to watch sometime -- and I've heard it's a 2-hour movie with at least 1-hour of non-stop pure Tankery bliss. Apparently physics goes completely out the window in this film and finds a dumb loophole to subvert the vanquishing of the main conflict of the show -- but it's all in the spirit of giving you more fun tank action, and that's cool.
Dead to Me: Season 1
I really can't say much because spoilers, but this is a fun thriller/drama/mystery show to watch. Cristina Applegate plays a great cynical, angry, grief-stricken widow looking for answers about her husband's killer and Linda Cardellini plays a great eccentric individual who seems normal, keeping everything together, yet... not. Nearly every episode has a big reveal of some sort and it all flows really nicely. Very interested to see where this goes in Season 2.
I finished watching the first season of Avatar: The Last Airbender. This show actually won my attention, surprisingly. The characters are likable, the comedy is well performed and the lore is pretty creative. It felt like I was watching anime due to the animation style and I was surprised to hear that it was actually made by americans, despite the japanesse (Correct me if I'm wrong) culture for it. My favorite episode is easily the season finale and my favorite character so far is either Katara or Zuko. I cannot choose between them.
The reason I did not watch it or EVEN hear of it as a kid is because I did not have Nickelodeon channel on my TV at that time and still don't. I cannot wait to watch the last 2 seasons. I'm glad there are only 3 seasons though. Because if it was more than that, then I probably would have lost my whole patience at some point. But for now, I'm taking a break for a few days because it took me 3 days to finish the first season.
I finished watching the first season of Avatar: The Last Airbender. This show actually won my attention, surprisingly. The characters are li… morekable, the comedy is well performed and the lore is pretty creative. It felt like I was watching anime due to the animation style and I was surprised to hear that it was actually made by americans, despite the japanesse (Correct me if I'm wrong) culture for it. My favorite episode is easily the season finale and my favorite character so far is either Katara or Zuko. I cannot choose between them.
The reason I did not watch it or EVEN hear of it as a kid is because I did not have Nickelodeon channel on my TV at that time and still don't. I cannot wait to watch the last 2 seasons. I'm glad there are only 3 seasons though. Because if it was more than that, then I probably would have lost my whole patience at some point. But for now, I'm taking a break for a few days because it took me 3 days to finish the first season.
I finished watching the first season of Avatar: The Last Airbender. This show actually won my attention, surprisingly. The characters are li… morekable, the comedy is well performed and the lore is pretty creative. It felt like I was watching anime due to the animation style and I was surprised to hear that it was actually made by americans, despite the japanesse (Correct me if I'm wrong) culture for it. My favorite episode is easily the season finale and my favorite character so far is either Katara or Zuko. I cannot choose between them.
The reason I did not watch it or EVEN hear of it as a kid is because I did not have Nickelodeon channel on my TV at that time and still don't. I cannot wait to watch the last 2 seasons. I'm glad there are only 3 seasons though. Because if it was more than that, then I probably would have lost my whole patience at some point. But for now, I'm taking a break for a few days because it took me 3 days to finish the first season.
I finished watching the first season of Avatar: The Last Airbender. This show actually won my attention, surprisingly. The characters are li… morekable, the comedy is well performed and the lore is pretty creative. It felt like I was watching anime due to the animation style and I was surprised to hear that it was actually made by americans, despite the japanesse (Correct me if I'm wrong) culture for it. My favorite episode is easily the season finale and my favorite character so far is either Katara or Zuko. I cannot choose between them.
The reason I did not watch it or EVEN hear of it as a kid is because I did not have Nickelodeon channel on my TV at that time and still don't. I cannot wait to watch the last 2 seasons. I'm glad there are only 3 seasons though. Because if it was more than that, then I probably would have lost my whole patience at some point. But for now, I'm taking a break for a few days because it took me 3 days to finish the first season.
Finished the second season of Avatar. Damn, was it even better than the first season. If there is a way to describe it in a sentence, I would say it's the Empire Strikes Back of the show. The season finale pretty much says it all.
My favorite episode is easily the Tales of Ba Sing Se, in which every main character has their own small arcs taking place in the specific city and my favorite one was easily Uncle Iroh's. The way they honored Mako Iwamatsu, the voice of Iroh and Aku from Samurai Jack who passed away without even finishing the voice working for the character, was soo emotional and hearbreaking.
I saw the cinema-filmed version of Hamilton last night.
Really great production, the addition of cameras that offer closeups and overhead shots and sweeping angles across the stage is very unique in giving you a perspective on the events not strictly from the audience POV -- and giving much clearer detail being on a TV in front of you rather than taking place 20 theater rows ahead of you.
The best addition by watching this version is definitely the subtitles. Being someone who doesn't know all the lyrics by heart (unlike my sister who has the whole cast album memorized) it really helped me understand dialogue, rhymes and clever wordplay, especially since this is a play that can go by very quick in its rap-verse delivery.
Seeing it with the original cast was also cool, given that it's something that no one has been able to see for years since most key members of that cast have already left Hamilton on Broadway. Also provided a nice opportunity to compare the original cast to my Toronto touring cast (I preferred my Toronto Burr to the Broadway Burr, fight me.) -- which I admit I was extremely lucky enough to have seen before the pandemic hit..
Great production, definitely recommend watching for anyone who hasn't seen it. It's a great unique musical. (In case it hasn't been communicated to anyone who hasn't been pushed millions of ads about it on TV or online: It's exclusively on Disney Plus, till the end of time, or however long $37 Million can buy.)
Tonight, I saw When Marnie was There with my family.
It's a Studio Ghibli movie from 2014, about a young girl who goes to live with her foster aunt's relatives in the country, and soon develops a bond with a mysterious girl who lives in the nearby Marsh House.
It's a good movie, but really only just "good". We saw the dub, tough we usually do for Ghibli movies since they're usually very good. This one was just okay. I have a feeling that some dialogue was lost in translation, which might have lead to some awkward stilted dialogue and kinda muddy story.
At the center of the story is Anna, a young girl who lives with her foster mother, is clearly shy and depressed and doesn't have very many friends. She develops asthma and so is recommended by the doctor to move to the country for the summer for the fresh air and change of scenery. While there, she finds this strange abandoned house, while at first it seems like a normal old country house, in her dreams she finds Marnie, a young girl who lives in that house with her family.
As the story unfolds, Anna spends more time sketching the house, spending time with Marnie and developing a deep bond with whom she's never had before. It's also quite interesting to see a character with social anxiety -- or to me it seems so, given that I identified with her in various early scenes with other characters. Trailing off and uninterested in making small talk. Also that opening line about "some people being in the circle while others -- like her -- are on the outside" really hit me deep.
Anyway, what is the most interesting part about Anna and Marnie's relationship is that for a few moments -- perhaps unintentionally -- it seems that there's a gay undertone to their relationship. It's adorable in its own right, but the fact that the girls develop a strong bond over a course of a few days, often are very intimate with each other (and Anna blushing whenever Marnie gets too close) even having Marnie offer a dance with Anna at one of her house parties... it's definitely not what was intended, I'm sure, but both my sister and I caught some big gay vibes from this film and it was really surprising and refreshing.
And it would have remained so if not for what the reveal and conclusion of the story is...
Now, throughout the film, it's clearly telegraphed and hinted that Marnie is not a real person, or isn't to Anna, since she only appears in her dreams. While the existence of a Diary in the old house is very peculiar, the events in the diary differ a bit in terms of what Anna experiences. One thing is clear, however: it's that they share some sort of deep connection.
That connection is finally revealed to be: Marnie is Anna's long lost grandmother who cared for her until she died and Anna got sent into the orphanage. So, that totally shatters all the wholesome gay vibes from earlier (but again -- that's only if you see it that way. It would be a totally acceptable relationship if you just consider them to be friends, or Anna having a newfound understanding and appreciation for her lineage, leading to a better acceptance of herself and her foster mother.
Also, as mentioned, there are some bits of dialogue that don't seem to line up, are weirdly repetitive, or come across as way harsher than maybe intended, so I'll chalk it up to an error in translation.
(Things like: A fat girl gets a little too friendly with Anna, prodding her with questions and interested to know more, to which Anna interrupts with "Stop it, you fat pig!" and proceeds to run away. Pretty harsh and uncalled for, for someone just trying to be nice. But her guardians don't pay any mind or have any concern for her behaviour, essentially just laughing it off later (wtf?). In a timeskip of maybe a week or two, the aunt notes while washing dishes that Anna has been a very well-spoken and well-behaved person throughout her time at their house... (but that's clearly not really been the case thus far?). There's also lots of points in the story where Anna is desperately looking for Marnie, leading to scenes of 2 minutes where Anna's only lines are screaming out "Marnie!" in varying tones. Japan has more honorifics though, so it probably felt less repetitive in the original Japanese.)
All in all though, if my rating math is correct, I'd give it a 7/10. Decent film. Fun watch. Surprisingly gay.
I finished watching Avatar The Last Airbender for the very first time. And I am asking myself: what the fuck was I thinking not watching this show anytime sooner?
This is the best cartoon I have ever watched and it's the only one in which I have watched the whole story, not missing any episodes at all. Suprisingly, this is probably the only show that never bored me, even with some of the weakest episodes like The Great Divide and Ember Island Players. In fact, I was told that there is no such thing as the worst ATLA episode, they are either meh, good or just plain amazing and guess what? They are completely right. I didn't hate any episodes.
The last episode of Season 3 was top notch. Perfect choreography, great character arcs, outstanding animation and a perfect example of how you end a great story. I loved all the characters, I don't think I can name a character that I hated or disliked, they are all likable and funny and I can't even choose a favorite because they are too many awesome characters. Maybe Katara comes close, I just love her character so much.
Not to mention, my favorite episode, same as @MetallicaRules, is Book 3 Chapter 16: The Southern Raiders, where Katara confronts her mom's killer and gets revenge. This is the best example of "Revenge is bad" plot, Katara didn't kill the guy because she saw him suffering with his new life. She doesn't forgive him and lets him live because killing him would have been like saving his life from his abusive mother. THIS IS EXACTLY WHAT I WANTED TO SEE IN THE LAST OF US PART 2. See Abby suffer from the revenge she committed, thus justifying Ellie's decision of sparing her life but Naughty Dog was too stupid and went on the same route as Rian Johnson. Just because they did something that was never done before, doesn't mean it was good. But I'll give them credit for actually convincing me to finally watch this amazing show because the Lev character looks almost similar to Aang.
This is coming from someone who isn't a TV viewer as I used to be and I'm not much of a fantasy fan. I always happen to lose patience due to how long each episodes or seasons take to tell the story. This one is such an exception because it's only 3 seasons and the pacing is perfectly balanced, as all things should be (According to Thanos). @MetallicaRules Thank you for recommending this awesome cartoon, seeing that you were the one who always brought it up in the forum and I would definitely rewatch it at some point in the future.
And I am asking myself: why the fuck was I thinking not watching this show anytime sooner?
Asked myself the same thing when I finally sat down to watch and finish it. I had seen several episodes during the show's original run when I was younger, but never quite got into it. Watched it sometime between my freshman and sophomore years of college (about 4 years ago) and fell in love with it.
Suprisingly, this is probably the only show that never bored me, even with some of the weakest episodes like The Great Divide and Ember Island Players.
WHAT?! The Great Divide I understand, that episode sucks and the fandom is in pretty much agreement with that synopsis, but The Ember Island Players? I'm sorry, I will have to strongly disagree with that. For me, it's one of the funniest episodes in the series as it pretty much satirizes the entire show from start to finish, while acting as a recap episode that doesn't do the usual "clip show" format.
The last episode of Season 3 was top notch. Perfect choreography, great character arcs, outstanding animation and a perfect example of how you end a great story.
The finale of Avatar is definitely a fantastic end to the show. In my opinion, it's up there as one of the greatest finales of all time. Not just of animated shows, but live action included, it's that good.
I can't even choose a favorite because they are too many awesome characters. Maybe Katara comes close, I just love her character so much.
@MetallicaRules Thank you for recommending this awesome cartoon, seeing that you were the one who always brought it up in the forum and I would definitely rewatch it at some point in the future.
You are very welcome, it's a one of a kind show. I'd also recommend its sequel series, The Legend of Korra, which follows the next Avatar after Aang, a water bender named Korra (obviously). You've also got some comics set after the series you can read which follow Aang and the rest of the GAang, and a novel centered on the life of Avatar Kyoshi (the second part of which is coming out next month). I'd also recommend a show called The Dragon Prince, co-created by Aaron Ehasz (the head writer of Avatar, who wrote some of the show's best episodes like The Storm and Crossroads of Destiny) and Justin Richmond (the co-director of Uncharted 3).
I finished watching Avatar The Last Airbender for the very first time. And I am asking myself: what the fuck was I thinking not watching thi… mores show anytime sooner?
This is the best cartoon I have ever watched and it's the only one in which I have watched the whole story, not missing any episodes at all. Suprisingly, this is probably the only show that never bored me, even with some of the weakest episodes like The Great Divide and Ember Island Players. In fact, I was told that there is no such thing as the worst ATLA episode, they are either meh, good or just plain amazing and guess what? They are completely right. I didn't hate any episodes.
The last episode of Season 3 was top notch. Perfect choreography, great character arcs, outstanding animation and a perfect example of how you end a great story. I loved all the characters, I don't think I can name a character that I hated or disliked, they are all likable and funny and I can't even… [view original content]
but The Ember Island Players? I'm sorry, I will have to strongly disagree with that. For me, it's one of the funniest episodes in the series as it pretty much satirizes the entire show from start to finish, while acting as a recap episode that doesn't do the usual "clip show" format.
I just felt like it didn't need to exist, although I do think it's neat to recap the previous books in this creative way. Even if they intended the theater players to perform the specific characters in the most cringiest way possible and Sokka being the best part of this episode as always, I still feel like I would have been better off without it. It felt more like filler episode than an arc connected with the upcoming showdown with Ozai. But hey, the effects were decent, right?
I'd also recommend its sequel series, The Legend of Korra, which follows the next Avatar after Aang, a water bender named Korra (obviously). You've also got some comics set after the series you can read which follow Aang and the rest of the GAang, and a novel centered on the life of Avatar Kyoshi (the second part of which is coming out next month). I'd also recommend a show called The Dragon Prince, co-created by Aaron Ehasz (the head writer of Avatar, who wrote some of the show's best episodes like The Storm and Crossroads of Destiny) and Justin Richmond (the co-director of Uncharted 3).
I'll think about it. Unfortunately, I'm not much of a comic book reader. I used to be but not anymore. I think The Legend of Korra and Dragon Prince can wait, I have other things to do.
And I am asking myself: why the fuck was I thinking not watching this show anytime sooner?
Asked myself the same thing when I finall… morey sat down to watch and finish it. I had seen several episodes during the show's original run when I was younger, but never quite got into it. Watched it sometime between my freshman and sophomore years of college (about 4 years ago) and fell in love with it.
Suprisingly, this is probably the only show that never bored me, even with some of the weakest episodes like The Great Divide and Ember Island Players.
WHAT?! The Great Divide I understand, that episode sucks and the fandom is in pretty much agreement with that synopsis, but The Ember Island Players? I'm sorry, I will have to strongly disagree with that. For me, it's one of the funniest episodes in the series as it pretty much satirizes the entire show from start to finish, while acting as a recap episode that doesn't do the usual "clip… [view original content]
I've spent the past few months watching popular mid 2000's tv shows that I only saw random episodes of when they popped up on tv at the time.
I've gone through Monk, Psych, Chuck and I'm now halfway through White Collar which is pretty fun so far. I'll probably watch Burn Notice next but from what I've heard it dips in quality after a while. So I'm a little wary about that.
If it helps, it's basically Fire Nation propaganda that ends up screwing with Aang's head due to how inherently biased the Fire Nation is in conjunction with his own concerns making the play's contents more upsetting.
but The Ember Island Players? I'm sorry, I will have to strongly disagree with that. For me, it's one of the funniest episodes in the series… more as it pretty much satirizes the entire show from start to finish, while acting as a recap episode that doesn't do the usual "clip show" format.
I just felt like it didn't need to exist, although I do think it's neat to recap the previous books in this creative way. Even if they intended the theater players to perform the specific characters in the most cringiest way possible and Sokka being the best part of this episode as always, I still feel like I would have been better off without it. It felt more like filler episode than an arc connected with the upcoming showdown with Ozai. But hey, the effects were decent, right?
I'd also recommend its sequel series, The Legend of Korra, which follows the next Avatar after Aang, a water bender named Korra (obviously). You've also got some comics set … [view original content]
I finished watching Avatar The Last Airbender for the very first time. And I am asking myself: what the fuck was I thinking not watching thi… mores show anytime sooner?
This is the best cartoon I have ever watched and it's the only one in which I have watched the whole story, not missing any episodes at all. Suprisingly, this is probably the only show that never bored me, even with some of the weakest episodes like The Great Divide and Ember Island Players. In fact, I was told that there is no such thing as the worst ATLA episode, they are either meh, good or just plain amazing and guess what? They are completely right. I didn't hate any episodes.
The last episode of Season 3 was top notch. Perfect choreography, great character arcs, outstanding animation and a perfect example of how you end a great story. I loved all the characters, I don't think I can name a character that I hated or disliked, they are all likable and funny and I can't even… [view original content]
Just because I understand something, doesn't mean it was a good result. I get what they were trying to do but do I have to accept it for that? NO!! Abby was never a good character and Ellie loses everything for no reason whatsoever. Watch Angry Joe and YongYea's reviews. Did Abby actually suffer from the revenge she committed? No, she did NOT. Yara and Lev don't have anything to do with Joel's shenaningans.
You love the game, fine, I'm not stopping you. But if you think I have no reason to hate TLOU2 (Coming from someone who has been a fan of ND since the first Uncharted game), then you need to make a research instead of using your own opinion. I am not a writer but I know what I despise or dislike.
Did Abby actually suffer from the revenge she committed? No, she did NOT.
Abby lost every single one of her friends along with someone she loved for years via Ellie/Tommy, was attacked by her former WLF teammates for protecting Lev, was kidnapped and enslaved for two months and overworked and starved, and then was tied to a wooden pole surrounded by dead bodies and left to rot. That's not exactly not suffering.
Ellie loses everything for no reason whatsoever.
Ellie kills dozens of people, one of whom was pregnant, tortures an already dying person for information and threatens to kill a child, all in the name of Joel, who in the last game killed any hope of humanity ever finding a cure for a disease that ravaged the world. I'm not saying she deserved what she got, but it's hard to believe that she didn't have some of this coming and I can say the exact same thing for Abby, who dragged her friends and colleagues into her personal vendetta. No one walked away from the game unscathed. Everyone suffered.
you need to make a research instead of using your own opinion.
Just because I understand something, doesn't mean it was a good result. I get what they were trying to do but do I have to accept it for tha… moret? NO!! Abby was never a good character and Ellie loses everything for no reason whatsoever. Watch Angry Joe and YongYea's reviews. Did Abby actually suffer from the revenge she committed? No, she did NOT. Yara and Lev don't have anything to do with Joel's shenaningans.
You love the game, fine, I'm not stopping you. But if you think I have no reason to hate TLOU2 (Coming from someone who has been a fan of ND since the first Uncharted game), then you need to make a research instead of using your own opinion. I am not a writer but I know what I despise or dislike.
Did Abby actually suffer from the revenge she committed? No, she did NOT. Yara and Lev don't have anything to do with Joel's shenaningans.
Well, she kept having nightmares about her dad's death even after killing Joel.
Ellie ends up following her to Seattle and kills all her friends (over the course of 2 days while Abby has no idea this is happening -- to which she eventually finds a map with detailed notes on who she's killed and where)
She tries to abandon her Seattle life and go find the Fireflies by going to California, but ends up getting captured and enslaved as Lupin says. That one isn't in direct relation/repercussion to her actions of vengeance, but it offers a good "what goes around, comes around" moment for her. She tortured Joel, then she eventually gets tortured, too.
Honestly, if Ellie had found Abby then left her for dead at The Pillars, that ending would really have been reminiscent of The Southern Raiders. Just... "fuck it. you're not my problem anymore. You're getting a taste of your own medicine and get to die the way Joel did." But, we ended up getting the elaborate ending that followed, that might not have been satisfying, but was meant to drive one or two more emotional stakes into player's hearts.
Also, no, Yara and Lev don't have anything to do with the Joel stuff. Not really. You're right. But... What's your point with that? Is that a bad thing?
Abby lost every single one of her friends along with someone she loved for years via Ellie/Tommy
Because she thought Joel's friends would not come after her like an idiot. What did she expect when she snuck up near a community, killed and tortured a man who saved her life from the infected and instead of warning Ellie and Tommy not to come after her group, she knocks them out?
was attacked by her former WLF teammates for protecting Lev, was kidnapped and enslaved for two months and overworked and starved, and then was tied to a wooden pole surrounded by dead bodies and left to rot. That's not exactly not suffering.
This whole thing would have probably happened anyway cause none of them are affected by Joel's death.
Ellie kills dozens of people, one of whom was pregnant, tortures an already dying person for information and threatens to kill a child
And you think she had no reason to? She watched a group of assholes torturing and killing her father figure right in front of her. Plus, it's an apocalypse and it's kill or be killed. Ellie just wanted to kill the person who murdered Joel and if her friends got in her way, she wouldn't have any choice but defend herself by putting them out of their misery. Abby did not show any mercy or hesitation whatsoever and she doesn't even know how her father actually died. Joel did NOT torture him or even kill him intentionally, did you forget that Jerry threatened an armed man with a scrapel? Why the fuck would someone risk their life like this? Especially when you're the most important person who can cure the whole world (Which is something I'm totally not buying). It's not even like Joel was gonna destroy the cure or anything, he just didn't want to do the same mistake as he did with Sarah. Joel is not saint but his intentions were more understandable than Abby's. Also, Jerry was clearly intending to kill a child in their sleep for a cure without even letting the source wake up from coma and think about their own fate. It doesn't even matter if they assumed that Ellie did want that, they still should have learned her thoughts about it. Joel may not be such a good guy but so isn't Jerry. In fact, how can a vaccine save the whole world when the population of infected and murderers were over 3 billions? They would just capture some runners and inject them? That would take more than 5 years and people can still die via infection.
I can say the exact same thing for Abby, who dragged her friends and colleagues into her personal vendetta. No one walked away from the game unscathed. Everyone suffered.
Even with the death of her friends, she still ended up with someone to look after and that is Lev. I still don't understand why Ellie went after her again when she already got a new family and avenging Joel's death wouldn't have made it any better. PTSD is the laziest excuse anyone could use to defend her last decisions. First Ellie doesn't wanna go after Abby, changes her mind and goes to kill her, changes her mind again and saves Abby and Lev, changes her mind yet again and provokes her in a fight, changes her mind one last time and lets her walk away. Ellie is just all over the place and I don't even know what's going on anymore.
Ellie mentioned that her biggest fear is ending up all alone by herself, without no one to fight for, yet she did exactly what could result in loneliness. This is NOT my Ellie.
it offers a good "what goes around, comes around" moment for her. She tortured Joel, then she eventually gets tortured, too.
Getting tortured but survive isn't as bad as being tortured and executed at the end. Maybe it would have been better if Lev was killed by those Rattlers at the end.
to which she eventually finds a map with detailed notes on who she's killed and where
I'm still pissed by the fact Ellie left the map there for anyone to conveniently learn her target's location. I don't care if Ellie felt sick after killing a pregnant woman, she is way smarter than unintentionally selling out her safe location and she knew Owen and Mel would not be the last Wolves she would encounter. In fact, Jesse and Tommy should have been the ones to pick it up. That's just a lazy way to move the story forward.
Yara and Lev don't have anything to do with the Joel stuff. Not really. You're right. But... What's your point with that? Is that a bad thing?
I think they are just a lazy addition to make us sympathize with Abby. The only reason Abby cared about them is because they saved her life. Which is exactly what Joel did when he met her and acted like a nice man. Yet, instead of thinking through and having a negotiation, Abby goes full psychopath and kills him.
Just keep in mind that I'm not trying to change your mind on the game or anything. If you don't like it that's completely fine. More power to you. I'm just trying to clear up both of our interpretations.
Because she thought Joel's friends would not come after her like an idiot. What did she expect when she snuck up near a community, killed and tortured a man who saved her life from the infected and instead of warning Ellie and Tommy not to come after her group, she knocks them out?
Joel killed her father, the leader of the Fireflies, destroyed any hope of a vaccine and effectively disbanded the group she grew up in. Saving her life once isn't suddenly going to wipe all that away. How is warning them to not come after the group somehow better than simply knocking them out? Knocking them out at least means Ellie and Tommy there's a chance they won't be able to do anything until they're long gone from the area.
And you think she had no reason to?
Never said that. I've literally been saying the whole time that they both have a understandable reasons for their actions.
Abby did not show any mercy or hesitation whatsoever
Neither did Joel when he killed the doctor.
did you forget that Jerry threatened an armed man with a scrapel? Why the fuck would someone risk their life like this?
You're talking like somehow Joel was the victim in that situation. Because he didn't want Joel to take away their one hope of making a vaccine.
It's not even like Joel was gonna destroy the cure or anything, he just didn't want to do the same mistake as he did with Sarah. Joel is not saint but his intentions were more understandable than Abby's.
Except he totally destroys any hope of a cure. That's literally the point of the ending in the last game. Many of the actions he takes in the previous game are out of selfishness, regardless of whether they're understandable or not.
Jerry was clearly intending to kill a child in their sleep for a cure without even letting the source wake up from coma and think about their own fate. It doesn't even matter if they assumed that Ellie did want that, they still should have learned her thoughts about it. Joel may not be such a good guy but so isn't Jerry.
And that's why they bring it up as an issue in the game. Marlene condemns Jerry for wanting to go ahead with the surgery and asks if any of it is worth it. But the thing is, Jerry wanting to "kill" Ellie in his mind is for the sake of humanity. I'm not saying it's right, but his reasoning for his actions are at the very least understandable when the stakes are that high.
In fact, how can a vaccine save the whole world when the population of infected and murderers were over 3 billions? They would just capture some runners and inject them? That would take more than 5 years and people can still die via infection.
They're not trying to cure the already infected they're trying to prevent anyone else from becoming infected. They're not expecting to jab a Clicker in the arm and suddenly all the fungus just falls off leaving behind a fresh new human.
I still don't understand why Ellie went after her again when she already got a new family and avenging Joel's death wouldn't have made it any better. PTSD is the laziest excuse anyone could use to defend her last decisions. First Ellie doesn't wanna go after Abby, changes her mind and goes to kill her, changes her mind again and saves Abby and Lev, changes her mind yet again and provokes her in a fight, changes her mind one last time and lets her walk away. Ellie is just all over the place and I don't even know what's going on anymore.
Ellie herself says that after the events of Seattle, she hasn't been eating/sleeping/doing anything well. Abby and Joel are the two constants floating around in her head. Regardless of the family she gained, she has tunnel visioned herself to focus on these two. It isn't simply just "PTSD did it". Tommy's visit was the final push to make her go after Abby and end all of it. But once she see's the state Abby is in, she's obviously conflicted and feels that it may not be worth it anymore. The whole time as she's following Abby to the boats, Ellie keeps glancing at Abby and finally as they are about to part ways, Joel's corpse flashes in her head and she thinks that she can't get over it. Until another memory flashes in her mind. The night Ellie decided to start to try and forgive Joel for what he did. Which causes her to let go. She doesn't forgive Abby and almost assuredly never will, but at the very least realises that after everything that's happened, even when she's just about to cross the finish line, that it all wasn't worth it. So she spares Abby. The same way Abby spared her.
I am not digging deep at all to explain all this, I am literally describing what happened on screen.
Ellie mentioned that her biggest fear is ending up all alone by herself, without no one to fight for, yet she did exactly what could result in loneliness.
Yes and that is the irony of it all. Her biggest fear came true because she couldn't let go of her quest for revenge until it was too late.
Okay last post about the game on this thread. Getting too out of topic here.
And I am asking myself: why the fuck was I thinking not watching this show anytime sooner?
Asked myself the same thing when I finall… morey sat down to watch and finish it. I had seen several episodes during the show's original run when I was younger, but never quite got into it. Watched it sometime between my freshman and sophomore years of college (about 4 years ago) and fell in love with it.
Suprisingly, this is probably the only show that never bored me, even with some of the weakest episodes like The Great Divide and Ember Island Players.
WHAT?! The Great Divide I understand, that episode sucks and the fandom is in pretty much agreement with that synopsis, but The Ember Island Players? I'm sorry, I will have to strongly disagree with that. For me, it's one of the funniest episodes in the series as it pretty much satirizes the entire show from start to finish, while acting as a recap episode that doesn't do the usual "clip… [view original content]
I've mentioned the GuP series on here before, so I'll skip that explanation of what it is (girls in tanks shooting each other).
And, well, this movie was one big excuse to give you a fun time. Physics and the laws of reality really do get thrown out the window for the sake of awesome action scenes and even the main conflict from the series is retconned into being one big lie.
Basically, the board of education said they'd shut down their school if they didn't with the Panzer Championship (which they eventually did win) but in the film, they did a total about-face and claimed they never made that promise in writing, meaning they have no proof the school can't be shut down. So, after making a new contract in writing it's decided that...
To secure the future of their school, the Ooarai high-schoolers must win a match against a University-level Panzer team. At first it seems like one big impossible challenge (as the Uni has a team of 30 tanks vs Ooarai's 7) but in an awesome Avengers: Endgame moment, all the other international high-schools from the series come in to back them up and join their unofficial "Ooarai" team.
To sum up the good and the bad, the film clearly was given a higher budget than the series given the amount of CGI tank scenes (the first 30m is one big tank battle, the next 30m is non-tank-related shenanigans, followed by a massive 1 hour of crazy tank action), there's an awesome first-person tank sequence near the end that feels like a roller coaster ride (fitting given where the battle takes place), and for some reason there's a big emotional death scene as one character sacrifices themselves (then never appears for the rest of the film) which makes no sense given how low-stakes and violence-averse the series has been towards any injury sustained by the characters.
Here's a slightly-edited clip I found of probably the biggest and craziest action scene vs the Morser Karl tank-gun. (I guess the raw footage would just get copystriked).
I really enjoyed this. I sort of was not expecting much, as some of my friends who have seen it have said that the first season is a bit bland compared to the other seasons.
To my opinion;
It was a really good kickstart into the world of doctor who, I really like how smoothly they introduced Rose. I also appreciated how they give you time to see the setting and take in important details about the character. The introduction to the Ninth Doctor was also breathtaking. The show-makers really didn't sleep on the character introductions. The story is pretty good, I like how first they focus on the characters and then they swoop you into the conflict of the episode. It's a really cool concept. lol
Been busy on Netflix watching horror/ suspense movies
First I watched Splice which has todo with scientists splice DNA of humans and animals into one being .
Second I watched DOOM : Annihilation which I was disappointed of watching considering I thought it was going to be the video game universe of DOOM but of course it’s another live action reboot of the movie .
3rd I watched The Babysitter which had to with a 12 year old kids parents go on vacation to save their marriage and hire a 16 year old babysitter who sneaks her friends over and discover their doing cultists that make blood sacrifices.
And lastly for now I watched CAM which had to with with a online web-star profile gets hacked and identity stolen and finds the culprit to reclaim her identity.
Scott Pilgrim vs. the World (the film) turned 10 years old yesterday.
Most of the cast, Edgar Wright and a writer reunited for an abridged table read online. It's actually surprising how many of the actors came back for it. All it's really missing is Brie Larson and Kieran Culkin, so it's a shame they couldn't make it for some reason.
Finished watching the series Japan Sinks: 2020. Nice little anime about the endurance of the human spirit in the face of a catastrophic natural disaster.
Overall it was decent, and I really love the ending, but there are flaws in its presentation, characterization and how the plot unfolds.
If you didn't catch it from the title, this show is about the destruction of Japan following a few massive earthquakes and volcano eruptions, leading to the island to slowly sink into the Japanese Sea.
We follow the Mutoh family as they try to keep spirits high and stay strong as the world around them begins to crumble and sink.
The characters themselves are mostly well-defined by the end of the show, but there's certain aspects of them I got annoyed about, particularly in reference to the amount of death and grief they have to endure.
The kids and mom in particular have to endure the death of the dad of the family, leaving behind a few fellow survivors, and the kids eventually have to see their mother die as well. The show doesn't give many moments for the kids to reflect on this tragedy and they either move on too quickly or don't show enough grief over these chilling and heartbreaking events over the course of the show. Maybe that's just how humans operate during a catastrophic event, but to me there was a lot of missed potential during the series of tackling their grief. (There is a very nice ugly-cry moment near the end where Ayumu, the daughter, watches a video of nearly all the people she's lost and sobs uncontrollably though, and that extreme release of emotion kinda makes up for it. It was very well performed.)
Ayumu ends up cutting herself in the first episode and goes through the whole series not telling anyone about it or getting any treatment for her wound, which was quite annoying. I think it can be explained as Ayumu being too prideful of her star status as a track-and-field athlete, but we never really get an explanation as to why she'd let herself suffer so much (or other characters to not catch on to something being wrong with her leg).
The middle of the series has this two-and-a-half-episode arc that seems really weirdly detached from the main disaster plot, where the cast suddenly finds refuge in this peaceful, colourful cult-like community, where it's overseen by this spirit medium. And things really slow down for a bit. There is some underlying mystery as to what is being hidden by the community, but it doesn't really go anywhere interesting/unexpected. Just that they're protectful of their culture and they kept spying on their residents. I've heard this tonal shift is common for the creator's projects, but it just didn't click with me and I haven't seen any of his other works (yet).
There's also a really silly (IMO) action sequence in this sideplot where an old man spins around in his electric wheelchair, blocking bullets and shooting people with a bow and arrow, but it just seems silly how he remains unharmed and goes John-Wick-style in a pretty slow action scene.
This is not to say that it's all bad moments and there's nothing enjoyable about it. The music is something really special about this show. In the first few episodes specifically, the tracks that play soon after a major disaster always feel sad but with a hint of hope. Character/plot-wise, I really enjoyed the mystery behind Dr. Onodera's knowledge of the earthquakes and Japan's fate. Go, the brother, has a very interesting arc of being ashamed of his Japanese nationality -- learning English through the internet and wanting to live somewhere where he'll fit in better like his Youtuber Idol. That Youtuber Idol -- KITE -- seems very well-travelled and I like how he keeps things under control till the very end, though he does seem a bit of a deus-ex-machina sometimes with how much he knows how to do with little explanation behind it (like driving an amphbious tank). There's also some really heartwarming scenes like the constant shift between bleak human death and the survivors' need to keep spirits high and cherish the moments they have with each other through taking pictures. There's a nice rap battle scene later on where the kids all share their thoughts about their own regrets in life and how they feel about Japan itself.
The deaths in the show itself though are some heavy stuff. They often happen quick and leave you agape. The last third is particularly upsetting with technically 3 drowning deaths in the span of two episodes, knowing that one person sacrificed themselves because they were going to die anyway, and another simply faced the wrath of Mother Nature. The in-the-moment emotional impact of these survivors' deaths is handled pretty well and always leaves a pit in your stomach.
In the end, the show finishes on a high, hopeful note with parts of Japan resurfacing, the show doing an 8-year time jump and we see all the surviving characters getting what they want in life and seeing their dreams come true after such horrific and heartbreaking events. It also reveals some very interesting questions of how an entire way of life and culture can be preserved once it gets literally wiped off the map, or how social media and the internet is one of the biggest and best archives of modern human history that is integral to preserving information about the world and its people today.
It ends with a very cool monologue from Ayumu about her resilience and thankfulness to everyone who came before her and her striving to keep going forward no matter what hardships she might endure, because there's always something to fight for. (also a nice heartwarming credits song that I don't understand).
Here's a good, short review that I mostly agree with and probably summarizes my thoughts way better than I try to explain above.
So I tried to give Soul Eater another chance last night and not much doin. I watched the first episode quite a while ago and wasn't really feeling that either, though now I have an even stronger grip on the problem than I did before: it still comes down to the dialogue.
Simply put (and I do mean simple), it sounds like they translated the lines from Japanese into a decent state and then called it a day. I suspected this was the case before, but I've since learned and seen a little more on subs to grasp that as the core problem. It seems Japanese have certain tendencies about their language and culture that while understandable in English, is either pretty straightforward or presumably not as awkward to say.
The obvious source of that habit here would be the emphasis on a particular thing like Maka being called flat chested--you get it, but you also notice how awkward and/or repetitive they are to include in the script. That's something that I knew the Japanese think more casually about and likes to toss in where they can for humor, but I don't believe it reads well in English and you could even argue it's a less than comfy thing to talk about outside of more slice of life contexts. The climax of the first episode noticeably did it in what was supposed to [appear to] be a cruel sharp turn of events, but it just kinda makes you grimace and feel it could've been expressed differently--hold on to that thought.
The second episode is less awkward, but definitely more repetitive and thus less interesting/tolerable as Black Star seems to have a neutral Napoleon complex obviously due to being the little kid of the cast(or most of it anyway). Which I guess is a fun idea in tandem with his shared ninja motif, but him literally using the words "Big Man" to describe himself everytime kinda took away from the comedy and made him feel more one dimensional. The episode overall felt like it had a specific direction and yet also didn't because while it was mainly about establishing Blackstar & [scythe maiden] as characters, there honestly wasn't anything encouraging me to care about them compared to Maka & [Shark teeth]. I was already playing a game on my phone while I was watching it, but I honestly felt more engaged with the rather lowkey play compared to the episode because the latter was more rudimentary than it needed to be and there was less attention required to follow what very little was going on.
Which is the main issue I have with this show thus far: everything expressed through the script feels so literal and there's no pizzazz to any of the rather basic characterization and storytelling going on, even for the very beginning of a show. Focus on Black Star here, the word big is one of the broadest words out that even toddlers learning to speak grasp as one of their most important words, likely due to being easy to use yet important for comparison; that means there's a large number of synonyms and associated words that can used in its place for a variety of reasons, but they insisted on just having him say that consistently even though he accurately cites astronomy as a category as well as a theme.
So let's apply that one of his exchanges with his partner(Tsubaki?) for example: I believe he said something about her and everyone not being much compared to a big man like him or some shit like that? Well why not change that interaction to have him claim she looks up to him? 1. It's obviously varying up the terminology, 2. it inherently brings age into the conversation, emphasizing that he's a little kid, and 3. there's even a little humor to him saying that, given that she acts his humoring mentor but mainly due to how she's clearly one of the taller characters whereas he's the shortest. That's just something I pulled out once I noticed that angle, but it goes to show how the dialogue could've had a bit more life to it to go along with the attempted emphasis on the show's quirkiness.
But as all that dialogue talk hammers in again, it's that the show itself is either not being sold that well or maybe even doesn't have much going on even for where it's at. From the getgo, Souleater is a show that feels like "boy, the Zanpakto Arc of Bleach was cool!" being explored alongside the weirdness of something like Panty & Stocking or Bobobo Bobo-Bobo. The characters are agents of the Grim Reaper going around collecting the many souls of bad guys like monsters, witches, and gangsters to rise up in their grade level or something while keeping them under control. While it's been enough time that I don't remember much of the specifics, I will say that the first episode was comparatively more engaging in establishing the leads, the dynamic regarding their pairing ([Sharkteeth] was a rogue weapon, right?), and their dual motivations in tandem with their connection to the Grim Reaper and his scythe-man; as an aside, it was also neat how the three put in a brief appearance in the second episode, even if [Shsrkteeth]'s relevant line did nothing to actually help Blackstar be established beyond stating the very general given.
It's just that, while it's good to establish your main cast at the beginning so you can accustomed to them for the journey ahead, I'm kinda not seeing any hint of where this can go even with the intro showing more significant characters? It feels like it's trying to be character based hijincks in the meantime before the plot itself comes about and I realize I'm literally only two episodes in, but again they didn't do much to earn my interest or entertain between the Blackstar duo being bland templates for a funny character with "depth" and Maka's somewhat interesting premise having had a questionable joke about their goal at the end of the debut. So both the humor and to a lesser extent writing are a bit lacking to start off with.
The next episode is about Death the Kid and those twins? Idk, getting mixed vibes from that; maybe it'll be better than the first two combined and actually encourage further watching or maybe it'll just be another eh that'll verify my original decision to not bother. We might see.
Tonight I saw Scott Pilgrim vs. The World in theatreson a Big Screen. Best of all, it was absolutely free.
I’ve seen the film before (quite a few years ago though if I'm not mistaken), enjoyed it, but this time after watching it I can say with certainty that it is one of my most favourite films ever.
Some extremely stylish presentation/editing + great special effects + electrifying soundtrack + hilarious, clever dialogue + a Canada/Toronto-based look? Ooooooh this film is such a fun ride. Best part of the night is that the parents came along too and they really enjoyed the film way more than they were expecting. (and why not come? It’s literally a free movie night out.)
I forgot how fast-paced the start of this film is, as up until the first Evil Ex Fight, you’re jumping from one place to the next in some impressive camera angles and editing, but it can throw you for a bit of a loop. You learn to get used to it and appreciate it (or at least it stops jumping around locations and time frames as much). Definitely one of the coolest things about Edgar Wright’s films -- the smash-cut type editing, always a great thing to see in his films.
The small sound effects that play after key dialogue is also such a great auditory treat. There’s usually some microphone ring (be it loud or quite soft) during any awkward looks, often some video game-type sound effects after a realization or a lead up (like the whole Legend of Zelda treasure-chest tune or the puzzle solved theme).
The cast is pretty star-studded and each fit their roles really well (and nail the look of each character from the comics -- that I’ve seen -- still haven’t bought books 4-6.)
Maybe it’s due to a larger screen or bigger sound, but there’s a lot of new details I found while watching the film, some more hidden than others. Many of the closeup shots in the scenes between Scott and Ramona have the blurred-out lights in the background turn into hearts.
Near the end of the film I noticed a character in the background say something along the lines of “oh yeah the comics were better than the movie” lol.
There’s a cute continuity moment in the final fight where Scott takes off his jacket that’s padded orange on the inside, as the fight begins and the crowd disperses, you can still see Scott’s orange jacket laying in the middle of the room.
As for a detail that isn’t really so hidden -- I did realize that in every situation involving one of his girlfriends/ex-gfs, if it gets awkward, he peaces out. It’s always a “I have to go…” or “I have to go pee”. And yeah Scott is quite the dick. I can see why Michael Cera was hired since he offers some lovable doofiness to Scott that you still can’t help but love, despite his flaws.
I don’t really know how the final fight’s coin-explosion worked -- maybe it’s CGI, maybe it’s all real, maybe it’s both (gotta be since many of those coins were real objects) -- but wow that’s got to be a lot of scrap metal props! Fake loonies and toonies for days!
A few weeks ago I watched Clue: The Movie an old 70s(?) flick based on the board game. It was very silly, fun and funny. And there’s this group of friends from school I had that said the movie was the most quotable movie ever. I disagree with that statement. **This movie - Scott Pilgrim -- is the most quotable movie I’ve seen. Too many good lines and jokes.
“Once you were Vegon, now you will Begone!”
“...Vegon? [dies]”
“Comeau, you know everyone, right?” [Comeau: Knows Everyone]
“Who’s this?” [shows a scribble of a drawing]
“Oh that’s Ramona Flowers!”
“We are Sex Bob-Omb and we are here to make money and sell-out and stuff…”
“I’m in lesbians with you.”
[later] “Oh… I said lesbians! grunt
This might not be the most ‘high-class art’ of cinema, but it’s damn well made and a very enjoyable action/rom-com. Overall it’s a 8/10 probably in my book. I’d give it an A-.
And the music -- oh man the music!! -- such a great mix of rock and chiptune-style tunes throughout the film. I definitely had to look up the original score afterwards to check out some of the music, because some fight scenes really have a lot going on visually and with sound effects. Here’s a few that y’all might like:
Comments
Bojack and half his Galaxy Soldiers is one of my favorite villains despite being fairly underdeveloped and basically following tradition by being a Not Perfect Cell.
Coincidentally, MistareFusion just posted a review of it last week.
I started watching D.C.'s Stargirl.
I really like how they opened the show with a whole scene that was a backstory of a backstory, if that makes sense. It really set the scene for the rest of the episode. Especially since I went in kind of blind.
I was a bit skeptical at first, because I wasn't a huge fan of the previous DC shows. But, this show is good.
The special effects are amazing, I can't think of a time where I didn't see a weird-looking thing. lol
The foreshadowing with one of the characters is crazy, and the writing of the characters is excellent.
Overall, really good show.
Just finished some seasons of various shows.
She-Ra: Season 1
This is a really enjoyable show. I may have jumped the gun a bit earlier on my huge gush about how this could be the next big Avatar-filler in my life, but hey, after finishing Season 1 I'm on board for more. First impressions, though... it does seem very positive and child-like at times, but that's only in the first half of S1. In that part, you've got episodic storytelling with little overarching story, but at about the halfway mark of the season, the real plot kicks off with a recurring guest cast, some cliffhanger episodes, and real interesting character development/allegiance shifts.
I binged those last 8 episodes last night, because I really got hooked. I fear the show might not keep this pace -- and might throw in some filler episodes -- but they do play around with season lengths! (Season 2 has half the episodes of S1 -- so that's reassuring.) Great pilot, really enjoyable voice acting, fun characters (yep, Catra's my favourite), might be a bit too bright and fluffy but its ok.
Girls Und Panzer
Japanese anime about a team of high school girls participating in tank-warfare sporting events. Just roll with it.
This show is basically pure fun, wholesome stuff, and doesn't try to hide it. The plot is pretty basic, and the physics and danger might be lax, but that's just because it knows what the audience it here for and sticks with it . Cute girls riding in tanks shooting each other. It's a weird juxtaposition, but I really enjoyed it, alongside with all the other crazy concepts the show has you forcefully accept with almost no explanation. The various groups -- and there's a lot of them -- are surprisingly well-developed, or at least they all have some depth to them. You've got the Main Character team, the Volleyball Club, the Student Council, the fragile, wide-eyed First Years, the Hall Monitors, the History Buffs, the Gamer Geeks and the Automotive Club. They're all designed uniquely and all have some identifiable quirk.
There's also a movie on Netflix I plan to watch sometime -- and I've heard it's a 2-hour movie with at least 1-hour of non-stop pure Tankery bliss. Apparently physics goes completely out the window in this film and finds a dumb loophole to subvert the vanquishing of the main conflict of the show -- but it's all in the spirit of giving you more fun tank action, and that's cool.
Dead to Me: Season 1
I really can't say much because spoilers, but this is a fun thriller/drama/mystery show to watch. Cristina Applegate plays a great cynical, angry, grief-stricken widow looking for answers about her husband's killer and Linda Cardellini plays a great eccentric individual who seems normal, keeping everything together, yet... not. Nearly every episode has a big reveal of some sort and it all flows really nicely. Very interested to see where this goes in Season 2.
Been re-binging Avatar: The Last Airbender and I still love the shit out of it.
I finished watching the first season of Avatar: The Last Airbender. This show actually won my attention, surprisingly. The characters are likable, the comedy is well performed and the lore is pretty creative. It felt like I was watching anime due to the animation style and I was surprised to hear that it was actually made by americans, despite the japanesse (Correct me if I'm wrong) culture for it. My favorite episode is easily the season finale and my favorite character so far is either Katara or Zuko. I cannot choose between them.
The reason I did not watch it or EVEN hear of it as a kid is because I did not have Nickelodeon channel on my TV at that time and still don't. I cannot wait to watch the last 2 seasons. I'm glad there are only 3 seasons though. Because if it was more than that, then I probably would have lost my whole patience at some point. But for now, I'm taking a break for a few days because it took me 3 days to finish the first season.
You mean, Katara?
Ooopss, I deserve to be punched in the face for mistaking her name. Yes, Katara.
Like I said, the show just keeps getting better and better with every season.
A lot of people have been checking this out lately.
Changed my mind. My TLOU2 videos take way too long to export and upload on youtube. So why not continue binging Avatar while they do it?
Screw that game, keep watching that amazing series instead, good luck 👍
Finished the second season of Avatar. Damn, was it even better than the first season. If there is a way to describe it in a sentence, I would say it's the Empire Strikes Back of the show. The season finale pretty much says it all.
My favorite episode is easily the Tales of Ba Sing Se, in which every main character has their own small arcs taking place in the specific city and my favorite one was easily Uncle Iroh's. The way they honored Mako Iwamatsu, the voice of Iroh and Aku from Samurai Jack who passed away without even finishing the voice working for the character, was soo emotional and hearbreaking.
Can't wait to watch the final season.
I saw the cinema-filmed version of Hamilton last night.
Really great production, the addition of cameras that offer closeups and overhead shots and sweeping angles across the stage is very unique in giving you a perspective on the events not strictly from the audience POV -- and giving much clearer detail being on a TV in front of you rather than taking place 20 theater rows ahead of you.
The best addition by watching this version is definitely the subtitles. Being someone who doesn't know all the lyrics by heart (unlike my sister who has the whole cast album memorized) it really helped me understand dialogue, rhymes and clever wordplay, especially since this is a play that can go by very quick in its rap-verse delivery.
Seeing it with the original cast was also cool, given that it's something that no one has been able to see for years since most key members of that cast have already left Hamilton on Broadway. Also provided a nice opportunity to compare the original cast to my Toronto touring cast (I preferred my Toronto Burr to the Broadway Burr, fight me.) -- which I admit I was extremely lucky enough to have seen before the pandemic hit..
Great production, definitely recommend watching for anyone who hasn't seen it. It's a great unique musical. (In case it hasn't been communicated to anyone who hasn't been pushed millions of ads about it on TV or online: It's exclusively on Disney Plus, till the end of time, or however long $37 Million can buy.)
Tonight, I saw When Marnie was There with my family.
It's a Studio Ghibli movie from 2014, about a young girl who goes to live with her foster aunt's relatives in the country, and soon develops a bond with a mysterious girl who lives in the nearby Marsh House.
It's a good movie, but really only just "good". We saw the dub, tough we usually do for Ghibli movies since they're usually very good. This one was just okay. I have a feeling that some dialogue was lost in translation, which might have lead to some awkward stilted dialogue and kinda muddy story.
At the center of the story is Anna, a young girl who lives with her foster mother, is clearly shy and depressed and doesn't have very many friends. She develops asthma and so is recommended by the doctor to move to the country for the summer for the fresh air and change of scenery. While there, she finds this strange abandoned house, while at first it seems like a normal old country house, in her dreams she finds Marnie, a young girl who lives in that house with her family.
As the story unfolds, Anna spends more time sketching the house, spending time with Marnie and developing a deep bond with whom she's never had before. It's also quite interesting to see a character with social anxiety -- or to me it seems so, given that I identified with her in various early scenes with other characters. Trailing off and uninterested in making small talk. Also that opening line about "some people being in the circle while others -- like her -- are on the outside" really hit me deep.
Anyway, what is the most interesting part about Anna and Marnie's relationship is that for a few moments -- perhaps unintentionally -- it seems that there's a gay undertone to their relationship. It's adorable in its own right, but the fact that the girls develop a strong bond over a course of a few days, often are very intimate with each other (and Anna blushing whenever Marnie gets too close) even having Marnie offer a dance with Anna at one of her house parties... it's definitely not what was intended, I'm sure, but both my sister and I caught some big gay vibes from this film and it was really surprising and refreshing.
And it would have remained so if not for what the reveal and conclusion of the story is...
Now, throughout the film, it's clearly telegraphed and hinted that Marnie is not a real person, or isn't to Anna, since she only appears in her dreams. While the existence of a Diary in the old house is very peculiar, the events in the diary differ a bit in terms of what Anna experiences. One thing is clear, however: it's that they share some sort of deep connection.
That connection is finally revealed to be: Marnie is Anna's long lost grandmother who cared for her until she died and Anna got sent into the orphanage. So, that totally shatters all the wholesome gay vibes from earlier (but again -- that's only if you see it that way. It would be a totally acceptable relationship if you just consider them to be friends, or Anna having a newfound understanding and appreciation for her lineage, leading to a better acceptance of herself and her foster mother.
Also, as mentioned, there are some bits of dialogue that don't seem to line up, are weirdly repetitive, or come across as way harsher than maybe intended, so I'll chalk it up to an error in translation.
(Things like: A fat girl gets a little too friendly with Anna, prodding her with questions and interested to know more, to which Anna interrupts with "Stop it, you fat pig!" and proceeds to run away. Pretty harsh and uncalled for, for someone just trying to be nice. But her guardians don't pay any mind or have any concern for her behaviour, essentially just laughing it off later (wtf?). In a timeskip of maybe a week or two, the aunt notes while washing dishes that Anna has been a very well-spoken and well-behaved person throughout her time at their house... (but that's clearly not really been the case thus far?). There's also lots of points in the story where Anna is desperately looking for Marnie, leading to scenes of 2 minutes where Anna's only lines are screaming out "Marnie!" in varying tones. Japan has more honorifics though, so it probably felt less repetitive in the original Japanese.)
All in all though, if my rating math is correct, I'd give it a 7/10. Decent film. Fun watch. Surprisingly gay.
I finished watching Avatar The Last Airbender for the very first time. And I am asking myself: what the fuck was I thinking not watching this show anytime sooner?
This is the best cartoon I have ever watched and it's the only one in which I have watched the whole story, not missing any episodes at all. Suprisingly, this is probably the only show that never bored me, even with some of the weakest episodes like The Great Divide and Ember Island Players. In fact, I was told that there is no such thing as the worst ATLA episode, they are either meh, good or just plain amazing and guess what? They are completely right. I didn't hate any episodes.
The last episode of Season 3 was top notch. Perfect choreography, great character arcs, outstanding animation and a perfect example of how you end a great story. I loved all the characters, I don't think I can name a character that I hated or disliked, they are all likable and funny and I can't even choose a favorite because they are too many awesome characters. Maybe Katara comes close, I just love her character so much.
Not to mention, my favorite episode, same as @MetallicaRules, is Book 3 Chapter 16: The Southern Raiders, where Katara confronts her mom's killer and gets revenge. This is the best example of "Revenge is bad" plot, Katara didn't kill the guy because she saw him suffering with his new life. She doesn't forgive him and lets him live because killing him would have been like saving his life from his abusive mother. THIS IS EXACTLY WHAT I WANTED TO SEE IN THE LAST OF US PART 2. See Abby suffer from the revenge she committed, thus justifying Ellie's decision of sparing her life but Naughty Dog was too stupid and went on the same route as Rian Johnson. Just because they did something that was never done before, doesn't mean it was good. But I'll give them credit for actually convincing me to finally watch this amazing show because the Lev character looks almost similar to Aang.
This is coming from someone who isn't a TV viewer as I used to be and I'm not much of a fantasy fan. I always happen to lose patience due to how long each episodes or seasons take to tell the story. This one is such an exception because it's only 3 seasons and the pacing is perfectly balanced, as all things should be (According to Thanos). @MetallicaRules Thank you for recommending this awesome cartoon, seeing that you were the one who always brought it up in the forum and I would definitely rewatch it at some point in the future.
Asked myself the same thing when I finally sat down to watch and finish it. I had seen several episodes during the show's original run when I was younger, but never quite got into it. Watched it sometime between my freshman and sophomore years of college (about 4 years ago) and fell in love with it.
WHAT?! The Great Divide I understand, that episode sucks and the fandom is in pretty much agreement with that synopsis, but The Ember Island Players? I'm sorry, I will have to strongly disagree with that. For me, it's one of the funniest episodes in the series as it pretty much satirizes the entire show from start to finish, while acting as a recap episode that doesn't do the usual "clip show" format.
The finale of Avatar is definitely a fantastic end to the show. In my opinion, it's up there as one of the greatest finales of all time. Not just of animated shows, but live action included, it's that good.
You are very welcome, it's a one of a kind show. I'd also recommend its sequel series, The Legend of Korra, which follows the next Avatar after Aang, a water bender named Korra (obviously). You've also got some comics set after the series you can read which follow Aang and the rest of the GAang, and a novel centered on the life of Avatar Kyoshi (the second part of which is coming out next month). I'd also recommend a show called The Dragon Prince, co-created by Aaron Ehasz (the head writer of Avatar, who wrote some of the show's best episodes like The Storm and Crossroads of Destiny) and Justin Richmond (the co-director of Uncharted 3).
I just felt like it didn't need to exist, although I do think it's neat to recap the previous books in this creative way. Even if they intended the theater players to perform the specific characters in the most cringiest way possible and Sokka being the best part of this episode as always, I still feel like I would have been better off without it. It felt more like filler episode than an arc connected with the upcoming showdown with Ozai. But hey, the effects were decent, right?
I'll think about it. Unfortunately, I'm not much of a comic book reader. I used to be but not anymore. I think The Legend of Korra and Dragon Prince can wait, I have other things to do.
I've spent the past few months watching popular mid 2000's tv shows that I only saw random episodes of when they popped up on tv at the time.
I've gone through Monk, Psych, Chuck and I'm now halfway through White Collar which is pretty fun so far. I'll probably watch Burn Notice next but from what I've heard it dips in quality after a while. So I'm a little wary about that.
If it helps, it's basically Fire Nation propaganda that ends up screwing with Aang's head due to how inherently biased the Fire Nation is in conjunction with his own concerns making the play's contents more upsetting.
Boy, you didn't get TLOU2 and it's characters if you thought that was a better way of executing that.
Just because I understand something, doesn't mean it was a good result. I get what they were trying to do but do I have to accept it for that? NO!! Abby was never a good character and Ellie loses everything for no reason whatsoever. Watch Angry Joe and YongYea's reviews. Did Abby actually suffer from the revenge she committed? No, she did NOT. Yara and Lev don't have anything to do with Joel's shenaningans.
You love the game, fine, I'm not stopping you. But if you think I have no reason to hate TLOU2 (Coming from someone who has been a fan of ND since the first Uncharted game), then you need to make a research instead of using your own opinion. I am not a writer but I know what I despise or dislike.
Abby lost every single one of her friends along with someone she loved for years via Ellie/Tommy, was attacked by her former WLF teammates for protecting Lev, was kidnapped and enslaved for two months and overworked and starved, and then was tied to a wooden pole surrounded by dead bodies and left to rot. That's not exactly not suffering.
Ellie kills dozens of people, one of whom was pregnant, tortures an already dying person for information and threatens to kill a child, all in the name of Joel, who in the last game killed any hope of humanity ever finding a cure for a disease that ravaged the world. I'm not saying she deserved what she got, but it's hard to believe that she didn't have some of this coming and I can say the exact same thing for Abby, who dragged her friends and colleagues into her personal vendetta. No one walked away from the game unscathed. Everyone suffered.
...
@AronDracula
Well, she kept having nightmares about her dad's death even after killing Joel.
Ellie ends up following her to Seattle and kills all her friends (over the course of 2 days while Abby has no idea this is happening -- to which she eventually finds a map with detailed notes on who she's killed and where)
She tries to abandon her Seattle life and go find the Fireflies by going to California, but ends up getting captured and enslaved as Lupin says. That one isn't in direct relation/repercussion to her actions of vengeance, but it offers a good "what goes around, comes around" moment for her. She tortured Joel, then she eventually gets tortured, too.
Honestly, if Ellie had found Abby then left her for dead at The Pillars, that ending would really have been reminiscent of The Southern Raiders. Just... "fuck it. you're not my problem anymore. You're getting a taste of your own medicine and get to die the way Joel did." But, we ended up getting the elaborate ending that followed, that might not have been satisfying, but was meant to drive one or two more emotional stakes into player's hearts.
Also, no, Yara and Lev don't have anything to do with the Joel stuff. Not really. You're right. But... What's your point with that? Is that a bad thing?
Because she thought Joel's friends would not come after her like an idiot. What did she expect when she snuck up near a community, killed and tortured a man who saved her life from the infected and instead of warning Ellie and Tommy not to come after her group, she knocks them out?
This whole thing would have probably happened anyway cause none of them are affected by Joel's death.
And you think she had no reason to? She watched a group of assholes torturing and killing her father figure right in front of her. Plus, it's an apocalypse and it's kill or be killed. Ellie just wanted to kill the person who murdered Joel and if her friends got in her way, she wouldn't have any choice but defend herself by putting them out of their misery. Abby did not show any mercy or hesitation whatsoever and she doesn't even know how her father actually died. Joel did NOT torture him or even kill him intentionally, did you forget that Jerry threatened an armed man with a scrapel? Why the fuck would someone risk their life like this? Especially when you're the most important person who can cure the whole world (Which is something I'm totally not buying). It's not even like Joel was gonna destroy the cure or anything, he just didn't want to do the same mistake as he did with Sarah. Joel is not saint but his intentions were more understandable than Abby's. Also, Jerry was clearly intending to kill a child in their sleep for a cure without even letting the source wake up from coma and think about their own fate. It doesn't even matter if they assumed that Ellie did want that, they still should have learned her thoughts about it. Joel may not be such a good guy but so isn't Jerry. In fact, how can a vaccine save the whole world when the population of infected and murderers were over 3 billions? They would just capture some runners and inject them? That would take more than 5 years and people can still die via infection.
Even with the death of her friends, she still ended up with someone to look after and that is Lev. I still don't understand why Ellie went after her again when she already got a new family and avenging Joel's death wouldn't have made it any better. PTSD is the laziest excuse anyone could use to defend her last decisions. First Ellie doesn't wanna go after Abby, changes her mind and goes to kill her, changes her mind again and saves Abby and Lev, changes her mind yet again and provokes her in a fight, changes her mind one last time and lets her walk away. Ellie is just all over the place and I don't even know what's going on anymore.
Ellie mentioned that her biggest fear is ending up all alone by herself, without no one to fight for, yet she did exactly what could result in loneliness. This is NOT my Ellie.
Getting tortured but survive isn't as bad as being tortured and executed at the end. Maybe it would have been better if Lev was killed by those Rattlers at the end.
I'm still pissed by the fact Ellie left the map there for anyone to conveniently learn her target's location. I don't care if Ellie felt sick after killing a pregnant woman, she is way smarter than unintentionally selling out her safe location and she knew Owen and Mel would not be the last Wolves she would encounter. In fact, Jesse and Tommy should have been the ones to pick it up. That's just a lazy way to move the story forward.
I think they are just a lazy addition to make us sympathize with Abby. The only reason Abby cared about them is because they saved her life. Which is exactly what Joel did when he met her and acted like a nice man. Yet, instead of thinking through and having a negotiation, Abby goes full psychopath and kills him.
Especially since it's a revenge story in an apocalyptic setting over the course of a game rather than an episode.
..Why don't we move this discussion over to the proper thread, guys?
Just keep in mind that I'm not trying to change your mind on the game or anything. If you don't like it that's completely fine. More power to you. I'm just trying to clear up both of our interpretations.
Joel killed her father, the leader of the Fireflies, destroyed any hope of a vaccine and effectively disbanded the group she grew up in. Saving her life once isn't suddenly going to wipe all that away. How is warning them to not come after the group somehow better than simply knocking them out? Knocking them out at least means Ellie and Tommy there's a chance they won't be able to do anything until they're long gone from the area.
Never said that. I've literally been saying the whole time that they both have a understandable reasons for their actions.
Neither did Joel when he killed the doctor.
You're talking like somehow Joel was the victim in that situation. Because he didn't want Joel to take away their one hope of making a vaccine.
Except he totally destroys any hope of a cure. That's literally the point of the ending in the last game. Many of the actions he takes in the previous game are out of selfishness, regardless of whether they're understandable or not.
And that's why they bring it up as an issue in the game. Marlene condemns Jerry for wanting to go ahead with the surgery and asks if any of it is worth it. But the thing is, Jerry wanting to "kill" Ellie in his mind is for the sake of humanity. I'm not saying it's right, but his reasoning for his actions are at the very least understandable when the stakes are that high.
They're not trying to cure the already infected they're trying to prevent anyone else from becoming infected. They're not expecting to jab a Clicker in the arm and suddenly all the fungus just falls off leaving behind a fresh new human.
Ellie herself says that after the events of Seattle, she hasn't been eating/sleeping/doing anything well. Abby and Joel are the two constants floating around in her head. Regardless of the family she gained, she has tunnel visioned herself to focus on these two. It isn't simply just "PTSD did it". Tommy's visit was the final push to make her go after Abby and end all of it. But once she see's the state Abby is in, she's obviously conflicted and feels that it may not be worth it anymore. The whole time as she's following Abby to the boats, Ellie keeps glancing at Abby and finally as they are about to part ways, Joel's corpse flashes in her head and she thinks that she can't get over it. Until another memory flashes in her mind. The night Ellie decided to start to try and forgive Joel for what he did. Which causes her to let go. She doesn't forgive Abby and almost assuredly never will, but at the very least realises that after everything that's happened, even when she's just about to cross the finish line, that it all wasn't worth it. So she spares Abby. The same way Abby spared her.
I am not digging deep at all to explain all this, I am literally describing what happened on screen.
Yes and that is the irony of it all. Her biggest fear came true because she couldn't let go of her quest for revenge until it was too late.
Okay last post about the game on this thread. Getting too out of topic here.
Glances at corner of screen. Okay.
The Ember Island Players is low key genius. It's basically a clip show without it actually being a clip show.
You're now confusing me with this comment. So just end this conversation.
Last night I saw Girls Und Panzer Der Film.
I've mentioned the GuP series on here before, so I'll skip that explanation of what it is (girls in tanks shooting each other).
And, well, this movie was one big excuse to give you a fun time. Physics and the laws of reality really do get thrown out the window for the sake of awesome action scenes and even the main conflict from the series is retconned into being one big lie.
Basically, the board of education said they'd shut down their school if they didn't with the Panzer Championship (which they eventually did win) but in the film, they did a total about-face and claimed they never made that promise in writing, meaning they have no proof the school can't be shut down. So, after making a new contract in writing it's decided that...
To secure the future of their school, the Ooarai high-schoolers must win a match against a University-level Panzer team. At first it seems like one big impossible challenge (as the Uni has a team of 30 tanks vs Ooarai's 7) but in an awesome Avengers: Endgame moment, all the other international high-schools from the series come in to back them up and join their unofficial "Ooarai" team.
To sum up the good and the bad, the film clearly was given a higher budget than the series given the amount of CGI tank scenes (the first 30m is one big tank battle, the next 30m is non-tank-related shenanigans, followed by a massive 1 hour of crazy tank action), there's an awesome first-person tank sequence near the end that feels like a roller coaster ride (fitting given where the battle takes place), and for some reason there's a big emotional death scene as one character sacrifices themselves (then never appears for the rest of the film) which makes no sense given how low-stakes and violence-averse the series has been towards any injury sustained by the characters.
Here's a slightly-edited clip I found of probably the biggest and craziest action scene vs the Morser Karl tank-gun. (I guess the raw footage would just get copystriked).
Doctor Who (2005 Remake)
I really enjoyed this. I sort of was not expecting much, as some of my friends who have seen it have said that the first season is a bit bland compared to the other seasons.
To my opinion;
It was a really good kickstart into the world of doctor who, I really like how smoothly they introduced Rose. I also appreciated how they give you time to see the setting and take in important details about the character. The introduction to the Ninth Doctor was also breathtaking. The show-makers really didn't sleep on the character introductions. The story is pretty good, I like how first they focus on the characters and then they swoop you into the conflict of the episode. It's a really cool concept. lol
I am Currently watching Greed on watchcartoononline.tv
Been busy on Netflix watching horror/ suspense movies
First I watched Splice which has todo with scientists splice DNA of humans and animals into one being .
Second I watched DOOM : Annihilation which I was disappointed of watching considering I thought it was going to be the video game universe of DOOM but of course it’s another live action reboot of the movie .
3rd I watched The Babysitter which had to with a 12 year old kids parents go on vacation to save their marriage and hire a 16 year old babysitter who sneaks her friends over and discover their doing cultists that make blood sacrifices.
And lastly for now I watched CAM which had to with with a online web-star profile gets hacked and identity stolen and finds the culprit to reclaim her identity.
Scott Pilgrim vs. the World (the film) turned 10 years old yesterday.
Most of the cast, Edgar Wright and a writer reunited for an abridged table read online. It's actually surprising how many of the actors came back for it. All it's really missing is Brie Larson and Kieran Culkin, so it's a shame they couldn't make it for some reason.
Finished watching the series Japan Sinks: 2020. Nice little anime about the endurance of the human spirit in the face of a catastrophic natural disaster.
Overall it was decent, and I really love the ending, but there are flaws in its presentation, characterization and how the plot unfolds.
If you didn't catch it from the title, this show is about the destruction of Japan following a few massive earthquakes and volcano eruptions, leading to the island to slowly sink into the Japanese Sea.
We follow the Mutoh family as they try to keep spirits high and stay strong as the world around them begins to crumble and sink.
The characters themselves are mostly well-defined by the end of the show, but there's certain aspects of them I got annoyed about, particularly in reference to the amount of death and grief they have to endure.
The middle of the series has this two-and-a-half-episode arc that seems really weirdly detached from the main disaster plot, where the cast suddenly finds refuge in this peaceful, colourful cult-like community, where it's overseen by this spirit medium. And things really slow down for a bit. There is some underlying mystery as to what is being hidden by the community, but it doesn't really go anywhere interesting/unexpected. Just that they're protectful of their culture and they kept spying on their residents. I've heard this tonal shift is common for the creator's projects, but it just didn't click with me and I haven't seen any of his other works (yet).
There's also a really silly (IMO) action sequence in this sideplot where an old man spins around in his electric wheelchair, blocking bullets and shooting people with a bow and arrow, but it just seems silly how he remains unharmed and goes John-Wick-style in a pretty slow action scene.
This is not to say that it's all bad moments and there's nothing enjoyable about it. The music is something really special about this show. In the first few episodes specifically, the tracks that play soon after a major disaster always feel sad but with a hint of hope. Character/plot-wise, I really enjoyed the mystery behind Dr. Onodera's knowledge of the earthquakes and Japan's fate. Go, the brother, has a very interesting arc of being ashamed of his Japanese nationality -- learning English through the internet and wanting to live somewhere where he'll fit in better like his Youtuber Idol. That Youtuber Idol -- KITE -- seems very well-travelled and I like how he keeps things under control till the very end, though he does seem a bit of a deus-ex-machina sometimes with how much he knows how to do with little explanation behind it (like driving an amphbious tank). There's also some really heartwarming scenes like the constant shift between bleak human death and the survivors' need to keep spirits high and cherish the moments they have with each other through taking pictures. There's a nice rap battle scene later on where the kids all share their thoughts about their own regrets in life and how they feel about Japan itself.
It ends with a very cool monologue from Ayumu about her resilience and thankfulness to everyone who came before her and her striving to keep going forward no matter what hardships she might endure, because there's always something to fight for. (also a nice heartwarming credits song that I don't understand).
Here's a good, short review that I mostly agree with and probably summarizes my thoughts way better than I try to explain above.
So I tried to give Soul Eater another chance last night and not much doin. I watched the first episode quite a while ago and wasn't really feeling that either, though now I have an even stronger grip on the problem than I did before: it still comes down to the dialogue.
Simply put (and I do mean simple), it sounds like they translated the lines from Japanese into a decent state and then called it a day. I suspected this was the case before, but I've since learned and seen a little more on subs to grasp that as the core problem. It seems Japanese have certain tendencies about their language and culture that while understandable in English, is either pretty straightforward or presumably not as awkward to say.
The obvious source of that habit here would be the emphasis on a particular thing like Maka being called flat chested--you get it, but you also notice how awkward and/or repetitive they are to include in the script. That's something that I knew the Japanese think more casually about and likes to toss in where they can for humor, but I don't believe it reads well in English and you could even argue it's a less than comfy thing to talk about outside of more slice of life contexts. The climax of the first episode noticeably did it in what was supposed to [appear to] be a cruel sharp turn of events, but it just kinda makes you grimace and feel it could've been expressed differently--hold on to that thought.
The second episode is less awkward, but definitely more repetitive and thus less interesting/tolerable as Black Star seems to have a neutral Napoleon complex obviously due to being the little kid of the cast(or most of it anyway). Which I guess is a fun idea in tandem with his shared ninja motif, but him literally using the words "Big Man" to describe himself everytime kinda took away from the comedy and made him feel more one dimensional. The episode overall felt like it had a specific direction and yet also didn't because while it was mainly about establishing Blackstar & [scythe maiden] as characters, there honestly wasn't anything encouraging me to care about them compared to Maka & [Shark teeth]. I was already playing a game on my phone while I was watching it, but I honestly felt more engaged with the rather lowkey play compared to the episode because the latter was more rudimentary than it needed to be and there was less attention required to follow what very little was going on.
Which is the main issue I have with this show thus far: everything expressed through the script feels so literal and there's no pizzazz to any of the rather basic characterization and storytelling going on, even for the very beginning of a show. Focus on Black Star here, the word big is one of the broadest words out that even toddlers learning to speak grasp as one of their most important words, likely due to being easy to use yet important for comparison; that means there's a large number of synonyms and associated words that can used in its place for a variety of reasons, but they insisted on just having him say that consistently even though he accurately cites astronomy as a category as well as a theme.
So let's apply that one of his exchanges with his partner(Tsubaki?) for example: I believe he said something about her and everyone not being much compared to a big man like him or some shit like that? Well why not change that interaction to have him claim she looks up to him? 1. It's obviously varying up the terminology, 2. it inherently brings age into the conversation, emphasizing that he's a little kid, and 3. there's even a little humor to him saying that, given that she acts his humoring mentor but mainly due to how she's clearly one of the taller characters whereas he's the shortest. That's just something I pulled out once I noticed that angle, but it goes to show how the dialogue could've had a bit more life to it to go along with the attempted emphasis on the show's quirkiness.
But as all that dialogue talk hammers in again, it's that the show itself is either not being sold that well or maybe even doesn't have much going on even for where it's at. From the getgo, Souleater is a show that feels like "boy, the Zanpakto Arc of Bleach was cool!" being explored alongside the weirdness of something like Panty & Stocking or Bobobo Bobo-Bobo. The characters are agents of the Grim Reaper going around collecting the many souls of bad guys like monsters, witches, and gangsters to rise up in their grade level or something while keeping them under control. While it's been enough time that I don't remember much of the specifics, I will say that the first episode was comparatively more engaging in establishing the leads, the dynamic regarding their pairing ([Sharkteeth] was a rogue weapon, right?), and their dual motivations in tandem with their connection to the Grim Reaper and his scythe-man; as an aside, it was also neat how the three put in a brief appearance in the second episode, even if [Shsrkteeth]'s relevant line did nothing to actually help Blackstar be established beyond stating the very general given.
It's just that, while it's good to establish your main cast at the beginning so you can accustomed to them for the journey ahead, I'm kinda not seeing any hint of where this can go even with the intro showing more significant characters? It feels like it's trying to be character based hijincks in the meantime before the plot itself comes about and I realize I'm literally only two episodes in, but again they didn't do much to earn my interest or entertain between the Blackstar duo being bland templates for a funny character with "depth" and Maka's somewhat interesting premise having had a questionable joke about their goal at the end of the debut. So both the humor and to a lesser extent writing are a bit lacking to start off with.
The next episode is about Death the Kid and those twins? Idk, getting mixed vibes from that; maybe it'll be better than the first two combined and actually encourage further watching or maybe it'll just be another eh that'll verify my original decision to not bother. We might see.
I watched the first 2 Indiana Jones films but for some reason, I cannot find The Last Crusade on Netflix.
Friend Request
The Forest
Sinister 2
Tonight I saw Scott Pilgrim vs. The World in theatres on a Big Screen. Best of all, it was absolutely free.
I’ve seen the film before (quite a few years ago though if I'm not mistaken), enjoyed it, but this time after watching it I can say with certainty that it is one of my most favourite films ever.
Some extremely stylish presentation/editing + great special effects + electrifying soundtrack + hilarious, clever dialogue + a Canada/Toronto-based look? Ooooooh this film is such a fun ride. Best part of the night is that the parents came along too and they really enjoyed the film way more than they were expecting. (and why not come? It’s literally a free movie night out.)
I forgot how fast-paced the start of this film is, as up until the first Evil Ex Fight, you’re jumping from one place to the next in some impressive camera angles and editing, but it can throw you for a bit of a loop. You learn to get used to it and appreciate it (or at least it stops jumping around locations and time frames as much). Definitely one of the coolest things about Edgar Wright’s films -- the smash-cut type editing, always a great thing to see in his films.
The small sound effects that play after key dialogue is also such a great auditory treat. There’s usually some microphone ring (be it loud or quite soft) during any awkward looks, often some video game-type sound effects after a realization or a lead up (like the whole Legend of Zelda treasure-chest tune or the puzzle solved theme).
The cast is pretty star-studded and each fit their roles really well (and nail the look of each character from the comics -- that I’ve seen -- still haven’t bought books 4-6.)
Maybe it’s due to a larger screen or bigger sound, but there’s a lot of new details I found while watching the film, some more hidden than others. Many of the closeup shots in the scenes between Scott and Ramona have the blurred-out lights in the background turn into hearts.
Near the end of the film I noticed a character in the background say something along the lines of “oh yeah the comics were better than the movie” lol.
There’s a cute continuity moment in the final fight where Scott takes off his jacket that’s padded orange on the inside, as the fight begins and the crowd disperses, you can still see Scott’s orange jacket laying in the middle of the room.
As for a detail that isn’t really so hidden -- I did realize that in every situation involving one of his girlfriends/ex-gfs, if it gets awkward, he peaces out. It’s always a “I have to go…” or “I have to go pee”. And yeah Scott is quite the dick. I can see why Michael Cera was hired since he offers some lovable doofiness to Scott that you still can’t help but love, despite his flaws.
I don’t really know how the final fight’s coin-explosion worked -- maybe it’s CGI, maybe it’s all real, maybe it’s both (gotta be since many of those coins were real objects) -- but wow that’s got to be a lot of scrap metal props! Fake loonies and toonies for days!
A few weeks ago I watched Clue: The Movie an old 70s(?) flick based on the board game. It was very silly, fun and funny. And there’s this group of friends from school I had that said the movie was the most quotable movie ever. I disagree with that statement. **This movie - Scott Pilgrim -- is the most quotable movie I’ve seen. Too many good lines and jokes.
“Once you were Vegon, now you will Begone!”
“...Vegon? [dies]”
“Comeau, you know everyone, right?”
[Comeau: Knows Everyone]
“Who’s this?” [shows a scribble of a drawing]
“Oh that’s Ramona Flowers!”
“We are Sex Bob-Omb and we are here to make money and sell-out and stuff…”
“I’m in lesbians with you.”
[later] “Oh… I said lesbians! grunt
This might not be the most ‘high-class art’ of cinema, but it’s damn well made and a very enjoyable action/rom-com. Overall it’s a 8/10 probably in my book. I’d give it an A-.
And the music -- oh man the music!! -- such a great mix of rock and chiptune-style tunes throughout the film. I definitely had to look up the original score afterwards to check out some of the music, because some fight scenes really have a lot going on visually and with sound effects. Here’s a few that y’all might like:
Love Me Some Walking
Rumble
The Grind
The Vegan
Bass Battle (best enjoyed with stereo headphones!)
Sorry I Guess
Roxy
Katayanagi Twins vs. Sex Bob-Omb
Chau Down
Death to All Hipsters
Boss Battle
Bye and Stuff
Oh. And it's not in the official soundtrack but someone tried to recreate the ethereal-sounding Zelda: Fairy Fountain Theme heard in one of Scott's dream sequences.