diana

I was excited when I first heard there was a show about a female soccer team lost in the woods eating each other, then disappointed when I found out it was about cannibalism.

Jeez, the snowflaky reactions of straight white men because not every single episode and narrative centres them - anything deviating from that priority is apparently "woke". Get over yourselves, you egomaniacal bigots.

Anyway, another great episode that nicely expanded Ellie's backstory - bonus points for the Mortal Kombat II appreciation, too :nerd:

The first Pixar movie that I ever cried for, maybe it was the beautiful art, the compelling story or the fact that I was being represented on tv, no I'm not a sea monster, but if you replace all of the times that "sea monster" was said in this film and instead use "gay" you'll get what I mean. Hat's off to the writers, I could go on and on about how perfect the parallels are but I'll just have to silenzio bruno!!

This is not a movie about dragons and the world of Kumandra. This is about Earth, this is the real world. We are divided, groups of people completely hating each other inside the same nation.
Unfortunately we are facing our own Druun, our plague. But as in the movie, this isn't our biggest problem. The real enemy is our inability to work together as a community, to put aside political views and really trust each other, working together for the best of everybody.

Beyond the important and necessary message, the movie is a fun adventure, the world building is great and the technical aspect is what you would expect of a Disney movie.

just give elsa a girlfriend already

Each episode has me more and more impressed with Bella's portrayal of Ellie. It's excellent.

Also, Ellie checking her hair in the reflection was super cute.

so im just supposed to go on with my life after this?????????

crying and sobbing. ji-yeong was so sweet. and ali! and il-nam. fucking hell.

[7.7/10] I love me some gray areas in my Star Wars. Don’t get me wrong, the light side vs. dark side stuff. But as I’ve grown older, I appreciate stories, including Star Wars stories, that acknowledge our communities and our choices are rarely that simple.

So I like the fact that the Nightsisters (or at least some kind of presumably related witches’ coven) are presented as a counterpoint to the Jedi, not the villains of the piece. This flashback serves a number of purposes. It gives us some of that vaunted backstory, to help us understand where Osha and Mae and Sol and others are coming from. It fills in the gaps of the events that loom so large in the histories of our twin protagonists, letting the audience see them (or most of them) after being tantalized by only being told about them so far.

But most of all, it establishes a different, but no less valid alternative to the force-users we know. We’ve seen the Jedi. We’ve seen the Sith. We’ve seen the Nightsisters who, while sometimes sympathetic (hello Fallen Order fans!), also seem to be harnessing some kind of black magic. We’ve seen the Bendu, who’s more neutral than gray. And we’ve even seen the more passive and meditative Bardottans. (Aka, the species Jar Jar’s girlfriend is from -- no I’m not joking.)

But we’ve never seen anything quite like this coven led by Osha and Mae’s mother, Mother Aniseya. I love that they have a different take on the Force. The coven thinks the Jedi view the Force as a power to be wielded, whereas they view it more as a thread, a tapestry between peoples and events, that can be tugged and pulled to cause changes amid that weaving. Their perspective on the Force is a collectivist one, where their connection to it is given strength by the multitude, in contrast to the Jedi’s view on attachments. And they don’t view the Force as directing fate, but rather as providing for choices -- one of the core ideas of the franchise.

That is all neat! One of the best parts of The Last Jedi is the notion that the Force does not belong to the Jedi. It is, instead, something that flows through all peoples. Exploring that there may be different religions out there, different means of reaching and interpreting it, adds depth ot he world and adds complication to the binary. It’s nearly never a bad thing to add that kind of complexity and ecumenical spirit to your universe.

More or less. One of the other things I appreciate is that the Coven and the jedi view one another with suspicion, even though they’re mutually respectful at first. The coven sees the Jedi as arrogant, too focused on power, too individualistic. The Jedi view the Coven as dark, as corrupting, as dangerous. I’m always a fan of shows that don’t present one perspective, but rather explore how the different vantage points affect the different views groups may have of one another. (Shades of Deep Space Nine from the other major star-bound franchise!)

This is all to say that the Coven is different than what we’re used to, but no less valid. The Jedi as we see them here are different than what we’re used to, but not invalid. And their twin approaches, alike in dignity, come through in the fulcrum between the Coven and the Order: Mea and Osha.

Let’s talk about the elephant in the room with those two. The young actress (actresses?) who play the earlier version of the twins aren’t very good. That's no sin. Giving a convincing performance as an adult with years of experience remains startlingly difficult. But the reality is that, though these young actors are giving it their all, there is a put on, stagey quality to the performance that can take you out of the moment. I dearly hope the fandom is kind to them nonetheless. It’s tough being a young performer, especially in a high profile role. But despite a nice moment from Osha when she realizes the gravity of what she’s lost, a lot of the acting from the kiddos is apt to take the viewer out of the moment.

Thankfully, the writing helps make up for it. Not for nothing, given Lucasfilm’s current ownership, much of this feels like the first act of a film from the Disney Renaissance. Osha could be your classic Disney princess. She loves her family and wants to do good and be righteous, but she has this yearning for something different, beyond the garden gate. The episode lays it on a little thick in places, but it’s a venerable story beat for a reason. There’s something compelling about someone trying to make the best of a family situation that doesn’t quite fit them but yearning adventure out past the horizon. (I mean, hey, it worked for Luke Sykwalker.) Osha is roughly one “I want” song from joining the little mermaid and company.

What I like about it, though, is that you feel for all sides of this situation. You feel for Osha. She wants to have an existence separate from her twin. She doesn’t feel like she fits in with the Coven. She doesn’t want to disappoint her moms or her sister. But she doesn’t want to lie. She doesn’t want to deny herself. She doesn’t want to give up this thing inside her telling her she wants more, or at least different.

You feel for Mae. She admittedly, has signs of being the “evil” twin. (Though I guess they both seem to use their force powers to freeze that translucent butterfly? I’ll admit, it was confusing who was who there at points.) She feels at home in the Coven. She loves the immediate family and the wider one. She has power and ease, and the confidence that comes from feeling that you’re where you ought to be. In the end, she does a terrible thing, but she’s an eight-year-old lashing out at an unfortunate situation. In the larger than life confines of fiction, it’s an easy thing for me to forgive.

You feel for Mother Aniseya. She is trying to protect her people. She wants to raise her daughters in her own proud tradition. But she also wants them to find their own path to it. But, from the vantage point of being a little older and a little wiser, she knows that what you want can change. What makes sense in the exuberance of youth can fall out of favor when it makes contact with the knots and tangles of that great ethereal thread. Wanting to protect your child, to instill your values in theme, while respecting their autonomy as young people is an impossible balance. Aniseya handles it with understanding and grace.

Heck, you even understand Mother Koril, who is the more strict and belligerent parental figure here. The cultural conditions are mostly implied, but it’s easy to intuit how the Coven has been marginalized, diminished, possibly by Force. The girls represent their future, and it seems to have required a great deal of her and her partner to make that happen. Why wouldn’t she do anything to protect her girls, and mistrust the Jedi who would deign to take their future away from her and her family?

And you also feel for Sol. The Acolyte already conveyed a very fatherly vibe between him and Osha,but this episode cements it. I have my qualms about what happens to the young woman, but Sol seems searnest when he tells her that she could be a great Jedi, when he imparts that courage means pursuing honestly what you want, when he embraces her in the throes of tragedy and wants to take her on as a surrogate child. The estranged relationship between them in the present is counterbalanced by this fraught but touching connection between them in the past.

Of course, that past is no less slippery. For one thing, there’s still much that's alluded to that we don’t quite see. Presumably there was some conflict between the Jedi and the Coven that Osha wasn’t privy to, which we’ll see down the line. Presumably, it’s part of what spurred Mae to take the actions she did. Presumably it’s why there’s great regret among the Jedi who survived the encounter. And that's before you get into the fact that apparently Mother Aniseya channeled some forbidden magic, or at least did something controversial, to bring the twins’ lives into being. There’s plenty of lore and intrigue yet.

But for now, at least, we have two cultures at odds with one another, in ways that question and complicate our sympathies. This is Star Wars. We know who the Jedi are. We’re apt to side with them, to see them as Osha does, as peacekeepers and heroes of the galaxy. (Even if we’ve seen their ossification and dissolution over the course of the Prequels.) When Osha wants to be a Jedi, and her witch family tells her to lie, to deny herself what she wants in the same of something she’s uncertain about, it’s easy to see Indara and company as rescuers.

And yet, it’s also hard not to see this different means of reaching the Force, that is apparently all but outlawed, and not have serious qualms about the equivalent of religious persecution. The notion that the Coven is allowed to exist, but forbidden from passing on their knowledge to children is startling. It’s clear that there remains animosity between the Coven and the Jedi, born of mutual mistrust, with ostensible peacemakers and instigators. And it’s hard to think of Republic law allowing the Jedi to test and, with some permission, take children away to be taught in their fashion, without thinking of real life colonial schools, and so-called “residential schools” in the United States, that have a checkered history at best.

So while the show makes things a little too blunt with Mae and Osha standing across from one another on a broken bridge, you get the reasons behind the actions and anguish between these two young girls, between their various parents, between Jedi and the Coven. This is not black and white, good and evil, light and dark. This is something more muddled and uncertain than that. And it portends deeper and more interesting things as the mythos of Star Wars evolves before our eyes.

(Speculative spoilers: My bet is that Mae’s master is one of her moms, probably Mother Koril. THough I guess it being the comparatively peaceful and forgiving Aniseya would be a bigger twist. The law of conservation of characters suggests it’s one of them, unless it’s secretly Master Vernestra or something. But one of the moms would be the bigger emotional gut punch, so I presume and hope it’s one of them.)

How did that sex scene manage to be less graphic yet so much hotter than the ones between Simon and Daphne? Anthony and Kate truly outsold

Immensely entertaining, intriguingly philosophical and just about one of the best films ever made!

This last episode was everything. So beautiful and yet so sad. Mike Flanagan, you did it again (as you did in season 1) and made me care deeply for the characters and now I’m sitting here bawling my eyes out.

Funny to see some Weeknd fans having a meltdown because of the bad ratings. This looked shit from the trailers.

Seriously a fantastic film. Some of the best acting, direction, writing, and cinematography you’ll see all year. Kerry Condon better win an Oscar for this.

3 Thoughts After Watching ‘Fear Street Part One: 1994’:

1. Lemme tell you… I loved it! It was nostalgic. It was an homage to so much that has come before (that intro had ‘Scream’ written all over it). But it also had a hefty dose of originality. Great characters you cared about. It took risks. It surprised you. And it was a LOT more mature than I expected it to be. I loved the books way back when, and this made me wanna read them again. Bravo.

2. I LOVED the LGBT twist in the beginning! Did NOT expect that person to be Sam. Solid execution.

3. It had a bit of a Hocus Pocus vibe to me, which made the character deaths and the paths into “Rated R” territory that much more effective. It was a weird and welcomed mix.

Bonus Thought: I legit can’t wait for the next one. Super invested.

Good god this was HORRIBLE.
I can't remember the last time I felt actually annoyed to my core just by watching TV. 20 mins in and I pushed hard to reach that far and I couldn't go any further.
This is absolute trash on all aspects. There's absolutely nothing redeeming here and it's all just bad. It's not that it wasn't good. It's actually BAD.

I'm enjoying it so far (3 episodes in), but I want to rate it higher just because it's upsetting so many people that don't like shows about empowered women

HAROLD, THEY'RE LESBIANS!

yeah... so... it's a ok movie there is a lot of problems like... WHY THE F*CK did you leave a cursed book that can ruins an entire city on the cave? seriously that NO ONE of the FIVE PEOPLE thought : humm.. maybe we shoul take that book and burn or secure somewhere else. yeah yeah... movie script to maybe a sequel.

I went in expecting a totally creepy ghost story.... Now I’m in tears. What a beautiful love story!!!

Kids are into anime, and Airbender, so we checked this out one evening. Entire family enjoyed it, including mom & dad. Creative, well done, great dialogue, cool characters. Surprised us all, and can't wait for the next season.

I have a very big question ... If they used a gem and only brought back half down their father's body, why if they use another gem, the upper half of the body isn't appear for another whole day yet?

HOW is this show not a total cringe-fest... why is it actually kinda good

Lesbians let's go!!! Watch it!!!
Finally some great :waving_white_flag::rainbow: representation!
I'm in love with this show :heart:

This show is so fucking good. The writing is spectacular. The actors are so genuine and adorable. This show will have you laughing as it kicks you in the feels. It’s so refreshing. Truly a must watch, shit ass.

I love that there are a lot of people who were hoping to see a bunch of queer people be killed in a slasher movie, only to spend 2 hours finding out that the real horror is homophobia and conversion therapy itself.

I was ok with it all, then the last 3 minutes I was balling damn this show, haha

sobbed for the entire last thirty minutes

The adventure begins, they were always beside you

Sobering, harrowing, sharp; How To Have Sex pulls back the curtain on the much glamourised coming-of-age drinking holidays that permiate teenage British drinking culture, and reveals the cold, isolating and downright depressing reality that comes after the loud music and copious amounts of alcohol. The death of childhood and innocence, the split in friend groups as life paths are chosen and become more defined, the rush to grow up and complete milestones by societal predefined times, the unspoken trauma of our first sexual encounters that are brushed off due to intoxication and expectation; it's all shown so realistically and relatably that it's shocking we all have similar experiences yet nothing seems to change or improve. A modern tragedy, and a very important one at that.