AvaKane

Thanks for summing up the old 2003 series. While I have yet to actually experience the 3-D Clone Wars on the whole, I do think there are certain strengths to be found on in the more extended 3-D series where character development and themes can breathe. At the same time, I always loved the old series for its stark minimalism and non-moralizing nature. It was always about the “war is hell” experience.

Thank you for summing up the unexpected rich qualities of Rick and Morty. It’s incredible that the premise of this show has opened the possibilities, including the insanely great episodes that experiments with split screen to convey a cartoony quantum mechanic visually.

But make the show so noteworthy is how it conveys that “chaotic, complex” universe. There’s not just the Jellybean character who’s unspeakably and incomprehensibly evil, there’s also the fact that you’ll notice that plenty of the antagonistic-like character (like Scary Terry and Snowball) have human edges to them.

You have a rich knowledge of other medias to show parallels Rick and Morty have to other old works like I Robot.

The show is a playground of visuals and commentary. Like in the more family friend Adventure Time (with Justin Roiland cited as an influence), somewhere in the crudeness of Rick and Morty’s black humor, is an undercurrent of existential emotions that strikes us when it’s least unexpected. The priceless humor of Rick and Morty burying their other dimensional counterparts is the pinnacle of existentialism. And nor does the show brush over it as a one-time heavy gag. It comes back in the form of this profound statement, “Every day, I eat breakfast feet away from my own rotting corpse… Nobody exist on purpose, we’re all going to die, come watch TV with me?”

Thanks for that tribute to a wonderful actor and this makes me regret even more that I haven’t really experienced the plethora of works he had done (I learned about “Name Your Poison” after his passing).

He always had such dignity to everything he did.

Well, thanks for giving me titles to add to my To Watch list. Too sad, they didn’t appear in Netflix streaming. But I’ll check them out.

I had always been aware there has been indeed some CGI in Mad Max applied, but the only instances in my personal viewing experience of Conspicuous CGI was the flying guitar and wheel. And for me to only tally of “two” of those instances is astounding for me these days.

We will always acclaim this film precisely because of its practical effects and how we notice that they are AUTHENTIC right on the screen (the stunts particularly). But do not forget the skillfully sleight of some CGI to give the scene the right scope and atmosphere.

This is useful. So many interesting aspects you covered here on the idea of privilege and how Korra must expand her privileged consciousness in the moment the non-bender calls out “you’re our Avatar too.”

While I think Korra had its shortcomings about demonstrating the privilege aspect, especially considering the sudden retrieval of her Bending power after a moment of angst and the fact that the non-Bender plot was not focused on in favor of Korra’s arc, all these themes are very much strong and present in the world of Korra. It’s that political aspect that makes it a very remarkably substantial commentary. At the very least, the non-Benders do get to elect their leader by Book 2.

I think some additional commentary lies in Asami’s backstory, who had her mother murdered by a firebender, which is identical to Mako’s backstory about the loss of his parents. I think to have these identical circumstances for both Bender and Non-Bender, Mike and Bryan are ultimately suggesting that Amon’s myopic views don’t really benefit the Non-Benders he sought to protect. Where was he when those innocent non-Benders civilians were riled by the police?

Thanks for the lovely read!

Many times in movies, I do find many sex scenes indulgent because, yes, voyeurism entertainment. But when well done, they are not pointless and might allow us to invest in the characters’ emotional joy. Much like in Titanic, my preference does lean toward the more reserved illustration of sex on screen. Titanic uses the visual cue rather than the sexual act, so as indicated in your article, it gives more breathing space to absorb the intimacy than the physical act. Though in some films, the director needs to conscious about portraying a sexual act as over-explicit, depraved, or even repellent to convey certain moods as appropriate to the story.

When conducting a sex scene, the director must consider: How does one choreograph it in a way that gives the character psychological and emotional weight? How far does s/he need to go to perfect his desired mood?. How would the director minimize the exploitative accusations of the scene if s/he must go far?

It’s nice to read this article. Yes, directors, like Wes Anderson and Tim Burton often will have a trademark. It would be nice to have filmmakers that can rotate around styles and forms, but we shouldn’t really hold it against these directors for having their own signature style. It’s as much as a disservice to reprimand a director, “stick with what you know!” as “why can’t you do something different.” They can be useful advice or recommendation for directors, but it shouldn’t be manifesto for a director’s choice. If we should criticize an overuse of style, perhaps we should aim those criticisms against the technique rather than the existence of style.

In some ways, how style works can depend on story, whether the director picks up a screenplay written by someone else (probably an adaptation of a source material) and/or when director handles the story during production. I think of the 2012 Anna Karenina directed by Joe Wright, screenplay by Tom Stoppard. Stoppard wrote the movie as a straightforward period piece, but would later approve of director Joe Wright’s idea to incorporate a modernistic stage fantasy element to the setting. The result got some mixed reception (I understood the criticisms but found it to be a fine piece of filmmaking and storytelling). Of course, there’s subjectivity to contend with. Some might find Wright’s addition to be distracting while some (such as I) found it as serviceable and characteristic for the interpretation of the story.