4815162342 Posted March 21, 2019 Author Share Posted March 21, 2019 The Epsilon Syndicate: Union of Thieves Spoiler It has flash, it has style, it has grit, it has energy. It's, as others have said, a CAYOM Kingsman, only it exchanges the Bond satire for a much straight-forward and noir-ish tone. Though it never quite captures the loopy shock-and-awe gusto of the opening scene, the film plugs along with good fun and ferocity, even if the film sags a little in the middle and third act with a little overplotting. Emily Blunt is quite good as the assistant from Devil Wears Prada who now knows kung fu, the sardonic demeanor giving a little extra kick to what is mostly a standard mentor role with a side of shady past. Thomasin McKenzie is wide-eyed and plucky, ready to scrap at a moment's notice but willing to hold the line of her inner principles. I think the film probably went a little overboard with Meredith, making it too obvious from the get-go that she was just an oblivious pawn. Blue Eyes is suitably savage, though I think the film could have played up some additional charm with him, since it never felt like Nadine was ever in any danger in following down his same path. There's a bit of standard boilerplate to the film, but the style and the generally whipsmart casting and dialogue gives it a stronger punch. I am quite curious to see how this new series develops down the line. 8.4/10 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4815162342 Posted March 21, 2019 Author Share Posted March 21, 2019 6 minutes ago, Spaghetti said: Hide contents That would be a pretty...underhanded move. (If that pun ensures a negative review it will have been worth it) You are so lucky I did not read this until after I posted my review. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ezen Baklattan Posted March 21, 2019 Share Posted March 21, 2019 1 minute ago, 4815162342 said: The Epsilon Syndicate: Union of Thieves Hide contents It has flash, it has style, it has grit, it has energy. It's, as others have said, a CAYOM Kingsman, only it exchanges the Bond satire for a much straight-forward and noir-ish tone. Though it never quite captures the loopy shock-and-awe gusto of the opening scene, the film plugs along with good fun and ferocity, even if the film sags a little in the middle and third act with a little overplotting. Emily Blunt is quite good as the assistant from Devil Wears Prada who now knows kung fu, the sardonic demeanor giving a little extra kick to what is mostly a standard mentor role with a side of shady past. Thomasin McKenzie is wide-eyed and plucky, ready to scrap at a moment's notice but willing to hold the line of her inner principles. I think the film probably went a little overboard with Meredith, making it too obvious from the get-go that she was just an oblivious pawn. Blue Eyes is suitably savage, though I think the film could have played up some additional charm with him, since it never felt like Nadine was ever in any danger in following down his same path. There's a bit of standard boilerplate to the film, but the style and the generally whipsmart casting and dialogue gives it a stronger punch. I am quite curious to see how this new series develops down the line. 8.4/10 Spoiler What I tried to do a bit with Meredith was set her up as a woman trying to cover up her deadly competence, something that the Syndicate can catch on to. However, it turns out that's really just who she is. Maybe a bit more could have been done with that, but I think the next two films give me a lot more freedom to play in this world now that the basics have been set up. Thanks for the strong review! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4815162342 Posted March 21, 2019 Author Share Posted March 21, 2019 In the Valley Spoiler Tremendous visual panache, camerawork, sound design, to make you feel claustrophobic and dwarfed by the scale of one of nature's most terrifying weapons. The characters are cardboard-thin, and most exist just so the audience can experience the near-misses, the close-calls, and in a couple cases, the tragic consequences. The film at just over an hour and a half knows not to overstay its welcome and stays to the point: This tornado is going to ruin your day. It's a film to see on the big screen, and I imagine it will have life as a time-waster on cable TV on a weekend afternoon. 6.8/10 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rorschach Posted March 21, 2019 Share Posted March 21, 2019 Me after Numbers reviews Bambi: 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cookie Posted March 21, 2019 Share Posted March 21, 2019 (edited) Alright, time for my responses (spoiler warning for those who haven't read TSW2) Spoiler Quote The beating heart of the film is the question of whether two races, long at war, can put aside their differences and live in peace and build a future together. The immediate answer Scavvies give is hell no, too much pain, too many old wounds, too many past injustices, to just be swept aside, and the result being the innocent paying the price. This is especially the case when the leaders preventing reconciliation are bolstered by lies, deceit, and manipulations turning common folk into angry mobs. I mentioned a few months ago that I've been thinking a lot more about the overarching themes and ideas I want to communicate in my writing and TSW2 was my first real stab in that, so I'm glad to hear it came through loud and clear. I think the opening text sets up a pretty decent thesis statement and that bit is honestly one of the things I'm most proud of regarding the film. Both Voltron and Scrooge will be heading in the same general direction (i.e bigger ideas and themes) and I'm very excited to see how they play out. Quote The idea of an implacable , merciless, uncaring horde engaging in mass destruction and slaughter as part of a plan to head off an even worse calamity is an interesting one (and trivia fact, was the original foundation for the Reapers in the Mass Effect games before that got changed when new lead writers took over for ME3), but it is developed not that much here, more as a "this is what is to come" hook. Fair enough. I think the most interesting thing about Ares (btw you said nothing regarding Lord Serkis or ScavAlex Crazy Stalker so I'd love to hear your opinions on them) to me is the fact that despite him being a kaiju-esque monster ruling a relentless empire he's still deathly afraid of what's out there. It sort of parallels what you hear about real dictators - they fear nothing more than losing their grip on power and will do anything to keep it. Quote MEW is bitter, cynical, snarky, determined, despondent, and an absolute delight as Lucina the Relentless. She drives the film forward with energy and vigor, and when she turns into a downright nasty and threatening force of nature in that one scene, you see just how close she might have slipped into someone like Packer if she hadn't made some right choices in her past. Lucina will go to much darker places before we're done here. She was already bitter and depressed over losing people close to her once (twice if you count Barks and Joel/Kira separately), so losing a second/third time when it was supposed to be her moment to be the hero is going to take a serious toll on her. Quote Tamara holds her own well, but the character is more reactive in this one, and I hope the next time we see her she takes charge more of her destiny rather than letting forces around her drive the conversation. Tamara being reactive in this story is very much intentional. She's had a "love will save the world" mindset from the very beginning - in the first movie she insisted that she could get Packer and the H.F.F to listen to her even if everyone said she couldn't, and as it turned out Packer was long far gone at that point - and her role in Part II is for that whole mindset to be refuted in the most brutal way possible. Her stubbornness to hold a festival celebrating peace and inclusivity during a serious crisis not only drove away her new love but also backfired on her spectacularly, plus left her open and vulnerable for Sal to try and swoop in. Her meltdown when Lucina tries to escort her through the city streets as a massacre is happening around them I think encapsulates a lot of what I just said. Next time we see her her outlook will definitely mature. Wether she goes full cynical is up in the air, but the way her mother described her would provide a road map. Quote Bex Taylor-Klaus gives a soulful performance as Sunn, growing up very quickly over the course of the film from an amiable, naive schoolgirl into Goku. Maybe a little too fast in the evolution of her powers. Another fair point, but I hope this has taken into consideration just how her and Luna's powers actually work: Spoiler Luna gives in and explains - making Lucina and Sal promise they won’t tell anyone, especially Tamara - that they don’t technically have the power to do what they do, rather they pray to their ancestors to lend them their strength. “Then why did the brandy disappear again?”, Lucina questions and Sunn reveals that their ancestors don’t always listen, at least not for prayers they don’t deem worthy - the flower bush in this case was worthy because Sunn was giving the flowers life. I sort of wanted their power levels to be on a sliding scale instead of going from one to a hundred and staying there. That can risk leading to one or two copouts down the line though so I'll have to keep that in mind. Quote Ben Foster is a slimy smiling shit in the way that Ben Foster excels at playing I was honestly worried about how he would be received given how little screentime he actually has prior to the third act. I was never going to top Packer with him anyhow so I just made him as big of a shitstain as possible. Quote And of course we salute Arthur the Rock Master, Kenny B doing yeoman's work. Everyone should salute Arthur. Quote Luna is more of a background character and a plot device in the film, developed much less than Sunn. She's another character I hope a future film lets take the reins a bit. I think the way Ares refused to explain why he only took Sunn and not her, plus the whole giant tree beast thing provides a fair bit of hints as to what's going on with Luna. The plan is for future sequels to delve into those bits. Edited March 21, 2019 by cookie 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xillix Posted March 21, 2019 Share Posted March 21, 2019 I'm probably the most disappointed in In the Valley of anything I've written for the game. I had a friend in high school who lost her house in that tornado. And another friend who lost her HIGH SCHOOL in that tornado. But there was just too much shit weighing me down this round out and I couldn't see putting it off for another game year. Very fair review. 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4815162342 Posted March 21, 2019 Author Share Posted March 21, 2019 6 hours ago, Xillix said: I'm probably the most disappointed in In the Valley of anything I've written for the game. I had a friend in high school who lost her house in that tornado. And another friend who lost her HIGH SCHOOL in that tornado. But there was just too much shit weighing me down this round out and I couldn't see putting it off for another game year. Very fair review. I was wondering why you chose something probably no one else here likely knew ever happened 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4815162342 Posted March 21, 2019 Author Share Posted March 21, 2019 7 hours ago, cookie said: Alright, time for my responses (spoiler warning for those who haven't read TSW2) Reveal hidden contents I mentioned a few months ago that I've been thinking a lot more about the overarching themes and ideas I want to communicate in my writing and TSW2 was my first real stab in that, so I'm glad to hear it came through loud and clear. I think the opening text sets up a pretty decent thesis statement and that bit is honestly one of the things I'm most proud of regarding the film. Both Voltron and Scrooge will be heading in the same general direction (i.e bigger ideas and themes) and I'm very excited to see how they play out. Fair enough. I think the most interesting thing about Ares (btw you said nothing regarding Lord Serkis or ScavAlex Crazy Stalker so I'd love to hear your opinions on them) to me is the fact that despite him being a kaiju-esque monster ruling a relentless empire he's still deathly afraid of what's out there. It sort of parallels what you hear about real dictators - they fear nothing more than losing their grip on power and will do anything to keep it. Lucina will go to much darker places before we're done here. She was already bitter and depressed over losing people close to her once (twice if you count Barks and Joel/Kira separately), so losing a second/third time when it was supposed to be her moment to be the hero is going to take a serious toll on her. Tamara being reactive in this story is very much intentional. She's had a "love will save the world" mindset from the very beginning - in the first movie she insisted that she could get Packer and the H.F.F to listen to her even if everyone said she couldn't, and as it turned out Packer was long far gone at that point - and her role in Part II is for that whole mindset to be refuted in the most brutal way possible. Her stubbornness to hold a festival celebrating peace and inclusivity during a serious crisis not only drove away her new love but also backfired on her spectacularly, plus left her open and vulnerable for Sal to try and swoop in. Her meltdown when Lucina tries to escort her through the city streets as a massacre is happening around them I think encapsulates a lot of what I just said. Next time we see her her outlook will definitely mature. Wether she goes full cynical is up in the air, but the way her mother described her would provide a road map. Another fair point, but I hope this has taken into consideration just how her and Luna's powers actually work: Reveal hidden contents Luna gives in and explains - making Lucina and Sal promise they won’t tell anyone, especially Tamara - that they don’t technically have the power to do what they do, rather they pray to their ancestors to lend them their strength. “Then why did the brandy disappear again?”, Lucina questions and Sunn reveals that their ancestors don’t always listen, at least not for prayers they don’t deem worthy - the flower bush in this case was worthy because Sunn was giving the flowers life. I sort of wanted their power levels to be on a sliding scale instead of going from one to a hundred and staying there. That can risk leading to one or two copouts down the line though so I'll have to keep that in mind. I was honestly worried about how he would be received given how little screentime he actually has prior to the third act. I was never going to top Packer with him anyhow so I just made him as big of a shitstain as possible. Everyone should salute Arthur. I think the way Ares refused to explain why he only took Sunn and not her, plus the whole giant tree beast thing provides a fair bit of hints as to what's going on with Luna. The plan is for future sequels to delve into those bits. Spoiler Ares didn't stand out too much to me, in part because we didn't see much of him, but also because his supposed prowess and might got somewhat undermined by the Zedium reveal not that long after we had him in action. Some fun evil monologuing, but he didn't seem too deep a character. Sal is pretty much what my earlier notes indicated. Crazy stalker PTSD lady whose heel turn was somewhat telegraphed, especially with her being in the opening scene of seeing humans massacre everyone around her. It's a good role, and I am curious to see how her divided loyalties evolve going forward. Jarek doesn't get a lot of impact in the first couple acts, but that wasn't too big an issue since he's more of a stand-in for a species' collective frustrations and lingering memories. I actually would have eliminated the scene where he sits with Tamara at the dancer audition and acts like a dick for the lulz. It was nice to see him alternate between douche and terrified when interacting with Ares. Gave a little variation to the character. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4815162342 Posted March 22, 2019 Author Share Posted March 22, 2019 Hello everyone, welcome to Rory Wants To Terrorize Your Kids 1 2 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rorschach Posted March 22, 2019 Share Posted March 22, 2019 9 minutes ago, 4815162342 said: Hello everyone, welcome to Rory Wants To Terrorize Your Kids How far into it are you? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4815162342 Posted March 22, 2019 Author Share Posted March 22, 2019 4 minutes ago, Rorschach said: How far into it are you? Done. Bambi: A Life in the Woods Spoiler I hate these reviews, reviews where someone clearly put a lot into this film, and I just could not fully get into it. On a techncial level it is exquisitely crafted, with remarkable CGI/mocap for the creatures and characters. But by God, is the pacing such a slog. The 2.5 hour running time shows, I mean really shows, as the film meanders from vignette to vignette, more stream of consciousness than actual narrative. Which for a film showing the cycle of life and time in the progressive incursion into nature is actually a good idea. But not where the film goes on for as long as it does with as many divergent wandering strands as it has. Some of the narrative strands and extraneous characters should have been left on the cutting room floor, they mostly just repeat other events and don't add much other than additional scenes of natural and man-made cruelty. Additionally, if you bring your little kids to this film, you deserve all of the times you get woken up the next few months by their nightmares. 5.8/10 Sorry 1 2 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cookie Posted March 22, 2019 Share Posted March 22, 2019 3 minutes ago, 4815162342 said: Additionally, if you bring your little kids to this film, you deserve all of the times you get woken up the next few months by their nightmares. Isn't it PG-13 to be fair? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4815162342 Posted March 22, 2019 Author Share Posted March 22, 2019 Just now, cookie said: Isn't it PG-13 to be fair? Do you actually think most parents will actually notice that after seeing the words "Bambi"? You overestimate average American intelligence 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4815162342 Posted March 22, 2019 Author Share Posted March 22, 2019 Now it is time to pour one out for the substituted Anna Kendrick @Blankments 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rorschach Posted March 22, 2019 Share Posted March 22, 2019 10 minutes ago, 4815162342 said: Done. Bambi: A Life in the Woods Hide contents I hate these reviews, reviews where someone clearly put a lot into this film, and I just could not fully get into it. On a techncial level it is exquisitely crafted, with remarkable CGI/mocap for the creatures and characters. But by God, is the pacing such a slog. The 2.5 hour running time shows, I mean really shows, as the film meanders from vignette to vignette, more stream of consciousness than actual narrative. Which for a film showing the cycle of life and time in the progressive incursion into nature is actually a good idea. But not where the film goes on for as long as it does with as many divergent wandering strands as it has. Some of the narrative strands and extraneous characters should have been left on the cutting room floor, they mostly just repeat other events and don't add much other than additional scenes of natural and man-made cruelty. Additionally, if you bring your little kids to this film, you deserve all of the times you get woken up the next few months by their nightmares. 5.8/10 Sorry I'm not too disappointed. I kinda expected in the back of my mind that this film would be a bit divisive. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4815162342 Posted March 22, 2019 Author Share Posted March 22, 2019 A Woman in the Crowd Spoiler @Blankments I remembered almost nothing about this film other than you being upset about Anna Kendrick getting snubbed at the 2.0 Oscars and the Thing That We Shall Not Reference. So I went into this basically blind, and I don't recall if you said you made any changes or not. So, going in fresh, I kinda loved it. It's wonderfully staged between past frustration and present desperation, filled with inspiration. It's an emotionally fraught piece of work that tugs at the heartstrings and hits with gut punches to the aorta. That said, I don't know if ATJ was the best choice for Lyra. I thought Anna Kendrick was a great great choice back in 2.0 days, but of course she's aged out of the role by now unless you rewrote some of the character backstories. Someone closer to that kind of actress that can merge exasperation, darkly comic frustration, with a inner tenderness. My second-guessing over that casting dinged this down a couple decimal points. So you only get a 9.5/10 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4815162342 Posted March 22, 2019 Author Share Posted March 22, 2019 Reading Sabrina now @Slambros I will say this now, essentially writing out each scene like a script with every line of dialogue is not a great writing style for the game IMO. It stretches out the length of the "film" when a lot of these scenes could be summarized much shorter but retain the same content and essential information. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SLAM! Posted March 22, 2019 Share Posted March 22, 2019 1 minute ago, 4815162342 said: Reading Sabrina now @Slambros I will say this now, essentially writing out each scene like a script with every line of dialogue is not a great writing style for the game IMO. It stretches out the length of the "film" when a lot of these scenes could be summarized much shorter but retain the same content and essential information. Understood; I'll decrease the amount of dialogue in my subsequent projects. Thank you! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ezen Baklattan Posted March 22, 2019 Share Posted March 22, 2019 4 minutes ago, Slambros said: Understood; I'll decrease the amount of dialogue in my subsequent projects. Thank you! I hate to be that guy, but.... Spoiler I think you can get a good balance in between. Breaks of dialogue in particularly help make it easier to parse through longer projects, especially. You don't need to do a line by line script, but definitely sill feel free to write out dialogue based scenes, especially if it helps. As wordy as it is, TSW2 does a good example of this. 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
