tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-69975809994031294852024-03-14T01:27:21.395-04:00This is Madness!Chris Widdophttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08976278029088673041noreply@blogger.comBlogger366125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6997580999403129485.post-41252019838500516162023-12-25T21:15:00.001-05:002023-12-29T19:28:27.601-05:00My Top 5 Movies of 2023We've reached the end of another year, which means that it's time once more to count down my favorite movies that I saw from the past year. But first...
<p>
<a name="rrr"></a><center><b>Honorable Mention from 2022</b><br />
<img src="https://i.imgur.com/EDJ0nEl.jpg"><br />
<b>RRR</b><br />
(S. S. Rajamouli)</center>
<p>
<a href="http://cwiddop.blogspot.com/2022/12/my-top-4-movies-of-2022.html">Like with Belle last year</a>, I once again find myself in a position where I didn't see my actual favorite movie from the previous year until we had already entered the new year. And this time around, that movie was RRR, which I was finally able to catch after it had gotten rereleased to theaters for a week earlier this year. Had I seen it in time, it would've easily topped out my list from 2022, so it certainly deserves mentioning now. I had heard people raving all last year about this film, and I was thrilled to finally see for myself that this one more than meets the hype. In fact, it shares a commonality with my #1 pick for this year in that it's just such a breathe of fresh air, and a reminder of just how good movies still can be.
<p>
Now then, onto this year's list...
<p>
<center><b>#5</b><br />
<img src="https://i.imgur.com/7fuc1XQ.jpg"><br />
<b>Big George Foreman</b><br />
(George Tillman Jr.)
<p>
<b>#4</b><br />
<img src="https://i.imgur.com/dsIFPzn.jpg"><br />
<b>The Creator</b><br />
(Gareth Edwards)
<p>
<b>#3</b><br />
<img src="https://i.imgur.com/WrbuTCW.jpg"><br />
<b>Sound of Freedom</b><br />
(Alejandro Monteverde)
<p>
<b>#2</b><br />
<img src="https://i.imgur.com/53KS4wE.jpg"><br />
<b>Oppenheimer</b><br />
(Christopher Nolan)
<p>
<a name="godzillaminusone"></a><b>#1</b><br />
<img src="https://i.imgur.com/ZElt2zn.jpg"><br />
<b>Godzilla Minus One</b><br />
(Takashi Yamazaki)</center>
<p>
Some pretty decent films round out my Top 5 of 2023, but none of them come anywhere close to the quality of Godzilla Minus One, which stands leaps and bounds above the competition. Honestly, this film feels like an all time classic right on arrival, and as I mentioned above, it serves as a reminder of just how good movies can still be in the modern landscape of the medium. It's not just a great Godzilla film (and the best Godzilla film to date at that), but even beyond the kaiju genre, it's a genuinely outstanding film all around. With a gripping story, relatable characters, jaw dropping effects work, breathtaking action, and a brilliant utilization of the classic Godzilla themes, this is one to definitely check out on the big screen.
<p>
So there it is. For now, at least. Because who knows, if the last two years are anything to go by, I very well might still yet stumble upon another movie from this year that happens to best even Godzilla as my favorite from the year. We'll see!Chris Widdophttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08976278029088673041noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6997580999403129485.post-62869503481275261782023-09-11T20:48:00.000-04:002023-09-11T20:48:15.826-04:00Babymetal - Live Review from Atlanta, GA 2023<center><img src="https://i.imgur.com/T40AxdD.jpg"></center>
<p>
It's been four years since Babymetal last toured the United States. And four years ago, I was lucky enough to catch them three times, <a href="https://cwiddop.blogspot.com/2019/09/babymetal-legend-c-in-orlando-and.html">including seeing them for my birthday in Orlando on September 4th, 2019</a>. Now, four years later, they've finally made their way back out here again. And, again, they've made it out around my area just in time for my birthday (well, the day before my birthday to be exact, but close enough). This time out they emanated from the Coca-Cola Roxy in Atlanta, GA on September 3rd, 2023 as part of their Babyklok tour, and let's just say that it was well worth the wait. Back in 2019, some members of the fandom dubbed my birthday show as "Legend C", so I suppose this time out we can perhaps refer to it as "Legend 1986"?
<p>
I got seats this time around, which meant I didn't have to arrive <i>super</i> early like before, but I did wander around a bit before the show to see if I could find any of my friends from the last time they were here. I did find one of them, and we caught up for a bit before they started letting us into the venue.
<p>
<center><img src="https://i.imgur.com/M1ndAoU.jpg"></center>
<P>
Once inside, I was initially put off by my seat, in which my view was partially obstructed by an inexplicably placed huge stanchion.
<p>
<center><img src="https://i.imgur.com/y8LQTqx.jpg"></center>
<P>
Thankfully though, a couple who had gotten their seats split up was willing to trade with me, and I wound up getting a much better view.
<p>
<center><img src="https://i.imgur.com/QPIizrU.jpg"><br />
<i>Much better.</i></center>
<p>
Still though, it's rather baffling that those seats are even available for purchase. The seat directly beside me literally has <i>no</i> view of the stage, and I noticed that a number of people who were seated there eventually moved elsewhere as the show progressed.
<p>
Onto the show, first up was Jason Richardson, a lone guitarists who performed on stage to a backing track. I mean, the music itself was fine, highlighted by a genre-hopping track not unlike something we might hear from Babymetal themselves, but the performance did feel kind of awkward just seeing the dude all by himself up there. Could he really not gather together a full band to perform on stage with him?
<p>
Next up was the co-headliners of the show, Dethklok, the cartoon band from the Adult Swim show Metalocalypse.
<p>
<center><img src="https://i.imgur.com/91TkaIn.jpg"></center>
<p>
For the first half of their set, I was actually digging them. Again, the music's not bad, even if it isn't necessarily my taste, but the presentation was rather neat, as the cartoon characters were shown performing the songs in the background while the live band performed on stage. At first I thought this was actually a pretty good fit for a co-headliner with Babymetal, who are also quite a visual-heavy band. But then, about halfway into their set, the backing images started to become rather pornographic, which was honestly pretty off-putting.
<p>
The show was listed as appropriate for all ages, and Babymetal themselves are a very family friendly band, and I had seen a number of people bringing their kids to this show. So for Dethklok to move forward with this presentation was honestly kind of gross. Perhaps a censored version of the visuals would have been more appropriate, or just rotate in different songs that aren't as explicit. Otherwise, the band played for an hour, and it honestly did start to drag about halfway into the set. I didn't hate them or anything, but I also wasn't super thrilled with them, either.
<p>
But anyways, onto better things, my favorite band in the whole world was up next, and as always, they never fail to deliver big. I did take a few photos and video clips, but for the most part, I just wanted to take in the atmosphere and just really be there in the moment. They came out wearing their new outfits, which sort of resemble Power Rangers suits when viewed in person, and kicked things off with a song that, before this year, I was convinced I was never going to be able to see live, that being <i>Babymetal Death</i>.
<p>
<center><img src="https://i.imgur.com/hjmUEoJ.jpg"></center>
<p>
From there, they moved onto <i>Gimme Chocolate</i> and <i>Pa Pa Ya</i>, and I couldn't wipe the grin off my face as I took in the party-like atmosphere. The Gods of the West performed an extended intro for <i>Distortion</i>, which went long enough to where I thought we might be in for some new solos or something leading into the song (we were not), and during this period, guitarist Chris Kelly was motioning for the crowd to form a circle pit, which sadly didn't gain much traction. Su was able to succeed in getting the pit going later in the song, but from my vantage point, I did notice how the pit seemed a lot less rowdy this time out compared to years past.
<p>
<i>BxMxC</i> was a blast to experience live. And on this evening, our rotating song from The Other One album that we were treated to was <i>Mirror Mirror</i>, which I was very happy by. This song is one of my favorites off the new album. It's one that's brought me to tears listening to on occasion, and seeing it live certainly struck an emotional chord with me as well.
<p>
<center><img src="https://i.imgur.com/S88sT07.gif"></center>
<p>
<i>Monochrome</i> was next, and I've gotta say, this song hits <i>way</i> different live. Like, I could feel this song in my <i>chest</i>. Very powerful performance, and I loved the moment where Su asked all of us to take out our phones and shine our lights.
<p>
<center><img src="https://i.imgur.com/oR0Lik4.gif"></center>
<p>
While the previous two songs might've brought a string of emotional powerhouses, the next song was likely the highlight of the evening, as they performed their brand new song <i>Metali</i>. And let me tell you, the live version of this song is simply <i>bonkers</i>. Starting off with some sweet new Kami solos, this song truly feels like theater to watch on stage. There's a moment about halfway in where Su asked everyone in the crowd to sit down, and everyone in the pit proceeded to do just that. We then witnessed Momoko's cool solo moment, ending with her growling, "Are you ready?", as the music kicks in and everyone in the crowd hopped back up to their feet. This was just awesome to be a part of live.
<p>
We then rounded out the evening with a number of classics, including an especially hard hitting performance of <i>Megitsune</i>...
<p>
<center><img src="https://i.imgur.com/JqKJoj9.gif"></center>
<p>
... and moving on to their appropriately timed performance of <i>Headbanger</i>. They play this song on the band's big birthday celebration shows, and so far, they've played it every time they've come around for my birthday, too. I wonder if Koba's seen my posts on social media?
<p>
<center><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/SO9s98zArqk?si=ndzFXKyAIQTNL0Xw" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe><br />
<i>Headbanger - Legend 1986 Version</i></center>
<p>
They closed out their show with <i>Road of Resistance</i>, though at the very beginning of the song, I noticed that something went awry with Moa's flag. She leaned down to check on one of the security guys in front of the crowd, then laughed it off with Momoko afterwards. Closer fan cams would later confirm that she had indeed accidentally hit the security in the head with her flag pole, and was apologizing for the incident afterward. The song itself was fantastic as always, and brought us home in a big way, after which they had told us, "See you!", to which I gleefully yelled it back in return.
<p>
So yeah, another successful Babymetal show, and I honestly think this one may have topped their prior performances I had seen from Orlando and Atlanta in 2019 (not The Forum, though. That one's still the best I've seen live). Even if their show may be relatively short (only an hour, though it went by so quick I'd swear it was half that length), they always deliver, and put on a hell of a spectacle that just demands to be seen in person. I would absolutely see them again whenever they may make their way back around, and if you get a chance to see them near your area, I can't recommend it enough.
<p>
<center><img src="https://i.imgur.com/6ri1cuZ.jpg"></center>Chris Widdophttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08976278029088673041noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6997580999403129485.post-9425231145921834172023-03-22T14:03:00.003-04:002023-03-22T14:03:40.543-04:00Velcro the Ninja Kat: Second Edition Paperbacks - Now Available!!<center><img src="https://i.imgur.com/1OJS9u1.jpg"></center>
<p>
Our 10 year celebration of Velcro the Ninja Kat continues with these brand new commemorative Second Editions of the Ninja Kat novels, featuring updated text, and dynamic new cover art capturing key moments from the story. Click the links below for each corresponding book, and order your copies today!
<p>
<center><img src="https://i.imgur.com/ReRCMVZ.jpg"><br />
<a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BZ6GZ7HW">Velcro: The Ninja Kat - Second Edition Paperback</a><br />
<br />
<img src="https://i.imgur.com/upg1U6c.jpg"><br />
<a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BZ6YL9XG">Velcro: The Green Lion - Second Edition Paperback</a><br />
<br />
<img src="https://i.imgur.com/gsya2gO.jpg"><br />
<a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BZ6Q9W6B">Velcro: The Masquerade - Second Edition Paperback</a><br />
<br />
<img src="https://i.imgur.com/8FCBlAm.jpg"><br />
<a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BZ6SVDMC">Velcro: Polluted War - Second Edition Paperback</a><br />
<br />
<img src="https://i.imgur.com/FcLUJXD.jpg"><br />
<a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BZ6YS5SX">Velcro: The Egg Hunters - Second Edition Paperback</a></center>
<p>
<a href="http://www.velcrotheninjakat.com/">www.VelcroTheNinjaKat.com</a>Chris Widdophttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08976278029088673041noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6997580999403129485.post-7556310873945917532023-02-13T14:34:00.005-05:002024-02-01T19:55:13.577-05:00Movies I've Seen Multiple Times in the TheaterI'm sure most of us have come across certain movies that we've wound up going back to see again while it was still in theaters. Sometimes we get dragged out to the same movie multiple times by different groups of friends (Van Helsing), or sometimes we happen to stumble upon something that's so good that we just have to go back out and experience it again and again (Belle). Heck, sometimes that movie's so good that we wind up being that friend that drags everyone else out to see it, so that they can experience its greatness for themselves (Dredd)!
<p>
Well, over the years, I've been keeping track of the movies that I've seen in the theater multiple times, and now here's what that list looks like today.
<p>
(To be updated periodically)<a name='more'></a>
</p><p>
</p><center><b>9 Theater Viewings:</b><br />
<img src="https://i.imgur.com/u4Vou7W.jpg" />
<p>
<b>5 Theater Viewings:</b><br />
<img src="https://i.imgur.com/TOl1FYY.jpg" />
</p><p>
<b>4 Theater Viewings:</b><br />
<img height="248" src="https://i.imgur.com/QIkzKpL.jpg" width="160" /><img height="248" src="https://i.imgur.com/fYdeC5Q.jpg" width="160" /><img height="248" src="https://i.imgur.com/VuOXt2S.jpg" width="160" /><img height="248" src="https://i.imgur.com/KV2aNGF.jpg" width="160" /><img height="248" src="https://i.imgur.com/UjGYz3w.jpg" width="160" /><img height="248" src="https://i.imgur.com/W4b6pNn.jpg" width="160" /><img height="248" src="https://i.imgur.com/HWSsjCK.jpg" width="160" />
</p><p>
<b>3 Theater Viewings:</b><br />
<img height="248" src="https://i.imgur.com/hGNGy9h.jpg" width="160" /><img height="248" src="https://i.imgur.com/pN3LwFR.jpg" width="160" /><img height="248" src="https://i.imgur.com/KAfMGpJ.jpg" width="160" /><img height="248" src="https://i.imgur.com/QqJlpfJ.jpg" width="160" /><img height="248" src="https://i.imgur.com/Zu67nTF.jpg" width="160" /><img height="248" src="https://i.imgur.com/9NC7AmS.jpg" width="160" /><img height="248" src="https://i.imgur.com/DULeNPO.jpg" width="160" />
</p><p>
<b>2 Theater Viewings:</b><br />
<img height="248" src="https://i.imgur.com/IOvysmZ.jpg" width="160" /><img height="248" src="https://i.imgur.com/I3qljXG.jpg" width="160" /><img height="248" src="https://i.imgur.com/T4zacNu.jpg" width="160" /><img height="248" src="https://i.imgur.com/ETVgnNt.jpg" width="160" /><img height="248" src="https://i.imgur.com/LXepx3L.jpg" width="160" /><img height="248" src="https://i.imgur.com/jETPMql.jpg" width="160" /><img height="248" src="https://i.imgur.com/iuhIYPq.jpg" width="160" /><img height="248" src="https://i.imgur.com/JS2A7Cq.jpg" width="160" /><img height="248" src="https://i.imgur.com/yRKbjiy.jpg" width="160" /><img height="248" src="https://i.imgur.com/OZy0jgw.jpg" width="160" /><img height="248" src="https://i.imgur.com/VQqmg44.jpg" width="160" /><img height="248" src="https://i.imgur.com/gy8YXxK.jpg" width="160" /><img height="248" src="https://i.imgur.com/aYrQkmw.jpg" width="160" /><img height="248" src="https://i.imgur.com/hFOsAJW.jpg" width="160" /><img height="248" src="https://i.imgur.com/Sto2CUp.jpg" width="160" /><img height="248" src="https://i.imgur.com/jYAPOOA.jpg" width="160" /><img height="248" src="https://i.imgur.com/2vr8Ga0.jpg" width="160" /><img height="248" src="https://i.imgur.com/dQ6f98v.jpg" width="160" /><img height="248" src="https://i.imgur.com/YsH3yjd.jpg" width="160" /><img height="248" src="https://i.imgur.com/mWvefWp.jpg" width="160" /><img height="248" src="https://i.imgur.com/jLP693U.jpg" width="160" /><img height="248" src="https://i.imgur.com/EMqlCPy.jpg" width="160" /><img height="248" src="https://i.imgur.com/fjLakSs.jpg" width="160" /><img height="248" src="https://i.imgur.com/9oJLhlj.jpg" width="160" /><img height="248" src="https://i.imgur.com/E9g22in.jpg" width="160" /><img height="248" src="https://i.imgur.com/ShWtrzG.jpg" width="160" /><img height="248" src="https://i.imgur.com/sjUT4pT.jpg" width="160" /><img height="248" src="https://i.imgur.com/UswBpi0.jpg" width="160" /><img height="248" src="https://i.imgur.com/WqeLUBl.jpg" width="160" /><img height="248" src="https://i.imgur.com/Pjvz2cf.jpg" width="160" /><img height="248" src="https://i.imgur.com/1QX10hA.jpg" width="160" /><img height="248" src="https://i.imgur.com/FZrebND.jpg" width="160" /><img height="248" src="https://i.imgur.com/Sb8uEqc.jpg" width="160" /><img height="248" src="https://i.imgur.com/QPNobUM.jpg" width="160" /><img height="248" src="https://i.imgur.com/5HXyWHv.jpg" width="160" /></p><p></p><p></p><p></p></center>
<p>
What all movies have you seen more than once in the theater?</p><p></p><p></p>Chris Widdophttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08976278029088673041noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6997580999403129485.post-91506694772390292492023-02-02T21:22:00.003-05:002023-02-02T21:22:50.542-05:00The Art of the Ninja KatAs we continue our 10 year celebration of Velcro the Ninja Kat, let's take a look back at some of the artists who have contributed over the years in bringing this journey to life.
<p>
<center><b><font size=5><a href="https://twitter.com/nocturneequus">Sharon Kemmerer</a></font></b><br />
<img src="http://i.imgur.com/X08Wpjb.jpg"><br />
Velcro: The Ninja Kat - First Edition (2012)
<p>
<b><font size=5><a href="http://www.velcrotheninjakat.com/2017/04/about-artist-of-velcro-ninja-kat-comic.html">Trevor Tee</a></font></b><br />
<img src="https://i.imgur.com/O3NVQ29.jpg"><br />
Velcro: The Comic (2013 - 2014)<br />
<img src="http://i.imgur.com/c2lDNAY.jpg"><br />
Velcro: The Green Lion - First Edition (2014)<br />
<img src="http://i.imgur.com/POXLTcS.jpg"><br />
Velcro: The Masquerade - First Edition (2016)
<p>
<b><font size=5><a href="https://www.instagram.com/Wheelsaroundthesun/">Christine Schongar</a></font></b><br />
<img src="http://i.imgur.com/Nt39xD0.jpg"><br />
Velcro: Polluted War - First Edition (2017)<br />
<img src="https://i.imgur.com/GU6aQlv.jpg"><br />
Velcro the Ninja Kat presents: Kip (2018)<br />
<img src="https://i.imgur.com/K1CYSiK.jpg"><br />
Velcro: The Egg Hunters - First Edition (2020)
<p>
<b><font size=5><a href="https://www.facebook.com/artoftravisearls">Travis Earls</a></font></b><br />
<img src="https://i.imgur.com/32Ea13R.jpg"><br />
Velcro the Ninja Kat: The Complete Edition (2022)
<p>
And introducing...<br />
<b><font size=5><a href="http://www.danielhookerart.com/">Daniel Hooker</a></font></b><br />
(Click on the covers to expand)<br />
<a href="https://i.imgur.com/nahG7qq.jpg"><img src="https://i.imgur.com/ReRCMVZ.jpg"></a><br />
Velcro: The Ninja Kat - Second Edition<br />
<a href="https://i.imgur.com/PwzXVag.jpg"><img src="https://i.imgur.com/upg1U6c.jpg"></a><br />
Velcro: The Green Lion - Second Edition<br />
<a href="https://i.imgur.com/5708zUJ.jpg"><img src="https://i.imgur.com/gsya2gO.jpg"></a><br />
Velcro: The Masquerade - Second Edition<br />
<a href="https://i.imgur.com/UlQGSqj.jpg"><img src="https://i.imgur.com/8FCBlAm.jpg"></a><br />
Velcro: Polluted War - Second Edition<br />
<a href="https://i.imgur.com/rv9yqaS.jpg"><img src="https://i.imgur.com/FcLUJXD.jpg"></a><br />
Velcro: The Egg Hunters - Second Edition
<p>
Coming soon...</center>
<p>
<a href="http://www.velcrotheninjakat.com/">www.VelcroTheNinjaKat.com</a>Chris Widdophttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08976278029088673041noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6997580999403129485.post-66503921362685105772023-01-16T19:06:00.001-05:002023-12-29T19:26:06.948-05:00My #1 Movie of the Year, Every Single YearWhile I haven't actively been reviewing movies anymore for a few years now, one thing I still like to do all the same is, at the end of each year, I still enjoy ranking my favorites from the past year. And seeing as how I've been consistently ranking my favorite films every year since 2009, I thought it might be fun to look back and see what I chose at the time to be my #1 favorite movie from each year (as well as the decades as a whole). So, without further ado, here are my #1 Movies of the Year from every single year that I've been consistently ranking movies:
<p>
<center><b><a href="http://cwiddop.blogspot.com/2010/01/my-top-10-movies-of-2009.html">2009</a></b><br />
<img src="https://i.imgur.com/sR3skkx.jpg"><br />
<b>Avatar</b><br />
(James Cameron)
<p>
<b><a href="http://cwiddop.blogspot.com/2010/01/my-top-10-movies-of-2009.html">2000 - 2009<br />
Best of the Decade</a></b><br />
<img src="https://i.imgur.com/Gu5Tv0f.jpg"><br />
<b>Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith</b><br />
(George Lucas)
<p>
<b><a href="http://cwiddop.blogspot.com/2010/12/best-movies-of-2010.html">2010</a></b><br />
<img src="https://i.imgur.com/hlzAWSE.jpg"><br />
<b>Inception</b><br />
(Christopher Nolan)
<p>
<b><a href="http://cwiddop.blogspot.com/2011/12/my-top-10-movies-of-2011.html">2011</a></b><br />
<img src="https://i.imgur.com/Ae5AF8y.jpg"><br />
<b>Sucker Punch</b><br />
(Zack Snyder)
<p>
<b><a href="http://cwiddop.blogspot.com/2012/12/my-top-10-movies-of-2012.html">2012</a></b><br />
<img src="https://i.imgur.com/D1MkhmB.jpg"><br />
<b>Dredd</b><br />
(Pete Travis)
<p>
<b><a href="http://cwiddop.blogspot.com/2013/12/my-top-10-movies-of-2013.html">2013</a></b><br />
<img src="https://i.imgur.com/aIAlCyb.jpg"><br />
<b>Iron Man 3</b><br />
(Shane Black)
<p>
<b><a href="http://cwiddop.blogspot.com/2014/12/my-top-5-movies-of-2014.html">2014</a></b><br />
<img src="https://i.imgur.com/KgKbl5y.jpg"><br />
<b>Interstellar</b><br />
(Christopher Nolan)
<p>
<b><a href="http://cwiddop.blogspot.com/2015/12/my-top-10-movies-of-2015.html">2015</a></b><br />
<img src="https://i.imgur.com/ZYDu7Z5.jpg"><br />
<b>Inside Out</b><br />
(Pete Docter)
<p>
<b><a href="http://cwiddop.blogspot.com/2016/12/my-top-10-movies-of-2016.html">2016</a></b><br />
<img src="https://i.imgur.com/O6PqJR4.jpg"><br />
<b>La La Land</b><br />
(Damien Chazelle)
<p>
<b><a href="https://cwiddop.blogspot.com/2017/12/my-top-10-movies-of-2017.html">2017</a></b><br />
<img src="https://i.imgur.com/4sPmkuo.jpg"><br />
<b>Logan</b><br />
(James Mangold)
<p>
<b><a href="https://cwiddop.blogspot.com/2018/12/my-top-4-movies-of-2018.html">2018</a></b><br />
<img src="https://i.imgur.com/x8pE6c6.jpg"><br />
<b>Bohemian Rhapsody</b><br />
(Bryan Singer)
<p>
<b><a href="https://cwiddop.blogspot.com/2019/12/my-top-5-movies-of-2019.html">2019</a></b><br />
<img src="https://i.imgur.com/hLuMxt9.jpg"><br />
<b>Frozen II</b><br />
(Chris Buck, Jennifer Lee)
<p>
<b><a href="https://cwiddop.blogspot.com/2020/01/my-top-15-movies-of-decade-2010-2019.html">2010 - 2019<br />
Best of the Decade</a></b><br />
<img src="https://i.imgur.com/ZgfSbSP.jpg"><br />
<b>Frozen</b><br />
(Chris Buck, Jennifer Lee)
<p>
<b><a href="http://cwiddop.blogspot.com/2020/12/my-top-10-movies-of-2020-or-10-movies-i.html">2020</a></b><br />
<img src="https://i.imgur.com/2EB5ufg.jpg"><br />
<b>The Hunt</b><br />
(Craig Zobel)
<p>
<b><a href="http://cwiddop.blogspot.com/2021/12/my-top-5-movies-of-2021.html">2021</a></b><br />
<img src="https://i.imgur.com/I78QU77.jpg"><br />
<b>Raya and the Last Dragon</b><br />
(Don Hall, Carlos López Estrada)
<p>
<b><a href="http://cwiddop.blogspot.com/2022/12/my-top-4-movies-of-2022.html">2022</a></b><br />
<img src="https://i.imgur.com/nU5hRFr.jpg"><br />
<b>Sonic the Hedgehog 2</b><br />
(Jeff Fowler)
<p>
<b><a href="http://cwiddop.blogspot.com/2023/12/my-top-5-movies-of-2023.html">2023</a></b><br />
<img src="https://i.imgur.com/0YOCozT.jpg"><br />
<b>Godzilla Minus One</b><br />
(Takashi Yamazaki)</center>
<p>
And there it is. And while I do still stand by most of these, there are a few which I would totally swap out for another movie at this point. However, while I was considering sharing those picks that I'd change, I instead decided that I'd just like to let these initial picks stand on their own. After all, the Academy doesn't get to go back and say what movies they <i>would</i> have picked for Best Picture if they changed their minds years later, so who am I to go back and retroactively change what's essentially my own picks for Best Picture each year at the time.
<p>
But anyways, those are my original picks for #1 Movie of the Year each year. What movies were your favorites from each year at the time? Chris Widdophttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08976278029088673041noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6997580999403129485.post-60071162845182603242022-12-31T19:27:00.000-05:002022-12-31T19:27:27.074-05:00My Top 4 Movies of 2022It's that time once again. Let's take a look at what wound up being my favorite movies I watched from 2022. But first...
<p>
<a name="belle"></a><center><b>Honorable Mention from 2021</b><br />
<img src="https://i.imgur.com/C5Wh6t3.jpg"><br />
<b>Belle</b><br />
(Mamoru Hosoda)</center>
<p>
Technically a 2021 release, though it didn't come out theatrically here until January this past year, I mention it now because it's without a doubt the absolute best new movie I've seen this whole year (the best new movie I've seen in over three years in fact), and it's not even close. If it counted as a 2022 film, it'd easily top this list. And had I seen it before posting my list last year, it would've easily topped that one, too.
<p>
A modern day retelling of Beauty and the Beast for the social media age, this was just such a gem of a movie. I was so impressed with the film upon initial viewing at the theater that afterwards, I immediately left for the ticket counter, purchased another ticket, and watched it a second time in a row right then and there, which is the first time I had ever done that for any movie before.
<p>
A beautiful movie with breathtaking music and a story that'll hit you in all the feels, I can't recommend this one enough. I watched both the dubbed and subtitled versions, and while you really can't go wrong either way, I'd personally suggest going with the dub on this one.
<p>
Now then, onto the entries for this year's list...
<p>
<a name="topgunmaverick"></a><center><b>#4</b><br />
<img src="https://i.imgur.com/oAPWUj8.jpg"><br />
<b>Top Gun: Maverick</b><br />
(Joseph Kosinski)</center>
<p>
Just an all around solid and impressive outing, this movie serves to remind us what going to the movies is supposed to be all about: pure escapist fun! Also perhaps the most technically impressive movie of the year as well, given everything that went in to the making of this film, and capturing everything that they did in a practical manner. Here's hoping this movie's massive success triggers a return to form of sorts for the medium moving forward.
<p>
<a name="scream2022"></a><center><b>#3</b><br />
<img src="https://i.imgur.com/LtuB8uN.jpg"><br />
<b>Scream</b><br />
(Matt Bettinelli-Olpin, Tyler Gillett)</center>
<p>
The first Scream not directed by Wes Craven, this fifth entry all the same serves as a perfect tribute to the franchise, while paying respect and staying true to Wes Craven's vision for this series up to this point. I honestly thought this was the best since the original film, and was highly impressed with its clever takes throughout. It's almost a shame that they're still planning to make more of these though, as I felt this movie also acted as a perfect sendoff for the series as a whole at that.
<p>
<a name="pussinboots"></a><center><b>#2</b><br />
<img src="https://i.imgur.com/ie28C7I.jpg"><br />
<b>Puss in Boots: The Last Wish</b><br />
(Joel Crawford)</center>
<p>
I just really dug this movie. I thought the first Puss in Boots was okay, but that it didn't quite meet the potential it had to be a truly great film. Well, eleven years later, we have a sequel that <i>absolutely</i> reaches that potential and then some, and I'd honestly say that this is just straight up the movie we should've gotten all those years back in the first place. And heck, while we're at it, I'd also say that this movie also accomplishes what Pixar's Soul tried and, in my opinion, failed to accomplish from a thematic standpoint as well, and is very much the film that movie should've been, too. There's just so much heart and charm here, and a surprising amount of character and thematic depth, all brought to life with some truly stunning animation to be found throughout.
<p>
<a name="sonic2"></a><center><b>#1</b><br />
<img src="https://i.imgur.com/HpqPl79.jpg"><br />
<b>Sonic the Hedgehog 2</b><br />
(Jeff Fowler)</center>
<p>
The Sonic movies are officially my personal Avengers films at this point. I thought the first movie was a pleasant surprise, and I found this follow-up to be similarly delightful. And enjoying this one in a crowded theater packed with enthusiastic Sonic fans especially made for a really cool experience. I'd perhaps argue that the first movie is a better and more overall solid film, but even so, this sequel is still a blast all the same, and does an outstanding job bringing the video games and these characters to life in a big way.
<p>
If there's a common theme amongst my picks this year, I'd say that a pure genuine love and respect for the source material and its existing fanbase is what you could perhaps take the most away from what helped elevate these films for me this year. And that sentiment certainly holds true in a big way with Sonic the Hedgehog 2, in which you can just tell how much the filmmakers truly love this series and are very much fans of it themselves, and in turn made a movie that fans around the world would similarly love and appreciate. Chris Widdophttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08976278029088673041noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6997580999403129485.post-44920938840754113932022-09-13T11:49:00.001-04:002022-09-13T11:49:06.573-04:00Velcro the Ninja Kat: The Complete Edition - Now Available!<center><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/hDTn0zevXKU" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe></center>
<p>
In the Country of Widows, the military organization known as the Devil Corps has waged a secret war against its own people. One cat has become aware of this evil scheme, and has set out to put an end to this brewing conflict before it's too late.
<p>
Featuring all five action packed books, this is her full magical journey, the tale of Velcro the Ninja Kat. <a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BF2S3VWB">Now available!</a>
<p>
<center><img src="https://i.imgur.com/32Ea13R.jpg"></center>
<p>
<a href="http://www.velcrotheninjakat.com/">www.VelcroTheNinjaKat.com</a>Chris Widdophttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08976278029088673041noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6997580999403129485.post-56441771913630297832022-08-28T00:40:00.008-04:002022-08-28T12:36:23.150-04:00Celebrating 10 Years of Velcro the Ninja Kat!<center><img src="https://i.imgur.com/IGA5Hgy.jpg"></center>
<p>
<a href="http://cwiddop.blogspot.com/2012/08/velcro-ninja-kat-now-available.html">Today marks the 10 year anniversary of the release of the first book in the Velcro the Ninja Kat series!</a>
<p>
<center><img src="https://i.imgur.com/X08Wpjb.jpg"></center>
<p>
It's been a long and arduous journey up to this point, and in that time we have since seen the release of <a href="http://www.velcrotheninjakat.com/p/how-to-buy.html">five Ninja Kat novels</a>, a brief <a href="http://www.velcrotheninjakat.com/p/velcro-comic.html">Ninja Kat comic book run</a>, and even a <a href="http://www.velcrotheninjakat.com/p/kip.html">live action Ninja Kat short film</a>, with much much more still to come. But today, we celebrate 10 years of progress, and begin a year long celebration that will continue to push the Ninja Kat legacy forward!
<p>
Velcro the Ninja Kat is the story of one cat's desire to save the world from a brewing evil. And as we join her on this action packed adventure in this magical world, we get to meet a wide assortment of characters and explore their various dynamics. As much as it's a story about wanting to save the world, it could be argued that it's also just as much about coming to terms with personal strife, finding peace within oneself, as within the world itself, and learning to connect with one another again.
<p>
The majority of the characters are based on actual animals, oftentimes pets of my own that I had while growing up, capturing their personalities and bringing them to life on the page, taking the various antics that the real life animals would find themselves in and expanding on those stories in a grand and fantastic way in these books.
<p>
<center><img src="https://i.imgur.com/rgbKHEh.jpg"><br />
<i>The real life Stan, and his comic book counterpart.</i></center>
<p>
Though today marks 10 years since we've officially shared this story with the world, really, this journey has been going for far longer, all the way back to my childhood. In fact, you have to go all the way back to my elementary school days to find the origins of when I first came up with the idea of the Ninja Kat.
<p>
<center><img src="https://i.imgur.com/deI3CnV.jpg"></center>
<p>
Back then, I used to play with my friends, where we would sometimes act out the different adventures that the Ninja Kat and other assortment of characters would go on. And as I said, most of the characters were based on our pets, including my childhood cat and title character herself, Velcro.
<p>
<center><img src="https://i.imgur.com/I7Pgxa0.jpg"></center>
<p>
A majority of the cast of characters was made up of my other pets that my family would get over the years, including our other cats and dogs and hamsters and rabbits and such. But even pets of long distance family members would make it into the stories, such as my family up in New York, who practically had a zoo in their house from the wide assortment of animals they had living there. And even more still, I didn't reserve it to strictly just family, but the pets of many of my friends also found their way into my novels, many of whom I'm certain still aren't even aware of it yet!
<p>
But one friend in particular is certain of his animals' inclusion, that being an old neighborhood friend, Kevin Law, who I would most frequently run off with as a child and act out our animal's fantastical adventures. In fact, a number of his pets wound up securing key roles in the story, including many of the hamsters from the original book, as well as Kip, who managed to score an entire short film about himself at that. And I know Kevin is well aware of his pets finding their way into these stories, as he's expressed his excitement and gratitude to me in regards to these callbacks.
<p>
Even beyond just the characters though, much of the world explored in these books have their origins based on real life locations. For instance, for anyone not native to Tallahassee, FL, Lake Ella is a real lake in this city, and is indeed the very lake that the one from the books drew its inspiration from. The Twin Trees are based on an area in my Mom's neighborhood where we used to play as kids, and the village of Highland itself is based on my Mom's neighborhood as well, with many of her animals residing there. And likewise, the village of Redfield is in turn based on my Dad's neighborhood, and as such, many of the characters who live in that village are in fact the same animals who lived at my Dad's house growing up.
<p>
What I also find really cool though is how even many of the original characters not actually based on any real life animals were actually characters I made up way back in my school years as well. Characters such as Vini, Buzzbee, the Devil Dog, and Bullet came about way back when I was in elementary school (I even drew pictures of them back then as well, though I have no idea where those pictures are anymore, assuming they even still exist), and then Tails Mask first came to mind sometime around middle school, with The Great Mosquito being a character who I first conjured up in high school. And ideas such as the Universal Pole saw their origins back when Kevin and I would play pretend way back as kids. And yet all of these elements, many years later, would pass the test of time and find their way into the main story once it was time to be told.
<p>
But the older I got, the more I wanted to truly pursue taking these stories of pretend and making them a reality for all to enjoy. And thus, after I graduated high school, I began looking into options to do precisely that. We actually tried the comic book route before going into novels, as I had met a few artists at work at the time who expressed interest in the project, but nothing really quite worked out back then.
<p>
<center><img src="https://i.imgur.com/FatX6lv.jpg"><br />
<i>Though it would eventually come together!</i></center>
<p>
And so, I decided instead to just write the story out as a series of books. Which of course meant that I had to actually learn how to write a novel length work.
<p>
Though Velcro: The Ninja Kat is my first published novel, it is not the first novel that I wrote. I actually got my start with novel writing through National Novel Writing Month, or NaNoWriMo, a challenge to write a 50,000 word novel in a month, and I learned a great deal from completing that challenge two years in a row. I then took all that I learned and began work on the Ninja Kat novel itself, though I chose to take my time with this one, as opposed to rushing it onto the page in a month. And after years of outlining, and writing, and workshopping my novel, finally, I was ready to share those childhood stories of my animals with the world.
<p>
And yeah, you can certainly tell that the first Ninja Kat book is still a learning process from me. But one thing that I've learned over the years as a writer is that you learn a lot with every project completed, and I feel that certainly shows in the sequels, which I am much more proud of how they turned out (and my dedicated reviewers tend to agree with the consistent improvement of quality!).
<p>
Even so, I finally had my first novel out, Velcro: The Ninja Kat. But as it turns out, getting my work out was the easy part. Now the hard part was getting people to actually read it! And so, I started marketing my book, to varying degrees of success. I've never really found too much success online, but in person, I've been able to do a bit better for the most part. I've done book signings at local bookstores, and have even gotten quite a number of stores to stock my books on their shelves.
<p>
<center><img src="https://i.imgur.com/N4ZhVSr.jpg"><br />
<i>The Ninja Kat series on display at Books at Park Place in St. Petersburg, FL.</i></center>
<p>
In addition, I also set up booths at local conventions, and I would even branch out and travel around to conventions elsewhere, trying to spread my book out as far and wide as possible. I've toured throughout most of Florida, and have spread out as far west as New Orleans, LA, and as far north as Charlotte, NC.
<p>
<center><img src="https://i.imgur.com/7lc4RV3.jpg"><br />
<i>Pictured at MegaCon 2017 in Orlando, FL.</i></center>
<p>
And throughout all of this, I would wind up meeting a number of artists who I would go on to collaborate with on future Ninja Kat projects. The cover artist for the first Ninja Kat novel, Sharon Kemmerer, is a friend who I actually met back when I was originally bringing my Ninja Kat excerpts to local writing workshop events, and it was at these events where I also met Rachel Rice and Natalia Locatelli, who helped me out quite a bit early one with a lot of the technical stuff.
<p>
<center><img src="https://i.imgur.com/2zzOyha.jpg"><br />
<i>Sharon is also quite the fan of Vini, as seen in this fan art of hers!</i></center>
<p>
Shortly after I published the first Ninja Kat novel, one of my artist friends who I had mentioned before that I used to work with had reached out to me. That artist was <a href="http://www.velcrotheninjakat.com/2017/04/about-artist-of-velcro-ninja-kat-comic.html">Trevor Tee</a>, who saw that I had published the book, and who was now eager to get started working on the comic. He had a pretty decent run, putting out 9 chapters in about a two year span, as well as doing the cover art for The Green Lion and The Masquerade. But eventually a change in career forced Trevor to have to step away from the gig, but I'd love to pursue another run with a comic book adaptation at some point in the future.
<p>
<center><img src="https://i.imgur.com/haYySsz.jpg"><br />
<i>Trevor Tee with his copy of Velcro: The Masquerade.</i></center>
<p>
One of the first conventions I ran a booth at was Alt-Con 2013 in Tallahassee, FL, and it was at this show where I met one of my biggest fans and supporters, Nikki Hall, who would go on to help me out at future shows.
<p>
<center><img src="https://i.imgur.com/wFbeMai.jpg"><br />
<i>Nikki Hall helping me run the table at Hamacon 2014 in Huntsville, AL.</i></center>
<p>
While I was touring around to various cities selling the books at conventions, I also met many other artists who I would keep contact with, and later on down the line collaborate with. Artists such as <a href="https://www.facebook.com/ccelenskiArt">Christine Schongar</a>, who I met at Florida Supercon in Miami, FL back in 2013, and who did the cover art for Polluted War and The Egg Hunters, and the poster art for Kip.
<p>
<center><img src="https://i.imgur.com/zp2cXbA.jpg"><br />
<i>Art by Christine Schongar.</i></center>
<p>
And <a href="https://www.facebook.com/artoftravisearls">Travis Earls</a>, who I met the following year at the 2014 Florida Supercon in Miami, FL, and who did the cover art for the upcoming Complete Edition, a reworking of a fan art piece he had originally given to me when we initially met.
<p>
<center><img src="https://i.imgur.com/PCspDsz.jpg"><br />
<i>Travis Earls with his fan art of Velcro the Ninja Kat, and his rework for The Complete Edition.</i></center>
<p>
And I've most recently collaborated with a fellow local artist, <a href="http://www.danielhookerart.com/">Daniel Hooker</a>, who I first met at a Free Comic Book Day book signing at Secret Headquarters in Tallahassee, FL in 2013, where he was promoting his new book HIT!, and whose contributions will be revealed soon enough!
<p>
<center><img src="https://i.imgur.com/wLlm7k1.jpg"><br />
<i>Art by Daniel Hooker. Details coming soon...</i></center>
<p>
And speaking of collaborations, a huge shout out to everyone who came together and worked on the Ninja Kat short film, Kip, including Kayla Badia, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/OfficialAndreForbes">Andre Forbes</a>, Jason Simmons, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/user/RetroVisionStudios">M.H. Smith</a>, <a href="https://soundcloud.com/outlawed-beats">Outlawed Beats</a>, and the guys at <a href="https://www.etsy.com/shop/Crinsy">Crinsy Productions</a> and Orora Arts. It might not be the most popular project I’ve completed, but it’s certainly one of my favorites. I think it came out incredibly cool as hell, and I’m really proud of what we accomplished.
<p>
<center><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/NFrhRCpx9OY" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe></center>
<p>
Though we would eventually do the live action Ninja Kat short, that outing was actually not the first time we attempted to bring the Ninja Kat off the page and into the real world. In fact, we've actually been doing it since before the first book was even published!
<p>
<center><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/lhTIhNStKlY" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe></center>
<p>
My stepmother, Valita, and stepbrother, Jason, helped me put the costume together, with Caroline Barr providing the voice in the trailer. And since that initial teaser trailer, there have been at least four people who have donned the Ninja Kat costume at events, including Jory Burks, Phil Blaiklock, Thomas Curry, and even yours truly!
<p>
<center><img src="https://i.imgur.com/N6vY7hb.jpg"><br />
<i>Jory Burks as the Ninja Kat.</i>
<p>
<img src="https://i.imgur.com/XZ66c1f.jpg"><br />
<i>Phil Blaiklock as the Ninja Kat.</i>
<p>
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/MWNleQZyDkw" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe><br />
<i>Thomas Curry as the Ninja Kat.</i></center>
<p>
Yes, I'm aware that the Ninja Kat is a female, and yet has primarily been acted out by men up to this point. Though in one of the coolest moments on my journey touring the book around at conventions, one enthusiastic female fan did come to the show cosplaying as the title character, which I suppose should count for something!
<p>
<center><img src="https://i.imgur.com/65Pkjc1.jpg"></center>
<p>
One of the most rewarding experiences along the way has been gradually growing a fanbase, and seeing some of the same people come back out to later events in order to pick up their copy of the latest releases, or sometimes to just share their enthusiasm with me in the form of fan art. I've highlighted a few pieces of fan art so far, but it's always such a cool feeling when someone is so passionate about what you're doing that they feel inspired to create a piece of art to help celebrate it with you, and right now, I'd like to share a sampling of some of the art I've received from fans over the years.
<p>
<center><img src="https://i.imgur.com/rCxrBFF.jpg"><br />
<i>Lyrics to a Ninja Kat drinking song about the hamsters written by Rebecca Gilbert.</i>
<p>
<img src="https://i.imgur.com/pDR7sIY.jpg"><br />
<i>A balloon artist made this caricature of Vini.</i>
<p>
<img src="https://i.imgur.com/v59laX8.jpg"><br />
<i>It's Ninja Kat time! Made by <a href="https://www.facebook.com/EsclairStudios/">Esclair Studios</a>.</i>
<p>
<img src="https://i.imgur.com/oCDOhSV.jpg"><br />
<i>A fan from work, with his crossover suggestion.</i></center>
<p>
So as you can see, it's been a bit of a journey up to this point! But, it wasn't always fun and games.
<p>
A little over 11 years ago, my childhood cat and best friend in the whole world, Velcro, sadly passed away. <a href="http://cwiddop.blogspot.com/2011/08/velcro.html">She died on August 6th of 2011</a>. And it's because of this that I had chosen that day to always try and promote something new Ninja Kat related, so that we can take a day of loss and sadness, and instead turn it into a way of celebrating the life of my cat once more. So that's been the reason why most years I try to have some bit of news to share on this day, though it doesn't always work out that the bit of news is Ninja Kat related. But even when it's not, it's at least something to share my creative efforts with the world, to show that I'm still working, still trudging away, and trying to get my own contribution out and into the world.
<p>
A year after she passed was the first time I shared anything in regards to Velcro the Ninja Kat in a more official manner, with the release of that initial trailer. And it was later that month, 10 years ago today, in which that childhood dream became a reality, and Velcro's own legacy had been cemented with the release of Velcro: The Ninja Kat.
<p>
<center><img src="https://i.imgur.com/wYPaWqn.jpg"></center>
<p>
And that's what today is all about! But we're not relegating the celebrations to just a mere day. We'll be celebrating 10 years all year long, and it starts with the release of <a href="http://www.velcrotheninjakat.com/2021/08/velcro-ninja-kat-complete-edition.html">Velcro the Ninja Kat: The Complete Edition</a>, a compilation of all five books, featuring updated text. It's taken longer than I would've liked to get this new edition released, but it's coming sooner rather than later, and will be followed up with even more surprise releases to come throughout the year.
<p>
And as to where Velcro the Ninja Kat will go from here? Well, without saying too much, let's just say that while the Ninja Kat's tale may be told, a legacy lives on, and there are still yet more stories to be told, in more ways to come.
<p>
I'd like to now take this opportunity to thank everyone who has joined me along the way throughout these 10 years and more. In addition to everyone I've already mentioned, I need to give a huge shout out to my Uncle Bob and Aunt Laurie, whose contributions to my novels truly cannot be measured. Thank you Mom, thank you Dad, and thank you to my family and friends who have been there for me and helped me out over the years. Thank you to everyone who's read my books, and to everyone who has continued to join us along this journey over the years.
<p>
And here's to more stories still to come. Because as far as I'm concerned, we're still only just getting started!
<p>
<a href="http://www.velcrotheninjakat.com/">www.VelcroTheNinjaKat.com</a>Chris Widdophttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08976278029088673041noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6997580999403129485.post-71995248396138439962022-08-06T13:57:00.006-04:002022-08-06T14:27:50.610-04:0010 Years Imminent11 years ago today, Velcro sadly passed away.
<p>
10 years ago today, <a href="http://cwiddop.blogspot.com/2012/08/velcro-ninja-kat-coming-soon.html">we embarked on a journey to tell her tale</a>.</p><p>
And later this month, we’ll celebrate <a href="http://cwiddop.blogspot.com/2012/08/velcro-ninja-kat-now-available.html">10 years to the day when that tale was officially shared with the world</a>.</p><p>A legacy lives on. Stay tuned…<p><a href="http://www.velcrotheninjakat.com/">www.VelcroTheNinjaKat.com</a>Chris Widdophttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08976278029088673041noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6997580999403129485.post-38262999257772586462021-12-25T19:29:00.001-05:002021-12-26T02:25:45.394-05:00My Top 5 Movies of 2021My movie viewing habits have changed in recent times. In years past, I tried to see as many movies as I possibly could in a given year. Nowadays though, I've become a lot pickier in what I choose to watch. I'm not going to see something just because it's a major tentpole movie that everyone else is seeing, or because it's some awards contender that everyone's buzzing about. No, I've reached the point where I just want to watch what genuinely interests me. And as such, I've actually watched a lot fewer movies in recent years.
<p>
And yes, I'm aware that that does mean that I've very likely missed some key releases in a given year. But, you know, I'm okay with that. I don't have nearly as much free time these days to watch nearly as many movies as I once did, and even then, I've also grown quite burned by the sheer number of underwhelming releases in more recent years as well, which contributes to why I've been less willing to make the time to see more stuff. So with that out of the way, of the movies that genuinely caught my eye and intrigued me enough to give them a chance, here is what I consider to be my favorites from the past year.
<p>
<a name="lastnightinsoho"></a><center><b>#5</b><br />
<img src="https://i.imgur.com/lRGgtPt.jpg"><br />
<b>Last Night In Soho</b><br />
(Edgar Wright)</center>
<p>
Edgar Wright's first foray into horror is largely a success. We follow a girl as she's able to slip into the mind of someone from the past and essentially experience life through their eyes in her sleep. I love how this movie really takes its time, and isn't afraid to let us get sucked into this world and the glamour of this fantastical situation before it even begins to introduce the true horror lying underneath. But once that happens, this movie gets seriously intense, and there are scenes where I was left with my eyes bulging and my breath caught in my chest at the sheer intensity on display. This movie offers a phenomenal concept with effective execution that has stayed with me long after I've awakened from its trance.
<p>
<a name="spencer"></a><center><b>#4</b><br />
<img src="https://i.imgur.com/Z1PAcqG.jpg"><br />
<b>Spencer</b><br />
(Pablo Larraín)</center>
<p>
This Princess Diana biopic starring Kristen Stewart was more than I honestly expected. I really only saw the film because of Kristen Stewart, and she turns out yet another outstanding performance, and a charismatic and transformative one that possibly stands among her best in a film yet. And as we followed along in a single weekend in the life of Princess Diana, we're taken on a psychological journey that often leaves us feeling just as trapped as our lead does in her own life. Certainly not what I was expecting going in, but I love what this film turned out to be, and it's one that left me feeling inspired by its craftsmanship.
<p>
<a name="thegreenknight"></a><center><b>#3</b><br />
<img src="https://i.imgur.com/aLcq4Hl.jpg"><br />
<b>The Green Knight</b><br />
(David Lowery)</center>
<p>
I'll be honest, I really wasn't a big fan of this film immediately. But even so, I found this movie refusing to leave my head afterwards, and it left me pondering its deeper themes and meanings. Almost as if the film presented a puzzle to the viewer, but one that it didn't expect you to completely put all together by the time the credits roll. The pieces are all there though, you just had to toy with it a little, and figure it out on your own. And the more I thought about this film, and started connecting those pieces in my head, the more I grew to love it, and what it was trying to say.
<p>
And I especially appreciate how it's not just we the viewer who are left pondering over the greater messages at hand, but the main lead himself, played by Dev Patel, is often asking himself these same questions, almost as if we're in the same boat as he. But in the end, I loved this movie's message, and feel it's an important one, especially in these more dire times we live in. At its core, it's about honor, and living true to your word. And it's about the dark path that leads should you decide instead to live your life in fear and shame. And I think there's something profound in these themes and how they're explored all throughout this film.
<p>
<a name="zsjl"></a><center><b>#2</b><br />
<img src="https://i.imgur.com/qfU1fF1.jpg"><br />
<b>Zack Snyder's Justice League</b><br />
(Zack Snyder)</center>
<p>
As someone who was campaigning for the Snyder Cut since before #ReleaseTheSnyderCut was even a movement yet, words cannot truly express just how thrilled I am that this film actually got released. And sure enough, the difference between this film and the theatrical version from 2017 are night and day. In fact, it's almost incredible just how severely different the two cuts of the movie are, despite telling more or less the exact same story. And it's baffling to ever think that anyone thought it was a good idea to release the Joss Whedon cut of the film in theaters at all, especially given that they had this magnificent monster of a movie available for them to put out there instead.
<p>
Simply put, Zack Snyder's Justice League is god damn cinema. A grand sweeping epic of a motion picture, and essentially DC's equivalent to a Lord of the Rings film. Why anyone would ever want to shelve this beautiful picture is anyone's guess, especially when the version they originally threw out there is just forgettable, throw-away nonsense in comparison. This version has a certain gravitas that's totally absent in the other cut, and as such, this story and these characters truly feel larger than life on the screen. Granted, I wish I could say the <i>big</i> screen, but sadly, this one wasn't released theatrically, though I would love to see this film on a huge IMAX screen one day, as it was clearly intended.
<p>
And at four hours in length, this film is an absolute breeze, and doesn't feel a second longer than three hours, so I would definitely include it along the likes of Interstellar and Blue is the Warmest Color as one of the champions of pacing in longer films.
<p>
I love that this film finally got released. And I love even more that it not only met the hype, it far exceeded it. It's an all around outstanding film, and certainly one of the very best that the genre has ever seen.
<p>
<a name="raya"></a><center><b>#1</b><br />
<img src="https://i.imgur.com/wI5TRy5.jpg"><br />
<b>Raya and the Last Dragon</b><br />
(Don Hall, Carlos López Estrada)</center>
<p>
I not only feel this is the best of the year, I'd also easily consider it the most underrated movie of the year at that, because this movie that was otherwise met with a collective "meh" from everyone else just completely and absolutely <i>floored</i> me.
<p>
I actually started writing a full review for this movie shortly after it released, but I was never quite able to get all of my thoughts on it written down, as just my notes for the review alone was becoming even longer than some of the bigger reviews from the past. But I just have so many feelings about this movie, which I'll only be able to briefly cover in this short write up, but feelings which really started after I was driving home after my first viewing, and I found myself struggling to hold back tears just thinking about it. I've since seen the movie two more times in the theater, and in those subsequent viewings, I totally failed at being able to hold back those tears while I watched.
<p>
I was just so touched by its message of bringing society together. Of being able to find it within yourself to open up and trust one another again. And even at the admitted naivety of such a concept, as shown throughout the movie. But even so, without that human connection, and without that trust, all that lies ahead is dark times for everyone. And I think it was a telling choice to cast Kelly Marie Tran in the title role, who not only did an outstanding job bringing Raya to life with her voice work, but who can also seemingly relate to such a journey as Raya is traveling, having endured a campaign of harassment after her portrayal in some of the newer Star Wars films. So someone like her would absolutely have every reason to cut people off and keep her head down. Yet here she is putting out a message to do the opposite, and to find it within you to be able to reach out and connect with people again, all without even remotely diminishing just how hard that may be for some.
<p>
But even beyond its messaging, I loved this vibrant world that was presented to us, and I loved the unique take on the dragons in general as well. In stark contrast to something like How to Train Your Dragon, in which the dragons there are basically flying cat lizards, here, dragons are closer to something like a fluffy water dog, which I thought was an interesting change from what we usually see, and also added to the naive appeal of our last dragon in question, Sisu.
<p>
All in all, I thought this was a beautiful movie that told a beautiful story, and put out a message that I feel the world absolutely needs to hear right now. But while I might personally struggle with the idea that that message will actually connect with the people of the present generation, I also keep in mind that these Disney animated films are primarily targeted at kids, who may well latch onto such a positive message and keep that with them as they grow up into this messed up world that we've all found ourselves in. Maybe. It's a nice thought at least, and one that maybe gives me a little bit of hope for the world of tomorrow.Chris Widdophttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08976278029088673041noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6997580999403129485.post-5138455031256031572021-09-24T16:23:00.003-04:002021-09-24T16:30:45.670-04:00Alignment Podcast InterviewCheck out my recent appearance on the Alignment Podcast, hosted by Thomas Curry and Suzette Sanchez-Martinez. We discuss some of my films and other filmmaking experiences, as well as our thoughts on our favorite directors and favorite films. Enjoy!
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<center><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/5NmdXQJ-yNw" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe></center>Chris Widdophttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08976278029088673041noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6997580999403129485.post-31045285606170699692021-08-06T12:35:00.002-04:002021-08-06T12:35:20.846-04:00Velcro the Ninja Kat: The Complete Edition - Coming Soon<center><img src="https://i.imgur.com/w4Qx7QH.jpg"></center>
<p>
Coming soon...
<p>
<a href="http://www.velcrotheninjakat.com/">www.VelcroTheNinjaKat.com</a>Chris Widdophttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08976278029088673041noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6997580999403129485.post-75146771616952925782021-02-15T18:01:00.000-05:002021-02-15T18:01:55.355-05:00For Your Consideration: Babymetal - Legend Metal GalaxySo at the end of last year, after I had posted my <a href="http://cwiddop.blogspot.com/2020/12/my-top-10-movies-of-2020-or-10-movies-i.html">Top 10 Movies of 2020 list</a>, I started paying attention to other people's lists as they started going up. And one thing that I kept noticing was that a number of people were including Hamilton in their lists. And I found this a bit odd, seeing how Hamilton is quite literally not actually a movie, but in fact a recording of a stage production performance, which is an entirely different medium completely. Now, I understand that a lot of films didn't get released last year, so I suppose I can see why some might be making an exception in order to include it in their lists for last year, and hey, if I had chosen to include it, then it would have easily topped out my own list as well.
<p>
But now I see that Hamilton's acceptance as a movie has moved beyond just being included in end of year "best of" lists, and is now actually being taken in consideration for film awards, even being nominated in a number of categories already for this year's Golden Globes. And yeah, this is certainly an odd turn of events, but it's one that's got me thinking, if Hamilton can be accepted as a movie, then, why not a Babymetal concert? And so, with that all said, I now present my case for why I think Babymetal's production of Legend Metal Galaxy, which was performed and recorded in January 2020 and formally released in September 2020, should similarly be taken under consideration as one of the best films of 2020.
<p>
<center><img src="https://i.imgur.com/9sGXIZo.jpg"></center>
<p>
Now, you might argue that one is a concert, and the other a play. But to that I say, the two honestly have a lot more in common than you might think, which I'll be tackling on a point by point basis. But first, let's start out with the plot. And yes, despite being a concert, Babymetal's shows oftentimes include storyline elements which carry over from show to show, and this one was no different. While Hamilton may follow the story of the title character's life and his involvement in the Revolutionary War and the subsequent development of the American government, Legend Metal Galaxy sets us off on an adventure as we follow Babymetal on their journey traveling the Metal Galaxy in order to acquire both the light force and the dark force and ultimately become The One.
<p>
The two shows are even split up into two distinct halves, with the first half of Hamilton focusing on the Revolutionary War aspect, and the second half with his governmental duties, while Babymetal's show is in fact split into two different nights, where the first night saw them exploring the light side of the Metal Galaxy, and night two the dark side. So already we can see the similarities from a narrative perspective between these two wildly different shows.
<p>
But even beyond the story, the two shows also present an expanded and revolving cast of characters. In Hamilton, we meet a great many number of historical figures that he encounters along the way. But one of the things I love about Babymetal is that, over the years, the cast of characters in their own storyline has continued to expand, and they're on full display in Legend Metal Galaxy. In addition to our stars Su-metal and Moametal, they've brought along on this latest journey their three rotating backup dancers, the Avengers, their live backing bands the Kami Band and their newly introduced counterparts, the Gods of the West, a surprise return of the Babybones, and guest pre-recorded appearances by F. Hero and the "Winterland Metal Warrior" Joakim Brodén.
<p>
<center><img src="https://i.imgur.com/n9frYH1.jpg"></center>
<p>
But speaking of the pre-recorded aspect of those last two, one other element to the Hamilton release that I've seen some people argue should qualify it as a movie is the fact that it also includes rehearsal footage edited in to help give it a more cinematic feel and offer angles that they wouldn't otherwise be able to capture while filming in front of a live audience. Well, Legend Metal Galaxy <i>also</i> includes this element, and not just with the performances from Joakim and F. Hero. The backing visuals quite often feature pre-recorded elements as well, such as when we see Su-metal commanding the audience with her eyes and her fingers during <i>Distortion</i>, and that's not to mention <i>Future Metal</i>, which is an entirely pre-recorded opening to the whole show.
<p>
And then there's of course the obvious comparison, that being that they're both musicals. Su-metal herself has mentioned how she views Babymetal as an ongoing musical, and watching their shows which often feel more like stage productions certainly gives off the feel more in line with watching a musical as opposed to a typical concert. And while the story in Legend Metal Galaxy plays out almost entirely through song from start to finish, Hamilton is in fact quite similar in that regard, as it's one of those musicals which is start to finish non-stop music, as opposed to one that sees them playing the story straight until the action stops for a quick musical number. So Hamilton itself has quite a bit of a concert feel in how it plays out as well, similar to how Babymetal's show has a musical feel to itself.
<p>
(And if I can add an aside, let me just say that, as a writer myself, watching Hamilton was almost <i>overwhelming</i> from a writer's perspective, as my mind was simply blown away that they managed to pull off a near three hour long non-stop lyrical musical that covers such complex topic matter in a manner that flows so smoothly while managing to be so easy to follow along!)
<p>
And as I mentioned with Babymetal's shows often feeling like stage productions, this much is quite evident in their unique stage set-ups, which often feature moving pieces that come into play in different ways throughout the show. On this occasion, they were going with a bit of a combination of their space ship design from earlier in 2019, as well as their giant triangular design they had used during their bigger Japan shows in the fall of 2019, resulting in a massive triangular ship stage that would at times move into the audience area and back again, and featured platforms that would also elevate into the air to different effect given the song. But we also saw similar with Hamilton, which also had quite a number of moving pieces in their own stage design, including a circular floor that would spin around with the actors on it to genius, almost cinematic effect at times.
<p>
<center><img src="https://i.imgur.com/HqPdLFi.gif"><br />
<img src="https://i.imgur.com/EOQTkvD.gif"><br />
<i>For Your Consideration:<br />
Best Production Design</i></center>
<p>
So you see, Babymetal's Legend Metal Galaxy has quite a bit in common with Hamilton from a production standpoint. But then, how does Legend Metal Galaxy compare from a place of quality? Well, for me at least, while I said that if we were to count Hamilton as a movie, it would've easily topped out my list, if we were to then also include Legend Metal Galaxy as a movie, then it would easily take the top spot over even Hamilton at that.
<p>
The show is simply outstanding, one of the best shows that Babymetal has ever put on, and features not only a number of debuts for some of their newer songs, but also a number of the best performances we've seen yet for even some of their older classics. But to start off looking at Day 1, the light side, we saw three new songs being performed for the first time ever, and I'd say that these debuts were easily among the night's highlights, with <i>Oh! Majinai</i> being the biggest standout of the bunch. It's just such a wild and fantastically boisterous performance, and the choreography is so infectiously fun that it's impossible not to smile while watching it.
<p>
<center><img src="https://i.imgur.com/1KrlvtB.gif"><br />
<img src="https://i.imgur.com/tBvyY24.gif"><br />
<i>Pictured above: Basically the same thing!</i></center>
<p>
But then we see a little later on with <i>Brand New Day</i> as they add a real atmospheric aesthetic to things, and put on a performance unlike any other we've ever seen out of them before, cast in silhouette while the massive screen being them plays to the mood of the song with images of the sun and rain.
<p>
The Kami Band was also given free reign to play around a little bit with their sound, as we saw with the classic <i>Gimme Chocolate</i>, which was performed in a unique manner compared to how it's usually played, and which helped freshen it up and make it feel just as new as the songs we were hearing for the first time. And to add to that freshened up feeling, they even brought back the original Japanese version of <i>The One</i>, as opposed to the English version with the Unfinished opening, as we had become accustomed to seeing for the past number of years now. And I gotta say, seeing this back-to-basics version of the song being performed again for the first time in such a long time almost felt like seeing an old friend for the first time in forever, and definitely left a warm feeling in my heart.
<p>
Top off the night with an epic performance of <i>Road of Resistance</i>, in which the Gods of the West joined the Kami Band on stage, and all three Avengers stood behind Babymetal on stage, as Su-metal stood in the front looking like the true leader of a fully coherent team that had come together to win this fight and win this night and fully acquire the forces of light, and yeah, the first half of this show ended things off in a wholly satisfying manner.
<p>
<center><img src="https://i.imgur.com/wmNfm7Z.gif"><br />
<img src="https://i.imgur.com/moKyGKH.gif"><br />
<i>Key figures through American history;<br />
And key figures through time and space,<br />
for lightyears to come.</i></center>
<p>
And yet, the best was still to come.
<p>
Day 2 saw our girls now traversing the dark side of the Metal Galaxy, and featured some of the most appropriately dark and atmospheric performances of that batch of songs that we've seen yet. It was the Gods of the West performing the instrumentals on this night, and they were clearly given the go-ahead to let loose and do their thing just as the Kami Band was the night prior, which helped make for some of the best performances we've seen yet if purely from an instrumental standpoint, with key highlights in this regard being seen in <i>Syncopation</i>, <i>Headbanger</i>, and <i>Karate</i>. And while only one new song was debuted on this night as opposed to the previous day's three, it was a hell of a debut, as they tore the house down with <i>BxMxC</i>, in what was only the start of one of the greatest stretches of back-to-back songs we've seen in any of their sets, as they moved on to <i>Syncopation</i> next, and then followed up with the best performance of the whole two night event with <i>Headbanger</i>.
<p>
<center><img src="https://i.imgur.com/J1a4sja.gif"><br />
<i>For Your Consideration:<br />
Best Cinematography</i></center>
<p>
Their performance of <i>Headbanger</i> on this evening was just something else entirely, and isn't just the best performance of the show, but also ranks among the best ever that the band's put on, and one that certainly belongs in the same conversation as <i>Ijime, Dame, Zettai</i> from Sonisphere and <i>Road of Resistance</i> from Legend 2015. Like, it's one of those performances where every time it comes on, you just sort of brace yourself for what you're about to experience, and I'm just left shaking my head at what they accomplish here, getting the whole massive audience involved in their bowing to Su-metal as they build and build and build the atmosphere. And you can hear the motivated enthusiasm of the audience's roaring response as the song continues and they chant along, and by the end of it, I can't help but let out a satisfied breath of air. Like, I don't smoke, but even I need a damn cigarette after watching that performance!
<p>
Follow this up with the first and to date only time they've ever performed the Trilogy of Lights (<i>Starlight</i>, <i>Shine</i>, and <i>Arkadia</i>) together and in album order, all leading to what's come to be quite possibly my favorite Babymetal song yet with <i>Arkadia</i>, in its own best performance to date yet. They managed to pull off here what they didn't quite capture entirely with their performance of this song at The Forum, and put on an epic spectacle that brings me to tears literally every single time.
<p>
<center><img src="https://i.imgur.com/Phlcm87.gif"><br />
<i>I don't usually rate movies,<br />
but I'd say this show is an easy five stars!</i></center>
<p>
But we're not finished yet, as now that Babymetal has achieved their goal of acquiring both the light force and the dark force, they all come back out one last time along with all the Avengers and both of their Kami Bands in order to truly become The One, in a surprise performance of <i>Ijime, Dame, Zettai</i>, being performed for the first time in over two years. And by the end of it, you can see the gleeful look of satisfaction on Su-metal's face, after having successfully pulled off one of their best and most ambitious shows to date, and one that I've gone back and revisited many many times already in order to relive this emotional journey through the vast Metal Galaxy and all it has to offer.
<p>
So, from a quality standpoint, does it compare? I mean, do I really need to say any more? So then, with that all said, I'd like to think that I've made a compelling enough argument for why I feel that Babymetal - Legend Metal Galaxy should be taken into consideration for 2020's movie awards season. At least, so long as we're counting Hamilton, despite being from a different medium, I think Legend Metal Galaxy absolutely deserves to be taken at least as seriously, and I'll readily defend that position.Chris Widdophttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08976278029088673041noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6997580999403129485.post-64434838079488880552020-12-27T13:36:00.002-05:002020-12-27T17:12:12.861-05:00My Top 10 Movies of 2020 or (The 10 Movies I Saw in 2020, Ranked!)So, yeah, strange year. I actually wasn't even intending to put together a Top 10 list this year, even before the world got flipped on its head. But then yesterday I actually watched the 10th movie from 2020 that I saw out of the whole year, and figured, heck, why not just rank every movie I saw? Typically I would've seen <i>a lot</i> more films by this point, but with theaters shut down, and just about every big movie being pushed to the next year, that sorta put a damper on things.
<p>
Now, a lot of movies did wind up going to streaming, but I currently only have Disney+ at the moment, so the only movies included on this list from streaming services come from that. Otherwise, everything else was seen in a theater, either before they shut down, or after they finally opened back up. And since this list will be including <i>all</i> of the movies I've seen, that also means that it includes some movies that I wasn't too favorable on (basically, my Top 5 Movies of 2020, <i>and</i> my Bottom 5 Movies of 2020!). But I'll try not to be too mean to them all the same, and say some kind words along with my criticisms. So with that said, let's get on with it!
<p>
<a name="newmutants"></a><center><b>#10</b><br />
<img src="https://i.imgur.com/CNZkFZK.jpg"><br />
<b>The New Mutants</b><br />
(Josh Boone)</center>
<p>
I had been looking forward to this movie for years. Sadly though, it really wasn't worth the wait. Not at all the horror movie it was marketed as (and it doesn't even pretend to be, as that's clearly not this movie's objective at all), this is sadly a pretty bland, vanilla film that doesn't really offer much of anything. I wouldn't say it was an awful movie, as it was perfectly watchable. But this is an instance where those rumored reshoots probably should've went ahead and happened, and turned this into the X-Men horror film that it was promoted as. Because as it is, it's an instantly forgettable experience that leaves me curious as to why they even bothered with it.
<p>
<a name="soul"></a><center><b>#9</b><br />
<img src="https://i.imgur.com/e6LhACm.jpg"><br />
<b>Soul</b><br />
(Pete Docter)</center>
<p>
This was one of my most anticipated films out of the whole year, so I was saddened to come away disappointed by it. Pete Docter's follow up to his brilliant <b>Inside Out</b>, his past track record proves that he's a man who can take high concepts and make them work beautifully, but that same magic didn't quite come together for me with his latest efforts here. I honestly found myself scratching my head at a number of odd directorial decisions, and it was around the time that the movie essentially became a body-swap film that it had completely lost me. Where I was swept away by the magic and genius in something like <b>Inside Out</b>, <b>Soul</b> instead left me feeling mostly annoyed by its typical tropes throughout. But unlike <b>The New Mutants</b>, this film did at least <i>try</i> to be about something, hence its higher placement.
<p>
<a name="ww84"></a><center><b>#8</b><br />
<img src="https://i.imgur.com/t90Cx14.jpg"><br />
<b>Wonder Woman 1984</b><br />
(Patty Jenkins)</center>
<p>
Along with <b>Soul</b>, this was also among my most anticipated of the year. And sadly, also along with <b>Soul</b>, this film wound up disappointing quite a bit. I loved the first movie, even if the last third of that film becomes a bit of a train wreck. But where in that film it's just the last third that's that way, this movie is honestly a total mess from start to finish. It's overly long, and yet even so, it still somehow feels like there are entire scenes that are missing that should've developed both plot and character. And it's a movie where the more you think about it, the less things make any sense at all, and only leave you questioning a number of the directorial and narrative decisions that went into this thing. I will say though that it does have its moments here and there, and the stuff with Diana and Steve is mostly great. So it's not a complete miss. But on the whole, this film is sadly a steep decline in quality from the iconic first outing.
<p>
<a name="underwater"></a><center><b>#7</b><br />
<img src="https://i.imgur.com/t1SAwek.jpg"><br />
<b>Underwater</b><br />
(William Eubank)</center>
<p>
I more appreciate this movie for what it was trying to do, even though I feel that it failed in its execution along the way. It's a frustrating sit, as it's filmed in such a manner where it's just about impossible to even tell what's happening most of the time. But I do like the ideas here, it takes some interesting turns, and it does do some things well. And plus, we get to see Kristen Stewart running around in her underwear for a time, so I'll give it a bump in score for that as well (this isn't that serious a list, leave me alone!).
<p>
<a name="tenet"></a><center><b>#6</b><br />
<img src="https://i.imgur.com/eIuwAZQ.jpg"><br />
<b>Tenet</b><br />
(Christopher Nolan)</center>
<p>
Similar to <b>Underwater</b>, I more appreciate this movie than I actually like it. I will say this though, in an era where so many movies just treat their audiences like idiots and hold their hand along the way, I sorta love how this movie just goes all out with its super high concept from the get-go and just runs with it, and trusts the audience to be able to keep up. And I'll admit, for a majority of the run time, I was confused as hell watching this movie. But by the time the credits roll, it does all come together, so anybody who actually leaves the theater still confused by the film really shouldn't have much of an excuse. Just pay attention and try to keep up.
<p>
That said, this is still a lesser Nolan flick sadly, and not one I'm likely to revisit all too often. And it's not helped by the fact that another film from a few years back, <b>Predestination</b>, more or less already covered this concept, and it did so in a way that was immensely more satisfying, where as this movie achieves its similar successes in ways that left me just going, "Oh, okay then..." But these "aha" moments throughout that gradually reveal what's going on constantly kept reminding me of that other film, so really, my biggest takeaway from <b>Tenet</b> was that everyone should just go out and watch <b>Predestination</b> instead, as that movie flew criminally under the radar and deserves to be seen.
<p>
<a name="weathering"></a><center><b>#5</b><br />
<img src="https://i.imgur.com/jkgrRPp.jpg"><br />
<b>Weathering With You</b><br />
(Makoto Shinkai)</center>
<p>
Okay, now that we're in the Top 5, we're finally getting to the movies from this year that I actually liked! And yet, I find myself not really having a whole lot to say about this particular film. It's beautifully animated, and tells a charming enough story. It's not quite on the level of Shinkai's previous work, <b>Your Name</b>, but you can still tell it's made by the same creative team all the same, and their creativity and imagination absolutely come through here as well. It's worth checking out, and if you haven't seen it yet, I'd definitely highly recommend checking out the aforementioned <b>Your Name</b> as well.
<p>
<a name="onward"></a><center><b>#4</b><br />
<img src="https://i.imgur.com/8QUHu44.jpg"><br />
<b>Onward</b><br />
(Dan Scanlon)</center>
<p>
At the beginning of the year, I would've never guessed that by the end of it, of this year's two Pixar releases, I would come away holding <b>Onward</b> in higher regard than <b>Soul</b>. And yet here we are. But this was quite the surprise of a movie. I didn't have too high of hopes from its trailers, but it just has a ton of heart, and is really endearing throughout. This feels like a film that'll go down as a classic entry in the Pixar canon.
<p>
<a name="monsterhunter"></a><center><b>#3</b><br />
<img src="https://i.imgur.com/uJUDWvP.jpg"><br />
<b>Monster Hunter</b><br />
(Paul W. S. Anderson)</center>
<p>
And speaking of surprises, I literally went into this movie expecting it to suck, or to at best be one of those "so bad, it's good" kind of movies. But man, I tell you, this movie was freaking <i>awesome!</i> Paul W. S. Anderson's last <b>Resident Evil</b> left me weary, as it was a rare stinker in an otherwise awesomely fun franchise of films. But thankfully, his latest movie here is more in line with the better entries, and honestly even reminded me at times of one of his earlier films, the first <b>Mortal Kombat</b>, which was also a really bad ass movie back in the day. I'm not familiar with the video game it's based off of, so I can't say how accurate it is to the source (which, if it's anything like <b>Resident Evil</b>, it's barely related), but on its own, this movie was a blast, and acted as a total palate cleanser after being previously disappointed by both <b>Soul</b> and <b>Wonder Woman 1984</b> in back to back fashion.
<p>
<a name="sonic"></a><center><b>#2</b><br />
<img src="https://i.imgur.com/SFUEP3T.jpg"><br />
<b>Sonic the Hedgehog</b><br />
(Jeff Fowler)</center>
<p>
What a year for video game movies, huh? But yeah, while it may take liberties with the franchise (and I personally feel that Robotnik was horribly miscast), I all in all quite enjoyed this film, and it's one that's actually stayed with me the whole year. Even despite being as huge a Sonic nerd as I am, I still went in pretty skeptical. But it's clear that there's a genuine passion and respect for the series and the characters here, and the filmmakers definitely wanted to put something out that fans of the series would similarly love (as if that wasn't made obvious enough by them pushing it back to fix Sonic's design after fan backlash). And thankfully, this paid off for them in a big way, and it paid off for us fans in the form of a surprisingly good, heartfelt film.
<p>
<a name="thehunt"></a><center><b>#1</b><br />
<img src="https://i.imgur.com/VLEgCNm.jpg"><br />
<b>The Hunt</b><br />
(Craig Zobel)</center>
<p>
This film felt <i>liberating</i>. The last movie I saw in the theater before they all shut down, this was a hell of a way to go out, as it perfectly encapsulates the insane state of modern politics. A brilliant film that I'm honestly surprised even got made, let alone released, but I'm glad that it did. I especially wanna give a hats off to Betty Gilpin here, who gives one of my favorite performances I've seen in a film, one that would definitely be Oscar worthy in my eyes even in a year that hadn't seen half of its releases pushed back. And it ends on a note that definitely rang true, and mirrored my own thoughts in that moment...
<p>
<center><img src="https://i.imgur.com/bwGwsEk.gif"></center>Chris Widdophttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08976278029088673041noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6997580999403129485.post-83523050570209798792020-11-17T10:08:00.001-05:002020-11-17T10:24:59.991-05:00What would a Velcro the Ninja Kat movie look like?<center><img src="https://i.imgur.com/ah4T5Gc.jpg"></center>
<p>
So the <b>Velcro the Ninja Kat</b> books have been out for some time now, yet in all that time, I've never really given my own thoughts on them. Not that I intend to review my own books or anything like that, but I would like to just give a little insight here or there, and perhaps provide just a little peek behind the curtain, so to speak. And to start off, I'd like to discuss the first book in the series, <b>Velcro: The Ninja Kat</b>, and specifically one reaction in particular towards that book that was perhaps the most prevalent when it originally released.
<p>
<center><img src="https://i.imgur.com/X08Wpjb.jpg"></center>
<p>
When the book first came out, there were actually quite a number of people who read it who came away with the reaction that they'd love to see it made as a movie. Now, I have to admit that I was a little confused by this reaction at the time, as I personally felt that the story played out more in a manner suited to something like an ongoing anime series, as opposed to the confines of a two hour long film. But then recently, it actually clicked with me how the first book actually <i>could</i> work as a stand alone feature.
<p>
See, most of the first book takes place within a single location, that being the military brig known as The Web, which also acts as the base of operations for the villainous Spider. The Ninja Kat breaks into the prison along with her hamster allies in order to free their friends who had been imprisoned after their home village had been attacked by the Devil Corps, and the majority of the book sees them making their way through the Spider's lair and all of his various traps he's set for our heroes along the way.
<p>
<center><img src="https://i.imgur.com/MP013b1l.jpg"></center>
<p>
Now, in certain regards, this set up might sound somewhat similar to a couple of films that had released some years back (the same year as when <b>Velcro: The Ninja Kat</b> released, now that I think of it. I guess everyone had their own different take on a similar idea at the same time), those movies being <b>Dredd</b> and <b>The Raid</b>. Both of these films saw their heroes storming into a building where they find themselves trapped inside and having to fight their way back out in some manner. Only, unlike both of those films, my story deals with anthropomorphic animals. And, well, as we've seen with the original <b>Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles</b> films from the 90s, it is in fact possible to convincingly pull off anthropomorphic animals in an action film, even in live action.
<p>
<center><img src="https://i.imgur.com/NQr9tk3.jpg"></center>
<p>
The writing would of course have to be tweaked in certain regards from the novel in order to make the transition into this new medium seamless, but there's honestly not too much that would need to be changed, and the end result could definitely work. And in fact, I already tried to do this very thing on a much smaller scale in the short film, <b>Kip</b>, which does in many ways visually resemble the 1990 <b>Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles</b> movie, and which was precisely the look I was trying to go for. Now, imagine taking that more gritty look of that initial <b>Ninja Turtles</b> movie, and placing it in a setting not too dissimilar from something such as <b>Dredd</b> or <b>The Raid</b> (and perhaps toning down the action to more of a PG-13, as opposed to a hard R), and you've more or less got what I envision a live action feature length adaptation of the first <b>Ninja Kat</b> book to look like in a movie. So basically, the <b>Ninja Turtles</b> meet <b>The Raid</b>.
<p>
Personally, I would definitely want it to be done as practical as possible, meaning actors in full costumes performing on screen, and to avoid having to rely on CGI as much as possible. I'm not exactly looking to use last year's adaptation of the theatrical production <b>CATS</b> as any sort of inspiration, for instance. And I have to emphasize that the look from the original 90s <b>Ninja Turtles</b> movies would be a most ideal approach, as it's sort of crazy just how much those movies still hold up visually today, especially compared to the newer movies from the 2010s, in which all of the turtles are done in CGI. I think this just comes down to the fact that what you're seeing on the screen is actually physically there, and it looks and feels organic, it looks more real, because in a sense, it <i>is</i> real, whereas the CGI characters don't quite have the same effect.
<p>
<center><img src="https://i.imgur.com/QTCbwcu.jpg"><br />
<i>Pictured above: NOT what we're going for!</i></center>
<p>
But anyways, this is definitely a goal of mine to achieve one day, though I still need the resources to actually pull off such a project. I believe it could definitely be done on a low budget, but not quite the micro budget the likes of which I'm more used to on my own films. The <b>Kip</b> short still cost several hundred dollars, and most of that money went into the costumes. So having to expand that to a full cast of characters in a full feature production, yeah, that would definitely add up to more than I can personally afford out of my own pocket right now, though it does still feel like something that's realistically achievable <i>someday</i>.
<p>
Of course, I still feel like the <b>Ninja Kat</b> is ripe for the likes of comics and animation (and in fact, <a href="http://www.velcrotheninjakat.com/p/velcro-comic.html">a brief comic book run does currently exist</a>), but it's nice to think that a feature length live action adaptation could be realistically achieved. And hey, who knows? Should we make this initial project and it actually succeeds, then there's plenty of more material to work off of for the sequels, such as <b>Velcro: The Green Lion</b>, where we can further expand the story and this world, similarly to how <b>The Raid 2</b> opened up its own world quite drastically as compared to the single locale of the first film. But let's not get ahead of ourselves here, and perhaps stop it there, as we look ahead to what may yet come. And as for now, feel free to check out the short film <b>Kip</b> to get a bit of a better idea of what a live action <b>Ninja Kat</b> film might look like:
<p>
<center><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/NFrhRCpx9OY" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe></center>
<p>
Now available:<br />
<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Velcro-Ninja-Kat-Chris-Widdop/dp/0985885602/">Velcro: The Ninja Kat</a><br />
<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Velcro-Green-Lion-Ninja-Volume/dp/0985885629/">Velcro: The Green Lion</a><br />
<a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08BR6J6H6">Velcro the Ninja Kat presents: Kip</a>
<p>
<a href="http://www.velcrotheninjakat.com/">www.VelcroTheNinjaKat.com</a>Chris Widdophttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08976278029088673041noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6997580999403129485.post-23759624215923063452020-11-08T19:56:00.000-05:002020-11-08T19:56:53.180-05:00On the state of online discourse as it relates to filmIt's been a while since I've really posted something here. In a sense, I sort of feel like my <a href="http://cwiddop.blogspot.com/2020/01/my-top-15-movies-of-decade-2010-2019.html">Best of the Decade in Film</a> post was more or less a retirement from me blogging about movies. But a part of the reason I fell out of talking about movies, was because I had become discouraged with the state of online discourse. And this is in a much broader sense as well, which should become quite apparent as the post goes along, but for the purposes of this essay, I'll just discuss my thoughts on the state of online discourse specifically as it relates to film.
<p>
To go back some years, around the time when social media was still in its infancy, I recall how sites like myspace and livejournal existed mostly just to congregate with friends you knew in real life online, and as facebook opened up beyond being exclusive to college students, and eventually twitter came around, soon the pool of friends and feeds also expanded to people you had met online. And in those earlier days, I remember how these sites mostly existed just as a means to share humor and post about our hobbies or our day to day activities. And I also remember how politics was still generally regarded as a taboo subject, and people would actually get called out for getting political, no matter which affiliation their arguments may be swaying.
<p>
Cut to today, and you'll find much the exact opposite to be the case. It's almost entirely politics, and divisive politics at that. And if you choose not to participate, well then now <i>you're</i> the one who's shunned. And again, I've found that political affiliation doesn't matter in this regard either. I know both right leaners and lefties who choose to stay out of the discourse, people who used to get quite a bit of traction once upon a time, but who now, as a result of choosing to stay out of politics, get completely ignored by just about everyone.
<p>
Now, how this relates to film, is that even in the confines of discussing film, the same has become the case. Nowadays, I've found that films are largely no longer discussed based on the content therewithin, but rather, based on our political interpretations of them. In fact, I'd argue that the state of film criticism in the past couple of years has been some of the most dishonest discussion on film that I've ever seen transpire, where oftentimes people would straight up lie about a film in order to gain political ground.
<p>
There's a number of films I'd like to discuss in this regard to make my case, the first being <b>Bohemian Rhapsody</b>. Now, I understand if people didn't want to support this film because they took issue with its director. However, rather than just dismissing the film and moving on, they chose to instead torch it, and to do so by lying about it. Almost all of the criticisms I've seen about the film are just factually false, and are claims that anyone who's actually seen the movie could attest to. The big ones that still stand out to me are how people claim that the movie completely disregards Freddie Mercury's heritage and sexual orientation, which I'm sorry, but not only is that not the case, but these factors are indeed <i>major</i> aspects of this film, and to say otherwise is just completely dishonest.
<p>
As bad as <b>Bohemian Rhapsody</b> got it though, it was <i>nothing</i> compared to what we'd see with the reaction towards <b>Joker</b>. People had already determined that they knew what the film was about months prior to release, and were already deriding it for being "problematic". But then, sure enough, the movie comes out, and it's quite literally <i>not</i> the "racist, incel rallying cry" that so many had proclaimed it to be. And in fact, it's actually a fascinating film with a lot that's actually worth dissecting and having an actual discussion about, but I found this to be an impossible task due to all of the political activists online who had completely hijacked all conversation on the movie with their BS agendas that, in fact, had <i>nothing</i> to do with the film in question. Hell, I'd even argue that had this film released in a different political climate, say even just five years ago, almost <i>everyone</i> who so unfairly attacked it would be singing a radically different tune about it. But here we are.
<p>
And there's other examples, such as how some corners of the internet had a complete 180 on <b>La La Land</b> after it had swept at that year's Golden Globes, and thus they now viewed this movie as being "overrated", and some even took it a step further and attached unfair labels to it as well, such as being supposedly racist. And then I could write an entire post on just how dishonest the criticism for <b>Frozen II</b> has been, almost as if everyone in the "<b>Frozen</b> is overrated" camp wasn't even willing to give this film a fair shake, but even so, they felt the need to straight up lie about it and make things up in order to justify their disdain for the franchise and its popularity. And speaking on films or franchises we deem "overrated", I mean, if a film isn't for you, why isn't that enough? Why feel the need to constantly rag on it? Hell, there's plenty of hugely popular franchises that I'm not that big a fan of, and that I personally consider to be "overrated", such as <b>Stranger Things</b> or <b>It</b>. But you know what I don't do? I don't raise a big stink about these films when a new entry comes out. They're not for me, and I'm not here to rain on anyone's parade who <i>does</i> like these things. So I just ignore them, and go about my day.
<p>
But that's the thing, is that I've noticed the internet becoming more and more of a place to just take a massive dump on everything. Discourse has become a competition on who can have the hottest take, or who can make the snarkiest remark. And I get it. I used to partake in this. Especially when I was younger, it can be kinda fun going on a rant about a really bad movie. And at one point, I even used to put together "Worst of the Year" lists at the end of the year to go along with my "Best of the Year" counterparts. But even back then, I always felt a little weird putting together those lists, and I only kept doing so for so long because, for some reason, they consistently generated the most conversation. And I've even recently discovered a similar case in real life, where at work one day, we were talking about movies, and I had gone on a brief rant about <b>Jurassic World</b>, which had come up in the conversation. And my coworkers were so entertained by it that they asked me what else I didn't like, but I just shook my head in response, and said no, I don't actually really like talking about the things that I don't like, and that I'd much prefer to speak on what I <i>do</i> like. And I'd like to think that I've come to carry this same mentality in recent times online as well.
<p>
That's not to say that I feel all film criticism should go away. Not at all. It certainly still has its place. And that's even in regards to the films I just discussed. For instance, one of the more fair reviews I saw for <b>Frozen II</b> actually <i>did</i> come from someone who wasn't so high on it, but at least he was honest in his overall assessments and didn't resort to making stuff up in order to plead his case. And that's the thing, I just wish that we could be more honest about it all, and also perhaps not place so much emphasis on what we don't like, and maybe focus a little more on what we do. Because there's just so much negativity out there, and after a while, it just gets old, and it becomes <i>exhausting</i>. Like, I follow accounts who still only ever criticize things, and at some point, I just shake my head and wonder, do you even like <i>anything?</i> And if so, why do you <i>never</i> talk about that instead? Because honestly, some of my favorite reactions to films in recent years come from people just being so passionately moved by a film, even if it's one that didn't necessarily have so strong an effect on myself. For instance, I recall a video where a man was driven to tears recalling the "Martha" twist from <b>Batman v Superman</b>. And while I do quite enjoy that movie, I have to admit that even I found that twist to be a bit silly in its execution. Yet even so, seeing just how strongly it affected this person really warmed my own heart.
<p>
Or one of my favorite reactions I've seen for a film came from a poster on a film forum I used to frequent, in regards to <b>Kubo and the Two Strings</b>. He shared his immediate reaction to the film, in which he turned to his friend in the theater with tears still streaming down his face, and he audibly expressed, "holy shit, dude," at the sheer euphoria he had just experienced on screen. Now, I personally wasn't as thrilled by this movie, but even so, that reaction thrills me to this day, and it's one that especially comes to mind whenever I revisit <b>Frozen II</b>, as I feel my own reaction to this film mirrors his reaction to that one (the poster in question of course wasn't so thrilled with <b>Frozen II</b> himself, however).
<p>
Hell, one of my friends who mostly stays out of the politics and discourse uses her social media solely as a means to express her passion for <b>Doctor Who</b> and <b>One Piece</b> and such. And these aren't even franchises that I follow at all, so I have no opinion on them one way or another, and often have no idea what she's even talking about when she goes on about them. But just seeing somebody actually being positive for a change, and just really moved by their passions is enough for me to consider it some of my favorite content on the internet these days all the same, and it often leaves me reflecting on franchises I <i>do</i> personally hold dear in a similar regard, such as <b>Babymetal</b> or <b>Naruto</b> or <b>Frozen</b>.
<p>
Sadly though, this sort of content I've found to become fewer and farther between in recent years. Because everyone's a critic, and as I've already discussed, much of online criticism isn't even honest anymore, so everyone's a dishonest critic at that. But the internet has become so inundated with negativity, I actually considered putting together a show of some sort, like a podcast where we would bring on guests and just talk about our favorite movies, just dive deep into what about them really affects us so. I was inspired for this idea after hearing a number of people expressing their personal all time favorite movies, and hearing a number of really interesting responses, such as an online journalist I follow claiming his favorite film to be <b>Doctor Strange</b>, or a gaffer from a short film I worked on in New York saying his all time favorite movie was <b>Blade Runner 2049</b>. And hell, seeing how my own all time favorite, <b>Frozen</b>, is one I'd consider to be an interesting pick as well, and one that I can definitely dive deep on, I'd similarly like to just talk about some of these movies with some people and really get their thoughts on them, even in cases where it's a film that I wasn't personally a big fan of (<b>Doctor Strange</b>).
<p>
Of course, I never did get around to doing that, and I'm not positive that I ever will. Though I do have a friend who's doing something similar recently, where he's got a vlog series where he just sits in front of a camera and talks about movies that he likes. The show's even called "Movies I Like", so maybe check it out for yourself if you want some good positive content in your lives in these dreary times.
<p>
<center><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ke4Lk2WJ5GI" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe></center>
<p>
Though as I've said, this sort of content is becoming harder and harder to find, and actual film discussion feels as if it's become near impossible without becoming some sort of heated debate. And this just grows tiring after a while, and often reminds me of online political discourse, where in the end, nobody really "wins", and everyone just comes away feeling more bitter towards the other side. However, you'll oftentimes not find quite such heated reactions when discussing these topics in person, but then, that's sort of the sad thing about the state of film discussion, because I don't recall debating the merits of a film ever feeling similar to having to defend a political position. But in this day and age, it very often feels that way, and it's certainly not helped when the reasons you're defending a film are in order to thwart unfair political associations being attached to the movie, so that you can get past that nonsense and actually discuss the film itself. But nowadays, with how overly politicized everything has become, as with politics itself, the over-politicization of film I've found has honestly just made even attempting to discuss certain films just uncomfortable from the outset, which really just sucks.
<p>
I just really wish we could all stop talking about politics all the time. I miss the days when not every single thing was politicized. I miss the days when not every single person felt it necessary to share their political takes on every single issue. I miss being able to follow a filmmaker, or a musician, or an author, or another artist on social media and just getting content related to their art, not their politics. I miss following friends and family online, and just seeing them post about their daily lives and hobbies, and not just their politics all of the damn time. I miss when we all sorta understood that this platform was just about the least ideal place to share and express our political views, as we oftentimes do so from behind the safety of our screen where we can allow our emotions to run out of control, much like experiencing road rage while driving behind the wheel, and that such topics are best left to in person where we can more calmly and rationally come to an understanding on the matter.
<p>
But that's where we are now. And all of the above is a nice concise way of explaining why I don't enjoy talking about films as often these days, and why I've in a sense "retired" from blogging. I <i>am</i> kind of depressed with the state of film itself, which is another topic entirely, but more than that, I'm depressed by the state of film criticism and discussion, and how dishonest and overly agenda driven it's all become, where half the time we're not even discussing the film in question itself, but rather, how it relates to the state of modern politics, relevancy be damned. Which, as if it hasn't become apparent by this point, I am absolutely <i>sick to my soul of</i>.
<p>
Thinking on heated online discussions though, while the one person I managed to find who would actually discuss <b>Frozen II</b> with me online got pretty out of hand and quite heated and ugly, it does make me recall another time in which I was discussing the first movie with a friend who took a lot of issues with it some years back. I was just hanging out at his house while we were going over ideas for one of our shorts we were about to film, and we started talking about movies, until the topic got to <b>Frozen</b> somehow. And while I let this friend vent about some other movies that I liked that he wasn't as big on, I found myself actively speaking up in defense of <b>Frozen</b>, but doing so in a manner that really came from the heart. And my friend could clearly see just how passionately I spoke on it, and he actually chuckled and asked, "you're not gonna let up, are you?" Our conversation wound up ending on a positive note after that, with him saying that perhaps he'll give the movie another chance, and that maybe he had missed a few things when he watched it. However, had our conversation taken place online, I can almost guarantee that the end result wouldn't have been nearly so nice and satisfying for either party.
<p>
So yeah, I guess I've kind of been holding on to these thoughts for some time now. But this is largely why I'm not so active in a lot of arenas online anymore, such as blogging and social media, because quite frankly, a lot of it is just discouraging at this point. But in the meantime, as you've perhaps been able to see, I've still been <a href="http://cwiddop.blogspot.com/2020/08/velcro-ninja-kat-presents-kip-now.html">keeping busy</a> producing <a href="http://cwiddop.blogspot.com/2020/10/velcro-egg-hunters-now-available.html">my own art</a>, and finding other ways to bide my time. But will I be back online full time? Maybe, but most likely not in the active capacity that I have in times past. But who knows for sure, we'll just have to see how things pan out, and hopefully someday things can take a turn back towards the positive.Chris Widdophttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08976278029088673041noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6997580999403129485.post-63698411370792790502020-10-14T07:28:00.002-04:002020-10-14T07:28:26.684-04:00Velcro: The Egg Hunters - Now Available!Book Five of The Ninja Kat series.
<p>
<center><img src="https://i.imgur.com/K1CYSiK.jpg"></center>
<p>
The epic conclusion to the Ninja Kat's journey. Following Tails Mask's widespread fiery attack that had brought an abrupt end to the Polluted War, the world has fallen into chaos. And in the ensuing confusion, many key players have gone mysteriously missing, including the villainous Tails Mask, as well as our hero, Velcro the Ninja Kat herself.
<p>
Having now seen just how powerful and dangerous Magic can be in the wrong hands, war has once more been reinvigorated, as a new military faction known as the Phoenix Corps has arisen with the express task of eradicating all remaining Magicians the globe over, and have set their sights on those harboring solace in the Country of Rath. And meanwhile, several bands of bounty hunting Egg Hunters have also set out in order to cash in on the heads of the Magicians that have gone into hiding.
<p>
The Red Easter has passed. The Egg Hunt begins now!
<p>
Read the first chapter right now in this <a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1xuRmSennPXZc-CPBy5sY-trBGPilNtif/view">special preview</a>, then buy your copy today in either <a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/0985885688">paperback</a> or <a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08L42HHQD">ebook</a> form!
<p>
<a href="http://www.velcrotheninjakat.com/">www.VelcroTheNinjaKat.com</a>Chris Widdophttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08976278029088673041noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6997580999403129485.post-44899917554743457892020-08-06T05:06:00.002-04:002020-08-06T05:06:57.761-04:00Velcro the Ninja Kat presents: Kip - Now Available on DVDNow available on DVD, Velcro the Ninja Kat presents: Kip!
<p>
<center><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/YrCB1dGaxko" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe></center>
<p>
Also featured are three bonus short films:<br />
• The Red Scarf (remastered!)<br />
• Dream Girl<br />
• Sianostra
<p>
<a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08BR6J6H6">Pick up your copy today!</a>
<p>
<a href="http://www.velcrotheninjakat.com/">www.VelcroTheNinjaKat.com</a>Chris Widdophttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08976278029088673041noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6997580999403129485.post-19272598307012749872020-01-08T21:22:00.000-05:002020-01-08T21:22:46.772-05:00My Top 15 Movies of the Decade (2010-2019)It's the end of the decade, so it's time to take a look back at the past 10 years in film and highlight my favorites that stood out from that time. Now normally, I might take a little more time to let the most recent year settle in a bit more. But I figured, it honestly doesn't matter when I decide to do this list, I'm going to change my mind on it at some point anyhow (which will be highlighted through various stats along the way), so I may as well do it now!
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I've spent quite a bit of time compiling this list, and at one point, it actually existed as a Top 50 list. However, I realized that after a certain point, it felt less like I was listing off my personal favorite films of the decade, and more like I was just naming a bunch of movies that had happened to release throughout the decade. And so I went with a Top 15, because that's honestly around where the actual ranking order still felt solid, before it began to feel a bit interchangeable after that. But I did still have a number of movies that I felt were worth highlighting all the same, even if they didn't quite get ranked and made it into the final list, and so here are my picks for the movies that I'd like to give an honorable mention to from the past 10 years:
<p>
<center><b>Honorable Mentions:</b><br />
<b>A Ghost Story</b> (David Lowery - 2017)<br />
<b>Avengers: Endgame</b> (Anthony Russo, Joe Russo - 2019)<br />
<b>Carol</b> (Todd Haynes - 2015)<br />
<b>Cloud Atlas</b> (Tom Tykwer, The Wachowskis - 2012)<br />
<b>Creed II</b> (Steven Caple Jr. - 2018)<br />
<b>Maggie</b> (Henry Hobson - 2015)<br />
<b>Predestination</b> (Michael Spierig, Peter Spierig - 2014)<br />
<b>The Raid: Redemption</b> (Gareth Evans - 2012)<br />
<b>The Raid 2</b> (Gareth Evans - 2014)<br />
<b>Tangled</b> (Nathan Greno, Byron Howard - 2010)<br />
<b>Wonder Woman</b> (Patty Jenkins - 2017)<br />
<b>Zootopia</b> (Byron Howard, Rich Moore - 2016)</center>
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And I could honestly keep going, as there's plenty of movies that it almost breaks my heart to have to leave off, movies such as <b>Tron: Legacy</b> (Joseph Kosinski - 2010), <b>The Avengers</b> (Joss Whedon - 2012), <b>It Follows</b> (David Robert Mitchell - 2015), <b>Captain America: Civil War</b> (Anthony Russo, Joe Russo - 2016), <b>Manchester by the Sea</b> (Kenneth Lonergan - 2016), and <b>Detroit</b> (Kathryn Bigelow – 2017). But I had to cut it off somewhere, so that's what we're left with. All fantastic movies that are easily among the best that I've seen in the past decade, which all told, has been an absolutely tremendous decade in film (even if I haven't been the biggest fan of the last couple years specifically). And so with that, let's move on to the main list, starting things off with...
<p>
<a name="blue"></a><center><b>#15</b><br />
<img src="https://i.imgur.com/bpSZApk.jpg"><br />
<b>Blue is the Warmest Color</b><br />
(Abdellatif Kechiche - 2013)<br />
Previous Rankings: <a href="http://cwiddop.blogspot.com/2013/12/my-top-10-movies-of-2013.html">2013 Honorable Mention</a><br />
Theater Viewings: 1</center>
<p>
While an all around excellent movie overall, the thing that's stuck with me the most about it, which has in turn left me finding myself thinking about this movie quite a bit over the years, is just how much of a feat of pacing that it is. At three hours in length, this is an epically lengthed foreign language romance film that somehow doesn't feel a minute longer than two hours, and I seriously don't know how they even accomplished this. Like, I'd love to just break this movie down to a science to try and figure out how they managed to pull it off, but this movie is seriously one of the best examples of pacing I've ever seen, which has helped this one stand out as being among the most impressive films I've seen this decade.
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<center><b>#14</b><br />
<img src="https://i.imgur.com/4uxf9NV.jpg"><br />
<b>Guardians of the Galaxy</b><br />
(James Gunn - 2014)<br />
Previous Rankings: <a href="http://cwiddop.blogspot.com/2014/12/my-top-5-movies-of-2014.html">2014 #2</a>; <a href="http://cwiddop.blogspot.com/2015/04/my-top-10-movies-of-decade-so-far-2010.html">Half Decade #10</a><br />
Theater Viewings: 3</center>
<p>
Great character work and ingenious use of music propel this to the top of the heap for the Marvel Cinematic Universe. I love how the Guardians films feel more secluded from everything else happening in the expanded MCU, granting them a freedom to explore their worlds and characters without having to worry too heavily about tying back in with everything else happening in the grander scheme. And this film's use of soundtrack is done in such a way that makes it feel as if we, the viewer, are truly tagging along with this strange band of heroes, as everything that we hear is also being heard by the characters on the screen, making for a more immersive viewing experience unlike anything else in this 20+ movie series.
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<center><b>#13</b><br />
<img src="https://i.imgur.com/jTAWFKS.jpg"><br />
<b>Logan</b><br />
(James Mangold - 2017)<br />
Previous Rankings: <a href="https://cwiddop.blogspot.com/2017/12/my-top-10-movies-of-2017.html">2017 #1</a><br />
Theater Viewings: 2</center>
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Perhaps the best proper film in the superhero genre since The Dark Knight, this is one of those rare movies that elevates an entire genre to something that's worth taking a little more seriously. Hugh Jackman and Patrick Stewart not only give the best performances of their lives in this film, they quite frankly give two of the best performances seen this whole decade. This is an absolute gut punch of a film, and a fitting send off to both an iconic character, as well as the X-Men franchise as a whole.
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<center><b>#12</b><br />
<img src="https://i.imgur.com/efhWwVe.jpg"><br />
<b>Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice</b><br />
(Zack Snyder - 2016)<br />
Previous Rankings: <a href="http://cwiddop.blogspot.com/2016/12/my-top-10-movies-of-2016.html">2016 #6</a><br />
Theater Viewings: 2</center>
<p>
On the polar opposite end of the comic book movie spectrum, this movie is just a beautiful disaster. It's ambitious to a fault, but I can't help but dig the hell out of this movie all the same. Snyder's signature style is all over this thing, including awesome action sequences and an infectious use of music, and it's refreshing to see that at least <i>someone</i> was trying to incorporate theme music in a modern day superhero film. It also introduced Wonder Woman into the fold in a big way, whose scenes are definitely a highlight of the film, and who would go on to become one of the most bad ass characters in the modern era of comic book movies.
<p>
<center><b>#11</b><br />
<img src="https://i.imgur.com/pqu9p62.jpg"><br />
<b>Inception</b><br />
(Christopher Nolan - 2010)<br />
Previous Rankings: <a href="http://cwiddop.blogspot.com/2010/12/best-movies-of-2010.html">2010 #1</a>; <a href="http://cwiddop.blogspot.com/2015/04/my-top-10-movies-of-decade-so-far-2010.html">Half Decade #6</a><br />
Theater Viewings: 2</center>
<p>
And now we get to our first non-comic book movie of the list, and a true game changer of a film at that. Its booming score is iconic, and would go on to influence countless other films and the way they're marketed. But I just love in particular how in addition to being a phenomenal piece of music, it's in fact also just as much an active a participant in the story as the characters on the screen themselves. And the movie is loaded with imaginative ideas and action and imagery throughout, all presented in Nolan's token grounded style that almost makes this fantastic world seem like it could really exist. This is a modern day classic, and one that definitely ingrains itself in your mind.
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<center><b>#10</b><br />
<img src="https://i.imgur.com/RXEYnL6.jpg"><br />
<b>Dredd</b><br />
(Pete Travis - 2012)<br />
Previous Rankings: <a href="http://cwiddop.blogspot.com/2012/12/my-top-10-movies-of-2012.html">2012 #1</a>; <a href="http://cwiddop.blogspot.com/2015/04/my-top-10-movies-of-decade-so-far-2010.html">Half Decade #3</a><br />
Theater Viewings: 4</center>
<p>
This was one of the biggest surprises of the decade for me. I expected just some dumb fun action flick, and what I got instead was one of the most clever and kick ass action films I've ever seen. It quickly became one of my highest recommendations, and dragging various friends out to see it in the theater so they could experience this movie's awesomeness for themselves helped make this the first time I actually saw a movie in the theater more than three times. Sadly, it may have ultimately bombed in the theater, but I more than did my part to try and help it out!
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<center><b>#9</b><br />
<img src="https://i.imgur.com/db0lDID.jpg"><br />
<b>Inside Out</b><br />
(Pete Docter - 2015)<br />
Previous Rankings: <a href="http://cwiddop.blogspot.com/2015/12/my-top-10-movies-of-2015.html">2015 #1</a><br />
Theater Viewings: 3</center>
<p>
I simply adore this movie's existence. This is one of the most brilliant films I've ever seen, and it's in fact the first time I ever referred to a movie as being a miracle of a film. The vibrant ways in which this movie breaks down the inner workings of the mind and the various emotions we feel are nothing short of genious, and make for one of the most emotionally satisfying movies this decade.
<p>
<center><b>#8</b><br />
<img src="https://i.imgur.com/FLJhG1E.jpg"><br />
<b>Mad Max: Fury Road</b><br />
(George Miller - 2015)<br />
Previous Rankings: <a href="http://cwiddop.blogspot.com/2015/12/my-top-10-movies-of-2015.html">2015 #3</a><br />
Theater Viewings: 1</center>
<p>
An absolute masterpiece of a film. It's a simple enough premise, but accomplished in a big and bombastic way that sets it apart from everyone else. It's one of the few examples of actual <i>good</i> progressiveness in modern films done right, both from a social standpoint, as well as from a filmmaking and artistic one. It's sort of insane to even think about how much of this movie was filmed using practical effects as opposed to green screens and CGI. And like other entries on this list, I simply love how this movie's score, in addition to being one of the most glorious film scores of the decade, is one that truly immerses us into this post-apocalyptic world, as it's blasted out at times by the characters on screen themselves, performing it amidst all the crazy action, meaning it's literally the soundtrack to said action even within the confines of this movie's world itself. This film is truly a work of art.
<p>
<center><b>#7</b><br />
<img src="https://i.imgur.com/9RKDlXY.jpg"><br />
<b>Drive</b><br />
(Nicolas Winding Refn - 2011)<br />
Previous Rankings: <a href="http://cwiddop.blogspot.com/2011/12/my-top-10-movies-of-2011.html">2011 #2</a>; <a href="http://cwiddop.blogspot.com/2015/04/my-top-10-movies-of-decade-so-far-2010.html">Half Decade #4</a><br />
Theater Viewings: 2</center>
<p>
Speaking of soundtracks, I love how listening to pop music on the radio acted as inspiration for director Nicolas Winding Refn on how to tackle this movie, and you can see that inspiration in the finished product itself. This is one of the coolest damn movies I've ever seen, backed by one of the chillest damn soundtracks, and brought to life by some seriously great performances, including Ryan Gosling in perhaps his most stoic and bad ass outing to date. This is a movie that'll mesmerize you early on, only to turn around and shock you at various points along the way. A movie that's both super stylized yet super gritty, this is one that instantly made Refn one of my favorite modern directors.
<p>
<center><b>#6</b><br />
<img src="https://i.imgur.com/uP00wVY.jpg"><br />
<b>Sucker Punch</b><br />
(Zack Snyder - 2011)<br />
Previous Rankings: <a href="http://cwiddop.blogspot.com/2011/12/my-top-10-movies-of-2011.html">2011 #1</a>; <a href="http://cwiddop.blogspot.com/2015/04/my-top-10-movies-of-decade-so-far-2010.html">Half Decade #5</a><br />
Theater Viewings: 1</center>
<p>
Every time I rank both Drive and Sucker Punch, I flip flop back and forth on which should be ranked above the other, and here you can see I've done it yet again. Truly, if ever there was a year where I should've made my #1 pick of the year a tie, it should've been 2011 between Drive and Sucker Punch at the top of the heap.
<p>
But I simply love this movie, and feel it's perhaps one of the most underrated and most misunderstood movies of the whole decade. An absolute celebration of escapism, of getting lost in one's imagination and just letting it run wild, it's no wonder why this movie clicked with me so well. I was a big fan already of Zack Snyder prior to this film, but I'd personally say that this is easily his best yet, and it's one that makes me wish he would do more original work, as opposed to just working on big franchise properties all the time, so we could see what other wondrous ideas he's got for us.
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<center><b>#5</b><br />
<img src="https://i.imgur.com/JIKQdIV.jpg"><br />
<b>La La Land</b><br />
(Damien Chazelle - 2016)<br />
Previous Rankings: <a href="http://cwiddop.blogspot.com/2016/12/my-top-10-movies-of-2016.html">2016 #1</a><br />
Theater Viewings: 5</center>
<p>
What a wonderful movie. As can probably be assessed by a lot of my entries in this list by now, I'm a big proponent for music in film, and the ways in which it's used. And this movie hits all of the beats, featuring musical numbers that are both pre-recorded or at times even performed live on set, memorable uses of classic songs, and full on orchestral moments that allow for the music and visuals to tell its story, almost like watching a live action Fantasia. The plot and characters are charming and relatable, and the visuals and use of lighting feel inspired. This movie is like a dream, and one that I just couldn't get enough of.
<p>
<center><b>#4</b><br />
<img src="https://i.imgur.com/wuTY1oB.jpg"><br />
<b>Interstellar</b><br />
(Christopher Nolan - 2014)<br />
Previous Rankings: <a href="http://cwiddop.blogspot.com/2014/12/my-top-5-movies-of-2014.html">2014 #1</a>; <a href="http://cwiddop.blogspot.com/2015/04/my-top-10-movies-of-decade-so-far-2010.html">Half Decade #2</a><br />
Theater Viewings: 4</center>
<p>
This is just such a <i>massive</i> movie. And it's one that in turn will leave you mind feeling as vast as the universe itself by the end at that, a phenomenon that I've never experienced with any other film before. In addition, add this to my list of the best paced movies that I've ever seen, as like Blue is the Warmest Color above, this is a three hour long epic that, yet again, doesn't feel a single second longer than two hours, even after four different viewings in the theater. This is Christopher Nolan at perhaps his most ambitious yet, with overwhelming visuals, an intense score, and grandiose ideas, as he takes his characters on a journey through space that goes big and hits hard.
<p>
<center><b>#3</b><br />
<img src="https://i.imgur.com/v9MK4YF.jpg"><br />
<b>The Neon Demon</b><br />
(Nicolas Winding Refn - 2016)<br />
Previous Rankings: <a href="http://cwiddop.blogspot.com/2016/12/my-top-10-movies-of-2016.html">2016 #2</a><br />
Theater Viewings: 2</center>
<p>
One of the most stunningly gorgeous yet dementedly dark films of the decade, watching this movie feels like Refn letting us in on some of his deepest, darkest secrets, which is part of what makes this movie resonate so much with me. On the one hand, you can argue that the movie is little more than surface level deep. On the other though, there's something personal on the screen that I can't help but latch on to. It's a hard movie to recommend, as it's truly one of the most messed up films of the decade, and it's definitely not going to be for everyone. But for me at least, it totally clicked with me, and I loved it.
<p>
Also, this movie acted as my introductory point to Sia during its ending credits, so it scores bonus points for that, too!
<p>
<center><b>#2</b><br />
<img src="https://i.imgur.com/jQ9mbfW.jpg"><br />
<b>Frozen II</b><br />
(Chris Buck, Jennifer Lee - 2019)<br />
Previous Rankings: <a href="https://cwiddop.blogspot.com/2019/12/my-top-5-movies-of-2019.html">2019 #1</a><br />
Theater Viewings: 8</center>
<p>
So this was one heck of a last minute wrench that got thrown into things. So much so, I actually debated putting off sharing this list, to allow for more time for this movie to really sit and see how confident I was with its placement. But alas, as I mentioned in my introductory passage above, I figured screw it, we're just gonna move forward with it anyways. After all, as you can see by the theater viewing count, I've already seen this one eight times so far. When I saw La La Land for the fifth time, I definitely felt like I had seen it enough, and I honestly found it improbable that I would ever see another movie so many times in the theater again. Eight viewings of Frozen II later though, I've obviously shattered that previous record, and I could still easily go for more. Movies that are <i>this</i> good are seriously a rare, <i>rare</i> breed.
<p>
It's actually a bit disconcerting to see that virtually nobody outside of the core Frozen fanbase has anything much to say about this film though. You won't find people discussing this on social media or film forums like they did with the first, and most people appear to be seemingly dismissing it. Which is a shame, because this is a movie that I feel has <i>so</i> much worth discussing about.
<p>
Like, the poetic writing in this film is seriously master class stuff, made all the more impressive by the fact that it never draws attention to what it's doing, but is more focused on telling its story and taking its characters on these emotional journeys. But the poetry remains there all the same for anyone looking to dig deeper.
<p>
And that's what else I love about this movie, is that it doesn't hold the viewers hand or dumb itself down for the lowest common denominator, like almost 99% of all other movies seem to do nowadays. I've seen so many movies that treat me like I'm an idiot, that's it's almost become expected by this point. But in a refreshing change of pace, especially coming from a big franchise film such as this, this film instead has a genuine respect for its audience, a trust it places in them to be able to fit all the pieces together, without having to put the movie on hold to spell it all out for those in the audience who were too busy playing on their phones to pay attention throughout.
<p>
And that's not even touching on the emotional core of this movie. Like, I can't recall any other movie where by the end of it, I seriously just wanted to give the movie itself a warm hug. Hell, <a href="http://cwiddop.blogspot.com/2019/12/frozen-ii.html">my review of the film</a> felt more similar to my review of a Babymetal show, where I spend most of my time discussing how much of an emotional ride it took me on, and how much it made me smile throughout, and how much of a puddle of tears it left me in.
<p>
And these are tears of pure <i>joy</i>, I feel I need to stress. I've seen so many movies that can make me cry tears of sadness that it almost doesn't even feel like a feat to be moved in that way anymore. Those are emotions that are in fact relatively easy to manipulate, and some movies aren't even subtle with the manipulative tactics that they use. But tears of joy? Of pure, overwhelming happiness? Yeah, those don't come easy. Those are the levels of emotion that one has to truly <i>earn</i>, and oh man does this movie ever. I've seriously never been so thoroughly wrecked by a single movie in my life.
<p>
The fact that on a technical level, it's a solid improvement over the original is just icing on the cake. And even after so many viewings, it never even begins to drag, and I'd lob this up along with Blue is the Warmest Color and Interstellar for champions of pacing as well. It may not be a three hour long epic like those films, but at an hour and forty-five minutes, this movie honestly goes by so quick, you'll think only a single hour has passed, even after so many viewings. And as a pure musical experience, this might be the single greatest outing I've seen in the theater this whole decade.
<p>
Seriously, this movie is simply a miracle. Heck, I honestly find it to be a rare example of a "perfect" movie, as I personally don't have a single word of criticism that I can say about it. Yet even so, it still gets outranked by one last film.
<p>
<center><b>#1</b><br />
<img src="https://i.imgur.com/jXIvTnw.jpg"><br />
<b>Frozen</b><br />
(Chris Buck, Jennifer Lee - 2013)<br />
Previous Rankings: <a href="http://cwiddop.blogspot.com/2013/12/my-top-10-movies-of-2013.html">2013 #2</a>; <a href="http://cwiddop.blogspot.com/2015/04/my-top-10-movies-of-decade-so-far-2010.html">Half Decade #1</a><br />
Theater Viewings: 2</center>
<p>
I mean, is this even surprising by this point? Anyone who's been following me for even a little bit of time by now should've easily seen this coming. Obviously Frozen tops the list. It's not just my favorite movie of the whole decade, it's my favorite movie of all time, period. In fact, when that realization hit me that Frozen was my all time favorite, it was actually quite satisfying, as I don't believe I've ever had one single definitive answer to that age old question before, "What's your favorite movie?" I always had a number of movies that I'd say might be one of my favorites, such as Independence Day, or The Dark Knight, or Revenge of the Sith, but no one specific answer that I could reply with confidence. Until Frozen.
<p>
That's not to say that I think it's the "best" movie I've ever seen, as it's certainly got a number of technical flaws to it, which I've discussed quite a bit over the years. Yet even so, its flaws don't ever break the movie, and I've actually come to find a certain fitting charm to its imperfections. Because what this movie has going for it is its characters. And the depths that this movie goes to, and the magical ways in which it explores these character depths, is unlike anything I've seen.
<p>
I mentioned that Frozen II is the better movie technically, but the reason I can't rank it higher than the original is because, quite frankly, deep as that movie goes, it doesn't go nearly as deep as this one does. And that's not a knock against that movie either. Quite frankly, it <i>can't</i> go to those places again. And if this one hadn't gone to those places, that movie couldn't even exist as it does. But it is the reason why this one ranks higher for me, and why it affected me so deeply.
<p>
Elsa is seriously one of the best written characters I've ever seen in a film. And she's also the single most personally relatable character I've ever seen in fiction. She may be able to use magic, but in terms of her personality and her emotional demons and how they're portrayed, she genuinely feels like the most realistic character I've seen depicted in film. And you can really tell that the screenwriters truly understand what she's going through internally, her anxieties, her fears, her generally introverted nature, and the different ways this plays into how she acts around others depending on the setting or who she's around. She's not "movie shy" or "movie anxious". Her emotions are portrayed in an incredibly realistic way. Just with, you know, a little bit of magic sprinkled in, which is often used in creative ways to even further explore her psychology.
<p>
You hear a lot about people saying that they want to see themselves being represented in movies. Well that's what it was like watching this movie for me, was seeing myself being represented in the realest, truest form, as if the filmmakers themselves had spent some time following me around in my life and my various interactions and turned it into a fantasy.
<p>
I spoke about Elsa, but honestly, Anna is the opposite end of the spectrum from a personality standpoint, and while I may not personally see myself in her on the level that I can Elsa, I can still very much relate with her and what all she's going through. Like, I recently saw an interview where Kristen Bell mentioned how she put a lot of herself into the character, because she had a desire to see someone like herself represented on the big screen. And that mentality totally comes through in the end, which is why I feel these characters connect so deeply with so many. And I think that's a big part of why this movie took off and became such a big hit, wasn't just that the music was as fantastic as it was. But the character work was so relatable to so many, because it was executed in such a personal manner. And this movie's messages were so universal, that it was truly a movie for anyone.
<p>
Now, there was eventually quite a bit of a backlash against the film, which has since garnered a reputation for being "overrated". Personally, I'd actually argue that the film is in fact quite <i>underrated</i>, and perhaps also quite misunderstood, which is a conclusion I've been able to come to in my many interactions discussing the film both online and in person with those who didn't like it. And I've also realized that in fact very few people actually got to experience this movie in its rawest form, outside of those who saw it opening weekend like myself. For instance, almost everyone goes into the movie now already knowing that Elsa's not the villain. But if you went into it having only seen the theatrical trailers on opening weekend, Elsa's arc totally plays out like a classic villain's descent. And that she <i>doesn't</i> ultimately become the big bad is in fact one of the biggest twists in a movie that's filled with them.
<p>
And speaking more on those twists, I'm also still a bit baffled that to this day, nobody can bring up Frozen without feeling it necessary to assert that they're a bigger fan of either Tangled or Moana. The irony there being that, while Tangled and Moana are both Disney Princess musicals, Frozen actually probably has more in common with a film such as The Cabin in the Woods than it does with either Tangled or Moana, as it exists as a complete <i>deconstruction</i> of the Disney Princess genre. I believe this likely also plays into why it's so especially popular with adults (there were far more adults in the audience than there were kids at pretty much all of my screenings for Frozen II, for instance), who are bound to get a lot more out of it than younger audiences, having grown up on earlier Disney films and their various tropes which proceed to get turned on their head in this go around.
<p>
But yeah, this movie just speaks to me, like nothing else before. It's a wickedly deep and clever experience, with some of the best character work I've ever seen, and featuring some of the most outstanding musical numbers that've ever been graced on the silver screen. The Let It Go sequence is perhaps still the greatest and purest scene in any movie this decade, and its existence helped shape the rest of the movie and transform it into the beautiful monster that it is. It may not be perfect, but that's okay, because there's beauty in its flaws, and its the pure love in which it was all put together with that seeps through those cracks.
<p>
So there it is then, a whole decade of film wrapped up! I've been thinking about how this list would turn out since the beginning (and in fact, <a href="http://cwiddop.blogspot.com/2010/01/my-top-10-movies-of-2009.html">my very first post on this blog covered my list for the best movies of the previous decade at that</a>), so it's cool to finally sit back and see how it all turned out, what movies stood that test of time, and which ones that I was super high on early on didn't quite make the cut in the end. And like I said, on the whole, it's been a tremendous decade for films, and I just hope that we see another upswing in the general quality of the films being released soon, so that the new decade may be even nearly as good as this one was.Chris Widdophttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08976278029088673041noreply@blogger.com18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6997580999403129485.post-78795548791329605142019-12-26T11:35:00.000-05:002019-12-26T11:40:09.754-05:00My Top 5 Movies of 2019So without further ado, now presenting my personal picks for this year's best in movies, or what I'd like to call, the films that to me felt like a true breath of fresh air in the modern landscape of film.
<p>
<a name="doctorsleep"></a><center><b>#5</b><br />
<img height="201" src="https://i.imgur.com/GgpJDPS.gif" width="480"><br />
<b>Doctor Sleep</b><br />
(Mike Flanagan)</center>
<p>
A total Frankenstein's Monster of a movie, this is a film that in the hands of a lesser director would've been a complete trainwreck, but it's a testament to just how good Mike Flanagan is that he manages to make this film work all the same, and only further serves to prove just why he's become one of my go-to directors. It's a sequel to the 1980 Stanley Kubrick film The Shining, and totally feels it. Except for when it doesn't, and instead feels like a YA supernatural film, only an exceptionally good one thanks to some creatively stylized choices in the way it handles its more cerebral aspects, and with odd horror elements that are executed in such a way that feel like they shouldn't work, seeing our villains oftentimes on the receiving end of the horror at play, and yet it remains as compelling as ever throughout anyways.
<p>
Excellent performances throughout from the likes of Ewan McGregor, Rebecca Ferguson, and Jacob Tremblay help elevate the material, as does certainly the best use of music I've heard in a Flanagan film yet in the form of its beating heartbeat of a score. And a scene at the bar of the Overlook Hotel may be among the simpler scenes in the entire film, yet in its execution, it also manages to be one of the most gripping pieces of cinema this whole year.
<p>
<a name="joker"></a><center><b>#4</b><br />
<img height="201" src="https://i.imgur.com/6im1qrg.gif" width="480"><br />
<b>Joker</b><br />
(Todd Phillips)</center>
<p>
Perhaps the most unfairly hated on movie of the year by some circles of the internet, this movie truly exceeded all expectations I had of it, and is probably the best movie one could hope for based around the origin story of the Joker. And while he may never come close to matching Heath Ledger's take on the character, Joaquin Phoenix is an absolute force in this film, and gives a performance that's layered and, at times, truly terrifying.
<p>
I really just dug how despite being a big franchise comic book film based on an incredibly popular character, this movie is the furthest thing one could think from the typical modern blockbuster, taking an old school lower budget approach that really helps ground the film and gives it a much more refreshing feel, and backed by a script that's honestly a hell of a lot more clever than I think a lot of people are giving it credit for. This is a true standout film in the genre, for sure.
<p>
<a name="ouatih"></a><center><b>#3</b><br />
<img src="https://i.imgur.com/QkakAlC.gif"><br />
<b>Once Upon a Time in Hollywood</b><br />
(Quentin Tarantino)</center>
<p>
At least one review that I've seen referred to this movie as feeling like a warm blanket in the modern landscape of film, and I don't think I could come up with a more apt description of this movie myself. I just loved spending time in this era that Tarantino brought back to life, and really taking our time to breathe in the scenery and this world.
<p>
And we follow yet another gathering of some exceptionally compelling characters, with Leonardo DiCaprio giving an emotionally vulnerable performance that honestly may be his best work in a film yet, and Brad Pitt proving to be the MVP of 2019 after giving us stellar performances both here and in Ad Astra. This is a movie filled with great characters and great moments, in a Hollywood retelling of a tragic moment in time that once again changes history in satisfying ways, not unlike how he did with Inglourious Basterds, and which may well be his best work since that movie at that.
<p>
<a name="endgame"></a><center><b>#2</b><br />
<img height="201" src="https://i.imgur.com/nnYrS3L.gif" width="480"><br />
<b>Avengers: Endgame</b><br />
(Anthony Russo, Joe Russo)</center>
<p>
Unlike all the other movies on this list, I wouldn't necessarily call this one a breath of fresh air or anything, as it is still just another big and bombastic modern day action blockbuster superhero flick, if an especially good one. But even so, it was still a completely satisfying and emotionally thrilling experience all the same. Basically a three hour long celebration of this 20+ movie series that's been spanning over 10 years by this point, and I can't think of a better way to wrap up such an epic achievement.
<p>
The Russo brothers have surely outdone themselves here, once again managing to balance so much story and so many characters, and all so seamlessly, and all while still managing to get out some of the best performances out of their cast. Following Civil War, this is now the second time the Russos have gotten a career best performance out of Robert Downey Jr., and Chris Hemsworth similarly gives a career best performance of his own, bringing a stunning range of emotion and depth to a performance that could've easily been written off as just comic relief in lesser hands.
<p>
This is a movie full of moments. And this movie <i>earns</i> its moments, and sends off this massive series of movies on the highest note possible.
<p>
<center><b>#1</b><br />
<img height="201" src="https://i.imgur.com/mGWQEiz.gif" width="480"><br />
<b>Frozen II</b><br />
(Chris Buck, Jennifer Lee)</center>
<p>
This movie was everything. <i><a href="http://cwiddop.blogspot.com/2019/12/frozen-ii.html">Everything</a></i>.
<p>
So there you have it, may Top 5 Movies of 2019. But we're not through just yet, as next, seeing as we've made it to the end of the decade, I'll be counting down my picks for the Top Movies of the Decade. So keep an eye out for that coming soon!Chris Widdophttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08976278029088673041noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6997580999403129485.post-78381759553289880632019-12-22T20:51:00.000-05:002019-12-22T20:51:09.576-05:00Looking back at the last 10 years...Most years at the end of the year, I take a look back at the past year and sorta reminisce on my achievments from that year. But seeing as this year comes at the end of the decade, I thought I'd instead like to take a look back and see what all I've accomplished in that time, and sorta see how far along I've come since the start of it. So, without further ado...
<p>
<b>2012 - Release of my first short film, and my first novel</b>
<p>
I spent the earlier years of the decade still doing a lot of writing, including novel length works and various script ideas, and gradually working towards something that I could actually put out and release to the public. And the years of work finally paid off come 2012, as it saw the release of my first short film, The Red Scarf, as well as my first novel, Velcro: The Ninja Kat.
<p>
<center><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/FVPXuyymPVE" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe></center>
<p>
<center><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Velcro-Ninja-Kat-Chris-Widdop/dp/0985885602/"><img src="https://i.imgur.com/X08Wpjb.jpg"></a><br />
<i>Click image for link to book.</i></center>
<p>
<b>2013 - Release of my first comic book</b>
<p>
Shortly after the release of Velcro: The Ninja Kat, I was approached by one <a href="http://www.velcrotheninjakat.com/2017/04/about-artist-of-velcro-ninja-kat-comic.html">Trevor Tee</a> about the possibility of collaborating on a comic book adaptation of it, and we officially released the first issue in the following year, which ran for almost two years before life got in the way of production.
<p>
<center><img src="https://i.imgur.com/EZcPLiy.jpg"></center>
<p>
Sadly, the site we used to upload the comic online has since shut down, so I'll still have to get around to re-uploading it all at some point.
<p>
<b>2014 - Release of Velcro: The Green Lion</b>
<p>
While the comic book adaptation may have gradually lingered away, my work on the novel series hadn't wavered, as the following year saw the release of the first Ninja Kat sequel, Velcro: The Green Lion.
<p>
<center><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Velcro-Green-Lion-Ninja-Volume/dp/0985885629/"><img src="https://i.imgur.com/c2lDNAY.jpg"></a><br />
<i>Click image for link to book.</i></center>
<p>
One of the biggest lessons I've learned as a writer was that you learn more by finishing projects. And after seeing my first novel all the way through to completion, I learned so much more through that experience than I ever did through attending any writing workshops or reading any "how to" writing guides, and I feel that definitely showed in the finished product this time around, which I was a lot more pleased by.
<p>
<b>2015 - Release of Dream Girl and Breathe, and on stage acting debut</b>
<p>
After focusing so much on the novel side of things for so long, I decided to shift focus back to filmmaking again in 2015, finally getting around to filming a couple of scripts that I had been playing with for a little while by that point.
<p>
<center><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Giid2INI-Q0" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe></center>
<p>
<center><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/COgGwKYJ_k4" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe></center>
<p>
This year also saw me making my on stage debut as an actor in the play <a href="http://cwiddop.blogspot.com/2015/09/splintered-judgement.html">Splintered Judgement</a>.
<p>
<center><img src="https://i.imgur.com/YRU9Az0.jpg"></center>
<p>
Prior to this point, I had acted in all of my movies, yet I still hadn't yet actually considered myself to be an actor. After working on this play though, I suppose I technically couldn't make that claim anymore.
<p>
<b>2016 - Theatrical debut, and release of Velcro: The Masquerade</b>
<p>
Both of my shorts I had filmed the previous year made their theatrical debut the following year at <a href="http://cwiddop.blogspot.com/2016/05/breathe-debuts-at-tallahassee-premiere.html">Tallahassee Premiere Nights</a>.
<p>
<center><img src="https://i.imgur.com/55uBivm.jpg"></center>
<p>
So that was a pretty cool experience, finally being able to show some of my work to an audience on the big screen, and get some live reactions to them.
<p>
And the third entry of The Ninja Kat series also released in 2016, and I still maintain that it's the best thing I've ever written to date. At least, it's the piece that I'm the most personally satisfied with how it turned out. Hopefully I'll be able to best it one day, though!
<p>
<center><a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/0985885645/"><img src="https://i.imgur.com/POXLTcS.jpg"></a><br />
<i>Click image for link to book.</i></center>
<p>
<b>2017 - Release of Velcro: Polluted War</b>
<p>
I wasted no time this time around hopping right onto the next entry, and the following year saw the release of the fourth book in the Ninja Kat series, Velcro: Polluted War.
<p>
<center><a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/0985885661/"><img src="https://i.imgur.com/Nt39xD0.jpg"></a><br />
<i>Click image for link to book.</i></center>
<p>
It's been two years since this entry released, and this one ends with a real harsh cliff hanger, so you all have been real patient with me. But I assure you, the fifth entry is indeed coming along!
<p>
<b>2018 - Release of Sianostra and Kip</b>
<p>
I had once again been working on a number of screenplays in the meantime, and once again felt that itch to bring some of those scripts to life.
<p>
<center><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/35MFCdMXfnA" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe></center>
<p>
<center><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/NFrhRCpx9OY" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe></center>
<p>
Sianostra saw the first time I filmed a script based on someone else's idea, so that was a neat little challenge. And then Kip is my first go at an on screen adaptation, as it's the first film to adapt some of the story elements from my Ninja Kat novels into live action. Kip may in fact be my favorite of my movies to date (it's between it or The Red Scarf at least), and it's certainly the one I think turned out to be the coolest of the bunch so far.
<p>
<b>2019 - Other film productions I worked on</b>
<p>
While I didn't manage to put out any new personal projects of my own this year, there are a number of other projects I helped collaborate on that came out, including the web series <a href="https://cwiddop.blogspot.com/2019/06/not-so-innocent.html">Not So Innocent</a>.
<p>
<center><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/NSEDGUsIY5o" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe><br />
<i>Not So Innocent, directed by Andre Forbes<br />
My role: Actor, Editor</i></center>
<p>
I also spent some time working on a number of projects in New York at the latter end of 2018 and the first quarter of 2019. And while some of those projects are still undergoing post-production, others have since been released, and a number of them have been accepted into film competition, and even won at that.
<p>
<center><iframe src="https://player.vimeo.com/video/312397025" width="640" height="360" frameborder="0" allow="autoplay; fullscreen" allowfullscreen></iframe><br />
<i>Swiped., directed by Dan Couri<br />
My role: Assistant Director</i></center>
<p>
<center><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/3otPpBVjEYo" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe><br />
<i>The Will, directed by Duan Duan<br />
My role: Production Assistant, Boom Operator</i></center>
<p>
<center><iframe title="vimeo-player" src="https://player.vimeo.com/video/352996762" width="640" height="260" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe><br />
<i>Crazy for the Blonde, directed by Mark Clauburg<br />
My role: 2nd Assistant Director, Actor</i></center>
<p>
<center><iframe src="https://player.vimeo.com/video/335225505" width="640" height="360" frameborder="0" allow="autoplay; fullscreen" allowfullscreen></iframe><br />
<i>The Way Out, directed by Lindsay Katt<br />
My role: Production Assistant</i></center>
<p>
<center><img src="https://i.imgur.com/8i81oNc.jpg"><br />
<i>Disavow, directed by Alex Hughes<br />
My role: Camera Production Assistant</i></center>
<p>
And those are the projects that have actually seen their debut this year, and there's still more that are ready to make their debut in the coming year as well, so that's pretty exciting.
<p>
Other than that though, as to my personal projects, like I said, I'm still working on the fifth Ninja Kat book, and I promised that I was going to have a DVD out this year, but it's looking like this is going to be maybe the first time I won't be able to make my promised deadline. It's been a bit of a rough year honestly, and a lot of my plans have gotten pretty derailed, and I've just been dealing with a lot of personal issues lately, which has in turn seen a lot of my productivity suffer as a result. I'm hoping to be able to address some of these issues sooner rather than later though, and hopefully get things back on track.
<p>
In the meantime though, while this last year might not have been my most productive, looking back on the past 10 years, I think I have a lot to be proud of. I've released five short films, four novels, and a comic book, traveled around doing book signings and runnings tables at conventions promoting my work, saw my movies screened in theaters, and collaborated with other artists on films that have been screened and won at various film festivals.
<p>
And we're still just getting started.
<p>
So hopefully by this time come the next decade, there'll be a lot more for me to look back on and be proud of yet!Chris Widdophttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08976278029088673041noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6997580999403129485.post-27575342738776686312019-12-03T19:31:00.000-05:002019-12-03T19:31:54.914-05:00Frozen II<center><img src="https://i.imgur.com/01Ct7pR.jpg"></center>
<p>
God, I can't remember the last time I went into a movie this stupidly excited for it, and it actually met my ridiculous expectations for it. Granted, after being burned so many times by getting my hopes up for a highly anticipated movie, and subsequently being left disappointed by it, I've actually learned to <i>not</i> get so hyped for certain upcoming movies. But with this one I couldn't even help myself, especially as we got closer and closer to its release. After all, my love for the first movie has been well documented here over the years. And yeah, my nerves were definitely high, because this movie had all the potential in the world to go so wrong. But thankfully, this movie couldn't have gone more right. This film was truly an event, for me at least, and the fact that it turned out as genuinely fantastic as it did is nothing short of a miracle.
<p>
As I write this review, I've actually now seen the movie five times so far (currently tied with La La Land for the most times I've ever seen a movie in the theater), and it's only gotten better with each new viewing, as I notice more and more little details. And it's such a well paced movie that feels like such a breeze, that even after so many viewings it still never even begins to drag at any point. But I have so much to say about this movie that my thoughts on it almost feel like they're all over the place, and I've found myself kind of struggling to even get it all down as a result, because I don't even really know where to begin, hence this review coming along so late.
<p>
So, perhaps let's start with the storytelling then, which sorta fits in with that line of thought. Because it's almost surprising how this is a movie targeted primarily at younger audiences, because the movie utilizes quite a bit of vague and poetic ways of telling its story, which is quite fitting, given its themes of fairy tales and nursery rhymes, and finding the hidden meaning behind such myths, even treating the first movie as such at times. It's not that it's hard to follow along or anything, but it definitely leaves a lot of gaps as it concerns the catalyst behind the film's central conflicts and such, which it trusts its audience to be able to fill in for themselves. It's nothing too distracting, though it does give one something to ponder over, and it actually did take me until about my third viewing before I was able to really piece everything together, which was pretty rewarding, and again, really surprising coming from a Disney animated flick. I really appreciated how this movie respects its audience's intelligence though, and how it didn't find it necessary to hold our hand the whole way through (though there is still plenty of exposition to explain <i>some</i> things along the way).
<p>
This is the sort of storytelling you'd maybe more expect out of an arthouse indie flick or something. And, well, in many ways this movie very much felt precisely like that, like I was watching something more arthouse than conventional blockbuster fare. This is seen not only in some of the vaguer aspects of its storytelling, but also visually and musically, like how quite a bit of Elsa's journey is played out using a lot of visual storytelling, taking full advantage of the medium. And unlike the first movie, which felt like it sorta abandoned the musical genre in its last act, this movie totally embraces being a musical through and through. The songs are all so tightly and cohesively interwoven together, this movie almost feels like one long piece of music being played out over the course of its runtime. Elements from one song will appear in another, whether those elements be lyrical or instrumental, and even elements from songs in the first movie sprinkle themselves in, really even tying the two films together quite neatly, which I'll dive more into in a moment.
<p>
But just as the storytelling feels fairly unconventional for a Disney animated flick, so too does its use of music. The first Frozen had a number of songs that felt more Broadway in style, and that's definitely the case here as well, even more so. I'll also say that there's definitely more consistency here stylistically from song to song as compared to the first movie, which sometimes had songs that did feel almost out of place. And even when there isn't a musical number actively taking place, they continue to use music as a means of moving the story forward, such as in the form of the siren's call throughout. So I just loved that about this movie, how it's totally a full blown musical all throughout, and embraces music as a means of telling their story, as opposed to just putting the movie on pause for a quick musical number, as can often be the case in these sorts of movies.
<p>
As to the songs themselves, I'm not sure I'm ready just yet to say there's anything in this film that quite matches the likes of "Let It Go" or "For the First Time in Forever", but man do they get close. Elsa gets two solo songs this time out, and they are both absolutely killer. I love the progression in these songs, and how Idina uses her voice, such as how she's only belting out in "Into the Unknown" whenever she's actively calling back out to the siren, or how she gradually continues to ramp up her emotion as she dives deeper and deeper into "Show Yourself". And Anna gets a solo all her own this time with "The Next Right Thing", and I'll tell you what, Kristen Bell absolutely <i>sells</i> this song, giving us one hell of a performance, and taking us on an emotional journey right along with her. Seriously, just for the sheer range and amount of emotion they're able to convey with their voices, I'd say both Idina Menzel and Kristen Bell should be in some serious awards consideration for their off the charts outings in this film.
<p>
Kristoff may have gotten a bit of a shaft in terms of having a song until now, but they finally give poor Jonathan Groff a full blown musical number in this film with "Lost in the Woods", and it's an absolute riot. It's just so over the top cheesy, and perfectly fits this character. And in terms of the movie's humor, I gotta hand it to Josh Gad, he totally outdoes himself this time around. I thought Olaf was pretty damn funny in the first movie, but holy crap is he hilarious this go around, and a lot of that really does come down to Gad's spot on delivery. And it's sort of crazy how deep they get with this character this time out, too. There's far more to him than just mere comic relief, they've developed the character to where he's undergoing maturity and starting to question the world around him, and it's actually pretty fascinating. Like, who woulda thought that Olaf the snowman would wind up having more depth to his character than 99% of any other character I've seen in about 99% of any other movie this year? But again, Josh Gad totally brings this character to life and makes him work, and his delivery is so damn good, I'd honestly be willing to toss his name in the hat for awards recognition as well.
<p>
But now let's talk for a moment about just how emotional an experience this was to sit through. Like, I can't remember the last time a movie so thoroughly wrecked me to my core and made me openly weep this much during it, but on my first viewing, I already had tears welling up in my eyes from the very first note. I mentioned before how this movie ties itself in with the first one, often paralleling with the original without ever feeling like it's just repeating the same story beats, and it does so in ways that are so beautiful, yet so unexpected. Like, some of those elements that I mentioned may have felt out of place in the first movie, yeah, they take some of that stuff and work them into this one in ways that give them a whole new context, and thusly a whole new importance. For instance, without giving too much away, maybe halfway into the film, there's a callback to the opening tribal chanting sounding music from the very beginning of the first movie that always felt a little weird. But once they bring it back here, it's done so in a way that just feels so completely satisfying and so immensely heart warming that it's left me in a puddle of tears every single time.
<p>
But while that moment may have brought on tears of satisfaction, "Show Yourself" features a moment that made me audibly gasp on first viewing, the first time a movie's ever triggered such a reaction out of me before. And this whole sequence is just so stunning and so gorgeous, and it left me crying tears of pure joy right along with our characters on the screen. Like, it's almost overwhelming how heavy the emotions hit in this song. And like the earlier callback I mentioned before, this scene also features a number of callbacks as well, including one to "Let It Go" that I especially loved, because the reaction is just so natural and realistic, and it's such a small moment, but it's these little moments like this sprinkled throughout that really make these characters feel so real and so alive. (And seriously though, this movie is a prime example of how to do callbacks to previous movies <i>right</i>.)
<p>
But it's not all fun and games, as by the time we get to Anna's song of transformation, those tears of happiness are replaced with ones of grief, and a somber hopefulness. Just, this movie covers the full spectrum of emotion, and it hits damn hard. This was just such an emotional experience of a film to sit through, and even when I wasn't left wiping away tears from my eyes, I often found that this movie was just leaving me smiling the biggest grin throughout, as I was just completely swept away by the visual and musical magic on the screen.
<p>
And speaking of visuals, my lord, this is seriously without question the very best that any 3D animated film has ever looked to date. The landscapes and the elements are close to photorealistic at times, and the character animation has never looked smoother. And stylistically this thing is just a work of sheer beauty, with both of our leads transformative moments being key standouts, “Show Yourself” being just a pure vibrant spectacle to marvel at, and “The Next Right Thing” appropriately taking the stark opposite approach, really grounding the film in ways that are, again, not something I'd expect out of a Disney animated film.
<p>
I'm not gonna lie, I haven't exactly been thrilled by the general direction the film industry appears to have taken in the past couple years, and this direction has been reflected in the general quality of the movies that have been released, where I honestly feel like most movies these days have become instantly forgettable fare, with very few really connecting with me anymore. There have been some exceptions of course, and this year, there's been precisely three movies I've seen that have actually felt like a breath of fresh air in the modern landscape of film, those being Once Upon A Time In Hollywood, Joker, and Doctor Sleep. Frozen II didn't just feel like a breath of fresh air though. This film felt like a breath of <i>life</i>. Like, not since La La Land have I felt so exhilarated by a movie, and felt so alive watching it in the theater. Three years I've been waiting for such an experience again, and just when I was beginning to think it might not even be possible anymore. Truly, this film is the one I've been waiting for all of my life.
<p>
This movie far exceeded my expectations, and delivered such a wonderful, beautiful, and touching experience all around. I love revisiting and exploring deeper into this world and its lore, and rejoining these characters and following along as they continue to grow and learn and experience their trials and tribulations. (And I think it's pretty safe to say at this point that Elsa is indeed my spirit animal.) There's just so much love and care pumped into this film, and it all comes through in the biggest way imaginable. This movie shouldn't have been even nearly as good as it is, and yet it is. Like Inside Out before, this is only the second time ever that I would describe a movie as being an absolute miracle of a film, and I'm so glad and so thankful that this movie and this franchise exists, and that I got to experience it.Chris Widdophttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08976278029088673041noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6997580999403129485.post-55137829632783400362019-10-15T20:06:00.000-04:002019-10-16T15:14:54.081-04:00Babymetal at The Forum - Live Review<center><img src="https://i.imgur.com/Lci9HYJ.jpg"></center>
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Prior to this past weekend, the furthest I ever traveled specifically to see a show was in 2007 when I traveled from Florida to Detroit to attend Wrestlemania 23. Needless to say, traveling from Florida to LA to see Babymetal live at The Forum far surpasses that. But it wasn't just me, but fans from all over the country, and even the world, traveled far and wide to attend this monumental event. Hell, sitting next to me to my right during the show was someone who traveled all the way from Guatemala, and to my left was someone from China. And it was a fitting occasion to see so many people from so many places all gathered together, as this show was a celebration of the band's new album, Metal Galaxy, which is in many ways itself a celebration of the many different cultures that span the globe.
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And man was this trip worth it.
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Seeing as this was their first big arena show to be put on in the States, there was no way I was gonna miss out on the opportunity to see them again. And since this <i>was</i> one of their bigger stage productions, I knew that I wanted a spot somewhere in the stands, where I could just really take in the whole grand production. Because after all, this band is theater, and I was there to take in the full theatrical experience. And boy did it deliver in that regard.
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In a recent interview with Consequence of Sound, Moametal described their latest album by saying that they were on a spaceship, traveling to different metal stars, and asking their fans to please join them.
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<center><img src="https://i.imgur.com/UXPcCOE.jpg"></center>
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And in another recent interview in Rolling Stone Japan, Su-metal actually mentioned how she sees Babymetal less like a traditional band, but more like a musical. And this was something that really struck me to see her say, as that's precisely how I would describe my personal experience of following along with this band as well, as less like keeping up with a band, but more like following an ongoing musical as its story continues to play out.
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<center><img src="https://i.imgur.com/1dApbXU.jpg"></center>
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In fact, that's one of the things I really dig about the new album, Metal Galaxy, is that it's one of those types of albums that appears to have a storyline playing through it, and almost feels more like the soundtrack to an existing musical than it does a straight up collection of new music. And that's how this show felt seeing it live, was like watching a full blown musical production on stage, just as Su had mentioned, and that stage being the spaceship that Moa had referenced, in which we, the fans, all joined along in this space opera on their latest adventure in the ongoing Metal Resistance.
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Their stage setup included a moving platform, their spaceship, which would move the girls from one side of the arena to the other, and even elevate up in the air at times. And from my view, off to the side, I was able to experience the show from a very unique perspective, as I could see the girls on stage performing either from the front, from the side, or from behind, depending on where stage was positioned at any given point. But in addition to this, their lighting setup on this show was out of this world, and they also incorporated a lot more with their backing visuals, which they had already been experimenting with more and more over the course of the tour, but which really came into play in a huge way on this show.
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<center><img src="https://i.imgur.com/iiLNTOH.jpg"><br />
<i>My view at The Forum.</i></center>
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I mentioned how the new album definitely feels as if it has a story playing through the course of it, but in many ways, it also feels like an album in which the band's lore has been really ingrained into it, much more so than in their previous albums. This is never more evident than in tracks such as <i>In The Name Of</i>, which just totally feels like one of the band's lore videos transformed into a song all its own. And that's how this show's use of backing visuals similarly feels, almost as if they are in replacement of the many lore videos that we'd normally see at bigger shows such as this, so that rather than showing us lore packages between songs (though those did still appear a handful of times), it's as if the songs themselves have <i>become</i> those very lore packages, really bringing them to life and bringing the band's ongoing storyline to the forefront. Sort of how I mentioned in <a href="http://cwiddop.blogspot.com/2019/09/babymetal-legend-c-in-orlando-and.html">my live review of the Orlando and Atlanta shows</a> how the use of the <i>Distortion</i> music video almost made it feel like the girls were actually a part of it, they similarly use backing visuals on a number of other tracks, including <i>Starlight</i> and the debuting <i>Da Da Dance</i>, to help tell each song's story and transport us across the Metal Galaxy from song to song.
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But to start from the beginning, the show opened with a message, one asking the audience, "Don't think. Feel." And I'll tell you, this show was absolutely <i>overflowing</i> with feeling. Like, from the very beginning, when <i>Future Metal</i> kicked in, it was like watching the opening to a live action anime, as we saw their spaceship flying in, and we saw Su and Moa being brought to life. And before this show, I gotta say, I never really thought much of this track. I mean, it works as a nice break as an interlude during their live shows, and it's a nice mood setter as an opening track on their album. But the way this song was utilized here to introduce us to these girls and really set the stage for what we were in for on this evening was immediately effective, and it was the first of several times over the course of the show where I felt tears welling up in my eyes.
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Seriously, <i>Future Metal</i> is probably the furthest from a song that I ever expected to actually ever draw tears from me, but it was also far from the last. And what's sort of funny is that it typically wasn't even the band's more emotional songs that stirred me to crying. Like, <i>Shanti Shanti Shanti</i> and <i>Pa Pa Ya</i> are both pretty much party songs, yet I'll be damned if I wasn't standing there with tears rolling down my cheeks during the both of them. And for every song that didn't make me cry, I was still left smiling so damn hard that my face was literally in pain, yet all that did was make me smile even harder.
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But as soon as <i>Future Metal</i> ended, we started things off in high gear as Su and Moa took to the stage alongside Momoko with the introduction of a brand new track being performed for the very first time, that being <i>Da Da Dance</i>. And lemme tell you, as soon as the opening notes for this song hit, I was <i>screaming</i>. This is <i>such</i> a high octane song, and a hell of a way to kick off the show. And it also featured one of my favorite moments, as during Moa's rap in the song, Su stepped aside for her to take center stage, in an instance that really emphasized the band's statement that Babymetal is now Su-metal and Moametal.
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Up next was <i>Megitsune</i>, and it was at this point where I realized the thing that stuck out the most to me from my vantage point watching the girls dance was she sheer crazy amount of footwork that goes into their routines. But while my eyes followed the girls on stage for most of the evening, I did make sure to glance up at the big screen during the moment where Moa usually makes some sort of funny face at Su, and she didn't disappoint on this evening.
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<i>Elevator Girl</i> and <i>Shanti Shanti Shanti</i> came next, and were loads of fun, and these were then followed by <i>Kagerou</i> finally making its big show debut. And it did so in a big way, as the stage that the Kami Band were performing on was set aflame, and we could feel the heat from the fire all the way up in the stands. The American Kamis indeed got to perform on this show, and though I would've loved to have seen a more traditional Kami lineup, I was honestly very pleased to see these guys get this gig, as they totally earned this show over the course of this tour, and they got to perform their solos leading into the song once more. And with rumors that <i>Kagerou</i> may be the band's next single off the new album, I can't help but wonder if we didn't just witness that song's music video being performed on this evening.
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<center><img src="https://i.imgur.com/NfAtY7U.gif"></center>
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<i>Starlight</i> started up next, as many in the audience, including myself, held up our phone lights, making for an appropriately awesome sight. But now, I've mentioned several times before how this is a song that's never really worked for me live, but something about this performance on this night really hit me hard. I dunno if it was the accompanying visuals, which made it seems like the girls were traveling all through the galaxy, or if it was Su really pushing the power in her voice to another level, but I tell you, I could feel this performance in my gut. This hit me <i>damn</i> hard, and for the first time, I could really feel the emotion that I've always felt should've been there for me whenever I hear this song.
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Then it was time for <i>Gimme Chocolate</i>, and there was a point during this song where I glanced up at the big screen just in time to see a closeup on Riho's face. And I could tell a number of people around me were similarly noticing her for the first time (I'm aware now that she actually tagged in during <i>Kagerou</i>, but I wasn't exactly looking out for her, so didn't immediately identify her). But man, once that realization set in, that both Momoko <i>and</i> Riho got to perform at The Forum, that seriously hit me big, and I couldn't hold in my tears for long. Hell, even thinking back on the show now, just the fact that those two both got to work this show might honestly be the thing that hits me most, and just how happy it makes me to see their hard work during this tour really pay off, and that neither of them had to sit out on the big day, which I was honestly worried might wind up being the case, seeing as how up to this point, only one of them have been performing in a given show at a time.
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<i>Pa Pa Ya</i> was next, and despite bringing my towel along with me, I actually decided to hold off on participating this time out. I mentioned before how this song felt like a blur from getting so into it twirling my towel around and such, so this time, I really wanted to actually <i>watch</i> the song. And in many ways, it did feel like I was in fact truly seeing it for the first time, despite this being my third show to see them play it at. And as I mentioned before, yes, this song was indeed among those to draw me to tears. It's just such a fun and bombastic song, and yet Su's vocals remain as powerful as ever, and something about all of that just really gets to me.
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After <i>Distortion</i>, we hit probably the only traditionally emotional song on the set to draw tears from me, that being <i>Karate</i> (it was a very emotional night for me, guys!), and then it was of course great to once again see <i>Headbanger</i>, as that song is always a killer. In fact, for the most part, the set list consisted of the songs that had been performed over the course of the rest of the tour leading up to this show, and in many ways, this show felt like the ultimate culmination that it had all been leading up to, as if each stop were a mini-adventure along the way to the big final battle. Though where their headline shows left out a lot of the call and response moments from a number of songs, they brought them back here, which obviously helped give this show in general a much bigger feel, and that was never more evident than when we came to our first finale of the evening, <i>Road of Resistance</i>.
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When I first arrived at The Forum earlier in the day, I actually got there in time to be able to hear them doing their sound check inside. And the song they were checking at the time was <i>Road of Resistance</i>. And yeah, they sound checked the <i>whole</i> thing, including the super long, extended sing along portion, so I knew going into it that this one was gonna go long on this night. And I'll be damned if I didn't sing along like an idiot. Nobody else in my immediate area was singing along, so my voice must've certainly sounded ridiculous to everyone else around me without anyone else to help drown it out and blend it in with the crowd. But there was a moment happening, and I wasn't about to miss out on it just because no one else around me wanted to sing, especially once the music cut out and they left it to the fans to sing the song back up to the girls.
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They then saw everyone off with their "we are" moment, but seeing as they hadn't yet performed <i>The One</i>, I suddenly got real excited, as it dawned on me that, oh crap, they're actually going to do an encore, aren't they? See, this band used to do encores all the time, but it's been a number of years now since they last did one. But sure enough, they acted as if the show was over, then left the crowd waiting, cheering, and begging for more. Sadly, some in the audience actually thought the show was over, and I noticed some people walking up the aisle to leave. And when I turned around, I saw that the row behind me had almost completely left as well, which I just couldn't believe. Because that really sucks, 'cause the show was far from over, and once we came back, we were treated to just about the biggest damn one-two punch combo you can imagine.
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<i>Shine</i> made its first appearance with its new three person choreography, and lord did this song leave me simply breathless. Like, I'm seriously at a loss for words as to what else I can say about it other than that. And then they followed that up with the song I had been most anticipating this entire tour, that being <i>Arkadia</i>, i.e., the single most overwhelmingly emotional song I have ever heard in my damn life. And yeah, I similarly could barely breathe during this performance as well. Just, holy crap, you wanna talk "Don't think. Feel"? Yeah, <i>this</i> is what they mean by that. Because there's no room to even think, you're so swept over by emotion, it's seriously like they're reaching straight into your heart and touching your soul. And it was <i>so</i> worth the wait to finally see this song performed live.
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They then left us off for real this time with Su telling the crowd that we were the best, and I'd be lying if I didn't say that this was indeed the best damn show I've ever attended in my life, and one of the best shows I've seen the band put on yet at that. It was well worth the travel, and well worth every damn cent. They took us on a roller coaster of an emotional ride, and delivered an absolute spectacle unlike anything I've ever seen in person. And just to show that I'm not being biased in my assessment, after the show, I even ran into someone who had attended both of the band's big shows from earlier in the year at Yokohama Arena and Legend M, and even he said that this show managed to surpass <i>both</i> of those for him.
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So yeah, that was The Forum, and it was a hell of an experience, and a hell of a fun trip. I still arrived early in the day so I could mingle with fellow fans before the show, and I ran into quite a number of people who I had met at Atlanta, some friends who I had met during my time in New York, and others as well who I had been conversing with online for some time now, but was now meeting in person for the first time. And still yet, I met quite a number of new faces as well, and I even found it interesting how some people there even recognized me from these blogs and my other online activities. But it was great seeing everyone again, and really coming together as The One and getting to experience such a fantastic, phenomenal show, as Babymetal truly took us on a journey through the Metal Galaxy.
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And I already can't wait to do it again.
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So until the next one, see you!
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<center><img src="https://i.imgur.com/rMLlVzG.jpg"></center>Chris Widdophttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08976278029088673041noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6997580999403129485.post-88926826214351665662019-09-08T16:19:00.000-04:002019-09-08T16:19:55.096-04:00Babymetal - Legend C in Orlando and Atlanta<center><img src="https://i.imgur.com/XrANNh3.jpg"><br />
<i>Legend C night 1 - Hard Rock Cafe in Orlando, 9/4/19</i></center>
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So it was my birthday this past week, and I celebrated it by attending my first Babymetal show, taking place on September 4th and emanating from my home state of Florida, just a few hours down the road. Certainly all the perfect storm for a perfect occasion, though an actual storm in the form of Hurricane Dorian tried its best to ruin things. And while it brought on plenty of stress and anxiety as it concerned the fate of this opening show on their biggest US tour yet, thankfully the hurricane wound up moving away, and the show was able to go on. And man, what a show it was!
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In what would become dubbed as Legend C by twitter upon learning that this was in fact my birthday show, I couldn't have asked for a better gift from the Metal Galaxy. I had seats for this particular evening, front and center upper balcony, and so I decided to show up a little after 6pm to take advantage of the park's free parking after that time. There was a pretty big line already formed by the time I got there, yet even so, once I stepped foot in the Hard Rock Cafe, I could see there were still plenty of good spots left in the pit, and the line for the merch stand was relatively short and quick to get through as well. I picked up the Metal Odyssey shirt, as well as a towel in preparation for the evening to come.
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<center><img src="https://i.imgur.com/Nasd5Bf.jpg"><br />
<i>My view in Orlando.</i></center>
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The seating arrangement was admittedly a bit weird for me. My friend who was supposed to join me flaked out at the last minute, so the seat beside me was empty. But then, the next four seats on the other side of me were also empty, so it almost felt as if I essentially had a row all to myself. And I noticed this a bit throughout the venue. I guess the storm had caused some people to cancel their plans to attend, but it wasn't entirely empty or anything. And certainly by the time Babymetal took to the stage, it had filled up quite a bit.
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Before Babymetal went on though, we got their supporting act for this tour, Avatar. And I gotta say, they honestly impressed the hell out of me. I wasn't too familiar with them going in, I had only sampled a couple of their songs online beforehand. And I guess I must've sampled the wrong songs, because I really wasn't too thrilled with what I had heard at the time. But on this night, man, they totally kicked ass on that stage. Feeling almost like a heavy metal Panic! at the Disco, the band has a very eccentric and theatrical flair to themselves that certainly feels appropriate on a stage shared with Babymetal. They played a number of songs that have since been stuck in my head, and I was left quite impressed, and looking forward to seeing them again in the next couple of days.
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But then it was finally time for the main attraction, as Babymetal took to the stage with <i>Megitsune</i>. And man did they tear the house down right off the bat. Like, just seeing them stepping out on stage gave me chills, and seeing their performance live just felt so surreal to actually be witnessing before my eyes. They followed this up with the live debut of the <i>Elevator Girl</i> English version and <i>Shanti Shanti Shanti</i>, which were loads of fun as is usual, but then I proceeded to have my mind just completely and utterly blown away by what was to come next.
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So the Kami Band (who on this tour, it would appear is actually Galactic Empire, which honestly feels pretty fitting on multiple levels to me) started playing up the next song. But before it really kicked in, a spotlight shined down on one of the guitarists, and he started playing a solo. And it actually took me a second for it to register what was happening, because I honestly couldn't believe it, but the Kami solos were indeed finally back! This alone was exciting enough, but after those solos ended, the song kicked in proper, as we saw a return of last year's Su-solo, <i>Kagerou</i>. Only, after Su took to the stage, she was then joined by Moa and Riho on either side. And as the three of them performed the song together, my jaw just fell to the floor, and it remained there the entire time.
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<center><img src="https://i.imgur.com/ieBmYEB.gif"><br />
<i>The precise moment I absolutely lost my mind. Clip taken from Atlanta show.</i></center>
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Like, <i>Kagerou</i> isn't even one of my favorite songs of theirs, and may in fact be my least favorite of their new batch they introduced to us last year. But man, I'd be lying if I told you that this new reworked three person version wasn't the highlight of the whole night for me. I seriously couldn't believe what I was seeing, from the Kami solos to the new choreography, this performance absolutely blew me away, and it definitely felt like a special moment being there in person on its debut night seeing it all go down live. And after this performance, it would go on to become the song I was most looking forward to seeing again in Atlanta at that.
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<i>Starlight</i> came on next (which if I'm being honest, even in person the live version of this song still doesn't really do much for me), which was then followed by <i>Future Metal</i>, which mostly acts as a nice little interlude to give the girls a break, as the song is played while a neat little video is shown to us, as opposed to being performed live. We then came back with <i>Gimme Chocolate</i>, and this is when our crowd finally really came alive. And yeah, seeing this song live is definitely a blast. But man, the real party for me came next, when <i>Pa Pa Ya</i> hit, and I grabbed my newly purchased towel in hand and twirled that sucker through the air like I was showing Dorian how it's done.
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It's sorta funny, I recorded the whole show on my phone, just sorta holding my phone up beside me but not actually watching through it, just sorta letting it record while I watched the show with my own eyes. And for the most part, the footage I shot is relatively stable. But as soon as we get to <i>Pa Pa Ya</i>, you can tell whenever I'm swinging my towel around, because suddenly the footage is full blown shakey cam. Normally this would annoy me, but the context honestly adds a little charm to it for me when I go back and revisit it. But man, I tell you what, <i>Pa Pa Ya</i> was like a whirlwind to witness live. Like, that song was almost a blur, after getting so into it to that degree. In fact, I was perhaps maybe a bit <i>too</i> into it at first, as I'm pretty sure I was whipping the people behind me with my towel for a brief minute, before I realized that I should perhaps fold it in half before I swing it around. But man, I can't stress enough how much of an absolute blast that song is to take part in live.
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<i>Distortion</i> was next, and they've introduced a new element that's actually pretty cool. On a number of songs, they've been utilizing a large LED screen behind them to provide backing graphics and such, such as the elevator effect during <i>Elevator Girl</i>, or the trippy patterns during <i>Shanti Shanti Shanti</i>. But now, for <i>Distortion</i>, they're playing the music video behind the girls during their performance, and I gotta say, it actually works a lot better than you would expect it to.
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<center><img src="https://i.imgur.com/XDZhHx1.gif"></center>
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Like, it just looks really cool seeing them up there doing their choreography while this live action anime video plays behind them, with cities being destroyed and the Chosen Seven being summoned and showing off their powers. It almost makes them feel as if they're a part of that video now, like so many had wished they were to begin with. But it really looked cool, and made for an awesome effect to see live.
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And these cool effects continued with <i>Karate</i>, where they showed the girls lighting on fire behind them as they performed their dance. We've seen this effect for this song on shows long past, but it's cool to see it return now, and like <i>Distortion</i>, made for an awesome visual to see in person.
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<center><img src="https://i.imgur.com/8Zu2Xae.gif"></center>
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I mentioned how this show was landing on my birthday, and the band apparently caught wind of this, as up next, we were treated to a much unexpected performance of <i>Headbanger</i>. At least, it was unexpected prior to the beginning of the show. After twitter had dubbed the show Legend C, I had joked back if that was a sign that we were gonna get <i>Headbanger</i> on this night. But just as they were setting up the stage for Babymetal after Avatar finished their set, we noticed that the <i>Headbanger</i> mic stand was in fact lying on the ground in the back. And yeah, you better believe that I got ridiculously excited by that. It was no joke, Babymetal really did remember my birthday! And Legend C could truly commence in appropriate fashion. And man, I tell you, this song is just absolutely <i>sick</i> to see performed live, and such a treat at that!
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<center><img src="https://i.imgur.com/H4SDGCN.gif"></center>
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Next up, we got this cool little lore video, which I guess was supposed to be showing us the forming of the Metal Galaxy. But it lead directly into <i>The One</i>, starting first with the unfinished version performed by Su. And oh boy did this one hit me pretty hard. This is a song that's gotten me emotional on a handful of occasions, though I feel like most of the time when I listen to it, I can sorta tend to tune it out. But man, something about being there live and seeing it performed in person really just hit me especially hard, and I was on the verge of tears throughout this entire performance. What's funny is that, like <i>Kagerou</i>, <i>The One</i> is another song that I also wouldn't necessarily rank highly amongst my favorites of theirs. Yet I would honestly probably place it directly under <i>Kagerou</i> in terms of show highlights for me personally on this night. Yes, even higher than <i>Headbanger</i>. That's how hard this performance hit me.
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On a funny note though, this performance also stood out to me because, when the three of them were all out there and standing on their separate platforms, that's when I honestly first noticed just how short they all actually are, haha!
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The show closed out with an energetic performance of <i>Road of Resistance</i>, then the crowd was left chanting for one more song as they cleared the stage. And yeah, that was my first live Babymetal experience, and it completely exceeded my expectations. We got a number of surprises in the form of the updated <i>Kagerou</i> and <i>Headbanger</i>, the full set list was just absolutely killer from top to bottom, and really, just being there and seeing it all go down live was just so surreal. And by the end of it, my face was literally in pain from how hard I had been smiling for the past hour.
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That said, once the show ended, I couldn't help but sorta feel almost immediately lonely. Like I said, my friend who was supposed to go with me had flaked out, and there really wasn't the brewing comradery among the fans at this show that I had heard so much about. I mean, I met a handful of cool people there, and I had a brief conversation with a couple of people behind me immediately after the show. But for the most part, everyone just sorta filed out and went their separate ways almost immediately. So not really having anyone there to really share this wonderful and exciting experience with did sorta strike me just a little on that drive back home afterwards. Perhaps it was a little bit of that "post-show depression" effecting me that I've heard so much about?
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Anyways though, as I mentioned before, I filmed the whole show on my phone, and my vantage point made it so you could really see the whole stage quite clearly. Yet even so, I couldn't help but think the whole time how much I wish I was down in that pit and much closer to them than I was. And so that brings us to night two of Legend C, which would be emanating this time from the Coca-Cola Roxy in Atlanta on September 6th, where my tickets this time around would be placing me somewhere in the pit area.
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<center><img src="https://i.imgur.com/DtFtKSV.jpg"><br />
<i>Legend C night 2 - Coca-Cola Roxy in Atlanta, 9/6/19</i></center></center>
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I arrived early in the day, and found myself placed 2nd in line in the Fast Lane, which would be entering the venue immediately following the VIP ticket holders. And where I mentioned that I was a little let down by the lack of real comradery amongst the fans at the Orlando show, that couldn't be further from the case in Atlanta, as everyone more or less was more than willing to really come together and mingle and just get more and more hyped throughout the course of the day leading up to the show. And I met a number of people who I had communicated with online since discovering the band, be it through reddit or social media, so that was pretty cool, too.
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<center><img src="https://i.imgur.com/OiImFly.jpg"><br />
<i>The line waiting to get in the venue.</i></center>
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Also during the wait, Avatar's tour bus was parked right out front, and the band was just casually walking around for quite a bit. So that was kinda cool, and while no one really bothered them, they certainly appeared to be pretty chill dudes from what I could gather.
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But after waiting outside pretty much all day, they finally opened the doors, and we filed into the venue. And I was seriously shocked with how good a spot I wound up landing. I was expecting to get maybe four rows back or something, but I was literally in the second row, directly center stage, with a clear and perfect view of where Su would be directly standing later on in the evening. Like, you'd think I paid premium prices for such a spot, it was pretty insane, and I couldn't believe how lucky I had gotten.
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<center><img src="https://i.imgur.com/x6uuw8J.jpg"><br />
<i>My view in Atlanta.</i></center>
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While I had recorded the whole show for Orlando, I decided I didn't want to do that for this show. It's cool to have the footage to revisit, and especially to listen to such an awesome set on the long drives making it to and from these shows. But this time out, I didn't want any such distractions, so I decided not to record this time, aside from a couple of clips. I really wanted to fully immerse myself in the show, and really live in the moment this time around.
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So Avatar came on first again, and they performed mostly the same set as Orlando, though I noticed they left out at least one song. And there was a point in their set in Orlando where they did a wardrobe change, which never happened in Atlanta, so it would appear they'll be modifying their set some as the tour goes along. But they were great to see live once again, especially up so close, and the crowd appeared to be pretty into them.
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<center><img src="https://i.imgur.com/qxNxSIb.gif"></center>
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Though I was a bit surprised at how much room I had to move around where I was standing during this set, after all I had heard about how much of a crush there can be so close to the barrier. It wasn't long after Babymetal took to the stage on this evening when I discovered first hand about that crush though. Holy crap, the crowd just <i>rushed</i> towards the front, and everyone was pushing their way ahead all at once as soon as those three girls stepped out. It was so crazy, people were literally climbing over each other, and over the course of the set, I realized that I had somehow been pushed back a couple rows, never really noticing it was even happening until it had already happened (though I still never got pushed too far back!)
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<center><img src="https://i.imgur.com/RAr6phP.jpg"></center>
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But seeing the girls so close was just unreal, like I seriously couldn't believe they were really right there, so close before my eyes. Moa in particular has developed just a striking presence to herself, which really just commanded my attention as they filed out onto the stage for <i>Megitsune</i>. Not to mention, being this close this time, I could really see all of the details that I missed sitting in the stands in Orlando, such as Moa making a silly face at Su during <i>Megitstune</i>, or all the other funny faces she makes during <i>Shanti Shanti Shanti</i>, or how the black strands on the back of the bassist's mask would blow in the air behind him, which looked really awesome, or Su's wild smiles during her dance in the rap portion of <i>Pa Pa Ya</i>.
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And being in that pit was like nothing I've ever experienced. I mean, I have been in my fair share of mosh pits in my time, but the energy in this crowd was just on a whole different level. The sheer intensity was just nonstop. The crowd was totally into it, jumping around and pumping their kitsunes in the air, singing and screaming along with the songs. And I was right there with them the whole time. I mentioned how <i>Pa Pa Ya</i> in Orlando was like a blur after I had gotten so into it, and honestly, that sorta describes this whole show from the pit. You just get so completely sucked into it, you barely have a moment to even properly register what all's happening.
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But one thing that <i>did</i> totally register came during <i>Elevator Girl</i>, when during the single file dance sequence, Moa made direct eye contact with me, and her eyes remained locked there until the sequence had ended. I mean, dude, I'm still pretty much speechless just thinking about that moment even now.
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When I initially purchased my tickets, I purposefully chose to get seats for one show, and a pit ticket for the other, just to ensure that I would get a different experience from them. And man was it ever. The energy in this crowd was just off the charts, and being down in that pit, it felt like we were truly just as much a part of the show as the band on the stage. And I'll tell you this, my ass got completely wore out by the time we hit <i>Pa Pa Ya</i> this time around.
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For real, this show was like a workout, and showed me just how out of shape I actually am. But not only that, it also showed me just how much those girls on stage are putting into these shows night in and night out, and yet people still want to complain about their shows being so short because they're only an hour. I tell you what though, that was the most intense damn hour I've ever experienced, and those girls give us more show in one hour than most bands will give you in twice that allotted time. And besides, I'd like to see those same people making these complaints go up there and try to pull off what those girls do for even <i>half</i> that time, because by around that point, I was honestly spent!
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Before going to this show though, there was a part of me that found it curious why people would want to attend a Babymetal concert just to wind up in one of the circle pits or something where you can't even really see the show, despite how much of it is so visual-based with all of the dancing and the lighting and video effects and such. But after experiencing this show first hand, yeah, I get it now why you'd want to do that. It's because being there live isn't the same as watching one of their shows in the comfort of your own home.
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When I watch a show on my computer, I can really digest the music and the choreography and take everything in as it comes. But being there live, you really do just get so immersed in the midst of everything that the dance moves and such don't even fully register in the same way. It's suddenly not so much about watching the show, but rather, being a part of the show, and singing along and pulling your own weight, following Su's commands to jump and scream and clap and pump your fists in the air.
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They say that Babymetal doesn't come out to perform, they come out to battle. And that's what each show of theirs is, is a new battle being waged in their ongoing Metal Resistance. And being in that crowd, that definitely feels like an apt description, because it's definitely a battle taking place in that pit, but one where we're all fighting towards the common goal. And before you know it, an hour's already passed, yet it feels like barely any time has passed, despite being drenched in sweat and ready to collapse from the show we've been actively participating along with.
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Just like watching their shows is unlike watching any other band I've ever seen, being there live is very much the same. There's just something intensely euphoric about it, if that even makes any sense. Something that just transcends you to another plane. It's... honestly hard to even explain really, you almost have to just go to one of their shows and see for yourself, it's just such a heavy hitting and all around surreal experience.
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But yeah, to rein my gushing in a bit, like I said, the show was kind of a workout, and so songs such as <i>Future Metal</i> act not only as a nice break for the girls, but for the audience as well at that point, just to give us a chance to catch our breath a little. But still, there's nothing quite like being in that crowd as we're all bowing down to Su-metal during <i>Headbanger</i>, or relentlessly twirling our towels through the air during <i>Pa Pa Ya</i>, or pumping our fists in the air in unison as we sing along to <i>Road of Resistance</i>.
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<center><img src="https://i.imgur.com/nKozzwT.jpg"></center>
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The one song I didn't really participate too much in on this show though was <i>The One</i>. But that's because I just had to take the moment to sorta step back and just really take this performance in, and be swept away by the emotion of it. I mentioned the details you get to see being so up close, and there were a lot of them during this song. For instance, there was a brief moment where as Su's eyes were scanning the crowd, she happened to glimpse down at me as I was just looking up at her in awe. Su just looked simply majestic up there on her own, but then once the song really kicked in and she was joined by Moa and Riho, standing on her platform, she was making a lot of her classic Su faces as she turned to the crowd to sing along. And after it ended and the three girls headed to the back with the lights out, it was funny seeing Moa just straight up fling her cape off her shoulders just as she was stepping backstage.
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So yeah, despite playing the exact same set as the previous show in Orlando, my experience with this show in Atlanta couldn't have been more different. The crowd showed an intensity that was honestly missing in Orlando, and as I've said, being in that pit is almost like entering a whole other world. And really being a part of the show on this level truly brings on a whole new perspective once we reach the finish line, as Su screams "We are!" and we all scream back, "Babymetal!" 'Cause in that moment, that statement brings on a whole new meaning, like we've really <i>earned</i> our place in The One.
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All in all, I'd say that Legend C was an overall glowing success. These shows far exceeded everything I had ever expected of them, and gave me an experience unlike anything I honestly could've predicted. Really, no amount of footage will truly prepare you for what it's like to actually be there seeing them in person. And after the Atlanta show, I definitely had plenty of people to share the excitement of such a phenomenal experience with, which was a great feeling.
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And now I can't wait to do it all over again next month, when I'll be traveling to Los Angeles to see Babymetal in their first US arena headline show at The Forum, which I'm sure will offer just as much a unique experience as these two shows were from each other. But for now, this was truly the perfect birthday celebration. And what's even more fitting is that as I share this post, today is literally the one year anniversary of when I first discovered the band at that, which in a way makes this a whole different kind of birthday celebration as well I suppose, as I reflect on such a wonderful experience. So with that in mind, here's to all the future experiences that are yet to come. And as we approach our future milestones, may we all remember to protect our neck. See you!Chris Widdophttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08976278029088673041noreply@blogger.com4