Tag: film

I finally watched ‘Wednesday’…

The show had quite a few woe factors.

*Potential* spoilers ahead.

After all the clickety-clacks I’ve seen and heard from Wednesday, I had to do a little writing on my own.

‘Wednesday’, which was recently renewed for a second season, is known for being the second most-watched English series on Netflix and creating an entire TikTok trend from just one scene. But I think its greatest achievements are found in its story, characters and world that the show’s creators have crafted.

Not just well-written, but well-executed

Like that bully who almost didn’t make it out of the pool.

Genuinely, this series has some of the wittiest writing I’ve seen in awhile. From Wednesday’s dark but clever one-liners to all the characters’ dialogue, the writers have done a great job of maintaining the quality of the writing from episode 1-8.

Not only were the verbal lines smartly written, the non-verbal storylines received the same care too. The murder mystery hooks you immediately, while being a genius way of developing Wednesday’s character. No time is wasted with pointless scenes or interactions. Everything shown has a purpose and adds to the story. Minute details placed along the way eventually connect to the overall plot.

There were so many satisfying payoffs that come to mind: how the importance of those boots surfaced at the end, how the prophecy came true, how our characters’ interactions with fencing and archery returned in a significant way, how someone finally unleashes their potential, how a sword from years ago was wielded again, how three generations of conflict ended, how the necklace played a part, how the visions finally made sense… I could go on and on.

And to top it all off – a talented cast who delivered all of their scenes perfectly. We probably also have to thank the casting director for choosing the right actor/actress for each role. No one can channel Wednesday’s energy like Jenna Ortega. But I can say the same for Emma Myers as Enid, Gwendoline Christie as Principal Weems… everyone was given the best and gave their best. In short, a show both well-written and well-executed.

A world that has Never been More intriguing

If the show was already a beautifully layered cake, this is the icing on top.

Nevermore Academy and the nearby town of Jericho seem both welcoming and haunting, creating a wonderful juxtaposition of a backdrop for the story. As the series progresses, the seemingly normal (or should I say, normie) walls of Jericho start falling down, revealing the rich lore and history behind it. The world that Tim Burton and crew have created sucks you right in by being both believable and strangely magical. It’s fascinating.

What adds to the 10/10 atmosphere are the lighting, costumes and set design. Whoever in charge have masterfully used all three to bring out the inner world of our characters and the character of their outer world. Just think of Wednesday and Enid’s room and the contrast of colours in their windows, decorations and clothes.

And then the lighting and vibes hit right all the time. Whether it’s the iconic room, the principal’s office, the café, the carnival, the woods, the hidden library, the crypts, the town, whether it’s day or night, rain or shine… chef’s kiss. Have I mentioned the soundtrack?

Honestly, the viewing experience kind of reminded me of ‘Harry Potter’. Before you stone, burn or roast me, I am not comparing the two. But… think about it.

Hogwarts. Nevermore.

Wizards. Outcasts.

Magic. Powers.

I just can’t wait to return to Nevermore in Season 2.

With such a cold exterior, Wednesday sure made us all feel warm inside

If the only thing you’ve watched about Wednesday are TikToks and trailers, you might be thinking I have a really dark sense of humour to enjoy this show. And maybe I do. But that’s not what made me geek out so much over the show!

What I love most were how the characters and their relationships developed. The show is more wholesome than it lets on. The highlight for me was definitely Wednesday and Enid’s friendship. Season 1’s finale felt like someone giving you a big warm hug.

But that’s not all. What about Wednesday’s relationship with the rest like Bianca, Xavier or Eugene? Or how about Wednesday and herself? The Wednesday at the start of the show is pretty different from the one we see at the end. The character grew so much throughout the season emotionally – but in a way that still stayed true to the core of who she is.

Once again, credit should be given to Ortega, whose mixture of subtle and dramatic expressions fully captured the essence of the character. From her death stare to her sinister smile, from her “youthful sneer” to her judgy demeanour, and from her vengeful tears to her iconic smirk. And nailing that dance sequence like that after choreographing it herself? She deserves all the praise she’s getting.

So, what would I say about ‘Wednesday’? It’s Goody.

All images via Netflix.
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The magic of animated films

Why do animated films mean so much to us?

This is a question I started asking myself recently just for the fun of it. Just last week, the Frozen 2 trailer came out and last I checked, it has garnered more than 30 million views on YouTube. With the excitement seen here, as well as for the recent release of How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World, and numerous upcoming titles such as Toy Story 4, it seems that animated films strike a chord with most people. And no, it is not just kids.

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Frozen 2 (2019)

I am talking about full-grown men and women, myself included. You don’t have to look far to find people who are still excited about such films even though they are way past their “early years”. Just look on the Internet or look at your friends.

And that honestly has got me wondering – why do animated films mean so much to us? It isn’t exactly erroneous to say that most animated films made by the likes of Disney and Illumination are targeted towards a younger crowd. But either way, we still see adults equally (if not, even more) hyped up about these movies, queuing up for tickets at the box office.

One reason I can think of is nostalgia. My mom makes joking remarks about me when I watch animated films. She always says these films are for kids, and teases a 23 year-old me for watching them. This applies not just exclusively to animated films though. She says the same for superhero films. And that could be because our parents didn’t grow up watching these characters come to life. Guess who they recall watching most of these movies? Their children – us.

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Toy Story 4 (2019)

When Woody and Buzz Lightyear embarked on their first adventures, most of our parents were already in their adulthood. They might not have been drawn to watch Toy Story because there were other more “mature” movies available to them.

But for me, once I began to have a basic understanding of the world around me, I was already seeing Toy Story frequently playing on TV. Animated films formed a significant part of my childhood. I presume this is also the case for many of you. Maybe that is why we get so thrilled finding out there was a sequel to Finding Nemo, 13 years after the movie came out.

Movies like Finding Dory, Incredibles 2 and Toy Story 4 throw us all into a frenzy because these stories were huge parts of our childhood. Watching these familiar characters return brings back loads of good memories and maybe even reminds us of the happiness we felt as a child.

But is nostalgia the only reason we get so easily attached or attracted to animated movies? I’d like to doubt so. If nostalgia was the only reason getting us to watch animated films, why do we also look forward to watching brand new ones?

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How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World (2019)

Assuming you are a little closer to my age, when films like Despicable Me, How to Train Your Dragon and Frozen came around, we were not really young anymore. Want even more recent titles? Sure. Rise of the Guardians, Wreck-It Ralph, Big Hero 6, Zootopia, The Secret Life of Pets, Moana, Coco are all titles that come to mind when it comes to animated films released in recent years. Yet we love them all equally. One of my favorite animated films of all time is Inside Out, a film that was released in 2015 when I was 19. I find myself more interested in animated films the older I get!

Perhaps, the “magic” of animated films is not really found in their ability to bring us nostalgia, but in their ability to bring us back to a simpler time. When we were young, our knowledge of the world was little and our imagination of what was possible – limitless. Now that we are older, maybe that’s not the case anymore. When we were young, our view and belief of the world was purer; maybe now, not so.

Perhaps, animated films serve as a reminder to our inner selves that we should never stop imagining. These films have always fueled our imagination in our youth and continue to bring out the child on the inside. Deep down, though our minds have long matured (and rightly so), our inner child remains; and he/she believes in and yearns for a world that is beautiful, colorful, even a little magical like how it is in many animated films.

The “magic” of such films lies in their power to remind us what true friendship (e.g. Toy Story, How to Train Your Dragon), heroism (e.g. Big Hero 6, Wreck-It Ralph) and family (e.g. Incredibles, Frozen, Coco) are like. Though we should definitely grow out of our childish selves, I say we should remain child-like in our faith towards humanity and the world as a whole.

Good people do exist. Good things can happen. Maybe it’s time to gather some good people around you and catch some good animated films again, don’t you think? See you at the cinema.

Why I Think Spider-Man: Far From Home is NOT a Spoiler for Avengers: Endgame

Alright, I assume that most people reading this already knows about the Marvel Cinematic Universe or at least the Avengers films in general. So I will spare no time for introductions and jump right into why I think the Spider-Man: Far From Home trailer spoils probably nothing about Avengers: Endgame.

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I’ve been thinking about the Far From Home trailer since it was released last week. A lot of people liked it, are hyped about the movie, but are also concerned about what it means for Endgame. We all know that at the end of Infinity War (spoiler alert), Peter Park, along with many of the heroes disintegrated into dust and faded away from existence. Nick Fury and Maria Hill were also shown to be victims of this in a post-credits scene.

Moviegoers were left to presume that these characters have died and were wiped out together with half of all living creatures in the world. This made Infinity War‘s sequel – Endgame highly anticipated as fans just couldn’t wait to find out how the remaining Avengers are going to fix or undo Thanos’ destruction. In fact, it was still a mystery whether they do so or not.

This kind of changed last week with the release of the trailer for Spider-Man: Far From Home. It is known that Far From Home is going to be set after the events of Endgame and will kick off Phase 4 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. That poses a problem because we now know that Peter Parker, his friends, Nick Fury, Maria Hill all survived/came back to life.

It kinda tells us how Endgame is going to play out – or does it?

First of all, I trust the people at Marvel and Sony. Ever since Avengers: Infinity War, I am convinced that not everything shown in trailers are going to be in the actual movie itself. It is highly unlikely, but what if the scenes we have seen so far in the Far From Home trailer aren’t going to be part of the movie? Even if my optimism is misplaced, and the trailer does eventually prove to have spoiled certain scenes, character developments and plot points in the upcoming films, I believe these details will not be important.

What do I mean by that? I mean that these so called “spoilers” that people are talking about from the trailer will not reveal the most important plot points or key moments in Endgame. Hence, even if we have watched the Far From Home trailer, it will not ruin or take away from our enjoyment of the Avengers film.

Just think about Spider-Man: Homecoming. Sure, there were things that I wished wasn’t shown in its trailers – like how Tony intervened Peter’s heroic attempts. But that eventually still did nothing to diminish my positive experience of the movie (spoiler alert). Some of the biggest twists and moments for me turned out to be the reveal of Vulture’s true identity as Liz’s father, Peter’s journey as a hero without his suit, and even how Pepper showed up at the end.

Now, recall Avengers: Infinity War. The trailers were stitched together in such a clever way and even included scenes not in the film. That gave fans a general idea of what the movie was going to be like, revealing certain information, yet doing so without giving away the important parts of the movie.

For example, fans could guess from the trailers that Thor was going to forge Stormbreaker. You could say that was a spoiler! However, so many people still enjoyed Infinity War and see it as one of the best superhero films of all time. Why was that so? Because though we sort of knew that Stormbreaker was going to be forged, we didn’t know how it was going to be forged with Groot’s arm. We didn’t know that Thor was going to make an epic entrance into Wakanda, eventually driving his powerful new axe into Thanos’ chest, yet still failing to save the universe.

A lot of us enjoy movies not just because we don’t know what is going to happen, but how it is going to happen. The best stories and plots aren’t just those that present to us scenario after scenario, but brings us through a thought-provoking, unexpected and beautiful process of getting from one point in the narrative to another.

And that is why I think the Spider-Man: Far From Home trailer or even the fact we know the movie exists, is not a spoiler for Avengers: Endgame. Because while we now know that some characters made it out of Endgame, it is only a snapshot and preview of its real story. A real spoiler is one that tells us something way too important, like a twist or a turning point in the narrative that would reveal how things are going to play out.

And honestly, the possibilities are endless. We only know that there is a Spider-Man film set after Endgame, and Spider-Man and some allies are going to be in it. How do we know for sure that they do get resurrected and return from The Snap? With recent speculations about time travel apparently being a huge part of Endgame, how do we know for sure that Spider-Man: Far From Home isn’t set on an alternate timeline where The Snap didn’t happen at all? For all we know, that could be why everything and everyone seems so normal in the Spider-Man trailer, like as if not half of everyone just disappeared and reappeared. Everyone is like “Oh, Let’s move on with life!”

Man, I hope I didn’t just spoil myself. LOL.

Anyway, until April comes and the real, final cut of Avengers: Endgame is released in its entirety and we see something from that, nothing is a spoiler. In fact, nothing can be a spoiler for any film unless we believe it is one.

p.s. Jake Gyllenhaal as Mysterio is the coolest Marvel villain to date. Change my mind.