Watch Me: complexities and concepts, Arrival

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Seeing the trailer, and being an avid fan for anything science fiction like, I hardcore wanted to watch Arrival despite my feeling like it would be too serious for my sleepy uncertain ego. Discovering I was wrong was one of the best things I like about life, Arrival directed by Denis Villanueve and adapted by Eric Heisserer from a short story novella titled "Story of Your Life" written by Ted Chiang, made the experience worth while. 

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The movie starts with the vision and example of memory, and how our minds can fabricate them in mystery. Starting from there everything begins to unfurl as a series of alien crafts land on certain points of the world, no activity made only landed on key areas for each continent.

During the course, a linguist and physicist are both hired by the government to help them handle the alien situation through pacifistic means. Before everyone in the planet becomes nerved enough to be violent and turn the world upside down.

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Did I ever dream of wanting to see another "mankind against another extraterrestrial" kind of story in a movie before? Not really. Sometimes it becomes redundant with the turmoil, unabashed explosions and resounding chaos that sometimes you think how impossible the main characters can even survive such fancy violence around them.

That's why, to me, who rarely watches movies (these days, in this part of my life's time), everything is a breath of fresh air when I saw this movie.

Let's be honest, we all believe this movie wouldn't kick ass. But the reality and genuine emotions each countries reaction and management for this type of situation is semi-spot on, enough to actually hold fear in anyone's hearts.

To a person who believes handling a situation first must consider thinking, despite me being always emotional (I do my best, okay?), in a pacifistic manner before acting violently. Easy to say the appeal of the movie caters to my heart deeply.

There are no circumstances where it did not fascinate me on how the scenarios will play out. The timeline's progress might seem a bit quick, not as quick as normal alien-to-mankind type of movie I've encountered in majority, yet who would want to grab that ex-machina away from anyone's imagination and grasps. Being truthful, I gauged the progress to be more than the months in the story. Yet, it still felt satisfying not having it longer than a year.

Alien communication struggle was not a first for the concept of this movie. But playing it out only in the value of language or words plays communication with the third kind completely blatant and a good herald of how it should be done in the most imaginative way possible.

The uniqueness of the production and flow however was not the one that caught me off guard, but the twist in the plot. It was no lie that the opening quote from Amy Adams' character was in fact the really player in the story. Even though it was hell of confusing especially at the nearing conclusion of the movie.

Linking the story and each elements value, as much as I could really follow through, was a glorious feeling. Knowing that in the end that twist of information felt like you spoke to another born mystery of the world for people to enjoy and discover. Which could ultimately mean as an ex-machina to the ending of the story in regards to explaining the phenomena of her mental visions that helped pull her through the toughest of times.

Begging to experience such likened miracle, the same as what Amy Adams character experienced, feels like one for my bucket list. To witness an alien language, learn to understand it and ultimately experience it's gifts as positive the influence it has as it can give.

This movie is one up in the tier of a good jog of your brain in the park. Now on the emotional scale, relating to the wonder and tolerance they gave during the story is something many should learn. The movie can totally work as a peace video to remind man kind that violence isn't always the answer to every unknown thing.

Watch Me: Seventh Son, and the awesome queen performance

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I've been intrigued by the story and movie entitled Seventh Son, directed by Sergei Bodrov, back in 2014. Where I first knew about the movie through an interview with Julianne Moore and that it's not her normal role to portray, which was a villain. Something that made me fascinated on how she would do was quite worth it.

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Medieval times rang with the stench of high belief in magic and fantasy, where the good and evil had no fine line since they had physical manifestation, especially the evil. Welcome the realm of Seventh Son where being a hunter of evil, a warrior of light, is a real and practically the most dangerous job of all time.

The film focuses on the folklore of "the seventh son of a seventh son", where the seventh son holds a prowess strong enough to be comparable to witches, trolls, and other supernatural monsters of their time. John Gregory, the last Spook, is on a quest to rid the world of the revived witch queen Mother Malkin. His quest brought him to the life of Tom Ward, a teenage herds boy, who has the ability to see visions, the seventh son of the seventh son, and an eager soul to get out of his country life yearning for an adventurous one.

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Yep, my purpose to see Julianne Moore to portray the villain, Mother Malkin, was worth every penny (forgive my irony for this statement).

Folklore's and medieval themed fantasy movies are always a good taste for my fiction loving tongue. Complete with dragons, mystical shape shifter's, and the sprinkle of simple olden times life, always stirs a nice soup of imagination for my brain.

The choice for the casting feels like not my cup of tea though, especially the lead roles for Gregory and Tom, although they grow into you as the story goes by. Even the young witch lover for Tom, Alice, was quite a pick. Maybe the re-write of the story, from the original books under author Joseph Delaney, might have to do with the unusual personalities the actors portrayed. Or maybe I'm just looking for a good justification of some of the blandness I find during the course of their dialogues, acting and story.

Either way, it doesn't pull down the good parts of the film, from it's unusual dry humour in between everything and the fierce Julianne Moore witch queen. Yes, this is a blatant fan girl to her portrayal, even the moments that she would show her human side due to the hurt she had experienced (I couldn't guess well if it was the same with the book, since I have a hunch it became that to a certain point for ex-machina reasons in re-writing the story from the book) was superbly fitting to the character she wants to shape the queen into.

The rushed parts and elements of the story was melded well, in comparison to some book to movie ones I've watched, where you could clearly say that there was a missing chunk of progress lacking for the characters growth to come a full circle. The only thing I could say that was forced was the romance for Tom and Alice's part, as they used the density (destiny) excuse for the ultimate reason of their attraction but covered it's traces by a moment where Alice explains it as if it was scientific. Copper metal in friction contact with another but sparks happened due to dust.

Wish that excuse worked in real life. It does but not on the scale where two people has this obvious tension between them.

Last words, this movie was a good roller coaster ride. Maybe reading the books would shed better light with things, and I hope no review somewhere out there from a fan of the book felt completely blasphemed and disappointed for all the missing bits they enjoyed from the book.

P.S. Kit Harrington died early in this film, I didn't know it was him until I realized in his dying moments.

Watch Me: teenie boppering The 5th Wave

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Out of curiosity, and being a weirdly loyal fan of Chloe Moretz, I tried watching one of her latest sci-fi themed movie entitled The 5th Wave directed by J.Blakeson from the same titled book written by Rick Yancey.

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Life was pretty much normal for Cassie Sullivans world, until a mysterious large hovering space craft the size of a continent became the dead ringer start of events unfolding into an apocalyptic battle between man and the alien race named as the Others.

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Believe me when I say this movie may have, like all the other nice movies out there, a good and curious universe that can very well establish a footing fit for a nice theatrical prowess, it is not unavoidably subject under a mainstream over used theme. Such as this very element of aliens being able to infest inside a human like a parasite, rendering their host under their very control, a.k.a. that Stephanie Meyer book the Host with the almost same type of alien.

This however is not the selling point of this movie, but the depicted experiences of Cassie and their eventual events into a future unknown under the invasion of the Others. Which to my opinion is pretty well composed, in terms of the flow of events fairly edited from the book into a feature film.

Might as very well clarify that it was very evident that the movie is a stepping stone opening for a long ass story, it's open ended conclusion after they saved Cassies sibling simply says "I'm supposed to have a continuation".

I've barely any knowledge of the book and how it's characters, events, and style of writing is unfurled. Basing from the movie, there are heavily built ex-machina scenarios edited from the original, and possibly characters intentionally omitted. Though, I am not a very critical person, and that to I simply enjoyed the flow. Disregarding the obvious romance tension happening between select characters, the action and adventure elements seems a good 8 out of 10 grade.

Simply put, this might be a B grade movie even to it's reader fan base. But I wouldn't mind seeing the sequel happen even if the movie itself isn't compelling, just out of curiosity on what will be happening next into the lives of the characters.

Over-all it might be better to just follow the books, own them and read to your hearts content; and treat the movie like a large fan base advertisement for it.

Watch Me: bus rides with Captain Fantastic

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How much do you regret missing to watch a movie when it showed in your cinemas? That's right, immensely, and that my friends is how I started feeling when I watched director Matt Ross' Captain Fantastic.

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Starring a father and his family of six children on a quest to rid their lives, not really since they're completely smart and able for their age/s, of life ignorance from the forest they used to live in and discover the world through an awesome bus ride back to their mothers home town to evidently emotionally move on after her departing with drastically wonderful familial results.  

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No words can fully describe the magnificence of the story besides the accurate title itself, fantastic. 

There's something about a family coming of age relevantly intelligent comedy drama that sounds vibrantly complicated. Of course, to me that's a perfect description of the Cash family and their growth through the course of this story.

To those who are blatantly curious the Cash family decided to live their lives in the forest in hopes of helping the matron of the house to recover from her mental illness, according to wikipedia is Bi-Polar disorder; please excuse my lack of remembrance to that particular detail. From hence, they have lived their lives in a well did make shift lodging in the middle of the wilderness and living their lives like indian nomads.

Cutting down to the chase, there are several playing topics that hits the story fairly well and how realistic the issues that were tackled in it. Besides the growth of select characters upon being thrown into the real world, the greatest of it plays upon the role of Ben and the choices he and his wife made to their family. They were the bud of difference and radically apart from all the growing complacence and spoiled life style of modern day man. Teaching their children practical survival skills they will need in their everyday life in and out of their forest. 

From there you can already tell that there would be question to their ability in adapting to modern day mans life, with which the question is it worth keeping the uniqueness of your life just to retain abhor against society's lifestyle that sounds like an everyday brainwash propaganda. This was playfully shown as they first encounter their taste of modern family man by spending time in their mothers sisters house. 

Character growth is clear and distinct, changing at the right time and progressing in a pace that is considerably enough to show the characters of how strong their family as individuals are. There really is little to praise and critic to the flow of Captain Fantastic. Every fiber detail is neither impossible nor dull. The realism compelled rawness befitting that of how gentle they touched the issues and solved it with grace.

Elegance reeked the tale of Captain Fantastic and worth a watch that will open your mind to concepts of how a critical mind works in a body of a complex emotional. Enjoy the involvement that they show more human than anyone could ever see.

  

Watch Me: How to Be Single and not just the statement

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These days, it's promising to encounter stories that just blatantly tells an absurd realistic connection between relationships. As a filipino, I always encountered cheesy romances that can simply touch and make you laugh by the local bunch. But nothing compared to the blatant liberated passion of a story that needed to just tell you everything is gonna be fine after a long ride. Like all feel good movies, How to Be Single by Christian Ditter, is a good reminder nothings wrong for a certain type of stereotype called being Single. 

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Story revolves around the friends Alice, Meg, Robin, and a fourth girl, entirely does not interact with any of the three girls but connected only through one character, named Lucy. Below lists all the nicest poking moments flowing for the story.

A. Nice beginner tutorial about realizing the life of a workaholic, free spirit, kindred spirit, and a trying hard to be a robot

B. The men here doesn't miraculously flock around the women, they actually have the sense to fall for their personalities

C. Possibly makes the location a place filled with parties, I think IT IS

D. Coining the term Dick-sand for a character who loves being the kindred spirit without thinking that she herself might be her own kindred spirit

E. Women who are in-love are total ass holes and douche bags to those who one sided-ly pursues them, which isn't a secret to anyone

F. It's a one step at a time guide to living your life as you pleased it

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By far, according to my bias blood, that this movie is the best roller coaster mixed nuts ride that I've watched. Since I'm a sad sap sucker for some fairly well written chick flicks; to me, this movie spells a good letter of recommendations for any person-kind from the Oxford of "a feel good comedy movie worth your try". Not to be completely recommending this movie without warning anyone that there will BE character stereo-tropes and predictable scenarios, cheesy lines maybe, but over all best in representing emotional realism when it comes to recovering from a break up, desiring to break away from being single, and just enjoying your self for being single.

I couldn't go technical for the most part since the entire style of the story is like a book written by a modern yuppie extrapolating her/his experience in the big city by cherry picking scenarios. A typical man-child looking for a new chapter in their life after it has grandly closed behind them. But, all movies are like that, yet so does every media so far.

Might I add that this movie is a perfect flick to recover you from being down, especially when your problem involves life and how un-fucking-fair it has been so far based on your own petty judgement, if you allow yourself to think like so. 

This movie has a specific demographic that completely goes under the dramatic radar. The mix of scenarios will surely still pick their cynical ass up due to it's easy to emotionally relate level. Actor casting doesn't go under and their roles were portrayed justifiably. Scenario blending didn't suck as bad as a certain fantasy movie based from a famous cartoon series, and nothing of the flow did not feel off but at least a fitting piece to the larger picture.

All in all this movie is recommended only to a level where you are a simple person looking for a simple feel good movie.

Watch Me: The Romantic and symbolical semantics

Readying myself for a binge of animated movies couldn't have prepared me more to dip myself in sheer mysterium slash satire by the story of The Romantic by Michael Heneghen.

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Life seems completely platonic for Romance, a young man who seems to be in distraught by the thoughts that his love for his current girl is fading away. Searching for an answer, he does a ritual to summon a god from their universe to plea a request only to be answered by an advice by the devil.

Eventually a few of the many circumstances begins to fuck up as he follows suit the devils advice. Many of the below happens in no particular grave importance:

A. He kills his cheating lover after unnaturally reviving his love for her through magic
B. Fucks a goddess only to kill her in revenge
C. Unknowingly starts a great depression and war at the expense of his actions
D. Begins to mentally exhaust a god that basically started everything
E. Kills several other mystical figures
F. Answers his own problem by just basically fucking everything up, which should've just been the summary in the shortest manner

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What started off as a negligently boring start whafts its tail on ones face and completely wows you to a point where you can't go on, for various mystical reasons. Since my neutral passive mind has been clogged by tons of real life propaganda towards the depression kind, The Romantic, a romance fantasy adventure story, wrings me back and forth into a puddle of inspired and insanely deprived by a word called inspirstion and motivation.

There are select words to artistically describe every facet of the universe this movie belongs in, but the end word you could ultimately use is FUCK. That is correct, the best adjective to poetically describe it is astoundig but the slang would be Fuck. It's been long since I last watched a movie that made me want to go back into creating things, and this movie was a better ticket than my last love affair.

On a sub note on impressions, The Romantic without a doubt is a roller coaster ride of realistic emotions and out right killer horrific fantasy to depict whatever needs to be depicted. You've got impossibly grotesque monsters, from deprived babies turned cannibals to beautiful goddesses that plays more with their desire than value or respect their hearts. Reminds you of something? That's right if you think of the roma-grecian mythological stories. The movie did some good formula in using the usual gods are as fucked up and complicated as normal human beings are, which to religious people I suggest cover their eyes, as most wouldn't appreciate a good satire when they see one.

While we're on the track of the story, any critical mind wouldn't miss out on all the names and their emotional or life like impression and significance in each others back story and present predicament. Each consequence a character did has an equivalent cynical karma, and that karma's symbolism has a great value.

These symbolical value to me plays generally on the part of their names and how their role played. As far as I can go the most that struck me were the value of Romance, the hero, and Patience's, his wise man companion, relationship in the story.

Which to my minds eye plays a real equivalent in life. Patience could easily play with Romance since he could be fully naive and manipulated depending on the situation. Just a single drop of idea and hope makes Romance a great idealist and at the end an ideal story maker. That is about the only symbolism of personal value.

Everything was a poetic end. And you could say my passive aggressive heart completely approves that you watch this, whether you favor the boringly serious or not. Except, the lines in this movie isn't really that boring.

PS. this story is about beginnings and ends, just the poetic kind

by Pansikoser (illustrator for hire)

Read Me: Downer's Hatching Magic

Talk about finally finishing a book that you started last year.

Good day to the first post of my 2017 year, I've finally managed to finish a young adults, or probably more accurate as a childrens book, written by Ann Downer entitled Hatching Magic.

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Talk about getting yourself cooked up into a good modern day, mixed with some old school stuff from before 15th century (I could just guess exactly when), fantasy adventure about...

A. A Wyvern lost in modern times
B. Some covertly pure but silly magic moments in trying to look for it
C. A young girls summer adventure
D. Did I mention that it's family friendly Wyvern chocolate loving mayhem

Then you've got a classic convert demon, some hidden agenda wizard enemy and a stand alone story of what it's like to properly string a fantasy kids adventure.

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I've been in a binge of fluctuating genre picking of my books these days. Ranging from these types of fantasy adventure to a complete biocraphy edition of some political opinion back in Twains era. The fruits arent meant to be made into a salad so I've scrunched up to taste them one by one.

My first sacrifice this year is finishing Hatching Magic. A completely light hearted story about everything stated on the above section.

You've got your typical good wizards, evil / bad ones, plus the always neutral but surprise is actually blood related to elements of the plot specifically to the good wizards. Wink, wink at the end bit of the book.

Everything is an enjoyable chapter, unless you are a cynical kid out to oust every last drop of menage oh things cant be this silly. Which, to my opinion, the flow of events are quite alright, good flow for kids.

The universe though, which could use a bit more flare of characters with pop up personality, is enough to build a good ground. Probably what the book is set out to do. This isnt an advisable read to lay bad hands but enough to lay good hands. You could put up mystical four bright stars in the sky, but its not a highly recommended title.

As stated on the previous paragraph, it seems to be a ground for a good starting universe or series. Much of the side characters, antagonist specifically, has a hinted back story or source story that needs an expanded elaboration.

If you do plan on expanding your range of light hearted books, give this good fruit a try. You might end up like me rooting for that one side character that wanted a good life out of everything that happened in the book, despite its lacking.

This gets a passive aggreasive thumbs up.

Spread them Wings . Bound in Blood first Review

Today I received word that the comics I drew "Bound In Blood" got it's first review by Outright Geekery.

Link to Review

Review wise, it's my first to ever see one, my old webcomics had a review of it's own but I had to stop working on it because I lost my own motivation to do so, still it's not that bad. Having people review your work is the best thing, whether it's to criticize it or not.

Honestly was hoping there would be reviews that are critique heavy in terms of developing the comics, but reviews to help spread the word is good as well. Also, critique heavy ones might not even be that reasonable cause it's only the first issue, having positive ones will always be an expected one.

On the side note, we are finally spreading out on announcing Petshap Inc's attendance in November Komikon 2016. And finally getting myself to finish prepping things. (printing final sets of ad's, photo-cards to sell, tags for the coin purses, etc.)

Also had a fuck up with this file. I saved it and over wrote on the psd file converting it into a jpg. I don't know how it happened, seriously do not. For the better I just didn't want to think anymore and am glad that I finished the layout without that much problem. Still, good bye editable file, if I wanted to use you again I might never. The end.

Art Thing: fanism towards Leviathan and its art

There was a book series I sort of obsessed, in a degree, over back between the years 2012 and 2013 entitled Leviathan. The series is a sort of historical fiction steampunk book that focuses over a certain "part" of World War I. Which, I think, was pertaining to the Ottoman empire and the likes. Clearly I've little to no clue of the German, Union and Ottoman relationship during that era, excuse me historians. Don't roll on your graves, I'm not worth it.

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There are several highlights for this book that I swear will be biased if I stated them because it's based on my taste of literature or genre alone. However, I do believe the artist for the books illustrations is worth everyones money and time. Here I present one of the "awesome-est" artist for steampunk I've seen, and also admire in the level of putting details through his illustration.

< Keith Thompson >

No image of the person, yet

(thank god, cause I searched and found some random handsome dude...dunno who he was)

You can visit his website here: http://www.keiththompsonart.com/

I've never not given enough praises to any artist who enjoys putting heavy sketchy details into their work, whether if it's just a doodle or for work.

In this case, my admiration goes heavily on the steampunk concepts he made for the book. He's also got a deviantart that I might say is fairly inactive since I think it only features his works from the book. And, since the book series is already done, I guess it's fair enough to assume that it won't be updating anytime.

Below are some of the images I like from the gallery (http://keithwormwood.deviantart.com/).

Leviathan

Peace Treaty

I suggest you browse the gallery more AND his website, or you can buy the Illustrated companion book The Manual of Aeronautics, I think this image is also in the book. I have a copy of the book, given to me by my boyfriend as a christmas gift, I liked it a lot even though I didn't really show it much.

This isn't much of a glorified article putting his works on a pedestal, however I do get inspiration and determination to work just by seeing his art so if I were you I'd start browsing his works and get some good juices there. Or, if not just browse it for fun.