Screenshot of Alison Sudol as Queenie Goldstein in ‘Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them’. Copyright goes to Warner Bros. Pictures and Heyday Films.
Hey! Hallie here!
I recently re-watched the first ‘Fantastic Beasts’ film and was immediately reminded of how much I loved Queenie in the first film. She’s feminine without being made fun of for being “too girly”. Her Legilimens powers were incredibly interesting and they promised an interesting future for the character once her powers became more necessary. She was just as strong as her Auror sister and her quick wit was apparent. And then the second movie undid all of this. I didn’t hate the second movie, which sets me apart from most other viewers, but I certainly didn’t like it. The way it turned Queenie into a dislikeable lunatic is one of the movie’s major offenses. In order to see just how awful and frankly sexist Queenie’s writing is, let’s look at the way each movie portrayed Queenie.
‘Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them’:
Queenie is introduced in the first film in a somewhat sultry way. She’s drying the laundry in her apartment, and when she realizes that men are present, she is only in an underdress. This leads to a scene where Jacob gapes at her as she puts a more appropriate dress over it. But this scene isn’t dominated by the male gaze, as most scenes like this are. There’s no focus on her chest or curves, but rather on how beautiful she is in general. The scene focuses on her face and her shoulders, and the most striking part about it is how gorgeous her smile is. It’s also very clear with the way she flirts with Jacob for the rest of the scene, that she is purposefully attempting to draw his attention. She’s never shamed for embracing her femininity throughout the scene, though Tina does warn her not to get attached. But this isn’t all there is to her character. She shows genuine kindness towards both Newt and Jacob. She makes both of them a meal upon first meeting them, attempts to comfort Newt when she accidently reads his thoughts, and never cares that Jacob is a No-Maj. Later on she uses quick thinking to get all of her friends out of MACUSA, including unashamedly lying that Newt’s case is full of “ladies things”, which she knows will definitely keep men from searching it. She also bravely runs into danger alongside her sister regardless of her fighting experience. It isn’t often that you see a character praised for her femininity as much as Queenie is while still remaining one of the strongest characters in the film. I wish she stayed that way.
‘Fantastic Beasts: Crimes of Grindlewald’:
At the end of the first movie Queenie reunited with Jacob in an end credit scene, implying that Jacob remembers her and may want to continue their relationship. It’s revealed at the beginning of the second movie that he did recognize her, but he’s tentative to continue their relationship because he doesn’t want her to be punished for being with a No-Maj. Queenie uses a love potion to force him to accept her marriage proposal. This strong woman is reduced to a crazy stalker who kidnaps her boyfriend because he’s afraid for her safety. Nothing about her behavior is excusable, especially because of the obviously immoral nature of a love potion, and even Newt scolds her for her use of it. After Jacob explains the situation, Queenie freaks out and runs away. On her own, she’s comforted by Grindlewald, the mass murderer, and she quickly warms to him. So much so that she makes the decision to join him at the end of the movie. When she tried to persuade Jacob to join her and he understandably refuses, her reaction is frightening. It’s as if there’s no semblance of sense left in her. Even Jacob becomes frightened of who she’s become. And none of it makes sense. She’s portrayed as dumb, both for using a love potion and for trusting Grindlewald so easily. In the first movie she showed both emotional and general intelligence in almost every scene. Also, the second movie makes all of her motivation entirely revolve around an unhealthy obsession with a boyfriend she once valued and loved. Her celebrated femininity turns into the stereotype of the insane wife and her kindness is instead portrayed as an obsession with romance.
I will always be upset with the way Queenie, one of the most amazing female characters in recent years, was reduced to nothing. She was strong without relying on male tropes. This is actually quite amazing because movies have recently been mistakenly calling female characters with mainly male traits, “strong”. Strength in women does not come separate from femininity, and Queenie proved that. Up until the woman-who-must-not-be-named decided to undo it all. I suppose this should be added to the list of reasons why you shouldn’t give the next ‘Fantastic Beasts’ movies your money.
Screenshot from ‘The Falcon and the Winter Soldier’ episode two featuring Anthony Mackie and the back of Sebastian Stan’s head. Copyright goes to Marvel Entertainment and Disney.
Hi! It’s Annie!
Yesterday the second episode of ‘The Falcon and the Winter Soldier’ premiered and I have a lot of thoughts again. I think everybody agreed that this episode had some annoying plot points, but some of it was meant to be annoying. However, there were several things that I’m not sure were meant to be annoying that I found to be so, so really there’s a lot to unpack here. I think I’ve talked enough so I’m going to dive right into it. This will be very SPOILER heavy, so please be warned and go watch the episode first if you want to get into this series. Because this story is said by the writer to be so character driven, I am going to continue to review the story by discussing it character by character.
Sam:
We saw this episode start very early on with Sam and Bucky meeting up completely out of the blue. In the first episode we were not even aware that either of the knew about each other’s whereabouts and then Bucky suddenly appeared conveniently before Sam was about to go on a mission to track down the so called “freedom fighters”. Sam tells Bucky that there’s no way that Bucky’s coming with him, and then of course in the next shot they’re both on the plane. This goes into an action sequence where Sam makes fun of Bucky for being beat up by a girl. Ok guys, it’s 2021. We’ve already established that women kick ass. Why is this joke still around? At least by now we’ve started to get the Sam and Bucky banter. Sam and Bucky are met by the fake Star Spangled Man with a plan (what is your plan today?) and they reluctantly take a ride from him. Bucky is having none of it, but Sam is willing to hear him out up until the new guy says that he wants Cap’s wingman, referring to Sam, and Sam declares “It’s always the last line” and leaves. We then go on a weird tangent where Bucky and Sam travel to a Black neighborhood to see an old super soldier Bucky has said nothing about played by the absolute legend Carl Lumbly; and then Sam is almost arrested because of the color of his skin until Bucky reminds the cops who Sam is. I actually really liked this tackling of racial profiling. Sam spends the rest of the episode being really angry at Bucky for being mad at him for giving up the shield and declares that he never wants to see Bucky again after this. Real nice considering everything Bucky has been through without Steve. Sam is continuing to act really selfishly and remains unempathetic. I understand where they’re going with Sam not wanting to represent the US, because, really, who would? But that doesn’t give him the right to treat both Steve and Bucky horribly. There’s even a part where Bucky asks Sam how he could have not known that the government would do that with Cap’s shield and Sam just comments that he couldn’t have known. Even though Sam was by Steve’s side every step of the way when Steve was fighting against the government and eventually on the run from them. How could Sam have not known? Why on earth would Sam ever trust the government with anything ever? It almost feels like the writers of this willfully decided to pretend Civil War didn’t happen. Yes, Sam would be conflicted over the shield, but Sam is not and has never been stupid.
Bucky:
Bucky was really interesting this episode which is not something I was expecting. I went into this show thinking that I would like Sam much more than Bucky, because honestly I always have liked Sam much more. But I have a feeling that will change considering how well they’re writing Bucky’s motivations and how poorly Sam’s are being written. We first see Bucky in what I can only describe as absolute anguish as he’s watching John Walker take Steve’s shield on television. This is what causes him to track down Sam and Bucky spends every second of the rest of the episode trying to connect with Sam on some level. Sam constantly dismisses Bucky and even treats him like a stranger whereas Bucky seems to see Sam as one of the few connections to this new time that he has left. Bucky understandably becomes angry at Sam for giving up the shield. If he didn’t what to carry the shield, fine, but that doesn’t mean giving it over to the government is ok. That’s not what Steve would have wanted. This only sours Sam’s attitude towards Bucky. Bucky does not talk with John Walker (he stares at him instead) and refuses to listen to anything he’s saying. The episode leads up to an intense therapy session where Bucky yells at Sam that if Steve was wrong about Sam being a good fit for Captain America then Steve could have been wrong about Bucky’s capacity for good as well. The emotion was just coming off of Bucky in droves in this episode and it was difficult to see him paired with Sam. Though they were funny together, it really just seemed like Sam didn’t at all care about Bucky where as this wasn’t the case with how Bucky viewed Sam. It was frankly heartbreaking. Bucky was also hit with the realization that there are more super soldiers out there, which I thought was weird considering the entire plot of Civil War, but I digress. This show seriously operates like Civil War doesn’t exist sometimes.
Sharon Carter:
This one really pissed me off. She isn’t in this episode either! The main female lead of this show is officially not in a third of it. How is this good use of her character? I’m not sure how they’ll even be able to give her a full arc and character development in four episodes that aren’t even focused around her. I feel like it’s safe to just call it now; so much for the female representation in this show. Once again, I would love to be proved wrong, but there’s no getting past that she’s only in two thirds of the entire show. And that’s if she even shows up next week.
John Walker:
The new “Captain America”. Though not really because Bucky points out that it takes much more than a shield to carry Steve’s title. Welcome to the most annoying character to grace your screens in a while. A snobby jock in high school and a total douchebag, there is no liking this character. Though this by no means implies that you should go after the actor who is just doing his job and doing it well if we all find the character to be this annoying. John Walker is not a super soldier, but apparently the action sequences were not told this. John Walker is slammed into the windshield of a car and gets up. This is a feat that Steve could achieve, but that’s because he’s a super soldier. There is absolutely no way that John Walker would have been able to get up from that. At the end of the episode he has the bright idea to try to threaten Sam and, you know, an actual super soldier. To make matters with this character worse, they actually had that stupid idea to give him a black side kick. What the hell was with that decision? I thought pulling Sam up to a main character position was Marvel getting past that. I guess it was the episodic reminder that the main writer for this show is a white man.
Zemo:
At the end of this episode we see Sam and Bucky go off to see someone and a shot of Zemo in prison implies that maybe it’s him. I’m not sure, I’m hoping that they actually go to see Sharon, but I’m really confused. This episode set up a little more plot, but I thought Zemo was going to be the main villain of this show. It doesn’t bode well that there’s only four episodes left and I’m still kind of confused about the plot.
The Freedom Fighters:
If I had to pinpoint the thing that this show is having the most trouble with, it would absolutely have to be motivation. We know that this group wants things to go back to the way they were before the blip, but everything about their motivation seems odd. It’s probably because of the same reason that Thanos wanted the blip in the first place, but we’ve already explored this line of thinking in two movies if that is the case. It feels kind of tired to be going over it again after such a short period of time. The group also uses the catchphrase “one world, one people” which is baffling. How does that catchphrase make sense for a a group that wants half of the world dead? These characters are barely being built up at all anyways so this entire group is just really confusing to me. And not in a good way.
I’m sorry that I’m going after this show so hard, but it’s difficult not to. Malcolm Spellman, the main writer, said that the main focus of this show would be characters and it feels like the motivations for most of the characters don’t make sense, which is a big thing for character development. Not to mention we are getting absolutely zero female characters to focus on so far. Recently Spellman also addressed fan rumors that Bucky might be bisexual and had feelings for Steve and simply said that we should keep watching the show and see. I can’t help but be really worried about that statement considering how the show is going so far. I’m just saying now, he better not queer-bait all of us on top of all of this. Hopefully the show gets better, but I’m not too optimistic on that front.
Screenshot of Margot Robbie as Harley Quinn in ‘The Suicide Squad’ trailer. Copyright goes to DC Films, Atlas Entertainment, The Safran Company, and Warner Bros. Pictures.
Hey! Hallie here!
This morning ‘The Suicide Squad’ trailer dropped and it would be an understatement to say that many people are looking forward to it. James Gunn has been very successful with his ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’ movies, and his work there has proven him to be one of the best choices to tackle this franchise. Especially after the first ‘Suicide Squad’ fell flat in several very important ways. This movie has thus far promised an excellent cast, a much stronger role for Harley Quinn, and a fun premise. And with an R rating it’s sure to include all the fun gore and jokes the first movie could only dream of including. But I’m still concerned about it. There are several questions that I have about this release and, even though I can’t imagine it could fall apart in the way the first movie did, I can see how some things could go wrong. So here’s what I liked and what I’m cautious about.
What I Liked:
Harley Quinn: The first ‘Suicide Squad’ oversexualized Harley every chance it got. From her introduction showing her playfully seducing the guards protecting her cell, to the carefully ripped crop top and what could only be described as underwear that she wore for most of the movie, to the multiple comments male characters made about her appearance. Harley did get her moments to kick ass and show off her amazing personality, but there were certainly some frustrating things that could only be remedied once the superior ‘Birds of Prey’ was released. Not only that, but her relationship with Joker was portrayed so poorly it was offensive. Her character revolved around the Joker given the jacket, collar, and tattoos that declared his ownership of her. Her motivation towards the end of the movie was also a mix between thinking he died and having a dream about living a domestic life with him. All of this failed to mention that he was extremely toxic and their relationship was mostly abusive. This new film doesn’t have any of this at all. For one, no Joker and no clothing that declares his ownership of Harley. For another, outfits that suit Harley without oversexualizing her! She wears a gorgeous dress for one of her fight scenes that flows with every movement, and we see a full, functional superhero outfit complete with goggles in another scene. We also get to see some of the characters set to lead the Suicide Squad attempt to go save Harley, only for them to meet up with Harley outside of the location having already handled the situation herself. She’s very touched they tried to rescue her, though. She’s funny, witty, and even seems to be standing alongside the leaders rather than the criminals. I can’t wait to see her kick ass here.
Bloodsport- Played by the amazing Idris Elba, Bloodsport was introduced to us in this trailer. I don’t know much about the character, but I do know I already love Idris Elba in this role. His sarcasm and apparent exasperation play against the chaos happening around him very well. He’s also clearly a better leader than Rick Flag was in the first movie. He’s intimidating and he clearly knows what he’s doing. It doesn’t feel like some random guy was just thrown into a leadership position in front of a bunch of deadly criminals. Bloodsport has earned his position and those who dare cross him should be pitied. But with a few cute scenes with Ratcatcher 2, it seems he’s somewhat of a softie behind it all.
The Humor: From this first trailer you can already tell how well the dialogue flows between the characters. The banter is fun and funny without feeling too awkward (most of the time). But some of the best humor comes from the other characters they introduce for this movie. There’s Polka-Dot Man who is exhausted to the point of hoping for his own death. With that ridiculous outfit, who can blame him? But there’s also plenty of other situations you see him in, such as partying in a night club, that promises a fully dynamic, funny character. There’s also King Shark who isn’t too bright, but is endearing despite the vicious way in which he kills people. And finally we get to see Starro, a bizarre starfish villain that fought the Justice League in the comics. Only James Gunn would be able to find a way to bring this character into the DCEU.
Other Characters: Most of the characters in this trailer didn’t get enough screen time, but I’m still very excited for them. Ratcatcher 2 seems like an adorable badass and having more female representation, such as her and SolSoria, is a welcome sight. As someone who enjoys Peter Capaldi’s acting, I’m excited to see him as the Thinker. and I did enjoy Jai Courtney’s Captain Boomerang in the first ‘Suicide Squad’, so I’m pleased to see his return. I am also pleased to see Viola Davis return as the perfect Amanda Waller. This movie has an incredible cast that all look like they’re having a blast, even just in the trailer.
What I Don’t Like:
The Amount of Characters: There’s too many characters in this movie. There’s no way this movie could do justice to them all, even if it was four hours long. Many people are pointing out that the amount of characters likely means we’ll see many deaths, but there isn’t a way to make the audience care about all of these deaths with the sheer amount of characters in this film. It’s hardly new news that movies that focus on a multitude of characters always suffer. Some Marvel movies have avoided this by giving characters singular movies before a group movie so the audience knows about most of the characters already. But Harley Quinn is the only character who was given this treatment. I will say that ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’ managed to balance its cast well. But that movie was focused on five main characters in total, and one of them only says ‘I am Groot’ for the entire movie. ‘The Suicide Squad’ has way more than five major characters in the trailer alone. Some of these characters are going to be pushed to the background and that could be damaging.
Rick Flag: Sorry Joel Kinnaman, but I don’t like Rick Flag. He was completely unnecessary in the first movie and his morals changed from scene-to-scene. One scene he shamed Deadshot for being a serial killer, the next he watched Amanda Waller kill a roomful of people in cold blood and supported her decision. I expect him to be written better in this movie, but I still don’t see why he’s needed. He feels like a wet blanket amongst an otherwise colorful cast of characters.
The Dick Joke: I’m not sure I’m completely sold on Peacemaker in general, though he’s a much more fitting moral compass for the team than Rick Flag. But the dick joke in the trailer went for far too long. The banter was awkward and it was clear it was just there to be an R rated joke. It made Peacemaker seem annoying. I hope it flows better in the movie.
Is This a Sequel?: This is less a dislike and more an aspect I’m cautious about. This trailer seemed to echo scenes from the first movie but still makes it abundantly clear it will be nothing like it at the same time. So is this basically a reboot? Or is the first movie still cannon? This trailer, plus the naming being ‘The Suicide Squad’ rather than putting a 2 anywhere or making the title clearly different from the first movie, makes it seem like this is a reboot. Which I support, but they have to be careful with this decision. The DCEU is already scatterbrained as it is and redoing everything they’ve done so far may only lead to more confusion.
So those were my thoughts! I enjoyed the trailer, and I like it more every time I watch it, but I’m still skeptical. I’m not sure how they’ll be able to pull this off, especially with such a big cast. But this trailer did make me more interested in ‘The Suicide Squad’! I suppose we’ll have to see what they were really able to do with all these characters when it comes out later this year.
Photoshoot shot of (from left) Choi Ji Su (Lia), Shin Ryu Jin (Ryujin), Hwang Ye Ji (Yeji), Lee Chae Ryeong (Chaeryeong), and Shin Yu Na (Yuna). Copyright goes to JYP Entertainment.
Hi! It’s Annie!
I’ve already done a post like this about Everglow, who is probably my favorite girl group right now. But it’s always difficult to look at rookie groups and not hear the name ITZY. Rookie groups are constantly compared to each other, and I feel like ITZY and Everglow have been pitted the most against each other than any other groups I’ve seen right now. These competitions always happen between fans of rookie groups, but the one between Everglow and ITZY has been pretty fierce. ITZY has been called the leader of the fourth generation by many. They’ve received invitations to award shows and other events, things that Everglow haven’t gotten. Many say that it’s because they are better than Everglow while others say that it’s because JYP is a big company and YeHua isn’t really. Obviously, I prefer the music of Everglow but I don’t think that inherently makes them better than ITZY or that ITZY doesn’t deserve the recognition they’ve been getting. I don’t really like pitting groups against each other anyways. But I do think it’s interesting to see what the rookie groups are already great at now and what I look forward to seeing more of in the future. But mostly, I want to treat both Everglow and ITZY equally in this instance in a way that doesn’t actually pit them against each other. Some of this is just my personal opinions, so please take them with a grain of salt.
Vocals:
ITZY performs with a track and often lip syncs, but I find that most rookie groups do that as well as a few performances where they go without it. ITZY tends to go without the track a bit more than I’ve seen from other rookie groups, which is great! The main vocalist for ITZY is Lia who definitely receives some of the most vocally demanding parts. Let me just say, Lia is a great vocalist. If you listen to her singing on her own just to sing, it’s simply amazing. She really is one of the standout vocalists of the current rookie groups. My only concern here is that sometimes the songs don’t really highlight her full vocal range. Also, fans have pointed out that there are sometimes issues with Lia dancing and singing at the same time. I don’t think she should be shamed at all for that, people really don’t realize how both physically and vocally demanding their performances are. Lia’s voice is beautiful and I think this group really has that going for them.
Rap:
The lead rapper in this group is Ryujin and every time I’ve heard her rap I’ve thought that she’s already pretty good and has great potential. Right now their songs haven’t been focusing on rap as much, but I really look forward to Ryujin being centered more often for her rap in the future.
Dance:
There’s a lot to say about this. Firstly, ITZY’s choreography is absolutely insane. It is fast paced and complex. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen people recommending their songs for working out. This team is also equipped with Chaeryeong, who is one of the best dancers I have ever seen. You watch her fancams and everything just looks so effortless. But it’s also important to point out that a lot of hate has been directed towards Lia for what people call “lazy dancing”. I don’t really understand where all of this hate is coming from. Yes, Lia is probably the weakest dancer, but in no way do I think she’s doing it on purpose. And even though she may be the weakest dancer, she is by no means a weak dancer. You try to do what she does. Those dances are insane and she keeps up with them really well. She’s also a rookie so we shouldn’t expect everything she does to be absolutely perfect. In fact, we shouldn’t expect that from any idol at all. So give her a break and let her grow, ok?
Music:
ITZY is not considered to be very consistent with their music and I can see why. I have listened to their entire discography and I didn’t hate anything that they came out with. People love their title songs, but they are criticized for their B-sides being a little lackluster. I personally thought their B-sides weren’t all bad, but I did think they were a little hit or miss. For example, I really love songs like ‘That’s a No No’ and ‘SURF’, but ‘Want It?” and ‘I Don’t Wanna Dance’ really missed the mark for me. It can be tough for me to listen to some of their stuff for long periods of time because I’m prone to headaches and many of their songs have higher pitched repeated beats in the background. That’s a personal issue though and I try not to let it effect how much I like the songs that I do like. But I do agree that they could be a bit more consistent.
Visuals:
Just as I said with Everglow, all of these women are gorgeous. People have been really toxic towards these girls. Many people have praised Yeji for her looks while others have said that she looks like an alien. Chaeryeong gets constant backlash from people who believe that she’s ugly (HOW???). And then you get to the youngest Yuna, a visual who people have accused JYP over oversexualizing even though she’s underaged. I personally don’t think that Yuna’s outfits are all that different from what most girl groups wear; but JYP has been accused of a lot in the past and I’m not sure it would really surprise me if that were true. Once again I want to say that there is not one member of this group that is not absolutely heart-stoppingly beautiful. Chaeryeong is actually my bias if I had to choose one in this group and I have no idea how people could think that she’s not pretty.
Theming:
ITZY hasn’t really followed the regular brand of theming for girl groups, which I find really interesting. They already seem to have a style that’s completely their own and really appeals to the youth of this generation. I also think it fits very well with their lyrics that they aren’t ascribing to anything in particular other than being themselves. They already seem to have created a brand for themselves which has only been made clearer with the new release of their Line Friends merchandise. It’s insane to see a group who already seems to have their identity hammered out so early on.
Performance:
They are known for performing pretty well live between their interesting stages, complex dances, and empowering songs. Performance is something that all of them seem to thrive at. Though they still need to become better at balancing the vocals and the dancing at some parts, the fact that they are already at such an amazing state of performance is insane. They even rival ATEEZ, which is really saying something considering the fact that ATEEZ is no longer a rookie group and is a group known for their high energy. ITZY can go toe to toe with anyone with their performances.
Leader:
The leader of this group is Yeji, which is a decision that has also faced controversy. Seriously these girls are going through so much. It’s probably just the public being confused with how they got popular so fast (though I’m not sure why they would be confused considering the talent of these girls). Yeji is one of the more quiet members of ITZY and doesn’t talk as much in interviews. This is especially apparent to international fans because, though all of the girls speak English very well, Lia is extremely fluent (even though this shouldn’t matter). But even in regular interviews, Lia is known to take point and make sure that every member gets to speak. I would like to point out that being a leader involves much more than just taking point in interviewing. A leader also does a lot behind the scenes. The majority of their tasks are things that we wouldn’t even see. Each member of ITZY seems to be really happy with Yeji as their leader, and that’s all we need to know to know that she’s a good leader.
ITZY is definitely a monster rookie group. I am conflicted though because most people are hoping for JYP to die out. I can see why people wish for this because it’s the company of the big three that is considered to be the most corrupt. It would be nice if one of the big companies died out and made room for more smaller companies. But I don’t think that we should determine whether or not we like ITZY based off of that. These women are human beings and we shouldn’t wish for their downfall. I think that they’re actually pretty good and I wish them the best, no matter what happens to JYP.
Screenshot of Kim Namjoon (RM) and Min Yoongi (Suga) in the ‘Bon Voyage’ series. Copyright goes to BTS and BigHit Entertainment.
Hey! Hallie here!
After I finished season 1 of ‘Bon Voyage’ I made a post highlighting what it would be like to travel with each member of BTS. But that first season was filmed quite a few years ago. Now that I’ve finished watching the series and seen how these boys have changed overtime, I have a better idea of what they’re like now. Especially because the last season was only released back in 2019. Let’s go through how the members travel habits changed from the first season.
Kim Namjoon (RM):
In my last post I talked about how prone he is to losing things, but it was unfair to assume that he was the only one. Literally every member of BTS has accidentally left something behind at some point. They really need someone to make sure they have all of their belongings before they leave a location. Still, Namjoon is most prone to lose something important. Like an entire backpack full of his belongings or his passport. He’s lost his wallet on multiple occasions as well, though fortunately he’s been able to retrieve it each time without too much hassle. At one point it was just in his back pocket which was frustratingly hilarious. Namjoon is an extremely helpful and caring leader. He keeps track of all of the members and ensures they’re having a good time. He often feels like he isn’t helping enough because he can’t cook or drive, but he always jumps at the opportunity to clean after a meal or help the drivers navigate. He’s also a very deep thinker and a change of scenery only increases his thoughtfulness. Whenever he was alone with another member he’d always get into a deep conversation with them inspired by the change of scenery, and at times he felt obligated to work because of his inspiration. But overall he’s a pretty responsible traveler. He enjoys the simple things, never looks to spend too much money, and is willing to compromise to keep the group happy.
Kim Seokjin:
I tagged Jin as a pretty chill traveler before, but I missed out on one very large quirk Jin has when traveling. He greets everyone in the street. Literally everyone. He’ll walk up to a group of random strangers and attempt to join their conversation even when he doesn’t understand their language. He’ll ask someone passing by if they know BTS to the embarrassment of all the other members. On one occasion this did work to his advantage. On one of their first days in Malta he walked up to a random elderly man to ask if he knew BTS and generally attempt to hold a conversation with him. A few episodes later Jin was set to be paired off with Jungkook to explore Malta, but Jungkook was tired (or eager to dye his hair) and left Jin to explore on his own. Jin walked into a random bar and found the same man was the owner of the bar. The man took pity on Jin because he was alone and spent the night talking to him. He even bought Jin a drink. The man was incredibly kind and the two regarded each other as friends when they parted. Although Jin made it his mission to embarrass every member he was paired off with, he also would accompany anyone who needed it, even if he was scared of the activity they were doing. He’s also an excellent cook and one of the people who will volunteer to drive the most. If you can get over the embarrassment, he’s a pretty solid travel partner.
Min Yoongi (Suga):
Yoongi is the type of person who won’t pressure himself to do multiple activities while traveling. He likes to explore, but he also takes time to nap in his room or work if he feels like it. Unlike Namjoon, he doesn’t pressure himself to do work if he’s inspired. He will simply do it when he feels like it and refrain when he doesn’t. Yoongi doesn’t like the bigger, scarier activities. When some of the members decided to ride a giant swing, equivalent to bungee jumping, in New Zealand, Yoongi adamantly refused to go along though he cheered them on from the sidelines. He prefers activities like fishing. He also enjoys a good bar and is willing to teach any member who doesn’t know much about alcohol what types of alcohol are best. He notably did this with Jungkook in Malta. Yoongi is one of the most responsible members. Whenever the group was camping, Yoongi was designated cook. He’s excellent at grilling meat and he seemed to know the best ways to cook food when there weren’t many resources available to do so. He also enjoyed keeping track of the groups money whenever he could and ensured that no one was spending too much. He sleeps the most out of any other member, but his laid back approach to travel is admirable.
Jung Hoseok (J-Hope):
Hobi is a lot less anxiety ridden than I originally perceived him to be. Whenever a member isn’t present or an item is lost, he’s absolutely one of the most anxious members. But otherwise he walks a line between laid-back and attempting to keep track of everything. When Yoongi wasn’t present Hobi offered to take care of the money, and despite leaving a few things behind in his efforts to watch over the money (such as a room key and a shopping bag), he showed himself to be pretty responsible. He enjoyed it so much that he offered to continue doing it even after Yoongi returned. He’s also the most likely to make sure the members have everything they need and is the first to offer help if they don’t. If someone had difficulty driving their camper in New Zealand he would offer to teach them how to drive the vehicle or offer to drive it himself. He even became the designated organizer when the members struggled to find space for groceries in the camper. Aside from this, he’s pretty casual. He’s scared of many things, but he showed himself willing to try anything once, even the giant swing in New Zealand. Whenever he was paired with another member he would be open to any activity they suggested. He would take pictures for the members whenever they asked it of him, and whenever a member was doing something cute or impressive he’d film them with a large smile on his face. He’s a very helpful travel companion.
Park Jimin:
Jimin is so sweet. I did criticize him for being late often in my first post, but this isn’t always the case. He’s definitely the last to wake up in the morning, but if he needs to be quick when getting ready he can be. Out of every other member he’s most likely to join someone who’s alone, comfort someone who’s sad, or notice someone who’s struggling. Both Namjoon and Taehyung at separate times depended on his words of advice to deal with their anxieties. When Taehyung was struggling with loss, Jimin pulled him into a hug and started talking about how clear the night sky was. On occasion he’d drive, but he’s the type to get carsick. This was especially a problem in New Zealand when all of the members noted that it was easy to get carsick in the camper. He would always set up camping sites and help whoever was cooking make food, though. He was willing to try most activities and participated in almost everything (Except the swing in New Zealand). If given an opportunity in a situation where every member was paired off with someone else, he’d always make an attempt to spend time with Taehyung. The two are best friends and they tended to share the same opinions on a lot of the activities they wanted to do. When Taehyung decided to go horseback riding Jimin decided to (unsuccessfully) attempt to race him with his bike. When Tae came late to Malta Jimin showed him all of the sights he’d seen that he knew Tae would like. In general Jimin is a sweetheart and a fun travel partner.
Kim Taehyung:
Taehyung grew up a lot as the series progressed. In the first few seasons he was spontaneous and mischievous. He’d leave to do random activities even if they weren’t exactly allowed by the staff and if he had an opportunity to get out of cleaning up, he’d take it. Malta was the first time this situation changed. His spontaneity was still there. He arrived late and, because of this, wasn’t able to do some of the activities the other members were scheduled for. So he ended up going to a Popeye themed water park on the beach and jet skiing afterwards, to the staff’s bewilderment. But he was quiet for most of the trip due to a recent loss. When he was given the opportunity to attempt busking, like Jungkook had done earlier, he was so nervous that he attempted to practice his song before he went up and left after the first verse. But he was proud of his accomplishments and still very sweet. At one point he, Jin, and Jungkook decided to go to an amusement park and enjoyed it so much that the three payed for the staff to go on one of the rides with them. In the final season, he did dishes every time they needed to clean up, and the one time he fell asleep before he could clean he became guilty. He can’t cook but he’d offer to help anyway and he’d keep up the mood with loud music and even louder singing. You definitely see him grow up as the series goes on and I’d say he’s much more responsible of a traveler now.
Jeon Jungkook:
Jungkook is still very much the type to go with the flow. He’ll try anything any of the members want to do and he’ll enjoy himself regardless of what it is. When Yoongi and Jin decided to go fishing, Jungkook went with them to try it out. He ended up being good at it and continuing to fish with them. He’s also a bit of a daredevil. Unlike Yoongi, he reveled in anything mildly scary. At the swing in New Zealand he decided to go upside down. When they tried diving with sharks he immediately went straight to the bottom of the cage to get a closer look. But he can also be pretty quiet and introspective. At one point he was left on his own to decide what he wanted to do without any other member, and he simply enjoyed walking around the streets. He became enamored with buskers, payed a few of them, and tried busking himself. He beat himself up over his busking because he thought he was bad, but he was truly amazing and Hobi never hesitated to play the clip of him busking in his presence to prove how good he was. He’s also very responsible. Like Jin, he’d offer to drive more than most of the other members and, in New Zealand, he considered himself in charge of the camper because of how difficult it was to drive. It’s so interesting to see how much he grew up over the years as well.
Shot of Mary Elizabeth Winstead as Ramona Flowers in ‘Scott Pilgrim vs The World’. Copyright goes to Universal Pictures.
Hi! It’s Annie!
Over the weekend was actually the first time I watched ‘Scott Pilgrim vs The World’ in it’s entirety. I know, I know, that’s weird. Most everybody has seen that movie by now. But I can’t say that before watching it I was entirely unfamiliar with it. Almost everybody knows about this movie by now and I also went through a rock and emo phase in high school. I still really love some of the media I watched from that phase! But if you were ever at all even close to having an emo phase, then you definitely know about Ramona Flowers. She was one of the pinnacle punk rock fictional role models for women interested in that genre along with Hermione Granger and Sam from ‘The Perks of Being a Wallflower’. These were some of the names of fictional characters you heard tossed around all the time. I’ve known several people who were inspired to dye their hair a vibrant color because of Ramona Flowers. She has also become synonymous with the manic pixie dream girl trope, but I’ll get more into that later. So knowing so much about her going into this movie, I was expecting a lot. I was expecting a lot even from the female characters in this film that weren’t her. And to be honest, I was actually left pretty disappointed. I know a lot of people are angry, please don’t tear my head off! I didn’t hate this movie by any means. But I definitely had some issues with the portrayal of female characters. I know this may be difficult to hear, so just keep and open mind and I’ll try to explain the best I can.
Ramona Flowers:
The first and foremost problem I have with Ramona is that she doesn’t seem to have agency in her own story. Despite the fact that these are her exes, she is never given the chance to actually fight them except for the only female ex that she has for some reason. I suppose she knees Gideon in the crotch once, but that’s it. I know that the story is supposed to be a metaphor for Scott comparing himself to Ramona’s exes and getting over his insecurity, but that doesn’t change the fact that most of the time Ramona just stands there while Scott is fighting off an ex of hers. It also doesn’t change the fact that she was allowed to fight Roxy for some reason and none of her guy exes. I’m really tired of shows and movies pairing off the female characters to fight. I also should talk a little bit about the manic pixie dream girl trope as Ramona Flowers is always brought up when this trope comes up. This is the absolute ideal girlfriend for the main character who is quirky in some way and is there to save the male protagonist from himself without having much agency in her own story. Seriously, if you look up ‘manic pixie dream girl’ on Google, a picture of Ramona Flowers is one of the first things that comes up. Ramona’s character development often has to do with Scott and, as I’ve already stated many times, she’s always forced onto the sidelines to literally watch her boyfriend fight her battles for her. With having so much expectations for this character, I was seriously let down with how little she seemed to actually do within the plot. Especially because the idea for her character was intriguing to me.
Knives Chau:
There’s a lot that people have said about Knives Chau from the perspectives of feminism, race, and age. No matter where you turn there seems to be a giant problem with this character. Knives is Scott’s girlfriend before he meets Ramona and this is already an issue considering Scott is twenty two and Knives is seventeen and still in High School. Knives right off the bat is depicted with some pretty bad racial tropes. She goes to a catholic school that requires her to wear a uniform and she is depicted as being very excitable because she’s been so sheltered. This results in her becoming actually obsessed with Scott to the point of being a stalker. Scott later cheats on Knives with Ramona (partly because he hasn’t been interested in her in some time and is just too much of a coward to break up with her) and she becomes an actual stalker. Even watching him through windows. The end of the movie tries to make her useful and give her somewhat of an arc, but it never actually feels complete. Knives even goes into the final battle angry at Ramona for breaking Scott’s heart because she’s still obsessed with Scott. If it’s possible, it almost feels like her entire character revolves around Scott even more than Ramona’s.
Roxy Richter:
Another very problematic character. I actually thought I would love her when she was introduced. She seriously has one of the best introductions in the film. That was all completely sucked away when we got to her battle with Scott. On top of the fact that she mostly fights Ramona because Scott refuses to hit a girl (barf), the scene also says some questionable things about bisexuality. Even Roxy becomes angry when Ramona refers to her as “just a phase”. But the worst part of this scene is by far the way Scott is able to defeat her at the end of the battle. As Scott is just about to be kicked into oblivion by Roxy, Ramona tells Scott that Roxy is sensitive behind her knees. What results is a very overtly sexual death for the only female ex. Women are already sexualized enough in media and members of the LGBTQ+ community are especially over sexualized. Roxy dying in this way is not at all ok, especially because none of the other exes die in any way that’s even near this. It was both disgusting and so disappointing for a character I thought I was going to love at first.
Kim Pine:
By far my favorite female character from this movie and one of my favorite characters in general. Though I don’t understand why every single female character introduced has to have had some sort of romantic connection with Scott except for Roxy and his sister. Kim is absolutely unafraid to call out Scott on his bullshit (along with his roommate Wallace), which is absolutely necessary considering how much of a douchebag Scott can be throughout the movie. Kim’s character is entirely based off of her own issues with the band, which means that her storyline doesn’t revolve around Scott. There’s nothing much bad I can say about Kim, I actually thought she was pretty solid.
I know there are a few other female characters in this movie, but these are just the ones I felt most inclined to talk about after watching the film. I do have to say though, Brie Larson singing in this movie as Envy Adams was one of my absolute favorite parts. I know this was mostly negative, but by no means does this mean that I hated the movie. I thought it’s use of music was very clever and there were characters and moments that I loved. Chris Evans as Lucas Lee was priceless and the vegan police made me laugh so hard I almost fell out of my chair. But I think that this movie really needs to be looked at for the way the narrative treats female characters, because it’s really not that great. After watching the movie it made me wish that we were able to have a character like Ramona Flowers that was actually created to celebrate women and wasn’t created to be the dream girl that revolved around the main character. Especially because she’s been so influential to women interested in media.
Screenshot of Dame Maggie Smith as Minerva McGonagall in ‘Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone’. Copyright goes to Warner Bros. Pictures, Heyday Films, and 1492 Pictures.
Hey! Hallie here!
Harry Potter has tons of loveable characters and almost an equal amount of deliciously dislikable ones. This is no different for the professors at Hogwarts. There are professors that are horrible people and horrible teachers, there are professors that are some of the best characters in the entire series, and there’s every other type of professor in between. So today I’m going to count them down! For this list I’m only including the professors that made a major impact, so Professor Grubbly-Plank and similar professors will be left off this list. I also won’t be including all Hogwarts staff, so Filch will also, thankfully, be left off of this list. Finally I’ll be judging these professors not only on their personalities, but majorly on how good of teachers they are. So with that said, let’s get into it!
15. Dolores Umbridge. Who’s surprised to see her here? I’m not. Dolores Umbridge was adamant about not teaching her students at all. She didn’t allow magic in her class and only taught students to prepare for their tests. Which are both sure ways to make sure none of the students retain any of the information they’re taught. It should also be noted that she TORTURED STUDENTS. She would make students who misbehaved, which was all of them in her eyes, magically carve their wrongdoing into their hand. She even almost used the Cruciatus Curse on Harry. She’s a very obviously evil woman and one of the worst characters in the series. No one compares to how awful she is.
14. Quirinus Quirrell. Professor Quirrell was never the most helpful of teachers. He was always absurdly nervous of everything he taught, so while he might have said something interesting during class, it was still very hard to take him seriously. And then his nervous act turned out to be a ruse. He was actually a very evil man who let Voldemort possess the back of his head. He spent far more time trying to keep Voldemort alive with unicorn blood and helping him find a new body than actually teaching. He also endangered students by loosing a troll in the school and tried to kill Harry multiple times. So not the best teacher.
13. Severus Snape. Ok, I already hear a bunch of Snape fans getting mad at me so let me explain. Alan Rickman’s Snape isn’t a bad teacher. He can be harsh, but he’s very informative and he cares for the students even if he doesn’t seem like it. Book Snape is not like this. Book Snape verbally abuses students. He constantly bullies Neville and threatens to kill his pet toad, Trevor, when Neville gets something wrong rather than attempting to help him. He belittles Hermione despite her genius and even refuses to help her when a rogue spell hits her and causes her teeth to grow. He literally tells her that he doesn’t see a difference! I would like to remind you that this is a grown adult bullying children. He might be informative in his lessons, but no student actually benefits from such a toxic classroom atmosphere.
12. Gilderoy Lockhart. An unhelpful teacher but for different reasons. Gilderoy Lockhart is both too full of himself to teach and also unknowledgeable about everything he claims to have knowledge about. This is because Lockhart used memory charms on various adventurers so he could claim responsibility for their great discoveries. He has no experience of his own but he loves the fame. He also REALLY loves himself. He would rather teach an entire class about himself than anything actually useful. He does try to Obliviate Harry and Ron when they learn his secret, which is generally frowned upon, but at least he doesn’t attempt to kill them.
11. Mad Eye Moody. This is another professor who tried to kill Harry, but he gets up here because Harry actually liked him as a professor. He taught inappropriate things in class, such as the unforgiveable curses, but he was genuine about teaching the students how to avoid dark curses. He used real experience to instruct them and did attempt to calm the students who were disturbed by his lessons. He also helped Harry through the Triwizard Tournament, as dark as his motive was. But yes, in reality Moody was Barty Couch Jr., who was attempting to get Harry to Voldemort so that Voldemort could regain his form and potentially kill Harry. No one can say they weren’t satisfied with the way he put Draco in his place, though.
10. Sybill Trelawney. Professor Trewlaney is the first professor on this list who genuinely cares about the well-being of her students. Yay! That being said, she doesn’t actually teach anything useful. She genuinely believes in the Divination she teaches, but none of it is real. That isn’t to say that Trelawney is incapable of seeing into the future. She’s responsible for the prophecy about Harry and Voldemort. But the events where she truly sees into the future are rare and she never remembers them. Instead she focuses on tea leaves and crystal balls, which are established as phony forms of magic in the wizarding world. Her teachings aren’t practical and she gets extremely defensive if she’s called out on it. See how she insults Hermione. (Her insulting Hermione isn’t accidental but very purposeful in the book).
9. Horace Slughorn. And now we’re getting to the teachers who are actually helpful. Horace Slughorn is a pretty understanding and enthusiastic potions teacher. No one really has any complaints with his teaching, which seems pretty informative. His favoritism is his real problem. While teachers shouldn’t show favoritism, Slughorn revels in it. He even created an entire club exclusively for his favorite students, most of which are pretty well off. This isn’t always the case, he did take an interest in Lily Potter for her skill alone, but that still doesn’t hide his preference for the rich and powerful. Slughorn is also easily manipulated, as shown when Tom Riddle managed to get information about horcruxes out of him without raising much of Slughorn’s suspicion. But most of that is due to cowardice, which Harry helps him move past. In the end he fights in the Battle of Hogwarts, which is absolutely honorable.
8. Albus Dumbledore. Here’s another controversial opinion. Albus Dumbledore shares a lot of wisdom with Harry throughout the books, most of which are essential to Harry’s survival. He’s an important beacon in Harry’s life and acts as the main protector for Hogwarts as it’s headmaster. He is also quite the morally questionable man. He left Harry with abusive parents for most of his life and had little reservations when raising Harry to send him to his death. Dumbledore is a sign of comfort and intelligence in Hogwarts, but that doesn’t mean he’s a good role model for the students. You also have to wonder how good he actually was at protecting the school with all of the attacks that occurred every year Harry attended.
7. Madame Hooch. Hooch is a pretty straightforward Quidditch professor. She’s strict but she’s fair, which is why she also fills the position of Quidditch referee on most occasions. She cares for her students well being, as is her job, and she comes off as a capable badass. There isn’t really much of a downside here. Madame Hooch is a pretty solid professor.
6. Firenze. We didn’t get to see Firenze as a teacher much, and in the movies we didn’t get to see him as a teacher at all, but he’s pretty amazing. When Trelawney is fired by Umbridge, Dumbledore hires Firenze in her stead. It’s instantly established how amazing of a teacher he is. He transforms his entire classroom into a grassy field with a clear view of the stars, and he uses the stars to accurately teach students Divination. He makes it clear that not all can be told from the stars, but he is sure to teach students exactly how they can use them. He’s an instructive and gentle teacher, so it’s no surprise that Harry instantly likes him more than Trelawney. When Trelawney is reinstated he gets to teach Divination concurrently with her, which is fortunate for those who are actually interested in the subject.
5. Pomona Sprout. Pomona Sprout is both a straightforward and kind teacher. She’s strict in her teaching of Herbology, mostly because many of the more dangerous plants require very specific instructions, but outside of the classroom she’s very empathetic and understanding. She cares deeply for her students and her students care just as deeply for her. She develops very strong friendships with most of the professors, and just like them, she never hesitates when it comes time to protect her school. I only wish we had seen more of this badass.
4. Filius Flitwick. Filius Flitwick is not only the Charms professor, but also the conductor of the school choir. He takes pride in his involvement in the arts, but he isn’t snooty. He’s shown to have a pretty good sense of humor, especially when it comes at the expense of teachers like Umbridge. He’s one of the most patient teachers at the school and he’s quick to praise students for their work. He’s also very intelligent and has an answer for most questions asked to him. And, just like his peers, he is unafraid to defend his school when the time comes. He should not be underestimated because of his size.
3. Rubeus Hagrid. Putting Hagrid so far up is a bit risky. Despite his efforts, even Harry doesn’t believe he’s the best professor. But that isn’t entirely because he’s not suited for it. Hagrid is a complete sweetheart. He has a love for most students, and most animals he comes across as well. Which makes it seem like he would be the perfect Care of Magical Creatures professor. He’s patient with students and understanding of their frustrations. He ensures all of his classes are safe. Mostly. His issue is his love for all creatures. He finds boring creatures quite fascinating. He also likes to bring frightening creatures into his classes. Though these creatures aren’t mortally dangerous to the students, they can be frustrating and harmful to some degree. Such as his Blast-Ended Skrewts. Despite this, Hagrid is one of the most protective and caring professors in Hogwarts. Even when he doesn’t get a lesson right, he tries very hard and he’s understanding of students who don’t like his lessons. I’d say that makes up for any of his drawbacks.
2. Remus Lupin. This is my favorite character in all of Harry Potter. He’s the dream professor. He’s kind and funny. He knows how to engage a class with activities rather than keeping them to their desks, which is something he keeps up even during tests. He instructs but also stands by students as they do tasks and walks them through it. As a Defense Against the Dark Arts professor, he’s understanding of students fears and is there to provide emotional support if needed. Beyond that he’s a humble man who cares for his students. He’s the most understanding professor of all of them, shown to be able to relate to students in the way no other professor can. And the wisdom he shares is far more important than even he believes. He’s simply a comforting presence.
1.Minerva McGonagall. She’s clearly the best professor at Hogwarts. She’s strict, but only when she has to be. She’s fair in issuing punishments and ensures they help students learn from their mistakes. When a student is wronged she takes that into account and doesn’t punish them for expressing their frustrations (“Have a biscuit, Potter” might be the greatest words ever uttered). If someone insults her students she’s the first to come to their defense. Is someone attacks her students she is similarly protective and even Snape couldn’t fend her off. Her classes are informative, and while they don’t allow for much fun, she isn’t one to disapprove of a little mischief. She even helped Peeves unscrew a chandelier once, though none of the teachers were above making some mischief at Umbridge’s expense. She acts, more than any other professor, as a parent. Instructing and caring for students. Encouraging them to pursue their goals and follow their dreams. Worrying herself sick over their safety. There was no competition here. Minerva McGonagall wins.
Screenshot of Dave Franco, Isla Fisher, Woody Harrelson, and Jessie Eisenberg in ‘Now You See Me’ (2013). Copyright goes to K/O Paper Products and Lionsgate.
Hi! It’s Annie!
It’s that time again where I need to talk about some of my favorite comfort movies that have gotten me through this entire year of quarantine. ‘Now You See Me’ is a movie that I can say with absolute confidence was definitely slept on. Maybe you’ve heard of it in passing, maybe you haven’t heard of it at all, and maybe you’ve actually seen it once before. I’ve never met someone outside of my family that’s seen this one, which is really surprising to me. My family loved it and it was even popular enough to get a sequel (though whether the sequel was actually as good as it could have been is an entirely different question). For those of you who haven’t seen this, this is a movie about a team of four magicians known as The Four Horseman who kind of Robin Hood money out of the pockets of the rich and funnel it to the poor and mistreated. The movie focuses on the magicians as well as the police officers attempting to stop them considering they are actually committing crimes. The real draw of this movie is definitely the magic though, and that’s what makes it worth coming back to every time. SPOILERS!!!
Daniel Atlas (The Illusionist):
Because the magicians are by far the best part of this film, I’m going to go through each one. Daniel Atlas is the magician played by Jessie Eisenberg. He does some card tricks, some things that go way beyond card tricks, and all magic that people would generally refer to as mind bending. Daniel Atlas is also a huge control freak and one of the most amusing characters in the entire movie. If he’s not always the smartest person in the room, he’s at least close. He’s also just a little bit of a douchebag, but the other characters aren’t afraid of calling him out on that.
Henley Reeves (The Escape Artist):
Henley has what is quite possibly my favorite introduction of all the magicians. When we first meet her she is in a tank of water, chained to the floor, with piranhas stationed above her set to fall when the timer runs out. It appears to the crowd as though she fails and is eaten but then she mysteriously appears behind the crowd to reveal that she is, in fact, alive. It is stressful to watch because Isla Fisher actually became trapped during the filming of that scene and the staff thought that her attempts to get out were just acting. Henley is the only one who really seems to keep the group together, which is why it feels so odd when she isn’t in the second installment of this franchise. She is instead replaced by Lizzie Caplan as Lula. Lula is actually a gore comic magician, which I found to be a bit weird. The escape artist fits so much better with the entire plotline as well as the other magicians. But I actually did like the character of Lula better as a whole, so I’m a little conflicted.
Merritt McKinney (The Mentalist):
One of the main comic reliefs for the film. Merritt is probably the oldest of the magicians and specializes in hypnotism and using behavioral cues to read thoughts. Basically all bullshit, but there are a few pieces of magic that work differently in this movie than they would in real life. The Director said that this is because this movie is sort of depicting how magic would be in an ideal world. Merritt is bearable in this film, but I really wish he would have just disappeared in the second film. Woody Harrelson doesn’t like to play the same role twice so he requested that he play the twin brother of his character in the second film as well as the original character if he was to stay on the project. Considering they just came up with a replacement for Henley, I really think they should have just done this for Merritt too. As much as I like how funny the character is and how he keeps things lighthearted, keeping his character was not worth… whatever that was. I swear that twin character was the most annoying part of the movie, twin tropes or no.
Jack Wilder (The Sleight):
Now, he’s really the cards guy. But more importantly, he’s the main con artist. If you aren’t watching him closely, and even if you are, he’ll steal your wallet before you can blink. He’s also especially skilled at throwing cards with such precision that he can cut a pencil in half. He’s got some talent. He’s also the youngest of the group of magicians (until Lula shows up) and really brings that sense of innocence to the team. You almost feel bad for him being thrown into this situation, as dangerous as it can be sometimes, but his enthusiasm to be there more than makes up for it.
Dylan Rhodes:
The fifth horseman and the son of the famous magician in this fictional world, Lionel Shrike. In the first movie he plays his role as the main officer on the case of the Horseman so well that you don’t suspect he’s one of them until at least well into the movie. And the reveal never gets old. It’s insane to watch it back and see how well he was playing his role. I just wish they hadn’t made him so weirdly dumb and angry in the second film.
Alma:
The Interpol agent that Dylan is stuck with who is unfortunately not in the second film. Which absolutely sucks because she was almost the heart of the first film. You can’t help but love her. She’s a complete badass and she has to be one of my favorite characters.
Though ‘Now You See Me’ is about the magic, I firmly believe that it is just as much about the characters. It really does take it’s time to develop each character well in a way that makes you care for them. It isn’t an action movie just for the sake of action and all of the characters are flawed. None of them feel too much like a trope. So, if you want a little extra magic and intrigue in your life right now, I highly recommend checking out the first movie at least. Only watch the second movie if you want to see Daniel Radcliffe miscast as what is basically Draco Malfoy. (Because it’s a magic franchise and apparently we had to get Daniel in there somewhere.)
Promotional image of Kim Taehyung (V). Copyright goes to BigHit Entertainment and BTS.
Hey! Hallie here!
This specifically is an interesting problem because it’s something both fans of K-Pop and those who dislike K-Pop suffer from. It’s prevalent in multiple groups as well, though, being ARMY, I tend to notice it most in the BTS fandom. This problem doesn’t stem from using the term “baby” to describe a member who is doing something cute. It’s become pretty common for the use of the word “baby” to describe someone cute rather than negate their age, and even some K-Pop stars do this to each other. The problem lies within treating members like they are actually children. Some fans are oversensitive to the hard work the members do or get easily offended on behalf of an idol when they’re being teased. On the other hand, those who dislike or don’t know much about K-Pop often find themselves infantilizing the members as well, sometimes without knowing it. Looking into these problems makes it easier to dismantle this attitude and know when it’s actually appropriate to be protective of our favorite groups.
K-Pop Fans:
First lets talk about the way fans infantilize members because this often, but not always, comes from a place of well meaning. Fans care a lot for their favorite groups and idols, and don’t like to see them experiencing hardship. But groups like BTS are fully grown adults who know their emotional and physical limits. There is no reason for fans to get offended or worried on their behalf when they are clearly in control of the situation. A good example of this is Jungkook having to run onstage after realizing right before a song that a platform meant to lift him onto the stage was malfunctioning. When this footage leaked many ARMYs seemed overly concerned about how heavily he was breathing before the song started and praised him for continuing to perform despite it. This is infantilization. As someone who’s worked on stage before, you are always prepared for technology to stop working or for something to go wrong without you expecting it. Having to find a way around it is part of the job. On top of that, while it was probably a frustrating moment for Jungkook, BTS have dealt with plenty of faulty platforms before. He was clearly in control of the situation and didn’t have any problems performing the song. Sometimes it is simply best to trust that the members are competent enough to have everything under control.
Another example of infantilization are ARMY reactions to certain fights within the members of BTS. Recently a fight between Taehyung and Jin has been circulating again. This fight was highlighted in the film ‘Burn the Stage’ which showed a lot of behind the scenes footage of the members. Before one concert, while practicing choreography, Taehyung accidentally took a step too far. Jin, who was supposed to go up to join him, didn’t wind up having enough time to do so and move back into his position. Taehyung was frustrated by the mistake and went to confront Jin about it, Jin cracked a few jokes about the situation, and Taehyung became offended by his tone. Many Jin fans were upset about this fight because Taehyung had apparently caused the choreography mishap, and because the members of the group spent more time comforting Taehyung than Jin after their fight. Once again, this is infantilization. This fight was a petty one, one that you see amongst siblings or friends as close as BTS, and it happened several years ago. Namjoon scolded both members for fighting right before a concert, and many of the members went to comfort Taehyung because he had begun to cry while Jin showed no signs of doing so. Jin can take care of himself, the members know best how to calm each other down, and the problem was resolved years ago. There is no reason to continue being offended by it.
K-Pop Dislikers:
I put dislikers here because this isn’t exclusive to people actively trying to hate on K-Pop groups. This is something I’ve seen in many, including the people who don’t really care much about K-Pop at all. When it comes to the major groups a lot of people seem to view them as privileged teenagers. The opinion seems to be that they’re young and untalented, using their looks to catch the attention of young girls without writing songs or even working hard, relying on older businessmen for their fame. It’s important to note that the majority of K-Pop groups at this time consist of grown adults who are trying to create for multiple audiences. BTS specifically has a lot of control over what they release. All of the members have contributed songs and melodies, and the three members of the rap line have writing and producing credits for most of their songs. All of them have decided what messages they want to spread and the company has even supported individual mixtapes that the members have worked on by themselves to help them spread those messages. And even in cases where a groups content is being controlled by a more demanding company, there is no way for any member of a K-Pop group to “get by on looks”. K-Pop demands both dancing and singing skills that groups have to train in for years before debut. Companies also have a tendency to give idols who are faltering in either dancing or singing less center time and more lessons, so either way idols find themselves working very hard. The K-Pop industry is known for sometimes overworking their idols and shouldn’t be praised, but the artists should. BTS specifically took on almost every single responsibility, including photo shoots and choosing the songs on the album, for their latest release. They are not children to be ignored. (And the young girls who enjoy their work shouldn’t be ignored either, nor should it be assumed they’re K-Pop’s only audience.)
So what’s the difference between protecting your favorite idols and infantilizing them? Situation. If you are getting overly angry because of a squabble that happened several years ago, you’re being overprotective and infantilizing an idol who likely doesn’t dwell on that situation at all anymore, if they even remember it. If your favorite idol is facing racism, sexism, and overall being mistreated by others, it is completely fair to be protective. Work to dismantle the old-fashioned thinking that is keeping K-Pop groups and idols from receiving the respect they deserve. Don’t focus your attention on small squabbles and easily solvable problems. Idols can take care of themselves.
Poster of Emily Van Camp, Anthony Mackie, and Sebastian Stan in ‘The Falcon and the Winter Soldier’. Copyright of Marvel and the Disney Company.
Hi! It’s Annie!
Well, ‘The Falcon and the Winter Soldier’ just premiered on Disney + and I can honestly say that I’m baffled. I went into this show having no idea what to expect in the first place and I’m still pretty unsure of what to expect, but I’ll get more into that later. I honestly didn’t like the trailers that had been released for this. I thought the action felt a little cheap and the comedy fell flat. One trailer featured Sam teasing Bucky for getting beat up by a girl, which is a really old joke that I don’t really find funny. So what he was beat up by a girl? But I digress. Anyways, going into this my expectations were low. The ending of WandaVision didn’t make that any better, because I’m not sure how anything can come after that. I can honestly say that I was very bored by this premiere and I’m not sure how much they’ll be able to accomplish in six episodes. Especially after this one episode that felt more like exposition than an episode. But let’s get into it. SPOILERS AHEAD!!! Sorry.
Sam Wilson (The Falcon):
I have a lot of love for the character of Sam. He’s one of my new favorite characters in the MCU and I really loved the idea of him getting his own show. This episode disappointed me right off the bat when it comes to his character. We open on Sam in a giant action sequence that feels right out of one of the actual movies. My issue with this action sequence is that it didn’t actually seem to have anything to do with the plot. It was action just for the sake of action. Then we see him handing Cap’s shield over to the government to be put away in a museum. This is what made me most angry throughout the entire episode. I actually really liked the storyline about how Sam was unwilling to pick up the shield because he’s not sure he wants to represent a country that does not represent him. That was a well thought out storyline that I thought was insanely important, especially now. But why would Sam ever give Cap’s shield over to the government? Force it back onto Bucky? Absolutely. Keep it in the back of his closet to collect dust? Sure. Steve probably would have liked both of those things better. Because if anyone had a giant mistrust of the government, especially when it came to himself and his image, it was Steve Rogers. Giving anything so dear to Steve over to the government feels so absolutely out of character for Sam Wilson. Sam and Rhodey were at each other’s throats in Civil War just for them to suddenly agree on giving Steve’s shield away? I know this was to set up the eventual conflict with the government making their own new Captain America, but this was a nonsensical way to get there. I at least liked seeing Sam with his sister.
Bucky Barnes (The Winter Soldier):
When we come back to Bucky Barnes we still get the feeling of brooding that we always get from him. Bucky hasn’t gotten much character development in the MCU other than brooding and I’m not sure this first episode gave me any hope in regards to that. He starts out the episode having a nightmare where he killed an innocent witness as the Winter Soldier. We then cut to Bucky doing mandatory therapy; a scene that is entirely shot with extremely angled close ups that I absolutely couldn’t stand. Bucky has been trying to get all of the people he had done jobs for arrested. This resulted in a hilarious scene where he scared a politician who had used him, beat up someone in her car, and then smiled awkwardly at her while telling her that it was part of his therapy. Later we find out that Bucky has befriended the father of the witness he killed in order to try and make amends. We also see Bucky on a date that doesn’t go so well as his date, Leah, begins to talk about how the old man he has befriended just wants to know how his son died. I am a bit suspicious of Leah because a quick look on IMDB told me that she’s actually listed for all six episodes of the series. This felt exactly like watching Bucky buy his plums at the beginning of Civil War, just much much longer. It’s still his regular brooding self and I really hope we get something more dynamic out of him soon. Also, I have to say, how could Steve leave Bucky like this? But that’s something I cover more in my post about how Peggy Carter shouldn’t have ended up with Steve.
Sharon Carter (Agent 13):
Unfortunately, Sharon Carter has not made an appearance yet. I’m really hoping that we’ll get a lot of this character, but I was definitely disappointed that she wasn’t at all in one of only six episodes. Sharon Carter has been pushed into the love interest position for too long and I really want to actually see her kick ass. Apparently, not yet though.
The Chemistry:
A lot of people were excited about this being a buddy cop style show with Sam and Bucky. Especially because they seemed to have such good chemistry in Civil War. Unfortunately for those people, Sam and Bucky don’t even meet up in the first episode. Everything important that they don’t include just feels several times more baffling because the series is supposed to be so short. This first episode really made me wonder what the point of this show is even supposed to be.
To put this in short, the show didn’t even set up a plot. There’s barely anything that you can take from this episode that seems like you can make an entire series out of it. As soon as the episode ended my family remarked on how boring it was. The first words out of my mouth were that the episode felt like a collection of downtime deleted scenes. Nothing felt very coherent and nothing felt plot relevant. It was really difficult to care about what was happening. I’m hoping that the show will get better from here on out, but I can’t say that I’m optimistic about that. This was a very nothing premiere for such a short series and I’m not sure how they can pick this up if they started it out so slow. Especially because the main writer said that this show is the exact opposite of the intrigue of WandaVision. That makes me worry that the entire series will be like this. I’d be absolutely happy to be proved wrong, but I think this one is going to be more of a fail. Right now I’m just going to be waiting for Loki to come out. But I’ll keep you posted! Who knows, maybe I’ll love it. Or maybe I’ll end up putting it down. Either way, I’ll be sure to let you know.
