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Jacksonville Deserves to be the Setting of Grand Theft Auto VI Continual Growth Jacksonville, Florida has grown tremendously over the years, especially with the arrival of Shahid Khan as the new Jacksonville Jaguars owner in 2012. Khan has created a vision for Jacksonville which many people...

Can this happen omg

#jacksonville #florida #gta #gta6

Thoughts on Untouchable

I recently watched Untouchable by Wong Fu Production’s Phil Wang and I believe it was a “return to form” of the dramatic, emotional shorts that made me and countless others fall in love with Wong Fu’s storytelling. The premise of attempting to find closure from a relationship and the hope that perhaps it could actually work out in the end is an idea that allows the audience to sympathize with both Wendy and Evan. However, there is something to also be gained from the filmmaking techniques that Phil used to convey the experience of both characters.

The beginning of the short being a splitscreen has use for efficiency and dramatic flair. The film does not waste time in establishing the awkwardness and situation between Wendy and Evan through the splitscreen. Despite utilizing half of the video, Wes’ character’s humorous “I’m gonna pee” leaves such an awkward space that is larger than the space the exes are occupying. The splitscreen does its job in saving time for the audience to understand the backstory of the main characters and ensuring that we feel this awkward tension between the two former lovers. It’s also pretty original in a non-comedic video.

As the video progresses towards Wendy leaving the party, the audience gets a closeup of Evan writing in his notebook. The closeup makes sense later as Wendy establishes that Evan is a writer. I feel most people are going to sympathize with Wendy in that he or she has already let go but still has baggage from a previous relationship. However, Evan’s view of the world is fascinating to me in that not only is it incredibly idealistic, but it’s also domineering what with Wendy’s accusations that Evan just wants to play out the story and the main line of the short “Sabotaging reality for the sake of fiction.” proves his dictatorial-esque perspective.

Phil’s blocking of Evan and Wendy during the beginning part of the confrontation is actually really well thought out. The initial confrontation by Evan shows him looking down upon Wendy with a sense of control and his belief that they’ll end up together giving him and the audience a false sense of power in the scene. However, as Wendy keeps cutting Evan down with her words, the audience sees Evan crumbling to his most vulnerable state until he ends up lower in power to Wendy. However, Wendy isn’t impervious to the vulnerability either because she joins Evan, both to progress the conversation to its most vulnerable and to show that both characters are on even ground, something that probably hasn’t happened since the two characters’ breakup.

The shots during the conversation between Evan and Wendy are simple, as this is a simple scene. We have closeups of Wendy, Evan, and a medium shot of the two sparingly. But the focus once the two former lovers are at their most vulnerable is on Wendy, which really drives the emotional knife into both Evan and the audience. Wendy being center frame whenever we have a closeup of her talking allows us to see her as the true authoritative figure. The lasting shot of Evan recollecting the conversation represents what Phil is attempting to do to the audience as well with taking in the emotional stab of the short.

I’m sorry Phil, but Alisa Allapach carried this short. She delivered her “adult language” lines such as “This is a fucking story?” so incredibly well. It’s actually kind of funny that Phil plays the weak male character with strong female leads in plenty of other shorts. The dialogue during the conversation could be viewed as too “deep” to the point that it is “unrealistic” but would it be a Phil project if it didn’t have this kind of dialogue? Not so much an excuse, its rather a style that Phil has developed across many shorts over the past years.

The short is a throwback to what Wong Fu did for years prior to 2014, with many dramatic shorts entailing the feelings that people have throughout a relationship and I feel happy knowing that Phil and the rest of Wong Fu still have it in them to create small projects with emotional impacts such as Untouchable. My views on love and relationships have been incredibly shaped by Wong Fu over my adolescence and now I can add a different perspective on their projects.

I think that this post is WAY too long for anyone to read thoroughly, especially about dissecting a 9 minute video, but there are deeper layers than just the emotions from the story. Phil uses filmmaking techniques to enhance the story being told rather than just having two characters having dinner and talking their feelings out.

#wongfu #untouchable #wongfuphil

gotta-catch-em-all-pokemon-blog1

dotcore

You do not get to play God.

The city of Orlando has experienced the largest mass shooting in America’s history. Throughout social media, there have been outcries from those advocating this event as a reason to pursue stricter gun laws. The other side still defends an amendment intended for a time period over 200 years ago. The ethnicity and religion of the shooter has also sparked stark arguments about the portrayal of one’s race and belief system in the news. I believe everything that needs to be said concerning these topics has been said, but if one breaks down what motivates a person to go out of their way into a night club and start shooting any human being in sight, one sees that this shooter believes that he is playing God.

This murderer, Christina Grimmie’s murderer, and all the other mass murders in America’s history all come down to the belief that he or she is playing God.

You nor anyone else do not get to play God.

Omar Sadiqui had homophobia that developed until he believed that he must vanquish as many of our fellow human beings, despite being different still had lives and consciousness, from this Earth.

I do believe that we need stricter gun laws. I do believe that the portrayal of a shooter differentiates between caucasian and minorities. But this kind of thinking goes beyond guns and race. This is the kind of thinking that grooms one to believe that he or she is superior to another human being. This is the kind of thinking that leads one to believe that he or she can take another’s life.

I do believe in God and if God is there, its God’s power to decide what is just and what should be condemned, not another human being.

Will this post do anything to help those injured and need blood transfusions? Probably not, but we need to focus and break down the motivations behind these kinds of people. This is not about race or guns, this is about one’s way of thinking.

And this way of thinking is not right guys.

#prayfororlando #orlando #thoughts

passionateprocrastinator

Urgh. Enjoy??? (I started making this six months ago so I’m obviously v productive) ✩✫✬✭✯✮✶✷

hoemami-deactivated20171229

imloterall laughing so hard

you put into words part of my emotions towards charlie and elodie's acting choices in bringing matt and elektra to life because i was so.... so-so before the show started cause they were both pretty tame about it in interviews then it blew up in my face, i was crying by the finale. BLESS THEM. thank you for making the post.

Its awesome to see others who also share the same emotional attachment to the performances of Cox and Yung. But for real, BLESS THEM. I hope one day they might come across this post and the thousands of others that praise their commitment to these characters.

marvelsdefenders

You hide from yourself.

Elektra and Matthew in Daredevil Season 2. (SPOILERS)

Netflix has done a phenomenal job at continuing the next part of Matthew Murdock’s life. I bingewatched the whole season as soon as it came out and then I rewatched it again over the course of a week and I still have such an emotional connection to the depths of Elektra’s and Matthew’s relationship during season 2.

The biggest thing I have to say is (if it wasn’t already obvious) I LOVE ELEKTRA AND DAREDEViL together. I think this is just as big a testament to the actors, Charlie Cox and Elodie Yung, as well as the showrunners for creating such a genuine relationship between these two characters. Every episode from 4 onwards that had a scene with both Elektra and Matt I was totally enamored by the two.. I felt that the chemistry that Cox and Yung have together was incredible and I would feel how much each character cared for the other. I had never been into these OTPs or into romances within movies and television shows like many other young adults, but my God, Elektra and Matt made me one of them. The way Elektra says Matthew, you know he holds the most special of places in her heart. When Elektra was injured and Matthew would do subtle things such as saying “sweetie” or holding her hand for just that one more second, it felt so much more real than many on-screen relationships today. This is a wonderful testament to the actors who have said multiple times that they need to honor this character and I felt they upheld that with the most effort possible.

How amazing was it to see Elektra and Daredevil fight together throughout season 2? The choreography developed just as well as the season did from the original season to this season. The action scenes and the dramatic scenes were interlaced so well with growing their relationship. The moment that Elektra and Matt had together before the climactic roof fight? I felt for both characters as one would give his or her words and the other reacted. Elektra holds just as deep of a place in Matt’s heart as Matt does to Elektra and the whole season did a phenomenal job showing that albeit flashbacks, fight scenes, or just straight up dialogue.

Every interview these two had about their characters, you knew that it meant a lot for Cox and Yung to be playing them. During one particular interview, Yung said that Cox organized a dinner for her so she could get acclimated from being the “new member”. Not only is that just awesome courtesy, but the camaraderie that each have with each other is something that many other shows would be jealous of. These guys are so good at their job that Netflix, Marvel, ABC and whoever else was part of casting Cox and Yung in their respective roles deserve major applause.

I may be reiterating but I need to say THANK YOU SO MUCH to Charlie Cox and Elodie Yung for doing these characters justice. I sound sappy but seeing how you guys brought these characters, who exert these human emotions despite killing and breaking people every night, it brought the best of the nerd tears to my eyes. You guys might not be superheroes in real life, but for one hour, for thirteen episodes, you made me believe. I can’t thank you enough guys for doing this.

I really hope that we can see more of Elektra and Matt together in the future and I REALLY hope, despite how the comics go, Matthew and Elektra can go to London or Paris or wherever else they want to run away together.

-A thankful fan.

#daredevil #netflix #charlie cox #elodie yung #elektra #thankyou #marvel #daredevil season 2 #daredevil season two #matthew murdock

#OscarsSoWhite is so dumb.

It was JUST 2 years ago when 12 Years a Slave and Lupita Nyong'o won Academy Awards. Just last year, Alejandro González Iñárritu won best director and his film Birdman won best picture against the caucasian director Richard Linklater and Boyhood. LAST YEAR, John Legend and Common won the Academy Award for best song.

The people who were nominated for this year’s Academy Awards may all be white, but you can not argue the fact that they are all phenomenal actors. The people who have been nominated for their respective categories have earned their nominations. You’re telling me that Bryan Cranston, Matt Damon, Michael Fassbender, LEONARDO DICAPRIO, and Eddie Redmayne got nominations because they are white and not because of their acting ability? Eddie Redmayne played the role of a freaking transgender woman and got nominated despite this conservatism #OscarsSoWhite people believe is occurring at the Oscars. Who would you rather have to star in your film? Leonardo DiCaprio or Michael B. Jordan? No offense to Mr. Jordan, but most people would choose Leonardo DiCaprio because of his amazing acting ability and the fact he has a filmography dating 25 years. Michael B. Jordan is only 27 years old, he has a long and from this point, prestigious career ahead of him. The actors and actresses nominated this year, just like every year prior and every year in the future, devoted their time and talent to create an amazing depiction for the audience’s entertainment. Just because they were not nominated for an Academy Award does not deter a person’s acting ability. Will Smith and Idris Elba were nominated for a Golden Globe. Abraham Attah and the ensemble for Straight Outta Compton were nominated for a Critic’s Choice Award. African Americans are being recognized by other distinguished institutes and yet there are people advocating a boycotting of the Oscars? For nominating people who do deserve these nominations? We have an African American hosting the whole show for crying out loud.

How can any of you guys be mad that the people who wrote the screenplay for Straight Outta Compton, which PRAISED and HONORED the 1980s hip hop culture were nominated despite the fact Jonathan Herman and Andrea Berloff are white? They freaking scripted the movie which has been praised and acclaimed throughout this awards season.

The Weeknd’s Earned It was chosen over Ellie Goulding’s Love Me Like You Do for this year’s Academy Awards. If there truly was racism, wouldn’t Ellie Goulding have gotten the nomination?

I don’t understand this hatred for the Academy Awards. The negativity from the nominations make me so frustrated as an aspiring filmmaker because if somehow I ever achieve the honor of obtaining an Academy Award, I do not want that achievement cheapened because of the masses believing that race plays a role in whether someone should get a nomination. The awards are to recognize the talent of these people who devote their energies to creating a vision in which we, the audience, can participate. Not just the Academy Awards, but the Golden Globes, Director’s Guild, Critic’s Choice, and so many other organizations acclaim these people for their work. So please, remember that maybe these people were nominated because these actors and actresses were ACTUALLY GOOD.

#oscarssowhite #thoughts #academyawards #oscars

bigboykings

family goals!

moda-pura

all-aboutqoqo

“We dressed up as the book Madeline, with six people dressed up as her and me as Ms. Clavel, their teacher. One of the Madelines, however, was the truly special one…the one with the beard, that is. Our experience was hysterical—I’d walk all the girls (and one guy) down the street in two straight lines. Guys would be walking the other way, whistling or hollering at all the pretty ladies. Then, as they got to the back of the line, they’d see my friend Brennan, then they’d see me, and I could tell that they were suddenly wondering if ALL the Madelines were men.”