angry english major

i've been told by several respected human beings that i'm funny.

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Just a little detail I thought was kinda neat, but one of the last tracks on the Part Two soundtrack is titled "Only I Will Remain" (if I'm not mistaken, it's the first track that starts playing over the credits), which obviously refers to the litany against fear and all that jazz, but it also perfectly describes where Paul is by the end of this story. Yes, he has conquered his fear of the prophecy, but he is also completely alone. Chani leaves, Irulan isn't someone he loves or trusts in any capacity, his relationship with Jessica is clearly fractured, Alia still isn't born yet, and he even says that the Fremen are all now followers rather than friends. He has no one. He's won, and yet he's lost. There's no triumph, no real victory. It just blows my mind the love that both Denis and Hans have for this story, and the way they understood the complexities and brought them to life in all the little details.

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Thoughts on Dune: Part Two

General Impression: I adored this movie from start to finish. Having just rewatched Part One a week ago, it felt like a seamless transition hopping back into the story. The score, the set design, the costumes, all of it was impeccable.

Chani: her character arc was obviously the biggest deviation from the book, and although I felt a lot of surprise watching it unfold, I think some reflection has left me alright with it. I've admittedly only read Dune and Dune: Messiah, but both books are clearly meant to illustrate the dangers of religious fanaticism and the ways that religion and prophecy can be manipulated and utilized as a tool for oppression. While these ideas can (hopefully) be discerned fairly clearly by the reader, I think it makes sense to have an audible voice of dissent in a film adaptation, particularly from someone among the Fremen. The only concern I have is wondering how Denis will handle Dune: Messiah, since the plot sort of hinges on Paul and Chani being together. But I guess that's a worry for later.

MY BOY MUAD'DIB: Timothee is just so utterly perfect for this role, I genuinely could not imagine anyone else doing it with such grace and gravitas. Seeing the gradual spiral of innocent teenager to reluctant leader to religious icon was heart-wrenching. Paul has honestly become one of my favorite fictional characters because his story is so complex and layered with tragedy. He's simultaneously a product of manipulation and coercion, and an angry young man seeking revenge against those who have hurt him. He lacks agency in many ways, yet he still makes decisions that lead to so much destruction. He tries so so hard to avoid the holy war, but it becomes an inevitability he can't escape. Reading Dune: Messiah for the first time a few weeks ago really helped me to understand how the prophecy controlled him as much as he used it to control others. I could literally give a ted talk on this, and how it's such a fascinating take on the messiah figure trope.

Jessica: I saw an article recently where I think Denis called Jessica "the puppetmaster," and I think that's very fitting for her depiction in this movie. I like how it openly shows the manipulation tactics of the Bene Gesserit, particularly how they prey upon the "vulnerable" Fremen first. Rebecca did a fantastic job giving the creep factor.

Feyd-Rautha: I still don't know why Denis had a vendetta against Harkonnen eyebrows, but I guess it was cool? I LOVED the black and white lighting on Giedi Prime, and the arena scene was SO. GOOD. Denis really went for it. Feyd's accent caught me off guard a few times, but overall I think the ruthless and brutal nature of the character really shined through. He's the antithesis to Paul, and I think Denis captured that theme well enough.

I thought all the other characters were well done too. Stilgar was maybe a touch too comic relief-y at times, but nothing catastrophic. Gurney was great, but I would have liked at least one more baliset scene :(

Things we missed: I'm a little bummed we didn't get Harah. I know the movie was already pretty stuffed, but I honestly thought they could have used the actress that played Chani's friend (I can't remember if they ever mention her name). Even if the idea of Paul "acquiring" her was a little icky, they could have done something else with her character at least. I was also sad they didn't do the full funeral scene with Jamis, but oh well. I think the greater omission was Thufir Hawat, but again I can see why they chose to cut him. I just think the dynamic between the Baron and Feyd-Rautha had a lot more friction in the book, mostly because of Thufir conspiring them both against each other.

I'm honestly not upset we didn't get to see freaky-toddler Alia. I was excited for Anya though!

Overall, I really loved this film. No adaptation can get every detail perfect, but I can see the ways that Denis and the actors adored this story and wanted to tell it in a powerful way. I thought the themes stayed true to the book, and I'm really hopeful we get Part Three!

AND THE WORMS. THE WORMS WERE GREAT. LONG LIVE THE WORMS.

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seeing the title of the ahsoka finale like

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What I truly love about Across the Spider-Verse is seeing people respond to a Marvel movie in a way that I literally haven't seen in YEARS. I don't think people realize how much and how profoundly these movies used to influence our culture. I remember the days when every single Marvel movie would prompt a massive influx of new memes, quips, jokes, and references. Marvel movies would trend for weeks after release. Even today, we still remember those iconic scenes and quote those memorable lines. But after Endgame, all of that hype and all of that cultural influence has really fizzled out. I genuinely can't remember more than a handful of notable lines from any of the movies or shows post-Endgame.

But ATSV? It's been weeks since the release, and it's still trending here on Tumblr. I can't even tell you how many memes and reels I've seen about bagels and canon events and anomalies, and it just. It makes me happy. The love and the magic? They're still here.

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if I had a nickel for every time Zoe Saldaña starred in the third movie of a sci-fi/action franchise that uses a Beastie Boys song during the climactic battle scene, I'd have two nickels.

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Saurondiel stans post finale:

Celeborn stans:

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so Sauron used Finrod to try and deceive Galadriel

and she sees Elrond for the first time and doesn't believe it's him at first

guys

if the same thing happens when she's reunited with Celeborn I'm gonna lose my mind

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me explaining how Celeborn is alive and well and living with amnesia in some random town because there's no way they'd mess up this bad

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the banter in this movie is going to be off the charts

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the only way I'll accept a romance between Galadriel and Halbrand the Hunk is if he turns out to be evil and Celeborn shows up to kick his ass in season two.

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my review of rings of power:

WHERE IS CELEBORN

thank you.

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Both Luke and Leia having a love and appreciation for droids and just KNOWING that comes from Anakin

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My fellow Americans, especially those in southern, conservative, and/or evangelical circles, should know that yesterday (May 22, 2022) the Southern Baptist Convention released a massive report following an independent investigation into their handling of sex abuse allegations.

(For those who are interested in the full report, you can find a link at the bottom of this webpage.)

A short summary of important findings:

The SBC regularly dismissed allegations of sexual abuse from members of churches and ministries within their organization. Oftentimes the victims/reporters were aware of abusers still working in both SBC and non-SBC churches and ministries, yet SBC officers took little or no action to investigate or suggest the removal of these abusers.

Victims were often treated with disrespect and viewed as crazy conspiracists by the high-ups in the SBC. August Boto, who served as interim president, said that the recent focus on sexual abuse within the church was a "satanic scheme" that was meant to distract the organization from its real purposes. Notable victims include Jennifer Lyell and Christa Brown, whose experiences are told at length in the report.

SBC officers were mostly concerned about public image and "ascending liability" if they tried to mediate or take action against cases of sexual abuse within local churches or associations.

Multiple SBC officers (including several presidents) were found to have protected and supported abusers, while former President Johnny Hunt was credibly accused of assaulting the wife of another pastor at his church in Georgia.

The Credentials Committee that was formed in 2019 to handle submissions regarding sex abuse in SBC-affiliated churches was drastically disorganized, difficult for victims to locate, and lacked adequate procedures and standards to formulate their inquiries and decisions. Additionally, members of the CC acknowledged that they felt ill-equipped to discuss traumatic experiences with victims.

SBC officers rejected the idea of a database for accused and convicted offenders, yet several high-up officers on the Executive Committee compiled significant data between 2008 and 2021 that documented over 700 allegations of sex abuse within both SBC and non-SBC churches and ministries.

The findings from this investigation are devastating and make it all the more understandable why people are becoming so disillusioned with the church. The report, however, left a long list of solutions/recommendations starting on pg. 159 that are very informative in terms of giving practical steps that the organization (and others like it) can take to improve their processes. These changes are feasible and will go a long way to ensure that the environment of organizations like SBC will shift away from centuries of silence to a position of compassion and advocacy for those who have suffered abuse.

As one article puts it, "That’s more than a crisis. It’s even more than just a crime. It’s blasphemy. And anyone who cares about heaven ought to be mad as hell."

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PEGGY?????

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THE ONE THING I WANTED THIS YEAR

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i know everyone's gonna be talking about will smith and chris rock for the next few days but can we also talk about regina hall bringing 4 male actors on stage to make sexual innuendos to their faces, and then groping josh brolin and jason mamoa (both of whom are married and looked uncomfortable)?? even if they did agree to it beforehand, it made me uncomfortable to watch and if a male host did the same thing to a bunch of actresses he would be obliterated.

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ok but can we agree that the funniest part of the episode was Din looking straight into the eye of THE R2-D2 and saying "hey droid"