Movie Musings

I'm, of course, talking about Bulgasal - immortal souls on Netflix.

This had been on my list on Netflix for ages it feels like. I love costume dramas, court intrigue and what not, and I truly thought this was going to be one such, the 2 first episodes fooled me enough that the first 5 minutes in modern time didn't put me off. But the switch to modern times was well done and served the plot well.

Having gotten a new hobby in embroidering, it was easy for me to get through the 16 hours without getting bored and itching to look up episode summaries that I often do with C- and K-dramas. Ofc, the plot itself is right up my alley.

Halfway done with this, first time cross stitching for like almost 20 years (damn, I feel old now) so I will accept any mistakes I make on this.

I was really impressed with the cinematography and costumes in the first 2 episodes (in particular, it was quite stellar throughout), it felt grounded and real, and having the monsters be "humans" (with modification) added to this grounded style. The series uses make-up and prosthetics rather than cgi (although i did notice some here ans there) for the monsters and "monsterfication" effects on our protagonist and I always appreciate when a show/movie does that.

The cast of characters are quite small and they are reused for the different times shown in the story - showing where each character ended up reincarnating. And the reason why they're connected each life is because like our Bulgasal Hwal has said a few times (paraphrasing heavily): ties of destiny are not easily broken, and will endure across time. We have two characters that start as siblings, become mother and son, to lastly be platonic roommates (happy surprise by this tbh, I thought for sure the show would make them lovers even to the last 5 minutes).

The beginning made it so easy to root for Hwal who has had to suffer throughout his whole life, and at the end of a particularly harrowing experienced left him with nothing except his life - which he, too, wanted to lose at that point - but immortality was forced upon him. Cursed to become Bulgasal - a monster that has no soul and drink human blood for sustenance.

The beginning of the show was so effective at making me like and sympathize with him and the people he loved, that the whiplash was quite hard when we are thrust into the POV of the woman who cursed him to become a monster, this time reincarnated as a young girl.

The girl in question living her life with her mom, twin sister, and younger sister, somewhere in Korea. The twin sister almost never leaving the apartment and forcing the girl, Sang-un, to wear a mask to cover her face "Because Bulgasal will come for them". It's a direct parallel to how Hwal grew up. Always afraid that Bulgasal would come and get him.

The viewer has followed Hwal on his quest for revenge, but then following the POV of the girl he hunted, I just couldn't get behind him killing them. I felt that him murdering the whole family would really sour him as a protagonist for me. I actually wondered how the show was going to justify him going through with it.

Spoilers: he didn't.

But we don't really find that out immediately. The show smartly continues the main POV of the girl Sang-un, now grown up, with some switches back to Hwal as we find him seemingly looking for the one who got away from his murder of Sang-un's twin sister and mother.

And when they finally meet, we find out that he was actually not responsible for their deaths. He was certainly aiming to kill the twin sisters and their entire family, but someone got there first.

The show at this point starts the classical enemies to lovers trope and starts bringing up the questions on how this apparent blood feud started. Why did Sang-un, as Bulgasal, kill his entire family and then curse him so she could become human? Why is Sang-un important when it was her (now dead) twin sister that remembered all of her past lives? And the eternal question: why is no one talking to each other about their issues.

Which is my main critique of this drama. It often hinges itself on characters acting from misunderstandings and ignorance. A character would not explain anything to another and then be surprised when that character doesn't listen to them. Again and again I felt like if they would just talk we wouldn't be in this situation. And then, in the last episode, we find out what started it all - and it's a misunderstanding! And it just escalates from there. It felt so cheap. The resolution to all the conflicts, I feel, was good enough to satisfy me. But when the show really tried hitting me with the "emotional damage", I guess I was partly checked out and didn't feel anything in particular. I would've loved a good cry.

The conflict resolution was bittersweet, but the ending montage made it just sweet. And while the "how" can be questions and critiqued, I find it was good it did end like that anyways. Makes its easier to let go.

Overall, I liked this drama, it was not as bloated with unnecessarily long shots every scene (tho it certainly could've have trimmed the almost Naruto style flashbacks and One Piece style reaction shots), and so the pacing felt quick and each scene felt like they had purpose. The music was reminiscent of HBO's Westworld at times (especially the softer notes) and I really liked the drums that signified the arrival of Bulgasal. The acting felt mostly genuine and real, with some exceptions (I kinda dislike the excessive "whining" or "aggressiveness" characters sometimes act when talking to each other, which happens in every kdrama I've watched, is that how they act in reality or is it for "TV-drama"?).

I wouldn't recommend this one if you're looking for a romantic story, there is a romance, but it's very toned down and develops naturally over the course of the series, but the romance is not the point of the story and conflict.

I would be both blind and deaf if I say I did not read or listen to the *discourse* surrounding this movie since its inception through its trailers and during its release. And I have to admit that I was hesitant to acknowledge Halle Bailey as Ariel, since in my head it made more logical sense for deep sea creatures (and mermaids) to be of a lighter skin tone. Have Eric be non-white, and the entire kingdom for that - was my thinking.

But in the end, this is fantasy. That involves talking fish and crabs and mythical sea creatures. So while I was "hesistant" I was never "against" her casting. What was, and is, important is that she *embodies* the spirit of Ariel's character. A child (of 15 I believe?) Who is curious, feels stifled by an overbearing and overprotective father, and enamored with the surface world.

And I think Halle Bailey managed that quite well.

And following that casting decision came the call to have her and her sisters be the seven sea personified (I'm guessing?), that's cool and new. But I wish we got to see what that entailed. And what seas each sister was? I guess one could guess by the actresses race, but I don't want to guess, I want to know!

So, about the characters. I think Ariel is great. Hair color nitpicks, sure, hairstyle nitpicks ok (like where's that bang?). But goddamn if her voice ain't goated. Eric is serviceable (his not exactly inspiring). The queen is there. Grimsby is mvp. I really like Sebastian. King Triton? More like King trite-on. Let's not talk about Flounder. Oh, the bird is alright, I guess.

But the true queen of this movie was surprisingly Melissa McCarthy as Ursula. Damn what an inspired casting. She chews her scene and gives it her all. Any scene she's in is where the movie is at it's liveliest and energetic. My only complaints are really the 2 monologue scene before she meets Ariel. I wish we got her motivations in a less "I'm evil cuz I'm evil" kinda way.

Sebastian and Flounder. Seeing them in the trailers did not inspire confidence. And they're a mixed bag for sure (and the bird to a degree). But while Sebastian works, Flounder, well, flounders (sorry I had to). Sebastian's design works alright. And they managed to give *some* expression through his eyes, and uh.. claws. Flounder, however, fails in all aspects. You barely see him on screen (why is he so thin? I don't care that the fish he is is supposed to look like that, change fish then!), his eyes look dead as he stares straight into the void. And the only thing "expressive" on him is his goddamn cursed "lip-ified" mouth. He sounds like Flounder, at least. I love the voice for Sebastian, though! I think they went Jamaican instead of French? Excellent choice of both accent and voice actor.

You tell me this isn't cursed.

But about the cgi and vfx. Shots of the environment and mermaids swimming in the distance look really good. And I like the intro with the ocean waves, there's cool visuals in here! But when it comes to the mermaids/men, there's something off about the heads. Especially around the hairline. It needs a bit more cooking, I would say, as the face seems "plastered" on? It looks off and, in some cases, ill-fitting. Doesn't really take away from my enjoyment (it's not "bad", but not "good") but with a budget of 250 million dollars you'd except a bit cleaner vfx, huh? (Let's leave at that and not get into the whole vfx artist crunch debacle, since it's not just this remake, it's all of Disney and Hollywood).

The music is great. I love all the songs. I don't think there's any stinker here. But there's one little hiccup I'd say and that is Eric's solo number. It kinda feels like the "I'm just Ken" song from Barbie? You know his whole melodramatic solo song? Like that but less self-aware I guess? Hell, I would almost compare it to the "AGONY" song from Into the Woods?

Ok, a bit mean to say, since I don't dislike it, but still... I like the added touch of Ariel vocalizing, symbolizing how enthralled he was of her voice.

I liked that they put some time into Ariel's and Eric's relationship. It's a story over three days, and, well, I suppose it's a fairytale and so I can forgive the true love at first listen(?).

The tone of the movie stays consistent, giving the curious feeling and joyfullness.

Quick thoughts: Ursula's lair is absolute sick and the coolest ever. "I'm auntie Ursula", "the sea-witch?" "The what?!" Hilarious delivery!

Overall:

A good and faithful retelling of the animated movie. I love that they kept the romance and expanded a bit upon it. The music is stellar (it's Lin Manuel Miranda like, what you expect??). The very end when Ariel and King Triton reconcile and he pushes her towards the unknown (literally) was beautiful. Melissa McCarthy as Ursula was inspired casting imo. Javier Bardem is such a good actor, but I wish he had a bit more to do. Did he put any effort in? Was it just a paycheck? I think all the other characters were well realized and had depth.

Complaints would be cgi and vfx, especially the heads and hair underwater. I also think they could've expanded on the human side's "antagonism" against seafolk. The seafolk's opinions about surface dwellers are explained in a couple of ways but the humans only talks about the storm (ok sure it's a real concern for island dwellers but still maybe 1 more example?).

But it's a nice watch that translated the original animated movie to live action. It doesn't bring anything new to the table but it's the comfort food you like.

I just had to put it on!

I'm of course talking about the movie Once Upon a Crime

It started just as I was expecting. Over the top camp, like a stage play, brilliant costumes, and elaborate hairs. The protagonist, Red Riding Hood, is seemingly the normal logical character in this world of over the topness. This is enforced when she meets a witch and promptly ignores her (but we get hints that she has an incredibly dark mind, which was sadly underused)

I love that witch. She knew what she was playing and she went hard on the camp. Doing squats and pestering Red until she can cast spells on her. She didn't even get anything out of it 😆

This movie is very much a Cinderella story but with a twist (the murder plot). And I love how it's set up:

The greatest hairstylist in the kingdom *clears throat* Clair De Lune has been killed. A murder most vile according to the king who stops the ball in order to find the killer.

We learn that in this kingdom, being beautiful is everything. If you're ugly or dirty, then you have no rights (you see where this is going in regards to Cinderella?).

In comical fashion, the deductions are shouted out for all at the ball to hear. Until Red steps up and takes charge.

This is where the camp slowly begins to dissipate. With the witch gone, the king has only a few scenes. The true camp characters are nowhere to be seen anymore, and instead of a camp stageplay, it leans more toward drama, which disappointed me.

When I saw the king I recognized him from an old rpg style "fantasy" comedy series where he plays Buddha. Wish I remember the title now because that one was CAMP. But I just got snippets of him here, and left craving more.

Overall it starts promising, but falls flat towards the end. I wish they'd kept the energy up for the whole 2 hours. The story itself is not bad. There's potential in a retelling of Cinderella like this. Whether it should be a camp stageplay esque comedy... well idk. I think any type of genre would've worked. This movie however doesn't commit to the one it promises in the beginning.

Excellent new meme format tho:

And then we get this cursed moment in the show:

Like OF COURSE they eat, they are living beings, but damn if this doesn't look weird 🤣

I'm ofc talking about the One Piece Live Action on Netflix

A whole day binge right after release, I was READY, and thankfully, I was not disappointed. There are cuts and streamlining of the story, characters coming in earlier than in the manga/anime, and some of the emotional bits don't hit as hard as in the original. Still, I can feel the love the production team has of One Piece. The characters are goofy and lovable, but they are also serious and straight-faced.

One thing that I noticed throughout was the constant close up to faces and sometimes straight on, as if almost breaking the 4th wall. The very first scene with Luffy is like this, but there he DOES look into the camera directly, but the pov of the camera is revealed to be a newsbird. It's like a statement that they know this is a silly pirate romp, they know that some people will not take this seriously, but they will not do 4th wall breaks silly, but in-universe silly. Does that make sense?

I laughed at several points in the show, big and wide smile on my face and pointing at the screen several times...

But I do wonder how much of my laugh was on the show's on merit or if I was only calling back on the the source material. At times I did feel the straw hat crew not being as iconic as in the manga/anime. The extreme reactions, the over the top noises and actions, at the same time I realize that real people generally don't act like that.

I appreciate the show runners attention to details. Putting stuff in to tease future arcs, adapting some cover stories, some of the complete unhinged behaviors of characters (Garp I'm looking at you!).

This show adapted Romance Dawn, orange town, syrup village, baratie, and arlong park.

There are so many moments that are almost scene by scene taken from the manga. Luffy in the barrel and meeting Koby. Alvida with her giant spike club. We got to see some pre-captured Zoro moments (particularly him killing a baroque works agent!), Nami being a sneak.

Then we meet the one and only clown Buggy! They hammed him up, they made him a showman and a real clown (with a real bulgy nose as well, props!). I loved Buggy. Goddamn what a show stealer. Excellent casting, his devil fruit was show cased so well and it looked good!

Usopp's introduction is the most changed. The kids are gone and the Black Cat pirates never call in the entire crew or Jango. Instead of the fight on the slope by the beach it's instead in Kaya's house from which they cannot escape. The actor for Kuro nailing the mannerism and hand movements, altho his "teleporting" looks a bit wonky.

With Baratie we are finally introduced to Sanji! Who's British now 😆. And Mihawk's introduction tho! Badass and just so over the top and goofy. I love him so much! This is where we got the biggest change where we instead get Arlong and crew coming in smashing the place up (a tiny bit). Arlong may not be as tall as he should be but I love the practical approach instead of CGI, which means he actually feels present! All the fishmen we see are guys in costume and prosthetics!

Arlong Park felt a bit more rushed than the earlier parts, but I do think they nailed *that* scene tho.

If the bar for live action adaptation was below the ground, I would say now there's a new bar, which is on the ground 😅. I think it's a solid show but it might be my bias talking. I do have some gripes tho.

One thing that was constant in East Blue Saga was how much village people hate or are scared of pirates. I think they got the marines right, and the pirates, but they failed to really have the village people be a character in their own right. In the manga and anime the villagers are mostly a monolith who will think and act alike in situations and be part of the happenings either by watching or fighting. We got just about none of it here, except a mention in Arlong Park. They did some really good and cool world building with lots of people populating the sets in the background - but that's it, they're just extras to fill out the screen. There are ofc a few exceptions but I felt it was not enough.

I wish they had Luffy be more agile when using his gum-gum powers. Whenever he springs a pistol or a whip is stands in place, which I found boring (and they did so well with Zoro's fights!). I do think the explanation is that they decided for Luffy to be coming into his powers as we go. That we will learn with him all the things he can do (him not knowing he can blow himself up like a balloon proves this). I hope that in season 2 (please netflix!) they show the growth in his fighting!

But to end this long post. I just wanna say how much I fucking love the dude playing Mihawk. Goddamn he's so fun. MVP.

For the straw hats, I would say that Usopp feels the closest to manga version, and Luffy feels the most distant from it. But I don't dislike this, and I think the actor for Luffy has so much potential to really make the role his own.

I'm ofc talking about Blue Beetle

First thing first, the Reyes family? MVP.

I loved the family in this movie. Their dynamic, their relationship to each other. In Ant-man, we have divorced parents who are doing their best for their little girl. Here, we have 3 generations of people sticking up for each other through thick and thin.

(And Nana is a beast hell yea!)

Susan Sarandon as Victoria Kord, the main antagonist, is more or less evil for evils sake. She mentions stuff like "for the greater good" but there's no real depth to it. Her underling, carapace (I think it was) was the actual physical threat to Jaime, and like many other origin stories, becomes a different colored version of the hero (only BIGGER and BADDER). Except we did get a nice little moment towards the end between Jaime and Ignacio, which is his real name.

This movie is like the 8th bomb in the DC franchise at this point, but I feel so sad about it especially in regards to this movie. If this had released 10 years ago, heck, even before the pandemic, it would probably have done great at the box office. Mayne not huge numbers, but definitely not sub 100 mil worldwide 💀.

This is a good superhero movie. It is fun, the characters are a blast, it has heart, it has comedic moments and serious moments. Xolo Maridueña is perfect in the role, and I so wish to see him in more things (I hope this doesn't tank his career). I hope we see this Blue Beetle in the new DC Universe James Gunn is cooking up. With how stand-alone this movie was, it definitely could fit!

There are some things I dislike. During his first transformation it look horrific and almost shot in a like "horror way" but it was played for comedic effect with the family screaming and panicing like headless chickens and the music being up beat and fun. I wish they stopped doing such tonal whiplashes. If it's an horrific experience please show it as one!

It's both strange and not strange how easy the family got to killing people while Jaime throughout does not want to kill and become a murderer.

And like I said earlier, the villain is kinda bland.

But still, I like this movie a lot. I want it to succeed, and I want to see this character again!