Maelstrom
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Posts posted by Maelstrom
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The original animated show is one of my two favorite series of all time, so I too was extremely wary when this remake was first announced. The full trailer last month finally won me over, and this first ep didn't disappoint.
There are differences from the original, as we knew there would be, but despite the changes I really do feel they kept true to the essence of the original. I can feel the effort and the love poured into every aspect of this, from the script adaptions to the actors' performances and even down to the set dressing. There were so many little details lifted directly from the original, and every note really felt pitch perfect. They even kept the same musical themes and cues! And the ending music! Squee!
The actors were all fantastic. All of the cast interviews I've
obsessivelywatched in recent weeks made me confident that they would great in their roles, and I wasn't disappointed by any of them. This first ep combined a lot of story points and set up pulled from all three series of the original, so it's understandable there wasn't as much time to focus on exploring character, at least not for everyone. I look forward to seeing everyone get their turn in the spotlight in the coming episodes.I loved the scene of Iroh visiting Aang after he was locked up, it was a stroke of genius to add, and makes me hopeful that Iroh's backstory will be explored a little more fully this time around (and hopefully we'll get to see more of Lu Chen in flashbacks?). And his love of tea! Iroh's face absolutely lit up every time he mentioned his jasmine tea, and I commend Paul Sun-Hyung Lee for such a wonderful touch.
Agree that Gran Gran getting the famous opening monologue was perfection, and gave me chills. Loved they kept the opening sequence with the four different benders. I thought they did a good job of really laying out what an Avatar is, and what their importance and place in the world is. I figured from the casting announcements that there would be more focus on past Avatars (Kyoshi, Kuruk, Yang Chen) and I really liked that they were all introduced here by name, if not all face to face.
The Airbender genocide was as hard to watch as I thought it would be. I'm grateful that they didn't get any more graphic with it, and hope that holds for the rest of the series' darker parts. Gyatso was an absolute delight, and I hope we see more of him in flashbacks - I loved that the actor even captured the same laugh as the original voice actor!
The locations were breathtaking. I don't know how much they were actually outside in the wilds of British Columbia and how much was digital, but every single locale looked completely real, and so detailed, that I want to just walk around and explore. And as I mentioned, the set dressing and props were so well done that I want to go back and freeze frame every scene just to see what's there.
I have to mention the pigeon-rats and pig-chickens wandering the streets of the capital in the opening scene. Ha!
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Sorry, that high-pitched sound you hear is probably me squeeing like a fangirl
More interviews than I can keep up with are coming out - Paul Sun-Hyung Lee sounds like a really cool guy, and the more I see of Ian Ousley, the more I'm convinced he's actually Sokka
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A couple of short interviews with the Gaang
And one with Daniel Dae Kim and Paul Sun-Hyung Lee
Flameo, Hotman!
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The only reason I thought of Dev Patel is because of an old interview I read years ago, where he mentioned an unnamed big budget movie (obviously Last Airbender) he'd done that made him uncomfortable about playing the evil dark-skinned villain. I'm paraphrasing, but that was the gist I got from his words, and apparently since then he's spoken out more about how hard the experience was on him. So it seems only fair that he should get to be in a good Avatar remake. Maybe he could play the guru in season 2.
Speaking of more wishful casting, how cool would it be to get John Cho in future seasons? He's one of my favorite actors, and he's amazing. Maybe he could play Long Feng, head of the Dai Li.
And I'm wondering, once the series drops will there be separate threads for each episode or one general thread? I would vote for separate threads, if we get a vote. It would make for easier discussion to not have everything lumped all together, and would also cut down on the opportunity for spoilers for those of us who don't plan to binge all 8 eps immediately. Just my two cents.
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4 hours ago, ChicksDigScars said:
I have noticed that since the doping scandal at the Olympics, Johnny has toned down his worship for all things Russian. Whether that was a personal decision or one based on "we're not going to glamourize cheating" by NBC, I don't know, but I notice the lack of the rapturous and orgasmic over-pronunciation of Russian names, and I thank 8 pound 6 ounce newborn infant Jesus who don't even know a word yet, for that. I mean, he still does it, but not as often or as obvious as he used to.
Funny, I've been thinking that Johnny's making up for the lack of Russian names to overpronounce by overpronouncing *everyone's* names. It's been driving me bonkers. Then again, I think I'm at the end of my patience with him and Tara both between watching Nationals and 4CC coverage back to back. And no Terry at 4CC to babysit them! 😭 #ShutUpJohnny #ShutUpTara
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Trini, here's a little tidbit from Dallas Liu about Dante Basco (comes from the massive EW feature I linked above)
QuoteBut actually, I think I'm quite lucky because I have [original animated series voice actor] Dante Basco’s performance, with his emotional range in the series, to pick what I might like and what to stay away from,” explains Liu, who got the chance to meet Basco in summer 2021 before the start of filming that October. “It was such a rewarding feeling to see how supportive he was of the decisions that I made for the role. He was absolutely cheering me on and wanting me to make it my own.”
I would love for Dante to make an appearance as well! His performance as Zuko in the original is, for me, the standout performance in a talented cast, and I don't think the character or the show would have worked as well as it did without him. So I am curious to see Dallas's take.
And, strangely, I actually would like to see Dev Patel offered a cameo in future seasons - the poor guy should at least get to appear in a *good* Avatar remake.
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Love on the Right Course: 😴😴😴 Couldn't even make it through this one. Why was it even filmed in Hungary? Couldn't they have saved that for a better movie?
Betty's Bad Luck in Love: Yikes, this one was a giant miss, not even Marco Grazzini could save this one for me. I think, maybe, with a better lead actress it could have worked, or at least have been tolerably silly - maybe someone like Sara Rue who can pull off quirky and sweet. But I kept telling Marco throughout the entire movie to run while he could, lol.
Romance With a Twist: I really enjoyed this one, I liked both leads (I didn't mind the male lead's assy-ness, since I figured he'd get taken down a peg or two by the end) and I really appreciate Hallmark trying something different with the acrobatics. I'm a big fan of dance, which is nearly impossible to find on US tv in any form, so I always enjoy dance-adjacent things.
Paging Mr Darcy: I really wasn't sure what to expect from this one beyond Will Kemp being his usual delightful self, but I loved it! I'm not even an Austen fan, but I thought this story captured the essence of a lot of Austenian themes. Mallory Jansen was great as usual (even though I always think of her as evil Queen Madalena from Galavant) and I didn't mind the sister since she made for an interesting counter to Mallory's character. I will say though that Hallmark didn't do itself any favors with that giant mashed-up ad featuring all of its Austen movies, since I honestly couldn't figure out what any of them are about. But I went into this not expecting much, and I really enjoyed it! For me, best of the year so far.
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I'll be the odd one out for Gilded Newport: Murder at the Breakers, I found it rather disappointing. The lead actress felt too modern to me, and kept pulling me out of the story. And I'm not familiar enough with the setting - both the era and the New England blue blood society - to fully keep up with the nuances of everything that was going on. I commend Hallmark for trying something different with a period movie, though, and I do hope they continue to try some different things. Just with a more suitable lead next time.
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I will say that I enjoy Johnny's perspective as someone who actually competed under the current scoring system, and I find that *on occasion* he does offer some interesting insights. But more often the pretentiousness, the cattiness, the chattering, and the general "a lot-ness" is tiresome at best and incredibly frustrating at worst. And it pisses me off every time he judges a skater's music bad just because he personally doesn't care for it. Shut up, Johnny!
That is really cool about Terry spreading the word to other commentators about how hard figure skaters worked train. Another reason he's the best!
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I so appreciate that Terry does his research on the sport he’s covering, and knows when to defer to those with more experience - and he doesn’t feel the need to fill every second of air with inane chatter like some I could name 🙄
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Because Johnny excels at being annoying.
I had to laugh during the gala when Johnny name-checked himself as inventing the "Johnny Weir slide", and Terry responded, "Never heard of him." 😁
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Lots of articles surfacing in the last week - here are a few:
https://ew.com/avatar-the-last-airbender-live-action-cover-story-what-to-expect-8551028
https://www.netflix.com/tudum/articles/avatar-the-last-airbender-release-date-photos-news
https://comicbook.com/anime/news/avatar-the-last-airbender-netflix-aang-controvery-explained/ (the tone is unnecessarily flame-baity here, IMO, but it has a new tidbit I hadn't seen elsewhere)
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On 1/26/2024 at 9:56 AM, annzeepark914 said:
This is it. During the Olympics, there's more participation...but not much more.
17 hours ago, annzeepark914 said:I'm trying to watch women's senior LP but first...hey! it's moved to NBC (& not on USA). Don't we love scrambling to watch our favorite sport. And now that I'm on NBC? It's just repeats from yesterday.
Hmm, I wonder if there could be any connection between NBC's hide-and-seek coverage and the lack of conversation here... 🧐
It took a lot of work, but I think I've finally gotten my DVR to automatically record every block of figure skating that airs on NBC, E, and USA (hopefully I didn't just jinx myself like Tara by saying so) by setting it to record all new on all three channels... and then I check upcoming recordings and make sure everything that should record is actually set to do so. But the average casual viewer is not going to go to so much work... good job, NBC.🤬
And I haven't watched yet, but... yay Amber!!
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I know, I’ve been wondering if Tara’s getting paid by the word or something, because she just. Never. Shuts. Up. It’s been infuriating to watch.
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Crazed Spruce, they can't give away all the good stuff in the trailer 😉
Found a trailer breakdown with the four leads (the Gaang and Zuko) and they sound just as excited and dedicated as the producers (also, casting was spot-on for Aang and Sokka). The more I see about this remake, the more excited I'm getting
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I'm getting pretty excited for this too, even though part of me is wondering if this is how Charlie Brown feels when he starts to play football with Lucy. Even so... I kind of can't wait!
- Yay, Sokka has a sense of humor! The actor even seemed to get the same kind of dry cadence to his speech as Jack deSena did.
- The Katara actress captures the perfect amount of wide-eyed optimism
- Zuko seems to have the same misguided yet strangely rootable intensity as the original, too - and is that the Blue Spirit I see?
- Also, do we actually see Zuko getting scarred in this? Yikes.
- Is it wrong I'm finding Daniel Dae Kim kind of hot considering Ozai's a total psychopath?
- Whatever else this may be, the look of the characters and the world are damn near spot-on to the original
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On 1/21/2024 at 12:06 PM, lilabennet said:
I don't understand why he even wants to play Jason. I would find it so humiliating to prance around in a leather jacket playing at mob hitman and supposed heartthrob at his age. I guess a paycheck is a paycheck.
I would hazard a guess it has something to do with getting to be a big fish in a small pond 🙄🤢
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22 hours ago, Bastet said:
audiences are perfectly capable of rolling with it even once an actor is noticeably pregnant yet the character isn't.
That’s what giant purses and oversized coats are for!
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So Show’s new year’s resolution is to become unwatchable? Well, mission accomplished, and less than a week into the new year. Job well done, Show! 🤬
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Heartbreaking news - Lee Sun-Kyun, a.k.a The Voice, has died
https://mydramalist.com/article/breaking-actor-lee-sun-kyun-passes-away
https://www.rt.com/pop-culture/589764-parasite-film-actor-found-dead/
Such a tragic, unnecessary loss of an incredibly talented actor. By all accounts he was a truly good guy and a generous co-star (he apparently remained friends with the actress IU long after they finished work on My Ajusshi).
He was one of my favorites though I only watched a few of his dramas. I first saw him in Coffee Prince, a fairly standard rom-com where he played the second lead. His starring role in My Ajusshi was a standout in his career, IMO, and showed what a remarkable actor he was. But my favorite drama of his was Diary of a Prosecutor, a fun workplace comedy that showed his comedic chops - and that it was an ensemble role spoke to his lack of ego. An incredibly talented man with an incredible voice who died way too soon. RIP :(
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1 hour ago, ShelleySue said:
- Everyone's parents live in huge, beautiful homes. No one ever comes home from the big city to a house less than 3,000 square feet. All parents' houses also have big porches and fire pits in the yard. Of course people need these huge houses so that they have somewhere to store all of the Christmas decorations.
Also, no one ever comes home to find their childhood bedroom has been repurposed into a sewing room, or a study, or a workout room, etc - said bedrooms are always left intact, exactly as they were when the MC was in high school. And of course no one's parents ever downsize to a smaller house for any reason (financial, practical, the rest of the neighborhood turned into AirBnBs, etc).
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59 minutes ago, Cheyanne11 said:
If Austin is really dead who will RoHo come back as this time? Feels like a running joke on the show now.
NuMolly #5? It’s like a contest between the number of Mollys and the number of RoHo characters they can come up with.
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On 11/13/2023 at 1:10 PM, statsgirl said:
Martin: "Michael is a very formidable enemy and he has a target taped on your back." Sure Martin. I'd say 'vindictive' rather than formidable but you do you to get out of your ethics violation.
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I had enough of Nina being the town pariah three years ago, maybe four, long before the Sonny amnesia and now the SEC stuff. Such a turn-off to this viewer.
If by formidable one means pathetic, laughable, absurd, or giant turd in the shape of a man, then sure, I'll go with that.
Agreed, years of watching Julian be the town punching bag was bad enough. Now watching Nina be the new Julian is pretty much unwatchable. PC is full of hypocrites.
On 11/11/2023 at 11:30 AM, ciarra said:I laughed at Trina's flounce, when she stopped to grab some food before she left the apartment. "I'm so mad. And hungry."
I think she just grabbed her purse (unless the takeout packages were bright pink and sparkly).
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I'm simultaneously excited and wary. I still don't really think this remake is necessary, because the original is pretty much perfect, and is one of my two very favorite shows of all time so please don't fuck it up, but also... parts of this look kinda awesome? Omashu, the Kyoshi warriors, and the Fire royals really stood out to me in this trailer. Appa and Momo are definitely the weak points CGI wise, but if TPTB can still capture the creatures' personalities then I'll overlook iffy CG. I agree with Overtherainbow that what makes ATLA such an incredible story is the heart and the humor, and if this version can capture that then it might just work after all.
I'm guessing the voiceover is Roku?
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S01.E01: Aang
in Avatar: The Last Airbender (2024)
I haven't read any of the comics but I always assumed it was a combination of these two things.