This icon has never been more appropriate.
Last night I went to the comic store, as has apparently become my Friday tradition.Yesterday was an awesome day at the comic store, because not only did I get a ton of $.50 comics, but they had the first issue of the one Black Widow mini that isn't in TPB (the Greg Rucka Pale Little Spider arc, ftr) in the $.50 bin, so that was definitely $10 well-spent. My to-collage comics shelf is getting overloaded.
(Guys seriously someone make me make the collage. I am GATHERING ALL THE PIECES BUT AFRAID TO CUT THINGS OUT, THIS IS DUMB, MY COLLAGE IS GOING TO BE AWESOME.)
Anyway, even though I have been BASICALLY NOT SLEEPING BECAUSE STRESS, as I was walking to the subway, I told myself that if the shitty movie theatre had Pitch Perfect, I would go see it. I did not expect it to have Pitch Perfect.
IT TOTALLY DID AND IT WAS SO AMAZING. It was all about singing and having fun and basically I lasted barely half a season of watching Glee because characterization, but this movie I would watch weekly WITHOUT FAIL. Singing and relationships and canonical queerness!
It did have its issues, which I figure might trigger some people, so I wanted to mention it upfront before reccing unreservedly.
There are a LOT of fat jokes, mostly from the POV of the fat character, who's the comic relief. They framed it better than a lot of other movies do- the character insists everyone calls her Fat Amy, so "twig bitches like you don't do it behind my back." She's successful with guys, even though she seems to undershoot. And she's talented enough that she gets a bunch of solos. But she's also the fat girl, who doesn't like exercise. A lot of her humor is centered around her weight. And her sexuality is frequently a punchline.
(Actually, I'd hold up outcast sexuality as something I wish this movie had done better; it's all awkwardness and not being competent at social interactions, and there are SO MANY ISSUES. Sigh.)
The thing is, though, she ends up being insanely charismatic and funny (TBH, funnier on the non-fat jokes) and awesome and sexy, even if the movie doesn't seem to see her like that. And none of the good characters ever make a comment about her weight. So I think overall it's a win.
There were two Asian characters, both of whom feel like stereotypes. Lilly's entire character seems to be that she's very quiet and also a sociopath, which raises questions about why she's on a club focused on singing in front of everyone, and Kimmy Jin is a cold bitch. At the same time, possibly my biggest laugh of the movie was "Oh, the white girl's back." But overall it still made me feel icky.
The queerness is also somewhat problematic for me, because it's played for laughs several times. Cynthia Rose is looking at a girl's breasts! She's touching her ass! DO YOU THINK SHE MIGHT BE GAY?
This is mitigated for me somewhat, because she's a butch lesbian of color with dyed bright-red hair, and I don't think the audience ISN'T supposed to realize she's super-hot. She's the one who takes the lead for singing Rihanna's S&M. I also appreciated that when they have the necessary big reveal scene that appears in every movie like this, everyone's like SHE'S GOING TO COME OUT TO US BUT WE KNOW and then she explains she has a gambling problem and everyone's like ??? and she says "It started when I broke up with my girlfriend," which I give super props for, because while I have issues with queer jokes, I am also kind of tired of the character everyone thinks is gay turning out to be straight.
[Advocate interview with Ester Dean, who plays Cynthia Rose, and is also part of Jay-Z's Roc Nation, wrote hit songs for Rihanna, and did vocals on Mary J Blige albums, JFC]
Also I'm just going to say it: Chloe read just as queer to me than Cynthia Rose did. Like, despite the way Chloe's shower scene STARTS with her in a shower with a guy, it leads to her standing naked in the shower with Beca, so...
There's some graphic vomiting, which is actually so over-the-top that I didn't find it gross or triggery, but be forewarned.
Also, they talk about how "there are no songs on this list from this century" and that's when you realize that these characters weren't alive when Ace of Base was popular and that will make you want to die a little inside. WHEN DID I GET OLD.
Even with all of that considered, though, it was SO GREAT. It was exactly the kind of movie I was in the mood for, fluffy and friendly and full of girls bonding and singing and having relationships and all these little details just felt REAL to me. (Even the central heterosexual romance was adorable. HOW DO YOU DO THAT. They're both dorks! Dorks who like a capella and the radio station! Doooooooooooorks! ♥)
I expected to love Aubrey best, because she's a neurotic control-freak, but Beca and Chloe and Cynthia Rose and Stacie are my favorites.
I went straight from the movie theatre to the 24/7 Best Buy in Union Square to buy the soundtrack. They didn't have it, so I iTunes'ed it, but the thought is what counts.
Whoever nominated it for Yuletide, ILU. I was... way more depressed than I should have been about not remembering to nominate anything for Yuletide this year, but most of the things I'd wanted to nominate got nommed anyway, so I was all yay about participating, and then on top of that THIS was on the list, and I hadn't even known at nominations time that I'd want to read this. Thank you, fandom, for not being a colossal disappointment for once!
Now I have work to do, but I'm doing it to the Pitch Perfect soundtrack, when it's done I have Black Widow comics, and tomorrow there's a warehouse comics sale and Michaels trip with my name on it. Things could definitely be worse.
And now, if you have made it all the way through this entry, please enjoy the Riff-Off scene from Pitch Perfect, but if you haven't seen the movie yet, know that (A) the dialogue is actually there on screen, and (B) it is EVEN BETTER IN CONTEXT.
Cross-posted at http://fox1013.dreamwidth.org/101912.html. Comment wherever you feel more comfortable.
(Guys seriously someone make me make the collage. I am GATHERING ALL THE PIECES BUT AFRAID TO CUT THINGS OUT, THIS IS DUMB, MY COLLAGE IS GOING TO BE AWESOME.)
Anyway, even though I have been BASICALLY NOT SLEEPING BECAUSE STRESS, as I was walking to the subway, I told myself that if the shitty movie theatre had Pitch Perfect, I would go see it. I did not expect it to have Pitch Perfect.
IT TOTALLY DID AND IT WAS SO AMAZING. It was all about singing and having fun and basically I lasted barely half a season of watching Glee because characterization, but this movie I would watch weekly WITHOUT FAIL. Singing and relationships and canonical queerness!
It did have its issues, which I figure might trigger some people, so I wanted to mention it upfront before reccing unreservedly.
There are a LOT of fat jokes, mostly from the POV of the fat character, who's the comic relief. They framed it better than a lot of other movies do- the character insists everyone calls her Fat Amy, so "twig bitches like you don't do it behind my back." She's successful with guys, even though she seems to undershoot. And she's talented enough that she gets a bunch of solos. But she's also the fat girl, who doesn't like exercise. A lot of her humor is centered around her weight. And her sexuality is frequently a punchline.
(Actually, I'd hold up outcast sexuality as something I wish this movie had done better; it's all awkwardness and not being competent at social interactions, and there are SO MANY ISSUES. Sigh.)
The thing is, though, she ends up being insanely charismatic and funny (TBH, funnier on the non-fat jokes) and awesome and sexy, even if the movie doesn't seem to see her like that. And none of the good characters ever make a comment about her weight. So I think overall it's a win.
There were two Asian characters, both of whom feel like stereotypes. Lilly's entire character seems to be that she's very quiet and also a sociopath, which raises questions about why she's on a club focused on singing in front of everyone, and Kimmy Jin is a cold bitch. At the same time, possibly my biggest laugh of the movie was "Oh, the white girl's back." But overall it still made me feel icky.
The queerness is also somewhat problematic for me, because it's played for laughs several times. Cynthia Rose is looking at a girl's breasts! She's touching her ass! DO YOU THINK SHE MIGHT BE GAY?
This is mitigated for me somewhat, because she's a butch lesbian of color with dyed bright-red hair, and I don't think the audience ISN'T supposed to realize she's super-hot. She's the one who takes the lead for singing Rihanna's S&M. I also appreciated that when they have the necessary big reveal scene that appears in every movie like this, everyone's like SHE'S GOING TO COME OUT TO US BUT WE KNOW and then she explains she has a gambling problem and everyone's like ??? and she says "It started when I broke up with my girlfriend," which I give super props for, because while I have issues with queer jokes, I am also kind of tired of the character everyone thinks is gay turning out to be straight.
[Advocate interview with Ester Dean, who plays Cynthia Rose, and is also part of Jay-Z's Roc Nation, wrote hit songs for Rihanna, and did vocals on Mary J Blige albums, JFC]
Also I'm just going to say it: Chloe read just as queer to me than Cynthia Rose did. Like, despite the way Chloe's shower scene STARTS with her in a shower with a guy, it leads to her standing naked in the shower with Beca, so...
There's some graphic vomiting, which is actually so over-the-top that I didn't find it gross or triggery, but be forewarned.
Also, they talk about how "there are no songs on this list from this century" and that's when you realize that these characters weren't alive when Ace of Base was popular and that will make you want to die a little inside. WHEN DID I GET OLD.
Even with all of that considered, though, it was SO GREAT. It was exactly the kind of movie I was in the mood for, fluffy and friendly and full of girls bonding and singing and having relationships and all these little details just felt REAL to me. (Even the central heterosexual romance was adorable. HOW DO YOU DO THAT. They're both dorks! Dorks who like a capella and the radio station! Doooooooooooorks! ♥)
I expected to love Aubrey best, because she's a neurotic control-freak, but Beca and Chloe and Cynthia Rose and Stacie are my favorites.
I went straight from the movie theatre to the 24/7 Best Buy in Union Square to buy the soundtrack. They didn't have it, so I iTunes'ed it, but the thought is what counts.
Whoever nominated it for Yuletide, ILU. I was... way more depressed than I should have been about not remembering to nominate anything for Yuletide this year, but most of the things I'd wanted to nominate got nommed anyway, so I was all yay about participating, and then on top of that THIS was on the list, and I hadn't even known at nominations time that I'd want to read this. Thank you, fandom, for not being a colossal disappointment for once!
Now I have work to do, but I'm doing it to the Pitch Perfect soundtrack, when it's done I have Black Widow comics, and tomorrow there's a warehouse comics sale and Michaels trip with my name on it. Things could definitely be worse.
And now, if you have made it all the way through this entry, please enjoy the Riff-Off scene from Pitch Perfect, but if you haven't seen the movie yet, know that (A) the dialogue is actually there on screen, and (B) it is EVEN BETTER IN CONTEXT.
Cross-posted at http://fox1013.dreamwidth.org/101912.html. Comment wherever you feel more comfortable.