I HAD A FROZEN COKE AND I LOVE HOW LOUD EVERYTHING IN MY HEAD IS NOW

[cleolinda]

Okay, I just saw Maleficent and I kind of loved it so if you would like to discuss it here, go for it, but I have to warn you, I'm also finishing Penny Dreadful tonight, and my thoughts are already so scattered that I'm considering doing voice posts just because I let text entries sit here for weeks at a time and constantly re-edit them to keep

Comments

[keleri]

I really enjoyed Maleficent, I liked the subversion of the "True Love's Kiss" from romantic to familial love. I also liked how the "real" "villains" in the story are hubris and obsession with domination/conquering, which destroy both Stephen and the older king, and which Maleficent sets aside when she defeats Stephen. At the same time I sort of lament Stephen's "Disney Death", like we can't have a hero who directly kills someone

[cleolinda]

What I thought was really interesting was how they seemed to frame cutting off her wings as a rape or assault, but it was so much more about taking away her power and agency than, say, purity. It was a sexual metaphor (he literally gave her a roofie) yet not sexual at all, in the way that rape isn't really about sex either, but power. And then the story turns into this exploration of how hatred and vengeance can eat you up so bad that you might lash out at everything around you, everything you loved, and you start nurturing the thing you want to destroy just so you can have the pleasure of destroying it. It was really funny when Maleficent was like, oh my God do I also have to RAISE the kid so she'll even BE THERE for the curse, but you stop and think about it, and... wow. And in the end, it was a motherly/sisterly (in the sense of a greater sisterhood) love that brought her back to herself, but also learning to love someone she saw as being like the self she lost (specifically referenced in the second mud fight), and that daughter/

[icprncs]

Yes. I am so much in agreement with all of this.

(I *sobbed* at several points in the movie, pure cathartic "I recognize this feeling" sobbing. I can make a lot of criticisms of it as movie, as structure, but I'm not sure I've seen anything that more purely captures what it's like to experience and recover from trauma, especially as a woman.)

And a small, kind-of-frivolous but kind-of-not comment: every time Stephan opened his mouth I thought, "Couldn't they get David Tennant?"

[cleolinda]

That scene where Maleficent wakes up and starts screaming--keening--is going to haunt my dreams. That was just somehow incredibly real in the middle of this kids' fantasy movie.

[ejia_arath03]

I may have liked Maleficent, but Enchanted was a better Maleficent movie. Yes, yes, motivations and reasons and whatnot, but it's fun to watch villains enjoy being cacklingly evil.

Also, apparently you need all the powers of Hell to revoke your own curses and turn yourself into a dragon.

[evewithanapple]

Re: Penny Dreadful.

#savebrona2015

Also, I really hope they give Sembene a proper arc (or at least more than five lines) in season two. They keep dropping mentions of things that make me think they're going to engage with Victorian racial politics (the demon accusing Malcolm of raping women in Africa, Frankenstein accusing Ethan of "killing redskins") but then they back off and don't mention it again. If they don't want to engage with the topic then they shouldn't, but this half-assed acknowledgement really isn't working.

[cleolinda]

It's odd that somehow NBC's Dracula dealt with racial prejudice more than this show does (I'm not necessarily saying well, but it did address it).

Also, shut up, Caliban. I started saying that even when he wasn't talking. Shut up, Caliban.

[evewithanapple]

"SHUT UP CALIBAN" is one of my most frequently-deployed phrases while watching this show. Second in line is "shut up, Sir Malcolm" followed by "this is a BAD IDEA, Victor."

[cleolinda]

There was a lot of "NO VICTOR" this last time. My only surprise was that the bride did not end up being Maud the actress with Brona's head on top, somehow. I was genuinely prepared for all kinds of horrors.

YAAAAAS WE FINALLY GOT WOLFING

(shut up, Caliban)

[ericadawn16]

Ooh, you've made me think more about why I didn't like Maleficent especially because I didn't like Avatar either. In fact, I fell asleep.

The main thing I took away from Maleficent is continued anger that computer animation can produce such beautiful living creatures and we still don't have a live action Pokemon film.

[azrielen]

I loved Maleficent. I thought it was indulgent and got a little muddled in its own narration and that action set-piece, but in total I enjoyed it.

At first I could not for the life of me figure out why they cast Sharlto Copley as Stefan, but then started his spiral into insanity and I went oh, that's why. XD He does that so well.

Still looking forward to Hannibal recaps, btw. Whenever they arrive! :D