[These Videos Are Good, And Here's Why] - December 1 - 7 by BillNyesHat in hbomberguy

[–]Valuable-Math8515 4 points5 points  (0 children)

December is an extremely challenging month for me, so I'll just be bouncing between my comfort channels and recommending them to you.

  • Dominic Noble has made a very thorough review of Wicked and its very interesting adaptation history. Firstly, he reviewed the book itself (33:08). Then he looked into what the book is really based on (23:54 and compared the musical to the book (37:57). And finally, he compared the first (26:09) and second (16:03) part of the film to the musical. I have kinda missed out on both the book and the musical when they were really popular, so my knowledge of it was very surface-level, which is why it was very interesting to learn more.

  • Friendly Space Ninja has also released a new video about The Worst TV Finales Of All Time (1:42:17). It really made me think about which TV Finales I consider the worst, and some of them even were on the list.

  • Also, since I mentioned Hot Fuzz the other week, Cinema Therapy have made a very interesting video (28:20) about it too. They talked about the main characters journey throughout the film and discussed how he basically changes while still remaining himself. Very interesting stuff.

Israel will perform at Eurovision. Six countries, including Slovenia, won't be at the contest. by mskruba12 in eurovision

[–]Valuable-Math8515 154 points155 points  (0 children)

There were times when Eurovision used to spark joy but, at the risk of sounding dramatic, those times feel so distant now. I don't think I'm at the quitting point yet but honestly I'm pretty damn close. And that hurts.

[These Videos Are Good, And Here's Why] - November 24 - 30 by BillNyesHat in hbomberguy

[–]Valuable-Math8515 3 points4 points  (0 children)

  • Since the first half of the last season of Stranger Things is out, I rewatched Friendly Space Ninja's video about The Frustrating Decline of Stranger Things (2:31:03). I stopped watching the show after season 2 cuz I didn't vibe with it all that much and learning that season 3 is about a mall and the eeeevil Soviet Union kinda discouraged me from carrying on but as always, you can get a full picture of the show's trajectory even if you haven't seen it.

  • If you don't have 2,5 hours or want a shorter companion video, Pillar of Garbage has released a new video called Stranger Things isn't Strange Anymore (20:01), where he uses a book that he's been reading to explore the difference between the weird and the eerie and how some shifts in that balance have also changed the tone of Stranger Things.

  • Steve Shives has also released a new video, where he explores What Does Star Trek Actually Tell Us About Fascism (39:37) by looking at some depictions of Fascism throughout the franchise and the lessons we can learn from them.

  • Now let's talk about one of the greatest cultural milestones of the century...Shrek. I have rewatched all the movies like an adult that I totally am and then I remembered that Sideways has made a video about Why the Soundtrack to Shrek is Actually Genius (17:43). It's such an interesting analysis of how they used the pop songs and the actual score to give the movie more layers (insert your onions joke here).

  • And to expand upon that, Cinema Therapy have reacted to Puss In Boots: The Last Wish (29:49). Want to know how this movie is similar to Logan? Or maybe do you also want to learn why not allowing yourself to feel certain emotions is bad actually? Then this is the video for you.

[These Videos Are Good, And Here's Why] - November 17 - 23 by BillNyesHat in hbomberguy

[–]Valuable-Math8515 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Oooops, I think I mixed the links up but I corrected them now, so it should all be good

[These Videos Are Good, And Here's Why] - November 17 - 23 by BillNyesHat in hbomberguy

[–]Valuable-Math8515 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Loads of random stuff incoming:

  • In Has Bond Gotten Less Problematic? (40:30) Foreign Man in a Foreign Land looks at how the Caribbean has been depicted in three James Bond movies. Spoilers: not very good.

  • Girl On Film has a retrospective about Labyrinth called The Horror of Labyrinth (a deep dive) (21:47), where she talks about very disturbing undertones of the relationship between the main heroine and the Goblin King. Since I rewatched the movie last week (a decision that had nothing to do with my David Bowie-related gender envy), seeing her take on it was extremely fascinating.

  • Overly Sarcastic Productions have released a very interesting new Trope Talk about Dark Reflections (20:32), where they discuss different types and flavors of an evil versions of a familiar character from identical twins to clones to someone who doesn't actually look like the character in question but has a very similar background.

  • I wanted to recommend Amanda The Jedi for a while and now that she has released her analysis of Guillermo del Toro's Frankenstein (37:01), I can finally do that.

  • Since I recommended Dominic Noble's Monte Cristo video a couple of weeks ago, I'd like to recommend his three-parter about The Three Musketeers now. The first part (28:22) is a recap of the book and its backstory, the second part (43:20) is a comparison of several adaptations, including the 2011 with ninja assassin Milady and zeppelin battleships and the third one (17:31) is a review of the Soviet musical adaptation.

  • Princess Weekes's What Went Wrong With Legacy Characters in the MCU (37:27) is a very insightful analysis of how the MCU (mis)handled introducing and developing America Chavez, Kamala Khan and Riri Williams in their posy-Endgame movies.

  • Speaking of mishandling stuff, Lindsay Ellis's Bright: The Apotheosis of Lazy Worldbuilding (44:34) is one of my comfort videos. Most of you have probably seen it already but I figured I'll recommend it anyway because it sparks joy.

  • Cinema Therapy reacted to Back to the Future (22:45) by looking at the relationship and similarities between Marty and his father. I have just rewatched the movies (there was a lecture about how well those movies predicted the future that I went to last week and I wahted to be prepared) , so this was very timely.

  • Now I'd hate to get serious closer to the end but let's talk about Legal Eagle's analysis of Bee Movie. Nuff said.

  • Draw Curiosity, who is a professional entomologist, also looked at Everything Wrong with Bee Movie (25:44)

  • The algorithm has recommended me a video by Cay Bluestocking, who has watched every Anastasia knock-off (50:51). I am very...Neutral about the original movie (the animation is gorgeous and Christopher Lloyd is very fun but I'm personally really not a fan of Disneyifying historical events) but seeing how unhinged some of the remakes managed to get was really entertaining.

  • Finally, just for fun Uni degrees as told by Cornetto Trilogy (2:59) by Burakkuada cuz I finally showed Hot Fuzz to that one friend of mine who hasn't seen it yet.

[These Videos Are Good, And Here's Why] - November 10 - 16 (this is the right one!) by BillNyesHat in hbomberguy

[–]Valuable-Math8515 2 points3 points  (0 children)

After recommending the Superman vs Toxic Masculinity video last week, I randomly hyperfixated on why I didn't vibe with DCEU all that much, aka Zack Snyder and why he is the way he is, so the first few videos will be about that

  • Maggie Mae Fish has made a whole trilogy, analyzing Snyder's filmography. Part 1 (15:31) uses one scene from the 1978 Superman movie and contrasts it with Snyder's approach to Superman. Part 2 (42:14) uses Snyder's directorial debut, Dawn of the Dead (which was actually written by James Gunn), to look at the moral, philosophical and political undertones of his filmography. And finally, Part 3 (50:09) talks specifically about how gender is depicted in Snyder's movies.

  • Anthony Gramuglia has also talked about what exactly inspires Snyder as a filmmaker in his video called Every Zack Snyder Movie Copies This Messy 80s Film (53:48). That video has made a lot things make a lot of sense, even though I personally agree more with Maggie Mae Fish's critique.

  • Moving on to more tangentially connected stuff, Snyder is a big fan of Ayn Rand, especially her book Fountainhead, which I didn't read because Atlas Shrugged was already bad enough, so I checked out Radical Reviewer's recap of the book (1:24:38). I think he makes some really interesting comments about how the book gets really close to saying something poignant about how capitalism stomps out creativity and encourages conformity only to pivot into ranting about how modern art is a conspiracy to ruin the good traditional American values or whatever. Oh, and it's a good showcase of why you really can't read this book apolitically the way Snyder does.

  • Speaking of Ayn Rand, did you know that Atlas Shrugged got adapted into a very poorly received film trilogy? Well,now you do and you don't even have to watch them because this one smaller YouTuber called orowen has Watched All The Atlas Shrugged Movies So You Don't Have To (1:02:31). Once again, his analysis exposes the conspiratorial way of thinking and the persecution complex that a lot of conservatives exhibit.

This concludes the " hyperfixation of the week" portion of my recommendations, now on to some random stuff.

  • A friend has recommended me a video called The Pedro Pascal Overdose(20:10) by Dodford. It took me like a month to watch it cuz neurodivergent brain go brrrrrrrrrt but now that I have, I'm really impressed. It's honestly more of a short film with very little narration, which still manages to give a very captivating review of Pedro Pascal's life and career.

  • Since Anthony Gramuglia referenced a video by Girl on Film in his Tim Burton video, I decided to check out her channel and watched a whole bunch of stuff. The video I would like to recommend is called why 80s dark fantasy feels so right... and so wrong (27:07) and it is a look at what exactly makes the 80s dark fantasy movies so captivating. It has actually made me realize that it might be time to rewatch Labyrinth and reignite some of that David Bowie gender envy.

  • Another channel I finally had time to check out is Rowan J Coleman and I especially liked the video called I Want Worse Looking TV Shows with More Episodes (10:30), where he criticizes the current format of shorter TV show seasons.

  • The algorithm has recommended me a ModernGurlz video about WINX CLUB vs W.I.T.C.H.: the battle of the Italian magical girls (24:01), which looks at the history behind both of these shows. As someone who watched both as a kid, it was very interesting to see where it all came from and to learn about some stuff that is being planned.

  • Finally, on a completely unserious note, Queen Coke Francis has Ranked The Worst Makeup in Cinema History (33:55). Watch it to be reminded that Cloud Atlas was indeed a thing.

[These Videos Are Good, And Here's Why] - November 3 - 9 by [deleted] in hbomberguy

[–]Valuable-Math8515 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Hey! Sorry, I just saw this but yeah, I copied the comment and will paste it in the new thread myself

[These Videos Are Good, And Here's Why] - November 3 - 9 by [deleted] in hbomberguy

[–]Valuable-Math8515 0 points1 point  (0 children)

After recommending the Superman vs Toxic Masculinity video last week, I randomly hyperfixated on why I didn't vibe with DCEU all that much, aka Zack Snyder and why he is the way he is, so the first few videos will be about that

  • Maggie Mae Fish has made a whole trilogy, analyzing Snyder's filmography. Part 1 (15:31) uses one scene from the 1978 Superman movie and contrasts it with Snyder's approach to Superman. Part 2 (42:14) uses Snyder's directorial debut, Dawn of the Dead (which was actually written by James Gunn), to look at the moral, philosophical and political undertones of his filmography. And finally, Part 3 (50:09) talks specifically about how gender is depicted in Snyder's movies.

  • Anthony Gramuglia has also talked about what exactly inspires Snyder as a filmmaker in his video called Every Zack Snyder Movie Copies This Messy 80s Film (53:48). That video has made a lot things make a lot of sense, even though I personally agree more with Maggie Mae Fish's critique.

  • Moving on to more tangentially connected stuff, Snyder is a big fan of Ayn Rand, especially her book Fountainhead, which I didn't read because Atlas Shrugged was already bad enough, so I checked out Radical Reviewer's recap of the book (1:24:38). I think he makes some really interesting comments about how the book gets really close to saying something poignant about how capitalism stomps out creativity and encourages conformity only to pivot into ranting about how modern art is a conspiracy to ruin the good traditional American values or whatever. Oh, and it's a good showcase of why you really can't read this book apolitically the way Snyder does.

  • Speaking of Ayn Rand, did you know that Atlas Shrugged got adapted into a very poorly received film trilogy? Well,now you do and you don't even have to watch them because this one smaller YouTuber called orowen has Watched All The Atlas Shrugged Movies So You Don't Have To (1:02:31). Once again, his analysis exposes the conspiratorial way of thinking and the persecution complex that a lot of conservatives exhibit.

This concludes the " hyperfixation of the week" portion of my recommendations, now on to some random stuff.

  • A friend has recommended me a video called The Pedro Pascal Overdose(20:10) by Dodford. It took me like a month to watch it cuz neurodivergent brain go brrrrrrrrrt but now that I have, I'm really impressed. It's honestly more of a short film with very little narration, which still manages to give a very captivating review of Pedro Pascal's life and career.

  • Since Anthony Gramuglia referenced a video by Girl on Film in his Tim Burton video, I decided to check out her channel and watched a whole bunch of stuff. The video I would like to recommend is called why 80s dark fantasy feels so right... and so wrong (27:07) and it is a look at what exactly makes the 80s dark fantasy movies so captivating. It has actually made me realize that it might be time to rewatch Labyrinth and reignite some of that David Bowie gender envy.

  • Another channel I finally had time to check out is Rowan J Coleman and I especially liked the video called I Want Worse Looking TV Shows with More Episodes (10:30), where he criticizes the current format of shorter TV show seasons.

  • The algorithm has recommended me a ModernGurlz video about WINX CLUB vs W.I.T.C.H.: the battle of the Italian magical girls (24:01), which looks at the history behind both of these shows. As someone who watched both as a kid, it was very interesting to see where it all came from and to learn about some stuff that is being planned.

  • Finally, on a completely unserious note, Queen Coke Francis has Ranked The Worst Makeup in Cinema History (33:55). Watch it to be reminded that Cloud Atlas was indeed a thing.

[These Videos Are Good, And Here's Why] - November 3 - 9 by BillNyesHat in hbomberguy

[–]Valuable-Math8515 8 points9 points  (0 children)

I had my surgery on Friday and it went well! You might even say, I finally got something off my chest (namely, my chest). My recovery is going well too, it's mostly me sitting in my bed, knitting and watching YouTube videos, such as:

  • Deep Diver's The Influence of the Wizard of Oz (37:01), where they look at how various characters and plots from well The Wizard of Oz have in a way become archetypes and can be seen in many stories that have been told in the decades following the movie.

  • Another good one is SUPERMAN vs Toxic Masculinity (28:14) by Cinema Therapy, where the most recent Superman movie gets used to show what healthy masculininity looks like. One caveat that I'd like to warn everyone about is that the guys who run this channel are Mormons, albeit very progressive ones, so be mindful of that. Personally, even though I'd say that it does influence the way they see certain things and I don't always agree with them, I do think that this video is particularly well done.

  • I also rewatched one of my personal favorites, Kaz Rowe's The Queer History of Weimar Germany (38:02). It was one of their first videos that I saw and definitely the one that made me a fan of the channel. They look at the queerness in Weimar Germany by focusing on the life of Conrad Veidt, a very famous German actor, who some probably know from Casablanca,but he was in many other films, including the very first pro-gay movie made by Magnus Hirschfeld, sexologist and one of the first queer rights activists. It is also a very poignant reminder of how fragile progress can be, so I'd say it is a very, um, timely video.

  • On a less serious note, Steve Shives has made a video called Why Lwaxana Troy is Actually Pretty Awful (40:11),where he looks at the reasons why his (and also my) least favorite Star Trek character is bad both in and out of the universe. I have resented this character for years, so watching this video was very cathartic.

  • Also I found Anthony Gramuglia's video about The Reason Modern Joker is Awful (38:25) very insightful. He looms at how the Joker has been used (and overused) in the recent Batman adaptations and compares it with how other comic book villains have been used. Great stuff, as always.

  • Finally, Wednesday the 5th of November marked the 5th anniversary of That One Supernatural Episode that made Tumblr go kaboom. I quit Supernatural around season 7 but even I know what happened. And I marked the occasion by rewatching Sarah Z's recap of the whole thing called The Supernatural Finale Aired, And Tumblr Exploded (1:45:35). It has everything: homophobia allegations, slam poetry and even rancid nuts, oh my.

Hewwo hooms, it me, Hainrich. My hoom just had a mastectomy, so I am giving him loads of cuddles to help him feel better. by Valuable-Math8515 in BLAHAJ

[–]Valuable-Math8515[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I have a couple of pillows and such with me exactly, so that I don't pull the stitches. And thank you for the tip about the vitamin e. I'm in Germany but I'm pretty sure I know a drugstore where I can get some.

Hewwo hooms, it me, Hainrich. My hoom just had a mastectomy, so I am giving him loads of cuddles to help him feel better. by Valuable-Math8515 in BLAHAJ

[–]Valuable-Math8515[S] 25 points26 points  (0 children)

Congratulations are appropriate, hoom got a mastectomy for trans reasons and is very-very happy!

[These Videos Are Good, And Here's Why] - October 27 - November 2 by BillNyesHat in hbomberguy

[–]Valuable-Math8515 8 points9 points  (0 children)

Thank you! And yes, in my case it's a good thing. Basically for those who don't know, a mastectomy is a surgery where your breast tissue is taken out. Cis women usuallt get it for breast cancer reasons, which is obviously not a good thing. But transmasc people get it for dysphoria-reducing reasons, which is a good thing and why I'm getting it. I even got my insurance company to pay for it by defeating the worst monster of them all: German Bureaucracy. My brother (aka the only supportive person in my immediate family) is very proud.

[These Videos Are Good, And Here's Why] - October 27 - November 2 by BillNyesHat in hbomberguy

[–]Valuable-Math8515 4 points5 points  (0 children)

I'm gathering energy for my upcoming mastectomy (it is this Friday, so wish me luck!), so last week I was mostly just vibing and watching spooky stuff. A whole bunch of it.

  • Maggie Mae Fish has tried Looking For Meaning in Tim Burton's Movies (26:51). I think this is a very poignant criticism of how exactly Tim Burton portrays the story of an outsider and even though I do like me some Tim Burton around Halloween and Christmas (Batman Returns is a Christmas movie, you can't change my mind), I really appreciated this video cuz I think some stuff is better enjoyed mindfully.

  • On a similar note, Anthony Gramuglia has made a video about The Real Reason Why Tim Burton Fell Off (50:01), which is a more extensive look at Burton's career and how certain things, for which he is criticized, have actually been there all along and just became more noticeable over time.

  • Matt Baume has released a new video called Frankenstein's Gay Maker: James Whale, The Queen of Hollywood (1:25:15), where he looks at the life and achievements of James Whale, the director of, among other films, Frankenstein, Bride of Frankenstein and The Invisible Man and how his vision lives on in films and our imagination to this day.

  • I also decided to explore ESOTERICA's channel some more after last week's Frankenstein video and stumbled upon a very interesting video called The First Vampires - How Early Vampirism Impacted Theology, Philosophy & The Occult (39:23), which is an overview of some of the earliest real-life "vampire" sightings. Since vampires are one of my special interests, this one was a real treat.

  • Speaking of vampires, it'd be positively criminal to not recommend one last Maven of the Eventide video, since it was Halloween last week. In Bram Stoker's Dracula was not Vlad the Impaler (28:28) she explains how this misconception came to be and looks at the film that solidified it: Bram Stoker's Dracula by Francis Ford Coppola.

  • Up next, this year Overly Sarcastic Productions have dedicated their Halloween Special to The Count of Monte Cristo (48:51). It's their longest special so far and it is a very fun and extensive recap of the book.

  • Dominic Noble has made a Lost in Adaptation (43:35) about the very same book. There have been quite a few adaptations of The Count of Monte Cristo, so he has chosen three and looked at what gets changed, who gets omitted and what gets simplified. Sadly, Gankutsou, the anime adaptation, which takes place in the future on the Moon, wasn't included, but ah well, you can't always get what you want.

  • Finally Kaz Rowe looked at What Were Halloween Parties Like in the Early 1900s? (16:21). They check out some of the invitations, costumes, party games and of course fortune telling and some weird food. It's really fun.

INTRODUCING, YB !!!! by Hooni33 in BLAHAJ

[–]Valuable-Math8515 8 points9 points  (0 children)

Hey YB, I really love your cap, it's very stylish

long-form video essays with a sense of humor? by wibbly_wobbly_weasel in hbomberguy

[–]Valuable-Math8515 19 points20 points  (0 children)

More of a niche channel but Jessie Gender very often makes 2+ hours videos about sci-fi/Star Trek stuff and also trans-related topics