Wayward Pines "The Truth"

Phew, what an episode. We finally found out, along with Ben & Ethan, what's "really" going on in Wayward Pines. I admit I started watching the show solely because I'm a huge fan of M. Night Shyamalan, but Wayward Pines has given me plenty of other reasons to like it since episode one, & especially after its most recent episode "The Truth" - The things revealed in this episode make this show a must-see for any fellow scifi lovers out there. If you have never watched the show, I recommend checking it out.

Caution:
HUGE spoilers for Wayward Pines ahead.
If you haven't seen the show,
please stop reading here.
You have hereby been warned. ;)

I'm also a huge fan of the CW show "The 100" so I immediately noticed some similarities to that show in this episode. It's similar enough to excite me, but not so similar that it's ripping that show off in any way. So, from where I sit (on the porch in the dark with My Dying Bride blaring from my hubby's laptop), that's a good thing. Side note, I also recommend checking out "The 100" if you haven't. Another great post-apocalyptic show that in my opinion is highly underrated.

Anyway, where was I? Oh yeah. As soon as Ben's teacher revealed the time travel bit, I thought, "Of course! Re-population." So I tweeted it out, & no one seemed to get it. Lo & behold, about 10 minutes later, that is what they revealed they are doing. Attempting to repopulate the future Earth with "normal" human beings. (Which could certainly explain the bedroom eyes Ben's new girlfriend has been giving him, LOL). Some things were predictable, such as Pilcher's reveal, but a lot of the reveals were pretty cool. My favorite was definitely the date on the quarter.

The creatures that humans have "evolved" into, called abbies, seem a little zombie-ish, giving the show even more of an apocalyptic feel & promising some exciting action scenes in the future. & these things aren't like the boring zombies from "The Walking Dead" but more like the speedy rage-infected zombies from "28 Days (& Weeks) Later" (which is DEFINITELY awesome).

But don't forget, even though we now know "the truth" the people of Wayward Pines are still pretty shady. (Need I remind you of the reckoning ceremonies? Come on). So we're more than likely not getting the WHOLE truth (or maybe not even any truth, although I'm pretty sure the abbies do actually exist & that it's probably pretty hard to fake the date on a quarter). ;)

This episode was, in my opinion, the best yet. Not just because of the writing & acting but because of that amazing sequence where we were pulled back & forth between Ben's "orientation" & his parent's simultaneous revelations. As a video editor myself, I really appreciate when the editing is done so brilliantly, so kudos to the editors on that. It really gave the episode even more intensity.

While this episode may have been the best yet, there were a couple of downsides. First, there is very little ethnic representation in Ben's group, or in the town for that matter. & second, the whole episode was kind of one big info dump, & while I loved it, I also wonder if they should have saved at least some of this mind bending info for the season finale. I'm a little worried that the show might not be able to top this episode. They are going to have to pull out something even bigger for the season finale if the show's going to survive the harsh business that is television. But rumor has it that this is just the beginning of the crazy, so hopefully we'll see more epic episodes like this one in the future.

Be The Lightning,

Kylie Jude.

}i{

Being Human: Review and Tribute Video

It's hard to believe it's been a year since my all time favorite show ended. & I don't say "all time favorite" lightly. I don't have one favorite song or band (although 30 Seconds To Mars & M83 are up there), or one favorite movie (although Oblivion & Knowing are up there). I love shows like The 100 (based on books by Kass Morgan) & the tragically cancelled Star-Crossed, due to their Scifi themes, but Being Human is the only show in the history of television that I can truly say is my favorite.

Being Human started as a European show, which I saw a couple episodes of on BBC, but just couldn't get into it after seeing the U.S. version on the Syfy channel. No offense to the first Being human, but I think the U.S. version was drastically improved. I might be biased though. It's one of the very few shows where I can honestly say I adored the entire cast, especially the main characters.

In the beginning, Aidan (Sam Witwer) & Josh (Sam Huntington) move in together as roommates. One small problem though - one is a vampire & the other a werewolf. They soon discover that their new-found abode is haunted by a ghost named Sally (Meaghan Rath), & since their supernatural state allows them to see her, they quickly become friends with her quirky, lovable spirit. Then, eventually, Josh falls in love with a coworker named Nora (Kristen Hager), & accidentally turns her into a werewolf. Oh & he also impregnates her with his possibly monstrous child. Ruh-roh D:

The setup of a vampire, werewolf & ghost living under the same roof makes for tons of action & drama, but that's not really why I loved the show. I loved it because one minute the characters could be sitting at the kitchen table joking & laughing (& making me laugh quite a bit too), & the next minute they could be on the edge of life & death, screaming & crying & clawing to save each other. This contrast of comedy & drama is, I think, what made it so great. I've recently discovered a genre of music that I feel is my musical soul mate, called doom metal (bands like My Dying Bride & Forest of Shadows & our friend's band Agonal, & soon our own music too). Since then, I've referred to Being Human as the Doom Metal of TV. Because it does the same thing - makes you feel safe & warm, & then when you least expect it, rips it all away in a flurry of sorrow & despair. I loved being on that emotional roller coaster. Maybe I'm just crazy, but that's why it's my all time favorite show.

When it was announced that Being Human was ending a year ago, with only a couple weeks to adjust to the shocking news, many people were angry. I was too, at first, but then I found out why it was ending & I felt a little bit better about it. & the Series Finale was everything I could have hoped for, bringing all the story lines to a beautifully happy ending. Unlike with the aforementioned Star-Crossed, Being Human got the ending the characters & fans deserved, & I will always be grateful for that. :)

I seriously can't believe it's taken me a year to make my tribute video for Being Human. First, I had a plethora of songs to choose from, finally deciding on my remix of "Breath" by Breaking Benjamin, since it allowed me to showcase both the action & romance on the show. Some of the lyrics really went with certain things that happened too. Then I had some technical difficulties (way too many clips for poor little windows movie maker to handle), & then my novels & other projects got in the way, but finally I decided to finish it, coincidentally, exactly one month before the one year anniversary of the show's ending.

Speaking of the ending, I had to squeeze in another song at the end of the video - my remix of "I Won't Let You Go" by Snow Patrol. You may have heard this song on the Divergent soundtrack. It was in the credits of that movie, but I felt like it should have played when the credits first started rolling (it didn't - one of many musical issues I had with that movie), so for this video it is the credit song, & I really feel like it's perfect for what's happening at the end. Here are the lyrics of the part I used:


Never gonna be easy, was it?

You didn't think it'd be so much fun.

The smile comes despite the danger.

Get some.

I know I'm where I belong.

Deep down inside, I've known all along.

I won't let you go,
 so don't leave go of me.

I wanted something more, 
I wanted this right here.

This is what you really want.

This is what you asked for.


Any of Being Human's main characters could have written these lyrics about their loved ones in the show, & while most of the video is filled with action & dread (& a LOT of screaming, LOL), I wanted to end it on a happy note. Because I think I can speak for all fans of the show when I say these lyrics also sum up how we feel after that ending. This is what we really want. This is what we asked for.

I for one couldn't have asked for a more perfect show or a more perfect ending. I will never let Being Human go (pun intended). I could watch it over & over for the rest of my life & never get sick of it. & I just might do that, once I finally own it on DVD. ;)

Okay, enough gushing. Video time!

Warning: This video is basically the entire series squeezed into 4 minutes (thanks to this amazing & hilarious recap for some of the footage). Some big spoilers ahead. But chances are if you're reading this you've seen the show anyway, so sit back, relax, turn the volume up & enjoy the feels!

:')

P.S. (Spoiler)
I also just found out while researching for this blog that they intended all along for Sally & Aidan to have the same door (to the afterlife) which made this long time Saidan shipper very happy. They were soul mates. It doesn't get better than that. :)

I leave you with an article (interview with Sam Witwer AKA Aidan) discussing the door thing and much more, including a farewell interview video. This amazing show and its truly lovable characters will be missed, but I for one have never been so satisfied or fulfilled after a series. Thanks for the memories. 


Be Human,
Kylie Jude.


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Review: The 100

So I was going to wait until I had a music video to share, but I decided to go ahead and post a blog on The 100, after that awesome season finale. Mostly because I had too many words in me to post on social media. Regulars might be shocked at how short this one is compared to my typical blogs, but I just wanted to get some of my thoughts out, so I jotted them down here. Enjoy! 

When I saw the very first episode of The 100, I think I probably cried the whole time. Not because it was sad but because it was so beautiful. It was everything I had ever wanted in a series. But as much as I loved the show then, I love it even more now. How is that even possible? Especially now that the characters have left the ark (AKA spaceship) and taken up residence on post-apocalyptic Earth. As a science fiction writer and fan, one would expect the lack of space in season 2 to deter me, but surprisingly, it didn't. While the show lost some of its science fiction elements in season 2, it also gained the grounders (a badass group of warriors) and some cool dynamics between them and the sky people (the ones who came from space). It also lost a character I never liked, which is always a plus. But I think the main reason season 2 was so great was the fact that we got to see the evolution of some of the characters into true warriors. You have to be tough to survive in the world of The 100, after all. 

One of the things I love most about the show is the character arcs. After the season 2 finale, we know Clarke is going to be even more badass next season, having retreated into the wilderness to become some kind of nomad loner. Not to mention poor Jasper, with the loss he suffered in this episode no doubt having lasting ramifications. And I can't believe the difference between Octavia in season 1 and Octavia in season 2. Totally different people. What it all boils down to? War changes people. And it's doing just that on the show. One of the recurring themes, as we heard again tonight from Clarke's mom, is that there are no good guys in war. Everyone has to sacrifice something (or someone) for the greater good. And as Maya said, none of us is innocent. This show has already proven that to be true time and time again, and there's just something so universal about it.

And of course I'm excited that the show will be returning to it science fiction roots next season, as the end of this episode revealed. But with or without the science fiction, The 100 has proven over and over that it is one of the best shows on TV.

I might still post a full fledged blog someday, music video and all, but in the mean time just know that The 100 is an amazing show, and if you aren't watching it, you should be. If you like drama and violence and romance and mystery, you'll like The 100. You might also want to check out the books if you haven't. But be warned that there are some major differences between the books and the show.

Until next season, may we meet again.

Be The Lightning,

Kylie Jude.

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The Walking Dead and Bethyl: Review and tribute video

Since its start back in 2010, The Walking Dead has become a worldwide sensation. & why not? It has all the terror & gore that comes with a zombie apocalypse, combined with believable & heart wrenching acting. My husband & I were excited about the show at first, but we lost interest during the second season, mostly because it started getting too repetitive - too much walking around & then finding a safe haven & then having to leave & walk around some more. While my husband (who is pretty much a real life Daryl Dixon) never regained interest in the show, I kept coming back to it. Something about it just kept pulling me back in. Maybe it's all the hype. Maybe I'm brainwashed. Who knows.

So after season 2 I started watching the show again, on & off, until "Bethyl" began to emerge from the ashes of armageddon. Then I was hooked. There had been other relationships on the show, but I was never really invested in any of them. This was something different. Daryl Dixon (Norman Reedus) was this hardened, stubborn, closed off warrior type, & Beth Greene (Emily Kinney) was the group's little glimmer of hope - sweet, kind, physically weak but inwardly strong. These 2 characters were polar opposites of each other, but it worked because each possessed qualities that the other needed. He made her want to be strong, & she made him want to "Be Good" (See what I did there? If not, you will) ;)

In the episode "Still" these dynamics were really fleshed out. The entire episode was devoted to these 2 characters exclusively, as they hid out in a little house alone together (besides a couple zombies, of course). This was the first episode that focused entirely on just one of the show's many story lines, & for us "Bethyl Shippers" it was a dream come true. No they didn't sleep together or even kiss, but they grew close in other ways. Better ways. Ways that transcended romance & cut straight to the soul. It is this episode that makes up about 95% of my video, & it turns out that the day I finished the video was also the one year anniversary of that episode airing. I had no idea, so while I had been unsure of whether to post the blog & video (mostly due to the fear of teasing from my husband), I took this cool little synchronicity as a sign & decided to go through with it.

I wanted to use actual footage in the video, but we live out in the sticks (pretty much one step up from the characters in the show), so I had to make due with pictures I found online. I used the song "Be Good" by Emily Kinney (who played Beth on the show) because the lyrics are so perfect for it. I almost feel like the song was written about the aforementioned episode. Not sure if that's true or not, but either way, I tried lining as many pictures up with the corresponding words as possible. I know fans of the show will notice the synchronicities, even if I'm not the first to point them out - I have no idea if I'm the first or not. Sticks, remember? ;)

I added some clips of Emily/Beth singing on the show (including, of course, a clip of her singing "Be Good" in the "Still" episode), & I also added some strings in the background & some clips from "Cups" by Anna Kendrick - That song nearly mimics Beth's words to Daryl in the aforementioned episode, & it's also in the same key, so I just had to stick it in there.

(Spoilers Ahead)

Those words "You're gonna miss me when I'm gone" couldn't ring more true now, both for Daryl & for the fans. In her final season, Beth was starting to become my favorite character. She was finally starting to break out of that "weak little girl" mold & starting to become a real badass. I soon found myself more excited about seeing her character progression & evolution into a warrior than about her reuniting with Daryl & the others. But for seemingly no reason at all (except maybe shock value) they killed her off. It made no sense. It's not just that it was sad, but in all honesty, it was just bad writing.

As a writer myself, I recognize an amazing story waiting to be told. Beth was a story. A GOOD story. She was in the middle of an inward & outward transformation that we never got to see fully realized. & I'm not the only one feeling this way. Fellow writers included, thousands took to social media with hashtags like #BethGreeneDeservedBetter. Because she did. & so did we. I originally planned to make my tribute much more dark & depressing & more about her death (& to an entirely different song too), but then I decided that "Still" is how I want to remember them. So I went for a slightly more uplifting & peaceful video. But that doesn't mean it doesn't still hurt. Because it does.

I know I'm a little late with my tribute, as most fans made theirs within a week after the heartbreaking episode, but I think this television tragedy affected me far too much. It took the entire time between seasons just to come to terms with the fact that this awful thing had happened for no logical reason. At this point I had pretty much decided to stop watching the show, but I told myself I'd at least wait to see the characters grieve before I completely stopped watching. The show returned with yet another heartbreaking episode, involving a death that again made absolutely no sense whatsoever, but I stuck it out until finally the grieving episode came. I've wandered back into apocalypse land since then, but as more of a curious spectator than a fan. I'm sorry but I can't be a fan of a show that makes not one but 2 stupid decisions back to back. Guess my husband was right. Why, oh why didn't I listen to my real life Daryl Dixon? Lesson learned ;)

BUT, if I had listened to him, I never would have made this video. Although I cried like a baby more than a few times, I actually enjoyed making this video & tinkering with the music. It's short & simple, but I hope you guys will like it. Let me know what you think, & if you made it this far, thanks for reading!


My tribute:

P.S. I made the last 2, but if anyone knows who did the other 2 frames of digital art featured in the video, please let me know. I'd love to credit them!


 Stay Frosty,
 Kylie Jude.


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Boardwalk Empire - Review and Video

(Warning: Mild Spoilers)

A Slow Start: 

I love historical stuff, but honestly I wasn't that impressed with Boardwalk Empire at first. I guess I felt like it moved too slowly and had too many story lines for me to keep up with. But my husband loved it, so I watched it with him, and soon I started getting into it. When the mask-wearing, gun-toting Richard Harrow was introduced, I started getting even more into it, because I loved the contrast of badass and softie portrayed in his character, and felt that he brought a sort of uniqueness to the show. When (spoiler) they killed him off in season four, I was pissed, and swore I would hate the show from then on, but I was pleasantly surprised when season five (the show's final season) began with beautiful and intricate flashbacks of Nucky's young life, giving us a glimpse into both his past and his mind, making me love the show even more. 

A Shocking Anti-Hero: 

Due to the flashbacks mentioned above, Nucky soon became my new favorite character. So, needless to say, the ending floored me. The writers spent all this time showing Nucky's soft side and having him help people, almost to the point of heroism, only to hit us with a huge change of character in the end, which should have made us hate him, but at least for me, it was still hard not to like him. This was kind of clever on the part of the writers, turning the final episode into a sort of psychological roller coaster ride, but it felt a bit rushed, and in a way almost like a betrayal. 

A Quick Death: 

As many have said, the final season of Boardwalk Empire felt rushed, and probably needed more than eight episodes to fully wrap up the intricate and flashback-filled story line, and that theory was solidified with the final episode, as (spoiler) Nucky's greatest sin was suddenly revealed, and he was shot, leading many to believe that he died. Of course, those of us that know the real Nucky's history know that he wouldn't have died then, because in real life he was arrested and later died of natural causes. So I thought it was cool that the man leaned over him and mouthed "We're going to get you to a hospital" which let us believe that maybe the character of Nucky didn't die, but was patched up and then arrested. But even with the open ending, it felt too sudden. This moment, as he teetered on the edge of life and death, would have been the perfect moment to utilize all those flashbacks from the season and have his life flash before his eyes, giving the viewers a little more closure and maybe even a tear or two. I just felt like it ended too abruptly for a series finale, but it was a cool twist nonetheless, as most of us didn't see it coming. 

An Alternate ending: 

I personally think it might have been better to end the show with Darmody pulling the gun out to shoot Nucky, but getting thwarted by the police just before shooting. The police would then arrest Nucky, as they did in real life, but the fact that his arrest stopped him from being shot would have made it sort of bitter sweet. His life could have still flashed before his eyes as he sat in his cell, maybe even coupled with shots of his love interest Margaret and his brother Eli as they heard the news of his arrest. If you have another alternate ending idea, I'd love to hear it in the comments! That's just one of many directions it could have gone. 

A Final Farewell: 

Despite some of the show's unlikeable characters and that shocking twist ending, I decided early into the final season that I wanted to commemorate and immortalize the show and its characters with a music video. This was due in part to my husband loving the show so much - I wanted to give him a little something extra to enjoy after the series was gone - but it was also for myself and for the millions of other Boardwalk Empire fans out there that are undoubtedly itching for a little something extra, especially after that abrupt finale. Even if the real Nucky was as flawed as the show made him out to be in the end, I still wanted to give him and the other characters (and the actors that played them) a final farewell. When I heard the song "Gold" by Sir Sly, I knew right away that it was the perfect song for Boardwalk Empire. The lyrics, the sound, and even the singer's voice were all so perfect for it. So I got to work, and immediately I started noticing that no matter what I did, no matter how much I cut and chopped and rearranged the footage, it always went perfectly to the music. I probably have ten different versions of the video that I kept just because of this creepy fact, but I eventually pushed through the intimidation of its supernatural essence and made a final version. The final version still has some of that creepiness to it though - the opening, the explosion, the gun shots, the actors mouthing the lyrics of the song, and more - none of that was me. I've had videos fall into place before, but never like this. It may sound crazy, but it almost feels like the spirits of Nucky and the rest wanted this video made. I just hope that with this final farewell, I have done them and this beautiful show some justice. I hope you like it!

The link isn't working here yet but you can watch the video by simply clicking HERE.

There it is! Please let me know what you think and please subscribe if you like it. Thank you to the amazing cast and crew (credited in the video) and to the mysterious force behind this video. I had a blast making it, and I hope it brings the fans a beautiful ending to a beautiful series. <3

Be the lightning, 

Kylie "Kerosene" Jude. 

}i{

P.S. Yes that's me humming at the very end. I wanted to use "Dream A Little Dream Of Me" which had been featured in the show a couple times, but I didn't have it, so I just hummed it from memory. I hadn't heard it in a while, so the tune might not be entirely the same, but my husband said it was haunting, so I used it. Because if this experience has been one thing, I think haunting is the word for it. ;)


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TV Review: The Leftovers - Season One

The Leftovers might be the weirdest, grittiest, most beautiful TV show I've ever seen. Each episode is like its own mini-movie, and I think each episode of the first season has left me feeling the same way - drained, intrigued, and satisfied. 

This show has some of the most gorgeous cinematography I've ever seen, and the entire cast delivers breathtaking performances - from Liv Tyler's astounding tree chopping scene in one of the first episodes, to Ann Dowd's surprisingly passionate first speaking part at the restaurant on their day off, to Carrie Coon's heartbreaking sobs in the final episode of the season, and many more. 

Every character is so believable, and in a way, this sort of dystopian world they inhabit is almost believable too. This might be in part because no one knows what happened yet. We know people disappeared into thin air, we know it wasn't the rapture because not all of the departed were good people, and we suspect some kind of supernatural force but we're not quite sure what that force is.

This mystery is one of the intriguing aspects of the show - I think a lot of people stick with it because above all they just want to find out what happened on that fateful day when they went away. But about half way through season one, you begin to realize that it doesn't really matter what happened, or how it happened, it only matters that it happened. And now the remaining characters are left with so much intensity and confusion and inner turmoil, and I think that more than anything this show is about struggle. It's a look at how different people handle things, and at human nature at its worst, when it's put to the test. 

Now, suddenly, we're no longer sticking around to find out what happened (I have a feeling we may never find out anyway), but now we're sticking around for the experience. It's not about the destination anymore, but the ride. A beautiful, crazy, heartbreaking & mind bending ride that I hope will never end. 

The last episode of the first season definitely had a "this is it" feeling, and I suspect they wrote that episode with the possibility in mind that it might not get a second season, but I've heard that it's already been renewed. I could be wrong, but that is what I've heard. I hope I'm right, because there is so much more to the stories being told on The Leftovers, and so much more to be learned through the struggles of the characters, the brilliant writing, and the experience of not really caring about the destination, but the ride. 

Because in the end,

isn't that all that matters? 

That we're still here. 

And though the ride is bumpy at times,

the view is still so beautiful.

Be the lightning, 

Kylie Jude.

}i{ 

UPDATE:


The Leftovers will return for season 2 in October!
Here is the first trailer for season 2: 

Woo!