Most viewers, when consuming a piece of murder mystery media, expect layered complexity; they take into account every character’s dialogue, attributes, and motives in hopes of uncovering the buried answers. Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery director Rian Johnson—fully aware of this standard approach to mystery stories—flips the murder mystery genre on its head by featuring conspicuous clues and foreshadowing so straightforward that the audience disregards it as extraneous.
Johnson incorporates seemingly standard yet meticulously intentional staging and direction to explicitly reveal how the film’s murders were committed, well before it is verbally revealed much later. The most striking example is during the film’s first on-screen murder, with Miles handing Duke his own glass. Miles urges his friends to look at Birdie’s extravagant dress spin while simultaneously giving Duke his glass. The shot features Birdie’s dress blurred in the foreground, while Miles and Duke are in focus in the background. While the act is quick, Miles’s deliberate murder of Duke is blatantly displayed. But due to Miles calling attention to the colorful dress, viewers are drawn away from the switching of glasses behind her. Furthermore, when Duke’s phone and gun go missing, Johnson ensures that the film’s cinematography and editing present Miles being in possession of both, without explicitly calling attention to it. In the scenes following Duke’s death, his phone can briefly be seen—in short cuts—in Miles’s back pocket. Moreover, when Miles runs away looking for Andi, he runs unnaturally and clumsily, always keeping at least one hand out of sight, implying he is holding Duke’s gun. These intentional visual cues demonstrate how the truth is often directly embedded in the film’s directing and framework, but always eclipsed by Johnson’s carefully orchestrated spectacles and misdirections.
I consider myself a tad bit overambitious, and I don’t even know why. I feel like it’s my need to live up to my parents’ expectations of me (hell, even surpass them), and also to give my younger brother a good example to look up to, because I never had that, since I am the eldest sibling. I just wanna seem impressive for my age, y’know?
I’ve been working on several novels since the 6th grade, adding random characters, plots, and just a bunch of random stuff to them, but never actually having the time to write at all. I want to get at least one of those drafts actually published to the public, but by the time I actually have free time, I’m exhausted, and I don’t wanna do anything and sleep/doom scroll.
Though this urge to write more, draw more, or even just play music more has to come from somewhere. I don’t think I will ever know. Definitely not soon.
My editor can’t count. Much love. I have to do another blog now, but it’s fine. Honestly, I can’t count either, so no hate. Anyway, how did any of those famous mathematicians find love in numbers? Every time I enter math, my brain starts to disintegrate. Love Mr. Obrien, but math actually makes me go crazy. He tried to show us a diamond method to try and factor an equation, and I don’t think I’ve ever been more confused in my life, respectfully. Then, Mrs. Reyes showed us the box method, and it immediately made way more sense. So, sorry, not sorry. Right now, we’re learning about going from vertex form to standard form, then to intercept form, then back to standard form, then back to vertex form. Genuinely not to be rude or anything, but how is this going to help me do anything important in life? When am I going to need to know the vertex of my right knee in order to become a lawyer or psychologist? Ugh idk. Bye.
Recently, on my TikTok for You page, I’ve been getting a lot of videos about the guy called Clavicular, who looks maxes. He seems really scary, but he is kind of valid. He has done tons of injections, and something called bone smashing, where he hits himself in the face with a hammer, and I thought he was just really psychotic, but somehow everything he has done has juristically changed his appearance. The second he reached his “ascension”, which is reaching his prime, he blew up. He was kicked out of college because of his looksmaxing, and even though his life felt ruined in the moment, he became successful for looksmaxing. His career is just based on rating people and trying to get his rating up, but I’m lowkey really invested. His next part of his ascension is his double-jaw surgery, and I hope it goes well and that he doesn’t botch his face.
I didn’t know driver’s ed would be so hard. I imagined it would be a few paragraphs to read and then take a test about it. It’s much worse than that; there are so many subjects and so many paragraphs about them that you have to read, which are hard to memorize. I haven’t even started practicing actually driving on the road yet, which I know will be so nerve-racking. I get that once you get comfortable with driving, it eventually becomes easier and turns into muscle memory. Everyone I talk to about driving says it’s not a big deal once you get the hang of it, but I’m not sure I ever will. I really want to drive, and I can’t wait until I can start practicing, but I just know I’m not gonna be a great driver. Anytime I’m driving with someone else, I always try and figure out how they’re so comfortable with every button, turn, or exit. I know how I feel is also how most people feel, but honestly, I have no hope in myself.
Mothers are the foundation of who we are. The number of times that I’ve gotten the saying “you act just like your mom” proves this to be true. They are our caretakers. They are there for us in the hardest times. They don’t sugarcoat something we need to hear. They say the things that you don’t want to acknowledge, but they only say this because they love you. I love my mother. My mother is the foundation for my existence. If I were given the choice to choose a mother, every time, and in every universe, I would choose her. My mom often doubts herself and her capabilities to parent, but I don’t think she understands that I wouldn’t be where I am today if she weren’t my mom. I love her so much, and I’m not ready to move away for college. But, knowing my mom, she’s going to make it feel like nothing has changed. She will call every day, send me gifts, and probably make a surprise visit, because just like how I can’t stand to live without her, she can’t stand to live without me. I love my mom so much, and I know she loves me.
It would be an understatement to say that my next few weeks will be exceptionally demanding; I need to prepare for my final SAT test, finish three supplemental essays due next week, and study for the fast-approaching final exams. And while holiday break is right around the corner, I still have January-deadline applications and my Senior Capstone project that I will need to dedicate my time to.
Needless to say, I didn’t have a second to lose.
But last week, I began to feel a sharp pain in the back of my jaw.
Upon visiting the dentist, it was discovered that the stinging sensation was the result of a wisdom tooth that had pierced through my gums at an awkward angle. To make matters worse, two other wisdom teeth had mostly emerged on my bottom row in an unparallel manner. With their current trajectory, these wisdom teeth would continue to erupt and eventually collide with adjacent teeth, meaning it was imperative that I have them removed as soon as possible.
With my operation likely scheduled for Thursday, I will have to postpone my final exams and leave school early, as the recovery process may take up to two weeks. This has simultaneously served as both a wake-up call to accomplish as much as possible before my surgery and a primary cause for concern for how I will be able to complete my tasks afterwards.
While I understand that wisdom teeth removal is absolutely necessary, unavoidable, and essential, it couldn’t have been more ill-timed.
I thought senior year was going to go by super slow. But we are almost done with the first semester, and I realized that soon I won’t be a high schooler anymore.
College applications have taken up so much of my time, I kind of forgot to slow down and take in the moment. This morning, I caught myself thinking about the future and not focusing on styling my hair. It was probably because I got so little sleep last night, but I keep finding myself thinking about things that are beyond my control. I need to remind myself to take in my surroundings and enjoy the present moment.
I’m scared for the future after high school. I’ll be mostly on my own, living somewhere even farther from home, surrounded by many new people. I shouldn’t be too scared, it is going to be like dorm life times 100. Even the smallest school I am applying to is 10 times bigger than our school. I’ll also learn how to balance a job between all my activities and classes. I’ve had a job before, but those positions have all been temporary and taken place during breaks.
I’m as ready as I can be for college while still remembering to take in the little moments that make up life!
This has to be one of my favorite Barbie movies since I was little. The soundtrack is beautiful; even to this day, it gets stuck in my head.
So, the movie begins with Barbie on set, acting. The movie is some Princess and the Pea knock-off that involves zombie peas. She hates it, so mid-action she yells “cut,” which gets her fired from the movie and leads her to question her acting career. Later, she gets a call from Ken, and he wants to break up with her. This leads her to question her career and her relationship, and she wants to go to Paris to visit her aunt, Millicent, a renowned fashion designer. Her friends Teresa and Nikki tell her she needs to get away from acting and Ken to think, so she does. She books a flight to Paris and blocks Ken and sets off. When she does get to her Aunt Millicent’s design studio, she finds out it’s closing, and her aunt is quitting fashion and taking on multiple new hobbies. At first, she like ” why would you do that, you love fashion and designing and your amazing at it,” which her aunt replies with soemthing like, “I do, but my design are old and there are constantly new designers with fresher ideas” “If your audence doesnt like what your doing, does it make sense to keep on doing it?” ( She’s lowkey real for that). This leads Barbie to drop the conversation because she sounds like a hypocrite.
Later, she meets Elise, an aspiring fashion designer, and they start hanging out. As their friendship progresses, Elise shows her a wardrobe full of magical fairy creatures called flairies (flaire fairies). These flares basically just make a designer’s designs better by adding a little bit of Glimmer, Shimmer, and Shyne (these are also the three flares’ names).
While this is all happening in Paris with Barbie, Ken just found out that he broke up with Barbie, and he’s panicked. Turns out, when he was reading a script about a breakup for Raquelle, she recorded him and sent it to Barbie. In his panic, he tries to call Barbie and explain, but he’s been blocked, so he calls Niiki and Teresa. They tell him instead of just trying to call her, he should do a grand gesture to show her he loves her and didn’t mean to break up with her. So he books a plane ticket to Paris without a second thought and a suitcase. He goes through all these bumps in the road, like getting stranded at the Paris airport and having to get a ride from a pig farmer.
Barbie and Elise are planning to do a last fashion show to say goodbye to Aunt Millicent as she leaves the fashion world. She and Elise create designs and go shopping for materials. While they are planning, Aunt Millicent’s competitor, Jacqueline, and Delphine plan to steal their designs and also do a fashion show with them. While spying on them, they discover the flaries.
One night, after creating the designs, they say goodbye to the flaires and leave the boutique. Later, the flairies get kidnapped by Jaqueline and Delphine and are forced to shimmer, glitter, and shine their designs even though the flaires tell them they can’t. They even tell Jaqueline that the flairies need to like the design for the magic to work, and if they don’t, something bad will happen.
When the day of the fashion show arrives, Barbie and Elise realise the flaires are gone, and they need to cancel the show. Barbie refuses and tells them they have to do the fashion show and believe in themselves or something like that (Genuinely don’t remember what was said during this part of the movie, since I was too focused on the fashion show). So they proceed with the fashion show.
While the fashion show is happening, Barbie’s dog Sequin, her aunt’s dog Jacques, and a cat, Jilliana, rescue the flaires from Jaqueline’s store. As the fashion show is happening, Ken appears and proclaims his love to Barbie ( Mid-show, while his pants are torn and his panties are out, btw). As that is happening, the flaires come and shimmer, glimmer, and shine all the clothing and change Ken’s bummy outfit into a full set suit.
Jaqueline’s fashion show became a disaster, and all the clothing on the models melted and began to stink, so everyone had to evacuate the show.
At the end of the movie, they get invited to a famous designer’s mansion for a party.
I love Los Angeles more than anything; it’s where I grew up. Because of that, it will always have a special place in my heart. I remember driving through Santa Monica when I was a little girl, not yet able to read well. I would always read it as “Santa’s Mouth” for some reason. That is something I will always remember. I used to move a lot as a kid, but it would never be from state to state. My mom and I would just move to different places in LA. Growing up in Laurel Canyon was special, and now I will always know my way around. We went from Laurel Canyon to Malibu to Santa Monica, and now we live in Ojai. I don’t even know if I want to leave California for college. Yes, I want to get to see more of the world and have different experiences. But the thought of going to college somewhere in LA has always interested me. Driving through LA now gives me the most gut-wrenching nostalgia. When I drive through LA, I listen to 2016 music and pretend I’m still in that era. My only worry was going to bed early. Now I go straight to my room and take naps after school.
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