PUBLISH: Mission Impossible - Fallout and The Menu
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<title>The Menu</title>
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<link>https://caalden.github.io/film/reviews/the-menu/</link>
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<pubDate>Sat, 04 Mar 2023 23:27:55 +0900</pubDate>
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<description>A high class dinner on a remote island turns out more sinister than the diners expect</description>
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<item>
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<title>Mission: Impossible - Fallout</title>
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<link>https://caalden.github.io/film/reviews/mission-impossible-fallout/</link>
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<pubDate>Sun, 26 Feb 2023 12:05:44 +0900</pubDate>
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<guid>https://caalden.github.io/film/reviews/mission-impossible-fallout/</guid>
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<description>Ethan and the team race to prevent old foes from enacting a nuclear disaster</description>
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</item>
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<item>
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<title>Mission: Impossible III</title>
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<link>https://caalden.github.io/film/reviews/mission-impossible-3/</link>
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<!DOCTYPE html>
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<html lang="en"><head>
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<title>Mission: Impossible - Fallout</title>
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<h1 itemprop="name">Mission: Impossible - Fallout</h1>
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<h2 class="subtitle-small color:deemphasize" style="margin-top: -30px">February 26, 2023</h2>
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<span itemprop="ratingValue">5</span>/<span itemprop="bestRating">5</span>
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<span itemprop="author" hidden>Campbell Alden</span>
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<span class="caption">Genre</span>
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<span itemprop="genre" class="quicklook-emphasized-color quicklook-genre">Action</span>
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<p itemprop="description">
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This is the pinnacle of <em>Mission: Impossible</em> movies. It checks every box with a fast paced script that flies from one action scene to the next
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</p>
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</section>
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</section>
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<dl class="metadetails-list">
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<div class="metadetails-row">
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<dt class="caption">
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<a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4912910" title="Link to IMDb page for Mission: Impossible - Fallout">IMDb</a>
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</dt>
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<dd class="numbers">7.7/10</dd>
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</div>
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<div class="metadetails-column">
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<dt class="caption">
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<a href="https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/mission_impossible_fallout" title="Link to Rotten Tomatoes page for Mission: Impossible - Fallout">Rotten Tomatoes</a>
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</dt>
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<dd class="numbers">97%</dd>
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</div>
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<div class="metadetails-column">
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<dt class="caption">
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<a href="https://www.metacritic.com/movie/mission-impossible-fallout" title="Link to Metacritic page for Mission: Impossible - Fallout">Metacritic</a>
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</dt>
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<dd class="numbers">86/100</dd>
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</div>
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</div>
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<div class="metadetails-row">
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<div class="metadetails-column">
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<dt class="caption">Year</dt>
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<dd class="numbers">2018</dd>
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</div>
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<div class="metadetails-column">
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<dt class="caption">Rated</dt>
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<dd class="numbers" itemprop="contentRating">PG-13</dd>
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</div>
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<div class="metadetails-column">
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<dt class="caption">Box Office</dt>
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<dd class="numbers">$220,159,104</dd>
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</div>
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</div>
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</dl>
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</header>
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<div class="core-content"><h2 id="recommendation">Recommendation</h2>
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<p><em>Mission: Impossible - Fallout</em> has become my go to spy movie recommendation. In my opinion, it is the best of the <em>Mission: Impossible</em> films, which is my spy franchise of choice. These movies are light hearted enough to remain fun throughout, unlike Bond movies, but are still grounded enough to have some stakes unlike a <em>Fast and Furious</em> movie for example.</p>
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<p>Out of all the movies in the franchise, <em>Fallout</em> has no real flaw in my mind when it comes to what a spy movie should be. I’ll dive into it more in the “thoughts” section, but it lacks the issues that I pointed out in my reviews of the other films. There is a strong villain, Ethan and his team don’t seem invincible, and this time there are clear stakes when it matters.</p>
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<p>If you are looking for an action film or a spy film, you would be hard-pressed to do better than this one!</p>
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<h2 id="thoughts">Thoughts</h2>
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<h3 id="taking-a-beating">Taking a Beating</h3>
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<p>In <em>Mission: Impossble - Fallout</em> Ethan Hunt is essentially the polar opposite of his character from MI:2 in that he is far from invincible. There is <a href="https://youtu.be/Z1PCtIaM_GQ">a great video essay</a> on the <em>Every Frame a Painting</em> YouTube channel about how Jackie Chan is the master of Action and Comedy, and this mastery comes from the hero always being the underdog. Ethan and his team are constantly at a disadvantage and are having to fight their way back. When the heroes are at a disadvantage throughout the film, any clever trick they pull feels that much more earned and exciting.</p>
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<h3 id="having-stakes-when-it-matters">Having Stakes When it Matters</h3>
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<p>In most of the other <em>Mission: Impossible</em> films, the overarching stakes are somewhat underwhelming. I already talked about how MI:2 is the worst offender here, but even MI:3, which I like a lot, suffers from the bad guy’s evil plot not mattering in the grand scheme of the movie.</p>
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<p><em>Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol</em> is the first installment where the evil plot feels like it will actually be carried out and is actually going to kill millions of people. This movie does the same thing, but they wait to reveal <em>how</em> the nukes are going to be used until the point when the other action has already played out.</p>
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<p>Throughout the film, we know that Lane and Lark are in possession of three bombs and we do the math that three cities might be destroyed. Those are stakes enough, but in the final act the writers find a way to up the stakes without moving the goal posts. Rather than bombing a city, the bad guys intend to poison the water supply of a third of the world’s population. Rather than the suspense slowly tapering off, the story is carefully constructed so that the majority of the bombs are out of IMF control and even after they get one back, they still haven’t saved the day until all of them are disabled.</p>
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<p>The 3 bombs in <em>Fallout</em> and the virus in MI:2 are very similar on the surface, but the way that they are handled between the two movies are vastly different. In <em>Fallout</em>, Ethan isn’t able to destroy most of the problem by the second act, and at no point have they truly made progress to save the world until <em>all</em> of the bombs are destroyed.</p>
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<h3 id="another-great-use-of-the-mask-technology">Another Great Use of the Mask Technology</h3>
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<p>The masks and voice changers that let you impersonate anyone are a staple of the <em>Mission: Impossible</em> franchise, but it’s rare that we see a new use for them. This movie does two things with the masks that I really like.</p>
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<p>First, they break the mask making machine in the fight scene at the party in Paris. This may have been intentional as we learn that Henry Cavill’s character <em>is</em> the bad guy, but it also means that there is a logical, shown reason why the team isn’t relying on their biggest asset throughout the meetings with the broker and as they orchestrate Lane’s breakout.</p>
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<p>The only other time they use the mask is for an awesome twist where we think that Lark is about to free Lane, but ends up revealing himself to the IMF. I really enjoy that scene because it perfectly 180s what feels like another loss for the team into a win. Because the movie is so restrained with its usage of the masks, the twist is less expected. We’ve already written off the masks as something they can’t use anymore.</p>
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<!DOCTYPE html>
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<meta property="og:description" content=A high class dinner on a remote island turns out more sinister than the diners expect>
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<h1 itemprop="name">The Menu</h1>
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<h2 class="subtitle-small color:deemphasize" style="margin-top: -30px">March 4, 2023</h2>
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<span itemprop="ratingValue">3</span>/<span itemprop="bestRating">5</span>
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||||
<span class="caption">Genre</span>
|
||||
<div class="quicklook-genre-container">
|
||||
|
||||
<span itemprop="genre" class="quicklook-emphasized-color quicklook-genre">Horror</span>
|
||||
|
||||
<span itemprop="genre" class="quicklook-emphasized-color quicklook-genre">Thriller</span>
|
||||
|
||||
</div>
|
||||
</div>
|
||||
</div>
|
||||
<p itemprop="description">
|
||||
<em>The Menu</em> has an interesting premise and naturally develops an amazing setting for a horror thriller movie. Unfortunately it fails to capitalize fully on either asset in my opinion, but it is still enjoyable!
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
</section>
|
||||
|
||||
</section>
|
||||
|
||||
<dl class="metadetails-list">
|
||||
<div class="metadetails-row">
|
||||
<div class="metadetails-column">
|
||||
<dt class="caption">
|
||||
<a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt9764362" title="Link to IMDb page for The Menu">IMDb</a>
|
||||
</dt>
|
||||
<dd class="numbers">7.2/10</dd>
|
||||
</div>
|
||||
<div class="metadetails-column">
|
||||
<dt class="caption">
|
||||
<a href="https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_menu" title="Link to Rotten Tomatoes page for The Menu">Rotten Tomatoes</a>
|
||||
</dt>
|
||||
<dd class="numbers">88%</dd>
|
||||
</div>
|
||||
<div class="metadetails-column">
|
||||
<dt class="caption">
|
||||
<a href="https://www.metacritic.com/movie/the-menu" title="Link to Metacritic page for The Menu">Metacritic</a>
|
||||
</dt>
|
||||
<dd class="numbers">71/100</dd>
|
||||
</div>
|
||||
</div>
|
||||
<div class="metadetails-row">
|
||||
<div class="metadetails-column">
|
||||
<dt class="caption">Year</dt>
|
||||
<dd class="numbers">2022</dd>
|
||||
</div>
|
||||
<div class="metadetails-column">
|
||||
<dt class="caption">Rated</dt>
|
||||
<dd class="numbers" itemprop="contentRating">R</dd>
|
||||
</div>
|
||||
<div class="metadetails-column">
|
||||
<dt class="caption">Box Office</dt>
|
||||
<dd class="numbers">N/A</dd>
|
||||
</div>
|
||||
</div>
|
||||
</dl>
|
||||
|
||||
</header>
|
||||
<div class="core-content"><h2 id="recommendation">Recommendation</h2>
|
||||
<p>My recommendation for this movie is going to be colored by my disappointment that this <em>didn’t</em> become an instant one of my favorites. It has all the makings of the type of horror/thriller movie that I deeply enjoy, but it spoils the suspense part way through. If you are watching it for the suspense like I was, you will be disappointed.</p>
|
||||
<p>If I take a more objective look at the movie, and assume it’s not meant to be what it was sold to me as, then I think there is something good there. The movie has humor and a lot of layers to the political statements it’s making, but I was too distracted by the crumbling suspense and missed opportunities, that I had trouble focusing on those aspects.</p>
|
||||
<p>I would recommend this movie to watch once, because I think it’s a more than adequate film. The performances and imagery are both very well done. My only real issue is with the writing.</p>
|
||||
<h2 id="thoughts">Thoughts</h2>
|
||||
<h3 id="i-swear-i-dont-hate-it">I Swear I Don’t Hate it</h3>
|
||||
<p>I want to preface my criticism in this “thoughts” section by saying that I enjoyed watching <em>The Menu</em> and I definitely found it thought provoking. Occasionally I write my recommendations and thoughts because I feel like I <em>have</em> to, but this time I couldn’t wait to put something out!</p>
|
||||
<p>It’s movies like this one that have so much potential, but <em>just</em> miss the mark in some ways that are the reason I started writing this site in the first place. I always have a bunch of strong opinions about them! I don’t, however, want to become the type of person that the film criticizes. What I mean is that I don’t want to be a heartless critic like Lillian or an amateur chef fan boy suck up like Tyler. I enjoyed the film, but I also had issues with it.</p>
|
||||
<h3 id="underutilized-premise">Underutilized Premise</h3>
|
||||
<p>I was immediately drawn in by this film’s premise. I think the setting and the antagonist are both super engaging. I have a weak spot for the style of horror movie that sets up a situation as in the realm of normal and slowly progresses into madness. <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5052448">Get Out</a> and <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2400463">The Invitation (2015)</a> are two films in this exact archetype that I loved.</p>
|
||||
<p><em>The Menu</em> starts out strong with the diners arriving on the secluded island to partake in a once in a lifetime meal. We are primed for things to be exclusive and it is immediately fun to wonder what aspects are just part of the experience and what aspects are going to come back later. A number of strange mysteries are introduced like the meat in the smokehouse and the chef’s cabin. As the dinner unfolds in the first act, mysteries continue to be stacked up. We are shown a silver door and told that something special is behind it. We also get hints that the diners are hiding dark secrets.</p>
|
||||
<p>Unfortunately, at this point, the movie releases the tension, and never fully capitalizes on its potential. The meal is going to be several courses, but things go off the rails a little too fast. The first course is normal, the second course (a bread-less bread plate) is a bit heavy-handed, but still seems like something a chef who thinks they’re an artist would put out. The third course is where things start to get out of control, when he reveals blackmail on each of them at the same time as he retells a pretty horrific story about his childhood. Then one of the chefs commits suicide and the entire plot is blown open.</p>
|
||||
<p>I’ll admit, it was a shocking scene, but the repercussions of that scene on the tension of the film are a problem. In the moment, it’s exciting, but if you think about it logically, the chef has shown his hand. From that point on you know that death is an option and you know that it’s not just some exclusive experience. They even double down on this by telling the main character, Margo, that everyone <em>is</em> going to die shortly after this scene.</p>
|
||||
<p>I was watching the movie for the suspense, but after the suicide scene, there isn’t really any left. There’s some question about whether everyone will be able to get away or not, but it feels pretty hopeless as all of their attempts fail immediately.</p>
|
||||
<p>If I were able to suggest changes to the script, I wouldn’t have escalated as quickly. I think one way they could have tread the line between “experience” and psycho would have been to butcher an animal in front of the group. That would be brutal, but it’s part of the meal that most people don’t think about. It would tie in with the chef trying to make statements with his cooking, but has the underlying cruelty that feeds the suspense.</p>
|
||||
<p>The best way to achieve the suspense that the movie lost with the suicide scene, in my opinion, is for each escalation to logically follow from the previous one. Comparing <em>The Menu</em> to something like <em>The Invitation</em> might be illustrative. In <em>The Invitation</em>, (spoilers for that so go watch that or skip to the next section), there are two key pieces to the plot that keep the suspense right until the last 10 minutes or so. The first is that we are never given proof that anything bad is happening. Several people leave the party over the course of the evening but their fate is always unclear. They might’ve just left or they might’ve been killed. The second, is that the protagonist is framed as unreliable. We know that he has some traumatic events in his past and he might just be paranoid.</p>
|
||||
<p>If part way through <em>The Invitation</em> one of the bad guys was shown killing another member of the party, then none of the tension would work anymore because we would know that he isn’t just being paranoid. The problem with <em>The Menu</em> is precisely that they <em>do</em> kill someone in front of us and dispel all of our doubts.</p>
|
||||
<h3 id="missing-punchlines">Missing Punchlines</h3>
|
||||
<p>The other major issue I have with this movie is that there are so many setups without punchlines. For one thing, I don’t understand why half of the people were killed. It seemed like the chef was going to have a grand plan for the evening and reasons for all of the people dying, but that turns out not to be the case. He kills the movie star over a movie he didn’t like and the movie star’s assistant just because. If there <em>were</em> direct reasons that each of the people needed to die, it would also justify logically why the chef is being nice to Margo, and would make him more sympathetic.</p>
|
||||
<p>The business men characters are set up with a lot of blackmail. They are stealing from the company and the chef shows them that he has proof, but it’s sort of left there. It’s vaguely given as a reason that they all are going to die, but it doesn’t directly affect the chef. It’s sort of unclear why it’s brought up at all.</p>
|
||||
<p>Margo also kills the chef’s assistant lady with about 40 minutes left in the movie and that is just completely unresolved and unaddressed. It was in self defense, so you could write it off that way, but the woman’s dying words were, “He didn’t tell me about the barrel” which is another thread that doesn’t get tied off. I thought that implied that he actually <em>did</em> expect Margo to come to the island and that this was all part of the plan, but that’s not the case.</p>
|
||||
<p>There’s also a silver door in the restaurant that Margo asks about and is told that, “something special” is behind it. When she goes to the chef’s cabin, she sees that it’s a replica of the room where they are eating dinner, and behind the door is his bedroom. What I’m wondering is, “is there a bedroom in the restaurant?”</p>
|
||||
<p>I’m not sure what we’re supposed to infer based on what Margo finds in the cabin. It’s hard to imagine the chef would somehow have identical photos framed in a bedroom in the main dinning area of his island. What would be the point of that? I can sort of understand the reverse: he has his house in the same layout as the restaurant because he’s that committed to perfection or something, but having a bedroom in the restaurant doesn’t make sense.</p>
|
||||
<p>The final scene leaves the film open ended, but I don’t really hold that against it. It’s unclear if Margo is really escaping although it seems likely that she is. Taking this ending along with all the unresolved threads, left me generally feeling like the movie was lacking a conclusion.</p>
|
||||
</div>
|
||||
</article>
|
||||
|
||||
</main><footer class="footer">
|
||||
<ul class="cluster align:center caption unstyled-list s1">
|
||||
<li>
|
||||
<a rel="me" href="https://gjallarhorn.dev/@campbell">Mastodon</a>
|
||||
</li>
|
||||
<li>
|
||||
<a rel="me" href="https://github.com/CaAlden">GitHub</a>
|
||||
</li>
|
||||
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|
||||
<span class="numbers-small">© 2023 Campbell Alden, All rights reserved.</span>
|
||||
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|
||||
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|
||||
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||||
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