#10/10 film; they chose the best actors for each role | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

crowdvscritic · 1 year ago

Text

behind the scenes // ST. LOUIS FILM CRITICS ASSOCIATION AWARDS (2022)

Have you ever wondered how Best of the Year lists are chosen? Each year publications like Entertainment Weekly and The Hollywood Reporter conduct anonymous interviews with Academy members to reveal their Oscar votes, often with article titles like “brutally honest” and “juicy.” I understand not wanting to burn any bridges with friends or colleagues, but I usually finish those pieces annoyed. If you’ve got an opinion, own it! How do know if I can trust your judgment or taste?

In the spirit of transparency, I’m doing my small part to be the change I wish to see in the world. (Exactly the scenario someone had in mind when altering Gandhi’s words to fit on a bumper sticker.) Last year I voted in the St. Louis Film Critics Association Best of the Year for the first time, and I’m sharing my behind-the-scenes look at how we narrowed down the 800+ eligible films of the year to our 23 winners and how I chose my votes. Apologies in advance it's not a "juicy" take—there's not a lot of drama in our group!

These were the key 2022 dates for our decisions:

Saturday, December 10th: Individual nominations due to SLFCA leadership

Sunday, December 11th: Tie-Breaker Meeting to determine final nominees

Saturday, December 17th: Final ballots due

As a reminder, I can’t speak for how every critic in the group prioritizes viewing or votes. Another critic in the group may have completely different strategy even if we end up voting for the same nominee!

How the Ballots Work

Like many awards shows, I’m kicking this explainer off with Best Supporting Actor and Actress. I didn’t have any cuts when I submitted my ballot—I was looking for people to fill my five slots. The real decision-making was about their order.

In the first round of voting, our ballots are ranked, with our first choice earning five points toward the performer’s total and fifth place earning one point. For example, I contributed five points each to Andre Braugher and Carey Mulligan’s totals for their performances in She Said as well as two points to Angela Basset’s total for her Black Panther role. While those three made the cut for SLFCA’s nominations, not enough of the other critics ranked Adrien Brody, Jamie Lee Curtis, Dolly De Leon, Kate Hudson, Rami Malek, Pedro Pascal, or John David Washington highly enough for them to make the final nominations. Curtis and De Leon were just a few points away from making the cut.

More performers our critics loved: Jessie Buckley, Women Talking; Hong Chau, The Whale; Tom Hanks, Elvis; Brian Tyree Henry, Causeway; Anthony Hopkins, Armageddon Time; Nina Hoss, Tár; Stephanie Hsu, Everything Everywhere All at Once; Barry Keoghan, The Banshees of Inisherin; Keke Palmer, Nope; Eddie Redmayne, The Good Nurse; Mark Rylance, Bones and All; Jeremy Strong, Armageddon Time

Watching as Many Movies as Possible

More than 800 eligible films were released in 2022 . (One of our members compiled them all into a Letterboxd list.) In the 10 days before my nominations were due, I watched She Said, Triangle of Sadness, Vengeance, and White Noise, all of which made my picks for Best Screenplay. I also watched titles I nominated in other categories (Babylon, Emily the Criminal, The Fabelmans, RRR, “Sr.”), plus a few that didn’t make the cut (Armageddon Time, Devotion, The Menu, Something From Tiffany’s, The Wonder).

But what about the films I hadn't seen that SLFCA nominated? That’s what the week between the Tie-Breaker Meeting and the final ballot due date is for. In those seven days, I checked out The Banshees of Inisherin, Tár, and Women Talking, which were movies I had expected to be nominated regardless of my support.

More screenplays on my long list: Amsterdam, The Menu, See How They Run

More screenplays our critics loved: After Yang, Aftersun, All Quiet on the Western Front, Bodies Bodies Bodies, Elvis, Empire of Light, Happening, Nope, Three Thousand Years of Longing, Till, The Whale

Choosing Nominees

In the Cinematography, Editing, and Visual Effects categories, I focused on an advocacy strategy. Before I met most of my fellow St. Louis Film Critics Association members, I was regularly updated with their film recommendations in a private Facebook group. As early as September, members shared headlines about the Awards Season, and based on chatter I’d seen in the group and in the film world at large, I figured support would be strong for films like Elvis, Everything Everywhere All at Once, She Said, and Top Gun: Maverick. I was less sure about sentiment for Amsterdam, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery, See How They Run, Triangle of Sadness, and The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent, so I prioritized them on my ballot.

More films on my long list: Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (VFX), RRR (Editing), She Said (Editing), The Woman King (VFX)

A few more films our critics loved: All Quiet on the Western Front (Cinematography), Avatar: The Way of Water (Cinematography, Editing), The Batman (VFX), Decision to Leave (Editing), Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness (VFX), Empire of Light (Cinematography), Three Thousand Years of Longing (VFX), Women Talking (Editing)

Breaking Ties

After we submitted our ballots, we met as a group at a restaurant to hash out ties. The longest and most passionate debate broke out over the Best Scene category because there was a six-way (!) tie for third place. We ultimately decided to keep four of those six scenes and nominate six films total. We typically only include five nominees, but exceptions can be made in the case of a tie.

A few more scenes our critics loved: Scarlet Witch vs. the Illuminati in Dr. Strange and the Multiverse of Madness, the Home Alone-inspired sequence in Violent Night

Prioritizing Nominees

After nominations were finalized at our our Tie-Breaker Meeting, I counted 20 nominated films I had not seen, 14 of which were only nominated in 1 category each. (I did not join the group till the summer, so I was not watching for most of the year knowing about this deadline!) I knew I would not have the time to watch them all, so I prioritized by asking these questions:

How many nominations did each film have? The Banshees of Inisherin, Women Talking, and Tár each earned between 4 and 11 noms, so they were highest priority

Could I watch every nominee in a category? All the Beauty and the Bloodshed, Apollo 10½, Jackass Forever, and Wendell & Wild each only earned one nom, but I prioritized them so I could complete the Animated, Comedy, and Documentary categories

Had I watched enough noms to vote in a category? To vote in a category, I had to watch at least three nominees. I prioritized the twice-nominated in Decision to Leave so I could vote in Best International Feature, but I decided to skip voting in the Horror category because I would’ve needed to watch four films to vote (and because this horror-averse viewer probably would have found all four of them quite upsetting!)

More films on my long list: Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (Action), The Lost City (Comedy), Marry Me (Comedy), Minions: The Rise of Gru (Comedy), See How They Run (Comedy), The Woman King (Action)

A few more films our critics loved: Bad Axe (Documentary), The Bad Guys (Animated), The Banshees of Inisherin (Comedy), Barbarian (Horror), The Batman (Action), Broker (International), Bros (Comedy), Clerks III (Comedy), Corsage (International), EO (International), Lightyear (Animated), Navalny (Documentary), The Sea Beast (Animated), Smile (Horror)

Announcing the Winners

For me, the final round of voting is a combination of picking clear favorites in a category and trying to get your favorite films represented somewhere on the ballot. Winners are announced in a press release and shared on the SLFCA website. And in just a few weeks the process starts all over again with the new year!

You can see the full list of winners and nominees for 2022 at STLFilmCritics.org, and here are how my nominations shook out in the categories not featured above:

0 notes

ratingtheframe · 4 years ago

Text

I Care A Lot, Malcolm & Marie, Capone, The Life Ahead and the News of the World: Everything I watched in February.

Newsflash ! The cinemas still aren’t open and I’m starting to lose hope in them ever opening. Despite the UK government drawing a step by step guide into lifting the UK out of lockdown (like its flat pack furniture and not a critical pandemic) with cinemas due to open in April, I wouldn’t hold my breath seeing as our own human biology and its resistance is the actual measure of when it is safe to go out and about, not what our government says. So until everyone is vaccinated and has sustained the first few months of vaccination symptom free, I’m having to sift through Netflix and Amazon for something to watch, like I’m looking through a charity shop sale; without much luck. Don’t get me wrong, I’m all for these streaming services, I (my dad) pay for them for Christ’s sakes and I know that one day I’ll be eating my words when I’m offered a Netflix deal that I (in a Vito Corleone voice) “cannot refuse”. However, unlike some of the creators on Netflix, I’ll make the most of this opportunity and be incredibly anal about what I want to make, even if it kills me.

I feel like so many people are given the license to make whatever they want for Netflix and then I look at the trophy wall of Emmys that HBO has garnered over the years and consider their quality writers and casts. I would say most recently, shows like The Crown, Sex Education, Top Boy and Bridgerton are Netflix’s exceptions currently, being both of quality and giving us something we actually want to watch. And guess what all these shows have in common?! Not only are all the casts largely British but all productions of these shows are British too. The British quality of TV programmes for streaming services in the US is a win win for all; Americans get to watch our good quality TV and we get Golden Globes. Most notably, The Crown did exceptionally (as it always does) at this year’s Golden Globes, further proving the show's excellence despite controversy. I thoroughly praise Netflix's resistance to label the show “fiction” and the lengths it took in making the show as authentically as possible, despite the criticism. The awards speak for themselves and the Crown has scooped up several this year so far.

To conclude, I want the cinemas to open just as much as anyone, but I’m happy to comply with the stay-at-home-and-watch-Netflix-rule for now. For now...Here’s everything I watched this February.

Annihilation (2018) as seen on Netflix

Netflix’s Annihilation starring Natalie Portman, Jennifer Jason Lee, Gina Rodriguez, Tessa Thompson and Oscar Issac was a multitude of things that were difficult to comprehend. This is not me saying this is a bad film, in fact its me saying the complete opposite as the complexity drew a tangible beauty to the film from beginning to end. I reeeaaalllyyy liked the beginning and how the first scene sucked you into the crazy and fanatical story that later unfolded. Natalie Portman as always was wonderful in this role, playing a biologist who enters another world in search of her husband, who’s gone missing on a similar expedition to hers. Like with most sci fi films, it was difficult to gather the meaning of such a film, however this lack of meaning didn’t draw away from the story or how it was portrayed, in slow and enigmatic shots that told the story with a natural pace. If you’ve seen / liked Ex Machina (2014), Annihilation has the same director and I would thoroughly recommend you watch this too as the way Alex Garland merges sci fi with horror is incredibly seamless.

Score: 10/10

Eastern Promises (2007) as seen on Amazon Prime

This film starring Naomi Watts, Viggo Mortensen and Vincent Cassel was incredibly dark and gritty. Even though I’m not Russian, I found Mortensen and Cassel’s Russian personas to be rather good for a Dane and a Frenchman. Their on screen chemistry was also really good and its make me wonder why I haven’t seen a film with these two in it before. The story follows Anna (Naomi Watts) a nurse and her hunt for the true identity and life of a baby that was born to a 14 year old girl. Nikolai and Kirill (Mortensen and Cassel) are Russian gangsters living in London and set about covering up this obscene scandal and getting rid of the product of it, a baby girl belonging to the condemned and now deceased child. It's a difficult plot to wrap your head around and like I said, it's incredibly dark. Actor and director David Cronenberg (A History of Violence 2005) directed this film and helped Viggo Mortensen with a nomination for Best Actor at the 2008 Academy Awards.

Score: 8/10

Fifty Shades of Grey (2015) as seen on Netflix

So remember how I said I was DESPERATE for films this month...I watched Fifty Shades of Grey with zero expectations and I can say definitively that it was worse than I thought. It's a true miracle that both Dakota Johnson and Jamie Dornan still have careers 6 years after such a film was released and I personally wouldn’t rush to cast either acting in my film after seeing this. Harsh, I know but reputation is everything and when you sign onto something that instead of highlighting your acting abilities, highlights your body parts, what am I supposed to think... I’m all for body confidence and what not, but I feel like most of this film sort of abuses sexuality and sexual expressions. The fact is, the BDSM part of this film wasn’t even that bad, it was the characters that pissed me off the most and their LACK of character in fact. They were orchestrated in such a flat way and the only time where either one of them found any character was through the sex itself and the discussion of it, especially Anastasia’s character. The most profound and irritating thing about this film is that Anastasia’s life seemed to only have meaning when she met the so called handsome, charming, wonderful, drop dead gorgeous Christian Grey. What does that teach us about women people? I’ve said it once, and I’ll say it again, sexualising women in film and media shouldn’t be the only reason for them to be there. And the entirety of Fifty Shades of Grey is built upon that fact. Even though the novel was written by a woman, it definitely missed the point in giving us a strong female character who could both be into sex and taken seriously at the same time. Seems like a really hard thing to do in cinema as filmmakers either go for the over-hyped sexualised prostitute, the caring mother or the nun. Like female professionals have never had sex in their lives… think again. I like to wonder what it would’ve been like had it been Ms Grey and Christian as her submissive. Not only would that mix up the character dynamic and go against gender confirmation, it’d actually be interesting. But maybe I should just write that story altogether...To conclude, the characters in this film were flat and the entirety of the film hyped up sex and the act of it way too much. It's like making a film about walking or breathing.

Score: 1/10

Malcolm & Marie (2021) as seen on Netflix

Malcolm & Marie received a lot of attention in the media and sadly not for the right reasons. In fact, what’s so childish about the backlash is that hardly any of it had to do with the filmmaking techniques Sam Levinson (Euphoria’s creator) used or the story he wrote. More of it had to do with Levinson’s controversial ideas about how the media likes to view and prod film like a goldfish in a bowl, acting ostentatiously towards the art and appearing woke as opposed to just seeing film for how it is. I gather many film critic’s egos were bruised when Levinson used the lead character, Malcolm (John David Washington) as a butcher to film critics. He says things like “I’m choosing to make a film that’s fundamentally political, but not everything I do is political because I’m Black” in reference to the ignorance of some film critics who stamp politics onto any black directed film, attempting to brand the films with their own understanding of the film as opposed to its real message and story. Malcolm spends the majority of the night loathing a fictional “white LA reporter” and betting on her exact words for his own film, about an African American woman trying to get off drugs. What he says is funny, so funny it's true. White reporters DO do this and instead of embracing Levinson’s satricalism, the real LA white reporters of our media got overly offended and used the “lack of story” card as a backdrop to fuel their distaste at being called out. Had they known Levinson’s intentions with this film, they wouldn’t have reviewed it all together as I’m sure Levinson knew what he was getting himself into when mentioning the annoying “white LA reporter” and making the stereotype central to the lead's frustrations towards the industry. Levinson also graciously mentions that even though Malcolm has such hatred towards the critics, he is their fuel and by making his so-called “art” he only joins them in the argument . Levinson made his bed when he made the film and I think he’s sleeping rather comfortably. No one even bothered to praise both Zendaya’s and Washington’s performances, which were phenomenal considering the circumstances and the added pressure of having to carry a whole story in one room using only each other to fulfil that story. The cinematography was ambitious and overall, it was a simple yet well executed story. What are y’all complaining about?

Let's put egos aside and focus on the actual film for once, rather than how its perceived the articulation of your opinions towards it.

Score: 10/10

Coming to America (1988) as seen on Amazon Prime

At this moment I truly was becoming a slave to streaming services. I wasn’t particularly leaping at the opportunity to watch this film, however I chose to watch it as I heard that Eddie Murphy was releasing a sequel this year. As someone who doesn’t like comedy, I found this rather funny in places but it's hard to laugh at the black stereotypes portrayed in such a film even when those stereotypes were perpetuated by a black person. There was also a lot of misogyny, something else that I don’t call comedy but just misogyny. I found it hard overlook these moments and kinda saw this element as the downfall to the film which detracted from any of the other comedic moments.

Score: 5/10

Do the Right Thing (1989) as seen on Amazon Prime

One of Spike Lee’s earlier films, Do The Right Thing is a film I’ve been dying to watch for quite some time. The film is like a fascinating book, with chapters on each of the plights of living in Brooklyn in the 1980s. Though it takes one character’s perspective, there are a multitude of other stories that can be found in this film, with them interlinking seamlessly and coming together at the end. This isn’t a film about race but rather one about anger and its potential to divide people, especially when things become heated and fingers are pointed. It covered a variety of perspectives which I like, almost like an episodic series where each episode is different and takes on a different character. This structure added variety to the film and allowed it to cover a multitude of topics in a small space of time. The structure of this film was only successful because its characters, who were funny, three dimensional and above all, had something to say. Director and writer Spike Lee played Mookie, the lead, a pizza delivery man and quite the f**k up on the streets of Brooklyn, using his mouth more than his actions to get by in life. I really liked the balance of moments of comedy and severity which had me laughing in places and immediately stopping afterwards. Well written and I commend Spike Lee for having written, directed and starred in the same film.

Score: 10/10

The Life Ahead (2020) as seen on Netflix

As an actress, Sophia Loren is one of my all time favourites. On seeing films such as A Special Day (1977) Two Women (1960) Marriage, Italian Style (1964), I began to appreciate the work of Sophia Loren and notice how much of an icon she still is today. Having picked up several awards over an expansive 71 YEAR career, she has been honoured many a time by the Golden Globes and Oscars as one of the finest actresses of all time. Her presence on screen is inspiring and she’s been often referred to as the Italian Marilyn Monroe for her beauty inside and out. Here at the age of 86, she plays a Holocaust survivor and foster mother who cares for a troubled boy in The Life Ahead. Loren’s character, Madame Rosa, eventually saving him from a miserable life thieving and selling drugs on the streets of Italian. Loren’s son, Edoardo Ponti directed this film for Netflix and was generous enough to give us Sophia Loren’s presence on screen once more by casting her in the film as the lead.

Score: 9/10

Gold (2016) as seen on Amazon Prime

I found Gold to be one of those talky, talky films that starts at the end and ends at the end (if that makes sense) which in my opinion isn’t the most courageous structure one could use, but is common in biopics. It either starts on the protagonist’s death bed or at the point where the police have just caught them and for Gold it was the latter. The appearance of women in this film was second to none and that’s not me saying the director should’ve added female characters for good measure or token but why make a film that only appeals to one demographic, despite the intensity of the story...film is universal after all and if a film appeals to one certain group then what’s the point of releasing it? This doesn’t detract from Matthew McConaughey’s performance though as a “prospector” looking for gold in Indonesia. Even saying this, the character was very typical of him and it didn’t truly stretch his ability as an actor, not like Dallas Buyer’s Club (2013), Killer Joe (2011) or Interstellar (2014) did. To sum up Gold into one word it’d be “meh”.

Score: 7/10

Creed (2015) as seen on Amazon Prime

This was one of the most surprising films of the month. I’m not crazy about the Rocky films nor see myself watching all of them anytime soon, but Creed appealed as a more modern take on the hit franchise. Michael B Jordan plays Adonis Creed, son of Apollo Creed, a champion boxer who died during a fight before Adonis was born. After being adopted by Apollo’s wife, Adonis Creed sets out to follow his father’s footsteps by becoming a champion heavyweight boxer himself, much to his maternal mother’s displeasure and his coach’s the one and only Rocky Balboa (Sylvester Stallone). The story is similar to that of Rocky and if anything, is a complete revival, using the son of one of Rocky’s former fighter as a backdrop to tell the story. Director Ryan Coogler (Black Panther 2018, Fruitvale Station 2013 ) brought this story to life and a courageous performance out of Michael B. Jordan. Not only was I fascinated by boxing by the end of the film, but just the whole idea of Adonis Creed, a fighter and not a quitter who thoroughly believes in pursuing your goals until they are obtained. Not only is this film for boxing fans but for those who share that same universal message and refuse to give into their own inhibitions to achieve great things. We should look to athletes more often in this respect and consider the pursuit of our own desires as boxing matches and marathon races more often as it helps put our fight into perspective and teaches us never to give in.

Score: 11/10

Arrival (2016) as seen on DVD

Before anyone comes for me for not having seen Arrival, before I was a movie buff I had briefly come across the film several times but had never taken the time to sit it out and watch it from beginning to end. I’m glad I did as Denis Villeneuve is one of my favourite directors evah and along with Christopher Nolan, I consider him as the King of Sci Fi. Every single one of his films is incroyable (as the french say) and it's a mystery why he hasn’t been handed an Oscar yet. Arrival is this slow and beautiful story of a linguistics teacher (Amy Adams) who agrees to help on a mission to communicate with extraterrestrial life forms that have landed on planet earth in the form of twelve huge spaceships. Structure isn’t something we typically consider when watching a film, but it plays such an important part in Arrival for time and the manipulation of it is the main theme of this film. Essentially, the language in which Dr. Banks translates from the intelligent life form gives its readers the ability to see into the future, which is when we come to realize that she’ll have a child, who will die of an unnamed disease. Despite this fact, she decides to live the life fate intended for her. The reason why Arrival is a highly credible film is because of the coverage it has as a film in terms of what it's trying to say as a film. From someone who finds it hard to bring out the emotion of a screenplay, Arrival is a great example to me as a film that combines both a cinematic feeling and a strong emotional presence throughout the film. It doesn’t abandon emotions or relationships just because the film is about aliens, but instead embraces them into the story and intertwines them with the aliens who’ve come to planet earth. At the end of the day, we can have explosions, spaceships and aliens galore, but if we’re unable to connect with characters on an emotional level then the film becomes boring. Arrival is far from boring and may bring a tear or two to your eye by the end.

Score: 11/10

The News of the World (2020) as seen on Netflix

I feel like it's impossible to hate a film with Tom Hanks in it and The News of the World definitely fits into that. Five years after the US Civil War, Cpt. Jefferson Kyle Kidd (Tom Hanks) spends his days travelling around the US ‘reading the news’ to anyone who’s willing to listen. The majority of the US was illiterate in the 19th Century, meaning it was up to people like Jefferson to inform others of the ongoings in the world by reading them the paper. It’s a wondrous thing to think about, how information was once spread throughout the world in such an archaic format. Jefferson did this off his own back, not asking for much and finding fulfilment in the reactions to the news that he “broadcasted” to them. Whilst on his travels, Jefferson comes across a young girl (Golden Globe nominee Helena Zengal) who’s negro family had been killed by lynchers. The girl was originally from a Native American tribe but had been separated by them, leaving her to fend for herself. When Jefferson comes across her, he’s reluctant to take her in at first but decides to take her to some relatives across the country. It’s definitely the role you expect of Tom Hanks and his heart warming nature is captured for us in this film for Netflix.

Score: 9/10

The Mask (1994) as seen on Netflix

It's hard for me to label The Mask as a good film as that would mean shaking off the horrendous amount of misogyny it has and the lack of diversity within its characters. Films mean different things for people, but ultimately most of them reflect an element of humanity and explore it on screen with originality and authenticity. Cameron Diaz’s character was only there to fulfil the sexual appetites of the men around her, which is something I loathe in female characters. Originality The Mask has, authenticity, not so much. That's probably the reason why I hate comedies so much, most of them are written by men and are about men so it can get quite boring to watch at times. I liked the idea of The Mask but it definitely could’ve been executed in a less misogynistic way.

Score: 5/10

Jackie (2016) as seen on Amazon Prime

One word; perfection. This film was hands down one of the most beautiful, genuine and honest films I’ve seen in my entire life. It had me reminiscing Todd Haynes’ Carol (2015) in a number of ways, from the similar filmmaking techniques to the slow and melancholy atmosphere that was being created on screen. The AMAZING Natalie Portman plays Jackie Kennedy, wife of John F. Kennedy who was brutally assassinated on a visit to Dallas, Texas in 1963. The fact that I didn’t even KNOW that his poor wife was in the car with him at the point of the assassination is shocking. On watching the film, I learnt Jackie was a remarkable, brave and intelligent woman who after her husband's death put so much into preserving her husband’s legacy despite his lack of popularity. The way the film is shot and the music by the brilliant Mica Levi (Under the Skin 2013 , Monos 2019) just ties everything together into a enigmatic and wonderful film. Natalie Portman was nominated for Best Actress at the 2017 Academy Awards and rightly so. This film has further proven my thoughts on her as one of the greatest actresses of our time. I seriously cannot EXPRESS how much I love this film, directed by Chilean director Pablo Larraín, who’s also made another film that I can’t get enough of Ema, which was released 2 years ago.

Score: 12/10

Foxcatcher (2014) as seen on BBC iPlayer

When we first think of Steve Carell, our minds probably drift to his most notable performance as Michael Scott from The Office or even Gru in Despicable Me. It's rare for a so called “comedy” actor to find his way into films with a more dramatic substance and over the last few years, this is what Carell has been showing us on screen, with this role in Foxcatcher and more recently, in Felix van Groeningen’s Beautiful Boy (2018). Foxcatcher is the true story of a wrestler offered the opportunity to train with a private wrestling team owned by a huge chemical corporation. Channing Tatum plays Mark Schultz, a quiet and reserved wrestler who trains alongside his brother David (Mark Ruffalo), also a champion wrestler. What's sad to see in this twisted story is how validated Mark feels once the powerful and wealthy John Du Pont (Steve Carrell) begins to take an interest in him and takes him under his wing. This relationship drives a wedge between Mark and his brother David, but much to John’s displeasure, it doesn’t last long. This is definitely a story of power and how people can react in bad ways when they are owed too much of it. Every performance in this was astounding and the slow and subtle telling of the story was truly beautiful to watch. Foxcatcher is a film I’ve been dying to watch for some time and it DID NOT disappoint. Period. The film was also nominated for five Oscars back in 2015, including Best Actor and Best Supporting Actor.

Score: 11/10

In Fabric (2018) as seen on BBC iPlayer

Based on the current reviews of In Fabric, I deem the film a poncy experimental spectacle. Not only did it not say much, but what it was trying to say was rather disturbing and quite frankly bizarre. However, it's not a film I can necessarily hate on as it is experimental, meaning from the get go, I shouldn’t be expecting any sort of clear cut narrative, with relationships, protagonists, conflict or hierarchies. Experimental films are more about exploring a central idea and having all its “characters'' not essentially prove the idea, but just talk about it, like a debate but everyone agrees in the end. A debate where everyone agrees would be boring, which is why I find experimental films to be boring as most of the time they don’t have a meaning and sadly as humans, we’re obsessed with finding the meaning of things or else we’ll go crazy. And I would say this film definitely left me crazy at the end, proving the idea of man’s constant need to find meanings in things. In Fabric wasn’t really relatable, funny, clever or bold. It kinda just...was.

Score: 5/10

Delicatessen (1991) as seen on DVD

I love how the world likes to think that the American film market is the only film market when in actuality the French created the actual concept of cinema and the idea to project “movies” onto a large screen. With this has come a plethora of incredible movies from France that have gone onto to change the film industry forever. There’s a reason why the most prestigious and exclusive film festival in the entire world is held in the South of France and not LA. Jean-Pierre Jeunet is the auteur behind Amélie (2001) one of the most well known independent films ever to be made and before Amélie came Delicatessen. This film is Tim Burton meets Wes Anderson but in French and tells the story of a man working for a butcher and the crazy characters he meets in the same apartment as him. By the end it's clear that The Butcher is selling more than pork and beef down in his store and that the new tenant is due to be the next item on sale. I loved how weird and larger than life the characters were and the otherworldly set design used for this film. There were so many moments that are quite hard to explain the beauty of them and if you’ve seen Wes Anderson or Tim Burton’s work, you’ll notice the similarities between this film and their work, perhaps showing a french influence on the current American market.

Score: 10/10

Amélie (2001) as seen on DVD

Continuing on with the French theme, I was reminded this month of the beauty of Amélie. Every, single, shot in this film is pure perfection and I bet all my money that Wes Anderson was a mega fan of this film when it came out. It's truly a film like none other and it’s only this time around did I realise how much I RELATE to Amélie. The way she sacrifices herself for others and gets nothing in return, the lengths she goes to tell someone something instead of JUST SAYING IT, her lack of friends, I can definitively say that there isn’t a character on screen that I’ve related to more than Amélie (besides Elio from cmbyn). If you haven’t seen Amélie have a word with yourself.

Score: 11/10

Pan’s Labyrinth (2006) as seen on Amazon Prime

Pan’s Labyrinth was a surprisingly amazing film and I wonder why I hadn’t seen it sooner. I was astounded to see it was in Spanish which I thought made the story somehow better. It's rare that we see such high budget and well known film that’s in a foreign language but I’m glad this film got the noise it did when it was released. Guillermo del Toro (The Shape of Water 2017) tells us the story of 10 year old Ofelia and her discovery of magical creatures in the woods that inhabit the outskirts of her new home. Not only that but it’s 1944. The Spanish Civil War has been over for five years but small groups of guerrilla rebels continue to fight against the new fascist dictatorship led by Francisco Franco. This is a well structured film that shows two strong worlds and combines them in a satisfying way, which isn’t an easy thing as sometimes films can get lost in the facts of history instead of the emotions and dynamic relationships. The set design in this was UNREAL as always and I really felt for the characters and their given circumstances. And that’s what we call a film.

Score: 11/10

I Care A Lot (2021) as seen on Amazon Prime

For a full review of I Care A Lot, follow the link: https://ratingtheframe.tumblr.com/post/643763403606867968/a-strong-performance-from-rosamund-pike-that-we

Score: 8/10

Interview with a Vampire (1994) as seen on BBC iPlayer

We were doing SO WELL until I made the costly decision to watch this waffle of a film, directed by Neil Jordan. Not only was the story all over the place, but the dialogue itself was incredibly on the nose and self explanatory throughout. It feels like there was more talking about the film instead of showing the film, which just made me switch off from early on in the film. I hated the casting of Tom Cruise in this and there were moments when I believed his character, but none of them outweighed the overarched and over bearing performance he was attempting to give. Brad Pitt was marginally better but the performance of Kirsten Dunst who was 12 years old at the time this film was released, outdid both actors. She was the only character that I truly felt for / cared about and her on screen presence was both enviable and wise beyond her years. Personally, I can’t explain what this film was even about because I truly didn’t get what was going on, however if you’re a fan of Kirsten Dunst’s work, this would be a suitable film to watch in that respect.

Score: 4/10

Fargo (1996) as seen on Amazon Prime

Fargo is probably most known as a Netflix series, but before that, it was originally a film directed by the Coen Brothers and starred the likes of Frances McDormand, Steve Buscemi, William H Macy and John Carroll Lynch. I’ve been meaning to watch Fargo for quite some time and I was not disappointed with the outcome of it. It's one of those good old fashioned crime films, with lots of twists and blood split throughout the film. The film won two Oscars in 1997; one for Best Actress which was handed to Frances McDormand playing a police officer investigating a string of murders in Minnesota and another for Best Original Screenplay. A really well constructed story with a fantastic cast and great cinematography work from Roger Deakins (1917 (2020), Blade Runner 2049 (2017) The Shawshank Redemption (1994).

Score: 10/10

The Darjeeling Limited (2007) as seen on Amazon Prime

The Darjeeling Limited further proves to us Wes Anderson’s ability to create entire new worlds and show us stories that take place all across the world. Three brothers, Peter (Adrien Brody), Jack (Jason Schwartzman) and Francis (Owen Wilson) have travelled to India in an attempt to bond with one another “spiritually” after the death of their father. Peter and Jack aren’t too keen on this little expedition, irritated at their brothers' intrusiveness over the trip. The majority of the film is set on this fanatical train travelling across India and yet again, we are blessed with some phenomenal production design to tell us a fun and uplifting story. What’s more is that the boys’ mother (Anjelica Huston) lives in India as a nun at the foot of the Himalayas. This becomes the real reason for their venture and such a thing changes the character dynamics between the three men. India is shown in all its beauty in this film using the backdrop of three men’s relationship with one another as a story.

Score: 9/10

The Life Aquatic of Steve Zissou (2004) as seen on DVD

Another one of Wes Anderson’s lesser known films but equally as good as the rest, this film follows a group of marine explorers travelling across the pacific to try and kill a shark that supposedly ate a member of Steve Zissou (Bill Murray) ’s crew. With an all star cast composed of Bill Murray, Owen Wilson, Cate Blanchett, Jeff Goldblum and Anjelica Huston this film was entertaining, enlightening and cinematographically ambitious. Steve Zissou is a fictional character who makes a living off of extreme and dangerous marine explorations. He makes films of his travels using his crew and after screening his latest film, he meets a young man (Owen Wilson) claiming to be his son. Evidently, Zissou is reluctant to accept that this man is his son and uses his presence as financial gain to the project. I appreciated all performances in this film and the set design (as always with Anderson’s films) was exceptional.

Score: 9/10

Life of Pi (2012) as seen on Amazon Prime

A highly visual and emotional film that carries beauty throughout in both performance and story, Life of Pi was directed by Brokeback Mountain (2005)’s Ang Lee and tells the story of Pi (Suraj Sharma and Irrfan Khan) a young boy alone in the middle of the Pacific Ocean with a fully grown Bengal Tiger. Winner of 4 Academy Awards including Best Director at the 2013 Academy Awards, this film does a phenomenal job of reminding us why cinema is such a superior and infinite art form. Pi’s family are on their way from India to America, exporting a large number of their zoo animals in hope of selling them once they reach the other side of the world. After a horrendous storm ravages their cargo ship, Pi is left all alone in the ocean with what only appears to be a small dingy, but to his horror, he comes to find that the zoo’s tiger Richard Parker is keeping him company in the middle of the ocean. Now if that ain’t a viable story, then I don’t know what is. To make a film look like it was set in the middle of a Pacific and with a Bengal Tiger is no small feat. Suraj Sharma’s performance was both truthful and powerful, despite the film being mostly shot in a studio with nothing but animation for Richard Parker. This is one of very few films that does the original novel justice.

Score: 11/10

Capone (2021) as seen on Netflix

Yikes. Capone has not been getting a lot of love in the media since its release on Netflix on 24th February. Personally, it's not the most god awful, offensive film I’ve seen and yet I wouldn’t have been the one to have made such a film either. The film is supposed to depict the last year of the infamous and notorious Al Capone, who suffered from numerous illnesses at only the age of 48. Tom Hardy plays the blood thirsty gangster and I have to say, this was a thoughtless casting choice. Hardy doesn’t have an ounce of Italian in his face and he put on this larger than life caricature of an accent that had me feeling rather sorry for him at moments when I shouldn’t have been. The acting was exceptional, but believable and interesting? That’s another argument altogether. Cinematography and sound wise, I thought the film was excellent in those respects but again, those should be additions to the integral story of a film. I get why Hardy signed up though, what actor wouldn’t want to play a mob boss? Maybe the point of Al’s life in which this film was built upon was perhaps wrong for the screen and I’m sure most would have preferred Hardy to play Capone at his peak. This film is a clear example of people getting ahead of themselves when they first explore an idea for a film. This film could have easily been saved in the development stage had someone said let’s not do this.

Score: 5/10

Creed II (2018) as seen on Amazon Prime

Obviously a prequel will always outdo a sequel, however I found Creed II to be just as meaningful as the first film. Maybe even more so as Adonis Creed (Michael B Jordan) is becoming a father his responsibilities have shifted dramatically. He’s also desperate to fight Viktor Drago, a Ukrainian ruthless boxer whose father accidentally killed Creed’s father in a match decades before. Drago is tough, beyond what he and his coach Rocky (Sylvester Stallone) could ever imagine and because of this, it drives a wedge between Adonis’ relationship with his coach. Creed thinks Rocky doesn’t believe he can beat Drago but Rocky insists not fighting the bull of a boxer would benefit him greatly, after all, look what happened to his father. The character dynamics have shifted in this sequel, but the structure has remained largely the same. We kind of knew what we were being served at the end and the change in character was there for everyone.

Score: 10/10

...and that’s it! Everything I watched this February, you do not want to KNOW how long this list took to compile. Thanks for reading and see you next month!

ig: @ratingtheframe

22 notes · View notes

365days365movies · 4 years ago

Text

February 8, 2021: The English Patient (Review)

Coming up to reviewing this film, the following question arose: did this movie deserve 9 Academy Awards?

Some of them, I think for sure. As a taste, here’s what the film won:

Best Picture (ooooh, Fargo, though...)

Best Supporting Actress for Juliette Binoche (deserved, I think)

Best Art Direction (...yeah, Romeo + Juliet. ‘Nuff said)

Best Cinematography (I dunno, Evita and Fargo are good...but maybe.)

Best Costume Design (Hamlet ain’t bad, though...just saying.)

Best Director (mmmmmmmmFARGOTHO)

Best Film Editing (MMMMMMMFARGOTHOOOO)

Best Original Dramatic Score (yeah, deserved)

Best Sound (...wait, Twister was nominated for an Oscar? TWISTER).

THIS TWISTER?

...Oh, right! This analysis doesn’t actually mean anything! Why? BECAUSE THE OSCARS ARE NOT A BASTION OF FILM QUALITY HOLY SHIT.

Let’s just get into my opinionated Review, huh?

Review

Cast and Acting: 8/10

OK, here’s the real truth. Ralph Fiennes is a great actor, and plays a great character both pre-and-post burns. Honestly, he’s fantastic in this role...except for being a bit unpredictably emotional. He doesn’t really convincingly show his hidden emotions towards Katherine in any way, making it a huge surprise once that’s revealed. As for Kristin Scott Thomas, it’s a bit smoother for her. However, she’s also not the most memorable character, despite being a very good actress. And the chemistry of the two together...well, it spikes SIGNIFICANTLY when they’re in the throes of passion, which is one of the reasons I think this film was as popular as it was. Well, to each his own; I chose my path. But here’s the thing...they were both nominated for Best Actor and Actress, and lost. And I know that I JUST SAID that the Oscars don’t matter...

...but the fact that Juliette Binoche won for best Supporting Actress, I think, is entirely not surprising. Because Hana is the best character in the film. And while there are some other actors that steal the show, I knew from the beginning. Binoche was the best...the best...finish it....FINISH IIIIIIIT

...OH, RIGHT! Why in the ever-loving hell was Willem “Green Goblin” Dafoe not considered for Best Supporting Actor? Not saying he should’ve won, but he deserved a nomination at least! Had one of the most memorable and gripping scenes in the movie, and I think his snub was unfair here. So, yeah, poor Willem definitely deserves some high points here, too.

Plot and Writing: 9/10

Anthony Minghella, the director of this movie, adapted it from a book by Michael Ondaatie, and did a good job! The plot, while broken up by flashbacks, is good! It might be a little too broken up at times, for my taste, but it’s not to obtuse to follow. And so, high score for this one.

Directing and Cinematography: 8/10

Anthony Minghella and John Seale handle those respective categories well...but I don’t know if it was Best Director worthy. I dunno, it was great, but it wasn’t amazing for me. Same with the Cinematography, which is leading me to give this the score I gave it. Not many major nitpicks, but no gigantic accolades either.

Production and Art Design: 8/10

Same goes for the Production and Art Design, which should’ve lost to Romeo + Juliet, let’s be honest here. Garish as that movie might be, it’s diverse and iconic in appearance, while this movie...looks like a WWII film set in Italy and Egypt. Nothing wrong with that, and the film does that VERY well, but...it’s not R + J iconic, sorry.

Music and Editing: 9/10

And finally, Gabriel Yared’s score and Walter Murch’s editing is...pretty solid, all around. Music’s a great score, and some of the editing here is top-notch. I wouldn’t necessarily get this for my playlist, but it’s still a fantastic score. Honestly, though, the extra points come from the fantastic editing, which somehow maes the flashbacks less jarring when compared to the modern day.

84%! Award-winner for a reason, but...9?

Well, unsurprisingly, it’s a pretty high score. And yet, not my favorite. Probably also doesn’t help that this is a LONG-ASS movie as well. How about, for the next one, we still go historical, but go shorter? Or maybe...do I go longer...

February 9, 2021: Doctor Zhivago (1965)

#the english patient #anthony minghella #ralph fiennes #juliette binoche #willem dafoe #kristin scott thomas #naveen andrews #colin firth #user365 #365 movie challenge #365 movies 365 days #365 Days 365 Movies #365 movies a year #romance february

7 notes · View notes

mirkwoodshewolf · 5 years ago

Text

My #1 fan; Ben Hardy x child sister reader

*Author’s note*

Hey guys well here I am with yet another BoRhap boy story, this time it's of Ben Hardy (god it's been FOREVER since I wrote a story of Benny boi) but here it is. Now this is a Big Brother!Ben fic so unlike the last time there is NO ROMANCE, JUST FLUFFY PLATONIC GOODNESS THAT I CAN DISH UP!!!! Also in this fic I would like to point out that I do NOT OWN WORLD OF DANCE!! IT BELONGS TO J-LO AND NBC and all the people involved with the making of this amazing dance competition (if you haven't heard of it, go check it out the recent season is out NOW!!) Also watch the video links (from actual previous competitors on the show) to get a feel of what I'm seeing for the dances cause I am NOT dancer so I do not know all the moves that you dancers do out there, but I hope you all still enjoy this fic :)

Taglist:

@plethora-of-things

@waddles03

@psychosupernatural

@ixchel-9275

@simonedk

@jd-johndeacon-or-jackdaniels

@queensdivas

@platawnic

@queendeakyy

@geek-and-proud

@kairosfreddie

@iambambi5

______________________________________________________________

God it feels like it’s been forever since we’ve seen each other. From the time I got my first real American movie role in X-men Apocalypse, everything just seemed to fold right before me. From my biggest success of Bohemian Rhapsody (where I became best friends with probably the three greatest guys in the world), followed by the Netflix movie 6 Underground with Ryan Reynolds (and yes he’s just as hilarious and humble as he presents himself).

My life has just exploded from there, I try to be home whenever I can but when I do, she’s just as busy as I am.

Now that things have calmed down on my end and she’s preparing for an upcoming audition on a dance show, I can finally take the time to go see her (especially now since I’m in LA where she’s to audition). God I haven’t seen her in years, I wonder how she’s been?

“BENJAMIN!!!” Joe’s voice snapped me out of my thoughts and I turned to him.

“Hmm what?”

“Geez mate you were really out of it back there. We’ve been trying to get your attention for like 10 minutes.” Gwil said as he sipped his beer.

“Oh sorry guys, I was just—thinking.”

“And just who was it that had your attention so badly that you tuned out from the rest of the world?” teased Rami.

“Benjamin Hardy are you cheating on me!? Oh my god you’re cheating! Who is it! What’s their name!?” Joe accused me. I rolled my eyes as I shoved him.

“Is it a girl?” Rami asked.

“Oh great. Now I gotta get breast implants just to get you to notice me.” Joked Joe. We all looked at him strangely and I said.

“Not in that way, but yes I am thinking about a girl. My sister actually.”

“Your sister? You—never mentioned a sister before.” Gwil said.

“I kinda like to keep her separate from my name.”

“What you guys don’t get along?” asked Joe.

“No, no we get along amazingly. We’re each other’s #1 fans. But ever since Bohemian Rhapsody everyone now knows my name. I don’t want people comparing the two of us and making her feel like I’m outshining her. That’s one of the other reasons why I changed my last name from Jones to Hardy.”

“Is she an actress too?” Rami asked with a head tilt.

“No, no. She’s a dancer actually.”

“A dancer? Fancy.” Joe said in a posh accent.

“What kind of dancing does she do?” Gwil said.

“Mostly contemporary. But she also does ballet and a bit of Hip-hop. This one competition she was on, she actually combined ballet and hip-hop together. Got 1st place for it, and was the youngest winner to ever win the Glasgow dance competition.” They all whistled.

“She must be good then, how old is she?”

“She was 7 years old.” They all gaped at me.

“You’re joking right?” Joe said with wide eyes and a gaped mouth.

“No, not at all. In fact in her ballet school where she trains, she’s actually the youngest student to have been chosen to get a full run scholarship to the London Academy for Dance. Once she’s 12 years old, they’ll give her the full ride.”

“Wait, wait, wait. How old is she now?” Gwil asked.

“She’s nine.”

“So they’re gonna hold onto her scholarship for another three years?” Rami said. I nodded.

“Damn she must be good for them to do that.” Joe said with a sigh.

“She is. Fell in love with dancing at 2 years old and did her first pirouette within the first three months of joining her ballet school.”

“Geez, and my sister couldn’t do one till she was about 9.”

“Guess my sister’s got yours beat.” I teased to Joe.

“Yeah, yeah, yeah don’t rub it in.”

“So Ben, when was the last time you saw her?”

“Five years.” I said as I sipped my beer solemnly.

“Wait what? You haven’t seen your sister in five years!?” Joe gawked.

“I told you guys, ever since X-men it’s been one project after another. And even when I did have a break, she was out of state doing a competition either with her school or as a soloist. But—hopefully that’ll change in the next few weeks. She’s actually here in LA.”

“She is?” Rami said. I nodded.

“Yeah. She’s auditioning for some sort of dance show they film here.”

“So you think you can dance is doing a junior competition now?” asked Joe.

“No not that one. It’s a recent one. They’ve only done like 3 or 4 seasons of it. I think it’s called Dancing world…..no World of Dance. That’s it.”

“Oh that show is awesome! I’ve auditioned for that show.” Joe bragged.

“No you haven’t.” Rami exclaimed at Joe’s lie.

“I’m serious I auditioned during their first 2 seasons. Couldn’t commit cause of obvious reasons.”

“I’m calling BS on that.” Gwil said as he leaned back.

“Uhh excuse me; who got the part of the Disco Deacy? Me. Who perfected the BAB dance? Me. I’m perfectly qualified to be a dancer. In fact why don’t we go see your little sis and she can be the judge!”

“What?”

“You heard me, right now! Let’s go see her!” Joe said as he downed his drink and stood up.

“Hang on guys……”

“Well besides of Joe’s reason, I think it’d be fair for us to meet your little sis. I mean we’ve practically seen each other’s siblings. You all met my twin Sami and my sis Jasmine.”

“I agree with Rami, and you all met my older brother at my engagement party.”

“And of course you all met John and Mary at the BoRhap premiere.” At this rate I knew I wasn’t going to win this argument.

“Fine. I—guess I’ll call up my mum and ask her where she’s rehearsing at.” I just hope (y/n) doesn’t mind having my friends come and see her rehearse.

Cause when she’s in rehearsal mode, she can be quite the little jumpy bug.

*My POV*

Two days. I had two days till the Qualifier rounds for World of Dance. I had my routine down to the T and my mum says it’s perfect (but she has to say that she’s my mum), however I’m still doubting myself on some of the moves, or if I’m not showing enough emotion (cause J-Lo loves herself some dancers who can convey emotion).

I was sitting in the rehearsal room having myself a break after rehearsing my dance for the past half hour. I had this studio slotted for a 45min. rehearsal so I had about 15 minutes left to practice.

“I swear each time you dance your routine, you get more graceful every time.” Mum said as she came in with some lunch.

“Thanks mum, but is it good enough for the judges?”

“I know it is.” I chose not to respond to her. Like I said she has to say these things, but I know there are some flaws to my dance. I didn’t stick the landing hard enough, I tripped up on the landing from the 540, my leg wasn’t straight enough with I lifted it outward, so many flaws. “Oh I forgot, there’s a little surprise waiting for you downstairs.”

“Mum I—I don’t know. I mean I haven’t even found out if I’ll make it into the next round.”

“Trust me love, you’ll like this surprise.” She raced over to the door and opened it and soon coming in my brother and his three friends from his film Bohemian Rhapsody.

“Benny!” I cheered as I hopped off my seat and raced right over to him. A huge smile spread across his face as he extended his arms out and caught me as he picked me up and spun me around.

“Hey kiddo oh it’s been forever! Oh you’ve gotten so big since I last saw you.”

“I missed you Benny.”

“I missed you too kiddo. God you have no idea how much I missed you.” he said as he repeatedly kissed the top of my head.

“Your brother happened to be in LA so we planned a little surprise visit for you.” mum said as she closed the door.

“And I hope you don’t mind that I brought a few friends over.” Ben said as he gestured towards the three actors who starred with him on Bohemian Rhapsody.

“I don’t mind. I’ve heard so much about these guys that I figured it’s about time I met them in person.” He set me down and I walked up to the actor who played the legendary Freddie Mercury. “Rami Malek, right?”

“That is correct, and you must be his famous little dancing sister.”

“Well I wouldn’t call myself famous yet, but I hope to be one day.” We shook hands with each other. I then moved onto the next one, the tallest out of all of them who even looked like Brian May even without the wig. “Now forgive me if I pronounce your name wrong, my Welsh isn’t that great. Is it—Gwilym.” I pronounced the “I” like I was saying “ice cream”.

“Close, it’s pronounced Gwilym. Think of the “wi” like will.”

“Right, sorry.”

“No worries—(Y/n) right?”

“Yeah.” We both shook hands with each other and I told him, “Can I just say, I thought you were phenomenal as Brian May.”

“Well thank you love, I take it you’re a Queen fan as well?”

“Yeah. You can thank Benny for that. He introduced me to the band when I was a little girl. I even did a dance routine to White Queen when I was around 4-5 years old.”

“Wow, if you remember it, we’d sure like to see it.” Rami said.

“I think I might remember it. Again it was a while ago so I might improvise something if I don’t remember the whole routine.”

“No problem there.” Rami said with a warm smile. I then moved on to the last actor who played (my personal favorite member of Queen, John Deacon).

“So you’re the famous Joe Mazzello that my brother won’t shut up about.”

“Sure am kid. And you’re the world time dance champion and scholarship holder for the best London dance academy ehh?”

“You could say that.”

“Well little missy I happen to be a dance champion too, and I challenge you to a dance off!” Already I could see Ben, Gwilym and Rami either shaking their heads or rolling their eyes as Joe’s proclamation.

“This wouldn’t have anything to do with my brother would it?”

“And if it is?” questioned Joe in a challenging manner.

“No reason.” I shrugged. “Just hope you’re prepared to lose.” The guys all oooh in a challenging manner and that’s when Joe nodded along.

“Okay, okay little one. But I’m giving it all I got so you better watch out.” I gestured that the dancefloor was all his. Gwil went over to the stereo and went through my Spotify app till he found the song that Joe wanted to dance to.

He chose Wham’s ‘Wake me up before you go-go’. I’ll admit he has some pretty good moves—for an amateur. After doing a minute and a half of his little on the spot dance moves, he posed as he panted heavily.

“It was okay.” I shrugged.

“Okay?”

“Yeah I mean—it was…..cute. It was cute. For like an Instagram or TikTok video.”

“Okay then little miss Prima donna. Show me your little ballet moves.” Challenged Joe. Oh he don’t know me very well, do he? I first took off my ballet shoes and put on my sneakers.

I told Gwilym which song to play and he nodded to me that he would wait till I was ready before he played the song. I now stood in the middle of the room and took a deep breath before turning to Gwilym. He nodded and pressed his finger on my phone to play the song and soon YG’s “One time coming” began playing.

Play video

With this song I unleashed my Hip-hop background. Poppin and locking my body when needed, going in time with the beat, even doing things with my limbs to which no one had ever seen (like this one move where I had my right arm out and only by moving my left index finger, either the upper or lower portion of my arm would move up).

The guys and my mum were amazed and just in awe at my dancing. And when I did a little patterned tip-toe strut with my arms tucked in like duck wings, did I hear the guys exclaim and just flip out. When my minute and a half dance break was over, I flipped my hair towards Joe telling him that he got owned.

In pure defeat, Joe collapsed to the ground and lay there dead while my brother came up and hoisted me onto his shoulder.

“The winner and undefeated champion of the dance. (Y/n) Jones!” I bowed and thanked the guys and my mum as they cheered. Benny set me back down on the ground just as Joe finally came up and revived himself. I stood before him and he said.

“You surprise me kiddo. I accept defeat. Benjamin is yours.”

“Well he is my brother. But—we can share him.” At hearing that, Joe took me in his arms and spun me around thanking me repeatedly.

“Do you think whenever we get some free time, could you show me some stuff. I really liked that little tip-toe strut.”

“I learned it from a friend of mine whose into Hip-hop back at my school. In fact he competed on the first season of World of Dance he and his group. They didn’t win but they got to the Semi-finals.”

“That’s awesome. You really are the dance master. And I can’t wait to see what you bring to the World of Dance stage.”

“In fact (Y/n), can we see your routine?” asked Ben.

“Yeah I was just about to ask that. Ben’s told us that while you can combine certain genres of dance, your main focus was on contemporary. I’ve always been intrigued anytime someone says they’re a contemporary dancer.” Gwilym said. I turned to my mum and asked her how long did I have for rehearsal.

When she told me five minutes, I knew I could show them my audition routine that I had planned. But after that we had to leave cause the next group to come in had to set up their things and warmup.

The guys all took a seat along the mirrored wall while my mum handled the music.

Once my song began playing, I did my entire routine before the guys. Showing Ben’s friends that while I can unleash the beast in Hip-hop, I can be as graceful and elegant as a swan.

After the routine was done, I got a standing ovation from all four of the guys as they applauded and whistled. I gathered up my stuff and as I did, the guys all swarmed around me telling me what an amazing job I did, and that for some of the *cough*Joe*cough* I had them crying by the end of my routine.

We then left the dance studio and Ben’s friends allowed us to have our own personal family time (since Ben and I hadn’t seen each other in literally five years). We said our goodbyes and soon our mum took us out to eat as sorta a family reunion/congratulations on all of our combined successes.

It was time. The World of Dance qualifier rounds. Today was my filming date and I knew in several weeks they would soon air it on TV worldwide. Now I have performed in front of crowd before, but this—this was something else.

And not to even make me twice as nervous, I have seen what people comment on the show or the specific dancers. Most of them are nice comments but then again it’s the Internet so there’s bound to be haters out there.

This one girl from last season just a few years older than me got so much hate in fact, that she ended up shutting down her Twitter page and I’m told she gave up on dancing all together. I don’t know what I’m gonna do if that ends up being me.

I was running my routine through my head and stretching myself out. With me to support me was my mum, Ben and Ben’s friends of Bohemian Rhapsody, Rami, Gwil and Joe. With each dancing group or person that went up, I got more and more nervous. Soon a producer came up to me and said.

“(Y/n), you’ll be on up after The Jumperz.”

“Okay, thank you.” I told him. He nodded and walked away from me, at that moment I felt like I wanted to puke.

“Hey kiddo, how’s it going?” I looked up to see Ben standing over me.

“Good, very good.” He sat down beside me, his brow furrowed with concern. Crap he knows, he always knows.

“You sure?” at this point I knew I couldn’t hide it anymore. I tucked my legs into my chest and curled myself into a ball.

“I don’t think I can do this anymore Ben.”

“What do you mean?” he questioned.

“Maybe this whole thing was a mistake. Can we go home? Yeah, yeah let’s go home.” I said as I stood up.

“Now hold on, hold on love.” He took my hand into his stopping me from even walking away. “Let’s just sit down and talk about it real quick.” He stood up and we went outside of the room and stood along the hallway.

I leaned up against the wall with my arms crossed over my chest protectively and my leg bouncing with anxiety.

“Talk to me sis, what’s going on?”

“I just……I’m scared Ben. I don’t know why I am, I’ve performed in front of an audience before, I don’t know why I’m this nervous. It’s stupid I know.”

“Hey, hey, hey. No it’s not.” He said to me gently as he cupped my face, trying his best to not ruin my makeup. “You’re human, you have every right to be nervous. I’ll bet not a single one of these dancers you’re competing against isn’t feeling what you’re feeling now. And some of these guys might’ve been with well-known performers and are still feeling the nerves.”

“Is it always this nerve wracking for you every time you film something?” he nodded.

“Of course it is. I’m always worried about people’s reactions to me on screen. Even with all the positive feedback I get, I always keep my eye focused on that one negative outlook, no matter how many people say I’m good in a role.”

“I just don’t want the haters to pull me away from my dream like they did to that one dancer that came on the show last season.”

“Come here, have a seat in my lap.” He sat down on the floor and guided me till I was now sitting on his lap, holding me like a teddy bear. “There will always be haters and trolls out there in the world. That’s just what they get off of, is by bringing other people down, especially kids who go on shows like this. It’s wrong and vile but I won’t say you won’t encounter some hate. But the one thing you must keep in mind; is to never, ever let them dictate on who you are as a person.”

“Do you think I can do that?”

“Absolutely. You’re incredibly talented, you’re smart, kind, the most talented person I’ve ever met. I mean yeah I can dance but nowhere near to the level that you can. Hell you even beat out Joe in that little dance competition when you first met him a couple days ago.”

“I did do that, didn’t I?” he chuckled.

“You schooled him.”

“Ben no one says that anymore.”

“Whatever I’m a 90’s kid that was the lingo back then.”

“Back in the ancient times.” He scoffed.

“Alright miss smart-aleck I guess since you’re feeling well enough to sass me off you don’t need me anymore.” He plopped me off his lap and went to stand up but I gripped his shirt and begged.

“No Benny please!” all I could hear was his soft laughter. I hit his arm and pouted. “You are so mean!”

“Aww sissy, you know I can’t help but be a little cheeky with you.” he teased as he playfully nudged my shoulder with his arm. I smiled and nodded.

“Yeah I know cause that’s your job.”

“It is my job. Well one of the many qualifications of being your Big Brother. The most important one though, is to be there for you when you need it.” He stroked the top of my head and I hugged him.

“Thanks Ben. I’m glad that you could be here.”

“Me too. And hey, accepted or not. I’m proud of all that you’ve done in your dancing career.” He whispered in my ear as he gave me a snug embrace.

After our little bro-sis cuddle, we separated from each other and he asked me, “Do you still feel nervous?”

“A little but not as much.”

“Okay so there are two options we can do here; we can shake out the nerves, or my favorite—I can tickle them out of you.”

“No Ben you’ll ruin my costume!” I whined out as he chuckled.

“Okay, so we’ll shake them out then.” We both stood up and did our nerve shakeout.

Which was basically what he learned in theatre which was just shaking out your hands and feet counting backwards from 10, but each time we’d count, we’d go a bit faster. Once we got one, Ben picked me up and spun me around before setting me down.

“Better?”

“Better.”

“Good, oh wait one last thing before you go out, gotta shake out those negative thoughts in that brain of yours.” He cupped my face in his hands and playfully shook my head around as he growled out in an angry tone, “Get out of my sister’s head you dirty rotter’s!”

“Ben!” I laughed. He stopped as he grinned down at me.

“Had to make sure. You look beautiful, and I know you’re gonna wow everyone out there, especially the judges.”

“Thanks Benny. I love you.”

“Love you too kiddo.” He gave my nose a peck before escorting me back into the dance room. A producer was calling out my name, I looked up at Ben and he nodded to me before I went racing off towards the producer to tell him I was here.

When he saw me, he guided me towards the corridor where I would walk down, go up the stairs and racing across towards the stage. I could hear the chanting claps of the audience and their cheers and soon I heard the announcer say through the speaker.

“Give it up, for (Y/n) Jones.” I raced across the corridor, took the steps two at a time before racing across the catwalk towards the stage. As soon as I came on stage, everyone cheered and soon I was standing before Ne-Yo, Derek Hough, and Jennifer Lopez. They greeted me with waves or nods and I waved to them.

“Hello sweetie.” Jennifer greeted me.

“Hi.” I waved back to her.

“Why don’t you tell us your name?”

“My name is (Y/n) Jones and I’m from London, England.”

“Oh a British Dancer. Finally someone from the UK.” Derek proclaimed.

“So how old are you?” Ne-Yo asked me.

“I just turned nine last month.” At that the crowd cheered for me and that’s when Ne-Yo said.

“Well happy belated birthday.”

“Thank you Ne-Yo.” He winked at me and said to me.

“Let’s see what you got (Y/n).” I nodded and handed my microphone to one of the assistants before racing off towards the back of the stage as the lights went down.

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath in before exhaling slowly. This was it, make it or break it.

*Ben’s POV*

From backstage, my mum, the guys and I along with the other dancers could watch and see what was going on stage. I pressed my hands together in a prayer motion as I had them against my lips, c’mon little sis I know you can do it.

*Play video*

Her song routine, Ashes by Celine Dion soon came on through the speakers and she began her routine. The lights softly lit up in a sunrise color of yellow, orange, and purple. She truly shined as her dance went on, going slow when she needed before finally sticking the landing or going with the beat of the song.

That entire stage was hers to command and she used the entirety of that stage for her routine. I could hear the judges voices sound impressed with my sister’s routine, especially once the chorus struck and the hard drumbeats of the song kicked in.

The crowd was just in awe and applauded my sister, dazzled by her grace yet strength she was giving them in her performance. Doing her 540’s, leg lifts, front flips, she was like the Freddie Mercury of dancing on that stage as she showed her true colors on that stage, especially as it lit up with her as the song got more powerful.

By the end of it when she stood up and just gave that pleading face of help as she reached out towards J-Lo, the lights went dark and the entire audience went nuts.

“That was even amazing with the lights.” Said Joe.

“Agreed, she really lit that stage up.” Rami agreed.

“That’s our girl.” Mum said as I wrapped my arm around her.

“Alright, alright, alright, alright (Y/n). Now remind me how old you are?” Derek said.

“I just turned nine.” At that point Derek stood up from his chair flipping his pen which made everyone laugh. “Girl you look like you’ve been doing this for 20 years.” Everyone laughed.

“How old were you when you got into dancing?” asked J-Lo.

“I was 2.” (y/n) responded.

“Well it shows that you definitely have a passion for this. And you literally have been doing this your whole life. Just seeing you being able to do moves that—I couldn’t even do at your age till I was much older, that to me…..shows you have true love for dancing. And you already gave me goosies little missy and we just met you.”

“Uh-oh Jennifer with her goosies.” Ne-Yo said.

“She gave them to me, the goosies do not lie!”

“No they do not.” Derek said before he continued, “But just like Jennifer said. I mean my sister and I we did some contemporary a bit as kids but nowhere could we master it down just like you’ve done (Y/n). And that final move where you just landed right on your knees. I literally jumped from my seat.”

“Yeah it was like you had no bones little miss.” Ne-Yo said as my sister smiled and laughed. “Besides from what both Derek and Jennifer has said. Your timing is what really stuck out to me. Like it was like you were a part of the song itself. Like first you’d be like all smooth and fluid when the beat was gentle. But when the drumbeat kicked in hard with boom- boom boom-boom. That right there is what really stuck out to me.”

“I completely agree.” Derek said.

“Alright we’re gonna lock in our scores and we’ll see if you make it to the duels (Y/n).” J-Lo said with a smile. (Y/n) nodded and that’s when the lights dimmed down on her and we watched as the three judges locked in their scores, while making their silent commentaries to each other.

“Okay (Y/n), you need an 88 or above to qualify for the duels, let’s see what you scored.” The host said as he came out and stood beside my sister. The lights shown down (like those game show lights whenever something gets suspenseful).

First up was Derek’s score; he gave her an 90.

At that my sister made a face of shock as her smile widened and she covered her mouth in shock. The crowd cheered and up next was Ne-Yo’s score.

He gave her an 89. Finally J-Lo’s score was a 92. When the scores rounded up together was 90.3. Her score shined up on the ceiling scoreboard and (Y/n) couldn’t believe it, poor sissy was even crying.

“Congratulations (Y/n) you made it to the Duels. How’s it feel?” the host asked as he held his microphone to her.

“It feel just—absolutely amazing. All three of you have been an inspiration to be in wanting to become a dancer and this just means so much to me. Thank you for letting me get this opportunity.”

“We can’t wait to see what you bring us, cause already little Miss, you’ve got the competitive edge. It better only get better from here on out.�� Ne-Yo told her. She nodded and thanked the judges one last time before running off the stage.

As she came running towards us, I had to be the first one she saw. I cheered for her as I opened my arms out for her and she raced towards me before leaping right into my arms. I spun her around as the two of us laughing joyously.

“You did it kiddo! I’m so proud of you.”

“Thanks to you Ben. I kept thinking about what you said, I dedicated my performance to you.” I felt myself tear up as I buried my face into her ponytailed hair.

“I would’ve been proud of you either way.” At this point the rest of the guys as well as our mum came up and congratulated her.

That night we celebrated her victory on making it to the next round of World of Dance. Drinks for me and the guys, we danced, sung some karaoke, and just partied all night long.

83 notes · View notes

honmakurara · 4 years ago

Text

What Kyuso is, and what it isn’t

A few thoughts about Kyuso wa cheese no yume o miru upcoming movie release

Warning 1: spoilers ahead!

Warning 2: I wrote this post quite long ago but the movie was delayed due to the spread of the pandemic, and so I chose to postpone my thoughts as well. So if you find that some thoughts might sound a bit "old", that is the reason why.

I can remember there was at first a lot of criticization towards Ohkura's upcoming Otomo role in the Kyuuso wa Cheese no yume o miru movie, which honestly I cannot fully understand.

While I can understand not everyone might be comfortable "enjoying" a story starting out of repeatedly cheats towards women and a blackmail, it sure does not just sit back on this alone (quite the contrary), and I think that both character and story-wise it can be an amazing opportunity for Ohkura's career.

Same for the Boys' Love theme: live action adaptations of BL stories have so far generally lacked too much and definitely failed to adequately portray the BL theme itself, due to poor budget, poor staff, poor attention and poor everything. A brilliant exception is the Double Mints movie: a very dark, violent and angsty story (beware if you're not incline to these themes) and yet a very touching and heart-wrenching movie, where the BL relationship is as much sad as realistic.

Back to the Kyuso movie.

Ohkura's Otomo character in the Kyuso no cheese BL movie isn't just a "bisex" one, and isn't just a "gay" one either. The original manga is actually no real BL because it was not published in a Boys' Love magazine, it had been written in a josei magazine whose target is the adult female audience. That is to say the story does not aim to be a queer manifesto, even though I think it deals amazingly great with such themes. What's (I reckon) great about Mizushiro sensei's story isn't the yaoi theme itself (alone), but rather the excellent way she portrays the human weaknesses and dark sides of her characters (male and female ones), which is not to say I "cheer" for the characters, because I don't, but introspection-development-wise, the story is gorgeous.

Even after the re-prints of the volumes, which have partially edited illustration (not a big thing, only the genital depiction has been censored), the illustrations, dialogues and themes keep being the original ones.

As I said above, the several twists this story carries are also why I reckon this role might be a huge and challenging opportunity for Ohkura's career as an actor, together with his "controversial" Kumon Onna and recent Montecristo ones, and why I won't go easy with 'judging' the movie as proper adaptation of the manga, should it turn out to be disappointing on screen. - Spoilers ahead, you're warned -

While living is life as a "regular het" guy, Otomo is married and repeatedly cheats on his wife. Should he be praised for leading this life? I guess no, definitely not. So, we start out from a mean man doing despicable actions who suddenly gets "blackmailed" for his bad behaviour by a homosexual kohai of his.

Is Imagase the only bad guy here, for daring such blackmail? I guess not.

And yet, despite (or thanks to) these premises, the story evolves into something very, very different.

It takes a gay kohai of his to make Otomo realize that his marriage is just an empty shell, that he basically married out of any deep feelings for his wife and was 'happy' with just 'life going on'. It's the meeting with Imagase that forces him to think deeply about his life, to realize he's never cared for other people's feelings to start with. In short, Otomo is a womanizer, a selfish and rather empty guy. The sexual relationship with Imagase reveals him also as being jealous and passive, masochistic and dominant at the same time, very much incline to temptation, whatever its shape or time. He's not to be praised, not a little bit. He's not to be looked down at, at the same time. Because he's human, because that is how life takes his toll on everyone of us (nothing is black or white, rather being endless shades of gray), and because it's only when Otomo realizes who he is and what he wants -thanks to Imagase- that he finally manages to be more "himself". "I'll turn 30 soon. I might still have to know what true love is." -Kyoichi Otomo-

These 'simple' words are one of the keys of the whole story to me: I was aghast when I read it in the manga, I still remember them 10 years later, and I was so relieved to notice it was kept in the trailer, at least. Which is to say I'm not the only one thinking they're valuable.

Otomo has met and has been with a lot of women, but none of them is able to rip a hole inside his soul. And then, yes, it's Imagase who "makes the miracle", he's the only one who intercepts the black hole and bluntly tells him so. Because sometimes this can happen through the most unexpected of encounters. It's Imagase who makes Otomo finally realize how important it is to pursue a relationship where both parts openly discuss, argue and talk constantly about each other... in bed or not. It's Imagase, a cheeky, blunt, capricious, selfish, impetuous, fickle and mean guy. It's not a woman, nor a good boy. But it's him who is there for Otomo when the latter needs it (and even when he does not). This is what makes this story not just good but special, to me: a cynical analysis about love relationships and human growth/twists, but at the same time a very humble and realistic one.

Personally speaking, I don't "like" Otomo nor Imagase nor their petty behaviours, and yet I cannot wait to see how Ohkura and Narita will portray them in every little bit of these flawed characters, because I have been hooked to the story as a whole since the very beginning (ten years ago) and I still am this bewitched, and probably forever will be (yes I know, Ohkura: there is no thing like forever anymore. But bear with my feels, please). I would lie if I were to say I don't care about the sex scenes because, hey, it's a very sexy story after all, but that is not where the real point is, to me. The point is that thanks to this movie adaptation, Ohkura has been given a great (maybe not the greatest itself, but greatest so far) opportunity and I'm cheering on him eternally for this.

I had honestly never thought that one day this story could actually become a movie, and even if I did, last thing I would imagine would be that Ohkura could be starring in it.

But it happened. Not to mention Ohkura himself seems to have become fairly fond of this story... thinking deeply about his character, the staff involved, the story and its themes, just like he did during Dr. DMAT, Hanachan no Mizoshiru and Montecristo filming time. Should the movie even fail to hit my (absurdly high) expectations, I won't love the manga less. So far, the theatrical trailer looks a bit different from the sophisticated 'air' I thought it would have, but still quite nice: way more tender and cute than I thought, but with a palpable longing atmosphere which I find very much on point. We'll see. Cannot wait. In the meantime, ganbatte Ohkura, I'm proud <3

** Post Scriptum: Besides, I find it very nice that Kyuso movie will be distributed by Phantom Films, which so far handled a lot of quite interesting movies. Among these I definitely recommend: - Call Boy (with Tori Matsuzaka), story of a host/gigolò in Tokyo. Photography is amazing in this movie and so are all the actors. - Hoshigaoka Wonderland (Suda Masaki has a very small part in it, but he's amazing);

- HIS: latest release, story of a gay couple that split up during University and meets again several years later... when one of the guys has become father of a young girl. The movie is a sequel of a coming of age drama aired in 2019 in Japan.

- (not by Phantom Films but anyway) Double Mints: the BEST "yaoi" movie I have ever seen, so fa. A dark story filled with angst, violence, abuse and still, the touching story of a bond&love that cannot be torn off. Definitely not an easy movie, but definitely recommended if you're interested watching how a movie should be done and how "gay feels" are definitely not in the way nor "like a shojo manga".

#the cornered mouse dreams of cheese #Il Gioco del Gatto e del Topo #jmovie #Ohkura Tadayoshi #narita ryo #SO PROUD OF MY ICHIBAN #my poor feels

45 notes · View notes

blue-shaded · 4 years ago

Note

Imma be straight up honest here and I’m not asking to be hated on this is just my opinion:

I’m a bisexual non gender conforming human being and I still eat at chick fil a because it’s a franchise so the CEO who donate to anti LGBTQ have nothing to do with each individual franchise (yes I know they stopped doing it but it’s the best example) with that I’m still going to support Chris Pratt because his political views and his Religion isn’t something i control nor do I know him personally to judge his true character. He had made a statement before saying he goes to a church that opens its doors to anyone. Im really tired of people thinking these celebrities are our puppets and that we have to cancel them over what they belive in. My dad is strictly republican but he supports me being who I am. In this day and age we have to stop picking our friends out because of our stupid political views. If I have a friend who is voting for trump so what I’m not gonna cut them out that’s their choice not mine.

A great example of we as people trying to use celebrities as “puppets” is the band Twenty One Pilots. If you know Tyler Joseph he isn’t a very political person, he speaks out about mental health a lot. Well durning the whole BLM he chose to stay silent (which I condone because you do you) then September hits and he posted a joke “you all told me to use my platforms” and it was a picture of him in PLATFORM SHOES. Now the internet was in an uproar about how it was a shitty joke and he was making fun of BLM. When in reality people kept BOTHERING him to post about BLM when he didn’t do what they asked they threw it back at him and FORCED HIM to post about and make an apology then kept asking for more. Listen we as listerns/watchers/audience we only see what the person does on stage or what they post on the media. We have no idea what they do behind the scenes. And this happened because of a joke as well.

So I guess the point of this post is we don’t see how these actors/musicians/celebrities/YouTubers live their lives off screen to only judge them by a 3hr move or 10 minute video. So don’t be so quick to judge a person we barley know over their religion/political stance/ what charities they support.

-anon

PS/ I do agree tho where was all this ‘hype’ when others were getting shit on for their roles in a marvel film. Sorry this was lengthy my apologies.

Hello fellow bisexual non-cisgender human being! You make a good point about the chick-fil-a thing, (i’m not american but I like chicken is it any good?) I didn’t know about a previous statement but while Chris has said that the doors of the church are open to anyone, but they also support conversion therapy I don’t actually believe they are open to “anyone”.. Just anyone that fits in their beliefs. I think that this might be misleading to Chris. Tyler Joseph on your stance however I agree with. Because I saw that he speaks up about issues in the world and while not being political is an individual choice, Tyler made a joke and posted it, and Chris got involved with a meme that was out of his control. There’s a huge difference there. Tyler didn’t actively make fun of BLM and I don’t believe he’s against the movement. Cancel culture is rabid, but sincerely asking for clarification and understanding, educating people and asking for their opinion, stance, or thoughts about a subject is not necessarily cancel culture. There’s a thin line. Some people go as far as actually boycotting people, companies, franchises but that’s not what I stand for. I stand for holding people accountable, having them learn about what you should or shouldn’t say (but then again it’s up to each their own choices if they want to be edcuated or not) Criticism: I don’t judge people. I judge their actions and their words. I educate people on how to do better and hope they don’t make the same mistake twice. I will stop talking about the issue as soon x person has apologized or clarified their thoughts on the matter. Cancel culture: I judge people because of their actions and words. I also want to make sure they suffer for it in ways beyond comprehension and make sure to ruin their lives and career in turn and I will not stop talking about it until their career and life is ruined even if they apologized. There is a HUGE difference and not everyone knows it. You can criticize without canceling. Criticizing does not necessarily mean canceling.

#cancelculture #chris pratt #tyler joseph #discourse #boost

17 notes · View notes

timeless-hollywood-classics · 4 years ago

Text

Margaret Brooke Sullavan (May 16, 1909 – January 1, 1960) was an American actress of stage and film.

Sullavan began her career onstage in 1929. In 1933 she caught the attention of movie director John M. Stahl and had her debut on the screen that same year in Only Yesterday.

Sullavan preferred working on the stage and made only 16 movies, four of which were opposite James Stewart in a popular partnership that included The Mortal Storm and The Shop Around the Corner. She was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actress for her performance in Three Comrades (1938). She retired from the screen in the early 1940s, but returned in 1950 to make her last film, No Sad Songs for Me, in which she played a woman who was dying of cancer. For the rest of her career she would appear only on the stage.

Sullavan experienced increasing hearing problems, depression, and mental frailty in the 1950s. She died of an overdose of barbiturates, which was ruled accidental, on January 1, 1960, at the age of 50.

Sullavan was born in Norfolk, Virginia, the daughter of a wealthy stockbroker, Cornelius Sullavan, and his wife, Garland Councill Sullavan. She had a younger brother, Cornelius, and a half-sister, Louise Gregory. The first years of her childhood were spent isolated from other children. She suffered from a painful muscular weakness in the legs that prevented her from walking, so that she was unable to socialize with other children until the age of six. After her recovery she emerged as an adventurous and tomboyish child who preferred playing with the children from the poorer neighborhood, much to the disapproval of her class-conscious parents.

She attended boarding school at Chatham Episcopal Institute (now Chatham Hall), where she was president of the student body and delivered the salutatory oration in 1927. She moved to Boston and lived with her half-sister, Weedie, while she studied dance at the Boston Denishawn studio and (against her parents' wishes) drama at the Copley Theatre. When her parents cut her allowance to a minimum, Sullavan defiantly paid her way by working as a clerk in the Harvard Cooperative Bookstore (The Coop), located in Harvard Square, Cambridge.

Sullavan succeeded in getting a chorus part in the Harvard Dramatic Society 1929 spring production Close Up, a musical written by Harvard senior Bernard Hanighen, who was later a composer for Broadway and Hollywood.

The President of the Harvard Dramatic Society, Charles Leatherbee, along with the President of Princeton's Theatre Intime, Bretaigne Windust, who together had established the University Players on Cape Cod the summer before, persuaded Sullavan to join them for their second summer season. Another member of the University Players was Henry Fonda, who had the comic lead in Close Up.

In the summer of 1929 Sullavan appeared opposite Fonda in The Devil in the Cheese, her debut on the professional stage. She returned for most of the University Players' 1930 season. In 1931, she squeezed in one production with the University Players between the closing of the Broadway production of A Modern Virgin in July and its tour in September. She rejoined the University Players for most of their 18-week 1930–31 winter season in Baltimore.

Sullavan's parents did not approve of her choice of career. She played the lead in Strictly Dishonorable (1930) by Preston Sturges, which her parents attended. Confronted with her evident talent, their objections ceased. "To my deep relief", Sullavan later recalled. "I thought I'd have to put up with their yappings on the subject forever."

A Shubert scout saw her in that play as well and eventually she met Lee Shubert himself. At the time, Sullavan was suffering from a bad case of laryngitis and her voice was huskier than usual. Shubert loved it. In subsequent years Sullavan would joke that she cultivated that "laryngitis" into a permanent hoarseness by standing in every available draft.

Sullavan made her debut on Broadway in A Modern Virgin (a comedy by Elmer Harris), on May 20, 1931.

At one point in 1932 she starred in four Broadway flops in a row (If Love Were All, Happy Landing, Chrysalis (with Humphrey Bogart) and Bad Manners), but the critics praised Sullavan for her performances in all of them. In March 1933, Sullavan replaced another actor in Dinner at Eight in New York. Movie director John M. Stahl happened to be watching the play and was intrigued by Sullavan. He decided she would be perfect for a picture he was planning, Only Yesterday.

At that time Sullavan had already turned down offers for five-year contracts from Paramount and Columbia. Sullavan was offered a three-year, two-pictures-a-year contract at $1,200 a week. She accepted it and had a clause put in her contract that allowed her to return to the stage on occasion. Later on in her career, Sullavan would sign only short-term contracts because she did not want to be "owned" by any studio.

Sullavan arrived in Hollywood on May 16, 1933, her 24th birthday. Her film debut came that same year in Only Yesterday. She chose her scripts carefully. She was dissatisfied with her performance in Only Yesterday. When she saw herself in the early rushes, she was so appalled that she tried to buy out her contract for $2,500, but Universal refused.

In his November 10, 1933, review in The New York Herald Tribune, Richard Watts, Jr. wrote that Sullavan "plays the tragic and lovelorn heroine of this shrewdly sentimental orgy with such forthright sympathy, wise reticence and honest feeling that she establishes herself with some definiteness as one of the cinema people to be watched".[11] She followed that role with one in Little Man, What Now? (1934), about a couple struggling to survive in impoverished post–World War I Germany.

Originally, Universal was reluctant to make a movie about unemployment, starvation and homelessness, but Little Man was an important project to Sullavan. After Only Yesterday she wanted to try "the real thing". She later said that it was one of the few things she did in Hollywood that gave her a great measure of satisfaction. The Good Fairy (1935) was a comedy that Sullavan chose to illustrate her versatility. During the production, she married its director, William Wyler.

King Vidor's So Red the Rose (1935) dealt with people in the South in the aftermath of the Civil War. It preceded by one year the publication of Margaret Mitchell's bestselling novel Gone With the Wind, and the novel's film adaptation by four years; the latter became a blockbuster. Sullavan played a childish Southern belle who matures into a responsible woman. The film also dealt with the situation of characters who were freed black slaves.

In Next Time We Love (1936), Sullavan plays opposite the then-unknown James Stewart. She had been campaigning for Stewart to be her leading man and the studio complied for fear that she would stage a threatened strike. The film dealt with a married couple who had grown apart over the years. The plot was unconvincing and simple, but the gentle interplay between Sullavan and Stewart saves the movie from being a soapy and sappy experience. Next Time We Love was the first of four films made by Sullavan and Stewart.

In the comedy The Moon's Our Home (1936), Sullavan played opposite her ex-husband Henry Fonda. The original script was rather pallid, and Dorothy Parker and Alan Campbell were brought in to punch up the dialogue, reportedly at Sullavan's insistence. Sullavan and Fonda play a newly married couple, and the movie is a cavalcade of insults and quips. Her seventh film, Three Comrades (1938), is a drama set in post–World War I Germany. Three returning German soldiers meet Sullavan who joins them and eventually marries one of them. She gained an Oscar nomination for her role and was named the year's best actress by the New York Film Critics Circle.

Sullavan reunited with Stewart in The Shopworn Angel (1938). Stewart played a sweet, naive Texan soldier on his way to Europe (World War I) who marries Sullavan on the way. Her ninth film was the rather soapy The Shining Hour (1938), playing the suicidal sister-in-law to Joan Crawford. In The Shop Around the Corner (1940), Sullavan and Stewart worked together again, playing colleagues who do not get along at work, but have both responded to a lonely-hearts ad and are (without knowing it) exchanging letters with each other.

The Mortal Storm (1940) was the last movie Sullavan and Stewart did together. Sullavan played a young German girl engaged in 1933 to a confirmed Nazi (Robert Young). When she realizes the true nature of his political views, she breaks the engagement and turns her attention to anti-Nazi Stewart. Later, trying to flee the Nazi regime, Sullavan and Stewart attempt to ski across the border to safety in Austria. Sullavan is gunned down by the Nazis (under orders from her ex-fiance). Stewart, at her request, picks up the dying Sullavan and takes her by skis into Austria, so she can die in what was still a free country.

Back Street (1941) was lauded as one of the best performances of Sullavan's Hollywood career. She wanted Charles Boyer to play opposite her so much that she agreed to surrender top billing to him. Boyer plays a selfish and married banker and Sullavan his long-suffering mistress. Although he loves Sullavan, he is unwilling to leave his wife and family in favour of her. So Ends Our Night (1941) was another wartime drama. Sullavan (on loan for a one-picture deal from Universal) plays a Jewish girl perpetually on the move with falsified passport and identification papers and always fearing that the officials will discover her. On her way across Europe, she meets up with a young Jewish man (Glenn Ford) and the two fall in love.

A 1940 court decision obligated Sullavan to fulfill her original 1933 agreement with Universal, requiring her to make two more films for them. Back Street (1941) came first. The light comedy, Appointment for Love (1941), was Sullavan's last picture with that company. In the film, Sullavan appeared with Boyer again. Boyer's character marries Sullavan, who tells him that his past affairs mean nothing to her. She insists that each must have an apartment in the same building and that they meet only once a day, at seven o'clock in the morning.

Cry 'Havoc' (1943) is a World War II drama and a rare all-female film. Sullavan played the strong mother figure who keeps a crew of nurses in line in a dugout in Bataan, while they are awaiting the advance of Japanese soldiers who are about to take over. It was the last film Sullavan made with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. After its completion, she was free of all film commitments. She had often referred to MGM and Universal as "jails". When her husband, Leland Hayward, tried to read her the good reviews of Cry 'Havoc', she responded with usual bluntness: "You read them, use them for toilet paper. I had enough hell with that damned picture while making it – I don't want to read about it now!"

Sullavan's co-starring roles with James Stewart are among the highlights of their early careers. In 1935, Sullavan had decided on doing Next Time We Love. She had strong reservations about the story, but had to "work off the damned contract". The script contained a role she thought might be ideal for Stewart, who was best friends with Sullavan's first husband, actor Henry Fonda. Years earlier, during a casual conversation with some fellow actors on Broadway, Sullavan predicted Stewart would become a major Hollywood star.

By 1936, Stewart was a contract player at MGM but getting only small parts in B-movies. At that time Sullavan worked for Universal and when she brought up Stewart's name, they were puzzled. The Universal casting people had never heard of him. At Sullavan's suggestion Universal agreed to test him for her leading man and eventually he was borrowed from a willing MGM to star with Sullavan in Next Time We Love.

Stewart had been nervous and unsure of himself during the early stages of production. At that time he had only had two minor MGM parts which had not given him much camera experience. The director, Edward H. Griffith, began bullying Stewart. "Maggie, he's wet behind the ears," Griffith told Sullavan. "He's going to make a mess of things."

She believed in Stewart and spent evenings coaching him and helping him scale down his awkward mannerisms and hesitant speech that were soon to be famous around the world. "It was Margaret Sullavan who made James Stewart a star," director Griffith later said. "And she did, too," Bill Grady from MGM agreed. "That boy came back from Universal so changed I hardly recognized him." Gossip in Hollywood at that time (1935–36) was that William Wyler, Sullavan's then-husband, was suspicious about his wife's and Stewart's private rehearsing together.

When Sullavan divorced Wyler in 1936 and married Leland Hayward that same year, they moved to a colonial house just a block down from Stewart.[22] Stewart's frequent visits to the Sullavan/Hayward home soon restoked the rumors of his romantic feelings for Sullavan. Sullavan and Stewart's second movie together was The Shopworn Angel (1938). "Why, they're red-hot when they get in front of a camera," Louis B. Mayer said about their onscreen chemistry. "I don't know what the hell it is, but it sure jumps off the screen."

Walter Pidgeon, who was part of the triangle in The Shopworn Angel later recalled: "I really felt like the odd-man-out in that one. It was really all Jimmy and Maggie ... It was so obvious he was in love with her. He came absolutely alive in his scenes with her, playing with a conviction and a sincerity I never knew him to summon away from her." Eventually the duo made four movies together between 1936 and 1940 (Next Time We Love, The Shopworn Angel, The Shop Around the Corner, and The Mortal Storm).

Sullavan took a break from films from 1943-50. Throughout her career, Sullavan seemed to prefer the stage to the movies. She felt that only on the stage could she improve her skills as an actor. "When I really learn to act, I may take what I have learned back to Hollywood and display it on the screen", she said in an interview in October 1936 (when she was doing Stage Door on Broadway between movies). "But as long as the flesh-and-blood theatre will have me, it is to the flesh-and-blood theatre I'll belong. I really am stage-struck. And if that be treason, Hollywood will have to make the most of it".

Another reason for her early retirement from the screen (1943) was that she wanted to spend more time with her children, Brooke, Bridget and Bill (then 6, 4 and 2 years old). She felt that she had been neglecting them and felt guilty about it.[25] Sullavan would still do stage work on occasion. From 1943–44 she played the sexually inexperienced but curious Sally Middleton in The Voice of the Turtle (by John Van Druten) on Broadway and later in London (1947). After her short return to the screen in 1950 with No Sad Songs for Me, she did not return to the stage until 1952.

Her choice then was as the suicidal Hester Collyer, who meets a fellow sufferer, Mr. Miller (played by Herbert Berghof), in Terence Rattigan's The Deep Blue Sea. In 1953 she agreed to appear in Sabrina Fair by Samuel Taylor.

She came back to the screen in 1950 to do one last picture, No Sad Songs for Me. She played a suburban housewife and mother who learns that she will die of cancer within a year and who then determines to find a "second" wife for her soon-to-be-widower husband (Wendell Corey). Natalie Wood, then eleven, plays their daughter.

After No Sad Songs for Me and its favorable reviews, Sullavan had a number of offers for other films, but she decided to concentrate on the stage for the rest of her career.

In 1955–56 Sullavan appeared in Janus, a comedy by playwright Carolyn Green. Sullavan played the part of Jessica who writes under the pen name Janus, and Robert Preston played her husband. The play ran for 251 performances from November 1955 to June 1956.

In the late 1950s Sullavan's hearing and depression were getting worse. However, in 1959 she agreed to do Sweet Love Remembered by playwright Ruth Goetz. It was to be Sullavan's first Broadway appearance in four years. Rehearsals began on December 1, 1959. She had mixed emotions about a return to acting and her depression soon became clear to everyone: "I loathe acting", she said on the very day she started rehearsals. "I loathe what it does to my life. It cancels you out. You cannot live while you are working. You are a person surrounded by an unbreachable wall".

On December 18, 1955, Sullavan appeared as the mystery guest on the TV panel show What's My Line?.

Sullavan had a reputation for being both temperamental and straightforward. On one occasion Henry Fonda had decided to take up a collection for a 4th of July fireworks display. After Sullavan refused to make a contribution, Fonda complained loudly to a fellow actor. Then Sullavan rose from her seat and doused Fonda from head to foot with a pitcher of ice water. Fonda made a stately exit, and Sullavan, composed and unconcerned, returned to her table and ate heartily. Another of her blowups almost killed Sam Wood, one of the founders of the Motion Picture Alliance. Wood was a keen anti-Communist. He dropped dead from a heart attack shortly after a raging argument with Sullavan, who had refused to fire a writer on a proposed film on account of his left-wing views. Louis B. Mayer always seemed wary and nervous in her presence. "She was the only player who outbullied Mayer", Eddie Mannix of MGM later said of Sullavan. "She gave him the willies".

Sullavan was married four times. She married actor Henry Fonda on December 25, 1931, while both were performing with the University Players in its 18-week winter season in Baltimore at the Congress Hotel Ballroom on West Franklin Street near North Howard St. Sullavan and Fonda separated after two months and divorced in 1933.

After separating from Fonda, Sullavan began a relationship with Broadway producer Jed Harris. She later began a relationship with William Wyler, the director of her next movie, The Good Fairy (1935). They were married in November 1934, and divorced in March 1936.

Sullavan's third marriage was to agent and producer Leland Hayward. Hayward had been Sullavan's agent since 1931. They married on November 15, 1936. At the time of the marriage, Sullavan was pregnant with the couple's first child. Their daughter, Brooke, was born in 1937 and later became an actress. The couple had two more children, Bridget (1939 – October 17, 1960) and William III "Bill" (1941–2008), who became a film producer and attorney. In 1947, Sullavan filed for divorce after discovering that Hayward was having an affair with socialite Slim Keith. Their divorce became final on April 20, 1948.

In 1950, Sullavan married for a fourth and final time to English investment banker Kenneth Wagg. They remained married until her death in 1960.

Sullavan’s children, in particular Bridget and Bill, often proved rebellious and contrary. As a result of the divorce from Hayward, the family fell apart. Sullavan felt that Hayward was trying to alienate their children from her. When the children went to California to visit their father they were so spoiled with expensive gifts that, when they returned to their mother in Connecticut, they were deeply discontented with what they saw as a staid lifestyle.

By 1955, when Sullavan's two younger children told their mother that they preferred to stay with their father permanently, she suffered a nervous breakdown. Sullavan's eldest daughter, Brooke, later wrote about the breakdown in her 1977 autobiography Haywire: Sullavan had humiliated herself by begging her son to stay with her. He remained adamant and his mother had started to cry. "This time she couldn't stop. Even from my room the sound was so painful I went into my bathroom and put my hands on my ears". In another scene from the book, a friend of the family (Millicent Osborne) had been alarmed by the sound of whimpering from the bedroom: "She walked in and found mother under the bed, huddled in a foetal position. Kenneth was trying to get her out. The more authoritative his tone of voice, the farther under she crawled. Millicent Osborne took him aside and urged him to speak gently, to let her stay there until she came out of her own accord". Eventually Sullavan agreed to spend some time (two and a half months) in a private mental institution. Her two younger children, Bridget and Bill, also spent time in various institutions. Bridget died of a drug overdose in October 1960, while Bill died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound in March 2008.

Sullavan suffered from the congenital hearing defect otosclerosis that worsened as she aged, making her more and more hearing impaired. Her voice had developed a throatiness because she could hear low tones better than high ones. From early 1957, Sullavan's hearing declined so much that she was becoming depressed and sleepless and often wandered about all night. She would often go to bed and stay there for days, her only words: "Just let me be, please". Sullavan had kept her hearing problem largely hidden. On January 8, 1960 (one week after Sullavan's death), The New York Post reporter Nancy Seely wrote: "The thunderous applause of a delighted audience—was it only a dim murmur over the years to Margaret Sullavan? Did the poised and confident mien of the beautiful actress mask a sick fear, night after night, that she'd miss an important cue?"

On January 1, 1960, at about 5:30 p.m., Sullavan was found in bed, barely alive and unconscious, in a hotel room in New Haven, Connecticut. Her copy of the script to Sweet Love Remembered, in which she was then starring during its tryout in New Haven, was found open beside her. Sullavan was rushed to Grace New Haven Hospital, but shortly after 6:00 p.m. she was pronounced dead on arrival.[38] She was 50 years old. No note was found to indicate suicide, and no conclusion was reached as to whether her death was the result of a deliberate or an accidental overdose of barbiturates. The county coroner officially ruled Sullavan's death an accidental overdose. After a private memorial service was held in Greenwich, Connecticut, Sullavan was interred at Saint Mary's Whitechapel Episcopal Churchyard in Lancaster, Virginia.

For her contribution to the motion picture industry, Margaret Sullavan has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame located at 1751 Vine Street. She was inducted, posthumously, into the American Theater Hall of Fame in 1981.

Sullavan's eldest daughter, actress Brooke Hayward, wrote Haywire, a best-selling memoir about her family, that was adapted into the miniseries Haywire that aired on CBS starring Lee Remick as Margaret Sullavan and Jason Robards as Leland Hayward.

#margaret sullavan #classic hollywood #classic movie stars #golden age of hollywood #old hollywood #1930s hollywood #1940s hollywood #1950s hollywood

9 notes · View notes

myungsoo-jpg · 4 years ago

Text

<Mr. Shark> Last Filming Day in Jeju Island

This was so strange to us, the L we knew was the Hallyu idol and the '만찍남' (T/N: Short for describing a guy who looks like he walked out of a manga). But the L we met in Jeju was a rookie actor who was starting out like every other rookie. This rookie actor was getting his makeup done in a container box and biting on a wine cork plug while going over his script… To be honest there is not a big barrier to the big screens for idol actors. Many believe it’s easy to get a role in a movie because they have their fandom to back them up so L’s choice of movie was out of everyone’s expectations as he chose a documentary movie as his big screen debut.

L: “It’s a story about the friendship between a young boy and a shark. It also touches upon the seriousness of the destruction in ecosystems. I picked to participate in this film in order to bring awareness to the extinction of sharks.”

On this day, the last filming was in process. L showed his passion as a rookie actor, sitting on the boulders as a chair. He was absorbed in his script in his very own waiting room. Maybe he was possessed by a shark? He caught our attention as he bit on the cork. L decided to start practicing from the basics and used the cork to help him.

L: “I wanted to fix my enunciation. So I bit on the cork to practice. In order to deliver my lines more accurately I decided to read the scripts using the cork."

The last scene was at Moonsom. It was a deserted island that can be reached by boat in 10 minutes from port Seogwi. It was very beautiful. The ocean and boulders created a piece of painting. Due to sudden changes in weather they had to quickly finish the filming. L again showed his professionalism despite the filming being rushed. He began practicing with his cork again.

Director Seohyunho: “L has shown strong passion in acting and knows well what he is lacking. When he had time he would go always in training to be better. And I am very thankful for it.”

Is there any love lines you ask? There is the special chemistry between the two guys. As L says himself. Let’s hear about it.

“Let me introduce my co-star Kon. He plays the little boy role, Banggu who loves the ocean! He is a very bright and cheerful kid. He’s also very good at swimming and we have very good teamwork.”

For L there is not one scene that he doesn’t try his best at. Not giving any attention to the piercing winds every time he is not satisfied with his acting he would always ask the production team for permission to redo the scene. And the result of the video was like a masterpiece.

Without realizing the sun was setting and it was already time to leave the island. The team of “Mr Shark” bid their goodbyes to each other and took a picture for the last time. While waiting for the boat we took a brief interview. First, we asked to the director what his reason for casting L was.

Director: “I felt L’s mysterious atmosphere suited this movie well. His deep eyes and facial expression was also very good. I felt he can reach out to the viewers and make them more comfortable while viewing this movie.” Interviewer: “But for L, it’s his first time appearing in a movie and it’s also his first time as the main role. He is still a new actor in the scenes he has only been in 5 acting gigs. Did you not think that his acting may not be good enough?” Director: “L is a actor that tries to communicate. This is more important than acting skills. He would always try to analyse the scenarios, reading it and discussing it with us non stop. So he gave me a lot of trust.

There was also another story where L made the director moved. In between L’s busy world tour schedules he was able to obtain a skin scuba diving licence. He showed that he put effort in his work by getting the licence to go into the underwater filming himself.

“I suggested to L to wear goggles when he went in the water but he rejected right away because it would not make sense if a shark wore goggles in the water. So he jumped into the ocean directly."

The producers were all surprised by his passion. L just listened quietly nearby perhaps remembering the days that he went into the water.

L: “I went into the ocean with no equipments. I had to exhale all the air in my body in order to sit balanced in the water. So for me it was really hard to have to open my eyes and try to find balance and even act at the same time.” Interviewer: “It must be hard to open your eyes but how was the world like under water?” L: “It was amazing. The seaweed and the fishes created a magnificent sight. I was very proud of how the underwater scenes turned out so beautifully. Also I would like to thank all my teachers again who helped me.”

Finally the director said to L,

Director: “I was moved by your passion. I was moved again by your thoughtfulness to the awareness of the environment. Thank you for showing your best to us until the very end. I hope you continue your acting career too.” And L replied: “I felt this movie helped me to grow a lot. Maybe it’s the happiness in learning. I learnt to find fun in acting. I was also able to deeply think about the environment during this time.”

The Mr. Shark filming has completely ended. Right after finishing his filming L went back to preparing for his world tour and the next day was to leave for Singapore.

L: “INFINITE is meeting the fans from all over the world through the world tour. It is very hard on us physically but it’s okay because we are doing it with the fans. I will also come back to meet you guys soon as actor L."

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the photos, text or translations. Credits to the rightful owners. Translation by: Pris of @InfiniteUpdates Article: Source | Translation

#myungsoo #text #fave #article #♥

3 notes · View notes

nijiirorhyme · 5 years ago

Text

NaruMitsu/WrightWorth Fic: Lights, Camera, Action!

Fandom: Ace Attorney

Ship: Mitsurugi Reiji | Miles Edgeworth/Naruhodou Ryuuichi | Phoenix Wright

Warnings: None

Tags:Alternate Universe - Actors, Other Additional Tags to be Added, More characters to be added

Description: Rookie actor Phoenix Wright can not believe his luck as he scores his first major acting role in one of the most anticipated movies of the year. But, what was better than starring in one of the most anticipated films of the year? Starring in one of the most anticipated films of this year with famous actor Miles Edgeworth.

A Wrightworth acting au where two dorks (eventually) fall in love!

Chapter 1/?

Alternatively, it can be read here!

Text underneath cut!

Act 1 Scene 1

October 5th, 11:00pm

Phoenix’s Apartment

Phoenix COULD NOT believe his luck. It was as if lady luck herself were watching over him specifically, feeling so sorry for him that she had to throw him a bone. He could not thank her enough. It seemed as if his life were doing a complete turnabout. Up until now and ever since he had graduated from some third rate university’s performing arts program, he never had the pleasure of striking a role anywhere near being a part of the main cast, but this, this was different. Sure, he had made small cameos as extras in movies, but none of those were enough to give him the boost he needed to put his name on the map. This was the real deal. He would have lines to say, scenes to act, parts where he’d be the one in the limelight. He was just offered the biggest acting gig in his entire life.

‘Lady luck, I know I asked you for help last night,’ he thought to himself, ‘but you didn’t have to go this far for me!’

But, what was better than starring in one of the most anticipated films of the year? Starring in one of the most anticipated films of this year with someone who was currently the world's most famous actor. Miles Edgeworth, a man who the world knew nothing about personally, but that his acting was absolutely phenomenal. Everyone— even their mothers and grandmothers— knew of him, but, it wasn’t until Pearls dragged the man to see one of her cheesy, sappy romance movies starring the mysterious man himself that he finally saw what justified the hype around him.

Romance movies weren’t really Phoenix’s thing as he tended to sleep through most of them. What he could recall of the movie, however, was that the plot was pretty standard; the main female protagonist living her life in poverty while her male counterpart was born into a wealthy family. After the two miraculously begin to date, the couple struggles to find acceptance from the man’s family as they already had a fiance picked out for him. This was all quite cliche in Phoenix’s book, but there was one scene in particular that stuck out to him.

Failing to gain acceptance from the man’s family, the man and the woman impulsively run away together during an explosive argument that erupted between the four. Well, more-so drove away, but that was besides the point. The rain pelted down upon their car as they drove down the winding road as fast as they could, but that had been the man’s fatal mistake. As they came upon their final turn, the man lost control of the steering wheel and the speed they had garnered caused the car to topple over several times before it finally came to a stop. Somehow (though Phoenix thought this defied all odds), the man was fortunate enough to only receive injury to his right arm and was able to wiggle himself free from the car, however, his girlfriend was more than misfortunate. The adrenaline pumped through his blood as he ignored his arm’s cry in pain as he tried to wretch her free from the car. His hands were covered in her blood as he laid her on his lap, knowing the inevitable that she would succumb to her injuries before they were even able to call for help.

His eyes looked into hers, a mix of pain and regret swirling around in his dark orbs. He drove too fast, he should have taken his time, he was about to lose the love of his life— Her voice was enough to snap him out of his thoughts, the booming sound of the thunder almost deafening. She gave him her final words, and just like that, the final bit of life evident in her eyes finally fades and her body goes limp in his arms. The man looked up to the overclouded sky, the rain beating upon his face as he gave the heavens one last dramatic scream of her name before the movie faded away into a pitch black.

Throughout the entire scene, all Phoenix could do was stare at the big screen. There was something mesmerizing about the way Miles Edgeworth acted. He analyzed the actor’s every move, even the subtle ones that would be invisible to those who didn’t graduate from a third-rate performance arts program, yet contributed an overarching mood to the entire scene. The way his face contorted and twisted and scrunched up in pain as he was filled with regret from his actions, the way his eyes looked into hers in desperation that this was all just a dream— that he wasn’t just about to lose the one he fought so hard alongside, it left a heavy feeling in Phoenix’s chest that almost burst forth from it in the form of tears. Miles Edgeworth brought life to a character from a movie genre Phoenix hated, and not only made him sympathize with the corny character, but almost made him tear up, which to this day he still could not believe.

Phoenix was never a fan of romance movies, especially the ones that Pearls picked out (though he never voiced his complaints aloud) because he thought he could feel his teeth rotting away in his mouth from the sheer sappiness and disgusting sweetness of them, but this one was the only one he approved of.

… Even though it was at the expense of his own friend’s enjoyment.

Phoenix sighed at the memory of what happened afterwards. Pearl was the type of hardcore romance fan who only gravitated towards romance movies where the couple lived happily ever after at the end. Why she chose this movie was beyond Phoenix. Perhaps she glossed over the summary of the story after selectively reading the part where the female protagonist goes from “rags-to-riches” and thought it was something along the lines of Cinderella, completely missing the “this tragic story of her attempt to go from rags-to-riches”... or something. She was so depressed that even Phoenix offering to watch her favourite lovey-dovey romance movie for the gazillionth time wouldn’t cheer her up.

From that point on, Miles Edgeworth swept up the nation’s awards that year for his acting in that movie, including the “Best Male Lead Actor of the Year” award at the Movie of Movies Grand Prix— and to Phoenix, rightfully so. The man’s performance was amazing, yet he couldn’t help wanting to pick a bone with the panel of judges who thought that it deserved “Best Movie of the Year”. He totally thought that the Steel Samurai movie deserved to win (not like he had a bias or anything because his friend Austin Powers starred in it); just because one actor’s acting was remarkable, did not mean that the rest of the movie lived up to such a word.

This was the man that Phoenix had the pleasure of working with and although a part of him was excited, an immense sense of pressure ruined it. Miles Edgeworth was a man who had years of experience under his belt in comparison to himself. That fact in itself was enough to make the butterflies in his stomach awake from their slumber; he hadn’t felt this nervous in ages.

Phoenix glanced at the thick booklet of papers in his hand titled "No Time for Turnabouts: Script”, its thick blocky text staring back at him. With an unsteady sigh, he flipped it open to the first page. If Phoenix wanted to impress Miles Edgeworth at tomorrow’s pre-production meeting, there was only one thing he could do. If he couldn’t rely on his acting skills to impress him, the least he could do was come prepared to what he was about to walk into.

October 6th, 10:00am

Global Studios: Dressing Room

“For the last time, must I act with such an incompetent rookie?” Miles looked at his manager, eyes narrowed fiercely in an attempt to assert his dissatisfaction at the current situation. “He’s not had any starring roles within the span of his career,” is what a quick IMDb search of the other’s peculiar name told the man. “In fact, I’ve never heard of him before.”

The girl sitting adjacent from him brought a dainty teacup to her lips, taking a sip of her tea before placing it back on its saucer with a cold clink, the cunningness of her eyes colliding with his own, “And like I have told you when you foolishly asked several foolish times before this, it is not within my control,” she shrugged, her mouth curling into a shit-eating grin, “You’ll just have to suck it up, little brother.”

Miles scoffed, but she had a point. It wasn’t his manager, Franziska Von Karma, hiring the cast for this movie, it was the director. This director was someone who he had worked with in the past and every single time, Miles had loved every single creative direction he had taken with the movie; as did the audience, each movie of his being met with positive reviews from viewers and film critics alike. Miles did not doubt his abilities and because of his positive reputation within the film industry, if he wanted to hire a rookie whose career only consisted of being an extra for a few scenes in a few big movies, all he could do was put his faith in him. However, just because he put his faith in him did not mean he approved.

He took a sip of his own tea, before he glanced at the expensive watch adorning his wrist. Today was their first proofreading of the script. There, Miles could finally see who this Phoenix Wright man was.

“Come now, you fool, or we’ll be late.” Franziska was already rolling up her whip in a neat circle and heading towards the door.

Miles put his tea cup down on the glass coffee table, moving his hands to fix his jabot as he stood up. Miles Edgeworth was a man with high standards, and whoever this Phoenix Wright was, Miles hoped he could meet his expectations.

October 6th, 10:00am

Global Studios

Phoenix’s days couldn’t have been getting any better. The rookie actor was known for never being on time for anything—often receiving a scolding from Maya as a result—but just this once, he had managed to be punctual— if not a little early— for the one thing that mattered the most. He thanked god that he had the foresight to check whether or not he had set his alarm for A.M instead of P.M before he went to bed last night. Phoenix checked himself in the mirror once before he left the house; donning a plain white dress shirt and navy blue slacks. He adjusted the tie around his neck, the last thing he wanted to do was make a bad impression. Giving himself one final hurrah, encouraging himself in the mirror with “you can do this”, and “you got this”, he left his small flat with his head held high.

However, at this point in time, the closer he got to the time of the pre-production meeting, the more nervous he felt. He stood outside the meeting room, checking his wristwatch as he shifted in place from the heels of his feet to the balls of them.

“Nick!” Behind him, a set of hands placed themselves on his shoulder as a familiar energetic voice spooked him out of his nervousness, causing him almost to jump out of his skin. “Are you nervous?”

Phoenix peered over his left shoulder, unsurprised at who it was. It was Maya, who decided to meet him at the studio. If Phoenix had to go in there alone when his agent was perfectly capable of accompanying him, he would curse her to hell and back.

He clutched his chest, heart beating rapidly in his ears. Then, he relaxed and exhaled an exasperated sigh as if this has happened one too many times, “You scared me, Maya!” He exclaimed. “How many times are you going to do this?”

Even if he used the fingers on both of his hands to count all of the times Maya has done this to him before an audition or anytime he was nervous for that matter, he couldn’t. Mainly because for one, he had been to several auditions in the past few years; and two, he didn’t keep track of how many times she did. He stopped counting after the fifth time when he knew it would become a regular occurence.

“Would it be bad if I said never?” Maya giggled.

Phoenix sighed again, “I figured as much…”

“I’m sorry, Nick! It’s just so funny every single time. Remember that time before that one audition when I scared you so bad you spilled your cup of water all over yourself and it looked like you peed your pants-“

Before Maya could say anymore, Phoenix covered her mouth with his hand, wrenching it back in disgust after he felt something wet against his palm. Maya stuck out her tongue and grinned childishly as Phoenix furiously wiped his hand against his pant leg. He exhaled, “If I asked you to let that go, I’d get the same answer as before, wouldn’t I?” At this point, defeat would be the only option to settle for.

She put her hands together like she always did and with a big smile on her face, she nodded, “You know me so well.”

The two of them continued their friendly banter, most of which consisted of bringing up terribly embarrassing events that had happened to them in the past in an attempt to embarrass the other. This calmed Phoenix’s nerves immensely; Maya always knew how to calm him down despite always scaring him half out of his wits.

“Are you nervous?” She asked, shifting the topic of conversation to something more relevant than reminiscing on their past embarrassments.

The question was like a reality slap, reawakening the butterflies he had thought he thoroughly rid himself of. “Of course, this is my first time ever getting something better than being an extra. A lot is riding on this, Maya.”

“It’s okay Nick!” She jabbed him lightly in the shoulder… Whatever her definition of “lightly” was. Phoenix rubbed his shoulder. That was definitely going to bruise over. “Just remember this, this is your big chance! Your break-through! Your primer!”

“I think you mean ‘premiere’...”

“All eyes will be on you! If you do great, then you’ll get more work!” She encouraged him, jumping to stand in front of him. She closed one of her eyes while she formed her fingers into a rectangular shape as if she were filming him. Even though it wasn’t a real camera, he still felt a little embarrassed, his cheeks flushing a light shade of pink. While he appreciated the sentiment, he knew where this was going.

“But…” He added on for her.

“But, if you mess up in your usual ‘Phoenix Wright Fashion’, then you can kiss your non-existent acting career goodbye!” She said in a type of pure adolescent innocence, putting her hands on her hips.

Phoenix shoved his face into his palm, “Thanks Maya…”

“Any time.” She beamed at him, genuinely convinced that her words were words of encouragement instead of ones that felt like he had been stabbed in the heart.

Suddenly, as if something had caught in the corner of her eye, she looked down the hallway. “Psst, Nick!! Nick!!” She ecstatically whispered in a half-whisper-half-regular tone. “Is that Miles Edgeworth?!”

Phoenix followed her line of vision to the figure emerging from one of the many rooms down the hall. He knew that burgundy suit from anywhere, the feature that many people recognized him for. There was no one else in the world who could wear a suit that colour and could successfully pull it off, in Phoenix’s humble opinion.

The tall man stalked down the hallway accompanied by a shorter woman which Phoenix assumed to be his agent, Franziska von Karma. Although they weren’t close yet, he could feel the immense pressure in the air from the dignified aura that the two created. There was something intimidating about their aura, an elitist air that clearly separated the two individuals who were experienced in their field from the two weren’t-- almost as if it screamed ‘don’t talk to us’. Was that how it was around every famous actor?

“T-They’re coming closer to us! What do we do, Nick? Do we introduce ourselves?” Maya panicked, the words flying from her mouth at a mile per minute.

“Well, we are standing in front of the meeting room and from today on, he is our co-worker,” Phoenix whispered back to her, his tone more hushed than hers. “I think… I think we should greet them.” He suggested.

The two nodded as if they had come to an understanding by looking into each other’s eyes. Then, on the mental count of three that perfectly aligned with their arrival, Phoenix stiffly began, “Hi! I see we’ll be working together, Mr. Edgeworth. In that case, i-it’s nice to meet you!” He stuck out a hand, hoping the man would outstretch his own to shake it.

The man came to a stop and instead of getting a comforting smile and the handshake he desired, all Phoenix got was a piercing glare full of annoyance. “Mr. Wright,” he scoffed. “I would ask that you keep your interactions with me at a minimum and you do not waste my time by trying to talk to me.” With that, Edgeworth strode past him into the now open meeting room, his agent following behind him, smirking at Phoenix as she entered.

After recovering from the utter shock known as his first impression of the famous actor he had only seen on the big screen thus far, Phoenix turned to Maya, hoping that she would confirm that what just happened was just his mind’s cruel idea of a joke. Unfortunately, Maya nodded at him, confirming that what just happened was in fact not a figment of his imagination. For some reason, the famous Miles Edgeworth disliked the unknown rookie, Phoenix Wright.

‘What…’ Phoenix gulped. ‘What did I do..?!’

#ace attorney #naruhodō ryūichi #mitsurugi reiji #phoenix wright #miles edgeworth #wrightworth #narumitsu #i tried

14 notes · View notes

gibelwho · 5 years ago

Text

Top 5: Best Films of 2019

2019 was another momentous year for me - spent the first half of the year living at my in-laws house while we waited to move into our forever home, then spending the back half of the year doing house projects as we slowly unpacked. We weren’t consistently heading to the cinema, but we’ve done a race to fit in many more films before the Oscars, which was held this past weekend and where Parasite made history as the first foreign language film to win Best Picture. This is my second year in a row publishing my thoughts on ranking the past year in cinema, so despite the many life changes, excited to keep the tradition going.

Gibelwho Productions Presents Best Films of 2019

5. Marriage Story

4. Parasite

3. Little Women

2 Jojo Rabbit

1917

Marriage Story (November 2019): The film, written and directed by Noah Baumbach, explores the unraveling of a marriage, where the two people are navigating their way through divorce and must forge some sort of ongoing relationship for the sake of their son. The story is an exploration of identity - being part of a couple, emerging as an individual, surviving as a parent, and balancing one’s career. Scarlett Johansson and Adam Driver shine in their performances, finding the truth in each scene, displaying the humanity of flawed people, and really going at it during their epic meltdown fight. The supporting cast is stellar as well, delivering moments of humor, ugliness, and empowerment - notably Laura Dern’s speech about society’s different expectations placed on mothers and fathers. Filmed on location in New York and Los Angeles, the story casts a devastating eye on how two people who have separated can still retain some love in the face of heartbreaking agony.

Parasite (October 2019): A film that starts off as a comical exploration of a poor family slowly infiltrating the house of a rich family in Seoul, then shifts halfway through to become a suspenseful thriller with sequences of violence. Co-writer and director Bong Joon-ho explores the nature of the upstairs / downstairs dynamic, not only having the story center on those in service of the rich family, but also with the production design of the two houses featured in the film. The rich family lives far above the main streets in a multi-level home, with stairs that lead up to a beautifully manicured garden; the poor family’s living quarters is in the lower section of town, they live below the streets, and must contend with the danger of flooding. Avoiding spoilers, a third set of staircases hold a secret that ultimately spells danger for both families. This film has made Oscar history and has opened more people up to the world of International cinema; as Joon-ho said so eloquently in one of his acceptance speeches: “Once you overcome the one-inch tall barrier of subtitles, you will be introduced to so many more amazing films.”

Little Women (December 2019): Adapting a classic novel for the modern era, especially one that has been relatively recently brought to the silver screen, one must insist on bringing an original take - or why else bother. Writer and director Greta Gerwig not only took on that challenge, but elevated the material to a higher degree than has been achieved in previous adaptations. Splitting up the linear story into two timelines allowed a commentary on the past and present that gave more life to the characters and depth to their journeys. Having never read Little Women, I was enchanted by discovering these characters brought to life by a terrific ensemble, including Saoirse Ronan, Florence Pugh, and Timothee Chalamet. Additionally, Gerwig pens an ambiguous ending that will satisfy book readers who felt betrayed by character turns that Louisa May Alcott felt pressured to deliver for publishers in 1868, but that didn’t feel true to her character’s spirit.

Jojo Rabbit (October 2019): Imagine writer and director Taika Waititi pitching his adapted screenplay to studio executives: a story that centers on a young boy growing up in Nazi Germany, who attends the Hitler Youth camp, and whose invisible friend is Adolf Hitler himself. Oh yes, and it will be a comedy, tragedy, hopeful, heartbreaking, hilarious, and shocking - dancing between the shades of tones and the audience will follow along with each beat. What makes this film succeed is the casting of Roman Griffin Davis, who despite his love for swastikas, steals the heart of the viewer with his earnest innocence and hilarious delivery, along with his interaction with his little friend Yorki (Archie Yates), his Hitler Youth leader (Sam Rockwell), and the Jewish girl he finds hidden in the upstairs bedroom (Thomasin McKenzie). Waititi is a genius filmmaker, who took all his Marvel Cinematic Universe clout and made a film about the dangers of youth growing up in the time of fascism, preaching an anti-hate message that the world needs to be reminded of in these nationalistic times.

1917 (December 2019): A film that centers on one technical conceit - that a full length feature film is constructed as one continuous shot - could fall under the weight of that enterprise, but 1917 delivers on all fronts - artistically, emotionally, and yes, technically. While the film is not actually one long shot, whole sequences are sustained for minutes on end, an environment more accustomed to theater actors than those working in film and one that brings a weight of reality to the character’s journey. Due to the story - two men must cross No Man’s Land to deliver an urgent message to a general that could save thousands of lives - the leads are constantly moving, through trenches, across the muddy no man’s land, through fields and streams, and finally the battlefield. The camera follows them through tight interior spaces and open fields, finding inventive ways to track their movements in the war zone. The two leads (George MacKay and Dean-Charles Chapman) deliver incredible performances as they slog through the countryside, encountering incredible British actors for short, yet powerful, scenes along the way. Co-writer and director Sam Mendes leads an incredible team that achieves cinematic glory and Roger Deakins proves for the second year in a row that he is producing the best work of his career. 1917 is not a traditional war film - through its formal choices, it endeavors to place the viewer directly inside the experience of soldiers in the First World War.

Honorable Mentions:

Knives Out (November 2019): A classic whodunit that involves a twist of all twists - solving the mystery halfway through the film; what can the movie possibly spend the rest of the runtime on? This is the genius of writer and director Rian Johnson - he somehow manages to ratchet up the tension and reveal deeper twists and turns that subvert genre expectations. A stellar cast supports the murder mystery, led by Ana de Armas, a lighthearted Jamie Lee Curtis who is chewy the scenery, and a broad performance by Daniel Craig as the lead investigator. Chris Evans’ winter sweater became the breakout star of the film and the production design included an epic knives sculpture that plays a vital role in the climax of the film.

Terminator: Dark Fate (November 2019): I am not a huge fan of the Terminator franchise - I’ve seen the first and second installments, but have skipped the rest of the sequels and never went for the television shows. I entered the viewing of this film with low expectations, and thus was pleasantly surprised by how feminist this film is. Linda Hamilton commands every moment of screen time, the enhanced human protector from the future was an incredible mix of strength and vulnerability, and even when Arnold enters the picture, he knows when to stand back when the women are in command. Yes, there is a totally ridiculous action sequence in a falling plane that defines reality and physics, but there are more moments of women communicating intelligently and emotionally and also women taking command and driving the action forward that fully impressed for what could have been a throwaway addition to the Terminator canon.

Avengers Endgame (April 2019): With this film, the MCU has concluded its first major story arc, wrapping up a 10 years long buildup of the Avengers and affiliated heroes fighting the Mad Titan Thanos in an epic battle. Yes, the film does build up to a climactic final battle, but it takes it’s time getting there, choosing instead to focus on how the character’s we’ve grown to love over the past decade deal with the Snap that killed friends and family and left the world a broken place. The plot really gets moving when a time travel element is introduced and, in one of several lovely tributes to my beloved Star Trek, brings the viewer back through memorable moments in the MCU’s history, layering on meta commentary or radically changing the shape of the past. This film was a bold risk to focus on character over spectacle (at least for a while) and to craft a fitting tribute for the two titans of the Marvel Cinematic Universe - Steve Rogers and Tony Stark.

Apollo 11 (March 2019): The American space program of the 1960s has long held a fascination in our household and so we rushed out to see the documentary that promised new footage for the seminal event that landed a man on the moon. To our delight, the film revealed itself to be a cinematic achievement as well. Director Todd Douglas Miller chose not to narrate the film with an omniscient voice; rather, choosing to fill the audio landscape with diegetic sound from contemporary source material - journalists asking questions in a press conference, back and forth between the astronauts and NASA headquarters, and newscasters reporting the progress to the nation. Some of the shots included in this film, all archival footage and some newly released 70mm material, are so beautifully composed and complex shots; it's an astonishment that this thoughtful filmmaking was done to capture one of the nation’s greatest achievements and this documentary honors that effort on its 50th anniversary.

#marriage story #parasite #little women #jojo rabbit #1917

43 notes · View notes

deer-tokki · 6 years ago

Text

Marie Claire Korea April Issue 2019 (Interview)

Minho in Koh Samui

Your hair has gotten a lot shorter over the period of time we didn’t see each other.

Last winter, I cut my hair short because of my movie filming. I did the role of a student soldier in the movie <Jangsari 9.15>. I was thinking if it was the shortest style among the hair(style) I have done ever since my debut. Even so, it has grown out a lot.

Shall we talk about your solo fan meeting <The Best CHOI’s MINHO> that has just ended not long ago.

I feel the lack of not being able to do the usual fan meeting in more countries. That’s why using this opportunity, I started in Seoul and proceeded with an Asia tour around Japan, Thailand, and Taiwan. Firstly, I was extremely nervous. I worried a lot too because I felt the burden of doing stages alone. However, surprisingly time passed so fast that I didn’t see it passing. I was definitely able to complete it well thanks to the support given by fans enthusiastically. With a surprised heart, I felt proud with the thinking that ‘Still, seems like I have worked hard in being active (promoting/doing activities) over that period of time too’ It was a stage that my grateful heart, as well as the thought of working even harder, comes out naturally.

Heard that the event’s title ‘The Best CHOI’s MINHO’ was given its name by yourself.

I felt that the fan meeting title would be the most important, so I was thinking of what would be good when I thought since I have been promoting as ‘Minho,’ there are many people who don’t know that my surname is Choi (pronounced as ‘Cuei’).

That’s why with ‘Choi Minho’s fan meeting,’ I was going to save* ’Choi (Cuei)’ when I thought of ‘CHOI (English pronunciation)’ and it was like ‘Ah, Choice (in English)! Choice (in Korean)! that it was being decided. While at that, not just a choice but it was at the thought of ‘Hoping it’s the best choice’ that ‘The Best Choi’s Minho’ was born.

*Save: Using something that existed and changes it into something more interesting.

You sang Maroon’s 5’s ‘Sunday Morning’ as your opening song, is there a meaning behind it?

‘Sunday Morning’ is a song that I really liked ever since I was in middle school. When I wake up after sleeping in usually, I liked that sense of somewhat blurry yet refreshing feel, so I chose this song wanting to share that feeling and emotion with fans while listening to this song on a Sunday together.

You are being called as ‘Choi Tender’ among fans, are you the kind to express yourself well usually?

I am actually not good at words that would give one goosebumps. That’s only me expressing my words at things that I am grateful about. As far as possible I actually would like to take care and greet each and every one of my fans. While working hard in trying to do that, it seems like my sincerity has been noticed by my fans.

It seems like there’s a different feeling to be filling up the stage as ‘Choi Minho.’

There’s a lot that I need to fill up the empty space of my members on my own isn’t it. I was thinking about what is there when this and that has been prepared. To be touring around in various cities, I have also practiced a variety of languages and also planned performances that I can show too. Reactions were better than what I expected that I was surprised myself too.

Especially in Japan, heard that you showed your potential in gathering 20,000 people.

Seeing it, it’s because it’s the place that I have actively been promoting between locally and internationally. It’s such a pity to not being able to tour around more cities. But thanks to the fact that many fans came that I got to hold an encore fan meeting at the end of March in Seoul too.

Talking about ‘Minho,’ words such as ’Passion,’ ‘Energy,’ Charisma’ would be thought of, we are curious about how you yourself think of it.

If I were to choose a word that expresses me well the most, I would think of the word ‘Responsibility’ at the very first. All my energy and hard work, passion seems to be derived from responsibility. If I didn’t have a sense of responsibility towards the things/works that I was given, there wouldn’t be the ‘me’ here right now. Not knowing when an opportunity will come to a person, it isn’t easy to grab that opportunity, isn’t it. I think I grabbed onto the good opportunities at a young age and at that fact, I did my best in them with gratefulness.

In the period of 11 years after debuting, you have experienced so much more as compared to your peers of the same age.

I really like the point that I was able to learn about a variety of cultures as I was going around the whole world. The atmosphere in every country is different, isn’t it. It’s really nice/I really like it to see and listen to it while experiencing it. Certain traveling would change one’s life too, isn’t it. The energy that an unfamiliar city gives always comes to me with a sense of freshness and gives me inspiration. That’s why I travel a lot when I am on vacation. I think I have been to everywhere around the world except for Africa. I really want to go to Africa if I have a chance to. The city that I like the most hmm, I like the cities in Europe and it was fun because individuality in each country is definitely different. Helsinki and Berlin are memorable too, oh, the weather in LA was really sunny too so it was nice. It’s hard to just pick one place.

Regardless of the field, you have been active in all directions, how do you feel when looking back at it?

At that time, I thought that I have worked to my very best with no regrets but there are lots of parts where I felt a sense of pity when looking back at it. I have a sense of regret with the thought of ‘It would have been good if I did it a little more actively/aggressively.’ Also, as the years of experience(/age) build up, there are things that I would just naturally go over it and things that I would think of it lightly and give up. It’s such a pity when I think of it now.

You acted a lot of characters as an actor too, if there’s a work or a character that is most memorable to you, it would be?

Honestly, it’s hard to choose one. That’s because every single character is precious and important to me. Even so, if I have to pick one, the character ‘Jinil’ that I took on in my first lead movie ‘Derailed’ is an existence dear to me. It could be that it’s because it was a character directly opposite to me that it lingers a lot (in my mind) and I would think of it sometimes too.

What is the SHINee song that you have the most affection for?

I think music that can be heard comfortably is the best. With that, ‘Replay’ is the best. The lyrics may be cringy, even so, it’s a song that I can sing comfortably. Even now, the song is being sung in a variety of versions at our concert too.

What do you usually do when you are given a holiday normally?

I think that ‘to rest well’ is also a task. When I have time to rest, I would work hard thinking that I need to develop myself. As much as having an occupation that receives love and interest by many, it’s an obligation on me. I think it’s important to manage yourself. I like exercising, don’t I. Basketball, soccer, weight training and etc. That’s why when I have time, I am the kind to shed off my fatigue as I sweat. Lots of endorphins are being released when I am exercising, I think the driving force of being able to actively promote for a long time is exercising.

You have spent your 10s and 20s differently from others so is there something you want to do before turning 30?

The change of the heart in my 10s as well as the side of me that work hard to achieve a goal that I have. Isn’t that a process that everyone at that age would undergo similarly. Of course, as compared to my peers of the same age, I was definitely in a better environment. That’s because I was at the position where I could achieve my dream. Not sure if it’s because I have done a lot of things over time, I can’t think of anything that I would like to achieve impatiently before turning 30.

Seems like 2019 will be a turning point for Minho.

I think that it could be the biggest turning point in my life. I thought that this could be a good opportunity too. I should spend the time building myself.

What is Minho’s ‘Small-yet-Definite Happiness’ recently?

Picking coffee beans and ask for it to be ground before making it at home or I would grind it myself and make it using a coffee machine. I really like coffee by nature so the time of me drinking it after making it myself is really nice nowadays. Should I call it a healing time!

Lastly, shall we deliver your thoughts and greeting.

It was a holiday that made me realized again the fact that I definitely need to rest for a while too. It was a time that made me felt that I have to work my hardest for my holiday to be more worthwhile. Always thankful towards you guys who unchangingly care for us, who have been active for a long time. See you again through the same and unchanging side (of me).

translation: iheartshinee_

#minho #marie claire korea #interview #april issue #translation

151 notes · View notes

jarvnation-blog · 5 years ago

Text

Short Film Production Editing Blog

Week 1 - 21/10/2019

We met in our production groups and talked over the film idea that we had been assigned. The idea is based around a theatre student who is performing in a play and gets too deep into the role and the mind of this character. With this idea being a thriller, my instant thought was that it would be similar to the story of Black Swan. With this to go on, I knew I could look at Darren Aronofsky and Andrew Weisblum and the techniques they used to tell the story as well as manipulating the audience’s emotions.

At this point, a story and script were yet to be developed so I decided to research film editing in general. I had already read On Filmmaking by Alexander Mackendrick which has a section on editing and decided to revisit that. I also read In The Blink Of An Eye by Walter Murch which explained the early concepts and techniques of editing video shot on film.

Week 2 - 28/10/2019

Speaking to the producer, I gained more of an idea of the story which is about an actor struggling to separate his private life with his life on-stage. With this in mind, the idea of representing and transitioning between his two lives became apparent and the producer had asked me to look into some CGI mirror effects and how we could remove the camera from a shot. From my own personal interest in CGI and movie special effects, I knew that one of the ways this would be possible would be to shoot a green screen in place of the mirror and then compose a separate shot of the reflection on top. The first thing I did was research how to achieve this kind of effect on Avid Media Composer and found a tutorial on YouTube:

Media Composer - Basic Motion Tracking 101: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AUY9fYZ5Glw&t=794s

The tutorial covered the basics of composing one shot on top of another through motion tracking. The only problem with this was that it used an older version of Avid and I would have to also find out how to do it on the newest version. This video helped in that through following the steps, the effect seems straightforward to achieve and so I thought that, with my limited experience, I would be able to do it.

In terms of the logistics of setting up this kind of shot I decided to meet with the module leader and discuss whether it would be feasible in reality, and the best way to go about setting the shot up. From the meeting I learnt that the majority of this shot would be gained in the actual shoot of the film as we would need to match the lighting and angles of the two shots to make them look realistic and convincing. If we got these shots, then the actual compositing of them in Avid would not take up too much time.

Week 3 - 05/11/2019

This week we met in our groups and talked more in depth about the production and our individual roles. We talked about the story and what happens so that we can better research our own jobs. As the editor I will look into films that deal with the same themes of obsession, commitment and theatre acting and see how the editors of those films chose to show those different themes. I will also look at the colour palettes of these films to prepare me for colour grading the final look of the film as well as research further into how to accurately achieve the look and feel that the director and producer are wanting. We decided as a group against the mirror shot as it would be too difficult to match the shots and do the post production on them. It would have taken up a lot of time just for one small shot that wasn’t significant to the story.

Week 4 - 12/11/2019

This week on the workshop we learnt how to colour balance and colour grade in DaVinci Resolve. This workshop was particularly interesting for me as this is going to be one of my main jobs on the production. We practiced balancing and grading video clips in the workshop which was very useful as the tutors were on hand to help with any questions. I have never colour graded any footage before and so this was a good introduction for me as it enabled me to practice before the final production. We also learnt how to use the university servers so that we can upload the footage and have it be accessible on different computers. Uploading and managing the footage for the film was one of my main jobs and while it appeared confusing at first, it saved a lot of time during the edit as I learnt more about the software and using Avid.

Week 5 - 19/11/2019

This week I carried on with some more research and tutorials as the director and producer were working out and writing the script. I decided to further research my role and look into colour correction and grading. I started by watching some videos on YouTube to help me with the basics starting with:

DaVinci Resolve 16 Basic Color Grade Tutorial

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t8lXqB_4lZM

This video covered the bare basics of DaVinci Resolve 16 and, even though we covered it last week in the workshop, it still proved to be valuable. It gave an overview of each section of the Resolve window as well as what the most important functions are. It gave an introduction to the use of nodes and how to best use them as well as the basic functions of the colour wheels and how to best use them and just helped me to get a good grasp of the basics.

Alongside researching colour grading I also looked into colour theory and how it works for films. I found another YouTube video that explains the different aspects of colours, hue, saturation and brightness:

Color Theory in Film — Color Psychology for Directors: Ep5

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lINVnA3rVIE

The video explains how each aspect works, what effects they have as well as showing examples with film clips. I find that researching and learning these things through videos is beneficial because it is easier to explain, and you can see examples of how things affect the image.

Week 6 - 26/11/2019

This week was the first week of our filming and I was on set to record the sound. We had two locations to film this week with the first being a bedroom set for all of the bedroom scenes. We shot these scenes on the Tuesday and Thursday as they were the only days the room was available. With my main job on set being to only record sound, I also helped set up the camera, the tripod, the lights as well as dress the set ready for filming.

This week we also filmed the kitchen scenes on the Wednesday and Thursday. As with the bedroom set, my main job was recording sound so again I helped set up the equipment and dress the set.

After every day of filming, the footage was copied over onto an external hard drive so that at the end of the week I could upload what we had shot so far onto the university servers. I also started putting together a basic edit of the film from what we had.

Week 7 - 03/12/2019

This week we had a few more things to shoot in the kitchen scene and then I started working on a rough cut with footage we currently had. There were issues with booking and gaining access to locations, so we didn’t film for the rest of the week.

Week 8 - 10/12/2019

This was our second week of filming and we only had one location left to film which was in the university theatre. There was a lot of shots to be filmed in this location and so we spent all of Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday filming just these scenes. Again, my main job was recording sound but, in this location, we also had access to the stage lights which really helped in getting a correct ‘stage’ look.

Once we had completely finished filming, I uploaded the rest of the footage onto the university servers so that all of the clips were in one place and ready to be edited.

Week 9 - 03/01/2020

This week was the start of the final edit with all of the footage. I already had a rough cut and started to build the rest of the scenes around what I already had. I decided to organise my project into separate bins for each individual scene so that I could work on them independently to make sure they worked on their own before combining them all at the end. One of the difficulties of organising the clips was that all of the individual takes did not transfer onto the server in any particular order, so I had to go through and watch each take before working out what scene it was part of. This did get confusing as further down the line I ended up with takes that I couldn’t find and found out that they had been accidently put into the wrong bin. Once all of the clips were organised into their respective bins, I could then start on building up the stage scenes and fine tuning the bedroom and kitchen scenes.

There was one bedroom scene in particular that I spent some time on as it required a few effects to get the desired result. The shot is of the protagonist, Jack, who is sitting at a desk while two separate versions of him are sticking notes to the wall all within the same shot. On the shoot, they filmed the scene three separate times without moving the camera so that I could line them all up easily in post-production. The idea was to have the figures on the sides of the frame to be sped up with added jump cuts to give the impression of time moving fast while Jack was sat in the middle at the desk. I had originally planned to layer each shot and then crop the edges of the frames so that they would all appear in the frame together. Unfortunately, when it was being filmed, the moving parts of the shots, in this case Jack, overlapped and therefore part of the shot was cut off. To fix this I had to use the 3Dwarp effect on each shot and adjust the transparency so that you could clearly see what each version of jack was doing while still retaining the time lapse effect.

I also sent a version of the edit of what I had done so far to the director and producer so that they could see the progress as well as give me some notes on any changes they think I should make.

Week 10 - 06/01/2020

This week I started to make changes to the edit from the notes that I was given by the director and the producer. These notes were mainly changes to certain shots and the order of certain parts that was different from the script. This week mainly consisted of making sure all of the cuts and edits were tight. I also started adding effects to certain shots that required it. In particular there is a shot in the film of a close up of a particular line in a script that you are supposed to be able to read on screen. There wasn’t a clear or stable enough shot filmed for me to just insert into the edit and so I had to add some effects in order to achieve this. It was quite straight forward as I first added a stabilizing effect to reduce the movement of the shot and make the line readable. I was also able to change the tracking so that the line remained relatively central to the screen. I also added a zoom so that you could read the line easier and also to make the cut between shots smoother and more motivated. I also had to slightly zoom in on a few shots so that the aspect ratios matched with the rest of the shots which was a result of filming on two different cameras.

There were a few basic transitions to be done throughout the film, but they were just either fading to or from a black screen or fading between two different shots. These were easy to do as I just added a dissolve using the quick transition tool and set the parameters to what was needed.

At this stage there were some changes to the script and some extra dialogue had to be recorded and added in. I recorded the lines for the role of the doctor using Audacity in the edit pods and imported them in which proved easier than I thought. There was also another VO for the character of Jack’s sister which was recorded by an actor and then sent to me so that it could be edited in.

One of the last things to do before the colour grade was to add sound effects and music. There were only a few sound effects that had to be put on after which couldn’t be recorded on the day of filming. These sounds were found on the internet and were added to the morning scenes to give them a bit more life than just having music. Cheers and applause sounds were also added to the last scene to give the impression that he was being cheered on stage at the end of his performance. The transitions of the sound were done much in the same way as the clips. I used the quick transition tool to do simple fade in and outs but on some clips, I had to manually adjust the volume so I could be more precise with the levels. We used the same piece of music for the three separate morning sequences to give them consistency and make it a repeating motif that the audience can recognise.

Once sound had been edited the last thing to do was the colour grade. This was done in DaVinci Resolve 16 and proved a challenge as none of the shots had been white balanced on set. I spent most of my time making sure that all of the shots matched up visually by trying to match the skin tones of the main actor. Once I was happy with them all looking the same, I looked through the LUT’s to see if there were any appropriate to the film. I felt none of them did the film justice as they all looked a bit intense and fake. I ended up just adding a film grain to the whole project to remove the digital crispness and give it a slight cinematic look. I also added a slight vignette which really helped add to the film look. Once the grade had been finished it was just a case of exporting the film and submitting it.

Critical Analysis

I feel that the final film has a professional look and that the desired style was achieved but unfortunately, I think that it struggles narratively. Going into filming we all knew that it was going to be a complex story that smoothly transitioned between two locations to imply the sense of confusion and madness that was going on in the protagonist’s life. Towards the end of the edit, the voice overs by the doctor and Jack's sister were added to give some clarity towards what is supposed to be happening in the story, but I feel that it was added too late and now comes across as a bit of an information dump.

Some of the shots look a bit awkward as the director had planned on some complex camera moves to give the impression of long, continuous shots but I felt these didn’t come off as well as they could have and so had to edit them together so that they had better pace within the film.

I felt like the music could be more appropriate to the film as well as it is a very famous piece of music and I feel that while watching the film, you start to focus on the music as opposed to it complimenting what is happening on screen. I also felt that it was too melodic which made it a problem to edit as it tended to fade out or cut in the middle of a melody.

Overall, I think that the film has a good look to it and has its own sense of style, but it just falls short of telling a story as well as it could have.

1 note · View note

weremarkable · 6 years ago

Text

Armie's tune on the cmbyn sequel has changed but nothing really changed? It's all still up in the air like it has always been!

Armie Hammer has done sun-soaked gay romance ("Call Me By Your Name"), offbeat social satire ("Sorry to Bother You") and feminist legal drama ("On the Basis of Sex"). But with "Hotel Mumbai" (in theaters Friday in New York and Los Angeles, expands nationwide March 29), the actor takes on one of his most grueling roles yet, playing an American tourist in India who tries to protect his family when their hotel comes under siege by Pakistani terrorists.

The real-life attacks that inspired the film lasted four days in 2008, killing 174 people. The thriller's release is sadly timely: 50 people died last week in a gunman's massacre at two mosques in New Zealand, where the movie has been pulled from theaters by its distributor.

Hammer, 32, chats about "Mumbai," his hesitation around a planned "Call Me" sequel, and whether he's the next Batman.

Armie Hammer: I'd 'jump' at Batman, but 'you can only say yes to projects you're offered'

Patrick Ryan USA TODAY

Published 10:01 AM EDT Mar 20, 2019

Hammer, 32, chats about "Mumbai," his hesitation around a planned "Call Me" sequel, and whether he's the next Batman.

Armie Hammer stars as “David” in director Anthony Maras’ HOTEL MUMBAI, a Bleecker Street release. Credit: Kerry Monteen / Bleecker Street

KERRY MONTEEN/BLEECKER STREET

Question: This film arrives in theaters a week after the Christchurch mosque attacks in New Zealand. Does it resonate any differently with you in light of that event?

Armie Hammer: The film always felt pertinent and now, unfortunately, it's even more prescient. It's the unfortunate reality of the world we live in, that this kind of thing happens. Whether it be a Pakistani group that’s against India or a radical white supremacist who’s against Muslims, it’s all emblematic of the same problem we have of (miseducation) and bad ideas. It’s about damn time that we as a society and as people just stop all this (expletive). We should just stop (expletive) shooting each other.

Q: Despite the challenging subject matter, why should people see this movie?

Hammer: The thing that should encourage people to see this is exactly what's going on now with Christchurch. We hear there's a shooting in New Zealand and everyone goes, "Oh, man, that really sucks," and then the next headline that pops up on their phone is something dumb Donald Trump said or the amount of money Beto O'Rourke was able to raise, and we move past it really quickly. But if you watch this movie, which gives a first-person perspective on exactly how atrocious an attack like this is, it forces you to emotionally sit inside an event like this.

Q: You had an opportunity to speak to survivors of the Mumbai attacks but chose not to. Why was that?

Hammer: Out of respect for these people, there was no need to pull them back into what they went through. This is one of the first terror attacks that actually played out in real time (on TV). So we had news coverage, clippings, first-person memoirs, all that stuff. The director (Anthony Maras) really approached it with a documentarian dedication, and had thousands of pages of research material for us.

Q: Did you get to do any sightseeing while you were shooting in Australia and India?

Hammer: Shooting in Adelaide was great, because it's the wine capital of Australia. At the end of shooting these really difficult days, we'd get to have amazing wine. And then when we shot in India, several of us went and explored Mumbai, and had multiple adventure days. We made sure to decompress as much as we could, because the days were long and tough. But at the end of the day, we were shooting a movie and the director would call “cut," so it was very different from the experience of people who actually went through it.

Armie Hammer: I'd 'jump' at Batman, but 'you can only say yes to projects you're offered'

Patrick Ryan USA TODAY

Published 10:01 AM EDT Mar 20, 2019

Hammer, 32, chats about "Mumbai," his hesitation around a planned "Call Me" sequel, and whether he's the next Batman.

Armie Hammer stars as “David” in director Anthony Maras’ HOTEL MUMBAI, a Bleecker Street release. Credit: Kerry Monteen / Bleecker Street

KERRY MONTEEN/BLEECKER STREET

Question: This film arrives in theaters a week after the Christchurch mosque attacks in New Zealand. Does it resonate any differently with you in light of that event?

Q: Despite the challenging subject matter, why should people see this movie?

Armie Hammer walks the "Hotel Mumbai" red carpet in New York on Sunday.

CHARLES SYKES/INVISION/AP

Q: You had an opportunity to speak to survivors of the Mumbai attacks but chose not to. Why was that?

Q: Did you get to do any sightseeing while you were shooting in Australia and India?

Q: You've said that Luca Guadagnino's "Call Me By Your Name" sequel is still years away. Ideally, would you like to revisit the characters Elio (Timothee Chalamet) and Oliver (Hammer) every decade or so, kind of like Richard Linklater's "Before" movie trilogy?

Hammer: I'd love to revisit working with Luca and Timmy and everyone else that was involved more than I would necessarily love to revisit the material. The reaction to that movie and the emotional connection that people felt to it is really strong, and that's a beautiful thing. That being said, the first one really struck a chord, so maybe it’s best not to revisit it, I don't know. Then again, "The Godfather 2" is better than "The Godfather." But that's also the only example I can think of a sequel being on par with the first one.

Q: Do fans still give you peaches (a fruit that figures into the film's infamous sex scene)?

Hammer: (Laughs.) Yeah, every now and then I’ll get a peach and it’s still very funny.

Q: You also shot down rumors that you were offered the lead in Matt Reeves' upcoming "The Batman." Would you like to play the character, if given the chance?

Q: Of all the great actors to don the Batman cowl, do you have a favorite take on the character?

Hammer: Yeah, that’s the problem: I’ve never been approached, but if I was, I would jump at the opportunity. You can only say “no” or “yes” to projects you’re offered.

Hammer: They're all such different animals, which is great. Michael Keaton was obviously my first Batman, but the Christian Bale version was also absolutely incredible. But no one will top the Batman nipples that George Clooney had. (See above lol)

USA today ▶

19 notes · View notes

malek-hiddles · 6 years ago

Text

Rami Malek with journalist Amalia Enriquez. Translated interview for The Luxonomist below:

#CloseTo Rami Malek: “After playing Freddie Mercury, I can not ask for more”

Rami Malek becomes Queen's leader in 'Bohemian Rhapsody', a review of the singer's life with whom he says he feels identified ... (Amalia Enríquez 10/30/2018)

Of Egyptian and Greek blood, Rami Malek was educated in the Coptic religion. His first character on the big screen was Pharaoh, he conquered Tom Hanks with his talent and, after a lot of fighting, he got 'Mr Robot', a series that he believed that nobody would ever dare to shoot. Tomorrow, October 31, premieres 'Bohemian Rhapsody', the biopic about Freddie Mercury . His interpretation points to all the dreamed awards.

The Luxonomist: Imagine that I have not seen the movie and you have to convince me that on the day of the premiere I have to be the first in line at the box office.

Rami Malek: Uuuhhhh, ok. I would say that it is a movie in which the best of 'Queen' is collected . His music is universal and the film tells you the history of that music. If I have not convinced you with this, I add that the particularly fascinating thing about 'Bohemian Rhapsody' is that it does not have the usual musical scores, which everyone knows mostly, but all the songs they wrote are perfectly associated and included. Everything fits perfectly. It ends with one of the greatest concerts in history, one of the best of all time, so it's better not to miss it ... but I know you've seen it (laughs).

TL: Right, also on a good screen ...

RM: That is very important. You have to see it on the big screen and with good sound because it is an epic film, reminiscent of the great film productions.

TL: When you recreate a real event and you play someone who is as alive in the collective memory as Freddie Mercury, is there more pressure?

RM: Definitely. You have to do justice to the story and, as an actor, I have focused especially on that aspect. There is no other way of doing things because, if you do not know that you have to execute it like that, you better not involve yourself and do not bother to interpret it.

TL: How have you felt in the skin of a myth, now a legend?

RM: Umm, good question. I have never thought about it that way. It has been a blessing and a joy to have the opportunity to meet him on a personal level in the closest possible way, since he is not physically here. I have to tell you that I have a very special relationship with him now. I see him as someone who has been in my life and who is still present .

TL: Did you really feel like him?

RM: I always knew there was a Freddie Mercury in me , I knew I could get to feel like him. Before they gave me the paper, I asked them to make a prosthesis for their front teeth. Every night I would put it on and sing in front of the mirror, transforming myself into it. It may seem crazy, but I did it. Then I spent many hours with his clothes, imitating his gestures, modulating with his voice. From that moment on, I not only felt him but I enjoyed him. I was outside myself, that's why I managed to be him.

TL: If in a few years we are talking about this movie, what would be the scene that inevitably remains in the memory?

RM: It's very difficult for me to answer this because this movie, all of it, is a unique opportunity in my life. I can quit my career after having done this role, I can not ask for more . When they told me that they chose me to be Freddie, I thought that their interpretation could define my career but, after a while, I also thought that I could finish it if I did not measure up. The memories, which we created among everyone in the film, are something extraordinary and I could not choose a moment. We have filmed wonderful scenes, recreated the magic concert 'Live Aid' that was the best thing they did in their career. I can not stay with a moment because this adventure has been the experience of a lifetime.

TL: Do you believe in the healing power of music?

RM: Of course! The wonderful thing about Queen's music is that it's eternal, it's forever. They broke all the stereotypes, all the barriers with respect to music. And this is the powerful thing. The first time I heard 'Bohemian Rhapsody' I was surprised by its power, emotion and, also, its fun and revolutionary point of view.

TL: What kind of music do you listen to when you relax?

RM: Now a lot of Queen, but my tastes go more for Bob Dylan , that I love since I was young because for me it is a poet, and Leonard Cohen . I like to read their lyrics first and then listen to them . With Freddie I have done the same, because it was the way I realized that his lyrics were a constant search for love.

TL: Are you still mimicked by him or have you managed to get over that stage, once you get rid of the character?

RM: Do not make me crazy, huh ?, but I admit that I have had problems moving on with my life after shooting, due to the fascination I still feel for him. It has left a great impression on me .

TL: Did you ever find anything in common with him?

RM: I realized, throughout the recreation process of the character, that there were nuances in our lives with certain similarities. I have fought all my life to find my identity . My life, as a migrant boy, bears some resemblance to his, a boy from Zanzibar who studied in India and who, due to the political situation in his country, has to go to England with his family. It was a flight looking for a better life, like the one I had with my parents, who emigrated from Egypt to the United States in search of a better existence as well.

TL: Did you manage to find that identity you were looking for?

RM: I always felt different in my adolescence. In my house another language was spoken and we did not eat the same as the Americans, we were faithful to our roots. Then things changed, but I always felt like a lonely boy. The interpretation has saved me in that sense and has helped me socialize.

TL: When success smiles at you, do you think about what's left behind?

RM: Sure! I never lose the reference of my origins, my roots. It would be ungrateful if he did. The experience has made possible what I am. For life to smile on you, you have had to go through shadows before . Overcoming them is what redeems you.

TL: Was it disgusting in your house to say that you wanted to dedicate yourself to "playing at being an artist"?

RM: To a certain extent, yes. My parents never wanted me to be an actor . They wanted a certain future for me and my brothers. They dreamed that I was a doctor or lawyer, but my vocation wanted to take another path. They knew that this is a very unstable profession and what they wanted was my security. I will not deny that I always had doubts .

TL: With the idea of giving up even?

RM: I would lie to you if I did not recognize that I thought about it many times. When I started I had to work distributing pizzas and preparing kebabs because I could not get any paper and I had to survive as it was. At that stage, I thought about leaving it. Not doing it has brought me here.

TL: How does a shy person like you live in such an exposed profession?

RM: Why do you know that I am?

TL: The timid ones we recognize from afar ...

RM: (laughs) This profession allows me to disguise myself and that's why I like it, it takes me away from myself. I like to look back and recognize myself, but overcoming shyness is a daily battle. It is something that you will know then too.

TL: Having a twin brother could help you in your public exposure ...

RM: (laughs) And sometimes, he does. On some occasion they have confused me and followed the roll.

TL: How many times have you been told that you impose with your eyes?

RM: Someone else. I know I have a look that can be disturbing and, if you hurry me, threatening. And I confess, moreover, that my eyes can get to do strange things sometimes and I can not control them. They have a life of their own, they go their own way. If I tell you that my mother is afraid of me sometimes because of them, would you believe it? Well I do not lie to you ...

TL: If I ask you to define me 'Bohemian Rhapsody' in a tweet ...

RM: A very happy trip through the music of Queen. Wait, maybe I have to work a bit on my speech as a salesman (laughs). A magical celebration of one of the best groups in history, with an inimitable Freddie Mercury.

TL: Has it been worth the trip?

RM: Without a doubt. It has been long, very long. With stony and hard moments, a lot of internal reflection. Thanks to this, I have managed to understand Freddie better and empathize with his complexes (they called him "rabbit" at school because of his teeth). He was intense, carefree, direct with his thoughts. Thanks to the lyrics of his songs, I got to know him well and I realized something that was always present in his music: the pain and the frustration of never getting to understand each other. I think he suffered and left with that pain.

* Location: Hotel Villamagna.

(Translated from Spanish with google translate, sorry for any inaccuracies! Original article here)

#rami malek #interview #bohemian rhapsody #freddie mercury #article #the luxonomist #bo rhap interview

10 notes · View notes

tanz-der-vampire-musical · 6 years ago

Audio

Personal concert review - Musical T’s - 29.9.2018 in Berlin

(gotta call them this because there is a thing called copy****t)

Please don’t share the audio outside Tumblr, not even the link. Thank you!

As I promised I wrote a review about Musical T's concert on 29th September 2018 in Berlin, Admiralspalast

The videos of the encore, you can find in this post!

Last time I decided to write the rest in German, but I try it in English to make everyone understand what a wonderful experience it has been.

The musical t's is a quartet, that includes 4 of the most well-known and popular musical actors in Germany who all happen to be tenors. Two of them are very well known by “Tanz der Vampire” fans. Mark Seibert and Jan Ammann, both portrayed the role Krolock in the past. The other two are Christian Alexander Müller, who played in the Phantom of the Opera musical 10 years ago and gained popularity by it, since then he was mostly in low-budget productions and off-musicals and Patrick Stanke , famous for potraying big lead roles in “3 musketeers” , “AIDA”, created the role Graf Axel von Fersen in the musical “Marie Antoinette” by Kunze/Levay and is known for his self-made shows “Stanke ohne Strom”. This is a quartet that fits to each other so well. You would never guess that in the first place, because they are all solo artists, but together they are in harmony.

I know now why I wanted this concert to happen so badly for 7 years. Yes 7 years ago I went to the same concert format and they never did it again in the past years. There was this CD back from 2011. (So if you don’t know it, listen to it, it is worth it.)The funny thing about this concert was, that even if it was 7 years later, I was immediately thrown back in time to 2011. Because many songs were just the same like back then, also added by some new songs from the musicals and concerts they did in between, but mostly same setlist as before. Also one little detail was different they all aged well and got even better in the years in between, but some of them just got a little, how should I say that, out of their old shape (you know what I mean, do you?)

The audio is the song: “Die unstillbare Gier” sung by two past Krolocks Jan Ammann and Mark Seibert

It is not an exaggeration to say, that this was probably the fan highlight both for me personally and also for the audience.

The whole audience was already very hyped by every song and I think I never saw so many standing ovations in a concert, where people sit. Usually standing ovations is to be seen after the last performance, but here we just had a contest for “who would jump first out of their seats”. And of course in a concert like this, there are mostly ladies, so screaming was foreseen. The audience was electrified and you could see that Jan and Mark were just overwhelmed after the standing ovation they received. I’ve never been to a concert like this with such a “wow” factor in so many areas.

Setlist and more detailed review under the cut!

Photos from here

To write about each and every song would be a bit too much, but I tell you a bit about my personal highlights and the TdV part.

Act 1

When the first notes were there I already knew it would be a great concert. In the Admiralspalast Studio there is a good quality about the sound. The band is never too loud and also each actor knows how to regulate his tone to make the right person stand out.

The “3 musketeers” medley is a greatly crafted piece, starting with original D’Artagnan of the original German production Patrick Stanke with “Heut ist der Tag” (Today is the day), joined by the whole quartet. It features one of my alltime favorit songs “Engel aus Kristall” (Angel of crystal) then went slowly to have “Wo ist der Sommer?” (Where is the summer?) and “Wer kann schon ohne Liebe sein?” (Who can live without love?) and then to gain momentum with „Heut ist der Tag“ to finish. You could see how much fun they had with this piece. Also amazing how songs originally sung by women in the musical also fits this quartet.

My personal highlight was Mark Seibert’s “Ein Traum ohne Anfang und Ende” (A dream without beginning and end) from the musical “Die Päpstin”. I heard him sing this piece in Hamburg in May and he is such a fit for the role with his warm voice.

Of course one song that gets the crowd going immediately with the first notes is “Die Schatten werden länger” (The shadows grow taller) from “Elisabeth”. Elisabeth is very popular among German speaking musical fans and Mark Seibert played “Der Tod” many years and so it was no wonder that song belonged to him. His duet partner was Patrick Stanke. These two together singing the song just blow me away. You hear them fight for their lives in the song, this is what the song is about. You don’t need the costumes and the stage setting you just need their voices.

The other highlight that was amazing on so many different levels was Patrick Stanke’s “Du bist das Licht” (You are the light) what was written for him and also has a very personal meaning to him. He played the piano himself (I did not know he could play piano) and sung the song with such an ease to it that makes you feel that he loved the song. The tears just came because it was so beautiful.

I love “Phantom of the Opera” and “The music of the night” is a song that gives me goosebumps if sung like Christian Alexander Müller sings it. He sung this solo in 2011 too, but omg he got so much better. In 2011 I thought, that this is the best version I ever heard and even after seeing the musical in Hamburg after this I still have found no match, but this in 2018 just blew me away. The interpretation of the lyrics in every note and the nuances of the Phantom were so well played in the song. (I think I will share that audio with you later, because it was just this phenomenal.)

Also that little duet before with Jan Ammann from “Love never dies” “Til I hear you sing” was brilliantly sung, but I think some songs are meant to be sung alone.

Act 2

“Who wants to live forever/The show must go on” is a showstopper at its best. It has everything you want in a quartet in this arrangement. I am not sure I will ever be able to tell how amazing that mashup is.

“Never enough” from “The greatest showman” is a song that I am torn about, because it is a good piece of music, but lacks a bit “wow” factor for me. Also that repeatedly “never, never” is a bit annoying, BUT Christian Alexander Müller sang that. And that’s a challenge for a man, that he mastered brilliantly. I will never be a big fan of this song, but what he did with it was really difficult and deserves an extra appreciation.

Patrick Stanke excels in Kunze/Levay’s “Wie wird man seinen Schatten los” (How do you get rid of your shadow) from “Mozart”. This song just leaves so much room for showing off your vocal skills. It just leaves you speechless about what a great singer he is.

“Tanz der Vampire” could not have been left out at all with two Krlocks in the house. So sung with special guest Stefanie Schüper (Is this her name? I don’t know it…I am still so sorry) was “Totale Finsternis” and as my friend who went with me there just told me “Yeah well everyone is great, but Jan Ammann just stands out for fitting the role” and I cannot say it any better. The quartet plus special guest was nice and you will probably never hear such a diverse “Totale Finsternis” but some just fit the song like it is written for them, others just don’t have the feeling to it. And Mark Seibert is my favorit musical actor but I think “Tanz der Vampire” does not suit him as well as other roles. (He was still great when I watched him last year in TdV but I prefer Jan Ammann in this)

After this bombastic sound in Totale Finsternis, the duet “Die unstillbare Gier” just topped everything before. I don’t know if it was because of the hyped audience or anything else, but it was special. Mark and Jan both sung the parts alternately and in the end joined in two voiced. You can listen to it in the beginning of this post.

With this highlight it could have been the end of the show, but it was not. It followed two wonderful slow pieces of music.

Mark Seibert’s “Letzter Vorhang” (Last curtain call) from “Schikaneder” where Mark told a little anecdote beforehand. Mark told us that when he worked with Stephen Schwartz that he thought the song would end in a bombastic sound like many ballads in musicals do, but Stephen Schwartz just told him “No it is not like this, it is just a little song, not one where you show off” . I appreciate that Mark chose this song, because he could have shown-off his vocal skills but he did not and this little song is a beautiful piece of music with very beautiful meaningful lyrics. So it felt just like everyone calmed down and did not really know how to react. Of course people applauded loudly but much calmer.

The other slow song is also one of my personal alltime favorit songs that make me cry “Bring him home” from Les Mis. This was a beautiful duet with Christian A. Müller and Patrick Stanke. Even writing about it, gets me emotional….

The finish was “Vivo per lei” that is just an appreciation song to music and a wonderful song to finish, just that this was not the end at all.

There came the ABBA Medley that got the crowd going and screaming and hyped the audience again (almost everyone took out their phone and filmed) and they ended it with “Look with your heart” from “Love never dies” . They ended the same way they did in 2011. And the clever part of this song is that they slowly walk off the stage and don’t come back so the audience cannot scream for more. Very clever, because we could have stayed there all night.

Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed the read. Let me know if I should share a bit more audio files of the show, I would do it.

SETLIST:

(Note: CA Müller is Christian Alexander Müller)

AKT 1

01. Tenors – Limelight Moderation A Alle

02. Tenors - Drei Musketiere Medley

03. Jan Ammann – Leuchtturm

04. Tenors – Auf der Strasse, mein Schatz wo Du lebst

05. Tenors - The Impossible Dream / Man Of La Mancha

06. Mark Seibert - Ein Traum ohne Anfang und Ende

07. Tenors – More Than Words

08. Seibert & Stanke – Die Schatten werden länger

09. Patrick Stanke – Du bist das Licht

10. Tenors – Memory

11. Müller & Ammann – Till I Hear You Sing

12. CA Müller – Die Musik der Nacht

13. Tenors – This Is The Moment

14. Tenors feat. Female Guest – I Believe in You

AKT 2

01. Tenors – Who wants to live forever / Show must go on

02. CA Müller – Never enough

03. Tenors – Closer To Heaven

04. Jan Ammann – Kalte Sterne

05. Female Guest – divers, je nach Konzerttermin

06. Patrick Stanke – Wie wird man seinen Schatten los…

07. Tenors - Am Ende bleiben Tränen (Tu Cosa Fai Stasera)

08. Tenors feat. Female Guest – Totale Finsternis

09. Mark Seibert & Jan Ammann – Die Unstillbare Gier

10. Mark Seibert – Der letzte Vorhang

11. CA Müller & Patrick Stanke – Bring ihn heim

12. Tenors – Vivo per lei

Encore

01. Tenors – ABBA - Medley

02. Tenors –Look With your Heart

Setlist from here

#tanz der vampire #mark seibert #jan ammann #patrick stanke #Christian alexander müller #musical tenors #personal review #berlin 2018

19 notes · View notes