#198s films

[cressida-jayoungr]

One Dress a Day Challenge

July: Green Redux (+ Blue Redux)

Ivanhoe / Lysette Anthony as Lady Rowena

Return of the Ren Faire! The big pearl beads are like something out of The Court Jester, but at least that movie had the excuse of not even pretending to be period-accurate.

I really do love this movie's costumes out of all proportion to what they frankly deserve. I guess I was just at an impressionable age when i saw this movie/miniseries. Plus, it's just so obvious that the costumers are doing their best on what must have been a miniscule budget, bless their hearts. I just want to hug them and pat them on their heads.

[pinkfey]

mewchies do u have any movie recs 🤲🤲

[project1939]

200 Films of 1952

Film number 198: Against All Flags

Release date: Dec 24th, 1952 

Studio: Universal 

Genre: adventure 

Director: George Sherman, Douglas Sirk 

Producer: Joseph Hoffman, Aeneas MacKenzie  

Actors: Errol Flynn, Maureen O’Hara, Anthony Quinn 

Plot Summary: A British naval officer goes undercover on the coast of Madagascar to break up an infamous colony of pirates. Claiming to be a deserter, he works to win their trust. Things take an unusual turn when he meets a very unexpected pirate- a gorgeous, strong-willed, sword fighting woman! 

My Rating (out of five stars): ***¼  

I can tell you why I enjoyed this film in two words: Maureen O’Hara. Wait! Make it three words: Maureen O’Hara’s outfits! Put O’Hara in trousers and high boots, and I am lost. Lost! She was so dazzlingly beautiful, I had trouble focusing on much else. Thankfully, the rest of the film was just bright high-energy fun. It wasn’t particularly remarkable, but it breezed by quickly and never got tiresome. It may even be one of my favorite pirate movies from 1952. (minor spoilers)

The Good: 

Maureen O’Hara! Normally I’m not a big fan of hers; although undeniably striking, she’s such a man’s woman type. Here she was swaggering around in pirate garb, taking no shyte from nobody, and I fell in love. Amid so much sexually harassing behavior by men in the media in 1952, I wanted to jump for joy when her character pushed Flynn away and said- “I kiss when I feel like kissing, and see that you remember that!” 

Prudence “Spitfire” Stevens, the character O’Hara played, was one of my favorites of this project. She was sexually in charge, she could handle her own with men, she was good with a sword... everything about her was the opposite of a wilting little damsel. This lady would never let John Wayne drag her across the ground by her arms and hair! 

My favorite quote, spoken by O’Hara: “I was a fool to think that you might be different from the others- swaggering, misbegotten bullies who think that a girl is without pride of her own- just something to satisfy their selfish lusts and vanities because she’s weaker! Well, I’m not weaker! I go after what I want, just like they do. I can defend my own self-respect, and if any man dares to damage it, I’ll shoot the eyes out of his head- both of them!!” !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 

The Technicolor looked amazing. It especially made the costumes look good. 

The plot was briskly paced, entertaining, and lively. You might even say it was buoyant? Ha! Couldn’t resist the pun. 

Most of it was clearly filmed on sets, even the scenes at sea, but it looked noticeably better than Blackbeard the Pirate, which I watched only a couple of days ago. 

The scene where all the sabotaged cannons fire was also one of my favorites. 

The Bad: 

Errol Flynn was a bit too old for the role, in my opinion. He looked quite weathered and a little paunchy, making his swashbuckling scenes less convincing. It was kind of a sad reminder of the prowess and agility he used to have. In his younger days, he made my knees weak, but he didn’t age as gracefully as someone like Cary Grant. (Who does?!) Flynn was also severely alcoholic by this time, and he wasn’t sober during filming, which definitely didn’t help. He could still be charming and appealing, though. 

Anthony Quinn didn’t have enough to do! I love Quinn, but all his character really got to do here was snarl. 

Flynn and O’Hara didn't have much chemistry. O’Hara told stories later of how Flynn would be so drunk in the afternoon, she had to do her love scene close-ups across from a flag with an X marked on it, while a script girl read Flynn’s lines! So the lack of chemistry shouldn’t be surprising, I guess! 

The sword fighting, while not bad, was a little underwhelming sometimes. 

A white girl playing the role of a Southeast Asian princess? Of course, this is Hollywood! (Hey! It was Alice Kelley- I was kind of mean about her acting ability in Francis Goes to West Point. She was much improved here.) 

So the pirates raid a ship with the sign of Islam on the flag, yet the ruling princess inside is surrounded by Hindu statues? 

Do harems have Irish governesses? 

It was definitely gross to see a teenage girl and a man who looked 50 kiss each other. 

The scene of auctioning off captured harem girls as wives was horrifying. It was played almost comedically when a kidnapped teenaged girl was bought by a slovenly, stupid, ugly man at least 15 years older than her. There were even jokes about the wedding night! It was really a rape auction for god’s sake! It was disgusting and infuriating, and the only girl actually saved from that fate was the princess.

[geeknexus]

Barbie, o filme estrelado por Margot Robbie, recebeu uma data de lançamento para a mídia digital. A produção da Warner Bros. em parceria com a Mattel estará disponível para locação e compra nas plataformas digitais a partir de 5 de setembro. Apesar do sucesso do filme nos cinemas, ainda não há contratos assinados para sequências

[doyoulikethissong-poll]

Beyoncé - Work It Out 2002

"Work It Out" is the debut solo single by American singer-songwriter Beyoncé. It was released on June 11, 2002, as the lead single from the soundtrack album to the film Austin Powers in Goldmember, in which Beyoncé stars as Foxxy Cleopatra. It was later included on international editions of Beyoncé's debut studio album, Dangerously in Love (2003). Beyoncé co-wrote the song with its producers, Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo. It is an R&B song which incorporates elements of 1960s and 1970s funk and post-disco.

The song was generally well received by music critics, many of whom complimented its retro style and various influences. It has been credited as the beginning of Beyoncé's career as a successful solo artist, after fulfilling a career as the lead vocalist of Destiny's Child. "Work It Out" was nominated in the category of Best Original or Adapted Song at the 2003 Black Reel Awards. It topped the US Billboard's Hot Dance Club Play chart, and reached the top ten in Norway and the UK. It went to number 12 in Ireland, number 14 in Denmark, number 36 in New Zealand, and number 23 for two consecutive weeks in Australia.

"Work It Out" received a total of 56,3% yes votes. Previous Beyoncé/Destiny's Child polls: #51 "Jumpin', Jumpin'", #198 "With Me", #234 "Hymn for the Weekend".

[homestuckreplay]

john: become movies

(page 194-198)

EB: i discovered a comet that is going to destroy the earth, and it was named after me. EB: now i am famous, and everyone wants to talk to me a lot.

There's a post that shows up on various sites that's something like 'you suddenly wake up inside the world of the last movie you watched, how screwed are you?' Well, this just happened to John Egbert for real, and god damn this is the worst possible scenario. He'd be way better off inside Mac and Me.

Two main takeaways from these pages: first, how literal John's movies have suddenly become in the story. As early as page 21 John examined the Deep Impact poster and we learned that 'Films about impending apocalypse fascinate you.' I've thought so much about their themes that I never expected John to actually live out their plots, but this opens up so many new possibilities. I'm certain now that should he survive this, he's going to start meeting ghosts, monsters, and aliens - if the game can summon meteors, what's to stop it from creating these too?

Second, WHAT A FUCKING ESCALATION. In just under 200 pages we've gone from 'John struggles to locate his own arms' to 'John has three minutes to live before a meteor impacts the Earth'. In Deep Impact, they had about a year to prepare for the meteor, in Armageddon they had a few weeks, and John has THREE MINUTES. The stakes have skyrocketed extremely suddenly and out of nowhere.

And yet, John decides that high fiving the harlequinsprite is more important than...I don't know, trying to get to shelter? Trying to figure out a way to stop this? This isn't fight, flight, freeze or fawn, it's the secret fifth response, Fool. It's fitting that the harlequin was dropped in the all-important sprite, because John is going to be a clown until his last seconds.

[hairscare]

im trying to beat my record from last year of movies ive watched and recorded on letterboxd but in order to do that i need to watch 54 more movies and theres only 59 days left of 2024. anyways if you have any movie recommendations pls send them to me

also heres my letterboxd

[coulsons-fullmetal-cellist]

For the Love of Horror Masterlist

Dieter meets and falls in love with someone who absolutely loves horror films. The problem is, he's a big scaredy cat!

I'll write the stories as they get into my brain but list everything in chronological order.

The story that started it all:

For the Love of Horror ~ 1,616 words

Special flashback: Love at the Craft Table ~ 2, 104 words

Dieter and The Lobster ~ 2, 152 words

In between:

Kiss the Girl ~ 1,145 words

Ice Cream on the Beach ~ 1, 522 words

Talk Food to me ~ 737 words

Breakfast at Dieter's ~ 858 words

The Noses Have It ~~ 643 words

Only One Pillow ~ 1,017 words

The Jealousy of Dieter Bravo ~ 828 words

435 ~ 737 words

Dieter Bravo and the Sundance Queen ~ 3,064 words

The Last Temptation of Dieter ~ 1, 027 words

How to Heal a Broken Heart ~ 957 words

Dieter Darko ~ 807 words

The Audition ~ 1, 505 words

You've Got a Friend in Me ~ 1, 528 words

Laundry Days ~ 1, 039 words

Happy Birthday Mr Bravo ~ 840 words

Rumour Has It ~ 1, 373 words

A Weekend at Dieter's ~ 1,162 words

The Importance of Being Dieter ~ 3, 536 words

Dieter and the Pea ~ 678 words

What's in the box?~ 301 words

Where's the axe? ~ 604 words

Dieter in Horror-land ~ 1,273 words

A Rather Magical Super Sexy Secret ~ 711 words

A Year of Love and Horror ~ 1, 178 words

Dieter, Dieter, Pumpkin Eater ~ 1, 115 words

Neverwhere ~ 2, 007 words

Baking for the Devil in the Big White Tent ~ 787 words

The Final Girl Phone Call ~ 1, 996 words

Ghosts of the Past ~ 1, 459 words

Back to the Bubble ~ 3, 066 words

After:

He's Just Dieter ~ 1, 624 words

Dieter Comes Down with a Cold ~ 933 words

Dieter and the Goats ~ 813 words

Operation Sleepy Hollow ~ 1, 789 words

As the Petals Fall ~ 1,773 words

Tale As Old As Time ~ 759 words

Making An Effort ~ 1, 198 words

Looking Back ~ 967 words

The Lack of Kenergy ~ 610 words

A Dieter Thing Happened on the Way to the Colosseum ~ 1,347 words

Dieter Gets Bitten by The Viper (figuratively) ~ 572 words

Before and After We Say 'I Do' ~ 1,014 words

My Lady, My General ~ 875 words NEW!!!

Carrie Me Home ~ 523 words

Disgusting Degustation ~ 3,549 words

Don't be a Strip Tease ~ 923 words

Storm Whiskey ~ 387 words

Red Coat, Red Eye ~ 1,147 words

Storm in a Bowling Alley ~ 1, 882 words

Those Blue Eyes ~ 857 words

Halloween Couple Costumes ~ 783 words

A Dieter Movie ~ 209 words

Dieter the Animated dad ~ 555 words

Is That My Robe? ~ 850 words

The Littlest Zombie ~ 737 words

The Littlest Ghost ~ 667 words

Dieter Bravo: The Puppy Interview ~ 653 words

Dieter: Certified DILF ~ 833 words

Agent Skeleton vs. Princess Evil ~ 520 words

It's Alive! ~ 552 words

And the award goes to... ~ 482 words

Dinosaur Hide and Seek ~ 485 words

A Silly Accident ~ 401 words

Clara and the Bad Dinosaur ~ 1, 867 words

A Surefly Way ~ 716 words

Anywhere:

Ace of Spades ~ 197 words

Say It With Flowers ~ 1,191 words

Bedtime Stories ~ 1,426 words

Terrifying Trypophobia ~ 491 words

Roleplaying with Dieter ~ 241 words

More roleplaying ~ 328 words

Vampire Roleplay ~ 343 words

An Attempt at Cowboy Roleplay ~ 502 words

And Nothing More ~ 340 words

Out of Body ~ 268 words

Dieter's Favourite Fruit ~ 731 words

When a Stranger Calls Dieter ~ 757 words

Fangs for the Questions ~ 751 words

Dieter's Drunken Love Confession

Dieter in Fairy Bread Land ~ 568 words

Don't Go Bacon My Heart ~ 366 words

Wooden Puppet Boy ~ 326 words

Under Her Skin ~ 341 words

The Plight of Women's Shorts ~ 349 words

Dieter the Explorer ~ 319 words

Sexy Bespectacled ~ 508 words

Dancing with Dieter at Dusk ~ 680 words

Sexy Dance ~ 246 words

Waltz With Me ~ 726 words

How to Control Those Curls ~ 373 words

If you have any horror films/TV shows you'd like to see mentioned or you just want to recommend something, I'm happy to hear them!

[nauseated-and-numb]

bday goals journal

Day 8?: May 6th, 2024

so this weekend I had an event and i got down to the 180's for it, but since i was with my boyfriend, I had to eat like a normal person, so I'm back to 192. Last weekend though, when I had to eat like a normal person I was back up to 198 and I got down to 189, so hopefully I can stick with the 9 lbs and I'll get to 183 by the end of this week. We are officially down 6lbs, only 20 left to go! I also am starring in a student short film and my character is supposed to be an assassin, so I have a good excuse to not be eating junk food and for working out so much!

[samanthahirr]

samanthahirr's 007 Fest 2023 Masterpost

COMMENTS

510 comments! With comment-multiplier bonus points, that's 700 points for comments!

FICS 

(>750 words)

(No) More Than This (Chapter 1-2)

We Eat First With Our Eyes (2022 Prompt #6 "nsfw")

The Chase (Chapters 1-4) (2022 Prompt #6 "nsfw")

(750-2,500 words)

Relating in Kindness

With Heart Hardened

FIC SUMMARIES (i.e. "stories sam isn't writing")

The Vampire from the Deep * (2020 Prompt #31 "Vesper is a vampire")

Office Hours

The Quartermaster's Mission Holiday (2018 Prompt #22 "And then they were roommates" & 2023 Prompt #222 "Enjoying a nice view")

COCKTAIL RECIPES

The Skeleton's Bite *

The Jamaica Contact with a Side of Danger *

Jinx's Bikini *

The Blow Me Away *

Mr. Hinx Fizzy *

Paradise Bird ^

INCORRECT QUOTE MEMES

00Q - I want to wake up with you

Bond/Swann - You often use humor to deflect trauma ^

NomiPenny - How's the sexiest person here? ^

Bond/Moneypenny - Better off as friends ^

Bond/Tanner - I'm getting in the shower ^

Bond/Boothroyd - I want to kiss you ^

Q/Bond/Moneypenny - Sorry I'm late *^

Tanner/Mallory - Are you trying to seduce me? *^

Bond/Tracy - I don't do relationships ^

Bond/Mansfield - I really like your top ^

Bond/Felix - We both look very handsome tonight ^ (2023 Prompt #223 "Insecure about how they look")

HEADCANONS

10 Hosiery Habit Headcanons *

Bill Tanner's Bedding Set (2023 Prompt #22 "Flowers")

Original Character - Gina Castillo's Case File *

5 Biggest Swimwear-Embarrassments Headcanons * ^ ^ ^

7 HR Complaints Against MI6 Staff Headcanons ^

SCAVENGER HUNT TASKS

#1 leave someone an anonymous comment of positivity *

#6 create a crossword puzzle: "007 Animals"

#9 (x5) create an incorrect quote meme, images optional

#12 write an acrostic poem: "Moon Moth" *

#17 create a film poster with a local landmark "The Dying Reflection"

#25 show a character's bedding set "Bill Tanner's Bedding Set"

#26 show your pet working for MI6 "009-Lives"

#29 (x2) solve a Find the Difference post (@bluebellofbakerstreet & @kitten-kin)

#30 create a cocktail recipe "The Skeleton's Bite"

#33 (x3) solve a crossword puzzle (castillon02 & bluebellofbakerstreet & kitten-kin)

#35 spot a Bond reference in the wild "50 Bond Gadgets You Can Own"

#36 create a fancast film poster "First with a Bullet" (Aldis Hodge)

#43 gift a fanwork to a member of another team: "Drabble: Alec/Bond" for @emiliasilverova

#46 create an incorrect quote meme, images required: "I want to wake up with you"

#48 collaborate with a teammate: "The Chase" with @aprettyspy

MOODBOARDS/COVER ART

The Vampire from the Deep moodboard

The Quartermaster's Mission Holiday moodboard

Office Hours moodboard

Original Character - Gina Castillo's Case File moodboard

(No) More Than This cover art

We Eat First with Our Eyes cover art

6 Cocktail Recipe title cards (see above)

MISCELLANEOUS

Off the Books playlist (2023 Prompt #198 "create a playlist for a fic")

Fancast Film Poster "First with a Bullet" (Charlize Theron)

Drabble - MoneyTanner ^ (2017 Prompt #4)

Drabble - Tanner/Mansfield * ^

Drabble - Alec/Bond *

BETA'D WORKS

1 fic for @emiliasilverova (Achillean Delights)

2 chapters for @hammerbacks (Taking in Water chapter 2 & Warm Water chapter 9)

2 chapters of "The Chase" for @aprettyspy

EVENTS

1 film (Flash Gordon) hosted

1 Productivity Hours hosted

1 Bond Bingo Hour attended

4 Productivity Hours attended

5 Longfic Readalongs attended

* indicates Theme Day bonus ^ indicates Unique Rare Pair Ship bonus

510 comments, 15 theme days, 17 unique rare pair ships, 9 fics/chapters posted, 3 fic summaries, 11 incorrect quote memes, 3 drabbles, 6 cocktail recipes, 24 headcanons…and a dozen more miscellaneous creations! I had no idea I could be so productive/creative in a single month! 

Endless thanks to my @teamqbranch captain and cheerleaders and teammates for their support and encouragement! I'm grateful I got to spend so much time with all of you this month. And a huge thank you to the @mi6-cafe mods for organizing such an awesome event! And now I need a nice long nap.

TOTAL POINTS FOR 2023 FEST = 1,670

[peterlorrefanpage]

WHAT

August 1936: Peter Lorre in tuxedo talking into microphone at premiere of the film "Anthony Adverse" (a Fredric March/Claude Rains/Olivia de Havilland movie).

But no sound!? From Getty here.

This has to be out there for real (and with sound)! Full clip seems to be over 8 minutes. Source is "Archive Films Editorial 527-198" with credit to Petrified Films.

My Google-fu is failing me right now helllllp

[bookaddict24-7]

REVIEWS OF THE WEEK!

Books I’ve read so far in 2023!

Friend me on Goodreads here to follow my more up to date reading journey for the year!

___

196. The Alien by K.A. Applegate--⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This was such an interesting perspective! I wasn't expecting it a few books back and was curious how Applegate would tackle it, especially since we know so little about the character. It definitely added a new pov to the story and I'm excited to see how they are represented in the future after more time has passed and more character development has happened!

I can't say too much because spoilers. But I am genuinely enjoying this series and can't wait to get to the next one!

___

197. The Grip Of It by Jac Jemc--⭐️⭐️

If there is one thing this confusing and jarring book did really well, it is the representation of what it might be like to slowly fall into madness. The way the characters worked off each other in their madness and the way the dialogue and chapters worked together to create a choppy and disorienting dialogue was genius.

What wasn't so genius was how confused I was most of the time. There are so many unanswered questions and the story is full of confusing moments. I know that Horror can sometimes truly be a hit or miss and that one person's horror won't be another, but this is the kind of horror that should probably be read more than once to fully grasp just what the hell is actually happening.

I will say that while the structure of the story definitely works in creating the mood of the story, listening to the audiobook was an interesting and frustrating experience. The chapters would end rather abruptly and would often leave me wondering what had just happened.

Overall, this book was everything I was expecting, but also underwhelming in its over-all presentation. It was wild and so brain twisting. I don't know if I'd recommend it, but if I did, I'd recommend reading it slowly and maybe more than once LOL.

___

198. The Island by Adrian McKinty--⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

THE ISLAND was both exactly what I was hoping it would be and still completely different than what I was expecting. I knew it was going to be a ride, but I wasn't prepared for the level of wildness that this book would adopt.

Imagine that you're on vacation with your new husband and his children, shortly after those kids' biological mother has passed away. You're in a country you know close to nothing about (Australia) and being the tourists who should be featured in a horror film, you find yourselves on a small, private island being chased by a trigger happy and aggrieved family. What ensues is something straight out of Hollywood.

I saw this as a cautionary tale for "actions have consequences" and while yes, the consequences here are dire, we have to admit that the catalyst for this was heartbreaking. I think McKinty does a good job of showcasing the dangers of grief and the magic of morally grey characters. Let's be real, the MC and her husband are no saints. They do a pretty twisted thing in order to save their asses and while yes, I was rooting for them and the kids, a corner of my mind couldn't forget the awfulness of their choices.

If you're a parent, this might be a little bit of a rougher read since it does include younger kids in dangerous situations. We get to see an MC who grows as a character in order to make sure these kids survive, but I know some parents, especially those who have younger kids, might have a harder time with stories like this one. Keeping that warning in mind, there were some pretty badass moments, but also some very human ones, as well.

I really enjoyed this and I'm glad I finally picked it up!

___

199. Aesthetica by Allie Rowbottom--⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

AESTHETICA was a lot and to be honest, I think that's necessary in the world we live in. So many young people obsessed with social media and their appearance on those apps are incredibly impressionable. What can help them be more famous? What can make them look more beautiful? The exploration of beauty standards and how they affect a young woman, in particular, and those around her can be relatable to at least one reader.

I think that Rowbottom's book is also a great look into generational trauma because of how the MC's mother raised her and how she herself had a level of dislike towards her mom that is a whole other side to this book. While we have the clear main story of the MC regretting the choices she made and dealing with that trauma, we also have her disentangling her love/hate relationship for her ill mother.

AESTHETICA was brought to my attention by an article presenting it as a horror story. In some ways, I can understand that. There is a certain kind of horror behind the trauma of selling yourself in the name of success. There is definitely a particular kind of horror in wanting to face all of the trauma you've faced, to the point where you're set on undoing everything that is the physical proof of that trauma.

Though this is a relatively short book, I think it carries a lot of weight. We see the power of social media and a naive mentality. We see the dangers of those who present themselves in a certain way. And we see the sometimes incredibly complex relationships between mothers and daughters and how deeply entwined these relationships and our own self worth can be. Also, a brief mention on the power of childhood friendships and how they can scar us if they end too soon, or shift in any way that is beyond our control.

I'd recommend this if you want a bit of an acid trip of an exploration into the above mentioned topics.

___

200. Icebreaker by Hannah Grace--⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

RE-READ: September 2023:

My library got the audiobook version, so of course I HAD to put a hold on it. I was a little scared I wouldn't love this book as much as I did the first time around, but I'm happy to say that I DID! ICEBREAKER is still one of my favourite romances, if only because of the level of communication between the characters. I also forgot how spicy and full of sexual tension this book was.

Overall, super happy I re-read this. Maybe it'll be a yearly re-read. 😌

___

201. Theodore Boone: Kid Lawyer by John Grisham--⭐️⭐️⭐️

There's something interesting about an older man writing a young kid--especially when his MC mentions in the book that at 13 years old, boys don't even notice girls and actively try to stay away from them. LOL. I actually laughed at that because I was thirteen over twenty years ago and I distinctly remember that not being the case. I just thought that was hilarious and felt super disconnected. Not that I want a romance story in a middle grade book, but just...let's be real. And I mention this first because it happens pretty early on.

Anyway, the MC was a pretty cool kid--he knows everyone and even has a little side gig where he gives advice to his classmates. His smart take on the current case and his enthusiasm jumps off the page. I'm not sure how I will feel about the rest of the series, but we will see!

___

202. Misery by Stephen King--⭐️⭐️⭐️

I went into MISERY knowing that it's a fan favourite. I don't know what I was expecting, but I was a bit let-down. I think that while I did enjoy some aspects of this book and was genuinely freaked out at times, this kind of fell into the same category of THE SHINING for me. When I read THE SHINING, it was incredibly hyped up and even though it DID have a terrifying take on the fall of madness, it was otherwise meh for me.

One of the best things that King does with his writing (or at least back them) was his creation of madness in a character. He somehow knows how to take the most terrifying characteristics of humanity and integrates them really well into his characters. The brutality of this villain was something else, especially when we actively see her professing her love for the MC and then causing him bodily harm.

I think one of the downfalls for me in my reading experience of this was listening to the audiobook. It was disjointed and confused the hell out of me. Maybe physically reading it would have been a wholly different experience, but the disorientation of the audiobook could have either freaked me out or confused me and sadly, it was the latter.

Not my favourite King novel, but I can see why so many love it. Will continue on my reading journey with King's books.

___

203. Natural Beauty by Ling Ling Huang--⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Phew, this book was weird and wild and hooked me right from the beginning.

Huang explores so many topics in her skin crawling novel: Racism, social perception of beauty, the addiction the wealthy sometimes have when it comes to "self-care", unexplored sexuality, envy, and SA in the most unusual of ways but could also be an allusion to how the rich can sometimes use money when it comes to getting away with sexual crimes.

I never expected body horror when I picked up NATURAL BEAUTY, but here we are. I remember when that started to show up in the narrative, along with the changing physical body of the MC, I paused what I was doing (while listening to the audiobook) and became even more enthralled. This was such a creepy and genius exploration of societal expectations and the things people will sometimes do to be either "different" or "like everyone else".

There's also an interesting sub-story about the MC's experiences as a child musical prodigy and how that definitely played into her malleability as a victim for the people who would eventually take advantage of her. It definitely played into the stereotypes society has about young Asian children when it comes to classical music.

And somewhere along the way, as the MC is evolving (both metaphorically AND physically), she starts to discovery a side to her sexuality never fully explored. During these scenes, it truly reminded me of the "will they/won't they" that usually accompanies blossoming sexuality--the "I want this, but do I really? But should I? Do THEY want to?" narrative that usually flashes through our minds when we're right on the verge of making that exploration.

Anyway, I'm just rambling now. I really enjoyed this, much more than I thought I would because this book was WEIRD. Like, mind-bending weird. And if it was ever made into a movie, I'd be watching it with the biggest side-eye.

___

Have you read any of these books? Let me know your thoughts!

___

Happy reading!

[animefeminist]

Chatty AF 198: The Boy and the Heron Retrospective

Vrai, Cy, and Toni discuss Miyazaki Hayao’s latest (last?) movie, its callbacks to his career and themes, and Robert Pattinson.

Episode Information

Date Recorded: December 29th 2023 Hosts: Vrai, Cy, Toni

Episode Breakdown

0:00:00 Intros 0:01:50 Favorite Ghibli film 0:07:08 Sub or dub 0:12:18 The title 0:15:52 SPOILER WARNING 0:16:57 Summary 0:18:06 It’s an isekai 0:22:33 What is this sekai? 0:27:39 WWII 0:29:22 Takahata Isao 0:30:58 Miyazaki Goro 0:33:20 The birds 0:37:40 The Wind rises 0:43:34 Himi 0:46:59 Natsuko 0:55:43 Mahito 1:04:22 Outro

Further Reading

‘The Boy and the Heron’: How GKIDS Pulled Off One of the Most Important Dubs in Anime History

[gryficowa]

Boycott!

When you watch a movie about criminal cases (it's standard, you know) and you see a comment from a date that he reports the movie for anti-Semitism (Because the movie touched on the case of that fucked-up man who adopted his sons and pretended to be a perfect parent, when in practice he was a pedophile… Yes, I also don't fucking understand why in the USA they gave this man the opportunity to adopt many sons and didn't give a damn about what was happening privately… Tia… They care about children, or how can you be queerphobic, or when a tragedy happens, never on time. ..), because it happened that the man who did disgusting things to his sons was a Jew… Aha… Ok, I could understand writing, for example, a comment report (because let's face it, it was a cesspool, and one guy wrote that Hitler was right… Yes, it's very chilling), but no, it was clearly aimed at the author of the film, because he had the nerve to bring up this topic...

So yes, you can say that soon it won't even be possible to send a murderer to prison, because that would be "Anti-Semitic", thanks America…

Now that I have your attention:

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Seriously, I feel like I'm living in a simulation…

[jigsawsource]

by clicking HERE, you can download a .zip file of #198 icons of shawnee smith playing amanda young in 2004's saw. these icons are unedited (beside color correction/lighting/sharpening) and are 100x100px. shawnee was thirty-four years old at the time of filming; she is currently fifty-four.

₁. please like or reblog if you use. credit on your blog is otherwise not required but appreciated.

[bollywoodirect]

Today marks the 20th death anniversary of Uma Devi Khatri aka #TunTun. She was a well-known singer and actress, famous for being the first female comedian in Hindi cinema. Uma was born in 1923 in a small village near Amroha, Uttar Pradesh, India. Tragically, her parents and brother were killed over a land dispute. Uma lost her family when she was very young and had to live as a maid with relatives. Despite these hardships, Uma's life changed when she met Akhtar Abbas Kazi, an Excise Duty Inspector, who supported and encouraged her. During the India-Pakistan partition, Kazi moved to Lahore, but Uma went to Bombay (now Mumbai) to pursue a singing career in movies. They later married in Bombay in 1947. Uma bravely approached composer Naushad Ali in Bombay, asking for a chance to sing, and he gave her an opportunity. She debuted as a singer in the film "Wamiq Azra" (1946) and quickly made a name for herself. Uma had a series of hit songs in the 1940s, including in the movie "Dard" (1947). Her singing career flourished, and she became one of the top playback singers. However, as music styles changed, she found it hard to compete with newer singers. Naushad suggested she try acting, and she debuted in the film "Babul" (1950) alongside Dilip Kumar, where she got her stage name "Tun Tun." Tun Tun became a famous comic actor, appearing in many films over the next decades, including with stars like Amitabh Bachchan. She acted in about 198 films in various languages, becoming a well-loved figure in Bollywood comedy. Her last film appearance was in "Kasam Dhande Ki" (1990). Tun Tun's name became a cultural reference in India, often associated with comic characters.