#Best of List

[absolutebl]

BL 2023 - BEST KISSES

Not from Thailand... but still GREAT

Best kiss of 2023:

Why R U? Korea

The backpack drop. This actually won best kiss of the year over all from me. A big surprise upset from Korea.

This pair in general did v good!

Best slow burn FINALLY kiss:

Our Dating Sim

Best Queer AF kiss:

The New Employee

Best high heat kinky fuckers kisses:

My Personal Weatherman

Best hella thirsty kiss:

I Cannot Reach You

Best kiss from a BL side pair:

Mr Cinderella 2

Best general making out and sex scenes:

Kiseki Dear to Me

Best missing umbrella kiss:

also My Personal Weatherman

Best At Kissing ALL THE BOYS:

BV in Vian

Most notable moment in KBL: I'm not sure you actually kissed but it was really significant:

Bump Up Business (two idols from the same 4th gen group, OnlyOneOf)

Only non-Thai BLs that completely ended in 2023 are included in this list.

(source)

[pressure-machine]

✨ FIONA'S FAVOURITE ALBUM'S OF 2023 ✨

[carinalastimosa]

20 Reasons Why I’m a J.Lo-ver

I love Jennifer Lopez. And let’s face it, she could use the love these days. Bennifer 2.0 has already come to an end, marking 20 years of one of the most documented Hollywood on again-off again romances so here are 20 reasons why I love her. From the highs to the lows, beauties and flaws, this is her then and this is her now. 

She made Time Magazine’s 100 Most Influential People list. If you’re not gonna believe me that Jennifer Lopez is amazing, take it up with Time.

She’s broken barriers within the romcom genre. I didn’t realize it when I was a child, but Jennifer Lopez was doing something exceptional within movies. She normalized headlining popular movies with huge box office success as a woman of color with movies like The Wedding Planner and Maid in Manhattan. Normalizing it, not only for me, but for mass audiences, that movies do not need to have white leads in order to equal success. And she continues to provide, breaking another barrier, proving that women in their 50’s can still be viable leads with movies like Shotgun Wedding and Marry Me.

She co-headlined one of the best Super Bowl Halftime performances. Do yourself a favor and watch the 2020 Super Bowl Halftime show headlined by Jennifer Lopez and Shakira. Just watch it and you'll see why it's one of the best.

She’s the reason why I bought a matching velour tracksuit as a teen in the 2000s. I’m sure there’s some photographic evidence of this in a photo album buried in my family’s home and it should stay that way. 

She’s the first perfume I’ve ever bought. Okay, I’m technically not the one who bought it. I basically pleaded with my mom at Macy’s to buy me Glow by Jennifer Lopez cause I wanted to smell just like J.Lo. 

She deserves to be Academy Award Nominee Jennifer Lopez. While 2019's Hustlers may have been her most noteworthy of performances to get considerable Oscar buzz, she's shown her range throughout her career with 1997's Selena, 1998's Out of Sight, and 2006's El Cantante.

She deserves to be Grammy Winner Jennifer Lopez. J.Lo has the hits. You know she does, don’t deny it. Ever heard of Jenny From The Block?” Of course you have, and you either hate or love yourself as you start to sing along to it whenever it comes on. Despite a 20+ career in the music industry, Lopez has only gathered 2 Grammy nominations.

She’s the first artist to have a movie and an album debut at #1. As part of showcasing her ability to do it all, she made history with the movie The Wedding Planner and album This Is Me… Then.

She was the reason behind the creation of Google Images. Go ahead and Google her 2000 red carpet appearance to the Grammys in the now iconic green Versace dress for old times' sake.

She’s a part of my favorite rotation of American Idol judges. Yes, there’s nothing quite like the spark of the initial trio of Paula Abdul, Simon Cowell, and Randy Jackson but audiences did not give enough credit to the trio of Jennifer Lopez, Harry Connick Jr. and Keith Urban. I also think an American Idol reunion with Connick Jr. and Lopez would be the perfect romanic comedy.

She’s the definitive Selena. Netflix tried with their series on Selena Quintanilla in 2020 but it didn't come close to the 1997 movie and a lot of that was in thanks to the casting of Lopez.

She can deliver a line like no other. Not every Jennifer Lopez movie is a hit. There are some really bad ones out there and The Boy Next Door is one of them. It contains one of the most unintentionally funniest line deliveries ever. The said boy next door gives Lopez’s character, a high school teacher, a book. But not just any book, oh no, it’s the first edition of the Iliad. The ILIAD. An oral poem dating back from 3,000+ plus years ago, that was estimated to have finally been written out around 850-750 BCE. The way Lopez opens the book and utters, “Oh my god, this is a… this is a first edition?” is so earnest. That is capital A acting right there! It’s perfect. 

She’s learning Spanish just like us. Like myself, Jenny grew up only learning how to speak English and now, as an adult, is making valiant attempts at trying to learn Spanish. But being a public figure, she has to try and speak it publicly, while I can attempt to learn Tagalog in the comforts of my own home. 

She knows how to squeeze in some self- promotion while being patriotic. Lopez has no shame when it comes to promotion, especially when it comes to promoting herself. No one does celebrity quite as well as J.Lo. This was on full display for President Joe Biden’s inauguration when she was performed a medley of not just “This Land Is Your Land” and “America the Beautiful”, but added her song “Let’s Get Loud” into the mix because we got loud with our vote. 

She’s the original booty queen. Before Kim K., there was J.Lo and don't you ever forget it!

She’s given us our modern day Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton tabloid romance. Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck have already given us 20 years worth of tabloid fodder and I’m sure there’s more to come. While Ben and Jen have gotten together twice already, they’ve only been married once. Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton got married twice so the ball is still in your court Bennifer. 

She’s a hard worker. This may be what has drawn me to Jennifer Lopez for all these years. She’s a hard worker. She is someone who has to show you the work to show you that it amounts to something. As long as you work hard, you’re special, right? We may not have been destined or gifted with the vocation we’ve chosen, but we’re going to work hard in order to make it work. Lopez has made it work, but it’s work. What has made some of the greats great onscreen is that you don’t see the work. It’s effortless. Jennifer Lopez is a star, and she still has what I believe to be several more decades left of entertaining us. I hope she doesn’t have to work so hard to show us that and for us to finally embrace her as she is.

She gave us 3 iterations of This Is Me… Now. As she says in the behind the scenes documentary, The Greatest Love Story Never Told, of her album This Is Me… Now, “It's not like anybody was clamoring for the next J. Lo record, you know what I mean?” and yet she gave us 3 different projects surrounding said record. The record itself, a play on her album, This Is Me… Then, released about 20 years later in which she finds herself again with Ben Affleck. A don’t call it a music video, so a music journey with moving pictures using songs from the album to create a loose narrative. And a behind the scenes making of the record/not music video. And guess what, unlike most of the public, I consumed and loved all of it! 

She loves her children. While we cannot believe everything someone posts on social media, as it’s crafted for us to think a certain way about their lives, I choose to believe that Lopez really is an awesome, loving, supporting, and caring mom. 

She believes in love. ❤️

[goawaywithjae]

I contributed to 10 reviews for Rolling Stone's 100 Greatest Songs in the History of Korean Pop Music list. All of the participating music critics were asked to send in their top selections. From there, the editors had the difficult job of paring our choices down to just 100. My reviews include two hits by BTS, as well as songs by PSY, Monsta X, Super Junior, Epik High, Yoo Jae-ha, the Kim Sisters, Rain and Lee Nam-young.

I had quite a few selections that didn't make it in, including songs by Ateez and The Rose.

[the-bitch-files]

Top Rated of 2023

Happy New Year and Welcome to 2024! It's that time of year again as we wrap up the year, look onto the next, and count down our best pieces of art (TV, film, books, music, etc.) of the year. Here, I will be counting down my best TV shows, films, and books of the year.

To preface, this is subjective, as it is based on my own opinion and what I believe to be best of the year. In the film and book category, they haven't necessarily been released this year, but were first watches/reads for me. However, for the TV category, the shows were either first released or returning in 2023.

Now, onto the lists!

Best TV Shows of 2023

The Bear S2

Poker Face

Good Omens S2

Only Murders in the Building S3

Barry S4 (although I watched all seasons of Barry in 2023 and thought it was excellent)

Best Films of 2023

Killers of the Flower Moon (2023, dir. Martin Scorsese)

Bottoms (2023, dir. Emma Seligman)

Past Lives (2023, dir. Celine Song)

Theater Camp (2023, dir. Molly Gordon, Nick Liberman)

Casino (1995, dir. Martin Scorsese)

John Wick Chapter 4 (2023, dir. Chad Stahelski)

Saltburn (2023, dir. Emerald Fennell)

Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning (2023, dir. Christopher McQuarrie)

The Nice Guys (2016, dir. Shane Black)

The Menu (2022, dir. Mark Mylod)

Dream Scenario (2023, dir. Kristoffer Borgli)

Barbie (2023, dir. Greta Gerwig)

The Outsiders (1983, dir. Francis Ford Coppola)

After Hours (1985, dir. Martin Scorsese)

Barbarian (2022, dir. Zach Cregger)

Best Books of 2023

Slow Days, Fast Company: The World, The Flesh and L.A. - Eve Babitz

The Year of Magical Thinking - Joan Didion

All's Well - Mona Awad

Clothes, Clothes, Clothes. Music, Music, Music. Boys, Boys, Boys - Viv Albertine

Sweetbitter - Stephanie Danler

[theadamantium]

Harri's Top 50 U2 Songs

“Where The Streets Have No Name” - The Joshua Tree (1987)

“Sunday Bloody Sunday” - War (1983)

“Pride (In The Name of Love)” - The Unforgettable Fire (1984)

“I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For” - The Joshua Tree (1987)

“With or Without You” - The Joshua Tree (1987)

“One” - Achtung Baby (1991)

“Elevation” - All That You Can’t Leave Behind (2000)

“All I Want Is You” - Rattle and Hum (1988)

“City of Blinding Lights” - How To Dismantle an Atomic Bomb (2004)

“Beautiful Day” - All That You Can’t Leave Behind (2000)

“Vertigo” - How To Dismantle an Atomic Bomb (2004)

“Who’s Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses” - Achtung Baby (1991)

“New Year’s Day” - War (1983)

“I Will Follow” - Boy (1980)

“Magnificent” - No Line on the Horizon (2009)

“Walk On” - All That You Can’t Leave Behind (2000)

“Sweetest Thing” - single (1998)

“Desire” - Rattle and Hum (1988)

“Bad” - The Unforgettable Fire (1984)

“Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)” - A Very Special Christmas (1987)

“Bullet The Blue Sky” - The Joshua Tree (1987)

“Stuck In A Moment That You Can’t Get Out Of” - All That You Can’t Leave Behind (2000)

“Kite” - All That You Can’t Leave Behind (2000)

“Mysterious Ways” - Achtung Baby (1991)

“Until The End of The World” - Achtung Baby (1991)

“Acrobat” - Achtung Baby (1991)

“I’ll Go Crazy If I Don’t Go Crazy Tonight” - No Line on the Horizon (2009)

“Even Better Than The Real Thing” - Achtung Baby (1991)

“No Line on the Horizon” - No Line on the Horizon (2009)

“Get On Your Boots” - No Line on the Horizon (2009)

Sometimes You Can’t Make It On You Own” - How To Dismantle an Atomic Bomb (2004)

“Angel of Harlem” - Rattle and Hum (1988)

“Song For Someone” - Songs of Innocence (2014)

“The Electrical Co.” - Boy (1980)

“Red Hill Mining Town” - The Joshua Tree (1987)

“The Fly” - Achtung Baby (1991)

“Love Is Blindness” - Achtung Baby (1991)

“All Because of You” - How To Dismantle an Atomic Bomb (2004)

“Every Breaking Wave” - Songs of Innocence (2014)

“In A Little While” - All That You Can’t Leave Behind (2000)

“Out of Control” - Boy (1980)

“Staring At The Sun” - Pop (1997)

“The Little Things That Give You Away” - Songs of Experience (2017)

“Yahweh” - How To Dismantle an Atomic Bomb (2004)

“Miracle Drug” - How To Dismantle an Atomic Bomb (2004)

“Iris (Hold Me Close)” - Songs of Innocence (2014)

“Ultra Violet” - Achtung Baby (1991)

“When Love Comes to Town” with B.B. King - Rattle and Hum (1988)

“The Unforgettable Fire” - The Unforgettable Fire (1984)

“”40”” - War (1983)

[ciegeinc]

CIEGEINC’s TOP 10 Attack on Titan Moments

This had to have been the hardest list to make.  Attack on Titan, now reigns supreme as the greatest fiction ever created and with the show ending soon I wanted to make a list reminiscing the anime’s top moments for me.  

With the show’s span, great writing and action this was a hard list to compile. I know I may have missed moments or your list may be different but I restate...for me.

Here we Go...

 10.) The Ocean - When is the last time you experienced something for the first time?  This is why this moment has to be in my top 10.  The first time I saw the ocean is a core memory for me so this scene hit a cord with me.

09.) The Fall of Shiganshina -  This was the first WTF moment in the series and started the wild roller coaster that is this show.  From the music, action, horror and emotion.  The premiere episode made sure to capture the audience and set the tone for the show.  

08.) Titans in the Wall - The last WTF moment in season one. This moment, among others in season one, expanded the story, added suspense and made the viewer wonder who was the real villain of the story.

07.) Annie is the Female Titan - Now in hindsight there were a bunch of moments that foreshadowed this reveal but in the moment I had no clue.  

06.) Mikasa vs The Yeagerists - Our beloved scouts had to kill their brethren to save the world. Mikasa didn't hold back.  Action packed and emotional moment 

TOP FIVE MOMENTS!!!  

05.) Zeke Turns Military Police/Falco into Titans - Visually one of the best scenes, seeing Shiganshina glow from the police transforming.  Highly emotional scene as Falco’s older brother begs Zeke not to yell until his brother was out of range...all fell on deaf ears. 

04.)  Mikes Death/A Titan Speaking - Titans can talk?  From the look of the beast titan and it talking, all this just deepen the attack on titan story.  Mike’s death was one of the most violent/haunting in the series.

03.) The Battle of Shiganshina - This includes so many moments...but this arc is one of the best in the series.  This includes the preview, Armin starting to fall in his leadership role, the battle, Erwin’s talk with Levi, Erwin’s Speech, Erwin’s Death, Levi vs Beast Titan, Levi vs Eren and Mikasa, Armin Titan and more!!!

02.) Eren Manipulates Grisha - The ultimate reverse card and plot twist.  For me this is the moment that proves Eren is the villain in this story.  Eren saw a version of the future but instead of trying to change it he made sure it happened. The voice acting from Grisha from this scene was absolutely bone chilling.  

01.) Gabi snipes Eren -  I screamed.  The intensity of this scene and all that was happening before the snipe had me on the edge of my seat.  The only reaction I could have was to scream.  Completely surprised by this scene.  Didn’t think of this as an option of events that could happen.    

[davidarc]

#SomethingDifferent #18 - Some #RandomBookishThoughts from The Chocolate Lady!

#SomethingDifferent #18 - Some #RandomBookishThoughts from The Chocolate Lady! So... about that NYT list... Today on my #bookblog I talk about what everyone is talking about, sort of! Thanks to Kay @ Whatmeread for the inspiration! #booklists #NYT

So, about that NYT list… My sister told me about this list at about the same time fellow book blogger Kay @ Whatmeread started a series of posts about what they call is the “100 Best Books of the 21st Century.” They say this list was compiled “As voted on by 503 novelists, nonfiction writers, poets, critics and other book lovers — with a little help from the staff of The New York Times Book…

[back-and-totheleft]

Eight Best Oliver Stone Movies, Ranked

The 1986 war drama "Platoon" was Oliver Stone's fourth film as a director, but it proved to be his breakout in the public consciousness. Before 1986, Stone helmed two horror movies ("Seizure," "The Hand,") and a biopic of war photographer Richard Boyle ("Salvador"), but "Platoon" put him on the map. It was nominated for eight Academy Awards, and won four, including Best Picture and Best Director. Stone immediately emerged as an enfant terrible, ready to interrogate and criticize previously romanticized American institutions. He also became wildly ambitious, seemingly possessing the temerity to assume his films would change the way the public thinks. In some cases, he was right. 

Stone wore his politics on his sleeve, and often spoke about how much he hated the American right wing. Two of his films are deeply critical biopics of Republican presidents, and several of his more recent documentaries analyze politicians in power. He has turned his lens on Vladimir Putin, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, and Hugo Chávez. He made a film arguing for increased use of nuclear power, and extensively unpacked the origins of the Cold War in his 2012 series "The Untold History of the United States." Why make films, Stone seems to ask, if they're not going to ask provocative questions and challenge the viewer's beliefs? 

Stone's career is not free of a few stinkers, however, as his bold stylistic experiments sometimes fail. Additionally, Stone, now 77, could only stay angry for so long, and some might accuse his more recent films of being less bitter and more gentle than his earlier ones. That said, let's sift through Stone's filmography, pick out his eight greatest movies, and determine which are the best. Let's look back on his left-leaning ideas. To quote a movie that we'll get to shortly, "Back, and to the left."

Any Given Sunday (1999) Warner Bros. With "Any Given Sunday," Stone looked to the great American institution of the National Football League, and sought — over the film's prodigious 157 minutes — to examine every last element of it. The main character is a beleaguered football coach (Al Pacino), but it's more of an ensemble drama, also featuring an aging player (Dennis Quaid), a cutthroat team owner (Cameron Diaz), a shady doctor (James Woods), an overly defensive quarterback (Jamie Foxx), and multiple others. The film also features Lauren Holly, Elizabeth Berkley, Matthew Modine, Aaron Eckhart, and LL Cool J. 

"Any Given Sunday" is less about its story than it is its sprawl. Stone wants to splay the entire world of organized football bare, creating a film that may be kind of a mess, but is admirable in its ambition. (Pacino's big speech was especially personal to the director.) And in a few key sequences, he also points out that American football is essentially a leisurely parallel to deadly combat. Indeed, a lot of football terminology is derived from military lingo. Watching "Any Given Sunday," one can tell that Stone has a great deal of romantic affection for football, but also that it's part of a semi-corrupt institution. This is one of the better sports movies of its era.

Savages (2012) Universal Pictures Admittedly, "Savages" is a hot mess. It's a chaotic, splayed-out jumble of events, and Stone seems to think that a criminal throuple (Blake Lively, Taylor Kitsch, Aaron Taylor-Johnson) is more shocking to modern audiences than it actually is. More than anything, it proved that Stone was, as late as 2012, still capable of going a little crazy with fast edits, swirling criminality, and eye-punching photography. There was still an element of the film student lingering in Stone, and it was a welcome return to form after the massively disappointing "Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps" in 2010. 

What sets "Savages" apart is its brief commentary on the war on drugs. The central throuple of "Savages" live in Long Beach and make their living growing marijuana. In 2012, distributing weed was still illegal, and people were still killing each other over control of the trade … but there's a pervasive sense that the pot-dealing underground is about to draw to a close. One character even notes that it's a matter of days before weed is legal, and all the pride and honor associated with well-moneyed drug cartels is going to instantaneously evaporate. In a subtle way, "Savages" deconstructs generations of crime movies. Hey, criminals: Would you still do it if it wasn't illegal?

W. (2008) Lionsgate Given Stone's politics, one might think his biopic of the notoriously dumb, warmongering George W. Bush would be more acidic. Josh Brolin was a weird choice to play W. as well, bringing a physical presence and confidence to the role that the former president never displayed. Instead, Stone merely pointed to W.'s complete weakness of character, pointing out that his aw-shucks, down-home fratboy persona (on which he campaigned successfully, twice) isn't the same thing as having an ear for policy, or even a basic understanding of government. 

"W." also points out that the disastrous quagmires in the Middle East, which Bush started, were all based on bad ideas, lies, and a misguided need for a gibbering pseudo-leader to prove himself to his daddy. It's an oversimplification, of course, but Stone wanted to depict Bush as a simple man. Bush, he argues, was happier as a mediocre baseball manager, and was in way over his head in the world of politics. And yet, he served as president for eight years. All this from a guy who lost sight of the ball.

Talk Radio (1988) Universal Pictures A stunning character piece, "Talk Radio" is about a left-wing shock jock named Barry (Eric Bogosian) who hosts a late-night call-in radio show. Barry has trained himself to openly express his most controversial political opinions on the air, leaving him with little more than an army of angry fans and even angrier enemies. He is estranged from his wife, and receives a bomb threat in the mail. Taking place over a single night, "Talk Radio" sees Barry finally breaking down when he reaches the end of his tether. He finally snaps and admits on the air that "shock" radio is nothing more than a commercial enterprise; long ago, he became more interested in the money than the politics. 

What he has to face is the fact that other people are listening and are taking him seriously. Although "Talk Radio" was made in 1988, it still feels timely, especially in the age of crazed media-suckling wonks like Alex Jones, Joe Rogan, or Tucker Carlson. Many of these podcasters and radio hosts blither complete nonsense, and they'd be easy to ignore if they didn't have so many people actually taking them seriously. "Talk Radio" is a dark analysis of political media, and how it is all a game … one that some people will kill for.

JFK (1991) Warner Bros. I wasn't alive when John F. Kennedy was assassinated on November 22, 1963, but I grew up hearing all the conspiracy theories about it. I heard all about the suspicious photos, the theories about secondary gunmen, the suspicions attached to multiple suspects. A lot of these theories were dredged up by Stone's 1991 film "JFK," a film that isn't so much trying to solve the Kennedy assassination as capture the tumult of the time. The nation was wounded by the murder of JFK, and chose to mourn his death by picking about the details of it. As long as we were lost in the emotional miasma, Stone figured he could look closely at some facts about the case, arguing that there must have been at least six bullets fired from three different assassins. Lee Harvey Oswald wasn't working alone.

The director's cut of "JFK" is a whopping 205 minutes, so Stone is going to leave no … well, leave no stone unturned. "JFK" does come to a definite conclusion about the Kennedy assassination, but it's not a conclusion one might find in history books. The film is speculative, but feels vital, panicked, and eager to unpack something that had more details than the public realized. 

"JFK" also features one of the most impressive ensembles of any film. It was nominated for eight Academy Awards and won two.

Platoon (1986) Orion Pictures Stone served in the army in the late 1960s, touring in Vietnam during the height of military operations there. "Platoon" is a semi-autobiographic depiction of his time there, and the horrors he witnessed. Stone seems to value the camaraderie that soldiers can develop, but notes that the death, mayhem, and terror that war begets is certainly not worth the trade. "Platoon" certainly wasn't the first film about the Vietnam War, but it's notable in that it's the first major Hollywood release about the conflict to have been directed by a Vietnam veteran. 

"Platoon" not only announced Stone as a major Hollywood player, but set the tone for the cinema of the late 1980s. "Platoon" was released during the horrid corporate glut of the Reagan administration, and well-moneyed, commercial entertainments were ruling the landscape. "Platoon" aimed to deconstruct the retro-war-loving cinema of previous generations, showing that great war epics were, henceforth, going to be less like "The Green Berets" and more like horror movies. 

Wall Street (1987) 20th Century Fox Speaking of the horrors of the Reagan administration… 

In the 1980s, Reagan oversaw massive deregulation across most industries, and his policies gave rise to a powerfully rich subculture of yuppies who got rich gutting businesses, embraced greed, and produced nothing more for the world than the carbon dioxide they breathed out. Gordon Gekko (Michael Douglas, who won an Oscar for the role), the central demon of Stone's "Wall Street," is the ultimate semi-deity for that yuppie class, representing the slick anti-cool of stock traders and empty wealth. The young Bud (Charlie Sheen) is seduced by Gordon's smooth talk and moneyed-up lifestyle, but soon learns how his business is useless and unethical. 

Eventually, Bud asks Gordon how much money is enough. "It's never enough," he says. Accruing wealth is a game, and the more money you get, the more money you get, period. "Wall Street" not only points out the deep corruption in stock-based systems, but how extreme wealth is bad for the brain. Rich people, Stone implies, are isolated, weird, and terrible, convinced that their bad ideas are good and that their personal intestinal gases smell rosy. (If you want a good interrogation of the Reagan era, watch "Wall Street" and "RoboCop" back-to-back.)

Natural Born Killers (1994) Warner Bros. "Natural Born Killers" is presented as a twisted love story about Mickey and Mallory Knox (Woody Harrelson and Juliette Lewis), a pair of abused, damaged lovebirds who freely commit murder whenever the whim strikes. Their love is presented in weird, swirling, MTV-ready montages, and Stone makes extensive use of various film stocks, animation, and weird editing techniques to depict the chaos they live in. Visually speaking, "Natural Born Killers" is Stone's most ambitious and interesting film. It's also one of the most violent films one might see, featuring human splatter in volumes unseen this side of an early Peter Jackson movie. 

Beyond the strange, violent, romance tale, though, Stone was interrogating the media of the 1990s, pointing out that — like in "Talk Radio" — shock sells. If there were a pair of charismatic serial killers on the loose, would the public want to see them captured and jailed, or merely venerated for how cool they were? When Mickey admits to a reporter (Robert Downey, Jr.) that he's a natural-born killer, Downey only thrills at the sellability of the line, and not the fact that Mickey has killed so many people.

"Natural Born Killers" was prescient, predicting the public's capacity for bad news and its addiction to doomscrolling. It's very of its time, and yet remains relevant.

-"The Eight Best Oliver Stone Movies, Ranked," SlashFilm

[biggest-gaudiest-patronuses]

the fact that shakespeare was a playwright is sometimes so funny to me. just the concept of the "greatest writer of the English language" being a random 450-year-old entertainer, a 16th cent pop cultural sensation (thanks in large part to puns & dirty jokes & verbiage & a long-running appeal to commoners). and his work was made to be watched not read, but in the classroom teachers just hand us his scripts and say "that's literature"

just...imagine it's 2450 A.D. and English Lit students are regularly going into 100k debt writing postdoc theses on The Simpsons screenplays. the original animation hasn't even been preserved, it's literally just scripts and the occasional SDH subtitles.txt. they've been republished more times than the Bible

[oneofusnet]

The Gathering: Season 4 Episode 3 THE GATHERING: SEASON 4 EPISODE 3 Chris, Martin, Wright, Nathan, Johnny, Mike(s)… just a ton of our contributors and friends showed up for this session of the Gathering, our party-podcast just for BROWN COAT subscribers and above (who can access all three podcasts right here). Good times were had as we talked about the Best of 2023 in film, tv, and whatever chaos was happening in the third segment. Please think about becoming a paid subscriber to Oneofus.net, support our huge network of shows, and get access to tons of bonus shows and videos in our forums! We cannot keep… Read More »The Gathering: Season 4 Episode 3 read more on One of Us

[novelbear]

"maybe you'll feel it, too" -best friends to lovers prompts

a prompt list by @novelbear ᵔᴥᵔ

lingering hugs and stares

"you know i'm always going to be there for you, right? always."

compliments that are borderline (sometimes just blatant) flirting but they cover it up as just being a really supportive friend

^ "you sure this looks fine?" "trust me, you look fine as hell..."

being overly protective of the other (especially when it comes to relationships)

showing displays of affection that might seem questionable to others around them (ex. kissing each other on the cheek/ hands)

hand placement when hugging or guiding them also being a little more on the questionable side

"i'm always thinking about you."

being unable to tear their eyes off of them, especially when watching them excel at something they're best at

sharing clothes

"why are you looking at me like that?"

unconsciously including them in conversation when they're not even around

"there's no one else that makes me laugh the way you do."

noticing them blushing coincidentally after making a comment. but they can't be blushing because of what they said. they wouldn't. would they? no, of course not...right?

holding hands and neither of them knowing when (or wanting to) let go

when that realization hits that they really wouldn't rather spend their time with anyone else the way they do with their "best friend"

rambling on and on and on and wait are they looking at my eyes or my lips?

"if we were dating i'd take you to all the best places.." "what's stopping you?" "excuse me."

"can i kiss you?" "you have no idea how long i've waited to hear you ask that."

the relief that washes over both of them when the feelings are finally out there

"why didn't you tell me?" "the same reason you didn't tell me. i didn't want to lose you."

[badolmen]

They don’t even attempt to assassinate US politicians anymore. You notice that? Not since the anthrax scare back for… who was it, Barack? And even that… pathetic. This new generation has no respect for an honest hitman. I’m not sure this new generation has any honest hitman - you see that shit with Boeing? Sloppy, fucking disgraceful - you kill the whistleblowers before they get halfway to a lawsuit. What kind of fucking amateur is doing faked suicides the night before testimony? Goddamn greenhorns. Back in my day someone tried to shoot Ronald Reagan in broad daylight. There used to be bomb threats to Congress. I took out a few union leaders in the utilities sector myself. Today’s generation? Won’t even threaten to throw a punch - not even over on that - what’s it now, ‘X’? They got no guts. None! And they don’t even have poor impulse control to boot! Too much of that - that panopticon anxiety bullshit. “Oh what if I get a called out post???” People used to send the president letters full of bioweapons. In the mail! Today’s generation? Not a chance. All because of woke.

[arabella-s-arts]

Scenes/Things in Supernatural that genuinely don't make sense to me if Dean was straight:

The confession booth scene.

Sam just rolling with the fact that Dean's siren is a guy while still thinking sirens infect people through sex.

Dean being flustered by several men: Gunner Lawless, Aaron, Doctor Sexy, etc.

All the parallels between Destiel and other couples. (A big one being "last night on Earth" bc how do you do that accidentally.)

Having all the gay jokes be on Dean instead of Sam.

Paralleling Sam meeting his childhood celebrity crush with Dean meeting Gunner Lawless.

The boner Dean got when Cas cleaned up.

Dean gulping after Cas does an impression from a Western movie.

Charlie, a lesbian, calling Castiel "dreamy."

The way Mary looks at Dean and Cas when they hug.

Dean wondering why everyone assumes he's gay, while Sam not caring.

The logic that Charlie can't flirt with guys because she's only attracted to women, but then having Dean flirt with the guy for her.

Dean seeming disappointed when learning that Aaron's flirting was fake.

The amount of time Dean and Cas spend staring at each other.

Dean canonically having an orgy with Crowley.

A woman saying that she knows when someone's pining for someone else to Dean, just for us to learn that Dean was never in love with Amara.

The set design and script choices that lead to a cross in the background while Dean said "I do." to Cas after he came back to life.

That time when Dean wanted to say something and Cas was like, "It's okay, I heard your prayer." But Dean still looked like he wanted to say something important.

Amara: [about Dean] "I can see inside your heart. Feel the love you feel. Except, it’s cloaked in shame.”

If you want to have a more expansive list, @destiel-is-real-idgaf added to this one quite nicely.