#Cecily Fay

[movie-titlecards]

Dragon Crusaders (2011)

My rating: 4/10

Probably not the worst dragon movie The Asylum has ever churned out, and churned out it has many. In fact, this one may well be one of the better ones, though of course it's still boring rubbish.

[nightgarla]

anyway watched babes with blades yesterday i almost clicked off when i saw the shitty wigs they put the kids in in the beginning but my sister forced me to stay and oh my god im so glad she did literally best movie ever made hollywood needs to give cecily fay a bunch of money to do whatever she wants im so serious

[cnvisualart]

Upcoming Exhibition | Framing The Female Gaze at Lehman College Art Gallery

I am happy to share that I am exhibiting "A Guild of Light Shining Bright," (2020) in Framing the Female Gaze: Women Artists and the New Historicism at Lehman College Art Gallery. The Show opens October 10, 2023, and will run until January 20, 2024. Opening reception: October 18, 5 - 8 pm. The works of 45 contemporary women artists are reminiscent of paintings of women by French 19th-century male artists, then are framed by their own new views of women. Sixty works are on view in Framing the Female Gaze: Women Artists and the New Historicism at Lehman College Art Gallery, with a complementary focus exhibition at The Hall of Fame Art Gallery at Bronx Community College. The women who loom large on canvases, in photographs, prints, sculpture and collage in Framing the Female Gaze vitally connect us to political and social issues and to the cultural and social discriminations that women experience now. The works in this exhibition show how women artists today focus their gaze on both women and men. Artists are magicians: they seek subjects for their work from the past, then with new images change what we thought we knew. The artists in Framing the Female Gaze looked at the art of the 19th-century which marked the beginning of Modernism, of seeing and being seen as conscious subject matter.

The artists exhibiting work in Framing the Female Gaze include Lara Alcantara Lansberg, Lizzy Alejandro, Elise Ansel, Claudia Doring Baez, Cecily Brown, Elinor Carucci, Jordan Casteel, Bhasha Chakrabarti, Katie Commodore, Camille Eskell, Lalla Essaydi, Martha Edelheit, Rose FreymuthFrazier, Scherezade Garcia, Kathleen Gilje, Guerrilla Girls, Eunice Golden, Jenna Gribbon, Mimi Gross, Hilary Harkness, Lewinale Havette, Vera Iliatova, Ayana V. Jackson, Cheyenne Julien, Fay Ku, Yushi Li (in collaboration with Steph Wilson), Shona McAndrew, Marilyn Minter, Jesse Mockrin, Christie Neptune, Deborah Ory and Ken Browar, Phyllis Gay Palmer, Cecilia Paredes, Celeste Rapone, Arlene Rush, Julia Santos Solomon, Sylvia Sleigh, Jessica Spence, Devorah Sperber, Mickalene Thomas, Sharon Wybrants, Judith Wyer, Allison Zuckerman.

Exhibition Venues and Dates: Lehman College Art Gallery, 250 Bedford Park West, Bronx, NY lehmangallery.org October 10, 2023 – January 20, 2024 Reception October 18, 5 - 8 pm

Link: https://lehmangallery.org/framing-the-female-gaze/

[litcityblues]

Doctor Whoquest Returns: The 60th Anniversary Specials

Oh, you thought it was all done, huh? Haven't you learned by now that Doctor Who never really goes away- it just goes into mild hibernation and then comes anew, renewed and ready for more adventures across time and space?

So, here we are again, friends: back for more this time with the 60th Anniversary Specials and a new twist in the Doctor Who-niverse: the House of Mouse has arrived and they've come with money! And you can absolutely tell! (The budget is definitely bigger, the effects more polished-- which I think is a good thing, because with HD and 4K and Super Ultra Duper 4K these days, the rough and ready charm of Doctor Who effects that you could overlook or see-through in the old days when televisions weighed a ton and a half and the picture quality was less than great was getting more and more noticeable.)

I saw some rumblings of discontent with the Disney thing was announced and my only trepidation with all of this is that Disney will somehow not learn the lessons of the MCU and think 'Ooooh, a shiny new franchise' and then drown us all in the firehose of content that will have to diminish returns of quality. Personally, I think both Marvel and Disney have learned their lesson in that regard. Star Wars was trending in that direction but seems to have backed off somewhat, so I'm less concerned about them than I was. More money is good. More possibilities are also good. I'm going to say that this is good and continue in that position until I'm proved wrong.

But, the 60th Anniversary Specials:

Where we left off was Jodi Whittaker regenerating into the 14th Doctor which is all fine, well, and good except for the fact that 14 has 10's face and nobody-- including the Doctor is quite sure why. He lands back in London- for the start of the first special, The Star Beast, where he comes across Donna Noble (Catherine Tate) who does not remember him but has a husband, Shaun (Karl Collins), and a daughter named Rose. (Yasmin Finney) Doctor Who being Doctor Who, an alien ship crashes and the Doctor goes to investigate and soon discovers that Wrarth is in pursuit of something called the Meep (Cecily Fay, voiced by Miriam Margolyes) who in a twist that is really excellent, but you should probably see coming, turns out to be the villain of the special.

In short, the Doctor is forced to reawaken Donna's memories and is expecting her to die-- but with Rose's birth, part of the metacrisis that infected her has now passed onto Rose, making it less fatal for Donna, and together, she and Rose expel the metacrisis and everything's fine- until the Doctor shows Donna his new TARDIS and she spills coffee on something, sending it spinning out of control and to destinations unknown.

(This might be my favorite special. I think it was a really clever way to bring Donna back into the series and the chemistry between Tennant and Tate is unmatched as usual. You can tell Russell T. Davies is back as well because broad hints and foreshadowing begin almost immediately. I know much was made from the 'hurr durr durr woke trans woke' crowd, but the fact that Donna's daughter was trans didn't bother me. It's not unheard of in the modern world and if it makes you feel better, you could also chalk that up to the meta crisis being part of her genetic makeup as well. If you've got memories of being multiple people of multiple genders and don't really know why, how might it manifest in you, a regular human person? My general feeling is that: if it makes sense to the story, I don't care and it made sense for the character and the story, so I don't care.)

The second special, Wild Blue Yonder really showed off the potential of what a Disney budget can do with special effects, but it also leaned into The Doctor + Companion alone on a ship where weird and frankly creepy things start to happen.

After Donna's coffee mishap, they wind up on a ship at the end of the universe and have to figure out what the heck is going on. They find robots and eventually, aliens that appear as doppelgangers of each other and grow and shrink and unhinge their jaws and attempt to eat them and get really, really big and that's a fun plot development where they have to figure out who's real and who's not and The Doctor very nearly goes off with the Not-Donna, but realizes at the last second and swoops back into save her. The doppelgangers are from beyond the Universe and want to escape and get back to where all the exciting stuff is happening- which is in the universe, there, of course, they want to do things like eat people and cause chaos, but eventually, the ship blows up and the Doctor and Donna escape and land back in Camden Mark, where they are greeted by Wilfred Mott (Bernard Cribbens in his final role) who is overjoyed to see them both, but warns them that danger is afoot and they need the Doctor's help to solve it.

Which brings us to the final special, The Giggle.

The Doctor and Donna are taken to UNIT, where they reunite with Kate Lethbridge-Stewart (Jemma Redgrave) and former companion and friend Melanie Bush (Bonnie Langford)-- the Doctor determines that the worldwide plague of violence is due to a video from 1925 and soon realizes that it is a very old enemy of his indeed: The Celestial Toymaker (Neil Patrick Harris.)

He traps them both in his domain of twisting mazes and puzzles and eventually the Doctor and The Toymaker play a game of cards, which The Toymaker wins- but the Doctor points out that he won their last meeting, so they're tied and The Toymaker decides on a tiebreaker in the present day and transports them back to the present day where he attacks UNIT and reasons that since he's faced two separate incarnations of the Doctor in the prior two games, he needs to face another and mortal injuries the Doctor with a laser cannon, which triggers his regeneration.

But instead of one Doctor, they split in two.

The Fifteenth Doctor (Ncuti Gatwa) teams up with the 14 and challenges the Toymaker to a game of catch which they win, banishing The Toymaker from existence and sealing him in a box which is then confiscated by UNIT.

On the TARDIS, 15 tells 14 he needs to recover from the extensive traumas that his past incarnations have accumulated across their lives- and Donna points out that going back to his old face might be his subconscious way of recognizing that need and tells him to settle down with her family and to retire from traveling. 14 agrees, but doesn't want to leave the TARDIS behind-- but 15, realizing that the Toymaker's rules of play still apply, takes a mallet from the TARDIS and gives the TARDIS a smack to create another TARDIS, which he then flies off with, leaving 14 to settle down with Donna and her family.

Doctor Who gets anniversary specials really well and The Giggle might be the best of the bunch, in terms of the wider franchise. It's a nice call back to the 50th Anniversary special when 11 meets 'The Curator' (Tom Baker) who advises him that he might well be revisiting old faces in the future and this neatly makes that come true AND sets up 14 to gradually become 'The Curator' which is a nice touch. Ncuti Gatwa makes an excellent debut here (we'll discuss his first special in the next installment) and I love the return of Melanie Bush, old companion and UNIT, and the very very deep cut of bringing back The Celestial Toymaker, who hadn't been seen since 1966!

Overall: It's nice to see Doctor Who back and I'm ready for more! If I've got to rank these specials, I'd say:

The Star Beast

The Giggle

Wild Blue Yonder

I will say that all of them are really good in their own way, but I loved the return of the show in The Star Beast and The Giggle neatly answers questions and goes deep into franchise lore to get their villain- which I love! Wild Blue Yonder wasn't bad either and really embraces the weird and creepy, but it just... wasn't as good as the other two.

[darlingdogs]

Hello ! This is gonna be a alter human blog :3

Names: Yves, Saint, Adam, Wynter, Wyn, Vy, Arthur, Raymond, Lloyd, Mousse, Chruch, Ajax, Idia, Angel, Nior, Lockheart/Lockhart, Heartlock, Luvelust/Lovelust, Carnage, Gear, Sunken,  Liar, Lyar, Lyre,  Cardinal, Discord, Anthurium, Velvet, Time, Vierzhen, Noirt, Noire, Ein, Andras, Anwir,  Doyle, Villain, Evil, Forneus, Sclera, Gadreel, Obsidian, Ezikial, Night, Vinn, Vincent, Venin, Cherno, Emmett, Anniki, Stygian, Rowan, Roman, Rory, Crimson, Aether, Gale, Jynx, Lynx, Aphra, Cecily, Alastair, Chime, Hymn, Benny, Brutus, Dimitri, Dillon, Una, Aneska, Bram, Es, Mayday, Cross, Roman, and basically any other masculine (open culture) name !!

Pronouns: He/Him, Hy/Hymn, Ae/Aer, Ky/Kyn, H♡/H��m, Hx/Hxm, Luv/Luves ou Lo/Loves, Fai/Faint, Lace/Laces, Ti/Timid, Cro/Cross, Ki/King, Holy/Holiness, Lamb/Lambs, Fang/Fangs, Mu/Muse, Bless/Blessing, Cu/Cure, Sheep/Sheeps, Sy/Sythe, Axe/Axes, Div/Divine, Snow/Snows, It/Its, Hey/Hem/Heir, Doll/Dolls, Vi/Vir, Cy/Cyr, Purr/Purrs, Drea/Dreams, Oce/Ocean, Vae/Vem, Va/Vamp, Hea/Heart, Bun/Buns, Angel/Angel’s, Mou/Mourn. . .

Other stuff: I’m a minor, I will sometimes use a typing quirk or talk in third person, and uhm… I’m a gay-bi transmascneu failboy :3<

[fragilestorm]

My ocs + their love interest

Tag list: @ocfairygodmother @bravelittleflower @butcherofblackwater @eddysocs @foxesandmagic

[beautifulcinephile]

(Transcripted lyrics by me)

In your eyes I can feel the inferno

In your eyes is the lightning that strikes me down every time

You were gone for so long, you came back stronger

To lead me into love, to lead us all

To save our souls, my warrioress

 In your eyes I can feel the inferno

In your eyes is the lightning

Now I am strong just to lay by your side

Knowing I am complete now that you fight by my side

  Oooh, yeah, yeah, baby

 All who stand in my way must surrender

All who stand by my side, they come back braver every time

Every piece of your heart that you have given to me

Falls into the violent core, ignites the flame, so fierce and raw

Your warrioress

 In your eyes I can feel the inferno

In your eyes is the lightning

And now I am strong just to lay by your side

Knowing I am complete now that you fight by my side

 Oh, yeah, yeah

 You are my warrioress

(I am your warrioress)

(I am your warrioress)

[corallorosso]

La Lega è quella che fa comizi con la bambola gonfiabile di Laura Boldrini sul palco. La Lega è quella che ha dato dello scimpanzé a Cecilie Kienge. La Lega è quella che guarda a Orban e alla Le Pen come modelli. La Lega è quella che ha fatto manifestazioni insieme a Casa Pound. La Lega è quella che ha detto che se si possono sposare due uomini, "poi i gay chiederanno di sposarsi con il loro cane" La Lega è quella che vuole la giustizia fai da te con un idea di legittima difesa abberrante. La Lega è quella che ha fatto sparire 49 milioni di euro. La Lega è quella che su Capitol Hill non ha detto una parola. La Lega è quella che disinfetta i treni dove si siedono ragazze nigeriane. La Lega è quella che parla di teorie gender nelle scuole. La Lega è quella che bradisce crocefissi e rosari ad ogni adunata. La Lega è quella che ha lasciato per giorni gente stremata nei porti per farci sopra campagna elettorale. Forse non sarete d'accordo con me .. Ma io non voglio che quel po' di sinistra che è rimasta in Italia governi con questa gente.. Nakia Gardini Fanpage

[pauline-lewis]

If that's all there is my friends, then let's keep dancing

Je n’ai pas du tout écrit pendant les vacances. J’ai écrit dans ma tête. Je tournais mes phrases et je les réécrivais, allongée dans l’eau, je regardais les nuages qui défilaient en chantonnant Is that all there is ? de Peggy Lee. Je voyais tous ces gens se confier sur leur impossibilité à couper, à arrêter le travail. Je complexais presque de tout débrancher si facilement : l’écriture, la lecture, la réflexion. Simplement essayer de manger des glaces en tentant de ne pas (trop) penser à la fin du monde me semblait déjà une tâche suffisamment ardue pour les vacances. 

Dans cet espace mental où sont stockés des tas d’écrits jamais couchés sur le papier, je réfléchis depuis quelques années à un livre que je ne concrétiserai (probablement) jamais sur la comédie musicale. À chaque fois que j’en vois une, j’en ajoute un chapitre. C’est un long récit personnel sur tout ce que ce genre m’a apporté personnellement, sur la manière dont le chant et la danse augmentent la réalité et dessinent les contours des sentiments.

Le postulat de la série Schmigadoon ! (dispo sur Apple TV+) ne pouvait, en somme, que me plaire : un couple en pleine dispute se retrouve propulsé dans un univers parallèle, dans lequel tout le monde chante et danse dans des décors de cinéma. Les mentalités, elles aussi, sont très proches de l’âge d’or de la comédie musicale. La série s’inspire de Brigadoon de Vincente Minnelli, qui raconte de la même manière l’histoire de deux amis qui se retrouvent coincés dans une sorte de monde féérique écossais-kitsch. Je pense très souvent à Brigadoon parce qu’il est pour moi la métaphore d’un univers imaginaire fertile, d’un monde alternatif et supportable que l’on s’imagine pour survivre. Et ce film est aussi, dans mon récit fictif, une porte d’entrée dans la comédie musicale. Comme les personnages du film, rentrer dans un musical rend possible l’ouverture d’une parenthèse enchantée.

Schmigadoon ! n’aurait pas eu beaucoup de sens si, en 2021, il n’avait offert comme postulat que la plongée dans un monde merveilleux, chantant et dansant et que l’histoire s’était arrêtée là. Dans le couple, formé par Keegan-Michael Key et Cecily Strong, deux camps s’affrontent : l’une, acquise au monde magique du musical et l’autre complètement hermétique à ces énergumènes qui se mettent à chanter au moindre mouvement de leurs cœurs et de leurs émotions (tout comme dans Brigadoon, dont le duo principal compte, comme souvent, un cynique et un idéaliste). Si je n’étais pas moi-même une telle fan de comédie musicale, j’aurais pu m’agacer que le personnage féminin soit si romantique, occupée à espérer un amour idéal. Mais le jeu franc et sans détours de Cecily Strong m’a immédiatement acquise à sa cause et je crois que la série réfléchit plus profondément qu’il ne le paraît à la manière dont la fiction infuse notre quotidien et nous fixe, parfois, des standards impossibles. (j’attends toujours de pouvoir chanter dans la rue, mais à part le playback occasionnel autorisé par le masque, on est loin du compte)

Récemment, j’ai vu le film de John Cassavetes Minnie et Moskowitz dans lequel Gena Rowlands a une longue tirade merveilleuse sur les mensonges de la fiction. Le cinéma lui a fait croire à une histoire d’amour parfaite, à des relations qui n’existent pas. Movies are a conspiracy. Schmigadoon ! ausculte justement une relation en lui faisant passer, tour à tour, le test de la fiction et celui de la réalité. Dans les scènes musicales, le couple ne tient pas la route, il n’arrive pas à se caler comme les autres dans des numéros parfaitement chorégraphiés. Pourtant, pendant tous les flashbacks de la vie de ces deux médecins, qui rythment la série, on comprend que leur relation a sa propre beauté. Pas une perfection hollywoodienne, mais une magie quotidienne qui se noue autour d’un distributeur de barres de céréales, qui doit composer avec le monde (pourri) dans lequel nous devons bien vivre. Et doit-on souhaiter de trouver Brigadoon/Schmigadoon, ou essayer d’enchanter nos quotidiens ?

Alors que l’on a beaucoup (trop) parlé ces dernières années du soi-disant problème de relire les œuvres avec un regard contemporain, Schmigadoon ! propose une lecture sensée du problème : aimer toutes ces œuvres, d’accord, mais la fiction, comme tout idéal, peut changer. Tout en rendant un hommage amoureux à la comédie musicale (et si vous aimez le genre, vous trouverez plein de clins d’œil aux classiques du genre), Schmigadoon ! se moque des clichés et des codes du musical : du bad boy, du numéro de ballet qui arrive comme un cheveu sur la soupe, des sous-textes gay qui cette fois sont explicités (Alan Cumming est, encore une fois, fantastique)… Et Schmigadoon ! réussit à remettre en perspective les valeurs parfois rétrogrades portées par Hollywood (sur l’avortement, sur le casting majoritairement blanc des musicals les plus populaires, sur l’homosexualité, sur la politique…) en proposant son twist contemporain.

J’étais vraiment heureuse de regarder Schmigadoon ! au cœur de cet été sombre, de voir ces décors colorés, ces numéros un peu kitsch, de constater l’alchimie de Cecily Strong et Keegan-Michael Key. De voir que ce dernier sait me faire pleurer de rire et juste pleurer tout court. C’est une série pleine de bons sentiments, et ça tombe bien, j’adore ça. Je lisais un excellent article hier dans le New Yorker sur le fait que I think you should leave de Tim Robinson est un love language. Je suis en général assez fascinée par le langage que l’on crée avec les personnes que l’on aime, fait d’allusions communes, de private jokes, de souvenirs évoqués en un mot et dans mon cas de blagues bêtes. La comédie musicale est, sans conteste, mon propre love language. J’y fais souvent allusion et, dans mon petit récit interne, il y a toujours une scène qui fait écho à une joie ou une peine. Je ne spoilerai pas la fin de la Schmigadoon!, mais le dernier épisode m’a arraché des larmes. J’ai pensé à mon propre sidekick, avec qui je partage aussi bien des blagues de I Think You Should Leave que les dizaines (++) de comédie musicale qu’il a regardé à mes côtés en subissant mon regard niais.

Quelques jours avant de finir Schmigadoon ! j’ai vu le film d’Agnès Varda Jacquot de Nantes réalisé avant le décès de Jacques Demy et qui raconte la jeunesse de ce dernier et les sources d’inspiration de son œuvre. Je n’étais pas forcément passionnée par les reconstitutions de ce Nantes de son enfance, par contre j’étais très émue par les longs plans sur son visage d’homme, sur lequel on décelait déjà la maladie et la mort imminente. Je pensais à tous ces mondes qu’il m’a offert, à la fantaisie, à la profondeur, à la beauté, à tout ce qu’il portait et qu’il a eu la bonté de partager. Ces brigadoon que nous abritons en nous. Il faut s’en méfier – dehors, evil breaks its chains and runs through the world like a mad dog disait l’oncle dans Fanny et Alexandre – mais peut-être que l’on peut quand même prendre quelques instants pour s’y lover.

[writemares]

i see you have quite a few wips! which one has been your favorite/easiest to write in recently? tell me some things about it that you haven't had the chance to talk about yet!

i do have a ton of wips, thank you for noticing my utter lack of control! my fave wip to be writing lately is this one, and in particular i’ve been thinking about hurly burly, the witchy part! so i’m gonna tell you about the characters in that. we have:

lux, light witch & coven leader. appears to be keeping it together from a distance, but when you zoom in you’ll notice she’s extremely stressed.

ash, edgy pyro-witch. fiercely loyal and devoted to lux as only a lesbian with a best friend that she’s hopelessly in love with can be. chronic foot in mouth disease and wary of strangers.

piper, very old. possibly immortal. may have once been known as morgan le fay. 

cecily, fledgling witch with a huge amount of power but very little control. eg: she tried to show her boyfriend a simple candle-lighting spell and she killed him instead 🙊

emrys, said deceased boyfriend. he’s back now, but still feeling the effects of his brief time in the underworld. he’s becoming more and more of an eldritch horror show, tbh

persephone, who hides her soft side under a no-nonsense exterior. she considers it her duty to uphold the balance of witchcraft, and views resurrection of emrys as an abomination that goes against everything witches ought to stand for. 

[kritikycz]

Stopařův průvodce po galaxii

Víte, kdo jsou nejinteligentnějšími bytostmi na planetě Zemi? Kdepak, lidé to nejsou. A ani delfíni, ti jsou druzí nejchytřejší, a proto dokázali utéct ze Země těsně před jejím zničením. Anebo to aspoň tvrdí Douglas Adams, autor stejnojmenné kultovní knižní předlohy pro Stopařova průvodce po galaxii.- Více na https://www.kritiky.cz/filmove-recenze/retro-filmove-recenze/2019/stoparuv-pruvodce-po-galaxii/

[randomstills]

Warrioress (2015)

[glasstownentertainment]

Interview with Julie Leung

Merlin's Last Quest, the third and final volume of the Mice of the Round Table series, is out today! To celebrate we're hosting several giveaways of Julie Leung's favorite Middle Grade books over on our Twitter, as well as a chance to win the whole Mice of the Round Table series, and we have an interview with the author herself!

You can buy it on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Book Depository, Indiebound, or wherever books are sold. We hope you enjoy the book and the interview with Julie!

What was the Inspiration for Mice of The Round Table?

I wanted to blend everything I loved about Redwall and Arthurian legends into one place, one playground universe where I could reshape the classic tales from a new perspective.

What can readers expect in the last installment?

The various seeds planted in Books 1 and 2 finally blossom. I’ve been building to this final showdown for years, and Camelot’s ultimate fate hangs in the balance.

What journey have you, as an author, experienced while writing this series?

Well, I grew my first gray hairs for one thing. Is that a journey?

Looking back on your writing journey, is there anything you would have done differently?

Gotten more sleep.

What advice would you give aspiring writers?

There is a time for drafting and a time for editing. Don’t try to do both simultaneously.

What characters from the MOTRT series have you grown exceptionally fond of, or that surprised you in some way?

I love my bird characters, especially Thaddeus from the first book which I modeled after Zeus, a real-life blind owl with galaxies in his eyes.

What book recommendations would you give people who loved MOTRT?

I’m going to sound like a broken record, but what else can I say besides the Redwall series by Brian Jacques?

Do you have any new stories you are itching to tell after MOTRT? If so what are they?

My next books are nonfiction. I’m working on picture books about Chinese-Americans, the first one about the artist Tyrus Wong. I’m also writing an anthology about famous firsts in STEM fields.

Is there anything else you want your readers to know about the final installment/the MOTRT series?

Get your tissues ready!

If you could have dinner with any three authors Arthurs, who would they be?

Arthur Conan Doyle, Sir Arthur, the aardvark Arthur, king of the Britons ;)

If time stopped, which book would you read over and over again?

The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster, and illustrated by Jules Feiffer.

Which 3 fictional characters would you want to have an adventure with?

Lyra Belacqua, Gandalf, Tyrion Lannister.

Do you want to recommend any books, comic books, podcasts, games, TV shows, anything that you’re enjoying right now?

Books: The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemisin Comic Books: SAGA, Monstress Podcasts: Lore Board Games: Dragoon TV: Glow, Star Trek: Voyager

MERLIN'S LAST QUEST - MICE OF THE ROUND TABLE

The thrilling conclusion to the epic middle grade fantasy series that Booklist called “a charming blend of Arthurian legend and Brian Jacques’ Redwall series.”

Young mouse Calib Christopher is finally a squire to the Knights of the Round Table. But there is no time to celebrate. His best friend, Cecily, and Merlin’s magical treasure are in the clutches of the evil Saxons.

Now Calib and his human companion Galahad must venture into enemy territory to rescue both before it’s too late. But Morgan le Fay’s magic is powerful and treacherous, and it will test all that they have learned in their training—as well as their very allegiance to Camelot.

The stars are aligning for a final battle—one that will require Calib and his friends to harness the magic of Merlin as well as the strength, bravery, and wisdom within themselves to become the mythical heroes they were destined to be.

Perfect for fans of New York Times bestselling series like Wings of Fire and Warriors, Mice of the Round Table brings to life a legendary world of animals and magic that kids will want to return to again and again.

[caughtinafantasy]

Title: Warrioress (15) Year: 2011 Running Time: 92 minutes Director: Roy Boyask Cast: Cecily Fay (Boudiccu), Joelle Simpson (White Arrow), Helen Steinway Bailey (Djahn) Notes: None Rating: 2 Thoughts: Two female warriors must travel across the land to fight a duel in a stone circle. If their skills are even they will meet a prophecy and unite the people to revolt against the Falonex Empire. This film appears to have one purpose, to showcase the exotic skills of actor and writer Cecily Fay. When she fights it is generally impressive as she uses all four feet nine inches to full effect. But there is a lot of fighting! Sadly they fill the gaps with dialogue. This is poorly written and even more poorly delivered. The fight scenes see even more noise, akin to a women's tennis Grand Slam final rather than a battle. There's way too much yelping! It's an unconvincing story that is fairly obvious, and the predictable script gets no help from the actors. The fight scenes, yelps aside, do have some good moments but the scope of the film is very limited.

[thephantomprojectionist]

[1600 Word Essay] Women’s & Minority Representation in DTV Martial Arts Movies

It’s long interested (and, recently, concerned) me how movies represent women and minorities (ethnic and cultural). As of late, I’ve turned this scrutiny on my particular film niche – direct-to-video American martial arts movies. Specifically, I wanted to measure which demographic was most likely to produce stars within the subgenre. I already had an idea, but the results were still a little surprising.

I’ve collected the data as to who’s been a leading star in these sorts of movies since 1985. All of the performers listed below have starred in or co-led at least three US-based DTV/limited release action/martial arts productions. Where applicable, I’ve substituted a starring role in a TV production in lieu of a third film lead.

White Men (not Latin): Loren Avedon, Dolph Lundgren, Chuck Norris,* Richard Norton, Jeff Speakman, Jean-Claude Van Damme, Jeff Wincott, Michael Worth, Scott Adkins, David Bradley, Bryan Genesse, Michael Bernardo, Paul Logan, Sasha Mitchell, Michael Dudikoff, Ted Jan Roberts, Ron Marchini, Chad McQueen, Scott Shaw, Eric Jacobus, Matt Mullins, Gary Daniels, Olivier Gruner, Jerry Trimble, Dale Cook, Antonio Sabato, Jr., Gary Wasniewski, Steven Seagal** White Women (not Latin): Cynthia Rothrock, Mimi Lesseos, Zoe Bell Asian Men: Philip Rhee, Ho-Sung Pak, Leo Fong, Johnny Yong Bosch, Jon Foo, Julian Lee, Jun Chong, Jino Kang, Cung Le, Don Wilson, Ernie Reyes, Jr. Asian Women: N/A Black Men: Billy Blanks, Wesley Snipes, Michael Jai White, Fred Williamson, Ron Hall Black Women: N/A Latin Men: Fabian Carillo, Hector Echavarria, Lorenzo Lamas Latin Women: N/A Arab Men: Jalal Merhi Arab Women: N/A Multiracial Men: Mark Dacascos Multiracial Women: N/A *Norris describes himself as being of mixed ethnicity, but his claims have been disputed. [SOURCE] **Ditto. [SOURCE]

[ERRATUM 8/4/18: I may have mis-attributed the ethnicity of Mimi Lesseos, whose Wikipedia article claims she’s actually Latinx and Greek.]

The obvious implications of this data are that (1) white men enjoy far greater representation than all other groups, and (2) women of color are completely unrepresented. Additionally, no other ethnicities or cultural identities than the ones listed here are represented at all, and this includes Asians who don’t fall under the eastern or southeastern headings.

So... What’s the problem here? What’s the issue, especially since we’re talking about such a very specific subgenre? Well, to everybody outside of this niche, there isn’t a problem beyond the degree to which DTV action flicks mirror the larger filmmaking scene. However, representation matters here as much as for any genre because it helps determine the future of this kind of movie. If these films are viewed by customers and filmmakers as primarily a gilding hall for white male leads, the number of women and minorities vying for anything beyond stuntwork or supporting parts isn’t encouraged to grow...and that’s likely to deprive us all of potentially great talent. Women, people of color, and other minorities help comprise the cream of the martial arts crop, and the thought of losing out on the next potential Cynthia Rothrock or Michael Jai White is galling. These movies don’t necessarily thrive on technical or dramatic innovation, but rather the physical innovation of its performers. Given this, it’s within everybody’s interest that anybody with the potential to thrill martial enthusiasts be duly considered.

“Objection: As this data only represents the DTV realm, it’s not an accurate portrayal of representation in American filmmaking or even the action/martial arts genre as a whole.”

The fact that DTV films don’t encompass the entirety of a genre doesn’t negate the significance of their own sector, the same way that one avenue of occupation needn’t encompass the entire job market to have unique implications for those involved. Though often viewed as a derivative of Hollywood, the DTV realm is very much its own place with unique hierarchies and politics. Entire careers are played out within it. What’s more, the DTV circuit isn’t so small as to be insignificant: even if the U.S. blockbuster scene became a beacon of representation, poor practices in the DTV scene could still be enough to unsettle the landscape. When you consider that less than 100 films are given a widespread theatrical release in the U.S. each year, it’s easy to imagine how quickly the smaller, quickly-produced releases can overtake them in quantity. Add to that the popularity of online video streaming services and their equalizing nature, and you can see that DTV flicks are a significant part the national film market.

“Objection: A quantitative measurement doesn’t properly convey how well a group is represented. For example, Wesley Snipes is more prolific and successful than almost every white male star listed here.”

Aside from the fact that too many demographics are still entirely unrepresented, the problem with pointing to a Wesley Snipes or a Lorenzo Lamas as adequate representation for an entire group is that it closes off the chances for anyone else who might fall within that demographic. If you take one prominent star and say there’s no need for additional representation, then what reason is there for someone else from that group to be taken on? Again, the result is the DTV circuit potentially depriving itself of the next great showstopper.

“Objection: The sample is too limiting. There’d be more women and minority entrants if you counted those with fewer than three starring roles and/or counted supporting ones (e.g. lead villains).”

I opted for no less than three starring roles because this indicates an established career within the DTV realm, which indicates a willingness of studios/distributors to repeatedly invest in a performer – this is, to some degree, the mark of a star. I’ve limited the credits to lead roles because such parts convey prestige and social esteem, and this is important. Yes, fans can definitely find favorites among lifetime supporting players, but supporting role or even those of the lead villain typically don’t convey the positive qualities that usually define protagonists. Aside from being promoted the most, lead characters are most likely the ones the audience is encouraged to identify with. By comparison, other roles don’t measure up.

“Objection: Maybe there aren’t more women/minorities in lead roles because there are no viable contenders.”

Here’s but a small sample of viable contenders – women and men with the necessary physical talent to lead a fight flick.

Marissa Labog & Peipei Yuan – Fight Scene Chris Balualua – Showreel Lauren Mary Kim & Amy Johnston – Fight Scene Percy “Spitfire” Brown – Showreel Robert Parham – Showreel Fernando Chien – Showreel Tamiko Brownlee & Natalie Padilla – Fight Scene Anna Ranoso – Fight Scene Emmanuel Manzanares – Showreel Zara Phytian – Fight Scene Jawed El Berni – Short Film, The List Andy Leung & Ray Carbonel – Fight Scene, Contour Cheryl Lewis – Fight Scene Gui DaSilva – Fight Scene Nilo Ghajar-Williams Vs. Ieisha Auyeung – Fight Scene Natascha Hopkins – Fight Scene Gichi Gamba – Film Highlights, PowerRangers Michelle Jubilee Gonzalez – Fight Scene w/Peipei Yuan Shawn Bernal – Short Film, Flower Thieves Kristina Hess – Showreel John Lewis & Alex Meraz – Short Film, The Reward Cecily Fay – Film Highlights Rayna Vallandingham – Showreel Ed Kahana – Fight Scene, Relic Hunt Eve Torres – Fight Scene, The Scorpion King 4 Marie Mouroum – Showreel Krystal Vee & Selina Lo – Fight Scene, The Scorpion King 3 Juan Bofill – Fight Scene

“Do you have any good news?”

The good news is that the trend of white guys dominating this subgenre does seem to be abating as we move further into the 21st century. Of the 52 names in the sample, thirteen (13) are individuals who’ve begun starring in these movies within the past 16 years; of these, only 5 are white men – about 38 percent of the total.

White Men: Scott Adkins, Eric Jacobus, Matt Mullins, Gary Wasniewski, Steven Seagal White Women: Zoe Bell Asian Men: Johnny Yong Bosch, Jon Foo, Jino Kang, Cung Le Black Men: Wesley Snipes, Michael Jai White Latin Men: Hector Echavarria

Though white male performers still enjoy the greatest amount of representation, they don’t completely dominate the pipeline of new stars.

Also, I get the impression that big-budget Hollywood is making an effort to diversify the selection of people it has leading its movies. I’ve said before that the DTV arena isn’t merely derivative of Big Studio World, but obviously the latter plays a huge role in shaping popular trends. If Hollywood capitalizes on diversity among stars as an asset, then low-budget filmmakers may be inclined to follow.

“How do we change this? How do we get new, diverse performers to helm these movies?”

The first step is to find out who’s actually out there. The list of links I provided is pretty short, given the sheer amount of performers making their reels publicly available. Become a fan of lesser-known kickers. Once you’ve found someone whose work consistently impresses you and who you’d like to see lead a production, you can get started. Short of stepping down from a theatrical career, there are generally two ways that new performers acquire starring roles in the DTV scene: (1) they work their way up from smaller parts and/or stuntwork, or (2) they finance or co-finance their own productions. In either case, what you need to do is support them. Help finance indie projects they’re developing via crowd-funding. Feature them and their work on your social media. If they’ve had parts in studio work, review these movies publicly and point out that their involvement is the reason you looked at the picture in the first place. And if a movie they’ve starred in gets released, buy it directly – don’t download or buy it from a third party seller, and for goodness sake don’t post the whole thing online for free.

It’s up to the performer(s) in question to prove that they’d rock a starring role, but it’s up us to make their effort worth it.

[sanremista-dal51]

Ma che bella gioventù ora ci sei tu Sta tranquilla non la cerco L’acqua nel deserto Avventure e cavalieri Solo desideri Non pensare lasciati precipitare Un grido arriverà Ma cosa vuoi che sia Se ogni tanto piango è roba mia Ma che bella gioventù Chi ci ferma più Siamo veri siamo noi Da mezzanotte in poi Non andare via balla gioventù E chi ci frega più Nei tuoi occhi grandi Vedo gli orizzonti Vieni siamo pronti Dal vuoto un cielo aperto Da quel buio pesto un po’ di blu Ma che bella gioventù ora ci sei tu Fai riempire quei bicchieri Oggi come ieri Ridi forte fai rumore fammi da motore Ma che bella gioventù E chi ci ferma. (Daniele Pace e Oscar Avogadro) #sanremo #sanremo35 #sanremo85 #sanremo1985 #festivaldisanremo Brano: Bella gioventù Immagine: The Year of the Scavenger - Cecily Brown - 2012 https://www.instagram.com/p/B-CEOrOltUv/?igshid=qes4pbwuhyd1