#Danish closed captioning

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Danish Translation Services and Danish Language Services

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[meazalykov]

rings rings rings

lena oberdorf x reader

summary: a joke in the community makes you come to a realization

the teasing had always been a lighthearted joke, something you and lena both laughed about. 

it started almost immediately after you two went public with your relationship. after you guys started dating in 2020, you guys decided to not tell the public about your relationship until a couple of years in. 

after transferring from barcelona to bayern munich in 2022, and shortly after lena’s second place spot in the EUROS– thats when the public had confirmation about the two of you.  

it wasn’t just the fans who started their relentlessness. your teammates had their fun, too.

your bayern and national teammates instagram stories were flooded with subtle hints—photos of you holding hands, captions about the "future mrs. oberdorf" and even cheeky comments from giulia and laura with ring emojis when lena and you celebrated your fourth anniversary. 

lea, lena’s best friend and your close friend, was the ringleader of the proposal jokes. every time you and lena were out with her, she’d find a way to bring up engagement rings. 

"so, lena," lea would say with a mischievous grin, "when’s the big day? or are you still searching for the perfect ring to put on y/n’s pretty finger?" 

lena would roll her eyes and laugh it off, but you could tell the idea was planted in her head. 

there were jokes during training sessions, comments during team dinners. when lena transferred to bayern from wolfsburg in july 2024– pernille managed to get the entire squad to start humming the wedding march when you two walked into the locker room together.

lena had told you her plan ages ago—she was going to propose during the winter of 2024. it was perfect. the winter break meant no football to distract you, just the two of you alone in the peace of the snowy bavarian countryside. 

you loved the idea, and though you tried to keep it out of your head so you could focus on football, you couldn't help but daydream about how it would unfold, how you would say yes without hesitation.

one day during the pre-season, before the olympics, everyone was cooling down after practice, some even joking around, when pernille and magda walked in with matching grins. they were holding hands and had the kind of look that hinted at something big. 

they exchanged a quick glance before pernille cleared her throat, immediately drawing the attention of the room.

“we’ve got some news,” pernille started, her voice light with her danish accent clear but laced with excitement. 

magda lifted her hand, showing off a simple but stunning engagement ring that sparkled under the fluorescent lights.

“we’re engaged!” magda announced, and the room erupted into cheers and applause. 

teammates rushed over to congratulate them, voices overlapping as everyone admired the ring and shared in the couple’s happiness.

amid the celebration, sydney, who had been stretching in the corner while scrolling on her phone, looked over at lena, who was smiling widely at the news. 

with a mischievous glint in her eye, sydney couldn’t resist.

“hey, lena,” sydney called out, her tone teasing making sure that the entire locker room heard her. 

“so, when are you gonna propose to y/n? or are you just going to let pernille and magda steal the spotlight?”

the locker room fell silent for a split second before erupting into laughter and more teasing. 

klara, always quick with a quip, chimed in, “yeah, lena, what’s the holdup? everyone has been waiting!”

lea joined in, a playful grin on her face. “maybe she’s just waiting for the perfect moment. or maybe y/n should propose first?”

lena felt her cheeks flush under the sudden attention, but she played it cool, offering a lopsided smile. 

“soon,” she replied, her voice steady despite the amount of teasing. “it’s gonna happen, don’t worry.”

the room buzzed with excited murmurs and jokes, but before anyone could press her further, lena’s gaze drifted to the door. 

y/n wasn’t there in the locker room, and she hadn’t been for a while. lena knew she had gone to check on ana in the medical area, making sure their teammate (who came back from an acl injury) was okay after a tough tackle during training. 

but the laughter and congratulations for pernille and madga continued to swirl around her, lena’s mind wandered to the ring she had already picked out, the one tucked safely away at home. 

she had planned everything, just waiting for the right moment to propose. 

but then the injury happened. an acl tear right before the olympics, a devastating blow to lena’s season and your hearts. 

you were happy to win gold at the olympics, but you were sad that lena couldn’t celebrate bronze with her german teammates. 

the surgery, the long recovery, the endless rehab—it took over everything once you got back to munich. 

and with it, lena’s plan to propose was quietly shelved. 

your taller german girlfriend even joked, with a bittersweet smile, that she wouldn’t be able to get down on one knee now, and you both shared a quiet laugh over it, trying to mask the disappointment.

it wasn’t long before the teasing at lena shifted.

“well, y/n, if lena’s knee is messed up, i guess it’s your turn to get down on one knee.”  tuva, with her sharp and sweet humor, was the first to mention it in the full bayern locker room. 

you laughed it off at first, just like lena had, but the teasing continued. 

more teammates joined in, some of your national teammates started to become aware of the jokes in germany and joined in. 

and suddenly, it was you who was being nudged toward proposing.

at first, you tried to brush it off, but there was something in the way lena looked at you—hopeful, maybe even a little relieved—that stayed with you. 

the idea took root, just as it had with her. it's been four years since you and lena started dating– when you were at barcelona and she at wolfsburg. you wanted her to be your wife. 

and before you knew it, you found yourself visiting jewelers, searching for the perfect ring. 

your pupils would have formed into a heart (if that was possible) when you spotted a delicate band with a single, sparkling diamond—it was simple yet elegant, just like lena.

you didn’t tell anyone about your plan. not tuva, not lea, not even your closest friends on the team.

it was something you wanted to keep between you and lena, a surprise that would catch her completely off guard. you didn’t need lena to overhear the teasing trolls that you had for teammates. 

the timing felt right as thanksgiving break approached—a quiet moment, just the two of you, away from the pressures of football.

the day you decided to propose, you could feel the excitement ripping throughout your body, but also a touch of nerves. 

lena had always been the one everyone expected to take the lead, since she was more of the “dominant” one in your relationship– but it was your turn first, and you wanted it to be perfect.

you planned a small getaway, just the two of you, in a cozy cabin nestled in the forests near munich. 

the air was crisp, the sky a brilliant shade of pink and orange due to the sunset, and everything seemed to sparkle in the winter light. 

you both took a small walk through a trail by the cabin. this was the first time that lena got cleared to walk without any cane or assist. 

this made you both happy as the two of you were laughing and chatting about everything and nothing. 

looking away from lena’s beautiful face, you reached the spot where you had decided to do it—a clearing with a view of the mountains in the distance.

you stopped, turning to face lena, who looked at you with a curious smile. 

she notices your face, you tried to look strong but your eyes showed something different. 

"what’s up?" she asked, her breath visible in the cold air.

you took a deep breath, smiling as you reached into your jean pocket and pulling out the small box. 

lena’s eyes widened as realization dawned on her, and you could see the tears starting to form.

“lena,” you began, your voice trembling slightly, 

“i know we always joked about who would propose first, and i know this isn’t how you planned it due to unfortunate circumstances. but i love you so much, ever since that wolfsburg and barcelona match. ever since then i couldn’t imagine my life without you. will you marry me?”

for a moment, lena was speechless. she stared at the ring, then back at you, her eyes shimmering with emotion. 

"y/n, are you serious?" she whispered, her voice shaky.

"absolutely. i’ve never been more serious about anything." you nodded, unable to stop the smile spreading across your face. 

lena’s reaction was immediate. she threw her strong arms around you, pulling you into a tight embrace, her tears soaking into your neck and jacket. 

"yes," she choked out, her voice thick with emotion. "yes, a million times yes!!" she pulled back just enough to look at you, her eyes full of love and disbelief. 

"i can’t believe you did this. i was supposed to propose to you first." she held your face in her hands as she kept your body close to hers.

"well, you can still propose to me later, but i couldn’t wait any longer." you laughed, wiping away a tear that had slipped down her cheek. 

you slid the ring onto her finger, both of you laughing and crying at the same time. lena looked down at the ring, her hand shaking slightly as she admired it. 

"it’s perfect, y/n," she said, her voice full of wonder. "you’re perfect."

later at night, as you sat together by the fire in the cabin, wrapped in blankets, lena leaned her body on top of yours as her head rested on your shoulder. 

"you know," she murmured, her voice soft and full of warmth, "i was always going to propose first. i had this whole plan."

"i know, but i beat you to it." you smiled, kissing her forehead gently. 

the teasing might have started as a joke, but in the end, it led to a moment neither of you would ever forget—a moment that was entirely yours.

my master list is here if you want to read more fics <3

[norrisleclercf1]

Day 22 of 25 Days of Christmas: Scavenger Hunt

Pairing: Kevin Magnussen x Reader

Rating: PG

Words: 869

You and your husband, Kevin, are on a much-needed trip home to Denmark. The sun beams down as you stroll through the picturesque streets of Copenhagen, hand-in-hand, ready to explore the charming city. But today, you’ve decided to crank up the fun with a competitive scavenger hunt! Armed with a list of quirky items and a mischievous spirit, the two of you brace yourselves for a delightful day filled with laughter, adventure, and maybe a little mischief.

You pull out your scavenger hunt list as you sip your morning coffee at one of those adorable little cafes. The first item is a classic: "Find a statue of a beloved figure." Kevin smirks; he’s already got a strategy brewing. “I’ll race you to the Little Mermaid!” he declares, his eyes twinkling with playful determination.

With a quick glance at one another, you know this will be a friendly (and perhaps slightly competitive) challenge. You both sprint toward the iconic statue, giggling as you dodge tourists and small bikes whizzing by. After a few minutes, you arrive at the Little Mermaid, sculpted in all her glory.

Snap! You both take pictures with the statue, giving your best mermaid poses. Kevin strikes a goofy and serious pose, causing you to laugh.

Placing the first item on your list aside, you move to find the following target: “Capture a picture of the most unique Danish pastry!” Kevin eyes a nearby bakery with croissants that look out of this world. “I bet they have something funky inside,” he says.

Inside the cozy shop, you’re greeted with the mouthwatering scent of fresh pastries. With a friendly wager on the line, you both opt for the strangest-looking item: a custard-filled pastry shaped like a swan. As you take your photos, you can’t resist taking a ridiculous live-action video of you trying to eat your swan pastries without getting custard everywhere. Laughter fills the air, and you’re convinced you must look silly.

Next, the list calls for “A flower crown on a random street performer.” Walking along Nyhavn, the vibrant waterfront, you spot a jovial musician playing the accordion. “I’ll distract him; you make the crown!” Kevin whispers, plotting his distraction with a mischievous grin.

You nod, gathering daisies and miniature violets from nearby planters—don’t worry, you’ll replace them! As Kevin begins swaying dramatically to the music, imitating a dance that can only be described as 'the lobster,' you create a floral masterpiece. When you present it to him, laughter erupts from the small crowd around you.

Kevin wears the flower crown proudly, posing with the accordion player. At the same time, you snap a fierce guarding-a-sea-creature kind of photo. Now, that’s a crown worthy of royalty!

Continuing the hunt, your next item: “Find a cat and take a photo with it.” Both of you feel determined—Copenhagen is full of adorable felines! You wander into the nearby Kastellet Park, peeking into flower gardens and small cafés, looking for the perfect feline.

Suddenly, Kevin spots a fluffy orange tabby lounging lazily on a bench. “Look! There’s Mr. Whiskers!” he proclaims exaggeratedly, clearly enamored with the cat’s majestic lounging.

You approach gently, using your best cat-whispering skills, and to your delight, the cat rolls over and invites you for some scratches. Capturing the moment, you both snuggle close, crafting captions in your minds that rival even the funniest memes you’ve seen online.

You glance down the list and see the challenge: “Locate a Viking helmet on display!” Off you sprint to the nearby National Museum, which has a fantastic collection of Viking history. As you both race up the steps, Senior Citizens becoming your unintentional navigational guides, you begin searching every corner for that elusive helmet.

You finally spot them! As you get excited, you start to brainstorm silly Viking names. “Kevin the Conqueror,” you declare. “And you, my lady, are now: Enlightened She Who Knows the Corners!”

With your Viking names set, you strike victorious poses while wearing replicas of the helmets. As you both model for a picture, your eyes lock in laughter—this day just keeps improving!

Your scavenger hunt is winding down, and you notice the final challenge on the list: “Take a group selfie with a tourist family.” You scan the bustling scene, hopeful about finding just the right group to match your energy.

You spot a cheerful family of four with matching t-shirts and big smiles. You enthusiastically approach them and ask if they wouldn’t mind helping you. They’re happy to oblige, and before you know it, you’re all squeezed together, faces beaming for the camera!

Kevin, ever the jokester, pretends he’s lost a shoe in the crowd, producing the perfect candid. The family laughs, and your day of whimsical competition ends with a treasure trove of memories to cherish forever.

As the sun sets on your scavenger adventure, you and Kevin reflect on how much fun you’ve had. Winning or losing? Who cares? With hearts full of laughter and a handful of silly snapshots, you both know this will be a day you’ll talk about for years to come.

You leave daunting cities and serious landmarks behind, knowing that the best adventures are built on love, laughter, and a little dash of competition!

[pyrrhocorax]

do you have any fun headcanons about the 'everyone knows about nation people' universe? the fake social media posts of it are so funny

hmmm, i haven't thought about this in too much detail (although i love the fake social media posts too!), but when i think about this, i tend to think more about individual nations' opinions on humans and the dynamic they have with people rather than humans-->nations, if that makes sense?

i do have a few headcanons that i think are fun re: nation-human relations in modern day:

norway goes through human assistants extremely quickly (high job turnover rate) because he can be difficult to deal with/eccentricities of being old and demi-immortal, but in some ways that works out well for him because while a lot of humans can't work well with him, he will occasionally get an assistant that mutually clicks with him, and that person will be his assistant basically until the end of their life. he generally has some strong disdainful feelings for humanity as a whole and the problems they cause, but is also very fond of certain individual humans and will form close relationships with some humans if he feels those humans are worth it (again, 99% of the people will not click with him, but the 1% that do are golden). the humans that do tend to be in that 1% just kind of know how to deal with his eccentricities and tend to be a bit oddball themselves (norway makes them worse).

norway's sense of using social media is kind of sporadic. he's the kind of person i think that will not post anything for three months, then post a picture of a beautiful fjord he took with no caption, a week later makes a text post that just says "mold" or something similarly cryptic like a really zoomed in/blurred photo where you can't tell what is happening, and that's all you get from him for another three months. so i think he does some numbers on social media in niche human circles but i don't think he entirely understands all of the time that he's amusing to people (or that people consider his posts to be shitposts). there is probably a small community dedicated to trying to decipher what he's posting that comes up with all of these theories, but sometimes the answer to 'why hasn't he posted in six months and what can his last ten tweets tell us about what's happening' is that he either dropped a phone into a ravine while hiking or he forgot social media existed (old man at heart).

denmark is the opposite to me, in which he's more surface-level friendly and cordial with all humans, but he holds them all at a distance more emotionally (even when he seems emotionally engaged with them) and seldom develops close relationships with humans in modern day. it's kind of a professionalism thing in the way he views it for himself, but deep down it's because he wants to avoid getting hurt by them (in many ways), and he generally prefers his own company if his only other option is to interact with humans. (this is also my attempt at kind of bridging the hetalia character of denmark being depicted as rather joyous/emotional/social and marrying it with the more of the actual nordic/danish stereotype being more a bit more introverted/closed off to strangers/etc).

iceland is a weird one for me because i think he feels more connected/comfortable with other icelanders (and humans in general) than he does other nations most of the time, but there is still a disconnect between him and people. I think this is because I view his relationship with the nations he has the most personal history with/closest to (i.e. other nordics) as being very historically complicated even if he is loved/mostly has positive interactions with his family in modern day. i've always interpreted iceland's character as having a very disorganized attachment style in that he can oscillate between exhibiting all types of attachment style with the same person even during a short span of time (a lot of this is norway's '''''fault''''' because i also see norway having somewhat disorganized (but much more avoidant/dismissive while ice is way more anxious) attachment too, but for different reasons and it is less internally distressing for him than it is iceland because he's older/has figured some stuff out by the time iceland is a teen. but since norway was the person most responsible for looking after young iceland when norway was basically a Teen Dad himself, his own lack of self-development/healing from his own attachment issues and other external forces impacted how he raised iceland. oops.)

That being said, lot of iceland's disorganization is exhibited internally rather than externally (so even if he's anxious about being abandoned, since he's also avoidant/dismissive and is like 'i can take care of myself', he both wants and doesn't want reassurance at the same time which is confusing for him but those parts of him just battle deep inside of him). Because of this, humans are often easier for him to interact with because he knows they will all 'leave' him (i.e. die), so he oddly feels more comfortable knowing how that relationship will end -- this allows him to feel both attached and unattached at the same time, which suits how he operates a lot of the time. with icelanders especially, he's kind of well-connected and liked (in part because he's generally much more down to earth and fairly considerate in comparison to a lot of other nations) even though he doesn't feel like he is.

i think poland should be a popular livestreamer on twitch. i have seen others posts about this before and i think they are 100% right.

[wittebane-collab]

Hey everyone! Just a quick update from the Wittebane Collab today.

Since we last posted we've made insane progress on the project. We started this project just under two months ago and we're already in the process of finalizing the script and are currently story boarding one of our four acts.

Once again we found that the further we push into the project the more help we end up needing. As of right now we are including captions for 10 languages plus English. (Danish, French, Galician, German, Polish, Brazilian Portuguese, Romanian, Russian, Spanish, and Swedish). We are looking for someone who is willing to lead our Translation Team in creating Closed Captions using the SRT File Format. If you're willing and able to assist in this process, or if you can translate to a language not listed above, please join our discord,fill out our application in #rules, and DM "Dcat682".

[giallofever2]

NEW by Severin Films

RELEASE DATE 7/25/2023

THE SENSUAL WORLD OF BLACK EMANUELLE [ BOX BLU-RAY ]

24 Feature Films, 2 Soundtrack CDs And A 356-Page Book

Disc 1: BLACK EMANUELLE (1975) / BLACK EMANUELLE 2 (1976)

Black Emanuelle Special Features:

XXX Inserts

Audio Commentary With Film Programmer Jazmyne Moreno

Exoticizing Blackness And Erotic Sovereignty In BLACK EMANUELLE – Interview With Adult Film Historian Mireille Miller-Young

I Am Your Black Queen – Audio Interview With Actress Laura Gemser

The Reluctant Icon – A Tribute To Laura Gemser By Film Historians Kier-La Janisse, Stephen Broomer And Manlio Gomarasca, With Animation By Leslie Supnet And Ashley Thorpe

Black Emanuelle’s Groove – Interview With Composer Nico Fidenco

Trailer

Black Emanuelle Disc Specs:

Aspect ratio: 1.85:1

Audio: English Mono / Italian Mono

Closed Captions

Region A

Run time: 96 mins

Black Emanuelle 2 Special Features:

XXX Inserts

Adalberto AKA Bitto – Interview With Film Historian Davide Pulici

Diva '70 – Interview With Dagmar Lassander

Trailer

Black Emanuelle 2 Disc Specs:

Aspect ratio: 1.85:1

Audio: English Mono / Italian Mono

Closed Captions

Region A

Run time: 91 mins

Disc 2: EMANUELLE IN BANGKOK (1976) / EMANUELLE IN AMERICA (1976)

Emanuelle in Bangkok Special Features:

Audio Commentary With Professor Of Film Aaron AuBuchon

A Reflection Of The Times – Interview With Actress Debra Berger

Ivan The Terrible – Actor Ivan Rassimov Discusses EMANUELLE IN BANGKOK And EMANUELLE AROUND THE WORLD

Trailer

Emanuelle in Bangkok Disc Specs:

Aspect ratio: 1.85:1

Audio: English Mono / Italian Mono

Closed Captions

Region A

Run time: 94 mins

Emanuelle in America Special Features:

Audio Commentary With Film Historian Kat Ellinger

Archival Audio Commentary With Film Historians Bruce Holecheck And Nathaniel Thompson

The Danish Man – Interview With Actor Lars Bloch

The Confessions Of Diana Smith – Interview With Actress Maria Piera Regoli

The Art Of Sexy & Gore – Interview With Art Director Marco Dentici

The Cutting Of The Flesh – Interview With FX Artist Giannetto De Rossi

The Devil’s Trick – Interview With Makeup Artist Maurizio Trani

The Journalist – Maria Pia Fusco And Piero Vivarelli On The Origins Of D’Amato’s Emanuelle

The Naked City: Emanuelle In New York – A Location Tour With Journalist Michael Gingold

Trailer

Emanuelle in America Disc Specs:

Aspect ratio: 1.85:1

Audio: English Mono / Italian Mono

Closed Captions

Region A

Run time: 100 mins

Disc 3: EMANUELLE AROUND THE WORLD (1977) / EMANUELLE AND THE LAST CANNIBALS (1977)

Emanuelle Around the World Special Features:

Around The World With Emanuelle – Interview With Film Historian Stephen Thrower

I’m Not A Guru – Interview With Actor Luigi Montefiori

The Beautiful One – Interview With Actor Gianni Macchia

A Tribute To Karin Schubert: The ‘Nackedei’ Actress – Video Essay By Kier-La Janisse And Stephen Broomer, Written By Jean-Luc Marret, Author Of Pornification: Vie De Karin Schubert

Trailer

Emanuelle Around the World Disc Specs:

Aspect ratio: 1.85:1

Audio: English Mono / Italian Mono

Closed Captions

Region A

Run time: 102 mins (Unrated Cut) / 88 mins (Theatrical Cut)

Emanuelle and the Last Cannibals Special Features:

Audio Commentary By Film Historian Stephen Thrower

The World Of Nico Fidenco – An Interview With Composer Nico Fidenco

A Nun Among The Cannibals – Interview With Actress Annamaria Clementi

Dr. O’Brien M.D. – Interview With Actor Donald O’Brien

From Switzerland To Mato Grosso – Interview With Actress Monica Zanchi

Dressed To Eat – Interview With Costume Designer Silvana Scandariato

Theatrical Trailer

Emanuelle and the Last Cannibals Disc Specs:

Aspect ratio: 1.85:1

Audio: English Mono / Italian Mono

Closed Captions / English Subtitles

Region A

Run time: 93 mins

Disc 4: PORNO NIGHTS OF THE WORLD (1977) / EMANUELLE AND THE PORNO NIGHTS OF THE WORLD (1978)

Porno Nights of the World Special Features:

Master Of The World – Interview With Co-Director Bruno Mattei

At The Dining Table – Interview With Producer Franco Gaudenzi

The Naked Eye: Sex And The Mondo Film – Documentary With Film Historians Elizabeth Purchell, Mark Goodall And Joe Rubin

English Opening Credit Sequence

Trailer

Porno Nights of the World Disc Specs:

Aspect ratio: 1.85:1

Audio: English Mono / Italian Mono

Closed Captions

Region A

Run time: 88 mins

Emanuelle and the Porno Nights of the World Special Features:

Crazy, Crazy World – Interview With Makeup Artist Pietro Tenoglio

After Hours With Joe D’Amato – Interview With Director Joe D’Amato

Trailer

Emanuelle and the Porno Nights of the World Disc Specs:

Aspect ratio: 1.85:1

Audio: English Mono / Italian Mono

Closed Captions

Region A

Run time: 85 mins

Disc 5: SISTER EMANUELLE (1977) / EMANUELLE AND THE WHITE SLAVE TRADE (1978)

Sister Emaneulle Special Features:

Audio Commentary With Film Scholar Lindsay Hallam

Trailer

Sister Emanuelle Disc Specs:

Aspect ratio: 1.85:1

Audio: English Mono / Italian Mono

Closed Captions

Region A

Run time: 93 mins

Emanuelle and the White Slave Trade Special Features:

Audio Commentary With Film Programmer Lars Nilsen

The Bohemian – Interview With Actor Venantino Venantini

Come In Un Film: La Vera Storia Di Gabriele (Gastone) Tinti – 2016 Documentary By Riccardo Marchesini

Trailer

Emanuelle and the White Slave Trade Disc Specs:

Aspect ratio: 1.85:1

Audio: English Mono / Italian Mono

Closed Captions

Region A

Run time: 88 mins

Disc 6: VIOLENCE IN A WOMEN'S PRISON (1982) / EMANUELLE IN PRISON (1985)

Violence in a Women's Prison Special Features:

Archival Interview With Director Bruno Mattei

Brawl In Women’s Block – Interview With Writers Claudio Fragasso And Rossella Drudi

Two For One – Interview With Producer Roberto Di Girolamo

Radio Spot

Trailer

Violence in a Women's Prison Disc Specs:

Aspect ratio: 1.78:1

Audio: English Mono / Italian Mono

Closed Captions

Region A

Run time: 98 mins

Emanuelle in Prison Special Features:

Audio Commentary With Author And Critic Annie Choi And Film Editor Perri Pivovar

Jailhouse Rock – Interview With Composer Luigi Ceccarelli

Razor Blade Smile – Interview With Actor Pietro Angelo Pozzato

Franca Stoppi: Matron Of Hell – Video Essay Written And Narrated By Film Critic Rachael Nisbet

Trailer

Emanuelle in Prison Disc Specs:

Aspect ratio: 1.85:1

Audio: English Mono

Closed Captions

Region A

Run time: 88 mins

Disc 7: BLACK COBRA (1976) / BLACK VELVET (1976)

Black Cobra Special Features:

Audio Commentary With Film Critic Samm Deighan

From Prague To Hong Kong – Interview With Actress Michele Starck

Joe D’Amato At Eurofest

Black Cobra Disc Specs:

Aspect ratio: 1.85:1

Audio: English Mono / Italian Mono

Closed Captions

Region A

Run time: 96 mins

Black Velvet Special Features:

Black Velvet – Interviews With Stars Annie Belle And Al Cliver

The Roots Of Evil – Biographer Alberto Pezzotta On Director Brunello Rondi

A Relationship Of Confusion – Film Critic Joseph Fahim On VELLUTO NERO

English Opening Credit Sequence

Italian Theatrical Trailer

English Theatrical Trailer

Black Velvet Disc Specs:

Aspect ratio: 2.35:1

Audio: Partial English Mono / Italian Mono

Closed Captions / English Subtitles

Region A

Run time: 96 mins

Disc 8: EMANUELLE'S PERVERSE OUTBURST (1983) / PORNO ESOTIC LOVE (1980)

Emanuelle's Perverse Outburst Special Feature:

Audio Commentary With Author Bryan Connolly And Film Programmer Amber Adams

Emanuelle's Perverse Outburst Disc Specs:

Aspect ratio: 1.85:1

Audio: French Mono

English Subtitles

Region A

Run time: 97 mins

Porno Esotic Love Special Features:

The Lovemaker – Interview With Actor Mark Shannon

Trailer

Porno Esotic Love Disc Specs:

Aspect ratio: 1.85:1

Audio: English Mono / Italian Mono

Closed Captions

Region A

Run time: 103 mins

Disc 9: DIVINE EMANUELLE (1981)

Divine Emanuelle Special Features:

Includes FANATICO...WHEN THE GODDESS CALLS (Workprint of Christian Anders' Director's Cut)

Deleted Scenes

Trailer

Divine Emanuelle Disc Specs:

Aspect ratio: 1.66:1

Audio: English Mono / French Mono (Divine Emanuelle Only)

Closed Captions

Region Free

Run time: 99 mins (Divine) / 104 mins (Fanatico)

Disc 10: EMANUELLE: QUEEN OF THE DESERT (1982)

Emanuelle: Queen of the Desert Special Features:

Includes THE DIRTY SEVEN (Longer Alternate Cut Of The Film Under Its Original Title)

Violent Cyprus – Interview With Actor Giovanni Brusatori

Sunlight And Violence – Interview With Cinematographer Nino Celeste

Trailer

LOOKING GOOD – Workout Video Hosted By Laura Gemser (58 mins)

Audio Commentary With Film And Television Historian Amanda Reyes And Podcaster Erik Threlfall

Emanuelle: Queen of the Desert Disc Specs:

Aspect ratio: 1.66:1

Audio: English Mono

Closed Captions

Region Free

Run time: 89 mins

Disc 11: AMORE LIBERO - FREE LOVE (1974) / EMANUELLE - A WOMAN FROM A HOT COUNTRY (1978)

Amore Libero - Free Love Disc Specs:

Aspect ratio: 1.77:1

Audio: English Mono / Italian Mono (TBC)

Closed Captions (TBC)

Region A

Run time: 86 mins (TBC)

Emanuelle - A Woman From a Hot Country Disc Specs:

Aspect ratio: 1.85:1

Audio: English Mono / Spanish Mono

Closed Captions

Region A

Run time: 87 mins

Disc 12: BLACK DEEP THROAT (1977) / PORNO NIGHTS OF THE WORLD N.2 (1978)

Black Deep Throat Special Feature:

Ajita Wilson: An Elusive Icon – Video Essay By Film And Gender Studies Scholar Matt Richardson

Black Deep Throat Disc Specs:

Aspect ratio: 2.35:1

Audio: English Mono

Closed Captions

Region Free

Run time: 87 mins

Porno Nights of the World N.2 Disc Specs:

Aspect ratio: 1.85:1

Audio: English Mono / Italian Mono

Closed Captions

Region Free

Run time: 94 mins

Disc 13: INFERNO ROSSO: JOE D'AMATO ON THE ROAD OF EXCESS (2021) / SCANDALOUS EMANUELLE (1986)

Inferno Rosso: Joe D'Amato on the Road of Excess Special Features:

Introduction By Nicolas Winding Refn For Venice Film Festival Premiere

Two Of A Kind: Talking About Joe – Director Manlio Gomarasca And Giona A. Nazzaro (Artistic Director, Locarno Film Festival) In Conversation

Outtakes

Trailer

Inferno Rosso: Joe D'Amato on the Road of Excess Disc Specs:

Aspect ratio: 1.78:1

Audio: English 5.1 / Italian Stereo

Closed Captions / English Subtitles

Region A

Run time: 73 mins

Scandalous Emanuelle Special Features:

Scandalous Christina – Interview With Actress Jenny Tamburi

Peeping Lilli – Interview With Actress Lilli Carati

Trailer

Scandalous Emanuelle Disc Specs:

Aspect ratio: 1.85:1

Audio: English Mono

Closed Captions

Region A

Run time: 91 mins

Disc 14: NICO FIDENCO’S GROOVE CD

Disc 15: BLACK EMANUELLE’S RARITIES AND B-SIDES CD

THE BLACK EMANUELLE BIBLE: Designed by Luke Insect with a cover illustration by Kim Thompson, this fully illustrated 356-page book is the most substantial collection of writing ever devoted to the series, with essays by Kevin John Bozelka, Costas Constandinides, Rachel Harrison, Alexandra Heller-Nicholas, Kier-La Janisse, Jennifer Moorman, Xavier Aldana Reyes, Jorge Rivera-Gutiérrez and Erin Wiegand; additional capsule reviews by Bryan Connolly and Craig Ledbetter; and archival interviews with actress Laura Gemser and screenwriter Maria Pia Fusco.

Severin Films

[marzipanandminutiae]

seriously this girl sounds like a fictional character:

adopted by a wealthy schoolmaster and his wife at a young age

spoke six languages (English, French, Italian, Spanish, German, Danish)

accomplished musician and artist

drew, the week before she died, a sketch of Cromwell looking at the corpse of Charles I with the caption "O death! I must learn to look thee in the face!" in French

designed an over-the-top Gothic tomb for her young aunt Clemence, who died the year before her, that ended up becoming her own monument

died in a carriage accident on the night of her 17th birthday, in 1845, en route home from her party- the carriage actually reached its home base safely after something spooked the horses into bolting, so if she'd been able to stay inside she probably would have lived. but she was either thrown out or tried to jump to safety, and suffered fatal injuries (around the corner of Broadway and Waverley, in lower Manhattan)

various legends state that her mother had a premonition of Something Bad on the night of her birthday party, or that she always had some incident that ruined her birthdays and the day had been good so far, so her parents urged her not to go out when friends invited her to a pre-existing party

her grave is famous now, with the only known image of her from any time close to her life being the statue enclosed in its little grotto

everyone has decided, based on exactly no evidence that I've ever found, that she was engaged to Charles-Albert Jarrett de la Marie- a younger friend of her father's who is buried near the Canda family monument

"he killed himself for love of her!" he killed himself over an affair with a married Italian woman; it is extremely public record. stop assigning this poor girl engaged at death

I'm firmly convinced that, if she'd lived longer, she'd have a biopic miniseries about her adventures

the universe nerfed Charlotte Canda at 17 because it knew she would have been too powerful if she reached full adulthood

[therealkrynnsub]

Which language will be next?

After Krynnsub translated The Last Trial into English, our members volunteered to translate it into Italian, Spanish, Vietnamese, Danish, Finnish, and Polish! As the lyrics are finalized, we begin the process of sharing them as closed captions on our videos.

The only question is: Which language will be next?

If you are interested in becoming a Krynnsub Translator, message me here or look us up on Facebook!

[alexhoghdaily]

Vikings season 6: Alex Høgh Andersen admits he 'misses' series with unseen Ivar snaps

Vikings season 6: Ivar star shares unseen battle pics as he admits he 'misses' show (Image: Getty/History)

VIKINGS star Alex Høgh Andersen has released an up close and personal look at his character Ivar the Boneless from his final moments on the set of season six.

The eight year journey of the History Channel’s popular medieval drama Vikings finally came to an end on Amazon Prime Video last year. A few months after the dust has settled on the series’ thrilling finale, Alex Høgh Andersen admitted he still misses his time as Ivar the Boneless with his latest post on Instagram.

Danish star of Vikings’ final three seasons Alex Høgh Andersen has released some never-before-seen snaps from the set of season six.

Vikings’ last ten episodes finally premiered exclusively on Amazon Prime last December after the first half of season six wrapped up in February.

The series brought the epic saga of Ragnar Lothbrok (played by Travis Fimmel) and his children to a bittersweet and brutal end.

Amongst the most thrilling and devastating moments of the series finale, ‘The Last Act’, was the sombre death scene of Andersen’s complex antagonist, Ivar the Boneless.

Vikings star Alex Høgh Andersen released unseen pics of season six (Image: History)

In his latest post on Instagram, Andersen shared a new look at Ivar’s final battle, moments before his time on the series came to an end.

The new pics depict Ivar looking furious and battle-ready, surrounded by English and Norwegian soldiers and covered in grime and blood.

Andersen captioned the new post: “Stills from the final battle of Vikings captured by the brilliant Jonathan Hession.

“This has to be one of the craziest days I’ve ever had at work and it reminds me how much I miss my Irish family. Happy Easter to all of you.”

Vikings: Ivar was slain in the final episode (Image: History)

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Alex Høgh Andersen (@alexhoeghandersen)

Filming for the series largely took place outside of Dublin, standing in for Vikings’ Icelandic setting.

Although production concluded some time before the last season was actually released, Andersen still misses the team who worked so hard to bring the series to the screen.

Down in the comments, a number of the actor’s followers also admitted to missing the series.

One Vikings fan said: “Missing Vikings like no other on this fine Saturday night, but gotta power through.”

Following the deaths of fan favourites Ragnar and, in the first half of season six, Lagertha (Katheryn Winnick), Andersen’s intense performance as Ivar kept millions of viewers tuning in to the very end.

While his long-running rival, Bjorn Ironside (Alexander Ludwig) failed to make it to the series finale, Ivar’s tragic rise and fall will certainly be remembered as the highlight of season six.

“The world will never forget Ivar the Boneless,” replied one fan.

And another said: “I literally cried over this episode! You are such an amazing and talented actor! Hope to see you in something else again!”

(SOURCE EXPRESS.CO.UK)

[traumacatholic]

Gregorian/Christmas chant: Puer natus in Bethlehem

This Christmas hymn was especially popular during the ancient period. Its author is unknown. The oldest Latin text found so far is contained in a Benedictine book dating from the beginning of the fourteenth century. The Latin text, which is found in many different redactions ranging from six to twelve stanzas, has, very likely, been composed by several authors. Consequently, it has undergone many changes due to omissions, revisions, and additions. “Puer natus” was translated into German in 1439 by Heinrich von Laufenberg. Later on a number of German versions appeared. In the old German, Danish, and Swedish hymnals a translation in the vernacular was inserted immediately after each Latin stanza. It has been surmised that the choir sang the Latin and the congregation sang translations of the same. The German rendering most extensively used was that found in Valentin Babst’s Geystliche Lieder, 1545: “Ein Kind geboren zu Bethlehem.” This contains ten stanzas with the German translation inserted after each stanza except the second. The English version included in The Lutheran Hymnary was made by Philip Schaff and was printed in his Christ in Song, 1869.

Turn on Closed Captions (CC) for translations in different languages

[letterboxd]

Best of Sundance 2021.

From pandemic-era stories, via portraits of grief, to the serendipitous 1969 trilogy, the Letterboxd crew recaps our favorite films from the first major festival of the year.

Sundance heralds a new season of storytelling, with insights into what’s concerning filmmakers at present, and what artistic innovations may be on the horizon. As with every film festival, there were spooky coincidences and intersecting themes, whether it was a proliferation of pandemic-era stories, or extraordinary portraits of women working through grief (Land, Hive, The World to Come), or the incredible serendipity of the festival’s ‘1969 trilogy’, covering pivotal moments in Black American history: Summer of Soul (...Or When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised), Judas and the Black Messiah and the joyful Street Gang: How We Got to Sesame Street.

The hybrid model of this year’s Sundance meant more film lovers across the United States—a record number of you, in fact—‘attended’ the prestigious indie showcase. Our Festiville team (Gemma Gracewood, Aaron Yap, Ella Kemp, Selome Hailu, Jack Moulton and Dominic Corry) scanned your Letterboxd reviews and compared them with our notes to arrive at these seventeen feature-length documentary and narrative picks from Sundance 2021. There are plenty more we enjoyed, but these are the films we can’t stop thinking about.

Documentary features

Summer of Soul (...Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised) Directed by Ahmir-Khalib Thompson (AKA Questlove)

One hot summer five decades ago, there was a free concert series at a park in Harlem. It was huge, and it was lovely, and then it was forgotten. The Harlem Cultural Festival of 1969 brought together some of the world’s most beloved Black artists to connect with Black audiences. The star power and the size of the crowds alone should have been enough to immortalize the event à la Woodstock—which happened the same summer, the film emphasizes. But no one cared to buy up the footage until Ahmir-Khalib Thompson, better known as Questlove, came along.

It would have been easy to oversimplify such a rich archive by stringing together the performances, seeking out some talking heads, and calling it a day. But Questlove was both careful and ebullient in his approach. “Summer of Soul is a monumental concert documentary and a fantastic piece of reclaimed archived footage. There is perhaps no one better suited to curate this essential footage than Questlove, whose expertise and passion for the music shines through,” writes Matthew on Letterboxd. The film is inventive with its use of present interviews, bringing in both artists and attendees not just to speak on their experiences, but to react to and relive the footage. The director reaches past the festival itself, providing thorough social context that takes in the moon landing, the assassinations of Black political figures, and more. By overlapping different styles of documentary filmmaking, Questlove’s directorial debut embraces the breadth and simultaneity of Black resilience and joy. A deserving winner of both the Grand Jury and Audience awards (and many of our unofficial Letterboxd awards). —SH

Flee Directed by Jonas Poher Rasmussen

Flee is the type of discovery Sundance is designed for. Danish documentarian Jonas Poher Rasmussen tells the poignant story of his close friend and former classmate (using the pseudonym ‘Amin Nawabi’) and his daring escape from persecution in 1990s Afghanistan. Rasmussen always approaches tender topics with sensitivity and takes further steps to protect his friend’s identity by illustrating the film almost entirely in immersive animation, following in the footsteps of Waltz With Bashir and Tower. It’s a film aware of its subjectivity, allowing the animated scenes to alternate between the playful joy of nostalgia and the mournful pain of an unforgettable memory. However, these are intercepted by dramatic archive footage that oppressively brings the reality home.

“Remarkably singular, yet that is what makes it so universal,” writes Paul. “So many ugly truths about the immigration experience—the impossible choices forced upon people, and the inability to really be able to explain all of it to people in your new life… You can hear the longing in his voice, the fear in his whisper. Some don’t get the easy path.” Winner of the World Cinema (Documentary) Grand Jury Prize and quickly acquired by Neon, Flee is guaranteed to be a film you’ll hear a lot about for the rest of 2021. —JM

Taming the Garden Directed by Salomé Jashi

There’s always a moment at a film festival when fatigue sets in, when the empathy machine overwhelms, and when I hit that moment in 2021, I took the advice of filmmaker and Sundance veteran Jim Cummings, who told us: “If you’re ever stressed or tired, watch a documentary to reset yourself.” Taming the Garden wasn’t initially on my hit-list, but it’s one of those moments when the ‘close your eyes and point at a random title’ trick paid off. Documentary director Salomé Jashi does the Lorax’s work, documenting the impact and grief caused by billionaire former Georgian PM Bidzina Ivanishvili’s obsession with collecting ancient trees for his private arboretum.

“A movie that is strangely both infuriating and relaxing” writes Todd, of the long, locked-off wide shots showing the intense process of removing large, old trees from their village homes. There’s no narration, instead Jashi eavesdrops on locals as they gossip about Ivanishvili, argue about whether the money is worth it, and a feisty, irritated 90-year-old warns of the impending environmental fallout. “What you get out of it is absolutely proportional to what you put into it,” writes David, who recommends this film get the IMAX treatment. It’s arboriculture as ASMR, the timeline cleanse my Sundance needed. The extraordinary images of treasured trees being barged across the sea will become iconic. —GG

The Most Beautiful Boy in the World Directed by Kristian Petri and Kristina Lindström

Where Taming the Garden succeeds through pure observation, The Most Beautiful Boy in the World relies on the complete participation of its title subject, actor Björn Andrésen, who was thrust into the spotlight as a teenager. Cast by Italian director Lucino Visconti in Death in Venice, a 1971 adaptation of Thomas Mann’s novella about obsession and fatal longing, Andrésen spent the 1970s as an object of lust, with a side-gig as a blonde pop star in Japan, inspiring many manga artists along the way.

As we know by now (Alex Winter’s Showbiz Kids is a handy companion to this film), young stardom comes at a price, one that Andrésen was not well-placed to pay even before his fateful audition for Visconti. But he’s still alive, still acting (he’s Dan in Midsommar), and ready to face the mysteries of his past. Like Benjamin Ree’s excellent The Painter and the Thief from last year, this documentary is a constantly unfolding detective story, notable for great archive footage, and a deep kindness towards its reticent yet wide-open subject. —GG

All Light, Everywhere Directed by Theo Anthony

Threading the blind spots between Étienne-Jules Marey’s 19th-century “photographic rifle”, camera-carrying war pigeons and Axon’s body-cam tech, Theo Anthony’s inquisitive, mind-expanding doc about the false promise of the all-seeing eye is absorbing, scary, urgent. It’s the greatest Minority Report origin story you didn’t know you needed.

Augmented by Dan Deacon’s electronic soundscapes and Keaver Brenai’s lullingly robotic narration, All Light, Everywhere proves to be a captivating, intricately balanced experience that Harris describes as “one part Adam Curtis-esque cine-essay”, “one part structural experiment in the vein of Koyaanisqatsi” and “one part accidental character study of two of the most familiar yet strikingly unique evil, conservative capitalists…”. Yes, there’s a tremendous amount to download, but Anthony’s expert weaving, as AC writes, “make its numerous subjects burst with clarity and profundity.” For curious cinephiles, the oldest movie on Letterboxd, Jules Jenssen’s Passage de Vénus (1874), makes a cameo. —AY

The Sparks Brothers Directed by Edgar Wright

Conceived at a Sparks gig in 2017 upon the encouragement of fellow writer-director Phil Lord, Edgar Wright broke his streak of riotous comedies with his first (of many, we hope) rockumentary. While somewhat overstuffed—this is, after all, his longest film by nearly fifteen minutes—The Sparks Brothers speaks only to Wright’s unrestrained passion for his art-pop Gods, exploring all the nooks and crannies of Sparks’ sprawling career, with unprecedented access to brothers and bandmates Ron and Russell Mael.

Nobody else can quite pin them down, so Wright dedicates his time to put every pin in them while he can, building a mythology and breaking it down, while coloring the film with irresistible dives into film history, whimsically animated anecdotes and cheeky captions. “Sparks rules. Edgar Wright rules. There’s no way this wasn’t going to rule”, proclaims Nick, “every Sparks song is its own world, with characters, rules, jokes and layers of narrative irony. What a lovely ode to a creative partnership that was founded on sticking to one’s artistic guns, no matter what may have been fashionable at the time.” —JM

Narrative features

The Pink Cloud Written and directed by Iuli Gerbase

The Pink Cloud is disorienting and full of déjà vu. Brazilian writer-director Iuli Gerbase constructs characters that are damned to have to settle when it comes to human connection. Giovana and Yago’s pleasant one-night stand lasts longer than expected when the titular pink cloud emerges from the sky, full of a mysterious and deadly gas that forces everyone to stay locked where they stand. Sound familiar? Reserve your groans—The Pink Cloud wasn’t churned out to figure out “what it all means” before the pandemic is even over. Gerbase wrote and shot the film prior to the discovery of Covid-19.

It’s “striking in its ability to prophesize a pandemic and a feeling unknown at the time of its conception. What was once science fiction hits so close now,” writes Sam. As uncanny as the quarantine narrative feels, what’s truly harrowing is how well the film predicts and understands interiorities that the pandemic later exacerbated. Above all, Giovana is a woman with unmet needs. She is a good partner, good mother and good person even when she doesn’t want to be. Even those who love her cannot see how their expectations strip her of her personhood, and the film dares to ask what escape there might be when love itself leaves you lonely. —SH

Together Together Written and directed by Nikole Beckwith

Every festival needs at least one indie relationship dramedy, and Together Together filled that role at Sundance 2021 with a healthy degree of subversion. It follows rom-com structure while ostensibly avoiding romance, instead focusing on how cultivating adult friendships can be just hard, if not harder.

Writer-director Nikole Beckwith warmly examines the limits of the platonic, and Patti Harrison and Ed Helms are brilliantly cast as the not-couple: a single soon-to-be father and the surrogate carrying his child. They poke at each other’s boundaries with a subtle desperation to know what makes a friendship appropriate or real. As Jacob writes: “It’s cute and serious, charming without being quirky. It’s a movie that deals with the struggle of being alone in this world, but offers a shimmer of hope that even if you don’t fall in fantastical, romantic, Hollywood love… there are people out there for you.” —SH

Hive Written and directed by Blerta Basholli

Hive, for some, may fall into the “nothing much happens” slice-of-life genre, but Blerta Basholli’s directorial debut holds an ocean of pain in its small tale, asking us to consider the heavy lifting that women must always do in the aftermath of war. As Liz writes, “Hive is not just a story about grief and trauma in a patriarchy-dominated culture, but of perseverance and the bonds created by the survivors who must begin to consider the future without their husbands.”

Yllka Gashi is an understated hero as Fahrjie, a mother-of-two who sets about organizing work for the women of her village, while awaiting news of her missing husband—one of thousands unaccounted for, years after the Kosovo War has ended. The townsmen have many opinions about how women should and shouldn’t mourn, work, socialize, parent, drive cars and, basically, get on with living, but Fahrjie persists, and Basholli sticks close with an unfussy, tender eye. “It felt like I was a fly on the wall, witnessing something that was actually happening,” writes Arthur. Just as in Robin Wright’s Land and Mona Fastvold’s The World to Come, Hive pays off in the rare, beaming smile of its protagonist. —GG

On the Count of Three Directed by Jerrod Carmichael, written by Ari Katcher and Ryan Welch

It starts with an image: two best friends pointing guns at each other’s heads. There’s no anger, there’s no hatred—this is an act of merciful brotherly love. How do you have a bleak, gun-totin’ buddy-comedy in 2021 and be critically embraced without contradicting your gun-control retweets or appearing as though your film is the dying embers of Tarantino-tinged student films?

Comedian Jerrod Carmichael’s acerbic directorial debut On the Count of Three achieves this by calling it out every step of the way. Guns are a tool to give insecure men the illusion of power. They are indeed a tool too terrifying to trust in the hands of untrained citizens. Carmichael also stars, alongside Christopher Abbott, who has never been more hilarious or more tragic, bringing pathos to a cathartic rendition of Papa Roach’s ‘Last Resort’. Above all, Carmichael and Abbott’s shared struggle and bond communicates the millennial malaise: how can you save others if you can’t save yourself? “Here’s what it boils down to: life is fucking hard”, Laura sums up, “and sometimes the most we can hope for is to have a best friend who loves you [and] to be a best friend who loves. It doesn’t make life any easier, but it sure helps.” Sundance 2021 is one for the books when it comes to documentaries, but On the Count of Three stands out in the fiction lineup this year. —JM

Censor Directed by Prano Bailey-Bond, written by Bailey-Bond and Anthony Fletcher

The first of several upcoming films inspired by the ‘video nasty’ moral panic over gory horror in mid-’80s Britain, Prano Bailey-Bond leans heavily into both the period and the genre in telling the story of a film censor (a phenomenal Niamh Algar—vulnerable and steely at the same time) who begins to suspect a banned movie may hold the key to her sister’s childhood disappearance. Often dreamlike, occasionally phantasmagorical and repeatedly traumatic, even if the worst gore presented (as seen in the impressively authentic fictional horrors being appraised) appears via a screen, providing a welcome degree of separation.

Nevertheless, Censor is definitely not for the faint of heart, but old-school horror aficionados will squeal with delight at the aesthetic commitment. “I’m so ecstatic that horror is in the hands of immensely talented women going absolutely batshit in front of and behind the camera.” writes Erik. (Same here!) “A great ode to the video-nasty era and paying tribute to the great horror auteurs of the ’80s such as Argento, De Palma and Cronenberg while also doing something new with the genre. Loved this!” writes John, effectively encapsulating Censor’s unfettered film-nerd appeal. —DC

CODA Written and directed by Siân Heder

A film so earnest it shouldn’t work, with a heart so big it should surely not fit the size of the screen, CODA broke records (the first US dramatic film in Sundance history to win all three top prizes; the 25-million-dollar sale to Apple Studios), and won the world over like no other film. “A unique take on something we’ve seen so much,” writes Amanda, nailing the special appeal of Siân Heder’s coming-of-ager and family portrait. Emilia Jones plays Ruby, the only hearing person in her deaf family, at war between the family business and her passion for singing. While Heder is technically remaking the French film La Famille Bélier, the decision to cast brilliant deaf actors—Troy Kotsur, Marlee Matlin and Daniel Durant—makes this feel brand new.

But it’s not just about representation for the sake of it. A sense of authenticity, in humor as much as affection, shines through. With a script that’s 40 per cent ASL, so many of the jokes are visual gags, poking fun at Tinder and rap music, but a lot of the film’s most poignant moments are silent as well. And in Ruby’s own world, too, choir kids will feel seen. “I approve of this very specific alto representation and the brilliant casting of the entire choir,” Laura confirms in her review. Come for the fearless, empathetic family portrait, stay for the High School Musical vibes that actually ring true. —EK

We’re All Going to the World’s Fair Written and directed by Jane Schoenbrun

Perhaps the most singular addition to the recent flurry of Extremely Online cinema—Searching, Spree, Host, et al—Jane Schoenbrun’s feature debut ushers the viewer into a haunted, hypno-drone miasma of delirium-inducing YouTube time-suck, tenebrous creepypasta lore and painfully intimate webcam confessionals. Featuring an extraordinarily unaffected, fearless performance by newcomer Anna Cobb, the film “unpacks the mythology of adolescence in a way that’s so harrowingly familiar and also so otherworldly”, writes Kristen. Not since Kiyoshi Kurosawa’s Pulse has there been such an eerily lonely, and at times strangely beautiful, evocation of the liminal spaces between virtual and real worlds.

For members of the trans community, it’s also a work that translates that experience to screen with uncommon authenticity. “What Schoenbrun has accomplished with the form of We’re All Going to the World’s Fair is akin to catching a wisp of smoke,” writes Willow, “because the images, mood and aesthetic that they have brought to life is one that is understood completely by trans people as one of familiarity, without also plunging into the obvious melodrama, or liberal back-patting that is usually associated with ‘good’ direct representation.” One of the most original, compelling new voices to emerge from Sundance this year. —AY

Judas and the Black Messiah Directed by Shaka King, written by King, Will Berson, Kenneth Lucas and Keith Lucas

It was always going to take a visionary, uncompromising filmmaker to bring the story of Fred Hampton, the deputy chairman of the national Black Panther Party, to life. Shaka King casts Daniel Kaluuya as Hampton, and LaKeith Stanfield as William “Wild Bill” O’Neal, the FBI informant whose betrayal leads to Hampton’s assassination. Both actors have never been better, particularly Kaluuya who Fran Hoepfner calls “entrancing, magnetic, fizzling, romantic, riveting, endlessly watchable.”

Judas and the Black Messiah is an electric, involving watch: not just replaying history by following a certain biopic template. Instead, it’s a film with something to say—on power, on fear, on war and on freedom. “Shaka King’s name better reverberate through the halls of every studio after this,” writes Demi. A talent like this, capable of framing such a revolution, doesn’t come around so often. We’d better listen up. —EK

Pleasure Directed by Ninja Thyberg, written by Thyberg and Peter Modestij

A24’s first purchase of 2021. Ironically titled on multiple levels, Pleasure is a brutal film that you endure more than enjoy. But one thing you can’t do is forget it. Ninja Thyberg’s debut feature follows a young Swedish woman (Sofia Kappel) who arrives in Los Angeles with dreams of porn stardom under the name ‘Bella Cherry’. Although Bella is clear-eyed about the business she’s getting into, Thyberg doesn’t shy away from any of the awfulness she faces in order to succeed in an industry rife with exploitation and abuse. Bella does make allies, and the film isn’t suggesting that porn is only stocked with villains, but the ultimate cost is clear, even if it ends on an ever-so-slightly ambiguous note.

Touching as it does on ambition, friendship and betrayal in the sex business, Pleasure is often oddly reminiscent of Paul Verhoeven’s Showgirls. Or rather, the gritty film Showgirls was claiming to be, as opposed to the camp classic it became. There’s nothing campy here. Kappel is raw and fearless in the lead, but never lets the viewer lose touch with her humanity. Emma puts it well: “Kappel gives the hardest, most provocative and transfixing performance I’ve seen all festival.” “My whole body was physically tense during this,” writes Gillian, while Keegan perhaps speaks for most when she says “Great film, never want to see it again.” —DC

Coming Home in the Dark Directed by James Ashcroft, written by Ashcroft and Eli Kent

A family camping trip amidst some typically stunnin—and casually foreboding— New Zealand scenery is upended by a shocking rug-pull of violence that gives way to sustained terror represented by Daniel Gillies’ disturbingly calm psychopath. The set-up of this thriller initially suggests a spin on the backwoods brutality thriller, but as Coming Home in the Dark progresses and hope dissipates, the motivations reveal themselves to be much more personal in nature, and informed on a thematic level by New Zealand’s colonial crimes against its Indigenous population. It’s a stark and haunting film that remains disorientating and unpredictable throughout, repeatedly daring the viewer to anticipate what will happen next, only to casually stomp on each glimmer of a positive outcome.

It’s so captivatingly bleak that a viewing of it, as Collins Ezeanyim’s eloquent reaction points out, does not lend itself to completing domestic tasks. The film marks an auspicious debut for director and co-writer James Ashcroft. Jacob writes that he “will probably follow James Ashcroft’s career to the gates of Hell after this one”. Justin hits the nail on the head with his description: “Lean and exceptionally brutal road/revenge film … that trades in genre tropes, especially those of Ozploitation and ’70s Italian exploitation, but contextualizes them in the dark history of its country of origin.” —DC

The World to Come Directed by Mona Fastvold, written by Ron Hansen and Jim Shepard

Mona Fastvold has not made the first, nor probably the last, period romance about forbidden lesbian love. But The World to Come focuses on a specific pocket in time, a world contained in Jim Shepard’s short story ‘Love & Hydrogen’ from within the collection giving the film its name. Katherine Waterston and Vanessa Kirby are Abigail and Tallie, farming neighbors, stifled by their husbands, who find brief moments of solace, of astonishment and joy, together. What shines here is the script, a verbose, delicate narration that emanates beauty more than pretence. “So beautifully restrained and yet I felt everything,” Iana writes.

And you can feel the fluidity and elegance in the way the film sounds, too: composer Daniel Blumberg’s clarinet theme converses with the dialogue and tells you when your heart can break, when you must pause, when the end is near. “So much heartache. So much hunger. So much longing. Waves of love and grief and love and grief,” writes Claira, capturing the ebb and flow of emotion that keeps The World to Come in your mind long after the screen has gone silent. —EK

Related content

The 2021 Sundance Film Festival lineup by Letterboxd rating

Letterboxd’s ‘Official’ Top 50 of 2021

Awards Season 2020-2021: our awards-tracker list

Letterboxd’s Festiville HQ: our home for up-to-the-minute festival coverage

[nclkafilms]

The power of stillness

(Review of ‘Sound of Metal’)

*Warning: contains minor spoilers*

“The world does keep moving, and it can be a damn cruel place.  But for me, those moments of stillness, that place, that's the kingdom of God.”

- Joe (Paul Raci)

What is an addiction? That is in many ways one of the central questions asked by ‘Sound of Metal’, the six time Academy Award nominated feature film debut by Darius Marder. On the surface the film seems like a tale as old as time with a protagonist who all of a sudden loses the ability to do what defines him. This storyline is the recipe for a classic tale: the athlete who suffers a career-ending injury, the surgeon who loses his fine motor skills or in the case of ‘Sound of Metal’, a heavy-metal drummer who loses his hearing. But what makes ‘Sound of Metal’ reach above the bar of this recipe - apart from a stunning technical side - is the fact that it is not as much about losing an ability as it is about facing an addiction. It is in this personal discovery for our main character, Ruben, that the film proves itself deserving of its six Oscar nominations.

As described, we follow Ruben, who is the drummer of a heavy metal band in which his girlfriend through four years, Lou, is the lead singer. However, during a tour, he is suddenly faced with a deteriorating ability to hear. Initially showing itself as a tinitus-like sound, which quickly develops into a deep, humming “lack of sound” making it impossible for Ruben to not only play his drums but simply to keep a conversation. As he is presented with the cold facts that the hearing already lost will never return, he is spiralled towards a tumultuous past of drug addiction. As Lou becomes worried for him she helps set up a meeting - through Ruben’s sponsor - with Joe, who leads a support group for addicts with hearing loss as part of a much larger deaf community. Ruben’s stay with the group is equally conflicting and eye-opening as he is forced apart from Lou, faced with the consequences of his hearing loss and presented with new opportunities under the firm but endearing leadership of Joe. 

As Ruben, Riz Ahmed delivers a career-best turn moving himself further up the Hollywood food chain. It is an extremely nuanced and touching performance. One moment he burns through the screen with a powerful and/or frustrated presence only to almost hide himself in the next sequence as he gives space to Ruben’s vulnerability and inability to fully accept his new reality. Ahmed embodies all these feelings close to perfection and it is topped off by an authenticity in his performance and chemistry with the film’s many deaf actors that underlines his dedication to Ruben’s character arc. Ahmed spent a lot of time in the lead-in to the production within the deaf community and it pays off as Ruben’s growing acceptance of and inclusion in said community feels immensely real.

At the centre of the film’s heartfelt portrayal of the deaf community stands Paul Raci, however. He creates one of the most endearing characters of the year as Joe, a Vietnam War veteran  (where he lost his hearing) and former alcoholic, who now hosts the support group for hearing impaired former addicts. Raci brings the role a natural authenticity as he himself is no stranger to the American deaf community as the child of two deaf parents. He clearly uses this to create a fully fleshed character, who you come to both care for and respect. Because, make no mistake, as heart-warming as many of Joe’s scenes are, he is also at the centre of one of the film’s most heart-breaking scenes towards the end, in which he gives a profound and touching message to a desperate Ruben. Raci plays this scene with such heart and presence that Joe’s emotional reaction towards the end of it feels as if it was Raci’s own reaction to the scene. A stunning performance that would and should have earned Raci many more awards had it not been for a certain Daniel Kaluuya.

As Lou, Olivia Cooke is somewhat sidelined half way through the story, and knowing that the Marder brothers did write her story in full detail, I would have loved to see more of it and discover how she dealt with her own addiction(s). Admittedly, I guess that would have been at the cost of the film’s quite tight focus, but the main reason I wanted to see more of her story, is that Cooke manages to create a fascinating character with the limited screen presence she gets. Her scenes with Ahmed as their characters try to realise the extent of Ruben’s hearing loss both individually and as a couple are simply heartbreaking. Most of the film’s remaining supporting cast were found in the deaf community and it - once again - helps heightening the film’s anchor in reality. To highlight a few, Lauren Ridloff brings charm to a teacher in the deaf community school, Chelsea Lee brings life and heart to one of Ruben’s new-found friends and Jeremy Stone, who also worked as Ahmed’s personal ASL teacher and Marder’s creative assistent on the film, features in a specifically memorable scene as an - surprise - ASL teacher. 

This desire to include the deaf community as not only a focus point of the film, but as an active part of the production is a clever and brilliant move by director, Darius Marder. Not unlike the nomads in Nomadland, it creates a certain sense of some of it being close to documentary, although ‘Sound of Metal’ is much clearer in being a work of fiction. It is obvious that the story is deeply personal to the Marder brothers who co-wrote the script on from an original story by Derek Cianfrance (‘Blue Valentine’, ‘Place Beyond the Pines’) with the film being dedicated to their grandmother who went deaf herself. One of many personal touches is the choice to open caption the film, which - of course - can be seen as a statement to make more films accessible for the deaf community, but it also heightens the film’s creative vision to put the viewer in the shoes - or rather ears - of Ruben.

The main reason why this works, however, is the film’s absolute strongest asset: the daring creative choice to create a (with Marder’s own words) Point of Hearing (PoH) experience. Years of work has been put into the film’s work with its sound and how it connects with its imagery. In many situations the way they try to portray the sensation of deafness could have felt gimmicky and, thus, fallen flat. It doesn’t, however. From the first scene in which we experience Ruben’s auditory sensations, I bought it all the way and it truly heightened the film experience. An experience I would love to have in a cinema. It works thanks to the immaculate work by the Marder brothers in their script, the intimate cinematography by Daniël Bouquet and most of all the collaboration between Danish editor Mikkel E.G. Nielsen and the sound department under the leadership of supervising sound editor Nicolas Becker. The way they first create some of the best concert footage of recent years (featuring only live performances by Ahmed and Cooke) and then one of the best realised depictions of a sensation so many of us never have had or will have is awe-inspiring.  

Ultimately, ‘Sound of Metal’ is just as much a film about facing your past and your ideas for the future as it is about a deaf drummer learning to live his new life. As such it features some the same thematic questions as other films of the year (‘Soul’ and ‘Another Round’ to name just two): what drives and what should drive your life. What is purpose, what is a meaningful life? As the quote in the beginning of this review hints at, life has a cruel tendency to roll on no matter where you are in your life. For Ruben, his journey reveals that while distancing himself from his drug addiction he might just have moved on to a new addiction: an addiction to sound and the world that sound opened up for him. The world of Lou, the world of love, the world of purpose. In a telling scene after Ruben has made a life-changing decision, a clearly hurt Joe calmly says to Ruben that he sounds like an addict. And he does. Ahmed delivers this scene with such necessity, such desperation and inconstancy that we feel his addiction to sound, to hearing. The following and final 30 minutes of the film end up being both hurtful and hauntingly beautiful as Ruben comes to terms with his addiction in a realistic and satisfying way. The final scene is up there with the best of the year; you can literally hear it and feel. The power of stillness. 

4,5/5

[shesnake]

A new episode of @akajustmerry and I’s new LGBT film/tv podcast GayV Club is now available for listening on Apple, Google, Spotify, and more!

We will be available on other podcast streaming platforms very soon, please follow us on twitter and/or instagram for updates.

We are a Lebanese-Aboriginal bisexual woman and an Indonesian-Pakistani non-binary lesbian discussing various LGBT media and how we relate to it as WLW of colour 🏳️‍🌈

Join us in our fourth episode, which is part 2 of our criticism of recent LGBT biopics, with a focus on trans and WLW representation in The Danish Girl, Colette, Frida, Vita & Virginia, The Favourite, Gentleman Jack, and Dickinson. In part 1 we covered films about gay and bi men.

The episode is also available on Youtube for anyone who requires closed captions.

*We will be talking about transphobia, homophobia and other related issues, so please be safe and listen at your discretion*

[capricorn-0mnikorn]

Because, this week, I’m thinking of movies that simply make me happy, here are the trailers for nine others:

None of these are captioned on YouTube, unfortunately (But the first has subtitles), but they may be captioned on streaming services, if you decide to rent or buy them:

Not ranking these by “artistic quality” (whatever that is), because that has very little to do with whether something just makes you happy. Nor am I ranking these by the amount of happiness each movie brings, because there are so many different kinds of happiness.

Instead, I’ve made up a spectrum of tone: Going from serious/sentimental at one end, to silly/wacky at the other:

Babette’s Feast (Danish, English subtitles, 1987)

The Secret of Roan Inish (1995)

(this may change, but as of 7 September, 2020, Roan Inish is free on YouTube)

Spirited Away (2001 English dub -- that’s the one I saw in the theater, with my Dad)

Much Ado About Nothing (1993)

I’m not as much of a fan of Kenneth Branagh as I once was, but this is still in my top 5 favorite Shakespeare plays, and this is such a pretty adaptation  

Lilo and Stitch (2002)

Roxanne (1987)

(we watched Roxanne as a family in the movie theater for my parents’ 25th wedding anniversary -- silver anniversary, silver screen. Get it?)

Galaxy Quest (1999)

The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai: Across the Eighth Dimension (1984)

Spy Kids (2001)

Actually, those last two are nearly tied on the wackiness level, but I’m putting Spy Kids at the far end of this spectrum for the Willie Wonka tone of the supervillain, here. But it was a close call between that and Buckaroo Banzai.

[wittebane-collab]

Casting Call! The members of the Wittebane Collab are delighted to announce an open casting call for voice actors! Who are we? We are a team of over 50 artists, writers, voice actors, and musicians who are currently working to bring the Wittebane backstory to life in the form of a 20+ minute long video. We have the following open roles: - Caleb Wittebane - Kid ~10 - Caleb Wittebane - Teen ~15 - Caleb Wittebane - Adult While advertised as three characters we are open to casting the same voice actor for both Caleb's Teenage and Adult characters. -Three lower-pitched adult background characters (a scribe, a town governor, and a head witch hunter). If you are interested in trying out, you may fill out an application here. You are also welcome to join the hype team to follow along with the project at our Discord server here. As of May 15th, we are at least a month or two away from finalizing the cast. If you have any questions, please feel free to get in touch with us in the "ask us anything" channel on our server.

We are also searching for translators and closed caption writers to improve the project's accessibility. We currently have Danish, French, Galician, Romanian, and Spanish translators, and would love to add more languages. You can use the same application that we linked above to offer your translation and captioning services.

Good luck! We look forward to hearing your amazing voices! -Birdie @ litfeathers Edit: Please note that we can only contact and approve applicants who are part of our server. Please join the server before submitting your application. - Dcat682 Project Manager

[herlifeinruins]

Visiting the Bernheim Forest Giants

The Bernheim Forest Giants are sustainable, amazing sculptures along a trail at Bernheim Forest in Kentucky. Here's how to visit these humble beings. #exploreky

Y’all know I love a good day outside. Luckily, I live a little over an hour away from one of the coolest spots in Kentucky: Bernheim Arboretum and Research Forest. Last year, the arboretum became home to the Bernheim Forest Giants, a sustainable art instillation that everyone is raving about!

Danish artist Thomas Dambo constructed three giants to commemorate the 90th Anniversary of Bernheim.…