#Desert Daisy Visuals

[desertdaisyvisuals]

WW1 and WW2 Aviation American History Documentary Film.

Directed by Akeylah Johnson and Dennis Boal.

Filmed on location in Eureka Springs, Northwest Arkansas.

Professional video services by @desertdaisyvisuals and The Lab Fx.

[pianokantzart]

I dunno if this really counts as desert themed, but in Mario Kart Tour Daisy has an outfit called the Thai Dress!

I am a fan of the Thai dress! Thailand is mostly made up of forested mountains and fertile planes rather than desert, yes, but since I imagine Sarasaland as a Mario-verse reimagining of the Ottoman Empire (particularly when it was at it's height in the 16th century) there is a bit of crossover in terms of style elements, with a heavy focus on fine silks and linens decorated with large intricate patterns and shimmering metallic threads.

Left: Daisy in what I think is a chakri dress Right: An üçetek entari, or three-skirt robe (it's 19th century rather than 16th century, but you get my drift.) The worlds of Super Mario Land were all over place in terms of where they took inspiration from, but most modern interpretations of Sarasaland focus on desert regions like the Birabuto Kingdom (which is heavily Egyptian themed, with Egypt having been a province of the Ottoman Empire for over 200 years) and the closest thing we have to a modern visual for Sarasaland is the Daisy Circuit– an active harbor, like how the Ottoman Empire carried out most of it's trade through the Mediterranean Sea, the Red Sea and the Persian Gulf.

Uuuh... I forgot where I was gong with this. TL;DR: Daisy's Thailand dress is probably the closest thing I'll get to seeing her in 16th Century Ottoman Empire inspired garb.

[septembersghost]

chronic illness flare has turned me into a soaking wet paper doll of a person, but i have tag games to catch up on and that's a fun distraction 😊💕

tagged by jenn my sweetie @castiel

show your lock screen, last celeb photo, and last song listened to

oh this is probably going to be embarrassing. okay so my most frequently used device unfortunately doesn't have a customizable lock screen. i am very lucky to have a secondary device i use quite often these days which was a gift from a friend who didn't need it anymore, and that one had a really pretty floral/lyric from the archer for ages, but now... (if i hadn't saved this picture of taylor and benji, the lock screen and photo would've been a neat display of matched insanity, could've hit a trifecta with the song too but fob swooped in at the last second.) anyway...

♥♥♥♥

tagged by (polk! salad!) dani @valkaryah: share my top 5 songs I've been listening to.

according to my current replay playlist, and without repeating artists, otherwise this would be very skewed, it's 1. any day now - elvis presley, 2. heartbreak feels so good - fall out boy, 3. all of the girls you loved before - taylor swift, 4. look at us now (honeycomb) - daisy jones and the six, 5. all my ghosts - lizzy mcalpine (the way lizzy has not left my rotation for a year!)

♥♥♥♥

tagged by darlings @thebohemianbelle and @waxandwanewitchery: when you get this, you have to put 5 songs you actually listen to

similar to the above, but different!!! if i snagged this from that weekly replay playlist, it would essentially be all of the same artists because my listening habits have been in a cycle of comfort lately, but i'll choose five that i do listen to a lot that are also in the list and weren't represented. 1. golden - harry styles, 2. say you love me - fleetwood mac, 3. just one of those things - frank sinatra, 4. supercut - lorde, 5. easy to love - ella fitzgerald

♥♥♥♥

tagged by @bloodmoonlits 😘 my top 4 current albums (the taste on yours, i love seeing recognition for holly!) mine are going to be so predictable here please send help. (i am making an executive decision to exclude taylor from this, but red tv and lover are actually battling it out for a top spot at the moment 💖)

♥♥♥♥

tagged by @headfullofpresley and @castiel: talk about 8 shows as a way to get to know me better. this is unexpectedly hard because rarely are the shows i most dearly love ones that i would openly recommend to another human being haha 😳 so let that be a disclaimer here as i wrack my brain. in no particular order:

(1). better call saul: i will never be as deranged about anything on television as i was about this show, scheming times were had, tragedies were felt, cinnamon rolls were eaten. kisses sealed at city hall, flowers blooming in the desert. my unpopular qualms with the last few episodes/ending aside, it was such a gorgeously layered, meticulously crafted show, i loved those characters so much, it was SUCH a cinematic treat visually, and nearly every step was finely tuned and written in such a thought-provoking way. every step was perfectly acted. i could still talk about it forever. kim wexler queen of my heart, you will always be famous. you don't save me. i save me. (shout-out to the magnificent, and inarguably definitive, predecessor breaking bad.)

(2). penny dreadful: this show is a glorious horror, a mess of victoriana, a fanfiction potpourri of some of the most famous characters of literature, no sane person should invest themselves in it. unfortunately, i, not sane, love it to the bone (except for the terrible ending, you'll catch a pattern here), predominantly because vanessa ives means everything to me. the flame to which all moths gather. defiant martyr of my heart. no one will ever be like her!!! she is my fierce compassionate sickgirl heroine, fighting against the shadows of her world, her soul forever unbowed and true. even when she fears that lost, she holds close her dignity, her ability to love, her perseverance. the poetry with which the show, particularly the first two seasons, was written is unmatched. it's gothic horror in a frame that no one else on television has ever attempted, and it felt made for me when i first watched it in january of 2020. for though it is macabre and gruesome and dark and steeped in grief, it's also about beauty and devotion and resilience and connection. "i see no wildflowers here."/"then you need to look closer." and the everlasting heartbeat, no matter what john logan did to her, my vanessa. something yet remains. i remain.

(3). bates motel: fun fact, i only started bates last february, i've watched S1-4 more than once, and yet still have not finished S5. i keep trying but i don't want to do it! it's a rare one where i already know the ending is fitting, i just keep pushing it off. it's a very difficult show, it deals with heavy themes, there's triggering and horrific stuff in the pilot alone that would immediately stop me from telling people to watch (or at least give me pause), yet at the same time i think it unexpectedly becomes one of the most brilliantly done pieces of television i've ever seen. they have this audacious idea - what if we made a prequel of one of the most iconic movies of all-time? - and somehow not only pull it off, but end up making that story richer and more meaningful. we KNOW we're plummeting towards inevitable tragedy and still wish it could be diverted. we are fascinated and repulsed and aching for the bonds these people share, the desperation as they try to survive. every character is flawed in ways that the story tries to claw humanity out of, and it does something distinct in never shaming or vilifying any of the protagonists for the wretched things they do, never talking down to the audience saying we should be judging them or wishing ill on them, but rather examining WHY they are this way, why they act and react as they do, how they have been bent into these strange shapes. it exhumes your empathy and refuses to let you turn away from the difficulties of their world. the house looms forever like a breathing entity in the background. we will always end up in the basement, but how it comes to happen is the more important tale. and it has the incomparable powerhouse of norma bates, wonderful, awful, extraordinary, complicated, half queen, half little girl. she was like a miracle. as with vanessa, i will never forget her. (another pattern you'll see here: WOMEN.)

(4). remington steele: this was the very first "grown up" show i was ever allowed to watch with my mom, in syndication when i was a kid, and i just love it so much. it's such a delight. 80s glamour! mysteries and hi-jinks! THEE ultimate will-they/won't they romance, and she doesn't even know his real name! try this for a deep dark secret - the great detective remington steele? he doesn't exist. i invented him. follow - i always loved excitement, so i studied, and apprenticed, and put my name on an office, but absolutely nobody knocked down my door... i can recite the whole first season intro monologue, burned into my brain from age twelve. we just finished a rewatch a few weeks ago and i miss them already. laura holt is intelligent, beautiful, romantic, indefatigable, the closest thing the small screen has had to a classic noir inspired brassy leading lady, and was FORMATIVE for me.

(5). crazy-ex girlfriend: they put a musical on television for me. immediate hit right there. many of the numbers are parodies/homage, cheeky and clever but still heartfelt. then it became one of the funniest, most poignant, most empathetic, most memorable explorations of infatuation, self-worth, and most significantly mental health that i have ever seen. there have been a couple of other musical concept shows (smash, notably), but none that achieved what cxg did. it's an extraordinary work and sometimes i can't believe it was allowed to exist, and got to flourish the way it did. rebecca bunch could so easily be called unlikable - selfish, impulsive, obsessive - and yet she is so lovable and so real through all of her flaws, how can you not root for her, laugh with her, sing with her, cry with her? how can you not want her to get better? you find, eventually, it was never even about the guys, though they're fun to explore in all their neuroses too. they're almost...irrelevant. "a diagnosis" will never not make me weep. the show is just so important. this is about the story of a woman who learns how to recover, how to build true friendships (#gurlgroup4eva), and how to embrace herself.

(6). that girl: another one my mom brought me up on, and there are other shows i could mention here (i love lucy, the dick van dyke show, the addams family) as far as prototypes of modern comedy go (there is a direct line from that girl to the mary tyler moore show to friends and new girl), but that girl is particularly dear to me because it was influential to my mom, and because ann marie is a character all her own. she's quirky, she's determined, she's got the greatest 60s fashion, she's constantly getting herself into situations, she's one of the very first sitcom heroines to be a "single girl in the city" and to directly confront sexism (in multiple ways, but especially in the workplace and in the entertainment industry), she is loved and adored by her boyfriend (one of the best and most patient of all fictional boyfriends), but she is not defined by don, they complement each other. marlo thomas, the icon that you are.

(7). pretty little liars: listen. i know. I KNOW. it's silly, it's ridiculous, it has a host of issues, but i was hooked. and the thing is, though the mysteries fizzled and the reveals didn't make sense, what mattered were those girls. female friendship was the heart of everything in that story, they stood by each other and supported each other through every danger, toil, and snare, and even when they messed up, they forgave each other and came back together as a team every time. -A hardly matters, but the liars are everything. young volcanoes. aria, hanna, emily, and spencer all mean so much to me for very different reasons, and spencer especially. my genius, tenacious, too-caring girl. down these mean streets a girl must go who is not herself mean.

(8). supernatural: sigh. would be remiss not to mention it, right? have, in fact, written what amount to personal essays and fanciful poetics on this blog explaining at length what it once meant to me, have delved into the folklore urban legend americana of it all, and while i have gained a certain distance from it since the palpable breakdown i had from its ending that we do not acknowledge, those entries would hold true. it was so formative that things which are on this list would not be here without it, and i know that. it's so inextricable that i can't tell what is a thread connected to it in my life and what isn't at times. premiered on my birthday and presented me one of the greatest loves of my life, who i will always carry with me. i would not quite be me without dean. i would not be here right now without dean, in more ways than one. and i do my best to be brave.

(honorable mentions to shows tam and jenn had on their lists: the x-files, tvd/the originals, the marvelous mrs. maisel; other honorable mentions: btvs/a:ts, bones, dexter, fleabag S2, gilmore girls, the good place, jane the virgin, nancy drew/hardy boys mysteries, orphan black, the haunting of bly manor, select episodes of doctor who, i am quite certain i'm forgetting a bunch!)

for this last one i am tagging @nerdfaerie​, @arthurwilde, @desireearmfeldt, @someoneoffthestreet, @freakwiththeknifecollection, @bcyoureallthatmakessense, @setyourfireonme, @dewintering, @joons, @thebohemianbelle, @beckybloomwood, @takeawaythepain, and @wickedhawtwexler, but also any of you who wants to do this, or any of the rest of these, please do, and then tag me!!! i love to see them! i apologize profusely for the pervasive brainrot. 💟

[conciergebloom]

How to Create a Low-Maintenance Garden in West Palm Beach

West Palm Beach, with its tropical climate, sandy soil, and year-round sunshine, provides a unique environment for gardening enthusiasts. However, the warm temperatures and periodic heavy rainfall can present challenges to maintaining a lush, thriving garden. The good news is that with the right strategies, you can create a low-maintenance garden that not only looks beautiful but also thrives with minimal effort. This guide will walk you through the essential steps to designing and maintaining a garden that suits the West Palm Beach climate, allowing you to enjoy your outdoor space without the constant upkeep.

Understanding the Climate and Soil of West Palm Beach

Before diving into plant choices and design tips, it's important to understand the climatic and soil conditions in West Palm Beach:

Climate: This region experiences a tropical rainforest climate with hot, humid summers and mild, dry winters. The rainy season usually occurs from May to October, with afternoon showers being quite common.

Soil: The soil in West Palm Beach is typically sandy, which drains quickly but often lacks essential nutrients.

Understanding these factors will help you choose plants that are naturally suited to the environment, minimizing the need for constant watering, fertilizing, and maintenance.

Choosing the Right Plants for a Low-Maintenance Garden

Native Plants: The Key to a Sustainable Garden

One of the best ways to ensure a low-maintenance garden is by choosing native plants. Native species are adapted to the local climate, soil, and pests, meaning they require less water, fertilizer, and pest control. Some ideal native plants for West Palm Beach include:

Saw Palmetto (Serenoa repens): A hardy shrub that adds texture and thrives in sandy soil.

Coontie (Zamia integrifolia): A drought-tolerant plant that provides a lush, tropical look.

Firebush (Hamelia patens): Known for its bright red-orange flowers that attract pollinators like hummingbirds and butterflies.

Southern Wax Myrtle (Myrica cerifera): A versatile shrub that can be shaped as a hedge or left to grow naturally.

Tip: Group native plants together to create a cohesive look that mimics natural Florida landscapes.

Drought-Resistant Choices

West Palm Beach’s tropical weather means periods of heavy rain followed by dry spells. Choosing drought-tolerant plants can help reduce the need for irrigation. Some popular options include:

Agave: Known for its striking rosettes and low water needs.

Desert Rose (Adenium obesum): Produces beautiful pink or red flowers and thrives in hot conditions.

Lantana: A flowering plant that adds vibrant color and attracts butterflies, all while being resistant to drought.

Low-Growing Ground Covers

To avoid constant weeding and lawn mowing, consider planting ground covers. Ground covers spread quickly, filling spaces and preventing weed growth while also retaining moisture. Excellent options include:

Asiatic Jasmine (Trachelospermum asiaticum): A hardy, dense ground cover that requires minimal care.

Beach Sunflower (Helianthus debilis): A native plant that produces cheerful, daisy-like flowers and thrives in sandy soils.

Designing Your Low-Maintenance Garden Layout

Creating Zones

Segmenting your garden into zones can make maintenance easier and add visual interest. Think of creating sections for different purposes:

Low-maintenance flower beds: Use native flowering plants and ground covers.

Shaded relaxation areas: Plant trees like Live Oak or Cabbage Palmetto to create natural shade.

Rock or gravel gardens: These require minimal watering and upkeep and can be adorned with drought-tolerant succulents or cacti.

Mulching for Moisture Retention

Adding a thick layer of mulch around your plants can do wonders for retaining moisture, regulating soil temperature, and suppressing weeds. Organic mulch options, such as pine bark or shredded hardwood, decompose over time, adding nutrients to the soil.

Tip: Reapply mulch once or twice a year to keep it effective.

Drip Irrigation Systems

Consider installing a drip irrigation system instead of traditional sprinklers. Drip systems deliver water directly to the base of the plants, reducing water waste and ensuring that roots get the moisture they need without oversaturating the leaves.

Benefits:

Reduces water usage by up to 50%.

Prevents the spread of fungal diseases by keeping foliage dry.

Can be set on a timer for hands-off watering.

Low-Maintenance Hardscaping Ideas

Hardscaping can add structure and style to your garden while cutting down on maintenance time. Here are some elements to consider:

Paved Pathways: Use stone, brick, or permeable pavers to create walkways that require no upkeep.

Rock Gardens: Fill empty spaces with decorative stones or gravel to prevent weeds and add a modern touch.

Water Features: Install a small, self-contained water fountain or birdbath. These features attract wildlife, add a calming ambiance, and don’t require much maintenance.

Tip: Choose weather-resistant materials that can withstand the West Palm Beach climate without needing frequent repairs or replacement.

Smart Gardening Practices for Easy Maintenance

Soil Amendment for Optimal Growth

West Palm Beach’s sandy soil can be improved with organic matter like compost or peat moss. Amending the soil helps it retain moisture and provides nutrients that plants need to thrive, reducing the frequency of watering and fertilization.

Pruning and Trimming

Low-maintenance gardens still require occasional pruning to keep plants healthy and prevent overgrowth. Opt for plants that maintain their shape naturally, and schedule trimming once or twice a year.

Seasonal Checks

Conduct a quick seasonal check to ensure your garden is in good condition. Remove dead plants, check for pests, and add fresh mulch if needed. This minimal seasonal upkeep will keep your garden looking its best year-round.

Pest and Disease Management

Integrated Pest Management (IPM)

IPM involves using natural and non-toxic methods to control pests. By choosing pest-resistant plants and encouraging natural predators like ladybugs and praying mantises, you can reduce the need for chemical pesticides.

Companion Planting

Companion planting is a strategic way to keep pests at bay while promoting plant health. For example:

Marigolds: Plant marigolds around the edges of your garden to repel nematodes and aphids.

Basil: Grow basil near tomatoes to ward off whiteflies and mosquitoes.

Benefits of a Low-Maintenance Garden in West Palm Beach

Water Conservation

A garden that requires minimal watering is especially beneficial in areas with water restrictions or during dry seasons. By selecting drought-resistant plants and using mulching and drip irrigation, you can significantly reduce your water usage.

Reduced Workload

A low-maintenance garden allows you to spend more time enjoying your outdoor space and less time on chores. The strategic use of native plants, ground covers, and mulching creates a sustainable garden that largely takes care of itself.

Supporting Local Wildlife

Choosing native plants not only benefits your garden but also supports the local ecosystem by attracting pollinators such as bees and butterflies. This creates a balanced, thriving garden that contributes to the overall health of your environment.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Overwatering

One of the most common mistakes in gardening is overwatering, which can lead to root rot and attract pests. Stick to your drip irrigation system schedule and avoid watering during the rainy season.

Ignoring Soil Health

Many gardeners overlook the importance of soil quality. Regularly test your soil’s pH levels and nutrient content to ensure it remains conducive to plant growth.

Planting Non-Native Species

Non-native plants may struggle in West Palm Beach’s climate and require more water and care than native species. Avoid high-maintenance plants that aren’t suited for the local environment, as they will increase the time and resources needed to keep them alive.

Creating a Plan for Your Low-Maintenance Garden

Sketch Your Layout

Before you start planting, draw a basic layout of your garden. Identify areas with full sun, partial shade, and full shade, and select plants accordingly.

Choose Your Plants Strategically

Opt for a mix of perennials and low-maintenance shrubs to create a dynamic garden that changes with the seasons. Incorporate flowering plants, grasses, and ground covers to provide texture and visual interest without the need for frequent replanting.

Set Up Your Irrigation and Mulching

Install your drip irrigation system and add mulch around plants. Ensure the mulch is at least 2-3 inches thick for maximum water retention.

Plant and Enjoy

With your plan in place, begin planting according to your design. Once your garden is established, enjoy the benefits of a space that requires minimal maintenance while providing beauty and relaxation year-round.

Final Thoughts

Creating a low-maintenance garden in West Palm Beach can be a rewarding experience that saves time, conserves water, and supports local wildlife. By choosing native and drought-tolerant plants, designing your garden layout thoughtfully, and implementing smart gardening practices, you can create an outdoor space that thrives with minimal effort. Whether you’re a seasoned gardener or just starting, these steps can help you design a garden that enhances your home and makes the most of the tropical environment.

Take these tips to heart and transform your yard into a lush, sustainable haven that’s easy to care for and beautiful to behold.

[blubbly-pizza]

I watched - Super Mario Bros. - 1993

"This movie is good...and gay. Hear me out."

A friend pitched a headcanon for the movie that Mario is an older butch lesbian, raising Luigi after being kicked out by his family (Luigi is also a lesbian in this scenario). An inspired reading truly. You see Luigi's fumbling flirting with Daisy? Daisy infodumping about paleontology? C'mon.

It's so good as an adaptation too! Like, let's be honest, there was fuck all to work with story-wise. So the decisions they make regarding... literally everything are good. While so off-base from any kind of canon, it's just so fun. It's campy as hell. Alternate dimension Brooklyn of dinosaur people on a desert planet being consumed by the previous king who got turned into a fungus? Fucking Inspired. Brilliant. Master work.

They don't even have Peach! Who knows why? Who cares! Alright so honestly huge speculation on my part but it's probably in casting they knew Bob Hoskins wouldn't be a romantic lead even if he does have someone he is dating in the movie. Which makes it fall to John Leguizamo, they can work with that.

Does it have substance? God no. But it's visually delightful and silly throughout. Watch this!

[vorfreud]

films on youtube: part ii

Updated on September 29th 2021.

Below is a selection of films available on YouTube. As I try to update this list as regularly as possible (for this is a lenghthy process), please refer to the original post for the newest version. 

IMPORTANT NOTE: Apparently, Tumblr restricts the number of links you can have all on one post. Therefore, this list is divided into two parts. You can access part one by clicking on the link below:

PART I HERE.

For a visual reference of all the movies available, click here.

Titles are alphabetized by director, and organized by year of release.

Orphée (1950), Jean Cocteau

The Mother and the Whore (1973), Jean Eustache

My Little Loves (1974), Jean Eustache

La Chienne (1931), Jean Renoir

The Southerner (1945), Jean Renoir

The River (1951), Jean Renoir

The Golden Coach (1952), Jean Renoir

À Propos de Nice (1930), Jean Vigo

Zéro de Conduite (1933), Jean Vigo

Vivre Sa Vie (1962), Jean-Luc Godard

Masculin Féminin (1966), Jean-Luc Godard

Chronicle of Anna Magdanela Bach (1968), Jean-Marie Straub and Danièle Huillet

Class Relations (1984), Jean-Marie Straub and Danièle Huillet

Antigone (1992), Jean-Marie Straub and Danièle Huillet

Two Men in Manhattan (1959), Jean-Pierre Melville

Le Deuxième Souffle (1966), Jean-Pierre Melville

Down by Law (1986), Jim Jarmusch

My Left Foot: The Story of Christy Brown (1989), Jim Sheridan

Hovering Over the Water (1986), João César Monteiro

God’s Comedy (1995), João César Monteiro

Vai e Vem (2003), João César Monteiro

Underworld (1927), Josef von Sternberg

The Docks of New York (1928), Josef von Sternberg

Faces (1968), John Cassavetes

Minnie and Moskowitz (1971), John Cassavetes

Opening Night (1977), John Cassavetes

Just One Kid (1974), John Goldschmidt

King of Jazz (1930), Joh Murray Anderson

Song of Avignon (1998), Jonas Mekas

As I Was Moving Ahead Ocasionally I Saw Glimpses of Beauty (2000), Jonas Mekas

The Act of Killing (2012), Joshua Oppenheimer

…À Valparaíso (1963), Joris Ivens

Birds, Orphans and Fools (1969), Juraj Jakubisko

Sisters of the Gion (1936), Kenji Mizoguchi

The Story of the Last Chrisanthemum (1939), Kenji Mizoguchi

A Geisha (1953), Kenji Mizoguchi

Ugetsu (1953), Kenji Mizoguchi

Sansho the Bailiff (1954), Kenji Mizoguchi

Street of Shame (1956), Kenji Mizoguchi

Duel in the Sun (1946), King Vidor

Fires on the Plain (1959), Kon Ichikawa

The Ascent (1977), Larisa Shepitko

Dancer in the Dark (2000), Lars von Trier

The Upturned Glass (1947), Lawrence Huntington

Hamlet (1948), Lawrence Olivier

The Blue Light (1932), Leni Riefenstahl

Mädchen in Uniform (1931), Leontine Sagan

Rain (1932), Lewis Milestone

The Strange Love of Martha Ivers (1946), Lewis Milestone

This Sporting Life (1963), Lindsay Anderson

if…. (1968), Lindsay Anderson

Au Revoir, Les Enfants (1987), Louis Malle

Jew Süss (1934), Lothar Mendes

La Terra Trema (1948), Luchino Visconti

Beautiful (1951), Luchino Visconti

The Leopard (1963), Luchino Visconti

Sandra (1965), Luchino Visconti

The Sunday Woman (1975), Luigi Comencini

L’Âge d’Or (1930), Luis Buñuel

Nazarin (1959), Luis Buñuel

Black Orpheus (1959), Marcel Camus

Limite (1931), Mário Peixoto

Spring on Zarechnaya Street (1956), Marlen Khutsiyev and Feliks Mironer

Vermilion Souls (2007), Masaki Iwana

La Haine (1995), Mathieu Kassovitz

Meshes of the Afternoon (1943), Maya Deren

Caught (1949), Max Ophüls

The Reckless Moment (1949), Max Ophüls

Black Narcissus (1947), Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger

Gone to Earth (1950), Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger

Gente del Po (1947), Michelangelo Antonioni

Il Grido (1957), Michelangelo Antonioni

L’Avventura (1960), Michelangelo Antonioni

La Notte (1961), Michelangelo Antonioni

Red Desert (1964), Michelangelo Antonioni

Zabriskie Point (1970), Michelangelo Antonioni

The Passenger (1975), Michelangelo Antonioni

Women of Ryazan (1927), Olga Preobrazhenskaya and Ivan Pravov

The Stranger (1946), Orson Welles

Black Girl (1966), Ousmane Sembène

Punishment Park (1971), Peter Watkins

Mamma Roma (1962), Pier Paolo Pasolini

World on a Wire (1973), Rainer Werner Fassbinder

Martha (1974), Rainer Werner Fassbinder

Chinese Roulette (1976), Rainer Werner Fassbinder

City of Pirates (1983), Raúl Ruiz

Time Regained (1999), Raúl Ruiz

Lucrezia Borgia (1922), Richard Oswald

Strangers When We Meet (1960), Richard Quine

Framed (1947), Richard Wallace

Mouchette (1967), Robert Bresson

Four Nights of a Dreamer (1971), Robert Bresson

The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920), Robert Wiene

Rome, Open City (1945), Roberto Rossellini

Paisà (1946), Roberto Rossellini

Germany, Year Zero (1948), Roberto Rossellini

The Flowers of St. Francis (1950), Roberto Rossellini

Europa ’51 (1952), Roberto Rossellini

Journey to Italy (1954), Roberto Rossellini

Repulsion (1965), Roman Polanski

Cul-de-sac (1966), Roman Polanski

Songs from the Second Floor (2000), Roy Andersson

You, the Living (2007), Roy Andersson

Two (1965), Satyajit Ray

Battleship Potemkin (1925), Sergei M. Eisenstein

The Color of Pomegranates (1968), Sergej Parajanov

Shozo, a Cat and Two Women (1956), Shirō Toyoda

A Day at the Beach (1972), Simon Hesera

Royal Wedding (1951), Stanley Donen

It’s Always Fair Weather (1955), Stanley Donen

Indiscreet (1958), Stanley Donen

Charade (1963), Stanley Donen

The Haircut (1982), Tamar Simon Hoffs

A Page of Madness (1926), Teinosuke Kinugasa

Badlands (1973), Terrence Malick

The Entertainer (1960), Tony Richardson

Daisies (1966), Věra Chytilová

The Outlaw and His Wife (1918), Victor Sjöstrom

Shoeshine (1946), Vittorio de Sica

Bicyle Thieves (1948), Vittorio de Sica

Umberto D. (1952), Vittorio de Sica

State Fair (1946), Walter Lang

Berlin: Symphony of a Great City (1927), Walter Ruttmann

The Last Stage (1948), Wanda Jakubowska

Land of Silence and Darkness (1971), Werner Herzog

Aguirre, the Wrath of God (1972), Werner Herzog

Rope of Sand (1949), William Dieterle

Wings of Desire (1987), Wim Wenders

I Was Born, But… (1932), Yasujirō Ozu

The Only Son (1936), Yasujirō Ozu

The Brothers and Sisters of the Toda Family (1941), Yasujirō Ozu

There Was a Father (1942), Yasujirō Ozu

Late Spring (1949), Yasujirō Ozu

Early Summer (1951), Yasujirō Ozu

The Flavor of Green Tea Over Rice (1952), Yasujirō Ozu

Tokyo Story (1953), Yasujirō Ozu

Early Spring (1956), Yasujirō Ozu

Equinox Flower (1958), Yasujirō Ozu 

Late Autumn (1960), Yasujirō Ozu

The Blue Sky Maiden (1957), Yasuzō Masumura

[saltminerising]

The big issue with last year's RoR apparel wasn't that it was survivor focused (that was cool), but it had to look like camouflage for Robin Hood's forest when Plague isn't that. Cool survivor themed accents or apparel that is camo for a rust colored desert or swampland would be neat.

Staff would do themselves a favor by having a clearly Plague specific coli venue in this aspect. Everything the flight has is....well, against ToS. So of course there is trouble. It is made by staff's visual depictions and Plague's lack of variety...from on site. They only have themselves to blame, and plague has reason to be frustrated. Give the flight some attention and on-site love and redirection through Coli or art updates  or lore, and there would  be more to work with.

Even so, all this accent drama sounds uninspired. Blood, bones, gore? Gimme a dragon hiding under plague tentacles..uh, vines. Gimme dragons with ragged apparel. Tough skin from being out. Dirty and defiant. Carrying weapons or bare essentials. Holding cans of bug repellent and covered in bug bites. Touting plants that are  of survival. Mushrooms for plague? Nah, try DAISIES, those monster weed flowers that grow no matter what! Blackberries, too. Mosquitos and fleas in little seed packets. "Disease Sower."  

While we're at it...make a wind inspired plague dragon skin. That would be one powerful and effective plague spreader.

Loads of side stepped possibilities here. It doesn't have to be...I dunno, leprosy or whatever you guys want to go for with all the blood arguments. 

[the-great-bbe]

The Gardens of Dorne, Water and Otherwise (or What The Hell Grows Down There?)

Dorne is what I would characterize as a hybrid Mediterranean-tropical desert. It’s simultaneously an “arid wasteland of red and white sand”, as well as having enough rain water and fertile river silt to sustain a civilization even during the summer. In terms of agriculture, Dorne grows olives, lemons, pomegranates, blood oranges, grapes, peppers and plums, as well as rice (notorious for needing lots of water, but possible to grow in a desert with proper irrigation).

That’s great for writing the agriculture of a desert kingdom in the vein of southern Spain, North Africa and Levantine nations such as Syria and Lebanon, as well as other tropical deserts like the Mojave Desert in North America and the Thar Desert in India and Pakistan. For stories that don’t feature Dorne, that’s the basics of what you need.

But what if your story takes place in Dorne? What do Sunspear and the Water Gardens and the lands beyond them look like in regards to flowers? Trees? Plant life in general? When people go courting what flowers do they present to their lovers? If girls are named Daisy and Tansy in the Riverlands, what are they named in Dorne?

I went to a very large and impressive botanical garden yesterday, and took some photos that might help writers visualize Dorne in its splendor. The desert plant life ranged from North American (specifically the deserts of Southern California, Arizona, Texas and Mexico), Central and South American, South African, Middle Eastern, Western Asian and South Asian. And since Dorne is a fantasy mishmash of different areas, I think it’s fair game to say there’s Old Man of the Andes cacti growing alongside Middle Eastern date palms and north Mexican agave plants!

Photos below the cut:

Perhaps girls in Dorne are named Poppy, Marigold, Sage, Orange Blossom and Agave. Perhaps lovers don’t send each other roses, but instead rosette succulents and dwarf palm saplings. Perhaps fragrant jasmine and colorful irises grow alongside the citrus groves and rice fields as they need steady water but thrive beneath the burning Dornish sun. Perhaps the gardens beyond the Water Gardens aren’t fields of delicate flowers like the Reach, but a rainbow of spines and thorns and sweet smelling nectar against red and white rocks.

Dorne might be arid, but it can still be green, and all the other colors of the earth

[cinematicbeauty]

the infinite dream.

Stars shining in the sky, blinking their magnificent glow down on us for eons. They have been there and have witnessed countless of humans live and die. Living through their dreams and dying facing their fears.

Ever since the dawn of ages, dreams and hope were one of the few constants that tethered humans to ambition and their intended future.

Jay Gatsby, a fictional character created by author F. Scott Fitzgerald, dreamt of becoming a wealthy and educated man to win the heart of Daisy Buchanan, Gatsby’s subject of infatuation. He then proceeded to change his identity from his poverty-riddled background to one filled with riches and prosperity.

My dreams are not as big or as powerful as Gatsby’s, but they are still my own. Personal ambitions and inspirations have always been a part of me, ever since I was a dreamy curious child.

I knew I wanted to make a change in the world, regardless of who I impacted, as long as it was a positive one.

My father enjoyed watching the Indiana Jones films, and that was how I came to love archaeology. That, and through playing a video game called Tomb Raider, which centralized around a British protagonist whose family salvaged artifacts from around the world.

Indiana Jones and The Lost Ark || dir. Steven Spielberg, 1981

I wanted to venture out to the deserts and other terrains, where the veil between the ancient and modern world becomes blurry. Discovering and unearthing items that were hidden for centuries, even millenniums, and preserving their significance to the cultures that they belong to was a passion of mine.

Personally, I enjoyed preserving items that were of value. They always hold a special place in someone’s heart, regardless if that person is living or not. It contains a culture of someone’s life, and in most cases, one that is either rarely seen in our world today, or not at all.

After my archaeology phase, I had a sudden fascination towards criminal cases and criminology in general. I have books ranging from the most notorious criminals ever recorded in history to infamous unsolved cases lined up in order on my bookshelves back in Malaysia.

I have always found the human mind interesting and the complexities of how it works. Made me want to practice Criminology once, even. How these criminals and felons worked were just morbidly fascinating to me. This is also probably another reason why I tend to lean on books, films, and even television shows that showcases such actions, and the knowledge they offer.

Dexter || prod. Daniel Cerrone, Sara Colleton, et al. , 2006-2013

Se7en || dir. David Fincher, 1995

Knowledge is power.

To know and understand the things going on around us is definitely something that all of us should be able to do. Dissemination of knowledge comes in a myriad of ways and sources. My personal favorite, is through books and films.

That is where the idea for this blog came about. To just have a safe space to converse about films.

Although a good plot is substantial to the amazing quality that a film would be able to produce, there are also different matters that have to be accounted for. Sound designs, cinematography, color grading, etc.

The Shining || dir. Stanley Kubrick, 1980

Blade Runner 2049 || Denis Villeneuve , 2017

Such films would bring hope, inspirations, and dreams to many. One of the most powerful ways something could give an impact on someone is through visuals and audio, and film ticks both of those boxes.

It made me want to actually study how film works, and have it as a passion to digest and indulge them during my free time.

I do hope that you, readers, would enjoy films as much as I do through my blog.

[desertdaisyvisuals]

Photographer - Akeylah Johnson for Desert Daisy Visuals

Location: Northwest Arkansas, USA

[tokiro07]

Nintendo would never do it cus they’re cowards but I want Odyssey 2 to be like a grand tour through Mario history rather than either a retread of Odyssey 1′s stages or a bunch of new ones (though the latter would definitely be appreciated). Interestingly, you could actually line a lot of them up thematically and it would work out

Bonneton -> Luigi’s Mansion as the ghost-themed level (probably either like Dark Moon where there were several mansions or 3 where it’s one big mansion with multiple themes for each floor); boss is King Boo, with cameos from E. Gadd and Polterpup at least, and maybe even some of the more iconic ghosts from the series

Tostarena -> Sarasaland as the desert level; boss is Tatanga, with a cameo from Daisy

Steam Gardens -> Donkey Kong Country as the jungle level; boss is King K. Rool, with cameos from the various Kongs and maybe even Stanley the Bugman

Forgotten Isle -> Yoshi’s Island as the tropical level; boss is either Kamek or Raphael the Raven, though Burt the Bashful and Prince Froggy may either cameo or act as mini-bosses

New Donk City -> Diamond City as the urban level; boss is either Wario or Captain Syrup, though Waluigi and several Warioware cameos are present as NPCs

Bubblaine -> Delfino Isle as the beach level; boss is Petey Piranha or Bowser, Jr.

Mount Volbono -> Subcon as the visually abstract level (I know it’s more like the fire level in context, but I’m not sure any generalized Mario setting would fit super well); boss is Wart, though Birdo and possibly other bosses like Mouser show up

Lake Lamode -> Rogueport as the secondary water level (though Rogueport isn’t particularly water themed, it can be expanded fine, I think); boss is either Grodus or Crump, though the Shadow Sirens will probably appear; Mario’s partners from at least Thousand Year Door will cameo, and perhaps the original Paper Mario too, whether in new 3D models or all being flat (the latter would be pretty funny, honestly)

Peach’s Castle -> Beanbean Kingdom as the castle level; boss is Fawful, with a cameo from at least Prince Peasley, but possibly Starlow and other Mario & Luigi characters too

Nimbus Arena -> Star Road as the sky level; boss is Smithy, and has cameos from Geno and Mallow

The Moon -> pretty much anything from Mario Galaxy might work as a way to mess with the physics, but I’m partial to Honeyhive Galaxy on the basis that it would bring back Queen Bee, whom Nintendo seems quite fond of based on Mario Kart 7; since I’ve already used the alien boss Tatanga in Sarasaland and there’s not really a good boss associated with Galaxy aside from Bowser, I’m actually going to put the Broodals here since it’s a space level and they come from the moon

I can’t think of anything good to replace Shiveria as the ice level or Crumbleden as the weird out of place dark level or Bowser’s Castle as the Japan level, but I don’t think any of those are explicitly necessary. I’m sure there’s settings I’ve forgotten or elements that can be taken from Mario games aside from what they’re necessarily best known for (like TYD’s Boggly Woods, Super Paper Mario’s Underwhere, Snowman’s Land from 64, etc.), but as long as the expanded Mario cast is given the opportunity to cameo at the least or actually contribute to the plot at most, I’ll be happy

It’d also be neat if the Tennis games somehow got their own explicit level focusing on Waluigi, possibly bringing in Lucien from Aces as the boss and featuring cameos from the various human characters (possibly also including the Golf players)

I can’t think of a good place to put Foreman Spike, so put him in Diamond City I guess

As a final pie-in-the-sky idea, they could also finally visit the Waffle Kingdom that Luigi visited offscreen in TYD and let us meet Princess Eclair, but I imagine that since that was only ever intended as a joke, Nintendo is never, ever, ever going to revisit at all

The main problem with this idea is that a lot of these locations are probably on the same continent as the Mushroom Kingdom, so it’d probably feel a lot less grand than the globe-trotting map of Odyssey 1, but I don’t rightly care, that was just a glorified level selection screen anyway

[irinapaleolog]

The Rise of Skywalker Does a Terrible Disservice to the Women of Star Wars

Besides Reylo, one of the great marketing tools of the Star Wars sequel trilogy was its emphasis on girl power, as well its subversion of class dynamics. The films showed that women -- even poor, destitute women with no connections to powerful men -- could play the same role in the franchise as every cocky flyboy or adopted son of a moisture farmer. Unfortunately, and despite the press tour assurances from the cast and crew that Rey and her gal pals are here to lead a new generation of fans into the new world of gender equality, The Rise of Skywalker makes sure that none of the women of the franchise gets to live happily ever after nor establish any lasting romantic connection.

Instead, Episode IX leans heavily into the tired trope of the "strong female character" that has to resign from silly notions like love and family to live up to her full potential. Adding insult to injury, the film removes all agency from the women, and instead thrusts them onto a straight-and-narrow path of contrived choices foisted upon them by male characters or by the Force -- which, in J.J. Abrams' movie, acts not as the power that propels life in the universe, but like the mean Catherine de Bourgh of Pride and Prejudice.

Let's start with Leia Organa, whose call for help in The Last Jedi was ignored by the entire galaxy. However, Lando Calrissian, who has been hanging around on Pasaana doing who knows what, just has to say the word for an entire legacy fleet to appear out of nowhere. Then there's the handling of her Jedi training, which she gave up because she felt the Force might corrupt her unborn son -- a narrative choice that comes out of left field but that mirrors the real-world dilemma of women giving up promotions for fear that their careers might get in the way of parenting.

But we could argue that Leia's arc in Episode IX is clunky because Abrams had limited footage of the late Carrie Fisher. But what about the characters portrayed by living actresses?

There's Rose Tico, played by Kelly Marie Tran, who had a major role in The Last Jedi with an interesting arc of her own. Unfortunately, a vocal segment of Star Warsfans loathed the character and harassed the actress until she left social media. Things looked brighter when Abrams announced Tran would rejoin the cast in The Rise of Skywalker and that her role would be even better. She was billed as a general, an essential part of the Resistance; Tran went on a press tour and talked about the great feminine energy of the set. The comes The Rise of Skywalker, where Rose appears three times, speaks four lines, and is sidelined to the "really important job" of tech support, with her connection with Finn never addressed. In The Rise of Skywalker, Rose doesn't get romance, connections, friendship, a job, or a story of her own -- something that should please the most toxic fans.

Then there's Jannah, played by Naomi Ackie, another "strong female character." The twist this time is that, like Finn, she's a former Stormtrooper who mutinied and defied an order to kill a bunch of villagers. For a few seconds, her story is hopeful and fascinating, and teases the line from the trailer that "good people will fight if we lead them," that free will and the power of the individual are concepts that exist in Abrams' Star Wars.

How foolish of the audience to hold such hope. Jannah and Finn explain theyweren't the ones who decided to spare the innocent villagers; it was a feeling. The Force takes care of silly dramatic concepts like agency, choice and heroism. Jannah is not a good person because of her actions, but because the Force willedher to be one. The only funny thing about this depressing predeterministic twist is that it also works as an apt metaphor for the actions of the characters in The Rise of Skywalker, who do things not because they make sense, but because the script -- the Force -- says so. To add another nail to the coffin, The Rise of Skywalker Visual Dictionary hints at Lando being Jannah's father, yet another woman of Star Wars whose story doesn't matter unless she's related to a legacy male character.

Moving on, Keri Russell plays Zorii Bliss, a spice runner from Kijimi who essentially wears Leia's slave outfit, only with thermal underwear. Zorii's only purpose in the story is to provide a tragic background for Poe Dameron, as well as a potential love interest. She's also a glorified MacGuffin holder (twice!), and one of the many characters that Abrams fake-kills to ignite an emotional response from the viewer in a desperate effort to make Poe sympathetic. Zorii's role could have easily been filled by Rose, who was an actual tech whiz with a questionable past and a potential massive beef against Poe. After all, he's directly responsible for her sister's death.

Let's move on to Rey (Daisy Ridley), who is retconned from being a resilient orphan scavenger strong in the Force... to receiving her powers from a male bloodline. Now, to be perfectly clear, there's nothing wrong with overly dramatic space operas where everyone is related to a royal family, but this "reveal" goes against the premise of The Force Awakens and the heart of The Last Jedi, which proposes that anyone can be a hero.

There were no hints at all about this "twist" -- not in the movies, in the animated series or in the ancillary material, which makes it feel like a last-minute decision designed to appease those fans who accused Rey of being an overpowered Mary Sue, overlooking one of the most common Mary Sue tropes: their tendency to be secretly related to important canon characters.

Another Mary Sue trope exploited in The Rise of Skywalker, but that wasn't even touched in the previous two movies, is the female character sacrificing herself for the greater good, only to be saved at the last minute by a man, which is exactly what happens here. This double-whammy of "being powerful because of grandad" and "getting to live because of a man" is particularly egregious, and caters to no one, because of what happens right after Ben Solo sacrifices himself. We'll get to that in a moment.

Then there's the Force vision scene. Rey already had a trippy Force vision in The Last Jedi, a deep dive into an array of feminine symbology that she wasn't afraid to confront, from which she emerged heartbroken but stronger. In The Rise of Skywalker, this moment is undercut and shows Rey terrified of the darker, sexier, powerful version of herself, which is a hard pill to swallow. Rey explicitly says that she has nightmare visions where she and Kylo Ren are the evil Empress and Emperor of the Galaxy, linking the fulfillment of her desires to the galaxy's apocalypse. In Episode IX, romantic love is a flaw that the "strong female character" should overcome, but sex is pure evil.

Her visceral rejection of her dark side is also a 180 turn on her chill acceptance of her darkness in The Last Jedi. In the real world, women are taught from a young age to hide their negative feelings, to smile and live to be pleasant to everyone, to not be loud or angry or intense. That mentality only makes things easier for everyone in the world who is not a woman, and runs contrary to the quickly angered but enthusiastic scavenger of the previous two movies. However, by the end of The Rise of Skywalker, Rey has transformed into this Cool Girl version of Ideal Femininity/Strong Woman Character.

Ben Solo's death right after his redemption and first kiss should have been treated like a tragedy at least by Rey, and at least for one minute... but she does not react at all. The camera cuts from Ben's clothes folding as he disappears to Rey's neutral expression as she flies back to the Resistance. His death, and any emotional reaction that it might have caused in the protagonist, is not mentioned at all, which is baffling, to say the least. After a brief reunion with Finn and Poe, Rey immediately regresses on-screen to a lonely child on a desert planet, sliding down a Tatooine sand dune and negating her evolution for the last two movies, just so Abrams could throw in a homage to himself.

For the sake of argument, let's take Rey's reveal of her villainous ancestry at face value, and let's imagine that Disney had prepared this reveal from The Force Awakens: Her ending is still insulting, because it forces her to pay for the actions of her grandfather, despite having suffered as much as anyone from his evil ways. Palpatine's murderous pursuit of his son's family was what caused Rey to grow up heartbroken and abandoned on Jakku.

Rey longed for family and love her entire life; she jumped at the opportunity to establish a real connection with Han Solo, Maz Kanata, Finn, Leia, Luke and Kylo Ren, and in The Rise of Skywalker she looks longingly at the Pasaana children, clearly wanting a family of her own. Rey marveled at the green of Takodana in The Force Awakens and at the water of Ahch-To in The Last Jedi. Just like Anakin, she hated the desert. So why does the plot force her to go back to Tatooine to take on the Skywalker name, a planet where none of the Skywalkers, Organas or Solos were born; that Anakin and Luke longed to escape; where Shmi Skywalker was enslaved twice and then killed; and where Leia became Jabba's sex doll? Wouldn't it make more sense for her to head to verdant, watery Naboo, where both Palpatine and Padmé came from, the place where the latter wanted to raise her Skywalker twins?

But, no, Rey doesn't get to live where she would be logically happier, or where it makes sense; she goes where the fan service is stronger, and the twin suns of Tatooine were unparalleled -- until now. When an old woman asks Rey her family name, she answers "Skywalker," which doesn't hold up to close examination. Luke Skywalker refused to train her, Leia's name was Organa, Ben and Han were Solos, and she's standing on the Lars' buried homestead. And although it makes sense that she would lie about her true ancestry, denying the Palpatine name still reeks of burying her darker side, which worked really well for the Jedi Order.

Compare this ending of a lonely girl on a barren planet lying to strangers about her family name to the ending of The Return of the Jedi, where Luke, Han, and Leia are surrounded by life and celebration, and everyone is radiant with love and living family. Or compare it to the ending of The Last Jedi, where a Force-sensitive boy is looking up at shooting star. Or even the final scene of Revenge of the Sith, which takes place in the same spot after the fall of the Republic, the death of Padmé and the rise of Darth Vader -- but at least in that little spot there's love, family, life and hope.

Directed and co-written by J.J. Abrams, Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker stars Daisy Ridley, Adam Driver, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac, Lupita Nyong’o, Domhnall Gleeson, Kelly Marie Tran, Joonas Suotamo, Billie Lourd, Keri Russell, Anthony Daniels, Mark Hamill, Billy Dee Williams, and Carrie Fisher, with Naomi Ackie and Richard E. Grant.

[pollylynn]

Title: Fleeting WC: 900

She is not just a muse. It is a little known fact, but she is an artist in her own right, and mist is her medium—steam, fog, condensation of breath or the warmth rising up from a cup of coffee, a merrily boiling pot of pasta, the pounding, scalding water of the shower. Anything that leaves her with a fleeting cloud on a smooth surface to work with, she makes art of. 

Her fingers are quick and certain—expert of course. She excels in this as in all things she sets her mind to. He has watched from afar, holding his breath, as she has sketched from memory the stark, gorgeous, leafless winter trees of Central Park on the latticed panes of her living room window. He has sat shoulder-to-shoulder with her, pretending not to notice that she’s doodling a child’s daisies and daffodils on the curved surface of a copper Moscow Mule mug. 

In the beginning, she would slap at his hands every time he’d huff a breath on to the passenger side window and make a move to swoop his initials across the glass. Every time, she’d tweak his ear—or worse—if he dared to make baby footprints with the side of his fist and the delicately applied tips of his fingers. 

He’d assumed it was out of some in-character, by-the-book neatnik thing. He had grumbled under his breath that she was probably the kind of person who obsessively wiped fingerprints off her phone screen. But on their first stakeout—the first one she’d asked him to, not the first one she’d been ordered to ask him to—he’d watched in absolute amazement as she’d created a passable scale model of the solar system, Pluto included, in their mingled breath as it gathered inexorably on the windshield. 

He had realized then that there was another explanation for her habitual violence in response to his artistic endeavors: Kate Beckett, Artist in the MIst, Simply does not like to share her canvas.  

Or she didn’t like to share it, once upon a time. 

He has a different view of the artist these days—a far more intimate view.  He has let his arms go limp at her command and watched in awe as she takes him by the wrist and uses his fingers like brushes to paint a childhood landscape in the fog on the glass shower door as she tells him the story of her family vacation the summer she turned eleven. 

He has pressed right up behind her at the en suite’s double-sink vanity. He has rested his chin on her shoulder and held her fast around the waist as he reads out loud the dirty limericks she writes for him, in the fog on the bathroom mirror—because she’s not just a visual artist, of course. She encroaches on his territory, however fleetingly, with regularity. She writes him unabashedly passionate love letters and poems so sweet and tender they make him ache all the way to the soles of his feet. 

He has felt his heart pound with positive teenage joy when he approaches to swap her dwindling cup of coffee for something fresh and full, only to find her breathing frost flowers on to the windows of the loft so she can write KB loves RC in a swooping heart with a fletched arrow piercing it on the diagonal. He has loaned her his strength from time to time, reaching past her to finish the final n, the final a in Johanna when the sadness overtakes her. 

He has had the rare and wonderful privilege of a thousand brief glimpses of timid messages that she swipes away with a shy hand, just after she’s absolutely certain he’s seen them. He has come to keep a close eye on the things she says in this most ephemeral of media, when she wants to talk about something, but she doesn’t want to talk about it just yet—Dating, Babe, Home, Our Bed, A Month, There’s No Wrong Time  Either. 

He has come to love how playful she is in this way, and how contemplative, bold, open-hearted, even in the moments when he knows that’s hard for her. He has come to be the number one fan of the artist and to eagerly look forward to the next time inspiration strikes.Most of all, he has fallen every bit as much in love with Kate Beckett, Artist of the Evanescent, as he ever was with Kate Beckett, NYPD. 

And now he is standing on the curiously deserted New York street where she isn’t. He is standing at the rear of her abandoned car, trying to convince himself that he should be grateful there’s no body in—there are no bullet-riddled door panels, and no blood rising out of saturated upholstery to pool on the seats. 

Logic, cold and implacable, is trying to take the reins and steer him in the direction of what is there, rather than what is not. His eyes dart around in search of anything. But then the streetlight catches the car’s back window. He moves just so and the streetlight catches it, two words in all caps, sketched into the mist to leave him nothing more than their ghost—HELP HER!

The streetlight catches the sloppy, sadistic message in the mist, and he is enraged. 

A/N: Kate Beckett definitely draws in fogged-up surfaces. Hmm.

images via homeofthenutty

[jeremystrele]

These Australian Designers Are Changing The Textile Industry

These Australian Designers Are Changing The Textile Industry

TDF Design Awards

by Amelia Barnes

Kip&Co with Bábbarra Women’s Centre, Kip & Co x Bábbarra. Photo – Caitlin Mills.

Kip&Co with Bábbarra Women’s Centre, Kip&Co x Bábbarra

Kip&Co and the Bábbarra Women’s Centre joined forces to create this spectacular range of textiles and homewares, developed over two years. The collection features eight unique artworks from seven Bábbarra Women’s Centre artists – Deborah Wurrkidj, Elizabeth Wullunmingu, Helen Lanyinwanga (deceased), Janet Marawarr, Jennifer Wurrkidj, Margot Gurawiliwili, and Raylene Bonson. Every element, from the artwork selection, to product range, colours and labels, has been led by the women at Bábbarra. 

Profits from sales of the collection will be divided equally between Bábbarra and Kip&Co, and copyright specialists the Copyright Agency were engaged from the very beginning of the project to ensure best practice for licensing and ethical processes were upheld throughout its execution.

The Bábbarra Women’s Centre is one of the most important community spaces in Maningrida, a remote Aboriginal community in Arnhem Land at the tip of the Northern Territory. 

Revisit our feature on this collection and collaboration here.

Gorman and Mangkaja Arts Resource Agency, Mangkaja x Gorman. Photo – Charles Fréger. Annie Cooper, Annie Coop Textiles. Photo – Lillie Thompson.

Gorman and Mangkaja Arts Resource Agency, Mangkaja x Gorman

Iconic fashion label Gorman worked with Mangkaja Arts Resource Agency in Fitzroy Crossing to produce a collaboration with five senior Aboriginal artists: Ngarralja Tommy May, Sonya Kurarra, Daisy Japulija, Nada Rawlins and Lisa Uhl. The collection was photographed in Fitzroy Crossing, and the collection was modelled by local women. 

The two-year development process around this 25-piece collection was supported by the Copyright Agency as a national benchmark in fashion licensing rights, making the adaptation of the Mangkaja artists’ works on Gorman silhouettes a landmark achievement. Funds from the sale of the collection were donated to Mangkaja Arts Resource Agency to support youth programs within the art centre. 

Revisit our story on this collaboration here.

Annie Cooper, Annie Coop Textiles

Australian textile studio Annie Coop is owned and operated by designer Annie Cooper. The label’s fabric design, production, and manufacturing are entirely conducted in Melbourne, and sold in interior showrooms throughout Australia, New Zealand, Canada, the USA and UK. 

Taking cues from her travels throughout Mexico and Spain, Annie has created an original aesthetic with an uncompromising approach to quality, craftsmanship and sustainability. Her made-to-order fabrics are printed on ethically sourced linen, recycled polyesters, and cotton wallpaper using large format digital textile printers.

Revisit our feature on Annie Coop here.

Ellen McKenna, From Art to Fashion. Photo – Kirsten Bresciani

  Ellen McKenna, From Art to Fashion

The debut large-scale, solo exhibition of artist Ellen McKenna showcases the complex process of developing a garment of clothing through art. Titled ‘From Art to Fashion’, the exhibition takes the form of a step-by-step visual journey, beginning with painted canvas artworks, then patterned fabric displays, and sewn garments. The show’s objective is to highlight clothing garments as items of worth – an alternative to the seasonal turn-arounds of the disposable fashion model.

Magpie Goose, Magpie Goose x Ikuntji Artists. Photo – Sarah Mackie. Castle, Little Garden Bedlinen. Photo – Caitlin Mills.

Magpie Goose, Magpie Goose x Ikuntji Artists

Magpie Goose is a platform for Aboriginal artists to share stories and generate income through the creation of wearable art. The objective of the Ikuntji Artists collaboration (a member-based, not for profit, Aboriginal art centre led by a board of seven local Indigenous directors) in particular was to showcase the stories of female artists from the Western Desert. 

This capsule clothing collection features eight unique designs originally created by five senior female artists from the Ikuntji (Haasts Bluff) community, located 230 kilometres west of Alice Springs. These artworks designs were then set up for screen printing by Magpie Goose, and eventually crafted into clothing.

As a non-Aboriginal owned business, Magpie Goose fosters the celebration of Aboriginal culture, people and stories through the medium of fashion, and helps to create meaningful opportunities for financial gain for their First Nations collaborators.

Castle, Little Garden Bedlinen

The Little Garden range combines hand painted aspects of Castle’s art practice with the commercial production of bedlinen. The collection began as a small painted artwork of a garden, created on paper using pencil, crayon, oils, gouache, acrylic, texta and pastel. Ordinarily this artwork would be reduced down to seven or eight colours before being printed onto products, but for the first time in Castle’s history, this design was digitally printed to capture every single colour and brushstroke of the original artwork. The Little Garden range includes quilt covers, sheets, pillowcases, and a bedspread.

Revisit our feature on this collection here

Baina, Collection .01. Photo – Greta van der Star. Pampa, To-yik-ca. Photo – Victoria Aguirre.

Baina, Collection .01

Melbourne-based label Baina was founded by Anna Fahey and Bailey Meredith. Drawing on their experience in the fashion industry, the pair set out to create considered, organic cotton bath towels that would complement and elevate the commonly neutral bathroom.

Baina’s inaugural range is a seven-piece collection designed to work in any combination, allowing customers to mix and match colours and prints. Products are made from 100 per cent organic cotton and produced in Portugal by a Global Organic Textile Standard certified mill. 

Revisit our feature on Baina’s debut collection here.

Pampa, To-yik-ca

The To-yik-ca rug collection is a collaboration between Byron Based homewares label Pampa and the Wichí (Indigenous) peoples of Argentina. This collaboration saw Wichí and Andes weavers engaged to create textiles, which were adapted by Pampa to a large format for the weaving of the rugs. 

Designs in the To-yik-ca (meaning ‘loom’ in the local dialect of the Wichí people) collection are representative of the traditional lands of the Wichí people. The end result is a beautiful collection of rugs that balance the contemporary with the traditional. Rugs in this collection feature bold geometric shapes inspired by nature, woven in sheep’s wool, and dyed in Pampa’s signature earthy and pastel tones.

North, Tiwi Strong Women’s Collection. Photo – Matt Sav. Gemma Threadgate, Threadgate. Photo – Natalia Parsonson.

North, Tiwi Strong Women’s Collection

The Tiwi Strong Women’s Collection is the latest fashion collection from not-for-profit organisation North, in collaboration with the Jilamara Arts and Crafts Association.

In this collection, artists of Pirlangimpi and Milikapiti and Waurrumiyanga were invited to share their culture through hand screen printed fashion. Each of the designs was handmade in the community, printed in a workshop with artist Timothy Growcott, then hand-sewn in Melbourne. 

North exists as a vessel to celebrate, support and broaden the exposure of textile design by Indigenous artists from remote community art centres. They are a non-Aboriginal owned business, governed by Indigenous and non-Indigenous board members. 

Revisit our feature on this collection here.

Gemma Threadgate, Threadgate

If names are anything to go by, Gemma Threadgate chose the right creative pursuit! The Sydney-based textile designer produces small-scale collections for her eponymous label from start to finish, which means designing, hand-printing, cutting and sewing the clothing and homewares with the help of one other maker.

Inspired by Ted Spagna’s 1975 book, Sleep, which explores the intimate narratives of human sleep behaviour through time-lapse photography, Gemma linked the universal act of sleep with the repetitive motions of screen printing. 

Threadgate’s subsequent six-piece Sleep collection comprises a newly designed trouser, shirt, dress hat, tote bag and cushion cover. The capsule is guided by slow fashion principles.

We’re proud to partner with heritage Australian brand Laminex to realise The Design Files + Laminex Awards program 2020.  Laminex is Australia’s leading supplier of modern laminates, quality engineered stone, timber panelling and more. Find out more here.

Winners of the The Design Files + Laminex Design Awards 2020 + Laminex will be announced November 5!

[hitchcockfanpresents]

I'd love to hear what your Top 5 Hitchcock films are and why you love them!!

Alfred Hitchcock or The Master of Suspense was one of the founders of masterful cinematic filmmaking. Starting out in the silent era he quickly was recognized as a genius director and a force to be reckon.

Here’s a list of 5 Hitchcock classics that need to be watched. This excludes his more well known films like Psycho, Vertigo, The Birds, although great masterpieces there’s just so many others that need to be seen.

The only problem with this list is that there’s just too many great masterpieces to choose from, so let’s just blame Al for that. Here’s five Hitchcock film recommendations not in any particular order.

Strangers on a Train (1951) It’s dark , suspenseful and funny with a classic plot. The use of miscommunication between characters is used constantly with Hitchcock films and here as well. Bruno and Guy’s meet on the train is comedical and eerie at the same time. Bruno misinterprets the situation which leads to murder. This could’ve been avoided if Guy was more direct and assertive, but instead he laughs Bruno off as being not serious. This quick misconception will define the rest of the picture that will pressure Guy to possibly commit murder. Highly recommend it to anyone that’s never seen a Hitchcock film or is just tired from re-watching Psycho.‬

Rope (1948) - Another Farley Granger Hitchcock collab, it’s dark, suspenseful and dramatic. Two college students try to follow their philosophy professor’s theory about “innate superiority” and murder someone inferior to be proven right. It’s tense we know the body is in the box the whole time at any moment they can be caught, but act cool as the wind. Hitchcock takes a spin from the cliche of dancing on someone’s grave, instead they’re serving a fancy dinner on their victim. One of his more experimental films, staged as a theatrical setting the use of very long continuous shots made it that there were as few cuts as possible which meant if an actor messed up their line they would have to start over from the beginning of the shot which could’ve been up to 10 minutes. Also it has James Stewart so go watch.

Suspicion (1941)- Hitchcock’s love of playing with the audience’s emotions can be seen clearly here. From the beginning we are unsure who this stranger on a train is. He seems cheap not wanting to pay for a first class train seat then taking money from Lina’s purse. Suspicion grows the more we learn about Jonnie. When he marries Lina it seems that it’s only for the money. We say seems a lot because the director never really shows a definitive answer what Jonnie is thinking. However when Jonnie is confronted about losing his job, he lies. This raises doubt in our character, if he’s a thief, liar and a con without a reliable job then could he be a murder as well? This will come up continuously later when Jonnie’s friend ends up dead or when they are driving at the end. Suspicion not only rises within Lina, but the audience as well.

North by Northwest (1959)- a Cary Grant and Hitchcock classic adventure thriller. Like Strangers on a Train, Hitchcock’s use of misdirection and mistaken identity are capitalized on to confuse the protagonist and audience about who’s who and what’s going on? The story takes an ordinary New York businessman and puts him into a world of government secrets, espionage and a cat and mouse chase scene starting in New York and ending in South Dakota. The use of multiple settings shows a vast and diverse American landscape Ranging from the clutter of the streets of New work to the open dessert of Indiana to the mountain tops of Mount Rushmore. As Roger Thornhill begins he is a native New Yorker. He walks and talks like one. When he’s in the streets he naturally steals a cab from another New Yorker. He is at home. However when he gets suspected of murder he has to leave his home he becomes changed and has to adapt to survive. When he’s in the midwestern Indiana desert in a suit, hair combed, freshly shaved running from the crop duster we see how far he’s come from home. Furthermore the chase scene with Cary Grant (Thornhill) in the cornfield is another classic example of great use of the landscape and misdirection. We are unease by the setting and expect something to happen at any moment. We see cars pass by and nothing happens. A stranger appears from nowhere and nothing happens. The stranger then points out how it’s strange that a plane is crop dusting where there’s no crops. The threat soon appears clear not from the ground, not from the obvious, but the air. Thus another clever way of misdirection used on the director’s part. Not only making it a fascinating chase scene, but iconic as well. In addition the later Mount Rushmore chase scene on top of the presidents heads adds to the films diverse landscape making it just as iconic. Thus making both scenes some of the most iconic moments in cinematic history. Highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys a good adventure suspense thriller.

Lodger (1926) Although a silent picture, although a slow start, the build up is worth it. It is one of Hitchcock’s first films‬ as a director, his first English movie, and his first cameo appearance. This film embodies the wit, visual inventiveness, horror and suspense story elements that would be passed down in his later works. The lodger is a simple serial killer story about Jack the Ripper. The film twisted as it plays with your emotions on what to believe. We feel fearful of the lodger he looks suspicious. Then we feel sympathetic for the lodger when we find out he lost his sister to this serial killer, (the Avenger or Jack The Ripper) and made a vow to track him down on his mother’s death bed. Suspicion based on fear is a theme common throughout this film. We are suspicious of the Lodger because of the way the story and this character is presented to us. Daisy’s boyfriend is suspicious of him, not cause of fact, but jealousy and the fear he might lose her. Daisy’s parents are suspicious of him, not cause of evidence, but appearance. The entire bar of people are suspicious that he’s the Avenger because of hear say, not proof. The only one not suspicious of the lodger is Daisy mainly because she actually got to know him and talked to him without judgments or biases. This all done while building up suspicion. Like Hitchcock’s “Suspicion” (1941) we are on a rollercoaster of doubt.