#Early talkies discussion

[esonetwork]

All About The Silent Film Era & Early Talkies Too

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All About The Silent Film Era & Early Talkies Too

In this episode of “Tales from Hollywoodland,” the hosts and their guest Lee discuss the silent film era’s rich history and its profound impact on the film industry. They explore the origins of film, animation, the transition to sound films, and the challenges actors faced during this shift. The conversation covers the low survival rate of silent films into the modern era, the influence of directors like Erich von Stroheim, D.W. Griffith, Auguste Lumiere, and the influences on modern audiences.

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#Silentfilmerapodcast #Earlytalkiesdiscussion #TalesFromHollywoodland #Silentfilmhistorypodcast #HollywoodGoldenAgepodcast #Silentfilmstarsanalysis #Earlycinemaexploration #Hollywoodpioneersdiscussion #ClassicHollywoodpodcast #Silentfilmdirectorsspotlight #Vintagecinemapodcast #Silentfilmactorsanalysis #Hollywoodhistorypodcast #Pre-sounderapodcast #Filmpreservationdiscussion #Earlytalkiesevolution

[taesanrot]

[love these days] eunseok x f!reader | 3.3k best friends to lovers, implied college au, making out, alc consumption, mutual pining, mls are both a lil dumb, cute n fluffy w a lil smut n angst syn. in which you drunkenly attempt to prove to your friends that you have absolutely no feelings towards your best friend (spoiler alert... you fail) note. storyline is based off of the manhwa these days love special! it's a super cute one shot and a comfort read for me so you guys should check it out. ++ thank u so so much for the support on the teaser, i honestly wrote it on a whim but i'm v proud of this fic so i hope u guys like it as welll <3

you winced at how loud your friends were yelling, sipping on your drink in a weak attempt to calm your nerves. you'd foolishly thought that coming out to drink with your friends would lift up your mood after your terrible week.

you were immediately proven wrong, chaewon and anton's loud arguing was making your head hurt and you just wanted to go home and snuggle into your blanket.

staring at the table top, you lost yourself in your own racing thoughts. you were pulled out of your trance as shotaro nudged you. you looked up at him drearily, and he gave you a sad smile, ruffling your hair.

"what's up? you seem downer than usual." you gave him a weak half smile, opening your mouth to answer his question. you were interrupted by a loud outburst from sohee.

"what do you guys think about guys and girls being best friends? do you think they can stay platonic?" the entire table erupted with noise, everyone drunkenly chiming in to answer his question.

"what on earth are you saying sohee? of course they can!"

"don't you know if you like someone the second you meet them? how can you catch feelings after being friends?"

"kissing my guy friends sounds fucking disgusting, yall stay safe."

you stayed silent, knowing better than to respond -- you already answered sohee's question with your own traitorous heart. you glanced at the table next to yours, eyes landing on the reason you were keeping your mouth shut.

your best friend, song eunseok.

who you were, unfortunately, in love with.

you and eunseok had met in during your college orientation, finding that your personalities clicked quite well as you discussed your respective majors and classes. the rest was history, you two bonded fast, and you quickly became one of his closest friends. it didn't help that the two of you lived in the same apartment complex, meaning that you basically ended up walking home together everyday.

it became a routine, even if the two of you had separate plans you'd meet up somewhere and walk back together

if you were being honest to yourself, you'd been attracted to eunseok from the day you'd met him.

sometimes, you'd think back to the early days of your and eunseok's friendship and wondered how you'd manage to not confess right then and there. chasing the high of the closeness of your friendship had satisfied you somehow.

these days, though, you started to think that you were losing your mind. your feelings for eunseok have only grown stronger as time has passed, and it was becoming increasingly difficult to maintain your usual subtlety.

you felt like you were at your wit's end, ready to confess and be over all of this. and a couple days ago, you had been planning to do just that.

[...]

you reread eunseok's text in confusion, hoping you were walking in the right direction.

you had just gotten out of your last class, and eunseok had texted you to meet him and some other friends on the building's rooftop. you walked around a corner, recognize the back of eunseok's head and his terrible posture.

he was sitting at some picnic tables with two underclassman. just as you were about to wave, you hear one of the other boys speak.

"y/n.... as in kim y/n? you two are pretty close huh, eunseok?" you immediately darting back around the corner, hoping they hadn't seen you yet.

you pulse thrummed under your skin. they were talking about you. you felt your breath hitch as you heard eunseok's tired voice.

"cmon, you know it's not like that, sohee" sohee's loud laugh rang through the air.

"you wish it was though, don't you seokie?" a third voice, hong seunghan, chimed in. you cupped a hand over your mouth to suppress your nervous laughter. you heard eunseok shift in his seat before he spoke the words that would ruin your week.

"y/n.... she's nice and i like her. she's not even close to my type, though."

your face twitched and you clenched your hands into fists, nails digging crescents into your palms. you had to get out of here, and get out of there you did.

turning in the direction you'd come from minutes ago, you disappeared down the stairs, bolting to the comfort of your apartment. you shot eunseok a text later and make up an excuse, saying something came up on the way there. he never questioned it, thankfully.

[...]

remembering it made your shoulders sag, and you sighed for what had to be the 30th time that night, taking another swig from your beer.

of course you of all people would get rejected before you even had the chance to confess. you finally tuned back into the conversation. to your dismay, sungchan had begun to gush over his girlfriend of five years.

"it doesn't matter what i think, i'm already locked in for good." everyone rolled their eyes as he turned his phone around to show you guys pictures of his girlfriend, jiwoo, pictures that everyone had already seen a million times.

"isn't she so cute? i miss her, she's so busy these days."

huffing slightly, you felt your eyes waver over to the table next to yours. to certain brown haired boy, more importantly.

normally, eunseok would be drinking with you and your friends, but he was supposed to be getting to know some of the people in his major department better.

one of the students in question was doe-eyed underclassman sullyoon. your stomach turned uncomfortably as you watched her prettily laugh at eunseok's quips, covering her mouth politely and crinkling her eyes ever so slightly. it was impossible for you to look away as she unabashedly flirted with your best friend; the sight was almost nauseating.

jealousy tore through you, an eerie sadness filling you up from bottom to top. she was just his type, you realized, the epiphany making your mood even worse than it already was. today was the worst.

sullyoon's advances and your completely-not-subtle staring didn't go unnoticed by shotaro either.

"guess she's laid her claim on eunseok, huh?" he joked, nudging your side playfully. you dreadfully gulped down the last of your beer.

"how would i know?" you spoke gloomily, and a frown slowly etched itself onto shotaro's face as he put together the pieces in front of him.

his gaze remained on your dull figure for a moment longer before he suddenly sat up and gasped, grabbing your attention.

"guys, we're forgetting about the closest guy and girl here! aren't you best friends with song eunseok, y/n?" your eyes widen as shotaro's words boom through the bar. after a short pause, your friends went into uproar.

"hey, you're right, taro"

"do you like eunseok, y/n?"

"oh my god do you think they've kissed"

the words coming out of shotaro's mouth reached your ears almost in slow motion. your posture stiffened and you coughed roughly in shock, looking over to make eye contact with an unamused eunseok. his table had fallen into silence as well, everyone listening and waiting for what you had to say.

oh god, does he think i told him to say that? he's gonna think i like him. fuck fuck fuck.

alcohol tainted thoughts ran through your head as you panicked, trying to think of ways to shut down the conversation as quick as possible.

"you guys are crazy. me and eunseok could shower together and i still wouldn't catch feelings" seriously? that was the best you could think of?

berating yourself internally, you tried your hardest to fake nonchalance and act like that blatant lie wasn't tearing you in two. you glanced over at your best friend again, his expression unreadable. there was no going back; you really had to get over eunseok now.

tearing your gaze away from him, you downed the rest of your beer and glared at osaki shotaro's back.

[...]

"it's too earlyyyy we can't go home" chaewon half spoke and half shrieked, arm wrapped around sohee's shoulder.

"let's go to karaoke!" seunghan chirped, his suggestion earning cheers. you and eunseok both stepped away from the group, saying quiet goodbyes and excusing yourselves to walk back home. your friends cheered seeing the two of you walk away together, and you wished a hole would open in the ground and swallow you whole.

"god i feel like shit" you groaned, rubbing your forehead drearily. eunseok chuckled at your frazzled state, tugging the sleeve of your jacket and pulling you closer to him.

you held your breath as he playfully tugged the hood of your zip up over your face, laughing at the way you sputtered curses at him. the two of you bantered like this almost all the way until your place. when the two of your finally fell into a peaceful silence, you spoke.

"sullyoon seemed pretty into you." you craned your neck and tilted your gaze to the dark sky, hoping the boy next to you wouldn't be able to notice the sadness in your eyes. eunseok rolled his eyes at your question and coughed.

"did she, now?" playing dumb, he smirked at the way your gaze whipped to his face, staring at him incredulously. he hadn't helped himself to nearly as many drinks as you, a slight buzz coursing through his veins.

"i mean i found it pretty obvious." this time, eunseok laughed loudly. you really couldn't hold yourself back at all when you were wasted. your eyebrows furrowed and a blush ran across your cheeks at his laughter and response.

usually, you were pretty careful with how much you drank around your best friend, not wanting to unintentionally expose the feelings your fought so hard to hide from him.

unfortunately, past you did not anticipate shotaro's quips or the events of the past few days, the frustration leading you to allow yourself more drinks than usual.

the front door of your apartment complex came into view before eunseok could answer you. looking at your flushed face and droopy eyes, he decided it'd be best for him to help you to your place. the two of you rode in the elevator in silence, opening to your floor. you're face contorted in confusion as eunseok stepped out as well, hand coming to rest on your back as he led you to your unit.

"what're you doing?" you slurred at him. the fresh air had done nothing to sober you up, and eunseok rolled his eyes with a smile.

"making sure you actually make it to your bed." he fished your keys out of your pocket for you and opened the door to your small apartment. slightly tripping over your feet, you walked in and kicked off your shoes.

before you could even think of slumping onto the floor or your kitchen, eunseok grabbed your shoulders and led you to your room, laughing as you swatted his hands and sat on your bed.

you groaned as you leaned back and laid on your bed, exhaustion catching up to you. you brought a hand up to shield your eyes from the dizzying ceiling light. feeling the bed dip slightly next to you, you turned your gaze to eunseok. he was sitting right next to your laying figure, hand coming up to rub your shoulder lightly.

"cmon, you gotta actually get ready for bed." eunseok sighed and shook his head, pinching your neck and earning another groan.

after a painfully long amount of time, eunseok had managed to get you off your bed and into the bathroom. he helped your wipe off your leftover makeup and made sure you took out your contacts and brushed your teeth.

routine complete and pajamas adorned, you stood and stared at your awaiting bed, something stopped your from getting in and slipping underneath the covers.

eunseok turned off the lights in your bathroom and the rest of your apartment before returning to your bedroom with a glass of water.

"here, have some water." after seeing your stilled figure still standing next to the head of the bed, his eyebrows furrowed.

"are you okay?" the boy inquired. he reached his hand out to rest on the small of your back, but you turned and sat down on the bed before he had the chance.

"seokie..." you mumbled softly. eunseok felt his cheeks burn at the nickname the rolled off your drunken tongue. you'd only used it a few times -- almost always when you were intoxicated. eunseok never found it in him to tell you he loved it.

"i lied earlier, i'm sorry." you stared at your socked toes and eunseok's brows furrowed in confusion. lied? what is she talking about?

"about what?" you looked up to meet eunseok's eyes. they bored into you, sending a shiver down your spine as your mouth suddenly dried up. clearing your throat slightly, the secret you had been keeping for so long slipped from your lips.

"i can't shower with you." well, not quite. eunseok chuckled lightly at your serious tone.

"what? why does that matter?" he pried further, chuckling at your pout. you didn't find this situation amusing, all of the memories of eunseok rejecting you flowing back into your mind. letting out a tearful sigh, your face fell into your hands with a loud smack.

"i can't because i already have feelings for you!" eunseok's lazy smile dropped immediately, not only at the fact that you just confessed to him, but also because you were now crying into your hands.

"i like you so much, i'm sorry seokie. sohee was right about me." you sniffled and cried even harder into your hands, not realizing eunseok kneeling in front of you. your crying subsided as eunseok's hands wrapped around yours, pulling them away from your teary face.

"you're seriously something else." your best friend smiled at your teary eyes and red nose. even while crying you looked so adorable to him. you opened your mouth to whine at him but he placed a finger over your lips, continuing.

"i can't shower with you either, y/n" your face crumpled even more.

"because i'm not even close to your type! i already know that, you asshole." it was your turn to stare in confusion as eunseok laughed and shook his head.

"no, don't you get it?" a thick silence hung in the air as you racked your brain for any possible explanation.

because he wants to keep things platonic? no, that can't be it. or maybe ...

no.

does he... like me?

eunseok watched the gears turn in your head, seeing your face fill with realization before you spoke.

"do you l-" eunseok didn't give you a chance to finish your question, moving forward and swiftly capturing your lips in his own.

you made a noise of surprise before shutting your eyes, reaching for his shirt to pull him on top of you. eunseok was gentle as ever with you, laying you down on the bed slowly. hovering over you, he let his tongue run across your bottom lip, coaxing your mouth further open so he could taste more of you.

you sighed out in satisfaction as you felt his warm tongue explore your mouth. you don't know how long you'd been waiting for this moment. running your hands along the blades of his shoulders, you pressed them into his back, hugging him close as if he might disappear.

entangling his legs with yours, breathing the same air as you, eunseok wanted to capture this moment and lock it in his memory forever. he decided instead to let you know how he felt through his lips and hands, easing his fingers through your hair and sucking your bottom lip.

as he pulled away and the two of you watched the string of saliva connecting your lips, you wondered how you managed to bottle up your feelings for the boy above you for as long as you did.

twisting the hem of your shirt, eunseok looked into your eyes with a hooded gaze, drunk off of you.

"can i?"

[...]

opening your eyes slowly, you registered your surroundings. you were snuggled in bed, wrapped in your comforter.

as you mind flashed with the memories of the bar last night, you shot up in bed.

"morning." you screamed at the greeting, turning to see eunseok laying next to you in your bed, scrolling through his phone lazily.

"what are you-" you question was interrupted by a loud noise from the boy's stomach.

"ugh, i'm so hungry, lemme go pee and let's get something to eat, yeah?" eunseok fought to hide his laugh as he watched you scratch the back of neck in confusion.

[...]

you stared at eunseok intensely as he ate his burger and fries like a starved man. you and your best friend were seated in nearby diner. you wished you knew what eunseok was thinking; he hadn't brought up the events of the night before and you were starting to think they didn't even happen. not to mention your memory was pretty foggy following eunseok helping you to your room anyways.

you hoped nothing happened past the two of you making out; you'd really want to remember sleeping with eunseok if you did. looking up at eunseok nonchalantly sipping on his coke, your patience ran out.

"we didn't sleep together, right?" eunseok swallowed his drink slowly, letting your question hang in the air for the moment before answering.

"what do you remember?" he inquired and you exhaled shallowly.

"kissing. and you took off my shirt i think." the boy in front of you smiled. he was secretly very happy you remembered the night before. he'd be a little bothered if he was the only one who remembered your first kiss together.

"yeah, you passed out like right after that." he chuckled, watching your face turn bright red. chewing your bottom lip, you turned your focus back to your food. eunseok smiled softly at you. he thought you were too cute for your own good.

[...]

walking back to your apartment, you turned to eunseok.

"you never told me if you liked me." eunseok stopped in his tracks, turning to look at you in disbeilef.

"the making out wasn't enough of an answer for you?" he laughed as you smacked his arm, hoping no one passing by heard eunseok's crass answer.

"song eunseok!" smiling like you were the only person in the world, eunseok grabbed your hand and laced his fingers with yours.

"y/n, i like you too. will you go out with me?" swinging your arms, he pouted at you, waiting for answer.

"ugh, you're so corny." snatching your hand out of his grasp, you jokingly walked away from the boy, giggling.

"hey! you're the one with a crush on me!" he chased after you, laughing as he wrapped his arms around you and locked you in his grasp. turning in his arms to face him, you met his brown eyes and smiled prettily.

"i'd love to go out with you."

[bonus — the day eunseok "rejected" you]

"y/n.... she's nice and i like her. she's not even close to my type, though."

eunseok's words hung in the air as he searched for the right way to express his thoughts. just hearing your name made his cheeks flush pink. balancing his chin in his hand, he continued.

"somehow though, she seems prettier every time i see her." this earned a loud cheer from the two boys.

"eunseok hyung, you really surprised me." seunghan laughed at the eunseok's dopey smile.

"could you guys please keep it a secret for me?"

...

taglist: @shnnzsworld @beomgyusonlywife @pompompush @forrds @yoursyuno @snowyseungs @dreamiestay @taeraeverse

[jinxedshapeshifter]

Something I don't see discussed at all is how Team Chaotix runs. Obviously, Vector, Espio, and Charmy are all detectives, but they serve different roles within that.

Vector is the team's lead investigator, and generally has a job more akin to what we view as "detective work."

Espio is the team's spy. His job is similar to Vector's, but he focuses more on undercover investigation, while Vector focuses on investigation in general. Espio is also the team's data retrieval specialist, but in his own words, "data retrieval isn't exactly [his] specialty" (although it is worth noting that Espio doesn't suck at data retrieval in Shadow the Hedgehog and he does some data retrieval in Team Sonic Racing when Team Chaotix is investigating Dodon Pa).

Charmy is, from what I can tell, basically the team's "ideas guy" but also serves a similar purpose to the team that Vector does. Due to how scatterbrained he is, he's not quite as good a detective as Espio or Vector, but I think everyone can agree Team Chaotix is not complete without Charmy, even if at the end of the day he's a mascot that sometimes contributes to a case.

Espio isn't as good at being a detective when he's not undercover, because he can't do much direct investigation when he's not undercover. Espio just isn't great at investigating things unless he can utilize his abilities in an investigation, because his abilities make him an incredibly effective spy and that's where he thrives when it comes to being a detective. Being a spy usually allows him to get information that Charmy and Vector wouldn't be able to, and that's what he specializes in. It means he doesn't have to do as much logical thinking as Vector does, which is very likely why he didn't realize Eggman was their client in Sonic Heroes; he wasn't getting information in the same way he would have if he'd been on a separate mission as a spy, and the information he was getting required doing a lot of thought on what he was hearing, which is what Vector specializes in.

It's not that Espio is a bad detective, it's that when he's sent on solo missions he doesn't have to do the same level of thinking about evidence that Vector does, so when he's presented with information that he needs to think about and doesn't look at it the same way Vector does, they don't get the same information Vector does from the same evidence (same applies to Charmy but Charmy's 6 so it makes sense for him to not be all that good of a detective yet. Charmy also tends to forget what he was told to do if Sonic Colors DS is anything to go by).

Charmy and Espio didn't realize that Eggman was their client in Sonic Heroes because they aren't used to doing the kind of logical/critical thinking about evidence that Vector is. Vector implies he knew who their client was incredibly early in the game, because he's used to thinking about the kind of evidence he got from the walkie talkie the Chaotix were using to keep in touch with their client. In fact, Espio's implied to mostly do things based on his gut feeling, based on him saying he has a bad feeling about their case in Sonic Heroes and him trusting Silver with almost no hesitation, likely for the same reason he had for not trusting their client in Sonic Heroes.

In Sonic Heroes he knew the Chaotix's client was untrustworthy based on what we can safely assume was a gut feeling, and in Sonic Rivals 2 he immediately trusts Silver likely for much the same reason (as he himself says "For some reason I trust you" which indicates he doesn't know exactly why he's decided to trust Silver).

TL;DR: Espio isn't a bad detective, he just has his own way of investigating things that don't work when Team Chaotix is investigating something as a group on the same case like they did in Sonic Heroes. Charmy is 6, so it makes sense for him to not have great investigative skills yet.

[munsonkitten]

Morning comes, and Eddie finds Steve sitting on the edge of the bed. He’s pulling his underwear on, slowly sliding them up his legs like he’s trying not to jostle the mattress too much. Eddie watches him for a second while he wakes up more, eyes threatening to shut again. 

Steve turns and sees Eddie looking at him, and he looks surprised, like he’s been caught in some kind of act. 

“Hey,” Eddie murmurs. He rolls onto his back and looks up at the ceiling. 

“Morning,” Steve whispers back. He’s pulling on his socks now. 

Like he’s going to leave. 

“Where are you going?” Eddie asks. 

Steve sighs. “Dustin missed the bus. I’ll come back after I drive him, okay? I’ll make it up to you.”

Eddie nods, pulls the blanket up to his chest. “Did he call here?”

“Walkie-Talkie,” Steve answers, picking up the device from beside him on the floor. “Surprised it didn’t wake you.”

Eddie shrugs and turns over onto his side again, curling up beneath his blankets. “Tell him to start setting his alarms an hour early if he’s going to do the ten-step Steve Harrington hair routine every morning.”

“He doesn’t,” Steve protests. “He said he couldn’t find the cat and panicked. You know, the last one got eaten so he’s worried about that shit.”

“That’s what he wants you to think!” Eddie says. “I bet you twenty bucks and a gram of weed he smells like your Farrah Fawcett hairspray and has his hair piled ten feet high when he gets in your car.”

“Okay first of all, Farah Fawcett hairspray has been discontinued for, like, two years. I don’t even have any of my own stock left. Can’t find it anywhere, no way Dustin’s got any left. And second, how do you know about that?”

“Oh, Stevie, baby,” Eddie croons. “I didn’t, not until now. You just confirmed it, though.”

Steve rolls his eyes and huffs. He stands and finds his jeans from last night, and then picks up a sweatshirt off Eddie’s floor. 

“I’m borrowing this,” Steve says as he pulls it over his head. His head comes out of the hole. “But seriously, man, how’d you know about the hair spray?”

“Okay, fine,” Eddie says. “Nancy told me.”

“She was sworn to secrecy!”

Eddie laughs. “You better go drive him before he’s late for school, man. Wake me when you get back.”

He wakes up again to Steve coming in through the bedroom door. He has his wallet in his hand when Eddie opens his eyes, sees Steve opening it to pull something out, and then a twenty dollar bill is being tossed toward Eddie. 

“I don’t have a gram of weed,” Steve says, petulantly. “But, to be clear, it wasn’t the Steve Harrington hair routine.”

“No?” Eddie asks, taking the money and dropping it on the nightstand. He slides his rings on top of it to keep it weighed down. 

“No,” Steve says, kicking off his jeans. He throws himself into Eddie’s bed and burrows himself under the blankets. “He’s doing the Eddie hair routine now.”

“What, get out of the shower and rub it with a towel until it’s dry?” Eddie jokes. 

Steve wraps his arms around Eddie’s waist and drags him in. 

“Fuck you, man,” Steve huffs. “I know you take care of your hair. I love your fucking hair.”

Eddie smiles a bit sadly and buries his face in Steve’s throat. Hair has always been a thing for him. Complicated at best. He likes where he’s at now, but it’s always been complicated, trying to get where he is. 

A discussion for another time, maybe, because Steve is pressing kisses to his head and letting his hands wander a bit. 

The hands wander a bit too much for eight in the morning, but Eddie finds himself not really caring at all. Not when it feels this good. Not when Steve can make him forget all the thoughts that creep back up on him when he starts to think about those complicated things.

Read more on AO3

[twittercomfrnklin2001-blog]

M

The best film I watched in August and probably the whole year will probably be a no brainer since I showed a friend Fritz Lang’s M (1931, Max, Prime) last night. Lang’s first sound film was a breakthrough in its use of tracking shots and a musical leitmotif to tell the tale of the hunt for a child killer (Peter Lorre) by the police on one side and the criminal underworld on the other. The film’s cynical view of power structures and cinematographer Fritz Arno Wagner’s painting with light and shadow would become major influences on the rise of film noir in the 1940s, while, with Alfred Hitchcock’s THE LODGER (1927), M would inspire decades of police procedurals with its panoramic view of the social effect of Lorre’s crimes. It also contains an unforgettable performance by the actor, who manages to make his character both animalistic and surprisingly sympathetic. His climactic monolog, delivered to a kangaroo court of criminals whose livelihood has been threatened by the police search for him, is one of the greatest acting moments on screen.

What surprised me on re-viewing the film for the first time in years was how much humor Lang had injected into the film. Scenes of the public panic, as anybody seen talking to a child or in police custody is presumed to be the killer, are mordantly funny, while the quirks of the various legal and criminal authority figures create a great gallery of comic grotesques.

As an early talkie, the film maintains a lot of the visual story telling of the silent era. You can tell the washerwoman featured early on is the mother of young Elsie just from the way Lang cuts between the two, and Elsie’s death is communicated through simple details — her ball rolling across the grass and the balloon Lorre had bought her tangled in some power lines.

Lang also uses editing for social criticism, as he repeatedly cuts between a criminal meeting to discuss the murder investigation and a meeting of the city’s leaders. This is one of the film’s most subversive elements, the equation of the city government and police force with the criminal underworld. Is there that much difference between the police indiscriminately raiding underworld hangouts and the criminals breaking into an office building and torturing the night watchman? And when Elsie’s mother says at the end, “One needs to keep closer watch over our children, all of you!” the film becomes almost prescient, or at least benefits from our knowledge of the children (and adults) who would be slaughtered when the Third Reich came into power.

[poly-lights]

PART 2 TO MY II PREDICTIONS/WISHES/QUESTIONS (technically) SINCE YALL ACTUALLY KINDA LIKED THOSE?? and i have more!

please note btw that most, if not all, of this is not gonna happen bc they can't pack EVERYTHING into a 30 minute or so episode and not gonna lie some of these are my fixation talking and me being delusional. it's good to theorize though!!

lots of bias. let's get into it

i told my gf this BUT it'd be cool if there was a scene of trees changing, to represent seasons passing because it has to have been a year at most right

more lightbulb using her electrokinesis scenes plspls?????? like. she can just casually DO THAT....maybe have her use it for evil/J IM KIDDING. don't have her kill anyone

............................yet

another knife and suitcase scene, elaborating on the "making your presence known", how suitcase took it a different way, just a conversation if that makes sense

yknow. what was that roboarm in the gemory cave. and is it Still working after lightbulb powered it on.

unrelated but still.more so a question have we or will we ever get the full roommate list drop?? unless they're gonna wait for when s2 is done to not spoil anything

baseball and lightbulb friendship scene :] team captain style!

i think it's gonna release on OR near the anniversary, if the iii finale is so soon early into 2024 it gives slight time

can we get parent lore drop??? like hello?????? they cant just said what they said in iii ep 14 and never expand on it, so i have a heavy feeling its gonna get mentioned in s2 if not ep 15 specifically

im just hoping for lb centric, even if her lore doesn't match up well with the slams. pls im so autism abt her at this point its anything BUT funny

now here's some iii 18 predictions!! for fun :] and also me just rambling abt it (spoilers for iii 17!!!!)

those who left to the hotel come back for jury voting!! more importantly fan and pb please💥

bot and springy and gonna be near each other again next episode. springy may still try to pull some shit with bot, and, assuming so, if TEST TUBE IS BY BOT'S SIDE......

springy made that suitcase bot, so clearly he knows about season 2

we may just get ii 14 tt again. which i am HOPING for. idk i love seeing test tube ENRAGED for the people she cares about she's so fun and unique bc MAN that girl is angry. she's holding grudges against Two People

also. fan meeting bot? he is going to have such a big and hopefully impactful reaction!! pls he has his patterns and the sudden changes make him uncomfortable they need to mention this

if he knows about season 2......could he make, or has he made, toys of the other final four? again im just gripping at straws for an iis2 final four appearance

think abt it though. it's the iii finale. you think they won't do something big? considering mephone knows he has to go back? springy could easily torment him w that considering the whole "facing your past" theming

also walkie talkie is Totally associated with meeple. ik we've all figured that out but i just had to say something. very heavily focused on using electronics to better the future? implying robots taking over others positions?

also??? past contestants coming back SEEING the toys?? maybe. Maybe.

the entire episode could also just be a discussion and play on the ethics of ai and how it's affecting the writing industry by putting people out of jobs due to its advancement and im reading way too much into it but hey im putting my hard hat on and channeling my inner matpat for this stupid show about objects with limbs (/pos btw)

also. are they gonna leave floor behind??? or will they scoop him into a terrarium, then plant him into inanimate island?

can he teleport that far?? how far is paradise?????????? ae drop the map pls/silly

ALSO ALSO. WHAT ARE THE INANI-MATES?? IS N/A THE LAST OF THEIR KIND??????? i doubt it but STILL everyone else in that group died

hey. why is the background of the recap song the background used when the gemories formed the silhouette of cobs. hey now.

[maintohthakgayibhaishaab]

dude what's with my friends discussing about marriage whole time

like it's just the last sem of Uni, chill guys! life's not gonna end, if u don't get married by 28/30 whatever.

abhi early 20s mein hi kisiko book kardena zaruri hai?

And what's with sayin- tu single hi mat jayegi!

and on every opinion of mine- they be saying- tu kabhi shaadi bhi karegi?!

like bro's/sis may I send u my sideblog with loads of horny tweets and concepts?

duh! typical Indian talkies

[jaysficarchive]

Villain's Wife Support Group

Chapter 3: Mona Lisa's Smile

Synopsis: Mona visits Edward in jail to discuss plans for their currently postponed wedding.

Relationship(s): Mona Lisa Beauvais/Edward Nygma

Warning(s): None

Taglist: @floof-ghostie @calciumcryptid @mayameanderings

Arkham was the last place Mona wanted to be on both sides. Though she had many measures to conceal her identity in place, the thought of being locked up in an asylum with no autonomy or control over herself terrified her; and so did having to walk through its doors and halls.

Remember who you're doing this for, she told herself as her car stopped in front of the entrance. A guard came up and opened the car door, offering out his hand for further help.

Mona took it, carefully stepping out and watching for anything that might've messed up her shoes. Her eyes then scaled the building.

Arkham looked more like an eccentric Victorian era mansion or a gothic castle than a prison. To an outsider, at least. Maybe that's what they wanted. To be underestimated, to fool those who didn't know.

However, Mona knew better than to let looks deceive her.

Inside, she was greeted by a few guards all heavily armed with military grade weaponry. Damage control from the escape of Silver Skater, a criminal from the South. One of them, who introduced himself as Schneider, informed her that he'd be the one escorting her.

"Follow me, Mrs. Beauvais. I promise not to let anything happen to you."

"Mèsi. Is there anything else I need to know?"

"Just keep your head low and don't make eye contact with the patients."

Oh don't worry. I won't, Mona thought.

The journey took them through the different levels and wings of the asylum. Prisoners stared at her with morbid curiosity the deeper she traveled. What was a lady like her doing in here? Was she joining them? Or here to see someone? Some leered at her like she was their next meal. Others eyed for jewels or valuables they could get their hands on.

Mona did her best to not make any sort of eye contact with Arkham's patients despite being unnerved. She manage to tune out the ones who called out to her, seemingly wanting to provoke or get a reaction out of her. Part of her swore she heard Helene's voice among them.

"How was he been?" Mona asked.

"Surprisingly better. Still annoying but not as bad as before. When he's not boasting about how much of a genius he is or speaking in riddles, he's raving about you to just about anyone who'll listen."

Mona flustered. Not even jail could falter his love for her. "That's good to know."

"This is Schneider to security. I repeat, Schneider to security."

"Go ahead, Schneider."

"Is he back in his cell?"

The walkie-talkie went silent for a few minutes until a reply came through. "Yep. Been back for a few minutes. His visitor here?"

With Schneider busy, Mona looked down at her engagement ring. Large and luxurious, like it was coaxing anyone who looked at it to revel in its beauty. How ironic this ring was from the same brand that made her first one. What an eerily funny thing.

Finally, Mona entered the cell block housing the most notorious criminals in Gotham--all of whom were opponents of Batman. Not that she crossed paths with the Dark Knight, instead with his cousin Batwoman. A relief for her.

Schneider stopped in front of a cell with the name "E. Nygma" across a bronze name tag.

A bespectacled, redheaded man wearing the standard Arkham uniform smiled at Mona through the glass. His face full of lines showed his age. Somewhere around his late thirties, early forties.

"Edward."

Having a fiance in prison wasn't the worst thing that happened to her. Still hurt nonetheless.

"Nygma, you have a visitor."

Schneider pushed open the door to let Mona in. When she entered the cell, their eyes met. Both were different shades of green; Mona's an otherworldly jade and Edward's a rich green.

"How much time do I have?" Edward asked, still eyeing Mona like a predator with his prey.

"Since you haven't been a pain in our asses lately, I'd say you earned an hour alone with her." Schneider narrowed his eyes at the criminal. "But that's it. Any longer and you'll have your privileges taken."

Edward rolled his eyes. How droll.

He then looked over the woman in front of him. Mona's dress fit her tastefully, the heels adding to her allure. The birth of her daughter gave her a fuller figure. She expressed no desire to get back into shape, either; Edward secretly loved that decision. Not even childbirth could diminish natural beauty. Her lips glimmered in the shoddy light of his cell.

His body wanted to do many things to her, but his mind told him to do so in this setting would be disrespectful. Also, there were important matters to discuss. Not to mention-

"What are you lookin' at me for?"

Him.

"Not even lovers can get privacy in this hellhole?"

"We'd like some privacy, sir." Polite as ever.

After the escort closed the door, Edward's hands instantly went on Mona's waist. The touch was soft and familiar, easing her into his space.

"I missed you, mon lapine."

"I missed you too, Eddie bear. I heard you talk about me."

These guards and telling my personal business, Edward scoffed. "What man wouldn't? You're one of the few who make me forget all the riddles. For a time."

"You said you wanted to discuss something important with me," Mona said.

Edward reached under his bed and pulled out a detailed corkboard full of pictures from bridal magazines. There was even a headshot of her cut out and placed onto a stunning wedding dress--possibly more beautiful than her first one. A note that contained a concise guest list was also attached to the board.

"Oh my."

"Like it, mon lapine? It's everything I have planned for our wedding." Edward's hands went back on her waist. He stood behind her, admiring his work as he always did. What he left out was his escape plan. That was confidential. "I've been using my privileges to get images for our big day."

"You have quite the vision, Edward."

Mona traced her finger over every detail. He must've taken some inspiration from Mona's artwork. Obviously the event was going to be grand now that Edward secured his place at the top of the Gotham crime totem pole since Joker's death. "Guess I don't need to hire a planner anymore."

"You were going to hire a planner?" Edward's tone was a bit sour. What good did hiring a planner do when she had the most cunning and strategic criminal of all time at her beck and call? Luckily she was now convinced not to.

"You're in prison and I'm raising two children, Eddie. If we talked as often as before, they'd suspect me of trying to help you escape."

I wouldn't mind that as long as I get to see you again. "A temporary setback for a lifetime's worth of happiness by your side and with our children." Edward kissed her hand. How he missed just talking to, being around her. Arkham made him realize just how much he missed his people. Curse him for allowing himself to be so careless with that plan.

"Speaking of the children, how are they?"

"They miss their papa. Lizzy begged me to bring her and Mabelle with me so they could see you."

Lizzy was short for Edward's daughter, Elizabeth. Marriage would allow him to legally adopt Mona's daughter Mabelle, whom already saw him as a father figure since her biological father died before she was born.

"What do you plan to do? Get out on good behavior?"

"Exactly," Edward confidently replied. It was a lie. A perfect escape plan ready to be set in motion, especially after a heinous suggestion a fellow prisoner made earlier today, already cemented itself in his mind. All he needed to do was wait until Wednesday then he was free to actually make his wedding plans reality.

How dare that overgrown theater kid suggest I, the Riddler, get married in this place? And for Dent to agree with him! The nerve!

Mona knew this but said nothing. She had plenty of time to get to know her fiance. She knew how his mind worked, his thought process.

"Good luck then," was all she responded with.

"Is that sass? I like that." Edward pulled her close, cupping her chin between his fingers. Mona leaned into his touch. He hungrily eyed her lips. Slowly, they closed the gap between them.

Before their lips could connect, a loud bang shook the door.

"Time's up, Nygma!"

Agitated, Edward let go of Mona. Part of him wanted to escape now so he could cash in on that kiss. Stick to the plan, Edward, he told himself. You just have to wait until Wednesday.

"How was the visit, madame?" Salome poured Mona a glass of wine to go along with the lunch she made. Despite not really trusting (nor liking) her employer's new fiance, her heart still hurt for Mona.

"It was fine. He's already planned out the wedding so I won't need to hire that planner." Mona handed her coat to another maid. Home meant taking care of business.

"Did I get any calls while I was out?"

"Yes. It was from Lydia Kingor."

Lydia was the spouse of I.N. Kingor, or formerly known as Bookworm. They worked at the library with him and his partner in crime back in the day. Edward and Kingor have been best friends since, frequently exchanging letters whenever Edward got arrested. Kingor and Lydia retired from the life of crime with help from their obscurity.

As such, Lydia and Mona eventually became friends. Her and Lydia liked the same things including old school music. She became fond of the couple's daughter, Alexandria; who became a playmate of both Elizabeth and Mabelle.

"Lydia? What did they want?"

"They wanted to know if you would go with them to a signing event in Mr. Kingor's place tomorrow. After your exhibit. I told them you weren't home but that I would tell you when you got back."

Mona hummed. "Thank you, Salome. I'll be sure to call Lydia back."

Thunderous little footsteps rang as Elizabeth and Mabelle ran up to Mona. Elizabeth had a head full of auburn hair and chestnut brown eyes. Mabelle had black hair and a mix of green and brown. Both were almost a splitting image of their fathers, but took more after their mothers.

"Mommy, mommy!" Elizabeth yelled. "Did you go see daddy?"

"Yes I did." Mona got down on their level. "He misses you two."

The girls were her focus now that her quest for revenge was over. Motherhood was something she aspired, and she promised to be the best mother to her girls. Their smiling faces could brighten a room.

"Since mommy only has a little bit of work to do, would you like to watch a movie when I'm done?"

"Yeah!"

[hnunes749]

. The first, in front of the mirror.

It was the June of a hot, Greek summer, that of 1991. An era when male smoking was widely celebrated. And the possibility of smoking restrictions was unthinkable.

 It was also the time when I was reaching the early tinglings of adolescence. I had just finished the 6 years of Primary School and in September that year I would be joining Junior High School in our small town, where both Junior and Senior High were sharing the same schoolyard. Next week I'd be turning 12. Everybody, my dad's friends, extended family, was exclaiming "how much you have grown!"

 I was a "good boy". Quiet, book-lover and a comic books fan. I lived with my father in a home he owned, in a nice small neighborhood of lower-class houses up against the base of a small, mediterranean, dry mountain that hovered upon our small town.

 My father was the most beloved person in the world for me. I had no mother. I was the fruit of a teenage love. My dad and my biological mother, his girlfriend, didn't use precautions when they fully enjoyed their love, so the young couple was awarded with a pregnancy when they were both 15. As anyone can imagine, that couldn't be easy. My mother believed she loved my dad and he himself felt the same for her. He wowed he would marry her and they would raise the child no matter what. My grandpa and grandma (who also had their twin boys, my father Yiannis and my uncle, Manos, at a very early age) supported the young couple's decision. They gave them all the money they had in the bank, and continued supporting them financially, in any way they could. My uncle Manos, who already had experience working in house construction, along with his employer and some of his co-workers, helped my father and they built together a new, small but absolutely decent house for the new family. 

 When I was born, my mother was overwhelmed by the realization that now she was a mother and wife for life. She just ran away forever. 

 My uncle moved in with my dad and helped in raising me. He would get me to school and back and take care of me and everything else, while my father was working overtime. Unclue Manos was like a second father to me. Now, are you really wondering whether they smoked or not? Of course they did. And, God, did they smoke good! But I'll come back to that. 

 In the school-free days of the summer months I'd go for hikes up the mountain alone, or play street football with other kids from the neighborhood. When my father would come back from work around 2pm, we'd have our meal together, talking about our day. And then it  would be "afternoon quiet time", with a couple of hours of sleep for my dad and comic-book reading for me. 

 In that specific day, things were somewhat different. At least in my mind.

 ***

 Last evening, a pleasant summer evening, when I was sitting at the porch outside my room reading my comics, dad and uncle Manos were chilling out with beers and smokes on the porch at the other side of the house, in front of my dad's bedroom. I was never eavesdropping. They were always discussing work, or some random drama involving some friend of theirs, etc. 

 But that evening, I heard something. While they were talking in a very low voice, suddenly my uncle Manos said: "And what if he started smoking already?" Then my dad replied: "Wouldn't be a first, I started at his age and a little bit earlier..." and then they talkied in a very low voice again, laughed some, and then went to my dad's room, where they often went to discuss business.

 But that phrase really stuck and echoed in my head. "I started at his age".

 Shit, yeah, teen smoking was not uncommon at all. I already had seen highschoolers buying packs of smokes before school, smoking behind a row of trees and bushes in the schoolyard, or when cutting class and enjoy a coffee in a cafeteria near the school, or when playing billiards and video games at the arcade. Yeah, I had noticed them. Especially those who would show off blowing chains of smokerings. It was something exciting to look at, but I didn't really know what I felt. After all, it was 1991, and internet was yet to happen. So, yeah, I didn't know a thing about urges, or when they show up, or how they feel like. Most of the other kids didn't also. Just said some swear words,that started to feel funnier and funnier at that age, but noone knew why or what they actually meant. 

 So, that phrase, "I  started at his age", with the deep, smokey voice of my dad, stuck in my mind. And my mind tried to picture it. And i felt that funny feeling down there.

 ***

 The next day, something unexpected happened. I woke up very early, as my dad was drinking his morning coffee, sitting at the kitchen table and smoking his first 4-5 cigs before going off to work. From where my bed was, I could see him right through the half-open door of my room. Oh, yeah, I could see him. A muscled, 28 years old man, with a light yellow t-shirt and a pair of jeans shorts. Taking slowly and deeply each drag of smoke from his cig, by hollowing his cheeks. Then pulling the cig just a bit in front of his mouth. Then making those perfect snap inhales he did, or - interchangeably - his perfect french inhales, with a creamy stream of white smoke rising up from his lips and entering his nostrils, until all the smoke from his mouth was inhaled. A little hold. And then a slow, very satisfied exhale, with a thick blue stream in the morning sunlight. And then, finishing off the exhale with a quick jaw snap, blowing a smokering; two smokerings; three, four, five, six, seven, eight... Eight. Eight perfect, stable smokerings that would travel over to the other side of the room. 

 My cock was hard. No, really, I mean. For the first time. Like, it couldn't go "un-hard". I was laying in bed on my chest. I was really surprised and scared. I had felt some quirky movements before, but never had I been really hard again. I put my hand and felt it. Dad was still smoking and I was still sneak-watching him. I didn't really know what to do with my hard penis. It just felt so good. It was a completely new sensation. Then my dad finished his smoke, got up and left to go to work. 

 I remained at bed puzzled and scared and excited, all together. Then I remembered from the night before: "I started at his age". 

 Fuck. Could I smoke?

 I fell asleep again.

 ***

 - Wake up, sleepyhead! 

Uncle Manos was awake and had made breakfast. I could smell eggs, coffee and his smoke.

- School is over, uncle!

I liked sleeping, yeah, have to admit that.

- Yeah, yeah, get up and have your omelette, little man, 'cause I gotta go in  a few minutes. Dimitris (that was my closest friend) came by and asked for you already.

 Ah, ok, going to play with my friend was something worth getting  up for. I went to the bathroom, looked at myself in the mirror and suddenly my father's voice replayed in my head: "I started at his age". I didn't think a lot about it, though, playing was the most important thing at that moment. So I washed my face, put some gel on my hair and raised them, and went and ate my breakfast.

 Uncle Manos was having his coffee and smokes as I ate breakfast. He sat across from me, blowing his smoke to the other side of the room. In the same exact way my dad did. That was something I noticed for the first time. Yeah, in the exact same way. And, my cock got hard again in the exact same way. Holy shit! I looked down, panicked, and tried to concentrate on my omelette. Yeah, it worked. I finished eating and got up quickly, kissed my uncle goodbye, and went out to play. Until afternoon, when dad came back from work. I kissed him, I waved bye to my friend, Dimitris, and we went home with my dad to eat the pizza he brought. And then it was the "afternoon quiet time", mandatory in the long summer days.

 ***

 But, during that hot, summer afternoon, I could not stay quiet. I would hear the phrase "I started at his age" ringing in the absolute quiet of early afternoon. I went to my room, took a comic book and pretended reading on my bed. But I was really just watching dad smoke. That smoking that looked so good on him. That smoking that made me so hard. And I remembered, at the same time, all the cool smoking guys from the arcade, or the café... 

 Dad finished his post-meal smoke, got up and went to his bedroom for the afternoon power nap. 

 It was my chance.

 I quietly rose up. I was wearing just my briefs. I went to the kitchen table. There it was. The opened carton of Marlboros (my dad's), as well as his open pack with his lighter, another opened carton of Camels (my uncle's) and a couple of sealed packs of Camel Unfiltereds, as well as an open pack of them. I took a Marlboro from my dad's open pack. I didn't want to take the lighter also, in case he would get up and see it missing. So I took, very quietly, another lighter from the kitchen drawer that was full of them. I went to the living room, which, during summer, was pretty unused, as we watched TV on my dad's bedroom porch, outside. 

 In the living room, we had a full-body mirror, right by the main door. I stopped and held my breath. Ok, dad was snoring. the coast was clear.

 I stood in front of the mirror. I looked at me, semi-naked, in my briefs. Holding a cigarette in my hand. I put it properly, as I  knew, between the index and middle finger of my right hand. I just held it and posed. My cock was hard again. I could see it pushing my briefs like a tent. I put the cigarette between my lips. Yeah, little cock got harder. I pushed down the front of my briefs, and tucked it under my balls. Fuck, my cock got even harder (how much can this thhing grow?). I pulled some air through the cigarette into moy mouth and that was a revelation! Didn't expect the dry tobacco to taste as nice as it smelled. Oh, holy fucking God, my cock was not only hard, it was throbbing!

 All the times I had seen my dad and uncle light up in a myriad of different styles and ways, came to my mind. My cock was throbbing, my heart was racing. I brought  the lighter close to my cigarette. Holy Virgin, my cock was now leaking drops of some clear, sticky liquid, that was coming out of the little hole on its head. That was new also, but what wasn't? So I flick the lighter. I see the flame. I watch it. I bring it to the tip of the Marlboro. I take a small drag. I take the cigarette out from my lips. I see that whole move in the mirror. I smile and open my lips a little, and let the smoke slowly out. I smile to myself with satisfaction. And then I feel the taste of the cigarette smoke in my mouth. Holy fucking god! Yeah, no shit! That's why guys smoke! 

 Little I knew of what was to come.

 I smiled at myself at the mirror. Yeah, hot enough. Cock out throbbing, burning cig in hand. Liked what I saw. But I wanted the real thing, and I knew I hadn't tasted it yet. So, I brought once again the filter to my lips, closed them around it with a smile and a wink to my horny self in the mirror, and took another drag. Filled my mouth, took the cig out, kept the smoke for a couple of seconds, felt it burning a little in my tongue, and then opened my mouth and inhaled. J. Fucking C.! I even did a small snap, accidentally. And then, I just looked up and let my breath, full of smoke, out, slowly, as a river of pleasure drifting up from me, or, better, like the smoke from the fire of hotness that was lit in me. 

 I was overwhelmed from the total pleasure that arose from my first properly inhaled drag. I couldn't believe it. "So, THIS is really why men smoke", I thought to myself. Took another drag, more confident. held it deeper. Looked at me in the mirror and blew my smoke to it, in a narrow column that was flooding the glass. Then another, exhaling slow to the side of my mouth. then felt a little "dizzy", but in a very pleasant way. Shit, would the smoking experience always produce some now pleasure? Each drag, inhale and exhale was sending raging throbs to my steel-hard cock that was dripping already. 

 And while I was taking another drag on my first cigarette, it happened.

 I felt a warmth filling me up. And then, an uncontrolled spasm, starting from my cock and making my feet wobbly. And something like peeing. But oh, holy fuck.

 I had no idea what was happening. But I was just shooting my very first load, because of my very first cigarette. 

 "Shiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiit"  I thought to myself. I took a last, satisfied look at the smoker with the semi-hard, cum-dripping cock at the mirror. I took my last drag from my first Marlboro and crushed it into the nearby ashtray.  

 I pulled my briefs up again, and went quetly to my room.

 I laid down to my bed feeling almost exhausted.

[denimbex1986]

'The Oppenheimer cast walked the red carpet on Tuesday (11 July) for the film’s world premiere in Paris, France.

A select number of journalists attended the screening and the first reactions have been effusive in their praise.

Irish actor Cillian Murphy (Peaky Blinders), 47, stars as “the father of the atomic bomb”, Robert J Oppenheimer, in Christopher Nolan’s highly anticipated biopic.

The all-star cast comprises Emily Blunt, 40, who plays Oppenheimer’s wife, biologist Kitty Oppenheimer; Matt Damon, 52, portrays Manhattan Project director Lt Leslie Groves Jr, Florence Pugh, 27, plays Oppenheimer’s ex-fiancee, psychiatrist and physician Jean Tatlock, and Robert Downey Jr, 58, stars as Lewis Strauss, the former chairman of the Atomic Energy Commission.

“The performances from these actors... I think you’re going to be as impressed with them as I have been,” Nolan told attendees at the premiere.

The first viewers were indeed impressed with the film.

The Associated Press’ Lindsey Bahr called the movie “a spectacular achievement in its truthful, concise adaptation, inventive storytelling and nuanced performances from Cillian Murphy, Emily Blunt, Robert Downey Jr., Matt Damon and the many, many others involved.”

“#Oppenheimer left me stunned: a character study on the grandest scale, with a sublime central performance by Cillian Murphy,” Matt Maytum, deputy editor of Total Film wrote. “An epic historical drama but with a distinctly Nolan sensibility: the tension, structure, sense of scale, startling sound design, remarkable visuals. Wow,” he added.

“Totally absorbed in ‘Oppenheimer,’ a dense, talkie, tense film partly about the bomb, mostly about how doomed we are,” Jonathan Dean of The Sunday Times tweeted. “Happy summer! Murphy is good, but the support essential: Damon, Downey Jr & Ehrenreich even bring gags. An audacious, inventive, complex film to rattle its audience.”

Oppenheimer is inspired by the 2005 biography American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J Robert Oppenheimer, written by Kai Bird and Martin J Sherwin.

Speaking at an academic discussion last month, Bird said: “I am, at the moment, stunned and emotionally recovering from having seen [Oppenheimer].”

Nolan previously teased that the film had left early viewers “devastated”.

“They can’t speak. I mean, there’s an element of fear that’s there in the history and there in the underpinnings,” the director said.

As well as Murphy, Pugh, Blunt, Damon and Downey Jr, Oppenheimer also stars Rami Malek, Gary Oldman, Dane DeHaan, Josh Hartnett, Kenneth Branagh, Matthew Modine, Casey Affleck, Alden Ehrenreich and Jason Clarke...'

[mermaidsirennikita]

ARC REVIEW: His Scandalous Lessons by Katrina Kendrick

3.5/5. OUT NOW.

Vibes: seduction lessons, gentle hero/traumatized heroine, instalove

Heat Index: 7/10

Anne needs help finding a husband--it's the only way she can escape her abusive father and worse fiancee. She offers notorious rake and political blackmailer (and enemy of her father) Richard a deal: if he teaches her how to seduce a husband, she'll give him information he needs. The problem? She may be, however unintentionally, seducing Richard.

This is an interesting one. It got off to a really good start. I like the characters, and they have good chemistry. I'm definitely intrigued about the rest of the series, and will most likely be checking it out. But it went by very quickly. This would have benefited from more page time, and for that matter, more time luxuriating in the romance. Anne and Richard get together fast, and the story takes a pretty dark turn from there--one I expected, but even then it felt tonally dissonant from the frothy, heady love story I'd read up until then.

I know this book was published in a different form earlier, and I wonder if it was any longer. As it is, this is compelling and makes plenty of good points about nineteenth century politics and the abuse suffered by women. But it's pretty rushed.

Quick Takes:

--Just as a heads up... when I say this gets dark, it gets pretty dark. Emotional, verbal, physical, and sexual abuse are discussed and occur (and it has been occurring for a very long time). I didn't think this was over the top, and I feel it was sensitively handled. However, read with caution.

--One thing I really enjoyed was Richard's friend Caro (not because of the name similarity, but it helped) and all of the nude paintings she did... starring Richard. More books where the heroes pose for nude paintings! More books where the heroes have female friends and it's cool and chill and nobody is weird about it! I definitely want to read Caro's book, which I think comes out next year. Marriage in trouble? Yes please.

--I hate the term "instalove", because I often feel that what people are referring to is instalust. I honestly don't mind instalust when done well; it's the love part I want to see happen gradually. Because the first half of this book, when the falling in love part takes place, is SO quick, this did feel pretty instant. Richard is really, really soft with Anne--and yes, he's a nice guy, but it kind of feels like he's falling for her super fast. And if there had been more to the relationship, more trouble and friction, that may have worked. But the love story itself is pretty smooth.

--On another note, I will say... for a nOTORIOUS ROGUE, Richard is pretty sweet. Not that a notorious rogue has to be the worst person ever, but at points this book seemed SO aware of its publication date. Richard is super talky about consent, and like--I want this book to have good consent politics. I do not need the hero explaining consent. It felt awkward.

That said, otherwise he was very hot, and I enjoyed the fact that he got weird and cranky when he hadn't been laid in a while. More of this behavior please.

--This all sounds very critical, but honestly--if you want a good romance and you're okay with things being a bit fast, you'll probably love this. The writing is good. It's hot. It's tender. I liked a lot of it. I'll be reading more. I just think that this installment could have used a bit of work.

The Sex:

Speaking of, this was good. It obviously begins pretty early, and there are several scenes that aren't RIDICULOUSLY explicit, but are very much explicit. And it begins with a gazebo moment that is QUITE impetuous. The best part is that he's very grumpy and fucked up about it after because they aren't together and he's trying to help her find a different man, but he can still taste her in his mouth!!! DAMMIT!!!

A flawed but nice read, I think this book shows Katrina Kendrick's talent, but would benefit from some expansion and a bit of further development.

Thanks to NetGalley and Aria for providing me with a copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

[the-rewatch-rewind]

What a glorious feeling

Script below the break

Hello and welcome back to The Rewatch Rewind! My name is Jane, and this is the podcast where I count down my top 40 most frequently rewatched movies in a 20-year period. Today I will be discussing number four on my list: MGM’s 1952 musical Singin’ in the Rain, directed by Stanley Donen and Gene Kelly, written by Betty Comden and Adolph Green, and starring Gene Kelly, Donald O’Connor, and Debbie Reynolds.

It's 1927 and silent film stars Don Lockwood (Gene Kelly) and Lina Lamont (Jean Hagen) have just premiered another smash hit. To escape from a mob of fans, Don jumps into the car of Kathy Seldon (Debbie Reynolds), who is surprisingly unimpressed by him, which he is both insulted and intrigued by. Weeks later, when Don is still focused on trying to find Kathy again, and his friend Cosmo Brown (Donald O’Connor) is running out of ways to get him to snap out of it, the success of Hollywood’s first talking picture prompts the studio head to turn the next Lockwood and Lamont film into a talkie, and Don’s life – and Hollywood itself – will never be the same.

This is a very important movie to me because in a way, it’s the one that started it all. My love for Old Hollywood began in a movie theater at a 50th anniversary screening of Singin’ in the Rain. I’ve mentioned in several previous episodes that I started getting into Old Hollywood in 2002 – this is why. My mom took me to see it, and then based on my reaction started introducing me to more of her faves from around this era, and here I am, 21 years later, still loving these films. I can’t remember exactly when I watched Singin’ in the Rain the second time; I might have seen it again in 2002, I don’t know. But I believe it was 2003 when we bought it on VHS while on a family road trip. We had a little TV/VCR that we used to set on top of a cooler behind the front seats, held in place with bungee cords. I could not get enough of this movie and insisted on watching it probably way more times than my siblings wanted on that road trip, although I think they enjoyed it too, just not quite to the extent that I did. I watched it seven times in 2003, six times in 2004, three times in 2005, once in 2006, once in 2007, twice in 2009, once in 2010, once in 2011, twice in 2012, once in 2013, twice in 2015, once in 2016, once in 2019, once in 2020, once in 2021, and twice in 2022. I can’t remember when, but at some point I ended up with a DVD in addition to the VHS. And one of my 2022 watches was in a theater for the 70th anniversary. While in many ways that was a very different experience from the first time I saw it, since every moment of the movie was deeply familiar rather than fresh and new to me, it felt no less magical. I still love this movie just as much as, if not more than, the first time I watched it, and I am so grateful that it introduced me to a world of films from generations before my time.

There is so much to love about this movie that I don’t even really know where to start. The dialogue is clever and delightful, the casting was perfect and the performances are brilliant, the costumes, sets, and lighting are gorgeous, and the music makes you feel like you’ll never be unhappy again. In some ways, it’s actually kind of similar to Mamma Mia, in that it’s a jukebox musical. Like how Mamma Mia took popular ABBA songs and loosely draped a story around them, Singin’ in the Rain took a bunch of old songs, mostly written by MGM producer Arthur Freed (who came up with the idea) and Nacio Herb Brown, and tied them together with a story. I will say I feel like the story of Singin’ in the Rain works quite a bit better, mainly because the subject matter fits the songs so well. It was a stroke of genius to make the movie that would feature songs from early talkies be about early talkies. Freed and Brown did write one new song specifically for this movie, “Make Em Laugh,” but it bears a remarkable resemblance to Cole Porter’s “Be a Clown” from the 1948 Freed-produced film The Pirate. Screenwriters Comden and Green wrote the “Moses Supposes” song based on an existing tongue-twister, but all of the other songs in the film had been featured in at least one previous movie. These days, Singin’ in the Rain is such a beloved, iconic movie that many of the songs’ origins are all but forgotten, and they’re generally associated with this picture. But it’s always kind of fun to be watching some random old movie that predates this one and hear one of these songs pop up. Probably my favorite instance of this is in Adam’s Rib, which was number 27 on this list and made in 1949, when Tom Ewell’s character is going to visit his mistress, played by Jean Hagen, he’s whistling “You Are My Lucky Star,” and I love that both that song and that actress ended up in this movie three years later.

A big part of what makes Singin’ in the Rain such a perfect introduction to Old Hollywood is that the songs are from Old Hollywood and the story is about Old Hollywood. It’s so fascinating to watch the characters figuring out the technical aspects of adding sound to a medium that modern audiences automatically associate with sound. But even beyond that, this movie breaks the illusion of Hollywood glamor while still sort of trying to hide behind that illusion, in a way that almost feels like it’s laughing at itself. So much of the story is about how movie magic relies on facades and deception. The movie starts with a red-carpet interview where Don tells of his rise to fame and his motto: “Dignity, always dignity,” while the audience sees flashbacks of his very undignified beginnings. Lina is on screen looking quietly glamorous for about 10 minutes before she finally speaks, revealing what the silence of her films has concealed: her voice is almost unbearably squeaky and obnoxious. So in order to make her presentable in a talking picture – which eventually becomes a musical – her voice is dubbed by Kathy. Initially the plan is to credit Kathy as Lina’s voice and use this to help launch her to stardom, but Lina threatens to sue the studio unless they force Kathy to be her voice indefinitely without credit. I don’t think it was usually quite that dramatic, but uncredited dubbing happened all the time. In previous episodes, I’ve mentioned Marni Nixon, who dubbed the singing for many iconic performances, such as Audrey Hepburn in My Fair Lady and Natalie Wood in West Side Story, without credit at the time, although now her contributions are kind of general knowledge, at least among movie buffs. But we don’t even have to go that far to find an example: it happened in Singin’ in the Rain itself! Betty Noyes, also known for singing “Baby Mine” in the Disney movie Dumbo, sang for Debbie Reynolds in a couple of her songs without credit, notably including “Would You?” which Kathy is meant to be dubbing for Lina. So Betty Noyes sang for Debbie Reynolds when she was singing for Jean Hagen. (Part of the time, anyway. The “Singin’ in the Rain” reprise that Kathy sings for Lina behind the curtain was definitely Debbie Reynolds’s voice.) Even more ironically, when Kathy is dubbing Lina’s dialogue (“Nothing can keep us apart, our love with last ‘til the stars turn cold”), that was Jean Hagen’s normal speaking voice, so Jean Hagen dubbed Debbie Reynolds dubbing Jean Hagen. I just can’t get over how blatantly these filmmakers went, “Hollywood is fake and yes that includes us” – although I suppose it was much less blatant at the time, I’m not sure at what point all of this became so well-known.

Learning about the dubbing didn’t decrease my love for this movie, although some of the other behind-the-scenes trivia kind of did – specifically the fact that nobody seemed to have a very good time working with Gene Kelly because he was so demanding and impatient, particularly with then 19-year-old Debbie Reynolds, who was not a very experienced dancer, which Kelly found exasperating, even though he knew about it when she got the role. Apparently at one point Fred Astaire – also a notoriously demanding perfectionist – found her crying under a piano at the studio and offered to help her with her dancing. She learned fast and committed hard, literally bursting blood vessels in her feet during the “Good Morning” number. Reynolds later famously said that Singin’ in the Rain and childbirth were the two hardest things she ever had to do. Not that she was the only one who worked hard. Gene Kelly was sick with a 103-degree fever when he performed one of the most famous scenes in Hollywood history, dancing and singing to the title song. I used to view this as admirable, but now I’m like, maybe they could have waited to film it until he got better? Similarly, Donald O’Connor, who was smoking four packs of cigarettes a day at the time, had to rest in the hospital for several days after filming the “Make ‘Em Laugh” scene, and again, it’s like, it’s an incredible performance in a great number, but was it really worth going to the hospital for? Both the story within this movie and the story of how it was made raise some very interesting questions about the “point” of motion pictures – as art, as entertainment, and as an industry – that are still being wrestled with today. Personally, I don’t believe anyone should be forced to risk their health for their job, but at the same time I appreciate how dedicated everyone involved was to making this masterpiece the best it could possibly be. It certainly paid off in this instance. It’s easy for me to say now that it would have been worth making a slightly worse movie if that meant protecting the well-being of the actors, but maybe if it was worse I wouldn’t have quite fallen in love with it to this degree and my life would look very different. So I still don’t know how to feel about all this. And I don’t even know how much it matters anymore, given that the only major cast member still alive is Rita Moreno, whom I absolutely would not have recognized without seeing her name in the credits, and I don’t think she personally was injured on this set – although she was originally supposed to sing “I’ve Got a Feelin’ You’re Foolin’” which then got absorbed into the “Beautiful Girl Montage” that she wasn’t part of, which is a major bummer because she deserved a bigger role in this.

Anyway, speaking of complicated feelings, let’s talk about the romantic aspects of Singin’ in the Rain. The romance between Don and Kathy is an important part of the story, and while that’s a little disturbing knowing how terribly Kelly treated Reynolds on set, and that he was approximately twice her age, their characters’ relationship within the movie is mostly very sweet and I don’t really have a problem with it. And I appreciate how much screentime is devoted to the friendship between Don and Cosmo, which Don is shown continuing to value just as much as he always did even after he starts seeing Kathy. It’s always great to see characters refusing to follow the amatonormative idea of a relationship hierarchy, with every other relationship falling far below one’s romantic partnership. I love the scene in Don’s house that leads to the “Good Morning” number partly because it’s an important turning point in the story and it’s a great song, but also because it shows Don and Kathy and Cosmo as a trio, not a couple with a third wheel, which is so lovely to see. But though Don does his best to resist amatonormativity, it still pursues him rather relentlessly in the form of his costar, Lina Lamont. The studio leaks rumors that Don and Lina are romantically involved to increase publicity for their films, and Lina seems to believe them, despite Don’s adamant assertions that, “There is nothing between us. There has never been anything between us. Just air.” Their relationship is yet another example of a Hollywood façade, and one of my favorite scenes is when they’re working on a silent film and pretending to be madly in love when they’re in the middle of a fight. Their scene ends with a kiss, and as soon as the director yells, “Cut!” Don pushes Lina away in disgust, but she is so sold on their romance that she says, “Oh Donny, you couldn’t kiss me like that and not mean it just a teensy weensy bit!” to which he retorts, “Meet the greatest actor in the world! I’d rather kiss a tarantula!” It would be easy to attribute many of Lina’s actions to jealousy after Don falls in love with Kathy, which was definitely an important motivation, but it wasn’t her only motivation. Because while she is portrayed as relatively clueless, she has to know that the rise of talking pictures is bad for her. It’s not just that she’s losing her man, she’s also losing her career. When she tries to use her star power to force Kathy to work solely as her voice, part of that is certainly to get in the way of Don and Kathy’s happiness together, but I would argue that more of it was a desperate attempt to remain in an industry that was moving on without her. Lina is portrayed as the villain, and granted some of the things she does are pretty awful, but at the same time one can’t help feeling sorry for her. She was taken in by the glamor of Hollywood, unable to see that everything from her romance to her popularity was make-believe, and suddenly her entire life is crashing around her. We cheer when the curtain opens to reveal that Kathy is singing for Lina, but we also cry for her a little – at least, I do. I find Lina to be a thoroughly fascinating and compelling character, and Jean Hagen gives one of my all-time favorite performances (she was nominated for an Oscar and absolutely should have won), and I really want to know what happens to her after the events of the movie. Hopefully she realizes that she doesn’t need a man, least of all one who hates her like Don does, and finds a new career that makes her happy.

If being a Lina Lamont apologist doesn’t get me kicked out of Old Hollywood fan circles, this might: I don’t understand why Cyd Charisse is in this movie. I get that the “Broadway Melody” number is a gorgeous spectacle, but it doesn’t have anything to do with anything and it goes on way too long, and in world it makes zero sense. First of all, they have six weeks to basically remake their entire movie, and that number alone would have absolutely taken more than six weeks to put together. Secondly, a big part of the appeal of that number is how colorful everything is, but their film is in black and white. And like, okay, we can suspend disbelief and just accept that, but there is absolutely no way that Lina Lamont would put up with a 15-minute musical number in the middle of her picture, in which, not only does she not appear at all, but Don is dancing very suggestively with another woman. Like, come on. I know that having a random ballet toward the end of a musical was a major thing back then, especially in Gene Kelly films, but that has never made sense to me and it never will. And like, why did they give Cyd Charisse a very distinctive look for most of her part and then change it for the ballet so that she’s barely recognizable? It’s so confusing. Don’t get me wrong, I mean no disrespect to Charisse, she was a wonderful dancer, and I think it’s great that her appearance in this movie helped put her on the map and lead to bigger roles for her, it’s just that that scene is my personal least favorite part of the movie. Although I guess the message of that whole number can be boiled down to, “when romance fails, turn to your hobbies,” which is something I can definitely get behind. So maybe I wouldn’t cut it out entirely; I would just make it significantly shorter so we can get back to the main story faster.

The thing I find so compelling about this movie is that while it exposes Hollywood glamor as a sham, it also shows that when you see through that, there’s often still something valuable underneath. The smoke and mirrors of movie magic add to the entertainment value, but fundamentally, movies are stories, and storytelling is a deep-rooted feature of humanity. Sometimes when I tell people that I enjoy old movies, they assume that means I’m into the fancy costumes and larger-than-life stars, and like, I guess that’s part of it, but mostly I just really enjoy good stories that are told well, and that’s what a lot of old movies are. And it’s not just Hollywood that tries to glamorize people and their stories; our whole society does it, too, only to a slightly lesser extent. Just as Lina needed to conceal her unpleasant voice and the studio felt that Lockwood and Lamont would sell more tickets if people thought they were actually dating, or just as people thought Debbie Reynolds’s voice wasn’t strong enough for all of Kathy’s songs, normal people in everyday life feel the need to disguise facets of their identity that are less socially acceptable. Don’t act too queer, conform to your assigned gender role, don’t infodump about your hyperfixations; in short, put on a show to pretend to be “normal.” But just as nobody is really as glamorous and flawless as movie stars’ personas pretend to be, nobody is really normal either. Hopefully our society will someday get to the point where people don’t have to keep up this façade, and perhaps future movies will reflect that. But for now, it’s difficult to imagine a more perfect illustration of how the film industry reflects society than the layered deceptions of Singin’ in the Rain. It’s sort of halfway between satire and an honest reflection, and it works remarkably well as both. But it’s also very easy to just watch it as a fun musical without thinking too hard about any of this. I just happen to greatly enjoy overthinking the stories I love, and this happens to be one that lends itself to much overthinking, which is one of the many reasons why I love it.

Thank you for listening to me discuss another of my most frequently rewatched movies. It’s getting to the point where I know these movies so well that I’m not really sure how to talk about them to people who haven’t seen them, so if you’ve never watched Singin’ in the Rain and still managed to follow this episode, I’m very impressed. Next up is a movie that I’m pretty sure would be number one on this list if I’d started keeping track about two years earlier because I already had it completely memorized before 2003, but in the 20 years I was tracking I watched it a mere 35 times, leaving it at number three. As always, I will leave you with a quote from that next movie: “Well. Someone’s got to break the ice and it might as well be me. I mean, I’m used to being a hostess, it’s part of my husband’s work, and it’s always difficult when a group of new friends meet together for the first time, to get acquainted, so I’m perfectly prepared to start the ball rolling. I mean, I have absolutely no idea what we’re doing here, or what I’m doing here, or what this place is about, but I am determined to enjoy myself, and I’m very intrigued, and oh my, this soup’s delicious, isn’t it?”

[thishadoscarbuzz]

243 - Wonderstruck

We’re talking about one of our favorite filmmakers this episode and for one of his most mildly received movies. In 2017, two years after the critical success of Carol, Todd Haynes returned with a pivot to young adult literature with Wonderstruck. Based on the book by Brian Selznick, the film follows two deaf children across decades who trek into Manhattan in search of family: Rose in 1927 and Ben in 1977, respectively played by Millicent Simmonds and Oakes Fegley. With passing observations to film history and the invention of the talkie, the film takes a heady approach to a story of familial reconciliation across generations. But when the film widely disappointed viewers early on at the Cannes Film Festival, the film struggled to gain fans over the year, becoming the first of Amazon’s many awards duds over the season.

This episode, we discuss the film’s early tepid reception at the Cannes Film Festival and all of the talk of this year’s Cannes, including the debut of Haynes’ May December. We also discuss Simmonds’ work in the A Quiet Place franchise, the challenge in marketing Haynes’ films, and Julianne Moore’s dual roles in both storylines.

Topics also include Carter Burwell’s glorious score, another round of Alter Egos, and gossip from the 2017 Cannes.

Links:

The 2017 Oscar nominations

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[chelize-on-set]

ASC Magazine Article Breakdown- Part 1

I had never read the ASC magazine before and I found an interest in a lot of the editions provided.

I admit that I wasn't the biggest fan of Babylon, but this article caught my eye. The article examines two distinct aspects of the filmaking process, highlighting the artistic integrity behind recreating a bygone era of Hollywood and the underaprecciated role of the dolly grip shaping visual langage in film. Providing an in-depth look at the making of Babylon, a film about on the transition from silent films to "talkies" in the 1920's. This article details the films cinematographer, Linus Sandgren's meticulous production process and how he authentically captured the energy and aesthetics of this pivotal period in cinematic history.

One of the most striking aspects covered in this article is the decision to shoot Babylon on 35mm film using anamorphic lenses, which helped capture the grandeur and absurdity of the film’s setting. Sandgren deliberately pushed the limits of exposure and contrast to match the exaggerated, often chaotic atmosphere of the early Hollywood scene. The choice to use anamorphic lenses not only emphasized the epic scale of the story but also contributed to the film's immersive aesthetic. This technique allowed the camera to participate in the action, enhancing the fluid, dynamic nature of the film's visuals. The use of anamorphic lenses gave the film a wider scope and helped convey the enormity of the historical shifts happening in the industry at the time.

The meticulous choreography of the camera is also emphasized, particularly in scenes like the wild party sequence filmed at the Ace Hotel. The decision to use continuous shots and techniques like the Spydercam and Steadicam to capture the energy of the crowd reflects a commitment to creating a visually dynamic experience. Sandgren explains that the intention was to keep the camera "curious," moving through the space with precise timing to capture the controlled chaos of the scene. This kind of cinematic fluidity not only enhances the sense of spectacle but also grounds the viewer in the absurdity and excess of the era.

Lighting also played a critical role in shaping the film's unique visual texture. Sandgren opted for naturalistic lighting in many scenes, using practical sources and windows to create a raw, unpolished look. This approach aligns with his overall philosophy of embracing imperfections and messiness in the visual design to reflect the chaotic world the characters inhabit. The discussion on the lighting and exposure choices for exterior scenes, particularly during the dawn sequence, illustrates how light was used to evoke emotional depth without relying on traditional filmic polish.

Finally, the technical modifications made to the Atlas Orion lenses by Forrest Schultz added an extra layer of texture to the visuals. The subtle hand-polishing of the lenses created bloom in the highlights, which enhanced the sense of dirt and grime in the film's world. This bespoke approach to lens design reflects the high level of detail that went into crafting the film’s aesthetic, making the visuals feel both grounded in history and cinematically heightened.

In conclusion, this article offers a deep dive into the craftsmanship behind Babylon, highlighting the interplay between technology, creativity, and storytelling. Sandgren’s work demonstrates how cinematography can amplify narrative themes, creating an experience that is as visually rich as it is emotionally engaging.

[abbiesfilmblog]

Starstruck: On-set Day 1

DAY 1!!

I was super stressed getting started on day 1. Like I’ve stated, I’ve never ADed before so this was just super daunting.

I started the day by going into uni early and printing out all of the schedules and extra paperwork needed for that day. We all meet outside and waited for the doors to open so we could rush to set. The Producer had booked out a green room which was super helpful for leaving our stuff.

Since we were dealing with some extras, a 3rd AD came into help, so I got some good experience learning how to use walkie talkies!

The first day started off pretty poorly due to some lack of communication from the Producer. I was made aware that the room used for the test shoot was different, however I wasn’t informed that the room we were filming in had blinds which were broken meaning light couldn’t be blocked and there was automatic lights which wouldn’t go off. This really slowed us down and due to the gaffer not being aware of this issue either, there wasn’t exactly a safe way to make him speed up. Fixing the lights involved standing on a chair and taping the lights to cover them. I was not in any position to rush him due to it being a little unsafe already. This issue made us run behind by about an hour and a half which was pretty disheartening, however, we kept going!

At lunch, I discussed with the Director and DoP about cutting down on shots, and we decided we could cut down on 2.

By the end of day 1, we had cut down on 2 shots, but had finished on time, which I felt was a success.

[applecorething]

I finished the first episode of the podcast "How Would Lubitsch Do It" which was background info about the historical context when Ernst Lubitsch was making films. it was a discussion with Lauren Faulkner Rossi, a modern-German historian, and the podcast host, Devan Scott, who is a film writer and lighting specialist who is coocoo looloo about lubitsch. by his own admission lubitsch isn't necessarily the most technically brilliant in any domain as much as he makes films that make him, Scott, /feel/ so much.

I'd found Devan Scott because this video about why movies these days are so dark was shared by Todd Vaziri on mastodon (who is proving to be a really valuable curator of high quality film related material). I liked his one about the film effect in The Holdovers too.

The trailers for the various "seasons" of How Would Lubitsch Do It are so well put together i thought it was going to be a youtube series where i'd get to see clips from all these out-of-copyright films. (The first i watched was the most recent, The Code-Era Talkies, and it's so sharp! The one for the Pre-Code Talkies is great too). i'll admit I was disappointed that it's a podcast that has a presence on youtube rather than a video based project. nevertheless, i'm sold. I guess i'll have to watch the films myself and not get the pleasant experience of someone cutting together bits while they discuss themes. deeply in my early to mid 20th century film era atm i guess.