#Margot de Havilland

[the-dubstep-strawberry]

Chapters: 24/? Fandom: Fallout 4, Fallout (Video Games) Rating: Mature Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con Relationships: Paladin Danse/Female Sole Survivor Characters: Paladin Danse, Female Sole Survivor, Sole Survivor Margot de Havilland, Nick Valentine, Piper Wright, Preston Garvey, Cait (Fallout), Deacon (Fallout), Robert Joseph MacCready, Curie (Fallout), John Hancock (Fallout), Dogmeat, X6-88, Codsworth (Fallout), Synth Shaun, The AntAgonizer, Arthur Maxson, Scribe Gwen Harper (OC), Scribe Haylen, Knight Rhys, Squire Phoebe Woods (OC), Knight-Sergeant Jane Ellens (OC), Knight Curtis Belasco (OC), Paladin Henry Rex (OC), Team X-Ray, Jun Long, Marcy Long, Mama Murphy, Sturges (Fallout) Additional Tags: Action & Romance, Grief/Mourning, Falling In Love, Ants Will Inherit The Earth... Maybe, Laughably Bad Disguises, Hurt/Comfort, Crazed Cultists, Speech Skill 100, Emotional Trauma/Loss, Arranged Marriage, Unlikely Friendship/Empathy, Love Confessions, Canon-Typical Violence, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, Awkward Conversations, Corporal Punishment, A Night at the Drive-In, Not The Spoilers!, Damn These Interruptions, Your Very Own TV Station, Fluff & Angst, Mutual Pining, Shakespeare-Grade Misunderstandings, Friends To Enemies To Frenemies..., ... And Back Again, Marriage, Diplomacy (Or The Lack Thereof), Espionage, Torture, Suicide Attempts, Execution, Unethical Experimentation, Flashbacks & Nightmares, Military Funeral, Not The Bees! Summary:

When the Institute sought to redefine mankind, Danse and the Sole Survivor both got caught in the crossfire. Together, they're trying to pick up the pieces of their past and build a new future. Their bond is stronger than steel; their loyalty runs deeper than blood. But a new menace is spreading across the Commonwealth, a desperate search for answers only seems to raise more questions, and even the ties that bind them may not be enough to hold them together. Can they survive the rise of the AntAgonizer, or will the ants inherit the Earth and trample their world underfoot?

[youremyheaven]

vedic astrology observations pt 4

1. big buff men 🥵💪🏼

I had previously observed that Mars, Jupiter & Cancer influence is what makes certain men naturally possess a big, broad frame and a beefy physique

Another important factor is having a large yoni animal (elephant, buffalo or cow) because our yoni animal also affects our physique

I had previously made an observation about how Moon dominant women tend to have a very voluptuous physique and upon further research, the same largely applies to Moon dominant men😍🙈

Jason Momoa, Pushya stellium (sun, mercury and venus) Vishaka moon and mars in Mrigashira (darakaraka)

Henry Cavill is Bharani sun, Shravana moon & rising, venus in Mrigashira and saturn in Chitra

Channing Tatum has Uttaraphalguni moon & saturn (his atmakaraka), venus in Mrigashira (amatyakaraka) Ketu in Dhanishta

Joe Manganiello has Revati moon, venus in Dhanishta amatyakaraka

Dolph Lundgren (walmart Arnold according to some) has Swati sun, Purvabhadrapada moon, Vishaka mercury amatyakaraka and jupiter in Chitra atmakaraka, along with ketu in Bharani

Terry Crews, Pushya sun & mercury, Hasta moon conjunct ketu, mars in Punarvasu

Michael Clarke Duncan has Pushya moon. Shravana venus and mars in Vishaka atmakaraka, jupiter in Chitra and ketu in Bharani

Steve Reeves, Bharani moon, venus in Dhanishta, Jupiter conjunct Ascendant in Shravana

Gerard Butler, Vishaka sun conjunct mercury, venus in Swati, Hasta rising

2. Ingenues in cinema are often played by Punarvasu, Pushya, Rohini & Mrigashira natives. An Ingenue is a character trope used to describe a female character that is young, endearingly innocent, virginal, naïve, sweet & gentle.

Mumtaz, was an Ingenue sex symbol in India in the 60s & 70s. She has Pushya sun & venus, Punarvasu mercury & rising, mars in Mrigashira atmakaraka

Drew Barrymore, Punarvasu moon, Mrigashira rising has played an ingenue in many of her films

Marilyn Monroe aka the most well renowned Ingenue sex symbol, has Rohini sun & mercury

In 13 going on 30, Jennifer Garner plays a little girl stuck in the body of a grown woman (which is what an Ingenue essentially is). She has Mrigashira moon with Venus conjunct Mars in Rohini

An extension of the "Ingenue" archetype would be the "Dumb Blonde archetype"

Christina Applegate's most well known role is that of Kelly in the show Married With Children. Kelly is a typical "dumb blonde". Christina is Mrigashira rising

Goldie Hawn is notorious for playing such characters. She is Mrigashira moon

in her acting roles, Jessica Simpson often played the "dumb blonde". She has Punarvasu sun conjunct mercury

Paris Hilton played a huge role in 2000s pop culture and most people associate the word "bimbo" with her. She has Pushya moon conjunct rahu

Pamela Anderson often played characters of this sort. She is Mrigashira rising with Mercury in Punarvasu as her amatyakaraka

Isabel Sarli often played a naive girl who gets taken advantage of sexually in many of her sexploitation movies. She has Punarvasu sun

Brigitte Bardot, the woman who was considered "Europe's answer to Marilyn Monroe" was Rohini moon (Marilyn being Rohini sun) with Ketu in Pushya

the role that propelled Margot Robbie to fame was that of a "blonde bombshell". Margot is Punarvasu rising (she also plays Barbie which is also very on brand)

Amy Adams' breakout role was that of an ingenue princess in Enchanted. She is Rohini rising (conjunct ketu), venus in Pushya and saturn in Punarvasu amatyakaraka

Cameron Diaz often played "the dumb blonde" early on in her career. She is a Punarvasu stellium (venus, ketu & rising)

Liv Tyler has played the ingenue, as well as "the damsel in distress" (an extension of the ingenue trope). She is Punarvasu rising with Jupiter in Mrigashira atmakaraka

Olivia de Havilland often played the Ingenue or characters that were extremely ladylike & "proper". She has a Punarvasu stellium (moon, venus & saturn), mercury in Mrigashira & ketu in Pushya

in the movie Black Swan, Nina is the "white swan", she is pure, innocent, naïve and incapable of playing the role of the sexually charged, erotic "Black Swan". Nina is played by Natalie Portman who has Mrigashira sun. (she has a dysfunctional relationship with her mother in the film and that's another recurring theme I will discuss in a future post)

it shouldn't be too surprising that Punarvasu & Pushya girls are on this list, Cancer has always been a mainstay rashi/sign in Bimbocore, with Barbie's creator herself having Ketu in Punarvasu and being played by Margot Robbie who is Punarvasu rising.

Mrigashira, is the first of the Mars nakshatras and thereby the least developed. Mars represents a very sexually charged, unbridled fiery erotic energy but in Mrigashira, these natives are unable to channel it. Now, keeping the mythology of Rohini & Mrigashira in mind, we know that Mrigashira has themes of being endlessly pursued; it is a very seductive nakshatra that entices others but these natives are emotionally almost childlike and innocent and uncertain about how to handle these advances. This makes them all the more appealing in many ways, the combination of physical sex appeal combined with a girly, innocent, naïve, childlike persona makes them more intriguing. Keep in mind the fact that both other Mars ruled naks are Rakshasa gana, which means they've developed the ability to exert their fiery Mars sexuality in a way that gives them control, Mrigashira being a Deva gana nakshatra AND a Mridu one, means that these natives are genuinely sincere hearted, guileless and vulnerable.

(here's a post that discuses this)

a very good example would be Brooke Shields; she was a child star who played roles and did things that were completely inappropriate for a child and as a result, she was sexualised at a very young age. she had a very dysfunctional relationship with her mother (a common theme in the lives of many of these natives) who managed her career. by the time she was a teenager she was the object of desire for everyone. however Brooke was a virgin until the age of 22. the most sexualised woman of her time was a shy, awkward virgin. Brooke has Rohini stellium (sun, jupiter & rahu) with Mrigashira moon & mercury.

Rohini was Brahma's daughter & Brahma desired her sexually, which made her run away from him. In Mrigashira she takes the form of a deer, leaving behind her human form which caused unnatural desire in her own father. Both these nakshatras are strongly tied to incest, stalking and taboo sexual desire. These natives are pursued by men who are fascinated by their innocence & sensuality. These natives seem to garner unwanted attention wherever they go; they are pursued endlessly and this makes them uncomfortable. Most of these natives choose to live very private lives, almost shrouded in secrecy, they are very quiet and do not indulge in attention seeking behaviour.

3. Nakshatras that are two tier like Uttarabhadrapada & Purvabhadrapada, Uttaraphalguni & Purvaphalguni, Uttarashada Purvashada tend to attract each other

Sanjay Leela Bhansali has Ketu in Uttarashada & his 2 muses are Aishwarya Rai (Purvashada moon) and Deepika Padukone (Purvashada sun)

Namjoon is a Purvaphalguni sun & Yoongi is a Uttaraphalguni moon. Although all the members share unique bonds with each other, Namjoon & Yoongi were the founding members of what became BTS and have a connection that goes wayyy back.

Tim Burton (Uttarashada moon) frequently works with Johnny Depp (Purvashada moon)

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tumblr only allows 30 images per post so look out for part 2!!

[cressida-jayoungr]

Coeli's Picks: Multicolo(u)r, part 2

One Dress a Day Challenge

Birds of Prey (2020) / Margot Robbie as Harley Quinn

Contempt (Le Mépris) (1963) / Brigitte Bardot as Camille Javal

Midsommar (2019) / Florence Pugh as Dani

House of Flying Daggers (2004) / Zhang Ziyi as Xiao Mei

Mad Men (s7e4, "The Monolith") / Elisabeth Moss as Peggy Olson

The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938) / Olivia de Havilland as Maid Marian

Words and Music (1948) / Vera-Ellen as herself

Scott Pilgrim vs. the World (2010) / Mary Elizabeth Winstead as Ramona Flowers

[indiejones]

THE 100 GREATEST SCREEN-PAIRS IN HISTORY OF WORLD CINEMA (@INDIES)!

.RAJESH KHANNA - MUMTAZ

.WALTER PIDGEON – GREER GARSON

.HUMPHREY BOGART – INGRID BERGMAN

.RICHARD BURTON – ELIZABETH TAYLOR

.ETHAN HAWKE – JULIE DELPY

.CHARLES CHAPLIN – EDNA PURVIANCE

.HUGH GRANT – JULIA ROBERTS

.KEANU REEVES – CARRIE-ANN MOSS

.RICHARD GERE - JULIA ROBERTS

.REX HARRISON – AUDREY HEPBURN

.CHARLES FARRELL – JANET GAYNOR

.CLARK GABLE – VIVIEN LEIGH

.UTTAM KUMAR – SUCHITRA SEN

.ROBERT REDFORD – BARBRA STREISAND

.DEV ANAND – WAHEEDA REHMAN

.CARY GRANT – INGRID BERGMAN

.KEANU REEVES – SANDRA BULLOCK

.GARY COOPER – INGRID BERGMAN

.JOSEPH FIENNES – GWYNETH PALTROW

.CHARLES BOYER – INGRID BERGMAN

.CARY GRANT – KATHERINE HEPBURN

.GURU DUTT – WAHEEDA REHMAN

.RAJESH KHANNA - TANUJA

.DILIP KUMAR - MADHUBALA

.TOM HANKS – MEG RYAN

.RAJESH KHANNA – SHARMILA TAGORE

.HUGH GRANT – RENEE ZELLWEGER

.SPENCOR TRACY – KATHERINE HEPBURN

.AMITABH BACHCHAN – PARVEEN BABI

.MICHEL PICCOLI – ROMY SCHNEIDER

.WOODY ALLEN – DIANE KEATON

.RAJESH KHANNA – REKHA

.MICHAEL DOUGLAS – GLENN CLOSE

.ALAIN DELON – ROMY SCHNEIDER

.ROD STEIGER – ROMY SCHNEIDER

.SHAMMI KAPOOR – ASHA PAREKH

.MARCELO MASTROIANNI – ROMY SCHNEIDER

.YVES MONTAND – SIMONE SIGNORET

.ALAIN DELON – ANNIE GIRARDOT

.JOHNNY DEPP – JULIETTE BINOCHE

.LAURENCE OLIVIER – VIVIEN LEIGH

.CLARK GABLE – JOAN CRAWFORD

.TREVOR HOWARD – CELIA JOHNSON

.PATRICK SWAYZE – JENNIFER GREY

.PREM NAZIR - SHEELA

.VINCENT CASSEL – MONICA BELLUCCI

.CLARK GABLE – AVA GARDNER

.JEAN-LOUIS TRINTIGNANT – ROMY SCHNEIDER

.JACK LEMMON – SHIRLEY MACLAINE

.HEATH LEDGER - JULIA STILES

.ANTHONY PERKINS – INGRID BERGMAN

.TOBEY MAGUIRE – KIRSTEN DUNST

.GREGORY PECK – AUDREY HEPBURN

.TOM CRUISE – RENEE ZELLWEGER

.AMITABH BACHCHAN - REKHA

.JAMES STEWART – MARGARET SULLAVAN

.RYAN GOSLING – RACHEL MCADAMS

.PRADEEP KUMAR – MEENA KUMARI

.ROBERT MONTGOMERY – ROSALIND RUSSELL

.JOHNNY DEPP – HELENA BONHAM CARTER

.BOBBY VERNON – GLORIA SWANSON

.DOUGLAS FAIRBANKS JR. – LORETTA YOUNG

.CLARK GABLE – CLAUDETTE COLBERT

.RAJESH KHANNA – ZEENAT AMAN

.GLENN FORD – GERALDINE PAGE

.LEONARDO DI CAPRIO – KATE WINSLET

.RAJESH KHANNA – ASHA PAREKH

.MEL GIBSON – CATHERINE MCCORMACK

.RAJ KAPOOR - NARGIS

.BRAD PITT – ANGELINA JOLIE

.CHRISTOPHER REEVE – MARGOT KIDDER

.CARY GRANT – SOPHIA LOREN

.SOUMITRA CHATTERJEE – MADHABI MUKHERJEE

.HUMPHREY BOGART – AUDREY HEPBURN

.SALMAN KHAN – AISHWARYA RAI

.ANTONIA BANDERAS – CATHERINE ZETA JONES

.RYAN O’ NEAL – BARBRA STREISAND

.JOHNNY DEPP – GWYNETH PALTROW

.MICHAEL DOUGLAS – KATHLEEN TURNER

.JAMES STEWART – CLAUDETTE COLBERT

.LAURENT MALET – ANNIE GIRARDOT

.DICK POWELL – OLIVIA DE HAVILLAND

.TOMMY STEELE – GERALDINE PAGE

.GEORGE BRENT – OLIVIA DE HAVILLAND

.MAURICE RONET – BRIGITTE BARDOT

.RAJESH KHANNA - SRIDEVI

.WILLIAM POWELL – MYRNA LOY

.ANTHONY PERKINS – ROMY SCHNEIDER

.MICKEY ROONEY – JUDY GARLAND

.RAJESH KHANNA - RAAKHEE

.SHAH RUKH KHAN - KAJOL

.RAAJ KUMAR – MEENA KUMARI

.MAHIPAL – ANITA GUHA

.RALPH FIENNES – JULIETTE BINOCHE

.ERROL FLYNN – OLIVIA DE HAVILLAND

.JOHN BOLES – BARBARA STANWYCK

.DHARMENDRA – MEENA KUMARI

.PETER FINCH – AUDREY HEPBURN

.MARLON BRANDO – KIM HUNTER

.MAURICE RONET – ROMY SCHNEIDER .

(P.S. - THE 2 PEOPLE WITH MOST ENTRIES IN THIS LIST, ARE-

RAJESH KHANNA OF INDIA WITH 8 ENTRIES, FOLLOWED BY ROMY SCHNEIDER OF AUSTRIA/FRANCE WITH 7 ENTRIES!)

[cinquecolonnemagazine]

Oscar: curiosità, numeri e record a poche ore dalla cerimonia

(Adnkronos) - Partiamo dal film italiano candidato come Miglior Film Internazionale alla 96esima cerimonia degli Oscar: 'Io capitano' è il trentatreesimo film italiano della storia candidato all’Oscar per il miglior film internazionale, quello che negli anni passati veniva chiamato 'film straniero'. Il regista Matteo Garrone è in gara per la prima volta: se dovesse vincere, diventerebbe il quindicesimo italiano nella storia dell’Academy, consolidando il nostro primato nella categoria. L’ultimo film italiano a vincere fu, dieci anni fa, 'La grande bellezza' di Paolo Sorrentino; l’ultimo candidato, nel 2022, 'È stata la mano di Dio', sempre di Sorrentino. Sul fronte delle interpretazioni, una curiosità riguarda le attrici candidate come migliori protagoniste del 2024. Emma Stone è infatti una delle grandi favorite per la sua interpretazione in 'Povere Creature'. Sarebbe la seconda volta per lei, dopo essersi aggiudicata nel 2017 lo stesso premio per 'La La Land': se vincesse, l'attrice entrerebbe a far parte di quelle pochissime e selezionatissime attrici che hanno conquistato due Oscar entro i 35 anni: Meryl Streep, Jodie Foster, Elizabeth Taylor, Bette Davis, Luise Rainer, Olivia de Havilland e Hilary Swank). Incredibilmente, nessun attore è mai riuscito nell'impresa. 'Povere creature!', il film di cui è protagonista la Stone, è il quinto film vincitore del Leone d’Oro dal 2017 a ricevere la candidatura per l’Oscar al miglior film, e con 11 candidature si piazza al secondo posto dopo il frontrunner 'Oppenheimer' (13). Per Yorgos Lanthimos è il secondo tentativo per agguantare il premio per la regia: in caso di vittoria sarebbe il primo di origini greche. Per il secondo anno consecutivo, il vincitore della Palma d’Oro è candidato all’Oscar per il miglior film: è 'Anatomia di una caduta', che non è stato selezionato dalla Francia per il miglior film internazionale (il designato The Taste of Thing è rimasto fuori) e ha poi raccolto 5 nomination, tutte importanti. 'Perfect Days' è invece il primo film di Wim Wenders in gara per l’Oscar al film internazionale. Il maestro tedesco, 79 anni il prossimo agosto, aveva ricevuto tre candidature per il miglior documentario (2000 con 'Buena Vista Social Club', 2012 con 'Pina' e 2015 con 'Il sale della terra'). 'Killers of the Flower Moon' con 10 nomination permette a Martin Scorsese di superare Steven Spielberg, diventando il regista in attività con il maggior numero di candidature (dieci, la prima nel 1980 con Toro scatenato; in bacheca ha solo una statuetta per The Departed, 2006). Meglio di lui solo William Wyler (12). Quest’anno è anche l’unico americano in cinquina (gli altri, oltre ai citati Lanthimos e Triet, sono i britannici Jonathan Glazer e Christopher Nolan). La sua protagonista, Lily Gladstone, diventa la prima nativa americana in corsa per l’Oscar alla miglior attrice. E Robert De Niro ottiene la nona nomination in carriera, l’ottava per l’interpretazione: il primo l’Oscar come miglior attore non protagonista lo vinse esattamente mezzo secolo fa con Il padrino – Parte II. Agli Oscar trionfa anche l'amore: ci sono ben quattro coppie nella vita e nel lavoro candidate agli Oscar 2024. Sono Christopher Nolan ed Emma Thomas, entrambi produttori di 'Oppenheimer'; Greta Gerwig e Noah Baumbach, sceneggiatori di 'Barbie'; Justine Triet e Arthur Harari, sceneggiatori di 'Anatomia di una caduta' e Margot Robbie e Tom Ackerley, candidati per la produzione sempre dello stesso film. John Williams, 92 anni il prossimo 8 febbraio, si conferma uomo dei record: il leggendario compositore, già vincitore di cinque Oscar, ottiene la nomination numero 54 grazie a Indiana Jones e il quadrante del destino, consolidando il primato assoluto come individuo vivente più nominato nella storia dell’Academy (meglio di lui solo Walt Disney con 59). E la cantautrice Diane Warren arriva a quota 15 con la canzone The Fire Inside da Flamin’ Hot: anche stavolta non sembra destinata alla vittoria, ma l’anno scorso l’Academy l’ha già ricompensata con un Oscar alla carriera. Jodie Foster, già vincitrice di due Oscar e in corsa come non protagonista per 'Nyad', ottiene la quinta nomination in quarantasette anni, a ventinove anni dall’ultimo tentativo. Annette Bening, protagonista di 'Nyad', mai premiata finora, prova l’assalto alla statuetta per la quinta volta in trentatré anni. E Bradley Cooper, grazie a 'Maestro' da lui diretto, prodotto, scritto e interpretato, arriva a 12 nomination in carriera. ---spettacoliwebinfo@adnkronos.com (Web Info) Foto fornita da AdnKronos Read the full article

[the-dubstep-strawberry]

Yeah, I can’t quite fathom how the shy, sweet, helpful civil rights attorney Margot also became a perpetually-wrathful force of pure vengeance who compulsively pokes Maxson just to watch him yell, immediately apologizes when she realizes she’s gone too far and that there might be Consequences… then dusts herself off like nothing happened and strides off in the manner of someone determined to fight Satan himself bare-handed in the Super-Duper Mart parking lot.

Girl, why are you like this?

If you cant think of at least one way in which your ocs personality is deeply aggravating to you, personally, you're doing it wrong

[crowdvscritic]

round up // JULY 20

New music is saving 2020! This is one of my most music-and-musical-heavy Round Ups yet, not even counting the Beverly Hills Cop theme I’ve been whistling and dancing to around my apartment this week. (Don’t judge—you’ll do it to if you watch any of those movies.) And speaking of movies, I’ve got three new movies from 2020 to recommend! When theatres reopen I might go every week even if there’s nothing I’m excited to see, but I’m thankful for VOD movies to tide me over in the meantime.

July Crowd-Pleasers

This Twitter Thread

I’ve laughed out loud so many times I don’t care if this thread is made up. An anonymous Frenchman is documenting the “adventures” of a British family with a vacation home next door and no clue what Brexit actually means. This journey is a sardonic roller coaster, but I appreciate this tweeter isn’t devoid of empathy.

The Lincoln Lawyer (2011)

An insanely satisfying legal thriller that will have you shouting at your TV. Matthew McConaughey is a hot shot lawyer who doesn’t care if his clients are guilty, but he starts to reconsider that position with his newest (Ryan Philippe). What seems like a cut-and-dry defense of a man wrongfully accused escalates into so much more. I’ll stay scant on the details so the twists can surprise you as much as they did me. Crowd: 9/10 // Critic: 8/10

Summer Jams

2020 has gotten, um, a bad reputation, but I’d like to give it a shout-out for one of the best years of summer pop music in a long time. The last time I remember jamming to this many songs on the radio was 2013, the summer of “Mirrors,” “Get Lucky,” “Roar,” and “I Love It.” Thanks to Harry Styles, Lady Gaga, the Jonas Brothers, and Doja Cat, I keep flipping through radio stations looking for the next new song that will make me bop. Enjoy a round up of my favorite summer songs of 2020 so far on Spotify above.

Focus (2015)

As noted last month, I love when a heist movie can pull a fast one on me. Focus may not be a creative height of either Will Smith’s or Margot Robbie’s careers, but it’s a romantic and funny story of two con artists with just enough plot twists to keep me guessing. Crowd: 8.5/10 // Critic: 7/10

Love Crazy (1941)

William Powell and Myrna Loy appeared in 14 movies together, and their chemistry in this zany romantic comedy shows us why. The premise starts with their married characters planning an eccentric anniversary celebration, but somehow it escalates to a legal declaration of his insanity. (Unlike My Man Godfrey, Powell is the comic instead of the straight man this time.) While how we talk about mental health has changed much in the last 80 years, this comedy is so screwball it can’t be taken seriously as commentary. Crowd: 8/10 // Critic: 7.5/10

Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953)

Marilyn Monroe and Jane Russell star in a musical light on songs but huge on charm, laughs, and diamonds. In a perfect world, we would have gotten more musicals directed by Howard Hawks, but if we could only have one, this is proof we’re not living in the darkest timeline. Crowd: 8.5/10 // Critic: 8.5/10

Double Feature — Very Silly Spoofs: Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975) + The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad! (1988)

I’m very late to both of the parties for Monty Python (Crowd: 9/10 // Critic: 8.5/10) and The Naked Gun (Crowd: 9.5/10 // Critic: 8/10), so all I need to say about these absurd comedies is the hype didn’t ruin them for me.

Fast & Furious (2009)

In a strange turn of events, I finally succumbed to watching all Fast and Furious flicks. (Blame it on quarantine.) While my favorite remains the spin-off Hobbs & Shaw (maybe because it’s so unlike a normal movie in this franchise, sorry), the fourth movie is another highlight. It features one of the best character team-ups before the stunts become hilariously unrealistic and acknowledges some of the moral complexities of the plot, which is surprisingly uncharacteristic for a movie series about, um, criminals. Crowd: 9/10 // Critic: 7/10

Double Feature — Action Crime Movies Based on True Stories in the ‘70s: Donnie Brasco (1997) + The Bank Job (2008)

In, Donnie Brasco (Crowd: 8.5/10 // Critic: 8/10), Johnny Depp is an FBI agent undercover in the Mob, keeping an eye on Al Pacino. In The Bank Job (Crowd: 8.5 // Critic: 7.5/10), Jason Statham is caught up in an MI6 plot to save political face by breaking into a London bank. Both are tense, twisty, and somehow true.

Jim Gaffigan: Cinco (2017)

While he’s best known for jokes about food, I’ll always appreciate how his self-deprecating jokes are never really just about his appearance or his many children, though he’s funny enough he could get away with that.

Covers by Switchfoot (2020)

Harry Styles! Vampire Weekend! My music tastes past and present collide in this album of bops Switchfoot covered this year.

Beverly Hills Cop III (1994)

This is really just a plug to watch all three Beverly Hills Cop movies for Eddie Murphy at his funniest, Judge Reinhold at his most underrated, and a score so catchy you’ll be dancing to it for days. Crowd: 9/10 // Critic: 7/10

July Critic Picks

Hamilton (2020)

Who knew? Listening to the Hamilton soundtrack is not the same as watching it in the room where it happens. I reviewed the filmed production with the original cast for ZekeFilm, which was a treat since my May theatre tickets were cancelled. At least we’re not dealing with formal duels in 2020! Crowd: 9/10 // Critic: 10/10

Double Feature — Journalism Films Based on True Stories in the ‘70s: All the President’s Men (1976) + Zodiac (2007)

Maybe it’s just because I have a degree in Journalism, but I appreciate a story about a good story. In All the President’s Men (Crowd: 8.5/10 // Critic: 10/10), Robert Redford and Dustin Hoffman are digging into the Watergate scandal at The Washington Post even when no one else thinks there’s anything to investigate. On the opposite coast in Zodiac (Crowd: 9/10 // Critic: 9/10), Jake Gyllenhaal and Robert Downey Jr. are hunting the Zodiac Killer at the San Francisco Chronicle with the help of police officer Mark Ruffalo. This double feature focuses on reporters so committed to their work it comes at personal cost, but it highlights the need for people who are that committed to the truth to make our society function.

Greyhound (2020)

It is a truth universally acknowledged that a studio in possession of a good World War II script must be in want of Tom Hanks, and we can always feel the warmest gratitude for any means of uniting them. I reviewed the film Hanks wrote himself for ZekeFilm. Crowd: 8.5/10 // Critic: 9/10

Dark Waters (2019)

Mark Ruffalo plays a real-life lawyer who helped investigate DuPont and change legislation on chemicals. A different kind of legal thriller than The Lincoln Lawyer, but yet another movie confirming Mark Ruffalo is a treasure. Crowd: 8.5/10 // Critic: 9/10

These Pieces on How We Interact With Media

I’m a believer in good journalism (see above), so I appreciate when writers do some self-examination on their own craft. I’ve been on an Instagram break the last few months because it’s been contributing to an anxiety spiral re: world events. It’s easy to talk in hyperbole, to complain, and to dehumanize others on the Internet, and I know I’m guilty of all three, so kudos to these writers for speaking on them.

“The Power of Media and Misinformation in the Age of Coronavirus,” DarlingMagazine.org (April 20)

“My Big Old Rant,” SeanDietrich.com (July 10)

“Kanye West and the Media Are Once Again Playing a Dangerous Game,” Vulture.com (July 13)

Brightest Blue by Ellie Goulding (2020)

You might know Ellie for her electro-pop hits, but I’ve always preferred her ballads that let her unique vocals shine. Brightest Blue is another collection of both styles, and it’s another strong outing from one of my favorite singers.

West Side Story by Richard Barrios (2020)

The making of West Side Story is a classic collision between art and commerce. This new Turner Classic Movies book details the many conflicts between the creative team, cast, and financiers to make one of the most beloved musicals and most Oscar-winning films in history, and you might be surprised it made it to the screen at all after reading it.

The Vast of Night (2020)

The Twilight Zone-esque movie is all about some weird happenings over the airwaves in a small town. Two high school students, one a nighttime radio host and the other a phone operator, team up to investigate a mysterious noise they’re hearing. The filmmaking is unconventional but gripping, and the story has major Stranger Things vibes, which is only helped by the fact that one of the stars looks a lot like Sadie Sink. (FYI, her name is actually Sierra McCormick.) Crowd: 8.5/10 // Critic: 8.5/10

folklore by Taylor Swift (2020)

It’s tricky to put into words what new music from Taylor Swift means to me because her words have been part of my life for over a decade and I admire what she shares of her creative process so much. Her unexpected eighth album is nothing like Lover—instead it’s a sonic and poetic continuation of songs and themes from Fearless and RED, her two most sock-me-in-the-gut-and-how-did-you-get-a-hold-of-my-journal collections. Just 11 months ago she released an album I said was her best yet, but I’m saying it again and even faster than last time.

Bonus: Enjoy this piece about the inspiration for her song “Last Great American Dynasty” from St. Louis Magazine.

Westworld (1973)

Before Jurassic Park, Michael Chrichton wrote and directed another sci-fi adventure set at a theme park with a Hunger Games flair. Here we go to a Western-themed resort where almost-human robots serve patrons’ every whim—that is, until they start rewriting their programming.  At least we aren’t dealing with homicidal robot cowboys in 2020! Crowd: 9/10 // Critic: 9/10

Also in July…

I wrote a tribute to Olivia de Havilland after her passing at 104. She’s best known as Melanie in Gone With the Wind, but I’ll argue that’s not the best showcase of her talent.

The Best Picture Project continues with Clark Gable! He starred in 1934’s It Happened One Night and 1935’s Mutiny on the Bounty, but I’m only recommending one of them for your viewing pleasure. You can scroll a little further back or read the reviews here:

It Happened One Night – Crowd // Critic

Mutiny on the Bounty – Crowd // Critic

On SO IT’S A SHOW?, our pop culture references spanned 250 years with 1976’s Rocky and the 1726 novel Gulliver’s Travels. We found a crazy number of connections between Gilmore Girls actor Milo Ventimiglia and Sylvester Stallone, and we figured out what the hey the word “brobdingnagian” means. 

You can keep up with everything I’m watching in real time on Letterboxd, where I’ve rounded up my favorite journalism films, including All the President’s Men, It Happened One Night, and Zodiac.

Images: Switchfoot, Media, Ellie Goulding, West Side Story. all others IMDb.com.

[coolhandlook]

25 Favorite Horror Films (as of November 2017)

1. The Shining (1980; director: Stanley Kubrick; stars: Jack Nicholson, Shelley Duvall, Danny Lloyd, Scatman Crothers)

2. The Omen (1976; director: Richard Donner; stars: Gregory Peck, Lee Remick, Harvey Stephens)

3. Psycho (1960; director: Alfred Hitchcock; stars: Anthony Perkins, Janet Leigh, Vera Miles, Martin Balsam)

4. Rosemary’s Baby (1968; director: Roman Polanski; stars: Mia Farrow, John Cassavetes, Ruth Gordon, Sidney Blackmer, Ralph Bellamy)

5. Nosferatu (“Nosferatu, eine Symphonie des Grauens”) (1922; director: F.W. Murnau; stars: Max Schreck, Greta Schroder, Ruth Landshoff)

6. Carnival of Souls (1962; director: Herk Harvey; stars: Candace Hilligoss, Frances Feist, Sidney Berger)

7. Frankenstein (1931; director: James Whale; stars: Boris Karloff, Colin Clive, Mae Clarke)

8. Night of the Living Dead (1968; director: George A. Romero; stars: Duane Jones, Judith O'Dea, Karl Hardman, Marilyn Eastman, Keith Wayne, Judith Ridley, Kyra Schon)

9. The Silence of the Lambs (1991; director: Jonathan Demme; stars: Jodie Foster, Anthony Hopkins)

10. Alien (1979; director: Ridley Scott; stars: Sigourney Weaver, Tom Skerritt, Veronica Cartwright, Harry Dean Stanton, John Hurt, Ian Holm, Yaphet Kotto)

11. Repulsion (1965; director: Roman Polanski; stars: Catherine Deneuve, Ian Hendry, John Fraser, Yvonne Furneaux)

12. The Wicker Man (1973; director: Robin Hardy; stars: Edward Woodward, Christopher Lee, Diane Cilento, Britt Ekland)

13. Hush ... Hush, Sweet Charlotte (1964; director: Robert Aldrich; stars: Bette Davis, Olivia de Havilland, Joseph Cotten)

14. The Innocents (1961; director: Jack Clayton; stars: Deborah Kerr, Peter Wyngarde, Martin Stephens, Pamela Franklin)

15. The VVitch (2015; director: Robert Eggers; stars: Anya Taylor-Joy, Ralph Ineson, Kate Dickie, Harvey Scrimshaw, Ellie Grainger, Lucas Dawson)

16. The Sixth Sense (1999; director: M. Night Shyamalan; stars: Bruce Willis, Haley Joel Osment, Toni Collette, Olivia Williams)

17. The Bride of Frankenstein (1935; director: James Whale; stars: Boris Karloff, Colin Clive, Ernest Thesiger, Elsa Lanchester)

18. Let the Right One In (2008; director: Tomas Alfredson; stars: Kåre Hedebrant, Lina Leandersson, Per Ragnar)

19. Village of the Damned (1960; director: Wolf Rilla; stars: George Sanders, Barbara Shelley, Michael Gwynn, Martin Stephens)

20. Black Christmas (1974; director: Bob Clark; stars: Olivia Hussey, Keir Dullea, Margot Kidder, John Saxon)

21. The Thing (1982; director: John Carpenter; stars: Kurt Russell, Wilford Brimley, Keith David)

22. Don’t Look Now (1973; director: Nicolas Roeg; stars: Julie Christie, Donald Sutherland, Hilary Mason, Clelia Matania)

23. Halloween (1978; director: John Carpenter; stars: Donald Pleasence, Jamie Lee Curtis, Tony Moran)

24. The Haunting (1963; director: Robert Wise; stars: Julie Harris, Claire Bloom, Richard Johnson, Russ Tamblyn)

25. The Bad Seed (1956; director: Mervyn LeRoy; stars: Nancy Kelly, Patty McCormack, Henry Jones)

I’m a pretty new convert to the horror movie genre. For a long time I avoided them altogether. But, somewhere along the line I developed a love for the Universal Monsters (especially any of the Frankenstein films, sequels, spin-offs and mash-ups), which led me to watch other older horror films (like The Haunting and The Innocents), which has finally led to an appreciation for the early slasher films (like Black Christmas and Halloween). I’ve developed an appreciation for the psychological thriller (Repulsion), the horror film as social commentary (Night of the Living Dead) and the horror film as art piece (Nosferatu, The VVitch). This is a list of favorites and not necessarily what I consider the best horror movies of all time (though some of these definitely fall within that category). These are films that either make me think, make me feel or make me scream — or sometimes all three.

[tresfoufou]

judithtraherne:

Birth Name: Ruth Elizabeth Davis

Stage Name: Bette Davis

Nicknames: The Fifth Warner Brother, The First Lady of Film

Birthday: April 5, 1908

Age: Died on October 6, 1989 at the age of 81 from metastasized breast cancer

Height: 5’ 3”

Place of Birth: Lowell, Massachusetts

Parents: Harlow Morell Davis & Ruth Augusta (Favor) Davis

Siblings: Barbara “Bobby” Davis

Husbands: Harmon Nelson (1932-38), Arthur Farnsworth (1940-43), William Grant Sherry (1945-1950), Gary Merrill (1950-1960)

Children: B.D. Hyman, Margot Merrill, Michael Merrill

Famous Friends: Olivia de Havilland, William Wyler, Joan Blondell, Mary Astor, Claude Raines, George Brent

Breakthrough Role: Mildred Rogers in Of Human Bondage

Famous Roles:

Mildred Rogers in Of Human Bondage (1934)

Judith Traherne in Dark Victory (1939)

Charlotte Vale in Now, Voyager (1942)

Margo Channing in All About Eve (1950)

Baby Jane Hudson in What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? (1962)

Awards: 22 Wins & 19 Nominations

Academy Award for Best Actress in Leading Role (1935) for Dangerous

Academy Award for Best Actress in Leading Role (1938) for Jezebel

Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited series or a Special (1979) Strangers: The Story of a Mother and Daughter

Famous For: Smoking, Demands on & off the set

You Should Definitely Check Out: Anything & everything Bette has ever done.

[the-dubstep-strawberry]

I'd never considered switching Margot's area of practice to PI. But I am now.

"Have you been in a nuclear accident at work? Is your boss refusing you compensation because you're now a Centaur? If so, you may be entitled to compensation! Call 1-800-AAARRGH today!"

Fun idea:

Sole survivor only instead of a nice normal lawyer she is one of those extra, over the top, ads during Jerry Springer, ambulance chasing personal injury lawyers.

[dannyreviews]

Cinema Legends Between 95-105 + Years Old Still Alive (as of 5/3/2017)

Marguerite Allan - actress (b. 1909)?

Mario Sequi - director, screenwriter (b. 1910 or 1913)?

Ruthie Tompson - animator (b. 1910 or 1912)

Yuaka Sada - actor (b. 1911)

Rene Siminot - dubbing actress (b. 1911)

Urho Harkola - actor (b. 1911)

Mary Carlisle  - actress (b. 1912 or 1914)

Connie Sawyer - actress (b. 1912)

Katsumi Tezuka - actor (b. 1912)

Viola Smith -  musician, actress (b. 1912)

Robert Goodier - actor (b. 1912)?

Don Lusk - animator, director (b. 1913)

Milton Quon - animator (b. 1913)

Julie Gibson - actress (b. 1913)

Pappukutty Bhagavathar - actor, singer (b. 1913)

Gisele Casadesus - actress (b. 1914) † 9/25/2017

Norman Lloyd - actor, producer, director (b. 1914)

Gertrude Jeannette - actress, screenwriter (b. 1914)

Fred Fox - soundtrack musician (b. 1914)

Alfredo Varelli - actor (b. 1914)

Norman Spencer - producer (b. 1914)

Maciej Maciejewski - actor (b. 1914)

Mary Ward - actress (b. 1915)

Patricia Morison - actress (b. 1915)

Herman Wouk - novelist, screenwriter (b. 1915)

Nini Theilade - dancer, actress (b. 1915)

Ramananda Sengupta - cinematographer (b. 1915) † 8/23/2017

Mag Bodard - producer (b. 1916)

Olivia De Havilland - actress (b. 1916)

Kirk Douglas - actor (b. 1916)

Sam Beazley - actor (b. 1916) † 6/12/2017

Eric Bentley - screenwriter, playwright (b. 1916)

Elisa Stella - actress (b. 1916)

Beverly Cleary - novelist, screenwriter (b. 1916)

Jean Erdman - choreographer (b. 1916)

Sumiko Mizukubo - actress (b. 1916)?

Harriet Frank Jr. - screenwriter (b. 1917)

Danielle Darrieux -  actress (b. 1917)

Vera Lynn - singer, actress (b. 1917)

Earl Cameron - actor (b. 1917)

June Foray - actress (b. 1917) † 7/26/2017

Marsha Hunt - actress (b. 1917)

Suzy Delair - actress (b. 1917)

Lee Miller - actor (b. 1917)

Lise Nørgaard - novelist, screenwriter (b. 1917)

Bea Wain - singer (b. 1917) † 8/19/2017

Hilde Zadek - opera singer, actress (b. 1917)

Anne Hegira - actress (b. 1917)

Helen Burns - actress (b. 1917)

Anna Campori - actress (b. 1917)

Fay McKenzie - actress (b. 1918)

Shinobu Hasimoto - screenwriter (b. 1918)

Alice Provensen - animator (b. 1918)

Artur Brauner - producer (b. 1918)

Baby Peggy - actress (b. 1918)

Bob Schiller - screenwriter (b. 1918) † 10/10/2017

Bob Givens - animator (b. 1918)

Murray Westgate - actor (b. 1918)

Ivy Bethune - actress (b. 1918)

Helen Hughes - actress (b. 1918)

Anneliese Uhlig - actress (b. 1918) † 6/17/2017

Dusty Anderson - actress (b. 1918)

Guje Lagerwall - actress (b. 1918)

Eloise Hardt - actress (b. 1918)

Doreen Turner - actress (b. 1918)

Jeanne Manet - actress (b. 1918)

Sid Ramin - composer (b. 1919)

Xavier Atencio - animator (b. 1919) † 9/10/2017

Lester James Peries - director, screenwriter (b. 1919)

Nehemiah Persoff - actor (b. 1919)

Walter Bernstein - screenwriter (b. 1919)

Margot Hielscher - actress (b. 1919) † 8/20/2017

Marge Champion - actress, dancer (b. 1919)

Joachim Tomaschewsky - actor (b. 1919)

Joe Masteroff - playwright (b.1919)

Dorothy Morrison - actress (b. 1919)

Louise Watson - actress (b. 1919)

Caren Marsh - dancer, actress (b. 1919)

Grace Albertson - actress (b. 1919)

Betty Brodel - singer, actress (b. 1919)

Sono Osato - dancer, actress (b. 1919)

Sheila Mercier - actress (b. 1919)

Jack Costanzo - musician, actor (b. 1919 or 1922)

Norma Miller - dancer, actress (b. 1919)

Alfie Scopp - actor (b. 1919)

Helen Shingler - actress (b. 1919)

Doris Merrick - actress (b. 1919)

William O. Harbach - producer, director, actor (b. 1919)

Doug Young - actor (b. 1919)

Julian Zimet - screenwriter (b. 1919)

Michael Anderson - director (b. 1920)

Lewis Gilbert  - director (b. 1920)

Jerry Maren - actor (b. 1920)

Doris Merrick - actress (b. 1920)

Kathryn Adams - actress (b. 1920)

Don Kennedy - actor (b. 1920)

Lassie Lou Ahern - actress (b. 1920)

Noah Keen - actor (b. 1920)

Victor Platt - actor (b. 1920)

Nanette Fabray - actress (b. 1920)

Kate Murtagh - actress (b. 1920)

Franca Valeri - actress (b. 1920)

Jack Edwards - actor (b. 1920)

Anita Kert Ellis - actress, singer (b. 1920)

Norma Barzman - screenwriter (b. 1920)

Sergio Mendizábal - actor (b. 1920)

A. E. Hotchner - novelist, screenwriter, playwright (b. 1920)

Bill Gold - film poster creator (b. 1921)

Carol Channing - actress (b. 1921)

Peter Sallis - actor (b. 1921) † 6/2/2017

Herbert Ellis - actor (b. 1921)

Josip Elic - actor (b. 1921)

Ruth de Souza - actress (b. 1921)

Jack Rader - actor (b. 1921)

Geoffrey Copleston - actor (b. 1921)

Geoffrey Chater - actor (b. 1921)

Bill Butler - cinematographer (b. 1921)

Muriel Pavlow - actress (b. 1921)

Monty Hall - game show host (b. 1921) † 9/30/2017

Harry Landers - actor (b. 1921)

Walter Mirisch - producer (b. 1921)

Tom Felleghy - actor (b. 1921)

Teddi Sherman - screenwriter (b. 1921)

Betty White - actress (b. 1922)

Ray Anthony - musician, actor (b. 1922)

Denis Norden - screenwriter (b. 1922)

Carl Reiner - actor, director, screenwriter (b. 1922)

Marty Allen - actor, comedian (b. 1922)

Doris Day - actress, singer (b. 1922)

Mundell Lowe - composer (b. 1922)

William Phipps - actor (b. 1922)

Margia Dea - actress (b. 1922)

Helen Mowery - actress (b. 1922)

[citizenscreen]

Special guest post by Jeff Lundenberger @jlundenberger

My Feud with Feud

When the ads for Feud: Bette and Joan began to appear I considered watching it, thinking it was a made for TV movie — this despite the fact that the image of Jessica Lange and Susan Sarandon posed as Joan Crawford and Bette Davis in a promotional photo for Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?, made me think of two children playing dress up. When I discovered it was a series I decided that I definitely would not tune in. I’m a commitment-phobe when it comes to television series. I try to limit my TV viewing time and the thought of having to set aside one hour each week for the length of a series season makes me terribly anxious. It’s much more comforting for me to turn on TCM. Ninety-nine per cent of the time it will be something I’ll watch. And if it’s not, I have a DVR crowded with TCM movies going back several years. (As for my difficulty making a selection from that group, well, that’s another story.)

I was also put off by the fact that the series was created by Ryan Murphy, of American Horror Story fame, a show that I didn’t find appealing. I tried a few episodes of the first season at the urging of my sister but the violence, something my younger self would have relished, had me averting my eyes and squirming in my seat. I turned on an episode from a different season a few years later to see if anything, including my taste, had changed. The subject was a freak show and I couldn’t even watch the entire hour. The production seemed oddly lackluster, the story pretentious.

My husband started watching Feud from the beginning and he loved it. I read an intriguing interview with Lange in which she talked about the attempt by those concerned with the production to humanize the characters, placing their struggles firmly in the male-dominant, ageist Hollywood of the time. Finally, I received a text from a Joan and Bette-loving friend asking me if I was watching what he described as a weekly Christmas gift. All resistance crushed, I watched episodes 1, 2 and 3 in one sitting.

I’ve been a fan of Jessica Lange and Susan Sarandon since they first appeared on the scene in the 1970s but, lets face it, Joan Crawford and Bette Davis have some pretty big shoes to fill, especially if the viewer was, like myself, a fan of those two actors well before the arrival of King Kong and The Rocky Horror Picture Show. When we met, my first long-term boyfriend told me that I reminded him of Hank Fonda. Hank Fonda, Bill Holden, he threw the names of stars around as if they had been high school classmates. Ridiculous as it seems, we feel like we know them all intimately. How many times have I watched Mildred Pierce and All About Eve, The Women and Now, Voyager? Mildred and Margo and Crystal and Charlotte are only characters in movies, but my familiarity with them and my knowledge of their creators — from books, magazines, talk shows, and, yes, their films — grants me, in my mind, at least, some insight into the personal worlds of Crawford and Davis. Could Lange and Sarandon possibly live up to my perceptions and expectations?

The show’s 8 episodes have finished and I’m still on the fence. I thought the last episode the best and I’ll go into that more, but as for the show in general: Lange and Sarandon are fine as Joan and Bette. Lange’s voice is a bit soft for my idea of Joan but she never wavers from that peculiar, precise diction of Crawford’s, while Sarandon captures Davis’ clipped delivery and abrupt mannerisms. But I also have, to a lesser extent, a viewer’s intimacy with both Lange and Sarandon and I watch and listen carefully — where do those two end, Joan and Bette begin?  Do these interpretations at all match up with the interpretations I have in my head? Lange or Sarandon utter a line and I immediately run it through my filter: does this sound like my Bette or Joan?

One scene with Davis and ex-husband Gary Merrill (Mark Valley) struck me as feeling painfully realistic. Merrill angers Davis and they begin braying at each other when, suddenly, both burst out laughing at the battle that has obviously been a constant in their lives together, perhaps the basis of their relationship. Crawford’s dressing room attempt to convince Anne Bancroft (Serinda Swan) to allow Crawford to accept Bancroft’s Oscars were she to win — flattering, cajoling, insinuating — seemed utterly realistic. But there were also moments that left me cold. Nothing specific, just a vague mistrust, as if the creators were more interested in effect than intent.

The performances of Alfred Molina as Robert Aldrich, Stanley Tucci as Jack Warner and Dominic Burgess as Victor Buono are convincing but, of course, I’m not nearly as familiar with those men. I sense a bit of Joan Blondell in the performance of Kathy Bates, but Olivia de Havilland is nowhere to be found under the blonde wig of Catherine Zeta-Jones. Jackie Hoffman’s Mamacita and Judy Davis’ Hedda Hopper are more caricature than character. Grim and stoic, Mamacita has no subtlety. She might have been an escapee from Ilsa, She Wolf of the SS. And while I’m an admirer of Judy Davis, she doesn’t seem to be able to pull a person out of the sartorial flamboyance that defines the gossip columnist. Then again, if Hopper’s actions in the series are at all to be believed, perhaps she wasn’t human at all.

Other “real” characters pass in and out of the story – Gregory Peck, Geraldine Page, Rip Torn, Patty Duke, George Cukor, to name but a few — some more effective than others. John Waters appears as producer/director William Castle, turning that scene into utter camp while humiliating poor Joan in the process. Crawford’s twin daughters show up several times, as the teenage version of the murdered sisters of the Overlook Hotel.

But does it all work? Perhaps it’s my unfamiliarity with modern TV series but I find an hour each week to be too long. Dense with self-conscious detail, I’m worn out by the end of each episode, wanting to know what will happen next while at the same time relieved that I no longer have to notice that it is Aqua Net hairspray and Dickinson’s witch hazel being used by the stars. It’s Joan and Bette, the graphic novel, elaborate and over-blown, the costumes too costume-y, the sets too perfect, the attitude too proud of its own cleverness. But it is also fun. Sarandon as Davis performing a silly Whatever Happened to Baby Jane? song on the Mike Douglas show seemed just too good to be true — until the original video was trending on social media the following day.

And then came that final episode, which came closest to finding a kernel of authenticity and some kind of longed-for, idealized truth. We saw Joan at home, alone, cooking, drinking, cancelling a lunch date because she is unable to zip up her dress. Bette at home with Victor Buono, who questions the reasoning behind her continued attempts at landing a television series. Joan with her dentist who recommends a denture that she refuses. Bette’s doctor urges her to give up smoking, with the same result. Joan endures humiliation after humiliation while shooting her final film, Trog. Bette maintains a game face during the Dean Martin Roast. The subject of Christina’s book comes up in a conversation with Joan and her other daughter, Cathy, who tenderly comforts her. Bette spends time with her brain-damaged daughter Margot after being berated and dismissed by her other daughter B.D. The two have much in common at this stage in their lives, both touched by longing, sadness and the realities of old age.

But there’s more to it than that. In a Lynchian dream sequence Joan wakes up in the middle of the night and hears voices coming from her living room, where she finds Hedda Hopper and Jack Warner drinking, laughing and playing cards. She takes a place at the table with them, now in full makeup and dress. With biting humor they recall the past, struggle, triumph and pain. Bette arrives and takes her place at the table opposite Joan who is, at first, insulted by Bette’s presence. But it is Bette who asks Hopper and Warner to apologize to Joan for the miseries they have caused her. They consent but both, finally, are incapable of saying “I’m sorry.”

Hopper and Warner depart while Bette talks Joan into playing a game of Wishes and Regrets, “The only game I know” says Davis. Joan pulls a pip card and says, with sincerity, “I’m sorry I wasn’t more generous with you.” Bette pulls a face card and responds “I wish I’d been a friend to you.” Mamacita wakes Joan from her trance and returns her to bed. Touching and wistful, Joan’s dream, but could that have been her real attitude towards Bette after all the hostility they had shown one another?

Bette’s real response certainly might have been different. Later in the episode she answers a telephone call and is informed of Crawford’s death. Asked for a comment she replies “My mother always said don’t say anything bad about the dead. Joan Crawford is dead. Good.” But there is ambiguity in her face. Is she saying this because she feels it, or is she saying it because that is what she thinks she would be expected to say? The series ends at the beginning, the two stars in their studio chairs at the start of production of Baby Jane, hoping to become friends. Wishful thinking? Who knows.

Faye Dunaway is mentioned ironically in the final episode, and it’s all but impossible to talk about Joan Crawford, post-Mommie Dearest, without bringing up Dunaway’s portrayal of her. Has there ever been another movie with a more determined and driven star surrounded by such mediocrity? Dunaway’s Crawford is riveting but the other actors are unable to rise above the dull cinematography, the bad editing or the banal script. I watched the film recently and was struck by the overblown grandeur of the performance, but also its touches of subtlety and, dare I say, reality? This is, after all, not the Crawford of Feud but the Crawford of Christina, an angry, troubled, driven women seen through the eyes of her child. For better or worse, Dunaway’s performance, crafted from a rib tugged from Crawford’s own work in Johnny Guitar, defined the woman in a way that has stuck since the film’s release in 1981. It will be interesting to see if Lange’s Crawford, or Sarandon’s Davis for that matter, has the power to maintain such longevity.

◊

About the author: Jeff Lundenberger is an avid classic film fan, was a TCMFF Social Producer and is active across social media sharing his love of movies. You can follow Jeff on Twitter and Instagram @jlundenberger. I was thrilled when he agreed to share his thoughts on Feud on this blog and cannot wait to share my own thoughts in the comments below. I hope you’ll do the same.

  My Feud with FEUD Special guest post by Jeff Lundenberger @jlundenberger My Feud with Feud When the ads for Feud: Bette and Joan…

[the-dubstep-strawberry]

Newly introduced since I last made this post:

Alice de Havilland (Fallout 76):

OC Dancing Meme

OCs dancing meme: how do your OCs dance, expressed through the medium of gifs

Tagged by @fancyladssnacks​, thank you darling!

Margot de Havilland (Fallout 4):

Scribe Gwendolyn “Gwen” Harper (Fallout 4):

Elle [Last Name Redacted] (Fallout 4)

Team X-Ray:

Bonus: Suma’aj the Dragonborn (Skyrim)

[the-dubstep-strawberry]

Dubs' OC Poll

Margot de Havilland (faceclaim: Hedy Lamarr):

Elle [Last Name Redacted] (faceclaim: Elizabeth Taylor)

Paladin Henry Rex (faceclaim: Michael Biehn) and Team X-Ray:

Scribe Gwen Harper (faceclaim: Grace Kelly):

Alice de Havilland (faceclaim: Eleanor Tomlinson)

Houshanou (a.k.a. Courier 6) (faceclaim: Rila Fukushima)

Squire Phoebe Iona Woods, aged 4 (faceclaim: Carrie Henn):

[the-dubstep-strawberry]

Our Bond Is Steel (381972 words) by Dubstep_Strawberry Chapters: 23/? Fandom: Fallout 4, Fallout (Video Games) Rating: Mature Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con Relationships: Paladin Danse/Female Sole Survivor Characters: Paladin Danse, Female Sole Survivor, Sole Survivor Margot de Havilland, Nick Valentine, Piper Wright, Preston Garvey, Cait (Fallout), Deacon (Fallout), Robert Joseph MacCready, Curie (Fallout), John Hancock (Fallout), Dogmeat, X6-88, Codsworth (Fallout), Synth Shaun, The AntAgonizer, Arthur Maxson, Scribe Gwen Harper (OC), Scribe Haylen, Knight Rhys, Squire Phoebe Woods (OC), Knight-Sergeant Jane Ellens (OC), Knight Curtis Belasco (OC), Paladin Henry Rex (OC), Team X-Ray, Jun Long, Marcy Long, Mama Murphy, Sturges (Fallout) Additional Tags: Action & Romance, Grief/Mourning, Falling In Love, Ants Will Inherit The Earth… Maybe, Laughably Bad Disguises, Hurt/Comfort, Crazed Cultists, Speech Skill 100, Emotional Trauma/Loss, Arranged Marriage, Unlikely Friendship/Empathy, Love Confessions, Canon-Typical Violence, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, Awkward Conversations, Corporal Punishment, A Night at the Drive-In, Not The Spoilers!, Damn These Interruptions, Your Very Own TV Station, Fluff & Angst, Mutual Pining, Shakespeare-Grade Misunderstandings, Friends To Enemies To Frenemies…, … And Back Again, Marriage, Diplomacy (Or The Lack Thereof), Espionage, Torture, Suicide Attempts, Execution, Unethical Experimentation, Flashbacks & Nightmares, Military Funeral, Not The Bees! Summary:

When the Institute sought to redefine mankind, Danse and the Sole Survivor both got caught in the crossfire. Together, they're trying to pick up the pieces of their past and build a new future. Their bond is stronger than steel; their loyalty runs deeper than blood. But a new menace is spreading across the Commonwealth, a desperate search for answers only seems to raise more questions, and even the ties that bind them may not be enough to hold them together. Can they survive the rise of the AntAgonizer, or will the ants inherit the Earth and trample their world underfoot?

[the-dubstep-strawberry]

Chapters: 22/? Fandom: Fallout 4, Fallout (Video Games) Rating: Mature Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con Relationships: Paladin Danse/Female Sole Survivor Characters: Paladin Danse, Female Sole Survivor, Sole Survivor Margot de Havilland, Nick Valentine, Piper Wright, Preston Garvey, Cait (Fallout), Deacon (Fallout), Robert Joseph MacCready, Curie (Fallout), John Hancock (Fallout), Dogmeat, X6-88, Codsworth (Fallout), Synth Shaun, The AntAgonizer, Arthur Maxson, Scribe Gwen Harper (OC), Scribe Haylen, Knight Rhys, Squire Phoebe Woods (OC), Knight-Sergeant Jane Ellens (OC), Knight Curtis Belasco (OC), Paladin Henry Rex (OC), Team X-Ray, Jun Long, Marcy Long, Mama Murphy, Sturges (Fallout) Additional Tags: Action & Romance, Grief/Mourning, Falling In Love, Ants Will Inherit The Earth... Maybe, Laughably Bad Disguises, Hurt/Comfort, Crazed Cultists, Speech Skill 100, Emotional Trauma/Loss, Arranged Marriage, Unlikely Friendship/Empathy, Love Confessions, Canon-Typical Violence, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, Awkward Conversations, Corporal Punishment, A Night at the Drive-In, Not The Spoilers!, Damn These Interruptions, Your Very Own TV Station, Fluff & Angst, Mutual Pining, Shakespeare-Grade Misunderstandings, Friends To Enemies To Frenemies..., ... And Back Again, Marriage, Diplomacy (Or The Lack Thereof), Espionage, Torture, Suicide Attempts, Execution, Unethical Experimentation, Flashbacks & Nightmares, Military Funeral, Not The Bees! Summary:

When the Institute sought to redefine mankind, Danse and the Sole Survivor both got caught in the crossfire. Together, they're trying to pick up the pieces of their past and build a new future. Their bond is stronger than steel; their loyalty runs deeper than blood. But a new menace is spreading across the Commonwealth, a desperate search for answers only seems to raise more questions, and even the ties that bind them may not be enough to hold them together. Can they survive the rise of the AntAgonizer, or will the ants inherit the Earth and trample their world underfoot?