#Outstanding Screenplays

[aci25]

The more screenplays you read from this list, the better understanding you'll have of what it takes to write an Outstanding Screenplay.

Is your favorite screenplay on the list? 🤔

[roachymochi]

7 episodes in.

Shoujo Kageki Revue Starlight has me going insane over it and I'm only at episode 2. I decided to watch it after reading a post somewhere saying it had the vibes of an Ikuhara show and boy, did it deliver. I definitely see the stylistic inspirations at least.

But Oh god the Themes. The girls are all living in light and learning together to become theater girls and shine on stage but the whole thing is rigged. The top star candidate are actually chosen secretly by a mysterious character (the only man in the whole cast) and pitted against each other in a competition that seems designed for the express purpose of isolating them. All so they can "fullfill their destiny" to shine for an unseen audience. It's all so alienating.

And then you have Karen, a typical friendly but talentless protagonist who goes against the whole system by wanting to be a star with someone else. And she force her way into the system where she was uninvited (obviously, she's too social to be groomed) and completely break the whole thing by giving hope to her defeated opponents? This is sooo fucking good guys.

The Themes seems to be strong and very good in this show. I' tend to be disappointed by 'm often disappointed by animes because the deep layers of the narratives are often unexplored by the end. But with this one I have good hopes it will delivers.

[vintage-every-day]

𝑪𝒂𝒔𝒂𝒃𝒍𝒂𝒏𝒄𝒂 received eight Academy Award nominations and won three for Outstanding Motion Picture, Best Director (Michael Curtiz) and Best Screenplay at the 16th Academy Awards held at Grauman's Chinese Theatre in March 2, 1944.

[a34trgv2]

Why It Worked: Inside Out

Introduction: Inside Out is an animated coming-of-age film produced by Pixar Animation Studios and distributed by Walt Disney Pictures. Directed and co-written by Pete Docter, with the screenplay being co written by Meg LaFauve and Josh Cooley, the film stars Amy Poehler, Phyliss Smith, Lewis Black, Mindy Kaling, Bill Hader, Kaitlyn Dias, Diane Lane, Kyle MacLachlan and Richard Kind as Joy, Sadness, Anger, Disgust, Fear, Riley, her parents Bill and Jill, and Bing Bong respectively. Released on June 19, 2015, the film was a major box office success grossing $858.8 million on a budget of $175 million. It also received critical acclaim from critics and audiences alike. According to Rotten Tomatoes, out of the 384 reviews aggregated, 98% gave a positive review with an average rating of 8.9/10. It also received numerous awards, including an Oscar for Best Animated Feature, several Outstanding Achievement Awards at the Annies, a Golden Globe for Best Animated Feature, and a Critic's Choice Movie Award for Best Animated Feature. It is often seen as a culturally significant film for mental health and the importance of expressing one's emotions. I saw this film for my birthday back in 2015 and I loved it right out of the gate. After multiple rewatches over the years, I stand by my personal opinion that this is a masterpiece of animation and visual storytelling. I'm overjoyed to talk about this film now that it finally has a sequel out.

The Plot: This film has 2 stories that are interconnected to one another, taking place in the mind of an 11 year old girl. On the outside, it's a bout a kid moving to a new city and being overwhelmed by the sudden changes happening all at once. On the inside, it's about Joy and Sadness trekking through Riley's mind, while along the way understanding each other's importance. Together, they create a very unique and engaging plot about growing up and learning to express yourself. The film brilliantly cuts between Riley, Joy and Sadness' journey, and what's happening at HQ to organically show what Riley's feeling and how her actions have psychological consequences. In addition to having powerful gut punching drama, it's also a very funny film with plenty of slapstick, goofy gags, and impressive word play that always gets me to belly laugh. Michael Giacchino also provides an enchanting, dreamlike score with great use of the piano and brass sections. The true highlight of the story is, of course, Pixar's masterfully crafted and innovative animation. The film makes Riley's mind so vibrant and expansive with Dream Productions and Imagination Land being major highlights. The outside world also looks very well done with the people looking very appealing, San Francisco looking grimy yet lived in, and Riley's old home in Minnesota looking very welcoming and colorful. Speaking of color, the use of colors in this film is nothing short of excellent from the radiant colors of Riley's memories, to Riley's clothes reflecting her current state of mind throughout the film. I also love how they use black and gray to represent faded memories and lack of emotion. If there's one word to describe Inside Out's story and animation, it's colorful.

Cast and Characters: This is an outstanding cast they brought on board for this film. Shout outs to the film's casting directors Natalie Lyon and Kevin Reher for picking out some excellent actors. Amy Poehler was phenomenal as Joy, perfectly capturing her bubbly and eccentric personality while also naturally showing her vulnerability and frustrations. Phyliss Smith sound perfectly dower and soft spoken as Sadness, yet at the same time making her sound so innocent and relatable. Lewis Black was the best match for Anger, making him sound crusty, cynical, and having a short fuse. Mindy Kaling brought in the right amount of sass and pettiness as Disgust and her comradery with the other emotions was brilliant. Bill Hader did a great job making Fear funny and relatable as a character. Kaitlyn Dias also deserve major props for her vocal performance as Riley, making her sound like a soft spoken but fun kid who goes through a great character arc in the film. Lastly, Richard Kind was the absolute surprise standout of the cast as Bing Bong as not only did he do a great job making him funny, but also made him relatable, selfless, a bit of an airhead, but also really resourceful. The cast did such a great job bringing these characters to life, with all of them being iconic and memorable in their own way.

Where It Falters: Outside of maybe adding another scene or 2 with Riley's life in Minnesota, I wouldn't change a thing with this film. It's one of those films where the only nitpick I have is I wanted more. Fortunately, that's remedied with the existence of the 2024 sequel. Coming out a couple years sooner wouldn't have been so bad either, but like I always say, quality>quantity.

Conclusion: There are a select few movies I consider to be a masterpiece. Inside Out is most certainly one of those movies. With outstanding writing, iconic characters, wonderful voice acting, masterfully crafted animation, and an enchanting score, it has more than earned its cultural significance. I cannot recommend this film enough, especially for those who struggle with expressing themselves such as yours truly. I promise this film will speak to you as it has for me after all these years. Thanks so much for reading and I'll see you soon ;)

[abqotd]

presenting…

our BREAKING BRACKETS champion:

Breaking Bad 5.14 “Ozymandias”

Written by Moira-Walley Beckett.

Directed by Rian Johnson.

Widely considered to be Breaking Bad’s finest episode, critics have praised “Ozymandias” for its writing, direction, acting, and payoff of storylines set up since the pilot. It is considered to be one of the greatest episodes of television ever produced. At the 66th Primetime Emmy Awards, Walley-Beckett won Outstanding Writing for Drama Series for her screenplay; Cranston and Gunn won Lead Actor and Supporting Actress for their performances.

[mygreatadventurehasbegun]

My Favorite New-To-Me Movies of 2023

Women Talking

This movie won the Oscar of Best Adapted Screenplay and deservedly so...it's scenes are so tightly written and delivered so beautifully by the incredible cast of actresses, that it held my attention for the entire runtime. Every performance was fantastic, and I wish at least one of them had received recognition from the Academy...personally my vote would have been for Claire Foy, but any one of them could have walked away with a nomination.

Pearl

This was such an interesting horror flick...the saturated color palette, the extreme bursts of violence and of course, the magnificent performance by Mia Goth. She was absolutely fascinating to watch...the character of Pearl is so desperate to leave her home and to become a star that she will stop at nothing to get what she wants.

They Shoot Horses, Don't They?

While I consider this to be one of the best movies I've seen this year...it's not necessarily one I'd ever want to watch again. At least not in the near future...because this movie is bleak. During the Great Depression, a group of people sign up for a dance marathon with the hope of winning the prize money. All the characters are so compelling and interesting to watch. Absolutely recommend watching it, especially for Jane Fonda's outstanding performance...but you might finish the movie a bit depressed.

Deathtrap

Man, this movie is fun. It's the kind of movie that I can't say too much about, because the plot is so full of twists...but the basic idea is: A famous playwright, coming off a string of flops, learns that his former student has written a surefire hit play, and he conspires to murder his student and take the play as his own. And you have Christopher Reeve wearing some fantastic sweaters.

Sweet Smell of Success

This movie is so good, I don't even know where to start. The performances, the writing, the cinematography...it's such a perfect example of a noir film (especially one that doesn't focus on a murder or a detective). I wasn't sure what to expect when I started, but from the moment I pressed play, I was completely engrossed.

The Last of Sheila

I really caught up on my murder mysteries this year...and The Last of Sheila is a really great one. Another movie that I can't say too much about because of it's twisty plot...but I will say you can definitely see how it influenced Rian Johnson for his Knives Out films. Also, this was co-written by Anthony Perkins and Stephen Sondheim!

Catch-22

I blind bought this one after Alan Arkin's death...I had never seen it, but thought it seemed like a fun enough film to take the gamble on. And boy, was I right! While I can see why some critics didn't love it back then, this movie is so wonderfully bonkers, I can't help but love it! The witty dialogue, clever shot composition and excellent performances by a massive cast make this movie a real treat!

Home Before Dark

This was a very random find for me...I actually just came across it on TV when it was starting and decided to stick with it (just like the olden days, get off my lawn). And while the movie itself isn't perfect, I was completely drawn in by Jean Simmons' performance. Her character has just returned home from a stay at an asylum, and while she tries to reacclimate to life at home, we start to see her lose it again...but we aren't sure if she is actually being pushed towards that breakdown intentionally. It has a few shades of the movie Gaslight, for sure.

The Collector

This may have been my favorite new-to-me movie of the year! It is such an intense and uncomfortable film, with amazing performances by the two lead actors and an ending that I did not see coming. Given the story and the setting, I could almost see this easily being turned into a stage play...I'd love to see a theater try and capture the claustrophobic feeling you get when Miranda is trapped in that cellar.

A few honorable mentions are: All Quiet on the Western Front (2022), The Thin Man, Sound of Metal, Persona and Somewhere in Time (this one mostly for the melodrama, lol)

Here's to more movies in 2024!

[denimbex1986]

'Russell T. Davies recently spoke up about why he believes Andrew Scott was overlooked by the BAFTAs this year, reminding us about an important component to the ongoing conversation about queer actors playing queer roles.

When the BAFTA nominees were announced this year, All of Us Strangers received a well-deserved six nominations, although it ultimately did not win any of its categories. But the number of nominations it received — for Outstanding British Film, Director, Adapted Screenplay, Supporting Actor, Supporting Actress, and Casting — made a lack of nod for Scott’s leading role feel like a pointedly glaring omission.

“What I think happened there was, when a gay man plays a gay man, he’s not considered to be acting," Davies said during a recent queer representation in media panel, according to Attitude. “I genuinely think that happened there, that people thought, ‘Oh, it’s very good, but he’s not acting there. He’s not reaching; he was just being himself.”

The Doctor Who showrunner went on to explain that that’s part of why he finds it so important to make sure queer actors are being considered for and cast in queer roles — a controversial topic, as it’s often interpreted as suggesting straight actors (or actors presumed to be straight) shouldn’t be allowed to play queer characters, but the reality is a lot more nuanced than that.

“If a queer person plays a queer role, people are like, ‘Oh yeah, very well done, lovely,’” actor Nathaniel Curtis said during the same panel. “But if a straight actor plays a queer role, a lot of the time, they’re like, ‘Give them an Oscar.’”

And the BAFTAs snub makes it even more frustrating that Scott was subjected to being asked about another actor’s nudity in a movie he wasn’t even in on the red carpet for the event, when the time could have been spent talking more about the role for which he deserved more recognition.

According to Davies, Scott gave “a world-class performance [that] was massively underrated because he’s gay and very publicly and visibly gay.” And unfortunately, he might not be wrong.'

[dalyankiz1981]

Well like thousands of other theatre fans around the world I tuned in for, in my opinion, THE streaming event of the year last night and what a treat it was. I’m going to ramble and gush for several paragraphs so please bear with me…

What can I say about “Vanya” and Andrew’s performance that hasn’t been said before? I particularly love how they cleverly gave each character a ‘thing’ or quirk to help the audience identify who is speaking. I mean all the different accents he does are impressive - real dramatic Irish ‘mammy’ type voices for Liam and Elizabeth down to a more friendly, sedate middle Ireland lilt for Micheal and a small vulnerable, somewhat broken voice for Alexander. And of course Helena’s posh English accent blew my mind too. But I’m talking about a physical attribute or habit - a bouncing ball for Michael for instance, or Ivan’s use of his sunglasses. Subtle but works brilliantly 👏

Then there are the facial expressions which Andrew is just so good at. In theatre particularly they make such an impact when you can fill a period of silence with a facial expression and it says a thousand words. He is just outstanding in this field. And not just in the comedy moments - he could make me die laughing and shatter my heart equally with a single facial expression, and I know I’m not on my own when I say that.

I read the screenplay beforehand a couple of times and I’m glad I did as it did help to know which scene we were at and which key moments were about to occur. However there were still new things I picked up whilst watching it. Like it hadn’t become clear to me until last night that (spoiler alert!) Sonia was in unrequited love with Michael (a man clearly much older than her as insinuated in the script) - only that HE harboured feelings for someone he shouldn’t…

And I guess I can’t not touch on THAT scene between Helena and Michael 🔥 How the holy hell does one man play two people giving in to their desires and make it look believable? Well, if you’re Andrew Scott, you take off your shirt and start humping the floor and a closed door I guess! 🤭 (Not even gonna lie when I say I’ve thought about that scene an unhealthy amount of times! 😂). And then seeing Ivan’s shocked expression when he walks in on them holding the flowers 🤣 Absolutely frigging brilliant!

I would recommend everyone watch this once at the very least… I will obviously watch it a few more times as with most things you always pick up new details. It was undoubtedly a brave, experimental thing they decided to do last year without knowing how it was going to turn out but kudos to the whole team for putting together something so brilliantly surreal 👏

(I can’t say much about “People, Places and Things” atm as the NTAH platform crashed about two thirds of the way through it and they had to start the whole stream over. I took to doing something else rather than rewatch 75 minutes of something I’d just watched - and then fell asleep! So I haven’t seen the last part. I will come back with my thoughts on that one when I’ve watched the bit I missed!)

[adamwatchesmovies]

Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga (2024)

Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga proves the wasteland has plenty more stories to offer. Is it on the same level as Mad Max: Fury Road? No, but keep in mind that Fury Road is one of the greatest action movies ever made. Even The Road Warrior doesn’t reach its ferocity or pulse-pounding excitement. What this prequel spinoff has are outstanding action scenes, gorgeous cinematography, a rich world you love to explore and loads of memorable characters.

In a post-apocalyptic Australia, Furiosa (played by Alyla Browne as a child and teenager) is taken from her home by the Biker Horde, led by Dementus (Chris Hemsworth). Given to Immortan Joe (Lachy Hulme) in a trade, Furiosa (played by Anya Taylor-Joy as an adult) remains determined to make her way home. To do this, she must make herself useful enough to be trusted with the resources she’ll need to survive the wasteland.

The standout in Furiosa is absolutely Chris Hemsworth as Dementus. We’ve seen evil people in this franchise, but he’s the cruelest and most bug-nuts so far. The thing is, Hemsworth is so charismatic and Dementus is so adept at navigating this world you find yourself admiring the character. Through the story’s five chapters, he’s constantly finding ways to increase his army, resources and influence. The more power he accumulates, the more dangerous he becomes. It’s like he knows he wants to be in charge, but not why, or what to do once he is, which leads to more chaos and destruction. You're never sure if he’s as mad as he seems, or if he’s putting on a show to mock this new world. Maybe it’s that he’s fully embraced the wasteland and wants it to remain as lawless and savage as it is now, so he’s determined to keep tearing it down. Maybe he was always like this but civilization kept him in check. What makes him so dangerous is that beneath the madness, there’s logic and cunning that reminds you of Heath Ledger’s Joker. You're not sure if even Dementus is prepared to deal with Dementus.

We got a pretty good look at this world in Fury Road but the film was constantly putting more distance between the protagonists and the Citadel. Furiosa, by contrast, allows us to sit and see the inner workings. The closeups we get help us understand but they don’t bring any comfort. This is a dreadful world dominated by violence. On the upside, that carnage sure is cinematic. What’s amazing is that we’ve seen vehicular destruction four times from George Miller and he still manages to bring some new ideas to the table. As I was watching our heroine fend off The Octoboss (Goran D. Kleut, playing a character whose name is as ridiculous as it is awesome) and his Mortiflyers, admiring the way it’s shot and the constant back-and-forth as the casualties rise, I suddenly realized how long this battle has been going on. There are few movies doing action on this franchise's level.

You’d think that by being a prequel, much of Furiosa would be predictable but the screenplay by Miller and Nico Lathouris repeatedly uses your expectations to surprise you. You know that Furiosa is, at some point, going to lose her left arm. You know because she wears a mechanical arm in Fury Road and because she’s got a map to her home tattooed on it. Dementus wants that map. We know Furiosa will do anything to keep it out of his hands. Does that mean she will eventually sacrifice her arm to keep it away from him? Is Dementus going to forcibly take it, giving our heroine another reason to seek revenge from him? Will she simply lose it during a violent attack? You don’t know and frequently, you think “This is it!”, only for the picture to prove you wrong.

The always-reliable Anya Taylor-Joy does so much with her character’s limited dialogue and handles the action scenes exceptionally well but if we spend time on her, we won’t have time to talk about the side characters, my favorite of which is Praetorian Jack (Tom Burke). Can he get a spinoff movie too? He's so effortlessly cool. How about the multitude of loonies accompanying Dementus, like that guy with the one eye, or the lady whose face is all messed up? What I love about this film is that it even makes characters out of vehicles. Like, you’ll see this cobbled-together monstrosity and realize you've seen it before. Now, it's got new pieces welded onto it, or a new driver and you can tell that inanimate object has its own story it could tell.

Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga is packed with so much story, worldbuilding, action and memorable scenes you don’t even feel the 148-minute pass by. In fact, when it reached the Chapter Three mark, I thought to myself “Already? We can’t be close to halfway done… not yet!” I can't wait to see it again. (Theatrical version on the big screen, June 4, 2024)

[awardseason]

2023 BAFTA Awards — Winners

Best Film “All Quiet On The Western Front” — WINNER “The Banshees Of Inisherin” “Elvis” “Everything Everywhere All At Once” “Tár”

Outstanding British Film “Aftersun” “The Banshees Of Inisherin” — WINNER “Brian And Charles” “Empire Of Light” “Good Luck To You, Leo Grande” “Living” “Roald Dahl’s Matilda The Musical” “See How They Run” “The Swimmers” “The Wonder”

Director Edward Berger, “All Quiet On The Western Front” — WINNER Martin McDonagh, “The Banshees Of Inisherin” Park Chan-wook, “Decision To Leave” Daniel Kwan, Daniel Scheinert, “Everything Everywhere All At Once” Todd Field, “Tár” Gina Prince-Bythewood, “The Woman King”

Leading Actress Cate Blanchett, “Tár” — WINNER Viola Davis, “The Woman King” Danielle Deadwyler, “Till” Ana De Armas, “Blonde” Emma Thompson, “Good Luck To You, Leo Grande” Michelle Yeoh, “Everything Everywhere All At Once”

Leading Actor Austin Butler, “Elvis” — WINNER Colin Farrell, “The Banshees Of Inisherin” Brendan Fraser, “The Whale” Daryl Mccormack, “Good Luck To You, Leo Grande” Paul Mescal, “Aftersun” Bill Nighy, “Living”

Supporting Actress Angela Bassett, “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” Hong Chau, “The Whale” Kerry Condon, “The Banshees Of Inisherin” — WINNER Dolly De Leon, “Triangle Of Sadness” Jamie Lee Curtis, “Everything Everywhere All At Once” Carey Mulligan, “She Said”

Supporting Actor Brendan Gleeson, “The Banshees Of Inisherin” Barry Keoghan, “The Banshees Of Inisherin” — WINNER Ke Huy Quan, “Everything Everywhere All At Once” Eddie Redmayne, “The Good Nurse” Albrecht Schuch, “All Quiet On The Western Front” Micheal Ward, “Empire Of Light”

Outstanding Debut by a British Writer, Director or Producer “Aftersun” – Charlotte Wells (Writer/Director) — WINNER “Blue Jean” – Georgia Oakley (Writer/Director), Hélène Sifre (Producer) “Electric Malady” – Marie Lidén (Director) “Good Luck To You, Leo Grande” – Katy Brand (Writer) “Rebellion” – Maia Kenworthy and Elena Sánchez Bellot (Directors)

Film Not in English Language “All Quiet On The Western Front” — WINNER “Argentina, 1985” “Corsage” “Decision To Leave”  “The Quiet Girl”

Documentary “All That Breathes” “All The Beauty And The Bloodshed”  “Fire Of Love” “Moonage Daydream”  “Navalny” — WINNER

Animated Film “Guillermo Del Toro’s Pinocchio” — WINNER “Marcel The Shell With Shoes On” “Puss In Boots: The Last Wish” “Turning Red”

Original Screenplay Martin McDonagh, “The Banshees Of Inisherin” — WINNER Daniel Kwan, Daniel Scheinert, “Everything Everywhere All At Once” Tony Kushner, Steven Spielberg, “The Fabelmans” Todd Field, “Tár” Ruben Östlund, “Triangle Of Sadness”

Adapted Screenplay Edward Berger, Lesley Paterson, Ian Stokell, “All Quiet On The Western Front” — WINNER Kazuo Ishiguro, “Living” Colm Bairéad, “The Quiet Girl” Rebecca Lenkiewicz, “She Said” Samuel D. Hunter, “The Whale”

Original Score Volker Bertelmann, “All Quiet On The Western Front” — WINNER Justin Hurwitz, “Babylon” Carter Burwell, “The Banshees Of Inisherin” Son Lux, “Everything Everywhere All At Once”  Alexandre Desplat, “Guillermo Del Toro’s Pinocchio” 

Casting Lucy Pardee, “Aftersun” Simone Bär, “All Quiet On The Western Front” Nikki Barrett, Denise Chamian, “Elvis” — WINNER Sarah Halley Finn, “Everything Everywhere All At Once”  Pauline Hansson, “Triangle Of Sadness”

Cinematography James Friend, “All Quiet On The Western Front” — WINNER Greig Fraser, “The Batman” Mandy Walker, “Elvis”  Roger Deakins, “Empire Of Light” Claudio Miranda, “Top Gun: Maverick”

Editing “All Quiet On The Western Front” “The Banshees Of Inisherin” “Elvis” “Everything Everywhere All At Once” — WINNER “Top Gun: Maverick”

Production Design “All Quiet On The Western Front” “Babylon” — WINNER “The Batman” “Elvis” “Guillermo Del Toro’s Pinocchio”

Costume Design “All Quiet On The Western Front” “Amsterdam” “Babylon” “Elvis” — WINNER “Mrs. Harris Goes To Paris”

Make-Up & Hair “All Quiet On The Western Front” “The Batman” “Elvis” — WINNER “Roald Dahl’s Matilda The Musical”  “The Whale”

Sound “All Quiet On The Western Front” — WINNER “Avatar: The Way Of Water” “Elvis” “Tár” “Top Gun: Maverick”

Special Visual Effects “All Quiet On The Western Front” “Avatar: The Way Of Water” — WINNER “The Batman” “Everything Everywhere All At Once” “Top Gun: Maverick”

British Short Animation “The Boy, The Mole, The Fox And The Horse” — WINNER “Middle Watch” “Your Mountain Is Waiting”

British Short Film “The Ballad Of Olive Morris” “Bazigaga” “Bus Girl” “A Drifting Up” “An Irish Goodbye” — WINNER

EE Rising Star Award Aimee Lou Wood Daryl McCormack Emma Mackey — WINNER Naomi Ackie Sheila Atim

[444lpblue]

Frieren: Beyond Journey's End #1-4 - It was... Perfect

Episode 1 - The Journey's End Screenplay: Tomohiro Suzuki Storyboard: Keiichirou Saitou Episode Director: Ayaka Tsuji Animation Director: Reiko Nagasawa Key Animators: Junko Abe, Shin Ogasawara, Ran Kamezawa, Jun Sekiguchi, Daiki Harashina, Kanata Yanagisawa, Shinichi Yoshikawa, Xujian Li, Odashi, Keisuke Kobayashi, Shinji Ootsuka, Hayato Kakita, Toshiyuki Satou, Ayaka Tsuji, Yoshiko Matsumura, Emi Yamazaki, Kanako Yoshida, Kerorira, Kou Yoshinari

Episode 2 - It Didn't Have to Be Magic... Screenplay: Tomohiro Suzuki Storyboard: Tomoya Kitagawa Episode Director: Tomoya Kitagawa Chief Animation Director: Reiko Nagasawa Animation Director: Ayaka Minoshima Key Animators: Junko Abe, Nobuhide Kariya, Toshiyuki Satou, Harumi Takagi, Daiki Tanaka, Masaho Hori, Yutaka Minowa, Kanata Yanagisawa, Xujian Li, Fuuko Abe, Kyousuke Ootori, Takahito Sakazume, Jura, Yuka Matsumura, Yukiko Watabe, Hayato Kakita, Hiroyuki Kobashi, Jun Sekiguchi, Airi Takahashi, Daiki Harashina, Ayaka Minoshima, Kouta Mori, Shinichi Yoshikawa, Aoi Ootani, Naoki Katou, Sanae Shitaya, Shinya Segawa, Zihan Liu

Episode 3 - Killing Magic Screenplay: Tomohiro Suzuki Storyboard: Daiki Harashina Episode Director: Daiki Harashina Chief Animation Director: Reiko Nagasawa Animation Director: Daiki Harashina Key Animators: Daiki Harashina, Junko Abe, Shin Ogasawara, Mai Toda, Kanata Yanagisawa, Daisuke Shibukawa, Kou Yoshinari, Fei Hung Donghua, Hanwen Ye, Tooru Iwazawa, Honami Takeuchi, Yoshiko Matsumura, Xujian Li, Yukiko Busa, Nonno

Episode 4 - The Land Where Souls Rest Screenplay: Tomohiro Suzuki Storyboard: Yoshiaki Kawajiri Episode Director: Kento Matsui Chief Animation Director: Reiko NagasawaAnimation Director: Ayaka Tsuji Key Animators: Shin Ogasawara, Hiroyuki Kobashi, Toshiyuki Satou, Harumi Takagi, Rie Arakawa, Yuka Koiso, Masahiro Yufune, Pinqiao Hui, Norifumi Kugai, Ayaka Satou, Jun Sekiguchi, Miyuki Inoue, Shuuji Maruyama, Ryuuguu-san, Yenxin Fan

Last week was utter hell, with a new class, a new schedule, and my sleep going out of whack. I'm still trying to readjust, and let me explain why I'm mentioning all of this. Almost nothing would have motivated me to get out of my zone and type this post except for Frieren. Frieren is one of my favorite manga series. If you've talked to me about anime/manga before, you would know this. So, ever since it was announced, it has been one of my most anticipated series. To add to that, Keiichirou Saitou was announced as the director. He's a great example of an upcoming new-gen director who has excelled in everything he's been a part of. From the beautiful and abstract EDs he created for The Executioner and Her Way of Life or Boogiepop, to the mesmerizing, dreamlike episodes he directed for Sonny Boy, and the expressive, now very popular Bocchi the Rock. He was a perfect choice as a director for a series like this, and let me tell you, he delivered fully.

Just from a quick glance, you can see how the show looks. Everything is eye-catching, making it almost hard to focus on one particular element because they all just look so good, and no, it's not just the chromatic aberration causing the lack of focus. The various departments responsible for compositing, the background, and the overall color design have done an outstanding job, creating a beautiful and cohesive piece of art. Seeing someone you might consider a less experienced director pulling off such a complete and harmonious experience is incredible. In terms of design, the whole show is aesthetically pleasing. It's not the experimental work you saw in Sonny Boy; it's going in a totally different direction, like a beautiful painting that should be framed on a wall.

It works very well when paired with, you know, how Frieren is as a story. The fantasy world they are in isn't an extremely unique one. You've seen it before; it's fairly typical in that sense. But that's not truly the point. The main focus is showing the day-to-day or year-to-year life of this immortal elf girl, Frieren, and how she views time, how she remembers her past. It's not an incredibly grand adventure, but with the small lens we have on these characters, it feels like a cherished moment, something that should be captured in a photo or painting. It's beautiful in a very simple way. It's not a series made for extremely large moments, I think Frieren has always been focused on a simpler view of life, much like a painting. The smaller details of such a straightforward approach are highlighted so well. The trees in the environment, the squirrels just moving around—there's so much life in each scene. It really all comes together for me like a piece of art.

The consistency lasts through all four episodes, and the staff distribution also seems fairly good, so I expect this to continue throughout the two cours. The pacing itself is perfect. I've really enjoyed how the story has been adapted to animation so far. I believe that nowadays, many anime series have fallen into the pitfalls of adapting things too quickly to capture the interest of newer viewers early on. However, the series composition for Frieren here is excellent.

This writeup might have been shorter than most people were expecting considering how amazing the anime adaptation is and how much I love the source material, but what can really be said about except just praising? I feel like even if you don't like the source material, the anime's execution is almost undeniably good. Additionally, as I said this past week has not been kind to me so my energy is a bit drained, at first I was planning to be more specific in my write up and make points more adhering to the specifics of each episode, but I didn't really have time for that. However, I will do my best to cover every Frieren episode weekly from now on. Make no mistake this is going to be my favorite series from this year.

[hustledimension]

The Cast of The Road to El Dorado

From here

KEVIN KLINE (Tulio) has been honored for his work on the stage and the screen. He won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role in the comedy "A Fish Called Wanda." More recently, he was recognized with the IFP’s Gotham Award for "The Ice Storm," and a Golden Globe nomination for "In & Out." He had previously received Golden Globe nominations for his performances in "Dave," "Soapdish" and "Sophie’s Choice."

Kline is a two-time Tony Award winner for his work on Broadway in "The Pirates of Penzance" and Hal Prince’s production of "On the Twentieth Century." He also garnered Drama Desk Awards for both productions.

A graduate of the Juilliard School of Drama, Kline is a founding member of John Houseman’s The Acting Company, with which he made his Broadway debut in Chekov’s "The Three Sisters." His additional theatre credits include "Arms and the Man" and "Loose Ends," both at Circle in the Square; the title role in Chekov’s "Ivanov" at the Lincoln Center Theatre; the title role in the 1986 and 1990 productions of "Hamlet" at New York’s Public Theatre, the latter of which he also directed, both for the stage and again for PBS’ Great Performances series; and the New York Shakespeare Festival presentations of "Richard III," "Henry V," "Much Ado About Nothing" and "Measure For Measure."

Kline made an auspicious feature film debut in Alan Pakula’s "Sophie’s Choice," opposite Meryl Streep. He then joined the ensemble cast of "The Big Chill," which began his long association with writer/director Lawrence Kasdan. They have since collaborated on "Silverado," "I Love You to Death," "Grand Canyon" and "French Kiss." Kline’s other film credits include "A Midsummer Night’s Dream," "Wild Wild West," "Fierce Creatures," the voice of Captain Phoebus in the animated musical "The Hunchback of Notre Dame," "Looking for Richard," "Princess Caraboo," "Chaplin," "Cry Freedom" and the screen version of "The Pirates of Penzance."

KENNETH BRANAGH (Miguel) is an award-winning actor, director, writer and producer. He adapted, directed and starred in 1989’s "Henry V," which brought him dual Academy Award nominations for Best Actor and Best Director and for which he won BAFTA and National Board of Review Awards for Best Director. He was more recently Oscar-nominated for Best Adapted Screenplay for the 1996 release "Hamlet," which he also starred in and directed. Branagh also received a SAG Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor for his role in "Othello," and produced, adapted, directed and starred in "Much Ado About Nothing," which earned an Independent Spirit Award nomination for Best Feature. His upcoming film credits include a musical version of Shakespeare’s "Love’s Labour’s Lost," which he adapted, directed and stars in.

In addition, Branagh directed and starred in "Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein," which he also produced, "Peter’s Friends" and "Dead Again." His other credits as an actor include "Alien Love Triangle," "Wild Wild West," Robert Altman’s "The Gingerbread Man," Woody Allen’s "Celebrity," "The Theory of Flight," "Swing Kids," "A Month in the Country" and "High Season." He also narrated the Oscar-winning documentary "Anne Frank Remembered," and, in 1993, received an Oscar nomination for Best Live Action Short for "Swan Song." That same year, he was honored with the British Academy’s Michael Balcon Award for Outstanding Contribution to Cinema.

Born in Belfast, Northern Ireland, Branagh studied at England’s Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts, and made his professional stage debut in "Another Country." Joining the Royal Shakespeare Company, he was seen in such plays as "Love’s Labour’s Lost," "Hamlet" and "Henry V" before leaving to form his own successful theatre company. His other stage work includes sold-out productions of "Hamlet," "King Lear" and "A Midsummer Night’s Dream."

ROSIE PEREZ (Chel) received an Academy Award nomination and a Golden Globe nomination for her work opposite Jeff Bridges in Peter Weir’s "Fearless." She was discovered by Spike Lee, who cast her in "Do The Right Thing," and she subsequently starred in such films as Ron Shelton’s "White Men Can’t Jump," Jim Jarmusch’s "Night on Earth," Tony Bill’s "Untamed Heart," Andrew Bergman’s "It Could Happen to You," Alexandre Rockwell’s "Somebody to Love," Seth Zvi Rosenfeld’s "A Brother’s Kiss" and Nancy Savoca’s "The 24 Hour Woman," which she also co-produced. She will next be seen starring opposite John Leguizamo in Seth Zvi Rosenfeld’s "King of the Jungle."

Perez began her career as a choreographer for such artists as Bobby Brown, LL Cool J and Diana Ross. She went on to choreograph and direct the Fly Girls on Fox TV’s "In Living Color."

She made her first foray into producing with "Rosie Perez Presents Society’s Ride," which ran as three parts on HBO. She conceived and executive produced "Subway Stories," an anthology of short films by prominent and new directors, which also aired on HBO. Most recently, Perez entered into a unique deal with Artists Television Group (ATG) to develop, star in and executive produce a television comedy series.

ARMAND ASSANTE (Tzekel-Kan) has most recently been recognized for his work in a number of acclaimed network and cable projects. He won an Emmy Award and garnered Golden Globe and SAG Award nominations for his portrayal of John Gotti in the HBO movie "Gotti." He also earned a Golden Globe nomination for his performance as Odysseus in the miniseries "The Odyssey," and both Emmy and Golden Globe nominations for his work in the miniseries "Jack the Ripper." Most recently, Assante starred as the Confederate commander of the first submarine in TNT’s true-life Civil War drama "The Hunley."

On the big screen, Assante received a Golden Globe nomination for his work in Sidney Lumet’s "Q&A," and won a Special Jury Prize at the USA Film Festival for his performance in the title role of "Belizaire, The Cajun." Among his additional film credits are "Striptease," "Judge Dredd," "Trial by Jury," "The Mambo Kings," "Hoffa," "1492: Conquest for Paradise," "The Marrying Man," "I, the Jury," "Little Darlings," "Private Benjamin" and "Paradise Alley."

A native New Yorker, Assante graduated from the American Academy of Dramatic Arts. He made his professional acting debut on the stage in "Why I Went Crazy," under the direction of Joshua Logan. His subsequent stage credits include the Broadway productions of "Boccaccio," "Comedians," "Romeo and Juliet" and "Kingdoms."

EDWARD JAMES OLMOS (The Chief) has received honors for his work in films and on television. He garnered both Academy Award and Golden Globe nominations and won an Independent Spirit Award for his portrayal of inspirational teacher Jaime Escalante in "Stand and Deliver." He more recently earned acclaim for his role in Gregory Nava’s biopic "Selena," in which he starred as the Tejano singer’s father. He had previously worked with Nava in the film "My Family/Mi Familia."

On the small screen, Olmos won a Golden Globe Award and earned an Emmy nomination for his performance in the HBO drama "A Burning Season." He had earlier collected his first Golden Globe for his starring role in the series "Miami Vice." This season, Olmos appears in the recurring role of Judge Mendoza on the new series hit "The West Wing." He has also starred in such longform projects as "Bonanno: A Godfather’s Story," "The Taking of Pelham One, Two, Three," "12 Angry Men," "Hollywood Confidential," "Dead Man’s Walk" and "Menendez: A Killing in Beverly Hills."

Born and raised in Los Angeles, Olmos first gained attention for his performance in the Broadway musical "Zoot Suit," for which he received a Tony Award nomination. He later recreated his role in the film adaptation. His film credits also include "Wolfen," "Blade Runner," and five films for director Robert M. Young: "The Ballad of Gregorio Cortez," "Saving Grace," "Triumph of the Spirit," "Talent for the Game" and "Caught."

In 1992, Olmos made his feature film directorial debut with "American Me," in which he also starred. He also executive produced the award-winning documentary "Lives in Hazard," which addressed gang prevention.

[bestwitchsam]

‘HIS THREE DAUGHTERS’ received 2 nominations at the 34th Gotham Awards:

• Outstanding Supporting Performance (Natasha Lyonne)

• Best Screenplay (Azazel Jacobs)

[ilikethisacompletelynormalamount]

All of Us Strangers received 4 nominations for the Gotham Independent Film Awards (the most nominations of any film this year), including Best International Feature, Best Screenplay, Outstanding Lead Performance (Andrew Scott) and Outstanding Supporting Performance (Claire Foy) .

The awards ceremony will be held November 27, 2023.

[standupcomedyhistorian]

Today the Emmy nominations came out and some of my favorite comedians and shows made the cut! 🥳

Let's take a look at a few specifics, shall we?

The Bear: 13 nominations, including Outstanding Supporting Actress for Ayo Edebiri and Outstanding Writing for Bo Burnham's frequent collaborator Chris Storer—I am currently working on a detailed post about the show, particularly its celebrity-packed second season, and it should be up by this weekend!

Baby J: John Mulaney's amazing comedy special about rehab was nominated for Outstanding Writing and Outstanding Variety Special. Plus, it's got a fantastic reference to Bo! Haha

Parks and Recreation alumni: Aubrey Plaza, Nick Offerman, and Ben Schwartz all got noms today. Fun fact: Nick directed the episode Bo's in as Chipp McCapp!

Sam Richardson: one of my favorite comedic actors received another nom for Ted Lasso. He'll always be Richard Splett to me!

Donald Glover: Sadly, Atlanta's phenomenal last season was snubbed except for one cinematography nom (How did the Goofy Movie ep not get anything? It was genius). However, his new show Swarm did pretty well, garnering 3 noms including one for Dominique Fishback (well deserved!)

Kate Berlant and John Early: While A League of Their Own was snubbed (it did get an HCA nom yesterday for Best Costume though), the stunningly talented Kate received a nom with John for their hilarious Peacock show Would It Kill You To Laugh?

Kumail Nanjiani: Bo's good friend and co-star in The Big Sick received a nom for his Welcome to Chippendales show. Fun fact: Kumail and his wife Emily V. Gordon were nominated for a Best Original Screenplay Academy Award for that film but lost to Jordan Peele for Get Out.

SO many successful comedians—congratulations! 🙌🏼

[enterthecuttlezone]

Time Is What It Is

Chapter I of The Ministry of Time An unofficial novelization Based on the screenplay by Javier Olivares and Pablo Olivares Adapted by me :3

-

PRÓLOGO


Flanders, 1569

When the sun rose over the Belgian countryside, the battle— more accurately, the massacre— was already over. 

Something had gone horribly wrong. The Spanish army was the most advanced in the world, handsomely financed, its tercio structure decades ahead of its time. And yet hundreds of dead men, almost exclusively soldiers of the Spanish army, were lying in the earth, the colors of their uniforms, faces, hands now the color of the mud. A team of men went around picking up the bodies. As they hoisted life after wasted life into their cart, they had to wonder to themselves— Who allowed this to happen?

At the site of the Spanish army’s camp, a Belgian castle conquered and occupied, the captain Fernández summoned his direct subordinate, Alonso de Entrerríos, to testify on the disaster on the battlefield. This meeting would have been routine, mundane, even constructive under different circumstances. Before the battle occurred, Fernández had it in his mind that he would meet with Alonso afterward to discuss what worked, what didn’t, and how to improve their strategy, whether to call for reinforcements, whether to advance even further. But now he knew the meeting he’d imagined would be impossible. Instead of sending a messenger to Alonso, telling him to report at his earliest convenience, Fernández sent two soldiers, armed, with orders to bring the man to him immediately— by force, if necessary. Fernández knew someone had to take the blame for the outstanding SNAFU, and if he knew one more thing, it was that it wasn’t going to be him.

The moment Alonso’s battered, mud-stained boots made contact with the Spanish army camp grounds, they suddenly found themselves escorted by guards to the room where the anxious officer waited. His back to the door, Fernández turned as he heard the sextet of boots enter the room.

‹Thou attackedst before it was time!› accused the captain. ‹Why didst thou do it?›

Alonso was a serious, once wiry but now emaciated man. Thirty and some years old, battle-weary, muddied and bloodied, he replied, ‹Because thou didst order it so.›

‹Hast thou witnesses who can attest to what thou sayest?›

‹If the dead could speak, I would.›

‹Thou liest,› said the captain, picking up a rod from the table behind him. He turned back to Alonso and yelled, ‹Thou liest!›

He moved to strike Alonso with the stick but Alonso grabbed it mid-swing and held it firm. Quietly but threateningly, Alonso replied, ‹I never lie.›

The captain looked at him as if he were mad.

‹Arrest him!› he yelled.

But before the soldiers could, Alonso grabbed the captain and exploded into rage. ‹They all died for thee!› he yelled. ‹All of them!›

The two guards could barely restrain the tall Alonso as he elbowed and kicked and bit with all his might. He knew there was no hope for him, but he had to do everything he could to give the traitorous Fernández what he deserved. One guard stepped away, and picked up a chair by the door. While Alonso was attacking the captain, he neglected to watch his back. The guard raised the chair and hit Alonso over the head. He fell to the ground, unconscious.

One month later, Alonso was in Seville, shackled to the wall in a gloomy dungeon. His uniform had been traded out for thin, worn rags, and his face was now hidden by the long, tangled beard and hair of a prisoner. Even so, he lowered his gaze. His wife, Blanca, had come to see him. She was upset, to say the least.

‹Why didst thou attack him? He was thy superior!›

‹There are times when a man must do what he must do,› said Alonso. He knew that if he had to live that day over again, and if there was no way he could prevent the catastrophic battle from happening, the only thing he would change would be to give Fernández one extra kick in the groin. Maybe two.

‹Damned pride…› said Blanca. She took his head in her hands. ‹Because of it, tomorrow thy captain will be in his bed, and thou on the gallows.›

‹Then on the gallows will be a man with honor, and in the bed a scoundrel.›

Alonso lifted his head, composing himself. He smiled tenderly at his future widow. ‹Blanca, cry not. I’ve had a good life. I saw the world… I loved… I fought for my country. I have no regrets.›

He paused for a moment. ‹Do one thing for me.›

Blanca nodded.

‹Continue thy life,› said Alonso, ‹don’t look back.›

Blanca hesitated. Alonso didn’t notice as she brought her hand to her belly.

‹Alonso… I… ›

Before she could finish the thought, the jailer yelled from outside the cell, ‹Your time’s up! Out!›

As the jailer entered the cell, Blanca looked at Alonso, and kissed him, empty of all hope. The jailer grabbed her and pushed her towards the door.

‹Forget me, I beg of thee,› called Alonso.

‹It won’t be easy,› said Blanca.

And then Alonso was alone. His head dropped back down, and he was absorbed in his own mind, until an unknown voice brought him back to Earth.

‹Art thou Alonso de Entrerríos?›

Alonso recomposed himself. In front of him was a monk, whose face was obscured by a black hood.

‹Thou wastest time, Father,› said Alonso. ‹What I have to say to God I’ll tell Him tomorrow in person.›

The monk took off his hood, revealing a serious, middle-aged face. He was clean-shaven, with eyebrows that seemed perpetually quirked— but this of course was not what Alonso would remember most about him. ‹I’m not here for confession,› said the monk. ‹I’ve come to take thee out of this place… if thou wilt accept mine offer.›

Alonso’s eyes widened.

‹Wouldst thou like to work for a secret office of the Crown?›

‹A spy?› said Alonso, perplexed.

‹Something like that. Special assignments in strange places… Thou wilt be dead to the world, including Blanca, thy wife.›

At this, Alonso lost the smile that had creeped its way onto his face… but all the same, he offered his hands so that the monk would free them. The monk had keys, and seeing Alonso’s gesture, he opened the shackles.

‹Thou must be very powerful,› said Alonso as the chains came off. ‹Knowing how much these people like executions, it’s strange to me that they would cancel this one.›

‹It won’t be canceled: they’ll have their execution.›

The monk whistled in the direction of the door. Through it, two guards dragged in someone bound with rope and with a sack covering their head. Alonso watched, and, rubbing his reddened wrists, asked.

‹Who is it?›

The monk said, ‹For all intents and purposes, thyself.›

Alonso doubted… but finally reached down to take the sack off the prisoner’s head: there on the ground, bound and gagged, was the captain Fernández. Alonso exploded into laughter, incredulous. The captive captain looked up at him in despair.

‹Can I stay to watch the show?› Alonso asked the monk.

The monk flicked his wrist, appearing to examine the tight-fitting bracelet he wore upon it. Alonso saw that one link on the bracelet was bigger than the rest— a dull green rectangle with mysterious marks on it absorbed the monk’s interest. Alonso could have sworn one of the marks disappeared and then appeared again in an instant. The monk concluded: ‹We don’t have time.›

‹What is that?› asked Alonso, still peering at the watch. The monk, no slave to explanation, walked out the open cell door.

‹Let’s go!›

Alonso, astonished, followed him.

-

Barcelona, 1880

As the afternoon wore on, Amelia started to worry that the professor giving the lecture she was attending did not know what he was talking about. Amelia had devoured books since she was a girl, fascinated by literature and history. She was the only woman in the room— in fact, the only woman in the university’s entire student body. Her presence at the university was a testament to the vast knowledge she had accumulated even before enrolling in her first classes. Unfortunately, not everyone there fully appreciated what she had to share.

The lecture was on the Golden Age of Spanish literature, and the lecturer seemed to be having trouble with the idea that works of high art might take inspiration from the lowbrow.

‹Overall, I deny the influence of any contemporary author on Lope de Vega, glory of Spanish letters,› the lecturer declared. ‹Because the former drinks from profane sources, and our Lope from the deepest roots of our faith…›

As the other students passed notes and shuffled papers, Amelia raised her hand, polite, but determined.

‹Yes, miss?› said the professor.

Amelia spoke fast, the words firing out of her like a machine gun. ‹I’m sorry, but the influence of Orlando Furioso on Lope de Vega is obvious, especially in the theme of madness in relation to love.›

The professor dismissed this. ‹Nonsense.›

‹Characters like Rodomonte and Orlando himself are taken as a model for Lope. You can see it in works like—›

The professor cut her off, coldly. ‹Will you let me continue with the class?›

Amelia stopped and, after a moment, shrank back into her chair, though she did not lower her gaze.

‹The Golden Age demonstrates the glory of our literature,› continued the professor, again at lecturing volume and cadence, ‹represented in Calderón, Lope, or Cervantes’ grandiose Don Quixote. A literature at the height of what Spain was then: the first world power…›

A note made its way unexpectedly to Amelia’s hand. She unfolded the paper and read it silently:

Amelia, come out to the hallway: it’s urgent.

She lifted her head, and the door to the classroom closed just as she turned to look. Not unalarmed, she gathered her notes, got up and hurried out to the hall.

What she found waiting for her there took her by surprise: a thin, attractive woman of about forty years, with blonde hair and a gaudy-colored dress. She had her back to the door, and as Amelia entered, the woman turned towards her and smiled eagerly, as if she’d been looking forward to meeting her for a long time. Amelia stared for no more than an instant.

‹Pardon… who are you?›

‹Someone who knows just how important you are,› said the mysterious lady. She added, ‹Not like all those men.›

Amelia found herself blushing.

‹I’d like to get to know one of the first university women in the country,› she continued.

‹Are you a journalist?›

‹Something like that,› said the woman. She reined in her smile. ‹Tell me, what did your mother say when you said you wanted to study here?›

‹She said I’d lost my mind,› said Amelia. ‹She doesn’t think women have any use for an education.›

‹And your friends?›

‹More or less the same. With them you can only talk about husbands, children, and the fashions of Paris. It’s hard to find a woman who you can talk to about art, politics, or important things.›

‹Well, times are changing, aren’t they?›

Amelia opened up like a book. ‹Sometimes I think that women are our own worst enemies. But that has to change. I’m convinced that in some future, women will be able to do the same as any man.›

‹So am I.›

The mysterious woman removed a flask from the small purse she clutched. She unscrewed the cap and said, ‹Shall we drink to that?›

She took a big gulp and offered the flask to Amelia, who took it, with a more timid sip.

‹If my mother heard us…› Amelia began. She shook her head. ‹She’s committed to finding me a husband… so that I marry and have children.›

This particularly piqued the woman’s interest. ‹And you don’t want to…?›

‹I don’t need a man,› said Amelia proudly.

The woman looked at her for a moment.

‹You don’t know the joy that that gives me…›

She moved in fast— and suddenly her lips were on Amelia’s. Amelia, for her part, was not experiencing the joy. She went stiff as a stone. The woman noticed her apprehension, and stepped back.

Flustered, Amelia stuttered, ‹Need— I don’t need men… but the case is I do like them.›

The woman looked at her and sighed.

‹Oh well.› She picked up her little purse. ‹Let’s see if this interests you more…›

She opened the bag again, and this time removed a wholly unfamiliar artifact. A black rectangle of glass, smooth and rounded at the edges, out of which colored light and soft, strange sounds emanated in response to the woman’s touch.

‹That… what is it?› asked Amelia.

The journalist who was not really a journalist pressed the strange shiny thing to her own ear. ‹Your world is too small for you, my dear— and that we can fix.› Turning away, she said to no one Amelia could see, ‹Angustias? Pass me over to the boss, darling…›

Amelia’s eyes were wide to begin with. Now she wouldn’t shut them for anything in the world.

-

Madrid, 2015

It was a typical night at a typical neighborhood bar. The local regulars drank their drinks, shot the breeze, watched the game playing on the TV mounted to the wall. On the wall behind the counter hung a scarf branded Atleti, for one of Madrid’s many soccer clubs, and a poster of Koke, one of its many famous players.

At a table, two paramedics in their yellow SAMUR uniforms dined on snacks and beer, attempting to wind down as the end of their shift approached. One of them was Julián. Only in his early thirties, he nevertheless had deep lines etched in his face and, tonight as on most nights, very little appetite. The other was Ramón. He was a little older, a lot heavier, and where Julián had short but poofy curls and a five-o-clock shadow, Ramón had a metalhead’s long greasy locks and well-kempt beard. While Julián stared into space, hardly having touched his little dish of nuts, Ramón picked at his tortilla de patata with the contempt of a hungry man confronted with food that is just not good.

‹Tortilla de patatas is like the IBEX-35 of a bar,› declared Ramón, referencing an index of the Madrid Stock Exchange. ‹If the tortilla is good, the bar is good.›

Julián didn’t answer.

‹And this tortilla is a disgrace.›

‹Everything was better before,› Julián said nostalgically.

‹Why are you so committed to coming here?›

Before Julián could make any unenthusiastic response, the radio transmitter they had rested on the table crackled to life: ‹Fire downtown,› said the staticky voice. ‹It’s a hostel.›

Julián got up automatically. ‹Let’s go.›

Ramón, still seated, started to protest. ‹Julián, for fuck’s sake, our shift is over in ten minutes and we’ve just been drinking!›

But Julián was already outside. With another curse, Ramón grabbed a handful of tortilla and grudgingly followed Julián out the door.

Downtown, the lights of sirens and the flames in the burning building colored the light of the night. By the time Julián and Ramón arrived in their ambulance, a fire truck and another ambulance had already been parked in front of the hostel. One firefighter, covered in ash, was being treated by a paramedic with an oxygen mask on the sidewalk.

Nearby, the light of the fire illuminating his face, was Ramón and Julián’s supervisor, talking to another firefighter in front of the building. Ramón approached them. ‹Jefe, how is it?› he asked his boss.

‹Not as bad as it seems,› he replied, with the attitude of having done most of his job already. ‹Inhalation of smoke, some attacks of nerves…›

As they talked, Julián looked up at the building, which was nearly completely engulfed in flame. Behind a window on the second floor, there were two figures. 

Their characteristics were obscured by the smoke but Julián could see their silhouettes clear as day. ‹There’s still somebody inside!› he shouted.

‹Impossible,› said the firefighter. ‹Everyone has been evacuated. We’ve searched top to bottom.›

Julián pointed to the window, and the three other men looked up. But by then, the silhouettes were gone.

Nobody else was making any move to go into the building. Julián realized that if he was going to help those people in the window, he would have to do it on his own. He saw a firefighter’s smoke protection mask on the ground, grabbed it, and ran towards the building. His companions became alarmed. The firefighter yelled after him, ‹It’s about to cave in!›

But Julián didn’t turn back.

With the mask on his face, Julián entered the burning building and made for the stairs. At the top, he turned the corner into the room he saw through the window. Through the sooty mask he could see that the whole room was on fire and could collapse at any minute. Quickly his eyes searched for people in need of help. Then he saw, lying on the floor, two men— strangely, both were dressed like Napoleonic soldiers.

‹Here! I’ve found them!› Julián yelled. He went to try and revive them, but when he checked for a pulse, he couldn’t find one. He heard footsteps, and realized that someone else had entered the room. Thinking it was his partner, he yelled again. ‹Quickly! There’s no pulse!›

When he turned around, however, he saw that the new arrivals were not firefighters or SAMUR, but two other men, one uniformed like the men on the floor, and the other in civilian clothes of the same era. They stared at him, motionless, for a moment. Then there was a great cracking noise, and the three conscious men looked up. The ceiling had broken. The last thing Julián saw was the wooden beams heading right for his face.

-

For the next full day, Julián lay sedated in a hospital bed, coming in and out of consciousness. When he opened and closed his eyes, hours would pass before they opened again. Barely he perceived fragments of what was happening around him.

Open. A nurse is doing something Julián doesn’t get to observe. Close.

Open. Ramón, with he and Julián's supervisor, is at the foot of the bed. They talk in low voices.

‹This can’t go on, chief… Sooner or later something was going to happen. Nobody wants to work with him, he’s a danger, to others and to himself.›

The boss snorts.

‹After what happened with his wife…› says Ramón, ‹he’s not the same.›

‹Who would be?› The supervisor looks down at Julián. ‹Some shit luck you’ve had, kid…›

Close.

Open. Two strangers, dressed formally— a man in a suit and tie, and a woman in a blazer and skirt— are in the room. The man, next to the door, is reviewing a hospital clipboard, Julián’s medical history. The woman, seated by the bed, is looking at Julián.

Close.

-

The next day, Julián was fully awake, and the doctor told him he was free to go. Midday light entered through the window of the hospital room as Julián, now on his feet and dressed, prepared his bag to go home. He went over to the window to open it, but found that he couldn’t. It was locked.

‹Don’t bother. It won’t open.›

Julián turned around and saw his supervisor had entered the room.

‹Doctor’s orders,› said the boss.

Julián smiled. ‹They think I’m going to jump, or what?›

‹We’ve received a complaint from the Fire Department.› The supervisor was dead serious. ‹Many of their men risked their lives because you disobeyed an order from the firefighter in charge of the operation.›

‹There were people inside!›

‹There was only you, Julián,› said the boss.

He paused, to make sure Julián understood this point. Julián’s heart rate started to rise.

‹This isn’t the first time,› his supervisor continued. ‹Your colleagues say that working with you is like working with a suicide terrorist.›

‹But I know what I saw!›

‹You are out of service until further notice,› the boss said gravely. ‹You need to talk to a specialist…›

Julián sat down on the bed, crushed. The boss came over and put a hand on his shoulder.

‹Think of it as a vacation…› he said, more gently. ‹Didn’t you used to do photography? Do that.›

As his supervisor left the room, Julián replied under his breath.

‹Not anymore.›