#Richard de noir

[bedofthistles]

Bowler Hat Gang!

[365filmsbyauroranocte]

Brute Force (Jules Dassin, 1947)

[semioticapocalypse]

Richard Rizzo. Northbound. 2023

Follow my new AI-related project «Collective memories»

[flightlessribbons]

SABINE: MINI MENACE ERA:

ML AU PT.2

Tikki was passed down to Sabine from her grandfather who raised her, entrusting her with the earrings when she was 17. Tikki became a constant companion to her, and Sabine took up the mantle of Ladybug after her grandfather was killed in a robbery in his shop. Her late father’s best friend, Wang Fu, served as her mentor as he was the holder of Wayzz. Fu was also a student and close friend of her grandfather and took over his shop after his passing.

Fighting crime around the city, Sabine’s ladybug became known as “Mini Menace” and was seen as the city’s unseen protector- working mainly at night. She was joined soon after by the Chat Noir called “Stray”, and later the Fox holder “Vulpus”, and occasionally the Bee and Butterfly holders, “Hive” and “Adonis”.

Stray: Amelie Sphinx

Vulpus: Otis Cesaire

Hive: Andre Bourgeois

Adonis: Gabriel Agreste

The group became best known for dealing with a rising crime lord named Richard Sphinx who had been behind the attack on Sabine’s grandfather’s shop as well as the influx of organized attacks the miraculous holders worked to stop. They fought Richard’s right hand men the most, Mr. Pigeon and Mime who did most of his dirty work, but worked together to take down Richard Sphinx once and for all.

What the heroes didn’t know was that the faerie Null had been behind Sphinx’s successes as well as allowing him and his right hand men powers beyond normal humans. After seeing what the holders were capable of though, Null had kept his eyes on them.

As the years went on, Adonis and Hive were rarely seen around the city anymore, though Mini Menace, Stray, and Vulpus were still quite active. The three friends had decided to finally reveal their identities to each other, though were interrupted by an attack on Paris unlike one they’ve ever known.

Facing what looked like Adonis, the enemy seemed disoriented and reckless- as well as talking phrases that didn’t make sense, and crying. After talking him down didn’t work, the four fought until his miraculous brooch had cracked, forcing him to flee.

In the battle, Sabine had gotten badly injured. Even after her physical recovery, she had tremors and panic attacks, forcing her to retire from being ladybug. The trio disbanded without ever revealing their identities to each other. Though Stray could still be seen in the following years on occasion.

In truth, Null had partially fused himself with Nooroo and forced Gabriel to transform after the man had heard how his wife's health was declining. Null tested using Nooroo’s powers, though was not coordinated as Gabriel fought against Null’s control even as Null offered him Emilie’s good health if he managed to defeat the other holders and take the ladybug and black cat miraculous.

Gabriel forced Null to stop, saying he wouldn’t hurt innocents for Null’s gain. That he didn’t want Null’s “help” and that he just wanted to spend time with his family. Null unfused with Nooroo, but told Gabriel that he’ll be there when he decides to accept his offer.

It’s not until years later when Emilie falls into a coma that Nooroo, hating to see his holder so broken and hurt, asks Gabriel if he remembers Null’s offer and the possibility of accepting it. Gabriel brings up the points of the broken miraculous, the facts that Null has ulterior motives, hurting innocents etc; but Nooroo says that they can use Null instead of the other way around. Play the part of getting the miraculous, but as soon as they learn how to cure Emilie, they’ll figure a way to trap him just like Null trapped them all those years ago.

After planning, the two called for Null to tell him they accepted his proposal. The fae then fused together, and Hawkmoth was reluctantly created.

Previous: BEFORE CANON

Next: BRIDGETTE: SCARLET DANCER ERA

[brokehorrorfan]

Brick will be released on 4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray on October 15 via Kino Lorber. The 2005 neo-noir mystery features reversible artwork.

Rian Johnson (Star Wars: The Last Jedi, Knives Out) writes and directs. Joseph Gordon-Levitt stars with Nora Zehetner, Noah Fleiss, Matt O'Leary, Noah Segan, Meagan Good, Emilie de Ravin, Richard Roundtree, and Lukas Haas.

The film has been restored in 4K with Dolby Vision/HDR, approved by Johnson. Special features can be found below.

Special features:

Audio commentary by film scholar Jason A. Ney (new)

Audio commentary by writer-director Rian Johnson, actors Nora Zehetner and Noah Segan, producer Ram Bergman, production designer Jodie Tillen and costume designer Michele Posch

8 deleted and extended scenes with introduction by Rian Johnson

The Inside Track: Casting the Roles of Laura and Dode

Theatrical trailer

Brendan Frye (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) is a high school loner, someone who knows all the angles but has chosen to stay on the outside. When the girl he loves turns up dead, he is determined to find the “who” and “why” and plunges into the dark and dangerous social strata of rich girl Laura (Nora Zehetner), intimidating Tugger (Noah Fleiss), drug-addled Dode (Noah Segan), seductive Kara (Meagan Good), and the ominous Pin (Lukas Haas). But who can he really trust?

Pre-order Brick.

[chicinsilk]

"Jolie Madame de Printemps"

Pierre Balmain Haute Couture Collection Spring/Summer 1954. Geneviève wears a black wool crepe dress by Labbey, white felt hat.

Pierre Balmain Collection Haute Couture Printems/Été 1954. Geneviève porte une robe en crêpe de laine noir de Labbey, toque en feutre blanc.

Photo Tom Kublin

[flashbic]

So, as someone who does not have any French or Canadian heritage, what exactly is Cartouche? I haven't heard of it before, but it seems like there's a show and books and stuff, is it fairly popular among french-speaking communities? You've made me curious lol

Ngl i went "nyehehehehehe" out loud when i found out i was being given an excuse to ramble about the thing :D

The short answer is it's a french cartoon from the early 2000s! One season-long, with 26 episodes! And yeah in 2010 they eventually made little books that are based on some eps, and they are very cute! They all have unique artwork because instead of using screenshots from the show they hired an artist to illustrate everything.

Most of the show is sort-of lost media, by which i mean that there are only 5 episodes still available in the original french audio… BUT an arabic dub exists, so I've been going through that with a translation app for funsies in my free time! So to answer your question, no, it's not a well-known show, but to me it's a nostalgic one asfdkg

More rambling about the thing under the cut!

What it's about:

Think Robin Hood in the early 1700s, but in Paris! Specifically, it takes place 2-3 years after Louis XIV's death : the future king is a tiny 7yo kid, and since he can't reign yet, the old king's nephew, Philippe II d'Orléans, is regent. In real life, the regency lasted 8 years, and Philippe d'Orléans is generally now considered by historians to have been An Okay Guy Who Did His Best, but every show needs a villain, so here he's the Prince John to Cartouche's Robin Hood! So the bulk of the show is Cartouche and his lil group of buddies helping out poor people and fighting for justice.

I was always fond of the show, but ngl part of the fun in recent months has been reading up on the time period; it's a unique but very short transition era between two very long reigns, and a lot of stuff actually happened during it! The show has a fun amount of references to real people and events here and there. Makes reading all those History books feel like the Pepe Silvia meme, really

Who are these characters:

Our main character is this dude! Cartouche is your brave hero archetype, but also a bit of a smartass with a penchant for shenanigans. And he's named after a real-life criminal! The actual Cartouche was notably Not Nice, but a lot of people at the time did cheer him on because, well, he stole from and attacked rich people. There are actual books and movies about him that did generally keep the bandit-with-a-heart-of-gold legend alive! Cartoon!Cartouche is even designed after one of the movie versions, where he was played by actor Jean-Paul Belmondo. He's got the same outfit and everything, it's cute :D

Real!Cartouche had his own group of allies called the Cartouchiens, and some of the characters from the show are named after them! The main ones are…

Louis du Châtelet, aka le Lorrain, he's a noble who decided to join the good guys! He's a fancy dude, and notably he used to be a massive jerk, but he got better!

Fleur d'Épine and Galichon! Galichon was sentenced to the galleys and escaped! He's the team dad… and is also Fleur d'Épine's actual adoptive dad. Fleur d'Épine is the youngest of the group and has a whole backstory the show takes time to uncover: she was found by Galichon when she was just a baby! She gets a bunch of episodes about her mysterious family situation...

Freluquet, who is, let's be real, the token kid they added for the show. But he's generally a fun little dude, and very importantly he often relays messages from...

Isabelle d'Entraigues, Philippe d'Orléans's niece! She's not named after a real person, but after a character in the Belmondo Cartouche movie. She's a fave, she's got a temper! She's a spy from the good guys.

And then we have our main villains!

Philippe d'Orléans, the Regent. He's cruel and power-hungry and not above trying to get rid of the young king.But of course, he's not going to get his hands dirty. (The real guy is super interesting! I've been reading up on him a lot!) He has two people doing work for him:

Demachault, the police lieutenant, who is named after a real guy and is doing his best but honestly just sucks at this job, poor guy.

Nero Falconi, who is the Regent's right-hand man. He's the competent one here, but unlike our other villains he's not a noble!! His sad backstory ties with le Lorrain's, but instead of acting angsty about it, he's just seething with rage at all times. I Just Think He's Neat <3 He's the one main character who isn't named after a real person or a movie character!

There are other characters, but these are the main ones! It's a cute show! The references and links to real events are fun to spot, the setting is neat :D

Also Falconi's sad backstory lives in my brain rent-free, despite the flashback being only 60 seconds long. I can't justify that one, it's not that deep, it's just been occupying space in my brain for almost 20 years for some reason

[spilladabalia]

Opéra de Nuit - Amour Noir (Music Video) (Les Vampires 1915)

[incorrect-quotes-of-moonacre]

Richard: Poison is a magic transmutation potion that turns people into corpses.

Robin: This knife is actually a magic wand.

Richard: Meet me in the parking lot for a wizard duel.

David: *cocks gun* Magic missile.

Maria: What the fuck is wrong with you people.

[randomrichards]

OSSESSIONE:

Drifter stops by inn

Helps woman kill her husband

His guilt consumes him

[fabseg-creator]

Fathom Company: Hierarchy system

This is the representation of the Fathom Company in the Opposite Universe. We can see its top officials who manage the firm of the same name.

CEO: Colt Fathom (billionaire, lobbyist)

Secretary/Spokeswoman: Adoni Buther/Duther (assistant, adviser, an affair with Colt, in contact with the State-presidential administration and the Paris' municipality)

Negociator-in-chief:

Mrs Rossi (currently)

Cash (formerly) JAILED because of his connections with the Organised Crime (Mafia, Triads)

Business Partnerships: Tsurugi Industries (directes by Tomoe Tsurugi) among them

High Council (composed by Directors):

Directress of Human resource department: Amélie Graham de Vanily (supported by her family, divorced)

Financial department Director: Richard Sphinx (financial trader, banker)

Commercial department Director: Bob Roth (owner of multiples Music houses)

Engineering department Director: Dean Gate a.k.a. Doorman (informatician, genius, inventor, technology producer)

Marketing department Directress: Audrey Bourgeois (owner of Style Queen Magazine, Mode producer)

Security department Director: Armand D'Argencourt (self-defense specialist, fencing-fighting trainer)

Managers: André the Glacier Manager, Fred Haprèle and Xavier Ramier among them

Employees/Salarymen/Workers/Agents

The original sketch here:

[screamscenepodcast]

Hammer Film Productions tries to update the play THE MAN IN HALF MOON STREET by Barré Lyndon, with mixed results. Take a listen to hear what we liked and didn't about 1959's THE MAN WHO COULD CHEAT DEATH (Fisher)!

Context setting 00:00; Synopsis 22:30; Discussion 32:19; Ranking 46:04

[edsonjnovaes]

9 FILMES DE FICÇÃO CIENTÍFICA QUE AS PESSOAS ESQUECERAM

Desde sempre, a ficção científica nos ofereceu um prisma para ver o mundo de forma diferente. Seja tecendo críticas à alienação e ao controle da população ou imaginando um mundo de possibilidades ilimitadas, o gênero sempre andou no limite entre a maravilha e o grotesco, com mistérios descobertos graças à tecnologia e à ciência. GUS FIAUX – Legião dos Heróis THX 1138 (1971) Muito antes de se…

[justforbooks]

Stieg Larsson

His Millennium trilogy was a worldwide hit. But to the Swedish author, it was only ever a sideshow to his true life’s work: fighting fascism, racism and rightwing extremism

It is a relatively well-known fact that the author of the bestselling and most widely known Nordic noir crime series of all time never got to witness his own success. Swedish novelist Stieg Larsson died of a sudden heart attack 20 years ago this week, aged only 50, before the publication of The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo and the Millennium trilogy that followed.

What is less well known is that on the day of his death (9 November 2004), Larsson was due to give a lecture on the Nazis’ November pogrom at the headquarters of the Workers’ Educational Association in Stockholm. Kristallnacht, “the night of broken glass”, was an important date in Larsson’s calendar, which he commemorated every year. To him, it epitomised the abyss of far-right extremism he spent his life fighting.

Larsson’s life as an antifascist activist has been increasingly overlooked in the wake of his books’ phenomenal global success. One of Sweden’s most lucrative literary exports, the Millennium series has sold more than 100m copies across its various titles, according to publisher Norstedts. The novels have since been adapted into a number of Swedish TV films, a Hollywood blockbuster starring Daniel Craig, and expanded into two further trilogies by two other authors.

“And yet, the trilogy is only one episode in Stieg’s journey through the world, and it certainly isn’t his life’s work”, his life partner, Eva Gabrielsson, wrote back in 2011 in her memoir. Gabrielsson refers to the “Stieg of the ‘Millennium industry’” as being created after his death. The Larsson she knew was an unwavering antifascist – a deeply rooted conviction that shines through passage after passage of his page-turning crime thrillers.

Two decades on, the novels read like a gloomy premonition of Sweden’s political landscape to come, with the far-right Sweden Democrats a de facto part of the governing coalition since 2022. Larsson exposed the undemocratic underbelly of a country usually associated with Scandinavian exceptionalism rather than murderous Nazis. It was a side of Swedish society he knew all too well as a journalist.

In The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, a suspenseful whodunnit set on a fictional Swedish island inhabited by a wealthy industrialist family, Nazi pasts are never far beneath the surface of the plot. The Vanger brothers – Richard, Harald and Greger – were all members of the extreme right organisation New Sweden, with Harald becoming a “key contributor to the hibernating Swedish fascist movement”. The investigative journalist Mikael Blomkvist later finds photos of Greger with Sven Olov Lindholm, a Swedish Nazi leader in the 1940s. And the fascist ideology of Richard – grandfather of the missing Harriet and her vicious brother Martin – led him to the Finnish trenches in the second world war.

In the sequel, The Girl Who Played With Fire, we find the biker gang Svavelsjö MC (whose logo features a Celtic cross, a symbol common among white supremacy groups) at the centre of a sex trafficking ring. The gang is well connected with the organised extreme right: its number two, Sonny Nieminen, has had dealings with neo-Nazi groups such as the Aryan Brotherhood and the Nordic Resistance Movement while in prison. Lisbeth Salander’s nemesis and, as it turns out, brother – a giant brute who feels no pain called Ronald Niedermann – was part of a skinhead gang in the 1980s in Hamburg, we are told; it’s a nod to a nascent far-right subculture in Germany responsible for arson attacks and murders.

And in Larsson’s final novel, The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets’ Nest, Blomkvist and Salander expose a shadowy clique within Swedish intelligence called “the Section”, comprised of members of the extreme right Democratic Alliance. “Within the Section this was no obstacle,” we learn. “The Section had in fact been instrumental in the very formation of the group.”

While the Millennium trilogy touches on many themes, especially violence against women (the original Swedish title Larsson insisted on for the first novel translates as “Men who hate women”), Larsson condemned the Swedish far right’s influence at all levels of society.

These convictions were rooted in his biography. His grandfather, with whom he grew up with in the icy north of Sweden, was an anti-Nazi communist imprisoned in an internment camp during the second world war. The grandfather would recount the horrors of the November pogrom, leaving a lasting impression on the young Larsson, himself a committed activist, first in the anti-Vietnam war movement, then in Maoist and Trotskyist circles. But it was Larsson’s commitment against the far right that would shape his politics for the bulk of his life.

In 1979, Larsson joined the Swedish news agency Tidningarnas Telegrambyrå, where he spent the next 20 years of his modest career as a low-level journalist. But as rightwing extremists began robbing banks, stealing weapons and murdering people in Sweden in the mid-1980s, Larsson became the agency’s go-to expert.

From 1983, he began writing for the British antifascist magazine Searchlight as a Stockholm correspondent. In 1991 he co-authored a Swedish-language book on rightwing extremism. And over the years he penned numerous reports and articles on contemporary antisemitism and the far right for organisations and institutes in Israel, Belgium and France.

A pivotal moment came in 1995. Larsson co-founded the Expo Foundation, which publishes a quarterly magazine on racism, antisemitism and the far right to this day. By 1999, it had become his day job. It was a calling that came at great personal cost, landing him on neo-Nazi hitlists. He received bullets by post. Colleagues were targeted through shootings or car bombs. According to Gabrielsson, it was for security reasons that they did not marry, leaving her without inheritance rights under Swedish law.

“Stieg was a nerd at heart, but there was a certain machismo to covering the far right in the 90s,” says Daniel Poohl, head of the Expo Foundation since 2005. “It was men researching dangerous other men and sometimes that meant having a baseball bat to protect yourself. Because that’s what you do when you feel that you’re on your own.”

Poohl is sitting in the first floor office of Expo in a nondescript block in a residential neighbourhood in Stockholm. Framed covers of the compact, stylish magazine, which today has 7,000 subscribers, adorn the wall behind him. In the next room, the 14 staff members are busy planning the coming issue, page drafts of which are plastered on the wall.

It’s hard not to think of Larsson’s fictional investigative publication Millennium, with which there are plenty of parallels in the novels. “A lot of people have said to me that Millennium is basically Expo,” says Poohl. “But it’s not. Millennium was the ultimate dream magazine. Stieg was a bad businessman, so it would never work in real life.”

The success of the novels, which Larsson wrote in his spare time, has partly helped the foundation, however. A representative of Larsson’s estate said that the holding company that controls it has donated a total of over 40 million Swedish kronor (£2.9 million) over the years, which “have clearly been crucial for Expo’s activities.” .

Poohl from Expo confirmed that the foundation received one off payments, as well as an additional yearly support from the Larssons for a period and a cut of the fourth novel in the series, The Girl in the Spider’s Web, published in 2015 and authored by David Lagercrantz.

“People sometimes think we received a lot of money through the books, but it’s less than they think,” he says. “We’re thankful for the financial support that we have received during the years. But the royalty agreement has since ended.” Poohl adds: “The sad part is that Stieg didn’t get to use his fame to further his political work.” Joakim Larsson, his brother, declined an interview request due to health reasons. Gabrielsson, now 70, didn’t respond to multiple interview requests.

With the electoral success of the far-right Sweden Democrats, a party rooted in Swedish nazism, Larsson’s political nightmare has in many ways come true. “He tried to show that they weren’t simply a gang of madmen plotting to infiltrate Swedish society … but a real political movement that had to be combated through political means,” wrote Gabrielsson back in 2011. The “Millennium millions”, as a Swedish documentary has called the fortune made through the trilogy, would have undeniably been a big boost to his other life’s work.

Daily inspiration. Discover more photos at Just for Books…?

[britcision]

Alright I went through more of the new Discworld audiobooks last night so an uncomprehensive review list:

Maskerade: fucking EXCELLENT, they did Agnes’s audition in such a cool fucking way this alone makes it all worth while. Even having a 5 second pause, sparkle music, and then a Different Fucking Person reading every footnote. And DILF Death. Will try the rest of the Witches and see if their “Magrat” is one or two words when used more. Indira Varma crushed it

Death/Susan books: good narrator, sounds interesting, gonna start with Soul Music because again, sonically interesting 👀 Sian Clifford (I assume) does a very good Susan voice and shows aging from Soul Music to Hogfather

Watch books: Nope. Nope. 0/10 completely misunderstood the assignment. His different voices for characters are SPECTACULAR Jon Culshaw is an excellent voice actor! But every other thing is just. Wrong.

His inflections are off, the pacing is wrong for the excerpts in the sample, the tone of the narration swings from “reading to small children” with over-exaggerated emotion and surprise at things like the first description of a golem in Feet Of Clay to “gritty noir novel” for the other books and all Vimes scenes and Neither Of Those Are Right

The Watch books are not gritty noir novels. Vimes is pretty blatantly a satirical deconstruction of a gritty noir detective - by The End Of The First Book he’d be fired from gritty noir for finding love and quitting drinking

The Watch books are police procedurals, detective thrillers, mysteries, sure, all distinct from the other series. They’re not the best for young kids. They’re not fucking noir. The noir elements like the descriptions of the city, the rainy nights, Vimes’ cynicism, are immediately undercut by jokes

Carrot, good mountain dwarf by way of Lancre, has a fucking posh city accent???? By Men At Arms?????

(Did like that Edward d’Eath is de-ath not de-eth like Nigel Planar’s)

On the whole, sounds like they used the old Artemis Fowls for a template and nailed that tone, which is absolutely wrong for Vimes

Moist von Lipwigs books: minor Rise of the Guardians Jack Frost vibes, I was not expecting that low of a voice from the narrator but Richard Coyle also does great voices

Moist is… a little weirdly emotive in his first cell like he’s got no real mask between his actual feelings and talking to the warders but that might improve. Will try

Rincewind books: interesting accent on the main narration, more distinct than any of the other narrators, with interesting inflections. I like it. I predict it making The Last Continent very interesting. Colin Morgan’s got a good clear voice, will try

[chicinsilk]

Variation on a cape (4)

Jeanne Lanvin-Castillo Haute Couture Collection Fall/Winter 1955-56. Dovima wears a large black cape wrapped over her shoulder worn over a suit and a melusine hat by Legroux Soeurs.

Jeanne Lanvin-Castillo Collection Haute Couture Automne/Hiver 1955-56. Dovima porte une grande cape noir enroulée sur l'épaule portée sur un tailleur et un chapeau de mélusine de Legroux Soeurs.

Photo Richard Avedon