#Roy Merritt

[queer-as-used-by-tolkien]

Had an epiphany while reading Daemon by Daniel Suarez.

As a writer, I strongly admire the characterization of a character introduced as "Agent Roy "Tripwire" Merritt." He's given a squad and a nickname that both get annihilated in his first scene were he almost dies. There's maybe four lines of dialogue - short lines - between Merritt and (one of) his teammates with a nigh-unpronounceable name (Wauchuer or smth) that Merritt shortens/nicknames to Wack. Wack has a sense of humor (except for one moment when it's serious) and no other characterization. None of the other squad-members are referred to, by name or anything else, but IIRC there are six of them. They are to enter a highly booby-trapped house that has stumped local police as well as FBI. Merritt and his team have done incredibly complex missions overseas and Merritt feels that there must have been some oversight to get his squad assigned here.

They are ordered to retreat suddenly, but before they can, he loses his team on the front lawn and comes near to death himself. When he realizes that he has survived, he also realizes that he'll get to see his daughters grow up. Then he realizes his team is gone and he goes berserk, entering the house in a rage. In pursuit of his task, he remains levelheaded under pressure and gets further into the house than anyone had before - alone - and showing great resourcefulness, meanwhile screaming at the AI that killed his men. When the house begins to self-destruct he high-tails it out of there.

Merritt does survive by the skin of his teeth. (His courage and determination make him a hero, even to the enemy side.)

After he has recovered from his injuries, months later, the narrative introduces him as Agent Roy Merritt, dressed up in a fancy suit for a trial hearing and moving slow and dignified. It feels like a stark contrast to his earlier reckless, emotionally-charged demeanor and behavior. He has been changed by his experiences and his injuries. A few sentences later, now inside Merritt's head, the narrative repeats "Agent Roy Merritt... Nobody called him Tripwire anymore. The men who had were all dead."

Sucker punch to the gut. I did not know these men or their names but I FEEL Merritt's pain.

He is honest in his trail hearing: he went into the house despite orders. They give him an out (trying to escape the horror on the lawn) but he doesn't take it. He is released from service and he goes outside to contemplate his life. He only wanted to serve his country.

Fast-forward to later. Merritt is still all business, but he does have his drive, resourcefulness, motivation, etc. He defies orders (again) because there is a mass murderer lose on the streets. The enemy is in awe and respects his grit and levelheadedness, and when Merritt takes his helmet off the enemy rejoices - he's facing off against the legendary Roy Merritt. He delightedly promises not to kill Merritt if he can have Merritt's autograph.

Just then, Merritt is shot in the back by a two-faced DOD agent, the highest-ranking allied character, so high-ranking that his name isn't available to any character in the book at any time.

Merritt is still alive, but he's crawling across the pavement to get to his jacket (which had fallen off at some point), leaving a thick trail of blood. The DOD agent, who had expected the enemy to finish Merritt off, sits in bewilderment for a moment while Merritt retrieves his jacket and is holding two pieces of paper.

The enemy meanwhile is howling in rage at the DOD agent (who is sniping from a helicopter), pounding the nearest available surface in rage. (The enemy knows this is not someone on his team, meaning he must be on Merritt's team, meaning he KNOWS Merritt just got shot in the back BY AN ALLY.)

The DOD agent gets tired of waiting on the enemy to finish Merritt off and shoots him in the head, then flies away.

Merritt goes limp and the pieces of paper he was holding are revealed to be two photographs.

SUCKER PUNCH TO THE GUT AGAIN.

Merritt has three scenes, maybe four, in this whole book. I don't know the names of his team, his family, or much about his personal background (and let me tell you, this book LOVES names and infodumping backstory). But his losses hit me harder than anyone else's.

In this last scene it is clearly able to be inferred that these are photographs of his family; wife and daughters, presumably; that he knew he was about to die and wanted to spend his last moments looking at them.

Of his squad, we can infer how much Merritt cared about them from his brief interactions with his buddy Wack, the way nicknames are used, the way Merritt reacts to their deaths.

It's all up to inference. It's all up to what we weren't told directly. It's left up to us to fill in the gaps and imagine.

This reminds me of an earlier post about GW2's Trahearne - how his character is so incredibly powerful because we are told 'he was lonely for 25 years' but there is little to no further explanation of what his life was like before, while the storyline is about him finally finding a place in the world and finding people who care about him. We don't need to know the details of his 25 years of loneliness because we fill in the blanks ourselves. And this makes his character many times more powerful than it would've been if we knew the details.

Give me a minute while I process this into some useful writing advice. (you really do need to read a lot to write)

[vintagegeekculture]

there was Chinese interest in the Out Of Asia theory, in both the Republic, Chiang Republic and People’s Republic periods before the Out Of Africa theory became commonly accepted. Was the 1954 Yeti expedition done just from the Nepalese-Indian side or were the American agents and “anthropologists” given access on the Sino-Tibetan side of the Himalayan border?

During the early part of this century, it was absolutely believed for a long time that the deserts of Western China were the most likely place of human origins, as seen in this migration map from 1944, made from the best available knowledge of the time:

Remember, the oldest fossil remains at this point were in China, where Homo erectus was discovered (originally known by his initial place of discovery in Chungkotien Cave, nicknamed "Peking Man"). The discovery of Australopithecus and Homo habilis in Olduvai Gorge and South Africa, which place human origins in Africa, were not until the 50s and 60s, so it seemed entirely reasonable that Homo sapiens evolved in Western China.

The idea that China's desert regions were the origin of modern humans and culture is seen a lot in pop culture from 1900-1950, mainly because there were tremendous explorations in the region, especially Aurel Stein's expedition of 1908, who ventured into the Taklamakan Desert to find the Dunhuang Caves and Khara-Khoto, a city destroyed completely by Genghis Khan and vanished in the desert.

If you've ever heard of Roy Chapman Andrews and his famous expeditions in the 1920s, it's worth noting that he ventured into the Gobi Desert looking for human remains....not dinosaurs, and the discovery of dinosaur eggs was an unexpected surprise.

For that reason, there was a short lived Silk Road Mania that seemed to be a smaller scale predecessor to the pop culture dominating Egyptomania of the 1920s. It's bizarre to read adventure and fantasy fiction of the 1910s-1920s that features mentions of Silk Road peoples like the Kyrgyz, Sogdians, Tajik, Uigurians, and Tuvans. The best example I can think of would be the Khlit the Kossack stories of Harold Lamb (who also wrote a biography of Tamerlane), which together with Tarzan and Tros of Samothrace, formed the core inspiration for Robert E. Howard's Conan the Barbarian.

The most interesting example of this would be A. Merritt's Dwellers in the Mirage, which featured a lost city in Xinjiang that was the home of the Nordic race, who worshipped their original religion, the kraken-like squid devil god Khalkru. It was widely believed in this era that Nordics emerged from Central Asia originally, and while it's easy to write this off as turn of the century racialist claptrap pseudohistory (along with Hyperborea legends), in this case, it is actually true: a branch of the Indo-European family lived in West China, and 5,000 year old redheaded mummies have been found in the region. As usual, A. Merritt was right on the money with his archeology, more so than other 1920s authors. After all, his "Moon Pool" was set around the just discovered ruins of Nan Madol, the Venice of Micronesia.

Jack Williamson's still chilling Darker Than You Think in 1948 was also set in the Silk Road/Central Asian region, as the place the race of shapeshifters emerged from, Homo magi, who await the coming of their evil messiah, the Night King, who will give them power over the human race.

H. Rider Haggard set "Ayesha: the Return of She" (1905) in Xinjiang, among a lost Greek colony in Central Asia (no doubt based on Alexandria on the Indus, a Greek colony in modern Pakistan that was the furthest bastion of Greek Culture). This was also two years after the Younghusband Thibetan Expedition of 1903, where the British invaded Tibet. At the time, the Qing Dynasty was completely declining and lost control of the frontier regions, and the power vacuum was filled by religious authority by default (this is something you also saw in Xinjiang, where for example, the leader of the city was the Imam of Kashgar).

This is one of the many British invasions they have attempted to cram down the memory hole, but if you ever see a Himalayan art piece that was "obtained in 1903-1904" ....well, you know where it came from.

Incidentally, there's one really funny recent conspiracy theory about paleontology, fossils, and China that I find incredibly interesting: the idea that dinosaurs having feathers is a lie and a sinister plot spread by the Communist Chinese (who else?) to make American youth into sissy fancylads, like Jessie "the Body" Ventura. How? By lying to us and making up that the manly and vigorous Tyrannosaurus, a beast with off the charts heterosexuality and a model for boys everywhere, might have been feathered like a debutante's dress. What next - lipstick on a Great White Shark? The long term goal is to make Americans effeminate C. Nelson Reilly types unable to defend against invasion. This is a theory that is getting steam among the kind of people who used to read Soldier of Fortune magazine, and among abusive stepfathers the world over.

...okay, are you done laughing? Yeah, this is obvious crackpottery and transparent sexual pathology, on the level of the John Birch Society in the 60s saying the Beatles were a Communist mind control plot. Mostly because animals just look how they look, and if it turned out that the ferocious Tyrannosaurus had feathers and looked like a fancylad Jessie Ventura to you, well, that's your problem and mental baggage, really.

I was left scratching my head over this one. But there is (kind of) something to this, and that is that a huge chunk of recent dinosaur discoveries have been in China. I don't think it has anything to do with a Communist plot to turn American boys into fancylads, but more to do with a major push in internal public investment in sciences in that country, and an explosion of Chinese dinosaur discoveries. If you want to see a great undervisited dinosaur museum, go to the Zigong Dinosaur Museum in Sichuan.

Pop quiz: what living scientist has named more dinosaur discoveries? It's not Bakker or Horner. The greatest living paleontologist, Xu Xing, which is why a lot of recently found dinosaurs are named things like Shangtungasaurus.

[forkingandcountry-if]

The Great Houses of For King and Country

House Wynd

Title: Lord Paramount, Emperor Edmund Wynd

Ancestral Seat: Wyndham Castle

Region: The Wetlands

Coat of Arms: Partizan Spear with Grey Cloth tied to end

Motto: “Strike True, Strike Once”

Vassal Houses: Gray, Freymen, Cole, Dustin, Courtney, Cadfael, Douglas

House Radwell-Cadderly

Title: Lord Paramount Cade Radwell-Casterly

Ancestral Seat: Two Prince's Crossing

Region: The Princeland

Coat of Arms: Two Inverted Golden Crowns and a Golden Sun Between

Motto: “Only One Crown Above Ours”

Major Vassal Houses: Royce, Roy, Vardy, Barclay, Harvey, Godwell, Radwell, Carter, Cadderly

House Merivale*

Title: Lord of the Vale, Lord Paramount Lancet Merivale

Ancestral Seat: Kingsport

Region: The Vale and Great Lakes

Coat of Arms: Golden Crowned Falcon and Golden Buck on Split Green and Blue Background.

Motto: “Honor From On High”

Major Vassal Houses: Uplands, Grenplace, Loras, Lorelei, Flowers, Blondewood, Darley, Greenspan

House Abbey

Title: Lord Paramount Finneen Abbey

Ancestral Seat: Oldchurch

Region: The Midlands

Coat of Arms: Silver Crown in White Star

Motto: “Steel to clean the hearts of men”

Major Vassal Houses: Morrel, Coffer, Abney, Woods, Arden

House Chamer

Title: Warden of the Hinterland, Lord Paramount Ornold Chamer

Ancestral Seat: Mount Reave

Region: The Hinterlands and Firth

Coat of Arms: Bucking Horse

Motto: “All things can be ordered”

Major Vassal Houses: Cramer, MacAffey, Mulholland, Vicar

House Champion

Title: Warden of the Greater Realm, Lord Paramount Hal Champion

Ancestral Seat: Guard's Round Hall

Region: The Borderlands

Coat of Arms: Knight in a Field of Wheat

Motto: “Faithful Unto Death”

Major Vassal Houses: Daunt, Gallant, Richard, Radclyffe, Reeds

House Fischer

Title: Stewardess of the Royal Woods, Lady Paramount Moira Fischer

Ancestral Seat: Diver Castle

Region: The Greenwood

Coat of Arms: Wooden Keep

Motto: “Swift to sow! Swift to swords!”

Major Vassal Houses: Keats, Trent, Pole, Diver, Greenwood, Hart

House Parish

Title: Lord-Governor of the Plain, Lord Paramount Merritt Parish

Ancestral Seat: Fortress Merill

Region: The Plains

Coat of Arms: Burning fortress flanked by rivers

Motto: "First to Fury"

Major Vassal Houses: Murgatroyd, Everly, Eccleston, Farnham, Gladwyn, Dane, Dwerry

House Galagar

Title: Lord Paramount, King o' the Rock Brent Galagar

Ancestral Seat: The Rook

Region: The Highlands

Coat of Arms: Heraldic Eagle flanked by Lions

Motto: “In Our Own Right, Kings”

Major Vassal Houses: Aron, Link, Broeker, Burnes, Arrowsmith, Keeper, Fletcher

*You are an heir of House Merivale up in the Vale and Great Lakes.

[joeinct]

Couple at Merritt’s, Photo by Roy DeCarava, 1952

[mywifeleftme]

157: The Silver Mt. Zion Memorial Orchestra & Tra-La-La Band // "Born Into Trouble as the Sparks Fly Upward."

"Born Into Trouble as the Sparks Fly Upward." The Silver Mt. Zion Memorial Orchestra & Tra-La-La Band 2001, Constellation (Bandcamp)

22 years ago Montreal’s other iconic prodigiously-membered post-rock band released their second LP. It’s not easy keeping all of these pro-Zion-but-not-Zionists straight, so I’ve helpfully listed and ranked each of the musicians who have passed through this constantly shifting collective from first to least-first. Let’s go!

Members of A/The/e Silver Mt. Zion Memorial Orchestra & Tra-La-La Band, Ranked

1. Mike Garson - piano 2. Annie Clark - guitar, keyboards, backing vocals 3. Brian Teasley- percussion 4. Daniel Hart - violin 5. Szabolcs Szczur – accordion 6. Davey 'Crabsticks' Trotter – Mellotron 7. Timothy Matthews – mbira 8. Buffi Jacobs – cello 9. Bach Norwood – piano, keyboards, backing vocals 10. Harriet Ballance - triangle, backing vocals 11. Japhy Ryder – floristry 12. Stuart "Peebs" Peebles – piccolo 13. Chandler Petrino – natural horn, oboe 14. Jared Pechonis – theremin 15. Toby Halbrooks - theremin 16. Corn Mo - backing vocals 17. Patrick Hewitt – theremin 18. Darin Hieb – trumpet, backing vocals 19. Rachel Woolf – flute 20. Mark Beardsworth – claviola 21. Allen Halas – percussion 22. Edwin Mendoza – viola 23. Todd Beaupré – vibraslap 24. Thaddeus Ford – trumpet 25. Paul Deemer – trombone, trumpet 26. Mike St.Clair – trombone, synth effects 27. Josh Guyer – trombone, spoons 28. Chris Curiel – trumpet 29. Heather Test – French horn 30. Victoria Arellano – classical harp 31. Sean Redman – violin, mandolin 32. Kelly Test – percussion 33. Mike Mordecai – percussion 34. Jason Garner – drums 35. Audrey Easley – flute, piccolo, EWI 36. Rick G. Nelson – viola 37. Nick Groesch – piano, keyboards 38. Keith Hendricks – percussion 39. Evan Hisey – keyboards 40. Dylan Silvers – guitar 41. Daniel Hart – violin 42. John Lamonica – percussion 43. Marcus Lopez – percussion 44. Matt Bricker – trumpet, synth effects 45. Taylor Young – percussion 46. Joe Butcher – steel drum 47. Evan Jacobs – piano, keyboards 48. Todd Berridge – viola 49. Nick Earl – guitar 50. Evan Weiss – trumpet 51. Jay Jennings – trumpet 52. Tamara Brown – violin 53. Merritt Lota – steel drums 54. Daniel Huffman – guitar 55. Timothy Blowers – harp 56. Anthony Richards – steel drums 57. Louis Schwadron – French horn 58. Andrew Tinker – French horn 59. Nick Wlodarczyk  – trombone 60. Paul Gaughran – flute 61. Isabelo Cruz – French horn 62. Bryan Wakeland – drums 63. Hayley McCarthy – viola 64. Dave Dusters – percussion, backing vocals 65. Billy Mills-Curran – flute 66. Logan Keese – trumpet 67. Ricky Rasura – classical harp 68. Tonya Hewitt – banjo 69. Daniel Poorman – slide whistle 70. Andy Parkerson – clarinet 71. Joseph Singleton – viola 72. Jenelle Valencia – violin 73. James Reimer – trombone 74. Regina Chellew – guitar, trumpet, backing vocals 75. Ryan Fitzgerald – guitar, backing vocals 76. Cory Helms – guitar, backing vocals 77. Jessica Jordan – backing vocals 78. Jenny Kirtland – backing vocals 79. Kristin Hardin – backing vocals 80. Elizabeth Evans – backing vocals 81. Neil Smith – backing vocals 82. Julie Doyle – backing vocals 83. Christine Bolon – backing vocals 84. Natalie Young – backing vocals 85. Constance Dolph – backing vocals 86. Elizabeth Brown – backing vocals 87. Apotsala Wilson – backing vocals 88. Jennie Kelley – backing vocals 89. Roy Thomas Ivy – backing vocals 90. Jamey Welch – backing vocals 91. Ethan Voelkers – backing vocals 92. Mark Pirro - bass 93. Frank Benjaminsen – backing vocals 94. Stephanie Dolph – backing vocals 95. Jennifer Jobe – backing vocals 96. Mike Elio – backing vocals 97. Kelly Repka – backing vocals 98. Jason Rees – backing vocals 99. Jeneffa Soldatic – backing vocals 100. Michael Turner – backing vocals 101. Don Congeler – backing vocals 102. Michael Musick – backing vocals 103. Melissa Crutchfield – backing vocals 104. Sandra Powers Giasson – backing vocals 105. Paul Hillery – backing vocals 106. Stephen Dix – backing vocals 107. Jessica Berridge – backing vocals 108. Melisma MacDonald – backing vocals 109. Ross Cink - backing vocals 110. Lucy Williams - choreography 111. Josh David Jordan – backing vocals 112. Brad Butler – backing vocals 113. Jason Rees – backing vocals 114. Andrew Aldenenotti – backing vocals 115. Getting hit by a bus wearing a flowing white robe 116. Tim DeLaughter - vocals, guitar, piano

Hold on. I’ve just received word that these musicians are actually members of some other band? Apologies for the confusion!

157/365

[gacmediadaily]

I was looking through my photo album and noticed I have a lot of images from behind the scenes of Great American Family Christmas movies from social media, and I thought it would be fun to share these random pics with all of you! Some are recent, and others are from a week or so ago, maybe more!

Here we go...

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The first image above is of Jen Lilley and Matthew Morrison dancing around a Christmas tree in Paris Christmas Waltz. Here are some more images from the set...

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Danica McKellar is currently filming her royal-themed Christmas movie, Royal Christmas Ball, for Great American Family. So far, she's only been seen alone.

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Susie Abromeit recently shared who her co-star is in her Christmas movie, Designing Christmas (wt), Liam McIntyre, and she also recently shared a close-up image and a video dancing in the snow...

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Jessica Lowndes has shared some behind-the-scenes videos from her Fall movie, including one of her co-star, Luxton Handspiker, who plays Jessica's son in the movie. Luxton portrayed the new orphan, Roy, in the "When Hope Calls" Christmas episodes.

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At the beginning of June, Trevor Donovan shared these images as his Christmas movie, Christmas By Chance, with Merritt Patterson, was wrapping. He's currently filming his Fall movie for Great American Family.

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I also have some screen grabs from Candace Cameron Bure's military-themed Great American Family movie, My Christmas Hero, which was filmed back in April. You can even see an American flag in the background of the second image. Plus, Candace shared a fun press shot with her photographer, Ricardo Hubbs.

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And last but not least, for those of you who have been wondering about Jesse Hutch's Christmas movie... it appears he will be starring alongside an all-star cast with Lori Loughlin, James Tupper, Jason Cermack, Karen Holness, and Laura Bertram in An Angel's Fare Christmas.

You can see a screen grab image of Jesse plus the main cast in the image below. It appears James Tupper may be playing Lori Loughlin's love interest, as he did in their previous movie together, Fall into Winter.

Well, I hope you enjoyed this exciting look at the upcoming Great American Family movies coming this Fall and Christmas!!! I'm so looking forward to ALL of the original movies they have planned.

I can't begin to say which movie I most want to see - because they ALL look FANTASTIC!!!

[brookstonalmanac]

Birthdays 11.1

Beer Birthdays

Ferdinand Rodenbach (1714)

Benjamin Lee, Baronet Guinness (1798)

Petrus Van Roy (1830)

Arthur Edward Guinness, Lord Ardilaun (1840)

Edmund Fitzgerald (1847)

Henry Schupp (1868 or 69)

Loretta Ann Rissell, Miss Rheingold 1963 (1940)

Five Favorite Birthdays

William Merritt Chase; artist (1849)

Toni Collette; Australian actor (1972)

Larry Flynt; magazine publisher (1942)

Charlie Kaufman; screenwriter (1958)

Edward Said; Palestinian writer (1935)

Famous Birthdays

Rick Allen; rock drummer (1963)

"Whispering" Bill Anderson; songwriter (1937)

Sholem Asch; Polish writer (1880)

Jules Bastien-Lepage; French artist (1848)

Bo Bice; singer and musician (1975)

Edmund Blunden; English author, poet (1896)

Barbara Bosson; actor (1939)

Hermann Broch; Austrian-American author (1886)

Jan Brożek; Polish mathematician, astronomer (1585)

Tim Cook; Apple Inc. CEO (1960)

Stephen Crane; writer (1871)

Jan Davis; astronaut (1953)

Louis Dewis; Belgian-French painter (1872)

Lou Donaldson; saxophonist (1926)

Richard "Kinky" Friedman; rock singer (1944)

Nordahl Grieg; Norwegian poet (1902)

Michael D. Griffin; physicist and engineer (1949)

Sophie B. Hawkins; rock musician (1967)

Ted Hendricks; Green Bay Packers/Colts/Raiders LB (1947)

Shere Hite; writer, researcher (1942)

Eugen Jochum; German conductor (1902)

Mitch Kapor; Lotus & EFF founder (1950)

Roger Kellaway; pianist, composer (1940)

George Kenner; German-American painte (1888)

Anthony Kiedis; rock singer (1962)

James Kirkpatrick; television journalist (1920)

Robert B. Laughlin; physicist (1950)

Lyle Lovett; singer, songwriter (1957)

L.S. Lowry; British artist (1887)

Jenny McCarthy; model, actor (1972)

Ken Miles; English-American race car driver (1918)

Philip Noel-Baker; Canadian politician, activist (1889)

Gary Player; golf player (1935)

Aishwarya Rai; Indian actor (1973)

Grantland Rice; writer (1880)

Barry Sadler; songwriter (1940)

Jim Steinman; rock songwriter (1947)

Rachel Ticotin; actor (1958)

Fernando Valenzuela; Los Angeles Dodgers P (1960)

Marcia Wallace; actor (1942)

[lalacrimafacile]

Godless: Il Western Epico di Netflix che Ridefinisce un Genere

Un Racconto di Intensa Drammaticità e Dialoghi Profondi

“Godless” è una serie che affascina fin dal primo episodio, trascinando lo spettatore in un mondo di intensità drammatica.

Ammetto di averla cominciata solo per la presenza di un particolare attore come co-protagonista. Ma dopo pochi minuti dalla opening scene ho compreso quanto questa serie mi avrebbe coinvolto.

I dialoghi, scritti con maestria, risuonano come eco nei deserti del selvaggio West, rivelando l’umanità e la fragilità dei personaggi.

Ogni scambio di battute è carico di significato, ogni silenzio è eloquente. La serie non ha paura di affrontare temi difficili, e lo fa con una profondità che raramente si trova in televisione.

Recitazione Naturale e Coinvolgente: Il Cast Straordinario di Godless

L’interpretazione degli attori in “Godless” è semplicemente straordinaria.

Jeff Daniels, nel ruolo del crudele Frank Griffin, offre una performance che è al contempo terrificante e affascinante. La sua capacità di infondere vita a un personaggio così complesso è ammirevole.

Michelle Dockery, conosciuta per il suo ruolo in “Downton Abbey”, dimostra una versatilità incredibile interpretando Alice Fletcher, una donna forte e indipendente.

Meritato Riconoscimento per le Interpretazioni di Jack O’Connell e Scoot McNairy

Jack O’Connell, nei panni del tormentato Roy Goode, trasmette una vulnerabilità che colpisce al cuore. La sua chimica con Merritt Wever, che interpreta la risoluta Mary Agnes, è palpabile, creando alcune delle scene più memorabili della serie.

Scoot McNairy, come lo sceriffo Bill McNue, offre una performance che bilancia fragilità e determinazione, rendendo il suo personaggio uno dei più amati dagli spettatori.

Una Storia di Redenzione e Resilienza: Il Messaggio di “Godless”

Oltre alla sua spettacolare narrazione e alle interpretazioni indimenticabili, “Godless” trasmette un messaggio profondo e significativo.

La serie esplora temi di redenzione, resilienza e comunità in un’epoca in cui la legge era dettata dalla forza.

I personaggi, nonostante le difficoltà e le ingiustizie, lottano per un futuro migliore, mostrando che anche nei momenti più bui, la speranza e la determinazione possono prevalere.

L’Empowerment Femminile nel Selvaggio West

Un aspetto particolarmente rilevante di “Godless” è la rappresentazione delle donne.

In un genere tradizionalmente dominato da figure maschili, la serie pone al centro donne forti e determinate, che guidano la comunità di La Belle.

La loro lotta per la sopravvivenza e l’indipendenza è un tema potente e attuale, che risuona profondamente con il pubblico moderno.

Questo show riesce in qualcosa che, personalmente, pochi prodotti audiovisivi sono riusciti a fare. Hanno mostrato la forza delle donne e la loro capacità di perseveranza senza dipingerle come delle s*****e senza sentimenti.

Esse sono donne sensibili che amano e piangono, soffrono e gioiscono. Sono semplicemente anche forti, non solo donne forti. Non so se sono riuscita a trasmettere il concetto.

Conclusione Godless: Un Capolavoro Moderno del Western

“Godless” non è solo una serie western; è un’esperienza cinematografica che ridefinisce il genere. Con la sua storia avvincente, dialoghi intensi, recitazione naturale e un cast eccezionale, riesce a toccare corde emotive profonde. È una serie che rimane nel cuore e nella mente degli spettatori, lasciando un’impronta indelebile.

Scoprite “Godless” su Netflix e lasciatevi trasportare in un viaggio emozionante nel selvaggio West, dove ogni episodio è una lezione di vita e ogni personaggio un simbolo di coraggio e speranza.

Consiglio vivamente questa serie per chi ha voglia di una storia coinvolgente, forti colpi di scena e di protagonisti dal carattere forte. Una miniserie che colpisce dritta al cuore, con una pallottola piena di pathos e emozioni. Parola di EasyTears.

Se volete altri consigli su cosa vedere in queste sere di Ottobre cercate il vostro prossimo titolo negli ultimi post o nelle mie liste. Al prossimo episodio!

[jdyf333]

gun violence at The Mad Butcher and elsewhere by Davivid Rose Via Flickr: MENTAL ILLNESS IS NOT A JOKE! "Two people were killed and eight wounded in a mass shooting Friday outside of a grocery store in Fordyce, Arkansas, state police said. One law enforcement officer was among those wounded and has non-life-threatening injuries, police said. Arkansas State Police responded to the Mad Butcher grocery store at 11:30 a.m. local time on Friday. The shooter was critically injured and has been taken into custody, police said." ---Cara Tabachnick, CBS News, 6.21. 2024. Above is the store logo, seen on their Facebook page. "Fresh MEAT Daily"... It was later said that 4 were killed and 11 were wounded. ("'Roy was as country as cornbread. He lived a simple life. He was a simple man.'" ---Helen Browning, 53, whose daughter Callie Weems, 23, a nurse who was shot and killed, speaking about her friend Roy Sturgis, a logger who was 50, and also died in the shooting. Browning said the shooter, Travis Eugene Posey, went to school with her youngest sister, and she "never would have thought he could do something so violent." [The above is from "Nurse was treating gunshot victim when she was killed in Arkansas mass shooting", 6.24. 2024, CBS/AP]) ("The Arkansas attack follows a mass shooting in Oakland, California on Wednesday, when 15 people were wounded during Juneteenth events near Lake Merritt." ---NBC News)

[lboogie1906]

Lieutenant Colonel John Danton Slade (April 5, 1939 - May 6, 2018) was born in Baltimore. He was a Lobbyist. Recipient Roy Wilkins Renown Service Award, Award of Honor, NAACP, Baltimore, Community Service Award Les Hommes Civic and Social Club, Hampton. Lieutenant Colonel Army. Member Executive Council, AARP, DC. Founder and Member of Iota Phi Theta Fraternity.

He received a BA in Sociology from Morgan State University and an MA in Sociology from the City University of New York.

He worked as a Management Trainee for IBM Corporation in New York City; Producer and director, for WBAL Television, Baltimore; Producer and director, for WGBH-television, Boston; Producer and director, for KPIX Television, San Francisco; Announcer, for KEST Radio, San Francisco; General Manager, Channel 8 Access Television, San Francisco; Owner, Swansbriar Plantation, Cumberland, Virginia; Assistant Professor of Military Science, Department Chairman, Howard University, Bowie State University, Georgetown University, Washington; Acting Chief, National Guard Bureau, Washington; Executive director, Association Reserve Minority Service Members, Inc., Washington; Talk Show Host WOL Radio, Washington.

He serves on the Board of Directors for Meridian Distributors, St. Thomas, Guest Lecturer at Stanford University, Northeastern University, Boston, Morgan State College, Merritt College, and the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. He served on the Member Special Committee for the San Francisco Chronicle; Member Baltimore Community Relations Commission; and Member National Guard Drug Reduction Board.

He authored Iota Phi Theta: The Founding & Ascendancy #africanhistory365 #africanexcellence #iotaphitheta

[christophe76460]

Choisissez vos amis avec soin ! (1)

“Les justes choisissent leurs amis avec soin...” Proverbes 12. 26

CH. Spurgeon a dit : “On juge un homme autant par la compagnie de ses amis, que par les fréquentations qu’il refuse.” Et Benjamin Franklin a affirmé : “Fréquentez les gens de qualité si vous tenez à avoir une bonne réputation, car il vaut mieux être seul que mal accompagné !” Quant à Salomon, il a averti ses lecteurs de la nécessité de choisir avec soin ses amis. Les bons vous guideront sur le bon chemin, les mauvais vous égareront. Si seulement son fils Roboam avait retenu la leçon (1 Roi 12. 6-12) ! Le mot “choisir” signifie pr��cisément ici : explorer un pays, une région. Le “juste” doit analyser, explorer l’attitude, le caractère de ceux qu’il veut fréquenter pour ne pas regretter plus tard les amitiés qu’il s’est forgées.

J. Merritt donne comme conseil à ses enfants : “Soyez agréables et amicaux avec tout le monde, mais ne sélectionnez pas tout le monde comme amis !” L’enfer contient beaucoup de gens qui ont fait de mauvais choix quant à leurs amitiés et nos prisons regorgent de détenus qui ont entretenu trop de mauvaises fréquentations quand ils étaient adolescents. Merritt raconte l’histoire de ce fermier qui décida un jour de tirer avec son fusil sur un groupe de corbeaux qui ne cessaient d’envahir son champ de blé. Or les enfants de ce fermier possédaient un perroquet habitué à fréquenter tout le monde et à se lier d’amité avec d’autres oiseaux.

Celui-ci s’était associé au groupe de corbeaux et quand le fermier tira dans le tas, c’est le perroquet qui écopa du plomb. Malgré une aile cassée et un bec endommagé, il était toujours en vie, sur le sol, quand le fermier arriva, entouré de ses enfants. Ceux-ci s’écrièrent : “Papa, que s’est-il passé ?” Le perroquet, sans lui laisser le temps de

répondre, répliqua : “C’est ce qui risque de vous arriver si vous avez de mauvaises fréquentations !” Sa parole pour vous aujourd’hui ? Ne vous liez pas d’amitié avec n’importe qui ! Choisissez vos amis avec soin !

[themoviejunkiesite]

Godless Netflix Series - A Western for the Ages

A period piece set in La Belle, New Mexico in the later part of the 19th century, the Godless Netflix Series is a beautiful western. With names like Michelle Dockery (Downtown Abbey), Jeff Daniels, and Scoot McNairy gracing the cast list, you are bound to see something special. It sees all the men of the mining town perish in an accident while the womenfolk attempt to run the town.

Plot of Godless Netflix Series

This situation reminds me of a Twilight Zone episode of Mr. Denton on Doomsday where this old town drunk turns into an ace shooter. It's basically a cyclical thing that happens when a man takes up arms, falls to pieces with time, and goes back to shooting again.

There are also moments of levity that punctuate the brutal storytelling of Godless which adds to the richness of the story. There are no two-dimensional characters in this series with every character given its due screentime and backstory. The level of detail in storytelling in this series is excellent where every prop has a function. For example, A girl's ponytail ribbon in a home with smallpox is shown tied to a grave the next day.

Cinematography

People struggled to live in those times, but the ones who survived were also grateful for everything they had. This is one thing that we can take from them and apply in our lives today.

In general, this Western has beautiful cinematography that makes you long for the days when nature wasn't as ravaged as it is today.

Read, Good Girls Netflix Series - A Slow Burning Dramedy

Title Sequence and Background Score

The title sequence is visually stunning with a score that is equally amazing. In a series such as this, the background score can even make or break the episode, and they do not disappoint.

Coming to the actors Michelle Dockery does a fantastic job of a hardened widow and Merritt Wever plays a tough character protecting her loved ones. Scoot McNairy brings the same intensity he did in DCEU's Batman vs. Superman Dawn of Justice, scaling Superman's memorial statue. There's a metaphor there in that scene that I just can't place my finger on.

Coming back to Godless, the special effects, practical or otherwise are simply amazing, especially when you see Frank Griffin's arm after it is shot by Goode. None of the gore is gratuitous and serves a significant part of the plotline. Frank Griffin's gang of outlaws are not exactly saints, with a pair of twin psychopaths who did something horrible, yet were accepted into the gang.

You might like Love, Death, and Robots V3

Why Should You Watch It?

Westerns have the unenviable reputation of being slow-paced and all about the action. But Godless is not slow, even when apparently showing a seemingly touching moment between man and beast. You see Roy Goode breaking the horses in a humane and gentle manner, showing he is at his core, a kind person.

The end of this series is in no way or form predictable, in the best way possible. Yet the end of Season 1 is done wonderfully leaving the audience with a sense of possibility and hope.

Like this review? Subscribe for more!

[docrotten]

KINGDOM OF THE SPIDERS (1977) – Episode 197 – Decades Of Horror 1970s

“If you don’t stop pestering me, one of these mornings I’m gonna show up and start milking that cow.” Who doesn’t like milk? Don’t answer that! Join your faithful Grue Crew – Doc Rotten, Bill Mulligan, Chad Hunt, and Jeff Mohr – as they check out Capt. Kirk/T.J. Hooker/Denny Crane while he attempts to wage war on attacking arachnids establishing their own Kingdom of the Spiders (1977).

Decades of Horror 1970s Episode 197 – Kingdom of the Spiders (1977)

Join the Crew on the Gruesome Magazine YouTube channel! Subscribe today! Click the alert to get notified of new content! https://youtube.com/gruesomemagazine

Decades of Horror 1970s is partnering with the WICKED HORROR TV CHANNEL (https://wickedhorrortv.com/) which now includes video episodes of the podcast and is available on Roku, AppleTV, Amazon FireTV, AndroidTV, and its online website across all OTT platforms, as well as mobile, tablet, and desktop.

In rural Arizona, countless killer tarantulas are migrating through a farm town, killing every living thing in their path. The town’s veterinarian will do everything in his power to survive the onslaught.

Director: John ���Bud’ Cardos 

Writers: Richard Robinson & Alan Caillou (screenplay); Jeffrey M. Sneller & Stephen Lodge (original story)

Produced by: Igo Kantor and Jeffrey M. Sneller

Makeup Department:

Kathy Agron (makeup artist)

Ve Neill (makeup artist)

Selected Cast:

William Shatner as Dr. Robert ‘Rack’ Hansen

Tiffany Bolling as Diane Ashley

Woody Strode as Walter Colby

Lieux Dressler as Emma Washburn

David McLean as Gene Smith

Natasha Ryan as Linda Hansen

Altovise Davis as Birch Colby

Joe Ross as Vern Johnson

Marcy Lafferty as Terry Hansen

Adele Malis-Morey as  Betty Johnson (as Adele Malis)

Roy Engel as Mayor Connors

Hoke Howell as Earl Forbes

Bill Coontz as Clyde (as Bill Foster)

Whitey Hughes as The Baron

Jay Lawrence as Deputy

Bettie Bolling as Mildred

Anita Merritt as Waitress (as Juanita Merritt)

Nadia Caillou as Screaming Woman

Valla Rae McDade as Screaming Woman

Jon-Jon as Injured Boy

Are you ready for thousands of live spiders vs. William Shatner in John “Bud” Cardos’ Kingdom of the Spiders? “A living, crawling, hell on Earth,” indeed! Yeah, perhaps this creature feature is a bit silly and asks for a lot of reality to be suspended but the results are effective and often well shot. Of course, the more the eight-legged beasties give you the creeps, the more this film will get your skin crawling. Join the Grue Crew as they revisit Santos Ellin Jr.’s favorite horror film for 1977, examining the SFX, the wonderful cast of character actors, and the Shatner himself. Oh, yeah, and props for the downbeat Seventies ending! Enjoy! 

At the time of this writing, Kingdom of the Spiders is available to stream from Tubi.

Gruesome Magazine’s Decades of Horror 1970s is part of the Decades of Horror two-week rotation with The Classic Era and the 1980s. In two weeks, the next episode, chosen by Jeff, will be David Cronenberg’s Shivers (1975). No, Nick, we haven’t done that one yet. 

We want to hear from you – the coolest, grooviest fans: comment on the site or email the Decades of Horror 1970s podcast hosts at feedback@gruesomemagazine.com. 

Check out this episode!

[queer-as-used-by-tolkien]

Character based off of Roy Merritt from Daemon - Whispers Agent, nicknamed Tripwire and The Burning Man, usually tasked with rescuing revealed undercover agents (often with force necessary).

[bistandards]

Watching certain movies/tv shows pre-admitting you're gay and post-admitting you're gay is sometimes a real trip. Like pre-admittence was when a character made you super uncomfortable and you couldn't figure out why, then post admittance you watch it again and go "Ooooh! It's 'cause I'm GAY! And they're attractive! And I really like them! THAT'S why!" But it's okay 'cause at least your world is right side up now.

[confessionsofabingefreak]

A Royal Winter (2017)

Impression: as tired as this storyline gets, girl finds out boy is a prince... yawn... this movie truly does tug at your heartstrings. The on screen chemistry between Maggie and Prince Adrian will keep you watching.

Collection: yes. Might actually stay awhile too

Overall: ⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2

Concept: ⭐️⭐️

Story: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Storytelling: ⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2

Characters: ⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2

Casting: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Visually: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Score/Soundtrack: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Entertainment: ⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2

Best: Maggie (Merritt Patterson) and Prince Adrian (Jack Donnelly.)

Worst: tired “royal” trope