#Spy film 2015

[captain-rickbond]

hello! i'm a fellow rickbond fic writer and i'm desperately searching for something, and for some reason you came to mind (i think it might be the username?)

i vaguely remember a q&a answer (might have been via twitter) where either ben or larry confirmed who paces and who writes - and i cannot find it for the life of me! attempting to write a writing-for-bill era fic and want it to be at least slightly accurate lol

hi!

I asked my friend @bawdiestrhymester about this because I knew this was the person to turn to if you wanna get a legit answer💜

and it turnes out... Ben is the pacer, and Larry is the writer

link to the WANA podcast when they talk about it :)

anyway, if you're writing about writing-for-bill era, have this quick crazy Walsingham doodle (I haven't had a full night's sleep in over a week so this shows exactly how I feel 🙃)

[kpop-emo-trash]

Colonel Flagg (mash) and Sir Francis Walsingham (Bill) are literally the same characters

Need I say more 🤣🤣

[petercapaldi-press]

Peter Capaldi: 'You don't just play the Doctor, you represent him' The Telegraph

INTERVIEW

12 September 2015 6:00am BST

Chloe Fox

'What do you say we have dinner in the Tardis?’ Peter Capaldi, aka the 12th Doctor, is looking at me from over the top of his Wayfarer sunglasses with a bird-like intensity; head cocked to the side, a mischievous light in his beady blue eyes.

Fresh from the set (a nearby solar-panel factory in Cardiff that has been dressed up as the kitchen of a spaceship where a monster has been trying to eat everyone in his path), dressed in skinny black jeans and a T-shirt, with his trademark Dr Martens boots, Capaldi crackles with exactly the same combination of fierce intelligence and nervous energy as his Doctor – a darker, edgier, slightly more unpredictable version of what has come before.

This will be Capaldi’s second season at the helm of a sci-fi television show that, now in its 52nd year (with a 16-year hiatus from 1989 to 2005), is the longest-running in history. Distributed to more than 200 territories worldwide, viewed in the UK alone by an average of six million per episode, adored by its legions of obsessive ‘Whovian’ fans, Doctor Who is nothing short of a global phenomenon.

Capaldi, 56 at the time of casting (he’s 57 now), was the oldest Doctor to debut since the very first doctor, William Hartnell, did so aged 55 in 1963. To some, his was a slightly left-field casting. His immediate predecessors, David Tennant and Matt Smith – 34 and 26 respectively when they got the job – were younger, twinklier, more user-friendly versions of the Time Lord. And yet, Capaldi’s older, more volatile incarnation – who shows zero tolerance towards all things romantic – very quickly won his way into Whovian hearts across the spectrum. ‘A class act’, declared The Daily Telegraph. ‘A fantastic, fascinating lead performance,’ said Digital Spy.

By the time series eight (his first) ended – with a thrilling denouement in which the Doctor was made President of the World and his arch-nemesis, the Master, was reincarnated as a woman (brilliantly played by Michelle Gomez as a sort of malevolent Mary Poppins) – Capaldi’s rightness for the role was established.

‘What I wanted to do, I suppose, was remind people of the alien-ness of the Doctor,’ Capaldi says. ‘Doctor Who isn’t a human being, you see. He’s a creature of the cosmos. His social skills aren’t great. He doesn’t care very much if people like or dislike him, because people aren’t his thing, you know?’

We are now sitting in the Tardis – surely the most thrilling interview location of all time – where Capaldi, who is nearing the end of nine months of filming series nine, looks touchingly at home. Often, between thoughts, he gazes reverentially up at the ceiling as if it were the vaults of a church. Long legs crossed, jacket off, vampirically pale, thin hands wrapped around the pot of Wagamama noodle soup that is his supper, you can see glimpses of the boy who penned endless fan letters to the show’s producers and who applied for presidency of the Doctor Who Fan Club aged 14.

In person, Capaldi is a much gentler, more rarefied presence than you might expect, especially if you were a fan of his brutally funny spin doctor, Malcolm Tucker, in Armando Iannucci’s Bafta-winning political satire The Thick of It. He speaks quietly, with an elegant Glaswegian drawl. Questions are answered thoughtfully and with a real interest, even though they are probably questions he has been asked dozens, if not hundreds, of times before. ‘Am I enjoying myself? Hmm, let me see… Am I enjoying myself?’ he says, looking around a set that has been specifically customised to suit the personality of his more retro, 1960s-style Doctor – a glass table here, a hexagonal window effect there. ‘Well, just look at this place,’ he says, with a sweep of a long arm. ‘How on earth can I not be enjoying myself?’

Capaldi concedes, however, that the first season was ‘terribly nerve-racking for me because not only was the job new, but I was also getting a level of attention that I simply wasn’t used to’. And in filming the second series, the challenges, he admits, have morphed – in true Doctor Who style – into something else.

‘I don’t feel I’ve nailed it yet – from an acting point of view, I mean,’ he says. ‘I don’t yet feel that I know how to do this. Quite who the Doctor is remains mysterious to me – which is of course as it should be – but one of the biggest challenges that I’ve found, and am finding, is that you have to sort of be able to spin on a penny. You have to be able to go from pantomime to tragedy, from domestic to epic, within a single scene. You have to keep the ball in the air, and you have to remember,’ – and here he grins wryly – ‘that The X Factor is on the other channel. You have to remember that there are people watching in America, you have to remember that, as much as you want to apply your mature acting instincts, there are actually lots of children watching. You’ve got to cover all these bases, and make it exciting and interesting too. It’s a great challenge – and, by the way, I really don’t say that lightly – and one which I care very much about getting right. Because it’s big, isn’t it? It’s really big.’

When Capaldi speaks of the weight of responsibility that comes with such an iconic role, he shifts imperceptibly into the second person, as if distancing himself from its magnitude. ‘It can be quite intimidating when you look down, do you know what I mean? Because Doctor Who exists on quite a big scale, in terms of its importance to the BBC and to its fans. You don’t just play Doctor Who; you represent him. You represent the 50 years in which he has meant an awful lot to an awful lot of people. And the weight of it – and I really would never want to seem ungrateful – is that it is continual. It is very, very nice because people always greet you with a certain affection, but it is basically every day, everywhere you go.’

When Capaldi got the job, one of his first actions was to pick the brains of his predecessors. ‘I knew David a little bit but I didn’t know Matt at all,’ he explains. ‘They were both very kind, very generous and refreshingly honest. They both made it quite clear to me that the role would bring, shall we say, a greater visibility, and they gave me very good advice as to how to handle it.’

First and foremost, retain a sense of humour at all times. ‘It’s all showbiz silliness really,’ he says, laughing. (On the day his casting was announced on a prime-time BBC special hosted by Zoë Ball, he was given a codename – Houdini – and bundled, gangster-style, into a chauffeur-driven car with a blanket over his head.)

‘Peter has a large anti-bullshit-ometer inside him,’ says his friend, the actor Richard E Grant (who starred in the short film Franz Kafka’s It’s a Wonderful Life, which Capaldi wrote and directed and for which he won an Oscar). ‘And because his fame and recognition have come relatively late in his career, his hilarious cynicism about the yo-yo nature of showbusiness abides.’

Take Comic-Con, for instance. A couple of weeks before our meeting, Capaldi – along with his co-stars and the Doctor Who writer Steven Moffat – flew out to the convention in San Diego for a promotional event. For the two days before the convention started, Capaldi was doing press in his hotel. Wherever he went, he was accompanied by six security guards. ‘Six! Can you believe it?! And they all kept telling me that I couldn’t leave the hotel because, if I did, I’d be mobbed. And then I’d look out of the window and all I’d see would be this little Yoda walking down the street. So eventually I’d had enough and I said, “Come on, guys, you’ve got to let me go,” So they did – although the heavies came with me, of course. And, do you know what? Not a single person recognised me. Not one.’

Unsurprisingly, this wasn’t to last. The group sat down for dinner and, before long, queues were forming for selfies. Which was when Capaldi’s second code for coping came into play: ‘Just enjoy it.’

He understands the obsessed fans, because he himself was one of them. Teased at school for being a sci-fi geek – he was given the derogatory nickname Moon Man because of his obsession with the moon landings – the young Capaldi was far from cool. Not that he cared too much, because he was also very loved. ‘It was very safe, full of delights,’ he says of his early childhood in a tenement block in the Springburn region of Glasgow. His parents – Italian-born Gerry and Irish-born Nancy – ran a cafe in the bottom of the tenement, from which they operated an ice-cream-delivery business.

Family were everywhere: both grandmothers, plus uncles, aunts and cousins all lived in the same block. There was lots of noise, laughter, spaghetti, a Beatles soundtrack and, of course, Doctor Who. ‘To me, it was like a fairytale,’ he explains of his childhood obsession. ‘It had that quality of darkness that you find in a Grimm’s fairy tale: this strange creature of a man who takes you on all these adventures, but who always keeps you safe. That’s absolutely what I want the children who watch my version to feel.’

For Capaldi, Doctor Who is inextricably linked to his childhood. ‘It will always be a part of me,’ he says. Earlier this year, just before he was due to start filming the current series, Capaldi’s beloved mother – who had sent him the Doctor Who annual every year, well into his adulthood – died. It was a source of great pride to her that his visits to her hospital bedside were always accompanied by the happy squeals of just about every nurse in the hospital, coming to catch a glimpse.

Growing up, he didn’t really know what he wanted to be; he just knew he didn’t want to join the grey ranks of ‘depressed-looking souls standing at the bus stop in the rain every morning’. In those days there was only one place to go if you didn’t want to be like everybody else: the Glasgow School of Art.

Submerged in an ethos of creativity, Capaldi embraced the beginnings of punk. He was lead singer of a band called the Dreamboys – who mercifully changed their name from the Bastards From Hell (and whose members included Craig Ferguson, of The Late Late Show fame) – and he also began to harbour dreams of becoming an actor. One night, in 1983, he got home drunk to his Glasgow flat to find his costume-designer landlady chatting to the film director Bill Forsyth, who saw enough promise in Capaldi’s innocent charm to cast the 25-year-old opposite Burt Lancaster in his Scottish seaside fable Local Hero.

A decade, and a few bit parts later – most notably as John Malkovich’s manservant in Dangerous Liaisons – Capaldi wrote and directed the aforementioned short (in which his actress wife, Elaine Collins, co-starred with Richard E Grant) and, totally unexpectedly, won an Oscar.

For a brief, glittering moment, Hollywood beckoned (the couple bought a house in Crouch End, London, with the proceeds from a Miramax option on a feature-film idea) but then, as so often happens in Hollywood, the lights went off again.

When, after the best part of 15 years spent taking whatever hand-to-mouth acting jobs he could get – a Ruth Rendell Mysteries here, a Foyle’s War there – Capaldi got the call to audition for Armando Iannucci, he didn’t get his hopes up. In fact, the whole audition experience was so turgid and long-winded that, by the time he actually met Iannucci himself, Capaldi was simmering with rage; a rage that was to change his life by landing him the part of Malcolm Tucker.

Contrary to common belief, Malcolm Tucker was not based on Alastair Campbell. He came instead from Hollywood, from the American agents and producers – ‘malevolent forces in Armani suits’ – that Capaldi had witnessed, first-hand, barking foul obscenities down the phone at people. His ‘failure’, it turned out, had not been for nothing.

If the success of The Thick of It was a door opening for Capaldi, Doctor Who has been a floodgate from which there is no going back. ‘Would I have appreciated it as much if it had happened 20 years ago?’ he muses. ‘Almost definitely not.’

Happily, the timing of his success suits Capaldi’s life. With his wife now working as a television producer (she gave up acting for a more financially reliable line of work) and their daughter, Cecily, at university, Capaldi can be based in Cardiff from Monday to Friday and return to family life at weekends. ‘And it’s a shock when I do,’ he jokes. ‘Because I’m certainly not allowed to be number one on the cast list there. Here I spend all week with people taking me everywhere I need to go, checking I have everything I need, driving me the three minutes to and from my lovely waterside apartment to the studio, making me endless cups of coffee, loving me wherever I go; and there I am expected to have my feet on the ground. But I don’t want my feet on the ground, goddammit!’

He is too gracious to say it, but Capaldi is definitely tired and homesick. With 13 episodes a year, not to mention the promotional whirl, being the Doctor is more than a full-time job. He has even developed the same knee complaint that had Matt Smith – ‘who is about 12, for God’s sake!’ – on crutches at their first meeting. ‘It’s something to do with running down corridors and turning round very quickly to deliver lines,’ he says, laughing.

Nevertheless Capaldi is uncomplaining. ‘All this will come to an end, you see,’ he says, looking around him at the Tardis. ‘It might just be my Scottish melancholia, but the very first day I found out I’d got the job, I started to feel sad that one day I would not have it; that there would come a day, in the not too distant future, that I wouldn’t be Doctor Who any more. And that is why I try really hard to get as much out of it as possible. Because one day I’ll just be an overweight has-been, trying to get a meeting with Jenna Coleman [Clara, the Doctor’s companion] and being ejected from a Doctor Who Convention in Bolton for being drunk and disorderly. I mean, this is surely my high point, isn’t it?’

Doctor Who returns to BBC One on September 19

[vampirecorleone]

Appreciation for BLUE fashion throughout tv & film: Gone with the Wind (1939) | Serving Sara (2002) | Beyond the Valley of the Dolls (1970) | The Sweetest Thing (2002) | Aladdin (2019) | Romy & Michelle's High School Reunion (1997) | Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953) | Marie Antoinette (2006) | Striptease (1996) | Austin Powers: Goldmember (2002) | Sugar & Spice (2001) | Dracula (2013) | The Other Boleyn Girl (2008) | Rosemary's Baby (1968) | Aladdin (1992) | American Horror Story: Hotel (2015) | Django Unchained (2012) | Austin Powers: The Spy who Shagged Me (1999) | Reign (2013-2017) | How to Marry a Millionaire (1953) | Spice World (1997) | A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984) | Gossip Girl (2007-2012) | American Beauty (1999) | Scarface (1983) | The Handmaid's Tale (1990) | Titanic (1997) | Miss Congeniality (2000) | REPO! The Genetic Opera (2008) | Legally Blonde (2001)

[haveyouseenthismovie-poll]

End of month update - July

Hello, all! This is the end-of-month update, where I post Tumblr’s current top four films that have received the highest percentage of “yes,” “no,” and “haven’t even heard of this movie” votes.

As of today, the top four films with the highest percentage of “yes” votes are:

Finding Nemo (2003) | Shrek (2001) | Monsters, Inc. (2001) | The Lion King (1994)

Next, the top four films with the highest percentage of “no” votes are:

Fifty Shades of Grey (2015) | Sausage Party (2016) | Pinocchio (2019) | Sharknado 2: The Second One (2014)

This top four changed through the new addition of Fifty Shades of Grey (2015), which replaced All Quiet on the Western Front (1930).

Finally, the top four films with the highest percentage of “haven’t even heard of this movie” votes are:

Faat Kiné (2001) | Now Add Honey (2015) | Like a Cat on a Highway (2017) | Dean Spanley (2008)

That’s it for July’s end-of-month update! Remember that you can view last month’s update by clicking here. Additionally, you can view the full ranked Letterboxd lists of movies that have come up on this blog by clicking the following links:

This list is ranked from highest-to-lowest percentage of “yes” votes.

This list is ranked from highest-to-lowest percentage of “no” votes.

This list is ranked from highest-to-lowest percentage of “haven’t even heard of this movie” votes.

Remember to vote on the polls that are currently running: Winter Light (1963) | Call Me By Your Name (2017) | Head (1968) | The Man Who Stole the Sun (1979) | Almost Famous (2000) | The Tale of Princess Kaguya (2013) | Hotel Mumbai (2018) | The Body Remembers When the World Broke Open (2019) | Liz and the Blue Bird (2018) | Phantom of the Paradise (1974) | Eureka (2000) | The Wolfman (2010) | The Hangover (2009) | Project X (2012) | Poison (1991) | Life, and Nothing More... (1992) | Edward II (1991) | The Crying Game (1992) | The Russians Are Coming! The Russians Are Coming! (1966) | Everything Is Illuminated (2005) | Samurai Rebellion (1967) | Spy (2015) | Clouds of Sils Maria (2014) | Hell is Empty (2021) | The Wizard of Speed and Time (1988) | Sorcerer (1977) | Running on Empty (1988) | Departures (2008) | My Fair Lady (1964) | The Great Mouse Detective (1986) | Solaris (1972) | Who Killed Captain Alex? (2010) | The Order (2003) | The Human Centipede (First Sequence) (2009) | The Mask (1994)

[myvcspace]

All the T.O.P appreciation I'm seeing makes me happy!

It take me back to my kpop and K-Film fan days....the good parts anyway! lol

Say what you will about this man, but you cannot deny he's a great actor. Bro gives a 10/10 in every performance he's been in!

71: Into the Fire (2010)

A MUST SEE. If you ignore everything else on this list, this is the movie to see. 10/10 all around. This film is an amazing retelling of the true story of "71 undertrained and underarmed, outgunned student volunteer soldiers of South Korea during the Korean War." This is on the same level as Saving Private Ryan in terms of war movies. Seen it multiple times.

Tazza: The Hidden Cards (2014)

We got to see a topless T.O.P in this one! When will people learn that underground gambling is dangerous?

"After Ham Dae-gil enters the gambling world, he is set up as the fall guy in a crooked deal. To get revenge, he enters a final game which could be fatal to the loser."

19:Nineteen (2009)

You get both Sengri and T.O.P in this one. Fun fact, I didn't like him back then either. I remember when Hyunseung was a potential member and was bummed out that he got eliminated instead of seungri.

"The film follows three nineteen-year-olds, two boys and a girl, are accused of murder and forced to run away."

The Commitment (2013)

I remember being excited for this one because I was also a big fan of Kim Yoo-jung, although her role was pretty minor...minor in the way of acting not importance. T.O.P was 100% the focus and sometimes she felt like an after though. Like "oh yeh! I gotta save my sister!"

"The son of a North Korean spy follows in his father's footsteps to protect his younger sister."

Secret Message (2015 mini tv series)

(this was a giant ad for a translation app but ya know what? It was still good! lmao!

"Woo-Hyun is Korean man and Haruka is Japanese woman. They live different lives, but they both carry emotional scars from their first love. Woo-Hyun has yet to get over his first love, but he still wants to believe in true love. Haruka is a woman wants answers relating to love."

[theglowsociety]

Movies About Black Women in History 🎥

If you’re looking for inspiring films that highlight the achievements, struggles, and resilience of Black women throughout history, here are some must-watch movies:

1. Hidden Figures (2016)

Who It’s About: Katherine Johnson, Dorothy Vaughan, and Mary Jackson—three Black women mathematicians at NASA who played a crucial role in the U.S. space race.

Why Watch: It sheds light on their groundbreaking contributions to space exploration while navigating racism and sexism in the 1960s.

2. Harriet (2019)

Who It’s About: Harriet Tubman, the legendary abolitionist and conductor of the Underground Railroad.

Why Watch: The film showcases her bravery in leading enslaved people to freedom and her later work as a Union spy during the Civil War.

3. The Color Purple (1985 & 2023)

Who It’s About: Celie, a Black woman in the early 20th century South, and her journey of self-discovery and empowerment.

Why Watch: Based on Alice Walker’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, it’s a powerful story of resilience, sisterhood, and overcoming oppression.

4. Self Made: Inspired by the Life of Madam C.J. Walker (2020, Netflix Limited Series)

Who It’s About: Madam C.J. Walker, the first self-made Black female millionaire in the U.S.

Why Watch: This series dives into how she built a beauty empire despite racism, sexism, and personal struggles.

5. The Woman King (2022)

Who It’s About: The Agojie, an all-female warrior unit in the Kingdom of Dahomey, led by General Nanisca.

Why Watch: Though it’s a fictionalized retelling, it’s inspired by real African female warriors and their fight against colonial forces.

6. Respect (2021)

Who It’s About: Aretha Franklin, the Queen of Soul.

Why Watch: The biopic explores her rise to fame, activism, and impact on music history.

7. Queen of Katwe (2016)

Who It’s About: Phiona Mutesi, a young Ugandan chess prodigy.

Why Watch: It’s a heartwarming story of how she used chess to change her life and inspire others.

8. Bessie (2015, HBO)

Who It’s About: Bessie Smith, the Empress of the Blues.

Why Watch: The film follows her rise to fame in the 1920s, highlighting her struggles and triumphs in a segregated America.

9. Clemency (2019)

Who It’s About: A fictionalized but realistic portrayal of a Black female prison warden dealing with the morality of the death penalty.

Why Watch: It’s a thought-provoking film that explores systemic injustice and emotional turmoil in the criminal justice system.

10. Miss Juneteenth (2020)

Who It’s About: A former beauty queen preparing her daughter for a prestigious Juneteenth pageant.

Why Watch: It’s a touching exploration of Black motherhood, tradition, and resilience.

These films celebrate the strength, intelligence, and impact of Black women throughout history. Which ones have you seen or want to watch next?

[ym4yum1]

Preface — My favorite Spy (5)

November, 2024.

Part 1. Part 2. Part 3. Part 4. Part 5.

How did the MCU shape Natasha Romanoff's character?

In AoU, THE Black Widow — arguably Marvel's sharpest, most capable spy — had her "damsel in distress" moment while waiting for Bruce (not even the Hulk) to save her from captivity. The only female Avenger at the time, Natasha was suddenly reduced to a love interest, questioning her worth as a hero and burdened with shame simply because she couldn't procreate. Who thought this was a good idea? My husband's answer: "A man." No offense.

Now, let's consider how Natasha has evolved in the MCU.

In Iron Man 2 (2010), she flirted with Tony, but earned his respect by hacking a system JARVIS couldn't crack to free Rhodey. In The Avengers (2012), she had a deep partnership with Clint, outsmarted Loki, and found the key to close the portal. In The Winter Soldier (2014), she was as much a protagonist as Steve, building a strong connection with him, even sharing a kiss. Then, in Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015), the film began with her already involved with Bruce. Yet, their story happened almost entirely off-screen, undermining the narrative principle of "show, don't tell," and diminishing her existing relationships.

If I were Thor, I'd be upset at being the only Avenger left out of Natasha's supposed romantic entanglements.

Jokes aside, the "monster connection" between Natasha and Bruce felt forced and unearned, as did their "romance" — a plot device to tie together two isolated people with no meaningful payoff. Ultimately, it was a disservice to both, reducing them to simplistic, cartoonish tropes.

Then, in Captain America: Civil War (2016), Natasha was forced to choose sides, pitted against close friends like Steve and Clint while trying not to lose her Avengers family. In Avengers: Infinity War (2018), though worked underground, she continued fighting crime alongside Steve.

Finally, in Avengers: Endgame (2019), her death was framed as her "redemption". But really? By this point, hadn't she evolved well beyond her past, proving her heroism time and again — even taking on a leadership role within the Avengers? And why would Steve Rogers — one of the best tacticians ever — send two non-superpowered humans to retrieve an Infinity Stone on an unknown alien planet? The Soul Stone's demand for a "sacrifice of love" was unknown to the Avengers, yet the writers chose Natasha and Clint, who had a deep bond, without any strategic justification.

From a storytelling perspective, sending someone with resilience or cosmic experience like Hulk or Rocket Raccoon would have made more sense. Natasha and Clint — skilled spies — would have been better suited to New York than the Hulk, where stealth mattered. Instead, many of these choices felt contrived and plot-driven rather than organic character growth, making Natasha's sacrifice feel hollow and unearned — designed more for emotional impact than logical consistency. Further, the absence of a funeral added insult to injury.

Sending Natasha Romanoff to Vormir, a mission that essentially preordained her death, without any explanation whatsoever, cheapened her development. From that moment, the plot felt lackluster, the movie lost its meaning, and the MCU lost a fan. But I digress.

[mostlysignssomeportents]

Object permanence

I'm on a 20+ city book tour for my new novel PICKS AND SHOVELS. Catch me in NYC on WEDNESDAY (26 Feb) with JOHN HODGMAN and at PENN STATE on THURSDAY (Feb 27). More tour dates here. Mail-order signed copies from LA's Diesel Books.

#20yrsago Italy runs out of wiretaps https://edri.org/our-work/wiretapping-data-access-by-foreign-courts-why-not/

#20yrsago Online anonymity https://web.archive.org/web/20050220170713/http://www.law.com/jsp/ltn/pubArticleLTN.jsp?id=1108389943380

#20yrsago WIPO pulls out dirty tricks to kill participation from consumer groups https://web.archive.org/web/20060909232701/https://research.yale.edu/lawmeme/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=1689

#20yrsago UK Labour MP flays govt over terror laws – incredible speech! https://www.theyworkforyou.com/debates/?id=2005-02-23a.365.0#20yrsago Finnish blogger faces disgraceful, bogus libel charge https://mummila.net/marginaali/2005/02/24/total-lack-of-respect-for-the-law/

#15yrsago Vice-principal denies using laptop to spy on student https://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/local/principal-accused-in-webcamgate-im-no-spy/2138343/

#15yrsago IP Alliance says that encouraging free/open source makes you an enemy of the USA https://www.theguardian.com/technology/blog/2010/feb/23/opensource-intellectual-property

#10yrsago Chicago Police Department maintains “black site” for illegal detention and torture https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2015/feb/24/chicago-police-detain-americans-black-site

#10yrsago HSBC boss used tax havens to keep underlings from discovering his outrageous pay https://www.nakedcapitalism.com/2015/02/bill-black-hsbc-ceo-pay-outrageous-use-tax-havens-hide-peers.html

#10yrsago Huge trove of surveillance leaks coming https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2015/2/23/the-spy-cables-a-glimpse-into-the-world-of-espionage

#10yrsago Big Content publishes a love-letter to TPP https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2015/02/hollywood-lobby-groups-creepy-open-love-letter-tpp

#10yrsago Laura Poitras’s Citizenfour OPSEC https://www.wired.com/2014/10/laura-poitras-crypto-tools-made-snowden-film-possible/

#5yrsago A flat earther commits suicide by conspiracy theory https://pluralistic.net/2020/02/24/pluralist-your-daily-link-dose-24-feb-2020/#epistemological

#5yrsago 81 Fortune 100 companies demand binding arbitration https://pluralistic.net/2020/02/24/pluralist-your-daily-link-dose-24-feb-2020/#iamthelaw

#5yrsago My interview on adversarial interoperability https://pluralistic.net/2020/02/24/pluralist-your-daily-link-dose-24-feb-2020/#dragons

#5yrsago Key computer vision researcher quits https://pluralistic.net/2020/02/24/pluralist-your-daily-link-dose-24-feb-2020/#oppenheimer

#5yrsago How "Authoritarian Blindness" kept Xi from dealing with coronavirus https://pluralistic.net/2020/02/24/pluralist-your-daily-link-dose-24-feb-2020/#thatswhatxisaid

#1yrago Vice surrenders https://pluralistic.net/2024/02/24/anti-posse/#when-you-absolutely-positively-dont-give-a-solitary-single-fuck

[doomspiral]

Doom's Movie Rec List

Some of these are bangers, some of these are the worst thing I have ever seen in my life, but I think they are all worth watching and enjoying one way or another. Sometimes the enjoyment is cringe and sometimes its staring at a wall for three hours. <3

The seventh seal (1957)

Classic chess game with Death film, I presume the entire thing is Bergman staring into the soul of the viewer in dead silence until you can read his mind.

The cabinet of Dr. Caligary (1920)

Strange, lurching, I watched this in German without knowing enough to keep up and I believe my confusion added to the experience.

Atomic blonde (2017)

This is my favorite movie. This is the one that I can't stop rewriting in my fics. I can't get the "lies" soliloquy out of my mind. My soul is tied to this fillum. Hot insane woman does a lot of violence, kisses women, beats up a guy who truly deserves it. Iron Curtain Spy Nonsense.

Hackers (1994)

Am I depressing you? Good, watch Hackers to experience child-like wonder and also see a grown man skateboard down a foggy street in the middle of the night to harass the homosexual teenagers (and slim shady) he's beefing with.

The core (2003)

This is not a good movie. But there is a little freak in there named "Rat" who I am obsessed with.

Angel's egg (1985)

This is the kind of movie where you have to not try to figure out what's going on and instead let it take you by the hands, just experience it, just keep your mouth shut and your mind at rest and you can consider the implications afterward when its safe.

Princess mononoke (1997)

I watched this as a child and saw those beasts dissolve into bloody worms and apparently that left a lasting mark on my brain.

Nausicaä of the valley of wind (1984)

I actually read the manga for this one but this is a movie rec list, so please go watch this for the death and rebirth vibes, and some mild foeyay yuri.

Invasion of the body snatchers (1978)

Horror movie that's odd and disturbing and clearly betraying some better dead than red fears, worth it for the horrible despicable freakish noise the guy makes at the end while pointing at the viewer.

Strange days (1995)

Please read up on this before watching it, it revolves around a fictional, then-futuristic critique of the adult film industry, HEAVY focus on the capitalistic dehumanization and devaluing of human life.

Underworld (2003)

Bad asses in leather fighting monsters. Core memory.

Blade (1998)

Bad asses in leather fighting monsters but maybe you need a break from how white this whole movie list is overall. That's okay, I see you, this vampire flick fucks severe.

Fright night (1985, 2011)

The first movie is pretty campy (fun) but the remake dug into my actual stressors and fears and scared the lights from my eyes for a day or two. Welcome... to FrrrighT NighT.

Dracula (1931, 1992)

First movie is a classic, this is thee one with the guy crawling around like a lizard and there's armadillos for no reason. The 90's version has no business being as deranged as it is and for this it is a core personality trait movie.

Fast&furious: Tokyo drift (2006)

Not sure I would say this is peak cinema but it's a racing movie that falls in line with the F&F tradition of being clearly in love with the entire premise, location, and cast. Rent free.

Drive (2011)

I like this movie because it is not about the guy getting the girl, it is about doing the right thing every single time because that's what it takes to be a real human bean. being. whichever. I was so obnoxious about this movie when I watched it with my now-ex gf that I wish I could siphon the memory of it out of her brain, because I kept pointing at actors I knew.

Green room (2015)

This is the best punk parable I can think of. Litany against not reading the room, litany against being the hero when there's no one to save, litany against thinking shared trauma is gonna get you any pussy.

Lords of chaos (2018)

I'm obsessed with the band Mayhem there is no other explanation.

There will be blood (2007)

WILD WEST TOXIC YAOI. I'm not apologizing for this summary and I'm not elaborating.

Butch Cassidy and the sundance kid (1969)

I don't know. I watched this in the wee hours of the morning with my best friend and actually cried about it. Doomed criminals and a famous final stand.

Saw (2004)

I used to watch Saw movies when I lived in the trailer park while hiding from my family in a neighbor's place so I don't know if these movies are good or if I needed to watch tortureporn to relax bcs the roof leaked on my bed when it rained? But I think everyone should at least watch the first movie or how are you going to play any games?

Chernobyl diaries (2012)

I walked out of this movie shaking head to toe and couldn't think about anything else for months. I don't think I'd be as scared now but I can't say if that's because I'm not 16 anymore. Warning against going into a dangerous situation with a guy you met off Craigslist.

Constantine (2005)

Demon hoards, evil angels, catholic bullshit, 9/10.

The neverending story (1984)

Well after all that let's reinstate some whimsy into our souls again bcs this is the Jim Henson Power Hour. This one is just a solid entry point into "puppets are fun and practical effects are my best friend".

The dark crystal (1982)

My babysitters put this on for me as a bed-time story when I was five (5) years old and I do not believe I slept, I think they regretted this and had to tell my parents what they did. But now I will never stop making Skeksis noises at people I love.

Labyrinth (1986)

Y'know the phenomenon of alt teens and preteens dating young adult men who are total and complete losers, including actual band members? It's not that this pre-dates any of that, but I believe it does a good job representing it through the lens of a modern fairy tale. Like when you watch this you have to realize this is wish fulfillment for people who want to be Sarah because their age-gap goth boyfriend in the real world is a manipulative disappointment.

Pacific rim (2013)

Love letter to the mecha and kaiju genre(s). Makes no sense, compels me though.

Eurotrip (2004)

This is the movie "Scotty doesn't know" is from. Some high schoolers fuck off to Europe and have the most misadventure possible. It's somehow exactly the kind of cringe humor you would expect from the 00's without being cruel or overly disgusting. I used to watch a lot of really bad 00's comedies and this is a good one I promise. Scussie.

Hamlet (1996)

Personality point, I think this is the best version on film because the guy actually looks like how I envisioned Hamlet. Ignore your girl! Avenge your dad!

Advantageous (2015)

This movie goes in on the connection between race and class in a sci-fi future where you can change the former through predatory, dangerous cosmetic surgery.

Gravity (2013)

This is my go-to movie when I need to sob like a sick little baby. Space travel as a metaphor for motherhood, spaceships as the womb, scientists are the babies who left their babies back on earth. It's about what you give up in the name of fulfilling your human urge for the unknown.

All clear on the western front (2022)

Thee anti-war fillum. Very well done. I never recovered from one of the final scenes to the point I wrote a final paper on it. Without spoiling it, the Ending gave me the feeling of when you're a kid and you want to go play, but you're grounded and you fall asleep listening to your friends outside in the street. I hope this sentence ruins your life if you watch this movie.

Inglorious basterds (2009)

They lock some nazis in a theatre and set them on fire, good cinema.

Shadow dancer (2012)

Domhnall Gleeson in one of his classically pathetic twink roles but its about British imperial violence and Irish reactionary violence.

Logan (2017)

Good art film, a story about dementia, legacies, and why putting children in cages is fucking evil.

The batman (2022)

Weird art film, next question.

Joker (2019)

I do not care about the opinions of straight men who watch things uncritically, this is a good movie because of the depictions of poverty in the US. I don't believe this needed to be about the DC Joker this should have been a standalone art film about a mime.

Dragonheart (1996)

Medieval era dragon nonsense, I will never be convinced this is a bad movie.

Sleeping beauty (1959)

Personality trait was rooting for the dragon.

Snow dogs (2002)

I'm not defending this one it stands on its own, please watch this movie if you wanna see Cuba Gooding Jr. bite a husky's ear so it'll stop ruining his life.

Luck of the irish (2001)

This movie is genuinely so bad I have considered it some kind of hate crime since the day it came out, because I watched this the day it was a direct-to-TV movie. I think I was too young to feel insulted but I was deeply, deeply bemused.

Black swan (2010)

There is a woman inside her and she is trying to crash the plane. Can I get away with calling this foe-yay yuri also? I'm going to.

I, tonya (2017)

Sufjan Stevens' song "Tonya Harding in Eb major" makes me so unreasonably emotional, so one day I watched this movie and then the film of the 1988 Calgary Olympics in the living room while all of my housemates had to sneak around in the dark. This is just a solid movie about ambition, betrayal, abuse, tragedy, and having to get over it and move on because you're not dead yet.

Phantom of the opera (2004)

Whatever was going on in Labyrinth, this is the adult version. Weird man in a sewer possessing a soprano. I think there's some gender happening here but it gets a little lost under the love(?) triangle.

A knights tale (2001)

Just go watch some more medieval nonsense, it's good for you, its fun.

White chicks (2004)

I'm not defending this choice, it's a good movie. "You were thinking it" "Yeah but you said it" there are some phrases you could use to see if I had been replaced with a body double and this is one of them.

Heathers (1988)

Ouughhgh ough oh. Personality trait. Watched this because I kept listening to the musical soundtrack, love both but agree the themes are much tighter in the movie. This is just a fun schlock to tell teens life is stupid and difficult and bad things will happen, so don't abandon your friends.

Priscilla queen of the desert (1994)

Classic homo fillum, if you wonder why I write Gilbert Like That it's partially because of the mean little fruit from this movie. It's about the Aussie drag scene and who belongs in the queer community.

300 (2006)

I'm not sure that I would call this a "good" movie, but it's a classic as far as I'm concerned. This is the "THIS IS SPARTA" movie.

The foreigner (2017)

I actually don't remember the plot of this one too solidly but the suspense and action were solid, and I enjoyed the setup. Good for if you wanna be really pissed off for two hours.

Conan the barbarian (1982)

Look at me. Look into my eyes. You're going to watch this movie. You're going to think about the wheel of pain and you're going to go wow, this is so stupid. Don't look away I'm not done. You're going to watch this movie and then you're going to get a couple of paper towel tubes and find someone to beat the shit out of each other with the tubes.

Law abiding citizen (2009)

I don't know I think watching this movie changed my brain chemistry in very special ways. Guy fucking loses it and becomes a problem for his local community by kidnapping and torturing people who killed his family. Cathartic and vile.

Black dog (1998)

:D DO YOU WANNA WATCH AN ACTION MOVIE ABOUT AN 18-WHEELER?

The hunt for red october (1990)

Almost forgot this one. Lithuanian Submariner off the shits, goes rogue, I'm not sure what accent Sean Connery is going for, I get the impression he just showed up to gigs and did whatever he wanted.

[vintage1981]

HAPPY BIRTHDAY CAROLINE MUNRO! 

Caroline Munro (born 16 January 1949 in Windsor, Berkshire) is a British actress and model best known for her many appearances in science fiction and action films of the 1970s and 1980s. According to Munro, her career took off in 1966 when her mother and photographer friend entered some headshots of her to Britain’s The Evening News “Face of the Year” contest.

“I wanted to do art. Art was my love. I went to Art School in Brighton but I was not very good at it. I just did not know what to do. I had a friend at the college who was studying photography and he needed somebody to photograph and he asked me. Unbeknownst to me, he sent the photographs to a big newspaper in London. The famous fashion photographer, David Bailey, was conducting a photo contest and my picture won.” 

This led to modelling chores, her first job being for Vogue Magazine at the age of 17. She moved to London to pursue top modelling jobs and became a major cover girl for fashion and TV ads while there. Decorative bit parts came her way in such films as Casino Royale and Where’s Jack? (1969). One of her many photo ads got her a screen test and a one-year contract at Paramount where she won the role of Richard Widmark’s daughter in the comedy/western A Talent for Loving (1969). 

1969 proved to be a good year for Munro, because it was then that she began a lucrative 10 year relationship with Lamb’s Navy Rum. Her image was plastered all over the country, and this would eventually lead to her next big break.

Hammer Films CEO Sir James Carreras spotted Munro on a Lamb’s Navy Rum poster/billboard. He asked his right hand man, James Liggett, to find and screen test her. She was immediately signed to a one-year contract. Her first film for Hammer proved to be something of a turning point in her career. It was during the making of Dracula AD 1972 that she decided from this film onward she was a full-fledged actress. Up until then she was always considered a model who did some acting on the side.

A string of fantasy and horror roles followed, including starring turns in Captain Kronos: Vampire Hunter (1973), The Golden Voyage of Sinbad (1974), At the Earth’s Core (1976),  The Spy Who Loved Me (1977), StarCrash (1978), Maniac (1980), The Last Horror Film (1982), Faceless (1988), and The Black Cat (1989).

By the 1990s Munro had decided to focus more on her family, daughters, Georgina and Iona, and husband George Dugdale. However, since 2003 Caroline has renewed her interest in acting and has appeared in a number of film and audio productions. Since 2021 Caroline has been presenting the hit television series The Cellar Club for Talking Pictures TV.

The title First Lady of Fantasy was given to Caroline by journalist Steve Swires, who wrote many Starlog and Fangoria (@FANGORIA) articles on the actress in the 1980s and 1990s. 

Happy Birthday Caroline!

Official Website:  http://www.CarolineMunro.org

Representation: Thomas Bowington/Bowington Management

Some of her credits include: Dracula AD 1972 (1972), Captain Kronos: Vampire Hunter (1973), The Golden Voyage of Sinbad (1974), At the Earth’s Core (1976), The Spy Who Loved Me (1977), StarCrash (1978), Maniac (1980), The Last Horror Film (1982), Faceless (1988), The Black Cat (1989), Flesh for the Beast (2003), Turpin (2009), Midsomer Murders (2013), The Landlady (2013), Crying Wolf (2015), Vampyres (2015), Cute Little Buggers (2016), Frankula (2017), End User (2018), House of the Gorgon (2019), The Haunting of Margam Castle (2020), Ulalume - A Ballad (2023), The Pocket Film of Superstitions (2023), and the upcoming The Presence of Snowgood (2024).

[100gayicons]

Gay Icon Verka Serduchka

Verka Serduchka (aka Andriy Danylko) is the most famous drag persona in the Ukraine.

Danylko invented the character of Verka Serduchka in 1990. Verka is a flamboyant middle-aged woman from a rural family and makes a living as a railroad sleeping car attendant. Since then Verka has rocketed to stardom.

Verka represented Ukraine in the 2007 Eurovision competition with the song “Dancing Lasha Tumbai”. The selection of Verka was controversial and heavily criticized in local media and by Ukrainian politicians, saying Verka was “grotesque and vulgar". But Verka got the last laugh - the song came in 2nd in a field of 24 countries.

A writer for the British newspaper The Guardian even called "Dancing Lasha Tumbai" as the "best song never to win Eurovision".

Later Verka was a judge on the show that picks future Ukraine Eurovision representatives, and appeared in Melissa McCarthy’s film “Spy” (2015). Verka also judged on X-Factor on Ukrainian TV (2016-2019) and The Masked Singer (2021).

Although Andriy Danylko threatened to retire his Verka persona, he continue to perform in drag - especially as a voice against Russian’s invasion of Ukraine. Verka has performed in numerous fundraisers for Ukraine.

Verka sold Freddie Mercury’s 1974 Rolls Royce at auction in 2022, for £250,000. The auction house waved fees and the buyers premium. So that entire proceeds (£286,250 or $327,600) were donated to help fund a modern rehabilitation and prosthesis center in Ukraine for victims of the war.

Andrii Danylko was awarded the Order of Merit Third Class in 2022 by the President of the Ukraine.

Danylko has stated that he does not appear in drag outside of performing as Verka. It’s also been reported he occasionally dates women. But Verka is still an inspirational LGBT+ icon.

2007 Eurovision performance

[nerds-yearbook]

Appendix: Moneypenny on film

Lois Maxwell - Dr No (1962), From Russia With Love (1963), Goldfinger (1965), Thunderball (1965), You Only Live Twice (1967), On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1969), Diamonds Are Forever (1971), Live and Let Die (1973), The Man With a Golden Gun (1974), The Spy Who Loved Me (1977), Moonraker (1979), For Your Eyes Only (1981), Octopussy (1983), A View to a Kill (1985)

Barbara Bouchet - Casino Royale (1967)

Pamela Salem - Never Say Never Again (1983)

Caroline Biss - The Living Daylights (1987) and Licence to Kill (1989)

Samantha Bond - Goldeneye (1995), Tomorrow Never Dies (1997), The World Is Not Enough (1999), Die Another Day (2002)

Naomie Harris - Skyfall (2012), Spectre (2015), No Time to Die (2021)

[ramon-tikaram-love]

Ramon Tikaram is a British actor and singer of Indo-Fijian and Malaysian descent, born in 1967.

feel free to browse and interact.

• tags list •

TV series

this life (1996-1997)

daylight robbery (2000)

judge john deed (2001)

dream team (2002)

crossroads (2002)

mile high (2003)

silent witness (2004)

murphy's law (2005)

nathan barley (2005)

tripping over (2006)

wired (2008)

primeval (2008-2009)

my spy family (2007-2009)

m.i. high (2011)

eastenders (2009-2012)

white heat (2012)

father brown (2013)

game of thrones (2013)

moving on (2009-2013)

law & order: uk (2013-2014)

stella (2015)

man down (2013-2015)

new tricks (2015)

midsomer murders (2016)

casualty (1997-2016)

happy valley (2014-2016)

the coroner (2016)

death in paradise (2017)

fortitude (2015-2017)

hetty feather (2017)

shakespeare & hathaway: private investigators (2018)

lee & dean (2018)

flowers (2018)

the victim (2019)

feel good (2020)

the great (2021)

brassic (2019-2021)

the curse (2022)

murder, they hope (2022)

pennyworth (2019-2022)

love rat (2024)

renegade nell (2024)

tell me everything (2024)

kaos (2024)

movies

kama sutra: a tale of love (1996)

code name: wolverine (1996)

supply & demand (1997)

krakatoa: the last days (2006)

mischief night (2006)

the ruby in the smoke (2006)

dean spanley (2008)

endgame (2009)

the kidnap diaries (2012)

vampire academy (2014)

jupiter ascending (2015)

dragonfly (2015)

5 greedy bankers (2016)

boogie man (2018)

solo: a star wars story (deleted scene) (2018)

fisherman's friends: one and all (2022)

the hunting of the snark (rec. 2019, rel. 2023)

games

dead space (2009-2011)

dragon age: inquisition (2014)

need for speed: payback (2017)

overwatch (2022)

dragon age: the veilguard (2024)

short films

broken eternity (2012)

cowboy ben (2014)

theatre

gaddafi: a living myth (2006)

the king and i (2011)

other

the mighty boosh (2005)

jackanory junior: let's go home, little bear (2007)

unit: the new series (2015-2018)

misc appearances

singing

my drawings 🍓

my writings 🍋

unavailable media

please help me find the unavailable media if you can

[haveyouseenthismovie-poll]

End of month update - June

Hello, all! This is the end-of-month update, where I post Tumblr’s current top four films that have received the highest percentage of “yes,” “no,” and “haven’t even heard of this movie” votes.

As of today, the top four films with the highest percentage of “yes” votes are:

Finding Nemo (2003) | Shrek (2001) | Monsters, Inc. (2001) | The Lion King (1994)

Next, the top four films with the highest percentage of “no” votes are:

Sausage Party (2016) | Pinocchio(2019) | Sharknado 2: The Second One (2014) | All Quiet on the Western Front (1930)

Finally, the top four films with the highest percentage of “haven’t even heard of this movie” votes are:

Faat Kiné (2001) | Now Add Honey (2015) | Like a Cat on a Highway (2017) | Dean Spanley (2008)

This top four changed through the new additions of Faat Kiné (2001) and Now Add Honey (2015), which replaced Monica and Friends: Bonds (2019) and Monsturd (2003).

Currently, The Incredibles (2004) is the still the only film to receive absolutely zero “haven’t heard of this” votes.

That’s it for June’s end-of-month update! Remember that you can view last month’s update by clicking here. Additionally, you can view the full ranked Letterboxd lists of movies that have come up on this blog by clicking the following links:

This list is ranked from highest-to-lowest percentage of “yes” votes.

This list is ranked from highest-to-lowest percentage of “no” votes.

This list is ranked from highest-to-lowest percentage of “haven’t even heard of this movie” votes.

Remember to vote on the polls that are currently running: The Road Within (2014) | About a Boy (2002) | Spy Kids (2001) | Frozen II (2019) | High Noon (1952) | Horns (2013) | Im Himmel ist die Hölle los (1984) | In Bruges (2008) | Sideways (2004) | Pokémon: The First Movie - Mewtwo Strikes Back (1998) | Sailor Moon SuperS: The Movie: Black Dream Hole (1995) | Mamma Mia! (2008) | Down with Love (2003) | Stonehenge Apocalypse (2010) | This is Spinal Tap (1984) | The Kids Are Alright (1979) | Lisztomania (1975) | A Little Chaos (2014) | Redline (2009) | The Stepford Wives (1975) | Blancanieves (2012) | Clerks (1994) | Promising Young Woman (2020) | What's Up, Doc? (1972) | The Apple (1980) | Broken (1993) | The Virgin Suicides (1999) | The Phantom of the Opera (2004) | The Wolf Man (1941) | The Boxtrolls (2014) | Manos: The Hands of Fate (1966) | The Perfect Score (2004) | The Man from Earth (2007) | Shapeshifter (1999) | The Lighthouse (2019)

Also, remember that the ask box will open for requests some time before July 4th! There will be a post announcing when it's open, so keep an eye out for that if you'd like to request some movies!

[justabigoldnerd]

So my lovely mother has always been my biggest, unconditional supporter. She'll listen to me go off about fandoms and characters she's never heard of and will be genuinely interested and even read the fanfiction I send her (STRICTLY the not sexual stuff lmao).

Herein lies the admittedly hilarious problem.

My latest obsession is TMFU (2015), and she's been listening to me talk up and down about these characters and the film, but she's never seen it. Part of my ranting sometimes involves lamenting the misfortune of Illya being played by the pest he's played by and listing who I wish they would recast for him. My top pick is Alexander Skarsgård. My mom LOVES Alexander Skarsgård. And every time I mention wanting him to replace he-who-shall-not-be-named, she nods and says;

"He plays gay really well."

Which has made me come to realize that my mom is FULLY under the impression that this 2015 60s spy movie is CANONICALLY and explicitly queer.

I have made a terrible mistake.

She's gonna be SO disappointed when I "force" (she wants the record to state that I'm not forcing her if she's willingly watching it) to watch it and it's not at all queer, other than maybe some homoerotic subtext lmao

For added context, my mom is bisexual and polyamorous and I probably definitely got my "no such thing as love triangles, they're all in love" from her 😅