#Thomas Wynn And The Believers

[dear-indies]

hi guys! is it possible to get some fc help for howl pendragon from howl's moving castle? i'm thinking mid 20s and either blonde or black hair, but any ethnicity is okay!! maybe some japanese actors specifically just because of the studio who produced it?

Lucas Till (1990)

Assad Zaman (1990) Bangladeshi.

Shuntarō Yanagi (1991) Japanese.

Maxence Danet-Fauvel (1993)

Ton Heukels (1993)

Shintaro Anzai (1993) Japanese.

Keisuke Watanabe (1993) Japanese.

Kento Yamazaki (1994) Japanese.

Shayan Sobhian (1994) Iranian.

Louis Kurihara (1994) Japanese / White.

Thomas Doherty (1995)

Yuta Nakamoto (1995) Japanese.

Jeff Satur (1995) Thai.

Hiroki Iijima (1996) Japanese.

Aria Shahghasemi (1996) Iranian.

Ryusei Yokohama (1996) Japanese.

Jerry Habibi (1996) Iranian.

Maxim Baldry (1996)

Tamino-Amir (1996) Belgian, Egyptian and Lebanese.

Fujii Kaze (1997) Japanese.

Ren Meguro (1997) Japanese.

Hokuto Yoshino (1997) Japanese.

Hey! I believe he's canonly white (Welsh) and the media was loosely based on the 1986 novel by Diana Wynne Jones so I'm going to give a range of suggestions. 💌

[best-fictional-cat]

ROUND 1 IS OVER

Believe it or not, but I am also devastated because of some results.

First off, USEFUL LINKS:

All competitor masterlist

Where you can find a spreadsheet with all round 1 poll results

Round 2 match-ups (and poll masterpost)

Here's a visual on the survivors of round one:

Here's the list of our winners (green) and losers (crossed out) (all the 50/50 made it in even if there were decimals involved; I stated that I was going to do this before round 1 because we need extra cats for an even bracket):

Garfield (Garfield) vs Puss in Boots (Puss in Boots / Shrek)

Khoshekh (Welcome to Night Vale) vs The Admiral (The Magnus Archives) vs Pippa (The Penumbra Podcast)

Tom (Tom and Jerry) vs Sylvester (Looney Tunes)

Judd (Splatoon) vs Lil' Judd (Splatoon)

Garfield the Deals Warlock (The Adventure Zone: Balance) vs Pib (Dimension 20 - Neverafter)

Opalescence (My Little Pony) vs Charmmy Kitty (Sanrio)

Slugcat (Rain World) vs Rivulet (Rain World: Downpour)

Cool Cat (Cool Cat Saves the Kids) vs Tabby Von Meow (Webkinz)

Sisters of Plenitude (Doctor Who) vs Thomas Kincade Brannigan ( Doctor Who)

Domino (Amphibia) vs Domino 2 (Amphibia)

Thomas O'Malley + the Aristocats (Aristocats) vs Serafina + Wolfie (Barbie as the Princess and the Pauper)

Hollyleaf (Warrior cats) vs Jayfeather (Warrior cats) vs Yellowfang (Warrior cats) vs Bluestar (Warrior cats)

Bob (Animal Crossing) vs Raymond (Animal Crossing)

Cattail (Plants vs Zombies) vs Stray Cat (JoJo's Bizarre Adventure)

Yoruichi Shihoin (Bleach) vs Grimmjow Jaegerjaques (Bleach)

Greebo (Discworld) vs You (Discworld)

Pusheen (Pusheen) vs Nyan Cat (Nyan Cat)

Felix (Drawtectives) vs Capper (My Little Pony)

Cat (Stray) vs Spot (Star Trek: The Next Generation)

Bungle the glass cat (Oz) vs Eureka the pink kitten (Oz)

Squanchy (Rick and Morty) vs Talking Cat (Rick and Morty)

Barry Ill ( Sparklecare hospital) vs Caroline Coughs (Sparklecare hospital)

Shoe (Ace Attorney) vs Wagahai (Ace Attorney) (will carry on as a tag team because you guys are unstoppable apparently)

Alpine (Marvel comics) vs Mew (Marvel comics)

Hong (Trash of the Count's Family) vs On (Trash of the Count's Family) (will carry on as a tag team because separating the siblings was a mistake apparently)

Catra (She-Ra) vs Khajiit (The Elder Scrolls)

Constable Whiskers (Cookie Run) vs Tabby Slime (Slime Rancher)

Arlene (Garfield) vs Nermal (Garfield)

Stelmaria (His Dark Materials) vs Kirjava (His Dark Materials)

Candy + Cindy (Five Nights at Candy's) vs 808 (Hi-Fi Rush)

Carla (Fairy Tail) vs Panther Lily (Fairy Tail)

Jellie (Double Life SMP) vs C!Antfrost (Dream SMP)

Midnight (Castle in the Air, Diana Wynne Jones) vs Thomas (Earwig and the Witch)

Skimbleshanks (Cats the musical) vs Rum Tum Tugger (Cats the musical)

Ortensia the Cat (Disney) vs Felix the cat (Felix the cat (Paramount))

God Cat (Homestuck) vs Vodka Mutini / Dr.Meowgon Spangler (Homestuck)

Kyo Sohma (Fruits Basket) vs Miyo Sasaki / Muge / Taro (A whisker away)

Blaze the Cat (Sonic the Hedgehog) vs Big the Cat (Sonic the Hedgehog)

Jiji (Kiki's Delivery Service) vs Luna (Sailor Moon)

Puppycat (Bee and Puppy cat) vs CatDog (CatDog)

Chairman Meow (The Shadowhunter Chronicles) vs Church (The Shadowhunter Chronicles)

Pounce de Leon (Homestuck) vs Jaspers (Homestuck)

Sandstorm (Warrior cats) vs Squirrelflight (Warrior cats)

Mae Borowski (Night in the Woods) vs Princess Carolyn (BoJack Horseman)

Hobbes (Calvin and Hobbes) vs Tigger (Winnie the Pooh)

Ankha (Animal Crossing) vs Kabuki (Animal Crossing)

Valerie Oberlin (Monster Prom) vs Juan The Small Magical Latino Cat (Monster Prom)

Coco Grimalkin (Purrfect Apawcalypse) vs Felix Munch (Purrfect Apawcalypse) vs Mittens Wichien (Purrfect Apawcalypse)

Catty (Undertale) vs Catti (Deltarune)

Aslan (The Chronicles of Narnia) vs Simba (The Lion King)

Ghazt (My Singing Monsters) vs Nyanky (Taiko no Tatsujin)

Nameless evil white cat (James Bond) vs Meowthra (Lego Ninjago Movie)

Minerva McGonagall (Harry Potter) vs Behemoth (Master and Margarita)

Macskacicó (Hungarian folk tales) vs Pangur Bán (Pangur Bán (Irish poem, 9th century))

Kuro (Blue Exorcist) vs Grim (Twisted Wonderland)

Baron Humbert von Gikkingen (The Cat Returns) vs Nyanta (Log Horizon)

Lumi (Cats are Liquid) vs Mewo (Omori) vs Pet cats (Stardew Valley)

Leone (Akame ga Kill) vs Blake Belladonna (RWBY)

The Black Cat (The Black Cat, E.A.Poe) vs Black Cat (The Price, Neil Gaiman)

Chi Yamada (Chi's sweet home) vs Happy (Fairy Tail)

Kitty White / Hello Kitty (Sanrio) vs Salem Saberhagen (Sabrina the Teenage Witch)

Firestar (Warrior cats) vs Meowth (Pokémon)

Ghost (The Owl House) vs Morgana (Persona 5)

Kitty Softpaws (Puss in Boots) vs Goose (Marvel comics / MCU)

Catbus (My Neighbor Totoro) vs Cake (Adventure Time)

Cheshire Cat (Alice in Wonderland) vs Che'nya (Twisted Wonderland)

Plagg (Miraculous) vs Chat Noir (Miraculous)

Bagheera (The Jungle Book) vs Nuka (The Lion King 2)

Cure Cosmo / Yuni (Star Twinkle Pretty Cure) vs Ichigo Momomiya (Tokyo Mew Mew)

Luxor (Tutenstein) vs Chester the Cat (Bunnicula)

Cat (Red Dwarf) vs T'Ana (Star Trek: Lower Decks)

The Cat (Coraline) vs Mothwing (Warrior cats)

Shampoo ( Ranma 1/2) vs Diana (Sailor Moon)

Frumpkin (Critical Role) vs Archie (Tales of Arcadia)

Periwinkle (Blue's clues) vs Brave Heart Lion (Care Bears)

Catbug (Bravest Warriors) vs Pasty (Neko Atsume)

Atsushi Nakajima (Bungou Stray Dogs) vs Natsume Soseki (Bungou Stray Dogs)

Tigress (Kung Fu Panda) vs Captain Amelia (Treasure Planet)

Pixie (Pixie and Brutus) vs Tumblr lore witch

Lucifer (Cinderella) vs Tab (Watership Down)

Gary the Snail (Spongebob Squarepants) vs Magolor (Kirby series)

Mad Mew Mew (Undertale) vs Mr. Mistoffelees (Cats the musical)

Lucrezia and Meek (Frakk, the Cats' Nightmare) vs Findus (Pettson and Findus)

Leona Kingscholar (Twisted Wonderland) vs Cheka Kingscholar (Twisted Wonderland)

Maurice (Discworld) vs Heathcliff (Heathcliff)

Cringer / Battlecat (He-man) vs Mr. Kat (Kid vs. Kat)

Angel Grimalkin (Purrfect Apawcalypse) vs Tigger Sugden (Purrfect Apawcalypse)

Rosie (Animal Crossing) vs Rover (Animal Crossing)

Blanca (Animal Crossing) vs Tangy (Animal Crossing)

Nali (Assassin's Creed: Valhalla) vs Miyuki (Avatar the Last Airbender)

Chococat (Sanrio) vs Kuroneko-sama (Trigun)

Gatomon (Digimon) vs Kyubey (Puella Magi Madoka Magica)

Shrödinger's cat (you know the one) vs Felix (Felix cat food mascot)

The Cat (Monster Camp) vs Xiaohei (The Legend of Hei)

Artemis (Sailor Moon) vs Samantha / The Cat (Infinity Train)

John Blacksad (Blacksad) vs Mao Mao Mao (Mao Mao: Heroes of Pure Heart)

Solembum (Inheritance Cycle) vs Ren (Monstress)

Taokaka (Blazblue) vs Niko (Oneshot)

Ember (Cattails) vs Lyrus (Cattails) vs Mayor (Cattails)

Missy (Cattails) vs Sarge (Cattails) vs Scout (Cattails)

Lion (Steven Universe) vs Cat Steven (Steven Universe)

Glameow (Pokémon) vs Litten (Pokémon) vs Meowstic (Pokémon) vs Skitty (Pokémon) vs Sprigatito (Pokémon)

Mog (Mog books, Judith Kerr) vs Tom Kitten (The Tale of Tom Kitten)

Jenny Linsky (Jenny Linsky, Esther Averill) vs Kaspar, Prince of Cats (Kaspar, Prince of Cats, Michael Morpurgo)

Pixel (The Cat Who Walks through Walls, Robert Heinlein) vs Invisible cat (The Invisible Man, H.G.Wells)

Jonesy (Alien) vs Grudge (Star Trek Discovery)

Aldwyn (The Familiars) vs Jess (Postman Pat)

Remlit (Legend of Zelda Skyward Sword) vs Mo (Lego Monkie Kid)

Assistacat / Sub-manager (Cardfight!! Vanguard) vs Haru (My Roommate is a Cat)

Mao (Darker than Black) vs Amanojaku (Ghost Stories)

Izutsumi (Dungeon Meshi) vs Opera (Welcome to demon school Iruma kun!)

Nyako / Meowy (Chainsaw Man) vs Yuigadokusonmaru (Durarara)

Heinkel (Fullmetal Alchemist) vs Cheetu (Hunter x Hunter)

Graystripe (Warrior cats) vs Scourge (Warrior cats) vs Sol (Warrior cats) vs Tallstar (Warrior cats)

Bristlefrost (Warrior cats) vs Cinderpelt (Warrior cats) vs Ferncloud (Warrior cats) vs Turtle Tail (Warrior cats)

Leopardstar (Warrior cats) vs Spottedleaf (Warrior cats) vs Leafpool (Warrior cats) vs Mapleshade (Warrior cats)

Sox (Lightyear) vs The Kitty (The Bad Guys)

The Cat in the Hat (The Cat in the Hat) vs Boo (The Funky Phantom)

The Sphinx (Adventures of Puss in Boots) vs Fluffal Cat (Yu-Gi-Oh!)

Hiili (Fox Fires (webcomic)) vs Varjak Paw (Varjak Paw, S.F.Said)

Potato (Cat loaf adventures) vs Whiskers (Pixel Cat's End)

Mingus Crown (Dialtown) vs Burgerpants (Undertale)

Arthur (Code Geass) vs Amp / Anp / Anpu (The Disastrous Life of Saiki K)

Sakamoto (Nichijou) vs Blair (Soul Eater)

Darwin (April and the Extraordinary World) vs Finley / Jelly Donut (Hustle Cat)

Jemima (Cats the musical) vs Victoria (Cats the musical)

Also democracy said we should try randomising the match-ups. See yous in a few days, I have some cats to put on a wheel ;)

[byneddiedingo]

Ron Clinton Smith, Octavia Spencer, Taraji P. Henson, and Janelle Monáe in Hidden Figures (Theodore Melfi, 2016)

Cast: Taraji P. Henson, Octavia Spencer, Janelle Monáe, Kevin Costner, Kirsten Dunst, Jim Parsons, Mahershala Ali, Aldis Hodge, Glen Powell. Screenplay: Allison Schroeder, Theodore Melfi, based on a book by Margot Lee Shetterly. Cinematography: Mandy Walker. Production design: Wynn Thomas. Music: Benjamin Wallfisch, Pharrell Williams, Hans Zimmer.

What's so bad about feeling good? Hidden Figures was 2016's sleeper hit, a feel-good movie that's almost critic-proof because of its good intentions: to tell the stirring, long-neglected story of how Black women mathematicians made a significant contribution to the 1960s American space program. It has some terrific performances from Taraji P. Henson, Octavia Spencer, and Janelle Monáe as three of the women, and they get strong support from Kevin Costner and Kirsten Dunst as slightly uptight white folks who can't quite believe that these Black women are up to the task they have to set for them. But one place that the film falters is in casting the likes of Costner and Dunst, well-known Hollywood stars, in those roles: They introduce a note of imbalance in the film, evoking not only the "white savior" figure but also suggesting that the struggle of whites to accept Black people as equals is on a par with the struggle of African Americans to gain that equality. The film also tries to evoke the horrors of Jim Crow by departing from actuality: Katherine Johnson didn't have to sprint across the NASA complex to find a "colored" restroom -- she simply used the one available -- and the scene in which Costner's character smashes the sign outside the segregated restroom is fictional. The early scene in which a white cop comes upon the three women whose car has broken down is meant to create tension, but it too quickly dissipates into feel-goodism when he learns that they're working at NASA and patriotically gives them an escort to work -- doing his part to thwart the commies. A Black director and screenwriters -- Theodore Melfi and Allison Schroeder are white -- might have kept these suggestions that "white folks were really good at heart" more in balance with the depictions of not only the real pain caused by segregation but also the actual work done by the women.

[quietflorilegium]

“It took only a few bars to assure her that Thomas Lynn was a very good cellist indeed. His playing had that drive to it which gave you the sense of the shape of the music opening out before him as he played. And he kept that drive and shape, whether the cello was grumbling against the piano, crisply duetting, or out on its own, coaxed into hollow golden song. That feeling of a pattern being made, Polly thought, that I had in the panto. Except that this was so expert and so varied that it was hard to believe that it was being done with a musical instrument in somebody’s hands.”

Diana Wynne Jones, "Fire and Hemlock"

[nflstreetsanimereviews]

Hello and greetings. In the two weeks since I released my ‘Winter 2023 Anime First Impressions’ post, I have come across two more currently airing anime: Tensei Oujo to Tensai Reijou no Mahou Kakumei and Otonari no Tenshi-sama ni Itsunomanika Dame Ningen ni Sareteita Ken. These were the two most highly rated anime airing that wasn’t part of a second season of something I didn’t watch the first season of. Tacking these two anime onto my ‘Winter 2023 Anime First Impressions’ post will up the amount of anime on the list to five–a respectable amount if I say so myself. Without any further ado.

Tensei Oujo to Tensai Reijou no Mahou Kakumei

Before I get started, I’ll say this right now–this is a yuri anime. I know that’s enough to get some on here to watch it. Now, where was I? Tensei Oujo to Tensai Reijou no Mahou Kakumei (The Magical Revolution of the Reincarnated Princess and the Genius Young Lady), which shortened could be either MagiRevo or TenTen, is an overtly romantic anime, with our main character, Princess Anisphia Wynn Palettia, declaring her interest in noblewoman Euphyllia Magenta in the first episode. Euphyllia, who got unengaged by Princess Anisphia’s brother, Prince Algard, in quite dramatic fashion, is down on her woes, but Anisphia sees her potential and wants her to be her assistant. You see, Princess Anisphia is a bit of an inventing savant, apparently being isekaied from Earth. While she has no magical powers, her memories of her ‘past life’ allow her to develop ‘magicology’, which lets her be able to ‘invent’ products that existed on Earth, making her this world’s version of Benjamin Franklin or Thomas Edison. This show has a lot of charm, which is partly due to its fantasy themes, taking place in what seems to be this world’s pre-Industrial Revolution, and also due to Princess Anisphia, who is really an amazing person. Times are changing–sometimes that means kickstarting the Industrial Revolution, and sometimes that means being gay with your girlfriend. As Lenin once said: "There are decades where nothing happens; and there are weeks where decades happen"

Otonari no Tenshi-sama ni Itsunomanika Dame Ningen ni Sareteita Ken

Otonari no Tenshi-sama ni Itsunomanika Dame Ningen ni Sareteita Ken (The Angel Next Door Spoils Me Rotten) is a rom-com slice-of-life anime about Amane Fujimiya and Mahiru Shiina, who’re neighbors as well as classmates, but never crossed paths. That is, until one fateful day when he lends her his umbrella on a rainy day. In return, she offers to clean his nasty-ass apartment and to cook him food due to his horrible diet. In a sense, he gains what is essentially a wife just by being pathetic enough for her to feel sorry for. I can dig it. Anyways, their relationship is (at the end of episode three, where I’m writing this) ‘strictly business’. Due to her status of being ‘The Angel’ of the school they both go to, it’s in their best interest to keep this whole thing a secret. They essentially are each other’s sidepiece. Amane gains a lot more out of this engagement, being able to eat Mahiru’s excellent cooking every day, and having someone to help clean his apartment with, while all Mahiru gains are having that good feeling whenever you’ve helped someone. Maybe she thinks she can ‘fix him’. The anime’s insistence on calling Mahiru ‘The Angel’ is a tad annoying, but I’ll allow it since it isn’t overbearing. I’ll give the anime some credit for not introducing any unnecessary love interests (as of yet). I’m also a fan of Amane’s sense of humor and tendency to engage in self-indulgence. I believe that Amane and Mahiru make a good combo, and will be excited to continue to watch their story unfold. I avoided Otonari no Tenshi-sama ni Itsunomanika Dame Ningen ni Sareteita Ken at first because I thought the premise was a bit bland (‘I feel like I’ve seen this before’), but I’m glad I did watch it in the end.

Winter 2023 Anime First Impressions

Below is a short list of anime that I'm currently watching, and my impressions of them so far. Please send me recommendations for currently airing anime since I'm not watching much this season.

Tomo-chan wa Onnanoko!

Tomo-chan wa Onnanoko! (Tomo-chan Is a Girl!) is an adaptation of the popular rom-com manga of the same name. The anime starts with Aizawa Tomo (the Tomo-chan in Tomo-chan wa Onnanoko!) confessing her love to her childhood friend Jun. Unfortunately, due to their rather strange friendship that revolves around them sparring often, along with other 'boyish' activities, Jun takes her confession of love as reaffirming their friendship. Honestly, I forgot that this anime going to air, since the manga finished years ago. The nature of the manga, which was released daily in one-page slices, originally gave me concern that the anime would be paced poorly. Thankfully that doesn't seem to be the case. Tomo-chan so far has been a great show. While Tomo and Jun have some good gags, it's Tomo's friends that make the show as good as it is. It's my pick of the season if you want to watch a light-hearted slice-of-life anime. Check out the manga too.

NieR:Automata Ver1.1a

NieR:Automata Ver1.1a is the anime adaption of the 2017 video game NieR: Automata. The anime details the experiences of android soldiers (known as YoRHa units) 2B and 9S as they fight alongside their human creators against invading aliens and their seemingly infinite machine army. The game came out to critical praise, although reception of the game has gone down in the past few years. I was a fan of the game when I played it, but honestly, I don't remember much about the game's story. I do have a hard time believing that the anime will have anywhere as much a positive appraisal as the game did--it's just how anime based off of video games usually go. The biggest complaint so far from viewers has been the shoddy CG job. Anime CG is rarely good, but NieR:Automata Ver1.1a has some egregious examples, like the one above. You'd think that an anime as high profile as NieR:Automata Ver1.1a would at least have passible CG, but I guess A-1 Pictures has better things to do. Sans the bad CG, the anime is okay so far.

Ijiranaide, Nagatoro-san 2nd Attack

The second season of Nagatoro. Pretty self-explanatory. If you loved the first season, you'll love this. If you didn't...then you won't like this. Of course, the gags continue from the first season, but the ROM cart of 'rom-com' takes a huge step up. Hell, they pretty much are dating already as it stands. Also, I'm very sure that Senpai will get contacts this season, not to spoil any character growth. There's really no reason for Nagatoro to be included here, due to it being its second season, but I had to fill in space because a list with only two items would've been pretty embarrassing!

[tomatograter]

Oh my god I just realised Jake was actually thinking of Dirk when kissing the poster.

Also, this may be a stupid question but,

I really enjoy reading what you write and I wonder how you talk like you do. Like, how did you expand your vocabulary and learn to analyse character and such? I honestly don’t know how to explain which is a bit ironic.

I just really enjoy consuming your content :)

THANKS!!!! and yeah he was.

I don't know how to really explain this one since since anything tangentially related to storytelling is pretty much... an interest I have? I tend to read author dissertations/essays/speeches and listen to a lot of lectures on writing and literature when I'm working, for the fun of it. I also tend to do this with comics & movies I just go prodding around for theory depending on the piece :/

Though if I were to cite my biggest inspirations rn in terms of prose and lyricism in narrative, it's definitely a grain of sand next to: Terry Pratchett, Ursula K. Le Guin, Seth Dickinson, Raphael Bob-Waksberg, Daniel Kraus, Diana Wynne Jones, Machado de Assis, and with special mention to William Goldman's 'The Princess Bride'.

(I read Suzanne Collins' The Hunger Games growing up and I think these books still hold up re; a post-myth gamefied dystopian narrative on deeply traumatized children, if you're interested. I reread them last year-ish. The movies are NOOOOOT good. I also obligatorily have to note I went through the entirety of A Song of Ice and Fire by G.R.R Martin age 14 and while its not a series I particularly... recommend on account of how meandering and overlong all that grimdark bullshit can get on top of the eye-rolling shock value improv that screwed over an entire television age, it does inform my general lexicon on bullshit overlong epics. If you're blissfully unaware and looking into these please be warned of everything you could possibly be warned of being present in these books. Do not believe fluff reviews. The female characters are basically treated like garbage on a 1:10 ratio. Just read the authors above!)

I browse a lot of books on the topic whenever one catches my interest, and if that's what you're looking for id recommend Monkeys With Typewriters by scarlett thomas & Steering the Craft by ursula k le guin. There might be better ones out there but I like reasoning next to theory not just the thing by itself. Reading a lot of authors and mixing up short stories with long ones over the past years has definitely changed how I think about story structure over time, so I can't understate the importance of just... finding what you like to read and going out of your way to try other things sometimes.

Brandon Sanderson has been trying to bring some of his creative writing lectures at BYU to the general public through youtube, and while these focus on traditional publishing (meaning fantasy and sci-fi books and their production pipeline in a professional setting) he has a lot of fun insights from being a long time author of BEHEMOTH sized books. It's very educational. If you're not interested in all of the videos, I can very much recommend the single 40min lecture on Short Stories (With guest instructor Mary Robinette Kowal) as an awesome breakdown of story structure, where to begin plotting, pulling apart/milking your ideas and executing them in an engaging timeframe, which works for short AND long stories. I hope at least one of these connections can serve as some help!

[deeisace]

Alright! 

@calamitys-child​ I have several records for a Sophie Devereux!

Or Sophia, or Sophy, y’know - no Deverauxs, or Devereauxs, tho, I don’t think?

This is possibly (definitely) far more detailed than you were expecting, but like. This is. Yeah.

So. We have 

1 - Sophy Maria Devereux, a bricklayer’s wife from Burton Latimer. She was born Sophy Maria Westley in 1863, she was a machinist as a teenager, and then married an Amos Charles Devereux, in 1879 - though she said she was 18 when she was 16, probably so her parents didn’t have to sign off for it, and she was possibly already pregnant with her first child, Arthur. 

[ID: part of a 1911 census, which lists Amos Charles Devereux as head of the house. He is a 54 year old bricklayer. His wife is Sophy Maria Deveraux, 47. They have been married for 30 years. She is recorded as having had 14 children, though only 3 of them are still living. Then is their daughter Hannah Elizabeth Devereux, a 25 year old glover. /End ID.]

Sophy’s surviving children were Arthur, possibly her firstborn, Annie, and Hannah (as above). Arthur served in the RASC during the war (he had grey eyes. brown hair, and a fresh complexion, and went to France) and became a cutlery grinder. Annie and Hannah were both at one stage shoemakers.

This Sophy died in Kettering in 1921.

-

2 - Sophia Devereax, a file cutter’s wife in Sheffield. She was born in 1828 in Loxley - I don’t know under what name, as I can’t find a marriage record, but I do know her husband (common-law or otherwise) was called Thomas Devereax, and he was from Wolverhampton. His first wife (Hannah Wynn from Birmingham) died in 1867, and Sophia is with him on the 1871 census. They don’t appear to have had any children together, unsurprisingly, but Thomas had five children from his previous marriage (Joseph, Alfred, Kate, Samuel and Mary). After Sophia died (sometime during the 1870s, as in 1881, Thomas is a widower), Thomas became a licensed victualler, and ran the Spring Wood Inn on Freedom Street in Sheffield, with his daughter Kate as barmaid.

[ID: part of a 1871 census, which lists Thomas Devereax as head of the household. He is 45 years old. His wife Sophia is 43, and follow his children - Joseph, 18, Alfred, 16, Kate, 12, Samuel, 10, and Mary, 7. /End ID]

That one’s a bit of a mystery, and I spent too long looking up the name of the pub (thank you pubwiki, and who knew that was a thing)

-

3 - Sophie P Devereux, a jeweller’s clerk in King’s Norton. I know even less about this one than the others, as she wasn’t married or

oh hohoho wait

Sophia Petrie Devereux, born 1854 in Bodenham, Hereford to Henry George Devereux and Sophia Petrie. Henry was lately a farmer of 160 acres, having lost his farm sometime in the 50s I believe, tho on his death in 1879 he was listed as a yeoman, which as I (cityfolk I am) understand it is basically a farmer, idk.

 Sophia Petrie herself (she ought to have her own listing, whoops) was a farmer’s daughter, tho she was from Snettisham in Norfolk, her father had 200 acres there and both her parents (Archibald and Jessie Petrie) were from Scotland. Archie and Jessie had ten children on their two censuses (1841 and 1851) and were both born in the 1790s. Their children (Sophia Petrie’s siblings and Sophia Devereux’s aunts and uncles) were, in order as I have them - Eliza, Susannah, Archibald, Charles, Jessie, Sophia, Euphemia, Agnes, John and Walter - tho Eliza was 22 in 1841 and it’s very possible there’s older ones than her.

Anyway, Sophie P D. I have for her four English censuses - three of which she lived with her parents in Aston, and the last she was a boarder with the Hackwood family in King’s Norton. Then I have 10 electoral rolls listings for her, dating 1919 to 1942 - for a place called Caulfield, Victoria in Australia! Which is cool! A jetsetting Sophie! I mean, I don’t know when she left for Australia, but they definitely didn’t have jets. 

Here she is on the 1919 electoral roll -

[ID: an electoral roll listing that reads - Devereux, Sophia Petrie, 33 Wanda rd., Caulfield, clerk, F. /End ID]

Ooh, Wanda Road is now some lovely little two-storey houses with little gardens - tho they’re definitely not original to Sophia’s time. Well, the wooden bungalow-y sort of ones further down might be, idk, but there’s a lot of new brick there. Also a lot of trees!

-

4 - Last but not least, and possibly my favourite if only because of her husband’s name - Sophia Devereux, born in Arsley Bedfordshire, married to one Offspring Devereux. No that is not a typo, that is his actual name.

[ID: part of a 1851 census, which shows Offspring Devereux, a 23 year old agricultural labourer, and his wife Sophia, age 21. They are listed as son and daughter in law of the head of the household, John Green, indicating that either Offspring or Sophia is the child of his wife Ann. /End ID]

I’ve done a bit of a search and I think that Sophia’s maiden name is Crouch, and she might be Ann’s daughter from a previous-previous marriage. Or she’s been adopted and kept her surname. All a bit convoluted.

Ah, yep - Sophy, as she was on her marriage and her baptism records - her parents were Edward and Ann Crouch. She was born in 1829, in Arlesey, it is now.

In later censuses, Sophia is a straw plaiter - that is, plaiting up straw strands to make into hats and things - because agricultural labour, then as now, doesn’t pay very well, and Sophia and Offspring (also a shepherd at times) had an eventual six children to feed.

Sophia died in Biggleswade, Bedfordshire (which is such an incredibly English-sounding place name) in 1890, age 60.

Offspring is not a common name, unsurprisingly, but there have been at least 7 Offsprings born in Bedfordshire - our one was born in the mid-1820s, but there was an Offspring Webb born around 1810, again in Arlsey - he doesn’t appear to have given any of his sons his own name, but one of his daughters is called Fanny - oh, no, wait, his youngest child is called Offspring, never mind

Did they run out of names?? This is so much worse than my uncle Redvers. Like, why?? Also, surely their wives didn’t call them ‘Offspring’, surely not

[misssquirrel]

Tagged by @socalledmixtapelife a looking time back. My apologies for such a late reply. 🙏

Rules: Spell out your URL using song titles and tag 10 people.

Misery - The Beatles

I Can't Get No Sleep - Faithless

Sweet Dreams - Marilyn Manson

Sound of Silence (The) - Disturbed

She Said - Govt Mule

Queer - Garbage

Under The Boardwalk - The Drifters

I Don't Regret - Thomas Wynn and The Believers

Rock Me Amadeus - Falco

Red Right Hand - Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds

End Of The Line - The Traveling Wilburys

Lithium - Evanescence

[thereadingchallengechallenge]

Read in March 2021

I kind of can’t believe I read all these in March because I’ve been in a massive reading slump since around the 25th. But I read some amazing books last month, thanks to @books-and-cookies wonderful 1,000 page readathon. my favourites were definitely Growing Up Disabled In Australia, Horrid by Katrina Leno and Do You Dream of Terra Two? by Temi Oh 💖

I also thoroughly enjoyed reading and reviewing my first-ever ARC with The Other Side of Perfect by Mariko Turk which comes out in May so be sure to check out my review below and share it around so other people can find out about this wonderful upcoming debut from an Asian-American author 😊

Australian Authors:

Please Don’t Hug Me by Kay Kerr - 2/5

Growing Up Disabled in Australia (ed.) by Carly Findlay - 5/5

Backlog Books:

Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs - reread

Hollow City by Ransom Riggs - 4/5

Library of Souls by Ransom Riggs - 4/5

Wintersong by S Jae Jones - 4/5

Do You Dream of Terra Two? by Temi Oh - 4/5

House of Many Ways by Diana Wynne Jones - 4/5

Wyrd Sisters by Terry Pratchett - 3/5

The Cheerleaders by Kara Thomas - 4/5

Other Reads:

The Deep-Sea Duke by Lauren James - 4/5

Horrid by Katrina Leno - 5/5

The Other Side of Perfect by Mariko Turk (ARC) - 5/5

Who I Was With Her by Nita Tyndall - 4/5

[moniire]

All the classic author asks pls!!!

Okay, I didn’t imagine that someone would reply so quickly, but I suppose I have the time.

Mary Shelley: Were you a goth, prep, nerd, or jock in school?

I’m a nerd, as far as I’m aware. I have a little bit of goth in me, I suppose, but that part rarely rears its head in public.

Zora Neale Hurston: Do you write in your free time? If so, then what do you write?

I don’t write a lot as I’m incredibly fussy and I find it hard to come up with plots or make my writing flow. I do write some drabble occasionally, in the form of very short stories, but they rarely have an actual plot. It would be my dream to actually be able to finish a proper short story.

J.D. Salinger: What was the last movie you watched?

I’m pretty sure it was North by Northwest, but I don’t remember exactly.

Alice Walker: What was the first “adult” book you ever read?

The first properly graphic book I read was, I believe, A Game of Thrones by George R. R. Martin. I was 13 at the time.

Bram Stoker: Do you prefer suspenseful horror movies, gore, or jump scares?

I absolutely hate jumpscares. If you send me anything with jumpscares I will probably cry. But I immensely enjoy suspense and gore has never really phased me (apart from stuff with eyes). Many of my favourite shows and movies have a good mix of them. 

Oscar Wilde: What book have you read more than once?

Oh, hundreds of them. My favourite re-reads are probably the Howl series by Diana Wynne Jones. Childhood classics!

Beatrix Potter: Do you like reading inside or outside?

I’d say inside usually, but it honestly depends on the weather and location. A sunny bench in a quiet park? Sure, I’d go for it. But a rainy, crowded street? Perhaps not.

Ann Radcliffe: What’s something you’re known for among your friends or family?

There are a few things. Firstly, I’d say my height is a big one, at least on my mother’s side of the family. I’m really tall for my age - 6’ or thereabouts - and taller than everyone on my mother’s side. My grandparents on my father’s side have actually been measuring the family’s heights against a wall since the early 2000s. Seeing the progression is pretty cool.

Among my friends, I’d say either my speech patterns or my ability to remember little tidbits of information that I’ve been told years ago. Despite coming from an area with a very distinct, “non-posh” accent, I speak a lot of the time with an enunciated, stereotypically British accent. When I get angry or excited, I tend to speak with a slight Irish accent, and the list goes on. No idea where I picked this up, but it’s apparently very humorous. The latter is a bit of an inside joke, as normally my memory is quite bad. However, I occasionally come out with bits of information that people have no memory of telling me. There have luckily been only a few awkward situations due to this.

Lord Byron: What’s a negative quality that you can admit to having?

I’m very insensitive at times and have had multiple friends call me out on statements that I meant as jokes or constructive criticism, but they found incredibly hurtful. 

Edna St. Vincent Millay: Do you have a favourite poem or one you can recite?

La Belle Dame Sans Merci by Keats, The Orange by Wendy Cope, How Do I Love Thee (Sonnet 43) by Elizabeth Browning and When You Are Old by Yeats are the ones that spring to mind.

The ones I can recite are La Belle Dame, Valentine by Carol Ann Duffy and most of the Relationships Anthology for GCSE English Lit. 

Jane Austen: Have you ever fallen in love?

That one’s difficult. I fall in love every day with places and things and experiences. With books and artworks and music. 

But I presume this means people. And honestly, I don’t know. I thought I was in love once, with a boy whom I met through a friend. He was beautiful and talented, but what stood out was that he could talk. I was sick of people who seemed to have no wider perspective or opinions, or, if they did, kept it firmly under lock and key. But he would always find a new topic to talk about, without me even needing to start a conversation. Art installations at our local gallery, religious ideology, politics, music. And it was wonderful. 

I spoke with him for maybe 30 minutes a month at most, with the rare exception of protests or marches, but they were bright and intriguing and he made me feel like I’d swallowed a star every time I saw him.

But alas, it came to an end as all good things do. We drifted and, since he didn’t seem to text, we stopped speaking almost altogether.

But was I in love? I still don’t know

Langston Hughes: If you could be part of a literary era, which one?

I feel like this is predictable but the Romantic/Gothic era (1780s - 1830s) because, whilst I’ll admit that women’s rights most definitely were non-existent, it has to be my favourite one literary-wise

Emily Dickinson: What’s the last book you were reading?

Blackhearts in Battersea by Joan Aiken. I wanted something quick and nostalgic for a change.

John William Polidori: What was the last book you finished?

See above answer

Stendhal: Have you ever hid a book you were reading because you were embarrassed? 

When I originally read the ASOIAF series, I, of course, had to read it in school as well, because I wasn’t switching books for school and for home and I obviously needed something to read at lunch. Scared of getting judged by peers or getting the book confiscated by teachers, I hid it in the dust jacket of another book. I can’t remember which, but, surprisingly, it worked.

Charles Dickens: What book are you currently reading?

E. H. Gombrich’s A Little History of the World. Again, written for children, but one I immensely enjoy and very informative on a wide variety of countries. 

Thomas Hardy: Are you a city or country person?

I want to say a mix of both. I love the city I live in and its bustle and shops and life, but I also love the countryside with its greenery and cosy intimacy. I do hate the insects though.

Virginia Woolf: What book has been on your TBR longer than a year?

Pride & Prejudice. I just haven’t gotten around to it, though I’m sure I will soon.

And finally…

Edith Wharton: What’s your favourite season for reading?

Winter, easily. Curling up to read is hard if you’re all sweaty and can’t concentrate on the words because of it. Winter gives me an excuse to pile on the jumpers and blankets, heat up the hot chocolate and just read. Plus, winter often means visits to Ireland to see my grandparents, who have the cosiest living room ever, which doubles as my all-time favourite reading environment. 

That was quite a task. I might have gone off on one in some of these, but I hope this answers it all nicely.

[ltwilliammowett]

Pirate Flags (Jolly Roger)

( Flag Edward Englands († 1720))

The Jolly Roger or "the pirate flag", often also skull flag, is the black flag of pirate ships. It is also called Black Jack, in reference to the British Union Jack. The origin of the name Jolly Roger is unknown. Some believe it is a corruption of the Indian pirate Ali Rajah, whose name was pronounced by the British Olly Roger, but it may also derive from the French joli rouge (pretty red), as the first pirates hoisted a blood-red flag as a sign that they would all kill if the crew of the booty ship did not surrender immediately. It is said that Calico Jack Rackham

(Flag Calico Jack Rackhams (* 1682; † 1720))

used a black flag with a skull for the first time (variant with crossed cutlasses), but this is not certain. The classic motif of the Jolly Roger, a skull with two crossed bones, was first used by the Breton pirate Emanuel Wynne around 1700.

(Flag Emanuel Wynnes (late 17th century, early 18th century))

The flag of Henry Every, who sailed for the last time in 1696, is depicted with a skull in profile, bandana and earring, over crossed bones.

( Flag Henry Every (* 1653; † 1696))

However, neither a skull in profile nor bandana or earring can be found elsewhere on flags or other heraldic symbols of the time. And although earrings, especially made of gold, were not uncommon among sailors (the wearer hoped that he would be paid a Christian funeral from the proceeds of the earring), it was not until the late 19th century that bandana and earring became popular details of artistic pirate depictions, starting with the illustrated stories Howard Pyles (1853-1911).

On "Blackbeard" Edward Thatch's flag is a skeleton holding an hourglass and a spear in its hands, with a bleeding heart next to it. This means that the soul now belongs to death (skeleton). The hourglass is supposed to show the victims that their time has expired. The spear promises a quick end, the bleeding heart a particularly cruel/painful death.

(Flag Blackbeards (* 1680; † 1718) )

The skull with the crossed bones and the hourglass were - taken from older Vanitas and Memento Mori representations - widely used motifs in cemeteries. A proof can be found in the graphic cycle "The four stages of cruelty" by William Hogarth, published in 1751: On the third picture the skull motive with the crossed bones is found, which decorates a grave.

In 1724 Jolly Roger was first mentioned in Captain Charles Johnson's biographical collection A General History of the Pyrates.

Other Flags are:

(Flag Thomas Tews († 1695))

(Flag Stede Bonnets (* 1688; † 1718))

(Flag Bartholomew Roberts (* 1682; † 1722) his first flag)

(Roberts second flag)

The blood-red flag (guess)

There is an assumption that before the Jolly Roger a blood-red flag was used as a pirate symbol. This is supported by the fact that, until piracy arose in the 16th and 17th centuries, the red flag was considered a quarantine flag and had the meaning "Attention, we may have a disease on board that will kill anyone who approaches us". And the pirates wanted to be deadly on approach. In addition, the quarantine flag received a swallowtail in almost every seafaring nation in the 17th century, according to the thesis, in order to rule out confusion with pirates. In any case, the British navy prohibited the flying of exclusively red flags in the Arabian Sea, ships with such flags were treated as pirates; therefore the flags of Bahrain and Qatar still have their jagged shape today. In 1694, the Admiralty had ordered British buccaneers to fly the red flag. When the war against Spain ended in 1714, many of the then superfluous buccaneers went into business for themselves and hijacked British ships on their own account while retaining their red flag. According to other sources, the early pirates carried two flags, one of which they hoisted as needed: the red flag was the sign of not taking prisoners (i.e. killing them all) and the black flag of taking prisoners for ransom. Therefore, the red flag was even more feared than the normal black flag, so joli rouge was a euphemism.

Asian pirate flags

The Jolly Roger, on the other hand, was unknown to East Asian pirates. Around 1810 there were six large groups of pirates in the South China Sea who marked their ships with red and black, but also white, green, blue and yellow flags.

A. Konstam, R. M. Kean, Pirates. Predators of the Sea (New York 2007)

www. cosmosmith.com/jolly_roger. html

[ladyherenya]

Books read in March

An unexpected month all round.

I didn’t read everything I planned to read because life was busy and the news was hugely distracting. I ended up looking for other things to read -- books that sounded comforting.

Favourite cover: No strong feelings about any of these covers.

Reread: Some of The Austen Playbook by Lucy Parker.

Still reading: The Long Dark Tea-Time of the Soul by Douglas Adams.

Next up: The Art of Theft by Sherry Thomas.

(Longer reviews and ratings are on LibraryThing and Dreamwidth.)

*

Moontangled by Stephanie Burgis: A romantic novella about a couple of minor characters from Snowspelled and Thornbound. It’s a slighter story than I was expecting… but I’m not sure whether dragging out the misunderstanding between Juliana and Caroline into a longer story would have given it more depth or just been annoying. And as this story stands, it fits thematically right in with the rest. I hope Burgis returns to this world someday.

A Heart So Fierce and Broken by Brigid Kemmerer: This follows on from one of my favourite books from last year, A Curse So Dark and Lonely, with different POV characters: Grey, a former guardsman to Prince Rhen, and Lia Mara, who has been overlooked as her mother’s heir in favour of her younger sister. I very much enjoyed spending time in their company. The dilemmas they faced -- about loyalty and leadership and being at odds with loved ones -- were engaging and thoughtfully-explored; tense without being stressful. My enthusiasm is somewhat muted because the ending offered less resolution than I was anticipating, but I’d prefer that Kemmerer took another book to deal with things properly instead of rushing. I trust her to have another story worth telling.

Elizabeth and her German Garden (1898) by Elizabeth von Armin (narrated by Nadia May): I had heard of this long before I read The Enchanted April last year, and I don't know why I hadn't seriously considered reading it... maybe the description didn't grab me or I had confused it with something else? It is utterly, unexpectedly, delightful! There's very little plot but I loved the descriptions of Elizabeth's garden, of her experiences gardening, of her small daughters and her observations about being introverted. I was less entertained by details about an irritating guest but that's a minor quibble.

The Two Monarchies Sequence by W.R. Gingell:

Spindle: After four hundred years, a princess is awoken with a kiss -- except that she wasn’t the princess and the curse isn’t fully broken. This reminded me of Diana Wynne Jones in the best possible way. Like Jones, Gingell doesn’t explain everything and expects her readers to keep up. It’s a style which particularly suits Poly’s story -- scrambling to retrieve her memories, catch up on major historical events and work out why she was targeted in the first place. The wizard who woke her isn’t inclined to stop and explain everything! It also fits with Poly’s experiences of magic. I loved this.

Blackfoot: Annabel, her cat Blackfoot and her best friend Peter are pursued by a sinister figure and hide in the ruins of a castle. I had an idea of who Blackfoot was, and Peter too, and knew what Mordion was capable of, but Annabel doesn’t and this is very much her story, as she discovers more about herself. Once again, Gingell’s style of not explaining everything works really well because Annabel is caught up in something confusing and magical and weird. Less compelling than Spindle but I loved Annabel and the way this captures her reactions to things.

Staff & Crown: Three years after Blackfoot, Annabel is sent to finishing school, where she and her new friend Isabella get up unexpected -- and sometimes unexpectedly dangerous -- adventures. Annabel and Isabella are an utterly delightful combination. I enjoyed their friendship, and the way Annabel renegotiates her relationship with Melchior. The latter relationship is important and, given their history, not exactly straightforward. I thought Gingell handled that deftly. (My only quibble is that Annabel’s adventures with Isabella are so lively, so much the focus, that other parts of Annabel’s school experience began to feel a bit too vague and misty by comparison.)

The Eagle of the Ninth by Rosemary Sutcliff (narrated by Charlie Simpson): As I suspected, listening to the (unfortunately, abridged) audiobook pulled me right into this story. I found it vivid, captivating and intriguing... which was not my experience of trying to read the book myself. I don't know how abridged it was but if the story was leaving out important bits, it wasn't obvious. (Although I did wonder whether I would have understood some of the character's choices better had more of the story was included.) The abridgement felt smoothly done and the audiobook was well narrated, with nice use of music.

Uptown by Ruby Lang: A trilogy of short romances set in New York.

House Rules: Seventeen years after their divorce, Lana and Simon run into each other at an apartment inspection. With some reluctance, they become roommates in order to rent a decent place. I liked the bits about their careers (she's a noodle maker in a restaurant, he's a music teacher), their ease with each other, and the sense of place. Things resolved very quickly in the end, and while I wanted more, given their history, that felt believable. This was a comfortable distraction in a week when I really needed it.

Playing House: When Oliver runs into Fay, an acquaintance and fellow urban planner, on a tour of showcase homes, she needs him to pretend to be her boyfriend. Just for a few minutes. I like how Oliver and Fay share a passion for architecture and enjoy each other's company -- I think Lang has a knack for portraying a couple who are very comfortable around each other but still feel excitement and uncertainty about their developing relationship. This is a slight story but I enjoyed reading it. Sometimes that's enough.

Open House: As a romance, this was my least favourite, probably because I'm much more interested in couples who know each other than in rivals: Magda is a broker responsible for selling a vacant block while Tyson is an advocate for the illegal community garden currently on the block. But even though it doesn't involve one of my favourite romance tropes, I found Magda's experiences in selling real estate and everything about the community garden interesting. The only thing I felt was really needed was more about the aftermath of Magda standing up to her (well-meaning) family.

Thief of Time by Terry Pratchett (narrated by Stephen Briggs): A cleverly constructed story. My favourite parts, the parts which struck me as particularly insightful or where the humour appealed to me the most, were Susan as a schoolteacher and the conversations between Lu-Tze and Lobsang. I don't care for the Auditors but suddenly in the middle I started hoping that their part of the story would play out in a different way -- and then I was disappointed when it did not.

[claudia1829things]

"CINDERELLA MAN" (2005) Review

"CINDERELLA MAN" (2005) Review When I had first learned about Ron Howard’s biopic about boxing champion James J. Braddock, I was very reluctant to see the film. In fact, I did not even bother to go see it. Instead, I merely dismissed "CINDERELLA MAN" as a ‘"SEABISCUIT" in the boxing ring’. After I finally saw the movie, I must admit that my original assessment stood.

”CINDERELLA MAN” and the 2003 Oscar nominated film, ”SEABISCUIT” seemed to have a lot in common. Both were released by Universal Pictures. Both films possessed a running time that lasted over two hours, both were sentimental stories that centered around a famous sports figure and both were set during the Great Depression. Unlike ”SEABISCUIT”, ”CINDERELLA MAN” told the story about a man – namely one James J. Braddock, an Irish-American boxer from New York and Bergen, New Jersey. The movie started out with Braddock (portrayed by Russell Crowe) as a boxing heavyweight contender in 1928, who had just won an important bout against another boxer named Tuffy Griffiths. But within five years, Braddock found himself as a has-been struggling to keep his family alive during the depths of the Depression, while working as longshoreman. Thanks to a last minute cancellation by another boxer, Braddock gets a second chance to fight but is put up against the number two contender in the world, Corn Griffin, by the promoters who see Braddock as nothing more than a punching bag. Braddock stuns the boxing experts and fans with a third round knockout of the formidable Griffin. After winning a few more bouts, Braddock ends facing boxing champ, Max Baer (Craig Bierko), for the heavyweight title in 1935. Despite the similarities between ”CINDERELLA MAN” and ”SEABISCUIT”, I must admit that I regret not seeing this film in the theaters. It turned out to be a lot better than I had expected. Director Ron Howard, along with screenwriters Cliff Hollingsworth and Akiva Goldsman, did an excellent job of chronicling Braddock’s boxing career at a time when he had been labeled a has-been by the sports media. The movie also featured some excellent fight sequences that came alive due to Howard’s direction, Crowe, Bierko, and the other actors who portrayed Braddock’s opponents. Although the movie’s main event was the championship fight between Braddock and Baer during the last thirty minutes, I was especially impressed by the sequence that featured Braddock’s fight against Art Lansky (Mark Simmons). In my opinion, most of the praise for these fight sequences belonged to cinematographer Salvatore Totino, and editors Daniel P. Hanley and Mike Hill (who both received Academy Award nominations for their work) for injecting the boxing sequences with rich atmosphere and effective editing. Ironically, the movie’s centerpiece – at least in my opinion – was its deception of the Depression. I understand that Howard had used the city of Toronto to serve as 1930s Manhattan and New Jersey. And judging from the results on the screen, he did an excellent job of utilizing not only the cast led by Crowe, but also the talents of production designer Wynn Thomas, Gordon Sim’s set decorations, Peter Grundy and Dan Yarhi’s art direction and Totino’s photography to send moviegoers back in time. There are certain scenes that really seemed to recapture the desperation and poverty of the Depression’s early years: *Braddock begs for money from the sports promoters and boxing managers at Madison Square Garden *Mae Braddock’s discovery of the gas man turning off the family’s heat *The Braddocks witness the desertion of a man from his wife and family *Braddock’s search for his friend, Mike Wilson (Paddy Considine), at a Hooverville in Central Park Howard and casting agents, Janet Hirshenson and Jane Jenkins, managed to gather an impressive group of cast members for the movie. The ironic thing is that despite the impressive display of talent on screen, hardly anyone gave what I would consider to be a memorable performance – save for one actor. Russell Crowe naturally gave an impressive, yet surprisingly likeable performance as James Braddock. Although I found his performance more than competent, I must say that I would not consider it to be one of his best roles. There was nothing really fascinating or complex about his Braddock. I suspect that screenwriters Hollingsworth and Goldsman could have made Braddock a more interesting character . . . and simply failed to rise to the occasion. I have to say the same about their portrayal of the boxer’s wife, Mae Braddock. Portrayed by Renee Zellweger, her Mae was a loving and supporting spouse, whose only kink in her personality revolved around her dislike of Braddock’s boxing. In fact, Zellweger’s Mae threatened to become a cliché of the countless number of women who end up as wives of men in dangerous professions. Thankfully, Zellweger managed to give an excellent performance and with Crowe, create a strong screen chemistry. Paul Giamatti received an Academy Award nomination for his portrayal of Braddock’s manager, Joe Gould. Many had assumed that Giamatti had received his nomination as a consolation prize for being passed over for his superb performance in ”SIDEWAYS”. After seeing his performance as Gould, I suspect they might be right. I am not saying that Giamatti gave a bad performance. He was excellent as Braddock’s enthusiastic and supportive manager. But there was nothing remarkable about it . . . or worthy of an Oscar nomination. If there is one performance that I found impressive, it was Paddy Considine’s portrayal of Mike Wilson, Braddock’s friend and co-worker at the New York docks. Considine’s Wilson was a former stockbroker ruined by the 1929 Crash, who was forced to become a menial laborer in order to survive. Although his plight seemed bad enough to generate sympathy, Considine did an excellent job of portraying the character’s bitterness and cynicism toward his situation, President Roosevelt’s ability to lead the country out of the Depression and the world itself. I hate to say this, but I feel that the wrong actor had received the Oscar nomination. God knows I am a big fan of Giamatti. But if it had been left up to me, Considine would have received that nomination. We finally come to Craig Bierko’s performance as Max Baer, champion boxer and Braddock’s final opponent in the movie. Baer’s character first makes his appearance in a championship fight against Primo Carnera, following Braddock’s surprising upset over Corn Griffin. From the start, he is portrayed as a brash and aggressive fighter who does not know when to quit. And it gets worse. Before I continue, I want to say that I have nothing against the actor who portrayed Baer. Like Crowe, Zellweger and Giamatti, Bierko had to do the best he could with the material given to him. And he did the best he could. Bierko, being an above-average actor, infused a great deal of energy and charisma into his portrayal of Baer. It seemed a shame that Howard’s direction, along with Hollingsworth and Goldman’s script forced Bierko to portray Baer as some kind of callous thug who felt no remorse for killing two other fighters in the ring and was not above needling Braddock at a Manhattan nightclub by making suggestive remarks about Mae. Baer’s son, Max Baer Jr. (”THE BEVERLY HILLIBILLIES”) had been naturally outraged by what he deemed was the movie’s false portrayal of the boxer. What the movie failed to convey was that Baer had only killed one man in the ring – Frankie Campbell – and had been so shaken up by the other man’s death that it affected his boxing career for several years. Nor did Baer ever make any suggestive remarks toward Mae Braddock. He also hugged and congratulated Braddock following the latter’s June 1935 victory. I really do not know why Howard thought it was necessary to turn Baer into a one-note villain. Someone claimed that the movie needed a nemesis for Braddock that seemed more solid than the vague notion of the Depression. If that is true, I believe that Howard and the movie’s screenwriters turned Baer into a villain for nothing. As far as I am concerned, the Great Depression made an effective and frightening nemesis for Braddock. This was brilliantly conveyed in Braddock’s bout with Art Lasky. At one point in this sequence, the New Jersey boxer seemed to be on the verge of defeat . . . until his memories of his family and how the Depression had affected them . . . urged him to a hard-won victory. Sequences like the Braddock-Lasky fight and Braddock’s search for Mike Wilson in the Central Park Hooverville made the Great Depression a more effective nemesis than the one-dimensional and crude behavior of a falsely portrayed Max Baer ever could. Despite the movie’s badly written portrayal of Baer, and slightly uninteresting major characters like James and Mae Braddock, and Joe Gould; ”CINDERELLA MAN” is still an excellent biopic that featured exciting boxing sequences. More importantly, it is one of the few Hollywood films that revealed an in-depth look into one of the country’s most traumatic periods – namely the Great Depression. Flawed or not, I believe that it is still worth watching.

[planetmosh]

Ramblin Man 2018 – Saturday

Ramblin Man 2018 – Saturday

Just inside the entrance to the arena was the Rising stage, and the first act on were Those Damn Crows. They’d pulled a large crowd and that wasn’t just because they were the only band on, or because being in a tent meant they attracted people seeking shade. No, they had a large crowd because they’re a damn good rock band that impressed right from the start. They’ve got the songs to impress and…

[bluesdoodles]

Rockin The Blues From Mascot Label Group

Rockin The Blues From Mascot Label Group

Rockin The Blues From Mascot Label Group

The album does exactly what it says in the title. Nothing cryptic in the packaging Mascot Label Group have on this compilation album pulled together a selection of fine purveyors of blues that rocks.

Fourteen tracks that Wow you from the first note to the last. This is a sampler that you want to return to. Each track is a perfect reason to buy the complete…

[nofatclips]

Man Out of Time by Thomas Wynn and The Believers from the album Wade Waist Deep