#a lot of films i love turn 30 this year but the lion king is the goat of the goats of all time ever

[gglitchshit]

30th anniversary of my own life: i sleep zzzzz

30th anniversary of my fave film:

[maxwell-grant]

Any thoughts on Darkman, the Liam Neeson movie? I heard it was originally going to be a Shadow movie.

I love Darkman very much, but I've realized recently that this love comes with some pretty bittersweet feelings at the story behind it.

Michael Uslan: I was going to produce a Shadow feature film with Sam Raimi, but Sam got consumed by back-to-back movies and we ran out of time. We were headed in a good, period piece direction and managed to do so without relying on yet another bout with Shiwan Khan. I later had another major director passionate to do The Shadow, but a person at the company wanted to do a modern day TV series instead, which ultimately did not go... - comment saved from a post in The Shadow Knows Facebook group

For those of you who only now got into The Shadow or don't remember, for much of the early 00s, when The Shadow basically had no current projects and Conde Nast was taking down webpages and fan content left and right, the only things that kept this "fandom" alive were occasional fanfics (many of which are gone now), and the dim light in the horizon that was the rumors that Sam Raimi was finally going to make his Shadow film. Dig back on The Wayback Machine for Shadow web page and you're gonna see this as consistently the only thing they had to look forward to in regards to the character. These rumors floated around for over a decade, at one point Tarantino was even supposed to direct it, but he confirmed in 2013 that it wasn't going to happen. At least, not with him at the helm.

The project has been dead for a while now, and Conde Nast seems to be shuffling around plans for the character, and I deleted my Facebook months ago so I haven't kept up with any news, although it seems the James Patterson novel wasn't received too well, so I'm not sure what other plans they have in the pipeline.

Back in the 1970s, after the release of Richard Donner's Superman and in line with The Shadow's pop culture resurgence, thanks to the paperback reprints and the 70s DC run, there were plans to make a Shadow feature film, and there were quite a handful of scripts being tossed around for the following years (Will Murray states most of them were horrible), several names attached to the project at one point or another. The plans died down a bit following Gibson's death and only really picked up again after the 90s, and of course we all know that the 1994 movie came out with spectacularly bad timing. From what I recall, it seems Sam Raimi wanted to make his Shadow film in the 80s, was unable to secure the rights, and then just made his own version, which would go on to be his first major motion picture.

Even after making Darkman, Sam Raimi still wanted to make The Shadow. I guess that's ultimately the bittersweet part for me. I imagine the current state of Shadow media would be significantly better if Sam Raimi, who was a fan of the character and the pulp version (and even knows of The Shadow's connection to Houdini and stage magic), got to make his Shadow film, years before Blood & Judgment, years before Burton's Batman made it impossible for a Shadow film not to be compared to it, in a time period where it wouldn't have had to compete with The Lion King and The Mask for box office. And second, I have been drawing up my plans for Shadow projects for, what, 5 years now? And I have just barely got my foot off the door as a filmmaker. Sam Raimi had a decade-long career as a cult filmmaker before he got turned down, and decades later, after becoming a household name in charge of Marvel's biggest icon, the project still fell through. It doesn't exactly get my hopes up, y'know.

I love Darkman, it's the best Shadow film that doesn't technically star the real Shadow, and it works pretty well on it's own regardless of that association, but I do get pretty sad looking at it from the outside, because I just can't help but think on what it could have been.

In some aspects I do think the film benefits from not being about The Shadow proper, because it means Raimi got the freedom to do whatever the hell he wanted. The character of Darkman already existed separately from Sam Raimi's plans for a Shadow film, already carrying off the Phantom / Universal Monster influence, and what Raimi did was basically combine the two ideas together.

He took the basic iconography of The Shadow, a terrifying urban crimefighter in coat and slouch hat, and add in other Shadow traits like his mastery of disguise, his disfigurement, and that wonderful scene where he's invisibly running circles around a panicky triggerman while laughing maniacally, a moment which definitely feels like Raimi taking a second to indulge himself to do what you can call The Classic Shadow Scene with a character he's, for the most part, succesfully convinced us (and Conde Nast's lawyers, most importantly) isn't supposed to be The Shadow.

But then he filters these through his own influences and style to make him a new character, so instead of a mysterious mastermind with lots of resources and a enigmatic background, instead he's a disfigured and psychotic scientist with a vengeance against those who made him that way. He's like Night Raven, in the sense that he's built off traits that The Shadow has, but develops them differently to the point he stands on his own as a character. It's The Shadow combined with The Phantom of the Opera, filtered through a 1930s Universal Horror lens, played for greater tragedy and a dash of Evil Dead 2 wackyness.

He hides away in trashed up ruins and bickers with a cat, he has fits of rage that make him endanger innocents, he has a doomed love affair, and sometimes he gets so batshit he gives us hilarious moments like "TAKE THE FUCKING ELEPHANT" and "SEE THE DANCING FREAK! PAY - FIVE - BUCKS! TO SEE THE DANCING FREAK!". Moments that really show why he was such a good fit for Spider-Man despite the liberties he took with the source material.

I think the big thing that helps to make Darkman works as a property in it's own right is also that, ultimately, these influences are ultimately at the forefront of it, and the core of it works on it's own. Darkman is a believable, engaging character in his own right, one who tells a story that would be more at odds with The Shadow proper. 

In some aspects, Darkman tries to be The Shadow, he is forced to become The Shadow by literally picking the clothes off a dumpster after he escapes the hospital, and it's a miserable, wretched existence, in a way rather befitting his status as a legally safe knock-off. He is a creature of nightmare who lost his face and takes on a dozen others to fight crime by turning terror against them, except he is still just a man in the end, and no man was ever supposed to live like this.

Raimi was also inspired by the Universal horror films of the 1930s and 1940s because "they made me fear the hideous nature of the hero and at the same time drew me to him. I went back to that idea of the man who is noble and turns into a monster".

He originally wrote a 30-page short story, titled "The Darkman", and then developed into a 40-page treatment. At this point, according to Raimi, "it became the story of a man who had lost his face and had to take on other faces, a man who battled criminals using this power"

A non-superpowered man who, here, is a hideous thing who fights crime. As he became that hideous thing, it became more like The Phantom of the Opera, the creature who wants the girl but who was too much of a beast to have her

I decided to explore a man's soul. In the beginning, a sympathetic, sincere man. In the middle, a vengeful man committing heinous acts against his enemies. And in the end, a man full of self-hatred for what he's become, who must drift off into the night, into a world apart from everyone he knows and all the things he loves.

For the role, Raimi was looking for someone who could suggest "a monster with the soul of a man"

It's the fact that Darkman is ultimately played for vulnerability and tragedy that really sets him apart. While I wouldn't go far enough to say The Shadow is a man with the soul of a monster, still, the difference in presentation is still there when it comes to these two. The Shadow is The Other, Darkman is You. Darkman is the victim of extraordinary circumstance that affects his life, The Shadow is the extraordinary circumstance that affects the lives of others. People react to The Shadow, Darkman reacts to people (and rather poorly).

One is the man who takes off his skin (or yours, staring back at you) to reveal the weird creature of the night ready to prowl and pounce and cackle at those who think they hold power over it's domain, and the other is the monster who falls apart bit by bit until you are left staring at the broken man within who has no choice but to be something he was never supposed to be.

The Shadow is The Master of Darkness. Darkman weaponizes the dark, but in the end, he's still just a man, lost within it. Not everyone can be The Shadow, and you would most likely turn into Darkman if you tried.

[scullysflannel]

hitting up your inbox. here's a question for you: since you've written about tv from a lot of different periods, how would you describe the difference between 90s shows like the x-files or buffy (or even early 00s shows like alias) and stuff made more recently? i feel like "is one better than the other" is kind of a pointless question, but are there things you think each era is better at? worse at? basically just interested in your thoughts on how tv storytelling has changed in the last 30 years

oh wow. I’m sure I’d have a better view of this if I’d been in this industry longer; my sample size from the ‘90s and early ‘00s is small – and more personalized to me – compared to how many recent shows I watch/have watched. that’s my disclaimer. the rest is below the cut because I went long.

overall… it’s hard to generalize about TV now because there’s so much of it. but I think it’s a shame we’ve fallen out of love with the procedural! now they’re mostly overlooked (by critics) and mostly formulaic, which is too bad because a good case/monster-of-the-week show can go anywhere. it’s much easier for procedurals to try on different tones or experiment with form (no dialogue, musical, black and white, etc). and the best ones usually find tension in the idea that resolution is possible: the x-files and buffy both use the monster-of-the-week structure to emphasize how open ended their fights are. one of my favorite new shows this season was evil on cbs because it’s a procedural that works with the format in order to push boundaries. I’d love to see more of that. bring back procedurals that feel fresh!

but as much as I hate the trend of showrunners trying to turn everything into a “10-hour movie” (TV needs episodic structure!) obviously it’s good that we’ve got more serialized storytelling. and yes that’s The Legacy of The Sopranos, but it’s also streaming making it easier for people to catch up on what they missed. we’re at a point where even comedy can be really experimental and long-form; the good place could not have happened a decade ago. I’m glad TV trusts audiences to be smarter now. I just don’t think it’s an accident that the showrunners who are best at serialized storytelling (vince gilligan, damon lindelof, mike schur) have experience writing for procedurals (or standard sitcoms). episodes matter.

peak tv is great because even though there’s still a lot further to go, there are so many more shows now written by diverse voices, featuring diverse casts, telling stories that haven’t been on TV before. but at the same time it’s harder for those shows to find audiences and stick around, and you can see how it makes them less patient with storytelling if they’re on the bubble. the streaming model doesn’t help since apparently there’s less incentive to keep shows around past three seasons. TV shows just don’t last as long anymore. which can be for the best (watchmen was perfect as it was), but at the same time one of the things that sets TV apart as a medium is the time you get with the characters. we watched buffy and scully grow up. and I love the sort of rambling quality of a long-running show and the way the writers are forced to work around real life. I think that’s interesting! (because, again, most stories in real life don’t end neatly.) I don’t want to fully lose that unpredictability. emily van der werff at vox wrote about this recently: TV doesn’t always need to be shorter; it just needs to know how to tell short stories that add up.

this is beside your point, but I’m really interested in how shows hold up over time and what keeps them relevant. the x-files and fringe are both sci-fi shows about investigating the unexplained, but the x-files doesn’t really care about science and fringe really does, so the x-files is less dated than a show that came out 15 years later. alias is very post 9/11, even though the pilot was filmed before 9/11. it’s about living in a surveillance state. but it never seems able to make a strong comment on that; there’s a lot of push and pull between critiquing and accepting the secrets the government “has to keep,” because at the time I think they could only go so far. whereas the americans will probably hold up better, even though it’s also a spy drama, because those questions are the whole point (being a period piece also helps). 

I think any good show has staying power; it’s not just about relevance (breaking bad is about the darkness people are capable of, etc, but really it’s going to hold up because it’s entertaining as hell). but I do think ‘90s dramas have a leg up because technology hadn’t totally invaded everyday life yet, so the stories they told were more human. it’s hard to make interesting TV about problems that happen online and on our phones. some shows are doing it – the good fight, evil… basically, the kings are doing it – but a lot of stories about how it feels to be alive today are looking at it sideways (like the leftovers or the handmaid’s tale). the good place had to go to the afterlife to point out that no ethical consumption is possible under capitalism. we don’t have a clear way to talk about the present as it’s happening, even on TV. maybe that’s because it’s so fragmented.

but ultimately I think the good shows are still doing the same things. it’s tempting to say TV storytelling is bolder/less linear/weirder now, but it’s really just packaging. it’s the difference between twin peaks and twin peaks: the return. the ‘90s version looks more traditional, but it’s finding the tension between absurdity and structure as opposed to going all-out absurd. it’s the same questions in a new format. the x-files and the leftovers are still making the same points about the impossibility of understanding the world around us and the importance/limits of relationships to mitigate the chaos. the x-files just couldn’t have told that story with a lion sex cult.

[liamoftheirish]

Task 24 - OOC About Your Character

1.     What do you want to get out of playing this character(s)?

To see him and his story develop, especially with relationships. 

2.     Describe your character(s) with three words.

Strong, fierce, caring.

3.     What made you decide to write this muse?

Liam was my first muse in this game, and I always wanted to play someone that went against typical fantasies of wealth and power, instead someone simple-life oriented, quiet, reserved, cold who could develop into something more if unlocked.

4.     If you could change one event in your muse’s life (in their main or canon verse), what would you change?

Nothing really, everything is carefully crafted to put Liam in the mindset he needs to be in; I already re-wrote his history when I left the game and came back, to flesh him out better. 

5.     If you could tell your muse one thing, what would you tell them?

Don’t be afraid to open up and love again.

6.     If you could give your muse one gift, what would you give them?

He’s not very sentimental or materialistic, but if possible, maybe one more day with his wife that would let him get closure. 

7.     If you had to take one positive thing away from your muse, what would you take away?

His unwavering conviction: He has his beliefs, he has his loyalties, and those don’t stray, and it’s an admirable trait to have a strong conviction that you don’t let falter. 

8.     If you could “borrow” one aspect of your muse and apply it to yourself or your own life, what would you borrow?  

His confidence in himself and his beliefs, to not care so much what others think.

9.     Do you genuinely want your muse to be happy? What do you think would make them most happy in life?

I would love Liam to be happy, I thought there was a chance at first, but that fell off; since then, it seems the options are there, but it’s on him to be more open to allow for it. Clearly the man has lived a violent, angry, and lonely life, one that he created himself because of his nature. He hasn’t allowed himself to love since his wife passed (by his hands in a blood rage), and he hasn’t allowed himself to love again. There’s been a few that have nearly unlocked that, but it’s not until he allows himself to admit it and forgive himself, that he’ll ever be truly happy.

10. Do you enjoy putting your muse through angst? What do you think would break their heart the most?

I do, even if he doesn’t seem ‘angsty’, fact is stuff bothers him inwardly and he worries. He just doesn’t like to show weakness or too many sides to himself. He has been more open, and recently been questioning some of his actions. Hurting him the most would be him harming someone he cares deeply about.

11. What do you love about your muse?

His confidence, and again, his unwavering conviction. His simple-life mindset is also something I greatly appreciate.

12. What do you hate about your muse?

His coldness and closed off mindset.

13. What about your muse amuses you?

The fact that pop-culture references just go flying over his head, because he just does not care a thing about film or TV.

14. What about your muse makes you sad?

The fact that he feels so lonely despite his friends. 

15. How would you describe your muse to someone about to meet them, in person, for the first time?

He’ll be cold, distant, a bit stand offish. May be a bit intimidating, and maybe a bit too matter-of-fact in speaking, seems to lack any real filter. If you can accept that and work past it, he’s a good friend to have though.

16. Would you like your muse as a person if you met them in real life?

Probably, but it’d be hard for me to feel comfortable to call him a friend; I’d be pretty intimidated around him until I got to know him.

17. In what ways are you better than your muse? In what ways are they better than you?

I’m more open, empathetic, able to befriend people easier, but Liam has a confidence and conviction that I lack and wish I had. I wish I could care less about what people think of me, and be more confident in who and what I am.

18. Why do you think you connect to your muse?

We both care deeply about people we love, we’re both a bit quieter, and both of us aren’t the most social of butterflies; while Liam would prefer to sit at home wood working and working on cars, I’d more than happily sit at home and write or watch movies.

19. What aspect of your muse’s personality is most important to you? What aspect of your muse’s personality do you think is most important to them? Is it the same? Why or why not?

Again, it’s his pure and unwavering confidence and conviction. I think that probably is the same with Liam as well, holding onto his identity is so invaluable to him, because if he loses that he’ll lose control and that’s when he’ll slip back into what he used to be. He struggles with the fact that he’s a violent, insatiable killer, but at the same time has compassion for life and doesn’t WANT to just attack and kill. And he has to make sure he accepts that aspect of him, of what he WANTS to be, so he can balance that against what he can be. His confidence and conviction helps maintain that balance.

20. Has your character(s) changed over the time that you have been playing them? How have they changed?

While Liam’s fundamentals, his rules to live by and moral convictions have mostly stayed the same. He has slowly opened up more, been more open to listen and talk with people; though, he doesn’t often talk about himself, he can let a bit of his past slip in here or there. He’s learned to not look at others as potential enemies or victims, but instead daring to call some of them friends. He’s able to laugh more, joke more, hopefully someone’s willing to push that to the next level someday.

About You!

1.     What is your name?

Matt

2.     What is your profession?

Beer and Wine Steward

3.     What do you do to relax?

Listen to music, write, watch films, play video games.

4.     What is your favorite treat (desert)?

Ice Cream on fresh-baked brownie/cookie with fudge dripped over it all.

5.     Favorite movie -

I’m a massive film buff, so almost every movie is a favorite to me in some fashion. I adore Star Wars for several reasons, not all of them good. Maybe my favorite movie is probably a toss up between The Big Lebowski or No Country for Old Men, any film with incredible dialogue really. But then I also absolutely love beautiful BS like the MCU films and got shivers during the Portals scene in Endgame, so yea... no idea really.

6.     Favorite book -

Currently: The Immortal Irishman - Timothy Egan (This needs to be made into a movie)

7.     Favorite vacation spot -

My favorite vacation I ever went on is a toss up between trip with friends to Portland for a wedding, and Chicago for Star Wars Celebration, but I’ve always wanted to visit Ireland. I intend to try next year.

8.     Favorite Disney movie -

The Lion King (I’m basic bitch like that, don’t at me.)

9.     How did you first get into role playing?

I started playing back when I was around 13 or 14, back on AOL, playing a Jedi in a D&D like setting... because that’s what I knew. People were accepting of it, and it was some of the greatest experience. I love story telling. 

10. What was your first platform? If it was something other than Tumblr, what made you get into Tumblr?

AOL. And why Tumblr? AOL moved to Greatest Journal, which died, and moved to Insane Journal, and I met a girl there who told me about Tumblr RP, which I said ‘that sounds stupid’... and now I’m here. So there’s that. I still really don’t know what I’m doing half the time on Tumblr, no idea how to discover games on this platform, lol.

11. What’s a grammar rule you find yourself breaking or ignoring a lot?

100% it’s tenses. Past/present, I just write how I talk and it’s bad writing, I know. I will also simultaneously explain way too much in depth, and other times get ridiculously lazy writing in-depth.

12. Are there any languages besides English in which you think you could comfortably roleplay?

Just English. I’ve tried to learn other languages, but for whatever reason it’s very hard for me to wrap my mind around sentence structure and grammar rules in other languages.

13. Do you listen to music while your write?

Depends. If it’s just basic writing, an easy-going scene, probably not? I can get distracted from time to time; however, if I’m trying to get into a specific mood most definitely. Or if I feel a scene is heading somewhere that needs a good soundtrack? I’m a sucker for soundtracks in film, and music can really drive my mood (which is why it can be a distraction). And sometimes I write a scene specifically because I was hearing music that put me in that mood.

14. Are you a morning, day, evening, or night writer?

Evening. Which is why changing positions at work will help me, when I start working more during the day. When I work at night it’s hard for me to get up and get going enough in the morning to write. 

15. How does tiredness affect your writing?

Do you know how many times I write something exhausted, and when I come back to read it I absolutely hate it? It affecs me greatly...

16. What is your biggest obstacle to writing every day, if time doesn’t count?

Motivation, mood. I’m up and down in my moods, and sometimes I’m feeling down, exhausted, both, or sometimes I just feel inadequate in my writing and hate writing because I judge my abilities and suddenly don’t want to write. 

17. How many drafts is a paralyzing amount?

None? It’s more my mood and how far I get behind that’s paralyzing, but when I’m not feeling down or depressed, I’m in a normal mood or a great mood, I can write 30 threads in a single sitting and not miss a beat. I’m sure others can attest to how far I can turn around a reply when I’m on my game. (probably annoyingly).

18. Is there anything character-wise or writing style-wise that you can’t stand?

It’s probably Godmodding, it takes away from the fun of writing WITH people if you’re trying to control their actions.

19. What kind of anonymous questions are your favorite?

Things that make me think about my character, or have my character think. Things that make me really develop my character’s mind.

20. What is your weakest point in writing? Angst, fluff, dialogue, etc.?

I love dialogue in film, so maybe it’s a bit ironic that writing dialogue can easily be an achilles heel for me. It’s hard for me to write fluff or small talk, because I’ve personally never been very good at small talk, and focusing that in my writing is difficult. Fluff is kind of the same way, because it’s all romantic and cheesy and really? I feel a bit embarrassed when writing it. Though that’s more or less for some characters more than others. Murad I can get a bit more fluffy and small talky because I can be outwardly weird with him, where as Liam... his quiet reserve and demeanor make those difficult.

[procrastinatingnerd]

Lions are Cool (A Logicality One Shot)

Logan and Patton go on a special anniversary date to the zoo, cuteness ensues.

Word Count: 1.7k

Warnings: None (though please feel free to suggest any that I might not have thought of!)

Patton loved celebrations. Any excuse to have a party and spend time with his favourite people in the world. He was the friend who bought extravagant birthday presents and hosted the biggest Christmas parties every year. If one of his friends achieved something, he was the one who suggested they all go out for dinner and organised the entire thing. 

His favourite celebration, however, was his anniversary with Logan. The two had only been together for 3 years, but he looked forward to it more than anything. Every year, they would re-create their first date by spending the day at the zoo. They were both members and visited countless times a year, but going on their anniversary always felt special. 

It was a sunny day in April, and Patton bounced through the main gates, grinning widely.

“I can’t believe we’re finally here! It’s been so long, I wonder if they’ve changed anything!” He squealed, dragging Logan by the hand.

“Patton we were here last week.” Logan laughed, squeezing Patton’s hand. He rolled his eyes at Patton’s excitement, but he too was bouncing on his toes. This year, their anniversary happened to be on the day of the zoo’s weekly penguin parade. The penguins would form a line and follow their keepers out of their habitat, along a set path, and then back through the gates. The march would only last a couple of minutes, but a large crowd would always gather to join the fun. Penguins were Logan’s favourite animal, and he had been talking about going to see the parade all week. 

Making their way through the enclosures, Patton and Logan stared at the various animals with their mouths wide, as if they were seeing them for the very first time. Patton had Logan pose in front of all of them, refusing to put down his camera for even a second.

“Patton I’m pretty sure this is the exact same panda we took a photo with last time, is it really necessary?” Logan said with an awkward smile, as a group of tourists walked by, some laughing at the way Patton waved his arms while getting Logan to look at the camera. 

“Of course it’s necessary, he didn’t have that leaf in his hand last time!” Patton said, gesturing to the panda as if it was obvious. “Besides, if I don’t take any pictures then I don’t have anything to put in the scrapbook for this year’s date. And I refuse to let my future self believe we didn’t do anything special today.”

Logan laughed, gave a shrug and began doing silly poses and pulling funny faces, joining in with Patton’s fun. As embarrassed as he was, he was determined to make this year’s page be the best one in the whole scrapbook. After a few more minutes of ridiculous photos with a tired-looking panda, Patton finally put his camera down.

“Okay! Onto the best part! To the lions!” He said in a dramatic voice and began marching off. “We’ve got to hurry if we want to see them before their midday nap!”

By the time he and Logan had made their way over to the lion enclosure, however, the lions were fast asleep. But even this couldn’t spoil Patton’s fun.

“Lions are so cool!” He said quietly. He stared in awe at them, camera dangling around his neck. After a minute or so, one of the lions stood up and stretched, and Patton, remembering he should be taking photos of this wonderful moment, got as close as the protective barrier would allow. 

"Woah, easy there," Logan said with a smile. He took Patton by the shoulders and gently guided him slightly backwards, so not to make the keepers mad. It wouldn't be the first time. 

"Oh come on, you let me get closer the first time we came here," Patton said with a fake pout. 

"Yeah because I didn't realise how close you would get!" Logan laughed.

"It's not my fault they keep them so far away! A zoom lens can only do so much." Patton replied indignantly.

"What do you mean, you got a perfect shot!" 

"Yeah, because I got so close! Do you see my point?" 

"Haha, yeah okay, I concede." Logan put his hands up in mock surrender. Despite his protests, Patton took the rest of his photos well behind the barrier, and once the lions had fallen back asleep, he joined Logan in sitting on a bench opposite the enclosure. The two sat in silence, enjoying the view until after a while, Logan spoke up again.

“Remind me why you love lions so much?” He asked, turning his head to face Patton.

“Well, why do you like penguins so much?” Patton countered, raising an eyebrow.

“Because their sense of family is so strong. They all seem to truly love each other, it’s quite admirable, really.” Logan’s eyes lit up as he spoke. 

“Exactly, they’re cute, that’s why I love lions.” Patton smiled, “To me, they’re just big house cats! Also, I watched The Lion King a lot when I was younger, so that helps.” The two laughed, and just as the lions in the enclosure were waking up again, the zoo’s tannoy came to life.

“Attention patrons, our weekly penguin parade will begin in just 30 minutes, thank you!” A voice boomed over the speakers. Logan immediately stood up.

“Quick Pat, we’ve got to get going!” He said, pulling Patton up and dragging him in the direction of the penguin enclosure.

“Woah, calm down Lo-Lo, the announcement said we’ve still got half an hour!” Patton said, jogging to keep up with Logan’s pace.

“Yeah, but we said we were going to get lunch first, and we have to get there early if we want to get the best spot!” Logan replied, marching forward. 

No less than 10 minutes later, Patton and Logan had found food and had made their way over the penguin enclosure. To Logan’s surprise and relief, other tourists had only just started making their way over, which meant he and Patton were able to claim a bench for themselves, right by where the penguins would be walking.

“This is going to be so great! We haven’t seen the parade in ages!” Patton said in between bites of his sandwich, camera at the ready. Logan nodded in agreement, tearing through his food as quickly as possible. 

“Be careful Lo-Lo, if you eat too fast you’ll choke!” Patton said in his best teacher voice. 

“I just don’t want to be eating when the penguins come out, otherwise I can’t film it!” Logan said, his mouth still full.

“Well don’t talk while you’re eating, you’ll make it worse!” Patton laughed.

By the time the parade started, the two of them were practically bouncing on the bench in excitement. They set up their phones ready and joined the other visitors in filming the event. 

“They’re so cool!” Logan whispered, staring in awe at the line of penguins.” Patton smiled and reached for his bag. The penguins were getting closer, and he wanted to get some close-ups with his camera.

When the penguins reached Patton and Logan, one of them noticed a piece of Patton's sandwich he had dropped on the ground during lunch. He made his way over, and before anyone could stop him, began to pick up and eat the sandwich. 

“Oh my gosh! He’s beautiful!” Patton whispered, slowly aiming his camera towards him.

People laughed and took photos, but when Patton looked up he noticed that Logan was almost frozen. The penguin had stopped right next to his feet, and he couldn't help but stare in awe at the little guy. 

As quickly as he had run over, one of the penguin's keepers walked over and guided him back towards the others. The parade ended without any other interruptions, but Logan remained still, the look of awe still on his face. 

After a moment of silence, Patton turned to him and said, "And you didn't want me to get the tuna." The pair looked at each other and laughed. They sat there on the bench, Patton showing Logan the pictures he had taken of the rogue penguin when another announcement was played over the tannoy.

“Good afternoon everyone, a quick reminder to all of you that our aquarium will be undergoing renovations, which means that it will be closed for three months starting tomorrow.” A new voice came over the speakers this time. Patton gasped and immediately stood up, mimicking Logan’s actions from before.

“We have to go! This is our last chance to see inky!” Inky was Logan and Patton’s favourite fish in the aquarium. He was an octopus who would always swim right up to the glass to say hello to the tourists, and while they couldn’t see it, both Patton and Logan were convinced he smiled at them every time he saw them.

“Okay, hang on!” Logan rushed to gather up his things, and the two made their way over to the zoo’s aquarium. 

Upon entering, they made a beeline straight for the octopus display, where inky was happily swimming by the glass. There was a small group of people watching him, kids pointing and laughing as he swam by them. Logan turned to Patton and said,

“Do you want to walk around for a bit and wait for inky to be less busy?” Patton nodded, and the two wandered off.

They walked in silence for a bit, Patton watching the fish, and Logan watching how the aquarium lights lit up Patton's face. He wasn't sure if it was just his imagination, but at that moment, under those lights, Patton had never looked more beautiful. As he thought about all the memories they had shared under that roof, Logan had a thought. 

"I just realised, things like the penguin happen every year." 

"What do you mean?" Patton said with a confused look on his face.

"You getting too close to the lions, the penguin, plus there was that angry bird last year." 

"Haha, yeah you're right! Only ever on our anniversary." Patton laughed, not taking his eyes off the fish. "Maybe it's the universe's way of saying it wants to keep us together." 

Logan stopped walking. "... That might be the cheesiest thing you've ever said." 

"Yep! And I challenge you to beat it."

After a moment's silence, Logan said softly, "Will this do it?" 

Patton turned around, and found Logan down on one knee...

[grigori77]

2019 in Movies - My Top 30 Fave Movies (Part 2)

20.  FROZEN 2 – so, another year, then, and once again Disney doesn’t QUITE manage to net the animated feature top spot on my list, but it’s not for lack of trying – this long-awaited sequel to the studio’s runaway hit musical fantasy adventure is just what we’ve come to love from the House of Mouse, but more importantly it’s a most worthy sequel, easily on a par with the much beloved origin.  Not much of a surprise given the welcome return of all the key people, from directors Chris Buck and Jennifer Lee (who also once again wrote the screenplay) to composer Christophe Beck and songwriters Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez, as well as all the key players in the cast.  It’s business as usual in the kingdom of Arendelle, where all is seemingly peaceful and tranquil, but Queen Elsa (Idina Menzel) is restless, haunted by a distant voice that only she can hear, calling to her from a mysterious past she just can’t place … and then she accidentally awakens the four elemental spirits, sending her homeland into mystical turmoil, prompting her to embark on a desperate search for answers with her sister Princess Anna (Kristen Bell), ice harvester Kristoff (Jonathan Groff), his faithful reindeer companion Sven, and, of course, living snowman Olaf (Josh Gad). Their quest leads them into the Enchanted Forest of Northuldra, a neighbouring kingdom, ruled by simple, elemental magic, that has remained cut off from Arendelle for decades, where they discover dark, hidden truths about their own family’s past and must make peace with the spirits if they’re to save their home and their people.  So, typical Disney family fantasy fare, then, right? Well, Frozen 2 certainly dots all the Is and crosses all the Ts, but, like the original, this is no jaded blockbuster money spinner, packed with the same kind of resonant power, skilful inventiveness and pure, show-stopping WOW-factor as its predecessor, but more importantly this is a sequel that effectively carves out a fresh identity for itself, brilliantly taking the world and characters in interesting new directions to create something fresh, rewarding and worthwhile on its own merit.  The returning cast are all as strong as ever, Menzel and Bell in particular ably powering the story, while it’s nice to see both Groff and Gad getting something new to do with their own characters too, even nabbing their own major musical numbers; there’s also a welcome slew of fresh new faces to this world, particular Sterling K. Brown (This is Us, Black Panther, The Predator) as lost Anrendelle soldier Mattias and former Brat Pack star Martha Plimpton as Yelena, leader of the lost tribe of Northuldra. Once again this is Disney escapism at its very best, a heart-warming, soul-nourishing powerhouse of winning humour, emotional power and child-like wonder, but like the first film the biggest selling point is, of course, that KILLER soundtrack, with every song here a total hit, not one dud among them, and there are even ear-worms here to put Let It Go to shame – Into the Unknown was touted as the major hit, and it is impressive, but I was particularly affected by Groff’s unashamedly full-bore rendition of Lost in the Woods, a bona fide classic rock power ballad crafted in the fashion of REO Speedwagon, while the undeniable highlight for me is the unstoppable Show Yourself, with Menzel once again proving that her incredible voice is a natural force all in itself.  Altogether, then, this is an absolute feast for the eyes, the ears AND the soul, every inch the winner that its predecessor was and also EASILY one of Disney’s premier animated features for the decade.  So it’s quite the runner-up, then …

19.  ONCE UPON A TIME IN HOLLYWOOD – since his explosion onto the scene twenty-seven years ago with his runaway smash debut Reservoir Dogs, Quentin Tarantino has become one of the most important filmmakers of his generation, a true master of the cinematic art form who consistently delivers moving picture masterpieces that thrill, entertain, challenge and amuse audiences worldwide … at least those who can stomach his love of unswerving violence, naughty talk and morally bankrupt antiheroes and despicably brutal villains who are often little more than a shade different from one another.  Time has moved on, though, and while he’s undoubtedly been one of the biggest influences on the way cinema has changed over the past quarter century, there are times now that it’s starting to feel like the scene is moving on in favour of younger, fresher blood with their own ideas.   I think Tarantino can sense this himself, because he recently made a powerful statement – after he’s made his tenth film, he plans to retire.  Given that OUATIH is his NINTH film, that deadline is already looming, and we unashamed FANS of his films are understandably aghast over this turn of events.  Thankfully he remains as uncompromisingly awesome a writer-director as ever, delivering another gold standard five-star flick which is also most definitely his most PERSONAL work to date, quite simply down to the fact that it’s a film ABOUT film.  Sure, it has a plot (of sorts, anyway), revolving around the slow decline of the career of former TV star Rick Dalton (Leonardo Dicaprio), who languishes in increasing anonymity in Hollywood circa 1969 as his former western hero image is being slowly eroded by an increasingly hacky workload guest-starring on various syndicated shows as a succession of punching-bag heavies for the hero to wale on, while his only real friend is his one-time stunt double, Cliff Booth (Brad Pitt), a former WW2 hero with a decidedly tarnished reputation of his own; meanwhile new neighbours have moved in next door to further distract him – hot-as-shit young director Roman Polanski (Rafal Zawierucha), riding high on the success of Rosemary’s Baby, and his new wife Sharon Tate (Margot Robbie).  Certainly this all drives the film, along with real-life events involving one of the darkest crimes in modern American history, but a lot of the time the plot is largely coincidental – Quentin uses it as a springboard to wax lyrical about his very favourite subject and pay loving (if sometimes irreverently satirical) tribute to the very business he’s been indulging in with such great success since 1992.  Sure, it’s also about “Helter Skelter” and the long shadow cast by Charles Manson and his band of murderous misfits, but this is largely incidental, as we’re treated to long, entertaining interludes as we follow Rick on a shoot as the bad guy in the pilot for the Lancer TV series, visit the notorious Spahn Ranch with Cliff as he’s unwittingly drawn into the lion’s den of the deadly Manson Family, join Robbie’s Tate as she watches “herself” in The Wrecking Crew, and enjoy a brilliant montage in which we follow Rick’s adventures in Spaghetti westerns (and Eurospy cinema) after he’s offered a chance to change his flagging fortunes, before the film finally builds to a seemingly inevitable, fateful conclusion that Tarantino then, in sneakily OTT Inglourious Basterds style, mischievously turns on its head with a devilish game of “What If”.  The results are a thoroughly engrossing and endlessly entertaining romp through the seedier side of Hollywood and a brilliant warts-and-all examination of the craft’s inner workings that, interestingly, reveals as much about the Business today as it does about how it was way back in the Golden Age the film portrays, all while delivering bucket-loads of QT’s trademark cool, swagger, idiosyncratic genius and to-die-for dialogue and character-work, and, of course, a typically exceptional all-star cast firing on all cylinders. Dicaprio and Pitt are both spectacular (Brad is endearingly taciturn, playing it wonderfully close to the vest throughout, while Leo is simply ON FIRE, delivering a mercurial performance EASILY on a par with his work on Shutter Island and The Wolf of Wall Street – could this be good enough to snag him a second Oscar?), while Robbie consistently endears us to Tate as she EFFORTLESSLY brings the fallen star back to life, and there’s an incredible string of amazing supporting turns from established talent and up-and-comers alike, from Kurt Russell, Al Pacino and a very spiky Bruce Dern to Mike Moh (in a FLAWLESS take on Bruce Lee), Margaret Qualley, Austin Butler and in particular Julia Butters as precocious child star Trudi Fraser.  Packed with winning references, homages, pastiches and ingenious little in-jokes, handled with UTMOST respect for the true life subjects at all times and shot all the way through with his characteristic flair and quirky, deliciously dark sense of humour, this is cinema very much of the Old School, and EVERY INCH a Tarantino flick.  With only one more film to go the implied end of his career seems much too close, but if he delivers one more like this he’ll leave behind a legacy that ANY filmmaker would be proud of.

18.  CRAWL – summer 2019’s runner-up horror offering marks a rousing return to form for a genre talent who’s FINALLY delivered on the impressive promise of his early work – Alexandre Aja made a startling debut with Switchblade Romance, which led to his big break helming the cracking remake of slasher stalwart The Hills Have Eyes, but then he went SPECTACULARLY off the rails when he made the truly abysmal Piranha 3D, which I wholeheartedly regard as one of THE VERY WORST FILMS EVER MADE IN ALL OF HUMAN HISTORY. He took a big step back in the right direction with the admittedly flawed but ultimately enjoyable and evocative Horns (based on the novel by Stephen King’s son Joe Hill), but it’s with this stripped back, super-tight man-against-nature survival horror that the Aja of old has TRULY returned to us. IN SPADES.  Seriously, I personally think this is his best film to date – there’s no fat on it at all, going from a simple set-up STRAIGHT into a precision-crafted exercise in sustained tension that relentlessly grips right up to the end credits.  The film is largely just a two-hander – Maze Runner star Kaya Scodelario plays Haley Keller, a Florida college student and star swimmer who ventures into the heart of a Category 5 hurricane to make sure her estranged father, Dave (Saving Private Ryan’s Barry Pepper), is okay after he drops off the grid. Finding their old family home in a state of disrepair and slowly flooding, she does a last minute check of the crawl-space underneath, only to discover her father badly wounded and a couple of hungry alligators stalking the dark, cramped, claustrophobic confines. With the flood waters rising and communications cut off, Haley and Dave must use every reserve of strength, ingenuity and survival instinct to keep each other alive in the face of increasingly daunting odds … even with a premise this simple, there was plenty of potential for this to become an overblown, clunky mess in the wrong hands (a la Snakes On a Plane), so it’s a genuinely great thing that Aja really is back at the height of his powers, milking every fraught and suspenseful set-piece to its last drop of exquisite piano-wire tension and putting his actors through hell without a reprieve in sight.  Thankfully it’s not JUST about scares and atmosphere – there’s a genuinely strong family drama at the heart of the story that helps us invest in these two, Scodelario delivering a phenomenally complex performance as she peels back Haley’s layers, from stubborn pedant, through vulnerable child of divorce, to ironclad born survivor, while reconnecting with her emotionally raw, repentantly open father, played with genuine naked intensity in a career best turn from Pepper. Their chemistry is INCREDIBLY strong, making every scene a joy even as it works your nerves and tugs on your heartstrings, and as a result you DESPERATELY want to see them make it out in one piece.  Not that Aja makes it easy for them – the gators are an impressively palpable threat, proper scary beasties even if they are largely (admittedly impressively executed) digital effects, while the storm is almost a third character in itself, becoming as much of an elemental nemesis as its scaly co-stars.  Blessedly brief (just 87 minutes!) and with every second wrung out for maximum impact, this is survival horror at its most brutally, simplistically effective, a deliciously vicious, primal chill-ride that thoroughly rewards from start to finish.  Welcome back, Mr Aja.  We’ve missed you.

17.  SHAZAM! – there were actually THREE movies featuring Captain Marvel out in 2019, but this offering from the hit-and-miss DCEU cinematic franchise is a very different beast from his MCU-based namesake, and besides, THIS Cap long ago ditched said monicker for the far more catchy (albeit rather more oddball) title that graces Warner Bros’ last step back on the right track for their superhero Universe following the equally enjoyable Aquaman and franchise high-point Wonder Woman.  Although he’s never actually referred to in the film by this name, Shazam (Chuck’s Eugene Levy) is the magically-powered alternate persona bestowed upon wayward fifteen year-old foster kid Billy Batson (Andi Mack’s Asher Angel) by an ancient wizard (Djimon Hounsou) seeking one pure soul to battle Dr. Thaddeus Sivana (Mark Strong), a morally corrupt physicist who turns into a monstrous supervillain after becoming the vessel for the spiritual essences of the Seven Deadly Sins (yup, that thoroughly batshit setup is just the tip of the iceberg of bonkersness on offer in this movie).  Yes, this IS set in the DC Extended Universe, Shazam sharing his world with Superman, Batman, the Flash et al, and there are numerous references (both overt and sly) to this fact throughout (especially in the cheeky animated closing title sequence), but it’s never laboured, and the film largely exists in its own comfortably enclosed narrative bubble, allowing us to focus on Billy, his alter ego and in particular his clunky (but oh so much fun) bonding experiences with his new foster family, headed by former foster kid couple Victor and Rosa Vazquez (The Walking Dead’s Cooper Andrews and Marta Milans) – the most enjoyably portions of the film, however, are when Billy explores the mechanics and limits of his newfound superpowers with his new foster brother Freddy Freeman (It Chapter 1’s Jack Dylan Glazer), a consistently hilarious riot of bad behaviour, wanton (often accidental) destruction and perfectly-observed character development, the blissful culmination of a gleefully anarchic sense of humour that, until recently, has been rather lacking in the DCEU but which is writ large in bright, wacky primary colours right through this film. Sure, there are darker moments, particularly when Sivana sets loose his fantastic icky brood of semi-corporeal monsters, and these scenes are handled with seasoned skill by director David F. Sandberg, who cut his teeth on ingenious little horror gem Lights Out (following up with Annabelle: Creation, but we don’t have to dwell on that), but for the most part the film is played for laughs, thrills and pure, unadulterated FUN, almost never taking itself too seriously, essentially intended to do for the DCEU what Guardians of the Galaxy and Ant-Man did for the MCU, and a huge part of its resounding success must of course be attributed to the universally willing cast. Eugene Levy’s so ridiculously pumped-up he almost looks like a special effect all on his own, but he’s lost none of his razor-sharp comic ability, perfectly encapsulating a teenage boy in a grown man’s body, while his chemistry with genuine little comedic dynamo Glazer is simply exquisite, a flawless balance shared with Angel, who similarly excels at the humour but also delivers quality goods in some far more serious moments too, while the rest of Billy’s newfound family are all brilliant, particularly ridiculously adorable newcomer Faithe Herman as precocious little motor-mouth Darla; Djimon Hounsou, meanwhile, adds significant class and gravitas to what could have been a cartoonish Gandalf spoof, and Mark Strong, as usual, gives great bad guy as Sivana, providing just the right amount of malevolent swagger and self-important smirk to proceedings without ever losing sight of the deeper darkness within.  All round, this is EXACTLY the kind of expertly crafted superhero package we’ve come to appreciate in the genre, another definite shot in the arm for the DCEU that holds great hope for the future of the franchise, and some of the biggest fun I had at the cinema this past year.  Granted, it’s still not a patch on the MCU, but the quality gap finally seems to be closing …

16.  ALITA: BATTLE ANGEL – y’know, there was a time when James Cameron was quite a prolific director, who could be counted upon to provide THE big event pic of the blockbuster season. These days, we’re lucky to hear from him once a decade, and now we don’t even seem to be getting that – the dream project Cameron’s been trying to make since the end of the 90s, a big live action adaptation of one of my favourite mangas of all time, Gunnm (or Battle Angel Alita to use its more well-known sobriquet) by Yukito Kishiro, has FINALLY arrived, but it isn’t the big man behind the camera here since he’s still messing around with his intended FIVE MOVIE Avatar arc.  That said, he made a damn good choice of proxy to bring his vision to fruition – Robert Rodriguez is, of course, a fellow master of action cinema, albeit one with a much more quirky style, and this adap is child’s play to him, the creator of the El Mariachi trilogy and co-director of Frank Miller’s Sin City effortlessly capturing the dark, edgy life-and-death danger and brutal wonder of Kishiro’s world in moving pictures.  300 years after the Earth was decimated in a massive war with URM (the United Republics of Mars) known as “the Fall”, only one bastion of civilization remains – Iron City, a sprawling, makeshift community of scavengers that lies in the shadow of the floating city of Zalem, home of Earth’s remaining aristocracy.  Dr. Dyson Ido (Christoph Waltz) runs a clinic in Iron City customising and repairing the bodies of its cyborg citizens, from the mercenary “hunter killers” to the fast-living players of Motorball (a kind of supercharged mixture of Rollerball and Death Race), one day discovering the wrecked remains of a female ‘borg in the junkyard of scrap accumulated beneath Zalem.  Finding her human brain is still alive, he gives her a new chassis and christens her Alita, raising her as best he can as she attempts to piece together her mysterious, missing past, only for them both to discover that the truth of her origins has the potential to tear their fragile little world apart forever. The Maze Runner trilogy’s Rosa Salazar is the heart and soul of the film as Alita (originally Gally in the comics), perfectly bringing her (literal) wide-eyed innocence and irrepressible spirit to life, as well as proving every inch the diminutive badass fans have been expecting – while her overly anime-styled look might have seemed a potentially jarring distraction in the trailers, Salazar’s mocap performance is SO strong you’ve forgotten all about it within the first five minutes, convinced she’s a real, flesh-and-metal character – and she’s well supported by an exceptional ensemble cast both new and well-established.  Waltz is the most kind and sympathetic he’s been since Django Unchained, instilling Ido with a worldly warmth and gentility that makes him a perfect mentor/father-figure, while Spooksville star Keean Johnson makes a VERY impressive big screen breakthrough as Hugo, the streetwise young dreamer with a dark secret that Alita falls for in a big way, Jennifer Connelly is icily classy as Ido’s ex-wife Chiren, Mahershala Ali is enjoyably suave and mysterious as the film’s nominal villain, Vector, an influential but seriously shady local entrepreneur with a major hidden agenda, and a selection of actors shine through the CGI in various strong mocap performances, such as Deadpool’s Ed Skrein, Derek Mears, From Dusk Til Dawn’s Eiza Gonzalez and a thoroughly unrecognisable but typically awesome Jackie Earle Haley.  As you’d expect from Rodriguez, the film delivers BIG TIME on the action front, unleashing a series of spectacular set-pieces that peak with Alita’s pulse-pounding Motorball debut, but there’s a pleasingly robust story under all the thrills and wow-factor, riffing on BIG THEMES and providing plenty of emotional power, especially in the heartbreaking character-driven climax – Cameron, meanwhile, has clearly maintained strict control over the project throughout, his eye and voice writ large across every scene as we’re thrust headfirst into a fully-immersive post-apocalyptic, rusty cyberpunk world as thoroughly fleshed-out as Avatar’s Pandora, but most importantly he’s still done exactly what he set out to do, paying the utmost respect to a cracking character as he brings her to vital, vivid life on the big screen.  Don’t believe the detractors – this is a MAGNIFICENT piece of work that deserves all the recognition it can muster, perfectly set up for a sequel that I fear we may never get to see.  Oh well, at least it’s renewed my flagging hopes for a return to Pandora …

15.  AD ASTRA – last century, making a space exploration movie after 2001: A Space Odyssey was a pretty tall order. THIS century, looks like it’s trying to follow Chris Nolan’s Interstellar – love it or hate it, you can’t deny that particular epic space opera for the IMAX crowd is a REALLY tough act to follow.  At first glance, then, writer-director James Gray (The Yards, We Own the Night) is an interesting choice to try, at least until you consider his last feature – he may be best known for understated, gritty little crime thrillers, but I was most impressed by 2016’s ambitious period biopic The Lost City of Z, which focused on the groundbreaking career of pioneering explorer Percy Fawcett, and couldn’t have been MORE about the indomitable spirit of discovery if it tried.  His latest shares much of the same DNA, albeit presented in a VERY different package, as we’re introduced to a more expansive Solar System of the near future, in which humanity has begun to colonize our neighbouring worlds and is now pushing its reach beyond our own star’s light in order to discover what truly lies beyond the void of OUTER space.  Brad Pitt stars as Major Roy McBride, a career astronaut whose whole life has been defined by growing up in the shadow of his father, H. Clifford McBride (Tommy Lee Jones), a true pioneer who led an unprecedented expedition to the orbit of our furthest neighbour, Neptune, in order to search for signs of intelligent life beyond our solar system, only for the whole mission to go quiet for the past sixteen years.  Then a mysterious, interplanetary power surge throws the Earth into chaos, and Roy must travel farther than he’s ever gone before in order to discover the truth behind the source of the pulse – his father’s own ill-fated Lima Project … this is a very different beast from Interstellar, a much more introspective, stately affair, revelling in its glacial pacing and emphasis on character motivation over plot, but it’s no less impressive from a visual, visceral standpoint – Gray and cinematographer Hoyt van Hoytema (who, interestingly, ALSO shot Interstellar, along with Nolan’s Dunkirk and his upcoming feature Tenet) certainly make space look truly EPIC, crafting astonishing visuals that deserve to be seen on the big screen (or at the very least on the best quality HDTV you can find).  There’s also no denying the quality of the writing, Gray weaving an intricate story that reveals far greater depth and complexity than can be seen at first glance, while Roy’s palpable “thought-process” voiceover puts us right into the head of the character as we follow him across the endless void on a fateful journey into a cosmic Heart of Darkness.  There is, indeed, a strong sense of Apocalypse Now to proceedings, with the younger McBride definitely following a similar path to Martin Sheen’s ill-fated captain as he travels “up-river” to find his Colonel Kurtz-esque father, and the performances certainly match the heft of the material – there’s an impressive collection of talent on offer in a series of top-quality supporting turns, Jones being just the icing on the cake in the company of Donald Sutherland, Liv Tyler, John Ortiz and Preacher’s Ruth Negga, but the undeniable driving force of the film is Pitt, his cool, laconic control hiding uncharted depths of emotional turmoil as he’s forced to call every choice into question.  It’s EASILY one of the finest performances of his career to date, just one of the MANY great selling points in a film that definitely deserves to be remembered as one of the all-time sci-fi greats of the decade. An absolute masterpiece, then, but does it stand tall in comparison to Interstellar?  I should say so …

14.  BRIGHTBURN – torpedoing Crawl right out of the water in the summer, this refreshing, revisionist superhero movie takes one of the most classic mythologies in the genre and turns it on its head in true horror style.  The basic premise is an absolute blinder – what if, when he crashed in small-town America as a baby, Superman had turned out to be a bad seed?  Unsurprising, then, that it came from James Gunn, who here produces a screenplay by his brother and cousin Brian and Mark Gunn (best known for penning the likes of Journey 2: the Mysterious Island, but nobody’s perfect) and the directorial big break of his old mate David Yarovesky (whose only previous feature is obscure sci-fi horror The Hive) – Gunn is, of course, an old pro at taking classic comic book tropes and creating something completely new with them, having previously done so with HUGE success on cult indie black comedy Super and, in particular, Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy movies, and his fingerprints are ALL OVER this one too.  The Hunger Games’ Elizabeth Banks (who starred in Gunn’s own directorial debut Slither) and David Denman (The Office) are Tori and Kyle Breyer, a farming couple living in Brightburn, Kansas, who are trying for a baby when a mysterious pod falls from the sky onto their land, containing an infant boy.  As you’d expect, they adopt him, determined to keep his origin a secret, and for the first twelve years of his life all seems perfectly fine – Brandon’s growing up into an intelligent, artistic child who loves his family. Then his powers manifest and he starts to change – not just physically (he’s impervious to harm, incredibly strong, has laser eyes and the ability to disrupt electronic devices … oh, and he can fly, too), but also in personality, as he becomes cold, distant, even cruel as he begins to demonstrate some seriously sociopathic tendencies.  As his parents begin to fear what he’s becoming, things begin to spiral out of control and people start to disappear or turn up brutally murdered, and it becomes clear that Brandon might actually be something out of a nightmare … needless to say this is superhero cinema as full-on horror, Brandon’s proclivities leading to some proper nasty moments once he really starts to cut loose, and there’s no mistaking this future super for one of the good guys – he pulverises bones, shatters faces and melts skulls with nary a twitch, just the tiniest hint of a smile.  It’s an astonishing performance from newcomer Jackson A. Dunn, who perfectly captures the nuanced subtleties as Brandon goes from happy child to lethal psychopath, clearly demonstrating that he’s gonna be an incredible talent in future; the two grown leads, meanwhile, are both excellent, Denman growing increasingly haunted and exasperated as he tries to prove his own son is a wrong ‘un, while Banks has rarely been better, perfectly embodying a mother desperately wanting to belief the best of her son no matter how compelling the evidence becomes, and there’s quality support from Breaking Bad’s Matt Jones and Search Party’s Meredith Hagner as Brandon’s aunt and uncle, Noah and Meredith, and Becky Wahlstrom as the mother of one of his school-friends, who seems to see him for what he really is right from the start.  Dark, suspenseful and genuinely nasty, this is definitely not your typical superhero movie, often playing like Kick-Ass’ deeply twisted cousin, and there are times when it displays some of the same edgy, black-hearted sense of humour, too.  In other words, it’s all very James Gunn. It’s one sweet piece of work, everyone involved showing real skill and devotion, and Yarovesky in particular proves he’ll definitely be one-to-watch in the future.  There are already plans for a potential sequel, and given where this particular little superhero universe seems to be heading I think it could be something pretty special, so fair to say I can’t wait.

13.  STAR WARS EPISODE IX: THE RISE OF SKYWALKER – wow, this one’s proven particularly divisive, hasn’t it? And I thought The Last Jedi caused a stir … say what you will about Rian Johnson’s previous entry in the juggernaut science fiction saga, while it certainly riled up the hardcore fanbase it was at least well-received by the critics, not to mention myself, who found it refreshing and absolutely ingenious after the crowd-pleasing simplicity of JJ Abrams’ admittedly still thoroughly brilliant The Force Awakens.  After such radical experimentation, Abrams’ return to the director’s chair can’t help feeling a bit like desperate backpedalling in order to sooth a whole lot of seriously ruffled feathers, and I’ll admit that, on initial viewing, I couldn’t help feeling just a touch cheated given what might have been if similarly offbeat, experimentally-minded filmmaker Colin Trevorrow (Safety Not Guaranteed, Jurassic World) had stayed on board to helm the picture.  Then I got home, thought about it for a bit and it started to grow on me, before a second viewing helped me to reconcile all everything that bugged me first time around, seemingly the same things that have, perversely, ruffled so many more feathers THIS TIME.  This doesn’t feel like a retcon job, no matter what some might think – new developments in the story that might feel like whitewash actually do make sense once you think about them, and the major twists actually work when viewed within the larger, overarching storyline.  Not that I’m willing to go into any kind of detail here, mind you – this is a spoiler-free zone, thank you very much.  Suffice to say, the honour of the saga has in no way been besmirched by Abrams and his co-writer Chris Terrio (sure, he worked on Batman V Superman and Justice League, but he also wrote Argo), the final film ultimately standing up very well indeed alongside its trilogy contemporaries, and still MILES ABOVE anything we got in George Lucas’ decidedly second-rate prequels.  The dangling plot strands from The Last Jedi certainly get tied up with great satisfaction, particularly the decidedly loaded drama of new Jedi Rey (Daisy Ridley) and troubled First Order Supreme Leader Kylo Ren/Ben Solo (Adam Driver), while the seemingly controversial choice of reintroducing Ian McDiarmid’s fantastically monstrous Emperor Palpatine as the ultimate big bad ultimately works out spectacularly well, a far cry from any perceived botched fan-service.  Everyone involved was clearly working at the height of their powers – Ridley and Driver are EXCEPTIONAL, both up-and-coming young leads truly growing into the their roles, while co-stars John Boyega and Oscar Isaac land a pleasingly meaty chunk of the story to finally get to really explore that fantastic chemistry they teased on The Last Jedi, and Carrie Fisher gets a truly MAGNIFICENT send off in the role that defined her as the incomparable General Leia Organa (one which it’s still heartbreaking she never quite got to complete); other old faces, meanwhile, return in fun ways, from Anthony Daniels’ C-3PO FINALLY getting to play a PROPER role in the action again to a brilliant supporting flourish from the mighty Billy Dee Williams as the Galaxy-Far-Far-Away’s own King of Cool, Lando Calrissian, while there’s a wealth of strong new faces here too, such as Lady Macbeth’s Naomie Ackie as rookie rebel Jannah, Richard E. Grant as suitably slimy former-Imperial First Order bigshot Allegiant General Pryde, The Americans’ Keri Russell as tough smuggler Zorii Bliss and Lord of the Rings star Dominic Monaghan as Resistance tech Beaumont Kin.  As fans have come to expect, Abrams certainly doesn’t skim on the spectacle, delivering bombastic thrill-ride set-pieces that yet again set the benchmark for the year’s action stakes (particularly in the blistering mid-picture showdown between Rey and Kylo among the wave-lashed remains of Return of the Jedi’s blasted Death Star) and awe-inspiring visuals that truly boggle the mind with their sheer beauty and complexity, but he also injects plenty of the raw emotion, inspired character work, knowing humour and pure, unadulterated geeky FUN he’s so well known for.  In conclusion, then, this is MILES AWAY from the clunky, compromised mess it’s been labelled as in some quarters, ultimately still very much in keeping with the high standards set by its trilogy predecessors and EVERY INCH a proper, full-blooded Star Wars movie.  Ultimately, Rogue One remains THE BEST of the big screen run since Lucas’ Original Trilogy, but this one still emerges as a Force to be reckoned with …

12.  JOKER – no-one was more wary than me when it was first announced that DC and Warner Bros. were going to make a standalone, live-action movie centred entirely around Batman’s ultimate nemesis, the Joker, especially with it coming hot on the heels of Jared Leto’s thoroughly polarizing portrayal in Suicide Squad.  More so once it was made clear that this WOULD NOT be part of the studio’s overarching DC Extended Universe cinematic franchise, which was FINALLY starting to find its feet – then what’s the point? I found myself asking.  I should have just sat back and gone with it, especially since the finished product would have made me eat a big slice of humble pie had I not already been won over once the trailers started making the rounds.  This is something new, different and completely original in the DC cinematic pantheon, even if it does draw major inspiration from Alan Moore’s game-changing DC comics mini-series The Killing Joke – a complete standalone origin story for one of our most enduring villains, re-imagined as a blistering, bruising psychological thriller examining what can happen to a man when he’s pushed far beyond the brink by terrible circumstance, societal neglect and crippling mental illness. Joaquin Phoenix delivers the performance of his career as Arthur Fleck, a down-at-heel clown-for-hire struggling to launch a career as a stand-up-comic (badly hampered by the fact that he’s just not funny) while suffering from an acute dissociative condition and terrible attacks of pathological laughter at moments of heightened stress – the actor lost 52 pounds of weight to become a horrifically emaciated scarecrow painfully reminiscent of Christian Bale’s similar preparation for his acclaimed turn in The Machinist, and frequently contorts himself into seemingly impossible positions that prominently accentuate the fact.  Fleck is a truly pathetic creature, thoroughly put-upon by a pitiless society that couldn’t care less about him, driven by inner demons and increasingly compelling dark thoughts to act out in increasingly desperate, destructive ways that ultimately lead him to cross lines he just can’t come back from, and Phoenix gives his all in every scene, utterly mesmerising even when his character commits some truly heinous acts.  Certainly he dominates the film, but then there are plenty of winning supporting turns from a universally excellent cast to bolster him along, from Zazie Beetz as an impoverished young mother Arthur bonds with and Frances Conroy (Six Feet Under, American Horror Story) as Arthur’s decidedly fragile mother Penny to Brett Cullen (The Thorn Birds, Lost) as a surprisingly unsympathetic Thomas Wayne (the philanthropic father of future Batman Bruce Wayne), while Robert De Niro himself casts a very long shadow indeed as Murray Franklin, a successful comedian and talk show host that Arthur idolizes, a character intentionally referential to his role in The King of Comedy.  Indeed, Martin Scorsese’s influence is writ large throughout the entire film, reinforced by the choice to set the film in a 1981-set Gotham City which feels very much like the crumbling New York of Mean Streets or Taxi Driver.  This is a dark, edgy, grim and unflinchingly BRUTAL film, frequently difficult to watch as Arthur is driven further into a blazing psychological hell by his increasingly stricken life, but addictively, devastatingly compelling all the same, impossible to turn away from even in the truly DEVASTATING final act.  Initially director Todd Phillips seemed like a decidedly odd choice for the project, hailing as he does from a predominantly comedy-based filmmaking background (most notably Due Date and The Hangover trilogy), but he’s actually a perfect fit here, finding a strangely twisted beauty in many of his compositions and a kind of almost uplifting transcendence in his subject’s darkest moments, while his screenwriting collaboration with Scott Silver (8 Mile, The Fighter) means that the script is as rich as it can be, almost overflowing with brilliant ideas and rife with biting social commentary which is even more relevant today than in the period in which it’s set.  Intense, gripping, powerful and utterly devastating, this truly is one of the best films of 2019.  If this was a purely critical Top 30 this would have placed in the Top 5, guaranteed …

11.  FAST & FURIOUS PRESENTS HOBBS & SHAW – summer 2019’s most OTT movie was some of THE MOST FUN I had at the cinema all year, a genuinely batshit crazy, pure bonkers rollercoaster ride of a film I just couldn’t get enough of, the perfect sum of all its baffling parts.  The Fast & Furious franchise has always revelled in its extremes, subtle as a brick and very much playing to the blockbuster, popcorn movie crowd right from the start, but it wasn’t until Fate of the Furious (yup, the ridiculous title says it all) that it really started to play to the inherent ridiculousness of its overall setup, paving the way for this first crack at a new spin-off series sans-Vin Diesel.  Needless to say this one fully embraces the ludicrousness, with director David Leitch the perfect choice to shepherd it into the future, having previously mastered OTT action through John Wick and Atomic Blonde before helming manic screwball comedy Deadpool 2, which certainly is the strongest comparison point here – Hobbs & Shaw is every bit as loud, violent, chaotic and thoroughly irreverent, definitely playing up the inherent comic potential at the core of the material as he cranks up the humour.  Dwayne Johnson and Jason Statham take centre stage as, respectively, DSS agent Luke Hobbs and former SAS black operative Deckard Shaw, the ultimate action movie odd couple once again forced to work together to foil the bad guy and save the world from a potentially cataclysmic disaster.  Specifically Brixton Lore (Idris Elba), a self-proclaimed “black superman” enhanced with cybernetic implants and genetic manipulation to turn him into the ultimate warrior, who plans to use a lethal designer supervirus to eradicate half of humanity (as supervillains tend to do), but there’s one small flaw in his plan – the virus has been stolen by Hattie Shaw (Mission: Impossible – Fallout’s Vanessa Kirby), a rogue MI6 agent who also happens to be Deckard’s sister.  Got all that?  Yup, the movie really is as mad as it sounds, but that’s part of the charm – there’s an enormous amount of fun to be had in just giving in and going along with the madness as Hobbs and the two Shaws bounce from one overblown, ludicrously destructive set-piece to the next, kicking plenty of arse along the way when they’re not jumping out of tall buildings or driving fast cars at ludicrous speeds in heavy traffic, and when they’re not doing that they’re bickering with enthusiasm, each exchange crackling with exquisite hate-hate chemistry and liberally laced with hilarious dialogue delivered with gleeful, fervent venom (turns out there’s few things so enjoyable as watching Johnson and Statham verbally rip each other a new one), and the two action cinema heavyweights have never been better than they are here, each bringing the very best performances of their respective careers out of each other as they vacillate, while Kirby holds her own with consummate skill that goes to show she’s got a bright future of her own.  As for Idris Elba, the one-time potential future Bond deserves to be remembered as one of the all-time great screen villains ever, investing Brixton with the perfect combination of arrogant swagger and lethal menace to steal every scene he’s in while simultaneously proving he can be just as big a badass in the action stakes; Leitch also scatters a selection of familiar faces from his previous movies throughout a solid supporting cast which also includes the likes of Fear the Walking Dead’s Cliff Curtis, From Dusk Till Dawn’s Eiza Gonzalez and Helen Mirren (who returns as Deckard and Hattie’s mum Queenie Shaw), while there’s more than one genuinely brilliant surprise cameo to enjoy. As we’ve come to expect, the action sequences are MASSIVE, powered by nitrous oxide and high octane as property is demolished and vehicles are driven with reckless abandon when our protagonists aren’t engaged in bruising, bone-crunching fights choreographed with all the flawless skill you’d expect from a director who used to be a professional stuntman, but this time round the biggest fun comes from the downtime, as the aforementioned banter becomes king.  It’s an interesting makeover for the franchise, going from heavyweight action stalwart to comedy gold, and it’s a direction I hope they’ll maintain for the inevitable follow-up – barring Fast Five, this is THE BEST Fast & Furious to date, and a strong indicator of how it should go to keep conquering multiplexes in future.  Sign me up for more, please.

[petrolandchlorine]

all of the questions plz

1. selfie

i cbf ... there should be one somewhere on my page

2. what would you name your future kids?

I don’t want to have kids but my cat’s name is Casper

3. do you miss anyone?

My friends from AIM

4. what are you looking forward to?

the weekend cause I get to sleep in

5. is there anyone who can always make you smile?

Not at the moment

6. is it hard for you to get over someone?

I don’t know

7. what was your life like last year?

Stressful

8. have you ever cried because you were so annoyed?

No, but I have because I was so fucking tired and couldn’t go to bed

9. who did you last see in person?

My footy team

10. are you good at hiding your feelings?

yeah I think I am

11. are you listening to music right now?

yeah, the Lion King soundtrack

12. what is something you want right now?

to not have to get up early tomorrow

13. how do you feel right now?

a lot of everything and nothing

14. when was the last time someone of the opposite sex hugged you?

idk probably my dad like a month ago

15. personality description

INTJ

16. have you ever wanted to tell someone something but you didn’t?

yeah

17. opinion on insecurities.

idk

18. do you miss how thing were a year ago?

no

19. have you ever been to New York?

mum has

20. what is your favourite song at the moment?

Found Out About You by Gin Blossoms

21. age and birthday?

25 and March 3rd

22. description of crush.

IDK

23. fear(s)

everything.  mostly leaving my house.

24. height

short

25. role model

nah

26. idol(s)

nah

27. things i hate

it’s hard to explain but i live in a rural town and i don’t like having to rely on other people to get me home because right now i need to be in control of when i leave a social situation and i can’t be if i’m 30km away from my house and someone else is my ride home.  (that sounds really assholish and ungrateful but my anxiety is seriously fucking me up rn)

28. i’ll love you if…

you bring me coffee

29. favourite film(s)

whiplash

30. favourite tv show(s)

glee and when they see us

31. 3 random facts

about what?

32. are your friends mainly girls or guys?

both

33. something you want to learn

idk, how to be successful?

34. most embarrassing moment

tie between choking on a piece of ravioli in front of my entire italian class in grade 12 and having a panic attack in the middle of my uni cafeteria when i was 20 because my dog died

35. favourite subject

music and Italian but I’ve been out of school for 8 years

36. 3 dreams you want to fulfill?

idk, I don’t really have any aside from maybe not drinking alcohol

37. favourite actor/actress

naya rivera and jharrel jerome

38. favourite comedian(s)

tanya hennessy

39. favourite sport(s)

AFL (aussie rules football)

40. favourite memory

meeting my uni friends 

41. relationship status

single

42. favourite book(s)

right now it’s dark emu by bruce pascoe

43. favourite song ever

idk i like too many songs

44. age you get mistaken for

17-18

45. how you found out about your idol

idk i don’t really idolise anyone

46. what my last text message says

everyone’s coffee orders at work (not actually what it says but that’s what it is)

47. turn ons

idk

48. turn offs

idk

49. where i want to be right now

idk

50. favourite picture of your idol

n/a

51. starsign

pisces

52. something i’m talented at

music

53. 5 things that make me happy

queued

54. something thats worrying me at the moment

the fact that it’s after midnight and i can’t sleep but i have to get up at 7

55. tumblr friends

@yourstreetserenade 

56. favourite food(s)

ribs and burgers has an amazing vegan burger that i like

57. favourite animal(s)

my cat

58. description of my best friend

does my cat count?  if so, he’s a fluffy ragdoll and he doesn’t talk

59. why i joined tumblr

idk I was 16 and it was 10 years ago and my brain is fried because of alcohol and other shit

60. ask me anything you want

i assume that means people ask me other things

[palemoonpersephone]

60 Question Tag Challenge

So I’ve been tagged by @kaffeinic to answer these questions. Here we go!

1: Selfie.

Gonna have to decline this one as I’m very shy but I’ll describe myself a little to make up for it - very long dark reddish-brown hair, brown eyes, pale skin, fun size.

2: What would you name your future kids?

Can’t say for certain, I feel it would depend on what name felt right for that baby but I like many Italian and Celtic names.

3: Do you miss anyone? 

Yes, definitely. Old friends, old pen-pals/online friends who just seemed to disappear. And I miss my partner and my friends when we’re apart.

4: What are you looking forward to?

the weekend Seeing my partner again, working on my writing projects, starting third year of uni, and unashamedly the new Witcher series on Netflix!

5: Is there anyone who can always make you smile?

The lovely @kaffeinic for a start! My best friend, my partner, my doggy 🐕

6: Is it hard for you to get over someone?

All depends on the context. I’ve had crushes in the past that have been relatively easy to get over but then I’ve lost a couple of close friends and that had a pretty traumatic affect on me. Other times it’s been very easy because it’s been the right thing to do because the person I cut off was very toxic/bad for me.

7: What was your life like last year?

In some aspects very similar, my interests are all pretty much the same, my mental health was still difficult to manage and I was looking forward to my upcoming year of uni. But this time last year I wasn’t in a relationship and hadn’t began a really amazing journey of self-discovery.

8: Have you ever cried because you were so annoyed?

feel so attacked rn yes, I very much have. Crying tends to be my natural response to most high-running emotions.

9: Who did you last see in person? 

Within my household, my mum as I’m currently home for the summer. Outside of that, my partner when he last came down to visit

10: Are you good at hiding your feelings?

I can be. I’ve found it depends on how well other people can see. Over the years I’ve had to hide all sorts of things, especially from my family. For years they didn’t know I was severely ill with anxiety and depression but that might be testament to poor observation and parenting skills, or maybe I just became that good and hiding things. I’m striving now to be more open about how I feel rather than bottling things up because it’s like drinking poison. 

11: Are you listening to music right now?

Not at this minute.

12: What is something you want right now?

a hug a life without crippling mental illness  probably inspiration to work on my novel

13: How do you feel right now?

Quite tired, a bit lonely. Really craving some energy and pizzazz

14: When was the last time someone of the opposite sex hugged you?

Probably the Monday before last at 4-ish in the morning when my partner had to leave for work.

15: Personality description?

Shy, careful, introverted, open, understanding, affectionate, creative

16: Have you ever wanted to tell someone something but you didn’t?

Pretty much the story of my life. For the last 10-12 years I’ve had to keep so many things to myself, especially regarding my family. I could never say what I thought/believed because it would all spiral into a catastrophe, wasn’t a very safe environment emotionally-speaking. There have been so, so many things I’ve wanted to say but haven’t for the risk of rocking the boat.

17:  Opinion on insecurities?

Most people I know have them, including myself but I think people can be misled to think that others don’t have them because of the outward images they display. And from my experience they’re usually there for all the wrong reasons (if there’s such a thing as a right reason to have an insecurity)

18: Do you miss how things were a year ago?

No, I’ve only gained things since then.

19: Have you ever been to New York?

Not so far but I can’t say I have any desire to

20: What is your favourite song at the moment? 

Perhaps Ring of Fire by In This Moment

21: Age and birthday?

21, born 18/09/97

22: Description of crush?

(also my partner) 6″1, dark/black hair, brown eyes, built like a brick shit-house, tan skin. He’s intelligent, considerate, honourable, principled, fierce, indomitable, funny, supportive and respectful. 

23: Fear(s)?

I’m just gonna say most things

24: Height?

5″3

25: Role model?

Not sure I have one. I aspire more to qualities like goodness, kindness and innocence

26: Idol(s)?

see above

27: Things I hate:

Small mindedness, cruel/selfish/narcissistic people, exclusion, organised religion (as more of an abstract concept), people not getting what they deserve, when people aren’t willing to listen and learn, having plans ruined, seeing people upset, people who don’t put in effort/only take and never give back

28: “I’ll love you if...”

Lots of possible answers as there lots of sorts of love. In short, if you give back. But then love shouldn’t be conditional, so I guess I should say I couldn’t love someone (in any way) who never gives back. 

29: Favourite film(s)?

Beauty and the Beast, Peter Pan, The Lion King, The Other Boleyn Girl, most Marvel movies

30: Favourite tv show(s)? 

Call the Midwife, Brooklyn 99, QI, The Last Kingdom, Doctor Who

31: 3 random facts.

I’ve been writing for almost 12 years now. I sleep with cuddly toys and make bed forts. I use fantasy to cope with reality.

32: Are your friends mainly girls or guys?

Right now, girls but when I was in secondary school most of my friends were boys.

33: Something you want to learn. 

In a physical/skills sense I’d like to learn how to dance. In an emotional/mental sense I want to learn how to unburden by troubles and let go of things holding me down.

34: Most embarrassing moment?

With an anxiety disorder many, many things feel hideously embarrassing. Don’t think I could pick out one exact moment.

35: Favourite subject? 

History

36: 3 dreams you want to fulfill?

Becoming a successful author. Make lots of money so I can give it to charities. Overcome/beat my mental illnesses. 

37: Favourite actor/actress? 

Probably Tom Hiddleston

38: Favourite comedian(s)? 

Stephen Fry, Dara O’Brian, Sandi Toskvig, Aisling Bea

39: Favourite sport(s)? 

Riding, archery, yoga (still physical activity so I guess it counts), swimming, running

40: Favourite memory?

Right now I think it’s when my partner told me he loved me for the first time

41: Relationship status?

If you haven’t guessed by now I’m concerned 😋

42: Favourite books?

Too many to choose from.

43: Favourite song ever? 

Probably Lithium by Evanescence

44: Age you get mistaken for?

Always younger than I am. I really haven’t changed much since I was about 16. Still get ID’d almost everywhere because I look younger than 18 apparently

45: How you found out about your idol.

Not really applicable.

46: What my last text message says.

That’s no one’s business.

47: Turn-ons?

Maturity, experience, intelligence, someone who knows themselves and is in control, someone who can give care and guidance, someone who can bring my out of my shell.

48: Turn-offs?

Idiocy, lack of self-care/hygiene, someone who isn’t willing to listen, entitlement, intolerance, confidence when it hasn’t been earned. 

49: Where I want to be right now.

The New Forest

50: Favourite picture of your idol?

Kinda need an idol first...

51: Star sign?

Virgo

52: Something I’m talented at.

anxiety? I’m quite good at riding and hopefully my writing isn’t too shabby

53: 5 things that make me happy.

Animals, people I love, random acts of kindness, smells that awaken nice memories, creative passion 

54: Something that’s worrying me at the moment.

Guess at random and you’ll probably be correct.

55: Tumblr friends?

@kaffeinic I feel we clicked really really fast and they are possibly the bravest person I’ve ever met and I hope we stay friends.

@alittleandherdaddysworld they’ve been really kind to me and we seem to have some things in common, I hope we get to know each other better!

@xxdaddyslitttleprincessxx they’ve also been really kind to me when I needed someone to turn to and I hope that we too can turn our acquaintance into a friendship!

@thorkingofasgard I think we’ve known one another for just over a year and have had many lovely talks over that time, they’re always a friend I can turn to.

@mblargh-its-me-loki a friend who I sometimes don’t hear from for long periods at a time and I often miss them and hope they’re doing okay

@c0ffeebee their artwork and dedication is second to none and I like to think we got on well when I commissioned them for some art

56: Favourite food(s)?

Love curries and stir-fry, anything involving noodles, Italian cuisine and I’ll never say no to cake

57: Favourite animal(s)?

Dogs, horses, deer, bunnies, foxes, otters, dolphins, mice (I really could go on so I’ll stop myself)

58: Description of my best friend.

5″5, dark blonde hair, brown eyes, tan skin. She’s lovely, intelligent, determined, hilarious, gorgeous and we know each other back to front

59: Why I joined tumblr?

At first it was to connect with more people and spread my fanfiction work but over time it’s become more about just sharing and interacting with what I like and trying to make more and more lovely friends

60: Ask me anything you want.

Hold nothing back

I’m going to tag my listed tumblr friends so that’s @alittleandherdaddysworld @xxdaddyslitttleprincessxx @thorkingofasgard @mblargh-its-me-loki @c0ffeebee and any of my followers are welcome to take part

[rohdutch]

I don’t know anything about movies so do it. :-D answer as many as you can from 1-60

Oh my gooooodddddd. Soph this will be my death. Okay, okay, I got this.

1. A movie you’ve seen most times in the cinema.

I’ve never seen a movie more than once in theater, but I kind of wish that I would’ve gone to see Gifted more than once bc crying in the theater is an e x p e r i e n c e.

2. Your most rewatched movie.

Captain America: The Winter Soldier

3. A movie you quote on a daily basis.

I just quoted Mean Girls earlier today.

4. Favorite movie soundtrack.

The Greatest Showman.

5. Top 5 films of your favorite actor and actress.

I’ll choose Sebastian Stan for this (even tho Richard Armitage is my favorite):

-the Bronze

-I, Tonya

-the Martian

-the Captain America trilogy

-Gone

Meg Ryan:

-Fan Girl

-Anastasia

-Sleepless in Seattle

-You’ve Got Mail

-City of Angels

6. Top 5 performances of your favorite actor and actress.

Seb’s are the same except replace Gone with Political Animals, his performance as TJ is iconic and I’m so sad they ended that show. Meg’s are the same too.

7. A movie storyline you wished you had actually lived.

I’ve always dreamt of being apart of the Fast & Furious movies soooo

8. A movie that reminds you of your mom.

Any of the Star Wars.

9. A movie thar reminds you of your dad.

Grease.

10. Favorite movies from your childhood.

My parents didn’t care what I really watched as a kid so a lot of my favorites consist of actual kids movies and horror movies. Disney movies like Robin Hood (I loved both Disney’s version and Prince of Thieves), Mulan, Cinderella, Aladdin, Lion King 2. And then other movies like Underworld, Van Helsing, Halloween, and Resident Evil. I had a strange obsession with the third Resident Evil.

11. Favorite quote(s).

I can’t remember the exact line, but “that kid from Brooklyn who didn’t know how to walk away from a fight, I’m following him,” which Bucky says to Steve in the first Cap film. And obv any Mean Girls quote.

12. Top 5 female performances.

-Hayley Atwell as Peggy Carter-Emilia Clarke in Me Before You-Helen Mirren in Winchester-Michelle Pfeiffer in Grease 2-Michelle Pfeiffer in Stardust

13. Top 5 male performances.

-Martin Freeman as Everett Ross-Benedict Cumberbatch as Stephen Strange-Sebastian Stan in the Bronze-Leonardo DiCaprio in the Departed-Jack Nicholson in the Departed

14. Favorite year for movies.

I don’t think I have a specific year? Although 2018 has been a fantastic year for movies so far. I do have a preference for movies from 90s and early 2000s.

18. An underrated actor.

A year ago I would’ve said Sebastian Stan, but he’s recently been doing a lot of big things and has like four movies he’s doing that he plays a main character in. Now I’ll shoot for Blair Redford.

19. An underrated actress.

Emilia Clarke. People need to appreciate her more.

20. An underrated director.

Taika Waititi.

21. An overrated actor.

I’ve never cared for George Clooney tbh.

22. An overrated actress.

I love her, but Scarlett Johansson.

23. An overrated director.

Woody Allen. Not even sorry.

24. A film you wish you had seen on the big screen.

Every MCU movie besides Guardians of the Galaxy and Black Panther. I watched Black Panther with my sister and saw Guardians at a drive-in. I had to wait to see all the others :(

25. A movie you’ve seen that you think no one else here will have heard of?

Like Sunday, Like Rain. Please watch it. It’s absolutely amazing.

26. Favorite movie characters.

Oh my gosh. Okay. Doctor Strange. Bucky Barnes. Thorin Oakenshield. Lance Tucker. Everett Ross. Jason Bourne. Owen and Deckard Shaw. There’s more, but that’s who I can think of rn.

27. A film that was better than the book.

I personally prefer the Hobbit movies over the book, but the book is great too.

28. Best Remake.

The Goodbye Girl!

29. Your first favorite actor.

I wanna say it’s Josh Hartnett? Maybe Paul Rudd?? I loved the Halloween movies as a kid and Josh was in H2O while Paul was in the Curse of Michael Myers and I loved them both. As a kid I didn’t really care much about the actors, but I’ve realized a lot of people I liked in movies as a kid are now some of my favorites.

30. Your first favorite actress.

Like I said, loved the Halloween movies. Jamie Lee Curtis. Also Milla Jovavich.

31. Favorite animated film.

I will always, with my entire heart, love Lion King 2. I still have the VHS tape.

32. Your most anticipated films.

Ocean’s 8. Robin Hood. Solo. Ant-Man and the Wasp. Incredibles 2. I wasn’t that into Venom, but after seeing the trailer, I’m pumped.

33. Last movie that disappointed you.

The Apparition was made a while back, but i didn’t watch it til recent and I really didn’t like it whatsoever.

34. Last movie that surpassed your expectations.

Like the Apparition, Dance of the Dead was made a while ago, but I watched it about two months back and oh. My. God. It was glorious. Watch it. It’ll be worth it.

37. Share an unpopular film opinion you have.

I love romance and I don’t mind seeing it in movies that don’t necessarily need it. I mean, of course I draw the line somewhere, but for example, Kili and Tauriel’s romance in the films? I know it wasn’t in the book, and a lot of people didn’t like it, but I loved it.

38. Favorite Oscar win/speech.

This is a tie between two speeches that happened right after one another at the 2017 Oscars. Gael García Bernal’s speech before presenting an award, and the Zootopia directors’ speech when they came up to accept that award. It’s truly a wonderful thing and I remember watching it and being so grateful for people like them.

39. Biggest Oscar snub(s).

Literally. Every. Time. Leonardo. DiCaprio. Lost.

40. Who do you think is overdue for another Oscar nomination/win?

Tom Hanks.

41. How many movies have you seen (rough estimation)?

Close to 1,000, I’d think.

42. A movie that made you go ‘wtf was that’.

The Apparition and The Shape of Water. At least The Shape of Water was actually good 👀👀

43. A film that scarred you.

Oh my god, I don’t know the name, but it was something that was on tv at like 2 am when I slept in the living room one time as a kid and it terrified me. It was something about werewolves and made me question my love of werewolves for days.

44. Most movies watched in a single day.

I once watched 7 of the Fast & Furious movies in one day.

45. A film that always makes you cry.

Gifted. I cried three times when I saw it in theaters and I cry every time I rewatch it.

46. A film that always makes you laugh.

Ferris Bueller’s Day Off.

47. Movies that you think everyone should watch (not necessarily your favorites).

The Jason Bourne series. 10 Things I Hate About You. Blended. Back to School.

48. A movie that took you a couple viewings to appreciate.

Princess & the Frog. Now it’s one of my favorite Disney movies.

49. A book that you want to see adapted to the big screen.

Either I’ll Give You The Sun by Jandy Nelson or Stalking Jack The Ripper by Kerri Maniscalco.

50. A book you really, really, really don’t want to see made into a film.

I love the third Percy Jackson book so so much, and I’d kill to see that scene where they’re all on Apollo’s sun chariot on the big screen, but if it turned out like the other two Percy Jackson movies I don’t think I’d ever forgive myself.

54. Favorite coming-of-age film.

Like Sunday, Like Rain.

55. Favorite superhero film.

The first Captain America just bc it’s nostalgic for both me and those characters, and Doctor Strange. I love the Winter Soldier too so I might as well include it.

57. Movies you know you should watch, but can’t bring yourself to do it?

Thor: Ragnarok. That’s the only one I’m absolutely sure that I need to watch.

58. Favorite genres.

I’m a big rom-com and action geek tbh.

59. Least favorite genres.

Not a huge fan of paranormal type horrors, but once in a while I’ll find one I like (like Winchester).

60. Biggest movie pet peeve.

I’m not too picky, I guess? I just don’t like when they don’t give enough details so the story doesn’t make sense or they mess up and the facts don’t match up.

Yep. It’s official. Sophia, I’m dead.

[whoknowswheremylifeis]

Thanks @someonetheelusivefangirl for the tag

— What was your last…

1. Drink: water

2. Phone call: home, but I probably spoke to my mum

3. Text message: "ugh mood” to my friend

4. Song you listened to: Feeling the Moment by Feeder

5. Time you cried: I think it was a few weeks ago when I started panicking about the amount of work I had to do, but I’ve probably cried at a film since then

6. Dated someone twice: nope

7. Kissed someone and regretted it:  nope

8. Been cheated on: nope

9. Lost someone special: I can’t think of anything other than when my first dog died in 2009

10. Been depressed: It was bad just before the Christmas hols, so early December

11. Gotten drunk and thrown up: never

— Fave colours

12. Blue

13. Sunset (it’s a legit colour, I just found out lol)

14. Yellow or pink

— in the last year have you…

15. Made new friends: yeah, a few from my course, especially in the last few weeks

16. Fallen out of love: nope

17. Laughed until you cried: of course

18. Found out someone was talking about you: I hope they haven’t

19. Met someone who changed you: I don’t think so?

20. Found out who your friends are: not in the past year, no

21. Kissed someone on your facebook friends list: nope

— General

22. How many of your facebook friends do you know irl: most of them

23. Do you have any pets: The best doggo Hallie, and I also befriended next door’s cat, and @someonetheelusivefangirl’s dog and cat are basically mine

24. Do you want to change your name: Well I’d rather have a surname that people can spell and pronounce on the first try, but otherwise nope

25. What did you do for your last birthday: It was my first birthday away from home, so my parents brought the dog down to uni, and a friend came down during her half term, and we drove/walked around the area my dad grew up in, where I also spent a lot of my childhood. Then we picked up @someonetheelusivefangirl and we went out for supper

26. What time did you wake up today: about 10? Impressive, considering I normally sleep well into the afternoon

27. What were you doing at midnight last night: Binge watching The Good Place on netflix

28. What is something you can’t wait for: The Incredibles 2, and for my mum to stop nagging me

30. What are you listening to right now: the sound of silence (not the song, but now I want to)

31. Have you ever talked to a person named Tom: I know a few Toms, so yes

32. Something that’s getting on your nerves: my procrastination, my mum, my body

33. Most visited website: Tumblr or google

34. Hair colour: brown

35. Long or short hair: it’s down to my butt (after only two years)

36. Do you have a crush on someone: not at the moment

37. What do you like about yourself: My eyes, my hair, sometimes my legs, and my bullshitting abilities

38. Want any piercings: not any more

39. Blood type: No fucking idea

40. Nicknames: Liv, Livvy, Lou Lou, Oliver

41. Relationship status: happily single

42. Sign: Scorpio

43. Pronouns: she/her

44. Fave tv show: Brooklyn Nine-Nine/Merlin/Death in Paradise/Miranda/Would I lie to you?/Voltron: Legendary Defender/A Series of Unfortunate Events/Shadowhunters/Outnumbered/Doctor Who

45. Tattoos: no, but I really really really want a small HP one, and talking to my friend about it lately has made me seriously think about it for the first time and ugh I really want it

46. Right or left handed: right

47: Ever had surgery: nope

48. Piercings: Just my ears

49. Sport: I love playing netball, but I haven’t for the past year because my stupid school games teacher fucked me up and made me doubt my worth as a player so I didn’t try for the uni team

50. Vacation: Sailing around Cornwall & France is the way to go

51. Trainers: I wear them basically every day because they’re so comfy and quick to put on when I’m running late

— More general

52. Eating: is my fave, but I do tend to not eat at uni because I feel like my flatmates judge me if they’re in the kitchen while I’m cooking

53. Drinking: I drink so much

54. I’m about to watch: I really want to say nothing because I need to work, but there are some yt notifs that I need to get through

55. Waiting for: my insecurities to piss off

56. Want: Ice lollies, to move out of my uni halls already, pizza (an eternal desire), and for this assignment to be over

57. Get married: I hope I will

58. Career: If publishing doesn’t happen, then it’ll be either translating/interpreting, or teaching French (but probably the latter)

— Which is better

59. Hugs or kisses: hugs

60. Lips or eyes: eyes

61. Shorter or taller: taller?

62. Older or younger: meh

63. Nice arms or stomach: I think arms?

64. Hookup or relationships: relationship

65. Troublemaker or hesitant: dunno

— Have you ever

66. Kissed a stranger: hell no

67. Drank hard liquor: yep

68.Turned someone down: I tried in year 5 (age 9/10), but my ‘friends’ went back to him and told him I’d changed my mind so I was stuck in a ‘relationship’ for like three weeks until he dumped me

69. Sex on first date: nope

70: Broken someone’s heart: I hope not

71. Had your heart broken: nope

72. Been arrested: I nearly was in Swansea, but no

73. Cried when someone died: of course ... Mufasa didn’t deserve it

74. Fallen for a friend: nope

— Do you believe in

75. Yourself: That’s a definite no

76. Miracles: I dunno

77. Love at first sight: nope

78. Santa Claus: no

79. Angels: nope

— Misc

80. Eye colour: brown

81. Best friend’s name: Isabella/Issy/Isabala/Isabellafriend

82. Favourite movie: The Lion King/The Greatest Showman/Tangled/HP/Aladdin/Moana/The Jungle Book (og animation)/The Little Engine that Could (1991 version)/Ice Age

83. Favourite actor: I love love love Bill Nighy and Rowan Atkinson

84. Favourite cartoon: Voltron: Legendary Defender

85. Favourite teacher’s name: Helen Pearson or Annie Williams or Helen Colson

I’m tagging @luckyspacelions @shadowqueen1220 @megasuperwonderlandturtle and whoever wants to do this

[mearnsblog]

“Pocahontas” (1995)

I have a bit of a funny relationship with "Pocahontas." Unlike all previous Disney movies, I definitely remember when this came out, and it was a big deal. Disney had produced hit after hit after hit, and there wasn't much to indicate that they'd be slowing down. Even after its somewhat disappointing critical reception, "Pocahontas" was still super popular. My kindergarten actually put on a mini-production of it at the end of the year*, and subsequently, the movie soundtrack my mom bought became one of the most frequently-played CDs in my room growing up.

*I played Kocoum. No, they didn't have me die in it, though in hindsight, that'd be hilarious. "Guess what, kids? Andrew's going to die in this scene!" Instead, they just had me arrest John Smith to get him into captivity or something like that. Not as interesting.

All that nostalgia aside though, one thing is evident: the story of Pocahontas should probably have not been made into a Disney film. Perusing the history of Disney canon, "Pocahontas" is pretty much the only one to be based on a real person. Given the colonists' shoddy history with Pocahontas and the Powhatan, this seems ill-advised and would likely not be attempted nowadays.

The Powhatan and Pocahontas herself suffered poor fates, and while it's nice that Disney portrayed them as having been thrown into an awful situation by the English invaders, to make a cutesy movie with all that lingering as the elephant in the room is honestly in poor taste. In one sense, it's throwing an emoji on the overall story of a tragedy, especially since we don't know if the positive climax in this situation -- Pocahontas saving John Smith -- even happened. There are so many wonderful Native American stories out there that they could've turned into a Disney film and represented their people in a much better fashion.**

**Pocahontas being the first non-white Disney princess is not nothing, and should be acknowledged. There's no doubt that Disney has struggled with representation over the years, and including someone like Pocahontas in their many branding efforts is important.

But, well, that's the '90s for you. What's done is done. So with all that being acknowledged as a caveat, is the fictional story any good?

Eh. A major weaknesses of "Pocahontas" is that it's relying too much on its leads (one of whom is voiced by human garbage Mel Gibson), and neither is that compelling. Think about the other great Disney movies of this period. They all had tremendous side characters who could not only carry some of the emotion of the movie, but also add to the story. I did like the "Looney Tunes"-esque comedy of Meeko, Percy, and Flit, but they don't measure up to the members of the household in "Beauty and the Beast" or the supporting cast of "Lion King." The same goes for the human side characters, who are at a bit of drag in comparison to, say, Sebastian and even the Sultan. They're fine, just not stand-outs.

Ratcliffe does check the boxes of an evil villain having a smashing time being a bastard, and you can tell that David Ogden Stiers (the former voice of Cogsworth) loves doing the back-and-forth dialogue between Ratcliffe and his butler all on his own. "Mine, Mine, Mine" is musically mediocre, but also pure lol. Once again, while he's not as good a villain as others of this period, he's at least on par with the similarly named (and animated) Ratigan from "Great Mouse Detective."

Despite my love of the soundtrack when I was little, I'd only grade it about a B. "Just Around the Riverbend" is a good, fast-paced hopeful ballad, and "Colors of the Wind" is a decent enough lead hit, even if the lyrics don't make much sense after the beginning. I also like its audio-only placement at the very end of the movie. Between that and the "Virginia Company" opening, the team did an excellent job of setting some stakes and going all-out with a grand finale. (So much of the movie's problem is its middle; the decision to not have Pocahontas go off to England with John was actually quite daring for the time, and I respect it.)

The rest of the songs aren't that good, and the less said about the heavy-handed "Savages," the better. The implication that the Powhatan were getting as bad as the settlers is... not great.

It's possible that the string of incredible Disney movies in a row has taken the shine off of "Pocahontas" in a way that I might not have noticed had it been thrown in the middle of a more mediocre stretch. However, I think I'm rating it correctly. Despite strong moments here and there, its entire premise is flawed, and it just leaves a lot to be desired.

Meeko forever though.

Best song: “Just Around the Riverbend”

Updated ranking

1. “Beauty and the Beast” (review) 2. “The Lion King” (review) 3. “The Little Mermaid” (review) 4. “Cinderella” (review) 5. “Sleeping Beauty” (review) 6. “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs” (review) 7. “Aladdin” (review) 8. “One Hundred and One Dalmatians” (review) 9. “The Jungle Book” (review) 10. “The Great Mouse Detective” (review) 11. “Fantasia” (review) 12. “The Rescuers Down Under” (review) 13. “The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh” (review) 14. “Alice in Wonderland” (review) 15. “Lady and the Tramp” (review) 16. “Pinocchio” (review) 17. “Robin Hood” (review) 18. “Oliver & Company” (review) 19. “Pocahontas” 20. “The Rescuers” (review) 21. “The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad” (review) 22. “Bambi” (review) 23. “The Aristocats” (review) 24. “Dumbo” (review) 25. “Peter Pan” (review) 26. “Fun and Fancy Free” (review) 27. “The Fox and the Hound” (review) 28. “The Sword in the Stone” (review) 29. “The Three Caballeros” (review) 30. “Make Mine Music” (review) 31. “The Black Cauldron” (review) 32. “Saludos Amigos” (review) 33. “Melody Time” (review)

[nojudgingbybloodline]

Milking the Hippogriff Dry as the Hogwarts Express Gravy Train Runs Out of Steam:

Why Warner Bros. are Wrong to Turn Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows into Two Films

By MaraudingDon

On March 13th 2008, Warner Bros. confirmed1 rumours that had been circulating for a number of months that they would indeed be splitting the seventh film in the Harry Potter franchise, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, into two parts. This essay will set out reasons why this long-time, self-confessed Harry Potter uberfan is appalled by this decision.

The Harry Potter films have been overwhelmingly successful. According to IMDb,2all five previously released films occupy spots in the top twenty-one grossing films of all time. Three of them are in the top ten. Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone(Sorcerer's Stone if you are not British) is the highest placed with $968 million+ box office takings, and even Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban at number twenty-one took a very respectable $789+ million at the box office.

This is the cash cow, or for the purpose of this essay, the cash hippogriff, that has served Warner Bros. very nicely indeed, thank you very much.

Unfortunately, the cash hippogriff is about to milk its last drop, because with the Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows film, this lucrative film franchise runs out. The cogs in the WB machine must have squealed louder than Dobby when they read the final book and realised that Lord Voldemort had eight portions of soul, instead of seven. "Let's do the same with the film' squealed delighted film bosses as they got ready to count their galleons in the Lightning Struck counting tower ’ and so instead of seven films to match seven books, we get eight films.

Now at the start of this, I must confess that I am not a fan of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. In July 2007, just before the release of the novel, Jo Rowling told ITV News3 that "Some people will loathe it. For some people to love it, other people must loath it. That's just in the nature of the plot." Well she was spot on, because even though I have read the book five times now, I still loathe it as much as I did that first time. However, as someone who has huge respect for what Jo Rowling has achieved, it is still important to me that Warner Bros. does justice to this amazing world and does not abuse their position as holders of the copyright and trademarks. In fact, a well executed film could provide me, and others who did not like the book, a new appreciation of it in the same way the excellent Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix film did for many.

What made Harry Potter work for me, what made me fall in love with this excellent series (and despite my loathing of the final book, I still regard the first six as works of genius), was her excellent characterization. J.K. Rowling succeeded where so many other authors have failed by creating peripheral characters that a reader could truly care about. Adult characters like Remus Lupin, Minerva McGonagall, Molly and Arthur Weasley, and the younger characters like Luna, Neville and the Weasleys. Even the traditional baddies like Bellatrix were utterly fascinating to read about ’ and was there ever a greater literary character than Severus Snape? For six books he created more heated debate than any of the other Harry Potter characters put together. So herein lies my first problem with a two part Deathly Hallows film ’ in the first part, you aren't even going to see half of these characters. If Steve Kloves adheres religiously to the book, then we may be lucky to get a quick glimpse of Severus at the very beginning, but then that's it until part two. No Hogwarts, no teachers, NO NEVILLE! The heart and soul immediately disappears.

Do people realize when they welcome a two part film, just how much of the trio we are going to get? If the film is split at the "Silver Doe" chapter4 for example, then we may get to see Voldemort and his Death Eaters opening the film, a rather anti-climactic goodbye to the Dursleys, "The Seven Potters" with a big chase and fight scene, the deaths of Hedwig and Mad-Eye, a wedding, and the rest will be Harry, Ron and Hermione. Yes there will be scenes involving the locket hunt at the Ministry and a visit to Godric's Hollow, but are Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint and Emma Watson strong enough to hold a film of this magnitude? I don't think so. There is no doubt that all three of them have improved as they have made that difficult transition from child actor to adult ’ Daniel especially has improved ten-fold since those awkward first films, but several hours of Emma's hypnotic dancing eyebrows is not enough to hold my attention. It is worth remembering that nearly all the action in this book takes place in the last third of the text, including a fantastic battle segment at Hogwarts, the resolution to the Snape storyline, and of course, the denouement to the entire series. The casting directors of the Harry Potter films have done an outstanding job in casting the very best of British stage and screen in these movies. We've been lucky enough to see Richard Harris, Sir Michael Gambon, Dame Maggie Smith, Alan Rickman, Fiona Shaw, Gary Oldman, David Thewlis and many more award winning stars grace our screens together. What a tragic disappointment then to have a Deathly Hallows part one in which we may not even see these greats at all, or in tiny dribs and drabs. Those who don't like the book often mention the camping. Those who love the book often moan at those who moan about the camping! But there is no getting away from it that part one of this two-part film is going to consist of a lot of the trio arguing whilst either planning their camping or actually doing it.

So let's move away from camping and talk about money ’ because money talks. Films like Titanic and the amazing Lord of the Rings trilogy took enormous box office takings, not because of the amount of people who went to see the films, but because of the amount of repeat viewings. It's why the Harry Potter franchise has been so successful ’ families and non-fans will only take box office receipts so high, it is the super fans who see the films three, four, five, even twenty times each that create such huge box office receipts. The Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix film took $937+ million at the box office. A tiny, miniscule percentage of that was my viewing it five times, I loved it, couldn't get enough of it. Will I go and watch Deathly Hallows part one five times? Not in a million years, and I highly doubt others will either.

I've put it off too long ’ I now find myself having to write about He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Allowed-To-Write-The-Screenplay, a.k.a. Steve Kloves. (Here I offer an apology and a blindfold to my friend, fellow longtime Leaky stalwart and Kloves fan Bandersnatch) but does the thought of a five hour two-part film penned by Mr. Kloves make anybody else want to jump through the veil themselves?!! Lest we forget, this is the man who in the Prisoner of Azkaban film managed to turn Ron Weasley into the cowardly lion, and Hermione Granger into the Bionic Woman! Be honest, is this the man you Snapeophiles trust with doing justice to your hero? Personally, I'm waiting for Lord Voldemort to cackle, "I'll get you my pretty, and your little dog too."

I just find it unfathomable to understand why Warner Bros. has been so averse to creating one film that is say, three and a half hours long. That is more than sufficient to do justice to the book. History shows that cinema audiences are more than happy to sit time and time again through long films; the examples of Titanic and Return of the King back this up. Titanic had a run time of 194 minutes,5 whilst Return of the King numbed our derrieres for 201 minutes,6 yet still we flocked to see them, making them the highest grossing films of all time.

Instead we are faced with getting two films, six months apart. According to the press release, part one will reach us in November 2010 and part two in May 2011. The first is two years after the Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince film and part two will reach us nearly four years after the release of the book. Again, I feel Warner Bros. has misjudged its audience. The super-fans are slowly losing their fervor for all things Potter, the fandom is slowing down. If part one is judged to be a failure, will the "normal" audience, those who are not super fans, even bother going back to watch part two? The denouement to the Deathly Hallows book is dominated by a fantastic battle scene that is covered in more than one hundred pages of nail biting prose. I can understand the producers perhaps believing that they could not do justice to this battle in one film (in addition to everything else they may want to create), but my argument is that they absolutely could do it all in one film, and do it well. Let's look at the examples of the Lord of the Rings trilogy again. The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers was dominated by a battle at Helm's Deep and, led by Peter Jackson, the film version of the novel was exquisite. Even better was the battle for Gondor in Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, a battle that easily overshadows the Battle of Hogwarts. If New Line Cinema and Peter Jackson could do it ’ why not Warner Bros. and David Yates? One longer film instead of two shorter ones will keep the dramatic tension flowing to great effect.

Back to money again. Once the films have sizzled or sunk at the box office, we then get the DVDs. I would be interested to hear what Warner Bros. have to say about this. Are we, as most anticipate, going to have to pay for two DVDs for one story? Instead of the usual $30 here in Australia, will I have to pay $60? There is no question of an uberfan like me not getting them, of course I have to and WB knows this. I have a nasty taste in my mouth that could be shampoo ¦ no, it's bubotuber pus ¦ no, it's the taste of being ripped off.

I'm sorry Mr. Heyman, you may be as gorgeous as Fleur Weasley, but this decision screams out, "money, money, money." The Hogwarts Express gravy train is on its last journey and you appear to be clinging on by your fingertips. Time will tell whether this is a decision you come to rue.

Notes

1. Business Wire, "Warner Bros. Plans Two-Part Film Adaptation' paragraph 1.

2. IMDb, "All-Time Worldwide Box office."

3. Oatts, "Rowling: Some will loathe it' paragraph 2.

4. Rowling, Deathly Hallows, 296’314.

5. IMDb, "Titanic."

6. Ibid., "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King."

Bibliography

Business Wire. "Warner Bros. Plans Two-Part Film Adaptation of "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" to Be Directed by David Yates." Business Wire, 13 March 2008, http://www.businesswire.com/portal/site/google/?ndmViewId=news_view&newsId=20080313005332&newsLang=en (accessed 21 April 2008).

The Internet Movie Database (IMDb). "All-Time Worldwide Box office." http://www.imdb.com/boxoffice/alltimegross?region=world-wide (accessed 21 April 2008).

”””. "Titanic." http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120338/ (accessed 21 April 2008).

”””. "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King." http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0167260/ (accessed 21 April 2008).

Oatts, Joanne. "Rowling: Some will loathe it." digital spy, 13 July 2007. http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/tv/a65641/rowling-some-will-loathe-it.html (accessed 21 April 2008).

Rowling, J.K. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, London: Bloomsbury, 2007.

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The Leaky Cauldron - Scribbulus

[princealigorna]

Hollywood

Dear Hollywood I just want you to know it's to you I address this: I hate you! I fucking hate you You are a genital wart on the clitoris of the Pacific Rim You are a mortal wound to the womb of Sweet California You are the reason little girls leave home with stars in their eyes And come back with broken hearts and AIDS You are why young men seek a fast fortune Only to end up with blue balls and holes in their sinus cavities You make us all a little less intelligent You have turned me from a young intellectual who analyzed Poe and recited Whitman Into a stupid oaf that just wants to see a parade of tits and explosions You have transformed from a land of dreams and milk and honey Into a land of sex, lies, and stalkerazzi You crumble under weak foundations of blow and speed and methadone Your illness is a global pandemic You turn classics into garbage And alchemy trash into gold to line your pocket books You care not for your young You have raised a generation on ass and cock and coke You have shoved your mighty phallus into the ass of America for too long I will be raped not more And you shall weep as you die alone I miss the old days I miss when "family" movies were fun and clean I miss when R-rated films were a secret release for when mom rented them and allowed me to watch with her I miss when a movie could be scary without making Cannibal Corpse lyrics seem tame I miss Lion King I miss Rambo I miss Dracula I miss the part of me that got lost in you I hate everything you stand for I hate your fitted dresses and million dollar tuxedos I hate your "bling" I hate your silly smiles and fake tans/tits I hate your conformity I hate turning on the radio to hear 14 people playing the same number I hate seeing 30 versions of the same fucking film,only with different titles I hate your greed I hate that you make arteurs kill themselves to escape you I hate everything you've become Since when did having a cult of personality actually trump having a personality? Since when did "fuck you" become something more than "fuck you"? How's this sound? "Fuck you and fuck your fucking momma's fucking corpse!" Does that sound endearing to you? Do you still love this messy hair? These $10 clothes? These yellowed teeth? This body fat? You never did? But what about my brilliant green eyes? They still entice you, right? I can still become a superstar, right? I mean I have talent and pretty eyes, even if the rest of me isn't much to look at Ain't it funny how by the standards you set One can become famous whilst among us But only be a celebrity when enjoying the company of their fellow dead? Is this what you wanted Saint Cobain? Is this what you sought, Good Garcia? And you, Miles? Did Ornette, John, and you decide this is what "cool" and "free" is? Was this what you saw on you journey, Adored Kerouac, Buddha of the American Blues? And what of you, Mentor Ginsberg ,true seer of the nature around us? Was this on the itinerary sweet Norma Jean? Does it feel great to be known, Precious Tate? Is it any wonder Roman Polanski became an insane pedophile when you kill the ones that love you the most And whore out your children? Hairless cunts in your porno flicks reflect what Roman knew all along We're all pedophiles It is only a matter of rather or not we lot our conscience get in the way of our carnal desires Do we take our clean cunts with 27 year old breast Or do we fuck the ass and twat and suckle the balls of youth While you sit back and decide rather or not the show is good enough to make a movie about You are a cancer to the young girls of America You with your Paris Hilton and heroin chic and eating disorders You with your syphilis and anal warts and HIV You with your teenage whores smothering the producers' baby batter over their young breasts just to get a bit part in the background You are a land where Christ is found in who plays the new Batman And Satan is the man that thinks for himself You do not make art Instead your writers are like factory line workers Rewarded with mediocrity to produce hackneyed trite Your producers do nothing but make horse shit And force-feed us the undigested corn kernels Your directors lack vision, so think us blind as well Your streets were once paved with the gold of 25 million dreams Now they are leaden monstrosities Pointing the way to a "walk of fame" that lost it's meaning many moons ago A once-great symbol of class, now reduced to a roadmap of the billion genitals you cram down our throats daily, expecting us to shout like eager Vietnamese whores "Fuck me, soldier boy, fuck me!" I reject your notion of beauty! I refuse to throw up a perfectly good grease burger for you I refuse your fad diets I only work out when it suits me Since I now have work and school and I'm not attached to anyone, guess what IT DOESN'T FUCKING SUIT ME! I refuse to pay ridiculously large sums of my hard earned cash on pieces of cloth meant only so I don't die of exposure and to give my balls some privacy, when Wal-Mart has them at half price! I refuse to have smooth skin My pimples are unique This one here is Moe I much prefer my pasty complexion to your "exotic" one, and I like a natural brown and red tan to your seven shades of orange Yes I have a colic! No, I will not fix it! No, I will not use your overpriced gel! No, I will not get that male manicure! And for the last motherfucking time, I don't want my teeth to look like a bleached skeleton! You do not define "cool" to me I know cool Individuality is cool Jazz is cool Noise is cool Comic books are cool( although your movies based on them suck more dick than Carson Kresley in a San Fran gay pride parade) Takashi Miike is cool YOU ARE NOT COOL! I won't allow you to ravage my country anymore In my dreams I bludgeon your "musicians" I eviscerate your producers I vivisect your directors I take a shotgun to your writers And I hang your actors by their intestines And I wake up with a smile You are a dying slut A shell of a once-great deity Your followers abandon you Just like all gods before Because they finally see the lies you sell In response you belittle them You call them off like a plague out to destroy you Instead it is you that is killing yourself No one is pirating out your legacy and your seed,for you grew impotent and infertile ages ago And now we can add incontinent to the list For you are just shitting away your last days into a colostomy bag of tedium Soon you shall be no more Soon I shall be at your wake, mourning the greatness you once were And at your funeral after the eulogy is spoken and the threnody recited I SHALL SPIT ON YOUR GRAVE!        

[thelittleredwhocould]

Tagged by @ultimatefandomtrash61​

LAST:

1- Drink: A Pineapple Upside Down Cake from Fiz (Utah-based soda bar; they’re a thing and I love it) 2- Last Phone Call: My grandma 3- Text Message: My manager 4- Song listened to: This one 5- Time you cried: Last week

HAVE YOU:

6- Dated someone twice: Nope. 7- Kissed someone and regretted it- Never been kissed, so... 8- Been Cheated on: Nope. 9- Lost someone special: Yes. 10- Been Depressed: I’m always depressed. Gotta love mental illnesses! 11- Gotten Drunk and thrown up: Nope.

LIST THREE COLORS

12- Olive green 13- Grey 14- Lilac

IN THE LAST YEAR HAVE YOU

15: Made New Friends- Yep! 16: Fallen out of love: Nope. 17- Laughed until you cried: Yup! Being tired to the point of lunacy is a lot of fun with a good group of equally tired people. 18- Found out someone was talking about you: Yes. High school sucked. 19- Found out who your friends are: Definitely 20- Kissed someone on Facebook: No? That’s a thing?? Ew

GENERAL

21- How many of you facebook friends do you know in real life: All of them. Whether I talk to them anymore is another matter. 22: Do you have any pets: Not on my own, but my family has a dog. Search “Titus” on my blog and you’ll probably find him.

23: Do you want to change your name: Nope 24: What did you do on ur last bday: Get lectured to the point of tears by my statistics professor and go to the touring Broadway production of The Lion King at the Eccles Theatre for free. 25- What time do you wake up: On weekdays, 7am. On weekend, maybe noon. Maybe. Unless I’m working, then 7am still. 26: What were you doing at midnight last night: Trying to get my classmates to get their shit together so we could film today (didn’t work) 27- Name somethings you can’t wait for: Tonight’s episode of Supernatural, Thanksgiving, Christmas break, the day I finally get to quit my stupid job. 28: When was the last time you saw your mom: Like two weeks or so ago. I miss her. 29: What is one thing you could change: Maybe how fucking tired and unmotivated I am 24/7. 30: What are you listening to right now: @jaebirdie​ is playing Jenna Marbles videos. 31- Have you ever talked to someone named Tom: Yep. 32: Something that is getting on your nerves: People who can’t fucking tag things right. Please don’t use tags that aren’t directly related to your post. All it does is make it harder for people to actually find the stuff they’re looking for. I’m sorry, but I don’t want to scroll through the Sam tag and find endless Destiel stuff, even though I like Destiel. So yeah. Don’t do that. It’s stupid and rude. 33: Most Visited Sites: Tumblr, Canvas, Google Docs, and AO3 34: Moles: I think I have one or two? 35: Marks: I have some scars, but I’m like 90% freckles. Seriously. 36: Childhood dream: To be an author. 37: Hair color: Dark red, but it lights up kinda gold-orange in sunlight and I fucking love it. 38: Long or short hair: Short- like shoulder length- but it used to be down to my waistband. I cut it a while back and lost almost two feet (and yes, I donated it) 39: Do you have a crush on someone: ... Does Jared/Sam count? 40: What do you like about yourself: My hair and sometimes my mouth, for some reason? Idk 41: Piercings: One in each ear. I want a cartilage piercing, but my family would freak so I’m probably gonna end up waiting on that until I’m officially moved out and stuffs. 42: Blood type: A-something 43: Nicknames: Kenzi 44: Relationship Status: Single af 45: Zodiac Sign: Aries 46: Pronouns: She/Her 47: Favorite TV Shows: Supernatural, White Collar, Criminal Minds, Person of Interest, NCIS. 48: Left or Right Handed: Right 49: Surgery: Well, I got my wisdom teeth out. 50: Hair dyed in a different color: Never. 51: Sport: Nope. 52: Vacation: I’ve been to Denver, California (Disneyland, Sea World, Universal Studios, the usual), and Seattle. 53: Pair of sneakers: I’m currently wearing Champions

MORE GENERAL:

54: Eating: I had chili for breakfast/lunch 55: Drinking: Still drinking soda. I have a problem 56: I’m about to: Maybe work on my Blind!Dean AU for Nanowrimo 57: Want: To go to Hot Topic and Icing, but @jaebirdie doesn’t have money today so we’re probably gonna go on Saturday. 58: Get married: Not anytime soon. 59: Career: Well, right now I’m a college student working part time at a Utah-based smoothie franchise, but I want to direct film/TV 60: hugs or kisses: Hugs 61: Lips or Eyes: Both, but I have a particular fascination with lips 62: Short or tall: Average (5′6″) 63: Older or younger: Like, to date? I prefer older guys, but I’m not as particular about women. Just as long as they’re legal, cos I’m 20 64: Nice arms or stomach: I don’t have either, but I like both. 65: sensitive or loud: Usually sensitive, but I’m really loud around people I’m comfortable with or when I get excited. 66- Hookup or relationship: Definitely no hook ups. I’m a relationship person all the way. 67: Troublemaker or hesitant: Hesitant. I’m too anxious to be a troublemaker.

HAVE YOU EVER

68- Kissed a stranger: Nope. 69- Drank hard liquor: No 70- Lost Glasses/Contact Lenses: Nope. Don’t wear others. 71- Turned someone down: Pretty sure someone would’ve had to ask me out for this to happen, and that never happens.

PERSONAL

72- Sex on the first date: No. 73- Broken someone’s heart: Maybe 74- Had your heart broken: No. 75- Have been Arrested: No 76- Cried when someone died: Yes 77- Fallen for a friend: Yes! First/only boyfriend was a friend first.

DO YOU BELIEVE IN

78- Yourself: No 79- Miracles: No 80- Love at first sight: No 81- Santa Claus: Not anymore. 82- Kiss on the first date: No.

MORE

83- Current Best Friend: @jaebirdie and @books-and-icecream and @laughing-at-the-darkness 84- Eye Color: Dark brown 85- Fav Movie: The Martian and Jurassic Park

Tagging: @jaebirdie @books-and-icecream @laughing-at-the-darkness @manawhaat @ilostmyshoe-79 @floweryhanzo @withoutaplease

[yellowjckets]

Yes yes yes to the discount list please

okay here’s the Official Guide to Cheap(er) West End Tickets 

italics is something that i’ve either used in the past or something that i’m signed up for!

STUDENT DISCOUNTS

ok so pretty much every student discount option has the age range of 16-25. you don’t need a school id- you just need proof of age of some sort!

student beans is a site tht sells tickets to students for a discounted price (sometimes up to 50% off regular pricing). i haven’t used tht site myself but everyone i know who has used it says it’s good. they also offer gift cards & vouchers through their site so keep an eye out for those too! they don’t just offer west end- you can book for regional productions & off west end through them too as well as other things so that’s pretty cool. they offer you the option of buying a lower band ticket & being upgraded to better seating for free. i just did a test “buy” (i didn’t purchase them but i went through the system) and all their kinky boots tickets are currently 27% off & they list every available ticket so you have totally free choice. this site is good for bigger shows (les mis, phantom, kinky boots, the lion king, book of mormon) because those tickets tend to be more expensive than others due to their popularity. i think you need a student email or id for student beans but i’m not sure bc i haven’t bought anything from there so

national theatre entry pass - it’s a FREE membership for 16-25 year olds tht gives you access to workshops & events run by the national theatre. you can also purchase £7.50 tickets to Every national theatre production (and it’s only £10 to bring a friend also 16-25 who doesn’t have a membership). you need a passport, driving license or your nt pass card to pick up your tickets! you also get discounts at the national theatre bookshop and for their costume and props hire as well (fancy). it’s worth signing up even if you’re not sure as it’s 100% free!

young barbican scheme- this one is for 14-25 year olds and they offer 50 thousand tickets (yearly) for between £5 and £15 to film, music, theatre and dance events. it’s free to sign up so it’s another one that’s worth signing up for just in case anything comes up that you like (and it will ALL be under £15 what a bargain??) like with the above, you can also bring a friend of the same age group for the same price ! you need a photo id to pick up your tickets 

rsc key allows you to see any royal shakespeare production in either london or stratford upon avon for £5. also ! when you’ve seen five shows you get to see one entirely for free which is pretty cool. you can’t get cheaper than tht. you’re also offered discounts throughout the entire rsc & get invitations to exclusive rsc events. it’s free to sign up for 16-25 year olds and it’s well worth signing up for. 

young vic - they offer a limited number of £10 tickets for those who are 25 and under. you need proof of age for when you collect your tickets (yes, this is the place doing fun home london… i managed to recently pick up tickets for £10 even though they went on sale ages ago so). i know loads of people who’ve used this !

mousetrap theatre projects- mousetrap offers four different programmes. theatrelive4£5 is for 15-18 year olds who attend a state secondary school. they email everyone on the list links to tickets for £5 which INCLUDES a pre or post show talk with the cast. i only just signed up for this so idk what it’s like but i’m hyped it sounds great (you do need a consent form emailed if ur under 18 but u can also just do ur parents signature they’ll never know). if you’re signed up to theatrelive4£5 you automatically move to westend4£10 when you turn 19 which lasts until you’re £23. this works the same way & allows you to see theatre for £10. it’s one event a month which includes a talk with the cast & crew. their third group is theatrescene4£15 and runs the same way but for 24-29 year olds. their final group is accesstheatre4£5 and runs the same way as the other groups but allows 16-25 year olds who need captioned or bsl interpreted theatre to see it for a really good price too ! 

access all arias- it’s the london coliseum/eno group, free to join if you’re 16-29 & gives you the opportunity to book two discounted tickets per production (which includes half price programmes). tickets are £30 for stalls, £20 for dress circle, and £10 for upper circle. 

student standby scheme- run by the royal opera house. they release all unsold tickets 24 hours before the performance for £10 and it’s first come first served (and for students 16-25) but it works out way cheaper than seeing anything there as the tickets are like… £200 for roh productions. 

WEBSITES AND APPS

compare theatre tickets- compares the best deals from some of the major ticket agencies (it’s like compare the market but fr theatre tickets)! i’ve never used it but it looks pretty ? good? it lets you choose a date and shows you all the available prices and tickets for that date (or date range)

theatre monkey- offers tickets at a cheaper price than the official sites most of the time 

todaytix- i love todaytix i .. have spent so much money on there. offers tickets to a whole load of west end plays & musicals. you can buy tickets for any show through the next week/month (& sometimes they offer advance booking for certan shows) and they never sell restricted view seating. ALSO rush tickets & lottery can be entered through the app for a lot of shows so it’s definitely worth downloading. ALSO i have a code here for £10 off your order (which will also give me £10 off) just enter GLLTD when u go to the checkout !

get into london theatre- allows you to choose a price range and shows you what tickets are available for the price you can afford which is p cool

what’s on stage- another site for cheaper tickets, doesn’t really offer many shows but it’s great if it has what you’re looking for i guess !

IN PERSON

tkts- official london theatre booth in leicester square, tickets are usually about 30% down from the theatre prices. tickets can also be bought from their website. queues can be up to an hour in the summer, but are usually shorter around winter time and on schooldays. 

LOTTERY/RUSH

dreamgirls- £15 front row lottery, enter on the day (online, todaytix)

book of mormon- £20 front row lottery, enter on wednesday for the next week performances (online, todaytix)

kinky boots- £20 front row lottery, enter on the day (online, todaytix)

everybody’s talking about jamie- £20 front row lottery, enter on the day (online, todaytix)

42nd street- £25 any seat rush, opens 10am on the day (online, todaytix)

motown the musical- £25 any seat rush, opens 10am on the day (online, todaytix)

the woman in white- £18 any seat rush, opens 10am on the day (online, todaytix)

the ferryman- £25 any seat rush, opens 10am on the day (online, todaytix)

the birthday party- £20 any seat rush, opens 10am on the day (online, todaytix)

julius caesar- £10 any seat rush, opens 10am on the day (online, todaytix)

antony & cleopatra- £10 any seat rush, opens 10am on the day (online, todaytix)

titus andronicus- £10 any seat rush, opens 10am on the day (online, todaytix)

SPECIFIC SHOWS/VENUES

shakespeare’s globe- standing room tickets are always £5 for every performance

matilda- 16-25 year olds can queue up at 10am for 16 £5 tickets to that evening’s performance (honestly? i got there at 7am and i was the first in the queue until around 8am, my friend got there past 11am and was still able to get a ticket so!)

school of rock- students can get £10 tickets every wednesday evening from 6:30pm 

there are MORE deals & stuff but these are probably the most useful ones !!

[lovesmesomeskarsgard]

This is a survey you’d probably do around Halloween, but whatever. Maybe it’ll get you in the spooky vibe and ready for that time of year. I’m definitely ready. 1) Favorite horror movie? The Scream and Halloween movies, It (the OG and the newer one) are the top faves. Also, A Quiet Place, The Strangers, Last House on the Left, Orphan, The Ring, and The Others to name some more. I have a few psychological thriller/horror faves, too, like, Split, Get Out, Us, Ma, Unsane, Greta, Black Swan, Gone Girl, etc. There’s a lot that I like. 2) Scariest place to be outside at night where you live? I’d like to not be anywhere outside at night. 3) Any animal fears? I have this weird fear of killer whales. I can’t even look at photos or see them in a movie or something. Something about them freaks me out. I think it’s the white patches on the sides of their head. Gah, just thinking about them now. It’s so irrational cause I’ sure I’lll never encounter one, but kjksljlsfd. Also, I’d like to never encounter a lion, tiger, bear, or any other wild animal that could kill me. However, I can see them in a photo, on TV, or at the zoo and be fine. Killer whales, though... 4) When you were younger what were you afraid of? Bugs, the dark, and funny enough, Ghostface from Scream. I love those movies now.  5) When you were younger, how did you cope with your fears? I slept with my TV on (still do) so that helped with the fear of the dark. As for bugs... I’m still very afraid of them and there’s nothing that helps me with that. 6) Is a basement or attic scarier to you? They’re not scary for being a basement or an attic. It’s if it’s all dark and has spiderwebs and creepy stuff, ha. 

7) Ever have recurring nightmares? Yes. There’s a few. 8) Favorite old horror film? The first Halloween movie will always be the best. 9) Are you comfortable being at home alone? Yeah, during the day. 10) Has the fear of something ever kept you up all night? Seeing a spider or any bug in my room and either not being able to kill it (like if it’s on the ceiling because then I can’t get it) or if I don’t know where it went. I can’t sleep until I know it’s dead. 11) When you imagined monsters when you were younger, what did they look like?  I honestly can't remember. I don’t remember having a fear of monsters. 12) Do you sleep with one foot out of the covers or both under?  Neither, but I do sometimes sleep with one arm out of the covers.  13) What is your natural response upon hearing a loud crash in your house? The loud sound causes me to jump and then my heart is racing and I’m all anxious. This morning something like that happened, actually. It wasn’t super loud, but I heard something fall in the living room so I went to check it out and I saw this toy crossbow my brother has on the floor, which wasn’t there before. I texted my brother to ask him where it had been, and he said it was on the bottom shelf of these shelves we have in the living room. Uh... wtf. I have no idea how it just randomly fell like that, but it creeped me out.  14) Have you ever played any horror games? (The Midnight Man, One Man Tag, Three Kings, Kokkuri-San)  I used to play this Nancy Drew game as a kid that scared me haha. It had some jump scare type stuff in it. I do play these hidden object/murder mystery games on my phone that are supposed to be kinda creepy, but they’re not at all. 15) Top 5 scariest noises to hear when you’re alone? Voices, whispering, screams, creaking, footsteps. <<< Ahhh yeah, those are definitely scary. 16) Pick a horror movie and explain how you would survive.  Oh pfft, I wouldn’t survive let’s be real. I’m a big baby, I’d be first to go. 17) Do you have pre-planned hiding places in your house for scary situations? Kind of. 18) Have your experienced any paranormal happenings? What happened earlier with that crossbow kinda felt like it, ha. Oh, and one time this old surround sound stereo things we had for the TV started messing up and it would just randomly turn on and make a loud noise. That happened once when I was alone and I couldn’t get the damn off and it was hard for me to get to the plug, so it took me awhile. Not saying that was paranormal, but it scared me lol. 19) Do you believe in ghosts? I believe spirits exist.  20) Are there any spots in your house you are to afraid to be? No. 21) Any recommendations for horror films? Go watch the Halloween movies. 22) Do you prefer gore or thrillers? Thrillers.  23) What did your parents tell you about monsters when you were young? Like I said, I really don’t remember that being an issue for me as a kid. 24) Are you a fan of jump scares?  I mean, I guess that’s part of what makes a scary movie good. I’m so jumpy so it happens even when it’s not intentional, though.  Like just in my everyday life. For me it could just be my mom or brother or whoever popping their head into my room to say hello and I’ll jump. lol. 25) What is your go to for horror entertainment? Depends what I’m in the mood for. 26) Do you believe aliens or other life forms exist?  I don’t know, man. 27) Have you read Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark? If so, what was your favorite or what was the scariest story? Yesss. That book was so creepy, but I liked it. There’s actually a movie coming out for that soon. 28) Have you ever been near a murder scene? Nooo. 29) Would you ever spend the night in an abandoned building? Nooo. 30) Are you superstitious? I sometimes do the “knock on wood” thing, but that’s just habit. 31) Have you ever had a fortune told to you that came true? I don’t believe in those. 32) Do you sleep with your window open? No. 33) Have you ever trespassed onto private property late at night? No. I’m not out late at night, I’m at home in my bed. 34) Would you ever stay overnight in a place that is said to be haunted? Nope. 35) Do you ever have dreams/nightmares that end up occurring in real life? Not that I can think of. 36) Have you ever worked in a haunted house? If not, have you wanted to? Nope. 37) Have you ever seen something super spooky and unexplainable? Not personally. 38) Scariest horror game you’ve played? I’ve only played the games I talked about before, none of which I’d consider scary. Well, I don’t know about the Nancy Drew one, but I don’t think they even make those games anymore. I don’t play games like Resident Evil or anything.  39) What do you do for Halloween? Nothing really anymore. The last 3 years I’ve just stayed home, got some take out and sweets to munch on, and watched scary movies.  40) What were you on Halloween? I haven’t dressed up for the past 4 years. I’m over that. 41) Ghosts or Ghouls? Same thing? 42) Do you have any phobias? Yes. 43) While on the subject of phobias, do you have any things you want people to tag for safety?  No, it’s okay. Thankfully, I don’t come across stuff like that on my dash. 

44) Have you ever used a Ouija Board? If so, did anything happen during your experience?  No, and I have no desire to. I don’t mess with stuff like that. 45) Favorite horror movie antagonist? Michael Myers. 46) Favorite horror musical? I haven’t seen any horror musicals.  47) Zombie apocalypse weapon of choice? I don’t know.  I wouldn’t be around long regardless of my weapon. 48) Have you ever read Goosebumps? Yes, I loved Goosebumps as a kid.  49) What would be your back story if you were the killer in a horror movie? I don’t want to be the killer. 50) Have you ever gone ghost hunting? Nah, I’m good.