#agnes has one too dw

[kindred-sims]

Character Moodboard - William Joseph Barclay

Gen One Founder

Husband of Agnes Claire Barclay

Read his story here!

[hunting-season]

Heya, it's the anon who requested this! I'm sorry that I didn't notice that you only write for platonic/familiar request :,)

Also I'm fine with you writing the best friend reader like you suggested :D

it's okay! dw abt it :) twas simple enough to turn your prompt around from a romantic one to a platonic one!! changed it a bit more cause im feeling a comedy mood and experimental style agn...maybe I'll just call it dorm leader style lol

Best Friend!Reader walks in on the Dorm Leader changing

mentions of underwear, semi-nakedness, and light body issues

Your best friend is anticipating your arrival. It's just a study session, but it's been too long since they've been able to hang out with you! Being dorm leader is unfortunately a busy job, either because of (unofficial) vice leaders unexpectedly dropping more work onto them, or general dorm activities and issues that desperately needed attention. Which is to say, your overworked best friend completely forgot about your lack of knocking...

Riddle almost screamed when you opened the door. He was just in the middle of pulling up his skirts! He's yelling and sputtering as he hastily pulls his dorm uniform on right around him. Stop staring! It's going to be off with your head if you don't! Yes his underpants are hedgehog-print, don't laugh!

Leona really couldn't care, he smelled you just before you kicked open his door. It was just his shirt off anyway, he has his pants on. Stop calling them assless chaps, by the way. He literally shows off more skin during Savanaclaw practices. Oi, stop poking his muscles, you see them all the time.

Azul does scream when you open the door. Don't look at him! Yes you know of his stretch marks, but now they're on full display and Azul doesn't want that! He's quick to pull down his shirt over his head, frazzled and wide-eyed. Just tell him you didn't see anything and assure him you didn't. If you're feeling a little teasing, poke his sides! But do console him. Even if he trusts you, he's still sensitive.

Kalim jumps but is excited you're here! Great Seven, it's been so long!! There's a party later tonight for you, and Kalim's been so excited! Are you? He gives you a hug while pantless. Joke that it looks like he's getting ready to sleep and he'll laugh. He missed you so much!

Vil is surprised but only raises an eyebrow at the intrusion. It's just you, after all. If you stare for a bit, he'll tease you about it. You likely caught him while he was deciding between outfits, so he'll ask for your opinion on things! The study session gets delayed for a small fashion runway gag.

If he could, Idia would definitely be clinging onto the ceiling like a cartoon cat. You scared him! Rare moment of seeing him without a hoodie on. Idia is mumbling incoherently about how barging into places is a common trope in animanga arcs that hinge on miscommunication; it's his method of staying calm. Crack jokes about the trope while passing him his hoodie and Idia will forget you practically saw him naked (he was still wearing a shirt; you saw So Much of his arms).

Malleus hears Sebek's screams before the door groaning open. He's pleasantly surprised to see you! It's been so long, best friend; have you been well? What are you-- Yes, his underwear does have GaoGao Dragon-kun's visage printed on it. Lilia got it for him. (Sebek is still screaming as you two talk [Malleus puts on his pants at the same time].)

[femvimes]

So you’ve watched and read Good Omens, now what?

Hi there! Your friendly local Terry Pratchett fan here. If you’re anything like me, you’ve been looking for something Good Omens-ish to read ever since you finished the show. I’ll start with the caveat that I haven’t read much of Neil Gaiman, so others can chime in on appropriately-similar things that he’s written. 

First step would be, of course, to read the book itself. Okay, back already? Done that?

Next, well, it depends on what aspects of the show you want to focus on. Obviously we all love Crowley and Aziraphale, and I’ll get to them. They’re actually kind of unique in the pantheon of characters that Terry wrote, so I’ll move on to:

The Them

Terry tried out the kid dynamic only a few years after Gomens with the Johnny Maxwell trilogy. They are Only You Can Save Mankind, Johnny and the Dead, and Johnny and the Bomb. Like Adam Young, Johnny is a “Just William���-like character and has a gang of friends whom weird things happen to.

Neil wrote a book that I would consider similar to Johnny and the Dead which you may have heard of: The Graveyard Book. It’s been some years since I read it, but I think it was my first Gaiman and I enjoyed it. It’s about a baby who is abandoned in a graveyard and gets raised by ghosts.

The Four Horsemen

This one is super easy, because Gomens Death has kind of been transplanted from Discworld. Like Gomens!Death, DW!Death TALKS LIKE THIS, has a similar aesthetic, and shows up whenever important characters die. DW!Death has a surprisingly deep sense of justice and has saved the world on more than one occasion. Two memorable occasions are in Reaper Man and Thief of Time. ToT includes another take on the Four Horsemen’s ride and features Death’s human(ish) granddaughter Susan. Reaper Man is a fan-favorite and involves Death retiring and becoming human.

Neil created his own psychopomp, Death from the Sandman comics. I know next-to-nothing about this character except for the fact that she appears as a kind young woman, so if that sounds intriguing, check her out.

Heaven and Hell

This element is unique to the show, but I was reminded of the office politics of the demons in Eric by Terry. Also, Terry’s first ever short story, written when he was twelve, was about a man making a rather unique deal with the devil. It’s called “The Hades Business” and you can find it in the short story collection A Blink of the Screen. Small Gods and The Last Hero, both from the Discworld series, deal with the Discworld gods. Small Gods is more Big Idea like Gomens, and widely considered to be one of his best.

From Neil, of course, there’s American Gods, which is my personal favorite of his. Also deals with belief. It’s less lighthearted than Gomens and has some excellent American Gothic. I think Neil’s outsider perspective on America allowed him to write one of the most American novels ever.

Anathema/Newt/Shadwell/Tracy

Sorry, I’m just going to lump these all in together. Newt and Anathema follow a very recognizable early Terry relationship profile, of a kind of incompetent man and a practical women. Find this again in Wyrd Sisters and Moving Pictures. For Shadwell and Mme. Tracy, I look to that holy bible of Discworld books, Guards! Guards!, which features two unlikely characters no longer in the prime of their life getting together at the end. (And making one of my favorite couples in literature.)

Agnes Nutter comes up again (kind of) in the Discworld books as the witch Agnes Nitt. The characters aren’t similar except for the fact that they’re both witches. Agnes is proudly fat, practical, and has an otherworldly singing talent. Her best books are Maskerade and Carpe Jugulum.

Aziraphale and Crowley

Gays throughout history GAYS THROUGHOUT HISTORY

I practice self care by reading queer romance novels, and you should too. As I said before, Terry and Neil (as far as I know) never wrote another dynamic that was quite like Aziraphale and Crowley. So, as a gift to you, I’m just going to recommend my favorite gay novels, in roughly historical order:

Thick as Thieves by Megan Whalen Turner (This is NOT CANON but I have hopes for the sequel.) (Alternative history Ancient Greece.) This is the fifth in the incredible Queen’s Thief series, but it’s a great standalone. A guard from an enemy country frees a slave, the slave is conflicted about it, and they go on a big ol’ gay road trip.

The Ruin of a Rake by Cat Sebastian. (Regency era.) God, this BOOK - Julian Medlock writes a book and models the villain after his hate-crush Lord Courtenay. When Courtenay’s reputation is so smeared he can’t visit his beloved nephew, Julian’s sister (and Courteny’s friend) Eleanor convinces them to team up to bring Courtenay back into society’s good graces. It’s fluffy and incredible, y’all.

An Unnatural Vice by KJ Charles. (Victorian era.) Nathaniel Roy feels obligated to expose charlatan medium Justin Lazarus, even though they have a definite attraction to each other. When they’re both caught up in a sordid (and dangerous) scandal, Nathaniel spirits them away to his family’s country house where they fall in love. This is the second in the Sins of the City trilogy, and the whole series is interconnected, but this one’s my favorite.

And there you have it! Again, anyone else feel free to chime in on more read-alikes by Neil Gaiman. It’s really interesting to see them both use the themes that they introduced in Gomens in their other work. Gomens is similar to a lot of late-eighties/early-nineties Pratchett, and I would imagine the same applies to Neil.

[pigeons-svtfoe-au]

Hi I recently started following you and I'm a bit confused, who are all your OCs? (Sorry if this is a stupid question 😅)

Aye dw! this isn’t stupid! Even I go “who are my oc lmao”

Well I have 5 main au’s

All of them where created by an OC of mine

Mother Universe

so

Universe 1

Brunilda

Taurus

Félix

Sato

Dylan (you may know him too as Alexander)

Lily

Sirius

Suré

Ariadna Agnes

Boris

Coral

Rune

Alice

Andrew

I don’t thing he ever got a name so he is called “Félix Dad”

Nicholas

Charlotte

Magdalene

The gods (yeah they exist)

The cult

Sato’s Brother

And got lots more but are mostly background

Universe 2

Poeta

Sergius

Abalam

Evelyn

Milo

Hoshi

There’s not really much character in this one jajsfi

Universe 3

Adhara

Dylan

Jack

Scarlett

Sol

Artemisa

Again, there’s not many people asfuasof

Universe 4

Pandora

André

Mary

Wendy

Abigail

Wilson

Willow

Webber

Vincent Guertena

Webber’s mom

Webber’s siblings (mostly background)

This au has more people at least

Universe 5

Ixchel

Hollow

Hollow’s sister

Ivlis

Igls

Pelagia (probably will be moved)

Pelagia’s brother (never appeared, probably will be moved)

uh, this au I don’t draw much but it still important to my soul

-And I have a multiverse Au, that’s a school!

I have manymany characters there

Headmaster

Teachers

Leader of the student council

Namya 

Ethan

Rosette

Matthew

Apollo

Ariadna

Aurora

Danna

Atenea

Queenie

Soraya

Alba

Amelie

Virtue

A moth girl

Licorice

Meztli

Andromeda

Primrose

a Tomskar

Consuelo

Jasmine

Leila

(unknown)

Lilith

Galaxia

Lyra

Stellar

Golden 

Harpy

Kira

Luciana

Alvy

Jackie

Bella

Yaretzi

Alba

Areglow

William

Callipso

a tomckie boy I haven’t named yET

Danna’s little sister

A Jushtin kid

A jushtin gurl (both of them are siblins but I haven’t really designed them)

aND I think that’s it???

Even so if I remember someone that I haven’t mentioned I will add it

aND I hope you enjoy here! If you have any more questions don’t be afraid to ask! that’s why I have the asks open uwus

[mcukinkbang]

Weekly Round Up #2

It’s that Wonderful Time again! That’s right! It’s time for the *drumroll* WEEEEEKLY ROOOOOUUUND UP!

watch me (put on a show)

words By: tropicalcap (Ao3) Art By: TrishArgh (Ao3/Twitter)

Link to DW Masterpost

“Your idea of fun is letting creepy men watch us have sex?”

Not All Roads Lead to Rome

Words by: RavenClawWitch18 (ao3) Art by: TrishArgh (ao3/Twitter)

Link to DW Masterpost

Bucky goes out with his co-workers to celebrate his birthday. He ends up helping one of the dancers out of an uncomfortable position and is given a lap dance by the dancer and his friend as thanks. When the night is over, Bucky goes home and implements his plans to take care of his boyfriend after a long day at work.

Brambles and Bonfires

Words by: TorchLake (ao3) Art by: Lasenbyphoenix (ao3)

Link to Dw Masterpost

Bucky is an Alpha gone feral living up in the mountains. Steve is a lost Omega wannabe-hiker. Bucky, a creature of instinct, decides he’ll make the perfect mate to keep and breed, no matter what Steve has to say on the matter.

The Sex Gods

Words by: GOLDEN_ASP (ao3) Art by: PUDDINGRENA (Twitter)

Link to DW Masterpost

The Sex Gods are a world-renowned rock band, and they have a reputation to maintain.

Thor, Loki, Tony, and Stephen live up to their band's name.

Rock Band AU.

Rouge Fétiche

Words by: bangyababy (ao3) Art by: Neutralchaos (twitter)

Link to DW Masterpost

“Steve,” Bucky breathed, coming closer. “Stevie, what’s all this?”

Steve made no move to cover himself, now that Bucky had seen it, there was no point. Instead, he crossed his arms over his chest and stared at the ground. “What’s it look like?” he bit out. “I’m wearin’ women’s panties, that’s what it is.”

-

Steve has been keeping a secret from Bucky-sometimes he likes to wear women's underwear. He thinks it's wrong and he shouldn't want to do it, but he can't help it, so he keeps it to himself. But when Bucky walks in on him one day, Steve eventually has to explain himself. Of course, as it turns out, he was worried about nothing.

Magic Makes Everything Better

Words By: Golden_Asp (ao3) Art by: Astralaberration (Twitter)

Link to DW Masterpost

Tony needs to finish whatever the hell he's working on, but Stephen has a plan to get him away from the lab into his bed. It involves a little magic, a little coercion, and two of him.

Tony says he's not interested, but he so is.

Three Years Down the Line (and i'm falling hard)

Words By: HyfrydCymru (ao3/Tumblr) Art by: LovelyGarnet (ao3/Tumblr)

Link to Dw Masterpost

It’s almost too easy to press the inside of his wrist to the scalding hot metal and hold it there until he’s shaking and sobbing quietly. He wouldn’t have wanted to disturb the neighbours.

Give and Take 

Words By: meshkol (ao3) Art By: PjCole (ao3)

Link to Dw Masterpost

Tony’s tired and stretched thin, throat aching from talking and yelling, running off too-little sleep and too much anxiety and pressure, and he just wants to breathe. He needs to let it all out, release all the tension from putting on this controlling and impenetrable mask, needs to—he just needs Steve. Steve is the only sane thing in Tony’s world, the only thing that makes a lick of sense in this mad existence, and maybe neither one of them had expected family or stability in their extraordinary and traumatic lives, but they’ve found their unique version of it in each other regardless

As Much As You Can Take

Words by: sharkie335 (ao3) Art by:thefilthiestpiglet

Link to Dw Masterpost

Steve and Bucky are in a relationship. But Steve has a fantasy about sharing Bucky, a fantasy that Natasha is more than happy to help come true.

Forgive me Father, For I have sinned

Words by:Fierysky (Ao3) Art By: Hazien (ao3)

Link to DW Masterpost

Catholic Priest, Father Roberto Reyes has built a reputation of exorcizing demons and has been summoned to the Saint Agnes Orphanage because of supernatural activity.

He soon finds out that the cause is student Skye, and she needs expert handling.

Just One Night

Words By: theMadStarker (ao3/tumblr) Art by: LovelyGarnet (ao3/Tumblr)

Link to DW Masterpost

Tony sees Peter as his sweet, goofy mentee. Peter just wants one night to change his mind, just one…

Emotions, Feelings and Misunderstandings, Oh My

Words By:Nixie_DeAngel (ao3) Art By:PjCole (ao3)

Link to Dw Masterpost

Really, Tony isn’t surprised. Maybe a little hurt but not in the least bit surprised that Steve pulls the plug.

Cause really, who wants to let the guy they’re sleeping with hear all about the other people they think about when their fucking someone else?

No one would does, that’s who, because it’d be stupid to do so.

Masquerade

Words By:sirsable (ao3/Tumblr) Art By: Crankyfractal (ao3/tumblr)

Link to DW Masterpost

Lord Bucky Barnes is tired of the dull repetition of the London social season. Every year, it's political games and stuffy suits and niceties so stiff it makes his teeth hurt. But this year is different. This year, he runs into a handsome stranger at a masked ball, and there's a chemistry there that neither can deny. Finally, some excitement in his life.

Forward, Always Forward

Words by: brighteyedjill (ao3) Art by: helahler (ao3)

Link to DW Masterpost

Are you sure you’re up for this, Soldier?” His current handler, the Captain, regarded him from behind his mask, head cocked slightly to the side as if considering whether he liked what he saw.

The Asset turned a flat glare on him. “Ready to comply.”

“Good.” A quick flash of a smile, then the Captain resumed his serious expression. “Remember, it’s not a race, it’s a test of endurance. You can begin when you’re ready.”

Bucky and Steve have found a way to play together that works for both of them.

What a Way to Go

Words by: Taleworthtelling (ao3) Art By: helaher(ao3)

Link to DW Masterpost

Steve didn’t feel any different.

Clearly, something had changed – hell, the evidence was staring him right in the face – but if you’d asked Steve Rogers before today what it might feel like to be magically split into five versions of yourself, he might have at least expected it to tickle.

Beside him, Bucky sighed. “I’ll go cancel the reservation.”

Steve gets magic-whammied and decides to use it as an opportunity

Critical Hit On My Heart (Save vs Ecstasy Remix)

Words by: Firelightmystic (ao3) Art By: Morgendämmerung89

Link to DW Masterpost

If You Give The Sorcerer Supreme A Spellbook...

[annavolovodov]

doctor who and humans?? 💕

Which has the better protagonist: This is hard because Humans technically doesn’t have a protagonist and the Doctor changes every few years. If we can count Mia as the protagonist then I guess I’ll say Humans since she’s literally the love of my life and I’m not keen on every single regeneration of the Doctor.Which has the better villain: hmm… DW has some truly excellent villains that gave me nightmares for years (think the Weeping Angels, the Silence, the Cybermen) but also has some not-so-great ones too (*cough*loveandmonsters*cough*). Humans has several characters in antagonistic positions at various points rather than an overarching villain, but I think all the synth antagonists like Hester, Anatole and Agnes are quite easy to sympathise with, and the human villains like Dryden, Joe, Ed, Neil, all feel very realistic???? Like I can imagine actually finding people like that if we had synths in real life?????? So I guess I’ll say Humans.Which has the better plot: ughhhh. I’m gonna say DW as it constantly reinvents itself and also I’m not sure if I like where the plot of Humans is going rn.Which has better cinematography: Gonna call a draw. Which one is more fun: Doctor Who, hands down. I love Humans but watching it can be very emotionally stressful (DW can be as well at times, but there are plenty of lighthearted episodes to balance it out).Which one makes me think the most: Some of the series-arcs in DW had me theorising for hours as a kid but I kinda feel like my brain has been constantly in Humans-mode since S2 ended 😂Which do I watch when I want to relax: Doctor Who. Humans could not possibly be LESS relaxing.Which do I watch when I want it to consume me: DW S1, S5, S6 and S10 completely suck me in, bUT I did also once rewatch all of Humans S2 in the space of a day. Another draw.Which is my favorite: A few months ago I’d say Humans in a heartbeat but 3.08 has me doubting!!!!!! Overall it’s probably still Humans but if I’m basing it on the last episode that aired of both shows I definitely liked TWWFTE more than 3.08.

[ilwinsgarden]

Doctor Who, Discworld

Doctor Who (some Anon asked for Doctor Who as well)

Favorite Male Character - (let’s put the Doctor aside :) ) Turlough and Ian Chesterton

Favorite Female Character - eh, I could list almost every classic who companion here but to choose at least two like with the previous question, let’s say Barbara Wright and Jo Grant

Least Favorite Character - second Romana and Clara Oswald since she was with Twelve to name some nuWho one as well (that’s like least favourite characters among companions, there might be some least favourite characters among some side characters too but remember that among so many characters that DW has…)

Favorite Ship - Ian/Barbara of course :)

Favorite Friendship - Jo Grant with Third Doctor

Favorite Quote - “Courage isn’t just a matter of not being frightened, you know. It’s being afraid and doing what you have to do anyway.” (Third Doctor)

Worst Character Death (if any) - Katarina (though this is probably more from the point of view of the viewer and kind of you know... like... why did they have to kill she could have been interesting companion)

This made me so happy you have no idea Moment - Ian and Barbara coming home? I don’t know I can’t quite say there would be some moment that would be made me happy that significantly (well if it would, I would think of it when asked I guess?)

Saddest Moment - if I put aside the deaths in the series than probably the Doctor saying goodbye to Susan. Basically saying goodbye to every companion but it’s even more strong with Susan I think. Also because of his speech there.

Favorite Location - well if I put aside Earth so I can’t answer with historical stories on Earth (like The Romans or The Aztecs) than... eh, ok, wait a minute I’ll look at the titles of the stories... Peladon. :) (but yeah I needed to remind myself with looking at the titles lol)

Discworld

Favorite Male Character - Moist von Lipwig, Ptepice, Ponder Stibonns (not quite sure about his name in original, sorry if I misspelled)

Favorite Female Character - Adora Belle Dearheart, Magrat Garlick, Esk, Agnes Nitt, Granny Weatherwax...

Least Favorite Character - Rincewind and Nac Mac Feagles (when we take Tiffany’s series as well, because they’re not that much in the main books). (yeah I’m probably the only one not like them but yeah, that’s me. (for the picture to be complete, I’m not enjoying Vimes that much either. So yeah, weird me)

Favorite Ship - Adora Belle and Moist obviously

Favorite Friendship - Granny Weatherwax and Nanny Ogg :)

Favorite Quote - “The reward for toil had been more toil. If you dug the best ditches, they gave you a bigger shovel.” (it’s so true that it’s painful *sigh*)

Worst Character Death (if any) - ? can’t think of any

This made me so happy you have no idea Moment - not quite such a moment here either (is it something wrong with me or with my fandoms to not have such moments lol)

Saddest Moment - Terry Pratchett’s death (sorry). Well... I can’t think of particularly sad moments in the books either really...

Favorite Location - Lancre

Thanks for asking!

[nitrateglow]

Who are some directors you've been meaning to get into, but haven't checked out in great detail yet?

Kenji Mizoguchi is a director I find very interesting though I have only seen three of his movies. I have seen his later color film Princess Yang-Kwei Fei which is decent and visually pleasing, but it is his earlier 1930s social dramas which have interested me most. Sisters of the Gion is excellent, but I really loved Osaka Elegy. Isuzu Yamada (best known as the Lady Macbeth of Throne of Blood) plays a young woman whose boss compromises her virtue and she is forced to deal with the disdain of her family and her society when she becomes a “fallen woman.” Mizoguchi has a real sense of compassion toward the social misfits in his work (particularly women), a gentle humanism that isn’t shy about showing how ugly the world can be. I’ve been craving to see The Story of the Last Chrysanthemum, Sansho the Baliff, and Ugetsu.

David Lynch is a director I’m excited to watch more of, since I love Rabbits and Eraserhead. I’m hoping to get my hands on Blue Velvet or Muholland Drive next.

Wes Anderson has been on my to-watch list for years, since I first saw Moonrise Kingdom at a university screening. I thought it a beautiful look at being a preteen, in addition to being quite charming and funny. His visual style reminds me of Buster Keaton’s in some ways too. The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou has become one of my all-time favorite movies.

I’ve become interested in seeing more work from Nicholas Ray. He’s best known for Rebel Without a Cause, which is a good movie if dated, but reading about In a Lonely Place, Bigger than Life, Johnny Guitar, and They Live By Night make him sound fascinating.

Agnes Varda is one of the big directors of the French New Wave. I loved Cleo from 5 to 7, and am looking to see Vagabond and One Thousand and One Nights as soon as possible.

Martin Scorsese I did not get into until recently. I had seen The Aviator as a kid, but Taxi Driver got me quite interested in his themes and style. Mean Streets is pretty good too. I want to watch The Last Temptation of Christ, Goodfellas, Silence, The Wolf of Wall Street, and The King of Comedy in particular.

Carl Th Dreyer is best known for The Passion of Joan of Arc, which is a movie I find to be one of the most emotionally painful, a film which both believer and skeptic can connect with. He is that rare artist who can talk about faith without devolving into a sermon or oversimplification. I have seen some of his earlier silent films like Leaves from Satan’s Book (okay, but a bit too much like DW Griffith’s Intolerance without adding much new material to his structure and themes) and Master of the House (a charming domestic comedy), but I want to watch more. Vampyr, Gertrud, and Day of Wrath look especially promising to me.

And then of course, there’s GW Pabst, Dorothy Arzner, Yasujiro Ozu, Andrea Arnold, Luis Bunuel, and the Coen Brothers.

[nitrateglow]

Movies watched in 2017 (11-20)

Continuing my 2017 film journal. So far, I’ve continued to find some real gems!

Three Came Home (dir. Jean Negulesco, 1950)

Documenting the true story of the American Agnes Newton Smith, a writer interred with her son in a Japanese POW camp during WWII, Three Came Home is a decent film, with solid performances and a few standout scenes. It is a movie which the censorship codes held it back from being a more powerful work; you always get the sense that the filmmakers wanted to show more of the graphic and harrowing side of Smith’s ordeal, which included torture and almost being raped. nevertheless, the filmmakers go as far as they could at the time, even allowing star Claudette Colbert to get in front of the camera sans make-up. Everyone is coated in sweat and grime. Sessue Hayakawa is there too as the sympathetic Colonel Suga. He gets one strong scene toward the end of the movie, where he evokes immense grief and guilt without words, a reminder of his power as a performer and his heyday as one of the best starring actors in Hollywood during the 1910s. (7/10)

BBC Sunday-Night Theatre: Nineteen Eighty-Four (1954)

Peter Cushing as Winston Smith—who can resist that? Once again, this man proves he is one of the most underrated actors to have ever stood before a camera. Despite the obvious low budget, this is a great adaptation of Orwell’s novel, much superior to the American feature adaptation made a few years after. In fact, I would say the low budget and cramped sets add to the desolate, gloomy, claustrophobic atmosphere of Oceania’s dystopian world. Everything is dingy and depressing. The ending retains the bleak outlook of Orwell’s novel and Cushing’s great depiction of brokenness only makes it all the creepier. I also want to highlight the great work Yvonne Mitchell does as Julia; she’s pretty and sensual, but not at all a glamorous starlet like the American ‘50s adaptation. Overall, a great version. If you love the book and care about your adaptations being accurate, then you’ll probably enjoy this picture. (9/10)

Reaching for the Moon (dir. Edmund Goulding, 1930)

I wouldn’t really call this movie good and the only folks I can recommend it to are old movie buffs like me, but if you are into pre-code movies, art deco, Bebe Daniels, and/or Douglas Fairbanks Sr., then Reaching for the Moon is worth watching once. The plot is frivolous and forgettable, the pace is slow even for a 70 minute picture, and poor Fairbanks is kind of wasted. He spends some time doing his usual acrobatic thing, but it always feels slapped on and not organic to the scenes. Apparently the movie was originally supposed to be a musical, but the studio cut most of the songs at the last minute since audiences were getting tired of musicals in mid-1930. To be honest, I wish they had kept them in, because the musical numbers are the most energetic and engaging parts of the film. I especially enjoyed Bing Crosby and Bebe Daniels in the jazzy, very Depression-era number “When the Folks High Up Do the Mean Low Down.” Easily, that scene and the art direction are the best assets the movie has to offer; William Cameron Menzies does lovely work on the art deco sets, which are like a dream of 1920s glamor. (6/10)

The Eternal Mother (dir. DW Griffith, 1912)

Like the Griffith short I watched in the last batch, not an essential among his early work. Mabel Normand and Blanche Sweet are wasted as a wanton woman and a virtuous wife. The plot is incredibly thin and silly: a man leaves his good wife for a tart; the tart bears his child and dies on cue. The wife is so good that she takes in the child and the husband spends his years alone until he and the wife reunite as elderly folks. Not much of interest on the technical or story scale. (4/10)

Three Outlaw Samurai (dir. Hideo Gosha, 1964)

I got interested in this one after figuring out Rian Johnson used it as an influence on the next Star Wars movie. I’m guessing most of the influence came from the way Gosha shoots the swordplay, which is very kinetic and rough, but there may be some of the film’s cynical treatment of justice and honor in the new Star Wars too… maybe, since Star Wars is rarely cynical when it comes to good and evil, but we shall see. Regardless, it is a good film, an essential if you like chambara. (8/10)

The Dentist (dir. Leslie Pearce, 1932)

To say WC Fields is weird is an understatement. I would not say I am a fan, but I do adore his surreal and deadpan Yukon parody The Fatal Glass of Beer and generally like The Bank Dick. The Dentist isn’t as impressive as either of those, but it has plenty of good, misanthropic laughs as well as some very risqué humor for 1932 (but then again, this is from the pre-code era). (7/10)

The Fall of the House of Usher (dir. JS Watson Jr. and Melville Webber, 1928)

While not as good as the later Watson and Webber offering, Lot in Sodom, their surreal adaptation of Edgar Allan Poe’s short story is still dazzling. It actually feels quite modern. It is a modern dress adaptation and conjures more of the dreadful, claustrophobic spirit of the original story rather than sticking closely to the letter. It also has a lot more obvious Caligari influence than the later Lot in Sodom. (9/10)

Fire Over England (dir. William K. Howard, 1937)

I’ve been reading a lot about the Tudors lately and Elizabeth is my favorite of the bunch. After watching the pretty poor Cate Blanchett movie, I went sixty years back to this 1937 adventure film produced by Alexander Korda. While not focusing exclusively on Elizabeth, it does tell a rousing yarn about an English spy (playing by a young and totally adorable Laurence Olivier) out to do business in Philip II’s court before the legendary English victory over the Spanish Armada in the 1580s. It’s a fun swashbuckler complete with broad characters, a hiss-worthy villain, swordplay, and daring escapes, also of historical interest since the conflict between England and Spain is meant to reflect the then-contemporary conflict between most of Europe and the Nazi Germany. Flora Robson is a great screen Elizabeth, commanding and charismatic while also sporting a fierce temper. And though given little to do, Vivien Leigh is ravishing, and even in this early film, she and Olivier are wonderful together. (8/10)

Ruka [The Hand] (dir. Jiri Trnka, 1965)

I was turned onto the work of Czech animator Jiri Trnka by the Brows Held High episode on his 1959 feature adaptation of Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream. That film is a charming fantasy and heartfelt look at the power of art; however, Trnka’s most famous film, the short “Ruka,” is much darker and proved to be his swan song before he passed away in 1969. It is a political satire about the suppression of artistic expression in totalitarian regimes. It is both darkly hilarious and incredibly bleak. Considering Trnka’s work is usually characterized as nostalgic and whimsical, his final film is strikes a sad, but still powerful chord and remains incredibly relevant even today. (10/10)

Big Deal on Madonna Street (dir. Mario Monicelli, 1958)

So freaking funny! I watched this one because Martin Scorsese recommended it as one of his choices for essential foreign cinema. Though Big Deal is a parody of 1950s heist pictures such as The Asphalt Jungle and Rififi, it is nothing like the pathetic cinematic parodies we get now, like Meet the Spartans or Fifty Shades of Black. Like Airplane or Blazing Saddles, it still understands that it needs to work as an original story with characters we enjoy watching and good gags that don’t really on references to popular culture alone. Big Deal is also interesting in its presentation of everyday life and urban poverty, seeing as our heroes are a mix of sad sack, small time criminals and lower class working folk; in many ways, it feels like a comic romp set in the same universe as The Bicycle Thieves or Umberto D. (9/10)