#all the other actors and actresses were also great and had amazing voices

[red1ight]

the gatsby musical was.. good, nothing fantastic but overall enjoyable. i thought the second act was better than the first, but in general the majority songs were a bit pop-y for what I was hoping to get from a great gatsby musical and not super memorable. I thought the book & lyrics were a bit on the nose at times, a bit heavy handed on what they intended for the major take-aways, especially coming from a source material that if I recall correctly had a lot of subtlety and metaphor.. and there was a little too much straightforward exposition. gatsby's big showstopping number came a bit too early in the show imo, but it definitely showcased jeremy jordan's voice, and he was, of course, fantastic btw. And eva noblezada has such a beautiful beautiful voice I really loved hearing everything she sang, even if I didn't love the songs themselves. I thought the best number though was myrtle wilson's big song in the second act, though I probably would change the staging up a bit for that one.. the set pieces were cool, it was overall very beautiful to look at, if a little too much projection. I think there were a bit more practical set pieces in the second act which I liked.. but yeah overall not bad I'm curious to see if it will go to broadway, but i would hope they would tweak some things

[totalswag]

Drew Starkey and Actress Reader are together for a while now, they're in a place, you know celebrities meet at a party or parade or exhibition something like that. That's when they meet the Reader's ex boyfriend, they get along well, they've moved on, on good terms but Drew seems a little jealous, i see him asking little questions, but in reality he has nothing to fear since he trusts her a lot, he knows she loves him so much back. Can you do this please ?

unexpected encounter — DREW STARKEY

authors note thank you for the lovely request! sorry this took awhile to be posted. life has been very busy. i hope this is what you were looking for lovie.

summary drew meeting your ex for the first time and he seems to be jealous.

warnings jealous drew thats it

Golden Globes after-party is tonight.

Since you announced your relationship to the world, this will be your second public appearance together. Drew was dressed in an all-black suit to compliment her basic black dress with a bit of shine to draw attention. You like to match your outfits here and there.

This was also an excellent opportunity for Drew to meet new people in the film industry as well as some of his favorite actors and actresses. When he met some of his favorite people, it warmed your heart to see him so happy and giggly.

As usual, there was a large crowd at the after party. You were able to communicate with other actors and actresses. Your father is a well-known actor, and seeing some of his former co-stars is always pleasant.

In the middle of a conversation with Margot Robbie talking about her recent film, Barbie, you heard a familiar voice call out your name.

Margot excused herself, saying, "I'll see you later." She tells you, "Love you, sweet girl," before pulling away from the hug.

She’s amazing.

"Oh, hello, Y/N. It's been a while; how are you?" Your ex-boyfriend, Adam, came into view, astonished to find you there, but smiled at the end.

“Yes, it has been a while and I’ve been great, you?” You reply with a normal tone. “This is my boyfriend Drew, he’s also in the film industry” wrapping your arm around his, looking up at him with a soft gaze.

No matter how you ended things with Adam, you still had love for him at the end of the day.

You can feel the stress increasing in Drew’s body. He only becomes like this when he detects a threat and he wants to protect you at all cost. You’ve stated to him in the very beginning of your relationship you were in a two year relationship with Adam, also in the film industry. You ended on good terms and moved on from each other.

You have no feelings for Adam.

The only thing on your mind was why your partner was acting like this. A million thoughts race through your mind as you try to figure out why.

You can understand why he is suddenly acting this way. You would have the same reaction if you met Drew's ex for the first time. He knows you just have eyes for him.

"Nice to meet you, Drew," he adds confidently, extending his hand.

"Adam," he said, firmly shaking his hand. "You play Rafe Cameron on the Outer Banks, correct? "My cousin loves you," he says with a chuckle.

Drew was taken back by the chuckle from Adams mouth, “Yeah I play him in the show and I appreciate it, you can tell them that I said thank you” his response was calm.

The two begin conversing, getting to know one other. You continue to stand beside the two grown men, even joining in on the conversation. Drew's questions or comments drew your attention.

Adam nods, turning his body towards you, “Congrats on your movie by the way, you did amazing,” talking about your newest movie you starred in with Sydnee Sweeny.

“Thank you Adam, filming that movie was a hassle but a lot of fun all together” you kept your arms around Drew’s arm the whole time.

Eventually, you realized it was time to leave Adam and finish your night with Drew. The night has just begun, and there is food calling your name.

"It was nice to see you, but it appears that we should get going; I hope you have a good rest of your night, Adam," Drew said, indicating between Drew and you. 

"Of course, yes, enjoy the rest of your night" Adam claps his hands together before shaking Drew's hand and hugging you.

By the end of the night, Drew and you are sitting down at the table with a few of your friends while music plays from the band on stage.

Drew and you were facing each other, your hand fiddling with his gold chain while he questioned you about Adam.

"Baby, you understand how much I love you and value our relationship. I'm sorry if I was acting like a dosh," Drew rambles on, but you cut him off by kissing him to silence him.

"You weren't acting like a dosh; you were professional the entire time, and I understand why you were the way you were," you said, placing your palm on top of his and softly pressing your thumb on his hand.

"I actually love you a lot more," he says, smiling.

my taglist!

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[flowerandblood]

Play with my heart (Sneak Peek)

The Fall from The Heavens Universe Mini-Series

[ modern actors • Aemond x Strong • female ]

[ description: He gets the main role in a series about a great family and dragons, which could change his career. He is set to play the uncle and love interest of his childhood friend. When he meets the actress who plays her role, he begins to lose track of what is an acting and what is his real feelings. Sexual tension, grumpy, withdrawn, thirsty Aemond. ]

Author’s note: Yeah. I talked about it and I did it. You don't even know how much fun I had doing this. Of course, my characters play in a series whose script is an exact copy of my story The Fall from the Heavens. In this universe, Aemond (playing the One-Eyed Prince) and Rheanys (playing the Princess) are of course not related – the other characters are also just actors. This three-part series is my gift to all fans of the original series, thank you so much for your support. "Rheanys" in this story is her artistic pseudonym which she use instead of her real name.

_____

The door opened, but the girl who stood in it looked at him for a moment with big eyes, as if she didn't recognise him. There was something endearing in that gaze. She turned behind her, as if she was afraid of being seen, and immediately closed the door, breathing loudly.

At last, real acting.

She turned towards him, as if she was afraid of him, and he pressed his lips together, involuntarily looking at her body hidden only beneath a thin nightgown, her slightly wavy, long dark hair falling freely over her shoulders.

Her face was gentle, warm, her eyes large, her lashes and eyebrows dark, accentuating her charm.

She was silent for a moment, her lips trembling, as if she wanted to say something but couldn't.

"Did you received my letters?"She muttered softly in a hopeful voice, from which he felt goosebumps pass along his back.

"Yes." He whispered, his voice soft and low.

Yes, he thought, give me something I can work with.

She swallowed loudly and clenched her hands into fists, shifting from foot to foot. She shook her head, her eyebrows arched in pain as if asking how he could do this to her.

"Have you read them?" She asked, and he pressed his lips together, tilting his head back and snorted under his breath, turning the blade in his hand. She jumped up, horrified when he slammed it suddenly into the armrest lying beneath his hand.

"Yes, my Lady Strong. I have read them all. Many times, here, in this chair." He murmured mockingly, looking at her with slightly parted lips, lifting his chin in a gesture of superiority.

He was sure the director would interrupt, but he let them continue.

The girl lowered her gaze, her body quivering as if she was about to cry, an expression of humiliation, pain and shame on her face from which he felt heat in his heart.

Her gaze suddenly changed. She swallowed hard, as if she had also swallowed his insult, and moved ahead of him, pretending to walk towards the bookshelf.

He pressed his lips together and looked at her over his shoulder, measuring her with a furious, cold stare.

"Do you often visit men like this?"

She turned to him with a look as if she wanted to kill him, her hand dropping as if she had run out of strength after what she had heard.

"Have you no shame?" She asked coolly, the way she said it, the look in her eyes made him feel a cold sweat on his back.

"Cut! That was fantastic, thank you!" Said the director, and she blinked, the expression on her face turning from cold and disgusted to a wide smile full of joy, her gaze warm and welcoming.

"– you were amazing – I had goosebumps –" She whispered as she walked past him and giggled, waving goodbye to him, disappearing out the door a moment later.

[hotvintagepoll]

Propaganda

Rita Moreno (Singin' in the Rain, West Side Story)—She’s an EGOT, an absolute legend for how she navigated her career as a woman of color in the fifties and sixties. Her performance as Anita in West Side Story is why I go back to that movie so many times. She is an icon and she is the moment.

Elizabeth Taylor (Cleopatra, Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof)—iconic actress with purple eyes and a double row of eyelashes, the real ebony dementia ravenway of old hollywood. known for her stunning tastes when it comes to jewelry and her incredible, incredible advocacy during the AIDS crisis.

This is round 6 of the tournament. All other polls in this bracket can be found here. Please reblog with further support of your beloved hot sexy vintage woman.

[additional propaganda submitted under the cut.]

Rita Moreno propaganda:

"Amazing showstopping actress in her one big memorable role as Anita in West Side Story. She sings and dances with unmatched joy and energy, and then breaks your heart with her acting. Rita took a role that felt as a stereotype to latina women and made it compelling and multifaceted. Her subsequent career was filled with mostly side roles, but she still managed to excel in whatever Hollywood threw at her."

"It’s Rita!! The EGOT herself! She can act, she can sing, she can dance, a triple threat. Obviously absolutely iconic as Anita in West Side Story (her part of the Tonight Quintet is the sexiest part of the film, fight me). But before that she was the amazing Zelda in Singin’ In the Rain!?! Thanks Zelda, you’re a real pal."

"She continues to be amazing but also she's got legs for days."

"THEE iconic rita moreno, EGOT winner, civil rights activist, theatre legend. watch her documentary "Rita Moreno: Just a Girl Who Decided to Go for It". also her rendition of "fever" on the muppet show"

Elizabeth Taylor:

I've been trying to steer clear of the absurdly-big names, but damnit, those violet eyes got me. The *talent*, the *presence*, the string of marriages and (temporally out-of-bounds) work in combating AIDS and pioneering in the concept of the celebrity fragrance line.

Not only did she have gorgeous violet eyes and lashes for days and one of the hottest voices ever, she was also a big supporter of the gay community

Child actress turned starlet, Liz dominated films as one of the greatest screen legends of classic hollywood. If your protagonist has violet eyes, they're imitating hers.

A Legend. She was serving milf rage in Whos Afraid Of Virginia Woolf. A Star in every sense of the word.

She was renowned for the beauty of her eyes; they were a dark blue but could look violet in certain lighting, something that photographers would actually touch up to look even more so in pictures. But even more striking was a genetic mutation that gave her a double row of eyelashes. She was also famed for her string of husbands -- 8 marriages to 7 men. Two-time hubby Richard Burton once said she was “a wildly exciting love-mistress… beautiful beyond the dreams of pornography.”

Her EYES. Early and loud support for gay rights and AIDS victims. Married a bunch of hot dudes, Burton twice!

just look at her. she's gorgeous. there's a video somewhere of her applying her eyeliner in the mirror and I think about it all the time

THE Hollywood actress of all time. Not only was she known for her long dark locks and blue-violet eyes, she also had one of the wildest life stories ever….. She’s Carrie Fisher’s stepmother because her father Eddie Fisher cheated on Debbie Reynolds with Liz. She was knighted as a dame of England. She was married to seven different men, one of them twice. She was also very kindhearted and did a lot of charity activism.

Asides from being an iconic actor, she did a lot of philanthropy and co founded the American Foundation for AIDS research. She’s sometimes considered one of the last great stars of old hollywood

[auras-moonstone]

hello there could i request jack x actress!reader where they’re co-stars on a show or film and they obviously have feelings for each other but it’s like “everyone knows about it BUT them” kinda thing lmao they act like a couple but neither of them has brought the subject up

let’s just say they were nominated for an oscar and at the vanity fair after party jack’s talking to a girl when he sees the reader talking dancing a little too close to an actor (who’s literally just a friend) and he just goes up to them like “hey can i steal you for a second? great thanks lets go” and just drags her to a more private part (maybe a romantic balcony?) and he’s like “wtf was that???” and she’s like “well i can ask u the same mr.” and it’s just angry love confession and they kiss (no smut pls!!) please and thank you so much 😁

angry confessions are the best😫 hope you enjoy it! 🫶🏻

you belong with me — jack champion

word count: 1,729

pairing: jack champion x fem!reader

summary: y/n and jack belong together and, while everyone knows it, they acknowledged it. though, at the vanity fair party, the very awaited thing happens.

EVERYONE JUST KNEW Y/N AND JACK BELONGED TOGETHER. And every person who knew them agreed in something—it was very frustrating to see them act like a couple and completely deny there was something going on between them.

The cast of Avatar watched their bond born and blossom. It had been two years since they finished filming that movie, and the cast thought that, by now, they had already admitted their feelings, as they continued to work together after Avatar. And, by the way they were acting around each other throughout the Oscar ceremony, they were sure they were finally a couple.

“Holy shit, Jack, Andrew Garfield is two tables away from us” she said excitedly. “Oh god, is that Margot Robbie? Jack please pinch me I think I just saw Robert Pattinson, also known as the love of my life”.

“I’m not going to pinch you, and your fan girl side is absolutely adorable” Jack said, leaving a kiss on her nose. Y/N laughed and hid her heated cheeks on Jack’s neck.

“I’m so happy for you two!” Zoe told them. The whole table was looking at them as if they were the most adorable creatures in the world.

“What do you mean?” Jack asked confused.

“It was very obvious, you two had always acted like a couple around set. We all knew you would eventually get together” Sam said.

“Oh! No, we are not together. We’re just friends. And we do not act like a couple” Y/N said. The whole table let out a groan.

“I can’t with these two anymore” Stephen sighed.

Jack and Y/N exchanged glances, but said nothing, letting the ceremony continue.

AT THE END OF THE CEREMONY, THEY ENDED UP GOING TO THE VANITY FAIR PARTY. How could they not? Especially after Avatar won an Oscar. They had to celebrate. And above all, Y/N and Jack wanted to get Zoe’s words out of their minds.

“Y/N?” a voice that sounded familiar asked. The girl turned her head around to see one of her ex co-stars, Nick.

“Oh, god. Nick! Hi. It’s been so long” she said excited. He was one of the first people she worked with, and one of her first friends.

“You look amazing!” he said, looking at her emerald dress.

“Thank you, you too” Y/N smiled politely.

“Wanna dance?” Nick asked. Y/N looked around, Jack was supposed to bring some drinks, but he was nowhere to be seen. She was about to decline, when she caught his figure. Jack was talking with a very gorgeous girl, who had her hand on his bicep and was smiling at him in a flirty way.

“Actually, I’d love to” she clenched her teeth, eyes not leaving the scene as Nick led her to the dance floor.

“You okay?” Nick asked. Y/N blinked, finally looking at him. She faked a smile and nodded as they made a conversation.

Hearing Y/N’s laugh, Jack’s head turned around and closed his hand in a fist at the scene in front of him—his Y/N dancing with some boy and laughing at something he was saying. And his hand was on her waist. Her. Waist. Not caring about being polite to the nameless girl—who can’t seem to get her hand off his bicep—anymore, Jack marched towards the dance floor.

“Hey, can I steal you for a second?” Jack asked, not bothering to greet the boy dancing with Y/N. “Great thanks, let’s go” he said before Y/N could even open her mouth.

He led her to the large window at the end of the room, which led them to a beautiful antique balcony. “What the fuck was that?” Jack spat angrily once he closed the door, blocking the sound of the party. The chilly wind of the night embraced them.

Y/N looked at him in surprise, then in annoyance and crossed her arms in front of her chest “What the fuck are you talking about?”

“That… in there” his tone was hard “You were dancing with him, and giggling and flirting… what was that?”

Y/N scoffed “I could ask you the same question, mister. I mean, what was going on there between you and Mrs. Clingy?” her nose scrunched as the image of the girl touching Jack crossed her mind.

“Nothing was going on between me and-” he paused and frowned “Mrs. Clingy? What?”.

“Oh, Jack your hair looks so pretty tonight! Oh Jack, your suit is very stylish and the fabric is so soft! Can I touch it? Oh Jack, have you been going to the gym lately?” she imitated the girl’s pitched voice, while touching his arms “Holy fucking shit, the mice from Cinderella sound less annoying than her”

“That is not what she was saying at all!” Jack rolled his eyes. Lies, that kinda was how the conversation went “What about your boy, then? As if he wasn’t being all clingy, with his arms on your waist and showing you his charming smile, which in my opinion isn’t as charming as the girls on twitter say”.

The girl furrowed her eyes “The girls on-? never mind” Y/N sighed “We were literally dancing! What was he supposed to do with his hands?!” she exclaimed in a loud voice.

“Well, why were you dancing with him in the first place?” Jack asked, his tone matching hers.

Y/N moved her arms frenetically, it was something she did when she got frustrated “He’s my friend! We did a movie together a long time ago, we were catching up”

Jack let out a dry laugh “He sure as hell doesn’t want to be your friend”

“Oh, you read minds now!” she said sarcastically.

“I’m not stupid, I certainly can tell when a guy wants a girl”

“You’re totally wrong, but if he did, what is the problem?”

“There’s no problem!” he forced a laugh. “Why would there be a problem? You can flirt with whoever you want, dance with whoever you want, date whoever you want!”

“Then what is this discussion for?!” Y/N looked at him, she was basically breathing flames when she talked. “There clearly is a problem—you can flirt with girls but for some reason I can’t flirt with boys?? And you have to drag me away to cause a useless fight and can’t even tell me what’s the real reason”.

“So you were flirting!” Jack pointed an accusatory finger at her.

She let out a groan of irritation “That’s what you got from all that?! Really?! Why are you being so insufferable right now?”

“Because I fucking love you!” Jack’s statement was as loud as the beats of her heart when she took in his words. “And I can’t stand seeing you dance with him, looking so fucking angelic. It drives me nuts how he gets to hear you laugh and your sweet voice. I want you to dance with me, I want you to laugh with me, I want the hand on your waist to be mine… and you know what else I want?” he asked, his voice gradually lowered as he spoke, and now it was soft as silk. And his face was only inches away from hers. Y/N was speechless, so she just shook her head “I want to kiss you, and I want everyone to see—especially him”.

“You are so… frustrating” she sighed, now her tone was calmer “He is just my friend, I promise. And I don’t want anyone but you, Jack. Ever since I met you on set, you have been the only boy on my mind. I don’t care how charming his smile is” she said, and Jack whispered ‘not that charming’. “He is not you”.

Jack smiled at those last words. He brought his hand to the side of her face, to pull away a strand of hair that fell from her ponytail “I’m sorry for acting like a jealous boyfriend. I had no right, it just… it pissed me off as much as it scared me”.

“Scared you?” she asked confused, leaning into the softness of his palm.

“The thought of you being with someone else, and losing you before I even got to tell you how I felt… it scared me” he confessed.

Y/N basically threw herself in his arms “I love you, Jack. And I’m sorry too, I also acted like a jealous girlfriend. And if it makes you feel less guilty, I was two seconds away from leaving the place with brunette strands of hair as a trophy”

At that, Jack bursted out laughing “You remind me of that villain bunny from The secret life of pets”

“Jack!” she laughed, pushing his shoulder gently.

“You’re so cute. I love you” he smiled as he left short kisses on her cheeks.

“Just for the record, you are also the least intimidating-looking guy ever. You are literally a golden retriever”

He grimaced “I’m a cat person”

Y/N rolled her eyes, smiling from ear to ear “Just kiss me, dork”.

Jack’s hands grabbed her cheeks as she raised her head to meet his lips. Their chests tightened as they became addicted to the softness of each other’s lips and the taste of cherry that Y/N’s chapstick provided. Her fingertips lost between his long curls as his traced circles on her blushed-covered cheeks.

They cursed the oxygen as they pulled away, breathless and complete mesmerised by the other, as if there were under the influence of some kind of spell. The magic broke with the sound of an opening door, and Y/N couldn’t help rolling her eyes at the sight of the brunette girl.

“Jack! I have been looking for you” her high pitch tone made Y/N’s jaw clench. “Oh, sorry. You don’t mind if I steal him, right?” she asked Y/N, a fake smile plastered on her face.

Y/N mimicked her smile “He’s busy right now. Come back never”

Jack tried not to laugh “Sorry, I want to be here with my girlfriend. There’s a guy on table 5 called Nick who is totally your type, though, you’ll like him”

The girl, clearly confused, turned around and left them alone. Y/N looked at Jack “Can we get out of here? I hate parties”.

“Sure, love. Movie and ice cream?” he asked, grabbing her hand and intertwining their fingers. Their hands, as always, fitted just right. Like they were made to go together, like they belonged together—just like Y/N and Jack.

Y/N smiled and kissed his knuckles “You know me so well, I love you”.

[leuchtstabrebell]

just saw the Jesus Christ Superstar production in Nuremberg with a friend and thought i'd share some of my observations because this was WILD

details under the cut because i have a lot to say but this might be one of the queerest and boldest productions of JSC i have ever seen. the pope is herodes, nuns are participating in orgies, Mary is a mother, the catholic church is critizised every step of the way, hirarchies and power structures are questioned, and Judas wears a skirt. There are neon crosses and halos and a lot of blood, and so much thought and love put into this. The production value is very good as well. The cast is very young, especially the apostels and Judas and Jesus who are all in their early to mid-twenties, and the vibes are simply amazing.

This production is set in modern day rome and the vatican. jesus and the apostels are queer leftists activists trying to reform/act against the catholic church. like, this is the central element of this production.

(text on these signs reads, from l. to r.: No mandatory celibacy, God is a woman, Maria 2.0, #outinchurch, renewal now, the head of the fish is rotten. The banner reads "God is the love")

Many of these signs are references to reform movements inside the church and discussions around abuse of all kind in the catholic church, as well as demands for a more inclusive christianity (and society).

Jesus officates a wedding between two women apostels and everything is very gay. there are several rainbow flags involved. jesus is draped in a giant version of the flag at one point.

that being said, it is made pretty explicit that mary and jesus have some kind of relationship thing goin on??? They also sometimes seem removed from the rest of the group who have major found family vibes. they go on picnis and protests together, they care for each other, they dance, they sing, they cuddle. there was so much going on, I probably missed a lot of interactions between the apostels. Judas was very involved in the group, more than mary or jesus even, and judas and simon had a very cute friendship (they even play-fought in the beginning). They all hugged and kissed each other a lot as well. (Fun fact: many of the apostels are still in actors school and they did a cooperation with the staatstheater nuremberg which offered them the chance to participate in such a big production)

Now my thoughts on the individual characters:

Mary: sadly, my least favourite character in this production. i didn't really vibe with the actress, although she was great vocally. She rarely interacted with the apostels and kept mostly to herself and the apartment she shared with jesus and her child (I don't like the decision to have them live together almost like a nuclear family). it also did not help that she was noticeable older than the rest of the group and her costume wasn't great either. i loved her kid though, she was really cute (apparently, the gender of the kid changes depending on the child actor that day, here it was a girl). The child also connects the group, there were some cute found family vibes (although they could have done so much more with this ahhh). there are also several moments where the child symbolizes a brighter future to come, and hope, and innocence. she was such a cutie!!!!

This Jesus is a weirdo. Just a weird guy. Kinda Enjolras vibes, kinda angelic, kinda high as a kite beliefs in magic, depressed queer vibes. He would sometimes do weird motions with his hands to summon his powers to heal people????? his outfit was a statement as well.

I liked the acting, although the interpretation is one i had not seen before. The singing was pretty good, although the actors voice was a bit weak sometimes and he often had difficulty with belting higher notes. the actor has a very very soft voice in general??? it kinda contributed to the vibes of this jesus though and worked fine

I didn't like that they actually showed him being able to heal people, I like it more when it stays ambigious if he can actually do wonders/if he is actually the son of god. Interestingly, at the same time this Jesus felt very deserted by God to me? Gethsemane was very intense but also so absolutely defeated. it did not feel like a conversation with god but more pure desperation screamed into a void... This Jesus was really broken :( Also, the torture and whipping (which happens in the vatican???? kinda illegally???) was absolutely brutal and very bloody and he was sobbing in fetal position at several points of this production. also shaking like a little deer. in the last scenes, they filmed close-ups of his tortured face with a camera live and projected it on the large background screen which was very horrifiying and genius, especially during superstar. poor guy. he seemed very sad and burdened a lot of the time

Judas: There he is!!! My boi!!!! He was my absolute fave. The acting and singing was amazing, one of my fav interpretations of this character. The costume choices for him were amazing ( I mean look at him in that skirt and these boots) and this production chose to portray him in a very sympathetic light. He is the soul of the group in this production, while Jesus is the brain and Simon is the heart. (Peter is the bedrock, and Mary and her kid are honey-grease holding them together)

I mean, look at him!!! This judas cares so much, he contains multitudes. He is clearly loved by the people around and loves them back fiercely. He hugged people a lot and was very physical in general and the actor had so much charisma!!! In this version, Jesus and Judas also kind of seemed like two sides of the same coin, which I really liked. While Jesus is kind of otherworldy, charismatic, calm, and enigmatic, Judas is much more hands-on, real, passionate and energetic.

This Judas (like the whole production really) was very angry but he had every right to. In this production it also seemed like his anger at Mary and Jesus being with her was less about Mary (taking out some of the misogyny, luckily) and more about jesus retreating to something that could be perceived as a bourgouise lifestyle (my interpretation, at least). This judas seemed very queer but then again, most apostels in this production seemed to be queer. (The betrayal kiss was very passionate, btw)

Oh, and the cardinals waterboarded Judas with holy water in a church on wooden benches they put together??? And they also threatened and hurt him several other times??? I'm not sure what to feel about this because this makes the betrayal very very cooerced and that might flatten the character but it adds so many new layers as well. They also just push suitcase full of money on his arms and leave him there clutching the thing and sobbing??

Judas death ripped my heart out, it was so raw and cruel and also put emphasis on the cruelty of the catholic church and an uncaring or even cruel god?

and then he absolutely slayed in superstar. all the background dancers were the apostels (which was a deliberate choice because they had a huge cast they could have used for this), including Mary and they all had neon halos?? Judas descended from the ceiling. the staging was kinda similar to the 2012 revival with Judas as a show-caster and entertainer. there was golden glitter falling from the ceiling.

the whole production seemed very angry at institutionalized christianity and God himself but also full of hope and love, and superstar really examplified that.

Herode is the pope. Just straight up the pope. At first I was a bit underwhelmed because the set was very minimal bit then they revealed the pope and started their amazing choreography and I really loved that! just a good solid portrayal, very sexual as well. (this production was very much about hypocricy and not about condemming lust, the opposite really. this production is pretty sex-positive) 8/10

Caiaphas and Annas were pretty solid, like all the other high priests they were cardinals. I thought the actors did a good job although would have liked a deeper base for Caiaphas and a higher tenor for Annas. I thought it was interesting how often the priests/cardinals crossed themselves and blessed people and did christian gestures, especially during "This Jesus must die". They were also pretty violent both towards the apostels and towards jesus and judas.

Peter was really giving dark academia vibes except a bit more boring. I thought it was pretty funny that it was easy to tell that he was Peter just from the costume alone. he had a nice, warm voice and I liked the acting choices - he was very soft and calm, except for when he went absolutely wild on the SWAT team coming to arrest Jesus and broke a bottle to use a shard to cut of the ear (i suppose) of one of them. iconic. 8/10

Simon: what an icon! at one point, he carries petrol and a lighter around to fucking burn the whole thing to the ground. he is passionate and kind and ready to punch someone at any time. his acting and singing were really really good. At the last supper, Simon sucker punches Judas in the face and calls him a "fucking traitor" before shakily ending the song on his guitar to try and comfort the other apostels because their whole world just fell apart. I really love this Simon

Pilate: He had such a great voice and presence, and carried himself with a lot of gravitas. Pilates dream was very stripped down but it worked because of the actor. He seemed really desillusioned and kind but ultimately deafeated, conforming to the will of people around him (lower clergy and devout catholics in this version) (That reminds me, the ouverture was accompanied by various clergy making out in the vatican with each other while headlines about scandals in the church were projected in the background.

There are probably a lot of things I forgot to mention, and there were also some things I did not like about this production but overall, I am really really impressed and just happy that I got to see it live.

You can still see the production too btw, at least if you can make it to Nuremberg :)

[chronicbeans]

Puppeteer Wally Darling x (G/N) Puppet Reader

idk if this will be a series or just a one off so LET'S GOOOOOO (if you want a part two, let me know in the comments of this post.

TW: Obsessive and Possessive Behavior, Kidnapping? (Can you kidnap a puppet? IDK but we're putting that warning just in case), Controlling Behavior

Wally Darling grins widely as he puppeteers the star of the show, (Y/N) (L/N), in a scene within their home. As sad as he is that he cannot voice them, as well, just bringing their personality to life through their motions is enough for him. Voicing his beloved (Y/N) is all up to Sam, their voice actor/actress. Sam, who also happens to be out sick, today. Just like yesterday. And the day before that...

"Aaannddd... CUT! Great job, Wally. You did great! If only Sam were here. Have you heard any word from them?" The director sits back in their chair, staring at the puppeteer on set. Everybody has been asking him about Sam, today. Why are they asking him? Is it because they don't get along?

"No. Sorry. I haven't heard a word. They don't tell me anything." "Alright. Well, you can go take a break, Wally. You've been filming for about... Woah! I must've lost track! You've been filming for NINE hours straight! Isn't your arm tired from being upright for so long?" Wally shakes his head, grinning as wide as a Cheshire. "I can't feel my arm at this point... but I can keep going! I'm always happy to keep going! (Y/N) means so much to me-!"

"Take a break, Wally... And put that puppet back in the storage, will you?" The director looks over to one of the camera people, telling them to turn off the camera, before muttering to themself "He's an amazing puppeteer, but Jesus... He treats that thing like it's alive..."

He quickly runs to his little office, taking (Y/N) with him. Placing the puppet on his desk, he gives his arms a rest as he lies back in his seat. Letting out a long sigh, he looks over to the limp puppet on his desk. Sitting it up and leaning it against a pile of books and folders, he smiles. Surely, the director won't mind if he keeps (Y/N) out of that dingy old box for a little while... As long as they get back in there by the time he leaves, it should be fine.

"I wonder why everybody keeps asking me about Sam, (Y/N)? Do they think I did something to them? Sure, we don't get along, and they clearly don't have as much passion for you as I do! I would never hurt them, though! Do you think I would hurt them?" He looks down to the puppet, smiling. Of course, it doesn't answer. It still feels nice to act like (Y/N) answers and understands. "Thank you for the kind words. It really helps! I love working with you, but the others can be so stressful, sometimes!"

Wally looks away for a moment, checking a few papers on his desk. His schedule seems rather empty for the next week. He had already gotten most of the filming for the episode done today! Only two more scenes require (Y/N). He wishes that there were a few more, to be honest. He prefers working to having nothing to do all day. Maybe he-

"Where... WHERE AM I?!"

Wally's eyes widen, hearing the familiar voice. He looks over to (Y/N), seeing that they have now toppled over onto their side. Their arms flail slightly, as they squeak out "Where am I?! Who? What?! This isn't the neighborhood!"

As much as he wants to squeal with excitement, they are being rather loud. That, alongside the fact that they are voiced, and still sound like, Sam... and people are a bit suspicious of Wally for some reason... He quickly grabs them, placing a hand over their mouth as he quickly says "Be quiet! Someone might hear! I'll explain as much as I can! Just be... Quiet. Here, let me help you back upright."

He picks the puppet up, feeling them squirm a bit in his hands, then sits them back where they were. They raise their arms, which shake as they do so. As they look up to him, he feels his heart swell with joy.

He doesn't know how this has happened... And, frankly... He doesn't care. (Y/N) is talking! (Y/N) is moving! (Y/N) is... (Y/N) is alive! Shaken, yes, but still alive! It's his greatest wish come true! All the work he's put in to bring this character that he loves oh so much to life... Did he have something to do with this? Did his wish for (Y/N) to be able to talk back, move, and live a life in his world make it actually happen?

It doesn't matter. All that matters is that his little puppet is here, in front of him, and able to truly interact with him.

"What's going on...?" Their legs shift slightly, but not much. "Why do my legs feel weird? I can barely move my legs?!" Wally pats their head, saying "Shh... It'll be alright. To be honest, I'm not entirely sure what is going on, either. I can tell you where you are, though. First thing's first, though... I'm Wally Darling! I already know who you are, (Y/N). Before you ask, I'll let you know how I know your name."

He goes through everything. The studio, the show, how they are a puppet. To his shock, they already knew they were a puppet, just not exactly what it meant... They didn't know somebody was controlling them in their world. The poor little thing seems so confused! It looks like their head is spinning!

He picks up (Y/N), grinning from ear to ear as he says "Don't worry, (Y/N)! I'll keep you safe! This world is large and dangerous for a puppet like you! I, as your kind puppeteer, will make sure you are safe from harm!" To his shock, (Y/N) only flails, saying "I want to go back to my world! My neighborhood!"

Wally's eyes widen. They want to go back? To leave him? He knows that it is the right thing to do, but he simply cannot have it. As much as he wants to make his lovely little puppet happy... they can just learn to be happy with him! There's no reason why they can't, right?

A simple shake of his head was all it took for them to visibly lose hope. "I'm afraid I can't do that. I care about you too much to let you go back! Think about it... I explained how your world is a show, right? It is like... think of it like a little lie. Would you rather go back to your world, cursed with the knowledge that everything you say and do, see and hear, and all your friends, are just a lie? That it isn't real? Or would you rather stay here, where everything is real?"

(Y/N) shakes their head, again. "I could go back and tell them the truth! I could let them know what is going on! I could-" "Not if I don't let you. I control what you do in that world. If I don't let you tell them, then you can't." "I still want to go home. I want to see my friends, again. I want to go back to Home and take a rest." "You can take a rest at my house!" "I WANT TO GO HOME!" "Be quiet! The others might notice! I might be treating this like it is normal, but if others saw you moving about, they would scream! Stay still-!"

Wally quickly places his hand over their mouth, again, as the director walks in. "What is going on in here?!" Wally chuckles, nervous, as he says "I'm just practicing my (Y/N) impression! You know, since Sam has been out for a while. We don't want to get behind on episodes just because they are gone! Who knows when they will be back?"

The director's eyes trail to the limp puppet in the man's hands. "I thought I told you to put that thing away! Why do you still have it out?" Wally flinches, quickly thinking of an excuse. "Well, I needed to practice not only the voice, but also puppeteering while talking. Since I usually only have to puppeteer, I thought it would help to practice doing both?" The director sighs, nodding.

Then, the best words he has ever heard come out of their mouth happen.

"Just take that puppet home with you, if you want. You clearly have something wrong in the head to be so... ungodly attached to it. You'd probably would keep it in better condition than when we leave them in the storage boxes, anyway."

With that, the director slammed the door to Wally's office shut. The puppet in Wally's arms began to move once more, looking up to Wally with fear. They immediately begin to squirm, trying to get out of his grasp, only for him to hold them still with ease. "Come on, (Y/N)! Let me show you just how much you'll love it here! I'll show you how happy your show makes the children of this world, as well as how much fun this world can be! Anything for you to stay, (Y/N)!"

He grabs a small, cardboard box, then places the struggling puppet inside. Quickly stapling it shut, he then pokes a few little holes into the top. Yes, technically, a puppet cannot breathe, but he still feels bad keeping them in a dark box during transport. Picking up the box, he takes it to his car, saying "Don't worry. The ride will be short. I love relatively close to the studio! Just stay calm, alright?"

"LET ME OUT! WALLY! WALLY! LET ME GO!!!" The box shuffles in the car seat, the puppet inside clearly being in distress as he drives down the road. "WALLY!" (Y/N) peeks out of one of the holes in the box. "I don't know what you are doing, but you are clearly not being a nice neighbor! LET ME GO!" "It's too late. Even if I wanted to, we are already at my house! Come on, let me show you around!" "You could just drive me back-" "LET ME SHOW YOU AROUND!"

He quickly swoops the box into his arms, carrying it into his house as the puppet inside throws itself against the cardboard walls, attempting to escape. He rushes inside, closing the door behind him, before placing the box on his couch. Popping open the lid, (Y/N) pokes their head out, frantically looking around the room.

Their face would've grown pale, if it could've, as they survey the room. Their expression twists, as much as their felt face could allow, into a look of anxiety and fear. Looking around, Wally is slightly confused. What could be wrong with his home? There isn't anything that is obscene or dangerous, as far as he is aware. Then, it hits him.

This place is Wally sized, not (Y/N) sized. The small puppet, who is only around 3 feet tall, give or take, will have a bit of trouble navigating his home. Especially with the fact that they don't seem used to their puppet body. Normally, he would feel bad or sorry, then help accommodate his beloved little puppet. Considering the fact that they clearly want to escape him, however...

This is perfect.

Even more so, because felt hands won't have as much traction and grip on things like doorknobs, windowsills, and the likes. It's going to be harder for them to try to get out without his permission. As much as he hates knowing that he is making (Y/N) unhappy, it truly is for the best!

"Aww... (Y/N), this will only be for a week! Then, I have to go back to work! Maybe... Maybe, when I puppeteer you at work, on set, you'll go back to your world? Just wait. If my theory is true, you'll be back in no time!" The puppet nods, folding their arms. They look away from Wally, clearly upset and full of dismay.

Wally picks up (Y/N), holding them in his arms gently, almost like he is cradling the most precious thing in the world. To him, he is. Nothing could compare to (Y/N)! The effect they have had on the children who watch the show brings him such joy. The way they talk about kindness, acceptance, generosity, and creativity is all that he has wanted to see in life. He has always wanted that kindness, that acceptance, and affection for himself! Now, he can. Now, he can have (Y/N).

His co-workers may call him crazy, saying something is wrong with him... having crushes on fictional characters is childish in their eyes- something an adult shouldn't do. They've been on his back for him talking to the puppet like it could talk back, how he never seems to let it go, and how his little obsession is made stranger, considering that he puppeteers the character. They've always told him that (Y/N) isn't real and to let go. Jokes on them, because now Wally's precious, sweet (Y/N) is real! They're real and they're his.

[crimson-chaffinch]

Life is strange but I like it.

A new game of Life is Strange franchise was a big surprise. I love first game so much (played it 3 times and never could change my final choice). This game is definitely different and I’ll try to write about its pros and cons.

Let’s start with something positive. The first things you notice (since first trailers I’m sure) are graphics and facial animations. Characters look like real people; you can see when they are puzzled or surprised, and it’s amazing! Voice actors and actresses did a great job; you feel this chemistry between characters when listen to them (Max and Vinh are just brilliant).

The list of negative things will be definitely longer and I’m upset writing that.

The greatest problem is the plot. Probably I shouldn’t have bought an early access because after finishing Chapter 2 I had some high expectations and also read some stupid spoilers on reddit (which I definitely wasn’t looking for). So my high expectations and some cool ideas which appeared in my head played a cruel joke on me. Probably Chapters 3 and 4 were kind of good but Chapter 5… and ending was so disappointing. I had a feeling like a scriptwriter just gave up right in the middle of the story, and even didn’t try to make it a bit complicated. Come on, gamers aren’t stupid, we like good stories, cool twists and heartbreaking endings. But it’s not about LiS:DE.

The second problem – characters. Some of them are just good or bad, there is nothing in the middle. Amanda is cute, hard-working and has a big family. That’s all I can tell about her. You even can’t understand why Max like her. She is just an ordinary girl, a typical green flag for Max and it’s cool to have relationship with some good person in real life but such characters in games are just super boring.

That’s why I like Vinh (yeah I like him), because he seems real, he did something stupid in the past and he isn’t proud about it, and it makes him real.

Tbh I don’t know what to say about Safi without spoilers, so maybe it’s better to skip this part.

The rest of characters are like a background for the main story, not sure if you remember any of them in a week or so.

And the third part – length of the story. Yeah, when you play it for the first time you are too curious and just want to move further and further. But even when you start playing the second time and you look for all photos and other collectables, chapters are still so short.

I wish we all got some cool DLC which isn’t about cat or extra clothes. But dreams, sweet dream. Deck 9, plz, can you guys make something really funny for fans, maybe a date for Max (she deserves it).

And the last problem – there is no Chloe. She was annoying in the first game but she is a person Max needs and in my game Max sacrificed Arcadia Bay for her. I just can’t believe Chloe could leave her so easily. Btw Max’s trauma after these events is shown really well, and it helps to see how deep her character is. Sad that’s other characters aren’t so well-written.  

In conclusion I still want to recommend this game. No matter if you are the fan or not, it worth playing and it won’t take lots of time to finish it. Max is still Max even being 28 she can say some cringy stuff and that’s why I like her.  

[nabwastaken]

so I watched Heathers live

so for those unaware, the musical Heathers is currently on tour throughout the UK and I got to see it since it's in my town rn! (Shoutout to my brother for buying the tickets). I saw it live so here's a few notes and my review on it

For context I have seen and listened to the Original Off Broadway version, but have not seen the West End proshot and only listened to the added songs for it.

Also I have horrible memory so I may get stuff or misremember stuff wrong. Feel free to ask me a few questions abt my experience in the replies/rbs

Let's jump in!

Notes and Observations:

Ram and Kurt were really good. Like, they had awesome comedic timing and were always a treat to see onstage

Heather Chandler STOLE THE SHOW!!! Her actress was so talented and she rocked the vocals of Candy Store so much. She had such a presence every time she was onstage

But my favorite of all of them was JD. God, he was so fucking good. The Freeze Your Brain climax? Mwah, chef's kiss that was amazing. I was legit at the edge of my seat throughout Meant To Be Yours. When he yelled “VERONICA!” There was legit a growl as he yelled it out.

Kurt's Dad in Dead Gay Son had a fantastic voice

One of the nerd ensemble members was really funny. Like in Shine a Light he just shoved himself in front of Fleming to dance and that was so funny

The accents were WAYYY better than on the West End cast album. Which makes sense, apparently JD's actor was Canadian

There were a few lyric changes. Can't name them off the top of my head but they caught me slightly off guard when I heard them (particularly in Dead Gay Son with a whole verse)

The added songs weren't that bad! I still prefer Blue to You're Welcome but seeing it live changed my opinion on it and Kurt and Ram were both shoving each other and fighting throughout the number and it was really funny (though it was unintended). Thematically I still refuse to get behind the song tho (but that's a post for another day) Never Shut Up Again was so good!! Heather Duke absolutely ATE IT UP AND LEFT NO CRUMBS. I Say No was.. fine tho.

And the lighting was spectacular. There was specially colored lights for each of the Heathers that would shine on them after their big numbers and during Never Shut Up Again there's a REALLY cool thing where they rip off Duke's clothes to reveal Heather Chandler's red ones and then the lights turned to red and started flashing everywhere in the theatre. And during Dead Gay Son all the lights were rainbow colored. AND WHEN THE SCHOOL BLEW UP ALL THE LIGHTS JUST FLICKERED AND STUFF IT WAS SO COOL

Shine a Light was great. Fleming was absolutely hilarious and they all had these bedazzled jackets. When she asked for volunteers literslly all the students behind her raised their hands but she kept going anyway. There was a bit where after the "Steve, I'm ending our affair!" Part a spotlight shone on a random man in the audience and Fleming just flirts with that poor man. Like it's a lot it and it was hilarious. Later on in the stage door she says that it's improv every night and at the start of the show she picks an audience member and then writes it down on the board.

Speaking of the stage door: Everyone was so nice! We got selfies with them (that I will not be showing for privacy reasons) and some of them even signed my program!

Overall thoughts:

That was really good! Solid 8/10 from me. It holds up on par and sometimes even better than the original off bway cast! If you live in any of the cities they're touring to next, I would highly recommend buying tickets and checking it out if you can.

[mrs-johansson]

Strangers in the night - Scarlett Johansson x Fem!Reader

Part 17:

*third person pov*

Mid July, the sun shining on the pavement. People moving around with portable wardrobes, tents set up for hair and makeup, all this on the streets of Prague.

Cameras standing in a line, looking right at the center of the town. The buildings looked so bright but the picture just looked sad and empty of life.

Taika and Y/n stood behind the cameras, surrounded by monitors, talking over the next scene. Coffee in both their hands, headphones resting around Y/n’s neck as she said in her director chair. Hair tied back into a tight bun, trying to hide the hair that she wasn’t able to wash in a week. Although she looked fresh and very put together, she was exhausted. She covered up the dark circles under her eyes with light makeup and the smile was a constant on her face.

Scarlett was sitting in her makeup chair, getting the final touches from the makeup artist. Her eyes were on her girlfriend through the mirror watching as she was giving out orders to the set designers and camera men. Y/n was very different on set than she was at home. At work, she looked confident and sure of her voice and job, looking like a real professional who’s been doing this for years. But at home, in the safety of their little bubble, she was very insecure and fearful of the work she’s been doing. Scarlett couldn’t tell her enough how amazing she was at her job and that she had nothing to worry about. Sometimes Y/n just went with the flow and accepted her girlfriend’s praises and even believed them, which made her calmer at work. Mostly she just acted like she was putting up this front but in reality, she was scared of every little move she made on her own set.

“She’s doing pretty well so far,” the makeup artist’s voice brought Scarlett out of her daydream. “What?” “Y/n. She’s doing a great job,” repeated the woman. “Oh yeah, she’s awesome.” The actress hid her smile and the blush that crept up her cheeks.

Filming scene by scene, everyone knew that this movie was something that will be very well put together. Y/n has shown great potential at directing and producing, which she obviously didn’t feel but everyone else did.

Weeks went by and there was less and less filming needed and it all seemed very real for the young director. Taika was always there to remind Y/n that she has been doing incredible. But she always said, “We’ll see when it comes out.” She was right but so was Taika.

As the last two weeks of shooting rolled around, the marketing team organized an interview/behind-the-scenes video for the cast. The actors and directors each shared their thoughts on the filming and their cast mates and crew.

***

Inside Jojo Rabbit - Behind the scenesnes

“The first time we thought about the movie, we were sure we wanted this to be funny. And while writing the script, we didn’t know how far we should take this comedic relief, so we took it the furthest we could.” Shared Y/n Cole, director and writer of the movie.

Taika Waititi as Imaginary Adolf:

“Through the whole writing process, I always had Taika in mind for Hitler’s role. Of course not because they are so similar, but because I couldn’t imagine someone else being so… accepting of this role and taking it seriously, in an acting way. It’s a very complex character and Taika is the only one I think who understands the purpose of this figure. When you play a character so questionable or any kind of character, as an actor you have to lose any judgment to play them and he was able to create this whole other person with his acting but also be authentic towards the character,” said Y/n.

Scarlett Johansson as Rosie Betzler:

“Scarlett’s screen test was the only one I could not be present at because I was working, but Taika called me right after she was done. The only thing he said on the phone was, I think I just hired Scarlett Johansson as Rosie and you’re gonna love her so much. Okay, bye. I have to go. And he hung up. Then as pre-production rolled in, and then the table read, seeing Scarlett and Roman interact and act out the scenes, I was so happy that she was the one for this role because she’s the kind of person who takes the role and cherishes it with care and it fits her so well.”

“When we were talking about her role, it was clear that this type of comedic but also serious and responsible mother character was new in her career but not in her everyday life. And when at specific scenes the actors are free to improvise, she’s so quick and witty with her parts and I think that’s definitely a relief for us that we have actors who are incredibly professional but also able to contribute to the creative process if that makes sense.”

Roman Griffin Davis as Jojo Betzler.

“I was very excited about this role and the casting of it but also terrified. But when we met Roman, all my worries disappeared. The whole screen test was about 25 minutes, and he did not take his eyes off Taika. You know… it’s hard to have a character like his but also make the audience love him or to think about his point of view, not just go like oh gosh he’s supporting Hitler, he’s horrible. Finding Roman was a changing point. When you look at him, you only think that he’s the cutest and sweetest kid.”

“He is the kindest little human, an honest gentleman who is a complete professional and a kid blessed with amazing acting skills. Roman has such a fresh approach towards acting since this is his first time doing it, and he is willing to learn from anybody who gives him any advice. You know… being surrounded with actors like Scarlett, Taika or like Sam Rockwell, at the end he gained so much experience and just little secrets about acting.”

“But also he is such an appreciative boy. Whenever he wasn’t shooting and I had time off too, we’d rate the food and candy we had on set, and one time, I had a very bad day. I was tired and frustrated and he came to my trailer with a basket full of things that I liked so far and we watched cartoons for the rest of the day. The next day, he came up to me and said, thank you for choosing me for the role and I’m so happy to work with you. My heart melted. He has the biggest heart and besides that, he’s an amazing actor.”

Thomasin McKenzie as Elsa Korr:

“Taika was the one who suggested Thomasin for this part since he knew her prior. And as production was getting along, and we got to know each other better, I recognized so much of Thomasin in Elsa’s character and I find that so interesting. Working as an actor you don’t realize how much your co-stars are similar with their roles because you're so focused on how you would actualize your character, but seeing everyone from the third person’s view, it was easier to see these things.”

“I especially like the dynamic between Elsa and Rosie. Thomasin and Scarlett had this incredibly great chemistry and with Rosie being the mother figure to Elsa, I think they did such an amazing job with the scenes.”

Sam Rockwell as Captain Klenzendorf:

“Captain K has been one of my favorite characters since the beginning of the whole process. Whenever I wrote a scene with him, I just wanted to make him as sarcastic as possible. Him being a gay natzi I think was so ironic and drama-like so when Sam Rockwell came up as a possibility, I was pushing until he got the part.”

“His character has this similarity with Jojo, that you have to make the audience like him. But he also has these elements that make him more like someone who you’d love as a character. You can already see from the beginning that he is so done with this war and on top of that he has to train all these kids. Captain K is definitely one of the more chaotic comedic reliefs in the movie, which Sam did an amazing job doing.”

“While being a natzi captain, he is also a lowkey ally. In particular scenes you can see that he actually has other opinions about the whole natzi thing but rather goes with what is expected from him as a man and captain during this time, and I think it makes him a complex and mysterious character too.”

Y/n Coles as director, producer, screenwriter

Y/n:

“At first I was very nervous about playing the director’s part. I didn’t really think about doing it, I was just like… you know I wrote this with Taika, I'm sure he will do a great job with it. But he insisted that I direct it and produce it. Still, terrified. But here we are.”

“As the whole casting part was over and it started getting very real, I sat down with Taika and asked him, did we just ruin our career? He looked at me, took a deep breath, and said, I guess we’ll know when it’s in theaters. So yeah, that’s how we started filming.”

“When the script was finished, I didn’t know who to give it to read it first. I was very afraid of how people are gonna actually react with now the real thing in their hands. My dad was my first choice and I gave it to him, but he asked me to pitch him the idea. And I was like, you can’t be serious, there’s no way I will tell you a sentence about this movie that will make you want to watch it. He handed me back the pages and I had to give it to him when I had a pitch speech. But I kinda have one so…”

“Jojo Rabbit is about a boy, who lives in Natzi Germany and his imaginary friend/father figure is Hitler. But as the war continues he finds himself opening up his view about the world and what he has believed so far. Kind of… It’s still not perfect, just watch the movie.”

Taika:

“Working with Y/n was amazing. She has such a creative mind and just such a great approach toward her work. Actually, she’s the one who keeps me in line. She was the real boss around here while also being the most fun and loving person. I guess it was because she wasn’t dressed as Hitler while directing, that’s probably easier.”

“When we first thought about the idea of making a movie of this story, she was scared of the comedy part of it. I was like okay yeah, try to write something, write a scene then we’ll get back to it. A week later, she sent me the opening scene. The one you see in the beginning. Not a line has changed ever since she wrote it. The rest is history.”

“As an actor, she knew how to treat the actors while directing. Her attitude was just brilliant. She’s a genius. It was her first time directing and producing but she killed it, absolutely killed it. When she wanted to add an element we haven't discussed prior, she was really passionate about it. Her ideas are well thought over and amazing, but making it real was how I think she won over everyone.”

Scarlett:

“Y/n and I became friends before pre-production started and she voiced her concern about her directorial debut a lot of times. She was very scared about people not taking her seriously because of her age and “lack of experience”. But you know a woman like Y/n, she has that kind of posture that you don’t see in every director. She is an amazing actor and that definitely contributes to how she works as a director. Y/n has her own methods already on how to make her ideas real and how to speak with us to understand her vision.”

“The first time I read the script I was just so impressed with her writing skills. The dialogues she wrote are just so so good. And she is very shy about her work so whenever someone compliments her creation she's way too humble about it.”

“Y/n is a very approachable person and I think that is one of the reasons why it is so easy to work with her. She is direct with her words and thoughts which is always helpful for the actors, especially if there are kids involved. Y/n speaks their language so naturally and her connection with Roman definitely helped him to reach his best in the movie.”

Roman:

“Y/n is the best director I’ve ever worked with. Even if she’s the first one.”

“She is one of the funniest people I’ve ever met and she is very kind. She gives the best advice and I think she is easy to understand and doesn’t use these crazy words to explain what I have to do, so it was great to work with her.”

“But she’s also very fun when she’s not wearing the headphones and sits in her chair. Whenever she has free time she makes sure I’m okay and spends time with me. We often read lines together too, which is very cool.”

Thomasin:

“Y/n is the first female director I’ve worked with so far and she put the stakes very high for the next ones. She was just fantastic, truly.”

“When you first see her, you think she’s a beautiful young woman who is an actress. A lot of people actually don’t know how witty and how comedic her personality is. We always have fun with her on set.”

“I especially loved how Y/n gave us instructions. It was great because both she and Taika are actors and know what they need to understand a certain scene. Her instructions are always very straightforward but she’s also very flexible with how we play, which is I think very unique of her.”

Sam Rockwell:

“I’ve been following Y/n’s work for a while now and I think she’s a phenomenal actress. And because of that, I was very curious about her as a director.”

“On the first table read she was very reserved and observing, and I was very surprised that she’s so quiet and kinda lets Taika talk forever. But on the next one, she knew how all of us were and how to work with us, you know. She basically did a test run in her head on how this is going to work, oh Sam does this and Roman speaks like this, so she was just silently putting the whole picture together.”

“Although, what I was not expecting, is that she took her part in basically everything. She had ideas for the costumes, the buildings, and every type of artistic element. It is very important for her to not only show the darker ones of the time but like the light of it, which is very hard to find.”

***

It was done. The last scene has finished and everyone who worked in the film was standing in the room, looking at Taika and Y/n. The man gave his speech, making everyone laugh with his words, then looked at his directing partner who had tears in her eyes, holding them back with every strength in her body. Y/n got the mic and stepped forward.

“I don’t even know where to start…” She cleared her throat, scared to even look at her cast. “First of all I’d like to apologize for crying in the upcoming minutes, look past it please, I’m a mess as you can tell,” she chuckled tearfully.

She lifted her eyes to Scarlett who had the proudest smile on her face seeing her girl shine was something she’ll cherish forever.

The room was silent and everyone was listening to her words.

“Gosh uhm… I never thought that I would be here when I wrote this with Taika and it’s still surreal to me that we are standing here, with endless footage of the script. Firstly, I’d like to thank the crew who helped us create this amazing experience. The hair and makeup department, the costume department, the sound, camera, light crew, and our amazing set designers who made every little detail look incredible. Without all of you, we wouldn’t have a movie like this, our actors wouldn’t look like they just stepped out on the street in the 40s, and for that, I am so thankful,” she said and a round of applause filled the silence.

Y/n turned around and saw Taika standing with his hands in his pockets, also teary-eyed but with a big smile on his face.

“Without this man, I probably wouldn’t be crying here in front of you all. Taika, I will be forever and after that, grateful for you, that you pushed me and not saying that I was crazy for wanting to do a film about Nazis. You’ve been a mentor to me for years and I wouldn’t wish for anyone else. You did nothing but encourage me throughout the whole process so far and I adore you for that. I could not thank you enough for this,” the tears slid down her pink cheeks as Taika gave her a nod.

Then she looked at the cast. Her vision was slightly blurry from the tears but she saw every single one of them. Y/n could even see the tears in Scarlett’s eyes and that Roman was silently crying by her side.

“Oh gosh and you guys,” Y/n spoke but the knot in her throat made her stop for a second. “I don’t think I’ll ever have the words to express how much love I have for every single one of you. You made these characters alive, you gave them a voice, a face. Nobody would’ve done a better job than you and I wouldn’t wish for anyone else. You guys are incredible actors but mostly exceptional people. The work you all put into this project is everything we could’ve asked for and more. One day I hope we’ll work together again because I just love all of you with my whole heart.”

“This was an experience that I will never forget. You were the ones who helped me begin this amazing amazing journey. I don’t think I will ever be able to express the gratitude that I have for everyone in this room. Thank you for supporting me and believing in me despite my lack of experience. What I’m trying to say is that I love you and thank you for being a part of this amazing voyage.” She put her hands together like she was ready to pray but she bowed for their love.

y/ncole: and that’s a wrap on Jojo Rabbit!❤️ the love that was present on our set everyday was something I’ll never forget. Our cast and crew is filled with amazing people and I’ll be thanking you all for the rest of my life for making the start of this journey for me the best experience ever! Jojo Rabbit is something I can’t wait for everyone to see. The love this movie represents is something unique and special. I am biased but it truly is. Jojo Rabbit is coming to you next year, all love until then!❤️

[real-odark]

25apcsb enjoyers listen to me talk about(/kind of review it for you? except not really because i will never say anything bad about this production) my favorite production of the show!

ever.

MAD theater i LOVE YOU.

i saw their production live (the first time ive ever seen this show live or a production by this company) and it was AMAZING. this is my favorite cast for this show hands down and let me show you some stuff and why you should love them, too !!

(IF YOU DO NOT WANT TO HEAR ME TALK ABOUT IT/WOULD RATHER SEE THE CAST, I HAVE PICTURES AND A VIDEO NEAR THE BOTTOM OF THE POST!!)

here are all of the spellers! arent they the cutest :3 they all portray their characters PERFECTLY, and im currently on a hunt to see all of them in more performances because WOW . i know the point of the show is for it to be obvious these arent preteens playing them but all three of the girls were so cute honestly id trust them if they said they were it was so good. im gonna talk about all of them too !;;

their leaf was obsessed with sonic (sporting a nice sonic cape), and had a very good dynamic with every character and audience member he interacted with ! he say by me when he was eliminated and we talked a bit, and met his actor after the show. ALSO, playing logainne's dad with his soda and being the soccer mom ever is 100% approved by me . the way he effortlessly exchanged between the two roles was . AH.

olive was PERFECT. i cried at the i love you song so bad her little pom poms and im just mhejkn, her fidgeting with the strings of her cat hoodie whenever she was nervous was a great detail just small things like that

CHIP. chip chip chip. boy scout of the year, and JESUS ON A SCOOTER. he was so sassy and his little shenanigans made this character so good hed bite his lip and do little faces like that all the time he never broke id trust this man with my life

barfee , so nerdy i cannot resist this guy. he looks like he smells like hamburger and you know what? perfect. meeting him afterwards, he said that his shoes (for magic foot) were glow up sketchers and both of them were supposed to glow but only ONE did (the other broke) a few nights before and what a champ because he just went with it and CHANGED THE FOOT HE WAS USING to match the one that glew. i wouldve had a breakdown but go richard brown. through the whole show his bad accent and wet dog looks intrigued me

marcy was literally perfection, she had ME stressin out for her. i was sitting by the actresses' grandma and she was so fond of her its so cute. her singing voice is AMAZING there is a clip online i know of its on the theatre's tiktok but to hear that in person when its the song that got me into the show was wow. i relate to her very much and she made this character so personal even with just being in bits and pieces of the show

and finally, logainne. god she was SO FUNNY. the interactions between her and her dads, as well as the other spellers, were hilarious but also so real feeling. her actress, taylor,'s dedication to this role really showed and it worked awesome in the character. her appearance and outfit is the BEST for logainne btw??? no ones talking bout that its so so her ...,

^ also since i mentioned leaf's water bottle, logainne had a pride one + barfee had a pokemon cup. i think olive had one but if she did it was in the bleachers so i couldn't see, but i love how all of their bottles (yes even something just SMALL LIKE THAT) represent their characters the details in this show are sjsjd

here is a picture with the adults too! ill talk abt those three next;;

rona. again, had me crying in the stands. she was adorable the whole show though, with her little quips and interchanges !! her + panch were so funny and also shes GORGEOUS?? but her soccer mom teacher type deal is exactly what i picture rona as.

panch reminded me very very much of ron swanson. he was so sarcastic and hes just such a big guy with all these kids it played off so well !! i love so many different interpretations of panch like twink panch and butch panch, but i think this burly panch with his soft, creepy side for rona was my favorite !

and now, lastly, mitch. HE KEPT BUSTING OUT AS THE SIDE CHARACTER WITH THE AMAZINF SINGING VOICE AND IT CAUGHT ME OFF GUARD EVERY TIME ??? mitch himself was so so awesome, the tattoos and drug apparell (i am struggling spelling that) fit so well. and also, he just looks so mitch mahoney doesnt he?? like. the character fits the actor so well id be shocked seeing anything else from them because mitch was the perfect role... again, his brief dynamic with all the kids is so goofy

the set;;

it was so cute and the details in the posters on the wall were so childish it made me giggle. they even advertised their theatre's next production, which will be urinetown!! they had seats ON the stage (which is where i sat, naturally), which i think makes for a fun and realistic effect !! when the spellers were eliminated, theyd sit there (they had reserved spots) :3

its evident that all of the cast members had very good relatioships and play off that REALLY well

a little photo dump of them!! on the MAD theatre social medias, they have more and clips of them, too!! id definitely reccomend checking them out because the show's closed :3

overall; i have so much love for this cast and MORE PEOPLE NEED TO AS WELL!!! so here you go 😊😊

[afterthesequels]

MEET OUR BEN & REY --- Star Wars: The Chosen One (Episode X) Fan Film

Actors Madeleine Norton and Daniel Davenport play the main leads of Rey and Ben Solo, respectively, for our up and coming FAN FILM TRILOGY (once again, not official!) set to release in December 2024! And with them we also have OUR Poe Dameron, Norra Wexley, Wedge Antilles, and Darth Zanos/Cal Kestis --- respectively, Tony Rescigno, Donna Heffernan, Charles Wilson, and Kyle Bargoot.

Maddie comes from an classical acting pedigree, having done theater for the majority of her young years and she graduated with a bachelors degree in fine arts for drama. As a classically trained actress, she also brings many accents to the project, perfectly capturing the voice of Rey. She's as close to Daisy Ridley as we could get and she has a passion for the character that we love. And she's about the nicest person we've ever met, too!

Daniel is a complete contrast to Maddie, but the two compliment each other so well and have amazing chemistry in these roles. He's brand new to this field, only having done a few voice acting projects prior. But we can absolutely tell you that Daniel is a diamond in the rough and we intend to see him through as his "acting family" for the rest of his life. His voice is so perfect for Ben Solo! We love him and we're sure you'll love him too!

We're also so excited to tell the love story of Norra Wexley and Wedge Antilles which most folks haven't been privy to as their story was mainly told in the trilogy of novels called, "Aftermath". Wedge is an iconic original trilogy character and his story really gets fleshed out in those books and it deserves to be seen on the screen. These two were friends for decades and then after the tragic death of Norra's husband, they finally find each other much much later in life. Donna and Charles are Off-Broadway stage actors who have been friends for decades. Charles brought Donna into the project. He said she was perfect for it, and he was 100% percent right. We only auditioned 1 Norra, and Donna was it. As best friends IRL they bring great chemistry to their roles. Wait until you hear them guys! And because Maria has a deep love for all things Poe Dameron, she wanted to tell the story of the tumultuous love affair he had, that started as teenagers, with the formidable Zorii Bliss. That little Spice Runner burned her name across his heart and he has carried that torch for the better part of over a decade, as told in the canon novel, "Poe Dameron: Free Fall". Our Zorii could not join us on this day, but we have the incredible talent that is Tony Rescigno, a film and voice actor who most recently voiced characters in the Diablo IV video game who now takes on the task of Poe Dameron. Lastly we couldn't leave this pair out of "The Lovers Chat" showcase because well, Maria is heavily involved in the video game industry as CEO and President of The Last Prophecy Gaming, Inc. Her work within this franchise is well known and she holds a special place for Cal Kestis and of course also for that sly, revengeful little nightsister, Merrin. And yes, Cal and Merrin will cameo in our fan trilogy, starting with Episode 11, and Cal will be a Grandmaster Jedi by this timeline, and quite old... with children and grandchildren of his own. Hybrid children (half Dathomirian, half Human) with his beloved wifey! Bet they'll have some lessons to teach Ben and Rey, well all of them, we are sure.

Like Dan, Kyle is also pretty new to acting and has only served a few projects here and there. We loved him so much, we gave him two roles --- that is the brooding apprentice to Darth Maladi, Darth Zanos and the big one, Cal Kestis.

So REJOICE #REYLOS --- we're bringing you guys the happy ending that #BenSolo and #Rey deserved, PLUS more love-filled stories to fawn over because Star Wars is full of them!

Stay tuned! And please remember to SUBSCRIBE to our YouTube channel:

[destinyc1020]

Just Saw "The Color Purple" Last Night!! 😁😁 (My Movie Review)

WOW! Where do I even begin?? First of all, let me just start off by saying that I LOVED this movie! I really enjoyed it. 😃 You just knew that you were in for a wonderful ride when you heard the opening number to this film. I love musicals just in general, but there's just something extra special about seeing black talent, black voices, and black actors dancing, singing, and acting onscreen. 🥰 The whole entire film was a magical moment for me, and a sense of great pride. Sort of like the feeling I got when I saw "Black Panther" in theaters for the first time. 😊

I will say too that this film was very well shot. I kept being in awe of the cinematography, the camera angles, the vibrant colors, the use of lighting, the gorgeous shots of Georgia, etc. It was so very well done. You can tell that they spent a lot of time, hard work, and energy on this film to make it very special and of high quality. 👌🏾

I also loved how this film kind of had a stage/theater feel to it. You can tell that it was a musical theater play before it hit the big screen.

The Music The MUSIC!!! Oh the music!!! 🎵🥰 I've never seen the stage play musical, so a lot of the songs were new to me, but I liked a lot of the songs that were in the film. I also loved how they kept some of the original songs that were in the original 1985 film, like "Miss Celie's Blues (Sister)", and "Maybe God is Tryin' to Tell You Somethin'". 😊

The Acting The acting was very well done. I felt like everyone pulled their weight and there weren't any "weak links" in the cast at all. Halle did amazing....I think she has a great career ahead of her in acting if she keeps it up. Danielle Brooks...Omg she was AWESOME. I almost feel like she stole the show in some scenes lol....

Colman Domingo did a great job. I think Danny Glover was a bit more unlikable in the original film, but Colman is a very good actor, and I felt like he did a great job in this role.

I love my girl Taraji! She is SO very talented! Her voice is really great too. While I was watching the film, i couldn't help but remember everything she was saying on the press tour regarding unequal pay in Hollywood, and anytime I saw her onscreen I just couldn't believe that someone with her great talent still feels like she has to fight and scrap to just get a smidgen of what other actresses get in HW, and how she's always having to start right back at the BOTTOM. Smh...it's really sad. 🤦🏾‍♀️ Fantasia Barrino....OMG.... Like, I remember this woman on American Idol!!!! I am so proud of her and how far she's come. 😊 She did an AMAZING job in this! She thoroughly deserved her Golden Globe nomination. 👏🏾 She probably won't win, but she definitely deserved her nomination. I always feel like when someone has to not only act but also sing, dance, (or even play a musical instrument) onscreen, they usually are doing WAY more "work" than others who are just having to simply "act" onscreen lol. I will go to my grave saying that. But! I know this year is a pretty tight race for the "Best Actress" category, so, if she doesn't win, then it is what it is. 🤷🏾‍♀️ Just being nominated is an honor.

The Pros:

This is more like a pro AND a con (I'll explain)... But the fact that they cut out a lot of stuff from the original movie kind of made the story move a lot quicker, and I appreciated that!

I liked that the film didn't feel AS heavy as the original 1985 film. The film still had a lot of heavy elements in it (don't get me wrong), but you don't get to experience just HOW heavy the film is because there's a lot of singing and dancing, and they kind of gloss over certain things in the story (imo). This is actually probably a good thing, especially for a film coming out during the Holiday season lol.

The acting was superb.

It seems that they added a few more things to this film that was in the original book by Alice Walker, so that was a nice touch.

The Cons:

I liked how they cut stuff from the film, but at the same time I didn't lol. I'm so glad that I saw the 1985 version FIRST before seeing this version, because I think there would have been some elements that I wouldn't have fully appreciated because I didn't have the context. The 1985 version is pretty long and more slow-moving, but I felt like it added way more depth to everything that was taking place in the story. The 2023 version almost banked on the fact that you've probably already seen the 1985 version, and they didn't spell everything out for you...which, again...imo was a good thing and a bad thing at the same time lol. I can't explain it.

OVERALL SCORE: 8/10

Overall, very well-done movie! Loved the acting, loved the music, loved basically everything! 😊

[hotvintagepoll]

Propaganda

Ann Sothern (A Letter to 3 Wives, The Blue Gardenia)_ Another unsung comedienne of the 30s and 40s, not enough people know about Ann Sothern. She was, along with her bestie Lucille Ball, originally a Goldwyn gal, but was soon a featured star in pictures. She even headlined a series of films, the Maisie movies. And though she was known for her comedies, but I fell in love with her after her dramatic role in A Letter to 3 Wives. I also absolutely love her in the noir murder mystery The Blue Gardenia. She was absolutely stunning, and I am always excited to find a movie of hers to watch. She's high on my list of "Why don't more people talk about her?" actresses

Ingrid Bergman (Gaslight, Casablanca, Notorious)—Where do I even begin with Ingrid Bergman? I fell in love with her with her astounding performance in the 1956 version of Anastasia -- the best Anastasia movie in large part due to her wonderful and touching performance. She's got this amazing, fascinating intensity to her in whatever role she's in. She commits 100%, and she's got this light in whatever she's in that's stunning. She's utterly convincing no matter what she plays, from an amnesiac possible lost princess, from a nun, from a woman taking her revenge on the town that wronged her, to light romantic comedy. She's never missed in any role I've seen her in! Also she became quite the MILF.

This is round 2 of the tournament. All other polls in this bracket can be found here. Please reblog with further support of your beloved hot sexy vintage woman.

[additional propaganda submitted under the cut.]

Ann Sothern:

She was so beautiful and had great comedic timing!

Ingrid Bergman:

God, she's fantastic. She's both beautiful and a compelling actor who's more than capable of putting the whole movie on her shoulders if necessary. It's worth noting that while her beauty is conventional, she was seen as refreshingly "natural" with more eyebrows and less makeup than many other leading ladies of the time. She's well known for her role in Casablanca, but in Notorious, Spellbound, (both available on archive.org ) and Gaslight (1944) she shows how immensely capable she is.

I mean...she's Ingrid Bergman. I feel like that should be enough, you know? She's physically beautiful (her eyes!) but watching her is like a transcendent experience. Her voice, her expressions... beautiful woman, beautiful actor.

I'm a gay man but even I understand her appeal. I'll watch any movie she shows up in. Gorgeous woman.

Just try and watch her movies without sighing wistfully, then get back to me!

Choosing 1-3 movies where Bergman was at her hottest was agony because, of course, she was always at her hottest. Not just because she was beautiful but because she was absolutely willing to go up against the bs women in Hollywood were constantly dealing with. When exiled from Hollywood for having an affair with Roberto Rossellini, not only did she refuse to apologize at any point, but she went on to say that Hollywood's films had grown stagnant and boring to her. Though she said she appreciated her time working there, she wanted to try new, different techniques (hence starring in Italian neorealist films, working on stage, and acting under directors like Ingmar Bergman). She was not afraid to chase after her artistic ideals and go outside the box regardless of what society had to say about it. From her first movie to her last she killed it. There's so much more to say about Bergman's career and life, but I've already written five million words so I'll stop at that.

One of the most incredible actors I've ever seen on film. Her facial expressions are so intricate and poignant that I cannot look away. I'm either ace or straight, but damn she made me question that.

SEVEN TIME OSCAR NOMINEE QUEEN. Girl also PULLED, having affairs with famously hot men Gary Cooper and Gregory Peck IN ADDITION to her three marriages...sexy

She has a very natural beauty to her, and she's from Sweden!

She left Hollywood and only became more beautiful. You could drown in her eyes. She can look innocent AND like she's seen it all. She is effortlessly elegant. She's played Joan of Arc (automatically hot) AND was in the movie that coined gaslight as a term. And where would we be without that!

She was known for being a breath of fresh air on the movie scene at the time with her windswept hair, dreamy smile and soulful eyes. I have loved her in every movie I have seen her in - she was just magnetic!

Where do I even start. There's a neighborly quality to this beautiful, talented actress that makes her hotness one of a kind and her looks impossible to forget

With a career spanning five decades, Bergman is often regarded as one of the most influential screen figures in cinematic history. Known for her naturally luminous beauty, Bergman spoke five languages – Swedish, English, German, Italian and French – and acted in each.

She's hot, don't get me wrong, but I've always found her very approachable, like she could easily be a member of my friend group

A lot of the time hotness in a movie is just about words and framing. "You're the most beautiful person here" [vaseline lens] well I sure hope so because that's who you cast. But when, in Casablanca, they call Ingrid Bergman the most beautiful woman in the world... they were not fucking lying. And such a dynamite actor too!! I'd only seen Casablanca up until last year, and there she's confined to love interest. But in Gaslight she was maybe one of the most incredible actors I've ever seen!!!! Goddddd shes so fucking hot and cool.

[project1939]

Day 82- Film: Million Dollar Mermaid 

Release date: December 4th, 1952. 

Studio:  MGM 

Genre: Musical 

Director: Mervyn LeRoy 

Producer: Arthur Hornblow Jr 

Actors: Esther Williams, Victor Mature, Walter Pidgeon 

Plot Summary: This is a biography of famous swimmer and performer Annette Kellerman, also remembered as the originator of the one-piece bathing suit for women. We follow her and her father as they travel around the world for Annette to race and perform in carnival shows, working her way up to the famous Hippodrome in New York City. 

My Rating (out of five stars): *** ½ 

Like Esther Williams’ other film in 1952, Skirts Ahoy!, this was pretty uneven in terms of quality, but it was always enjoyable. It wasn’t filled with as much silly fun as Skirt’s Ahoy!, but it had several jaw-dropping musical swimming numbers. The biography aspect of this pioneering woman was great as well. If you like Esther Williams, you’ll like this movie, even if it’s not a masterpiece. 

The Good: 

The musical swimming numbers! Everything about them was lavish, gorgeous, and a splendor for the eyes. The costumes, the color, the staging, the framing, etc... I want to go back and rewatch them. They are so unique- where else in Hollywood could you find musicals with swimming and diving? 

The Technicolor. I’m going to run out of adjectives because gorgeous, vivid, luscious, and rich are all words I use over and over. 

Esther Williams. She’s not an amazing actress, but she has such warmth and charisma about her, and she’s so beautiful it makes you weak in the knees. I still love the fact that she has more of an athlete's body than a typical Hollywood bombshell’s. Her shoulders are broader, her waist is thicker, her thighs are bigger and stronger... all of which made me swoon even more. I love her speaking voice as well- it's so soothing. 

Walter Pidgeon as Annette’s father. He was just the kind of father you’d hope for, and Pidgeon had the usual appealing power of his presence as an actor. 

Learning the biography of Annette Kellerman. She seems like a pretty cool boundary pusher in the early 20th century. She got a lot of attention for wearing a one-piece bathing suit, rather than the skirts and pantaloons women of the time wore. There is no way a swimmer could be competitive in swimwear like that! 

The historical aspects, especially with how female athletes were viewed and treated. 

The Bad: 

I didn’t really like Victor Mature or his character. He is portrayed as a total huckster, and I just didn’t find it appealing at all. I hope Kellerman’s husband in real life wasn’t like that. 

I didn’t like the other guy in the love triangle either. He was kind of boring and not very attractive. Why can’t they find some good men for Esther?! She deserves better!  

Sometimes there was too much drama and not enough fun. Williams is not an especially great dramatic actress (no matter how much I love her!), so I prefer her in more light-hearted stuff. I thought she was perfect in Skirts Ahoy!, for example. 

I wish the musical numbers were more spread out. I understand why we didn’t really get musical numbers until Kellerman started performing at the Hippodrome, because it fit with the story, but I wished we could have had one of the numbers earlier. 

I gripe a lot about accents, so I cannot, in all fairness, neglect to mention that Kellerman and her father were Australian, yet she had an American accent, and her father had a Mid-Atlantic accent. I didn’t really mind it, though, because I think it would have been distracting if Williams tried to do an Aussie accent! 

[sa7abnews]

Best French Films - Cinéma Saturday - La Vie en Rose

New Post has been published on https://sa7ab.info/2024/08/06/best-french-films-cinema-saturday-la-vie-en-rose/

Best French Films - Cinéma Saturday - La Vie en Rose

The D-Day commemoration weekend last weekend delayed our Ciné adventures, but here we are back again with a dramatic bio-pic full of outstanding performances, amazing hair, makeup and costumes, and of course, classic French songs. The sound of romance, struggle, French culture and hope in post-war France, Édith Piaf's remarkable voice still gives so much to audiences today. Do you know about her dramatic, sometimes erratic life?

This week's film is La Vie en Rose / La Môme directed by Olivier Dahan and starring an incomparable Marion Cotillard.

Cast & Crew

Director: Olivier Dahan Cast: Marion Cotillard, Sylvie Testud, Gérard Depardieu,Pascal Greggory, Jean-Pierre Martins, Emmanuelle Seigner, Jean-Paul Rouve, Clotilde Courau Screenplay: Olivier Dahan and Isabelle Sobelmann Cinematographer: Tetsuo Nagata Costume Designer: Marit Allen Producer: Alain Goldman Year: 2007 Genre: Romantic period drama and biographical musical drama Awards & Accolades: Almost too many to mention! This is a highly critically acclaimed film, which was also loved by audiences, with over 5M admissions in France alone. For a complete list of awards and nominations, see TF1's page here. Golden Globes 2008: Winner for Best Actress Marion Cotillard. Cesar Awards: 5 awards and 6 nominations including wins for Best Actress – Marion Cotillard; Best Production Design; Best Photography;Best Costume Design;Best Sound. Nominations: Best Director, Best Supporting Actor – Pascal Greggory,Best Supporting Actress – Sylvie Testud, Best Film, Best Writing (Original) and Best Editing. Academy Awards 2008: Oscar for Best Actress – Marion Cotillard, Best Make Up (and a Nomination for the Best Costume Design.) BAFTA awards Best Actress, Best Music, Best Costumes and Best Make up and Hair Design.

Synopsis

From the slums of Paris to the limelight of New York, Edith Piaf’s life was a battle to sing and survive, live and love. Raised in poverty, Edith’s magical voice and her passionate romances and friendships with the greatest names of the period -Yves Montand, Jean Cocteau, Charles Aznavour, Marlene Dietrich, Marcel Cerdan and others- made her a star all around the world. But in her audacious attempt to tame her tragic destiny, the Little Sparrow – her nickname – flew so high she could not fail to burn her wings.

What I liked about this film

There are some roles which just seem to me made for certain actors. Or perhaps there are certain actors who are just made to play particular figures in history. Whichever way you look at it, Cotillard's performance in this film is outstanding and has an almost mesmeric perfection in every scene. At no point is the audience thinking about what a great job she's doing of imitating Piaf, she just IS Piaf. That's how good this performance is. It makes this film unmissable and so much more than just a bio-pic.

Whether you are familiar with the stories of Piaf's life and her difficult childhood, poverty and street singing beginnings or you just know her name, this film can be immensely enjoyable as there is a great story, wonderful zipping between the "present" of the 1960s and her past with a tight cast of characters. If you love classic chansons, this film is for you! Little stories about how songs were written for her to sing, how she worked on developing her singing and expression are just so fascinating.

So with all of that, I had to include this film in a Cinéma Saturday blog post. This film incorporates lots of what Francophiles love about France: history, music and culture. (It's a fabulous film for anyone not so in love with France too.) Piaf defined a kind of hope and courage so needed during WWII and she rose to immense fame and popularity the world over.

We follow Édith in early childhood and get to see the poverty and remarkable situations in which she grew up, often being dramatically abandoned or dramatically taken away, she seems to have suffered a great deal. Such was the case for so many people at that time who lived in abject poverty, following WWI, in situations and conditions which today seem as alien as medieval medicine. She grew up in a bordello, was blinded by keratitis for several years of her childhood and then abruptly taken off on tour around France with her acrobat father. Estranged from her mother, and to suffer her own losses of child, lovers and friends, Piaf's life is like an embellished dramatic fiction, except that it just isn't! Thus the makings of a dramatic and very affecting film were forged in her experience and Dahan makes a beautiful film which deals with these events very well. Each era is very well realised from her birth in 1915 to her death in 1963, we see both the poverty-stricken Piaf and the excess-driven chanteuse starring in her top billing in Paris and New York, with everything in between. From immense highs to heartbreaking lows, this films really gives you these points in Piaf's life and takes you along for the journey. It's immersive through its careful execution, production design and costumes and Cotillard's remarkable performance.

As the audience we find the story involving and interesting, but we are captivated by Cotillard's Piaf, just as I imagine we might have been with the real little sparrow/ little kid (la môme in French is often translated as either the sparrow or the kid). For Cotillard, she learnt the Piaf songs and lip-synced to perfection. She was immersed too, just as the duainece is. Of course that is also difficult to move on from, as an actor. Cotillard immersed herself completely in Piaf's life, her gravelly voice, with shaved eyebrows and high hairline and contorting herself into looking Piaf's diminutive height. She has famously described how hard it was to let go of Piaf after the filming had finished, quoted in The Guardian:

Living in that 'darkness' of the creative process where you have lost yourself in someone else's life gives us the magic we see on film. So as difficult as it was for Cotillard, we have to be glad she did all the work she did as this performance is completely unforgettable!

Let yourself be immersed in early twentieth century France (and the USA) along with one of the most recognisable soundtracks you'll ever hear, full as it is with Piaf's world-famous hits including La Vie en Rose, Je ne regrette rien, Milord, Hymne à l'amour and many more. Recognised finally for her single La Vie en Rose (1945) and inducted into the Grammys Hall of Fame in 1998, Piaf has always been special, revered in France and became famous worldwide. As time goes on and the centenary of her birth was celebrated in 2015, if a little more muted than previous celebrations, Piaf deserves to be remembered still. The classics are sometimes forgotten in the noise and clamour of contemporary life.

Singing with so much feeling and emotion, she has an ability to carry you along with her, just like Dahan does in this film. Let yourself be taken away into a different time, with the beautiful music of Piaf. A remarkable woman who lived an incredible life, sadly shortened by liver cancer, she died in 1963. Given the high honour of the French flag over her coffin, she is buried in Père-Lachaise, where over 500,000 people lined the route of the funeral cortège to the cemetery, where another 40,000 people came to pay their respects to the singer who died aged 47. It is said that Jean Cocteau said , "Ah, la Piaf est morte," … "Je peux mourir aussi." [Ah, Piaf's dead. I can die too. "] And then he promptly died of a heart attack.(The Guardian)

Probably the greatest French singer of all time, Piaf was a star that shone brightly in the sky and continues to do so through her musical legacy.

Trailer

Where to Find It

Handy links are provided here for easy reference – just click on the images. (clicking will show the product in your Amazon region, affiliate links are marked with*)

UK DVD BluRay

France/EU DVD*

BluRay*

Streaming Amazon US

Soundtrack*

"Best of" album (remastered)*

If you're inspired to explore more about Édith Piaf and classic French chansons, you might like these Spotify playlists and albums:

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Have you seen this film? Did you like it? Let me know what you thought by email: hello at francewhereyouare dot com or over on social media.

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