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mobileleprechaun · 4 months ago

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oubgh Tagged Game

I was kindly tagged by the eminent @femboty2k, thank you so much for tagging me!

This one is about introducing yourself with the following:

- One tv show

- One movie

- One album

- One game

However, she went the extra mile and did two each, so I'll do that as well!

TV Shows: Whatever Happened to Robot Jones and Making Fiends

I'm not entirely sure what it says about me that both of my picks here were ill-fated and obscure cartoons cancelled before their time, but I certainly hope it's nothing premonitory about the trajectory of my life!

Robot Jones was a full-on obsession for me when I was young. It's about a robot child having to attend junior high in the 1980s so he can understand humans better, and all the awkwardness that goes along with that. Something about it struck such a chord with me – probably the fact that the protagonist was a sheltered misfit who couldn't understand his peers. I was homeschooled until college, and all of my interactions with other kids were painfully awkward along those lines, so I guess I just felt seen?

It's a weird show, and the tone is pretty bleak. He's mercilessly bullied by both peers and authority figures alike, and episodes rarely ever end with anything working out for him. Maybe I felt seen by that too. It's kind of fucked up, and I'm 70% certain bits of it didn't age well, but for what it's worth, people still really enjoy the one episode where RJ comes to the conclusion that he's nonbinary. It's also lost media at this point, so there's an inherent rewarding feeling that comes with being able to find it at all.

Making Fiends is also pretty bleak, but in a very silly and fun way. It's about a town that lives in mortal terror of Vendetta, this extremely cruel grade-schooler who is able to make monsters (fiends) that can serve her every whim. However, her nasty little gangster baby life is turned upside down when a very dense friendly girl named Charlotte comes to town, and Vendetta finds herself terrorized for a change.

I was obsessed with this one too and was a young stan of its creator. I love that it's about two girls just being dumb as all hell and having weird and fucked up things happen to them. Nobody's boy-crazy, either – both of these little gremlins just get to be people. Neither of them are particularly deep in terms of characterization, but they're so much fun to have a romp with, and they get to fill that slapstick-heavy role that's usually only reserved for male characters. Also, the humor is super fucked up and morbid, but the way everything is delivered will just keep you hooting. It's definitely less emotionally exhausting than Robot Jones.

Movies: Chicken Run and The End of Evangelion

Weird pair, I know!

Chicken Run is another of my childhood obsessions that persists to this very day. It's a fun and surprisingly poignant tale of an insurrection on a farmyard and the brave hens (and one mostly useless rooster) who make it happen. Aardman just knocks it right out of the park with the quirky designs of their ensemble cast and just how rooted it feels in its 1950s setting. The villains are fun, the heroes are fun, somehow Mel Gibson doesn't completely ruin it, and I dunno, it's just very cozy. I could rewatch it over and over again. Also, Mac is best girl.

End of Evangelion is not cozy at all! It's the fucked up and horrifying ending to a fucked up and horrifying anime, and it pissed a lot of people off at how mean-spirited it felt, but like... it's a fucking masterpiece, like it goes incredibly hard. Every element of it – the music, the voice acting, the visuals – it's all stunning, like all the way through. Yes it's sad and upsetting and very strange, but that's just how the anime went. None of it feels out of place, either. I can go back and watch Episode 1 again and not feel like EoE mismatches tonally. I still think about it on the regular, and I still bop to Komm sußer Tod.

Albums: Spirit Phone and Act II: The Father of Death

I've picked these two because these are both albums I always feel the need to listen to as a whole rather than piecemeal. There's some other amazing albums that I feel dirty not including here, but these two are just the ones that hit me the hardest as albums, and I have to be fully honest with myself about that.

Spirit Phone came into my life when I desperately needed it. I had just lost my youngest brother and was trying to find my first apartment after years of being my parents' adult subject. It was such a heady and wonderful thing for me, all these skrunkly-ass songs about the occult and the inherently fucked up nature of American culture. I played it on repeat for almost a solid month, and it gave me the strength and optimism I needed to muscle through the most terrifying time of my life. It's still such a cozy and wonderful thing for me, and I thank Neil Cicirega from the bottom of my heart for putting it together.

The Protomen: Act II wasn't something that got me through a crisis, but it was a fucking crazy-ass bop and a solid goddamn chaser to their first album, which I also love listening to as a whole. The story of Thomas Light's descent into living as a pariah in his own city after his own friend turns on him is masterfully told by this band, and every track hits like a truck. The whole subplot with Joe was incredible, too, and that guy who sings as Wily is so fucking good, and Panther is ridiculously versatile... I still get goosebumps thinking about Breaking Out. Gorgeous album through and through.

Games: Sonic & Knuckles Collection and Cave Story

It might be cheating to include the whole collection as one game, but I don't give a phuck!!!!

I was like 7 or 8 when I got the Sonic & Knuckles collection on CD-ROM, and holy fuck, y'all. I knew I loved The Adventure of Sonic the Hedgehog on TV, but getting my hands on that game about spoiled me rotten. It just felt so perfect in every way. Having gone back and played earlier entries in the Sonic series really gives me an appreciation for how well they perfected the formula here, it's just so smooth and refined. Going back through each stage playing as Sonic, Tails or Knuckles is so good, too, like you really get a feel for how much there is to explore with their different styles of movement. I just love it so much, it's so cozy and so jammed to the brim with pure fun.

Cave Story was something I encountered later in life, and was pleasantly surprised to find as a free download. I was not adequately prepared for what a ride this humble-looking little platformer would be. God, it was such a wonderful challenge, sometimes frustrating, but always so compelling as to keep me coming back. And what a beautiful story, too, and what a gorgeous setting. I full-on cried at many points. Pixel just put his whole heart and soul into this game, and it's so sickening and unfair that he got fucked over by that shitty licensing deal. If you haven't already, please show this man's work some love. It went hard enough that when Undertale was first announced, I assumed it was going to be a Cave Story fangame. 😝

waow that's media!!! I must tag four people; @sammytoesis, @fetus-cakes, @johannesson and @badgrlebie. But if you wanna do it too, DO IT!!!!

#tag game #this was fun ty again fembot!

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transitat · 1 year ago

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The General Nosiness Tag

Tagged by @writerrose1998

A beautiful place you visited that made you very happy (pictures welcome!).

Ilha do Mel (Honey Island) in the south coast of Brazil. It has a broken down fort right on the beach where you can almost feel the history of the place.

A book or written piece of media that made you go "oh yesssss".

I'm very much into poetry, so I just have to mention Richard Siken's Crush. A really good book I read this year is A Dowry of Blood by S. T. Gibson.

Your Spotify top song of the year.

So You Say by No Pressure. Funny story: I bought tickets to see them live in two different cities this year and saw them zero times due to weather and train delays (fuck the Deutsche Bahn).

Your favorite line/paragraph that you've written or an artwork that you're proud of.

Idk why this one had me cackling: Secure in the knowledge that they're all going to hell, Tyler waves his hand at Lucas and Bianca and drives his heels into the horse's flanks. From Nun'a'ya Business.

Your favorite painting/art piece.

This weird painting my grandmother has had forever.

I'm also absolutely obsessed with churches and religious imagery.

A language that sounds beautiful to your ears.

Italian. I really can't get over it.

Rec some fics that you keep going back to.

There are so many, but I find myself often rereading @suchaladyy and @cupoteahatter works.

Please, please share pictures of your pets if you're comfortable with that.

Kings of the trash. Damasco (Apricot) on the brown boxes and Pêssego (Peach) on the mixer. They're 3 year old twins and a bonded pair that I adopted from Bulgaria on ebay.

They have a lot of love and zero braincells.

A happy story from your life.

The time my waifu and I proved we're the stupidest idiots in Europe. We travel a lot to see our favorite bands live but I live in Munich while she lives in Leipzig, so sometimes we just meet at our destination.

We went to Paris to see Bring Me The Horizon and took trains there. I had a connection in Mannheim and was keeping her updated.

"I'm about to get on the train in Mannheim."

"Cool, my train is just pulling up to Mannheim central station, we'll probably get there around the same time," she said.

"Awesome," I replied, still stupid. "I get there around 5pm."

"That's good," she said, also stupid. "We won't have to wait for each other, my train arrives in Paris at 16:55."

"Oh," I reply while waiting to stow my luggage. "We might be on the same train. That would be fate bringing me to thee, lady wife."

"Oh yeah," (note that we're still stupid) "I'm in carriage 17."

"Me too!" I'm trembling in excitement. "What seat?"

"75"

"I'm in seat 74, omggg!!"

Anyway, turns out we'd booked the tickets together about 8 months before and completely forgot that we reserved seats next to each other. It's been 2 years, we're still stupid.

A show or movie that you could rewatch forever.

X-Men: First Class. The soundtrack, the plot, the shots! I've watched it so many times.

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wonderfulworldofmichaelford · 3 years ago

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Michael After Midnight: The Devils

The Devils is an absolutely fascinating film, and one I only ever discovered because for some reason they decided to put one of the nuns from this movie into the crowd of the second Space Jam. From there, I discovered this film is insanely controversial, with scarce releases and constant pulls from streaming services in the rare moments it’s available. It’s an elusive gem for sure, but one I managed to get on a custom Blu-Ray with the uncut version (and if you want the full impact of the film, you want it uncut). After finally viewing it, I can safely say that this film is the exact point where art and exploitation intersect, and a case study in how a filmmaker’s intent always shines through.

Now, what do I mean by that? Let me explain. This is a film loosely based on the Loudon possessions and the framing and execution of the priest Urbain Grandier, who is set up by corrupt Roman Catholic church officials who wish to tear down his town. To this end, they manipulate a nun who is sexually obsessed with Grandier to lead to his downfall. The film showcases almost everyone in the church as corrupt, the nuns are foolish, horny, and eventually hysterical, and even Grandier is no saint, though he certainly has the moral high ground over everyone else. Then there is Sister Jeanne, the sexually-repressed nun who fantasizes about being the Mary Magdalene to Grandier’s Jesus, something she knows she can never achieve because of her lack of self-worth due to her twisted spine, which leaves her with a hunchback (it’s also symbolic of her twisted spirit, as her false accusations lead to the whole witch hunt).

And that’s not all! The debauchery eventually leads to the scene that landed this film in infamy, where the hysterical nuns strip naked, have a wild orgy, tear a crucifix down from the wall and… uh… have their way with Jesus. This is, of course, intercut with Grandier taking communion by a river. The “Rape of Christ” scene is often cut out, but it is the thematic core of the movie, and the way it goes between the nuns ravaging the Lord and jacking off candles to the deeply spiritual scene with Grandier showcase the crystal clear intent of Ken Russell, the film’s director: Through all the sleaze and debauchery, he was most definitely a pious man (a devout Catholic, even) who merely wished to showcase blasphemy and what happens when corruption takes hold of those who claim to be holy and how it punishes those who truly are holy.

Now, to really understand what I mean about intent, let’s look at another incredibly controversial religious film, The Passion of the Christ. On its face, the film is made by a devoutly religious man who wishes to showcase the suffering Jesus went through before dying for our sins. And yet, the intent becomes clear the more you watch it, and the more you realize director Mel Gibson’s vile, evil worldviews seeped through into the movie. The film is horribly antisemitic, from its depiction of Jews to the very fact the entire movie exists to show the violent torture and death of one of the most famous Jews to ever live. To top it all off, it is Mel Gibson’s hands that nail Jesus to the cross in what might be some of the most bald-faced bigoted symbolism this side of a Nazi propaganda film. Whatever Gibson was trying to say with his Christian torture porn is completely negated by his clear and vicious intent, which is to be as antisemitic as humanly possible and dress it up under the guise of art.

Russell’s The Devils does not suffer because it is at least mostly clear he is doing this out of respect. Yes, one could pick apart the lurid, sleazy moments that gave rise to nunsploitation films, but I don’t think these things are there for no reason. The set design and costumes all have bright whites to contrast the darkness and debauchery of what happens in Loudon, so there needs to actually be darkness and debauchery. And what could exemplify that more than hysterical nuns writhing in a big naked pile on top of Our Lord and Savior? I want to be entirely clear here when I say watching the vulgar display of what the nuns do is still classier than anything Gibson does to Jesus.

It’s interesting how the film became controversial, because it’s pretty clear you’re not supposed to be rooting for the hysterical nuns. You’re not supposed to be cheering while they do their depraved deeds, you’re supposed to find it uncomfortable and appalling. You’re supposed to root for Grandier, who keeps his dignity and holiness even as the world falls apart around him and he is forced to his doom. It’s particularly easy to root for him because he is performed to perfection by Oliver Reed. And while Sister Jeanne is the one who ushers in his downfall, Vanessa Redgrave’s equally spellbinding performance leaves you feeling a bit of pity for the miserable women… though when you see what she does with Grandier’’s charred femur, you might change your mind.

This film is, without a doubt in my mind, one of the finest and most important films ever made. It is a crime that this is constantly censored to the point where the core messages of the film end up watered down or lost, and it’s even more appalling that this film is basically banned. It is a film about faith, a film about the evils of corruption, and it excels where so many other religious films fail. It is a look at dark and lurid subject matter involving religion from someone who clearly has a deep love and respect for it, and who merely wished to explore subject matter outside the norm. Of course, that explains why it’s challenged and banned so much, doesn’t it? You can show Jesus getting flayed alive, but God forbid you showcase moments of blasphemy that are clearly meant to be blasphemous!

I definitely recommend this one to anybody interested in film history, anyone who enjoys exploitation films (particularly nunsploitation), and anyone who wants a… different take on religious films. It’s not for everyone, it’s not for the easily offended Catholics, but if you go in with an open mind you will find a fascinating film.

#Michael After Midnight #review #movie review #The Devils #Ken Russell #Exploitation film #nunsploitation #banned movie #controversial movie

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deankirk · 4 years ago

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Another Fic Rec List - various pairings

It’s time for another fic rec list, folks.

Immortal Husbands (Nicky/Joe from The Old Guard)

I’m pretty much obsessed with this ship and specially with their background history, and these are the getting together fics that we all love & deserve.

Waiting by domini_moonbeam, 12k, rated E

Summary: After a beat, Nicolo’s head bobbing in a tired nod. Yusuf patted his back, giving him a little shove toward the water. “Don’t drown! I don’t want to go in after you,” he said, backing away. Nicolo paused, glancing back at him, eyebrow raised and face painted in blood. There was a question there, in those incredible, expressive eyes—another question Nicolo would not say out loud. “And I would,” Yusuf answered this time. “I would go in after you. I would become a spirit of this forest, haunting that river until I found you.”

fearfully and wonderfully made by bethecowboy, 9k, rated E

Summary: Over the past few years, he’s started sleeping as little as he possibly can without dying — his under-eyes are permanently bruised and he spends daytimes hallucinating. It’s better than dwelling on what has come before: screams, limp bodies, spraying blood, blue eyes.

deo volente (lux aeterna) by qqueenofhades, 65k, rated M

Summary: Yusuf snorts, as if to say it’s mutual. But the Italian struggles to sit upright, wincing and swearing, and – Yusuf cannot pretend he does not want to know, not when a creature will always seek out its like, its matched half as the Greek philosopher Plato wrote, and there is nobody else in the world, to the best of his knowledge, like the two of them. He says, “What’s your name?”There’s a very long pause. He can hear the other man deciding whether to lie. But there is no purpose to it, except for bitterness, and the answer is uttered cold and shortly. “Nicolò.”

(Or: The inevitable backstory.)

Bonus:

Half In Love with Easeful Death by merle_p, 4k, rated M

Summary: “They are quite the sight, aren’t they?” Adrienne says, sitting down next to him on the log by the fire, offering him the eau de vie once more.“What are you talking about?” he says, feeling caught out. The bottle is half-empty already, and he does his part by taking a long drink so he doesn’t have to look at her for a while.“Those two,” she says, pointing her chin at Nicolas and Joseph, who are huddled together with their backs against the wide trunk of an ancient olive tree. “You were staring.”

(In which Booker is new to immortality, and trying to make sense of Nicky and Joe's love. Andy isn't exactly helping. Or maybe she is.)

Destiel (Time Travel and Future Fics)

Crazy Diamonds by pantheon_of_discord, 25k, rated E

Summary: A week ago, Dean was pulled out of Hell. Now, he’s apparently woken up in 2018, and the angel that a mere twenty-four hours beforehand had threatened to chuck him back into the pit is sleepily pouring himself coffee and wearing Dean’s second-favourite Zeppelin shirt. It all seems like a perfect happy ending, but with Hell’s scars still so fresh, Dean can’t imagine how he could have possibly gotten there.

At the same time, the Dean who went to sleep in the bunker, right next to Cas, wakes up on Bobby’s couch in 2008. He’s instantly bombarded with questions by a Lilith-obsessed brother and a man who’s been dead for years, and must decide between keeping his finally-perfect life intact, and the lives he could save by re-writing history.

Regardless of these choices, both Deans are trapped in the wrong decade, and their only way back lies with a Castiel still very much under Heaven’s thumb – one who might find the future Dean describes difficult to believe.

where the weeds take root by deathbanjo, 30k, rated E

Summary: “Are you happy? Y’know. Just—being here,” Dean says, gesturing to the yard with his beer bottle. “Being with—I mean, you used to fight in celestial wars and—and save the world. Now you’re growing vegetables and talking about chickens.”

The Mirror by cloudyjenn, 25k, rated M

Summary: When Dean touches a strange mirror, he's whisked away to one alternate reality after another and it doesn't take him long to realize the universe is trying to tell him something.

The Story of You and Me by the_diggler, 55k, rated E

Summary: Dean wakes up in bed next to a very human Castiel, and a journal in his own handwriting that tells him it’s two years in the future. The house looks a lot like Bobby’s, and Sam lives there too… He just can’t remember how they got from angels falling in the sky – to comfortable domesticity.

While there is much in the journal Dean doesn’t remember, there is much of their story he’s always known. And as he settles into the routine of his new life and relationship with Castiel, it quickly becomes something he doesn’t know how to live without.

Stucky (Just Some of my Random Faves)

That Reflection Man by SkyisGray, 30k, rated E

Summary: Political AU - Steve is the son of a Governor and the grandson of a Vice President. At 18, he meets Bucky. At 24, he marries someone else. At 25, he's elected to the House of Representatives, and Bucky overdoses. But their story is really just getting started.

Ain't No Grave (Can Keep My Body Down) by spitandvinegar, 107k, rated M

Summary: It's six in the morning, and Steve is heading out on a run when he nearly trips over a bouquet of sunflowers on the front steps of his brownstone.

For a second paranoia takes over, and he kicks the flowers a little, waiting for them to explode. They don't. They also came with a card, which he picks up. The front of the card has a tasteful picture of the Brooklyn bridge at sunset. It's very nice and sedate, like the kind of card you would buy to give to your boss. On the inside someone has written a short message in big, shaky block letters.

I AM SORRY FOR SHOOTING YOU.

Steve sits down hard on the steps.

Steve Rogers at 100: Celebrating Captain America on Film by eleveninches, febricant, hellotailor, M_Leigh, neenya, tigrrmilk, 10k, rated G

Summary: Heil Hydra,” the enemy agent shouts.

“Heil this, motherfucker,” says Captain America, shooting off a rocket.

Steve and Bucky find out Hollywood has been busy since they went away. A historical survey, including but not limited to: one set of exploded genitals, a brief interlude in France, Mel Gibson and other masterworks of casting, eight Academy awards, several dinosaurs, and something Tony Stark has ominously dubbed “the masterpiece.” Art included.

Relax by ShowMeAHero, 1,3k, rated G

Summary: Bucky remembers a detail of his past over breakfast, and nobody can handle it.

FIC RECS: part 1 | part 2 | part 3 | part 4

#immortal husbands #destiel #stucky #fic recs #my recs

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standbyphoenix · 6 years ago

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Movie star River Phoenix left musical mark in Alabama by Matt Wake

Outside record producer Rick Rubin’s Hollywood Hills home, drummer Josh Greenbaum sat in a silver Volvo with his friend and bandmate River Phoenix, the film actor.

The rock-star Lenny Kravitz was with them.

On the car’s stereo, Kravitz played Phoenix and Greenbaum a recording of a new song he’d written called “Are You Gonna Go My Way.” This was 1992, before that explosive tune would become the title track to Kravitz’s third album and era-defining music.

At the moment, Kravitz needed a drummer. He’d recently told mononymous Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist Flea he was frustrated trying to find the right fit. Flea later told Phoenix about Kravitz’s predicament, while Flea was having lunch with Phoenix. Upon hearing about the opportunity, Phoenix promptly hooked-up the drummer of his own band, Aleka’s Attic, with an audition with Kravitz - a much bigger gig.

“And that’s how much River loved me as a brother as a friend,” Greenbaum says. “He was like, ‘I don’t want to hold you back from potential success, and if I can hook you up with this audition then I’m going to do it.’ River was incredibly gracious and generous. He wanted to see the people he cared about thriving.”

The South Florida native wasn’t the only drummer auditioning that day at Rubin’s house. There were 25 or so “L.A. rocker dudes” at the “cattle call” that day “decked-out in leather, nose rings and tattoos.” In sneakers, jeans, sweatshirt and short haircut, Greenbaum looked more college-kid than arena-ready. In the end, the gig didn’t go to a dude at all. Cindy Blackman, a virtuosic jazz musician who happens to be female, deservedly became Kravitz’s next drummer. Still, Greenbaum says he got two callbacks to jam with Kravitz over the course of a week.

River Phoenix was a gifted, charismatic movie star so physically attractive he seemed to defy science.

His nuanced performances lit up such films as "Stand By Me," "My Own Private Idaho" and "Running On Empty."

But Phoenix told Greenbaum more than once, “music was his first love and film was his day-job.”

While some actors’ musical projects can be of dubious quality, Phoenix had legitimate singer/songwriter talent. “Music was a need of his,” Greenbaum says. “That’s why he put so much effort into a band, trying to make it in the music business, which of course would’ve come easier for him than anyone else that wasn’t famous already.”

Phoenix’s other passions included environmentalism, humanitarianism and animal-rights. He was one of the most visibly philanthropic young stars of the early ’90s.

Phoenix was the reason Seventeen subscribers knew what “vegan” meant. “He had a heart of gold and was an extremely hyper-sensitive, emotional person,” Greenbaum says. “And that’s why he wound up helping a lot of people.”

The Gainesville, Fla.-based band’s tours brought them through Alabama, including circa - 1991 shows at Huntsville’s Tip Top Café and Tuscaloosa’s Ivory Tusk. Greenbaum recalls Aleka’s Attic performing in Auburn, possibly at the War Eagle Supper Club there, and maybe Birmingham too.

“We had some successful tours,” says Greenbaum, who’s resided in Maui for more than 20 years. “People showed up because they wanted to hear what River’s band was like, but once they got there they were like, ‘Damn this really is a good band,’ and we had some real authentic fans of the music, for the music, not just because it was River.”

Back before social-media and celeb clickbait, Aleka’s Attic tours also gave fans a rare chance to see a massively famous actor in-person, in the wilds of local rock-bars.

Back then, Sandee Curry was attending Lee High School and delivering pizzas part-time. She was also "obsessed with anything Hollywood-related." When she and friend Michelle Woodson heard about Phoenix's band's upcoming Tip Top Café show, they resolved to attend. "River Phoenix is coming to Huntsville, my hometown? This doesn't happen," Curry says. As many people who lived in Huntsville then are aware, in addition to hosting touring and local bands, Tip Top was known for being extremely easy to get into under-age, so she'd been to shows there before.

Curry brought her snapshot camera to the show. The camera was freshly loaded with black and white film, and she took photos of Aleka’s Attic that night. When she got the film developed later, mixed in with random friend pics were onstage shots of Phoenix, singer Rain Phoenix (River’s sister), bassist Josh McKay, violist Tim Hankins and drummer Greenbaum.

At the Tip Top that night, River Phoenix played a Stratocaster guitar and sported facial scruff, a white T-shirt and camouflage pants. Curry recalls the famous actor being somewhat withdrawn onstage. “If I’m remembering correctly, he was mostly doing backing vocals,” she says. “The bassist and Rain were doing a lot of the singing.” Although Greenbaum says River Phoenix was the songwriter and lead singer on most Aleka’s Attic’s material, fans interviewed for this story recall Rain Phoenix being the focal point onstage during the band’s Alabama shows.

Curry classifies the band’s live sound as “psychedelic ’90s alternative-rock.” She adds, “It was a fun show.”

She remembers enjoying the song “Too Many Colors” and McKay’s tune “Blue Period.”

At the Tip Top, Curry purchased one of the cassette tapes Aleka's Attic was selling at the time. "I listened to that tape a lot and it turned me into a fan" of the band, Curry says. She considered herself "a hippie" and her listening tastes also included The Doors. Curry kept her Aleka's Attic tape until about 10 years ago when she gave it to a friend's young sister who was fascinated with Phoenix: "She was really impressed by this cassette."

Christopher Brown was one of several audio engineers who ran live sound regularly at the Tip Top. On the night of Aleka's Attic he was off-work but there hanging out.

“They were a little more artsy than the typical stuff that we had at the time,” says Brown, who works at a local brewery now. “I remember being pretty impressed by them.” Looking for a more-mainstream, stylistically similar act, I mention Edie Brickell & New Bohemians, known for 1988 patchouli-pop hit “What I Am,” to which Brown, replies, “That’s not a bad comparison.”

The Aleka's Attic show had been the talk of the bar for weeks. Vira Ceci was bartending that night at Tip Top. She recalls Phoenix being "so nice" when she asked him to autograph a cocktail napkin for her cousin, and says the actor was "easily the most accessible member of the band." Ceci, currently employed as a technical writer, recalls the Aleka's Attic show being "pretty busy for a weeknight" and thinks the bar probably charged their typical, $5 cover that night.

Lance Church owned, ran and booked the Tip Top during its prime. He remembers the motor-home Aleka's Attic toured in arriving early in the afternoon and parked in the gravel lot across the street. There was some advance promotion and local press coverage and Church recalls "parents were bringing kids over to sign their movie posters."

Church thinks Aleka’s Attic’s guarantee was “maybe a couple hundred dollars.”

In 1991 and several years into his acting career, Phoenix was just 21 years old. Church still keeps a photo of he and Phoenix shaking hands inside the Tip Top. "He seemed like a really good kid to me," says Church, now a manager at a chain restaurant. "He was polite. He didn't come in there like he was too good for the place or nothing. He was humble, a very likeable guy. He was giggly - he was just a kid."

Church says there'd been many phone calls in to the Tip Top in the week leading up to the Aleka's Attic gig, people asking about start time and such. In the end, he thinks about 100 people attended the show, inside the cinderblock building's mechanics-garage-sized interior. The Billiter sisters were among those attendees: Grace, then 18, Becca, 16, and Jo, 14 - all students at Westminster Christian Academy. (Again, the Tip Top was way easy to get into.) That night, Grace drove them to the Aleka's Attic show in her classic pink Volkswagen Beetle. Back at their family's northside Huntsville home, the sisters displayed River Phoenix photos on their bedroom walls, along with images with other hotties of the day, including Mel Gibson and Billy Idol. Other bands back then the sisters liked included INXS.

Expecting to see Phoenix as he'd appeared as a svelte longhaired Indiana Jones in the latest "Raiders of the Lost Ark" sequel, the Billiters were surprised to see him onstage with a haircut Becca remembers as "choppy and punky." Jo says Phoenix's singing voice "sounded good, a little gravely" and had "nice harmony with his sister." But what's really seared into Jo's hippocampus is she was in the same room with "hands-down my favorite movie star." When the band was on break, the sisters got to meet their idol. Phoenix even briefly, sweetly put his arm around Jo. "I think my heart stopped for a couple beats," she recalls. Looking back, Becca says, "I love that it was the three sisters" that got to share resulting, VW-wide smiles that night.

James Dixon, a University of Alabama student then, attended Aleka's Attic's Ivory Tusk show. On the sidewalk out front of the Tusk, he saw Phoenix leaning up against a nearby light-pole, smoking a cigarette. "That was the days before selfies and things like that," recalls Dixon, who works in financial services in Birmingham. "People would say, 'Hey, River,' and the coeds were swooning over him, but he wasn't being hassled. He seemed laid-back."

Inside, the Ivory Tusk was packed. Earlier that day, Kelli Staggs and friend Lori Watts were playing pinball on a machine inside the bar while the band was doing their soundcheck. One Aleka's Attic musician came over and said hello, then Phoenix, recalls Staggs, who now works in Huntsville as a defense contract specialist. Later that night, Staggs says Aleka's Attic performed, in addition to their material, a version of far-out Jimi Hendrix tune "Third Stone from the Sun." After they played their Hendrix cover, the band asked the crowd if they knew that song. "It was like they were trying to weed out who was there for the music, and who was just there to see him because he was famous," Staggs says. Staggs was an art major at University of Alabama, where she'd seen alternative bands like 10,000 Maniacs perform at local venues.

Aleka's Attic drummer Josh Greenbaum recalls the band enjoying their Alabama shows. "I remember good energy, a good crowd. I remember getting treated pretty well." (Greenbaum has a random memory of one or more of these Alabama venues having troughs instead of urinals in the men's room.) He recalls Tip Top as "a dive, and we loved it for that reason. It was very endearing." In Tuscaloosa, he met a friend named Nancy Romine he's stayed in touch with. "During the same Southeast run, Greenbaum says Aleka's Attic did a show in Knoxville, Tenn. that was multitrack recorded and broadcast. In this era, "Lost in Motion," "What We've Done" and "Dog God" went over particularly well live, he says. Greenbaum recalls Phoenix, "loved the creative process of recording. If he had a preference I would say the studio was, probably, because he was a little bit shy and didn't like being in public places so much. But I know he loved playing live too and he did enjoy the touring. He was happy doing both."

Greenbaum was born 13 days before Phoenix. They were just 16 the first time they met, their families were friends. Greenbaum drove his dad's 1977 Chevy van to Phoenix's aunt's house, Phoenix walked out to meet him, then they went inside where Phoenix played him a demo tape of his song "Heart to Get." "It was a cool song," Greenbaum says. "The last of the commercial music that he wrote, as far as I'm concerned." The two teenagers hung out for about an hour then Greenbaum drove back home. A few months later Phoenix called Greenbaum and said he'd met Island Records founder Chris Blackwell backstage at a U2 concert and Blackwell wanted to sign Phoenix to a development deal. Phoenix asked Greenbaum to move to Gainesville - the famously progressive Phoenix family were living in nearby Micanopy - and start a band. He'd get him money each month to help "develop a band, make records and tour." Greenbaum moved to Gainesville in April 1988. He also spent time with Phoenix in Southern California, getting to know each other."

We were sort of like non-blood cousins," Greenbaum says. "River could trust me, A, because he knew each other through family and he knew I wasn't going to just be some starstruck idiot; and, B, because I'm a great musician. And he valued me as a human being and as a musician, highly. And that proof of his commitment to music, that he was willing to support a brother, to have my talents."

At the time, Greenbaum had been playing “Aerosmith-y, commercial blues-influenced metal” in a local group called Toy Soldier, that eventually became semi-famous ’80s rockers Saigon Kick. At one point, Phoenix traveled to South Florida to visit with Greenbaum on a weekend when Toy Soldier was performing. “River had just gotten into (1984 mockumentary film ‘This is) Spinal Tap’ really heavily, and he did a ‘Spinal Tap’-esque video of that weekend, of that gig and the next morning,” Greenbaum says. “It was pretty funny, actually.”

Greenbaum was influenced by populist bands like Van Halen, Bee Gees and Queen. Phoenix introduced him to more quirkier acts like XTC, Roxy Music and Squeeze. As time went on, Phoenix's music became increasingly experimental. "It was deep, for sure," Greenbaum says of his friend's songwriting. "He had a commitment to crafting a masterpiece every time he wrote a song. And it drove me nuts. He was an eccentric person and his method of communication was such he didn't speak in technical music terms. He would speak artistically and metaphorically. He would say things like, 'I want it to sound like a ship on the ocean with the waves crashing up against the hull and birds flying over' or whatever. I would be like, 'OK, can we break that into sixteenth-notes?'"

Aleka's Attic's label, Island Records, was trying to figure out what to do with this music too. Island asked Phoenix to record two new demos to determine if they'd continue backing the project. He was going to be in the Los Angeles area filming the movie "Sneakers" and brought Greenbaum out to help demo songs. The drummer was able to hang on the "Sneakers" set, where he met his friend's costars, including Robert Redford, Sidney Poitier and Dan Aykroyd. After Phoenix turned in the new demos to Island, the label deemed the music unmarketable. Aleka's Attic was dropped.

At a certain point, McKay, who’d “butted heads musically and personally” with Phoenix for a while, Greenbaum says, parted ways with the band. Phoenix put together another band called Blacksmith Configuration, that featured Greenbaum and some new musicians, including bassist Sasa Raphael.

Phoenix was big on palindromes, Greenbaum says. Their song titles “Dog God” and “ Senile Felines” were palindromes and they were working on an album to be titled “Never Odd or Even,” another example.

On the night before Halloween 1993, Greenbaum went out partying with local musicians, “an intense night, for whatever reason.” Early the next morning, he crashed on the couch at a friend’s downtown Gainesville apartment. A few hours later, Greenbaum woke still buzzed to one of his musician pals from night prior knocking on the front door. When the friend entered, he looked pale and sweaty. He told Greenbaum he’d heard on the radio Phoenix had died. “I was in shock, but it just made sense and I knew it was true,” Greenbaum says. “In some way it didn’t surprise me. I didn’t see it coming - I can’t say that - but what I did see in River was his tendency for being extreme.”

In the wee hours of Oct. 31, Phoenix had collapsed and died on the sidewalk outside West Hollywood, Calif. nightclub The Viper Room, then co-owned by fellow actor/musician Johnny Depp. An autopsy determined cause of death to be “acute multiple drug intoxication.” Cocaine and morphine. Jo Billiter, the young fan who watched Aleka’s Attic’s 1991 show in Huntsville, cried when she heard the news her favorite actor died. “It broke my heart.”

Several fans interviewed for this story said Phoenix seemed a little bleary to clearly buzzed when they’d seen his band perform. Asked if he ever saw Phoenix’s partying on tour reach scary levels, Greenbaum says, “It was a typical rock & roll level. Nothing out of the ordinary. It was a bunch of guys in their young 20s playing gigs and having fun, just like any other band.”

When he was off working on films, Phoenix would check in every few weeks with Greenbaum, the drummer says. Phoenix called him from Utah, where he was filming the thriller “Dark Blood.” His next role was slated to be the interviewer in “Interview with a Vampire.”

When Phoenix called Greenbaum from Utah, “that was the most lucid, sane, grounded, understandable, discernible I had ever experienced him sounding. (In the past) there were times when I just couldn’t follow what he was talking about. He was kind of cryptic. And on that phone call he was like completely calm and sounded really together and we had a great conversation, a great connection and it wound up being our last phone call.”

In 2019, Aleka’s Attic music is back in the news. Two of the band’s songs “Where I’d Gone” and “Scales & Fishnails” were released along with a Rain collaboration with R.E.M. singer Michael Stipe (a friend of River’s) on a three-song collection called “Time Gone.” The record’s cover art features a photo of Rain and River, young and beautiful enjoying a sibling hug amid a verdant scene. A prior posthumous push to officially release Phoenix’s music hit snags getting musicians involved to sign off. “At that time, I was just like, 'Yeah, Rain, just get River’s music out to the world,’” Greenbaum says of that earlier effort. “That’s why he signed a record deal in the first place, to share his music with the world.”

As of the reporting of this story, Greenbaum says he hasn’t been contacted about usage of Aleka’s Attic music on “Time Gone.” The drummer found out about the release via messages from Facebook “friends” who are River Phoenix fans. “Rain didn’t consult us, she didn’t inform us, nothing,” Greenbaum says.

At one point during this interview, Greenbaum says he needs to call me back, so he can count out change to pay for groceries. He says he still plays drums with different local Maui cover bands as well as a blues-rock trio and by-day works construction and maintenance jobs.

Kro Records, the label that released “Time Gone,” didn’t respond to an email inquiry to interview Rain Phoenix and/or a label rep for this story.

Regular financial support and fast-tracking the Lenny Kravitz audition weren’t the only times Phoenix helped Greenbaum. He also bought him an electric-blue DW drumkit, among other instances. Outside of playing music, Phoenix and Greenbaum would throw the frisbee together or jump on the Phoenix family trampoline. They liked going to Falafel King and eating tabbouleh salad and humus. The famous actor would often come over for coffee to the mobile home Greenbaum and Greenbaum’s father lived in, on the Phoenixes’ Micanopy property.

These days, sometime random things will make Greenbaum think of River Phoenix. Sometimes it’s something more direct, like playing a gig will make him think of a certain onstage moment with his late friend.

After counting out coins in the checkout line, Greenbaum calls back. I ask if he thinks pressures of growing up famous led to what happened to Phoenix. “I wouldn’t doubt it,” he replies. “I definitely see how fame messed with his head, his heart. I think fame has that effect on everybody, which is why everybody wants to be famous, but you hear about all these famous people dropping dead and they’re unhappy, depressed and have drug and alcohol problems. Because fame is unnatural.”

— via AL.com, Feb 19, 2019.

#river phoenix #river #phoenix #josh greenbaum #rain phoenix #alekas attic

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rivjudephoenix · 6 years ago

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New Photo and Article: “Movie star River Phoenix left musical mark in Alabama” on al.com

Outside record producer Rick Rubin’s Hollywood Hills home, drummer Josh Greenbaum sat in a silver Volvo with his friend and bandmate River Phoenix, the film actor. The rock-star Lenny Kravitz was with them. On the car’s stereo, Kravitz played Phoenix and Greenbaum a recording of a new song he’d written called “Are You Gonna Go My Way.” This was 1992, before that explosive tune would become the title track to Kravitz’s third album and era-defining music. At the moment, Kravitz needed a drummer. He’d recently told mononymous Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist Flea he was frustrated trying to find the right fit.

Flea later told Phoenix about Kravitz’s predicament, while Flea was having lunch with Phoenix. Upon hearing about the opportunity, Phoenix promptly hooked-up the drummer of his own band, Aleka’s Attic, with an audition with Kravitz - a much bigger gig. “And that’s how much River loved me as a brother as a friend,” Greenbaum says. “He was like, ‘I don’t want to hold you back from potential success, and if I can hook you up with this audition then I’m going to do it.’ River was incredibly gracious and generous. He wanted to see the people he cared about thriving”

River Phoenix was a gifted, charismatic movie star so physically attractive he seemed to defy science. His nuanced performances lit up such films as "Stand By Me," "My Own Private Idaho" and "Running On Empty." But Phoenix told Greenbaum more than once, “music was his first love and film was his day-job.”

Phoenix’s other passions included environmentalism, humanitarianism and animal-rights. He was one of the most visibly philanthropic young stars of the early ’90s. Phoenix was the reason Seventeen subscribers knew what “vegan” meant. “He had a heart of gold and was an extremely hyper-sensitive, emotional person,” Greenbaum says. “And that’s why he wound up helping a lot of people.”

Phoenix formed in Aleka’s Attic in 1987. The Gainesville, Fla.-based band’s tours brought them through Alabama, including circa-1991 shows at Huntsville’s Tip Top Café and Tuscaloosa’s Ivory Tusk. Greenbaum recalls Aleka’s Attic performing in Auburn, possibly at the War Eagle Supper Club there, and maybe Birmingham too.

Back before social-media and celeb clickbait, Aleka’s Attic tours also gave fans a rare chance to see a massively famous actor in-person, in the wilds of local rock-bars.

Curry classifies the band’s live sound as “psychedelic ’90s alternative-rock.” She adds, “It was a fun show.” She remembers enjoying the song “Too Many Colors” and McKay’s tune “Blue Period.”

Christopher Brown was one of several audio engineers who ran live sound regularly at the Tip Top. On the night of Aleka's Attic he was off-work but there hanging out. “They were a little more artsy than the typical stuff that we had at the time,” says Brown, who works at a local brewery now. “I remember being pretty impressed by them.” Looking for a more-mainstream, stylistically similar act, I mention Edie Brickell & New Bohemians, known for 1988 patchouli-pop hit “What I Am,” to which Brown, replies, “That’s not a bad comparison.”

Church thinks Aleka’s Attic’s guarantee was “maybe a couple hundred dollars.”

"We were sort of like non-blood cousins," Greenbaum says. "River could trust me, A, because he knew each other through family and he knew I wasn't going to just be some starstruck idiot; and, B, because I'm a great musician. And he valued me as a human being and as a musician, highly. And that proof of his commitment to music, that he was willing to support a brother, to have my talents."

Phoenix was big on palindromes, Greenbaum says. Their song titles "Dog God" and " Senile Felines" were palindromes and they were working on an album to be titled "Never Odd or Even," another example.

On the night before Halloween 1993, Greenbaum went out partying with local musicians, "an intense night, for whatever reason." Early the next morning, he crashed on the couch at a friend's downtown Gainesville apartment. A few hours later, Greenbaum woke still buzzed to one of his musician pals from night prior knocking on the front door. When the friend entered, he looked pale and sweaty. He told Greenbaum he'd heard on the radio Phoenix had died. "I was in shock, but it just made sense and I knew it was true," Greenbaum says. "In some way it didn't surprise me. I didn't see it coming - I can't say that - but what I did see in River was his tendency for being extreme."

When he was off working on films, Phoenix would check in every few weeks with Greenbaum, the drummer says. Phoenix called him from Utah, where he was filming the thriller "Dark Blood." His next role was slated to be the interviewer in "Interview with a Vampire."

When Phoenix called Greenbaum from Utah, "that was the most lucid, sane, grounded, understandable, discernible I had ever experienced him sounding. (In the past) there were times when I just couldn't follow what he was talking about. He was kind of cryptic. And on that phone call he was like completely calm and sounded really together and we had a great conversation, a great connection and it wound up being our last phone call."

In 2019, Aleka's Attic music is back in the news. Two of the band's songs "Where I'd Gone" and "Scales & Fishnails" were released along with a Rain collaboration with R.E.M. singer Michael Stipe (a friend of River's) on a three-song collection called "Time Gone." The record's cover art features a photo of Rain and River, young and beautiful enjoying a sibling hug amid a verdant scene. A prior posthumous push to officially release Phoenix's music hit snags getting musicians involved to sign off. "At that time, I was just like, 'Yeah, Rain, just get River's music out to the world,'" Greenbaum says of that earlier effort. "That's why he signed a record deal in the first place, to share his music with the world."

Kro Records, the label that released "Time Gone," didn't respond to an email inquiry to interview Rain Phoenix and/or a label rep for this story.

Regular financial support and fast-tracking the Lenny Kravitz audition weren't the only times Phoenix helped Greenbaum. He also bought him an electric-blue DW drumkit, among other instances. Outside of playing music, Phoenix and Greenbaum would throw the frisbee together or jump on the Phoenix family trampoline. They liked going to Falafel King and eating tabbouleh salad and humus. The famous actor would often come over for coffee to the mobile home Greenbaum and Greenbaum's father lived in, on the Phoenixes' Micanopy property.

These days, sometime random things will make Greenbaum think of River Phoenix. Sometimes it's something more direct, like playing a gig will make him think of a certain onstage moment with his late friend.

#river phoenix #music #aleka's attic #josh greenbaum #lenny kravitz #flea #red hot chili peppers #rain phoenix #josh mckay #rick rubin

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kwispayne · 5 years ago

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The Top 10 Films Of 2019

Sadly my keep up with film this year wasn't as active as I would have liked it to have been. But I did see a lot of great films. Maybe none that will be in my century list, but there was some great moments throughout. Hopefully I can keep up better this year, but here is my opinion on what I did see

So here is some rules

1.Technically some of these movies have been released in 2018, but some where only released at film festivals or had overseas release. I usually go by the rules of if it was released in cinemas, Netflix or DVD in 2019.

2. This is a personal list. So some opinions are biased and selfish.

3. I haven’t seen every film from this year sadly. So any recommendations or even your top 10 lists would be helpful. I always want to watch more and I have an odd fetish for lists and stuff, so if you have any send me links and stuff.

10. Dragged Across Concrete (S. Craig Zahler)

S. Craig Zahler's films in the past few years have only just keep getting better and better. Also how this guy was able to give careers back to Vince Vaughan & Mel Gibson is a feat if extraordinary skill too. Dragged Across Concrete is a complex story, with a lot of interesting twists and turns, but one of the best skills that Zahler has as a film maker is his ability to set up scenes. He never spoonfeeds his audience, and gives the characters dialogue and scenes that are very lifelike. While this may be his least bloodiest affair, it does have some rather upsetting moments in it which leave a bigger lasting impact than a bloody gore fest.

9. Once Upon A Time In Hollywood (Quentin Tarantino)

I was a tiny bit let down by Tarantino's last film The Hateful 8. Overall it wasn't the worst, but there was a lot of padding. But, this film has a lot of padding too. But it's padding which I deem necessary. In fact, this level of padding I haven't seen Tarantino do since Jackie Brown. But overall, the film, even though it is slightly based on true events, constantly has the audience guessing what is going to happen, leading to an incredibly leftfield and satisfying climax. The dialogue throughout is at times Tarantino by numbers, but at times he does verge away from what we are used to, which I've got to admit, is an impressive feat by Tarantino so late into his career. Also, big props to Leonardo DiCaprio who deserves an award for his performance in this film.

8. Fyre: The Greatest Party That Never Happened (Chris Smith)

The movie which launched a thousand memes. Back in the day, documentaries used to fill my lists, but that has died down, because they've been so saturated since the rise of Netflix & Amazon. But, I'm glad to say that this is the example of one that has slipped through the cracks, mainly because the story of this documentary is so insane. A failed music festival that was doomed from day one, spearheaded by a rapper with a lot of hubris and a pied piper entrepreneur. In many ways this movie very much is the perfect parable of today's obsession with capitalism. It's all glitz with no results. Netflix, you've done it again.

7. Lords Of Chaos (Jonas Åkerlund)

Being a fan of metal, the story of this film has been among the metal lore for the past few years. Now...do I believe everything the movie is portraying...no, but the movie does claim that it is based on lies too. But at the heart of it all, I think Åkerlund did get a great theme going. That at the end of the day, the guys involved in this whole affair were just kids. This is a controversial choice I know, but I genuinely loved the choice of shots in the movie, the aesthetics used and I thought out the dialogue throughout was very strong and acted well. So as a film, it's great. As a piece of metal history...not so much.

6. Fighting With My Family (Stephen Merchant)

After being blown away by Florence Pugh in Lady Macbeth, I was surprised to hear that her next project was a comedy film about wrestling. But then I saw that Stephen Merchant was directing and writing it, and my mind was put to rest. Personally I think The Office & Extras are 2 of the best TV shows ever made, so I knew that Stephen could pull of a big Hollywood comedy. But...this has such great British charm in it, that whenever I wasn't laughing I was nearly in tears with the drama. The screen play in this film is fantastic, but Stephen has always been a brilliant writer. The cast in the film is fantastic, but Florence Pugh just blows everyone out of the water. I will talk about her more later.

5. Vice (Adam McKay)

After being shocked by The Big Short, Adam McKay again proves that he has a certain style which was only veily shown in his earlier comedy films. The comedy of this film comes from the twist of what we usually except with films of this calibre, but behind the veneer of Cheney himself, this very much adds to the tone of the film. The obvious elephant in the room is Christian Bale's performance and the changes he made to become the character, which are insane as always, but the actual performance and manner of Cheney is perfectly modeled and may be one of his greatest performances, although I hope for his benefit he just sticks to a fat suit and make up next time he needs to play an older large man. Now this movie isn't the most factually accurate from what I gather, but if it is...wow...McKay has given life to an absolute monster.

4. Midsommar (Ari Aster)

Ari Aster has now made 2 of the best modern horror films. Hopefully he can make it a hat trick. This film blew me away. The psychedelic cult aspect of this movie was dripping from the screen, but it was done is such a bright and vibrant way so it seems to be safe, but it's actually very dangerous. A fantastic cast also drives the film, but Florence Pugh shows up again to prove that she may be the greatest actor that we currently have working at the moment. Jack Reynor is also fantastic in the film and I really hope he gets more work because he is fantastic (he's gorgeous too). Warning to anyone about to watch this film...it gets very freaky.

3. Avengers Endgame (Anthony & Joe Russo)

Ok...again this is mainly just for my own satisfaction. I have been following the Marvel films for a long time, and some of them have actually been able to get their way into my top 10 lists, but this one is different. This movie never would have worked if the studio didn't take their time. And the arc that they have told over the past few years with specific characters in general has come full circle, and the pay off is glorious. Now when it comes to the actual plot of the film and the time travel stuff...yes it is a bit silly, but the concept itself is silly too, so I take it with a pinch of salt, and I only focus on the story we are given. The best performance though comes from Robert Downey Jr., who I believe deserves some sort of award not for this film but for all the Marvel movies he took part in. The build up to Josh Brolin's Thanos is also a fantastic performance. And the climax of this film is one of the most grandiose and epic closers of any superhero movie that we have ever seen.

2. Us (Jordan Peele)

I felt that Get Out was a movie where the concept was brilliant, but the actual execution was lacking. I still enjoyed it, but it was one of those films where people enjoyed it a lot more than I did. But when I saw the trailer for Us, I became very excited, because the trailer made it seem overly creepy to the point where I didn't understand what was going on. So I went in knowing nothing and coming out completely blown away. To think that Jordan Peele directed this, the same guy that made me laugh from his sketches on Key & Peele has directed an incredibly smart, funny and interesting horror film. I feel like I'm in the Twilight Zone (obvious joke alert). But this movie would be nothing without the stellar performance from Luptia Nyong'o. This lady deserves a lot of awards and recognition for this role, and I hope she works with the horror genre again, because he is a fantastic scream queen.

1. The Favourite (Yorgos Lanthimos)

Yorgos Lanthimos' films have been an interest of while. With his directorial debut Dogtooth, I was blown away. It was so unique that no one could follow this incredibly odd turgid and absurdist style. He then came back with The Lobster, which I found the idea of more enjoyable than that actual execution of the film itself. And he got closer with The Killing Of A Sacred Deer, but it didn't fully stick to landing. But this is his biggest film. A weird one to chose foe a style of his calibre. A period piece focusing on feminism. How could he keep his style without it distracting the audience too much with the story. But thankfully he found the perfect marriage between the 2. Now, his style did get watered down a bit, but thankfully his absurdist approach hasn't fully evaporated, with some very odd but brilliant use of shots. Acting wise, the film has a fantastic cast, and obvious props should be given to Olivia Coleman who won her Oscar for this role, but Emma Stone & Rachel Weisz also give fantastic performances too, and should be recognized too. I'm glad to see Lanthimos making his acclaimed masterpiece, and am looking forward to his next artistic endeavor.

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hopecountylovin · 6 years ago

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The Seeds' favorite media headcanons 1/3 - movies & tv

Jacob

Never had much time for tv or movies, though John did introduce him to some things after they found him in that shelter.

More recently made war movies hit a little too close to home, but hes always been an Audie Murphy fan, he especially likes To Hell and Back, he appreciates that Audie actually did all the stuff he portrayed.

John made him watch A Clockwork Orange and while he still won't admit it, he loved it and used it as inspiration for his trials.

Hes watched all of The Predator Movies, and likes to plan out exactly how he would out hunt them.

One night he woke from a nightmare and turned the TV on to an old episode of M.A.S.H., he wanted to change it but got sucked in. The next morning he made John by him the box set.

Joseph

Watches the least amount of tv and movies, is the only one who upholds to his no tv/movie ban (Well for the most part).

He finds/found Mel Gibson movies really enjoyable.

He went to see The Fellowship of the Ring because he liked the books growing up, he fell asleep in The theater,and started snoring.

The only tv show he will watch is The 700 Club.

Is also a big fan of Gone With the Wind, Scarlett O'Hara was his first (and only) fictional crush

Every year on the anniversary of his wife's death he hides away and watches Titanic, his wife's favorite movie (she took him to see it in theaters 8 times)

John

Definitely watches the most tv/movies. Growing up, the Duncan's were very strict about it. One time they stayed at a motel and after they fall asleep he turned the tv away from them sat directly in front, volume low and watches for hours. He became obsessed with movies and tv ever sense.

Pretty Woman was on in the motel, it's his favorite movie. Before Joseph, he would "pretty woman" hookers, but would eventually get bored and take back all the stuff he got them.

Friends came on after Pretty Woman, its now his go to show. After a long night of "opening and filling holes" he would come home, eat greasy fast food and watch old reruns. Ross is his favorite charecter.

He's also a big Stanley Kubrik fan, that's why he whistled "We'll Meet Again" as it's in Dr Strangelove. He's also pissed that he wasn't in Room 237, he wrote the filmemakers sooo many letters with weird ass The Shinning theories.

Is totally a snooty cinefile who looks down on people for their taste in movies.

Had always felt connected to Glenn Close's charachter in Fatal Attraction (No, he hasn't cooked a bunny, well no one can prove he did it anyway.)

Faith

The Iron Giant was the first movie she saw in theaters. She watches it at least once a year and balls like a baby every time. She always wanted a friend like the Iron Giant.

Became obsessed with Poisen Ivy after watching Batman & Robin as a kid.

Is also a huge fan of Friends. It's one of the few things she and John bond over. On more than one occasion they have snuck behind Joseph's back to have a marathon. One time they got in fight (were talking death threats, thrown objects, there may or may not have been a fire started) over whether or not Ross and Rachel were on a break.

She also really likes The Breakfast Club and went to detention once just for fun.

Part Two (books)

#far cry 5 #john seed #jacob seed #joseoh seed #faith seed #fc5 #some of these are really esoteric #so sorry about that #head canons #my stuff

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lith-myathar · 6 years ago

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"At the downtown Los Angeles Courthouse this Wednesday, November 14, 2018, the men in charge of Britney Spears gathered without her to decide that once again, she should give one of them a gargantuan raise.

The man of the hour was Andrew Wallet, a Camarillo-based attorney, who, along with Britney’s father, Jamie Spears, has been the co-conservator of Britney’s estate since she was taken to UCLA Medical by way of an ambulance in January 2008. Wallet runs Britney’s entire financial empire. Unlike Britney, he has the legal power to decide how her fortune will be spent. In becoming her conservator, Wallet became, for official purposes, one in the same with Britney Spears. On this morning in court, the person at the helm of a brand that includes multiple Vegas residencies worth hundreds of millions, a decades-strong international arena tour game, a catalogue of music containing dozens of Billboard top hits, and a perfume line valued at over a billion dollars, arrived wearing an ill-fitting suit, a horrible tie, and a confident smirk.

After a hearing that lasted only twenty minutes, Wallet would emerge from the court room looking satisfied but not surprised, having been granted a raise that brings him a base salary of $426,000 ($35,500 a month.) According to a petition filed by Wallet on October 15, 2018, he believed that he was entitled to a larger-than-typical fee for his role as conservator of Britney’s estate for a number of reasons, including that fact that he was instrumental in turning around a fortune that “at the beginning of the conservatorship…was nearly out of funds and cash equivalents. The estate and (Britney) were in total chaos with tremendous liabilities.”

Anyone who logged onto the internet or stood in a grocery check out line in 2007 has a visceral memory of the chaos Wallet is referring to. Britney’s downward spiral that year remains the most publicized mental breakdown of a celebrity in pop culture history. By all accounts, Britney has been a work horse all of her life. As a child, she rehearsed singing and dancing obsessively. She’s spent the better part of her life learning choreography, traveling, and performing. She is tied with Mariah Carey, Beyonce, and Janet Jackson for most number one albums sold by a female artist. Britney is a productive person.

Still, the common narrative is that over the course of those dark months after her divorce in 2007, Britney “Went crazy.” Unlike celebrities like Mel Gibson, who beat the shit out of his girlfriend and called a cop ‘Sugar tits,’ or Mike Tyson, who raped a woman and also bit off a human being’s ear, Britney’s crazy would be a train for which she would not be granted a return ticket.

Even ardent fans of Britney Spears sometimes express the sentiment that it’s “probably for the best” that Britney stays under the charge of people who are not herself, given how bad things were when she wasn’t.

But was the Britney’s situation really so severe, so unwarranted as to render her without agency ten years later? Or do we just have more images burned into our collective conscious than we do of any other celebrity’s darkest hour?"

#whole article in the link #it really is worth a read

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bbclesmis · 6 years ago

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NY Post: ‘Selma’ star David Oyelowo brings a song-less ‘Les Mis’ to TV

Twelve years ago, a vaguely known British actor with an unusual surname decided — like thousands of hopefuls before him — to take a gamble on moving to Hollywood.

Except that David Oyelowo, fresh from a three-year stint as intelligence officer Danny Hunter on the BBC drama “Spooks” (re-titled “MI-5” in the US), couldn’t just chuck a few things in a bag and find the nearest motel on the Sunset Strip. The actor was a married man, with two kids in tow and another on the way; this would have to be a family decision.

“We literally said, ‘Let’s sell up and give this a go,’” Oyelowo recalls. “We deliberately decided we didn’t want to have a safety net. ‘Go big or go home,’ we said. And we so nearly went home. I didn’t work for 14 months.”

It’s hard to imagine Oyelowo — who would go on to perfectly embody Martin Luther King Jr. in “Selma,” star alongside Tom Cruise in “Jack Reacher,” work with Christopher Nolan in “Interstellar” and steal scenes in Lee Daniels’ “The Butler” and “The Paperboy” — struggling for a single moment. But, he tells Alexa, the struggle was real.

“We knew there may be tough times, but we didn’t know they were going to be as tough as they were,” he admits. “To make ends meet, I taught drama at [the University of Southern California] for a little bit, and that Trader Joe’s application was burning a hole in my pocket. Oh yeah, it was tough.”

Today, Oyelowo, his actor/producer wife Jessica and their four children (Asher, 17, who’s a runway model for Dolce & Gabbana; Caleb, 14, who’s keen to follow in dad’s footsteps; Penuel, 11; and Zoe, 7) are all living the California dream. Well, except for the weather part.

The actor is currently draped in a bathrobe and rolled in a blanket, shivering on an unseasonably cold beach in Playa del Rey for our Alexa cover shoot.

After it wraps, we head into his trailer, which is as warm as his personality. Oyelowo may be a serious actor, but he also laughs easily. His clipped and precise British accent, he says, is a consequence of studying drama at the prestigious London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art. (“They knock all the London out of you,” he jokes.)

Although he’s gone on to become a huge Hollywood success by anyone’s standards — as an increasingly powerful actor, writer and soon-to-be director — those fallow 14 months left their mark.

“I don’t know — as an actor — if you ever really feel like a Trader Joe’s application is far from reach,” he says. “And that’s why I have a production company. I’m not very good at waiting by the phone for the agent to ring.”

He says he learned a great deal about the production process during the seven years it took from the “Selma” script landing on his doorstep in 2007 to the film actually being released in 2014. Oyelowo watched five directors come and go over that period, and ultimately helped to secure acclaimed director Ava DuVernay for the job.

These days, Oyelowo is doing as much of his own producing and writing as he is acting, co-founding the production company Yoruba Saxon with Jessica.

In April, his six-part TV miniseries adaptation of Victor Hugo’s classic “Les Misérables” will air on PBS. Oyelowo executive produced the project and stars as Javert, alongside recent Oscar-winner Olivia Colman as Madame Thénardier and Dominic West as Valjean. And, perhaps as a surprise to Les Mis’ Broadway fans, not a single person will burst into song for the entire six-hour production.

“With six hours of television, we can offer so much more nuance and complexity and dimension than the musical could ever give you,” he says. “Plus, I just felt it really spoke to the time we’re in: the erosion of the middle class, revolution in the streets. Living here in America, I don’t think we’ve seen this many protests and marches since the civil rights movement.”

Oyelowo will also soon start work on his directorial debut, the drama “The Water Man,” which is being produced by Yoruba Saxon and ShivHans Pictures along with Oprah Winfrey’s Harpo Films. “I’m very nervous. It’s no joke directing a movie,” he says.

That project comes on the heels of his starring role in the psychological thriller “Relive” (from horror stalwart Blumhouse Productions), which debuted in January at the Sundance Film Festival. Oyelowo describes it as “a love story between an uncle and his niece.”

“His niece gets murdered and somehow time splits, and he realizes that she is in the past and he is two weeks in the future, and he has to save her,” he explains. “It’s really just about trying to reach someone you love and take them from any harm which — as a father — is something I live with every day.”

The actor pauses to take out his phone and proudly show off a picture of his oldest boys, Asher and Caleb. Oyelowo is in the picture, too, but you can barely see him behind their towering frames. He’s an extremely proud family man.

“My mother passed away a couple of years ago, and my father came to live with us,” he says. “He gets to hang out with his grandchildren, and be looked after by me — which I think of as a huge privilege.”

His father, Stephen — a prince from Nigeria (“which sounds more impressive than it is,” Oyelowo explains modestly) — has completely adapted to LA life.

“For some reason, he’s obsessed with leaf blowing and he goes to the movies about twice a week, which he never used to do,” Oyelowo says. The family, along with their three dogs, has set up home in Tarzana, an LA suburb about 20 miles from archetypal celeb enclaves like Beverly Hills or Malibu.

“I like that it’s a bit further out, not in the middle of the crazy,” he explains. “I mean, my wife and I just kept having children, and it’s a good place to have a lot of space.

Jessica just doesn’t like cities, and where we live, people walk down the street with their horses.”

Oyelowo may have separated himself from the center of celebrity culture physically, but he’s as entwined as any A-list power player. Not that he’s entirely used to his current social circle.

“Oh, I definitely pinch myself,” he laughs. “This is going to sound so conceited to your readers, but I’m going to say it anyway. I was in my bathroom yesterday, and I was on the phone to Oprah Winfrey while Mel Gibson was texting me. I got off the phone, and I went, ‘Who are you? What is this life?’ Oprah had said to me, ‘Look at God, look at us, aren’t we blessed?’ And I went, ‘Yes. Yes we are.’”

https://nypost.com/2019/03/20/selma-star-david-oyelowo-brings-a-song-less-les-mis-to-tv/

#les mis bbc #bbc les mis #david oyelowo #ny post #articles #Interviews

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imagitory · 8 years ago

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D-Views Special: Top 5 Best Disney Cheapquels

Evening, guys! Tonight we’ll be doing something special for D-Views – a top 5 list! Many reviewers like to do lists of different movies, and I figured it’d be fun to give it a try.

Disney sequels – there are a lot more bad ones than good. Most of the recent sequels to Disney’s animated fare were produced by DisneyToon Studios, an offshoot branch of the animation department that has solely produced direct-to-video films. These films also have a pretty bad reputation, to the extent that many scornfully designate them as “cheapquels.” I may or may not talk about these films or the films that inspired sometime in depth in the future, but for now, let’s go ahead and count down the Disney cheapquels that I have seen and actually liked all right. If your favorite doesn’t appear on the list, it is possible that I either haven’t seen it (like in the case of Leroy and Stitch) or didn’t like it as much myself. Here we go!

First, let’s start with a few honorable mentions. Bambi II, although it doesn’t completely match up with the first movie and has a pretty predictable story, gives us some depth to Bambi and his father’s relationship, which wasn’t discussed much in the original. Beauty and the Beast and the Enchanted Christmas is more of a guilty pleasure – I watched it a lot as a kid, and although I acknowledge it’s not that great, the music still brings me a lot of childish joy around the holidays. Return of Jafar also has some nostalgia factor for me since I grew up with the Aladdin TV series and actually really love the angle of Iago being our main character with a story arc. Still, the animation is definitely more on the “TV series” level than a movie, the music isn’t that great especially compared to the original, and I don’t think that someone who didn’t likewise grow up with the TV show would be able to fully accept Dan Castellaneta playing the Genie instead of Robin Williams. Plus the idea of the villain coming back seeking revenge is…yeah, pretty hackneyed. Return to Neverland has a really good cast (the actors for Peter and Hook especially are spot-on replacements), pretty good animation, and a creative story line, but the music is extremely dated and doesn’t fit the movie and the octopus just...ugh. Just ugh. Now that that’s out of the way…here’s my list!

5) Buzz Lightyear of Star Command: The Adventure Begins

Admittedly this movie is less of a sequel and more of a spin-off to Toy Story, focusing around the adventures of the fictional character Buzz Lightyear that inspired the toy in Andy’s room. It looks and feels like a pilot for a TV series (which it is), but to be honest, I think this movie pilot is the best thing that series ever put out and I still find it incredibly entertaining by itself. I really like the new characters introduced – the spunky redhead princess Mira Nova, the bumbling, bookish janitor Booster, the cynical, trouble-making robot XR, Buzz’s cocky partner Warp Darkmatter, and the gruff Commander Nebula. Then you have our villain and Buzz’s archenemy, the evil Emperor Zurg. Admittedly Zurg is completely opposite to how I’d always imagined the character to be upon seeing Toy Story 2 (basically I saw him as Darth Vader with red eyes and purple armor), but even I have to admit, he can be very funny. I still would’ve personally preferred a more menacing and complex villain, but I can see the appeal of a villain like this too, particularly in a movie that’s clearly not taking itself too seriously. Hell, at one point, Zurg says he’s going to fire his laser at “the planet of widows and orphans,” and Buzz growls at him, “You fiend!” and nobly tries to fight back – as if that planet is actually a real thing. That is just amazingly ridiculous.

4) Pocahontas II: Journey to a New World

Before all of you jump down my throat…let me explain. Pocahontas is a film that I personally enjoy for its music and its visuals, and not much else. I find the characters uninteresting, the story standard and predictable, the romance to be bland and devoid of chemistry, the events to be so unlike the history in question that it shouldn’t salute it at all, and the messages to be very heavy-handed in their delivery. Generally speaking, I don’t care for Romeo and Juliet plot-lines as well, so Pocahontas overall was just not made to appeal to my sensibilities. Strangely, though…Pocahontas II actually kept me entertained. Sure, the animation is miles below the original, and there is really only one song that I would say is really good (“Where Will I Go From Here?“ and its reprise), but everything else I can’t help but feel is done better in this film than in the previous one. Rather than being conflicted about whether to marry or not or about falling in love with this Englishman she barely knows, Pocahontas is conflicted about how much to adapt to this new world she’s entered and how much to stay true to her own heritage. She’s gone to England as an ambassador trying to forge peace, all the while knowing that everything she is works against her. Not only is her race considered savage, but she is also a woman, in a land and time when men are seen as superior. In the first film, I found Pocahontas’s conflict to be pretty weak, since it’s clear from the start what her path will and should be, but in the second film, she has to compromise between two extremes rather than choose one option or another. This already shows much more thought in both the story and the main character. Also, I know some people will hate me for this, but I like John Rolfe infinitely better than John Smith, as Disney heroes go. Smith I’ve just never found that well-developed of a character – he’s basically every over-the-top heroic Mel Gibson performance you’ve ever seen, except that in the beginning he’s shown to be a little racist (and after that it’s NEVER addressed again, like it never happened – he never even apologizes or vocally acknowledges to Poca that she’s right or something). But Rolfe has a definitive personality with both flaws and strengths. He’s uptight and a little sexist at first, but he always asserts and retains his honor. He will stand up for the disenfranchised and try to find a peaceful route however he can, rather than just barreling in. He’s a little awkward and overly proper, but when he cares for someone, he can be warm and affectionate. He’s introverted and thoughtful, and he understands the proper time to be honest and the proper time to give someone their space. If you like John Smith, that’s fine – but I honestly think it was really mature of this movie to depict someone moving on from one love to another, which had never really happened in a Disney movie before. We came close with Megara in Hercules and Anna in Frozen, but their first romances are depicted as just flat-out bad. But there were good moments with Pocahontas and John Smith (even though I personally never cared about them), and they did both sincerely love each other – they’ve just changed into different people and realize that they belong in different worlds. And although I would never claim Disney’s films portraying Pocahontas have ever been close to historically accurate, Pocahontas II I still feel comes closer than the actual history than the first one does. It embraces the setting of London in that period – it doesn’t shy away from the fact that women were looked down upon – it depicts actual historical figures (sorry, Radcliffe doesn’t count: the real Radcliffe most assuredly was nothing like that) – Pocahontas actually goes to England as a peace emissary like the real historical figure did – there’s even a horrific scene featuring a bear baiting, which was a real thing from that period.

3) The Lion King II: Simba’s Pride

Yes, I know this was based on Romeo and Juliet. Yes, I did just say I hate Romeo and Juliet storylines in the last section. And I still do. In fact, this is the thing I like least about this film. But the biggest credit I can give to this film is that although it’s based on Romeo and Juliet, there are notable plot discrepancies between this film and its predecessor, and many of the main characters from the last film don’t do much in the story, I still found enough to enjoy in this for me to recommend it. I like the main characters, Kiara and Kovu, and the chemistry that forms between them – Romeo and Juliet stories so often have very little behind them except “Oooh, a forbidden love, how exciting!” but these characters do actually have moments together...having fun, having discussions, and learning and growing through their experiences together. It helps us see them as an actual couple, rather than just a pair of two flighty, hormonal teenagers. I like the conflict Kovu has to come to grips with – that he has been raised to idolize and follow in the footsteps of a monster, and that he must turn his back on everything his family has taught him. I like the conflict Kiara has to come to grips with – that her father is casting out the one she loves, that war between the two prides is imminent, and that she has to stand up to her father to protect a pride of lions that have always been her enemies. I like Zira as a villain – no one could be a match for Scar, and admittedly the “woman scorned” is a trope as old as dirt, but the song she has in this movie (“My Lullaby”) is just as sinister as “Be Prepared” and it perfectly sets up how obsessed she is with avenging her pain against Simba. On the note of the music…it’s really good! It starts off with “He Lives in You,” which was written for a bonus Lion King CD called Rhythm of the Pridelands and of course later appeared in the Broadway production, but it also introduces memorable new tunes like “Upendi” and “Love Will Find a Way.” Of all of the Disney sequels, this soundtrack is by far the best, and the animation isn’t half bad either! The scene with Kiara trying to escape the fire actually gets really suspenseful and scary.

2) Cinderella III: A Twist in Time

I’m sure many of you expected this to appear on the list. This movie is widely considered to be one of the very few good Disney direct-to-video sequels out there, and…yeah, it really is a legitimate surprise! I’m not the biggest fan of Disney’s animated version of Cinderella (I much prefer Ever After and the 1998 version), but I do think it’s a classic and I enjoy some of the “twists” (haha) that this sequel did on it. Not only does it help us develop our main love interests and their relationship more – not only does it develop the king into a sentimental old man who sees his deceased wife in this young girl his son brings home – not only does it develop our villains and even turn one of them into a very likable anti-villain – but it also takes a story that should be dead on arrival and makes it kind of exciting! The animation at points is pretty impressive too, especially in the climax. I admit that I still find Cinderella and her prince pretty bland in this movie (hell, they STILL DON’T GIVE HIM A NAME! COME ON!), I find the music really lackluster, and of course the story by itself is pretty silly and contrived, but all things considered, it’s much better than anything I expected.

1) Aladdin and the King of Thieves

This film is sort of a season finale for the Aladdin TV series, and as those go, this is easily the best send-off that show could’ve gotten. I think it’s one of the best send-offs for a kids’ show ever. Unlike in Return of Jafar, a good deal of money and time was put into the animation, making it a good step up from the usual TV animation we were used to seeing from the creators, and the music was a good step up from Return of Jafar too. My personal favorite song in the film is the opening number “There’s a Party Here in Agrabah,” but I also found “Out of Thin Air” very sweet and “Welcome to the Forty Thieves” and “Are You In or Out?” very catchy. I also really like the story centering on Aladdin and his father and find it very relatable. Cassim dropped out of Aladdin’s life, but Aladdin still wants him to be in it, and although Cassim wants the same, he’s constantly flaking between his selfish King-of-Thieves-like desires and his more paternal Father-like ones. And believe me, this is something I greatly relate to – I have first-hand experience with a parent who never really knew how to be one and so therefore constantly flip-flopped between being affectionate and completely and totally selfish. Despite this, though, you do still see the genuine caring there, even if Cassim doesn’t always know how to express it, and I can’t help but feel for both Aladdin and him when they realize that they belong in two different worlds. Although they come to that conclusion, though, they know that they love each other and wish each other the best. That’s a pretty great ending. There are definitely some things wrong with this movie – most notably, the lack of action for Jasmine and the extremely drawn-out focus on Genie and his jokes – but I still find this movie really entertaining. Its action scenes are excellent and creative, and the emotion hits home for me in all the right ways. It is everything I ever could’ve wanted from the Aladdin TV series.

#d-views #disney reviews #special!#top 5 #disney #cheapquels #opinion #reviews

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malapertmarquess · 8 years ago

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Now you've read all the plays I'm curious to know which Shakespeare movie adaptations you've seen. And what you think of them.

WELL THEN YOU ASKED FOR THIS HERE WE GO (sorry about the super long post guys)

Hamlet

Olivier, 1948 - Half the plot was cut to shorten the running time, which surprised me but does make sense. I thought that the focus on Hamlet’s family troubles was done quite well, and it works well. Did not like that Hamlet was one-dimensionally moody. Also the first production to put the infamous closet scene in Gertrude’s bedroom because Olivier quite liked Freud (he even cast a woman 14 years younger than him to play his mother, so super Oedipal). Do NOT agree.

Zeffirelli, 1990 - I know I’ve seen it, but it was pre-2008 sometime and I remember very little about it. I think it was also quite Oedipal? And I don’t think they kept the original text (I wish they had; Mel Gibson trying to speak in Early Modern English would be fucking hilarious). I don’t remember being terribly impressed. Like Braveheart but Danish?

Branagh, 1996 - Olivier’s antithesis! This film was everything Olivier’s was not: the scale was huuuuge, Branagh kept every line of the original text (and added a lot of flourishes), it was very anti-Oedipal (GOOD). The cast was very star-studded, which was cool but seemed to detract from the storytelling a lot because you’re too focussed on the fact that Robin Williams is in it for no known reason to pay attention to the text. Branagh’s characterisation was way more manic than the melancholy Olivier, but still came off as being a bit flat because his only emotion was ~INTENSE~.

Doran, 2009 - My fave.

Much Ado About Nothing

Branagh, 1993 - Kind of quintessential? I watched it in high school when we studied the play in record time because the teacher had us on the wrong one for two weeks. Emma Thompson was in it, and I eternally adore Emma Thompson. Also featured were the guy who plays Wilson on House and Keanu Reeves as the evil Don John, doing a wonderfully mopey Don John (guy’s such a wet blanket). There was a ridiculous scene when Bea and Ben “discover” their “love” for each other and decide to love the other back, which for some reason involved Emma Thompson on a swing and Kenneth Branagh splashing in a fountain. WHY.

ShakespeaRe-told, Nicholls, 2005 - A modern adaption set in a television studio. Very cleverly done, and given more of a sense of realism in a modern world than the original text has. I liked that at the end *spoilers* Hero wasn’t keen to get back together with Claudio, which is how most modern women would react in that situation. *end spoilers* Good actors, good adaption.

Rourke, 2011 - Another filmed stage show starring David Tennant (shut up). He’s opposite Catherine Tate, and OH MY GOD I love the energy those two have together. There’s a reason Donna’s my favourite Who companion. Both fit their roles very well and carry a believable relationship built on teasing each other mercilessly. The staging was brilliant, with a revolving circle making up most of the stage with some pillars to create separate spaces and for the actors to interact with. Also: Benedick enters majestically in a golf cart. And gets covered in paint. And Beatrice gets hoisted into the air by her belt. Basically this show is a JOY to watch.

The Taming of the Shrew

Zeffirelli, 1967 - I’m pretty sure I watched this one pre-2008 too, so I don’t remember much. I think I liked it well enough? There was a hayloft? Elizabeth Taylor was pretty great I think.

10 Things I Hate About You, 1999 - Pretty fab. Great casting, and I liked the changes they made to the story to make it more in keeping with the setting. Generally pretty good.

Twelfth Night

She’s the Man, 2006 - Another pre-2008 movie. I liked it a lot! I don’t remember terribly much, but I remember that. Makes my li’l cross-dresser’s heart happy.

Coriolanus

Van Someren, 2014 - This is the one with Tom Hiddleston. I like Tom Hiddleston. Almost as much as I like David Tennant. Hey, they should work together on something... Anyway, I watched this before I read the play, so I was unprepared for just how GAY it is. Like, Coriolanus and Aufidius are clearly either boning each other or having a lot of uncomfortable dreams about boning each other. Also Hiddles strips off his shirt early on, and even a flaming asexual can appreciate the beauty that is Tom Hiddleston’s chest. His muscles are very impressive. Another filmed stage show - this one had a fairly minimal set, which I like! It had a really gritty, warlike feel, almost industrial, which worked really well with the grimness of the play. I probably would have gotten more out of it if I’d read the play previously.

King Lear

Nunn, 2008 - Ian McKellan is a brilliant Lear! You can really see how delicate he is, despite all the posturing. The madness scenes were very heartstrings-pulling, with his flowers and all. It’s another stage show, but you’d hardly know it with the amount of dirt and tussock they managed to get hold of. Like how is that workable?? I’m a bit amazed. The costumes are GORGEOUS. So great. I’m retrospectively a bit disappointed that Regan wasn’t cleverer in this version. They did manage to answer the question of the Fool’s disappearance quite well, though.

Romeo and Juliet

Romeo + Juliet, Luhrmann, 1996 - It’s very iconic, and Luhrmann uses imagery really well, but I’m just not that into it, despite Tumblr’s obsession with the film.

Titus Andronicus

Titus, Taymor, 1999 - This film is fucking WEIRD. I watched the first 10 minutes of it in a uni class, and they made zero sense. I later watched the whole film, and it made slightly more sense. The film is completely anachronistic, with ancient Rome superimposed onto the twentieth century, or maybe the other way around. There is symbolism in SPADES, and it’s really artsy symbolism that isn’t always clear. Anthony Hopkins plays the titular role, and I think he’s well suited to the role. It also has Alan Cumming in it, and I don’t know how that happened.

The histories

The Hollow Crown, Eyre, 2012-2016 - Lumping this all together because it’s easy. I really liked this series for several reasons:

It presented most of the history plays together in a way that emphasised their interconnectivity, because out of the 10 history plays, 8 of them are consecutive, and the same characters pop up in several plays. It also provided a lot more context for the later plays and about the Wars of the Roses in general.

Margaret of Anjou is a BAMF. Like, so cool. She murders people like it’s the most fun she’s had all day, and she’s fierce and fearless and spitting curses, but she’s also a mother and a powerful leader and strategist.

Bolingbroke/Henry IV is so damn serious - such a stick-in-the-mud - and he tries SO HARD, but then he gets stuck with Harry and is So. Disappointed.

Harry and his gang are pretty great, especially Poins. I may have started lowkey shipping Poins and Harry.

Benedict Cumberbatch plays Richard III, and while I’m not as enamoured of him as I was, I still have mad respect for his acting ability, and he does the part really well.

So yeah. A+ work.

Richard III

Loncraine, 1995 - Sir Ian returns as one of our favourite villains. Always a pleasure to watch him, almost as much as watching Maggie Smith as his mother. That woman is a gem, and I can still remember the thrill of hearing her spill all the venom she feels for her son. The setting is a 1930s fascist dictatorship, so obviously a lot of telling imagery there. It was interesting, but I wasn’t as thrilled by the direction as I was by Dame Maggie.

So that’s all of them, And I think I might have seen Branagh’s version of Love’s Labour’s Lost? It’s a musical. And there was colour symbolism. I remember nothing else, so I’m not counting it.

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interesting-blog-name · 5 years ago

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Richard Donner’s “Conspiracy Theory” REVIEW

this review might come out even shittier than the rest because it’s currently 5 am, i watched the movie like 2 days ago and didnt really pay much attention. my bad.

Conspiracy Theory is a comedy/action/light suspense film that centers around the paranoia our main character, Jerry (Mel Gibson), has about the government. he is a lonely taxi driver whose only interests are elaborating on what the government is up to, and being obsessed with Alice Stutton (Julia Roberts), a lawyer in the Department of Justice, keen on discovering the reality behind her father’s homicide. he fucking watches her at her window with binoculars

throughout his ventures, Gibson portrays the role of a goofy, innocent protagonist trying to protect Alice from the various federal agencies behind him for reasons that are slowly brought to light along the movie.

after getting captured by the feds and being injected with a “brain-stimulator” by Patrick Stewart and having his eyes taped open for interrogation, Jerry somehow escapes the facility by biting Sir Patrick’s nose (while drugged and in a wheelchair) in the movie’s most comical scene, the humor coming mostly from Jerry’s wide-eyed expression he keeps for like 8 minutes.

after escaping, Jerry manages to drag Alice into his mess after pulling a gun on a few officers in her own building; she is oddly fine with it and forgives him immediately, for reasons later revealed to be his role in saving her from a few muggers.

anyway, he gets admitted to a hospital, where he must once again escape the doctor who interrogated him in the facility. he tells alice to switch up his name chart with guy besides him. she keeps telling him she wont, but eventually does, and that guy dies. after that jerry escapes, still handcuffed to a part of the bed, and alice manages to free his wrist with a guard’s key when he gets stuck in an elevator.

he escapes and hides in alice’s car until she comes back, she takes them to her apartment and he confesses he’s been watching her. that is FINALLY enough to creep her out, so he leaves and finds these two agents watching the apartment they were on in a car. he knocks out one and threatens the other with a gun, to which he says that they are there to protect alice from him. this agent is kind of confusing for me, the movie doesn’t even explain that he is working for a completely different agency than professor xavier until like 3/4 into the movie.

after a while, alice agrees to come to jerry’s slim-ass apartment, fully exposed to all the crazy bullshit he’s been on to, including several copies of The Catcher in the Rye, code-locked pots of coffee, his self-published newspaper on the hottest conspiracies, etc. it doenst take long for the feds to raid the building though, so they escape and set the entire apartment on fire. on their way out though, alice spots a big painting of herself riding a horse just laying around in his apartment’s basement (???), and this doesnt freak her out at all?????????

so now they know they’re really on jerry’s ass, so they start calling all 5 of jerry’s newspaper’s subscribers. 4 are dead, the last one alive turns out to be patrick stewart himself. when alice meets him, he tells her jerry was part of mkultra, and that after killing her father, he became obsessed with her. he also hands her a picture of alice and her dad that was in jerry’s apartment, last seen inside the dad’s wallet. she feels conflicted, and later on patrick, in alice’s office, intercepts a pizza sent by jerry with instructions on where to meet him. he puts a mic in the box and sends her.

driving through a highway, jerry keeps talking about how the music is getting closer, how he doesnt know where he’s taking her and that he’s just following the music and honestly jerry’s cluelessness throughout the whole movie, being portrayed as this poor little guy who can only do good is so fucking infuriating at times. there are scenes like when he’s showing his apartment to alice and blabbering on about his antics in a confused and innocent way where i just wish he would shut up. mel gibson is a nice actor but i feel his role is so wasted in this movie. and as for julia, her character just doesn’t seem that human at times. she reacts to jerry’s madness, the cia going after him and all this insanity in such a nonchalant way that she ends up coming off as some android or something .

anyway, they stop in the midway and go grab a different car that was parked nearby, leaving the pizza behind. after a while, they arrive at this barn, and jerry starts spilling his brains out and remembering everything that happened there. he claims he killed her dad, but then backtracks and remembers he was actually a close friend of his, and that after her dad died in his arms in the barn, he swore to protect alice, and then the feds bust in and shit, kill her boss in front of her because why not, they capture jerry and alice flees, and they fly away with him, take him to the warehouse and shit idk.

When Alice arrives she hears Jerry through the walls and finds him all fucked up, then Picard comes in and fights them and all that but jerry is able to drown him, getting shot in the process. She then is led to believe he’s dead for the rest of her life and all that because if not it’d be a risk for her to have jerry around or whatever. I started writing this on like early February and it’s a day before march today and im finishing it in an uber I don’t give a shit movie suck.

5.5/10

#richard donner #conspiracy theory #movie review #movie #review #mel gibson #julia roberts #shoot me in the head

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jillmckenzie1 · 5 years ago

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Sweeney Todd at the Equinox

Caution: Includes Spoilers!

With October comes pumpkin spice lattes, last year’s limp Halloween decorations dragged back out onto my neighbor’s lawn, and gothic theater productions. Front and center of Denver’s autumnal theater roster is Equinox Theater Company’s production of Sweeney Todd: Demon Barber of Fleet Street at the Bug Theatre in LoHi. Stephen Sondheim’s opus is notoriously difficult and, well, the Bug isn’t quite Broadway, so my expectations were…reasonable. I’m happy to report that those expectations were far exceeded.

Sweeney Todd is basically a Liam Neeson movie set in Dickensian London. It looks like Les Misérables and Hamlet had a baby: An innocent man, hated and exiled by a girthy government official, returns to his city of origin. A woman needs to be avenged. In the meantime, a little blonde girl grows up. In the final scene, everybody who’s still alive dies sequentially, on stage, center-center. Sondheim’s musical deals with classic subject matter: power, obsession, sex, death, and secrets. Perfect stuff for Halloween.

We’re as obsessed with watching serial killers as they are with killing. Eighty-seven percent of podcasts can’t be wrong. Obsession gives us YoYo Ma playing the Prelude from Bach’s Cello Suite No1 in G Major. It also gives us Ted Bundy and the Darwin Twine Ball. Make of this what you will. Obsession first seeks its primary target; then it loses focus and takes whatever it can get. Sweeney Todd first seeks only to kill the judge who exiled him; he ends up killing dozens of others, his beloved, and, indirectly, even himself.

I mildly resent Sweeney Todd for having a straight-white-male for the hero, although almost all serial killers are male, so I will try to be understanding about this. (Thought exercise: How would this play be different if the title role were a female?) Sweeney Todd himself is a bit of a bore. He’s a macabre variation of the Great White Hero that made millions for Kevin Costner, Mel Gibson, Sylvester Stallone, and basically every other 180+lb actor in the guild. Mrs. Lovett, the character who was created to define the word “frowsy,” is slightly more interesting. She makes a horrifying moral choice and seems to think of it lightly. Is her decision to be pragmatic about murder a result of her perversion or of her necessity?

The plot resolves as the characters’ secrets escape. We assume that the truth always comes out in the end, but does it? How many of us take our secrets to the grave, at least until 23andMe outs us to the world? Perhaps the exceptions like Jaycee Dugard or Elizabeth Smart just prove the rule? I walk around my neighborhood and have my dark inklings about which houses could contain someone unwillingly chained up in a basement.

Let’s get on with discussing this specific production of the play. I went to see the Saturday evening performance with someone, which I considered a first date, although I’m not sure that he considered it a date at all. In a reflection of this uncertainty, I wore fancy undies, but did not shave my legs. That’s the fusion of optimism and realism. (This was my second date of 2019; on the first one, several months ago, Date 1.0 mansplained to me that the wage gap exists because women don’t work hard enough. He did not get laid. However, while waiting for Date 1.0 to show up, I ran into and casually chatted with Date 2.0, whom I had previously met through writing this column. Small world.) I mention this only to highlight the oddity that is watching a dark and violent story unfold while sitting next to someone who you are completely clueless about with regards to what they will find horrifying or hilarious. It’s a great litmus test.

Local theater can be hit or miss, but Equinox hit it out of the park. The power and pitch of the opening songs quickly reassured me that this would not be Waiting for Guffman. The cast sang with skill to match their gusto, hitting all the high notes with confidence and filling up the small stage with big characters. I have been involuntarily removed from two singing groups because of my lack of vocal skills, and so my envy for their voices abounds. The casting choices seemed to fit the characters well: Todd (Derek Helsing) is a stocky, powerful man—you could nearly feel the rage radiating off of him; Mrs. Lovett (Emily Ebertz), a redhead whose beauty was unable to be completely hidden behind the disheveled aprons. Judge Turpin is probably Phillip Seymour Hoffman reincarnated, although he’s billed as (Zach Vaughn). Johanna (Alexis Webb), the daughter, is a reasonable facsimile for Reese Witherspoon.

Sweeney Todd can be truly shocking. My notes say “Self-flagellation! I forgot about that!” followed by “Incest!—forgot about that, too!” The actors spend a lot of time sloshing around buckets of blood. You get to watch many people die on stage. You also get jolted back in time by present-day anachronisms. Dropsy! Plague! All the Victorian diseases! Freshly-shaven customers request a splash of Bay Rum, which I can only presume was the Axe body spray of the 1800’s. Sondheim’s score is ridiculously difficult. His virtuosity is ridiculously enjoyable. He serves up a bottomless mimosa of rhymes, just because he can. It’s sheer joy.

The good and the bad: Every production has strengths and weaknesses. These are a few that caught my eye.

The physical production values were top-notch; the props and set effectively conveyed the time and locations without distracting from the story. They did a great job of using the space and creating different locations on the relatively small stage. The costumes were slick, well-fitting, and well-suited to the characters. I particularly enjoyed that a female actor was cast as the beadle. There was a neat trick with the lighting that I won’t reveal here: you should go see it for yourself.

With such lovely props and staging, one choice in particular yanked at my eyes. Most of the props (buckets, razors, satchels, liquid “blood”, etc.) were real. The shaving cream and foodstuffs (both critical to the plot) were improvised. It pulled me away from the story while I wondered why. Also, the running time for this play is nearly three hours, a truly Victorian length. It supposes that you have nothing else to do but read Silas Marner and fend off the plague with Bay Rum while waiting for dropsy to kill you. It’s bladder-stretcher, for sure.

I’ll point out two moments of delight: the first is Jayce Johnson, who plays Perelli, Todd’s first victim, a competing show-off in the barber trade. He struts and poses like a showgirl, displaying the weird mix of sexiness and hucksterism required of all kinds of performers. It’s as delightful to watch as it is to listen to Sondheim’s rhymes. The other moment was the glowing faces of the cast taking their bow at the end. The joy of a job flawlessly completed was writ large. That right there is the moment that makes live theater worth the effort. Or, in this case, mostly dead theater.

Sweeney Todd runs for another few weeks. The performance I attended was sold out—for good reason—and I expect the rest of the run to sell out, too. Don’t miss this one—it’s well worth it.

from Blog https://ondenver.com/sweeney-todd-at-the-equinox/

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eyeliketwowatch · 8 years ago

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The Queen - Long Live Helen Mirren

Last night watched a 'British Royalty' double feature. We had just received 'The Queen' the other day in the mail from Netflix, and I noticed that 'The Madness of King George' was also available on our 'in demand' listing from our local cable company, so sat down with both Monarchs yesterday evening. Both films were similar in the way they both touched on the idea of the 'Monarchy in decline', and both handled their subjects in less of an Awestruck manner, instead touching on the more down to earth humanity of these poor clowns trapped in a positions of power (well, sort of) simply by the accident of their birth.

Nigel Hawthorne gives a marvelous performance, truly moving at times, of a man who has just enough grasp on his sanity to be aware of how it is slipping away, and just enough presence of mind to pull off a reasonable semblance of normality in order to reclaim his throne when it was in danger of being snatched from under him. Helen Mirren also appears in this film as his wife, and while she gives a fair performance, I felt her (German?) accent had a habit of appearing and disappearing from scene to scene. From time to time the film slipped dangerously close to parody, but usually was able to pull back from crossing the line. Both an intriguing political intrigue drama, and a fascinating look at the 'medical profession' of 230 years ago. (I love the doctor who is obsessed with 'the king's copious well formed stools')

Jump forward a couple hundred years to Elizabeth II, and the farce that surrounded the (former) Princess Di's funeral and the Queen's seeming reluctance to properly show the due respect. Despite the fact that I have nothing but contempt for the whole 'Royal Farce' and the pointlessness of continuing the Monarchy well past its expiration date, you really come away from this movie with a newfound respect for Queen Elizabeth, and a equally newfound contempt for modern society and the madness of public spectacle, where any bozo who's 'In the Public Eye' is treated like royalty, and the sheep-like public is whipped into a frenzy by the wankers of the press and little whippersnappers like Tony Blair. I didn't really pay that much attention to the whole 'Di' funeral, but I do remember having to suppress the gag reflex when Elton John reworked 'Candle in the Wind' and sang it at her funeral. At least there are a few people, regardless of whether they are over-priviledged leeches like the Royal Family, who still have a scrap of dignity, and a touch of backbone.

Was thinking about these two films, and one I watched a month or so ago about Henry VIII, and was wondering how many British Monarchs there have been movies made about, and with the help of the internet, I found a useful listing, which I have edited down for a 'Royalty Festival of Film'. I have not bothered with movies in which Royalty make an appearance (such as Judi Dench's supporting oscar role of Queen Elizabeth I in 'Shakespeare In Love), and mostly concentrated on films in which the King or Queen is the main thrust of the film.

King Arthur: You have a choice between Richard Harris singing (?) in 'Camelot', Nigel Terry in John Boorman's 'Excalibur', or my personal favorite, Graham Chapman in 'Monty Python and the Holy Grail'

Alfred the Great - in the movie of the same name starring David Hemmings

Henry II - The wonderful Peter O'Toole in 'Lion in Winter' (reviewed recently here in this filmblog)

Richard I & King John - Adventures of Robin Hood (well, broke my own rule for this one, but I just like the good old hokey fun of this Errol Flynn classic)

Edward I & II - Mel Gibson's 'Braveheart'

Henry V - you have a choice between Laurence Olivier or Kenneth Branagh's Shakespeare adaptation, I prefer the more action packed latter version.

Richard III - a little unorthodox, but Ian McKellen's fascist retelling of the Shakespeare play is fun to watch

Henry VIII - a whole bunch to choose from, Robert Shaw in 'A Man For All Seasons', Richard Burton in 'Anne of the Thousand Days' (recently reviewed in this filmblog), or Charles Laughton's 'The Private Life of Henry VIII'

Lady Jane Grey - Helena Bonham Carter in 'Lady Jane'

Mary I & Elizabeth - The recent 'Elizabeth' with Cate Blanchett, or if you prefer Bette Davis, she's appeared in a couple different movies as this monarch. And Glenda Jackson in a BBC miniseries 'Elizabeth R'

Charles I - Alec Guinness in 'Cromwell'

George III - 'The Madness of King George'

Victoria - "Mrs. Brown" - Judi Dench

Elizabeth II - 'The Queen'

Haven't seen all of them, and the list isn't complete by any means (look them all up yourself if you are more obsessive than me), but these would make for an interesting film series, I'll be bound.

4 stars out of 5

Released 2006, First Viewing April 2007

#2006 #Biography #Drama #Helen Mirren #History #James Cromwell #Michael Sheen #Stephen Frears

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