#also the mummy was a movie party so there was a lot of speaking along

[door]

due to alamo scheduling and not realizing these two showings were on the same day until after tickets for both had been bought, i attended a double feature of mad max fury road (specifically the black and chrome edition) and the mummy today. spent a solid 5.5 hours in the cinema. best movies ever made

[weirdshadeofgray]

Electrified

summary: A bachelorette party in a museum? Boring. Good thing you haven enthusiastic gift shoppist to help you out when you're about to give up.

pairing: Steven Grant x f!reader

note: it's fluff. english isn't my first language and i didn't edit it so there must be mistakes. what do you think?

Who in their right mind would like to kick off their bachelorette party in a freaking museum? You were supposed to play stupid games, drink a lot, maybe go to watch male strippers. But this? Even the thought was mindblowingly boring.

As you let out a tired sigh, you leaned your back against the wall by the entrance and flipped through the brochure you found when you arrived. Ancient Egypt. Great. Mummies, cats, pyramids—that was all you knew about that period along with a few details you saw and heard in movies.

Slowly the others began to arrive, and soon the last missing person was the bride herself. Your eyes scanned the crowd, hoping she would show up soon so you could get this private tour over with. The museum was supposed to close in two hours, and knowing what a nerd your friend was, it would take you approximately that long to finish.

"I have an idea," one of the girls said as she scanned the screen of her phone. "I saw a picture of an adorable Taweret plushie you can buy in the gift shop. Let's get Chloe one before she gets here."

"Taweret?" someone asked the question you've all been thinking about.

"The goddess of pregnancy and motherhood. Also, it's super cute," she added this very important detail.

A gift shop. Did they have alcohol? Maybe a nice bottle of wine? It was worth a shot. "I'll go get it," you offered with a raised hand. "But don't you dare leave me behind."

Everyone nodded so you made your way to the gift shop to get the toy. There was a mother with her son in there, with the woman going through the postcards while the kid was seemingly bored to death. You understood how he felt so you flashed an understanding smile at him when he noticed you looking.

"Excuse me, can I help you?"

You turned around and found a tired-looking guy standing in front of you. He had a polite smile on his face as he patiently waited for you answer with his hands folded over his stomach. There was a name tag on his shirt that read Steven.

"Yes, hi. I'm looking for a Taweret plushie. Do you have those in stock?" you asked with a hopeful expression.

His face lit up upon hearing this and he gestured you to follow him. On the other side of the shop you found a bunch of hippo toys and he gave you one of them. "Here you go," he said.

You reached out to take it from him, and when your fingers brushed against his, you felt electricity running through your body. In his own, messy way he was cute, you didn't even want to deny it.

When you went to the register, Steven looked a little hesitant, as if he was about to ask you something. You smiled at him, hoping this would make him talk. And sure enough, he finally opened his mouth to speak.

"Is it for a child?" he asked, and your jaw dropped upon hearing this.

For some reason you thought he wanted to ask you out, but no. Or was he just trying to get more information out of you? Were you a mother? Were you married or in any other kind of relationship? Maybe this way his way of learning more about you.

"No, it's for my friend. We came for a private tour and we thought she might like this surprise," you explained with a sigh.

"Oh, the bachelorette party," he said with a laugh, but then he stopped and raised an eyebrow at you. "Wait, wasn't that cancelled?"

"Cancelled?" The bride was running late, no calls, no messages. What the hell was going on? "Do you know why they cancelled it?"

Steven nodded. "The tour guide is sick and no one could jump in. I think we couldn't reach the one who got the appointment, now that we're talking about it."

Letting out a groan, you rested your elbows on the table and buried your face in your hands. "I can't fucking believe it." You looked up and your eyes fell on a pack of gummies. "Do you happen to have any kind of alcohol in this shop?" you asked with a hopeful expression in your eyes.

But he shook his head in response. "Sadly, we don't have any." Then there was the hesitation again. His eyes were burning a hole in you as he fidgeted with his hands. "I don't usually do this, but would you like to have a cup of tea or coffee with me sometimes?"

There it was, the question he'd been trying to ask you for long minutes now. It was flattering, really, and he was honestly handsome. So why not? "Sure, I'd love to. Do you have a piece of paper?" Steven handed you a pen and paper without thinking. "I'll give you my number, give me a call to discuss when and where should we meet."

"That—that would be great," he said with a wide smile.

"Cool, see you some other time then. Thanks for the plushie. And the info about the cancelled tour."

He waved at you when you said goodbye and you couldn't stop smiling on your way to the others. By the time you got there, it turned out the bride had just joined the group. Great, she should hear the news.

"Guys, who talked to the museum? Because from what I heard, the tour was cancelled."

One of the girls have you a quizzical look. "I don't remember any messages about this." She stopped and thought hard for a moment, then, "Oh, wait, I did have missing calls from an unknown number."

"Why didn't you answer it?" the bride asked her.

"Because I don't answer calls from unknown numbers, duh."

Oh, for fuck's sake, you were surrounded by idiots. "Chloe, while Gracie goes and checks if the tour of a go or no go," you began, giving her a hard look, "here's this little plushie as a present for us. And please, let's go out for a few drinks if there's no tour. I'm begging you."

[feuqueerfire]

Badhaai Do Live Blogging

Queer brown people who get into a lavender marriage! A Bollywood movie about gay people, I'm so excited. Also I've been told it's a happy ending, so here we goooo

Aug 20

Genuine delight at the family gathering full of legit everyone + the marriage discussion and how the son gets so much more choice + although I don't speak Hindi, I understand tiny bits because of its similarity to Bengali

lmfaoooo my guy had really chosen a random girl he'd agree to marry, never expecting the family to agree to let him but whelp, now they have

lmfao and the girl avoids marriage by the 'my last fiance mysteriously passed away, you wanna take that chance?'

For shows in Korean or Hindi, I'm forever reminded that the subs don't fully express what's being said because I can understand enough to pick up that something different/more is being said but it's sad that I can't tell what exactly is the meaning

Anyway, forever glad I don't have a brother because in both families, we just saw a sister/female cousin be resentful of how the sons get special treatment

omg father-daughter good relationship :0 hope it remains that way pleaseee

O.O she's got a creepy stalker mans ?!

lmfao not her complaining about the stalker to the cops but Mr cop guy basically now stalking her T.T it's only lmfao because i know he's the main gay lead, otherwise i wouldn't be a lot more

omggg a dance number!!!!! let's goooo

ngl drunk ppl scary as hell even though it seems to turn out fine and jokey

Aww Sumi tagging along with Shardul and Kabir is cute and them having like kind of a 3 person honeymoon is adorable but I don't like Kabir so hm

ngl the guys' happiness + Sumi's longing made me sad though like I didn't tear up but could've

naurrr I'm dead not her overhearing them arguing about sex I'd T.T cry fr

kasdjf ahhh Sumi's meet cute with her future gf is when she goes to give her dad's stool sample

lmfao she's like when people have crushes on baristas and so go to get coffee everyday but she's out here doing some health tests

aww the future gf's family don't talk to her anymore T.T

lol the problems of living together as roommates arising now

ahhhhhh a queer party :0000 bro I'm boutta cry fr

oh yeah gf's name is Rimjhim. Also are we to understand that she's not Hindu? because of her not understanding/complying with the title + namaste thing?

aww Sumi bonding with her ex-gf's child

the passport thing and inability to go abroad always hits like damn the weight of a specific country's passport...

dang a sumi and rimjhim fight :(

ummm Shardul straight up slapping his boyfriend?!?! ummm O.O the fuck this is different from the KinnPorsche which made me be like oh? 0.0 ;) because this is like oh?! O.O D: anxiety like I'm here for the comedy + some angst and heartbreak, not... hitting your partner

arghhhhh okay let's see how they handle it ig like he apologized and I'm guessing Kabir's gone for good now.

damn the pressure of having kids starts now ig

omgggg sleeping on floors altogether is making me miss being young and sleeping at my grandma's so much! sharing rooms with cousins when a few of us came or when all of us were sleeping on floors of every room during my uncle's wedding

lmfao "noo don't tell anyone that's Sumi can't have a child hehe" to Mr blabbermouth

the calling Naaznin is killing me fr lmfaoooo

bro I'm so nervous but also I'm laughing cuz it's hilarious

lmfaooo Mummy's written method of what to say as a mother-in-law (nightmare fuel for desi women)

yooo this lawyer mans. so cool i want to be you

ahhhh double dates ahhhhhh ^.^

yo Guru funny as hell and also loves playing with fire

fuckkkkk Mummy saw Sumi and Rimjhim in bed

bro I'm boutta come and beat Sumi's bro's ass

omg the "lower your eyes!" thing when getting yelled at by mom. childhood memories

Sumi's father stand up for her pleaseeeeeee

omg :0 Shardul finally standing up for Sumi (my guy has been perfect desi son so far, no protest while his family hounds his wife lmfao so at least he's standing up for her now)

Shardul coming out omg (me trying not to be resentful that he gets to come out to his family with his own mouth rather than get walked in on by his mother-in-law)

Mummy T.T

I was wonderingggg when the pride parade will come in

omg another under the pride flag moment line in Not Me

something about this scene...

omggggg CRYING SCREAMING PULLING MY HAIR OUT at shardul, sumi, rimjhim, guru all being present at this puja for the child along with shardul's family + sumi's father

I love watching East or South East Asian media because it has similarities to my South Asian culture and I enjoy seeing these similarities that I wouldn't see in Western shows. However, seeing an actual South Asian movie where the culture is so similar to mine (different religions, so not quite the same) is so good! Family everywhere and all of them nosy! Familial pressure from all sides! The CNGs that they rode! The hustle and bustle of the city and of life! Hindi's similar to Bengali! Unfamiliar with the ultimate acceptance from many family members though lol but I can live vicariously through them I guess.

Sumi and Rimjhim (love her name) are so freaking beautiful. They were so beautiful.

I didn't like Shardul (lmfao patriarchal cop mans) but I guess... this movie wasn't necessarily about liking him. He deserves rights and for his queerness to be accepted even if I don't like him. I wish we got some more of the lawyer mans and Shardul, he was the most interesting character for sure.

Happy ending, funny moments, tinged with some sadness and struggles. I enjoyed it.

Rating: 7.5/10 hmm

Tiktoks:

Pride March - freaking loved it when I watched it and is definitely a reason why this went up my list and was one of my Highest priority ones

Twitter edit of Sumi/Rimjhim (cr: jinsolgbt)

[ghostvib-blog]

Present Day

Crack, crack, goes the sound of the gun as I reloaded it and point it to the head of my sister and then to my supposed "husband", I tied them against a pole in my room and watch as they scream and beg for mercy, am trembling cause I don't know what to do at this point..... I hear a voice followed by a faint pant calling out Sis, Sis please, I laugh wondering how she could muster the courage to call me sis after taking everything away from me !!!!!!! 



Past

I always wanted a little sister, someone, to play with and care for since the other kids seemed not to have my time. One faithful day that wish came true, Mom walked to the dining, where I was with Dad sitting on his laps and said, "My love you are going to have another woman in your life", she knew it was a girl since she had already done the ultrasound, immediately my Dad heard that he put me down and screamed Yessss, thank you, and held my mummy's tummy as if the baby could hear his voice.

Time flew by quickly, and my little sister was born; she looked very gorgeous and innocent, like an angel freshly plucked from heaven. My parents seemed to give her more attention as days went by, at a point, I kinda got used to it, but I could have never foreseen what it all meant for me. On her 19th birthday we threw a big party and invited many of her friends over and some of my friends including my boyfriend, yeah I know what just went through your mind "boyfriend" !!! mind you, I also grew too, while my little sis turned 19 I was already 21, a full-grown woman with a degree and all that. My family was already familiar with him, and the whole tall, dark handsomeness that he was. He and my little sister Rose seemed to be close, I didn't just know how close tho !!! Rose had gone to wash up and my boyfriend was nowhere to be found, I went over to her bedroom and heard sounds 'ah, ah, ah', it sounded like a moan like someone was having sex, at least I knew that with the little I see in movies anytime I hanged out with my friends, but I never actually tried it even tho my boyfriend complained, I chose to save that for marriage. But wait !!!! Someone was having sex right in my sister's room before I could open the door completely my Mom called and asked me to come over to the kitchen when my boyfriend came and said he had to leave, that he was tired, I could see it in his eyes and followed him till he left in his car.

The Birthday party was finally over and was a big success my sis was already on her bed sleeping. I laughed if only she knew what transpired on that bed.



Days went by quickly, it was summer and since my sis was home I decided to take her shopping alongside my friends, my boyfriend and his guys joined us on our shopping spree, my sister went to the dresser to change, minutes passed, it seemed like she was surely taking her time, which was just like her. So I went to check up on her and heard sounds, it was Rose's voice, I quickly ran to her aid but what I saw left me paralyzed down to my feet, I couldn't even breathe it was like a little sharp needle was slowly making its way into my skin, it was my boyfriend Tommy and Rose, her clothes were torn and his pants were down, when she saw me she ran to me and gave me a tight hold, and I got the strength to speak and asked "what, what is going on here" and she quickly explained that my boyfriend Tommy was raping her, she shouted and told him to stop but he refused. Tommy couldn't look me in the face, tears rained down my eyes as I looked at him and watched him pick up his pants and walk out of the dresser, I held my sister and told her I was sorry, that it was all my fault for not truly knowing the man I was dating, that scene left me traumatized I felt so broken if only I had given him what he wanted it was just "sex" maybe, just maybe he wouldn't have gone after my little sister. Months went by and I finally got the mind to ask Tommy why??? why not another girl??? my own sister!! All he could tell me was, he was sorry SNF I should keep an eye on my younger sis. That statement troubled my mind but soon left.



Years passed and burdens fell on my shoulders as our parents met their untimely demise on a vacation trip to Los Angeles. I got a job, and a well-paid one to cater for my sister Rose's needs and train her while she was in school, she's in her finals and the demands keep on growing according to her she needed close to 300k to settle her lecturers for her project which I gave her. I grew feelings for my boss Dan and we feel in love and eventually got married, he was against the idea of Rose staying with us saying she is a mature woman and should be independent but I changed his mind. Dan was a man of many crazy fantasies, very crazy ones so much he put a stripper pole in our room so he could watch me dance, before watching me ride him which I did. I was happy to see Rose and Dan getting along I could finally leave them and focus on my project a house, I built for her, it cost a lot and was fully furnished with two cars a Mercedes 430 and a Mustang.

Oh I ended up coming home late and it was raining, the door was open, Rose must have left it open I thought to hope that she cooked, I was completely drenched so I decided not to wake my baby up and went to my private room and changed, everywhere was so quiet, I went to Rose's room to SDK why she didn't cook but wait !!! She wasn't there, maybe she stayed out with a friend I said yo myself and went upstairs carefully so I could sneak up on my bunny, being my boss he badly turns up at work.

Music ???? I can hear music ?? Smooth jazz, playing that's strange at this time of the night, what I saw next broke my mentality and heart into pieces, it was my sister Rose on my lingerie and twirling on the pole in my room and there my husband was naked and watching her, I fell to my knees crying and crying and watched as she mounted him, kissed him, rides him and made love to my husband till they both slept off. I recalled what Tommy said all those years back, the scene in her room on her birthday and everything I had done for her, the tears turned to blood, disgust, and hate. I went out that night having worn back my wet clothes and slept at a nearby friend's house and came home with a shopping bag and the keys to the house I had built for Rose alongside the keys to her cars.



My husband was up and asked where I was last night, I told him I got caught in the rain and had to stay in a friend's place and he took my clothes and kept them for me, Rose was still asleep so I went to the kitchen to cook and added a little "spike" to the food, by the time the food was done she was up and ran to hug me and said Dian you are back !!! I watched as they ate to their fullest before asking why I wasn't eating before the answer could come they were already asleep.....

......................................................................

Back to Present Day

So here I am with a revolver pointed at my little Sister's head and to my Husband's head asking you the readers what should I do ?????

[whippedkoalas]

Hi! This is a very unusual request. I really liked your meeting at the cafe with the kids drabble and absolutely loved the idea that Noorhelm have a little Lili. Could you write a drabble from Lili’s POV when she is spending her days with her daddy, how she sees the relationship of her parents and life in general and maybe a meeting with her grandparent(s) which doesn’t go as planned. Have a good week! Ruby xx

Hi Ruby!

Lili’s POV seemed a bit weird when I tried so I twisted it a bit and made her talk to us instead (well, to Santa). Excuse me for the clichés, and all of that, I’m not sure it makes sense but well, she’s only 7 in this drabble (she was younger in the first drabble but it worked better that way). I tried to “speak” like a 7 yo little girl, I hope it doesn’t seem too weird and that you’ll enjoy it :)

« Noora? Did you let Lili play with our camera? » William asks. From the kitchen, Noora shouts « no, why? » « Well, she filmed herself talking to the camera, apparently » « What? Plug the camera into the TV, I wanna watch it! » she chuckles. William executes himself. He waits for Noora, who prepares hot cocoa with Marshmallows and comes back to the living room. Snuggling under a blanket, they press play. The little blonde girl appears, a bit too close to the camera. She seems serious.  « Hi! I’m Lili Magnusson. I am 7 years old. At school yesterday, someone told me that every child should record a video where they talk about life for Santa. It’s David who said that, so I don’t know if it’s true, and I don’t know if Santa even exists but I’ll do it just to be sure. Today I spent the day with my dad. I love spending time with him because he always lets me choose what we are doing, what I want to eat and even sometimes he buys me my favorite candy. It’s a little secret between us, I cannot tell my mom. I also love spending time with Mummy, because we always do « girly things ». Mummy always tells me that nothing is « girly » and that I can do whatever I want and wear whatever color I want but I love make up, dolls, and princesses. I want to be a doctor when I’m older, like aunt Sana because Sana saves lives, according to Naïm and Yanis. I love my friends; Aksel, Noah, Liv, Yanis, and Naim. We always argue because  Aksel says he has the best mom, and we think our moms are the best. Well, Liv doesn’t have a mom, so she says that we’re stupid. I love Aaron, Alia, and Karla too, but they’re still babies so they’re a bit boring.We are all friends because our parents are friends. Noah says he’s the chief of the clan because he’s the oldest but it’s not really a good reason to be chief. Noah is great, he really makes me laugh. I see him quite often because our dads are best friend forever. Noah doesn’t see his mom often. Aksel doesn’t see his dad at all, he says that it is because he lives on an island. Livy has two dads, and she says it’s pretty wicked. Yanis and Naim are twins, they say they can communicate by telepathy but I don’t know if it’s true. Boys lie a lot.Anyway, I spent all my day with daddy and then I went to an amusement park with everyone, it was great. I had a lot of fun. I wish Mummy was there but she had work. With daddy, we watched a Disney movie on telly this morning. It was Rebel. I love that movie and Daddy does too. We made pizzas for lunch and it was great. My dad knows how to cook and he teaches me, so I made my own pizza. He asked me to do another one for Mummy so that she has something to eat when she comes back. I asked him if he loved Mummy because Inna’s parents are not in love anymore. He said that he is very in love with her. I think that it’s cute. They met when they were 16 and 18. They went to school together and that means they’re high school sweethearts or something like that, it’s aunt Vilde who said that. The other week, my teacher asked us what is love for us and I said that love is when you make the other laugh because Daddy makes Mummy laugh a lot. I hear them sometimes at night. That probably means that Noah is my boyfriend too. He wanted to kiss me the other day but I said no. I told Aksel about it and Aksel said that his mom always says that Noah is just like his dad, a heartbreaker but he didn’t break my heart so maybe Aunt Christina is lying, I don’t know.Sometimes, my parents argue but Mummy says that it’s because they care about each other. When Mummy is upset, my dad makes hot cocoa because he says that she can’t be mad at him when he makes cocoa. Mummy says that Daddy makes the best cocoa ever. When daddy is upset, my mom gives him a kiss and tells him she loves him. They have complimentary tattoos which is cool. Daddy has a moon, and Mummy a sun.  Dad told me it’s because she is the light in his life and because they’re inseparable but very different but Mummy says that Daddy is just too romantic. Inna told me all her parents were doing was fighting. I was worried because my parents fight sometimes but today daddy reassured me that they will never divorce. They’re not married but he said that they have their tattoos. Aksel told me that my parents broke up once, for a long time. I asked Mummy and she said that Christina talks too much and that yeah, it is true but that it’s in the past. Livy says that she is gonna be a big sister and that maybe I will be one too one day. I don’t know if I want a little sister or a little brother. I love my family now. I love it because we do things together. We go to the park. Daddy teaches me how to ride a bike. It’s great. He always has time for me and for Mummy too. Some days, I go to my nanny’s apartment because they go on a date. David says that parents don’t go on dates, but my parents do. Daddy or Mummy surprises the other with a date at least once a month. Mummy says it’s because they’re in love. So, I don’t know if having a little sister or brother would be cool. Mummy said that it’s not me who decides that kind of things.David is mean. He always tries to hurt people. Mummy says that I shouldn’t answer him, that I should ignore him. Daddy says that I can fight back, just a bit. With words of course. I did the other day, and Mummy said « Oh, god. You are just like your dad » and it made me smile because I love him. Last week we were all at the park and I stood up for Livy because a boy was bothering her and Daddy laughed and kissed me. He said I’m just like my mother, so I don’t know. Aunt Eva says that I took the best sides of both.  David says it’s weird that I don’t see my grandparents. Yanis and Naïm say that it’s normal, it depends on the family. I remember meeting Mummy’s parents once. They were weird. They came to my birthday party last year. I had never seen them before. They said mean things to Mummy. After they left, I saw Mummy crying but Daddy comforted her. He told me that my mom and her parents do not get along. Last summer they asked if I wanted to go on holiday with them for a week but I said no because I don’t know them. Aksel told me I have an uncle. Daddy has a brother. I didn’t know he had one. I know that I’m called Lili because he had a sister, Amalie. Mummy told me that Christina talks too much, once again. She said that it was true, Daddy has a brother but that I will never meet him because he’s a bad person. If one day, he tries to talk to me, or to contact me, I shouldn’t answer him and I have to tell Mummy right away. Last summer, we all went to London because Aksel told me that my parents had lived there for a few months and I wanted to see the city. My parents accepted but they also said that aunt Christina definitely talks too much. We had dinner with my grandfather. He looks like Daddy but he’s much older. He invited us to a great restaurant but it was boring. Daddy said that it was a restaurant for adults, not for children. I didn’t like him very much. He was not very kind to Mummy and it upset Daddy very much. He gave me a lot of presents though. Daddy told him « You cannot buy my daughter » and we left. Mummy says that we are our own family and that we do not need anyone else. Noah’s grandparents love me a lot, and they always give me presents for my birthday. Noah says we can share grandparents. Next week, Daddy said that he will go bowling with me. I love bowling. Mummy organized a sleepover for me and Livy next weekend. She said she could take us to the swimming pool so I’m excited for next week. Christmas is approaching too. I don’t know how you will bring me presents because I will be on holidays with Daddy and Mummy. We’re going to Bali for two weeks. I’ve never been there, but my parents say it will be cool and that the hotel will have swimming pools. They chose a hotel where there is a kid club, too so I can make friends there, while Daddy and Mummy spend time together. David says that it’s weird to see your parents kiss. Apparently, his mummy never kisses his daddy. I asked Liv this afternoon, she said she sees her parents kiss sometimes. She even said that one time, she saw them kissing naked on their bed. Noah said it’s called sex but Livy said that Isak just said they were kissing. I personally don’t know. I just see Mummy kissing Daddy every chance she gets. They always cuddle on the sofa, too. It’s great because that way, I can lay down and cuddle with them too.  For Christmas, I really want a cat but I don’t know if you can manage to bring one to Bali. I think I prefer my present to be a surprise, anyway. I just wanted to let you know how my life is so that you can see that I’m a great girl. I always try to behave! Daddy always tells me he’s very proud of me.  I overheard Mummy telling him that she knew it was because he never heard it from his dad when he was a kid. I think that’s very sad because I’m very proud of him. Mummy is the best mom ever, too. I love her. She is beautiful, and I love picking our outfits every night with her. I also love when she braids my hair in the morning when we have time. So, Santa, if you have a few presents left, could you please give at least one to my parents? I think that this year, we all deserve one. Maybe not David. And I promise I have been good all year. Well, I’m recording this without Daddy’s consent but, you know… I… Well. I think I hear Mummy coming so bye, Santa. Have a great Christmas! »

Santa may find a way to give Lili a cat for Christmas.

[therummesoccupied]

A Swing and a Hit - A Review of Spider-Man: Homecoming

           Many say that the superhero movie genre is getting tired, that the market’s oversaturated and that we’ve been flooded with too many context-dependant “cinematic universes.” To a degree, this is true. It’s astounding how much you needed to know about the universes and lore behind DC Comics before seeing Batman V. Superman: Dawn of Justice in order to even begin to understand the movie, let alone the information provided by the context set up in Man of Steel. Legendary Pictures is now gearing up for the third installment of their “MonsterVerse,” all leading up to a climactic standoff between monster film icons Godzilla and King Kong, and Universal Studios has been trying for years to re-establish its own movie monster universe, most recently with the apparent blunder that was The Mummy. However, one cannot have the conversation about the cinematic universe craze without discussing Marvel’s own “Marvel Cinematic Universe,” or as we have all come to know it, the MCU. The MCU is set apart from its competitors however, by a number of factors. One of which is history – the fact that the MCU was built from a single superhero movie, and has been introducing new characters and elements piece-by-piece organically since 2008. Another factor is the varying “flavors” of the movies. While each story certainly feels like it shares a world with the rest, the vast majority of the films are noticeably different from the others, making each stand out well enough to make watching any one of them on its own an enjoyable experience without feeling the need to marathon them all. The last characteristic factor of the MCU is organization, with Marvel splitting its stories up into “Phases,” or groups that all build up to climactic crossovers like The Avengers, sort of like seasons of a television show; this, I have found, is the most enjoyable way to look at these films. No one gets upset about needing the context from past episodes to fully understand the season finale of their favorite prime-time sitcom, and I honestly think to continue to apply that formula in the world of film is a daring and profitable move on Marvel’s part.

           Now, the latest installment in Marvel’s “cinematic television series” is Spider-Man: Homecoming, a solo flick centering around Marvel’s main posterboy, the friendly neighborhood Spider-Man. Many fans feel this piece has been a long time coming, with Spidey’s movie rights being held on lockdown for several years by Fox. After working out a deal on the rights, however, the web-slinger was able to join the party, first appearing in Captain America: Civil War. While Civil War’s context plays directly into Homecoming, the movie is not strictly required reading in order to get the general jist of the film’s plot. Peter Parker is given a new and improved spider-suit by Tony Stark and shipped back to New York City to continue his street-level super-heroics, but feels the need to prove himself capable of being a fully fledged Avenger. Tom Holland returns as Parker, bringing with him an energy that is a breath of truly fresh air to the MCU. Up until now, every hero we’ve seen has been unswervingly mature or noble or cocky or smart or something. Whatever a hero in the MCU is, they’re supremely confident and grounded in their character, making them seem always sure of whatever they’re saying or doing. Holland’s Spider-Man is able to bring a believable uncertainty to his character, always questioning his next move or the words that leave his mouth. Peter Parker is a teenager, and he’s going through a turbulent time in his life. On top of his typical puberty-ridden crises, he’s also got superheroing to worry about. Honestly, neither Toby MacGuire nor Andrew Garfield were able to bring this youthful conflict to the character, and when they did, it came off as the moans of a worker who simply didn’t like their job, because, simply put, Toby was too old and Andrew was too cool. Tom Holland has an astoundingly pretty face for 21, and has no trouble passing for a 15 year old, and he’s simply too adorable to be the cool guy. Sorry, Tom. Whatever the case, “conflicted geek kid” seemed to fit Holland like a glove. Holland’s performance was supplemented by the rest of Parker’s high-school crew, namely Jacob Batalon and Zendaya, who portray characters Ned and Michelle respectively. Neither of them are quite present enough to overtake the film, but both are able to contribute to Parker’s youthful energy enough to remind us that Peter is, in fact, a real high schooler. Part of the problem with past Spider-Man films is the lack of many school elements in Parker’s life. His relationship with others is usually limited to Aunt May and an obligatory love interest. We were never shown that Peter had a real boy’s life away from the red tights, and the simple act of giving him some friends was more than enough to ground this film in the hormone ridden halls of late childhood.

           Peter is also helped along by his mentor figure, Tony Stark, continuing to be played by acclaimed actor and MCU icon, Robert Downey Jr. Before the film was released, I heard a lot of talk about from folks worrying that RDJ might steal the show. Rest assured, fellow viewers, the Armored Avenger hardly occupies the screen for ten minutes of this entire movie. I’d thank the people upstairs, too, as there is something… off… about RDJ’s performance. He comes off as a bit more calm and mature than usual, almost dad-like, which I suppose might be the angle they were going for, but it doesn’t seem to suit Stark well. In the past, Stark takes every opportunity he can to be snide and mean-spirited unless an issue is serious enough to truly upset him. Giving Peter his “son, I’m disappointed in you” talk while neither making an inappropriate joke nor raising his voice just seems very out of character for him. It seemed like Downey was given a choice to be either too hard or too soft on Peter, but chose to fall somewhere in the middle, which, while a suitable choice, didn’t seem to be quite the right one.

           Speaking of old superheroes, Michael Keaton, popular within the genre for Tim Burton’s Batman and the odd commentary, Birdman, takes another center-stage role as the film’s main antagonist, Adrian Toomes, who fans will recognize as classic Spider-Man villain: The Vulture. Keaton manages to bring one of the first genuinely intimidating auras to the MCU I’ve seen. The character’s motivations are ones I’m sure we’ve all seen before, aging labor worker gets ripped off by rich folks and takes matters into his own hands by undergoing criminal activity to support his family, truly and dangerously believing he’s in the right the whole time. The difference comes once the plot twist concerning the character is shown, which I won’t spoil, but I’ll say it makes him seem all the more real as a person, somehow making him much, much scarier.

           Visually, the film is largely standard MCU fare. Vibrant, bright colors, over-the-top action scenes, and interesting spins on the more mundane scenes so they never get to be boring. I suppose that there’s no need to fix what isn’t broken. One of the things that sets this movie apart from other MCU flicks is the way it does motion. Being a Spider-Man film, a great emphasis is placed on the way Spider-Man moves – fluid, not-quite erratic flips, and clever use of momentum give this film’s action scenes a very unique visual flavor. Unfortunately, not much of this is ground that hasn’t been covered in Spider-Man films made in the past. What this one does that the others did not, however, is give us a view of New York City we don’t see in a whole lot of movies. The joke is often made among comic enthusiasts, “how would Spider-Man get around if there weren’t tall buildings for him to swing around on?” Honestly, neither TV Show, comic book, nor movie have really addressed this query up till now. This film seems to make a point of showing Spider-Man in places that are not Times Square. We see Spider Man in the back alleys, and in the suburbs where we are welcomed by the familiar sights of grass, trees, and even the occasional wooden fence. Getting to see Spidey operate somewhere other than the crowded city streets was a welcome surprise.

           In addition to settings, I adored the look of the outfits, especially the spider-suit. When it was first announced that Spider-Man would be joining the MCU, I was skeptical – I had been disillusioned with Spider-Man for years (which just goes to show how well Tom Holland did to bring me back). As soon as I saw the spider-suit, though, my doubts almost completely washed away. The classic look, the bright colors, the expressive eyes, everything about it was quintessentially the great Spider-Man I remembered from my childhood – with a few touches of modern flair that only helped to make the suit look even better. We also got a much better look at Peter’s old spider-suit from when he was introduced in Civil War, and I’m just as in love with it - a clever visual reference to the Scarlet Spider design from the comics that manages to be both fun to look at and functional. A third spider-suit shortly appears in the film - an ugly, armored contraption reminiscent of DC’s mislead New 52 designs that I’m so, so glad doesn’t get used. As I said before, don’t fix what isn’t broken.

           The movie’s story and themes, while easy to follow, lead to a couple confusing conclusions. There is not a single reference to Uncle Ben or the line “With great power comes great responsibility” in the entire film, and while I’m glad I didn’t have to sit through Spider-Man’s origin story again, I’m a little disappointed that the very core of Spider-Man’s character was never brought up in Spidey’s first solo step into the MCU. Still, the concept of responsibility is one of the central themes of the movie… I think. The movie spends a lot of time emphasizing that Peter isn’t ready to become an Avenger because he steps outside of his boundaries and tries to solve problems that aren’t his to handle, and at the end of the film, he redeems himself by… beating the bad guy he’s been told several times not to take on? I suppose one could interpret the movie’s core message as “to achieve greatness, one must be great.” Spidey must grow as a hero to accomplish the task before him and save the day, and by acting recklessly before he was ready, he screws up pretty bad. It’s only once he’s accepted the risk and responsibility that comes with being a hero that he can show how great he truly is. It’s a simple enough conclusion to understand, I guess, but it takes some effort to get there that the movie could have easily lessened with a bit of dialogue change or shift in focus.

           Still, the movie manages to tell a strong and effective story with the most relatable Spider-Man to date. I couldn’t tell you whether Spider-Man: Homecoming is the best Spider-Man film out there, but its performers certainly bring a unique and youthful presence to it and its visuals manage to meld old and new together to create an impressively fitting and engaging look at the world of everyone’s favorite webhead. With effective characters and a compelling setting, the challenge and fun of the story fall right into place – giving the movie a fantastic tone that falls somewhere between the excitement and adventure of The Avengers and the endearingly comedic romp that is Guardians of the Galaxy. Spider-Man has found himself fitting right in with the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and I’m glad to see my friendly neighborhood hero come home.

[megabrocklesner1world-blog]

Interesting Things To Do During Morocco Leave Tours

When From the my visit to Morocco, it is immediately the beautiful Moroccan landscapes that come back to brain and the striking architecture of the buildings. I noticed there is now greater than a year a world of per week in southern Morocco, along with a good group of ten persons, which I keep exemplary memories. Right back on my visit to Morocco...

We landed in Marrakech and we joined nomad tours our resort in the early evening. I had a bad night since the space wasn't separated and our neighbors had a party before the end of the night... Simply speaking, it absolutely was Marrakech!

The following day, we took the coach to the city of Ouarzazate. The trail that crosses the string of the Large Atlas by the Tizin-Tichka go is long and twisting however the landscapes are very beautiful.

We then took the trail of "Thousand Kasbahs", situated in the Dades Valley. We then see quite clay villages, ksours, kasbahs, these are the quality buildings of southern Morocco.

We went to the ksar of Ait Benjamin Haddou. It is really a UNESCO-listed prepared community, which has been applied as a group for many well-known films such as for instance Lawrence Darabie, the Mummy and Prince of Persia. This really is one of the locations that struck me the absolute most during my stay in Morocco.

The very next day, we sank in the desert section of Morocco. The landscapes are arid and actually surprising. We often meet wandering dromedaries in a large desert area, some sellers on the sly which come out of nowhere and we uncover the habits of Moroccans. I was surprised to observe that water was still being obtained from a well, that women were cleaning garments in the waterways and that lots of villagers felt to spend the day sitting before their domiciles doing nothing. And the preservation of beef, don't speak about it!

We spent the night time in Tinerhir. In the environmental surroundings, it's possible to discover beautiful side groves. It can be the starting place for the dunes of Merzouga, my many beautiful storage of Morocco. We went at sunset and so the conditions were fairly pleasant. The sunset was beautiful, the images of the sunset in the dunes of Merzouga are visible here.

Usually, during our stay, it absolutely was very hot, frequently 40 °, even though that we visited all through the midst of September. We could actually consult the present conditions and climate in Morocco via Meteovista. We'd seen that it would be great and that the conditions would be "typical" for the season. Meteovista gives weather forecasts for France, Europe, Morocco and the whole world. We can only hope that it will soon be inviting every trip!

The very next day, still underneath the beautiful sun of Morocco, we ended at the Gorges du Todra. It is an all-natural website where in fact the rugged cliffs are quite high and close together. Some climbers rise these surfaces around 300 meters high. A slender way lets you go down these cliffs. A stream moves right by.

We slept in Erfoud, "the capital of the day", then we took the trail to Zagora. We passed through the Draa Valley, wherever prepared villages and oases follow one another. Then we spent the afternoon and the night time in this old caravan town which offered as point for individuals who were heading towards Timbuktu.

The very next day, we took the trail to Ouarzazate: the door of the desert. That Moroccan town is located at the confluence of the valleys of Draa and Dades. The tourists are numerous and the souks don't miss! It can be the city of cinema: many films are opportunity in Ouarzazate and the city hosts popular actors all through filming. We also discovered on website the sets of the movie Asterix and Obelix Goal Cleopatra. It's great to see the cinematography in true to life but it's frustrating to see how abandoned they are and in a sorry state...

[jurassicparkpodcast]

Jurassic 25: A Celebration - From Victoria's Cantina

“An adventure 65 million years in the making.”  The year was 1993.  8 year-old me, who had already been obsessed with dinosaurs at that point, caught wind of a TV spot that contained that simple tagline.  I distinctly recall seeing the herd of Gallimimus flocking, and it excited me in a way no other movie commercial had.  The movie was called Jurassic Park, and it was the movie to see that summer.  Thankfully, my wish came true.  It was a hot day in Fort Worth, Texas, when my father, uncle, brother and I went to see it at a theater in a local mall.  The moment the film began, I was mesmerized.  The way it began with such an intense scene of a man being violently attacked by what was obviously some sort of monstrous dinosaur truly set the mood.  But this was not a scary movie.  Sure, it had terrifying moments.  (I still recall the shot of the Tyrannosaurus Rex breaking through the glass to attack Lex and Tim scaring the living daylights out of me.)  But there were warm, touching moments, such as when our heroes are taken to see a dinosaur for the first time.  Or when everyone suddenly abandons their Jungle Explorers to get up close and personal with a sick Triceratops.  Indeed, for an 8 year-old dinosaur-crazed kid, this movie was nothing short of a great adventure.  And it was one that would stay with me into adulthood.

Fast-forward 25 years to 2018.  In April, Universal Studios Hollywood announced that it would be hosting the Jurassic Park 25th Anniversary Celebration.  Originally set to span two days on May 11th and 12th (May 13th was added due to the high demand for tickets), it would celebrate a quarter-century of one of the biggest film franchises in cinema history.  Being somewhat local in San Diego, I knew this was an event I could not miss.  I convinced my husband that this was something we absolutely had to do.  (If visiting Kualoa Ranch and hunting for Jurassic Park filming locations across Hawai’i in 2016 did not affirm my fandom to him, what would?)  We booked our tickets and made plans to drive up to Hollywood on Friday, May 11th.  While I do visit Disneyland periodically, I had not been to Universal Studios Hollywood in 8 years.  I did get the chance to visit Universal Studios Japan last year, but I always feel that despite the grandeur of their newer iterations, theme parks just do not hold up to their original locations.  (And surely, the same is often true when we speak of our favorite film series.)   After surviving the always chaotic Los Angeles traffic, my excitement heightened as we parked in Jurassic Parking and made off towards Universal CityWalk.  According to our tickets, we would not be let into the event until 5:30 PM.  Since we were a bit early, we bided our time at CityWalk and admired the beautiful Jurassic Park Jeep Wranglers and Jungle Explorer that sat adjacent to the CityWalk AMC movie theater.  It was a cool evening, and my hair decided early on that the intermittent drizzle would become its greatest foe.  What was nice about this event was that the park did not close until 7 PM.  So we made use of this precious time to wait a ridiculously short 10 minutes for Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey.  After admiring the recently opened The Simpsons area, we followed the signage leading our way to the Jurassic Park event and rode the Starway down to the Lower Lot.  When we arrived, we were instantly thrown into Jurassic mode. 

Universal used the Jurassic Park: The Ride area to stage the Jurassic Park 25th Anniversary Celebration.  Along with the ride itself, the celebration included a main stage, an activity area, the Raptor Encounter experience, restaurants, shops, and multiple bars that were set up to meet the needs of alcohol-deprived fans.  The queue of Jurassic Park: The Ride contained prop displays such as Claire’s outfit and a gyrosphere from Jurassic World.  There was also a Mattel Jurassic World toy display.  The activity center featured face painting and caricatures.  The main stage would be where Jurassic World director Colin Trevorrow would be moderating a panel with special guests a little later.  Shops such as Jurassic Outfitters were filled with merchandise, some of which was created for the 25th Anniversary Celebration.  Mattel toys were priced double their MSRP.  You could get a Super Colossal T-Rex for the “special” price of $90.  (Markups on merchandise are not uncommon at theme parks, but such drastic premiums came across like gouging.)  And as an added bonus, Revenge of the Mummy and Transformers: The Ride were open for fans attending the exclusive event.  Both were walk-ons for the entire night, which again, is just unheard of.  Around 7:15 PM, the D.J. put his beats on pause as Velociraptor Zulu and Velociraptor Blue made their way out to taunt the crowd awaiting the panel.  This was a confusing moment, as many fans who had already gathered in front of the stage for the panel were asked to disburse so that the raptors could do their thing.  The “show” included several ACU soldiers who were working to steady the two raptors and contain them.  It really lacked any choreography or plot and came across as very disorganized.  I got the impression that most fans could have done without it; especially since it disrupted most everyone who had already claimed a spot for the panel.  Moments later, the emcee welcomed Colin Trevorow to the stage.  The Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom co-writer spoke a bit about his fandom and then promptly welcomed three Hollywood veterans who were involved with the production of Jurassic Park.  They included assistant director John Kretchmer, cinematographer Dean Cundey, and visual effects artist Dennis Muren.  The three esteemed guests shared stories about working on Jurassic Park and why it remains such a beloved film.  For me, the panel was the biggest highlight of the evening.  And what was quite great about it was that each night of the celebration would feature different guests.  (Saturday attendees got to hear from Laura Dern, while Sunday guests got a nice dose of Jeff Goldblum!)  When the panel concluded, the D.J. cranked the music back up.  But his performance was again paused for the costume contest and trivia game.  Of course, another highlight of the evening was the IMAX showing of Jurassic Park at the CityWalk AMC theater.  It contained the opening sequence to Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, which was met with a rave response from fans.  And of course, there is nothing like seeing one of your favorite films on the big screen.  While all of these activities were fantastic, I would be remiss if I did not mention how special it was interacting with so many Jurassic Park fans face-to-face.  Seeing their enthusiasm for the franchise, with their faces lighting up as they discussed their favorite characters and dinosaurs and memories, truly left an impression.  It was truly special to connect with like-minded Jurassic Park fans, and it was tremendously special to meet former online friends who I can now simply refer to as friends. 

On the whole, Universal did a remarkable job organizing this special event for the Jurassic Park fans who had traveled not only from within California, but also from other states and even other countries.  There was abundant signage throughout the park for fans to find their way to the event.  The fact that the Upper Lot was available for attendees for an hour and a half was a huge plus that made the event all the more enjoyable.  The exhibits, activities, and games added an extra layer of interactivity that gave fans an ample number of things to do.  The Raptor Encounter special show was quite disorganized and seemed more of a nuisance than a contributing element to the experience, but it was countered with a great panel and a tram ride through part of the backlot towards the movie theater.  And then when you factor the showing of Jurassic Park with a preview of Fallen Kingdom, you truly feel like the $69 paid for the event was quite a bargain.  What’s more is that through my observations, I noticed fans of all demographics enjoying the event.  I also got the sense that attendees were happy and having a great time, and it was certainly nice to see Universal commemorating the anniversary of one of its biggest films.  With the first two events selling out, I have to wonder if Universal will hold similar events in the future not only for Jurassic, but also for other established franchises like Harry Potter or Back to the Future.  I know more than a few fans who would wholeheartedly welcome a Jurassic Park 30th anniversary party in 5 years. 

In 2018, I am enormously excited.  Not only is Universal celebrating the 25th anniversary of one of my favorite films, but they are also releasing Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom this summer.  Mattel is putting out some of the finest Jurassic Park toys of all time and truly delivering on the promise of what a great toy line should be.  Indeed, it is perhaps the best time to be a Jurassic fan.  Somewhere inside 33 year-old me, 8 year-old me is smiling and enjoying every minute of it. 

Victoria B.

Please find Victoria's Cantina on YouTube, Twitter, Facebook and Instagram! Don't miss our special episode focusing on the Jurassic Park 25th Anniversary Celebration at Universal Studios in the player below. Also find a few more photos in the gallery below:

[mummysspace]

We're Going on a Bear Hunt - Join the Twitter Fun!

We love the book We're Going on a Bear Hunt so I just knew the kids would love the chance to host a Going on a Bear Hunt Twitter Party which is being held next Thursday 16th February from 4-6pm. The party is to celebrate the release of the Going on a Bear Hunt DVD which we will be watching on the day along with doing some fun Bear Hunt themed activities.

In advance of the party we have been sent a very special Bear Hunt party pack which contains the We're Going on a Bear Hunt DVD, book, lots of fun activities to play from biscuit decorating to everything we need for a Treasure Hunt not to mention the most adorable Bear teddies ever, it is definitely going to be a fun Twitter party. Here is a sneak preview of the pack which we received so you can have a look at just how good the party promises to be.

We're Going on a Bear Hunt DVD Review

We couldn't wait for the party to watch the We're Going on a Bear Hunt DVD so have had our first viewing already. This beautifully hand drawn animation is based on the best selling book by Michael Rosen and Helen Oxen and while the illustration is in the style of the book, this adaption does deviate from the story and definitely has a hidden meaning. It is a wonderful family movie to sit and watch together, we all loved it and the children were definitely captivated by it. 

As the film follows a family going through a difficult time with highs and lows in parts, children may get a little sad like my three did. Not meaning to spoil the story but we had tears when the bear was left alone at the end, but telling them that Rosie would visit him again as she knows where he lives helped. Ben, in particular was sad because he was worried that the children would miss their Grandad so I explained that although the family would miss him, they would be ok as they have each other and wonderful memories to help them through it. As Grandma says "There's nothing wrong with being sad, it's just a way of remembering the happy times." 

The kids have asked to watch the DVD several times since which speaks for itself, it is in my opinion a must have movie for all families. The We're Going on a Bear Hunt DVD is available now from Amazon and also on digital download.

Join the #BearHunt Twitter Party Fun

Please be sure to join us on Twitter on Thursday 16th February from 4-6pm to follow the fun look out for me @mmeeee, @ukmumstv and use the hashtag #BearHunt. Throughout the two hour party will be lots of Going on a Bear Hunt themed fun and prizes to be won, see you then! *Disclaimer: We were sent a Going on a Bear Hunt party pack and will be taking part in a Twitter party. All views and opinions are my own and unbiased.

from Mummy's Space http://ift.tt/2l3nUx7