#and it's honestly not like there's a shortage of other characters sans could have a toxic relationship with in uf

[capricioussun]

Will probably delete later but genuinely WHY do so many ppl hate uf papyrus. "He’s horrible and a bad brother and abusive >:(((" my guy. YOU made him that way

[metalandmagi]

Winter 2021 Anime Worth Watching!

Since 2020 basically sacrificed itself to give us the most stacked anime season of all time, I’m currently buried under the weight of almost 20 shows airing per week. So for anyone who’s looking for some anime to watch this winter, here’s some first impressions! I’m speed running my list this time by only talking about the new shows...because otherwise this would be my great American novel. 

If anyone’s interested, I have master lists for both 2020 anime and 2019 anime, because there’s no shortage of fun things to find. 

New Shows!

And before anyone asks, So I’m A Spider, So What? isn’t on here, because CG spiders freak me out.

Cells At Work Code Black: This...less comedic spin off of Cells At Work (made by a different studio) takes the wholesome concept of Osmosis Jones meets cute anime girls and turns it on its head. In this much more depressing version, we follow a rookie red blood cell who works in the body of an overly stressed, alcoholic smoker who puts every strain on the body imaginable. I love Red Blood Cell AA2153 and his co-workers, but man am I glad we get the regular Cells At Work airing this season too, because I need something fun and uplifting after seeing my sweet son go through hell every episode. 

*Heaven’s Design Team: Have you ever wondered how God came up with some of the weird ass animals that live on this planet? Like, what’s the deal with giraffes? And why can’t we have dragons and flying horses? Well this is a comedy about the engineers and designers in heaven creating the new animals that are going to inhabit the Earth. That’s it, that’s the show. It’s kind of in the same vein as Cells At Work, having comedy blend with a surprising amount of educational information. If you want something light and funny, this is the show for you (though I don’t think it needs to have full length episodes). I’m just hoping there’s an episode about how the hell the platypus was created. Also it’s the only new one available on Crunchyroll.

Horimiya: A romantic comedy about a girl named Hori who fits the image of a perfect queen bee and a quiet bespectacled boy named Miyamura who never makes an impression at school. When the two meet by chance outside of the classroom, we see that Hori is practically raising a younger brother by herself, and Miyamura is actually a sweet guy who happens to be covered in tattoos and piercings. This show is an exercise in breaking down the images people have of others in their minds, and it’s a concept that really hits home in a fun and meaningful way. Honestly, this has become one of my immediate favorites. The characters have great chemistry, and I can’t wait to see more of them!

Monster Incidents (Kemono Jihen): When big shot Tokyo detective Inugami is called to a rural town to investigate a series of strange animal deaths, he finds a mysterious boy with the nickname Dorotabo who has been shunned by the other children in town. As the detective gets closer to Dorotabo, he discovers that there may be more...inhuman secrets to the boy than he realizes...and Dorotabo discovers that Inugami has some secrets of his own. This is a hard show to sell without spoiling the first episode, but it had twists and turns that kept me engaged from start to finish. I’m really interested to see where the plot goes, because I thought this was going to be something totally different just from the PV and series summary. If it plays its cards right, this could be a great paranormal detective show!

Wonder Egg Priority: A psychological drama about a girl named Ai who starts having dreams about a mysterious egg that promises to give her what she wants most in the world...a true friend. Before long, she begins to see how the dream world and reality are tied together, and trippy antics ensue. It’s hard to say more without spoiling anything, but I had to go back and add this one in because I made the mistake of thinking it was an OVA when it’s actually a full series. And what a series it’s starting out to be. This anime has all the psychological discomfort of a Satoshi Kon product with the beauty and style of something from Kyoani (even though it’s made by Clover Works). It’s really one of those anime you just have to see to understand.

Sk8-∞ (Skate the infinity): An original skateboarding anime from Bones, featuring a typical sports anime protagonist who takes a new transfer student who has never skateboarded in his life under his wing. Together they compete in dangerous races and take the skating community by storm. The character designs rival Appare Ranman’s in outlandish creativity, and I can smell the main characters’ ship dynamic a mile away (considering they’re exactly the same as the protagonists from Robihachi). If you’re looking for some wild and crazy fun with top notch skateboarding animation, don’t skip this!

2.43: Seiin Koukou Danshi Volley-bu (Seiin High School Boys Volleyball Club): Yes, it’s another volleyball anime. And no, it’s not just a clone of Haikyu. This story follows Yuni Kuroba, a physically built but emotionally weak teenager who finds out his childhood friend Hajime is moving back to their hometown for high school. Yuni discovers Hajime has become an exceptional volleyball player and they join their school’s volleyball club hoping to turn the unknown team into a rising star. If anything, this anime is much more like Stars Align or Free, where the sport is a backdrop for letting the characters explore their personal problems. Or at least it seems that way after the first episode. I went into this show ready to throw it in the trash because how could anything compete against my beloved Haikyu, but I found myself really enjoying the dynamics of the main duo and I’m curious to see what the rest of the team is like.

And speaking of sports anime rip-offs…..I can’t believe I’m including this but…

Skate Leading Stars: The show where the animators clearly wanted to design another throw away idol anime but saw how popular Yuri On Ice was so they decided to make whatever the hell this show is instead. It revolves around a fictional team sport called skate leading, and we follow the world’s most insufferable main character, a former figure skater named Kensei who wants to return to the ice and join his school’s skate leading team after he finds out his childhood rival is going to compete in the sport. Look, this show is just trashy enough to get a certain type of audience hooked, and it mainly has to do with the best boy of the winter season, Hayato Sasugai, the aspiring team “coach” who pulled most of us into watching this show with his punk appearance, snide comments and smug personality. He’s basically the lovechild of Izaya Orihara and Shizuo Heiwajima in a high school sports anime setting. The show treats itself with the perfect amount of sincerity to get away with being absolutely ridiculous most of the time without making you feel like you’re watching it from a dumpster...like Try Knights. You will know after one episode whether this show is for you. All I can say is, Hayato is worth the watch, and I haven’t seen any 3D animation used for the skating scenes (yet) so that’s a win for me. 

Honorable mention:

Jobless Reincarnation ( Mushoku Tensei): Yet another isekai where the main character is hit by a car (big surprise) and gets reincarnated into a fantasy world...but he happens to remember his previous life and narrates himself growing up as a jaded adult. I’m only including this because it looked amazing animation wise, and I love the opening where getting hit by a car and dying is actually traumatic. And I love the protagonist’s parents (who are retired adventurers who just want to bang all the time). But honestly...the main character is the fucking worst, and I don’t know if I want to keep watching it because of how creepy and weird he is. Like...he’s the hit on your fantasy mom as a baby kind of creepy and weird. But for anyone who wants a cool looking isekai that had an amazing PV, it’s worth checking out. 

Continuing Series!

Because the real gold of the season is in all the established anime getting their next seasons, I’m just going to list some of the things that are also amazing and definitely worth checking out if you haven’t already (because I’ve already talked about most of them at some point and don’t know what else to say).

Attack On Titan season 4

The Promised Neverland season 2

Beastars season 2

Log Horizon season 3

That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime season 2

Re: Zero season 2 (second cour)

Dr. Stone season 2

Cells at Work season 2

Osomatsu-san season 3 (second cour)

Higurashi New (second cour)

Jujutsu Kaisen (second cour) 

Not to mention all the shows I don’t watch that everyone else loves...like World Trigger (which I have seen quite a bit of, but long shounen shows are too much for me now) Quintessential Quintuplets, and Non Non Biyori. 

So there’s just some of all the anime airing this season. Hopefully, someone can find something they like. Here’s to a great year...well, of anime at least...

[youngcheesecakegladiator-blog]

Forever Betty

Recently, my sister Wendi provided us with a nostalgic glimpse at our shared past in a Google photo collection.[1]  Sis’ montage has “taken us all back” a bit, and prompted me to take a retro-active glance at some of the people (and characters) that we, as a family, shared that road less traveled by.[2] Unsure of exactly where to begin or “who” to begin with, I opted to start with an acquaintance of our mother’s, to see if I couldn’t retrace the ‘life steps’ of that old family friend.  (And yes, since my twelve year old self is holding her hand in the picture above, I’m pretty sure that you’ve already guessed who that old friend might be.) For those of you who never knew her, or would ever know of her, well, her name was Betty. I know it will come as no shock to some of you that I’ve gone looking for (and to see whatever became of) the ever elusive and “big bonneted blue-haired,” Amazon, Betty Bodine.  

Now don’t get me started about why my adolescent self has somehow been frozen in time while holding the statuesque Betty’s hand in that late 1960’s California backyard photo. The truth is Betty held sway over my little kid’s brain long before that picture was ever taken. Betty was someone not unlike a super-hero to my little seven year old self, and she’s become kind of an enigma to all of the “me’s” since then. You see in a lot of ways, Betty (just like her hair) was truly bigger than life. She was a working mom in 1963 (nobody’s mom actually went to work in 1963) and she drove a BIG brand new’63 Chevrolet Impala sedan painted (what else but?) a silvery misty blue. She dressed up too, and no, not like our “Nana” did - poor Nana - who actually had to go to work.[3] No, Betty Bodine dressed like she liked to go to work. She raced off in that blue Impala every day, cigarette smoke trailing alongside the exhaust and her blue tinted hairspray. She was somehow free and yes, even (oddly) glamorous.                                                           

For those of you that never knew them, Betty lived with her husband Dave and her son Ricky. Betty worked at Hartfield’s at the local mall, a sort of ‘cut-above-average’ (not really…) dress shop that our mom could never afford to shop at. Dave was a “good old boy,” and Ricky was Dave and Betty’s only child. Ricky was kind of a sullen kid, a spoiled kid really; one who liked to play with matches alongside his chemistry set, and dig big deep army style “fox holes” in the backyard. After playing “army” Ricky would relish melting his toy soldiers, and when no one was looking (except maybe me) play “monsters” with them - and all this way before anything like The Walking Dead was ever thought of.[4]  Dave and Betty gave little Ricky whatever he wanted, and Ricky never wanted for anything. In fact, Ricky didn’t just have one bedroom for all his mostly melted toy soldiers. Ricky Bodine had two. Betty had torn down a wall between two rooms so little Ricky could have one giant bedroom – separated only by Ricky’s optional giant slider door between the two. All of this so Ricky could spread out with his many gifts (and melted soldiers) about the place. I think Ricky thought he was.                                               

Ricky was older than me. I think by about three years. It wasn’t that Ricky was a mean kid or anything. It was just that he was kind of a loner. Ricky didn’t talk a lot, but truthfully, next to Betty, I thought Ricky hung the moon. He had a wiseacre way about him that just said “totally cool” to my seven year old self. But like my sister Darla would say about him many years later, it always seemed like Ricky was just someone who was bound to meet a “bad end.” I sure hope that didn’t happen.

But back then though, at least for me, the Bodine family was kind of the bomb. Ricky’s dad, Dave, seemed to stay home all the time (our dad was always gone) while Betty flew off in the Impala to, of all exciting places in 1963 - the Mall. (Our mom drove a red Ford Falcon Station Wagon that looked like it was on loan from Search and Rescue.) Betty had a super cool blue tinted bee-hive hair-do. Our mom had little pink curlers that smelled like a permanent solution and scarf Nana had given her for Christmas. Dave did cool stuff when he was at home, like chop off the heads off of hundreds of (dead) fish and stuff them into wishing well planters he had made out of bricks in their front yard. (So cool!) Dave was always making something out of bricks. But truth be told, I think Betty seemed to like that Dave was busy making things out of bricks. And honestly, looking back, I don’t remember a lot of “Dave and Betty” moments, only Dave or Betty, or Ricky moments.

Betty liked to play cards, and I think Dave did too - though it seemed I played more cards with the crafty Ricky than either of those two. Betty liked to play Canasta – you know, with those HUGE decks of cards and extra suits of everything. [5] Betty did teach me how to play Canasta. I think she taught my mom to play Canasta too. In the very back of my mind I think I had a sleep over at Ricky’s (in his two bedrooms!) one night while mom and dad played (what else) Canasta with Dave and Betty. The cigarette smoke was so thick. I don’t think I knew where my sisters were. It seems like Wendi was a baby asleep in a crib in Betty’s living room. Maybe Darla was with me and Ricky. Ugh, girls.

We moved away from the Bodines’ in 1964. Betty and Dave seemed to split up not long after that, and well, Ricky looks to have stayed living with Dave.[6] Betty moved away, though I was never quite sure where. I know that Betty and Ricky came sans Dave to visit us at our new house up north once, but after that there was no word of Betty or Ricky. Mom said that Betty had gone away, that she’d had a baby boy out of wedlock with “some man” and well that was sort of the end of it. Mom said that Betty’s life was complicated, and that Betty had had to call the baby “a Bodine” when he really wasn’t. I remember that didn’t make much sense to me at the time. Once about 1970, after we’d returned to SoCal, Mom did drive back to see Dave. I remember being sad because Ricky wasn’t there. (Who was I gonna melt stuff with?) Ricky was older and gone by 1970. Dave seemed to live alone with nothing but tropical fish tanks everywhere. Dave had gone from cutting the heads off of fish for wishing well planter boxes to keeping fish in tanks instead. Dave had always seemed kind of lonely. I think mom was lonely too when she went to see Dave. He schooled me in the art of keeping an aquarium while he and Mom kind of smiled a lot at each other. And then, as quickly as we’d arrived back at Dave’s that last time, we were gone. I guess for me (and for mom) that was the last of Dave.                                                             

So in light of all “this,” and in light of the last nearly sixty years, well, what can I say, I wanted to know more. I wasn’t sure where to begin, but I figured I’d start with Ricky, and see where that might take me. While I had a general idea that Ricky was about 3 years older than I was, I had no clue how old Dave and Betty were – they were just older than mom and dad. To do this I was going to have to fall back on what I like to call our “vestigial memories,” and hope that those memories would lead me to the right place. (And that I would not just be bullshitting myself so to speak.)

Allowing for time and place and an approximate year of birth, finding Ricky was easy enough. I knew that Dave and Ricky had stayed in Fullerton at least until 1970, so that meant that Ricky (if he’d completed school) had probably gone to a local high school. Ancestry.com has a pretty good selection of yearbooks, so I was able to find a likely candidate for “Ricky Bodine” in the Placentia, California El Dorado High School year book for 1968. In comparing this yearbook picture to those backward pictures of Betty and Ricky from the late 1960’s I was pretty sure I had the right guy. Still I needed more.                                                                                                                    

So feeling confident, I decided I’d see what I couldn’t find out about Dave and Betty. Instantly, I had no luck. Armed only with the names of “Dave” and of Betty,” and with an address in Fullerton, California from 1963-1970, I got nowhere fast. And sure, there were PLENTY of “Dave Bodines” and no shortage of “Betty Bodines,” but none seemed to fit quite right. Ugh. So I went back to “Ricky” and took a chance. I looked to see if it was possible that Ricky had been born in California. Using an approximated birth year of “1952,” the great Gods of Google, and Ancestry.com, I almost immediately came back with a birth record for a “Rick Marshal Bodine,” born at Los Angeles, California, 6 June 1952. [7] Hmmmm….maybe? This record at least gave me a place to look – and a valuable clue. This Rick Bodine’s mother’s maiden name was “Marshall.” From there I decided to play it “random” hoping that some sort of a marriage record might “pop - up” if I simply sought out any sort of a marriage record between a “Marshall” and a “Bodine.” It was kind of a long shot that they would be “our” Ricky’s parents – and that his parents Dave and Betty would have necessarily have been married in California, but hey, that what we genealogist types do, right? 

No luck – I did not locate any marriage record for a “Bodine to a Marshall.” But I did find something else. If you can’t find a marriage record, what’s the next best thing? You guessed it – a divorce. The California Divorce Index led me to a divorce at Orange County, California, December 1967, for “Othel David Bodine,” and his wife “Mary Elizabeth Marshall.” [8] With this, I was pretty sure that I had the parents of “Rick Marshall Bodine,” aka Ricky Bodine. Now I don’t know about you, but who names their son “Othel?” (No wonder he went by “Dave,” and even less a wonder that I couldn’t find him.) And stupid me for looking for a woman named Betty. (Duh!) Very few ladies are actually ever named “Betty.” I will admit though that I didn’t expect Betty’s first name to have actually been “Mary.” However at least now I had a way to fill in some of the blanks.

Regrettably I found that Othel David “Dave” Bodine died in Arizona in 2003. He was a veteran of World War II, and is honored there with a military headstone. The records are unclear if he ever remarried or not, and I haven’t followed that rabbit down the hole too far just yet. He looks to have followed Ricky to Arizona (or vice-versa) where Ricky looks to be living now in Mesa, with what is probably Ricky’s second wife. Ricky doesn’t look to have met a bad end at all near as I can tell. Family trees list Ricky as the father of four children and several grandchildren. You go Ricky Bodine!

Betty’s life has proven to still be more elusive. I was able to discover that “Mary Elizabeth Betty (Marshall) (Bodine) Wolf was born in Los Angeles on May 5, 1926, and that Betty passed away in Los Angeles County, California on February 28, 2007. [9] (However, as of yet I am unable to locate her final resting place.) I did learn that Betty’s father, Joseph Marshall, died young, and that Betty’s mother, a woman called Mitzi Madzka, and was an Austrian immigrant from Vienna lived to be nearly 100. Betty did remarry at Reno, in July of 1971, a man named Dale Wolf. (From Dave to Dale?) I get the sense that there was some alienation between Ricky and his mother, as some family trees only acknowledge “Ricky” as Betty’s son, while others imply the private faces of Betty’s other children still living. The fate or destiny of Betty’s baby boy she had after Dave Bodine is still unknown.

I’m taking a chance, and this weekend I am reaching out to Ricky. In this day and age of Google locating his likely address in Arizona was not all that difficult, so I have dropped him a line the old fashioned snail mail way. We’ll see if he replies, and I will keep you informed should you care to learn his fate. It’s always interesting to me to study the lives of those that we have encountered and then parted ways with for whatever reason. I liked the Bodines, and well, I hope that wherever Betty and Dave are that they are finally happy, and maybe even a little bit at peace.

[1] “Around the house,” a Google album photo collection by Wendi Record, as viewed February 2020

[2] A misquoted line from  Robert Frost’s “The Road Not Taken”

[3] Alta Violet (Sage)(Lee) Dixon – (1909-2004)

[4] The Walking Dead, a television program 2010 -  and as taken from a graphic novel  co-created by Robert Kirkman

[5] Canasta: A card game of Uruguayan origins (1939) that became increasingly popular in the United States during the 1950’s with popularity waning into the later 1960’s; a member of the Rummy family, it is commonly played with a French deck, and commonly played by four in two partnerships, although variations for different numbers of players exists.

[6] California, Divorce Index, 1966-1984, Ancestry.com, for “Othel David Bodine” and “Mary Elizabeth “Betty” (Marshall) Bodine, at Orange County, California, December 1967

[7] California Birth Index, 1905-1995 Ancestry.com, for birth of “Rick Marshall Bodine,” at Los Angeles, 6 June 1952

[8] California Divorce Index, 1966-1984 Ancestry.com, for divorce of “Othel David Bodine” and “Mary Elizabeth Marshall,” Orange County, California, December 1967

[9] U.S., Social Security Death Index, 1935-2014 Ancestry.com, for the death of “Mary E. Wolf,” born 5 May 1926, died 28 Feb 2007; U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007, Ancestry.com, for “Mary Elizabeth Wolf,” aka “Mary E. Bodine,” date of birth 5 May 1926, date of death 28 Feb 2007; California Birth Index, 1905-1995, Ancestry.com, for “Mary Elizabeth Marshall,” born Los Angeles County, 5 May 1926;  Nevada Marriage Index, 1956-2005, Ancestry.com, for marriage of “Mary Elizabeth Bodine” to “Dale Virgil Wolf,” at Reno, Nevada, 3 July 1971.

[apprenticebard]

How can I make more money like you?

An important question!!

So to start with, I am not a person who has Figured Things Out. I got lucky last year - my friend recommended me for a job in a very high-wage area (specifically, San Francisco’s tech industry) that I happened to be a really good fit for, and that happened to be willing to hire people on a trial basis if they were promising, even if they didn’t have college degrees (’cause I still don’t have one). And that was really good for a while, until some stuff happened and I kinda got eaten. Now I’m unemployed and looking for another job; I think I’ll find something comparatively good again, but I dunno how long it’ll be, and right now I’m looking at both moderately high-paying content-writing jobs and jobs that pay around minimum wage (which is a lot here; nothing pays less than $15 because the bay is lowkey insane), in case getting another really good job takes longer than I’d like it to.

But anyway! Obviously there isn’t a super easy way to make lots of money that’s going to apply to every anon who could possibly have shown up in my inbox, but here are some general pointers:

1) Even if things are going really well for you, you’re gonna tend to make less than most people while you’re early in your career. This is difficult but how it is. It doesn’t mean you’re doing anything wrong, and you might be on track for a great career in a few more years, once you gain more experience. If this is where you’re at, I think the best way to make more money is to work on leveling up at your current job, or looking for a different job of the same kind that either pays better now or will probably allow you to level up faster. It’s good to take on extra responsibilities when you have the time and energy to do so, especially if they use a lot of skills you do have, but also a few skills that you’ll need to figure out as you go along. 

Note that I do think that this advice is less actionable outside of the bay (which is full of startups that are growing rapidly and trying new things). I do think there’s still something to it. If you gain skills and responsibilities as well as you can, I think that even if your current job doesn’t recognize that and reward it, you’ll be building up skills that’ll make you more desirable the next time you change jobs.

2) Say you think you’re in a really good industry, and you know that other people in your industry make decent money, but for some reason, you’re not. Or, alternatively, say that you have a lot of skills and some work experience in a decent industry, but you can’t get anyone to call you back, and you’re beginning to wonder if maybe you’re secretly terrible and have zero Good Employee Qualities.

Getting a new job is hard, and leaving an old job is scary. I know; I just left my old job, and I spend lots of time being scared that nobody’s gonna hire me and I’m gonna have to go back to working at Kroger again, where I only made it through cashiering shifts by imagining that my characters were being tortured and that I could only save them by making it to the end of the next hour. 

But it really does pay to look at what else is out there. You can get some ideas by very casually looking at job sites like Glassdoor or Indeed; there might be nothing, or a bunch of job postings that you don’t understand, but I’ve found that it’s often good to get the lay of the land and figure out what recruiters are looking for in your industry. If you want better odds, and you have some successful friends, it can pay to ask them whether their companies are hiring for a position you can fill, and whether any of them might like to recommend you for it.

If you don’t have an easy way to get your foot in the door, you’re gonna be filling out a lot of applications. This sucks, but it doesn’t mean that you suck. If you really feel like you’re qualified for the sort of job you want, get someone to help you put together a good resume that shows off your skills, put together a portfolio or similar if you’re in the relevant industries, and resign yourself to applying to dozens or maybe hundreds of things. Recruiters are super arbitrary and will totally disqualify you based on things that have nothing to do with your ability to do the job. (This isn’t even because they’re bad people, it’s because they have a stack of resumes on their desk and have only the faintest idea how to tell which of the associated candidates are gonna be good at things.) It’s a numbers game. If you’re not doing something really ridiculous, like applying to every job with a resume that only lists completely unrelated kinds of work experience, then someone’ll probably talk to you eventually. It’ll just probably take way more applications than you’d think.

(Oh, also, all of the requirements in job postings tend to be pretty silly; as long as you think you’re genuinely capable of doing the work, I think you should apply to jobs where you meet maybe 75% of the stated requirements if the job sounds OK, and maybe 50% if it’s something you’d be really excited to get to do.)

3) If you’re not in a career sort of job at all - if you’re stuck behind the counter at Wendy’s right now, in which case my heart goes out to you, anon friend - or you’ve found yourself in a career that pays very badly or makes you unhappy, and you don’t think your skills will translate to anything you like doing, then you might want to look at changing careers entirely. Most people will tell you to go to college, if you haven’t already. I’m gonna tell you that college is a great thing for lots of people, but not always a good idea financially, and not always the best way forward, especially if you’re not very academically inclined. 

Think about what you’re good at, and think about what your dealbreakers are. You’re approaching this from thinking about money, not about passion, but you still don’t want to end up in a job that you’re a terrible fit for; you’ll get fired or be miserable all the time, and that’s no good for anyone. 

As a first line, if you feel that you’re reasonably flexible and talented, here are some very different jobs that make good money; you might want to consider whether you’re a good fit for any of these, and do more research as appropriate. (This is largely an exercise to get you thinking, not to say that these specific jobs are the ones you should definitely be looking at.)- Nursing. There’s a perpetual shortage of nurses, they have to exist everywhere in the country, and they make at least decent pay no matter where they live. For an RN, you’re looking at an average of about $55k per year in the cheapest states, and about $90k per year in the most expensive ones (although remember that this isn’t what you’ll make at the beginning of your career). I don’t recommend it if you really dislike people, long hours, college classes, heavy lifting, or bodily fluids, but I do think it’s a career that a lot more people should be willing to consider. If you think you can hack the education part, but not so much the heavy lifting, the bodily fluids, or the being around people who might be dying, dental hygienists make about the same amount, and their patients hardly ever need to be carried anywhere while possibly dying. I think.

- Software engineering. The pay rate here is kind of insane; if you have the interest and aptitude, then doing a coding bootcamp and getting a programming job in either NYC or San Francisco is a relatively attainable way of making a genuinely six-figure salary within a few years of starting, even if you don’t have a college degree. It’s not for everyone - I’ve tried to learn, a little, but I’ve bounced off pretty hard so far - but it’s a great opportunity for people who can hack it, so to speak. Like nursing, there’s a shortage here, mostly because software is a rapidly expanding industry that has only existed for, like, forty years tops.

- The skilled trades. We’re talking about electricians, mechanics, plumbers, carpenters, and other people in this space. It’s hard in different ways than an office job, but there are a lot of people who these are a good fit for. While they’re not as highly paid as nurses or engineers, people in the skilled trades do OK; reaching $50k per year is totally feasible, and people who are both skilled and lucky can break $80k. These jobs tend to go by apprenticeship systems, so if you don’t have a family member or friend to vouch for you, it’s a good idea to look at trade schools in your area to get you started, and then expect to spend several years in a junior position until you know what’s what.

- Flight Attendants. Not all flight attendants are particularly well-paid, but many are, and things like waitressing can be counted as relevant experience. The first flight attendant job I found on Indeed just now is $18 an hour and doesn’t require any experience or a degree, though the requirements do have a lot to say about your appearance, height (gotta be able to get luggage out of the overhead compartments, after all), and willingness to work really weird hours. The BLS reports that the median flight attendant ultimately makes about $56k per year. 

- Police officers. Obviously there are a ton of very legit reasons not to want to be a police officer, but I am of the opinion that someone’s gotta do it, and it’s better if the people involved wanna do it right, right? (I guess I don’t know if you want to do it right. Please don’t become a police officer purely for the money and then shoot someone, anon.) The median police officer makes about $60k, and it doesn’t require a college education, which is honestly a pretty good deal even if you’re not as passionate as Judy Hopps. I don’t recommend it as a job unless you’re not scared of people, even the creepy ones, ‘cause scared people make mistakes, and when police officers make mistakes, sometimes people end up dead.

If you read that list and were like, “Bard, there’s a reason I’m at Wendy’s, can you lower your expectations here a little,” you might want to look into stuff like warehousing, groundskeeping, janitorial work, sales, garbage collection, or construction work. Job sites are your friends; it’s useful to browse them and see what sorts of jobs pay the kinds of salaries you’re looking for. I also think you might be well-served by considering whether you can move in with friends or family in a part of the country where wages are higher. The big cost of living difference in other places is rent, so if you have a housing situation figured out or can split that cost with a friend, you can make a lot more money just by doing the same thing somewhere else. For example, before I got super lucky and became a Real Content Writer, my plan was to hang out on my friend’s couch for six months rent-free, work at some supermarket in SF, and then take my wages back home to Indiana to pay for the rest of my degree. And honestly, if I hadn’t fallen in love with this ridiculous place and hadn’t immediately gotten a much better job, I think it very well might have worked.

There’s a lot more that I could say here, but this is already pretty long. The main things are to think about where you’re headed, to look around at all of the different possible lucrative directions to head in if you don’t like where you are, and to figure out what steps you’d have to take to get there. You’re welcome to come to my inbox with more questions about this - my last job was all about helping people find jobs themselves, so I guess I should know something about it by now - but you might need to be a little more specific if I didn’t hit on the thing you’re stuck on in this post.

[wittypenguin]

“Mosura” (1961) or Mothra

Just as the Marvel Studios films contain more than Captain America, the Japanese films of the monster, or kaiju, genre are more than simply Godzilla: there are other characters too!

Typhoons and shipping play massive roles in these films. Japan is an island nation, after all.

Being between Infant Island and the leading edge of a typhoon is the worst position possible: drowning and radiation. The ship is run aground and is abandoned.

Eventually, we see a very rocky and grey beach with four screaming people, who are taken to BatLabel’s side-hustle client: the National Synthesis Nucleus Centre (I honestly wish I had a screen grab of that).

The sailors think that they lived because the natives helped them survive by giving them red juice. Infant Island is the nuclear weapon testing place of the Rolisician government. Its ambassador looks… vaguely… American but its flag looks… Turkish? Apparently the fictitious country is an amalgam of “Russia” and “America.” In the English version, the Rolisician villain Jerry Nelson is sporting a heavy ‘Russian accent,’ so at least the Japanese are being more even-handed about it, as ‘Kurâruku Neruson’ basically sounds like an American guy over-pronouncing his Japanese because he’s not all that fluent yet.

[left] Jerî Itô as ‘Kurâruku Neruson’ in Mosura (1961) — — — —

So we explore the island where beyond the grey rock is… A PAINTING OF A LUSH JUNGLE! Also some caves with the coolest blown glass and crystal formations which are the hit of Star Trek TOS.

The princesses appear as Dr. Shin'ichi Chûjô is attacked by some sort of anemone. They’re about a foot tall.

Initially the twin ‘peanuts’ communicate using music-like sounds (probably created by really early synthesizers? Seems far too early, though). But they understand Japanese. Eventually we learn they communicate best by telepathy.

Anyway, Bad Rolisician Scientists capture the princesses but the natives force the Bad Guys to release the princesses.

Everyone returns to Japan, where they dissolve the expedition, and announce no findings.

But the Bad Guys go back to the island on their own to collect artifacts for the black market. You know, the princesses.

So they become part of a big stage production.

Their singing calls Mothra, and 46 minutes in we finally see the Mighty Mothra!! …in larval form. …emerging from a stripy egg.

Mothra heads to Japan, sinking a luxury liner in the process.

The airforce drops flammable materials on the water and set it alight to stop Mothra. Why they do that I do not understand: when will they learn that if they’re dealing with a massive creature, nothing is going to stop it‽

Please give me the cute brown car with four doors and a cream roof. It may be a Datsun, it could be a Toyota, I don’t know nor care, I would like one please.

The Dam bursts for no discernible reason.

The girls get put in a plastic box to stop their telepathic connection to Mother. If she doesn’t know where the twins are, she will stop her travelling to Tokyo in order to rescue them.

Ah! Mothra is behind the dam! But, we don’t get told how.

A baby in a basket falls from a cart in the path of the flood. The reporter rescues the child just in time as the bridge is torn apart.

The scientist / linguist Dr. Shin'ichi Chûjô has a son who is seen in a red ball cap; is this where we get the kid in Indy Jones and the Temple of Doom?

The red car with massive horizontal fins can go pound sand. I do not like it in the least. It is big and flashy and has no modesty. Take it away. 

Mothra is 6 stories in height and probably 100m long.

The scale of this film is incredible! The crowd, the traffic, the vehicles and models… the Patriot missiles, the matte work, the model of the Tokyo Broadcast Tower… the vehicles with mock-ups of weapons… the spray web, the burning of models, the models of fire engines and tanks…

Then there’s the weapon supplied by the Rosician Atomic Heat Ray Brigade. It is, unsurprisingly, an Atomic Heat Ray, which is used to set Mothra’s cocoon on fire.

Mothra emerges as a moth right after that; simultaneously, the bad guys arrive at Mr Nelson’s / Neruson-san’s ranch somewhere in Roliscia (where you can even hear the lowing of cattle from the comfort of the living room). Mothra flies away, heading due east across the Pacific Ocean.

Apparently Mothra has been sighted in New Kirk City, which look incredibly like Gotham, except with a beach and palm trees. And it’s on the East Coast, so… and the New Kirk City cops wear tan outfits with red silk ties… and there are very few cattle farms near Gotham City… one should stop worrying about these matter, really.

I would make a mint as an actor in Japan doing films. It seems they have a shortage of Caucasian actors with decent skills.

This is a delightful film. It’s really well done and deserves more recognition than it seemingly has. Some of the visual effects — especially the matte work — are more obvious than they ought to be, but it’s far better than some efforts from the same time. The twins are delightful, and you end up rooting for both the kaiju character and the return of the twins.

★★★★☆

[nightbleeder]

What are your top five characters with good potential but Jroth killed them off?

Oh damn.  Here we go.  Doubt my list will differ that much from yours, but here goes nothing!  

1.  Wells Jaha.  I cannot stress this enough - how different things would be if he could have been there to support Clarke!  Especially in the earlier seasons.  Who the hell knows who he would have become, this show puts characters through the ringer.  But I would have absolutely LOVED to see him build relationships with people like Bellamy or Lincoln, or see him go against his father during Season 3.  I just...I miss him, and he was only around for like, five minutes.  Ugh.  There’s a distinct shortage of “moral” characters on The 100 (goes with the theme, I guess), and I thought Wells would have been a great contrast to some of other characters we’ve seen in the series.

2.  Lincoln.  I know Ricky left because he had to, and I totally respect that, but I miss the shit out of his character.  And I know we saw far more of him than we saw of Wells - two and a half seasons worth - but I would have loved to see him continue to grow into his role as mediator for Skaikru and Trikru.  I would have loved to see him temper Octavia as “Skairipa”, and to see how he’d influence events in the bunker.  I wonder - would they have stayed together?  What would Lincoln have become apart from her?  Answers we’ll never get.  Dammit.   

3.  Luna.  Luna is one of my favorite characters on the show, not because I think she was the most moral or “just” character we’ve ever seen, but because I found her to be incredibly interesting.  Her traumatic past, her isolationist/pacifist lifestyle on the rig, her downfall...it all fascinates me.  I would, honestly, have loved to see her survive either in the bunker as a leader or on the ground as a natblida with Madi and Clarke.  Could she have healed, with time?  Could she have earned redemption?  Who knows, but I wish we’d been given the opportunity to see more of her, rather than watch her die so Octavia could become Osleya.   

4. Maya.  I...have no idea how they could have continued her storyline after season 2 unless someone willingly gave her their bone marrow, but I just know I love and miss her.  I respected her, and she would have been a fascinating character to see interact with the outside world, sans hazmat suit.  Her first time swimming?  Or smelling flowers?  Learning to fight?  Would she have gone to space with the others, or ended up in the bunker?  What sort of skills did she learn under the Mountain that could have benefited the plot, or our heroes?  I just miss her, okay?  

5.  Wick.  I know, I know - the actor is a racist douche.  I’m glad he’s not a part of the cast anymore, too.  But if I’m honest with myself...I really enjoyed his character.  I liked that he was funny, I liked that he gave Raven shit and yet supported her, I enjoyed the way he interacted with the older Arkadians like Kane and Abby.  I liked that he was smart, and that he seemed to genuinely care for the delinquents.  I would have been interested to see where he ended up, regardless of his relationship with Raven.  Alas.   

Honorable Mentions:  Dad Miller, Lexa (not sure how we would have gotten the AI storyline without her death, but I’m sure it could have been a thing and then we wouldn’t have had to deal with the fallout from the worst BYG trope example anybody’s seen in a hot minute), Sinclair, Roan, Monroe, Anya, Aden.   

P.S.  I didn’t pick Jasper because although I miss the shit out of him...I feel like his arc finished in a way that I didn’t necessarily like, but still kind of...understood?  Does that make sense?  Em gonplei ste odon.  

[aion-rsa]

15 Best Video Game NPCs Ever

https://ift.tt/365jHPy

Free Guy follows a video game NPC who becomes aware of the circumstances of their existence and uses that newfound awareness to become the star of a game that they were only ever supposed to be a bit player in. It’s ultimately a look at the little people in video games and how easy it is to ignore them.

Of course, most gamers know that NPCs can be so much more than non-playable characters. While there are some NPCs that are little more than seat fillers in some of the largest and most elaborate video game worlds ever, others have used their supporting roles to steal the show and establish themselves as legends in their own right.

From mistranslated villagers and merchants to dogs and knights, these are some of the absolute best video game NPCs ever.

15. Error – Zelda II: The Adventures of Link

With the immortal introductory line “I am Error,” this humble NPC from Link’s bizarre second adventure found a home in the memories of a generation of gamers that wondered what the story behind this seemingly glitched character was. 

It turns out that Error’s bizarre dialog can be attributed to good old-fashioned translation issues, but this is a prime example of a seemingly meaningless NPC’s ability to work their way into our hearts despite being given almost no time to shine.

14. The Merchant – Resident Evil 4

For anyone who played the Resident Evil games up until the release of Resident Evil 4, the joy of encountering “The Merchant” cannot be overstated. Just when you thought you were about to have to battle yet another insane villager in a Wicker Man setting, the Merchant speaks cryptically, opens their coat, and offers you a very surprising helping hand. 

The Merchant’s sporadic appearances and unique role made them an instant favorite among franchise fans, but it’s the character’s mysterious nature that makes them so compelling all these years later. We still don’t know a lot about the Merchant, and that’s the way it arguably should be.

13. Jeff “Joker” Moreau – Mass Effect Trilogy

There’s no shortage of incredible characters in the Mass Effect franchise, but since we’ve already shown a lot of love to the game’s best squad companions, let’s talk about one of Mass Effect’s best NPCs that can’t join your away team: Joker.

Along with being one of the best pilots in the Alliance fleet, Joker is one of Mass Effect’s most consistently funniest characters. BioWare did a brilliant job of growing Joker’s story arc in future games, but he always remained a source of strength was always there to help make the Normandy feel like a home.

12. Elizabeth – BioShock Infinite

It’s fascinating to see how divisive BioShock Infinite remains eight years after its release, but one of the things that the game absolutely got right was Elizabeth’s role as an NPC companion. 

At a time when it was still fairly common to have to babysit your companions (even though there had obviously been tremendous advances in that area by this point), Elizabeth proved to be a more than capable partner who not only used her unique abilities to help you out of tight spots but would even occasionally toss you ammo and health. Elizabeth is an incredible character in her own right, but few games have ever made an A.I. partner feel so invaluable. 

11. The Narrator – Stanley Parable

It feels strange calling Stanley Parable’s narrator an NPC given that they’re the main reason that this game is one of the best of the last decade, but this disembodied voice certainly meets the technical requirements for that role.

The narrator’s determination to get you to follow The Stanley Parable’s most obvious path forward is bested only by the dry, witty frustration he exhibits whenever you start to veer off-course. He’s the real star at this look at the relationship between choice and storytelling in gaming. 

10. Cortana – Halo (Franchise)

Cortana is absolutely a strong character in her own right, but the thing that makes her stand out among the best NPCs ever is the nature of her relationship with Master Chief and you as the player. 

Cortana is the voice in your head that manages to guide you along the path while making the world feel a little more interesting along the way. At a time when gamers grit their teeth at the mere mention of the words “Hey listen,” Cortana proved that it was possible to make such a character feel like an irreplaceable part of what is ultimately the player’s journey. 

9. Dogmeat – Fallout (Franchise)

Truth be told, you could fill a list of the best NPCs in gaming history with Fallout characters and it would be difficult to argue with you. However, it’s hard not to ultimately give the nod to Dogmeat. Not only is this companion one of the most consistent sights in the Fallout universe, but their status as the absolute goodest boy/girl is undeniable.

In a series filled with moral ambiguity and complex characters with unique agendas, Dogmeat is…well…a dog. They’re loyal, loving, and willing to help you in any way that they can. They’re as perfect of a companion as you could ever ask for, and they make the wasteland feel just a little less hostile. 

8. Phillip “The Bloody Baron” Strenger – The Witcher 3

In a game that’s arguably best known for a collection of side quests and side characters that are better than most of the main stories and main characters seen in other games, it’s telling that “The Bloody Baron” is regularly referred to as the highlight of this epic adventure. 

The Bloody Baron may get more screen time than the average NPC, but it honestly doesn’t take long for this morally complex and utterly fascinating character to simply steal the show. He’s one of the best examples of why you should take the time to get to know the various inhabitants of RPG worlds. 

Read more

Games

25 Best RPGs Ever Made

By Matthew Byrd

Games

25 Best First-Person Shooter Games Ever Made

By Matthew Byrd

7. Sans – Undertale

While it sometimes feels like blasphemy to rank one Undertale character over another given how well-rounded and important so many of the game’s NPCs end up being, it’s hard to talk about the game’s best characters for long without the conversation turning to Sans. 

This apathetic skeleton’s most tragically relatable quality is his tendency to pivot between whether or not the futility of his existence is a reason to do nothing or if it’s all the more reason to relax and have fun. He practically embodies this game’s complex morality and wicked sense of humor. 

6. Hal “Otacon” Emmerich – Metal Gear Solid (Franchise)

Granted, Otacon doesn’t exactly make a great first impression (he wets his pants the first time you meet him), but this quirky scientist has to be one of gaming’s best examples of how an NPC can grow on you over time. 

While it’s easy to champion the way that Otacon becomes slightly more badass over the course of this series, his most enduring qualities are the two things that never really change: his weirdness and commitment to going above and beyond to try to help. He’s one of the most “pure’ Kojima characters. 

5. Tom Nook – Animal Crossing (Franchise)

The debate over whether Tom Nook is the quiet hero of Animal Crossing or little more than a loan shark who introduces this quaint world to the joys of capitalism will rage on, but nobody walks away from Animal Crossing without some kind of thoughts about this true icon.

Tom Nook helps you get started in the world of Animal Crossing and is often the character you need to go to whenever you want to move on to the next part of your adventure. He’s kind of a gatekeeper in that sense, but he’s also the thing that keeps the Animal Crossing experience consistently compelling. 

4. HK-47 – Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic

You do technically have the ability to control HK-47 during combat sequence, which means that their presence on this list could be considered a bit of a cheat. However, I dare you to play Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic and let that technicality get in the way of giving this character the love they deserve. 

While KOTOR’s morality system helped distinguish it from so many other console RPGs of its era, there’s always been something undeniably compelling about HK-47’s wonderfully uncomplicated moral code. He sees every human as a “meatbag” and struggles to understand why you wouldn’t just blast your way out of a situation. 

3. Solaire of Astora – Dark Souls

Solaire of Astora is everything that you’re not expecting to find in Dark Souls. He’s optimistic, friendly, and, if you play your cards right, helpful.

While it’s possible for Solaire to succumb to insanity if you make the wrong choices along the way, he’s best remembered for his unusual commitment to the idea that there is hope and good in the game’s overwhelmingly dark world. His viewpoint may be idealistic, but you cannot deny the purity of his spirit and intentions. “Praise the sun” indeed. 

2. Cave Johnson – Portal 2

It’s impossible to ignore that GLaDOS is indeed the most famous NPC in the Portal franchise as well as arguably one of the most memorable characters in video game history. Long after “the cake is a lie” became one of gaming’s most overused memes, though, it’s Cave Johnson that stands apart as one of this franchise’s greatest creations.

Cave Johnson is the former CEO of Aperture Science who apparently reached Mr. Burns levels of evilness before he died from moon rock poisoning. His incredible dialog (which, it must be said, is expertly delivered by the irreplaceable J.K. Simmons) includes some of Portal’s best jokes, but it’s when you start to spot the tragedy and world-building in-between his jokes that you really appreciate how much this character accomplishes.

1. M’aiq the Liar – The Elder Scrolls (Franchise)

I love an NPC who practically becomes the star of the show, but my heart goes out to the NPCs who occupy a small part of a game’s world but a large part of our hearts. So far as that goes, M’aiq the Liar may just stand alone. 

cnx.cmd.push(function() { cnx({ playerId: "106e33c0-3911-473c-b599-b1426db57530", }).render("0270c398a82f44f49c23c16122516796"); });

As the name implies, M’aiq the Liar isn’t always entirely truthful. While those lies are often hilarious and clever, M’aiq is best known as a kind of unofficial developers’ commentary track. He often addresses meta subjects regarding missing features and misunderstood pieces of lore but does it in ways that make it difficult to separate the world-building from the Easter eggs. He’s the perfect reminder of the ways that the best video game NPCs can surprise you. 

The post 15 Best Video Game NPCs Ever appeared first on Den of Geek.

from Den of Geek https://ift.tt/3iEiw0w

[fibula-rasa]

As Noirvember Ends...

Before I begin, I’m going to clarify that, unlike the first list, the following films are personal favorites of mine that can be categorized as Noir. So, they may not be the best illustrations of the style/genre nor necessarily the best films that happen to be Noir. Honestly, the first list is better for that, though it has less detail.

In a way, you can view this list as “further viewing.” I will also be pairing this list with where you can find the movies at Movie Madness.

Here are my personal go-to Films Noir as Noirvember careens away down an abandoned highway on some rainy midnight. All films are profiled in detail BELOW THE JUMP. Happy viewing!

Ministry of Fear (1944)

87 min. | Director: Fritz Lang

Screenwriter: Seton I. Miller (Novel by Graham Greene)

Stars: Ray Milland, Marjorie Reynolds

What’s the story?

Stephen Neale (Ray Milland) is making his way to London after his release from a countryside asylum. Neale happens upon a village fair run by the Mothers of Free Nations and wins a cake in a guess-the-weight contest he wasn’t meant to win. After boarding a train to London, Neale is accosted over the cake but manages to escape unscathed. With the backdrop of London in the midst of the Blitz, Neale and a private investigator try to get to know what the Mothers of Free Nations is all about. Carla (Marjorie Reynolds) and Wili (Carl Esmond) are refugee siblings who run the charity and they begin to lead Neale down a serpentine path of espionage.

Why should I watch it?

Like The Third Man (1949), Ministry of Fear is an adaptation of a Graham Greene novel. Greene did not collaborate on the screenplay for this film though, and it shows. But, other aspects of the filmmaking more than make up for it. Much credit is due to some shared talent with Double Indemnity, which came out the same year: Art Directors Hans Dreier and Hal Pereira, Costume Designer Edith Head, and Music by Miklos Rozsa. While Ministry is a bit of a tonal shift from The Third Man, it’s a compelling and suspenseful Noir. The pacing is perfectly matched to the whirlpool Neale’s fallen into in the film. I personally think this is one of Lang’s best, particularly among his American films.

What really puts the film over the top for me is Ray Milland. While Milland never considered himself a very good actor, thankfully many great directors disagreed with him. Milland has the unique talent of injecting a touch of levity through his reactions, movements, and expressions at just the right moments. He can make characters that, on paper, might be unlikeable, unsympathetic, or just plain bland into very real people. In Alias Nick Beale (1949), Nick Beale is a seedy underworld operator. Not too much is explained about him but you feel so much about his past and his character through the small (or large) falters in the Beale facade that Milland portrays. In The Lost Weekend (1945), Milland finds a balance with Don Birnam by evoking in the viewer similar feelings to what you may feel when someone you love is suffering from mental illness. You continue to feel deeply for him despite his stream of self-destructive actions. You understand exactly why his loved ones would stay or go. In Ministry of Fear, Milland channels the feelings of being in the midst of a nightmare while also having pitch-perfect reactions to the film’s absurdities that border on the surreal. I should stop now before I go into my spiel on how he “plays English” versus how he “plays American.”

Where can I find it?

At Movie Madness under Classic Directors - Fritz Lang

The Lady from Shanghai (1947)

87 min. | Director: Orson Welles

Screenwriter: Orson Welles

Stars: Rita Hayworth, Orson Welles

What’s the story?

Sailor Michael O’Hara (Orson Welles) saves the beautiful and married Elsa Bannister (Rita Hayworth) from some robbers in Central Park. Elsa and her lawyer husband, Arthur (Everett Sloane) are on their way via the Panama Canal to San Francisco and Michael is hired to work on their yacht. Michael starts to fall for Elsa. Arthur’s business partner, Grigsby, sees his opening and convinces Michael to collaborate on a plan to fake his own death. As it turns out, there are scams on top of scams, and Michael ends up framed for murder and he must now rely on Arthur and Else to defend him.

Why should I watch it?

The Lady from Shanghai is a very unique film for the time, in ways that made it unpopular with many contemporary American viewers, but also in ways that make it well suited for modern viewers. Distaste for Rita Hayworth playing against type is not much of an issue for a viewer in 2017. The on-location shooting adds naturalism despite the film’s stylized lighting and cinematography. To a 1948 viewer, this could be too much of a departure from form, but it’s fully normal to a 2017 viewer. One of the most spectacular elements of the film is a shootout climax in a hall of mirrors, which a 2017 viewer has seen replicated a few times since (most recently in John Wick 2). While Lady from Shanghai should hold a lot of familiarity to an audience in 2017, it still feels novel and imaginative. It’s also a film that doesn’t narratively hold your hand. You’re along for the ride and you best keep up.

Where can I find it?

At Movie Madness under Classic Directors - Orson Welles

Leave Her to Heaven (1945)

110 min. | Director: John M. Stahl

Screenwriter: Jo Swerling (Novel by Ben Ames Williams)

Stars: Gene Tierney, Cornel Wilde, Jeanne Crain, Vincent Price

What’s the story?

After a chance encounter on a train, the well-to-do Ellen Berent (Gene Tierney) and novelist Richard Harland (Cornel Wilde) fall in love a little too quickly. Ellen falls because of Richard’s notable resemblance to her late father. Richard falls because of Ellen’s mysterious nature and brooding beauty. Ellen jilts her more socially-acceptable fiance Russell Quinton (Vincent Price) for Richard and they move to his remote home in Maine. Ellen’s obsessive and possessive tendencies get deeper and more dangerous after Richard’s disabled baby brother comes to live with them and it all goes to hell from there.

Why should I watch it?

Leave Her to Heaven has no shortage of selling points. Gene Tierney gives one of her best performances in this film. She has such subtlety early on, hinting at the storms to come, and Ellen’s neuroses-driven cruelty is rendered so effectively. Tierney was absolutely ahead of her time.

Leave Her to Heaven is strikingly beautiful. The locations in Maine and New Mexico are exquisite and made more interesting by the contrast to the twisted psychology and cruelty of the characters. This one might need content warnings though. I don’t want to give away too much to a general readership, so if you have any concerns, let me know!

Where can I find it?

At Movie Madness under General Classics A to Z

The Strange Love of Martha Ivers (1946)

116 min. | Directors: Lewis Milestone and Byron Haskin

Screenwriter: Robert Rossen (Novel by John Patrick)

Stars: Barbara Stanwyck, Van Heflin, Lizabeth Scott, Kirk Douglas

What’s the story?

Young Martha Ivers tries to run away from her strict and antagonistic aunt with the help of a poor boy called Sam Masterson. The attempt fails and when returned home, Martha and her very wealthy aunt have a blowout and Martha knocks her aunt down the stairs, killing her. The scene is witnessed by another boy, Walter O’Neil. With the help of Walter’s father, they manage to cover up the crime, blaming the murder on an intruder. Years later, Martha (Barbara Stanwyck) has built up a very successful business with her inheritance and is a staple of the Iverstown community. She is also in a strained marriage with Walter (Kirk Douglas), now the District Attorney. When Sam (Van Helfin), now a detective, chances his way back to town, Walter and Martha’s paranoia over the cover up reaches a boiling point.

Why should I watch it?

As someone who has spent a lot of time in Pennsylvania, I must say that Iverstown is a perfectly captured factory town. That might be a too specific draw for a movie, but that’s okay, there’s lots more to love about this film. The structure of the plot is almost flawless. The Strange Love of Martha Ivers is a master class in how to build conflict and tension around dramatic irony in a modern setting. That’s all I’ll say on that to avoid giving too much away. Barbara Stanwyck puts in one of her best performances in this film and Kirk Douglas holds his own in Stany’s wake despite it being his first film. It’s no wonder he became one of the biggest movie stars of the last century.

Where can I find it?

At Movie Madness under Classics - Film Noir

Diabolique / Les Diaboliques (1955)

107 / 114 min. | Director: Henri-Georges Clouzot

Screenwriters: Henri-Georges Clouzot, Jérôme Géronimi (Novel By by Pierre Boileau and Thomas Narcejac)

Stars: Simone Signoret, Véra Clouzot, Paul Meurisse

What’s the story?

There’s an awful lot going on at a rundown boarding school just outside Paris. The headmaster, Michel (Paul Meurisse), lives there with his ailing wife Christina (Véra Clouzot) but is carrying on a relationship with English-teacher Nicole (Simone Signoret), who also lives at the school. Michel is abusive to both of them, but the women seem to have a cooperative and caring relationship with one another. Eventually, Nicole can no longer abide the abuse and cooks up a plan with Christina to murder Michel. After they put their plan in action, the aftermath isn’t quite what they anticipated.

Why should I watch it?

Diabolique is one of the greatest suspense films ever made. If you’re a Hitchcock fan, this is a must-see movie. Hitchcock praised the film often and its influence can be seen strongly in his work in the late-1950s into the 1960s. (The novel Diabolique is based on was written By Boileau and Narcejac who wrote the source novel for Vertigo (1958).) In my estimation, it creatively revived Hitchcock as a director.

The locations are hauntingly shabby and mirror Christina’s internal strife, both her physical ailment and psychological stress. In all honesty, I’m struggling a little bit to discuss the high points of the film without giving too much away. That shouldn’t be too surprising though, given that this is one of the first films to carry a spoiler warning.

“Do not be evil! Do not destroy the interest your friends might have in this movie. Do not tell them what you saw. Thanks for them.”

Where can I find it?

At Movie Madness under French Film - French Directors - Henri-Georges Clouzot

Mildred Pierce (1945)

111 min. | Director: Michael Curtiz

Screenwriters: Ranald MacDougall, Catherine Turney (Novel by James M. Cain)

Stars: Joan Crawford, Jack Carson, Zachary Scott, Ann Blyth, Eve Arden

What’s the story?

Monte Beragon (Zachary Scott) is murdered, shot dead in his beach house. His wife, Mildred Pierce Beragon (Joan Crawford) flees the house. When Mildred is brought in by the police, she finds out that her first husband, Bert, is going down for the murder. In an effort to protect him, for she knows him to be innocent, Mildred begins telling the detective the story of the past few years of her life that led her to that beach house with her ex-husband’s gun. However, the story may be a little more complicated than she lets on.

Why should I watch it?

Mildred Pierce was adapted from a novel of the same name by James M. Cain, whose work was also adapted for Double Indemnity (1944) (which I mentioned in my last Noirvember post) and The Postman Always Rings Twice (1946). If you like those films, there is a very good chance you’ll also like Mildred Pierce, but this film is a little less hard-boiled than the others. Mildred Pierce is a skillful intertwining of noir with “weepies,” the melodrama sub-genre. How far the love of a wife and mother can reach is not a common Noir story, but how twisted that love can be is actually perfect Noir fodder.

Joan Crawford rightfully won an Academy Award for her portrayal of the title character, but she’s girded by rich performances from the supporting cast. Eve Arden and Butterfly McQueen always stand out to me in this film, both infusing a whole lot of character into their rather small roles.

Mildred Pierce is also shot beautifully. It’s a perfect Noir image of rainy mid-century Los Angeles.

Where can I find it?

At Movie Madness under Classics - Classic Actors - Joan Crawford