#and now. she's watching a julia roberts movie all on her own. huge

[garbagequeer]

fixing my mother one movie at a time. she's watching notting hill all on her own now. which is big if you knew my mother

[unabashegirl]

Pax Romana; Part I

Author’s note: Hey everyone, here is the first part of this mini-series. I hope you like it! Let me know if you want to be on the tag list. Also, REQUESTS ARE OPEN only for H. 

DISCLAIMER; I DONT KNOW ITALIAN! (only English, French and Spanish) I clearly used a translator. I am aware their translations are SHIT sometimes. Therefore I am sorry if I butcher it! I didn’t mean to!

masterlist 

----

Harry Styles, can still recall the first day he was enthralled by her conspicuous beauty. At first, he reckoned he had done the unavoidable. He had moved to Italy for the summer, and he had managed to fall in love with an Italian girl; that he had never spoken to. He had only observed her from afar — too shy to ever think of approaching her. Nonetheless, the young woman was a sight to behold.  He promised himself that he would only watch from afar. It felt forbidden and somewhat illegal. The feeling that bubbled within him was enough reason to continue his study of her.

After his first visit to Italy, he had fallen in love with the country. Hence, why he had rented out a house in a coastal town. The country’s natural and effortless beauty inspired him to write new music for his upcoming album. The beautiful sunsets, the sunny mornings, the art, and the food brought peace and tranquility to him. It was the perfect place for him to hide — for a while.  It was on one of his morning runs; he first noticed her. 

She wore a bright yellow bikini that exposed most of her olive skin to the sun rays. She sat on a striped towel that she had laid out on the hot sand.  Her hair was slicked back and wet after she had dipped in the ocean to refresh her body. 

Of course, she never caught sight of his dilated pupils or the way he had leaned forward — lured by her beauty.  Her attention was preoccupied with a hardcover of Pride and Prejudice; that she had brought along as a source of entertainment for the day.  The young woman appeared too indulged in the printed words to notice his existence. 

He watched her for a few hours. Now and then he would remind himself of the hundred reasons why he shouldn’t approach. He had even managed to take a few steps towards her. Harry eventually removed himself as soon as it became too much. He had beaten the temptation. 

The first time he spoke to her was at a local restaurant. Harry had taken himself out on a late lunch date. He had dressed up nicely and had walked to the bistro. He noticed her presence after taking his first sip out of his freshly served Chardonnay. She sat on the table across from him. This time she wasn't submerged in a book. He could finally admire her natural beauty up close. The fullness of the apples of her cheeks, her long dark eyelashes, her red-tinted lips, and of course light sunburn on her upper cheeks and across the bridge of her nose. 

A few minutes later, her order had arrived. It was ricotta and mushroom stuffed ravioli in a black truffle sauce. She was stuffing her face when they made eye contact. Harry’s lips curved upwards creating a lopsided smile as she scrambled to clean the creamy sauce off her face. He hadn't said anything to her, but she already felt embarrassed. 

”Sono deliziosa?” He had done it. He couldn’t just watch her and pray she’d take the first step. It was time to put his Italian to the test. He had been practicing his Italian and even though he already had a few weeks on the Amalfi coast; he still struggled to comprehend. Harry only hoped she would be able to understand him.

”E molto deliziosa” She smiled at him for the first time. She beamed, radiating an intoxicating wave of warmth and happiness towards him. Her lips parted open for a split second but before she could utter a word the waiter approached. 

“Hai bisogno di qualcos’ altro?”  He was asking her if she needed anything else. She understood what he was asking, but she couldn’t remember how to say cheese.

“Fuck” she said under her breath. “Queso. Fromage. Cheese” She had forgotten how to speak. All her languages had mixed in one and the wires had crossed. “How do you say it?” She whispered under her breath, her cheeks warmed in embarrassment as the waiter tried to comprehend. 

“Formaggio. Ha bisogno di formaggio parmigiano, per favore” Harry interrupted, noticing her uneasiness and her inevitable embarrassment. He knew that it wasn’t his business and he shouldn’t have been listening to the conversation, but he had to help her. 

The waiter turned his attention to the young celebrity. He was also a bit surprised that Harry had spoken for her. He had seen that Harry kept to himself. He usually attended dinner on his own and hardly even bothered to use his phone. “Inmediatamente”. 

“Thank you” She thanked Harry as soon as the waiter had left in search of the parmesan cheese that she so craved. Harry’s excessive focus on watching the server carrying out her request had prevented him from realizing that she spoke perfect English. He had to stop himself from gasping when processed her delicate voice. She had an accent. Slight. Gentle. Barely-there and it wasn’t Italian. He would later learn that her R’s made it more prominent. 

“It’s alright. It happens” She instantly recognized who he was. Her heart raced for a minute or two, but she restrained herself from making a huge scene. After all, it was Harry Styles. Whom she considered, the most stylish man of her generation. The man could wear a curtain and still pull it off. “I am Harry” He rises a bit from his seat, extending his right hand. 

“Catalina” She shakes his hand with a smile. “So, what brings you here?” Even her name was attractive — he wondered. 

“Is’not obvious?” 

“Not really. Enlighten me” The stranger gives him a small smirk while placing her napkin over her lap after crossing her legs under the table. Harry purges his lips as he uses his index finger and thumb to slightly tug on his bottom lip. 

His whole plan to stay away from her had failed. Did he regret it?. Hell no! He just hoped he had chosen wisely. 

“The art” He reveals as he watches her cut one of her ravioli before putting it in her mouth. She responds by only nodding; too indulged in the explosion of flavors within her mouth. 

“Music?” She hums as she brings the glass of wine up to her mouth. “ I thought you were more of a  dolce far niente type of man” her mouth curved into a smile. Dolce far niente means pleasant relaxation in carefree idleness. Harry instantly identified the phrase from Julia Roberts's famous movie — Eat, Pray, Love. She remembered reading somewhere that he was a rom-com fan. 

“Are you?” He shot back. There was no doubt that he was intrigued by her. 

“Si” She shrugged as she pushed around some ravioli. 

“Then we have more in common than I thought, Catalina” Her name rolled off his tongue without any strain. It was as if he had been practicing for months. She had never heard her name sound so attractively. Sure, he had an accent, but it was still beautifully pronounced. 

Harry’s order arrived moments later. He had ordered the classic spaghetti bolognese. He grabbed his fork and knife and right before digging into the plate, he looked up at her. Catalina had been watching him since silence had fallen upon them. His smirk grew into a soft chuckle as their eyes met. She giggled at him and first noticed his dimples. She now understood everyone's obsession with his smile. 

“Would you join me?” Catalina spluttered after a few minutes of mentally debating with herself. She felt her heart beating in her throat and her hands dripping with sweat as other parts of her body. It was all very hot. 

Catalina wasn’t the type of woman to initiate conversation. She rarely even texts first!. Her excuse is usually that she doesn’t want to bother or interrupt. In reality, she is scared shitless to make a fool out of herself. Therefore, she was quite surprised by herself to have asked him to have dinner together. 

Harry cocked his head with his lips pursed. To her, he looked very pensive as if he was making a big decision. She didn’t blame him. He was on vacation and the last thing he wanted was to be photographed with a random girl and for questions to be asked. Although, he had already agreed in his mind. He just couldn’t come across as desperate. Even though he was. Harry wanted to know more. 

His fingers tucked his clothed napkin into the collar of his shirt. A chuckle left his lips as he pushed his seat back and raised on his feet. He held his plate and utensils with one hand while his glass of wine with the other. 

“So, where are you from?” Harry was first to ask, as he twisted his spaghetti around his folk. Catalina leaned back on her seat, her fingers clenching around her wine glass as she finished swallowing. “I am English” he laughs as if his accent didn’t give it away. 

“Really? Bet my life you were Italian” Catalina bantered 

“What gave it away?” 

“The facial hair and the good head of locks” Harry grinned covering his face with his hands, feeling his cheeks heating up. He felt ridiculous for blushing at such a minuscule compliment. “But anyway, I was born in South America, but raised in Spain by my aunt”. She revealed playing with the small droplets around the cup of ice water that had been forgotten. 

“And what are you doing here?” 

“I study here” She had just finished her first semester. “Well not here, but in Rome. I am majoring in art history”.

The not so strangers sat for hours and indulged in one more bottle of wine. Harry encouraged her to pick but she politely refused. She said that she hadn’t spent enough time in Italy to know what was best. 

She told him about her parents. Her father had walked out on her mother after she had told him that she was expecting. Catalina also shared with him how she felt after losing her mother to cancer when she was only ten. She was quite surprised at herself. She had never shared so much with anyone. Let alone, someone she had met that same night. Harry brought her some kind of comfort that she had no idea she needed. 

Harry listened to her. She hadn’t finished speaking and answering his previous question and he already had another one formulated. He liked hearing her speak. She allowed him to pick at her brain and he liked what he saw. She was driven, independent, somewhat lonely, but incredibly smart. Catalina was also unbelievably wise for her age. 

“What about you? Is fame all you thought it would be?” Catalina asked moments after they had been kicked out of the restaurant. They eventually had to close. Harry held what was left of the bottle as they walked down the isolated streets. 

“That’s a heavily loaded question” He chuckled, “It’s way more complicated and difficult. I think I expected to never feel lonely by the continuous abundance of people around me. But in reality, sometimes it feels lonelier than when I was just Harry” Harry shrugged, masking the pain that the vulnerability that he suddenly felt.

“I get it. The screams and faces don’t match the number of people close to you” Catalina was not famous but she could understand where he was coming from. Sure, her aunt had raised her, but she had felt lonely for most of her life. Her mother's death had felt a gaping hole in her life that no one has ever been able to fulfill. 

“M’not ungrateful for my friends but I do feel lonely. I guess I haven't found what I am looking for” Harry flashed her a reassuring smile as they walked down to the main road. “Let me help yeh” He had seen her struggling to walk over the cobblestone streets. She wore low heel sandals that complemented the white satin dress that she has opted for. Unfortunately, the heels were thin enough to slip through the stones making her overly cautious where she stepped. 

Harry switched the bottle to his other hand and offered his hand for her to take. She stopped momentarily and stared at his massive hands. They were bare. His famous rings were missing as if they had gone on a vacation too. She took his hand and was slightly surprised at their softness. She had expected them to be rough but they were quite the opposite. 

“Thank you” 

“No problem” He wanted to spend more time with her. He wished that the night wasn’t ending. “I would invite you for some gelato, but it’s quite late. I doubt there is any place opened” 

“How long are you staying?” Catalina asked as she noticed them approaching the entrance of her hotel. 

“A few more weeks” the splendor of the lights of the entrance of the hotel illuminated her features. Harry couldn’t help thinking how lovely she looked. 

“I’ve had a lovely time. Will I see you tomorrow?” 

“M’not planning on goin anywhere” Catalina reached up, resting a delicate hand on his shoulder, she kissed his cheek. 

“I’ll see you around then” She gave him a little wave as she walked her way through the doors. She would later realize that she hadn’t only kissed him because it was part of her culture and tradition but because he managed to ignite a flame within her — that one had ever done before. 

[tinyboxxtink]

“Return To Sender” *Part 5*

What what whaaaat? TWO chapters in one day?! Well, I had the day off and literally went nowhere, so I sat here and wrote. ALL day. Yup. So enjoy!

Also-- did anyone else catch the Pretty Woman rule? 😉

---

Tag List

@dumauier

@chasingeverybreakingwave

@word-scribbless

@wanniiieeee

@objection-argumentative

[Am I missing anyone?? Or does anyone wanna be added?]

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

Part 6

Barba slammed you on the couch, wasting no time in getting to work. Your now ruined shirt was quickly coming off, the both of you grunting and moaning as he explored your body with his mouth.

Then his fingers found your thigh, and your mind went blank as they skated up, up, up. You shivered as he nipped your earlobe, your neck, his breath hot on your skin, you had to bite your lip to keep quiet.

One hand dipped to the small of your back, pulling your body flush against his as he nibbled on your ear. You surrendered a moan once his wandering hand found your underwear,  your fingers dug into his shoulders as he traced the dampened center seam. 

His lips trailed lower, lower, until your neck tilted back to the ceiling and gravity ceased to exist beyond his arms. Then you were flat on her back, his fingers tearing through the fabric of your panties, and you would have been angry if his hands weren’t slowly sliding them off and tossing them to the floor, all while tugging the cups of your bra down—Until he paused, his breath ghosting over your nipples. 

“Now say it,” he growled into your ear.

“Say what?” You moved your neck up a bit, to meet his eyes.

“Say I’m better at this,” He smirked.

“You haven’t even started, counselor,” you snorted. “Sex with my gay boyfriend was more exciting than this,” You did your best to keep a straight face as his breathy laugh against your nipples caused you to shiver.

“Gay boyfriend? Ay dios..THAT’S the only time you’ve had sex?” He laughed more, now playfully twisting your nipples.

“Carino...you might want to brace yourself,” He grinned devilishly, ripping off your bra and tossing it over the couch. He engulfed one of your breasts in his mouth as he shoved two fingers into your opening, making sure it was nice and wet for him. It was, of course. Hell it probably had been wet the moment he picked you up. 

“I love it when you’re wet for me,” He growled again, unbuckling his belt, releasing his erection. 

“Are you sure you’re ready for this?” His green eyes looked into yours with a devious stare.

“God could you be any more cocky…” you rolled your eyes.

“Oh, you mean cocky like THIS?” He thrusted into you roughly, causing you to gasp very audibly. 

“Do we need the pillows again, sweetheart?” He whispered, causing you to flash with rage and ecstasy at the same time. 

“No I think I can keep it down, honey,” You tried your best to be flippant but his dick against your walls was making it very difficult.

“We’ll see about that,” He began thrusting harder and harder, until you had to finally concede and grabbed a pillow, screaming into it wildly. 

“Ah, see? Good girl,” He panted against your ear, now moving his mouth down your neck. The pain of his teeth and the pressure of his hips was giving you sensations you never thought possible. 

"God you are so tight, it's like you're brand new Cariño," he purred into your ear, thrusting harder and massaging your breasts. 

"Ah... Barba…" You muttered.

"Rafa baby, I think you've earned the right to call me by my first name. Especially if you're screaming it," He chuckled.

"R-Rafa…" 

"Yes, Cariño?" You could hear the lust in his voice. 

"I'm….gonna…" you couldn't form words, there was no blood left in your brain. It was everywhere else. 

"You gonna come for me, detective?" He whispered, to which you nodded a huge YES. 

"Me too, you're so beautifully tight, we're going to come together, yeah?" 

You bit your lip and nodded another vigorous yes, as you let go. Your hips vibrated erratically against his, and you felt him twitching wildly. He pulled out quickly and unloaded on your stomach with a satisfied moan.

After a moment of enjoying the warm glow inside you, you were painfully aware of the cold liquid all over your stomach. You let out a disgusted groan. 

"Seriously?!" You hissed, but he was lost in his own orgasm. 

"You love it," he chuckled, not opening his eyes. That gave you an evil idea. 

"Really? Do you love this?" You swiped your fingers across your stomach and moved them towards him. He opened his eyes right before your fingers were on his face, he grabbed your hand and twisted it back towards your own face. 

"Ah ah ah, naughty girl. Now swallow," He commanded you, forcing your fingers into your mouth. You swallowed reluctantly, then got up and began to put your clothes back on. 

"And how was that, sweetie? Better than a gay boyfriend?" 

"Well at least he never ruined my clothes!" You griped, turning around as you held your broken shirt. 

"And how exactly do you expect me to walk out of here, papi?" you asked rather sassy, and hearing you speak spanish got him weirdly excited. 

"Mmmm…. that is a problem," he walked towards you, running his hands up and down your exposed stomach. He then seemed to have an idea-- he walked over to a closet next to his desk and opened it to reveal jackets, dress shirts, and ties. 

He pulled out a white dress shirt and motioned for you to turn around. You obeyed, and he put it on you. You turned back around and he helped you button it up, fixing the collar and rolling the sleeves up. 

"Mucho mejor," he gave you a half smile. When he spoke spanish it drove you wild-- but there's no way you'd let him know that. 

"You don't think me walking out of here in your shirt isn't gonna raise red flags?" You raised an eyebrow.

"Just walk out of here quickly, and don't ruin my shirt," he smiled again, pulling you closer--- and closer? 

His lips ALMOST touched yours, before he realized what he was doing and IMMEDIATELY pushed you back. 

"Ahem," he cleared his throat loudly. 

"That will be all, Ms. Y/N" 

Was he kidding with this bullshit?

"... Unbelievable." You said under your breath. 

"Yeah, alright counselor," you scoffed with a bitter laugh and walked out the door. 

What a dick!!!

------

“UGH! The NERVE of that…” You slammed your front door, causing Hunter to pop his head out of his room. 

“...Where’s your shirt?” 

“Oh, he gave me one to wear. AFTER HE RUINED MINE,” You huffed, sniffing the shirt unconsciously. It smelled like him, that made you miss him, and that pissed you off even more.

“He ruined it? Oh god did he…?” Hunter made a grossed out face.

“Oh no, he did that all over my stomach,” you rolled his eyes.

“So it wasn’t good then,” he leaned against the living room doorway.

“Oh...it was AMAZING,” You huffed, throwing down your things.

“Then why are you so pissed off?”

“BECAUSE IT WAS AMAZING!!!!” You were now pacing the apartment angrily.

“Did I miss something--”

“And And And AND THEN,” You laughed sarcastically. “And then he ALMOST kissed me on the mouth,” You scoffed. “AND THEN HAD THE AUDACITY TO GET MAD AT ME!!!” 

“Wait wait wait back up….” Hunter put up a hand.

“You two have had your mouths in each other’s business, but not in each other’s mouths?” 

“No, he has this stupid ‘no kissing on the mouth’ rule,” you rolled your eyes.

“Wha...Like Pretty Woman?” His question made you stop in your tracks.

“What do you mean, like Pretty Woman?” Your eyes narrowed.

“You’ve never seen Pretty Woman?”

“You’ve known me my ENTIRE life, Hunter! When have I ever had time to watch rom coms?”

“You have a point,” he chuckled. 

“Okay so Pretty Woman: Julia Roberts is a hooker who falls in love with Richard Gere after he hires her for a week,” he explained, and your blood began to boil. 

“And she has a rule: No kissing on the mouth, because it’s--”

“Too intimate,” you finished for him, and it was his turn to look shocked. 

“Did he actually say those words to you, boo?” 

“YES,” You threw your hands up and started pacing the apartment again.

“So I’m a hooker,” You growled. “I’m his fucking HOOKER?”

“I mean, technically he’s the hook--” he started.

“This isn’t funny!” you interrupted him.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry babe but-- there is a bright side,” 

“HOW is there a bright side?” You gave him an angry confused look.

“Well, you said he almost kissed you on the mouth, right?” 

“Yeah and then he FREAKED out about it and acted like I was the problem!”

“Well of COURSE he did, idiot. He’s falling for you and he doesn’t like it!!” He flicked your head.

“Oh please,” you rolled your eyes.

“LOOK,” he took you by your shoulders. “In the movie, when Julia Roberts starts falling in love with Richard Gere, they finally kiss on the mouth!”

“...I’m sorry, I can’t get past the ‘I’m a hooker’ thing,” you scoffed.

“Look you need to talk to him about this,” 

“And how do you expect me to do that, Hunter? You think he’s gonna call me back to his office NOW?” You threw up your hands.

“...He will if he wants his shirt back,” He smirked, gesturing to the shirt you still had on.

“And what am I supposed to say-- ‘Hey so I figured out your crazy rule is from a movie, and I think you’re falling in love with me’?” 

“I mean, not in those exact words,” 

“I can’t…” You started off towards your room.

“Where are you going?!”

“Somewhere NOT to think about this!” You called back, slamming your bedroom door.

“Jesus...it’s not like I came all over her stomach,” He rolled his eyes and went back to his room. 

---

You ripped off the shirt and tossed it across your room, falling back onto your bed and putting your hands over your face. Your eyes were stinging again, and this time you felt why. Hot, big tears were dripping down your face for the first time since-- you really couldn’t remember when. You REALLY didn’t do emotions.

But that bastard got under your skin. 

He made you cry.

HE MADE YOU CRY.

And he was gonna pay for it.

[tabloidtoc]

National Enquirer, February 15 -- 2 of 6

You can buy a copy of this issue for your very own at my eBay store: https://www.ebay.com/str/bradentonbooks

Page 6: Natalie Portman has smeared the line in the sand of her once-tight friendship with Julia Roberts by competing with her own range of lipsticks -- Julia looked upon her former Closer co-star as a younger sister and protege but now she's seeing her more as a crass copycat -- Natalie has always looked up to Julia and tried to emulate her but many see her new Dior line as a total copycat move -- Julia who has long been an brand ambassador for Lancome turned heads at the 2019 Oscars when her lips rocked the company's Le Lip Liner in Sheer Raspberry topped with Le Mademoiselle Shine gloss -- now Natalie is trying to outshine her pal by coating her kisses with Rouge Dior lipstick and various shades of red-hot scarlet and Natalie has watched how massive Julia's association with Lancome has been over the years with a focus on Julia's favorite lipstick shades and that's what they're trying to recreate at Dior and Natalie was willing to ditch the friendship by copying Julia then tell all their mutual friends to buy her Dior makeup products -- the direct affront to Julia is how they're selling this with Natalie smiling and laughing and approachable; they're stealing a page out of Julia's playbook and timing it to awards season and Natalie would love all her celebrity friends to wear her Dior makeup at these events like the Oscars and word has gotten back to Julia who stepping up her own selling game

Page 7: Winona Ryder is trying to save ex Johnny Depp's career by pushing a sequel to their cult hit Edward Scissorhands -- Winona feels Johnny was mercilessly dragged over the coals in his domestic abuse trial against former wife Amber Heard and Winona is not at all happy about where Johnny has found himself lately and the treatment he's gotten -- after being raked over the coals for her shoplifting arrest nearly 20 years ago she knows what he's going through but she fought her way back and now she's starring in a hugely popular TV show and making more money than she did in her movie heydey -- she wants the same for Johnny and unlike a lot of people in his life her caring for him doesn't come with strings attached -- Johnny and Winona began dating during the filming of Edward Scissorhands in 1990 and were engaged for several years before splitting up and she would do a sequel to Edward Scissorhands in a millisecond if Johnny was willing

* Lovestruck Kourtney Kardashian is playing with fire by hooking up with combustible musician Travis Barker and baby daddy Scott Disick is leading the parade of naysayers -- Travis is a sweet and talented guy but everybody is concerned because he's also a love 'em and leave 'em type and Scott doesn't want his ex to become another notch on Travis' belt -- Travis has broken a string of hearts since his marriage to Shanna Moakler ended in 2008 and since then he's run through relationships with Paris Hilton, Lindsay Lohan, Rihanna and Rita Ora -- Kourtney's started to fall for him in a big way but hearing Travis talk to his friends he seems to think of it as more of a friends-with-benefits situation

Page 8: Larry King went to his grave raging over his divorce payoff to his estranged wife Shawn but she'll get a huge chunk of his $50 million estate -- Shawn had negotiated to receive $33,000 a month in spousal support and a lump sum payment of $20,000 though their split wasn't finalized before Larry passed due to COVID-related complications -- Larry was not happy he had to pay Shawn so much money because he didn't come from money so it was important to him and money was a measure of success so he felt it was his own

Page 9: Radio shock jock Howard Stern claims a lusty Larry King once tried on move in on his then-girlfriend Beth Ostrosky -- the unsettling scene unfolded before the couple wed in 2008 and Howard was a guest on Larry's late-night CNN show -- Beth was left alone with Larry after his staff moved Howard to another room and Larry was being very flirtatious

(continued)

[lokisgame]

A Generous Donation [4]

[part 1] [part 2] [part 3]

Scully took Mulder's blood sample to the lab and called Walter, asking him to get back to her with his opinion, as soon as he got the results. The past few weeks, worry was her default state of mind. Once Will went through all the children's ailments, he never really got sick. He laughed about it, running around in shorts when she burrowed in scarves and long sleeves. Now the thought of loosing his warmth made her blood run ice cold. The minute she saw Mulder walk through her door, she thought, not you, too. He was practically a stranger, someone she laughed with over chicken marsala and cheesecake desert. Yet in that moment, his face and kind eyes and warm hands, made her feel like he could, and would, put himself between her and the edge of darkness. Most guys would stop taking her calls and run, but he came looking for her and for the first time in weeks, she felt comforted. Scully's phone chirped and she sighed, seeing the caller ID. 

"Hi mom." "Hello honey, how's Will?" "He was alright this morning when I went to see him." "Good, that's good, and how's the other thing going?" "It's not like opening a phone book, we're looking, and I told you, it's a precaution, we're waiting to see, how he responds to treatment." "And if the treatment doesn't work and you won't have any time left?" "I am not sitting on my hands." Scully said, thinking, I just stuck a needle into someone I just met. "If you would let me find some private foundation, it would go…" "I know it would go faster," Scully said bitterly, "but let's wait with kicking someone out of the line, till we know there's no other way around it." "I see no reason to wait." "Well, I do, mom," I'm not giving up yet, "and I have to go." "Alright, we'll talk more about this later." I hope not, Scully thought and hung up.

She went to see Will around dinner time to keep him company, and as usual, he tried to send her away. "Go home mom," he said smiling faintly, "you'll need your strength to save me." "I've got plenty," she replied patting his hand, "I'm so strong, you can't even imagine." "I can imagine quite a bit." "Well, multiply that by one hundred and you'll know how strong I can be." "Wow, can I have some of it?" "You can have it all," she sighed, keeping her voice even as tears stung her eyes. "Good, I always wanted to leap over buildings and race speeding cars." "My hero," she smiled and picked up the book from his night table, found the bookmark and stared at the picture. "You did some reading today." "I had help." Will said, turning to his side, "professor Mulder stopped by. I hope Harvard won't charge us extra for home visits." Scully huffed out a laugh and closed the book, when Will added. "I like him." "He's a great teacher, from what I heard," she said. "No, I mean for you." "Will." "I'm almost twenty, mom, it's time for you to start dating, for real this time." "I'm too old," Scully sighed, but the memory of the kiss softened her smile.   "Maybe in dog years," Will chuckled, laying on the sarcasm, "you keep up that talk, and I'll make you a grandma." "What?" "As soon as I get out of here." "You will most certainly not." She laughed, swatting his arm. "Ouch!" Will faked a yelp, but didn't let go of the subject. "Mother, you're forty six, which is the new thirty five, you're hot, and you already have a guy lined up." "William," she warned. "I'm just saying." "How about we make a deal." She said and he crossed his arms, "you get better and I'll give the dating game one more shot." Will paused, his expression cleared and he grinned, sticking out his hand out, "You're on, shake on it?" "Deal," she said and smiled. "Now tell me, why won't you take grandmas' calls." He groaned and threw the sheet over his head, making her laugh.

An hour later she was sitting in the ringing silence of her car, no one to go home to, no one to talk to. Will was right, it was time.

"Coming!" Mulder yelled, trying to rub water out of his ear and zip up his jeans, all at the same time. Failing at both, he let the towel drop around his neck and with the button undone and his t-shirt untucked, he opened the door, and froze. "You're not my usual delivery guy." He said and smiled, leaning on the doorframe. Scully smiled back and held up a takeout bag. "29.99" "Got change for a hundred?" He stepped back and gestured her in. "Nope," she said and, climbing on tiptoes, kissed his cheek. "Keep the change." He grinned and took the bag, saying, "Hi, again." "Hi." She smiled and looked him up and down, from towel-dried hair and six-o-clock shadow on his cheeks, grey t-shirt and faded jeans, all the way to his bare feet. He looked warm and solid and completely at ease. "Can I have your coat?" Mulder said, then added, a little uncertain, "I assume you're staying." "You assume correctly," she said, then paused, "wait, you ordered already?" "Yup, Chinese, great minds think alike," he took her coat and hung it on the rack. "We'll have seconds," he said and headed for the kitchen, giving her a minute to look around. The room was warm, another pleasant surprise after the wide porch and warm light from the outside. There was fire in the fireplace, a rug under the couch and the coffee table, papers and knickknacks and books in bookcases. Actually, books seemed to cover every inch of free space, even stacked on steps leading to the second floor, which made her chuckle. Well, he was a professor of psychology at Harvard, she might have expect that. She followed Mulder and found a kitchen that was just right, with its' small dining area. Cutting boards and oven mitts looked used, knives had worn handles and banged-up mugs hung by their ears on a railing over the work table. There was even some dishes left in the sink, and she loved the place for what it was, not a flashy bachelors' pad, not an overgrown sleeping area, but a home, lived in and comfortable. "There's beer in the fridge," Mulder said, taking plates and napkins to the table. "You want some?" "Why not." She opened the fridge and to her surprise, there was more than just beer there too. She picked two bottles of Shiner Bock and opened them both, handing one to Mulder. "Cheers," he said, clinking his against hers and pulled out a chair for her, like a real gentleman. "Sorry about the mess, I didn't expect company." "What mess?" She said and started to unload the cartons of fried rice, spicy pork and sweet and sour chicken. "You should see our place when I work double shifts. Will does most of the cleaning anyway." "Wow, you raised one hell of a catch." Mulder chuckled, draped the towel over the back of his chair and sat down, accepting chopsticks she held out. "There was only the two of us, so we grew up fast." "Yeah, I know what that's like." "And what made you grow up?" "My little sister, she went missing when I was twelve." "I'm sorry." She dropped her gaze, and Mulder could almost see the light in her fade. He couldn't have that.   "Hey, it was long time ago," he said, and started forking out rice on her plate. "Here, eat, you need it." She picked up a chunk of sticky rice, put it in her mouth and tried to chew, but suddenly her throat closed. She looked at the food, at his hands, and the room turned into a warm-coloured blur. A sob broke free and huge, hot tears ran down her cheeks, and then warm darkness took her in. "Shhhh, it's okay, let it all out, don't hold back" Mulder crooned, his arms tight around her for the second time that day, and she sobbed even harder into his shoulder, feeling gentle hands cradle and soothe her. She fell in deeper, pulling him closer and did as he said. She thought about the injustice of it all, felt the pain and anger and helplessness, and let it all pour out of her, not in words but raw emotion. She fell apart, letting him hold her together as she bawled, while the food grew cold on the table. When she quieted and her breath came almost even, he asked softly. "Better?" "I'm sorry," she whispered, "it's so unlike me. I never break down like this." "Your kid is sick, I'd be worried if you wouldn't." He said, his own voice not quite steady. Scully looked up and there were tears in his eyes, wet trails on his cheeks. "Hey, and why are you crying?" "You should never cry alone," he said and his eyes fell shut when she wiped his cheeks, "it's bad luck." "Who makes up these rules?" "Fuck if I know, think you can eat now?" She glanced at the cold pork, it still looked fine. "Yes, sorry about that." "Stop apologising for everything, it's bad luck." "Mulder?" She said, letting go and missing his arms instantly. "Yeah?" "Kiss me." Mulder grinned and leaned in, brushing her tearstained cheek. "For luck," he whispered and pulled up a chair to sit beside her.

They ate the second delivery while it was hot, packing up the first as leftovers and took their third beers to the couch. "You wanna watch something?" Mulder asked, jumping because he almost sat on the remote. Scully leaned on his shoulder, pulled her feet up and sighed. "I'm so full, I can't think right now." "Good." Mulder said and flipping through channels found Julia Roberts on third try. Short hair, ugly dress, Sally Fields. He changed it, and fast. "Thanks," Scully murmured. "No problem, let's see it we can find something safe," he chuckled, "like WWE." "Hokey," she chuckled. "Tenis?" "Swimming," she said, teasing, "young, toned and practically naked." "Did I tell you I was on the swim team?" "You have now." She giggled and snuggled closer. Mulder stopped flipping through channels, when he saw Mel Gibson feeding biscuits to a Rottweiler. "Lethal Weapon." "That's a very guy movie." "You've seen that one too?" "I have a son." She said, but there was no pain in her voice anymore, only drowsy, full stomach contentment. "Okay, so you pick a movie and I'll make popcorn." "You still have room left?" "For popcorn? Always." She took the remote and turned to look after him. 6 feet tall, he couldn't weigh more than 180. "You have a gym in the basement I should know about? Where do you put it all." "I lied, I never quit the swim team," he chuckled rummaging through one of the cupboards, "and I run." "Where?" "Oh, here, there, depends on the day, why?" "I might join you sometime." "You see, we do have things in common." He said and slammed the microwave doors shut. It whooshed and soon enough, began to pop.

She fell asleep, with her head on his shoulder and her whole weight leaned under his arm, and when the credits rolled and Sting sang how he'd lay down his life for a friend, Mulder thought, "You and me both, man." God, she was a beautiful, with her features relaxed, lips parted in sleep, and a stand of hair falling over her cheek. Awake she was too distracting, he couldn't keep up with her smiles and tiny frowns, she was a sensory overload, and he didn't even dare to imagine, what she'd be like to touch. If he tried, he wouldn't be able to stop, and after the day she had, she needed rest to regain her strength. He knew how to be patient. Shifting, he stretched out on the couch, never easing the grip on her, making her shift with him, and Scully went down with him. Wedging herself between him and the couch, half draped over his side, not even half awake as he pulled the blanket over them both. "Shhh, it's okay," he whispered, when she shifted to fit his arms more comfortably. "Kiss," she mumbled, "bad luck." "Right," and stifling a laugh, he kissed her forehead. "Goodnight." "'Night." She sighed and was out. Mulder clicked the tv off, and last ambers in the fireplace were the only light that was left. "I don't want to love you," he thought, but as he did, he knew it was already too late.

[banditthewriter]

The Pact - 1

Prompt: Hi Bandit! I know your requests are closed but I thought I’d send this idea your way for the future in case inspiration strikes. So I’m thinking billy Russo x my best friends wedding... Reader is Julia Roberts. Maybe with a twist here and there? Xxx Prompter: Anonymous

Thank you so much for requesting! I did get inspired to do a short little thing, so this is eight parts long I think! I’ll admit to not having seen the movie in a long, long time so this is definitely not following the story.

Tags are at the bottom. Let me know if you would like to be added to one of my tag lists!

*gif is mine*

Enjoy!

***** The alcohol burning through you made you a little dizzy but you didn't care. You'd been dumped and you just wanted to drink until you forgot about what's-his-name. And your best friend was more than happy to help. "You shouldn't have been datin' that bum anyways," Frank said as he leaned back against the cab of the truck. You were lying opposite of him, your feet propped up on his lap with your head pillowed on his jacket near the tailgate. "You liked Greg," you shot back as you reached out for the bottle once more. "You said he was okay." "You were head over heels for him. What was I supposed to do, burst your bubble of young love?" You dug your bare toes into his stomach and he laughed, batting at your hand. "Shit Y/N, it's not my fault your taste sucks." Wasn't that the truth? You groaned and leaned up on your elbows to peer blearily at Frank. His head had been shaved recently and you were still getting used to the look of him. "We should get married," you said with a nod. "Jeez Y/N, at least take me on a date," he responded with a laugh. When you didn't laugh, he blinked at you a few times. "Shit, you serious? We're twenty years old. We're too young for that shit." "Not like tomorrow, dipshit," you said as you sat up fully, pulling your legs out of his lap. "I mean in the future. If we're not married by like, thirty? We just get married. Both of us have horrible taste so at least this way we know we won't die alone." Frank raised an eyebrow and then looked down at the half empty bottle of tequila the two of you had been passing back and forth. He pulled it away from you with a shake of his head. "And we're cutting you off now." "I'm serious. Asshole." You waved your hand around while you tried to form your words. "We'll make a pact that if we're still single in ten years, we marry each other. Deal?" He pushed your hand away from him. "You wanna get married at thirty? Nah, come on, we'd still be young at thirty." You threw your hands in the air, hiccuping a bit as you did. "So what, you wanna make it forty? That long enough for us both to be terminally single?" You could tell there was something to your words. Frank nodded slowly as if he was thinking about it. Honestly thinking about it and not just humoring you. "I think forty would be too long. I mean, if we want a family, we'd kinda be rushed." He was apparently putting a lot of thought into it and he had a good point. You hadn't even thought about kids. He shrugged and sat up a bit. "Thirty-five?" You thought about it and frowned. "I don't want to raise a five year old at forty," you said as you bobbed your head back a bit. "Thirty-three?" He laughed and raised an eyebrow at you. "You wanna raise a seven year old at forty?" You punched his arm and then laughed when he actually rubbed it. "C'mon, best of both worlds. Thirty-three. If we're still single, we get married. Deal?" He hesitated a moment before he stuck his hand out to shake yours. Once that was out of the way, you launched yourself at him and gave him a hug. With a sigh you sat up and started to move to the end of truck bed. "Should head home," you said as you jerked your thumb to your house which was right next to his. "Thanks for keeping me company tonight Frank." He propped his arm up on the side of the truck and gave you a grin. "You know if we plan on having kids, we'll have to have sex. You wanna do a practice run?" He waggled his eyebrows as he asked and you rolled your eyes. "Ask me again in thirteen years." You started to stumble home, his laughter making you shake your head. ------ The invitation was simple and to the point. You read it over three times in case you had somehow forgotten how to read in the last five minutes. Frank was getting married. Not just that, he was getting married right before your birthday. And not just any birthday. Your thirty-third birthday. He'd turned thirty-three six months before and he'd sent you a text message with a ring emoji in it. The fact that Frank used emojis was somehow more startling than the fact that he remembered the pact the two of you had made all those years ago. Frank was getting married. You weren't sure why you couldn't stop saying it to yourself. And who was this Karen chick? You'd never even heard him talk about her before. Or, well, that was a lie. He talked about her but you didn't listen. It wasn't serious, you told yourself every time he mentioned her name. It never was. Just like you'd never had a serious relationship over the years. It wasn't that you were self-sabotaging it, but you never felt that connection with another person. You wanted someone that you could laugh with, that you could cry with. You wanted someone that you could feel at peace with, someone that could see you at your worst and still want you. You wanted breakfast in bed and a hand to hold. You swallowed as you looked at a picture of you and Frank from about a year before. He was grinning at you and you were laughing, head thrown back without a care. Oh god. Did you love Frank? You loved Frank and he was getting married. Well. That just wouldn't do. ------ "Open the door," you said as you banged on the door of the penthouse apartment. After a moment you raised your voice a bit. "Come on Billy, get off the Playmate of the month and open the damn door." The door opened to reveal Billy in a pair of sweatpants that he probably pulled on for your benefit and a wonderful case of bedhead. Honestly, you'd grab your phone to take a picture if you didn't know he could have you incapacitated before you even unlocked the damn thing. "I was sleeping, actually. I just got in from London." He walked into his kitchen where he went straight to his expensive coffee maker. "My trip was fine, by the way. Anvil acquired an international contact and I'm the hero once more." "Yeah, yeah, congrats," you said as you stomped over to the counter and slapped the invitation down. "Did you know about this?" He looked down at the invitation and then at you, raising an eyebrow as he did so. "Yes, because I, unlike some people, actually check my mail more than once a month. I got mine like two weeks ago." You ignored the dig and instead stabbed your finger into the name of the future Mrs Castle. "And this Karen Page person? Have you even met her? Because I haven't." Billy rolled his eyes and turned to his coffee maker. "You're a cutthroat head hunter so you're busy a lot. I, however, just own a huge, globally accredited security firm. So yes, I've had lots of time to do meet and greets with the girlfriends of my old service buddies." He looked at you and rolled his eyes again. "I haven't had the pleasure." You sighed in exasperation and pushed away from the counter to pace in his spacious kitchen. "Exactly! We haven't even met this woman and yet he's going to marry her? Does that sound like Frank to you?" He was sipping his coffee as he watched you pace. He shrugged his shoulder as he grabbed the invitation and looked it over. "I mean, the Frank I know always said you gotta grab life by the horns. Guess when you know, you know, right?" You spun around and pointed at the offensive object in his hand. "How do we know she's not some kind of gold-digger or con artist?" That made Billy laugh but he immediately stopped when he realized you weren't laughing with him. "Oh shit, you're serious? Frankie's doing okay, but I highly doubt he's doing enough to have a grifter after his military pension." When that didn't make you stop pacing, Billy put the mug down and crossed over to intercept your next lap. "What's going on? Seriously. You're more twitchy than usual." You pulled your arm from his grasp and turned away from him for a moment. You'd just come to terms with your plan on the way over here and you weren't one hundred percent certain that Billy would go for it. "You don't know this about us, but Frank and I had a pact," you began, biting your lip as you turned to face a bored looking Billy. "To get married at thirty-three if you were both single, yeah." At your stunned look, he shrugged a shoulder. "You told me when you were drunk. And Frank's mentioned it a few times." That made you take a step closer to Billy. "Well the thing is that my birthday is coming up. My thirty-third birthday," you added pointedly. "Yeah, but the pact was if you were both single and obviously Frankie isn't." You snapped your mouth closed with a click and Billy stood up a little straighter as he glared at you. "I don't like that look. That makes me nervous. What have you done?" "Nothing. Yet." Billy moved over to his couch and sat down, looking over at you curiously. "Do I even want to know? Or should I just be watching the news for the next few days for anything suspicious?" You sighed and moved over to sit on the chair across from him. This wasn't going the way you'd thought it would, but you weren't about to give in just yet. "I just think that Frank should give it more thought before he gets married. I can't just come out and tell him that though; you know how stubborn he is. So I'm going to go out there and I'm going to show him that this Karen isn't the right person for him." He laughed as he leaned back on the couch. "And who is, you?" When you averted your gaze, he actually let out a short laugh. "Really? You want to be with Frank? Can't say I saw that coming." You leaned forward to stare at Billy, your gaze not wavering when he simply smirked back at you. "I'm going to do this, okay. I guess I wanted your support but if I don't have that, can I at least have your word that you won't tell Frank?" His smirk started to grow and you caught a glimpse of his tongue swiping across his bottom lip. "Don't tell Frankie that you want to ruin his wedding because you're apparently the right person for him?" At your timid nod, Billy shrugged his shoulders. "Sounds like it's going to be an interesting two weeks."

X

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[zenruption]

The Best Rom-Coms of Our Time

by Isobel Walster

Settling down at home in the evening and watching a film is one of our favorite things to do, especially now that so many new films are available on tv services like Netflix and NowTV. However, it can be so hard to choose what to watch so here, we’ve listed our top three romantic comedies; a crowd-pleasing genre that anyone can enjoy. If you love film, you should consider getting a Home Cinema installed for the ultimate viewing experience.

Pretty Woman

Pretty Woman was released in 1990 and stars serial rom-com star Julia Roberts, and heart throb Richard Gere. The plot is a modern Cinderella style tale which follows the story of escort Vivian who meets a wealthy businessman Edward when he asks for her services. The two find themselves forming an unlikely bond yet challenges arise as Vivian struggles to accept payments as her feelings grow, and Edward has to learn to let go of his misconceptions of women in Vivian’s line of work. A power struggle develops, and Vivian undergoes a delightful makeover to prove a point to Edward. Despite covering some topics in a way which may not be deemed acceptable 20 years later, Pretty Woman is a fun watch.

Notting Hill

Released in 1999 and again featuring the brilliant Julia Roberts, this time alongside Hugh Grant, Notting Hill follows the story of an average Joe who falls for a Hollywood star after she visits his book shop during a promotional trip to London. William decides to pursue Anna by interviewing her under the guise of working for a well-known magazine, and soon the pair begin to spend more and more time with one another. Of course, their hugely different lifestyles throw various challenges in their way including Anna having a movie star boyfriend who causes Will to lose confidence in his own ability to meet her needs. Despite setbacks the pair realise that their love for one another is not something they can live without, resulting in some heartfelt reconciliation scenes.

Bridget Jones’ Diary

Bridget Jones, played by Renee Zellweger is a thirty something single woman trying to navigate a career, social life, demanding parents, and a variety of love interests. There are three movies in total which are based on the best-selling Bridget Jones books and throughout, there are two key potential partners played by Hugh Grant and Colin Firth. The former represents the typical ‘bad boy’ image who manages to manipulate Bridget into thinking he is different on multiple occasions, and the latter presents a much more sensible but potentially condescending option. The two men compete for Bridget’s affections with some hilarious consequences.

 If you’re looking for an easy and enjoyable film to watch, Pretty Woman, Notting Hill, and Bridget Jones’ Diary would all make excellent choices; with relatable characters for you to invest in and plenty of laugh out loud out moments to enjoy with friends and family. For more entertainment tips, take a look at zenrupton.com.

[mycoffeehopescape]

Otis Milburn Imagine

Synopsis: Otis meets a girl at a gig but is nervous when it comes to talking to her as they are very different.

Otis’s POV:

I was sat with Maeve discussing our next client who was going to come to the clinic. I could feel the hot sun baring down on us but felt comfortable as there was a breeze passing over my face. I stopped paying attention to what Maeve was saying when I saw Eric practically run over to us. “Otis what are you doing Friday night ?” The he was smiling at me I knew he was going to ask if he could drag me somewhere. I sighed, “Not a lot I suppose...Why ?” With his pearly white smile he said “There’s a gig coming up and I want you to come with me” I heard Maeve snort next to me. “As if Otis would go to that ! No offence but you're a bit soft to go somewhere like that” I could tell by the snicker in her voice that she was enjoying the thought of me standing awkwardly in a crowd. “Maeve is somewhat right that I wouldn't fit in there, and its not because I'm soft !” Eric was not going to give up so he sat himself down next to us. I looked around at the other students hanging around outside the school, all enjoying their lunch, laughing with friends, smoking and talking about who they've slept with recently. Maeve is right, compared to them I am soft. “OTIS !!” Eric shouted my name while waving both hands in front go my face. He soften his voice when he said, “ I know you don't like crowds but this will be good for you. To experience different things and to put yourself out there. Plus we never hang out anymore ! You're always so busy with the clinic !” I Started to feel the guilt creep in. I had been spending a lot of time working on the clinic and not spending nearly half the amount of time I usually did with Eric. I missed him and I could see how much he wanted to go with me so I reluctantly agreed to go. 

Friday night came round and to say I was nervous was an understatement. I called Eric round to help calm my nerves but also help me decide what to wear, I mean what does one wear ?! I put on some music in the background to keep my mind occupied while trying on different shirts. Eric walked in, this time not in all orange, and he looked good, like he belongs with other people our age. “You're not wearing a tie, Otis !” I looked back into the mirror now second guessing my outfit choice. Eric started going through my wardrobe and pulled out a mint green button up shirt and a pair of black jeans. “ You'll want something short sleeved, it gets hot in there.” I went to the bathroom to put on the clothes Eric chose, they were still me but just more.... On trend I guess. I splashed some cold water on my face to bring down the redness on my cheeks. Eric Started banging on the door saying we had to leave so we wouldn't miss the first band. 

It was hot, sweaty and crowed and I hated it. Eric gushed about some guy in the first band all the way to the gig. I stood at the back near the bar area on my own as Eric made his way to the front to be noticed by the guy. The song they were playing was The Dirt. It was a song that I was familiar with by wasn't a massive fan of. I felt the elbows poking my ribs as people danced and I just wanted a drink to take outside where I could wait for Eric in peace. There was one guy behind the bar, he was clearly trying to flirt with some girl. “ Excuse me ?” The bartender clearly didn't want me to interrupt him and just looked me up and down then went back to this girl who looked like she couldn't care less. Then next to me I heard a shout “ Ryan get your ass over here now !”  I looked next to me as the voice nearly gave me a heart attack. Next to me stood a girl with shoulder length dirty blonde hair, she was wearing a distressed band shirt. This ‘Ryan’ came over ( not looking happy ) and asked what she wanted. “ I’ll have a vodka coke, double and...” I then relied she was looking at me for an answer. “Errr I’ll have a Diet Coke.” I went to give Ryan the money but she shoved a credit card at him and payed for both. I felt my cheeks heat up. When I received my coke I felt a small hand grab my wrist. The girl kept hold go my wrist until we were outside the venue. It was a lot quieter outside, just the low mumbles of people smoking and heading in. We were standing under a street light and I could properly see her. Her hair was wavy and quite messy, she had eyeliner and red lips with a stud in her lower lip. The first thing I noticed was that her eyes were HUGE. 

“Hey sorry for just dragging you outside.” I stopped admiring her features and look her in the eyes. “Oh...Errr... Its okay....Thank you for the coke...” She started laughing, I internally started panicking that I said something wrong. I then remembered she payed for my drink so I started to pull out my wallet to hand her the money when she gently pushed my hand down stopping me. “You don't need to give me the money !” She had a playful smile on her lips. She looked up at me and playfully said, “ I’ve never seen you here before, and if I'm honest it doesn't look like your cup of tea.” I smiled feeling some confidence surge through me. “ Yeah, if I'm honest id rather be at home watching soppy films.” As soon as the sentence left my lips I suddenly lost all confidence and felt like a massive nerd. But I her he give a light laugh and I knew she wasn't mocking me. “I’m the same, I love music but I would prefer listening to it while reading one of my Romance novels.” I felt my heart melt ever so slightly at this. “ Yeah I'm only here to see what the venue was like, what about you ?” I started to go into detail about how Eric liked the lead singer and about school. I learnt a lot about her as well and realised appearance wise we were polar opposites but personality and interest wise we were the same. Just as I was about to go on about a Julia Roberts movie I heard “ Taylor ! Get your ass over here we need to go!” We both turned to see a girl driving a small car, lighting a roll up while she waited. “ It was nice to meet you Otis” She stood up from the low wall we had been sat on and brushed off her jeans.  As she started to walk away she turned back to give me a small wave. I stayed sat on the wall eating for Eric to come out and meet me.

As usual Eric and I cycled to school, all weekend I was thinking of Taylor and how stupid I was to only get her first name. Eric made sure I knew how stupid I was. As we were locking up our bikes Maeve came over right as Eric was saying, “Otis you just met a girl who is literally the female version of you and you only got her first name !” Maeve being Maeve had to keep this conversation going by asking “Who's this girl then Otis ?” Before I could respond Eric went into all the details I told him about her. After listening to it all from Eric, Maeve just said this “ Very interesting. Otis don't forget our 2:10 appointment” and walked off. Feeling defeated I walked to class trying to forget Friday night. The week dragged by and I was getting more miserable as each day passed, I blow my chance at a proper relationship. I was sat in my room listening to one of my favourite records trying to focus on homework but my mind kept wandering. My phone going off brought me out of my dream state and I saw a text from Maeve. 

To Otis:

Friday night there’s another gig. You're coming. Meet us outside at 8:00.

-Maeve.

I didn't want to go but I knew Maeve would only ask me to go if it was something important. Maybe it was clinic stuff...As Friday rolled around I noticed Maeve didn’t mention Friday and her and Eric would stop talking when I approached, this set me on edge. I didn't stress about what to wear and just went with the simple ‘Otis’ look. I got to the venue and waited. It was soon 10 past 8 and I was starting to worrying. My phone going off only temporarily stop the panic feeling as a saw an unknown number pop up.

To Otis:

LOOK UP x

- unknown.

Feeling more confused than on edge now I slowly looked up to see her. Her dirty blonde hair was slightly curled and she wore natural makeup today and a beautiful mint green sundress with a floral pattern. Without think I rushed over and hugged her, thankfully she wrapped her arms around my neck and embraced me. “ Hi Otis” I looked down at her smiling sweetly. “ Hi Taylor” I couldn't stop smiling. I was about to ask her about it all when she beat me. y saying. “ Your friends Maeve and Eric added me on facebook and told me to come here” All the puzzle pieces came together now, I also made a mental note to thank them later. “ Otis...” Taylor’s voice brought me back to reality. “ Yes ?” I looked into her eyes and I could see what I should do. I slowly leant down to lightly capture her lips in a sweet kiss, she tasted and smelt of peaches. I now love peaches. She slowly took my hand and led me away from the venue towards a small park, and the rest was history. 

[bbclesmis]

King Of The Castle: At Home With Dominic West

As the star of HBO's The Wire and The Affair, Dominic West made his name playing conflicted Americans battling their demons and struggling to find their places in the world. And cheating on their women. In real life, he's a self-deprecating father of four from outside Sheffield, and among his chief preoccupations is how to preserve the 800-year-old Irish castle inherited by his wife.

"Excuse me," says Dominic West, "I’m just going to wipe this so you can sit down and you won’t be infected with disease." About seven crumbs on his otherwise clean kitchen table disappear with the swipe of a tea towel, and he gets back to the business of making lunch. We’re in the kitchen of his house in Wiltshire, where he lives with his wife Catherine and their four children.

His head turns from cupboard to cupboard, like he’s watching a tennis match. “Where has the rice gone? Would you like rice?”

Yes please, if that’s what you’re having.

“I am, if I can fucking find it.”

He fucking finds it and a pan of rice goes on the hob next to the pan of leftover beef stew. “So I’m on the cover?” he says, looking out of the window. “But doesn’t that mean you’ve got to try and make it interesting?”

In 2000, Dominic West joined an Argentinian circus. This was the year before he auditioned for and won his breakthrough role of Detective Jimmy McNulty on The Wire and the year after he had a single line (“The boy’s here to see Padmé”) as a guard of one of those science-fiction sliding doors in Star Wars: Episode I — The Phantom Menace. He was 30, five years out of drama school and father to a one-year-old daughter.

The circus, De La Guarda, had a show, also called De La Guarda, at the Roundhouse in Camden. It was the hottest ticket in London that year. The audience entered the round to ambient music under a low paper ceiling. Performers would burst through the paper, on ropes, and eventually a pounding live soundtrack accompanied a dozen or more roped performers as they ran around the walls of the circular venue. Water rained down. Some audience members would be lifted into the air; others, perhaps more fortunate, would be pressed into urgent dancing with attractive, adrenalised Argentinians unclipped from their shackles. Or indeed, West himself.

‘What’s amazing,’ says Keira Knightley, ‘is that Dominic can play characters who should be total dickheads, yet he manages to give them a point of view and his own incredible charm. It is a great skill’

“Why did I do it?” says West, somewhat incredulously. “You saw it! Wouldn’t you want to run away and join that circus? It was such a sexy show. I saw it in London and New York, then heard they were auditioning in London and I had to do it. I did a lot of shows in five months with those amazing men and women, then they went to Vegas. It was a disaster there. The water. People dressed up for a Vegas show — of course they didn’t want to get wet.”

West didn’t want to go to Vegas. But he would end up spending a lot more time in America, filming five seasons of The Wire and four seasons of The Affair, with a fifth and final one due to start filming a couple of days after we make lunch.

“The toughest part of making these big episodic American television shows is missing my family and the boredom,” he says, gearing himself up for the process to begin again. “Sitting around waiting and not being bored is hard. There was a time when I had a play in the West End [Butley, 2011] and was learning Iago [for Othello] and I had more on than usual. That was hard work, but the harder that aspect of the work gets, the more enjoyable it is. Actual graft is what’s great about acting. That’s something I relish, because most of the time, it’s about coping with tedium.”

To stop himself being bored on set, West likes to have fun. “You can’t not have fun with him,” says Keira Knightley, soon to be seen alongside West in the film Colette. “I think fun is something that Dominic brings to everything. He very much likes a night out, is always up for a laugh and is, in the best way, wicked. And he is a phenomenally good actor, he really is. So effortless.”

“For a lot of us,” Knightley says, “who do actually need to concentrate when we’re working, it’s, ‘How are you that good when you're chatting and joking until the very last second?’ Even I had to tell him to shut up so I could concentrate. Which I had to do quite a lot.”

West is not about to shut up. And he’s not the only one. “I just did a thing with Olivia Colman [a BBC mini-series adaptation of Les Misérables] and: fuck me! Ha ha ha! The whole thing is like playing top-level sports with her. How frivolous can you be up to ‘Action!’ and then be amazing. She doesn’t do that consciously, she is just really fucking good. She is way, way, way better than me. I had to stop listening to her because she is so funny.”

Then a more serious thought occurs. “Malcolm Gladwell’s thing about 10,000 hours [the writer’s theory, from his book Outliers, that to be expert in any field requires that exact amount of practice time]? I worked it out and I’ve had at least 20,000 hours. I’ve acted so much now I can turn it on and off, and that’s maybe where the humour thing comes in. I have had an awful lot of practice at this.”

Dominic West first got the taste for drama when he was nine years old. His mother, Moya, gave him a part in her amateur production of The Winslow Boy, at Sheffield University’s drama studio. His father, George, had a factory in Wakefield that made vandal-proof bus shelters. George’s father, Harold, a managing director of a steelworks in Barnsley, fought in WWI and was wounded at the Battle of Vimy Ridge. “After, he wrote a note to go with his medals,” says West, “that said, ‘Here are a few mementos from a deeply happy part of my life’.” West has found documentaries commemorating the centenary of the Armistice “deeply moving.”

He is the sixth of seven children, with five sisters and an elder brother. They grew up in a large house on the edge of the Peak District, about 10 miles southwest of Sheffield. He boarded at Eton and hated it to begin with. “I was very homesick, had no reference to it, didn’t know anyone who had gone and I felt I was in the wrong place.” Inspiring teachers and school plays gave him something to be excited about and set him on his path.

“It’s pretentious to say, really, but my acting education was defined by doing Hamlet at Eton, reading Ulysses when I was doing my English degree at Trinity College in Dublin, then War and Peace, which we put on at Guildhall [School of Music & Drama in London]. That’s it, really. All I learned anywhere.”

Legend has it that in the audience watching his Prince of Denmark was Damian Lewis, a couple of years behind West at school, and later the star of Band of Brothers, Homeland and Billions. So taken was the younger lad by what he saw that he decided to become an actor.

“Categorically: no,” Lewis tells me, over the phone from Los Angeles. “I had always acted at school and always enjoyed it. Me thinking it was something I could do more seriously didn’t happen until I was 16 years old, after seeing Dom do Hamlet. He was very charismatic. A big, booming sonorous voice, especially for a 17-year-old. I was very taken with him, he was very captivating up on stage.”

Since graduating from Guildhall, West has worked solidly. He is not a huge movie star but is highly successful and versatile. There aren’t many men who could convincingly play both Fred West and Richard Burton, as West has done. He won a Bafta for his Fred West. He’s most memorable as Jimmy McNulty, not least because he and The Wire are so good, but also because constant reminders of those two facts have become standard reference points in the increasingly vast conversation about the New Golden Age of TV.

He has, in his own words, played “a long line of philandering cads”, from McNulty on to Hector Madden, the Fifties news anchor in two seasons of The Hour for the BBC, to Noah in The Affair and Willy in Colette. “What’s amazing,” says Keira Knightley, “is that he can play characters that should be total dickheads, yet he manages to give them a point of view and his own incredible charm, so you sort of forgive them for how terrible they might be. It is a great skill.”

But he is far from typecast. His five film roles previous to Willy in Colette are: Lara Croft’s dad, a sort of country-gent Indiana Jones, in Tomb Raider; a quietly pompous pyjamas-wearing modern artist in the Swedish film The Square, which won the Palme D’Or at the 2017 Cannes Film Festival; Rudder, a comic-relief Cockney sea lion in Pixar’s Finding Dory; a Teflon swine of a CEO opposite George Clooney and Julia Roberts in Money Monster; and, in Genius, Ernest Hemingway.

There have been stage successes, including star turns in the West End. Following up the blockbuster and critically lauded play Jerusalem, the writer Jez Butterworth and director Ian Rickson could have done any play with anyone on any stage. They chose Dominic West to star in The River, a short, intense play with one man and two women in the 90-seater upstairs room at the Royal Court Theatre in London, for which West won universal praise.

‘It is a bad thing to be self-deprecating. It’s quite an English thing, which you become very aware of in America. People don’t understand: why do yourself down? I sort of agree with it, now’

“Dominic is able to unleash his unconscious in a really ‘present’ way,” says Ian Rickson. “It allows him to fuse into the darkness of Fred West, for example, or the troubled soul of McNulty. In terms of archetypes, he has a trickster quality hiding a warrior/lover inside. That’s exciting. There’s very little ego and a lot of generosity of spirit. He actually has a refreshingly comic sense of himself, so he does really value the opportunities he has, and doesn’t take them too seriously.”

West feels he does and he doesn’t. “I suppose deep down there’s a feeling that what I do isn’t desperately serious. It might have been Mark Boxer, the cartoonist, who said he went to some lunch for cartoonists, an awards maybe, and he was having a piss and the guy next to him said, ‘Cartoonist. It’s not a real job, is it?’ And he said, ‘No, it’s not. Isn’t that great!’ He took great comfort from that and I feel the same about acting. But there is something in me which feels, partly because I have been doing it all my life and did as a hobby before I did it professionally, that this is not a serious job for adults.”

Perhaps this is why he’s so self-deprecating. Twice during our conversations, he says that he’s not a “real actor”, bringing up Daniel Day-Lewis’s commitment to doing an accent the entire time he makes a film, on and off set, and his own inability to match that; and pointing out Robert De Niro’s weight gain for Raging Bull. For Colette, West wore a fat suit.

And yet, during our conversations, he trots out seven perfect accents and imitations: Mick Jagger, the German film director Werner Herzog, Northern Irish, Irish, Australian, New York and a deep, thespian-type voice to convey mock indignance. He’s not showing off. Some of the voices were to make anecdotes funnier and others were just as anyone might do an accent subconsciously when you think of someone with an accent. You know, for fun.

But he can be serious. “It is a bad thing, to be self-deprecating,” he says, a little bit disappointed with himself. “Maybe it’s an educational thing. It’s quite an English thing, which you become very aware of in America. People just don’t understand why on earth you would do that. There are enough people who would do you down, why do yourself down? I sort of agree with it, now. It is tiresome.”

Clarke Peters, who played Lester Freamon in The Wire, and Othello to West’s Iago on stage in 2011, has a different view of his friend’s dilemma. “As good an actor as he is, his self- deprecating comments are his truth. He would prefer to be playing than talking about himself; exploring a character, discovering nuances, dissecting a character’s arc, is where he’s comfortable. Presenting all that unseen work is nerve-wracking. And actors are never the best judges of their own work. So, to be safe from criticism and microscopic scrutiny, self-deprecation is the best defence."

The fat suit in Colette was no cop-out. “I was then about to play Jean Valjean,” West says, more forgiving of himself now, “a man who has been in prison for 19 years, so there was a clash of waistline imperatives.” He plays the lead in a song-free, six-part Les Misérables — the project in which Olivia Colman out-joked him — the BBC’s first big drama of 2019, with the opening episode broadcast on New Year’s Day.

According to Keira Knightley, the extra padding, and a walrus moustache, did not mute West’s physical attractiveness. “Nobody looks good in that,” she says, “but he somehow manages to be dangerously sexy through it. It was a main conversation between the rest of us on set: how he managed to ooze sexuality while he was farting in two fat suits. Quite extraordinary. I can’t think of another actor who might be able to do that.”

Sarah Treem, the showrunner of The Affair, could not conceive of anyone else but West as her leading man, Noah Solloway. “He didn’t audition. I wrote it with him in mind,” she says. “I was a huge fan of The Wire and I just loved how complicated he could be — both likeable and unlikeable at the same time.”

The Affair begins with Noah, a married father of four, embarking on a fling with a waitress, Alison, played by Ruth Wilson, and then follows the fall-out for the two of them, their spouses and extended families. West, Wilson and the wider cast are terrific, as is the show’s central conceit of telling the story from the point-of-view of different characters, usually two in each hour-long episode.

“Dominic is so good at playing all different facets of Noah,” Treem continues. “His intelligence, his lust, his insecurity, the pain of his childhood, his love for his children. He lets Noah be a very complicated, sometimes deeply generous, sometimes horribly selfish, man.”

West concurs, with a caveat. “I have had difficulty wondering why someone who I can identify with — he’s my age and has a bunch of kids — would do the things he does. Sarah, a very brilliant woman younger than I am, looked at me with a raised eyebrow when I said, ‘Men my age just don’t do that. Why leave your wife and kids for a waitress and start another family?’ She told me the stories of several real people who had. Not that I want my characters to be sympathetic, but I want to give them the benefit of the doubt and I have struggled with Noah in that regard.”

West has five children: a daughter, 20, with former girlfriend Polly Astor, and two sons and two daughters aged 12, 10, nine and five, with his wife, the landscape designer Catherine FitzGerald. It is Catherine’s beef stew we have been eating for lunch, their children’s clothes drying on the Aga behind us. On a smaller table in a nook in the corner of the kitchen, next to some half-completed maths homework, is a pile of dad’s hardbacks: The Flame by Leonard Cohen, William Dalrymple’s retelling of the Indian mutiny of 1857, The Last Mughal, and Changing Stages, Richard Eyre and Nicholas Wright’s history of 20th-century theatre.

Out in the driveway, a small child’s BMX has been discarded in front of mum’s Audi A3, in perfect position to be crunched into the gravel next time the car sets off. At lunch, West didn’t know where the rice was because he and his family have only lived in this house, a former brewery in a Wiltshire hamlet, for a few weeks. They used to live in Shepherd’s Bush, in a house that once belonged to another actor from Sheffield, Brian Glover.

“I have led my family out of London slightly against their will,” West admits, “and quite legitimately want my children to be around plants and animals more than they perhaps might be in London. My wife said I’m trying to create my childhood home here and I said, [now, the thespian accent] ‘No I’m not! Preposterous! What do you mean? It’s nothing like that!’”

His wife’s childhood home is Glin Castle in County Limerick, Ireland, a true country pile (15 ensuite bedrooms, 380 acres, secret bookcase doors) that, in various versions, has been in her family for nearly 800 years. (It’s the house you can see in the background of the photographs on these pages.) She and West want to hold on to it. To do so, the house needs to become a going concern as an events and private hire venue to cover its annual £130,000 running costs.

“I do like history and I do like old buildings,” West says. “I’m also conscious of my wife’s father and his and her legacies. He worked in conservation in Ireland, to try and preserve these old buildings, which were out of favour for many years. It’s up to us to try and keep that going, because when they’re bought by hotels and the like, they’re often destroyed.”

This Christmas and New Year, he says, “we have a super-A-list celebrity taking it. Who, I can’t possibly divulge. Actually, can you do us a big favour and put the website, please, at the end of the piece? ‘Glin dash castle dot com.’ It would make my life easier.”

It’s time to do the school pick-up. “We can keep talking in the car,” he says, and leads the way to a silver Chrysler Grand Voyager. “It has,” West says, buckling up, “the biggest capacity of any people carrier.”

Precisely something a turning-50-next-year dad-of-five should say. “I have no problem getting older,” he says. “For male actors of my age there is less emphasis, and I have already started to play the dad of the lover instead of the lover. The pressure is off. Some swami said that the key to happiness is ‘I don’t mind what happens.’ You mind less about things, let go of them. Turning 50 is great. My daughter is also turning 21, so we should have quite a party.”

He has regrets. “I suppose I wish I had played more Shakespearean roles.”

What about the old-man ones? “Only Lear is as good as the young ones.”

What about not being James Bond? “Fuck no! I’m delighted now that I didn’t get it.”

Auditioning for Bond, in 2005, West turned up in a T-shirt and tatty jeans. “I remember the director, Martin Campbell, saying, ‘Thank Christ you haven’t turned up in a tux like everybody else’. It was for Casino Royale. At the time, I really wanted to get it. I love Bond, and I was the right age for it. They asked me, ‘What do you think should happen with Bond?’ And I said something deeply uninspired like, ‘I think he should go back to being more like Sean Connery’. I thought then that it was the best job you can do. Now, I’m not so sure. You have a year-and-a-half of hell doing publicity.”

West pulls up opposite the school. “Wait here. Enjoy the smell. Kids’ banana skins,” he says, opening the driver’s door. Puzzled, I sniff the air. There is no unpleasant aroma. The interior of Dominic West’s car smells perfectly fine. But, of course, he claims otherwise. He’s a terrific actor and a thoroughly likeable chap, but that self-deprecation still needs some work.

Colette is in cinemas on 11 January; glin-castle.com (https://www.esquire.com/uk/culture/a25557268/dominic-west-interview/)

[randomrichards]

THE BEST MOVIE MOMENTS OF 2018:

HONORABLE MENTION:

The Opening/Closing Credits from BUDDIES

I’m putting this as honorable mention because this is an older movie recently rereleased.

The first film about the AIDS Crisis, Buddies strikes at the heart with its opening credits with a typed list of AIDS victim up to 1985. Set to a mournful score by Jeffrey Olmstead, the never ending list of lives cut short puts you in tears.

Alex Honnold faces Boulder Problem in FREE SOLO

Most thrillers can only wish they could be as gripping as in the moment when Alex Honnold maneuver’s his way through the most challenging section of El Capitan Wall without rope in this Documentary.

Ray Offers Wisdom from Mid90s

“If you looked in anybody else’s closet, you wouldn’t trade your shit for their shit.”

Ray (Na-kel Smith) and his friends may not be the best role models for the impressionable Stevie (Sunny Suljic), but in this moment, Ray teaches him a lesson in perspective.

Glenn Close’s performance in THE WIFE

I’m not referring to any moment. Just Glenn Close’s acting. She speaks more volumes with her face than most actresses could with dialogue.

10)        The Beach Scene from ROMA

Cleo (Yalitza Aparicio) is an extraordinary woman. Sure, her life hanging towels and cleaning dog poo doesn’t seem like anything special. But like many lower working-class people, she endures. Boy does she endure a lot of shit in this movie. Not only does her deadbeat boyfriend ditch her to practice martial arts, but her baby is born dead. Despite all this, she not only continues her work, but she shares a close bond with the family. She showcases this bond and her strength when a fun day at the beach goes horribly wrong.

When Paco (Carlos Peralta) and Sofi (Daniela Demesa) swim too far out, Cleo walks into the ocean to save them despite not knowing how to swim. We watch in dread as she faces severe waves to find the kids, the camera always close to her.

This scene also contains a beautiful scene of the family hugging Cleo when she tears up over losing her baby. Seeing them all huddled together in front of a bright white sun captures the heart.

9)         “A Place Called Slaughter Race” from RALPH BREAKS THE INTERNET

Admit it, it’s fun to take pot shots at Disney Tropes. Hell, even Disney gets in on the fun. And boy do they seize on every moment to mock Princess tropes when Vanellope Von Shweetz (voiced by Sarah Silverman) encounters the Disney Princesses. Of course, it helps that Director Rich Moore and Head of Story Jim Reardon creates some of the best episodes of the Simpsons. Though there are many hilarious moments[1], none can hold the candle to Vanellope’s “I Want” song.

As she reflects over a puddle, Vanellope sings about her longing to be in the gritty game “Slaughter Race.” Seeing this little girl perform this lighthearted musical number over a background of riots and dumpster fires is comedy gold. Nearly every element of this number elevates the comedy, from singing shark (with cats and dogs in its mouth) to the creative lyrics (“Am I a baby pigeon spreading wings to soar?/ Is that a metaphor?/Hey, there’s a dollar store”). And the number still finds time to emphasize Vanellope’s fear of hurting Ralph (John. C Reilly).

Kudos to Alan Menken for mocking the trope he (and the late Howard Ashman) introduced to Disney. Just as deserving of Kudos is Silverman, who faced to task of singing in Vanellope’s high pitched voice.

8)         Charlie Loses Her Head from HEREDITARY

With her unusual hobbies, connection to her late grandmother and that clicking sound, you’d assume Annie’s (Toni Collette) daughter Charlie (Milly Shapiro) would be the centre of the whole film.[2] Boy, were we in for a surprise.

Spoilers!

When Charlie suffers a peanut allergy reaction, Peter (Alex Wolfe) races her home. On his drive, he sees a mysterious figure in the middle of the dark road. In his attempt to dodge it, he doesn’t see Charlie hanging out the window. Seeing her head slam right into a pole leaves us as traumatized as Peter is. To see them kill off a main character so early in the film is downright shocking. With this death, predictability goes right out the window and we are left uncertain of what direction this film will go.

7)         Neil Armstrong Soars in the X-15 Rocket Plane in FIRST MAN

It’s funny how the most exciting scene in this film isn’t the moon landing. Don’t get me wrong, the scene’s still breathtaking in its realism, but it’s surprising how thrilling the opening scene.

Damien Chazelle hits the ground running with Neil Armstrong (Ryan Gosling) soaring the atmosphere in an X-15 Rocket Plane. He soars higher and higher into the skies until he flies out of earth’s surface and gets stuck in space

Albeit, you know he will be back on earth in time for the moon landing. And yet, I found myself on the edge of my seat, wondering how he’s going to get back to earth. Most of it is thanks to the visual effects, which contains some of the most believable since 2001: A Space Odyssey. The effects leave CGI in the dust with practical effects that look so real, you’d think Gosling was actually flying into space.

6)         The Ferris Wheel Scene from LOVE, SIMON

High School Movies are home to many unforgettable romantic scenes. There’s Samantha (Molly Ringwald) and Jake (Michael Schoeffling) standing over a birthday cake in Sixteen Candles. There’s Patrick (Heath Ledger) singing to Katarina (Julia Stiles) on the bleachers in 10 Things I hate About You. And who can forget Lloyd Dobler (John Cusack) blaring Peter Gabriel’s “In Your Eyes” outside Diane Court’s (Ione Skye) in Say Anything. Be ready to include the closing scene of Simon (Nick Robinson) waiting on the Ferris wheel for online pen pal Blue from Love, Simon.

After being outed by a student, infuriating his friends for deceiving them in his attempt to stay closeted and abandoned by Blue, Simon makes a plea to meet with Blue face to face on the Ferris Wheel at a carnival. As he rides on the Ferris Wheel, he, fellow classmates and the audience wait in anticipation for Simon’s happy ending.

5)         The Book Heist from AMERICAN ANIMALS

When Spencer Reinhard (Barry Keoghan) and Warren Lipka (Evan Peters) plotted to steal extremely valuable books from the Transylvania University library in Kentucky, they thought they had the perfect heist. With the help of their friends Erick Borsuk (Jared Abrahamson) and Chas Allen (Blake Jenner), they thought they pull off a heist as smooth as Oceans 11.[3]

But reality hits them like a sledge hammer when they try to pull off the heist. Unlike their dreams, Librarian Betty Jean Gooch (Ann Dowd) doesn’t get knocked out with one taser jolt. It also isn’t easy to lug a six-foot book down a flight of stairs. Then there’s the fact the basement has no exit. That’s just a few of many problems they never consider. From then on, we witness them pay a huge price for their hubris and lack of real-world understanding.

Only youths as smart as they are to come up with such a stupid plan.

4)         The Mutant Bear from ANNIHILATION

Biologist Lena (Natalie Portman) and her team find themselves in a quite a bind. After entering the Shimmer, physicist Josie Radek (Tessa Thompson) has barely survived an attack from a mutant alligator and Anthropologist Cassie Sheppard (Tuva Novotny) has been attacked by a bear. Now paramedic Anya Thorensen (Gina Rodriguez) has gone mad and has tied up Lena, Radek and Dr. Ventress (Jennifer Jason Leigh). But when they hear Sheppard’s cries for help, they will soon find Anya is the least of their worries.

Their journey delivers many grotesque, nightmare inducing visuals (especially the slithering intestines.) But the most memorable moment in this film was the image of the helpless crew trapped in a cabin with a mutant bear. Bears are scary enough on their own, but a faceless one is pants spitting meeting. And then you hear it imitate Sheppard’s screams and suddenly you need a new pair of pants.

3)         The Great Snap from AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR

The whole Marvel Cinematic Universe had been leading up to this moment. The fact that nearly every character had a moment to shine in this one movie demonstrates the astounding direction of the Russo Brothers. But despite all the epic fight scenes, everyone agrees that this film’s greatest scene is the heroes moment of defeat.

Despite every effort made to stop in, despite outnumbering Thanos and despite Scarlet Witch (Elizabeth Olsen) sacrificing Vision (Paul Bettany) to destroy the mind stone, Thanos still got all the infinity stones. And with a single snap, Thanos succeeds in wiping out half the universe’s population. One by one, we watch many of our heroes vanish into dust while others watch in helpless horror. But none are more heartbreaking that the moment when Spider-Man (Tom Holland) falls into Tony Stark’s (Robert Downey Jr.) arms, crying “I don’t want to go.” All because some characters couldn’t make the sacrifice needed

Yes, we knew he was going to succeed in the end.[4] And yes, you know most of the heroes won’t stay gone.[5] And yes, their return will likely involve the surviving heroes sacrificing themselves.[6] But the ending still feels powerful despite this knowledge.

It all concludes with Thanos sitting near a cottage, content in his triumph. If the MCU ended here, it would have been a perfect ending. But I’m still curious to see how this will go.

2)         The Closing Close-Up in CAPERNAUM

The closing image of Zain’s (Zain Al Rafeea) face will haunt you beyond the closing credits. Throughout the film, we’ve seen this kid struggle through hell on the streets of Lebanon, trying to protect his sister from their resentful parents and helping an Ethiopian Migrant Worker take care of her son. But when he’s sent to prison for assaulting a pimp who bought his sister, he decides to sue his parents for the crime of bringing him into this miserable world. Writer/director Nadine Labaki never looks away for a second to the brutality of Zain’s world and how it brings out the worst in Zain.

When the film freezes to the image of Zain smiling for a Passport photo, your heart breaks for him as Khaled Mouzanar’s haunting score plays out.

1)         Tish and Fonny’s Walk Through the Park in IF BEALE STREET COULD TALK

No other opening scene has done a better job of putting its audience under its spell than when loving couple Tish (Kiki Layne) and Alfonzo “Fonny” Hunt (Stephan James) stroll through a park holding hands.

There’s beauty in every element of this scene, from Nicholas Britell’s romantic score to the warm looks in the character’s eyes. But what really sells it is James Laxton’s lush cinematography. The colours pop through the yellows and blues on the couple’s clothes and the green of the grass. You are as in love with this couple as they are for each other.

Then the film cuts to Tish visiting Fonny in prison, this time the yellow is the prison, the blue is Fonny’s jumpsuit and the green is on Tish’ outfit. From then one, we know why their love is worth fighting for.

[1] Mostly at the expense of Ariel (Jodi Benson)

[2] Especially when she appears so prominently in the advertisements.

[3] As indicated by a fantasy sequence.

[4] Since we know this was going to be a two parter.

[5] Especially when there are already planned sequels to Black Panther, Spider-Man and Guardians of the Galaxy. After all the money Marvel’s got from Black Panther? They’re not going to give up that meal ticket.

[6] What with Robert Downey Jr. and Chris Evans retiring their characters.

[citizenscreen]

Only a handful of movies have been announced for the 2018 Turner Classic Movies Film Festival (TCMFF), but excitement builds anyway as tickets are scheduled to go on sale in just a few days. The 2018 festival is scheduled for April 26 – 29 and many of us have been waiting for 2018 passes since this year’s event concluded. It’s a vicious cycle we enjoy perpetuating. In any case, mark your calendars for 10AM ET. on Tuesday, November 7 if you’re a Citi member for the exclusive pre sale and for 10AM ET. November 9 for the public sale. Get all of the details you need at TCM. You’ll note, by the way, that passes for this festival are not cheap and overall expenses can be prohibitive, but if you’re a classics fan and have never attended TCMFF it’s a sacrifice worth making at least once. You can read any number of posts about past experiences by many bloggers to know why. Now to 2018…

Along with the anticipation of the festival itself is the yearning for our favorite movies to be screened. I’ve yet to be disappointed with a screening in the five years I’ve attended the festival, but that doesn’t mean I don’t have ideas about what I would love to see. This year is no different. The chosen theme for TCMFF 2018 is Powerful Words: The Page Onscreen, which is intended as a “celebrating the representation of the written word on the silver screen.” When you consider that all movies start out as written words the possibilities for screenings are endless. That said, I still have had specific titles swirling around in my head since the dates and theme were announced and I’d like to share those recommendations with you. I should mention that I planned the list to contain 10 suggestions, but as you’ll see I failed miserably at limiting the list to so few. In fact, it was a strain on my heart to keep it at a svelte 21.

These are not listed in order of preference and I also did not take into account whether any have been screened in previous festivals. I don’t think that should necessarily be a deterrent. You’ll also notice my choices are from varied eras, allowing for the greatest number of guests possible. I’ve highlighted the guests I’d like to see in a few instances to make it easy for TCM to know who they should extend an invitation to. You’re welcome! Also, while I don’t mention the inclusion of writers they would no doubt enhance any presentation. Here we go…

My TCMFF 2018 Recommendations

Powerful Words: The Page Onscreen

Alan Crosland’s The Beloved Rogue (1927) starring John Barrymore and Conrad Veidt gets the most votes in my mind. This film, about French poet François Villon, had been thought lost for decades. According to legend, The Beloved Rogue is the John Barrymore movie the star watched with a large audience who didn’t know he was in attendance. The story goes that Barrymore was standing at the back of the movie palace and, dissatisfied with his own performance, said, “what a ham…”

It would be fun to have Drew Barrymore introduce this movie with Tom Meyers of the Fort Lee Film Commission. Tom and his team have several Barrymore-related projects in the works in Fort Lee. The Barrymores have strong ties to America’s first film town. I believe the TCMFF crowd would appreciate some early film history added to the introduction of the great Barrymore in a silent movie.

  Another movie I am really rooting for is William Dieterle‘s The Life of Emile Zola (1937). This movie has a memorable supporting cast, but it’s the film’s star, Paul Muni, who would make this special. He was my father’s favorite actor, which means a lot to me right now. Plus I’ve never seen him on a big screen. This biopic of the famous French novelist, which won Best Picture of the year, would be the perfect opportunity for me to do so.

  Rouben Mamoulian‘s 1931 screen adaptation of Robert Louis Stevenson‘s Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde is another one I’d love to see. Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde stars Fredric March, who won the Oscar for his portrayal of the main character(s), and Miriam Hopkins who is always enjoyable to watch.

  Curtis Bernhardt‘s Devotion (1946) starring Ida Lupino and Olivia de Havilland as Emily and Charlotte Bronte should be a strong contender. The movie also stars Paul Henreid, which means Monika Henreid can be on hand to introduce the movie. Monika has just completed Paul Henreid: Beyond Victor Laszlo, a documentary focused on her father’s career.

  Based on John Steinbeck‘s Pulitzer Prize winning novel, John Ford‘s The Grapes of Wrath (1940) is as essential as it gets among book-to-film adaptations. It would be terrific to have both Jane Fonda and Peter Fonda on hand to introduce this movie, which features one of the greatest performances from their father’s legendary career.

  Based on a collection of stories titled The Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling (1894), Disney’s 1967 animated classic of the same name directed by Wolfgang Reitherman should be considered a bare necessity. (Pa rum pum.) But seriously folks, wouldn’t it be fun to watch this animated classic together?

  Norman Taurog‘s The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (1938) would be an enjoyable screening. This movie features a stellar cast and we can have the added attraction of Cora Sue Collins in attendance to discuss the making of it. Cora Sue plays Amy Lawrence in the movie and she is sure to enchant the TCMFF crowd with her stories.

  The perfect vehicle to follow Tom Sawyer is Irving Rapper‘s The Adventures of Mark Twain (1944). This movie is not without its flaws, but it’s no throw away second feature either. After all Twain, born Samuel Langhorne Clemens, was one of – if not thee – greatest humorists the world has ever known. His story deserves the kind of actors cast in this picture including Fredric March, Alexis Smith, Donald Crisp and Alan Hale leading a terrific list of supporting players. To introduce this one we can have any number of Mark Twain Prize winners including Carol Burnett, Carl Reiner, Billy Crystal, Tina Fey, Bill Murray, Eddie Murphy, Whoopi Goldberg and on and on. Just sayin’.

  Sidney Franklin‘s The Barretts of Wimpole Street (1934) starring Norma Shearer and Fredric March focuses on the difficult early family life of poet Elizabeth Barrett Browning. This is another one I’d love to see with the TCMFF audience. The cast alone is worth standing on line for.

  The lovely Barbara Rush should introduce The Young Philadelphians (1959) in which she co-starred with Paul Newman. Directed by Vincent Sherman, the movie is based on a 1956 novel by Richard Powell. Plus, I happen to be very fond of it and its terrific cast, which includes Alexis Smith, Brian Keith, Robert Vaughn, Billie Burke and a few other classic greats of note. I’d have Illeana Douglas interview Barbara Rush, by the way.

  Rob Reiner’s Misery (1990) is memorable thanks in large part to Kathy Bates’ extraordinary performance as the fan from hell. The fact that the movie is sure to chill even the most ardent horror fan is a side benefit. With Reiner, Bates and James Caan, (who’s also great in the movie) in attendance the experience would be absolutely unforgettable. Jot that down!

  Based on the novel Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë (1847), William Wyler’s 1939 movie of the same title would be a treat on the big screen. I have to admit I’m not a huge fan of this movie because of what I think is a sell out ending. However, I also think it would be an immersive experience watching Wuthering Heights with a TCMFF audience.

  Lumet’s criminally underrated Fail-Safe (1964) starring Henry Fonda, Walter Matthau and another impressive list of players is one of the greatest thrillers of all time. Directed in the style of 12 Angry Men, Fail-Safe is based on the novel by Eugene Burdick. With an ending that leaves one speechless this is sure to be a hit with the TCMFF crowd. Again, the Fondas could introduce it along with Charles Matthau.

  Phil Karlson’s Scandal Sheet (1952) starring Broderick Crawford and Donna Reed is a fantastic film noir choice. I know Reed’s daughter, Mary Owen, does appearances for screenings of her mother’s films. It would be great to have her introduce this movie, which tells the story of a newspaper editor who commits a murder, alongside Eddie Muller.

  George Cukor’s version of Louisa May Alcott’s novel would be fantastic to see on the big screen. Little Women (1933) features an impressive cast any number of which can be well represented for an introduction. To name just two ideas – Tom Meyers would do a swell job of representing the Fort Lee-born Joan Bennett and Wyatt McCrea can discuss the movie and Frances Dee’s career.

  Fred Zinnemann’s Julia (1977) is based on the story by Lillian Hellman and both of the film’s two stars, Jane Fonda and Vanessa Redgrave, deliver affecting performances. It would be a huge attraction to have them both in attendance for a screening of this memorable film.

  Peter Brook’s 1963 adaptation of William Golding’s Lord of the Flies is a must. I had to read the book in high school and I will never forget the effect it had on me. The same goes for Brook’s naturalistic and truthful telling of the disturbing story. Any member of the cast and/or the director in attendance to discuss the making of the movie would be great.

  Charles Vidor’s Hans Christian Andersen (1952) starring Danny Kaye is my favorite of his movies. Beautiful to look at, wonderful to listen to and with all the charm of its star, Hans Christian Andersen reminds us fairy tales can come true. Who doesn’t want to share that with like-minded classic movie fans?

  An Odets/Lehman screenplay based on a Ernest Lehman novel – that’s what big money screenings are made of. Oh yeah plus Lancaster, Curtis and a memorable supporting cast. That’s what makes up Alexander Mackendrick‘s Sweet Smell of Success (1957) and its cynical world. I would love to see this introduced by Jamie Lee Curtis and Eddie Muller.

  Any number of movies based on the writing of W. Somerset Maugham would be treats at TCMFF. For personal reasons, however, I’m going with William Wyler’s The Letter (1940), which is based on a 1927 play by Maugham. Given this movie’s power of seduction (who can look away after that opening sequence) it deserves an introduction with serious clout. My plan would be to ask either Susan Sarandon, since she narrates the TCM original documentary, Stardust: The Bette Davis Story, or Meryl Streep who narrates the terrific Tribute to Bette Davis on the network. Both of them in attendance talking about Davis before we watch one of her greatest films would be a dream.

  I was going to end my recommendations list with Wilder’s Sunset Blvd. because what better example of writing for the screen is there? But then I couldn’t in good conscience include Wilder’s masterpiece and leave out the movie that beat it at the Oscars, Joseph L. Mankiewicz’s All About Eve (1950), which I also love. Of the two I had to admit Mankiewicz’s movie is the better choice due to the fact that the writer of the short story, The Wisdom of Eve, on which the movie is based does not get screen credit. TCMFF 2018 is the perfect occasion during which to honor the writer’s work officially this many years later. Of course either Sarandon or Streep would do quite nicely introducing this movie alongside Ben Mankiewicz.

Mary Orr’s The Wisdom of Eve was originally a 9-page short story that appeared in Cosmopolitan magazine in May 1946. Orr later expanded the story, in collaboration with Reginald Denham, into a successful play. 20th Century Fox later paid Mary Orr $5,000 for all rights to The Wisdom of Eve. What resulted is one of the all-time great motion pictures, which also deals with the importance of writing to a star’s career – stage or screen.

  Those are my 21 choices. I know acquiring all of the movies I mentioned is not possible and I know that some may not even be in good shape, but maybe I made note of a few that hadn’t occurred to anyone before. If not, then at least I enjoyed giving serious thought to how I would schedule the festival myself if I had great powers. Also, in case anyone’s interested, I have quite a few ideas for panels and Club TCM presentations. For instance, Illeana Douglas can moderate a group discussion about Pioneering  Women Screenwriters and Victoria Riskin can discuss her father Robert Riskin’s many contributions to films. Let me know if you want to hear more of those ideas and what your movie recommendations would be. Here endeth my post.

Hope to see you at TCMFF 2018!

  The Page Onscreen: Recommendations for #TCMFF 2018 Only a handful of movies have been announced for the 2018 Turner Classic Movies Film Festival (TCMFF)

[tiffanyunscripted]

5 Billion Rentals: 6 Films About Extraordinary Love from DVD Netflix

The Princess Bride (1987)

An adventure in the fairy tale of a beautiful young woman and her one true love. After a long separation, he has to find her and save her. They have to fight the evils of Florin's mythical kingdom in order to be reunited. Based on the novel "The Princess Bride" by William Goldman, which won its own loyal audience.

Bridget Jones's Diary (2001)

At the beginning of the New Year, Bridget (Renée Zellweger), 32-year-old, decides that it is time to take control of her life— and start to keep a diary. Today, on her bedside table, the most provocative, pornographic and hilarious book is the one she has read. She's turning the page on a whole new life with a taste for adventure and an opinion on every subject-from fitness to people to food to sex and everything in between.

Four Weddings and a Funeral (1994)

Lovable Englishman Charles (Hugh Grant) seems to be unlucky in love with his group of friends. Once Charles meets at a reception with a stunning American called Carrie (Andie MacDowell), he feels he might have changed his fortune. But Carrie returns to the States after a magical night, ending what might have been. As the paths of Charles and Carrie continue to cross— over a handful of nuptials and a funeral— he comes to believe that they are meant to be together, even though their timing seems to always be off.

West Side Story (1961)

A musical about a modern day Romeo and Juliet in the street gangs of New York. On the upper west side's rugged streets, two gangs are fighting to dominate the turf. When a gang members fall in love with the sister of a rival, the situation becomes complicated.

My Best Friend's Wedding (1997)

Childhood friends Julianne Potter (Julia Roberts) and Michael O'Neal (Dermot Mulroney) had an agreement to marry if they were still single at 28 years of age. Now, four days before her 28th birthday, O'Neil reveals that he's marrying a stunning 20-year-old named Kimberly. Suddenly realizing that she is in love with him, Julianne promises at all costs to stop the wedding. However, things get even more complex when she is appointed maid of honor.

Nottinghill (1999)

William Thacker (Hugh Grant) is a London bookstore owner whose humdrum existence is thrown into romantic turmoil when there appears in his shop the famous American actress Anna Scott (Julia Roberts). A chance meeting over spilled orange juice leads to a kiss blossoming into a full-blown affair. As the average bloke and glamorous film star get closer and closer together, they struggle in the name of love to reconcile their radically different lifestyles.

You can watch these films over a huge bowl of popcorn. Rent them from DVD Netflix via dvd.netflix.com. Add them to your queue today. If you don’t have an account, you can sign-up for a free month. If you decide to keep the membership, pay as little as $7.99 per month to enjoy DVD Netflix’s massive database of blockbusters, documentaries, independent films, and more.

Disclaimer: As a DVD Nation Director, for introducing the DVD Netflix service to you, as well as writing about some awesome movies to rent that can be challenging to find anywhere else, I’m rewarded and always happy to share awesome movies with you.  #dvd20 #dvdnation #ad

[tabloidtoc]

OK, June 1

Cover: Jennifer Aniston Finally Talks -- her fresh start at 51 

Page 1: Big Pic -- Shia LaBeouf took a spin around his Pasadena neighborhood with his adorable pooch in tow 

Page 2: Contents 

Page 3: Contents 

Page 4: Royal Shake-Up -- a shocking report leads to whispers that Queen Elizabeth may soon be stepping away from her duties for good -- thankfully the Queen has Prince William and Duchess Kate Middleton to lean on and they call her every day and are always offering to step in and take any stressful duties off her hands and the queen doesn’t know what she’d do without them 

Page 6: From the outside Reese Witherspoon seems to have a picture-perfect life but the multifaceted star admits her days are a balancing act and anything but easy 

Page 7: It seems as if Kristin Cavallari has been on a smear campaign against estranged husband Jay Cutler as their messy divorce plays out -- she’s consumed by rage and resentment toward him mainly out of fear that he’ll come across as looking like the good guy while she’s painted as power- and money-hungry, after years of estrangement the coronavirus pandemic has pushed Bella Cruise to reach out to mom Nicole Kidman -- Nicole knows Bella will never leave Scientology and she’d never ask her to and they’ve been making up for lost time and speak most days and Bella’s agreed to travel to Tennessee and stay at Nicole’s sprawling country estate once it’s safe to travel, Scott Disick is turning to Kris Jenner as he figures out his next move after he fled rehab after the news leaked -- Scott feels more vulnerable than ever and he’s at a crucial stage in his life and he respects Kris enormously not only as a business partner but as a makeshift therapist and mother figure 

Page 8: Jamie Lynn Spears is begging older sis Britney Spears to move back to Louisiana and Jamie Lynn would love for her daughters to spend more time with their aunt and wants them together as one big happy family in Kentwood where it all began, Chris Pratt and pregnant Katherine Schwarzenegger are feeling a bit overwhelmed by her parents as they await their baby’s arrival -- Maria Shriver and Arnold Schwarzenegger are excited at their first grandchild but they’ve become very pushy -- Maria’s insisting on planning a huge baby shower and decorating the nursery and Arnold is trying to install a new sound system so they can play lullabies in every corner of the house and it’s enough to make Chris and Katherine wince, Tom Cruise is making it his mission to reclaim his title as the King of Hollywood -- he’s bided his time for years now because he wanted to take the pressure of himself until he found just the right moment to go for it and now he’s ready to catapult himself onto the scene with Mission: Impossible 7 and 8 and the sequel to Top Gun and he’s working with NASA and Elon Musk’s SpaceX to shoot the first ever movie in outer space 

Page 10: Red Hot on the Red Carpet -- peach gowns -- Zoe Kravitz, Karolina Kurkova, Adrienne Houghton 

Page 11: Betty Gilpin, Lizzy Caplan, Joey King 

Page 12: Who Wore It Better? Becca Tilley vs. Brooke Burke (it’s a tie), Cheryl Burke vs. Jennifer Lahmers

Page 14: News in Photos -- Hailey Bieber in the sauna 

Page 15: Michael C. Hall in glitter face paint, Kate Upton works out with daughter Genevieve, Olivia Munn with two pups, Christie Brinkley in the fickle weather in the Hamptons 

Page 16: Hilary Duff on Mother’s Day, Anna Kendrick all dressed up for a virtual press conference, Kevin Hart and wife Eniko revealed they are having a daughter in a pic with kids Kenzo and Heaven and Hendrix, Naomi Watts on TikTok with Liev Schreiber and their kids Sasha and Kai 

Page 17: Mindy Kaling doing laundry, Cardi B shows off her Mother’s Day gifts from husband Offset 

Page 18: Reese Witherspoon with son Tennessee climbing a tree, Nicole Kidman studying Italian while stuck at home, Gabrielle Union and daughter Kaavia 

Page 19: Jason Momoa encouraged fans to support local small businesses as he picked up dinner from the Old Place in Cornell, Paris Jackson inked a tattoo on her own pinky toe, Suki Waterhouse showed off her perfectly coiffed locks 

Page 20: Tobey Maguire and girlfriend Tatiana Dieteman take a stroll, Ariel Winter was spotted with a cast on her thumb after slicing the tip off in a cooking accident, Emilia Clarke and dog Ted

Page 21: Ryan Phillippe on a run, Katy Perry and her dog Nugget dress up as Dumbo

Page 22: Brody Jenner on a bike ride, Tallulah Willis and mom Demi Moore on Mother’s Day, Julianne Hough as Mary Poppins 

Page 23: Taylor Swift drinking white wine while isolating at home, Ali Larter on a run 

Page 24: Inside My Home -- the Hadid’s flourishing farm -- where Yolanda Hadid is isolating with kids Bella Hadid, pregnant Gigi Hadid and Anwar Hadid in Hope, Pennsylvania 

Page 26: Kim Kardashian and Kanye West marriage in crisis -- after months in quarantine Kim and Kanye are on the verge of a lockdown throwdown because when it comes to their four kids North and Saint and Chicago and Psalm most of the parenting and homeschooling has fallen on Kim’s shoulders while Kanye has been spending a ton of time at his office rather than at home 

Page 27: Natalie Portman and Benjamin Millepied are planning to renew their vows this winter when December will mark a decade since their engagement, when Cara Delevingne and Ashley Benson called it quits after two years of dating it seemed drama-free but now members of their social circle are being dragged into the pair’s personal problems -- now that they’re not together they’re drawing clear boundaries and demanding their friends like Kaia Gerber and Margaret Qualley take sides using the line it’s her or me, Courteney Cox has been quarantining in L.A. while boyfriend Johnny McDaid has been in England and once they’re able to reunite Courteney is adamant that they tie the knot right away because this has been a lesson learned and she’s kicking herself for not marrying Johnny sooner

Page 28: Joshua Jackson and wife Jodie Turner-Smith are walking on air as they settle into their new roles as parents to a baby girl, just eight months into their romance Jonathan Scott believes he’s found the one in Zooey Deschanel but his friends are urging him to pump the brakes because Zooey is twice-divorced and basically walked out of her second marriage and right into Jonathan’s life plus she also has two children so Jonathan would be taking on an awful lot so soon, Love Bites -- Ben Platt and Noah Galvin new couple, America Ferrera and Ryan Piers Williams welcomed a daughter, Mary-Kate Olsen and Olivier Sarkozy split 

Page 29: On Justin and Hailey Bieber’s Facebook Watch show he stated that he and wife Hailey are in the best place they’ve ever been but he’s the first to admit that becoming a husband forced him to take a hard look at himself, Ben Affleck is sparing no expense when it comes to showering girlfriend Ana de Armas with affection

Page 30: Cover Story -- Jennifer Aniston comes clean -- from the state of her dating life to the truth about her famous exes Jen plans to answer everything in a new tell-all interview 

Page 33: How Jennifer Aniston is helping Matthew Perry get through his recent troubles 

Page 34: Baby Bump Brigade -- Ashlee Simpson, Katy Perry 

Page 35: Gigi Hadid, Katherine Schwarzenegger, Lea Michele 

Page 36: How Julia Roberts saved her marriage -- inside her decision to step away from the spotlight and fix her relationship with Danny Moder 

Page 38: Beverly Hills 90210 secrets and scandals 

Page 40: Candace Cameron Bure Family Matters -- the actress gets candid about her kids, her marriage and her decades long career 

Page 46: Style Week -- Bebe Rexha latest collaboration with the popular drugstore nail polish line Sinful Colors 

Page 48: Style -- beaded bags -- Bailee Madison 

Page 50: Espadrilles -- Selena Gomez 

Page 54: Entertainment 

Page 58: Stars are getting creative with their hair while stuck at home -- Julianne Hough, Pink, Kristen Stewart 

Page 59: Blake Shelton, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Tallulah Willis, Lauren Burnham and Arie Luyendyk, Armie Hammer, Dua Lipa 

Page 60: Sound Bites -- Miley Cyrus on interviewing Elizabeth Warren, Ashton Kutcher on Mila Kunis, Laura Dern on trying new things, Anna Kendrick on switching up her exercise routine, John Mellencamp texting daughter Teddi Mellencamp while watching her on RHOBH 

Page 61: Hollywood Heat Meter -- Hilary Duff is set to reprise her Younger character in a spinoff, Lily Allen and David Harbour engaged, Alison Roman apologized to Chrissy Teigen, Hannah Brown should have listened to her gut about Jed Wyatt, Vera Wang shows off her killer abs, the bombshells Vanderpump Rules editor Bri Dellinger just unleashed about the reality show 

Page 62: Horoscope -- Gemini Lenny Kravitz 

Page 64: By the Numbers -- Trevor Noah 

[1001films1001days]

819. Pretty Woman (1990)

If you have been following me so far for my unrelenting moral values, you can freely skip this post. I have too many memories of watching this movie over and over again with my mother so do not expect me to criticise it.

Vivian (Julia Roberts) is a prostitute living in Los Angeles with her friend Kit De Luca (Laura San Giacomo) who, besides of sharing the same profession, is addicted to drugs. One day, she meets Edward (Richard Gere) a millionaire visiting the city who, after spending the night with her, decides to pay her to spend the whole week with him. During that time, Vivian discovers the life of 1% and Edward finds out that beneath the facade of his own prejudices lies an intelligent and loving woman with a moral compass of her own.

Whenever this film is attacked, the debate is simplified to its most elementary argument and a more extensive analysis of the film is avoided. For example, it is interesting to see how one of the most common complaints is that of "romanticising the prostitution." Vivian does not use drugs, has no pimp and has no physical or psychological scars from continual abuse. Therefore, this is not a realistic portrait of a prostitute, is it? Well, that is mainly an indicator of our own prejudices towards the practitioners of the oldest profession in the world. No, not all prostitutes are drug addicts or are exploited by pimps. However, a more detailed analysis of the film easily challenges that argument. The first time we see Vivian's workplace, this is surrounded by police because there is an overdosed prostitute in a dump, also her roommate steals the money from the rent in order to pay a huge debt to her dealer. These are to name a few examples that are normally oversight when discussing the movie. Now, in regards to abuses, these do not occur until the end just to avoid the usual victim-blaming. When the sexual assault is shown, it is clearly stated that Vivian's profession does not give men carte blanche to rape her. That is much more than what many other "serious" works on prostitution (like Vivre sa vie -394-, for example) have ever achieved. In addition, such prejudices are actually visible in the film. For example, in the bathroom scene in which Edward assumes that as Vivian is a prostitute; she is also a junkie.

If there is something that glamorises the movie; this is the exit of prostitution. But that is not exclusive of this picture. It extends to most of the western cultural expressions. Are not The Pursuit of Happyness or Slumdog Millionaire romanticisations of the way out of poverty? Is not 12 years a Slave, a romanticisation of the exit from slavery? At the end of the day, the American Dream is the cliche on which the whole of Western culture is based. Yes, the idea that any individual can reach any position on the social ladder is fallacious. But why do we only notice it in this movie? Are not our own prejudices acting telling us that “a prostitute will always be a prostitute"? And is it not that in other stories where we find the protagonist more relatable that we want to believe that dreams come true?

Mind that I do not say that the film does not have problematic aspects. However, the discussion around it has been, as I say, too simplistic and the film deserves a closer look. I recommend reading this article (of which I shamefully admit to have taken several ideas) to check another point of view.

In short, this film is a modern fairy tale, it does not pretend to reflect reality but is it not as far from it as you may think. It is a touching and emotional romantic fantasy, no more real than Casablanca -152- or Gone With the Wind -126-, and as in those ones the legitimate social criticism should not prevent us from enjoying it. "so keep on dreamin'".

27th May 2017

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Movie Quotes

Official Website: Movie Quotes

  • A Great Movie Evolves when Everybody Has the Same Vision in Their Heads. – Alan Parker • A lot of movies are about life, mine are like a slice of cake. – Alfred Hitchcock • A lot of the struggle I had with movies is I really loved moments and tones and feelings in a scene, and I loved creating those, but I never really had great stories to string them together. – Louis C. K. • A movie camera is like having someone you have a crush on watching you from afar – you pretend it’s not there. – Tom Stoppard • A movie star is not an artist, he is an art object. – Richard Schickel • All industries are brought under the control of such people [film producers] by Capitalism. If the capitalists let themselves be seduced from their pursuit of profits to the enchantments of art, they would be bankrupt before they knew where they were. You cannot combine the pursuit of money with the pursuit of art. – George Bernard Shaw • All of my problems are rather complicated – I need an entire novel to deal with them, not a short story or a movie. It’s like a personal therapy. – Manuel Puig • All television ever did was shrink the demand for ordinary movies. The demand for extraordinary movies increased. If any one thing is wrong with the movie industry today, it is the unrelenting effort to astonish. – Clive James • And at the end of the day, if the movie’s no good, I’ll live to fight another day. – Scott Caan • And I love a scary movie. It makes your toes curl and it’s not you going through it. – Anthony Hopkins • And what I like about it is it makes me happy and I think it makes a lot of people happy to go to the movies and to not think about the problems of the day or the problems of tomorrow or the yesterday and just go on for the ride and have the fun of losing oneself in a fantasy. – Nicolas Cage • And what movies we saw! All the actors and actresses whose photographs I collected, with their look of eternity! Their radiance, their eyes, their faces, their voices, the suavity of their movements! Their clothes! Even in prison movies, the stars shone in their prison clothes as if tailors had accompanied them in their downfall. – Paula Fox • Be your own hero, it’s cheaper than a movie ticket. – Douglas Horton • Coming Home had been made before and Apocalypse Now and Deer Hunter, different kinds of movies. – Oliver Stone • Delay and indecision are first weapons in the armory of moviemakers. – Shirley Temple • Directing a movie is serious, it’s not a joke. – Fred Durst • Directing ain’t about drawing a neat little picture and showing it to the cameraman. I didn’t want to go to film school. I didn’t know what the point was. The fact is, you don’t know what directing is until the sun is setting and you’ve got to get five shots and you’re only going to get two. – David Fincher • Do you know what makes a movie work? Moments. Give the audience half a dozen moments they can remember, and they’ll leave the theatre happy. – Rosalind Russell • Don’t be an extra in your own movie. Move out of your comfort zone. Don’t be afraid of feeling uncomfortable or awkward. Step-out and make it happen. – Bob Proctor • Dude, I didn’t say Jude Law can’t act. I didn’t say Jude Law was in bad movies. I just said he’s in every movie. – Chris Rock • Ego problems are endemic in every walk of life, but in the movie business egomaniacs are megalomaniacs. – Lynda Obst • ‘Election’ is a movie I’d give a leg to cross the director’s name out and put mine in. – Jason Reitman • Every actor you learn from, take something from everyone – big actor or not. Whether they’re big movie stars or not doesn’t really matter. – Diane Kruger • Every time I’m shooting a movie I want to kill myself. Because I don’t see the light in the end of the tunnel. – Emir Kusturica • Every time you make a movie it’s an adventure. – Shia LaBeouf • Everyone related to me in my circle was from church: church friends, church school, church activities. All my friends weren’t allowed to watch MTV or go to PG-13 movies or listen to the radio, so I didn’t really know anything different. That’s how I was raised. – Katy Perry • Everyone told me to pass on Speed because it was a ‘bus movie.’ – Sandra Bullock • Everything I learned I learned from the movies. – Audrey Hepburn • Filmmaking is a completely imperfect art form that takes years and, over those years, the movie tells you what it is. Mistakes happen, accidents happen and true great films are the results of those mistakes and the decisions that those directors make during those moments. – Jason Reitman • For my wrap present, Colin Farrell gave me a first edition book. I got so involved with this character and I was so sad when the movie was over that when I got home and I tried to read the book I got really emotional and I started crying. – Salma Hayek • For the most part, studio movies have huge budgets. They don’t do anything under 30 to 40 million. When you have that much money at stake, you have so many people breathing down your neck. – Penelope Spheeris • Francis Ford Coppola did this early on. You tape a movie, like a radio show, and you have the narrator read all the stage directions. And then you go back like a few days later and then you listen to the movie. And it sort of plays in your mind like a film, like a first rough cut of a movie. – Al Pacino • Give me B movies or give me death! – Clive Barker • Good movies make you care, make you believe in possibilities again. – Pauline Kael • great villains make great movies. – Staton Rabin • Hollywood’s old trick: repeat a successful formula until it dies. – Gloria Swanson • ‘Home Alone’ was a movie, not an alibi. – Jerry Orbach • I always feel like I can’t do it, that I can’t go through with a movie. But then I do go through with it after all. – Meryl Streep • I am in so many movies that are on TV at 2:00 a.m. that people think I am dead. – Michael Caine • I can direct breakfast, lunch, and dinner. I take pride in my kitchen, but I’m not going to direct a movie. – Julia Roberts • I don’t have people following me around, like bodyguards. I don’t know how people live like that. Maybe the young movie stars have to live like that, I don’t know. But it seems a little crazy to me. I don’t think you need all that stuff. – Anthony Hopkins • I don’t know what your childhood was like, but we didn’t have much money. We’d go to a movie on a Saturday night, then on Wednesday night my parents would walk us over to the library. It was such a big deal, to go in and get my own book. – Robert Redford • I don’t think London has been given enough credit in a lot of the movies that we make here. – Mel Smith • I don’t think you should feel about a film. You should feel about a woman, not a movie. You can’t kiss a movie. – Jean-Luc Godard • I don’t want to make movies for kids, and I don’t want to make movies for adults either. – Kristen Stewart • I encourage film students who are interested in cinematography to study sculpture, paintings, music, writing and other arts. Filmmaking consists of all the arts combined. Students are always asking me for advice, and I tell them that they have to be enthusiastic, because it’s hard work. The only way to enjoy it is to be totally immersed. If you don’t get involved on that level, it could be a very miserable job. I only have one regret about my career: I’m sorry that we are not making silent movies any more. That is the purest art form I can imagine. – Vilmos Zsigmond • I first wanted to be an actress after seeing a play – not a movie. – Kim Cattrall • I get that same queasy, nervous, thrilling feeling every time I go to work. That’s never worn off since I was 12 years-old with my dad’s 8-millimeter movie camera. – Steven Spielberg • I have never acted he has never been cast in a romantic lead or has been cast opposite a female love interest in any movie he starred in. – Morgan Freeman • I haven’t sold to the movies. In other words, I haven’t gotten any enormous checks yet. – Jack Vance • I like celluloid, I like film, I like the way that when a movie is projected it sort of breathes a little in the gate. That’s the magic of it to me. – Gary Oldman • I love Elmore Leonard. To me, True Romance is basically like an Elmore Leonard movie. – Quentin Tarantino • I love the grandiosity of Hollywood movies, and even in independents, I love the canvas you can tell your story on. I love fiction filmmaking, you really feel like you’re creating something. – George Hickenlooper • I loved old black and white movies, especially the Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers musicals. I loved everything about them – the songs, the music, the romance and the spectacle. They were real class and I knew that I wanted to be in that world. – Sharon Stone • I loved the movies and I wanted to be like Marilyn Monroe. I thought she was so glamorous and everyone seemed to love her. I wanted to be like that and I told everyone I would be the next Marilyn Monroe. – Sharon Stone • I make movies I want to see. – Neil LaBute • I never thought about becoming a professional singer, but I am in touch with Bono about releasing a musical movie. It will be about an Irish band during the ’70s who are looking for fortune in Las Vegas. I should play the singer of the band but I don’t want to sing in front of anybody. – Liam Neeson • I never want to be away from you again, except at work, in the restroom or when one of us is at a movie the other does not want to see. – Daniel Handler • I think less is more when it comes to kissing in the movies. – Julia Roberts • I want to make a good, solid kung fu movie. – Keanu Reeves • I was never a fanatical movie person. – John Malkovich • I wasn’t trying to top Pulp Fiction with Jackie Brown. I wanted to go underneath it and make a more modest character study movie. – Quentin Tarantino • I would be more frightened as a writer if people thought my movies were like science fiction. – Neil LaBute • I would say the film world has stopped operating as one. We have divided it into Hindi movies, Bengali movies, Tamil movies and so on. Earlier, there was only one channel and we all knew what was going on. Today, it is hard to keep track of programmes due to the advent of regional channels. – Mithun Chakraborty • If movies are causing moral decay, then crime ought to be going up, but crime is going down. – Jack Valenti • If somebody for some reason, for music or for movie, becomes famous, it’s because they have something, something special. – Roberto Cavalli • If you don’t like my movies, don’t watch them. – Dario Argento • If you have a friend who suffers, you have to help him.«My dear friend, you are on safe ground. Everything is okay now. Why do you continue to suffer? Don’t go back to the past. It’s only a ghost; it’s unreal». And whenever we recognize that these are only movies and pictures, not reality, we are free. That is the practice of mindfulness. – Nhat Hanh • If you’re a movie actor, you’re on your own – you cannot control the stage. The director controls it. – Michael Caine • I’m doing ‘Les Miserables,’ the movie. I’ve done a lot of musicals and a lot of movies, and I know there are not a lot of people in Hollywood who have been down those two paths so I’ve been like, ‘Come on, let’s do a movie/musical.’ – Hugh Jackman • I’m interested in doing movies I wouldn’t normally be interested in doing. – Eric Stoltz • I’m mad, true. But only about one thing. Horror movies. I love spooks. They are a friendly fearsome lot. Very nice people, actually, if you get to know them. Not like these industry chaps out here – Kishore Kumar • I’m not a real movie star. I’ve still got the same wife I started out with twenty-eight years ago. – Will Rogers • I’m not saying I’m a writer, but I’ve been in movies for a long time, and I think I could write a script for a movie. – Benicio Del Toro • I’m not surprised that Spielberg was able to capture the heroism of Schindler; so many of his movies are about the better part of mankind. – Gene Siskel • I’m terrible at horror movies, by the way. I get scared so easily. – Oliver Stone • In every movie I do have a dialogue. – Jackie Chan • In the movies Paris is designed as a backdrop for only three things–love, fashion shows, and revolution. – Jeanine Basinger • It (his contract) has options through the year 2020 or until the last Rocky movie is made. – Dan Quisenberry • It is not as mirrors reflect us but, rather, as our dreams do, that movies most truly reveal the times. If the dreams we have been dreaming provide a sad picture of us, it should be remembered that – like that first book of Dante’s Comedy – they show forth only one region of the psyche. Through them we can read with a peculiar accuracy the fears and confusions that assail us – we can read, in caricature, the Hell in which we are bound. But we cannot read the best hopes of the time. – Barbara Deming • It’s just lovely to be involved in a movie that does go back to the basics – characters and great writing. – Clive Owen • It’s something that was very interesting to me to be a part of and all of them again because of the relationship. Some of the superhero movies are better than others. – Blair Underwood • I’ve always found that when you’re trying to create illusions with sound, especially in a science fiction or fantasy movie, that pulling sounds from the world around us is a great way to cement that illusion because you can go out and record an elevator in George Lucas’s house or something, and it will have that motor sound. – Ben Burtt • I’ve always wanted to do a family movie. – Adam Sandler • I’ve always wanted two lives – one for the movies, one for myself. – Greta Garbo • I’ve got to see my movie to see how I’m acting, see what little things I can learn about my craft. – LL Cool J • I’ve had to make the transition from sweeping in for 15 minutes, doing my stuff and clearing out, to carrying a movie for the duration – in a dress. – Philip Seymour Hoffman • I’ve seen too many ups and downs in the movie industry. – Jackie Chan • Keep your eye on your inner world and keep away from ads, idiots and movie stars. – Dorothea Tanning • License to Kill’ is not one of the great Bond movies. – Benicio Del Toro • Look at a football field. It looks like a big movie screen. This is theatre. Football combines the strategy of chess. It’s part ballet. It’s part battleground, part playground. We clarify, amplify and glorify the game with our footage, the narration and that music, and in the end create an inspirational piece of footage. – Steve Sabol • Many times when you make a movie, it feels like your biggest mistake. But even if a film isn’t a hit, you shouldn’t view it as a mistake. – Ang Lee • Movie acting is about covering the machinery. Stage acting is about exposing the machinery. In cinema, you should think the actor is playing himself, if he’s that good. It looks very easy. It should. But it’s not, I assure you. – Michael Caine • Movie directors, or should I say people who create things, are very greedy and they can never be satisfied… That’s why they can keep on working. I’ve been able to work for so long because I think next time, I’ll make something good. – Akira Kurosawa • Movie failures are like the common cold. You can stay in bed and take aspirin for six days and recover. Or you can walk around and ignore it for six days and recover. – Gene Tierney • Movie SF is, by definition, dumbed down – there have only been three or four SF movies in the history of film that aspire to the complexity of literary SF. – Dan Simmons • Movies are a complicated collision of literature, theatre, music and all the visual arts. – Yahoo Serious • Movies are the art form most like man’s imagination. – Francis Ford Coppola • Movies are very subjective. – Jeff Bridges • Movies both reflect and create social conditions, but their special charm is to offer fantasy clothes as virtual reality, a world where people consume without the tedium of labor. Characters float in a world where the bill never comes due … and we wonder why we’re a debtor nation! – Molly Haskell • Movies can and do have tremendous influence in shaping young lives in the realm of entertainment towards the ideals and objectives of normal adulthood. – Walt Disney • movies have mirrored our moods and myths since the century began. They have taken on some of the work of religion. – Jennifer Stone • Movies have now reached the same stage as sex – it’s all technique and no feeling. – Penelope Gilliatt • Movies make you immortal and ageless. – Kristin Scott Thomas • Music is the soundtrack to the crappy movie that is my life. – Chris Rock • My dream role would probably be a psycho killer, because the whole thing I love about movies is that you get to do things you could never do in real life, and that would be my way of vicariously experiencing being a psycho killer. Also, it’s incredibly romantic. – Christina Ricci • My goal has been to learn how to get movies made without losing sight of the reasons I began. I have had to learn to recognize the insidious nature of the beast without becoming one. – Lynda Obst • My movies were the kind they show in prisons and airplanes, because nobody can leave. – Burt Reynolds • Mystery makes movie stars! If you see someone on the cover of the weeklies all the time, why would you want to pay to see them in a movie? – Sophia Bush • No saint, no pope, no general, no sultan, has ever had the power that a filmmaker has; the power to talk to hundreds of millions of people for two hours in the dark. – Frank Capra • oh mothers you will have made the little tykes so happy because if nobody does pick them up in the movies they won’t know the difference and if somebody does it’ll be sheer gravy – Frank O’Hara • On planes I always cry. Something about altitude, the lack of oxygen and the bad movies. I cried over a St. Bernard movie once on a plane. That was really embarrassing. – Michael Stipe • One cannot overstate the potential for hysteria on a movie set. Everyone always acts as if making the movie is as important as eradicating malaria. – Delia Ephron • One of the things we learn in movies directed by men is what the ‘fantasy woman’ is. What we learn in movies directed by women is what real women are about. I don’t think that men see things wrong and women right, just that we do see things differently. – Jane Campion • People go to movies or listen to music because they want to be inspired. – Daphne Zuniga • People have a preconceived notion about who I am and it’s interesting. It’s like picking who you want to win for the Oscars and not seeing the movie. – Amanda Bynes • People have perhaps gotten to the point where for the most part movies are a just bit of escape. – Neil LaBute • Quite often – a lot of the work I had done had been extensively with women. Most especially in the theater, but also quite often in the movies. That has its own delights, and maybe pitfalls too. – John Malkovich • Really, it’s the director’s job to disappear and allow the movie to just feel. – Jason Reitman • Revealing yourself, physically or emotionally, to cast and crew is frequently uncomfortable. But it is essential if you want to to tell the truth. I felt more at ease being bold with some than I did with others. I was incredibly fortunate to have worked with Randy Harrison as Justin Taylor. We share enough taste in music and art to have had a real camaraderie, and luckily that evolved into a deep friendship. – Gale Harold • So yes, I hope to act in other people’s movies, big and small, because that’s how I make my living, really. – Stanley Tucci • So, I installed a CCTV system to tape what’s going on inside my mind.

Thousands of hours of drama, confusion, discussion, huge special effects and futuristic scenarios. Also a lot of chatter, drama and suspense.

Is like to go to the movies for free, every day.

The CCTV technology used is the SSM-X45. Whose initials stand for: Sit down, Shut up and Meditate (X45 is just to sound more hi-tech) – Marcelo Goianira • Some men have a silly theory about beautiful women – that somewhere along the line they’ll turn into a monster. That movie gave them a chance to watch it happen. – Salma Hayek • Sometimes I’d like to play the bad guy and sometimes I’d like to die in a movie. – Jackie Chan • Sometimes in movies, I still have to be the hero, but it’s not all that important to me anymore. – Dennis Quaid • South Sea natives who have been exposed to American movies classify them into two types, ‘kiss-kiss’ and ‘bang-bang. – Hortense Powdermaker • Stars don’t make movies. Movies make stars. – Darryl F. Zanuck • The art of these Fifties movies was in sustaining forever the moment before sex. – Twyla Tharp • The Bollywood distribution system is so corrupt that they have trouble making money off movies. So they sell shoes that an actress stepped in. If they turned up the amps some, maybe they could sell the actresses. – Bruce Sterling • The difference between a movie star and a movie actor is this – a movie star will say, ‘How can I change the script to suit me?’ and a movie actor will say. ‘How can I change me to suit the script?’ – Michael Caine • The fact is, when I wrote ‘Juno’ – and I think this is part of its charm and appeal – I didn’t know how to write a movie. And I also had no idea it was going to get made! – Diablo Cody • The great thing about the movies … is-you’re giving people little … tiny pieces of time … that they never forget. – James Stewart • The interesting thing about a movie is the movie. – Christian Bale • The movie business is a big gamble. – Jackie Chan • The movie medium will eventually take its place as art because there is no other medium of interest to so many people. – Irving Thalberg • The movie says, You can lose your job and your way and still rescue yourself. ‘Larry Crowne’ creates a self-excavated utopia, and I love that idea, that message. – Julia Roberts • The movie, by sheer speeding up of the mechanical, carried us from the world of sequence and connections into the world of creative configurations and structure. – Marshall McLuhan • The movies are the only business where you can go out front and applaud yourself. – Will Rogers • The only thing worse than watching a bad movie is being in one. – Elvis Presley • The reason I took Early Edition – besides the fact that I liked it – was that it enabled me to start a production company in New York City. It’s a low-budget film company to produce and direct movies. – Fisher Stevens • The shooting of the movie is the truth part and the editing of the movie is the lying part, the deceit part – Paul Hirsch • The sorrow of not being movie stars overwhelms millions. – Mason Cooley • The Super Bowl is like a movie, and the quarterback is the leading man. – Leigh Steinberg • The thing about movies these days is that the commerce end of it is so inflated and financiers are just expecting this enormous return on their investment. – Alex Winter • The truth is that everyone pays attention to who’s number one at the box office. And none of it matters, because the only thing that really exists is the connection the audience has with a movie. – Tom Hanks • There are a lot of roles in Shakespeare, basically. If I feel that the script is a movie, I would be interested in doing any role of Shakespeare’s. – Al Pacino • There’s an electrical thing about movies. – Oliver Stone • These movies are like my kids. I just love them to death. Some of them go to Harvard and some of them can barely graduate high school. – Barry Sonnenfeld • To me the recognition of the audience is part of the filmmaking process. When you make a movie, it’s for them. – Michel Hazanavicius • To me, movies and music go hand in hand. When I’m writing a script, one of the first things I do is find the music I’m going to play for the opening sequence. – Quentin Tarantino • Warner Bros. has talked about going out with low-cost DVDs simultaneously in China because piracy is so huge there. It will be a while before bigger movies go out in all formats; in five years, everything will. – Steven Soderbergh • We don’t make movies to make money, we make money to make more movies. – Walt Disney • We lay out our lives in a narrative we understand, like a movie, but are you enjoying making it or are you wondering who’s watching my movie. – Donald Glover • What I’ve learned is that life is too short and movies are too long. – Denis Leary • When I do a political movie, I do a political movie. – Antonio Banderas • When I stepped out into the bright sunlight from the darkness of the movie house, I had only two things on my mind: Paul Newman and a ride home. – S. E. Hinton • When the movie comes out, what anybody thinks of it doesn’t really matter to me. I don’t go to the wrap party. I don’t go to the premiere. – Henry Rollins • Whether in success or in failure, I’m proud of every single movie I’ve ever directed. – Steven Spielberg • White people scare the crap out of me. I have never been attacked by a black person, never been evicted by a black person, never had my security deposit ripped off by a black landlord, never had a black landlord, never been pulled over by a black cop, never been sold a lemon by a black car salesman, never seen a black car salesman, never had a black person deny me a bank loan, never had a black person bury my movie, and I’ve never heard a black person say, ‘We’re going to eliminate ten thousand jobs here – have a nice day!’ – Michael Moore • with all these tentpoles, franchises, reboots and sequels, is there still room for movies in the movie business? – Lynda Obst • Writing a book is like masturbation, and making a movie is like an orgy. – Clive Barker • You are not just here to fill space or be a background character in someone else’s movie. Consider this: nothing would be the same if you did not exist. Every place you have ever been and everyone you have ever spoken to would be different without you. We are all connected, and we are all affected by the decisions and even the existence of those around us. – David Niven • You just have to realize that Jet Li is a movie star. He’s great at what he does, but if he stepped into our world he wouldn’t last long. – Chuck Liddell • You know those movies where the people in the audience are screaming, ‘Don’t go in that door!’ because you know the killer is there? Well, it is the same thing with this debt. We know how this ends. – Marco Rubio • You must be really bad, because it is a puzzle. Creating anything is hard. It’s a cliché thing to say, but every time you start a job, you just don’t know anything. I mean, I can break something down, but ultimately I don’t know anything when I start work on a new movie. You start stabbing out, and you make a mistake, and it’s not right, and then you try again and again. The key is you have to commit. And that’s hard because you have to find what it is you are committing to. – Philip Seymour Hoffman

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Movie Quotes

Official Website: Movie Quotes

  • A Great Movie Evolves when Everybody Has the Same Vision in Their Heads. – Alan Parker • A lot of movies are about life, mine are like a slice of cake. – Alfred Hitchcock • A lot of the struggle I had with movies is I really loved moments and tones and feelings in a scene, and I loved creating those, but I never really had great stories to string them together. – Louis C. K. • A movie camera is like having someone you have a crush on watching you from afar – you pretend it’s not there. – Tom Stoppard • A movie star is not an artist, he is an art object. – Richard Schickel • All industries are brought under the control of such people [film producers] by Capitalism. If the capitalists let themselves be seduced from their pursuit of profits to the enchantments of art, they would be bankrupt before they knew where they were. You cannot combine the pursuit of money with the pursuit of art. – George Bernard Shaw • All of my problems are rather complicated – I need an entire novel to deal with them, not a short story or a movie. It’s like a personal therapy. – Manuel Puig • All television ever did was shrink the demand for ordinary movies. The demand for extraordinary movies increased. If any one thing is wrong with the movie industry today, it is the unrelenting effort to astonish. – Clive James • And at the end of the day, if the movie’s no good, I’ll live to fight another day. – Scott Caan • And I love a scary movie. It makes your toes curl and it’s not you going through it. – Anthony Hopkins • And what I like about it is it makes me happy and I think it makes a lot of people happy to go to the movies and to not think about the problems of the day or the problems of tomorrow or the yesterday and just go on for the ride and have the fun of losing oneself in a fantasy. – Nicolas Cage • And what movies we saw! All the actors and actresses whose photographs I collected, with their look of eternity! Their radiance, their eyes, their faces, their voices, the suavity of their movements! Their clothes! Even in prison movies, the stars shone in their prison clothes as if tailors had accompanied them in their downfall. – Paula Fox • Be your own hero, it’s cheaper than a movie ticket. – Douglas Horton • Coming Home had been made before and Apocalypse Now and Deer Hunter, different kinds of movies. – Oliver Stone • Delay and indecision are first weapons in the armory of moviemakers. – Shirley Temple • Directing a movie is serious, it’s not a joke. – Fred Durst • Directing ain’t about drawing a neat little picture and showing it to the cameraman. I didn’t want to go to film school. I didn’t know what the point was. The fact is, you don’t know what directing is until the sun is setting and you’ve got to get five shots and you’re only going to get two. – David Fincher • Do you know what makes a movie work? Moments. Give the audience half a dozen moments they can remember, and they’ll leave the theatre happy. – Rosalind Russell • Don’t be an extra in your own movie. Move out of your comfort zone. Don’t be afraid of feeling uncomfortable or awkward. Step-out and make it happen. – Bob Proctor • Dude, I didn’t say Jude Law can’t act. I didn’t say Jude Law was in bad movies. I just said he’s in every movie. – Chris Rock • Ego problems are endemic in every walk of life, but in the movie business egomaniacs are megalomaniacs. – Lynda Obst • ‘Election’ is a movie I’d give a leg to cross the director’s name out and put mine in. – Jason Reitman • Every actor you learn from, take something from everyone – big actor or not. Whether they’re big movie stars or not doesn’t really matter. – Diane Kruger • Every time I’m shooting a movie I want to kill myself. Because I don’t see the light in the end of the tunnel. – Emir Kusturica • Every time you make a movie it’s an adventure. – Shia LaBeouf • Everyone related to me in my circle was from church: church friends, church school, church activities. All my friends weren’t allowed to watch MTV or go to PG-13 movies or listen to the radio, so I didn’t really know anything different. That’s how I was raised. – Katy Perry • Everyone told me to pass on Speed because it was a ‘bus movie.’ – Sandra Bullock • Everything I learned I learned from the movies. – Audrey Hepburn • Filmmaking is a completely imperfect art form that takes years and, over those years, the movie tells you what it is. Mistakes happen, accidents happen and true great films are the results of those mistakes and the decisions that those directors make during those moments. – Jason Reitman • For my wrap present, Colin Farrell gave me a first edition book. I got so involved with this character and I was so sad when the movie was over that when I got home and I tried to read the book I got really emotional and I started crying. – Salma Hayek • For the most part, studio movies have huge budgets. They don’t do anything under 30 to 40 million. When you have that much money at stake, you have so many people breathing down your neck. – Penelope Spheeris • Francis Ford Coppola did this early on. You tape a movie, like a radio show, and you have the narrator read all the stage directions. And then you go back like a few days later and then you listen to the movie. And it sort of plays in your mind like a film, like a first rough cut of a movie. – Al Pacino • Give me B movies or give me death! – Clive Barker • Good movies make you care, make you believe in possibilities again. – Pauline Kael • great villains make great movies. – Staton Rabin • Hollywood’s old trick: repeat a successful formula until it dies. – Gloria Swanson • ‘Home Alone’ was a movie, not an alibi. – Jerry Orbach • I always feel like I can’t do it, that I can’t go through with a movie. But then I do go through with it after all. – Meryl Streep • I am in so many movies that are on TV at 2:00 a.m. that people think I am dead. – Michael Caine • I can direct breakfast, lunch, and dinner. I take pride in my kitchen, but I’m not going to direct a movie. – Julia Roberts • I don’t have people following me around, like bodyguards. I don’t know how people live like that. Maybe the young movie stars have to live like that, I don’t know. But it seems a little crazy to me. I don’t think you need all that stuff. – Anthony Hopkins • I don’t know what your childhood was like, but we didn’t have much money. We’d go to a movie on a Saturday night, then on Wednesday night my parents would walk us over to the library. It was such a big deal, to go in and get my own book. – Robert Redford • I don’t think London has been given enough credit in a lot of the movies that we make here. – Mel Smith • I don’t think you should feel about a film. You should feel about a woman, not a movie. You can’t kiss a movie. – Jean-Luc Godard • I don’t want to make movies for kids, and I don’t want to make movies for adults either. – Kristen Stewart • I encourage film students who are interested in cinematography to study sculpture, paintings, music, writing and other arts. Filmmaking consists of all the arts combined. Students are always asking me for advice, and I tell them that they have to be enthusiastic, because it’s hard work. The only way to enjoy it is to be totally immersed. If you don’t get involved on that level, it could be a very miserable job. I only have one regret about my career: I’m sorry that we are not making silent movies any more. That is the purest art form I can imagine. – Vilmos Zsigmond • I first wanted to be an actress after seeing a play – not a movie. – Kim Cattrall • I get that same queasy, nervous, thrilling feeling every time I go to work. That’s never worn off since I was 12 years-old with my dad’s 8-millimeter movie camera. – Steven Spielberg • I have never acted he has never been cast in a romantic lead or has been cast opposite a female love interest in any movie he starred in. – Morgan Freeman • I haven’t sold to the movies. In other words, I haven’t gotten any enormous checks yet. – Jack Vance • I like celluloid, I like film, I like the way that when a movie is projected it sort of breathes a little in the gate. That’s the magic of it to me. – Gary Oldman • I love Elmore Leonard. To me, True Romance is basically like an Elmore Leonard movie. – Quentin Tarantino • I love the grandiosity of Hollywood movies, and even in independents, I love the canvas you can tell your story on. I love fiction filmmaking, you really feel like you’re creating something. – George Hickenlooper • I loved old black and white movies, especially the Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers musicals. I loved everything about them – the songs, the music, the romance and the spectacle. They were real class and I knew that I wanted to be in that world. – Sharon Stone • I loved the movies and I wanted to be like Marilyn Monroe. I thought she was so glamorous and everyone seemed to love her. I wanted to be like that and I told everyone I would be the next Marilyn Monroe. – Sharon Stone • I make movies I want to see. – Neil LaBute • I never thought about becoming a professional singer, but I am in touch with Bono about releasing a musical movie. It will be about an Irish band during the ’70s who are looking for fortune in Las Vegas. I should play the singer of the band but I don’t want to sing in front of anybody. – Liam Neeson • I never want to be away from you again, except at work, in the restroom or when one of us is at a movie the other does not want to see. – Daniel Handler • I think less is more when it comes to kissing in the movies. – Julia Roberts • I want to make a good, solid kung fu movie. – Keanu Reeves • I was never a fanatical movie person. – John Malkovich • I wasn’t trying to top Pulp Fiction with Jackie Brown. I wanted to go underneath it and make a more modest character study movie. – Quentin Tarantino • I would be more frightened as a writer if people thought my movies were like science fiction. – Neil LaBute • I would say the film world has stopped operating as one. We have divided it into Hindi movies, Bengali movies, Tamil movies and so on. Earlier, there was only one channel and we all knew what was going on. Today, it is hard to keep track of programmes due to the advent of regional channels. – Mithun Chakraborty • If movies are causing moral decay, then crime ought to be going up, but crime is going down. – Jack Valenti • If somebody for some reason, for music or for movie, becomes famous, it’s because they have something, something special. – Roberto Cavalli • If you don’t like my movies, don’t watch them. – Dario Argento • If you have a friend who suffers, you have to help him.«My dear friend, you are on safe ground. Everything is okay now. Why do you continue to suffer? Don’t go back to the past. It’s only a ghost; it’s unreal». And whenever we recognize that these are only movies and pictures, not reality, we are free. That is the practice of mindfulness. – Nhat Hanh • If you’re a movie actor, you’re on your own – you cannot control the stage. The director controls it. – Michael Caine • I’m doing ‘Les Miserables,’ the movie. I’ve done a lot of musicals and a lot of movies, and I know there are not a lot of people in Hollywood who have been down those two paths so I’ve been like, ‘Come on, let’s do a movie/musical.’ – Hugh Jackman • I’m interested in doing movies I wouldn’t normally be interested in doing. – Eric Stoltz • I’m mad, true. But only about one thing. Horror movies. I love spooks. They are a friendly fearsome lot. Very nice people, actually, if you get to know them. Not like these industry chaps out here – Kishore Kumar • I’m not a real movie star. I’ve still got the same wife I started out with twenty-eight years ago. – Will Rogers • I’m not saying I’m a writer, but I’ve been in movies for a long time, and I think I could write a script for a movie. – Benicio Del Toro • I’m not surprised that Spielberg was able to capture the heroism of Schindler; so many of his movies are about the better part of mankind. – Gene Siskel • I’m terrible at horror movies, by the way. I get scared so easily. – Oliver Stone • In every movie I do have a dialogue. – Jackie Chan • In the movies Paris is designed as a backdrop for only three things–love, fashion shows, and revolution. – Jeanine Basinger • It (his contract) has options through the year 2020 or until the last Rocky movie is made. – Dan Quisenberry • It is not as mirrors reflect us but, rather, as our dreams do, that movies most truly reveal the times. If the dreams we have been dreaming provide a sad picture of us, it should be remembered that – like that first book of Dante’s Comedy – they show forth only one region of the psyche. Through them we can read with a peculiar accuracy the fears and confusions that assail us – we can read, in caricature, the Hell in which we are bound. But we cannot read the best hopes of the time. – Barbara Deming • It’s just lovely to be involved in a movie that does go back to the basics – characters and great writing. – Clive Owen • It’s something that was very interesting to me to be a part of and all of them again because of the relationship. Some of the superhero movies are better than others. – Blair Underwood • I’ve always found that when you’re trying to create illusions with sound, especially in a science fiction or fantasy movie, that pulling sounds from the world around us is a great way to cement that illusion because you can go out and record an elevator in George Lucas’s house or something, and it will have that motor sound. – Ben Burtt • I’ve always wanted to do a family movie. – Adam Sandler • I’ve always wanted two lives – one for the movies, one for myself. – Greta Garbo • I’ve got to see my movie to see how I’m acting, see what little things I can learn about my craft. – LL Cool J • I’ve had to make the transition from sweeping in for 15 minutes, doing my stuff and clearing out, to carrying a movie for the duration – in a dress. – Philip Seymour Hoffman • I’ve seen too many ups and downs in the movie industry. – Jackie Chan • Keep your eye on your inner world and keep away from ads, idiots and movie stars. – Dorothea Tanning • License to Kill’ is not one of the great Bond movies. – Benicio Del Toro • Look at a football field. It looks like a big movie screen. This is theatre. Football combines the strategy of chess. It’s part ballet. It’s part battleground, part playground. We clarify, amplify and glorify the game with our footage, the narration and that music, and in the end create an inspirational piece of footage. – Steve Sabol • Many times when you make a movie, it feels like your biggest mistake. But even if a film isn’t a hit, you shouldn’t view it as a mistake. – Ang Lee • Movie acting is about covering the machinery. Stage acting is about exposing the machinery. In cinema, you should think the actor is playing himself, if he’s that good. It looks very easy. It should. But it’s not, I assure you. – Michael Caine • Movie directors, or should I say people who create things, are very greedy and they can never be satisfied… That’s why they can keep on working. I’ve been able to work for so long because I think next time, I’ll make something good. – Akira Kurosawa • Movie failures are like the common cold. You can stay in bed and take aspirin for six days and recover. Or you can walk around and ignore it for six days and recover. – Gene Tierney • Movie SF is, by definition, dumbed down – there have only been three or four SF movies in the history of film that aspire to the complexity of literary SF. – Dan Simmons • Movies are a complicated collision of literature, theatre, music and all the visual arts. – Yahoo Serious • Movies are the art form most like man’s imagination. – Francis Ford Coppola • Movies are very subjective. – Jeff Bridges • Movies both reflect and create social conditions, but their special charm is to offer fantasy clothes as virtual reality, a world where people consume without the tedium of labor. Characters float in a world where the bill never comes due … and we wonder why we’re a debtor nation! – Molly Haskell • Movies can and do have tremendous influence in shaping young lives in the realm of entertainment towards the ideals and objectives of normal adulthood. – Walt Disney • movies have mirrored our moods and myths since the century began. They have taken on some of the work of religion. – Jennifer Stone • Movies have now reached the same stage as sex – it’s all technique and no feeling. – Penelope Gilliatt • Movies make you immortal and ageless. – Kristin Scott Thomas • Music is the soundtrack to the crappy movie that is my life. – Chris Rock • My dream role would probably be a psycho killer, because the whole thing I love about movies is that you get to do things you could never do in real life, and that would be my way of vicariously experiencing being a psycho killer. Also, it’s incredibly romantic. – Christina Ricci • My goal has been to learn how to get movies made without losing sight of the reasons I began. I have had to learn to recognize the insidious nature of the beast without becoming one. – Lynda Obst • My movies were the kind they show in prisons and airplanes, because nobody can leave. – Burt Reynolds • Mystery makes movie stars! If you see someone on the cover of the weeklies all the time, why would you want to pay to see them in a movie? – Sophia Bush • No saint, no pope, no general, no sultan, has ever had the power that a filmmaker has; the power to talk to hundreds of millions of people for two hours in the dark. – Frank Capra • oh mothers you will have made the little tykes so happy because if nobody does pick them up in the movies they won’t know the difference and if somebody does it’ll be sheer gravy – Frank O’Hara • On planes I always cry. Something about altitude, the lack of oxygen and the bad movies. I cried over a St. Bernard movie once on a plane. That was really embarrassing. – Michael Stipe • One cannot overstate the potential for hysteria on a movie set. Everyone always acts as if making the movie is as important as eradicating malaria. – Delia Ephron • One of the things we learn in movies directed by men is what the ‘fantasy woman’ is. What we learn in movies directed by women is what real women are about. I don’t think that men see things wrong and women right, just that we do see things differently. – Jane Campion • People go to movies or listen to music because they want to be inspired. – Daphne Zuniga • People have a preconceived notion about who I am and it’s interesting. It’s like picking who you want to win for the Oscars and not seeing the movie. – Amanda Bynes • People have perhaps gotten to the point where for the most part movies are a just bit of escape. – Neil LaBute • Quite often – a lot of the work I had done had been extensively with women. Most especially in the theater, but also quite often in the movies. That has its own delights, and maybe pitfalls too. – John Malkovich • Really, it’s the director’s job to disappear and allow the movie to just feel. – Jason Reitman • Revealing yourself, physically or emotionally, to cast and crew is frequently uncomfortable. But it is essential if you want to to tell the truth. I felt more at ease being bold with some than I did with others. I was incredibly fortunate to have worked with Randy Harrison as Justin Taylor. We share enough taste in music and art to have had a real camaraderie, and luckily that evolved into a deep friendship. – Gale Harold • So yes, I hope to act in other people’s movies, big and small, because that’s how I make my living, really. – Stanley Tucci • So, I installed a CCTV system to tape what’s going on inside my mind.

Thousands of hours of drama, confusion, discussion, huge special effects and futuristic scenarios. Also a lot of chatter, drama and suspense.

Is like to go to the movies for free, every day.

The CCTV technology used is the SSM-X45. Whose initials stand for: Sit down, Shut up and Meditate (X45 is just to sound more hi-tech) – Marcelo Goianira • Some men have a silly theory about beautiful women – that somewhere along the line they’ll turn into a monster. That movie gave them a chance to watch it happen. – Salma Hayek • Sometimes I’d like to play the bad guy and sometimes I’d like to die in a movie. – Jackie Chan • Sometimes in movies, I still have to be the hero, but it’s not all that important to me anymore. – Dennis Quaid • South Sea natives who have been exposed to American movies classify them into two types, ‘kiss-kiss’ and ‘bang-bang. – Hortense Powdermaker • Stars don’t make movies. Movies make stars. – Darryl F. Zanuck • The art of these Fifties movies was in sustaining forever the moment before sex. – Twyla Tharp • The Bollywood distribution system is so corrupt that they have trouble making money off movies. So they sell shoes that an actress stepped in. If they turned up the amps some, maybe they could sell the actresses. – Bruce Sterling • The difference between a movie star and a movie actor is this – a movie star will say, ‘How can I change the script to suit me?’ and a movie actor will say. ‘How can I change me to suit the script?’ – Michael Caine • The fact is, when I wrote ‘Juno’ – and I think this is part of its charm and appeal – I didn’t know how to write a movie. And I also had no idea it was going to get made! – Diablo Cody • The great thing about the movies … is-you’re giving people little … tiny pieces of time … that they never forget. – James Stewart • The interesting thing about a movie is the movie. – Christian Bale • The movie business is a big gamble. – Jackie Chan • The movie medium will eventually take its place as art because there is no other medium of interest to so many people. – Irving Thalberg • The movie says, You can lose your job and your way and still rescue yourself. ‘Larry Crowne’ creates a self-excavated utopia, and I love that idea, that message. – Julia Roberts • The movie, by sheer speeding up of the mechanical, carried us from the world of sequence and connections into the world of creative configurations and structure. – Marshall McLuhan • The movies are the only business where you can go out front and applaud yourself. – Will Rogers • The only thing worse than watching a bad movie is being in one. – Elvis Presley • The reason I took Early Edition – besides the fact that I liked it – was that it enabled me to start a production company in New York City. It’s a low-budget film company to produce and direct movies. – Fisher Stevens • The shooting of the movie is the truth part and the editing of the movie is the lying part, the deceit part – Paul Hirsch • The sorrow of not being movie stars overwhelms millions. – Mason Cooley • The Super Bowl is like a movie, and the quarterback is the leading man. – Leigh Steinberg • The thing about movies these days is that the commerce end of it is so inflated and financiers are just expecting this enormous return on their investment. – Alex Winter • The truth is that everyone pays attention to who’s number one at the box office. And none of it matters, because the only thing that really exists is the connection the audience has with a movie. – Tom Hanks • There are a lot of roles in Shakespeare, basically. If I feel that the script is a movie, I would be interested in doing any role of Shakespeare’s. – Al Pacino • There’s an electrical thing about movies. – Oliver Stone • These movies are like my kids. I just love them to death. Some of them go to Harvard and some of them can barely graduate high school. – Barry Sonnenfeld • To me the recognition of the audience is part of the filmmaking process. When you make a movie, it’s for them. – Michel Hazanavicius • To me, movies and music go hand in hand. When I’m writing a script, one of the first things I do is find the music I’m going to play for the opening sequence. – Quentin Tarantino • Warner Bros. has talked about going out with low-cost DVDs simultaneously in China because piracy is so huge there. It will be a while before bigger movies go out in all formats; in five years, everything will. – Steven Soderbergh • We don’t make movies to make money, we make money to make more movies. – Walt Disney • We lay out our lives in a narrative we understand, like a movie, but are you enjoying making it or are you wondering who’s watching my movie. – Donald Glover • What I’ve learned is that life is too short and movies are too long. – Denis Leary • When I do a political movie, I do a political movie. – Antonio Banderas • When I stepped out into the bright sunlight from the darkness of the movie house, I had only two things on my mind: Paul Newman and a ride home. – S. E. Hinton • When the movie comes out, what anybody thinks of it doesn’t really matter to me. I don’t go to the wrap party. I don’t go to the premiere. – Henry Rollins • Whether in success or in failure, I’m proud of every single movie I’ve ever directed. – Steven Spielberg • White people scare the crap out of me. I have never been attacked by a black person, never been evicted by a black person, never had my security deposit ripped off by a black landlord, never had a black landlord, never been pulled over by a black cop, never been sold a lemon by a black car salesman, never seen a black car salesman, never had a black person deny me a bank loan, never had a black person bury my movie, and I’ve never heard a black person say, ‘We’re going to eliminate ten thousand jobs here – have a nice day!’ – Michael Moore • with all these tentpoles, franchises, reboots and sequels, is there still room for movies in the movie business? – Lynda Obst • Writing a book is like masturbation, and making a movie is like an orgy. – Clive Barker • You are not just here to fill space or be a background character in someone else’s movie. Consider this: nothing would be the same if you did not exist. Every place you have ever been and everyone you have ever spoken to would be different without you. We are all connected, and we are all affected by the decisions and even the existence of those around us. – David Niven • You just have to realize that Jet Li is a movie star. He’s great at what he does, but if he stepped into our world he wouldn’t last long. – Chuck Liddell • You know those movies where the people in the audience are screaming, ‘Don’t go in that door!’ because you know the killer is there? Well, it is the same thing with this debt. We know how this ends. – Marco Rubio • You must be really bad, because it is a puzzle. Creating anything is hard. It’s a cliché thing to say, but every time you start a job, you just don’t know anything. I mean, I can break something down, but ultimately I don’t know anything when I start work on a new movie. You start stabbing out, and you make a mistake, and it’s not right, and then you try again and again. The key is you have to commit. And that’s hard because you have to find what it is you are committing to. – Philip Seymour Hoffman