#and the second was really more of a thriller with a surprise villain.

[siena-sevenwits]

Lockwood thoughts - feel free to move on.

[alexiroflife]

being married to gojo as an actress while playing the role of a villain...

au, fluff, some suggestive themes, cheating themes

🌟🌟🌟

both you, satoru, and probably the rest of the world can confidently say that satoru is your biggest fan. while he is fully successful within his own career, he can not help but fawn over your achievements like a ten year old boy with one of your movie posters hung up in his room

the world does not associate either of you without the other. yes, you have individually made an outstanding name for yourself within the television and theater industry, but your fans find the two of you so adorable, so iconic that it’s impossible to imagine you without satoru gojo and satoru gojo without you

viewers are starstruck when you arrive to your film premiers with satoru on your arm, beaming pridefully as though it’s his first time walking the red carpet when that’s hardly true. you’re beautiful, and everyone knows it. the second your eyes meet a camera along with satoru’s striking blue ones, his hand wrapped snugly around your waist and your faces adorned with dazzling smiles, photographers go wild. even more so when satoru blatantly grabs your face and kisses you all over, feeding your fan pages’ content as well as his desire to constantly shower you in affection

and when it’s not at premieres, satoru’s supporting you during tours, press conferences, galas, meet and greets, sitting backstage or in the front row of the crowd or at times by your side as though he can’t bear to be away from you. when you’re being showered in appreciation, he’s flicking thousands of pictures, capturing the way you interact with your adoring admirers

satoru's grown rather used to the array of roles you have played. he's seen you in rom-coms, dramas, thrillers, actions, you name it, and though he doesn't necessarily get jealous when you have to kiss someone on screen anymore, he doesn't always appreciate some of the intimate scenes you do. despite so, he trusts you. he knows it's your job and that none of it is real, and above all, he knows the faces you make when you're truly experiencing pleasure. while you're an amazing actor, those faces you make on screen could never begin to compare to the ones he draws out of you

ever the arrogant man, however, satoru always makes it a point to remind you of who makes you feel good- who has you crossing your legs under the table as you meet with colleagues over the computer, his fingers working their way in and out of your sopping cunt off camera as you try your damndest to keep a straight face while your entire lower half is squirming- who makes a point to fuck you over the dresser of your trailer in between shoots after having brought you some coffee to help keep your energy high, rambling on about how one of the tech assistants had been looking at you for too long- who, at any event possible, will never fail to lay you back on the seat of your limo before even stepping outside, scrunching up your obscenely priced gown to eat you out as he gazes up at you over your legs

"you're so gorgeous, pretty. my pretty girl," "how lucky am i to be the only one who gets to see you like this, hm?" "fuck, baby, they have no fuckin' idea how good you feel"

even with his habits, satoru will never turn his nose up at any role you play simply because you're far too talented and simultaneously devoted to him for him to ever feel put off by your occupation. besides, he's managed to bag one of the most famous actors in the world. he truly does not think he has anything to worry about when it comes to you

satoru finds himself rather surprised, yet excited nonetheless, when he hears that you are to be playing a dislikable character in the upcoming film of the summer. you warn him that it's drastically different, that you'll be tapping into a morally poor side of yourself for this role that you have never delved into, nor really favored before

"pretty, you'll do amazing. trust me. do i get to watch you be mean to other guys? do you get to beat anyone's ass? honestly, that sounds like a dream come true" "i mean, yeah, but toru it's more than that. my character is actually a bitch. an unfaithful, abusive one. i don't know how i'm gonna do that..."

satoru knows that behind all the glitz, glamor, and fame, the occupation of an actor can be incredibly emotionally and physically taxing. you don't tell him much more about the role before rehearsals and filming starts, but he can tell over time that you're struggling with this particular film. simply because you're just too kind of a person despite how large your presence is

well into the filming process, he decides to visit you on set to serve as some extra emotional support. he's watching from behind the cameras intently as you go through a scene that's way more intense than he had previously expected, and his jaw practically drops as he watches the scene play out before him

your character is being confronted by her husband about her infidelity, and all the while as your acting partner screams at you in tears to beg you for some remorse, you lay back on a sofa with a cigarette pinched between your fingers, face completely dull and apathetic

"how could you do this to me?! to us? why won't you look at me! I say something!"

"whatever i say won't change the fact that i fucked someone else."

"...do you even care? do you care that you've ruined our relationship?"

"let's be real, there was no relationship to begin with."

"w-what do you mean?"

you stand, stubbing your cigarette into a mug, and walk over to your sniveling scene partner. the camera zooms on your face, your dead eyes, your angled brows. "i never loved you. don't you get it? you're just a pet, and you know it. so don't go crying to me about breaking something that was never promised"

satoru's eyes are wide, completely enraptured as though this scene is a real moment he is witnessing from afar. your fake husband he breaks down, dropping to his knees and clinging to you, but you curl your lips in disgust.

"get the fuck off me," you hiss, shoving him rather aggressively away. he falls, sobbing. "pathetic piece of shit."

you go to turn away, but stop and stumble. immediately you break, and gone is the merciless woman that was acting before the crew seconds ago. the light returns to your eyes as you cover your mouth in embarrassment, looking up.

"sorry, i forgot my next block," you say sweetly, timidly. "how was that?"

"perfect! let's pick up from when you turn away. once you say that last line, you-"

satoru is baffled, the director's notes falling into muffled white noise as he stares at you. he's never seen you in such a position before, one that has him questioning everything about you. and though you claimed to have a hard time with it, you were doing fucking phenomenal

he sees now what you mean about your character being... well, a horrible person for lack of a better term. he doesn't even recognize you, and he's sure your fans are going to have a field day when this film comes out. you're being shown in a drastically different light from your heroine and emotionally relatable love interest positions, and it will surely be a sight for the world to see.

during your break, you walk up to satoru tiredly and burrow your face into his chest. he wraps you up immediately, babbling about how insane you were in your scene. you look up at him with those big (e/c) eyes as he runs his hand over the back of your head.

"you think so?"

"baby, my jaw was dropped the entire time. i don't even know how you did that. you played that a little too well."

he's joking, but you still make a face of slight fear, as though you're scared of offending him. "you think it's too much?"

"no- it's a lot, but no- it's perfect. it's bold, and you do it so well."

"it doesn't make you uncomfortable?"

"why would it make me uncomfortable, pretty? i know you're acting, and it's not like you'd ever cheat on me let alone act like that," he tilts his head as a remorseful look flashes through your eyes. "are you uncomfortable?"

"i don't know... i'm just scared of how people will react... mostly because i could never picture saying this stuff to you, and i've had to do a lot of exercises to get into this toxic mindset that just... eugh. trust me, you haven't even seen the half of it."

"have you been able to take long enough breaks?"

"kinda..."

"alright, let's go chill in your trailer 'til your next call. i don't want you stressing your pretty little head about this, princess. you're doing amazing and remember, it's just a movie."

and yes, it's just a movie. a movie that has satoru twitching in his seat during the premiere at how uncomfortably awful you're acting the entire time in the film. by now, you've eased into the feel of things and are rather proud of the work you''ve done, but also happy that it's all over. you hold satoru's hand tight during some of the worst scenes, sneaking glances at him as the screen flickers intensely over his glassy eyes. you can tell he's rather moved by it all, by seeing you in such a position, and you chew harshly on the inside of your lip

when the lights come up, you're given a standing ovation initiated of course by your rather emotional husband, but in his defense, the entire room has tears in their eyes as well. satoru's clapping harshly, and you try to hide your face as grateful tears spring in your eyes, grateful for this opportunity, for your accomplishments, for the support that surrounds you

satoru wraps you in a huge hug and whispers in your ear "don't ever do what you just did in that movie to me," he whimpers, and you laugh loudly because both of you know the thought is inconceivable. "you did so so good, baby. m'so proud of how far you've come"

that night, you shower each other with love. you're wrapped up in each other's limbs, your lips meeting every part of his skin to remind him that you are still you despite the realism of the character you played, and that satoru will always be your one and only you devote yourself faithfully to for the rest of your life. when the two of you have spent yourselves, satoru holds you in the moonlit darkness of your bedroom, arms wrapped around you from behind with your back to his chest. he kisses your shoulder softly, then your cheek

"you really liked the movie, toru?" you whisper. "i loved it," he mumbles into your skin. "but, god, i thought i was gonna have a heart attack almost fifty times and that one scene with you at the bar didn't help." "i knew you were gonna say something about that!" "i can't help it, baby, you were just so heartless and scary," he pouts

[adamwatchesmovies]

Anatomy of a Fall (2023)

Of all the legal thrillers I’ve seen, Anatomy of a Fall feels the most genuine and relatable. While there are big revelations about the people involved and technically, they come suddenly, this isn’t a story of accidental confessions, surprise witnesses, or even earth-shattering pieces of evidence. Something happened while there were no witnesses present. The court must decide whether a crime was committed or not based on the evidence. That's it. In the process, the film peels back layers to reveal the truth and half-truths that comprise relationships.

Sandra Voyter (Sandra Hüller) is woken from a nap by her son, Daniel (Milo Machado-Graner). Her husband (his father), Samuel Maleski (Samuel Theis), has fallen from their roof and died. She insists it must have been an accident - he was working on the roof when she went to sleep. The authorities are not convinced and she is indicted on charges of murder.

There’s a particular line in the film that summarizes what a nightmare this situation is. It's something like “What you hear, it’s just a small part of the whole”. As we're presented with testimonies from experts and people who knew Samuel, as more evidence is brought forth, we're given a version of Sandra and Samuel's relationship. In a way, it’s not even Sandra who’s on trial; it’s her marriage. If she and her husband fought a lot, if someone was unfaithful, if someone was planning on leaving, then it probably means Sandra killed him. It’s not even if the whole relationship was bad; it’s if it was bad recently. We're not talking about "a rough patch" or something they could've overcome. This fragment is now the whole.

In a way, the trial is a matter of life and death. The jury is deliberating whether Sandra killed her husband. It’s also about an intimate subject you could call mundane in the grand scheme of things: two people’s marriage. Drawing a conclusion from the snippets presented is an unfair way to judge their relationship but it’s also the best way to see what it was like because you get the “highlight reel”. By the time this film is over, you feel like you know these people so well that they're no longer characters in a film. Then, you remember that quote from earlier and you second-guess everything. Do you really know? That sentiment is amplified by the revelations that come up during the trial. They’re not the sort of bombshells you’re used to seeing in these legal dramas, but they’re just as earth-shattering and revelatory.

The film is as absorbing as it is because of the excellent script by Justine Triet (who also directs) and Arthur Harari and the performances. There are so many character moments in Anatomy of a Fall that I see it as the kind of film you would come back to in the future, despite so much of the suspense coming from the uncertainty of the final verdict. Even some of the minor characters I keep thinking back to, like the two forensic analysts who bring to the stand completely different interpretations of three drops of blood found outside. It makes you wonder if they - despite having no investment in this narrative whatsoever - somehow made up their minds about the case anyway and brought in their biases. Why else would they be so combative? Many characters are deliberately unlikable, but not in a way that makes them villains. Wait. Did I dislike them because of who they really are, or because of the way I perceived them based on the evidence presented? hmm.

Anatomy of a Fall is a film of complex emotions. There are so many details in the case, the way the characters behave or relate to each other that you forget everything else around you. The performances are excellent, as is the script. You've never been put on trial for murder before but you'll know what it must feel like once the end credits roll. (March 27, 2024)

[moononmyfloor]

In the 3rd Quarter of 2024 Cdramaland...

1st Quarter, 2nd Quarter, 4th Quarter

(Aka the review post where I speak like I'm a hyping announcer at a presidential debate ��)

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16. Favorite Parents/Parent figures of the year

Papa Gu (Zhang Fengyi) from A Lonely Hero's Journey, Master Li (Qiu Xinzhi & Zhang Chenxiao) from Dashing Youth

Usually the uber principled, patriotic, larger-than-life parents are stereotyped as negligent and ruthless towards their children or incapable of expressing their true affections. Not Gu Xixing. He was a strict father but for all the right reasons, and never hesitated to throw his prestige and life aside for his children any second and he made sure his children knew that, which was the most important part. The kids knew their father wasn't someone to be trifled with, but also that they were so incredibly loved and protected. Having him as the father was a big part of why the ML grew upto be such a stable and well-adjusted young man who would never sway no matter what catastrophe befell him.

Li Changsheng was, hm, admirable in the COMPLETE opposite way. One of the most convincing character designs for an immortal I've seen, he was often insensitive to the mortal struggles his students went through, and came across as snobbish and heartless at times, but that behaviour made sense and was understandable for once. Plus, when he did decide show that he cares, he went big. Earth shatteringly, Dynasty-topplingly, Heaven-shakingly big. Quite literally. He always had life advise and cultivation tips to give, if you were able to tolerate his cryptic speech and dark humor resulting from having lived for too long. I was both disturbed and fascinated by him, I even wrote character analysis for him here and here, lol.

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17. Favorite historical drama of the year

A Lonely Hero's Journey

Set in Suzhou during 1940' Japanese Occupation era, this drama is by no means the most perfect espionage/spy/war show that China has to offer, but I REALLY enjoyed it because it had so much heart despite all the bloodshed and devastation going around.

It didn't have the most accurate-to-history depictions of this specific time period, the costumes weren't necessarily period appropriate etc, BUT THAT'S OK, because even still it did such a GORGEOUS job of its wardrobe, and it's not like didn't do some research (3 meta pics from official weibo posted above), delivered heaps upon heaps of world-famous Suzhou architecture and landscaping aesthetics (3 collages from weibo below) and used this mesmerising old gramophone track 【Teach Me How Not to Think of Her (教我如何不想她) by 赵元任 (Zhao Yuanren)】 in its bgm and also did a modern cover for it, all of which made for a very atmospheric viewing experience.

And most importantly, it depicted almost all the characters with empathy no matter they were a main character, a villain, a traitor, a Chinese or Japanese. If you see people spouting that Cdramas always have clear cut black and white censored portrayals of stories that take place in sensitive historical time periods, that they bend over their back to ensure the audience wouldn't root for the characters on the wrong side, just slap a show like this in their face.

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18. A drama that was a pleasant surprise

Snowfall

When the premise said "Republican era Vampire Cdrama with an age gap relationship" I didn't really expect it to be anything more than a cheaply produced light fantasy thriller with the said age gap couple being portrayed by two same age actors where one character simply happens to be labelled as immortal.

Snowfall was anything but. Excellent cinematic visuals, sets, styling and costumes from Director Li Muge, who is like China's second God of Colors after Dir. Zhang Yimou, veteran actor Vengo Gao (Age: 42) as the immortal half of the pair and Ouyang Nana (Age: 24) as the younger half, who actually do share a very visually age-gap dynamic that was so masterfully explored so it was 100% about mutual respect, adoration and sexual tension without being creepy, and the show never let you forget that the main lead was a vampire who could unleash some serious, gory violence if he wanted. Yes, his vampirism was still explained as the fault of alien meteorites (as always 😂) but they compensated with delivering an immaculate antagonist who was 10x unhinged than any paranormal disease could ever be. He had a competency kink, abandonment issues, he was emitting the desire to be held by throat and be topped wherever he went like a jumbotron, he loved to torture AND be tortured... the list is endless. Watching this drama was absolutely delightful.

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19. Favorite adaptation of the year

Adventure Behind the Bronze Door/Tibetan Sea Flower

The DMBJ fandom was waiting for this for what felt like a decade but OH MAN IT DELIVERED. Not only that it was faithful to the book in ALL the ways that mattered, it fixed up a lot of not-so-good parts in the original material, fixed continuity issues and became the DMBJ show with the most cohesive, well-paced narrative. It was about time.

From the super-well thought out opening credits animations, to the casting, book references, props designs, CGI, bgm and the to the freaking ENGLISH of all things, it was perfection. 9.5/10 Stars No Drama.

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20. Screenstealer of the year

Ye Dingzhi (He Yu) from Dashing Youth

Tumblr user @fortycumber said it all, couldn't have said it better😂. Despite the promising start, Dashing Youth fell apart by the end (though I did enjoy that drama a fair amount, I made an edit too for Dingzhi and his poor wife Wenjun) with the scriptwriting failing almost all characters including Dingzhi himself, but He Yu's soulful acting did SO much to singlehandedly keep the show worth watching to the end.

It is especially amazing considering how He Yu is still a new actor, he had studied Architecture and started pursuing acting only recently, other than the gorgeous face he had little in common with the gazillions of his peers in the same show, yet he was the one who hit it out of the ballpark. An orphan in the Jianghu whose family was brutally murdered in his childhood, brought up by a just as loner Dark Cultivation Master, a prodigy who is admired but never understood and therefore feared by everyone, an ardent, loyal lover, a struggling young father.... he nailed it all with the perfect amount of gravitas.

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21. A drama that made me cry

Adventure Behind the Bronze Door/Tibetan Sea Flower

When I tell you just how much ZHH got the vibes right, I was impatient for the subs and randomly clicked here and there on ep 30 already, without subs. I saw glimpses of certain scenes that were happing in the ep and I just

stared at the screen

scared at the screen

A shudder passed through me and I instantly started bawling like a baby.

That hadn't happened to me in a long time. 😭

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22. A drama that made me laugh

The Flower of Lust

A low-budget simple comedy with copious GL undertones, this drama didn't offer much meat to bite on, but it was unexpectedly some good fun. Fast and easy to follow, there was lots of turned-around gender expectations going on for the roles.

For example, this laobanniang played by Word of Honor's Beauty Ghost is the main lead, there's no Male Lead, but a clutzy female assassin who's going to kill the Lady and they develop a classic wuxia sworn-sisterhood relationship where they share energy (😏) and sacrifice for each other. It has two side male characters played by hot young actors (Huang Junjie and Li Zhuoyang), but they are simply himbos who were saved by the boss lady and now work as her bodyguards! At most, they only have hots for each other.

Also it has a theme song that sounds TOO good for the production quality. Plus each ep is only 15 mins long, you won't lose out if you give this show a chance. The full version is only 3.5 hours.

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23. An old drama I watched this year

My Girlfriend's Boyfriend (2017)

On paper-

"An otaku wants to order a love bot in the form of the girl he has a crush on, but accidentally orders a male bot who is programmed to love him forever, and the otaku re-purchases the girl bot but she accidentally gets programmed to love the guy bot, and the Otaku suffers. A lighthearted comedy with some gay jokes."

What it actually was-

Polyamory negotiation, feelings realisation, coming out, internalised homophobia, learning to love yourself, multiple thorough discussions on how a relationship arrangement doesn't have to be this predefined textbook thing and how it's sometimes as simple as just staying with people who make you happy, the biggest gathering of explicitly-acknowledged queer people I've seen in a Cdrama including the ML himself, a butch, a crossdresser, a BL writer, a girl who believes everyone is in love with her...... who are shunned by the rest of the campus for being "weirdos" so they create this space for themselves that is so full of love and acceptance and *literally* decorated in rainbows, and there was a scene of a gay bar with a married gay couple...... I can go on and on.

Is it a perfect show? No. But I would give it even more than 10/10 if possible, simply for existing. It's not a masterpiece and is full of silliness sometimes but it is so painfully clear that this show was made by people who knew what they were doing.

The Before-2018 Cdramaland was a RIOT. Highly rec that everyone watch this, especially if you are interested in seeing what queer portrayals in recent Cdrama scene used to be before censorship rules tightened.

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More posts by me

[lorz-ix]

Hoo boy I really did watch all of these again

Sort of by coincidence, I kinda felt like re-watching a horror series that I have a lot of fun with, right before a new one came out. So let's recap my thoughts.

I will try to keep my comments on each movie short, because otherwise this would take me ages to wrap up lol

Saw (2004)

No introduction required. Most people praise the merit and creativity in what the filmmakers were able to achieve with a rather tight budget, but some looking for the, uh... "extreme thrills" the franchise is known for consider this entry very weak. They're wrong, of course, because even if the violence and gore was more frequent or graphic, that's not what makes an interesting movie.

The plot is simple enough and easy to follow, it makes for an effective mystery/thriller. The motivations of each character are still unknown to the audience, and the serial killer at the center of everything is mostly just "a terminal patient about to die who tests people who don't value their own lives". No complicated morals or constant retcons and flashbacks yet, though the twist at the end is pretty cool for a first time viewer. A twist that will set the expectations for every following entry.

Saw II (2005)

A fan-favorite sequel that cranks up just about everything that made the first movie famous and sets even more expectations for the future. This entry introduces the setup that many more would follow, where instead of the first movie's humble escape room-like setup, now several people must go through a series of violent and dangerous traps, which are all connected. And it's also an escape room, with puzzles/riddles to solve. Everything is more violent and disturbing too, of course.

I think it's a good one. There's an interlocking A and B plot with a decent mystery going on, and the set of twists/reveals at the end are surprising. We get more of an insight into the Jigsaw killer character and his threatening psyche, which everyone loves. If you can stomach the disturbing parts, I strongly recommend it.

Saw III (2006)

This is where the series starts to introduce elements that I'm not the biggest fan of. The B plot doesn't follow a group of people, but a single guy who must try to release other people from traps, with not much of a threat to himself during most of it. The "protagonist" is traumatized by the loss of his son in an accident, so the test is more psychological: he has to learn to forgive the people involved and save them, even if it means making sacrifices.

The setup is a good idea, but as a viewer it doesn't feel fair to see people helplessly die, their only hope being an outsider who hates them. It doesn't matter how much they wanted to live, or what they learned, they have barely any influence in the outcome. I personally believe the killer's morals are bullshit, so I don't care when they're contradictory (in fact I'll comment on this later), I just think it's unfair to watch.

Besides, even if the main character is traumatized and all, and he learns his lesson during the movie, he still comes off as very unlikeable, especially near the end, so it contributes to the frustrating experience.

What about the A plot though? Well, all I'll say is, even if I had negative opinions on parts of the movie, I can still recommend watching this far to make a nice trilogy. My overall opinion is kinda mixed, but this is a better conclusion to stop watching than the second one.

Saw IV (2007)

A rather forgettable one, but the traps in here are actually kinda memorable in how particularly disturbing they are. Despite the overall story being nothing to write home about, there's a big focus in making the main character of this entry sympathize with the Jigsaw killer, trying to make him understand his morals, so it's fairly interesting for me as a way to understand the villain.

I'm not one of those fans that go "oh he's an insane killer but he has a point". He very rarely does. Sometimes there's some twisted satisfaction in seeing horrible people get punished, but that doesn't mean he's right. In this movie we get to see a lot more that he's just like a cop, once you cross the line for him, you deserve whatever's coming to you. If you die, you were no good anyway, someone had to do the right thing, etc. "See what I see" he says, "you have to let them save themselves" (sounding a lot like "pick yourself up by your bootstraps eh?).

It's all interesting for me as a fan of the series, but the movie itself is whatever. Oh and I guess the ending twist will introduce a new villain that will be all over the A plots for a good while.

Saw V (2008)

Here we go, back to the "several people following a series of traps" setup. Memorable for being one of the most predictable twists of the franchise (so predictable it ruins what would have been a neat premise), however, and for having a B plot that's basically completely detached from the A plot. Up until now, both had at least been somewhat related, but now we have the "soap opera following the actual plot of the series" storyline running alongside a "series of people dying violently" storyline to please the audience.

I don't blame anyone for tuning out either here or by the previous one. I find the overarching narrative to be fun to follow, but the expectations to please audiences by killing off a ton of people in increasingly violent ways, as well as to have a twist by the end, no matter how dumb, among other things, are actually hurting these as actual movies. The next one will be a surprising step up though.

Saw VI (2009)

And out of nowhere, the "subtle" and probably not even intentional political subtext of this series turnt into an entire movie satirizing health insurance companies. This premise itself makes this entry one of the stand-outs outside of the first trilogy.

The soap opera A plot feels like every movie since 4 have been episodes of the same cop drama, so it's not very relevant when discussing the qualities of this specific one. If you were already invested in the villain and his antics, you'll probably want to know what happens next. A lot of people don't really care so that's fine too.

As for the B plot, my interpretation that the Jigsaw killer has terrible morals and he's actually just representing a more twisted version of the current system has more proof than ever. He's "testing" people involved in the insurance company that denied him coverage when he was diagnosed with cancer, so no matter how much he says "it's deserved, it's not revenge", we know it's bullshit when the traps are set up so that someone must always die. Where's the fairness? Every one can win, but it's impossible for everyone to win. Remind you of something?

Unlike in the third movie, the traps are unfair, but it doesn't feel so unfair as a viewer, because in 3 the deaths were avoidable, but in 6 they are clearly making a point. The insurance company decides who lives and who dies, so the killer makes them decide who among them live or die. As I said a while ago, you're not supposed to agree with Jigsaw, he's obviously setting up this "poetic justice" for revenge, he's setting up people to die when their crimes were being an addict, being a janitor in the company and similar stuff. If you think the insurance company is bad (they are), you should think the killer forcing them into a massive metaphor of themselves is also bad. He himself is a metaphor of the system.

Saw 3D (2010)

The end of the soap opera era. The previous entry saw a negative trend in box office returns, so they rushed an ending to the series and possibly came to the conclusion that the very explicit political messaging was partly to blame. I can imagine it may have been unpopular with "normie" horror fans who mostly wanted to watch violent, gory slop and nothing more.

What we have here is broadly considered one of the worst flicks in the franchise. The fact that it's 3D probably makes it feel adequately trashy, and it has very funny side effects, like bad "thing comes at the screen" scenes that look very out of place, or the blood being a weird pink tone because the proper red didn't look good with the 3D effect. It's so trashy it starts off with a public execution where two guys who were being cheated on must decide if they're gonna kill each other or let their girlfriend die (yet again with the "at least one person must die" schtick). The girl obviously dies, because fuck that bitch, right? She deserved it. The fans cheer.

I enjoy trashy horror films so I have a lot of fun watching this one. It's easy to mock and criticize the dumb parts, they're so stupid it's funny. But it's not all that, there's also a few traps here that are among the most disturbing in the series in my opinion, so if you enjoy that side of these movies, you can get some sick enjoyment out of it.

Jigsaw (2017)

After a very much needed break, the series returned with a soft reboot. It still follows the grand plot of the old ones, but after a decent time skip and introducing new characters, ditching most of the old.

I don't have much to say about this one. I don't like it at all, and I don't find it even ironically enjoyable. The violent parts are for the most part not as disturbing or memorable, and there isn't much room for interesting character analysis. The entire plot is setting up for a twist that's meant to shock the audience and feels almost incoherent in-universe, not to mention that it's one that's been done before with a lot more success in this very franchise. No future entry has addressed what happened here, and probably won't do so for the foreseeable future.

Spiral: from the book of Saw (2021)

A fresh entry that I found very promising, it once again ditches most previous characters and goes for the spin-off approach, so it works as a stand-alone film. It feels like it's less held back by previous expectations, so the brand-new copycat killer is also not restricted by someone else's moral code, and uses new symbols (or old ones in new ways) that I find effective.

The broad message of the film is one of criticism of police corruption, similar to how 6 criticized insurance companies. It's not a bad start, but it doesn't go far enough. Now that I think about it, that last sentence might as well describe the entire film, since the new approach is nice, but they didn't turn it into something that memorable. When I first saw it, I enjoyed a few bits quite a lot, but I was more so excited for the future of the franchise than I was about the movie itself.

Turns out the future of the franchise wouldn't follow this new approach.

Saw X (2023)

But in all honesty, as much as I wanted to see something like Spiral done better, the brand new movie ended up being surprisingly good. It takes all the time it needs to actually create interesting human drama and let the plot breathe. It might be held back by the past, turning back the clock in the timeline and bringing back old characters, while at the same time not really advancing the broader narrative, but as a self-contained flick (probably a new self-contained trilogy in the future), it's way better than 70% of these gory trainwrecks.

I'm worried about it making the Jigsaw killer into an even more sympathetic character, more than ever, fans seem to be eating it up. It's obvious that he's the most important and interesting thing in this entire franchise, but I think he should still be clearly a twisted villain and not some freak anti-hero. You still get a bunch of hypocrisy and contradiction coming from his morals, but it's still easier than ever for wacky horror fans to say he has a point.

There is some weirdness to the movie, like the way characters acted. The killer and his accomplice show themselves to the victims as if that's something they normally do, as if they didn't have a clear MO in every past movie. But honestly their actions have a little bit of a justification, and it makes for effective personal drama so I guess I can still cook up my headcanons.

For now, I'm excited about what's next. Not as in "this was meh but it could be better if they went down this route", but like "this was pretty good so I wouldn't mind getting more of this". It's reviewing well so "more like this" is to be expected. I simply hope they tone down the weird sympathy for the serial murderer a little bit.

[lilareviewsbooks]

May Reading Wrap Up :)

Okay, listen… It's my first month of summer vacation and I have absolutely nothing to do, so don't judge me here, but this month I read 13 books. I know, I know… I promise I've been exercising and getting out and stuff, it just happened. Having a lot of free time means a lot of reading time for me, especially since I discovered the power of audiobooks. So let's take a look at what I read and what I thought of each book!

The Shadow of Kiyoshi, by F.C. Yee

4 stars

341 pages

Contains: sapphic girlies; elemental magic (duh!!) and a sympathetic bad guy :( 

I read this so early in the month, and when I was still at college, packing, so it feels like ages ago. I mostly listened to The Shadow of Kiyoshi, and, like I've mentioned before on here, listening to fiction has been a challenge. I'm not very used to it, yet, and I need to continue to acclimate to it. This book was the unfortunate victim of my poor ears – I work with audio, what am I talking about – and understanding what was going on was difficult for me. But I benefited from this being the second book in the Kiyoshi Novels series, which are companion novels to the show Avatar: The Last Airbender – and if you haven't watched that, and you're a fantasy fan, do so right now.

This one is complicated to talk about because of its relationship to the ATLA canon. However, I can say that the characters are incredibly compelling, just like they were in the first book of the series. The main romantic relationship, between Rangi and Avatar Kiyoshi, just draws you in, and their dynamic is the best! I loved it especially when Mr. Yee pulls some humor out of it. 

In general, I think this lives up to the series, and does it justice. It keeps the good humor and nature of the show, without losing its attention to darker themes. Here, I think it was best represented by our "bad guy" (and I can't tell you who they are!), who I felt so much sympathy for, and who had a complicated relationship with our lead.

Highly recommend this series, especially for fans of ATLA – though I'm pretty sure you could theoretically read this without watching the show!

The Dawn of Yangchen, by F.C. Yee

4 stars

336 pages

Contains: politics (but softcore, esp. if you're a fan of those cerebral thriller types of books); a mc plagued by her past lives; romantic tension

I also listened to this, but on the plane home lmao I'm terrified of planes, so I wasn't paying that much attention as I was trying not to throw up every time it wiggled a little bit! But I enjoyed The Dawn of Yangchen. It was a calming read lmao

This one is surprisingly political, which I wasn't expecting. This is also a part of the ATLA universe, and is following a different Avatar from Kiyoshi, and it's the first in a series. So, I was expecting this one to be more or less the same as The Rise of Kiyoshi and its successor. 

But I was surprised. Mr. Yee really focuses, here, on the politics of some specific towns, previously unknown in this universe, at least to my knowledge, which was such an interesting expansion. It also went into some other Avatars' lives, Yangchen's previous lives. That was super cool for me to read, because I'm literally so into ATLA, you guys have no idea. 

I saw some GoodReads reviews complain that this feels more like an introduction to a bigger plot than anything else, but I honestly didn't feel like that. I think it was a pretty satisfactory story, even though the resolution didn't hit as strong for me. But I agree that it sets up the second book quite pointedly. It only made me more excited to read this next one, though! Can't wait for Mr. Yee to put it out into the world!

Black Sun, by Rebecca Roanhorse

454 pages

3 stars

Contains: sea-related magic; a chosen one, but he's the villain? Or is he? What's going on?; discussions of religion

I've been waiting to pick up Black Sun for ages! This is the first book in the Between Earth and Sky series, which currently has two books released. We follow Serapio, a blinded devotee of an ancient crow god, who is trying to get to the holy city of Tova in time for the winter solstice – but why? On the ship carrying him is Xiala, a Teek with water magic who is curious about her mysterious passenger. In Tova itself, Naranpa serves as the Sun Priestess, a piece in the complex political-religious chess of the city. 

Unfortunately, Black Sun didn't do everything I wanted it to do for me. The characters lacked something, and I wasn't drawn to them as I thought they were missing a layer of realism. I found their actions – and, consequently, the plot – very predictable. The romance, in particular, suffered from this, as I thought it wasn't well-developed and I had a tough time rooting for the will-they-won't-they to actually happen. 

But the world-building blew me away! This is inspired by Pre-Invasion American cultures, and the real historical details blend seamlessly with the magic, creating a world that feels alive. The city of Tova itself is made up of multiple centers on mountains that can only be reached by bridges that travers the chasm between them. That is such a cool idea, and reminds me of the ancient cultures in my neighboring Andes! I've always wondered what it would be like to live so, so high up. 

Black Sun also has one of the most fantastic first chapters I've read in fantasy. It drew me in immediately. I highly recommend just reading it by itself, even if you don't feel like reading the whole book. What a stunning beginning! The ending is also a banger – it just lost me in the middle.

I don't know yet if I'll continue with this series, but we'll see, come next month!

Into The Riverlands, by Nghi Vo

100 pages

5 stars

Contains: a non-binary cleric; a talking bird; an old woman who bosses everyone around

For this one, I wrote a standalone review! Suffice it to say, as with any of the books in this series by Ms. Vo, I loved it! The Singing Hills Cycle follows cleric Chih as they travel around their China-inspired kingdom, recording its history and stories with the help of their talking bird, who has an eidetic memory, Almost Brilliant. 

The audiobook for this one is 2 hours long and it felt like watching a movie. Honestly, I'm so happy I've turned to audiobooks more, this month. This one in particular filled me with such joy – it's so nice to see a story come to life, like that, especially when it's an installment in a series all about the power of stories themselves!

I highly, highly recommend this series! Check out my short SFF books list if you'd like more info on it, or the standalone review I mentioned previously!

The Traitor Baru Cormorant & The Monster Baru Cormorant, by Seth Dickinson

399 and 464 pages

Both 5 stars

Contains: crazy gay people; politics like you wouldn't believe; lyrical writing

And now, for the most defining books of my month, I give you, The Masquerade Series, by Mr. Dickinson, starting with The Traitor Baru Cormorant and moving on to The Monster Baru Cormorant. At the time of writing, I'm currently reading the third and last book in the series, The Tyrant Baru Cormorant, at least until Mr. Dickinson graces us with the next installment. 

This series follows – you guessed it – Baru Cormorant, a young girl from the island nation of Taranoke, who watches her country be colonized by the hugely powerful Masquerade Empire. After one of her fathers is killed for being queer, Baru decides to join a Masquerade school and destroy the Empire from the inside out. Soon, she is being sent to unruleable Aurdwynn, where she is to be the Imperial Accountant. And things get very, very complicated from there.

The Masquerade is not the easiest series to consume. Between the political intrigue, the complexities and interests of each character and the purple prose, it can sometimes be hard to follow. But, oh my God, if it isn't worth it! The pay-off is unbelievable, especially in the first book. I predicted what was going to happen, because it was well set-up, but it didn't matter – it crushed me into a million pieces anyway.

This is absolutely perfect for fans of The Locked Tomb and The Texicalaan Series. It's gay, it's confusing and it's political as fuck, diving deep into themes of colonization and empire. And it starts getting pretty crazy after the second book! I highly, highly recommend!

The Tea Master And The Detective, by Aliette de Bodard

93 pages

4 stars

Contains: a Sherlock Holmes retelling; sentient spaceships; tea!

Another one I listened to! This was actually my first Aliette de Bodard that I didn't DNF, which is quite a feat for someone who's into SFF novellas, as Ms. Bodard has quite a few under her belt. I have to say, I thoroughly enjoyed this! The Tea Master and The Detective is part of the Universe of Xuya, a collection of works that imagines a future of sentient spaceships ("mindships") and a timeline in which Asia became dominant. The result is a brilliant silkpunk future full of interesting tidbits to unpack!

Here, we take a look at an investigation, as we follow consulting detective Long Chau on a case. She soon recruits the mindship The Shadow's Child into her world, and their story goes from there. It's a charming story, with interesting characters and solid dialogue. Not to mention, of course, the main event: the worldbuilding, which sucks you in and leaves you wanting more!

The Citadel of Weeping Pearls, by Aliette de Bodard

164 pages

4 stars

Contains: family drama; court intrigue; complicated mother-daughter relationships

So, naturally, I went after more in the Universe of Xuya, and ended up reading The Citadel of Weeping Pearls. This one revolves around the mysterious – let's say it together – Citadel of Weeping Pearls, a habitat of multiple ships founded in rebellion by a rogue princess, but that vanished, thirty years ago, with all on board. This novella follows several people who are connected to the Citadel in various ways as their lives collide on the search for it.

I actually liked this one better than I did The Tea Master and the Detective. The characters are very compelling, as this focuses very much on the relationships between these people, especially their connections to this rebellious princess. The premise is awesome, as well, and it reaches a satisfying conclusion by the end, which is impressive for a novella, I think. So many of them end up half-baked. I highly recommend this one, and the audiobook is quite nice, as it has different narrators for each POV!

The Salt Grows Heavy, by Cassandra Khaw

106 pages

5 stars

Contains: vibes. Just the creepiest vibes.; science-horror? Body-horror?; a mermaid!!

This is another novella! I've written about it before, in my gay mermaids post, but it doesn't hurt to reinforce my points. 

I don't even know how to explain this one – it has a plot, and it's great, but the important part of this novella is definitely its pure, creepy-as-fuck vibes. It’s a twist on The Little Mermaid that follows a siren and a plague doctor, the only survivors of a destroyed kingdom, as they go on the run, and the creepy things they find along the way.

The prose, here, is very much purple, but, honestly, it creates this incredible atmosphere that draws you in and does not let you go. I was originally going to only read a couple of pages to see what this was about, but I was absolutely blown away by The Salt Grows Heavy and couldn't put it down! If you're a fan of vibes-only books (such as Erin Morgestein's Starless Sea and The Night Circus), this is definitely for you!

Clementine, by Tillie Walden

259 pages

3 stars

Contains: an apocalyptic setting; disability rep!!; a real nice Amish guy with a horse

My next read was Clementine, Volume 1 by Tillie Walden, a graphic-novelist whom I adore! You probably know her from her (rightfully so) popular book On A Sunbeam. This one takes place in the world of The Walking Dead (but I read it very well without knowing anything about this universe), and follows young Clementine and the people she meets on the road. 

Ms. Walden manages to build very nice characters here. They're all very compelling and I appreciated spending time with them. But their arcs and the plot itself felt rushed. I feel like the graphic novel could've used a couple more pages to really flesh those things out. In direct contrast, I thought the world building was well-done and Ms. Walden managed to communicate a lot about this universe in just a couple of panels. In conclusion, this isn't the best Tillie Walden – that would be The End of Summer – but I'd recommend it, especially if you're needing some post-apocalyptic flavor in your life after finishing The Last of Us.

Senlin Ascends, by Josiah Bancroft

3 stars

448 pages 

Contains: a shy nerd; a tower full of crazy things; steampunk! Let’s go steampunk!

I feel like I've talked everyone's ear off about this one – I was too disappointed not to. Senlin Ascends follows the introverted Thomas Senlin as he takes his new wife Marya to see the Tower of Babel, a big-ass tower that he considers to be humanity's big feat. Not long after arriving though, Thomas and Marya lose each other in the crowd, and the book follows Thomas' attempts to reunite himself with her.

What disappointed me very much about this was the decisions Mr. Bancroft made on the subject of the romance – Marya was Thomas' student when she was a child, and their first kiss and beginning of their "courtship" took place when Thomas dropped her off at college. I thought that was wildly unnecessary and inappropriate, and wrote about it (at length) here. 

Apart from that, Senlin Ascends is a fun read, with memorable, quirky characters and interesting world building. But it's hard to ignore a romance like that, especially considering that it's what the entire story hinges on. 

Cultish: The Language of Fanaticism, by Amanda Montell

309 pages

5 stars

And, for the first time in ages, I read something not-SFF! That's right – I listened to this non-fiction read on the bus and at home while I made origami (I'm obsessed with making origami) and ended up finishing it quite fast! Here, Ms. Montell explores different facets of human life that can be "cultish", with a particular focus on language. 

I thought this read was super interesting, especially because I love learning about languages! The section on glossolalia (speaking in tongues, more popularly) was particularly interesting! I did find it a bit repetitive at its points, sometimes, and I wish it could have trusted the reader to remember the main argument, instead of reiterating it. 

The Mimicking of Known Successes, by Malka Older

169 pages

5 stars

Contains: a second-chance sapphic romance; a mystery; humans living on Jupiter

Another sci-fi mystery, but this one was a bit cozier – and a new release, it just came out in March! I had a lot of fun with The Mimicking of Known Successes. It follows Pleiti, a scholar at Valdegeld University, and Mossa, her detective ex-girlfriend who needs help with a case she's on. Pleiti and Mossa are sucked into this mystery and work together to solve it, but this story's main take-away definitely relates to the relationship between the two, as it begins to evolve during their time together.

I listened to the audiobook for this and had such a delightful time. The language is very vivid and definitely brings the environment to life, which only made it cozier, for me. It can be quite funny at times, and I found myself laughing aloud to the quips. I also very much enjoyed the main relationship. It definitely reminded me of my days in the trenches in the BBC Sherlock fandom, as the characters have a similar dynamic, so I wouldn't hesitate to recommend this for fans of the show.  The mystery itself wasn't a stunner or my main focus at all, but it surprised me in the end, when it ended up leading to some pretty cool reflections about humanity's relationship to Earth.

That's all I read in the month of May! I'm excited for next month and also to keep posting on here whenever inspiration strikes and I have something to recommend :) Please don't hesistate to drop me an ask if you'd like a recommendation, in case you've noticed our tastes align!

[brightbeautifulthings]

Little White Lies by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

"The more it hurt, the harder she smiled. And this hurt a lot."

Year Read: 2023

Rating: 4/5

About: Sawyer's mother ran away from the world of debutantes and high society before her daughter was ever born, so Sawyer is surprised when the grandmother she's never met appears and offers her half a million dollars for college if she'll go through the debutante season with her cousin, Lily. While she's tempted by the money, Sawyer has a different motive for agreeing: the chance to find out who her father is and why it was such a scandal. But there are secrets in every corner of the debutante world, and the deeper Sawyer digs, the more she discovers that her unknown father isn't the only one with secrets, and some are worth killing for. Trigger warnings: car accident, abduction, captivity, alcohol abuse, threats.

Thoughts: As you can probably tell by the scarcity of my reviews lately, I'm going through a hell of a reading slump. This is the only book I've picked up lately that has made me want to read every day, so much that I even found myself coming back to it in the middle of the day over lunch. I picked it because YA mystery/thrillers are typically easy for me and Barnes is an author I've enjoyed in the past, and it more than surpassed my expectations. I'm probably going to have to go ahead and call her an automatic read for me. Her writing and characters are so delightful.

The characters were what really made the novel for me. Sawyer is the kind of main character I live for. She's clever and sassy without sacrificing kindness, and I love main characters with obscure interests in things I know nothing about (hers happen to include lock-picking, telenovelas, and mediaeval torture devices, among others). It would have been easy to make her relationships with her wealthy grandma, pristine cousin, and the other debutantes entirely toxic, which is yet another thing I like about this book. While there are undoubtedly characters here I would never want to be friends with, Barnes makes even the would-be villains sympathetic and three-dimensional. The relationships--between Sawyer/Lily, Sawyer/her mom, Sawyer/her grandmother, and Sawyer/Lily/Sadie-Grace/Campbell--are all complex and interesting, with barely a hint of romance anywhere.

Plot-wise, this isn't the fastest moving book, but I didn't care. I enjoyed the atmosphere of Sawyer trying to navigate this minefield of white dresses and bless your hearts, with often hilarious results (the phrase "oil and water" comes to mind). I was laughing in the first chapter. The mysteries are all fairly low stakes, but I think that's to the novel's credit; it stays pretty well within the realm of believability. While there's enough plot and thematic closure to be satisfying, there are a few threads left to explore in the second book, and I'm looking forward to picking it up.

[rhetoricandlogic]

Birnam Wood by Eleanor Catton review – hippies v billionaires

The Booker winner captures our collective despair in a thrillerish novel about climate crisis

Kevin Power

Fri 3 Mar 2023 07.30 GMT

In a literary marketplace that sometimes seems oversupplied with novels about brittle intellectuals feeling alienated from their emotions, or twentysomethings grinding axes about their exes, there is the wonder of Eleanor Catton: a novelist of lavish technical gifts who addresses herself to the world, broadly and richly conceived.

Catton’s first novel, 2008’s The Rehearsal, was a small miracle. Leaping acrobatically between fictional and metafictional modes, it tells the story of a secondary-school scandal (male teacher, female student) restaged by trainees at a local drama school. There is something almost Brechtian about the way it shocks you out of familiar fictional comfort zones, and something almost Wildean in the way it lobs its arch perceptions, like glittering little hand grenades, at all sorts of social and artistic pieties.

Catton’s second novel, 2013’s The Luminaries, was a large miracle (it won her the Booker). Running to 821 pages, and set among the gold fields of 1860s New Zealand, The Luminaries is structured around two highly artificial conceits. At one level it spins an intricate pastiche-Victorian mystery revolving around gold, opium and changed identities. At another, its structure follows elaborate astrological rules – a prefatory “Character Chart” notes which characters are “Stellar” and which “Planetary”, and so forth. It is brilliant; a virtuoso performance. But, like most virtuoso performances, it does leave you with the nagging suspicion that virtuosity itself is the point.

Take the novel’s characters, each one carefully painted but nonetheless in thrall to Catton’s great determining structures. The luminaries have personalities but not really that much in the way of life. Catton’s marvellously imagined 19th-century world revolves, and the astrologically directed people go about their tricksy business, but it is difficult not to feel that the machinery underneath it all is the real star of the show. As with certain CGI blockbusters, you marvel at the spectacle and wonder about the vision.

Birnam Wood, Catton’s third novel, raises the question of vision once again. Technically speaking, it’s another virtuoso performance: elaborately plotted, richly conceived, enormously readable. It might seem like cavilling to suggest that what it lacks is an original or surprising sense of our riven world. But without this kind of vision – without insight that reaches beyond good and evil – you risk creating only a superbly polished mirror, one that shows us the world as we already know it.

Literary novels, as opposed to the sort of thriller that pitches goodies against baddies without much moral shading, ideally do more than this. And, in fairness, Catton’s publisher is calling Birnam Wood ��a gripping psychological thriller”. Political thriller might be more accurate, since it is really about the schemas and deadlocks of our contemporary politics. Birnam Wood – the forest that moves to Dunsinane Hill to herald the fall of Macbeth – is the name chosen, semi-ironically, by an “activist collective” based in Christchurch, New Zealand. Birnam Wood’s founder, Mira Bunting, hopes for “nothing less than radical, widespread, and lasting social change”; her group’s contribution to this change takes the form of guerrilla gardening projects, reclaiming waste public and private land to grow food crops.

Is Mira Macbeth? She might be; she enters into a deal with the novel’s villain, billionaire Robert Lemoine, a Peter Thiel-resembling “doomsteader” who seems to be buying up a tract of rural New Zealand so he can build a luxury bunker and ride out the apocalypse. Then again, Lemoine himself might be Macbeth. His doomsteading project, we quickly learn, is a front. Secretly, he is extracting rare-earth minerals from Korowai national park. He toys with Mira and invests in Birnam Wood largely for the hell of it – because he is, as the novel exhaustively, and at points hilariously, makes clear, a total psychopath. Birnam Wood moves its operations to Lemoine’s doomsteader tract. Will this herald his fall?

It’s hippies versus billionaires: a scenario full of comic potential, of course. To spike the mixture, Catton throws in a righteous young aspiring journalist, Tony Gallo, and a recently knighted New Zealand business maven, Sir Owen Darvish, and his loving wife, Lady Darvish (as with Sir Owen’s fictional predecessor, Sir William Lucas in Pride and Prejudice, “The distinction had perhaps been felt too strongly”).

The first half of the novel, setting all this up, is hugely entertaining. Catton, you think, can do anything fiction requires: she can write funny social satire; she can stage a convincingly self-defeating fight among leftist radicals; she can notice “the hash of oily streaks and fingerprints” on a locked phone screen. You keep waiting for her to do something astonishing with her setup – to give us a novel that doesn’t just crash dishevelled goodies (Birnam Wood) into a suave baddie (Robert Lemoine).

But instead of ushering us into a world of surprising insights, Birnam Wood relies – no spoilers – on a finely spun web of misunderstandings and coincidences to drive its increasingly thrillerish second half. The fictional craftsmanship is above reproach. But it’s hard not to feel a bit disappointed that such a beautifully built novel just tells us the same old, same old: billionaires bad! Leftwing radicals good, if sometimes misguided and hapless!

Then again, Birnam Wood does efficiently dramatise a specifically contemporary pessimism: its theme is our collective despair about the locked social geology that prevents meaningful action on climate change. It’s an important subject. And maybe we should expect our schematically unequal world to produce schematic fiction – stories about goodies and baddies, poor people and billionaires, peasants and kings. Catton is not wrong; she is certainly showing us the world we know. But our culture is already rife with calls for moral simplicity. Isn’t it the duty of the literary novel to go deeper?

[watching-pictures-move]

Movie Review | Body Double (De Palma, 1984)

This review contains spoilers.

I'd been long overdue for a rewatch of this, and with the Criterion Channel including this as part of a series on erotic thrillers, and Air making cheeky use of Pino Donaggio's iconic theme, I finally followed through. Now, if somebody were to ask me what the Ultimate Movie is, there's a good chance I'd name this one off the top of my head. I don't mean the greatest movie of all time, my favourite movie, the most influential movie, what have you. But a movie where its "movie-ness" is entirely the point, its artificiality is foregrounded, a movie that makes forceful use of cinematic devices while commenting on them or at least drawing attention to their place in the narrative. And I think Body Double checks all those boxes. And if you're gonna try to list other movies that might fit the bill, even from the same director, I'm gonna ask you to put those back in your pocket because I didn't actually think about this for more than a minute.

I think the voyeurism theme is especially interesting in that the movie isn't just conflating the hero with the viewer and implicating us in his kinks and hangups (and in this respect, De Palma is very much following in the tradition of Hitchcock), but also conflating the villain with the director. The entire scenario of the movie is concocted by the villain as a scheme to kill his wife and get away with it, and he goes about this as one would make a movie. He casts for the part of the hero by preying on a down-on-his-luck actor and for the part of his wife by hiring a pornstar with a memorable warmup routine. He lures the hero with fancy production values in the form of an expensive house with a view to die for. He trains the hero's eyes where and when to look, like one might frame and edit a shot. Makeup and costumes play into his alibi.

There are multiple levels of movies within movies here, not just in the villain's scheme, but the low budget vampire movie the hero is cast in (and fired from) and two pornos, one where the hero catches on to the fact he's been played, and another where he tries to play the star of the first porno. And during the latter, not only is the voyeurism element referenced in the dialogue ("I like to watch") and the hero is guided through the experience both by another cast member (Holly Johnson of Frankie Goes to Hollywood) and the director of the porno (De Palma regular Al Israel), the climactic moment of the latter, it cuts back to a boisterously artificial scene earlier in the movie. There are layers upon layers upon layers of artificiality, and by putting them all together De Palma gives meaning to all of them. If everything in the movie is artificial, then its truths must be contained in artifice.

I will also note that while on my initial viewing, I'd probably say that I really would want to watch just the vampire movie, or maybe the music video part of the second porno, at this point I'll readily admit I'd watch all three. It's worth noting that the middle porno looks closer to the average production at the time, although if you look closely, the camera movements seem an awful lot like the fake slasher at the beginning of Blow Out, steadicamming its way from one choice window view to another. The latter porno is definitely an outlier, although one can find similarities to the production design in a Rinse Dream or Gregory Dark movie, or maybe Squalor Motel from the following year. I woudn't be surprised if some porn directors were influenced by this, De Palma makes a couple of references for those in the know. ("I have a routine that's a sure ten on the Peter-Meter.")

I think the casting of the main parts here is pretty much perfect. Craig Wasson brings a certain sympathetic dweebishness (his resemblance to a certain late night host works out in the movie's favour, surprisingly), Melanie Griffith is able to imbue both toughness and humanity into her guarded character (and is, like, next level hot to boot), Gregg Henry has a smile that is none too reassuring, and Deborah Shelton is delicate in ways that make her sympathetic (interestingly, her voice was dubbed by Helen Shaver). Plus we get Dennis Franz as the director of the horror movie and he's always a hoot. But it's interesting to ponder how the movie would have played with Annette Haven in the lead, who was the inspiration for Griffith's character but was rejected by cowardly studio heads. I actually think she would have been a bitter fit for the Shelton role with her Old Hollywood looks and poise, whereas I think of somebody more punkish like Sharon Mitchell would have been better in the Griffith role. As for the leads, maybe I'm just high off a recent viewing of Talk Dirty to Me, but the dynamic between Richard Pacheco and John Leslie in the movie think they would have nailed the Wasson and Henry roles, respectively. Throw in Robert Kerman and Bobby Astyr as the horror and porno directors, respectively (or maybe not), Gary Graver directing with some of the De Palma Lite style he brought to V: The Hot One, and boom, you've got a porno Body Double. Basically the same thing, but with actual penetration in that "Relax" scene. Also way cheaper:

"Well, films cost money."

"I got money."

"Well, then what are you doing in hard core?"

During my viewing, I was chuckling a fair bit thanks to a recent listen of LexG's podcast episode about the movie, where he complains that this would be the worst porno ever thanks to all the music video stuff and lack of a money shot, and that Griffith's character would make for a terrible pornstar given all the stuff she doesn't do.

I do think the movie's place in De Palma's career is interesting to consider. This was made after Scarface, after increasing criticism of all the excess and sex and violence in his movies, and once again, he decides to go overboard, foregrounding the porn element and bringing out a frighteningly large drill during the murder. (Amy Holden Jones beat him to the metaphor with that particular weapon in The Slumber Party Massacre, but De Palma's is bigger.) Set pieces are stretched out to comical, excruciating lengths with all kinds of complications, like a packed elevator, a vicious dog, a cord that keeps coming unplugged. (I chased my viewing with some of Brice Dellsperger's Body Double shorts, which offer amusingly lo-fi remixes of key scenes from this and other movies, and not just De Palma's, and the takes on this one emphasize the excess accordingly.) But it's also an interesting companion piece to Blow Out in particular, in part for the movies within the movie, and in part for the role filmmaking plays in the plot. Blow Out is coloured by post-Watergate pessimism and disillusionment, and the hero's trade ends up being futile in stopping the villain, serving instead as a way to process failure and tragedy. There's some of that here, as the hero at first seems to be the victim of a filmmaking scheme. But over the course of the movie, he's been co-opting those methods, eventually using them to catch the killer, beat his crippling claustrophobia, and even get the girl. During the climax, as he's being buried alive, he flashes back to the production he was fired from to once again butt heads with the director.

"I don't think I like your attitude."

"Well, I think if I get this shot, you'll like it a lot better, right?"

But as he's playing the scene back in his head, he's steadily regaining his confidence, and when decides to go ahead and finish the shot, there's a sense of real triumph. "Let's do it!"

[chuckmorganbooks]

CRIME UNKNOWN, A BUCK TAYLOR NOVEL BY CHUCK MORGAN

Reviewed by Maureen Dangarembizi for Readers' Favorite

 Crime Unknown is the exciting seventh installment in the Buck Taylor series by Chuck Morgan. Agent Buck Taylor goes into the sweet little town of Copper Creek expecting to bring to light the truth behind a college suicide. As he looks into Kevin Ducette, many things don’t add up. What Buck soon finds is a rotten core at the center of Copper Creek. Evidence has been tampered with and some aspects of the investigation were not even carried out. It seems everyone is convinced the student killed himself. Unconvinced and seeing more and more discrepancies the deeper he digs. Buck realizes that a potential murder is only the tip of the iceberg compared to what is really going on in the small Colorado town.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ I read Crime Unknown in one sitting. The plot is intense and the main character agent Buck Taylor is a hero like no other. This book has everything a thriller needs to be and more. I thought I knew the story at the beginning. Buck will solve a tricky murder case, I thought. But Chuck Morgan adds a twist to this story that expands it and makes it one of the most enjoyable books I’ve read in this genre. I loved that the lead was such an awesome well-rounded fellow but that he also had a support team who were just as important to the story. I’ve never read other books in this series(something I’ll have to remedy soon) but there was no problem understanding the dynamic between the characters, thus it can be read as a standalone. Fans of Jack Reacher novels will enjoy this book. I simply can’t praise Chuck Morgan and his series more. It is worth every second spent reading it.

Reviewed by Trudi LoPreto for Readers' Favorite

 Crime Unknown: A Buck Taylor Novel (Book 7) is a great crime novel that moves along quickly and with great excitement to know what is coming next. The story begins on a college campus in Colorado. When a student’s suspected murder is covered up as a suicide, Buck is called in to get the facts. He is soon knee-deep in an investigation that could change the mountain town of Copper Creek forever. The local police, politicians, and rich men own the town and have complete control, but what they are controlling is what Buck must find out. He brings in his team and they find themselves not only concerned about the dead student but learn there have been too many other missing people, a doctor up to no good, one man calling all the shots. As Buck and his team dig into the facts, what they find will amaze and horrify. This is a must-read for yourself so as not to ruin the details.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Crime Unknown is much better than the usual crime novel. Buck Taylor is my new favorite crime hero. Chuck Morgan has created characters that are very real life and believable with a plot that is a sure-fire winner. This is the seventh Buck Taylor book, but it stood alone as I have never read the other books in this series (something I will most definitely fix). Crime Unknown does not fit into just the crime genre as it offers so much more. There is excitement, suspense, mystery, and surprising twists and turns throughout. I cannot urge you strongly enough not to pass up Crime Unknown. It is a five-plus star winner.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐Like all of the Buck Taylor series this book is captivating. The plot is great, unreal yet completely believable. The villains are some of the series most evil and their fictional deeds are chilling.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐I love this series. Buck Taylor and his comrades in arms are some of the most likable characters I’ve ever read.

[themovieblogonline]

SILENCE 2: THE NIGHT OWL BAR SHOOTOUT Review: A Mystery Thriller

Silence 2: The Night Owl Bar Shootout is a new mystery thriller that acts as a sequel to the 2021 Silence… Can You Hear It. However, the sequel has very little, if any connections to the original, so prior viewing is not required. The new thriller has a lot going on, sometimes to its detriment. While the morals and message of the story are well-intentioned, the execution feels overly complicated as it becomes guilty of trying to do too much all at once. Read on for my full Silence 2 review.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hNIoC1oNOj8&pp=ygUkc2lsZW5jZSAyIHRoZSBuaWdodCBvd2wgYmFyIHNob290b3V0 Please note that the following Silence 2 review will be completely spoiler-free.  The Story Of Silence 2 A grisly multiple murder shooting at a dive bar beckons ACP Avinash Verma (Manoj Bajpayee) to the scene. Even before he arrives, his boss tells him that the shoot-out has to do with a politician’s secretary, and Avinash gets the case to ensure the murders don’t expose anything embarrassing for the government. So when we get the revelation that this is a Red Herring in the plot later on, it’s hardly a surprise, seeing how it was telegraphed from earlier.  As Avinash digs deeper, the shoot-out becomes connected to a plethora of other, larger conspiracies involving blackmail, sex, human trafficking, queer victimizing, and many other social issues. It’s almost all too much for the execution to properly handle, so it comes off as a surface-level examination only, without any nuance. While certain aspects of the thriller mystery feel very well written, such as the technical forensic jargon. Which, while maybe a little far-fetched, was no less believable than those CSI TV shows from the early 2000s. More dramatic flair than an attempt at a realistic depiction.  Manoj Bajpayee Carries The Movie With A Serviceable Supporting Cast While the story in this Silence 2 review may not be perfect, its lead actor is impeccable. The always-talented Bajpayee is his charming self, committing to every moment and delivering a fine performance. Bajpayee makes a meal out of the material he has to work with, and I wish he had more to do. While the story moves at a moderate pace, enough to keep audiences engaged, it’s almost too focused on its murder mystery plot. We can’t really connect as an audience to Avinash, because we know nothing about his personal life, or who he is outside of his job. Barring one pretty great scene when his daughter checks in on him in his new house. Avinash is clearly lonely and dealing with some things, and I wish the story explored more of his demons and how they affect his work.  Similarly, the supporting cast of Silence 2 has some talent included. Avinash’s seemingly second in command is Inspector Bhatia (Prachi Desai), who I’ve been a fan of for a while. However, besides just being another cop on the case, we learn nothing about her personal life. Same with Sahil Vaid, who made a name playing the hero’s sidekick in comedies like Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhania. Seeing him in a more serious crime thriller in Silence 2 was very intriguing, but again, I wish his character had more to do.  Silence 2 Movie Review Is Spoiler-Free Ultimately, Silence 2 is an engaging watch that moves along at a pretty decent pace. But the runtime would have been better served if the main characters were fleshed out more, and more screen time given to them, than the myriad of misdirections and seemingly separate plot lines. The writing of the movie is very ambitious as it struggled with a very complex plot with plot twists and threads that, for the most part, work. But the execution of how it all comes together feels too much to take on. For example, there’s a weird Keyser Soze-like montage near the end of act two, but the ultimate climax never connects the efforts of the villains to that scene. Silence 2 is a serviceable watch with friends or in a group setting, especially for Bajpayee whose performance makes up for any lack of writing or execution.  Silence 2: The Night Owl Bar Shootout is now streaming on ZEE5.  What did you think of Silence 2? Let us know in the comments below. Or follow me on X (formerly Twitter) at @theshahshahid for more Bollywood thoughts.  

[penultimate-step]

'Salem's Lot thoughts: types of horror

spoilers for the book's pacing and vague discussion of plot direction under the cut.

Disclaimer: I don't read that many horror novels. I don't at all claim to be an expert, so forgive me if this is some basic baby's first horror book analysis. i'm just jotting down thoughts; just saying things recreationally, here.

I read 'Salem's Lot recently, and enjoyed it. One thing that stuck out to me though was how it almost felt like two separate books glued together? There was a massive tone shift around the halfway mark that completely changed the way the book was written. And I think this shift is really a stark illustration of the difference between these two separate subtypes of horror, the horror of the unknown vs the horror of the known.

The book's first half is full of uncertainty. For much of the introduction readers are left completely in the dark as to what the source of the horror is. A great deal of emphasis is placed on atmosphere. Elements of explicit horror are minimized - the supernatural is left as hints and implication, the violence of the central villains limited to only a few occasions. Instead, the focus is on the ordinary inhabitants of the town and their daily lives. But with things ever so slightly off. There's a sense that the town is subtly rotten, that things here are not good. The town is insular and aggressive. a woman beats her child and is in turn taken advantage of by her husband. the bus driver abuses the kids, the junkyard man wishes to do worse. Even sympathetic characters such as the priest are seen as living aimless and unfulfilled lives. King uses prose and expectations to turn elevate descriptions of these everyday and commonplace horrors into the creeping unease of literary horror.

The fact that there is any kind of monster is almost a surprise twist given everything else about the town. The mysterious deaths and disappearances hint at something darker beyond, but the characters know nothing and neither do readers. Who, what, why, it's all left up to imagination as the characters scramble for a single extra bit of information. Every small section adds tension. The town continues its suspicious circling around itself. Anybody and Anything could be a source of horror.

Until suddenly, over the course of one scene, around halfway through the book, there is an abrupt tone change. The main character is able to discover the plans of the main villains, their locations, abilities, and limits. the genre shifts, becoming more akin to a thriller. I liked this part of the book a lot less. Horror derived from having to fight a big scary monster is of course still a type of horror; for example, slasher movies take up an outsized space in the public consciousness when thinking about the horror genre, but I think this book executes it much worse than it does the other kind. There's much less to say about it. The prose is still great, but the second half of the book starts to feel like a series of dominoes where one action precipitates the next, with a one way trajectory to the eventual ending.

I don't know, there isn't really a central thesis here, I just thought it was interesting. I've heard people discuss unknown vs known in fiction before but this book sets up a super clear cut example of the same author trying their hand at both back to back in the same project. This doesn't mean that one kind is objectively better or worse - its highly possible this is more about the strengths and weaknesses of one author than anything else - but it does put some flaws and benefits into perspective.

[annmariemo]

Final thoughts 💭

This is the second Stephen King 👑 Novel I’ve had the pleasure of reading. I am still pleasantly surprised 😮 how much I have enjoyed his books !! I’ve always thought they would be written to masculine for me to enjoy but I was wrong. I was completely expecting Misery to be a gory horror story that I was going to have to cringe 😬 my way through. Luckily for me it was more of a psychological thriller with a few intense scenes sprinkled throughout.

I noticed a slight connection between Misery and The Body. The way Paul describes his relationship with his dad 👨🏻 as a child reminds me of the way that Gordon’s father Treated him in The Body. Both boys were treated with disinterest by men that were supposed to nurture them.

Annie is the perfect 👍🏻 villain 🦹🏻‍♀️!!! She is the perfect mix of ordinary and mundane with a hint of danger ⛔️. At first she’s very unsettling and you’re not quite sure why. It isn’t until you get to know her that you understand why you were so uncomfortable with her. Annie is the poster child of the dark side of don’t judge 👩🏻‍⚖️ a book by its cover.

I am giving this book 5 out of 5 apples 🍎. I was so enthralled in the story that I read the book 📚 in a few weeks. That’s the fastest I’ve read a book in a really long time. I can’t wait to explore more of Mr. Kings Novels !!!

[frasier-crane-style]

I'll cover the sequels in one go since they're pretty much one long movie.

-First off, they way overuse poppy/sultry R&B songs for the love scenes. It gets to the point where they play a cover of I Feel Good. Yes, James Brown's I Feel Good. One R&B song takes place during a car chase.

-I made fun of the whole "do I like being spanked?" plot of the first movie, but at least it was a throughline. Once that gets resolved, you're left with a bunch of mini-conflicts that are either instantly resolved or strung out beyond belief... basically just nonsense for everyone to do between sex scenes. Let me see if I can remember all of them in the second movie alone.

In the classic tradition of Spider-Man and Venom teaming up to fight Carnage (who is even worse than Venom), accusations of Christian being a creepy, controlling loser are belied by introducing Jack Hyde, Ana's boss, who is an even creepier and more controlling loser.

One of Christian's former subs from the "Fuck. Hard." days is back and stalking him and Ana.

Ella, who introduced Christian to bondage via molestation, is set against his relationship with Ana.

Christian's helicopter crashes.

Basically, the movies shift into being psychological thrillers/erotic thrillers, which we as a country used to be good at. But Christian is a hypercompetent billionaire with all the endless resources that implies, so no one really has a shot against him. You're left with a bunch of domestic fluff with characters that I don't think anyone likes enough to want to see shopping for curtains.

Say what you will about Twilight, but at least they had evil vampires around to provide some drama. In the third movie, arch-villain Jack Hyde Metal Gear Solids into Christian's company and sets off a bomb. It's both completely over the top and yet still not enough to put a dent in Christian.

-I'm not saying this proves me right about my hypothesis, but the second movie starts off with Christian telling Ana that he's sworn off bondage--you know, his key passion in life and a pretty core part of his identity--in order to be with her. Because a woman wrote this, the story sees nothing wrong with then deciding Ana IS interested in bondage and deciding she wants to experiment with being spanked and sex toyed (she has to be the only woman in America who tries out ben-wa balls before a vibrator).

-God knows I don't know how it feels to parade my business around in every multiplex in America, but it gets a bit risible how often Dakota Johnson wears panties in her nude scenes (these are the things you think about when a movie is 25% nude scene). Couldn't she wear a merkin? Is there that much of a difference between wearing a merkin and a thong? I'm not being judgey here, I'm really curious.

-To ruin a pleasant surprise for those of you who are too smart to sit through this shit, at one point Tyler Hoechlin shows up. With his glasses, he's pretty much a dead ringer for Clark Kent in his beardy Jon Kent-raising days.

-I feel bad for the actor who plays Jose, who's stuck in the Lovelorn Would-Be Suitor role. Because it's not enough that Ana has a Billionaire Sex God after her cooch, she has to be unattainably desirable to lesser men as well, who dream about getting with her though It Will Never Happen. I thought the first movie added some shading to the stock scenario of him getting drunk and coming onto Ana so that Christian could Defend Her Honor--the way they played it, you might say Christian was overreacting and displaying the possessiveness that would be part of his character flaws. But come the sequel, Jose has held an entire art gallery centering around photographs of Ana without asking her consent. Because if any man in this universe had respect for boundaries, it would make Christian come off really shitty.

-Although... what did Ana think would happen when she posed for photographs for her artist friend who was planning on opening a gallery?

Very early on in this movie, hero Christian Grey gives da chick the standard romantic leading man speech about how he's bad news--a loner, Dottie, a rebel--and she should still clear of him. At this point, they've gone out to get coffee one time and he's saved her from a careening bike messenger. I know it must be exciting to tell a lady that she should stay away from your twisted mind for her own feminine good, but dude, save it for at least the second date.

This came to Netflix, so I figured I might as well give a shot. It's a failure, obviously, but it's an interesting failure. There are talented people both on screen and behind the scenes, and it looks like a movie, but all their efforts amount to putting lipstick on a pig. Would it be unfairly inside-baseball to repeat the reports of a troubled production, with the author insisting on an adaptation that was too faithful for its own good?

Try not to do a shot every time heroine Anastasia Steele* extravagantly bites her lower lip in lust.

(how come Dakota Johnson's character name in this is way more silly than the name of the literal superhero she played?)

To be fair to the movie, I've seen a ton of waggish assholes like, well, me, declare that this movie is a camp classic of unintended hilarity and guys, c'mon. There's no way they didn't intend "What are buttplugs?" as a laughline.

In fact, with Dakota Johnson's sitcom star comedic timing and winsome charm, watching this movie is a bit like finding a coke-begotten relic of the 80s where some madman paired Meg Ryan and Rutger Hauer (it doesn't help that, as "Mr. Grey," they cast an actor that plays serial killers about as often as heartthrobs).

I'm making this story sound interesting, but it's not able to succeed on its own terms, as whenever it tries to get serious, the drama runs headlong into a howler of a line that must be verboten from the books. "I'm fifty shades of fucked up!" Christian groans at one point.

"I don't make love. I fuck. Hard," is another line that even Sir Michael Caine couldn't get into working order.

It's a shame, because there's no real reason a modern-day gothic romance can't work. Sure, there's no real plot to the thing besides Ana and Christian's doomed/not-so-doomed romance, but there are worse foundations for a movie than a relationship where the guy wants to hurt his lady love as much as romance her. It's fucked up, but imagine what a Cronenberg or Verhoeven could do with the assignment. Well, full frontal, probably.

(The compromise to keep Jamie Dornan from spending a third of the movie displaying the status of his circumcision is that he does most every sex scene in a worn pair of jeans. I probably should've been too stunned by his abs to wonder at this, but dude's a billionaire. Is he doing yardwork in those jeans? Home repair? Or have they gotten all the holes in them purely from screwing? Man, that guy does fuck. Hard.)

You know, given that bondage is a pretty common fetish, you'd think Christian Grey--an ubersexy twenty-something billionaire--would be able to find a woman who's into, y'know, all that--especially since his wildest antics are a little whipping and possible anal fisting.

I know there'd be no story if he didn't immediately fall in love with Anastasia Steele (snicker) and if she wasn't only putting up with the bondage to get the package deal. Still, that is a pretty contrived starting point, isn't it? At least Team Edward has the excuse of that whole 'my own personal brand of heroin' thing.

[taechaos]

A Thriller Film

pairing: director!Jungkook x fem!Reader

genre: oneshot, yandere, smut

synopsis: Jungkook's life is his movies, but people don't know his movies are his life. As an anonymous director, no one can suspect him as the villain in a story, but he leaves a clue in his movie about you.

warnings: smoking, stalking, murder, solo masturbation, public fingering

word count: 5.4k

a/n: i don't know why i put so much effort into this but we love to see it flop 🥰

Smoking is bad, but there are worse things in life.

Jungkook noticed you for the first time when a cigarette was hanging off his lips, exhaling the stress from the process of organizing a new thriller film with a less than cooperative crew. Fresh out of high school, you were bright and skipping on the sidewalk in the early hours of the morning. What would such a young woman, applying for colleges left and right, be so happy about?

He didn't know you at the time, but looking at you was like a breath of fresh air. While he survived off of coffee and nicotine, you seemed to have a lot of happiness to share. Your smile was incompatible with his frown.

So he ignored you when you passed him with your earphones blasting a song so loud, he involuntarily caught the lyrics.

Fall... back... in... to... place.

The second time he saw you, he was smoking again and you were just as happy as the day before. How can someone be so in tune with themselves, with life? The same song played from your earphones, the one he listened to on repeat after searching up the lyrics: Space Song. An urge to approach you surged up in him, but he only watched you as you walked past him. A single glance from you was all it took to anticipate tomorrow.

Today, when he recognizes you from your clothing first; colorful, silky, gorgeous. So much personality in one outfit, a polar opposite to his casual black outfit in jeans and a plain shirt. Even your bag is eye-catching, and he flicked the ash off of his cigarette before nodding at you as you passed the bus stop, reaching the front of his studio.

Why did your eyes just widen? You acknowledge him with a friendly smile, and go on your merry way. That is until he lightly taps your shoulder, and you turn instantly.

"Hey," he greets before you can utter a word, "where are you always rushing off to?"

Your lips part in surprise; the man you secretly - guiltily - side-eyed for the past few days noticed you when you weren't looking? "I have an interview. Well, a few," you chuckle.

"For what?" he tilts his head curiously and takes another drag from his stick.

"Career counseling," you plainly reply, but it sounds enthused. "I'm a clueless graduate." Your hands clutch your tote bag before you discreetly check the time on your wrist. You're going to be running late soon.

"You interested in cinematography?" Smoke follows his words, but you aren't fazed.

"I'm interested in all forms of art, why?"

He notices you checking your watch again. "I'm a film director. This is my studio," he cranes his neck behind him. "You can apply for an internship here. Maybe for a stylist even," he points at your floral romper with his chin as his eyes trail.

You shift your weight on your left foot when his stare flusters you, and you consider his flattering suggestion for only a second before saying, "thank you for the offer, but I need to go now," you grimace sheepishly, "can I think about it?"

"Take your time," he reassures with a sly smile and inhales from his stick, filling his lungs with the sweet scent of your perfume alongside.

He doesn't look away when you walk off with a shy wave, entranced by your struts until he's called back in. It's with newfound inspiration that he's inside of his studio.

The storyboard of his upcoming project needs a few tweaks, and he doesn't fail in enhancing his crew with a different idea.

It’s been a week. Okay, it might’ve been shorter, but Jungkook is impatient. Besides, it didn’t help when he saw you holding hands with someone... so less than. It really baffled him to see you with a guy who wore such shabby clothes. He looks like the type that Jungkook would cast for a flop character.

The two of you are like a toy display across his studio in that cutesy, obnoxious café with a smoothie in the middle of your booth. He chuckles as he lights up another stick when he notices the two straws in the single cup. Cliché, cheesy, but cute in a childish sense. Your age shines through the amateur romance between you and that loser.

It especially shows when you look to the side with a laugh and lock eyes with him; so flustered that you gasp and focus back on your date. What makes you so shy about seeing him? You seemed so confident during your conversation two days ago.

He whistles when he notices a stray dog in an alleyway. You look at him as well but don't hear anything beyond the glass wall, but it catches his attention regardless. He whistles again before saying in a hushed voice, "come here girl." It's difficult to suppress a smile when you gaze at him questioningly, as if trying to decipher his words. "Naive little girl," he mouths as he smokes, "what are you doing with that boy?"

He almost chokes when you take out your wallet in front of a waiter; are you paying for him? That's why you ordered one drink - so you could share? Jungkook isn't cruel but, he finds it laughable that your boyfriend is so... unappealing. He can't help but wonder why you're with him; maybe his face? The boy is somewhat handsome, but he only has his facial features to go by. It's rather strange for Jungkook to think about this in the first place, so he gets back inside his workplace after harshly shooing the stray dog away with a stomp of his foot.

"I'd like to start my internship today."

Jungkook runs his eyes up and down your body while leaning against a brick wall. "Paid?"

"I-I'll do it for free. Besides, I don't know if I'll even work in this industry," you twiddle your fingers while smiling up at him. He intimidates you, but this morning you decided you did enough thinking and here you are, an aspiring stylist all of a sudden.

"Get inside," he nods at the door before stubbing his cigarette and following you to his studio. "You know what you're going to do?"

"I'm going to decide the outfits, right?" The place looks cozy to you, with its minimalistic interior design and blunt switch between the stories. The first floor is strictly for business, with lined up cameras, lights and a microphone. There is even a green screen! And the second floor seems to be more of a resting area with its couches and open laptops, but you can't make out much from the entrance. Jungkook starts walking ahead of you, making a beeline for the black stairs. You tail behind him and smile at anyone who notices you, which isn't a lot of people. It's not crowded.

"Right. We're still working on a storyline, haven't finished it yet so it's possible this project might not be published. You with me so far?" he glances at you, and at your firm nod, continues, "when we finish planning, scripting and shit, you come to play."

"So what do I do now?" you innocently inquire and watch him plop down on the red velvet couch. He clicks on the space of his keyboard to light up his screen.

"I have an idea for a character, and I want to know how you would design her," he vaguely explains as he scrolls through his document.

"You want me to sketch it or explain?"

"Let's hear you out first. Irene," he suddenly calls out loudly.

"Yes?" a female responds from downstairs. You see a woman with a grey cap look up at him, her attire nothing short of casual.

"Come here."

She skips a few steps while climbing up the stairs at his command. You're not awkward when you greet her, and she offers a coy smile.

"This girl - what did you say your name was?" he asks you. You tell him and he continues, "she's going to be our intern. I want you to critique her with me."

"What's she in for?" Irene asks before sitting across from him.

"Wardrobe stylist."

Her eyes widen as she takes a second look at you. Your style is definitely unique, but... immature. She has half the mind to not question Jungkook about his choice.

"Okay..." she trails. "I'm Irene, by the way. I'm going to be an executive producer for the upcoming film."

"Nice to meet you," you brightly chirp. "Sir?"

Jungkook smirks at your addressing of him. "Yes?"

"What is your name, if I may ask?"

"I'm Jeon Jungkook, but you may know me for my pen name Shin Dong-hyuk."

Your mouth falls open when you instantly recognize the name. "Wait, what? You directed My Time?" you incredulously wonder aloud.

My Time is a movie that took the world by a storm; it brought recognition to the whole country for its popularity and clever writing. You never knew the name was a pseudonym, however. It's a suspense genre, about the life of a crazed fanboy who is obsessed with a foreign celebrity. He stalks her on the internet, has a fanpage of her and pays a hefty amount of money to strangers to update him on her whereabouts. He's portrayed as a young college student in the story, and inevitably runs out of cash from reckless spending. When she gets into a dating scandal, he goes on a theft spree and flies out to meet and confront her. It ends with her murder when he finds her with another man in a hotel room, and he stabs himself in the heart afterwards. There are a bunch of clues that foreshadow his ending, from his family life to his friendships. It's an amazing thriller, and you researched his name in the credits to find more of his works after seeing the movie but to no avail; there is only one listed.

"That's me," he nonchalantly reveals as if he didn't just give you the shock of your life. "Don't tell anyone though, will you?"

You whimsically put on an imagery zipper over your mouth while trying to recover from your racing heart.

"I don't have a clear outline, but the female lead is going to be naive but charming. She has to stand out, alright? Happy, extraordinary, special."

"We didn't decide on that," Irene butts in with a displeased expression.

"I forgot to tell you, I deleted our previous plan."

"You did wh-"

"What do you think?" he turns to you as he ignores Irene's shrieks. "What color are you imagining?"

You feel nervous when he puts you on the spotlight after revealing his identity. You close your eyes with a deep inhale before answering, "I'm thinking red and green, like Christmas. There should be a hint of white as well."

Jungkook drinks in your outfit before grinning mischievously. "Perfect." All of your colors.

Stalking is bad, but there are worse things in life.

Is it such a bad idea to follow you home when it's dark out? He kept you for a long time in the studio, allowing you to dress up a mannequin with all sorts of costumes you had in mind in the backroom. He's certain you had fun with him when you left with a permanent grin on your face.

You live with your parents, and he knows for sure he's at least 5 years older than you. You look about 19, so he's assuming he's only 8 years older.

A small villa with windows all around, he observes, before glancing back at your bedroom. The lights are on and you're swinging your legs with excitement on your bed after you face planted on the mattress. He didn't see you greet your parents before running off to your room, and he can't help the smile growing on his face at your hyperactivity. It was like an instinct to walk you home in secret and he isn't sure why he is still watching you. He should look away when you get off of your bed and heave your shirt over your chest, but instead he steps away from the lamp post to hide from the light.

You're changing, and he can't take his eyes off of you. As if that wasn't enough, you unclasp your bra without even pulling the curtains. Do you know he's there? The thought excites him, and his pants begin to tighten around his crotch. He lowly whistles at you, but you don't hear him again. You do look outside for a few seconds while stretching your arms, however, and he's certain you have a connection to him.

He leaves when you put on your pajamas with the image of your bare tits imprinted on his mind. He doesn't head home first, as the studio is only a few minutes away from your home and he wants to leave you a gift.

When the familiar building enters his vision, he doesn't waste time in unlocking the door and switching on a single dim light. He rushes to the backroom after locking the entrance for a second time and unzips his jeans as he goes. You were here not too long ago, and he can pinpoint exactly where you stood while striding to each corner with purpose. Bending, crouching, leaning, doing just about anything to tease him.

Now that he can imagine your perky nipples realistically, he immediately takes out his length from his restraints and picks up a random handkerchief to pump himself with. He doesn't stop to think over his actions; he's acting on urges, on impulse. Never has he ever done something like this.

He's rather relaxed as he sits down on an idle stool to close his eyes and run his hand up and down his shaft. What he would do to press your tits against his cock while he slides it up and down, smearing his cum all over your lips while you sleep. You would swallow it without a second thought once he finishes in your gaping mouth, and wonder why there's a dull ache in your breasts the next morning.

His breaths grow shallow the faster he strokes himself, the more he thinks about using every part of you for his pleasure while you're knocked out cold. He involuntarily thrusts into the air while quiet moans slip out of his open mouth. Something about how taboo it would be to fuck you while you're unconscious turns him on so much. Would that be something you're into?

The handkerchief is so soft, so silky against his length, he can almost imagine it to be your hand. He starts twisting his hand around his cock, from the base to the tip as his other hand palms his balls before he begins to reach climax. Strings of cusses fall out of his mouth when he quickens his pace, the fabric against his skin resounding in his ears before he finally spurts out his cum into the cloth.

"Fuck," he exhales as he coats his makeshift glove with his release. White on white doesn't make much of a difference, and he's panting as he folds the handkerchief to rub it evenly so it sinks in completely.

He leaves it on the stool after zipping his pants, and his eyes twinkle under the moonlight on his journey home.

You aren't alone when you walk to work. Jungkook is taking his usual smoke break while watching you swing your interlocked hands back and forth with the guy next to you. Your smiles exude the same aura, and Jungkook sarcastically notes how compatible the two of you are. The boxy grin shines with the sun, but it doesn't hide the boy's worn out clothes.

"Good morning, Jungkook," you greet before introducing your boyfriend. "This is Taehyung, Taehyung meet Jungkook. I'm going to be under his wing until I decide my major."

"Hello, Taehyung," Jungkook coldly says before blowing smoke in his face.

Taehyung scrunches his nose before chirping, "hi!" He then turns to you and whispers, "I thought you wanted to study medicine."

You shake your head dismissively with a light laugh before responding, "it's just an internship." You let go of his hand and bid farewell with a peck on his cheek before going inside the studio.

"Well, have a good day," Taehyung smiles as he's about to leave before Jungkook holds out his hand to block the way.

"Taehyung, who is your girlfriend?"

"Um," he furrows his brows before saying your name.

"And who are you?"

At Jungkook's blunt question, Taehyung pauses and takes a step back. "What do you mean? Like my full name?"

"No, who the fuck are you? What is your contribution to society? What do you do for a living? What are you wearing?"

"Sir, I-" Taehyung's stammering is cut short when Jungkook asks, "how much money for you to stop leeching off of her?"

He scoffs, "excuse me? I'm not leeching off of anyone, and I'm sure as hell not breaking up with her for your money." Taehyung's face heats up from the shameless confrontation, and he starts walking in the opposite direction.

"So you're not going to leave her?"

Taehyung doesn't turn to look at him as he emphasizes, "no."

"Good."

He abruptly stops in his tracks. "What?"

"Your dedication is admirable," Jungkook comments with a shrug. "I'm satisfied with your answer."

"Were you testing me?"

"Bingo."

He starts chuckling before shaking his head. "I always knew directors were crazy; you scared me for a second."

"Where you headed now?" Jungkook smoothly switches the subject, but notes the fact that you've spoken about him to your boyfriend.

"I have a farm two blocks away." When Jungkook raises a brow, he explains, "I stayed the night with her, so I decided to drop her off before leaving."

"Want me to drop you off?"

It's a kind offer, really, but Taehyung is still put off by the insults thrown his way just a minute ago. Doesn't he have work to do anyway? "That's alright, thank you, but I'll just take the bus. Have a good one, Jungkook."

Jungkook doesn't stop him as they both wave goodbye. He doesn't bother putting out his cigarette before going inside.

Where would be a farm only two blocks away from the city center? It has to be a lie.

You're wandering around the place as to not awkwardly wait for Jungkook who sharply inhales at the sight. He calls your name.

"Yes?"

"What do you want to become?"

"I," you look at him funny with a laugh, "I still don't know."

"Then take a gap year."

Your brows shoot up to your hairline. "Why?"

"I want you to be invested in this project completely. Once the planning is finished, I'll give you a salary. What do you think?"

He's asking you to work full-time for him. Not as an intern, but an employee and you are beyond willing after only being here for two days. He's a famous director; how can one pass up this opportunity?

"I'd love that."

You noticed that Jungkook has a very unique way of working. You've heard that he's been keeping his crew until late at night, already having an outline for his plot and he's moved onto screenwriting. He apparently disappears randomly throughout the evening after you leave, and you've had some different experiences with him of your own.

He asked you to steal from the wardrobe of his backroom. "Take everything that you'd wear," he said before stepping out of the room.

When you confusedly compiled all of the clothes that caught your eye under your arm, he took them from you and brought them upstairs with a huge grin. "Keep that one," he pointed at the handkerchief you thought about lacing your neck with.

Taehyung's quiet with you. He doesn't respond to your texts, doesn't call you, doesn't come over. You're too busy spending time with Jungkook to check up on him, and it serves as a well distraction when you keep glancing at your notifications. It hurts, especially when your wallpaper is a picture of you and him. It hurts because he isn't with you in your proudest moments when you were with him even at his parents' funeral.

The only thing keeping you happy is casting. Jungkook asked you to make a list of all the actors that would suit his characters after giving you a vague description of their traits. The budget isn't an issue, and you're having so much fun. He makes you forget your worries without even trying.

Jungkook intimidates you, but he's so lovely.

A mere "aspiring" stylist is casting actors for a movie. How many people can brag about that? You almost stumble on the stairs as you quickly climb up with Jungkook's laptop in your hands. He gave it to you for research purposes as he drew a rough storyboard with Irene.

"I made a list," you exclaim brightly. Heads shoot in your direction and you sheepishly grin at your volume. Jungkook's eyes linger on your covered neck; it's almost like a collar.

He whistles and beckons you to sit next to him. You obey and anxiously present your list to the professionals; you have no idea how to go on about this task, and no one guided you. You're certain you look utterly amateur in front of them.

Irene is inspecting your list without hinting her thoughts as Jungkook asks, "who are your favorites?"

"Well, I think Kim Namjoon is um, suitable for the male lead's role and Joy-"

"It's decided then," he claps his hands twice without hearing out Irene who scowls at him.

"You're not cooperating with us," she voices in a complaint, "why are you always calling the shots on your own? These are major decisions-"

"Ms. Bae, don't take any offence now. I'm taking your opinions into accounts when I make these decisions. Unless you have an issue with something, let's not dwell on this, hm?"

She sighs as you stand there awkwardly. She's upset, but stays silent.

"The two leads are Kim Namjoon and Park Soo-young. The team will decide the rest of the cast, thank you," he informs you with a ghost of a smile.

"Of course," you breathe.

You don't know how long it is supposed to take to shoot a film, but surely it's not this fast paced. Jungkook is relentless with his production; there are hardly any breaks in between takes. There are bags under his eyes from pulling all nighters to work on his scripts.

He is a perfectionist and a hard worker, as you've come to find out. You feel bad for the amount of times the actors recited their lines when they didn't capture a scene right in Jungkook's eyes. It was an honor for you to meet these famous people beyond a screen, and you were strictly ordered to do Joy's makeup only. You are her stylist, but the professional one does help you after she's finished with Namjoon's.

"Cut," Jungkook says into the speaker. You're located in a rented mansion outside of the city, but you can't enjoy it when everyone is so stressed. "Start over from line "he's leeching off of you"."

Even actors can't hide their annoyance from having to do a 25th take of one scene. Jungkook pays them enough to go on with this torture however, so they have no room to complain.

They start over and you force yourself to watch them again and again.

"Oh my god, cut!" You can hardly resist groaning yourself. Everyone on set is overworked, and you know the director has it the worst, but it's overwhelming you too at this point. You flinch when your name is called. "Act Joy's lines, will you?"

"Me?" you point at yourself in surprise.

"Go ahead," he urges with a nod.

You have no idea how to act, and it's nervewracking having to do it in front of A-listers. You pick up the script handed to you from another woman and start reading:

"He's not leeching off of me," you pause to inhale shakily; your hands tremble from the heavy stares on you.

"I'm his family, the only one he has left. No one would know if he was gone, and he trusts me to look after him without having to dangle a dollar bill over his head."

This goes on until the final scene, and the retakes cut down to half.

A few months pass, and it is time for the premiere. The movie, simply titled Pretty Girl, easily got a green light for display in theatres, and it's been heavily promoted on YouTube and TV. You are excited to your core, and watching the celebrities walk the red carpet was a first for you. Jungkook easily blends in with the crowd as he once again didn't reveal his real name in the credits, but his pen name is gaining more and more recognition. You have never seen the movie throughout the editing procedure, but you can't wait to see everyone's efforts show on the big screen.

You're dressed fancily because Jungkook asked you to go with him, and the two of you are sitting in the crowded theatre with not a single empty seat to be seen. Even the entrance is decorated in retro style to fit in with the movie's theme! The jazz music playing in the halls reaches your ears, and your knees are bouncing in anticipation of the movie. Jungkook is smiling as he listens to you ramble.

"I can't believe I played a part in this whole project!" you gush with shaking fists. "I met the best director I know, and I worked for him! This all feels like a dream... No one even likes my style, and yet I became a stylist!"

"I love your style," he denies, "even now you have all the attention in the room."

"Pfft," you roll your eyes playfully, "they all think I must look weird. I tried to wear something classy so I don't stand out, but it hasn't been working out."

"Keep it that way, you're beautiful like this."

Heat creeps up to your cheeks at his compliment and you squeak, "thank you."

He doesn't get to relish your flustered state as everyone goes quiet once the movie starts.

The time period is unclear, as the language is modern but the filter is black and white. The first scene is in a bar, a man in a suit eyeing a woman with a date who is an outcast with his clothes. They're washed out and ugly, but he looks handsome with his dazzling smile at the woman.

An involuntary grin spreads across your face when you hear their dialogue.

"I want to touch someone's shoulder to see how they react. Did you see how they looked at me when I walked in here? I think they think I'm your sugar baby or something," Jimin's character jokes with a laugh.

"I know! They're all so boujee, but I'm willing to be your mommy without sugar," Joy winks. They have fun until Jimin leaves to the bathroom and Namjoon's character approaches her, who has been staring at her ever since they walked in. Joy is offered a modeling career, and she accepts after she's told that her fashion only works with her because of how beautiful she is. She's bashful when Namjoon gives her a business card.

Jungkook's film is only over an hour long, but everything is timed so perfectly. His directory is straightforward, and you admire his work until a song comes on.

"That's my favorite song!" you whisper into his ear. It's Space Song by Beach House.

"Mine too," he whispers back.

There are montages of photo shoots, Joy's rise to fame in the modeling industry, but the trouble is Jimin, her boyfriend. Namjoon confronts him one day when Jimin drops her off to her new workplace.

"How can someone so poor be able to court a woman like her?" he asks rhetorically.

"Excuse me, Sir?" Jimin is offended until Namjoon laughs it off and reveals it was a joke. The audience sighs in relief, and all is fun and games until Jimin is brutally murdered next to a dumpster. You gasp at the gore scene and glance at Jungkook, until something dawns on you.

The story is starting to sound familiar. Was this movie inspired by your encounters? Your eyes light up as you give your utmost attention to the movie. The line between reality and fiction is beginning to blur.

Joy goes to Namjoon's house, where the dialogue you first reenacted comes to play. The shots are gorgeous, the script filled with metaphors on poverty and currency, and the romance is sickly sweet. There is a sex scene not long after... Joy forgets all about her boyfriend in the snap of Namjoon's fingers.

You tilt your head when you remember Taehyung. Where is he? How come your boyfriend didn't even show up to this life-changing experience?

Jungkook's hand slides over your thigh out of nowhere, as he murmurs, "do you mind?"

You stammer when his fingers reach under your dress to poke at your panties. "S-Sorry?"

"I said," he grazes your folds as you tense at the feather light touch, "do you mind if I touch you, pretty girl?"

Your chest heaves as your lashes flutter in a daze, but you nod nonetheless. His low raspy voice already has you clenching your thighs, unintentionally trapping his hand against your pussy. He's gentle, almost curious with the way he runs his fingers over your silky underwear before he moves it to the side. You're shivering with delight and thrill, and you don't take your eyes off of each other as he begins to flick your clit carelessly.

"Looks so pretty on you," he compliments the makeshift choker on your neck. It's his handkerchief you wore for the occasion, unaware that it's dried with cum. He pulls on the knot like it's a collar, and you're entranced. Your pants fan his lips at the close proximity, and he doesn't shy away from slotting his mouth against yours. You quietly moan into the kiss when his thumb starts to rub your clit, and his long finger pokes at your entrance.

"You mind?" he murmurs against your lips, his words slightly slurred as he doesn't stop kissing you. The wet noises are drowned out by the loud volume of the movie, but you can't focus on what's going on.

"I don't," you breathe before he slips in two fingers, exploring your walls with precision. He's multitasking as he circles your sensitive clit, and you're not very experienced in regards to sexual encounters but your hand lands on his hard-on anyway.

"Don't be shy," he chuckles into your neck, "touch it."

You don't know what you're doing when you slip your hand under his pants and palm him over his briefs, but his sigh is encouraging you. You're touching each other in a room of 100 people.

It's embarrassing when his free hand joins yours to help you touch him while simultaneously fingering you. He must have sensed your lack of confidence, because he starts to stroke his erection over your hand. You start to imagine his fingers as the real thing, and with your particularly low stamina, have a hard time suppressing your whines.

"Kiss my neck," he suggests as a solution to your nibbling. You didn't even realize your nether lip is bleeding from how hard you were biting on it. You bury your head in his shoulder and start pecking his neck. He holds back a laugh at how shy you're being, and he feels proud for predicting this moment perfectly in the movie. Joy is having the time of her life with Namjoon, unaware of Jimin decaying in the attic.

He quickens his pace in your cunt, and you bite him rather harshly at the sensation. He hisses with a chuckle; he likes it when you're impulsive. He can pick up the squelches from his thrusts because of how wet you are, and you climax all over his fingers in a matter of seconds with a whimper. You're twitching in your seat, and your hand strokes him faster but he stops you.

"In my studio," he says and you nod tiredly against his shoulder. The issue isn't that he doesn't want to cum in his pants, but the movie needs to become reality. He wants to fuck you on that one stool, with Taehyung's corpse decomposing in the backroom.

Jungkook always adds a pinch of fiction to his stories, but they're mostly based on true events. If you paid attention to the ending, maybe you would've realized that.

Lying is bad, but there are worse things in life.

[wordsnstuff]

Guide to Writing Mystery Thrillers

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Horror vs. Thriller: Fear vs. Suspense

The main difference between thrillers and horror is the effect it has on the reader. Yes, both genres are meant to “scare” the reader, but with a thriller, the ending is less predictable. It’s about the building tension that comes with the unknown. The writer’s goal is to unsettle the reader, make the fear of the unknown be the main aspect and make their heart rate rise steadily over the course of the plot. Horror is repeatedly scaring the reader, though the tension is lesser because a horror story is one of inevitable doom. It’s not so much about if, but rather when and how. Thriller is about that sweet, slow dribble of ice water down the reader’s back, while horror is splashing them repeatedly in creative and shocking ways. 

Balancing the Tension

With the tension being the most important element in a thriller, you must balance this carefully and you can do so by utilizing the mystery aspect. You can build the tension with events and the steady state of unknowing, but you can also use the mystery to relieve or ramp up the suspense. Mysteries introduce time-sensitivity into the plot, as well as identifiable risk and payoff, but it also preserves that feeling of unpredictability. You need to be careful to keep the tension thick enough that the plot twist is surprising, but not unexpected. Readers should expect a dramatic shift in the trajectory, but they should be completely shocked at what it actually is. 

Suspension of Disbelief

Mysteries and thrillers do not have the luxury that thriller does of a reader coming in with their sense of what is and isn’t “realistic” being thrown out the window. Readers of the mystery thriller genre expect an air of credibility and when their predictions and deductions are thwarted for something completely illogical, it isn’t a pleasant surprise. The suspension of disbelief comes in the details that may or may not be stretched for fictional purposes, but the meat of the story, the mystery and all the steps within, do not have that wiggle room. Exercise deep, critical thought when developing the plot development and the characters themselves because the reader is paying attention. 

Choose the Right Antagonist

Antagonists in mystery thrillers are a great opportunity for creative freedom. Yes, readers expect the antagonist to surprise them or be clever, but your job isn’t to fool the reader, it’s to impress them with how cleverly you masked or built up the reveal of the antagonist; the result of their sleuthing. You don’t always have to choose some minor, seemingly insignificant character to be the antagonist at the end. There’s so many roads you can choose, such as making the protagonist the murderer, a family member the thief, the romantic partner the deceiver, etc. Don’t try to avoid cliches in this part of the plot, because it’s impossible. Every possible ending has been done in some way or another. Try to be original in the way you reveal them and be clever about developing the antagonist to have as much impact on the reader as possible. 

Meaningful Death

Death isn’t as rampant in thrillers as in other suspenseful genres, but it’s still important to note that all death should have a purpose and a consequence. It should always serve the plot, and it should always have an observable effect on the characters. Killing characters (especially main characters) to build suspense or stakes doesn’t work and it reads as lazy. Keep the purpose and consequence in mind, and be open to death and where it takes the story. 

Common Struggles

~ How do you create a good mystery thriller plot?... It depends on what you like about the genre. If you prefer to have the majority of the story surround the actual mystery and the development of its nuance, then focus the plot around that and sprinkle the suspense throughout. If you want the mystery to be the catalyst for a bigger, more complicated emotional conflict, then structure accordingly. It’s really about what you want to say and how you would want to hear it. 

~ How do you balance a subtle build up without making the twist look like it came out of nowhere?... Action and reaction. Every twist and turn should be traceable to a series of identifiable events throughout the previous chapters. Your readers should be able to see the breadcrumbs when they read the story a second time. That’s how you know the subtlety works, rather than dropping two or three breadcrumbs throughout 16 chapters and then drop the whole remaining loaf in chapter 17. 

~ How do you create a spooky, thrilling atmosphere?... Writing style. It’s all about writing style, I promise. Utilize some of the staples, like shorter sentences leading up to an explosive moment, visceral vocabulary about something seemingly mundane, etc. Over-describing things to have that “this normal thing doesn’t seem so harmless anymore” or under-describing things that the reader would assume requires more focus. Either turn up the volume or turn it way down. These little aspects in the vocabulary and structure you use add up and work wonders for tension and suspense. Also:

A Guide To Tension & Suspense

How To Perfect The Tone

~ How can I make the reader like the villain, despite their actions?... I have a couple resources for this, which you may find helpful:

Writing Good Villains

Creating Villains

Villains with good intentions

Other Resources

How To Write A Good Plot Twist

How To Foreshadow

Flipping Character Traits On Their Head

Plot Structures

Calculating Emotional Reactions

Keeping Characters Realistic

Tips On Writing About Mental Illness

Character Who’s Smarter Than You

Making Characters Unpredictable

How To Engage The Reader

Including More People of Color In Your Story

“Male characters are more relatable”

Writing Good Villains

Creating Villains

Showing Vulnerability Without Death

Character Driven vs. Plot Driven Stories

Resources For Crime/Mystery/Thriller Writers

Tips on Writing Pyschological Thrillers

Resources For Writing (Global) Period Pieces : 1900-1939

Resources For Writing (Global) Period Pieces : 1940-1969

Historically Accurate Dialogue

Creepy Ex-Girlfriend

Tips on Introducing Backstory

Writing Other Eras

Resources For Writing The Mafia

Guide to Story Researching

Commentary on Social Issues In Writing

Resources For Writing Sketchy Topics

On Writing About Sensitive Topics

Avoiding The Romanticization of Mental Illness

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Masterlist | WIP Blog

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