#as if it was some new amazing movie and not a 1988 one

[blindhades]

last night i dreamt a new disney plus tv advertisement where jiminy cricket sang a jingle telling you to get disney plus to watch 'who framed roger rabbit'

[fuckyeaharthuriana]

My favorite arthurian movies (part 2/3)

More details (and youtube links for the less known movies) under cut. Some of these I love, some are so bad so good, some are beautifully epic, some are just funny.

New Adventures of a Yankee in King Arthur's Court (1988) (youtube part 1) (youtube part 2): No idea what the characters are saying as this is in Russian, but the visual of this movie is gorgeous and so is Mordred.

A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court (1989) (youtube): Lovely Connecticut Yankee movie with a girl as a protagonist. It adds some new scenes, very heart warming and cute and has a scene of Guinevere dancing.

Guinevere (1994): Loose adaptation of Persia Wolley's Guinevere books. A bit boring, but this is the first time we see Guinevere as protagonist. Focusing on her marriage with Arthur, inhereting her father's kingdom and her love for Lancelot.

A Young Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court (1995) (youtube) : Another Connecticut Yankee movie, the quality is not as good as others but it has an interesting Galahad (who often is not in movie) and an amazing Morgana.

First Knight (1995): Romance movie between Lancelot and Guinevere.

A Knight in Camelot (1998): The last Connecticut Yankee movies, one of the funniest ones too, with Whoopi Goldberg as the protagonist.

Quest for Camelot (1998): Only slightly arthurian, as the focus is on two new characters (one is called Gareth but has nothing to do with Sir Gareth). Set during Arthur's kingdom. Animated movie about the daughter of Lionel returning Excalibur to King Arthur.

The Excalibur Kid (1999) (youtube): One of my favorite movies and one of the only movies where Morgause is present. Focusing on a kid ending up in King Arthur's times as future king of Camelot because Morgause feels he is easier to manipulate than Arthur, the real king. I shipped him and Arthur.

Sir Gawain and the Green Knight (2002) (youtube): Animated short movie on Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, visually beautiful, following the story very loyally.

[charaznablespeteevee]

Would you share your thoughts on the Gundam you've seen? I added the first one to my list based on your posting about it (mostly the transition Char posting, he sounds like a fascinating character) and am not on Twitter to see your liveposting

Good question!! It seems like you want to know if I'd rec them so I'll answer based on that.

The original Mobile Suit Gundam (1979) absolutely I would rec to literally any anime fan. Both because it is a genuinely good anime, but equally because it's like. You know how people say you have to read the Bible to get all the references to the Bible in literature? It's like that. Gundam is one of the Bibles for anime. It's in everything. And you won't realize this until you watch it.

It's also a very good science fiction show just in general. The major characters are all great, the drama is compelling, and while some of the animation has not aged well, the newtype stuff has some super neat effects that are gorgeous to see on a big screen to this day.

It's also super accessible, the full show is available on Crunchyroll or if you don't want to commit watching a 43 episode show the three compilation movies are on Netflix and are a very solid alternative.

Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam (1985) - they got a big budget upgrade so everything is Bigger and More. More robots, more character drama, more romance, better music, and some bizarre segues into how men are from Mars and women are from Venus. Absolutely worth a watch if you liked the original Gundam because it continues to follow a lot of the original characters.

Mobile Suit Gundam ZZ (1986) - technically "skippable" if you consider 0079, Zeta, and Char's Counterattack a trilogy, which it kind of is. ZZ focuses on an almost entirely new cast of characters and the first half of the show is VERY heavy on the comedy before jumping directly into some of the best anime I've ever seen for the second half. The mood whiplash is kind of divisive among fans. Personally I like it and the characters are great. Worth a watch if you like what you've seen so far.

Char's Counterattack (1988) - caps off the gayass Amuro/Char rivalry and is just an amazing movie in general. Gorgeous visuals, and the final 15 minutes or so are a series of emotional gut-punches the likes of which I've rarely experienced in media. Must watch IMO.

War in the Pocket (1989) - six episode OVA featuring entirely new characters. This is a truly fantastic little series that lets you into the lives of a small handful of likeable characters and how their lives are affected by war. It's Gundam so guess how that goes. I liked it a LOT and recommend it. BONUS: This is a GREAT "starter" Gundam. It's short, it's very good, and you don't need to know anything about Gundam going in. There's a few references to prior lore, but they aren't anything major and a newcomer could easily figure it all out from context.

Mobile Suit Gundam F91 (1991) - this is a movie that was originally going to be made into a TV show and it shows, they stuffed far too much into too little time and it suffers for it. So unfortunately this is the first thing on this list I probably wouldn't rec. That said the characters are pretty fun and the ending is very good, so you can do a lot worse if you're bored or a completionist.

Mobile Suit Victory Gundam (1993) - this is what I'm watching right now! I'm a little over halfway done with it. This is all new characters and there are some interesting new concepts. For example the first twenty or so episodes were set on Earth so you got some really gorgeous scenery during mobile suit battles that made those scenes really visually distinctive compared to say, a battle in space. That said it's yet to really "pull me in" the way most other Gundam series did. For now I'm still waiting to see if it will do that or not.

Witch From Mercury - I'm assuming everyone knows what this is. It's gay as fuck, what can I say, and it's the entire reason I fell down into this Hell to begin with. 10/10

[blush-and-books]

what do you think donna’s favorite movie is? im sure it’s some obscure experimental film no one’s ever heard of but i’m gonna say i think it’s carrie 1976

okay so this calls to attention and extremely important question regarding donna's character: is donna a film buff?

i can't respond to asks with any concise or short answer so buckle up!!!!

we know her as a lover of theatre, and while that doesn't mean she isn't into film, it is common that people are into one more than the other. so when we propose that she would like a really lowkey experimental film, that implies that she knows some deep cuts about film that are never really explored in canon; instead, we know her as a shakespeare lover and broadway girlie.

(however, if someone were to show her maya deren's short film meshes of the afternoon, which is like low-hanging experimental film fruit, it would absolutely change her life LMAO)

i am tempted to say that donna would be into the old hollywood classics and/or films that are more day-in-the-life or depicting the everyday, with some stellar acting performances. what comes to mind is Running On Empty (dir. Sidney Lumet, 1988), Ordinary People (dir. Robert Redford, 1980), or Faces (dir. John Cassavetes, 1968). lowkey donna gives me the vibe that she'd LOVE that movie subgenre that's just white heterosexual couples in miserable marriages screaming at each other for almost two hours.

on the other hand, i love to imagine her getting down with fun movies, rom-comy vibes, like Moonstruck (dir. Norman Jewison, 1987), When Harry Met Sally (dir. Rob Reiner, 1989) The Birdcage (dir. Mike Nichols, 1996) or To Wong Foo, Thanks For Everything! Julie Newmar (dir. Beeban Kidron, 1995). I'd say that When Harry Met Sally is probably one of her favorites of all time - it's romantic, it's witty, it's New York, and it's probably everything she wanted.

now this is even more oddly specific but it must be said that donna probably is obsessed with nicole kidman and would be particularly fixated on everything that nicole did when her career was blowing up in the 90s, because nicole had that amazing red hair!!! im talking Moulin Rouge! (dir. Baz Luhrmann, 2001) and Practical Magic (dir. Griffin Dunne, 1998). donna probably went as nicole's characters for Halloween.

i also want to add that i love the idea of her being into older horror films, like Carrie (dir. Brian De Palma, 1976) as you mentioned, and also the original Exorcist (dir. William Friedkin, 1973). donna being a horror lover feels just strange enough to work really well for her character, but i esp like the idea that she takes to classic horror movies!!!

now this is unrelated to everything i just discussed but she would absolutely LOVE Chicago (dir. Rob Marshall, 2002) starting Renée Zellweger and Catherine Zeta Jones.

we see her engage a little with harvey in his movie quoting but we never get to learn much about her own interest in film, so it all comes down to how much knowledge and passion for it that we think she has and if she values any kind of pretentious cinematic taste in the same way she is a longtime fan of live theatre.

[dwreader]

What movies would you recommend for good examples of period costumes?

Ok since I could talk for literally hours about this I’m going to stick to periods that are show adjacent or relevant otherwise I’ll be here all day.

18th century (Lestat’s time):

Barry Lyndon (1975) - takes place in the 1760s throughout Europe so a little before Lestat’s time but honestly fashion changed very slowly back then so it’s pretty much the vibe we’re gonna see in s3 I believe. I think this is essential to understanding the period’s masculinity as it features mostly men and is also not about romance. You also get to see class differences in men’s dress as the character starts off in a very different social position from where he ends up. I also think Sam in his Lestat get up from set leaks looks sooo much like Ryan O’Neal in this movie I think it will be a major inspiration.

Dangerous Liaisons (1988) - this is pretty much smack dab in the middle of Lestat’s human life (pre-revolutionary) and it’s one of the few romantic dramas that actually allows its leading men to look period accurate cause somehow Hollywood decided calves and stockings were too gay for their leading men who usually show up to dinner parties in riding gear which would NEVER happen. Anyways I also think the character of Valmont is probably another big Lestat influence.

I also think movies like Amadeus (1984) and The Favourite (2018) are helpful in establishing to viewers that men did look ridiculous back then with big ass wigs and face caked full of makeup and it was not considered gay or unmanly!!

Gilded Age / Edwardian and beyond (Louis’s time):

The Age of Innocence (1993) - takes place in the 1870s so again a bit before Louis but I think now it’s important to establish that fashion trends are moving a bit faster as you’ll see a few decades later the big ass bustle look is no longer on trend but this is just a beautiful film to look at if you want a good intro to film costuming.

The trio of Merchant-Ivory’s EM Forster adaptations: A Room with a View, Maurice and Howard’s End are nice examples of early 20th century wear and again you finally get to see more class differences in dress. Also great references for men’s wear.

Daughters of the Dust (1991) - this takes place in Georgia around 1902 so getting quite close to the start of the show and it has absolutely gorgeous design like it’s the women’s silhouette so spot on. Good reference for the costumes on black women in the show. Also I think this is one case where the flowy down do’s hair in a period film isn’t anachronistic cause of the specific story they’re telling otherwise I’m usually like why are you an adult woman walking around outside with your hair down.

Passing (2021) - takes place in 1920s New York and features really lovely b&w cinematography and costuming wise it’s a really beautiful representation of upper middle class black families of the time and also has very interesting contrasts with the white upper class. Amazing book too, I highly recommend both.

For periods beyond 1930 I actually recommend just watching films from that era cause they give a more accurate representation of what was fashionable then not filtered through today’s beauty standards. For example the thin penciled eyebrow is almost never seen in modern period films cause no actress wants to shave off their eyebrows 💀 and their hair is almost always too long cause they don’t wanna chop off their hair.

Here are some good fashion recs of 30s-40s:

Trouble in Paradise (1932), It Happened One Night (1934), The Awful Truth (1937), Imitation of Life (1934), Notorious (1946), Mildred Pierce (1945), Gilda (1946), Orphee (1949), and a bunch others you can ask me for recs based on more specific criteria and I’d be happy to provide!

Also a film that’s a bit past the show’s timeline is Paris Blues (1961) starring Sidney Poitier and Paul Newman that’s also about American expats in Paris and it’s very good, everyone watch it.

[rollercoasterwords]

hiiiiiii!! i don't have the brain to do or watch anything atm but i would LOVE some movie recs please 🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻

YAY ok assuming this is coming from the 80s movie post so. here r some of my favorite 80s movies:

ridiculous campy fun:

earth girls are easy (1988) - fucking LOVE this movie!!! such a fun time. horny aliens crash their spaceship on earth + get taken in by a human woman. also it's a musical comedy + the aliens are played by jeff goldblum jim carrey and damon wayans

hell comes to frogtown (1988) - also. obsessed w this one. post-apocalyptic world where society is a matriarchy + humans need 2 repopulate. protagonist is a Manly Man who has been discovered to have a Mega-High Sperm Count, making him a government asset so a sexy military doctor locks him up in a chastity cage 2 conserve his precious sperm. also there are mutated frog people + they kidnapped a bunch of ~fertile~ human women to keep as sex slaves so Manly Man needs 2 accompany sexy military doctor + sexy soldier to go rescue the ladies from Frogtown so he can fuck them <3 also his name is Sam Hell. hence. 'hell comes to frogtown'

clue (1985) - based on the board game!! murder mystery comedy w wacky characters + an ending that is oh-so-fun

weird dark fantasy:

the company of wolves (1984) - the movie that inspired my 80s movie post 2nite <3 creepy fairytale retelling of red riding hood w a bunch of stories-within-a-story so that it ends up feeling like some sort of fever dream matryoshka doll

labyrinth (1986) - one of my FAVORITE movies of all time!!!!! david bowie is a goblin king who kidnaps the protagonist's baby brother as a favor 2 her + then when she's like actually i want him back he's like ok solve my maze then <3

return to oz (1985) - sequel to 'the wizard of oz' that is like. 10 times darker + weirder + creepier + definitely scarred me + my twin when we watched it as children lol. dorothy won't stop talking abt oz so she's taken 2 a mental institution for electroshock therapy. queue dramatic storm + sudden return to oz except the city is in ruins + dorothy needs 2 save the day

horror:

aliens (1986) - sequel to alien (1979) which just missed the cutoff for making this list + i also recommend--but u don't NEED 2 watch it 2 watch this movie. outer space creature feature meets slasher survival horror. xenomorph i love u <3

the thing (1982) - another sci-fi alien horror but this time it follows a group of researchers in the arctic who encounter an alien that can change shape 2 look like any of them. queue paranoia. there's also a more modern remake of this movie if i'm not mistaken

day of the dead (1985) - probably romero's least well-known zombie movie lol but a fun one nonetheless! good if u like 80s movies + zombie movies which. i do <3

the shining (1980) - oooh artsy spooky hotel horror.....a classic to be honest....

animated:

the last unicorn (1982) - ANOTHER favorite movie of all time for me!!!! unicorn who lives in isolation in a forest overhears two humans talking about how there are no more unicorns in the world + is like what i can't be the only one left...so she sets out on an adventure 2 try and find out what happened 2 all the unicorns <3 another movie that scarred me as a child bc of how creepy + dark it was

nausicaa of the valley of the wind (1984) - studio ghibli <3 this is one of my fave ghibli films. post-apocalyptic wasteland where giant bugs roam the earth....amazing

castle in the sky (1986) - more ghibli! girl w mysterious magic necklace meets boy who is searching for castle in the sky. also they are being chased by pirates + creepy government agents. FUN

kiki's delivery service (1989) - aaaaand more ghibli. teenage witch sets out 2 make her way in the world + encounters existential dread <3

classics:

heathers (1988) - veronica decides that she's sick of her mean-girl popular friendgroup + at the same time meets Mysterious New Boy. when she complains 2 him abt her friends he starts killing them <3

the princess bride (1987) - based on the book (which i also recommend!!); i feel like everyone knows this movie but. basically fairytale-esque romance abt a girl named buttercup who falls in love w a farmboy named wesley but then wesley gets murdered by pirates...or so it seems....

ferris bueller's day off (1986) - teenagers decide 2 skip school + run amok in chicago. wahoo!!

[cinemaocd]

Jenny's ongoing list of films watched 2024

January

RRR (2023)*

Peter's Friends (1992)*

The Lady Eve (1941)

How to Get a Head in Advertising (1988)*

High Fidelity (2000)

Frieda (1947)*

Oh...Rosalinda! (1955)

The Quick and the Dead (1995)*

The Barefoot Contessa (1954)*

The Life and Death of Col. Blimp (1943) Commentary Track (2012)*

Rhubarb (1951)*

The Birds (1963)*

House of Yes (1997)*

Cassandra Cat (1963)*

Foreign Correspondent (1940)

The Long Goodbye (1973)

Night of the Comet (1984)

The Day the Earth Caught Fire (1961)*

For Me and My Gal (1942)*

The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014)

The Small, Back Room (1949)

House of Games (1987)

Water (1985)*

The Ballad of John and Yoko (2023)*

The Meaning of Life (1983)

Track 29 (1988)*

*New to me

Thoughts on the New to Me films:

New Year's Eve we watched RRR, a lot of fun, energetic, bright and action-packed. I enjoyed the way that little attention was given to the British characters. They were straight up villains in ill fitting ahistorical costumes, kind of like the way Indian/Asian characters are treated in Western films most of the time...$$$

New Year's Day we watched Peter's Friends, a drama/comedy from the early 90s starring all of the famous Cambridge Footlights. Big Chill-ish film set in a country house over the Christmas holidays. $$$

How to Get a Head in Advertising was weird and also really good. Had a similar vibe to Withnail and I (possibly because of Richard E. Grant, but also possibly the mixture of the surreal with the realistic). Quite stage-y in some ways but clever and savage in it's satire of life in the 80s. $$$

Frieda: Oh I loved this! Weird World War II melodrama about a German girl marrying a British boy and all the trouble it causes with his complex family situation. Such a stellar cast including the late, great Glynnis Johns. $$$$

The Quick and the Dead: I set my expectations quite low for this and was pleasantly surprised. I liked Sam Raimi's comic book-y take on gunfighters and esp. loved Sharon Stone's character. We love to see a female action hero with no love interest. A nice twist on the Man with no Name trope. Excellent cast as well with Russell Crowe, Gene Hackman, Roy Scheider and Woody Stroud in his final film. $$$

The Barefoot Contessa: Joseph Mankewitcz is one of the geniuses of old Hollywood but this ain't it, chief. Just kind of all of the place melodrama that makes no sense and relies too much on Ava Gardner looking amazing in technicolor in the South of France. A bit of a commentary on Grace Kelly who a few years earlier married minor royalty on the Riviera. Even Rossano Brazzi can't save this mess for me. $

Rhubarb: Two genres I usually kind of hate (family-friendly animal centered film, sports film) combined into one and it's actually a lot of fun. Ray Milland and a bunch of classic character actors as the baseball team (also Leonard Nemoy has a tiny part as a mobster) in this slight/ predictable romp. $$

The Birds: Woah, shit this was good. I should have known. Amazing tension created and Hitchcock just sells the surreal horror with lots of rear projection...so. much. rear. projection. $$$

House of Yes: How about House of NOPE. Ugh what a mess this was. Some good performances and intriguing story, but it was very stagey and I don't know why the 90s couldn't make a story about adult children and their parents without reducing everyone to cliches and stereotypes but this and Six Degrees of Separation are definitely guilty of that, but the latter is just a better film. $

Cassandra Cat: Takes a long time to get to the cat which given that this was a family film from the 60s might be a problem for some viewers, expecting a more cat-centric movie. Interesting riff on fairy tales from the Czech New Wave. Beautiful Demy-esque technicolor and settings make this 60s nonsense fly by. $$

The Day the Earth Caught Fire: 60s nuclear panic disaster film that really just shows the earth as it is now in the throws of global warming. Yikes. Thoughtfully written and well acted by a bunch of folks I'd never heard of. $$

For Me and My Gal: Directed by Busby Berkley and starring Gene Kelly and Judy Garland and set in the 1920s on the Vaudeville circuit, I was expecting a lot more fun, dancing, color, costumes etc. This is actually more of a black and white war time melodrama with some music shoved into it and the dancing is very rudimentary. (I think this is probably because Garland esp. at this stage wasn't in the same league with Gene Kelly and I think it would have been too noticable...). Filmed at the entry of America into WW2 this was quite a deliberate propaganda piece. $$

TLADOCB Commentary: I've watched this movie 20 times at least but the commentary really made me think about a bunch of things differently. Can't say I recommend unless you are fanatic though as it's obviously pieced together from interviews Michael Powell and Martin Scorcese $$

Water (1985): If you smoke the exact right strain of sativa and ignore some of the more dated aspects of this 80s comedy, that reads as if Local Hero were a Cheech and Chong film--this is a total classic. Irreverent Michael Caine just straight up breaking character the minute he turns into a guerilla fighter in the jungle and being far too competent and cool, and then snapping back to sweetly shy, inept British Civil Servant, finding he actually loves his hated backwater post (the invent Casara part Caribbean, part Devon Jurassic Coast) while having to actually do his job. Political satire and fully both barrels to Maggie Thatcher and Reagan. Good on em. Filmed in St. Lucia, the movie has a zany heart and little taste, hoovering up vast quantities of competent TV players from my youth: Herman Munster and Reginald Perrin to name but two. Awkward love story and some uneven acting from Valerie Perrin and Brenda Vaccaro. I enjoyed myself, heartily, anyway. $$$

The Ballad of John and Yoko: Technically a video essay with amazing production values (the licensing alone was epic) dragging together disparate topics around the central theme of women being blamed for bad things happening to infantalized male geniuses. Is it the most coherent argument? No. Does it absolutely tap into many unexpressed or implied ideas that have been floating around since me too? Absolutely. $$

Track 29: This was some of the worst casting I've ever seen in a film. When I think of Texas nurse who is into trains and spanking, I don't automatically think of comedian Sandra Bernhardt. When I think of an actress of that era who was old enough to play Gary Oldman's mother, I don't think of Theresa Russell who is the same age as Oldman and looked every bit as young as he did in the film. Maybe that was the point? I'm not sure. The story was weird, like a Southern Gothic melodrama/black comedy ala Flannery O'Connor, but there was something off about the whole thing.

[henshinwolf89]

Zeiram 1 Retrospective

When it comes to Tokusatsu, it can be somewhat tricky to initially get into. With such a long history and back catalog, and an often 50+ episode long commitment, it can be daunting to newcomers. That’s why I usually say to find what appeals to you and go from there. Maybe find something that’s on the shorter side of things before trying to tackle the bigger ones. Standalone Tokusatsu movies can be a good starting point.

That leads me to suggesting one such movie series as a potential starting point into the larger world of Tokusatsu, the Zeiram series, which consists of two feature-length films and a six episode OVA. Zeiram was created by the insanely talented Keita Amemiya, an absolute legend in the Tokusatsu industry. Having worked on almost every major Tokusatsu franchise in some form at one point before creating his own series, such as the incredible Garo franchise, he quickly established himself as a unique visionary of the business.

Zeiram is Amemiya’s second film after Mirai Ninja, his debut movie in 1988, and began its life as a sequel to it before evolving into its own thing. The first Zeiram movie was released on December 21, 1991, and reportedly had a smaller budget than Mirai Ninja, thirty million yen, which is roughly two hundred thousand dollars. The entire film’s budget is apparently the cost of just a single episode of Garo! However, just because it had a smaller budget doesn’t mean that they skimped on the special effects. The film deploys an impressive array of special effects, ranging from amazing suitmation, puppetry, pyrotechnics, wire work, fight choreography, and even stop-motion animation!

The film stars actress Yuko Moriyama as Iria, a tough as nails intergalactic bounty hunter. Moriyama was a relatively new actress, having her start on a contact lens commercial for Seed Contact Lenses and mostly doing TV work. Moriyama was initially hesitant to play Iria, as she had no prior experience playing action roles, but enjoyed her experience as Iria by the end and came out with a very positive outlook. She wasn’t used to using guns or gun props and was pretty surprised by the impact of the model gun the first time she used it. She got used to it eventually as she knew Iria was a professional and needed to act the part. Soon, she found firing the guns to be really fun. Moriyama also stated having difficulty with the suit Iria wore. It’s bulkyness making her feel like a robot and bruising up her body quite a bit. She got used to it after a month. However, the suit was very squeaky and noisy. You could always tell when she was nearby, much to the amusement of the rest of the cast and crew.

The other two major characters are the two average working Joe electricians, Teppei and Kamiya, played by Kunihiro Ida and Yukijiro Hotaru, respectfully. Ida was in Amemiya’s previous film, Mirai Ninja, and is a varied actor being in the original Japanese version of “Shall We Dance?” Hotaru, on the other hand, is an accomplished stage actor and should be a familiar face to Tokusatsu fans. He played The Evil Emperor Diable in Bishoujo Kamen Poitrine, had a cameo as the suicidal man in Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack or GMK for short, and most famously played Tsutomu Osako in the Heisei Gamera trilogy, and Gonza Kurahashi in Garo. Hotaru and Amemiya are good friends, and they both have a tremendous amount of respect for each other.

Moriyama, Ida, and Hotaru all developed a great working chemistry with each other. Ida was very supportive of Moriyama, frequently psyching her up and giving her emotional support, while Hotaru often gave her acting advice. They did line readings together often and read through the script many times before shoots. They did this in advance as often as possible. Hotaru during shoots would hunch over to make himself look smaller in comparison to Moriyama, so Iria had a larger and more imposing presence.

Next up is Bob, Iria’s A.I. partner. Who is voiced by Masakazu Handa. He sadly died at the young age of 47 due to heart failure on August 26, 2014. Handa was a professional voice actor who also did a lot of narration work and announcement work at events like martial arts tournaments and sports games.

Finally, the titular monster, Zeiram, is played by suit actor Mizuho Yoshida, and the suit was made by famous sculptor and artist Takayuki Takeya. Yoshida’s first role was in Mirai Ninja, but he has played many Kaiju characters as well, such as Mother Legion in Gamera 2: Attack of Legion, Zedus in Gamera the Brave and Godzilla in GMK. In the Rebirth of Mothra movies, he played Desghidorah and Dagahra in the sequel. He has also provided motion capture work for video games such as the Tyrant from Resident Evil CODE: Veronica, Dylan in Dino Crisis 2, Dead Rising, and Onimusha. Most notably was the mo-cap actor for both Solid Snake and Naked Snake/Big Boss in Metal Gear Solid 1-3.

Amemiya drew many designs to find the look of Zeiram, an alien wearing a sedge hat. He settled on the look of a traveler from the Edo period, as he thought it would be scary to see someone like that in the streets in the middle of the night. The Zeiram costume was quite heavy, most of the weight being on the head with tension on the neck. According to Amemiya, Zeiram is female, but in the films, the characters use male pronouns, so I’ll be using gender neutral terms to refer to Zeiram. I mean, it’s a bio-mechanical alien. It probably doesn’t even fall into our human definitions of gender anyway.

But enough about the behind the scenes tidbits for now, let’s get into talking about the actual film!

The movie opens with an intense scene showing how dangerous Zeiram is. A group of armed men are brutally slaughtered by the ruthless alien. A bounty is placed on the capture of Zeiram, and Bob accepts the order and claims no one may interfere with Iria and Bob’s job. Next, we see Iria skulking through the streets of Tokyo, gathering supplies. Then we are introduced to Kamiya, who is elated to finally strike it big gambling on horse races. Kamiya is divorced, most likely due to his gambling habits. Teppei is next, trying to contact Kamiya about their next set of jobs. He wants to quickly get them done as he has a date with the company’s secretary, Yumi, something Kamiya teases him about.

I like Kamiya and Teppei. They’re just two average dudes that are about to find themselves in something extraordinary. They are the source of comic relief and provide a contrast to Iria’s stoic badass demeanor. Their hapless antics don’t distract or ruin Iria’s action scenes, and they even contribute tremendously to helping Iria. Honestly, they remind me of Val McKee and Earl Bassett, played by Kevin Bacon and Fred Ward from the movie Tremors.

Anyway, Iria and Bob’s base of operations are siphoning a lot of electricity, and so Kamiya and Teppei are called in to investigate. Iria and Bob are building a device to trap Zeiram in a place called the Zone. They need to use the Zone to capture Zeiram to avoid causing collateral damage to Earth’s environment and population. Bob says that they need this job to pay off debts racked up by Iria. After catching Zeiram in the Zone, the two electricians arrive, and Teppei accidentally stumbles into the Zone’s teleporter. Iria gives chase, and Kamiya invites himself along. This is where the movie primarily takes place in the Zone, where no other life is allowed in outside those permitted or teleported there.

Iria traps Kamiya in a protective barrier and goes off to pursue Teppei and find Zeiram. Unfortunately, Teppei encounters Zeiram first and is attacked. He flees, and Zeiram produces a creature called the Lilliput monster to give chase.

The smoke in the scene where Zeiram attacks Teppei with the Lilliput was created with oil at 2 o’clock in the morning. One of the first locations they shot according to interviews. People who hung their clothes out to dry had them covered in oil the next morning, Amemiya feels guilty for it and was sorry. The Lilliput monster was played by suit actresses Mayumi Aguni. Apparently, an early example of a woman playing a monster in Tokusatsu. It’s unfortunately difficult to find information online about female Kaiju actors. The only others I’m aware of are Yumi Kameyama as Super Gyaos in Gamera: The Guardian of the Universe and, of course, the popular and adorable Rie Ota as Baragon in GMK.

Back to the movie. Iria manages to track down Zeiram and lures it to a warehouse that she previously laid with booby-traps. She ensnares Zeiram in a wire trap and begins to gloat about her victory. Her confidence gets the best of her as Zeiram seizes the opportunity and surprises Iria with the parasite in it’s hat, and cutting itself free. Meanwhile, Teppei stumbles upon Kamiya frozen in the barrier. He attempts to free him. The fight between Iria and Zeiram rages on, as they exchange fire between each other. However, Bob warns that conventional weaponry is useless, so against Bob’s wishes, Iria reveals her battle armor and switches to hand-to-hand combat.

Iria’s armor proves effective as Zeiram’s payload of artillery is reflected. Zeiram chooses to fight with melee as well and begins to overpower Iria with shear might. Iria lures it to another trap, restraining it in place. Zeiram unleashes more Lilliput monsters to buy itself time to escape. Iria defeats the Lilliput monster, but Zeiram escapes its binding. Zeiram presses forward and corners Iria, but just before it can finish her off, she manages to finally trap it in the same confinement barrier she trapped Kamiya in.

With Zeiram in custody, Teppei finds Iria and requests she release Kamiya. Iria complies, and she explains the situation to the two men. Just as Bob is preparing to teleport everyone back, a Lilliput monster attacks the group. Iria defends the two but gets transported along with the monster, leaving the electricians behind with the frozen Zeiram. The scuffle with the monster damages the control panel, cutting off access to the Zone. Bob reveals it has also destabilized the Zone too, and not much time is left before it completely vanishes.

Waiting for Iria, Teppei rifles through Iria’s bags as Kamiya grows impatient. Another Lilliput monster attacks Kamiya, and Teppei uses Iria’s weapons to fight it off. In the struggle, Zeiram’s stasis pod gets damaged and releases it. The two electricians attempt to flee by hot wiring a truck. Unfortunately, Zeiram corners them and bites Kamiya’s arm with it’s parasite. They manage to shake off Zeiram and escape. It’s revealed that by consuming its victims’ DNA, Zeiram creates its clone monsters. It creates an imperfect clone of Kamiya, but it is unable to follow orders. In its rage, Zeiram kills the clone.

The scene where Kamiya gets attacked by Zeiram’s tentacle is one of the final scenes to be shot. The tentacle was controlled by wires, and the prop was quite short. They had to utilize camera tricks to make it look longer. After Zeiram removes its scarf, revealing its face, to make the Kamiya clone, its face seems reminiscent of the Predator. I wouldn’t be surprised if Predator played a role in inspiring Zeiram in some way.

The two electricians flee into a beer storage warehouse and attempt to defend themselves from Zeiram. The fight causes Teppei to get separated from Kamiya. Teppei is unable to locate Kamiya, escapes, and contacts Iria. Iria and Bob debate sending Teppei the Metis Cannon to fight Zeiram after Teppei resolves to make a last stand after he assumes Kamiya might be dead.

Teppei heads to the drop-off point on a motorcycle to retrieve the Metis Cannon, Zeiram intercepts, and corners Teppei. Suddenly, Kamiya returns to save Teppei with a construction crane. However, Zeiram overpowers it and knocks Kamiya out of the vehicle. Then Iria swoops into the rescue, armed with a bazooka. Iria unloads the bazooka’s only shot towards Zeiram, severely damaging its body. Zeiram discards its lower half, revealing its true body is the hat, and mutates into a more skeleton-like creature to continue pursuing our heroes.

The bike scene was shot in a plane hanger in Haneda Airport. Amemiya had no prior experience with shooting a scene with a stunt like this before and was worried about the safety of the actors. The wire connected to the stunt actor on the bike fortunately snapped off, had it not, Yoshida, in the Zeiram suit, would have been hit and seriously injured. The Zeiram skeleton showcases Amemiya and his teams talent at practical effects with an impressive display of both stop-motion animation and puppetry, bringing the creature to life.

The trio, with Zeiram in tow, flee through a maze-like web of rooms in search of the Metis Cannon to kill Zeiram. Iria stays behind to stall Zeiram, leading to her being flung out a window after damaging Zeiram with a grenade. Kamiya and Teppei find the Metis Cannon but struggle to put it together in time, Zeiram tracks them down and corners them. Iria locates them in the nick of time and quickly assembles the Metis Cannon and uses it to destroy Zeiram’s skeleton. She then captures Zeiram’s hat in a barrier.

Bob transports Kamiya and Teppei back to home base outside the Zone. Then, he brings back the captured Zeiram. Next, he attempts to bring back Iria. However, Zeiram breaks free, damages the transport device, and goes on the offensive once again mutating further. Iria is trapped within the Zone as it is collapsing. Bob instructs Kamiya on how to repair the transport device as Teppei attempts to hold Zeiram back with a makeshift wooden barricade. Zeiram breaks free and is poised to kill Teppei when Kamiya fixes the device, and Iria arrives to save the day by lighting Zeiram up with as many shots as it takes, finally killing it.

As the morning comes, the trio catch their breath and thank each other for everything. Iria cuts off two locks of her hair and gives it to Kamiya and Teppei as a way of saying thanks and for them to have something to remember her by. Bob then asks if the three could group up for a commemorative photo. As Bob snaps the picture, everyone smiles and credits roll.

Though Moriyama was inexperienced as an action actress, by the time of filming the final confrontation with Zeiram, she was completely in character. Amemiya found it easier to direct her, as she had become accustomed to fighting, and he had gained more experience as a director. Despite a few bumps in the road, the cast and crew had a pleasant experience with the movie. The only major problems were the weather, which seemed to be against them, according to Amemiya.

As for my thoughts on the film? I absolutely love it! I would wholeheartedly recommend it to anyone, whether you’re into Tokusatsu or just like monster movies or creature features, like Predator or Alien. I’d even recommend this movie to a Resident Evil fan! I couldn’t shake the feeling of being reminded of my love of the intense rivalry between Jill Valentine and Nemesis. I wouldn’t be surprised if this film played some role in inspiring Resident Evil 3, though I have zero evidence to back that claim. Zeiram even goes through several mutations, like a final boss from Resident Evil.

Even if you’ve never heard of Keita Amemiya’s work prior to this, chances are you’ve encountered his work vicariously through some games you may have played. Games like Hagane: The Final Conflict, Onimusha 2-3, Clock Tower 3, Genji: Days of the Blade, Final Fantasy 14, and Shin Megami Tensei IV. Like I said, he’s a legend of the industry, and he has fans all across the world.

If you’re interested, you can easily pick up a Blu-ray copy for a good price. It recently received a fantastic 30th Anniversary Edition re-release back in 2021 by Media Blasters. Go check it out! You won’t regret it!

[boywithskull]

any film/book/tv recs?

ooh thanks for the ask! Honestly I consume media across all genres, so I'm not sure if there's a specific vibe you're after, so I'll just list a couple of different things I really enjoy:

books:

all of Donna Tartt's books obviously :) TGF and TLF are my favourites, but TSH is of course a classic

Wind, Sand and Stars by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry (referenced in TGF and is the most beautiful prose work I've ever read, no joke)

Illuminations by Arthur Rimbaud

Orlando by Virginia Woolf (incredibly funny but very heartfelt and is a beautiful reflection on humanity, time, youth, and identity)

The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton (can't believe I only read that for the first time this year)

Max by Avi Duckor-Jones (written by a New Zealand author and is a wonderful coming-of-age story featuring themes of sexuality, family, art, and indigenous NZ culture)

Wir Kinder Vom Bahnhof Zoo by Christiane F. (English title: Zoo Station) - memoir concerning the crisis of teen heroin use in West Berlin in the 70's. Big TW for many topics, so please look them up if you're thinking of reading it

Mysterious Skin by Scott Heim (many TW's also apply, but it's a beautiful novel)

Boy Swallows Universe and Lola in the Mirror by Trent Dalton - Australian contemporary litfic, the first is semi-autobiographical, and the latter features a young woman protagonist and centres topics of female homelessness and domestic violence against women

These Violent Delights by Micah Nemerever (perfect for fans of The Secret History)

The Inseparables by Simone de Beauvoir (only recently discovered a few years ago, and is semi-autobiographical account of her and her best friend's friendship growing up)

movies:

Let the Right One In (2008) - Swedish, fantastic vampire film

Napoleon Dynamite (2004) - hilarious, cult classic, what else is there to say?

Running on Empty (1988) - very gentle, I love River Phoenix

Dating Amber (2020) - funny and heartwarming comedy, with mlm/wlw solidarity and friendship at its heart

Thelma & Louise (1991) - such a rollercoaster, with amazing women as the leads, good focus on friendship, purpose, and self-actualisation

The Lost Boys (1987) - iconic, summer vibes are amazing, love me some campy 80's films, the Walk This Way hazing scene lives in my head rent-free

My Flesh and Blood (2003) - a documentary film about a woman named Susan who fosters a group of children, many of whom have disabilities or terminal illness. I love the way it was filmed and how it portrayed the realities of the situation, neither glamorising it or revelling in misery.

Mysterious Skin (2004) - adaption of the book I mentioned before. HUGE tw for sexual abuse/pedophilia. It's extremely respectful of the issues at hand, and is overall a beautiful work of art with incredible performances

tv:

honestly I haven't been watching many TV shows recently, but my favourites are:

NBC Hannibal

Twin Peaks

Gravity Falls

Druck (Skam Germany)

there are others but for some reason I can't think of any sorry :((((

[greensparty]

RIP Dr. Ruth, Richard Simmons, and Shannen Doherty

I was on vacation and wanted to combine multiple deaths that occured during my getaway:

Remembering Dr. Ruth Westheimer 1928-2024

Sex therapist and talk show host Dr. Ruth has died at 96. She became an icon in the Reagan 80s for her frank discussion of sexuality, most notably on her TV talk show Dr. Ruth Westheimer  (Lifetime 1984-1991). She was a staple of TV talk shows in the 80s and was often imitated, including Mary Gross who played her on SNL. She appeared as a fictionalized version of herself in Electric Dreams, an episode of Moonlighting, and an episode of Melrose Place. Worth checking out is the 2019 documentary Ask Dr. Ruth directed by Ryan White (who I interviewed in 2022).

Dr. Ruth as a guest on David Letterman in the 1980s.

The link above is the obit from Hollywood Reporter.

Remembering Richard Simmons 1948-2024

Fitness guru Richard Simmons has died at 76. Of all TV aerobics instructors he was one of the biggest personalities. In the 1980s he had many fitness videos including "Sweatin' to the Oldies" and like Dr. Ruth, he was a frequent guest on talk shows. He appeared in a 1994 episode of SNL (in a Coffee Talk sketch) and Eddie Murphy portrayed Little Richard Simmons, a mashup impression of Simmons and Little Richard. Within pop culture, Simmons appeared in several movies and TV shows as a fictionalized version of himself on a number of shows including a 1985 episode of Amazing Stories and some episodes of Arrested Development. In recent years there have been podcasts about him and there's a biopic in the works with Pauly Shore set to play him.

VHS cover

The link above is the obit from Hollywood Reporter.

Remembering Shannen Doherty 1971-2024

Sad news that actress Shannen Doherty died at 53 after a long battle with cancer. She was actually an early crush of mine circa late 80s. My favorite performances of hers were: Heather Duke in the 80s teen masterpiece Heathers, as Brendan Walsh on Fox's Beverly Hills, 90210 from 1990-1994, and as Rene in Kevin Smith's Mallrats. Smith's follow up to Clerks was a bigger budget movie and thanks to Doherty he had a big name star in it. When I met Smith in 1997, I had him sign my 1995 Film Threat with him and Doherty on the cover and he jokingly drew a mustache on her! I was a fan of the first 2 or 3 seasons of 90210, but it's really sad that since this teen show that was on when I was a teen, we've lost Luke Perry in 2019 and now Doherty (for the teen cast that is).

Jason Lee and Doherty in Mallrats

She got her start as a child / teen actress. Early roles included voice acting in The Secret of NIMH, Night Shift (still my favorite Ron Howard movie), TV's Our House (NBC 1986-1988), and then the 90210 era. She played herself in an episode of Parker Lewis Can't Lose, Naked Gun 33 1/3: The Final Insult, and she returned to the View Askewnaverse as herself in Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back. She hosted SNL in 1993 with the great "Denise Show" sketch where Adam Sandler is pining for his ex played by Doherty.

Alf and Doherty

In 1987 to promote NBC's Saturday Morning TV season, they had a promotional special Alf Loves a Mystery, with Alf trying to solve a mystery...with the help of NBC TV shows. Doherty, who was on Our House at the time, appeared as a The Lady in Red. After the passing of Alf's Benji Gregory and now Doherty, it's a tough week for Alf fans like me :(

The link above is the obit from Hollywood Reporter.

[idolswrestlingadventure]

Royal Rumble (1998)

Here we are, brand new year and what will become a recurring set of events to play through the year. Until we get the one per month era of modern times. More wrestling, in your face! But first, historical context, what happened in 1988? Personally, I was 4 years old, so not a lot for me to recall aside from trains and mushy food.

The 1988 Winter Olympics were held in Alberta, Canada.

The 1988 Summer Olympics were held in Seoul, South Korea.

The Soviet Union begins to collapse with the Estonian, Latvian and Lithuanian movements.

First McDonalds opens up in Yugoslavia.

The space shuttle Discovery launches, the first after the challenger disaster.

Netherlands wins the Euro’s 88 hosted in Germany.

The first WORM virus is distributed by the internet.

George HW Bush is elected President of America.

Notable Births: Skrillex, Jessie J, Jesse Plemons, Haley Joel Osment, Vanessa Kirby, Lizzo, Ana de Armas, Adele, Awkwafina, Conor McGregor, Tyson Fury, Melissa Benoist, Alicia Vikander, ASAP Rocky, Emma Stone, Zoe Kravitz and current member of Damage Control, Dakota Kai

Notable Movies: Die Hard, Who Framed Roger Rabbit, Coming To America, Rambo III, Rain Man, A Fish Called Wanda

Notable TV Shows Launched: Roseanne, Red Dwarf, The Wonder Years, Mystery Science Theatre 3000, Rab C. Nesbitt, Who’s Line Is It Anyway, Family Fued, Wheel Of Fortune, Stoppit and Tidyup, Home and Away

Well, we’ve got 5 PPVs for 1988 starting with this Royal Rumble, so let’s get going! 

This episode of Magnum P.I. is a bit different than usual...

Ricky “The Dragon” Steamboat V “Ravishing” Rick Rude - A comment given to me by a friend is that modern PPVs tend to be two contestants who swap between aggressor and victim every 5 minutes, and this match seemed to be some of this at the start. Ricky absolutely had the upper hand for the majority of the match and glad to see the tradition of cheating whilst the referee is knocked out never goes out of style. Good match, Ricky continuing to be one of my favourites from this era -Tier 3-

Friends, Romans, Countrymen...shut the fuck up

Now for some reason, we get a benchlift record attempt by Pino Bravo. Who, for some reason, and I can’t work out if this is a bit or not, constantly keeps shouting at the crowd to be quiet. His weirdly French manager also insists upon this, often going into fits of verbal dementia at what is happening whilst Jesse Ventura insists the record attempt is valid, almost too much. It’s weird how much screen time this is getting, but if it’s about macho steroid injected men doing manly things, then I suppose it fits the bill. Just very, very strange to watch.

Somewhere the creator of the Human Centipede is looking on...

The Jumping Bomb Angels V The Glamour Girls - Jimmy Hart is back, I kinda am tired of seeing him everywhere. His only gimmick is being incredibly annoying and giving the crowd something to cheer for when he’s knocked out. Luckily however this match is actually pretty good. The Bomb Angels showing some amazing agility and bringing a lot of energy that The Glamour Girls seem to miss. The Bomb Angels grab the win in a surprisingly good womens match for the era! -Tier 2-

The look the couple across the bar give you...

Side note: Jesse and Vince McMahon are being weird commentating on this match, they argue all the time and it doesn’t sound like a bit, either that or I’m getting worked somehow. Just sounds like Vince is being petty with Jesse’s usual bullshit. Bring back Gorilla Monsoon…

"One million dollars or I'll host Deal Or No Deal"

Storyline Update: The Million Dollar Man offers…a million dollars for Hogan’s belt. When Hogan refuses to surrender it, he decides to offer it to Andre The Giant to take the belt from Hogan. We don’t see the match on this occasion, but we do see the contract signing. Where a nervous Hogan gets a table thrown at him by a weirdly irate Andre. Seeing as Hogan stays the champion for a billion years, I don’t think anything gets resolved here.

Turns out squeezing the turnbuckle meant something else here...

The Royal Rumble 1988 - So at first I thought, hey Royal Rumble sounds fun. No holds barred ensemble of the greatest wrestlers in WWF at the time, all in the ring with fun knockouts. But sadly it’s just a cluster-fuck of men pretending to struggle with a set of ropes. A few fun moments and appearances from notable faces, but overall a middling event with “Hacksaw” Jim Duggan taking the win -Tier 7-

Another side note: Jesse Ventura still being the strangest commentators ever, talking about how Vince is a pussy and would rather be reading Poetry and drinking Wine than watching wrestling…

Putting their heads together literally...

The Islanders V The Young Stallions - Never mind the Stallions, check out the Islanders! There’s some WWF history right there. Father of Tonga Loa and Tama Tonga, Sam Fatu being Rikishi’s brother and Jacob Fatu’s father. The Samoan heritage runs strong in wrestling! The Stallions showing their supreme art of steroid use and I’m pretty sure neither of them can lower their arms to their sides. This was a pretty standard match, nothing exciting sadly, even the crowd seemed somewhat checked out. -Tier 6-

Notable Dialogue:

Vince: "Did you his [a samoan] toes, looks like he could hang upside down on the ropes" 

Jesse: "That's a bit racist Vince"

Verdict: 5 Samoan Forefathers Out Of 10

[monstermonstre]

31 days of horror 2023 (part 2/?)

Every year in October I challenge myself to watch 31 horror movies, 1 for each day, with varying success. If you’re new here, I love horror and so the challenge is more about the commitment, than pushing myself to do something I wouldn’t enjoy or do otherwise (thankfully).

The first half of October went too well, so it was bound to go south eventually. For this second part, there were a couple of terrible watches (although I can't say I didn't see them coming) and there were several days in which I didn't watch anything because it felt like pulling teeth. Fortunately I managed to get back on track with some great shorts (and Chucky).

12. Werewolf by Night (2022): Against my better instincts, I gave this M*rvel short a try. I thought well, the fact that it's from M*rvel Studios doesn't have to matter. It could be a nice short with some cool werewolfing even if they slap one of their magical stones onto it. Well it wasn't. It was terrible, and it got me mad at the people praising it for being "different" and "artistic". 55 minutes of my life wasted.

13. Chucky S3E2: This is when I started worrying that this new season wasn't working for me, that they had finally made a Chucky story I didn't like (I mean, like a lot of people, I didn't really enjoy Child's Play 3; but at the same time it was OK, I've seen worse).

14. Friday the 13th: A New Beginning (1985): I did watch this one on Friday the 13th so ignore the number next to it. Continuing the franchise, I was surprised to find this one as enjoyable as I did. The kills get pretty repetitive and there aren't as many characters you root for as in 4 but the cast was acting their hearts out and that alone really carried me through the film. Also Reggie was delightful and I was so happy to see Miguel A. Núñez Jr.

15. The Fall of the House of Usher E1&2: I didn't go into this thinking I was going to like it but I did think it was going to be a "fun to hate" experience. I was wrong. Nothing about it was fun. I could barely get through the first episode. I pushed myself to try the second episode, thinking maybe...I don't know what I was thinking. Maybe Flanag*n's worst so far, and that's saying something. Anyone saying it is good is insane and has never seen a horror movie before.

16. Ganja & Hess (1973): Talented, brilliant, incredible, amazing, show stopping, spectacular, ... One of the most gorgeous films I've ever seen and packed with so much to say. Must watch for fans of cinema and vampires.

17. Killer Klowns from Outer Space (1988): Another "didn't expect to enjoy this as much as I did" entry. Incredible commitment to the bit, delightful special effects, some of the worst case of "how do you do, fellow kids" actors in their 40s playing teenagers you'll ever see, and some genuinely funny jokes.

18. Creep (2014): We won't mention that I watched this twice this month.

19. Chucky S3E3: Reminded me why I've loved the show so far. Packed with what I love the most about the franchise and featuring one of its best kills. Maybe the most batshit lines of dialogue on American TV right now.

20. In Search of Darkness (2019): Don't get me wrong, I did watch those 4 and a half hours of talking heads like it was nothing but I was left a little frustrated. It felt like it stayed too at the surface despite its runtime and most of it were arguments we've heard before a thousand times. However when I realised there were 2 more of these documentaries I got excited. Hopefully the other entries will go deeper (but even if they don't, I'll probably still have a good time).

I love horror and watch horror movies year-long. However after two weeks straight of horror every day, I got a bit tired. I took a break for several days and when I felt ready to get back into it, I had 4 days to make up for. So I turned to short movies. And, frankly, I need to stop watching shorter films only when I need to make up for time lost in a challenge because I am missing out on gems like

21. The Tell-Tale Heart (1953): Gorgeous animated short adapting the famous Poe story, with James Mason narrating. I'm gonna link it here because if you have 10 minutes to spare you should watch it. This and the following entry.

22. The Sandman (1991): Incredible stop-motion animated short by Paul Berry, whose style you might recognise from Nightmare Before Christmas. Like the previous entry, if you like horror, just give it a watch.

23. Wild Love (2018): This one was just silly and great fun. Reminded me of Treevenge (2008) in its plot and humour. It's on Youtube too but behind an age-restriction, so if you're not logged in (or don't have a neat little extension that bypasses those) you might not see it there.

24. Pontypool (2008): Pretty original concept for a zombie movie and some solid performances but I could not get into it. At all.

And that's it for part 2! I couldn't complete this challenge last year but it looks like it's going well so far. One last week to go!

[beatrice-otter]

Vid Recs!

An incredible animatic was made for the 2023 Murderbot Diaries New Year Gift Exchange: They Don't Care About Us [ANIMATIC] (0 words) by avg Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: The Murderbot Diaries - Martha Wells Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence Characters: "Human One" Refugee (Murderbot Diaries), Murderbot (Murderbot Diaries), Various other refugees Additional Tags: Fanvids, Multimedia, Book 6: Fugitive Telemetry, Spoilers for Book 6: Fugitive Telemetry Summary:

The story of a refugee.

In addition, festivids is live! There are some really amazing vids, so go check them out! Here are my favorites: Choir Fandom: Sister Act (Movies) Rating: Not Rated Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Additional Tags: Fanvids Summary: Singing together in harmony. [Vid] Dance Into The Sun Fandom: Pride (2014) Rating: Not Rated Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Additional Tags: Subtitles Available Summary: Rise and share your power. Fun, Fun, Fun Fandom: Star Trek: Lower Decks (Cartoon) Rating: General Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Carol Freeman & Beckett Mariner, Beckett Mariner & Starfleet Characters: Beckett Mariner Additional Tags: Fanvids, Physical Triggers, Subtitles Available Summary: Beckett Mariner VS Responsibility Tom Paine's Bones [vid] Fandom: The Talk of the Town (1942) Rating: General Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Leopold Dilg/Michael Lightcap/Nora Shelley Characters: Leopold Dilg, Michael Lightcap, Nora Shelley Additional Tags: Fanvids, Subtitles Available Summary: Dilg, Nora, and the Professor talk about freedom and justice for everyone [vid] 2 Be Loved (Am I Ready) Fandom: Lizzo's Watch Out for the Big Grrrls (TV), Unspecified Fandom, Pop Music RPF, Lizzo (Musician) RPF Rating: General Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Characters: Lizzo (Musician), Jayla Sullivan, Arianna Davis, Asia Banks, Ashley Williams (Dancer), Sydney Bell, Charity Holloway, Moesha Perez, Isabel Jones, Jasmine Morrison, Crystal Williams, Kiara Mooring Additional Tags: Fanvids, Video Format: Streaming, Video, Embedded Video, Physical Triggers, strobe lights, bright lights, Subtitles Available, Stuttery cuts Summary: Lizzo's big grrrls are ready. Vid: Tightrope Fandom: 1995 - 1996 Women's USA Basketball Team, Women's Basketball RPF Rating: General Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Characters: Jennifer Azzi, Ruthie Bolton, Teresa Edwards, Lisa Leslie, Rebecca Lobo, Katrina McClain, Nikki McCray, Carla McGhee, Dawn Staley, Katy Steding, Sheryl Swoopes, Venus Lacey, Tara VanDerveer Additional Tags: women's basketball, Teamwork, social pressure, Sucking Up Bullshit To Make Things Happen, Physical Triggers, (1990s TV or VHS Footage), (Camera Flashes), (White Text on Black Backgrounds), Misogyny, Racism, Homophobia, details in end notes, contains brief shots of David Letterman and Bill Clinton Summary: you gotta tip on the tightrope (tip, tip on it) Beverly Hills Fandom: Columbo Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Characters: Lieutenant Columbo (Columbo), Dog the Dog (Columbo), Columbo's Car Additional Tags: Los Angeles, Wealth, Murder, Fanvids, Gift Work, Festivids 2022, Song: Beverly Hills (Weezer), Quote: Just one more thing... (Columbo) Summary: Beverly Hills: that's where I want to be. [Vid] Carol Of The Bells Fandom: Die Hard (Movies) Rating: General Audiences Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence Characters: John McClane, Hans Gruber (Die Hard), Holly Gennaro, Ensemble Additional Tags: vid, Fanvids, Action, Blood and Injury, Blood, Police, Physical Triggers, Christmas Summary:

Christmas is here bringing good cheer

~ [Die Hard (1988)] Weapon of Choice Fandom: Busby Berkeley Movies [UMBRELLA], Unspecified Fandom Rating: General Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Additional Tags: Fanvids, Embedded Video, Busby Berkeley, Weapon of Choice Summary: Just Busby Berkeley Vibes My Power (33 words) by Anonymous Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: Dora Milaje Appearances (Non-Live Action Media), Black Panther (BET 2010), Black Panther (Comics), War for Wakanda, Lego Marvel Super Heroes 2, Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes, Avengers Assemble (Cartoon), Marvel's What If ...?, World of Wakanda Rating: Not Rated Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Aneka/Ayo (Marvel) Characters: Aneka of the Dora Milaje (Marvel), Ayo (Marvel), Okoye (Marvel), Queen Divine Justice Additional Tags: Dora Milaje - Freeform, Revolution, Wakanda forever, Depictions of Police (Minimal and Queen Divine Justice punches them), Mention of Rape (Happens Offscreen), Imprisonment, Subtitles Available Summary: they'll never take my power, my power, my power Evolution Fandom: Dirty Computer - Janelle Monáe (Music Video) Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Jane/Zen (Dirty Computer), Ché/Jane (Dirty Computer), Ché/Jane/Zen (Dirty Computer) Characters: Jane (Dirty Computer), Zen (Dirty Computer), Ché (Dirty Computer) Additional Tags: Dystopia, memory manipulation, anti-queer totalitarian regime, Police Violence, nonconsensual medical treatment, nonconsensual institutionalization, Resistance, queer joy, Black Girl Magic Summary: I'm just the shadow behind the girl with the fire in her eyes. Higher Love Fandom: Everything Everywhere All at Once (2022) Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Evelyn Wang/Waymond Wang, Becky Sregor/Joy Wang | Jobu Tupaki, Evelyn Wang & Joy Wang | Jobu Tupaki & Waymond Wang, Evelyn Wang & Gong Gong, Deirdre Beaubeirdre/Evelyn Wang Characters: Evelyn Wang, Waymond Wang, Joy Wang | Jobu Tupaki, Gong Gong (Everything Everywhere All at Once), Deirdre Beaubeirdre, Becky Sregor Additional Tags: physical triggers: fast cutting, Physical triggers: flickering lights, Captions Available, Subtitles Available, Fanvids, Possible NSFW imagery, Depictions of Police Summary: If there are infinite parallel universes, then every universe that can exist does exist. VID: Ramalama (Bang Bang) Fandom: Everything Everywhere All at Once (2022) Rating: General Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Evelyn Wang/Waymond Wang, Evelyn Wang & Joy Wang | Jobu Tupaki Characters: Evelyn Wang Additional Tags: Fanvids, Physical Triggers, flashing lights, quick cuts Summary: "Please, Be Kind." Her Ex-Lover is Dead Fandom: Star Wars - All Media Types, Andor (TV) Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Characters: Mon Mothma Additional Tags: Fanvids, Embedded Video, Rebellion, Explosions, Fire, Sacrifice, Galactic Senate (Star Wars), Galactic Empire (Star Wars), Planet Coruscant (Star Wars), Complicated Relationships Summary: When there's nothing left to burn, you have to set yourself on fire. Life During Wartime Fandom: Andor (TV) Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Cinta Kaz/Vel Sartha Characters: Cassian Andor, Mon Mothma, Luthen Rael, Vel Sartha, Cinta Kaz Additional Tags: Canon-Typical Violence, Fanvids, Embedded Video Summary: I might not ever get home Black Tie Fandom: A League of Their Own (TV 2022) Rating: General Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Characters: Maxine "Max" Chapman, Carson Shaw Additional Tags: Fanvids, queer community Summary: You will find the clothes that fit. Grrrls (1 words) by Anonymous Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: A League of Their Own (TV 2022) Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Maxine "Max" Chapman & Clance Morgan Characters: Clance Morgan, Maxine "Max" Chapman Additional Tags: Friendship, Fanvids, Captions Available, Subtitles Available, Swearing in Song Lyrics, Female Friendship Summary:

A lighthearted vid about Clance and Max's friendship. I believe this vid does not have any physical or emotional triggers. Captions available. A downloadable version will be available after reveals. Song: Grrrls by Lizzo (edited) length: 01:24

comments Comment? https://ift.tt/C4XNpgm

[cagenerals]

Love & Basketball: A Black Excellence Classic by AR

1st Quarter: “All is fair in love and basketball, right?” It’s 1981 in L.A. Monica Wright (Sanaa Lathan) and Quincy McCall (Omar Epps) are two childhood sweethearts who both want to be in the NBA. Quincy’s dad is Zeke McCall (Dennis Haysbert) who plays for the Los Angeles Clippers. He is a natural talent born pro. Monica has to work hard to prove herself with a stay at home mom/wife who wants her to be ladylike.

2nd quarter: Now it’s 1988 and their love-hate relationship lasts until high school with Monicas’ edge and Quincy’s top-dog attitude. On prom night, the soon to become couple shows their true feelings after they revealed they’ll be going to the same college, USC. They celebrated with a kiss, finally showing the passion between the two. Quincy took Monica’s virginity.

3rd quarter: Both managing themselves as athletes, students and as a couple, Quincy instantly finds success of the court. Monica struggles for playing time behind senior guard Sidra, having run-in with her head coach. Monica and Quincy’s relationship grows apart more as they deal with the reality of two different lifestyles. Monica finally earns point guard at the end of the season. When Quincy finds out his dad lied to him about cheating on his mom, he goes to Monica for comfort. But that means she would have to miss her curfew and she didn’t want to mess up her opportunity. She denied him. He cheated on her. They exchanged some words and broke up.

4th quarter: It’s now 1993. The two have strived through their careers both playing as professional basketball players. After Monica’s last championship game playing for an international Woman’s basketball team in Barcelona, she realizes that basketball doesn’t make her happy anymore. Quincy, who left USC after the breakup, has now been in the the NBA for 5 years. He is now engaged and tore his ACL at his championship game. Monica, hearing about the bad news, flies home to see him. The two are lost for words. When they see other, they are in awe of how much they missed each other. But they didn’t want to say it out loud. Monica ends up getting a little uncomfortable when she meets Quincy’s fiancé. Monica goes home and starts arguing with her mom over her resentments. Her mom felt as if she had to give up her dreams after having children and she resents Monica for not appreciating the sacrifices she made for our family. Monica felt as if her mom never made her feel loved and accepted because she kept trying to force her to give up on her goals for a stereotypical woman's role in life that she didn’t care for. 

Quincy’s wedding in two weeks and Monica’s mom sees that she’s a little upset about the good news so she tells her to go fight for her man back and continue her career. Monica challenges Quincy in a one-on-one game for his heart. He ends up winning, meaning he’ll get married to his fiancé. But instead, he chooses Monica. At the end, it is 1998 and Quincy, her husband, and their daughter, are cheering for their mom who plays for the new WNBA.

Directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood, produced by Spike Lee and Sam Kite, this Black excellence classic was realized on April 21, 2000. The acting quality was amazing. Today’s movies no shade would never compare. These talented actors made you live that movie with them as if you were really in their shoes. As if there was really a Monica Wright and Quincy McCall. The soundtrack was phenomenal with some of the greatest artists of all time including Rafael Saddiq, Angie Stone, Zapp and Steve Silk. Hurley also included some songs from MC Lyte, Al Green, Rufus and the famous -- rest her soul -- Aaliyah...as well as many more talented artists. The ratings of this film blew the roof. Fans loved it. Celebrities loved it. It’s a classic. If you don’t like this movie... you’re clearly a hater!

I love this movie so much because it just shows you how you can do anything you put your mind to. The character, Monica, is so passionate about everything she does so she comes off as an emotional wreck when she really just wants to be accepted for who she is. She made it to the top from scratch -- no handouts. Moral of her story: it’s okay to be yourself. Quincy’s ego in the movie is just like some of our male Black fellas in the world and not saying it’s bad to be spoon-fed but his situation in the outcome humbled him to learn that he needs to be there for her just as much as she was there for him. And the big moral of the story is about empowering Black love. The fairytale of falling in love with your childhood best friend.

[thisislizheather]

December Dalliances 2022

Above Photo: Christmas Eve view, December 2022

You can find my favourite tweets of the month over here and here. (I also made a list of my very favourite Christmas tweets.)

I recapped my autumn list of things to do and made a new seasonal list of things I’d like to do this winter.

I compiled my favourite photos of 2022.

I finally wrote about my trip to Las Vegas from back in September.

I read and reviewed Dave Grohl’s memoir.

I went to the newly opened (and fantastic) Museum of Broadway, and I’ll write a bigger post about it this week.

I got a seasonal latte at Elevenses Cafe in Astoria and it was very cute, I’d go again.

I have fallen in love with The Body Shop’s new scent Wild Pine. I’m fearful that it may be a seasonal scent, so I’ve already stocked up.

I ate at Soothr and it was so, so good. Love a new thai place.

Above Photo: Paul at Soothr, NYC

Some things I watched this month:

The Santa Clauses (the new Tim Allen show): Ugh, it was terrible. Maybe I’m not the audience it’s supposed to be for, but still - just a stinkfest.

Jack Frost: I love Michael Keaton, but I just couldn’t get past the first half hour. It’s way too sad.

The Crown (seasons 3-5): Loved the season three Wales episode. The moon landing one was also perfect. It’s a great show, but extremely depressing if you’re binging it over a short period of time.

Pepsi, Where’s My Jet?: God, I hated it. Netflix has this annoying habit of making documentary series out of things that could easily be 40 minutes long and it is obnoxious as hell. You do not need to watch this. Read the Wikipedia page about it instead, you’ll save yourself so much wasted time.

I was looking up trivia for the movie Scrooged and learned that the childhood house in the movie is a real place in Queens! So obviously I walked over to see it in person. Insanity that it hasn’t changed after all of this time.

Above Photo: Frank Cross’ childhood home from Scrooged (1988) in Queens, New York

I won a lottery ticket to see A Christmas Carol on Broadway and… YIKES. I can’t describe how bad it was. First of all, IT WAS A ONE MAN SHOW. And I didn’t know that beforehand, so yes that’s my fault. But oh my god, it was agony.

Above Photo: A Christmas Carol on Broadway in New York, December 2022

Are we all aware of how garbage the brand Silani is? I tried it for the first time and lord was it bad. Never again. Spend the extra dollar and eat something edible.

I watched the final World Cup game with my parents and I’m glad France lost, give others a chance to win too, ya know?

Above Photo: World Cup final with my parents, December 2022

I will never be above latte art.

Above Photo: Latte art from San Remo’s in Etobicoke, Ontario

I went to Bell, Book & Candle for some Christmas themed drinks and it was great. Love a divey, but good bar.

Above Photo: With Irene at Bell, Book & Candle, NYC

Is it even Christmas if I don’t make Nutella stuffed chocolate chip cookies? I also made a few batches of Alison Roman’s amazing chocolate chunk shortbread cookies that were a big hit.

Above Photo: The Nutella stuffed chocolate chip cookies from Ambitious Kitchen

Obviously I went to my parent’s house for Christmas and it was exactly what I wanted & needed.

Above Photo: My nephews watching Jingle All The Way, December 2022

Above Photo: My mom’s Christmas window can’t be beat

Above Photo: Christmas Day, December 2022

Above Photo: Our Christmas tree

Above Photo: Snowfall before Christmas is everything to me

Went ice skating for the first time in twenty years and it was great. Think I’m gonna buy some skates and make this a yearly thing.

Above Photo: Ice skating at Celebration Square in Mississauga, Ontario

Jackbox and Nintendo Switch games remain the perfect family activity around the holidays.

Above Photo: The game Use Your Words on Nintendo Switch

Above Photo: The game Use Your Words on Nintendo Switch

My mom and I saw a wild fox in her backyard and it. was. incredible. It was just playing in the snow and I can’t believe we got to see him/her.

Winter skies might be the best skies.

Above Photo: December 2022

Above Photo: If only I could bottle this kind of blue and keep it in my pocket

I made the Christmas tree spinach and artichoke dip and it was a hit. It did not look pretty, but the flavours were great.

I also made a leftover turkey sandwich with STUFFING WAFFLES and it was so, so good. Again it photographed rough, but tasted incredible. I used this recipe to make the waffles. Definitely have to do this again.

The main reason to go to the Union Square Holiday Market? Duck confit poutine at Duck Season. It’s honestly a better poutine than some Canadian places.

Above Photo: Duck confit poutine at Duck Season in NYC

I fell absolutely in love with the newest Bob’s Burgers Christmas episode, The Plight Before Christmas.

Crate & Barrel continues to have the cutest fabric Christmas ornaments.

Above Photo: Harry Potter-looking cat ornament at Crate & Barrel

Above Photo: Fabric snowman ornament at Crate & Barrel

Trader Joe’s had Christmas wreaths this year, so I got one and it was perfect. It makes me feel so together to have a wreath on my door. I still have it up. I don’t want to say goodbye.

Above Photo: Christmas wreath from Trader Joe’s

I went to see Noah Baumbach talk about his new movie White Noise at a NYPL event and it was very all right. I wish he’d talked more about older movies of his that I’ve loved, but I guess it makes sense that he didn’t since he was promoting this one.

Above Photo: Noah Baumbach speaking at an NYPL event promoting White Noise, December 2022

The candy cane cold brew from Blank Street? Unparalleled.

One of my favourite things to do in December in New York is to walk around the city looking at the holiday lights and listen to that Darlene Love song on repeat.

Above Photo: The Rockefeller Christmas Tree, December 2022

Above Photo: Saks holiday lights, December 2022

Above Photo: Macy’s holiday decorations, December 2022

Above Photo: Holiday taxi display on Fifth Avenue, December 2022

I went to Essex Market to see their Gingerbread Village display, which was cute but I wish it was bigger. And since I was there, I took a look at the sandwich menu at Shopsin’s and holy christ I need to go back.

Above Photo: Gingerbread Village at Essex Market in NYC, December 2022

Nothing better than a Boxing Day puzzle.

Above Photo: Boxing Day, December 2022

Some things that I’m looking forward to this month: I’m going to get real dressed up and go see Moulin Rouge on Broadway with my friend Diana, I’m excited about seeing the Restaurant Week menus for this season, I’m going to start using this first-of-the-month checklist again, Classpass is doing a free monthly promotion right now so I’ll keep doing that until it starts charging again, and I really can’t wait to make this lasagna soup.

Above Photo: The Heathers 2022

If you have any interest in the other monthly roundups of 2022, they can be found here: November 2022, October 2022, September 2022, August 2022, July 2022, June 2022, May 2022, April 2022, March 2022, February 2022 & January 2022.

Above Photo: Baby Dog, December 2022

[magisteramentia]

for the movie ask: 2002? also 1988

Oh! Thank you for the ask! And sorry it took so long to answer, I have had a few crazy and stupidly busy days.

For 2002 it's easy. Spy Kids 2. That's such an underrated movie. The existentialism that Steve Buscemi brings to a fun kiddy movie with miniature dinosaurs and spy gadgets made by the best B Movie director, mwah! Chefs kiss.

For the 1988 movie.... damn that's hard. I think a good deal of great movies came out that year.

From Leslie Nielsen in Naked gun making some of the best puns in cinema ever (after ariplane), action/thriller movies like Die Hard, Nikita and the amazing Who Framed Roger Rabbit.

But I think... if I had to choose a favorite it would be Who Framed Roger Rabbit.

But if I had to recomend one... Cocktail, with a young Tom Cruise, Elizabeth Shue and Brian Brown.

I think it has been one of the movies that has most influenced my life.

A young man that finds a temporary job as a bar tender, learning that is harder than it looks, it becomes a passion, and with his friend and mentor (in a very 80s totally not gay bromance), they become some of the best bartenders in New York.

Drama ensues as they both want something different.

I really don't know why it took me so long to discover I was bi since this has been one of my favorite movies.

Regretfully I cannot think of a movie of those years from the top of my head that is on theme with the blog, but hope you enjoy one of these.