#b) max and george are actually good :) hope that helps

[hertwood]

sorry i can't shut the fuck up--the way colton handled that so gracefully just makes lance look like even more of a clown. u rear end a man and end his race and u can't even say my bad racing incident? boo tomato tomato tomato

[thepersonnamedsam]

learning how to drive - sv5

pairing: sebastian vettel x genz!driver (platonic), 22 grid x genz!driver (platonic)

summary: you may have your super license to drive your f1 car, but driving outside the paddock? not really your thing

word count: 1k

warnings: nothing really

note: the genz!driver is maybe 17/18 and does not have a drivers license. i have no idea about driving a car, so just ignore that part

masterlist / taglist

The second the grid had found out that you had not yet made your driver’s license, they were joking about it. You’re driving at 300 km/h every second Sunday, but you are not driving at a normal speed on the roads? What was wrong with you? Actually, you had a fair reason not to drive on the streets, you were scared. You feared hitting another car, or someone hitting you. You were scared of ignoring road signs or missing a stop sign. 

“Our youngster is scared to drive, are you not racing this weekend?” Lando had made fun of you the most, finding it funny that the younger driver was not driving a normal car. Daniel had a laugh or two with it as well, but always hoping you’d know he was only joking. Even Max cracked a joke, never really participating in bullying the driver, as he respected you very much and saw himself in you at some times. But when Danny starts to joke, Max was fast behind him laughing silently along.

George, Alex, and Charles were trying to be encouraging but they were still making jokes about it. “Should I get you tomorrow? We can share a ride, as you can’t drive”, George laughed, and you just stared at him annoyed. You still agreed, every single time he asked you. 

You were grateful for your friends, but they were still annoying like nothing in your life was. So, when Seb noticed your fear, he felt bad for you. He wanted to help you; that’s why he offered to teach you how to properly drive. Not in an F1 car, but in a worn-down Subaru Outback H6-3.0. The car belonging to his father and was the perfect car to learn to drive in. It was a manual car, it’s important to know how to drive stick. The car was old, so if you kissed a wall, it wouldn’t be that big of a deal.

“Seb I’m scared, what if I hit someone?”, your concern laced your voice. Seb sighed, already explained to you that you were first going to practice on an empty parking lot and not actually going on the road. You had done your theoretical driving test and passed, with flying colors, but starting your practical driving lessons? You just couldn’t do that. 

You sat in the car, both hands on the steering wheel, arms so outstretched Seb’s arms were hurting. “Just relax, y/n, everything is going to be fine. You are fine and you got this, it’s not your first time driving, remember? It’s your job to drive”, Seb tried to calm you down. His left hand touching your right arm and guiding it to a comfortable level. 

“Okay, now first press the coupling and shift the stick to neutral. That’s it, good job”, he told you, telling you what to do. “Now you step slowly on the gas, slowly, yeah?” You were doing it; you were driving the car! And the more time you spent in the car with Seb, the easier the driving got. You were just so happy. 

The next time someone mad a comment about your normal driving, you bit back. When Carlos approached you, already smirking you knew what was going to happen. “Hey y/n, do you think you could drive me to the paddock tomorrow?” His eyebrows wiggling like crazy. You had to hold back your smile. “Uh, yeah sure, I mean I can try, right?”, you answered him. Carlos looked at you with surprise in his eyes. He nodded; nut sure what to expect the next morning. 

When you texted him, that you were outside, he didn’t think you would be waiting for him in a Ford Mustang 1966, your first self-owned car by the way. He looked pretty stunned as he opened the door to the passenger seat. He whistled at your car and made a comment such as ‘Nice one’. So, you started the car and drove him and you to the paddock. The hotel wasn’t far away, but there still enough time to show him your new learned driving skills. You still weren’t technically allowed to drive on your own, not having attended the driver’s test yet. But no one had to know that you drove five minutes without supervision. Carlos was now there to supervise you. 

You passed him your phone; it was connected to a Bluetooth speaker. “Choose what to listen to, but don’t play Smooth Operator, or I’ll be singing to you the whole time”, you laughed at him. He was just aimlessly picking a playlist and pressing play. Kilby Girl by The backseat Lovers started to play. Nodding your head to the beat of the song, Carlos was actually a bit scared of you losing focus. But you didn’t, you arrived safely at the paddock where Seb was waiting. He had a huge grin on his face, proud of you to actually drive with someone else other than him. He hugged you, whispering how proud he was of you in your ear. You smiled; Seb was definitely your comfort person. 

Later that day, when an interviewer asked about your driving skills off the track, it had become a meme, thanks to some of the drivers, you answered honestly: “Sebastian has helped me learn to overcome my fear of driving outside the paddock. He sat with me in a car, for hours and explained everything to me. It’s hard to believe I got my super license before my actual driver’s license, but it’s fine. It’s something more to add to my resume.” 

Seb was standing behind the camera, smiling and feeling proud. He held up his two thumps and outstretched them to you. You smiled as well and bid your goodbyes to the nice interviewer. You were glad to have Seb as your mentor and you made sure to tell him that enough. 

[its-all-papaya]

🖥️ tidy desk + today's race? :)

okay this took no time idk why i was stressed about my desk, it was like. throwing away some stuff and dusting. anyway.

↠ please make me do my chores

TODAY'S RACE!!!!!!

felt so good. like miami was great, but a) i was like... a month? into liking formula 1? and b) i loved lando already, but it's definitely a different level now. on both counts for me, actually. so today felt like the first time in a long time that i was like.... really really happy for lando specifically. after the triple-header and hungary (i honestly don't have real good specific memories of belgium at all for some reason??), today felt just like... so nice for him. i'm glad this is how he got to open the second half, and i'm glad it was such a margin that there's not any weird narratives about it, i'm even glad he fucked the start (if you want to call it that) and then recovered, because it proves he can. not that i think HE needs that, but it's always nice to prove yourself and i think it helps make some of the annoying lando drama talking points even more absurd and stupid and easy to ignore. today's race made me really optimistic for the end of the season after i spent like all of june and july with extremely mixed feelings about watching races.

as far as oscar is concerned... not ideal. double podium would have been sick and great and i really expected it after he got within like a second(?) of charles after his pit stop. frustrating for sure, but i was really confused about mclaren's pit strategy with him (fork found in kitchen) in the middle of that one, so p4 is honestly better than i was expecting at certain points. oscar's still young and he, on the other hand, kind of killed the tripe header, so this one wasn't great but isn't horrible for me personally.

misc thoughts:

blessed with a lestappen cooldown room... if lando wasn't' the race winner, this would have been a true highlight for me.

logan sargeant i feel so incredibly bad for you i hope you are well and i hope your future is happier than your present. that's all.

is the ferrari... okay? after all? or did charles and carlos both just grit their teeth and refuse to fucking lose today?

related: is the mercedes... not okay? or did george just have a weird race / was his strat bad? i was distracted by the lando race-leader anxiety.

max verstappen is so good.

i was not paying attention to anything that happened beyond like p8 for most of the race but every time i looked down there, there was at least one case of "how did this happen???" alex albon p8 to like p19? logan beating him for a good chunk of the race? yuki in bottom five?

kmag quadruple overtake made me spit out my drink, rest in absolute peace my guy.

thanks for asking :) happy lando norris race win day if you celebrate :)

[johnbazley]

My favorite music of 2023

Welcome to the new home of B-Side Collection, a blog by John Bazley. Here is a list of my favorite albums of the year.

Best Reissues

Tyler, The Creator - Call Me If You Get Lost - The Estate Sale

Sabrina Carpenter - emails I can’t send - fwd

Taylor Swift - 1989 (Taylor's Version)

Honorable mention

The Gaslight Anthem - History Books

The production is a hurdle I simply can’t get over. Go back and listen to Handwritten. That thing sounds immaculate, even today. How does this album sound like a collection of demos? When I look into what I want these songs to sound like, I like them a lot! But how are you finally going to get Bruce Springsteen on a Gaslight Anthem song and let it sound like that? I hope this thing eventually gets re-recorded because the songs deserve a bigger budget.

Matt Rogers - Have You Heard of Christmas?

Much internal debate about whether or not I wanted to count this comedy Christmas album as a real album, but I ultimately landed on the fact that it is the catchiest pop album of the year and deserves a shout. 

Troye Sivan - Something to Give Each Other

I don’t think I have a parental bone in my body but I can’t help but see Troye Sivan as my biological son. I am very proud of my boy for making a good album this year. My son is also a gorgeous woman.

Ava Max - Diamonds and Dancefloors

Maxinistas rise up!!! The talk that Ava Max was the next Gaga was always stupid. She is Diet Dua Lipa and that flavor is actually good enough. 

Kesha - Gag Order

I found this album hard to get through. It's a tough listen, and it might be higher on the list if I had spent more time with it. But the pitch is “Fiona Apple does Endless” which is frankly stunning coming from Kesha. I’m happy that she’s finally free from Kemosabe Records and Dr. Luke and I hope she dives deeper into some of the sounds she’s experimenting with here. 

The Maine - The Maine

This is like…the fourth or so Maine album where my primary takeaway has been “Damn, the Maine is actually very good.” The songs are catchy and they’re structurally sound. It doesn’t really extend beyond that for me! I couldn’t really tell you what these songs are doing beyond being fun to listen to, and liking John’s voice. My favorite will probably always be Lovely Little Lonely, but “how to exit a room” is maybe the best onboarding point to this band’s catalog so far. 

Kylie Minogue - Tension

“Padam Padam” is the best song on here by a huge degree, and it’s also track one, and it was also out for months before the album. This is really just my way of saying “Padam Padam” is really good. 

Lightheaded - Good Good Great!

Years ago I fell head over heels for a Makthaverskan album and this EP reminds me of that short-lived love affair. I will go to my grave defending Stephen Stec from his many haters and opps. 

Jawdust and Grave Heist - Gravedust

I love George Saives and I love a good bleeegghhh in a hardcore song and thankfully this split has both. 

And now, for the top ten...

My ten favorite albums of 2023

10. Olivia Rodrigo - guts

guts is the album that I wanted SOUR to be. It is bratty and catchy and theatrical, everything Olivia Rodrigo does well, and it doesn't get bogged down in mid-tempo ballads like her last album did (in my humble opinion). Where that album felt like a rush to capitalize on the massive success of "Driver's License," guts benefits from being a complete artist's statement, a body of work that speaks for itself and places Olivia Rodrigo as the main pop girl (outside of Taylor Swift, who is in her own stratosphere at this point).

"get him back" is my favorite song on here, but "all-american bitch" feels like the legacy track and maybe what Olivia actually does best. I am so glad the biggest new pop star is cementing herself as a pupil of Paramore's first three albums. And Daniel Nigro's production work makes the whole thing sound real, not just a pastiche of better pop-punk music.

9. Mitski - The Land is Inhospitable and So Are We

I am often afraid that I am not a real person. When I’m alone, I eat dinner at 3:30 and watch 10 minutes of several movies before giving up and looking at my phone and pacing around for a few hours before I tire myself out and fall asleep in an uncomfortable position. I wake up in the middle of the night and consider that maybe there is something more deeply wrong with me that my depression, my anxiety, that someone will someday discover that I am not real, never have been, that I’ve been standing in the wrong checkout line for my whole life. I love this short and introspective album from Mitski, and my favorite song here is “I Don’t Like My Mind,” which has the following lyrics: “I don't like my mind, I don't like being left alone in a room / With all its opinions about the things that I've done / So, yeah, I blast music loud and I work myself to the bone / And on an inconvenient Christmas, I eat a cake / A whole cake, all for me.”

8. Danny Brown and JPEGMAFIA - Scaring the Hoes

My favorite mode of Danny Brown has always been “there is not a volume level at which this album sounds correct” and with that in mind, I think this is my favorite thing he’s ever done. The soundscape here is giving Stereo At Urban Outfitters Unfortunately Has Water Damage. Extremely not for everyone and I hesitate to recommend it to anyone who has not already signaled to me that they are an absolute sicko. I’m not sure where this narrative ended up, but the version on Bandcamp sounded a lot better than the version on Apple Music and Spotify so that's the version I would listen to if you're interested.

7. The Menzingers - Some of it Was True

You can observe several clear shifts in The Menzingers’ discography. There’s an obvious one right between Chamberlain Waits and On The Impossible Past where the band decided they wanted to make albums that have more in common with Chekhov novels than Against Me! albums. There’s another line right down the middle of After The Party where Greg realizes he’s 30 now, and the band’s art should reflect that. I’m famously still in my 20s, so the newer material doesn’t always resonate with me. Turns out a fine Menzingers album is still one of my favorite albums of the year. I don’t think I’ll spend a lot of time with this one the future, but “There’s No Place In The World For Me” was a really nice “I had a bad day at work at my new job in a new city and I can’t fall back on my old New Jersey comforts” song this year.

6. boygenius - the record

I don’t think this will go down as my favorite Phoebe (Punisher), Julien (Sprained Ankle), or Lucy (Historian)—might also still prefer the boygenius EP based solely on the classic status of “Me and My Dog,” a song so powerful that this album’s closer references its vocal melody—but this record’s best moments get up there. Tracks 3 through 6 are the heart, and “Not Strong Enough” lands in the top 5 of all members’ discographies for me.

I think I’m ready for a general departure for Phoebe Bridgers. She is poised to explode, that much is clear, the only question for me is whether she’ll “I Will Follow You Into The Dark” explode or “In the same conversation as Taylor Swift” explode. Either way I hope her next album is weird and divisive and risky.

5. blink-182 - One More Time…

My most listened-to album of the year, which is stunning to me! It should be bad. The first single was awful and still is. The production is bad. All of these men are 50. Somehow it works! I want to reject blink-182, and I don’t want to identify as a fan, but listening to this album proved to me that there’s something rotten in my heart feels excited when I hear Mark Hoppus and Tom Delonge sing on a song together.

I have always been happy for Mark that he got to continue being in blink-182 when Tom clearly wasn't into it anymore (and when he eventually quit altogether). Since 2003, Mark's interests seemed to skew more toward the fun, summery, SoCal sound, while Tom was more interested in doing Something Very Important And Perhaps Dark with his music. What I find special about this album compared to the last few blink records is that both of them get to do their thing here without stepping on each other's toes. It's the first time since 2003 that the band feels like a unit, not an inconvenience to each other. Tom gets to make bombastic arena music that lands at the top of the charts and connects with millions of people (always the clear goal of Angels & Airwaves, in my opinion) while Mark gets to make a song like "Bad News," which is easily his best work in 20 years.

In my hopes and dreams, blink-182 will take a page out of Fall Out Boy's book circa Folie a Deux (more on that later) and make something challenging and theatrical next. I believe they still have good albums left in them, but it's hard for me to see how they will once again put out new music without the reunion angle (that they have used near-constantly since Neighborhoods to promote their new albums).

4. Chappell Roan - The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess

To fully appreciate this one, I kind of have to forget that I heard like eight of these songs before the album came out. I don’t get why labels promote new artists like this! There’s all this talk about how hard it is to make a new star these days, and I have to think that a huge part of that is how the labels are holding hostage the debut albums (the material of legacy for artists, the thing that will make you a fan of an artist, not just a song)—I digress.

I think about it because “Pink Pony Club” is just a completely flawless song. It’s catchy and sleazy and melancholy and it makes me miss Tennessee, which feels like my home when I listen to this song. It makes me want to call my mom and also put on high heels and wear a little cowboy hat but leave the club feeling sad about it.

I think this album is about on par with The 1975's self-titled album in terms of how clear it is this artist will be around for a long time. New pop artists with such obvious musical and visual ambitions don't turn out every year, and now that this album is out of record label hell, I hope she'll be able to turn out the next one without the same nonsense that put this one out in piecemeal over the course of like two whole years.

3. Sufjan Stevens - Javelin

Without question my second favorite Sufjan album after Carrie and Lowell. At times it reminds me of A Crow Looked At Me, another album raw with grief, something that I have wondered about whether or not I should have ever heard it or if it should have been kept private.

I can't think of a song that affected me as deeply as "Shit Talk" this year. "I will always love you / I don't want to fight at all" gets stuck in my head constantly. So does the chorus of "Will Anybody Ever Love Me," a song whose intentions seem more clearly placed on making a statement as clearly and precisely as possible than being a catchy pop song, but still manages to make the latter happen with ease.

Something I have thought about a lot this year is the human cost of beautiful art. I know this album came out of a piece of immense grief and at the risk of sounding too familiar, I hope Sufjan is doing okay. I have always loved sad, moving music, and one thing I am working on these days is acknowledging and holding space for the grief that often accompanies it; I hope you'll do the same.

2. Fall Out Boy - So Much (for) Stardust

Few things in this world are as volatile as my Fall Out Boy album rankings, but right now, in December of 2023, So Much (for) Stardust is my third favorite Fall Out Boy album (behind Folie and Infinity on High of course). I can’t guarantee that will always be true, but I do think it will be top three forever, and it’s easily the best thing they’ve done post-hiatus. When I listen to this album, I hear a band that just woke up. It sounds like Pete and Patrick got in a room together and said “what if we made a Fall Out Boy album again?” which I’m sure has actually happened every time they’ve put out music over the past twenty years, but this time they really meant it.

I have spilled a lot of ink over this band. I’ve spilled blood in the discourse. I am famously an enjoyer of Save Rock and Roll in particular. Still, it is as clear as day to me now that those three albums between Folie and this one mostly show a band clawing at what it means to be a rock band in the 2010s; what it means to be Fall Out Boy after the Folie album cycle ran them all directly into the ground; how to be Fall Out Boy when being Fall Out Boy actually seems very out of style. It doesn't really seem like they found the answers to those questions, but it also seems like they don't care anymore and decided to just do what felt right. They haven't seemed this comfortable since at least Save Rock & Roll which somehow came out ten years ago.

"Fake Out," the perfect Fall Out Boy song. It sounds like it could have been written for the Infinity on High sessions. I understand that the idea of Fall Out Boy's music makes people recoil at times but if you are curious about this album, that is the song that will make you get it, if you have the capacity for "getting it."

1. Lana Del Rey - Did you know that there’s a tunnel under Ocean Blvd

Beautiful and expansive, Lana Del Rey's ninth album is arguably her best. It also feels like her first, a rebirth for the character Lana Del Rey, the stage name of Lizzy Grant, a persona that has always felt like a construction meant to highlight the sadness nestled within the good times, the darkness and grime that the sunset over the Pacific Ocean can't quite reach. The central metaphor in the title track of Ocean Blvd is clear as day--"don't forget me, like you've forgotten about the tunnel under Ocean Boulevard"--but it also feels like a reference to the part of Lana Del Rey that has been hidden underneath the facade she's spent the past decade constructing. In comparison to her other work, this album feels so much more personal, so okay with being slight, or unadorned, free from what the audience expects from the character.

Case in point is "Margaret," my favorite song on here and one of my favorite songs of the year. It is a celebration of two friends' love for each other. Lana sounds like the master of ceremonies at the wedding here, rousing the band through her audible smile. There is almost nothing in the lyrics that points back at the singer herself. It sounds like she is following the purest desires of art-making in her heart at this point in her career and it is impossible not to meet her there, want to see the world through her eyes.

There are many instances of what makes “Venice Bitch” a perfect song, and maybe my favorite is the simple way Lana Del Rey sings “Oh god” in the chorus. Oh god, I miss you on my lips. The function of “I miss you on my lips” is secondary to the pain held within the carelessness ("Imagine if we actually gave a fuck / Wouldn't that be something to talk about for us?") of Oh god. I think the centerpiece of this album is the outro of "A&W," which itself is like a coda to "Venice Bitch," but I am happy that she went as far as revisiting the way she sings “Oh god” in “VB Taco Truck.”

-

That's all from me this year. My goal for 2024 is to listen to more music than I did in 2023. If I am missing something here, please reach out to me (I am assuming you know how to do this if you are reading this) and let me know.

[rosecoloredknight]

Here’s a long ask you might have to think about but I’m bored and interested in your answers too so what the heck! 😂

What are your top 5 countries you’d love to visit and top 5 cities in those countries ?

Top 5 songs that you listen to when you’re sad?

Top 5 movies?

Do you have a top 5 actors or actresses who you love and same goes for bands/ artists? :)

ANON, MY GOODNESS —

first off, I only think I can give 1-3 max cities for each country so I hope that's okay with you!!!

Top 5 countries I'd love to visit and will visit at least two or three in my lifetime:

1. Germany!!

Cities:

Möttingen, Germany - why? Because of 'The Romantic Road'!! Obviously driving can be a nuisance and take a toll on you BUT it seems like a nice 3 - 4 day vacation? here's a link that I read and saved a while back. It's not a must for me but something to think about.

Erfurt, Germany — why? Unlike the rest of the countries and cities, it will be because one of my friends live there and it's better or at least it seems wiser to visit my friend and spend time with them as they show me around and I experience their culture, the location, etc!!

2. Scotland!!

1. Edinburgh, Scotland - it's obvious because it's a popular or seems like a popular tourist attraction and I really want to walk those stairs I keep seeing in Instagram reels!! Aghh

Another reason would be because my mom is a HUGE Outlander fan and she stated that she would love to visit that place sometime so I'm like !!!!!! YES. I want her walking around Loch Ness, Old Course, and anywhere near the vicinity of Edinburgh. Have her enjoy a different scenery for once.

3. France!!

I actually tried learning French 5 years ago and that's pretty much why haha. I know that France, well I don't know, but I have been paying a little attention that there seems to be a revolution or disagreement with their laws or government and I don't know where it would be a good place to visit just to experience a life in France (I don't want the fake experience) but if someone can help me with that and just help me find a place where I can walk around, shop groceries, park walks, thrift shopping, and etc then I'd greatly appreciate it!!

4. Canada

British Columbia is just above Washington State and I've been looking around there and it's not necessarily that I would like to travel there for a week or so but more so give it a day or two of walking around there and then heading back to Washington. I guess it's more for me to say that I've "been" to Canada 😆

5. Japan/South Korea

I have no particular reason as to why, HOWEVER, if I can visit any of these two places then I will — I'd like to learn about their culture, the things they teach in terms of manners or beliefs, way of living, etc.

—

Top 5 songs I listen to when I'm sad:

Chances Are • Bob Marley and The Wailers

Leave a Light On - Acoustic • Tom Walker

My Tears Ricochet • Taylor Swift

Call Your Mom • Noah Kahan

Mercury • Sleeping At Last

* by the way, it's not me intentionally listening to sad music but moreso the music I like to help me feel better ARE sad music. I'll honestly listen to anything really when I'm sad. The point or more important question is AM I WALKING, PLAYING BASKETBALL, OR JOGGING while listening to music?!

—

Top 5 movies:

Oooooh, I recently got introduced to my new all time favorite so I'm glad I can share it here!! I can boast and ramble about each one listed but the message of this is YOU GOTTA WATCH IT SOMETIME IF YOU HAVEN'T ALREADY!!

1. Notting Hill

2. While You Were Sleeping

3. Pizza My Heart

4. The Family Man

5. One Fine Day

6. 13 Going on 30

7. The Incredible Hulk

—

Top 5 actors/actresses and bands/artists!?

Artists/bands

Taylor Swift

Noah Kahan

Harry Styles

Sleeping At Last

Twenty One Pilots

Bastille

—

Top 5 actors/actresses:

Hmm, this is a little bit more complicated because I've haven't watched much lately and only rewatch mostly — all I can give you is actors I've enjoyed watching on more than one films!!

George Clooney

Ben Stiller

Jennifer Lawrence

Michelle Pfeiffer

Mel Gibson

Nicolas Cage

—

*catching my breath* THANKS FOR THE ASKS, ANON. I hope I made sense!!

[valiantarcher]

I have random and assorted thoughts on my Constance Savery reads over the past couple of weeks. I’ve categorised them by work (Magic in My Shoes, “The Waswytch Secret”, The Reb and the Redcoats, The Good Ship Red Lily, and Enemy Brothers) so those who haven’t read all of them have the option to (hopefully easily) scroll past the unread ones if they so desire. I have also put them under the cut due to length.

Magic in My Shoes: I enjoyed Sally as the narrator, and the premise was engaging even with me knowing the secret early in the book. I was a little surprised by the accusations of ill-nourishment and neglect against Aunt Persis, but in retrospect, I appreciate that realism - four growing children are not going to flourish off even generous portions for two of them. Which brings me to my main complaint - Tandy and his unwillingness to see gorging himself was selfish and wrong on many levels. Despite the thin excuse that he had been delicate and sickly at times in the past, I really expected Josset (with Laurence’s support) to put his foot down instead of continuing to baby him (after all, as someone remarked, triplets are all of the same age). Tandy didn’t ruin the story for me, but he made certain parts of it very irritating. I did love the plan involving ten-year-old Laurence becoming a schoolteacher and, when Aunt Persis declared that was nonsense, all the children bring up a moral tale with a six-year-old being so studious that she became a teacher as solid proof.

“The Waswytch Secret”: Given that it was in a collection of ghost stories (well, sort of - most had some sort of haunting element, if only a little, but I’m still not sure why “The Red-Headed League” was included), I wasn’t sure what to expect at first. It was thoroughly Savery, though, and an enjoyable read with an element of mystery. It felt slightly different from her novels, and I think that was due to the choice of one of the younger children as narrator.

Reb and Redcoats: This was a reread and I found it a pretty fun one this time around. Randal’s integration into and relationship with the Darringtons was charming. I couldn’t decide whether Tim Wingate’s inaptitude for stealth and secrecy was more irritating or amusing, but I swung towards the latter by the end, especially given his cheerful nature. My main gripe is that I still feel like the Patty switch was kind of cheating.

The Good Ship Red Lily: I struggled with this one a lot even past (or maybe because of) the tense start. Violet was a horrible child, and I loathed Ingram and disliked Sir Timon. Objectively, of course it’s good that there was reconciliation with Ingram and that he repented and asked forgiveness, but I could not make myself invested in it (though the tiny glimpses we had of it from Michael’s perspective helped a little). I enjoyed Toby as primary character a lot and especially appreciated his resolution to deny the pleasures when he felt accepting them would go against his conscience. I wasn’t very pleased with the treatment of Patience, though - Toby said the others didn’t join him in his denial because they were too young to understand; while that certainly makes sense for the younger ones (and Violet is a category in and of herself), Patience is a year older than him and - although not privy to all the knowledge and trust from their father that Toby is - was Toby’s confidant about plans to escape. She showed a lack of wisdom in following Violet up the chimney, but that could partially have been explained by her caregiving to the younger children. Regardless, especially since all knew about Ingram’s betrayal, I think Patience at least should have been given a reason for not seeing the pleasures as a betrayal of their father instead of being pushed to the side and under the general but false umbrella of “too young to understand”.

Enemy Brothers: Especially after The Good Ship Red Lily, I was afraid this one might not live up to the positive recollection I had of it - but it didn’t disappoint. I very much appreciated that, although Dym was the one who had a special connection with Tony, Tony belonged to the entire family and they to him. I know Tony takes it lightly at the end and chalks it up to their keenness for detective work, but James and Porgy cycling 60 miles after him and the German in the car was no small thing. And, while it bugs me a little bit that Ginger doesn’t recgonise Tony despite the marked resemblance to Dym, I’ll let it go with the idea that he thinks he’s familiar but his brain doesn’t provide the correct context while on ship. I have a new appreciation for Dym. On one hand, of course he is gentle and doesn’t take harm easily from Tony - he’s been searching for Tony for years and so he’s been choosing to love Tony for years. And, on the other, you can tell he still hasn’t forgiven Max’s Mutti for stealing Tony and just how much effort it takes for him to choose to tell Tony to still love her and that he will take him to see her after the war. I also appreciate the honesty that Dym had in discussing England’s past and how they were not always on the side of right but that this time, they were. Also, Dym was a bomber pilot! I don’t know the exact statistics, but this was an incredibly dangerous job. I’m sure it varied some between organizations and aircraft, but if you were on the crew of a US B-17 bomber doing runs, the odds were you would only make it halfway through the 25 runs (I believe that’s right for the year it was published?) you were supposed to before being killed, captured, or severely injured. Even if you beat the odds and made it through all those runs (as some did), you would have had multiple crewmembers who did not and so would not have kept your full crew together (Were there rare exceptions to this, crews who made it all together? I hope so, but I don’t know). At any rate, when Euphemia comments to Dym and his friends to leave croquet until the summer when it was warmer and the way they all looked at each other for a moment as if there was no certainty that summer would come hit hard this time. (Oh, I just found someone noting that the RAF flew night missions and had a higher casualty rate than the US bombers, though it did depend on the year, of course - if they weren’t in the worst year yet, they were heading into it.) And the moment when Tony finds Dym and comes up behind him, nervous and afraid, and whispers “Please, George, I’ve come back” is just wonderful. I think there’s an idea of fear and justice vs. love and mercy, along with the hope that the choice of coming back will make a difference, but I haven’t figured out how to put it into words. I’m actually kind of shocked this book has never been made into a movie or a mini-series, especially when WWII stories have been so popular in somewhat recent years. But perhaps the strong Christian threads have put producers off (...not that that’s stopped others from mangling or removing them from other works).

The Good Ship Red Lily and Enemy Brothers: Enemy Brothers feels like a kind of inverse of The Good Ship Red Lily. Both books deal with children meeting and spending time with family members (and because of kidnapping, no less) and making decisions as to where home is and who true family is, but the role of the family is drastically different. In Red Lily, the dapper uncle is the kidnapper. Ingram tries to act like he is filling the kind, wise, but fun adult role and the children do love him for that. However, he is directly and actively responsible for their kidnapping, for previous imprisonment of their father, and for the current attempt to capture their father. In Enemy Brothers, Dym is ostensibly in the enemy role (being English and responsible for Tony’s “imprisonment” in the White Priory), but his actions are kind, loving, and (mostly) wise. Even when Tony is hating him, he can’t deny there’s a magnetism around Dym that all the children, including him, recognise and respond to. It’s not quite that serious, but I am reminded of the exchange in The Fellowship of the Ring about the enemy’s agents seeming fair but feeling foul, while the good may look foul but feel fair. But where an understanding of Ingram’s true nature leads Toby to separate from him and his grandfather, a deeper understanding of Dym and his true character helps Tony to make the hard but right decision about his home and family. In both cases, repentance and returning bring about reconciliation and restoration, but Ingram is the one repenting in Red Lily, confessing and asking forgiveness of his brother. In Enemy Brothers, Tony is the one who comes back, finally seeking the brother who has sought him for so long. He doesn’t ask for forgiveness from his brother in words and indeed doesn’t need to because his actions speak so loudly of it, but is fully received with love and restored.

[buzzdixonwriter]

A Long But Not Pointless Ramble In Which We Discuss Sci-Fi Flicks

We’re gonna ramble around a bunch of connected topics, so pour yourself a cuppa and enjoy the ride.

. . .

I’m a big fan of 1950s sci-fi B-movies.

Years ago, when I was chatting with the late film historian Bill Warren on this, he made a pertinent observation:  1950s sci-fi B-movies tend to be more fondly remembered than most better mounted and more professionally executed sci-fi films that came afterwards.

There’s a couple of three reasons for this:

The shock of the new -- most of those films pioneered a brand new genre and style, looking far different from previous genre offerings such as Flash Gordon or Things To Come.  As such, they score branding points by being first, even if later examples are better made.

They possess a certain naïve charm -- by and large they’re not sophisticated nor exceptionally well thought out (though when they do demonstrate flashes of intellect, it’s always a delight).  One feels these films are being made up on the fly (and in a certain sense, they were; see (1) above) and in an odd manner they prove more innocent and thus more fun than those that came later.

Most of them were cheap -- this combines with points (1) & (2) to force most 1950s sci-fi B-movies to focus tightly on one idea / one image to sell the film.  As a result there’s a startling clarity of vision in even the most flimsy of productions that’s lacking in later, more elaborate movies.  The weaker examples of this genre are those films trying to cover more ground than their cheaper cousins.

. . .

Two cases in point:  Jack Arnold’s Tarantula for Universal is a technically better made movie than Bert I. Gordon’s The Spider for AIP, but Tarantula loses focus, dawdling about on character development and sub-plots instead of concentrating on the big ass spider.

The Spider is far weaker in the script / performances / production value departments, but who gives a %#@& ? -- it’s got a big ass spider tearing up the countryside for most of the picture.

Not to put down Arnold and his effects crew’s efforts; they ingeniously figured out a way to not only get their tarantula to realistically crawl over uneven landscapes but actually cast a shadow as it did so, heightening the realism.

Gordon, conversely, simple shot his spider in front of still photos; the shots look as crude as they sound.

But The Spider delivers what Tarantula only teases:  An attack by said big ass spider on a population center.  Tarantula famously ends with an uncredited Clint Eastwood napalming the monster in the desert on the outskirts of town; The Spider actually goes rampaging through its town, and features one of the most iconic shots of any sci-fi movie:  As the big ass spider bears down on her, a terrified woman slams her car door shut on her skirt and in her panic tries to tug it loose instead of simply opening the door again.

George Lucas crowds the screen with thousands of furiously dogfighting CGI starships and that lacks the gut punching impact of that one simple terrifying shot. 

. . .

An even more pertinent example can be found in the oeuvre of Irving Block and Jack Rabin (I know, you’re going “Who?”  Patience, young jedi; all will be explained below).

Block and Rabin (along with Louis DeWitt, their silent 3rd partner) ran a small special effects house in Hollywood in the late 1940s-50s with an interesting strategy for drumming up business.

They’d devise an interesting yet inexpensive (i.e., clever but cheap) special effects technique, build a story around it, then pitch that story to low budget movie producers with the proviso their firm would be hired to do the special effects for the final film.

This resulted in a number of low budget sci-fi films built around the kernel of an interesting visual, and while they night not have been great examples of the cinematic art, hey certainly created a number of memorable scenes and images from little more than scotch tape and rubber bands.

Unknown World was their take on Jules Verne’s Journey To The Center Of The Earth (no dinosaurs but then again, no Pat Boone, so they came out ahead on that one); Atomic Submarine pitted the US Navy against a UFO; Kronos featured a wholly unique alien invader; and War Of The Satellites staged an epic space opera on a bargain basement budget.

All noteworthy 1950s sci-fi B-movies, but ironically it was the film where their strategy failed -- or rather, only proved 50% successful -- that stands out.

Figuring out how to make footprints appear as if by magic, Block and Rabin devised a story about a spaceship landing on a planet of invisible monsters (as they pointed out, the great thing about invisible monsters is that even the cheapest production can afford millions of ‘em).

Their agent sent the pitch around to all the usual suspects at that time in the low budget indie film universe but, learning another studio not know for low budget sci-fi wanted to hop on the band wagon, sent it there as well.

That studio bought the idea, thanked Block and Rabin for their input, but said they’d let their own B-movie unit team handle the special effects,

And that’s how MGM made Forbidden Planet.

. . .

Today Forbidden Planet is a much beloved classic of the genre, but when released it proved a bit of a disappointment.

Oh, it made money (then and now, studios refuse to fund a production unless they already know in advance they will recoup their expenses and make a profit in advance of actual production) but it didn’t do anywhere near the business they hoped.

Part of this was timing -- it came out after dozens of lesser / cheaper films crowded the market -- but part of it is paradox:  It’s just too damn good.

No bones about it, Forbidden Planet was a B-movie for MGM.

In terms of overall quality, however, any MGM B-movie is bound to look like an A-picture from any other studio, and that’s exactly what happened here:  A literate, dynamite script; solid performances; top notch production values; bursting at the seams with ideas and incidents and details.

Sci-fi fans loved it, mainstream audiences not so much.

What sci-fi fans perceived as a groundbreaking classic, mainstream audiences viewed as:  Flying saucer something something something robot blah blah blah invisible monster.

What audiences today remember when they think of Forbidden Planet is the single most iconic element of the film.

Robby the robot.

He’s what sticks.  Robby made a big enough impression to star in his own follow up feature a few years later (The Invisible Boy) as well as guest star appearances on The Twilight Zone, Lost In Space, Columbo, and scores of other movies / TV shows / personal appearances.

Pick an iconic element. Stick with it.

. . .

The trick to doing memorable sci-fi movies is keeping the key visual elements down to as few sharply defined items as possible.

Star Wars (i.e., the unnumbered original release) is even more crowded in detail than Forbidden Planet but it holds its iconic visual elements down to a crucial handful:  Masked villain in black.  Laurel & Hardy robots.  Friendly yeti.  Glow swords.  Big bad artificial planet.

Every other visual element serves those, and while they provide detail and texture, they aren’t distractions.

Seriously, jettison the plot of the original Star Wars and reconfigure it from the ground up with those elements and it still winds up pretty much the same film, just set on different worlds.

This is why later films in the series, despite bigger and bigger revenues, lack the memorable freshness and emotional clarity of the original (getting cluttered up with superfluous characters and vehicles inserted just to sell toys doesn’t help, and I post this as one of the original writers for the G.I. Joe and Transformers series).

To reiterate: If you want to make an impression, less is more.

. . .

We’re going to amble on over to a parallel path and talk about ultra-low budget / no budget / homemade / hand-crafted / DIY film making, particularly in the sci-fi arena.

I watch a fair amount of lo-to-no budget sci-fi on Amazon Prime and YouTube.  Many of these are done for pure love of the genre and the film making process, and from that POV of producers and participants just wanting to have fun, they’re modestly enjoyable.

From the POV of actual good film making and sci-fi…not so much.  (There are exceptions and we’ll get to one of those; patience, young jedi…)

The overwhelming bulk of these films -- features and shorts -- are pretty derivative.

I don’t mean “unoriginal” the way 80-90% of professionally produced media is unoriginal, I mean “derivative” as in trying specifically to re-create something someone else did first…

...and better.

And this is in addition to the plethora of Star Trek / Star Wars / Dr. Who / superhero fan films out there; those are a separate though related phenomenon.

Rather, it’s the unmpeenth Alien ripoff / the 400th E.T. variant / the latest Mad Max clone / the most current example of last decade’s biggest hits.

They’re generally not that good taken on their own, no matter how much fun the makers are having.

For me the nadir of such films are those done by film makers imitating bad movies by deliberately making a bad movie.

Don’t do that, folks. 

Please. 

Don’t squander time and talent doing substandard work.

I’m not saying don’t make the kind of film (or draw the kind of art, or write the kind of story) you want to make; I’m just saying don’t deliberately make a piss-poor job of it.

Block and Rabin may never have made a truly good movie but not because they weren’t trying!

Cheap films?  Yes. Exploitable films?  Yes.

But films meant to be as good as they could make them.

There’s an MST3K notorious bad 1950s sci-fi movie called Teenagers From Outer Space.  Tom Graef, its writer / producer / director / editor / co-star was a former film student wanting to break into the big time so he made this cheesy movie to the utmost of his ability.

And lordie, it ain’t good…

…but by gawd, he was trying.

The folks who make deliberately bad pastiches of substandard B-movies were always a sore point for Bill Warren.

“The original film makers weren’t trying to make a bad movie!” he’d rave.

So please, don’t do deliberately shoddy work and try to explain it away by calling it a “parody”.

The Rocky Horror Picture Show is a parody, and everybody in it is aiming for the centerfield fence, turning in A-level performances.

I know it’s fun making models and cobbling together costumes and props and sets from junk, and recruiting friends and family to have fun making a movie, and if your audience is just going to be those friends and family, fine.

But if you want to be seen and appreciated by a wider audience, have some respect for them…and your own abilities as a film maker.

. . .

All of which brings us in a roundabout fashion to The Vast Of Night, a recent ultra-low budget sci-fi film that asks the non-musical question “What would a Twilight Zone mash-up of X-Files and Close Encounters Of The Third Kind look like?”

“Pretty impressive,” is the answer.

Let’s start with the Achilles’ heel of most lo-to-no budget DIY productions:  The cast.

The Vast Of Night enjoys impeccable casting, a;; the way down to the most minor roles.

I can’t stress enough how important this is for small productions.

Actors give you more bounce for your buck than anything else on your budget.  Good actors can make mediocre material bearable, they can bring good material to full blown life.

In The Vast Of Night’s case, the two leads -- Jake Horowitz as Everett, an all night DJ in a tiny late 1950s New Mexico town, and Sierra McCormick as Fay Crocker, the local substitute late night phone operator -- play off each other with delightful on screen chemistry.

No kidding, I’d watch these two characters go grocery shopping for an hour and a half, that’s how well Horowitz and McCormick play off each other.

Next, the story.  Obviously story and screenplay come before casting, but in the final analysis an okay story is far better served by a good cast than a good story by an okay cast.

Screenwriters James Montague and Craig W. Sanger do a good job with their script for The Vast Of Night.  As noted, it’s far from original but is fleshed out with enough distinctive elements to let the cast find plenty to work with.

For aspiring film makers, the script is typically the least expensive part of the process, and if you don’t like your draft you can always chuck it out and start afresh,

Finally, it’s okay to look inexpensive but don’t look cheap.

You can get away with a stark cinema verité style if that’s what the material calls for but you need to keep a consistent style and tone throughout.

A lot of DIY films do themselves a grave disservice by spending a lot of time / energy / money on a prop / costume / special effect that calls undo attention to itself by being so much better than everything surrounding it.

Director Andrew Patterson keeps things stylish while clamping a lid on its budget; this good pre-production planning pays off with a consistency of style and tone that helps keep the audience engaged, their disbelief suspended.

The Vast Of Night is what I refer to as a “minimum basic movie” i.e., the lowest bar you should shoot for with your own film making.

It’s far from a deathless classic, but it’s a fun ride.

And speaking of fun rides…this ramble is o-v-e-r.

  © Buzz Dixon

[orbemnews]

Chicago indoor dining reopens as city, suburban Cook Co. move to Tier 1 CHICAGO (WLS) — From Chicago to Suburban Cook County, many are celebrating the milestone as “a step towards normal” in what has been very abnormal times. Chicago and Cook County were moved Tier 1 mitigations on Saturday, state health officials announced, giving restaurants and bars the all-clear to resume some indoor dining. WATCH: Gov. Pritzker gives latest on vaccines, restrictions, new variant on Jan. 22, 2021 “We have long pushed for the careful resumption of limited indoor dining, and I am thrilled that we have made enough progress in the fight against COVID-19 to reopen our businesses and bring workers back,” Mayor Lori Lightfoot said in a statement Saturday. “As we enter this next phase, I again call on all businesses and residents to make sure we continue moving forward by following the guidelines for safe indoor dining and committing to the safety precautions that helped us flatten the curve a second time.” Rick Bayless, Chicago chef and restauranteur said the reopening will breathe much-needed life to a deflated industry. “I will tell you there were so many people on our staff here that were actually in tears when our first customers came back in,” Bayless said, who is the owner and chef at Frontera Grill. His staff has been tracking regional COVID-19 positivity rates in anticipation of getting customers back indoors. “When the rumors started swirling around our staff that it was going to be able to happen, there was a spike in everybody’s eyes to be able to know that we’re going to be able to do what we do best once again and that’s an exciting thing for us in the hospitality profession,” said Casey Cora, Frontera Grill spokesperson. “We have been busy today. Thank God! It’s a blessing to be back open,” said Peytyn Willborn, owner of Truth Italian Restaurant in the city’s Bronzeville neighborhood. Back in suburban Cook County, business owners rejoiced as they welcomed customers back indoors after the city and suburban Cook County were officially given the go-ahead to move into Tier 1. “As soon as I saw that email, it was a breath of fresh air,” said Chris Manolis, Owner of Blueberry Hill Breakfast Cafe. However, Peytyn Willborn is still cautiously optimistic, knowing with this pandemic anything can change. “We’re keeping our fingers crossed. We don’t want to get too excited because she might shut us back down in a month or two weeks and we’re back to where we started,” said Willborn, the owner of Truth Italian Restaurant in the city’s South Side. Both Chicago and Cook County restaurants and bars are now able to reopen for limited indoor dining as the COVID-19 test positivity rates in Regions 10 and 11 continue trending down. “So we will be able to know tomorrow if they in fact meet their criteria and it’s looking like they will get there. So that announcement will be made tomorrow,” Illinois Public Health Director Dr. Ngozi Ezike said. Under the Tier 1 restrictions, bars and restaurants can open for indoor dining at 25% capacity or 25 people max per room. Food must be available at all times, but can be provided by outside vendors for those without a food license. Tables must be six feet apart, face coverings required except when actively eating or drinking and establishments must close by 11 p.m. “I think that we should be opening everything back up as soon as it’s possible to do so safely and so I’m happy that we’re on that path,” said Lakeview resident Elan Karoll. The city will be responding to complaints of egregious violations, but anticipates very good compliance from bars and restaurants. “And I think this is why you see the progress in the numbers continuing to go down, because for the most part, people are really trying to do their best to keep, not only their customers, but their families and their employees safe,” Chicago Dept. of Business Affairs and Consumer Protection Commissioner Rosa Escareno said. Lori Lightfoot issued a statement Friday that said: “I am thrilled that Chicago has made sufficient progress in the ongoing fight against the deadly COVID-19 virus to allow indoor service at bars and restaurants in the very near future. This pandemic has been devastating for businesses and their workers, especially for bars and restaurants, and I know that this move will provide much-needed relief at a critical time. Our businesses have stepped up repeatedly to save lives throughout this crisis and I am thrilled that we will soon be ready to take this step to reopen more businesses and get employees back to work. As we prepare for easing of restrictions, I call on all of our businesses and residents to once more commit to what works to fight the spread of COVID-19. Only by wearing masks, maintaining social distance, avoiding large gatherings, following the business regulations and getting the vaccine when it is available, will we be able to continue moving forward in our reopening plan.” SEE ALSO | Chicago COVID-19: City moves into Phase 1B next week, Arwady says Tier 1 mitigation measures currently allow the following: Restaurants and Bars Can reopen indoors at lesser of 25% or 25 people per spaceFood must be available at all times in order to offer indoor service. This means that bars, taverns or breweries without a food license can reopen indoors as long as they partner with a food establishment so that food is available to patrons at all times (e.g., making menus available and allowing delivery, allowing patrons to order from third-party delivery services).Table size limited to no more than four people per indoor table and six people per outdoor tableFace coverings must be worn at all times, except when patrons are seated and actively eating or drinking.Patrons must be seated whenever they are eating or drinkingTables must be six feet apartIndoor service limited to no more than two hoursAll bars and restaurants must close at 11 p.m. Meetings, Social Events and Gatherings Events will be limited to lesser 25 guests or 25% of overall room capacity both indoors and outdoorsIndoor events will be able to serve food or drinks, but indoor service guidelines must be followed:o Face coverings must be worn at all times, except when patrons are seated and actively eating or drinkingo Four people per indoor tableo Patrons must be seated whenever they are eating or drinkingo Tables must be six feet aparto Indoor events must end at 11 p.m.Household gatherings limited to no more than ten people Other Industries Most other industries limited to 40% capacity with 50 people max within a room or spaceIndoor fitness classes can expand to the lesser of 15 people or 40% capacityFace coverings worn at all times, with the exception of limited instances such as for personal services that require their removal “We’re just adding classes exponentially to accommodate the demand, but it’s an exciting time. It brings a tremendous amount of energy back into the locations,” said Gale Landers, founder and CEO of Fitness Formula Clubs. WATCH: Indoor dining returns in Will, Kankakee counties State health officials announced that Illinois Region 7 – Kankakee and Will counties – had moved into Tier 1 mitigation Thursday, allowing indoor restaurant and bar dining service for up to 25 people or 25% capacity per room, whichever is fewer people. Some restaurants, including George’s in Lockport, have been serving customers inside even while it was officially banned by the state. But the team there is still excited by the news and hope it will make more customers feel safe enough to drop in for a bite. Manager Lauren Straub said she was elated to learn that limited indoor dining can resume in Will and Kankakee counties. “People are gonna feel comfortable and, you know, want to come in and they feel safe enough to come in and dine with us,” Straub said. In nearby Romeoville, Gio’s breakfast was still mostly empty after the indoor dining reboot announcement. But manager Giselle Evangelista is thinking her dining room will be an attractive option for people hoping to keep their social distance. “It’s really really big,” Evangelista said. “I feel like people are gonna see that on our Facebook page.” And with more in-person dining, she’s hoping her staff will see more tips – which haven’t been as plentiful with take-out orders. “Since our servers rely on tips, that will help us out a lot more because that’s basically what we live off,” she said. WATCH: Why some restaurants won’t reopen even if restrictions loosen Even when restrictions are lifted in the city, some restaurants still won’t be reopening for now. “25% (capacity) makes us lose money, 50% (capacity) makes us lose money,” said Jodi Fyfe, owner of Eden in the West Loop. But for Chicago restaurants that want to reopen indoor dining, city officials say that may be possible as soon as this weekend if the current trends hold. Copyright © 2021 WLS-TV. All Rights Reserved. !function(f,b,e,v,n,t,s) if(f.fbq)return;n=f.fbq=function()n.callMethod? n.callMethod.apply(n,arguments):n.queue.push(arguments); if(!f._fbq)f._fbq=n;n.push=n;n.loaded=!0;n.version='2.0'; n.queue=[];t=b.createElement(e);t.async=!0; t.src=v;s=b.getElementsByTagName(e)[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(t,s)(window,document,'script', 'https://connect.facebook.net/en_US/fbevents.js'); fbq('init', '120854971962341'); fbq('track', 'PageView'); Source link #Chicago #chicagobars #chicagoindoordining #chicagorestaurantreopening #chicagorestaurants #City #cook #dining #illinoisindoordining #illinoisrestaurantreopening #indoor #indoordining #indoordininginchicago #indoordiningnearme #isindoordiningallowedinchicago #move #pritzkerupdate #reopens #restaurantsreopen #suburban #Tier

[deadcactuswalking]

REVIEWING THE CHARTS: 6th January 2019

The twelve pop songs that weren’t Christmas are all in the top 13 along with a new arrival, so, yeah, essentially this week is the same as last week without a holiday. Everything that was below the top 40 just came back in spades, hence...

Returning Entries

There’s a ton. Let’s get all of the returning entries and drop-outs in our first, very busy week of 2019, done first. Let’s go, starting from what’s at the top to what’s at the bottom. “Hold My Girl” by George Ezra is back at #14, “Baby” by Clean Bandit, Marina and Luis Fonsi is back at #15, “This is Me” by Keala Settle and The Greatest Showman Ensemble is back at #16, “A Million Dreams” by P!nk is back at #17, “Woman Like Me” by Little Mix featuring Nicki Minaj is back at #18, “imagine” by Ariana Grande is back at #20, “Promises” by Calvin Harris and Sam Smith is back at #21, “Going Bad” by Meek Mill and Drake is back at #22, “Let You Love Me” by Rita Ora is back at #23, “Shallow” by Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper is at #24, “The Greatest Show” by Hugh Jackman, Keala Settle, Zac Efron, Zendaya and the Greatest Showman Ensemble returns to #25 (this was the first song I ever reviewed on this series so it’s crazy to see it back pretty much exactly a year later), “Happier” by Marshmello and Bastille is back to #26, “Advice” by Cadet and Deno Driz is at #27, “Mo Bamba” by Sheck Wes is at #28 (and while I’m at it, “SICKO MODE” by Travis Scott featuring Drake, Swae Lee and Big Hawk is back at #33), “Eastside” by benny blanco, Halsey and Khalid is at #29, “A Million Dreams” by Ziv Zaifman, Hugh Jackman and Michelle Williams comes back to #30, “Leave a Light On” by Tom Walker lights up at #31, “KIKA” by 6ix9ine featuring Tory Lanez jumps back to #32, “Girls Like You” by Maroon 5 featuring Cardi B rears its ugly head at #34, “One Kiss” by Calvin Harris and Dua Lipa, the biggest song of the year in the UK (yes, the year-end has been released, and I’ll rank it on my Twitter), “Funky Friday” by Dave and Fredo is at #38 (that one’s growing on me too...), “Body” by Loud Luxury and brando is at #39, and “Perfect” by Ed Sheeran rounds off the Top 40. Well, since all of these have had their own reviews on this series before, I might leave links on each song to where they’ve been reviewed or something, although my opinions have already changed. Oh, “Perfect” and “Mo Bamba” don’t have proper reviews yet but it’ll be redundant doing it now because I’ll just be covering them more in-depth on my best list anyway (sorry, spoilers). Now...

Dropouts

Oh, my goodness. Okay, so, every single Christmas song is out. “All I Want for Christmas for You” by Mariah Carey from #2, “Last Christmas” by WHAM! from #3, “Fairytale of New York” by the Pogues featuring Kirsty MacColl from #4, “Do They Know it’s Christmas?” by Band Aid from #6, “It’s Beginning to Look a Lot like Christmas” by Michael Bublé from #7, “One More Sleep” by Leona Lewis from #8, “Merry Christmas Everyone” by Shakin’ Stevens from #9, “Step into Christmas” by Elton John from #10, and the episode’s already half of a 1,000 words. Listen, sorry about all the changes in structure with the series, especially in this episode, but I asked on Twitter if you would rather have me review more songs and not bother with anything else, and no, it was decided by 80% to continue with the standard format in the poll, so, yeah, I guess I’ll have to do it like this for another year. Anyways, back to this nonsense. “Driving Home for Christmas” by Chris Rea is out from #11, “I Wish it Could be Christmas Everyday” by Wizzard from #12, “Santa Tell Me” by Ariana Grande from #13, “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” by Brenda Lee from #16, “Merry Xmas Everybody” by Slade from #17, “Happy Xmas (War is Over)” by John Lennon, Yoko Ono and the Plastic Ono Band featuring the Harlem Community Choir from #18 (God, that is a chore to type every week), “Wonderful Christmastime” by Paul McCartney from #20 – may you rest in peace, you gorgeous novelty – “We Built this City on Sausage Rolls” by LadBaby from #21, “Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)” by Darlene Love from #22, “Cozy Little Christmas” by Katy Perry from #23, “Santa’s Coming for Us” by Sia from #24, “Mary’s Boy Child / Oh My Lord” by Boney M. from #26, “Mistletoe” by Justin Bieber from #28, “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year” by Andy Williams from #29, “Santa Claus is Coming to Town” by Jackson 5 from #30, “White Christmas” by Bing Crosby from #31, “Stay Another Day” by East 17 from #36 – still not a Christmas song – “Underneath the Tree” by Kelly Clarkson from #37, “Lonely this Christmas” by Mud from #38, and finally, “Baby it’s Cold Outside” by Idina Menzel and Michael Bublé is out from #39. That felt oddly therapeutic.

Now, there’s not a single song that fell this week, obviously, but there are a few that climbed outside of the Top 10, and they’re all rebounds from the avalanche.

Climbers

“Without Me” by Halsey is up three spots to #11, “Lost Without You” by Freya Ridings is up 20 spaces to #12, and finally, “Thursday” by Jess Glynne is up a whopping 27 positions to #13. Now, with the chart finally rid of those pesky Christmas songs, welcome to 2019, everyone, and this is the state of British pop as the year turns around.

Top 10

“Sweet but Psycho” by Ava Max is spending its second week at #1 today, which is cool, I guess, but i don’t imagine it holding on for that long.

Ariana Grande’s “thank u, next” is up three spaces from last week to number-two, but now we’ve got some massive jumps from scattered within the top 40 straight to the top 10.

“Sunflower” by Post Malone and Swae Lee from Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse is up 16 positions to number-three.

At number-four, we have an 11-space increase for Mark Ronson and Miley Cyrus’ “Nothing Breaks Like a Heart”.

Finally, in what feels like ages, we have a top 5 debut, with Post Malone having his ninth top 40 hit and sixth top 10 hit this week, as his new song “Wow.” enters at #5. We’ll talk about it at length later on.

At number-six, Lord help us, we have “Baby Shark” by Pinkfong up 21 spaces from last week. This is the best proof we’ve had since Mr. Blobby that the charts are ran by children.

“Shotgun” by George Ezra rebounds by 26 spots to number-seven for no good reason. Go away, please, for my own sanity.

Oh, joy, James Arthur too, with Anne-Marie for “Rewrite the Stars” up 17 spaces to number-eight.

Zara Larsson creeps her head into the top 10 as well after a 26-spot boost up to number-nine, making “Ruin My Life” her sixth top 10 hit in the UK.

Finally, Kodak Black’s “ZEZE” featuring Travis Scott and Offset is up an undeservedly high 24 places up to #10, rounding off our top 10 at way too many words for an episode that has yet to have any song reviews. I’ll try to keep them brief.

NEW ARRIVALS

#36 – “Gun Lean” – Russ

R-R-Russ? Huh... Never expected that name to ever pop up on here, to be honest. Russ seems to only be kind of big in the US but he’s never hit the top 40, and he’s pretty much just a running joke or meme in the hip hop community so I honestly never expected any Brits to take him seriously either but this is his new single, I guess, and it’s not great. It starts with a menacing piano line that could be kind of interesting but then Russ comes in with a British accent and—oh.

#36 – “Gun Lean” – Russ splash

BBC has called new UK rapper Russ splash “Russ” instead, but who really cares? He might as well be Russ because he doesn’t say anything of substance either, with a painfully simplistic hook and chorus that doesn’t really help his lyrical ability shine (if it exists). The heavy bass is obviously trying to be have that energetic old Lil Pump energy, but it doesn’t work when your song is three and a half minutes because this song is tiring as all hell. This is generic British rap that follows the formula to a T, and I hope it doesn’t rise. Speaking of following a formula...

#35 – “Money” – Cardi B

Sigh, I do like Cardi B, but she seems to have stopped bothering and that’s a big issue because that’s the main reason anyone liked her. It’s definitely not the lyrics and while it may be the beat, she always rides it with that loud, straightforward and powerful delivery she is known for, and when you stop trying in the booth, I feel like that appeal is going to squander, and this is her ninth top 40 hit in less than two years, so the fact that it’s going quick is an issue. Anyways, this is absolute garbage. The beats is literally like two piano notes just being violently played under trap percussion and bass, with a recurring high-pitched “Money” ad-lib that is trying to break up the monotony but, no, it’s just annoying. Cardi B sounds more ruthless on the verses, which may actually be kind of unfitting, but it works, although then she gets bored on the chorus. In fact, the transition is actually pretty abrupt and forced here. At least it’s shorter and has a few good flow switches, so it’s definitely better than “Gun Lean” in that respect, but that doesn’t mean it’s good.

#19 – “Play” – Jax Jones featuring Years & Years

This is listed as a returning entry on BBC’s UK Top 40 page but this came out last year and I never reviewed so it’s safe to assume it’s new; I apologise if it isn’t, but I mean, would you care? The lead singer from Years & Years keeps up with a tiring atmospheric house beat, with meaningless lyrics and weak, radio-friendly drops that kind of take away its EDM properties immediately, I mean, the hook here isn’t that crazy of a vocal manipulation either like “One Kiss” or “Solo”, it’s just a pretty comprehensible phrase repeated and edited to sound a tad more distant. It’s so weak and pathetic, although the dude from Years & Years is trying so hard to fit on this beat, it’s kind of funny in that regard. Otherwise, yeah, who cares?

#5 – “Wow.” – Post Malone

Let me put it this way: my sister loves Post Malone for many reasons, one of which being his music, and she’s consistently loved a lot of what I’ve hated from Post like “I Fall Apart” (which is still a gruelling and confusing song to this day, read my worst list if you want to see me go into depth), but not even she could dig this, but I think I know why – she took it seriously. The tuneless keys is the only real build-up we get until Post comes in and there’s a cool noisy melody that ends with a high-pitched screech, and yeah, it’s a pretty awesomely minimal and menacing beat, so surely Post should add a lot to this... well, he literally has a whole line that is just “G-Wagon, G-Wagon, G-Wagon, G-Wagon”, but otherwise his delivery is on-point (I love his voice right at the end at the second verse), his flows are catchy, his lyrics are serviceable and sometimes pretty funny, and every single beat drop here is beautiful, seriously, that’s some perfect production from Frank Dukes and Louis Bell. After Post stops rapping, there’s a period of time where it’s just the distorted melody over some reverb-drowned drums with a chipmunk vocal coming in and him just ad-libbing “wow”, and it’s stunning. It’s not going to replace Beck’s song of the same title and in the same vein (seriously, it’s a trap-rap song too), but this is cool.

Conclusion

This week was mostly trap, huh? Well, Post Malone gets Best of the Week for “Wow.” but Russ splash is definitely bagging Worst of the Week for the dreadful “Gun Lean”. Dishonourable Mention is tied, and goes to Jax Jones, Years & Years and Cardi B for “Play” and “Money”, respectively. Not  a great start, guys. See you next week!

n

[365familymovies-blog]

Mad Max Fury Road Putlocker dead truths

Mad Max Fury Road Putlocker dead truths. I wasn't sold on the movie from the trailers but I had a couple of friends that said they loved it so I decided to give it a shot I went with an objective viewpoint that way I could give it as much credit as possible. The best part about the movie is the lack of cgi which I do give them credit for but the story line was horrible and it was not stop action. They probably could have made this really good but they feel way short on that. I think if they had put more time into the story and less into the action it would have been good and I like action movies. I'm glad I went to the matinée showing because this will not be one I watch again I just want my two hours back

I signed up just to write a review of this piece of trash as i am disgusted by all the positive reviews all around, did i honestly see the same movie as everyone else? people obviously have low standards for what is considered a good movie these days and fury road is a perfect example. HELL, i wouldn't even call this a movie, it's nothing more than en enlongated car chase with miminal story and character development with nothing to show for it but a few fancy but reptitive action sequences. there's no story at all, just a truck being chased from point a to b as they are chased by a bunch of desert thugs with white face paint on, and WTF was with the guy playing the fire guitar??? all the time me and my friend were just looking at each other with confusion, which later turned into wanting our money back as the credits rolled.

overall, this is overrated style over substance dreck and if you ought to be ashamed if you thought it was even remotely good, as do all the people involed in its making. a disgrace to the original mad max series and one of the WORST movies i've seen. AVOID!!!! You know how you go to any amusement park and there's always that really cool stunt show? It could be Waterworld at Universal Studios or the Indiana Jones stunt show at Hollywood Studios (Disney World), any of those. There's a short little story (loosely based on a deeper film plot), a good guy and a bad guy both after something, they do some choreographed fighting, they jump onto specially-contraptions, some areas are rigged with pyrotechnics and water splashes, people are running all over set, maybe even cars are spinning around and chasing each other. For 10-20 minutes, it's a cool live show and a great opportunity to take a break from the long lines and the rides at the amusement park. Do you want watch movie reviews imdb now?

Now imagine George Miller decided he wanted to film one of these shows, edit his footage with some colorful touch-ups, and compile two hours-worth of said footage into a film. That is Mad Max: Fury Road.

I decided to write this review after actually watching the first Mad Max and The Road Warrior so I can understand the backstory of Mad Max. My initial opinion of Fury Road still stands. I really tried to like this film after seeing all of the critics' and fans' reviews. I watched the film twice to see if I was maybe tired the first time. I still felt nothing.

I agree that the action is quite something. All of the stunts feel real and non-CGI, which is particularly rare for films nowadays. But so what? As real as it was, the action felt drivel, repetitive, and boring. I particularly LOVE action films, but this action did not do it for me. Even with the high speed chases (that lasted the entire film), the decked-out cars, the flame-throwing guitars, the explosions, I didn't feel the adrenaline kick in as I had hoped, nor did I ever feel I was viewing a spectacle. There were some action sequences I felt were interesting, such as the chained fight, but they only lasted a few minutes out of the entire film and were mild at best.

It had everything, so what was the problem? What the film lacked was directing. The camera-work and direction don't do anything to help place the audience into the action, to feel it. All I get are either 1. Overhead crane shots that show how large the groups are and what surrounding action is taking place, 2. Long shots to emphasize distance, and 3. Close shots to show what's going on. The camera is only documenting the stunt show that is this film. At times where the film takes a short pause in action and progresses its "story," Miller attempts to develop some emotional depth in the story, but in the end it only comes off as trying too hard to appear deep and emotional. The character development was not there to help the audience understand the emotional moments.

See more: Pacific rim uprising 2018 release date and exciting new things

For my personal tastes, I didn't find the film's theme or look appealing nor unappealing. It didn't click with me. The cinematography was beautiful and emphasized the contrast in a beautiful, naturalistic, post-apocalyptic world. But the costume and prop design I didn't get and at times found it bizarre and gross, and oftentimes flat-out ridiculous. Minimal leather gear in the desert? Mothers basically wearing bikinis and makeup? I didn't get it.

Overall, don't expect any plot or character development in this film. While this IS a sequel and thus does not require deep character development, the original Mad Max series didn't have much depth and development in them in the first place. That said, you can start off with Fury Road and figure out what Max's (minimal) backstory is from there. The action is real and unique, and, yeah, it's cool to watch live for 20 minutes at an amusement park. But two hours? No thanks.

[buddyrabrahams]

10 winners and losers from the NBA offseason so far

Between the NBA Draft and free agency, the first month of the offseason is one of the most exciting times of year for basketball fans. Trades take place pre and post-draft, teams add new players via the draft, and then the wild free agency period begins on July 1.

Many teams have re-shaped their rosters. Some have lost talent, while others have made gains. Some moves have impacted organizations much more than others.

Here’s a look at 10 winners and losers from the NBA offseason so far.

WINNERS

1) Oklahoma City Thunder

Sam Presti strikes again. The Thunder have a rare situation where trading for Paul George, even purely as a rental, makes sense.

In 2017-18, Russell Westbrook will have some actual assistance from a second bonafide star in George, who can at least help Oklahoma City recover some of what they lost when Kevin Durant skipped town. Westbrook being the entire offense was fun, and led to some remarkable stat lines, but it’s not a long-term solution for winning.

What about the future? George will probably leave after the season, but the deal brings two other benefits aside from the obvious. First, Oklahoma City will have some cap flexibility even if he walks. Second, by making a deal like this, Presti and the Thunder have once again demonstrated to Westbrook that they are committed to building a talented group around him — which could help convince him to re-sign for the long haul when his number comes up next summer.

And after trading for George, Presti wasn’t done. He signed Patrick Patterson to a 3-year, $16.4 million deal to help make up for the loss of Taj Gibson. The Thunder are also bringing back defensive stalwart Andre Roberson on a completely reasonable three-year, $30 million contract.

2) Minnesota Timberwolves

Last year was supposed to be the year the Timberwolves took a step forward and, under Tom Thibodeau, reach the playoffs for the first time since Kevin Garnett nearly led them to the 2004 NBA Finals. They had a talented young core and a coach who could help them grow up.

That didn’t happen. Minnesota won only two more games than they had the year before and were one of the league’s bigger disappointments. Thibodeau must have agreed, because his moves this summer have been made to ensure nothing of the sort happens again.

The acquisition of Jimmy Butler gives the Timberwolves a superstar to build around, and going on to sign Jeff Teague ensures he’ll have a backcourt mate who can compliment him. Thibodeau also reunited with Taj Gibson, who will provide a valuable interior presence to go with Andrew Wiggins and Karl-Anthony Towns.

This team still has its issues — their outside shooting still leaves something to be desired, for instance — but the team is adding enough talent that it’s reasonable to believe that maybe this year will see them take that long-awaited step forward.

3) Houston Rockets

The Rockets may well have positioned themselves as the greatest threat to topple the Golden State Warriors, which is roughly the best one can hope for in times like this. The addition of Chris Paul is a game-changer, at least in the upper class of the West, as the Rockets subtract from the rival Clippers to boost themselves.

Can Paul and Harden work together? That remains to be seen, but Houston has done all they can to ensure Harden has options around him.

It’s not just the backcourt that has seen improvement. Retaining Nene is big for their depth, and signing P.J. Tucker is a quality under-the-radar move that will help the team’s frontcourt and defense immensely, especially after they included Montrezl Harrell in the CP3 trade.

Are they better than Golden State? No. But Houston definitely has the talent to make Kevin Durant and co. sweat just a little bit. They also may not be done as there is talk they’re trying for Carmelo Anthony.

4) Golden State Warriors

The Warriors didn’t have to do a lot to end up on this list. It was no secret that Stephen Curry would return on the super-max; the real pleasant surprise was how much money Kevin Durant willingly gave up to keep the core together. What did it all mean? First, Golden State was able to retain backup point guard Shaun Livingston. Even more importantly, they managed to find enough spare change in their pockets to give Andre Iguodala $48 million to keep him in the fold.

Quite simply, Golden State was able to keep their core together untarnished. There was a very real fear that Iguodala would leave, a player who has been so vital to the on-court success and strong culture that has been built in the Bay Area. That didn’t happen. Can they add much more? No, they can’t. But that’s the thing when you’re so far and away the best team in the NBA: you don’t have to. Keeping the band together under difficult circumstances is sufficient.

5) Boston Celtics

Boston was in real danger of making the losers list after missing out on Paul George and Jimmy Butler trades and competing with the Jazz and Miami Heat for Gordon Hayward. But winning the Hayward sweepstakes was a difference-maker.

The Celtics and Hayward agreed to a four-year, $128 million max contract, giving them another player who should make them a tougher out for the Cavaliers. Of course, the signing does not come without other sacrifices. Not only will Hayward cost big bucks, but the team had to clear salary cap space to sign him. That resulted in the loss of Kelly Olynyk and possibly more players.

Between their multitude of experienced wings and youngsters like Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum, the Celtics have a logjam of players. But they have so many options and so many draft picks, along with competent leadership, that we expect them to turn what they do have into plenty of success.

6) Sacramento Kings

The Sacramento Kings threw quite a bit of money around this offseason, and that should turn them into a much more competitive team.

The Kings signed George Hill, Zach Randolph, Vince Carter and Bogdan Bogdanovic, in addition to making several strong draft picks.

They had to make a big offer to land Hill, signing him to a three-year, $57 million deal. It’s a lot of money, but at least short-term enough where it shouldn’t plague them for the long-haul. They got Randolph on a two-year, $24 million deal. He isn’t what he used to be, but he can still score in the half-court and should provide leadership. The same goes for Carter, who got an $8 million deal.

Sacramento also cleaned up in the draft. They took De’Aaron Fox with the No. 5 pick, then turned the No. 10 pick into Nos. 15 and 20, using them on Justin Jackson and Harry Giles. They also nabbed Frank Mason in the second round, giving them a draft full of All-Americans.

The bottom line is the Kings were determined to improve and they have done that.

LOSERS

1) Indiana Pacers

Pacers GM Kevin Pritchard knew he was dealing from a less-than-optimal situation when Paul George made it known that he was going to be bolting the organization in summer of 2018. It was even worse with the pronunciation that George already has a destination in mind for that summer, meaning teams trading for him had to accept the likely scenario that they were renting a player for a year.

Pritchard took a bad situation and made it worse. He got no draft picks in return for George, settling only for Victor Oladipo and Domantas Sabonis. Oladipo is a solid player who, at 25, still has some room to grow, but it looks less and less likely that he’ll ever be a star. Sabonis, a lottery pick last season, also doesn’t look like a guy with an elite future.

Was the George market that bad that this was the best Pritchard could do? The answer is reportedly no. Sure, it’s better than losing George for nothing, but it’s incredibly hard to believe Indiana couldn’t have done better.

2) Miami Heat

The Heat had plenty of cap space after the league ruled the Chris Bosh contract wouldn’t count against them, and they made plans to spend it. But they didn’t spend it in good places.

The Heat made a big run at Gordon Hayward but came up short. They then moved quickly to plan B, which really amounted to a plan F.

Miami agreed to a $50 million deal with Kelly Olynyk, a $52 million deal with Dion Waiters, and James Johnson is going to get $60 million from them. All are four-year deals.

The trio of Waiters, Johnson and Olynyk is not the Big 3 Heat fans are used to. Worse yet, all three are on four-year deals, ones Miami is likely to end up regretting.

Sure, the Eastern Conference is weaker and Miami may have smelled an opening, but this team is unlikely to be much more than the .500 squad they were last season.

3) Utah Jazz

The Jazz slowly built their team the right way and developed homegrown talent Gordon Hayward into an All-Star. And then he up and left the organization because he saw a better opportunity elsewhere.

There is no way to view Hayward’s departure as anything other than a crushing blow to the franchise.

Yes, Utah will try to regroup and has big plans for Rodney Hood, but they may not even be a playoff team a year after earning the No. 5 seed last season. They also lost Hill to Sacramento, though they are trying to make up for that with their trade for Ricky Rubio.

This team really took a step forward last season. It’s a terrible break to have to go backwards again.

4) Cleveland Cavaliers

Perhaps it’s not fair to the Cleveland Cavaliers to land on this list, as they remain extremely limited in their options due to salary cap hell. They managed to retain Kyle Korver and added Jose Calderon at the league minimum, but these moves are not going to carry them ahead of their big old nemesis in Golden State.

They let general manager David Griffin walk just before free agency and their efforts to replace him have gone poorly. The Cavs tried, but ultimately struck out in a Paul George pursuit. They’ve been linked repeatedly to Carmelo Anthony, but barring an increasingly unlikely buyout, such a move likely won’t be consummated.

Yes, the Cavs are hamstrung by salary cap restrictions. Yes, they are still the best team in the East. But that won’t cut it anymore, and with his own free agency looming in a year, LeBron James probably won’t want to see a franchise stuck in neutral — or worse, shedding salary.

from Larry Brown Sports http://ift.tt/2uRGN7H