#belinda metz

[soweirdondisney]

Tomorrow, January 18th, is the 25th anniversary of So Weird's premiere on Disney Channel.

The So Weird Podcast is happy to share with you all a new cast interview tomorrow!

We can't wait to share our Part 1 of our Belinda Metz interview!!

[fridaythe13ththeseries]

Spirit of Television

Episode Recap #70: Spirit of Television Original Airdate: May 12, 1990

Starring: Louise Robey as Micki Foster Steve Monarque as Johnny Ventura (as Steven Monarque) Chris Wiggins as Jack Marshak

Guest cast: Marj Dusay as Ilsa Van Zandt / Ellie Robinson Paul Humphrey as William Belinda Metz as Jessica Francis Paul Bettis as Robert Jandini Nancy Cser as Genevieve Susan Cox as Katia Hamish McEwan as Vinnie Rivera Elliott Smith as Bruce Jed Dixon as Roger Sebastian Brian Rainey as Newsman Ida Carnevali as Mama Jandini Leslie Yeo as Papa Jandini Bill Vibert as Bartender

Written by Bob Holbrook (as Robert Holbrook) Directed by Jorge Montesi

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Open on a dark and stormy night at a big old house. A woman, Ilsa Van Zandt, sits brushing her hair. Downstairs, a man lets in a trio rain-soaked guests. One man is not thrilled to be there, but the woman says it has been one year since their friend died. The third member of the group says the house reminds him of where they shot their last video. Upstairs, Ilsa is upset to pull out a big clump of hair and then lose a fingernail.

Later, Ilsa is conduction a séance around a table with herself and the three visitors. She tells them to concentrate on their dead friend, Roger. The candles flicker and soon an old television set turns on, with Roger on the screen, addressing the woman, Jessica. But her friends see and hear nothing. Jess apologizes to Roger, who says he forgives her before fading away. Ilsa says he's moved on.

After, one of the guys is arguing with Jess about spending $2000 to talk to no one. Jess still blames herself for Roger's death. Upset, she goes downstairs and makes a drink. Soon, her television turns on with Roger reappearing. This time, he is angry and accuses her of leading to his overdose. The television explodes, hurling glass into Jess, who slams into the fireplace and collapses. Suddenly, she's on the old tv screen as Ilsa watches. Jess is pulled into any abyss. Ilsa says she gave the tv a life, now she wants time. We see her name and date of death on her gravestone change on the tv screen, giving her 10 more days.

Cut to credits.

Johnny is adjusting an antenna out the door, as Micki and Jack watch their television screen. She tells him when the picture has improved, but they lose it, and get it back again, in time for a news report about rock singer Jessica's death. Vinnie, her bandmate, is interviewed, mentioning their meeting with medium Ilsa Van Zandt. Micki recalls her name, telling Jack and Johnny to investigate her while she talks to Vinnie.

William, her assistant, is opening the curtains as Ilsa wakes up. William sits on the bed. He's concerned about her. Ilsa says she is just fine. They kiss.

Later, she is being interviewed about her famous clients, and Micki, Jack and Johnny watch. Micki then says the band believes Jess pushed Roger too hard, leading to his overdose. She also says Jess died when her tv shorted out, electrocuting her. Johnny says another of Ilsa's clients was also electrocuted. Micki wants to see Ilsa, but Jack says she only sees elite people. Micki goes to call a famous fashion designer friend, Genevieve.

At night, Ilsa is conducting a new séance with Micki, Johnny and Genevieve, calling for the spirit of Martina to appear. Candles flicker and the chandelier shakes, then Martina appears on the old television screen, but only to Genevieve. Micki and Johnny see nothing. Martina praises her old student, and even gives Genevieve new design ideas before the screen goes black.

Jack asks what Genevieve saw, but Micki says the woman took off as soon as the séance concluded. Johnny believes the woman saw something, but that Ilsa said it was private between Genevieve and the spirit. Jack says this is untrue, that a spirit would appear to all present. Ilsa wouldn't talk about any of the others, she was too tired. Jack couldn't find Ilsa in the Manifest. Johnny and Micki leave to go talk to Genevieve.

William worries about Ilsa overdoing things with the seances and wants her to take a vacation. Unknown to him, Ilsa pulls a loose tooth out of her mouth and goes into the bathroom.

Genevieve has sketched out the designs she saw, then goes to start water for a bath. Ilsa talks to her antique television, calling forth Martina and telling her that she can take Genevieve. Looking back at her sketches, Genevieve doesn't realize her television has turned on, but does notice as it turns around and Martina is now on the screen. Now angry, the dead woman accuses Genevieve of stealing her ideas. Genevieve tries to hide in the bathroom but the television on its stand rolls after her, Martina laughing. As she falls back in to the tub, the tv pushes forward, falling into the water as Genevieve screams. Outside, Micki and Johnny hear and rush to get inside. By the time they get to the bathroom, Genevieve is dead. At her home, Ilsa watches Genevieve on the screen, pulled away into darkness. But this time, she only gains one day on her tombstone, confusing her. She pleads with the tv, to no answer. William listens at the door.

Next day, Micki is sure Ilsa must have a cursed item. Jack remembers a friend, Robert Jandini, who specializes in debunking spiritualists and goes to call him.

Ilsa begs the tv for answers but gets none. William opens the door, telling her two men are here. Before she can respond, Jack and the man, calling himself Richard Whittington, barge in, demanding her help in contacting someone. But Ilsa recognizes Richard Jandini and calls him out. Jack shows his Curious Goods card, claiming to only be interested in antiques. Jandini threatens to go public if she refuses to hold a séance for him. Ilsa claims to have been anticipating him and lets him inspect the room.

After two searches with no results, Ilsa wants to begin. Jandini demands William stay, too. The séance begins, and Ilsa calls on any dead known to the skeptical man. Candles flicker. The television turns on, and only Jandini can see his parents on it, who miss him. He apologizes for not seeing them often. Jack and William see nothing.

Leaving, Jandini tells Jack that Ilsa is the real deal, he saw his parents appear. Jandini says he has always felt guilty for abandoning them when they needed him. But now he feels that weight lifted.

Ilsa compares the address on Jack's business card to the label on the back of the tv that reads "Lewis Vendredi Antiques" with the same address. She realizes Jack wants the tv back, and wonders if this is why the tv only gave her one day. William comes in, amazed at Ilsa's gift. He wants to learn, but Ilsa tells him the living is more important than the dead. She sends him up to bed, then calls on Jandini's parents to take care of their son. William spies on her.

Micki is on the phone with Jack, saying he experienced the same thing her and Johnny did. Micki says Ilsa was unknown completely until five years ago. Jack say he is going to stay with Jandini for now. Johnny comes upstairs with books Lewis had saved on spiritualism, all writen by an Ellie Robinson, the last from 1984, which Micki says is when Ilsa appeared. Johnny goes to talk to a cop friend about one of the deaths for more information.

Ilsa grows impatient.

Jack and Jandini talk at a bar, about how Ilsa's séance didn't follow normal routines. Jandini knows what he saw and as he explains to Jack, his parents appear on the bar's television screen. They are now angry at him. Jack only sees the hockey game playing. Jandini is torn up by his parents accusations. Jack goes to get him out of the bar, but the bartender stops him for payment. Jandini leaves on his own.

Ilsa, her face showing sores, begs her television to find him.

Jack leaves and looks for his friend. Jandini has made it down the street and in front of a store where his parents appear again, driving him mad with guilt and shame. Jack sees him talking to blank televisions. His parents tell him he deserves suffering. Jack stops him from breaking the store window, leading him away.

Ilsa bangs on the television as she continues to deteriorate. She heads upstairs.

Johnny tells Micki that the cop told him another client of Ilsa's died when his tv fell into his pool. Micki connects all the televisions being involved in the deaths and looks up and finds a television in the Manifest that Lewis donated to a convalescent home. She says they can call in the morning, but Johnny says they can drive out there. She agrees and goes to call Jack to inform him.

Ilsa covers up to go out, telling William to stay put.

Jack gets Jandini home and just as he picks up the ringing phone, Micki hangs up. Jack tries to help his friend who is losing his grip, worried his parents will haunt him forever. The phone rings again, and someone says Jack has an urgent letter from Curious Goods but he has to come down and get it. Jack says he'll be right down. We see the caller was Ilsa, covering her voice. Jack thinks the is important news from Micki heads down.

Jandini looks askew at his television, then there is a knock at the door. Jandini lets in Ilsa, happy to her because he hopes she can help. Ilsa says they only want to help him and leads him to the tv with them on it, saying they will never forgive him. He picks up the tv and with goading from Ilsa, steps back and falls through the window, with the tv. Jack sees commotion and goes out and finds his friend, dead. Ilsa leaves, not realizing William has followed and watched it all play out.

Ilsa, home and doing poorly, begs the television to help now that she's made sure Jandini died. But her gravestone on the screen goes black. William, outside her room, asks what's wrong, but she tells him to go. He comes in anyway, and when she turns, he sees her hair is all gray and her face is rotting. He wants to take her to the doctor, but she says that won't help, that this is the day she dies. William wants to help. Ilsa thinks she needs to kill Jack Marshak.

Jack storms downstairs, Micki calling behind him, telling him it wasn't his fault. Jack thinks he got his friend killed by involving him. Johnny tells him about Ellie, the so-so medium, and Micki says Lewis had the tv delivered to her convalescent home where she was dying of an incurable disease, but the tv saved her. Johnny thinks she killed Jandini for possibly exposing her, and may be after Jack next. Jack wants to confront her, but Micki says he's acting out of guilt like all the rest did. Johnny tells him to stay put, that him and Micki will go.

They arrive at Ilsa's and sneak around, entering through the basement. Inside, they find the television and Ilsa gone. Johnny thinks she's gone to get Jack. Micki tells him to get the car and she'll call and warn Jack. Micki calls and Jack picks up but the line goes dead.

The power at Curious Goods goes out next. Jack grabs a flashlight and heads downstairs, hearing noises. He looks around and suddenly sees the television. William grabs Jack's arms and Ilsa, seriously rotting and close to death, calls out to the television. Jack struggles, and says Jandini wouldn't betray him. But Jandini does appear, saying Jack got him involved in this. Ilsa says Jack has always wanted to see what lies beyond and now he will. Jandini says if Jack won't come to him, he'll come to Jack. The screen goes hyper-bright and it pulls the air toward it, a hand reaching out for Jack, who fights William, pushing him toward it. Micki and Johnny rush in and Johnny grabs William, freeing Jack. But the hand grabs William and pulls him toward it. Ilsa goes to help him, but soon they are both pulled inside the television, to the horror of the gang.

Next day, Micki and Johnny are worried about Jack. Micki asks if it was really Jandini he saw, but Jack doesn't believe so. He thinks Ilsa made the tv show people what she wanted them to see, letting her escape death. Jack tells a story about someone who ran from death only to run right to it.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

My thoughts:

An interesting tale, and boy do they fit a lot into this episode.

I do like how smart our trio has gotten in chasing the items. Micki is suspicious within moments and they are off chasing Ilsa quickly.

That said, with no idea how this cursed item works, or even what it is at first, it was irresponsible to involve both Micki's fashion designer friend and Jack's old magic buddy. They kind of did put them in Ilsa's path, meaning to or not.

Do you think Jandini should have been Rashid? Seems like it was a good place for Rashid to reappear, but I would have hated to see him die.

Johnny has been altered from his original brash, act-first, think-later attitude. He is more level-headed now. Still makes a lame joke at the end, though.

Wonder if Ilsa, or rather Ellie, had a relationship with old Lewis? He had her books and sent the tv to where she was dying in order to help her. Maybe…

Next week: The Tree of Life

[chameli]

SO WEIRD (1999 - 2001) Demons come from every side In the darkness is the light Out of the shadows of my life In the darkness is the light

[bonniehooper]

Endless List of My Favorite TV Shows

So Weird (1999 - 2001)

[abriefingwithmichael]

Friday the 13th 2.12

Excellent. Genuinely talented children and a proper horror story told with considerable visual flair.

Both Robert Oliveri and Lisa Jakub are brilliant in this. Creepy most of the time, but completely sympathetic with it. Capable of showing fear and despair and rage. And also great at those moments of growth, comprehension and realisation.

The story is about disappearing children. And it pulls no punches. At times it feels like an ugly, real-world crime popping up in the ‘safe’ fantasy world of F13. Indeed, the scenes between the kids and their mother show some pretty ugly parental child abuse. Amazing work from Belinda Metz here.

The fantasy land of the playhouse is conveyed with some great visuals. It really does look nightmarish and unpleasant. Reminiscent of a frightening fairy tale one might tell to children.

The script is smart. Everything from Jack’s casual remark about the kids being interviewed on television to the nuts-and-bolts practicalities of the the way the heroes track the object down convey the impression of smart characters in a smart world, and of a show that doesn’t talk down to it’s audience.

Jack’s solution is smart, too. Obvious in hindsight. But, up to that, it wasn’t clear how exactly the playhouse would be defeated.

10/10

[entireoranges]

My So Weird 2.1 Project

Here is my idea for a So Weird revival show. I tried my best to keep in the spirit of the original show while also making it’s own show that can stand on it’s own. I will say I am really bad supernatural elements so in some the episode summaries are pretty lacking, but in your mind just assume something weird/unexplainable in fact did happen.

I picked out the actors before writing this up and I’ll be honest some no longer “fit” how I imagine the characters to be for various reasons, still I shall include it. Finally I tried to think of original actors that might be willing to do it again, though who really knows LOL. Regardless it’s all a bit of fun!

With all that said I hope you guys like it.

Characters / Cast Jack Phillips (Patrick Levis) Age: 38 Annie Thelen (Alexz Johnson) Age: 36 Kevin Thelen-Phillips (Jacob Ballinger) Age: 13 Kathleen/Quinn Thelen-Phillips (Ella Allan) Age: 11 Kennedy Thelen-Phillips (Mia Allan) Age: 11 Gregory White (Aaron Jennings) Age: 35 Isabella White (Zoe Kravitz) Age: 34 Jackson White (Evan Alex) Age: 14 Olive White (McKenna Roberts) Age: 13 Carey Bell (Eric Lively) Age: 40 Molly Phillips (Mackenzie Phillips) Age: 62 Emily Bell (Mackenzie Foy) Age: 19 Ned Bell (Dave Squatch Ward) Age: 65

Recurring/Special Cast Clu Bell (Erik Von Detten) Age: 39 Irene Bell (Belinda Metz) Age: 64 Gabe Crawford (Jane McGregor) Age: 38 James McDonald (Lachlan Murdoch) Age: 33 Phillip McDonald (TBD) Age: 3 Tad Raxall (Garwin Sanford)

Summary

Photographer Jack Phillips with his wife pop singer Annie Thelen live in Los Angeles California. The couple has a 13 year old son named Kevin and twins Kathleen and Kennedy aged 11. Because of the nature of both their jobs the couple has to travel fairly frequently. Jack tries to book photography assignments that align with Annie's various tours. When they can the children are brought along, in the instances in which it is not possible the children stay with his mother Molly Phillips, her boyfriend Carey Bell, and their 19 year old daughter Emily. Jack along with Annie often visit or are visited by his best friend Clu Bell, his wife Scarlet and their five children. Though with Clu and his family living in Australia where he runs a surfing company its difficult to find time for the visits. Annie is best friends with Isabella White who works as her personal assistant. Her husband Gregory is good friends with Jack as well. Gregory and Isabella have Jackson 14 and Olive who is 11. Its a hectic but fulfilling life.

Then everything turns on it's head when Jack receives a panicked phone call from his younger sister's,(Fiona) boyfriend James McDonald saying she is gone. Jack soon learns that Fiona, after investigating a so-called paranormal occurrence, has gone missing. James pleads with Jack to look for her, saying it is his destiny and fate to find her, protect her. Having washed his hands of her fantasies and almost her, with the exception of holidays Jack at first refuses.

Annie who herself for a few years in her teenage years had a passing interest in the paranormal herself tells Jack that they have to find Fiona. It'll be difficult road with many mysteries and things Jack has always been unwilling to see, but to save his sister it's time to open his eyes. Jack questions Annie how she knows this, but like many things she can't explain and to just trust her.

Though her management team at first is angry at the decision Annie tells them she is doing a small intimate tour across the United States and and will be traveling in a bus. They don't preplan the venues, only give a few days' warning and often playing in small, almost hole in the wall locations. The stops are decided by Annie's gut reactions and more often than not there are signs Fiona had just been there or has something connected to her.

Jack and Annie bring their three children along with them and hire Gregory to drive the tour bus. Isabella and the kids come as well. Its a crowded environment but somehow they make it work.

After a few weeks of not finding Fiona, Molly decides she too wants to be out there looking for her, having also lost her husband years ago to mysterious circumstances. Annie arranges for Molly to be the opening act on her tour, even though Molly at this point was pretty much retired. Carey and Emily come along as well, with him serving as lead guitarist to Molly as he did years ago.

Jack and Annie also ask for Ned Bell to come along and serve as a tutor for the children, wanting a hands on approach for their education and not strictly computer based. Ned, Molly, Carey, and Emily travel and stay on a second bus throughout the tour, that Ned drives. They told him they'd hire someone but he insisted and refused to take payment for it.

Fiona and James also have a 3 year old son named Phillip. James stays at home, along with Phillip, in case Fiona returns and does what he can from his end.

---- Character personality traits / notes

Jack: Serious. Stubborn. Willing to listen to others. Dedicated husband and father. Logical. Very similar to the Jack seen in the 1999-200 iteration but a bit more forthright on not believing the weird occurrences.

Annie: Hard working. Outgoing. Embraces the world around her. Finds beauty/joy in everything. Very attuned to things, often unexplained. Loving wife and mother.

Kevin: Hockey fan. Loves to pester the twins. Talented guitarist, interested in becoming a musician one day like his mom (and grandparents). Embraces the weird stuff but doesn't care to dive into the deeper meanings of why or how.

Kathleen: Enjoys photography like their dad. Excels in school and loves learning. Gets frustrated at others, especially their twin, when they discuss or point out weird occurrences. Has had a few strange things happen to them, but stubbornly ignores.

Kennedy: Very close to her aunt Fiona. Full blown believer in the weird. Has a dedicated social media accounts to share her beliefs and have others share theirs. Which includes a YouTube channel that does fairly well. Constantly worries the adults around her.

Gregory: Very outgoing. Loves to cook, especially bbq.

Isabella: A bit shy. Very dedicated to her job and client/best friend.

Jackson: Best friends with Kevin. Talented at sports. Bit of a jokester and likes to play pranks on people.

Olive: Wants to be a pop singer and idolizes Annie. Has a habit of stretching the truth. Gets along equally with both of the twins.

Carey: Very much go with the flow type. Played with a few bands after Molly stopped touring/performing but none of them ever had any mentionable success. Took up woodworking and diy projects.

Molly: Dedicated and protective towards her children, grandchildren, and boyfriend. Doesn't take crap from anyone especially when it comes to her relationship with Carey. She grew tired of being the well behaved don't make the record executives angry type of client and started following her heart. Now twenty years into the relationship hardly anyone cares anymore though. With the help of her daughters she slowly started opening up to perhaps there is something special about her and her connection to the unseen, much to Jack's frustration.

Emily: Loves things like tarot, zodiacs, psychic readings, and similar things. Very entuned to nature and animals, is a vegan. However doesn't believe in aliens or mythical supernatural creatures like bigfoot. Does freelance writing time to time. Is also a very talented painter.

Ned: Outgoing. A bit lonely after his divorce with Irene. He accepted and supported Carey's relationship with Molly, while she refused and it created a wedge between them. Works as a substitute teacher from time to time. Bought a boat and can be found out on the water nearly every weekend.

Episode Summaries

EP1: Pilot There is tension between Jack and Annie because he thinks this road trip/tour is a waste of time. At a fuel stop Jack sees a deer standing in a nearby field and takes a picture of it in his digital camera, when he views the image in the preview window the deer is not there, but instead Fiona of when she was about three years old. Gregory and Isabella have to deal with Jackson flooding the bathroom on the bus. Meanwhile Kendall live streams while her mom is doing her show and gets into an argument with a viewer about aliens.

EP2: Welcome To Our Memories They make a stop in Hope Springs to visit for a day. Emily insists on giving all the children a tarot reading. Kathleen is told a big change is coming for them, finding all this rubbish they ignore it. The gang looks through photo albums and home videos. Kevin asks if he can have his grandfather’s old guitar. Four new people join the road trip/tour when Molly expresses being tired of sitting around while her daughter is missing.

EP3: Journey Down A Path Unseen Jack has an awkward and tense encounter with his former girlfriend Gabe who promised Fiona ten years ago to come to this certain hotel at this time and date. She gives him a sealed envelope containing a note of bunch of seemingly random symbols. Olive and Kennedy sneak into a local party after Kennedy learned via social media the location is haunted. While at the party Olive gets drunk. EP4: My Sister's Guardian Kevin witness Kathleen getting harassed for the way they dress and style their hair and he gets into a fight with the teenagers doing the harassment, in the scuffle he breaks his wrist. Annie and Isabella have a night out on the town.

EP5: Gemini Storms The twins celebrate their 12th birthday. And end up getting into a huge fight. Emily gets mad at Carey after he finds out she's been chatting with an older guy, she questions why he was allowed (and still has) a relationship with someone who is older and she can't. Tad surprises the gang with a visit.

EP6: Tangled Threads  James calls in a panic saying now Phillip is missing too. Molly and Jack take a flight to help in the search. Kathleen has a dream in which they are standing in a white room with their grandfather Rick who whispers follow me and walks seemingly through a wall. Kennedy get jealous when some girls flirt with Jackson. Carey helps Kevin practice his guitar playing after having his brace removed.

EP7: 2:39 AM  Phillip is located in a park at 2:39 am. When asked how he got there or for details he states he can't remember anything. Elsewhere at the same time Gregory is rushed to the ER with appendicitis. Leaving the group stuck in this small town for a while, Kennedy soon figures out its famous for UFO sightings and abductions. Emily decides to give a few psychic readings and do some memory regression sessions on a few of the local residents to figure out what's really happening. Almost all of them mention seeing a door with 239 marked on it. Molly and Jack return to the group. Molly mentions that she received the knock on the door informing her of Rick's death at 2:39.

EP10: Shadow Melodies  Annie wakes up with a melody stuck in her head that almost becomes deafening and nothing she tries can get it out. Kathleen doesn't know what to do when the boys arrange a fishing trip while the girls all get together for an all day spa excursion. Clu video chats with the gang. They receive sad news when they learn Molly’s father Collin has died.

EP11: One Moment After  At Collin's funeral Jack is nearly blinded with hatred towards his sister for not being present at such a crucial event. He announces after the service that he's done and he's flying back home. He lets the kids decide what they want to do. Kathleen is the only one who asks to come with him. Annie tries to get Jack to stay going back to her reasonings as to why it's his destiny to find Fiona. He refuses to listen and still boards the flight. During the flight there is severe turbulence and the plane loses power. When the power comes back Kathleen is missing.

EP12: Brave Ruler Friend Of Horses Kathleen finds themselves in the same white dream from a few months ago. They find both their grandfather's and great grandfather sitting at a table with an empty chair. Nervous Kathleen decides to take a seat with them. Grandfather Rick tells them their the one. Grandfather Kevin tells them not to be scared and they are never alone. While Collin tells them about not to hide from the truth the same way as he has when it came to what their family has been for generations. Still confused, Kathleen questions what exactly they mean and states perhaps all this is meant for Kennedy. The men tell them no. Rick gives one last piece of information 'to follow their heart on all things' and suddenly finds themselves back on the plane where Jack and the flight attendants are very confused but relived. Kathleen announces they are changing their name to Quinn. And tells their dad that once the plane lands they are going back.

Other notes and head canons. Jack and Fiona had a falling out because she got into the paranormal after promising to leave it alone. This time harder than ever. He felt she was obsessed, almost addicted to it. And watching her on this path became too much for him; so he started distancing himself from her.

Jack and Molly were distant for a while as well, him not being accepting of her relationship with Carey, it wasn’t until he became a father himself did he start to heal their relationship.

James is the same James from the original run of the show Tulpa/PK.

When it comes to the differences of Kennedy and Kathleen/Quinn; Kennedy thinks/wants to have the connection to the paranormal, even the scary elements while in reality nothing ever noteworthy happens to her. While Kathleen/Quinn doesn’t care, almost hates it but yet everything odd happens to them the paranormal is connected to them. As I told my husband … it’s like your parents being famous and talented oil painters and you desperately want to have the same talent so you study for years but are just ok; then your sibling has never expressed interest one day picks up a brush and is a prodigy at it.

Though in the episode summaries I don’t mention the White family a lot they are important to the show, much like how the Bells were important in the original So Weird.

As seen in the summary of episode 12 Annie’s father has passed away at the point and her and Jack do name their son after him.

--- I know it’s not the best and has a lot of holes, but I did try!

[writerchic16]

Voodoo has the best script of Season 3 so far, possibly one of the best in the whole season. The plot actually makes sense (mostly). There's also more to like here character-wise. I enjoy the beginning where everyone's joking about putting a spa in the bus. And again, Clu's antics get a genuine laugh out of me – loved that he brings two glasses of water to put out the non-existent fire. They really play up his return and give him all the goofy lines.

Meanwhile, acting and direction still have some issues this season, lots of speaking parts are cringey or filled with odd pauses. I'm still not a fan of Annie. Her lines are often the most boring and basic, and she comes off as airheaded sometimes. Her reaction to seeing her friend again is just so dumbed down. Like yes, we get it, kids grow up fast. Annie's forgiveness speech at the end is borderline ridiculous. They didn't need to go that far with it. (It actually reminded me of when Molly was way too understanding in Avatar.) A simple “maybe when people grow up, they sometimes grow apart” would've been more believable. And wouldn't she realize on her own that Sally is sad because she lost a parent? Seems odd that Carey has to point it out for her.

Speaking of Carey, I feel like writers didn't know what to do with him this season. He's at an awkward age for a Disney show – not an adult, but he's too old to be hanging around with the younger cast. (I suspect that's why he always calls Annie “kiddo”...) So that's probably where all the Molly/Carey shipping comes from, because someone new to the show would think he's in his mid-twenties. I'm sure Marey shippers love the part where both Carey and Jack prevent their “respective partners” from falling while under the voodoo spell. So, at the risk of incurring Marey wrath, I almost wonder if Carey should've been the one with much less screen time this season. It would have made more sense for Annie to receive advice from Molly or even Irene. Come to think of it, manager Irene mentoring singer Annie could have been a cute ongoing arc – and given Belinda Metz an opportunity to sing.

[harvard-art-museums-prints]

Nativity, Conrad Martin Metz, 18th century, Harvard Art Museums: Prints

Harvard Art Museums/Fogg Museum, Gift of Belinda L. Randall from the collection of John Witt Randall

https://www.harvardartmuseums.org/collections/object/248831

[tabloidtoc]

National Examiner, April 29

Cover: Alan Alda’s Parkinson’s miracle 

Page 2: Secrets behind the classic Twilight Zone 

Page 4: Loretta Lynn celebrated her 87th birthday with an all-star farewell bash 

Page 5: Nasty Nancy Reagan bullied Barbara Bush 

Page 6: How to spot check scams and protect your cash 

Page 8: Dream Doctor 

Page 9: King King star Fay Wray was homemaking queen, Morgan Freeman is doing his part to help the environment by converting his 124-acre ranch in Mississippi into a giant bee sanctuary 

Page 10: Keanu Reeves rented a van for stranded passengers after their plane had to make an emergency landing 

Page 11: Mick Jagger needs heart surgery

Page 12: The Rat Pack’s dirty deeds exposed -- Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Peter Lawford, Joey Bishop and Sammy Davis Jr. -- secret world of sex, drugs and crime 

Page 14: Dear Tony -- Tony predicts The View will move from daytime to nighttime this fall 

Page 15: Beloved janitor Haze Mabry got the royal treatment when students threw him a surprise 80th birthday party 

Page 16: Food -- please try a vegan diet 

Page 17: Save yourself from a heart attack 

Page 18: Nine nurses at a Maine hospital are all pregnant 

Page 19: Dogs can recognize a person who is untrustworthy or just plain bad 

Page 20: Cover Story -- Alan Alda vows to beat Parkinson’s -- new cure give hope to M*A*S*H star 

Page 22: Super principal Dr, Belinda George reads stories to her students at Homer Drive Elementary School in Beaumont, Texas, every night in her pajamas 

Page 24: The Good Doctor

Page 26: Science proves you can pick up feelings of joy from another person by the way they smell 

Page 44: Eyes on the Stars -- Chrissy Metz, Jane Krakowski, skin-and-bones Celine Dion insists there’s nothing wrong, Ozzy Osbourne has suffered another health setback, Dolly Parton is sponsoring NASCAR driver Tyler Reddick, Bruce Willis and Emma Heming renewed their vows on their tenth wedding anniversary

Page 45: Sally Field and Bill Pullman, Malcolm McDowell, Marilu Henner, Bristol Palin quit Teen Mom because the show took away her peace, Kristen Bell talks about Veronica Mars reboot, Sandra Oh is done with Grey’s Anatomy for good and says Killing Eve is her home now, Star Trek: Discovery star Anthony Rapp says Yul Brenner punched him in the stomach when he was nine, blind item 

Page 47: 20 facts about Martha Stewart and Snoop Dogg

[giallofever2]

1960 Intrigo a Tairmina also Femmine di lusso Also Known As (AKA) Brazil Mulheres de Luxo Finland (Swedish title) Förbaskade kärleken Finland Pahuksen rakkaus Greece (transliterated) Gynaikes polyteleias Italy (reissue title) Intrigo a Taormina Sweden I sexigaste laget USA Love, the Italian Way West Germany Luxusweibchen Directed by Giorgio Bianchi Music by Carlo Rustichelli Writing Credits (in alphabetical order) Oreste Biancoli Roberto Gianviti Vittorio Metz Release Dates Italy 22 December 1960 West Germany 25 August 1961 Finland 27 July 1962 Sweden 28 October 1963 USA 1964 Cast (in credits order) Ugo Tognazzi Ugo Tognazzi ... Ugo Lemeni Elke Sommer Elke Sommer... Greta Walter Chiari Walter Chiari ... Walter Sylva Koscina SYLVA KOSCINA ... Luciana Gino Cervi Gino Cervi ... Comm. Lemeni, Ugo's father Caprice Chantal Caprice Chantal ... Elena Le Garde Mario Scaccia Mario Scaccia... Edmondo, the butler Gisella Sofio Gisella Sofio ... Mariella Ivan Desny Ivan Desny ... Count Luca di Sauvin Massimo Serato Massimo Serato ... Sicilian Nobleman Belinda Lee Belinda Lee ... Adriana Bressan Gabriele Ferzetti Gabriele Ferzetti ... Alberto Bressan Malo St. George Malo St. George ... Indian Girl Gino Bartali Gino Bartali ... Himself • #intrigoataormina #femminedilusso #giorgiobianchi #sylvakoscina #elkesommer #walterchiari #ugotognazzi #commediaallitaliana #italiancomedy #italiancultmovie #italiancultmovies #cinemaitaliano #italiancult #film #cinema #movie #risateallitaliana #cinemaitalia #commediaitaliana #films #comedy #italianmovie #giallofever #movies #italianmovies #italiansdoitbetter #italiancomedydrama #taormina #comedyitalianstyle #sexycomedy #italiancultcomedy

[soweirdondisney]

A Closer Look at Marfa, Texas

(as depicted in So Weird)

[waha-no-baka]

John Hurt nous a quitté...., vu sur Akihabara no Sasayaki http://ift.tt/2jLxXD9 John Hurt nous a quitté....Il restera pour moi le plus grand des Doctor.... # Bloc TechniqueNom de Naissance : John Vincent HurtDate de naissance : 22 janvier 1940Lieu de naissance : Chesterfield (Angleterre, Royaume-Uni)Date de décès: 25 janvier 2017 (à 77 ans)Lieu de décès: Cromer (Angleterre, Royaume-Uni)Profession : Acteur # Biographie (d'après wikipedia) John Hurt est le fils du vicaire anglican Arnold Herbert Hurt et de Phyllis Massey, ingénieur et comédienne amateur. Cantonné au début de sa carrière aux seconds rôles (Max dans Midnight Express ou G.W. Kane dans Alien, le huitième passager), il accède à la célébrité en incarnant John Merrick dans le film Elephant Man, qui lui vaut une nomination à l'Oscar du meilleur acteur en 1981 et le BAFTA Award du meilleur acteur dans un rôle principal, et à la télévision celui de Caligula dans la série Moi Claude empereur. Il a été également le conteur d'histoire dans la série Monstres et Merveilles qui est adaptée de légendes celtiques, russes ou encore allemande, en 1987. Il incarne notamment Billy Irvine dans La Porte du paradis (Heaven's Gate), Winston Smith dans 1984, le dictateur Adam Sutler dans V pour Vendetta et Monsieur Ollivander dans Harry Potter à l'École des Sorciers, rôle qu'il reprendra en 2010 dans Harry Potter et les Reliques de la Mort. En 2013, pour les 50 ans de la célèbre série télévisée britannique de science-fiction, Doctor Who, John Hurt joue une incarnation du Docteur surnommé The War Doctor (le « Docteur de la Guerre »). John Hurt a été anobli par la reine d'Angleterre en fin d'année 2014. Il annonce, le 16 juin 2015, qu'il est atteint d'un cancer du pancréas. Il meurt le 25 janvier 2017 à l'âge de 77 ans à Cromer . # Filmographie (d'après wikipedia) Cinéma 1962 : The Wild and the Willing de Ralph Thomas : Phil Corbett 1964 : This Is My Street de Sidney Hayers : Charlie 1966 : Un homme pour l'éternité (A Man for All Seasons) de Fred Zinnemann : Rich 1967 : Le Marin de Gibraltar (The Sailor from Gibraltar) de Tony Richardson : John 1969 : Davey des grands chemins (Sinful Davey) de John Huston : Davey Haggart 1969 : Avant que vienne l'hiver (Before Winter Comes) de J. Lee Thompson : le lieutenant Pilkington 1969 : À la recherche de Grégory, de Peter Wood : Daniel 1971 : Mr. Forbush and the Penguins (en) de Arne Sucksdorff, Alfred Viola et Roy Boulting : Richard Forbush 1971 : L'Étrangleur de la place Rillington (10 Rillington Place) de Richard Fleischer : Timothy John Evans 1972 : Le Joueur de flûte (The Pied Piper) de Jacques Demy : Franz 1974 : Little Malcolm de Stuart Cooper : Malcolm Scrawdyke 1975 : The Ghoul de Freddie Francis : Tom Rawlings 1976 : La linea del fiume de Aldo Scavarda : Chandler 1977 : Three Dangerous Ladies, segment The Island de Robert Fuest : le lieutenant Simmonds 1977 : East of Elephant Rock de Don Boyd : Nash 1977 : The Disappearance de Stuart Cooper : Atkinson 1978 : Le Cri du sorcier (The Shout) de Jerzy Skolimowski : Anthony Fielding 1978 : Midnight Express de Alan Parker : Max. 1978 : La Folle Escapade (Watership Down) de Martin Rosen : Hazel (voix). 1978 : Le Seigneur des anneaux (J. R. R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings) de Ralph Bakshi : Aragorn (voix) 1979 : Alien, le huitième passager (Alien) de Ridley Scott : Kane 1980 : Elephant Man de David Lynch : John Merrick 1980 : La Porte du paradis (Heaven's Gate) de Michael Cimino : Billy Irvine 1981 : La Folle Histoire du monde (History of the World: Part I) de Mel Brooks : Jésus-Christ 1982 : La Nuit de l'évasion (Night Crossing) de Delbert Mann : Peter Strelzyk 1982 : Partners de James Burrows : Kerwin 1982 : The Plague Dogs de Martin Rosen : Snitter (voix) 1983 : Osterman week-end (The Osterman Weekend) de Sam Peckinpah : Lawrence Fassett 1984 : Champions de John Irvin : Bob Irvin 1984 : Le Succès à tout prix (Success Is the Best Revenge) de Jerzy Skolimowski : Dino Montecurva 1984 : The Hit : Le tueur était presque parfait (The Hit) de Stephen Frears : Braddock 1984 : 1984 de Michael Radford : Winston Smith 1985 : After Darkness de Sergio Guerraz et Dominique Othenin-Girard : Peter Hunningford 1985 : Taram et le Chaudron magique (The Black Cauldron) de Ted Berman et Richard Rich : le Seigneur des Ténèbres (voix) 1986 : Jake Speed d'Andrew Lane : Sid 1987 : Rocinante d'Ann Guedes et Eduardo Guedes : Bill 1987 : The Hunting of the Snark de Mike Batt : Narrateur 1987 : Sur la route de Nairobi (White Mischief) de Michael Radford : Gilbert Colvile 1987 : From the Hip de Bob Clark : Douglas Benoit 1987 : Un sketch (Aria), segment I pagliacci de Bill Bryden : l'acteur 1987 : La Folle Histoire de l'espace (Spaceballs) de Mel Brooks : le lieutenant Kane de Alien 1988 : La Nuit bengali de Nicolas Klotz : Lucien Metz 1989 : Little Sweetheart de Anthony Simmons : Robert Burger 1989 : Scandal de Michael Caton-Jones : Stephen Ward 1990 : Romeo.Juliet de Armondo Linus Acosta : Mercutio 1990 : Windprints de David Wicht : Charles Rutherford 1990 : The Field de Jim Sheridan : The « Bird » O'Donnell 1990 : La Résurrection de Frankenstein (Frankenstein Unbound) de Roger Corman : Dr Joe Buchanan / Narrateur 1991 : I Dreamt I Woke Up de John Boorman : l’alter ego de Boorman Alter Ego 1991 : King Ralph de David S. Ward : lord Percival Graves 1992 : Lapse of Memory de Patrick Dewolf : Conrad Farmer 1992 : L'Œil qui ment de Raoul Ruiz : Anthony / le Marquis 1993 : Kölcsönkapott idö de István Poór : Sean 1993 : Monolithe de John Eyres : Villano 1993 : Even Cowgirls Get the Blues de Gus Van Sant : la comtesse 1994 : Poucelina (Thumbelina)) de Don Bluth : Mr Mole (voix) 1994 : Second Best de Chris Menges : oncle Turpin 1994 : Rabbit Ears: Aladdin and the Magic Lamp (vidéo) : le conteur 1995 : Two Nudes Bathing de John Boorman : marquis de Prey 1995 : Saigon Baby de David Attwood : Jack Lee 1995 : Rob Roy de Michael Caton-Jones : Montrose 1995 : Dead Man de Jim Jarmusch : John Scholfield 1995 : Wild Bill de Walter Hill : Charley Prince 1997 : Amour et mort à Long Island (Love and Death on Long Island) de Richard Kwietniowski : Giles De'Ath 1997 : Contact de Robert Zemeckis : S.R. Hadden 1997 : Brute, de Maciej Dejczer : Babits 1997 : Tender Loving Care (vidéo) : Dr Turner 1998 : The Commissioner de George Sluizer : James Morton 1998 : The Climb de Bob Swaim : Chuck Langer 1998 : Night Train de John Lynch : Michael Poole 1998 : All the Little Animals de Jeremy Thomas : Mr. Summers 1999 : New Blood de Michael Hurst : Alan White 1999 : Le Château des singes de Jean-François Laguionie : Sebastian (voix) 1999 : If... Dog... Rabbit... de Matthew Modine : Sean Cooper 1999 : You're Dead... de Andy Hurst : Maitland 2000 : Les Aventures de Tigrou (The Tigger Movie) de Jun Falkenstein : Narrateur (voix) 2000 : Les Âmes perdues (Lost Souls) de Janusz Kamiński : Père Lareaux 2001 : Tabloid de David Blair : Vince 2001 : Capitaine Corelli (Captain Corelli's Mandolin) de John Madden : Dr Iannis 2001 : Harry Potter à l'école des sorciers (Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone) de Chris Columbus : Mr. Ollivander 2002 : Miranda de Marc Munden : Christian 2002 : Crime and Punishment de Menahem Golan : Porfiry, l'enquêteur en chef 2003 : Mister Cash de Richard Kwietniowski : Victor Foss 2003 : Meeting Che Guevara and the Man from Maybury Hill, court-métrage de Anthony Byrne : l'homme de Maybury Hill 2003 : Dogville de Lars von Trier : Narrateur 2004 : Hellboy de Guillermo del Toro : Professeur Trevor « Broom » Bruttenholm 2005 : Short Order de Anthony Byrne : Felix 2005 : Vaillant, pigeon de combat ! (Valiant) de Gary Chapman : Felix (voix) 2005 : The Proposition de John Hillcoat : Jellon Lamb 2005 : Shooting Dogs de Michael Caton-Jones : Christopher 2005 : Manderlay de Lars von Trier : Narrateur (voix) 2005 : La Porte des secrets (The Skeleton Key) de Iain Softley : Ben Devereaux 2006 : V pour Vendetta (V for Vendetta) de James McTeigue : Adam Sutler 2006 : Le Parfum, histoire d'un meurtrier (Perfume: The Story of a Murderer) de Tom Tykwer : Narrateur 2007 : Boxes de Jane Birkin : le père de Fanny 2008 : Crimes à Oxford (The Oxford Murders) de Álex de la Iglesia : Arthur Seldom 2008 : Indiana Jones et le Royaume du crâne de cristal (Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull) de Steven Spielberg : professeur « Ox » Oxley 2008 : Outlander : Le Dernier Viking (Outlander) de Howard McCain : Rothgar 2008 : Hellboy 2 : Les Légions d'or maudites (Hellboy II: The Golden Army) de Guillermo del Toro : professeur Trevor « Broom » Bruttenholm 2008 : Lezione 21 d'Alessandro Baricco : Mondrian Kilroy 2009 : New York, I Love You : Bellhop 2009 : An Englishman in New York de Richard Laxton : Quentin Crisp 2009 : The Limits of Control de Jim Jarmusch : Guitar 2009 : 44 Inch Chest de Malcom Venville : le vieil homme aux cacahuètes 2010 : Lou de Belinda Chayko : Doyle 2010 : Brighton Rock de Rowan Joffé : Phil Corkery 2010 : Harry Potter et les Reliques de la Mort, partie 1 (Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1) de David Yates : Mr. Ollivander 2010 : Love at First Sight de Michael Davies : Arthur 2010 : Ultramarines (Ultramarines: A Warhammer 40,000 Movie) de Martyn Pick : Carnak 2011 : Regret Not Speaking de Richard Kwietniowski 2011 : Melancholia de Lars von Trier : Dexter 2011 : Harry Potter et les Reliques de la Mort, partie 2 (Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2) de David Yates : Mr. Ollivander 2011 : Les Immortels de Tarsem Singh : Zeus vieux 2012 : La Taupe (Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy) de Tomas Alfredson 2012 : Jayne Mansfield's Car de Billy Bob Thornton 2013 : Le Transperceneige (설국열차) de Bong Joon-ho : Gilliam 2013 : Only Lovers Left Alive de Jim Jarmusch : Marlowe 2014 : Hercule (Hercules) de Brett Ratner : Cotys 2016 : Jackie de Pablo Larraín : le père Richard McSorley 2016 : The Journey de Nick Hamm : Harry Patterson 2016 : ChickList de Tony Britten : Francis Bonar 2016 : The Good Night d'Eric Styles : Ralph 2016 : Damascus Cover de Daniel Zelik Berk : Miki 2017 : My name is Lenny de Ron Scalpello : Leslie Salmon 2017 : Darkest Hour de Joe Wright : Neville Chamberlain 2017 : Back To Utopia de Fabio Wuytack: Peter Panludic (voice over)Séries 1961-1962 : Probation Officer : Johnny Seton / Norman Bailey 1961-1963 : Drama 61-67 : Private Briggs / Tom 1962 : Z Cars : James Hogan 1963 : Once Aboard the Lugger : Jobey Todd 1963-1964 : First Night : Desmond / Garry 1964-1965 : ITV Play of the Week : Dave / Terry 1964 : Armchair Theatre 1964 : Love Story : Harry Eddows 1964 : Gideon's Way : Freddy Tinsdale 1964 : Thursday Theatre : Orpheus 1967 : ITV Playhouse : Guy 1971 : ITV Saturday Night Theatre : Bob 1973 : Wessex Tales : Joshua Harlborough 1976 : Shades of Greene : Fred 1976 : Play for Today : Alec Cassell 1976 : Regan : Tony Grey 1976 : Moi Claude empereur (I, Claudius) : Caligula 1979 : Crime et Châtiment : Raskolnikov 1988 : Monstres et Merveilles : narrateur 1991 : Red Fox : Archie Carpenter 1991 : Screenplay : Alfred 1994 : Picture Windows : Comte 1999-2000 : Watership Down : le général Woundwort 2004-2006 : The Alan Clark Diaries : Alan Clark 2008-2012 : Merlin : le Grand Dragon, voix originale du Dragon, et la phrase d'introduction au début de chaque épisode 2011 : The Confession, web-série : le prêtre 2012 : Labyrinthe : Audric Baillard 2013 : Doctor Who : The War Doctor 2015 : Panthers de Johan Renck : Tom # Distinctions (d'après wikipedia) Récompenses Golden Globes 1979 : Meilleur acteur dans un second rôle dans un drame biographique pour Midnight Express (1978). BAFTA 1979 : Meilleur acteur dans un second rôle dans un drame biographique pour Midnight Express (1978). Festival international du film de femmes de Salé 2011 : Prix d'interprétation masculine dans un drame pour Lou (2010). Evening Standard British Film Awards 2012 : Alexander Walker Special AwardNominations 1972 : BAFTA Awards du meilleur acteur dans un second rôle dans un drame biographique pour L'Étrangleur de la place Rillington (1971). 1979 : Oscar du meilleur acteur dans un second rôle pour Midnight Express (1978). 1980 : BAFTA Awards du meilleur acteur dans un second rôle dans un film de science-fiction pour Alien, le huitième passager (1979). 1981 : Golden Globes du meilleur acteur dans un drame pour Elephant Man (1980). 1981 : Oscar du meilleur acteur pour Elephant Man (1980). 1991 : BAFTA Awards du meilleur acteur dans un second rôle dans un drame pour The Field (1990). 1998 : Boston Society of Film Critics Awards du meilleur acteur dans une comédie dramatique pour Amour et mort à Long Island (1997). 1998 : Online Film & Television Association du meilleur acteur dans une comédie dramatique pour Amour et mort à Long Island (1997). 1999 : British Independent Film Awards du meilleur acteur dans une comédie dramatique pour Amour et mort à Long Island (1997). 2005 : Fangoria Chainsaw Awards du meilleur acteur dans un second rôle dans un film fantastique pour Hellboy (2004). 2005 : Australian Film Institute du meilleur acteur dans un second rôle dans un drame pour The Proposition (2005). 2010 : London Critics Circle Film Awards du meilleur acteur de l'année dans un second rôle dans un drame pour 44 Inch Chest (2009). 2010 : San Diego Film Critics Society Awards du meilleur acteur dans un second rôle dans un drame pour 44 Inch Chest (2009). 2010 : BAFTA Awards du meilleur acteur dans un second rôle dans un drame pour An Englishman in New York (2009). 2012 : Bodil Awards du meilleur acteur dans un second rôle dans un drame pour Melancholia (2011). Tags : #personnalité #John-Hurt #Acteur #Hercule #Alie #Elephant-Man #1984 #Harry-Potter #V-pour-Vendetta #Indiana-Jones #Doctor-Who http://ift.tt/2kD0QCp

[fridaythe13ththeseries]

The Prisoner

Episode Recap #51: The Prisoner Original Airdate: June 10, 1989

Starring: John D. LeMay as Ryan Dallion Louise Robey as Micki Foster Chris Wiggins as Jack Marshak

Guest cast: Larry Joshua as Dayton Railsback Sean McCann as Vince Ventura Steve Monarque as Johnny Ventura (as Steven Monarque) Leslie Carlson as Arkwright (as Les Carlson) Dwight Bacquie as Chicano Johnie Chase as Guard #1 Kevin Rushton as Guard #2 Belinda Metz as Jane Chalfont Victor Ertmanis as Lou Bittner Malcolm Stewart as Hillman Alex Karzis as Woody Reese (as Alex Karsis) Frank Adamson as Warden

Written by Jim Henshaw; also John A. Gallagher (uncredited) Directed by Armand Mastroianni

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Opens in the past, April 5, 1979, to be exact. An explosion happens at a van and some thieves grab the money bags inside and toss into their car. They end up in a shoot out with some cops before speeding off, but one thief, Dayton Railsback, is left behind and shot, then arrested. We see him in prison talking to the getaway driver in the visitation room. Railsback has been sentenced to 20 years, the woman, Jane, tells him he'll probably get out in 12. And that the money is hidden in a storage locker, and Railsback has their only way to access it. She promises her and the other guy won't cross him. He heads back to his cell. Jane talks to the other guy and we find out they are planning to take off with the cash.

Cut to ten years later, Railsback is still in prison, reading up on the law. A gang fight is averted by one of the prisoners, Arkwright. Later, Railsback is in his cell, looking at the storage ticket, when another prisoner offers to swap his coat if Railsback can help him get to minimum security. He tells him to come back tomorrow to get the paperwork.

Later, a prisoner stabs another and the dying man gets his blood on Railsback and his new coat. Back in his cell, Railsback is shocked to find himself turning invisible. He makes his bed up to look like he is asleep, and wanders invisible. He slips out of the prison.

Down at storage facility, Johnny Ventura is visiting his dad, Vince, who works as a security guard. Johnny invites his dad to a game this weekend. Vince is down cause a friend has died of a hear attack. Johnny tries to cheer him up, then heads out, but they hear noises. Vince tells his son to call the cops as he goes to investigate.

Flashlight in hand, Vince hears a man's voice. In an open storage room, Vince sees items moving and a voice, but no man. He suddenly is struggling with an invisible foe. Johnny tries to help but is pushed away and dazed. Railsback turns Vince's gun on himself and shoots, then places the gun in Johnny's hand. Johnny wakes to find his dad dead.

Micki visits Johnny in prison, who explains what happened. Johnny says all he knows is he smelled cigars. But saw no one. Micki promises to help.

At the store, Jack, Ryan and Micki are reading the newspaper article about Vince's death and Johnny's arrest. Jack says they will do all they can but not to get their hopes up.

Johnny is transferred to the same penitentiary Railsback is in. The prisoners all eye the fresh inmate. Johnny is put in a cell with Arkwright, who stopped the fight earlier, a man who has been in jail a long time.

Railsback is talking with his attorney about his friends who have vanished. His lawyer knows the three cohorts have a safety deposit box, but Railsback will need all three keys to access it. His lawyer gives him the address of one of his old friends.

Jack finds that the storage locker Vince was killed in belonged to a Dayton Railsback, but there was nothing of value stored inside. Jack finds a receipt covering the room for 20 years. Ryan asks who would be gone for that long.

In jail, Johnny sees Railsback smoking a cigar. Later, he watches Railsback, who notices him and seems to recognize Johnny. The guy who gave him the jacket says he wants it back, so Railsback leads him away and then stabs him in the gut. The man falls over the railing and dies. Railsback takes off as the alarm sounds, rubbing the man's blood on the coat. Johnny rushes after Railsback, but he is gone.

Later, Railsback, still invisible, calls the home of his former friend, Lou. He tells him it is nice to hear his voice. He then goes into the man's home, as Lou talks on the phone to the female thief, Jane. He says he's planning to take off to Brazil and wants to get the money. She tries to calm him and says she'll be over in the morning. Invisible Railsback taunts Lou, then hits him. He ties Lou up, asking where the key is. Railsback pulls the key off Lou's neck, then kills him.

Johnny asks Arkwright about Railsback, thinking the man isn't in his cell, but suddenly he is there. The warden shows, telling they are looking for the weapon that was used to kill the prisoner. They take Railsback first, so Johnny goes to snoop in his cell.

Micki arrives at the store saying she has a visitor pass for the prison, and that there is a prisoner named Dayton Railsback. Jack and Ryan tell them they found out a prisoner bought a WWII jacket from Lewis, and that Ryan was going to buy the jacket back when the man was released. Ryan says it was a Kamikaze pilot's coat. Jack is going to research the curse and tells them to go talk to Johnny.

Johnny is going through Railsback's cell. He finds the slip for the storage facility his father died in and is copying the info when Railsback comes back and they fight. Arkwright breaks it up.

Micki and Ryan visit and tell Johnny what they know about the jacket, and Johnny tells them that prisoner was killed. Micki explains the jacket, and Johnny tells them about the slip, and the names he wrote down. They go to investigate.

Jane arrives at Lou's and finds him dead in the chair. She runs into Ryan and Micki, who also just arrived. She makes excuses, then hits Ryan with a gun and takes a shot at Micki, but misses. Jane takes off.

At Curious Goods, Jack explains what he thinks Lewis did, created a coat that renders the user invisible. They also figure out about the robbery from '79. They make plans to help Johnny get out of this mess.

Arkwright tries to stop Johnny from interacting with Railsback. Suddenly, an alarm sounds and another prisoner lays dead. Johnny rushes to Railsback's cell, but he's already gone. He tries to warn the warden but struggles with a guard who knocks him out.

Railsback is stalking Jane at her home. She is nervous, but sees no one, so goes to bathe. She talks to the other thief, Kingston, on the phone. She promises the two of them will be gone before Railsback is free. She hangs up. A noise near the tub draws her close, and invisible Railsback grabs her and they struggle. He holds her head in the water, asking about the money. She flees, he follows, wet footprints giving him away. She locks herself in a room. Outside, Ryan and Micki arrive. They break in when they hear the noises. Railsback chokes Jane until she dies, and grabs the key, Micki and Ryan arriving just too late.

At the prison, Johnny sees Railsback slowly reappear in his cell. Railsback laughs.

Jack fills them in on all the participants in the burglary. They have to warn Johnny and also find Kingston before Railsback does.

In the prison showers, Railsback approaches Johnny, who accuses him of killing his father. Railsback puts a knife to Johnny's throat, but a guard breaks it up.

Arkwright tells Johnny that Railsback couldn't have murdered his dad cause he's been locked up. Johnny tells him he has a way out, and the older man mentions an old heating system that leads to the roof. Arkwright has a key to the cell door, but never used it cause he belongs in prison. He gives it to Johnny, afraid Railsback is going to kill him.

Railsback talks with his attorney, who's nervous he might also be on the hit list. But he gives Railsback Kingston's address for a cut of the money.

Jack figures out about the lawyer giving the info to Railsback and says they have to hurry.

At night, Johnny uses the key to slip out of his cell and goes to Railsback's, opening that door and slipping inside where the man is sleeping. He tries to get the jacket, but he wakes up and they fight, Railsback stabbing Johnny.

Micki and Ryan arrive at the lawyer's apartment and demand answers.

Railsback drags Johnny back to his cell and tells Arkwright to put him back in his bed.

Jack calls the warden and tells him about Railsback and to separate him from the others, but the warden isn't worried about a man who is locked up.

Railsback rubs Johnny's blood on the coat but nothing happens. Johnny appears alive, showing how he had protection wrapped around his chest. He lures Railsback out, hoping to get him in trouble. But Railsback fights back and stabs Arkwright and uses his blood to vanish. Guards react, opening the doors as Johnny yells not to. Johnny chases after the invisible man, avoiding gunfire from the guards. He fights with Railsback, who has the advantage. Johnny throws paint thinner on Railsback, then lights a match. Railsback burst into flames and dies, as Johnny and the guards watch. Soon, all that is visible is the indestructible coat.

Another day, outside of the prison, the warden tells Jack, Micki, Ryan and Johnny that fingerprints and evidence in Railsback's cell all prove he was the killer. Johnny says it is all too late. The warden asks Jack to keep it quiet. Micki asks Johnny to be careful now. Johnny says his cellmate, Arkwright, must have thought Johnny had more to do with his life, and looks at Micki, then back at the prison.

~~~~~~~~~~

My thoughts:

A big Johnny-centric episode, giving the character some time to shine and prepare the audience for the next season. He isn't as bad as some fans think, more impulsive than Ryan, but still looking to do the right thing.

We also get some character development, with a quick few scenes of Johnny interacting with, and then losing, his dad.

The cursed item is an interesting one, basically an invisible cloak. The possibilities are endless with an item like that. But kind of funny that Railsback even bothers to return to prison. Why not just live out in the world and keep using the coat?

And what is the difference between the other robbers taking off as soon as they got the money or waiting ten years? Why wait, unless some line was missed about statute of limitations on the robbery? Just confusing.

I did like how Ryan, Micki and Jack were so on top of all their investigating and research. After two years at this, they have gotten really good at this job, as reluctant as they are to want to do it.

Also kind of bittersweet, knowing how close we are to the end of this season and the opening changes season three will bring.

Next week: Coven of Darkness

[trevorbmccalli]

Alexander Zverev mit lockerem Zweitrunden-Sieg

Alexander “Sascha” Zverev ist der neue Hoffnungsträger im deutschen Tennis. Er könnte ein ganz Großer werden. Seine sportlichen Ziele formuliert der schlaksige Teenager ganz klar: “Mein Traum ist es, irgendwann einmal ein Grand-Slam-Turnier bei den Großen zu gewinnen.”

Gute Gene hat er jedenfalls geerbt: Zverev wird 1997 in Hamburg in eine tennisbegeisterte Familie geboren: Sein Vater Alexander senior (l.) und Mutter Irina (r.) haben selbst Tennis gespielt. Sein zehn Jahre älterer Bruder Mischa (2.v.l.) gilt lange als das große Talent im Hause Zverev.

Der Vater trainiert zunächst beide Söhne selbst. Mischa (r.), der noch in Moskau geboren wurde, bevor die Familie nach Deutschland übersiedelte, schafft es bei den Herren bis auf Platz 45 der Weltrangliste (November 2009) und steht 2010 in Metz erstmals in einem ATP-Finale.

Während es bei Mischa nach der Finalniederlage gegen Gilles Simon wieder abwärts geht, entwickelt sich Alexander, der nur “Sascha” genannt wird, stetig weiter. Als ungesetzter 15-Jähriger erreicht er im November 2012 beim Future-Turnier in Bradenton das Finale – und verliert 0:6, 1:6 gegen den Franzosen Florian Reynet.

Im Jahr 2013 schafft Zverev den Durchbruch: Er gewinnt die ITF-Turniere in Beaulieu-sur-Mer und in Mailand (Foto).

Dann tritt er im Junioren-Wettbewerb der French Open in Paris an. Obwohl Sand nicht gerade sein Lieblingsbelag ist, zieht er überraschend ins Endspiel ein.

Dem Chilenen Christian Garrin (r.) kann er dort nicht Paroli bieten. Zverev verliert sein erstes Grand-Slam-Endspiel mit 4:6, 1:6, klettert danach aber bis auf Platz zwei der Junioren-Weltrangliste.

Im Junioren-Turnier von Wimbledon ist danach in der dritten Runde gegen den Amerikaner Stefan Kozlov Schluss. Da fliegt schon mal der Schläger.

Eine große Stunde schlägt für Zverev im Juli beim Turnier am Hamburger Rothenbaum. Turnierdirektor Michael Stich gibt dem Talent eine Wildcard.

Zverev ist überglücklich, dass er in seiner Heimatstadt sein Debüt auf der ATP-Tour feiern darf. Die Erstrundenniederlage gegen den Spanier Roberto Bautista Agut ist einkalkuliert und schnell abgehakt.

Auch bei der kleinen Fangemeinde, die den Lokalmatador in Hamburg anfeuert.

Der Aufsteiger – inzwischen 1,95 Meter groß – ist auch bei den Medien ein gefragter Gesprächspartner. Der 16-Jährige beantwortet Fragen erstaunlich abgeklärt.

Als Nummer eins der Junioren-Weltrangliste schließt Zverev das Tennisjahr 2013 ab – das hat vor ihm noch kein anderer Deutscher geschafft. Auch 2014 fängt gut an: Er gewinnt das Juniorenturnier im australischen Traralgon. Von dort reist er weiter zu den Australian Open – inzwischen wird er als Mitfavorit gehandelt …

… und den Erwartungen gerecht. Im Finale revanchiert er sich bei Koslov für die Niederlage in Wimbledon und fegt den Amerikaner mit 6:0, 6:3 vom Platz.

Innig küsst er seine erste große Trophäe. Zverev ist nach Dirk Dier (1990), Nicolas Kiefer (1995) und Daniel Elsner (1997) erst der vierte deutsche Junior, der am Yarra River triumphiert.

Die nächsten Ziele sind klar: Roland Garros und Flushing Meadows. Zverev soll nun nur noch bei den Erwachsenen spielen.

Bei den “Großen” zahlt Zverev zunächst viel Lehrgeld. Er kommt meist – wie hier in Düsseldorf – nicht über die Qualifikation hinaus.

Beim Grand Slam in Paris darf er sich Anfang Juni noch einmal für die Erfolge der Vorsaison feiern lassen. Gemeinsam mit der Schweizerin Belinda Bencic wird er von der International Tennis Federation (ITF) als Jugendweltmeister 2013 geehrt.

Für das Challenger Turnier in Braunschweig bekommt er eine Wildcard von Turnierdirektor Michael Stich. Zverev schafft die Sensation und gewinnt das Turnier durch einen Finalsieg gegen den Franzosen Paul-Henri Mathieu, Nummer 89 der Welt. Er springt in der Weltrangliste auf Rang 285.

Am Hamburger Rothenbaum schlägt dann Zverevs große Stunde: Er schaltet sensationell vier Top-100-Spieler aus und erreicht als erster 17-Jähriger seit 2006 das Halbfinale bei einem ATP-Event. Im Mai 2015 zählt Deutschlands Tennis-Hoffnung erstmals zu den 100 besten Spielern der Welt. Er verbessert sich nach seinem Turniersieg beim Challenger in Heilbronn um 20 Plätze und belegt Position 85.

In Bastad stürmt er in sein zweites Halbfinale auf der ATP-Tour, unterliegt dort dem an Nummer zwei gesetzten Spanier Tommy Robredo. Im September 2015 folgt die erste Nominierung für das Davis-Cup-Team. Der 18-Jährige ist damit der zweitjüngste deutsche Profi, der je zum prestigeträchtigen Mannschaftswettbewerb eingeladen wurde – jünger war nur Boris Becker (17). Er muss aber verletzt passen.

Am Ende der Saison 2015 ist Zverev die Nummer 83 der Welt. Beim Saisonfinale der ATP in London wird der Aufsteiger aus Hamburg als “Star of Tomorrow” ausgezeichnet.

Zu Beginn des Tennis-Jahres 2016 geht es für Zverev weiter nach oben. In Montpellier schafft er es wieder bis ins Halbfinale eines ATP-Turniers, verliert aber gegen den Franzosen Paul-Henri Mathieu knapp 6:7 (11:13), 5:7.

Der Lohn ist das Davis-Cup-Debüt für den Hamburger. Und Zverev legt bei seinem ersten Auftritt für die deutsche Tennis-Nationalmannschaft einen grandiosen Auftritt hin, aber ohne Happy End. Er unterliegt erst nach fünf Sätzen dem tschechischen Weltranglistensiebten Tomas Berdych.

In seinem zweiten Einsatz ist die Luft dann irgendwie raus. Zverev verliert gegen Lukas Rosol klar in drei Sätzen, Deutschland verliert das Davis-Cup-Achtelfinale mit 2:3.

Beim ATP-Turnier in München nimmt Zverev erfolgreich Revanche, schlägt Rosol und im Viertelfinale auch den topgesetzten Belgier David Goffin. Damit steht der Hamburger zum vierten Mal in seiner noch jungen Karriere in einem ATP-Halbfinale. In der Vorschlussrunde kommt dann aber erneut das Aus. Er unterliegt dem Österreicher Dominic Thiem in drei Sätzen.

Wenige Wochen später trumpft Zverev auch in Nizza groß auf. Nach einem starken Viertelfinale gegen den an Nummer zwei gesetzten Franzosen Gilles Simon präsentiert sich der Youngster auch im Halbfinale gegen Joao Sousa nervenstark. Im Finale – seinem ersten auf der ATP-Tour – verliert er dann gegen Dominic Thiem erneut in drei Sätzen.

Auch auf Rasen läuft es gut für Zverev. In Halle/Westfalen schlägt er im Halbfinale den großen Roger Federer in drei Sätzen und erreicht das Endspiel. “Das war der größte Sieg meines Lebens – unglaublich”, jubelt der Hamburger. Im Finale zieht der Hamburger allerdings gegen Florian Mayer den Kürzeren.

Die nächste Chance auf den ersten Tour-Titel: Ende September 2016 erreicht Zverev in St. Petersburg zum dritten Mal in seiner Karriere das Finale eines ATP-Turniers – und gewinnt in drei Sätzen gegen US-Open-Champion Stan Wawrinka aus der Schweiz. Mit 19 Jahren und 158 Tagen ist er der jüngste Turniersieger seit dem Kroaten Marin Cilic 2008 und der jüngste deutsche Sieger seit Boris Becker 1985. “Ich bin überwältigt”, sagt er.

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Der Beitrag Alexander Zverev mit lockerem Zweitrunden-Sieg erschien zuerst auf Nachrichten von Heute.

Alexander Zverev mit lockerem Zweitrunden-Sieg

[aegothelidae-blog]

Eight Below (Kutup Macerası)

''Canlı bir varlığın hayatta kalma iradesini asla hafife almayın. Özellikle de çevresinde ailesi varsa...''

Eight Below (Kutup Macerası), David DiGilio'nun senaristliğini yaptığı, Frank Marshall'ın yönetmenliğini üstlendiği, kadrosunda: Jerry Shepard rolüyle Paul Walker, Charlie Cooper rolüyle Jason Biggs, Katie rolüyle Moon Bloodgood, Dr. Davis McClaren rolüyle Bruce Greenwood, Eve McClaren rolüyle Wendy Crewson, Eric McClaren rolüyle Connor Christopher Levins, Dr. Andy Harrison rolüyle Gerard Plunkett, Mindo rolüyle August Schellenberg, Dr. Rosemary Paris rolüyle Belinda Metz, Charles Buffett rolüyle Malcolm Stewart, Howard rolüyle Panou, Armin Butler rolüyle Michael David Simms, Jamison rolüyle Damon Johnson, Frank rolüyle Richard Salli, Captain Lovett rolüyle Duncan Fraser, Navy Commander rolüyle Dan Ziskie, Bureaucrat rolleriyle Daniel Bacon, Laara Sadiq, Worker rolüyle Dexter Bell, Boat Captain rolleriyle Garry Chalk, Michael Adamthwaite, Waitress (Garson) rolüyle Brenda Campbell, Crew Member rolüyle Buddy Cain, Megan McKinnon ve Levi Woods'un yer aldığı 2006 Amerikan yapımı aile, dram, macera filmidir. ''The Most Amazing Story Of Survival, Friendship, And Adventure Ever Told. (Dostluk, Yaşam Savaşı ve Macera Üzerine Bugüne Kadar Anlatılmış En Çarpıcı Hikaye.)''

Inspired by a True Story (Gerçek bir hikayeden esinlenilmiştir).

Antarktika'da kaşifler ve bilim adamlarına keşif gezilerinde rehberlik yapan Jerry Shepard'ın (Paul Walker) görevi bu kez Dr. Davis McClaren'ı (Bruce Greenwood) bir sefere çıkartmaktır. Tecrübeli jeolog Davis başka bir gezegenden gelen bir göktaşı parçasını bulmak üzere buraya gelmiştir ve gidecekleri bölge, Melbourne, içinde bulundukları mevsim dolayısıyla oldukça tehlikeli bir bölgedir. Jerry'nin tüm uyarılarına rağmen patronu oraya gidileceğini söyler ve yola çıkmak üzere hazırlıklara başlanır. Melbourne bölgesinde buz oldukça ince olacağından oraya kızak köpekleriyle gitmeye karar verirler. Maya, Max, Jack, Shadow, Dewey, Truman, Shorty ve Buck isimli bu sekiz kızak köpeği zorlu bir yolculukta Jerry ve David'e eşlik edeceklerdir. Yolculuk tahmin ettikleri gibi zorlu geçse de yaklaşan çok büyük bir fırtınanın haberi gelince hemen dönmeleri gerektiğini anlarlar. Gitmeden önce ise çevreye bakmak isteyen doktor büyük bir şans eseri aradığını bulur. Ne var ki fırtına beklendiğinden büyük ve daha hızlı yaklaşmaktadır. Üsse geldiklerinde Dr. Davis yaralı, Jerry ise donmak üzeredir bu nedenle onları hemen daha büyük ve sağlık yardımı alabilecekleri başka bir üsse nakletmeleri gerekmektedir. Hızlıca toparlanan ekip daha sonra gelip köpekleri almak üzere yola çıkarlar. Antartika'da yüzyılın en büyük fırtınası yaklaşırken her türlü ulaşım imkanı kesilmiştir. Jerry kendine geldiğinde hemen köpekleri almak için geri dönmek istediğini söylese de maalesef bunu yapamayacağı söylenir. Böylece Jerry köpekleri alamadan evine dönerken Antarktika'da buzlar arasında yalnız başlarına mahsur kalan köpekler, yüzyılın en acımasız kışına karşı tam bir yaşam savaşı sürmektedir. 6 ay boyunca yalnız kalmak zorunda kalan köpekler bir süre insanların gelip onları almasını bekleseler de bir süre sonra karınlarını doyurmak için bağlı oldukları zincirleri koparıp uzaklaşırlar. Sadece grubun en yaşlısı Jack zincirini koparmaz ve orada Jerry'i beklemeye devam eder. Grubun geri kalanı ise kuşları avlayarak, başka bir üsteki yemekleri yiyerek ve ölü bir balinanın etlerini parçalayarak hayatta kalmaya çalışırlar. Ne var ki bu zorlu koşullarda bazıları ölür, bazıları saldırıya uğrar. Jerry ise Antarktika'ya gidebilmenin yollarını aramaktadır. Son çare olarak o tarafa giden avcı gemileriyle gidip bir şekilde üsse ulaşmaya çalışmayı düşünürken Dr. Davis, maceraperest ruhlu helikopter pilotu Katie (Moon Bloodgood) ve kartograf/haritacı Charlie Cooper (Jason Biggs) ile çıkagelir. Helikopterle bir gemiye geçip oradan en yakın üsse ulaşırlar. Gittiklerinde yaşlı Jack'i zincirli bir halde karlar altında bulunca diğerlerinden de umudu kesseler de sonra diğerlerinin zincirlerini kopardıklarını fark ederler. Çok geçmeden de aracın sesini duyup gelen sürüyü görünce gözlerine inanamazlar.

Kutup Macerası Başlıyor: Filme Esin Kaynağı Olan Gerçek Kurtuluş Öyküsü Senaryosunu David DiGilio'nun yazdığı filmde, ''Antarctica / Nankyoku Monogatari'' adlı 1983 yapımı Japon filmine temel olan 1957 yılındaki gerçek Antarktika yolculuğundan esinlenildi. Yapımcı David Hoberman, ''Nanykoku Monogatari'' (Antarctica) adlı Japon filmini izlediğinde heyecandan adeta soluğu kesilmişti. Filmde güney kutbunda mahsur kalan köpeklerle onları kaderine terk etmemeye kararlı insan dostlarının öyküsü anlatılıyordu. İradenin yenilmez gücünü anlatan epik öyküsüyle o dönemin en yüksek hasılat getiren Japon filmi ünvanını elde eden ''Nanykoku Monogatari'', beş yıldan uzun süre gişe hasılat rekorunu elinde tutmaya devam etti. Klasik macera destanları geleneğine uygun tarzda gelişen filmde, heyecan, gerilim ve duygusallık gibi unsurların hepsi son derece güçlü şekilde verilmişti. Filmde altı çizilen temaları daha geniş izleyici kitlelerinin görmesi gerektiğini düşünen Hoberman, Japon yapımı filme kıyasla daha az rahatsız edici; dostluk ve hayatta kalma kavramları arasındaki kalıcı bağlantıyı ön plana çıkaran aileye yönelik bir film öngördü. Ünlü yapımcı bu konudaki yaklaşımını şu sözlerle dile getiriyor: ''Japon filminin aksiyon yüklü öyküsünü çok sevdim. Aksiyon unsurlarının yanısıra dostluk, sorumluluk ve insan ruhunun yüceltilmesi gibi epik temaları işliyordu. Bu proje yıllarca aklımın bir köşesinde kaldı. Günün birinde hayata geçirmeyi hep arzu ettim. Sonunda karşıma o filmi görmüş bir Disney yetkilisi çıktı. Benimle aynı paralelde düşündüğünü görünce filmi Disney için yapmaya karar verdim.'' ''Kutup Macerası''nın senaryosunu yazma görevi gibi böylesine büyük bir projenin kendisine teslim edilmesini çok büyük şans olarak niteleyen David DiGilio, ''Eight Below''da anlatılan konuyla ilgili düşüncelerini şu sözlerle ifade ediyor: ''Anlatılan öyküye hemen aşık oldum diyebilirim. Doğa tutkunu bir insanım. Aynı zamanda çevremde sıkı bir köpek dostu olarak bilinirim. Bana teslim edilen öykünün, doğa ve köpek tutkusu arasında mükemmel bir sinematik evlilik olabileceğini düşündüm. Aynı zamanda dostluk kavramını işleyen teması hoşuma gitti. İnsanoğlunun en iyi dostunun köpekler olduğuna hiç kimsenin kuşkusu yok. Ancak bunun yanı sıra, farklı altyapılardan gelen insanlar arasında dostluğun nasıl oluştuğu; sıkıntı ve zorluklarla yüz yüze gelince nasıl ortak zemin bulunabildiği gözler önüne seriliyor. Filmdeki karmaşık karakterleri harika bir doğa macerasının tam göbeğine yerleştirince, kişisel kurtuluşumuz da dostluğun ne kadar önemli bir anahtar olduğunu görüyorsunuz.'' Senaryoyu yazmak için hemen kolları sıvayan David DiGilio, öncelikle Antarktika'ya yönelik olarak yapılan keşif yolculuklarının 100 yıllık tarihçesini araştırmaya başladı. Yaptığı araştırma sonucunda filmin konusunun 1993 yılında geçmesine karar verdi. 1993 yılını seçmesinin sebebi, Antarktika'da kızak köpeklerinin çalıştırılmasının yasaklandığı yıl olmasıydı. Yaklaşık 100 yıldan beri çok sayıda önemli keşifte insanoğluna eşlik eden kızak köpeklerinin yasaklanma gerekçesi, köpeklerde rastlanan bir hastalığın beyaz kıtadaki fok balıklarına bulaşmasını önlemekti. Tarihi seçtikten sonra öyküyü yavaş yavaş şekillendirerek, milyonlarca yıl önce Antarktika'ya düşen göktaşlarını arama görevi verilen bir grup kaşifin öyküsü üzerinde odaklandı. Ardından öykünün merkezine maceraperest ruhlu karakterleri yerleştirmeye başladı. Öncelikle, köpek timini ailesi gibi kabul eden bağımsız ruhlu Jerry karakterini geliştirdi. Daha sonra sırasıyla, keşif yolculuğunun trajedisini geride bırakıp oradan kaçmak isteyen jeolog Davis'i; yaptığı esprilerle Antarktika'nın karanlık ve buzlu ortamına renk getiren gamsız Cooper'ı ve bu zor kurtarma görevinde Jerry'e her türlü desteği veren kadın pilot Katie karakterini yarattı. İnsan karakterlerin yaratılmasının ardından sıra kızak köpeklerine geldi. İnsanlardaki dostluk, sadakat ve cesaret gibi özelliklerin aynısını sergileyen sekiz kızak köpeğinin yaratılmasında hayal gücünün çok büyük önemi vardı. Kendisi de köpek sahibi olan DiGilio, köpeklerin kullandığı vücut dilini, sosyal yapısını ve ruhsal dünyasını belirlerken kendi deneyimlerinden bol bol yararlandı. Köpeklerle dostluk yapmanın getirdiği keyfe yabancı değildi ama kendi deneyimleriyle sınırlı kalmak istemiyordu. Bu nedenle köpek davranışları üzerinde daha geniş kapsamlı bir araştırmaya girişti. İnsanlarla köpeklerin birlikte gelişiminin özgün tarihçesini öğrendi. Bu araştırmayı yaparken tek amacı, insan arkadaşlarıyla yeniden kavuşabilmek için hayatta kalma mücadelesi veren köpeklerin iç dünyasının heyecan verici portresini çizebilmekti. Köpeklerle İnsanların 14.000 Yıllık Dostluğu Senaryo yazarı, yaptığı araştırmanın sonucuyla ilgili olarak şu bilgiyi veriyor: ''İnsan ile köpek arasındaki ilişkinin bundan 14.000 yıl önceye kadar gittiğini birçokları bilmez. Eğer köpek sevgisiyle dolu bir insansanız bu dostluğu birinci elden mutlaka görmüşsünüzdür. Hayvanlarımızla bizler arasında son derece özgün ve güçlü bir ilişki modeli vardır. Bu ilişki karşılıklı gerçek anlaşmaya ve sıra dışı bir sevgi temeline dayalıdır.'' ''Eight Below''un senaryosunu yazarken en çok köpeklerle ilgili bölümlerden keyif aldığını vurgulayan David DiGilio, bu konudaki izlenimlerini şu sözlerle aktarıyor: ''Tüm projenin en sevdiğim yanı buydu. Köpek sahibi olan herkesin çok yakından tanıdığı bir duygu vardır. Onları bir hayvandan çok sanki kişiliği olan bir insanmış gibi algılarız. Köpeklerin kişilik yapısını ve grup dinamiklerini keşfe çıkarken bu duygudan fazlasıyla yararlandım. Bu öyküde evcilleştirilmiş köpekler vardır. Antarktika buzları arasında çaresiz kalınca kendi vahşi kökenlerini keşfetmek zorunda kalırlar. Bugüne kadar hep, 'insan doğaya karşı' öyküleri izledik. Bu filmde de 'insan doğaya karşı' olayı var ama aynı zamanda 'doğa doğaya karşı' gibi yepyeni bir fikri keşfe çıkıyoruz. Köpeklerin yeni ortama nasıl uyum sağladığını görmek büyüleyiciydi.'' Köpeklerin son derece zorlu koşullar altında mücadele vermeye başlamasından bir süre sonra yepyeni ve sürpriz bir lider doğar. Beklenmedik anda lider konumuna gelen bu köpek, keşif yolculuğu başlamadan önce oldukça çekingen ve itaatkar bir köpek olan Max'tır. Gerçek gücünü Antartika'nın zorlu ve acımasız doğa koşulları altında bulmuştur. Max karakterindeki değişimle ilgili olarak David DiGilio şu yorumu yapıyor: ''Max'ın öyküsünün bir bakıma Jerry'nin duygusal değişimiyle paralellik gösterdiğini söyleyebiliriz. Max başlangıçta köpek timinin en alt konumundadır. Sorumluluk almayı öğrendikçe gerçek bir lidere dönüşür. Jerry de iyi bir rehberdir ama bu yolculuk sırasında olgunlaşmak zorunda kalır. Yalnızken tek başına yapamayacağı şeyleri yapmaya başlar. Zorlu doğa koşulları altında her ikisi de önemli bir değişimden geçmekte, kendi gerçek potansiyelini keşfetmektedir.'' Maceraperest Ruhlu Yönetmen David DiGilio'nun ''Eight Below'' için yazdığı senaryoda büyük bir fikirden yola çıkılmıştı ama beyazperdeye aktarılması hiç de kolay olmayacaktı. Böyle bir projenin başına maceraperest ruhlu bir yönetmenin geçmesi gerekiyordu. ''Eight Below'' için aranan özelliklerin hepsi, Hollywood'un en maceraperest ruhlu yönetmenlerinden birisi olan Frank Marshall da bulundu. DiGilio'nun yazdığı senaryoyu ilk okuduğunda, gerçekten yaşanmış bir olaydan yola çıkıldığını bilmediğini söyleyen Frank Marshall, en zor zamanlarımızda bizi kurtaran cesaret, dostluk ve kendini feda etme gibi kavramların işlenmesinden etkilendiğini belirtiyor ve şöyle konuşuyor: ''Senaryoda farklı alt başlıklar altında irdelenen konuları çok sevdim. Macerayı, köpekleri, doğayla baş başa olmayı severim. Kurtuluş ve umut üzerine öyküler her zaman favorim olmuştur. Bunların yanı sıra ekrana taşınması zor olan konuları üstlenmeyi severim. 'Eight Below'un senaryosunu okuduğum ilk andan itibaren tam bana göre bir proje olduğunu hissettim.'' Frank Marshall sözlerini şöyle sürdürüyor: ''Senaryonun en cazip yönlerinden birisi, insan ruhunun uçsuz bucaksız doğasını, insan iradesinin en ekstrem koşullar altında bile güçlü kalabileceğini anlatması oldu. Burada olağanüstü koşullar altında en iyiyi başarmak zorunda kalan sıradan insanlar ve sıradan hayvanlar üzerine bir öykü var. İmkansızı başarması gereken köpeklerin mücadelesine öncelik verilmiş. Ancak aynı zamanda insanların da mücadelesi söz konusu… Bunlardan birisi Jerry Shepard'ın olgunlaşma yolculuğudur. Öte yandan Davis karakteri de, hayatta araştırmacılık yapmaktan çok daha önemli kavramlar olduğunun farkına varır. Filmin insan karakterlerinin kişisel yolculuklarının oldukça dokunaklı şekilde kesiştiğine tanık oluruz.'' Senaryoyu okuduktan sonra 1958 yılında Japonların gerçekleştirdiği Antarktika keşif yolculuğunu ve o yolculuğu konu alan filmin varlığını öğrenen Frank Marshall, öncelikle Japon filminin yapımcısı Masaru Kakatani ile tanışmak istedi. 1958 yılındaki keşif yolculuğuna katılan ekip üyelerinin anılarıyla ilgili kapsamlı bilgileri Masaru Kakatani'den aldı. Ayrıca, dünyanın en seçkin kızak köpekleri yarışı olarak bilinen Iditarod'u dört kez kazanan arkadaşı Susan Butcher ile de bağlantı kurdu. Yarışlara katılan köpeklerin yaşam biçimleri ve yetenek düzeyleri konusunda bilgi aldı. Kızaklara bağlı köpeklerin ekip halinde nasıl çalıştığını öğrendi. Kızak köpeklerinin dünyasını yansıtmak için detaylı bilgi aldı. Çekimler Kanada ve Grönland'da Yapıldı İlk araştırmalarını başarıyla tamamlayan Frank Marshall'ı bundan sonrasında daha zorlu bir görev bekliyordu. Antarktika kıtasının buzlarla kaplı ve olağanüstü zor hava koşullarında geçen ''Eight Below''un çekimleri, British Columbia eyaletinin kuzeyindeki Smithers adlı küçük kasabada ve Grönland adasının soğuk, karanlık ve seyrek nüfuslu bölgelerinde gerçekleştirilecekti. Hollywood'un deneyimli yönetmeni Frank Marshall, British Columbia eyaleti ve Grönland adasındaki çekimlerle ilgili izlenimlerini şu sözlerle dile getiriyor: ''Bu filmin prodüksiyonun gerçekleştirilmesi, bugüne kadar karşılaştığım en zorlu deneyim oldu. Geçtiğimiz yıllarda 'Raiders of the Lost Ark'ın çekimleri için Sahra çölünün ortasında; 'Alive'ın çekimleri için 10 bin feet yüksekliğinde buzullarda çalışma yaptım. Ancak 'Eight Below'daki koşullar onlardan en az üç kat zorluydu. Çevre koşullarının getirdiği zorluklara karşılık çok güzel yanları da vardı. Elimizdeki kadro harikaydı. Eşine ender rastlanır istisnai köpeklere sahiptik. Fantastik mekanlarda çekim yaptık. Her türlü zorluğa göğüs gererek zafere ulaşan insan ve hayvanların unutulmaz öyküsünü tüm benliğimizde hissettik.'' Kızak Köpekleri: ''Eight Below''un Merkezindeki 8 Kahraman ''Eight Below''da insan kadrosunun sergileyeceği duygularla mizahın büyük önemi vardı. Ancak Antarktika'nın buzları arasında tuzağa düşen köpeklerin cesaret, duygu ve aksiyon yüklü macerasını beyazperdeye yansıtacak yetenekte sekiz tane 'köpek aktör' bulunamadığı takdirde hiçbirisinin anlamı olmayacaktı.

Filmde rol alacak hayvanların performansının öneminden yola çıkan yönetmen Frank Marshall, en yetenekli köpekleri bulabilmek için, Hollywood'un önde gelen hayvan eğitim merkezlerinden birisi olan Birds & Animals şirketinin servislerinden yararlanma yolunu izledi. Yönetmen Frank Marshall, filmde oynayacak sekiz köpeğin seçimindeki yaklaşımını şu sözlerle açıklıyor: ''Köpek rolleri için yapacağımız tercihlerin çok önemli olduğunun farkındaydık. Ayrıca oynayacak köpeklerin her birinin kendine özgü kişiliği ve dış görünümü olması da çok önemliydi. Kısacası birbirinden tamamen farklı sekiz köpeğe ihtiyacımız vardı. Filmin başarısı açısından hayati önem taşıdığı için insan aktörlerden bile önce köpek seçimine başladık.'' Birds & Animals şirketiyle işbirliği yapan film yapımcıları, ''Eight Below''da yer alan köpek karakterleri oynayacak sekiz köpeği belirledi. Hepsi birbirinden farklı dış görünüme ve davranış biçimine sahip olan bu ''köpek yıldızlar'' şöyle sıralanıyor: Kızak köpeklerinin lideri Maya rolünde - Koda Bear, Jasmin

Sonradan liderliği ele alan Max rolünde - D.J., Timba

Köpek timinin en yaşlısı Old Jack rolünde - Apache, Buck

Gri renkli Shadow rolünde - Noble, Troika

Dewey ve Truman adlı ikiz köpekler rolünde - Floyd, Ryan - Sitka, Chase

Ele avuca sığmaz asi ruhlu Shorty rolünde - Jasper, Lightning

Kızıl renkli Buck rolünde - Flapjack, Dino

Yönetmen Frank Marshall'ın ''köpek aktörlerle'' ilgili yorumu şöyle: ''Bu filmde sekiz tane köpekle çalıştık ama onlar arasında benim iki favorim, Maya rolündeki Koda Bear ile Max rolündeki DJ oldu. Maya'yı oynayan Koda Bear'ın gümüş rengi tüyleriyle soylu bir görüntüsü vardı. Max'ı oynayan DJ adlı köpek ise şimdiye kadar gördüğüm hiçbir köpeğe benzemiyordu. Son derece etkileyici şekilde bakan masmavi gözleriyle mükemmel bir köpekti.'' Antarktika Yeniden Yaratılıyor: ''Eight Below''un Tasarımları Antarktika kıtası dünyanın en az ziyaret edilen, hakkında çok az detay bilinen ve çeşitli efsaneler üretilen bölgelerinden birisidir. Neredeyse tamamen ıssız bir kıta olan Antartika'nın saatte 200 mil hızla esen soğuk rüzgarları ve sıfırın altında seyreden dondurucu soğukları ünlüdür. Peki, bu kıtayla ilgili bir film çekilirken mekanların nerede ve nasıl olması gerekir? ''Eight Below''un yapımcılarının aklını kurcalayan temel soru buydu. Kalabalık oyuncu kadrosu ve teknik ekipleri Antartika'ya göndermeden çekim yapacak uygun mekanlar bulunması gerekiyordu. Yönetmen Frank Marshall bu konuda bulunan çözümü şöyle anlatıyor: ''Antartika kıtasının otantik görünümüne oraya gitmeden ulaşmanın yolunu bulmak zorundaydık. Yine de gideceğimiz yerlerin çok soğuk ve uzak bölgeler olması gerektiği gün gibi ortadaydı. Sözünü ettiğim bulmacanın çözümü ise, prodüksiyon ekiplerinin tamamının ulaşabileceği yakınlıkta soğuk, çorak ve donmuş bölgelerin bulunmasından geçiyordu. Bu konuda daha önce 'Alive' adlı filmde beraber çalıştığım mekan uzmanı Robin Mounsay'ın yardımına başvurdum. Dağ, buzul, kar, su ve uzak mekanlar konusunda teknik danışmanlık yapan Robin Mounsay, 'Dağların kralı' olarak bilinir. Dünyanın her köşesinde uygun mekan bulma konusunda üstüne yoktur.'' ''Eight Below'' ile ilgili çalışmasının startını veren Robin Mounsay, Antartika konusunda yaptığı ön hazırlıkla ilgili olarak şu bilgiyi veriyor: ''Öncelikle Antartika kıtasıyla ilgili kapsamlı bir araştırmaya giriştim. Antartika kıtasına özgü koşullara benzer ortam bulabilmek için her şeyden önce bu kıtayla ilgili geniş bilgiye ihtiyaç vardı. Dünyanın en soğuk, en çorak ve en rüzgarlı kıtası olan Antartika, gezegenimizin en güneyinde yer aldığı için 'dünyanın dibi' olarak da isimlendirilir. Kıtanın yüzde 98'i çok kalın ve kalıcı buz tabakası ile kaplıdır. Geri kalan yüzde 2'lik kısmı ise çorak kaya parçalarıdır. Tarihin hiçbir döneminde insanların yerleşimine açılmayan Antartika, dünyamız üzerindeki en son gerçek doğal ortam olarak kalmıştır. Orada sadece fok balıkları, penguenler ve kıtayı keşfetmek için giden kaşifler yaşamaktadır.'' Robin Mounsay elde ettiği bulguları aktarmaya şu sözlerle devam ediyor: ''Antartika kıtasında her yıl sadece birkaç bin insan vardır. Bunların çoğu da bilimsel keşiflerini sürdürmekte olan bilim adamlarıdır. Ekstrem hava koşulları, kutup araştırmaları, astrofizik, bitkisel ve hayvansal yaşam, küresel ısınma, buzullar, deniz bilimi ve meteorolojik araştırmalar konusunda mükemmel bir doğal laboratuvar işlevi görür. İnsanoğlunun ilk ayak bastığı 19. yüzyıldan beri, dünyanın her köşesinden gelen en cesur kaşiflerin ve bilimsel araştırmacıların ilgi odağı haline gelmiştir.'' Antartika'daki ortamın benzerini bulmak için araştırmasını hızlandıran Robin Mounsay, aradığı koşulları Kanada'nın British Columbia eyaletinde buldu. Bu eyaletin başkenti Vancouver'in 1.200 kilometre kuzeyindeki kayak sporlarıyla ünlü kasabası Smithers, Antartika'nın vahşi ortamını yansıtabilecek tüm özelliklere fazlasıyla sahipti. Robin Mounsey ayrıca buzullarla kaplı Grönland adasını da dolaşarak filmin en görkemli doğa manzaralarının çekiminin burada yapılabileceğine karar verdi. İlave çekimlerin bir kısmı da British Columbia eyaletinin Alaska sınırındaki Hyder adlı kasaba çevresinde gerçekleştirildi. Ayrıca kurtarma ekiplerinin Antartika buzlarını kırdığı sahnelerin çekimiyle ilgili olarak Norveç'in Spitzbergen kasabasından getirilen buz kırıcılar görevlendirildi. Eksi 25 Derecede Hummalı Çalışma Filmin prodüksiyon tasarımcısı John Willet, Smithers kasabasına gelişinde inanılmaz bir tabloyla karşılaştı. Sıfırın altında 25 dereceye ulaşan soğuklarda hummalı çalışma devam ediyordu. Ellerini donduran şiddetli soğuk ve rüzgar altında çalışan ekipler, Antartika'daki çeşitli bilimsel araştırma üslerinin benzerini kurmaya çalışıyorlardı. Ekiplerin kurduğu setler arasında Birleşik Amerika Araştırma Üssü, İtalyan üssü, Mount Melbourne ve Dewey's Drop üsleri yer alıyordu. Smithers kasabasındaki çekimlerin son derece zorlu koşullar altında gerçekleştirildiğini belirten yönetmen Frank Marshall, bölgedeki koşulları şu sözlerle anlatıyor: ''Özellikle hava koşullarına bağlı sürekli zorluklar vardı. Hava koşullarının 10 dakika içinde dramatik biçimde değişmesi sonucunda her gün için üç farklı sahne hazırladık. O günkü havanın nasıl olduğuna bakarak bunlardan bir tanesini seçiyorduk. Çekimlerin neredeyse tamamının kar, soğuk ve nem ortamında geçtiğini söyleyebilirim. Diğer problemlerin yanı sıra, kamera lensleri önünde uçuşan kar taneleri bile başlı başına bir problem oluşturdu.'' Filmin oyuncu kadrosu ve teknik ekipleri, çekimler sırasında parkalarının üzerine giydikleri 5 kat kalınlıktaki termal giysilerle ve dağcı gözlükleriyle çalışma yaptılar. Dış görünüm olarak birbirine benzeyen teknik ekiplerle oyuncuları birbirinden ayırmak bile oldukça zor oldu. ''Eight Below''un görüntü yönetmenliğini üstlenen Don Burgess, bu koşullar altında son derece mutlu görünüyordu. Bugüne kadar çektiği ekstrem belgesellerle adını duyuran, ayrıca Avrupa'daki çeşitli dünya kupası kayak yarışmalarını fotoğraflayan Don Burgess, Hollywood'daki stüdyolarda çekim yapmaktansa dağ yamaçlarındaki çekimi tercih ettiğini söylüyordu. Kalabalık teknik ekiplerle oyuncu kadrosunun Smithers'taki dağlara çıkarılıp indirilmesi de ayrı bir engel oluşturdu. Bu sorunun çözümü için Haggland ismiyle bilinen İsveç askeri araçları kullanıldı. Dış görünüm açısından tanklara benzeyen Haggland'lar sayesinde 120 kişilik ekipler sadece birkaç dakika içerisinde dağın zirvesine çıkarılabiliyordu. Haggland'ları ilk kez Grönland'da gören Frank Marshall, hemen senaryoda değişiklik yaparak bu araçlarla ilgili sahneler ekledi. Filmin çekimlerinin büyük kısmı dış mekanlarda yapıldı. Ancak oyuncular açısından çok tehlikeli olabilecek bazı sahneler için stüdyo ortamı tercih edildi. Bunlardan birisi de, insanlarla köpeklerin buz altındaki soğuk suda tehlikeyle yüz yüze kaldığı sahneydi. Prodüksiyon tasarımcısı John Willett bu sahnenin stüdyo ortamında ve ''Buz Seti'' adını verdiği teknikle çekilmesine karar verdi. Daha sonra Oscar ödüllü özel efekt sanatçısı Stan Winston'ın dijital ekipleri devreye girerek, leopar cinsi fok balıklarıyla köpeklerin epik kavgasını görüntüleme çalışması başlattılar. Köpeklerle mücadele edecek olan leopar cinsi fok balıklarının ''animatronik'' adı verilen robotları hazırlandı. Köpeklerin saldırması için üzerine ince bir tabaka yer fıstığı yağı sürüldü. Ardından kavga sahnesi dijital ortamda hayata geçirilerek filmin diğer sahnelerine eklendi. ''Eight Below'' ile ilgili son sözleri filmin yapımcılarından Pat Crowley söylüyor: ''Antartika ortamını beyazperdede yeniden yaratabilmek oldukça zorlu bir süreç gerektirdi ama elde ettiğimiz sonucun bunca emeğe değdiğini görüyoruz. Duygusal gücü çok yüksek epik bir öykü anlatırken aynı zamanda izleyiciyi bugüne kadar hiç gitmediği yerlere doğru büyüleyici bir yolculuğa çıkartmayı hedefledik. Yarattığımız dünya karşısında izleyicilerin etkileneceğini umuyorum.''

Köpekler insanların en büyük dostları olmalarının yanı sıra birbirlerini kollayan, sürü halinde yaşayan canlılardır. Kutup Macerası'nda da sürü birbirine destek vererek hayatta kalabilmiş ve onlara bakan insanları hiç unutmamışlardır. Bilirler ki onları seven insanlar onları asla yüz üstü bırakmazlar. Yemek aramak için ne kadar uzaklaşsalar da yine bırakıldıkları yere dönerler. Onların sevgisini bir kere hissetmeniz dünyanızın değişmesi için yeterlidir...

[abriefingwithmichael]

Kung Fu: The Legend Continues # 044

Good story. Steeped in fantasy, but told realistically.

He only has a couple of scenes but Jérôme Pradon is excellent as the villain.

The large regular cast get plenty of screentime and are as rich and interesting as ever. Kermit and Powell are used a lot in the final act.

Kwai Chang Caine does several badass things here: opening a lock, luring rats, putting out candles, etc. He flips through the air, at one stage, during a fight. Very cool.

Peter opts not to use his gun at one stage. Indicative of his development as a character.

Blaisdell is mentioned, very briefly.

9/10