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alj4890 · 5 years ago

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Christmas Prompt

(Thomas x Amanda) with the given prompt from @jlpplays1-41daysofcheerchallenge for black and white

(Thomas Hunt x oc*Amanda) in a Christmas one shot

A/N I had something planned for this movie for our RCD Appreciation Week, but ended up going with another. Using it for @jlpplays1 41 Days of Cheer Challenge seemed meant to be. This isn't a part of my AU's though I had considered Thomas and Amanda meeting under simliar circumstances in Another Night, Another Dream storyline. Still, I am a sucker for fluff and first impressions. So here we go again.

Above image taken from the 1940 holiday classic Remember the Night and I do spoil most of it in this. Sorry!

@lxaah11 @alleksa16 @penguininapinktuxedo @blackcoffee85 @stopforamoment @hopefulmoonobject @krsnlove @annekebbphotography @cora-nova @bella-ca @hopelessromantic1352. @sunflowergirl05 @desiree-0816 @greywitchyshots @lilyofchoices @emceesynonymroll @dr-nancy-house @aworldoffandoms @ab1901 @pixieferry @lolablackwrites @flyawayboo @i-bloody-love-drake-walker. @trappedinfandoms @kate-mckenzie

Masterlist

The Theater

Amanda settled into the red cushioned seat and set her soda down in the cupholder. She pulled up on the tab to open her box of Junior Mints and glanced around. She couldn't believe that hardly anyone was here for the holiday movie marathon.

When she told those back home in Cordonia that she was traveling to Los Angeles specifically to attend this week of nothing but classics from silent era to ending with 1954's White Christmas, none had volunteered to come with her.

"If I'm going to California, I want to sightsee and party with the stars...not attend some tiny theater for old movies." Maxwell had reluctantly admitted when she voiced her surprise that he didn't want to go.

Everyone else pleaded with her to do something else. After all, she had only seen it advertised on the theater’s website.

“What if it isn’t in a safe area of the city?” Liam asked. “You will be alone, late at night in what could be a dangerous area.”

“Why are you spending money to see movies you have seen a hundred times before?” Drake rolled his eyes at her explanation of experiencing it in a movie theater.

"It's the week before Christmas." Olivia had argued. "You should be here with us where you belong, not alone in some strange city watching movies you already own on blu ray.”

When it came to things that she truly loved, Amanda's stubborn streak made itself known. They all shook their heads. If she had to have one crazy weird attribute, willing to travel for movies might not be the worst thing she could have.

And here she was on her third evening, ready to watch the first half of the 1940's classics. The evening was beginning with Remember the Night.

Amanda adored this particular one. She could remember when her mother first shared this movie with her when she was nine years old. It had been late one night when neither could sleep. They had cuddled under a blanket and only had the Christmas tree lights on.

She had fallen hard for Fred MacMurray's portrayal of John Sargent from the very beginning. His sarcastic, dry humor mixed with his gruff, morally right persona had hidden what was later revealed to be a very tender heart toward those he loved.

Barbara Stanwyck's con artist/thief was just the right person to shake him up. Of course, he managed to open her eyes and smooth out her understandable rough due to circumstances edges.

Their love story had all the elements from humor to bittersweetness. The perfect movie made even more so because it was set during a snowy Christmas and New Year's.

Amanda had secretly searched a long time for her tall, dark, and handsome Fred MacMurray/John Sargent. Most of the men she thought might be the one seemed to be lacking that one key element that made him so desirable: the tender heart. She had recently given up that long held dream. The man simply did not exist in the real world.

"I was born in the wrong time period." Amanda would say to herself each time she watched this. "That's why I can't find anyone like him."

She shook herself out of these unhappy thoughts and watched as John argued against dismissing the case of Barabara Stanwyck's character, Lee.

________________

She's back, Thomas thought when he saw the same woman come in by herself and take the exact same seat she had the past two nights. She had another box of candy and soft drink, just like she had each other time. She laid her jacket on the seat next to hers and he knew from observing her the other times that she would end up using it as a cover around the second hour of the movie marathon.

He settled more comfortably in his own chair further back. Seeing her dedication in supporting this small, independent theater made him not lose hope in people knowing and enjoying these classics. He had tried to encourage his film students to come and had even played around with the idea of offering extra credit. He decided against it in the hopes they would come simply because of what these old black and white movies contained: emotional storytelling at its finest.

There was no CGI nor any enhanced techniques. No method acting. Nothing except a story acted out with the sheer talent to draw one within the imagined world and make the individual wish they could remain.

Something about these black and white movies made the winters and snowfall seem even more shiver worthy. Knowing it was all done on a soundstage, made it even more impressive.

He was surprised that his attention continued to stray to the woman sitting a few rows ahead of his and a couple of seats over to the left. He had looked forward to seeing the movies he actually owned on various discs on the large screen.

"I was born in the wrong time period." He would mutter when reading about the golden age of film. To be a part of the beginning of not only sound in films, but also during a time of discovering a wealth of talent in actors and screenwriters, would have been a dream come true. A dream to be able to feel that excitment of making movies was something he was in desperate need of.

He had gotten burned out. After filming The Last Duchess, he felt empty. Nothing had sparked his creativity. Nothing made him want to jump back into the director's chair and bring a story to life. He felt like he was teetering on the edge of something about to happen in his life...something life changing. He hoped whatever it was would happen soon.

Being unable to sit back and wait patiently for the mystery life changing event to happen, he had decided to return to his second love of teaching. It had been going well the last few semesters. There was only one drawback to this. He didn't know quite what to do with himself now that he was on winter break.

He shook himself from the quagmire of his depressing thoughts and focused on the scene of John offering to take Lee to her mother's home in Indiana on his way to see his own.

______________

Amanda laughed at the scene of John's irritation and resulting sarcasm while dealing with the small town judge. She could hear a deep laugh somewhere behind her. She supposed it was the same lone man that had been here the last few nights.

He shares my sense of humor, she thought. Hearing that laugh didn't make her feel quite so alone in the theater. She had never minded being on her own. There were many times that she loved to escape the nobles and her friends for a needed breather. Yet something about the holiday season made being alone seem...well...lonely.

She needn't be. Amanda had a wonderful life. One day she would meet someone to share it with. It might not be her dream man that was currently on the screen, but he would be perfect for her.

_____________

Thomas watched the lone woman dig in her purse for a tissue. She had been moved to tears over how cruel Lee's mother was and how sweet John had been to tell her he was taking her to his childhood home for Christmas.

He wracked his memories and realized he couldn't recall the last time he witnessed a woman of today crying over a black and white movie of yesterday. Perhaps I've been around the wrong women, he thought.

He wished he could see the expression on her face caught up in the bittersweet emotion. What had made her cry? Was it simple pity for the heroine of the movie? Did it remind her of something from her own past? Was it John's actions that set off her tears?

He grimaced and tried to keep his attention strictly on the movie.

________________

Amanda sighed at that ending. To make such a choice...could I do that if I had been Lee?

"I must be a horrible person." Amanda mumbled as she gathered her things. She planned on getting a refill before The Shop Around the Corner started.

"Why do you think you're horrible?"

She turned around in surprise. "Oh!" Amanda stared at the famous man who had been the only other one in the theater tonight. "I..." Her smile held hints of self-depreciation. "I don't know if I could leave John and willingly plead guilty to my crimes. I would be tempted to marry him like he wanted and allow him to pull all the tricks to make the jury side with me."

Thomas nodded. "Yes, it would be difficult. I believe though that nowadays the heroine would probably do that very thing."

Amanda's grin reappeared. "Now that we no longer have the Hays Office making certain the wicked paid for every action, I imagine that someone would rewrite this to Lee not only being claimed innocent but that John was evil to continue to serve as prosecutor.”

His eyes widened. "You know about the Hays Office?"

"Of course." She stepped out into the aisle. "I love film history."

He followed her out into the lobby. "You're not leaving yet, are you?"

She turned around once more in surprise. "No. I was going to get a refill."

He hesistated a moment. Thomas couldn't help but notice that not only could she keep up intelligently conversation wise, but he also found her attractive. "Would you care to sit with me during the next film?"

"I don't know if we will be able to find two seats together with such a crowd." She teased.

He chuckled softly. "If I am able to find two side by side..." Thomas trailed off and waited.

Amanda lowered her eyes and grinned. "Then I would appreciate you saving me a seat."

______________

A few movies later and at a small nearby diner...

"Do you have any particular recommendations?" Amanda asked as she picked up the menu.

"All of the pies here are some of the best around." Thomas lifted his own menu, yet continued to glance at her over it.

She smiled when the waitress approached.

"What can I get you and your lady friend to drink, Professor?" The middle aged, slightly tired woman asked.

He nodded toward Amanda to go first.

"Iced tea, please." She replied.

"Coffee." He added.

"Are you ready to order or do you need another moment?" She asked.

"I am, are you?" Thomas asked.

Amanda grinned. "Go ahead. I make decisions for food better under pressure."

He chuckled. "Apple pie a la mode."

The waitress turned to Amanda.

"I'll have the same." She decided at the last moment.

Once they were alone, Thomas folded his arms on the table. "I have a question that has been driving me mad most of the night."

Amanda lifted an eyebrow. "Oh? And what might that be?"

"During Remember the Night, you were crying. Why?"

Her cheeks turned a little red under his steady regard. The Thomas Hunt wanted to know why she had teared up. She still couldn't believe his interest in her thoughts. Granted it wasn't like anyone else had been there to steal his attention away from her. She might as well enjoy it for what it was: a once in a lifetime opportunity. They had spent most of their time sitting next to each other in the theater, talking and pointing out various aspects of the scenes they loved in the movies they had seen so far.

"Everything about that scene when John and Lee go to her childhood home hurts. When you compare it to the first glimpse of John's it really strikes you at the differences." She explained.

"How?" He asked, wanting to hear more of her thoughts.

Amanda leaned forward as she went further into detail. "Take the lighting for example. Lee's home is cast in shadows. No lights are on inside that we can see, welcoming anyone approaching with warmth. John's had lamps shining like a lighthouse, beckoning one to safety from the cold. Lee's mother and stepfather didn't bother to step out on the porch or even invite them inside from the cold. The single light near the mother cast harsh shadows, adding even more to the foreboding sense that no love would be awaiting the prodigal daughter. John's had family coming out into the cold, wanting to hug and hurry them inside to warm up. Current joy at seeing him again and memories of happiness waited inside that bright house."

He listened to her silently in complete agreement. He marveled at her ability to cut right to the aesthetic of the two instead of focusing in on the dialogue. The words spoken were of course moving in terms of emotion, yet for her to point out something he tried to do for his students made him want to talk to her even more.

"Here you go." The waitress set their plates and drinks in front of them. "Has my nephew been behaving himself?"

Thomas nodded. "He has been doing very well this past semester. You should be proud of him."

The tiredness left the woman's face hearing that. "You really think he has a future in cinematography, Mr. Hunt?"

"I do." He said a bit gruffly. "I recommended him for a scholarship." He picked at his pie. "You should receive the letter soon about the approval."

"You mean--" the waitress teared up and tried to get the words out. "Thank you. This...this means the world to us."

He waived off her thanks. "His talent and your tenacity is what did this. I had no part in it."

She turned to Amanda who was observing their interaction quietly. "Don't let him fool you. He had everything to do with giving my Brandon his dream future."

The young lady realized that her suspicions were correct. There was a good deal more to the famous director than what he decided to reveal to the outside world.

Thomas cleared his throat and avoided eye contact. The waitress poured his coffee and left them alone.

Amanda picked up her fork and took a bite. "You were right. The pie here is very good." She noticed relief flood his features over the attention no longer being on his kindness.

"I'm glad you agree." He took a bite of his own. "Are you planning on attending any of the other nights at the theater?"

"All of them, actually." She grinned at him. "It was why I decided to come to Los Angeles for a visit."

"I see." His brow furrowed with thought. "I plan on attending the whole week also."

She reached for the sugar packets to add to her glass of tea while waiting to hear what he would say next.

"If you are planning on being there and I am, then perhaps we could go together." Thomas looked at her over his coffee cup to gage her reaction.

"I would like that." Amanda said with a hint of color to her cheeks. "Then perhaps we could talk about the movies over pie."

His lips curved into a soft smile. "I would like that."

_____________

Last night of the holiday classics...

"Thank you, Thomas, for making this week so enjoyable. I have loved our discussions each night." Amanda kissed his cheek on impulse outside the theater.

He took her hand and cleared his throat. "I have enjoyed it also." He looked down at their fingers laced together. "When do you leave for Cordonia?"

"Day after tomorrow." She said, wishing time had not gone by so quickly.

His frown formed. "Must you go so soon?"

Her eyebrows lifted. "I suppose I don't necessarily have to." She pushed the strands of hair back that were determined to remain in her face as a breeze blew. "Christmas is a few days away though."

"You could spend the holidays here, if you would like...with me." Thomas tugged her close and slowly captured her lips in a tender kiss.

She was rooted to the sidewalk in shock over him kissing her. She had hoped he would. But as each night ended without one, she assumed he wasn't attracted to her. Now, though...

She wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him into another more active kiss. She smiled against his lips when his hands slipped in her hair, encouraging the kiss to go on.

When it ended, she took a brief moment to gather her thoughts. "Perhaps I could stay until after New Year's, if you would like me to."

Thomas held her pressed against him and brushed his lips against hers. "I can't think of anything more I would like."

_______________

3 years later in that same theater...

"Would you like any Junior Mints?" Thomas asked, helping her off with her coat.

Amanda set her hand on her very distended belly and shook her head. "I don't believe our baby shares my love for peppermint and chocolate." She slowly lowered herself in the seat and sighed. "I can't believe you thought of coming here again."

He sat down next to her and placed his arm along the back of her seat. "I thought it might be nice to relive the night we met that led to this." He placed his hand on her stomach, smiling softly at the movement he felt.

She laughed while looking around the empty theater. "Seems to be the same crowd as was before."

"That is my doing." He explained. "I rented the entire theater just for us."

"You did?" Her smile turned tender.

He nodded, presssing a kiss to her lips. "And I have the same movies as before."

She rested her head on his shoulder and thought back to that night. "I didn't expect to end up staying here when I first came."

"I'm grateful my powers of persuasion worked so well." He gently rubbed her tense back while thinking of when he first approached her.

After spending the holidays together, he had received a script that had reinvigorated his passion for directing. He returned to Cordonia to film it and to spend more time getting to know Amanda. On the night of his new movie's premiere, he asked her to marry him. A few months after that they were on their honeymoon.

Now here they were, anxiously awaiting the arrival of their own classic film lover, who was already a week overdue in making his or her appearance.

As Remember the Night began, Thomas pressed a kiss to her forehead. "I am very thankful I met you that night."

Amanda sat up and held her stomach. "Meeting you was quite a surprise, though I believe tonight's might give it a run for its money."

His brow furrowed. "Why is that?"

She looked up at him with an excited smile. "My water just broke."

#red carpet diaries #choices thomas hunt #rcd thomas hunt #thomas hunt x oc #thomas hunt rcd #thomas hunt x amanda #41 days of cheer #41 days of cheer challenge

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winterironbang · 5 years ago

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Art Previews

Below you will find the art previews for this year, remember authors that its not quite time for claiming yet!

Take a good look and pick 2-3 favourites and remember which Number they are for when claiming does begin.

1. Prompt: Tony was taken by Hydra not long after the New York invasion and experimented heavily on Tony. The Winter Soldier escapes his captivity and kinds Tony locked up in his dragon form in a huge cell and decides he should break this poor creature out as well.The Winter Soldier could be his own personality next to Bucky, and if so he doesn't like Steve if that would come up. Restrictions: No Rape/Non-con, No OT3 (Stuckony), preferably a rather happy ending, or bittersweet. No sad endings. CLAIMED

2 Prompt: Tony has always had a thing for swimsuit models.Limitations: go wild.Additional notes: happy to be as involved or uninvolved as the writer wants! CLAIMED

3. Warnings: None that I can think of? Prompts: Definitely don’t have to stick to this, but this was just what was in my mind drawing this — They’re a Shoulder Angel and Shoulder Demon each trying to do a good job for their assigned Human - Natasha Romanov. I’d love it if maybe they’ve been working together over time to help Natasha (maybe to get out from under Red Room) without actually really seeing each other for a while until eventually they do. Not-Quite-Identity!Porn of some sort, with a bit of oh no he’s hot when they meet. Just imagine the hijinks with a little Nat and these boys as her conscience! Ha! Limitations: I know Tony is depicted as a Demon here, but this is Tony, please don’t make him out to be the actual Devil? He’s just doing his job but - oh no! - he gets attached to his Human and adversary and only wants the best for them, screw Hell’s policies CLAIMED

4. warnings: none i thinkprompt: Post-apocalyptic AU! Scrappy mechanic Tony meets badass loner and fighter Bucky (with a clunky metal arm)? Maybe some getting to know (and later: trust) each other and surviving (together?) in a hostile world? Trying to make a living? limitatons and any additional notes: No dubcon/noncon between Tony/Bucky, no sad ending, no super descriptive toture/body horror, Tony and Bucky should survive. Angst/Pain/Suspense otherwise are fine :)The second art is optional. CLAIMED

5. Desired collaboration level(s): I would love to be included with the writing/brainstorming process, even just so much as being a cheerleader for it!-Additional details/requests/Prompt: Pre-WI/getting together fic. Wing Au. Maybe something like "Winged beings are discriminated against/unliked/people are nervous of them. Picture scene is: Tony was sitting out in the rain/stuck in the rain, Bucky comes and sheilds him from it with his wing. -Do Wants: Hurt/Comfort, angst is fine too, must be happy ending please, I prefer canon-divergent, but total au is fine too. -Do NOT Wants: Beastiality, Mpreg, A/B/O dynamics, BDSM, D/S verse, Hardcore kinks, Genderbends, Non-con, MCD, underage/age-changes/de-aging, Sad endings!(I would prefer no other/background ships, but can be discussed!) CLAIMED

6. Warnings: blood Limitation: non-negotiable absolutely no Steve Rogers bashing Wants: OUAT crossover (non negotiable). Jefferson IS Bucky OR Bucky is Jeffersons twin. Steve as a main character as well. Prompt; Bucky goes missing after a mission, with seemingly no reason. A year later They find Bucky, only he's calling himself Jefferson and crying about a broken hat, and a horrific scar around his neck.

7. warnings: possible gun violence, languageprompt: loosely based on Killing eve "you hired me to kill you!?" "I wanted to see you..." basically, Tony and Bucky (established relationship? Mutual pining? ) haven't spoken in awhile for reasons (are they fighting? Busy? ¯\_(ツ)_/¯) so Tony Hires Bucky to kill him. limitatons and any additional notes: none that I can think of but if you think there's something that could be squicky/a no go, just lemme know. I'm very open to collaboration with my author. CLAIMED

8. No warnings or limitations. CLAIMED

9. Warnings: None Prompt: Tony Stark meets Bucky Barnes in 1993 and they both fall for each other. One night, Bucky starts to cry. Tony asks what's wrong and Bucky tells him what happened to his parents. Notes: It really doesn't matter how you end this fic as long it includes some good old fashioned angst! CLAIMED

10. Warnings: noneNotes: Was thinking of a Brookly-99 spin on it, something cute and funny for some feel good happy, but very open to anything really :) CLAIMED

11. warnings: None Prompt: (Description: View is outside of a building. In one window Tony plays the violin. In the other Bucky types away.) CLAIMED

12. Warnings:NonePrompt: (description: Bucky is sitting atop a motorcycle. Tony is approaching him, offering his hand for a handshake. Scene is dusk on an empty road.) CLAIMED

13. prompt: tony is one of the last of his kind (inherited from his mother’s side). he hides his wings from the world, and only pepper, happy, and rhodey know what he is. everything else is canon as per the mcu. it’s up to the author to decide how far in the universe they want to take it, and if they wish to incorporate his wings elsewhere in the series, but tony is iron man and it must be post winter soldier. pre-relationship to getting together. limitations: please no graphic depictions of rape, suicide, or self-harm (specifically cutting. other forms of self-harm are okay, but please no self-inflicted cutting). no character bashing, ESPECIALLY of steve. no major character death. things i would like to see: BAMF!tony, ptsd (from either bucky or tony, or both!), a COOL secret reveal, angst, hurt/comfort, and fluff. some smut is okay! i would love if tony keeps the arc reactor. arm maintenance!! please!! tony being terrified of bucky finding out about his wings, and bucky being scared of hurting tony. relevant notes: tony’s wings are 18 ft (5.4 m) in diameter, and are red and gold. bucky still has hydra arm. that’s about it! i’m flexible on most things :) CLAIMED

14. Description/Prompt: John Wick AU in MCU Open for brainstorming or alternate interpretations Warnings: canon typical violence for story (john wick levels or mcu levels up to author?) Limitations: DNWs include a/b/o, mpreg, noncon, dubcon between major protagonists, death of major protagonists, unhappy/ bad endings CLAIMED

15. Description/Prompt: any frontier myth/ old wild west tropes welcome Open for brainstorming or alternate interpretations Warnings: canon typical violence for story? Limitations: DNWs include a/b/o, mpreg, noncon, dubcon between major protagonists, death of major protagonists, unhappy/ bad endings CLAIMED

16. Prompt: Romancing The Stone AU. Tony is a tech reliant city boy who is out of his depth in the South American jungle while trying to save a friend. Bucky is the broke traveller who he convinces to be his guide. Adventures and hijinks and a happy ending ensue. Notes/Limitations: Doesn't have to follow the movie if you're not familiar with it. I don't want Tony to be a damsel in distress that needs to be rescued, just a fish out of water who adapts to his new environment. Any rating is fine, smut is welcome, no character bashing. CLAIMED

17. warnings: general audiences prompt: Bucky is part of the Avengers but he and Tony keep their distance. On a mission Tony saves Bucky from another fall. Later he asks Tony why he didn't let him slip when he knows he killed his parents. He doesn't believe Tony forgave him and confesses that he sometimes hates Steve for not catching him limitations: no Steve/Bucky/Tony, preferably no Stony, no ABO, no mpreg, preferably no BDSM or dom/sub CLAIMED

18. warnings: malnutrition, (minor) injuries, shackleslimitations: anything involving children and/or pregnancy CLAIMED

19. Warnings:none Prompt: Mage Tony and assassin/rogue Bucky. Limitatons: No major character death, no infidelity, no unhappy ending, Bucky did not kill Tony's parents, would be absolutely fine with graphic sex Additional notes: Art will have at least one more companion piece featuring Bucky/Winter in Assassin type garb and probably wielding daggers. CLAIMED

20. warnings: none? prompt: Dreadful pirate Bucky with a heart of gold! limitaions and any other notes relevant to the authors for claiming: I'd prefer it if Bucky wasn't actually a bad guy. Go easy on the gore, and please don't do any noncon or dubcon between the OTP. Angst or pain are good as long as there is at least a hopeful ending! CLAIMED

21. Prompt: After the death of King Howard Stark, his son Anthony had to step up to the throne as the rightful heir. James Buchanan Barnes, a knight and new member of the Royal Guard, is sworn to protect his king no matter what. Even if that means protecting Anthony from his own damn feelings. Warnings: N/A Limitations: major character death, terminal illness, homophobia, transphobia, sexism, racism, incest, ableism Notes: Their designs are fantasy-influenced more than historical, and even though I was using MCU as reference, I aged Tony down since canonically Howard died when he was younger anyway! Also the scribble of a background is supposed to be inside the castle, during a party/ball or something? CLAIMED

22. Artist Withdrew.

23. Warnings: None Prompt: The Addams Family AU Limitations/notes: None CLAIMED

24. warnings: none? prompt: Warlord Bucky gets a new conquest: Tony. (How? tribute? prisoner? Marriage contract?) Tony may expect the worst, but slowly discover Bucky isn't so bad... limitaions and any other notes relevant to the authors for claiming: please no evil Bucky. I like getting to know each other and slowly falling in love. No dubcon/noncon between tony/bucky. CLAIMED

25. Warnings: implied violence, kidnappingPrompt: I went with four comic panels sort of depicting a kidnapping scenario. Bucky (probably) wouldn’t be the kidnapper — i'm gonna try and make him look more surprised in the final draft. Limitations: Go wild. G ratings through Explicit is fine with me. Preferably no M-Preg though. CLAIMED

26. Warnings: None CLAIMED

27. Warnings: None CLAIMED

28. Description/Prompt: fluff or comfort? Warnings: - Limitations: DNWs include a/b/o, mpreg, noncon, dubcon between major protagonists, death of major protagonists, unhappy/ bad endings CLAIMED

29. Desired collaboration level(s): I would love to be included with the writing/brainstorming process, even just so much as being a cheerleader for it! Additional details/requests/ Prompt: Human!Tony/Werewolf!Bucky. Werewolf au. Do Wants: Hurt/Comfort, angst is fine too, must be happy ending please, I prefer canon-divergent, but total au is fine too. Do NOT Wants: Beastiality, Mpreg, A/B/O dynamics, BDSM, D/S verse, Hardcore kinks, Genderbends, Non-con, MCD, underage/age-changes/de-aging, Sad endings!(I would prefer no other/background ships, but can be discussed!) CLAIMED

#winterironbang #winteriron reverse bang #winteriron #first draft #ironwinter

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thranduilsperkybutt · 6 years ago

Photo

Gif source: John

Imagine you’re the adoptive daughter of John Wick because your mother was in a romantic relationship with him before she passed away, the two of them protecting you from a well-known mafia gang, and ever since your mother died, John has decided to teach you everything about being an assassin.

--------- Request for @goddessofhomosexuality ---------

He hadn’t planned on teaching you anything about his life before he met your mother, but things had changed when she died. Circumstances had led to the upheaval of his past, and therefore compromised the possibility of a normal future for you.

At the very least, John could try to teach you how to survive it.

“Your mother would be proud,” he murmurs in a bittersweet tone, but you focus on the praise.

You grin up at him, “Well, I had a good teacher.”

#john wick imagine #john wick series imagine #imagines by me #gif not mine

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inevitably-johnlocked · 6 years ago

Note

What are some of the most tear-jerking Johnlock fics you've ever read? (Excluding Alone on the Water)

Oooh, I think I got something perfect for you here, Nonny. I finally have a reason to post this list XD

MAJOR CHARACTER DEATH / HEAVY-ANGST

The Sidewalk by politewarning (K, 956 w. || Post-TRF, Angst, Friendship, Sherlock’s Birthday) – Standing on the sidewalk outside the hospital on the 6th of January to have a one-sided conversation with his dead friend was not something John had intended to make into a ritual.

Sherlock’s Mind Palace by Valkyrie Of The Dead (K+, 1,091 w. || Drama, Hurt/Comfort, Major Character Deaths, Self Reflection) – Sherlock needs to change his mind-palace once again. He had hoped he wouldn’t, he had thought he wouldn’t, because they were invincible, weren’t they?

Friends Protect People by ArwendeImladris (T, 1,145 w. || Angst, Reverse-TRF, Friendship, Tragedy, Ambiguous Ending) – Friends protect people. John protects Sherlock.

The Simple Separation Will Not Come Between Us by The Circus (T, 1,278 w. || Hurt/Comfort, MCD, Violence, Heavy Angst, Sherlock’s Mind Palace, Prose) – The choice is simple. Real, and No John. Or Not Real, and John. For a prompt that says ‘John dies and Sherlock loses himself in his Mind Palace’

Yorkshire Gold by Tammany Tiger (K, 1,467 w. || Friendship, Hurt/Comfort, Mild Angst, Open Ending, Grief) – Mycroft may not mourn Sherlock’s death-but even if he knows his brother lives, he’s not without his own grief. It ain’t easy being The British Government. But at least he’s got good help. Set between the Fall and the Return.

Left In The Ashes by zoltargirl (T, 1,497 w. || Angst, MCD, Angry Sherlock, Brutal Violence) – Rage is a unique quality in all human beings. In Sherlock Holmes, it’s terrifying.

By the Graveside by CraftyLion (K, 1,505 w. || Hurt/Comfort, Major Character Death) – But what if Sherlock never really survived The Fall? What if the Sherlock in the graveyard was merely a spirit, forlornly watching his friend from the Other Realm?

A Long Way To Home by PeaceLoveAndCheese (T, 1,568 w. || Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Reunion Fic) – Human emotions are tiring, troublesome things. And Sherlock wants to be known as anything but that. No matter how hard you try though, you’re only human. And it’s been a long year.

Ten Minutes by PrettyArbitrary (K+, 1,660 w. || Angst, Friendship, MCD, Unhappy Ending) – In ten minutes Sherlock will live in a world with no John in it. Ten minutes is how long they have for everything. Warnings: there are no happy endings here.

Take My Hand, Knot Your Fingers Through Mine by patster223 (K+, 2,003 w. || H/C & Friendship)- Love this one so much. Sherlock and John get into a cab accident, and Sherlock just NEEDS to be near John. It’s angsty and bittersweet. I love this one.

Only Human by BlackBandit111 (K+, 2,179 w. || Tragedy, Major Character Death, Sally POV) – Sally Donovan didn’t think she’d ever see Sherlock cry.

The Deafening Silence by occasionally-maybe-never (T, 2,238 w. || Angst, Major Character Death, Post-TRF) – ‘Sherlock hopes fiercely that John can hear him, as sometimes coma patients can. He knows that John will understand, that his admission of love isn’t a grand, sweeping romantic statement, but simply an expression of truth.’ When Mycroft retrieves Sherlock to bring him home, it’s not to John having dinner, but to John on his death bed.

Thief by KendylGirl (M, 2,430 w. || Rev. Reich., Heavy Angst, Regret, Grief / Mourning, Pining Sherlock, Implied Drug Use, Self-Flagellation) – John has been gone for four months, and Sherlock is not dealing well with it. When he finds a personal item of John’s, the situation reaches a crisis. Part 3 of When to Let Go

The Battersea Bridge by pininglock (M, 2,585 w. || MCD, Angst, Grief, Unhappy Ending) – A life without John Watson isn’t a life worth living.

You Paid Me Well In Memories by Ballykissangel - (K+, 3,149 w. || Heavy Angst, Hurt, Comfort, Grief) – It’s Sherlock’s birthday and John is not doing well. No matter how hard he’s tried to keep on living, he knows he is going to give up soon and he isn’t going to make it. Today is his last and only chance to visit Sherlock’s grave to talk and give him his gifts: His dog tags, a book full of notes and memories and the meaning of love as Sherlock watches on in grief.

Too Late by SJBHasADayPass (T, 3,390 w. || Angst, Suicide, Tragedy, Major Character Death, First Person POV) – Six months after the Fall, John is finding it difficult without Sherlock, and Sherlock is finding it just as painful.

Nursery Rhymes by macrauchenia (T, 4,064 w. || Angst, Suspense, MCD, Unhappy Ending) – “Hickory dickery dock. Sherlock’s against the clock. When the wick is gone, so will be John. Hickory dickery dock.” - John is in a struggle for his life in a warehouse rigged to blow by Moriarty.

Sink Like a Stone by pennydreadful (T, 4,348 w. | Angst / Dark, Cuddling/Snuggling) – After defeating Moriarty at the pool, life isn’t quite the same around 221B Baker Street…it’s more peaceful. And stranger.

London’s Ghost by JustlikeWater (K+, 5,642 w. || Tragedy, H/C, Angst, Post-TRF AU, Sherlock POV) – “Today, it’s been weeks since Sherlock died. Other times, years. He doesn’t know for sure, though. Time passes differently for the dead”

I’ll Be Fine by whitchry9 (T, 6,473 w. || Hurt / Comfort, John Whump, Friendship, MCD, Heavy Angst) – John says he’ll be fine, and Sherlock believes him. Until he can’t any more. And it’s awfully hard to forgive John for lying about something big like that, even if he didn’t mean to. Not using warnings because spoilers, but there are some.

Second Waltz by Atiki (T, 6,685 w. || MCD, Angst, Fluff, Cancer) – “The night I died, you wished I could wait for you.”

Not Alone by taliapaxton (K+, 7,034 w. || Angst, Friendship, MCD, Euthanasia) – Alone on the Water from Sherlock’s point of view. Inspired by the wonderful fiction, “Alone on the Water”

Goodbye, John by XxMildredxX (T, 7,154 w. || MCD, Angst, Self Reflection, Bittersweet Ending) – John finds it very difficult to tell Sherlock of his diagnosis, but it seems Sherlock has deduced it himself. As John says goodbye, he and Sherlock struggle with the feelings that this brings on them, and how Sherlock will go on when John has gone.

It’s Natural To Be Afraid by Jenn1984 (T, 7,283 w. || Tragedy, Angst, MCD) - Refusing to accept the obvious, Sherlock searches for what he believes truly happened the night his world was shattered.

Drowning in Darkness by chappysmom (T, 7,575 w. || Hurt/Comfort, Kidnapped John, Post-TRF Hiatus / Reunion, John Whump, Angst with Happy Ending, Depressed John, Background Case Fic) – He couldn’t decide if it was a relief or a curse that he’d been left completely, absolutely alone. You couldn’t fight darkness with your fists, and no matter how strong your will-power, it could be beaten down by the constant monotony of nothingness. Nobody needed John.

Alone On the Water by Mad_Lori (G, 7,725 w. || MCD, UST/URT, Angst, Euthanasia, Love Confessions) – Sherlock Holmes never expected to live a long life, but he never imagined that it would end like this.

On the Steadfast Approach of an Oncoming Darkness by 2bee (T, 7,772 w. || Apocalypse, Minor Character Death, Sort of Parentlock) – The world is ending. Not fast, but slowly, like falling asleep with a fever.

When Evening Falls So Hard by Ballykissangel (K+, 8,251 || Heavy Angst, Hurt, Comfort, No Slash) – All the kings horses, all the kings men couldn’t put John Watson and Sherlock Holmes back together again. Post reichenbach prequel to We Might Not Make It Home. Returning Sherlock never dreamed they would end like this, he never thought he would be watching a shattered John standing on the roof edge of Barts leaving a death note as Sherlock begs him not to jump.

Galapogos by anchors (E, 8,460 w. || Hurt/Comfort, Angst, 5 and 1, John Whump) – Somewhere in the depths of the universe, and somewhere in the middle of Sherlock’s chest, a star goes into supernova.

In The End by whitchry9 (K+, 9,677 w. || Memento Fusion || Amnesia, Growing Old, Hurt / Comfort, Friendship, Heavy Angst) – When a brain injury leaves Sherlock unable to make new memories, John wonders how Sherlock will cope, and what it will mean for The Work and their life. Because after all, how can you live if you can’t feel time passing?

We Might Not Make It Home by Ballykissangel (K+, 10,702 || Angst, Hurt/Comfort, No Slash) – A few months later they are on a case that has gone horribly wrong They find themselves gravely wounded and locked in a cellar Holding onto to each other and trying their best to stay alive Sherlock can’t bring himself to say another goodbye to his dying friend and John can’t find the will to live anymore and just wants to stop hurting. Sequel to When Evening Falls So Hard.

Where the Sun Never Shines by teahigh (T, 11,634 w. || PTSD, Nightmares, H/C, Post-TRF, Implied Sex) – John is a mess. Sherlock can’t fix him, but he tries. That’s good enough, John thinks.

Software Malfunction by tiger_in_the_flightdeck (E, 16,679 w. || Android Sherlock, Love Story, Unhappy Ending, Angst) – “You think I can’t love you? Just because you’re made with metal, and detailed programming?” The doctor propped himself on his elbow, and looked down at it. “I am nothing but blood and bone, and tissue. Things just managed get mashed together in a manner that made me like this. Just like you were put together to make you how you are. When I kiss you-” he did so, briefly, to prove his point. Then more deeply, and lingering, because he could. “When I touch you, or smile at you, does it make you feel different from when others have done it in the past?”

Six Months by dreamergirl090 (T, 16,978 w, Angst, Friendship, Major Character Death) – John doesn’t show up to a crime scene. Lestrade wonders if John and Sherlock had a row. Molly knows it’s more complicated than that. This is a beautifully painful fic about John and Sherlock finding each other at the end.

Sherlock’s Head, John’s Heart by Altego (T, 17,252 w. || Tragedy, Heavy Angst, Heavy Bromance, Sherlock’s Mind Palace, Mary is Nice, Friendship) – After Mary dies, John tries to cope, and Sherlock blames himself but tries to make John understand how important John is in his life.

Checkmate to a Castled King by LaSuen (T, 18,290 w. || Friendship, Hurt / Comfort, Sick Sherlock, Heavy Angst) - John dies. Or at least everyone thinks he does.

The dying Doctor by marylouleach (T, 21,168 w. || Hurt/Comfort, Friendship, John Whump) – Doctor Watson is gunned down in a dark alley after work, Sherlock wont rest until he finds the man responsible. Guilt riddles him when he realizes he could have prevented this.

When to Let Go by KendylGirl (M, 22,109 w. || Friends to Lovers, Reverse Reichenbach, Sacrifice, Forgiveness, Angst, Love, Implied Drug Use) – What if it were John who had to die to thwart Moriarty’s plans? John’s supposed death shatters Sherlock, and when he returns, it will challenge the pair to forge a path of forgiveness, to peace, and to find a way back to each other. Part 1 of When to Let Go

You Have Drawn Red From My Hands by J_Baillier (T, 67,085 w. || Three Garridebs, Heavy John Whump, Hurt / Comfort, Pining, Heavy Angst, Case Fic/Adventure, Slow Burn, Sick Fic, Injury, Guilt & Depression, Just Talk Already Please, Medical Realism, PTSD) – John getting injured leads Sherlock on a path of guilt and revelations.

Not Broken, Just Bent by Schmiezi (E, 87,585 w. || Pining, Love Confessions, Torture, Hurt/Comfort, Heavy Angst, Villain!Mary, Suicidal Ideations, Main Character Death, Sherlock POV, Eventual Happy Ending) �� “For a second, I allow myself to remember teaching John how to waltz. There is a special room in my mind palace for it. A big one, with a proper parquet dance floor. For a second, I go there. I remember holding him, closer than the World Dance Council asks for, excusing it with the fact that we are training for a wedding, not for a competition. For a second, I feel his hand on mine again, smell his sweat, hear the song we used. For a second, I allow myself to love him deeply. For a second, only a second, that love reflects on my face.” Fix-it for S3, starting at the end of TSoT. Evil Mary.

If you want something softer but still tearful:

Pining Sherlock [MOBILE FRIENDLY VERSION]

John Realizes How Important Sherlock is To Him

John Marries and Sherlock Admits his Feelings

Kidnapping, Hostage, & Stalking

John During the Hiatus

Angst With a Happy Ending

Letters from Sherlock After the Fall

Angsty Fluff

Hope you enjoy!

#steph replies #death fics #johnlock fic recs #angst fics #major character death #my fic recs #Anonymous

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johnwickb1tsch · 10 months ago

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bittersweet ~ a yandere!John Wick x fem!reader sunshine/grump coffee shop AU... Part 1

-Imagine that after John Wick wins his freedom from the High Table, he [re]retires to your sleepy little mountain town, where you work in a coffee shop...

-Your quaint little town tucked in the mountains is the kind of place people go to get away from it all, and you can’t help but wonder what Mr. Wick is running from. He is an unfairly handsome man. You nearly make a huge fucking fool of yourself, the first time he approaches your counter, so taken that you could hardly speak. For all his good looks there is something compellingly melancholy about him. You see it in his soulful dark eyes, and the set of his shoulders. You can see this man carries a weight beyond what anyone of his years should bear.

-He becomes a regular at your little coffee shop, and you get over your shyness with him. He’s soft spoken, sometimes a little grumpy, but usually impeccably courteous compared to some of your unbearably entitled clientele visiting from the Big City for the ski resort or the hiking. He never orders anything fancy, just black coffee, and he likes to stay for an hour or so in the cozy cabin atmosphere of your shop. He favors a corner table tucked in the back by the river-stone fireplace, usually reading an old book, though sometimes you think he just sits, his attention fixed beyond the page he’s on, eyes not really seeing the room.

-You manage not to stare too hard, when you see him without gloves for the first time, and realize he is missing his left ring finger. You are not repulsed. You just wonder what happened to him.

-In time you notice he barely touches his unadorned coffee, and you wonder if he even likes it. You don't know where you get the cheek to tease this so-serious man. “Do you just order it like that to match your clothes?” You’ve never seen him in anything but head to toe black.

At first he looks at you as though you have grown a second head. Then he answers, completely dead pan, “Maybe it matches my soul.”

You snort with laugher, not believing him.

Maybe you should have, looking back.

“Sure, Mr. Wick.”

The next day you surprise him with a cup of something you concocted with him in mind. It's nothing too scathingly original. Just a dark chocolate mocha, with a splash of hazelnut, and just a bit of steamed cream. “Try this,” you say, setting it on his table totally unsolicited. You feel validated, for he's barely touched his black coffee again.

“What is it?” he asks, peering at it suspiciously.

“I just think you might need something a little sweet.”

He looks up at you through his long hair, and you don't know why, but a little chill runs down your spine. It's not fear, exactly. It's like walking in the woods, and stumbling on a powerful animal on the trail. Something that maybe could eat you, if it chose, but instead just disappears back into the dark trees.

You do not pester him anymore that day, even if it is the highlight of your shift sometimes. But when you go to clean up his dishes you do notice the cup you gave him is empty.

He doesn’t come in for almost a week after that, and you fear that maybe you were too pushy and pissed him off with your boldness.

Maybe it's a little pathetic, the way your heart leaps when he walks through the door again.

“I’ll have…whatever that thing was you made the other day.”

You try not to gloat, but your lips twist in a smile.

-It becomes your little mission in life to make this man smile, and if just the corner of his mouth ticks up at some point during his visit you feel as though you’ve accomplished a good thing.

Maybe it’s totally a cliché, but you’re an artist, and when you’re not making coffee, or cleaning up coffee, you draw bright designs on the chalkboard around the menu with your pastels. You make elaborate landscapes and art nouveau maidens inspired by Mucha. People in town seem to enjoy your weekly designs, which is nice, even if it’s not entirely the recognition you crave. Four years of art school just to doodle on the chalkboard, you can hear your father say. He’s not wrong, but it still stings.

One day, you sketch Mr. Wick reading in the corner on the back of a discarded receipt. He is…such a lovely man. When you walk past you slip it on the table for him. You don’t let yourself watch his reaction. If you had, you would have seen his expression soften, the stony façade cracking even if just for a moment.

Is this how you see him? Not some broken down old man, the way he absolutely feels after his war with the High Table, but something…not unpleasant to look at.

You don’t know it at the time, but this is the action that sets off an avalanche. You wake a sleeping beast in him, and a dark obsession begins to kindle.

#john wick #john wick x reader #john wick x you #john wick x y/n #keanu reeves x reader #john wick imagine #yandere john wick #yandere! john wick #coffee shop au #keanu reeves #in which the author skips off to hell...#the people have spoken!#john wick fic #bittersweet john wick imagine

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dofthea · 8 years ago

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Welcome back to Top Ten Tuesday!

For those who don’t know, the Top Ten Tuesday Tag is hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.

10. Batgirl of Burnside – Cameron Stewart

Brenden Fletcher, Jared K. Fletcher (Letterer), Maris Wicks (Colorist), Babs Tarr (Illustrator)

Batgirl of Burnside split the DC readership right down the middle. People either really liked it or they didn’t. I really enjoyed it. This version of Batgirl was marketed towards the #millennials with the narrative focusing around social media, online dating and identity. The story was small and personal, making it a nice break from the large scale narratives happening in the rest of the DCU.

The art is also worth mentioning. It’s bright, expressive and eye catching. If you’re looking for a quick fun read than I suggest you pick up this Batgirl run.

Check out our review of Volume One of Batgirl of Burnside here.

9. Watchmen – Alan Moore

When people are arguing whether comics are capital “L” literature, Watchmen is the comic that most people bring up. The first time I read this book I had a hard time getting into it, I think I was too young. When I picked it up for a university course years later I fell completely and totally in love.

Both a super hero story and a critique on the nature of superhero stories, Watchmen is beautifully put together. The twelve part follows a now disbanded team of vigilantes who are being picked off one by one by an assassin. Watchmen uses the panel structure and page layout as much as it uses dialogue and images to tell its story. Because of that Watchmen is a highly structured and stylized book.

This comic series is not perfect and I’ve been throwing around the idea of doing a series of posts analyzing it. Maybe I’ll get to it. Someday. Hopefully.

8. Batwoman – J.H. Williams III (Writer, Illustrator), W. Haden Blackman (Writer), Amy Reeder (Illustrator), Richard Friend (Illustrator), Dave Stewart (Colourist)

The art in Batwoman is breathtaking.

The series follows Kate Kane as she returns to Gotham City. Kane needs to find a way to balance her social life (a new romance) and her life as a crime fighting caped crusader. It doesn’t help that the woman that Kane is interested in also happens to be one of the police officers trying to track Batwoman down.

Volume One: Hydrology was my first ever introduction to the character and I fell in love with her instantly. A little more stylized and dreamlike than her male counterpart, Batwoman is perfect for anyone who is looking for a little bit more magic and monsters in their superhero stories.

7. Hark A Vagrant – Kate Beaton

Kate Beaton makes funny comics based off of history, literature, art, or whatever strikes her fancy. Her work never fails to make me laugh. I suggest picking up her two collections Hark a Vagrant and Step Aside Pops and binge read them. You’re going to laugh so hard it’s going to hurt.

At the time of writing this post, Beaton is on hiatus as she finishes up a graphic novel. But you can check out her comic archives on her website.

6. Hellblazer

John Constantine is a magician and a bastard and I love him.

My father introduced me to Hellblazer when I was a teenager and I started following the story religiously. His original run ended in February 2013, but since has been rebooted twice.

Constantine combines two of my greatest loves: magic and hard boiled detective fiction. This is a man that is followed by constant pain, especially when he attempts to do right by others. His past is always coming back to haunt him. Hellblazer is able to walk the line between the superhero story and the cosmic horror story.

My favourite issue of Hellblazer “On the Beach” can be found in the Volume 2: The Devil You Know. In it, Constantine tries to spend a relaxing day at the beach, but things go from wrong to weird when a nearby nuclear plant goes critical…

5. Locke and Key – Joe Hill & Gabriel Rodríguez

I discovered Locke and Key after reading Joe Hill’s novel Horns. Locke and Key follows three siblings who move into an old house after the death of their father. In the house they discover magical keys that do different things and can give them different abilities. They also discover that their family’s past might be a little darker than they ever imagined. Locke and Key is both a heartfelt story about growing up and the loss of innocence. It’s also really creepy.

If you’re a fan of dark fantasy, then this might be your cup of tea. The story starts out strong and has one of the most satisfying conclusions I have ever come across for a comic. The art is pretty rad as well.

Locke and Key is supposedly being adapted into a film trilogy, so here’d hoping that actually happens.

4. The Mighty Thor – Jason Aaron (Writer), Russell Dauterman (Illustrator), Jorge Molina(Illustrator)

Thor is no longer worthy and cannot bare Mjölnir. But, when the Frost Giants invade earth an unknown woman takes up the hammer to defend humanity. Who is this new Thor? Not only does she have to defend the earth from the usual rogue gallery, but from Odin who is insulted by her existence.

The female run of Thor has been a lot of fun. I was originally worried that this was going to be a short lived gimmick and I’m glad to see that I was wrong. At the time of writing this post our Lady Goddess is still going strong.

Check out our reviews for The Goddess of Thunder, Who Holds the Hammer and Thunder in Her Veins.

3. Rat Queens – Kurtis J. Wiebe

Rat Queens follows four badass female adventurers living in a fantasy world. They’re crude, they’re hysterical and they feel like they’re your best friends.

The series has been rocked by controversy when it came out that artist and Rat Queens co-creator Roc Upchurch was arrests for domestic abuse against his wife. Which was then followed up by a weak self destruction of a third story arc.

Creator Kurtis J. Wiebe is rebooting the series. So hopefully good things will be in the future for our favourite adventurers. I’m hopeful. I miss them.

Check out our reviews of Volumes One & Two and Volume Three

2. Monstress – Marjorie M. Liu (Writer), Sana Takeda (Artist), Rus Wooton (Letterer)

Monstress manages to combine mythology, steampunk and cosmic horror wrapped up in a beautiful art deco style. Every single panel in this book could be framed and hung on a wall.

The comic follows Maika, as she tries to solve the mystery of her past and the connection she possesses with a demonic force. In the first volume, Monstress hints at a grand story set against a complicated world. This is one of those books that the less you know, the more fun you will have reading it. So check it out, you won’t be disappointed.

Check out our review of Monstress here.

1. Sandman – Neil Gaiman

Sandman was the comic that made me love comics again. With Sandman, Neil Gaiman blends mythology, superheroes, literature and religion into a complicated and beautiful story. Sandman follows Morpheus the Lord of Dreams, who at the beginning of the narrative has been captured by a cult who had laid a trap for Death. As the series progresses, Morpheus has to come to terms with his past decisions, the changing world around him and most importantly himself.

The art of Sandman varies from issue to issue which helps add to it’s dreamlike quality.

Sandman is my favourite comic of all time, but if I had to choose one issue to focus on it would be Desire from The Endless Nights mini series. It’s beautiful and bittersweet and gets to me every time I read it.

This list was long overdue, but a lot of fun to put together. I love comics and am always looking for new series to follow! if you have any to recommend send them my way. But until next time and next Tuesday (whenever that is) happy reading!

#death of the author #sandman #batgirl #comics #locke and key #batgirl of burnside #graphic novels #monstress #kate beaton #hark a vagrant #rat queens #thor #john constatine #hellblazer #batwoman #watchman

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themovieblogonline · 4 months ago

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Ballerina: John Wick Spinoff Faces Challenges but Offers Hope

Well, folks, it looks like the John Wick universe is getting a spin-off, and it's called Ballerina. But hold your applause, because this one’s been hitting some sour notes. Starring the talented Ana de Armas, Ballerina was supposed to be a thrilling new chapter in the Wick-verse. Instead, early screenings have been more of a stumble than a pirouette. Ballerina Movie is set to follow a female assassin, played by de Armas, within the world of John Wick. Imagine all the high-octane action and stylish gunfights but with a dash of grace and elegance. Sounds promising, right? Well, the reality seems a bit messier. Reports are saying it’s more of a “borderline imitation” of the original Wick films, but with a tone that’s all over the place. The Production Rumors The film has faced quite a journey. Originally slated for a June 7, 2024 release, Ballerina got pushed back to June 6, 2025. That’s a whole year’s delay, which usually means something’s up. Enter Chad Stahelski, the mastermind behind the John Wick franchise. He’s been called in to oversee production and even directed some new action sequences. Apparently, the movie needed a bit of a rescue mission. Let’s not forget the additional cast members who joined during these “new shoots.” Yes, they added new characters late in the game. David Castañeda and Sharon Duncan-Brewster are the fresh faces we’ll see in this chaotic ballet. Ian McShane, reprising his role as Winston, didn't hold back on his thoughts. On BBC’s The One Show, he mentioned that the reshoots were more like “newshoots.” Ouch. Stahelski stepped in, supposedly to salvage what he could and protect the franchise. With Ballerina described as tonally inconsistent and poorly directed, it sounds like they had a lot to fix. The film, which began production in November 2022, hit post-production by February 2023. But given the disastrous screening, more reshoots might be in the cards. Lionsgate certainly can’t afford to release a dud, especially with a franchise as beloved as John Wick. Despite the turmoil, there are reasons to be hopeful. Ana de Armas is a rising star, and with legends like Anjelica Huston and Ian McShane on board, the cast is solid. Plus, this film features the late Lance Reddick’s final performance as Charon, adding a bittersweet note to its release. And let’s not forget the cameo from Keanu Reeves himself. A Brief History of the John Wick Franchise The John Wick franchise kicked off in 2014 with Keanu Reeves as the titular character, a retired hitman seeking vengeance for the death of his dog. The film’s unique blend of stylized action, intricate world-building, and Reeves’ performance struck a chord with audiences. It spawned sequels that expanded the lore, introduced memorable characters, and raised the stakes. Directed by Chad Stahelski, the series is known for its top-notch choreography and relentless pace. As the franchise grew, it became a cultural phenomenon, leading to spin-offs like Ballerina and other upcoming projects. Read the full article

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carolap53 · 3 years ago

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Prepare the Way “He will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God, and he will go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready for the Lord a people prepared.” (Luke 1:16–17)

What John the Baptist did for Israel, Advent can do for us. Don’t let Christmas find you unprepared. I mean spiritually unprepared. Its joy and impact will be so much greater if you are ready!

That you might be prepared . . .

First, meditate on the fact that we need a Savior. Christmas is an indictment before it becomes a delight. It will not have its intended effect until we feel desperately the need for a Savior. Let these short Advent meditations help awaken in you a bittersweet sense of need for the Savior.

Second, engage in sober self-examination. Advent is to Christmas what Lent is to Easter. “Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting!” Let every heart prepare him room . . . by cleaning house.

Third, build God-centered anticipation and expectancy and excitement into your home — especially for the children. If you are excited about Christ, they will be too. If you can only make Christmas exciting with material things, how will the children get a thirst for God? Bend the efforts of your imagination to make the wonder of the King’s arrival visible for the children.

Fourth, be much in the Scriptures, and memorize the great passages! “Is not my word like fire, says the Lord!” Gather ‘round that fire this Advent season. It is warm. It is sparkling with colors of grace. It is healing for a thousand hurts. It is light for dark nights.

John Piper

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curdinway-blog · 5 years ago

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Top 102 Movies of the 2010’s, According to a Crackpot

I’ve decided to try the impossible.

The seed for this idea came from Polygon. The site ran an article by which various staff members ranked their top ten movies for the decade. Naturally, that got me thinking about MY top ten films for the decade. Then I realized I hadn’t seen most Oscar winners, let alone enough movies to qualify to make a list. Then I realized I would have much, MUCH more than ten movies in my list.

Thus, I embarked on a madman’s dream. It involved crunching movie after movie after movie, then trying to hopelessly rank it on my list if I thought it was good enough. I missed my own deadline of New Year’s. Now, I am releasing this on my next deadline: The Oscars. Literally now, when they are already underway.

I hope you will read this list with some forgiveness in your hearts. Biting off more than you can chew doesn’t describe it. There are a whole host of movies I wanted to see before I made this list I haven’t gotten to and probably never will. There are many movies on this list I saw close to a decade ago and am trying to place in a ranking against pieces I just saw a few days ago. Oh, and I’m comparing across genres and types. What I’m trying to say is, this list is probably going to suck in a lot of ways.

With that being said, I really did try to rank the following to the very best of my ability. I racked my brains, racked them, and racked them again. Ultimately, I made my decisions from a whole host of criteria, ranging from everything from pacing, to various aspects of entertainment value, to complexity/themes, to cinematography. I tried to be objective as much as possible, but I also think that how much you like a movie should be considered a piece of criteria as well. After all, that’s primarily why we go to the movies; we want to have a good time. As such, expect to see a lot of science-fiction and animation of this list. In my defense, it was a great decade for each.

And now…without further ado…let me introduce…The Top 102 Films of the 2010’s, According to a Crackpot!

102. Live Die Repeat: Edge of Tomorrow

Starship Troopers meets Groundhog Day, Live Die Repeat is a well-executed mecha-battle movie with a wrinkle of time-travel tossed in for good measure.

101. Wreck-It Ralph: Ralph Breaks the Internet

It may not be as good as the original, but Wreck-It Ralph 2 makes the grade with some cunning swipes at internet culture, the world’s best worst Disney Princess song, and bittersweet revelations about what it means to be a true friend.

100. Mirai

Few films truly approach their story from a child’s perspective; but in tone, structuring, and imagination, Mirai lets us see again through young eyes. Director Mamoru Hosoda uses time travel as a vehicle for exploration of deeply personal familial relationships, and how they shape us into the people we become.

99. The Last Gold

The Last Gold is an unheralded little gem about a quartet of female US Olympic swimmers who found themselves competing in an impossibly frustrating and unfair situation; the 1976 Olympics. As East German swimmers swept podium after podium (with the aid of a systematic doping program), the US Women’s team faced intense public criticism, especially phenom Shirley Babashoff, who could have been the female Mark Spitz if not for the rampant cheating going on. Largely forgotten and regarded as a disappointment by the American public, The Last Gold illustrates the team as one worth remembering and dignifying; in particular, for their final, desperate effort at gold in the 4 x 100 m freestyle relay.

98. Mad Max: Fury Road

Pretty much nonstop surreal nutty action, Mad Max surely has some of the most creative and tricky stunts done in the past decade.

97. The Amazing Spiderman

Utterly forgotten in the wake of its more successful follow-ups (and predecessors, for that matter), The Amazing Spiderman is nonetheless a solid reboot of some well-worn material. The concept behind Spidey’s origin is well-thought out and original, and ties directly to an interesting villain who is more the victim of his own genius than the archetype evil megalomaniac.

96. Doctor Strange

Doctor Strange marks itself as unique among the various Marvel offerings by pondering nothing less than the meaning of life… and overloading us with psychedelic, Inception-esque imagery.

95. Concussion

Featuring a terrific and vocally unrecognizable Will Smith, Concussion asks not only some difficult questions about the country’s (and my own) favorite sport, but also some difficult questions about what it means to be an American.

94. The Big Sick

I’m not a big rom-com guy, but The Big Sick won me over by creating romantic tensions from realistic scenarios; in particular, the difficulties that arise from differences in race and religion. The film’s awkward sense of humor is well-incorporated, making this a funny movie as well as an intelligent one.

93. Bridesmaids

A funny movie about friendships and change (anchored by an excellently tragicomic Kristen Wiig), Bridesmaids showed the Judd Apatow formula could work on equal terms for the female sex.

92. 50/50

50/50 tackled the cancer movie with an unusual slant of good humor, and chased it down with heartfelt drama and good performances.

91. Hanna

In which a supergirl Saoirse Ronan (pre-fame and accolades) is honed into an assassin by her father so that she can kill a wicked, hammy CIA operative Cate Blanchett before the agency gets to her first. If you ever wanted to see a small girl beating thugs to death with her bare fists in the style of Jason Bourne, this one’s for you. Loads of fun, totally bananas, and dripping with cool.

90. Hunger Games

More or less a faithful adaptation of a literary bestseller, Hunger Games nonetheless deserves credit for doing the job right. The cinematics and ideas here are very nice for a teen blockbuster, and Jennifer Lawrence rightfully turned into a star for BEING Katniss Everdeen.

89. What We Do in the Shadows

Quirky, subversive, hilarious, and utterly “New Zealand”, What We Do in the Shadows made vampires and werewolves funny again…in a good way.

88. Icarus

An accidental documentary seemingly spurred on by fate, Icarus is about the creep of misinformation and deception into every aspect of our lives, even sports, by the unscrupulous and powerful.

87. Prometheus

A film I absolutely adored the first time around, but toned down my enthusiasm for with a more critical eye to detail. Nevertheless, Prometheus should be appreciated for its immense scale of ambition and huge open-ended philosophical questions; it should also be appreciated for throwing a veritable kitchen sink of full of campy horrors at its viewers, including a crazy autosurgery scene.

86. 10 Cloverfield Lane

10 Cloverfield Lane flies high on its simplicity. Three main actors, one small doomsday shelter, and loads of palm-sweating, stomach-clenching, double-guessing suspense. John Goodman, you so craaaaazy.

85. Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them

Give J.K. Rowling credit for not making this a cynical cash grab; the writing in Fantastic Beasts is actually delightful. There is a strong balance here between the sweet magical whimsy going on and some dark, brooding commentaries on American society. A strong cast of endearing characters rounds out a very robust entry in the Harry Potter series.

84. How to Train Your Dragon II

A very good sequel to a classic, HTTYD II still provides the acrobatic, dragon-flying goods, even as it steers us into a troubling, thought-provoking battle between might and right, fixed circumstances and free will.

83. The Big Short

While Inside Job will always remain the definitive work on the maddening 2008 financial collapse, The Big Short is a strong effort featuring intimate inside perspectives of the actual people who did the dynamiting. A slick sense of humor and a celebrity all-star team intent on ripping Wall Street a new one makes this film a winner.

82. Captain America: Civil War

Cap: Civil War is noteworthy in that it makes civilian collateral damage the primary fulcrum and conflict of a superhero movie. It is also a bit of a “mini-Avengers” that successfully incorporates some slam dunk additions to the team; then pits them against each other.

81. Get Out

One of the decade’s cleverest and most ambitious horror flicks, Get Out shows how the sum of a million little microaggressions equates to something very ugly indeed.

80. The Hateful Eight

A slow-burner as far as Tarantino films go, The Hateful Eight is an interesting social play interspersed with exaggerated violence and profanity; a commentary on how our nation was forged in the fires of overcoming racial and societal differences.

79. The Hunger Games: Catching Fire

Catching Fire does what all good sequels aim to do; take the appealing constructs of the original film and pump them up on steroids. Everything the Hunger Games did, Catching Fire does bigger, badder, and better.

78. Big Hero 6

A weeaboo’s dream, a great superhero flick, and a gentle meditation upon loss and healthy grieving, Big Hero 6 is a very entertaining film with a big heart and a wonderfully plush-looking buddy robot.

77. Mary and the Witch’s Flower

Mary and the Witch’s Flower is a Studio Ghibli flick, helmed by Studio Ghibli animators…under a non- Ghibli studio. Here are all the familiar beats we love as viewers; the weird, wonderful setting (a school of sorcery for talented children), abuses on the natural world wrought by technology and ambition, and a delightfully ordinary red-headed girl who must think on her feet and grow if she is to survive. Harry Potter crossed with Miyazaki…who could ever resist that?

76. Avengers: Infinity War

The key to Infinity War’s successes is Thanos. The Mad Titan had been waiting in the shadows for most of MCU’s run during the past decade; in Infinity War, we finally see him in the formidable flesh. At once terrifying and tragic, Thanos is the most iconic villain of the 2010’s; a villain finally worth pitting an entire squad of heroes against, and perhaps, more than a match for all of them. The film’s shocking ending and willingness to go to darker places makes this movie MCU’s The Empire Strikes Back.

75. Alien: Covenant

Man, did Covenant get a bad rap. Audience members branded its characters stupid, its monsters unscary, and its premise a letdown from Prometheus. They were wrong on every count. The characters of Covenant act as normal explorers should; not as we, in all of our omniscient wisdom, should advise them to. The monsters are absolutely bloodcurdling; truly nasty, unrelenting creatures which are content to flay their victims alive if they cannot kill them outright. And the story did not answer many of Prometheus’s big questions because it was simply better and more interesting than that. I posit the reason Covenant was such a flop is not any failure on its part, but rather a failure of audiences’ openmindedness and tolerance for the macabre. Alien: Covenant is the best Alien movie since at least Aliens; a pitch-black, bordering on nihilistic tale of bad things happening to good people. It is also a successful conglomeration of the various qualities of Alien, Aliens, and Prometheus, and a fascinating cross-examination of an android who is too human for his own (or anybody’s) good.

74. The Shape of Water

Amélie meets The Swamp Thing, The Shape of Water is an odd, intriguing romantic Cold War thriller that celebrates those members of society who are ostracized, marginalized, or cast aside.

73. ParaNorman

Funny, scary, and important, Paranorman is a spooky, kid-friendly take on tolerance and the price of ignorance.

72. Gasland

By all practical accounts, Gasland is horrifying. This is a film that shows the surreal consequences of free-for-all fracking; water that can be set on fire, air pollution that exceeds 100x the safe limit for some toxins around fracking wells, and literal poisoning of wildlife and residents via breathing, drinking, and skin absorption. While all of this content would make for a great documentary, it is banjo-pickin’, easy-going filmmaker Josh Fox who makes this film even better. His heartfelt personal accounts and willingness to stand aside and let the victims speak for themselves gives this documentary a warmth and decency usually missing from such explosive exposés.

71. Wreck-It Ralph

A hilarious mash-up of video games and memorable arcade characters, Wreck-It Ralph manages to stay clever, hip, and inventive the whole way, even as it plays expertly off audience nostalgia.

70. Green Book

Thanks in large part to its pair of terrific leads, Green Book manages to be an uproariously entertaining road trip buddy movie; even as it brings to light the racial problems which existed (and continue to exist) in America.

69. Scott Pilgrim vs The World

Possibly the most Millennial film ever made, Scott Pilgrim is a busy, delicious barrage of video games, garage bands, pop culture references, and comics. Intricately detailed and gut-bustingly funny, Scott Pilgrim’s supply of visual gags and uber-referential one-liners is practically (turns 8 sideways on fridge) infinite.

68. Captain America: The Winter Soldier

Winter Soldier is high-tier MCU. The electric superhero proceedings benefit from a deliciously twisty plot, and a surprising injection of sharp political commentary.

67. Dunkirk

One of the most viscerally intense PG-13 movies ever, Christopher Nolan’s war epic is a nightmarish tour-de-force that places viewers directly in enemy crosshairs. In typical Nolanian fashion, however, this is also high-brow, intellectually stimulating fare. There is not only the logistical puzzle at play of how to successfully evacuate 300,000 plus English soldiers from the French coast; Dunkirk understands warfare as a product of two extreme and opposite polarities of human nature. War cannot be waged without nasty, selfish streaks of human survival, as there will simply be no one left to fight it; neither can it be won without remarkable acts of courage and willing sacrifice.

66. Blackfish

Deeply troubling and disturbing, Blackfish shows what happens when you take the most intelligent and sensitive animals in the world besides us and confine them in a bathtub for their entire lives. A stirring call for respect for nature, and a long-running tally of SeaWorld’s sins, Blackfish is a must-see documentary.

65. Contagion

Contagion is one of the decade’s scariest films. After all, murdering mask-wearing lunatics and supernatural bumps in the night can be discounted as a trick behind the camera; but the boogeyman in Contagion almost assuredly exists, a nuke buried somewhere in the bosom of Mother Nature. If we blunder into it, God help us all. The film’s chilly, distant demeanor and scientific accuracy (Contagion gets bonus points for being the most scientifically accurate movie of all time) makes its depiction of a modern plague frighteningly plausible; its fixations on points of transfer are enough to convince anyone to wash their hands twice.

64. How to Train Your Dragon

One of the best movies to ever exit out the Dreamworks pipeline, HTTYD is an excellent parable about hate and jingoism, wrapped up in an exhilarating thrill ride that made us all want a Toothless of our own.

63. Restrepo

Restrepo is such a hard film to gauge. It doesn’t take aim at politics, or delve too deeply into the lives of its subjects; American soldiers in the Korangal Valley, Afghanistan. Restrepo is content to simply put us in their boots. Never has combat been so realistically brought to the American doorstep. In Restrepo, one can see the terror of death, the adrenaline hit of downing an enemy, the tomfoolery of kids messing around with one another in between bouts of fighting for their lives. This is the pure essence of modern war; in its DNA, one can see what so many directors of fiction have been trying to recapture in their work. Restrepo is a remarkable and dangerous accomplishment; an accomplishment that would eventually cost co-director Tim Hetherington his life while shooting a subsequent film in Libya.

62. Abominable

Dreamworks has been a rather lackluster studio in comparison to the rest of the industry. With that being said, it is more than capable of making great movies; and Abominable is right up there with the best the studio has ever made. This gorgeously made Asian-flavored film explores China as a meeting grounds of various philosophies; wealth and privilege versus working class, urban versus agrarian, East versus West, and how exploitation and cultural diffusion have reshaped life there. It is also simply a wonderful tale of an introverted girl who must travel to the Himalayas to deliver a magical yeti back to nature; and how that journey unlocks her ability to grieve and connect with others.

61. Winter’s Bone

Winter’s Bone is the movie that announced to the world that this Jennifer Lawrence person could act, I tell you h’what. This menacing coming-of-age journey through the Ozark drugscape shows the importance of family in such poor, isolated communities as something more than a cliché of hillbilly pride; it is actually a means to survival and redemption.

60. The Boy and the Beast

The Boy and the Beast can certainly be appreciated simply as a fantastical, colorful training/battle movie about an orphaned human boy and his cantankerous bear master. But it is as it dives deep into the complexity of the male mind that the film fascinates thematically and generates stirring emotional resonance. In particular, the film has something to say about the anger that can spur young men to violence, and the stabilizing force a mature male presence can have (but does not always have) on that anger. The benefits of fatherhood extend to father-figures as well, who become more emotionally aware and sensitive, and gain deeper meaning and fulfillment in their lives. Hosoda is truly one of the best directors working in animation today, and The Boy in the Beast is typically intelligent, thematically dense work from him.

59. The King’s Speech

A feel-good film done with classical style, The King’s Speech is an elegant, touching tale of friendship that will surely play well among lovers of The Royal Family.

58. The Artist

Thanks to rich visual storytelling and fantastic performances, this pre-talkie throwback hardly needs words to delight.

57. The Tale of Princess Kaguya

Isao Takahata’s final film The Tale of Princess Kaguya feels like a beautiful pastel picture book brought to life. At once a fable of ruinous greed, classism, and sexism, it is also a haunting soliloquy of love, nature, freedom, beauty, and death…all that makes life precious.

56. Kubo and the Two Strings

Kubo and the Two Strings makes me mad. Not because it is a bad film; far from it. I am angry because Kubo had everything going for it. It had big-name actors, it had effects which pushed stop-motion to its limits, it had a big marketing push in theaters to push viewership, it had great critical reviews. It was supposed to be Studio Laika’s crown jewel; the film that would win big at the box office and thrust the studio of perennial indie hits like Coraline and Paranorman into well-deserved limelight. And it was good. Like, really good!

Unfortunately, Kubo and the Two Strings flopped at the box office, for reasons I cannot imagine nor articulate in polite company. But it will get its due here; Kubo is a stop-motion masterpiece with rich, resonant themes and ground-breaking visual effects. It also has a rendition of “My Guitar Gently Weeps” on a Japanese samisen. So go see the damn thing.

55. The Wind Rises

We might be getting another Miyazaki film after all, but The Wind Rises was a fantastic send-off piece for anime’s most legendary director. This is a truly complex, mature film about the relation of beauty and art to woe and suffering, and a critical examination of the tunnel vision that often grips great artists.

54. Knives Out

A classic whodunit tweaked for the modern era, Knives Out balances its twisty mystery proceedings with some well-timed black humor and more than a few pokes at the wealthy elite.

53. Inside Job

A carefully researched and scathingly delivered incrimination of the greed that ruined a nation, Inside Job is one of the best documentaries of the era.

52. Hugo

A wondrous, Dickensian-tale of an orphan who lives in a Paris train station and discovers the secret of a mysterious automaton, Hugo is an intelligent, sensitive family picture and a touching love letter to early cinema.

51. Moonlight

Being different is hard, as I can say from firsthand experience. While I can hardly imagine what it is to be African-American or gay, let alone both at once, Moonlight offers some glimpse into that difficult reality. The film’s touching love story is a journey of self-acceptance and courage that is well worth seeing.

50. Tangled

Tangled was Disney’s announcement to the rest of the field that it was back, baby. After a period of shaky and poorly thought-out 3-D projects in the early 2000’s, Disney took a long, hard look at itself and identified what it did best, then brought out the best of those qualities in its witty, triumphant take on Rapunzel. Here are the songs, guffaws, villains, and magic we all love as fans, delivered perfectly into the next dimension.

49. Source Code

Groundhog Day via sci-fi thriller, Source Code is a clever, action-packed take on time travel, but also an emotionally investing take on what it means to live each day-and life-to the fullest.

48. Toy Story 4

Rarely has a sequel piece ever seemed as risky as Toy Story 4. The studio had its closing piece in Toy Story 3; a film I thought was respectable but not particularly interesting. But rather than let sleeping dogs lie, Pixar opted to throw that ending in the garbage…and pulled something far more bizarre and wonderful from the trash. Toy Story 4 is a wacky, existential riff that acknowledges the importance of family and responsibility in our lives, while simultaneously declaring that it is okay to value ourselves outside those traditional parameters.

47. Arrival

Arrival is hard science-fiction done exceedingly right. Depicting an extraterrestrial visitation across the globe, Arrival seems truly tangible in a way most alien films do not, down to the very form of its decidedly non-humanoid creatures. In vein of Contact or Interstellar, Arrival picks the brain and heartstrings with equal acumen, making it a lasting and valuable commodity to anyone’s sci-fi library.

46. Spiderman: Homecoming

Spiderman: Homecoming is the geekiest of Spiderpieces. This is the Spiderman where Spiderman is Go-Pro-ing himself before a big battle, or joining a quiz bowl team, or building a Lego Death Star with his nerdy confidante, complete with miniature Lego Palpatine. Light, refreshing, and utterly hilarious, Homecoming gets a lot of mileage out of Tom Holland’s awesome portrayal, and tells a simple, uncomplicated story that doesn’t impede the shenanigans.

45. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Pt. 2

Audiences were expecting a fireworks show for Deathly Hallows: Part II, and boy did they get one. A terrifically exciting heist sequence and a grand final battle made this the most epic and exciting entry in the Harry Potter canon. The culmination of carefully laid character arcs and sentimental links back to the series’ early days had fans smiling through their tears and punching their tickets to Platform 9 ¾ again and again. A splendidly satisfying sendoff.

44. Skyfall

Apparently, you can teach an old dog new tricks. Skyfall brought Bond into the new decade in style, modernizing and sharpening all its facets while remaining, yes, Bond. James Bond.

43. Argo

Argo is a rock-solid retelling of a tense CIA extraction op, hitched to the allure and wonder of good old-fashioned movie making.

42. Free Solo

Free Solo is a marvelous documentary, and I mean that quite literally. Marvel at the jaw-dropping heights depicted, marvel at the logistical challenges of filming a free climber without killing or distracting them (which would mean the same thing). But most of all, marvel at the huge cojones of subject Alex Honnold, as he attempts to climb the world’s largest rock wall; without the life-saving grace of a rope. As a thrill act, Free Solo is visceral and terrifying. But as a character study, it is equally fascinating. The same things which make Honnold such a one in a billion talent are the same things which cripple him emotionally and socially. Watching Honnold slowly start to conquer these own personal obstacles-even as he prepares for the physical obstacle of his life-is a truly satisfying experience.

41. The Lego Movie

Endlessly imaginative and hilariously subversive, The Lego Movie is not only a worthy standard-bearer of its iconic toy brand, but also a glorious celebration of creativity and free expression.

40. Snowpiercer

I’m gonna describe Snowpiercer using single word describers. Okay? Hilarious. Bloody. Ambitious. Tragic. Exhilarating. Revolutionary. F***ing insane. Okay, that last one was two words. How about amazing? Yeah. Amazing works. This dystopian satirical piece is a mad thrill ride on a runaway train through an environmentally wrecked world, and it is one of the craziest things I’ve ever loved in my life.

39. Moneyball

This movie is a sports genre gamechanger about a sports genre gamechanger; that is, the “Moneyball” strategy that forever changed the world of baseball evaluation. Watched purely on the terms of its baseball X’s and O’s, Moneyball succeeds. However, it is the tale of lovable loser Billy Beane, and the film’s assertion that winning comes second to loving yourself, that really turns this hit into a home run.

38. The Social Network

As eccentric and brilliant as its central genius, The Social Network depicts the synthesis of Facebook as an unflattering mirror for the site itself; that it is often driven by negative emotions of inadequacy, jealousy, and loneliness, and serves as a proxy for the real social interactions we require for fulfillment and happiness. Slickly edited, funny, and smart, this is one of the most iconic and generational films of the decade.

37. Gravity

The opening few minutes of Gravity is one of the most intense movie scenes not only of this decade, but of all time. From there, the tension just barely relents. Suspenseful and tightly-spun as a space survival story, Gravity is also a technical marvel which redefined zero-G cinema forever; and made us eternally thankful we are safely on the ground.

36. Beasts of the Southern Wild

Beasts of the Southern Wild is a ground-level view of poverty and climate change in the Mississippi River Delta region, seen through the eyes of a child. Quvenzhané Wallis brings her role to life with an incredible child performance, and lends this work a sense of deep intimacy and emotional resonance, even as it grasps at themes which are national to global in scale.

35. Incredibles 2

Incredibles 2 is one of Pixar’s best ever sequels. Here are the same witty, relatable family dynamics we fell in love with in Incredibles 1; but the superhero shenanigans have been one-upped and then some. In fact, Incredibles 2 has the best action sequences I have ever seen in a 3-D animated film. Add in a smart ideological battle between the current age’s (perhaps correct) cold cynicism and yesterday’s quixotic beliefs, and you have one of the best superhero movies ever, as well as a film that arguably beats out its OG.

34. Guardians of the Galaxy

I admit that from the film’s opening credits, where Chris Pratt canters across an alien planet to “Come and Get Your Love” and utilizes a scurrying lizard creature as his own personal microphone, that I was sold on Guardians of the Galaxy. This is one of those rare works like Shrek or Princess Bride that simultaneously skewers and elevates its genre; in this case, the old-timey B-movie science-fiction flick. A riotously funny movie that just doesn’t give a (expletive), Guardians of the Galaxy is also surprisingly poignant when it chooses to draw its eclectic bunch of outlaws into an impromptu family. This is absolutely one of the best films in the MCU.

33. Coco

A gorgeous, vibrant love letter to Mexico full of zesty music, Coco has some big things to say about art and its link to memory, and how exploitation can tarnish its beauty. Pixar has once again illustrated a remarkable ability to craft a world utterly original and believable in its own rich details and machinations; a world which sets a grand stage for its intimate story. It has also once again illustrated an ability to make us all cry our eyes out. Curse you, Pixar!

32. Her

The film that made a romance between an artificial intelligence and Joaquin Phoenix work somehow, Her is a thoughtful and sensitive film that expands our definition of love to encompass all levels of intimacy and circumstance. It is also, to my knowledge, the most gentle and hopeful AI movie ever made, and it deserves commendation for that.

31. Spotlight

Spotlight is a black hole. This film about the Boston Globe’s reporting on the Catholic Church’s coverup of child molestations by priests starts off slowly, then sucks you in more and more, gathering its mass until you are crushed under all the weight of deception, apathy, pain, and despair. I suppose this is also a strong allegory for the value of reporting or something like that, but frankly, I was too upset for most of the film’s duration to notice. As a lifelong Catholic, Spotlight made me feel utterly betrayed and angry; not only at the Church, but also at myself for sleeping at the wheel. This simply cannot happen again.

30. Citizenfour

Citizenfour qualifies as arguably the most important film of the decade. Laura Poitras’s documentary on government informant Edward Snowden is an intellectual horror flick; full of deserved paranoia, stunning overreaches of executive power, and spooky mirrors to the Orwellian nightmare of 1984. Citizenfour reveals how the alluring promise of the internet has betrayed us, and provided a means to the exponential surveillance of everyone in our supposedly free Western society.

29. Marvel’s The Avengers

Avengers seemed like a fantasy project when it was announced. How could anybody hope to make a movie about not one superhero, not two superheroes, but a whole team of them, without sacrificing narrative coherence, without losing sight of the big personalities at play? Joss Whedon proved such an all-star game could be possible, and somehow, work synergistically. This is one of the biggest popcorn movies ever, and it changed the expectations for superhero flicks towards bigger, grander, better. The success of Avengers also established MCU as the defining franchise of the 2010’s; and perhaps, beyond.

28. Inception

Inception’s script took Christopher Nolan 10 years to tweak, and watching the film you can believe it. This is a 3-D maze of a caper/heist movie, in which dreams form the substance of worlds stacked atop one another. It is a devilishly tricky exercise, but one that is done with the greatest precision and execution. Featuring impressive and trippy set-pieces, one of the generation’s best femme fatales, massively cerebral ideas, eerie atmosphere, and an insidious sense of ambiguity, Inception kept me awake for quite some time after I watched it at two in the morning.

27. Room

Focusing on a kidnapped mother and her young son Jack, who has only known captivity, Room could have been a very dark movie. Instead, it chooses to tack a different route; how do we survive trauma, both its initial effects and its aftermath, and triumph over it?

The film is sold by Brie Larson and Jacob Tremblay. Larson deservingly won an Oscar for her role; Tremblay’s performance is the best child performance I have ever seen. Together, they create a mother-son relationship that is utterly real and compelling. The film is also noteworthy for its camerawork, which is used very effectively to suggest changes in Jack’s worldview as he grows older.

26. Django Unchained

Brash, bold, and unapologetic, Django Unchained is a gloriously socially-conscious revenge fantasy. Featuring buckets of blood and Wild West shoot ‘em up gunfights against Klansmen and slave-holders, the film charts the course of a former slave on his way to rescue his sweetheart from the clutches of a diabolical slave owner.

25. Lincoln

Thanks to yet another star turn from acting legend Daniel Day-Lewis, Lincoln is a witty and warm biopic of one of our greatest presidents. It is also a glimmer of encouragement during the political gridlock and dysfunction of the early 2010’s. Rather than proving democracy does not work, Lincoln seems to argue, such issues are actually a sign of a functioning and healthy democracy. Our ability to disagree strongly with one another and come to imperfect compromises in order to solve our problems is our country’s greatest legacy. It was also the means to the passing of our noblest and most overdue piece of legislation: The 13th Amendment.

24. Won’t You Be My Neighbor?

Won’t You Be My Neighbor is, for me, the best documentary of the decade. Focusing on the extraordinary Mr. Fred Rogers, the film does a great job of humanizing Mr. Rogers; revealing his insecurities, relentless drive, and sly sense of humor (often through dream-like Daniel Tiger animated sequences) while demonstrating that yes, he really was that good of a person. As it progresses, the film grows increasingly melancholic and encompassing. The qualities Mr. Rogers stood for-namely, understanding, love, honesty, and respect-seem sorely lacking in today’s society. Even more distressingly, it would seem the saintly Rogers was beginning to have his own doubts about his life’s work as the cruelty and hate of the 21st century emerged in full on 9/11. Won’t You Be My Neighbor expresses human goodness as something fragile which must be fostered and prioritized by all of us if Mr. Rogers’ message is to mean something in our modern world.

23. Moana

Moana’s audiovisuals are off the charts amazing. The lush tropical landscapes and utterly lifelike oceans make this the most graphically impressive 3-D animated work I’ve ever seen. The soundtrack, partially composed by Lin-Manuel Miranda, stands as one of Disney’s best all time. But it is Moana herself, the titular princess, who stands as the film’s greatest game-changer. Realistically proportional, of Pacific Islander descent, and strong enough to carry a story without a love interest, Moana is a refreshingly modern character utterly in command of her own destiny. Add in a rich story steeped in Polynesian culture and veined with environmental undertones, and you get the new high bar for the Disney Princess Movie.

22. The Breadwinner

The Breadwinner is a testament that must be heard. Adapted by Cartoon Saloon from Deborah Ellis’s excellent book of the same name, the movie is a street-level account of Parvana, a young girl who goes undercover as a boy to feed her family in Taliban-era Afghanistan. The conditions portrayed are nearly unimaginable; imagine being a prisoner in your own home, only let out for reprieve under the supervision of a male guardian. Such was the reality of thousands of women and girls in Kabul as late as 2001. Cartoon Saloon drenches this film in a constant, lingering fear; at the same time, normalcy is depicted and triumphed. Siblings still squabble. Clothes are still washed, meals are still cooked and eaten, water is still fetched. Stories are still told. The Breadwinner is not just Parvana’s tale; it is the voice of the thousands who live in war-torn or oppressive societies worldwide, and yet still make their own brand of normalcy, still form expression and find joy. Their daily survival is an inspiration to us all; their story is to glimpse the resiliency and spark of the human spirit.

21. A Quiet Place

A Quiet Place is one of the most auspicious debuts I can remember. First time director John Krasinki makes his creature feature a masterwork of tension and clever sound editing, and crafts an indelible world where so much as a pin dropping puts everyone on pins and needles.

20. Inside Out

Pixar’s peek inside a child’s mind is a work of the utmost intelligence and sensitivity. Intuitive enough for even the youngest viewers to understand, yet nuanced enough to describe the transition of a human consciousness from child to adult with painful clarity, Inside Out is one of the studio’s very best features, and a strong defense of mental health and self-expression.

19. Your Name

For so long, director Makoto Shinkai was an exercise in frustration. 5 Centimeters Per Second was gorgeous. Garden of Words was the most visually stunning 2-D animation I had ever seen. And yet the writing was pedantic. The plot was tepid, the characters flat. I would watch these films, eye candy at its most pure and non-nutritional, and seethe that they were not better, that all that glorious potential was yet unrealized. And yet, I never stopped believing in the potential of Makoto Shinkai. One day, I reasoned, this guy was going to piece a story together with some semblance of care as he did his illustrations, and on that day something special would be born.

I saw Your Name just a short time ago. Of course it’s jaw-droppingly beautiful, that goes without saying. But here’s what else it is, folks: it’s funny. It’s heartwrenching. It’s suspenseful. It’s got plot twists. It’s got a story. And not just a good story, but a GREAT one.

I imagine watching this movie must be like watching your kid graduate high school. You forget all the mouthing off and dirty socks left all over the place and that fender bender with your new car, and just soak in the glow of that special moment you always believed would come. You couldn’t be happier. You couldn’t be prouder. And you know this is the beginning of something truly wonderful.

Congratulations, Mr. Shinkai. You did it, man.

18. Interstellar

The knock on Christopher Nolan was always that he had the heart of a robot and didn’t have strong female characters. Debate whether that is true of his other films, if you must; but not this one, because Interstellar is possibly the biggest tear-jerker in sci-fi history, and Jessica Chastain’s Murph is a bitter, brilliant centerpiece to it all. Interstellar stands tall as one of the best science-fiction films of the decade. It has strong, ambitious science wrapped in glorious visual effects, and is very quietly a solid piece of Americana, lovingly arrayed amidst America’s cornfields and dusty roads in a tribute to The Great Depression. Most of all, however, Interstellar is a wondrous joining of heart and intellect, a working theoretical thought experiment that demonstrates love is a force greater than gravity, space, time, or any other cosmic entity the universe may foist upon us.

17. The Force Awakens

While it is not number one on my list, perhaps no film brought me greater joy this decade than watching The Force Awakens during its Thursday night premiere. It was nothing less than the very Star Wars movie I had hoped and dreamed for as a kid. As a massively entertaining blockbuster surpassing huge expectations, Star Wars: The Force Awakens is terrific. As a perfect passing of torch from beloved old to promising new, it is an utter triumph.

16. Rogue One

Okay, is my bias showing yet?

Perhaps this is a bit steep for some people, but heck, when you are dealing with the second-best movie in one of Hollywood’s most beloved franchises, you have to give props where props are due. Rogue One is such a gamechanger for Star Wars. Its gritty, pulpy sense of realism seems peeled straight from a Star Wars comic book; its characters immediately strike as memorable, particularly K-2SO, who is like C-3PO if C-3PO got sent to prison and came back jacked. Rogue One also is important for its many departures from tradition. Many of the innovations credited to Episode VIII were done first-and done better-in this film. Rogue One is not afraid to show the rebellion in terms of moral gray; a shocking act shortly after the film’s opening establishes this and destroys the previous model of basic black and white good vs. evil. If Luke, Leia, and Han got to play the part of hero in A New Hope, then it was because there were elements in the Rebellion doing the dirty and morally-questionable grunt work shown here; Rogue One shows how the war was won.

Rogue One also introduces a few other themes riffed heavily by Episode VIII, including the idea that the Rebellion/Resistance is not a neat, idealistic counter to oppression but an uneasy conglomerate ravaged by internal conflict, and that force-sensitive people are not necessarily the product of hereditary chains of Jedi and Sith, but often sporadic and independent products of the Force. It is, on top of what it initiated, simply a well-paced and superbly-crafted piece of space opera. Rogue One has the best romance (besides Han and Leia) in Star Wars history, has hands-down THE BEST Vader scene ever filmed and another that is a classic in its own right, and has one heck of a villain in Director Krennic. Krennic is one of those mid-level bureaucrats that must have always existed for the Empire but which never received such deserved attention before; his position of weakness, coupled with burning ambition, makes him a hilariously pathetic figure, one you might begin to feel bad for were he not such a nasty piece of work. Even the soundtrack is great. Rogue One is a war film, and Michael Giacchino of Medal of Honor fame makes this sound like a war film, even though it also sounds very much like Star Wars. Ultimately, that’s what Rogue One is. It is a Star Wars film that manages to be a war film and everything else it wants to be terrifically well. To hell with it. I’m putting it this high. If you have a problem with Rogue One being the #16 movie on my list, you can go kiss a wampa’s backside.

15. Roma

Like its protagonist-a nanny to a wealthy family in 1970’s era Mexico-Roma is a film of marvelous patience and understated strength. Alfonso Cuarón’s otherworldly composition and autobiographical authenticity makes this movie a deeply complex take on class and gender, as well as a heartbreaking meditation on what it means to love and be part of a family.

14. Spiderman: Into the Spiderverse

Spiderverse was such a brilliant reimagination of what the superhero genre could be. Not only did it break convention by featuring an African-Hispanic-American kid as its protagonist; it prismed a classic Marvel character in danger of going stale into a delightful and zany spectrum. At once funny as hell and a poignant portrait of growing up as a minority in America, Spiderverse isn’t just the great animated Spiderman movie that nobody saw coming; it’s one of the best superhero movies ever made.

13. Baby Driver

Baby Driver is the coolest movie of the decade. The film centers around Baby, a gentle young getaway driver locked up in bad deals with bad hombres, motoring through traffic and criminal plots in an attempt to just get out and get his girl; but it is so much more than that. This is Tarantino, juiced up on Bullitt, playing in time to a nonstop eclectic jukebox. The dialogue is sharp and hilarious, the characters are all immediately memorable and lovable (even the baddies), and it should go without saying that the car chases are PHENOMENAL. This is entertainment on nitrous oxide.

12. Lady Bird

I did not go into Lady Bird expecting great things. Lady Bird is a family drama. I, for the record, do not like family dramas. But I liked this one. I liked this one a heck of a lot.

Lady Bird is told with so much humor and honesty about the mistakes we make as kids and parents. Struggles for independence and control, respectively, fuel furious arguments and alienation during the difficult period of adolescence. It is not until later that we gain the wisdom to understand why we fought and gain a richer understanding and appreciation of one another’s feelings. In Lady Bird, there is a key revelation regarding the girl and her mother that seems to unfold at the film’s close. It is a profound and emotionally resonant moment that brings the film around to a highly satisfying conclusion.

This movie is also one of the first “time capsule” pieces on the early 2000’s. As we grow older, I would expect more of these films to emerge, but as of right now Lady Bird is the only one that comes to mind. The film absolutely nails the sense of growing up in a troubled time; the Iraq War blares constantly on the news, full-time employment becomes a tenuous prospect no matter how qualified you are, and gay rights are still something very much in infancy. Lady Bird plays out its teenage struggles against this backdrop, showing how such crises were navigated, albeit painfully sometimes, and overcome. Few films have been so well-rounded, nuanced, and well-crafted this decade.

11. Song of the Sea

If you are unaware of the name Tomm Moore, it may be time to become acquainted, as the guy has been killing animation since he first stepped onto the scene with Secret of Kells in 2009. It is no exaggeration to call him the Irish Miyazaki; and Song of the Sea his Spirited Away. Like that film, there is a deeply human story to be told, but it is all dressed up in fantastical trappings. In Spirited Away, a girl struggling to grow up found herself working in a spirit bathhouse. Song of the Sea uses Irish mythology as a gateway to understand the deep and complicated love between siblings, and the necessity of expressing and sharing loss.

This is one of the most beautiful animated pictures this decade. Were the framed stills not hundreds of dollars on Cartoon Saloon’s website (yes, I’ve looked at them), I would probably own at least a few by now. The animation style is so distinctive and innately appealing, with gentle watercolors that soothe and invite the mind. The Celtic musical arrangements are similarly intricate, wonderful, and soothing. Together, story, art, and music come together, and work some deep and affecting magic on the soul. Song of the Sea should be regarded as one of the best animated films this decade.

10. Sicario

Sicario is an utterly bleak, magnificent film that truly depicts the drug war as it is; a chaotic maelstrom of murder, torture, and corruption, spinning and spinning with no end in sight. In such a storm, there is no moral high ground to claim, let alone hold. There is only power to control which direction the storm is heading next, whom it will chew up and devour in its path. And as for the powerless, the best they can hope for is to stay out of its way. Sicario is a sharp critique of American drug policy and a stark glimpse into the grim reality of cartels, packaged perfectly as an ultra-violent thriller.

9. Looper

It is hard to do a time travel story well. Managing plot threads makes plots a nightmare; it is a difficult juggling act merely to keep one’s head above water. That is what makes Looper so special. It is not only a cool-looking, cyberpunk-flavored noir that manages its logic very well; it also features great characters, and larger overarching themes of fate and redemption it advances via those same logistical acrobatics. Looper blew my mind the first time I saw it. It is easily one of the best time travel stories ever, and a sci-fi classic to boot.

8. Blade Runner 2049

It is going to ruffle some feathers to say this, but I think Blade Runner 2049 is even better than the original Blade Runner. While Ridley Scott’s dark, smoggy Los Angeles will always be iconic, Blade Runner 2049 had Roger Deakins behind the camera, and he took us to sections of our nightmarish future we had never been before. Patterns of solar farms set up outside of town to feed swathes of humanity. A post-apocalyptic landfill outside of town for the city’s forsaken. Best of all, a neon-orange radioactive Las Vegas. That seems to be the common theme of 2049. It has taken all the best features of Ridley’s classic and expanded them while trimming down the less successful elements. The defining theme of Blade Runner-what makes us human-is here expounded upon and taken to even deeper levels. And the film’s beautiful ending brings the franchise to a truly satisfying conclusion.

7. Zootopia

Zootopia feels like Disney’s final evolution. The cute critters from its primordial past have fully anthropomorphized, to the point that they must contend with some of the same societal ills as us; chief among them prejudice. Visually gorgeous, full of top-notch tongue-in-cheek gags, and the slickest, most concise cartoon buddy cop riff since at least Who Framed Roger Rabbit, Zootopia counts as one of the most finely crafted animated features I’ve ever seen. Its timely message, coupled with its fantastic quality and outreach potential to the young, makes it one of those rare movies that can change the world.

6. Ex Machina

Ex Machina is one of the most finely-tuned and lean films science-fiction has to offer. In the age of growing research into artificial intelligence, it is also vastly important. Many films have explored the issues associated with artificial intelligence, but few have so fully delved into the ethical quagmires which might arise. Creating new minds means accepting responsibility for the lives of welfare of other beings. Are we prepared to do such a thing? We, who are constantly waging war and victimizing one another? Also, if we are so morally limited, how can we avoid passing on negative traits to our digital children, who will be vastly more powerful and intelligent than us? What if they think differently than us? The possibility of misunderstandings would be catastrophic for both parties.

Ex Machina explores all of these issues with deep intelligence and building tension. This film is one of those beautifully ambiguous works I love so much that require you to pay attention and come to your own conclusions. The primary question in the film asked of the characters is the same one the film asks you: is Ava, the artificial intelligence in question, essentially human? For me, the question was left unanswered until the final, remarkable, tragic shot.

5. The Revenant

Bloody as hell and absolutely gorgeous, The Revenant is a deep plunge into our primal hearts, into the remarkable human invention of identity. At the most fundamental level, we are all the same species; we share the same roots, the same trunk. Yet by means of our human experiences, our courses of life and interactions with other humans, we draw deep fundamental lines between one another. These lines are powerful things. They are what we see ourselves as. We draw lines of genetic heritage; lines of cultures born into, or adopted. Lines brand certain people as friends, while others remain strange or alien. Sometimes, lines can even define people as something hostile; a new species which may destroy us if it is not destroyed in turn. And there are lines which describe the people we call our families; those whom we love and protect at the most fundamental level of our being.

The Revenant draws attention to the lines we draw as human beings; how they are as deeply ingrained to us as breathing or bleeding, for better, and for worse. Aided by director Alejandro Iñárritu’s magnificent direction, and anchored by Leonardo DiCaprio, who has never been better in his storied career, The Revenant is a deep, uncompromising gaze into our personal and national Heart of Darkness.

4. Zero Dark Thirty

Zero Dark Thirty became the unfortunate victim of warring politics. Right-wingers decried the portrayal of torture in the movie, while leftists criticized the movie’s account of torture supposedly supplying the correct information (Director Kathryn Bigelow acknowledged to Stephen Colbert her lead, being from the CIA, might be untrustworthy on that particular facet but she was operating with accuracy to her source). That is all a shame, because such criticism misses the point of the movie entirely. Zero Dark Thirty is made in the spirit of true and utter neutrality. There is no political axe to grind. There is no glorification in the act of Bin Laden’s death; in fact, the face of America’s most notorious terrorist is never shown. Zero Dark Thirty is a work of national recollection. It begins with a deeply painful call to authorities on 9/11, and does not end until Bin Laden’s assassination over 9 years later. In between, there is torture, bombings, false leads and frustrations, hours upon hours of poring over data and entries, and finally, that fateful, dangerous foray into Pakistan. We are reintroduced to each of our own actions through the eyes of Maya, the CIA agent who supposedly made the case that it was in fact Bin Laden hiding in Abbottabad. At the end of Zero Dark Thirty, the movie adds up that long tally of what we sacrificed in order to defeat our greatest enemy and posits a simple question: was it worth it? Each will have their own answer to that difficult and important question. This is one of those rare films that forces us to review our path as a nation, examine what we did right and what we did wrong, and adjust our trajectory accordingly. Zero Dark Thirty is an essential American masterpiece, crafted by a true and powerful auteur at the top of her game.

3. The Raid 2: Berandal

The Raid: Redemption was a revelation in what could be attempted in a martial arts movie. Its creators decided that wasn’t enough and upped the ante. What ensued was the madness of Berandal.

The stuntwork of Berandal has to be seen to be believed. Some participants were knocked out cold; it is amazing nobody was killed. It is doubtful something like this will ever (or should ever) be attempted again, so we may as well enjoy it. There are car chases, assassins affectionately known as “Bat Boy” and “Hammer Girl”, simply loads and loads of fantastic martial arts combat, and more. But in between all this ruckus, there is a compelling gangster story to be told, populated with fascinating characters. A son looking to take over and dangerously expand his father’s influence; a creepy rival leader who cheerfully pulls out razors for throat-slitting; a sad, old-timer assassin who confesses to his daughter that killing was the only way to provide for her; an informant, caught in the middle of the maelstrom and sweating out the possibility that he will be discovered and never make it back to his young family; and of course, Hammer Girl. She’s my favorite.

In The Raid: Redemption, character Mad Dog talked about the pulse. Berandal is that pulse, fully transposed into brutal, symbolic symphony, in which the façade of civilization and negotiations between thugs break down into savage, unbridled violence. This is the best action movie ever, and the Indonesian Godfather, all rolled into one.

2. Avengers: Endgame

No list of top films of the decade would be complete without Avengers: Endgame. It’s the biggest blockbuster in history; and for once, that title is deserved. Nothing like it had ever been attempted before; indeed, it may be hard to do ever again. Facing 1 in 14 million odds, the Russo brothers pulled off a miracle, wasting not a moment in a three hour movie that never feels long and completing the arcs of over a dozen beloved characters, en route to a final and wholly satisfying conclusion to the most ambitious film project ever attempted. If that wasn’t enough, there are more than enough in-jokes, clever riffs on past movies, and sensational action pieces to please even the most critical fan. Avengers: Endgame is the closest to pure catharsis you can feel, and without a doubt the best superhero movie ever made. I confess that I moved it back and forth between #1 and #2 on my list at least a few times; ultimately I left it at #2, with the compromise that even if it cannot be called the best movie of the decade, it will forever be known as THE film of the decade.

1. Wolf Children

Wolf Children is one of those movies you come across that can only be described as magical. As a simple tale of motherhood, it succeeds. As a complex allegory for race and adolescence, it works equally well. It can be shown to the young. It can be shown to the old. It can be shown to all in between. It is sublimely beautiful, patient, and paced. It is excellently scored. It has some of the most fully-realized characters ever depicted in animation. It is warm. It is gentle. It is funny. It is sad. It is life; in all its unpredictability, twists and turns, and wonder.

But I think the reason I truly love Wolf Children is because it engages with the two most difficult and important aspects of being a good, healthy, happy human; how do I love others, and how do I love myself? Wolf Children shows us a truly rapturous example. For being the most beautiful movie, both inside and out, I have seen this past decade, and for a whole host of other reasons, Wolf Children deserves to top this list. Truly, it is Alpha Wolf.

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