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aletdownsquid · 5 years ago

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Comprehensive Exam Readings

My research “question”:

Many writers of U.S. fiction insert nonfiction documents into their narratives to critique how marginalized citizens are excluded from their rights to equal protection granted by the Fourteenth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. I’m interested in how African American authors and other writers of color have employed these strategies since the end of World War II; for example, the inclusion of real warrants for runaway slaves in Colson Whitehead’s The Underground Railroad, or passages from U.S. treaties with Native American tribes featured in Watershed by Percival Everrett. In the essay, I will identify, historicize, and examine some of these conventions, and drawing upon Assemblage Theory and Third Space theory, explore how these subversions of the fiction genre might allow authors of color to highlight historical truths, erase some of the distance between literary and political realms, and possibly affect political change.

To be completed by September 2020. (note: Strikethrough is complete / Bold means I intend to cite them in my comprehensive exam)

U.S. Fiction (Post ‘45): Major List

Guiding Questions:

How do works of geopolitical American fiction since the end of WWII explore the ways in which American exceptionalism has subjugated people of color? Specifically, how do these works examine the ways American colonial rule define U.S.–indigenous relations; and how do these works continue to engage with race in America since the Civil Rights movement?

Adichie, Chimamanda Ngozi. Americanah. Anchor, 2014.

Akwaeke, Emezi. Freshwater. Grove, 2018.

Alvarez, Julia. How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents. Algonquin, 2010.

Aswany, Alaa Al. Chicago. Harper, 2008

Baldwin, James. Giovanni’s Room. Vintage, 2013.

Barthleme, Donald. “Concerning the Bodyguard,” Sixty Stories. Penguin, 2003.

Beatty, Paul. The White Boy Shuffle. Picador, 2001.

Chabon, Michael. The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay. Random House, 2012.

Cisneros, Sandra. The House on Mango Street. Vintage, 1991.

Clemmons, Zinzi. What We Lose. Viking, 2017.

Currie Jr., Ron. God is Dead: Stories. Penguin, 2008.

Diaz, Junot. The Brief and Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao. Riverhead, 2006.

Egan, Jennifer. A Visit from the Goon Squad. Anchor, 2010.

Ellison, Ralph. Invisible Man. Vintage, 1995.

Everett, Percival. Watershed. Beacon Press, 2003.

Gay, Roxane. Ayiti. Grove Press, 2018.

Gibson, William. Pattern Recognition. Berkley, 2005.

Greene, Graham. The Quiet American. Penguin, 1980.

Habila, Helon. Travelers. W.W. Norton & Company, 2019.

Hagedorn, Jessica. Dogeaters. Pantheon, 1990.

Hamid, Mohsin. The Reluctant Fundamentalist. Harvest, 2008.

Herrera, Yuri. Signs Preceding the End of the World. And Other Stories, 2015.

James, Marlon. A Brief History of Seven Killings. Riverhead, 2015.

Jarrar, Randa. A Map of Home. Other Press, 2008.

Jen, Gish. Typical American. Harcourt, 2014.

Johnson, Adam. The Orphan Master’s Son. Random House, 2013.

Johnson, Mat. Pym. Spiegel & Grau, 2011.

Kaulfus, Ken. A Disorder Peculiar to the Country. Harper Perennial, 2006.

Kingston, Maxine Hong. The Woman Warrior. Vintage, 1989.

Kushner, Rachel. The Strange Case of Rachel K. New Directions, 2016.

Lahiri, Jhumpa. Interpreter of Maladies: Stories. Mariner, 1999.

Lapcharoensap, Rattawut. Sightseeing: Stories. Grove Press, 2005.

Le Nam. The Boat: Stories. Vintage, 2009.

Lee, Chang-rae. Native Speaker. Riverhead Books, 1996.

Luiselli, Valeria. The Story of My Teeth. Coffee House Press, 2015.

Mathews, John Joseph. Sundown. University of Oklahoma Press, 1988.

Mbue, Imbolo. Behold the Dreamers. Random House, 2017.

Mengetsu, Dinaw. How to Read the Air. Riverhead, 2011.

Momaday, N. Scott. House Made of Dawn. Harper Perennial Modern Classics, 2010.

Ng, Celeste. Everything I Never Told You. Penguin Books, 2015.

Nguyen, Viet Thanh. The Sympathizer. Grove Press, 2015.

Nguyen, Viet Thanh. The Refugees: Stories. Grove Press, 2018.

Okada, John. No-No Boy. University of Washington Press, 2014.

Orange, Tommy. There There. Vintage, 2018.

Otsuka, Julie. The Buddha in the Attic. Anchor, 2012.

Ozeki, Ruth. A Tale for the Time Being. Penguin Books, 2013.

Packer, ZZ. Drinking Coffee Elsewhere: Stories. Riverhead, 2004.

Pena, Daniel. Bang. Arte Publico, 2018.

Reed, Ishmael. Japanese by Spring. Scribner, 1993.

Reed, Ishmael. Mumbo Jumbo. Scribner, 1972.

Rekdal, Paisley. Intimate: An American Family Photo Album. Tupelo Press, 2012.

Salesses, Matthew. The Hundred-Year Flood. Little A, 2015.

Sebald, W.G. The Emigrants. New Directions, 2016.

Shamsie, Kamila. Burnt Shadows. Picador, 2009.

Silko, Leslie Marmon. Ceremony. Penguin Books, 2006.

Washington, Bryan. Lot: Stories. Riverhead, 2019.

Williams, John Alfred. The Man Who Cried I Am. Harry N. Abrams, 2004.

Wright, Richard. Native Son.Harper Perennial Modern Classics, 2005.

Vonnegut, Kurt. Slaughterhouse Five. Dial Press, 1999.

Vonnegut, Kurt. Breakfast of Champions. Dial Press, 1999.

African-American Iconoclast Fictions: Minor List

Guiding Questions:

What methods do African-American fiction writers use to interrogate racial subjugation for people of color in the United States and across the Global South?

Adjei-Brenyah, Nana Kwame. Friday Black. Mariner Books, 2018

Baldwin, James. Go Tell it On the Mountain. Everyman’s Library, 2016.

Baldwin, James. “Sonny’s Blues.” Going to Meet the Man. Vintage, 1995.

Beatty, Paul. The Sellout. Picador, 2016.

Bell, Derrick. “Space Traders”

Brooks, Gwendolyn. Maud Martha. Third World Press, 1992.

Butler, Octavia. Dawn. Aspect, 1997.

Butler, Octavia. Kindred. Beacon Press, 2009.

Cole, Teju. Open City. Random House, 2012.

DuBois, W.E.B., “On Being Crazy.”

Dumas, Henry. Goodbye Sweetwater.

Ellis, Trey. Platitudes. Vintage, 1988.

Everett, Percival. Erasure. Graywolf Press, 2001.

Gaines, Ernest J. A Lesson Before Dying. Knopf, 1993.

Hannaham, James. Delicious Foods. Back Bay Books, 2016.

Hopkinson, Nalo. Falling in Love with Hominids: Stories. Tachyon Publications, 2015.

Hopkinson, Nalo. Midnight Robber. Grand Central Publishing, 2000.

Hughes, Langston. “One Friday Morning”

Hughes, Langston. “Salvation.”

Hurston, Zora Neale. “Sweat”

James, Marlon. The Book of Night Women. Riverhead, 2010.

Jones, Edward P. The Known World. Amistad, 2006.

Keene, John. Counternarratives: Stories and Novella. New Directions, 2015.

Kincaid, Jamaica. “Girl”

Larsen, Nella. The Complete Fiction of Nella Larsen: Passing, Quicksand and The Stories. Anchor, 2001.

Laymon, Kiese. Long Division. Agate Bolden, 2013.

Mackey, Nathaniel. Late Arcade. New Directions, 2017.

MacPherson, James Alan. Hue and Cry: Short Stories. Harper Collins, 1969.

McFarland, Jeni. The House of Deep Water. Putnam, 2020.

Miller, Keith D., Joyce Lausch and Kevin Everod Quashie. New Bones: Contemporary Black Writers in America. Prentice Hall, 2001.

Morrison, Toni. Beloved. Vintage, 2004.

Morrison, Toni. Jazz. Vintage, 2004.

Morrison, Toni. Paradise. Vintage, 2004.

Reed, Ishmael. Flight to Canada. Penguin, 1976.

Ross, Fran. Oreo. New Directions, 2015.

Scott, Rion Amilcar. The World Doesn’t Require You: Stories. Liverlight, 2018.

Senna, Danzy. New People. Riverhead, 2017.

Shuyler, George. Black No More. Penguin Classics, 2018.

Thompson-Spires, Nafissa. Heads of Colored People: Stories. 37 Ink, 2018.

Toomer, Jean. Cane. W.W. Norton & Company, 1988.

Toure. The Portable Promise Land. Back Bay Books, 2003.

Whitehead, Colson. Sag Harbor. Anchor, 2010.

Whitehead, Colson. The Underground Railroad. Doubleday, 2016.

Widerman, John Edgar. American Histories: Stories. Scribner, 2018.

Wideman, John Edgar. Phildelphia Fire. Vintage, 1991

Wideman, John Edgar. Fanon. Houghton Mifflin Company, 2008.

Theory: Assemblage & Third Space Theory

Guiding Questions:

Can fiction be used as a tool to engender a new sense of belonging while rejecting a stable state of being? If so, how can this framework of assemblage be applied in fiction to highlight the ways local identities intersect with shared global perspectives? Can an assemblage approach to fiction encourage accountability for civil rights without state sanctioned legal status?

Agamben, G., 1998. Homo Sacer: Sovereign Power and Bare Life. Translated by D. Heller-Roazen. Stanford, California: Stanford University Press.

Anzaldua, Gloria. Borderlands / La Frontera: The New Mestiza. Aunt Lute Books, 2012.

Anzaldua, Gloria. Light in the Dark/Luz en lo Oscuro: Rewriting Identity, Spirituality, Reality (Latin America Otherwise). Duke University Press Books, 2015.

Appiah, Kwame Anthony. “The Case for Contamination." The New York Times Jan. 2006. 5 Nov. 2012. http://www.nytimes.com/2006/01/01/magazine/01cosmopolitan.html

Bakshi, Sandeep, Jivraj Suhraiya and Silvia Posocco. Decolonizing Sexualities: Transnational Perspectives, Critical Interventions. Counterpress, 2016.

Belletto, Steven and Joseph Keith. Neocolonial Fictions of the Global Cold War, University of Iowa Press, 2019.

Bhabha, Homi K. Nation and Narration. Routledge, 1990.

Bruynell, Kevin. Third Space of Sovereignty. University Of Minnesota Press, 2007.

DeLanda, Manuel. Assemblage Theory. Edinburgh University Press, 2016.

DeLanda, Manuel. A New Philosophy of Society: Assemblage Theory and Social Complexity. Continuum, 2006.

Dubey, Madhu. Signs and Cities: Black Literary Postmodernism. University of Chicago Press, 2003.

Fanon, Frantz. The Wretched of the Earth. Grove Press, 2005.

Gates, Henry Louis. The Signifying Monkey. Oxford University Press, 1988.

Gwaltney, John Langston. Drylongso: A Self-Portrait of Black America. The New Press, 1993.

Goyal, Yogita. The Cambridge Companion to Transnational American Literature. Cambridge University Press, 2017.

Goyal, Yogita. Romance, Diaspora, and Black Atlantic Literature. Cambridge University Press, 2015.

Goyal, Yogita. Runaway Genres: The Global Afterlives of Slavery. NYU Press, 2019.

Knadler, Stephen. Remapping Citizenship and the Nation in African Literature. Routledge, 2010.

Lorde, Audre. Zami: A New Spelling of My Name: A Biomythology. The Crossing Press, 1982.

Lorde, Audre. Sister Outsider. The Crossing Press, 1984.

Machado, Carmen Maria. In the Dream House: A Memoir. Graywolf, 2019.

Madsen, Deborah L. Beyond Borders: American Literature and Post-Colonial Theory. Pluto Press, 2008.

Munoz, Jose Estaban, Disidentifications: Queers of Color and the Performance of Politics. University of Minnesota, 1999.

Okker, Patricia. Transnationalism and American Serial Fiction. Routledge, 2012.

Omi, Michael and Howard Winant. Racial Formation in the United States from the 1960s to the 1990s. Routledge, 1994.

Puar, Jasbir. “I would rather be a cyborg than a goddess: Becoming intersectional in Assemblage Theory.” philoSOPHIA, vol. 2, no. 1, 2012, pp. 49-66.

Puar, Jasbir. The Right to Maim. Duke University Press, 2017.

Puar, Jasbir. Terrorist Assemblages. Duke University Press Books, 2007.

Rosen, Jeremy. “Literary Fiction and the Genres of Genre Fiction.” Post45, Aug. 2018. http://post45.research.yale.edu/2018/08/literary-fiction-and-the-genres-of-genre-fiction/

Rutherford, Johnathan. "The Third Space Interview with Homi Bhabha." Identity: Community, Culture, Difference, Lawrence and Wishart, 1990, pp. 207-221.

Said, Edward W. Culture and Imperialism. Vintage, 1994.

Scott, James C. Weapons of the Weak. Yale University Press, 1987.

Shackleton, Mark. Diasporic Literature and Theory – Where Now? Cambridge Scholars Publishing, 2008.

Shamsie, Kamila. “The Storytellers of the Empire.” Guernica, Feb. 2012. <http://www.guernicamag.com/features/3458/shamsie…>

Sharpe, Christina. In the Wake On Blackness and Being. Duke University Press. 2016

Shklovsky, Viktor. “Art, as a Device.”

Soja, Edward. Thirdspaces: Journeys to Los Angeles and Other-Real-and-Imagined Places. Blackwell Publishers, 1996.

#compslist #Readings #CurrentlyReading

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stevviefox · 7 years ago

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Beautiful!!!

“motion” Artist: Bryan Randa

#Bryan Randa #Bryan Randa's art #motion

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lookingattheedgeoftime · 6 years ago

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Bryan Randa

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kerimcangoren · 3 years ago

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elaborate #01

1 The Moon Is Shining Above The Ricefields - Cybe

2 Revised Music for Low Budget Orchestra für Posaune solo (Arr. Uwe Dierksen) - Frank Zappa, Uwe Dierksen

3 Obatalá - Metá Metá

4 Renee Sleeping - Suzanne Kraft

5 After I Met You - Rüdiger Lorenz

6 Vedersi Passare Le Cose Attorno - Gianni Gebbia

7 The righteous wrath of an honorable man - Colin Stetson

8 The Vibes is Right - Barrington Levy

9 Other Men’s Girls - Baxter Dury

10 I Wanna Be Yours - John Cooper Clarke

11 Good - Morphine

12 Bomb - Turnstile

13 Kidnapped by Neptune - Scott Niblett

14 A Paris - Riff Cohen

15 Muscle - Issy Wood

16 Fuss - Issy Wood

17 Midnight - Yazoo

18 Overload - Kasra V Remix - YILA

19 Primavera - Páula, Povoa, Jerge

20 Bubble Pop Electric - Gwen Stefani, Johnny Vulture

21 Ayo Technology - 50 Cent, Justin Timberlake, Timbaland

22 Getting There - Flying Lotus, Niki Randa

23 Saving All My Love - Brandy

24 Shing Kee 1986 - Carl Stone

25 Pre-Barok - Mica Levi, Oliver Coates

26 hide me here - caro <3

27 Paradis - Reprise - Paradis

28 Peru Timing, Pt.2 - Al Dobson Jr.

29 Midnight in Peckham - Chaos in the CBD

30 Monkey See - BUTTERBANDZ

31 Hyperion - Gesaffelstein

32 You See? - Smerz

33 FMG - Mall Grab, Effy

34 Valentino Couture Crusty Canyon - Otto

35 Untitled Roadside Demo - Black Moth Super Rainbow

36 Formes flottantes - Honey For Petzi

37 17 - Smashing Pumpkins

38 Öyle Sarhos Olsam ki - Tanju Okan

39 Si tu vous ma mère - Slow - Sidney Bechet, Claude Luter et son orchestre

40 Drunk by Noon - The Handsome Family

41 Milk - Sweet Trip

42 Anyweight - Eddie the Wheel

43 My Drug Buddy - The Lemonheads

44 Marigold - B-Side - Nirvana

45 Violence Grows - Fatal Microbes

46 Frozen Warnings - Nico

47 The Name - Les Thugs

48 Peace in That - The Desert Fathers

49 Wilson - Cagework

50 Post-War Glamour Girls - John Cooper Clarke

51 Semi Multicoloured Caucasian - Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band

52 spin - Blue Smiley

53 Eisbär - Grauzone

54 When You Die - MGMT

55 The Chauffeur - Duran Duran

56 Dee - Ozzy Osbourne

57 Easy Living - Bryan Ferry

58 To Turn You On - Roxy Music

59 Knocks Me Off My Feet - Stevie Wonder

60 Baby Sneezing - Pro Sound Effects Library

#music #Spotify

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justanothercinemaniac · 8 years ago

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Epic Movie (Re)Watch #195 - Kong: Skull Island

Spoilers Below

Have I seen it before: Yes

Did I like it then: Yes.

Do I remember it: Yes.

Did I see it in theaters: Yes.

Was it a movie I saw since August 22nd, 2009: Yes, #478.

Format: Blu-ray

1) 1944 prologue.

The prologue with Marlow and Gunpei does well to set up the film’s strong sense of visuals (look at how nice that freaking beach is!) and wastes absolutely no time in introducing us to our giant monster of the film. One of the criticisms of the 2014 Godzilla was its reluctance to show us Godzilla (something I have mixed feelings on) but this film just dives right into it with great effect.

2) I’ve already made on comparison with the 2014 Godzilla and the reason for that is - for those who don’t know - because this film and that film take place in the same continuity. Warner Brothers and Legendary are crafting a Cinematic Universe based on these giant monster properties, so there are some consistencies between both films which I appreciate. One of those consistencies is the opening credits scene over Monarch footage.

3) Oh boy…

Randa [towards the end of the Vietnam War]: “Mark my words: there will never be a more screwed up time in Washington.”

(GIF source unknown [if this is your GIF please let me know].)

4) The intro to John Goodman’s Bill Randa is very good at establishing how dedicated he is to his mission, even if we don’t understand the backstory yet. We know through the writing and Goodman’s performance that Randa is strongly motivated, that his personal stakes are high, and somehow this work for us even before we figure out why.

5) Samuel L. Jackson as Col. Packard.

Similar to Goodman’s Randa, we get a strong sense of the character’s motivations immediately. Packard is a dog of war who NEEDS a fight. It’s what has defined him and he tries to justify it with [and this is not an exact quote], “We fight the fight so our families back home don’t have to!” But really he’s just looking to stay in the environment he knows. War defines him and he goes chasing for a war when there isn’t one. His deprecation into madness feels very similar to Col. Kurtz from Heart of Darkness and I dig that.

6) Tom Hiddleston as Conrad.

Hilddeston’s performance in this film is a nice departure from - say - Loki (not that he’s bad as Loki). The grizzled/jaded rogue can easily be a cliché trope that ends up creating boring characters, but Hiddleston is able to make Conrad unique. He’s not Han Solo, he’s not the same character Tom Cruise seems to want to play in all his films, he’s a little sadder and a little more tragic. Hiddleston plays this well and I think it is one of many things which helps make the film as good as it is.

7) Brie Larson as Weaver.

I love Brie Larson. You could have Brie Larson read the phone book and I’d watch. I first saw her in Hoot when I was 10 and when she won the Oscar I was so freaking happy. She’s good in everything; even if the movie is of lesser quality Brie Larson is likely very good in it. This film is NOT of lesser quality and Brie Larson is still very good in it. Weaver is strong and determined without devolving into an “Action Girl” trope if that makes sense. She’s not strong because she can kickass (her greatest weapon is her camera), she’s strong because she doesn’t waiver and does the right thing even when it’s easy. She stands on her own, with Larson breathing incredible life into the part which helps her stand side by side with a freaking giant gorilla.

8) As you may have noted from the fact that most of my notes so far have been about characters and actors, this film’s strongest asset may well be its and characters. By using strong character actors such as John Ortiz, Toby Kebbell, Shea Whigham, Thomas Mann, Jason Mitchell, and Marc Evan Jackson (among others) each member of the away team is unique and memorable in their own right. We consistently get small but strong moments which further develop characters like Whigham’s Cole and Kebbell’s Chapman, helping the audience invest in pretty much every single character which results in an emotional response when they die or are put into danger. There is no weak link in this chain, you understand all of them through these small but telling moments/interactions. Somehow the filmmakers are able to take what is often the weakest aspect of a giant monster movie - the human characters - and make it the strongest element in Kong: Skull Island.

9) I particularly resonate with Corey Hawkins as Brooks.

Brooks is sensible, curious, cautious, but never cowardly. He may be reluctant to go into danger but that doesn’t mean he shies away from it, while his relationship with Randa is also fun to watch as it speaks to a strong history between the two. Brooks might be my favorite character in the film. Or second favorite after Marlow, but we’ll get to that later.

10) The scene where all the helicopters fly through the storm is a nice way of dividing the normal world and Skull Island, as when they come through the other side the island already feels like a different world.

11) Skull Island.

Kong’s native land is much more a point of focus in this film than other’s before, warranting an entire subtitle devoted to it. The immediate visual aesthetic upon arriving to Skull Island helps establish the character of this place, which only develops as the film continues. Because that’s what Skull Island is: its a character as important as Kong to this movie. The filmmakers put such care into small moments with the island (the bison, the giant spider encounter, etc.) that it helps to make Skull Island an environment the audience can understand perfectly by the film’s conclusion.

12) First real encounter with Kong. AKA: Kong VS Helicopters.

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This scene is absolutely amazing at establishing the incredible scope of our titular monster. We got a sense of his size in the prologue, but now it’s not a sense it’s a definition. This scene establishes Kong. It establishes his size, his strength, his ferocity, all in an incredibly entertaining set piece. Besides the monster, it establishes the sense of action the film will have moving forward and acts as a truly wonderful inciting incident that organically separates the away team. In five minutes, the entire direction of the story has changed and it just feels so organic. Whereas Godzilla took an hour to show its monster, this movie wastes no time in reminding us that Kong is king.

13) This little scene between Packard and Randa about the USS Laughton is an incredibly organic way of tying this movie into the larger Monster-Verse. It is done through the lens of Randa’s backstory and history instead of, “Here’s what the audience needs to know,” much as Bryan Cranston was a device of exposition through tragic obsession in Godzilla. I dig it.

14) I am so so so so SO happy that this film disposes of the “dangerous natives” trope that has plagued pretty much every King Kong movie to come before it. The natives are shown as a culture of people, not vicious animals. They’re not even primitive, necessarily, as Marlow talks about who they’re past certain things our culture has. They’re more simple, peaceful, instead of savage. And they’re not the only non-white representation in the film, there are more non-white people than JUST the natives in this movie and I’m just so over the roof that this film finally did away with that archaic trope.

15) Chapman at the water’s edge is more about developing Kong through an encounter with this giant squid than anything else, letting the audience know that he’s more than just some dumb dangerous beast. Chapman is jus who we see this through.

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16) Marlow has so many great moments in this film. I’ll talk more about him and John C. Reilly in a sec, but come on!

Marlow [about WW2]: “What happened with the war? Did we win?”

Slivko: “Which one?”

Marlow: “Eh, that makes sense.”

Marlow [about the “devils” of the island]: “I call them Skullcrawlers.”

Conrad: “Why?”

Marlow: “Because it sounds neat.”

17) John C. Reilly as Marlow.

Marlow is honestly the beating heart of this entire freaking movie. Reilly is able to bring such warmth to the character who is already pretty damn strong in the writing. He shows a respect to nature and the island, he is incredibly kind despite his situation, but that doesn’t mean he’s a pushover. The way he speaks of his lost friend - a former enemy to boot - and the family he misses just wrenches at your heart strings. It is Marlow which propels this film past an empty monster movie to make it an emotional and human adventure where you are rooting for the main characters. I just…I really freaking like Marlow.

18) The film cutting between the three separated parties (Conrad’s party, Packard’s party, and Chapman on his own) could easily have fucked up pacing but the filmmakers are able to do it well enough that it doesn’t mess with the flow of the story. Pacing is never lost.

19) I love the scene where Marlow is caught up on history, like putting a man on the moon and the Cold War. Also I saw this in Chicago like four to five months after the Cubs won so his line about, “Did the Cubs win the world series?” got a good reaction.

20) If you ever want to know how to develop your characters simply, I recommend that you look at the scene where Conrad talks about his late father. Because that’s really what character development is. Small moments where we are made to understand the characters better.

21) I haven’t really talked about Terry Notary or Toby Kebbell’s motion capture work as the titular monster and I really should. It’s easy to forget that there’s an actor behind a character like Kong who just seems so naturally otherworldly, which I think just speaks to how well the performers and motion capture artists do their job. You’re not thinking about the actor behind the part or even if there is an actor there. They embrace the role of Kong so completely that you don’t question you’re just watching Kong on screen.

22) So there’s a moment in the middle of the film when you sort of forget how dangerous Skull Island is, but the movie does a good job of reminding you of the danger by abruptly and shockingly killing of John Ortiz’s character. There was this woman in the theater who jumped so hard when he got swept up by those pterodactyls it made the whole movie better.

23) The mass grave skirmish.

I mentioned this a lot when I was posting about Hitchcock movies last year, but tension does not come from speeding the story up but by slowing it down. That is especially true in this scene, as (in a very Jaws like way) we don’t see the Skullcrawlers for a lot of it but we know they’re there. Meanwhile I absolutely love the way one of them swallowed a camera with a broken flash so that sound and flash of light is what tells you they’re near. Also this is a fucking badass image:

24) Just a quick little thing: I love that this movie doesn’t have a romantic subplot. At all. You can easily ship characters (Brooks and San are two characters I ship), but the film doesn’t take the time to develop any romances which makes sense because THEY’RE ON A FREAKING MONSTER ISLAND TRYING TO GET OF! So yeah, I like that there’s no romance in this movie.

25) The scene where Packard is trying to kill Kong has a number of nice visual parallels with when Kong beat on the helicopters, mainly when Packard clenches his fists.

26) Cole’s death is incredibly heartbreaking because he’s hoping the Skullcrawler will swallow him with two grenades in his hand, but it just whips him against a mountain where his death didn’t even accomplish what he hoped it would. This is why the film takes so much time to develop these characters: so they’re deaths hit harder.

27) Kong VS Skullcrawler

Okay, this is freaking awesome. In the same scene Kong uses a tree as a spear/bat thing to beat on the Skullcrawler BEFORE HE USES A BOAT PROPELLER AS A WEAPON TO WAIL ON THE THING! Also Weaver gets to shoot a flare at the Skullcrawler like a total badass. Honestly this scene is just filled with so many incredible visuals and a wonderful sense of fun from beginning to end. It’s just a really freaking good climax.

28) I’m so happy Marlow survived, that we get to see him return home to his wife and son. I get a little teary every time I see that.

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29) Okay, let me tell you something about this post credits scene.

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First of all, this is awesome. But I mentioned before that I saw this in the theater. Well when they’re showing all the monsters I hear this guy behind me eagerly say each of their names. “Mothra! Rodan! King Ghidorah!” The movie ends, I turn around to this guy and say, “I don’t know who you are but I feel like I should give you bumps.” This unfortunately speaks to my own biases about what I expected someone who geeks out about Japanese movie monsters to look like, but I was not expecting an African American man in his 60s with the biggest smile on his face ever. AND HE GAVE ME A FIST BUMP! I’ve seen 507 movies in theaters over the course of 8 years and that is one of my favorite stories ever.

Kong: Skull Island is crazy fun and much better than you might expect it to be. The human characters are surprisingly well developed and acted very well, while the film does not skimp on the giant monster action that helps give the movie its entertainment value. John C. Reilly is a particular standout among the cast, but literally I cannot think of a poor performance in this entire film. The visuals are strong, it is paced excellently, and all in all it’s just a very good film I think you should see.

#Kong Skull Island #King Kong #Tom Hiddleston #Brie Larson #Samuel L Jackson #Corey Hawkins #John Goodman #Toby Kebbell #Terry Notary #John C Reilly #John Ortiz #Jason Mitchell #Marc Evan Jackson #Thomas Mann #Shea Whigham #Epic Movie (Re)Watch #Movie #Film #GIF

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theanticool · 8 years ago

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Fights for tonight UFC Fight Night 114 is tonight and it's not good. The main event between flyweights Sergio Pettis and Brandon Moreno is fucking fire though. Alexa Grasso, who comes in missing weight at 119lbs, faces Randa Markos in the co-main event which is a solid fight. And Alan Jouban vs Niko Price should be a fun fight. Over on ESPN, Vasyl Lomachenko will face off with Miguel Marriaga in the main event. On the undercard, Ray Beltran vs Bryan Vasquez. Plus former U.S. Olympian Mikaela Mayer makes her pro debut.

#ufc #mma #boxing #top rank #gifs and pics

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journaltimes · 8 years ago

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Литературная карта. Часть 2.

Обсуждение литературной карты, о которой мы писали раннее, набирает обороты. В интернете идет активная дискуссия на счет “правильности” выбора Backforward24 и некоторые внимательные книголюбы нашли пару ошибок. Так, Чингиз Айтматов, изначально представлял Казахстан, однако, родился он в Киргизии и писал на двух языках - киргизском и русском. В связи с чем Backforward24 изменил свой выбор на “Слова назидания” Абая Кунанбаева. Изменения также коснулись Японии. Раннее указанная книга Харуки Мураками “Хроники заводной птицы”, сейчас заменена на “Сердце(Kokoro)” Нацумэ Сосэки.

Какие несостыковки найдете Вы?

Азия

Турция - Меня зовут красный. Орхан Памук.

Грузия - Витязь в тигровой шкуре. Шота Руставелю.

Армения - Хент. Раффи (Акоп Мелик-Акопян).

Азейрбаджан - Голубые ангелы. Чингиз Абдуллаев.

Иран - Шахнаме. Фирдоуси.

Ирак - The Corpses Exhibition and Other Stories. Hassan Blasim.

Сирия - The Dark Side of love. Rafik Schami.

Ливан - The Hakawati. Rabih Alameddine.

Израиль - Mornings in Jenin. Susan Abulhawa.

Кувейт - A Map of Home. Randa Jarrar.

АОЭ - The Sand Fish. Maha Gargash.

Катар - The Emergence of Qatar. Habibur Rahman.

Йемен - The Hostage. Zayd Mutee’ Dammaj.

Оман - The Turtle of Oman. Naomi Shihab Nye.

Казахстан - Слова назидания. Абай Кунанбаев. / И дольше века длится день. Чингиз Торекулович Айтматов

Туркменистан - The Tale of Aypi. Ak Welsapar.

Узбекистан - Chasing the Sea. Tom Bissell.

Кыргызстан - Джамиля. Чингиз Торекулович Айтматов.

Таджикистан - Хуррамабад. Андрей Германович Волос.

Афганистан - Бегущий за ветром. Халед Хоссейни.

Пакистан - Фундаменталист поневоле. Мохсин Хамид.

Непал - The Palpasa Cafe. Narayan Wagle.

Индия - Бог мелочей. Арундати Рой.

Бутан - the Circle of Karma. Kunzang Choden.

Бангладеш - A Golden Age. Tahmima Anam.

Мьянма - Smile as they Bow. Nu Nu Yi.

Лаос - In the Other Side of the Eye. Bryan Thao worra.

Тайланд - The Four Reigns. Kukrit Pramo .

Вьетнам - The Sorrows of War. Bảo Ninh.

Камбоджа - Сначала они убили моего отца: Воспоминания дочери Камбоджи. Лун Ун.

Тайвань - Green Island. Shawna Yang Ryan.

Шри-Ланка - Anil’s Ghost. Michael Ondaatje.

Монголия - The Blue Sky. Galsan Tschinag.

КНДР - The Aquariums of Pyongyang. Kang Chol-Hwan. Pierre Rigoulot.

Южная Корея - Вегетарианец. Хан Канг.

Япония - Сердце(Kokoro). Нацумэ Сосэки. / Хроники заводной птицы. Харуки Мураками

Китай - Сон в красном тереме. Цао Сюэцинь.

Малайзия - Сад вечерних туманов. Тан Тван Энг.

Бруней - Моя жизнь в гареме. Джиллиан Лорен.

Индонезия - Мир человеческий. Прамудья Ананта Тур.

Филиппины - Noli Me Tangere. José Rizal. (Экранизации: Touch Me Not 1961 г., Elias, Basilio at Sisa 1972 г.)

Восточный Тимор - The Redundancy of Courage. Timothy Mo

Саудовская Аравия - Cities of Salt. Abdul Rahman Munif.

Автор: @natkirillovna

TUMBLR TIMES MENU

#литературная карта #backforward24 #книги #литература #русский пост #русский тамблер #русский блог

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ronbeckdesigns · 5 years ago

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Art Glass - Motion by Bryan Randa. With tentacles undulating, this lifelike cephalopod is poised to glide through the oceans depths. Skillfully crafted from glass using flame-working techniques, this remarkable sculpture captures an octopus graceful movement and playful personality

(via (163) Pinterest)

#Bryan Randa #glass #art #octopus

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eternal-melancholy · 7 years ago

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Motion by Bryan Randa

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thesportssoundoff · 8 years ago

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When your main event obfuscates how great your show is: The UFC in Nashville!

Joey

April 20th, 2017

Well I mean this has been a while, eh? After taking a pseudo break to just get away from the wackiness of MMA, it's time to get back to the grind (one supposes) and look at another UFC event! Live from Nashville, this is a really good card with an utterly perplexing main event. For free TV, there are three types of fights that really hit the spot in terms of being a nights worth of viewing. The first are fights that pit two names you know with divisional relevance duking it out. The second are fights that pit prospects you care about in fights that should showcase them either against names I know or vs other prospects. The third are fights that pit names I know against one another in fights that lack divisional relevance but have a great potential for action and excitement. All jokes aside, this card has all of that. It just has a very....odd main event. Let's get to it!

Fights: 13

Debuts: 1 (Cindy Dandois)

Fight Changes/Injury Cancellations: 1 (Jorge Masvidal/Demian Maia moved to another event)

Headliners (fighters who have either main evented or co-main evented shows in the UFC): 12 (Cub Swanson, Joe Lauzon, Diego Sanchez, Al Iaquinta, Jessica Penne, Stevie Ray, Jake Ellenberger, Thales Leites, Alexis Davis, Ovince St. Preux, Eddie Wineland, Jon Dodson)

Fighters On Losing Streaks in the UFC: 2 (Ovince St. Preux, Jessica Penne)

Fighters On Winning Streaks in the UFC: 6 (Cub Swanson, Al Iaquinta, Artem Lobov, Eddie Wineland, Brandon Moreno and Sam Alvey)

Stat Monitor for 2017:

Debuting Fighters (Current number: 11-9)- Cindy Dandois

Short Notice Fighters (Current number: 6-10)

Second Fight (Current number: 11-12)- Matt Schnell, Michael McBride

Twelve Precarious Ponderings:

1- So the main event. Let's talk about that and let's try to be mature while we do it. The most obvious issue is that Artem Lobov is headlining an event. That's a tough pill to swallow for hardcore fans although I'd argue we've seen worse main event slots given out to less deserving folks. Whatever the case may be, there's two distinct avenues at play. The first is that Cub earned a main event slot because Cub's fight with Doo Ho Choi was amazing and worth re-watching on a loop over and over. As such this is a chance to reward Cub Swanson and if you had some bad vibes about Conor McGregor, you get to watch a loyal dude kick his ass and make him look like a goof in front of a captivated audience. The second is that Conor McGregor wanted his buddy to headline an event and so the UFC was just like "Sure thing!" and here we go. They're gambling on Lobov outlasting Cub or that Cub Swanson is washed after a brutal as hell fight. Either way it's a frustrating thing that kind of hampers an otherwise good card.

2- If Cub Swanson does what he does and they put a live mic in front of his face and he does not mention Conor McGregor at least once then he deserves to be buried to the prelims forever. You don't have to BEG for the guy but try it at least, shit.

3- Lost in the drama of Al Iaquinta's layoff was how damn good he was looking prior to that. Even if you feel like he lost vs Masvidal (an opinion I'd value but maybe not share), you still have to acknowledge that he's refined some of those wacky scramble based holes in his submission game and his striking has come a looong way. Iaquinta was really zooming up the ranks then he hit the wall about the UFC---and then he came back. Diego Sanchez is a good test for him in many ways, the most obvious being that if Iaquinta is rusty, Diego's pace and versatility (strike a bit, wrestle a bit, grapple some) will be a good test for how quickly he can shake that rust off.

4- The real co-main event in my eyes is the Joe Lauzon vs Stevie Ray fight. Stevie Ray's arguably one of the better unheralded lightweights on the UFC roster; a 27 year old Scot with a good overall game and room to grow as he continues to work with TriStar MMA. Joe Lauzon's kind of become what most long term "job for life" lightweights; he always has exciting fights, he's always going to be somewhat limited vs the better athletes coming up in the division and he's going to win some close fights and lose some close fights. Stevie Ray is coming off a weirdly important win over Ross Pearson on short notice but there's so much to Joe Lauzon's game that'll test Ray's development. Wins over Lauzon and Pearson would set Ray up to maybe start dabbling with guys at the lower half of the top 10.

5- I'd really hope Eddie Wineland has a plan to deal with Dodson that doesn't involve eating 100 leaping hooks. Wineland's made an amazing career comeback but I have serious fears and concerns for him vs a younger faster equally powerful guy in Dodson.

6- Speaking of which, why have people forgotten about Dodson in a crowded 135 lb division? He probably beat Lineker, he's got the speed and his power has migrated up with him as he jumps up 10 lbs. I don't think he's ever going to challenge for the title with Dillashaw, Cruz, Rivera and Garbrandt manning the top 30 but I think he can fight plenty of folks in the top 10 and give almost all of them a run for their money.

7- Mike Perry vs Jake Ellenberger is going to be a fun fight while it lasts. I just have questions or rather I have serious concerns about what Ellenberger has left at this point. Jake's always been a fighter who runs hot or cold but it's fair to wonder if a long career from a young age and a wealth of action fights have left him pretty much spent. Similarly I have questions about the upside of Mike Perry after "Platinum" spent ��his entire fight vs Jouban looking utterly perplexed that a karate guy can attack from a variety of angles while also not standing there flatfooted for one of your wacky ass haymakers. This is one of those fights where it's sort of win/win for the UFC. If Ellenberger wins then you can always repackage him off a win for another top fighter. If Perry wins then a promising (on paper) prospect gets a big name on his resume and a chance to rebound a little.

8- Buried on the prelim slate is a REALLY great 125 lb between Dustin Ortiz and Brandon Moreno. Thus far Moreno has been a revelation for the UFC, a TUF 125 castmate who essentially flopped on the show (finished in the first round vs Alejandre Pantoja) before winning two fights in a row including the super scalp of Louis Smolka in the first round. Dustin Ortiz is a rough tough guy to beat as evidenced by his pretty spiffy record with wins over Ray Borg, Justin Scoggins and Zach Makovsky. His losses are to bigger flyweights (Wilson Reis or John Moraga) or better grapplers (Jussier, Benavidez) and Moreno is neither of those. It's a damn fine test for a guy playing with house money. If Moreno wins then he's got a major scalp on his resume and maybe you can toy with the idea of him fighting MM for the title soon. If he loses? Well Ray Borg and Justin Scoggins were able to bounce back from that so why wouldn't he?

9- OSP vs Marcos Rogerio De Lima is such a 205 fight I can't even begin to discuss it in words. The guy who has lost three in a row and 4 of his last 5 while also having obvious notable flaws (poor wrestling vs elite comp, awful cardio) vs a guy who just beat up a blown up 185er while also missing weight whose best win is Clint Hester. What a fucking wacky deal to be third on the main card and yes, I know OSP is from Tennessee but still!

10- Cindy Dandois makes her debut on this card and she's either going to flame out in two fights or fight for the title. There's really no middle ground here. Also why isn't this at 145 lbs? Isn't this why we have this division now?

11- If you want an example of how the UFC responds to you if you're good, not thrilling and kind of annoying; check out where Bryan Barbarena is coming off a loss.

12- Alexis Davis has struggled to keep herself relevant at 135 lbs but she's normally a fighter who gives an honest effort in each fight. The same could be said for Jessica Penne who has had a lot of tough fights since her UFC debut. She fought Randa Markos, Joanna Champion and Jessica Andrade in the UFC and they've all been tough fights. She gets a bit of a step down, well a major step down, in Danielle Taylor.

Must Wins:

1- Cub Swanson Dude there's just no excuses here. Cub Swanson cannot lose to Artem Lobov because if he does, they'll be no coming back from that. You can't do that.

2- Jake Ellenberger This is probably the last chance for Jake Ellenberger to really keep his grip on a UFC roster spot. Mike Perry is not going to confound him with angles or wrestling. He's just going to come down and throw punches and see who goes down first. Ellenberger CAN win that kind of a fight and if so, he probably lives to fight another day. This is similar to the Matt Brown fight except Perry's noway near as proven or talented as Perry.

3- Alexis Davis This is kind of crazy but the 135 lb landscape is wide open. Alexis Davis beat Amanda Nunes once upon a time and so if Davis can fight with the slightest bit of frequency, there's nothing stopping her from having another run in the division.

Five Underlying Themes:

1- Will the UFC try to paint this main event as anything other than an intriguing if not nonsensical action fight?

2- Will we get some announcements regarding the UFC 212 and the UFC 213 PPV cards?

3- Whether or not Stevie Ray can build on his big win over Ross Pearson and make it two veteran scalps in a row.

4- The potential impending ends for two amazing long time action fighters in Joe Lauzon and Diego Sanzhez.

5- Whether Al Iaquinta can get his carer back on the right track after a self imposed hiatus.

#MMA #UFC #Nashville #Diego Sanchez #Al Iaquinta #Cub Swanson #Artem Lobov

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