#but after two decades of service even the strongest minds would get hurt | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

stark-tony · 4 years ago

Text

tododeku fic recs

* = incomplete

meet you again someday (after we take the long way ’round) by theroyalsavage

summary: Midoriya Izuku's life is saved by a boy with the strongest Quirk he has ever seen.

Eventually - inevitably - he falls in love.(An AU in which Todoroki never attends UA, they never clash at the sports festival, but they come together all the same.)

pairings: tododeku

tags: hurt/comfort

warnings: none

that is just the way by celestialfics

summary: Shouto has his first sleepover.

pairings: tododeku

tags: fluff

warnings: none

what is right and what is easy by theroyalsavage

summary: Midoriya Izuku is not chosen to represent Hogwarts in the Triwizard Tournament. He does not slay a dragon, or rescue innocents, or brave a maze of dark magic. He does not win accolades, or fame, or glory.

Instead, Izuku meets the son of the greatest dark wizard of the age, a Durmstrang student with hair like a sunrise and eyes like a war. And maybe, he just might win something else.

pairings: tododeku, kiribaku, tsuchako

tags: fluff, angst

warnings: none

First Time For Everything by kazzarole

summary: Midoriya is the catalyst of many of the 'firsts' in Shouto's life--it just makes sense that Shouto should share his first kiss with him, too.

pairings: tododeku

tags: fluff

warnings: none

alone together by celestialfics

summary: Five times when other Class 1-A kids notice Todoroki and Midoriya in their own world.

pairings: tododeku

tags: fluff

warnings: none

A Simple Warmth by patster223

summary: “I’m trying to make Todoroki a sweater for his birthday, but…” Izuku pokes at the tangle of yarn. “It’s more complicated than I thought it would be.”

In which Izuku sucks at knitting, his classmates are eager to help out, Todoroki finally gets to be cozy, and knitting is a vector for romance.

pairings: tododeku

tags:

warnings: none

Conventional Taste by WowBoring

summary: He didn’t think it would matter if Midoriya were taking him to a sewer convention; it was probably still going to be the highlight of his Golden Week.

In order to avoid a visit from his unpleasant grandparents Todoroki attends a hero convention with Midoriya, and learns a few things along the way.

pairings: tododeku

tags: fluff

warnings: abuse

pls respond by Esselle

summary: 'Midoriya: UR SO CUTE

Shouto chokes on nothing. How is he supposed to respond to that? Is he supposed to respond at all?

Midoriya: Look at your big head aaaaaaaaaaaaah Midoriya: *Image Attached*

Oh, Shouto thinks. He was talking about Shouto's Nitotan, which is now smashed to one of Izuku's cheeks in the image Izuku just sent, as Izuku squeezes it joyfully. Even if Izuku wasn't talking to him directly, the butterflies in Shouto's stomach feel a bit joyful, too.

He types out: I wish I were that Nitotan right now. Then he snorts, and erases it.'

Izuku has a wide variety of special moves, but his Key Smash might be the most powerful of all.

pairings: tododeku

tags: fluff, humor

warnings: none

i can keep a secret, could you? by handcrusher (ameliafromafairytale)

summary: The last thing Todoroki wants is for his father to figure out that 1) he's gay and 2) he's dating the boy he's supposed to overcome as a hero. So, he and Midoriya devise a plan.

Just how long can they keep it up?

pairings: tododeku, tsuchako, momojirou

tags:

warnings:

hold on tight by lunalou

summary: "What are you doing?" Shouto asks.

"Hugging you." Midoriya returns in a patient voice. His arms tighten around Shouto's waist and he presses his forehead more firmly against his back. "You know it's a hug, Shouto-kun. Don't play dumb."

or, five times somebody from 1-a hugs todoroki and the one time he hugs them first

pairings: tododeku

tags:

warnings:

If I'm Being Honest.... by I_dont_know_man

summary: Midoriya scrunched up his nose in confusion. “Uh, Shouto, why are you glaring at me like that?”

“I-” Todoroki began to lie, until nausea slammed him like a door to any room that Bakugou entered. “I--” Todoroki grit his teeth, and glared daggers into the wall behind Midoriya. Goodbye, friendship. It had been absolutely divine while it lasted. “Because you’re very attractive.”

They say honesty is the best policy, but it sure as hell had a knack for Todoroki making a complete and utter fool of himself.

In which Todoroki is placed under a mysterious truth-telling quirk and suffers, Uraraka laughs at him, Midoriya is confused but smitten nonetheless, and Twitter is the thirstiest site on the planet.

pairings: tododeku, kiribaku

tags: humor, fluff

warnings:

Guiding Light by furihatachlookie

summary: It was his mother's idea to enroll him at the local elementary school. His father believed a private tutor was better, but nobody can argue with a mother who's made up her mind, and a balanced exposure to kids his own age sways his father's judgement enough to agree and sign the papers.

pairings: tododeku

tags: fluff, angst

warnings:

Todoroki and Yaoyorozu's Elite Study Club by hanwritesstuff (hannahkannao)

summary: “Well, as I see it, we have two options.” Shouto holds up two fingers. “We can either ignore this and pretend it never happened or... not.” He doesn't know which one he wants. “What does not entail, exactly?” Yaoyorozu asks. “...I don't know.”

In which Todoroki accidentally learns something about Yaoyorozu, Yaoyorozu accidentally learns something about Todoroki, and they spend a considerable portion of their study sessions... not studying.s

pairings: tododeku, momojirou

tags: fluff, humor

warnings:

Do What You Will, If That's What You Want by stanzas

summary: “What do you mean you’re retiring?” Bakugou asks nicely, or at least as nicely as someone like Bakugou can ask. The question is phrased more like a demand.“

Call it a mid-life crisis,” Shouto answers, like Bakugou asked him what the weather would be tomorrow, and takes a deep sip from his coffee. “I’m thinking of changing careers.”

The world of heroes is quick to adapt to surprises, but Pro Hero Entropy’s (very premature) retirement announcement throws almost everyone for a pretty impressive loop.

pairings: tododeku

tags: hurt/comfort, angst, humor

warnings:

extra, extra! by rythyme (pugglemuggle)

summary: Shouto & Creati: ACTUALLY Dating?! by Hitachi Hitomi at September 18, 2047 3:42 pm."Ever since heartthrob

Todoroki Shouto and the Everything Hero "Creati" made their official debuts, the two 22-year-old heroes have been nothing but professional towards each other. But was this all a sham to cover up the truth?"

Or: The media thinks Shouto and Creati are dating. Hint: they aren't. A multimedia TodoDeku & MomoJirou fanfic told through news articles, gossip columns, twitter, tumblr, text messages, and more.

pairings: tododeku, momojirou

tags: fluff, humor

warnings:

you broke the dark and my whole earth shook by aloneintherain

summary: Shouto had imagined himself as the country’s top hero for decades. Endeavour had put those images in his head when he was a child, and they had stayed there, growing like a fungus, until Shouto had reached adulthood. Even now, he was only just beginning to realise he didn’t have to live his life according to almost thirty-year-old decisions made by his abuser. He could do more. Be more. Outside of the hero community.

Izuku gets a job offer in America. Somehow, this brings Shouto and Izuku closer than ever before.

pairings: tododeku

tags: fluff, hurt/comfort

warnings:

count your blessings, not your flaws by PitViperOfDoom

summary: Midoriya Izuku has never been asked out, confessed to, or flirted with, except as a joke.

pairings: tododeku

tags: angst, hurt/comfort

warnings: bullying

call the fire department (i'm burning up with love) by Edgedancer

summary: An (abridged) list of things Todoroki Shouto did not have before U.A.: Loud neighbors. Fire alarms. Friends. Midoriya Izuku.

pairings: tododeku

tags:

warnings:

long nights and daydreams by dreamtowns

summary: According to the public, Pro Heroes Deku and Entropy are an amazing Hero Duo, best friends, and the most eligible bachelors in the world. According to their fans, they’re head over heels in love with one another yet oblivious to the others’ feelings. According to their friends and family, they’ve been in love with one another since high school, but, for reasons unknown to them, refuse to act upon said feelings.

According to said heroes, they have been (secretly) married for six years.

pairings: tododeku

tags: fluff, hurt/comfort

warnings:

extra-salty/twitter-verse series by SportsAnimeRuinedMyLife (KnightOfRage)

summary: In his third year at UA, Todoroki Shouto works in a burger place, catches on fire and falls in love. Only two of those things are on purpose.

Or...Todoroki Shouto's exciting adventures in customer service.

part one of the extra salty/twitter-verse

pairings: tododeku, kiribaku

tags: fluff, humor

warnings: none

More Than Skin-Deep by Emmeri

summary: It was a fact, really. That he was ugly. Having a scar which takes up half his face kind of does that, in Todoroki's eyes. So why does he overhear the girls call him the class pretty boy?

He'll just have to ask Midoriya about it; he has too little filter to tell anything but the truth.

pairings: tododeku

tags: fluff, angst

warnings:

Your Biggest Fan by Latios

summary: He opens the bag on the floor to see what could have been left in there-- and promptly freezes, staring at the contents inside.

“Midoriya.” He calls.

“Hm?”

“You bought our hero merch?”

Aka, Class 1-A starts to see themselves appear on merchandise in their local stores. Todoroki tries not to buy things, and fails.

pairings: tododeku

tags: fluff, humor

warnings:

Marry The Mole by Haurvatat

summary: “You're going to break up with him before he can propose.”

The hands went down and the steel wall of Midoriya's entire being went up. “...Excuse me?”

“And in return-” Enji gritted his teeth, “-I will deposit 20 million yen in your checking account.”

The gay drama fic based on a tumblr post absolutely zero people wanted to see but YOU'RE GETTING ANYWAY

pairings: tododeku

tags: humor

warnings:

ascended fanboy by aloneintherain

summary: “I want to honour them,” Izuku said softly. “When I cosplay, I just want people to see how amazing these heroes are.”

Shouto brushed a thumb over his cheek, careful not to smudge his makeup. “They do. I promise.”

Or: Izuku and Shouto attend HeroCon, five years post-graduation.

pairings: tododeku

tags:

warnings:

#bnha recs #my fic recs #abuse tw #bullying tw

88 notes · View notes

yurimother · 5 years ago

Text

LGBTQ Visual Novel Review - OshiRabu: Waifus Over Husbandos

If you are at all interested in Yuri or visual novels, you will have undoubtedly heard of OshiRabu: Waifus Over Husbandos. The Yuri rom-com was one of Steam’s top 20 February releases, and it hit the trending page on the platform. These accomplishments are incredible, and it is lovely to see both a visual novel and a Yuri game get so much love and recognition. However, whenever a title succeeds and manages to make an impact outside of the Yuri community, it always brings up a few questions. Mainly, does it deserve to be one of the few Yuri titles to obtain “mainstream success” and is it a positive ambassador for the genre, one which can further Yuri’s popularity and pull new consumers into it? These concerns boil down to one question, is it good? Usually, this inquiry is pretty quickly answered, with most elements of a product either being positive or negative. However, OshiRabu delivers more of a challenge. There are some fantastic parts to this game which I applaud and gush over, yet there are also several problems, both major and minor. The dichotomy between OshiRabu’s highs and lows is possibly the strongest I have ever seen in a Yuri title.

OshiRabu: Waifus Over Husbandos is the debut game of SukeraSomero, the new sister brand of the excellent Yuri studio, SukeraSparo. The plot follows Akuru Hayahoshi, an otaku with an obsession with her “husbandos” from gacha games and seriously bad luck. One day she bumps into a cute and bubbly student, Ren Furutachi. After Ren shows off her uncanny good luck to Akuru, a miscommunication sees Ren believing that Akuru confesses to her. For Ren, it is love at first sight, and she persistently negotiates her way into living with the older woman.

The rest of the game flits between comedic moments as Akuru and Ren live together. Examples include the girls shopping for a new bed, since Ren insists on sleeping next to Akuru, and Akuru creating boys’ love doujinshi with her friend Shino. There is, of course, a climax, which will not be spoiled in this review, and three possible endings, depending on two-player choices. An optional 18+ DLC expands on one of the endings and offers several explicit scenes.

There are some enjoyable aspects of this plot. For one, it is light and pleasant, never letting itself settle too much or grow stale. The situations are not hilarious but enjoyable and well suited to the with the characters’ personalities, and establishing several recurring themes and jokes, such as Shino teasing Ren and Ren accusing Akuru of cheating. There is an excessive amount of adorable fluff, which matches well with the overall tone of the game. These delightful moments cater to a variety of interests and fixations, so every reader is likely to find something they like. My personal favorite was a brief imagination sequence where Ren and Akuru have a child together, cute Yuri stories about women raising a kid are one of my weaknesses, and the reason Voltage’s Lovestruck has stolen hundreds of dollars from me.

The writing is also fantastic. The descriptive prose makes me laugh at the poor quality English translations we had a decade ago, and sometimes still unfortunately get. SukeraSomero deserves a great deal of praise for the simultaneous English, Japanese, and Chinese release. It is amazing that everyone got to experience this game together all over the world, without having to wait years for a possible license and translation. English translator Meru is one of the best in the business, and her work shines here. Her adaptation is amazing and fits the games’ modern setting and feel. I personally do not care for the amount of internet culture language included, such as Ren calling Akuru a “thot,” simply because such terminology tends to become dated quickly. However, I will defend the creative choices as accurate to Oguri Aya’s original story.

There is one more major compliment I have to give this game, and it is a big one. OshiRabu is extremely queer. While most Yuri titles exist as lesbian or lesbian adjacent content with little construction of LGBTQ identity, for example naming, displaying meaningful sexual and romantic relationships, or showing any aspect of queer culture, OshiRabu does all of these. I was floored when, early on in the story, Ren confesses to Akuru that she is a “lesbian.” The word lesbian is actually used directly in the visual novel, an unfortunate rarity for the Yuri genre. I even swapped the game into the original Japanese to confirm, and there again was the coming-out moment; the word “lesbian,” in all its glory, was planted right on the screen. This fantastic scene was not a one-off occurrence either.

Throughout OshiRabu, Ren continuously mentioned her homosexuality, which is usually juxtaposed by Akuru pondering her own sexuality, which she defines as an attraction to 2D men and nothing else. Although, her identity obviously changes because you know the women must end up together by the end. Some other excellent scenes feature queer representation. For example, at one point in the game, Akuru goes to a gay bookstore where another woman approaches her. When trying to explain that she is not interested, Akuru almost exclaims, “I’m normal,” a sentiment which she quickly realizes is hurtful and prejudice with some spectacular self-reflected narration. Moments like these offer nuanced and thoughtful presentations of LGBT culture and are the definite highlight of the game.

Sadly, not every aspect of the visual novel is as fantastic as these. In fact, many parts of it range from unfortunate to downright atrocious. First, the characters, while not awful or unlikeable, have some harmful qualities to them. Akuru is distant and introverted, which often leads to her being cold or even rude to Ren, which is never confronted or resolved. On her part, Ren is sadly the stereotypical aggressive lesbian, and frequently invades Akuru’s personal space, a topic which is again never reconciled. It is fine to have a character make problematic choices, but when their actions do not have consequences and conflicts have no resolution, it is a significant issue. The only character I unequivocally enjoyed was Shino, as she spends the whole game humorously teasing the two.

Speaking of conflicts, the final dramatic twist comes about as a result of Ren running away and refusing to communicate with Akuru. It turns out, minor spoilers, that she was testing her, which is a pathetic and ridiculous action which in real life can and should have serious repercussions or even end the partnership. Additionally, the topic of Akuru’s shared affection for Ren and her virtual husbandos, which is an immense source of stress for Ren, is not addressed in the base game, only the DLC. The extra content has its own set of problems too.

It is not uncommon for visual novels to include adult content in a separate patch so they can sell the base game on Steam. However, such adult patches are usually free, and OshiRabu’s is not, instead it sells for $4.99. This price is on top of the $24.99 base game, which means you are shelling out 30 dollars for the complete experience. An experience which, mind you. only clocks in at about 3 hours, hardly what I would call a value. It is an additional shame because the adult content is really well done. All the 18+ scenes, except for maybe the brief first one, showcase a tender loving relationship and skillfully written erotic content, although one or two metaphors did not land very well. However, not every player will want the 18+ content, and OshiRabu essentially forces them to play through it if they are going to see all the base game’s conflicts resolved.

There is also an unfortunate amount of service. While most of OshiRabu’s service is just sweet and cute moments between the characters, there is plenty of exploitative artwork designed to cater to specific players of a more perverted persuasion. Ren is usually the subject of such content, with shots featuring her panties and one extremely revealing cosplay outfit consisting of little more than two strips of cloth. Obviously, some players will enjoy these aspects of the game, but they did not work well for me, especially when I compared such clumsy service with the robust adult content.

However, this exploitative artwork, along with the rest of the game’s art, is phenomenally well crafted. Artist and character designer DSmile creates detailed and colorful illustrations that match the light comedic tone of the game. The adorable and vibrant artwork, drawn in a light watercolor style, makes my heart sing! There are also plenty of CG pieces, over 20, including the DLC, which adds six more. Given the games short length, this means you will see a new CG every ten minutes or so. The UI is also incredibly clean, easy to navigate, and blends well with the aesthetics of the art. My only complaint visually is that the sprites are entirely static. Except for different facial expressions and a few outfit changes, they are always the exact same, standing like flat mannequins against a backdrop. There is no animation or even alternative poses for them.

The voice acting is similarly high quality. Voice actors Nekomura Yuki, Kitaooji Yuki, and Waou Kirika all give fantastic performances in Japanese, and the quality of the recordings is consistently amazing. Even the adult scenes are voiced and showcase the range of talent present. The music is not nearly as good, but it does not intrude either. There are enough tracks to prevent the music from getting too dull, although the central theme and one of the tracks, “Let’s Go Out!” push this boundary a little far. Unfortunately, none of them are too memorable either, and I can guarantee that I will never be touching the BGM tab of the extras menu.

OshiRabu: Waifus Over Husbandos is a highly polished and visually impressive experience. The visual novel contains incredible artwork and is well constructed, showing the promise and talent of SukeraSparo. The stellar, although unfortunately necessary, adult DLC, and inclusion of LGBT themes are superb aspects that could have made playing this game a blast. However, a poorly constructed story, weak characters, and a high price tag compared to the amount of content offered severely detract from the game’s success. If you do not mind excessive service or are interested in lots of cute Yuri moments, pick this one up when it goes on sale.

Ratings: Story – 5 (6 with DLC) Characters – 4 Art – 9 Voice – 10 Music – 5 LGBTQ – 10 Sexual Content – 5 (9 with DLC) Final – 5

The visual novel is available on Steam and MangaGamer

#yuri #reviews #lgbt #lgbtq #lgbtq+#queer #gay #lesbian #visual novel #oshirabu #oshirabu: waifus over husbandos #girls love #gl #wlw #video games #gaming #game

919 notes · View notes

grigori77 · 5 years ago

Text

2019 in Movies - My Top 30 Fave Movies (Part 3)

10. HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON: THE HIDDEN WORLD – while I love Disney and Pixar as much as the next movie nut, since the Millennium my loyalty has been slowly but effectively usurped by the consistently impressive (but sometimes frustratingly underappreciated) output of Dreamworks Animation Studios, and in recent years in particular they really have come to rival the House of Mouse in both the astounding quality of their work and their increasing box office reliability. But none of their own franchises (not even Shrek or Kung Fu Panda) have come CLOSE to equalling the sheer, unbridled AWESOMENESS of How to Train Your Dragon, which started off as a fairly loose adaptation of Cressida Cowell’s popular series of children’s stories but quickly developed a very sharp mind of its own – the first two films were undisputable MASTERPIECES, and this third and definitively FINAL chapter in the trilogy matches them to perfection, as well as capping the story off with all the style, flair and raw emotional power we’ve come to expect. The time has come to say goodbye to diminutive Viking Hiccup (Jay Baruchel, as effortlessly endearing as ever) and his adorable Night Fury mount/best friend Toothless, fiancée Astrid (America Ferrera, still tough, sassy and WAY too good for him), mother Valka (Cate Blanchett, classy, wise and still sporting a pretty flawless Scottish accent) and all the other Dragon Riders of the tiny, inhospitable island kingdom of Berk – their home has become overpopulated with scaly, fire-breathing denizens, while a trapper fleet led by the fiendish Grimmel the Grisly (F. Murray Abraham delivering a wonderfully soft-spoken, subtly chilling master villain) is beginning to draw close, prompting Hiccup to take up his late father Stoick (Gerard Butler returning with a gentle turn that EASILY prompts tears and throat-lumps) the Vast’s dream of finding the fabled “Hidden World”, a mysterious safe haven for dragon-kind where they can be safe from those who seek to do them harm. But there’s a wrinkle – Grimmel has a new piece of bait, a female Night Fury (or rather, a “Light Fury”), a major distraction that gets Toothless all hot and bothered … returning writer-director Dean DeBlois has rounded things off beautifully with this closer, giving loyal fans everything they could ever want while also introducing fresh elements such as intriguing new environments, characters and species of dragons to further enrich what is already a powerful, intoxicating world for viewers young and old (I particularly love Craig Ferguson’s ever-reliable comic relief veteran Viking Gobber’s brilliant overreactions to a certain adorably grotesque little new arrival), and like its predecessors this film is just as full of wry, broad and sometimes slightly (or not so slightly) absurd humour and deep down gut-twisting FEELS as it is of stirring, pulse-quickening action sequences and sheer, jaw-dropping WONDER, so it’s as nourishing to our soul as it is to our senses. From the perfectly-pitched, cheekily irreverent opening to the truly devastating, heartbreaking close, this is EXACTLY the final chapter we’ve always dreamed of, even if it does hurt to see this most beloved of screen franchises go. It’s been a wild ride, and one that I think really does CEMENT Dreamworks’ status as one of the true giants of the genre …

9. TERMINATOR: DARK FATE – back in 1984, James Cameron burst onto the scene with a stone-cold PHENOMENON, a pitch-perfect adrenaline-fuelled science fiction survival horror that spawned a million imitators but has never truly been equalled. Less than a decade later, he revisited that universe with a much bigger and far bolder vision, creating an epic action adventure that truly changed blockbuster cinema for the better (or perhaps worse, depending on how you want to look at it), but, with its decidedly final, full-stop climax, also effectively rendered itself sequel-proof. Except that Hollywood had other ideas, the unstoppable money machine smelling potential profit and deciding to milk this particular cash cow for all it was worth – on the small screen, it was the impressive but ultimately intrinsically limited Sarah Connor Chronicles, while on the big screen they cranked out THREE MORE sequels, Sony Pictures starting with straightforward retread Rise of the Machines and following with post-apocalyptic marmite movie Salvation, while Twentieth Century Fox then tried a sort-of soft reboot follow-up to T2 in Genisys. These were all interesting in their own way (personally, I like them all, particularly Salvation), but ultimately suffered from diminishing returns and whiffed strongly of trying too hard without quite getting the point. Cameron himself had long since washed his hands of the whole affair, and it looked like that might well be it … but then Skydance Productions founder David Ellison thought up a new take to breathe much needed new life into the franchise, and enlisted Cameron’s help to usher it in properly, with Deadpool director Tim Miller the intriguing but ultimately inspired choice to helm the project. The end result wisely chooses to paint right over all the pretenders, kicking off right where Judgement Day left off, and as well as Cameron being heavily involved in the story itself, draws another ace with the long-awaited ON-SCREEN return of Linda Hamilton in the role that’s pretty much defined her career, hardboiled survivor Sarah Connor. I’ll leave the details of her return for newcomers to discover, suffice to say she gets caught up in the chase when a new, MUCH more advanced terminator is sent back in time to kill unassuming young Mexican factory worker Dani Ramos (Natalia Reyes). Of course, the future resistance has once again sent a protector back to watch her back, Grace (Blade Runner 2049’s Mackenzie Davis), a cybernetically-enhanced super-soldier specifically outfitted to combat terminators, who reluctantly agrees to team up with the highly experienced Sarah in order to keep Dani alive. Arnold Schwarzenegger once again returns to the role that truly made him a star (of course, how could he not?), and he for one has clearly not lost ANY of his old love or enthusiasm for playing the old T-800, but revealing exactly HOW he comes into the story this time would give away too much; the new terminator, meanwhile, is brilliantly portrayed by Gabriel Luna (probably best known for playing Ghost Rider in Marvel’s Agents of SHIELD), who brings predatory menace and an interesting edge of subtle, entitled arrogance to the role of Rev-9. Ultimately though, this is very much the ladies’ film, the three leads dominating the action and drama both as they kick-ass and verbally spar in equal measure, their chemistry palpably strong throughout – Hamilton is as badass as ever, making Sarah even more of a take-no-shit survivalist burnout than she ever was in T2, and she’s utterly mesmerising in what’s EASILY her best turn in YEARS, while Reyes goes through an incredible transformative character arc as she’s forced to evolve from terrified salary-girl to proto she-warrior through several pleasingly organic steps … my greatest pleasure, however, definitely comes from watching Mackenzie Davis OWN the role of Grace, investing her with an irresistible mixture of icy military precision, downright feral mother lion ferocity and a surprisingly sweet innocence buried underneath all the bravado, thus creating one of my favourite ass-kicking heroines not just for the year but this past decade entirely. Unsurprisingly, in the hands of old hand Tim Miller (working from a screenplay headlined by Blade and Batman Begins scribe David Goyer) this is a pulse-pounding thrill ride that rarely lets its foot up off the pedal, but thankfully the action is ALWAYS in service to the story, each precision-crafted set piece engineered to perfection as we power through high speed chases, explosive shootouts and a succession of bruising heavy metal smackdowns, but thankfully there’s just as much attention paid to the characters and the story – given the familiarity of the tale there’s inevitably a certain predictability to events, but Miller and co. still pull off a few deftly handled surprise twists, while character development always feels organic. Best of all, this genuinely feels like a legitimate part of the original Terminator franchise, Cameron and Hamilton’s returns having finally brought back the old magic that’s been missing for so long. I’d definitely be willing to sign up for more of this – such a shame then that, thanks to the film’s frustrating underperformance at the box office, it looks like this is gonna be it after all. Damn it …

8. DOCTOR SLEEP – first up, before I say anything else about this latest Stephen King screen adaptation, I HAVE NOT yet got round to reading the original novel yet, so I can’t speak to how it compares. That said, I HAVE read The Shining, to which the book is a direct sequel, so I DO know about at least one of the major, KEY changes, and besides, this is actually a sequel to Stanley Kubrick’s MOVIE of The Shining, which differed significantly from its own source material anyway, so there’s that … yeah, this is a complicated kettle of fish even BEFORE we get down to the details. Suffice to say, you don’t have to have read the book to get this movie, but a working knowledge of Kubrick’s horror classic may at least help you get some context before watching this … anyways, enough with the confusion, on to the meat of the matter – this is a CRACKING horror movie by any stretch, and, for me, one of the strongest King horrors to make it to the big screen in quite some time. Of course it helps no end to have a filmmaker of MAJOR calibre at the helm, and there are few working in horror at the moment with whom I am quite so impressed as Mike Flanagan, writer-director of two of this past decade’s definitive horrors (at least for me), Oculus and Hush, as well as a BLINDING TV series adaptation of The Haunting of Hill House for Netflix – the man is an absolute master of the craft, incredibly skilled with all the tricks of this particular genre’s trade, and, as it turns out, a perfect fit with King’s material. Following on from The Shining, then, we learn what happened to the kid, Danny Torrance, after he and his mother left the Overlook Hotel in the wake of his father’s psychotic break driven by monstrous apparitions “living” in the cursed halls, following him from childhood as he initially shuns the psychic gifts (or “shine”) he was taught to use by the hotel’s late caretaker, Dick Halloran. It’s only in later years, as he fights to overcome his alcoholism and self-destructive lifestyle, that he reconnects with that power, just in time to discover psychic “pen-pal” Abra Stone, an immensely powerful young psychic. Which leads us to the present day, when Abra, now a teenager, becomes the target of the True Knot, a group of psychic vampires who travel America hunting and killing young people with psychic abilities in order to consume their “smoke” (basically the stuff of their “shines”), thus expanding their already unnatural lifespans – they’re tracking Abra, and they’re getting close, and only her “Uncle Dan” can save her from them. Ewan McGregor is PERFECT as the grown-up Dan, delivering one of his career-best turns as he captures the world-weary seriousness of someone who’s seen, felt and had to do things no-one should, especially when he was so very young, the kinds of things that colour a soul for their entire life, and he’s clearly DESPERATE not to become his father; newcomer Kyleigh Curran, meanwhile, is an absolute revelation as Abra, bringing depth and weight far beyond her years to the role, but never losing sight of the fact that, under all the power, she’s ultimately still just a child; there are also excellent supporting turns from the likes of Cliff Curtis as Dan’s best friend and AA sponsor Billy Freeman, Zahn McClarnon (Longmire, Fargo season 2) and Emily Lind (Revenge, Code Black) as True Knot members Crow Daddy and Snakebite Annie, and Carl Lumbly (Cagney & Lacey, TV’s Supergirl), who beautifully replaces deceased original actor Scatman Crothers in the role of Dick. The film’s tour-de-force performance, however, comes from Rebecca Ferguson as Rose the Hat, leader of the True Knot – they’re an intriguing bunch of villains, very well written and fleshed out, and it’s clear they have genuine love for one another, like a real family, which makes it hard not to sympathise with them a little bit, and this is none more true than in Rose, whom Ferguson invests with so much light and warmth and intriguing, complex character, as well as a fantastic streak of playful mischief that makes her all the more riveting in those times when they then turn around and do some truly heinous, unforgivable things … as horror movies go this is the cream of the crop, but Flanagan has purposefully kept away from jump scares and the more flashy stuff, preferring, like Kubrick in The Shining, to let the insidious darkness bubble up underneath good and slow, drawing out the creepiness and those most unsettling, twisted little touches the author himself is always so very good at. Intent can be such a scary thing, and Flanagan gets it, so that’s just what he uses here. As a result this is a fantastic slow-burn creep-fest that constantly works its way deeper under your skin, building to a phenomenal climax that, (perversely) thanks in no small part to the differences between both novels and films, pays as much loving tribute to Kubrick’s visionary landmark as the original novel of The Shining. For me, this is Flanagan’s best film to date, and as far as Stephen King adaptations go I consider this to be right up there with the likes of The Mist and The Green Mile. Best of all, I think he’d be proud of it too …

7. SPIDER-MAN: FAR FROM HOME – summer 20019 was something of a decompression period for fans of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, with many of us recovering from the sheer emotional DEVASTATION of the grand finale of Phase 3, Avengers: Endgame, so the main Blockbuster Season’s entry really needed to be light and breezy, a blessed relief after all that angst and loss, much like Ant-Man & the Wasp was last year as it followed Infinity War. And it is, by and large – this is as light-hearted and irreverent as its predecessor, following much the same goofy teen comedy template as Homecoming, but there’s no denying that there’s a definite emotional through-line from Endgame that looms large here, a sense of loss the film fearlessly addresses right from the start, sometimes with a bittersweet sense of humour, sometimes straight. But whichever path the narrative chooses, the film stays true to this underlying truth – there have been great and painful changes in this world, and we can’t go back to how it was before, no matter how hard we try, but then perhaps we shouldn’t. This is certainly central to our young hero’s central arc – Peter Parker (Tom Holland) is in mourning, and not even the prospect of a trip around Europe with his newly returned classmates, together with the chance to finally get close to M.J. (Zendaya), maybe even start a relationship, can entirely distract him from the gaping hole in his life. Still, he’s gonna give it his best shot, but it looks like fate has other plans for our erstwhile Spider-Man as superspy extraordinaire Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) comes calling, basically hijacking his vacation with an Avengers-level threat to deal with, aided by enigmatic inter-dimensional superhero Quentin Beck, aka Mysterio (Jake Gyllenhaal), who has a personal stake in the mission, but as he’s drawn deeper into the fray Peter discovers that things may not be quite as they seem. Of course, giving anything more away would of course dumps HEINOUS spoilers on the precious few who haven’t yet seen the film – suffice to say that the narrative drops a MAJOR sea-change twist at the midpoint that’s EVERY BIT as fiendish as the one Shane Black gave us in Iron Man 3 (although the more knowledgeable fans of the comics will likely see it coming), and also provides Peter with JUST the push he needs to get his priorities straight and just GET OVER IT once and for all. Tom Holland again proves his character is the most endearing teenage geek in cinematic history, his spectacular super-powered abilities and winning underdog perseverance in the face of impossible odds still paradoxically tempered by the fact he’s as loveably hopeless as ever outside his suit; Mysterio himself, meanwhile, frequently steals the film out from under him, the strong bromance they develop certainly mirroring what Peter had with Tony Stark, and it’s a major credit to Gyllenhaal that he so perfectly captures the essential dualities of the character, investing Beck with a roguish but subtly self-deprecating charm that makes him EXTREMELY easy to like, but ultimately belying something much more complex hidden beneath it; it’s also nice to see so many beloved familiar faces returning, particularly the fantastically snarky and self-assured Zendaya, Jacob Batalon (once again pure comedy gold as Peter’s adorably nerdy best friend Ned), Tony Revolori (as his self-important class rival Flash Thompson) and, of course, Marisa Tomei as the ever-pivotal Aunt May, as well as Jackson and Cobie Smoulders as dynamite SHIELD duo Fury and his faithful lieutenant Maria Hill, and best of all Jon Favreau gets a MUCH bigger role this time round as Happy Hogan. Altogether this is very much business as usual for the MCU, the well-oiled machine unsurprisingly turning out another near-perfect gem of a superhero flick that ticks all the required boxes, but a big part of the film’s success should be attributed to returning director Jon Watts, effectively building on the granite-strong foundations of Homecoming with the help of fellow alumni Chris McKenna and Erik Sommers on screenplay duty, for a picture that feels both comfortingly familiar and rewardingly fresh, delivering on all the required counts with thrilling action and eye candy spectacle, endearingly quirky character-based charm and a typically winning sense of humour, and plenty of understandably powerful emotional heft. And, like always, there are plenty of fan-pleasing winks and nods and revelations, and the pre-requisite mid- and post-credit teasers too, both proving to be some proper game-changing corkers. Another winner from the Marvel Cinematic Universe, then, but was there really ever any doubt?

6. US – back in 2017, Jordan Peele made the transition from racially-charged TV and stand-up comedy to astounding cinemagoers with stunning ease through his writer-director feature debut Get Out, a sharply observed jet black comedy horror with SERIOUS themes that was INSANELY well-received by audiences and horror fans alike. Peele instantly became ONE TO WATCH in the genre, so his follow-up feature had A LOT riding on it, but this equally biting, deeply satirical existential mind-bender is EASILY the equal of its predecessor, possibly even its better … giving away too much plot detail would do great disservice to the many intriguing, shocking twists on offer as middle class parents Adelaide and Gabe Wilson (Black Panther alumni Lupita Nyong’o and Winston Duke) take their children, Zora (Shahadi Wright Joseph) and Jason (Evan Alex), to Santa Cruz on vacation, only to step into a nightmare as a night-time visitation by a family of murderous doppelgangers signals the start of a terrifying supernatural revolution with potential nationwide consequences. The idea at the heart of this film is ASTOUNDINGLY original, quite an achievement in a genre where just about everything has been tried at least once, but it’s also DEEPLY subversive, as challenging and thought-provoking as the themes visited in Get Out, but also potentially even more wide-reaching. It’s also THOROUGHLY fascinating and absolutely TERRIFYING, a peerless exercise in slow-burn tension and acid-drip discomfort, liberally soaked in an oppressive atmosphere so thick you could choke on it if you’re not careful, such a perfect horror master-class it’s amazing that this is only Peele’s second FEATURE, never mind his sophomore offering IN THE GENRE. The incredibly game cast really help, too – the four leads are all EXCEPTIONAL, each delivering fascinatingly nuanced performances in startlingly oppositional dual roles as both the besieged family AND their monstrous doubles, a feat brilliantly mimicked by Mad Men and The Handmaid’s Tale-star Elisabeth Moss, Tim Heidecker and teen twins Cali and Noelle Sheldon as the Wilsons’ friends, the Tylers, and their similarly psychotic mimics. The film is DOMINATED, however, by Oscar-troubler Nyong’o, effortlessly holding our attention throughout the film with yet another raw, intense, masterful turn that keeps up glued to the screen from start to finish, even as the twists get weirder and more full-on brain-mashy. Of course, while this really is scary as hell, it’s also often HILARIOUSLY funny, Peele again poking HUGE fun at both his intended audience AND his allegorical targets, proving that scares often work best when twinned with humour. BY FAR the best thing in horror in 2019, Us shows just what a master of the genre Jordan Peele is, and it looks like he’s here to stay …

5. KNIVES OUT – with The Last Jedi, writer-director Rian Johnson divided audiences so completely that he seemed to have come perilously close to ruining his career. Thankfully, he’s a thick-skinned auteur with an almost ridiculous amount of talent, and he’s come bouncing back as strong as ever, doing what he does best. His big break feature debut was with Brick, a cult classic murder mystery that was, surprisingly, set in and around a high school, and his latest has some of that same DNA as Johnson crafts a fantastic sleuthy whodunit cast in the classic mould of Agatha Christie, albeit shot through with his own wonderfully eclectic verve, wit and slyly subversive streak. Daniel Craig holds court magnificently as quirky and flamboyant Deep South private detective Benoit Blanc, summoned to the home of newly-deceased star crime author Harlan Thrombey (Christopher Plummer) to investigate his possible murder and faced with a veritable web of lies, deceit and twisting knives as he meets the maybe-victim’s extensive and INCREDIBLY dysfunctional family, all of whom are potential suspects. Craig is thoroughly mesmerising throughout, clearly having the time of his life in one of his career-best roles, while the narrative focus is actually, interestingly, given largely to Ana de Armas (Blade Runner 2049 and soon to be seen with Craig again in the latest Bond-flick No Time To Die), who proves equally adept at driving the film as Harlan’s sweet but steely and impressively resourceful nurse Marta Cabrera, whose own involvement in the case it would do the film a massive disservice to reveal. The rest of the Thrombey clan are an equally intriguing bunch, all played to the hilt by an amazing selection of heavyweight talent that includes Jamie Lee Curtis, Michael Shannon, Toni Collette and It’s Jaeden Martell, but the film is, undeniably, DOMINATED by Chris Evans as Harlan’s black sheep grandson Ransom, the now former Captain America clearly enjoying his first major post-MCU role as he roundly steals every scene he’s in, effortlessly bringing back the kind of snarky, sarcastic underhanded arrogance we haven’t seen him play since his early career and entertaining us thoroughly. Johnson has very nearly outdone himself this time, weaving a gleefully twisty web of intrigue that viewers will take great pleasure in watching Blanc untangle, even if we’re actually already privy to (most of) the truth of the deed, and he pulls off some diabolical twists and turns as we rattle towards an inspired final reveal which genuinely surprises. He’s also generously smothered the film with oodles of his characteristically dry, acerbic wit, wonderfully tweaking many of the classic tropes of this familiar little sub-genre so this is at once a loving homage to the classics but also a sly, skilful deconstruction. Intriguing, compelling, enrapturing and often thoroughly hilarious, this is VERY NEARLY the best film he’s ever made. Only the mighty Looper remains unbeaten …

4. CAPTAIN MARVEL – before the first real main event of not only the year’s blockbusters but also, more importantly, 2019’s big screen MCU roster, Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige and co dropped a powerful opening salvo with what, it turns out, was the TRUE inception point of the Avengers Initiative and all its accompanying baggage (not Captain America: the First Avenger, as we were originally led to believe). For me, this is simply the MCU film I have MOST been looking forward to essentially since the beginning – the onscreen introduction of my favourite Avenger, former US Air Force Captain Carol Danvers, the TRUE Captain Marvel (no matter what the DC purists might say), who was hinted at in the post credits sting of Avengers: Infinity War but never actually seen. Not only is she the most powerful Avenger (sorry Thor, but it’s true), but for me she’s also the most badass – she’s an unstoppable force of (cosmically enhanced) nature, with near GODLIKE powers (she can even fly through space without needing a suit!), but the thing that REALLY makes her so full-on EPIC is her sheer, unbreakable WILL, the fact that no matter what’s thrown at her, no matter how often or how hard she gets knocked down, she KEEPS GETTING BACK UP. She is, without a doubt, the MOST AWESOME woman in the entire Marvel Universe, both on the comic page AND up on the big screen. Needless to say, such a special character needs an equally special actor to portray her, and we’re thoroughly blessed in the inspired casting choice of Brie Larson, who might as well have been purpose-engineered exclusively for this very role – she’s Carol Danvers stepped right out of the primary-coloured panels, as steely cool, unswervingly determined and strikingly statuesque as she’s always been drawn and scripted, with just the right amount of twinkle-eyed, knowing smirk and sassy humour to complete the package. Needless to say she’s the heart and soul of the film, a pure joy to watch throughout, but there’s so much more to enjoy here that this is VERY NEARLY the most enjoyable cinematic experience I had all year … writer-director double-act Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck may only be known for smart, humble indies like Half Nelson and Mississippi Grind, but they’ve taken to the big budget, all-action blockbuster game like ducks to water, co-scripting with Geneva Robertson-Dworet (writer of the Tomb Raider reboot movie and the long-gestating third Sherlock Holmes movie) to craft yet another pitch-perfect MCU origin story, playing a sneakily multilayered, misleading game of perception-versus-truth as we’re told how Carol got her powers and became the unstoppable badass supposedly destined to turn the tide in a certain Endgame … slyly rolling the clock back to the mid-90s, we’re presented with a skilfully realised mid-90s period culture clash adventure as Carol, a super-powered warrior fighting for the Kree Empire against the encroaching threat of the shape-shifting Skrulls, crash-lands in California and winds up uncovering the hidden truth behind her origins, with the help of a particular SHIELD agent, before he wound up with an eye-patch and a more cynical point-of-view – yup, it’s a younger, fresher Nick Fury (the incomparable Samuel L. Jackson, digitally de-aged with such skill it’s really just a pure, flesh-and-blood performance). There’s action, thrills, spectacle and (as always with the MCU) pure, skilfully observed, wry humour by the bucket-load, but one of the biggest strengths of the film is the perfectly natural chemistry between the two leads, Larson and Jackson playing off each other BEAUTIFULLY, no hint of romantic tension, just a playfully prickly, banter-rich odd couple vibe that belies a deep, honest respect building between both the characters and, clearly, the actors themselves. There’s also sterling support from Jude Law as Kree warrior Yon-Rogg, Carol’s commander and mentor, Ben Mendelsohn, slick, sly and surprisingly seductive (despite a whole lot of make-up) as Skrull leader Talos, returning MCU-faces Clark Gregg and Lee Pace as rookie SHIELD agent Phil Coulson (another wildly successful de-aging job) and Kree Accuser Ronan, Annette Bening as a mysterious face from Carol’s past and, in particular, Lashana Lynch (Still Star-Crossed, soon to be seen in No Time To Die) as Carol’s one-time best friend and fellow Air Force pilot Maria Rambeau, along with the impossibly adorable Akira Akbar as her precocious daughter Monica … that said, the film is frequently stolen by a quartet of ginger tabbies who perfectly capture fan-favourite Goose the “cat” (better known to comics fans as Chewie). This is about as great as the MCU standalone films get – for me it’s up there with the Russo’s Captain America films and Black Panther, perfectly pitched and SO MUCH FUN, but with a multilayered, monofilament-sharp intelligence that makes it a more cerebrally satisfying ride than most blockbusters, throwing us a slew of skilfully choreographed twists and narrative curveballs we almost never see coming, and finishing it off with a bucket-load of swaggering style and pure, raw emotional power (the film kicks right off with an incredibly touching, heartfelt tear-jerking tribute to Marvel master Stan Lee). Forget Steve Rogers – THIS is the Captain MCU fans need AND deserve, and I am SO CHUFFED they got my favourite Avenger so totally, perfectly RIGHT. I can die happy now, I guess …

3. JOHN WICK CHAPTER 3 – needless to say, those who know me should be in no doubt why THIS was at the top of my list for summer 2019 – this has EVERYTHING I love in movies and more. Keanu Reeves is back in the very best role he’s ever played, unstoppable, unbeatable, un-killable hitman John Wick, who, when we rejoin him mere moments after the end of 2017’s phenomenal Chapter 2, is in some SERIOUSLY deep shit, having been declared Incommunicado by the High Table (the all-powerful ruling elite who run this dark and deadly shadowy underworld) after circumstances forced him to gun down an enemy on the grounds of the New York Continental Hotel (the inviolable sanctuary safe-house for all denizens of the underworld), as his last remaining moments of peace tick away and he desperately tries to find somewhere safe to weather the initial storm. Needless to say the opening act of the film is ONE LONG ACTION SEQUENCE as John careers through the rain-slick streets of New York, fighting off attackers left and right with his signature brutal efficiency and unerring skill, perfectly setting up what’s to come – namely a head-spinning, exhausting parade of spectacular set pieces that each put EVERY OTHER offering in every other film this past year to shame. Returning director Chad Stahelski again proves that he’s one of the very best helmsmen around for this kind of stuff, delivering FAR beyond the call on every count as he creates a third entry to a series that continues to go from strength to strength, while Keanu once again demonstrates what a phenomenal screen action GOD he is, gliding through each scenario with poise, precision and just the right balance of brooding charm and so-very-done-with-this-shit intensity and a thoroughly enviable athletic physicality that really does put him on the same genre footing as Tom Cruise. As with the first two chapters, what plot there is is largely an afterthought, a facility to fuel the endless wave of stylish, wince-inducing, thoroughly exhilarating violent bloodshed, as John cuts another bloody swathe through the underworld searching for a way to remove the lethal bounty from his head while an Adjudicator from the High Table (Orange Is the New Black’s Asia Kate Dillon) arrives in New York to settle affairs with Winston (Ian McShane), the manager of the New York Continental, and the Bowery King (Laurence Fishburne) for helping John create this mess in the first place. McShane and Fishburne are both HUGE entertainment in their fantastically nuanced large-than-life roles, effortlessly stealing each of their scenes, while the ever-brilliant Lance Reddick also makes a welcome return as Winston’s faithful right-hand Charon, the concierge of the Continental, who finally gets to show off his own hardcore action chops when trouble arrives at their doorstep, and there are plenty of franchise newcomers who make strong impressions here – Dillon is the epitome of icy imperiousness, perfectly capturing the haughty superiority you’d expect from a direct representative of the High Table, Halle Berry gets a frustratingly rare opportunity to show just how seriously badass she can be as former assassin Sofia, the manager of the Casablanca branch of the Continental and one of John’s only remaining allies, Game of Thrones’ Jerome Flynn is smarmy and entitled as her boss Berrada, and Anjelica Houston is typically classy as the Director, the ruthless head of New York’s Ruska Roma (John’s former “alma mater”, basically). The one that REALLY sticks in the memory, though, is Mark Dacascos, finally returning to the big time after frustrating years languishing in lurid straight-to-video action dreck and lowbrow TV hosting duties thanks to a BLISTERING turn as Zero, a truly brilliant semi-comic creation who routinely runs away with the film – he’s the Japanese master ninja the Adjudicator tasks with dispensing her will, a thoroughly lethal killer who may well be as skilled as our hero, but his deadliness is amusingly tempered by the fact that he’s also a total nerd who HERO WORSHIPS John Wick, adorably geeking out whenever their paths cross. Their long-gestating showdown provides a suitably magnificent climax to the action, but there’s plenty to enjoy in the meantime, as former stuntman Stahelski and co keep things interestingly fluid as they constantly change up the dynamics and add new elements, from John using kicking horses in a stable and knives torn out of display cases in a weaponry museum to dispatch foes on the fly, through Sofia’s use of attack dogs to make the Moroccan portion particularly nasty and a SPECTACULAR high octane sequence in which John fights katana-wielding assailants on speeding motorcycles, to the film’s UNDISPUTABLE highlight, an astounding fight in which John takes on Zero’s disciples (including two of the most impressive guys from The Raid movies, Cecep Arif Rahman and Yayan Ruhian) in (and through) an expansive chamber made up entirely of glass walls and floors. Altogether then, this is business as usual for a franchise that’s consistently set the bar for the genre as a whole, an intensely bruising, blissfully blood-drenched epic that cranks its action up to eleven, shot with delicious neon-drenched flair and glossy graphic novel visual excess, a consistently inspired exercise in fascinating world-building that genuinely makes you want to live among its deadly denizens (even though you probably wouldn’t live very long). The denouement sets things up for an inevitable sequel, and I’m not at all surprised – right from the first film I knew the concept had legs, and it’s just too good to quit yet. Which is just how I like it …

2. AVENGERS: ENDGAME – the stars have aligned and everything is right with the world – the second half of the ridiculously vast, epic, nerve-shredding and gut-punching MCU saga that began with 2018’s Avengers: Infinity War has FINALLY arrived and it’s JUST AS GOOD as its predecessor … maybe even a little bit better, simply by virtue of the fact that (just about) all the soul-crushing loss and upheaval of the first film is resolved here. Opening shortly after the universally cataclysmic repercussions of “the Snap”, the world at large and the surviving Avengers in particular are VERY MUCH on the back foot as they desperately search for a means to reverse the damage wrought by brutally single-minded cosmic megalomaniac Thanos and his Infinity Stone-powered gauntlet – revealing much more dumps so many spoilers it’s criminal to continue, so I’ll simply say that their immediate plan really DOESN’T work out, leaving them worse off than ever. Fast-forward five years and the universe is a very different place, mourning what it’s lost and torn apart by grief-fuelled outbursts, while our heroes in particular are in various, sometimes better, but often much worse places – Bruce Banner/the Hulk (Mark Ruffallo) has found a kind of peace that’s always eluded him before, but Thor (Chris Hemsworth) really is a MESS, while Clint Barton/Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner) has gone to a VERY dark place indeed. Then Ant-Man Scott Lang (Paul Rudd) finds a way back from his forced sojourn in the Quantum Realm, and brings with him a potential solution of a very temporal nature … star directors the Russo Brothers, along with returning screenwriters Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely, have once again crafted a stunning cinematic masterpiece, taking what could have been a bloated, overloaded and simply RIDICULOUS narrative mess and weaving it into a compelling, rich and thoroughly rewarding ride that, despite its THREE HOURS PLUS RUNNING TIME, stays fresh and interesting from start to finish, building on the solid foundations of Infinity War while also forging new ground (narratively speaking, at least) incorporating a wonderfully fresh take on time-travel that pokes gleeful fun at the decidedly clichéd tropes inherent in this particular little sub-genre. In fact this is frequently a simply HILARIOUS film in its own right, largely pulling away from the darker tone of its predecessor by injecting a very strong vein of chaotic humour into proceedings, perfectly tempering the more dramatic turns and epic feels that inevitably crop up, particularly as the stakes continue to rise. Needless to say the entire cast get to shine throughout, particularly those veterans whose own tours of duty in the franchise are coming to a close, and as with Infinity War even the minor characters get at least a few choice moments in the spotlight, especially in the vast, operatic climax where pretty much the ENTIRE MCU cast return for the inevitable final showdown. It’s a masterful affair, handled with skill and deep, earnest respect but also enough irreverence to keep it fun, although in the end it really comes down to those big, fat, heart-crushing emotional FEELS, as we say goodbye to some favourites and see others reach crossroads in their own arcs that send them off in new, interesting directions. Seriously guys, keep a lot of tissues handy, you really will need them. If this were the very last MCU film ever, I’d say it’s a PERFECT piece to go out on – thankfully it’s not, and while it is the end of an era the franchise looks set to go on as strong as ever, safe in the knowledge that there’s plenty more cracking movies on the way so long as Kevin Feige and co continue to employ top-notch talent like this to make their films. Eleven years and twenty-two films down, then – here’s to eleven and twenty-two more, I say …

1. THE IRISHMAN (aka I HEARD YOU PAINT HOUSES) – beating smash-hit superhero movies and unstoppable assassin action-fests to the top spot is no mean feat, but so completely blowing me away that I had NO OTHER CHOICE than to put this at NUMBER ONE is something else entirely. Not only is this the best thing I saw at the cinema this past year, but I’d be happy to say it’s guaranteed to go down as one of my all-time greats of the entire decade. I’ve been an ardent fan of the filmmaking of Martin Scorsese ever since I first properly got into cinema in my early adolescence, when I was first shown Taxi Driver and was completely and irrevocably changed forever as a movie junkie. He’s a director who impresses me like a select few others, one of the true, undisputable masters of the craft, and I find it incredibly pleasing that I’m not alone in this assertion. Goodfellas and The Departed are both numbered among my all-time favourite crime movies, while I regard the latter as one of the greatest films of the current cinematic century. I’ve learned more about the art and craft of filmmaking and big-screen storytelling from watching Scorsese’s work than from any other director out there (with the notable exception of my OTHER filmmaking hero, Ridley Scott), and I continue to discover more about his films every time I watch them, so I never stop. Anyways … enough with the gushing, time to get on with talking about his latest offering, a Netflix Original true-life gangster thriller of truly epic proportions chronicling the career and times of Frank Sheeran, a Philadelphia truck driver who became the most trusted assassin of the Northeastern Pennsylvania crime family and, in particular, its boss (and Sheeran’s best friend) Russell Bufalino, particularly focusing on his rise to power within the Philly Mob and his significant association with controversial and ultimately ill-fated Teamster boss Jimmy Hoffa. It’s a sprawling epic in the tradition of Scorsese’s previously most expansive film, Casino, but in terms of scope this easily eclipses the 1995 classic, taking in SIX DECADES of genuinely world-changing events largely seen through Sheeran’s eyes, but as always the director is in total control throughout, never losing sight of the true focus – one man’s fall from grace as he loses his soul to the terrible events he takes part in. Then again, the screenplay is by Steve Zaillian (Schindler’s List, Moneyball, Fincher’s The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo), one of the true masters of the art form, with whom Scorsese previously worked with on Gangs of New York, so it’s pure gold – tight as a drum, razor sharp and impossibly rich and rewarding, the perfect vehicle for the director to just prep his cast and run with it. And WHAT A CAST we have here – this is a three-way lead master-class of titanic proportions, as Scorsese-regular Robert De Niro and his Goodfellas co-star Joe Pesci are finally reteamed as, respectively, Sheeran and Bufalino, while Al Pacino gets to work with the master for the first time as Hoffa; all three are INCREDIBLE, EXTRAORDINARY, on absolute tip-top form as they bring everything they have to their roles, De Niro and Pesci underplaying magnificently while Pacino just lets rip with his full, thunderous fury in a seemingly larger-than-life turn which simply does one of history’s biggest crooks perfect justice; the supporting cast, meanwhile, is one of the strongest seen in cinema all year, with Ray Romano, Bobby Canavale, Anna Paquin, Stephen Graham, Harvey Keitel, Stephanie Kurtzuba (The Wolf of Wall Street), Jack Huston (Boardwalk Empire) and Jesse Plemmons among MANY others all making MAJOR impressions throughout, all holding their own even when up against the combined star power of the headlining trio. This is filmmaking as high art, Scorsese bringing every trick at his considerable, monumentally experienced disposal to bear to craft a crime thriller that strongly compares not only to the director’s own best but many of the genre’s own other masterpieces such as The Godfather and Chinatown. It may clock in at a potentially insane THREE HOURS AND TWENTY-NINE MINUTES but it NEVER feels overlong, every moment crafted for maximum impact with a story that unfolds so busily and with such mesmerising power it’s impossible to get bored with it. The film may have received a limited theatrical release, obviously reaching MOST of its audience when unleashed on Netflix nearly a month later, but I was one of the lucky few who got to see it on the big screen, and BELIEVE ME, it was totally worth it. Best thing I saw in 2019, ONE OF the best things I saw this past decade, and DEFINITELY one of Scorsese’s best films EVER. See it, any way you can. You won’t be disappointed.

#how to train your dragon the hidden world #terminator dark fate #doctor sleep #spider-man far from home #us #us movie #knives out #Captain Marvel #john wick chapter 3 #avengers endgame #the irishman #2019 in movies

9 notes · View notes

bloodiedskirtts · 7 years ago

Text

Love & War | Part 4: All’s Fair

Summary: It’s Sunday and that can only mean one thing - Sunday dinners with the Barnes!

Pairing: Bucky X Reader,

Word Count: 2.6k

Warnings: Fluff. Also mention of religion (Dunno if that’s a warning but look) Also I know I said I wanted fluff, but there’s a tinyyyyyyy bit of angst

A/N: Just wanted to have a pure fluffy chapter ~

If you want to be tagged please let me know x

Feedback is always appreciated! Thanks for reading. I hope you guys like it! Also gif is not mine, credit to owner.

Love & War Masterlist

‘Bucky!’ she squeaked as he pulled her back down into bed with him. He smiled down at her as he leaned over her, brushing his lips over her painted red ones. He didn't care that the lipstick smudged or that it transferred to his lips. The pair had been awoken by the sun rising and had spent the morning tangled together. Despite this Bucky whimpered when she pulled away to get dressed, although he followed suit he wasn't happy about it.

He had lain back on the bed after slicking his hair and watched her put on her makeup. But it had been too long since his lips were on hers so obviously he had to pull her into his arms.

A handful of weeks had passed since Bucky had asked her to be his girl and he couldn’t get enough of her. It was simple for them to fall from friendship into a relationship. They both knew exactly what the other person was like, they had known each other for over a decade. So there was no awkward period of them trying to figure each other out. They didn't need to hide anything from the other person. Everything just seemed to be so effortless between them. It made them both question why had they not done this earlier?

As his lips trailed down her neck, she shivered, goosebumps forming on her skin as her hands gripping his shoulders, her eyes closing softly.

‘Buck...we’ll be late,’ she mumbled weakly, but it was clear from her voice that she didn't want him to stop.

His lips hovered of her collarbone which was exposed by the red dress she was wearing, and he flicked his eyes up to meet hers. A smirk pulled at his lips as he watched her face, ready for Bucky to make her come undone once again. Her chest had begun to rise quicker as his lips traveled across her collarbone. Y/N's dreams had been answered and sex definitely got better now that she was used to having him within her.

‘Maybe we could give this week’s service a skip?’ he mumbled.

‘Oh we are going straight to hell,’ she giggled, reaching for his face to pull him back in for kiss.

Just before his lips crashed against hers, the door to her bedroom flung open.

‘Hey, Buck you seen my tie?’ Steve asked, he was too distracted buttoning up his shirt to realise what he had just interrupted.

He still wasn’t used to having to knock on Y/N’s door when Bucky was in there. Just two months ago if Bucky was in her room, Stebe was likely to be there too. They would lie on her bed, heads dangling off the side as they spent hours talking about anything and everything. But now things had changed. Luckily he had never really walked in on them doing anything obscene, until now that is. His eyes glanced up, to see Bucky roll slightly off Y/N, her red lipstick smudged around his mouth.

‘Jesus, guys,’ Steve breathed it, his eyes falling to Y/N. Her chest was rising and falling at an alarming rate, her lipstick smudged and her eyes were blown out, watching Bucky. He would do anything to be the one hovering over her.

His breathing hitched, when her eyes flicked to him and she reached out a hand to him.

‘Come here Stevie,’ she smiled at him.

His eyebrows knitted together in confusion and he glanced at Bucky who was also looking super confused by her words. He didn’t move from his spot, it was as if his legs were planted to the floor. What was Y/N thinking?

‘Oh my God, guys!’ she groaned out, her face scrunching up when she realised what both Steve and Bucky were. ‘You are absolutely disgustin’. Get your minds out of the gutter. I wanted to fix your shirt! It's not tucked in properly!'

She sat up, pushing Bucky away from her, shaking her head. Steve blushed bright red, as Bucky fell back on the bed, rubbing his hands over his face. A soft groan fell from his kiss swollen lips as he laughed softly.

‘Anyway, I know where your tie is, you perv,’ she laughed, hopping off the bed. She fixed her dress as she walked out of the room, shaking her head. Her hand raised to her hair to secure the pins that had been displaced by Bucky's hands.

Steve and Bucky both looked sheepishly at each other. Bucky groaned once again before rolling off the bed, his mind was racing. But he knew better than to try to convince her to come back to bed now that she was on a mission for Steve. She would drop everything for Steve. Not that he wouldn't do the same! Anyway, she was right they were going to be late for the Sunday mass and if Bucky’s mother didn’t see them there she would absolutely flip out!

It was a tradition that they all went to mass on Sunday morning in their local church before going to Bucky’s family apartment for Sunday dinner. This tradition had been going for so long neither Steve nor Y/N knew when they were first invited over. Back when they were kids, they would be accompanied by their mothers and they would all cram around the Barnes’ kitchen table and eat the most amazing dinners.

Bucky had also lost his father when he was younger, so his mother had her hands full with her group of kids, with barely a year apart between the four of them. But that never stopped her making the most amazing Sunday dinners. The tradition didn’t stop now that they were older, in fact it was a great way to make sure all her kids stopped by her place at least once a week.

Bucky usually visited his mother during the week after class and before he went to work in the corner shop. His two younger sisters had already moved out after getting married to their high school sweethearts over the past few months. Rebecca, who was one year younger than him was already pregnant with her first kid. Y/N was absolutely blown away by the news and was constantly asking her questions. She couldn't wait to meet the little one and it was as close to being an aunt that she would ever be!

The trio barely made it to the service in time, slipping in through the door and taking a seat near the back as to not disturb anyone. Of course, Bucky’s mum noticed them and narrowed her eyes at their terrible time management skills. Her son smiled sheepishly at her, while his friends both kept their heads down. After the priest had finished droning on and on, they finally managed to escape. They hugged Mrs Barnes and promised that they would see her over at her apartment in a few minutes. All three of them had graves to visit, which they did every Sunday before they made their way to the Barnes’.

Just before entering the tenement block, Bucky grabbed her arm spinning Y/N around to face him. Steve was a few steps behind them, and paused when he saw Bucky stop.

‘Should we tell my ma?’ he asked, rubbing the back of his neck. Her eyes narrowed in thought at his words. She hadn’t even thought about the fact they had to tell people about their relationship update. He hadn’t even brought it up before today so she didn’t know what had over come him today.

‘If we tell her she’ll make you move back in to this apartment cos it’s not, ya know, proper for us to be living together,’ she muttered.

Bucky knew she was right, if people found out they were together and already living with each other without being married there would be war. At the moment everyone was fine with the fact Y/N lived with two men because it was like three siblings living together. He sighed deeply before they began their climb up to the Barnes’ apartment. Steve was wheezing by the time they got to the sixth floor apartment.

‘You okay?’ Y/N asked, wrapping her arm around him a soft smile soften her features.

He nodded slowly, taking his time to catch his breath. Damn his asthma.

When the door opened, Y/N threw her arms around Rebecca whose stomach was nicely rounded now. She was nearing her due date and everyone was excited for the arrival of the next generation. Y/N eyes widened at the sight of Rebecca’s swollen stomach as they entered to apartment linking arms, leaving Bucky and Steve to trail behind.

‘Hey about this morning,’ Steve mumbled, ‘I’m sorry for interrupting and ya know for thinking that she was...well ya know...’

Bucky laughed, throwing his arm around his smaller friend’s shoulders, ‘Shut up, punk! I don’t blame ya. You never know what’s going on in her head!’

Steve laughed, knowing that Bucky was right. For as long as he had known Y/N, they could never predict what notion she would take. The only thing they could predict was that she was unpredictable! They both looked at her, as she rubbed Rebecca’s pregnant stomach. She beamed up at her, talking animatedly, her features alight as she spoke. Her hair was falling loose of the pins she had put it in to keep her hair away from her face for mass. Bucky’s heart swelled to see her, her cheeks flushed from the warm weather, her face constantly changing as she spoke, her eyes were sparkling. Rebecca was laughing at whatever she said. Bucky knew that he could never let this one go.

When Bucky’s mum called for help, Y/N was eager to volunteer. She wasn’t the strongest cook so she was happy to learn some new techniques. Bucky usually went from class straight to work until 9pm and Steve could barely lift the pots in the kitchen, so it usually fell to Y/N to cook for all three of them. So, learning from the best, because that’s what Mrs Barnes was, couldn’t hurt.

When dinner was served, everyone gathered around the tiny table to tuck in. The table was not made for nine people but no one seemed to mind as they chatted animatedly back and forth. Soon they would have to figure out how to fit a tenth person at the table. The more the merrier seemed to be the mindset in the Barnes household. Bucky’s mother excused herself from the table for a moment.

‘So, Y/N?’ Rebecca’s husband called as soon as Mrs Barnes was out of earshot. ‘When are you gonna settle down?’

She almost chocked on her dinner, her eyes widening at the question which came out of nowhere.

‘I...I just haven’t gotten around to it,’ she returned, before taking a deep gulp of her water.

‘I’m busy working for Mr Stark and ain’t I got the best boys already?’ she added, she squeezed Bucky and Steve on the shoulder for good measure.

Rebecca’s husband nodded slowly, his wife had dropped her eyes, refusing to make eye contact with anyone around the table. It was silent for a beat before he opened his mouth again.

‘But Howard Stark ain’t gonna keep ya warm at night! And war has just broke out in Europe and it won’t be long til it reaches our doorstep, ya know. So you better move quick before all the eligible men are snapped up or dead. You don’t want to be an old maid. That pretty face ain’t gonna last forever, ya know. And no man is interested what’s between your head, it only matters what’s between your legs.’

Bucky’s knuckles whitened as his grip tightened on his fork and knife, he opened his mouth to speak but Steve beat him to it.

‘Why don’t you just shut up, huh?’ he snapped.

Y/N closed her eyes, of course Steve was going to jump to defend her honour. Was there anything that this skinny idiot wouldn’t fight about?

Rebecca’s husband paused, ‘You got a big mouth for someone so small.’

‘Don’t take a big man to have some sense and know how to respect a woman. You’re obviously making Y/N and everyone here uncomfortable, so why don’t you drop it? She doesn’t need to run to get a man and we all know that you’re just bitter because she rejected you back in the day.’

His eyes narrowed, ‘Come on Rebecca, we’re going home.’

Rebecca mouth opened and closed before she got up. She scurried off to say bye to her mother. Bucky’s eyes narrowed before he crossed the room to face him.

‘Learn some respect before I see you again,’ he snarled. ‘And if I hear you talk to my sister that way I will kill you. I thought you were a decent guy and if it weren’t for that kid in my sister’s belly I would beat the shit outta you.’

He rolled his eyes as he pushed Bucky back, turning on his heels and stomping off.

The tension dissolved when they both left, but no one could relax for the rest of the evening. Y/N was flushed red, and kept her head down at his words. She didn’t care that she wasn’t married, it wasn’t that. But the fact he spoke to her like that and it made her mind race to how he spoke to Rebecca when they were alone.

After everyone helped clean up, the Bucky hugged his mother tightly, promising he would visit during the week. The summer was upon them, meaning that he and Steve only had one week left of class. While that meant Bucky would be working in the shop more hours, it also meant he had whole chunks of his afternoon free.

Bucky wrapped his arms around both Y/N and Steve as the three of you walked home. She shivered into his chest, as the heat from the sun disappeared. Bucky smiled slightly.

‘I’m sorry about that back there,’ he mumbled as they climbed the stairs to the door of their apartment.

She shrugged slightly, beginning to unpin her hair before he even had the door open.

‘Look, there’s always dickheads out there,’ she laughed weakly, before following Bucky and Steve into their apartment.

She kicked off her shoes, her stockened feet sliding against the wooden floor. She turned to Steve and wrapped her arms around him.

‘Thank you, Stevie,’ she mumbled, as she hugged him tightly to her, her face fell into his shoulder as she drew him close.

He blushed, making sure not to make eye contact with Bucky as her breath tickled his neck.

‘I couldn’t just let him talk to you like that,’ he returned, as he pulled away to look at her face.

It took all his strength not to kiss her right there and then, but her eyes fell and she moved away from him so slowly.

‘I’m going to bed,’ she mumbled, ‘Big day tomorrow!’

Both of the men watched her walk away, before Bucky looked at Steve. He should have been the one she was hugging. He should have stood up for her, not Steve. He clenched and opened his fist several times trying to calm himself down. But he saw how Steve looked at her and she saw the sparkle in her eyes when they spent time together. He was being selfish as he felt rage overwhelm him.

‘Well guess that’s my queue,’ he told Steve with a smirk, before following her into her bedroom.

He knew he was being petty and ridiculous. He shouldn’t have said that, he saw the hurt in Steve’s eyes before he sauntered away trying to keep his confidence up until he was out of few. But jealous and love did crazy things to a person.

And didn’t everyone say, all’s fair in love and war?

Tags

@xjustanotherlonelygirlx , @itzmegaaaaaaan @projectxhappiness @7minutes-tomidnight, @mrs-marvel-addict, @vxidnik, @justmesadgirl, @sophiatomlinson23, @bloodyvalentine93, @schilj79

TAG LIST OPEN!

258 notes · View notes

davidoespailla · 6 years ago

Text

Airbnb Bliss: Top 10 Cities Where Vacation Rentals Rake in the Most Cash

realtor.com

For more than a decade, short-term home rental websites such as Airbnb, HomeAway, and VRBO have helped everyday Americans squeeze some serious cash out of their homes—whether families renting out empty bedrooms or investors offering up multiple properties in prime tourist neighborhoods, leasable by the night. Easy-peasy! But those carefree good times may be coming to an end.

The motto of Silicon Valley may be to move fast and break things—but sooner or later the bureaucrats catch up. That’s the current reality for the short-term rental industry, now weathering an unprecedented storm of restrictive new regulations from city councils across the country.

Tensions between unregulated rentals and cities have been simmering for years, spurred by pissed-off neighbors and pushback from landlords and hotel operators. Now they’re boiling over.

This year Las Vegas and Washington, DC, will phase out full-home rentals on sites like Airbnb with no owner present, which make up more than 70% of their current markets. New Orleans enacted legislation in January that will push these units out of historic residential neighborhoods. And a number of smaller cities are anticipated to follow their lead.

So does this mean the days of big profits from Airbnb rentals are over? No! But during this time of change, Airbnb hosts need to do their homework. They need to know their local laws, including what’s coming down the pike; they need to ensure they’re investing their nest eggs in markets where demand and appreciation are likely to remain strong. That’s why the realtor.com® data team searched out the strongest—and most profitable—short-term rental markets right now.

The main rule in approaching the short-term rental market these days: Have a strong backup plan.

If Airbnb is in your plans, “do the math before purchasing a home. Look at how much you could get for a traditional, long-term rental if legislation comes into town and makes that necessary,” says Peter Lorimer, a real estate broker who stars on the Netflix series “Stay Here,” which helps folks spruce up the properties they list on Airbnb and HomeAway. “Make sure it isn’t a saturated [market]. Look at the daily rates of competitors, and see if you can match or beat them.”

For now, the short-term rental business is still going gangbusters: 97% growth in America’s 100 largest cities over the past three years. That’s more than 360,000 active rentals! Time will tell whether that number drops precipitately with the new restrictions—often enforced with steep fines that can surpass $10,000 a day.

To find the top places to own an Airbnb-type rental, we pulled data for those 100 largest cities. We used data from AirDNA, a real estate data company that collects data on more than 10 million Airbnb and HomeAway rentals. We looked at the following criteria* to create our ranking:

Average short-term rental daily rate, monthly revenue, and occupancy rate

Rental demand score for each market

Average Airbnb host rating

Three-year increase in short-term rentals

Per capita number of short-term rentals

Monthly average short-term rental income as a ratio of a monthly mortgage payment**

Median list price (the lower, the better)

One-year home appreciation

We had a few caveats: We filtered out markets like New York and Los Angeles, where monthly mortgage costs are higher than the typical short-term rental income earned—it has to be a good investment after all. Also, the daily rates are averages, which get skewed higher by luxury rentals.

OK? Let’s check out where you can still make bank off your Airbnb rental.

Most Profitable Places to Own an Airbnb Rental

Tony Frenzel

1. Scottsdale, AZ Scottsdale, AZ

iStock/BCFC

Median list price: $685,100 Average daily rate: $301 Occupancy rate: 81% Active rentals: 5,178

Why are rentals here so popular? Just outside of Phoenix, Scottsdale is a hotbed for American corporate elites looking for a weekend getaway full of mountain biking, golf, and hiking. And while cities across the country are creating tighter rules and outlawing Airbnb rentals altogether, Arizona has gone in the other direction—it signed a law in 2016 that prevents cities in the state from banning short-term rentals. That legal protection combined with vacation rental demand makes Scottsdale the perfect place for investors. (Scottsdale does limit short-term rentals to no more than six adult guests.)

Another reason for the Scottsdale Airbnb boom: 15 Major League Baseball teams, including the Chicago Cubs and Los Angeles Dodgers, come to this town for spring training every year. These coaches, players, and their families often prefer renting an entire Scottsdale home on Airbnb versus being holed up in a hotel room for two months, says Sue Flucke, president of Phoenix Realtors®. And there are plenty of fans eager to rub shoulders with their favorite stars in a low-key setting.

Other well-off vacationers can stay in sprawling, five-bedroom homes with gyms and outdoor patios for $999 per night. Meanwhile, snowbirds of more modest means can opt for three-bedroom homes with private pools. The budget-minded can score a relative bargain here when prices drop in the summer.

2. Orlando, FL Orlando, FL

realtor.com

Median list price: $300,100 Average daily rate: $193 Occupancy rate: 86% Active rentals: 6,902

You already know all about Orlando’s main appeal for vacationers: theme parks, baby! But the Wild West era of short-term rentals has come to an end. New city ordinances went into effect in July requiring hosts to get licensed, pay a fee, and only rent out bedrooms in homes they live in. This means no out-of-state investors, and that’s a sea change for this tourist mecca. But it’s helping locals who just want to rent out a room or two.

Despite the regulations, folks can still make good money listing their extra bedrooms. And they don’t have to live in a fancy home to do so. A private room with a queen bed can go for $30 to $100 per night.

3. New Orleans, LA New Orleans, LA

iStock/Art Wager

Median list price: $350,100 Average daily rate: $230 Occupancy rate: 78% Active rentals: 8,962

Vacationers looking for the authentic NOLA experience have traditionally stayed in Airbnb rentals in prime historic neighborhoods. Over time that caused home values to soar as investors bought up available properties—and priced out many residents.

After much hand-wringing, a full ban on Airbnb rentals in the tourist-heavy Garden District and French Quarter areas went into effect in January, as did restrictions in certain residential neighborhoods. But rentals are still allowed in the Central Business District and other commercial sections.

Short-term rentals “inflated the market terribly,” says Will Hester, a Realtor. “The turnover rubbed the homeowners negatively. They liked knowing who their neighbors were and not seeing a new face everyday.”

While these law changes are sure to hurt many investors, they’re creating opportunities for others. And half of the units in the large, multifamily homes that New Orleans is known for can still be rented out, says Hester, who’s with Korman Gerrity Real Estate, in New Orleans.

But watch out for extra fees. This apartment, 2 miles from the French Quarter, is only $109 a night during Mardi Gras in 2020. But the owner is charging $80 for cleaning services. Laissez les bons temps rouler!

4. Miami, FL Miami, FL

realtor.com

Median list price: $440,100 Average daily rate: $204 Occupancy rate: 82% Active rentals: 10,024

The luxury, high-rise, oceanfront condos in Miami Beach are prime short-term rentals. But before becoming a host here, you’ll need to make sure you’re following the new regulations very carefully.

Last fall, the city banned vacation rentals in residential neighborhoods outside the core Miami Beach downtown communities. Fines for breaking these rules can top $20,000. It’s gotten so serious that city officials are kicking guests out of rentals they’ve already checked into. Airbnb has filed a lawsuit against the city for the changes.

But those who follow the letter of the law can make some real money renting out their rooms and homes. Condo rentals can easily top $200 a night. This two-bedroom condo is in a tower with a spa, fitness center, full-time concierge service, and redwood sauna. It’s listed for $345 per night.

5. Honolulu, HI Honolulu, HI

iStock/sorincolac

Median list price: $720,100 Average daily rate: $178 Occupancy rate: 80% Active rentals: 7,216

It’s perfectly legal to provide vacationers with a place to stay in Polynesian paradise—for now. But the Honolulu City Council moved forward a bill that would dramatically tighten the reins on vacation rentals. These rule changes would lock out big investors, and create a steep fine of more than $10,000 for nonlicensed units. So it might be best to wait out the legislation before making the plunge here unless folks are renting out spare rooms in their primary residences.

“Finding affordable housing has long been a significant challenge for Hawaii’s residents. Over the past decade, it has risen to crisis proportions,” the Hawaii Appleseed Center for Law and Economic Justice wrote in a 2018 report. “The growth of the vacation rental industry in recent years is exacerbating these problems.”

Despite the future challenges, Honolulu remains a popular place for hosts. There’s so much competition that one-bedroom units in oceanside towers are renting for a very reasonable $100 a night. But even with the lower rates, owners can still make a tidy profit as the steady stream of tourists ensures the rentals are never vacant for long. That explains why the average monthly revenue tops $3,300.

6. Nashville, TN Nashville, TN

realtor.com

Median list price: $385,000 Average daily rate: $247 Occupancy rate: 74% Active rentals: 6,965

As Music City has become to bachelorette parties what Las Vegas is to bachelor parties, Nashville’s short-term rental market has taken off.

But the free-for-all days are over. Last year the city began requiring mandatory permits for hosts, collecting hotel taxes, and cracking down on entire homes without the owner on-site being rented in residential areas. But it hasn’t dampened demand.

“We get calls daily from people interested in buying a property to rent on Airbnb,” says Brian Copeland, a real estate broker with Doorbell Real Estate. He owns a property he regularly lists on Airbnb that was grandfathered in under the previous rules.

Pricey Nashville hotels, which are charging upward of $1,000 per night during the NFL draft later this month, are creating an opportunity for lower-priced rentals, he says.

Places in walkable neighborhoods close to downtown are the most popular with guests, including in places like Germantown and Salemtown. Here a one-bedroom unit can go for about $130 per night.

7. Santa Ana, CA Santa Ana, CA

iStock/Davel5957

Median list price: $650,000 Average daily rate: $181 Occupancy rate: 83% Active rentals: 305

Santa Ana’s short-term rental market has gotten a boost from the nearby city of Anaheim, home to Disneyland, which recently passed highly restrictive new rules on rentals. So Santa Ana, which doesn’t even require permits for homes listed on sites like Airbnb, got the guests. Score!

“We’re 10 minutes to the beach and 10 minutes to Disneyland. … [So] we get a lot of tourists,” says local real estate agent Yara Guzman of LMB Enterprises. “From a family perspective, Airbnbs are smarter than hotels. If you’re traveling with children, it makes sense to have the kids in their own separate rooms.” Yes, indeed.

Santa Ana had an Airbnb ban earlier in the decade, but lifted it in 2015. Since then investors and everyday homeowners have flooded the market. Many are renting out rooms in private homes for about $50 nightly; entire homes can top $400 a night if they’re big enough to accommodate large groups or families.

8. Tulsa, OK Tulsa, OK

realtor.com

Median list price: $220,000 Average daily rate: $97 Occupancy rate: 75% Active rentals: 451

When folks dream of their ideal vacation destinations, Tulsa doesn’t usually spring to mind. But the number of short-term rentals here is exploding, up almost 300% over the past three years. And demand is so high that the market might need even more rentals to meet it.

Sure, the city has some 140 parks and is home to the Philbrook Museum of Art. But its biggest draw may be its affordable home prices—it’s the cheapest market on our list. So the investors are swooping in and helping to push up prices, which are up 21% over the past three years.

That rapid growth hasn’t gone unnoticed. The Tulsa Metropolitan Area Planning Commission recommended earlier this month that the city require licenses for properties rented out for less than 30 days.

But the city is still a good deal for travelers. Entire one-bedroom apartments downtown can be found for under $50 a night, while there are plenty of houses going for under $100 a night.

9. Austin, TX Austin, TX

iStock/RoschetzkyIstockPhoto

Median list price: $545,100 Average daily rate: $245 Occupancy rate: 71% Active rentals: 10,825

There are about a zillion reasons to visit Austin. Visitors come for music, media, and film festival South by Southwest, a Texas Longhorns football game, or paddleboarding down the Colorado River. And they’re all looking for places to crash.

“There’s an event almost every weekend—it’s a nonstop flow of people,” says local real estate broker Brad Pauly of Pauly Presley Realty. “People will have their places filled for most of the year.”

Most condos won’t allow homes to be rented out to temporary guests, so the market is mostly made up of entire single-family homes or just a bedroom in a home. The city requires hosts to pay $500 for 12-month licenses.

A two-bedroom artist retreat is listed for under $100 a night in East Austin, an up-and-coming neighborhood.

10. Tucson, AZ Tucson, AZ

realtor.com

Median list price: $392,100 Average daily rate: $133 Occupancy rate: 90% Active rentals: 3,124

The cherry on top to owning a home listed on a site like Airbnb or HomeAway is when your property shoots up in value. Among the places we ranked, Tucson had the highest price appreciation, up 9% year over year.

Visitors come to Tucson for the hiking, mountain biking, or the perfect Instagram shot in Saguaro National Park, named after the iconic cactus. These visitors are usually snagging up entire homes, which make up more than 80% of the vacation rental market here. Accommodations include this 900-square-foot cottage at the foothills of the Tucson Mountains, which rents for around $150 a night.

And while investors fret over law changes in cities across the country, short-term rental owners can breathe a sigh of relief here. The state of Arizona has a law on the books preventing cities from banning short-term rentals.

* We limited our list to just two cities per state and one per metropolitan area to ensure geographic diversity. Anaheim, CA, was removed from the ranking because city officials are phasing out private short-term rentals entirely. Las Vegas was eliminated due to strict rental limitations.

** Fixed, 30-year mortgage payment calculated on that city’s realtor.com median list price in March, given a 20% down payment and 5% interest rate on the loan

Allison Underhill contributed to this report.

The post Airbnb Bliss: Top 10 Cities Where Vacation Rentals Rake in the Most Cash appeared first on Real Estate News & Insights | realtor.com®.

Airbnb Bliss: Top 10 Cities Where Vacation Rentals Rake in the Most Cash

#TRUSTED LOCAL REALTOR #Airbnb Bliss: Top 10 Cities Where Vacation Rentals Rake in the Most Cash

0 notes

citizentruth-blog · 6 years ago

Text

The UDHR Is 70. America Needs to Do Better in Following It.

This language from the Universal Declaration of Human Rights echoes that of the Declaration of Independence. And yet, America still struggles with upholding these global principles. (Photo Credit: Jordan Lewin/Flickr/CC BY-NC 2.0) On the U.S. version of The Office, tasked with picking a health care plan for Dunder Mifflin Paper Company, Dwight Schrute, assistant to the regional manager, prided himself on slashing benefits "to the bone" in an effort to save the company money. He rationalized his decision-making with the following thought: "In the wild, there is no health care. In the wild, health care is, 'Ow, I hurt my leg. I can't run. A lion eats me and I'm dead'." Dwight Schrute is, of course, a fictional character, and his attitude is an extreme one. Nevertheless, his mentality reflecting the notion that health care is no guarantee and the idea he needs to select a plan for his Scranton office at all are indicative of a very real issue facing Americans to this day. If health care is a right, why does it feel more like a jungle out here? In commemoration of the 70th anniversary of its signing, Tom Gjelten, NPR's Religion and Belief correspondent, penned a piece concerning the "boundlessly idealistic" Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The UDHR, across its 30 articles, elaborates the central premise that "all human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights." To this point, the Declaration speaks against discrimination based on any identifying characteristic. It opposes slavery, torture, and unfair treatment at the hands of law enforcement and the courts. It asserts that all persons have the right to a nationality and to seek asylum from persecution. They also possess the right to marry, the right to their property, freedom of expression/thought and religion, and freedom to peaceably assemble and participate in government. Other stated liberties include the right to work for equal pay, the right to leisure, the right to health, the right to education, and the right to appreciate culture. What is striking to Gjelten and others is how the UDHR is designed to be applicable across cultures, political systems, and religions. It is truly meant as a universal set of standards, one with secular appeal. That is, it is a human document, not a God-given list of commandments. Then again, in some contexts, this last point might be a bone of contention. As Gjelten explains, Saudi Arabia abstained from the original unanimous United Nations Assembly vote because of issues with the Declaration's views on family, marriage, and religious freedom, in particular the idea that one can freely change religions, which can be considered a crime. In general, some of the strongest objections to the language of the UDHR have come from the Islamic world, though this does not imply that Islamic law and these rights are incompatible. There were others who abstained from the vote in 1948 as well, though. The Soviet Union and its bloc states were part of the eight abstentions, presumably because of the stipulation about people's right to freely expatriate. South Africa, a country then predicated on racial segregation, was also part of the eight. Even some American conservatives at the time had their qualms about the UDHR's wording, convinced the sentiments about economic rights sounded too socialist. Actually, that probably hasn't changed all that much. In certain circles, socialism is indeed a dirty word. The thrust of Gjelten's piece is more than just admiration for the Declaration's principles and the work of Eleanor Roosevelt as chair of the UN commission responsible for drafting the document, though, deserved as that admiration is. 70 years after the fact, America's commitment to upholding its articles is not above reproach. Furthermore, in an era when a growing sense of nationalism and resistance to "globalism" pervades politics here and abroad, the UDHR's spirit of universality and international fraternity is seriously put to the test. Gjelten cites two areas in which the country "still falls short" as a subset of the "struggles for civil and political rights that were yet to come" subsequent to the UDHR's approval vote. One is equal pay for equal work, a topic which deserves its own separate analysis and, as such, I'm not about to litigate it at length here. Suffice it to say, however, that I—alongside many others—believe the gender gap is very real. It also disproportionately affects women of color, occurs across occupations and industries, and is frequently mediated by employer practices that rely on prior salary history as well as policies enforced in individual states designed to specifically disenfranchise female earners. Do with these thoughts as you will. The other area in which the U.S. has fallen short, as alluded to earlier, is universal health care. Article 25 of the Declaration states that "everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of himself and of his family, including food, clothing, housing and medical care and necessary social services." As a fact sheet on the right to health from the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and the World Health Organization elaborates, the right to health includes access to health care and hospitals, but it's more than that. It includes safe drinking water, food, and adequate sanitation. It includes adequate housing and nutrition. It includes gender equality, healthy environmental and working conditions, and health-related education and information. But yes—it does include the "right to a system of health protection providing equality of opportunity for everyone to enjoy the highest attainable level of health." It doesn't say this is a privilege only for those who can afford it. This is an essential point in the health care "debate." Should health care be a right for all? While you're entitled to your opinion, Mr. or Ms. Schrute, if you say no, it's hard to know how to continue the conversation beyond that. This applies both for naysayers on the left and on the right. Don't hide behind the idea "we can't afford it." Don't hide behind the Affordable Care Act, which is no guarantee to survive given repeated attempts to sabotage it. If you believe health care is a human right, let's work backward from there. I mean, all these other countries have some form of single-payer health care. Why shouldn't we—and don't tell me it's because we spend too much on our iPhones. Tom Gjelten's piece is more concerned with the history behind the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and its formation. Like any good historian, though, he's got a mind for the Declaration's larger implications and its potential impact in the years and decades to come. Getting back to that whole growing nationalism thing, Gjelten notes how playing identity politics often draws strength from ethnic or religious conflict. To be clear, this trend in increasing strife between different groups isn't just an American phenomenon. Around the world, political leaders have risen to power by aggressively promoting division and/or appealing to a sense of national pride through brutality and curtailing human rights. Rodrigo Duterte. Xi Jinping. Narendra Modi. Viktor Orban. Vladimir Putin. Mohammed bin Salman. The list goes on. There will be more to come, too. Jair Bolsonaro was recently elected president in Brazil. His mindset carries with it a promise for a regressive shift in his country's politics. Still, even if we're not the only ones coping with societal change, if America is truly the greatest country in the world, we should be setting the best example in terms of adherence to the UDHR's principles. Meanwhile, even before Trump, our country's commitment to "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness" has been uneven. Criminal sentencing/policing disparities and states' insistence on use of the death penalty. The lack of a universal health care infrastructure. Failure to protect the rights of vulnerable populations, including women/girls, people with disabilities, and the LGBT+ community. War crimes overseas and at the U.S. prison at Guantanamo Bay. Surveillance of global communications. And since Trump has taken office, our performance on these fronts has only gotten worse, notably in categories like foreign policy, the rights of non-citizens, and safeguarding First Amendment rights. If this is "America First" and "making America great again," there's a piece of the puzzle missing. A lot of this may sound a bit too SJW for some. We should all respect one another's rights. Everyone should be afforded the same opportunities to succeed. Let's all hold hands and sing songs together around the campfire. I get it. There are practical considerations which complicate implementing solutions to global ills as well. Agencies and nations have to be willing to work together to achieve common goals, and who pays what is always a bother. On the latter note, I tend to think some cases are overstated or represented in a misleading way by politicians and the media. Cue the myriad "Bernie/AOC doesn't know what he's/she's talking about" articles. Let's all move closer to the center because it has worked so well for us until now. The thing is that many of the principles covered by the UDHR reflect policy directions voters want and can agree on. When Republicans came to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act, they were unsuccessful in part because of the public outcry in support of the ACA. Turns out people like being able to afford health care—who knew? Regarding equal pay for equal work, that shortfall for working women is one that whole families could use if given a fairer salary or wage. Not to mention it's, you know, the morally right thing to do. Though we may be susceptible to the words of political figures that would keep us at odds with each other (and secretly may even like it that way), we must continually put the onus on our elected officials to authentically represent all the people within their jurisdiction. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights is a good place to start. As suggested before, let's consider the change we hope to see before capitulating or saying "no" outright. A more equal America is one which will benefit all its inhabitants—from top to bottom and over the long term. Read the full article

#donaldtrump #EleanorRoosevelt #Equalpay #genderwagegap #Nationalism #righttohealth #UDHR #UniversalDeclarationofHumanRights #universalhealthcare

0 notes