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yeyinde · 2 years ago

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some darker (canon-compliant) Jason Voorhees headcanons

i adore soft, sweet jason because i truly believe that at his core, this is who he would be with enough tlc and compassion. but!! one thing i rarely see discussed is the Jason we have in canon - driven by revenge, territorial, and broken, and it's such a shame because i love the idea of weathering the storm and chipping away at his walls built up from isolation until the soft, gooey centre is revealed. it makes the payoff so much sweeter, imo.

Jason is an angry, vengeful, territorial misanthrope, and this is the same depending on which version you prefer: human, revenant, zombie (and no one does it better than Hodder or Mears), so just ~imagine~ the possibilities of that

it would take some time for him to warm up to you, and trust you, but once he does, well:

Jason would be super territorial over you; anyone who comes near you (and the camp) is definitely dying - no questions asked, and certainly no mercy

he's possessive; he won't let you leave the camp, but he'll provide for you, stealing whatever you need from the lodges around

but that's okay - you have no plans on leaving, anyway

he lashes out sometimes - throwing things, destroying stuff in anger; he's a deeply troubled individual who spent his developmental years isolated, and the rest driven by revenge and anger after witnessing his mum die

(Ginny said it best with: he probably didn't even know what death was until that time)

healing takes time, and Jason isn't used to being around people at all (unless they're dying by his hand) - so it'll take a while for him to adjust to you near him, and being in his space

he, of course, would never hurt you - not intentionally, anyway

Jason is touch-starved, but he won't let you touch him for a while; no one has in a long time - it's foreign to him now (especially to Zombie and Revenant Jason)

he won't trust easily, and he'll think any attempts you make to reach out are you trying to hurt him or escape - but once you warm him to the idea, and let him get used to the soft, gentleness you show him, he'll be incorrigible:

expect lots of cuddles, lots of touching once you open this door

he'll be your permanent shadow, your protector - you go nowhere that he doesn't, and he'll only leave you when he needs stuff for you, or someone is in his territory

Jason as a human would be a lot more emotional (quicker to anger, quicker to become fearful if you try to leave, more expressive with his wants); he's needy (they all are, but human Jason has his - warped - humanity still) and clingy to an almost childlike degree when it comes to physical affection, but make no mistake - nothing about Jason is childlike; he's a survivalist who's lived in the woods on his own - hunting and foraging for his food and weathering the intensely bitter winter in a shack (or in the mines) with no heating

Jason could almost be considered feral, having lived without human contact since he was eleven

Zombie and Revenant Jason would be a little colder, a little more distant (but they would also warm to you quicker in the sense that they'll be ultra possessive and territorial over you right away)

there is no escape when they have you in their sights: you can't outrun them, you can't hide from them, and you can't kill them - and they know this

(out of all of them, Revenant Jason likes the thrill of hunting you down when you do try to escape; you'll never reach the end of Higgins Haven, but he rather enjoys the chase)

(on a softer note, you make Zombie and Revenant Jason feel human again; he hasn't cared about his appearance since he was a feral child, but you make him shy away when you reach for his mask, as if he's afraid to show you what remains underneath after everything he'd been through over his many rebirths and deaths)

They're also a lot more brutal compared to Human!Jason

They won't be gentle with you at first:

Revenant Jason doesn't know his strength yet, so expect bruises when he does touch you, though he doesn't mean to hurt you, he just hasn't gotten used to the whole "resurrection from the dead" thing yet

Zombie Jason is the harshest with little of his humanity left; he's driven by basic instinct and needs - and once you become one of those needs, well. you won't be leaving his side. ever.

Sex is taboo, but only because Jason doesn't understand it - he grew up puritan so sex = marriage, and sex also = death; baby steps are the best practice with anything sexual but once he opens up, he'll be instatiable

(Human Jason loves the closeness, the intimacy - he's still a little in awe/conflict over the experience so give him time before you advance to anything more; Revenant Jason has never felt more human then those moments, but go easy on him - he doesn't really know his strength yet; and Zombie Jason particularly likes the sounds you make, the way you are so tiny in his massive hands, so pliant, and is arguably the most instatiable of them all - he wants you, always)

Jason particularly likes that it's all for him, no one else can ever see you like this - he'll make sure of it

If you try to leave Human, Zombie, or Revenant Jason - well: he'll go all the way to Manhattan (or Ohio) to find you

He'll drag you home, kicking and screaming, to the camp where you belong

#jason voorhees #jason voorhees x reader #friday the 13th #this is mostly me musing on my favourite character #zombie jason voorhees #revanant jason voorhees #human jason voorhees #ft13th #slasher x you #slasher headcanons #i'm lowkey nervous about this since jason is always characterised a confused soft boi #but as a diehard friday/jason fan #i had to add this because darker jason/a more canon compliant jason needs so much more love #slashers

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metalsongoftheday · 4 years ago

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Friday, January 22: Metallica, “Ain’t My Bitch”

Almost 25 years later, Load and ReLoad remain the most divisive records in Metallica’s discography- yes, there’s St. Anger, but that was an immediate critical and (just as important for James and Lars) commercial flop that even diehard fans refused to play more than twice, and the band didn’t even play more than 2 or 3 songs from it on stage. Load and ReLoad, on the other hand, were derided by the base as a hard rock sellout, but still sold several million copies, spawned a bunch of radio and video hits and saw a good 6-7 numbers played in concert at the time. And it all started with “Ain’t My Bitch”, which pretty much summed things up for Metallica at the time: James couldn’t be bothered to put serious thought into his lyrics, Lars was determined to both stay on the beat and also arrange the track so that he could play with a hangover, Kirk threw in some slide guitar in an attempt to prove he could still boogie even with all the guyliner, and Jason held it all down with a sturdy bassline. But at the same time, for the first time in a long time- maybe even for the first time ever- it sounded like the guys were playing as a band, especially on stage where they focused on locking into each other more than on any of their past arena tours. And James’ primary riff was fundamentally Hetfield, while the arrangements made the best use of his more limited vocal range. Idiotic lyrics aside, “Ain’t My Bitch” was more or less the only thing Metallica could’ve delivered at that point: the Black Album was 5 years old by then, but they had also toured that record for a solid 3 years, so they barely had time to process before jumping back into the writing and recording cycle, and after the staggering success of Metallica, as well as the exhausting touring behind it, there was no way the guys could mentally (or physically) return to the headspace that powered their best music. But they could still engage with their material, and with each other, and this track came closest to meeting Newsted’s frequent desire to capture the band jamming together and making magic out of synchronicity.

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brokehorrorfan · 4 years ago

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Blu-ray Review: Memorial Valley Massacre

Memorial Valley Massacre was shot under the title Memorial Day; one of many '80s slashers attempting to capitalize on the holiday-themed horror trend kick-started by Black Christmas, Halloween, and Friday the 13th. While it's hard to imagine even the most diehard of genre fans eagerly anticipating a celebratory revisit each May, Vinegar Syndrome's new Blu-ray release is worth picking up for slasher completists. It’s perhaps most notable for being released as Son of Sleepaway Camp in some foreign territories.

When Memorial Valley Campground's big Memorial Day weekend opening is spoiled by issues - from the death of a construction worker to no running water to wild animal sightings - greedy developer Allen Sangster (Cameron Mitchell, Blood and Black Lace) insists on sticking to the schedule. His son, David (Mark Mears, in his only film credit), works under head ranger George Webster (John Kerry, Dolemite) while partying teens, bikers, families from the city, and a military veteran (William Smith, Maniac Cop) flood the area to let loose in the great outdoors.

The first half of the 92-minute runtime is tedious even by straight-to-video slasher standards. But there's some campy (no pun intended) fun to be had once a feral hermit (Mark Caso) living off the land defends his territory by killing off the campers. Caso - a former gymnast who went on to play Leonardo in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II & III - brings a unique physicality to the role, coming off as a Jason Voorhees/Rambo/George of the Jungle hybrid.

Writer/director Robert Hughes (who later helmed 21 episodes of Mighty Morphin Power Rangers) and co-writer George Frances Skrow deliver a cliche-riddled slasher that's every bit as derivative of Friday the 13th and its ilk as you'd expect. Beyond Mitchell’s marquee value (which had diminished quite a bit by this point), the production value is as low as the atmosphere. It largely takes place in the light of day, likely due to budgetary restraints.

Although Memorial Valley Massacre was released direct to VHS in 1989, it was shot on 35m film. Vinegar Syndrome has restored the original negative in 4K for its Blu-ray edition with reversible artwork. It features new interviews with Hughes and Kerry. Hughes' 13-minute chat is rather insightful, revealing the film's connection to Roger Corman. Kerry is all over the place but entertaining enough. There's also a gallery consisting of two pieces of artwork and six promotional stills.

Memorial Valley Massacre is available now on Blu-ray via Vinegar Syndrome.

#memorial valley massacre #horror #80s horror #1980s horror #vinegar syndrome #dvd #gift #review #article #friday the 13th #sleepaway camp #slasher #cameron mitchell #slasher movies #horror movies #horror film

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makistar2018 · 5 years ago

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The global icon penned an open letter in support of the Equality Act. After staying silent during the 2016 election, Swift has changed course in a big way.

Amy Zimmerman June 2, 2019

This Pride, Taylor Swift is coming out… as a vocal ally.A few years ago, it would have been impossible to imagine the famously brand-obsessed pop star urging her fans to write their senators. But late Friday, the woman behind girl-squad feminism and politely ignoring her neo-Nazi admirers finally took a stand. The fact that that stand was advocating on behalf of the Equality Act—which recently passed the House and must now be approved by the GOP-controlled Senate—and expounding on the importance of protections for LGBTQ Americans was not lost on some of Swift’s biggest fans.

But before we get to Kaylor (the portmanteau for Karlie Kloss and Taylor Swift’s hypothetical romantic relationship) and some of the more conspiratorial corners of Taylor Swift's fan base, let’s talk activist Taylor Alison.

Just a few album cycles ago, Swift was getting called out for her political silence. Her reticence to tell fans who she was voting for in 2016 stuck out as particularly craven. Given Swift’s background as a country-to-pop crossover artist, it’s easy to guess at her rationale. Considering a Venn diagram of country fans and Trump supporters, Swift may have understandably chosen to put her Hillary Clinton cape back in the closet so as not to piss off paying customers (when it comes to her brand and her career, Swift is a smart lady). But in the midst of an increasingly dystopian Trump era, her apoliticism has aged poorly. Either the singer sensed the woker Swifties turning against her, or she simply could not stomach doing nothing.

Whatever her motives, last year Swift shocked her followers by publicly endorsing two Democrats and strongly disavowing Republican Marsha Blackburn for Senate. “She voted against equal pay for women,” Swift informed her followers. “She voted against the Reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act, which attempts to protect women from domestic violence, stalking, and date rape. She believes businesses have a right to refuse service to gay couples. She also believes they should not have the right to marry.” The singer declared, “These are not MY Tennessee values.”

Watching Taylor Swift weigh in on the midterms was about as disorienting as watching her walk away from paparazzi backwards. And just like her crab walk, Taylor’s activism has quickly become commonplace.

Her latest statements are in many ways a continuation of the priorities she expressed last year, when she declared that, “any form of discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender is WRONG.” But, in addition to being as well-intentioned and strongly-worded as her previous political forays, Swift’s latest statement has the added bonus of being gay as hell. Printed on the rainbow pastel color palette that the pop star’s been so fond of lately, Swift’s post intersperses sincere exhortations with rainbow emojis. Writing about the Equality Act, “Which would protect LGBTQ people from discrimination in their places of work, homes, schools, and other public accommodations,” Swift explains that, “I’ve decided to kick off Pride Month by writing a letter to one of my senators to explain how strongly I feel that the Equality Act should be passed.” (The Trump White House has voiced their opposition to the Equality Act, as it continues to roll back protections against LGBTQ citizens.)

Swift goes on to reveal that she has created a Change.org petitionfor Senate support of the Equality Act, which you can find in her recently updated Twitter bio (so far, nearly 80,000 people have signed it). In her post, Swift also included a copy of the letter she sent to her senator as a template for fans to pressure their own elected officials.

“Let’s show our pride by demanding that, on a national level, our laws truly treat all of our citizens equally,” Swift concluded.

Ruby Rose and Taylor Swift attend the 27th Annual GLAAD Media Awards at the Beverly Hilton Hotel on April 2, 2016, in Beverly Hills, California. 📷 Jason Kempin/Getty

The pop star’s thoughtful remarks have caused a vocal subsection of her fan base to lose their shit. Yes, Kaylor shippers do exist, as do diehard fans who have interpreted many of Swift’s recent actions as covert queer messages. For years now, sleuths have attempted to prove that Taylor Swift and Karlie Kloss were totally a thing (skeptics should listen to “Dress” and then get back to me). But as Swift teased her new music in April, #Gaylor conjecture reached an all-time high. At Vulture, Jill Gutowitz faithfully gathered Swift’s breadcrumbs, many of which fell on a spectrum from subtly to overtly Sapphic.

“Sometimes I think about men who sanctimoniously say their favorite movie is The Prestige and I’m like, you frauds could never handle a Taylor Swift pre-album clue trail,” Gutowitz wrote. In a piece titled “Why So Many of Us Believed Taylor Swift Was Coming Out,” BuzzFeed’s Shannon Keating summarized, Kissgate. All those rainbows! Swapped lyrics featuring female pronouns. Lyrics that just seem really gay. The cats. The donations to LGBT causes. That performance with Hayley Kiyoko. Today, April 26, the day of Taylor Swift’s long-awaited announcement, is literally Lesbian Visibility Day.”

Unfortunately for us believers, “Me” was just a music video—albeit, a very gay music video featuring “pansexual icon” Brendon Urie and a phalanx of ladies in pastel suits (is this camp?!). “The gayest not-gay thing we’ve ever seen,” indeed. Now that Taylor Swift’s totally rainbow Twitter profile reads “Support the Equality Act,” it’ll be near impossible to dissuade #Gaylor truthers—and it’s hard to imagine that Swift doesn’t know exactly what she’s doing.

“I really thought Taylor was coming out this time,” Shannon Keating concluded after the “Me” letdown. “I really did! Now, there’s a big part of me — the grouchy and cynical part — that feels like the rollout for Taylor’s new song and video was a calculated attempt to queerbait us all before she turned on her glittery heels and announced that ‘Me’ would be… the soundtrack to more of the NFL draft. But there’s another part of me that has to grudgingly respect how she whipped a bunch of full-grown gays who ‘don’t really care about Taylor Swift’ into such a frenzy.”

As long as Swift is using her outsized influence to fight for LGBTQ causes, she can go ahead and keep us guessing.

The Daily Beast

#taylor swift #LGBTQ #gay rights #the daily beast #2019.06.02

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a-h-arts · 6 years ago

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In Their Own Words Account Of Making Classic Slasher Series! CRYSTAL LAKE MEMORIES: The Complete History Of Friday the 13th (Book Review) Author Peter M. Bracke has written a MASSIVE coffee table-sized book chalk-full of splendid (and rare) photos that span the making of FRIDAY THE 13th (1980) all the way through FREDDY VS. JASON (2003). It's basically 25 years of Jason movies and how they were created---all told in the words by the people who participated in them! This is such a great narrative approach, where you pretty much `hear ` the uncensored words of the producers, directors, special effects people, actors, actresses, etc. on how each movie was made and what their experiences were. Yes, some of the perspectives are a bit at odds and there's some differences of opinion, but overall, what a great way to experience how these classic slasher movies were created and what effect they had on cinema, the ravenous fans, and pop culture at large! There are two editions of this book: a superb coffee table hardback with ultra clear photos, art, and posters and just recently released, an e-book edition with additional text material added---including longer interviews that equal the tune of 1,200 + printed pages! So this is by no means a short read, but if you're a diehard fan of the series, you will absolutely love reading about how Sean Cunningham and Victor Miller created FRIDAY THE 13th, how the success was so unexpected, and how Paramount changed the way independent movies were distributed with FRIDAY 1 and its sequels. It's exciting, relevant stuff and if you grew up in the era where you enjoyed these movies each year in the movie theater, you'll be excited to learn about all the behind-the-scenes madness that was going on to get these movies out there each year. Everything is covered in this book- from the starlets having to perform their provocative scenes to the icon status that Jason Vorhees eventually became. You'll read about the uncut special effects, the battles with the MPAA, and the continual frustration everyone had with that. Every director gets their battle perspectives revealed and the chapters on Friday the 13th 1, 2, 4, and 5 provide the best anecdotes, especially all the madness that allegedly went down on Part 5's NEW BEGINNING set---which happens to be one of my personal favorite FRIDAY movies. Composer Harry Manfredini is given a lot of time to talk about his splendid musical contributions and the entire "selling of the franchise" to New Line Cinema is covered, all the way through the breakthrough box office success of FREDDY VS. JASON. (The 2009 reboot is wisely skipped, since FREDDY VS. JASON pretty much endcaps the original "classic" Freddy and Jason eras.) There's one crazy story after another and again---everyone in their own words revealing what really went down (at least from their perpective) from the beginning of the series---and I found this book to be thoroughly dramatic and engrossing, wishing it would've gone on even longer, if you can believe that! So this book is NOT to be missed if you're a diehard slasher cinema fan, a FRIDAY THE 13th fan, or someone who wishes to make low budget horror movies. After reading both versions of this material, I feel like I'm now a SCHOLAR on the subject of the FRIDAY movies, but like Jason searching for new victims...I want MORE! Go to Amazon

What a great read! Firstly I have to say that before purchasing this ebook I wasn't a fanatical Friday The 13th fan. I had seen most of them but considered myself more a Texas Chainsaw Massacre guy. Still do but what a great read this Crystal Lake Memories ebook was. I'm not sure I've ever read anything so comprehensive. All ten of the Friday The 13th movies (plus Freddy vs Jason but not the 2009 remake) are covered in absolute detail with loads of interviews with the actors (the stars for lack of a better word), the producers/directors etc you name it but the opinions are honest if people regretted ever being associated with the franchise, didn't get along with x it's still put in and helps make it such an outstanding read. I really appreciate the warts and all aspect of it plus all the photos of cast & crew and the makeup effects. Whilst reading this I've actually gone back and watched a few of the films again and it makes the experience so much more enjoyable. The only minor criticism (very minor) I have is I would've liked it if the TV series was touched on a bit more. Go to Amazon

AMAZING, if are into Horror flicks, get this book! Fantastic, not only great for F13th fans, anybody who loves movies should read this amazingly detailed behind the scenes of movie making book, BUT if you are a fan of Horror flicks or the Slasher genre you'll find this book an intensely interesting read on how to bring to life a scary film , BUT if you are a Friday the 13th fanatic GET THIS BOOK NOW it is a MUST read, everything is here... writers, directors, actors, producers, studio heads, everybody details how, when, where and why these films were made: for every single classic Jason movie, its super long, but it is so good, you don't want it to end, and it will make you see the movies many times again, even the ones you don't like that much, highly recommended. Go to Amazon

Awesome Book Peter Bracke did an excellent job putting together this behind the scenes chronicle of arguably the most popular, controversial, and longest running horror franchise in cinematic history. Go to Amazon

so many great pictures & Info Dream come true. I always wanted a book on Friday, so many great pictures & Info. I look through it every Friday the 13th. Go to Amazon

Not For Everybody. But Perfect For Some. If you're a fan of the Friday The 13th films or if you are simply interested in filmmaking, this is a wonderful read. You learn about the creative/writing process, pre-production, production, post-production, how producers avoid the unions, etc. The book goes through each film in the long-running series and, through interviews, tells an intricate "making of" story. If that sounds dull to you, it probably will be. As for me... I was enthralled! Go to Amazon

This amazing book is a testament to a series that became my way of overcoming fears and nightmares in real life. It is a true book for the fans by a fan!! It gets no better. Mostly Interviews A great book for Friday the 13th fans. A comprehensive but somewhat dry collection of anecdotes Five Stars Ki ki ki ma ma ma Awesome book. Ripped Cover Jacket Five Stars The Definitive Tale of the Friday the 13th Franchise

#Historical #art #book

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aion-rsa · 4 years ago

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How Freaky Walks the Gory Line Between Horror And Comedy

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Finding the right balance between horror and comedy is one of the hardest things to pull off successfully on film, but writer/director Christopher Landon has done it twice with Happy Death Day (2017) and its sequel, Happy Death Day 2U, in which a college student played by Jessica Rothe keeps reliving the same day on which she dies…and then gets to relive it in a different dimension.

Now Landon gets a shot at a horror/comedy trifecta with Freaky, in which Kathryn Newton plays a high schooler who inadvertently swaps bodies with a hulking, unstoppable serial killer called the Blissfield Butcher (Vince Vaughn) and must find a way to get back to her own body before the change becomes permanent.

Landon, who co-wrote the movie with Michael Kennedy, tells Den of Geek that the film wasn’t initially what he was looking to do after finishing up his Happy Death Day duo.

“Not at all,” he says. “This was such a curve ball, just because I felt like, okay, I did that, now I’m going to go off and figure out the next thing. Michael came to me with this idea, not to convince me to do it with him, but because he was going to go out and pitch it to a bunch of places and he just wanted to rehearse it with somebody who has insider knowledge of it. So he just started telling me the idea and I immediately had that knee jerk reaction — ‘Oh, what a good idea, why didn’t I think of that?’”

Landon says Kennedy eventually asked him to collaborate on the screenplay. The pair “banged it out in like three weeks” and brought the project to Blumhouse Films and its distributor, Universal, with both saying yes. Jason Blum, president of Blumhouse, says that he wasn’t initially in the market for a horror/comedy about body swapping either.

“I can’t say it was a dream come true,” he laughs. “It hadn’t occurred to me before, but I’m certainly glad we did one. Definitely what struck me about it was the serial killer and the high school girl. Those are two characters that it would not occur to me to body swap.”

Of course, the title of the movie is a nod to Freaky Friday, the classic kids’ novel about a young daughter who swaps bodies with her mother that has been filmed several times for the big and small screen.

“There’s definitely been a ton of them,” agrees Landon. “I think what I loved about it and why I was so drawn to this is that you have this very, very, very familiar concept, but the approach is entirely fresh and unfamiliar…It’s not like I’m some diehard fan of body swap films, in fact, I haven’t seen most of them, but I’m acutely aware of the trope. All we needed really as a jumping point, and I think that what Michael and I both really brought to this movie is a very extensive and deep knowledge of the horror genre and the teen comedy genre. We both are big fans of all of those movies, and so I think that was what really helped arm us to write something like this.”

Star Kathryn Newton gets immediately excited when asked how Freaky plays off the Freaky Friday concept. “Oh my gosh, are you kidding? Freaky Friday was my favorite movie!” she exclaims. “Freaky Friday was awesome. Hot Chick, I had on DVD and have seen it so many times. But I never in a million years would have dreamt of doing a movie like this, because I just didn’t know it would be possible. Yes, it is a body swap, so we are familiar with the concept. But it’s not like anything I’ve seen before.”

Newton says her immediate response was “yes” when she met about Freaky with Landon, with whom she had worked on Paranormal Activity 4. “He had told me that he had written (Freaky) with me in mind, and I was like, ‘I don’t know who you think I am, but I don’t know how to play a serial killer.’ And he was like, ‘No, it’s in you.’ And he was insane enough to think I could do it.”

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Newton adds that her “mind was blown” when she found out that Vaughn was coming on board to play the Butcher — and, by extension, her character Millie as well. “The movie went to a whole new level,” she says. “You have an amazing actor, someone I’m a huge fan of, to act with, and create a character with…Vince had so many great ideas, and I got so much inspiration from him. All three of us collaborated on these characters and created something really special.”

Landon says that the role of the Butcher was “a really challenging part for both Vince and Kathryn,” adding, “When it came to Vince, he was my first choice and my only choice because, I needed someone that was physically imposing, convincingly menacing, charming, funny, and a legit actor. Someone who could really invest in the character. I was obviously very familiar with Vince’s comedic stuff because he’s made so many iconic comedies, but I also have been following him through his darker stuff like Brawl in Cell Block 99 and stuff like that so I knew he had that in him.”

As for Newton, Landon offers, “We had worked together on Paranormal 4, and she’s a great actor and I’ve watched her grow and grow as an actor and was really blown away by the work that she did on Big Little Lies. I really felt like she brought a certain sort of authenticity and empathy to Millie because you need that at the beginning of the film. You need to really feel for this girl and understand that she’s really struggling in the world and trying to figure herself out. But then also Kathryn is a laser focused competitor, and she’s really strong.”

One thing that Newton had to steel herself for in Freaky was the movie’s copious amounts of gore. This may be a horror comedy, but it’s an R-rated one, and the blood flies fast and furious throughout the picture. “When I said I was going to do this movie, Chris was like, ‘You’re going to get bloody. Are you ready?’” she explains. “And I said, ‘I’m down. I’m down to get bloody.’”

Landon concurs that he was ready to let the gore fly in Freaky.

“We agreed from the beginning that this needed to be an R-rated movie,” Landon says. “I think, again, it speaks to the concept of a body swap film which tends to be soft and cute. So in my mind it was like, how can we make the goriest Disney movie never made? It felt like in order to really set us apart and to give this body swap concept real contrast in terms of this genre mashup, going gory was the only way to really do that.”

While Jason Blum admits that he wanted the movie to be PG-13 and that he “fought hard and lost” in that debate, Landon is pleased with the outcome.

“I was grateful that Blumhouse and Universal let us do it and really agreed to it,” Landon says. “If I’m being frank, that was a deal breaker for us, in terms of where we were going to make this movie. If Universal had said, ‘you’re going to have to make it PG-13,’ we would have walked. We would have taken our movie elsewhere. So that was a big deal for us.”

Jason Blum happily acknowledges that Landon, who has written and/or directed nearly half a dozen hit movies for Blumhouse, has “carte blanche” to do whatever he wants at the company, adding, “There are very few who are in his category.” If Freaky proves as successful, Blum says that it only adds to Landon’s unique position as a filmmaker in the horror genre.

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“I really admire him, obviously,” says Blum. “I think he’s one of the most talented writer/directors out there. He’s got a real specific voice, which I think is hilarious and great. Clearly Happy Death Day and Freaky are related to one another. In particular, horror movies that are funny are just really tough, and usually they are bad. But Chris is just great at that tone. He really gets it. He also really understands genre, he is a genre fan, and he understands what genre fans want.”

Freaky is out in theaters this Friday (November 13).

The post How Freaky Walks the Gory Line Between Horror And Comedy appeared first on Den of Geek.

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#aion-rsa #Den of Geek

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nightmareonfilmstreet · 7 years ago

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WATCH THIS: Full AMC FearFest Halloween Horror Lineup!

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WATCH THIS: Full AMC FearFest Halloween Horror Lineup!

AMC’s FearFest is coming back for it’s 21st year of scares! A staple for horror fans with cable, the long-tenured marathon of nightmares will premiere on Monday, October 23rd. While FearFest usually runs for two weeks, the first week will be occupied by AMC’s original series The Walking Dead. All 99 released episodes will be played in anticipation of the series’ Season 8 premiere.

This year’s marathon will include:

Halloween (1978)

Halloween 4

Halloween 5

Halloween 6

Halloween H20

Halloween 2 (2009)

A Nightmare on Elm Street

Wes Craven’s New Nightmare

Freddy vs Jason

Friday the 13th Pt. IX: Jason Goes To Hell

Jason X

Slither

Van Helsing

Army of Darkness

Hellbound: Hellraiser II

Army of Darkness

Lake Placid

Annabelle

Dreamcatcher

Thinner

Dawn of the Dead (2004)

Land of the Dead (2005)

House of the Dead

House of the Dead 2

House of Wax

House on Haunted Hill

Return to House on Haunted Hill

Jeepers Creepers

Child’s Play

Curse of Chucky

And as a major surprise, AMC FearFest will include the upcoming Child’s Play sequel Cult of Chucky! The news comes as a shock considering the film is first being released on VOD October 3rd, yet it does make sense once you consider it’s limited release. Creator/director Don Mancini has stated his desire to continue the killer doll series past Cult. What better way to get more audience exposure than to broadcast on a major network? Purely speculating, I believe Mancini might be making a power play to generate enough buzz to return the Child’s Play series back to the big screen.

As a fellow fiend and horror diehard, I can point to the annual AMC FearFest as the launchpad for my fandom. Of all the horror films I’ve seen in my lifetime, many I first saw on the marathon. I’m sure I’m not alone in hoping FearFest will be around to provide new generations of fans the same gift!

#amc #amc fearfest #amc network #Child's Play #cult of chucky #halloween #halloween horror #halloween horror on tv #halloween horror tv schedule #halloween on tv #horror #horror marathon #horror movies #horror news

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themovieblogonline · 6 months ago

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Everything You Need to Know About the New "Jason Universe"

Calling all horror fans! Hold onto your sleeping bags because Camp Crystal Lake is about to be crawling with activity once again. We're talking about everyone's favorite hockey-masked maniac, Jason Voorhees, and his upcoming return in a brand new "Jason Universe." Wait, a Jason Universe? That's right! Get ready for a fresh wave of terror as Horror Inc. announced a multi-platform expansion of the iconic "Friday the 13th" franchise. This isn't just a new movie, though. We're talking video games, immersive experiences, merchandise, and a whole lot more – all designed to take us deeper into the blood-soaked world of Camp Crystal Lake. So, what can we expect from the "Jason Universe"? According to IGN, the details are still under wraps, but we can look forward to new "activations" that will span the entertainment world. This could include anything from movies and TV shows to terrifying video games that will put you right in the shoes (or should we say, running shoes?) of hapless camp counselors. But wait, there's more! Imagine stepping into Camp Crystal Lake yourself. The "Jason Universe" might just include immersive experiences that will have you dodging machete swings and running for your life. Sign us up (maybe)! Diehard "Friday the 13th" fans can rest easy – Horror Inc. says they're committed to honoring the legacy of the franchise while also giving it a fresh twist for modern audiences. That means scares that will have you jumping out of your seat, but also new stories and experiences that will keep things interesting. Here's the icing on the cake: Horror Inc. is working with Victor Miller, the screenwriter of the original "Friday the 13th" movie. This is a big deal for fans who want to see the spirit of the original film captured in this new era. So, when can we expect to see the "Jason Universe" come to life? We don't have an exact date yet, but Horror Inc. is promising more announcements throughout 2024. Keep an eye on their social media and the official "Jason Universe" website to stay in the loop. A Brief History of the "Friday the 13th" Franchise The first "Friday the 13th" movie slashed its way onto screens in 1980. The film introduced us to the now-iconic villain, Jason Voorhees, a seemingly unstoppable killer who terrorizes teenagers at Camp Crystal Lake. The movie was a surprise hit, spawning a franchise that includes twelve films (and a reboot) to date. The "Friday the 13th" films are known for their graphic violence, jump scares, and of course, Jason's signature hockey mask. While the franchise has been criticized for its gore, it has also gained a devoted cult following who appreciate its dark humor and campy charm. Whether you're a longtime fan or a horror newbie, the "Jason Universe" promises to be a chilling good time. So, grab your flashlight, check the doors and windows, and get ready to return to Camp Crystal Lake...if you dare! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3iKWeRPDsaE tune share more_vert Read the full article

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def2deffermusic · 5 years ago

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Friday The 13th Crew Neck Short Sleeve Women’s T Shirt

This short-sleeve t-shirt is perfect for the next Friday The 13th. The graphic design across front displays Jason’s iconic mask and his razor-sharp machetes. The franchise’s logo is featured across the bottom, making this tee a collectible. The short sleeves and cotton fabric will keep you cool and sweat free in case Jason shows up on your doorstep. If you’re a diehard fan of the Friday The 13th…

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andrewuttaro · 6 years ago

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New Look Sabres: 2018 Prospect Tournament

There is an anxious time after Labor Day when you can feel the hockey coming like Christmas music in November. You know Training Camp is almost here but it’s just not quite here yet. It’s the special limbo zone between the start of September and Training Camp. We’re seeing all the beat reporters tweeting whose attending the informal skates at Harbor Center but it’s all still a bit meaningless. Any good marketing man or woman knows that this is the ideal time for some powerful pumping of one’s own tires. How better to do that then to parade out all the Prospects we haven’t seen do much here since June and call it a Prospect Tournament! Now that I live in Buffalo I am really going to enjoy this. I went to the first game against the Devils Friday night and going there on its own is enough to get a Blue & Gold diehard going, but standing in the far corner because the thing was more than sold out? That is the Buffalo Difference. Sabres fans are ride or die and let me tell you, there were few places to even stand and watch that game. You can call it the Dahlin effect or you say Hockey is back!

Kris Baker, probably one of the better follows on twitter if you like the Sabres or just want to know about our prospects, went on record on Chris Ostrander’s podcast last week before the Tournament began saying that the lineup in this tournament is probably the best this organization has ever had in a Prospect tournament. Kris knows what he’s talking about. He petted my delicate Amerks fan heart when he said this team likens back to the 2004 Rochester Americans team that had the likes of Jason Pominville and Tomas Vanek. That was the last Amerks team to win a playoff series for the uninitiated here. If those appraisals don’t send you into hysterics and drive into the cart rack at Tops like I almost did then hop on the hype train because it’s leaving the station! CHOO CHOO!

Rasmus Dahlin is perhaps all you need in a tournament like this to make a show. The new Swede on the block demonstrated some intense passing and playmaking skills in the Sabres first game against New Jersey. Dahlin scored his first goal through traffic like Orchard Park after a Bills game. He shot, tucked it in and had a rather brief celly for scoring his first goal in a Sabres uniform. He played it cool because he’s a good boy and lives on criticism so would hate to get distracted by success, right? I cannot stress enough how Dahlin pushed play from the back Friday night. His second goal was a rebound he cleaned up into an open space on a play he had orchestrated from back in the defensive zone. He ran more complete plays in the first period than the Bills did in Baltimore on Sunday. Ok, that’s the last Bills joke. Dahlin threw his weight around too: he destroyed some poor guy right by the benches in the Devils game. The guy has fucking sonar for the puck though; he never looks at it. He certainly saw Tage Thompson’s breakaway goal he sprung. Oh yeah, there were other players on the ice too! Several others similarly went off like they were NBA players dunking on your local JV team. Don’t worry; there is space on this hype train, CHOO CHOO motherfuckers! Maybe my enthusiasm for a Prospect tournament is a little too telling of how long I’ve been dealing with a shit team. Hmm. CHOO CHOO bitches!

Tage Thompson is a hard guy to miss on the ice. I mean that literally and figuratively, the guy is 6’ 5” and looks every inch of it. He was a brute on the ice playing with a fire that must have been smothered in the City of Blues. My wife, who openly crushed on Ryan O’Reilly, thought mere height and tenacity could not replace Ryan in her heart and perhaps I ought to give her more time to heal on that front. A woman’s heart is deep and… I haven’t seen Titanic in a while; I don’t know the rest of that saying. Anyway, Tage scored on the breakaway in a goal that required no shortage of fancy footwork and butt checking. I’ve been waiting for some goliath to come onto this team and teach butt checking. I may have my man now. Vasily Glotov and Victor Olofsson played some of their first competitive games on North American ice with some venom. Unlike the upcoming Venom movie, we’ll probably be talking about these two sensations long after their debut. Both will likely start in Rochester but my God, Glotov scored a few goals this tournament and skated so well that I think he’s the one Russia is using to hack our elections. I felt scandalized watching this kid. He and Casey Mittelstadt (who also played in this tournament, could not keep his helmet on and could not buy a goal for all the emotion and effort he put in) have the baby face market cornered in this organization. Olofsson and Glotov could be reason enough for me to buy an AHLTV subscription this season.

CHOO CHOO, there’s more sweet boys lifting our hearts from downtown this September! Rasmus Asplund has developed very nicely since his drafting in 2016. He scored what maybe the best goal of the tournament against the Penguins Prospects carrying the puck from the neutral zone through at least two defenders to tuck in a backhand. Andrew Oglevie scored a sausy one. He’ll have a thoroughly deserved bang up year in Rochester for sure. Oskari Laaksonen spent his time setting up several plays whilst having the most unique name in the tournament in my humble opinion. My next goalie crush Ukko-Pekka Lukkonen (or UPL for nickname’s sake) stole my heart and struck my eyes with those neon orange pads although it’s clear he needs more development time. Will Borgen continues to prepare for his assassination of Johan Larsson for that last center position on the big club and oh… Alex. It’s you. You’ve heard my shit-talking haven’t you? Three goals in the three games of this tournament and praise from Amerks coach Chris Taylor. Hmm, you have my attention but you haven’t proven my criticism ill-founded quite yet. Stay healthy, bud, stay healthy.

Training Camp starts Thursday. The Sabres Preseason ramps up next week. Expect New Look Sabres to become a more regular arrival in your feed as the regular season draws nearer. Share this thingy with your friends on all the social media you can copy links to. I won’t be heartbroken if this blog simply becomes a public diary of my Sabres viewing life but wouldn’t it be cool if it became something more? Isn’t this easier to read than an article from a beat reporter or someone who is actually smart? Think about it.

Thanks for reading.

P.S. I feel it coming. Eichel baby is going to get that C. Or at least that’s my story and I’m sticking to it.

#buffalo sabres #hockey #blog #new look

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weekendwarriorblog · 6 years ago

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WHAT TO WATCH THIS WEEKEND 8/17/18 – Crazy Rich Asians, Mile 22, Alpha and More

I’m going to do things a little different this week, because one of my absolutely favorites from Sundance is coming out this weekend, and after seeing it again last week, it’s probably going to end up in my Top 5 for the year, and that is…

JULIET, NAKED (Lionsgate/Roadside Attractions)

I’ve been a fan of Nick Hornby’s writing for a very long time, but when I received a copy of his new book in 2009, I was immediately caught up in its story of a has-been musician, his diehard fan and his ignored wife. I was really excited to hear that it would be adapted by director Jesse Peretz, who had been making big waves (and got an Emmy nod) for directing shows like Girls, New Girl and GLOW. The general story revolves around Rose Byrne’s Annie, a woman living in a British seaside town married to Chris O’Dowd’s Duncan, an avid fan of an American singer-songwriter named Tucker Crowe. Duncan runs a website dedicated to his idol, but when he receives a previously unheard demo recording called “Juliet, Naked,” he gets into a squabble with Annie, because she is quite vocal about how much she hates it (mainly to get Duncan’s goat). When Duncan sleeps with a co-worker, Annie kicks him out, but then the real Tucker Crowe (played by Ethan Hawke) gets in touch with Annie (over her negative review of the rare demos), they begin a transatlantic correspondence that leads to them meeting and more. It’s another great story from Hornby in the vein of About a Boy and High Fidelity, one that creates an amazing portrait of this woman who feels she’s in a rut and how she connects with the famous musician who walked out of a concert 20 years earlier and has been raising a young son in upstate New York.

This is a fantastic romantic comedy from Peretz that’s produced by Judd Apatow and others with all-star writing team including Peretz’s sister Eugenia, Jim Taylor (Sideways) and his wife Tamara Jenkins (The Savages), who all did an amazing job adapting Hornby’s work.

Here’s my interview with Jesse Peretz over at NextBestPicture... Enjoy!

INTERVIEW WITH JESSE PERETZ

Juliet, Naked will open in New York and Los Angeles on Friday, expand to more cities next week and then hopefully be fairly wide on August 31.

But that isn’t the only Ethan Hawke movie this week, nope. The actor is having quite a good year indeed...

On top of that, Hawke’s latest film as a director, Blaze (Sundance Selects), will be released in Austin on Friday, as it slowly rolls out to arrive in New York City on September 6 and then in L.A. later in September.

Blaze tells the story of Blaze Foley, played by musician Ben Dickey, who was the lesser-known blues singer who collaborated with his friend Townes Van Zandt. Not knowing much about the Austin native, this is a fascinating film by Hawke that shows a lot of his dysfunctional relationship with his Jewish writer wife (and the film’s co-writer) Sybil Rosen, played by Alia Shakat (who is simply fantastic in the role). Musician Charlie Sexton pulls off a respectable version of Van Zandt, and look for cameos by the likes of Sam Rockwell, Steve Zahn, Kris Kristofferson and Hawke’s long-time collaborator, Richard Linklater.

This is another great music-based film from Hawke, and a much better narrative feature than his earlier features, 2006’s The Hottest State and 2001’s Chelsea Walls. There’s also a connection between Foley and Hawke’s Juliet, Naked character, because the fictional Tucker Crowe similarly became the subject of urban legends after vanishing from the public eye following a concert. (Foley was actually killed in a scuffle after recording a live album at one of his club performances, which acts as the framing device for the film.)

And now, back to our previously scheduled wide releases, and how ironic that the proverbial “Dog Days of Summer” would begin last weekend with an actual movie called Dog Days, and it bombed? And a giant shark movie starring Jason Statham opened with almost $45 million… crazy times! Yeah, these last few weekends of August have never been known as a good time to release movies, and most movies that end up here are ones that studios just want to get off their coffers before their even slower fall months. That would normally be the case, but that is definitely not the case with…

CRAZY RICH ASIANS (New Line)

The first August anomaly is this romantic-comedy based on Kevin Kwan’s best-selling book, which is the first major studio movie since The Joy Luck Club25 years ago to feature a predominantly Asian cast. This one is about an Asian college professor who takes his Asian girlfriend to Singapore for his best friend’s wedding where she discovers that his family is super-rich and he’s a very in-demand bachelor.

The movie features an amazing cast that includes Constance Wu from the hit ABC sitcom Fresh off the Boat, veteran Chinese actress Michelle Yeoh, comic superstar Ken Jeong (Dr. Ken) as well as fresher talent like rapper Awkwafina, last seen in Ocean’s 8, Gemma Chan and newcomer Henry Golding as the male lead. The movie is directed by Jon M. Chu, who has directed an odd number of movies from G.I. Joe: Retaliationto Step Up 3 and the Jem and the Holograms movie, the latter a huge bomb despite being made for not so much money.

Crazy Rich Asians is a romantic comedy, and obviously, there’s a limited audience for the genre normally, but possibly even more when you have Asians in every role, because you’re never sure whether women of other ethnicities will be as interested in this as they might be with Valentine’s Day or other rom-com hits like The Proposal or Pretty Woman. Of course, we can also look at the long-standing legs of My Big Fat Greek Wedding, which drew in a large Greek audience at first, but word-of-mouth helped lead it to $241 million domestic, the highest gross for a rom-com ever.

There haven’t been that many successful rom-coms in recent years unless you include Mamma Mia: Here We go Again or Greg Berlanti’s Love Simon, the latter which grossed $40.8 million opening in March with $11.7 million. Crazy Rich Asians is likely to sway more towards the former, I’d imagine.

What’s interesting and maybe not unexpected is that the Asian-American community has been rallying around the movie, whether or not they’ve read the book or even like romantic comedy films, with many entire theaters/screenings being bought up in advance. It’s likely the community realizes that Crazy Rich Asians will need to succeed if they’re going to see more Asians and Asian-Americans in significant leading roles. Even so, you have to remember that Asians only make up 6% of the U.S. population and maybe a little more in Canada, so how much impact can a movie have even if every single Asian person in the country goes to see it? I guess we’ll find out soon enough.

Crazy Rich Asians is opening on Wednesday, which kind of throws a wrench in trying to project how the movie might do, because a.) people who desperately want to see the movie might rush out to see it on Weds if b.) some might not even realize it opens on Wednesday and will wait for Thursday or Friday. (There weren’t any Tuesday previews to give us any sort of hint of what’s to come.) One presumes the point of the earlier opening is to help drive word-of-mouth for the weekend, although New Line also gave the movie sneak previews last Wednesday, which might do the trick. Reviews are excellent with it currently holding a respectable 96% on Rotten Tomatoes but there are many more reviews to come.

Expect the movie to do big business on Wednesday and Thursday, possibly $9 to 10 million, and then another $20 million plus over the weekend, although it shouldn’t be surprising if it does more than $30 million in its first five days. After all, we’re definitely entering new territory here. Even so, word-of-mouth should help it over the rest of the summer and into September, so don’t be surprised if it ends up making close to $100 million or more, especially if it’s as good as I’ve heard.

MILE 22 (STXfilms)

A movie hoping to bring in the business that will have little to no interest in Crazy Rich Asiansis this new action-thriller from actor Mark Wahlberg and director Peter Berg, who now have made three movies based on real events: Lone Survivor (’13, $125 mil. Gross), Deepwater Horizon (’16, $61.4 mil.) and Patriots Day (’16, $31.9 mil.). That’s a fairly dramatic drop from their first movie to their last one, and Mile 22 is an original story not based on real events about a CIA task force who have to protect an asset from terrorists over the course of 22 miles. (And yes, that does sound a lot like the Bruce Willis-Mos Def movie 16 Blocksfrom 2006, thanks for noticing.)

Besides Wahlberg, it stars Lauren Cohan from The Walking Dead, John Malkovich (who also was in Deepwater Horizon), MMA champ and WWE contender Ronda Rousy, Indonesian martial arts star Iko Uwais (The Raid) and Berg himself. It’s a great cast but we’ve seen similar movies like this one with great casts that don’t do so well from Hotel Artemis earlier this summer to John Hillcoat’s Triple 9 in 2016, although both of them looked like they could be good.

Obviously, Wahlberg is going to be this film’s biggest draw, but his filmography has also run the gamut of hits and bombs. Last year, Wahlberg appeared in Michael Bay’s Transformers: The Last Knight, the comedy sequel Daddy’s Home 2 and the beleaguered Ridley Scott drama All the Money in the World, continuing his run of two to three movies a year with varying degrees of quality and success.

Like so many other movies in theaters and quite a few from STX, Mile 22 is a Chinese co-production, which doesn’t mean a heck of a lot for the film’s domestic success. Last year’s The Foreigner starring Pierce Brosnan and Jackie Chan is a good example as that topped out at $34.3 million domestic after a $13.1 million opening, although that movie did three times its domestic take overseas.

This might be why STX decided to dump the movie into late August, because maybe it isn’t as strong as some of the Berg-Wahlberg’s previous offerings, but is more of a throwaway action-thriller instead. The studio also isn’t screening for critics until Wednesday night, the day before it opens for Thursday previews, so I wouldn’t expect it to be one of “Da Bergs’” better-reviewed films.

On top of that, there’s also just too much competition for older males in theaters, so this might have a hard time doing more than $15 million this weekend, a third place showing, as it struggles to make $35 million by summer’s end.

(Note: I may run a mini-review and make a few changes above after I see the movie tonight.)

ALPHA (Sony)

The odd dog or wolf of the weekend is this big screen adventure epic set during the Ice Age starring Kodi Smit-McPhee (X-Men: Apocalypse), which looks a lot like Roland Emmerich’s 10,000 BC. Hopefully, it isn’t nearly as bad. (See my review below. It isn’t.)

Alphais the new movie from Albert Hughes, one half of the Hughes Brothers, who broke out with urban crime films like Menace II Society and Dead Presidents before making From Hell with Johnny Depp and The Book of Eli with Denzel Washington. After the latter, the two went their separate ways and after a couple failed projects, Albert decided to make this very different movie as his solo dramatic feature as a director. It’s a strange choice for sure, but Sony have doubled down by giving the movie an IMAX release to push its big-screen nature.

There should be enough awareness of this movie being that it was supposed to come out last November and then earlier this year – I was seeing trailers for this in front of Thor: Ragnarok in early November and over the Christmas holidays as well – but Sony clearly doesn’t have much faith in the movie as they moved it to the dumping ground of late August. The studio has also completely changed the marketing as the movie’s release neared, pushing it more for the wolves that might get women and kids excited to see it. Personally, I don’t see the switch in marketing gears helping much, as I was already tuning out about the movie after seeing the trailers too much last year. (Reviews, surprisingly, are STELLAR so far, but there are only eight on Rotten Tomatoes, so that might change?)

Although people might know about the movie, it really doesn’t look that appealing from the marketing, and it won’t help that schools have already started in many places cutting potential business for Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Frankly, it will be a shocker to me if Alpha makes more than $7 million this weekend even with the higher incent and price for IMAX tickets.

Mini-Review: When I was younger, I used to love watching pre-historic epics like 1 Million Years B.C. on television. Hopefully, some young boys and girls will be as inspired by watching Albert Hughes’ solo narrative debut as a director, but Alpha is definitely not the type of movie that should be watched on a television set.

It gets off to a rough start with young Keda (Kodi Smit-Mcphee) not living up to his chieftain father’s hopes as a warrior. When the tribe takes on a herd of buffalo, Keda gets knocked off a cliff and he’s left behind for dead by the tribe. Trying to survive, Keda faces off against a pack of wolves and one of the wolf pack is injured in the melée. The caring young man brings the injured wolf along on his journey of survival as the two of them work together to catch prey and survive.

This is where Alpha picks up greatly, becoming tale of a boy and his “dog” survival tale that’s charming and heart-warming and not nearly as corny or obvious as the earlier storytelling might lead you to believe. (It doesn’t take long to get over the awkward decision to begin with the buffalo hunt, then cut back a week as Keda is about to go over the cliff, and then show the buffalo hunt again, throwing Keda over the cliff for real the second time.)

If nothing else, one needs to commend the impressive job by Hughes and team -- from the animal trainers to the visual FX department, sound and music – for bringing this tale to life in a way that keeps you glued to the screen and benefits greatly from the IMAX 3D projection. It might be good to note that all of the film’s dialogue is in some ancient prehistoric dialect, so if your kids are too young to read subtitles, then they may get frustrated by not understanding what is being said.

Though there are problems in the first third, the fact is that if Terrence Malick or Alejandro Innaritu made this exact same movie, it would be thought of as a revelation. The late August release and lesser status of Hughes as a filmmaker will mean this film will mostly be overlooked, which is a true shame.

Rating: 7.5/10

Either way, this weekend could be a close call for #1 between Crazy Rich Asians and the second weekend of The Meg as both are vying for somewhere in the high-teens to low-$20 millions. Even so, I think the marketing/hype behind the New Line romantic-comedy will be enough to push it over the top to win the weekend.

This week’s top 10 should look something like this…

1. Crazy Rich Asians (New Line) - $21.5 million N/A 2. The Meg (Warner Bros.) - $19.5 million -56% 3. Mile 22 (STXfilms) - $15.3 million N/A 4. Mission: Impossible – Fallout (Paramount) - $12 million -40% 5. Christopher Robin (Disney) - $7.7 million -38% 6. Alpha (Sony) - $7.5 million N/A 7. BlacKkKlansman (Focus Features) - $7 million -35% 8. The Spy Who Dumped Me (Lionsgate) - $3.9 million -48% 9. Slender Man (Screen Gems) - $3.7 million -67% 10. Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again (Universal) - $3.5 million -40%

LIMITED RELEASES

While I gave some extra attention to Juliet, Naked above, there are a bunch of other limited releases worth checking out this weekend, especially as the wider releases become less interesting to the masses.

First up is The Wife (Sony Pictures Classics), an amazing drama starring Glenn Close as Joan Castleman, wife of the elderly reknowned author Joseph Castleman (Jonathan Pryce), as the couple travel to Stockholm for him to receive the Nobel Prize in Literature along with their son David (Max Irons). Joe can be a handful and Joan finds herself caught in the middle of a domestic feud between her husband and David, while a pesky biographer played by Christian Slater tries to get info from both Joan and David about Joe, a known philanderer. Directed by Swedish filmmaker Björn Runge, best known for his film Happy End, this is a terrific literary drama and character piece that shows how the process of creating art can be seen differently by those doing it and those looking at it from the outside. The Wife will open in New York and L.A., and there will be QnAs in both cities on Friday and Saturday. Glenn Close and screenwriter Meg Wolitzer will be doing QnAs at the Paris Theater in NYC on Friday night after the 7:30 screening, while Wolitzer will also do a QnA on Saturday night. In LA, actress Annie Starke (who plays the younger version of Close’s character) will be doing QnAs on Friday and Saturday nights at the Arclight Hollywood and the Landmark.

A terrific doc worth checking out is Megumi Sasaki’s A Whale of a Tale (Fine Line Media), which opens at the Quad Cinema in New York and then in L.A. on August 24. If you liked the Oscar-winning doc The Cove, this is sort of a follow-up as the filmmaker travels to the town of Taiji in Japan where the dolphin killings continue. AP journalist Jay Alabaster has embedded himself in Taiji since The Cove came out and along with Sasaki, they document the town’s attempts at making necessary changes without giving up their legacy of “whale-hunting” that’s hundreds of years old. This is the type of movie that might make you question your own ecological leanings even as it gives a fairly well-balanced overview of the situation, particularly between the townspeople of Taiji and the world at large.

Another worthwhile doc is Bing Liu’s Minding the Gap (Hulu/Magnolia), a very personal look at the life of the filmmaker over 12 years living in Rockford, Illinois, focusing on two of his skateboarder friends’ whose upbringings affect their lives, including 23-year-old Zack whose relationship deteriorates after the birth of his son, and 17-year-old Keire trying to deal with the death of his father. The film won a jury prize at Sundance for Breakthrough Filmmaking with Steve James acting as exec. producer. It will get a theatrical release at the Metrograph on Friday as well as being available on Hulu before screening on PBS POV in 2019. (I want to add that this is a fantastic film well worth seeking out... Liu is an amazing new and young filmmaker to watch.)

After premiering at the Tribeca Film Festival, the self-explanatory doc Ed Sheeran: Songwriter (Apple Music/Abramorama) will open in select cities. I never got around to watching it, but I’m not really a fan of Sheeran other than him helping to bring the Electric Light Orchestra back together for the Grammys. It opens at the IFC Center on Friday, in L.A. on Aug. 24 and then will be available on Apple Music starting Aug. 28.

A venerable horror franchise returns with its 13th(!) installment Puppet Master: The Littlest Reich (RLJE Films), co-directed by Sonny Laguna and Tommy Wiklund from a script by S. Craig Zahler (Brawl in Cell Block 99). It stars Thomas Lennon from the State as Edgar, as a recently-divorced man who returns to his childhood home where he finds an evil-looking Nazi puppet in his brother’s room. For this one, the unmistakable Udo Kier plays the evil puppet master André Toulon, and it also stars Charlyne Yi, Barbara Crampton, Jenny Pellicer and Nelson Franklin. I hope to watch it soon, but I’ve heard some atrocious things about the overt racism in the movie.

As far as other and hopefully tamer genre films, if you’re in New York City, you can see The Ranger, the directorial debut by Larry Fessenden’s producing partner Jenn Wexler, when it plays at the IFC Center, following its Closing Night premiere at What the Fest?! and Fantasia in Montreal. It will also screen in L.A. on Sept. 7. It stars Chloë Levine as Chelsea, a girl who hangs out with her punk friends who get in trouble when her boyfriend stashes drugs in her bag, so they head to a cabin in the wilderness where they encounter a ranger. It premieres on Thursday night with many QnAs with Wexler, producer Heather Buckley and the cast over the weekend.

A movie that premiered at Sundance that I wasn’t that into was Jeremy Zagar’s adaptation of Justin Torres’ novel We the Animals (The Orchard), about three young boys going through their adolescence under the gaze of parents (Raul Castillo, Sheila Vand) who have their own tumultuous relationship, and are trying to protect the youngest Jonah from heading the same direction as his older siblings. It opens in New York Friday at the Angelika and Landmark 57 West, then will expand to L.A., San Francisco, Boston and Philadelphia next Friday. Although I wasn’t a huge fan of the movie, it is a nice fictional counterpart to Minding the Gap.

Ricky D’Ambrose’s Notes on an Appearance (Grasshopper Films) deals with the disappearance of a young man named David and the two people who go looking for him but become diverted by the strangers they meet on the journey. It opens at New York’s Film Society of Lincoln Center on Friday.

Opening in New York and L.A. on Friday and on Demand Sept. 4is Josh Crockett’s dark comedy Dr. Brinks & Dr. Brinks (Gravitas Ventures) about estranged brother and sister who reunite after the death of their parents.

Based on Lois Duncan’s Y.A. novel of the same name, Down a Dark Hall (Summit/Lionsgate Premiere) stars AnnaSophia Robb as Kit, a difficult girl set to a boarding school to deal with her temper via the headmistress Madame Duret (Uma Thurman) and the other four young women. Also starring Isabelle Fuhrman from Orphan, it opens in select cities, On Demand and on iTunes Friday.

Emmanuel Finkiel’s Memoir of War (Music Box films), opening in New York this Friday at the Film Forum and Film Society of New York and in L.A. at the Laemmle Royal and Regal Edwards Westpark 8 next Friday, adapts Marguerite Duras’ novel The War: A Memoir, and it stars the ever-present Mélanie Thierry as Duras. In 1944, Duras was a Resistance member along with her writer husband Robert Antelme. When he is sent to the Dachau concentration camp, she becomes friendly with a French collaborator (Benoît Magimel)to get information to help her group. (Interesting fact: Duras was the Oscar-nominated screenwriter of Alain Resnais’ Hiroshima, Mon Amour.)

A few more odds and ends…

Shirley McLane and Gina Gershon star in a modernized live action adaptation of Hans Christian Andersen’s The Little Mermaid co-directed by Blake Harris and Chris Bouchard. Not sure what more can be said about that.

Opening in New York at the Cinema VillageFriday before its digital release on Sept 4 is the doc Davi’s Way (2B Films) about Italian-American Robert Davi, a Frank Sinatra enthusiast and stylist who prepares to recreate Sinatra’s famous 1974 concert at Madison Square Garden.

Actor Peter Facinelli makes his directorial debut with the dark comedy Breaking & Exiting (Kali Pictures / Freestyle Digital Media), starring Milo Gibson as house thief Harry who stumbles upon (film co-writer) Jordan Hinson’s Daisy and tries to save her from herself.

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Not a ton of repertory things on my radar other than a Winona Ryder retrospective at the Quad Cinema called “Utterly Winona,” including all her great movies from the ‘80s and ‘90s. I guess there’s a Truffaut retrospective at the Metrograph, but you know what I always say: Truffaut... Tru-cares? (I don’t always say that so don’t write me angry letters Truffaut-fans. I don’t mean to cause a Trufuffle for anyone.)

Last but not least, streaming giant Netflix offers the Spanish film The Motive from Manuel Martin Cuenca based on the novel by Javier Cercas, about an aspiring writer who seeks inspiration for his novel by manipulating lives.

#JulietNaked CrazyRichAsians reviews boxOffice Mile22 Alpha TheWeekendWarrior WhatToWatchThisWeekend

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junker-town · 7 years ago

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Meet Atlanta, college football’s capital

It’s hosted the sport’s biggest matchups this season, but college football passion has been here forever.

For the entire 2017 season, one city’s been at the heart of it all. Georgia’s capital has hosted some of the sport’s biggest games this season, capped off with a Georgia-Alabama National Championship in the amazing, new Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

First, the city hosted No. 1 Alabama vs. Florida State, the biggest college football opener ever, despite FSU’s collapse afterward, and a Georgia Tech-Tennessee Labor Day thriller, both of which ranked among the 10 most-viewed games of the regular season.

Those were followed by the SEC Championship that served as a Playoff play-in game, the HBCU national championship in the season’s first bowl game, and the Peach Bowl that UCF is using as part of its national title claim.

“There’s no other city in America that [had] that number of high-ranked teams and big events over the last year,” Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl CEO Gary Stokan told SB Nation.

College football has always been part of the culture in Atlanta, for a couple reasons.

Atlanta is a unique sports town. It’s got two pro basketball teams with a little bit of history, a team that went to the Super Bowl just last year, a baseball team with a truly regional fanbase, and was an Olympic host city in 1996.

But because of history — the hub of the Southeast didn’t get its first major-league teams until the 1960s, decades after Georgia and Georgia Tech had claimed national titles in football — college football will always have a deeper foothold.

Add that to the city’s famous transience, with almost every ACC and SEC school counting Atlanta as its biggest alumni base, plus plenty of grads from the Big Ten and elsewhere. Drive around town on any given day, and you’ll see an Ohio State sticker, a Notre Dame license plate, and an Oklahoma flag. Spencer Hall captured it:

More so than any other city, Atlanta's veins pulse with college football, often at the expense of other sports foolish enough to assume they can steal a significant chunk of attention away from the tribes of choice for Atlantans. The Falcons will always run second to Georgia, even in the Ray Goff-iest of years. The Hawks have become a basketball excuse to field a hard-working dance team. Thrashers fans, [your team left since this post was written].

This city's sports soulmate is college football, and everything else amounts to a misbegotten and forgettable fling. It's in the ubiquitous car window stickers, the assumption that fall weddings are verboten, and the empty meat and beer aisles at grocery stores on Saturday mornings. Walk through an in-town neighborhood this Saturday. There will be a hint of fall under the heat, and the sound of a television blaring out the sound of football, and the smell of someone cooking meat on a grill.

More colleges in and near the city have joined the party.

Since 2010, we’ve seen new or revived programs, including Georgia State, which had its first season in 2013 and opened its brand new football stadium by using the Braves’ old Turner Field. In the Metro, Kennesaw State started up in 2015 and made it to the playoffs this season. Elsewhere in the state, Mercer and Reinhardt have been revived from the 1920s and ‘30s, and DII Berry College founded a team, too.

More programs means local schools can take even better advantage of the state’s elite high school talent.

Georgia is fourth in the country in the most blue-chip recruits produced from 2013-2018, pulling further away from typical peers Ohio and Louisiana and ranking closer to the Big Three states:

Usually, Georgia produces about twice as many blue-chippers as Ohio. This year’s 40-12 margin might never happen again. But the consistent stream of talent in the Peach State is the biggest reason Mark Richt was able to win so consistently in Athens. It’s also the biggest reason Kirby Smart’s in the Playoff in his second year.

As of September 2017, over 130 Georgia high school players were on NFL rosters. A few years ago, Georgia ranked fourth in NFL players, with Atlanta tied for second for metro areas.

The fact that the title game pairs two local teams only strengthens this part of the argument. UGA lists 90 Georgians on its roster, with Alabama adding 11.

The city now hosts even more off-field institutions and events, too.

Atlanta is home to the College Football Hall of Fame, which relocated from South Bend in 2010. The HOF has three levels of interactive entertainment that will delight any college football fan, casual or diehard. Here’s SB Nation’s Jason Kirk before the opening in 2014:

"It's gotta be fun. It's gotta be engaging. It can't be just a hall of fame," says John Stephenson, the College Football Hall of Fame's CEO and our tour guide. "Most of the building is an attraction you can have fun in, even if you aren't a college football fan."

"The goal was to take everything people know about halls of fame and blow them up."

The new College Football Hall of Fame is fully modern and seems even more so when compared to the halls in Canton, Springfield, or Cooperstown.

It’s got things like a wall of 768 current college football helmets that light up with your favorite team via a radio chip when you walk up, a rivalry corner, and factoids on college football legends throughout.

SB Nation

Starting in July, one of college football’s biggest media circuses, SEC Media Days, will move to the Hall of Fame, marking the first time since 1985 the event won’t be in Alabama.

And the economic impact from the sport is huge.

“Atlanta is the epicenter of college football,” Atlanta Sports Council CEO Dan Corso told SB Nation. “So it’s kind of pretty easy to sell that sport in this city and this community. It’s the top of everybody’s mind.”

In 2015, the HOF generated $19.9 million in revenue. When taking into account the Peach Bowl semifinal last year between Alabama and Washington and combined with the games this season, Stokan estimates $50 million in tax revenue for the city.

“There’s a social buzz and a social impact that’s created in working with the College Football Playoff,” Corso said. “Over the last year, we’ve been able to provide the Atlanta public school system with $1 million to go back to their classrooms.”

Unlike most major cities, college football’s a year-round thing.

“You can’t turn on a radio station that’s sports talk radio in this city — 365 days a year — without hearing about college football,” Stokan said. “You may not hear about the Braves, you may not hear about the Falcons, you may not hear about the Hawks 365 days a year, but you will hear about college football.”

Even in the dog days of summer or the slow news days in winter, there is a college football topic on at least one major Atlanta station, important or not.

That’s also the case in college towns like Norman, Columbus, and Knoxville and cities like Memphis and Birmingham (annually the city with the highest college football TV ratings), but what makes Atlanta the capital is its size, as arguably the only top-10 metro population truly obsessed with the sport above all others (you don’t exactly see Hummers parading through Chicago or Philadelphia with big-screen replays of college games on their tailgates), and its diversity of national fanbases.

Here, it’s for everybody.

That includes the state’s internationally influential hip-hop community. Gucci Mane is an Alabama fan, Quavo has become a Georgia sideline fixture, Big Boi’s become an Auburn fan thanks to his daughter (but still roots for the Dawgs and Jackets too), Pastor Troy and Bubba Sparxxx are longtime UGA fans, and so on.

Sports bars across the city treat college football Saturdays like NFL Sundays.

G A M E D A Y // #thinkIVY #FootballHQ

A post shared by the IVY Buckhead (@theivybuckhead) on Sep 30, 2017 at 6:27am PDT

Incase you're unaware of the best place to watch Tenn vs. Tech today: Big Sky. The drinks will be flowing, the sound of the game will be playing through the speakers and as always, the party will be lit! #ATL

A post shared by Big Sky Buckhead (@bigskybuckhead) on Sep 4, 2017 at 1:34pm PDT

You bring up college football to any given person at a local watering hole around here, and you can bet they’ll holler about some aspect of their team. At 2 a.m. at a Waffle House one Friday night, I got in an argument with a friend’s friend about whether a particular SEC job tops a certain other one from the ACC. I had a friendly, heated discussion with one of my best guy friends about the Big Ten vs. the SEC at Big Sky in Buckhead.

“You can get on [Interstate] 285 in Atlanta on a Saturday, it looks like a NASCAR race with all the flags from the cars of different schools,” Stokan said. “People drive to Auburn and Alabama and Tennessee and Georgia and Mississippi, Mississippi State — it’s incredible.”

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whataprettylilmess · 7 years ago

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So last weekend I went to V Festival with my best friend Fern and her sister Lana (peep the shoutout gals, you’re famous). And it was such a good weekend I thought, let’s have a waffle about it on the old blog and let the world hear it. So here we are.

~ The Travelling ~

The festival was at Weston Park in Staffordshire from Friday the 18th to Sunday the 20th of August, coming home obviously on the Monday because camping is the life. We drove down at about 10AM on the Friday which was such a good idea as we seemed to miss all the traffic and the queues. After an absolute mare trying to lug all of our stuff from the car to the space we eventually found for our tent, we managed to get ourselves all set up and settled in by about 2PM. By ‘get ourselves set up’ I mean Lana mostly put up the entire tent with me and Fern hopelessly helping, or mainly watching. But we were chilled out in camp chairs, snacking and drinking the day away until the acts began on the Friday night.

~ The Music ~

The weekend began at the Radio One stage on Friday night. There were a few DJs lined up to kick the weekend off, alongside a lovely splashing of rain to really put the festival mood in full swing. We saw Disciples, Duke Dumont and Chase and Status, who were good from what I can remember, for the songs that I actually knew anyway. House DJs aren’t majorly our style of music, although we enjoyed what we could along with our bottles of rose until we called it a night. But its not like going to bed was a normal end of the evening kind of story. Our nights usually entailed a struggle to get warm, falling asleep to the not so distant and not so funny calls of ‘Alan!’ and a 3AM wake up call by either music or a Welsh scrap, but that was Saturday nights story.

The days started early, after a capri-sun and lucozade wake up and a queue for the portaloos it was usually about 9.30. On the topic of portaloos, V festival was probably the cleanest I’d seen. Obviously you’d pick a real toilet any day and they were smelly, but in comparison to ones at festivals before, V had definitely kept it clean. I give a big thanks for that. We then spent the morning dosing ourselves in glitter and enough alcohol and snacks to get us through the morning. On the Saturday I wore a cute sequin top and some denim shorts from Missguided matched with a black rain mac and some wellies. I shall insert pictures at the bottom of the post. We hit a massive queue to get into the festival and almost missed the whole of Scouting for Girls set, but managed to make it for the last few songs, including She’s So Lovely which gave me all the Georgia Nichols feels. Then we saw RAYE who was insane. For a small artist I wasn’t expecting much but she was stunning and an amazing performer with great vocals. We spent the rest of the day watching Jason Derulo, Clean Bandit, Stormzy and Dizzee Rascal, before the day’s headliner of Jay Z. Stormzy definitely had the best atmosphere of the day, he’s an artist who you can tell thoroughly appreciates their success and position and I really admire that about certain celebs. Jay Z was possibly a bit of a let down. As an artist where not many people may know a lot of the words to his songs, he cut probably the more popular ones short, so for the rest of the time you were just watching. Obviously it was amazing to say you’ve seen such a huge name live, but I wouldn’t massively rate his performance.

Sunday started pretty similarly, only filled with a lot more giggling as just hours before we had been woken up by a random fight, where, from what we could here, a man was being held on the ground by a woman right on the back of our tent. We relived the memory as we got ready as we didn’t want to miss Busted like we had with Scouting for Girls the day before. On the Sunday I wore a bralet from Missguided matched with a black and white checkered shirt and some black denim shorts, both from Primark. Of course we ended up getting in the slowest moving queue that morning and reaching the Busted stage just in time for their last song, Year 3000. At least we were making it in time for the classics. Glitter taking priority of course. The sun was out in the morning and Ella Eyre shone just the same. I love her and she absolutely smashed it. We then sat and ate some lunch while we watched James Arthur who I had forgotten how much I loved. The girls were shocked I knew so many of his songs, as I was practically the only one singing around us. Oops. The dilemma of the day was the fact that my favourite band The Vamps clashed with Madness, who we wanted to go and see as our parents have some crazy dances to their songs and wanted to see us doing the same. You know, family stuff. So we split our time half and half and managed to see a good set from both, making it to Madness just as the songs we actually knew began, making fools of ourselves around the 40 year old die hard fans. A contrasting setting to the one minutes before when I was the diehard fan in front of The Vamps. Shock. By this point it started to rain and as we watched Jonas Blue, George Ezra and Jess Glynne we got more and more soaked. By the time Craig David hit the stage I was wet to the skin, my waterproof mac had definitely lied to me and I was going numb. Nevertheless we enjoyed every performance, it was part of the festival experience after all. As the headliner Pink came on, we were immune to the weather and almost forgot about it, as her performance was incredible. She really knows how to put on a show, I’ve never heard live vocals like it, she was stunning. And to end with her flying over the crowd put an amazing finish to an amazing weekend.

~Pictures~

Overall it was such an amazing weekend and I would do it again in a heartbeat. It’s been a tough week since getting my A-Level results and not getting into Uni, but whatever will be will be, and it’s nice to have some happy treasured memories to break it all up. V Festival was clearly the nicer end of the festival scale, cleaner and felt safer, I’d definitely recommend it to anyone who doesn’t think they’d like a festival, it would definitely change your mind. It was my first time at a camping festival and made for a great experience so get it on your 2018 bucket list!

Here are my thoughts on a page. Until next time.

My Weekend at V Festival! So last weekend I went to V Festival with my best friend Fern and her sister Lana (peep the shoutout gals, you're famous).

#blog #blogger #blogging #concerts #festival #festival fashion #happy #life #love #music #pink #songs #the vamps #update #v festival

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cover32-yahoopartner-blog · 8 years ago

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Path 2 the Pros: A Father’s Journal: NFL Combine

Cover32/Ravens had an exclusive opportunity to reflect with Michael Switzer, father of Ryan Switzer, on what it is like to be the Dad of an NFL draft hopeful, and what his attendance of the NFL Combine, which Ryan participated in, was like. Here are his words.

Friday, March 3, 2017

Indianapolis

“The whole thing, I’ve been thinking on for about a month. Kind of in awe.

My son gets to participate in something that I have watched and most people that are diehard football fans have followed for so long. I’m going, ‘Wow my kid is actually participating in this. And has a good opportunity to do well.’ So that is kind of neat.

courtesy @swtizdesign4u

I took his High School coach [Steve Edwards Jr., picture right]. And his long time trainer and friend/former teammate of mine [Matt Downey, picture middle]. We all drove up on Friday and it was one of those things like, we can’t wait to hear from him all the way up there, where he was, that kind of thing. Didn’t know what kind of time frame things were going on—when stuff was going to happen. So I mean, we were kind of flying blind. All we knew was that he was having meetings and then doing bench press. When we got there, he had already completed the bench press. We got there, like, five minutes after he got finished benching.

I went to pick up my credential right when we got there. I said, ‘Where do I go to get my field credential?’ They go ‘Field Credential? This isn’t for the field.’ Me: ‘I’m a photographer. I have all my gear with me.’ Them: ‘Those credentials are only authorized for people shooting for the AP, the NFL and Getty Images.’ (Which I could have arranged for myself, too.) And I asked, what good is this credential going to do me, and they said, this is for radio interviews, and I said, I’m not a writer, I’m a photographer. They told me it was for radio coverage in the

@switzdesign4u

interview room in the convention center. So, I’ve got his coach and his trainer here. And I didn’t want to leave them hanging over in the outer Convention Center by themselves. So I just stick with them and just didn’t pursue it after that. Kind of a letdown because I’ve always been able to cover those things– whether it’s a bowl game, Senior Bowl or any of that kind of event, because I’m a working, credentialed press member. But this happens. You know, sometimes they [the applications] have boxes. They say, ‘interviews or photographer;’ you know, along those lines. So by that time I get Ryan’s text about what he had benched. He said, “We’re headed back over and we’ve got meetings,” or something, and then immediately I see all these guys come out wearing their Combine shirts. Started seeing coaches left and right. I mean Tom Coughlin passed right by me, Doug Williams passed right by me. I was spinning around, was going to bump into some of the who’s who of NFL personnel. So it’s pretty cool from that standpoint.

I was pleased with his benchpress result. I mean, I had kind of a [target] number in my head. I’m sure he did too, as well as his trainer, and so forth. I’ve always kept an eye on that kind of thing. Comparatively, what he did was great. I’ve been following this for so long and I see the numbers posted by other wide receivers; NFL guys. He and I would always talk: “Hey, such-and-such did this, somebody else did that.” I was a competitive bodybuilder and power lifter for ten years and had a lot going to for me in that world. As strict as those meets are, I kind of figured that’s how strict they would be at the combine. No bouncing off of your chest. So you don’t have guys who go out and get numbers and then it’s like false advertising. If you actually do it the way an exercise is supposed to be done, it’s a little bit harder. You can appreciate real reps.

courtesy @switzdesign4u

So they were going to meetings, we didn’t know if we would get to see him or anything. I’m thinking, I drove to Indianapolis to see this thing, now having to get my mind around the fact that we’re not going in. We decided, let’s go take a look at the city, over by the stadium, and see what’s what. Ryan was sequestered meeting with people and going through their whole gamut of interviews. I had known that he had interviews that night with teams that went on for however long. We took in the evening. Later, after he was done, he just texted us and told us where he was. Not able to visit, but focused.

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Saturday, March 4th, 2017

Next morning, we got up really early because we wanted to get over there. Ryan’s wide receiver coach said that it was a leap of faith, but that they let families in, upon request. We decided to just give it a shot. We get up, and I was really surprised because Indianapolis was so quiet Saturday morning. We go around and we park and walk over there and try to get in. And of course the guy says, we can’t get in. And I say, well, my son is participating. ‘Well, you’ve got to have a press credential.’ I ask, will this work for me? I mean it was my official credential from the NFL. But again: this was just for meetings and that room. No go. Time to go across the street. At the convention center, we knew they had big screen TV and we were resigned to trying to find a place to watch it from that point. Again, kind of a let down. We thought we’d be able to see it in person. But we just found a way over to the convention center. We actually met

courtesy @switzdesign4u

some other players’ parents. We met Taywon Taylor’s [WR, Western Kentucky] parents over there and started talking to them about the whole process and experience. And how exciting that was with them. That was a good thing. Still, it’s tough to watch ton a big screen television when you know what’s going on right next door and you rarely hear anything in those kind of venues.

Ryan texted that the Long Jump was grueling. I can’t imagine. I mean, I’m sitting there watching this. He was in the second group of receivers. I was watching the first group come out and start running the 40. I know that my kid has probably been up since about six, if not earlier. We’ve been talking about piquing or preparing for an event like that. Anything that you’ve got have a time for is all about stretching and being warmed up properly. And all I know was that he was back in a room waiting until their group went out. And trying to prepare, and they’re watching it on TV and seeing guys run. His teammate Mack Hollins pulled up and I guess pulled his quad muscle or whatever. So he was shut down for the rest of the day. A sad turn for a good friend. It��s a good test that the NFL puts these athletes through. Can you survive the mental stress, as well as the physical test?

The 40.

Everybody always wants to know how fast you are. I know he got more questions on that than anything. I think, whenever he was being interviewed [by general press in game settings], at least from what I saw. That is kind of an anticipation of the thing. Ryan’s been asked that question since before he came to Carolina. I always just responded, fast enough never to be caught from behind.

courtesy @Switzdesign4u

Because there were the two, three guys who were before him so we kind of watched that ticker. I’m sitting there like anyone, just hoping. When I work in a game or event, if I’m covering something, I’m occupied. I’m not sitting there staring at something. So you’re kind of caught up in what you’re doing. Now, I’m sitting in the Convention Center and watching the big screen and you got all the noise around you and it was just nerve wracking from that standpoint just because I don’t like sitting still in a chair watching something. I walked over to another television monitor, or went over and looked at what somebody was doing at the fan experience exhibit. Anything so I just wasn’t sitting down.

And you know what was the sad part of that is that, John Ross [WR, Washington] for instance, you know he was in the same group and he ran that great time. And so the announcers were covering–I think they spent the rest of the time talking about–John Ross and his time. Doing all the comparisons with Chris Johnson and all the guys from the past. The rest of the guys, the present and future if you will, they didn’t really even follow that much. Ryan was in this number. They kind of did a recap and came back and showed them running their 40s again.

I didn’t get to see my son run the NFL Combine 40, live.

You know what. You have to just go with it. That’s what happens when you watch the stuff on tv on the set of watching it live.

There are many different angles. People have their own

times. Some actually got 4.45 which is what we kind of anticipated where he would be. That’s what his agent told me; that’s what scouts had his time as. And when I saw that come up from the handheld or whatever the unofficial time I saw on the [NFLN] tracker, that kind of makes you go, OK well he’s good. I was sure he’d feel good about that.

Afterward, I got on the phone with his agent or his agent called me, and he asked where we were. I told him that we had left the fan experience and we’re back in the hotel. Where we were going, there’s a bar to sit down and watch the rest of it. He asked if we want to see him. I told him that would be great because they’re flying out–they were putting him on a plane right after that their session was over with. I mean, they didn’t have much time at all. It turned out that we were actually only staying like two blocks down from their hotel. So we got in a cab, and it took us down the street to where where he was packing up when we got to him. Saw him for about five minutes. That was good because I’d really brought his High School coach and his trainer with me because I wanted them to see that event in person and just being him. People don’t go to that meeting; not every high school player gets to do that so high school coaches they rarely get that chance to see one of the guys that they coached, doing this. I got to grab some quick pictures of them and let them see him literally for about five minutes.

Reflection

I’m trying to just enjoy the moments. Take it all in. I’ll never do any of this again, simply because of the way my family is built. He’s preparing for something that is really exclusive. We’re trying to enjoy all of that.

And either way, no matter what, I stay proud of my son.

2nd from right: WR Ryan Switzer. courtesy @switzdesign4u

The post Path 2 the Pros: A Father’s Journal: NFL Combine appeared first on Cover32.

#_uuid:575c5044-1d25-31dc-88e4-ec2985036240 #_lmsid:a0Vd000000DIJnLEAX #_author:Chris L. Brown #_revsp:cover32_362

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