#david jonsson wasn’t there

[joenateuser]

Archie Renaux & Spike Fearn "Alien: Romulus" London Premiere (August 14, 2024)

[reliquiaen]

i've slept on it. here's my alien romulus review

Alien Romulus

Starting with the callbacks and references to other movies, I have to say: I don’t tend to enjoy that, personally. It makes it feel like the movie wasn’t confident in itself enough to be able to stand on its own and the references often come across as a crutch. That said, the only reference in Romulus that felt gratuitous to me was when Andy saved Rain and said “stay away from her, you bitch”, but that moment was cool enough, and I liked Andy enough, that I just enjoyed it. Plus it’s a cool line and David Jonsson’s delivery was perfectly in character so it came off more fun than insecure.

The set design was very visually similar to Alien and Alien: Isolation and the opening scene with the ship coming online was, if not a shot-for-shot recreation, a clear reference to the opening of Alien. This could’ve felt like a bad way to start the movie – being too similar to something else runs the risk of failing to establish its own identity – but frankly, it was so nice to see the same chunky tech tying everything together, and it utilised the atmosphere super well to set up that creeping, slow terror, especially with the combination of close-up shots on the computer screen and the wide, empty shots of space – it perfectly juxtaposed the two scariest parts of the Alien franchise: the claustrophobic interiors where anything can be hiding, and the vast uncaring space outside. A lot of the shots inside the Romulus station were clearly inspired by the game Isolation, too, but not to the movie’s detriment. Isolation was fucking terrifying  and the movie capitalised on that nicely. There was a shot looking down an escalator that launched me back to playing Isolation and the fear of not knowing what was around the corner, or up the hallway, or in the next room and the movie used these hallway shots to the same effect.

Ian Holm’s cameo was fun. The special effects and CGI were not. Obviously they couldn’t get him back (rest in peace), and they wanted to use the same android model for effect, and it worked! But yeah, yikes, the CGI was bad, especially at first. You can say the slippery way his face looked like his skin was sliding around was an artistic choice to show how damaged the android’s body was but I don’t believe that for a second. What I will say is that they used this new android, Rook, really well. His explanation for what happened to the xenomorph they found (and I have no idea how that xenomorph was within the wreckage of the Nostromo when Ripley ejected it from the Narcissus pretty far away from the Nostromo and also after it had self-destructed but whatever) and, importantly, WHY THEY WANTED IT. Oh my god, the vague “they want it for the military uses” is super annoying and that was the only logic we’ve ever gotten about why Weyland-Yutani was so interested in the alien in like forty years. But the set-up and pay-off of this reveal was beautiful. We saw in the opening scenes of the movie that life on other worlds was hard and dangerous and thousands die and people are exploited and it’s horrible. And then giving Weyland-Yutani this “we actually want to help people adapt to harsher environments” as a perfectly noble goal that got twisted by capitalism, but this movie is set like… in the in-between. Before the capitalist dogs ruin the science. This movie is the beat before the fall and that’s… so great. So different.

This reveal did two things very nicely: it tied together the stupid and ridiculous genealogy crap from Prometheus and Covenant (I don’t like those movies and I won’t pretend to) with the other, better movies. If we disregard David’s attempts at playing god (and believe me, I do my best at this every day) then this whole ordeal with the alien was simply that they are highly adaptive due to the black goo (chemical [stupid designation here] – 15) and the company wants to use that to help humanity (be easier to exploit) survive in space. Makes sense! Alien mutations are a nasty by-product, unfortunately, just need to perfect the science.

The main thing that bothered me with this movie was the… white man alien at the end. It was very inspired by the Newborn in Resurrection which I also did not like. (I enjoyed the CONCEPT of the Newborn, but the visuals were just… not great to my mind, not even in the satisfying body horror kind of way, either, just… kind of ugh and meh and wtf did you do to his nose?) This was the same but reversed: a human gives birth to a part-xeno-part-human child and faces the consequences. (And why did Kay even inject herself anyway, she was going into cryo she didn’t need it, she’s just fucking stupid.) Given what happened to the rat in that box, I was expecting (and hoping) Kay would have some sort of horrendous lumpy mutation burst out of her skin and ruin her but leave her alive in this Scorn kind of way (trapped in a fleshy and dysfunctional body, aware but unable to do anything, knowing you did this to yourself and also that you have no way to revert it, perhaps even hurting those close to you and having to watch that happen, helpless to stop it). But no. Birthing an acidic vag-pod was… fun and distressing, obviously, but I didn’t find the slenderman looking white-boy very scary at all. It landed squarely in the uncanny valley, for sure, but idk the design just didn’t do it for me. And I understand the fun part of this: the horror of childbirth (Kay had a lot of that going on, after watching Navarro give birth from her chest and DIE, she was not having a very nice pre-childbirth experience), the visceral rejection she felt, the child eating the mother, that was all very nice, very intense, loved it. (I’m one of those weirdoes who thinks that the predalien turning that lady’s pregnancy into alien: quintuplets was extremely fun and I’ve always wanted to see that expanded upon.) But Kay herself didn’t seem to have any adverse reaction to being injected with the goo, only her baby. I wanted her to have a negative reaction, I wanted Rain to have to face her down, I wanted a little of that ‘Romulus killed his brother to found Rome’ energy here. (And it would’ve tied in nicely with what Rook said about humans having too many emotions and not wanting to believe the best choice is to kill someone. Make Rain face that herself!!)

Otherwise this movie was a fucking masterclass and I enjoyed every second. The visuals, the sound design, the practical effects, the – and I cannot stress this enough – the CAMERWORK. The slow rolls of the camera to mimic the zero gravity? The close-ups on the horribleness so we definitely don’t miss a second of what’s going on? Outstanding. The grungy, drippy, dampness of everything was 10/10, the alien having a vaginal-themed chrysalis (thank you, I’ve waited years for this moment), the cattle prod going into it and coming out melted? Yes, oh my god, yes. The tail spine emerging slowly? And piercing back? OH MY GOD, YES!

The inherent horror of watching your brother become a monster and having to save him from himself? Andy’s part in this movie was so fucking stellar I’m in love with it. David Jonsson absolutely stole the show for me. The symbolism of it all; if you drink from the capitalist wellspring, you become a monster who doesn’t care about anyone, not even those who you counted as family. The moment when he clapped his hand over his ear to stop Rain from removing the chip? How many people have to deal with family members who have drunk the Kool-Aid and won’t hear different? This was that on screen.

And I have to say, this was the best cast of characters an Alien movie has had in… idk a while. They actually felt like distinct people with some personality which was refreshing considering Covenant had a bland bunch of faceless people I couldn’t tell apart and didn’t care about anyway. This movie knocked that one out of the water, it’s really a night-and-day comparison. Even though none of the characters in Romulus had super-fleshed out backstories, they were all going through something and had distinct arcs: Rain and Andy struggling to get off-world and not end up like their parents, Kay’s pregnancy being a secret, Bjorn losing his mum to Android Logic™, Tyler feeling like he has the burden of keeping them all alive and together and failing. Navarro died first, she had the least characterisation, and I don’t mind that, but she at least had on-screen presence and was memorable for what happened. Her last words “don’t let me die” whispered in such a pitiful way because she knows she’s going to die but that’s not really what she’s asking, she doesn’t want to be forgotten. Like. That’s heartbreaking. And she WAS memorable because of it, not just as the pilot or the one who did the cool thing with the xray light.

The zero-grav scene where Rain shot all the xenos in the hallway was extremely fun and novel and NEW, having to navigate through a maze of acid blood wasn’t just a cool visual, it tied nicely into the themes: they were navigating the metaphorical acid maze that Weyland-Yutani left behind. And oh, the continual conflict of going back for someone versus saving yourself? That was good. Bjorn leaving everyone else behind to save Navarro, Tyler watching Kay get alien-napped and then going back for her later, Rain going back for Andy directly into the alien nest. Bravo.  

Overall, I had a blast with this movie, it was really good. Definitely the best Alien movie in a long time. I felt it missed a few opportunities, especially at the end, I appreciate the effect they were going for with the Offspring creature but it felt like a miss to me when they could’ve done something fun with turning Kay into a monster and continuing the thread about humans trying to save each other. Maybe the Offspring will grow on me with a rewatch, like how the Newborn did, but eh. Was a good movie regardless.

[oddygaul]

Alien: Romulus

It wasn’t perfect, but I liked this quite a bit. Structurally it’s very similar to the original Alien, which would put it in danger of feeling like merely a nostalgic franchise retread, à la The Force Awakens, except… they actually pulled everything off well here. I loved getting to see the bleak, hellish state of the colony world; the classic analog set design that felt functional and lived-in; the bone-rattling breakthrough into orbit; the pure claustrophobic dread of exploring the derelict station; all these gorgeous shots of the planet’s rings… it’s just some solid fuckin sci-fi.

I also think it’s a noteworthy accomplishment to have maintained the same tone and aesthetic as the original Alien movies despite being a modern film - here they used the budget to expand the scope, rather than change up the style like Prometheus did. A lot of the setpieces are creative as hell - rather than feel the need to make a dozen new monsters, they found new and interesting situations to put the classics in. The facehuggers stalking through the water, the xenomorph’s cocoon, the zero-G acid blood obstacle course - they’re all clever twists on Alien without having to further convolute the lore.

And then… the last 15 minutes happen. Was this the creators feeling the need to further differentiate the movie? As if they preemptively heard fanboys complaining that they didn’t ‘do anything new’, and took it as a challenge? Either way, I found it simultaneously exploitative (the shock value ‘birth’ scene) and dumb as hell (the humalien). Plus, it draws even more attention  to Romulus’ most distracting plot hole: the way-too-rapid gestation of its xenomorphs.

The other weird failing here was the usage of AI to try and deepfake the android - it looked and sounded like shit. Look, just trust an actor to recreate Ash’s line delivery, okay? And no offense to Sir Ian Holm, but it’s not like his face is irreplaceably unique - walk down the street and find another white guy that bears a passing resemblance. It’s not a big deal, guys.

Our other android, fortunately, gets by far the best writing and character arc in Romulus, and David Jonsson acts the shit out of the role. From a pure visual standpoint, Andy’s OS update in the cryo room - with all its weird timelapse jitters - may have been my favorite moment in the movie. When I zoom out, it doesn’t sit especially well with me that the only Black actor’s role ended up being a subservient android whose mind was ultimately downgraded again because it’s ‘better for him’, but when the character is this well written and well acted, it’s hard for me to be too upset about it.

“How could I do what? Leave someone behind?” coldest line in the gd movie

[nathanbates]

Alien: Romulus thoughts no one asked for (SPOILERS!!!):

• Paper thin characters devoid of any real personality.

• Except for Andy who was great. By far the most compelling character in the whole movie. David Jonsson’s facial ticks were very impressive and convincing. I still would have left him behind though.

• The franchise knows it will never top Sigourney Weaver’s performance so every couple of years we get a new pale brunette actress to come in and do her best Ellen Ripley impression.

• I would not have minded if the artificial gravity switching on and off played a bigger part in the plot.

• Very effective use of the Facehuggers. Scariest part of the movie imo.

• CGI necromancy Ian Holm was (dare I say it?)… good? Effective cameo. Would have been funny if they had cast Martin Freeman instead.

• I liked how veiny the Xenomorphs were this time around.

• I was glad when the Bri’ish guy got acid squirted by the wall vagina.

• Was pleasantly surprised the black goo from Prometheus played such an integral part of the plot. However, calling back to that movie really emphasized how unambitious Romulus is by comparison.

• The third act felt like watching a video game walkthrough. Ian Holm on the radio giving Andy orders like Atlas from Bioshock, upgrading to the self-aiming pulse rifles, the acid blood obstacle course, pulling the lever to drop the final boss to its demise, etc.

• Alvarez’ Sam Raimi influences shining through in the editing and the frequent use of quick zooming tilting shots.

• “Get away from her, you bitch” stopped the movie dead on its tracks. Andy should have closed with a dad joke instead.

• I wasn’t sure what they were going for with the pregnant girl at first. I mean, obviously you introduce a pregnant character so you can do something deplorable to the fetus, but she says she didn’t know who the father was at first, and then Ian Holm reaffirms the notion that the Xenomorphs are these immaculate beings… I was like “is this a perversion of the Virgin Mary?”

• But no, she’s just there to be tortured.

• I did also think (hoped) that the twist ending would be that she gave birth to twins. I mean, Romulus and Remus, right?

• The design of the final monster was very underwhelming for me but the audience let out a big gasp when it was revealed. Am I out of touch?

This sounds like I hated the movie but I actually enjoyed it quite a bit. It just left me wanting more. Alien is one of the few ongoing franchises that has been allowed to be weird and idiosyncratic with each new installment. This isn’t the worst Alien movie but it was the most by-the-numbers. Don’t let this franchise become stale.

Dream pick for the next installment: Julia Ducournau’s Alien.

[codycawdren]

Alien: Romulus (2024)

Director: Fede Alvarez Starring: Cailee Spaeny, David Jonsson, Archie Renaux While scavenging the deep ends of a derelict space station, a group of young space colonists come face to face with the most terrifying life form in the universe. I must be honest, after seeing the trailer to ‘Alien: Romulus’ I wasn’t really interested in watching it. ‘Been there, done that’, I thought. I mean, with…

[thelastchair]

Powder Magazine

(Written by Sam Cox - December 28, 2020)

Growing up in Montana, my winter free time was consumed by skiing. Big Sky was the destination when I was barely old enough to walk. Eventually we made the move to Bozeman and Bridger Bowl became my second home. During the early years, my family made the trek to a handful of Warren Miller movies when they were on tour in the fall and Snow Country was the magazine subscription that landed on the coffee table. I was vaguely aware of Jackson Hole, Snowbird and Squaw Valley and my father would occasionally regale me with tales of skiing (read Après) in Germany when he was in the Army. At some level, I already understood that there was something special about Bridger, but realistically, my sphere of outside influence was quite small. Christmas of 1989 turned my entire world upside down. My aunt and uncle are longtime Salt Lake City residents and Brighton skiers. Typically they would send a package each year with the customary cookies, toffee and a card. However, this year they sent two VHS tapes and a magazine - Ski Time, Blizzard of Aahhh’s and a copy of Powder. Things would never be the same for me. Scot Schmidt became my hero, Greg Stump was taking skiing into uncharted territory and above it all, Powder created an eloquent voice for our sport and was the fabric that held things together. Even at my young age, everything that I’d intuitively sensed before was distilled into a potent desire to devote myself to the simple pursuit of being a skier.

Johan Jonsson, Engelberg, Switzerland - Photo: Mattias Fredriksson/POWDER

Powder was founded in Sun Valley by the Moe brothers in 1972 as an annual portfolio of The Other Ski Experience. After several years of running the magazine, Jake and David Moe sold Powder to the owner of Surfer Magazine. A repurposed aircraft hangar in San Juan Capistrano became the new home of skiing’s most prestigious publication. Over time, there was an ebb and flow to the size of staff and cast of characters, each person leaving their unique mark. For decades Powder weathered corporate acquisitions, office relocations and the constant metamorphosis of the ski industry - never losing its voice, Powder remained the benchmark. It was a source of creativity, inspiration and a defacto annal of history. For many it was also a shining beacon, a glimpse into a world filled with deep turns and iconic destinations - even if this world could only be inhabited inside the constructs of your imagination.

My story and the impact Powder had on the direction I would take is hardly unique. The magazine left an indelible impression on countless skiers. When the news broke this fall that operations were being suspended indefinitely, a heartbroken community took to social media to pay homage to the magazine and how it changed their lives and in some cases, careers. This is my version of a tribute and it’s definitely not perfect. In order to gain some perspective, I reached out to former staff members - a collective I admire and respect. It’s an attempt to articulate the essence of Powder, capture its influence on the skiing landscape and give credit to the people who made it come to life. 

Bernie Rosow, Mammoth Mountain, CA - Photo: Christian Pondella/POWDER

HANS LUDWIG - The Jaded Local

“Skiing has always been really tribal and one of the last vestiges of having an oral history. Powder was a unique concept, because they weren’t really concerned with the family market. They were just concerned about being really into skiing. Growing up in Colorado and skiing moguls, my coaches Robert and Roger were featured in the early Greg Stump films. Being in their orbit, I knew a little bit about skiing culture and what was going on out there, but didn’t have the whole picture. The Stump films resonated with me, but Ski/Skiing Magazines didn’t really do it for me. Powder was the door that opened things culturally, it was the only entry point before Blizzard of Aahhh’s.”

“Something that nobody gives Powder credit for, is sponsoring the Greg Stump, TGR and MSP movies and giving them full support right from their inception. It legitimized those companies and helped them become one of the catalysts for change and evolution in skiing. Ultimately this change would have happened, but at a much slower pace without the support of Powder. Getting support from Powder meant they’d weeded out the posers and kooks and what they were backing wasn’t something or someone that was “aspiring” they were a cut above.”

“Powder brought a lot of things into the mainstream, raised awareness and helped to legitimize them: Jean-Marc Boivin, Patrick Vallencant, Pierre Tardivel, telemarking, monoskiing, snowboarding, the JHAF, Chamonix, La Grave, Mikaela Shiffrin, fat skis pre McConkey, skiing in South America….the list goes on.”

“I had some rowdy trips with Powder. Writing “Lost In America,” I went Utah-Montana-Fernie-Banff-Revelstoke via pickup truck, only backcountry skiing and camping in the mud. It was a month plus. I did another month plus in Nevada, which was after back to back Jackson and Silverton. Total time was two plus months. That was fucked up, I was super loose after that whole thing. So many sketchy days with total strangers”

“People forget that Powder was around long before the advent of the fucking pro skier. Starting in 1996, the magazine was in the impact zone of the ski industrial complex. There is limited space for content each season. It was a challenge to balance the pressure coming from the athletes and brands to cover something that was going to make them money vs. staying true to the Moe brothers original intent and profiling an eccentric skier, a unique location or even fucking ski racing.”

Full Circle - Photo: MJ Carroll

KEITH CARLSEN - Editor

“When I was young, Ski/Skiing didn’t do anything for my spirit, but Powder lit me up. It ignited a passion in diehard skiers and gave them a voice and community. It was focused on the counter culture - the type of people who rearrange their lives to ski. This was in direct opposition to other magazines that were targeting rich people, trying to explain technique, sell condos or highlight the amenities at a ski area.”

“Skiing has always been my outlet and mechanism to get away from things in life. My two talents are writing and photography, so I enrolled at Western State with the direct goal of landing an internship at Powder. Even at 19, I had complete focus on the direction I wanted to take. If it didn’t work out, my backup plan was to be a ski bum. 48 hours after graduating, I was headed to southern California to live in my van and start my position at Powder. When the decision was made to close the magazine, it was really personal for me. Powder had provided me direction in life for the last 30 years and I needed some time to process it. In a way, it was almost like going to a funeral for a good friend - even though it’s gone, the magazine lives on in all of us and can never be taken away.”

“It was, and will always remain, one of my life’s greatest honors to serve as the editor-in-chief for Powder Magazine. It was literally a dream that came true. I’m so grateful for everyone who came before me and everyone who served after me. That opportunity opened literally hundreds of doors for me and continues to do so today. I owe the magazine a massive debt of gratitude. Every single editor was a warrior and fought for the title with their lives. They were doing double duty - not only from competition with other publications, but the internal struggle of budget cuts, staff reductions and trying to do more with less. Powder never belonged in the hands of a corporation. The magazine spoke to an impassioned community and never made sense to an accountant or on a ledger.”

Trevor Petersen, Mt. Serratus, BC - Photo: Scott Markewitz/POWDER

SIERRA SHAFER - Editor In Chief

“Powder celebrated everything that is good and pure in skiing. It highlighted the old school, the new and the irreverent. The magazine also called bullshit when they saw it. It was a checkpoint, a cultural barometer and an honest reflection on where skiing has been and where it’s going.”

“My involvement with Powder came completely out of left field. I was never an intern or established in the ski industry. My background was strictly in journalism, I was a skier living in Southern California and editing a newspaper. I knew that I wanted to get the fuck out of LA and Powder was that opportunity. It was a huge shift going from my job and life being completely separate to work becoming my life. Literally overnight, Powder became everything - friends, connections and part of my identity. It derailed my trajectory in the best possible way.”

Brad Holmes, Donner Pass, CA - Photo: Dave Norehad/POWDER

MATT HANSEN - Executive Editor

“Keith Carlsen was a man of ideas, he had tremendous vision and influence. He came up with the ideas for Powder Week and the Powder Awards in 2001. In some respects those two events saved the magazine.”

“Powder was the soul of skiing and kept the vibe, it changed people’s lives and inspired them to move to a ski town. As a writer I always wanted to think it was the stories that did that, but in truth it was the photography. Images of skiing truly became an art form, 100% thanks to Powder Magazine and Dave Reddick. Dave cultivated and mentored photographers, he was always searching for the unpredictable image from around the world and pressed the photographers to look at things from a different angle.”

“It sounds cliche, but writing a feature about Chamonix was the highlight for me. Sitting on the plane, things were absolutely unreal. I linked up with Nate Wallace and the whole experience from start to finish was out of my comfort zone. Ducking ropes to ski overhead pow on the Pas De Chèvre, walking out of the ice tunnel on a deserted Aiguille du Midi right as the clouds parted, late nights in town that were too fuzzy to recall. The energy of the place taught me a lot. I didn’t have a smartphone and there was no Instagram - I had time to write, observe, take notes and be present with who I was and with the experience. As a writer it didn’t get any better.”

“The true gift of working for Powder, was the once in a lifetime adventures that I wish I could have shared with my family, I was so lucky to have had those opportunities. It almost brought tears to me eyes.”

Peter Romaine, Jackson Hole, WY - Photo: Wade McKoy/POWDER

DAVE REDDICK - Director of Photography

“Just ski down there and take a photo of something, for cryin’ out loud!”  “I’ve found that channeling McConkey has been keeping it in perspective. Powder’s been shuttered. That sucks. What doesn’t suck is the good times and the people that have shared the ride thus far and I’m just thankful to be one of them. There’s been some really kind sentiments from friends and colleagues, but this must be said - Every editor (especially the editors), every art director (I’ve driven them nuts), every publisher and sales associate, every photographer, writer, and intern, and all the others behind the scenes who’ve ever contributed their talents get equal share of acknowledgment for carrying the torch that is Powder Mag. There’s hundreds of us! No decision has ever been made in a vacuum. Always a collective. At our best, we’ve been a reflection of skiers everywhere and of one of the greatest experiences in the world. It’s that community, and that feeling, that is Powder. I’m not sure what’s next and I’m not afraid of change but”  “There’s something really cool about being scared. I don’t know what!”

Scot Schmidt, Alaska - Photo: Chris Noble/POWDER

DEREK TAYLOR - Editor 

“Powder was the first magazine dedicated to the experience and not trying to teach people how to ski. It was enthusiast media focused on the soul and culture. It’s also important to highlight the impact Powder had outside of skiing - today you have the Surfer’s Journal effect where every sport wants that type of publication. However, prior to their inception, everybody wanted a version of Powder.”

“Neil Stebbins and Steve Casimiro deserve a lot of credit for the magazine retaining its voice and staying true to the core group of skiers it represented.”

“Keith Carlsen is responsible for the idea behind Super Park. This was a time when skiing had just gone through a stale phase. There was a newfound energy in park skiing and younger generations, this event helped to rebrand Powder and solidify its goal of being all inclusive. Racing, powder, park, touring - it’s all just skiing.”

Joe Sagona, Mt. Baldy, CA - Photo: Dave Reddick/POWDER

JOHNNY STIFTER - Editor In Chief

“What did Powder mean to me... Well, everything. As a reader and staffer, it inspired me and made me laugh. I learned about local cultures that felt far away and learned about far away cultures that didn’t feel foreign, if that makes sense.”

“But I cherished those late nights the most, making magazines with the small staff. Despite the deadline stress, I always felt so grateful to be working for this sacred institution and writing and editing for true skiers. We all just had so much damn fun. And it didn’t hurt meeting such passionate locals at hallowed places, like Aspen and Austria, that I once dreamed of visiting and skiing. The Powder culture is so inclusive and so fun, I never felt more alive.”

Doug Coombs, All Hail The King - Photo: Ace Kvale/POWDER

HEATHER HANSMAN - Online Editor

“Powder is a lifestyle and an interconnected circle of people. It’s about getting a job offer at Alta, opening your home to random strangers, locking your keys in your car and getting rescued by a friend you made on a trip years ago. Through the selfish activity of skiing, you can create a community of people you cherish and can depend on through highs and lows.”

Ashley Otte, Mike Wiegele Heli, BC - Photo: Dave Reddick/POWDER

The contributions of so many talented individuals made the magazine possible. I would like to express my sincere gratitude to everyone who shared their experience at Powder with me. Also, I want to thank Porter Fox and David Page for crafting inspiring feature stories that I enjoyed immensely over the years.

After the reality set in that the final issue had arrived, a void was created for generations of skiers. I’ve been focused on being thankful for what we had, rather than sad it’s gone. It’s a challenging time for print media and I wholeheartedly advocate supporting the remaining titles in anyway you can. In a culture driven by a voracious appetite for mass media consumption and instant gratification - I cherish the ritual of waiting for a magazine to arrive, appreciating the effort that went into creating the content and being able to have that physical substance in my hand. Thanks for everything Powder, you are missed, but your spirit lives on.  

Captain Powder - Photo: Gary Bigham/POWDER

[newstfionline]

Headlines

Images of brutality against Black people spur racial trauma (AP) Since Wanda Johnson’s son was shot and killed by a police officer in Oakland, California, 11 years ago, she has watched video after video of similar encounters between Black people and police. Each time, she finds herself reliving the trauma of losing her son, Oscar Grant, who was shot to death by a transit police officer. Most recently, Johnson couldn’t escape the video of George Floyd, pinned to the ground under a Minneapolis officer’s knee as he pleaded that he couldn’t breathe. “I began to shake. I was up for two days, just crying,” she said. “Just looking at that video opened such a wound in me that has not completely closed.” Johnson’s loss was extreme, but, for many Black Americans, her grief and pain feels familiar. Psychologists call it racial trauma—the distress experienced because of the accumulation of racial discrimination, racial violence or institutional racism. While it can affect anyone who faces repeated prejudice, in this moment, its impact on Black people is drawing particular attention. The unfortunate irony is that the very tool that may be helping to make more people aware of the racism and violence that Black and other people of color face is also helping to fuel their trauma.

Critics question `less lethal’ force used during protests (AP) When a participant at a rally in Austin to protest police brutality threw a rock at a line of officers in the Texas capital, officers responded by firing beanbag rounds—ammunition that law enforcement deems “less lethal” than bullets. A beanbag cracked 20-year-old Justin Howell’s skull and, according to his family, damaged his brain. Adding to the pain, police admit the Texas State University student wasn’t the intended target. Pressure has mounted for a change in police tactics since Howell was injured. He was not accused of any crime. He was hospitalized in critical condition on May 31 and was discharged Wednesday to a long-term rehabilitation facility for intensive neurological, physical and occupational therapy. His brother has questioned why no one is talking about police use of less lethal but still dangerous munitions. “If we only talk about policing in terms of policies and processes or the weapons that police use when someone dies or when they are ‘properly lethal’ and not less lethal, we’re missing a big portion of the conversation,” said Josh Howell, a computer science graduate student at Texas A&M University. The growing use of less lethal weapons is “cause for grave concern” and may sometimes violate international law, said Agnes Callamard, director of Global Freedom of Expression at Columbia University and a U.N. adviser.From 1990 to 2014, projectiles caused 53 deaths and 300 permanent disabilities among 1,984 serious injuries recorded by medical workers in over a dozen countries.

Coronavirus Global Death Toll Passes 500,000 (Foreign Policy) The coronavirus pandemic, about to enter its fifth month this week reached two grim milestones over the weekend: More than 10 million people have been infected with the virus and over 500,000 have died of it. Europe has seen the most deaths of any continent, although its overall caseload is declining. The situation in the Americas is more concerning: Two countries—the United States and Brazil—account for roughly 35 percent of all COVID-19 deaths worldwide and both countries are still seeing new cases in the tens of thousands daily.

Virus hits college towns (NYT) The community around the University of California, Davis, used to have a population of 70,000 and a thriving economy. Rentals were tight. Downtown was jammed. Hotels were booked months in advance for commencement. Students swarmed to the town’s bar crawl, sampling the trio of signature cocktails known on campus as “the Davis Trinity.” Then came the coronavirus. When the campus closed in March, an estimated 20,000 students and faculty left town. With them went about a third of the demand for goods and services, from books to bikes to brunches. Fall classes will be mostly remote, the university announced last week, with “reduced density” in dorms. Efforts to stem the pandemic have squeezed local economies across the nation, but the threat is starting to look existential in college towns. Communities that have evolved around campuses are confronting not only Covid-19 but also major losses in population, revenue and jobs.

Band’s pandemic diversion leads to every-night gig in park (AP) What started as a way for two musicians to get out of the house during the pandemic has turned into nightly concerts at the boathouse in Brooklyn’s Prospect Park—with fans who expect them to play three to four hours a night, seven nights a week. “One day I came here with my guitar out of nowhere, to just get some fresh air. And people just started coming over. And then they were like, ‘Thank you!’ And then it took a life on its own,” said Alegba Jahyile, leader of Alegba and Friends. Jahyile, a Haitian raised in New York who plays guitar, drums and bass, recalled a woman who cried at one concert. “You made my day,” she told him. “It’s been a terrible week for me and my family. Listening to you, singing, I felt the joy, I found a little bit of serenity, of peace to my day.” The area has steps that are good for sitting. It’s also adjacent to a grassy hill where people can bring children and dogs, spread blankets, plop down lounge chairs, and picnic while listening to the music.

World Food Program warns of ‘devastating’ pandemic impact in low- and middle-income countries (Washington Post) The World Food Program (WFP) warned Monday that the socioeconomic repercussions of the coronavirus pandemic will be “devastating” and could trigger food shortages for millions of residents of low- and middle-income nations. In the countries in which the organization operates, the number of people suffering from hunger is estimated to rise by more than 80 percent by the end of 2020, in comparison with pre-coronavirus times. Latin America and Africa are among the most heavily impacted areas. “This unprecedented crisis requires an unprecedented response. If we do not respond rapidly and effectively to this viral threat, the outcome will be measured in an unconscionable loss of life, and efforts to roll back the tide of hunger will be undone,” WFP Director David Beasley was quoted as saying in a release. “Until the day we have a medical vaccine, food is the best vaccine against chaos.”

Iceland’s president wins second term (Foreign Policy) Icelandic President Gundi Johannesson won a second term on Saturday in a landslide victory. Johanneson won 92 percent of the vote, while his right wing challenger Gudmundur Franklin Jonsson received just 7 percent of the vote. The Icelandic presidency is a largely symbolic post, although the president can exercise veto power over legislation.

Britons are fatter than most in the rest of Europe, says PM Johnson (Reuters) British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Monday Britons were significantly fatter than people in most of the rest of Europe, admitting he had lost weight after contracting the novel coronavirus. Speaking to Times Radio, Johnson said: “I have taken a very libertarian stance on obesity but actually when you look at the numbers, when you look at the pressure on the NHS (National Health Service), compare, I’m afraid this wonderful country of ours to other European countries, we are significantly fatter than most others, apart from the Maltese for some reason. It is an issue.” “Everybody knows that this is a tough one, but I think it’s something we all need to address.” Johnson did some press ups to show he was “as fit as a butcher’s dog” in an interview with the Mail on Sunday newspaper, just months after he fought for his life in hospital against the coronavirus.

French court convicts former PM Fillon of embezzling public funds (Reuters) A French court on Monday found former French Prime Minister Francois Fillon guilty of embezzlement of public funds in a fake jobs scandal that wrecked his 2017 run for president and opened the Elysee Palace door for Emmanuel Macron. A French court on Monday found former French Prime Minister Francois Fillon guilty of embezzlement of public funds in a fake jobs scandal that wrecked his 2017 run for president and opened the Elysee Palace door for Emmanuel Macron.

Hard times even for homeless (Worldcrunch) Speaking to German newspaper Süddeutsche Zeitung, anthropologist Luisa Schneider described one homeless girl she’s followed. “Before the crisis, she was able to study and wash in cafes or libraries. Neither is possible now.” Schneider expects more Germans to sleep on the streets in the coming months. “Many networks have now collapsed. Even homeless people who used to support each other are now losing sight of each other.” In France, government authorities and NGOs were able to accommodate 177,600 people with shelter during the lockdown period, reports Le Monde. The government has invested more than 2 billion euros helping those without homes, including requisitioning 13,300 hotel rooms. Yet France’s emergency phone number for homeless assistance remains overwhelmed, with over 200 calls on average daily and many unable to secure a temporary housing situation. And as the country continues opening up, it is unclear how long the special accommodation period will last.

Polish election (NYT) Polish President Andrzej Duda failed to win enough of the vote in Sunday’s election to avoid a runoff, according to exit polls, forcing him into what is expected to be a tightly fought contest with the liberal mayor of Warsaw Rafal Trzaskowski next month. Although Duda came out ahead on Sunday, analysts expect that to change in the runoff election in two weeks, as opposition voters whose support was split in the first round unite around Trzaskowski.

Russian state exit polls show 76% so far back reforms that could extend Putin rule (Reuters) Russian state opinion pollster VTsIOM said on Monday that its exit polls showed that 76% of Russians had so far voted to support reforms that could allow President Vladimir Putin to extend his rule until 2036. The nationwide vote on constitutional reforms began on June 25 and is being held over seven days as a precaution against the coronavirus pandemic. If approved, the changes would allow Putin to run twice for president again after his current term expires in 2024.

Militants attack Karachi stock exchange, killing at least 3 (AP) Militants attacked the stock exchange in the Pakistani city of Karachi on Monday, killing at least three people—two guards and a policeman, according to police. Special police forces deployed to the scene of the attack and in a swift operation secured the building, killing all four gunmen. There were no reports of any wounded among the brokers and employees inside the exchange and a separatist militant group from a neighboring province later claimed responsibility for the attack.

China forces birth control on Uighurs to suppress population (AP) The Chinese government is taking draconian measures to slash birth rates among Uighurs and other minorities as part of a sweeping campaign to curb its Muslim population, even as it encourages some of the country’s Han majority to have more children. While individual women have spoken out before about forced birth control, the practice is far more widespread and systematic than previously known, according to an AP investigation based on government statistics, state documents and interviews with 30 ex-detainees, family members and a former detention camp instructor. The campaign over the past four years in the far west region of Xinjiang is leading to what some experts are calling a form of “demographic genocide.” The state regularly subjects minority women to pregnancy checks, and forces intrauterine devices, sterilization and even abortion on hundreds of thousands, the interviews and data show. The population control measures are backed by mass detention both as a threat and as a punishment for failure to comply. Having too many children is a major reason people are sent to detention camps, the AP found, with the parents of three or more ripped away from their families unless they can pay huge fines. Police raid homes, terrifying parents as they search for hidden children.

Thailand opens its borders to some (Worldcrunch) Thailand will allow pubs and bars to reopen on Wednesday and plans to let in some foreign travelers after recording five weeks without any community transmission of the coronavirus, a government official said. Pubs, bars and karaoke venues will be able to operate until midnight as long as they follow safety guidelines such as ensuring two-meter spaces between tables. Foreigners with work permits, residency and families in Thailand will also be able to enter the country, but will be subject to a 14-day quarantine. Visitors seeking certain types of medical treatment such as some cosmetic surgery or fertility treatment could also be allowed into the country.

Balcony churches: Kenyans find new ways to worship in lockdown (The Guardian) The children hang over the balcony railings on Sunday morning. In the parking lot below, a four-person band test microphones and practise harmonies. A moment later, the group fills the Mirema apartment complex in Nairobi with music: “I’m happy today, so happy. In Jesus’s name, I’m happy.” The Rev Paul Machira, a tall, slender beanpole of a man with greying hair, leaps around energetically, encouraging the balcony worshippers to join in prayer. Sporting green overalls embroidered with his nickname, Uncle Paul, the 43-year-old has been traveling around apartment complexes across Nairobi, bringing his balcony services and Sunday school to families since the Covid-19 pandemic closed down places of worship in Kenya on 22 March. Pairing dance moves with their tunes, the band encourage children and their parents to spend the hour dancing and praying together. When Machira realises that a crowd has gathered on the balcony of the apartment building next door, he shifts to a “360 service” to include those neighbours. Machira’s services are by invitation only. He says that the group have had to skip services because some of the neighbours have objected to “noise-makers” in their complex. Machira’s group have been booked for as many as four services in one day before. This popularity means that they sometimes have to split into two, renting an additional van and musical equipment to cover more ground.

[letterboxd]

For Sama.

“I think I crossed a lot of lines. One of the important reasons I had no limitations was because while I was filming, I never expected to stay alive.” —Waad al-Kateab, director of For Sama, newly minted Oscar nominee and Letterboxd’s highest-rated documentary of 2019.

In an awards season where the Academy Awards’ Best Director nominees are all male, it’s in the Documentary Feature category that you’ll find the women, on four out of the five nominated films: Julia Reichert (a director of American Factory), Petra Costa (director of The Edge of Democracy), Tamara Kotevska (co-director of Honeyland), and Waad al-Kateab, one half of For Sama’s directing team. (The final nominee is Feras Fayad’s The Cave, notably produced by Kirstine Barfod and Sigrid Jonsson Dyekjær.)

For Sama began as a record of the tragedies that so many don’t see, and turned into an essential, enormous archive of footage taking the documentary world by storm this awards season. There have been, and will be, many other documentaries about Syria, but what makes For Sama unique is its female eye behind the camera.

Looking forward to a future as a new mother and young wife to the love of her life, Hamza, Waad al-Kateab was never afforded the freedom to simply savor young motherhood. From age 21 she filmed the horrors and small joys of every-day life in rebel-held Aleppo covering five years of political uprising. This included the taxing day-to-day work of her doctor husband and their friends in the small hospital they ran on courage and donations.

That Waad made it out of Syria with her 500 hours of footage is no small miracle. Having gained refuge in London, she partnered with Emmy-award winning director Edward Watts to shape the film. We see her grow as a storyteller and become more courageous in her focus, zooming closer into wounds and keeping the camera rolling, even when those on screen are drawing their very last breaths.

For Sama has made waves around the world since premiering at SXSW in 2019. It’s an overwhelming experience; fearless filmmaking that captures the immense and urgent extremities of human joy and suffering. David Ehrlich called the film a “bracingly horrific yet resiliently beautiful documentary”. Graham Williamson noted that “beauty, in For Sama, is a reminder of humanity, a reminder that people still live and give birth and play and laugh and fall in love in these places, as well as just die”. Many other Letterboxd members could only quote al-Kateab’s poetic narration directly, to describe their intense emotional responses to the film:

“My first baby, Sama. Her name is meaning ‘the sky’. Sky we love, sky we want. Without air forces. Without bombing. Sky with sun, with clouds. With birds.”

This is what the filmmaker says of her daughter, epitomizing the hope that was never lost, that allowed her to be where she is today. Waad and Edward spoke to Letterboxd correspondent Ella Kemp just as our 2019 Year in Review went live, with their film topping the documentary list.

‘For Sama’ director Waad al-Kateab.

For Sama is the highest-rated documentary of 2019 on Letterboxd. It’s also the highest rated feature-length documentary of the 2010s, and is in our top ten documentaries of all-time. How does that make you feel? Edward Watts: That’s incredible.

Waad al-Kateab: To know that and to see that the film isn’t just doing well as a Syrian mission but in the film industry, it really means a lot to us.

EW: And to know that it’s reaching so many people is such good news. The dream was always that the film would reach many people and they would come in contact with this incredible story.

How did the film come together from over 500 hours of footage? WaK: I worked with Ed for two years to shape the film’s story, to decide what we wanted to keep and take out. We were open to trying everything. We had really amazing editors who were also so flexible with us and would let us try anything.

EW: It was about the meeting of our two perspectives as well. Obviously Waad had lived the experience, she was the insider. It was her story and in so many ways it was her people’s story, and I was coming to it from the point of view of an audience, of an outsider, albeit one that cared passionately about Syria and what happened there. The beginning part of the process was understanding our two perspectives and what was important to both of them, where they met in the middle. It was like sculpting, gradually working down this huge, extraordinary and powerful archive, and the shape of the film gradually taking form.

Ed, you’ve praised Waad’s footage for capturing “the full spectrum of humanity”. How did you find that balance in the final cut? EW: That was one of the reasons it took two years—it was a very complicated process to find that balance. In a lot of our earlier versions we didn’t have that balance. When it was told chronologically, you started in a place of light and hope, those positive emotions of the early days of the revolution. But then it was kind of a straight line down into the darkness and you ended with this long section during the siege and all of the hardship that involved.

It was too much, the audiences we showed early on became overwhelmed by the darkness at the end. It was a real journey. Because that wasn’t the truth of the experience, that was clear from the footage but also from Waad and Hamza themselves. The truth of the experience was that full spectrum of human emotion, so it was about finding the best way to reflect that by always thinking to ourselves, we’ve just had something really horrific, how do we bring it to the light? How do we keep it moving so that we never get stuck in one emotional place? When we changed the chronological structure to move around in time, that helped hugely.

Waad, in this film you’re omnipresent as a filmmaker, a citizen journalist, a mother, a wife. How do you see these roles informing each other? WaK: They were all mixed together while working on the film and living in those circumstances. In one second it was most important to be the journalist and the filmmaker, focusing on how I should shoot something, but then it would always still be so important to keep my awareness as a mother to protect my child and keep hope all the time. Sometimes you feel as a mum that you can’t leave, that you can’t film and abandon the one-year-old child—but this is what life was in those circumstances, it’s all mixed. I was just trying to live everything as much as I could to give it the right work and effort.

The finished product frames women’s domesticity in an urgent way. There’s war, there’s violence, there’s men fighting, but there’s also all the women behind and alongside it. WaK: In all the films and reports from Syria, we’ve never felt like our voice is heard. Even if there are female characters in movies, no one has their own voice in that loud way. There are layers of feeling happening very deeply to reflect the truest experience. We’ve never seen films like this. When I was doing the film I was focusing on how I can reflect the experience exactly, one that can speak to everything I love, everything I hate, everything I was scared about, to be honest with all the women and mothers who lived through that, who can see themselves in my shoes and see what I’ve done for Sama and for my work as well.

You film so viscerally, always going further, rather than choosing when to censor or cut away. Were there ever lines you felt you couldn’t cross? WaK: I think I crossed a lot of lines. One of the important reasons I had no limitations was because while I was filming, I never expected to stay alive. In everything I was doing, I thought, I could be dead tomorrow. So I kept filming, going deeply through all the fears we were living. It allowed me to be okay with everything, because I’m not a foreign journalist coming to film other people’s suffering. I’m living through that, and I know exactly what it means. I think that’s why if I were to make the film now and I knew I would survive, there might be many things I wouldn’t have filmed in that way.

Hamza al-Kateab, in white coat, holding his daughter Sama, with fellow hospital staff in rebel-held Aleppo.

When did you decide on the perspective of the narration, in addressing the film to Sama, Waad’s daughter? EW: The idea didn’t come until we were two thirds of the way through the whole process of crafting the film. When you’re living with this material for so long, suddenly you can hear it in a different way and suddenly it begins to speak to you. It was a moment of epiphany where we tuned into that essence of the film, not only in the way that Waad and Hamza had lived was for Sama, but the way Waad had shot the footage had a conversation going on with Sama, even before Sama was born, in the way Waad filmed her pregnancy. It was just one of those moments where we found the key that unlocked everything, and everything fell into place. Hamza is a very stoical person, but we called him up when we had this idea and Waad explained, and he started crying. That’s how we knew it was a good idea.

WaK: By linking everything to Sama, it becomes about not just Sama as my daughter but also as an idea of the future in general, hope, everything we were fighting for. Sama was one simple example of why the struggle existed. Everyone around me felt they could name the film for their own kids too. It really touched everyone who went through that experience in different ways. Everyone who has kids, everyone who dreams of having kids, even those who don’t want to bring kids into this world but have a stake in the future and are fighting for something for themselves, or for their country, or for their life.

You’ve said before that films can’t change the world. What do you hope for the legacy of For Sama? WaK: Films can’t change the world but people can. People who could be engaged in the film and really want to do something. That’s why we didn’t stop at making For Sama a film—that’s why we launched our impact campaign, Action For Sama. We ask people to react to what’s happening right now in Syria, to the bombing of hospitals and civilians, to make a movement.

EW: I had this great conversation, admittedly with one of those people you find in Los Angeles full of wacky ideas. I said, “films can’t change the world,” and he said, “man, what are you talking about! Your film is changing the soul of mankind!”. It was a bit much, but there’s something about this film that has connected people with what happened in Syria in such a visceral, emotional and personal way.

I wonder whether maybe it is part of the change that’s happening, that hopefully people will start seeing how connected we all are and that one day we might not live in a world where crimes are committed with impunity in the Middle East or elsewhere and we wring our hands and say that there’s nothing we can do. I really hope that this film is part of this sense that in order to solve the world’s problems and to stand up against these crimes and these tyrants, we all need to work together.

What film first made you want to be a filmmaker? EW: My parents were never together, and I only saw my dad once a month. He was a huge film lover, that was the thing that he chose us to bond over. He showed me Yellow Submarine, that trippy Beatles film. I got obsessed with the flying glove. And then he showed me a film called Séance on a Wet Afternoon, and I watched that when I was eight and didn’t know what the hell was going on. There was something about his passion for film that I drank in at a very early age.

WaK: I really don’t know the answer and have never thought about it. Even when I started filming, I’d never really thought I would be in this position as a director. What really makes me want to make films is the fact that we had such a lack of media and freedom in our country. Because we felt that there was nothing allowed to us, not to watch, not to do. Everything was totally under their control. That’s why I felt that I wanted to do something we couldn’t really hear or see before, which is why For Sama came to be.

What do you think of the specific strength of documentary as a form? WaK: I didn’t really watch many other things in the past. I’ve been watching documentaries here, one of the things I watched and really loved was American Factory. The other one was The Great Hack. The Biggest Little Farm, One Child Nation. Most of the people who are with us in this category! The only thing I knew about documentary was my point of view. When I watch these other movies, I admire all these people and love their films, and enjoy how you can see the world through different points of view.

EW: This is the great age for documentary. I’ve been making docs for over ten years. I think documentary is the right form for these crazy days we’re living through. These days of great turbulence, when the history of humanity is at such a critical juncture. I think documentaries in their reality, in their ability to tell us so much about who we really are, and these amazing people who are around the world, living extraordinary lives and showing the best of courage and humanity and difficult circumstances, I think that’s why they’re resonating more and more. Because sadly the world is more and more troubled.

One of the earliest documentaries that I loved was Burma VJ: Reporting from a Closed Country—it was just an example of a country I’d never been to, a story that was so hard to tell, and yet, similar to this, it was told through the footage of the people who had actually lived through it. It’s such an extraordinary story of hope, and human beings’ desire for freedom, and then the violence of dictators that crashed that. Nothing like a documentary can capture that emotion when you’re dealing with events of such magnitude.

Which Syrian filmmakers and films should Letterboxd members seek out? WaK: There’s a filmmaker called Ossama Mohammed, he has a film called Silvered Water. There’s also Omar Amiralay, and Ziad Kalthoum, who did Taste of Cement. There are so many about people who maybe you haven’t heard of, but who really created cinema for Syria, who were trying to work in very hard circumstances while everything was happening.

Sama, with sign.

On the red carpet in Cannes you held up a sign: “Stop bombing hospitals”. What do you feel about your role at these kinds of events across awards season? WaK: I see myself as a Syrian woman who believes in this cause, and that’s why I made the film. I really believe that any filmmaker has a cause in their life and that’s why they’re really doing a lot things, out of passion. On every platform we can reach with For Sama, it really needs to be about Syria, and for Syria, and for the people, for this experience which I can’t just move on from.

That’s why we held the signs, that’s why in everything we are trying to do now, it’s always about how we can shed light on what’s happening. I hope we can continue to do that. We don’t do films for nothing. We want to be useful as much as we can, to be the voice for our own people and doing more for the future.

‘For Sama’ is currently streaming on PBS Frontline in the US and on Channel 4 in the UK. The 92nd Academy Awards will be held on 9 February 2020. All images courtesy of PBS Distribution.

[andrebearakovsky]

This Week in Caps: Preseason

Welcome to This Week in Caps, a weekly newsletter where I recap everything important that’s been going on in the world of the Washington Capitals this past week.

This week, I’m wrapping up the entire preseason.

Also note that for every game, I will make a note about who wears the alternate captain’s A’s that game if Alex Ovechkin, Nicklas Backstrom, and Brooks Orpik are not in the lineup.

Preseason Games

09/16/18 @ Boston Bruins, L 1-2 (SO)

It’s the Caps’ first game on the ice as the reigning Stanley Cup Champions, and their play was...a little sloppy. To be fair, most of the Bruins were in China and the Caps only dressed five players who played in the finals, so this was mostly a prospects game and not expected to be great.

The guys did find other ways to contribute — four minutes into the game, defenseman Tyler Lewington dropped the gloves against Zach Senyshyn. A quick bout, nothing noteworthy, though it did occur right in front of the net and caused goalie Pheonix Copley to have to take cover.

The Bruins struck first, late in the first period. Jakub Lauko scored from the slot on the second chance, five-hole on Copley, to give the Bruins the 1-0 lead.

Pheonix Copley exited the game about halfway through the second period after stopping 21 of 22 shots, giving way for Vitek Vanecek to go the rest of the way.

Late in the second, Brett Connolly received a great pass from Christian Djoos in the slot and sniped one top shelf. Tie game, 1-1.

No one scored for the rest of regulation or overtime. Neither team could get it done on the power play; the Bruins went 0/4 and the Caps went 0/3, two of which came on a two-man advantage in overtime; alas, they were unable to convert.

Danton Heinen scored the first goal in the shootout for the Bruins, and that would be the only goal scored. For the Bruins, David Krejci and Jakub Lauko failed to score. For the Capitals, Andre Burakovsky, Christian Djoos, and Jakub Vrana all failed to score. Bruins win the shootout, 1-0, and Bruins win the game, 2-1.

Not the most put together game, by any means. The team had far too many giveaways, and they were outshot 34 to 22. But again, the game was mainly prospects and guys looking to make the team, they haven’t been practicing together very long, and there is still more room to grow. The Caps were better than the B’s physically, Jayson Megna had some good looks shorthanded, and both Copley and Vanecek looked very strong in net, with Copley saving 21/22 and Vanecek saving 12/12.

Today’s alternate captains: Andre Burakovsky, Brett Connolly, Christian Djoos

09/18/18 vs Boston Bruins, L, 2-5

It was the Caps’ first game on home ice since the Stanley Cup win, and they were still trying to work things out and give players a look. There was a small handful of players who were on the ice for the Finals, but for the most part the Caps were playing their prospects and players competing for a spot on the roster.

The Bruins got to work quickly. Less than two minutes into the game, Cameron Hughes scored on a deflection to make it 1-0 Bruins. The Caps responded in kind just a few minutes later, with Riley Barber deflecting an Alexander Alexeyev shot to tie the game at 1. With a minute left in the period, Jakob Lauko was sprung from the penalty box on a breakaway and scored five-hole on Braden Holtby to make it 2-1. And what’s a preseason game without prospects fighting? Connor Hobbs fought Tanner Pond five minutes into the second period.

A little less than halfway through the second, Holtby left the net in favor of Caps’ top prospect Ilya Samsonov, getting his first North American game action. He was greeted rudely: eight seconds later, Zach Senyshyn came in on a breakaway, and while Samsonov saved the first shot, he couldn’t get the rebound. 3-1 Bruins.

More fights! Liam O’Brien proved that some things never change by making his perennial preseason fighting appearance, with this fight’s victim being Mark McNeill, with five minutes left in the second. But the Bruins scored again, yet again in the last minute of the period, with Senyshyn flipping in a puck into a crowded net to make it 4-1.

After getting a power play on a tripping call, Matt Niskanen scored on the power play off a Bruins turnover to make it 4-2 two minutes into the third. But the comeback efforts were fruitless, and Sean Kuraly scored on an empty net to seal the 5-2 win for the Bruins.

The first half of the game was a little shaky, but the offensive effort came around in the third. They had many power play chances but couldn’t manage to convert; their power play was 1/7, while the Bruins were 0/2. They had a good look on the first unit with the regulars (T.J. Oshie, Nicklas Backstrom, Dmitry Orlov, Niskanen) and Shane Gersich. Niskanen probably got more shots from the Ovi spot than he’s had in any one game in his life. The Caps outshot the Bruins overall, 33-20. The two goalies weren’t tested very much, with Holtby saving 6/8 and Samsonov 9/11.

The Caps had the edge in faceoffs; Nic Dowd won 71% of his draws, and had a strong showing overall. They were good physically, and Oshie was especially physical. The line of Shane Gersich - Travis Boyd - Riley Barber was especially great, and drove most of the even-strength offensive play.

Today’s alternate captains: [Nicklas Backstrom], Matt Niskanen, T.J. Oshie

09/20/18 @ Montreal Canadiens, L 2-5

This game took place in Quebec City, where the Caps (and the NHL) haven’t been for many years. It was also the preseason debut of the top line (Alex Ovechkin - Evgeny Kuznetsov - Tom Wilson), and beginning of the Kuznetsov on the penalty kill experiment. However, the unique locale did not prove friendly for the Caps.

The Canadiens scored early and often. Three minutes into the game, a turnover led to a two-on-one led to a Brendan Gallagher goal. Three minutes later, the Caps were stripped of the puck in the zone, and it was passed to Michael Chaput right in front of the net, and he scored. And with about thirty seconds left in the first, Jacob de la Rose collected the puck after a lazy turnover and made it 3-0 Canadiens. It didn’t get better in the second. Andre Burakovsky had a shorthanded attempt, but the Habs scored in transition on the power play via Artturi Lehkonen to make it 4-0 two and a half minutes into the second.

The Caps, to their credit, did not leave the scoresheet blank. Five minutes into the second, Ovechkin scored from the Ovi spot on the power play, on his first shot of the preseason. Eight minutes later, Connor Hobbs scored on the power play as well, making it 4-2 Habs.

As scheduled, starting goalie Pheonix Copley left between the second and third periods to make way for Vitek Vanecek, who would go the rest of the way.

The Habs scored one more time, halfway through the third — Rinat Valiev from the point to make it 5-2 Habs and seal the game.

The Capitals got very good looks on the power play and the penalty kill: the Caps were 2/4 on the power play, while the Habs were 1/6. It was not Copley’s best game of the preseason, but he still stopped 20/24, while Vanecek, barely tested, saved 3/4.

Axel Jonsson-Fjallby looked very impressive, and his speed was on display. Brooks Orpik was up to his old habit of bad turnovers, and it would be great if he could clean that up a little bit. The Caps leaked too much early to ever truly be in this game, but they were tight in the third, barely giving up any shots in that period. If the Caps can play a more consistent game, things should be looking up.

Today’s alternate captains: [Alex Ovechkin], [Brooks Orpik], Tom Wilson

09/21/18 @ Carolina Hurricanes, L 1-5

The Caps just did not have a great day against practically the full Carolina Hurricanes lineup.

Valentin Zykov scored on a power play two minutes into the game. Halfway through the period, Jaccob Slavin’s centering pass hit Jordan Staal in front and bounced into the net. One minute later, Nicklas Backstrom slammed home a pretty pass from Aaron Ness to cut the Canes’ lead, making it 2-1. But that wouldn’t last, as a minute later, an ugly turnover lead to a Jordan Martinook shorthanded goal. 3-1 Canes.

The second period was uneventful, as was much of the third. The Caps made a planned goalie switch from Braden Holtby to Ilya Samsonov between the second and third periods. Nothing much happened until three minutes left in the game, when Slavin tucked in a power play goal, and Martin Necas later sealed it with an empty netter. 5-1 Canes.

Really just ugly for the Caps all around. Their passing wasn’t crisp, they didn’t have good communication, and overall they just looked flat. Sergei Shumakov, in his North American debut, had a roller coaster game. He took a penalty less than two minute into the game that led to a Canes goal, and he had some trouble early on, though he looked a little better as the game continued. The only person who really stood out was Liam O’Brien, hitting everything in sight like he always does. Nice to see some things don’t change.

The Caps were outshot 26-18, and they went 0/4 on the power play, while the Hurricanes went 2/5. Holtby saved 15/18 shots, while Samsonov saved 6/7. Faceoffs were about even with slight edge to the Canes, while Lars Eller, in his preseason debut, had a great day at the dot with 80%.

The Caps weren’t great on offense, and they weren’t great on defense either. They were outplayed by the Canes, who just looked like they wanted it more.

Today’s alternate captains: [Nicklas Backstrom], Matt Niskanen, T.J. Oshie

09/25/18 @ St. Louis Blues, W 4-0

Still winless so far, the Caps went to St. Louis to face practically their regular season NHL lineup. And they had by far their best game of the preseason.

In every game thus far the Caps had given up the game’s first goal, and in the last three contests they had let it up early in the first. That was not the case this game. Halfway through the first, Riley Barber drove up the ice, touched the puck back, and it was picked up by Shane Gersich who had come flying into the zone, and he roofed it top shelf. 1-0 Caps to give them their first lead of the preseason.

Halfway through the second period, John Carlson threw a slick pass from behind the net to Nathan Walker on the doorstep, who scored into a wide open net. 2-0 Caps.

By this point, the game had gotten incredibly physical, and it was only going to get worse as the game continued. Four minutes after his goal, Walker got into it with Brayden Schenn, who had cross-checked him, and they were both sent to the box. At the same time, Liam O’Brien got fed up with Patrick Maroon, who had earlier gotten a penalty for unsportsmanlike conduct against the Washington goaltender, and O’Brien and Maroon fought a heavyweight battle. Just a minute later, two more Caps were sent to the box (giving them a total of four guys in the sin bin) and the Blues had a five-on-three, but they failed to score. Just seconds before the second ended, more rough stuff, this time between Schenn and Tom Wilson, lead to some four-on-four that would carry over into the third.

The third period opened eventfully. Less than a minute into the period, Madison Bowey redirected Alex Ovechkin’s shot to make it 3-0 Caps, but while the play was happening. Michal Kempny got hit in the head and fell to the ice, staying down for an extended time. He was eventually able to leave under his own power, but he did not return to the game.

About five minutes into the third, Robert Bortuzzo, who had hit Kempny and a number of other Caps during the game, boarded Gersich and finally got sent to the box. Immediately upon getting out of the box, he fought with Wilson, seeking to stick up for his teammates. An empty netter by Chandler Stephenson (who had previously missed on a breakaway) made it 4-0 with about ninety seconds left and ended an eventful preseason matchup.

Neither team was successful on the power play (Caps 0/5, Blues 0/3), the Blues badly beat the Caps in the faceoff dot (winning 62.5%), and the Caps were outshot 42-37, but this was by far their best offensive output and their best game of the preseason. They looked faster, crisper, and just better overall. They were skating better, passing better, and they looked like they were more into it. The game was highly physical, rough, and heated, which is a bit unusual for a preseason game.

Pheonix Copley was absolutely phenomenal in net. He saved all 42 shots he faced, was very solid, and made numerous spectacular saves. He played the whole game, and looked very ready to snatch that backup goaltending role. Gersich was also really noticeable, using his legs and his speed, scoring a goal, and even once attempting a pretty spinorama move.

Today’s alternate captains: [Alex Ovechkin], [Brooks Orpik], John Carlson

09/28/18 vs Carolina Hurricanes, L 4-5 (OT)

The gang was just about back together in this one; all but a few regulars started as the team was getting in their regular season groove. Both teams played NHL lineups, and this was a pretty good preseason tilt that went down to the wire.

Alex Ovechkin got the party started eight minutes into the first, scoring from his office on the power play to make it 1-0 Caps. The Canes responded ninety seconds later, with Teuvo Teravainen cleaning up a rebound by the net to tie the score at 1. With a minute left in the first Sebastian Aho scored on an odd-man break to make it 2-1 Canes. Halfway through the second, Andrei Svechnikov scored with a quick shot on the left circle on the power play. 3-1 Canes.

The lead was cut nine seconds later when Jayson Megna got loose on a breakaway and made it 3-2. With less than three minutes left in the period, Ovechkin tallied his second of the game after he shoveled in a rebound, and the game was tied 3-3.

About five minutes into the third, Valentin Zykov scored on a weird angle on the power play, making it 4-3, but the Caps responded at the thirteen minute mark when Andre Burakovsky scored from the slot. The 4-4 game would require preseason overtime. But the Canes would get the last laugh, with Aho scoring just nineteen seconds into OT, his second of the game, giving the Canes the 5-4 win.

Even though it wasn’t the result they wanted, the Caps looked good in their tune-up game. The regulars looked to be coming together, and the fringe guys trying to make the roster also got a good look. Megna was impressive, and Jonas Siegenthaler looked very impressive on a pairing with John Carlson.

The Caps were outshot 36-29, and Braden Holtby, who played the whole game, saved 31/36. They were badly beaten on faceoffs (the Canes won 57.4%), and did not take full advantage of power play chances; the Caps were 1/6 on power plays, while the Canes were 2/3.

Today’s alternate captains: [Alex Ovechkin], [Nicklas Backstrom], John Carlson

09/30/18 vs St. Louis Blues, W 5-2

It was the final preseason tilt, and the Caps put in what they anticipated to be their opening night lineup, getting ready for their first official game this Wednesday. They faced a less-than-full Blues lineup for their final tune-up.

After a first period of a combined five fruitless power plays, the Blues started the scoring about five minutes into the second when Robert Thomas shoved in the puck at a scrum at the net, making it 1-0 Blues. But the action didn’t really start until about a minute later, when Tom Wilson threw a hard, controversial hit at an unsuspecting Oskar Sundqvist in open ice, leaving the Blues’ forward down and hurt. He had to be helped off the ice, while Wilson was given a match penalty and ejected. He is expected to have a hearing and receive supplemental discipline. Andre Burakovsky would serve Wilson’s penalty, and subsequent roughing would lead to four-on-four before the Blues went to the power play.

Brett Connolly tied the game with two minutes to go in the period, throwing in a wrist shot from the slot just after a power play wound down.

The offense exploded in the third period. Alex Ovechkin scored less than a minute into a period, slamming the puck home with a slapshot after it was turned over directly onto his tape. T.J. Oshie scored a minute later, cashing in off another Blues turnover. 3-1 Caps.

Halfway through the third, Jordan Schmaltz scored on a shorthanded breakaway to make it 3-2, but two minutes later, Nic Dowd scored on a wrist shot from the slot to make it 4-2. Devante Smith-Pelly scored an empty-netter to seal the Caps’ 5-2 win.

On the stats sheet, the Caps had the much better play. They outshot the Blues 26-23, and they dominated on faceoffs — 61.5%, with Nicklas Backstrom and Lars Eller both winning 67%, and Evgeny Kuznetsov and Dowd both winning over 50%. Braden Holtby played the full game and saved 21/23, and neither team had any luck on the power play — Caps were 0/6, while the Blues were 0/4.

The Capitals did not have the most fantastic of preseasons. But they looked good over their last three games with the majority of the regulars in, which is what you want to see. There will be some interesting roster questions to fill with the injuries and likely suspension to come up, but the Caps look ready to take on the regular season.

All regular captains and alternate captains were in the lineup

Preseason Record: 2-3-2

What’s Going on in the World of the Caps

Fourth Line Center Battle With the departure of Jay Beagle, the fourth line center position was up for grabs, and the main battle looked to be between Travis Boyd and Nic Dowd. Both centers looked strong in camp and at the beginning of the preseason, so it was looking to be an interesting fight to see who would come out on top. Unfortunately, an injury to Boyd cut that fight short — he injured his foot blocking a shot in St. Louis, and he’s out week-to-week. So it looks like Dowd has the job for now. And with Boyd out, it’ll give opportunities for more guys to fill some spots on the roster. But we’ll see if that center position is once again up for grabs when Boyd comes back.

Goalie Performance Philipp Grubauer, the best backup goalie in the NHL, departed over the offseason to hopefully start in Colorado, leaving the untested Pheonix Copley as his heir apparent. One of the big questions coming into camp was if Copley would be ready to be a full-time NHL backup, something he hasn’t done before. He made three appearances, looked shaky in one of them, but looked solid the rest of the way. He saved 83 out of a total of 88 shots, including turning in a 42 save shutout in his only full game against the full St. Louis Blues lineup. That boils down to a .943 save percentage. If these numbers hold, then he should be just fine. But he still has to be tested in a proper NHL environment.

Kuznetsov on the Penalty Kill Evgeny Kuznetsov expressed the desire to be used on the penalty kill this season, and we saw him utilized on the PK during his four preseason games. He was used pretty sparingly, and generated a couple of shorthanded chances. We’ll likely end up seeing this in the regular season, but it’s unknown how much or if it will stick long-term.

Kempny’s Concussion Michal Kempny was hit in the head by Blues’ defenseman Robert Bortuzzo during the Caps’ preseason game in St. Louis, and he now has a concussion. He missed the rest of the preseason. He’s not expected to be out very long, but there’s a chance he might miss the first game or two of the season. This will likely give Madison Bowey a chance to get back into the lineup, and it might make way for another defenseman to crack the roster.

Wilson’s Discipline During the Caps’ final preseason game, Tom Wilson made a questionable open-ice hit on Blues’ forward Oskar Sundqvist, which left Sundqvist injured. Wilson is scheduled to have a hearing, and will likely be suspended for an undetermined amount of games to start the season. This means someone else is going to have to step into his role on the top line, and another forward is going to have a chance to both make the roster and play opening night.

Player of the Preseason

Jonas Siegenthaler impressed during the preseason. He didn’t score a lot, but no one player on the Caps scored significantly enough to stand out. In his four preseason games, he averaged 18:55 TOI, he was strong on his skates and good physically. He looked good skating next to Carlson, and he’s made significant improvements to his game that impressed the Caps’ staff. He wasn’t even on my radar to make the roster this season, yet he played well enough to make it to the last round of cuts, if not make it onto the roster for opening night. With the injury to Michal Kempny, his play might have earned him at least a temporary spot on an NHL roster for the very first time.

Social Media Post of the Preseason

siegenthaler34: Got to meet the legend himself tonight! #rooooooney

It was a soccer-filled final weekend of the preseason for the Caps. After the Premier League trophy visited the locker room on Thursday, a number of the Caps (Wilson, Boyd, Burakovsky, Djoos, Vrana, and Siegenthaler) went to the D.C. United game on Saturday and got to meet Wayne Rooney. Cue endless fangirling by Andre Burakovsky.

Upcoming Milestones

Nicklas Backstrom is 1 point away from 800 career NHL points Nicklas Backstrom is 10 assists away from 600 career NHL assists Nicklas Backstrom is 2 power play goals away from being tied for 5th in Caps history in power play goals (67) John Carlson is 3 assists away from being tied for 5th in Caps history in assists among defensemen (259) John Carlson is 3 power play goals away from being tied for 7th in Caps history in power play goals among defensemen (25) Matt Niskanen is 2 points away from 300 career NHL points Dmitry Orlov is 6 assists away from 100 career NHL assists Madison Bowey, Travis Boyd, and Shane Gersich are all searching for their first NHL goals

Next Week’s Upcoming Games

10/03/18 vs Boston Bruins (7:30 PM) 10/04/18 @ Pittsburgh Penguins (7 PM)