#don’t like ben affleck though

[oneguardian15]

when i say. i audibly gasped. when i saw elektra!!! in deadpool and wolverine!!!! i fucking GASPED

[jav-uni]

It's already hard for the GP to know who she is, but interesting article though. Thanks, nonnie! //

No problem! Here’s another fascinating read I found — which confirms all that team real has stated during this stunt:

https://www.cosmopolitan.com/uk/love-sex/relationships/a60871843/anatomy-of-a-celebrity-break-up/

Wow, that's a fascinating article! Thanks!

And, you meant to say "team PR", right? 😉, because as you said it confirms what team PR has said since day one.

Edit: Nonnie clarified and meant to say "Team PR" instead of "Team Real"

In case you can't open the link I posted the text of the article below.

The anatomy of a celebrity break-up

Celebrity divorce lawyers have been busy... it feels like there’s new break-up hitting our newsfeeds every week. But as we all become more savvy to the inner workings of the A-list PR machine, how do the insiders keep reputations firmly intact?By Annabelle LeeUpdated: 21 August 2024

Within seconds, the comments begin to pile up. It’s a Friday afternoon and the latest celebrity split has just hit our Instagram feeds. The announcement sets off a ripple effect: celebrity journalists cancel their dinner plans and begin furiously typing their stories. The stars’ publicists are carefully watching the reaction – there are certain details they really don’t want out there (and some they definitely do). As for the celebrities everyone’s talking about? She’s on tour. He’s cuddling up to his new girlfriend. The split happened months ago. It’s only now, after multiple meetings and rewrites of the statement that we get to know about it. Welcome to the wild world of celebrity break-ups...

I’ve been working as a celebrity journalist for more than a decade and even I can’t keep up with how many showbiz break-ups there were last year. Taylor Swift and Joe Alwyn. Sophie Turner and Joe Jonas. Jodie Turner-Smith and Joshua Jackson. Ricky Martin and Jwan Yosef. Britney Spears and Sam Asghari. Even Jada Pinkett Smith recently revealed that, while not legally divorced, she and Will Smith have been separated since 2016. In recent months we've been shaken by the splits of Maya Jama and Stormzy, and Tommy Fury and Molly-Mae. And now, Bennifer have called time on their romance, with Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez filing divorce on their second wedding anniversary.

Something is going on in the world of showbiz – and it’s not just the divorce lawyers working overtime. There’s a whole host of publicists and dedicated crisis management teams who hustle behind the scenes to try to make a split appear as rosy as possible.

And while, from my experience in the real world, relationship breakdowns are usually messy, complicated, and painful, in the world of showbiz they maintain a veneer of mutual and loving, with both parties vowing to stay mates. There’s the now legendary “consciously uncoupling” statement from Gwyneth Paltrow and Chris Martin, Reese Witherspoon and Jim Toth said they “move forward with deep love, kindness, and mutual respect”, and Sofía Vergara and Joe Manganiello “love and care for each other very much”. But those statements are hiding a multitude of secrets. Secrets that are carefully controlled by a team of people. So, what really goes on behind the scenes of a split? I dug deep into my contacts book to find out...

It is with great sadness...

Think about your most recent split. You bitched about them to your friends, right? Celebs are the same. Except when they’re bitching, it’s to their publicist rather than their BFF. “As a publicist, you know every detail of your client’s life so you’re one of the first people they call if they go through a relationship breakdown,” says Dermot McNamara, founding director of Candid, a PR and talent management agency. “Then comes the media strategy.”

In other words, it’s not as simple as: break up, make your announcement, move on. Instead, it’s break up, pull together a carefully constructed (and discreet) team to find a way to get the news out that not only makes the celebrity look good but also, if done right, benefits them by promoting whatever work project they have going on. And it all begins with that key statement.

Whether it’s released via a seemingly hurried Notes screenshot or in a polished press release, “they’re usually written in tandem with the celebrity’s publicist”, explains Melissa Morris, a celebrity publicist at Can We Schmooze Consulting in the US, who has advised on some high-profile celebrity break-ups but won’t indulge my nosiness and reveal which. “The content of the statement is carefully crafted to strike a balance between respecting the privacy of those involved and addressing the public’s curiosity.”

“The statement has to strike a balance between respecting privacy and addressing public curiosity”

Publicist Sally Windsor, who has worked at some of the UK’s biggest PR agencies, adds: “Most publicists have a background in media; we know how to phrase statements and word them diplomatically. Sometimes, you’ll have your client in the background saying, ‘He’s awful, tell them he did this to me’, but as a publicist your priority has to be keeping the language neutral.” Yep, as much as the celeb might want to tell the world what their ex did, the statement is not the place to start mud-slinging – that comes later. Particularly as the statement is part of a wider strategy from a celebrity’s team, which is why it can often take weeks, or even months, to plan.

“You look at what is coming up for them. If they have a big project coming up, you don’t want to necessarily announce it straight away so that they’re not constantly asked about the relationship during promotion,” explains McNamara. “But equally some people will want to get publicity and for the news to come out at the same time, so there is more interest in them.” The column inches the break-up provides become the perfect promotion.

Take Taylor Swift: her break-up with Joe Alwyn hit the news just as The Eras Tour was kicking off. What followed was multiple fan TikTok videos of her slaying it on stage, accompanied by captions such as, ‘ways to boss the break-up’ and ‘I can’t even get out of bed after a break-up and Taylor’s on an arena tour’, adding a personal element of intrigue to an already hugely talked-about tour (set to make a record $1bn in ticket sales). It was speculated that this was no coincidence and that the pair had broken up months earlier... This, of course, was never confirmed or denied by Taylor’s team (neither Joe or Taylor have ever spoken publicly on the split).

It’s not just projects that are factored into the timing of the split statement – consideration of the working hours (and press deadlines) of the media is also factored in. I remember when Jennifer Aniston and Justin Theroux announced their divorce, late one Thursday evening. For those working in weekly magazines at the time, their cover story for the following week had already been written and decided so journalists had to work late, quickly pulling what they had planned to replace it with the news. Some managed, some didn’t – hugely impacting sales on the news stand the following week. This could all have been a deliberate move on the pair’s part.

While the fast pace of the online news cycle disrupts this slightly, traditional print schedules will still be considered. If a celebrity posts their break-up statement on a Friday – they’re trying to avoid coverage. “Journalists aren’t usually looking for stories on a Friday afternoon – they’ll be doing admin and thinking about clocking off for the weekend,” Windsor explains. “And similarly, if I was looking after a celebrity who wants publicity, I’d be putting that statement out early in the week.” Of course, all of this is great if the pair’s teams are working in harmony, and both are willing to ensure that each party comes across well – but that isn’t always the case...

A source close to the couple...

You know the ‘close friend’ or ‘insider’ often quoted on celebrity news articles? They’re usually the celebrity themselves (via their PR) trying to take a swipe or get their side of the story out there, before their ex does. It gives them a chance to potentially sling some mud, have their say, and, crucially, control the narrative after a split to maintain their client’s reputation.

While the statement often appears to show a harmonious, loving split, that’s rarely the case and it’s more than likely each party wants their story out there. “About 70% of what I do is letting stuff out through source quotes,” explains Windsor. “You’d generally always announce a break-up through social media and then the next day get source quotes out there.” McNamara agrees, adding: “It’s a great way to control the messaging. If journalists don’t get their sources from their publicist, they’ll just go elsewhere.”

“Some want the news to come out at the same time [as a big project] so there’s more interest”

This is where things get messy. The world of celebrity has changed drastically over recent years and it’s a lot harder to keep the dirty details secret any more. The social media rumour mill means that bombshell splits that we never saw coming (think Jennifer Aniston and Brad Pitt) are almost a relic of the past. Publicists are keeping an eye on whisper accounts such as DeuxMoi and, in the UK, Popbitch, if they’re waiting to reveal a split. If the news hits these or people begin to notice that the pair haven’t featured each other on social media in a while, they may rethink their strategy and announce earlier than planned.

“A-listers have a whole team looking after publicity and these sites would definitely be on their radar,” confirms McNamara. “If a rumour ramps up, they want to know about it.” Some of the publicists I spoke to also agree that a celebrity’s team might leak break-up news through sites such as DeuxMoi to help control the narrative in a more natural way.

Social media is also changing the game, giving us normal folk (and celebrities behind the backs of their publicists) the chance to spill some tea. Kiss and tells are no longer tabloid fodder but instead ‘story time’ TikToks, with those spilling secrets on the platform in the name of ‘sharing their truth’ (and racking up their follower counts in the process). Many keep their alleged lovers anonymous, choosing to hint by ‘liking’ the guesses in the comments. Model Sumner Stroh made worldwide news when she alleged that she had an affair with Maroon 5 star Adam Levine on TikTok, with a backdrop of messages thought to be between the two of them – claims Levine denied.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by S O P H I E T U R N E R (@sophiet)

Then there’s the odd occasion when celebrities will, much to their publicists’ horror, take to social media (seemingly) without having thought their decision through. In a moment where he admits he “just snapped”, Calvin Harris took to Twitter in 2016 to drag Taylor Swift after their split. And lately, we’ve seen Sophie Turner demand “the immediate return of [their] children”, who she claimed had been “wrongfully removed” by Joe Jonas – which he denied. The pair later released a joint statement saying mediation had been successful and they “look forward to being great co-parents”.

It’s never been easier to get your side of the story out there, but, as we’re seeing, when two parties try to control the narrative, it gets complicated very quickly (and publicly). Real Housewives Of Atlanta stars Kim Zolciak and Kroy Biermann filed for divorce earlier this year and the messy details of their split reached the press almost instantly. Kroy requested full custody of their four children, before Kim alleged Kroy smoked weed around them and asked the court for him to be drugs tested. Then he alleged she had a gambling problem and asked for her to undergo a psychological evaluation.

And last year wasn’t much smoother for Ariana Grande, who ended her marriage to Dalton Gomez before (that same week) allegedly falling into the arms of her Wicked co-star Ethan Slater. Rumours then circulated that their relationship began while they were both still married, with Ariana being branded a ‘homewrecker’ and Ethan’s ex-wife, Lilly Jay (mum to their one-year-old son) calling her family the “collateral damage” in the whole saga, adding that Ariana is not a “girl’s girl”. ‘Consciously uncoupling’ suddenly seems a lot more appealing.

“I’ve dealt with my fair share of messy break-ups,” explains a well-known UK-based publicist (who we’ve kept anonymous) who has represented many celebrities over the years. “One of my previous clients was dating one of the biggest reality stars in the country. When they split, he put the break-up out on social media before we’d even had the chance to come up with our approach,” the publicist reveals. “At the time there was a lot of reporting that he had secretly got back together with his ex, and before we knew it both girls were being played off against each other. My client was heartbroken over the relationship breakdown, so I worked with her to give anonymous stories to the press to share her side of the story and build a positive narrative. Then a few months later, I booked her onto a different reality show to share her side once emotions had died down. When it comes to celebrities, I often find the more gushing the statement is, the more insincere it is. ‘We move on with the greatest respect for each other’ and the like is the most disingenuous thing I’ve heard in my life.” But if we start to see a more ‘real’ side to showbiz splits, how will that affect how we view our own relationships?

Love is dead?

If you happened to walk down New York’s Cornelia Street in April this year, you’d have been confronted with bouquets spread across the street and crowds belting out Taylor Swift’s most heartbreaking hits. For a brief period, the street (where she wrote the song “Cornelia Street”, believed to be about Joe Alwyn) became a shrine to the couple’s dead relationship. Teenagers were taking photos of themselves holding roses and crying. One even told a journalist: “I cried for a couple of hours and the next day I stayed in my room all day. It made me believe that love wasn’t real anymore. And I puked.”

This is extreme, but we do get invested in our favourite celebs – and their relationships, too. During my research for this piece, I spoke to lots of people about how celebrity break-ups have affected them and most could see themselves in the celebrity couple they had once so adored. When Jen and Brad announced their divorce in 2005, there was an outpouring of sadness from fans around the world. But that was 18 years ago, and we are still obsessed over their split. One fan told me: “I just loved them together. I felt like I knew Jennifer because I’d watched her so much on TV playing Rachel [in Friends]. When they split, I thought, ‘If they can’t make it, who can?

It works both ways. When Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck reunited in 2021 after their 2004 split, the internet was overjoyed. And, when they revealed they’d got married, every one of their wedding posts was flooded with fans saying, ‘I love your love story because it’s so similar to my own’ and ‘I think her prior marriages never worked out because her true love has always been Ben.’ Cut to now, with the couple having now filed for divorce after giving their relationship another go, these comments are revealed as intense parasocial pressure reveals itself.

This is common, us pinning our hopes and dreams on to celebrities. As well as proclamations of true love being ‘dead’ when celebrities split, there’s also the idea that if infidelity is involved, it means that anyone can get cheated on (the whole, ‘If they can get cheated on there’s no hope for the rest of us’.) But while it’s natural, what we’re actually doing is trying to project ourselves on to a soap opera – something that isn’t real. “Following a celebrity’s love life is like living through them – it’s escapism from your day-to-day. You might think, ‘I wish I had a husband who looks like Brad Pitt’, or, ‘I wish I lived in Beverley Hills’, but a lot of the time, their lives are fabricated stories created by their PR people,” explains psychologist Jason O’Callaghan, who is a former showbiz reporter based in Ireland and now a therapist to many celebrities.

As for their relationships reflecting our own? “It’s actually the opposite. Hollywood stars have higher break-up and divorce rates than the rest of us because of the pressure of being in the public eye,” O’Callaghan explains. A study by the MarriageFoundation found that 40% of celebrities divorced within a 10-year period, yet the UK national average for divorce in the first decade is 20%. Throw in long-distance travel, conflicting schedules, and differing career priorities, and it’s far from a fairy tale.

“I worked with my client to give anonymous stories to the press to share her side of the story”

“There is nothing to suggest that the more attractive you are, the happier your relationships will be,” says O’Callaghan. “Even if you look like a Hollywood star, it doesn’t mean you are immune. Relationships don’t tend to last just because you’re attractive. Infidelity is caused by a number of things, and while attraction is important in a relationship, infidelity and marriage breakdowns are not prevented by being as conventionally attractive as possible to your partner.”

The truth is that looks, money, fame... they just don’t guarantee a happier life. And you don’t need to be a celebrity to know it is hard. out. there – whether you’re dating or making a relationship work. With longer life spans, a growing interest in different relationship models and the fact we’re no longer pushing the idea that you have to be in a relationship to be happy, it’s not surprising divorce rates in the UK rose by around 10% in 2021, with 42% of marriages ending in divorce.

But if celebrity break-ups can teach us anything, it’s that, in the words of Taylor herself, “There’ll be happiness after you, there was happiness because of you, both of these things can be true”. Just because a split happens, it doesn’t mean love wasn’t there. While celebrity break-ups can feel brutal, they also remind us we’ve all been there and we’re never as alone in heartbreak as we feel. Break-ups are messy and complicated, perfectly worded split announcement or not, but life goes on. Even if life isn’t a sold-out world tour for everyone...

This article originally appeared in the Dec 23/Jan 24 issue of Cosmopolitan UK.

[venuscnjunctpluto]

Observations Pt 7.

Credits: @venuscnjunctpluto

* Jesse’s Lilith is in Billie’s 12th house. This is such scary synastry to me because you don’t see how the Lilith person can be manipulating you or even trying to seduce you.

*scorpio risings have something noticeable about their ‘glabella’ (space in btw the eyes specifically the smooth area above the nose I had to Google it lol) I notice Scorpio risings have glabella’s that protrude which makes their eyes even more noticeable and intense. And it makes them look like a skunk lol (ex: Taylor swift, dita von teese, Natalie Portman, Chaka Khan, and Sydney Sweeney)

*moon square Venus people are the epitome of Candy Heron in mean girls. They end up in friendships and relationships that worse their emotional well-being. It’s usually summed up to them not being able to be themselves around their “friends” or partners.

*libra risings have pudgy noses with smaller nostrils while Aries risings have defined noses with larger nostrils. You can usually guess these two by their noses

*Capricorn rising women 🤝 elaborate ponytails, long braids, bangs idk their hair gives off power puff girl vibes

*the way Pisces placements get talked to is ridiculous to me. People will talk to them like literal children which is very demeaning.

*simone biles just got married congrats to her! Her husband has so many prominent cancer placements and 0 degree libra mars. Civilized cardinal placements have such big husband/wife energy it’s insane. Very romantic and taking the time you learn you as a person. They also have Venus trine Venus, mars conjunct mars, moon conjunct moon synastry 💕

*kelis is the perfect example of a Leo dominant. She wears so many vibrant colors, dyed her hair often, and always carried confident aura.

*I notice Scorpio Venus women defend plastic surgery and those who get it. I know three of them who defend the kardashians like crazy (even though ppls problem is the lying about surgery but anywho). I think it’s bc they would get plastic surgery as well if they could.

*venus-uranus/aqua Venus placements make friends so easily it’s insane. They’ll get reposted on social media a lot as well.

*Ik this guy with cupido conjunct mars and he’s a huge flirt and player. I have cupido conjunct mars and I think it attracts players towards me it’s been so many situations a guy has tried to hide his player tendencies but I always found out eventually. I think this is a red flag placement🚩🚩🚩🚩

*i have cupido in the 8th so does Barack Obama, Ryan gosling, Rihanna, Monica Bellucci, Elizabeth Taylor, Cardi B. This might be a very seductive placement these ppl probably go all in when they’re attracted to someone. Or they might use their sexuality to get their crushes.

*zoe kravitz playing Selina Kyle and having Venus conjunct pluto makes sense. She can pull off darker looks and I notice women w this look like cats. Ryan destiny is also a good example of this.

* a lot of my celeb crushes I have their Venus in my 1st. Matthew Gary gubler, Rob Lowe, Prince, Johnny depp, Cillian Murphy etc…the house person can admire the Venus persons’s style.

*uranus-asc have something unique about their appearance and usually it’s a cleft chin (ex: Ben Affleck, Troian Bellisario, Adele) I have this aspect as well and I have one

*virgo venuses 🤝 wearing black clothes and glasses

*sag venuses 🤝wearing goofy graphic t-shirts

*hilaria baldwin has a sag venus and obviously that’s a indicator of being into other cultures. I notice ppl who tend to be fixated on or appropriate other cultures have sag or aqua venuses *insert timothee chalamet’s rap video lol*

*in defense of Austin butlers sexy voice…a lot of Taurus risings have voice changes or issues. Miley Cyrus’s voice has gotten incredibly deeper as well because she developed a condition. Unpopular opinion I think his voice just changed😭

* Saturn-asc and people thinking you’re older bc you are reserved. They’re the kid who sat down quietly and read books or knitted while everybody else was running around. Even when we have other carefree placements our Saturn-asc makes them barely noticeable at all during first impressions. We also love vintage clothing (ex: Keith powers) I saw a similar post but I agree that this can make someone’s rising traits develop more as they get older. As an Aries rising I didn’t start working out or asserting myself more until I got older.

Stars with Venus-asc tend to be really charismatic and funny during interviews. (Ex: Rihanna, keke Palmer, Megan the stallion, and lizzo)

*saturn-sun people have very strict fathers or male figures who tried to control them a lot growing up. This can make them very hard on themselves as they get older and I notice a lot of lawyers have major Saturn aspects.

* two prominent stem malfunctions (challenger explosion and the Columbia explosion) happened during Aquarius season

[religion-is-a-mental-illness]

By: Craig Biddle

Published: Oct 26, 2014

One religion today regularly motivates large numbers of its followers to murder, behead, rape, and enslave people across the globe. That religion is Islam. Not Christianity. Not Judaism. Not Buddhism. Islam. Only Islam. You know this. I know this. Everyone paying attention knows this.

The Koran explicitly and repeatedly commands Muslims to engage in jihad or “holy war” whether they like it or not. “Jihad (holy fighting in Allah’s Cause) is ordained for you (Muslims) though you dislike it, and it may be that you dislike a thing which is good for you and that you like a thing which is bad for you. Allah knows but you do not know” (e.g., 2:216, 9:38). The Koran explicitly and repeatedly commands Muslims to “kill the unbelievers wherever you find them” (e.g., 2:191, 9:5), “strike off their heads” (e.g., 8:12, 47:4), make sex slaves of their wives and daughters (e.g., 4:24, 33:50), and continue this jihad “until all opposition ends and all submit to ‘Allah’” (e.g., 8:39, 9:29). You know this. I know this. Everyone paying attention knows this.

According to Islam, the “Prophet” Muhammad is the ideal role model for all boys and men; he sets the perfect example for how to live and wage jihad. Muhammad regularly killed and beheaded unbelievers (e.g., the massacre of Banu Qurayza), made slaves of those he conquered but didn’t kill (he had many slaves), “married” (i.e., repeatedly raped) slave girls (e.g., Safiyah and Rayhana), raped children as young as nine years old (e.g., Aisha), and founded a religion in which all such behavior is regarded as morally great because the “Prophet” did it. You know this. I know this. Everyone paying attention knows this.

Of course, not all Muslims engage in the above-mentioned behavior. But this does not change the fact that Islamic scripture commands or condones such behavior. It simply means that some Muslims don’t take Islam seriously. For that we can be thankful.

Unfortunately, as anyone can see by glancing at the news, many Muslims do take Islam seriously. Jihadists across the globe—from the Middle East to Africa to the United States to Canada—are murdering, beheading, enslaving, and raping “infidels” wherever and whenever they can. And these jihadists are supported by Islamic theocracies such as Iran and Saudi Arabia, which encourage and fund such barbarism.

Everyone paying attention knows at least that much. Granted, some know it in greater detail than others. But everyone with a functioning mind who has not been asleep since September 11, 2001, has a basic understanding of the foregoing facts.

Yet many people—from leaders of the (semi-)free world to leftist intellectuals, journalists, and celebrities—pretend otherwise. George W. Bush, for instance, says “Islam is peace” and a “noble faith.” Barack Obama says “Islam has a proud tradition of tolerance”; “Islam is not part of the problem” but “an important part of promoting peace.” David Cameron says “Islam is a religion of peace”; jihadists such as members of Islamic State “are not Muslims” but “monsters.”

Leftists such as Glenn Greenwald, Nathan Lean, Nicholas Kristof, and Ben Affleck go further. They not only pretend that Islam is not inherently barbaric; they also smear those who point out that it is inherently barbaric. If you call Islam or its serious practitioners barbaric—heck, if you so much as say “Islam is the mother lode of bad ideas,” as Sam Harris recently did—the leftist smear brigade will label you “Islamophobic” (as if fear of Muslims who actively seek to kill you were irrational); “racist” (as if Islam were a race rather than a religion); “intolerant” (as if you should put up with people who seek to behead, enslave, or rape you and your loved ones); and all manner of other absurdities. Leftists will also point out that, like the Koran, the Talmud and the Bible contain commandments to kill unbelievers, homosexuals, and other “sinners,” and that these books also condone slavery and the like—as if such truths somehow change the fact that today only Islam motivates large numbers of its followers and, indeed, entire nations to murder and enslave people in the name of “God.”

Why do so many people pretend not to know what they know about Islam and its unique role in the world today? Why do so many smear those who speak the truth about this horrendous religion and its devout followers? Why do so many ignore the fact that although other religions involve barbaric commandments, none motivates large numbers of its followers to commit atrocities the way Islam does today?

We can only speculate as to people’s motives on this count. Perhaps some feel that by pretending not to know what they know about Islam they can somehow make Islam not be what it is. Perhaps some have accepted the religious dogma “Judge not, that ye be not judged” or the relativist mantra “Who are you to judge?” and thus are afraid to judge or think for themselves. Perhaps some see that to criticize Islam for its irrational, faith-based tenets is to expose the fundamental illegitimacy of religion as such, and they are hesitant to do that. Perhaps some loathe freedom, America, and Western values and see the spread of Islam as a way to help eradicate these “problems.” Again, we can only speculate.

Whatever people’s motives, these facts remain: (1) To pretend not to know what one knows is to be dishonest. (2) When we know that a person is being dishonest, we have a selfish, moral responsibility to acknowledge the fact and to judge him as dishonest. (3) When a person is dishonest in a way that intentionally whitewashes a religion that commands its followers to murder, enslave, or rape us or our loved ones—or when a person smears people for stating the unvarnished truth about that religion—we have a selfish, moral responsibility to judge that person as evil.

Just as we have a moral responsibility not only to judge Nazism and its serious practitioners as evil, but also to judge those who whitewash them as evil; so too we have a moral responsibility not only to judge Islam and its serious practitioners as evil, but also to judge those who whitewash them as evil. There are, of course, degrees of evil among such whitewashers—but those degrees are degrees of evil. People who knowingly whitewash evil are by that fact and to that extent evil.

We who want to live and love life have a selfish, moral responsibility not only to say what we know to be true about Islam and its serious practitioners, but also to say what we know to be true about those who seek to whitewash them.

Islam is evil because (among other reasons) it commands or condones murder, slavery, rape, and the like; Muslims who take Islam seriously and thus seek to engage in such barbarism are evil for doing so; and those who whitewash these evils are evil for their part in advancing this god-awful nightmare.

We who know this should say so. Keeping silent on the matter effectively whitewashes the whitewashers.

[ Via: https://archive.today/C6cIM ]

==

Only become more relevant today.

[rosemariad]

SUPERNATURAL SEASON 15 - THE BITTER END - SERIES FINALE

We finally made it here.

Ooooooooh boy. 😬

The opening for THE series finale felt out of place to me.

You’re gonna waste minutes on this really?

How about a discussion about how they beat God, like they actually managed the impossible - 2 dudes just take the fight to the OG master & creator of the universe and won that shit with some plan they pulled outta their asses. Their surrogate child went on to become the next primordial being to reign over the universe. But no, we’re not gonna even talk about any of that.

Coulda done a million different things even with the COVID restrictions (the two actors in a room across a table, do whatever to keep them safe) but whatever 🤦🏾‍♀️

So after God comes vampires w/ masks? Really SPN?

The minute Dean slammed the Impala’s trunk shut after sundown made me nervous (that would be the last time he’s with his Impala, the last time he ever sees her w/ his own eyes 🥺😭)

Out of all the folks to pull outta the SPN peanut gallery you pick that random chick from 1x20?! Jenny?! Just to kill her off anyway (so I spoke too soon, vampJenny is the official last female to die on this show)

Ah…the nail of imminent demise

That final shot of Sam & Dean was toooo fucking intimate.

Suddenly the Wincest people aren’t so crazy. Why are y’all encouraging this?! Dude, they’re brothers!?! #brothersnotlovers. They could’ve done it like the end of Pearl Harbor where they got Ben Affleck crying over Josh Harnett’s body in the crash. Gimme weepy Sam, that Oscar moment. Dean died sooo young 🥺😒 younger than Mary (I know she was technically in her thirties but TBH she was 64/65), bobby, Rufus, Ellen & John. This is why we can’t have nice things😔

Cas is gonna be so saaaad. He always fought so hard for Dean's sake, only for the guy to die so young…it’s an insult - an outrage really. Dean fought so hard for so long only for him to say - it was always gonna end this way?! 😡

He didn’t have to make it to old age (though he deserved to) but don’t let him die like this. All accepting so soon after resolving the meta plot 😔 there were things Dean probably wanted to do and now, he’ll never get his chance. He could’ve settled down with someone (it wouldn’t have been Cas since he got killed off already but shit I would’ve settled for Dean to settle with anyone for a minute, like Sam did) - also would’ve been nice to hear from Jody or Donna and others one last time but hey fuck the side characters 🤣 (oh COVID the scapegoat that keeps on giving - it’s like the showrunners forgot the convenience of modern technology).

So Chuck definitely won - he's no longer burdened by having to deal w/ the universe and one of the Winchesters died anyway. Not exactly as planned but they never broke free, not really. I totally subscribe to this theory. Especially since it’s alluded to that Dean Jr - Sam’s son - is a hunter also at the time of Sam’s death by old age (we think…I’m just saying that’s an awful not of tubes and stuff for the old man, maybe just to monitor his heart rate/health - eh)

The Sam wig is bad but eh - doesn’t bother me - we’re talking about a CW show wrapping up a project, it’s not the end of the world people, the plot is what matters and the plot here is a fucking shit show my lord. It’s not the first show to suffer a shit ending for a show that captivated worldwide audiences, but damn this is a bummer.

But yay for Sam apparently - couldn’t think of a better name for your son than Dean Jr.? It only makes sense to make the kid a junior if it was Dean’s actual kid, like Dean would’ve been Dean Sr. And his boy would’ve been Dean Jr. or Dean W. The II. And and hello there Woman Whose Face we don’t get to see (really committing to limiting women’s presence in the show - again probably blaming in on COVID but if you have a literal baby with this giant man, you can chance a woman being there in an actual camera shot where we can see her face 🙄) Back to Dean - again cuz of COVID? I guess - we don’t get to see him reunite with anyone (not his MOM even?) except Bobby for like 1 second and then he’s just driving around in his car. No roadhouse, no fishing, nothing but sitting in his car, alone killing time until Sam inevitably returns to him.

Oh what a shame…

So that happened I guess. SPN was something else, for better or worse. Probably never gonna get a show like that again. They tried it with the Winchesters spin off about a supposed alternate universe MaryxJohn thing and friends but honestly if its not about the Winchesters brothers or Destiel who cares 🤣 they pretty much wrapped up Sam & Dean’s stories thanks to this finale but Dean (per the Winchesters flop) could be brought back into the fray somehow if they wanted - but hey that’s what fanfiction’s for 😁

Well SPN it’s been interesting…sort of.

On that note…

I wanna thank the fans of the show, your hot takes, memes and general fervor over this show/story is what finally made me watch it all. Cuz I remember the TV spots from back in the day, cruising the CW channel on weeknights after school. I was too busy watching other shows to give SPN a chance while it aired. So thank you 🙏🏽

[canadian-pug-cartel]

sooo.... how's the current interests going? (i see you're having fun with another film again and like. if you wanna ramble or smth feel free to :3 i like hearing ur thoughts on things)

HI BISCUT!1!1!!1!1

Im gonna be all over the place about this because I have SO MANY THOUGHTS ABOUT EVERYTHING I NEED TO BE PUT DOWN RAAAAHHHHHHGGa

Anyway

Staring with the usual payday 2 shenanigans I’ve been thinking about Houston in payday 3 finally and god DAMN prison just made him so so ANGRY the character arc from crippling depression to So Full Of Rage™️ is so interesting to me and I need to think more about it especially how it changes the relationship with his brother and hoxton (guy who hates him for replacing him in the gang when hox went to jail) hoxton trying to level with hous about their times in prison and hous shuts him down so immediately and aggressively (also cool face/ eye scar is a bonus of finally taking payday 3 into account)

Oceans 11 is same old same old I love the found family and the way Rusty and Danny are so insanely in love in every way possible I recently found a really great fan fic about Rusty and Danny’s childhood and Jesus Christmas it’s so good im obsessed with it (240k words all about their connection and their love for each other that borders on reckless is so RAAAAHH 💥💥💥 it also has multiple spin offs and one shots it’s so perfect i hit GOLD) you should really watch oceans it it’s so good

Dogma where do I even start (ok most people don’t know this movie so quick synapses

Its about two angles (Matt Damon and Ben affleck) who were kicked out of heaven trying to get back in by traveling to New Jersey but a girl chosen by god is sent to stop them Its ban from most all streaming services because the Catholic Church hated it so much and called it blasphemy)

Even though im not religious the themes of questioning faith and wrestling with belief and devotion to god is still there and is done really well in my opinion the struggles of the mc finding she was chosen by god and wanting to reject it as well as the angels struggling with still loving god even after being kicked out where really well done (the queer undertone on that is not lost on me or most people who watch it) They also talk about god being a woman, Jesus not being white (if memory serves), and how Jesus wanted to reject being gods son and chosen to die

Really great movie wrapped in a heathy amount of humor

(Also heart breaking to me that Loki ((one of the angels)) even after his friend went a little off the rails is never blamed for most of the things he did and his often shown pity and sympathy for something he realized wasn’t a good idea a little too late he’s the angel of death but he’s a very childish almost innocent character and I love that)

[mattnben-bennmatt]

On being out in Hollywood

Nor has Affleck been excluded from one of Hollywood's favorite games: Guess Who's Gay. His sexuality has been the subject of blind tabloid reports, and Affleck is often told that it's a foregone conclusion in the gay community that he and Damon are in love—a nugget that Affleck seems to get a particular kick out of. According to Hollywood gossip, says Affleck, "not only is every [actor] gay, but somebody has a friend who slept with them. Maybe there are gay people who are in the closet in Hollywood—I'm sure there probably are—but I'm sure they didn't sleep with Henry's friend." As for his own sexuality, Affleck says, "I like to think that if I were gay I would be out. Rupert Everett-style."

— From Ben Affleck's interview for Vanity Fair (October 1999).

-

Q: To go back to you and Ben, would it be so terrible if you were a couple? DAMON: The question of whether Ben and I are gay is so awkward in a lot of ways. There is no real right way to answer it without offending somebody. It’s offensive to just deny it fiercely, as if there would be anything wrong with it if we were a couple. That would be offensive to the people I grew up with. I don’t want to be that person. At the same time, I can’t say it’s true because it’s not. Ben once made light of this type of tabloid speculation by telling an interviewer something like, “I’m sure there are gay people who are in the closet in Hollywood, but also I’m sure that they didn’t sleep with Henry’s friend.” [Laughs] [...] Q: If you were, in fact, in a relationship with another man, would you be in the same position career-wise? DAMON: I would like to say that if I were gay, I’d be out. But I think that’s not fair because I’m not gay, and I don’t know personally what pressure is brought to bear on you if you are. My short answer, without a lot of reflection, is that if you were out, your career would suffer. Would Rock Hudson have had the career he had if he’d been out? No way. Q: But, of course, we’ll never know until someone with your level of leading-man visibility comes out and until Hollywood allows the box office rather than its own internalized prejudices to decide if the public is ready for such a move. With a few test cases, maybe we could move away from this type of discussion. Saying that may be naive, though, given our culture’s obsession with celebrities. DAMON: And with celebrity bedrooms.

— From Matt Damon’s interview for The Advocate (18 January 2000).

-

PLAYBOY: Liberace lived his life in the closet, and times have changed a bit. What was it like when you and Ben Affleck were constantly asked if you were gay, back when you were starting your careers? DAMON: I never denied those rumors because I was offended and didn’t want to offend my friends who were gay—as if being gay were some kind of fucking disease. It put me in a weird position in that sense. The whole thing was just gross. But look, there have been great signs of progress—the fact that Anderson Cooper and Ellen DeGeneres can come out so beautifully and powerfully, and it’s a big fucking deal that it turns out nobody gives a shit. If Liberace were alive today, everybody would love his music and nobody would care what he did in his private life. Like with Elton John.

— From Matt Damon's interview for Playboy magazine (January 2013).

-

[In Behind The Candelabra] Damon was a straight man playing gay. Is it harder for actors to be openly gay in Hollywood? “I’m sure. When Ben and I first came on the scene there were rumours that we were gay because it was two guys who wrote a script together.” Really? “I know. It’s just like any piece of gossip… and it put us in a weird position of having to answer, you know what I mean? Which was then really deeply offensive. I don’t want to, like [imply] it’s some sort of disease – then it’s like I’m throwing my friends under the bus. But at the time, I remember thinking and saying, Rupert Everett was openly gay and this guy – more handsome than anybody, a classically trained actor – it’s tough to make the argument that he didn’t take a hit for being out.” He thinks attitudes are changing, and welcomes the introduction of same-sex marriage in California in 2008. “I think it must be really hard for actors to be out publicly,” he continues. “But in terms of actors, I think you’re a better actor the less people know about you period. And sexuality is a huge part of that. Whether you’re straight or gay, people shouldn’t know anything about your sexuality because that’s one of the mysteries that you should be able to play.”

— From Matt Damon's interview for The Guardian (September 2015).

[midnightsslut]

As someone who was very active on film twitter and forums, I can confidently tell you that you will never come across a more addickted group of people. Every man is babygirl, women are witches unless they are abused and thus, become martyrs. A woman hanging out with a problematic person means she needs to cancelled while their favourite male directors are predators or have some sort of allegation levelled against them. It’s a very male orientated space.

I noticed this with the recent JLo, Ben Affleck divorce news. Most film twitter users I followed were making jokes about it and about him and Matt Damon secretly being by gay and it’s just like…. This guy? The one who harassed multiple women on set? The one who openly admitted he knew about Weinstein?

Also no offence to Joe but if people are constantly referring to the directors I work with or the actors I film with to show what a good actor I am instead of my performances.. I’d kms

lmaooo @ your last point. don’t know enough about film to say whether that’s a good or bad thing, though.

that’s the main problem with film twitter for sure. they live under this delusion that only their favorite male actors and directors are ‘highbrow’ enough.

[thetistaboveall]

Lawrence’s Fantasy Hotel

Famous actors Benjamin Affleck, Ian Bohen and Jamie Lomas are honor guests at the opening of my brand now one of kind hotel experience to bring your deepest fantasies to life. They are paying me to entertain as they stay at my Fantasy resort with their choice of celebrity slave pets.

Benjamin Affleck is the first time honored guest to arrive as the limo is pulling up to the curb the door pop open and he steps on to the red carpet and even though he hates the celebrity.He can’t stand these events yet the camera set up is flashing so brightly, clicking so very loud at the sound of it all and the sexy smile of his crept on to his face spreading wildly in everyone’s face.His mind goes completely blank propelling his feet to move forward on to the cherry red carpet and a male escort guides him to the swinging double doors as they enter in to the room.

“Mr Affleck! Welcome to the event! Please do follow me.”

“I can’t help but do that”

“Our owner is awaiting us”

“I feel so weird”

“You feel perfectly fine “

“Yeah! I feel fantastic “

“Obviously! Thank you “

“Go inside the room”

“Yes! Thank you “

“What is this place?”

“Hello? Oh! He left “

“Anybody here?”

“Actually! I am the only one here”

“You are in another space and time”

“I’m sorry! Excuse me! Who are you?”

“Mwahahahahaha! Follow the path with your eyes.”

“That’s it! You see the red dot “

“YES! My eyes are fixated on it”

“Precisely! You are my project “

“I choose you to be the main guest tonight “

“I don’t understand “

“Stop trying to be some hero”

“You are not Batman”

“You are a burly chump “

“Ouch!l

“Did I hurt your feelings?”

“Maybe! It was kind of a turn off”

Something is off in the air as the dot grows it explodes covering the entirety of the wall shooting to cover over the other three walls and soon ceiling and the floor all of the color flows off.Forming a ball in the air the ball penetrates every sense in existence leaving him to his core shaking and eventually in a massive shambles. Ben is falling forward on to ten ground.The room begins to spin swooshing around and around till he faints everything goes in to spiral like situation and when he woke up he is now standing in the middle of my hotel room with a sexy smile and breaks out in a dance.

“Hello Sirs! Happy Birthday Jack. Let’s dance baby. I am about to strip!”

Ian Bohen does not know why or how he is now ending up next to Ben Affleck on stage hosting and presenting for a birthday party but yes he felt at home like he never wanted to be excited.The door soon lock surrounding us as the cool air from the vent sharply swooping all over the room hits Ian head on sending him flying on to the floor and his clothes strip open.He rises up unable to comprehend what is going on but Ben helps him up ripping off his clothes and Ian cannot do anything to stop it or help himself up as he wraps his arms over him.

“Ssshh….Command Prompt”

“Command please “

“It’s time”

“Everyone strip show”

“Pump the music”

“Dance off”

“Fuck yeah”

“Watch my ass “

“You see how it jingles “

“I feel enthralled “

“I am HOT”

“Mind if I join you babe?”

Ian can’t help himself bouncing on to the wall of the room doing a sexual sliding down the aisle moaning in pleasure in between my man Ben doing a back flip as the crowd Is roaring in excitement.Ian jumps up in to the backward forming a cannon ball landing before belting a note into the air and spinning in to the birthday boi Jack himself and sits on his lap with a wink.He does an unbelievable display of flirtatious then sits forward, placing his hand wrapping on is neck and doing a sexual lunges forces his cock to strengthen and grow forward a it presses on his pants.

“Hey babe!”

“Happy Birthday “

“Lay back”

“God! You are full and thick”

“How do you like my ass?”

“Kiss me”

“Lick my face “

“Mmmmm”

“Call me a good boi”

“Mmmmm”

“You say it so well”

“Fills my slave heart “

“FUCK!”

“YES”

“Fuck me!”

“So excited to be here bros”

“I’ve waited for my chance “

“Here we go”

“Stop flashing that in my eyes mate”

“Mate! I said “

“Mate!”

“Will you join me Jamie ?”

“Okay! Why not?”

“Great! Sleep”

“Command me”

“Showcase”

“Dance off”

“Party man”

“Yo bros!

“Want to see these pecs”

“My body is a toy”

“You mate come and feel them”

“I knew you love these guns”

“These are my guns “

“Kiss them”

“Ooohhh! Lick them “

“Take a deep breath”

“Inhale me”

“My every scent “

“My swerve”

“I smell good”

“Manly and musky “

“I bet you want “

“Bounce with Me”

“On my lips “

The end

[therealslimshakespeare]

And then, oh lord— don’t get me started on the imitation debacle the modern world would make for her as they do with Marilyn, along with trash biopics etc 🙈

Oh god Bucky would be played in movies by actors like Jared Leto, Ben Affleck, James Marsden, etc some of these talented actors but also none of them ever manage to capture his charm, valor, or heart until Callum Turner comes along.

What actresses would have tried their hands in a Julie Jean biopic? But it’d be impossible for them to grasp the love she had for her man and combine it with their shared lust without making it seem like cheap porn. Some things can’t be recreated.

JARED LETTO…the wail the escaped my mouth. Ben Affleck totally would and probs gets a golden globe for it or something and it’s THAT movie of the 90’s-early 2000’s like Pearl Harbor or Titanic. I’d actually not be mad if Kate Winslet got offered the role even though you know those shitty directors would make a point of saying they’re choosing her for being chubby. 😏 and she isn’t quite bubbly enough to capture Julie’s essence. It’s a good try tho. Michelle Williams probs too, she comes off too airy in hers tho.

Feel like Anna Nicole Smith and Pam Anderson both turn some project down but probs do raunchy photoshoots mimicking her -they are actually rather cool and the guys complain they’re not more undressed and it’s back to being gross.

But Callum Turner being THE MAN for it makes my heart burst, like finally he came along 🥰🤧

[agentnico]

The Instigators (2024) review

Just a regular day in Boston.

Plot: Rory and Cobby are unlikely partners thrown together for a heist. However, when it goes awry, they team up to outrun police, backward bureaucrats, and a vengeful crime boss.

I feel kind of sorry for director Doug Liman. Guy was screwed by Amazon who promised to give his Road House remake earlier this year a theatrical release only to dump it straight to Prime Video to the director’s dismay, and now he’s had the same treatment again twice in a row courtesy of Apple TV+ with The Instigators. Dude must be fuming! That being said, from what I’ve heard about Road House, it sounded like that was a fun action flick. Same can’t be said for The Instigators, as this definitely feels like a straight-to-streaming release.

That’s not to say there isn’t plenty of talent behind and front of camera. As aforementioned, Doug Liman directs (by the way if you haven’t seen his film American Made with Tom Cruise, do yourself a favour, just saying), and we have the good will of Matt Damon and Ben Affleck as producers, and then Damon again and Casey Affleck (who wrote the script) leading this Boston buddy action romp. Look, on its own merit The Instigators is a perfectly watchable ridiculous heist movie, with some semi-decent action sequences, a charming comedic energy from its two leads and a surprisingly stacked cast. I’m not even kidding, we have appearances from Hong Chau, Alfred Molina, Michael Stuhlbarg, Toby Jones, Paul Walter Hauser, Ving Rhames and Ron Perlman! Evidently the Affleck’s called in a heck of a lot of favours, as this set gives the Deadpool & Wolverine cameos a run for their money! I do admit though that most of the cast are wasted and appear for maybe a scene or two if that, so most of them were in all likelihood there for an easy pay-check. And I don’t blame them - Apple has a lot of money that it evidently doesn’t know what to do with.

The issue with The Instigators is simply how normal it is. This is the most generic by-the-numbers heist-gone-wrong film you can possibly imagine, with lazy jokes, uninspired set pieces and the whole thing feels so repetitive as we’ve seen it before. It’s such a shame as again, one naturally goes into this with a certain level of expectation due to the talent involved, but the end product is nothing more than a shoulder shrugger. I didn’t even think Matt Damon did that well - his line delivery felt lazy and he looked bored throughout. Casey Affleck is a bit more fun and probably is the reason for some of the laughs. I guess we’re so accustomed to him playing serious roles that it’s nice to see him relaxed and spread his comedic chops a little.

Though they have been killing in the television medium, Apple have struggled with their original films, as aside from Martin Scorsese’s The Killers of the Flower Moon, and I also have a soft-spot for that Tetris movie as for some reason tetrominos are my jam, but aside from those the movies from Apple haven’t really struck a spark. Shame really. Oh well, they’ve still given us Ted Lasso so can’t hate on them too much now.

Overall score: 3/10

[jav-uni]

It seems the digital content creator forgot to add 'The Wife' to that edited picture //

Literally that part!!! No one talks like this!! No one says “the wife” 💀💀

You don’t see people saying / typing out “Ben Affleck and the wife (ex wife) J-Lo” or “Tate McRae and the boyfriend Kid Laroi” or even “Emily Blunt and the husband John Krasinski” 🤣 though the guy from Facebook - his family is not from this country so I’ll give him that, it seems they’re from Asia / Pacific based on the language spoken in the comments on the photo, but I’m not sure which, so it’s possible he just doesn’t have good English… but either way still saying “the wife” is weird

And they can say it’s because she’s lesser known, but she’s still known ish enough. Either say “Chris Evans and his wife” or “Chris Evans an Alba Baptista” like ???

“The wife” is so forced sounding and it doesn’t belong there 😂

Yeah, he is from the Philippines. But yeah, mentioning "The Wife" is weird and forced.

[moviemunchies]

Before this movie came out, there were some reservations about it–whether it would be good, or if it would even be released. There were problems with the state of the DC movie universe, for starters, and the weirdness going on with Warner Brothers management. Despite all of that, the guys at Warner Brothers insisted that this movie was coming out, and that it was “one of the greatest superhero movies ever made.”

It is… not.

Barry Allen is the Flash–a founding member of the Justice League and the fastest man alive. Upon getting a better grip on his power to travel through time, Barry decides that he can prevent his mother’s murder and clear his father’s name through a very simple switch-up. So he does that; except he’s thrown out of the timestream unexpectedly to his eighteen-year-old self’s life, where his mother is alive and he’s in college. 

Except everything’s changed! Because changing history isn’t only going to change the present, it also disrupts everything else, so Barry’s now in an alternate timeline. And in this timeline, Zod is invading and Barry can’t find Superman or the League around to help. So he’s got to figure out how to save the world, and then get home.

Yeah, it’s another loose adaptation of Flashpoint.

This movie was being billed as the thing that was going to reset the DC continuity for the movies and put it in the new state for Superman: Legacy. Except watching it, the movie is plainly not that at all–the way the universe is left at the end of this movie is not really compatible with whatever they’re doing with the new DC movies. The end result is that the movie feels pointless in its conclusion, a funny little one-off that affects nothing.

It’d be more forgivable if we’d had more time with this iteration of Barry Allen/the Flash. Instead, much like Superman in Snyder’s movies, we’re skipping straight to big stories without developing these characters enough to care. And now we’re getting no more of Barry Allen, or at least this Barry Allen.

Which is kind of a shame? Because I went into this out of curiosity, and I didn’t expect that much from it. I remember for the first third of the movie or so, I was having a surprising amount of fun. I liked this version of Barry. I enjoyed seeing his interactions with his fellow Justice Leaguers, and I thought about how I’d love to see more of these characters interacting. I’d love to see more stories about Barry, but I don’t think we will, at least not anytime soon.

Also, Ezra Miller went kind of insane in the last year or so, and that’s probably an admittedly good reason as to why they’re not rushing to make more anytime soon.

The multiverse is pretty weak here–people have written pieces as to why we’re all sick of the multiverse by this point, and that’s fair. Other than the main Plot itself, where Barry is in an alternate timeline, it only really comes up in the climax, to sort of say, “Hey! We remember all of these past DC iterations! Do you?” Okay, fine, that doesn’t make it good storytelling. It’s not terrible, it’s just not great, either.

Michael Keaton’s a fun Batman. I’m going to be honest with you–I never had much attachment to the 1989 Batman. I liked this take on Batman, though I don’t know if that means he should have replaced Ben Affleck, or even the Thomas Wayne from the comic; the decision to reference the Burton film felt more like fanservice than something that actually made sense.

Also! Question: why does Iris like Barry? By the end of the film, she’s clearly interested in him, and while we know he’s a great guy, the way he’s acted towards her throughout the movie isn’t very appealing from her point of view. She should be incredibly skeptical about his prospects as a romantic partner, if anything. It seemed like a typical ‘Nerd guy gets The Girl’ Hollywood trope than actually writing for the characters.

This movie feels like it’s had a dozen reshoots added to it, to try to make it appeal to more fans through references, and to try to make it fit or not fit in a new DC universe. And while it’s great fun at times, I’d have preferred if the movie only tried to tell a singular story. I would like an actual Flash movie that had Barry interacting with his own supporting cast and rogues gallery–because Flash has an amazing rogues gallery! Thawne! Zoom! Captain Cold! Mirror Master! These would be fun on a massive blockbuster budget!

And it’s pretty darn egregious that, with everything that’s going on in Warner Bros, that they canceled Batgirl, a film with a female Hispanic lead, and kept straight on with this, when its star has actually committed crimes and threatened people.

I don’t know! I had more fun watching this than I expected, and that was a nice surprise! At the same time, this far from “one of the greatest superhero movies ever made” that was promised–I don’t know how someone even arrived at that proclamation, unless the executives decided “nostalgic references to previous movies” counts as quality. Given the state of Hollywood, that’s a possibility.

If you’re a massive DC fan, or liked other movies in this iteration of the DC universe, than you’ll probably have some fun with this movie. But is it a must-watch? No. Not even close.

[batmannotes]

The Fastest Man Alive finally gets his own live-action solo flick with several other superheroes from the DC Universe lending a helping hand. Ezra Miller portrays The Scarlet Speedster who uses his superpowers to travel back in time to change the events of the past, however worlds collide when his attempt to save his family inadvertently alters the future.  

Oddly enough, with a number of superheroes making appearances, there is only one major super villain in this 2 hour and 24-minute affair, General Zod … a Superman villain. The Flash becomes trapped in a reality in which Zod has returned, threatening destruction, and there is no one to turn to. The Flash is left to coax a vastly different Batman (Michael Keaton) out of retirement to help rescue an imprisoned Kryptonian … albeit not the one he’s looking for, and to save the world that he is in and return to the future that he knows. 

The film starts out with an amazing sequence where the Ben Affleck Batman is in hot pursuit of criminals on his new and improved Batcyle and The Flash is left to rescue babies at a hospital. Watching this sequence of Affleck makes me realize how cool a solo movie with him might have been. Besides a large dose of action, the movie also relies on humor to carry the viewer through a nearly 2 and ½ hour film. Some of the jokes land, but unfortunately most of them don’t. Auspiciously though, the action is enjoyable enough to carry the bulk of this outing. 

After Barry changes the past and returns, he comes face to face with himself, or an 18-year-old version of himself. This eighteen-year-old version of Barry Allen is super too … super annoying. Present day Barry needs his other self to help him resolve the problems that he has created. Ahhh … time travel movies.  

Keaton’s portrayal is both nostalgic and fun. He delivers a couple of legendary lines from his original 1989 Bat-flick while his classic musical motif by Danny Elfman plays in the background during the major events. For a lot of Bat-fans this was a dream come true, although I was left amazed at how spry Batman was at 70-year-old.  

Sasha Calle’s Supergirl was lifeless and with no emotion, very reminiscent of Brie Larson’s unlikeable Captain Marvel. Another female character waisted was Kiersey Clemons’s Iris West; don’t expect any notable love story here. The main emotional draw of this film is the love between a boy and his mother. Barry goes to great lengths for the love of his mom, not realizing one minor adjustment to history has major ramifications throughout time. 

The Flash suffers from two major problems; horrendous special effects and the lack of any real villain. It’s hard to believe that with all the money spent on this flick, the computer animation is flat out cringeworthy in most places. The other thing that really bothers me is how DC has such awesome super villains that Warner Bros. has yet to tap into. The Flash is yet another example of that.  

With all that said, overall, I thought The Flash was still fun and much better than the last couple of DC movie releases (Black Adam, Shazam! Fury of the Gods). Even with the bad special effects, the CGI cameos were nice to see and added to the film’s enjoyment, however, like Barry Allen, this film is its own worst enemy. Instead of squaring up against a legendary villain from Flash’s large gallery of amazing rogues, the Scarlet Speedster is left to battle a timeline that he put into place with another, much more annoying, version of himself by his side.

MOVIE GRADE: C-

4K Reviews:

VIDEO QUALITY 📽️ : A

In my opinion, you won't get a better picture quality than here. The Native 4K (2160p) transfer looks fantastic even with the horrible CGI in place. Colors burst on your screen at home that are equal to, if not better than, that on the silver screen. 

AUDIO QUALITY 🔈 : A-

Although the dialogue is extremely low and hard to understand at times, the action sequences are bombastic and sound wonderful in this Dolby Atmos & True HD 7.1 sound conversion.

EXTRAS 📀 : A-

The extras (listed below) are great! Included with the digital copy of the film are a wealth of enjoyable featurettes. The only minor thing is Warner Bros. is no longer including a regular Blu-Ray copy of the film. 

“The Flash: Escape the Midnight Circus” podcast – Six-part original scripted audio series 

featuring Max Greenfield as The Flash 

The Flash: Escape the Midnight Circus Behind the Scenes 

Deleted Scenes 

Saving Supergirl - featurette 

The Bat Chase - featurette 

Battling Zod - featurette 

Fighting Dark Flash - featurette 

The Flash: The Saga of the Scarlett Speedster - featurette 

Making the Flash: Worlds Collide - featurette 

Let’s Get Nuts: Batman Returns, Again - featurette 

Supergirl: Last Daughter of Krypton - featurette 

Flashpoint: Introducing the Multiverse - featurette 

Available at Amazon.

[forasecondtherewedwon]

Fic-Writer Interview

Not tagged but picked up from @mercurygray :)

How many works do you have on AO3?

261!

What’s your total AO3 word count?

1,762,015!

What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

Affinity War (3182)

3 Simple Rules for Dating a Centenarian (2688)

The Great Madripoorian Snake Off (2245)

"Stare Enough" (1843)

Alright on Paper (1463)

Picture a t-shirt bearing the exhausted Ben Affleck smoking meme and the words, "I survived the MCU and so can you!" (My top 5 were written for Spider-Man and The Falcon and the Winter Soldier.)

Do you respond to comments?

Respond and proceed to treasure forever.

What’s the fic you’ve written with the angstiest ending?

After poking around in my catalogue of fics, it's either one I wrote for Bodyguard, "Don't Ever Let Me Start," or "The Pretty Ones (Who Try to Kill You)" for The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel.

What’s the fic you’ve written with the happiest ending?

Most of what I write does have a happy ending. Hmm... Love Me Like You Drew (for Nancy Drew) and "Same Day, Different Jumpsuit" (the one and only Natasha/Mobius fic on AO3) are both near and dear to my heart.

Do you write crossovers?

Nope! I'm a real compartmentalizer.

Have you ever received hate on a fic?

Yes! So fun! It typically boils down to "I don't like the ship(s) and/or character(s) in this fic and am here to complain even though you tagged everything properly and I could have just scrolled past!" Fic hate is silly. I chuckle all the way to the "delete" button.

Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

*shakes smut variety pack* What kind ya lookin' for?

Click here for my E-rated fics on AO3.

Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Yep, I've had people post my fics on other platforms without my permission, thinking that as long as they added my username for "credit," it was all good 🙄

Have you ever had a fic translated?

I have not, by choice.

Have you ever co-written a fic before?

Nope! I'm an editor and an only child, so.

What’s your all-time favourite ship?

I've written for so many pairings (and a few trios), but Midge/Lenny from The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel has an evergreen ability to set my heart aflutter.

What’s a WIP that you want to finish but don’t think you ever will?

Rude. Probably my Scream AU of Nancy Drew. I would love to write it, but I can't currently see going back and reacquainting myself with all the characters I'd planned to include.

What are your writing strengths?

I love writing humour, in dialogue or otherwise. Also descriptions packed with metaphor.

What are your writing weaknesses?

I. Hate. Plot. I'm here—on this planet, on the internet—to create atmosphere, not complex storylines.

What are your thoughts on writing dialogue in other languages in a fic?

Love it! Like @mercurygray, I speak some French and Italian, so those are the ones I tend to add if I'm going beyond English.

What was the first fandom you wrote for?

Gilmore Girls (specifically A Year in the Life), and I am ready to return to it TOMORROW if Amy Sherman-Palladino provokes me with more bad characterization.

What’s a fandom/ship you haven’t written for yet but want to?

Nothing comes to mind! With both ships and fandoms, I pretty much jump when I wanna jump. I'm also always open to hearing requests.

What’s your favourite fic you’ve written?

Oh! Oh! What a question! It's my baby, my Pride and Prejudice AU, For Now, We May Remain Silent. I wrote it with my copy of Austen open on my desk next to my laptop, going line by line. I worked on it while coping with the final illness and death of someone I loved very much, so a lot of love went into it, and I'm glad I have the fic as a reminder of that time.

From "Studio Tour," still my favourite chapter:

Here are her paintbrushes, disorganized and held in the loose grip of big, old coffee cans. The brushes rattle when Peter runs his finger over their handles, the faded red bristles spinning. A thick, flat brush with discoloured yellow bristles might be his favourite. Glancing over his shoulder, he furtively strokes the uneven hairs with his thumb. They all have this well-used quality that makes his chest clench confusingly. Michelle’s been living a whole life with these in her hand, he thinks, and I don’t know anything about it.

Tagging: Any and all fic-writers following me! Say I tagged ya!

[sleepydelights]

7: Have tattoos?

8: Want any tattoos?

12: Relationship status

13: Biggest turn ons

14: Biggest turn offs

15: Favorite movie

16: I’ll love you if

25: My idea of a perfect date

27: A description of the girl/boy I like

34: What I find attractive in women

35: What I find attractive in men

36: Where I would like to live

oop i didn't think it was so many sorry

Wow! Don’t be sorry nonnie I’m happy for the attention and distraction from packing ^.^

7. Yes, but they’re all simple, black, and family related. I’m itching to get a number of new ones though.

8. Haha yes, I want a beetle in the crook of my arm so when I open and close my arm, the elytra open revealing the wings beneath. I want a 747 wingtip to wingtip, elbow to pinky. I have a number of finger tattoos I want; bone outline on the back of one hand. I want my entire left leg to be beautiful vibrant flowers, each representing an important person to me. There are so many more tbh but that’s a start.

12. I am married and poly. I’m not actively seeking, but then that’s never been my style. My wife landed in my lap 10 years ago by luck. I tend to deal in extremes so if I’m honest I never dated much at all. Just pined.

13. Biggest turn ons? It’s hard to rank them because they all have different effects but I guess decisiveness, intention, and calmness.

14. Turnoffs? Gah it’s so situational and I never know when something is going to give me the ick. I think willful ignorance is number one. Like if someone sends a message with my pinned word but the message contains unsolicited sexy roleplay, I’m immediately squicked. Like brother (it’s always men in my experience) you read it but did you -read- it? That’s a lame example but yeah ignorance and boundary pressing behavior.

15. Favorite movie. I get so much shit for this all the time but it’s Armageddon. Bruce Willis was in his peak imho in 97 for The Fifth Element and in 98 for Armageddon. It’s a stellar fucking cast- Steve Buscemi, Liv Tyler, Michael Clarke Duncan,Billy Bob Thornton, and there’s also Ben Affleck and Owen Wilson. Yes. I know. It’s a Michael Bay film but I feel like it gets a pass because it’s pre-Transformers. It’s so bad it’s good again, from hysterically bad dialogue to criminally incorrect representations of vacuum physics, all to the fucking tune of Aerosmith. Fun fact - NASA uses (or used) Armageddon for management trainees, tasking them to spot as many errors as possible and so far 168 have been noted. Let’s not forget the bonus dvd features interviewing Ben Affleck who essentially laughs his way through every plot hole for five minutes. Suspend your disbelief of any of it making logical sense in a real world environment and it’s a fantastic film and I will die on this hill to the tune of I Don’t Wanna Miss a Thing.

16. I’ll love you if you… think of me fondly.

25. My idea of a perfect date? April 25th. It’s not too hot and not too cold. All you need is light jacket. ^.^ But for real? Probably going for tapas and drinks, maybe a show. Then we come back and get comfy because fuck being out too long and we snuggle and talk and let things go where they may.

27. A description of a person I like. She has the most vibrant brown eyes I’ve ever seen. Black as night sometimes but sometimes they are a rich amber or even chocolate with hints of sienna. Her skin is so soft and inviting. Her hands are soft but strong. She’s taller than me which is nice because sometimes I need to feel small. She’s a talented writer and she’s funny and smart but not a know it all. She does know it all though. About everything. She has a thirst for knowledge that rivals no one else I’ve met. Some of it might be useless knowledge but fuck if she doesn’t retain it like she does cables and puns. I like her a lot.

34. What I find attractive in women? The list of what I don’t find attractive in women would be much shorter. I have been obsessed with the female form for as long as I can remember. I was always embarrassed about it but here it’s okay and welcome to openly worship women and I love that for me.

35. What I find attractive in men? I don’t find many men attractive and the ones I do? They don’t have many physical attributes in common. It’s about how they make me feel. I can’t stand a man who yells. I do appreciate some hair and a squishy tummy and big hands though.

36. Where I would like to live? It’s between California and Barcelona right now. California for friends mostly. Barcelona to escape the political fuckery of this hellscape country. I don’t feel like my family is safe here anymore.

Thanks for all the questions! I really need to pack my tech bag and go to bed soon though. My Lyft will be here in 7 hours. 🫣