#frank buchman

[whatisonthemoon]

Machine Guns Near the Church of Scientology’s Int Base or Gold Base

Ex-Scientologist Mark Headley confirmed that there are men with machine guns near the Int Base but these aren’t Scientologists, but the U.S. Government. Apparently there is some sort of secret project or base right next to Scientology’s Int Base. 

It is odd how this is seen as coincidental by a lot of them. Miles Copeland Jr. had claimed that the CIA and Scientology had a strong relationship, as well as with the MRA. 

Some, like the late Ed Coffman, believed that the Unification Church inherited the MRA’s mission and CIA support as Frank Buchman passed in 1961. 

[if-you-fan-a-fire]

"OXFORD GROUP HERE FOR LIFE-CHANGING," Toronto Star. March 19, 1934. Page 3. ---- This touring team of the Oxford group, many of whom had been here, before, arrived in Toronto yesterday for a week's crusade of "life-changing. The team was headed by Rev. Frank Buchman. The team included members from Great Britain, United States, Germany. Russia and South Africa. Here are some of those present: (1) George Light of Warwick. (2) Elsie Burroughs of Ripen, Yorkshire, (3) LEFT to RIGHT-Basil Yates, Oxford: F. B. Bowdillon, London. and Bremer Hofmeyr. Rhodes scholar, Victoria College, South Africa. (4) Miss Helen de Trey of Zurich, Switzerland. (5) Clive Hicks, New York. (6) H. Ronald Hardy, Sussex, England, brick manufacturer and big game hunter. (7) Eleanore Forde. Montreal, (8) Miss Mary Goddie, Edinburgh, Scotland, and (9) J. Van Mien Walle de Bordes, secretary financial committee, League of Nations

[ultraozzie3000]

Through the Looking Glass

Above, from left: When Teddy Roosevelt announced in 1912 that he would run for president against his former VP, William Howard Taft, Brown Brothers sent photographer Charles Duprez to Oyster Bay to take this famous photo; President Taft and his wife, Helen “Nellie” Taft, in 1909; famed New York Giants pitcher Christy Mathewson warms up before a game, circa 1912.…

[adamwatchesmovies]

Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939)

Only one thing dates Mr. Smith Goes to Washington: the controversy that accompanied its release. Said controversy seems absurdly comical when looked at today. This 1939 film is eerily modern. Brilliantly acted and directed, memorable, emotional, funny and touching, it’s the kind of movie you���ve seen referenced and imitated many times - you just don't know it. This is one of the great ones, the kind of story that awakens something inside you.

Under pressure from the corrupt Jim Taylor (Edward Arnold), Governor Hubert Hopper (Guy Kibbee) must appoint a new U.S. senator to replace the recently deceased Sam Foley. They are looking for a stooge the crooked Senator Joseph Paine (Claude Rains) can keep in check. Taylor chooses Jefferson Smith (James Stewart), a wholesome idealist with no political experience.

If you’re familiar with any moment from Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, it’s probably the climactic “filibuster scene”. If this is all you know, you have no idea what the film is really like. You might’ve guessed that it’s inspirational but Smith is more than an everyman, he’s the concept taken to another level. Once in Washington, he immediately walks away from his entourage and goes on a pilgrimage around the city, visiting monuments that take his breath away. As an audience member in the 21st century, you chuckle a little but it doesn’t take too long for you to understand what he’s seeing. Smith is not like us. He’s never seen the Statue of Abraham Lincoln; he’s only heard and read about it. Standing in the shadow of the marble titan, he cannot help but be overwhelmed by hope and inspiration. He knows he’s underqualified for the job given to him. Rather than be discouraged, he's determined to try even harder.

You sympathize and fall in love with the dreamer thanks to James Stewart’s performance. When he comes head-to-head with Taylor and his stooges, you realize the movie is about so much more than politics; it’s about standing up for what’s right no matter the odds. Taylor has all of the power. He can basically do whatever he wants unopposed. Even knowing this cannot prepare you for the overwhelming obstacles Smith faces. And what does our hero have to counterattack with? Little more than the backing of the people he’s won over legitimately - which is still not much compared to what money can buy. It’s a nerve-wracking battle, the kind that makes you sink into a pit of despair. You don’t know whether ultimately, this is a fight he can win. Maybe an unhappy ending is the reason the film was attacked as anti-American and pro-Communist for its portrayal of corruption in the government...

Democrat and Senate Majority Leader Alben W. Barkley called the film “silly and stupid”, “a grotesque distortion” of the Senate, which is a shock to anyone who watches today. Part of what makes Mr. Smith Goes to Washington so good is its authenticity. Though Smith is an idealist, the story knows being in power doesn't mean you're a good person. There are a lot of crooked people in the story. Even the nice ones are passively complicit in the dark deals happening in Washington - but there’s also hope. It’s made clear that ultimately, Frank Capra believes one person CAN make a difference, that individuals ARE important.

All this makes the movie seem so dark and dire. It is, particularly during the last act but it’s also got a lot of humour throughout. Smith is such a fish out of water you can’t help but laugh at him when he arrives on the scene. You'll be in stitches every time he interacts with his appointed secretary, the cynical takes-no-guff-from-anyone Saunders (Jean Arthur, fantastic). The two of them are so good together that you could forget all of the business in the Senate and still have a great film.

Simply as a piece of cinema, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington is a delight. A particular scene in which the camera focuses on Smith’s hat says so much with so little. You don’t see the performers’ faces at all but you know exactly what’s going on. There are many scenes like this. It’s simply fabulous, the kind of movie that has a little bit of everything: romance, humor, suspense, great performances, camerawork and writing. This is the kind of movie you see once and then never forget. (On Blu-ray, June 26, 2020)

[arianod]

Fun, little known fact: Frank Capra was a staunch conservative. Credit for all the progressive messages in the films he directed is due to his writers: Jo Swerling, Robert Riskin and Sidney Buchman.

IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE (1946) • JIMMY STEWART as George Bailey and LIONEL BARRYMORE as Mr. Potter

[neuroticboyfriend]

fun fact! AA is effectively an offshoot of The Oxford Group, whose founder (Frank Buchman) said, and i quote "I thank heaven for a man like Adolf Hitler, who built a front line of defense against the anti-Christ of Communism." oh yeah and he also wanted to convert the nazis to his belief system.

[ulkaralakbarova]

Seen-it-all New York detective Frank Keller is unsettled – he has done twenty years on the force and could retire, and he hasn’t come to terms with his wife leaving him for a colleague. Joining up with an officer from another part of town to investigate a series of murders linked by the lonely hearts columns he finds he is getting seriously and possibly dangerously involved with Helen, one of the main suspects. Credits: TheMovieDb. Film Cast: Frank Keller: Al Pacino Helen Cruger: Ellen Barkin Sherman: John Goodman Terry: Michael Rooker Frank Keller Sr.: William Hickey Gruber: Richard Jenkins Serafino: Paul Calderon Struk: Gene Canfield Dargan: Larry Joshua Lieutenant: John Spencer Gina Gallagher / Lonelyheart: Christine Estabrook Miss Allen: Barbara Baxley Older Woman: Patricia Barry Murdered Man: Mark Phelan Raymond Brown: Michael O’Neill Doorman: Michael Fischetti Omar Maldonado: Luis Antonio Ramos Efram Maldonado: Rafael Báez Black Guy: Samuel L. Jackson Ernest Lee: Damien Leake Tommy: John Thaddeus Willie: Joshua Nelson Supermarket Manager: Christofer de Oni Supermarket Cashier: Dwayne McClary Helen’s Mother: Jacqueline Brookes Toastmaster: Thom Curley Cable Supervisor: Fred Sanders Clipboard Guy #2: Larry Mullane Clipboard Guy #3: Anthony Catanese Bartender: Thomas Wagner Doorman: Manny Alfaro James Mackey: Brian Paul Tense Woman: Deborah Taylor Sasha: Ferne Downey Raymond Brown’s Wife: Nancy Beatty Clipboard Guy #1: Tony De Santis Yuppie Detective #1: Jackie Laidlaw Yuppie Detective #2: Paul Hubbard Surveillance Team Member: James Kidnie Sherman’s Wife: Bridget O’Sullivan Criminal Type: Franz Fridal Hallway Cop: James O’Regan Hallway Cop: Wayne Best Young Cop: John Bourgeois Young Cop: Hugh Thompson Bride: Miranda de Pencier Groom: Ty Templeton Denice Gruber (scenes deleted): Lorraine Bracco Film Crew: Editor: David Bretherton Director: Harold Becker Director of Photography: Ronnie Taylor Unit Production Manager: Louis A. Stroller Producer: Martin Bregman Costume Design: Betsy Cox Script Supervisor: Blanche McDermaid First Assistant Camera: Yves Drapeau Second Assistant Director: Rocco Gismondi First Assistant Director: Michael E. Steele Second Assistant Director: David Sardi First Assistant Director: Thomas J. Mack Camera Operator: Andy Chmura Casting: Mary Colquhoun Production Design: John Jay Moore Second Assistant Director: Madeleine Henrié Additional Photography: Adam Holender Associate Producer: Michael Bregman Makeup Artist: Irving Buchman Hairstylist: Bryan Charbonneau Hairstylist: Bob Grimaldi Makeup Artist: Irene Kent Key Makeup Artist: Leslie A. Sebert Stunts: Dick Ziker Writer: Richard Price Stunts: Glenn R. Wilder Stunts: Buddy Joe Hooker Production Assistant: Liam Kiernan Stunts: Kenny Bates Stunts: Steve Boyum Stunts: Rick Parker Stunts: Shane Cardwell Production Manager: Barbara Kelly First Assistant Camera: Michael Hall First Assistant Camera: Horace Jordan Location Manager: Debra Beers Production Accountant: Dorothy Precious Production Coordinator: Toni Blay Sound Mixer: Keith A. Wester Boom Operator: Steve Switzer Gaffer: Rae Thurston Best Boy Grip: Howie Balbraith Grip: Randy Tambling Dolly Grip: Robert DaPrato First Assistant Art Direction: Lucinda Zak Set Decoration: Gordon Sim Set Dresser: Raman Majlath Property Master: Vic Rigler Wardrobe Master: Gail Filman Second Assistant Camera: Rick Perotto Assistant Location Manager: Anne Richardson Assistant Accountant: Karen Demontbrun Assistant Set Decoration: Richard Ferbrache Assistant Property Master: Jeff Poulis Wardrobe Assistant: Debi Weldon Production Secretary: Regina Robb Carpenter: Boyd Allen Scenic Artist: Reet Puhm Transportation Coordinator: Neil Montgomerie Unit Publicist: Joan Eisenberg Still Photographer: Rob McEwan Casting: Stuart Aikins Extras Casting: Scott Mansfield Additional Editing: John Wright Assistant Editor: Francine Fleishman Assistant Editor: Irvin Paik Assistant Editor: Charlene Olson Assistant Editor: Haydn Streeter Supervising Sound Editor: Norval D. Crutcher Supervising Sound Editor: Randle ...

[mahi1313]

"There is enough in the world for everyone's need, but not enough for everyone's greed." 🎯🌀👍

Frank Buchman

[fascinating-yarn]

So, here's the conclusion I've come to as a student and researcher who has studied the script history of Merrily.

"Not a Day Goes By" was written very early in Merrily's development history. From Furth's earliest draft (dated September 1980) it exists in the courthouse scene that ends Act 1 (sung by Beth) and as a reprise in the wedding scene (mostly a solo for Frank, paired with their duet "Honey"). This is essentially how it was through rehearsals and into the preview period - Beth still sang the song (and if you listen to the audio of the second preview, you can hear this!)

But, seemingly, Sondheim and Gemignani realized that Sally Klein's upper register wasn't strong enough to support the song. She could sing it, but she got thin and less powerful. So they made the decision to rewrite the scene so Jim Walton would sing it instead. Everyone seems to have understood this as a temporary change: when the show was released for licensing in 1982, the song had been given back to Beth. The lyrics as currently sung are the original lyrics, and those heard on the original cast album are brief replacements so Frank could sing the song. It's sort of unclear why they would have had to reassign the song instead of changing the key: maybe it was too late; maybe Klein's voice couldn't do it in any key. For later productions Sondheim was in favor of lowering the song as far as needed to land well in the singer's voice. (The 1994 cast recording, which corresponds to the current license as of November 2024, has the song an entire perfect fifth down from its original key, and Bernadette Peters' famous rendition is a fourth down.)

I might give an aside to talk about the song's reprise in Act 2: while this instance of the song is present from the earliest drafts, its use as a duet for Frank and Mary doesn't emerge until the preview period. For reasons I don't totally understand (Furth never mentions them in his papers to my memory) the decision was made when the show was first being drafted to cut the idea that Julia (the 1934 play's equivalent to Mary) is in love with Richard (= Frank), but this was reinstated during previews by the rewrite of the "Not a Day Goes By" reprise (possibly corresponding to cutting "Honey"). This corresponds to a number of changes throughout: in the drafts it is Charley who sings the "Old Friends" preprise in the restaurant scenes, but during previews this shifts to Mary and I wouldn't be surprised if these were part of the same decision.

For what it's worth, I find Sondheim a bit unreliable in his description of Merrily's history in Finishing the Hat, as other researchers have pointed out before me (if you are interested in further research, you can see Dr. Andrew Buchman's two scholarly articles on the topic). He states, for instance, that "Honey" and "Darling" were cut during or before rehearsals respectively, when there are audio recordings proving that both were present during the preview period. It's unclear to me why this might be: Sondheim is incredibly detailed and correct at other points, but it may well be that the story of the development of Merrily was too confusing and too painful to recall correctly.

I don't get the story behind "Not a Day Goes By." In the original production, Frank sings it. In subsequent productions, Beth sings it. In Look, I Made a Hat, Sondheim talked about some big changes he made from the original production to the revised version in 1985, but he listed the song with Beth singing it and didn't mention a change there. In Sondheim on Music, he talked about writing it for Beth. So why did Frank sing it in the original production?

[ilcovodelbikersgrunf]

Glenn Close: La mia terribile infanzia in una setta

Glenn Close è cresciuta in una setta religiosa: la Moral Re-Armament. Introdotta nell’organizzazione religiosa dal defunto padre William Taliaferro quando aveva appena 7 anni, vi rimase fino ai 22.

Per un periodo ha anche vissuto nei quartieri generali dell’organizzazione in Svizzera, per poi lasciare definitivamente la setta nel 1970.

Ora Close, 74 anni, in una puntata della docuserie sulla salute mentale ‘The Me You Can’t See‘ prodotta da Oprah Winfrey e dal principe Harry ha svelato che quell’esperienza “terribile” l’ha segnata per tutta la vita: “Sono cresciuta in questo gruppo chiamato MRA. Praticamente era una setta in cui tutti dicevano le stesse cose e il controllo era a livelli altissimi”.

Fondato nel 1938 dal pastore luterano statunitense Frank Buchman, il gruppo basava la sua forza su 4 principi: onestà, purezza, altruismo e amore. “Qualsiasi cosa facessimo per noi stessi era considerata negativa ed egoista. Non potevamo mai andare in vacanza e non ci era permesso accumulare ricordi sotto forma di oggetti. Non era permesso fare nulla, mi facevano sentire in colpa per qualsiasi desiderio considerato innaturale. Era terribile“, ha raccontato Close.

L’attrice, pluricandidata agli Oscar, che ha alle spalle 3 matrimoni (con Cabot Wade, James Constantine Marlas e David Show) è convinta che la sua incapacità di costruire un legame duraturo sia legata proprio agli anni vissuti nella setta: “È incredibile come un trauma infantile possa risultare devastante per una vita intera“.

[whatisonthemoon]

Confession in the Unification Church

MUST LISTEN: The "Cult of Confession" episode of Blessed Child podcast

One Twitter user @kijinosu describes this episode and its content: 

"In this podcast, Renee describes a feature of thought reform that I hadn't seen elsewhere in my yet brief studies. Let me label it the Big Brother effect and put it out for discussion. Listen to ‘Cult of Confession with Renee'. I call it the Big Brother effect because, as I understand it, UC's incessant report-contact-consult practice combined with group confession causes the believer to feel that they are always being watched. In response to this feeling of always being watched, the believer creates a god that covers all of the demands of the collective. Because satisfying this god then satisifes all of the collective's demands, the believer focuses just on this god. The end result is self-reinforcing thought reform that is less dependent of the collective for maintenance.”

Confession in the Unification Church

Moon and Kwak on repentance, October 1989: 

Each one of us needs heavenly wisdom to solve the problem of our own burden. To be able to live a lifestyle in which we can confess and report things to a central figure can only bring us great fortune.

Hyo Nam Kim (Dae Mo Nim) on March 9, 2002:

In the Divine Principle, is there anything written about the removal of Original sin? In the first, original Blessings, to qualify we had to confess all of our sins and repent and accept pardon as part of the condition to receive the Blessing. Yet, from 6000 Couples Blessing on, our sins were forgiven upon easier and easier conditions. Father would say, subsequently, "I will not ask about your past... just repent and recommit..."

Sun Myung Moon on April 26, 1992:

"Even now you sometimes sneak a drink. Father understands this very well, these secret drinks taste the best. Raise your hands if you sneak a drink sometimes. If you do not confess, it will carry over to the Spirit World."

From the Interview and Confession Form for BC Matching/Blessing Applicants:

It is the responsibility of your District Director (or the designated church leader or STF Director), representing the Continental Director and True Parents, to make sure that you understand the value of the Blessing and that you are prepared and qualified to attend. This confidential meeting is also your opportunity to confess any sins and perhaps receive guidance so that you can go into the Blessing with a clean conscience, free from accusation. Sin came into this world through the fall and cut us off from God, therefore it is important to confess your sins. Do not try to hide your mistakes because they will eventually come out and cause even more pain. The confession pages will stay confidentially with a representative of the Blessing Department. All three pages must be submitted to the Blessing Department.

Conference with [Black] Heung Jin Nim - Takeru Kamiyama (1987)

Before he came to New York in November 1987, I had heard many stories about his new existence in the body of a black African young man, traveling around and hearing confessions. I wondered, how can this brother really be [Black] Heung Jin Nim? Members all over the world are claiming that [Black] Heung Jin Nim has spoken through them, but how can we know if he really did?

Black Heung Jin Nim in DC by Damian Anderson

"With my own eyes, I saw this man in the Washington DC church knock people’s heads together, hit them viciously with a baseball bat, smack them around the head, punch them, and handcuff them with golden handcuffs. I had seen enough. Todd Lindsay was the first to leave. His wife was due to have a baby any day. My wife was six months pregnant at the time, and we were next in line for “confession” to the heavy-handed inquisitor."

Heung Jin Nim’s Spiritual Work by Michael Mickler:

These lectures, punctuated by songs and testimonies or sometimes lively jumping and marching, also took hours, and there was no provision for sleep during the three days. Food also was not a problem since most members were placed on fasting conditions following their confessions. Heung Jin Nim showed special concern for infertile couples and called for couples willing to give birth to a child for them to adopt. There were “tears streaming from many eyes” as “the giving and receiving couples embraced with deep emotion.” At the close of each conference, “participants were given a detailed schedule for their…lives of devotion and attendance,” including time for morning and evening prayers and for study and discussion of the Principle. Many members experienced personal liberation. Public confession or confession with one’s spouse was a prominent feature of “Black” Heung Jin Nim’s conferences. They could unburden themselves of deeply held secrets and “separate from Satan.” Within an intensely supportive environment, they could repent, make restitution as needed, and have a “second chance” to become pure. Others achieved levels of spiritual intimacy, which had been lacking.

On the MRA’s use of confession

Encyclopedia.com on Frank Buchman’s use of confession in the Oxford Group Movement:

He organized his followers into small groups where participants could confess their sins and share their religious experiences in an intimate setting; members would then seek to convert others through one-onone evangelism. Buchman's followers listened for God's plans for their lives, and measured their behavior through a moral code centered on absolute honesty, purity, unselfishness, and love (the Four Absolutes). During the 1920s Buchman developed an international network of these small groups that became known as the Oxford Group Movement.

Encyclopedia.com on Frank Buchman’s use of confession in the Moral Re-Armament Movement:

In 1938 he announced the campaign for Moral Rearmament (MRA), offering Christianity as an alternative to both communism and fascism. In the late 1930s MRA sought to prevent war by calling individuals on each side to confess their sins to the other and adhere to the Four Absolutes. During World War II it turned its energies to morale building, especially in industrial relations. MRA saw Christianity and communism as the world's two competing ideologies; during the Cold War it sought to defend the West, primarily by focusing on labor peace, strong families, and moral values. Through the 1950s the movement held international rallies and used the media skillfully; it achieved prominence by publicizing the involvement of world leaders, especially from the United States, the British Commonwealth, and Asia. 

[if-you-fan-a-fire]

"PATTULLO WELCOMES OXFORD GROUPERS," Vancouver Sun. May 28, 1934. Page 7. ---- GREAT INTEREST IN MOVEMENT, SAYS PREMIER ---- VICTORIA, May 28. - "This vast audience is evidence of the great interest that is being manifested in the Oxford Group movement. We are probably living in a period of far reaching importance a period of evolution in the history of the world. We are perhaps too close to the situation to grasp all its implications," Premier T. D. Pattullo said, in his opening remarks, when welcoming Dr. Frank N. D. Buchman, founder and leader of the movement, and his Colleagues to Victoria, at a meeting held in the Royal Victoria Theatre, Sunday night.

"It is rather an anomaly that all the nations of the world should be advocating international goodwill and peace, and yet all adopting an opposite course of action," the Premier continued.

"If we are to produce good will among nations, then we have to have good will in the hearts of the individuals. I find myself in great sympathy with all endeavors inculcated with the spirit of goodwill."

More than one hundred members of the group from London arrived in Victoria Saturday. They are on tour of Canada and the United States and held meetings here at various churches throughout the day.

Their final meeting was held at the Empress Hotel Sunday evening and the groupers left at midnight for Vancouver.

Leader HALLEN VINEY, M.A. Once a chaplain in the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserves, Hallen Viney, one of the best known members of the Oxford Group's International Team, is an M.A. from Downing College, Cambridge University. A leader in the organization work of the group, he made a wide circle of acquaintances during his first visit to Vancouver with the Oxford Group team a year ago.

[oldshowbiz]

Sidney Buchman, the screenwriter of Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, recalled a discussion he had with director Frank Capra while writing the film: 

“One day he came to see me in my room and we talked about Smith. I tried to show him what I meant to say, that it is necessary to maintain a vigilant attitude even when you think you are living in a democracy … He looked at me and said, ‘Go get fucked with your theme!’”

[genevieveetguy]

You see, boys forget what their country means by just reading The Land of the Free in history books. Then they get to be men they forget even more. Liberty's too precious a thing to be buried in books, Miss Saunders. Men should hold it up in front of them every single day of their lives and say: I'm free to think and to speak. My ancestors couldn't, I can, and my children will. Boys ought to grow up remembering that.

Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, Frank Capra (1939)

[alittlefrenchtree]

ALFT Cultural Rewind 2022

For the first time this year, I tried to write down everything I've consumed in terms of movies, books and TV Shows during 2022. I live having these lists and I've decided to share in case you're looking for some random recommendations. Feel free to ask for more opinions, thoughts on anything if you want 😊

purple is for things I liked 💜

Movies I’ve watched in 2022

1) The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo - David Fincher

2) Flickan som lekte med elden — Daniel Alfredson

3) Amadeus - Milos Forman

4) En attendant Bojangles — Régis Roinsard

5) Licorice Pizza — Paul Thomas Anderson

6) Lynx — Laurent Geslin, Laurence Buchman

7) The Chef (Boiling Point) — Philip Baranti ; James Cummings

8) Her — Spike Jonze (Rewatch, one of my favorite movie ever)

9) Arthur Rambo — Laurent Cantet

10) White Snake — Amp Wong : Zhao Ji

11) Death on the Nile — Kenneth Branagh

12) Enquête sur un Scandale d’État - Thierry de Peretti

13) Goliath — Frederic Tellier

14) The Batman — Matt Reeves

15) Notre Dame Brûle — Jean-Jaques Annaud

16) En Corps — Cédric Klapish

17) Les Bad Guys — Pierre Peril

18) À la folie — Audrey Estrougo

19) Fantastic Beasts : The Secrets of Dumbledore — David Yates

20) Downton Abbey : A new era — Simon Curtis

21) Sentinelle Sud — Mathieu Gerault

22) Elvis — Baz Luhrmann

23) Tenor — Claude Zidi Jr.

24) Tron — Steven Lisberg

25) La nuit du 12 — Dominik Moll

26) Sundown— Michel Franco

27) Nope — Jordan Peele

28) Three Thousand Years of Longing — George Miller (my favorite movie of the year)

29) Tout le monde aime Jeanne - Céline Devaux

30) La page blanche — Murielle Magellan

31) Everything, everywhere, all at once — Dan Kwan, Daniel Scheinert

32) Lord of the ring 1 — Peter Jackson (rewatch)

33) Lord of the ring 2 — Peter Jackson (Rewatch, even if I had forgotten all about it)

34) Lord of the ring 3 — Peter Jackson (Rewatch, even if I had forgotten all about it)

35) Don’t Worry Darling — Olivia Wilde

36) Le visiteur du futur — François Descraques

37) Les secrets de mon père — Véra Belmont

38) Entergalactic — Fletcher Moules

39) Dragon Ball Super — Tetsurô Kodama

40) Maria Rêve — Lauriane Escaffre, Yvonnick Muller

41) Simone : Le Voyage du siècle — Olivier Dahan

42) My Policeman — Michael Grandage

43) Mascarade — Nicolas Bedos

44) Armageddon Time — James Gray

45) Bones and All — Luca Guadagnino

46) Close — Lukas Dhont

47) Les Bonnes Étoiles --(브로커 - Beurokeo) — Hirokazu Kore-Eda

Books I’ve read In 2022

1) The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets' Nest — Stieg Larsson (the rec is for the whole trilogy)

2) The art and soul of Dune — Tanya Lapointe

3) Un dernier tour de piste — Martin Fourcade

4) The Dark Half — Stephen King

5) Death note — Tsugumi Ōba & Takeshi Obata (Let’s pretend I’ve read all of them and not stop reading before reaching the end for an unknown reason)

6) Le Match de ma vie — Nicolas Mahut

7) Les liaisons dangereuses — Choderlos de Laclos (First re-read since high school. It’s a good things I don’t remember what my literature class sounded like because I think all the toxic/criminal behavior in this book were not called out enough by my teacher.)

8) Midnight Sun — Stephanie Meyer

9) Children of Dune — Frank Herbert

10) Blackwater : The Flood — Michael Mcdowell

11) Les Ravissantes — Romain Puertolas

12) The Royal Game — Stephan Zweig (Re-read, I love this short novel so much)

13) Le plongeur 

14) Le Diner de Babette 

— Karen Blixen

15) Onze Minutes — Paulo Coelho (Re-read, still interesting)

16) Desolation Road — Jerome Noires (Re-read as well, not sure why I felt the need to pick it again but ok book)

17) Double Fault — Lionel Shriver (Re-read as well, didn’t really like it the first time but it’s definitely more interesting/relevant to read when you care about tennis)

TV Shows I’ve (tried to) watch(ed) in 2022

-Mr Robot Season 1 ; Episode 1 to… 4 I think?

-Grey’s Anatomy ; Seasons 1 to 6 (Regular rewatch that stopped by itself at some point)

-Designated Survivor ; Season 1

-House MD ; Season 1, a few episodes (Failed my rewatch, will try again in 2023)

-The Undoing 1 season (✅ completed)

-Severance ; a few episodes ?

-Balthazar ; Season 4 (Only here for Tomer Sisley)

-Veronica Mars ; 4 seasons (✅ completed) (Rewatch except for the last season)

-Outlander ; Season 6

-Heartstopper ; Season 1

-Timeless ; 2 Seasons (✅ completed)

-Moon Night ; 1 Season (✅ completed)

-Quantico ; 1 Season

-Obi-Wan Kenobi ; 1 Season (✅ completed)

-Lost ; Season 1 and 2

-Mind Hunter ; Season 1 and 6 episodes of Season 2

-Shokugeki No Soma ; All 5 seasons (✅ completed) (4 AMAZING seasons. Last one should be forgotten)

-The Walking Dead ; 6 seasons (Rewatch of the first season to try to finish it soon. First time I had stopped around season 8 or 9 I think ?)

-Emily in Paris ; Season 3 (The last source of joy left in the world)

-10 pour 100 (Call my agent) ; 2 seasons and 5 episodes of season 3 (Current watch, very easy to binge watch)

[byneddiedingo]

James Stewart in Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (Frank Capra, 1939)

Cast: James Stewart, Jean Arthur, Claude Rains, Edward Arnold, Guy Kibbee, Thomas Mitchell, Eugene Pallette, Beulah Bondi, H.B. Warner, Harry Carey, Astrid Allwyn, Ruth Donnelly, Grant Mitchell, Porter Hall, H.V. Kaltenborn, Charles Lane, William Demarest, Jack Carson. Screenplay: Sidney Buchman, based on a story by Lewis R. Foster. Cinematography: Joseph Walker. Art direction: Lionel Banks. Film editing: Al Clark, Gene Havlick. Music: Dimitri Tiomkin.

Perhaps only James Stewart (or Gary Cooper, who turned down the role of Jefferson Smith) could have made Frank Capra's preposterous, sentimental, flag-wavingly patriotic Mr. Smith Goes to Washington into what many people still regard as a beloved classic. But now that we've spent some time being governed by probably the most corrupt man ever to hold the White House, a president elected on populist promises to "drain the swamp" in Washington but who instead spent his time wallowing in it and stocking it with still more alligators, maybe we can take a harsher look at the Capra film's politics. The people who elected Donald Trump seem to have thought they were voting for Jefferson Smith but instead elected the movie's Jim Taylor (played deliciously by that fattest of character actor fat cats, Edward Arnold). David Thomson, among others, has cogently observed that the film celebrates Jefferson Smith's bull-headed integrity, but that democracy necessarily involves the kind of compromises that Claude Rains's Senator Paine has made, and which have made him a popular and successful politician. True, he's under the thumb of the viciously corrupt Jim Taylor, who is even a manipulator of "fake news," but Thomson questions whether the people of Smith's state wouldn't have benefited more from the dam Taylor wants to put on Willett Creek, presumably one that would supply power and other benefits to the state, than from Smith's piddly boys' camp, which would benefit at best a few hundred boys. (No girls need apply?) Smith's dramatic filibuster also seems to be holding up a bill that would provide funding for some essential services. As it happens, I rewatched Mr. Smith on the night after the Senate reached an impasse on funding the entire federal government, and there could hardly be a better example of political stubbornness undermining the public good. Which is only to say that the merits of Capra's film -- and there are some -- transcend its simple-minded fable. Among its merits, it's beautifully acted, not only by Stewart, Rains, and Arnold, but also by Jean Arthur, that most underrated of 1930s leading ladies, and Thomas Mitchell, who appeared in no fewer than three of the films nominated for the best picture Oscar for 1939 -- this one, Gone With the Wind (Victor Fleming), and Stagecoach (John Ford) -- and won the supporting actor award for Stagecoach. And just run down the rest of the cast list, which seems to be a roster of every great character actor in the movies of that day, all of them performing with great energy. Capra's mise-en-scène is sometimes stagy, but Lionel Banks's great re-creation of the Senate chamber gives Capra a fine stage on which to work.