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silentauroriamthereal · 4 years ago

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So, I watched Happiest Season yesterday, and I have thoughts. A lot of thoughts. Spoilers abound and this is long, so I’ll put this under a cut.

Happiest Season: a review

You have to ask yourself how “happy” a happy ending really is when you glance down at the time bar on the film and see that there’s less than fifteen minutes left and none of the story’s problems have been even remotely resolved.

Skip to the closing credits, and I hadn’t changed my mind. This is a “happy” ending where a great deal of the problems in the plot were left either completely unresolved, or whose happiness wasn’t earned – wasn’t properly fleshed out, developed, supported, or in fact, even happy.

What an incredibly toxic family the Caldwells are. Let’s start with them: there are three daughters. Sloan has apparently cemented her parents’ permanent disappointment by having left a promising legal career in favour of raising a family. Side tangent: are we really still having this discussion, in 2020? This binary choice between family OR career? Besides, Sloan evidently developed a different, and very lucrative career. I also strongly dislike the way the perception of her marriage ending is portrayed as a failure. Her awful parents both resent her having left the legal field, yet have refused to now see her as anything other than a parent, ignoring her new career choice and, it seems, literally anything else about her. Then we have Jane, who is overtly abused. Treated as lesser than anyone else in the family apart from technical support with malfunctioning printers, Jane is constantly criticized, chastised, literally told to not put herself in the centre of the family for a holiday photo. I was horrified and devastated by the wanton destruction of her painting at the end, too. I’m happy for her that her book got published and that she found success there, but I hate that this brutal, completely unnecessary destruction of her art happened and was totally overlooked.

I’m going to come back to Harper, because there’s a LOT to say there.

The way the parents, Tipper and Ted, treated Abby, was appalling from start to finish. Leaving aside the ENTIRE question of the secret girlfriend thing, if my family ever treated a friend or even distant acquaintance the way the Caldwells treated Abby, I would be furious with them. I used to frequently bring friends who were international students or just on their own for the holidays to my parents’ place for Thanksgiving dinner or Christmas festivities. These people were so, so, so incredibly rude to Abby, from ignoring her when she first arrived to giving her a terrible bedroom with a door that doesn’t lock, to walking in on her multiple times while she was changing or in bed – that level of complete disrespect infuriated me! Just allowing those awful kids to be in her private space without any sort of discipline, consequences, or apologies was unacceptable. The way they treated Abby after those same kids – which she was stuck with, without any sort of request to watch them – planted that necklace on her, was unacceptable. The utter lack of apology for having literally accused her of theft, for accusing her multiple times after that – WOW. Treating Abby as though she was the unexpected, extra guest at the restaurant that first night, and giving the ex-boyfriend the parents kept shoving on Harper the proper one was unacceptable.

Then there’s how Harper treated Abby. Let’s start with the restaurant: first of all, had my parents pulled that stunt on my friend/guest/secret girlfriend, I would have let them know then and there that it wasn’t okay. And then I would have, I don’t know, asked the staff to bring a proper chair, and if that turned out to be impossible, I would have insisted that she take mine instead, and sat on the little chair myself. Asking anyone to closet themselves is an act of violence, and watching that as a member of the LGBTQ2+ community was actively harmful to witness. Again, a lot of the crap that Harper subjected Abby to would have been awful no matter WHO Abby was: you don’t abandon your guest to hang out with old friends. If they’re ready to go home, then you go home with them. It’s basic hospitality. Considering that Abby was Harper’s partner, that’s a whole extra layer of harm. THEN add the ex-boyfriend, a horribly-treated ex-girlfriend, and toxic old friends to the mix, and you have something beyond appalling. Adding this stuff on top of not standing up for Abby to her family, not insisting that she be given somewhere proper to sleep during her time in her parents’ house, not insisting that she be treated with the most basic respect, not defending her during the whole jewellery theft situation, and even going along with the parents’ de-invitation to that dinner – that’s inexcusable. You don’t treat other people that way, much less your partner. Then add Harper calling Abby controlling, while simultaneously having the nerve to get angry about Abby spending time with Riley, which is possibly the only good thing that happened for Abby during that entire, awful trip – yeah. I was finished with Harper by that point.

Harper also actively participated in the way her sisters were constantly put down by their parents. The responsibility of being the privileged favourite is to use your status to bring others up. Harper doesn’t appear to have any sort of spine or courage whatsoever. It was only after she was forcibly outed by Sloan – and such was her privilege that the parents believed that it was a “malicious” lie rather than a “shocking” secret – that Harper even admitted the truth, and that was only after forcing Abby to watch her deny it yet it again. While I did love John (the gay best friend)’s entire speech about someone’s love not being the same thing as being ready to come out, there is nonetheless a ton of harm in forcing your partner watch that. It does affect them. It does disavow their identity at the same time, when they’re in a relationship with you. Her pattern of behaviour of throwing other people under the bus, like Riley, is very much intact.

I completely comprehend Harper’s fear of being rejected by her family. Apparently it was a well-founded fear, based on her awful, awful parents. That’s one of the reasons why the ending didn’t resonate for me at all: it wasn’t earned. Harper’s turn-around from being completely unwilling to have her parents know the truth to claiming that Abby was the only thing that mattered to her, came out of nowhere. It wasn’t a supported development. It happened too quickly. Similarly, the parents both going from being just about the worst parents on the planet to having a VERY sudden change of heart and behaviour, just happened unbelievably quickly. There was no questioning the entire history of their practises or what was wrong with them, no questioning how they’d treated any of their kids. The whole “consequence” for Ted was deciding, of his own accord, not to align himself with a politician who would force Harper to zip it – sorry, continue to zip it – about her identity. He shouldn’t have aligned himself with that woman in the first place. No one ever apologized to Abby about the way they treated her from start to finish, from patronizing her for being an orphan or the constant lack of respect shown her, to the false accusations of theft. Not a single part of it was atoned for at any point. Even Tipper being so disgusted with Abby’s ipad photography skills was disgusting. You just don’t talk to other human beings that way, and there was no resolution for me on any of this. There were also no consequences for Sloan’s horrific, SUPER-public outing of Harper, for Harper’s destruction of Jane’s painting, for the kids’ planting of the necklace on Abby, or for anyone’s horrendous treatment of Abby in general.

So yes: when you’re less than fifteen minutes out from the end of a supposed romantic comedy that was more upsetting to watch than entertaining or funny, and you’re actively rooting for the main character to walk away from her so-called partner and her toxic family, that’s not good. I’m not sold on the “romance” aspect, either. John (Dan Levy’s character) was the only good part of this movie, for me, and that’s overlooking his completely rude ignoring while on his phone at the beginning, or his negligent care of the animals he was supposed to be taking care of. (Gross, again – animals’ lives have value, too, and if my pet sitter killed my pet through negligence while I was away, I would be furious!) But his point about “sticking it to the patriarchy” in terms of Abby asking Ted for his permission/blessing to marry Harper was spot on. For all the hype about this being a progressive, lesbian, holiday rom-com, this film managed to perpetuate a lot of gross aspects of straight, white, misogynistic, heteronormative culture, like women being the property of their fathers and needing to obtain a male parent’s “permission” to marry another human being. The only person’s “permission” that was needed here was Harper’s, and then it’s not about permission – it’s about two adults making a consensual decision to commit themselves to each other. It’s great if you have the support of family – aka, BOTH parents, on BOTH sides – but that support is a bonus, not a prerequisite. Perpetuating the false dichotomy of family vs career for women only, is a harmful one to keep perpetuating. That question is never asked of men.

I was honestly kind of disgusted that Abby chose to stay with Harper by the end. I get it, but it definitely didn’t leave me with warm, romantic feelings. It left me with the deflated feeling I invariably experience whenever a woman makes the choice to be the bigger person and submit herself to a damaging situation or relationship. Mostly what I’m left with is anger that no one spoke up for Abby at any point, even John. That, and anger and sorrow over Jane’s painting. So yeah: it wasn’t as bad as bury your gays, but it also wasn’t really a happy ending for me, or super enjoyable to watch. Do better, Hollywood. Do a lot better.

#happiest season #reviews #lgbtq2+#bury your gays

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famedbasearchive · 4 years ago

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OUR SONGS: EPISODES 5 & 6

Timeline: October 10, 2020, to November 7, 2020

On-Set Filming Dates: October 10, November 7

Deadline: November 5, 11:59PM KST

Those involved in the main cast of Our Songs this month may earn up to 10 points total for writing, by the end of November 5 KST:

Completions of the two interviews included in the in-character prompt. (1 point each, up to 2 points total)

Up to two solo paras of 400+ words based on filming for episodes 5 & 6. (2 points each, up to 4 points total).

A thread of six posts (three per participant, including the starter) with another muse in the main cast based on the Our Songs episodes 5 and 6 schedule. This must be with a different muse than the thread you collected points for last month. (2 points)

A thread of six posts (three per participant, including the starter) with the guest muse your muse is writing for for this round based on the Our Songs episodes 4 and 5 schedule. (2 points). **Note: This should be the first priority and points may only be collected for the exact requirement listed. That said, should you have trouble completing this by the deadline with the guest muse, this requirement also be passed only for the sake of elimination consideration (not points) if you complete a second thread with another muse from the main cast by the deadline.

Please remember the number of the above tasks completed by each muse will factor into eliminations during blocks with eliminations.

Those guesting on Our Songs this month may earn up to 6 points total for writing, by the end of November 5 KST:

Completions of these interviews. (1 point each, up to 2 points total)

A solo para of 400+ words based on filming for episodes 5 & 6. (2 points).

A thread of six posts (three per participant, including the starter) with the muse your muse is paired with for Our Songs episodes 5 and 6 schedule. (2 points)

These do not count toward monthly limits or toward normal schedule points. All posts for this task block should be tagged with #fmdos3.

IN-’VERSE INFO

Following the performances on October 8, the competitors will go backstage to their dressing rooms for a little under an hour while the audience is instructed to vote for two songwriters whose performances they liked the best. These votes will be calculated and combined with online track votes based on a weighted formula, and then the competitors are brought back out. They are first told the cast members that got the most votes in the live voting and the online voting as follows:

- Live audience vote: Youngjoo - Online vote: Taeyong

The final rankings are announced as follows to announce the safe competitors from fifth place to second:

5. Suji 4. Taeyong 3. Joohwan 2. Sun

Choi Jihoon congratulates the four safe competitors and dismisses them from the stage to bring the four remaining on stage (Youngjoo, Kami, Eunah, and Jaewon). The competitors currently on stage represent first place, sixth place, and the two competitors who will be eliminated and he reminds everyone of that. After building suspense, he announces Youngjoo as this round’s winner and announces she’s won a prize: she’ll be invited to perform a solo set on one night of the Topaz Music Festival, a popular music festival held at the venue they performed at this round that will take place in November. The festival is normally for non-idol singer-songwriter types, and this will be the first time an idol has been invited to perform. (admin note: If the mun would like to officially confirm this claim as a prize, please submit this form to the points shop blog to have it added to her career page! The mun may decide the exact date for the festival around their muse’s schedule). She’s individually congratulated and then dismissed from the stage.

This leaves three competitors (Kami, Eunah, and Jaewon) and only one will be safe. After building the tension, it is announced that Jaewon has placed sixth and will be safe to go onto the next episode. This means Kami and Eunah have unfortunately been eliminated from the competition and the final overall ranking for the latest round is ultimately as follows:

1. Youngjoo 2. Sun 3. Joohwan 4. Taeyong 5. Suji 6. Jaewon

On October 10, the idols will once again return to the “recording studio” set they first met at on their first day of filming. Competitors will once again be seated based on their rank (first place in seat one, second place in seat two, etc.). Basic pleasantries will be gone through on camera recounting the last round and reminding everyone of the rules and structure of the show before host Choi Jihoon will inform them of their third songwriting mission:

“After the first and second round, you should all have an idea of who you yourself are as a songwriter and who the rest of the cast are as songwriters. You’ve seen their versatility and the areas they excel in the most, both as a performer and songwriter, but a truly gifted songwriter can work for others as well as they can work for themselves, For this round, you will all be asked to write for another idol who will be performing a song you wrote. No one will be able to get through on an established image or popularity alone this round, as the songwriter behind each song will be kept anonymous until everyone has cast their final vote at the live performances. There will be no additional requirements this round, so put your all into shaping a song fitting of the artist who will be performing your song this round.”

The competitors are given time to react to the prompt before they are dismissed from the main set to their green rooms. In their individual green rooms, they’re once again approached by a camera crew and given a form provided by production with basic information on the idol they’ll be writing for, although the exact identity of the idol is not revealed yet (admin note: please keep in mind muses shouldn’t really be able to narrow down exactly who they’re paired with from information on the forms since the form will be re-typed to remove the element of handwriting recognition and they are not informed the idols are limited to the three in-’verse companies). They’ll react to the information and be expected to talk about their first thoughts. After this, each musician will film a talking head interview in a private room with a small team of cameras and producers where they are asked the following questions:

How are you feeling about the ranking you received last round? How do you feel about it in comparison to your rank for the first round?

What are your thoughts on the song you’ll write this round based on the information you’ve been given about the idol you’ll be writing for?

How will you approach writing a song for someone else differently than you’ve approached writing songs for yourself for the first two rounds?

What are your thoughts on your other competitors at this point in the competition?

From October 10 to October 17, all competitors are given time to begin to work on a song or potential songs based on the information they’ve been given. They will be filmed both through the stationary cameras installed in the studio in their company buildings and will also be instructed to continue to use their self-cam to record their creative process as well.

The guest cast members will be made aware at this time of their role in the show: having a song written for them by an assigned cast member to record and perform. They will not yet be made aware of which main cast member they are partnered with and are asked not to discuss their guesting with anyone.

On October 18, all pairs will meet through either a filmed meeting at a coffee shop or through a filmed video call depending on what schedules allow. This meeting will be the reveal of their partner’s identity and during this meeting, the main cast member should be prepared to show the song they’ve been working on and discuss together with their partner about the song and any changes that may need to be made to fit the idol’s voice, style, or preferences. It is up to the main cast member how much they change to accommodate their partner, although they will not be allowed to completely redo the song at this point.

The main cast member will have from October 18 through October 27 to finalize the song and get vocals recorded from the other idol on the track. The pairs may meet up over the course of this time as they wish to work on recording and finalizing, although each meeting should be filmed.

There will be no “demo” presentation for this episode in front of the other competitors due to the nature of the task. Final mastered versions of all songs are due to the production team by the end of October 27.

On November 1, the final version of each competitor’s song will be released onto the base TV website and voting will open for online audiences. They will be uploaded onto streaming sites a week later so as not to reveal the writers’ identities.

On November 7, all competitors and all of the special guests will go to the regular building with the performance set from first episode, where their songs will be performed and voted on. As with last episode, minor set and prop elements are permitted, but they should be easy for the staff to get on and off the stage. The respective companies will be responsible for the styling and performance preparation of the performer.

Once filming begins, the competitors will be informed they will be performing in a randomly generated order in order to maintain anonymity of the writers. The audience is asked to vote more on how well-written a song is for the idol than how amazing the performance is since the songwriters are the ones being evaluated. The performing order is revealed to be:

Wei - “Pit-a-pet” (written by Jaewon)

Huiseon - “Baby Baby” (written by Sun)

Aera - “Diver” (written by Joohwan)

Duri - “Heaven” (written by Youngjoo)

Charlie - “Iljido” (written by Suji)

Minjung - “Girl, Interrupted” (written by Taeyong)

As each guest idol is performing, the six songwriters and all five other guest performers will sit backstage in their individual dressing rooms while their reactions are filmed. Since they are in private, songwriters may react appropriately to the song they wrote. At the conclusion of each stage, each competitor will be given time to talk about their thoughts on the performance and song. In the final airing of the episode, only some competitors’ comments will be aired per song.

During the break following all six song performances, each competitor will film another talking head interview (admin note: please wait to complete this interview until all songs have been chosen and listed above):

Talk about the song you wrote for this task. How do you feel it compares to the first two songs you wrote for the show?

How do you feel the idol you wrote for did in performing your song? In what ways do you feel the song benefited from not being performed by you?

Which of the other songs/performances caught your attention the most?

Which song do you expect got the most votes online and from the audience?

OUT OF ‘VERSE INFO

As usual, the rankings for the second round were determined by random generation for spots among who completed the most tasks. In this case, spots one through six were generated by those who had all tasks completed in the #fmdos2 tag on their muse’s blog by the deadline. Two muses did not complete all of the tasks, so they took the eliminated spots. The only exception here is that the admin’s muse will not be eligible for the overall first place ranking unless they are the only muse who completes the most number of tasks. Proof shots of the name picker can be found here (note: admin is in EDT, while the deadline was in KST, so the names were drawn after the deadline).

The winners for separate live voting and online voting were determined using weighted selection based on the randomly generated overall rankings. Rank one got eight submissions into the generator, rank two got seven, rank three got six, etc. and the two eliminated muses got one submission each, and then names were drawn. Proof shots of the name picker for the live audience vote and online vote winners can be found here. A proof shot of the randomizer for performance order this round can be found here. Pairs were made simply by pairing the order of the main cast by seniority directly with the guest cast submissions by order of submission from earliest to latest. Only one switch was made to ensure all muses would be writing for a muse with a skill set or song availability significantly different from their own.

For this task block you will need to submit the following information: the song you would like to claim for your muse to create for this round’s task (and a performance reference if one is available and agreed upon with the performing muse) and the creative claims on it. Please note that the song choice should ultimately be the decision of the mun of the main cast member. Muns may discuss what the performing muse is comfortable with, but the song choice should be based on what the muse would write with the information presented to them and not what the performing muse would necessarily want written for them.

The form link will be uploaded here at 12AM KST October 10/11AM EDT October 9, twenty-four hours after this post goes up. The form link can be found here. A reminder of the limits of creative claims on each muse for the show can be found here. If you think there is a mistake or if a song is released that leads to a necessary update, please contact the main.

Songs Claimed:

Heaven - Gaho

Iljido - Moonbyul

Girl, Interrupted - Miso (prod. 2xxx!)

Pit-a-pet - Yukika

Baby Baby - Suran

Diver - YooA

SONG LIMITATIONS/REQUIREMENTS

The simplified theme for this round is “Written By, Not For”. Please read the prompt in the in-’verse info for full details on what this means.

For all rounds, a song must fit all general rules of music claims (i.e. matches muse position, is not too explicit, must be by an artist in the Korean music industry, etc.) and must receive admin approval.

For this round, these are the additional limitations and requirements on songs that can be chosen:

The song must be solo. This means it cannot be a collab or have a feature.

The song must be performed by the muse assigned by the show and the muse performing cannot have creative claims on a song.

In real life, the song must not be a title track according to Melon and cannot have an official MV. Special clips, live clips, and minimal production lyric videos are acceptable, but the song will have to be re-released on an album in the future to claim such videos as canon to the universe.

In real life, the song cannot have charted higher than a rank of 75 on Gaon’s Weekly Digital Chart at any point.

You may claim songs with choreography, but choreography creative claims are not available. As usual, songs with more emphasis on complex choreography should be reserved for muses with dance positions.

#fmdbase #fmdoursongs #fmdos2 #fmdjoosung #eunahfmd #fmdjoohwan #fmdjaewon #fmdxsuji #fmdtaeyong #fmdxyoungjoo #fmdkami #fmdminjung #durifmd #fmdvan #charliefmd #fmdxsuwei #fmdhuiseon #queued post

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doeeyeddarlingxo · 5 years ago

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Myriad Misadventures - Chapter 3

The Myriad Misadventures of a Midgardian Queen-In-Training - Chapter 3

AO3 | Previous | Next

Word Count: 2616

Pairing: Loki/Reader

Rating: T

Myriad Misadventures - Chapter 3

Full of soda, cake, and laughter, you arrive back home feeling as though you could fly. Any thoughts of the letter are gone; the only thing you're worried about at the moment is the fact that you’ll have to get up extra early to finish your homework the next morning. You have enough trouble falling asleep as it is, but after a day of festivities, the sugar rush combines with a natural high to leave you even more restless as usual.

You sleep lightly; fussily. You close your eyes at eleven and eventually fall into a state of semi-consciousness, only to open them what feels like hours later and see that it’s only a quarter after midnight. You need to get up, need to move - maybe some tea will help me calm down. You climb out of bed, careful not to disturb Carlie as you shut the door - her bedroom is next to yours, and she’s also a notoriously light sleeper. You walk down the stairs, wincing every time the floor creaks -

“ - don’t want her doing this.”

“I don’t think we really have a choice, Rob!”

You freeze halfway down the stairs, recognizing the hissing voice as that of your mom. You take one more step down, enough that you can see into the dining room without drawing attention to yourself, and crouch down.

“I’m with Dad on this one.” Erik steps into view. “I’ve spent the last month and a half studying this guy. For a project. He’s...not right. Not stable. From a psychological standpoint.” You roll your eyes. Your brother’s only minoring in psychology - his major is political science - but already he considers himself an expert on the subject. “Anyone with enough power to browbeat an entire planet into submission isn’t someone I’d want to touch with a forty-foot pole. And someone crazy enough to even want to rule the world - do you really want (Y/N) living with someone like that? Marrying someone like that?”

“She’s sixteen, I don’t want her marrying anybody!” Dad explodes. You flinch - this is a far cry from the “always look on the bright side” attitude he had at dinner.

“Calm down.” Mom glares at the two men. “We’re getting ahead of ourselves. All I’m saying is that we have to submit her name. I don’t want to,” she adds quickly, seeing that Dad is ready to blow his top. “But it’s exactly what Erik said. This man - he’s powerful, and I don’t want to do anything to cross him. We submit her name, she doesn’t get picked, we can go on with our lives.”

“And if she does, Mom? What then?” Erik interjects.

She shushes him gently. “We cross that bridge when we come to it. Just pray we never have to.”

“Leigh Ann, I just...I don’t…” Your dad trails off, looking lost. Mom rubs his arm.

“I know, sweetie. Layoffs are stressful. Right now, let’s focus on keeping (Y/N) with us, all right? We have money saved. We’ve dealt with worse.”

“I can come back home.”

“No.” Dad goes from dazed to firm in an instant. “You are not dropping out of school. Your mother’s right. We’ll make it through this, but right now, (Y/N) is the priority. In a week or two, this’ll all be over.”

Erik hesitates a moment before nodding. “I’m going to go upstairs. Love you guys.” Somewhere in the back of your mind, it occurs to you that you should move before you’re discovered, but you’re more concerned by what you just overheard. Dad was laid off? When? And when were they planning on telling Carlie and me? You wish you had the courage to confront your parents, but they’re under enough pressure as it is, and they probably wouldn’t be too thrilled to find out you were eavesdropping, and damn it he's walking this way. As he passes through the living room, he knocks over a pile of magazines from the table. He bends down to pick theme up; seeing your chance, you stand up and run lightly back up the stairs.

You lay back down, feeling a strange new sense of dread. You may have evaded being caught by your brother and parents, but it seems as though not every incoming bullet will be so easy to dodge.

**********************************

THE CHOOSING - TERMS OF PARTICIPATION

If chosen to participate, the Chosen will be given lodgings in the palace, as well as training to prepare them for their potential role as queen. This will be a televised event of indefinite length. All those chosen to participate in The Choosing will be granted extended life for as long as needed.

To compensate for their absence, the families of the Chosen will be given a weekly stipend of $2000, and, if the contestant in question is chosen as the first queen of Midgard, will be moved to Asgard and elevated to members of the royal family.

The Chosen will be required to sign a contract confirming that they will not engage in physical relations with anyone of the opposite gender during their stay in the castle. They will be expected to maintain their chastity for the duration of their stay. Violation of this rule will be considered treason, and violators will be punished accordingly.

The Chosen will be required to maintain physical and mental well-being from the time they are chosen to the time they leave the competition. Medical care, including (but not limited to) any necessary (non-cosmetic) surgeries, vaccines, and/or prescription medicines will be provided as needed.

The Chosen will not attempt to intimidate, attack, or harass any members of the royal family, government officials, workers in the palace, and/or their fellow contestants, and/or do anything to hurt their fellow contestants’ chances at winning. Violators of this rule will be asked to leave the competition, and will be punished accordingly.

The Chosen will wear the clothes and eat the food provided for them in the palace. Special accommodations will be made as necessary. For security reasons, it is asked that the Chosen not bring any clothes to the palace except for the ones they wear the day of transport.

The Chosen may bring one security-approved item from their home to the palace. Weapons and live electronic devices are not permitted. Means of communication will be provided to the Selected and their families upon the contestants’ arrival.

So many rules...no clothes from home? And only one item? You run through possibilities in your mind...cell phone? E-reader? No, no electronic devices. Dammit, that means I can’t bring my laptop, either. Should I print out all my stories and stuff and put them in a binder? Would that still count as one object? But then I couldn’t bring any of my books…

You shake your head. You haven't even finished filling out the form; chances are, you won't even be picked. Who are you kidding, you’ll never be picked! Your heart rises, then sinks again as you consider the rest of your family. Yes, your parents would never want you to go...but you can’t pretend as though they wouldn't benefit enormously from that “weekly stipend,” at least until Erik graduates college.

Geez, slow down. We can worry about money and stuff if I get picked. Which I won’t. So we figure out another way - Dad’ll get hired by a new company soon enough, Mom’ll do something, I can get an after school job if I need to...You’ll make it through. Your family is resilient and clever and altogether a brilliant team. In a few days, they’ll announce the names of the Chosen, and I'll be able to breathe again.

But, until then, you have to finish signing all of these contracts, and, dear God, there are a lot of them. Forms about your appearance, forms about your likes and dislikes, forms about your occupation and your family and your education and everything in between. It takes you nearly an hour to finish filling out and checking everything, and that's with the help of your parents.

The line at the government office is ridiculously long, but the wait is worth it: the second you drop the bulging envelope on the counter, you feel as though an enormous weight has been lifted from your shoulders.

You’ve done all you could. Now you just have to wait for all this to blow over.

**********************************

You've never followed the news before - on purpose, at least, though you tuned in via phone with your friends during the Battle of New York. But it's the evening after the deadline for Choosing applications, you’re in bed with nothing to watch and now seems a good a time as any to make Good Night, America a part of your nightly routine.

The introduction music plays, the logo flashes on the screen, and the host, Ashley Marino - a pretty, petite redhead - appears on screen, flashing viewers her famously cheery smile. “Hello, there, and welcome to Good Night, America! Last week, millions of young women across the globe received a letter informing them of a very special opportunity.”

You wonder if Miss Marino got a letter - there’s absolutely no way she’s anywhere close to being in her thirties - until you catch a glimpse of her left hand.

Oh. Mrs. Marino, then.

“King Loki of the planet Earth - or the realm of Midgard, as some call it - has announced the commencement of a competition to see just who will be his queen.” Her smile is still there, but it’s beginning to seem just the slightest bit forced. “Eight lucky girls, picked at random tonight on our show - yes, you heard that right - will be swept away to the palace to familiarize themselves with the royal lifestyle. And never fear - for those of us stuck at home, The Choosing will be a filmed event. Not only will home viewers be able to access live online footage, but for the duration of The Choosing, Good Night, America will be having a weekly segment on the event, complete with interviews from our lovely champions and, of course, our great leader.” Her breathing quickens - perhaps she’s nervous at the idea of interviewing the great Loki of Asgard. She swallows before continuing, “We’re actually lucky enough to have him with us tonight - your Majesty?”

The camera pans out, and suddenly Ashley Marino’s shaky breath and trembling hands make sense, because the King of Midgard himself is sitting not two feet away from her.

You’re shocked by how normal he looks, how not-godlike and not-crazy and...well, attractive.

There, I admitted it. Just don’t think that again.

It’s true, though: with his hair slicked back, a calm expression on his face, and a brilliant emerald tie peeking out from under his black suit jacket, he could pass for any Earthborn businessman, if it weren’t for the way he was sitting - leaning forward, legs spread. Very casual. Not at all what you’d expect from a sophisticated alien king.

“Thank you, Ashley.” He smiles at her, and she visibly relaxes. His voice confuses you further - he speaks English? He’s British? - but you can’t deny that he’s nice to listen to. Stop that! He conquered my planet. He nearly destroyed my favorite city. He’s not a nice guy. “Yes, after much deliberation, my advisors and I thought it would be a wise decision for me to take a wife. There is a saying I’ve heard - “behind every great man is an even greater woman,” I believe is how it goes?” He shrugs. “In my experience, that never fails to be true.”

She laughs, now totally at ease. “Right. So, eight girls, from across the world - you aren’t intimidated at all by language barriers?”

He chuckles at that, sitting up straight and extending a hand to her. She looks at it, unsure - until a flower materializes, quite literally out of thin air. A rose. Red. Long-stemmed. No thorns. She hesitates before accepting it. “As a child on Asgard, my mother trained me extensively in the ways of magic. I expect language will not be much of an issue.”

Mrs. Marino is clearly less comfortable than she was moments before. It strikes you as almost funny, that this king has the power to destroy worlds, yet this news anchor is only frightened by him producing a flower for her enjoyment.

But you can’t laugh when you’re just as scared as her.

“Whatcha - oh.” You turn to see Erik in the doorway. “Mom wanted you downstairs,” he explains, his eyes still fixed on the screen. “They’re announcing the Chosen tonight, and she thought we should watch it - ”

“Together,” you finish. “As a family.” He nods, and you sigh, stretching before rolling to the edge of the bed. “Tell her I’ll be down in a minute.”

If watching the news by yourself was strange, it feels downright bizarre when, upon your entrance in the living room, both your parents immediately snap to look at you. Mom scoots over, making a place for you on the couch between her and Dad, but before she can invite you to sit, you’ve already settled on the recliner besides Carlie. She snuggles into you - it’s past her bedtime, but clearly she was able to persuade your parents to let her stay up, given the circumstances.

The interview is wrapping up. “So,” Ashley Marino says, “any last words for those women who entered the lottery?”

He turns in a few different directions, and it takes you a moment to realize he’s trying to find the camera. You let out a snort; the all-powerful ruler of Earth - er, Midgard - can’t deal with human technology. Ashley leans into him and whispers something, pointing, and he finally makes eye contact. It’s creepy, to say the least. Even though you know he can’t see you through the TV, the intensity of his gaze would suggest otherwise. “Enjoy these last few moments as ordinary maidens, and I look forward to meeting the eight of you.” You should be terrified, but his manner as he says it isn’t menacing. It isn’t the tone of some psychopathic meglomaniac, it’s that of an old friend. It’s, in a strange way, comforting.

At this point, you can see Ashley Marino has completely melted, surrendered to the charms of this man. God. King? Whatever he is. “Great advice. So, let’s get started! Our first champion…” The screen changes to an image of a short, busty blonde - you reckon she's about nineteen - her mouth drawn into what you assume is supposed to be a sexy pout, but looks more like a duck's face. Still, she's pretty enough. "Rosa Perez, twenty-one, of Argentina!”

"Next, we have Irina Madison, twenty, of Russia!" Another blonde, but her hair is darker than the first, and wavy. She looks friendlier, definitely, grinning at the camera from atop a large brown horse.

“Rhea Unz, twenty-nine, of Germany!” Light brown hair, delicate features.

“Alexandra Ritaccio, twenty-one, of Croatia!” Another girl who submitted a selfie for her application picture, same duck-faced pose as the first.

You nuzzle the top of Carlie’s head. “What do you think of them so far?”

She chuckles. “The last one looked silly.”

You tickle her, sparking more giggles. “You’re silly, little miss - ”

“(FN) (LN), sixteen, of the United States of America!”

Did she just -

You hear someone let out a faint cry, but you’re not sure who - Mom? Carlie? You? On the screen, Ashley Marino is still calling names, but you aren’t registering any of them. “Rewind it,” you say softly. Erik nods, picking up the remote, pausing it at the exact moment.

There it is, your face, on TV for all the world to see.

You’ve been Chosen.

#loki #loki fanfic #loki fanfiction #loki x reader #loki/reader #loki laufeyson #reader #reader-insert #reader insert #fanfic #fanfiction #writing #fiction #doeeyeddarling #myriad misadventures #fish fork

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clarasimone · 6 years ago

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Just before leaving my Iphone in a friggin’ taxi

I cannot believe this: my life is on that IPhone... Have alerted the taxi company (I HOPE I lost it there), am frantically awaiting news by my fiend’s phone... My Knight wants to go on a rampage but I need him by my side ;-)... It’s so bizarre to be able to see most of the pics I took this evening because they had time to make it on the cloud and then on my computer. So, from me, to you, the red carpet and screening of Terrence Malick’s testament film A Hidden Life :

Needless to say, I risked my reputation taking Jorah’s pic from inside the Grand Palais LOL I was seated front row (They show us the remaining of the red carpet on the big screen while we’re inside) What follows is from before and after but selfies are now forbidden while on the red carpet, a good thing because frankly it was becoming surreal the last few years...

Love this pink trail I was hypnotically following :-)

Here’s a pic from the film, a true masterpiece, so moving ! @myloveiainglen, it’s even better than Days of Heaven !!

I was able to capture the director’s proud reaction during the 10-minute long ovation after the film (he’s so modest, he didn’t walk the red carpet coming in, only his two leads did)

his actors, as shown on the big screen during the ovation

Coming out of the Grand Palais, I took these amazing pics of the moon with my Knight but they’re not (yet ?) appearing on my macbook/Icloud :-(

God I hope I get my phone back...

Here is the Los Angeles Times piece of the film. It just flabbergasted me and everyone there... It’s a deeply spiritual film.

https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/la-et-mn-cannes-terrence-malick-hidden-life-20190519-story.html

Cannes: Terrence Malick’s ‘A Hidden Life’ is a return to form and a spiritual call to arms

In the eight years since Terrence Malick won the Palme d’Or at Cannes for “The Tree of Life,” his magisterial drama about childhood’s end and the spirit’s awakening, the standard critical line is that he has become an artist lost in the wilderness, stranded in an artistic limbo of his own making.

His most recent features — “To the Wonder,” “Knight of Cups” and “Song to Song” — are wispy, fragmentary tales of romantic ennui and moral drift, full of visual beauty but absent a comparable sense of transcendence. I admired them more than many of my colleagues did, though it would be disingenuous not to admit that I, too, was left wondering if this great and singular filmmaker would ever give us another movie to love.

I wonder no more. Sunday marked Malick’s return to Cannes, and it felt like a homecoming in more than one sense. His extraordinarily beautiful and wrenching new movie is called “A Hidden Life,” a title that quotes from “Middlemarch,” though one that could easily be misinterpreted as a reference to this famously press-shy auteur himself. But it also sounds an echo of “The Tree of Life,” which may be more than mere coincidence: If that 2011 film was Malick’s most personal and autobiographical work, then this one feels like a decisive return to roots. It’s at once a linear, almost classically structured drama and an exploratory, intensely romantic work of art.

“A Hidden Life” tells the story of Franz Jägerstätter, a peasant farmer from the Austrian village of St. Radegund who was imprisoned and executed in 1943 for refusing to fight for the Nazis. It’s the writer-director’s second World War II picture, after “The Thin Red Line,” except that here not a single shot is fired. The focus is entirely on Jägerstätter and his family, his growing discontent as Austria falls into Adolf Hitler’s grip and his heroic, ultimately fatal decision to become a conscientious objector.

After some brief archival footage of Hitler at the height of his powers, the movie settles down in St. Radegund, whose rolling green pastures and mist-wreathed mountains may constitute the most astonishing vision of earthly paradise Malick has given us, which is saying something.

You will recognize some familiar sights and sounds: the babbling of a brook, the rustling of wind in the leaves, the orchestral blasts of Bach, Beethoven, Handel and Dvorak on the soundtrack. And you will settle into the movie with a sigh — or perhaps a groan, depending on your persuasion — as Malick immerses us in yet another blissfully idealized evocation of family life.

Pushing plows, threshing wheat and taking care of livestock is hard work, but Franz (a haunting August Diehl), a man of joy and contentment, also loves chasing and playing with his wife, Fani (Valerie Pachner) and their three young daughters. But the family’s deep ties to the land and the surrounding community are disrupted when their fellow villagers take up the call of “Heil Hitler,” submitting freely to the grip of a murderous totalitarian regime. When a local bishop urges Franz to submit as well, he makes a decisive break with the church — though not, crucially, with God, whom he continually presses and wrestles with in prayer.

I am still wrestling with “A Hidden Life” myself, and imagine I will continue to do so long after its eventual release. The lengthy middle act, in which Franz finds himself called up for military duty and imprisoned after refusing to fight, feels lumbering and oppressive, which may of course be entirely the point; the claustrophobia here is physical and spiritual. Given the ensemble cast, which includes the late Bruno Ganz in one of his final roles, I wish that Malick had simply committed to shooting entirely in German, rather than a mix of German and English. (A particularly nagging choice: The Nazis are often heard barking in German, while Franz and Fani’s mellifluous voice-overs are in English.)

But the conviction of this movie would speak forcefully in any language. “A Hidden Life” is both an intense portrait of Christian devotion in practice and a damning study in how religious institutions, among others, can align themselves with evil. Malick sees no contradiction between these two truths; for him, sincere doubt and serious belief have always gone hand-in-hand. When a character murmurs, “To follow Him is insanity” — the first and not the last time the movie quietly broke me — you register fully what it might mean, and cost, to obey a doctrine of peace in violent times.

Malick may be making the same movie he always has: a gorgeously expansive cinematic poem that is forever carving out fresh emotional tributaries, but which always cycles back to the despoiling of Eden, the fear of violence and mortality, the calm acceptance of the unknowable. But if his camera is still given to flurries of ecstatic movement, it also seems more stationary, more grounded than usual, as if the director were pausing to gather his thoughts and clear his throat. He has an awful lot to say.

At its simplest level, “A Hidden Life” exists to disprove the snarling Nazi soldiers we hear telling Franz that his act of protest is meaningless and that no one will ever remember him. (They have admittedly already been disproved, thanks to the scholarship of Gordon Zahn and Thomas Merton, as well as a 2007 papal declaration of Jägerstätter as a martyr.) But it is also a call for moral vigilance in any era, the present one very much included: It is hard to watch this movie and not think of the rise of far-right and nationalist movements across Europe, or the Trump administration’s chokehold on evangelical Christianity.

That particular charge may be implicit, but it’s also unmistakable. Unless you are allergic to near-three-hour running times, there is nothing particularly difficult or elusive about “A Hidden Life,” nothing too cosmically elevated or metaphysically overreaching, to cite some of the dismissals frequently leveled against this director’s work. If we understand pretension as an attitude that leaves no room for humility, then is there any filmmaker working today lesspretentious than Terrence Malick, any artist more generous and unassuming in the way he exalts the beauty of the everyday?

Just as importantly, in our era of ever-expanding options and decreasing patience, is there an audience still willing to accept that challenge and see that beauty as he does? Even when tarnished, Malick’s legend looms large at a festival like Cannes, where he can be dismissed as a scourge and hailed as a god, but where he will never elicit an indifferent response. He deserves an equally impassioned reception when this imperfect, wise and entirely heroic movie comes out of hiding.

#clara and jorah in Cannes #a hidden life #terrence malick

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ambitionsource · 6 years ago

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AMBITION Season 1 ♫ “The Phantom of AAA” [ 1.02 ]

CREATED BY Esther (rapunzles) & Maggie (quincywillows)

LIFE’S NO FUN WITHOUT A GOOD SCARE – October brings terror as the techies are forced to skip an important event for the performers. Isadora works on a short film, documenting the supposed ghost haunting AAA. Riley has issues adjusting to the intensity of the school.

44 Minutes (7K words) || No warnings apply.

[ ← First Impressions (Pilot) ] [ S1 Synopsis ] [ Under Pressure → ]

( Follow along with the music on Spotify here! )

INT. RILEY’S BEDROOM - DAY

Another alarm kicks off the episode, being turned off as abruptly as it was in the pilot. RILEY MATTHEWS lays in bed, only her expression is less nervous this time and more determined. Ambitious, if you will. Without hesitation, she throws the covers and leaps out of bed.

As Riley gets ready, dancing and humming around her room, she takes a moment to stop in front of a brand new item hanging on her wall. It’s a dream / moodboard, already decorated with a couple of playbills, ticket stubs, and inspirations (Sara Bareilles, Laura Osnes, etc.) But there’s plenty of room to fill up with new memories.

The dream is out there in front of her. All she has to do is grab it. Shouldering her bag, she gives it a grin before stepping out into the hall.

INT. MATTHEWS APARTMENT - DAY

When Riley emerges, she finds CORY MATTHEWS sitting at the table having breakfast. Her mother is nowhere to be found, but SHAWN HUNTER is scarfing down a plate of eggs and bacon in her place. The two of them are discussing Topanga’s absence, but immediately swap topics when Riley joins the conversation.

The two of them question Riley on how she is feeling about school now. Just as she finishes fixing herself a plate and sits down to eat, Shawn receives an email notification on his phone that grabs his attention. He unlocks his phone, evidently taking great effort to read the full email.

An “oh, fuck,” is all he shares before jumping to his feet. Cory and Riley don’t even get the chance to ask what happened, Shawn out the door and heading to school. Riley gives her father a look, trying to suss out what may have just gone down.

Cory: Well, guess I’m calling in sick today.

INT. AAA - JACK’S OFFICE - DAY

It doesn’t take long for us to get answers. ERIC MATTHEWS is pacing in front of an exasperated JACK HUNTER, evidently up in arms about whatever it was that got Shawn so frazzled moments earlier. He wonders if Jack realizes what exactly he’s done, if he realizes he’s made a terrible, terrible mistake.

Jack goes onto to explain what exact calamity might have just occurred – there is an annual student technician conference that happens one specific weekend in October, open to sophomores and up only. It’s one of those beautiful bonding moments that binds a class together, and each class of technicians looks forward to their chance to experience it for the first time. It is a heralded techie tradition, and seem as somewhat of a right of passage.

Only one problem: this year, the event was double-booked with an important recruitment performance at the local middle schools, most notably John Quincy Adams middle school. Considering they need at least a crew of technicians with experience to help run the event, Jack had to make the executive decision to hold one class back to run it. Considering the sophomores are the group with the least credit, it only makes sense to require their attendance and mandate that they skip the conference.

Eric can smell the trouble this will cause from a mile away. He leans forward onto the desk, obviously all business.

Eric: A lot of feelings are going to be hurt if you make this decision. You do realize this, correct?

Jack: Believe it or not, Matthews, this job is not all rainbows and sunshine. Sometimes, you have to make a tough call.

Eric: I’m just saying, don’t say I didn’t warn you. This school is going to be hell this week because of it.

Jack: You say that as if this school isn’t hell every week.

Ooh, sick (semi-self) burn. Off of Eric’s evident frustration as he storms out of the office –

INT. AAA - HALLWAY - DAY

That chaos is already beginning to brew, LUCAS FRIAR and ISADORA DE LA CRUZ marching after Shawn down the hallway. They’ve heard the news, and they’re none too happy about it. They’ve been waiting for this conference for a year now. Isadora was planning to submit to the student film festival they do, and had been storyboarding for weeks. What gives?

Lucas: They can’t just do this.

Isadora: This is a right of passage for us. We have put up with all this crap for a year, we’re constantly doing things for the performers –

Lucas: Let alone with any thanks –

Isadora: How can we just not be going?

Lucas: This is bullshit!

Shawn: [ breaking, snapping ] Look, you think I don’t know that?

Shawn breaks his composure, whipping around to face them both. They stop talking to let him speak, but it’s clear from their expressions that they’re not going to stop being angry any time soon. Well, they’re always pissed, but especially now. Shawn tries to reel it back in, not wanting to take out his frustration on them.

Shawn: I’m trying my best. But you know how things are around here. You know which side of the school gets the favor.

Lucas, insistent: What about Dora’s film?

Shawn: [ looking at Isadora, sympathetic ] We can still send it.

But it’s not the same. They all know it’s not the same as being there. Lucas and Isadora exchange a look, evidently pissed, as the opening tones of “Thriller / Heads Will Roll” kick up…

Song Cue ♫ ♪ “Thriller / Heads Will Roll” as performed by Glee Cast || Performed by AAA Sophomores

INT. AAA - AUDITORIUM - DAY

The sophomore performers are practicing the basics of their recruitment number, a mash-up of “Thriller / Heads Will Roll” as Glee so eloquently threw together back in the day. The performance will be performed at middle schools across the district as a recruitment tool at the end of that week, so they’re hard at work to make it lively, energetic, and naturally, perfect.

The techies, on the other hand, do not share such a dedication. In fact, given the current circumstances, they’re mostly pissed as hell and don’t feel like doing much of anything correctly or helpfully. So while the number progresses normally through the first half or so, by the time we get into the middle it’s clear that the techies are beginning to disrupt the rehearsal process.

This charge is accented by Lucas completely disrupting the number, jumping in with the spoken part of the mash-up (“Darkness falls across the land / the midnight hour is close at hand…”). As he does so, the techies launch into full-on chaos, doing “important technical things” like moving set pieces, pretending to be accomplishing a very important task, but it really just means running in between the performer’s blocking, messing up choreography, knocking them over with stuff, etc.

MAYA HART desperately tries to get the number back on track (“Off with your head! Off with your head!”), but it’s no use. The techies aren’t done until they decide they are, all of them jumping off the front of the stage and scattering into the audience. The performers attempt to finish the performance, but they’re all turned around and frazzled so it’s a mess of a conclusion.

And now they’re pissed, too. FARKLE MINKUS most of all.

Farkle: I WANT THEM ALL EXPELLED!

Cue title sequence.

Riley is somewhat grateful for the disruption, as it makes her own exhaustion and confusion come off as less out of the ordinary. Maya is pointedly trying to get everybody back on track, because apparently there are higher stakes to this recruitment business than Riley realized.

Maya: Could we please get this back on track? Mr. Jacobs is going to be there Friday night and I don’t want to embarrass myself in front of him.

Farkle: [ with a choked gasp ] WHAT?

Riley: I’m sorry, I’m – who?

Zay: Mr. Jacobs. He’s a big wig on the admissions panel for Julliard. It’s never a bad idea to get on his good side and curry some favor as early as possible.

Maya: His daughters attend JQA, and there’s no way in hell I’m throwing away my shot to impress him. [ To the techies. ] So kindly, if all of you could stop ruining everything? Much appreciated. Muah.

Riley still doesn’t really get what the big deal is, but the rest of the coalition is clearly stressed so she decides she may as well be, too. She wanders off as the rest of the performers call for a break, trying to grapple with this news.

INT. AAA - FILM STUDIES CLASS - DAY

A darkened classroom, a film showing on the screen. It’s something older and spooky; Frankenstein or Dracula, maybe. DYLAN ORLANDO is conked out at his desk, drooling a little bit onto his notebook near the back of the classroom. NICK YOGI and DAVE WILLIAMS mess with him without waking him up, sticking markers together and trying to poke his ear.

Isadora is seated behind them, ignoring their antics but not paying attention to the film either. She’s dejectedly flipping through a journal, where she’s been taking notes and jotting down ideas for a film for well over a year. And now it’s a bust.

She flips to one of the earlier pages, where notes about a potential mockumentary surrounding Adams are scribbled. She sighs, glancing back up at the screen just as something monumental or scary happens. The lead actress screams bloody murder, and suddenly Isa’s eye light up with an idea. Slowly, a smile creeps onto her face.

INT. AAA - HALLWAY - DAY

Lucas is immediately accosted by Isa the moment he crosses paths with her, the latter shoving him out of the way and into a corner of the school. When he questions what the hell is going on, noticing the wild look in Isadora’s eyes, she barely gives him a second to catch up before declaring that she knows exactly what her film is going to be – and they’re getting their revenge.

She should’ve led with “revenge.” Lucas gestures for her to lead the way, the two of them jogging off to gather the rest of the techies.

INT. AAA - JACK’S OFFICE - DAY

Angela has dragged Shawn into Jack’s office to complain, fed up with the behavior of the techies and citing this instance with the recruitment rehearsal as the last straw. She remarks that the stunts they pulled were unacceptable, and demands that action be taken against them. Shawn fires back with the fact that they already had to give up something to appease her students, so he doesn’t see how they’re not already being punished. Jack attempts to mediate, but it’s evident that the bad blood between Shawn and Angela is far deeper than the party lines between their halves of the school.

Shawn: Forgive my kids for wanting their one well-deserved break from listening to you all screech every day of the week.

Angela: Your students don’t even do the assignments. They don’t perform –

Shawn: BECAUSE THAT’S NOT WHAT THEY’RE HERE TO DO!

Jack: [ rubbing his temples ] This is my living nightmare.

Jack takes Shawn’s side in this instance, pointing out that no one was harmed in the messing of the rehearsal and that the situation is not ideal for either party. Angela attempts to plead for favor in the sense that if their performance doesn’t go well, it reflects poorly on all of them. But Jack has had enough, because believe it or not there are other things he has to attend to rather than their constant beef. He dismisses them both.

INT. AAA - HALLWAY - DAY

Shawn and Angela continue their tirade in the hallway, griping at one another and taking a couple more personal shots. We quickly learn that this grudge between them goes back many years, back to their own college days. Yes, Shawn & Angela were once an item, and a serious one at that. But when Angela wanted to pursue her artistic dreams and jet-set off to New York they broke up, and a heartbroken Shawn sort of lost direction and went down a couple of wrong paths. Shawn is stuck in this job on the good will of his half-brother to get a fresh start, and Angela somehow ended up stuck in the same place rather than being the superstar she always swore she would be.

It’s clear that there is lingering bitterness between them because of all of that, but also… maybe, lingering feelings? It’s hard to decide when the line between love and hate is so thin. Angela makes one off-hand, dismissive comment about the way Shawn runs his crew before storming off, leaving him embittered.

INT. AAA - AUDITORIUM - DAY

The techies are taking advantage of the quiet in the auditorium, assembled on the stage. Isadora has the rolling whiteboard and they are jotting down ideas, she and Lucas leading the groupthink and brainstorming ideas. As Isadora explains it, they are going to make her mockumentary about the ghost of Adams.

Dylan: THERE’S A GHOST?

Isadora: No, it’s a mock – could I finish?

There is no ghost, but they’re going to convince the performers that there is – by scaring the ever living shit out of them. And how? By using the technical prowess they’ve crafted over the years that the performers never even notice or appreciate in the first place. But to do that, they need ideas. Hence, the brainstorming session.

Dave raises his hand eagerly, waiting to be called on even though no one else is jumping up to speak. Lucas exchanges a look with Isadora, before pointing and granting him the right speak.

Lucas: What say you, Dave?

Dave: Okay. Okay. [ catching his breath ] Okay. So, here’s an idea. We get a pair of crocodiles –

[ Isadora pinches the bridge of her nose. Lucas’s eyebrows raise, but he doesn’t look opposed to the suggestion. ]

Dave: I know what you’re thinking, but I know a guy. So we get the crocs –

Shawn interrupts the brainstorm, immediately able to tell that something is up. He questions them as he approaches, all of them muttering something incoherent and discordant. Lucas casually steps in front of the whiteboard, shrugging and scratching the back of his neck.

When Shawn turns to Isadora, it’s hard to lie to her favorite teacher. She confesses, explaining their full plan. She prefaces that she knows it’s not necessarily couth, but she’s so sick of getting overwritten by them and all she wanted was to make this film… but Shawn disrupts her nervous ranting by claiming that he understands. No, Shawn doesn’t want to shut down the operation; he supports it full force. Fired up from his dispute with Angela, Shawn is more than ready to help them shake things up – and after all, every student project needs a faculty sponsor.

Song Cue ♫ ♪ “This Is Halloween” as performed by The Nightmare Before Christmas Original Cast || Performed by Shawn Hunter & AAA Sophomore Techies

[ Lyrics specific to characters – follow along here! ]

As the song begins we see the techies starting to suggest more ideas with Isadora writing them on the board. As the lyrics begin, we see each person singing working on whatever piece of the pranks they are putting together. What exactly they’re setting up, we’re not sure, but there’s lots of spooktacular elements and fake blood involved…

When we come back to the last verse, the techies have assembled back on the stage. They’re putting together what operates like a staircase with apple boxes and other set pieces, and Jade is decorating Isadora in some items from the costume loft that make her seem more regal.

As we get to the entrance of “Jack” (“Our girl Smack is queen of the pumpkin patch”), Isadora descends from the top of the made up staircase and Lucas runs up to help her down the steps, essentially marching in as the brand new ruler of the auditorium. Then they continue to goof around and congregate together, before descending into ominous laughter. Oh, spooky…

INT. AAA - AUDITORIUM - DAY

The next day. The performers are hard at work rehearsing dance moves again, ZAY BABINEAUX leading the lesson. Riley is doing her best to keep up, but it’s obvious she’s just rustier than everyone else. She bumps into SARAH CARLSON, earning a glare from her.

The rehearsal is somewhat thrown off by the presence of Isadora, who is now filming everything with her camera. She’s weaving throughout the performance, getting things on footage, collecting “B-roll” for her documentary. She is concentrated and hard at work, but the performers have no idea what she’s actually supposed to be filming.

Farkle is the first to vocally object, complaining that she shouldn’t be filming them when they’re not at their most polished. It’s not going to help their performance. Isadora snaps at him not to flatter himself, and explains that the film isn’t about them but the ghost of Adams. She’s attempting to create a documentary about the ghoul and how it continues to haunt campus to this day. When all the performers are like A GHOST??? Isadora is like, oh, you hadn’t heard?

Still, not everybody is convinced.

Farkle: There is no such thing as ghosts. [ Launches into big, long, scientific explanation. ]

As Farkle is ranting, Lucas saunters up behind him and spooks him. He yelps and nearly knocks his teeth out, Lucas ducking out of the way just in time and laughing. It’s not an encouraging laugh. If they thought the ghost was scary…

CHARLIE GARDNER, on the other hand, has a different approach.

Charlie: Farkle is loud, but right. If ghosts were real, my devout Catholic grandmother would still be tucking in my shirts and telling me I’m going to hell for missing mass on Sundays for rehearsals.

Dylan: I’m going to hell too, but that’s not why.

Asher & Dave: [ Laughing and high-fiving behind Dylan. ]

Isadora continues to film as the students divulge in the discourse, more invested and less aloof than they would want you to believe.

Maya: Don’t Christians believe in demons, though?

Charlie: They’re not really the same thing, but –

Yindra: My grandparents used to talk about ghosts all the time and how we had to pray them away.

Maya: See! Ghosts are totally a Christian thing.

Farkle: Ghosts. Aren’t. Anything! They don’t exist!

Yogi: Tell that to the elderly man who lives in my apartment and moves our furniture around when we’re not there.

Charlie: [ concerned ] Are you… are you sure that’s not just some homeless squatter?

Angela brings an end to the chaos, frantically trying to get their rehearsal back on track.

Angela: OKAY, THAT IS ENOUGH. WE HAVE THREE DAYS, PEOPLE.

Shawn: Unless the ghost gets you first.

Angela: Do not encourage this!

INT. AAA - ERIC’S OFFICE - DAY

Riley opts to have lunch with Eric, the two of them chatting about how she’s adjusting. She does admit that she’s surprised by how intense it is, but she skates over how hard it is to keep up and feeling chronically behind. Instead, she gets Eric to talk about the whole techie conference debacle and why there seems to be such a vitriolic divide between the two sides of the school.

Eric attributes some of it to Shawn and Angela and their history, discussing how that certainly encourages and reinforces the negativity. But some of it, he concedes, is simply circumstance. Everyone is coming from their own experience and perspective, and often forget to remember that others may not share that point of view. Naturally, this is going to create clashes…

INT. FOSTER HOME - ISADORA’S ROOM - DAY

As if to speak right to this, Isadora is certainly coming from different circumstances than her peers. We quickly get the sense that she is in a foster home situation, she and Lucas crammed into the room she shares with another girl and attempting to get work done on their schematics for the techie scheme. Other children shrieking and chattering can be heard on the other side of the door, evidently irritating Isadora even though the door is closed.

Disrupting their focus, CATHERINA GONZALEZ (15), Isadora’s roommate, enters. She is cheerful, full of enthusiasm and thirst for life – a sharp contrast from Isa and her grumpy best friend. She rambles on to Isadora about her day and her plans for the rest of the evening, while Isa hums occasionally and mostly ignores her and Lucas watches the exchange silently with amusement. It’s evident that Catherina doesn’t catch onto how disinterested Isadora is at all.

The moment Catherina disappears, Lucas opens his mouth to comment when the foster mother steps in instead, interrupting them once again. This is KAREN VAN HERSCHING (40s), type-A, driven, and devoted mother – but not exactly on the same wavelength as Isadora and doesn’t put in as much effort as she should to meet her at her level. It’s clear from the way she greets Lucas that she is… uncertain about him, which is to say lowkey terrified he’s going to do something like steal her jewelry or vandalize her perfect off-white walls.

After a brief exchange and Karen checking if they need anything like a good hostess, she leaves them alone. Lucas waits to see if any more interruptions are imminent before speaking. He tries to ask Isadora about how this foster family is shaping out, indicating it’s not the first one she has been with but perhaps the one that has lasted the longest.

But Isadora doesn’t want to talk about it. Lucas points out that, hey, at least this woman seems to be putting in a modicum of effort. Isadora ignores the comment, redirecting his attention to the task at hand and making it clear that such topics are not being discussed this afternoon.

INT. MINKUS HOME - DINING ROOM - NIGHT

In sharp contrast to Isadora’s crowded foster home, the Minkus home is lavish, spacious, and more than able to accommodate Farkle and his many siblings. At present, four of them are seated at the dinner table with STUART MINKUS (late 30s) and JENNIFER MINKUS (40s) – Farkle, LILA MINKUS (18), URI MINKUS (12), and EZRA MINKUS (7).

Farkle is smack in the middle of this family with two other older brothers off at college already, and while it’s more than evident that it’s a loving clan there’s just not enough attention to go around most days. Jennifer is distracted with Ezra, and Stuart is attempting to get Uri engaged in conversation about his school day.

During the conversation, Farkle consistently attempts to gain control of the dinner topic, finally just blurting out whether or not they all believe in ghosts. This captures their attention certainly, all of them laughing it off or scoffing. Farkle, please! Why would he even ask such a silly thing…

Farkle: No, yeah, yeah, of course. I know. I know, obviously. I just… yeah. I know.

Ezra: Wait, why are we talking about ghosts? Are they real?

Jennifer: Of course not, dear, Farkle is just being silly. Aren’t you, darling?

Farkle, flatly: Oh, that’s me. I’m as silly as they come.

Somehow, the conversation shifts gears until Farkle is forgotten again. He accidentally knocks over a water glass and makes a mess, causing both the parents to get up and run to get stuff to clean it up. Lila, clearly harboring a somewhat contentious relationship with her closest in age sibling, rolls her eyes disdainfully.

Lila: Why are you such a disease?

Farkle: [ chews pointedly and obnoxiously in her direction ]

Once the dust from his accident has settled, Farkle tentatively mentions the upcoming performance at JQA and asks if his parents and siblings will be able to make it to any of the middle school recruitment performances. Especially given the special guest of Mr. Jacobs… Stuart fondly recalls the business dealings he’s had with Jacobs, but doesn’t confirm or deny his presence at the performance.

When Farkle pushes further, all of them express pity and point out x commitment and y reason that they can’t make it. But they’re sure he’ll do great! Farkle brushes it off, acting as though it doesn’t bother him. But he’s pretty quiet at dinner after that.

INT. AAA - AUDITORIUM - DAY

As the week progresses, a series of odd and unusual “hauntings” begin to happen at the school, prompting discussion amongst the students. A couple of them even mention how a couple videos have been featured on their rogue instagram page, AAA Confessions.

We haven’t seen the terrors hit the performers full force until rehearsal one afternoon, in which CHAI FRESCO (15) is practicing the opening operatic tones of “Think of Me.”

Song Cue ♫ ♪ “Think Of Me” as performed by Phantom of the Opera Original Cast || Performed by Chai Fresco (feat. AAA Sophomores) || First 40 seconds

While Chai is rehearsing, a set piece seems to mysteriously fall apart and come crashing down – seconds from where Farkle is pacing and running choreography. Maya pulls him out of the way just in time, obviously stunned by how close it came to falling on top of him.

To be clear, the set piece is just thin wood and probably weighs less than five pounds. It wouldn’t have done much damage to anyone, but the sound it makes as it hits the stage floor startles all of them. The moment is clearly an homage to Phantom, prompting screams and an assemblage of the performers to launch into “HE’S HEREEE, THE PHANTOM OF AAA!” Farkle is like okay can you all shut it?

This isn’t the first happening they’ve experienced that week, however, and people are starting to change their tune. As Angela calls for a break and Shawn instructs Dave and Dylan to go and fix the broken set piece, Maya makes a dash for the dressing room. Riley watches her go, contemplative.

INT. AAA - GIRLS DRESSING ROOM - DAY

Maya is attempting to shake off the nerves from the spook, whispering to herself and taking deep breaths. Riley follows her in, hanging back for a moment before Maya spots her in the mirror. Embarrassed, Maya snaps at her for what she wants.

Riley tries to put her best foot forward, offering a helping hand and claiming she has some techniques she uses to calm down if Maya wants them. There’s a moment where it seems like they may come together, but Maya has been independent for a long time and doesn’t plan to let her walls down any time soon – let alone to a nobody like Riley.

She redirects instead, pointing out how she doesn’t see how Riley could possibly be of any help to her when she can’t even keep up with the rigor of the curriculum. Ouchie! Riley takes the blow, nodding and backing off. The moment she’s gone, Maya lets out a long exhale, hiding her head in her hands.

INT. AAA - BOYS DRESSING ROOM - DAY

The discussion over Farkle’s near “brush with death” continues in the dressing room. Although it seems like Charlie and the others are starting to wonder whether the ghost may be real, Farkle maintains his skepticism almost like an act of defiance. But he’s a bit too crazed over it to be wholly convincing.

Zay has his own doubts, and he expresses as such before gearing up to head out. He’s off to do a little investigating of his own.

INT. AAA - HALLWAY - DAY

Riley is en route to lunch when Charlie catches up to her, offering to join her for lunch since she’s still trying to figure out her place. We still can’t tell if he’s genuinely a nice person or if he’s trying to get with Riley, but she does humor the conversation long enough to get something further out of the conversation.

The two of them stop in the hallway just by the library, the cafeteria doors down the hall. Charlie stuffs his hands in his pockets and leans against the wall, launching into a lament about how it is a shame that this ghost stuff seems to be cropping up at the same time as the recruitment performances. Riley probes further.

Riley: Why is it such a big deal? [ hesitating, then batting her eyelashes ] You know, if you can tell me.

Charlie: I don’t really think it’s so much a secret as people not wanting to come off too vulnerable. But these kind of showcases, they’re really important to a lot of people in class. You know, everyone is trying to prove they’ve got what it takes.

Riley: Farkle.

Charlie: Farkle, sure, but the rest of them too. Maybe not for the same reasons, but you know what they say. Everybody’s got something to hide. [ Glancing at Riley, looking her over. ] You know what I mean?

Riley, uncertain: Right. Sure.

Charlie rounds out the conversation by pointing out the very true fact that most of the odd happenings have occurred in the auditorium. He just wishes it would cease and desist so they could get some practicing done. If someone could exorcise whatever demon is haunting them, they’d sure be a hero. The wheels in Riley’s head are turning…

When Charlie asks if she’s ready to go eat, Riley pretends to have forgotten something in the auditorium, saying she’ll meet him later. He waves and heads off, Riley ducking back towards the auditorium. If the sophomore class needs a hero, then she’s willing to step up to the plate.

INT. AAA - HALLWAY - DAY

Riley continues her journey to the auditorium, making sure to duck out of the way and sidestep as people pass her to head towards lunch. She ducks into an open doorway and watches as Isadora passes with Asher, Dylan, and Jeff tailing behind her, confirming that the techies have vacated the auditorium.

Making it to the doorway to the dressing room hall, she ducks into the doors and disappears.

INT. AAA - AUDITORIUM - DAY

Poking around the darkened theater, behind the scenes, the auditorium seems much more sinister than it does during class. It’s almost humorous, the way the technical aspects of the room – set pieces, costume loft, prop loft – seem to loom over her and intimidate her as if they’re straight out of hell.

Spooky music accompanies her as she makes her way around, wandering where she shouldn’t and searching for any sort of clue as to what may be causing all of the strange happenings. She continues to hit dead-ends, until she changes her track and heads towards the world beyond the stage: the audience, the aisles, and the technician’s booth looming so far away from them all.

In fact, the technician’s booth seems like a worthy thing to investigate. It’s so mysterious and removed, and if anything would hold answers that would be it. Riley glances over her shoulder, jogging towards the back row of seating and the stairs that lead up to the technician’s booth. She hesitates, hand hovering over the handrail, before taking the plunge.

She takes the steps two at a time, slowing the closer she gets to that hulking black door. It’s unassuming yet insurmountable, and Riley grows more apprehensive the closer she gets. The door handle is right in front of her, waiting… the music quiets as she reaches a hand out… inches away from the other side of their world…

Lucas, from below: HEY!

DUN DUN DUN! Lucas’s shout acts as a jump scare both to us and Riley, causing her to startle and whip around. Lucas is glaring at her from the bottom of the stairs, as unfriendly and unsettling as usual. Talk about truly terrifying.

Lucas: [ tilting his head ] You’re not supposed to be in here.

Riley: Oh, yeah. Yes. Well, I was just… see, I was only…

Riley has no excuses and no probable explanation for her presence. At least, none that Lucas would take or appreciate, she’s sure. As she struggles to find an excuse, Lucas begins making his way up the stairs in her direction. Each step of his big black boots is like an impending sense of danger, and Riley would run if her brain would start working again. But it’s completely shut down, unable to form a coherent thought, plausible excuse, or get her feet moving so she can escape and live to see another day.

Lucas comes to a stop on the step below where she’s standing, allowing them to stand at approximately the same height. Riley trails off with her stammers, pressing her lips together nervously and avoiding his gaze. Lucas simply examines her, getting a good look at her. Riley has to wonder if this is the end for her – he does have a switchblade, after all.

Instead, Lucas waits for her to glance at him and meet his eyes. Then, a simple message:

Lucas: Mind your own business.

Then he leaves her alone, continuing his trek up the stairs and disappearing into the technician’s booth. The door slams, causing Riley to jump again. She takes a moment to catch her breath, closing her eyes and trying not to like, pass out. Then she makes a beeline out of there.

INT. AAA - CLASSROOM - DAY

Zay, on the other hand, is conducting analysis of his own. As he works in math class, he notices Jade and Dave continuously tossing glances in his direction when they think he isn’t looking.

Thoughtful, Zay waits until the rest of the class has left when the bell rings before approaching the two of them. He questions if they’ve also noticed the strange behavior supposedly attributed to the ghost. Jade acts nonchalant, but Dave stumbles a bit which Zay catches onto. Jade excuses them both, but Zay has gotten the lead he needs. Something else is up, and he’s not going to let it drop so easily.

Song Cue ♫ ♪ “Somebody’s Watching Me” as performed by Rockwell || Performed by Zay Babineaux

As Zay continues his way through the halls and throughout the school day, he takes note of all the moments where the techies are acting weird or seem to be just behind him or in his line of sight. It’s evident to him that they’re behind whatever is going on, he just needs some proof.

He gets his proof as he turns the games on them and starts trailing each of the techies, trying to see if he can catch any of them doing something suspicious.

INT. AAA - COMPUTER LAB - DAY

His search comes to an end as he corners Isadora in the computer lab, working on a cut of her documentary. She dodges his interrogations at first, but the more he pushes the more easy she is to crack. She admits that they’re behind the whole thing, but begs him not to blow the ruse until she can get all the footage she needs.

Zay passes her to take a look at the footage, watching with amusement as Farkle and Maya freak out on camera. He thinks for a moment, before declaring he’s not going to rat her out. On the contrary – he wants in on the joke.

He may just be the key they need to convince Farkle, considering he would never believe another performer would be in on the ruse. And Zay has known him for two years now, he’s observed enough about Farkle’s psyche to know how to crack him. Forging a temporary truce, Zay and Isadora shake on it.

INT. AAA - AUDITORIUM - DAY

Using Zay as their inside man, the techies pull off their final prank on that Friday, the same day that the recruitment performances kick off. They haven’t gotten much rehearsing done all week, and this day is no exception despite how frantically Maya tries to get them all to pull it together.

As the mirage unfolds and they essentially pretend to (convincingly) kill Zay after he is kidnapped by the ghost, Farkle cracks and totally freaks out. The prank falls apart after Zay breaks character, and the techies all burst into laughter now that Isadora has gotten all the footage she needs. The performers realize what has happened and that they’ve been messed with, and they are none too happy.

Maya: What, do you think you all are so smart? You think you’ve done something really great?

Isadora: Well, no, not yet. Still needs to be edited, but –

Maya is pissed, and the rest of the performers share that energy. When Zay tells her to calm down and that it’s not that deep, she retorts that it is, because they’ve wasted an entire week and now they’re going to embarrass themselves in front of a bunch of middle schoolers and people whose opinions actually matter. The techies fire back that they had to give up something already, so perhaps this can even the slate.

It’s clear that the divides that exist between the school are running even deeper than ever. Riley watches it all unfold, not quite feeling a part of any of it. Somehow isolated even in a situation where her placement should be effortless and easy. Maya storms out first, leaving tensions high.

INT. AAA - BLACK BOX THEATER - DAY

Angela and Shawn are at it again, having a sparring match over what unfolded in class that afternoon. They’ve convened in the actual performing classroom, the black box, and it’s more claustrophobic than the halls. As they argue, their words seem to echo off the walls.

Shawn claims that the students just got what was coming to them. Angela scoffs, commenting that Shawn is just as childish as them and as he was the day she left him. This is a deep cut, and Shawn doesn’t have much to say in response. She states that it’s time both of them grew up – that he stops spreading his petty energy and tantrum throwing to the students, and that she stops holding out the foolish hope that he’ll change.

Shawn wants to get another word in, to stand up for himself, but Angela claims she doesn’t have the time. She has a class to lead in a performance that’s going to be tough for all of them, considering his students fucked it all up. Shawn is left behind, seething. He knocks over some papers from the desk, running his hands through his hair.

INT. RILEY’S BEDROOM - NIGHT

Riley practices along in her bedroom, dressed for the recruitment performance but with her mind elsewhere. She sits in her bay window and strums her ukulele.

Song Cue ♫ ♪ “Creep” as performed by Jahzel || Performed by Riley Matthews

Riley sings this stripped down version of “Creep” by herself, demonstrating her talent when its just presented and allowed to simply be. It reflects the frustrations she’s having fitting in with her classmates, and feeling as though she doesn’t quite belong (“What the hell am I doing here / I don’t belong here”).

When she finishes, Cory pokes his head in and asks if she’s ready to go. She hesitates, then nods, dropping her ukulele on the window seat and getting to her feet.

INT. JOHN QUINCY ADAMS - BACKSTAGE - NIGHT

The performers have assembled, Angela leading the charge. She leads them through warm-ups, before confirming if they have the same sense she does that their number they’ve been half-assing all week just isn’t going to cut it. They all agree, they haven’t practiced it enough.

Angela claims they should go on loose, then, and perform something fun that they all know. That’s what this is all about, isn’t it? Doing it because it’s fun and because you love it. When she asks for suggestions, instantly Maya, Farkle, and Zay all shout “TIME WARP,” because it’s the quintessential Halloween theater kid song from a quintessential theater kid movie.

INT. JOHN QUINCY ADAMS - AUDITORIUM - NIGHT

The techies are all in their positions, begrudgingly so. Lucas and Isadora are hanging out in the booth waiting for the performance to start when Shawn darts in, late again but seemingly on a mission. He pulls the two of them aside, telling them to go to the festival.

Shawn: Did you finish the film?

Isadora: Yes, I submitted it an hour ago. Why?

Shawn: Good. Then you’ll want to get going if you want to get there in time.

Lucas: What?

Shawn: Go. Both of you, get going and go represent triple A. If you leave now before this starts, you can still make it. [ to the others ] Dylan! You can cover the board?

Dylan: Aye, aye, captain!

Lucas and Isadora are totally stunned, questioning if that’s allowed and whether it’ll cause more trouble and a myriad of other questions. Shawn shrugs them all off, getting both of their attention and looking them in the eyes. The words he speaks next are impassioned, coming from his own experience, and also act as a lesson for a good portion of the series.

Shawn: Look, sometimes, you can’t let the man tell you what to do or how to be. If something is important, if it matters, you go out and you do it anyway. Only you can decide who you are and what matters. You stand up for yourself. Do you hear me?

Lucas and Isadora nod, getting the message loud and clear. Shawn gives Lucas a pat on the shoulder before pushing them towards the doors. They peel out just as the opening tones of “Time Warp” fill the auditorium…

Song Cue ♫ ♪ “Time Warp” as performed by Glee Cast || Performed by AAA Sophomore Performers

The performers take to the stage, doing a fun, loose, and kooky rendition of the classic Halloween dance number. They all actually look like they’re having fun, and the middle schoolers are clearly having fun too. In the back of the theater, the mysterious Mr. Jacobs watches with an intrigued eye.

Lucas and Isadora sprint into the parking lot, making it to the car Isadora is allowed to use. Lucas hops in the driver’s seat, the two of them backing out of the parking lot and exchanging a grin before heading on the way to the conference.

As it stands, there’s no way this performer / techie divide is going away any time soon. Neither is the tension between individuals. But for now, for a moment, they can share in the one thing that brings them all together and brings them joy – the rush of a successful production.

END OF EPISODE.

#S1 #episodes #102

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kilopval · 2 years ago

Text

Slow burn 2005

#Slow burn 2005 full#

Tiffy and Leon are strangers who agree to share an apartment since their respective job hours mean they won’t be there at the same time. Neither of them expects an off-the-charts result to pop up… On a whim, single mom Jess submits her data as part of their pre-launch testing. At the helm is brooding, devastatingly handsome River Pena who’s commitment to this project spans decades. This author/best friends duo is back on their game with The Soulmate Equation! I simply adored this nerdy take on matchmaking and couldn’t get enough of the love story between the two characters.ĭNADuo is a groundbreaking service that matches individuals based on their DNA. However when the Faire starts, their new identities indulge in an unexpected flirtation. The two constantly clash during prep for the event. It’s one of my best novels of 2020 and also of all-time!Įmily reluctantly agrees to volunteer at a local renaissance faire and has no idea why one of the organizers, Simon, seems to hate her. However, when a publicity opportunity to fake date arises, they both want to take the chance to see if this could let them admit their true feelings.Īmazon | | Libro.fm (Audiobook)Ī renaissance faire, a bookstore, a slow burn romance! What more could you want? This book easily jumped to the top of my list of the best contemporary romance novels. Neither is willing to admit it and risk their friendship. At least, except for the fact that they’re hiding the fact that they’re head over heels in love with each other. Anyway!īree and Nathan live insanely different lives – he’s an NFL quarterback, she’s barely making ends meet as a dance studio owner. This is not only a fantastic addition to my friends to lovers books, but also an amazing audiobook option! The male narrator’s voice is…so sexy.

#Slow burn 2005 full#

This is emotional and bold and full of learning to live life to the fullest. When her ridiculously hot next door neighbor steps in to help, she can’t help imagining a future life with a husband and kids, something that is never a guarantee. She makes sure she enjoys every moment of her life, even when her sister abandons her daughter, leaving Vanessa to pick up the pieces once again. wiki-commons:Special:FilePath/Slowburnmp.Vanessa has a successful business showcasing her travels on Instagram.yago:WikicatLionsGateEntertainmentFilms.dbr:Second_weekend_in_box_office_performance.dbr:Toronto_International_Film_Festival.wiki-commons:Special:FilePath/Slowburnmp.jpg?width=300.A crime drama, the film was produced in 2003, was finally given a showing at the 2005 Toronto International Film Festival, and finally got a proper theatrical release in 2007. It is notable for the extended period between production and eventual release. Slow Burn is a 2005 American drama thriller film directed by Wayne Beach and starring Ray Liotta, Jolene Blalock and LL Cool J.Slow Burn pernah ditayangkan pada perhelatan Festival Film Toronto, tahun 2005, dan siap dirilis pada tahun 2007. Film yang memakan waktu cukup panjang antara produksi dan rilis ini disutradarai oleh Wayne Beach, berdasarkan skenario yang ditulis oleh Wayne Beach. Slow Burn adalah film drama thriller Amerika Serikat produksi tahun 2003 yang dibintangi oleh Ray Liotta, Jolene Blalock, dan LL Cool J.Wayne Beach führte Regie und schrieb das Drehbuch. Slow Burn – Verführerische Falle ist ein US-amerikanischer Thriller aus dem Jahr 2005,in dem Ray Liotta die Figur eines Staatsanwaltes verkörpert.

#Slow burn 2005

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idolizenews · 6 years ago

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SCHEDULE 09/08.

Each schedule post provides a snapshot into the way the company is marketing your group as a whole, the expectations they have for your involvement in the industry, and so forth. They’ll range from fun things like CF deals to run of the mill events like fan parties, concerts, or rest time. We’ll be varying things across the board and using this as a way to tease upcoming plot lines for groups. Schedules illuminate the often difficult realities of being an idol, and because of that we award +5 exp / + 5 sp to those who complete a 350+ 4/4 thread or a 500 word solo. Solos must be completed during the three week run of the schedule, but threads may be finished after the end of the prompt provided they were started well in excess of the end point (e.g. finishing up a reply or two after is fine, but posting the starter right before the next prompt goes up is not). These needn’t be taken extremely literally when threading and are open to tangential preparation threads and other flexibility.

OLYMPUS – Olympus is putting on their special concert in Seoul this week, with performances on Friday (one), Saturday (two), and Sunday (one). It’s sure to be an exhausting weekend, but with the massive crowds being drawn in, it’s safe to say that this is a testament to their popularity. They’re said to be showcasing some solo stages throughout the concert. Rumor has it: Performance at this concert will be folded into considerations for unit and solo promotional activities upcoming and will be followed by a few months without a comeback for the group.

FANTASY – Both units are currently in preparation for comebacks after the rousing success of their summer songs. The girls are certainly on the upswing and have been invited onto Radio Star to speak about their progress since their slightly unfortunate but endearing fancam. This round of interviews has been more tightly packed even then usual. Rumor has it: This next comeback could make or break the unit concepts as a whole, and that there is discussion around the potential of losing a member in the upcoming days, which Midas is trying to stifle.

TITANIUM – With their first CF already under their belts and a successful debut now behind them, the boys are being worked harder than ever to prepare for upcoming efforts. The boys are being sent to LA for a week to train with notable dance instructors there in an intensive course. Rumor has it: Now is the time to start trying to find ways to use your personal talents to promote the group as a whole. Midas will bend over backwards for you if you can prove yourself capable of bringing in cash.

IMPERIAL –With their 5 year anniversary this month, the boys are holding a fan party in Jamsil Stadium, taking up a fair portion of the venue with their fans. Tickets have already sold out for both dates, a Friday and Saturday night show. The run time is roughly 2 hours, with three comment sections and a host of b-sides, ballads, and songs to entertain their fans. Rumor has it: They’ll be gearing up for a comeback in the second half of the year, and will use reception at this fan meeting to drum up some media play regarding fanbase and popularity.

WINK – A fun spread in CECI is the order of the day for WINK, rounding out their promotional activities with a cover, a photoshoot, and an interview spread on their quick rise to fame over the past two years. Media play is expected hinting at their desires for the next comeback to feature a more mature and sultry image. Rumor has it: With the newly bursting popularity the girls are facing, they risk overexposure with the public, but Koala.T doesn’t seem to mind, intent on putting the girls into as many articles, CFs, and photoshoots as he can get his hands on. HEAVEN – Heaven is on Radio Star this week discussing their recently shifted image, the sultry appeal of their new song, the standout success of their unit Heaven1004, and what the future holds for the members in terms of solo activities! Rumor has it: This guesting will be used to begin shaping the narrative of the girls both as a whole moving towards a more matured sound and image, retaining their summer crown via the unit activities, and establishing their brands as solo promoters, in various avenues, beginning a new chapter for the group.

POIZN – POIZN are stepping in as special hosts for a late night radio show, taking over the air as a group and determined to show off their skills. They’ll be hosting, performing acoustics of a few songs, and designing the playlists for the night - although these playlists will of course be carefully vetted and approved first. Rumor has it: This is a step towards cleaning up the image of the group, a baby step taken to hopefully put out some business posts and media play about their solid skills, improved personalities, and true love of music.

GLIMMER – The ever popular rite of passage for all rookies is the school festival. The girls of Glimmer have been invited to Gyeongsan National University to perform at their yearly festival, and 99 is hoping to drum up some interest in the girls through similar activities throughout the coming months. Rumor has it: The girls will be facing a brief hiatus if this debut doesn’t hit it’s stride, to give those participating in the Produce Project group a chance to drum up appeal for the group as a whole, which means the others might need to start thinking of a way to stand out.

HONEY – The girls have landed another CF deal, this time with Lotte Duty Free’s Yum campaign! It’s a fun, cute, retro take on things, with the inspiration commercial (here). This is certain to further establish their brand power, and the retro styling certainly suits the members quite well! Rumor has it: The upcoming comeback was slightly postponed due to member health concerns and the desire to push Galaxy harder while the public interest in them is heightened.

CHERRY BOMB! – With the girls building up a fanbase on the back of their new summer song, promotions have brought them to After School Club, leaning hard on variety to propel the girls up the ladder a little further if possible, intent on increasing their exposure and using this brighter comeback to provide an offset to their creepy cute image of late. Rumor has it: This new comeback is either heralding the end of their creepy occult vibe concepts, or is designed to demonstrate the girl’s conceptual diversity. With it outperforming former tracks but receiving a mixed critical response, it’s unclear if they’ll continue building an image of experimental musicality or will forsake that for marketability.

ATLAS – It’s comeback week! Time to burst onto stage and take the world by storm once more - hopefully. The immediate reception to the song has been mixed, but live stages are sure to turn that around, provided you don’t make any major mistakes. Rumor has it: The boys are being overworked behind the scenes to the point of exhaustion, with filming for Vlives, preparation for activities, and so on keeping the boys awake for a solid 24 hours prior to their comeback stage performance.

JAWBREAKER – With Let’s Go! Jawbreaker! still filming weekly and a comeback on the horizon, the girls are as busy as ever, with an endorsement for Adidas Originals, who have just made the group their brand faces. It’s a big opportunity for the group and one that KJH is certainly pleased to have been offered. They’ll be shooting a commercial and some promotional material for upcoming release. Rumor has it: KJH is intending to enter the legal fray to reclaim the girls’ former discography from Singularity in order to begin planning a KJH family concert.

GALAXY – There’s a comeback on the horizon for the boys! MSG is really trying to push them harder in hopes that they’ll catch on with the public and amass a bigger fandom to solidify their position in the industry before other companies start debuting new boy groups into the mix. This means their schedules are jam packed with comeback preparations: last minute photo-shoots, rehearsals, and hours upon hours of training to make sure that they nail this comeback. Rumor has it: That MSG is potentially going to be looking into promotional opportunities in China as a new way to strengthen Galaxy’s fandom.

XLNC – Arirang Simply Kpop will be hosting the boys this week. The English speaking broadcast will be featuring the whole group, a few stripped down performances to give the boys a chance to show off their live skills, and audience interaction via live stream feeds and twitter submitted questions. Rumor has it: Having the boys on an English based broadcast is a chance for them to reach out to the foreign market, and Koala.T will be carefully studying the demographics of those responding and interacting with the show to see how best to move forward.

Produce: With the show wrapping up and debut on the horizon, the boys and girls alike have been thrown into the fervor of preparations for their upcoming comeback. If they thought the show was tough, this is ten times worse. Without the cameras, trainers and management can be as micromanaging and strict as they like, which means the pressure is on to get everyone to an equal, debut ready level - not easy with trainees of different companies and experience levels all lumped together. Rumor has it: Despite their overall lower performance and attention given during the show, the boys are being approached for more brand deals and appearances, illustrating the good ol’ sexism of the idol world.

#id.schedule

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theixanne · 4 years ago

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Exceeds Expectations

Better late than never... Heneral Luna opens claiming that this is a fictionalized biopic of one of Philippine's most important historical figures, Antonio Luna, for the sake of getting the modern audience into the history's bigger picture. In spite of being more intense and surprisingly humorous, the movie stays loyal to what this figure truly stands for. The war is brutal, over-the-top to bring up for visual flare, and their serious situations being often treated as sincere satires. How the film executed these ideas are just brilliant, it gets larger-than-life without feeling outlandish, towards the heart of defending the nation worth fighting for. The film is all about justifying their quote about the real enemy of this war is themselves. Although we see warfare with both the Philippine and American army attacking each other, this battle is basically the secondary concern here. The real detail of this war is how many soldiers chickening out from the battlefield and some officials wanted to work with the Americans. But of course, their real goal is independence; the movie makes a punchline out of those who aren't helping out, those who are just running away and those who are just isn't fond of Luna's aggressiveness. The film doesn't glamorize the character of Luna, either. Though his intentions are right, his rage could get out of hand which puts most of them off. But that also indicate that winning this revolution deserves more discipline than what they got. Back to the fact that this is taken a lot out of creative liberties, the movie fills this history with vast amount of sense of humor and violent panache. The violence is, again, over-the-top. At times it gets pretty symbolical, specifically the climax. The humor is clearly just satirizing to those characters who aren't being helpful and those who are afraid of facing Luna's rage once more. And when it's not trying to pull off any sense of levity, we just get to see the story flesh itself out more in the sidelines of its history and other characters. The filmmaking is stunning, slick and stylish. The production looks pretty neat. The movie is paced nicely even at times it's layered to different events, but puts itself together consistently. The acting is beyond impressive; specifically John Arcilla as Antonio Luna. He brings a genuine humanity, and at the same time, a really compelling sense of madness, which terrifically lives up to the complexity of its subject. The supporting also lends real gravity and even delight on screen, but it's Arcilla's show and that's more than enough of a worth seeing performance through out. Maybe some quibbles I could point out; maybe how the enemies are portrayed felt like they're written to be campy villains and maybe just one punchline in the film that felt like it belongs to a comedy skit. But again, these are quibbles and they can be debunked, even by myself. The former can be forgiven since they're technically not the main villains of this ordeal, while the latter is just a single scene and obviously designed to keep shaming the cowards at the battlefield. Anything else, there is so much to love in Heneral Luna. It's great, not only because it's humorous and visually interesting, but it's also a two-sided argument towards its history, not based on praising, but actually by criticism. Yes, this is a war movie that gets brutal, but the movie focuses on a meatier and more challenging side of the ordeal. And it pokes fun at some unwise decisions the people behind this war make, but what matters is the intention of its subject unable to die while he's still standing. Otherwise, it's just an ultimately entertaining film that exceeds expectations. Truly recommended.15 out of 20 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote. Permalink 9/10Hot-Headed Heroics!3xHCCH15 September 2015"Heneral Luna" tells us a more detailed account of the life of one of the revolutionary heroes we learn about in school, yet know practically nothing about -- Gen. Antonio Luna. Practically all we know about him is that he had a very bad temper which gained him a lot of enemies, eventually leading to his assassination. Aside from telling us specific situations where this legendary temper flared up, we also get to meet him more intimately as a leader, a soldier, as a son and as a man. Even from his intense penetrating gaze and formidable mustache in the poster alone, you already know John Arcilla will be excellent in this film. His comic timing was impeccable. It was a most vibrant performance of a most vivid man, making him really loom larger than life. He was over-the-top in his explosiveness, just the way Tarog wanted him to be. The way he was built up, we were ready for that climactic assassination scene, however outrageous the savagery. Mon Confiado was a picture of ironic calm as President Emilio Aguinaldo. The more movies we watch about the revolution certainly brings up more and more questions about the controversial Aguinaldo. Nonie Buencamino was so slimy as his treacherous surname-sake Felipe Buencamino. That nonchalant look on Lorenz Martinez face was so hateful as he essayed the role of the equally haughty Gen. Tomas Mascardo. It was also such a casting risk and surprise to put known comedians in such key roles, like Epy Quizon as Apolinario Mabini, Leo Martinez as Pedro Paterno and Ketchup Eusebio as the vengeful Capt. Pedro Janolino. I must admit their presence can be distracting in certain dramatic moments, particularly Eusebio. Or maybe that was their purpose -- to balance out the severe seriousness of those scenes. You immediately upfront that the filmmakers were aiming high for this film. The initial introductory texts were written in English, signifying intentions for this film to make the rounds of foreign film festivals. (I read that there were even certain reels with English subtitles shown in some more upscale cinemas.) The presence of disclaimers stating that this is a work of fiction inspired by fact could somehow raise an uneasy question as to how much fiction was in there mixed among the facts. This film will also grab you with its gorgeous cinematography. The images on the big screen had such vivid colors and innovative camera angles. The period production design and the costume design were meticulous in detail. During a beautifully-edited flashback sequence, there was a stylized scene about Rizal's execution that was so uniquely and hauntingly rendered. There are most gruesome and graphic special effects showing the violent brutality of warfare which will shock you. The historical storytelling was very clear, exciting and engaging from beginning to end, with a fresh graphic novel feel to it. Humor was such an unexpected yet integral element of the script, from those crisp off- color expletives of Luna to those sarcastic side comments of Lt. Rusca (Archie Alemania) and many more in between of different shades. The patriotic sentiments were very poetically-written, but the way they were delivered here felt sincere. They did not sound preachy or cheesy, like when such lines were mouthed by Robin Padilla in "Bonifacio" or Jeorge E.R. Ejército in "El Presidente". Just like a Marvel film, there was an extra scene in the middle of the closing credits, suggesting a next film featuring Paulo Avelino as Gen. Gregorio del Pilar. There was also a brief cameo appearance of Benjamin Alves as a young Manuel L. Quezon, hinting at a possible trilogy. This is a very exciting plan indeed which we all hope will materialize given the success of "Heneral Luna". I hear this is also under consideration of being submitted for Oscar consideration, and I support that campaign. The screening I caught today was a full-house despite being 1:30 in the afternoon on a weekday. It was really gratifying to see a quality Filipino film have commercial success even if it was not an inane comedy or "kilig" teen flick with box-office stars in the cast. Kudos to Artikulo Uno Productions and director-film editor-musical scorer Jerrold Tarog for coming up with what may just be the best, certainly the most audacious, Filipino film released this year to date. Like Gen. Luna, this film leads a mad charge on horseback with a raised fist against Filipinos who say they love their country yet look out for their personal interests first. Let's hope this strong message hits its targets.

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falkenscreen · 4 years ago

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'Mukbang,' Sydney Film Festival and Diversity in the Arts

There’s a lot to unpack here. Most of this is frustrating, for both the matters on which this author agrees with the Sydney Film Festival’s champions and that on which I diverge.

To bring you up to speed, Sydney Film Festival Dendy Short Film Awards entry Mukbang and Best Director winner Eliza Scanlen have come under criticism due to claims of cultural appropriation and reports of the inclusion of an image in the film of an apparently white character strangling a black teenage boy.

Reportedly at the filmmakers’ request SFF released a new version of the film online absent the image and due explanation; this action too being subject to criticism. Today, Australian creative figures defended the Festival and the film in an opinion piece in the SMH which you can read here.

You can also read commentary from Michelle Law who has prominently criticised the Festival, as well as Andrew Bolt’s widely-read perspective and some earlier coverage from the SMH. Scanlen’s statement on the issue, published to Instagram and referred to below, is not available at the time of writing.

Firstly, it seems the 27 individuals who signed today’s letter have seen Mukbang. Great; they’re right that it’s only fair to criticise a movie if you’ve actually seen it, and those who have piled on without seeing it or have not otherwise made it explicitly clear in their coverage that they have done so are doing a disservice to whichever sides of these debates they’ve claimed to champion.

To this end I and others have sought from the (non-SFF) publicist the opportunity to see Mukbang so we could cover this debate fairly and honestly; as per the authors of this letter, “people need to watch the film for themselves to make up their own minds.” No I and others haven’t made as many movies as Joel Edgerton or Warwick Thornton but those who may or may not disagree with the filmmakers’ and SFF’s approach and have with integrity covered the Festival for years deserve an opportunity to continue doing so.

Further to this point, if your point of view is that the film isn’t racist you should explain why its detractors are wrong, it’s not enough to just say that they’re wrong. Those published today have simply said we “don’t agree” in response to a series of highly articulated concerns with the material and I don’t believe for a moment these 27 people lack the perspicacity to do better.

They have however said two things in direct response. The first is that this is “for the Korean community itself to adjudicate,” without directly addressing the other major controversy of the image being pulled from the film, nor the ethics surrounding editing the short in these circumstances and indeed affirming which version of the short they’ve even seen.

To digress, and to qualify my previous coverage in which I was critical of SFF, the Festival did highlight during its run that the image had been removed at the filmmakers’ request. Their statement and subsequent releases did not address the ethical dimensions of editing a film after it had been submitted, screened and adjudged an award, nor did the statements or aforementioned actions seek to further (as today’s letter purports to do) an honest and open debate about marginalisation which could have been achieved with a content warning and/or releasing of further literature or discussion to append the unaltered film, or further publishing a new version while leaving the original intact.

If a filmmaker wishes their film to be edited they can submit a new version to subsequent Festivals or cinemas on release. SFF, to which the film had already been submitted, screened and subsequently lauded, retains discretion to ensure the integrity of their selection and judging processes are fully reflected in the work that is released to the public via their forum and should have acted accordingly. Scanlen was right in this regard; the changes should have been directly addressed if they were going to be made. SFF have not addressed the nature nor consequence of these changes and rather just effected them.

As regards the statement that members of the Korean community should be adjudicating this matter, yes; of course. I agree with this letter’s authors’ that it does serve the cause of diversity yet only dimensions thereof when advocates, however well-meaning, attempt to speak on marginalised communities’ behalves when they are not representative. It’s fine to promote a perspective but that’s it, that’s your perspective.

This does not however mean, as implied by the letter, that others cannot be persuasive given moreover the letter both makes reference to showing solidarity with members of marginalised communities, if this is your perspective on this controversy, or, if you take an alternate view, distinguishing, as per the perspectives and actions of these authors, racist from non-problematic material as well as undertaking efforts to highlight rather than distract from actual racism.

To this end the authors of the letter are on point regarding systematic racism in Australia which historically affected and still impacts minorities including those referred to therein as “non-Anglo whites.” I don’t agree with this terminology, nor do many others, but accept the authors are speaking to a point of furthering inclusivity. As identified, the cultural and linguistically diverse communities referenced in the letter are not adequately accounted for by stratified definitions of minority groups which many self-proclaimed activists further and whose views the letter’s scribes have sought to align with the Festival’s detractors.

This author being a member of one of the minority groups explicitly referenced in the letter knows these dangerous perceptions to be all to prevalent and to whatever extent such exclusivity is demonstrably evident in SFF’s current critics they are indeed doing the struggle against systematic racism a disservice. Too sharing the national background of, as is explicitly referenced in the letter, SFF’s Director and likewise having spent formative years in Apartheid South Africa though never encountering near so extreme experiences, this author agrees it is important to accurately identify barriers and reflect on the consequence of progress that has been made, which is not often factored, as much as it is crucial to look forward.

I didn’t know about your father Nashen, I’m sorry.

The letter also relies on and speaks broadly and accurately about the Festival’s history of diverse programming and having lauded efforts from minority filmmakers. Shrewdly, it chose not to single out last year’s Sydney Film Prize Winner. The authors have fairly identified that negating this institution (I despise the word ‘cancel’ in this context) would not be reasonable absent a proper assessment of the Festival’s record on inclusivity and achievements and that this controversy should not be judged in a vacuum.

It’s very reasonable to highlight this history, it being relevant to any discussion of SFF’s bona fides, yet this does not wholly contribute to an open and honest discourse about the movie lacking by virtue of the authors’ aforementioned brevity, SFF’s treatment of the film and the simple fact that the gatekeepers won’t let anyone else see it.

on Festevez

#xl #film/tv #sff #sff 2020 #sydfilmfest #sydfilmfest 2020 #sydney film festival #sydney film festival 2020 #mukbang #eliza scanlen

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thebrainrack · 7 years ago

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January 22nd, 2018: LA’s Hottest New Neighborhood, The Dumpster District

BY CASSIDY ST. CHARITY, L.A. MAG EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Move over, Silverlake. There’s a hot new neighborhood in town that everyone’s flocking to for its charm, casual nature, and undeniable smell: the Dumpster District.

Formerly a sewage plant next to a waste management site 20 minutes south of Downtown, LA’s Dumpster District has exploded with vibrance and activity ever since some of Hollywood’s least wealthy and most ambitious young up-and-comers started moving to the area. What many began calling “a mass move to a plot of land that is literally shit” has now become the go-to destination for everyone who wants to be the first in living somewhere, an honor that people in Los Angeles hold very close to their hearts.

First, world renowned chef Gus Stuyvesant made the move from his parent’s house in Larchmont to a $300-a-month shared duplex in the Dumpster District and opened up his new restaurant “Scrounge”, an eclectic mix of fresh dishes inspired by local trash. Some favorites include the Day-Old Chicken on Q-Tip-Kabobs as well as an entirely original “Taco Shells and Lettuce Served In A Trash Bag”. This arrival onto the culinary scene was even noticed by famous LA food critic Jonathan Gold, as noted by him putting “Scrounge” on his list of “Top LA Restaurants That Won’t Stop Bothering Me”.

When it comes to fashion, the Dumpster District really made its arrival onto the scene when Liz Fern, famous executive-assistant and frequent Facebook-status poster and commenter, moved from her beautiful studio in WeHo to a tenement-chic shared-bathroom apartment building (for $250) and opened up her boutique clothing store “Ill Will”. Here, in a move that is decidedly the opposite of “Good Will”, instead of taking used clothes and selling them for cheap, she took new clothes and sold them for more. When people told her “that’s just a regular store” she said “well it’s also my store”, and here we are. Her fashion is very much inspired by her Dumpster District surroundings--dresses made out of CVS receipts, bomber jackets crafted from cut-up milk cartons, and of course shoes made from, well, different parts of old shoes. Fern says that sales aren’t great, but everything is so priced that if she sells one thing a month she can make living expenses for the month, so she seems to be doing alright.

Perhaps the most exciting addition to the Dumpster District, a haven for ambitious youth with no money, is the burgeoning art scene that has begun to blow up by the masses. A film studio, Rancid Pictures, has nestled its way along the Shitty Strip (what they call the main business thoroughfare in the dumpster district), thanks to up-and-coming filmmaker and USC Film grad student Chandler Crescent. Crescent’s film studio has turned the Dumpster District into a sort of Mecca for young filmmakers who want to make a lot of stuff but don’t really have any ideas. Take a walk around the Dumpster District on any given day and you’ll see multiple film crews shooting generic drug dealing scenes, saccharine love scenes, and of course, lots and lots and lots and lots of gun fights. Yes, these young filmmakers are exploring things that many people before them have explored, and since they’re in the Dumpster District, nobody is stopping them. In fact, Crescent’s first film, “Love’s A Bitch”, about a man who magically turns everyone he loves into a bitch, was submitted to Sundance this past year, and he was the first person in the history of the festival to get a personal call from the President of Sundance, telling him “please never submit anything again”.

Yes, whether we like it or not, the Dumpster District is alive and well, and while it seems to be attracting a very specific group of people, here’s hoping that they all stay there and get sick from poop diseases or something because honestly, the rest of this city is happy they’re over there and not still around us.

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citizenscreen · 8 years ago

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I’m sure you know by now that Buster Keaton started his movie career a century ago, in New York City in 1917. There have been – and probably will be – several projects commemorating this special anniversary given Keaton is one of the greatest talents to ever appear on screen. I want to give a shout out to one of those celebrations, The Third Annual Buster Keaton Blogathon hosted by Silent-Ology a few weeks ago. You’ll find terrific entries on all things Buster there so be sure to visit. I had all intentions of submitting this entry to that event, but life interfered.

When I learned about the Silent-Ology Buster Keaton celebration I decided to watch three of Buster’s short subjects, rather than a feature because I watch the shorts less often. I mean…not that I go around watching his shorts. Um…anyway, of all the possible entries to choose from – and Keaton made a lot of shorts – I went with two I’ve enjoyed immensely in the past and one I’d never seen in hopes of encouraging all of you to give them a look. So here goes…three cheers for our Buster!

The Cook (1918) – Roscoe Arbuckle, director

The first cheer goes to The Cook, the last film starring Buster Keaton released in 1918, his second year in movies. This is one of the many shorts Keaton made with friend and mentor, Roscoe “Fatty” Arbuckle who’d began his own career in 1909. Arbuckle was the first star in America to systematically direct his own films from 1914 forward and in 1920 became the first actor to be paid $1 million a year with a contract he signed with Paramount Pictures. Needless to say, Roscoe played a big role in helping Keaton fully develop his own genius, a talent yet unequaled. Arbuckle was no slouch in the funny department, however, and it’s important people know that given the notoriety he is (sadly) best remembered for today.

In The Cook Roscoe Arbuckle plays the title character, a short order cook to Buster Keaton’s assistant chef/head waiter. Arbuckle directed, wrote and stars in this gem of a short, which was thought lost for decades until its discovery in 1998. Also in The Cook are Al St. John, Alice Lake, Glen Cavender and Luke the Dog.

Arbuckle, Luke the Dog and Keaton in THE COOK

The premise of The Cook entails little more than I’ve already mentioned, but as far as a vehicle to spotlight the physical prowess of both Arbuckle and Keaton it’s tops. The two exhibit extraordinary juggling abilities as they maneuver the orders in the kitchen. Some of the magic comes by way of perfectly orchestrated camera trickery, but it’s supremely entertaining fare.

As the story progresses, the cook and the waiter are merrily doing their jobs with dancers’ precision when things start going awry. Distracted by the music the band’s playing all hell breaks loose as the cook and the waiter join in the festivities with full-blown dance routines that result in havoc throughout the restaurant.

There is a lot to enjoy in Arbuckle’s kitchen. I am particularly partial to a running gag where the same hot liquid serves as coffee, soup and dressing for all manner of dishes. Arbuckle also manages to pull all sorts of different food from the same vat. Buster in turn is enjoyable as a ladies man in several instances although his efforts are hilariously catastrophic. In other words, if you want 20 minutes of silent fun delivered by two masters you can’t go wrong with The Cook.

One Week (1920) – Edward F. Cline and Buster Keaton, directors

The second cheer goes to 19 minutes of unadulterated fun, rather than 20. One Week is one of my favorite Buster Keaton shorts, his first effort after his work with Arbuckle concluded. This movie is testament to Buster’s extraordinary physical talent and the sweetness that accompanied it. Keaton co-wrote and co-directed One Week with Edward F. Cline, but it’s Buster’s brand of charm that you get from start to finish.

The premise of One Week is simple. A newly married couple is given a vacant lot and a house as wedding gifts from the groom’s uncle. The problem is that the house has to be built from scratch, by the numbers, if you will. It’s sort of like Ikea furniture would have been in 1920. Buster, who plays The Groom (Buster), is sure he’ll have no problem putting the pieces together given the straight forward directions available in the box. Except…that the jilted ex-boyfriend of The Bride (Sybil Seely) re-labels the pieces to get back at the couple for marrying. The outcome is pure silent bliss.

I had the good fortune of watching One Week at Grauman’s Chinese Theater as part of the last night’s program when I attended my first Turner Classic Movie Film Festival in 2013. One Week was followed by Buster’s The General and I couldn’t tell you which I enjoyed more. Although the short doesn’t have the powerhouse, signature Buster Keaton physical attributes the longer movie exhibits, the special effects are charming and quite impressive with plenty of pratfalls to go around. I call them “special effects,” but they’re really stunts, which were done with a full-house and sets, not miniatures as one would think. The precision it took to make a few of these stunts come off without a hitch is astounding to think about.

One Week is the one I usually recommend to people who have not seen a Buster Keaton movie before because it has heartwarming qualities as well as his special brand of comedy. The simplicity of the plot lets Buster newbies enjoy the magic while Keaton aficionados stare in wonder at the details that surface during repeated viewings. My mother laughed heartily when The Groom bolts his car to the house in hopes of pulling it over the train tracks and again when she saw a hand come over the camera when The Bride is bathing.

At least a few accolades for One Week must go to Sybil Seely who at 18 years of age (when she made the film) is a perfect match for our star. Seely starred in 18 movies in her short, 5-year career several of which she made with Buster. It’s really too bad she made so few films because hers was a substantial talent as well. Seely retired from films in 1922 after marrying and died in 1984 at the age of 84.

The Playhouse (1921) – Edward F. Cline and Buster Keaton, directors

I chose to include The Playhouse in this post because I’d never seen it, but it turned out to be the loudest cheer I have to offer. Well, in the sense that I think it’s an astounding piece of filmmaking. In this vehicle Keaton plays multiple Keatons in a series of sketches in a playhouse. While The Playhouse falls short in the traditional, acrobatic Keaton stunts we know and love, there is a lot here that’s new as far as gags go. The concept of The Playhouse came about after Buster busted his ankle during the filming of another short. Worried about not missing his monthly release schedule, Keaton conceived of this movie in which the laughs come by several other means other than pratfalls. The result is as innovative a movie as I’ve ever seen.

Several Keatons can be seen on camera at once thanks to nifty trick photography. While this is perhaps a fairly routine gimmick, the fact that it is done so seamlessly in 1921 is a great accomplishment. Buster also plays a variety of characters in The Playhouse. He is every member of the orchestra, several members of the audience of all genders and ages, he is a monkey, the leading act and the stagehand to name a few. The Playhouse is essentially separated into two distinct stories after we find out the first half is but a dream. In short, this is a terrific vehicle for all to be reminded that Buster had quite the vast acting talent, which is often overlooked.

With the completion of The Playhouse Buster Keaton fulfilled his original 8-picture contract with Joseph Schenck. The movie was such a hit that he was immediately signed for another dozen movies.

Before I go, a little side note – My mother stayed with me for a month during which time we watched several silent movies together. Silents are perfect for people of all languages for obvious reasons and my mom enjoys them immensely. As you may know she doesn’t speak English and these vehicles allow me more time to actually watch the movies with less translating interruptions. In any case, my mom’s a big Charlie Chaplin fan having seen many of his movies in her youth in Cuba. I was quite surprised to learn, however, that she was not familiar with either Buster Keaton or Harold Lloyd. She’d never even heard of them. I find that so interesting. And sad. You can bet I’ll be doing a little research to find out why Keaton and Lloyd movies may not have made it to her small home town. If you know anything about the travels of Keaton and Lloyd movies versus the travels of Chaplin outings leave me a comment below. Thanks!

Three Cheers for Buster Keaton I'm sure you know by now that Buster Keaton started his movie career a century ago, in New York City in 1917.

#Al St. John #Alice Lake #Buster Keaton #Edward F. Cline #One Week #Roscoe Arbuckle #Silent Shorts #Sybil Seely #The Cook #The Playhouse

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