#i watched this last week :) about time I watched my first old hollywood movie

[pillsopa]

meeeet me at the fairrrr…..

[qdbs-writes]

May I have a slightly strange request?  Raiden and Fujin's reaction to their crush suddenly saying "God save Johnny Cage" (the reader and Cage are friends and this phrase just escaped by chance and was not even intended for anyone in particular)

nonny, i promise you this is like the least strange thing i've had in my inbox lately

Fujin and Raiden React To Their Crush Saying "God Save Johnny Cage"

It was like any other day in the Sky Temple, or, as normal as the Sky Temple could be. In the last few weeks, you'd been setting up your friendly neighbourhood Shinto deities with some more modern Earthrealm technology, the latest edition being a TV. It was nothing fancy, an old Goodmans 1408 that you had lying around. The real challange was hooking it up to modern channels. After some percussive maintenance, you tune the CRT TV to a talk show featuring Johnny Cage. The storm brothers gathered behind you, enchanted by the flickering screen you had brought to life for them. The interview itself was relatively dull, with Johnny being asked about his latest movie or suspected liasions with other Hollywood actors. It was until the interviewer mentioned one of Johnny's costars, an actor who'd been publicly outed as transgender, and asked if Johnny could ever work with the 'dirty, immoral liar' again. The three of you watch as Johnny begins to shout at the interviewer, screaming that they had no right to say that about his costar. The arguement continues until Johnny punches the interviewer across the jaw, before turning to the camera crew and live audience to speak about the importance of trans rights. But he could only get a few words in before the program cuts off, with a 'We Are Experiencing Technical Difficulties' message. The storm Gods share a look while you nod your head proudly. "God save Johnny Cage." you mutter. You didn't have time to think about the nuances of what you had said in front of the two Gods, but decided that it was more amusing to let them come to their own conclusions.

Fujin

Recently Fujin had been building up the courage to reveal his feelings towards you. He was sure of how he felt but painfully unsure of how to go about it. He had asked his brother, Raiden, who was little help. He had even asked other Earthrealmers, although he did his best to hide your identity as the object of his affections.

Fujin knew one thing, that if he couldn't tell you, then he absolutely couldn't tell any of your friends, what if they stepped in? What if they said something to you that gave you a bad opinion of him? What if someone stole your heart first?

There were far too many ways it could all go terribly wrong. And now he was even more confused. "God save Johnny Cage", what did those words mean? Well he knew what they meant, but why would you say them?

Fujin was a god, did you want him to save Johnny? If that were the case, Johnny didn't seem to be in any danger. If you really cared that much about Johnny, maybe it's time Fujin confessed his feelings for you before it's too late.

When the two of you are alone, Fujin will drop to his knee dramatically, "I vow to protect Johnny Cage for you, because since the day we met, I have loved you, and I will do all in my power to make you happy, even if you love another."

Fujin emotionally braces, expecting rejection, but instead hears your delighted squeals as you wrap your arms around him, saying how you love him too, pressing soft kisses to his cheek.

Raiden

For the last few months, Raiden had been delicately calculating how to best start a relationship with you. Part of that was navigating how you felt about others, and if he had any competition to worry about.

From what he had seen, your relationship with Johnny Cage was platonic at best. But Johnny was also more experienced in courting techniques and had succeeded in gaining many partners over his short, mortal lifetime.

Raiden's heart sinks at the idea that perhaps Cage's charm had reached you through the television, ensnaring you enough to make you say "God save Johnny Cage".

He knew the meaning behind that saying, he wasn't a complete fool. To ask a god to save someone was a verbal decleration of your devotion to someone, your pride in them, how you wish their lives to be long and happy.

Weren't all those things the sum of love? Those were certainly all the things Raiden wished for you. For you to suddenly feel this way towards Cage... The only explaination was the TV, clearly a cursed device that you must be protected from.

Que Raiden launching the TV over the nearest balcony when you aren't looking, if you ask where it went, Raiden will feign ignorance and instead invite you for a walk in the gardens, offering his arm for you to take.

[saelterlude]

I want to be honest, I grew up in a car-centric city. Everyone goes everywhere either by car or motorcycle, the typical traffic-infested SEA city. A car is a need, it's important because of its function, you go for a drive because you need to move from point A to point B and that's it. Which is why I learned and got my driver license mere days after I turned 17 in 2019. No motorcycle license though because my parents won't let me, even though I've borrowed my friends bike and knows how to.

So its been 5, almost 6, years since I got my license, and to be honest I've barely ever used it. In fact, other than a couple of drives on the month I got my license, I haven't driven in 5 years.

When could I? The pandemic hits soon after and with a comorbid parent and old grandmother in the house, I wouldn't dare risk going out. When it was over, the one family car we had is used by my parents for their work commute and the city has since evolved so that public transport (while sometimes tedious) are reliable enough most of the times.

So hopefully it's understandable why I'm relunctant to drive, even with my 5 year old license, I have a total of probably less than 10 hours of driving experience. Funny thing, I had the easiest time renewing my license because technically yeah, I had zero incidents.

This lack of experience though, slowly but surely grows to a fear of driving.

Then in September of 2024 The Grand Tour releases One for The Road, marking the end of Clarkson, Hammond and May. It didn't mean anything for me then because frankly I've never watched The Grand Tour, or Top Gear. I was vaguely aware of Top Gear, my dad watched it a couple times, and I'm familiar with Hammond due to Science of Stupid and Brainiac, but that's about it.

Funny thing about how the internet works now though, is that when something trends, it can get to just about anywhere. Hence when TGT ends with CHM along with it, clips of them from both TGT and TG keeps popping up in my youtube shorts.

And I got curious.

So curious in fact, that I've started watching those shorts, then compilation videos, before finally moving on to full episodes of TG and TGT.

Not everything, I haven't got the time for every single episode and I'm conciously avoiding One for The Road bcs I just found them and I refuse to say farewell now, but still, I've watched a lot of their episodes, more then what you would expect. A minimum of 3 episodes and an average of maybe 5 from every series of both shows, yes including series 1 with Jason Dawe.

And that helps me a lot, somehow?

I can't say I've never been interested in cars. I like engineering so I know how internal combustion engines works from years ago and I can name a couple cool looking cars from well-known hollywood movies. But cars for me has always been an object of function, pretty sport cars are unachievable things that only the rich has and are utterly pointless in this traffic trodden city.

So really, TG and TGT shouldn't have interest me.

But it did.

Because for once in my life driving looks fun and enjoyable. These 3 men, wheter they're in shitty old sportcars, brand new grand tourers, your everyday hatchback, or even their own made cars. Doesn't matter if they enjoy the cars they are driving or not, they always enjoy the driving.

And that enjoyment is infectious.

I can't say I've gotten over my fear of driving yet, there is still that underlying anxiety that I'm going to mess up and crash. But thanks to Clarkson, Hammond, and May, I've at least scrounged up the courage to start again. In fact within the last month I've driven a couple of times already and just last week I've driven on my own for the first time ever.

It was anxiety inducing and I botched the parking a little and it's great! The enjoyment and the fun that CHM shared is there, I felt it and I love it.

So I guess, this is a thank you to a trio that has lasted for as long as I've lived, a goodbye to something that has passed months ago, a letter to a show that no longer runs.

I'm driving.

[mrsjavierpena]

Teenage Dream | pedro pascal x actress!reader

series summary: you always knew you were meant to be in hollywood; it was one of your biggest dreams since you were a teenager. to confirm your believes, you get to make it come true beside the man you've always had a crush on from afar. one of your biggest teenage dreams is already in motion, guess it's time to persue the other.

rating: 18+

prologue warnings: mention of masturbat*on

series warnings: age gap (25/48); eventual smut (will be warned every chapter); mature language; anxiety; fluff; angst; sexual tension; slow burn; reader is a female and has a vag*na.

A/N: first of all, english is not my first language, so there might have grammar issues (lmk if its something outrageous so i can fix it pls) this is the prologue of a series i really have no ideia where is going!!!!!!! imma be writing what comes to my mind - im always open for suggestions so feel free to message me! i have no update day for now because if i pressure myself to write this ill never finish it and i also have to conciliate this with college, so pls be patience (but no worries with encouraging messages, it motivates me to write knowing that someone cares hehe) if someone wants to be tagged in every update, just lmk!

edit: guys, just to let you know, im not updating this for a while, im focusing on other projects and unfortunately this will have to wait, but someday it'll be back! i guess that's it, let me know if you enjoy it! thx for reading :)

You remember the first time you saw him as if it was yesterday.

HBO was broadcasting the first episode of the fourth season of Game of Thrones and the sixteen-year-old you, being a huge fan of the show from the beggining, were thrilled to find out how the season would go. Little did you know.

The man of your dreams appeared in a yellow robe, with a sassy attitude and scenes that had you touching yourself at night when finally alone.

You became nearly obcessed with Pedro since that day; following religiously every step of his career, watching everything he was in, dreaming about him during your whole teenagehood.

Eventually, you moved on with your life; had to, you had another dream to persue. You set a path: college, some boyfriends here and there, cast auditions almost every week, shitty jobs with shitty people until you finally - finally - got to get steady as an actress.

You hadn't had you 'boom' yet. During the last three years, you and your agent slowly built your name, starting from bellow, getting small parts in popular shows, some small movies in your curriculum... but you were good. Anyone that worked with you could see that, specially the last director you worked with.

And that's how you got there. The fucking leading role in a fucking big production. With fucking Pedro Pascal as your co-star.

One of your biggest teenage dreams is already in motion, guess it's time to persue the other.

[kining-the-evil]

All I Have Left ch1/?

Summary: you were in love with Randy, you had a life plan with him. But after his death, you cut out everyone in your life. It’s not until you take custody of his niece and nephew that you begin to live life again.

An: this is going to be platonic/motherly!reader to the twins. The idea has been bounced around my head for a couple of days, so I wanted to try it out

It’s not overly long, but if I continued with the idea it would have been way to long. So I may write a part two

Scream Taglist: none currently. Let me know if you want added

Scream Masterlist All Masterlists

“I think it will be a girl.”

You glanced up at Randy when you heard his words. The two of you were in the middle of a movie night in his dorm room, you tucked into his side while his arm was wrapped around you. He wasn’t even looking at you, making you wonder if you were hearing things.

“What?”

“Our first kid, I think she’ll be a girl.” He further explained, looking down at you. The two of you had been talking the night before about life after college. You were high school sweethearts, and had talked about it plenty of times. He was going to major in film, and you psychology. You would live in Hollywood while starting your carriers, and once ready for a family you’d move to a close by suburb. A plan you had started making the summer before senior year. And last night, you’d talked about kids.

“You think so?”

“Absolutely,” he confirmed.

“What makes you so sure?” You asked while giggling slightly.

“A dad just knows,” he winked.

“Well, so does a mom and I think it will be a boy. Besides, it’s not like you’re currently a dad.” You poked his chest lightly, making him chuckle.

“I’d love to have a son, and I’d love him,” he reached down to grab your left hand and place a kiss on the engagement ring on your finger. “But I’ll get my little girl. Don’t care how many times I have to fuck you.”

“Wow, so noble,” you teased as he pulled you to straddle his lap. “What would you name her?” He had clearly put thought into this, and you wanted to know how far his mind had gotten.

“Mindy.”

—•—•—•—•—•—•—•

That night was only a week before Randy was killed, and every night after you wished you were dead yourself. Everything made you angry. Seeing Sidney or Dewey made you angry, and even thinking about Gale and her stupid book made you angry. Seeing the school made you angry, and the police made you angry.

So you dropped out of school. You cut people off, distanced yourself, and moved back to Woodsboro. You only went to town when you had to, and worked at home in any way you could. You didn’t need a tone of money, just enough to live in your small house alone. Sidney had tried to reach out a few times, but eventually got the hint that you didn’t want to see her. The only person you were slightly civil with was Randy’s sister, Martha.

She worked at one of the stores you went to often, and you just couldn’t bring yourself to hate the women. You’d known her for years, being friends with Randy for years before going out. So when you saw her at the store, you said hi. If she asked you to come over for a drink or dinner once in a while, you said yes. And when she got pregnant, you promised to be as involved with the kids life as she needed.

“Please…” Chad whined, giving you his best puppy eyes. You had to hand it to the seven year old, he was pretty good at it.

“No, your mom said you’ve been wearing them for the past three nights. They need washed,” you attempted to reason with the boy. Which didn’t work in the slightest.

“Mom said she ‘gave up on that fight’” Mindy spoke up. She had already changed into her pjs, quickly complying when you promised a treat during the movie. Martha and her husband were out for the night, and you had offered to watch your niece and nephew (technically godchildren but as Martha said ‘you would have become their aunt’).

“Enough,” you scolded her before turning back to Chad. “I know for a fact you have more then one pair of train pjs. Get one of your others.” You were at a standstill, a staring contest with a seven year old. You were pointing towards the dresser, and you were determined to win this fight.

“Fineeeeee,” he stretched the word before walking towards the dresser. “But can you wash them for tomorrow night?”

You agreed, knowing Martha would appreciate the clothes at least being clean. You helped the two kids get ready for bed before sending them down stairs to pick a movie. You grabbed some more of their clothes, starting a load of laundry. The sound of arguing drew you downstairs, but you stoped at the fire place. A small shrine that had been set up for Randy. You still didn’t know how to feel about it. Every time you saw a photo of him it reminded you of finding him in that van, but at the same time it reminded you of whatever goofy memory surrounded the photo.

You were pulled from your thoughts again when the arguing got louder. You were sure you knew what it was about. Mindy was attempting to get Chad to agree to whatever movie she wanted to watch. He mate as of splitting it up you grabbed the two bags of candy, one of each of their favorite, and walked into the room to flop onto the couch. This caught both of their attention.

“What are you doing?” Mindy was practically glaring at you, and you had to do your best to hold in your laugh.

“Well, i was going to give you guys this for during the movie, but you are busy arguing so I figured I’d eat it myself.” A horrified look crossed their faces at your words, and it took minutes for them to chose a movie and to climb onto the couch with you. They each stole their respected candy, giggling as though they had tricked you into handing it over.

It was almost 2 in the morning when you woke up to the sound of the house phone ringing. Chad and Mindy were up in bed, and you must have fallen asleep while waiting for their parents. You blindly reached over to grab the phone, pulling it to your ear.

“Hello?”

“Is this the Meeks-Martin household?”

“Ya, can I take a message?” You yawned a bit through your sentence, trying to wake up a bit more.

“Y/n? Its Dewey.” You sighed lightly at the man’s words. You did your best to be civil with the man, it wasn’t his fault that your worst memories in life included him.

“What can I do for You officer Riley?” You questioned.

“I um, I’m calling for Woodsboro memorial Hospital. I have some bad news.” You quickly sat up, suddenly not so tired. “Joel and Martha Meeks-Martin were in a car accident. They um- they were dead before getting to the hospital.”

“W-what?” You whispered, unsure of what else to say. Your entire body felt numb, the same way you had felt when sitting at the police station after Randy. A feeling that made everything feel fake, like in a dream.

“I’m so sorry y/n,” Dewey’s voice practically whispered through the phone. “But we need you to come down and identify the body’s, as well as decide what will happen with the kids.”

You squeezed your eyes shut, willing tears not to fall. What felt like your only two friends left were gone, and you had to tell their kids what had happened.

“Y/n? Are you ok-“

“Do you need me tonight or can it wait until morning?” You cut him off.

“Tomorrow is Fine. Listen, if you need anything at all-“

“I’ll see you then Dewey.” You quickly hung up the phone, setting it on the couch next to you. You let your head fall to your hands, a small sob being let out. You would cry tonight, morn your friends tonight, and tomorrow you would be whatever Mindy and Chad needed you to be.

[nerdzzone]

Worlds Apart

Chapter Eight

Summary: Single mom, Bridget Clark, thought that she was fine by herself. Moving her son to a new town and out of the hustle and bustle of Boston, she thought that life would be quieter and simpler, but a chance encounter with a certain Hollywood actor only a week after their big move had her questioning everything. Bridget was faced with the ultimate decision of head vs heart, but would letting her guard down prove to be worth the risk?

Note: Just a reminder that this will be the last chapter before this story goes on hiatus. I have so much planned so I'm hoping that just a short break will reignite my inspiration, but I need a bit of a break right now. I'm so grateful for all the support that this story has received - every single comment really means so much! - and I will still be around every now and then if anyone has any questions or wants to chat!

-----

“You know, I always thought that really big TVs were just unnecessarily extravagant, but looking at yours I can see the appeal.”

Bridget shared her observation as she sank into Chris’ couch, watching as he searched around the room for the remote and muttered to himself about how he could never find anything after his brother had stayed with him. Dinner had been delicious and expertly cooked by Chris himself - even though he did admit that his mother had talked him through it very thoroughly beforehand and provided him with a recipe that she was sure he couldn’t mess up - and after another discussion about whether or not Bridget was allowed to help tidy up after the meal, they were settling on the couch to watch a movie.

“It felt extravagant when I bought it,” Chris admitted with a smile before letting out a cheer of victory when he finally located the remote. “But then when it was here and up on the wall, it didn’t seem quite so big.”

“It works well in this space,” Bridget agreed as Chris flopped down onto the soft cushion beside her and flicked on the TV. “So, what are we going to watch?”

“I dunno,” Chris shrugged. “You’re the guest, you can pick.”

“Oh, really?” Bridget smirked. “What about Captain America then?”

“I mean, we could if you really want to…” From the tone of his voice and the cringe on his face it was clear that it wouldn’t be his first choice and he elaborated despite her teasing tone. “To be honest, I don’t really mind watching any of those Marvel movies, but it seems a little self-obsessed to showcase my own movies to a woman I’m trying to impress.”

“It would only be self-obsessed if you suggested it,” Bridget countered. “But don’t worry, I won’t make you watch them. I’m catching up in my own time.”

“Are you?”

The surprised raise of Chris’ eyebrow at that admission had a blush rising on Bridget’s cheeks as she nodded her head.

“Yeah, I only ever saw the first one so I thought it would be a good idea to catch up,” she admitted. “But they’re a little too old for Landon so it’s taking me a while to find the time.”

“Well, that’s cute,” Chris teased, smirking as she swatted at him. “What do you think?”

“They’re good movies,” she assured him. “But I do think your costume could be just a little bit tighter. It doesn’t really give you the opportunity to show off all your big muscles.”

Her sarcastic criticism had a laugh bursting from Chris’ chest as he playfully nodded in agreement.

“That’s what I keep saying! I don’t know why they even bother making me wear a costume at all.”

“I wouldn’t go that far,” Bridget giggled. “That would be a whole different kinda movie.”

“The Avengers: Rated R,” Chris joked. “It’s probably on the internet somewhere already.”

“Maybe we should watch that.”

The suggestion pulled another chuckled from Chris’ lips, but he quickly shot it down and scrolled through Netflix until they settled on Back to the Future - a movie they’d both seen several times, but one that could always capture their attention. However, despite the captivating movie on the screen, it took less than half an hour for Bridget to find herself getting distracted. As the movie started, they’d relaxed into the couch with Bridget ending up tucked into Chris’ side with his arm draped over her shoulder. The close proximity - and the way it allowed her to indulge in his scent and the feel of his hard, toned chest - was enough to have her thoughts drifting away from the screen, but the way he lazily traced his fingers over the skin of her shoulder had her mind truly struggling to focus on anything else.

Inspired by his touch, she let her own hand start to wander as it drifted over the soft material of his t-shirt and the muscles beneath it until it was draped over his waist. She felt him tense - almost as if he was flexing for her benefit - but he didn’t have much of a noticeable reaction to her trailing fingers until they reached his side where she discovered that the way they were lounging on the couch had caused his shirt to ride up. She was surprised at first to feel his skin, but the way his breath hitched as she brushed over it encouraged her to explore a little further.

By that point, the movie was entirely out of Bridget’s mind as she waited for him to stop her or protest the action of her hand sliding under his shirt, but when he offered no resistance she took advantage of the opportunity to continue her explorations. However, when her gentle touch moved higher up his waist and a slight shiver ran through his body at the sensation, his voice broke their silence and shattered the illusion that either of them were still paying attention to the TV.

“Bridget…”

His tone was low - her name falling from his lips as barely more than a murmur - but it was enough to have her eyes flicking up to meet his, glancing up at him from under her lashes as she bit her bottom lip. The tension between them was reaching an unignorable point, but Bridget paused any movement to make sure that he hadn’t stopped her because she’d overstepped and was relieved when Chris took advantage of the way her head had tilted up towards his to capture her lips.

There had been nerves bubbling under the surface earlier in the evening as their flirtatious and alluding conversation a few days earlier still played on Bridget’s mind, but the comfort she found in the increasing familiarity of his kiss and the air of growing desperation between them had those doubts quickly reduced to a fuzzy memory in the back of her mind. Her worry was replaced by a softly burning need inside her as her hand drifted up to cup the back of his neck. Her intention was to keep him close, but as he slid his own hand under her arm and used it to easily lift her until she was straddled across his lap, it was clear that he was feeling the same desire that she was.

She felt a flush of self-consciousness when she realized that their new position had the sundress she was wearing riding up on her thighs, but as Chris moved his hands down to stroke the newly exposed skin, he let out a groan that had a new feeling washing over her. She felt sexy. She felt desirable. And that made her feel confident enough to focus on her determination to make Chris feel the same way rather than any insecurities. She knew she was out of practice and terrified that it might show, but every time the little anxious voice in the back of her head raised its concerns, Chris would unknowingly pull her back into the moment.

The hitch of his breath as she let her lips trail down along his jaw, the way he swallowed hard as she dipped lower to trace her tongue over the beat of his pulse in his neck, the increase in the pressure of his fingertips against the top of her thighs when she gently rocked her hips against his. She was fixated on every subtle hint of approval of her actions and his clear enjoyment had her tension easing as she relaxed - especially when another roll of her hips made it clear just how much he was appreciating her actions. The feel of the sudden strain rising in the basketball shorts he was wearing was more than enough proof that she hadn’t lost her skills entirely and she broke the seal where her lips had locked onto his neck as she let out a hum of pleasure.

“That feels good,” she murmured before placing another soft kiss above the edge of the collar of his shirt as her hands slid up under the hem. “I wanna make you feel good too.”

“Yeah?”

Chris’ voice was low and husky and had Bridget leaning back to confirm with a nod of her head before she dipped back in for another kiss. 

She could feel her heart racing and hoped that its thudding wasn’t as obvious to Chris as she plucked up the courage to put her plan into action. Their tongues clashed as their hands wandered and groped at any exposed skin they could find, but the final necessary surge of inspiration she needed came as Chris slid his hands under her dress high enough to cup the cheeks of her ass to pull her hips tightly against his own. Their lips parted as Bridget gasped at the sensation, but when he slackened his grip and chased after her mouth, Bridget leaned back and flashed him a smirk before sliding off of his lap to kneel on the floor by his feet.

Chris let his knees fall apart to give her a little more room, but there was a curiosity burning in his gaze as she stroked the hair on his thigh, dipping her fingers under the hem of his shorts.

“Can I make you feel good?”

Bridget bit her lip as she glanced up at him, waiting for confirmation as she watched him tip his head back and gasp out a whispered ‘fuck’ before he let out a long breath and agreed.

“Yes,” he nodded, lifting his hips as her hands immediately moved to pull his shorts down his thighs, taking a moment to flick the TV off. “Please.”

She smiled at his politeness, but any teasing comments disappeared from her mind as soon as he was free of his pants and she was immediately distracted by the task at hand. Her lack of recent practice floated back into her mind as she took him in her hand, but she knew that enthusiasm could make up for a lot and tried to focus on the confidence that his eagerness had given her. The way he groaned as she gently stroked him was reassuring that she hadn’t entirely forgotten how the process worked and the way his hand shot down to grab the back of her head when she leaned forward to take his tip into her mouth reminded her just how enjoyable it could be to have so much power.

Sliding lower, she stayed focused on his reactions - his grip in her hair, the twitches of his hips, the soft groans and gasps falling from his lips - but it didn’t take her long to relax into it and get lost in the thrill of giving him pleasure. She took him deep, appreciating how he never used his hand to force her movements and allowed her to set the pace as she bobbed her head up and down. She noted how he swore every time her tongue traced its way along the thick vein on the bottom of his cock and the way he groaned every time he hit the back of her throat. She revelled in the chance to learn exactly what he liked and had to admit that his pleasure was adding to her own growing arousal, only motivating her further to help him chase his peak.

Her hand moved to slowly stroke at the base of his cock as she focused her attention at his sensitive tip and in another flush of confidence, she lifted her gaze up to look at him. The sight of him watching her with his jaw slack and cheeks flushed immediately pulled a hum of pleasure from her lips and the sensation that provided for Chris had his eyebrows creasing together as he panted out her name. She could tell he was getting close and kept her pace steady as she hollowed her cheeks until his body tensed up and he found his release. 

A flush of pride washed over her as she helped him through his high until she finally pulled away, swallowing before she crawled back up to curl up on the couch beside him. Her pride only grew as she took in the sight of Chris with his chest heaving as he fought to steady his breath and a blissed out look on his face, but when he recovered and cracked open an eye to glance at her with a smirk on his face, the words that came out of his mouth immediately put her on edge.

“That was great,” he commended her, letting his hand slide over his knee where it pressed against his thigh. “Now it’s my turn.”

“Oh, you don’t have to do that.”

Despite the way her smile faltered, her words had a chuckle falling from Chris’ lips as he slipped back into his shorts.

“I know I don’t have to,” he smiled. “But I want to.”

That claim had Bridget raising a skeptical eyebrow as she resisted the urge to roll her eyes.

“Seriously, Chris, you don’t have to.”

Her insistence had Chris pausing as he turned towards her and studied her face for a moment before he countered with a question.

“Do you not want me to?” He kept his gaze steady, but Bridget suddenly found it difficult to meet his eye and simply shrugged in response. “Can I ask why?”

Bridget took a moment to think of the best way to answer his question. She could feel the heat of her embarrassment taking over from the heat of the arousal she’d been feeling moments earlier as her cheeks flushed for a less enjoyable reason, but she forced herself to work through her rising anxiety to respond in a somewhat articulate way.

“From my experience,” she started, nervously chewing her bottom lip. “That’s not something that men actually like to do and I don’t mind so you don’t have to do it just to impress me.” 

She expected to see relief wash over Chris when she shared her sincere reassurance, but Bridget was surprised when her words had him chuckling.

“No offense, but I think there’s a pretty good reason why your ex maybe isn’t the best spokesperson for what most straight men enjoy in bed.”

“It’s not just him,” Bridget protested. “I met him when I was twenty-four, I did date other men before that.”

“And they all made you feel like it was a chore?”

The shock was clear in his voice and there was a look of something that seemed like disgust on his face that only deepened when Bridget clarified.

“They didn’t make it feel like a chore, they just made it clear that they weren’t interested in reciprocating.”

“So none of them ever did?” His tone was incredulous and he stared in disbelief as Bridget nodded in confirmation. “So no one has ever gone down on you?”

The blunt question had Bridget’s cheeks heating up even more as she fought the urge to run for the door and far away from the humiliating conversation as she felt the need to defend herself.

“It’s not a big deal,” she insisted. “I’m obviously not a virgin or Landon wouldn’t be here, but I will admit that my sexual repertoire is probably lacking compared to yours and I’m aware that might not be particularly appealing.”

Her tone was defensive, but as Chris recommenced stroking her thigh she knew that he really hadn’t meant any offense.

“It’s not unappealing at all, intriguing would be a better word,” he assured her. “And we don’t have to do anything that you’re not comfortable with, but the offer still stands if it’s something you’re interested in trying.”

He flicked his eyes back up to meet Bridget’s and this time she held his gaze as she took a moment to think about it.

“It really wouldn’t be a chore for you?” She asked, using his own word to describe it. “You don’t mind?”

“It would be a pleasure,” Chris insisted, a smirk drifting onto his face as his hand drifted between her knees and traced a little higher on the inside of her thigh when they naturally parted. “I’d love to make you feel good, watch you squirm, get you calling out my name.”

His words sent a shiver of anticipation through Bridget as she shifted a little bit closer, giving his hand more space to explore as she stretched to hover her lips above his.

“Then I think I would like to give it a try.”

“You think?”

Chris’ voice had dipped back to a lower octave as he prompted a more clear confirmation and Bridget swallowed hard, pushing her doubts from her mind as she gave it.

“I know,” she told him. “I know I would.”

That was all the reassurance that Chris needed to close the gap and capture her lips in another kiss. His hand reluctantly slipped from her legs to wrap around her waist and any lingering embarrassment quickly dissipated as Bridget melted into his embrace giving him the leverage he needed to easily lift her back onto his lap. The need she’d been feeling earlier returned just as quickly as it had faded as the excitement of what was to come had her imagination running wild. There was a flicker of anxiety - a worry about being as exposed as she knew she was about to be and the vulnerability that came with it - but she trusted Chris. He’d been so patient about taking things slow, he’d never pushed her or tried anything to hurry things along physically or emotionally, and if she was being honest, his genuine lack of judgement to her lack of varied sexual experience had only added to her arousal.

Their tongues clashed as Bridget tried to keep her mind in the moment, but as her hips pressed against Chris’ - growing desperate for some kind of friction - she pulled her lips away from his with a gasp as he rose from the couch with his hands gripping her thighs to keep her pressed against him. She wrapped her legs around his waist and gripped his shoulders tightly to stop herself from slipping, but the feel of his biceps bulging as he easily carried her weight had her letting out a quiet whimper and dipping to press her lips against his neck in a effort to distract herself from the overwhelming tension building inside her. By the time he’d moved them to the bedroom and carefully placed her on his large and very plush bed, the anticipation had the fever burning between them turning into desperation as it seemed that they couldn’t get enough of each other.

However, once Chris’ shirt had been ripped over his head and Bridget’s dress had been tossed across the room and he’d settled with his hips between her thighs, Chris slowed down their frantic actions to regain control of the situation.

“We’ve got lots of time,” he murmured into her ear as his hand ran over the now exposed curve of her waist. “I want to enjoy this.”

Probably contrary to what he’d intended, his words had another flush of heat washing over Bridget that had her almost wishing he’d just tear her underwear off of her and get down to business as the thought of him wanting to savour the moment was almost too much for her to bear. They did have lots of time - they had all night - but Bridget was already feeling embarrassingly needy for some kind of release and if Chris was going to continue being so tender and gentle about it then she was worried that she would have to start begging.

He trailed his lips down her neck, taking the time to place kisses on every inch of skin that he passed until he slid his tongue along her collarbone. The sensation made her shiver, but as he reached the strap of her bra and moved down until his tongue could trace the cup of her bra, her breath caught in her throat. His hands moved to her sides, prompting her to arch her back enough for him to unhook her bra and slip it off her body and Bridget felt her nerves rising back to the surface. She had explanations ready - excuses for why her body probably wasn’t as perky and tight as the actresses and models that Chris was used to seeing naked - but when she saw the way he was looking at her newly exposed skin, her words seemed unnecessary.

He looked mesmerized. His pupils were dark and wide, his jaw hung open the way it had when she was stroking him earlier in the evening and as the word ‘gorgeous’ slipped from his lips, Bridget truly believed him. She felt desirable. She felt beautiful. She felt wanted. And the emotions those feelings had rising in her chest had her reaching out to Chris where he knelt, staring down at her and pulling him back in for another kiss. He indulged her for a moment before she felt him smile against her lips and pull away, moving back down her body to where his trail of kisses had previously led him.

Bridget watched him, holding her breath in anticipation until he captured one of her pebbled nipples in his mouth and she gasped at the sensation. Lifting his hand to tease and tweak the other, he expertly worked her until she was practically panting as she squirmed beneath him desperate for any kind of friction she could find. He switched his mouth to the other side, but it didn’t take long for Bridget to grow desperate for more and as his name slipped from her mouth like a whimpered plea, he smiled against her skin and continued moving lower as he explored her body.

He left barely an inch of her skin untouched as his hands and mouth roamed over her stomach, making her muscles quiver as goosebumps rose in their wake. By the time his lips met the edge of her underwear, Bridget felt more appreciated, cared for and admired than she had during any previous sexual encounter that she’d ever had. She felt worshipped in a way that had her almost dizzy with pleasure until Chris’ voice helped her refocus.

“You still want this?” He asked. “You still sure?”

His breath against her skin was enough to have her biting back a moan, but after she firmly and enthusiastically informed him that she was absolutely still sure and he gently pushed his hand between her thighs to trace her through her underwear, she couldn’t hold anything back. He wasn’t even touching her directly yet, but she was so worked up that she felt like it was almost enough to make her explode. She felt his breath hit her stomach again in short bursts as he chuckled at her response, but she was relieved that he took pity on her after barely more than a moment of teasing and helped her add her underwear to their growing pile of discarded clothes.

There was a moment when she was finally fully exposed to him that Bridget felt the vulnerability of the situation cutting through her desperation. If Chris hadn’t been settled between her legs, she probably would have snapped them shut, but as he soothed the inside of her thighs with kisses she once again found that the care Chris was taking made it easy to open herself up to him.

“You’re so wet for me,” he murmured, pressing his lips into the soft skin of the crease at the top of her thigh. Bridget felt a blush rising in her cheeks, but the awe in his voice only turned her on even more. “Tell me if you want me to stop, okay?”

Bridget opened her mouth to agree, but Chris moved his lips and the feel of his tongue tracing along her wet folds left her unable to form any kind of response other than that a strangled gasp of pleasure. Much like he’d done to her earlier that day, Bridget found her fingers drawn to his hair and almost involuntarily gave him direction as her tightening grip told him every time he found a spot or movement that she particularly enjoyed as he explored with expert precision, lapping and sucking over every inch of her until she was writhing beneath him. His tongue dipped low - flexing with enough pressure to just barely dart inside her - and the raw moan that he let out as he savoured her taste had Bridget’s head falling back against the pillow as she wondered how she’d ever survived without such an experience.

She could feel herself racing towards her peak and the feeling only intensified when Chris focused his attention on the little bundle of nerves that he’d previously just been teasing. At first such direct efforts were too much, but when he noticed her hips suddenly shifting away and the sounds falling from her lips becoming a little more strained, he quickly eased the intensity of his licking and sucking until he had her back at a place where she was urging him closer again. After the long build up of her earlier enjoyment of giving Chris pleasure and his intoxicating exploration of her body, it didn’t take long for the heat to reach a boiling point and as Chris kept himself locked in position, Bridget fell apart beneath him. She cried out his name as her body tensed and her muscles shook, but Chris stayed locked in place and guided her through it. As her chest heaved, her heart raced and the last quivers of pleasure ran through her, she watched Chris reluctantly peel himself away and drift his kisses up over her hip before back up her body, bracing himself so his chest hovered over hers.

“Wow,” she smiled, letting her hands slide up to stroke the back of Chris’ neck as he watched her with a smug smirk on his face. “I think I liked that.”

“You think?”

Disbelief was dripping from the words and Bridget bit back a smirk of her own as she nodded her head.

“I think so, but I might have to try it a few more times just to be sure.”

Chris’ shoulders shook as he chuckled at her claim, but he was quick to offer some assurance.

“I could do that for hours,” he informed her, the sincerity in his voice making it sound almost like a threat and sending a shiver down Bridget’s spine. “We can try it as often as you let me.”

“That’s a very appealing offer,” she informed him. “But I think right now I just really want you inside me.”

She saw his eyes widen in surprise at her blunt request, but as the words sunk in he let out a growl and pressed his lips back against hers. She could feel him pressing against her now dripping center despite the layer of his shorts still separating them and the knowledge that he’d taken so much pleasure from what he’d just done for her was enough to light another fire in her already. The desperate, frantic way he was attacking her mouth only made her more eager as well as their tongues clashed and noses bumped and Bridget hooked her leg over Chris’ hip, trying to use the heel of her foot to push down his shorts and get them out of the way. After a moment of struggling she managed to get them to the top of his thighs, but Chris took pity on her and reluctantly pulled away from her mouth to rid himself of them completely, quickly taking a moment to grab a condom from the nightstand as well before he returned the warmth of his body to Bridget’s and settled back between her legs.

A flicker of her earlier nerves resurfaced as her recent years of celibacy made Chris’ size a little extra intimidating, but his patience shined through as it had all evening as he slowly pressed his hips forward and slid inside her inch by inch. The burning of the initial stretch had her sucking in a sharp breath that had Chris pausing, but her previous release had her more than ready and it took barely a minute for the sting to subside and for her to press herself up towards him, urging him deeper. He paused again once he was fully seated inside her and the shaky breath that Bridget let out had shifted from discomfort to one of anticipation. 

“You good?”

The strain of restraint was obvious in Chris’ voice, but the soft murmur of concern had Bridget’s heart fluttering in her chest. She wiggled her hips experimentally, letting out a soft moan from how fully he had filled her as Chris groaned at the friction.

“I’m great,” she assured him, letting her hand slide up into his hair as he dipped his head down to nip at her neck. “Feels so good.”

He started off cautiously, but that was all the confirmation Chris needed to start moving his hips. Giving her time to get used to the feeling, his movements were slow and let Bridget feel every inch of him as he pulled out and pressed back, creating a steady rhythm. The measured actions had every nerve he touched lighting up with pleasure as she clung to him, rocking her hips to meet every thrust.

He stretched her out so perfectly, it seemed almost like his body was made for hers, but while it was a sensation she’d missed, the intimacy - the care he was taking with her, the concern for her comfort and pleasure, the deep connection as they shared something that left them both so exposed to each other - had been what she’d really craved and it only heightened her pleasure. He was overwhelming all her senses as he touched every part of her so deeply, but she was somehow still desperate for more as she pulled him down tightly against her chest.

She could feel his breath washing over her skin from his pants and groans as the pace of his thrusts picked up speed. Again, her previous experience had set her expectations low and as much as she’d ached to feel him inside her, she hadn’t expected to find another release and she was surprised to feel how quickly the tension was coiling in her stomach. The angle of his movements, the friction hitting nerves that she barely knew existed, the steadiness of his thrusts that allowed her peak to build, and the sounds of his own pleasure echoing around the room - it soon became too much for her to handle and her nails sunk into the skin of his back as her body tensed and his name fell from her lips with a cry of pleasure. Chris continued his careful movements as she clenched around him, but as she came down from her high, she felt his restraint weaken as his thrusts grew fiercer and more sloppy while he chased his own release. It took barely more than a few extra thrusts for Chris to cry out against her neck as his hips stilled and he fell over the edge.

They stayed connected with only the sounds of their breathing filling the room until their euphoria settled and Chris pulled out, taking a moment to discard the condom in the garbage can under his nightstand before he rolled back to pull Bridget into his arms. They stayed quiet for a few minutes - simply enjoying each other’s embrace as they relished the blissful feeling of a good release - but as Bridget gently ran her fingers over the toned muscles of Chris’ chest as she curled into his side, she broke the silence with a tentative question.

“Do you mind if I stay here tonight?”

He’d offered the other night so she was fairly certain that it wouldn’t be too much to ask, but there was a brief moment after the words left her mouth where her fear of rejection crept up again until she felt him squeezing her even tighter against his side as he quickly reassured her.

“Of course I don’t mind,” he insisted, pressing a kiss against the top of her head. “I’d be disappointed if you didn’t.”

Bridget smiled, placing a kiss of her own against his chest as she could hardly believe that she’d been lucky enough to find a man like Chris. Six months earlier the thought of dating hadn’t even crossed her mind. She’d firmly believed that she was happy on her own and that as long as Landon was happy and fulfilled then her life was as full as she needed it to be. But Chris had smashed through a wall that she hadn’t even realized she’d built around her life and with every moment they shared and milestone they passed, it was harder and harder for Bridget to imagine her life without him in it.

[depoteka]

last week @nxposure tagged me in two different tag games and now i have some time to answer! thank you, dear!

first game: 15 questions

Are you named after anyone? no, i'm not. my parents just liked the name. but allegedly for a short while they considered naming me after a song by a band they love and i dislike. i thank god everyday that in the end they decided to name me weronika instead

When was the last time you cried? this month? or last month? i don't remember

Do you have kids? i don't but i want to in the future

What sports do you play/ have you played? only PE classes at school. would love to start doing some yoga at home tho because i don't move much other than evening walks from time to time

Do you use sarcasm? i suppose. i don't pay attention to that

What is the first thing you notice about people? hard to say, i'd say general vibe. having some sort of social anxiety and experiences with bullying makes you decide pretty fast if the other person is nice to you or if they make you uncomfortable

What's your eye color? dark green. sort of blueish

Scary movies or happy endings? happy endings. i avoid horror movies at all cost (with some exceptions)

Any talents? uh i guess crocheting! not an expert on it and cannot make my own patterns but it makes me and some other people happy

Where were you born? poland, in a shitty hospital in a different town so i don't even have my hometown on my birth certificate

What are your hobbies? as tumblr puts it "media consumption" (watching movies and listening to music) but also crocheting like i said previously

Do you have any pets? a black cat! she lives with my parents so i don't see her that often now

How tall are you? 162cm which is 5 feet 6 inches i believe. i've had to convert inches to centimeters in so many crochet patterns and i still don't remember how much an inch is

Favorite subject in school? english because it was the easiest class for me. i also liked history and geography

Dream job? translating movies but they don't give me a deadline and i can just make the most perfect translation. or i could do voiceover for nature documentaries. an impossible job is an old hollywood movie star or a rockstar in the 70s

and now the second game!! 5 songs i like. i think i will just list things i've been listening to lately

i went thru sleater-kinney's discography again after the release of their new album because well, i didn't like the new album. so i'll stick to their older ones

spotify reminded me about this song by putting it on my discover weekly playlist and i'm just looping it constantly

peter!!! i love this song, the ending especially (and also the reworked version of this from birdy soundtrack)

finally watched shaft the other day and i love this instrumental

haven't heard this song in years but now i'm listening to it a lot like it's 2008 again

[tilbageidanmark]

Movies I watched this week (#180):

Harakiri - Surprising First Watch, and my first by Masaki Kobayashi. The highest-rated film on Letterbox (4.69/5.00 score based on 109,000 reviews), and 💯 score on Rotten Tomatoes. An exploration of the Bushido code of honor, told in a spartan style and stark formalism. (Photo Above).

🍿

"Oh, how I'd like to own a fish store..."

King of Jazz is a strange pre-code potpourri of spectacular musical numbers and mad-cap revue bits - all in early (1930) magnificent Technicolor. Experimental in parts and irreverent in others, its an old-fashioned Hollywood extravaganza and vaudeville-hall silliness mixed into an incoherent string of unrelated numbers. There's a sadomasochistic spanking number, a surrealist 'Happy Feet' number decades before Steve Martin, A Mexican band with giant sombreros, contortionists, bizarre chorus girls, red-cheeked Bing Crosby, a sudden appearance of a black baby caressed by the band leader. It's really weird.

🍿

My favorite kind of discovery in the course of this project is the random movie I never heard of and which comes from some far-flung cinematic corner. Better still if they don't even have a Wikipedia page, and best is if they're really good.

The Finnish parody A patriotic man (2013) fits the bill. It's about the unexpected adventures of one ungainly middle-age man with somehow unusual blood type. Like many other Finnish dramas, it's dour, unsexy, seemingly-simple, and it's full of smoking, drinking, and people speaking Finnish. It doesn't have a strong dramatic 'center', but I am still going to look for the other films by director Arto Halonen.

🍿

Hit man, the latest (and most commercial?) popcorn fluff piece from Richard Linklater. A nerd teacher by day and fake hit man by night falls for a dame who wants to kill her abusive husband. Netflix chum. 6/10.

🍿

3 more Danish films, 2 scripted by Anders Thomas Jensen:

🍿 At World's End (2006), a completely unexpected action-comedy in the Indonesian rain forest, in search of the white lotus of eternal life. Strange fun with an likely hero, an uptight psychiatrist who is sent to the jungle to examine Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, a Ex-Danish hermit charged of a lethal attack on a David Attenborough-type TV-crew.

Anders Thomas Jensen had written numerous stories where ordinary Danes find themselves in peril in exotic lands, but this is the wildest of them. If he was also the director here, this would have been an even funnier & more successful film. 7/10.

🍿 Clash of egos (2006), written by ATJ. The conflict here is between a short-triggered guy with some serious angry management issues, and a passive-aggressive film-director who make pretentious, art-house garbage, a-la Lars von Trier. It ends up as a parody on the small Danish film world. Mildly funny.

🍿 What a life - What a night - What a beautiful, beautiful ride...

Another re-watch of Another round ♻️. The experiment of staying buzzed all day is the hook, but the story is more about a midlife crisis, with the quiet desperation of Danish middle class men, than about alcohol and drinking. It would be nice if Mads Mikkelsen were to dance more in his movies. 9/10.

🍿

"Love isn't easy. That's why they call it love..."

Because of the 'We lost 19 of our best guys' clip, I watched The big sick again, for the 3rd or 4th time. Is this one of the greatest modern rom-coms? I feel that I've said exactly that last time too. Their romance and relationship are just so cute. 9/10. ♻️.

🍿

"...Wait, wait! You don't have to do this! I have kids at home! ....

Not with that ass, lady, you don't...."

And another frequent re-watch: Game Night ♻️, the only good film that Rachel McAdams played in since 'Spotlight'.

🍿

6 documentaries:

🍿 Very much like the German documentary 'Into Great Silence', Athos (2016) intimately describes the spiritual life of an ascetic monastery. This 'Holy Mountain' religious community is an autonomic government in Northern Greece. 2000 monks lives on a beautiful isolated area, and no women are allowed to set foot there - It's the ultimate patriarchy!

For people who love Gregorian chants, Vermeer lightening, Orthodox ossuaries, and the idea of resigning for this world, it's a slow, comforting glide, with all-natural sound and no talk-overs. 9/10.

🍿 Another of Ken Burns' American sagas, The dust bowl (2012), again narrated by Peter Coyote’s soothing voice. I was not aware that it was partially a man-made catastrophe, caused by the irresponsible farm practice of overproduction of wheat on land better suited to grazing. Also about photographer Arthur Rothstein. At 4 hours, it was a bit long, but oh well...

🍿 ...The Godfather, The Conversation, Godfather II, Dog Day Afternoon, and The Deer Hunter...

I knew it was you: Rediscovering John Cazale (2009) is a fawning assessment of the guy who starred in only 5 films, but they were all masterpieces. He was very special, but this Talking Heads approach was off-putting.

🍿 Paragraph 175, a moving story of the persecution of homosexuals by the Nazi regime. It is told via interviews with some older gay survivors, which in 2000 were among the only 10 known still-living ex-victims.

🍿 “Hey. How about we order some Chinese? - Order some Chinese to do what?…”

Grass is a 1999 Canadian documentary about the American government war on marijuana. What horrendous crimes were committed during the sickening century of the "war on drugs"! And what do you know, all along it was just another part of a racist policy against blacks and Mexicans. Fuck Harry J. Anslinger, Edgar Hoover, Nixon, Reagan and Bush Sr. And also fuck Bill Clinton et. al. Narrated by pothead Woody Harrelson.

🍿 How Chris Silverman Makes Art In the iOS Notes App - more of a YouTube interview about my favorite digital illustrator. I posted quiet a few of his illustrations before.

🍿

A different experience? Darren Aronofsky's latest Postcard from Earth. A science fiction fantasy which was created for display at the $2 billion Las Vegas 'Sphere'. Part tourist postcard from 2001 Space Odyssey, but mostly a National Geography / BBC Earth nature doc, done with the biggest, most immersive camera and display systems. Latest drone work, IMAX Super and highest resolution "available today".

Obviously I saw it on Youtube, not "Live". But, it looks like what 'Koyaanisqatsi' did better 40 years earlier.

🍿

3 Shorts:

🍿 ‘E’ (1981), my second by Czech puppeteer Břetislav Pojar. Not everybody reads an E-sculpture as 'E'. Some see it as 'B'.

🍿 Peter and Ben (2007), a sweet story about two loners: A guy who lives in a beautiful, empty valley in Wales and a lamb who bonds with him, and won't leave.

🍿 The swearer (2017), made by an Israeli youngster, as part of film studies at some high school. They posted 98 entries on their YouTube channel, and this was the most popular with 1.3M views. But it was very juvenile. 2/10.

🍿

Because Françoise Hardy died today (at the age of 80!), I watched one of her movies. Sadly, I picked What's new, pussycat?, Woody Allen's first produced play. A terrible, disgusting "comedy" about 3 lecherous cads, proudly sex-crazed misogynists in Paris, who try to fuck anything that move. It's hard to look back and imagine there was a time when the promiscuous Woody Allen character was acceptable as the ideal of a sexy lover. Here he modeled himself after Groucho Marx, and even copied 'The stateroom scene' from a 'Night in the opera' during the final orgy scene. I would have quit this piece of shit many times, but I waited to see 21-year-old Françoise Hardy. Unfortunately, she appeared in the very last scene! 1/10.

RIP, Françoise Hardy! (I'll always play your Tous les garçons et les filles with Léa Seydoux. Or La Question...)

🍿

I only saw one movie by M. Night Shyamalan before ('Old'), so I tried another. The Happening sounded okay, because 'Hey, a thriller about mass suicide'. But it was unwatchable from the very first scenes: Atrocious script, horrible acting, poor mise-en-scene, just a bunch of 'odd, inexplicable things happening' one after the other. I forced myself to stay awake for 25 minutes, but any longer, I would have committed suicide too.

🍿

"Today I learnt that" on September 10, 2001, resident curmudgeon George Carlin recorded an album called I Kinda Like It When a Lotta People Die. In the set's 10-minute maniacal closer, "Uncle Dave", Carlin explains why he likes "big, fatal disasters with lots of dead people". It also involves references to Osama bin Laden and an exploding airplane.

Needless to say, this ornery tirade was shelved in the afternoon of the very next day. The posthumously-released album included a very weak rant from 1957 and interviews with some friends. The second best joke was about the guy who invented the first enema.

🍿  

(My complete movie list is here).

[girluninterrupted11]

Moving onto the 1930s…

This decade is quite different from the one of the jazz age. Where 20s fashion is free and rebellious, 30s fashion is sophisticated and traditional. Don’t be fooled though, just because this decade is more conservative than the last one doesn't mean it's any less chic. Honestly I much prefer the look of the 1930s, it's more practical and more tasteful. While the flapper fashion is fun and almost frivolous, it’s not exactly ideal outside of special occasions. Maybe that’s just the type of person I am. This decade tends to be forgotten (probably because the 1920s was so iconic) but doesn’t mean it should be. 

Let’s take a look at some of the key components of 1930s fashion. Unsurprisingly, this is another decade that was heavily influenced by hollywood. The difference is that the 30s are more glamor heavy. The first big Hollywood star that changed the game is Jean Harlow. Some hate her, some love her. Personally she’ll always remain an icon in my mind. I always think of watching her old movies with my grandma. I remember watching hell’s angels with her for the first time and realizing she was the blonde bombshell of her time. I don't think I'd really known her before having watched this movie, but once I did I remembered her. Now when I think of this era, she’s the first thing that comes to mind with her striking platinum blonde hair and glamor. 

Starting with the outfit on the left here, we can see the famous look in the 1933 film "Dinner at Eight". Starting with the outfit on the left here, we can see the famous look in the 1933 film "Dinner at Eight". In classic Jean Harlow fashion, I think the dress is the perfect mix of sophistication and glitz. I have to say, I'm not normally a fan of the criss-cross necklines in dresses, and I'm not really a fan here either. I will say I dislike it less than I normally do here though, I think the rest of the dress really balances it out. This decade is really where we see longer hemlines, more fitted dresses, and higher waistlines (as you can see). I really like this though, I think these additions give a lot of room for potential. This dress is simple enough actually, but with the addition of the fur shawl/coat it’s the perfect evening gown. I’ve said it before and I'll say it again, I really do love fur coats. In this case, I think it really elevates the plain dress, which is exactly what the 1930s is about. Sophistication and elegance.

Next, on the left is a simpler evening gown. I much prefer this one to the first one. If I was living in this era, I would definitely go for the second look. It’s simple, black, but elegant. I prefer black dresses for evening gowns for sure, I really think there's no need for any crazy colours. Simplicity is elegance. I personally always tend to go for black dresses and darker colours. The neckline is simple but not plain. The hemline is long, as an evening gown should be (or at least I think so). It's sophisticated with the right amount of glamour. 

This is also the decade where fedoras and hats became especially popular. Once again, I actually really like hats. I think they're fun and add another dimension to an outfit. Fedoras are especially interesting. They’re not too crazy (not like the hat depicted in the left) but not too simple. Fedoras specifically are very versatile. On men, they can add sophistication to an outfit. On women, they can do the same, or they can be a statement piece, depending on the rest of the look, which I really appreciate. I really like versatility in fashion, it's always best to have some staple versatile pieces than a bunch of different pieces. Quality over quantity is my motto really and the 1930s really gets that.

See you next week, xx.

[the-rewatch-rewind]

Back after a week off!

Script below the break.

Hello and welcome back to The Rewatch Rewind, the podcast where I count down my top 40 most rewatched movies. My name is Jane, and today I will be discussing number 31 on my list: RKO’s 1937 dramatic comedy, or comedic drama, Stage Door, directed by Gregory La Cava, written by Morrie Ryskind and Anthony Veiller, from the play by Edna Ferber and George S. Kaufman, starring Katharine Hepburn, Ginger Rogers, and Adolphe Menjou.

When heiress Terry Randall (Katharine Hepburn) decides to go into show business, she moves into a theatrical boarding house called the Footlights Club with other, significantly poorer, aspiring actresses. She keeps the details of her privileged background secret, but nevertheless struggles to fit in with the others, particularly her new roommate Jean Maitland (Ginger Rogers), who see her as a snob. The conflict heats up even more when Terry is cast in a role that another Footlights Club resident, Kay Hamilton (Andrea Leeds) had her heart set on.

I can’t remember exactly how I first discovered this movie, but I assume it was because I love both Katharine Hepburn and Ginger Rogers, and I was trying to watch as many of their films as I could get my hands on. They are two of the four actors to make it into at least 4 of the movies that will be on this podcast, so it makes sense that I would keep revisiting a movie that featured both of them, even though they apparently didn’t get along very well offscreen. I think I might have seen Stage Door for the first time in 2002, I’m not sure, but once I started keeping track, I watched it 17 times: twice in 2003, three times in 2005, once in 2006, twice in 2008, twice in 2009, twice in 2011, once in 2013, once in 2014, once in 2015, once in 2016, and once in 2022. Back in 2013, I blogged about the movies I had watched at least 10 times in 10 years, and at the time Stage Door was the only one of those I didn’t own a copy of, so I know that at least all the views prior to then were because I borrowed it from the library. When I finally got it on DVD, it was part of a Katharine Hepburn collection that included the 1933 version of Little Women, which won Best Adapted Screenplay. When I was going through adapted screenplay winners in 2017, after I watched that one, the collection somehow fell under my bed without me realizing it, so the next time I wanted to watch Stage Door, I couldn’t find it, and it wasn’t until 2022 that I finally cleaned out under my bed and uncovered it. So Stage Door would be even higher on this list if I cleaned my room more often.

In my last episode, I mentioned that what I really wanted out of Newsies was more of the ensemble just hanging out, and that is exactly what Stage Door provides. There are so many great scenes featuring Footlights Club residents exchanging witty banter, without in any way hindering the plot. While some of that comes from the stars, particularly Ginger Rogers, the supporting cast is absolute gold and features several relative unknowns at the time who became quite famous later, such as future television stars Eve Arden and Lucille Ball, in addition to then-14-year-old Ann Miller, who used a fake birth certificate to pretend to be 18, and somehow managed to hold her own dancing with Ginger Rogers. Gail Patrick was already somewhat established as a master of the cold, calculating secondary character, and she continues that here as Linda, Jean’s main rival before Terry shows up, but she later became even more noteworthy for executive producing the Perry Mason TV show in the 1950s and 1960s, when she was the only female executive producer of a prime-time show. It’s so fun to see these soon-to-be household names so early in their careers hanging out and swapping jokes. But I think I would still enjoy the ensemble scenes at least almost as much if I’d never heard of any of the performers. One of my favorite moments is when the oldest resident who is now an acting coach, played by Constance Collier, is going on yet again about “Back in my day” and somebody who’s holding a book interjects, “when knighthood was in flower” and Constance Collier is all offended until she says, “I’m sorry, I was just reading aloud” and her face and delivery are so perfect, and I have no idea who that character or actress is but I love her.

I’ve read several different stories of how this script came to be. While it’s ostensibly based on a play, apart from the title, the setting, and some of the characters’ names, it’s barely recognizable as the same story. Playwright George S. Kaufman reportedly quipped that the title should have been changed to Screen Door to further distance itself from his play. One story claims that director Gregory La Cava sent an assistant to pose as an aspiring actress in a boarding house and write down what the residents said to use as dialogue in the film. Another version says that La Cava had the actresses from the film hang out together on the set prior to shooting and incorporated their interactions into the script. And yet a third version is that much of the dialogue was improvised while filming. I’m not sure which is true, and I suppose it could be a combination of all three, or none of them, but regardless, the banter is excellent and feels entirely natural. While the slang is, of course, rather outdated, the way they insert snarky comments into their conversations feels exactly like how friend groups – particularly those who are discouraged and fed up but laughing to keep from screaming – interact in real life even now. It’s unusual to see a movie with a primarily female ensemble being so witty together, and I can’t even begin to explain how fun it is to watch. Granted, some of it does get a bit stereotypically catty, but even the least-developed unnamed extra in this movie feels like a real person. Beneath their jovial facades lurks a deep longing for success on the stage, as well as frustration at how difficult that is to achieve, and they all convey that so brilliantly. Mad props to the entire cast.

Like many of the movies I’ve talked about so far, Stage Door has a rather complicated relationship with sex and romance. Because production codes of the time prohibited most sexual content, they had to leave it kind of vague, but it’s implied that the character of theatrical producer Anthony Powell, played by Adolphe Menjou, is providing Gail Patrick’s character, Linda, with expensive clothes and jewelry in return for sexual favors – although why she’s still living at the Footlights Club is rather a mystery – until Ginger Rogers’s character Jean catches his eye and he gets her a job dancing at his nightclub. Jean initially despises him, and only starts dating him because of how much she hates Linda. It’s not entirely clear whether Jean actually sleeps with him – there’s a scene of her in his apartment getting very drunk, but then she starts talking about marriage and Powell has his butler send her home. But they apparently keep seeing each other after that, and Jean does seem to develop feelings for Powell, for completely unfathomable reasons, but Katharine Hepburn’s character Terry sees through him. There’s a great scene when Powell takes Terry to his apartment to discuss the role she’s just been given and she resists his advances, but then when Jean shows up Terry pretends they were in the middle of something so that Jean will see that Powell is no good. This doesn’t help Jean and Terry’s relationship, and most of the characters at the Footlights Club probably think that Terry got the role by sleeping with Powell – although the audience knows it’s because her father said he would help finance the new play if she was the star, hoping that she would fail and return home. Jean already thinks that Terry has previously had a similar arrangement to the one Linda had with Powell because Terry also has expensive clothes and a photograph of an old man she claims to be her grandfather – but again, the audience knows that Terry comes from a rich family and that the man probably is her actual grandfather. I guess showing characters inferring that other characters were having illicit sex was okay with the censors as long as it wasn’t confirmed? Also Powell tells Jean in the scene when she’s drunk that he has a wife and son, but later Terry exposes this as a lie, so even if he is sleeping with any or all of the people that characters think he might be, at least he’s not committing adultery because he’s not really married. Maybe this is just me, but I find it so fascinating what was and wasn’t allowed under these production codes. Anyway, in a similar but perhaps more innocent vein, Lucille Ball’s character is from Seattle, which apparently means she knows every lumberman who visits New York, so she’s often going out on dates with them. Jean clearly despises their uncouth ways, but the food at the Footlights Club is notoriously almost inedible, so she’s willing to let them dance on her feet and bore her in exchange for dinner. Incidentally, one of these double dates is what Eve Arden’s character is referring to in the line I quoted at the end of last episode about “a pleasant little foursome” and predicting a hatchet murder. It doesn’t seem like there’s sex involved in this arrangement, although Lucy’s character does end up marrying one of the lumbermen at the end, but it feels similar to the Powell situation in that it shows women willing to give men what they want in exchange for security, luxury, or both.

The idea that men always want sex and women either tolerate or use sex is certainly not unique to this film – it’s a prevalent stereotype even now that is harmful in so many ways, encouraging and normalizing incredibly toxic relationship dynamics between straight allosexuals. And a side effect is that it makes things very confusing for asexuals. Those who are socialized as girls may not recognize their own asexuality because women aren’t supposed to really want sex that much anyway. And those who are socialized as boys are pressured to ignore their asexuality because men are supposedly defined by their obsession with sex. It’s not great and we need to stop spreading this false narrative. But in terms of this movie, when you remember that it’s from 1937, the same year as Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs and “Someday My Prince Will Come,” it almost feels progressive to at least show women taking control of their own lives, even if they’re forced to do so within the confines of an oppressive, patriarchal society. There are a few times throughout the film when it’s suggested that these women would be better off getting married and raising children and giving up on their acting dreams, but this is presented as the view of society at large, particularly men like Powell, and not necessarily the truth. It’s rather empowering to see these women stubbornly taking the path that feels right to them even when they’re constantly being told to give up and conform. So from that perspective, the message feels less problematic and more encouraging, and that aspect speaks to me.

This movie also addresses mental health struggles in a very interesting way that I want to discuss a bit. Trigger Warning: I will be talking about depression and suicide in this section, so I’ll put time codes in the show notes if you need to skip through that [skip this and the next paragraph on the script]. For its time, I feel like this movie actually does a pretty good job of distinguishing between feeling a bit down and actually suffering from depression. Most of the residents of the Footlights Club are struggling to find work, but they’re managing. Kay Hamilton, however, is clearly not. She’s behind on her rent and skipping meals but refuses to ask for or accept help. It’s established that she gave a highly acclaimed performance in Anthony Powell’s previous play but hasn’t been able to find work since. Kay desperately wants the leading role in his new play, both because she needs the work and because she relates to the part. When Terry is cast instead, Kay is devastated, but insists that none of the others inform Terry how much she wanted it. To add insult to injury, Terry is awful in rehearsals, refusing to take direction and reading the lines as emotionlessly as possible, so we can all see that Kay would have been a much better choice. On opening night, Kay gives Terry her good luck charm, and then jumps out the window, killing herself. Jean confronts Terry and blames her for Kay’s death. Terry is beside herself – Kay was basically the only one who was nice to Terry – and at first doesn’t want to perform at all, but her grief puts her in the perfect mindset to play the character whose feelings she’s never understood before. She’s clearly performing to honor Kay’s memory, and all of the Footlights Club residents in attendance recognize that, and afterwards Jean and Terry finally become friends.

The main thing I remember from the first time I watched this was how shocked I was by Kay’s suicide. It felt like such an abrupt and upsetting change of tone from what had been mostly a lighthearted comedy. But upon rewatch there are so many signs. When all the other residents of the boarding house are laughing off their troubles, Kay never joins in, only occasionally managing a weak smile to try to reassure her concerned friends that she’s fine. Nobody knows how to help her, and she doesn’t know how to accept the help that’s offered. It’s an upsetting but realistic portrayal of depression, and Andrea Leeds plays it so perfectly that she was even nominated for an Oscar. Considering that, even with all the recent advances made in mental health research and treatment, many people still consider depression just a period of sadness when you’re not trying hard enough to cheer yourself up, it’s astounding that a movie made 86 years ago does such an excellent job of conveying what it actually feels like. It’s not really sadness; it’s more of a void. A hopeless void that you feel like you’ll be stuck in forever. And that’s what Kay shows us. I don’t think I consciously realized this when I was watching Stage Door as a teenager suffering from depression, but I do think in a weird way it helped, to see what I was feeling from the outside. To see that Kay was surrounded by people who cared about and wanted to help her, that the void was lying when it told her there was no other way out except through the window. I wish there had been a way to save her, and I don’t love the implication that her death was necessary to make Terry a good actress, although I don’t think that was the message they were going for. I think the film is trying to say that art and storytelling can be used to channel pain into something beautiful, and while there are certainly better ways to convey this that don’t involve suicide, I still feel like this movie is surprisingly respectful of mental health struggles, particularly for its time, and I appreciate that.

I know I’ve been emphasizing some of the darker aspects, but it’s mostly an uplifting movie. It’s just also trying to be realistic about the hardships faced by women pursuing artistic careers, particularly during the Great Depression – not that things are much better now. I kind of think having this movie in the back of my mind has contributed to at least some of my decisions to support female actors and producers on Patreon. If only the residents of the Footlights Club had had access to the internet. Anyway, there are lots of fascinating behind-the-scenes Stage Door stories, and I’m not sure if any or all of them are actually true, but I want to mention some of them nonetheless. There was apparently a random cat on the RKO lot that took a liking to Eve Arden, so Gregory La Cava decided to make it part of the movie that her character was almost always holding or playing with the cat. Perhaps the most famous line in Stage Door is Terry’s speech in the play, which starts with “The calla lilies are in bloom again…” This was taken from a play called “The Lake” in which Katharine Hepburn had appeared on Broadway, and, in the words of critic Dorothy Parker, “ran the gamut of emotions – from A to B.” So Hepburn used this performance to redeem herself a bit. She certainly shows more emotional range than A to B, although I feel like she still had more to learn before becoming the truly excellent performer she’s remembered as. According to several accounts, Katharine Hepburn was extremely envious of Ginger Rogers, whose career at the time was going much better than her own. Rogers had a much easier time taking direction and getting along with people, and just seemed to generally have more natural talent for performing. So Hepburn resented her, and insisted on sharing top billing instead of taking second billing under her. Rogers was disappointed when Margaret Sullavan, who had played Terry Randall on Broadway and was originally cast in the film version, became pregnant and had to drop out. So neither of them were thrilled to be working together. Since I love both Katharine Hepburn and Ginger Rogers, it makes me a little sad that they didn’t actually like each other, but that was kind of perfect for their characters’ dynamic in this movie. A nicer story is that Ginger Rogers helped launch Ann Miller’s career by insisting she get the role of her dance partner even though the director thought she was too tall, and apparently Rogers and Miller became life-long friends. And one last fun piece of trivia that I recently stumbled upon is that the woman in the photograph of Anthony Powell’s pretend wife was Verree Teasdale, who was married to Adolphe Menjou – so the character’s fake wife was the actor’s actual wife.

Thank you for listening to me talk through another of my most frequently re-watched movies. We’re a quarter of the way through the list already! Remember to subscribe or follow on your podcast platform of choice for more, and rate or leave a review to let me know how you’re enjoying it so far. This episode is coming out on International Asexuality Day, so I hope my fellow aces out there are feeling particularly supported and celebrated today. As always, I will leave you with a quote from the next movie: “You promised me a zillion dollars! And a nickel!”

[mermaidsirennikita]

ARC Review: It Happened One Fight by Maureen Lee Lenker

3/5. Releases 7/11/2023.

For when you're vibing with... Old Hollywood, celebrity romance but make it vintage, oops! we're married, and light enemies to lovers.

Joan Davis has been unable to escape being paired with her screen partner, Dash Howard--no matter how much she hates him, they're box office gold together. She's hoping that her upcoming marriage to rising star Monty will give her a new image. Except, whoops, a prank gone wrong (by Dash) means that Dash and Joan are legally married. The only way to get a quick divorce is to star in one last movie with Dash in Reno, where they can split after six weeks. But during that six weeks... Joan begins to wonder if there's more to her irritating rival than what meets the eye...

I'm actually a really big fan of older cinema, and I love Old Hollywood. Unfortunately, while I think this is a well-done book and will definitely capture the hearts of certain readers, it didn't quite get me going.

Quick Takes:

--I really do love the premise here. The Reno divorce was something so many celebrities relied upon back in the day--and it's perfect for a romance novel. You can tell Lenker knows her shit about the tricks of the trade, too. Dash was just an everyguy until his first wife saw something in him and helped him remake his image, Joan's own image remaking with her engagement to Monty (who has quite the involved roommate)--those are all the beats of shit Old Hollywood used to pull all the time, and I like that.

--Where I think we're a little lost is in an uncertainty about the setting. It's definitely detailed like Old Hollywood should be, but it doesn't quite hit home for me. Some of it is in the dialogue, which is quite 21st century modern. There's a modern vibe throughout the book, and here's the thing: I normally don't care about that with historicals... To an extent. Very few historicals are truly accurate, you know? But it's easier to get a sense of a really well-tread setting like Regency and Victorian, I think--that's not Lenker's fault. What makes the 1930s, and especially 1930s Hollywood more challenging is that in the grand scheme? It's a lot more tangible. I can watch a movie and see... if not a depiction of how real people acted and talked, then at least how they wanted to be seen. It's more familiar, so it's easier for a book to feel not-quite-there, I think.

However, I also feel like there was a lot of grit taken out of the world, and I tend to wonder if 1930s Hollywood just might not be the right setting for a lighthearted historical romance. Perhaps a heavier historical romance would've made more sense. Maybe I'm just too aware. This reads more like a movie made in the 1930s than a book about people who made movies in the 1930s, if that makes sense, so perhaps my expectations were off in that sense. And to be clear, I'm fully aware that Regencies and Victorians gloss over the bad shit too--but I think there's a higher sense of stress in those I prefer, at least, and again this book suffers a little from being too recently-set.

--In that sense, I feel like it wasn't quite caustic enough for me. There's a sense of the screwball to this, which I think is easier to pull off onscreen than it is on the page, because you have charismatic actors doing hijinks and allowing you to suspend disbelief, whereas here I'm like "okay, this is a lot for a grown man to be doing". I just need to stay away from books where pranks are pulled--and that's on me.

--The writing is entertaining and it all makes sense. It hit all the right beats. I should have connected more than I did, and again, I feel like those who prefer lighter books will probably connect with it more. I just didn't get the sense that these two needed to be together, which is important for me as a reader.

The Sex Stuff:

There is one extended sex scene, which is good and covers a lot of the bases. But after that, you get a lot of closed door action, and I really don't understand why that is.

This is one of those books that I think could've been pushed an extra level; it almost had a thing, but for me, it didn't quite get there.

Thanks to Netgalley and Sourcebooks Casablanca for providing me with a copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

[forfoxessake]

March (2023)

It’s silly but I’m happy I managed to watch some recent works that I was interested in, I sometimes get trapped into watching what I think I should watch, and not what I want. I can say the same for books, although I’m still finding it difficult to truly focus for more than a few pages. 

_________

8 films

Catherine Called Birdy (2022) - directed by Lena Dunham, Bella Ramsey is a coming-of-age story, with a lovely cast and a profound reflection on what is to be a woman, and how you can find yourself among all the many things expected of our “designated roles” in society. Bella truly shines here and I want her to do more diverse roles. 

Disenchanted (2022) - I love the original film and was genuinely excited for this, the trailers looked fun, and I was disapointed by the quality delivered, it’s a good idea badly executed, and while Amy Adams is forever delightful, and especially when she is being bad, but it’s not enough to make this an enjoyable film, not even for a 10 year old. 

Glass Life (2021) a short documentary insanely full of references, I could barely keep up with it and need to watch it at least 5 times more. But I loved it. It’s a reflection on our choices in regard to our daily life, our capitalism image-obsessed life. 

Holy Spider (2022) directed by  Ali Abbasi (who also directed two great The Last of Us episodes) it’s not an easy film to watch, a real-life story about a serial killer who targeted sex workers and used a religious belief to justify his killing. It doesn’t hide anything, it hurts to watch it, but it’s necessary, it can be like many other similar crime films that make it all seem glorious. 

Happy Together (1997) directed by Wong Kar-wai  I’m slowly going through his most famous work and loving the way his movies have textured, you can feel them with our of our senses. It’s love in a non-Hollywood way, it’s real.

A Quiet Place II (2020) The first one is so refreshingly good, unfortunately, the sequel is unnecessary, more of the same but not in a good interesting/captivating way.

Inherent Vice (2014) directed by Paul Thomas Anderson, this was the wrong movie to start watching on a long daytime flight back home, and it took me many weeks to finish it, and I won’t pretend to understand anything that was happening here, I’m not even sure we are supposed to understand anything. 

The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent (2022)  Pedro Pascal and Nicolas Cage have fun being meta. Paddington 2 is in fact the best movie ever. 

_________

4 books 

Anton Chekhov - read two of his plays, Uncle Vanya and The Cherry Garden, both really good works and now I need to watch “Drive My Car” again to better understand how they use the complexity of the play in the film's narrative. 

Victor Hugo - Toilers of The Sea - I have read Moby Dick so I didn't think I could have a hard time reading something complex about the sea, and especially something written by Victor Hugo who does it so beautifully, but I just suffered silently until there was only 20% left and everything was sewed together beautifully.

Bernard Cornwell - The Last Kingdom (The Saxon Stories, #1) I love the Netflix series and postponed reading the books until it was all over, I wanted to focus on that, and not to confuse any divergent timelines or anything like that. Because I believe Cornwell is an exceptional historical/fantasy writer and I knew this was going to be good.

_________

 3 tv series

Landscapers (2021) it’s a true crime mini-series that does a wonderful job integrating the main character's (Olivia Colman) fantasy of old Hollywood life into the narrative, making her seem almost innocent, and childlike. We almost forget that she did kill her parents and buried their bodies in their backyards. 

Aftershock: Everest and the Nepal Earthquake (2022) a shocking natural disaster that leads to the worst of humanity. I saw this alongside the last few episodes of The Last of Us, and that helped me understand what they were trying to say. 

The Last of Us (2023 -) already one of my favorite series ever, a brilliant first season, it says so much more than anyone was ever expecting. I’m not a fan of apocalypse-based fiction, and I give this a shot thinking that it sounded more than that, and I was right. There’s a lot more here than mushroom zombies, what is even more frightening is what we do as humans to survive, and how far we will go. It’s almost what we see on a smaller scale happen in Aftershock. 

_________

Music

Vide - Hanging By the Bayou Light (2020)  weirdly, this helps me focus on studying, I call it atmospheric black metal. 

Comeback Kids - Heavy Steps (2022) I love when my friends recomend me stuff that fits my mood perfectly 

Paramore - This is Why (2023) I gave this a try even though I have never really enjoyed their work, what made me listen to it was a vinyl reviewer tik toker that said this sounded almost nothing like their original work, more jazz than pop rock. 

[clarklovescarole]

April 1936: Pictured Together

April 1, 1936 – The Argos Reflector

Inside Gossip: Last week’s famous matinee idol, who is reported to be seeing much of Carole Lombard, is Clark Gable.

April 19, 1936 – St. Louis Post Dispatch

WHEN I WAS at Paramount a day or so ago, Carole Lombard came in looking chic in a gray tailored costume. She was to have some stills made – ordinary photographs to you – of her last picture to use for fan mail which is very heavy. And maybe, too, they were being made for Clark Gable, for that romance which started out as more or less of a joke is taking on a much more serious aspect and they are seen constantly together.

April 20, 1936 – The Des Moines Register

Filmland’s latest romance rumor began when Carole Lombard, film actress, sent Clark Gable, screen star, a unique valentine – an old broken down lizzie, festooned with paper hearts. This is the first time they’ve been pictured in public together, and the camera man discovered them at the midget auto races in Hollywood. 

April 21, 1936 – The Tribune

Frequent appearances together at Hollywood resorts has lent credence to reports that Carole Lombard, former wife of William Powell, and Clark Gable are planning to middle-aisle it. Their romance started when Miss Lombard presented Gable with a dilapidated automobile as a valentine joke.

April 22, 1936 – The Minneapolis Star

The Carole Lombard-Clark Gable business will bear watching. They see each other all the time. Both being whimsical that way, they travel about in the once dilapidated flivver which she gave Clark for a valentine present and which he spent $300 having fixed up.

April 26, 1936

William Powell and Carole Lombard still rub noses when they meet.

They adopted this good old Eskimo custom when they were man and wife. Divorced, they keep it up. 

Powell and Miss Lombard are working together now in a picture, “My Man Godfrey.” When they walked on the set for the first day’s shooting, it was the first time in many months they had met. They scanned each other carefully, for a moment, in silence. Then – 

“Hello, Bill.”

“Hello, Carole.” 

As though at a signal, they walked up to each other and rubbed noses, bursting in to affectionate laughter.

Miss Lombard was Mrs. William Powell for two years and two months. Then, without preliminaries, she flew to Reno and won a sealed divorce. The complaint was incompatibility and for once movie colony gossips had no “low down” to offer on the breakup. It was understood they just weren’t happy in the limits of the wedding ring.

But amiability and even friendly affection characterize their relationship now. On the “set” between scenes, they seem to find a lot to talk about.

Occasionally, Miss Lombard linked her arm through her ex-husband’s or leaned against him, one hand on his shoulder.

They consult each other constantly on what actors call “business,” that is, inflections of the voice on particular bits of dialogue or facial expressions in specific scenes; in short, the modes and means of acting.

“What do you think of this, Carole?” Powell will say. She replies and frequently asks his advice on some little problem of her own.

There are love scenes, but no actual clinches in “My Man Godfrey.”

Neither would discuss the situation in relation to the present.”

We’ll be glad to talk about pictures in general, this picture in particular, or anything you want,” Powell grinned. “But the past – is the past.” 

retrieved from The Birmingham News

April 28, 1936 – Hartford Courier

That Clark Gable-Carole Lombard romance is still in the sizzling stage. “If only they could act as well in front of the camera!” sighed Hal Roach at a recent Beverly Hills party.

April 30, 1936 – The Edwardsville Intelligencer

Clark Gable is actually driving the pristine $25 flivver that Carole Lombard gave him as a gag. He has had the valves ground and the body painted white. The result is terrific, if not colossal. Mr. Gable drives it everywhere, but hasn’t yet dared ask his chauffeur to take the wheel.

[critical-chris]

65 (2023)

Holy shit, I demand a documentary of how this movie was made.

Good 'noon everyone, nice to talk to you again. I took a week long break from the blog due to a few factors including long hours at work, a random and inexplicable desire to start watching Succession for the first time ahead of the upcoming new season, and most importantly a complete and total lack of movies coming out that I had interest in.

There was one exception, Cocaine Bear, which I still do want to see. However, every time I had a reservation with my AMC membership and the time would come to leave the house and head to the theater, the lackluster reviews would crawl into my brain and I couldn't justify the 2 hour trek outside. I would crawl back in bed and dive into an episode of The Mandalorian, 1923, The Boys, or piecemealing the slog of a movie I find The Aviator to be. Lots of TV, not so many movies, but I'm back with a vengeance, baby.

Let's kick things off with why I wanted to see this movie in the first place. Have you seen the trailer? Exactly. The trailer sells you on a futuristic soldier played by Adam Driver finding himself stranded on a strange world that turns out to be Earth, 65 million years ago. This badass is strapped up with crazy weapons and about to fight some dinosaurs for survival. I'm all the way in.

I love science fiction movies when the creators that be get them right. Star Wars is my clear cut favorite sci-fi franchise, although Disney (not including Jon Favreau and Dave Filoni) has done whatever they can to create more shit properties under the umbrella than good ones. I love a good one-off sci-fi movie too, the most recent hit for me being Dune, what I felt to be a great epic adaptation of the book. Can't wait for that sequel and the talking baby, which better be in the film.

I love Adam Driver, too. I was not one of the early watchers of Girls (or a watcher at all, frankly), so my first introduction to him was Star Wars: The Force Awakens, the only film from the trilogy I loved and have since dampened my feelings on. I like him in the movies, despite my major beefs and issues with the plotting and directing, and continued to be excited by his more traditional dramatic work.

If you need some fantastic recommendations, check out my favorite Spike Lee joint BlacKkKlansman, a great paced marital drama Marriage Story, a creative crime dramedy Logan Lucky, and the period piece The Last Duel. A lot of people liked House of Gucci, and I thought it was decent although I'm not sure why Driver is now being tapped as Hollywood's "It Guy" for biographic films of Italian businessman with him portraying Enzo Ferrari next. With all of these great movies in his back pocket, I was sure that Adam Driver could not lose and would be coming in with another banger with replay value out the buttocks. I have to use clean language at some point in this blog for how explicit I am in my feelings on finally seeing 65.

When I saw that this movie came out to just over 90 minutes, I got that old fashioned bad feeling in my gut that maybe I was in for some trouble instead of some good dino-fighting. It's not very typical you get a slapstick comedy runtime out of an expensive science fiction film, and when you do it's a sign that perhaps there were some big problems with the longer cut and someone had to make a watchable storyline out of the scraps. And boy, does this movie feel exactly like that.

I have problems with almost every part of this disaster, so why not tick them off chronologically. 65 opens with some film school level text on screen letting the cat out of the bag right away. It explains that before mankind existed on Earth, there were other beings in other galaxies traveling the universe. Then we go to Planet Who Cares where Adam Driver is sitting on a beach with his wife and child. They quickly and briefly mention the daughter is suffering from some unknown illness and Driver must go on a 2-year journey to get paid enough to "cure her". LMAO CURE HER? Like the pharmaceutical company is withholding life-saving medicine because you can't afford it? Actually.... I guess that is realistic. Anyways, he teaches her to whistle with her hands and they showcase absolutely 0 familial chemistry that you care nothing about.

Smash cut immediately to Driver on a spaceship carrying a dozen or so passengers who are in cryo-sleep pods. The ship is suddenly hit by an asteroid, Driver attempts to control it, but they crash through the atmosphere of a strange planet and all of the cryo-pods get sucked out of the ship and are presumed dead. Adam Driver stumbles out of the ship, wades his way through some mud (where a creature lurks around him but then just never does anything so you wonder why even show there being a creature in the mud??), and discovers the bodies of the passengers who were tossed out of their cryo-pods.

Adam Driver stumbles back onto the ship and records a message asking for someone to come and rescue them, but deletes it before sending and re-records the message. In the second message, he tells anyone listening to abandon them and not to send a rescue ship because he's going to kill himself..... Why would he do that? We know his entire goal is to get back to his daughter, why would he not just ask for help and see if someone actually comes? Anyways, he decides not to kill himself, AND THEN THE TITLE CARD FOR THE MOVIE COMES UP. AT 20 MINUTES IN, THE TITLE OF THE MOVIE COMES UP AND READS:

65

Million Years Ago

A Visitor Came To

Earth

..... Seriously. All of that text comes on screen for the title card. Pardon my Portuguese, but what the fuck.

Driver is moping around when he sees an alert come up in his ship that one of the cryo-pods was not damaged and the girl inside survived, played by Ariana Greenblatt. He drags her out of the pod and while she rests he ventures out to a geyser field which is clearly included as foreshadowing for later in the film. He realizes that far away one of the escape pods from the ship also survived the crash and is a viable means of escape.

I felt the plot device included in this film of the girl speaking a different language than Adam Driver was unnecessary and forced. Besides the quick minute they spend in the final act of the girl being upset with Driver for lying about her parents being alive, there really is no reason for them not to be able to communicate. They try to force a couple laughs from their misunderstanding, but come across as generic and recycled gags. The part where Driver smushes a bug, and playfully chases the girl with his gooky hand is embarrassing.

Then there are the actual dinosaurs, which don't get incorporated until about 45 minutes in. The first dino the duo comes across is a baby stuck in a little tar pit, which is immediately killed by whatever those miniature predators from the opening of Lost World are, an attempt at a gut-wrenching moment that I found eye-rolling and stupid.

The other main predators featured are lizards mixed with raptors? They sulk low to the ground with their tails raised high and chase our protagonists around the trees and a beach, quickly dispatched by Adam Driver's futuristic assault rifle and grenades. There is a moment where one lizard seems to have gotten hold of Ariana, but Driver saves the day right at the last moment as is typical in every movie ever ever ever.

There were two scenes in the movie that I actually found entertaining and twinkled with potential of what this movie could have been. The first occurs after Driver and Ariana are driven into a cave by a modified T-Rex, and Ariana is able to crawl out of the cave before a cave-in traps Driver. He shimmies around in the dark and is stalked by an unseen dino, which creates some good tension and anticipation for when the creature finally emerges. The dino doesn't end up being scary or that menacing, but the lead up was decent enough.

The other part I enjoyed were the T-Rex's. I found the final minutes of the two T-Rex's trying to finish off Adam Driver and Ariana's ship with them inside, and even the moment where the last T-Rex chases Driver into the geyser field only to be stabbed and scalded to death very well done. The whole movie should have been scenes like this showing danger instead of pretending the main two characters have any chemistry or relationship worth watching.

All in all, this is a derivative sci-fi "thriller" reliant on jump scares, overused tropes, and it's budget for making dinosaurs seem sort of real. I would never, will never, and can never recommend anyone spend even the short 90 minutes to watch this movie. If you're suffering pure boredom I would recommend sitting on a porch and imagining dinosaurs in your front yard instead of sitting through this. In today's world, there is always something better to watch somewhere else instead of 65.

I do have one conspiracy theory related to this movie that I think holds weight. I read an article online that mentioned this film had a budget of $95 million, and after witnessing what I did play out on the screen, I have to assume a majority of that went to Adam Driver. Otherwise, why would he put his name at the top of the cast list for this pile of dinosaur shit? I'll take it one further, how much do I think he got paid out of the total budget? Wait for it, $65 million. Following that logic, I have to assume he asked that the name of the movie then represent how much it takes to get a big name actor to star in a film that is destined to fail and ensure its director never works again.

In conclusion, THIS MOVIE SUCKS.

65 - 2.0/10

[nicflurrymachinebroke]

BETWEEN WORLDS

Dirty, nasty, day-drinking, pill-stealing, stimulant-chewing greasy dirty scumbag trucker Cage flipflopping between unkempt graying organic trucker beard & perfectly lined up, manicured Nicolas Cage Just For Men™️ Hollywood beard BACK & FORTH IN THE SAME SCENE EVEN (did y'all have to do reshoots the week of Cannes or something??? Is this man's schedule REALLY that packed?????) while being TORMENTED (TORTURED!!! AGONIOUS TORTURE!!!) by the specter of his dead wife (+ child), the ghost of whom has taken up residence in the barely-legal body of the-woman-he-"saved"-from-being-strangled-in-the-opening-(who-he's-now-shacking-up-with)'s daughter. Who was in a coma after a motorcycle accident! Which is why her mom was getting strangled in a truck stop bathroom in the first place! BUT THAT'S NEITHER HERE NOR THERE.

I would suck the tattoos clean off that man. Clean him off like a WHITEBOARD.

He's fucking the mom, he's fucking the daughter (who's actually his dead wife!), he's smoking pot & sleeping on their couch & trying to have his cake + eat it too & pilfering prescription medication & being unkempt & middle-aged & scumbag-destructive in a way that's so realistic (and over-the-top, yes; it's Nicolas Cage) I was just in awe of it. Everything about this movie is just so real (the set dressing, hair/makeup IGNORE THE BEARD, character design/wardrobe [his especially; aside from one ABSOLUTELY TRAGIC low-budget iron-on tshirt {WITH A GATOR ON IT!!! which fits the character if even if the execution screams Temu} his clothes all make sense for the person his character wants to present himself as--hyperrealistic Midlife Crisis edgy rocker guy-core, take it from someone with an unfortunate history of being down bad for guys like that--& they're lived-in in a way that makes me wonder if he brought a lot of his own wardrobe a la Jeff Bridges in The Big Lebowski], dialogue, even the lighting) (PARTICULARLY the lighting) it outshines the goofiness of the premise. Yeah, it obviously still has Hollywood stink on it (what I would not give to have his old teeth back 😔) but so much of the heart is so raw & earnest I almost don't even want to tell anyone about this movie lest they somehow take it from me by watching it but also at the same time I want to tell the whole world cuz it's such a triumph. It occupies that perfect space between improbability/fantasy & reality most of my fics do, so I am absolutely RABID about it (cuz fic writers are nothing if not getting high on our own supply). It genuinely has some of the most realistic sex scenes I've ever seen in a film (MAYBE I'M JUST WATCHING THE WRONG MOVIES?? IDK, LMAO) & they're so visceral it borders on hard to watch, because of how voyeuristic it is. Idk. Maybe other people wouldn't have that view on it if they've never hooked up with a paunchy middle-aged alcoholic with a wallet chain & a blue-collar job he sucks at on a couch in a house that's both too small & too big at the same time---IN THE MIDDLE OF THE DAY ON A WEEKDAY NO LESS---but if they do I don't want to know them.

Then much like Lost Boys 2: The Tribe (another one of my Top 10 of all time), the last 30-ish minutes of this movie devolve into an Easter Egg hunt for diehard Cageiacs: his jackets, his shoes, reading his IRL poetry book/memoir thing while doing the nasty; culminating in a ~peak Cage Rage~ meltdown when it all goes off the rails where he's having a full-fledged menty b talking to the air (while everyone else has a Mexican standoff directly over his head) & crawling around on the floor in leather pants--sobbing--clutching a jack-in-the-box before he self-immolates, like. Literally self-immolates, I'm not even being metaphoric. He's also self-immolating (Cage Style™️) but no, the lighting himself on fire with the power of bad CGI (while he stands there Emoting; looking appropriately Tortured not because he's on fire but because he's a man that's so full of feelings) definitely happens. It is, in a word, a perfect film. He chokes the mom in a hospital stairwell! It is so deeply erotic I was squirming!! THE WHOLE MOVIE IS SO HORNED UP & FOR WHAT REASON. I don't know, I don't care, I adore it. HE GETS HOSED DOWN WITH A GARDEN HOSE WET TSHIRT STYLE BY THE-DAUGHTER-WHO-HIS-DEAD-WIFE'S-POSSESSING!!! IN SLOW-MO!!!!! WHILE MARILYN MANSON'S COVER OF "I PUT A SPELL ON YOU" (THE FIRST NON-AMBIENT MUSIC IN THE MOVIE!!!!! 2/3 OF THE WAY IN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!) PLAYS AT JET TAKEOFF VOLUMES.

I don't know who made this movie, but they are a genius & for as allegedly tired of playing scumbags as Nicolas Cage is, he looks like he's having the time of his life cutting loose.

It's a window into another world---one where anyone could have a crack at this deeply broken man who's still sparking with raw magnetism & amphetamine-dipped in line cook rizz & basically alternating between hanging himself & humping the furniture, waiting for ANYONE to come along & say "I could fix him"---and it is perfect.

Top 10 of all time, because my taste is bad & I know it. Top 5 Cages for sure. God bless him.

BUDDY YOU WANTED SEX SCENES?? WE GOT SEX SCENES!!

[maroonghoul]

Summer of Slashers: Part 4

I've been busy this past week or so. Though I was able to watch three more to qualify for this, and that's going to have to do until August. One of them is, of course, the recently released...

MaXXXine (*Spoilers*)

I guess it's debatable whether this counts as a Slasher now that I've seen it. But the way I see it, X is the closest in this trilogy to a proper slasher, Pearl is one of the American Psycho/Christmas Evil variation, and this one is a neo-noir/neo-giallo. All of subgenres very closely connected. So close enough in my book.

So the good news is, this movie didn't do what I feared it was going to do and make Maxine a killer. I said when I was talking about Pearl that it would've been derivative. What we got instead was more interesting in comparison, in that not only is her capacity for violence consistent from how this character was last time we saw her, but the moral failings she does seem to have offers a more nuanced message here.

Was it a bit obvious to anyone who's seen the first movie that her controlling preacher dad turned out to be the killer? A bit. I was thinking either him or Pearl and Howard had a secret love child coming for revenge. But for me, it was predictable to the extent that was actually still satisfying when it was revealed to be him.

He and his followers at the end of the movie representing the religious conservative insanity going crazy around this time, especially with their cries of Satanic Panic over the most innocuous things. Not to mention, them thinking Hollywood being a hotbed of all the "evil" things they've come to fear. Kinda gave me WNUF Halloween Special flashbacks. (Spoilers for that too, I guess).

But what I found interesting is that, if you're at least paying attention to this movie, the movie industry really isn't that much better. It's care for the human lives ruined and lost in the process is performative at best, and dismissive at worst. (Really, Elizabeth? You had to criticize Molly's acting talent mere days after she's dead? No, it's not canceled out by the moment of silence you just did). Capitalism, like religious fanaticism, treat the masses as just pawns to sway while offering the false idea being you can be special enough to deserve unending praise. It's just that one of them doesn't draw the line of trying to include those of less traditional gender and sexual roles, amongst other things.

Really, the dad's real grievance is that it did his job, using and keeping Maxine under control, better then he ever could. Sure, she's "free" now, even if she's hardened to work in an environment that teaches her not to care for anyone but herself. It's just more opaque that she still has a master to serve in the first place. All this pursuit of artistic expression we've seen in all three films, has left every character either dead or dead inside.

Meet the new boss, same as the old boss.

Light side-note, this movie contains I think my favorite meta reference of any movie about making movies: the Universal backlot. Sure, they relatively empty here and they don't call out what movies and shows they're used for. But seeing places like the Courthouse Square and New York Street; it almost feels like stopping by your home town, in a good way. Bonus point for including the Psycho set as a sort of red herring foreshadowing. And speaking of which...

Psycho II (1983)

The original may be the grand...mother of the genre (I regret nothing), even if it's absent of a lot of the tropes we know and love. This not only has more of them, it also almost completely flips the script on who's actually psychotic and who isn't. Norman's character development here mirrors nicely with the original film, with in that one him being Mother is a reveal, and here it's the end of a character arc. ("It's like poetry. They rhyme."). Though the reveal of who the real killer was is a bit out of left-field with the motive, if it wasn't going to be Norman this time, there had to be some hell of a reason, I suppose.

High bar of comparing to the original aside, I can see why this might be a harder watch then the previous one. While that one is a descent into darkness in a way, this one starts as a false promise of the end of darkness, only through sabotage from multiple parties, to letting it come back in. Depressing and less fun. Seriously, was the doctor the only one really on Norman's side in this? This is especially hard hitting after Reagan closed a massive amount of the psychiatric hospitals just a few years before. Maybe that was the inspiration for this.

So yeah, this ended up being the good kind of sad, in a weird way. Also, maybe a little less transphobic??? I would have to think about it.

A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)

Yep, the original. This is the only movie on my list I've seen before. This year is it's 40th anniversary and plus there was a screening in town.

You would think this is yet another movie where it's hard to say new stuff about it. I could almost repeat everything I said in my Slasher post a year and a half or so ago. I'm not sure what I have here is new, but it's what I took away from it in this day and age. Ten years later, I'll probably have something else.

The scenes that got the biggest reaction in my screening were none of the scenes involving Freddy, which is crazy enough. But the scenes with Nancy fighting with her mother. I can chalk that up to being surprising to anyone who only knows this movie through pop culture osmosis, but I highly doubt that considering the amount of people there who were in costume. Maybe it's also because it hits a little close to home. The idea of an alcoholic parent, and one you either have to hide stuff from or try to get through to them. Sorry Mom, but protecting your kid from a killer one time doesn't cancel out the negligence you're doing now. Hell, the latter's more what you expect only the parent to do, so it's even less impressive. Again, this shows the consequence of cutting back on psychiatric help on an economic scale, and not just for Nancy, it seems.

It's such an uncomfortable sit 90% of the time everyone dismissing Nancy, whether through disbelief of the supernatural or toxic masculinity in Glen's case. Hot take here, but it's so bad that even Freddy being either his 1st or 2nd most scariest here (Compared to New Nightmare maybe), he's still almost comic relief, in a ghoulish sort of way. Sure, all his time with Tina stops being funny at all really fast. But he seems to really take his time with Nancy. Like this Freddy's not even interested in using his powers to come up with ironic setpiece deaths for his victims yet. He genuinely seems to like the chase. Like a homeless person similar to the one that terrified Wes Craven as a kid; he'd rather show off a trick to the kids...before he kills them.

Maybe, in a sick sort of way, that's why he really took off even with the younger crowd. "Oh look, an adult paying attention to me and actually creating something related to my interest! And bonus points, making sure I don't have to live in the 1980s anymore!" He was always kind of a goofball with infectious energy, wasn't he? Which makes it all the more bewildering there has not been a new movie these past 12 years. Hell, maybe these past 12 years were the actual consequences of no new Freddy movie, not what New Nightmare's about. Sure, Pennywise filled in the gap. But it just doesn't feel right that almost every other slasher villain made a comeback in the past 5 to 10 years, except him and Jason. At least with Jason, his spirit is kept alive with parodies and homages like the one that came out earlier this year. A New Nightmare wouldn't really have to break new ground. Just one that feels like it has the amount of effort and creatively of the previous movies would feel so good about now.

Also, stop trying to make him a child molester. They made the right call cutting that from the original movie.