#i will fight the screenwriters if they decide to go in the direction of the novel again

[caelysiiium]

episode 15 is almost upon us and I'm still and forever will be obsessed with tanfang in episode 12:

how can I move past fang's "you already are" [my safety my comfort my home my hearth] when tan says he wants to be both his family and his safe zone? how can I forget the way my heart cracked into two with the further revelation of fang's fear of being left behind? his "if you disappear I would be in so much pain" is a desperate plea that tan—beautiful, attentive tan—instantly responds to because he sees him, he sees him. tan's "look at me, I'm so crazy over you." tan's look at me, I love you with every breath that I take, I love you in the seconds of every single day I love you with every fibre of my existence.

and the way fang smiles, so helplessly, tenderly charmed by this man before him whose unflinching devotion means everything to him. fang, who has always known love with conditions��of being the perfect son, the responsible brother, the fraying string barely holding his so-called family together. and here is tan, who sweetly, exuberantly, loves him unconditionally, whose "I love you no matter what" holds fang's shadows at bay.

because what do you mean "thank you for loving me" when I was made to hold you to protect you to cherish you to adore you?

[scarabjewels]

The Perfect Ending of Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

I watched that movie during a time of immense heartbreak, I was with someone and we were taking a break. That person talked about this movie so much, and honestly, his head is way up his ass to think he is like Joel.

As you might have figured, we ultimately broke up and boy, was I glad.

But enough of that, let's discuss the movie's ending.

The Journey to the End

Essentially, Joel and Clem's relationship became rocky, and both of them goes under an experimental procedure to erase each other I their memories, Clem did it first, unbeknownst to Joel. Joel, in protest and anger, undergoes himself.

What we were revealed with was memories of their relationship, and in my opinion, their relationship was based on high highs and low lows.

They were complete opposites of each other, and while they adore each other , their views are opposing each other. Clementine's personality is what you could call a passionate flame, she warms you up and sometimes she could burn. She was well aware of how she is seen by the men she dated: a quirky fun charismatic lover/ saviour, and had warned Joel that she is no concept, but a person looking for peace of mind.

Joel on the other hand is a reserved artist. He is not an enthusiastic animated happy person, but a reserved person who need to time to process things and takes time to answer. Joel is easily content, but finds it hard to settle.

In their first run-through of their relationship, I truly think that Joel and Clem are in so many ways toxic. They were never going to work with who they were during that time.

The scene of them trying to mend their fight. TRIGGERING.

Clementine is clearly communicating her wants and concerns, but hearing what she is saying is quite aggressive and explosive. Joel mumbles and is mostly quiet, which can be worse to the person being clear. When he does talk, he is passive-aggressive. At the end of the conversation, Joel tries to cosy up to probably comfort Clem, but Clem moves away, with a face of annoyance.

That is where it was clear that they could not work. Joel is passive-aggressive and incredibly self-deprecating. Clementine is an emotional wreck and defends herself by offence.

I really am basing my observations along with CinemaTherapy's video essay of this movie.

The customized "lobotomy" experiment

Clementine leaves one night after another argument with Joel, where Joel completely implied that she was a sl*t. Being the Aries queen, she immediately decided to undergo a memory erasing procedure in a clinic named Lacuna. The procedure is basically a customized lobotomy, pinpointing specific memories to be erased. Clementine chose to erase memories of her relationship with Joel, of which he learned days after Joel went to make amends with Clem, who has completely forgotten about him and has a new suitor for an added salt burn.

Joel decides to undergo the same procedure, and thus, the movie’s main plot play.

I think this sci-fi aspect of Lacuna's experimental medical surgery is a fun idea that would only have worked with Eternal Sunshine. The 90s to early 200s had a lot of futurism themes, such as Spicy City, Evangelion, Ghost in the Shell, The Fifth Element, and Men in Black and Hackers. The media is incredibly aesthetic but usually is either cult following and are of the trend at the time. They are iconic, but the theme was scattered heavily as it was trendy. Eternal Sunshine had psychological thriller and drama ingrained, with its sci-fi themes kept at a minimum, albeit hugely practical to the plot. I can not believe just how great the screenwriting is, but I do feel weird about what Jim said Gondry (the director) told him in the cast meeting.

Back to the memory erasing surgery, I think it's also something a lot of people dealing with grief wished existed. It might be a manifestation of a desire of a solution to instantly soothe grief, and it is a direct point from the main moral of the movie, which I will get to in a moment.

The Role of Memories

I have seen movies using losing memories as a major plot device for a certain character. In this case, it is used as a literal device and its effect on characters. Domino effects.

Joel realized his wrongs as he went through memory lane. He loves Clementine, and halfway through the procedure, he immediately regrets the decision and tries his hardest to keep the memories that will eventually be erased. He engages into conversation with the Clem of his memories, reliving the wonderful and ugliest memories they have. In the process, he faces a lot of his underlying issues and grows as a person (not by much but a good amount. Remember, growth takes LONG). He also wanted another chance with Clementine, another go.

In Clementine's journey, memory loss proves to be damaging. She was going emotionally insane like something was missing. She was frantic and triggered every time Patrick (her new lover in the movie) would use Joel's memories to seduce her (unbeknownst to her knowledge). It was like she was simultaneously trying to either relive a similar memory or go away from it. She was confused and honestly, in my personal opinion, somewhat very guilty of what she was doing. She can't go about her day normally. I remember the two scenes of Joel subtly insulting her and calling her a sl*t. The argument and the recording. In both times, she was firm and offended. However, the second time, she communicated her feelings firmly but gently. She wasn't a person who gets around that way, and I think her relationship with Patrick was the proof of that. Even without the memories of Joel, she somehow felt like she was cheating on him (imo).

I really truly think their last memories of each other were about Montauc. They met there at the same time, like reliving a memory. They were the same people but grew a little, enough to have some actual compatability with each other. Let's be honest. She and Joel, in the first time around, were intrigued by each other by attraction, but their polar oppositions made them impossible to have common ground except highly joyous emotional situations such as celebrations, small moments of creativity, sex etc. Their issues held them back and mixed like fire and ice.

However, the second time, they were BETTER. Maybe not the best versions (this movie is about realistic growth, so the best versions will be very much not to our knowledge). Joel was still a quiet private person who isn't very confronting, and Clem was still overreactive and defensive. But what changed is their ability to take accountability and better engagement AND BETTER COMMUNICATION. Honestly, that is the major improvement, the ending scene of them actually TALKING to each other. I was like "an actual conversation".

In the end, him and Clem while having some growth and a successful memory, erasure, we're fated to meet and fall in love all over again.

It is an unorthodox love story which I tell you is oddly realistic, their fate is now up in the air, will they go back to their turbulent cycle or actually work this time around?

The Hope of The Ending

When I first watched it, it was around the time of a huge argument that is similar to one of Joel and Clementine's volatile fights. I was reactive and hurtful, he was pointed and quiet.

At the time, I thought the ending is that they were continuing a toxic cycle, even when I humoured my then boyfriend at the time that I think they'll get together in a better light. Because I wanted out argument and feeling fixed. But I think my thoughts during that time should have been the sign I took to actually break up with him. I was the only one working in that relationship, and he broke up with me. I'll admit it. He was a piece of shit. He revelled in the fact that he was wanted while wanting someone else.

Now, after a year after breaking up with him, I do not miss him at all, but my thoughts on the movie changed. I realize that Joel and Clem really were already established people. They just had to work on their self-esteem on their own for a bit, and they did. In the movie. They already did. So the toxic cycle wasn't exactly going to happen anymore. It was a matter of choosing to really work with someone on a relationship. Mistakes will happen, but that's the lesson. They have a choice to work through and move forward or break up and move forward separately.

I think Clem wanted a person who would be there for her, and while I think she can make friends (she needs to), I think the new version of Joel could actually work. I truly think they worked on their insecurities and anxieties during the Lacuna procedure. It's just that they need to grow continuously on their own a little while longer. Growth is an active choice and habit in the long run. Joel enjoys being alone but is now more open-minded and engaging. He matured a little more. These two could work. Or not. But those are choices they are given to take.

The ending gave the audience the lesson of choice. Either direction can set them free.

I made my choices in relationships. Some were the strongest and even solid ones I knew would work with me until the end, yet even those I made a choice to end.

This film taught me that it will be okay, it is better to have loved than lost, I have memories with them and that was enough.

[denimbex1986]

'Based on the novel Strangers by Taichi Yamada but given a new title, there is something universal about All of Us Strangers. It looks at loneliness and longing, and how fantasy can reconcile the problems of our past, while love and real connection with others can free us from our isolation. But as this unbearably moving film shows, this freedom can be fleeting.

Andrew Scott plays Adam, a screenwriter living alone in a near-empty apartment block outside central London. The film opens with his face glowing orange, reflected on the distant blue city skyline, while an orange light on the horizon absorbs and dazzles the entire frame as the title appears. There is a part of him that is lost, impossibly distant, but in this film we see him search for this lost self in his fantasies and become dazzled by them.

Adam has felt lonely his whole life, with only faraway dreams of connection. Even when he goes out we barely see anyone around him. His friends have moved out of the city to have a place with “a garden for their kids”, something he feels no connection with. Growing up gay in the 1980s, he was bullied and taught to be ashamed of himself, and marriage wasn’t legally possible for most of his life.

Even though he thinks things have gotten better, he says it “doesn’t take much to make you feel the way you felt,” because homophobia continues to shape his life. Andrew Scott is brilliant and understated as someone who has learned to hide his self-expression and live without believing that the life he wants is possible. He is quiet, hesitant and unsure in expressing his needs. He lives in the past, sifting through old family photos and listening to music from his childhood. Throughout the film he visits his childhood home and speaks to the spirits of his dead parents. He does this while dressed in his childhood clothes even as his parents speak to him as an adult.

These fantasies teach us who Adam is. He retreats to the comfort of the time when his parents were alive, but even his fantasy version of the past is filled with discomfort. He comes out to them both as gay (“as in homosexual?”) and has to fight against the stereotypes his parents have been taught in their upbringing, assuring them that things are better now. But the ‘lonely gay man’ stereotype is one he can’t escape because of how oppression of queer people has decided his life for him. In these fantasies, his parents accept him. They apologise for not understanding him and not giving him the help they didn’t know he needed, and he has the freedom to tell them the things he couldn’t articulate as a child while fixing his relationship with them.

Generational changes around attitudes to queer life are expressed through the terms people use. Adam uses the term ‘gay’, his mother uses ‘homosexual’ and ‘queer’ is used by Adam’s lover Harry, played by Paul Mescal. Harry is the only other person Adam sees living in his apartment complex. He is more forthright and open about his sexuality than Adam. There is a generational difference here (Adam associates ‘queer’ with its use as an insult and ‘gay’ is the term he uses more comfortably, while for Harry it seems to be the other way around), but none of this stops their connection. Harry’s parents have hesitatingly accepted him, but like Adam he is alone, and while Harry’s siblings are married with kids he feels like someone on the edge of the family.

When Adam asks Harry why he thinks that’s okay, Harry says “Because I don’t go home much.” Modern capitalist life has worn down communal bonds and individualised social relations, offering romantic love and the model of the nuclear family as the incomplete replacement for this deeply alienating condition. But not everyone has a family, not all families are places of comfort and connection and, especially for queer people such as Harry and Adam, the oppression that comes with this system makes even meaningful relationships extremely precarious.

In spite of all of this, human bonds persevere. Adam and Harry, through love, build each other back up. They talk about gay life with a frankness rarely seen in films, and Adam comes to terms with his past. In one scene, Harry comforts Adam after hearing about his parents’ death. Adam shyly sidesteps saying it “happened a long time ago.” Harry says that it doesn’t matter. They help each other see the barriers they’ve built up, but when they’re together these barriers melt away. Sadness pervades the film, made worse by the promise of relief not being fully met, but there is joy and love too, and the tension between moments of hope and despair are incredibly powerful to watch.

Inside this tragic story of modern queer life, there is a dream of a world with true community and reconciliation with our loved ones, where we understand ourselves through knowing one another. As the final shot of the film shows, all of us are strangers, forced apart but ultimately pulled together by our need for connection. But we may not be strangers forever.'

[thats-it-im-fallingdown]

i am still thinking about the wasted potential of the sequel trilogy. Kylo ren, who was born to thee heroes of the rebellion but became the space version (note that. I’m not saying he was an actual neo nazi, he obviously wasn’t. I’m saying they used that imagery) of a guy who got radicalized to the alt-right on the internet. Poe dameron, a pilot born to rebels from first fight against the empire. Rey, who literally could have been anyone. Finn! Finn the force sensitive ex-stormtrooper!! The force awakens leaned heavily on a new hope, and i understand why people may dislike it. But to me, it was a great foundation. Here’s the familiar, with a twist, and then it could grow in its own direction. But Disney literally didn’t plan it?? a juggernaut of a franchise and they decided to make it up as they go along. of course the sequels sucked, good screenwriting on larger scale projects needs to be planned out. it’s how the sequels managed to fail, like, literally every type of fan. Allow me to provide examples:

There are parts which set up a romance between Rey and kylo, but there are also moments where kylo does things to rey that should put romance off the table. So people who ship it don’t like that they never get to be an actual couple the way Han and Leia did, and people who are against reylo are pressed that they kissed.

Rey wasn’t from a notable family, and then she was palpatines granddaughter. now, i personally would have preferred her to genetically from the skywalker or kenobi families. i get that people like her being from nowhere special because it makes the force feel something that doesn’t just exist in dynasties but… there’s already plenty of characters like that. like, obi wan kenobi (and most of the Jedi in the prequels). ahsoka tano, ezra bridger (I’ve only watched the first season of rebels, so don’t spoil it if I’m wrong please! my point still stands, there are a lot of examples). in my opinion, we have those characters, and this is the skywalker saga. but by making her palpatines granddaughter, you’ve made both camps of people mad, because it’s bad writing.

Finn, poe, hell, rose tico even, all of them were severely underwritten imo. Finn especially— god I wish they followed up on how he’s a ex-stormtrooper! that’s such a good idea and it went nowhere! Not to mention the way Luke’s character was shamelessly assassinated. It’s all just.. so frustrating because it could have been good, it’s not like the whole concept was doomed

[byneddiedingo]

John Garfield in Body and Soul (Robert Rossen, 1947)

Cast: John Garfield, Lilli Palmer, Hazel Brooks, Anne Revere, William Conrad, Joseph Pevney, Lloyd Gough, Canada Lee, Art Smith. Screenplay: Abraham Polonsky. Cinematography: James Wong Howe. Art direction: Nathan Juran. Film editing: Robert Parrish. Music: Hugo Friedhofer. 

Body and Soul is a well-made boxing picture, but it also has a historical significance as the nexus of some major careers damaged by the anti-communist hysteria that gripped the United States in the years that followed its release. After its director, Robert Rossen, pleaded the fifth amendment at his hearing before the House Un-American Activities Committee in 1951, he was blacklisted in Hollywood. The same fate befell screenwriter Abraham Polonsky after his refusal to testify before HUAC. The star, John Garfield, testified that he knew nothing about communist activity in Hollywood, but studios refused to hire him; he made his last film in 1951 and died of a heart attack the following year, only 39. Cast members Anne Revere, Lloyd Gough, Canada Lee, and Art Smith were also victims of the blacklist. The film stands as an example of the folly of HUAC witch-hunting: With all the reds and pinkos involved in its production, you might expect it to be pure propaganda, but the only leftist message it communicates is about the danger of greed. Today the only viewers who may find Body and Soul subversively anti-capitalist are those who subscribe to the "greed is good" credo enunciated by Michael Douglas's Gordon Gekko in Wall Street (Oliver Stone, 1987). Garfield plays an ambitious young boxer named Charley* Davis who falls prey to racketeers who manipulate his career, despite the warnings of his mother (Revere), his best friend, Shorty (Joseph Pevney), and his girlfriend, Peg (Lilli Palmer). The fight sequences, shot by James Wong Howe and edited by Francis Lyon and Robert Parrish, were groundbreaking in their realistic violence, winning Oscars for Lyon and Parrish. Howe, who is said to have worn rollerskates and used a hand-held camera to film the fights, was curiously unnominated, but nominations also went to Garfield and Polonsky. Palmer, unable to conceal her German accent or to eliminate traces of the sophisticated roles she usually played, is miscast as Charley's artist girlfriend. The script makes a half-hearted attempt to explain away the accent but mostly ignores it. One thing of note: The Black boxer played by Lee calls Garfield's character by his first name, Charley, in their scenes together. The usual racial protocol was for African-American characters to call white ones "Mr." -- "Mr. Charley" or "Mr. Davis" -- the way Dooley Wilson's Sam always refers to Bogart's character as "Mr. Rick" in Casablanca (Michael Curtiz, 1943). It's the earliest example of an assumed equality that I can recall in a Hollywood movie. *A nitpicky note: The filmmakers never decided whether it was spelled "Charley" or "Charlie." It appears both ways on the posters advertising his fights, but it's "Charlie" in the inscription on a gift he gives Peg and in her letter addressed to him. I'm going with the way IMDb lists it.

[giveamadeuschohisownmovie]

I watched “Hard Target” (1993) for the first time. Going into the movie, I knew that the reviews for the movie were mixed, but there’s also a strong cult following because of the action scenes. Now that I watched the movie, I can see why the reception is split.

On one hand, I get the critics’ perspective. The movie is way too short and the plot doesn’t really go anywhere interesting. The movie is set up like a mystery-thriller, but then devolves into action sequences where everything is solved through killing. It’s strange because I’ve seen “Hardboiled” and “The Killer” and even though both movies also devolve into drawn out action sequences, they each had a strong-enough plot to keep you interested. I feel like John Woo’s writers dropped the ball because they had an interesting premise, but didn’t know what to do with it. Even Jean-Claude Van Damme said that he thought the script was bad.

As one example of the many faults of the script of “Hard Target”, I honestly feel that you can cut out Natasha Binder and merge her storyline with Chance Boudreaux. Just tweak the story so that Van Damme is the one looking for his dad, learns that he was killed by the mercenaries, and then decides to wage a one-man war against them. Natasha just doesn’t do anything in the second half of the movie. It’s like the screenwriter forgot that she existed, or that they didn’t know what to do with her character. As a side note, the fact that the main female character feels useless to the storyline is not a good look.

But…but…them action scenes though. I also understand why this movie generated a strong cult following because these were some fricking good fight scenes. Mind you, the fight scenes were extremely unrealistic, especially since Van Damme seemed to have 40-round magazines in each of his pistols. But in the moment, you don’t care because you’re in awe of how beautifully directed these action scenes were. It’s like violent ballet, you have to appreciate the choreography since you can tell a lot of work went into it.

Also, it’s not like the movie was all bad. Van Damme, Lance Henriksen, and Arnold Vosloo really carry this movie with their charisma and energy. The music was good. The premise of the story is at least interesting. And, last but not least…Van Damme punches a rattlesnake.

For a letter grade…let’s say C+ or B-. It’s the kind of movie where, on repeated viewings, you’ll probably skip the mediocre first half in order to watch the badass second half.

[criticalbennifer]

Why Ben Affleck and his film editor rough cut scenes on set for the ‘Air’ actors

By Jordan Lee

January 8, 2024

There’s an ensemble scene late in Ben Affleck’s shoe-centric saga, “Air,” in which principal cast members, including Affleck as Nike founder Phil Knight, are seated at a boardroom table as rookie Michael Jordan decides whether to sign with the underdog shoe company.

“They already know the story, they already know Michael Jordan, they already know how it ends,” Affleck tells The Envelope about building drama in a scene that everyone already knows the outcome to. “They better be learning information that’s new and kind of interesting or has to be genuinely funny. And it all has to be rooted in reality.”

The tipping point comes when Nike executive Sonny Vaccaro, played by Matt Damon, addresses Jordan directly. “A shoe is just a shoe until somebody steps into it, and then it has meaning. The rest of us just want a chance to touch that greatness. We need you in these shoes not so you have meaning in your life, so we have meaning in ours. Everyone at this table will be forgotten as soon as our time here is up, except for you. You’re going to be remembered forever, because some things are eternal. You’re Michael Jordan, and your story is going to make us want to fly.”

The monologue, made all the more famous after Donald Trump used it without permission in an ad for his 2024 presidential bid, was by screenwriter Alex Convery but rewritten by Affleck and Damon to reflect the price of fame. It’s part of the process for Affleck, a two-time Oscar winner, who welcomes dialogue input from all his cast members, who include Viola Davis, Chris Tucker and Jason Bateman.

“Writing is creating the word, but it really is a process of acting, especially with great actors. The way I earned trust on this movie was by having editorial on the set,” offers Affleck, who invited his editor, William Goldenberg, to rough-cut scenes for actors to observe before moving on. “I think they all found a great place to be, and I think that’s because they were able to see the movie as they were filming it.”

An Oscar winner for “Argo” and veteran editor of such movies as “Zero Dark Thirty,” “Heat” and “The Imitation Game,” Goldenberg had no compunction about letting so many cooks into the kitchen. “I don’t usually get to meet the actors, so on that level it was fun,” he says. “Ben and I have worked together for a long time. I know his sensibility, he knows mine, so we’ve developed a shorthand together.”

As lifelong friends, Affleck and Damon last appeared together in Ridley Scott’s “The Last Duel.” But “Air” represents a creative collaboration between them not seen since the beginning of their careers on their breakout hit, “Good Will Hunting.”

“The person who ends up with the stronger opinion tends to win out,” Affleck says about any on-set differences between himself and Damon. “I have respect for him, and I think there’s a reason why he feels so strongly about it. The fights are about who cares more about this. What’s interesting with Matt is I have to earn his respect like I would with any other actor. He doesn’t want to be in a bad movie. He’s not doing me any favors. And I wouldn’t expect him to treat this any differently.”

Their most significant collaboration to date is Artists Equity, a new production company formed with Gerry Cardinale of RedBird Capital. Employing an innovative business model, they aim to streamline the production process and partner with creators who will share in the commercial success of projects. “Air” is the company’s first production, with a couple future projects in the works — “The Instigators,” starring Damon, Casey Affleck and directed by Doug Liman, and “Small Things Like These,” directed by Tim Mielants and produced by Cillian Murphy, who leads a cast starring Ciarán Hinds and Emily Watson.

“It’s very director-based, it’s very rooted in treating people fairly and reflecting what people bring to the project,” Affleck says of Artists Equity, mentioning another project — “Unstoppable,” Goldenberg’s directorial debut, currently in production.

“It happens there’s a phenomenal part for Jennifer in it,” Goldenberg notes, mentioning Affleck’s wife, Jennifer Lopez, who plays mother to Anthony Robles, a three-time All-American wrestler born with just one leg. “She’s extraordinary to work with. She’s a consummate professional and so helpful to me as a first-time director, whether it’s blocking or little script changes or ideas for her character.”

Affleck has been burned in the past, working with Lopez on “Gigli,” a 2003 rom-com that got scorched by critics and was a box office flop. But that didn’t keep him from producing “Unstoppable,” although he won’t be appearing in the movie.

“With Jen, it was more like she would come home and talk about her day and how it’s going. And I’m secretly trying to find out about dailies,” he says. “I work with my wife the same way I work with Matt or any of the other actors in a movie. The whole thing is geared around respecting the contribution of these incredible artists and what they bring, and giving them the environment and the space to do their best stuff.”

Reflecting on his Oscar wins — in 1998 for the “Good Will Hunting” screenplay, which he co-wrote with Damon, and in 2013 for best picture winner “Argo,” which he produced and directed — Affleck notes that such honors can change your work life but not your inner life.

“I won the Oscar as a very young guy,” he says. “I did appreciate how meaningful it was, and it really changed my career. My life changed overnight. Before that show and after, my life has never been the same. And the second time, I’d been through a lot and had sort of managed to be all over the place in terms of ups and downs, and it was nice for me to be affirmed as a director. But one of the things it told me was it doesn’t make you feel any better or any different. A lot of people go through a depression, because they get the thing they thought their whole life was supposed to be a meaningful thing, and they find ‘This doesn’t change anything about how I feel.’ ”

[peterlorrefanpage]

"Almost all of his lines in the script are his suggestions."

My darling Peter Lorre! (Also in that reblogged pic, Peter with his bow tie off and collar opened is a beautiful sight.)

Background from "The Lost One: A Life of Peter Lorre" by Stephen D. Youngkin:

In early 1957 Hunt Stromberg Jr., an assistant program director at 20th Century–Fox, who had conceived the idea of Collector’s Item, a television series about two intrepid antiquarians, assigned screenwriter Herb Meadow to develop the concept and produce a pilot for the 1958–59 season. Meadow recalled reading a fanciful tale about golden horseshoes encased in black paint. From this germ, he developed “The Left Fist of David,” a story about an art collector and his assistant, a rehabilitated forger, who foil the theft of a priceless relic. Meadow found his leads by paging through a casting directory. Steady money, a dry spell of movie offers, and the chance to work with Vincent Price persuaded a reluctant Peter Lorre to have a go. The same could not be said of 20th Century–Fox, which, according to the writer, gave the new medium a cold shoulder. Stromberg drafted a first-time producer, who, in turn, hired a live television director whose inexperience in film left the actors in the position of having to direct themselves. Faced with the option of shrugging off the fiasco and collecting his check, or of giving his professional best, [Peter Lorre] dug in. “I think he had an innate artistic intelligence,” said Cliff Robertson, who worked with Lorre in “The Cruel Day” on Playhouse 90. “He was so good he seemed to have that security and ease only an experienced, usually older actor displays. You had a feeling that it was kind of rolling off his back.” “Almost all of his lines in the script,” said Herb Meadow, “are his suggestions. He knew what he was best at, and while the lines themselves did not come out as brilliant lines—because they couldn’t, since he was not the star—they came out as an expression of personality which was slowly building into something that was Lorre’s best."

Here's Part 1:

Watch the rest:

Part 2

Part 3

One last anecdote from the biography:

Behind the scenes, the actor played a more challenging role, that of peacekeeper. Location shooting took the company to a palatial Bel-Air estate bristling with statuary. “We were standing near the Greek Classic, ‘The Wrestlers,’” related Meadow. "Price, Lorre, the director, the cameraman and I were having quite an argument. I was ready to fight because the thing had gotten completely out of hand. Everybody was doing what he wanted to do and I had lost control of my company. "At the peak of this thing, there was one of those inexplicable silences as everybody tried to decide who was going to hit whom first. "Pointing to the statue, Lorre said wonderingly, absolutely straight, as though he really meant it, 'Do you know, the last time we passed here, the other one was on top.' "Now it was typical of what he would do. His funnies always had a purpose. It struck us as terribly funny, and that’s all that was necessary. So he saved us for another few hours."

Vincent Price and Peter Lore in a promotional photo for "Collector's Item” unsold TV pilot “The Left Fist of David” in 1957/58.

[themovieblogonline]

THE GREAT SANTINI (1979) - Robert DuVall is Great in an Otherwise Okay Flick.

  The following article on The Great Santini is part of Esmarelda’s Summer Seventies Series. I’ve been taking a Directing course at UCLA on Thursday nights for the past ten weeks and about two weeks ago I found myself stranded in Los Angeles for a few hours while I waited for my class to start. I remembered a place I had stumbled into on a past adventure and decided to give it another look – that place is Mystery Pier Books, a darling little family-owned bookshop tucked away at the tail end of the Sunset Strip. The most magical and dazzling part about this little bookshop is that it holds all first editions. And I mean, walls of original print, first edition books that are older than the United States of America. You can find first edition Shakespeare in this store (understandably protected behind glass) but the prints, I believe, are from the early 1700s. I’d been in here once before (a story for another time), but I found myself in conversation with the store’s charming owner and I mentioned to him that I was about to graduate with my MFA in Screenwriting. He proclaimed that I must have read William Goldman’s “Adventures in the Screen Trade,” and I sheepishly admitted that I had not (most screenwriting programs assign you books written by people without any professionally produced credits,) so the shop owner insisted that this book was a must. I promptly went next door to Book Soup (a much more noticeable bookshop on the Sunset Strip) and bought William Goldman’s bestseller, spending my next few hours stranded in Los Angeles with my nose buried in its pages. A section in the book discusses at length the basketball scene in “The Great Santini,” a film I had never heard of but was instantly intrigued by given the description by Mr. Goldman. On a lazy Friday night, my husband and I found it on Vudu and hit play. Now that I’ve watched it, I get why I’ve never heard of “The Great Santini,” and if I was a more vicious and angrier critic living at the time of its release I am certain that I would have aptly titled my review of the Robert DuVall-starring film something along the lines of “The Just Okay Santini.” I don’t think I would go so far as to call this film a full-on stinker, but boy was it a disappointment. It wasn’t from the performances – DuVall and “Caddyshack’s” Michael O’Keefe (who plays the son) both received Academy Award nominations. It wasn’t from the script either, although the script had problems. But the “just okay” sentiment I gleaned from viewing the film lay solely with the picture’s director, Lewis John Carlino, who I think might go down in history as one of those very capable screenwriters who just doesn’t have the directing bone in their body. Carlino is most known for penning the screenplay to “The Mechanic” the “great then not great then great again” assassin flick starring Charles Bronson and eternal pretty boy Jan Michael Vincent. But the narrative stumbles that come with “The Great Santini” stem from the picture’s overall identity crisis. Is it a comedy or a drama? Is it a coming-of-age story or a relationship story? Either way, the entire third act falls apart in such spectacular fashion that I found myself limping to the end. Is it Ben’s story (Michael O’Keefe) or Bull’s story (Robert DuVall)? And if the story is about both of them then a strong trouble lies with the film’s opening, as the focus is completely off Ben until we are already deep into the second act. It is quickly established that Robert DuVall’s character is a jerk and a buffoon, but he really is a boob. He's a well-known fighter pilot for the Marine Corps whose puffed-up ego is off the charts. There isn’t much talk of his seeing battle, fighting in wars, or the kind of torment he suffered from his own father which might give a deeper understanding of his abuse towards his family. No, just an overabundance of scenes with Bull pulling crude pranks and grappling with his buddies. That is the death of this film – the crudeness. It’s hard to know what to do with someone who is crude, especially when that person is the main character driving the whole story. What should have been a great character study analyzing the relationship between a hard-lined father and the military brats in his tow spirals into a strangely manufactured coming-of-age drama with zany slapstick pratfalls thrown in at odd places? The whole film reads like a toddler struggling to say their first words – the movie knows what it wants to say, it just can’t go the distance to articulate it. So why should you watch “The Great Santini”? For one reason and one reason only: the basketball scene. The basketball scene has all of the potential of one of those great scenes in movie history and frankly if placed in the hands of a more capable director, it should have and could have been remembered as one of those great scenes in movie history. Perhaps in the hands of a George Roy Hill or a Daniel Petrie, the film could have achieved those heights, but I can’t help but shake the feeling that Lewis John Carlino was one of those guys at a Writer’s Guild pancake breakfast who thought that he was funnier than he actually was. Even now, as I’m doing my little bits of research on Carlino while writing this article, it all becomes a little clearer now: he was a theater guy. That’s not meant to be petty or shove playwrights into a box in any way shape or form, but it just makes sense. When I’m waking up the morning after watching this totally, just okay, completely forgettable film that had all of the potential in the world, and knowing, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that the blame lies with the director, the fact that in doing my research I notice that he is and was a theater guy for a very long time just makes sense. Because the biggest problem with this film is that it isn’t cinematic. That is apparent from the opening scene with DuVall’s Bull Meecham running dogfighting drills – the plume of black smoke that emits out of the back of the fighter planes makes my lungs hurt. The camera can never make up its mind about Bull Meecham, either. He’s a boob – he’s a dork who knows how to do push-ups. He’s overcompensating for God knows what and anyone in his path is asking to be on the receiving end of his abuse, but in the end, he’s honored as a hero in a spectacularly uninteresting fashion, nonetheless. I felt cheated of the emotional impact this might have on Ben, who weeps on his mother’s shoulder saying that he used to pray for his father’s plane to crash. But never once did we see him pray for his father’s plane to crash. Not only that but other than his friendship with the doomed Toomer (Stan Shaw), we don’t really have any insight into Ben’s inner desires other than to play basketball. The whole film is wonky, clunky, underdelivers on an otherwise exciting premise, and ultimately proves that just because you can write a good screenplay, that doesn’t mean you can direct a strong picture. Read the full article

[perpetual-stories]

Story Structures for your Next WIP

hello, hello. this post will be mostly for my notes. this is something I need in to be reminded of for my business, but it can also be very useful and beneficial for you guys as well.

everything in life has structure and storytelling is no different, so let’s dive right in :)

First off let’s just review what a story structure is :

a story is the backbone of the story, the skeleton if you will. It hold the entire story together.

the structure in which you choose your story will effectively determine how you create drama and depending on the structure you choose it should help you align your story and sequence it with the conflict, climax, and resolution.

1. Freytag's Pyramid

this first story structure i will be talking about was named after 19th century German novelist and playwright.

it is a five point structure that is based off classical Greek tragedies such as Sophocles, Aeschylus and Euripedes.

Freytag's Pyramid structure consists of:

Introduction: the status quo has been established and an inciting incident occurs.

Rise or rising action: the protagonist will search and try to achieve their goal, heightening the stakes,

Climax: the protagonist can no longer go back, the point of no return if you will.

Return or fall: after the climax of the story, tension builds and the story inevitably heads towards...

Catastrophe: the main character has reached their lowest point and their greatest fears have come into fruition.

this structure is used less and less nowadays in modern storytelling mainly due to readers lack of appetite for tragic narratives.

2. The Hero's Journey

the hero's journey is a very well known and popular form of storytelling.

it is very popular in modern stories such as Star Wars, and movies in the MCU.

although the hero's journey was inspired by Joseph Campbell's concept, a Disney executive Christopher Vogler has created a simplified version:

The Ordinary World: The hero's everyday routine and life is established.

The Call of Adventure: the inciting incident.

Refusal of the Call: the hero / protagonist is hesitant or reluctant to take on the challenges.

Meeting the Mentor: the hero meets someone who will help them and prepare them for the dangers ahead.

Crossing the First Threshold: first steps out of the comfort zone are taken.

Tests, Allie, Enemies: new challenges occur, and maybe new friends or enemies.

Approach to the Inmost Cave: hero approaches goal.

The Ordeal: the hero faces their biggest challenge.

Reward (Seizing the Sword): the hero manages to get ahold of what they were after.

The Road Back: they realize that their goal was not the final hurdle, but may have actually caused a bigger problem than before.

Resurrection: a final challenge, testing them on everything they've learned.

Return with the Elixir: after succeeding they return to their old life.

the hero's journey can be applied to any genre of fiction.

3. Three Act Structure:

this structure splits the story into the 'beginning, middle and end' but with in-depth components for each act.

Act 1: Setup:

exposition: the status quo or the ordinary life is established.

inciting incident: an event sets the whole story into motion.

plot point one: the main character decided to take on the challenge head on and she crosses the threshold and the story is now progressing forward.

Act 2: Confrontation:

rising action: the stakes are clearer and the hero has started to become familiar with the new world and begins to encounter enemies, allies and tests.

midpoint: an event that derails the protagonists mission.

plot point two: the hero is tested and fails, and begins to doubt themselves.

Act 3: Resolution:

pre-climax: the hero must chose between acting or failing.

climax: they fights against the antagonist or danger one last time, but will they succeed?

Denouement: loose ends are tied up and the reader discovers the consequences of the climax, and return to ordinary life.

4. Dan Harmon's Story Circle

it surprised me to know the creator of Rick and Morty had their own variation of Campbell's hero's journey.

the benefit of Harmon's approach is that is focuses on the main character's arc.

it makes sense that he has such a successful structure, after all the show has multiple seasons, five or six seasons? i don't know not a fan of the show.

the character is in their comfort zone: also known as the status quo or ordinary life.

they want something: this is a longing and it can be brought forth by an inciting incident.

the character enters and unfamiliar situation: they must take action and do something new to pursue what they want.

adapt to it: of course there are challenges, there is struggle and begin to succeed.

they get what they want: often a false victory.

a heavy price is paid: a realization of what they wanted isn't what they needed.

back to the good old ways: they return to their familiar situation yet with a new truth.

having changed: was it for the better or worse?

i might actually make a operate post going more in depth about dan harmon's story circle.

5. Fichtean Curve:

the fichtean curve places the main character in a series of obstacles in order to achieve their goal.

this structure encourages writers to write a story packed with tension and mini-crises to keep the reader engaged.

The Rising Action

the story must start with an inciting indecent.

then a series of crisis arise.

there are often four crises.

2. The Climax:

3. Falling Action

this type of story telling structure goes very well with flash-back structured story as well as in theatre.

6. Save the Cat Beat Sheet:

this is another variation of a three act structure created by screenwriter Blake Snyder, and is praised widely by champion storytellers.

Structure for Save the Cat is as follows: (the numbers in the brackets are for the number of pages required, assuming you're writing a 110 page screenplay)

Opening Image [1]: The first shot of the film. If you’re starting a novel, this would be an opening paragraph or scene that sucks readers into the world of your story.

Set-up [1-10]. Establishing the ‘ordinary world’ of your protagonist. What does he want? What is he missing out on?

Theme Stated [5]. During the setup, hint at what your story is really about — the truth that your protagonist will discover by the end.

Catalyst [12]. The inciting incident!

Debate [12-25]. The hero refuses the call to adventure. He tries to avoid the conflict before they are forced into action.

Break into Two [25]. The protagonist makes an active choice and the journey begins in earnest.

B Story [30]. A subplot kicks in. Often romantic in nature, the protagonist’s subplot should serve to highlight the theme.

The Promise of the Premise [30-55]. Often called the ‘fun and games’ stage, this is usually a highly entertaining section where the writer delivers the goods. If you promised an exciting detective story, we’d see the detective in action. If you promised a goofy story of people falling in love, let’s go on some charmingly awkward dates.

Midpoint [55]. A plot twist occurs that ups the stakes and makes the hero’s goal harder to achieve — or makes them focus on a new, more important goal.

Bad Guys Close In [55-75]. The tension ratchets up. The hero’s obstacles become greater, his plan falls apart, and he is on the back foot.

All is Lost [75]. The hero hits rock bottom. He loses everything he’s gained so far, and things are looking bleak. The hero is overpowered by the villain; a mentor dies; our lovebirds have an argument and break up.

Dark Night of the Soul [75-85-ish]. Having just lost everything, the hero shambles around the city in a minor-key musical montage before discovering some “new information” that reveals exactly what he needs to do if he wants to take another crack at success. (This new information is often delivered through the B-Story)

Break into Three [85]. Armed with this new information, our protagonist decides to try once more!

Finale [85-110]. The hero confronts the antagonist or whatever the source of the primary conflict is. The truth that eluded him at the start of the story (established in step three and accentuated by the B Story) is now clear, allowing him to resolve their story.

Final Image [110]. A final moment or scene that crystallizes how the character has changed. It’s a reflection, in some way, of the opening image.

(all information regarding the save the cat beat sheet was copy and pasted directly from reedsy!)

7. Seven Point Story Structure:

this structure encourages writers to start with the at the end, with the resolution, and work their way back to the starting point.

this structure is about dramatic changes from beginning to end

The Hook. Draw readers in by explaining the protagonist’s current situation. Their state of being at the beginning of the novel should be in direct contrast to what it will be at the end of the novel.

Plot Point 1. Whether it’s a person, an idea, an inciting incident, or something else — there should be a "Call to Adventure" of sorts that sets the narrative and character development in motion.

Pinch Point 1. Things can’t be all sunshine and roses for your protagonist. Something should go wrong here that applies pressure to the main character, forcing them to step up and solve the problem.

Midpoint. A “Turning Point” wherein the main character changes from a passive force to an active force in the story. Whatever the narrative’s main conflict is, the protagonist decides to start meeting it head-on.

Pinch Point 2. The second pinch point involves another blow to the protagonist — things go even more awry than they did during the first pinch point. This might involve the passing of a mentor, the failure of a plan, the reveal of a traitor, etc.

Plot Point 2. After the calamity of Pinch Point 2, the protagonist learns that they’ve actually had the key to solving the conflict the whole time.

Resolution. The story’s primary conflict is resolved — and the character goes through the final bit of development necessary to transform them from who they were at the start of the novel.

(all information regarding the seven point story structure was copy and pasted directly from reedsy!)

i decided to fit all of them in one post instead of making it a two part post.

i hope you all enjoy this post and feel free to comment or reblog which structure you use the most, or if you have your own you prefer to use! please share with me!

if you find this useful feel free to reblog on instagram and tag me at perpetualstories

Follow my tumblr and instagram for more writing and grammar tips and more!

[scabopolis]

Ooooh Austen talk!! I basically want to know ALL your opinions but that is very vague, haha, so okay - how has watching/reading them all so close together affected your opinion of the adaptations? Are there any patterns or choices you've noticed that make some adaptations work and not others?

Sarah! All the Austen talk. You know how I love it. I did not realize how long I was going to make this, so the second question is under the cut.

1. How has watching/reading them all so close together affected your opinion of the adaptations?

In the case of Emma as well as Sense and Sensibility (and I'll be curious to see if this happens when I watch all three versions of Persuasion together) watching them in quick succession basically creates a microscope effect where the differences that go beyond aesthetic and into interpretation pop. You see those distinctions all the more clearly when watched closely together.

For exmple, the nature of the relationship between Emma and Knightley is vastly different from one interpretation to the next. In the Kate Beckinsale-Emma, Knightley and Emma have this very antagonistic combative relationship. They don't spar as much as fight and yell. Knightley delivers almost all his lines yelling, actually. I told @best-laid-plaids that it was Knightley as Rochester. Whereas GP-Emma and Knightley manage to strike this tone of "friends from college slept together once, and 10-years later they still sometimes imagine the other peron naked", if that makes any sense. In the 2009 version, their relationship feels very lived in; like they really have known one another their entire lives. And in 2020 it is pretty clear from the start that they are very attracted to one another, but maybe don't know what to do with that.

(JLM's little point before he waves is so cute, my goodness.)

This microscope effect also calls to attention those details that remain from one version to the next as well as those that are altered. In the 19996 Kate Beckinsale version, as Knightley holds his niece, he says to Emma something like "I once held you this way." Again, when Knightley proposes, they bring it up. Emma says something like "do you like me as well now as when I was a child?" Now...is a version of that in the book? Yes. Is it an odd choice to keep in a 90s film adaptation? Also yes. It's noticeably the only Emma adaptation that is this explicit about the age difference. When you pair that with the Rochesterification of Knightley (™ @best-laid-plaids) and the highly combative relationship between Emma and Knightley, it's hard not to infer that between Andrew Davies' script and Diarmuid Lawerence's direction, they wanted to depict a more aggressive relationship where part of the attraction for Emma and Knightley was the large age difference. Other adaptations gloss over the ickiness of the age difference - this one embraces it.

There's a YouTube compilation of all four proposal scenes, and I think watching them one right after the other you see this even more clearly.

That all brings me to your second question.

2. Are there any patterns or choices you've noticed that make some adaptations work and not others?

Yes, absolutely, and I think it really comes down to this question: what have the screenwriter/director decided are problems with the source texts and how have they decided to go about resolving them?

Okay, so bear with me here, but it reminds me of the live action Disney Beauty and the Beast movie that came out several years ago. It was like the writers/directors of that movie consumed every clickbaity "This is why Beauty and the Beast is the WORST Disney movie" video they could find, and wrote a live action script that specifically addressed every one of the concerns. Lindsay Ellis has an incredible video breaking this down. Oh! according to the animated version, the prince was turned into the beast as an 11-year old. "DON'T WORRY! WE FIXED THAT!" Okay...cool. We were fine, though? That movie is obsessed with fixing problems that aren't problems.

I think when you watch so many Austen adaptations, the nature of the 'problems' adaptations are trying to fix become quite apparent.

Are the Austen heroines too passive and beholden to the whims of the men in their lives? Don't worry! We'll fix that by showing they are actually active and cuttingly witty (Fanny Price in both 1999 and 2007, Anne Elliot in 2022). Also, we'll make it clear the heroine doesn't hold very much affection for her sucky family (Emma in 2020, Anne in 2022, Fanny in 1999/2007). Are the male heroes seemingly lackluster? No problem. Just have them physically threaten the rake character (Colonel Brandon in 2008), chop firewood and ride angrily (Edmund in 2008), be more overtly jealous to show they have FEELINGS (Knightley in 2020), etc. etc. etc. Are you worried the audience isn't going to understand why a hero/heroine pursued one person and then quickly pursued another? Might I suggest giving a very long subplot to a side character to further explain their POV (Frank Churchill in 2009), or maybe make it clear the hero/heroine had no interest actually (Wentworth in 2022), or imply that the current suitor is better b/c they will help fix a deficiency in our hero/heroine's character (Colonel Brandon will 'tame' Marinne according to 2008, Knightley is the only one who can handle Emma in KB-1996, Fanny was the perfect woman all along and Edmund actually loved her the whole time in 1999/2007 but also she's a little prettier now)?

Look. I don't really know if there's a way to make a completely faithful Austen adaptation. Her books end quite abruptly, everything is wrapped up quickly with little explanation, and they often include a series of flash forwards that can be quite jarring. She also introduces side characters that can easily lift out but also communicate vital information and all of that exposition has to be accounted for somehow. It's very tricky! In order to bring all of that to a visual medium you have to make choices and decisions, and sometimes that means adding things and sometimes that means deleting things. You're worried that the audience won't understand the heroine's motives? Sure! Take Austen's prose and use that as the heroine's thoughts/intentions (Fanny in 1999, GP-Emma in 1996, Emma in 2009, Anne in 2022). I might not agree with the choices of what is attributed to a character's thoughts each and every time, but I understand the mechanism. It's more with extratextual inclusions (Anne and Frederick have a very long DTR talk in 2022, for example) where I question whether these writers/directors are solving problems or unintentionally creating new ones.

You know what happens when you make Fanny Price super active and verbally willing to spar with anyone? Her outright rejection of Henry Crawford makes little sense and her stalwart love for Edmund makes even less. What happens when you have Wentworth and Anne analyze where their relationship went wrong? You suck all dramatic tension from their relationship. What happens when you spend a lot of time psychoanalyzing Frank Churchill and drawing out his man pain? You're elliding Austen's point that wealthy men who are well connected act impulsively simply because they can and rarely think of the consequences.

[gothicprep]

God I know this is like matpat levels of unhinged but I have this crack theory that Tommy Wiseau was an abusive boyfriend and made The Room a one last act of retaliation against his ex.

Before I get into this, I do wanna get one thing out of the way first: Tommy didn't decide to write, direct, and star in a movie about a perfect guy who loses everything for no reason, so we can assume he had a dog in this fight, and this movie had some grounding in a real relationship. That said, it shouldn't be taken as a totally faithful interpretation of events. Obviously Tommy is alive, people don't play football in formal attire, etc. Literally no character in that movie behaves rationally. If you read The Disaster Artist, you'd know the original product was even less coherent. Hence the invocation of matpat. Just take it all as me doing a weird film theory on the ole blog.

But, like, anyway, Tommy probably does view Lisa as an honest representation of a real ex girlfriend, even with the screenwriting salad element taken into account. Although this is biased, inaccurate nonsense, it's consistent with how he genuinely perceives her as a person (ie, her character traits).

So let's talk about Johnny and Lisa and their general predicament for a second. Johnny is established as a character with a lucrative banking job, and makes enough for him to not only financially support his girlfriend, but his young neighbor in addition to paying his way through school. When Lisa discloses to her mother that she's fallen out of love with him, she replies with "He supports you. And honey, you can't support yourself." We also see versions of this with the reoccurring phenomena of Johnny buying her gifts. This being intended to convey, Johnny is a good guy.

There's a parallel to this in The Disaster Artist that involves how Tommy engages with those who are consuming his money in the context of the film's production. He seems as though he feels entitled to be a monster to them because he's funding the film. There's this texture of "I'm paying for this, thus, you need to do what I want" that pops up frequently. In, if I'm remembering properly, the first chapter of the book, he's cruel towards waitresses and tips them poorly, asserting that they need be happy with what they've got because he bestowed it upon them.

Even when Denny speaks of Lisa and developing feelings for her, he lingers on things such as "how she looks in her red dress." something Johnny bought her. It's resolved quickly upon Johnny changing the subject, but its interesting nonetheless.

Let's talk about the hideous vodka and whiskey drink for a second. "Johnny doesn't drink." The probability that abusive incidents happened between the two of them when Tommy had blacked out is a strong possibility, especially given that people who don't drink either have a poor personal or familial/genetic relationship with alcohol. "Johnny doesn't drink" vs the "I did not hit her" water bottle assassination seems a little... um....

Let's talk about Lisa. If you're with an abusive partner that you rely on financially, like, let's be real, there's a possibility of you falling out of love with them before the relationship ends. What are you going to do if you don't have a new living situation lined up? Perhaps, in the case of someone like that, having a new partner to stand as a barricade between you and the man who has hurt you offers a degree of security.

And, like, I suppose I'll have to include a suicidal ideation related content warning for this. So disengage now if this is something that you're not in the emotional place to hear heavier mentions of.

As stated previously, Tommy obviously didn't commit suicide before he wrote, directed, produced, and starred in "the room", but he made it pretty fucking clear that the breakup depicted in it made him slip into an emotionally unhealthy place. his way of dealing with this was to fucking WRITE DIRECT PRODUCE AND STAR IN a heavily distorted retelling version of this story that ineffectively strived to make him look as harmless as possible. but there's a very clear chaser of "you made me want to die and i want you to never forget that". even if none of these broader speculations are true, the benign idea that it's based on a breakup he experienced probably was, and this is... um...

Look, there's always the possibility that lisa was totally off her rocker and fine with spreading lies about her partner for ??? reasons. I personally don't figure it to be likely, but that's your hot take. This is also the brain child of someone who overthinks and has poor emotional health and shouldn't be taken seriously. I am not making accusations, just analyzing text. So on and so forth

[elle-guttemberg]

The reader discovers Harry's secret

Notes: This story has no masochism or strange tendencies. The reader acts like a normal person, as a normal person would in a situation like this.

Maybe, I can write a part two.

I hope you like it! English isn't my first language and sorry about mistakes and the many You. I never wrote with an insert reader.

You and Harry had been together for six years, "mutual support" was a word that would define your relationship well.

After all, you were always by his side, encouraging him to fight for his dreams, even when he thought about giving up. Which is why you came to Provincetown, not having thought twice about agreeing when your boyfriend said he was going to town for inspiration.

You knew he just needed the right idea... And that right idea came along, however, you couldn't feel happy or proud when he gave his flawless scripts to read.

Well, you weren't stupid, you knew something was wrong: Harry wrote nonstop, like a zombie in front of the computer, went out every night with Belle and Austin, giving an excuse that no longer convinced you, besides that he had acquired a big appetite by red meat, mainly bloody.

And of course there were those "things" that prowled around and attacked your house, which obviously weren't junkies. However, you had no idea what they could be and that made you dread this place even more.

Tired of not having answers to your questions, you decided to follow Harry on one of his morning walks - which were rare these days - and it wasn't surprised when you saw him talking to a man under the dock. Not until he started fighting with that man.

You couldn't see well because of the distance, but, it was clear that the screenwriter had a knife and cut his rival's throat, who fell on the sand trying to stanch the wound with his hand - which was impossible.

Watching your boyfriend commit murder made your stomach knot in a tight knot, your heart feeling like it would stop beating with grief. And you felt your breakfast return as Harry began to suck on the dead man's neck, seeing his mouth smeared with blood as he lifted his head to look around. Fortunately, he didn't see you.

Terribly scared, you ran away, wanting to get home immediately, pack your bags, and head back to New York, unable to think about anything other than the fact that you were living with a bloodsucking killer.

"It couldn't get any worse," you thought, instantly regretting it when you saw three of those pale things coming your way. They looked hungry for something and determined.

As you looked around, you realized that you had nothing to defend yourself against, and the only way to escape would be to go back where you came from.

Slowly backing away, you made one last eye contact with your pursuers before running again, feeling them behind you.

You ran as hard as you could in the slippery environment, but suddenly the wind blew in your direction, sending sand in your face, blinding you and causing you to trip over something and land hard on the shore.

At that moment, you cursed all sorts of existing deities and opened your eyes with difficulty, seeing not only that it was a piece of thick tree branch that hindered you, but also one of the pale ones dangerously close.

With nothing to lose - except your life - you picked up the branch and rose with some difficulty, lifting it and hitting the creature on the head, making it double over with the blow.

You took a few more blows, hard enough to pass out. But, you didn't have much time for another more rational action, as another pale one came up and when you tried to hit him, the piece of wood broke.

"Damn it!" And in a desperate attitude, gave him a hard kick in the groin. Which worked, as the attacker stumbled back with an unnatural scream.

Two were already gone, there was only one more to go, which recoiled a little and opened his mouth in a menacing way, letting him see the sharp teeth...

It was as if a stone had fallen on your head and everything was clear: the long teeth, the thirst with which one of them had gone into Harry's neck...

They must be a gang of vampires. But there was no rational sense. Were they from some macabre sect?

You couldn't tell how long you spent trying to form a coherent theory, turning out to be a huge mistake when you felt something throw itself over you.

It was the pale creature that had hit close to the private parts. That it was now desperately craving to bring its mouth to your throat as you thrashed, a futile attempt to push it away.

When you managed to sense that the third thing was approaching, the reality that your end was near collapsed.

All your dreams, plans, friends, family, would end with a bite that would rip your skin and jugular.

You closed your eyes and couldn't resist anymore, yet, you felt the weight being lifted off your body.

Not knowing what to do, you decided to remain motionless on the sand - in fact, you couldn't even get up and go look for help if wanted to.

- Y/N! Are you okay?! You heard the voice you didn't want.

You finally opened your eyes, noticing that those creatures disappeared and walked away from Harry before he could touch you.

The screenwriter frowned, not understanding anything. But right then, he felt a slight distrust and fear.

- Why are you here?

You were silent, getting to your feet carefully as you thought of the best words to say.

- I came to find out what was happening to you... And by the way, your little secret is dirtier than I imagined! Your tone was sarcastic, not hiding your disappointment and pain.

Harry freaked out.

- Y/N, I can explain the situation. But please don't leave me! I love you!

You could see he was being sincere, nonetheless, continuing that relationship would be colluding with his actions, with the fact that you knew his boyfriend was killing innocent people - or not - and feeding on their blood like a psychopath.

If he did that to them, he could do it to you.

- Look, Harry. If I were you, I'd be glad I didn't call the police right now!

- But will you do it? Will you put me behind bars? I could be sentenced to life in prison! The man's despair was growing, all that remained was to kneel at your feet asking for mercy.

- I still don't know what to do, Harry... You replied sincerely, wiping a tear that had run down. - But our story ends here! And before the writer responded, you left as quickly as possible. Being relieved to realize that you was not being followed by the person you loved so much, but, who managed to destroy in minutes, all your confidence.

So, when was just you and the icy breeze of the wind, you allowed yourself to collapse through the whole situation.

[thosch3i]

Hi hi! So the lost tombs and chronology all super confuse me. So tlt2 ended on a cliffhanger that was not resolved by tlt3 which is ultimate note, but now there is another tlt3 that I am guessing is made by the same studio as tlt2 (but not UN) that actually follows tlt2? And it has the same WPZ as tlt2 (but sadly different WX, ZQL though I’m sure these guys are great). You seem to know what you’re talking about so I’m hoping you can help!

UN also ended on a cliff hanger so I’m wondering if they’ll get a sequel from their studio that comes before tomb of the sea.

ahhh hello anon! yes ahaha the dmbj dramas are certainly very confusing--because they keep switching the screenwriters/entire production team between dramas. huanrui did tlt1 (2015), tlt2 (2019), and the sequel to tlt2 (2021). they're also technically the production company for un (2020), but linghe did like all the directing/casting/writing so its significantly different in tone and quality from the other dramas huanrui produced. npss (dmbj author) did sha hai (2018) and tltr (2020), with sha hai being in collab with linghe, so you can see lots of parallels with un and shared cast. (gonna add that i dont know much about the m9 because that’s not what im personally interested in, so i’m only going by stories with wu xie & the iron triangle.)

unfortunately, the dramas pretty have no continuity as a result of all the weird shit and multiple studios doing different dramas and messy stuff going on behind the scenes. the author's production company currently has all the rights back for filming future dramas, which is......imo, a good thing for book fans who love the author but a 😬 thing for book fans who like the original story more than what the author is now doing with it. I'll uh avoid saying too much opinion stuff though so no more on that 😅

that aside! yes 云顶天宫 “explore with the note” part 2......is the direct sequel to tlt2 and done by the same studio. unfortunately the writers are different and im not sure how much of the production team is the same either. idk how much you know about the novels so brief summary here--for the chinese version, the main story has 9 parts split among 8 books (though the official eng tls have each part being a different book) with some important content being as follows:

official eng title “cavern of blood zombies” (first time wx goes into a tomb, first t3j meeting)

official eng title “angry sea, hidden sands” (xisha seabed tomb, introduce a-ning)

official eng title “bronze tree of death” (bronze tree in qinling, wx & lao yang solo adventure)

official eng title “palace of doom” (heavenly palace on the clouds, introduce bronze gate)

official eng title “deadly desert winds” (golmud, introduce hei xiazi, desert, rainforest, tamutuo)

official eng title “graveyard of a queen” (the rest of that arc, wu sanxing & xie lianhuan reveal, jade meteorite, amnesiac xiaoge and escape, sanshu vanishes for good--also i think the official eng tl covers a couple chapters of the beginning of the next part too)

阴山古楼 (searching for xiaoge’s memories in banai, miluotuo cave, i think introduction of wu erbai)

邛笼石影 (auction/hotel iron triangle fight, introduce xiao hua & xiuxiu, wx & xh on the mountains alone while pz & xg go with granny huo)

finale (rescue from zhang family mansion, changbai mountain goodbye, 10 years promise)

after the main story are the main sequels:

zang hai hua (tibetan sea flower; unfinished & abandoned) covers wu xie a few years after xiaoge has entered the gate, searching to understand xiaoge’s past

sha hai (tomb of the sea; unfinished & abandoned) covers wu xie’s plan to wipe out the wang family, after zhh

chongqi (reunion: the sound of the providence) covers wu xie’s lung disease and how he recovers from that, set after they pick up xiaoge again from the bronze gate. thunder city and everything.

灯海寻尸&万山极夜 (still updating on wechat) don’t worry about this one since it’s still a WIP lol

btw between sha hai and chongqi there’s also ten years later (a short story) that covers how wu xie and pangzi pick up xiaoge from the bronze gate and take him home

the dramas Do Not Connect To Each Other At All, which the exception of tlt2 & tlt2 pt2 somewhat, but they go in this order:

盗墓笔记 / the lost tomb 1 (2015): covers part 1 but with major OCs and filler, and includes the auction scene from part 8 for some reason, so introduces xiao hua early.

怒海潜沙&秦岭神树 / the lost tomb 2 (2019) technically “explore with the note”: covers parts 2 & 3 but with major OCs and filler, introduces xiao hua & xiuxiu (and hei xiazi briefly) early. last couple episodes also cover the beginning of part 4. not a direct sequel to tlt1 despite being done by the same studio.

云顶天宫 / heavenly palace on the clouds (2021) technically also “explore with the note”: covers part 4 with major OCs and filler (and the same changes carrying over from tlt2). some episodes are identical to the last couple episodes of tlt2. works as a direct sequel only if you ignore the last couple episodes of tlt2 that take place in the snowy mountains. (those episodes of tlt2 were filmed after this drama was filmed, and im still not sure why they dragged the wu xie and xiaoge from tlt2 back to changbai mountain to film those episodes.)

终极笔记 / ultimate note (2020): covers parts 5-8 with minor OCs and minimal filler, also introduces xiao hua & xiuxiu early. the only adaptation that resembles its source material most of the time.

沙海 / tomb of the sea (2018): covers the second sequel with major OCs and filler. includes some bits from zhh and the short story “three days of silence”.

重启之极海听雷 / the lost tomb reboot (2020): covers third sequel with major OCs and filler.

in addition there is the prequel series mystic nine (2016) and side movies for the dramas that the author produced. there is also a single standalone movie--time raiders (2016) that is....well it’s. very strange. it’s fully subbed on youtube if you’re interested?

the best way to watch the dramas is to assume each one is its own self-contained AU set along different points of the dmbj timeline because even the dramas the author himself worked on don’t have continuity LOL (and with the exception of ultimate note & sha hai most of the time, also assume most characters are pretty OOC from the novels).

i uh regret to inform you though, that ultimate note will not be getting a sequel unless the author magically decides to not care about making money anymore and sells the rights to film the finale to linghe or something ^^;;;; it’s....unfortunate bc un is the most highly-rated dmbj adaptation on douban by A Lot, but it’s an adaptation that the author had literally nothing to do with whatsoever.

more information on some of the side movies/stage plays/manhua/donghua here.

summaries of the main novel stories (currently through zhh) here.

edited mtl (some of which has apparently been looked over by native cn speakers) of the novels following where official eng tls end here. (there are many scattered extras as well.)

you can get the official eng tl books/ebooks on amazon or elsewhere(?), but if you have problems purchasing them or like you just dont wanna support amazon or something, dm me off anon. (also i dont want to be mean but frankly the official tls are kinda bad too ^^;;;)

a rough timeline (spoilers galore) for the dmbj novels here. (fair warning im not 100% sure how accurate all of this is--they put three days of silence as 1991 but looking at the info in zhh, it seems like it should have been before the 1950s...but it’s more than fine as a general overview.)

anyway i hope that was helpful in some way? dmbj is a Very Confusing thing to get into ahahaha, one of my twitter mutuals has made a few carrds if you think they might be helpful: book, dramas (slightly out of date bc it says heavenly palace hasn’t aired yet), ultimate note (got its own carrd by virtue of being the only adaptation aside from sha hai sometimes that most og book fans acknowledge lol ^^;;;)

also anon if anything wasn’t clear or if you had more questions feel free to ask again sorry ahahaha im kinda tired rn @.@ 

[honeysorwell]

(a very unprofessional) game changer

Pairing: Audrey Tidall x fem!Reader x Diane Sherman

Summary: Audrey Tidall ends up conquering the role of the protagonist in the expected film that marks the great director and screenwriter Diane Sherman return to the film market, Run, that the blonde one desired really much. The filmmaker has only managed to return now since she left her job almost twenty years ago to take care of her daughter. She has no real plans other than finishing the film that will mark her return, but her nonpeaceful coexistence with Audrey during the filming, along with the loneliness that consumes her personal life ends up instigating an unexpected affection - and that grows every day - for Y/N, the costume designer for Run.

What Diane did not expect, when giving Y/N anonymously flowers during the recording months, is that the costume designer has been in a secret relationship for more than months with Audrey. However, the feeling of indifference and disdain that the director feels for the actress gradually dies after a heated argument between the two, leaving an unnamed tension in the air, while Y/N searches for her secret admirer with her girlfriend.

[gif by @sapphiclesbian​ ]

[gif by @cherry-jimin] 

A/N: I was extremely surprised when I posted You rush into my life, stay a little while (I know that we can have it all), and in less than a month I got +50likes (after all I barely know how to use tumblr and I discovered these days how and where to look at the followers that I have lol). And thanks to that, I will use (a very unprofessional) game changer as a social experiment, to see if you guys really like what I write, and if the answer is also positive, I will open requests to write things in my free time. And yes, my first language is not English so maybe something might sound strange.

I had this idea as soon as Run was released, thanks to Diane's passion for films... And since Audrey is an actress, I thought it would be good to combine these two...

I can say that this is a big AU because Diane is a lovely mother, and no one from Roanoke dies (because I don't have time to develop any of this shit).

Hope you all like it!

Synopsis of the story + Chapter 1 ,  Chapter 2 , Chapter 3 , Chapter 4 , Chapter 5 , Chapter 6 , Chapter 7 , Chapter 8 , Chapter 9 , Chapter 10 (final one)

Chapter 1

Chapter’s summary: Audrey and Y/N get to know each other thanks to Diane, and even though they are about to start recording Run, they decide that it is worthwhile to continue with their relationship. Even if secretly.

Warnings: In this chapter at least, none. Just implicit mentions of smut, it's not really something!  

Word Count: 1,2k

In theory, when someone wins an award as important as The Saturn, their career between movies becomes more likely to invitations to productions. Films, miniseries, or even theatrical productions. But that didn't happen with Audrey.

There was a voice in her head that said it was thanks to her age. But since none of the actors in Roanoke's cast, especially women, were so different in this aspect, Audrey continued to ignore that voice.

Everything was relatively ready for the British woman to participate in Return to Roanoke: Three Days in Hell, however after her breakup with Rory, the blonde one preferred to focus on something new. She quickly fell in love with him, but when the red-haired man asked about marriage, everything was clear to Audrey. Their paths and thoughts were so different, even with the significant feeling between them, that it was better to break their love relationship before their friendship was affected. And this was what she did.

It was audacious. Refuse a proposal for the same program that gave her fame and awards, to audition for a new film that she barely knew would happen. Some people would call her crazy, but the email she received from her agent was enough to give her courage.

Or rather, four words from that email. Directed by Diane Sherman was what caught her attention and prompted her to try to venture out to take the test.

She can still remember. Years ago, while she was still fighting for a minor role in any theatrical production in England, Diane Sherman was already acclaimed worldwide for the grandiose films with unexpected endings that she produced, even at a young age.

All the films of the woman with a reddish tone between her brunette hair strands became hits. But in the midst of it all, Diane decided to take a break from her career, and less than five months later, a pregnancy was announced.

After that, twenty years passed and no film was released, no interview, no magazine cover. Such a gloriously famous woman disappeared from everyone's view with her baby. But only up to now.

That test was probably the one that tired Audrey the most in her entire career. To portray in a few minutes the pain of the life of a woman who is obsessed with her daughter to the point of making her sick was difficult. But she did, and so, while her former co-stars were locking themselves up in a seemingly haunted mansion, she was getting a call from her agent saying that she got the lead role.

Everything worked well when the blonde received her script and started working with Diane on how they would like this character to be seen by the audience, but as the conversations flowed, Audrey understood why all of the woman's films were such a success. She was a perfectionist and her authority was clear.

Everything needed to be perfect. Including the costume.

And so Audrey met Y/N. A beautiful costume designer with so much talent to spare to the world.

The first time they saw each other, Diane was not present, after all, it was just a date to take Audrey's body measurements. As the story was about a housewife, movable and comfortable clothes had to be designed, which did not force Audrey to strip naked to have her measurements known by Y/N, even if an unprofessional part of her wanted to.

Quick encounters followed, some with Diane briefly present, just to define new color palettes or to approve and disapprove something. The director never stayed more than twenty minutes with the two women, but thanks to Y/N's perseverance, in producing everything exactly as Diane wished, and Audrey's free time, due to her mind being ease in memorizing lines and just a few friendships outside England, the two woman became relatively close.

When the costumes were all designed and in the final process of being made, Diane decided that she would like Audrey's hair to be longer. Some wig tests took place, but a joint decision was made.

The film would be postponed in five months from there, so that the blonde's hair would grow.

It was frustrating, to say the least, and maybe that was the trigger for Audrey's disapproval with Diane, but one thing was good. The time now acquired has started to be spent on Y/N.

Always at discreet lunches or afternoon teas in their homes...

Y/N thinks it might be extremely inappropriate and absolutely unprofessional to get personally involved with a co-worker, even outside the set, and even though their work on Diane's film was relatively distant. But, after many glasses of wine and random conversations, nothing made more sense to Y/N than Audrey's lips against hers.

A one-night stand. That was what they thought they were born to be. But the skin on Audrey's stomach was so smooth that Y/N didn't know if she wanted to kiss her until she moaned or laughed, confused as she tried to understand which one of the sounds was the actual responsible for her heart beating faster.

A one-night stand. Because Audrey didn't feel ready to start a relationship after such a recent breakup. But there was nothing more beautiful than Y/N's face full of pleasure while she was being touched, or her face concentrated on redoing a crooked seam, even if she was the only one that noticed the defect in the piece.

A one-night stand. That turned into two, three, ten, thirty... and when they noticed, Audrey's hair was long enough for the film to start recording and their mind was unconsciously bought each other's favorite foods at the supermarket.

And on one of those nights, when they were both lying on Y/N's bed and Audrey was drawing imaginary flowers on the bare skin of her right hip, a whisper escaped the actresses lips:

"I don't want this to end because we are going to work together... Does that make me unprofessional?", The moment the question escapes her lips, she raises her face towards Y/N and looks deeply into her eyes.

"Well ...", the costume designer starts and stops, distracted by the beauty of Audrey's brown eyes and a lock of her hair - now longer - that is hindering the Y/N view of the blonde's cheeks, but that soon puts the hair strands behind her ear and continues - "Count me in because I don't want this to end either..."

It is a smile so beautiful that it takes hold of Audrey's lips, that the courage to take possession of Y / N's body and one more phrase escapes her lips.

"I think I'm in love with you."

The word think sounds so low, it's like it's not even there. Because Y/N's mind knows that she is sure, even scared and that is why Y/N's eyes focus on the whole room, except the face in front of her. Until delicate fingers touch her chin and direct her to see brown eyes bathed in tears, amid the same glorious smile of seconds ago.

"And I don't know how you didn't notice that I fell in love with you too."

And so they come to an agreement. Nothing will be explicit while they are on set. At work, they will be just friends, close friends if the distance wraps their stomachs, but still, just friends.

For the sake of their reputations, their jobs, and the Diane Sherman film they will be just friends.

[life-rewritten]

Giants of Thai BL AKA The MOST ANTICIPATED  THAI BL SHOWS FOR 2021

It's weird to think that the year 2020 has ended. This has been a journey in the past year, on the surface everywhere you looked it looked like there was no place to be happy and excited because of all the things that happened. It was suffocating at times, tiring at best, and it was just astonishing how many things could go wrong in only one year. That being said, one genre/demographic that grew even stronger this year, took some time to impress and improve on its tropes, its ideas and concepts and that's BL. Which also took some of us by surprise, for the ones who've been watching BL since the first oldies, to the new people who joined and also became in love with the genre and have stayed since then. BL has been an incredible, interesting journey, and I am so happy to say that it looks like 2021 isn't letting go of that energy. So to celebrate entering 2021, a year hopefully for a release from all the worries in 2020, a year to restart, refresh and keep getting better, here are the Giants of Thai Bl making their way in 2021. We have so many insane ones, from more mafia dramas to new unique non-university storylines, to og actors, and new powerful ones, to interesting pairings and new channels producing shows for 2021 to many many more countries joining the fight to be the top of our affections and energy. Thai BL is not going anywhere, and you know what that's perfectly fine with me.

GMMTV

I already did a whole squeal about the shows upcoming from GMMTV here: But after careful consideration here is my top 3 most anticipated: Enchante, Not Me, Bad Buddy. I know Enchante beat out ATOTS, but for me, I'm obsessed with the way the writer plans secrets and meta to unveil, and I keep repeating it's by Theory of Love director and production team. I'm so excited. I just hope they put in the same energy and effort they used in theory of love for this you have so many potential incredible actors that can take over this genre if you give them a good script and hard work. Hopefully, GMMTV intends to do so for not just their royal couple shows but also for rookie actors because Book and Force in this trailer? Looks fantastic.

Studio Wabi-sabi

When I hear about Studio Wabi-Sabi, you see two juxtaposed reactions from me, one you see anticipation and excitement from seeing my most loved actors off-screen; however, you also hear a groan from me. I'm sorry I didn't use to be this way, I used to be so ready to embrace every show directed and created by New Siwaj; in 2020, New was one of the directors I kept having headaches about because of all his shows in 2020? What exactly happened? Why did they flop so hard? Why was he so slow? I'm hoping that it's because he had too many projects to handle at the same time since fair enough LBC was filmed same time as GMMTV My gear and your gown and maybe that was too much to handle? But the reason why I like News choices usually are because they're emotional, impressive with their plot lines and have good character arcs and couples we end up falling in love with. He could be an iconic director because he has so much talent in his company, so I'm hoping he uses his lessons and grows and becomes better in 2021.  But Let's get to the shows announced so far for 2021 because they both have the potential to take over 2021. I said what I said.

Between Us

Genre:  Friends with benefits, Romance, Comedy, PTSD, Angst, 

Ahh, this is incredible. I'm so happy. Win and Team are from a great tv show already with Until We Meet Again and not going to lie, but seeing Buon as Win and Prem as Team? Perfection. Like guys I actually fell so hard for this couple despite their low screen time. Buon stole the scene each time he appeared, with his little smirks, and mischief, with flirty bad-boy energy and their relationship, was precisely what I live for passionate and full of chemistry. They're great, which is why it's so exciting to see that Between Us is getting its own show, the show based on these two love story in a parallel timeline to Until we meet again. I screamed. The book sounds interesting; we're getting some conversations about PTSD, some healing relationships, and angst and more passion.  I'm so excited about this since I first saw BuonPrem. I knew they were going to get known enough to bring their own show. And they deserve it, let's hope we get an interesting script that keeps us invested, enough opportunities for these two to have softer and profound moments whilst still holding on to their passion, and let the drama not be stale but addicting. Please New, don't let this show also be slow-paced, I'll lose it if another show is ruined by directing from you. 

Ratings: 4/5: BuonPrem, they leap off the screen, their chemistry is that great. From hearing about the plot I'm also excited to a more in-depth look into Team's insomnia and his past and psychological scars, and I'm hoping to see a deeper reason for why these two should be together.

Love Mechanics 2

Genre: Romance, Comedy, Angst, Drama, Friends with benefits, Unrequited love, 

That's the thing about Wabi-Sabi; they have amazing actors that steal our hearts away. This shows cast is no different, it's YinWar and it's a collab with Channel 3. Like What? It's everything. YinWar from Love Mechanics trended with millions of people obsessed and wanting the show to be extended and actually appropriately done. In came Channel 3 and we have this gem coming on April. No words. YinWar on screen is thrilling; War is just outstanding as Mark, his nuances, his glares, his looks of pain and longing, man I was absorbed into it. Although LM's writing is toxic and really left me feeling confused and uncomfortable with the details pushed aside, it was hard to ship VeeMark when Yin's character made terrible decisions and was awful even in the book. I'm the queen of analysing damaged flawed characters, and I don't run away from toxicity as long as there is a growth and change later on, as long as there's a good reason we needed to see that. For Vee's character, his actions were unnecessary for us to know about his character; they were just messy and upsetting. That's why I think seeing more depth for his actions and seeing Mark regress and also make mistakes like him will even out their relationship and make me feel more understanding about how these two flawed characters came to be and why they should be together.  Let's hope with funds from Channel 3, more effort and energy put into the show, it'll be great because with actors like War this show can be just as big as it was when it had errors. Maybe even better. 

Ratings 3.5/5 Love mechanics messy storyline makes me worried about this, but I think I might have a great time watching and analysing Mark's revenge after being heartbroken. The angst and drama of it all just sound interesting.

Channel 3

2020 brought a new surprise with Channel 3 deciding to invest in BLS. BLs have always been not on mainstream channels, so seeing Channel 3 in Thailand decide to make their own shows, a collab with other companies, and bring some directors and writers and actors known in the BL world already, shows they are serious. This may be because of the success of 2gether and other breakthroughs in 2019 taking over the scene. But I can see that Channel 3 did not come here to play, they are researching, looking for ways to make a great BL with the information provided on the past BLs and they want to make it big. And you know what with shows like GEN Y showing up last year, I want to believe that Channel 3 is a competition for GMMTV and others. They invest in funds and have longer minutes for their episodes, and they also pay attention to international fans by streaming on new places like Iquiyi and others. It's exciting. Channel 3 has already dipped their toes with Love Mechanics, and in 2021 they have even more shows to give us:

Teddy Bear Miracle

Genre: Romance, Comedy, Supernatural, Drama, Friends to Lovers, Fantasy,  Mystery, Lakorn

What a weird title for a show. What an odd premise. What a bizarre book. But you know what I'm so excited about this; this is meant to be a lakorn series that is BL. Like wow, it has a good cast, known faces in the Thai acting scene and a director/screenwriter who has won awards for his own script. That's even more exciting. But the best thing about this is that it's a fantasy and has supernatural themes, yep it's weird we're dealing with a magic system where teddy bears come to life, and other inanimate objects talk? But I'm so excited to see what this brings; we have a man transformed from a teddy bear with amnesia who's searching for his past and how he ended up as one and his owner who's not yet ready to let his comfort go. It's so interesting, with family history and drama and of course, a romance that will probably touch my heart. I'm excited for this zany, wacky and dramatic show. Normally, I shy away from the crazy because I don't like crack humour, and it just means a bunch of many irritating sound effects and editing choices. But I want to trust the whole team from Channel 3, from the behind the scenes the show looks great, the couple has chemistry, and I'm excited to delve into the mystery at play and see what this story is meant to become. So excited honestly.

Ratings: 4.1/5 The wacky magic system scares me not going to lie, but I have faith for some reason in Channel 3, so I think this might shock us all. I think we'll get good acting, and perhaps good directing too. The mystery might also make me want to analyse. We shall see.

Lovely Writer

Genre: Romance, Comedy, Angst, Drama, Acting/Writing Industry, Haters to Lovers,  

Did you say Kao and Up and P'Tee the director of TharnType the series? Sign me up I'm there; I've been screaming a bit since I heard about this series. From the first time, it was announced that Channel 3 was turning the book into a show, I was like this sounds unique again? And it has an interesting plot, I guess, and it's also going to have drama. I'm hopeful then. When I heard about the whole team and watched the trailer, I got into it even more. Lovely Writer sounds right up my alley, to be honest, we have this introverted writer who is determined to write a masterpiece and stop his company from making him produce BLs for the hype only for his next project to be a BL show which leads him to his new sneaky, sly, wolf in sheep's clothing roommate. Kao played his roommate from Until we meet again who won my heart as Korn and made me cry buckets. So, of course, I'm excited, Nubsib (Kao) may have some tricks up his sleeve to get next to Gene, but I think things will be more complicated than he thought, I'm ready to explore the world of the film industry and dating scandals that Gene and Sib will fall into the more they fall for each other. The angst and drama. Can't wait. Also, TharnType is one of my favourite series, and one of the reasons is because of Tee so... That's even more reason to see Gene and Sip's love story develop. Will it be as angsty, passionate and filled with plot twists? From what I hear maybe. 

Ratings: 4/5 I just think this is an excellent team for a BL backed by Channel 3 and also has an exciting plot filled with ups and downs. I'm excited to see what happens and from the behind the scenes they released in the new year I think it'll be right up my alley.

NADAO

It had to be mentioned that I'm still in shock that Nadao is investing more into BL's. I don't know why, it just feels too good to be true, after giving me show after show that's perfection and quality I'm starting to have high expectations and hope for more, despite my weary heart not wanting to trust that this is real. I'm dramatic, I know. Anyways Nadao has gifted me twice with two shows that have shocked me and made my jaw fall in awe. I'm just like wow, they really did that. Every single piece of work that comes from them is art. Every single script is exceptionally written. Every single show is acted beautifully, and every single director and producer makes me inspired by the way they create. This is when focusing on their BLs because Great Man Academy and I told sunset about you are masterpieces in their own way, they deserve to be praised and never forgotten. It's just incredible that with a company like Nadao, everything falls into place, even when we think it won't because of past experiences. Nadao has shown up and decided to create unique pieces each thoughtful. Deep and breathtaking. Why won't I be over the moon when 2021 announces that we're getting another part from them with I told sunset about you getting a sequel. You bet I haven't stopped screaming and looking at the time to hurry up, so we get to March 11. I'm serious.

ITSAY PART 2

Genre: Romance,  Angst, Drama, University, Coming of age

And that's because of what ITSAY was to us in 2020. It was something that can't be explained concisely. It was everything. To hear that we're getting the second part of the story of Oh and Teh, I feel like I am already preparing my heart and mind for another invasion, last time I was a mess because of this show, I was all over the place because of this show, and I was incredibly happy for a moment because of this show. To relive that again would be everything. It's slightly worrying that Teh and Oh finally getting together and fighting through the odds to stay together will run into more obstacles. Are you kidding me? After all, we went through to see them together?? It makes me worried, I have this real distrust for sequels of BLs, and it hasn't changed despite 2020 producing some okay follow-ups. Sequels never meet the expectation set; sequels are always reduced in quality because the focus is now on popularity and fame, sequels lose their integrity of the characters we've come to know and love and sequels hurt. They make me sometimes give up on a show that is my love, and it hurts. It's a painful realisation that I can't take away or forget the sequel events, so these characters are now ruined infinitely for me—looking at Together with me next chapter. It's scary. But Nadao hasn't failed yet, I mean it when I say their scripts are like works of art, I mean it when I say you can tell they put blood, sweat and tears to create their shows, why would ITSAY part 2 be any different? These two shows I mentioned before are coming together because the director of GMA is joining the team of ITSAY to produce whilst Boss becomes the producer. As long as he's there, I'm fine, as long as we still get hard work, energy, effort and thought put into it. I'm fine. Because it translates on screen, I'll try to lower my expectations, but I can't wait to see BilkinPP as TehOh again. I can't wait to fall in love with the show all over again. Let's hope we all end up satisfied. 

Ratings: 4.5/5 The being a sequel is what's deducting the 0.5. I can't come here and be a fool; I must guard my heart against disappointment somewhat, despite failing already to do so.

Other Affiliates

We have our other shows. These were a pleasant surprise. With all the growth of new BLs, it's starting to get crowded and saturated, but as much as it's hard to see which shows stand out above all the noise,  some make you see it. These shows are the ones that stand out for me out of the rest in 2021. I don't know what companies they're from, all I know is the information given to me and past experiences.

KinnPorsche

Genre: Romance, Mafia, Angst, Drama, Friends to Lovers, Haters to Lovers, Bodyguard trope

AHHH. Can you hear me AHH. Okay, I'll calm down. But no really, KinnPorsche is finally preparing for filming and the cast has been set and I'm screaming. KinnPorsche was the book in 2020 that was announced as the most coveted; I remember so many fandoms wanted their actors to be chosen as the main cast. The reason? Because this is meant to be the first Mafia/Crime BL. Yes, you heard us, no more universities and engineers we're doing bodyguards and spoilt gangsters. I'm... But just knowing this, you just know that the show will also have angst, angst angstttt for days, drama, and a romance that probably involves haters to lovers, passion, and character development. We're coming in with guns blazing, with many side couples that look just as good and interesting, and many actors that look perfect for their roles. I cannot wait for KinnPorsche, especially when one of my favourite actors is going to be in it as a second lead Jeff Satur! Have you seen the posters, the character introduction, who they're casting for the rest of the show? This looks amazing, it seems well put together, and the whole team looks determined and ready to give us a great show. I'm honestly so excited, but I've also heard things about the book that I will have to wait for the show to be a judge of before saying. All I can say is quality of a show also includes the themes in the script, we're trying to evolve past the toxic plots and ideas in BL, so I'm hoping if there is any we cut it real quick and change that part. It's the producers and directors' choice to keep parts in that could be edited or removed. I haven't read the book, so I'm going to be wary about it for now, but from the whole cast, teasers, and posters I really think this show could be a favourite if appropriately handled. 

Ratings: 4?/5 The question mark is for the rumours I've heard about the book. I can't lie that I want this show to be great and become one of my all-time favourites but with angst and violent personalities and passion comes leeways to toxicity and more and that's just not cute or needed.

My Engineer Season 2

Genre: Romance, Comedy, Angst, Drama, Friends to Lovers, Haters to Lovers, Unrequited love,  University,

Okay, this is it, folks. My Engineer came in 2020 and knocked our socks off; it's the most underrated great show in 2020 (apart from why r u) in my opinion. It was brilliantly constructed with enough screen time and plot for every couple of the show. My Engineer is a great show; it didn't make it to my favourites because I had issues with the main couple, but it was my most enjoyed when it came to the side couples. Because we had KingRam, TharaFong, and MekBoss. (Sorry to BohnDuen Fans). These were some of the most exciting, heartfelt, loving couples in 2020, KingRam was just chef kiss. And to hear that we're getting a sequel based on them? Well you know what I did, I screamed. I loved both KingRam and TharaFrong they were done so well, acted so well, and they made me laugh and laugh and then squeal and blush. They were too cute. The ending of my engineer left both these couples on a cliff hanger; we had a depressing bro zone with TharaFong as Fong came to realise his feelings, we had a wait what moment with Ram telling King he wasn't drunk when the kiss happened which is essentially a 'we need to deal with this new situation' text. And it's got me so excited to see what happens next. The first part of this was excitement. The second part is sigh, sequels. I told you didn't sequels are just urgh. I couldn't stop my excitement about KingRam, and I went to read the novel, and I usually don't mind it, but I don't think if the sequel is based on their story that I'd like them in season 2. And that's ridiculous because they're finally the main couple of season 2, and TalayPerth is impressive to see on screen. Sigh. I wasn't happy when reading the book; there are specific actions and choices made that just shifts the dynamic of the first season into the opposite. And I'm not particularly excited to relive those moments. Let's just say I still have high hopes for My engineer mostly cause I don't know what's happening to the other couples; I really hope there's a change in the script, maybe more information, more reasons for the characters to act the way they do, more depth? Because I want to like this show, I want it successful, but I'm not a clown I can't pretend it will be if it's based on the books. We'll see if I'm proved wrong. I hope I am.

Ratings: 3.5- Why did I read the book why?? I should have come into it blind I would have given it a 5/5 just for KingRam. Sigh

Love Stage 

Genre: Romance, Comedy, Gender Bender, Friends to Lovers, Childhood friends,  

This was a shock. Thailand has started to remake mangas from Japan, and it's all the most loved ones. In 2021 we already have Antique Bakery being remade by GMMTV (Read my GMMTV Giants of 2021) and now we have Love Stage which is also getting a Japanese Movie remake out in 2021. It's a great manga, anime and it's going to be a fun show. I enjoyed the characters, and I liked the storyline. But what I'm the most excited about when it comes to this is Kaownah and Turbo finally, after years of waiting have a new series. YES. Kaownah plays Long in TharnType our villain, and he was incredible in that. I heard he and Turbo were meant to be in the show My Umbrella, but it was cancelled and forgotten which was disappointing. These two are so cute, they're known for their fanservice and their chemistry and friendship. And I like them a lot. I can't wait to see Love Stage. I think they'll kill it. Can't wait to hear more about it let's hope this time it sticks and comes through on our screens. 

Ratings: 4/5 It's a fun storyline, and it has an excellent acting couple. I'm excited.

If 2021 already sounded brilliant because of GMMTV 2021, 2021 sounds even more exciting with these new shows; there's so many coming out, so many breaking stereotypes, so many unique plotlines, and so many great actors showing up. It's going to be a great year. I'm just glad BLs are growing, things are changing slowly, things are starting to have meaning and improve, international fans are being listened to, LGBT voices is also being listened to, we are getting there, not yet there but closer, every single time someone makes a choice to create a great plot and story that is more than just two guys making out, a show filled with heart, messages and essential representation with the good actors that also want the shows to mean something or are willing to put their all in it, every time someone chooses to make a good BL, you're paving the way for change and for the meaning of BL to change as well, for it just to be seen as something more in media. And that's needed for so many people who want shows like this to be respected and created for voices that need to be heard and displayed. Let’s see more with excellent quality in 2021.