#i will never forgive russell lewis

[drvscarlett]

The Tortured Drivers' Department

— combining another one of my favorites. I'll be taking notes and writing fics about which TTPD song do I associate with the drivers ( + I will be including the retired ones). This is the main list and I'll be linking them when I finished writing them. Let me know if you wanna be tagged

Also give TTPD a listen. Its so beautiful and a masterpiece

Fortnight

— i love you, its ruining my life (Lewis Hamilton x Mercedes!reader)

The Tortured Poets Department 

— At dinner you take my ring off my middle finger and put it on the one people put wedding rings on. And that's the closest I've come to my heart exploding (Pierre Gasly x ex!reader)

My Boy Only Breaks His Favorite Toys 

— 'Cause he took me out of my box, stole my tortured heart left all these broken parts (Lando Norris x reader)

Down Bad

— Fuck it if I can't have him (Charles Leclerc x kpop idol!reader)

So Long, London

— You swore that you loved me, but where were the clues? (George Russell x secret girlfriend! reader)

But Daddy I Love Him

— "I'm having his baby" No, I'm not, but you should see your faces (Alex Albon x Horner!reader)

Fresh Out the Slammer

— Now, pretty baby, I'm runnin' back home to you (Esteban Ocon x childhood bestfriend!reader)

Florida!!! (feat. Florence + the Machine) 

—I need to forget, so take me to Florida (Logan Sargeant x heiress!reader)

Guilty as Sin?

—What if he's written "mine" on my upper thigh only in my mind? (Oscar Piastri x bestfriend!reader)

Who’s Afraid of Little Old Me?

— I was tame, I was gentle till the circus life made me mean (Nico Rosberg x Lewis Hamilton)

I Can Fix Him (No Really I Can)

— they shake their heads, saying, "God help her" when I tell 'em he's my man (Daniel Ricciardo x longtime girlfriend!reader)

loml

— Oh, what a valiant roar. What a bland goodbye. The coward claimed he was a lion (Max Verstappen x childhood sweetheart!reader)

I Can Do It With a Broken Heart 

— Lights, camera, bitch, smile (Zhou Guanyu x model!reader)

The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived

— And I'll forget you, but I'll never forgive (Yuki Tsunoda x Actress!reader)

The Alchemy

—'Cause the sign on your heart said it's still reserved for me (Kimi Räikkönen x assistant!reader)

Clara Bow

— This town is fake, but you're the real thing (Sebastian Vettel x Ferrari heir!reader)

The Black Dog

— I am someone who, until recent events you shared your secrets with (Mick Schumacher x driver!reader

imgonnagetyouback

— I'm an Aston Martin that you steered straight into the ditch (Fernando Alonso x wife!reader)

The Albatross

— She's the albatross, she is here to destroy you (Jenson Button x revenger!reader)

Chloe or Sam or Sophia or Marcus

—So if I sell my apartment and you have some kids with an internet starlet. Will that make your memory fade from this scarlet maroon? (Carlos Sainz x Vasseur!reader)

How Did It End?

— The deflation of our dreaming leaving me bereft and reeling (Logan Sargeant x Oscar Piastri)

So High School

—You knew what you wanted, and, boy, you got her (Charles Leclerc x reader ft Max Verstappen x childhood friend!reader)

I Hate It Here

—I hate it here so I will go to secret gardens in my mind (Kimi Räikkönen x interviewer! reader)

thanK you aIMee

— And then she wrote headlines in the local paper laughing at each baby step I'd take (Mark Webber x reader)

I Look in People’s Windows

—What if your eyes looked up and met mine one more time (Sebastian Vettel x reader)

The Prophecy

—Don't want money, just someone who wants my company (Pierre Gasly x politician's daughter!reader)

Cassandra

—So they killed Cassandra first cause she feared the worst (Lewis Hamilton x wife!reader)

Peter

— Forgive me, Peter, please know that I tried to hold onto the days when you were mine (Lando Norris x reader)

The Bolter

— "Oh, we must stop meeting like this" (Max Verstappen x hollywood starlet!reader)

Robin

— You have no room in your dreams for regrets (Oscar Piastri x girlfriend!reader)

The Manuscript

—One last souvenir from my trip to your shores. Now and then I re-read the manuscript. But the story isn't mine anymore (Carlos Sainz x McLaren employee!reader)

[musaslullaby]

Cosplay time

George Russell x fem reader

Summary: George Russell have a cosplayer girlfriend

Warning: nothig

Face: zoogirlq, eurobeat_kasumi_ebk and random people on Pinterest

a/n: It's the first time I'm doing something like this, so if it sucks, please forgive me.

Masterlist

¸¸♬·¯·♩¸¸♪·¯·♫¸¸¸¸♬·¯·♩¸¸♪·¯·♫¸¸¸¸♬·¯·♩¸¸♪·¯·♫¸¸¸¸♬·¯·♩¸¸♪·¯·♫¸¸¸¸♬·¯·♩¸¸♪·¯·♫¸¸¸¸♬·¯·♩¸¸♪

yncosplay_

liked by gerogerussell63,user2,charlesleclerc,landonorris and other 489387489

Desription:

A cosplay of wolverine thanks, to my photographer @.georgerusselll63. Remember that this weekend I will be at the race.

georgerussell63: You're so beautiful.

User49: She's so cute

user33: Where do you buy cosplay?

yncosplay_: I do it by myself

landonorris: the best female Wolverine I've ever seen.

yncosplay:You will be my Deadpool

user90: When the couple cosplay?

user77: I hope soon

charlesleclerc :George will definitely find a way to be shirtless.

user90: Charles💀

georgerussell63: It's not true, I never go out without a shirt.

yncosplay_: yes

francisca.gomez: I can't wait to see you again, my love

yncosplay_: Baby I'll kidnap you.

pierregasly: @.georgerussell Keep an eye on your girlfriend

georgerussell63

liked by yncosplay_,maxverstappen1,mercedesamgf1 and other 47884885

description: It was a fantastic race, thank you for being there with me my love.

yncosplay_: I am so proud of you, I love you very much.

georgerussell63: I love you too

mercedesamgf1: Congratulations George!

user09: On race with style

user23: obviously otherwise it wouldn't be George

maxverstappen1: Next time I'll fuck your ass

user49: poor him

charlesleclerc: You're wrong, I'll win

yncosplay_: When the Ferrari wins again, a meteorite will crash on Earth

charlesleclerc: don't tease us

landonorris: She's right, accept it

yncosplay_

liked by gerogerussell63,francisca.gomez,landonorris and other 489387489

description: Welcome to our Wondarland.

It was tiring to do your makeup, especially for you, Lando, but I had fun.

landonorris: You were literally destroying my face with that makeup

yncosplay_: It wasn't that bad, you're always so dramatic.

georgerussell63: I don't know what else to say except that I'd join you in Wonderland now.

charlesleclerc: A little more imagination, Mr Russell

user80: Have you noticed how Yn looks at Lando in the second photo?

user49: What are you insinuating?

user30: bro they're just friends

francisca.gomez: Besides Lando's complaints, everything was beautiful.

landonorris: I didn't complain so much

yncosplay_: are you sure?

francisca.gomez: yes, are you sure?

user43: Where were @.giorgerussell63 and @.pierregasly?

pierregasly: I was the photographer

georgerussell63: I was trying not to get hit by frying pans.

user90: wtf?

yncosplay

liked by gerogerussell63,francisca.gomez,landonorris and other 489387489

description: We finally did it, we left a little clue in the last post but no one understood. I'm very happy to introduce you to Flynn Rider and Rapunzel.

user944: the cosplay we didn't know we wanted.

user32: I want a relationship like theirs.

user1: they really seem so happy

landonorris: hey, that doesn't count, you didn't do his makeup.

georgerussell63: I would never have complained as much as you

francisca.gomez: You are beautiful next time let's play Disney princesses

yncosplay_:You are already my Disney princess.

francisca.gomez: i love u

pierregasly: oh no I don't want to be a photographer again, please

charlesleclerc: Thank you, now even Alex wants to do it

lewishamilton: Ok now I want George Russell dressed as Ken

yncosplay_: omg yes pleas

georgerussell63: thank you Lewis now I'm sentenced for life.

[blorbocedes]

George frauding his way into this list when his Williams rookie years were absolutely forgettable...... Lewis Hamilton's 2022 mid year back pain I will never forgive you for losing to GR and hence him getting hyped on the same level as world champion debuts!!!!!!!!!

Lewis Hamilton in 2007: 109 points

Max Verstappen in 2015: 49 points

George Russell in 2019: 0 points (only driver with 0)

[oeuvrinarydurian]

Agh. My heart. My heart. My heart.

ENDEAVOUR Season 5 | Episode 3

[myimaginarywonderland]

How I rank the current grid from best to worst driver (I have seperated the three rookies but they are of course in the bottom 3 due to a lack of experience):

1. Lewis Hamilton to the surprise of literally no one. If you want to argue with me, I won't listen. Not only does he have one of the most impressive junior careers but he also has won every season up until 2022. He literally nearly won the championship in his rookie season against some much more experienced drivers. Not to mention that he could have already been a 10× world champion.

2. Fernando Alonso which is mainly because he has more experience and has consistently proven his talent even in worse cars. And you can't deny how impressive he has been in so many different teams.

3. Max Verstappen which in a few years I might argue that he is higher but not for now. Again one of the most incredible junior careers and a more than impressive start in F1. Yes he made mistakes but he also started in F1 when he wasn't even 18, so that makes it all the more impressive.

4. Valtterri Bottas which many people will disagree with me. But again if you know me this shouldn't be suprising. For me the best driver on the current grid who will probably never win a championship. I think people like to throw one bad Mercedes season at him and forget how great he was in the Williams which even led to him becoming a Mercedes driver.

5. Charles Leclerc personally would love to put him higher but he needs to have a better team for that. There's also a few mistakes he made himself that made him below Val. There is so much potential which makes it easy to put him above Val but for me that potential also needs to be shown first.

6. George Russell. Listen, I know people will argue that he beat Val in one race blah blah blah but the fact is he made some stupid mistakes in his Williams days and I will never forgive him for slapping Valtteris helmet after a crash where he could be hurt so there's that. People also tend to forget that really, in F1 up until he went to Mercedes George really never had challenging teammates. As much as I love Nicky no one really expected great performances from him and Robert well, he was great for a time but that also was a while ago.

7. Sergio Perez. Undoubtedly the best midfield driver besides Val on the current grid. His Racing Point win is mainly what got him here.

8. Esteban Ocon which many people will question. But listen. If we ignore how much he clashed with his teammates which (again only applied to Perez and Alonso, one of who is rather famous I would argue for being more difficult to work with) and just look at performance you can not tell me Esteban isn't a great driver. In his rookie season he was racing in the top 3 multiple times that season and was so closely matched to Perez who at that time was an experienced driver. In his second season he was still so close to Perez eventhough he had more DNFs. And even when he was up against Ricciardo he was still doing good (not great but again Ricciardo is highly skilled.) Let's also not forget that in his first season with Alpine he was so close to Fernando (once again with more DNFs.) One of the most underrated drivers on the grid.

9. Many people will also hate more for this but here we go: Lance Stroll. Now, listen I know Lance qualifying really was lacking in his first season and it's a weakness. But that still does not take away that he has some incredible pace, some of the best starts on the grid, is an underrated racer in the wet and holds some of the youngest F1 records. His teammates where people like Perez, Massa, Vettel and now Alonso and he still managed to hold his own against team and beat them on multiple occasions. And he had bad cars in his career and still managed to have good drives.

10. Lando Norris. I will argue that I could see him and Lance switching but honestly not for now. People are going to hate me for this but: During most of his F1 season he got lucky with a good midfield car. Yes he still managed to perform but he had a much better car than some other people when they started. Yes he managed to get close to Carlos and beat Daniel but we'll, I wouldn't really call it on fair terms in Daniel's case. Does that take away from the incredible performance he had? Of course not which is why he is in my top 10. But I think this season will really determine how much he can prove himself in a bad car against a rookie who is highly regarded.

11. Carlos Sainz l, someone I find really hard to rate. In his first seasons he got beaten hugely by Max, then had weird teammate switches. When he was at Renault Hülkeberg beat him and then people praise his McLaren years where he literally was up against a rookie who matched to catch up to him rather quickly. Then in Ferrari he got lucky by that team being absolute chaos and still Charles beat him. I really do not understand why he is so highly rated. Yes his stints in Ferrari where good but he mainly only managed to perform when Charles was fucked over.

12. Kevin Magnussen. Honestly rating Kevin is so hard because his first season with McLaren was really good. And then it all just kind of went south which resulted in him being stuck in Haas. He was probably the hardest to decide but I think it's mostly due to just Haas making it unable to change how talented Kevin truly is because they gave him such a shit car for years. With his pole last year I feel like we got a glimpse into McLaren Kevin again.

13. Hulkenberg. Don't really want to rate him but I have to. Managed to get good midfield results, even showed great glimpses with his pole and then well nothing ever really happened. He threw most of his podium chances away and well, really a good midfield results only gets you so much respect. Yes he manages to have good Qualifyings but I feel like his race are just really forgetful and unremarkable especially when he ends up close to his teammates who qualified further back and where able to climb back up.

14. Pierre Gasly. Well, this will upset people but again, this is definitely due to a lack of comparison and also his very bad stint at RedBull. No doubt he had great drives and that his Monza win was special but I feel like there's just something lacking, you know. He completely bottled his stint at RedBull (to no one's surprise), managed to beat Kvyat and then had Yuki as a team-mate. There's really no good comparison but yeah, mostly not that impressive. Interesting to see how he will do against Esteban.

15. Alex Albon. Might surprise people but this is more due to a lack of team-mate comparison than anything else. Verstappen and Latifi both aren't any fair comparison due to different reason and I really can't judge a season where he was swapped so there's that. But I definitely he has good race pace and more in him.

16. Zhou Guanyu. This is mainly due to him having little experience and a lot of bad luck unfortunately. I 100% believe there's more that he can show but for now he sadly has to be low on the list.

17. Yuki Tsunoda. Listen, I love him but he just lacks experience and consistent results. This season will be important to see how he rates and how he establishes himself.

18. Piastri. Of course the rookies will be in thd bottom 3. But I have no doubt he'll show more great drives and from all of my bottom 5 he'll the one I have most faith in to establish himself as a great driver. Some of his performances are already proving his talent.

19. Sargeant who I didn't really expect much from him so can't really rate him. But so far doing a good job.

20. De Vries. For now just not impressive in the start of the season expecially if you look at that awesome battle Yuki managed to have. Then again I think he was easily the most overhyped so I wouldn't be surprised to see him flop.

[poorwayfaringstrxnger]

My friends that know nothing about Formula 1 make assumptions about Formula 1 drivers (long post incoming)

I joined in on the bandwagon! It was the most chaotic half an hour I’ve ever had and I need somewhere to express that. I asked for assumptions + a name based on what they look like! They knew Lewis, and one of them knew Kimi because of her dad. Oh, and one of them made no contribution except to say what foods they either looked like or looked like they would eat for their breakfast LOL

Here’s what they said...

I forget who started this trend I’m so sorry

Daniel:

"Is that Chewbacca?" ................................. "He seems like a fairly friendly bloke... though he'd probably run me over." (he literally wouldn’t) "His name is.... uhhh... James Harkinson."

Max:

"That's a motherfucking twink." (I SCREAMED)

"His trim (hair)'s a little offputting, but he seems nice."

"Name wise, he seems like.. a Thomas?" "He looks like if Honey Nut Crunch cereal was a human."

Charles:

"Why does he give off the vibe that he wouldn't hesitate to clothesline you?" "He looks like a Chad." (I DIED)

“How about.... strawberry flavoured Shreddies for him.”

I’m very sad they made no reference to how he looks tired in every photo.

Seb:

"He looks mildly like Mr. Dyer" (an ex teacher at our school) "He looks like he still eats Cheerios." "Name wise.... Russell." (LMFAO)

Pierre:

"Fucking hell... scary man." (meanie. he is not scary. never forgiving my friend for saying this)

"Full English breakfast..." Harper is obsessed with food. "When you said he was French, the name Pierre instantly came to mind." !!!! One later said that he looks like Jacksepticeye. I can't with these bitches.

Lewis:

"Alexander "Lewis" Hamilton." !!!!

"Oatcakes (a food from around where i live) with bacon and cheese." "There's a million things he could have done... But just you wait... what's your name, man? ALEXANDER HAMILTON." "Man is suave... and that's coming from a lesbian."

This was literally just them referencing Hamilton because they actually knew who he was

Carlos:

"Does he like protein drinks? Maybe he has coffee and toast."

"Norton." (I say he's Spanish) "NORTONÓ." "WAIT NO... IS ANTONIO A SPANISH NAME?" "UHHHH... JAVIER."

Esteban:

"He looks like a Joe." "NEVERMIND JOE ISN'T A FRENCH NAME" "His breakfast food is a croissant." "John." (referring to his name) "French guys aren't really that intimidating... he seems fairly nice. He looks like a Sebastian." (LOL wrong driver guys)

Lance: (had to ask them to be nice to him so I didn’t cry)

"He looks like the guy who plays Jacob from Twilight."

"He probably enjoys eating frumps... maybe not for breakfast though." (frumps are long marshmallows) "Canadian.... Benjamin." "2012 Minecraft youtuber is what I think." "BAJANCANADIAN."

“But also, his pose... I feel that.”

Checo:

"Vic." "His shirt says hype, he's immediately epic." "Pink." "Amazing vibes." "Also likes frumps. He shares them with Lance." (CUTE) "His vibes are immaculate." 

I think Checo is their fave..

George: "He looks like a William... OR A WILBUR" "Man's fancy with the cup, Jesus wept." "Wilbur Soot when his YouTube career goes bank." "The bracelets... THE BRACELETS" (there was nothing wrong with his bracelets my friend just has no taste) "Great vibes. Would hand him a Pepsi." "Why is the cup so big? Does he like soup?"

Lando:

"God, the stance, man." (referring to how he was standing in the picture I sent them) "My man looks smug as fuck and I'm here for it." "Phillip." "Is he okay?" "OH HELL YEAH" (after I told them he does livestreams) "PHILLIP IN THE TWITCH CHAT FOR TODAY"

Alex: (for context I sent them that one photo of him lying down on a bed)

"I can't give him a breakfast, he's not even out of bed." "He looks comfy in that. I envy him." "Mark." (this made me laugh bc it reminded me of Markiplier LMFAOOO) "He looks like he's wom a fair share of races, man. Man's go brrrr." "He eats peanut butter sandwiches as a late night snack." "Alex Almond milk..." (after I told them his name) (THIS MADE ME LAUGH SO HARD BC THE FANDOM CALLS HIM ALEX ALMOND)

Kimi:

"Why does he look scared?"

"Is he okay?" "That man has never had any seasoning on his chicken... ever." "Thinking of a suitable name is very hard.." "HUBERT." "He's not okay, he's being held at gunpoint so that strangers can make assumptions about him on Discord." "RICHARD" "OH I KNOW HIM" !!!!!!!!!

Romain: (made sure they respected him by telling them about his bad crash)

"Mr. Beast, low budget version."

"Kudos to him for not dying, man." "Swiss names..." "Teddison." (i cried laughing at this) "AYO ROMAIN" (after i told them his name)

Kevin:

"Fucking hell he looks intimidating." "He looks familiar..." !!!!!! "He does look pretty familiar.." "FRANK." "Does he like scrambled eggs?" "WAIT NO... BROCK" (both of those names are incorrect)

Jack:

"He looks like Guava Juice." (THE WAY I SEE IT OMFG) "The food jokes are mine but that was good..." (Me) "Think of a really basic name..." "JACK." !!!!!!!! "I think he would like pomegranates, or grapefruit."

In conclusion I think they’re both now Sergio Perez stans and I hate one of them because she said Pierre looks scary.

[sleepyskunk]

List of Movies / 2020 Movie Trailer Mashup

* * * PART I - LET’S ROCK * * *

0:10 - Wander

0:11 - The Wild Goose Lake (double shot)

��I don’t know who you are, but I’m coming for you.” - Aaron Eckhart, Wander

0:13 - I’m No Longer Here

0:14 - Freaky

0:15 - The Rental

0:16 - Deerskin (double shot)

“What do you want?” - Chris Messina, The Secrets We Keep

0:17 - 15 Years

“It’s not what I want, it’s what I need. And I need you to learn... what a bad day really is.” - Russell Crowe, Unhinged

0:19 - Unhinged

0:20 - Fatman (double shot)

0:22 - Alone (double shot)

“Whoa.” - Lesley Manville, Let Him Go

0:24 - Let Him Go

0:27 - Becky

“I did something... unexpected today.” - Haley Bennett, Swallow

0:28 - Shortcut (double shot)

0:29 - Promising Young Woman

0:30 - The Mortuary Collection

0:31 - The Craft: Legacy (double shot)

“Don’t try to understand it. Feel it.” - Clémence Poésy, Tenet

0:33 - Swallow (double shot)

0:35 - The Rhythm Section

0:36 - 1BR

0:37 - The Grudge

“Repent, and you will find salvation.” - Jarred Atkin, The Lodge

0:38 - The Lodge

0:39 - Saint Maud

0:40 - Behind

0:41 - The Call

0:42 - Come Play

0:43 - Saint Maud

“Repent.” - Jarred Atkin, The Lodge

0:44 - The Lie

0:45 - Freaky

“It wants to take over us.” - Elle Lorraine, Bad Hair

0:46 - Bad Hair (triple shot)

0:49 - Come Away

0:49 - Kindred

0:50 - Nocturne

“No one... loves their kid more than I do.” - Sarah Paulson, Run

0:51 - Run (double shot)

0:53 - Brahms: The Boy II

0:55 - Host

0:55 - Vivarium (double shot)

0:57 - Come to Daddy

“I don’t go in that part of the house.” - Brooklynn Prince, The Turning

0:58 - First Cow

0:59 - The Turning

1:00 - The Owners (double shot)

“If I don’t make it... the world needs to find out about this place.” - Tongayi Chirisa, Antebellum

1:02 - The Devil All the Time

1:03 - The Invisible Man

1:04 - The Wretched

1:05 - The Secrets We Keep

1:06 - The Platform (double shot)

1:08 - Fantasy Island

“It’s just the color.” - Nicolas Cage, Color Out of Space

1:09 - Gretel & Hansel

1:10 - Color Out of Space (double shot)

1:11 - Blood Machines

1:12 - Nocturne

“Who wants to party? Without smiling.” - Anna Kendrick, Trolls World Tour

1:13 - Trolls World Tour (double shot)

“Let’s rock!” - William Sadler, Bill & Ted Face the Music

1:18 - Bill & Ted Face the Music

1:19 - Trolls World Tour (double shot)

1:20 - Monster Hunter (double shot)

1:22 - Tenet (double shot)

1:23 - The Invisible Man

1:24 - The Empty Man

“Come out or I’ll do it!” - Christopher Abbott, Possessor

1:25 - Old Guard

1:26 - Sonic the Hedgehog

1:27 - Bad Boys For Life

1:28 - The New Mutants

1:29 - Parallel

1:29 - Spree

1:30 - The Wild Goose Lake

1:31 - Monster Hunter (double shot)

1:32 - Birds of Prey (triple shot)

1:35 - Echo Boomers

1:36 - Spontaneous

1:37 - Train to Busan 2: Peninsula (double shot)

1:38 - Guns Akimbo (double shot)

1:40 - Extraction (quadruple shot)

1:41 - Train to Busan 2: Peninsula

1:42 - Capone

1:43 - Underwater

1:44 - Greyhound (double shot)

1:45 - I’m Your Woman

1:46 - Greenland

1:46 - Bloodshot (double shot)

“I can’t hear anything.” - Riz Ahmed, Sound of Metal

1:48 - Sound of Metal (double shot)

“Hey Winnie, it’s me. Can you tell me if you’ve ever heard this sound before?” - Sierra McCormick, The Vast of Night

1:54 - The Vast of Night

* * * PART II - HOW MANY DAYS WHILE THE SUN SHINES * * * 

2:06 - On the Rocks

2:08 - The Invisible Man

2:09 - Earth and Blood

2:10 - Promising Young Woman

2:11 - The Rental

2:13 - The Burnt Orange Heresy

2:14 - Relic

“Hey Winnie, it’s me. Can you tell me if you’ve ever heard this sound before?” - Sierra McCormick, The Vast of Night

2:16 - The Assistant (double shot)

“I just want you to know that, I know that I failed you. And I hope that, one day, you can see in me, the man that you once hoped I would be.” - Ben Affleck, The Way Back

2:19 - Relic (double shot)

2:20 - The Roads Not Taken

2:23 - Downhill

2:25 - Another Round

2:26 - Nomadland

2:28 - Artemis Fowl (double shot)

2:30 - The Nest

2:31 - The Photograph

2:33 - The Way Back (double shot)

“I’m on the verge or forgiving you.” - Juliette Binoche, La Vérité

2:36 - Artemis Fowl

2:39 - La Vérité

2:40 - Love and Monsters (double shot)

“Now I understand... how much that means to you.” - Yifei Liu, Mulan

2:41 - To All the Boys PS: I Still Love You (double shot)

2:44 - Rebecca (double shot)

2:46 - The One and Only Ivan (double shot)

“It is my daughter... that means everything to me.” - Tzi Ma, Mulan

2:49 - Mulan (triple shot)

2:55 - Come Away

2:56 - Over the Moon (double shot)

“I need your help, I can’t do it alone.” - Ibrahima Gueye, The Life Ahead

2:59 - The Life Ahead (double shot)

3:02 - Looks That Kill

“What if I’m not supposed to be healed?” “Don’t say that. - Ibrahima Gueye, I Still Believe

3:03 - I Still Believe (double shot)

3:06 - Zombi Child

“I didn’t get to say goodbye.” - Marina Domingues, Vitalina Varela

3:07 - Papicha (double shot)

3:10 - Ordinary Love

3:11 - Minari

3:12 - Only

“You try harder than anyone I’ve ever met.” - Leah Lewis, The Half of It

3:14 - The Half of It (double shot)

3:16 - Wild Mountain Thyme

3:17 - Hillbilly Elegy

“I’m sorry but I can’t put you through that.” - Charlie Plummer, Words on Bathroom Walls

3:19 - Words on Bathroom Walls (double shot)

3:21 - All My Life

3:23 - Endless

3:24 - Ordinary Love

3:25 - Life in a Year

3:26 - A Perfectly Normal Family

“How many days do we have while the sun shines?” - Emily Blunt, Wild Mountain Thyme

3:28 - The Call ���

3:29 - Weathering With You

“It’s not shining.” - Jamie Dornan, Wild Mountain Thyme

“I believe that it is.” - Emily Blunt, Wild Mountain Thyme

3:31 - Wild Mountain Thyme (double shot)

3:33 - Hala

3:34 - Kindred (double shot)

“Dad... told me to give you this.” - Chris Pratt, Onward

3:34 - Onward (quintuple shot)

“Do I have to keep listening to Beethoven or can we f*cking get on with it?” - Betty Gilpin, The Hunt

3:39 - The Hunt (double shot)

* * * PART III - YOUR LIFE IS ABOUT TO START * * *

3:52 - She Dies Tomorrow

3:53 - Hope Gap (double shot)

“Without really knowing, I wasn’t worried about what would happen if I lived. I was worried about what would happen if I wouldn’t. What I would miss. I worried about not remembering. Not remembering that there are bright places, even in dark times, and that if there isn’t... you can be that bright place.” - Elle Fanning, All The Bright Places

3:56 - Project Power

3:59 - The Photograph

4:02 - Yellow Rose

4:05 - Uncle Frank

4:06 - Yellow Rose

4:08 - She Dies Tomorrow (double shot)

4:11 - I’m Thinking of Ending Things

4:14 - Beans

4:17 - All the Bright Places

4:20 - The Broken Hearts Gallery

4:21 - The Midnight Sky

4:22 - The Burnt Orange Heresy

4:23 - Monsoon

4:25 - The Lie

4:27 - Wander Darkly

4:28 - Babyteeth

4:30 - Life in a Year

4:32 - Nocturne

4:34 - Come Away

4:35 - Love and Monsters

4:36 - Gagarine

4:37 - Ammonite (double shot)

4:39 - Kajillionaire

4:40 - Call of the Wild

4:41 - And Then We Danced (double shot)

4:43 - Dolittle

4:44 - Emma.

4:46 - Summerland (double shot)

“That place.. will never abandon you.” - Paul Raci, Sound of Metal

4:47 - Dolittle (double shot)

4:49 - On the Rocks

4:50 - Black Beauty

4:52 - Stargirl (double shot)

4:53 - Mank

“There’s so much in there that the world needs to hear.” - Lil Rel Howery, Clouds

4:55 - Clouds (double shot)

4:57 - Palm Springs (double shot)

“Get ready... Your life is about to start.” - Jamie Foxx, Soul

5:00 - Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom (double shot)

5:02 - Soul (double shot)

5:04 - The Secret Garden

5:05 - All My Life (double shot)

5:07 - Undine

5:08 - Unpregnant

5:09 - Wonder Woman 1984 (triple shot)

5:11 - Over the Moon

5:12 - The Croods: A New Age

5:14 - The High Note (double shot)

5:15 - Prom

5:17 - Birds of Prey

5:18 - Eurovision

5:18 - Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey

5:19 - The Witches

5:20 - Borat Subsequent Movie Film

5:20 - Valley Girl

5:21 - Life is Beautiful

5:22 - Wolfwalkers

5:23 - Bill & Ted Face the Music

5:24 - The Midnight Sky

5:25 - Jiang Ziya

[oeuvrinarydurian]

Whyyyyyyyyyy you gotta make me cry? Whyyyyyyyyyy?

That smile through the pain—his face is a grimace of agony. The only scarier one is when he calls her Mrs. Strange at the wedding. Oh my God. This show. Ow ow ow ow.

Morse: You alright? Joan: Yeah. Reverend: Is this the lucky man? Joan: Uh, no, this is Mr. Morse. Morse: I'm the Best Man. Reverend: Ah! Well don't worry. If the Groom doesn't turn up we shan't be calling you to step into the breach.

Endeavour | Exeunt

[firesfelt]

afternoon, all ! finally getting my last ( for now... i already have Temptations ) intro up, and hopefully without a rushed ending because i suddenly have to do something lmao. while i’m not Wild about my intro graphics in general ( why does this one lowkey look stretched, for a start... ) but the fact that that ‘o’ is perfectly circling amanda’s eye ? an absolutely accident but *chef’s kiss* nonetheless. i’m writing this up while saving rp icons, so let’s see if i can multitask !!

( amanda seyfried, 30, cis woman, she/her ) AISLING O’CONNOR was seen listening to HAPPY BY LEONA LEWIS on their way to DIETICIAN. AISLING is known to be OPEN-MINDED & UNFORIGVING.

➜ so first thing’s first, aisling is pronounced ‘ash-ling’ ( or ash-lin depending on your accent/whether you drop your ‘g’s or not ) and although it would make my life so much easier when it comes to typing if she did, she really doesn’t take well to anybody calling her ‘ash’ ( i’m up for the challenge though ! give me someone in her life who can finally get away with shortening her name !! she doesn’t tolerate nicknames at all but can we change her ? let’s see ! )

➜ and with a name like aisling o’connor, i’m sure y’all really don’t need three guesses as to where she’s from. she was born in belfast, and is the oldest of six sisters -- all of them blonde, and all of them beautiful ( would it be obnoxious to submit wc’s for all of them ? possibly... will i do it anyway ? perhaps... ) she comes from a very family orientated family, so when her parents wanted to move the family out of ireland due to the conflict at the time, it wasn’t surprising that aisling’s aunt, uncle, and cousins came too, as well as her darling nanna. 

➜ aisling landed in huntsville at the age of six, but you best believe her accent is still just as prominent now as it was while running around belfast. as the oldest sister, she took on a lot of responsibility within the household, helping to raise the little ones with a roll of her eyes a each request, but also while being easily ignored. her parents were in no way neglectful, but with five smaller children to look after, their focus simply wasn’t on aisling.

➜ this meant that aisling fell through the cracks a little, and issues that began to surface as a teenager went unnoticed. while she never actually had a problem with her weight, teenagers can be wildly cruel and the societal pressures of looking a certain way can lead to young minds being warped, so aisling was very aware that she looked different to her peers. she was more... thicc/curvy/buxom, as a way to put it. 

➜ attention might not have been drawn to her body as much if her interests were different. aisling spent her childhood and teenage years in dance classes, drama workshops, and singing lessons, all with the goal of training in musical theatre and going on to become an actress. there was a certain body type that surrounded her, and it wasn’t one she possessed, herself. 

➜ it never became a problem, though, until she did go to college for musical theatre. her parents wanted all six of their girls to go to university, and they promised they’d pay what they could towards it as long as they went. they’d support any course, any major, just please go to university. however, aisling dropped out after two years. teachers, professors, agents, casting teams, they all  had something to say, something to critique, something to jab at, and it lead to aisling’s self-image crumbling to the point of severe unhappiness, and developing an unhealthy relationship with food. constantly being told to drop ten pounds, as one can imagine, had a pretty gnarly effect on her. 

➜ while she knew it would be possible to make it anyway, to prove the industry wrong, to make change, to represent different body types so young girls in the future don’t have to doubt themselves like she did, aisling decided her own mental health was both too fragile to do that, and more valuable than doing that. 

➜ i feel like i’m going on about this a bit too much lmao, so i’m gonna wrap it up a bit: she was able to recover from the disorded eating that formed as a result, and discovered a newfound passion about nutrition, and was able to care about it without obsessing. she really wanted to form new habits around food and body image, and realised that her perspective and beliefs actually went way back to childhood, and it then extended into wanting to help other people. eventually, aisling went back to school and studied to become a dietician, which she now is. she has a special interest in helping young woman recover from disorded eating patterns and develop a healthy relationship with food and their body, and stomping all over diet culture, but she sees all kinds of clients in general. 

➜ so life has obviously taken a very different turn for her, but she’s really kind of,,, okay with that at this point ? it is what it is, and that pathway really didn’t suit her. she didn’t have the skin for the industry --- or maybe the industry shouldn’t require her to have such thick skin, but it’s in the past now.

➜ also, p.s, i really don’t want it to come off like i think that there’s no place for women in theatre that don’t have sutton foster’s body, y’know ? that ain’t it !!!! it’s more,,, the absolutely ridiculousness of the pressure actresses have to look a certain way, esp. in theatre where if you’re not really slim, but you’re not big enough for roles like madame thernadier/tracy turnblad/nadia mcconell/martha dunstock/etc, there’s no place for you ? or people act like there’s no place. also don’t want it to come off bad in that,,, obviously at the end of the day, aisling is a thin woman that’s a bit,,, curvy ? like oh poor thin white woman ? that ain’t it, that isn’t what i’m trying to do jshsbss. d’you get me ? tryin to comment on how the industry can be a bit Shit, without making it out like little white cis women are the ones discriminated against. hopefully y’all get me sjhnbssbs

➜ also, when i was Creating aisling, i was originally going to make her older, and was gonna use keri russell, which is a Fun Time. i absolutely love keri though so don’t be surprise if i pop up with a keri fc later on down the line, lmao. 

➜ in terms of personality, i feel like the two traits i picked for her app are a little, like, contradictory in a way ? but i love characters with conflicting personality traits. she’s very open-minded, easy to talk to, very accepting, etc ( she’s kinda like a therapist in that when you talk to her, she’ll just kind of nod and not show any kind of,, Reaction either way, she’s just Observing until it’s her turn to speak. she’s just taking everything in and Receiving without judgement for the most part ) but when she’s personally hurt, in a way that directly impacts her ( usually related to her family, tbh ) there is,,, no forgiving. she’ll hear you out, and maybe be able to move on from it, but forgiveness for the big, big things is r a r e. 

➜ like how gwen is always sort of,, Faking happiness, i feel like aisling is always sort of chasing happiness ? she always wants to do what’s best for herself, and loves and respects herself deeply, so she’s always making the choices that are more likely to lead to long-term happiness, even if it bloody well hurts in the meantime ---- like giving up acting. 

➜ i feel like while emika is just a loner in general who can’t handle more than fwb situations and one night stands, and gwen doesn’t have the time to form proper relationships with people due to her shift work, aisling is just really, really unlucky in love. like, for whatever reason, things just don’t work out, or turn sour, or just... fall apart. there’s a long line of exes and flings, people she took home to her parents and people she thought it best not to, all of which ending in tears. 

➜ at least she has her bunny rabbits, though. they’ll never let her down. their names are sondheim & shwartz, and they are her pride and joy. 

➜ her family play a massive role in her life, and she doesn’t know any differently and wouldn’t want to. her nanna is, as you can imagine, really quite old at this point, and deteriorating health-wise, but the whole family band together to keep her well and try and keep her mind active.

➜ in terms of connections and plotting, again, i’m really open. i’m willing to give absolutely anything a go and try and work stuff out. i’m also always open to hearing ideas for plots people really want and seeing if any of my characters fit. but for loose ideas for now: failed relationships & exes ( there’s lots of room there ), clients ( definitely don’t have to have issues with food necessarily ! she also sees people for things like dietary restrictions due to allergy or recently diagnosed illness like diabetes or pcos or w/e, pregnancy, folks who just want to create a meal plan that makes their body feel its best, picky eating in kids, etc ! ) people she went to school with, other theatre-y folks to bond with, honestly absolutely anything. 

[ilovevillains]

My favorite phrases of 2020

Mis frases favoritas del 2020

Hey!  I know it’s late... but I wanted to share with you my favorite phrases of some of the books I read in 2020.  Please, excuse if my grammar is not well in some of the phrases, some of them have been traduced from Spanish to English.

📖 I dwelled in eternal exhaustion, in a haze of the fragmented past and terror of the future. - Mademoiselle Chanel, C.W. Gortner

📖 If you think you can’t do something, you won’t. If you believe you can, it’s only a matter of time before you will. - Vengeance Road, Erin Bowman

📖 I’m afraid of myself, I’m afraid that, driven by the desire, I give myself up to soon. […] There is always that struggle between the heart and reason, you have to listen to the voices of both in due time, but how can I know for sure if I have chosen the right moment? - Diary of a Teenager: Anne Frank

📖 It’s never too late, not while you’ve got breath in your lungs and life within you. […] You’ve been gifted the chance to fight for justice in their behalf. - White Rose, Black Forest, Eoin Dempsey

📖 Just because it’s a long voyage, it doesn’t mean you’re on it forever. - Challenger Deep, Neal Shusterman

📖 I want to believe in the purity of this idea, Though it brings so much pain and suffering.  I can choose to forgive. I can choose to live again, Broken but breathing  Half lover, half pain - Mary’s Monster: Love, Madness and How Mary Shelley created Frankenstein: A Choice, Lita Judge

📖 Would I be able to climb out of the deep again, once the venom was in me? - Circe, Madeline Miller

📖 I was convinced that you could force yourself to be creative, that you could work on your imagination, but not on your will. The real talent was the will. - The End of Loneliness, Benedict Wells.

📖  ‘[…] but it’s not use going back to yesterday, because I was a different person then.’ - Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, Lewis Carroll

📖 Mom says dwelling in your feelings is no way to live, that there will always be something to be upset about and the secret to a happy life is not to let yourself be dragged down into negativity. - My Dark Vanessa, Kate Elizabet Russell

📖 The point is, you’re never too young to figure out your skills and use them to get shit accomplished. - Red, White and Royal Blue, Casey McQuinston

[theselfcaremaven]

Some of my Favorite Quotes by Other Authors:

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

“The biggest coward is the man who awakens a woman's love with no intention of loving her." ~ Bob Marley

Fear less, hope more; Eat less, chew more; Whine less, breath more;

Talk less, say more; Love more, And all good things will be yours.

~Swedish proverb~

"This is my simple religion. There is no need for temples; no need for complicated philosophy. Our own brain, our own heart is our temple;the philosophy is kindness" Dalai Lama

"You don’t have a soul. You are a Soul. You have a body."

— C.S. Lewis

Even if poison falls from the sky, I'm sugar wrapped in sugar wrapped in sugar... (Rumi-1207-1273).

Just as treasures are uncovered from the earth,so virtue appears from good deeds,and wisdom appears from a pure and peaceful mind.

To walk safely through the maze of human life,one needs the light of wisdom and the guidance of virtue.

Buddha

Love and kindness are never wasted. They always make a difference. They bless the one who receives them, and they bless you, the giver.

---Barbara De Angelis

(◕‿◕)❀Importance of Values(◕‿◕)❀

“Open your arms to change, but don’t let go of your values.”

As you race through life, facing daily challenges and trying to stay on top of change, it’s not always easy to find time to reflect on the values you hold dear. But, in truth, moments of change are exactly the times when you most need to remember values!

Women with a solid value system are generally happier and find it easier to overcome challenges. Values like integrity, loyalty, faith, compassion, courage and a sense of community, all work together to give us inner direction and purpose.

Values build personal resiliency, which in turn helps you bounce back from adversity and embrace new opportunities. Take a moment today to reflect on your values – and then go out and put them into action!

Today’s Affirmation: I live my life by my solid values. Jane Powell

“Never go on trips with anyone you do not love." ~ Ernest Hemingway

“There are the waves and there is the wind, seen and unseen forces. Everyone has these same elements in their lives, the seen and unseen, karma and free will." ~Kuan Yin

much divine love ~ Bella ♥♥♥

“Love is something eternal; the aspect may change, but not the essence. For my part I know nothing with any certainty, but the sight of stars makes me dream."

~ Vincent Van Gogh

Life is either a daring adventure or nothing. To keep our faces toward change and behave like free spirits in the presence of fate is strength undefeatable.- Helen Keller

“One can never consent to creep when one feels the impulse to soar" -Helen Keller

You gain strength, courage and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You must do the thing you cannot do. -Eleanor Roosevelt

“Let us rise up and be thankful, for if we didn't learn a lot today, at least we learned a little, and if we didn't learn a little, at least we didn't get sick, and if we got sick, at least we didn't die; so, let us all be thankful."- Buddha

“I speak two languages, Body and English.” ~ Mae West

“The fire of adversity will melt you like butter or temper you like steel. The choice is yours." - Anonymous

“No doubt that a small group of people can change the world. Indeed it is the only thing that ever has." ~ Margaret Mead

All God's angels come to us disguised" ~ James Russell Lowel

“I see myself as a huge fiery comet, a shooting star. Everyone stops, points up and gasps "Oh look at that!" Then- whoosh, and I'm gone ...and they'll never see anything like it ever again... and they won't be able to forget me-ever.”

I would rather be ashes than dust! I would rather that my spark should burn out in a brilliant blaze than it should be stifled by dry-rot.

I would rather be a superb meteor, every atom of me in magnificent glow, than a sleepy and permanent ...planet.

The function of man is to live, not to exist. I shall not waste my days trying to prolong them. I shall use my time.~ Jack London

Christmas gift suggestions: To your enemy, forgiveness. To an opponent, tolerance. To a friend, your heart. To a customer, service. To all, charity. To every child, a good example. To yourself, respect." ~ Oren Arnold

“Wheresoever you go, go with all your heart." Confucius

Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement. Nothing can be done without hope and confidence. -

Helen Keller

“Keep away from people who try to belittle your ambitions. Small people always do that, but the really great make you feel that you, too, can be really great.”

~Mark Twain (1835– 1910), American author and humorist.

☼｡◦°✰☼｡◦°✰☼｡◦°✰☼｡◦°✰☼｡◦°✰

Don't judge each day by the harvest you reap but by the seeds you plant'

☼｡◦°✰☼｡◦°✰

...

RL Stevenson

"CAPITALISM WILL SELL ITSELF THE ROPE WITH WHICH TO HANG ITSELF"..."STUPID IS AS STUPID DOES"..."BEWARE THE MILITARY INDUSTRIAL COMPLEX.."..."FAITH ,HOPE, LOVE;AND THE GREATEST OF THESE IS LOVE".."FAILURE IS NOT AN OPTION".

"An individual has not started living until he can rise above the narrow confines of his individualistic concerns to the broader concerns of all humanity".

Martin Luther King, Jr.

Hatred paralyzes life; love releases it. Hatred confuses life; love harmonizes it.

Martin Luther King Jr.

ღ✰ ☼｡◦°✰ ☼｡◦°✰ ☼｡◦°✰ღ✰ ☼｡◦°✰ ☼｡◦°✰ ☼｡◦°✰

Life is too short to stress ღ✰ ☼｡◦°✰ ☼｡◦°✰ ☼｡◦°✰yourself with people who don't even deserve to be an issue in your life.ღ✰ ☼｡◦°✰ ☼｡◦°✰ ☼｡◦°✰

Worrying is using your imagination to create something you don't want.--- Abraham

“There is no chance, no destiny , no fate , that can circumvent or hinder or control the firm resolve of a determined soul " - Ella Wheeler Wilcox (poet)

“And Spring arose on the garden fair,

Like the Spirit of Love felt everywhere;

An...d each flower and herb on Earth's dark breast

Rose from the dreams of its wintry rest."

~ Percy Bysshe Shelley

[foxingpeculiar]

Since I don’t plan on putting on another one in the next two hours, I apparently watched exactly 200 movies for the first time in 2019. We’ll see if we can beat that. They are, if anyone cares:

Searching (2018, Aneesh Chhaganty)

Black Mirror: Bandersnatch (2018, David Slade)

Upgrade (2018, Leigh Whannell)

Pather Panchali (1955, Satyajit Ray)

Aparajito (1956, Satyajit Ray)

The Vampire Lovers (1970, Roy Ward Baker)

Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans (2009, Werner Herzog)

*Can You Ever Forgive Me? (2018, Marielle Heller)

Cape Fear (1991, Martin Scorsese)

Wild Strawberries (1957, Ingmar Bergman)

The Seven Year Itch (1955, Billy Wilder)

A Star is Born (2018, Bradley Cooper)

You Were Never Really Here (2017, Lynne Ramsay)

Vampire’s Kiss (1988, Robert Bierman)

Gangs of Wasseypur—Part 1 (2012, Anurag Kashyap)

*Destroyer (2018, Karyn Kusama)

Gangs of Wasseypur—Part 2 (2012, Anurag Kashyap)

Under the Silver Lake (2018, David Robert Mitchell)

Night Moves (1975, Arthur Penn)

*Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018, Bob Persichetti/Peter A Ramsey/Rodney Rothman)

The Thin Red Line (1998, Terrence Malick)

*Shogun Assassin (1980, Robert Houston/Kenji Misumi)

Secret Window (2004, David Koepp)

Gemini (2017, Aaron Katz)

Velvet Buzzsaw (2019, Dan Gilroy)

A Field in England (2013, Ben Wheatley)

Fyre: The Greatest Party That Never Happened (2019, Chris Smith)

Daisies (1966, Věra Chytilová)

The Devils (1971, Ken Russell)

Beyond the Black Rainbow (2010, Panos Cosmatos)

Bohemian Rhapsody (2018, Bryan Singer)

Bye Bye Birdie (1963, George Sidney)

Body Heat (1981, Lawrence Kasdan)

Being There (1979, Hal Ashby)

Logan’s Run (1976, Michael Anderson)

Escape From Tomorrow (2013, Randy Moore)

The Double (2014, Richard Ayoade)

Days of Heaven (1978, Terrence Malick)

The Blackcoat’s Daughter (2015, Oz Perkins)

Submarine (2010, Richard Ayoade)

*The Wandering Earth (2019, Frant Gwo)

Abducted in Plain Sight (2017, Skye Borgman)

The Thomas Crown Affair (1968, Norman Jewison)

Certain Women (2016, Kelly Reichardt)

Green Book (2018, Peter Farrelly)

Cold War (2018, Pawel Pawlikowski)

*The Boxer’s Omen (1983, Kuei Chih-Hung)

Vox Lux (2018, Brady Corbett)

A Most Violent Year (2014, JC Chandor)

Leaving Neverland (2019, Dan Reed)

Barbarella: Queen of the Galaxy (1968, Roger Vadim)

The Clovehitch Killer (2018, Duncan Skiles)

The Wicker Man (1973, Robin Hardy)

Jubilee (1978, Derek Jarman)

Blithe Spirit (1945, David Lean)

Burning (2018, Lee Chang-Dong)

Starchaser: The Legend of Orin (1985, Steven Hahn)

First Man (2018, Damien Chazelle)

*Us (2019, Jordan Peele)

Re-Animator (1985, Stuart Gordon)

The Dirt (2019, Jeff Tremaine)

Brokeback Mountain (2005, Ang Lee)

All That Heaven Allows (1955, Douglas Sirk)

The Blues Brothers (1980, John Landis)

Unfaithfully Yours (1948, Preston Sturges)

Hustle & Flow (2005, Craig Brewer)

Yojimbo (1961, Akira Kurosawa)

The Detective (1968, Gordon Douglas)

Support the Girls (2018, Andrew Bujalski)

The Age of Innocence (1993, Martin Scorsese)

Boys Don’t Cry (1999, Kimberly Peirce)

Eyes of Laura Mars (1978, Irvin Kershner)

*Long Day’s Journey Into Night (2019, Bi Gan)

Pet Sematary (1989, Mary Lambert)

*Avengers: Endgame (2019, Anthony & Joe Russo)

Fear (1996, James Foley)

Shivers (1976, David Cronenberg)

The Brood (1979, David Cronenberg)

Drowning by Numbers (1988, Peter Greenaway)

Like Someone in Love (2012, Abbas Kiarostami)

Society (1989, Brian Yuzna)

The Perfection (2019, Richard Shepard)

Lords of Chaos (2018, Jonas Åkerlund)

Perfect Blue (1997, Satoshi Kon)

Happy Death Day 2 U (2019, Christopher Landon)

The Dunwich Horror (1970, Daniel Haller)

Three Days of the Condor (1975, Sydney Pollack)

The Parallax View (1974, Alan J Pakula)

Klute (1971, Alan J Pakula)

The Day of the Jackal (1973, Fred Zinneman)

Play Misty for Me (1971, Clint Eastwood)

The Craft (1996, Andrew Fleming)

Charade (1963, Stanley Donen)

Her Smell (2019, Alex Ross Perry)

Gattaca (1997, Andrew Niccol)

Hackers (1995, Iain Softley)

The Paperboy (2012, Lee Daniels)

They Live (1988, John Carpenter)

*Midsommar (2019, Ari Aster)

A Murder of Crows (1999, Rowdy Herrington)

The Predator (2018, Shane Black)

*Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood (2019, Quentin Tarantino)

Bullitt (1968, Peter Yates)

Basic Instinct (1992, Paul Verhoeven)

The Da Vinci Code (2006, Ron Howard)

The Trip (1967, Roger Corman)

X: The Man with the X-Ray Eyes (1963, Roger Corman)

The Falcon and the Snowman (1985, John Schlesinger)

Inside Daisy Clover (1965, Robert Mulligan)

The Falls (1980, Peter Greenaway)

Cannibal Holocaust (1980, Ruggero Deodato)

Pokémon Detective Pikachu (2019, Rob Letterman)

War & Peace (1967, Sergei Bondarchuk)

A Zed and Two Noughts (1985, Peter Greenaway)

The Man with the Golden Arm (1955, Otto Preminger)

Maniac (1934, Dwain Esper)

Possession (1981, Andrzej Żuławski)

High Life (2018, Claire Denis)

Catch Me If You Can (2002, Steven Spielberg)

The Souvenir (2019, Joanna Hogg)

Gow the Killer (1931, Edward A Sailsbury)

Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom (2018, JA Bayona)

Suicide Squad (2016, David Ayer)

Jaws of the Jungle (1936, Eddie Granemann)

*IT, Chapter Two (2019, Andy Muschietti)

Rocketman (2019, Dexter Fletcher)

Booksmart (2019, Olivia Wilde)

A Futile and Stupid Gesture (2018, David Wain)

Goodbye Lover (1998, Roland Joffé)

24 Hour Party People (2002, Michael Winterbottom)

Wild Women of Wongo (1958, James L Wolcott)

Body of Evidence (1993, Uli Edel)

Capricorn One (1978, Peter Hyams)

Identification of a Woman (1982, Michelangelo Antonioni)

Marihuana (1936, Dwain Esper)

*Ad Astra (2019, James Gray)

The Violent Years (1956, William Morgan)

Salvatore Giuliano (1962. Francesco Rosi)

Metropolis (2001, Rintaro)

Mom and Dad (1945, William Beaudine)

The Eye of Vichy (1993, Claude Chabrol)

Harper (1966, Jack Smight)

The House That Dripped Blood (1971, Peter Duffell)

The Fearless Vampire Killers (1967, Roman Polanski)

Plan 9 From Outer Space (1959, Edward D Wood Jr)

*Joker (2019, Todd Phillips)

Attack of the Crab Monsters (1956, Roger Corman)

Fracture (2007, Gregory Hoblit)

The Bedroom Window (1987, Curtis Hanson)

The Celluloid Closet (1995, Rob Epstein & Jeffrey Friedman)

Echoes in the Darkness (1987, Glenn Jordan)

No Way Out (1987, Roger Donaldson)

Pumpkinhead (1988, Stan Winston)

Corman’s World: Exploits of a Hollywood Rebel (2011, Alex Stapleton)

McLuhan’s Wake (2002, Kevin McMahon)

Taking Lives (2004, DJ Caruso)

Spine Tingler!: The William Castle Story (2009, Jeffrey Schwarz)

House on Haunted Hill (1959, William Castle)

The Tingler (1959, William Castle)

The Virgin Spring (1960, Ingmar Bergman)

Last House on the Left (1972, Wes Craven)

*Judy (2019, Rupert Goold)

Judgment at Nuremberg (1961, Stanley Kramer)

Cam (2018, Daniel Goldhaber)

Dolemite is My Name (2019, Craig Brewer)

Dolemite (1975, D’Urville Martin)

*The Lighthouse (2019, Robert Eggers)

The Defilers (1965, David F Friedman)

A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy’s Revenge (1985, Jack Sholder)

Paranormal Activity 2 (2010, Tod Williams)

Paranormal Activity 3 (2011, Henry Joost & Ariel Schulman)

Kill List (2011, Ben Wheatley)

Krull (1983, Peter Yates)

Ginger Snaps (2000, John Fawcett)

Blood Feast (1963, Herschell Gordon Lewis)

Primal Fear (1996, Gregory Hoblit)

The World of Apu (1959, Satyajit Ray)

Man of Steel (2013, Zack Snyder)

Superman: The Movie (1978, Richard Donner)

Coffy (1973, Jack Hill)

In the Shadow of the Moon (2019, Jim Mickle)

The Irishman (2019, Martin Scorsese)

Marriage Story (2019, Noah Baumbach)

Echo in the Canyon (2019, Andrew Slater)

Shock Corridor (1963, Samuel Fuller)

The Road to Wellville (1994, Alan Parker)

The Last Temptation of Christ (1988, Martin Scorsese)

*Knives Out (2019, Rian Johnson)

Howl (2010, Rob Epstien & Jeffrey Friedman)

Hustlers (2019, Lorene Scafaria)

Late Night (2019, Nisha Ganatra)

Reefer Madness (2005, Andy Fickman)

Soapdish (1991, Michael Hoffman)

Happy Together (1997, Wong Kar-Wai)

The Cloud-Capped Star (1960, Ritwik Ghatak)

Jodorowsky’s Dune (2013, Frank Pavich)

Thief (1981, Michael Mann)

Detour (1945, Edgar G Ulmer)

The Bank Dick (1940, Edward F Cline)

Blinded by the Light (2019, Gurinder Chadha)

[cursedbethechoice]

Vampyr Headcanon List

I ordered this according to districts and then put major characters like McCullum at the end. I don’t have every character on here, but I’ll update this list as I think of more. Enjoy!

I also have a lot of HCs for the Priwen bosses (like Jimmy “the Spark” Barlow) that you fight in the game but I didn’t post any here. 

Pembroke Hospital

Pippa is quite chatty at home. Milton keeps mostly to himself, but he likes to listen to her chatter.

Pippa loves flowers so every so often Milton will go to Whitechapel to buy some from Camellia. He’ll leave the flower pots in Pippa’s work locker so that she finds them after her shift ends. It’s one of the only things that can make her smile.

Pippa’s hair is quite short. It used to be down to her waist, but she cut it off and sold it to buy Milton a pocketwatch for his birthday.

Even if Milton is kept alive, Pippa eventually joins The Guard of Priwen.

Mortimer is secretly stockpiling his medication for another suicide attempt.

If Beatrice Goswick dies, then Mortimer becomes involved in educational reforms in England. It gives him a sense of purpose and he tells himself that his mother would have been proud of his efforts.

Before Pembroke got overrun with patients, Gwyneth Branagan and Dr. Tippets would have afternoon tea together almost every day.

If Dr. Tippets doesn’t take any steps to deal with his drug addiction after the events of the game, Gwyneth Branagan will absolutely follow him to Cypress and stage an intervention.

Dr. Tippets thinks that if he and Gwyneth Branagan were thirty years younger he’d ask her to marry him. But then he convinces himself that there is no way that someone as wonderful as her would accept him.

Harvey Fiddick’s children visit him every day. Harvey both hates and loves these visits because he wants to see his children but he can’t stand it when they cry and ask when he’ll come home. He has no answers and that makes his children cry harder.

If they survive Vampyr, Newton Blight and Oswald Thatcher run away to Scotland and find a cottage by the sea that suits them both. The wide, open space brings Oswald a modicum of peace and there are no rats to keep Newton up at night.

 Whitechapel

Richard Nithercott secretly writes the 1918 version of fanfics about himself and Camellia.

Clayton Darby unconsciously always looks around to see if he can spot Cristina Popa walking by.

Clayton thinks about how Cristina cried when she spoke of her homeland and has a million questions he wants to ask her just so he can watch her face and her expressions. It’s the most beautiful thing he’s ever seen in his life.

Harry Peterson mentioned that he went out without his father once. Joe came home to an empty house and nearly had a heart attack. Ran around all of Whitechapel in a frenzy until he found Harry lost in the graveyard.

When Harry was younger, Joe Peterson would carry him as much as possible. He loved being able to hold his small son in his big arms; it made him feel like a good father.

Harry spends a lot of time reading books. In a touching but misguided attempt to connect with his son, Joe has tried to pick out books for Harry but always gets genres/authors that Harry doesn’t like.

When he visited Dorothy Crane’s medical dispensary, Harry had to take off his shirt for his medical exam. He nearly passed out from embarrassment. The only woman he’d been unclothed in front of or even really spoken to was his mother, so having to unclothe in front of Nruse Crane, WHO DIDN’T LOOK AWAY, was unsettling for the poor boy.

The only reason Harry got a pass for Dorothy’s medical facility was because Camellia saw him looking out of his bedroom window, felt sorry for him, and left a bouquet of flowers on his doorstep with a voucher hidden in it.

Harry still has all the books that Barrett Lewis bought him for his birthday. He would re-read them every so often but stopped after Barrett scolded him for asking why he never came by the Peterson’s house any more.

Before his mother died, Harry’s favorite thing to do was go on walks with her. Since he is so frail he couldn’t go play with the other children, so his mother would take him to a park and keep up a comfortable walking pace. Sometimes Joe would go with them and if Harry ever got tired Joe would carry him on his shoulders.

Joe has an old, crumpled picture of Harry when he was younger that he always keeps in his pocket. He looks at it at least once a day.

Harry started carrying his dad’s pistol after that one disastrous outing he went on by himself.

Harry believes in the supernatural, just not any of the positive aspects. He found one of Clarence’s pamphlets on vampires, read it, and convinced himself that there are monsters waiting in the streets outside his house waiting to eat him.

Nothing made Barrett angrier than seeing Joe, Jane, and Harry together and happy. He’s forever bitter that Jane stayed with Joe after Harry was born and that the marriage didn’t suffer from the affair.  

Sometimes Barrett makes himself feel better by criticizing every decision Joe made as a husband/father and telling himself that he would have been better to Jane and Harry than Joe ever was.

Cadogan Bates once tried to make a pass at Camellia, but Darius Petrescue chased him off by screaming threats in Romanian.

 The Docks

Ichabod Throgmorton takes in stray animals.

Lottie Paxton has a slight crush on Sean Hampton. It makes her happy whenever he thanks her for her help around the Asylum.

Seymour Fishburn saw Lottie Paxton once and thought her pretty, although he never tries to talk to her. Lottie only knows about his terrible reputation. If he ever asked her out and she rejected him, he’d kill her.

Rufus Kingsbury always saves the best scraps of food he manages to find for Jack and Stella Fishburn. If he has to eat rotted food or go hungry so that they can eat, he will.

Dyson Delaney tried to confront Rufus about the car factory bombing. He saw the boy digging through the trash and was overwhelmed with guilt at being the reason why the boy was reduced to such circumstances. He went back to the Turtle and got so drunk that he vomited three times and passed out on top of the bar.

The only way that Tom and Sabrina end up together is if Sabrina makes the first move. Tom has too many doubts to do anything himself.

Archer Woodbead finds a Priwen patrol one night and tries to start a fight. The Brawler simply picks him up and moves him out of the way. Archer is so embarrassed that he leaves, thinking about the days when he was leader of the Wet Boot Boys and no one dared look at him the wrong way.

Ironically, Andrew Woodbead becomes a Priwen Chaplain.

Martin Nightingale walks with a slight limp because his father beat him so badly one time that he was crippled.

Martin tells himself that his extortion of Enid Gillingham is justified because he checks in on her every so often to make sure she has food. Cheating her out of her money is how he is paid for his services.

 West End

Russell Calhoun keeps snacks hidden in his pockets

Clarence Crossley often has nightmares about the vampire he saw in France and wakes up in a panic. When he first came home, Venus would always comfort him, but after he started embarrassing them in public with his talk of vampires she just pretended to be asleep whenever he would cry out.

The two biggest expenses in the Crossley household are Clarence’s pamphlets and Venus’ beauty products.

If Clarence dies without Venus having seen all the vampire lore documents, Venus relocates to North America just in time for the Roaring 20’s and parties herself into massive debt. She remarries an oil tycoon for his money.

Louise Teasdale eventually finds Ichabod Throgmorton and asks to be his apprentice. He agrees and she ends up being the one who always saves him from mishaps with the locals that he accidentally causes. (I low-key ship these two, tbh).

Although she says no man would be interested in marrying her, Carol Price dreams of her prince charming coming to rescue her one day.

Whenever he passes by the Price’s shop, Richard Nithercott always makes an exaggerated bow to Carol to make her smile.

Carolyn Price reads romantic novels and inserts herself as the heroine and Jonathan Reid as the hero.

Pericles and Agamemnon Baker are still waiting for Godot long after the events of Vampyr end.

Carina Billow has tried to take her own life multiple times. Every time, Jacob Blackwood lets her nearly succeed before forcing her to stop. And then she’s forced to eat more rats.

  Major Characters

Mary named her son after Jonathan.

McCullum is never at ease unless he has something to do. Whether it’s a goal to reach or having something to keep his hands busy, he feels antsy if he’s just standing around.

McCullum was a soldier during WWI. It’s how he learned about modern war tactics and weaponry and was able to bring this knowledge to the Guard.

McCullum actually has a pretty good singing voice and loves Irish drinking songs, but he only sings when he’s in a pub and has had a few drinks. Since he rarely has the time for such things, it’s quite the event to hear him break out into song.

The only thing that McCullum hates more than leeches is writing reports. He prefers to be out in the field, so typing away at a typewriter for hours seems like a colossal waste of time to him.

McCullum knew a lot about the supernatural before Carl Eldritch recruited him to the Guard. As the baby of the family, McCullum spent a lot of time with his mother who would tell him old Irish folk and fairy tales.

Over the years, McCullum has forgotten what his mother looked like. But he does remember the exact sound of her voice as she sang him and his brother lullabies when they were little.

McCullum knows a smattering of Gaelic. He unconsciously uses it when he’s frustrated.

Carl Eldritch, the previous leader of Guard of Priwen, never had his own family and so considered McCullum to be the closest thing he ever had to a son.

Geoffrey will never forgive himself for losing Barker, Carl Eldritch’s gun, right before the man’s funeral. He kept vigil by the grave the whole night after the funeral to make sure no vampire tried to dig his mentor up, since this was Eldritch’s greatest fear. He’s been trying to find the Barker ever since. He was not amused when Jonathan pulled it out during their fight. It enraged him even more. Pacifist!Jonathan ends up mailing it to him after he and Ashbury run off together. Yet another favor that McCullum owes him.

The Guard’s attack on the Ascalon Club wasn’t actually planned. A bunch of rookies decided to take matters into their own hands and were slaughtered. Geoffrey was furious, but he blamed himself for not being a good enough leader.

Edgar Swansea sneaks into Jonathan’s room while he’s out and about and reads all his stuff (thank God Jonathan doesn’t have an actual journal). He’s not trying to steal his research; he sees it more as an avid fan trying to get a sneak peak at his favorite author’s new work.

Edgar Swansea sweats a lot.

Usher Talltree strongly distrusts Edgar. Part of the reason why the Primate is in London is to investigate the doctor’s actions.

When she was a human, Old Bridget’s greatest desire was to have a child with her husband. Becoming a Skal tore this dream away from her, but she’s managed to cope by seeing the Skals she protects as her children.

Old Bridget and Lord Redgrave’s marriage was based on love, a rarity for their time period. They both genuinely cared for each other, but in the end it wasn’t enough for Redgrave to accept his wife after he turned her into a Skal.

Lord Redgrave justifies abandoning his wife after her transformation by telling himself that there must have been something corrupt in her, in all women, that caused her turning to go wrong. She never really loved me, he tells himself, she just wanted immortality.

There are times when Bridget remembers how happy she was with Redgrave, even though she knows his true character. In her worst moments, she aches for those days.

[dariaczi]

Vampyr embrace dialogues/final thoughts

Thomas Elwood: So this is how it ends? Farewell, my life, you betrayed me good... 

Thelma Howcroft: Beware, child of the night, for I shall come back and have my vengeance! 

Why kill me, brother? We could have ruled this land together and forever... 

Harvey Fiddick: All I wanted was to go back to work. To take care of my children. 

Mortimer Goswick: I don't feel the peace I was looking for, Mother. Were you right all along? I'm so sorry. I'm so, sorry. 

Beatrice Goswick: I die before my son. I die before my son. No. He needs me so much. So much.

I'm not afraid of dying, for I have no reason to live anymore. I'm coming, Mortimer, and we'll talk, you and I. 

Pippa Hawkins: I knew I should have fled this rotten city with Milton since the very first day of the contagion.

Gwyneth Branagan: Who will take care of the sick? Of the poor Dr. Tippets?

Liar! Snake! I had proved my value! I could have done so much more!

Dr. Thoreau Strickland: I could have saved Mr. Fiddick if I had more time. I could have shown you all.

No! I could have been a great surgeon! The greatest!

Dr. Waverly Ackroyd: All our patients. So many of them. Will Strickland be up to the task, I wonder?

I can't die. Not now. Pembroke needs me. All those poor people.

Dr. Corcoran Tippets: I'm sorry, Nurse Branagan. I won't witness the great doctor you were destined to be.

Rakesh Chadana: So you were the proverbial wolf amongst the sheep, sir? I should have killed you for the sake of many...

Milton Hooks: Pippa, my princess, flee away while you can, for all is lost.

Oswald Thatcher: Newton, don't be sorry... We'll meet again soon, and we will be serene and beautiful...

Newton Blight: Oswald, I'm sorry to leave you alone... Avenge me, my love!

Oswald, I should have been stronger for us both... Forgive me, my love.

Clay Cox: I killed, extorted, stole, and now I die... Fuck it! I lived the way I wanted.

In the back, you bastard! Didn't have the guts to fight me! Fuck you! I'll kill you! I'll kill you.

Dorothy Crane: I'm not ashamed. I did what was right... For in the end, I saved lives and you took them... But we had so much in common, doctor. Don't you see that?

Darius Petrescu: Who will assist Dorothea helping our comrades, now that I die? 

I failed to protect Dorothea. I fall like she fell, but our fight is still alive...

Albert Palmer: No! Not now! Not me! Please! I'll be good!

Benjamin Palmer: I'm not afraid anymore. I died in this trench, a long time ago.

Barrett Lewis: I never had any luck in my life. And now I die alone.

Harry Peterson: Death is so cold. I hoped it would be more, meaningful.

Joe Peterson: My son, who will take care of him? Was I a good father?

Fr. Tobias Whitaker: Please forgive me, My Lord, for my eyes were blind to the devil in front of me. My task will remain unachieved.

Claytown Darby: Cristina, I loved her. I know it now. I should have told her.

Cristina Popa: My dear brother... I'm sorry... I was not strong enough.

Richard Nithercott: Death has no splendour at all. Oh, I see it now. I see it. Oh, the verses I could write.

Camellia: Oh, cruel thief, I still had so many things to give to this world. You stole all my tears and all my joys to come.

Mason Swanborough: I... I can see again... I can see this room... I see my blood... I see... I see you, my killer!

Loretta Swanborough: My brother. I can't see anymore. I'm cold. Forgive me, for this time, I really leave you alone in the dark.

Cadogan Bates: Was I that evil, to deserve such punishment? My only regret is that no one will mourn me... For I have never been loved...

Hsiao Shun: Why convince me to live, if it was to kill me later? If it was a game, consider it a success, you cruel demon...

My beloved husband, I die by your grave... We’ll be together soon again. 

Ichabod Throgmorton: Killed by a real vampire. How unexpected. Thank you, Dr. Reid, for in the end you made me fulfil my destiny.

Giselle Paxton: What a waste of life... I only managed to be hated by all the people I loved...

Lottie Paxton: My poor sister, what will happen to her now that I'm gone? Giselle, I'm so sorry.

Martin Nightingale: I was just pretending... I caused no harm... I could have taken good care of the old lady.

Rodney Grader: Forgive me, Jack. If I had stood by your side, we both could have changed things for good around here.

Enid Gillingham: Jack, my son, he got killed. I remember, I remember all my life. Oh, the joy. The love. What a life. Thank you.

Rufus Kingsberry: So what they said about me was true... I really was 'Rufus the Curse'. Destined to suffer till I die...

Seymour Fishburn: You tricked me good, doctor... Tell me who will take blame for your murders now that I'm dead?

Stella Fishburn: Should I have turned my Seymour in? Was my crime to love my son?

Dyson Delaney: No one will ever know what I did. I'm gonna die with blood on my hands. No one will remember me.

Sabrina Cavendish: I don't fear you! You did not defeat me! I was Sabrina Cavendish. I did not surrender!

Tom Watts: My pub... Sabrina... My friends... What will they become without me? If only I could tell her... Tell them... Too late... Too late...

Edwina Cox: Bastard! My boys will avenge me! In the end, I will laugh at you.

Booth Digby: My sweet queen, who will protect you from yourself? Will you cry for me?

Archer Woodbead: So my Andrew was right, monsters exist... The Guard will nail you down, vampire. My son will kill you!

Carina Billow: Thank you for releasing me... I can finally say the name of my torturer... It's Jacob... Blackwood...

Charlotte Ashbury: Pray for my mother to never find my killer: betrayer!

Calhoun Russel: Death may be the most disappointing dish I have ever tasted. So insipid, so cold.

Louise Teasdale: My father always said "Even those few who offer help always want something in return". And he was right.

Clarence Crossley: I should have known you were one of them, Johnny. Why was I so blind?!

Venus Crossley: My poor Clarence, you were right, they are among us. Please forgive me for not believing you.

I danced with you at my wedding, Jonathan. What have you become?

Kimura Tadao: My familly... I will never see them again... Will they ever know I died here? Will they remember me?

Charles Jerome Albright: So you were the killer? I knew I was right!

Carol Price: Mother, where are you? I can't see. I am so afraid, mother.

Carolyn Price: Poor me... Oh no, poor me... I'm dying... for real... No one will cry for me now...

Agamemnon Baker: This makes no sense... No sense at all... I should have told my brother to go sooner...

Pericles Baker: So in the end, was it you we were waiting for? Death was our destination?

Usher Talltree: I should have seen it coming... I should have put a ban upon you, but there was too much at stake.

Abyssus abyssum invocat, Ekon. Hell awaits you!

Why leave the path? You were so close...

Avery Cork: Poor Miss Reid... I leave her alone with the most despicable monster of all, her own son...

I fulfilled my promise to your father. This house is now yours, murderous son.

Emelyne Reid: Johnny, it was real? Mary brought me to the cemetery to see you? What happend to this familly, my son? What have you done?

Aloysius Dawson: I would have lived forever... Who are you to decide my fate? Who gave you the authority?

[lifejustgotawkward]

365 Day Movie Challenge (2019) - #153: Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood (2019) - dir. Quentin Tarantino

(Warning: a little spoiler-ish toward the end.)

I try my best to be an objective viewer of cinema, but in all honesty I anticipated the possibility that I might hate Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood with a burning passion. With the exception of Four Rooms and Grindhouse, I’ve seen every feature film directed by Quentin Tarantino, so I am well acquainted with his strengths and weaknesses; based on the Cannes reviews that I skimmed in springtime, I was uncertain as to whether Tarantino’s latest flick would be a Pulp Fiction triumph or a Hateful Eight disaster, but critical reaction seemed to lean more toward the latter. Imagine my surprise, then, when a friend and I sat in a nearly full screening at BAM last month - an unusually late one for me, 8:30 PM until at least 11:15 - and I found that I liked Hollywood more than not (more detail on the “not” in a moment).

Tarantino uses his new film to dig into the mythology surrounding Charles Manson, his “Family” of followers and the crimes they committed on August 8, 1969, murdering actress Sharon Tate, hairstylist Jay Sebring, coffee fortune heiress Abigail Folger and writer Wojciech Frykowski. Although Tate is a key part of Tarantino’s story, portrayed sweetly by Margot Robbie, the bulk of the narrative belongs to two fictional characters, washed-up actor Rick Dalton (Leonardo DiCaprio) and his longtime stuntman Cliff Booth (Brad Pitt). As Rick pogoes between jobs as villains of the week on network TV and villains in Spaghetti Westerns shot in Italy, Cliff divides his time between chauffeuring Rick around town and doing odd jobs for his boss/best friend. In between tasks, Cliff often spots an attractive young woman called Pussycat (Margaret Qualley) on LA’s wide boulevards, stretching her thumb out for rides to a place called the Spahn Movie Ranch. Unbeknownst to Cliff until he picks Pussycat up for a drive, the ranch has been overtaken by the Manson Family and George Spahn (Bruce Dern) is mistreated by the lot of them, most of all by “Squeaky” Fromme (Dakota Fanning in an exceptionally creepy performance). Cliff doesn’t know it yet, but he and Rick are on a collision course fated to intersect with the plans that the gang has for Rick’s next door neighbor, Sharon Tate.

Perhaps it sounds as though Cliff Booth is the most important of the three protagonists, but for sheer entertainment value, Rick Dalton has no peers. He may be a hack in the universe of OUATIH, yet in the real world the role is one of the finest of Leonardo DiCaprio’s three-decade-long career. Tarantino knows how to get performances out of Leo that provoke him to grow as an actor; his work in this film and Django Unchained are much more impressive to me than the nonsense that went on in one of Martin Scorsese’s worst messes, The Wolf of Wall Street. The loudly comedic sides of Rick’s day-to-day routines are enjoyable, but the scene that snuck up on me in OUATIH is the one in which precocious child actress Trudi (Julia Butters) tells Rick how much she respects the choices he made in a scene they had just shot for a TV Western, resulting in tears rolling down Rick’s face after Trudi walks away. It’s one of the best things I’ve seen at the movies this year.

I can’t fault Tarantino for his reliance on star power. Everywhere you look in OUATIH, there’s a recognizable face: besides the aforementioned actors, the cast also includes Emile Hirsch (who I will never forgive for choking and nearly strangling a female film executive in 2015), Timothy Olyphant, Austin Butler (he’s excellent as the disturbed Tex Watson), Mike Moh, Luke Perry (RIP), Damian Lewis, Al Pacino (hamming it up so much as a Jewish agent that it’s basically a stereotype), Samantha Robinson, Lena Dunham, Mikey Madison (I kept asking myself “who is that????” until I checked the cast afterward and realized she’s one of the daughters on “Better Things”), Maya Hawke, a very pregnant Danielle Harris, Scoot McNairy, Clifton Collins Jr., Clu Gulager, Rebecca Gayheart, Kurt Russell, Zoë Bell, Michael Madsen and Brenda Vaccaro, just to name a few. There are plenty of reasons to be interested in such a huge assemblage of talent.

I’ll also admit that there were three scenes that I considered genuinely moving. The incorporation of José Feliciano‘s cover of “California Dreamin’“ and a strings-heavy version of the Rolling Stones song “Out of Time” were highlights of the movie, while the moment when the film’s title slowly appeared onscreen in the final scene actually caused me to cry. It is apparent that Tarantino wanted to construct a tribute to Sharon Tate and her friends, the victims of a hateful group of monsters. I struggle, though, with piecing together the points Tarantino was trying to make besides the obvious one that those innocent people should not have died. What do we gain from the barely-there presence of Tate’s husband, Roman Polanski (Rafal Zawierucha), in the narrative? Is his jerky air supposed to indicate the behavior that would lead to the sexual assault he committed in 1977? And what about the heinous amounts of violence that are perpetrated against women in the third act? Is Tarantino’s vision of retribution one in which it’s OK to hurt “bad” women because he sees it as justified? Is Brad Pitt seriously going to earn a Best Supporting Actor nomination for bludgeoning a female member of the Manson Family - a woman whose beliefs may have stemmed from being brainwashed by the cult leader and his disciples - to a bloody pulp?

Despite the glaring flaws that support my misgivings, I still say that Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood is one of the better-crafted films that Tarantino has made in recent years. It has problems for sure, but at least Tarantino’s thesis statement wasn’t “hey, isn’t being nostalgic for the way things used to be in 1960s Hollywood (and, to a larger degree, America) so great?” The film shows the sunny optimism of Sharon Tate, starlet and mother-to-be, but it also depicts the ugliness and sadness of the Dream Factory, where hopes fade and end up in reruns on Saturday night. Of course Tarantino wanted to rewrite the script... who wouldn’t?

[silverscreenclassics2016]

by Paul Batters

Of all the stars that graced the silver screen during MGM’s heyday, none was ever as dominant as Clark Gable. Younger generations may have never seen any of his films, yet Gable’s face is still recognisable to them today.  Justifiably, he was called the ‘King Of Hollywood’ and was without doubt the king of his home turf – MGM Studios. For classic film fans, there are quite a number of Gable’s films that are particularly celebrated, none moreso than Gone With The Wind.

During the mid 1930s, Gable was arguably Hollywood’s biggest star, which was certainly assured after his Academy Award winning performance in 1934’s sleeper hit, It Happened One Night, directed by Frank Capra and also starring Claudette Colbert. The film was a ‘punishment’ of sorts by MGM, lending Gable to the studio when he complained about the roles he was getting. It would showcase Gable’s talent for screwball comedy, as well as quick repartee. MGM would not make that mistake again and would jealously guard their now biggest star.

With stardom assured, MGM spared little expense in the films in which Gable featured. During the period that immediately followed, many film historians tend to focus on two films –Mutiny On The Bounty (1935) and San Francisco (1936). Both reveal classic MGM production values, with outstanding casts and were huge hits for MGM. They are both exemplary in showcasing Gable’s screen presence and talent. Yet China Seas, the film he made not long after It Happened One Night, whilst not completely forgotten, does not get as much attention as the aforementioned films.

As biographer Warren G. Harris points out, Gable had just come off an Oscar win which meant a new lucrative MGM contract, with far better conditions. China Seas would be the first film of this new contract, which meant star treatment for Gable.

Directed by Tay Garnett, MGM’s golden boy, Irving Thalberg, had eyed China Seas for production since 1931.  With some of MGM’s biggest stars and a supporting cast with good depth, China Seas was a big hit for the glamorous studio in 1935 and further cemented Gable’s superstar status. An adventure/romance sea epic, China Seas, was the perfect vehicle for Gable and MGM’s other major star, Jean Harlow, with both appearing in their fourth film together. The studio wanted to capitalise on the wonderful screen chemistry that the two shared and they certainly sparkle, with the raw sexuality of Harlow matching the man’s man machismo of Gable.

From the opening scene, Herbert Stothart’s musical score underpins the busyness of the port of contemporary Hong Kong, which in 1935 means it’s an integral part of the British Empire. The hustle and bustle eventually focuses on the ‘Kin Lu’, a steamer that runs between Hong Kong and that other port of British empirical power of the period, Singapore. The steamer’s captain, Alan Gaskell (Clark Gable), has a reputation as tough, fearless and a hard player. Most are wise enough to stay out of his way or at the very least make sure they don’t arouse his ire if they can’t. However, we soon discover that deep down Gaskell is a good guy, particularly when parrying with the ships’ owner, Sir Guy (C. Aubrey Smith). Despite all appearances, the two share a mutual respect and affection, and Sir Guy recognises that he has a captain that is worth keeping. The duplicitous Jamesy McArdle (Wallace Berry) wears the façade of a friendly though rough-edged trader in the Orient but as the audience soon discovers, Jamesy has other plans and is in league with a gang of pirates. Garnett sets the tension early and establishes the story’s later complication when a number of the aforementioned Chinese pirates disguised as women are caught by Gaskell. McArdle praises Gaskell whilst sending out a message to keep the caught pirates quiet. McArdle’s warmth and geniality is the perfect cover for a dangerous man in league with desperate men.

Furthermore, the 250,000 British Pounds in gold bullion to be transported to Singapore has been hidden in the steamroller. McArdle knows it’s on board through his contacts and he and the pirate gang are after it. But naturally only Gaskell (and the audience) knows where it is. Will McArdle and the pirates get the gold?

We get a feel for who Gaskell is early in the piece, particularly when addressing his crew. As he chews out the first mate Dawson (Dudley Digges), Gaskell barks at him, ‘Its bad enough to have a ship that looks like this and a Captain that looks like me, without having a Chief Officer who looks like you!’ When entering his quarters, Gaskell finds the young newly appointed officer Rockwell (William Henry) mocking his captain in the mirror, to which Gaskell gives Rockwell all the space necessary to embarrass himself. Suitably chastened, Rockwell asks for forgiveness, to which Gaskell smiles and says forget it. Gaskell may be tough but deep down he’s a ‘good egg’. He even smiles to himself once the inexperienced officer leaves the cabin, tripping over himself.

But we also see Gaskell’s compassion for the newly appointed Third Officer Davids (Lewis Stone), a former captain himself who was disgraced after being the only survivor of a pirate raid, whilst the rest of his crew perished. Gaskell is gruff with Davids yet welcomes him on board and even casually offers him one of his own uniforms. There is an element of well-placed foreshadowing, and even Gaskell looks up afterward with a moment of thought. Will Davids rise to the occasion if and when needed?

Before long Gaskell finds that former girlfriend and ‘professional entertainer’ Dolly ‘China Doll’ Portland (Jean Harlow) is on board. It seems that Dolly is very much a part of the China Seas, illustrated by her familiarity with the crew and her warm interaction with McArdle as they are boarding.  The interaction is a great example of the snappy and witty dialogue that liberally peppers the script from start to finish:

Dolly: Say, there ain’t enough dough in all Asia to make me change the way I feel about one guy.

Jamesy: Still crazy about that Gaskell, huh? Well, whenever you get tired of running around with an Airedale and you want to run around with a St. Bernard, why you let me know.

Dolly: Sure.Whenever I get lost in the Alps, I’ll whistle for you.

Jamesy: All right, I’ll come running.

Gaskell tries to shoo her off the ship, to which she Dolly gets defensive and defiant:

Gaskell: Get on your horse, we’re shoving off.

Dolly: Say, why are you so anxious to get me out of your sight? Is that hunk of caviar makin’ the round trip?

Gaskell: What hunk of caviar

Dolly: That redhead Russian princess that was on board from Singapore.

Gaskell: She isn’t a Russian and she isn’t a princess and I have my doubts about her hair color.

But Dolly manipulates Gaskell into letting her stay. Their relationship seems to be one that has been more physical than emotional, judging by Gaskell’s annoyance when she gets ‘close’, after which she returns to being sassy to save the situation.

But Gaskell will discover a greater affaire de Coeur to deal with, when he discovers that a former love from England, Sybil Barclay (Rosalind Russell) is on board. The now widowed English rose hints at their former (and possible future) romance when she delicately quips to him ‘I’m in your hands again, Alan’.  When told immediately afterwards that he looks like he’s seen a ghost, Gaskell slowly responds ‘I have…’. All this is quietly witnessed by Dolly and the pang of sadness she emotes is impossible to ignore.

Before long the ship is at sea and Gaskell and Sybil become reunited and are joined by Sir Guy at dinner. Dolly, encouraged by McArdle thanks to his desire to disrupt and distract Gaskell, cannot hide her jealousy nor allude to the details of her prior relationship with Gaskell. Her hot temper and aggression gets the better of her, leaving some of the other guests embarrassed and feeling awkward. Gaskell responds to Dolly’s jibes with a cold smile and a short ‘that’s right, darling’ sending Dolly a clear message. But perhaps the most telling and revealing moment belongs to Sybil, who says nothing but smiles sadly at Dolly and then responds with equal sadness to Dolly’s aggressive demand:

Dolly: What are you grinning at?

Sybil: You must be very fond of him.

Dolly: What makes you think so?

Sybil: To humiliate yourself like this.

The situation gets uglier as Dolly declares loudly ‘don’t worry, he knows where the royal suite is and so do I! And I had it the first time I sailed on this ship!’ Not long after, while trying to apologise, Dolly gets the cold treatment from Gaskell who tells her to stay far away.

But Dolly is not going to quit her man, despite her initial congratulations when she hears Gaskell and Sybil are going to be married. It means not only quitting the China Seas but also obviously leaving Dolly.  Attempting to see if the rumours are true, Gaskell finds Dolly in his cabin under the pretense that she is borrowing one of his books ‘to improve my mind’. What follows is Gaskell’s barely veiled revelation as to why he is marrying Sybil, with a cruel putdown that is impossible to not decipher:

Gaskell: Did you ever see an English river, Dolly?

Dolly: No, I’m dumb with geography, just like I am with everything else.

Gaskell:Well, it’s cool and clear and clean. Put a stream like that alongside any river out here – dirty, yellow, muddy – you’ll see the difference.

Needless to say, Dolly is unimpressed at the insult.

The drama and sniping that follows will test Gaskell particularly when Dolly begins flirting and drinking with McArdle.

But the real test will be the mighty storm that has suddenly sprung up and the passengers, as well as the precious cargo, are in danger. The storm sequence is packed with action and beautifully shot and Gaskell risks all to save the steamroller, as well as protect his ship. By all accounts, Gable did his own stunts much to the concern of MGM.. But it takes nothing away from what still proves an exciting action sequence that leaves the audience holding their breath.  The typhoon proves to be an ominous sign of worst to come.

Here also is where Garnett uses well-placed secondary characters to further the story. The disgraced former captain Davids, now Third Officer, fails in his duty to help during the storm. He has also failed Gaskell who put his faith in him and gave him a chance. Will he redeem himself? Will he be the only one who lets Gaskell down?

The audience discovers the answer as the turning point in the film arrives when Dolly is put to the test in terms of her love and loyalty towards Gaskell. Whilst playing a drinking game with McArdle, Dolly discovers the truth and later risks all to try and warn Gaskell about McArdle’s intentions. His fatigue after the storm, disappointment and anger towards Dolly results in his rejection of her, much to his misfortune. Like the classic and clichéd woman scorned, Dolly swears she will make Gaskell pay and sure enough painfully goes into league with McArdle to assist him in his plans.

  Dolly: You just wait! I’ll fix you! You’ll be lower than a coolie! You’ll be lower than Davids! You’ll come crawlin’ to me on your knees!

With Dolly’s assistance, McArdle puts his plan into action and the pirates board seeking the gold. Robbing the passengers, Gaskell appears calm and collected as they ransack the ship for the gold. McArdle’s duplicity is played to the hilt as he pretends to be concerned whilst secretly desperate to find the gold. Gaskell’s toughness is put to the test as the pirates torture him with ‘the boot’ and despite McArdle’s false concern, Gaskell merely replies that his size is 9C. The brutality of the torture is difficult to bear and we see just how callous McArdle is as well. He’s clever enough to play out his deception, even as Gaskell is being tortured. Yet all is not doom and gloom, as Davids redeems himself during the pirate raid – exactly how will not be revealed here.

Indeed, to avoid spoilers, this reviewer will not divulge the result of the pirate raid or what the consequences are. Needless to say, the tension and drama continues right to the very end with Gable at his very best.

Overall, China Seasis a thoroughly entertaining feature film, with the perfect combination of action, adventure, romance and even some comic relief.  Running at 87 minutes, it feels a little longer thanks to plenty of action and well-written dialogue. Additionally, the film is very well paced and Garnett handles direction with appropriate use of tension with tact to drive the story forward. Humour is injected in the right places and it certainly works well when Gable and Harlow fire their lines at each other. Much of the fire of their work during the Pre-Code Era had to be tempered for China Seas but their fire is a sizzling slow burn that does not disappoint. There’s also the allure of an exotic setting a la Red Dust, with plenty of sexual jealousy to add spice to the adventure. Admittedly, Harlow is less the loose, dangerous woman of Red Dust and more a loveable party-girl who only has eyes for Gable and whose heart belongs to him as well.

The sub-plots and intrigues of the secondary characters at times may seem superfluous but they rarely interrupt the story and indeed often work well to add interest. Lewis Stone as the disgraced former captain, who initially shows cowardice during a storm, finds the hero within himself during the great crisis moment in the film. There are interjections of humour with the permanently inebriated Charlie McCaleb (Robert Benchley) oblivious to the typhoon’s might as he attempts to play chopsticks on a piano that’s wreaking havoc and later trying to light a cigarette as waves crash into the film. Throughout the film, Benchley throws out highbrow one-liners that would be right at home around the Algonquin Round Table.

Jamesy: Twenty years on the China Seas and she never lost a spangle.

McCaleb: I had a spangle once. It was a cocker spangle. She had a liter of field mice.

Conversely, Edward Brophy as Timmons provides some blue-collar humour surrounding the sub-plot of his wife’s jewellery. Played by the beautiful Lillian Bond, it’s hard to imagine her with Brophy but she’s also manipulated by Romanoff (Akim Tamiroff) with suggestions that would have been more explicit before the Code took hold.  Some great dialogue also highlights an uncredited appearance by Hattie McDaniel as Isabel McCarthy, Dolly’s maid:

Dolly: Would you say that I look like a lady?

Isabel: No, sir, Miss Dolly. I been with you all too long to insult you that way.

With all due respect to the film’s cast and creators, there is fair amount of silliness and removal from reality in China Seas. The story itself is pretty far fetched and Gable as an Englishman who is ex-Navy is about as believable as a snowman in the Sahara. How a character like Dolly ends up in the China Seas is anyone’s guess. Many of the characters seem to fit the formula but it’s a formula that works and suspense of disbelief is very easy to achieve because China Seasis so much fun to watch and enjoy. The dialogue and interaction between the characters feels natural, leaving the audience believing in the relationships that are depicted on the screen.  The stiltedness of dialogue and movement that could be found in some of the early Pre-Code films is no longer present and it seems that MGM found a ‘formula’ that worked well. Yes, the parallels with Red Dust are evident but Garnett does more with the material he has and the action scenes are incredibly well done.

Not only is the success of China Seastestament to Tay Garnett as director and the high production values afforded by Thalberg and MGM but also due in particular to the great cast. For Thalberg, it was a return to the all-star cast format that had been used by MGM in Grand Hotel. And it certainly paid off. Beery is outstanding as the dangerous McArdle, particularly as he appears so likeable as the friendly trader. The audience can even feel for him when he readily admits his feelings for Dolly:

Jamesy: Lovin’ you is the only decent thing I ever did in my entire life. And even that was a mistake.

Aubrey is as British as they come, with a dignity in profile that even Barrymore would admire. The gorgeous Rosalind Russell as an English aristocrat shows poise even in a secondary role and to the script writer’s credit shows a little more than your standard secondary role. And of course, Jean Harlow is at her very best, matching Gable moment for moment and certainly outshines some of her more celebrated roles from the early 1930s. For my money, the chemistry that they shared on screen is best appreciated in this film.

But it’s the incredible talent of Clark Gable that makes this film a real gem. Yes Gable is playing Gable but that’s why it’s so much fun. Tough, uncompromising and with a powerful sense of self-deprecation, there are moments galore where you cannot help but like him. With so many great films as exemplars of Clark Gable at his best, China Seas should be added to the list of must-see Gable films.

  This article is a proud entry into the Second Clark Gable Blogathon, kindly hosted by Love Letters To Hollywood. A huge thank you for hosting and allowing me to take part! Please go to the link for other great articles on the King Of Hollywood, Clark Gable.

Paul Batters teaches secondary school History in the Illawarra region and also lectures at the University Of Wollongong. In a previous life, he was involved in community radio and independent publications. Looking to a career in writing, Paul also has a passion for film history.

  China Seas (1935): Celebrating Clark Gable On The Silver Screen by Paul Batters Of all the stars that graced the silver screen during MGM’s heyday, none was ever as dominant as Clark Gable.