#ic commentary | elm

[tumblestones]

"my colleagues are insane."

[tumblestonesa]

"Please... Lab safety is important..."

[grimgrinnrs]

" I'm hearing a lot of words I don't need to be hearing right now. "

[tumblestones-archive]

canon: elm is a pokemon professor interested in pokemon origins, breeding, and pokemon abilities. he was a student of professor oak and now holds himself as a bit of a rival, though it’s mostly overshadowed by his full investment in his own work - leading him to occasionally spend many days in the lab without leaving, much to the tired amusement and irritation of his wife. he’s also a father to a human child. that’s true.

he can be a bit absent minded, for all he’s a dedicated and brilliant scientist. he’s just so focused on things that he doesn’t always notice what’s in front of him or where he’s placed things or if the child he sent on a job needed a map to find where they were going.

my addition: elm’s doctorate was on proving what ‘baby’ pokemon would evolve into which ‘basic’ pokemon, and why sometimes they will have eggs of the ‘basic’ pokemon and other times ‘baby’ pokemon.

[multiversal]

“and that’s what we call ‘birtching up’.”

[sylveesmusasters]

"What if I handle a fire type and burn someone else?"

“…You guys… this is serious stuff! What if you’re handling a fire-type and get burnt?”

[mostlymovieswithmax]

Movies I watched in June

Now I think I’m comfortably in a rhythm to get these posts out. For one, I’m writing up short reviews either straight after watching a movie or sometimes it might take a few days. But June was a fairly good month in terms of the amount of films I watched. I got to go to the cinema quite a bit which is always fun. Anyway, let’s get on with it! If you’re looking for something good to watch (or maybe even something bad), I hope this list can help in some way to introduce you to new and different movies that maybe you’ve never heard of, or were thinking of checking out. Here is every film I watched from the 1st to the 30th of June 2021.

Bo Burnham: Inside (2021) - 10/10 Everyone was going off about how great this film is. An hour and a half of Bo Burnham in lockdown, singing songs and being upset is definitely a powerful hook and I have to agree with the general consensus because Inside blew me away. More thoughts on this in my podcast: The Sunday Movie Marathon episode 34.

Bo Burnham: Make Happy (2016) - 7/10 After watching Inside, I figured I’d rewatch some of Burnham’s older stand-up shows on Netflix. Make Happy is a lot of fun, injected with a lot of introspection from Burnham that really makes the special stand out, despite a lot of gags that just didn’t land for me.

Bo Burnham: What. (2013) - 6/10 It’s plain to see just how much Bo Burnham has grown over the years and how he has honed his comedy and music. ‘What.’ is a good stepping stone in the comedian’s career, showcasing loads of promise in him from a young age. There are some jokes that haven’t aged as well and some that straight up dragged, but overall the show is still enjoyable.

The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It (2021) - 3/10 Packed theatre for this one, obviously. People love a Conjuring movie, and I’d also say people love a good scare… but this movie isn’t scary, or good for that matter. More thoughts on episode 35 of the podcast.

The Conjuring (2013) - 6/10 After the horrendously disappointing debacle that was the third Conjuring movie, I decided to watch James Wan’s original movie and man, if this wasn’t better in literally every way. I don’t tend to love James Wan movies but I can’t deny he’s got so much talent in how he makes movies and it makes The Conjuring a lot more fun to see competent filmmaking in the horror genre in a way that actually creates an eerie atmosphere with creative uses of camera-work and editing.

A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984) - 8/10 Normally I’m not big into the old slasher movies. I appreciate that for the time, perhaps they hit differently, but now I just don’t tend to connect with them. Wes Craven’s ‘A Nightmare on Elm Street’ is a bit of an exception. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not particularly scary, though it does employ a lot of interesting techniques and designs. Undeniably, the design for Fred Krueger is a staple in cinema, with the striped jumper, hat, scarred face and knives for fingers not leaving the mind of the general public any time soon. Elm Street doesn’t have too many kills but when it does, it is so effective and fun to watch. Craven was one of the greats, truly.

One Cut of the Dead (2017) - 8/10 This has to be one of the most engaging zombie movies I’ve seen in a long time. There’s a lot to spoil with One Cut of The Dead but I won’t go into that here. It is clever and funny, subverting expectations in ways I really didn’t expect. I really cannot recommend it enough.

Dave Chappelle: Sticks & Stones (2019) - 8/10 Since we’re watching Chappelle's Show for episode 45 of the podcast, I wanted to get an idea for what I was in for, so I watched Dave Chappelle’s stand-up show from a couple of years ago. Yeah, really funny, which I suppose is what you want from a stand-up special, but what makes it better is Chappelle’s commentary on the world at large and how he’s able to combine humour with intelligent criticism.

Fear(s) of the Dark (2008) - 4/10 A few years ago I think I watched this animated black and white anthology film on a New Year's Day when I had foolishly decided to pull an all-nighter and then go out with mates for ice cream. Never again. But I’d forgotten what I thought of this movie and decided to get the DVD for cheap on eBay. Perhaps I am doomed to watch Fear(s) of the Dark only when I am tired because I popped this on when it was nearing midnight. I was lucid enough to understand what I was watching though… and it was quite boring. These short films emulate the filmmakers’ nightmares - an interesting premise in theory, but pretty weak on execution.

The Bourne Identity (2002) - 3/10 We marathoned the first three Bourne movies for The Sunday Movie Marathon podcast, episode 36 so check that out for my expanded thoughts on this, the best Bourne of the three.

The Bourne Supremacy (2004) - 2/10 Immediately after, we did the deep dive into Supremacy, the second Bourne and the worst of the three (albeit by a very slim margin). Check out episode 36 for more.

The Bourne Ultimatum (2007) - 2/10 I really couldn’t care less about these terrible movies. It was a horrible chore to sit through them. Ultimatum was also rubbish. More gripes and discussion in episode 36 of the podcast.

The Father (2021) - 10/10 Another trip to the cinema for this masterpiece. I tried very hard not to sob loudly in the theatre where aside from myself, the audience totalled three people. More discussion of The Father in episode 36 the podcast.

Drag Me To Hell (2009) - 2/10 I’m pretty shocked that Sam Raimi directed this. Usually when I watch one of his films, I can see his staple of fun gore, practical effects, crazy camera movements… but there was none of that here. It just felt like a really bad horror, indistinguishable from the regular affair, with no personality or passion. Drag Me To Hell might even have been one of those movies I’d avoided in the past when I was younger because it seemed too scary but no, it was just boring and bad and I feel like there’s something I’m not getting out of this that other people seem to be.

Moonrise Kingdom (2012) - 8/10 At this point, I feel I have to admit Wes Anderson as perhaps my second favourite director. His movies are just so nice and beautiful to watch. Moonrise Kingdom is a quirky love story between two kids and honestly, with any other director, could have been handled poorly because the story is quite simple. But Anderson injects so much of his signature style and personality into the film. A powerhouse of actors with the likes of Frances McDormand, Bill Murray, Bruce Willis and Tilda Swinton, among a few of Anderson’s regulars, make Moonrise Kingdom a breeze. Good for a dark day to lift the spirits.

Nobody (2021) - 8/10 I needed something to fill an otherwise uneventful day, so I hopped on a bus and booked a ticket for Ilya Naishuller’s new action movie, Nobody. The film started and to my annoyance, the lights in the theatre were still on. When I go to the cinema I don’t really want to see the other people sitting around me, so I got up from my seat, abandoning the first two minutes of the film to find a member of staff to turn the lights off. After showing them that the lights were in fact still on, I took to my seat and watched the movie for what felt like a little while before the lights went off. Nobody is a really fun action movie. Perhaps similar in a lot of ways to John Wick, but with more personality to the main character. More thoughts on episode 37 of The Sunday Movie Marathon podcast.

The Darjeeling Limited (2007) - 8/10 After procuring the Criterion blu-ray from my local hmv, I delved into all the supplements it had to offer, including a making-of documentary, chats with the director, and a gallery of polaroid pictures from when they were shooting the film in India. The Darjeeling Limited is perhaps not peak Wes Anderson, but I do kind of love it. It makes me want to go on a journey to another country with my brother and sister, perhaps in ten to fifteen years. Here, the main characters are three brothers who travel to India seeking some kind of spiritual experience. Things don’t seem to work out that way, however, because I’m not sure how spiritual an experience you can have when you plan out an itinerary to schedule it. Fantastic performances all round and of course, beautiful direction and cinematography.

Face/Off (1997) - 3/10 Was I supposed to laugh? Maybe I was just too tired but I really couldn’t stand Face/Off. It didn’t feel particularly special and despite a couple of fun ideas, it was mostly quite boring.

Luca (2021) - 5/10 The new Pixar movie leaves a lot to be desired. The animation is really second to none and I can’t fault how beautiful the movie looks, more so when it’s set in this little Italian town than under the sea. The story is so uninspired though, with the basic premise being that the protagonists want a Vespa so they enter a competition to win the money to buy one. Also they’re fish that turn into people on dry land. Maybe that’s enough for some people, but I couldn’t shake the familiarity of Luca. It never went in any interesting directions and basically did exactly what I figured it would do. I don’t believe it’s out here to subvert expectations but I would like some creativity when it comes to the writing. Perhaps if I watched it again, I might like it less. It was pretty dull.

Punch-Drunk Love (2002) - 10/10 I’m a little disappointed with the Criterion blu-ray for Punch-Drunk love. It’s supplements host a couple of low-quality deleted scenes that were clearly deleted for a reason, and some weird artsy music videos that incorporated footage from the movie. I was quite shocked at how low-effort it all seemed. The movie itself is fantastic though and I do believe it to be Adam Sandler’s best performance (and I really liked Uncut Gems). He portrays a man who is constantly put down by his family, clearly has some kind of social disability, and on top of it all he’s getting scammed by a sex line. Amongst all this, he’s trying to navigate a new relationship and it’s so sweet to watch all the interactions between Sandler and Emily Watson. It’s a perfect melding of romance, comedy and anxiety, beautifully directed by Paul Thomas Anderson.

Fargo (1996) - 9/10 Another movie you wouldn’t expect to be so funny, especially since it’s based on this horrific true story about murder, deceit and money. But the Coen brothers know how to handle it. Excellent performances, beautiful colour palette, and a story that just gets more and more insane as it goes.

House (1977) - 7/10 House (or, Hausu) was a recommendation for episode 37 of The Sunday Movie Marathon podcast so check that out for more discussion. Generally speaking, this Japanese horror/comedy was bonkers. Insanely creative and abstract (which at points can detriment the film) with an almost Balamory-esque presentation. I was happy to find that the comedy was not lost on me at all; this is a hilarious film, albeit maybe not all the time.

The Princess Bride (1987) - 10/10 I reviewed this in my May wrap-up but this time around, I had recommended The Princess Bride for the podcast, the discussion for which you can listen to in episode 37. It all clicked this time around. It is such a fun, warm movie with a lot of laughs and superb production.

This Is Spinal Tap (1984) - 8/10 Another Rob Reiner joint, a few years before The Princess Bride. This Is Spinal Tap is lauded as a masterpiece in comedic cinema and I might agree; this movie is hilarious. Shot in mockumentary fashion, it follows a band playing shows and trying to get gigs, coupled with the inevitable screw-ups of live performance and creative disagreements. It lost me every now and again but it’s still a must-watch.

The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996) - 6/10 A decent Disney flick but certainly not their best. One highlight includes the villain singing a lament about wanting to have sex with Esmerelda and calling her a witch for giving him a boner.

Ponyo (2008) - 4/10 Not sure if I’ve ever disliked a Miyazaki movie before but I did not vibe with Ponyo. It came across as very baby and as such, there really wasn’t much to read into. The animation is fantastic as always but so much of it felt specifically tailored to a younger crowd.

Roman Holiday (1953) - 9/10 Classic romance at its best. I had heard on a podcast that this was the sexiest movie the guest had ever seen and while maybe not in the traditional sense of the word, I do get where they’re coming from. I was tearing up with just how lovely it all was, following a princess who runs away and spends the day with a man she meets in Rome (where it was shot on location), doing all the things she’s wanted to do but never could because of royal responsibilities. Fantastic performances from Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck who sell the chemistry of the characters so well.

F9 (2021) - 2/10 I’ve never seen any of the Fast & Furious movies and after watching the ninth in the series, I don’t want to. This is basically the Vin Diesel show; we watch him drive cars fast and punch people a lot. Wow! I don’t really understand what it (and forgive the pun) driving people to see these movies if they’re all in this same vein. As far as I can tell, F9 is the goofiest of the series so far and I’ll admit I had a chuckle or two at some of the truly implausible moments, such as a part where one of the team gets shot by about ten men with machine guns, yet manages to kill them all without being affected by the bullets… but overall, in this two-and-a-half-hour experience, I was largely bored.

Shaolin Soccer (2001) - 7/10 I love this movie! Shaolin Soccer is so much fun; it is goofy and out there and completely crazy, all by design. Steven Chow knew what he was making when he set out to craft this insane story of a group of guys using Kung-Fu to play football. The basic story itself is nothing new but it’s elevated by the infectious comedy and implausibility of what’s happening. Balls are kicked into space and across fields so fast the very ground is torn asunder. A man eats an egg off a dirty shoe. This is cinema.

Casino Royale (2006) - 7/10 I had seen a trailer at the cinema for the new Bond movie and I have to say, I’ve never really given 007 the time of day, aside from a few of the very first movies I’d tried watching a while ago. But the new trailer kind of got me hyped, so I wanted to watch all of the Craig era Bond movies, starting with Casino Royale. I had a great time! Even though there’s not loads of fighting or weapons or fast cars, the meat of the movie actually comes from this poker game Bond is playing against the villain, played brilliantly by Mads Mikkelsen. I was surprised to witness a bit of cock-and-ball torture in this 12-rated movie but I would be lying if I said it didn’t stick with me.

Quantum of Solace (2008) - 5/10 Immediately after Casino Royale, I jumped into the second of Daniel Craig’s Bond movies, Quantum of Solace. Sadly it’s quite weak, with not much going on aside from the general Bond fare. Mathieu Amalric’s villain lacked a lot of menace or motivation and generally, I’m not super worried about a brilliant story in a Bond movie, but even the action felt weak in this. Quantum of Solace didn’t exactly upset me but it failed to wow me in any way either. The saving grace of the movie is certainly Daniel Craig as the hero, capturing Bond and what he’s supposed to be.

Skyfall (2012) - 6/10 A marked improvement from its predecessor, Sam Mendes helms Skyfall, Craig’s third outing as Bond. Skyfall delves into Bond’s past as he seems to be slipping a bit, not as much the expert operative he once was. It would have been nice to see more of his fall from grace, as they don’t really show us how he’s become less efficient as much as they give other characters expository dialogue telling us how he drinks and does drugs and is haunted by childhood trauma. For me, that’s where the meat of the story lies and I would have preferred more of a character piece if indeed they were delving into that side of the character anyway. That being said, the fights are still better choreographed than the last instalment and the colour grading and scenery is often very visually interesting. Everything in Skyfall is better than its predecessor and it’s surely thanks to Sam Mendes who does a great job at directing.

Howl's Moving Castle (2004) - 8/10 Another go round for Howl's Moving Castle, as this was a recommendation for my podcast, The Sunday Movie Marathon. My opinion, I feel, is unchanged. It's a fantastic film, and you can listen to more of what I have to say in episode 37. The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 2 - 3/10 A pretty poor end to a poor series of movies. I'm surprised I've watched the Twilight movies as many times as I have but I also know I'll watch them again. Part 2 I watched with the YMS commentary track on YouTube which, again made the experience a lot better. But otherwise the series seemed to get better as it went along… until the last movie. Ultimately my biggest problem with it is that nothing actually happens and the plot feels like a late addition rather than a natural progression of the story. It’s basically a whole movie of set-up to a payoff that doesn’t even canonically happen. A big thing with YA adaptations in this era was making a final book into two movies, regardless as to whether it needed that much time or not. Breaking Dawn does not need to be two movies at two hours each. About ten new characters are introduced here and the film is afraid of killing even one of them off. It's the last movie! We're not going to see these characters again! Kill some of them! There's just no emotional weight to any of it and I hate to say I was disappointed with the ending because I have such low expectations for these films but man, this was so unsatisfying.

Frances Ha (2012) - 8/10 Life is hard. And I hate this movie because it shows me so much of what terrifies me about being alive. And I love this movie because it shows me so much of what I’m alive for. Noah Baumbach’s brutally honest depiction of growing up and fending for yourself struck me in a way I wasn’t expecting and I think it’s because I’m at a point in my life where I’m worrying a lot about how it’s all going to turn out. The titular character is burdened with the stress of working low-paid jobs and paying rent while juggling school and making time for her passion of dancing as she tries to connect with people she’s lost, as temporary friends and housemates come and go. She feels like a lonely character despite often being around a lot of people. Frances Ha is fantastic and heartbreaking and uplifting… but it made me feel bad so I hate it.

[statticscribbles]

Strep

Summary: Sweet Pea/Archie Friendship Request:  strep throat is going around school and sweet pea and archie both catch it again get sent to the nurse and get check out (sore throats fever aches etc) they get sent home but sweet pea home life obviously not that good and papa fred decides bring sweet pea home as well . Sweet pea about it because hes never had anyone care for him ill. and take care of the 2 sick teens, which includes now them actually bonding becoming friends.

Archie refuses to admit he’s leaning on Sweet Pea and Sweet pea will say the same. Fred Andrews manages to sneak a picture when they think he’s talking to the nurse and they’re too tired to move more than the faint grumble of a hello. “Nurse said it seems you two caught the strep throat going around; you both have fevers though so home it is.” Archie groans as he stands stumbling and slumping over to shuffle forward. Sweet Pea glares as his head thunks agains the wall now that Archie’s left his side.

“Alright come one you two. Bedrest and maybe ice cream if you feel up to it.” “’kay dad, nurse said I should get pills too, from the doctor.” Archie slurs coughing and cringing each time. “Archie I understood maybe five of those words, we’ll give it two days then make a doctors visit alright?” “Just up turn up here; Mr. Andrews.” Sweet Pea speaks coughing only slightly. “I know how to get home Sweet Pea. I’ve lived there for years.” “Wrong home.” He sighs slumping against the window shaking his head. “I’m pretty sure I’ve always lived on Elm street, now come on; out of the car, we’ll get you set up on the couch so you two can watch some horribly corny movie.” “Mr. Andrews I should go home I don’t want-“

“Archie’s already sick; besides he told me you live alone, what if you choke on a cough drop.” Fred nods as he nudges Sweet pea to sit on the couch placing a bowl of cough drops next to the two extra boxes of tissues. “We have strep throat, not a cold.” Archie glares at his dad. “Son, I’m almost fifty, I’ve had strep throat more times than you’ve been alive, leave the tissues alone.” Sweet Pea laughs into the blanket before it turns into a cough and he reaches for a tissue spitting phlegm into it grimacing. “See.” “Thanks dad.” Archie sighs leaning against the back of the couch, while Sweet Pea curls into the opposite side.

Archie wakes up to hear Sweet Pea mumbling and coughing as Fred sits in between them. “Sweet Pea it’s fine, we have the space; it’s no trouble, I don’t like the idea of you being home alone. Seriously it’s no problem; Arch is going to have to go to the doctor anyways it’s no problem.” “Allergic, it’ll cost more.” “What do you mean?” Fred questions and Archie ignores how he brushes sweet Pea’s hair back hand hovering to feel for a fever. “Allergic to Penicillin; the other medication costs more.” “That’s fine; you know strep can go away on it’s own, the antibiotics are just a precaution is all. Just in case. You don’t need to take it. There’s a bed in the spare room if you need; please, just ask.” Fred leave to the kitchen and Archie pretends to wake enough that Sweet Pea turns watching him. “S’okay you know.” Sweet Pea rasps.

“What?” “You hatin��� me still, I know being sick doesn’t change anything. Probably makes you hate me more. Stealing your couch and blankets.” Sweet Pea coughs, hacking as he reaches for the tissues which Archie nudges over. “If anything this is helping me view you as an equal; not that I don’t think you are just-“ “Liar. I know you hate me; you turn away any chance you get.” “Scared.” “Scared? You have a gun, that way outranks any damage I could do to you.” “That’s why. I could hurt you worse, you were trying to defend your friends and I could’ve seriously hurt you, or them and-“

“It’s the past. Stop worrying over than shit, the guns gone anyways. Doesn’t matter anymore.” “It does; it-“ “You gonna get another gun and wave it around? No, then it’s not a problem.” Sweet Pea grumbles putting a hand firmly on Archie’s shoulder. “You need to stop worrying about how everyone feels about you and-“ He breaks off for both of them to cough and Fred to peer his head in. “You two hungry? Try some ice cream at least.” He nods to them when they shake their heads. Sweet Pea chuckles when he’s offered a bowl. “What?” “Your dad worked at Pop’s.” “What makes you say that?” Archie tilts his head and Sweet Pea nods to the ice cream.

“He put a smiley face in the whipped cream, Pop’s used to to that when- when I’d get ice cream there.” “You went to Pop’s before coming to Riverdale?” “Yeah once or twice, it’s Riverdale’s best burger joint.” “It’s Riverdale’s only burger joint; it’s why it’ll never close.” “Could’a fooled me with that retro night they had.” He laughs and Archie turns confused. “You were there?” Sweet Pea shakes his head. “Nah, Fangs went to pick up shakes for everyone; he’s the reason Toni got with Cheryl.” “No he’s not, is he?” Archie questions and Sweet Pea smirks.

“Whatever that performance she put on he got a few clips of it, Toni lost the plot when she saw Cheryl on the roof.” Archie tries to laugh but it just devolves into a coughing fit with Sweet Pea hovering nervously with the tissue box. “Thanks, water’d be better if you-“ Sweet Pea moves to stand crashing onto the arm chair instead of towards the kitchen. “Jesus Christ Sweet Pea.” Sweet Pea cringes slightly gripping his head as he stands slowly. ‘Sorry Mr. Andrews I-“ “Are you okay?” “What?”

“Are you okay, here, sit.” Sweet Pea sits back and Archie drapes his blanket over Sweet Pea’s shoulders. “It’s fine, just stood up too fast. It’s fine; just a little dizzy.” “When did you last eat?” Sweet Pea turns to Fred. “I had breakfast it’s only like 11 now.” “Fangs said you didn’t-“ Sweet Pea glares at him and Archie keeps his gaze before Fred’s hand nudges his shoulder. “Sweet Pea, I can make you-“ “No, it’s fine; really I can eat when I get home so you don’t have to do anything.”

“Just let my dad help you Sweet Pea. You won’t be weak, we’re not going to rat you out to the Serpents.” Sweet Pea sighs looking away from them and reaching for the tissues. Neither Fred or Archie say anything about him wiping his eyes. “I’m not scared of being weak; I don’t know what to do when people are nice to me, it’s just; it doesn’t make sense why anyone would help me. I’m nothing; not any good at anything besides being a snake.” He mumbles and Archie hesitates arm wrapping around his shoulders.

“You’re a good sick buddy; I heard from Fangs you’re great at movie commentary, you ever watch National Treasure?” Archie smirks and Sweet Pea laughs. “Are we really going to watch the declaration of independence get stolen?” “Did you know I convinced Jughead it was a documentary for an entire month.” “Seriously?” Archie nods and Sweet Pea almost chokes again as he laughs. He smirks pulling his phone and taking a picture of the loading screen captioning it with a “best documentary award goes to” Archie gets five angry texts in a row and both he and Sweet Pea have to take five minutes with there head between there knees while Fred pulls there phones away and dims the living room lights they end up laughing so hard. “I don’t want to have to explain to Dr. Curdle why you two died watching national treasure; that poor man goes through enough on his own.” “Yeah I hear people are dying to get to visit him.” Archie chokes on his water and Fred points at Sweet Pea in warning.

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[brokehorrorfan]

Blu-ray Review: The Omen Collection

In the pantheon of religious horror, the holy trinity consists of The Exorcist, Rosemary's Baby, and The Omen. Although The Omen arrived last, opening on June 6, 1976, it arguably offers more excitement than its satanic brethren (which is not to say that it is a superior film). Likely to be considered a slow-burner by today's standards, the picture builds tension and unravels a mystery at a meticulous pace, but it's punctuated by elaborate, Rube Goldberg-ian death scenes.

The Omen spawned a trilogy of films, a made-for-television sequel, and a modern remake. Scream Factory has collected all five movies in The Omen Collection, which is limited to 10,000 units. Besting Fox's earlier Blu-ray set - which omitted Part IV and featured some of the worst box set packaging known to man - each film is packaged in an individual Blu-ray case with original artwork within a rigid slipcover case. It boasts a deluge of extras, new and old.

In the original film, American diplomat Robert Thorn (Gregory Peck, To Kill a Mockingbird) and his wife, Katherine (Lee Remick, Anatomy of a Murder), adopt a baby named Damien (Harvey Stephens) after their own child is stillborn. Beginning with his fifth birthday, a string of mysterious deaths surround Damien. Upon being presented with convincing evidence by a photographer (David Warner, Tron), Robert becomes convinced that his son is none other than the antichrist, and he is faced with the task of stopping him to prevent Armageddon.

Firing on all cylinders, The Omen is an exemplary horror film. Working from a well-constructed script by David Seltzer (Shining Through, Prophecy), director Richard Donner grounds the story firmly in reality. The fantastical elements are easy to swallow, as each and every incident in the plot could be mere coincidence. Peck brings a gravitas to the production, leading a strong cast in which Remick also holds her own. Even the six-year-old Stephens, who never acted before and did very little after, is convincingly malevolent.

John Richardson's (Aliens, Harry Potter) special effects for the proto-Final Destination deaths - including one of the greatest beheadings ever committed on celluloid - remain shocking after more than 40 years. Cinematographer Gilbert Taylor (Star Wars: A New Hope, Dr. Strangelove) captures it all with clean camerawork, while Jerry Goldsmith (Alien, Gremlins) provides a chilling orchestral score elevated to pure evil with choral chanting.

The Omen has been newly mastered in 4K from the original negative, approved by Donner, for the new release. The result is a pristine presentation with improved detail and color saturation over Fox’s previous high-definition transfer. The Omen carries a whopping four audio commentaries. One, featuring special project consultant Scott Michael Bosco, is new. His audio sounds compressed - as if it were recorded on a cell phone - but it's dense with details focusing on the theological aspects. Bosco often digresses, but I appreciate the fresh perspective rather than a historian reciting IMDb trivia.

The other audio commentaries include: a track with Donner and editor Stuart Baird (Lethal Weapon, Skyfall), in which the two old friends reminisce about the highs and lows of the production; a track with Donner and filmmaker Brian Helgeland (Mystic River, L.A. Confidential), which features as much good-natured joking as it does insight; and a track with film historians Lem Dobbs, Nick Redman, and Jeff Bond, largely focusing on Goldsmith's score. A lot of information is repeated across the commentaries, but the varying viewpoints make them all worth listening to.

Seltzer and actress Holly Palance (who plays the nanny whose suicide by hanging is among the film’s most memorable moment) sit down for new interviews. Seltzer's chat is particularly enjoyable, as he's candid and humble. He openly states that his script is not as good as the movie it birthed. He also shares what he would have done if he had the opportunity to write the sequel. Palance, the daughter of the great Jack Palance, recounts her naivety about working on her first film and shooting her iconic death scene. The final new extra is an appreciation of The Omen's score by composer Chris Young, who says he looked to Goldsmith's progression across The Omen trilogy as he was scoring the Hellraiser films. It's fascinating to hear one accomplished professional praise another in their field.

All of the archival extras are ported over: a thorough, 15-minute interview with Donner from 2008; 666: The Omen Revealed, a 46-minute retrospective from 2000 featuring crew members along with religious experts to provide context; The Omen Revelations, which is essentially a streamlined version of 666, recycling much of its footage in 24 minutes; Curse or Coincidence, in which the crew recounts a variety of curious incidents that nearly derailed the production; an introduction by Donner; a deleted scene with commentary by Donner; an older interview with Seltzer, which features a lot of the same information as the new one; and an interview with Goldsmith about his score. There's also an appreciation of The Omen by filmmaker Wes Craven (A Nightmare on Elm Street), in which the master of horror waxes poetic about the influential picture for 20 minutes; Trailers from Hell trailer commentary by filmmaker Larry Cohen (The Stuff), who cites The Omen as one of his favorite movies; the trailer; TV spots; radio spots; and four image galleries: stills, behind-the-scenes, posters and lobby cards, and publicity.

Following the massive success of the first film, Fox fast-tracked a sequel, Damien: Omen II, to open in 1978. Having narrowly survived the events of The Omen, a 12-year-old Damien (Jonathan Scott-Taylor) now lives with his affluent uncle, Richard Thorn (William Holden, Sunset Blvd.), aunt, Ann (Lee Grant, In the Heat of the Night), and cousin, Mark (Lucas Donat), in Chicago. Damien is ostensibly a well-adjusted kid, unaware of who - or what - he is, but those who cross him wind up dead in freak accidents.

Omen II's plotting mirrors that of the first film, but the mystery aspect that made the original so effective is gone. The viewer knows from the start that Damien is, in fact, the antichrist, so they're left waiting for the characters to catch up. The plot dedicates an inordinate amount of time to Thorn's business enterprises, which is only vaguely paid of in the next installment when Damien rises to power. On the bright side, there are several admirably inventive deaths in the tradition of the first, from a bird attack that would make Alfred Hitchcock jealous to a visceral elevator bisection to a harrowing scene of a man trapped in a pond under ice.

Since Donner had moved on to Superman and Seltzer was either uninterested or not asked (depending on the source) to pen the sequel, a new creative team was employed. Stanley Mann (Firestarter, Conan the Destroyer) and Mike Hodges (Get Carter, Flash Gordon) wrote the script, with the latter set to direct. Hodges only shot for a few days, during which he quickly fell behind schedule, before being swiftly replaced by Don Taylor (Escape from the Planet of the Apes). Goldsmith returns to score with a worthy successor, retaining the signature sound while expanding it to incorporate electronics.

Leo McKern is the only returning cast member, reprising his role as archaeologist Carl Bugenhagen in the prologue. Peck's formidable presence is sorely missed, but Holden - who, incidentally, turned down the lead role in The Omen - and Grant bring some prestige to the production. Scott-Taylor is a convincing surrogate for Stephens, but the child acting leaves a bit to be desired. It's offset by a supporting cast that includes Lance Henriksen (Aliens), Lew Ayres (All Quiet on the Western Front), Sylvia Sidney (Beetlejuice), Allan Arbus (M*A*S*H), and Meshach Taylor (Mannequin).

Damien: Omen II's Blu-ray disc features new interviews with Grant, who is proud of the sequel and shares a funny anecdote about discovering her first wrinkle while filming; Foxworth, who was able to get to know Holden, one of his heroes, on their daily commute; and actress Elizabeth Sheppard, who proudly discusses working with Holden as well as Vincent Price (on The Tomb of Ligeia). In a separate featurette, Sheppard narrates a gallery of her personal photos from the shoot, offering a behind-the-scenes look at the bird attack sequence.

Since Omen II's mythology has little biblical foundation, Bosco's new commentary features even more tenuous tangents, but it affords him the opportunity to discuss the franchise more subjectively. An archival commentary with producer Harvey Bernhard proves to be a bit more informative. The disc also includes a vintage making-of featurette consisting of clips, interviews, and footage from the set, along with the trailer, a TV spot, a radio spot, and a still gallery.

The Omen trilogy came to a conclusion in 1981 with Omen III: The Final Conflict - although it proved not to be final after all. As prophesied, Damien (Sam Neill, Jurassic Park), now 33 - the same age as Jesus when he was crucified - has risen to political power. Following the U.S. ambassador to Great Britain’s ghastly suicide, Damien is appointed the position, which was once held by his adoptive father. The only true foe for the antichrist is, naturally, Christ himself. Rather than bringing about the apocalypse, as the franchise had been driving toward since the beginning, Damien attempts to prevent the second coming in a sanctimonious conclusion to the story arc.

While no successor could top the original Omen, its first sequel smartly embraced the gratuitous death scenes. For the third installment, however, director Graham Baker (Alien Nation) made a conscious effort to avoid them. Instead, he delivers inept monks trying to assassinate Damien with the Seven Daggers of Megiddo, while the antichrist’s legion of apostles murder newborn males who are the potential Christ child. Andrew Birkin's (Perfume: The Story of a Murderer) script leans further into religiosity at the expensive of the horror elements while interjecting silly mythology akin to Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers.

Omen III: The Final Conflict's Blu-ray disc features new interviews with Baker, who takes a truly retrospective look back on the film, comparing the society of today to that of when it was produced; Birkin, who hadn't seen The Omen when he first met for the gig and wasn't particularly impressed when he finally watched it; and production assistant Jeanne Ferber, who explains how she was among those polled by Bernhard to help choose the lead, with Neill selected unanimously.

For his final commentary in the set, Bosco is back to pointing out the film's connections to scripture, leading to a lengthy tirade comparing Christianity and Judaism. An archival track with Baker has a few nuggets of information among extended gaps of silence, but most of his points are addressed more concisely in the new interview. Special features are rounded out by the trailer, TV spots, and a still gallery.

Although The Omen’s main storyline continued with two more book sequels, Fox opted to use the familiar title for a made-for-television movie on their budding network in 1991. Although dubbed Omen IV: The Awakening, the film largely serves as a remake of the original film but with a female antichrist. After numerous failed attempts to get pregnant, politician Gene York (Michael Woods) and his wife, Karen (Faye Grant, V), adopt an orphan girl. Seven years later, Delia (Asia Vieira, A Home at the End of the World) becomes increasingly violent and manipulative, leaving a trail of bodies in her wake.

Similar to Omen II's production troubles, Omen IV started with Jorge Montesi (Turbulence 3: Heavy Metal) in the director's chair, but he was fire mid-shoot and replaced by Dominique Othenin-Girard (Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers). Writer Brian Taggert (Poltergeist III) keeps the basic structure of Seltzer's original script intact, but the details of each beat are altered and the death scenes are subdued for TV. In addition to gender-swapping the creepy kid, it's the mother who is proactive this time around.

Despite maintaining the general outline of The Omen, the plot is harder to believe this time around, stretching the required suspension of disbelief to include psychics that can read auras. The most ludicrous plot point comes in the form of a shoehorned connection to The Omen mythology. This "twist" canonically positions Omen IV as a sequel rather than a thinly-veiled remake, but it feels more like a low-budget knockoff than an official installment in the franchise.

Omen IV: The Awakening doesn't have any audio commentaries, but its Blu-ray debut includes a new interview with Taggert, who breaks down several of the major choices made in the script. It also contains The Omen Legacy, a feature-length documentary on the franchise that aired on TV in 2001. Narrated by Jack Palance (City Slickers), it finds cast and crew members (including a couple of folks who don't appear in any other special features) and religious figures (the Church of Satan’s high priestess among them) discussing all four films while playing up the alleged curse. The trailer and a still gallery are also included.

Amidst the onslaught of horror remakes that dominated the early 2000s, Fox shrewdly capitalized with The Omen in 2006 - on 6/6/06, to be exact. Director John Moore (Max Payne) offers slick production value and an inspired cast, but it feels wholly unnecessary considering how closely it follows the original script. Seltzer is the only credited writer, but it's unclear if his 40-year-old script was simply polished off or if he was involved in re-writes, as there are some subtle changes to contemporize it. While it fails to bring anything new to the table, it’s a stronger effort than Omen IV.

Liev Schreiber (Scream) and Julia Stiles (10 Things I Hate About You) star as the Thorns. Talented as they are, they lack the chemistry of Peck and Remick. Seamus Davey-Fitzpatrick is successfully creepy as the new Damien, while the role's originator, Harvey Stephens, makes a quick cameo. In a particularly motivated bit of stunt casting, Mia Farrow (Rosemary's Baby) plays the antichrist's new nanny. David Thewlis (Harry Potter) and Pete Postlethwaite (The Lost World: Jurassic Park) also have supporting roles.

The remake is the only Blu-ray in the set that doesn't offer any new special features. The existing extras cover a lot of ground, but it would’ve been interesting to hear the crew reflect back on it. Omenisms is a 37-minute documentary exploring the pressures of making a movie with a release date set in advance, even showing Moore losing his temper and yelling at a producer. It feels very of its time, with director Stephen French  treating the piece like a hip art film, but it contains a lot of great material.

Moore, producer Glenn Williamson, and editor Dan Zimmermann participate in an audio commentary that's fairly informative but doesn't touch on many of the trials and tribulations showcased in Omenisms. There's also a featurette about Marco Beltrami (Scream) recording his score at the legendary Abbey Road Studio; Revelation 666, a cheesy TV special tracing the history, interpretation, and theories of 666; unrated, extended scenes, including a longer version of the ending; and theatrical trailers.

While The Exorcist remains the be-all and end-all of occult horror, The Omen franchise as a whole is more consistent. The first three Omen films comprise a cohesive trilogy, while Part IV and the remake each offer a fresh, if flawed, perspective on the material. Between the movies, commentaries, interviews, and featurettes, The Omen Collection contains over 30 hours of content, making it an unbelievable value and a must-have for any horror collector.

The Omen Collection is available now on Blu-ray via Scream Factory.

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Strep

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The Mirror Pool

One day, Lúthien took Galadriel to a mirror pool. [Written for the April 1st general prompt, In the Mirror.]

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Honestly, Lúthien had not expected Ardis—Celeborn had taken to calling her ‘Galadriel,’ but Lúthien did not sense much in her in response to the name, asides from ambivalence, and thus, to Lúthien, she remained Ardis—to agree to her request to accompany her out into the depths of Region. Ardis had shown little interest in exploring the wide forests of Doriath. She was hardly bereft of natural curiosity—Lúthien didn’t think her mother had ever had so eager or so diligent a pupil—but that natural curiosity did not seem to extend to the natural world.

The offer had been made largely out of sympathy, though there was some desire for Ardis’s company interwoven with that sympathy. Winter had been a hard one, the snowdrifts deep and the skies absolutely choked with clouds, and Ardis had withered like an autumn flower that died with the first hard frost. Lúthien had known very few of the exiles, but Ardis’s brothers had had the same reaction, and when Lúthien attempted to divine the answer, she was met with jagged spires of ice, and walls behind that Lúthien could have broken through if she wished to, but did not care to shatter. There were lines that should not be crossed without permission, doors whose locks should not be picked. The lesson had been slow in the learning, but Lúthien remembered it.

Today was the first properly warm day of spring, and Lúthien had thought that Ardis, who had spent the entirety of winter immured in Menegroth, would appreciate the opportunity to come out of the depths of the caves into the sunlight and the fresh air. And perhaps Ardis would like to take a walk around the part of the forest closer to Menegroth later, but Lúthien had not expected this to be the offer that Ardis accepted.

Being wrong was always startling, but in this case, it was also welcome.

“That’s right, you never have been to this part of Region, have you?”

Ardis nodded, the heavy, deliberate nod that was so uniquely hers that it would have looked utterly unnatural on anyone else. “I cannot say that I have.” A frown flitted over her lips, translating into a faint jitter in her mind that Lúthien heard in a flurry of sharp whispers behind Ardis’s skin, before everything smoothed back out, thoughts and face both. “The path I travel from Finda—“ she frowned again, and the jittering disquiet in her mind persisted into her speech “—Finrod’s stronghold does not pass through this part of Region.”

The background noise that had flowed out of Ardis’s mind had been, Lúthien knew, completely involuntary, and she knew also that Ardis was not the sort of person who would appreciate Lúthien’s prying, no matter how well-intended it might have been. Lúthien did not think it a trait shared by all the Tatyar; Ardis’s older brother seemed frankly eager for someone to discuss things with, for all that he would lead a merry dance around the point of the subject at hand. There, the need for privacy and the need for comfort were locked in an eternal clash. In Ardis, Lúthien saw the battlefield where the former had prevailed over the former long ago.

“Excellent,” Lúthien said brightly, and constructed her face so that her smile was just as bright. “We can go slowly, if you wish. When experiencing this beauty for the first time, I wouldn’t want you to miss any of it.”

From Ardis, there came a movement of the shoulders that wasn’t quite a shrug. “As you like.”

Lúthien slowed her pace so that they walked shoulder to shoulder, trying to ignore the way the song of contentment in her breast had been replaced by a giddy cacophony. Someone who could not think clearly would make a poor guide, though she knew they had no set destination in mind, and that Ardis’s silence was of a kind that did not desire to be roused to speech. She just—sunlight poured through the gaps in the trees, dappled and golden and wonderfully warm, and Ardis’s hair glinted like veins of the gold and silver it was oft describe as—needed to keep her mind.

And the forest of Region was such a lovely place in spring that there was no need for Lúthien to give any commentary. The verdant green leaves on the holly trees shone like polished emeralds. Scattered among them were the other residents of the forest, beech and yew, elm and rowan, sprawling oaks and slender cherry trees. Some of these trees were crowned with delicate, fragrant flowers, nearly all with new, translucent leaves, and all were so gloriously awake that if Lúthien had sang to them, she would have half-expected them to sing back. The next time Lúthien encountered an Onod, she would have to ask them the ways her songs could reach the trees; she knew there were ways, she just didn’t know how to go about it.

The ground was soft and sun-kissed under Lúthien’s feet. The ground was blanketed with new, vivid, sweet-smelling shoots of grass, with flowers quivering in the gentle breeze coming up from the south. The snowy-white niphredil were long-loved, and would be in full bloom for the rest of spring. Hellebore shot up above the niphredil flowers nodding in the breeze, white petals dappled with wine-violet speckles. Clumps of yellow primroses and early, slender pink harebells dotted the forest floor in all directions. Lúthien saw smudges of violet and blue, but didn’t care to stretch her sight to determine just what they were. The air was filled with a sweet perfume, and the swifts had returned to the forest and were darting through the trees, chirping cheerily.

There really was nothing Lúthien could say that would be up to the task of adequately describing what she experienced. She knew that Ardis could not hear all the things that she could. She knew that Ardis, no matter how gifted she might be, could not hear all the undercurrents of song that thrummed so loudly in Lúthien’s veins. There had only ever been one person who could hear everything that Lúthien could hear. It was… That was stifling.

You would think that if there were those who were fully of the Eldar who could hear everything that I can hear, Ardis would be among them. Lúthien looked down at Ardis, who was beginning to survey her surroundings with more open interest than she was willing to evince before. She quickly looked away—Ardis seemed always to know when someone was looking at her, and Lúthien would rather not be caught—and the stifling feeling only grew.

Mother’s tutelage could introduce the students to mysteries that they would never otherwise have had access to, or even knowledge of. Perhaps with Ardis, who unlike the others had had access to and perhaps teaching from Mother’s kin in the Blessed Realm, would be able to bridge the gap. Lúthien would like that. The Iathrim looked at her and saw someone far beyond them, someone to be held in awe as much as loved. It would be a welcome change to be with someone who had something resembling the same perceptions as her.

“Were there forests such as this in the Blessed Realm?” Lúthien knew Ardis to not speak of the Blessed Realm especially easily. Once, she’d spoken of them very easily, but after the truth of the Exiles’ departure came to light, words had stopped flowing, slowing to a trickle so miniscule as to barely be noticeable. This would be a safe topic, surely. There was nothing to hearken back to the unrest that had soured the bliss of the Blessed Realm in a question about forests, surely.

Still, Ardis’s answer was slow in the coming. She halted, another small frown marring the statuesque perfection of her face. None of the jittery disquiet echoing in her mind this time, just a harder current to try and push information through.

“There are few places in Aman where the Ainur have poured as much of their power into a location as the queen has here,” Ardis said at last. “There was little need, in such a place as Aman. Little need for more beauty, and no need for more safety. In many regards, I would say that Doriath is unique. The closest we had in Aman to this were the gardens of Lórien.”

“What are they like?” Lúthien asked curiously. “Mother doesn’t speak of them often; she says there’s no point to it, when there is so much to occupy us here.”

A low, hoarse chuckle slipped from Ardis’s mouth. “A direct quote?”

Lúthien rolled her eyes and laughed. “Yes, that was a direct quote.”

Ardis pursed her lips, though the ghost of her chuckle glimmered still in her eyes. “The land had much the same resonance as the forests of Doriath. The power of the Ainur was very strong there, strong enough that even the untrained and the uninitiated could sense it. Indeed, the unprepared were likely to be overwhelmed. The flora was infused with the power of Irmo and Estë and the Maiar who attended them. The gardens were more alive than the surrounding lands.”

She did not elaborate on that, but she didn’t really need to. Lúthien had never left the eaves of Doriath, but she knew many who had. They had described the differences well enough that Lúthien could paint a picture in her own mind. She couldn’t imagine what it would have been like to live in a place untouched by her mother’s power. The thought was forlorn, but also oddly exciting.

“I wonder…”

Lúthien fell silent, frowning.

Ardis peered up into her face, her sharp green eyes trying to scour past the skin, though with a mind such as Lúthien’s, her chances of success were close to nil. “What is it?”

Lúthien waved her off. “It’s nothing.” It would likely be something, in a few minutes. Her eyes fell on a patch of reflected sky, and she strode towards it, beckoning for Ardis to follow. “Here is something that might interest you.”

The two knelt by a wide pool. It was perfectly round, with a smooth, stony lip and a diameter that was perhaps the same length as the length of Lúthien’s arm, from shoulder to fingertips.* The surface remained as smooth as polished obsidian, no matter how strong the wind was. It never dried up, no matter how little rain there had been, and it never overflowed, no matter how much rain there had been. The water was always cool enough to send prickles up Lúthien’s flesh, and there was an undertone of power to the still water that whispered to her spirit.

Ardis did not disappoint today; barely a moment after she had settled on her knees by the pool, she began to peer intently at it, her brow furrowed. “This is an interesting place,” she said quietly. She stretched out her hand towards the water, but withdrew it at the last moment, fingers curling in on her palms like withering flower petals curling up in the heat of summer.

“There are places like this in Doriath,” Lúthien murmured, nodding. “Mother’s magic had more effects than simply what she intended. People come here at times, when they need an answer to their troubles. The waters show the truth.”

At that, Ardis’s face froze, and though Lúthien was not entirely certain as to why, she could think of a few reasons. “The truth of what?”

Lúthien shrugged. “It tends to vary. What is certain is that that the water shows the truth, without fail, every time you look into it closely.” Her mind slipped back in on itself, and suddenly Lúthien was wincing, putting a hand on Ardis’s shoulder. “I’m sorry, I should have asked you. Would you rather not…”

But Ardis only shook her head. “I have nothing to fear from the truth. I would sooner know the truth than live my life in ignorance, no matter what the truth might entail.”

Which sounded like bluster to Lúthien’s ears, though it might have been delivered more steadily than Beleg’s insistences that he could go back on duty in spite of broken ribs or a sprained ankle. She was hardly going to bar Ardis from the pool. The truth was something everyone must face sooner or later, and if Ardis wished to drink a dose of it today, Lúthien was no one to stop her.

Lúthien took a breath before looking into the depths of the pool. She did not know exactly what other people’s experience with the pool was, for this was the first time she had ever come here in the company of another, and though she had heard stories, had divined some further details by accident from the minds of those who told those stories, it was not the same as having experienced it for herself.

She only ever saw one thing when she looked in this pool. The same thing, every time.

And sure enough, when Lúthien looked down, the longer she looked, the more the reflection rearranged itself into a familiar image.

Her appearance was mostly Eldarin. Lúthien knew from the tales that others had told that when she had been very young, this had not been the case. When she was very young, she had been less solid, and some of her parents’ early followers in the heart of Doriath had actually been quite wary of her, believing her a wraith or some other fell spirit. But as she grew older, she became more accustomed to the Eldar, and more proficient at taking on what could, for the most part, pass as an Eldarin form. For the most part.

Lúthien’s mostly Eldarin form stood head and shoulders taller than most of the women in Menegroth. Ardis herself came up to around Lúthien’s chin, and the only woman in all of Menegroth who was taller than Lúthien was her own mother. Her hair was… Well. The Eldar did not have hair that flowed like water or looked like smoke, did not have hair where tiny white flowers grew in spring and summer, and were replaced in autumn and winter by holly leaves and berries. The Amanyar could restrain the power in their voices more easily than could Lúthien. The eyes of the Lechind burned with dimmer fires.

There were things no amount of control or suppression or illusion could hide, and Lúthien knew how many of her people saw her. Love was mingled with awe. That emotion that promoted closeness was mingled with something that drove all closeness away. Even with many of those she called friends, that distance sat between them, squat and baleful, denying Lúthien what she craved.

The pool… The image she showed her was an image Lúthien had grown accustomed to, from many visits when she had hoped it would show something different, then many visits when she no longer hoped for such, and merely looked for more information.

The sky reflected was a pale, soaring azure. Never mind the time of day, never mind the weather, and never mind the fact that the pool was flanked by trees. The trees never appeared in the pool’s reflection, and even in storm, even in dead of night, the sky reflected in the pool was always that cloudless, unblemished azure.

Lúthien had seen her mother cast off her disguise of flesh just once; she did not see that image reflected in the pool. Nor did she see the body of a normal Elda, untouched by the blood of the Ainur. What the water showed Lúthien instead was Ardis’s reflection vanishing from her sight, and her own becoming hazy. A pillar of white light that burned too brightly, crowned with rippling black smoke, something that was not her mother, and could not be taken for a normal Elda. The reflection could not convey sound, but still, Lúthien could feel the songs of power that poured from her reflection-self’s translucent skin in a torrent. She could smell the sharp, green smell of plants growing too rapidly, urged on by magic. She could smell the red, copper smell of dead flesh.

The water showed the truth, alright. Pity it didn’t come with a neat, concise, easy-to-understand explanation as to what it all meant.

Lúthien’s reflection-self wore just the same expression it had always worn when Lúthien visited the pool. The red smell could be strong enough that an Elda would have gagged, and the look on the apparition’s face would still be one of mild benevolence. That mild look was inevitably what drove Lúthien to look away from the pool, and today wasn’t any different. She rose to her feet, and went to sit leaning against the sturdy trunk of an elm tree carpeted with springy moss.

Ardis lasted nearly a minute longer, scanning the water with an expression of intense concentration and an undercurrent of something taut that Lúthien could likely have easily identified if she had stretched out her mind, but honestly? She didn’t care to. Finally Ardis asked, a few moments before tearing her gaze away from the still water, “What did you see?”

“Myself,” Lúthien said simply. “And you?”

Very softly, with an acrid aftertaste of bitterness, “Myself.”

Ardis remained sat by the pool, though she no longer looked into the water—indeed, the way she avoided staring into the depths seemed frankly pointed. What statement that was supposed to make, Lúthien had no idea. Her companion had a stillness to her that seemed always to elude her brothers, indeed eluded most of the Iathrim. That stillness settled over her like the return of winter all at once, and the only thing to differentiate her from a statue was the gentle rise and fall of her breast.

They sat like that, and the only sounds that came to Lúthien’s ears was the wind, the call of swifts, and the far-off, muffled voice of the Esgalduin. Quiet wasn’t stressful to Lúthien, wasn’t soothing—it was what it was, and quiet, by itself, inspired in Lúthien absolutely nothing at all. Her curiosity had added a taut tune to the silence, and eventually, the tune grew so sharp that silence must be broken.

“Ardis…” Lúthien combed a hand through the thick smoke of her hair, coming away with a few scattered flower petals. “…I want to know… Why did you agree to come out here with me?”

Green eyes dragged themselves to her face. “What do you mean?”

“I… did not expect you to agree, actually. I would have thought you would have other things you wished to do.”

She was happy, of course. Just a little lost, as far as clarity went.

One fine eyebrow arched quizzically. “And I suppose I cannot simply have wished for the pleasure of your company?”

“It’s certainly possible, but if you have any other reason…”

Ardis paused to consider it. The sunlight made her hair shine; metallic thread in the hems of her robes glinted bright and hard. “I do enjoy the chance to leave Menegroth, at times.” She looked away, her mouth grown hard. “Much the same as in Aman, I like my solitude.”

“You’re not alone, though,” Lúthien pointed out, voice soft. “I’m here with you.”

Another long pause. If Lúthien concentrated, she could hear the faintest strains of Anor’s energetic, almost frenzied melody. Then, there came a roll of Ardis’s shoulders in a shrug. “It’s…” Her mouth twitched, ever so slightly. “It is no burden to me. I feel no expectations upon me, when I am with you.”

Lúthien’s mind burst into undiluted light. “Likewise.”

-----------------

* My Lúthien is 6’10”, for reference.

Amanyar—‘Those of Aman’ (Quenya) (singular: Amanya—probably) (adjectival form: Amanyarin); those Elves who made the journey to Aman, or were born there. Anor—the Sindarin name for the Sun Eldar—‘People of the Stars’ (Quenya); a name first given to the Elves by Oromë when he found them by Cuiviénen, but later came to refer only to those who answered the summons to Aman and set out on the March, with those who chose to remain by Cuiviénen coming to be known as the Avari; the Eldar were composed of these groups: the Vanyar, Ñoldor (those among them who chose to go to Aman), and the Teleri (including their divisions: the Lindar, Falmari, Sindar and Nandor). Esgalduin—literally ‘River under shade’ (Sindarin); a tributary of the River Sirion, which originated in the Shadowy Spring in Ered Gorgoroth and flowed southward to empty into the Sirion; marked the borders between the Forests of Region and Neldoreth. Iathrim—the Sindar of Doriath Lechind—'Flame-eyed'; a name given to the Ñoldor by the Sindar, referring to the light of the Trees that shined in the eyes of those Ñoldor born in Aman during the Years of the Trees (singular: Lachend) (Sindarin) Niphredil—‘Little pallor’ (Sindarin); a white flower that bloomed first in Doriath when Lúthien was born. It also grew in Lothlórien, on Cerin Amroth. In appearance it was similar to a snowdrop. Onodrim—the Sindarin name given to the Ents (Sindarin) (singular: Onod) Tatyar—‘Seconds’, the second clan of the Elves of Cuiviénen, named for Tata and Tatië, the former of whom was the second Elf to awake (Singular: Tatya) (Adjectival form: Tatyarin). Their name in Aman, ‘Ñoldor’ (meaning ‘the Wise’), was given on account of this clan showing the earliest aptitude for intellectual and technical pursuits; it has a Primitive Quendian original in ‘ñgolodō’, from which is also derived the Sindarin ‘Golodh’, ‘Golodhrim.’

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"mr pokemon keeps calling me with 'groundbreaking discoveries' but they're always eggs."

[bthenoise]

Here Are The Five Most Disappointing Horror Films According To Ice Nine Kills’ Spencer Charnas

If you’re a fan of Ice Nine Kills then you’re probably well aware that the band is, well, pretty much obsessed with the horror genre. After writing an entire album based on horror novels (2015′s Every Trick In The Book), the Fearless Records act is back with a 13-track LP centered around some of their all-time favorite scary movies. 

Titled The Silver Scream, the Boston-based band has turned their love affair with slasher flicks into a sonic masterpiece paying tribute to cult classics such as Halloween, Friday the 13th, Nightmare On Elm Street and many more.

Now in order to dive deeper into Ice Nine Kills’ horror fandom, we reached out to vocalist Spencer Charnas to find out which frightful films the outgoing frontman isn’t very fond of. While it’s obvious which movies the singer loves (just look at The Silver Scream tracklist), we wanted to figure out which films just didn’t do it for him.     

Interesting enough, while Charnas has seen hundreds of horror movies over his lifetime, picking ones he doesn’t necessarily enjoy wasn’t such an easy task.

“I don't like to be too negative about the genre,” he says. “I even go see the films if they suck because I just want to support horror. Because if we support horror [movies] and keep going to the box office, they’ll keep making them.”

Not a bad point. But still, to see which five films Charnas picked as his most disappointing as well as his commentary on a few, be sure to look below. Afterward, make sure to pick up a copy of The Silver Scream as well as tickets to Ice Nine Kills’ Noise Presents tour with Atreyu, Memphis May Fire and Sleep Signals here.     

1) Hereditary  

Spencer Charnas: I really liked Hereditary but I didn’t like the ending of it. I think I might be in the minority with that. I thought it was good up until the ending. I was a little disappointed with it. I just thought it was really convoluted. When I can’t remember something, I know I didn't like it. And I just can’t really remember what was going on with the treehouse and the cult and all that shit. I had no idea what was going on.

2) Halloween Resurrection 

I was disappointed with this one. I think this is the only film of the [Halloween] franchise I didn’t like. I love all of them so much.

3) The Witch

I thought the score was enchanting, just I don’t know, I think I fell asleep.  

4) The Last Exorcism // The Last Exorcism Part II

5) It Follows

[rpbetter]

Have to vent here. Sorry I know it's a dead horse at this point, but the dev has buried any rude remarks they made on the blog and aren't replying to suggestions. I think rewarding points based on word count, only with posts labeled IC, not OOC (to stop shitposts and non rp things from being counted) is a good middle ground for RS. Then both the rapid fire rpers and the multi para would be happy. One long reply or 20 short ones, okay, it's about the WORDS. But the dev ignored my suggestion.

Hey, you know the thing about dead horses, though? Let me tell you a story right quick, Anon.

My uncle has sufficient property for horses, as one does when they can afford one and have the space for them, he had a horse. And unfortunately, as all things do, the horse eventually passed away at quite an advanced age. No one ever really thinks about what you do with a thousand-pound pet when it passes away inevitably, but the usual solution is burial, and as one would imagine, that's quite a large, deep hole. He took care to bury the horse where he'd hit neither utility lines nor cause issues with the creek. However, at the very bottom of this horse grave, the equipment bumped something - a massive taproot. Hole already dug, equipment needing to be returned by the end of the day, obviously emotional about this whole affair, he went ahead and interred the horse. The assumption was that this root had to be from one of the trees in the nearby, forested area and if it had an issue, it wouldn't be a huge loss or problem to deal with.

This assumption was wrong, it was an enormous old elm tree over an acre away, a tree that was right along the pasture's fence line and only driveway accessing three properties. Within the year, the tree slowly died from having a giant, deceased animal buried on its most significant root. The tree has, subsequently, caused property damage, blocked the road repeatedly, and threatened human and present horse safety, while being incredibly difficult to remove.

The lesson here is that just because a horse is dead doesn't mean it isn't causing a problem where you buried it. The issue with this whole thing with RS is like that - yes, it's technically over, we all know there's nothing to be done about it, but it continues to cause vexation and concerns. It's still poisoned the metaphoric tree, we're going to still need to talk about it. Burying the evidence of the issue and refusing to take commentary is the antithesis of helpful. It is only validating negative feelings and driving a need for people to discuss it, regardless of whether anything helpful is achieved beyond catharsis.

I will hope that even if your suggestions, and those like it, went unpublished, that they were read and might have some positive impact eventually.

For what little it is worth, I think those are great suggestions that compliment many others similar to them, and will say thank you for sending it because you felt the project was important enough to do so. That was awesome of you and is exactly what we should do, especially when asked for feedback on a project! Try not to let not being listened to change your behavior in the future with something else, I promise that it isn't always like that.

What I love most about these suggestions is that they kind of get to the crux of the issue - the reward thing is still present for those who need it, while being a little fairer, more inclusive, to those who are involved in RP to write. No one is lacking inclusion here, it works for rapid-fire, shorter-length RPers and those who post less often but with lengthier posts. While keeping non-RP posts from being unfairly counted toward the total in a way that is easily trackable. You want to participate and have your posts counted? They have to be labeled correctly as a post type, no big deal!

Something like this might even encourage those who have RP itself as their reward system for RPing to participate just for occasional fun. If part of the point of this whole thing is helping to give a sense of community through the community participating in something, it should be the goal to maximize that, not to be cutting off part of the community from the outset.

Anyway, I'm sorry that this happened and hope you didn't feel too invalidated by it. It's a good suggestion, but even if it wasn't, ignoring you wasn't the appropriate action to take in such a position. You did what you were supposed to (and, literally, asked to do), you had a great idea that is well thought out, and you're awesome for that! I appreciate you sharing it with me and everyone who enjoys this blog, and wish I had the requisite resources (time, finances, and health) to create something just for RP for everyone because the better portions of the RPC really deserve it after decades of being obliged to make everywhere else work for them. However, as my backlog of Everything can attest, I just don't.

[mizbabygirl]

Blackhawks Player Nicknames (according to Second City Hockey.com) [03\23\2017]

Andrew Desjardins #11 (currently free agent) Desi, Dijon, Colonel Mustard. Not Ben Smith, but was traded for him. Depth forward.

Artem Anisimov #15 Arty, Arty Party, Ani. Our long-awaited 2C. Friend of Annette Frontpresence.

Artemi Panarin #72 (now with Columbus Blue Jackets) Pan, Bread Man, Panera Bread, Snake. No one is quite sure how to spell his first name. Undrafted, caused much salt among fans of other teams when he won the Calder Trophy for best NHL rookie at the age of 24.

Brent Seabrook #7 Seabs, Biscuit (a reference to Seabiscuit), The Captain Whisperer (after he stepped into the box to comfort Toews after his third crappy penalty in the process of losing to Detroit in Game 4 in the 2013 playoffs). Nacho Seabre (admitted weakness for nachos and pizza).  Affectionately known as "(my) Seabsie boy" to his teammates. If he looks slow on the ice it's probably because he ate too many nachos. Gave his son Carter the middle name of "Seven,” but alleges it was his wife's idea.

Brian Campbell #51 (now retired) Soupy (like Campbell's soup, generic nickname for anyone with this last name), Soup Dogg, Ginger (the hair), 51 Phantom.

Corey Crawford #50 Crow, Watcher (the Watcher on the Wall from Game of Thrones), Crawful (generally used sarcastically), Crawsome. As this is Chicago, the victim of a perpetual goalie controversy despite performing as an elite NHL starter for the last four seasons. His glove hand/blocker/five-hole sucks and we'll never win anything with him in net. He's a fucking beauty (quote from his Cup parade speech where he was totally non-sober and dropped two f-bombs).

Dennis Rasmussen #70 (now with Anaheim Ducks) Moose, Raz. Swedish defensive forward.

Duncan Keith #2 Duncs, Jigsaw (reference to character from Saw, because his teammates claim he's kind of psycho scary and methodical), Teeth, in reference to his heroism in the 2010 WCF, losing 7 teeth in Game 4 and only missing a few shifts, Bambi because of how fast he skates (he has crazy good conditioning and routinely has the highest TOI of the team). Inspired the phrase 'Chicago Runs on Duncan'.

John Hayden #40 Hayds, Hayder.

Johnny Oduya #27 Odie, Oh do ya? eg, "I think his last name has a lot of pun-potential." "Oh, do ya?" Jeremy Roenick is jealous now because Oduya's wearing his old number, but Roenick thinks it should be retired.

Jonathan Toews #19 Jonny, Tazer, Captain, Best Captain, Captain Marvel (he wears the C and he's the best/marvelous, obviously), Captain Serious (because he is one serious motherfucker, although glimpses of him off-guard on camera suggest his off-ice personality has a large component of goofy weirdo), Captain Lardass (from an angry Twitter comment), Captain Seriously [Adjective]. Draws comparisons to Grumpy Cat (Kaner's feline equivalent is Lil Bub) and to a hockeybot who does not understand human emotions, due to his hilariously incongruous facial expressions in any given situation (see also Toewsface)

Jordin Tootoo #22 Toots, Two two and other such puns. Depth forward, here for the grit.

Marcus Kruger #16 (now with Carolina Hurricanes) Krugs, Frogger (because he likes to play in traffic, gets crunched a lot, yet has many lives), Freddy (his team nickname, from Nightmare on Elm Street), The Plan All Along (according to Stan Bowman, his call-up from Europe in late 2011 was "all part of the plan"). "Kruger is mashed, gets away with the puck" - commentary from Foley, and the story of his life. As Tracey Myers once put it, his tombstone will read, "Kruger took a hit to make a play.”

Marian Hossa #81 Hoss, Panda (originally sad panda, a name acquired during the playoffs while he playing for Detroit, shortened to Panda when he joined the Hawks), Gossamer (from autocorrect), HE IS MARIAN HOSSA AND YOU ARE NOT, because few can do what he does. Likes KitKats, as they are "good for you!"

He is a hockey demigod, a fact acknowledged by everyone including the official twitter. His name may be substituted for "God" in common phrases, eg "Oh my Hossa!"

Michal Kempny #6 Lemony, via autocorrect. Third pair dman.

Michal Rozsival #32 Rozi, Rozsi. Elderly depth dman, looks like an elf. Will still be signing 1-year deals with the Hawks when Toews and Kane have retired.

Nick Schmaltz #8 KFC (Schmaltz means chicken fat), Biggy Schmaltz. Playmaking center drafted from UND (this worked out well last time they tried it), snatched from under the noses of the St Louis Blues when Stan traded up in the draft. Brother Jordan is a Blues prospect. Chicago Mission alum.

Niklas Hjalmarsson #4 (now with Arizona Coyotes) Hjammer, Hammer, Meatball (because he was the original Swede Hawk), Jelly (his AHL nickname), Super Nintendo Chalmers (Simpsons reference), Jarbles (the LA announcers clearly mislaid the Swedish names cheatsheet in the WCF and called him Jarbleson), Swedish Viking (description by Jonny Oduya). His leg bones have been upgraded to titanium, judging by the number of shots he blocks.

Patrick Kane #88 Kaner, Lazy, Showtime, wee blond ninja, Black Magic for what he does with the puck, from a quote by former SCHer gmh - "...but the devil lives inside this kid, I swear it. It rises out of him in a mist, this baby-faced defiant wrathful version of Pat Kane, escapes his bodily confines to perform satanic miracles all over the offensive zone. The only thing more fearsome than that assist was the keep-in preceding it. The only thing more unholy than his face is his black magic."

Richard Panik #14 Visa (due to visa issues when joining the team), Panik at the UC!, or Disco for obvious reasons. His name is actually pronounced PAH-neek but hockey never lets a bad pun go to waste.

Ryan Hartman #38 Hartzy. Giving Seabrook a run for his money for "Best Hair" on the team. Another Illinois native/Chicago Mission kid.

Scott Darling #33 (now with Carolina Hurricanes) Oh My, Clem - from the song "Oh my darling Clementine.” A native of Lemont (or maybe Aurora according to one confused commentator), is very tall.

Tanner Kero #67 Depth center.

Tomas Jurco #13 Part of Stan's secret plan to collect all the Slovaks in the NHL in case any of them grow up into Hossas.

Trevor van Riemsdyk #57 (now with Carolina Hurricanes) TVR, Smiley van Smiley due to his happy demeanor in interviews. Brother of James/JVR.

Prospects/IceHogs

Tyler Motte #64 (now with Columbus Blue Jackets) Apple Sauce, Motter.

Vinnie Hinostroza #48 Cousin Vinnie. Bartlett native and ex-Chicago Mission kid.

Brandon Mashinter #53 Mash, Manshitter Here to maintain the quota of players called Brandon and occasionally punch things.

To see the rest of the article, go to: https://www.secondcityhockey.com/2017/3/23/13762402/guide-nicknames-jargon-slang-blackhawks-fans

[jasonsutekh]

Edward Scissorhands (1990)

In a big abandoned house a woman discovers a person who has sharp implements in place of regular hands. She attempts to introduce him into society and at first he is welcomed but his difference and unfamiliarity with social ways soon causes people to turn against him.

 There’s a nice amount of subtext in this film. It is particularly relevant to anyone who has ever felt like an outcast from regular society for any reason because there can be a certain degree of sympathy towards the character. It also makes a commentary on how unreliable, deceitful and even vicious people can be towards minorities and how quickly prejudice can develop.

 Overall I personally think that, although well made, it’s quite a depressing film. He comes to live with a nice woman, finds out that everyone else thinks he’s special and even acquires good ways to express himself and then suddenly everyone hates him so after getting a little taste of company and companionship he has to spend the rest of eternity alone. That would probably be a very special kind of Hell but the film plays it as though it’s some kind of happy ending just because he isn’t dead.

 A lot of the direction and mise-en-scene was very good in this film, particularly the way it contrasts the grey coldness of Edward’s original home and the obscenely bright colours of the town. It’s also worth noting that as the film goes along things get progressively darker which is a very interesting aesthetic. The constant sound of Edward’s fingers is also good because it is a constant reminder of the threat he poses to other people which he has to live with all the time.

 A couple of main things that I had trouble accepting is that the attempted rape is more or less just ignored and then the victim is blamed and nothing really seemed to be done about it, not even the family suggested going to the police about it or anything. The other is that Edward somehow keeps finding huge blocks of ice from which to make sculptures despite the fact that it apparently had never even snowed in the town before.

 6/10 -Just a cut above average-

 -When the Inventor reads from his poetry book, it can be clearly seen that there is nothing written on the page.

-This film relates to two other films with Johnny Depp in, the first being Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2007) in which he kills people using razor blades and the other is A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984) in which Freddy Kruger kills people using a glove with blades for fingers.

-The first draft of the script was a musical.