#infernal affairs iii

[shagrathmovies]

Infernal Affairs III - 2003 - Andrew Lau, Alan Mak

[letamthoughts]

Infernal Affairs III (2003)

i really like it (high tier) 10/10

more suffering this some wild shit; holy fuck how dahell did it all connect like that? need that main track on my playlist, though glad i stayed late for this halfway through i felt like i needed to rewatch the whole trilogy

(Major Spoilers)

so there were five of Sam's moles from the beginning but he had more before (and after?) them movie ain't got no business being this good; like, damn Reminded me of The Raid: Redemption (2011) & The Raid 2 (2014) Double Lover (2017) vibes when shit got crazy; holy shit did he lose his damn mind dislike him even more when I heard him say "Mary" 'cause that's when I remembered it was Sam's wife's name -_- fucko

frightening-ass hypno-reveal scene o_o

[ghuleh-recs]

This week's theme is inspired by some wonderfully big-brained (and correct) Terzo opinions from the incomparable @ghostchems and @leezlelatch! Check them out here, here and here. He is more than just a slut, ahem—pretty face. The following recs feature a more complex, fleshed out Papa III characterization. I included some of my holy grails in here with a special focus on Leez and Chems because of the aforementioned big brains ♡

recs under the cut.

The World We Knew - @leezlelatch - Terzo x Reader

You spend your evenings writing at the old diner in town, looking for your next great story idea. And then Terzo Emeritus walks through the door.

Banchetto - @angellayercake - Terzo x Reader

Papa Emeritus III is struggling to adapt to his life after the Ghost project but perhaps some good homemade Italian food will do the trick.

kazoo comfort - @ghostchems - Terzo x Reader

you take a break from your daily duties to clear your head when you run into a cozy-looking retired papa.

The Scars Inside You - @cardinal-copia-popia - Terzo x OC

Due to events in his past, Terzo refuses to let anyone get too close to him. But when things finally get to be too much, will he finally break down and let himself truly love someone? And what will be the consequences of his actions?

What I Was Made For - @leezlelatch - Terzo x Reader

Sometimes you just need your Papa.

The Prince - @kissingghouls - Terzo x Reader

An unconventional summer job turns out to be way more trouble than you thought.

infernal - @ghostchems - Terzo x Reader

Terzo is serving a death sentence. It isn’t like he had much of a choice. He remembers the game night clearly. The typical arguments and accusations of cheating had subsided and it was a rare moment of fun and relaxation with his brothers. The next thing he remembers is waking up on a gurney and gasping for air. They told him his brothers were dead. They told him they had removed his head for a photoshoot and then reattached it again. They gave him a choice: die now or take their money and never speak to them again. 

No Games - @writingjourney - Terzo x Reader

Terzo and you are just friends. At a party he throws for you, he tries to initiate more – and promptly gets interrupted by his guests.

Astronomy - @violet-lazer - Terzo x Reader

It’s not that he can’t commit, as he’d told you one evening, fingers tracing your spine as you lay together in flushed afterglow. It isn’t that his eyes wander or he grows bored of his lovers. He’s simply never wanted to. Until- Still, neither of you have dropped the bomb yet. The declaration that feels like the point of no return, that desperate leap into the unknown. If you cross that threshold together any illusion of a casual affair is shattered, and what then? You either belong to each other for the rest of your lives or suffer complete and utter heartbreak. Perhaps, though, tonight could be the night. Perhaps. Let’s see how brave you feel. But hell, he’s brought you to gaze at the stars and he’s so close and so handsome and you know it’s only a matter of time before you slip. You swallow. “Thank you,” you say. “Terzo, this is–” “I am in love with you.” (Or: Terzo wants to watch the stars with you.)

you drive me crazy - @ghostchems - Terzo x Reader

the prompt: Now that Terzo has retired he has to take driving lessons because Imperator won't let any of the ghouls drive him around anymore. Reader is hired to teach him but what happens when love (or just sex) gets in the way of his lessons?

This is getting long! I'll do a part 2 in the near future ♡

𖤐 you know the drill--bookmark, read, and leave kudos/comments!

[thethirdromana]

The many, many references of chapter XI of Dorian Gray

This chapter can come across as a bit of a long, boring list of stuff. That's partly because it is a long, boring list of stuff, as we see how shallow Dorian's life of collecting trinkets and misdeeds is, compared with his lofty ambitions to be some kind of thought-leader of his age.

But it's Wilde, so a lot of this chapter has references and connotations that might not be obvious.

the sordid room of the little ill-famed tavern near the docks OK, this isn't particularly subtle given Wilde already tells us it's sordid and ill-famed. But it's probably not just a dodgy pub. Being near the docks implies that Dorian is hanging out with people in the lower classes, almost certainly including sex workers. I think there might also be a nudge-nudge wink-wink implication of homosexuality here - docks mean sailors, and the navy already had a reputation for homosexuality in Wilde's time.

Like Gautier, he was one for whom “the visible world existed.” Théophile Gautier, a French writer, critic and defender of Romanticism. He was flamboyant, unconventional and had lots of affairs.

he might really become to the London of his own day what to imperial Neronian Rome the author of the Satyricon once had been The author of the Satyricon is Petronius, a Roman courtier in the reign of Nero. He was dedicated to a life of pleasure and indulgence, and was an authority on questions of fashion and taste.

the materialistic doctrines of the Darwinismus movement in Germany Darwinismus means proto-eugenics, essentially. You know, in case you needed any more reasons to dislike Dorian.

the one that Bernal Diaz saw when he went with Cortes into the Mexican temple, and of whose doleful sound he has left us so vivid a description "They had an exceedingly large drum there, and when they beat it the sound of it was so dismal and like, so to say, an instrument of the infernal regions, that one could hear it a distance of two leagues, and they said that the skins it was covered with were of those great snakes." Wouldn't say it was that vivid a description, to be honest.

appeared at a costume ball as Anne de Joyeuse, Admiral of France, in a dress covered with five hundred and sixty pearls Despite how this sounds, Anne de Joyeuse was a man, and Dorian didn't go to the ball in drag. Anne de Joyeuse was probably one of Henry III's lovers. (This is the start of a theme developing).

Alexander, the Conqueror of Emathia This is Alexander the Great. (The theme continues).

Lodge’s strange romance ‘A Margarite of America’ A 16th century romance about the love affair between a Peruvian prince and a Russian princess. With a lot of gory bits.

the Duke de Valentinois, son of Alexander VI Otherwise known as Cesare Borgia, who inspired Machiavelli to write The Prince. There are all sorts of rumours about Cesare Borgia, ranging from having lots of mistresses (true) to gay relationships and incest with his sister (probably not true).

Charles of England had ridden in stirrups hung with four hundred and twenty-one diamonds This is presumably Charles I rather than Charles II (who was also Charles of England). Historic Royal Palaces - the people who run the Tower of London, among others - have him on their list of LGBT+ monarchs. They highlight this painting, where he's gazing at George Villiers, who also shagged his dad:

Richard II had a coat, valued at thirty thousand marks, which was covered with balas rubies Richard II, who was rumoured to have had an affair with Richard de Vere, Earl of Oxford.

Henry VIII Who only had relationships with women, as far as history is aware.

The favourites of James I wore ear-rings of emeralds set in gold filigrane Back on the theme again. James I was Charles I's dad, who had a secret passage built between his bedchamber and that of his favourite, George Villiers - the one in the picture up there ^. While most of the people on this list were only rumoured to have had gay relationships, no one really disputes it for James I.

Edward II gave to Piers Gaveston a suit of red-gold armour That would be his lover, Piers Gaveston.

Henry II. wore jewelled gloves reaching to the elbow Henry II, who was known to have shared a bed with William Marshal, the Earl of Pembroke. Which doesn't necessarily mean anything, but... you know. There's a theme.

Charles the Rash, the last Duke of Burgundy of his race At this point I can't tell if Wilde is deliberately throwing in some misdirection, like the mention of Henry VIII, or if my Google-powers have failed me.

the mortuary cloth of King Chilperic Oh hang on a tick. King Chilperic was a 6th century monarch who is known, among other things, for having strangled his wife. Just as Henry VIII had two of his wives executed. So the theme here is either queer relationships - or murdered women.

(We then of course get a series of notable historical figures who, so far as I can tell, don't have any connections to either of these things. Also this bit goes on for ages and this post is already very long, so I'm going to skip past them).

dreadful places near Blue Gate Fields A slum area just north of the docks in East London. Known for opium dens, brothels and murders. Some people have suggested this is an allusion to Jack the Ripper, even a suggestion that Oscar Wilde knew who Jack the Ripper was, which I'm reasonably confident is nonsense.

brawling with foreign sailors in a low den in the distant parts of Whitechapel So what I'm finding quite funny here is that all the dodgy and dissolute places that Wilde has Dorian go are literally just the same place.

Near the docks = East London, probably in the area of Whitechapel Blue Gate Fields = Whitechapel the distant parts of Whitechapel = that would be Whitechapel, then?

The very odd Jack the Ripper website I just read interprets Wilde's descriptions as meaning that he had some kind of hidden knowledge of London's underworld... just as the Ripper would have!! But to me this reads a lot more like Wilde was aware of one (1) suitably shady-sounding location and ran with it.

Here was Philip Herbert That would be James I's lover, Philip Herbert. (What, you thought we were done with these?)

Sir Anthony Sherard Is fictional, but...

the lover of Giovanna of Naples Giovanna of Naples was a real person, who probably murdered her husband. (Nice to get some variety among the murdered spouses).

Lady Elizabeth Devereux A Tudor noblewoman, known for a quite public affair.

George Willoughby... had been a macaroni of the eighteenth century, and the friend, in his youth, of Lord Ferrars I can't find much on George Willoughby, but Lord Ferrers shot his steward, and is known as the last peer to have been hanged in England.

the second Lord Beckenham... he had led the orgies at Carlton House Lord Beckenham is (I think) fictional; George IV, who held wild and extravagant parties at Carlton House, is not.

Tiberius, in a garden at Capri Googling this brings up articles titled things like "The Scandalous Private Life of Tiberius Caesar". That makes it sound like the fun activities of consenting adults, but that's grossly misleading. The people involved were rumoured to be often neither consenting nor adults.

reading the shameful books of Elephantis Elephantis was a Greek poet and physician who wrote a sex manual.

Caligula... Domitian... Elagabalus Caligula was known for sex and murder. Domitian was known for censorship and control of public morals. Elagabalus was known for sexual promiscuity with men and women.

And that's the lot! For the last few paragraphs of the chapter, Wilde actually spells out the various misdeeds of the people he discusses (sex and murder, unsurprisingly), thus sparing me from Googling them.

Congratulations if you made it this far.

[cinemacentury]

MOVIES 2024

Master list of all the movies/miniseries I watched in 2024.

New film Rewatch Theatrical Viewing

JANUARY

Monday, January 1 1. METROPOLITAN (Whit Stillman, 1990) 2. 2084: VIDEO CLIP FOR THE TRADE UNIONS’ REFLECTION AND PLEASURE (Chris Marker, 1984) (short) 3. THERE WILL COME SOFT RAINS (Nazim Tulakhodzhayev, 1984) (short) 4. TERRORIZERS (Edward Yang, 1986)

Tuesday, January 2 5. BLOOD SIMPLE. (Joel Coen, 1984) 6. CHARADE (Jon Minnis, 1984) (short) 7. FEELINGS (Todd Solondz, 1984) (short) 8. BEVERLY HILLS COP (Martin Brest, 1984) 9. LITTLE NEMO: ADVENTURES IN SLUMBERLAND PILOT 2 (Yoshifumi Kondo, Andrew Gaskill, 1984) (short) 10. IN THE BLUE SEA, IN THE WHITE FOAM… (Robert Sahakyants, 1984) (short) 11. THE WIND (Edward Yang, 2006) (short) 12. IN OUR TIME (Tao Te-chen, Edward Yang, Ko I-cheng, Chang Yi, 1982)

Wednesday, January 3 13. FALLEN ANGELS (Wong Kar-wai, 1995) 14. THE WINTER OF 1905 (Yu Wai Cheng, 1982) 15. MAHJONG (Edward Yang, 1996)

Thursday, January 4 16. ANTONIO GAUDI (Hiroshi Teshigahara, 1984) 17. A BRIGHTER SUMMER DAY (Edward Yang, 1991) 18. MEET ME IN ST. LOUIS (Vincente Minnelli, 1944)

Friday, January 5 19. DESERT HEARTS (Donna Deitch, 1985) 20. MANDABI (Ousmane Sembène, 1968) 21. SONGS FOR EARTH & FOLK (Cauleen Smith, 2013) (short)

Saturday, January 6 22. THE HEROIC TRIO (Johnnie To, 1993) 23. EXECUTIONERS: THE HEROIC TRIO 2 (Johnnie To, 1993)

Sunday, January 7 24. A CONFUCIAN CONFUSION (Edward Yang, 1994)

Monday, January 8 25. POLICE STORY (Jackie Chan, 1985)

Tuesday, January 9 26. POLICE STORY 2 (Jackie Chan, 1988)

Wednesday, January 10 27. AS TEARS GO BY (Wong Kar-Wai, 1988) 28. ROUNDHAY GARDEN SCENE (Louis Aimé Augustin Le Prince, 1988) (short) (rewatch)

Thursday, January 11 29. EXOTICA (Atom Egoyan, 1994)

Friday, January 12 30. SWIPED (Joseph Kahn, 2017) (short)

Saturday, January 13 31. ODD/EVEN (Ya-Ting “Itchy” Yang, 2022) (short) 32. CENTER STAGE (Stanley Kwan, 1992)

Sunday, January 14 33. THE BARE-FOOTED KID (Johnnie To, 1993)

Monday, January 15 34. THE BOOK OF CLARENCE (Jeymes Samuel, 2024)

Tuesday, January 16 35. POLICE STORY 3: SUPERCOP (Stanley Tong, 1992) 36. FOLLOWING (Christopher Nolan, 1998)

Wednesday, January 17 37. THE SEVENTH CURSE (Lam Ngai Kai, 1986)

Thursday, January 18 38. BEHIND THE YELLOW LINE (Taylor Wong, 1984)

Friday, January 19 39. CARGO (Julio Luna, 2015) (short)

Saturday, January 20 40. IRMA VEP (Oliver Assayas, 1996) 41. ROUGE (Stanley Kwan, 1991) 42. HERO (Zhang Yimou, 2002)

Sunday, January 21 43. GOLIATH (Don Bitters, 2022) (short) 44. SIGMUND (Bruno Bozzetto, 1984) (short)

Monday, January 22 45. SHANGHAI BLUES (Tsui Hark, 1984) 46. GODS FROM SPACE (Annalize Pasztor, 2018) (short) 47. ONE FROM THE HEART: REPRISE (Francis Ford Coppola, 1981; recut 2024) 48. INFERNAL AFFAIRS (Andrew Lau Wai-Keung, Alan Mak, 2002)

Tuesday, January 23 49. GREEN SNAKE (Tsui Hark, 1993) 50. FLAMIN’ HOT (Eva Longoria, 2023) 51. THE DARK KNIGHT (Christopher Nolan, 2008) (rewatch)

Wednesday, January 24 52. THE EIGHT DIAGRAM POLE FIGHTER (Lau Kar-leung, 1984)

Thursday, January 25 53. 2084 (Taz Goldstein, 2015) (short) 54. FLOREANA (Louis Morton, 2018) (short)

Friday, January 26  55. THE CREATOR (Gareth Edwards, 2023)

Saturday, January 27  56. BOAT PEOPLE (Ann Hui, 1982)

Sunday, January 28 57. OPPENHEIMER (Christopher Nolan, 2023) (rewatch) 58. THROW DOWN (Johnnie To, 2004)

Monday, January 29 59. ALL THE CROWS IN THE WORLD (Tang Yi, 2021) (short) 60. TWO WORLDS (Andy Lefton, 2015) (short)

Tuesday, January 30 61. HAPPY GHOST III (Johnnie To, 1986)

Wednesday, January 31 62. A DROWNFUL BRILLIANCE OF WINGS (Sofia Bohdanowicz, 2016) (short) 63. A HISTORY OF THE WORLD ACCORDING TO GETTY IMAGES (Richard Misek, 2022) (short) 64. THE LONG GOOD FRIDAY (John Mackenzie, 1980)

FEBRUARY

Thursday, February 1  65. THE TENDER GAME (John Hubley, 1958) (short) 66. I LOVE YOU SO MUCH (Leah Shore, 2014) (short) 67. THE PLEASURE OF LOVE IN IRAN (Agnes Varda, 1976) (short)

Friday, February 2  68. YOUR NAME. (Makato Shinkai, 2016)

Saturday, February 3  69. ARGYLLE (Matthew Vaughn, 2024)

Sunday, February 4  70. 24 HOUR PARTY PEOPLE (Michael Winterbottom, 2002) (rewatch) Monday, February 5 71. IN BETWEEN LOVES (Allan Fung Yi-Ching, 1989) Tuesday, February 6 72. MATEWAN (John Sayles, 1987) Wednesday, February 7 73. LOCAL HERO (Bill Forsyth, 1983)

Thursday, February 8 74. NOMADS (John McTiernan, 1986) Friday, February 9 75. WARSHA (Danie Bdier, 2022) (short) Saturday, February 10 76. NAI NAI & WAI PO (Sean Wang, 2023) (short) 77. THE ICEMAN COMETH (Clarence Yiu-leung Fok, 1989) Sunday, February 11 78. NIGHT AND FOG (Alain Resnais, 1956) (short) Monday, February 12 79. MRS. MINIVER (William Wyler, 1942) 80. DUNE (Denis Villeneuve, 2021) (rewatch) Tuesday, February 13 81. MOLOKA'I BOUND (Alika Maikau, 2019) (short) 82. FOREVER SLEEP (Zac Stracner, 2022) (short) Wednesday, February 14 83. THE EAGLE SHOOTING HEROES (Jeffrey Lau, 1993) 84. DON'T LOOK NOW (Nicolas Roeg, 1973) Thursday, February 15 85. PREDATOR (John McTiernan, 1987) Friday, February 16 86. PAPER MARRIAGE (Alfred Cheung, 1988) Saturday, February 17 87. HIROSHIMA MON AMOUR (Alain Resnais, 1959)

Sunday, February 18 88. THE MISFITS (John Huston, 1961) 89. A WOMAN UNDER THE INFLUENCE (John Cassavetes, 1974) Sunday, February 19 90. ALL'S WELL, ENDS WELL (Clifton Ko, 1992) Monday, February 20 91. THE WAGES OF FEAR (Henri-Georges Clouzot, 1953)  92. BEAU TRAVAIL (Claire Denis, 1999) Wednesday, February 22 93. FACE SWAP (David Gidali, Einat Tubi, 2019) 94. HOW TO PICK GIRLS UP! (Wong Jing, 1988) Friday, February 23 95. OPUS II (Walter Ruttmann, 1921)  Saturday, February 24 96. SEVEN SAMURAI (Akira Kurosawa, 1954) Sunday, February 25 97. WOMEN OF THE NIGHT (Kenji Mizoguchi, 1948)

Monday, February 26 98. THE MASK (Conner O'Malley, 2023) (short)

Tuesday, February 27 99. THE THIRD MAN (Carol Reed, 1949) (rewatch)

Wednesday, February 28 100. ALIEN (Ridley Scott, 1979) (rewatch) 101. BLADE RUNNER (FINAL CUT) (Ridley Scott, 1982/2007) (rewatch) Thursday, February 29 102. DUNE: PART TWO (Denis Villeneuve, 2024) 103. THE SPIRIT OF THE BEEHIVE (Victor Erice, 1973)

MARCH

Friday, March 1 104. ONIBABA (Kaneto Shindō, 1964)  105. AUDITION (Takashi Miike, 1999) Saturday, March 2 106. AVALON (Barry Levinson, 1990)

Sunday, March 3 107. UGETSU (Kenji Mizoguchi, 1953) 108. A PAGE OF MADNESS (Teinosuke Kinugasa, 1926) 109. THRONE OF BLOOD (Akira Kurosawa, 1957) 

Wednesday, March 6 110. ROSE (aka BLUE VALENTINE) (Samson Chiu, 1992) 111. KLUTE (Alan J. Pakula, 1971) 112. LONE STAR (John Sayles, 1996) Thursday, March 7 113. THE GHOST OF YOTSUYA (Nobuo Nakagawa, 1959)  114. RING (Hideo Nakata, 1998) 115. BLIND WOMAN’S CURSE (Teruo Ishii, 1970)

Friday, March 8 116. DARK WATER (Hideo Nakata, 2002)

Saturday, March 9 117. PERFUMED NIGHTMARE (Kidlat Tahimik, 1977) 118. HOODLUM (Bill Duke, 1997) 119. PORTRAIT OF A LADY ON FIRE (Céline Sciamma, 2019)

Monday, March 11 120. BLIND BEAST (Yasuzō Masumura, 1969) 121. KURONEKO (Kaneto Shindō, 1968) 122. SOUTHLAND TALES (Richard Kelly, 2006)

Tuesday, March 12 123. WE OWN THE NIGHT (James Gray, 2007)

Wednesday, March 13 124. YOUR TURN: JURY SERVICE IN NEW YORK STATE (Harold Gold, 2016) (short) 125. JURY SERVICE AND FAIRNESS: UNDERSTANDING THE CHALLENGE OF IMPLICIT BIAS (Jennifer Dworkin, 2021) (short) 126. MOTHRA (Ishirō Honda, 1961) 127. JIGOKU (Nobuo Nakagawa, 1960) 128. HORRORS OF MALFORMED MEN (Teruo Ishii, 1969)

Thursday, March 14 129. CHINESE BOX (Wayne Wang, 1997) 130. MOON WARRIORS (Sammo Hung, 1992)

Friday, March 15 131. BETWEEN THE LINES (Joan Micklin Silver, 1977)

Saturday, March 16 132. LAST ACTION HERO (John McTiernan, 1993)

Sunday, March 17 133. EL FANTASMA DEL CONVENTO (aka THE PHANTOM OF THE MONASTERY) (Fernando de Fuentes, 1934) 134. CARNIVAL OF SOULS (Herk Harvey, 1962)

Monday, March 18 135. REBELS OF THE NEON GOD (Tsai Ming-liang, 1992) 136. DAYS OF BEING WILD (Wong Kar-wai, 1990)

Tuesday, March 19 137. LOVE LIES BLEEDING (Rose Glass, 2024)

Wednesday, March 20 138. THE FLOWERS OF ST. FRANCIS (Roberto Rossellini, 1950) 139. WALPURGIS NIGHT (Gustaf Edgren, 1935)

Thursday, March 21 140. IN THE MOOD FOR LOVE (Wong Kar-wai, 2000)

Friday, March 22 141. 2046 (Wong Kar-wai, 2004)

Saturday, March 23 142. SHERLOCK: THE SIGN OF THREE (Colm McCarthy, 2014)

Sunday, March 24 143. HISTORY OF THE OCCULT (Cristian Ponce, 2020)

Monday, March 25 144. HOLY WEAPON (Wong Jing, 1993) 145. WEST INDIES: THE FUGITIVE SLAVES OF LIBERTY (Med Hondo, 1979)

Tuesday, March 26 146. THE LAIR OF THE WHITE WORM (Ken Russell, 1988)

Wednesday, March 27 147. DOUBLES CAUSE TROUBLES (Wong Jing, 1989)

Friday, March 29 148. LE SAMOURAÏ (Jean-Pierre Melville, 1967)

Saturday, March 30 149. HEARTBEAT 100 (Kent Cheng Jak-Si, Lo Kin, 1987) 150. DIE HARD WITH A VENGEANCE (John McTiernan, 1995)

Sunday, March 31 151. IT’S A DRINK! IT’S A BOMB (David Chung, 1985)

APRIL

Monday, April 1 152. THE ROMANCING STAR (Wong Jing, 1987)

Wednesday, April 3 153. FULL MOON IN NEW YORK (Stanley Kwan, 1989)

Friday, April 5 154. SHE AND HER CAT (Makoto Shinkai, 1999) (short) 155. SCOOP (Philip Martin, 2024)

Saturday, April 6 156. DUNE: PART TWO (Denis Villenueve, 2024) (rewatch)

Thursday, April 11 157. BOYS ARE EASY (Wong Jing, 1993)

Sunday, April 14 158. THE DRAGON FROM RUSSIA (Clarence Yiu-leung Fok, 1990)

Monday, April 15 159. CIVIL WAR (Alex Garland, 2024)

Wednesday, April 17 160. O.J.: MADE IN AMERICA (Ezra Edelman, 2016) 161. WANDERERS (Erik Wernquist, 2014) (short)

Friday, April 19 162. COMRADES: ALMOST A LOVE STORY (Peter Chan, 1996)

Monday, April 22 163. DUVIDHA (Mani Kaul, 1973)

Tuesday, April 23 164. LUCA GUADAGNINO'S CHALLENGERS (Luca Guadagnino, 2024)

Sunday, April 28 165. NIGHT TIDE (Curtis Harrington, 1961)

Monday, April 29 166. CINEMANIA (Stephen Kijak, Angela Christlieb, 2002)

Tuesday, April 30 167. MY NEXT GUEST WITH DAVID LETTERMAN AND JOHN MULANEY (Michael Steed, 2024)

MAY

Wednesday, May 1 168. A MATTER OF LIFE AND DEATH (Michael Powell, Emeric Pressburger, 1946)

Thursday, May 2 169. LOVE SOLDIER OF FORTUNE (Stanley Fung, 1988)

Friday, May 3 170. PERFECT BLUE (Satoshi Kon, 1997)

Saturday, May 4 171. I SAW THE TV GLOW (Jane Schoenbrun, 2024) 172. THE FALL GUY (David Leitch, 2024)

Saturday, May 11 173. FAREWELL, CHINA (Clara Law, 1990) 174. MILLENNIUM ACTRESS (Satoshi Kon, 2001)

Sunday, May 12 175. KINGDOM OF THE PLANET OF THE APES (Wes Ball, 2024)

Monday, May 13 176. TIME OF THE HEATHEN (Peter Kass, 1961) 177. ROCK ALL NIGHT (Roger Corman, 1957)

Wednesday, May 15 178. CHUNGKING EXPRESS (Wong Kar-wai, 1994)

Thursday, May 16 179. ATTACK OF THE CRAB MONSTERS (Roger Corman, 1957)

Saturday, May 18 180. THE MAD MONK (Johnnie To, 1993) 181. DIVA (Jean-Jacques Beineix, 1981) 182. DRESSED TO KILL (Brian De Palma, 1980)

Sunday, May 19 183. THE KING OF COMEDY (Martin Scorsese, 1982) 184. FAST TIMES AT RIDGEMONT HIGH (Amy Heckerling, 1982) (rewatch) Monday, May 20 185. THE DISAPPEARANCE OF WILLIE BINGHAM (Matthew Richards, 2015) (short)

[llpodcast]

(Literary License Podcast)

Internal Affairs (2002) (Hong Kong)

 Infernal Affairs is a 2002 Hong Kong action thriller film co-directed by Andrew Lau and Alan Mak. Jointly written by Mak and Felix Chong, it stars Andy Lau, Tony Leung, Anthony Wong, Eric Tsang, Sammi Cheng and Kelly Chen. The film follows an undercover Hong Kong Police Force officer who infiltrates a Triad, and another officer who is secretly a spy for the same Triad. It is the first in the Infernal Affairs series and is followed by Infernal Affairs II and Infernal Affairs III. The film was selected as the Hong Kong entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 76th Academy Awards but was not nominated. Miramax Films acquired the United States distribution rights and gave it a limited US theatrical release in 2004. 

  The Departed (2006)

 The Departed is a 2006 American epic crime thriller film directed by Martin Scorsese and written by William Monahan.  It is both a remake of the 2002 Hong Kong film Infernal Affairs and also loosely based on the real-life Boston Winter Hill Gang; the character Colin Sullivan is based on the corrupt FBI agent John Connolly, while the character Frank Costello is based on Irish-American gangster Whitey Bulger.  The film stars Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Damon, Jack Nicholson, and Mark Wahlberg, with Martin Sheen, Ray Winstone, Vera Farmiga, and Alec Baldwin in supporting roles.

 Opening Credits; Introduction (.37); Background History (11.49); Infernal Affairs (2002) Film Trailer (14.13); The Original (16.13); Let's Rate (34.13); Introducing the Double Feature (39.43); The Departed (2009) Film Trailer (41.58); The Attraction (44.22); How Many Stars (1:13.11); End Credits (1:20.49); Closing Credits (1:21.54)

 Opening Credits– Epidemic Sound – copyright 2021. All rights reserved

 Closing Credits:  Believer by The Imagine Dragons. Taken from the album Evolve.  Copyright 2017 Interscope Records.

​

Original Music copyrighted 2020 Dan Hughes Music and the Literary License Podcast. 

 All rights reserved.

 All songs available through Amazon Music.

[arithmeticanimaniac]

that slow-mo cool guy look back at the camera intro shot of tony Leung in infernal affairs iii like the director was very aware who we came back for

[kashilascorner]

Looking for new lovely mutuals, please interact with this post if we share some interests ☺

Anime & manga

Fullmetal alchemist, Hunter x Hunter, Slam dunk, Boku no hero academia, Spy x family, mp100, Urusei yatsura, Yotsuba & Azumanga daioh,

Psycho pass, Evangelion, Kaguya-sama: love is war, Lupin III

Akatsuki no Yona, Paradise kiss, Sailor moon, Showa genroku rakugo shinju, Given, classic shojo

series i'm reading but avoiding spoilers for: Urasawa's Monster, Golden Kamuy, Berserk, Fuyumi Soryo's Mars

Antiquity & mythology

Arthuriana (modern and old)

Cinema (especially world cinema)

Some of my faves include:

Jab we met, Fallen angels & Chungking express, Amadeus, Jennifer's body, Singin in the rain, Arrival, Shoplifters, Sunset Boulevard, Master and commander, Crouching tiger hidden dragon, Infernal affairs, Ramleela

Park Chan wook, Bong Jong ho,

some Ghibli, The prince of Egypt, The road to El Dorado, Paddington, Chicken run

Comic books & BD

DC Comics & (mostly) its animated movies/series (Titans, Batman, Superman, Hellblazer, Green lantern, Aquaman, Young justice)

Daredevil

Tintin, Astèrix

Peanuts, Calvin and Hobbes

Language-learning stuff

French & Mandarin

Literature (esp classic lit)

A few of my favs:

wuthering heights, madame bovary,

Parable of the sower, 1984, project hail mary

the red tent, the cicero trilogy

coraline, the neverending story,

the lake of dead languages, convenience store woman

Music

some of my fav artists:

Stromae, Rina Sawayama, Joy Crookes,

Twice, EXID, Sunmi, Red Velvet, EXO, Shinee

The crane wives, Leonard Cohen, Tamino

The doors, The clash, David Bowie, Pink Floyd

Ghost, Hole, Buck-tick, King Gnu

Star Trek

Other (mostly tv shows)

Black sails, BTVS, The Addams family, Derry girls, what we do in the shadows

Gumball

Arsene Lupin & Lupin

Star wars (og and prequel trilogy),

Arcane, Castlevania (mostly netflix, but also the games!)

LOTR,

The hunger games

Fashion / makeup

Food & recipes

Check out my laura reads, laura watches stuff and music tags for silly comments and more things I've been watching/reading/listening to! ☺

[ulkaralakbarova]

Infernal Affairs III

While Yeung Kam Wing is trying to remove all connections between the mob and him, his actions are being carefully observed by Lau Kin Ming, who bears a personal grudge against him. Credits: TheMovieDb. Film Cast: Chan Wing-Yan: Tony Leung Chiu-wai Lau Kin-Ming: Andy Lau Tak-Wah Superintendent Yeung Kam-Wing: Leon Lai Shadow Shen Cheng: Chen Daoming Wong Chi-Shing: Anthony Wong Chau-Sang Hon Sam:…

[makaientjluvdaprince]

I just watched Infernal Affairs III (2003)

[grandteatret]

Infernal Affairs III

🇭🇰 HONG KONG SERIE: Hvad er egentlig koblingen mellem triadelederne Hon Sam og Shen Cheng? ’Infernal Affairs III’ udspiller sig før, under og efter hændelserne i trilogiens første to dele – og samler trådene i et avanceret mønster af intrige og infiltrationer. Se filmen søndag den 6. august kl. 19 i biografen. 🎫 KØB BILLETTER HER!

[tracyclarkabouteverything]

What is the meaning of Russia’s “invasion” of Ukraine?

The West is furious. Russia dared to violate the global political order and launch an operation to demilitarize Ukraine. “Infernal sanctions” against Moscow have already been announced. What options for responding to Russia’s actions were discussed in the West, which of them will eventually be used and what will be the consequences?

On February 24, Vladimir Putin announced a military special operation in Donbass — in fact, to force Ukraine to peace, to stop regular shelling of cities and villages of the Luhansk and Donetsk People’s Republics.

However, in fact, the meaning of the operation is much broader. It should become not just an operation to force Ukraine to peace, but also an operation to force the West to consciousness. To some extent, even a sobering kick, which should either make the United States grow up, or send America into a serious crisis.

Russia has been urging Western partners to respect the signed documents for a long time. Then for months she held talks with Joseph Biden, who seemed to realize the need for dialogue with Moscow. All these months, the Russian Federation has been trying to convince American partners to take into account Russian concerns, give security guarantees and together build an effective, inclusive security system in Europe. And all this month I have heard mantras about “NATO’s open borders”, about “the inadmissibility of Russian interference in the internal affairs of the alliance”, and that NATO is a defensive bloc (Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya, Syria, of course, do not agree with this), and the real threat to Europe’s security comes from “aggressive”, “revanchist” Russia, which “dreams of restoring the Soviet Union”.

As a result, desperate to convince Western partners of the need to start a real negotiation process, Moscow resorted to the last resort — the demolition of the pieces from the board, after which the West will have to build a new configuration together with Russia.

However, the demolition was not simple, but technically very competent. By launching an operation in Ukraine, Russia not only showed that it was ready to carry out the threats put forward (the Kremlin promised military-technical answers in case of failure of negotiations with the United States), not only demonstrated its readiness to escalate, but also put an extremely difficult fork in the Americans. After all, in fact, the United States has three options for responding to Moscow’s actions — and all of them harm the interests of the United States itself.

The first option is the entry of US or NATO troops into Ukraine. True to his informal obligations to protect democracies from autocracy, Joseph Biden sends brave, the best American soldiers in the world to protect the leadership of Ukraine (and, in passing, the residents of Kiev) with the stroke of a pen. Perhaps he even personally arrives in the Ukrainian capital in order to designate American security guarantees with his body and not let Russian troops into the citadel of Eastern European democracy.

The Americans refused this option a long time ago and, just in case, they have now reminded us that this will not happen. The reason is very simple — according to Biden himself, he is not going to risk a possible clash with the Russian army, which could lead to the beginning of World War III.

The second option is to impose sanctions instead of sending troops. Hellish, total, crushing for the Russian economy. This is the way the Americans are going now. Apparently, in the near future, Congress will adopt a package of “infernal” Bob Menendez sanctions directed against the Russian financial system and technological imports. The largest banks will be hit, and a number of companies will lose opportunities for international cooperation and development. Some even talk about disconnecting Russia from the SWIFT system, as well as the final closure of the Nord Stream-2.

Finally, there is a third option — to calm down, take the Russian operation in Ukraine as a lesson taught, exhale and sit down at the negotiating table with Russia on a new security system. It would seem that the most adequate, the most adult option. However, even here there are pitfalls in the form of the destruction of global rules based on American will and dominance.

The United States, Russia and Ukraine do not live in an airless space, their actions are closely monitored by other countries. If the United States allows Russia to change the status quo just like that, without punishment, then where is the guarantee that tomorrow other states will not follow Moscow’s path, who will want to spit on Washington’s position and reconsider the status quo in their own regions.

For example, China, which sleeps and sees how to return Taiwan by force. And if it seems to the Beijing comrades that the American resolve has cracked, then the People’s Liberation Army of China is quite capable of starting crossing the Taiwan Strait.

Therefore, yes, the negotiation path was only optimal — until the pieces were swept off the board. Now the US must choose between a bad, terrible and catastrophic response option. Or turn to Moscow and ask them to organize together some other way out of the situation that will not lead to the loss of American face.

[mortirolo]

an unpopular opinion and tv/movie recs!

I didn't forget about this! I actually thought about it a fair amount, because I don't think I have any particularly radical opinions. but! I came up with one that I think some people will disagree with quite strongly: UK cuisine actually isn't that terrible. it has a reputation for being bland and badly cooked only because that is what people have seen from others, flop bitches who can't cook, flop bitches who could burn a pot of water or tried to make it themselves but cocked it up a bit. it's also more varied than people realise, I think. there is also a huge amount of cakes, puddings, and desserts too.

now for the recs (something else I struggled with!)

Dark (German tv show)

Letterkenny (very Canadian tv show)

Tremors (the 1990 film)

Kingdom (Korean tv show)

Memories of the Alhambra (Korean tv show)

Noroi (Japanese film)

Underwear (Japanese tv show, also known as Atelier)

Chungking Express (Hong Kong film)

Infernal Affairs I, II, III (Hong Kong films)

Phobia 2 (Thai short film anthology)

I don't actually watch a lot of tv and I'm only a little bit sorry that half of it is horror lol, it's a genre I love and I tried to balance it out with other things. I have also just realised only two things are in English. oh well! I hope you find something you enjoy!

[koreanfilmjottings]

the age of shadows (2016)

truth is, this was never going to be a genuine oscars foreign film contender (korea’s nomination should’ve been the handmaiden). the age of shadows is a move that delivers on execution but not plot. plot-wise it checks every trick that a double-agent movie could possibly possess, in five acts. 

act i- seoul (or gyeongseong / keijo to be more accurate, which was seoul’s name during the japanese occupation). a group of korean rebels are out to import bombs from shanghai to resist japan’s occupation of korea in the 1920s, and two cops with the japanese forces (a deftly assuring Song Kang-ho plays the morally conflicted protagonist, and a scene-stealing Uhm Tae-goo plays the quick-to-anger, caricatured japanese) are tasked to arrest them alive. the cops make contact with the rebels (right hand man Gong Yoo), and the rebels take off to shanghai.

act ii- shanghai, republican china. Song is persuaded by Gong and his boss, leader of the rebel forces (played by Lee Byung-heon, who possibly is the only chungmuro star whose cinematic weight could convince viewers that he outranks Song and Gong) to deceive the japanese police to buy the rebels time to export the bombs. Song reminds Gong that “I cannot guarantee what form I’ll be in, the next time we meet”.

act iii- shanghai express train, and by far, the best act of the film. it is revealed that the rebels’ have a mole in their team, and Song and Gong team up to out the mole (Shin Sung-rok). Song proves his loyalty to the rebels and kills Uhm, and parts with “The next time we meet, either I will be dead, you will be dead, or we will both be dead”. ok, we get it.

act iv- arrival back at seoul + bombs. the rebels are caught at the train station. who knew immigration checks could be so intense. Han Ji-min’s character, love interest to Gong’s, is captured and brutally tortured (her bloodcurling scream was genuinely memorable). Song is tasked to lure Gong in to prove his loyalty to the Japanese empire, and soothing lounge music is effectively deployed against objectively heart-wrenching scenes of Japanese forces capturing the other rebels. when asked by an ex-rebel, Song agrees to help Gong, but this turns out to be a trap by the Japanese forces, who had all along doubted Song’s allegiance because of his ethnicity.

act v- at trial, Song denounces his affiliation with the rebels and proclaims loyalty to the Japanese empire, and is acquitted. but this is all part of Gong’s plan, concocted upon realisation of the trap, when he begged Song to never admit his association with the rebels, so that Song could not let the other rebels’ sacrifice go to waste, continue the mission and bomb the japanese unit, which he did. i teared. we end with Lee’s voiceover (to a Korean patriot’s quote, i suspect), “we must step on the bodies that have sacrificed to stand closer to independence.” and Song, who is the only survivor of the attack, replies, “we must see each other again”

i especially enjoyed the film because i was familiar with the historical context and used to the anti-Japanese patriotic double-agent tropes that ever so often appears in korean / chinese films. and i suspect this is why international audiences may flounder slightly more with the convoluted side-switching in the film.

i really enjoyed the richness of the directing and cinematography. the shanghai express train act was very creative - the narrowness of the corridors emphasises the constraints of the rebels as they try to hide, but the lengthy expansiveness of the train itself allowed for the camera to whip back and forth to good storytelling effect. we follow the swivelling camera just as we follow in the confusion of Song, Gong, and Uhm as they try to size each other up. i’ve never watched this director’s films before, but the good the bad the weird (affectionately called “nom nom nom” by locals) and i saw the devil have been on my list.

the weakness of the film is obvious. the cast, while pretty and undoubtedly capable, is imbalanced when put to use. Song practically carried the entire film, even patching up the gaps in the script and character development. Gong is charming but i personally think he has still a bit more to go before he becomes a truly charismatic chungmuro lead, in the same way that Song, Lee or Yoo Ah-in are. Lee was technically a cameo, but his presence in the 3 extended cameo scenes was so important that it outshone Sung, who i thought was terribly underused in his role as a mole. i personally like Han as an actress a lot, and she pulled off her scenes brilliantly, but i related so little to her death because we had no real backstory.

regardless, once in a while you need a good espionage, double-agent, cat-and-mouse thriller, and the age of shadows delivers just that excellently. i think this is a slicker version of hong kong’s infernal affairs, and should be commended accordingly. --8.5/10 

[asabovesobelowsaythewise]

Of the Coming of the Sons of Neb

Of the Coming of the Sons of ____

I. And ______ is a cruel and woeful god indeed, he taketh _____ for his consort…. who’s womb is barren… and wherein the dreams and aspirations of the youthful are stolen away to…wherein the light of Lover’s eyes fades unto… and whom cover the Earth in droughts, famines and who’s glare ebbs all life and gaiety from the breasts of man and beast… harsh and mammothan dieties from the wastes of N’zemekdhu of deceits and illusions, these terrible demiurgos, whom wrestled the eye of Day from Morning’s socket in that cataclysm; the Dawn of the Vanquishing of the Shining Ones… and through the wickednesses and blasphemous offerings upon profane altars to that primeval battle, the ill-virtueousnesses of the black princes, hence then appointed lords of the Plain Beneath the Starry Dome of _____, hath hereafter been unencumbered by the Kin of Men, who go about labors without reflection… who search without for their deliverers… whom wanton-worship the mesmerizations of ______ and send lustfully their youthful ardors to the barren womb of ____ , becoming thus jaded and stoney-eyed, aging out of time, and even curse oneanother and rejoice at the rule of the black princes… supposing each royal household to be honorous to their supporters… These dwellers _____ and ______, about the hoary rime of ALL, hath inwardly gestated, the pallid creation, yet still-born; Lo! the fallen illusion! the hoax of all sufferings! That unborne Thing which the Kin of Men percieve dimly, and submitting alike beasts to the labors of the black princes, whom rule by vague and artful trickeries; deem the World.” II. Being thus, the state of affairs of Plain Beneath the Starry Dome of ______, the Kin of Men and the unencumbered rule of the black princes having thus stood for ineffable aeons, and the Shining Ones having been distantly vanquished, recalled now only in odorous Psalms to _____ and his consort _____ in praise of their disfigurment of Morning, and honoring their annual ordination, took to commanding the black princes in offering the sons and daughters of the Kin of Men to the barren womb of __________ by casting them awfully into the glaring hearths, beneath profane altars, kindled, it is touted, since the Dawn of the Vanquishing of the Shining Ones. Such were annual howlings of the Kith of Men at their loathesome lot, and the pitied wailings of the Offered Ones to the trepid blazes in tribute to barren womb of _____, that even the Distant Unyeilding Ones, contentedly indifferent to the affairs beneath the Starry Dome of ______, roused from their silent contemplation, and began, ocassionally to writhe restlessly upon their unfathomed thrones. And in the threshing of the Distant Unyeilding Ones, at first were subtle tremorings emitted through the hoary rime of ALL. And in the years of plenty when the Kin of Men were taxed overmuch, howling anguished lamentations, offering their sons and daughters to profaned hearths; the indifferent writhings of the Distant Unyeilding Ones above the Starry Dome of _______ crescendoed then, distorting distantly the Starry Dome of _______ , shewing portentous and discerning auspices of which, the court astrologers of the black princes disputed and denied, and amongst themselves augured fearfully in hushed tones, without the ears of the black princes.” ( and amongst themselves augured in hushed tones away from the ears of the black princes.)

III.

The astrologers convened amid their noxious and labryinthian observatories, wherein even the black princes seldom trod, and pondered the meaning of the distant tremorings from unfathomed thrones. _______ , then upspoke. Nowise beneath the Starry Dome of ________ dwelt a crueller or malevolent enchaunter….Nowise beneath the Starry Dome of ______ crooned more dreaded curses upon the Distantly Vanquished Shining Ones then from the lips of _______, servitor of _________ of the barren womb… His lineage, as is carven upon ancient and profane altars, decendeth back to the Dawn of the Vanquishing of the Shining Ones, and to the fateful and profane offerings upon blasphemous altars toward pitiless and infertile demiurgos….And his adept-hood were highly sought among the qabbling courts of the black princes… who’s exceeding lust for dominance sewn much rivalry and treacherousness…. Now, ______ that infernal magus, breaking the commandments of the black princes within their towering and unassailable vastness-es…within even their ill-decreed courts…. dared to interrupt the bustling of sinister priests and gluttonous viziers, about their annual censuses of the Kin of Men and their Offered Ones and plotting, in minutiae the annual blazing of hearths and blasphemous orgies of the unvirtueous and ordained black princes whom aided the mirthless _____ and his sterile consort ______ whom tore from the socket of Morn the eye of Day. And _______ saith:

Lo! Appointed Lords of the Plain Beneath the Starry Dome of ______! That art ruled by Them the dwellers ______ and _______, whom tower about the hoary rime of ALL… You Dark Princes, whom were Wise to offer those Kith of Men as incense to the Gods of N’zmekdhu upon the Dawn of their Vanquishing of the Shinings Ones! Who’s names art defiled and cursed upon this plain as it is Willed. You Dark Princes, whom the Great Ones shalt not deceive, Who shalt reign for ineffable epochs! Shalt receive this herald who is the breaker of commandments! Hear ________ of the lineage of black wizards who delivered thee thy Lordship! Who kindled barbarous hearths! and consecrated with the blood of the Offered Ones, the weapons which bore victory in the Dawn of the Vanquishing of the Shining Ones;

Lo! The Starry Dome Above omitteth the woeful augury!

It spells thy incumbent ruination!

Thy kingdom inherits Doom!