#iris burton

[rio-forever]

River Phoenix with Iris Burton

[bebemoon]

look for the name STELLAE (requested by @im-not-good-with-names) | alexander mcqueen by sarah burton pale silver armour-sleeved cage corset dress (s/s 2o19), { beauty } makeup including silver metallic oversized lashes by simone gammino, mugler "angel: silver brilliant star" eau de parfum (in limited edition holiday crystal-studded bottle), colombe d'humieres purple zircon stud earring, iris van herpen leather-bound crystal heel-less heels

[simena]

Iris Burton

[detroitlib]

View of two fishermen in a river at Cadillac, Michigan. Printed on front: "Trout fishing near Cadillac, Mich. 9." Printed on back: "Pub. by the Heyboer Co., Grand Rapids, Mich." Handwritten on back: "Dear Cousin Cora, Sorry I cannot make your place this time Iris is at home and we feel we must get home as soon as we can. We are having a good time so far. Trust you are well. Best wishes to AE & yourself." Card is postmarked August 1929.

Burton Historical Collection, Detroit Public Library

[cuntyko]

alll righty on to the met gala looks that did the job... and did it correctly in no particular order ofc cause I don't have time to do rankings or anything... plus I would add zendayas look but I feel like everyone has seen both of them everywhere but yea she did the damn thing.

Taylor russell for Loewe

this is like renaissance art... Loewe? more like Louvre. like absolutely sickening

Erykah Badu for Comme Des Garçons

duh... ok at first I didn't like it with the theme.. but then I thought about it and like sure its not giving fairytale princess but that's not Badu so her wearing something from rei a more avant grade designer is like her way of fitting with the theme so I appreciate that... plus I really like the look

Teyana Taylor for The Blonds

YES! YES! YES!!! like her cavaliers benchwarmer ex husband had to admit she looked drop dead gorgoussss no other words. im not familiar designer but it doesn't matter in fact kudos to her that's dope.

Chloe sevigny for Dilara Findikoglu

she ate the theme down that's all I gotta say... this is what I expected to see more of like STANDARD

Sienna miller for Chloe

I love this I feel like it gives woodland fairy it totally encompasses her boho vibe its not that out there which is why I kinda struggled to where I liked it for like any red carpet atmosphere or if it actually fit the theme but again I do feel like its true to Sienna miller's style so ill give it to her.

precious lee for Bad Binch TongTong

again not familiar with this designer but come on do you see those wings the crystal details WOW just wow

Mona Patel for Iris van Herpan

gagged... fav look of the night period... idc idc and the arm pieces moved... STOP just stop

Dove Cameron for Diesel

yes... I saw how she her and her team came to putting this look together on vogue and I just loved how she described it I couldn't have said it better so im not gonna try. but this is again one of those looks where I was like yes read the invite and followed it to a T

Harris Reed for Harris Reed

again renaissance art... sculptural gorgeous both of these looks by Harris reed actually

Demi Moore for Cartier and Harris Reed

giving queen of hearts... yes I love the silhouette

Queen Latifah and Eboni Nichols for Thom Browne

I really don't have much to say about this one I just rlly like it its just soooooo Queen Latifah so yesss auntie you betta work

Eliza Gonzalez rivera for Del Core and Cartier

this dress literally looks like a flower petal and its just sooooo pretty.. I couldn't not say anything

Amelia Gray for Undercover and Messika

I really really like this look... I like how out there it is ... I think its like wicked step sister in a Tim Burton movie I think its really cute idk

Laufey for Atelier Prabal Gurung

pretty sure the theme was like sleeping beauty something something and this dress is deadass giving aurora slay....

Ivy Getty for Conner Ives

in love with this look and I don't have much to say besides that... miss girl nailed it

Jodie Turner-Smith for Burberry and Chopard

absolutely gorgeous and I love the all white with the dark eye makeup and dark blue accents absolutely stunning

Nicki Minaj for Marni

this is so onika and I love it she's like the kitchy fairy godmother like this is how I imagine her in the beginning of my beautiful dark twisted fantasy

Barry Keoghan for Burberry

ok victorian slayyyy and I love the brown velvet and the silver details yess.

Jessica Biel for Ralph and Cartier

again... aurora slay its really about the color and the hair with this look for me... do I digggg the feathers? no but idk it works for the theme

Lana Del Rey for Alexander McQueen

YESSSSSS motherrrrr y'all should know by now I loveee me some Alexander McQueen baby and the lil rose touch... yes a lot of people where just throwing flowers on their looks just to "be on theme" but you can tell this is intentional it works here and she deadass is giving woodland storybook princess

lil nas x for Luar

I really like this look and the draping and the silhouette I think it looks very posh like a wedding cake topper... honestly one of my favorite looks from him... ever

Nelly korda for Oscar del la Renta

at first I thought maybe this dress was too busy and it made it look like a grandma dress HOWEVER I do kinda like how cooky and kitchy this looks maybe I would put the hair up but other than that I kinda diggg this look

Elle Fanning for Balmain and Cartier

Gorgeous regal wow and the shoulders they look like birds pulling cinderella dress up as she was getting ready or whatever... and I love how theres no necklace cause it totally wouldve distracted from this beautiful dress.

Aurora James for Ana Khouri

I diggg the drapery like Taylor Russell and the wood bodice and the wooden jewelry such a nice touch but this definitely is giving renaissance art

[sexiestpodcastcharacter]

Who is the Sexiest Fictional Podcast Character?

After a Round 2 which saw 28,069 votes on 32 polls, we are on to Round 3 of the tournament! This time we are finally bringing in characters from Welcome to Night Vale.

Round 1 Masterpost

Round 2 Masterpost

Round 3:

Scripted Bracket

Isabel Lovelace (Wolf 359) vs The Witch Queen A.K.A. Daughter Dooley (Old Gods of Appalachia)

Sir Caroline (The Penumbra Podcast: Second Citadel) vs Alé (The Penumbra Podcast: Second Citadel)

Peter Nureyev (The Penumbra Podcast: Juno Steel) vs Antigone Funn (Wooden Overcoats)

Mabel Martin (Mabel) vs Oleta (Within The Wires: Season 1)

Everyone from the Strange Case of Starship Iris vs Static Man (Archive 81)

Mina Murray (Re: Dracula) vs Georgie Crusoe (Wooden Overcoats)

Yaretzi (Hello From The Hallowoods) vs Hera (Wolf 359)

Tim Stoker (The Magnus Archives) vs Renée Minkowski (Wolf 359)

Unscripted Bracket

Glenn Close (Dungeons & Daddies) vs Taako (The Adventure Zone: Balance)

Lup (The Adventure Zone: Balance) vs Chine (Friends at the Table: Sangfielle)

Gable (Campaign: Skyjacks) and Nicky Close (Dungeons & Daddies) vs Fourteen Fifteen (Friends at the Table: Twilight Mirage)

Killian Fangbattle (The Adventure Zone: Balance) vs Suvirin “Suvi” Kedberiket (Worlds Beyond Number: The Wizard, The Witch, and the Wild One)

Tender Sky (Friends at the Table: Twilight Mirage) vs Moonshine Cybin (Not Another D&D Podcast: Bahumia)

Amber Gris (The Adventure Zone: Ethersea) vs Ibex (Friends at the Table: COUNTER/Weight)

Ver'million “Millie” Blue (Friends at the Table: PARTIZAN) vs Kravitz (The Adventure Zone: Balance)

Adelaide Tristé (Friends at the Table: Seasons of Hieron) vs Hella Varal (Friends at the Table: Seasons of Hieron)

Night Vale Bracket:

Cecil Gershwin Palmer vs Steve Carlsberg

Erika vs Francis Donaldson

Deb, a sentient patch of haze vs John Peters (you know, the farmer?)

The Glow Cloud (Sr.) vs Josh Crayton

Dana Cardinal vs Susan Wilman

Earl Harlan vs Dr. Sarah Sulton

City Council vs Amelia Anna Alfaro

Hiram McDaniels vs Joseph Fink

Dr. Carlos Dave Robles the Scientist vs Lee Marvin

Huntokar vs Nazr al-Mujaheed

The Faceless Old Woman Who Secretly Lives In Your Home vs Eunomia the General

Michelle Nguyen vs Fey

Kevin vs The Man in the Tan Jacket

Maureen Johnson vs Kareem Nazari

Station Management vs Leonard Burton

Old Woman Josie/Josefina Ortiz vs Simone Rigadeau

[the-bar-sinister]

I was just curious in general haha I've seen you being into a lot of fandoms so I was wondering how long the list would be (sorry I'm kinda nosy) I personally don't mind sharing!

I also have a long ass list, and a good bunch of them I haven't even talked about in my blog still xd I think I've seen your list for One Piece one time, would you mind sharing it again? I'm also curious about Ace Attorney and Resident Evil if you don't mind. Would love to talk about your f/os sometime, your insights are super interesting even if I don't know the source material haha

Ahhh, you're so kind! <3 We all love talking about our f/os, even if we get flustered some times XD So please always feel free to ask away!

One Piece:

🔪🔪: Buggy, Mihawk, Doflamingo, Daz, Robin, Smoker, Galdino, Vivi, Hancock, Basil, Luffy

🔍⚔️: Law, Vergo, Crocodile, Sugar, Baby 5, Dellinger, Uta, Diamante, Monet, Violet, Mihawk, Buggy

🎀💖: Zoro, Sanji, Boa Hancock, Nami, Law, Bon Clay, Smoker, Katakuri

💪🔫: Ichiji, Rebecca, Katakuri,Yonji, Reiju,

Ace Attorney:

💻🔪: Klavier Gavin, Apollo Justice,Phoenix Wright, Lana Skye, Datz Are'bal, Vera Misham

😼🔪: Ema Skye, Kristoph Gavin, Nahyuta Sahdmadhi, Maya Fey, Apollo Justice

🔍⚔️: Nahyuta Sahdmadhi, Kristoph Gavin, Ema Skye, Datz Are'bal, Trucy Wright, Klavier Gavin

🎀💖: Prosecutor Godot, Trucy Wright, Jake Marshall, Sister Iris

💪🔫: Shih-Nah, Shi-long Lang, Dick Gumshoe, Byrne Faraday

Resident Evil:

🔪🔪: Donna Beneviento, Albert Wesker, Chris Redfield, Daniel Fabron, Jill Valentine, Jack Krauser, Zoe Baker, HUNK

🔍⚔️: Leon Kennedy, Billy Coen, Nikolai Zinoviev, Helena Harper

🎀💖: Jessica Sherawat, Raymond Vester, Sherry Birkin, Jake Muller, HUNK

💪🔫: Albert Wesker, Jill Valentine, Rebecca Chambers, Barry Burton, Piers Nivans, William Birkin

Why is (x character) not listed? I've seen you talk about them before as an F/O!

We've listed only the current system members who are doing self ship stuff in the last couple of months. There are more who do it sometimes, but they haven't been active either at the front, or doing self shipping depending.

I'm also only listing our main and primary F/Os for each because if I listed every one we'd be here all week XD

[0blunt]

HI FOLLOW ME

im 16 these are things i like

shows: always sunny in philadelphia, impractical jokers, spongebob, pen15, bobs burgers, american dad, skins, gilmore girls, derry girls, beetlejuice artoon

movies: coraline, thirteen, girl interrupted, the spongebob movie, anything tim burton, matilda, IT

music: icp, baebadoobee, alex g, ayesha erotica, sydney gish, lana, iris bilisky, SDC, conan gray, penelope scott, kimya dawson, kesha, radiator hospital, car seat headrest

random: living dead dolls, monster high, painting, diy, clothes, minecraft, wendigoon

[moviemunchies]

Before this movie came out, there were some reservations about it–whether it would be good, or if it would even be released. There were problems with the state of the DC movie universe, for starters, and the weirdness going on with Warner Brothers management. Despite all of that, the guys at Warner Brothers insisted that this movie was coming out, and that it was “one of the greatest superhero movies ever made.”

It is… not.

Barry Allen is the Flash–a founding member of the Justice League and the fastest man alive. Upon getting a better grip on his power to travel through time, Barry decides that he can prevent his mother’s murder and clear his father’s name through a very simple switch-up. So he does that; except he’s thrown out of the timestream unexpectedly to his eighteen-year-old self’s life, where his mother is alive and he’s in college. 

Except everything’s changed! Because changing history isn’t only going to change the present, it also disrupts everything else, so Barry’s now in an alternate timeline. And in this timeline, Zod is invading and Barry can’t find Superman or the League around to help. So he’s got to figure out how to save the world, and then get home.

Yeah, it’s another loose adaptation of Flashpoint.

This movie was being billed as the thing that was going to reset the DC continuity for the movies and put it in the new state for Superman: Legacy. Except watching it, the movie is plainly not that at all–the way the universe is left at the end of this movie is not really compatible with whatever they’re doing with the new DC movies. The end result is that the movie feels pointless in its conclusion, a funny little one-off that affects nothing.

It’d be more forgivable if we’d had more time with this iteration of Barry Allen/the Flash. Instead, much like Superman in Snyder’s movies, we’re skipping straight to big stories without developing these characters enough to care. And now we’re getting no more of Barry Allen, or at least this Barry Allen.

Which is kind of a shame? Because I went into this out of curiosity, and I didn’t expect that much from it. I remember for the first third of the movie or so, I was having a surprising amount of fun. I liked this version of Barry. I enjoyed seeing his interactions with his fellow Justice Leaguers, and I thought about how I’d love to see more of these characters interacting. I’d love to see more stories about Barry, but I don’t think we will, at least not anytime soon.

Also, Ezra Miller went kind of insane in the last year or so, and that’s probably an admittedly good reason as to why they’re not rushing to make more anytime soon.

The multiverse is pretty weak here–people have written pieces as to why we’re all sick of the multiverse by this point, and that’s fair. Other than the main Plot itself, where Barry is in an alternate timeline, it only really comes up in the climax, to sort of say, “Hey! We remember all of these past DC iterations! Do you?” Okay, fine, that doesn’t make it good storytelling. It’s not terrible, it’s just not great, either.

Michael Keaton’s a fun Batman. I’m going to be honest with you–I never had much attachment to the 1989 Batman. I liked this take on Batman, though I don’t know if that means he should have replaced Ben Affleck, or even the Thomas Wayne from the comic; the decision to reference the Burton film felt more like fanservice than something that actually made sense.

Also! Question: why does Iris like Barry? By the end of the film, she’s clearly interested in him, and while we know he’s a great guy, the way he’s acted towards her throughout the movie isn’t very appealing from her point of view. She should be incredibly skeptical about his prospects as a romantic partner, if anything. It seemed like a typical ‘Nerd guy gets The Girl’ Hollywood trope than actually writing for the characters.

This movie feels like it’s had a dozen reshoots added to it, to try to make it appeal to more fans through references, and to try to make it fit or not fit in a new DC universe. And while it’s great fun at times, I’d have preferred if the movie only tried to tell a singular story. I would like an actual Flash movie that had Barry interacting with his own supporting cast and rogues gallery–because Flash has an amazing rogues gallery! Thawne! Zoom! Captain Cold! Mirror Master! These would be fun on a massive blockbuster budget!

And it’s pretty darn egregious that, with everything that’s going on in Warner Bros, that they canceled Batgirl, a film with a female Hispanic lead, and kept straight on with this, when its star has actually committed crimes and threatened people.

I don’t know! I had more fun watching this than I expected, and that was a nice surprise! At the same time, this far from “one of the greatest superhero movies ever made” that was promised–I don’t know how someone even arrived at that proclamation, unless the executives decided “nostalgic references to previous movies” counts as quality. Given the state of Hollywood, that’s a possibility.

If you’re a massive DC fan, or liked other movies in this iteration of the DC universe, than you’ll probably have some fun with this movie. But is it a must-watch? No. Not even close.

[heartsbreaking-migrated]

MUSES I WANT MORE PLOTS/THREADS FOR! -kára hrafn (marvel) -lisa castle (marvel) - all of my the boys muses on @toomagic (send memes to them through this blog) -jules miller (freaks and geeks) -maisie redfield (obx) -caroline mills (spn) -emily crimm (ted lasso) -rafaella flores (ted lasso) -alejandra rojas (ted lasso) -beatrice de martell (the originals) -cecelia de martell (the originals) -alysia diaz (911/911 lone star) -stevie burton (911) -sabrina tyler (911) -heidi bergmann (gossip girl) -dawn byers (stranger things) -dani carter (stranger things) -katherine harrison (the walking dead) -kirby bennett (fandomless stunt driver) -iris beaumont (fandomless actress) -gabrielle gao (fandomless assassin) -savannah hayes (fandomless influencer) -analise peters (fandomless ice skater) -ginny zhang (fandomless rockstar)

[crumbs-and-creatures]

[Lore Dump]

LORE DUMP TIME!!!! Gods and deities have fucked eyes that will be the bane of my existence.

The gods have two "phases" of eyes, having three parts to it. The outermost part is a sort of clear dome that the "pupil" slides over so they actually "look" at things. The middle is a solid color plate that slides to cover the back(First phase). The back part looks like a hole in the skull, each god having a sort of "environment" in them(Second phase)

Sea Fairy having a mini version of the sea in her eyes, from the hydrothermal vents to a reef near her uppermost eye. (She has 7 of em)

Millennial Tree having a clearing in a forest.

Fire Sprit having a volcanic landscape. (Four bug eyes)

Wind Archer having a field of wildflowers.

Sugar Swan having a hazy pink lake in a dark area.

Stormbringer having a constant thunderstorm.

Moonlight having a cave with pillars of moonstone.

Cream Unicorn having a little carnival.

Sugar Cube having a Tim Burton looking carnival.

And Slushy having like, blue shave ice in piles on a deep blue landscape.

Sometimes, if you catch em at the right time, you can see a tiny version of themselves, sometimes someone else as well, in their eyes! Like, little figures playing in CU's carnival, or Moonlight sleeping in her cave!

Deities have eyes that look like balls of (usually colored) resin with bits floating in them, usually stationary, but sometimes they move, depending on the deity and how long they've been a deity and how close they are to a god(physically) on the daily. They can pull a "shell" of white over the eyes to help them blend in better, but, what would count as the iris and pupil can never be covered.

Cloud has, you guessed it, clouds! They shift slightly, and do tend to change with what clouds he's making!

Rain has rain, hail, and even snow in their eyes, sometimes their eyes look like they have two "parts", the inner one and a clear shell, letting the pupil stay stationary, but then the floating bits spin!

Wind Has a flurry of feathers that move like little beads in water as they move, with a small nest at the bottom! (Thanks to staying close to Stormbringer the longest)

Frost Queen has snow and hail, but sometimes rain, sometimes fish and frogs when she's really stressed and freaking out! There's a snow pile forming at the bottom of her eyes, likely from spending so much time with Sugar Swan.

TimeKeeper has gears, like if you submerged a clock in resin! They look like gold covered copper, and so some places looked chipped.

Pure Vanilla has orchids in his yellow eye, and vines of feather like leaves on the other. Both stationary, as he's never even met a god, other than SF once.

[aragonlediagon]

Brilliant art styles like yours don't just spawn into existence. Where'd ya get that?

Thank you very much! (Love your works too btw!)

My inspirations are mainly visual kei bands like malice mizer (and japanese gothic brand moi meme moitie to an extend), the shironuri subculture, japanese & indonesian folklore and arts, and nature in general :)

But if you want to know specific artists names: alphonse mucha, tim burton, jean lurçat, lots of iris van herpen and jean paul gaultier's works

[positivelybeastly]

~10 Fandoms/ ~10 Characters/ ~10 Tags

Tagged by: @kylo-wrecked

Tagging: anyone who wants to do it, no pressure. Beware below the cut, there's a ton of names and not a ton of exposition because that's 100 characters in total and I can't talk about how much I love them all individually or I would be here for the rest of my week. :P

Marvel Comics

Beast (so unexpected!).

Emma Frost.

Spider-Man.

The Wasp.

Daredevil.

Bishop.

The Thing.

Mr. Sinister.

She-Hulk.

Sabretooth.

Star Trek

Worf.

Christopher Pike.

Christine Chapel.

Charles 'Trip' Tucker.

Carol Marcus (TWOK).

Hugh Culber.

T'Ana.

T'Pol.

Nyota Uhura.

Nog.

James Bond

Tracy Bond.

Natalya Simonova.

Felix Leiter (Jeffrey Wright).

Valentin Zukovsky.

Melina Havelock.

Franz Sanchez.

Alec Trevelyan.

M (Judi Dench).

Elektra King.

Vesper Lynd.

Resident Evil

Jill Valentine.

Carlos Oliveira (remake).

Moira Burton.

Leon S. Kennedy (original and remake).

Marvin Branagh (remake).

Claire Redfield.

Sherry Birkin.

Sheva Alomar.

Albert Wesker.

Alex Wesker.

Persona

Makoto Nijima.

Ryuji Sakamoto.

Yukiko Amagi.

Toranosuke Yoshida.

Margaret.

Nanako Dojima.

Akihiko Sanada.

Haru Okumura.

Kanji Tatsumi.

Sojiro Sakura.

Supermassive Games

Sam (Until Dawn).

Jacob (The Quarry).

Dylan (The Quarry).

Mike (Until Dawn).

Salim (House of Ashes).

Fliss (Man of Medan).

Josh (Until Dawn).

Ryan (The Quarry).

Chris (Until Dawn).

Jason (House of Ashes).

Star Wars

Leia Organa.

Obi-Wan Kenobi.

Zeb Orrelios.

Chopper.

Padme Amidala.

Lando Calrissian.

Count Dooku.

Qui-Gon Jinn.

Finn.

Poe Dameron.

Doctor Who

Donna Noble.

Ninth Doctor.

Bill Potts.

Third Doctor.

Seventh Doctor.

Ace.

Ianto Jones.

Martha Jones.

Pete Tyler.

Adelaide Brooke.

Kaiju Movies (it counts!)

Gamera (90s trilogy).

Shin Godzilla.

Tamura (Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla).

Anguirus.

Mothra (KOTM).

Iris (Gamera 90s trilogy).

Legion (Gamera 90s trilogy).

Tsutomu Osako (Gamera 90s trilogy).

Hedorah.

King Ghidorah.

DC

Poison Ivy.

Tawky Tawny.

Jim Gordon.

Catman.

Bane.

Alfred Pennyworth.

Bloodsport (James Gunn).

Black Mask (Emancipation of Harley Quinn).

Silk Spectre II.

Lobo.

I have types, as you can probably tell, and it's probably just as obvious which fandoms I'm super into and which ones I enjoy more casually.

[thegeneralreturns]

IF I ABSOLUTELY HAD TO RANK THEM: The Academy Award nominees for Best Picture

10. Maestro - With its dialogue gaudily written in a style reminiscent of the Golden Age of Hollywood--keeping all of the cadence and none of the wit--kudos must be given to co-writer, co-producer, director and star Bradley Cooper for making a movie about the first great American conductor of classical music that's utterly fucking excruciating to listen to. And as an actor, he doesn't find a character here, getting lost in an impression and hiding behind prosthesis. He did give one of the best performances of 2023, but it wasn't as Leonard Bernstein, it was as Rocket Raccoon. Though I will say this film is impeccably made, and even though he can't make a connection himself, he did a great job in setting up Carey Mulligan to succeed. She gives one of her best performances as Bernstein's long-suffering wife. Bradley Cooper is a wonderful director, and he's a pretty good actor once he gets out of his own way. But could someone who loves him please tell him to step away from the typewriter?

9. The Holdovers - Da Vine Joy Randolph is the front-runner for the Best Supporting Actress Oscar. And she deserves it, as the rest of The Holdovers can't keep up with her. Alexander Payne's early-seventies boarding school pastiche is all artifice and cliche (most of the time agreeably so, I'll admit), but when Randolph's school cook starts emotionally cratering in a very real, visceral, uncomfortable way, the movie seems to wake up... only to lull itself back to sleep once the camera is off of her. I have often said that one can only review the movie one is given, but, well, I'd have paid the premium price to go see the movie about Da Vine Joy Randolph's Mary. As it stands, I'm glad I caught The Holdovers on Peacock.

8. Poor Things - If Tim Burton suffered from a permanent hard-on, this is the movie he would make. Yorgos Lanthimos' feminist, socialist riff on the Frankenstein story has a lot of ideas and a ton of jokes that land, only for him to vanish up the prolapsed asshole of his own technique. It feels as though we're assaulted on the quarter-hour with iris shots and fish-eye lenses that seem to serve no other purpose than to inform the audience that this film is capital D Directed. I recommend this movie, don't get me wrong. It's smart, it's hilarious, the sets and costumes are impeccable, and Emma Stone gives an all-time belter of a performance. But it's really frustrating to have all this in the hands of a director that's the equivalent of an eight-year-old who wants us to watch him do cannonballs in the pool.

7. American Fiction - Cord Jefferson's American Fiction was sold as a biting satire of the inherent racial prejudices of the American literary industrial complex, from publishers looking for authenticity to the heaps of plaudits delivered by guilty white readers who want to bear witness to black misery without being told how much they suck for that. But I gotta tell ya, I think Jefferson could have gone farther. He could have been a little bit more vicious, went for blood, because what we're left with a satire that doesn't really seem to be mad at anyone. But the human drama and comedy that exists apart from that? That works wonderfully. Jefferson populated his film with real, loveable people that any audience would want to spend more time with. It's only surprising that Sterling K. Brown got nominated for an Oscar if you haven't seen the movie yet. And Jeffrey Wright's transformation into America's brainy, slightly depressed uncle continues apace.

6. Barbie - It was a cultural juggernaut that made all the money in the world, and spawned enough thinkpieces to choke a team of Clydesdales. Did its admittedly lofty ambitions jibe with its tone and approach? Not always. But did its jokes land? Yes, Barbie was the funniest movie of 2023. But I don't think I can say what hasn't already been said... Except America Ferrera was really good. I'm serious, I saw people get all butthurt about her Best Supporting Actress nomination, but these people couldn't reason their way out of a wet paper bag that was open already. And this isn't even about that monologue, either. Ferrera provided an oasis of plausibility in the middle of all this neon pink madness. Never once does she wink at the camera, or dive in and join the scenery chewing. She's funny, but funny in a real way that provides much needed counterweight to the musical numbers and jokes about Skipper dolls with expanding boobs. If it weren't for America Ferrera's work, Barbie would have been caricatures bouncing off of one another, and any weight this movie has is a testament to her skill. She was given a truly thankless task... Or it would have been, if she didn't get that nomination. Good for her.

5. The Zone of Interest - One does not explain Jonathan Glazer's The Zone of Interest, one can only experience it. A man and his family settle down into their new house, only the man is the commandant at Auschwitz, and the twentieth century's greatest evil is happening just beyond the garden wall. We never venture into the camp itself, we never see what goes on, but for one-hundred-and-five minutes, we hear it. This family idyll is constantly underscored by gunshots, screaming, barking dogs, and the ever-present drone of the crematorium. This is one of the most unsettling experiences I've ever had watching a movie... the first time around. I don't think it would work dramatically for a second viewing. For as much mileage as Glazer gets out of his approach, it's still a gimmick. Not a cheap gimmick, mind you. It's a free-range gourmet gimmick from a place that's hard to pronounce, but a gimmick nonetheless.

4. Anatomy of a Fall - I don't know whether to ding Justine Triet's plug for the website didshedoit.com before even the studio's logo at the beginning, or to commend her for it. It tells us what kind of movie we're in for. A man falls from the balcony of his French chalet, and it's determined that it was either suicide, or he was pushed by his wife, and we spend the next two-and-a-half hours going through interrogations, investigations, re-enactments, and a full-blown trial trying to get to the bottom of a question that we were told at the beginning, through the mention of that website, that we weren't getting an answer to. It's only arrogance if Triet can't pull it off, and she very much does, presenting us with information in a way that leads us to question how we got to our conclusions. I'm usually resistant to movies that try to get us into a dialogue with ourselves, but the answers I got from... uh... me, were quite enlightening. I think it's odd that the Palme D'Or went to a simple courtroom movie, but as far as simple courtroom movies go, it's the best I've seen in decades.

3. Oppenheimer - Those who claim that Oppenheimer glorifies the life of the father of the atomic bomb quite frankly haven't seen it. I have never seen a biopic that holds its subject in such lively, blistering contempt as this one does. Cillian Murphy's J. Robert Oppenheimer is a man blundering towards a scientific breakthrough that will irrevocably worsen the world, and the only one who can't see it is him. Christopher Nolan's usual icy disregard for the people at the center of his narrative mazes comes off, in this case, as a kind of deadpan disapproval of a man who, brilliant though he may be, just can't see the train coming. Geniuses are still just men, only their mistakes are an entire magnitude larger, and virtually unfixable.

2. Past Lives - What a wonderful movie this is. A boy and a girl in Korea separate after her parents emigrate to America, only for them to reconnect decades later in New York, after she's married someone else. But the held breaths and things left unsaid aren't just romantic, but encompass the entirety of both their lives. It's not just about lost love, but lost opportunity, and being a stranger to themselves had one other thing gone different. Boy loses girl, and the realm of possibility winnows down to one for both of them. More than what these people say to each other in Celeste Song's marvelous debut, but what they don't say. What they can't admit to themselves. What they think the other can't take. Past Lives is quiet and delicate, but boy is it powerful.

And the Best Picture of the Best Pictures is...

Killers of the Flower Moon - This is a master working at the height of his powers. This is a top-shelf effort from the greatest filmmaker the United States has ever produced, depicting in minute detail the slow-motion genocide of the Osage people for oil money in the 1920s. At the center of this is Leonardo DiCaprio's Ernest Burkhart; a dimwit roped into this evil by his charismatic uncle, played by Robert DeNiro. It is through the lens of Burkhart that most of this story unfolds; a man whose grief and good intentions and convictions melt away once someone stronger and wealthier than he is tells him to do something that violates them. Now, there are some who recoil at this approach, preferring instead to center more on Ernest's Osage wife Mollie (played in a performance for the ages by Lily Gladstone). And I want it known that I'm sympathetic to this view. The movie they want may very well have been a great one, and it may very well have been better than this one (Hey, anything's possible), but it wouldn't have been this movie, which I wouldn't trade for anything. Mollie Burkart is the kind of character that would be the hero in another film, but Martin Scorsese doesn't make movies about heroes. He makes movies about weakness and failure. Hell, his movie about Jesus centered on a hypothetical moment of temptation. If Ernest Burkart hadn't existed, Scorsese would have had to invent him.

[hexie-mountain]

the way tk and carlos handled iris’ disappearance was mature, yes carlos was upset and i’d rather he not have kept quiet when tk was blaming himself and taking his silence as confirmation that carlos blames him too but in 4x01 carlos already regrets being so distant and uncaring towards iris “im a terrible friend” and now he probably feels like its his one shot to fix now what he didn’t back then cuz she’s back in his life

tk shouldn’t have gone behind carlos’ back especially after they agreed to give her time but its not like carlos openly blamed tk and they still talked exchanged “i love you”s. you fight in relationships you sulk but you still love each other

also i wonder if the “run in with the mother nobody wants” is that woman donna burtons mother (iris’ patient who she says she goes looking for)

[carewyncromwell]

“Are we too far apart? Two worlds among the stars? You’re gonna take a piece of my heart if you leave... So it’s two separate ways, Or am I too late to say, I wanna fight for what we got? ‘Cause I believe in family...in family...”

~“Family” by TobyMac

x~x~x~x

I gotta say, I didn’t think I’d become so attached to Carewyn’s youngest cousin Tristan when I decided to write for him in that one drabble I did, but...yeah, here he ended up as a young adult with Carewyn in my sketchbook! Go figure! XD

But yeah, this is Tristan Cromwell, age 18, and dressed to the Goth Victorian nines. Yes, that is his aesthetic -- he would’ve 150% been that Tim Burton-obsessed weirdo kid, if he’d been raised in the Muggle World. I see this being him reaching out to his now-nearly-30-year-old cousin Carewyn at the Ministry of Magic, specifically talking at that one fountain in the center Atrium, which has gone through some changes since its pre-Wizarding-War days and especially since the Wizarding War itself. As you can see, Tristan’s grown up a lot since he appears in that drabble -- a bit personality-wise, yes, but definitely physically. Tristan ends up being the tallest and lankiest of all the Cromwells at 5′11″, making him both an inch taller than his father and the same height as his deceased grandfather, Charles. It also means he towers over Carewyn, the smallest Cromwell at 5′3″.

Despite his and Carewyn’s differences, though, Tristan as a young adult really becomes all the more motivated to fix the rift in his broken family. (I’m not joking, while working on this, I must have played Scott Shattuck’s cover of Waiting on a Miracle a good twenty times, imagining it as a theme for adult!Tristan.) As Blaise’s only son and heir, he’s presumed to be the one who’ll have to take on the mantle of leadership for the Clan, even while the youngest of the Cromwell cousins, so Tristan feels an obligation to do what his father has been unable to and bring Carewyn, Jacob, and Lane back into the fold. One lesson Tristan does internalize that Blaise never does, however, is that love is about sacrifice, not just possessive control...a lesson bolstered by his interactions with his favorite "bastard cousin,” Carewyn. I could even see Tristan seeking out Carewyn’s help with getting a position at the Ministry as an adult, since his father’s influence is far less than Charles’s was back in the day and Tristan’s lack of real-world experience, connections, and social skills hampers him in his job search.

“I’m a Cromwell! I’m not supposed to have to struggle to get the respect owed me.”

Fortunately for however proud and entitled Tristan is thanks to Blaise’s toxic influence, he also is painfully aware of his duty to his family and is determined to be the best Head he can be...even if it required him taking a desk job he’d be miserable at.

“Wouldn’t I, what, prefer to do something else? Obviously. I’ve been locked up inside nearly my whole life -- you don’t think I don’t wish every day I could just pack my bags and go running off into the sunset on some whirlwind adventure, the way your brother does? Hell, reckon even your precious Quidditch player’s able to do that sometimes, with how much travel he must get up to...

“...But...I can’t. Not when it’d break Father’s heart. Not when the whole Clan needs leadership, and just about all of them presume it has to be me. It’s not like it could be anyone else, really. Elmer’s not the leadership sort, and Arsen and Kain...they can’t even score a promotion with the Hitwizards, let alone take charge of the Clan. And Heather, Dahlia, and Iris, feh -- the Manor would probably get burned to the ground in a week if they called the shots.

“I was raised to do this, by my father. I have to do this, the way he has -- but I can’t do it his way. Not just because the Cromwell name’s been tarnished and Father can’t help me get ahead the way Grandfather did for him, but because...well...”

“...You’re not your father.”

“...Yes. And...if anything is going to get better, with our family...if I’m ever going to make things right...I can’t be like him, either. No matter how much I love him and no matter how much I want to make him proud...if I’m going to make that dream come true, I have to do things my way.

“So just...put in a good word for me, will you? Maybe Father’s word doesn’t have weight here at the Ministry, but yours does. You’re the Ministry’s Star Prosecutor, after all. Even if I do have to be stuck indoors all day, well, at least it’ll be a different ‘indoors.’ And I know Father will be pleased, if I ended up in your Department. Sure he’ll see it as the perfect excuse to try to lure you back home...”

Tristan’s lips were curled up in an amused, mischievous smirk, when he said this: one that made him more closely resemble that thirteen-year-old boy Carewyn had seen back at the Cromwell Manor during the War.

As one can expect, Carewyn didn’t flaunt her influence around to get Tristan a job the way he wanted...but, feeling some compassion for her cousin, she did line up several promising Ministry internship opportunities for him -- one with the Department of International Magical Cooperation, one in the Department of Magical Games and Sports’s office closer to Quidditch League Headquarters, one at St. Mungo’s sponsored by the Accidental Magical Reversal Squad, and even three for the Department of the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures. None of those opportunities, however, were in Wizarding Law. 

Sorry, Tristan -- but I think you’ve had more than enough of being stuck indoors.

After much deliberation, Tristan selected one of the internships for the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures, specifically the one that required him to work with the Dragon Research and Restraint Bureau, exploring more humane methods of transport for the creatures across Muggle-occupied areas. Tristan’s extensive knowledge of magical creature anatomy ended up being very helpful in this task -- though the best part of the experience, by far, ended up being when he was able to finally see a real-life Welsh Green for the first time. After only ever knowing such creatures as models and drawings in books, Tristan almost couldn’t breathe when he was able to actually reach out and touch one, with his own hands.

Blaise would probably be more than a little disconcerted about his son ending up so close to such a dangerous creature -- but in that moment, Tristan couldn’t keep the huge grin off his face as he ran a hand gently along the dragon’s comb, rubbing his wet eyes on his sleeve. He’d never been so happy in all his life.