#it’s a fantasy and she’s not trying to replace Alice (even if she’s SO focused on Alan that she tends to ignore others/be insensitive)

[velvetjune]

I like how Jessica Preddy says Rose is not in love or infatuated with Alan, but it’s her third job, her life calling. the unstoppable President of the Alan Wake fan club, genuinely Alan’s strongest soldier. (Source: Remedy YouTube)

[rogue-rook]

Give It Time

In which I dabble in fanfiction for Julia/Penny

The Penny of Timeline 23 isn’t the Penny Julia knows, he’s a version of Penny that makes her feel off-kilter. Instead of the hard exterior and quippy anger she expects, he’s gentle and uncertain. He’s awkward around the others, especially Kady, conscious that he’s taking the place of this timeline’s Penny, dead and out of reach. 

But with her, he’s soft and sweet, focusing on her when she talks like she’s important, and she catches him watching her like she’s precious. She supposes she would be, to him, if he loved the other Julia and lost her to Fillory and the Beast. He was protective of her in the other timeline, in Fillory, and he almost hovered here, prepared to step between her and danger.

 Which she knew because if she focused, she could catch the flavor of his feelings. He believed in her, like Q and Kady and none of the others did, and because she was a goddess now, that belief got broadcasted right into her head. He loved the other Julia, and so to him she was a goddess like she deserved, not a girl who had been stupid enough to summon Reynard and then burned down a forest just because she could.

She knows something had changed when her god-powers broadcasted his feelings right to her, devastated and loving and angry and protective and unwavering belief in her goodness. It made her want to open a bottle of vodka and pour it directly into her mouth, because it wasn’t her. The woman he was feeling all those things about was dead.

It doesn’t surprise her to find out that Kady told him what exactly got her these goddess powers, and she doesn’t have it in her to be annoyed. Kady was all heart under all that pain, and Julia loved her for it.

She’s meditating in Q’s room, trying to help people in Fillory who prayed to her, a good distraction and good use of her powers, when he comes to talk to her.

“Julia, can we talk?” She could feel his concern for her. It felt almost..soothing.

“I know Kady told you what happened.” She opens her eyes and shuts out the prayers as best she could.

“I think she wanted me to help you.” He sits besides her on the bed.

“It was sweet of her, to want that. You know the Penny of our timeline dated Kady. She’s still really upset about this whole timeline-version thing.” As if it was something Kady could just get over.

“I can relate to that.” He says, a little wryly.

“I guess you can.”

“You said you’re not her, but you kinda are, you know. You’re not really different. It’s more like if you and I were separated for a while, and you got all your memories of our relationship taken away. You’re still you, just a little tougher, and with god-powers, I guess. Kady shouldn’t have told me what happened before you did, but I’m not sorry she did.”

“I didn’t really want to tell you. Or talk about it. The others all know about it already. It was...nice, I guess, for there to be someone who looked at me and didn’t see all of that. Q and Kady feel guilty and the others don’t really like me all that much. Margo pities me, I think. But you were seeing a different version of me instead of this version, and it was a nice fantasy.”

“It doesn’t change anything for me.” He says, looking her straight in the eye like he did when he said he was coming with her back to her timeline.

“Penny. I’m not her.” She says gently. She wasn’t . He was chasing a fantasy, a girl who didn’t exist anymore. All that was left was half a goddess with borrowed power. And she let him, because it felt good.

“Like I said, erased memories. It’s not that I’m seeing my Julia in you and getting confused. You’re the same for me, just without the memories and with new, shitty experiences. But from what Kady told me, you need someone in your corner. I’m going to do that.” He declares with finality, like he’s decided, like it’s not going to eventually bother him that he’s in love with a dead girl that’s not her. But he seems more certain than she’s ever seen the Penny of her timeline.

“You’re different from the Penny I know. He and I were never close. We only talked a little bit.” An understatement, like saying Q was a little bit nerdy or Eliot was a little bit dramatic.

“Then I feel bad for the poor bastard.” He says, amused. He reaches out and takes her hand in his, and rubs the spot on the base of her thumb that she always loves to have rubbed. A benefit of him dating an alternate universe version of her, she supposes.

He must know her pretty well. It’s unnerving, because she barely knows him. Penny 40, Penny 23, any of him. The only person she knows well now is Q, and it’s been a long time since they had any of that friend-intimacy she misses. It hurts her a little bit now to look at him, since she shoved her shade in him and basically orchestrated his suicide. Not Q-Q, but Beast-Q. The differences of timeline versions are both enormous and negligible. It was still Q, in some way, even if it wasn’t exactly her Q.

But this Penny isn’t the Penny of her timeline. This Penny looks at her all the time with those soft and affectionate looks of his, and believes in her, and it all makes her a little bit twitchy. Twitchy like she needs a cigarette, or when she was shade-less and needed to do something really destructive to feel like a person again, to forget why she felt twitchy in the first place.

She looks down at his hand rubbing hers, and feels something like an electric charge between them. Like the air is heavy and expectant. Oh.

She had seen this between Alice and Q, when she was around when they weren’t falling to pieces. Her and Marina, too, maybe, a little bit. Before thinking about Marina hurt like a hard edge in her ribs. And the Timeline 23 Marina flirted only in that habitual and sarcastically cruel way of hers, and Julia couldn’t look at her without feeling guilty. But this, she’s never experienced this before, not even with Q so long ago. This was different. This must have been what got the other Julia interested in him.

She meets his eyes, and he gives her a look, confused, but open and curious, too. He feels it too, then. It’s not just her. Maybe she’s just a replacement for a dead version of her that was never raped or shade-less, but it’s nice. To feel wanted, even as a replacement. But could she-? She feels a touch of panic and grips his hand fully. He glances down at their joined hands, surprised.

“There’s something I want to do,” She mumbles. “But I don’t know how to ask for it, or if it’ll hurt you, you know, emotionally. Can I...can I let the shields down a little and you read my mind?”

He looks more surprised, studying her face, trying to decipher what she’s not saying, but he nods. “If you want.”

She concentrates on lowering the shield and showing him what she’s feeling. She doesn’t think he’ll say no, but it’s almost too much to even ask for.

“Oh.” He breathes out. “Oh. No, that won’t hurt me emotionally. If that’s what you want. If you’re sure.” He gives her a grin, cocky and pleased. Then he leans forward, slides his free hand into her hair, and gives her what she wants.

He’s warm and solid, and kissing him wakes up a part of Julia that she had forgotten about, a part of her that still felt cut off even with her shade back and a level up in magic. She’s a person, not a victim or a goddess or a monster. A girl who likes to kiss and have sex and read about magic and make miraculous things happen. It felt good, to kiss someone who likes her. She wants to keep hissing him, wants him to kiss her harder, to make her really feel it, and she barely thinks it before he’s doing it, leaning more into her and sliding his hand around to hold her head still and kiss her harder. He’s still rubbing the base of her thumb with his other hand. Then he leans back and grins wider. “Your shields, Julia, I can still hear you,” answering the half-considered question that had drifted through her mind.

“Oh. I hadn’t considered that benefit of a psychic boyfriend.” She muses, a little dazed. A boyfriend who could hear exactly what she wanted?

He lights up, delighted. “Plenty of benefits of hearing your girlfriend’s thoughts when she wants you to,” he teases.

She smiles back tentatively. This is nice, she thinks. He’s nicer than I thought.

He nods, pretends to be solemn. “I can be nice.”

She pulls her shields back into place, uncomfortable with him hearing al her thoughts. She and vulnerability aren’t on very good terms anymore. He gives her a look of consideration as she blocks him out again. “Even when you put the shields back, I can still guess what you’re thinking. It’s really okay. I’m in your corner.” He says meaningfully. “Your corner, and not just because you don’t remember our relationship. Because you need someone in your corner, looking out for you with all this goddess power you’ve got and this stupid quest.”

“I guess I do.” She mumbles again, nervous to look him in the eyes. He brings her hand up to his mouth and kisses her fingertips, like he’s from one of those old period dramas she used to love. She feels a thrill shoot through her, something she’d half-forgotten coiling in her gut, something that feels good. She leans forward, chasing that feeling.

(read on AO3)

[misssophiachase]

So, I got this request a while ago but for some reason couldn’t answer it but have done a screen shot so I can reply. I hope you can find this Alice : ) To be honest my NFL knowledge is extremely low but I tried to incorporate some of the things you suggested. And by the way, great idea! Caroline would be an absolute boss in the NFL (she’d be an absolute boss anywhere though, right?) 

Playing to Win

Monday - Philadelphia, PA

Klaus Mikaelson hated a lot of things but nothing more than this ridiculous ‘sport’ he was witnessing from the stands. Obviously the sold out crowd at Lincoln Financial Field didn’t agree with his assessment of ‘football.’ Klaus may have been thinking it but the air quotes were still relevant. But they were Americans after all. 

Klaus wasn’t a huge sport fan, he did however appreciate real football (sans air quotes). Those Americans who called it soccer obviously did not. 

Klaus reminded himself, albeit grudgingly, he was only here for work and after he completed this one, tedious interview for Marcel he’d have his exclusive with famed artist Bonnie Bennett at her anticipated exhibition opening the following night. 

“Please tell me I’m not stuck with another Bears fan,” the older woman to his immediate right, who had been wildly cheering only moments earlier, drawled. 

“The Bears?” He asked, his lips moving before his brain could catch up. 

“You know the opposing team from Chicago?” She shot back, pointing towards the huge scoreboard across the field. “Not the brown, furry kind.”

“Oh,” he conceded, consulting it properly for the first time. “No, I’m not from Chicago.”

“I’m not sure whether to be relieved that you’re not a Bears supporter or alarmed that you seem to have no football knowledge whatsoever.”

“No need to be alarmed, it’s not the end of the world,” he quipped, flashing her his best smile and hoping to end the awkward conversation sooner rather than later. 

“You’re not the one who’s going to be hit with a barrage of questions about how the game works.”

“I’m fine, I assure you, Ma’am,” he replied politely. 

“So, what exactly is an English, clearly non-football fan doing here at a game in Philadelphia?” 

“Who exactly was going to be asking that barrage of questions?” He teased.

“Well, it’s half time. I’m bored and peckish to be honest,” she explained, before snatching his left over popcorn. “And I’m also extremely nosy when I want to be, just ask my daughter. She also happens to be single, you know in case you were wondering.”

Klaus shook his head wondering how this conversation he hadn’t entertained had turned from football to a possible blind date.

“Oh well, if she’s like you then I don’t think we’d have too much in common,” he observed. 

“For once, I think you’re right,” she chuckled before adding. “But they do say opposites attract.” Klaus mentally rolled his eyes thinking this woman was extremely persistent. 

And he was right.

She proceeded to coach him on the rules from the sidelines even though he never asked. The Eagles were triumphant and Klaus couldn’t help but feel a little buoyed by the fact as the excited crowd cheered around him. Not that he’d admit that to his insistent, but friendly, neighbour. 

1 hour later....

Caroline Forbes hated interviews.

With a passion.

So much so that her palms were sweaty and no matter how many times she ran them over her jeans it made no difference. In public she oozed confidence and professionalism but unexpected questions seemed to make her incredibly nervous.  

When she’d made her way up to the professional coaching level for the Philadelphia Eagles last year, Caroline wasn’t quite sure how she’d be perceived. 

She wasn’t the first ever female coach in the NFL. Jen Welter from the Atlanta Cardinals had become one of her inspirations in 2015 after her promotion and it had given Caroline the confidence to try and emulate her journey in the male dominated NFL. 

Of course it wasn’t an easy road. She had cheered at High School and through College, something idiotic males liked to remind her about at every opportunity. But it had been her mom, the local town Sheriff and huge football fan, who’d made Caroline believe anything was possible. 

Being named as coach was one of the best days of her professional career but for some reason the fact she was blonde and pretty was more interesting than her actual experience and CV.  

When the New York Times had approached Caroline for an interview on the eve of the finals she’d been dubious. But she had eventually relented, mainly because her publicist, and best friend since kindergarten, Katherine had threatened to reveal her innermost sexual fantasies to the press. She realised then that you should never mix business with pleasure. 

After all the jokes, Katherine had told her that Marcel Gerard was a good guy she could trust even if his wife Rebekah had some icy tendencies. 

“Miss Forbes?” Caroline had to admit the low, almost sexual rumble he emitted was messing with her concentration and she hadn’t even seen him yet. She decided to blame it on nerves.

Although upon turning around, Caroline realised her first instincts were correct. Not only did he sound delicious he looked it too. Dressed in a navy henley and dark jeans with deep, crimson lips and a set of disarming dimples this guy was not what she was expecting. 

At all.

“That’s me, who are you?” 

“Well, last time I checked, I was interviewing you for the Times,” he offered gingerly. “I’m Klaus Mikaelson.” 

“I was expecting the Sports Editor, Marcel Gerard.” Marcel was the most well-known reporter in the game and probably why she’d been so nervous to meet him. But instead she had this gorgeous replacement. 

Caroline couldn’t decide which was more nerve wracking. 

“He had to cancel due to personal issues,” he responded. By his expression and tone, Caroline knew there was more to the story.  

“Fine,” she exhaled, moving towards the couch. “Let’s get this over and done with then.”

“Charming,” he joked sarcastically, taking his place on the couch and removing his equipment. It was difficult to miss the way his henley moved up and exposed his the pale but smooth skin of his lower back. 

Caroline shook her head, wondering if being flustered was better than being nervous. “So, which team do you follow?” It was usually a safe, opening question that invited discussion and the right amount of banter. 

“Team? In the NFL?” He paused momentarily, Caroline slightly intrigued by his eventual response.

“No, the English Premier League,” she chuckled. “You know that other football.”

“There’s only one...” he shot back before stopping and intriguing Caroline more. “If you must know I’m a big Chicago Bears fan.”

“Wow, this isn’t going to be an awkward interview at all, sorry about that whole losing thing tonight.”

“I’m okay with losing,” he offered. “But how do you deal with it?”

“Well, I suppose I just take it in my stride,” she bristled. “Nobody likes a sore loser.”

“Yet, your body language is telling me something else entirely,” he observed. “You hate to lose.”

“If that’s your angle Mr Mikaelson then it’s not very original from a football standpoint. There’s nothing wrong with a healthy, competitive streak. I’m sure you feel the same way when Mitch Trubisky is making his way to the goal line.”

“Well...”

“Mitch Trubisky you say? The Quarterback from the Bears,” a voice interrupted. Caroline’s eyes diverted to the doorway noticing her familiar visitor.

“Just invite yourself in mom,” she drawled sarcastically. 

“Mum?” The curious journalist inquired, his attention now firmly focused on the door too. Caroline had no idea what was happening but it was never a good idea for her mom to be present during interviews because she liked to share each and every childhood memory no matter how mortifyingly embarrassing. 

“Liz Forbes, nice to meet you,” she greeted, making her way into the room and sitting by his side.  If Caroline was being honest, they seemed almost comfortable with each other.  “I thought I’d sit in on the interview.”

Caroline obviously had no choice and it seemed that given his confused expression Klaus felt the same way. 

Tuesday - Philadelphia, PA  

Klaus was still trying to work out when things went wrong. His only job was to interview Eagles Coach Caroline Forbes for Marcel and then move on to his real assignment.

But for some reason, rather than feeling excited for his exclusive with Bonnie Bennett at her gallery, Klaus could only replay last night’s events on a continual loop in his head.  

It had started well enough, even though he knew nothing about American Football. He’d been rattled from the outset because Caroline Forbes wasn’t what he was expecting. Sure he’d seen photos before and she was beautiful but the passionate, forthright and intelligent woman he met only made him want to know more. 

Much more.

Until her mother, who just happened to be his neighbour during the game, appeared mid interview. His mind played back to their conversation and her daughter’s single status and the fact she wanted to play matchmaker.

The interview went south very quickly and the fact he knew nothing about football was the least of his worries. It ended with Caroline annoyed that he hadn’t bothered to do his research or take her seriously. If Klaus was being honest she was right but it also had a lot to do with her mother’s presence and obvious intentions to matchmake. 

His cell buzzed indicating a call from his brother-in-law. He’d already let the last three go to voicemail so figured he should just answer. 

“What in the hell did you do?” 

“No hello, how are you, mate?”

“Don’t mate me,” he growled. “What did you do to Caroline Forbes? You do realise that her publicist has the ability to emasculate someone over the phone, right?”

“And did she?”

“No comment,” he muttered like a true journalist, telling Klaus that she most definitely had. He didn’t know the woman but his respect for her had skyrocketed in that moment. 

Although he and Marcel were brothers and now colleagues at the Times, Klaus loved to tease him incessantly. If someone had told him years ago that they’d all be working together as a family he would have laughed. They were all billionaires and the Mikaelson Publishing empire boasted a multitude of newspapers across the globe but Esther’s last wish in her will was that they’d work together on the New York Times in all capacities. 

For a family that had spent so much time apart, Esther was determined to do what she could to bring them together. Sure they fought, a lot, but Klaus had decided it wasn’t half bad. He loved the arts scene and was happy to be the editor of that section. In New York, especially, it was one of the most read, no doubt due to his knowledge and passion for the subject.   

“You realise I’m not into NFL at all, right?”

“That’s why I gave you all that information to study on the airplane, genius,” he drawled. “It is called research.” 

“I started but then fell asleep it was that boring.”

“Of course you did,” he shot back. “But I know you are the king of pretence, so what actually happened?”

“Nothing,” Klaus lied. 

“So convincing,” he growled. “What happened? Otherwise I call Bonnie’s publicist, who by the way happens to be the emasculating one, and cancel the interview.”

“You wouldn’t.”

“Then obviously you don’t know me very well after all these years,” he goaded. 

“Turns out I was seated next to her mother during the game who was hellbent on matchmaking us,” he explained. “Then she appeared during the interview and given my brief knowledge of the NFL and that added surprise things kind of became awkward and fell apart.”

“So you were attracted to her?”

“Excuse me?”

“Klaus Mikaelson can pretend in any situation, I’ve witnessed it. Seems like you really like this one. I’m sure Rebekah will be happy to know that you have a heart buried under all that hostility.” 

“You have every right to question my professionalism Marcellus but this conversation is entering into something resembling the twilight zone. And I have an interview to do.”

“This isn’t over,” he warned before disconnecting. Klaus knew he had other more pressing concerns and felt bad that his behaviour had interrupted that.

Removing his coat and scarf on entry to the gallery, Klaus looked around curiously. The artwork adorning the walls was stunning as expected but the best view was at 3 o’clock. 

He wasn’t expecting her but it seemed as if the universe was giving him a second chance. She looked beautiful, obviously it was her default setting, and was standing by the artist in question sipping champagne.

Klaus was a confident person for the most part but he felt rooted to the spot, unsure of what to do or say. This was most definitely a first.

“So, you’re the arrogant reporter Marcel sent?” She deduced. Klaus hadn’t even realised her presence until then. 

“I’m assuming you’re the woman who can emasculate without any warning? Kudos to you, I’ve always wanted that power over my brother-in-law just to mess with him.”

“I see my reputation precedes me,” she chuckled. “Marcel likes to pretend he’s the man but...”

“He’s really not,” Klaus finished. “To be fair he’s been dealing with a few issues on the home front. So, sending me wasn’t his fault.”

“I only emasculate for fun,” she murmured, a new sincerity creeping into her voice. “Marcel is a good guy and I’m sure whatever he’s dealing with will turn out okay.” 

Klaus wasn’t quite so sure but plastered the same brave face he’d mastered recently. “I’m sure. Although I’m curious why you’d let me interview Bonnie after what happened with...”

“Caroline? I’ll admit it was a concern but I’m going to put it out there and say other forces were at work last night.”

“Other forces?”

“Well, Liz for one thing. As much as I love her like a mother she can be extremely intense and nothing gets in the way of finding a suitable partner for Caroline.”

“I can concur,” he replied from experience. 

“Plus, Caroline hasn’t stopped verbally abusing you since the interview and we all know what that means.”

“Means?”

“Look, your expertise and reach in the art world is amazing so interviewing Bonnie was a no brainer. But if it leads to something else with my other stubborn client, I’m not going to be upset.”

“Something else?” She breezed past him to avoid responding. Maybe he didn’t like her that much. His eyes found Carolines and suddenly Klaus felt stuck without much hope of moving. This was most definitely a first.

10 minutes later...

Why was he here, of all places? 

Caroline wasn’t one to obsess over much but seeing Klaus here after last night was messing with her composure. After he fumbled through the interview, Caroline decided he was just like the others. For some reason it hurt more than she’d expected. 

“I can see you thinking,” she quipped. 

“I was thinking how amazing your work is, Bon,” she smiled, squeezing her hand and hoping her innermost thoughts weren’t really on display.  

“Liar,” she joked. “Not about my art. Seems like someone else has gotten under your skin.”

“Just a lazy journalist who has now turned up to interview you, I hope he treats you better than he did me.”

“Have you spoken to Liz?”

“What does she have to do with this?” Caroline murmured, suddenly perplexed. 

“Kat tells me she sat herself next to your ‘lazy’ journalist in hopes of matchmaking the two of you at the game from the outset, then turned up at the interview...”

“Oh god, no,” she hissed, head in hands. “Tell me it’s not true.” A few moments passed telling Caroline it was in fact the opposite. “If she wasn’t my mom...”

“It will be a cute story to tell your kids,” she joked. 

“Kids?” She knew it was him before he arrived at such an awkward moment. 

“An age you can relate to,” she bit out, unable to help herself. 

“Ouch,” he acknowledged. “I get it, I was a bad interviewer for so many reasons but just know it was never personal. I happen to think what you’ve achieved is amazing.”

“Oh really?”

“Yes and the fact I know nothing about football probably wasn’t the best way to meet. I’m an arts editor and was filling in but I should have made more of an effort.”    

“So, you’re not a Bear’s fan then?”

“I’m not a fan of any team,” he admitted sheepishly. “In America that is. Your mum was a really good coach when it came to it, well except for the whole matchmaking scheme.”

“And for that I am extremely sorry,” she smiled, glad that things between them had softened somewhat. She’d always been protective over her heart and it seemed easy to write Klaus off as just another ass but it turns out he had persisted. “Liz can be extremely intense.”

“I kind of liked her, even if she did steal my popcorn at half time. Plus she did coach me about everything NFL.”

“Explains a lot,” she offered. “I’d be happy to redo the interview tomorrow if you’re free and have of course studied up on the team?”

“I need to be back in New York unfortunately,” Klaus winced. “Not many people know this but my sister is unwell and expecting some test results tomorrow and it’s vital we all be there.”

Caroline didn’t need any more information, it was obvious this guy was loyal to his family. He also seemed to like her mom which was a big tick in her book. Maybe she’d misjudged him after all. 

“Of course.”

“But I’d be more than happy to reschedule when you’re free?” Caroline paused for a moment, trying to hide her excitement. 

“In the interest of full disclosure I thought you should know that I’m a Liverpool fan,” she said, her lips finding their way to his ear given the noise reverberating throughout the room. 

“Then I’m not sure you and this Manchester United fan can be friends, love,” his knowing tone telling Caroline he was smirking. “But surely we can work something out?”

“Maybe we can.”

Turns out opposites did attract and Liz Forbes was a great match maker, not that Klaus or Caroline would admit it aloud. 

[95825s]

seongwoo in wonderland

member: ong seongwoo

genre: angst + fluff (fantasy au?) (female reader x ong)

a/n: not requested! this was a plot that i made and posted long time ago and i actually liked it? i remake it a little and chose seongwoo (because of the obvious reason) also this is my remake of alice in wonderland (like 5% of it) so if it doesn’t make sense then....lol.... also it’s also because i reached 400+ followers! so enjoy reading!

you stumble upon a wooden log clumsily, almost falling onto the ground that’s covered with colourful leaves, as you manage to make yourself stand properly again

“seongwoo?” your voice echoes through the big forest, wandering around aimlessly in search of the owner of the name

the sound of your feet stepping onto the ground fills the place as your lips shut firmly in concentration, before you feel a sudden embrace from behind

“got you” the familiar mischievous voice whispers to your ear as you frown upsettingly

“you cheated again, seongwoo” you mention, turning around as you feel the embrace disappears

“i didn’t cheat” seongwoo defends himself, his lips form a cheeky grin

you let out a sigh, “it’s not fair if you use your magic…or power…whatever that is”

“well, can’t stop myself from doing it so deal with it” he replies back, his grin becomes wider, making you roll your eyes playfully

“i’m never going to play with you ever again”

“says the one who keeps looking for me to play” he states as a matter of fact, as he teasingly smirk at you while you suddenly zones out, now looking at the sky 

the dark blue sky that you always see above you, covering the whole entire place, giving you the calmness whenever you look at it 

your eyes look down onto the ground, seeing the colourful leaves around, with pretty flowers filling in, probably whispering something to each other that you never will ever know 

your feet brings you to spin around the forest, your lips form a smile, thinking about the place that seongwoo had told you, named wonderland 

“so beautiful…” the words escape from your lips, taking in the sight that never fails to amazed you once again as seongwoo stares at you, his smirk fades out, replacing by a smile that shows sadness and guilt 

“y/n” he shakes your shoulder gently, as you face back to the reality in front of you

“isn’t it beautiful, seongwoo?” your smile gets wider, with seongwoo’s face soften slowly 

“yeah,” he says, and his eyes are looking at you only, admiring your beauty once again 

“so beautiful” he murmured, his hand softly lands onto your hair, removing a piece of leave that has been there for a long time before gently soothing your hair 

you giggle, a little embarrassed over the leave being on your hair, as you quickly turn around, making him let go off his hand

“you haven’t bring me to that part of the forest” you point at somewhere, with seongwoo follows along your pointed direction

you didn’t wait for him to answer back as you run towards the unknown part, making seongwoo grows worried for you, again

you’re welcome with a crystal-like lake, shining through the water as you enter the new place, “this is amazing” you say in awe, your hand plays around in the water before you hear a soft hiss from behind

“what did i tell you about going somewhere that you don’t know of?” seongwoo turns breathless, finally caught up on you

you smile apologetically, but you couldn’t help to feel the urge of getting to know this place since you came 5 days ago, well, at least you figured it was 5 days ago

“isn’t this place called wonderland? it’s full of wonders and i’m here to explore of them” you tell him, with the sudden feeling of mesmerized over seongwoo’s features that you never really figure out what he truly is

he’s the only creature in the place that looks like a human being, a male to be exact, his small face that looks handsomely in your eyes, that also seems like he’s a cat, probably because he likes to meow at random times

and your favorite among all-- the constellation moles that he has on his left cheek, tracing like as if they’re stars, which you didn’t mind to be the only stars you needed to fill the dark empty blue sky above you

but beyond his mesmerizing appearance, you knew you are attracted to him because of his personality

his constant annoyance to you, his childish acts and even his growing concerns on you make you feel his true nature, the sincerity he has, the care he has for you is crystal clear like the lake you just found

“hey, seongwoo?” you call him, seeing a tiny frown playing around on his face, “how did you get into wonderland?”

seongwoo sigh, and shrug his shoulders, the usual thing he would do whenever you ask him that question, the question that himself wouldn’t know either

“i guess i’m just part of this place” he reasons, obvious that he isn’t sure about it, but he wanted to you to at least stop questioning it anymore

“i guess so... i mean, you seem to know a lot of this place” you mumble off, picking up some pebble on the ground

seongwoo’s eyebrows furrow, as he hiss once more, “i told you--”

“seongwoo, please, they won’t harm me” you cut him off, knowing that he’s concerning about you again

he looks at you dangerously, anger fills into him before he disappears from your sight in a matter of second

seongwoo sits on to the tall tree that he’s always at, whenever he needed space or the calm, swinging his legs lightly as he looks down to see whether you would pass by

“why are you here?”

seongwoo ignores the whisper around him, moving up his legs to lay down on the branch

“where’s y/n?”

he turns more quiet, his eyes close shut, getting fluttering in his heart with the mention of your name

“did you left her again?”

“i didn’t...” he mutters, “stop talking to me, i’m going to sleep”

“you left her, we all saw it” 

his eyes open quickly, sitting back down on the branch, “you trees have to stop looking at me”

“we can’t do anything about that... we’re stuck here to witness everything around us”

seongwoo let out a sigh, focusing to the tree that’s talking to him, “just don’t talk y/n, she has seen enough things around here”

the tree hums, whispering softer this time, “have you told her then? about the time?”

his face stiffens, “not yet” he answers, swinging his legs again, “i don’t want her to leave”

“seongwoo, she’s not safe here... you need to let her go before it gets dangerous for her”

“but--”

“let her go, seongwoo, so she can be safe”

seongwoo bites his lips, his heart feels heavy, as your figure appears at his vision when he looks down from the tree, with you wandering around the place again and with him smiling warmly after spotting you

“so what else did you find out about her today?” the tree interrupts him, and he didn’t mind, instead he gaze at you longer, and his heart softening when he sees you being happy over another pebble you found

“she’s beautiful”

you hop around the place, playing at one corner of smaller trees, letting out laughters to fill the empty forest

“having fun?” you hear seongwoo’s voice behind as you quickly spin yourself, seeing him leaning onto one of the tree

“yes, before you came” you joke, making him scrunches his nose in annoyance, “i need to talk to you” seongwoo says, his face turns serious and his eyes look into yours instensely

you blink, the rush of nervousness come upon you as you walk closer to him, “what is it?”

he brings you to sit onto a log, inhaling deeply before exhaling, “y/n... you have to go back”

“go back where, seongwoo?” you chuckle, taking it as a joke, especially when you don’t even know where did you come from

“i’m not kidding, y/n” his eyes shows emptiness, coldness, the ones you never seen before, “you have to leave this place”

“but i like it here--”

“you’re not from here, y/n” he cuts you off, a little too harshly, as your eyes widen in surprised at his words

he realizes, before grabbing onto your hand gently, “it’s dangerous here...and i don’t want to see you hurt” he says, bringing your hand to him before he kisses your knuckles lovingly

you feel your heartbeat quickens over his sweet gesture as you feel him rubbing your hand softly but you couldn’t help but to feel sadden with the thought of leaving him

“but seongwoo,” you mumbles, searching for his eyes desperately, “i came here for a reason, i can feel it” you explain, holding his hand tighter, “and i feel like... i know you, seongwoo”

you wait for him to say anything, but nothing came out from his lips and you knew he didn’t believe you... after all, who would even going to believe anything in this magical place?

seongwoo’s hand pulls away from yours, his eyes drop to look down, “please... just go back, y/n”

your hand instinctively reaches onto his hand again, as your face moves closer to him and you slowly plant a kiss onto his lips lightly before you feel your body being pulled towards him

seongwoo’s other hand places onto your neck, bringing you a lot closer than what he had expected to do, but his desire to kiss you since long time ago has finally seen when his lips are arching for more of you

desperate kisses are place on each other’s lips, his hand roams around your clothed body, with yours onto his now messy hair, before the kisses turns into playful yet teasing ones, onto your cheek and then your neck, and slowly to your collarbones

“i love you” seongwoo confesses, aware that you suddenly stop, and he panics over his words, but nothing manage to come out from his lips

you stare at him-- the feeling of happiness builds up inside you and finally your eyes tear up

“i love you too, seongwoo” you mumbles, your head hits lightly onto his chest, clutching onto his shirt, “i love you so much...”

seongwoo leans back, trying to look at you, before he smiles upon seeing you cry, “look at me”

“no, i look ugly crying”

seongwoo chuckles, “you always look beautiful to me though” he says, making you look up, as he wipes off your tears, “see? you’re still beautiful as ever”

your cheeks blush, punching gently onto his chest as you stand up, avoiding his happy grin that’s plastering on his face

“can you... bring me around... one last time?”

the reality hits seongwoo once again, knowing that you find it painful as he did, but you both knew it’s better to spend the remaining time together

the breeze flows around the place, your fingers intertwining with seongwoo’s as you stroll around with him

you wonder if this is what it’s called a bittersweet love, when you see seongwoo smiling by himself, and you could feel your heart just beating for him, and yet feeling pain as well

and his eyes look at you suddenly, making you embarrassed that you’ve been staring at him as he let out a chuckle, pulling you closer to him

“you know... i’m glad that i met you” he starts off, “even though it’s at this strange place” he says, laughing a little

you laugh along, noticing how much that laugh is rarely heard but yet it feels familiar to you

“you make me really happy, y/n... when i was alone before you came, i didn’t know happiness and love would exist” he continues on wanting to tell you everything before you leave him

“but now that you’re here... i just feel like everything is perfect” he gives you a loving gaze, “you’re perfect, y/n”

you smile shyly, getting fluster because of him again, as you stop your tracks

he raises his eyebrows in curiosity, realizing that you’re just looking at him without a word, your hand touches his hair, and then to his face, softly touching his left cheek that has the constellation moles

“thank you” you whisper, “for everything” your eyes flutter close, as you feel your heart breaks a little, “i--” your eyes opens back, only to see the familiar scenery behind seongwoo

your hand left him, as you body shifts away from him, “the rabbit hole...” you mutter, your eyes widen

seongwoo turns around, his eyes follow to where you’re looking at before his lips turn dry at the sight of the rabbit hole that the tree has told him before

his hand that’s holding your other hand lets go, letting you walk towards the hole, feeling the pain appear in his heart but he needs you to go back where you actually belong-- the place where you would be safe

“i think i came from there” and it’s like as if the hole is calling out for you, your feet begins to move by their own, your eyes focus intensely onto it  and your mind making you go towards it

but your heart, your heart beats faster like it’s telling you to stop from whatever you’re doing, to realize that you left something-- someone behind

you turn around in panic, spotting seongwoo who’s still standing but his feet moves back, retreating to the forest

you make a run for him, grabbing onto his hand tightly, his lips turn into a frown, “what are you doing?”

“come with me, seongwoo”

“what?”

“come with me” you let out a desperate cry, begging through your eyes

seongwoo utters no words, trying to process what you just said, but it’s impossible for it to happen, especially when he belongs here and you don’t

“i can’t”

“please, seongwoo”

“why?” he asks, turning breathless

“because i need you, please, i really need you” 

seongwoo licks his dry lips, staring at the hole behind you, suffocating him with the thought of possibly hurting you if he follows you

but he loves you too much to let you go so easily, that he would risk his life just to save you

you pull him closer to the rabbit hole when he didn’t say anything back, turning around to look at him, “we can do this, seongwoo” you tell him, placing a kiss on his lips

seongwoo smiles weakly, holding back the thoughts of using his power to disappear again, when he sees you, the person he loves, giving him the hope he has been wanting since a long time ago

you hold onto his hand again, intertwining your fingers with his, “we’ll make it through together, okay?”

“together” seongwoo repeats softly, holding you closer before he nods

the loud sound of beep from the machine makes you jolt up from your sleep, as your eyes quickly shifts to look at the lines moving up and down continuosly on the machine

your eyes begins to water when you see the male's chest moving softly on the hospital bed in front of you

“doctor! he’s awake!” the hurried voices from the nurses outside echoes in the hallway and into the room you’re at 

but you couldn’t hear any of those when you finally see ong seongwoo, your husband, touching back your hand gently, as you feel the happiness you’ve been waiting for when his eyes flutter open slowly

[weekendwarriorblog]

The Weekend Warrior Home Edition 7/31/20 – THE SHADOW OF VIOLENCE, SUMMERLAND, THE SECRET: DARE TO DREAM, SHE DIES TOMORROW and More!

As I started to gather what’s left of my wits for this week’s column, there seemed to be fewer movies than usual, and I was quite thankful for that. Then, a few of the movies scheduled for some sort of theatrical release this weekend were delayed and I discovered a bunch of movies I didn’t have in my release calendar to begin with, so this is a little bit of an odd weekend but still one with 8 movies reviews! I went into most of the movies this weekend without much knowledge of what they were about, probably was the best way to go into many of them, since it allowed me to be somewhat open-minded about what I was watching.

The first surprise of the week is that we’re getting another decent film from the one and only Saban Films, so maybe the VOD distributor has been using the pandemic to step up its game as well.  Directed by first-time feature director Nick Rowland, the Irish crime-drama THE SHADOW OF VIOLENCE (Saban Films), based on the book “Calm with Horses,” stars relative newcomer Cosmo Jarvis as Douglas Armstrong, known as “Arm,” the enforcer for the drug-dealing Devers family. Douglas also has a young toddler with local woman Ursula (Niamh Algar), but when his handler Dympna (Barry Keoghan) orders Arm to kill for the first time, he’s forced to rethink his career.

Much of the story revolves a member of the Devers family caught making a lurid pass at Dympha’s 16-year-old sister, leading to consequences, as Arm is sent to beat the crap out of him. For head of the family, that isn’t nearly enough and soon, Arm is ordered to kill the man. (This aspect of the story reminds me a little of Todd Field’s Little Children, particularly the Jackie Earle Haley subplot.)

As I mentioned above, I watched this film with zero expectations and was taken quite aback by how great it was, despite not having been that big a fan of Keoghan from some of his past work. On the other hand, Cosmo Jarvis, in his first major role, is absolutely outstanding, giving a performance on par with something we might see from Thomas Hardy or Matthias Schoenaerts, at least in their earlier work. Barely saying a word, Jarvis instills so many emotions into “Arm” as we see him playing with his young autistic son, Jack, trying to keep his jealousy over Ursula under control, while also being there when Dympna needs him.  Even as you think you’re watching fairly innocuous day-to-day stuff, Rowland ratchets up the tension to an amazing degree right up until a climactic moment that drives the last act.

Despite the film’s title, The Shadow of Violence isn’t just about violence, as much as it is about a man trying to figure out how to change the trajectory of his life. If you like character-based films like The Rider, this movie is definitely going to be for you. Another surprise is that the movie will be available only in theaters this Friday, rather than the typical VOD approach Saban Films generally takes, so check your local theater if it’s playing near you.

The faith-based drama THE SECRET: DARE TO DREAM (Lionsgate), starring Katie Holmes and Josh Lucas, is directed by Andy Tennant (Hitch, Sweet Home Alabama) and adapted from Rhonda Byrne’s self-help book, The Secret (which is based on a 2006 movie also called The Secret). Originally planned for a theatrical release, it’s now being released as PVOD, which seems to be the way that so many movies are going now. In it, Holmes plays Miranda Wells, a struggling widow living in New Orleans with three kids who on a stormy night meets a kind stranger (Lucas) who tries to pass on his philosophy of using positive thinking to get whatever you want in life.  

Mini-Review: I don’t usually buy into some of the faith-based movies that are released every year, but that’s mainly because I rarely get a chance to see any of them, so why bother?  I was ready to go into The Secret: Dare to Dream with a healthy amount of skepticism, because it seemed to be another movie about grand miracles… but in fact, it’s just a bland movie pimping Rhonda Byrne’s New Thought technique from her New Age-y self help book.

The idea is that positive thinking is all that it takes to get anything you want, something no less than Oprah quickly glommed onto.  While the movie doesn’t hit you over the head with such a message, and “God” is only mentioned once, it also just doesn’t seem to offer much in terms of storytelling to maintain one’s interest.

Katie Holmes does a fine job playing an amiable single mother who meets Josh Lucas’ Bray Johnson as a huge storm is about to hit New Orleans, and he seems like a nice enough fellow as he helps her replace a broken bumper (after she rear-ended him, no less) and then fixing up the house after the storm. But Bray has a secret (hence the title) and it’s in an important envelope that he hesitates to give to Miranda.

The film’s biggest problem is that there never is much in terms of stake when it comes to the drama, because Bray seems to be there to fix everything and make everything better. Miranda’s only other real relation is an awkward one with Jerry O’Connell’s long-time (presumably platonic) friend Tucker, which only gets more awkward when he surprises her by popping the question. She says “Yes” without talking to her own kids first.  The whole time while watching the film, I was expecting some sort of big Nicholas Spark level romance between Miranda and Bray, so when Tucker proposes, it throws a real spanner in the works, but only for a little while.

Incidentally, the “secret” of the title that Bray resists telling Miranda until pressured isn’t particularly groundbreaking either. I won’t ruin it. You’ll just be annoyed when it’s finally revealed.

The Secret: Dare to Dream is as generic and bland a tale you can possibly get, one that really doesn’t accomplish very much and feels more like a Lifetime movie than something particularly revelatory.

Rating: 6/10

Jessica Swale’s WW2-set SUMMERLAND (IFC Films) stars Gemma Arterton as fantasy author Alice Lamb, quietly living on the South of England in a small beachside town when she’s presented with a young London evacuee named Frank (Lucas Bond) for her to mind while his father’s at war.  Alice lives alone but many years earlier, she had a friendship with a local woman named Vera (Gugu Mbatha-Raw) that turned into something more, despite the taboo of their relationship during those times.

This was another nice surprise, and as I watched the movie, it was hard not to compare it to last week’s Radioactive, since they’re movies intended to appeal to a similar audience. This one seems to be more focused, and Arterton does a better job being likeable despite being as persnickety as Pike’s Marie Currie. Although this isn’t a biopic, it did remind me of films like Goodbye Christopher Robin and Tolkien, and possibly even Finding Neverland. (Incidentally, the Summerland of the title is a mythical place that Alice is writing about, which adds to the fairy tale angle to the film.)

As the film goes along, there’s a pretty major twist, of sorts, and it’s when the stakes in the film start to feel more dramatic as things continue to elevate into the third act. The movie actually opens in 1975 with Penelope Wilton playing the older Alice, although I’m not sure the framing sequence was particularly needed for the film to work the way Swale intended.

Summerland is generally just a nice and pleasant film that stirs the emotions and shows Swale to be a filmmaker on the rise.

Another really nice indie film that might involve a bit more searching is director Sergio Navaretta’s THE CUBAN (Brainstorm Media), written by Alessandra Piccione. It follows 19-year-old Mina (played by Ana Golja), a Canadian pre-med student who lives with her aunt, Bano (Shohreh Aghdashloo), who pushes her career in medicine, although Mina would rather be a singer. At her part-time job at a long-term care facility, Mina meets Luis (Louis Gossett Jr.), a quiet elderly patient who sits in his wheelchair never talking to anyone until Mina discovers his love for music, and the two bond over that, although Mina’s employers don’t think she’s helping Luis despite his obvious change in nature.

This was just a lovely film driven by Golja, who is just wonderful in the lead role with an equally terrific cast around her, and while it gets a little obvious, I can’t imagine anyone not enjoying this film that harks back to some of the great earlier work by Thomas McCarthy, as it follows a touching story that mixes a number of cultures in a surprisingly fluid way. It turned out to be quite a pleasant and unexpected film in the way it deals with subjects like dementia in such a unique and compelling away, especially if you enjoy Cuban music.

The Cuban already played at a couple Canadian theaters, but it will be available via Virtual Cinema and in some American theaters Friday, and you can find out where at the Official Site.

I was pretty excited to see Amy Seimetz’s new film, SHE DIES TOMORROW (NEON), since I was quite a fan of her previous film, Sun Don’t Shine. Besides having played quite a fantastic role in recent independent cinema through her varied associations, Seimetz also cast Kate Lyn Sheil, a fantastic actress, in the main role. It’s a little hard to explain the film’s plot, but essentially Sheil plays Amy, a woman convinced she’s going to die tomorrow, a feeling that starts spreading to others around her. I’m not sure if you would get this just from watching the film, because it’s pretty vague and even a little confusing about what is happening despite the high concept premise.

For the first 15 minutes or so, the camera spends the entire time watching Sheil as she cries and hugs a wall, while listening to the same opera record over and over. When her friend Jane (Jane Adams) comes over to check on her, she finds her vacuuming in a fancy dress. Amy tells her friend that she’s going to die tomorrow, and she wants to be turned into a leather jacket. Soon, after we’re watching Jane, a scientist, going down the same wormhole as Amy. That’s pretty much the running narrative, although the film opens up when we meet some of Jane’s family and friends, including Katie Aselton, Chris Messina, Tunde Adebimpe, Michelle Rodriguez and more. Soon after we meet them, they TOO are convinced that they’re going to die tomorrow. Incidentally (and spoiler!), no one actually dies in the movie. Heck, I’d hesitate even to call this a “horror” movie because it takes the idea of a pandemic that we’ve seen in movies like Bird Box, Contagion and others and sucks all the genre right out of it, but it still works as a character piece.

The thing is that the film looks great and also feels quite unique, which does make She Dies Tomorrow quite compelling, as well as a great vehicle for both Sheil and Seimetz. Even so, it’s also very much a downer and maybe not the best thing to watch if you aren’t in a good place, emotionally. You’ve been warned. It will open at select drive-ins this weekend, but it will then be available via VOD next Friday, August 7.

Next up, we have two fantastic and inspiring docs that premiered at Sundance earlier this year…

In recent years, Ron Howard has made a pretty amazing transition into respectable documentary filmmaker, and that continues with REBUILDING PARADISE (National Geographic), which takes a look at the horrible fires that struck Northern California in November 2018, literally wiping out the town of Paradise and leaving over 50,000 people homeless and killing roughly 85 people.

It’s really horrifying to see the amount of destruction caused when a spark from a faulty transmission line ignites the particularly dry forest surrounding the town of Paradise, destroying the hospital and elementary school and displacing the homeowners. This is obviously going to be a tough film to watch, not only seeing the fires actually raze the town to the ground but also watching these not particularly wealthy people having to contend with losing their homes. (It’s even tougher to watch now since you wonder how COVID may have affected the town as it’s in better shape now then it was last year.)

Using a cinema verité approach (for the first time possible?), Howard finds a small group of people to follow, including the town’s former mayor, the school superintendent, a local police officer, and others.  It’s pretty impressive how much time this doc covers, and often, you may wonder if Ron Howard was there at all times, because it seems like he would have to have been embedded with the townspeople for an entire year to get some of the footage.

As I said, this is not an easy film to watch, especially as you watch these people dealing with so much tragedy – if you’ve seen any of the docs about Sandy Hook, you might have some idea how hard this movie may be to watch for you. But it is great, since it shows Howard achieving a new level as a documentary filmmaker with a particularly powerful piece.  

Produced by Kerry Washington, THE FIGHT (Magnolia Pictures) is the latest doc from Weiner directors Elyse Steinberg, Josh Kriegman, this time joined as director by that film’s editor, Eli B. Despres. The “fight” of the title is the one between the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and the Trump administration that began shortly after his inauguration in 2017, his Muslim travel ban that quickly followed, and going up until mid-2019 when a lot of obvious civil rights violations were being perpetrated by the U.S. government.

This is a particularly interesting doc if you weren’t aware of how active the ACLU has been in helping to protect people’s rights on a variety of fronts. The doc covers four particular cases involving immigration, LGBTQ rights, voting rights and reproductive rights, and we watch the lawyers involved in four important cases, including a few that are taken right up to the Supreme Court. In following these four particular lawyers, the filmmakers do a great job helping the viewer understand how important the ACLU is in keeping the conservative right at bay from trying to repeal some previous laws made to protect Americans’ rights. 

Of course, this film is particularly timely since it covers a lot of dramatic changes, including the nomination of Justice Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court, which ends up being ironic, since he was the judge presiding over an earlier ACLU case involving a pregnant teen immigrant who isn’t allowed to get an abortion. The movie doesn’t skirt the fact that often the ACLU is called upon to help the likes of white supremacists and potential terrorist factions, since they’re about protecting everyone’s rights. I would have loved to hear more about this, but it does cover the backlash to the ACLU after the Charlottesville protests went horribly wrong in 2017.

Be warned that there are moments in this film where the waterworks will start flowing since seeing the ACLU succeed against oppression is particularly moving. If you’ve been following the country’s shifting politics keenly and want to learn more about the ACLU, The Fight does a great job getting behind closed doors and humanizing the organization.

The Fight will be available on all digital and On Demand platforms starting Friday, and you can find out how to rent it at the Official Site.

Vinnie Jones (remember him?) stars in Scott Wiper’s crime-thriller THE BIG UGLY (Vertical) about a pair of British mobsters who travel to West Virginia to make an oil deal in order to launder money. Once there, they encounter some troubles with the locals, particularly the sadistic son of Ron Perlman’s Preston, the man with whom they’re dealing.

Sometimes, as a film critic, you wonder how a movie that has so much potential can turn into such an unmitigated disaster, but then you watch a movie like The Big Ugly, and you realize that some bad filmmakers are better at talking people into doing things than others.

That seems to be the case with this film in which Jones plays Leland, who comes to West Virginia with his boss Harris (McDowell) to make an oil deal with Ron Perlman’s Preston, only for the latter’s son “PJ” (Brandon Sklenar) causing trouble, including the potential murder of Leland’s girlfriend. Of course, one would expect to see tough guy Vinnie Jones out for revenge against the endless parade of sleaze-balls he encounters, and that may have been a better movie than what Wiper ended up making, which is all over the place in terms of tone. (It was only after I watched the film did I realize that Wiper wrote and directed the absolutely awful WWE Film, The Condemned, also starring Jones. If I only knew.)  

Jones isn’t even the worst part of the cast, in terms of the acting, because both McDowell and Perlman, two great actors, struggle through the terrible material, though Perlman generally fares better than McDowell, who doesn’t seem to be giving it his all.

There’s a whole subplot involving one of PJ’s friends/co-workers (recent Emmy nominee Nicholas Braun from  HBO’s Succession) and his relationship with a pretty local (Lenora Crichlow) that goes nowhere and adds nothing to the overall story. Once PJ is seemingly dealt with, there’s still almost 35 minutes more of movie, including a long monologue by Perlman telling a sorely wasted Bruce McGill how he met McDowell’s character. Not only does it kill any and all momentum leading up to that point, but it’s probably something that should have been part of the set-up earlier in the film.

The fact this movie is so bad is pretty much Wiper’s fault, becuase he wrote a script made up of so many ideas that never really fit together – kind of like Guy Ritchie doing a very bad Deliverance remake before deciding to turn it into a straight-up Western. Wiper then tries his hardest to salvage the movie by throwing in violence and explosions and leaning heavily on the soundtrack. (The fact that both this and the far superior The Shadow of Violence used a song from the Jam was not lost on this music enthusiast.) Regardless, The Big Ugly is a pretty detestable piece of trash that couldn’t end fast enough… and it didn’t. (It played in drive-ins and select theaters last Friday but will be available on digital and  On Demand this Friday.)

Available through Virtual Cinemas (supporting Film Forum and the Laemmle in L.A) is Martha Kehoe and Joan Tosoni’s documentary, Gordon Lightfoot: If You Could Read My Mind, about the Canadian singer-songwriter who changed people’s impressions of Canadian culture, covering Lightfoots’s greatest triumphs and failures.

Film at Lincoln Center’s Virtual Cinema will premiere Koji Fukada’s Japanese drama A Girl Missing (Film Movement) on Friday, while New York’s Metrograph Live Screening series continues this week with Manfred Kirchheimer’s Bridge High & Stations of the Elevated starting today through Friday, and then the premiere of Nan Goldin’s Sirens (with two other shorts) starting on Friday. You can subscribe to the series for $5 a month or $50 a year.

Premiering on Disney+ this Friday is Beyoncé’s Black is King, her new visual album inspired by the lessons from The Lion King, as well as the new original Muppets series, Muppets Now. Since I haven’t seen either Lion King movie, I’m definitely looking forward more to the Muppets returning to "television.”

Launching on Netflix today is Matias Mariani’s Shine Your Eyes about a Nigerian musician who travels to Sao Paulo to look for his estranged brother and bring him back to Nigeria, as well as Sue Kim’s doc short, The Speed Cubers, set in the world of competitive Rubik cube solving and the friendly rivalry between two young “speedcubers.” Also, Season 2 of The Umbrella Academy will premiere on Netflix this Friday.

Premiering on Shudder tomorrow (Thursday, July 30) is Rob Savage’s Host, the first horror movie made during the quarantine about a group of six friends who decide to hold a séance over Zoom.

Amazon’s drive-in series continues tonight with “Movies to Inspire Your Inner Child,” playing Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse and Hook.

Next week, more movies not in theaters!

By the way, if you read this week’s column and have bothered to read this far down, feel free to drop me some thoughts at Edward dot Douglas at Gmail dot Com or drop me a note or tweet on Twitter. I love hearing from readers … honest!

[haleyfury]

One of the best parts of the summer is being able to read, swim, read, and tan. Did I mention reading outside in the summer is my favorite thing ever? My reading plans in July primarily focused on Book Expo ARCs and some necessary (summer) contemporaries. I actually read my three most anticipated books of the year this month, and I found myself craving more adult books and romance in July than usual! I definitely blame the latter for my love for the Off-Campus series by Elle Kennedy this year—I recently bought the first book in the spin-off series, The Chase.

The Start of Me and You by Emery Lord (reread) | 4.5/5 Stars

I enjoyed The Start of Me and You even more the second time around! And like the first time around, I spent a lot of time reading it and floating around my pool.

The Map From Here to There by Emery Lord (ARC) | 4/5

This was a solid sequel to The Start of Me and You, but I wasn’t as in love as I hoped I’d be.

Love and Other Words by Christina Lauren | 3.5/5

I liked how Love and Other Words flipped between the past and the present, but I feel like the book didn’t really bring anything I hadn’t seen before.

Unpregnant by Jenni Hendricks and Ted Caplan (ARC) | 5/5

If you thought that there could never be a thing called a ‘funny YA abortion story,’ think again and read Unpregnant when it comes out this fall.

Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo (ARC) | 5/5

I just knew Ninth House was going to blow me away, and it probably sounds ridiculous saying it because what else would you expect, but I found my favorite book of the year.

Pretty Guilty Women by Gina Lamanna (ARC) | 4/5

Pretty Guilty Women definitely makes for the perfect beach read and has some fast-paced, less complicated Big Little Lies vibes.

Mooncakes by Wendy Xu and Suzanne Walker (ARC) | 3.5/5

Cute and diverse graphic novel!

The Lady Rogue by Jenn Bennett (ARC) | 5/5

As expected because she is one of my all-time favorite authors, Jenn Bennett’s take on YA fantasy and historical fiction was everything I wanted.

Open Road Summer by Emery Lord | 4/5

I’m a little sad that I’ve finished reading Emery Lord’s published work, but Open Road Summer was a cute summer contemporary about romance, friendship and self-growth.

Maybe This Time by Kasie West | 5/5

In line with loving books that I really wanted to love, I found my favorite Kasie West book!

Hudson Valley (Nuts, Cream of the Crop & Buns) series by Alice Clayton |

As mentioned above, I’ve been craving contemporary romance lately, which led me to Alice Clayton’s Hudson Valley series. This trilogy has plenty of friendship, food and steamy romance to go around

The Fountains of Silence by Ruta Sepetys (ARC) | 5/5

I’ve been waiting over two years for Ruta Sepetys’ upcoming novel and once again, I was blown away by her beautiful and important storytelling.

The Dearly Beloved by Cara Wall (ARC) | 3.5/5

DNF: Permanent Record by Mary H.K. Choi. Major unpopular opinion here, but I was not a huge fan of Mary H.K. Choi’s Emergency Contact last year. Since so many people love her work and I’m always up for giving authors a second chance, I decided to try reading her upcoming release, Permanent Record. I really did not enjoy the writing style and Pablo’s narration/ him as a character. I read the first 120 pages and decided that it was just not the book for me.

Big Little Lies S2 (HBO) – I think I forgot to mention in last month’s wrap-up that I had started watching Big Little Lies S2. As much as I loved S1 and I did look forward to watching a new episode every week this season, overall S2 felt so unnecessary?! While the show dives deeper into big issues, like sexual and physical abuse, I felt some of the storylines were really unnecessary and the more I think about it, the more their lives would have been easier if they didn’t tell the lie. But will I watch a possible third season? Of course!

Outdaughtered S5 (TLC)- My favorite comfort reality show also returned this summer. Outdaughtered is just one of the cutest shows ever and I’m a little sad that this season was only 8 episodes.

The Man in the High Castle S1 & S2 (Prime)- I’ve been leaning towards shorter and fluffier TV shows this summer (and avoiding hour long shows as much as possible), but I decided to dive into one of the shows on my to-watch list, The Man in the High Castle. I didn’t except to love this show as much as I did! I admit I’m not a huge fan of the sci-fi-esque aspect (don’t want to be too spoilery), but I feel like it makes the show way less predictable. However, I admit that some of the politics do go a bit over my head.

Spider-Man 2: Far From Home– Spider-Man has always been the Marvel superhero I’ve been the most invested in, and like many, Tom Holland is my favorite Spider-Man. Far From Home was so good, easily becoming my favorite Marvel movie. I don’t know how we are going to wait two years for the sequel!

The Hate U Give- I finally watched The Hate U Give! I was really impressed with this movie and I loved the Angie Thomas cameo. My main/only complaint was that it felt (and somewhat was) very long.

Started watching/currently watching:

Last Chance U S4 (Netflix)

Sugar Rush S2 (Netflix)

The Man in the High Castle S3 (Prime)

Say Yes to the Dress S18 (TLC)

Reviews

CONTEMPORARY, CONTEMPORARY: July 2019 Mini Reviews

BEST MUSIC BOOK: Night Music Review

There’s Something About Sandhya Menon’s Books: There’s Something About Sweetie & As Kismet Would Have It Review

BEING IN LOVE WITH THIS BOOK: If I’m Being Honest Review

WISH I LIKED IT: Again, but Better Review

A 2019 FAVORITE & MORE: June Contemporary Mini Reviews

CONTEMPORARY, MYSTERY & FAMILY DRAMA: Past Perfect Life Review

Bookish Fun

The Book Addiction Tag

Books I Refuse to Lend

Top Five Wednesday: 2019 Favorite YA Contemporaries

Top Five Wednesday: Standalones I Wish Had Sequels

Top Five Wednesday: Waiting for Books from Favorite Authors

The Funniest Search Terms on My Blog

Highest Rated Books on my Goodreads TBR

ARCS, LIBRARY BOOKS & MORE: July 2019 TBR

I hauled three books in July. Two were purchased, including Youd’ Be Mine by Erin Hanh and The Chase by Elle Kennedy. The third was Your Heart is the Sea by Nikita Gill, which was kindly sent to me by Thought Catalog.

  I unexpectedly got the iPhone XR and I’m freaking in love with it. I was managing pretty well with my iPhone 6- I had some problems here and there with it and I had just recently gotten the battery replaced- but my family decided to take advantage of a Verizon sale and upgraded our phones. I try not to be phone obsessed, but the XR is just so cool! I’m loving the battery life (I can go 2 days with regular cell phone use without charging), the Face ID is so cool, and the camera is pretty great for a cell phone. If I’m too lazy to take my camera out for some bookish photos, the XR will definitely do.

Taylor Swift dropped another song from Lover, “The Archer.” I really love the lyrics, but not totally in love with the beat? Based on the three songs that have been released so far, I’m interested to see how cohesive the vibe of her seventh album.

Marissa Meyer is coming out with four new books between 2020 and 2023, including two contemporary romances! The first contemporary romance is titled Instant Karma, set for release in November 2020.

What did you read and watch in July? Share in the comments! 

READING BOOKS & BOOKS: July 2019 Wrap Up One of the best parts of the summer is being able to read, swim, read, and tan.

[trxgicfairytale]

iwp for the scene that happened in canon thing

Send me a scene that happened in canon and I’ll write in detail how my muse felt in it!

As much as she enjoyed hosting tea parties, Maddie knew she would never feel as comfortable anywhere else in the entirety of Wonderland than she did in her citadel.

(Apart from bringing her to live with the ex-Hatter, and giving her the name Madeline, gifting her with this citadel was the only nice thing the Queen had ever done for her.)

She knew every inch of the darkened citadel like the back of her hand, every nook, corner and cranny.

As soon as they’d gone through the Looking Glass after making their ultimatum to the White Rabbit, Maddie had headed inside to change (and warm up a little, but no one needed to know that part).

The outfit she wore was heavier now, less easy to move in, but she enjoyed how wearing it made her feel immensely. Her outfits, her costumes, her hats, they were all a sort of armor for her.

Her plan was falling into place better than she could’ve ever dreamed, the thought made her dizzy with something akin to euphoria. After years of getting only halves, finally something in her life was going right.

“Morris, bring in the bait.” She said, unable to keep the smile off her face as she lightly touched his chest. If her outfit had allowed for more movement, she might’ve twirled. But since she couldn’t, she’d content herself with just thinking about how everything she’d ever wanted was finally within her grasp.

There were only a couple more obstacles in her way: Alice and the queen herself, and soon hopefully neither of them would ever be a problem for her again.

She stepped to the left as she sang and pondered how good it would feel to be rid of Alice. The woman she’d been compared to, and deemed lesser than, ever since she was a child.

The score she had to settle with Alice was twenty one years in the making. And the best way to do that was through Chloe. Hearing the tank coming her way, she snapped out of her fantasies.

“Last stop! End of the line!” She said. “We’ve arrived at the terminal phase of our trip, Chloe!” Bringing her hand-half closed into a fist-to her mouth to look like a microphone, she lowered it as she moved over to where Chloe was tied to the side of the tank, her feet resting on the grate along the side of the tank. “Did you enjoy the ride?” She asked, though in all honesty she really didn’t care whether Chloe had enjoyed the ride or not. It was no skin off her back either way.

To the kid’s credit, however, if she was scared she certainly wasn’t showing it. “I’m beginning to suspect you’re not a marriage counselor at all!”

Maddie ignored her and kept talking. “On behalf of our entire flight crew, welcome to your final destination-the citadel of Looking Glass Land, where the current temperature is a cold wind in August.”

“And objects in the mirror are grosser than they appear!” Morris added, and a genuine laugh bubbled from Maddie’s lips.

“For your own safety, please do not unfasten your seat belt until your head has come to a complete stop.” Maddie said as Morris untied her and set her on her feet.

“Well I’ll report you to your principal!” Chloe retorted, and Maddie admired her guts.

She knelt down to speak to Chloe. “There’s only one person above me in all of Wonderland, kiddo,” Maddie tapped on Chloe’s nose with each word. “And not for much longer.” Standing upright, she turned to Morris. “Take her to the tallest tower.” With a click and a beep, the tank was starting up again. “But! She is not to be harmed. At least not yet!” She said as Morris grabbed Chloe by the arm and started to tug her away.

“Oh, you’re looking at such a lawsuit!” Chloe responded, looking annoyed. Maddie really did admire the kid’s spunk. She went back to singing as she watched Chloe tugged away by Morris, before facing forward again.

“I’ll write the ending of your tragic fairytale!” She sang, knowing full well how true this was. They couldn’t both coexist. One of them had to fall.

And she was determined that it wouldn’t be her.

She’d fought for too long for that to be the case.

“Hatter!” The voice of one of her guards once again snapped her from her fantasies. “A group of five have broken through the mirror!”

It took her a couple of moments to tally up the math, but when she did, she knew she had the best joke ever. “That’s 35 years bad luck for them!” She said, laughing at her own joke as she walked over to him. “Was Alice from the realm of Queens among them?” She asked, closing her eyes as she waited to hear that was the case.

“Yes, but the others fought so fiercely that Alice and a very adorable rabbit were able to evade us.” He responded, and for a moment it felt like anger replaced the blood in her veins.

“Search every square of the land until she is found. And bring me the imbeciles you captured!” She snapped, waving her hand to dismiss him. As long as Alice was roaming about, she could still screw up Hatter’s plan.

And she couldn’t have that. Under any circumstances.

Her singing was much angrier now, much more impassioned. And when Morris and her guards brought Jack the White Knight, the Cheshire Cat and the Caterpillar in, she turned her head to look at them. “Poor Jack, laugh track, sad sack,” She faced forward again but looked at him once more. “fallen hero!” And again she looked away. “Bad news, you lose, light the fuse! See how the mighty stupid have fallen.” Maddie didn’t bother trying to hide the disdain in her voice as she turned to approach them. “Most of my prisoners get their brains turned into tapioca, but you three? I’ll reduce your collar size. By a good sixteen inches!”

“You don’t frighten us.” Jack, ever the brave knight, spoke up.

“Sure she does!” However, the Cheshire Cat disagreed.

“What is your problem, lady?!” And the Caterpillar didn’t seem to feel strongly one way or the other.

“Why do you have it in for Alice?” Jack interjected, barely even giving her time to formulate a response.

She didn’t owe him a response, not by a long shot. But she found herself answering anyway. “Before I laid it to ruin, the fields of this kingdom formed a chessboard.” She shrugged as she spoke again. “Where the rules state that two pieces,” She knelt down in front of Jack, focusing on him. “cannot occupy the same square at the same time. One of them must take the other.”

When she was a child, the ex-Hatter taught her how to play chess. He went over it with her multiple times so she knew the rules by heart, and he never let her win (not that she would’ve ever wanted him to do so). The first time she check-mated him, she was fifteen years old.

She thought of that now. “You’ll come to me, Alice!” She said as she rose to her feet. “I’m holding a little pawn you dare not sacrifice.” She glanced at her three prisoners. “And your friends will not be alive to help you.” That out of the way, she looked at her guards and Morris. “Prepare the prison, for a festival of executions!” Maddie made no attempt to conceal how excited she was over this. Why should she? They were on her turf now. She called the shots here.

“Don’t go to no trouble for us!” The Cheshire Cat spoke again and, for someone who’d admitted outright that she frightened him, she had to admire the lack of fear in his voice.

“Yeah, we’ll just bench press weights in the gym!” The Caterpillar’s voice, however, had taken on a shaky tone.

Jack was standing now, no longer on his knees. “Cowards die many times, Hatter. The valiant die but once.”

She turned to look at him, and with each word she spoke, she walked towards him. “You’ll find, White Knight, that once will be enough.” She said when she was right in front of him. Maddie took great pride in the brief spark of fear that seemed to light up his eyes after she said that, before raising her hand and letting them be taken away.

Facing forward again, she let herself be drawn back into how good it would feel to rule over all of Wonderland once the Queen was dead.

“I am the ending of your tragic fairytale!” She sang loudly. “You die, I thrive, and so it goes: There is no way that I can fail! I will prevail!” Feeling triumphant and better than she had in years, she turned, swirling her coat behind her in the process and headed out of the citadel.

There were a few pieces that had yet to fall into place before she could revel fully in her success.