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whoops-im-obsessed · 5 years ago

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The Prince of Egypt West End Review! (Spoilers for the west end production and the movie)

So I was lucky enough to see this show in previews today, and I have a lot to say about it, so here I am, rambling about it. Here we go!

Ok so first up bc it was in previews and I saw the 4th ever performance I've gotta list the errors, but honestly there weren't that many.

There were a few mic problems, Moses' mic wasn't on for a second during some dialogue, and there was the same problem with Tzipporah later on but they were both fixed very quickly.

Secondly, one of the dancers fell off the staging. Oops.

And thirdly one of the dancers bailed out of his flip but recovered so well that my mum didn't even notice it.

Thats it.

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Ok next the STAGING

It was gorgeous, very simplistic but very beautiful,

There was a raised platform in the middle in a kind of raggedy shape that looked like a country (it wasn't Egypt) that took up most of the stage

There was a trap door and hydraulics in the middle and very back of the stage and there were 2 panels and some tassel things that were used for projections, which were very good might I add.

Any additional scenery was either set up or made up of the dancers

Like seriously these people would stand completely straight for entire scenes holding a block above their heads just,, being a wall

That takes strong arms, good on you.

It's in the Dominion theatre which is honestly perfect for it, not so small that it was cramped but because its not massive the stage never looked empty.

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Ok now I'm just gonna ramble about it start to finish

Act 1

The show started with just one man walking onto the stage whilst the overture played, then just as the trumpet stopped he cracked a whip and everyone came on for the start of 'Deliver Us'

There was a lot of whip work in this show and honestly I am here for it, it was cool even if it did make me jump pretty much everytime.

'Deliver Us' was honestly beautiful, I would have paid a full price ticket just to see this one song

The vocals were so incredibly powerful that if I were to go on stage while they were singing I probably would have been blown away

Yochved (Moses's mother), young Miriam and young Aaron ran around the stage trying to get Moses to the river and the dancers acted as walls and places to hide from the guards which was p cool

Yochved was played by Mercedesz Csampai who is a powerhouse

Idk what else to say about 'Deliver Us' other than it was frickin amazing

Young Miriam actually interacted with Tuya which was fun albeit a little weird when Tuya didn't question the presence of a random Hebrew girl in her palace.

THE DANCING WAS AMAZING

Honestly I have so much respect for these dancers, they absolutely carry the show

In multiple scenes they lie down and roll across the floor to transport things which is top-notch blocking if you ask me

The end was amazing and v powerful, again I would pay full price just to see it.

NEXT SONG

Since there are only 6 songs in the original film, Stephen Schwartz wrote 10 more for the stage - most of which were good

The next song was about Moses and Ramses' chariot race and it was called 'Faster'

The best part about this song was that the dancers acted as the chariots and did some very crazy things with their bodies, big respect

Other than that it was quite mediocre tbh

There was some fun dialogue afterwards

The dialogue was kind of stunted in the first act, but as they got into act 2 it was a lot better

Then there was another song sung by Seti (pharaoh) which became a recurring theme throughout but wasn't all that astounding

Then Moses sang about leaving footprints in the sand which was v emotional and beautiful

Also Luke Brady???? Fuckin angel in disguise?? This man has a very sweet voice

Then some other stuff happens

Moses talks to Seti, Ramses gives himself a hard time, there's a reprise, pretty routine

Then we meet Tzipporah and she does some cool song and dance

And THEN there was some noice angst bc Moses runs after Tzipporah and meets Miriam and Aaron and then gets told he's adopted and has a nice angsty sing about it

Hhhh the projections were sooooo good in this show, during this song there was a scene where Moses finds out that Seti killed all the Hebrews and they're in a room where the walls are made of dancers and there are hieroglyphics projected on to them, and then some of the dancers came to life and one of them turned into Yochved and one of them fully came out, re-inacted a scene from the beginning and then went back into the wall and appeared to turn to stone and it was v emotional and cool

And THEN there was 'All I Ever Wanted' where Moses sang a lot and it was v pretty

Ok this is getting long and we're not even halfway through act 1 so imma break and then do a part 2

#the prince of egypt #the prince of egypt west end #the prince of egypt musical #musicals #musical theatre #gary wilmot #stephen schwartz #london #the west end #west end #egypt #moses #review #dreamworks #dreamworks theatricals

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moshymosh · 5 years ago

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The Switch pt 10

A/N: This part is a heart jerker Im sorry please forgive me everyone

Pairings: Bucky Barnes X Stark!Reader

Summary: One woman’s dream and one man’s drunken mistake. Will things turn out ok or will things go downhill

|Previous part | Next part|

Y/N sighed as she continued to set out the food in her kitchen for Monet's party. Her thoughts were turning against her with Bucky's response last night.

Once the part was going, Bucky walked in, smiling at his daughter playing in the living room with her other toddler friends. Bucky looked around as she walked towards the sound of Y/N's voice. Once he reached her, he smiled and leaned in to kiss her cheek. "Hey."

Y/N smiled up at him. "Hey." She turned her cheek to him when she saw him leaning in.

Bucky pulled back and looked down at his feet. "Can we talk about last night, I couldn't sleep, the energy thing."

Y/N put her hands up and shook her head. "Bucky, No, can we just forget about that?"

Bucky shook his head. "It's worth talking about because it's something-"

Bucky was cut off by Nathan stepping up beside Y/N and sliding his arm around her shoulder, Y/N slid her hand on Natha's back. "Bucky, you remember Nathan?"

Bucky nodded and shook Nathan's outstretched hand. Bucky smiled at him sarcastically before looking at Y/N. "Where's the gift table?" He asked her, holding up a present in his hands.

"It's over there." Y/N said as she pointed to a table in the corner of the living room that was piled with gifts for the birthday girl. Bucky nodded at her instruction and went to go put his gift down. After he put his gift down, he leaned against the wall beside Steve, watching Y/N laughing at something Nathan said. Bucky growled lowly, but Steve still heard it.

"Jealous much?" Steve asked as he looked at the grumbling man beside him, only receiving a grunt in response.

All of a sudden, a high pitched wail rang out in the apartment, causing Y/N, Nathan, and Bucky to all turn to the source. Seeing a mother grab her child who was playing with Monet. Monet continued to cry, Nathan, who joined by Y/N quickly rushed to the girl. Nathan kneeled down in front of Monet, trying to soothe the girl.

Y/N looked at the mother who pulled her child away from Monet. "What happened?"

The woman shook her head. "I don't know."

Y/N gave her steely look, tilting her head to the side at the thought that this woman had the audacity to lie to her. "Monica, you suck at lying, so tell me what happened."

Monica trembled at her steely tone of voice. "Jessica threw one of Monet's toys at her, and it hit her in the face." She said, her voice getting softer as she finished speaking.

"Get out." Was all Y/N said to the woman, turning to see Monet pull away from Nathan and running to Bucky with open arms. "Daddy!" Monet cried as Bucky leaned down and scooped up the toddler when she was in range.

Everyone was quiet for a moment before the party continued on. Everyone seemed to walk on eggshells around Y/N for the rest of the party.

Bucky helped clean up from the party. Y/N avoided last night's conversation at all costs. Once they were finished, they went their separate ways for the night.

Over the next two weeks, Y/N and Nathan went on several more dates. Nathan invited Y/N to come with him for a weekend trip up to his family's cabin in New Jersey.

Bucky was lounging on his bed, trying to find something to watch on TV when Y/N called him. "Hello?" He answered when he turned off the TV.

"Hey, James, sorry to call you this late, but there's something I need you to do for me. I'm stuck at Nathan's cabin in New Jersey, and I can't get a ride till the morning." Y/N explained.

Bucky chuckled to himself. "Of course, Y/N anything for your doll."

Y/N giggled at his use of the word doll. "You might retract that once you do what I need." Y/N sighed. "Monet is staying with one of her friends from daycare, But I just got off the phone with the girl's mother and Pepper. Her friend's mother said she has lice, so she's bringing Monet back home. Pepper is bringing the stuff you need to treat it, you got a pen ready?"

Y/N began to explain what to do as Bucky wrote them down. Once Monet and the supplies arrived, he began to do as instructed, once he put Monet to bed, he called Y/N again when the little girl put up a fight on going to bed.

"Bucky? What's wrong?" Y/N asked sleepily.

"Sorry to wake you, but Monet won't go to sleep." Bucky said softly in the doorway to Monet's bedroom.

"Ugh, she hasn't done that for a while. Ok, put me on speaker so she can hear me. When I'm done, she will be asleep, so just tuck her in and make sure you take the baby monitor." Y/N said on the other end of the line.

Bucky nodded and put his phone on speaker. "Ok, she can hear you."

Y/N sighed and cleared her throat, once Bucky heard her began to sing, he felt time stand still.

"Hush now, my baby, be still love, don't cry.

Sleep as you're rocked by the stream.

Sleep and remember my last lullaby.

So, I'll be with you when you dream."

Y/N hummed softly to give herself a breath.

"River, oh river, flow gently for me.

Such precious cargo you bear.

Do you know somewhere where he can be free?

River, deliver him there."

Y/N hummed again, the intramental part from memory. Bucky smiled at the sound and looked over at Monet, who was smiling, dreamily at his phone.

"Brother, you're safe now and safe may you stay.

For I have a prayer, just for you.

Grow baby brother, come back someday.

Come and deliver us too."

Y/N finished singing, causing Bucky to look at his phone, then he looked back at the now sleeping Monet. Bucky tucked her in and grabbed his phone and the baby monitor before he walked to the living room. "Y/N?"

"Yeah?" She asked sleepily, smiling softly at the sound of his voice.

"Where have you been hidin' that voice doll? Also, where's that song from?" Bucky asked, sitting on the coffee table the fear of lice getting to him.

Y/N giggled softly. "I've always had the voice, just never sang in front of people before. The song is from the movie The Prince of Egypt. Monet, fell asleep when that song came on, so I've always used it." Y/N said.

Bucky knows she's tired so he told her to go to bed, Bucky went to sleep after the call ended.

Y/N walks into her apartment the next morning to see Bucky with a clear shower cap on his head. Obviously giving himself a lice treatment, talking to a babbling Monet in a highchair as he made pancakes. Bucky looked over to see a smiling Y/N leaning against the counter.

"Hey!" Bucky said, causing Monet to look at her mother.

"Mommy! Dada pancks." She said happily, making grabby hands at Y/N who walked over to pick her up.

"I see that, my little Monkey." Y/N said as she pressed a kiss to Monet's head.

Y/N walked over to the playpen in the living room and placed Monet in it before she turned and headed back to the kitchen with Bucky.

"Cute look." Y/N said, pointing to his shower cap as she poured herself a cup of coffee.

Bucky chuckled. "Oh, this-" He said, gesturing with his spatula. "I was starting to feel itchy, so I used a little of the shampoo."

Y/N chuckled. "You don't have lice, and I really thank you. Thanks for taking care of her."

Bucky plated the last pancake and smiled at her. "Yeah, you're welcome. How was that weekend?"

Y/N leaned against the counter, taking a drink of her coffee. "It was good, it was really beautiful. It's quiet, It's on the lake. Were going in like two weeks and taking Monet."

Bucky looked down at the floor to hide his disappointment. "Wow, it's getting serious, huh?"

Y/N nodded, taking another drink to also hide her own disappointment. "We're actually talking about maybe moving in together sometime." Y/N looked up at Bucky, who was about to say something. "Don't! Don't ruin this for me."

Y/N got up from her leaning stance and stormed to her bedroom to put her stuff away. Bucky checked on Monet, seeing her playing with her toys before he followed after Y/N.

"He started the year married to someone else. Look, he's obviously going through some crap, and maybe he doesn't realize it, but it looks like he might be using you and Money to cushion the blow." Bucky said as he walked after her.

Y/N turned around and glared at him. "You know for a second I actually that thought that you'd changed, but you haven't. I'm trying to move on with my life, and you are exactly the same. The truth is, I'm actually happy." She lied, so what, sue her. It's not like he would know.

Bucky looked at her. "Are you?"

"Yes!" Y/N nodded furiously. "Nathan is a good guy. At least I'm trying to let someone in, you should try it sometime." Y/N turned around. "Just leave, James. Just leave."

Bucky felt his heart drop at her use of his first name, more so than before, with a sigh he turned around. Once he reached the living room, he saw Monet making grabby hands at him, he smiled at her sadly before he leaned down and pressed a kiss to her forehead.

"Not now, baby girl." He said sadly before walking to the elevator.

"Daddy!" Money cried as the elevator doors closed on him, he felt his heart break, and for the first time in a long time, he let himself cry.

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Tags: @vgiselle

#bucky barnes x reader #bucky barnes x y/n #bucky barnes x you #sebastian stan x reader #sebastian stan x you #sebastian stan x y/n #seb stan x reader #seb stan x y/n #seb stan x you #Moshymoshwrites #Karmawrites

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mokulule · 5 years ago

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Hi! 13, 18 and 19? :)

Aaaaah! Questions! Thank you, dear Spell :D

13. Favorite writing song this year

Deliver Us from Prince of Egypt and I’m Still Standing by Taron Eggerton from the Sing soundtrack (the last one in particular is like the Theme song for Assembly in my mind, while Deliver Us is just plain amazing)

18. Number of WIPs

Too many O.O Be glad I don’t post them all and make you suffer.

Okay I will count them. Let’s see... somewhere around 23 Star Wars fics, that I’ve started writing on and have separate documents for.

We do not mention other fandoms 🙈

19. New stories in the new year

There are more fics coming in the Life Day Miracle universe - the series is gonna be dubbed “The Adoption Saga” I think.

I still hope to finish Assembly before next year starts, but it’s becoming less and less realistic what with joining the Secret Santa thing, which has an actual deadline. There’s also a sequel planned for Assembly, though if I get around to posting that it will be late in the year, I need to have most of it written before I start posting it or ya’ll will hate me XD

Hopefully also a new chapter of Luke Skywalker is Altogether Too Likable

I also have some fun outsider POV fics in the works - amongst them a Hanahaki AU who knows if they’ll ever see the light of day XD

#fanfic end of the year asks #asking game

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tealchameleon · 6 years ago

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Prince of Egypt rant

I don’t outwardly admit it because it may seem odd to some but my biggest dream in life is to make something beautiful. Whether it’s music, or art, or a movie or a show, I want to make something that can shake people to their core, make them laugh and cry, something they can relate to on a level they might not even really understand. And I want it to be beautiful in a way that someone could talk about it for hours, and pick out all the little pieces of it that make it the masterpiece it is, and feel so strongly about it that it’s like a personal connection.

My version of that is the Prince of Egypt, because I could talk about it’s animation, it’s plot, and its soundtrack forever. It’s so beautifully made, and I feel so deeply about it that I can’t explain it. I listen to the soundtrack for comfort almost, because to me it’s a personal bond I have with it. The songs always move me every time I listen to them, if not make me cry. I don’t even really believe in God, but there’s something about the hope in the movie that makes me feel encouraged.

When You Believe helps me through hard times, and helps me have hope in myself and my future. The duet is so gorgeous, and the lyrics in Hebrew are so lively that it makes me feel stronger almost, or more hopeful...? And after that, when the whole choir joins for the chorus, it’s so overwhelming, and strong, and everyone’s unified and together as a people, and it just resonates hope and perseverance and courage in the face of difficulty, I sob every time. Because “though hope is frail, it’s hard to kill.” And that last part, when they interject “now you will” into the chorus,,, it gets me every time. I may be over analyzing but to me that’s a statement of determination, like this is going to happen for us, it’s our time, and we’re moving forward from the terrible place we were in. I can really relate to the message of that song, and it’s honestly one of my main things I do in order to motivate myself.

And the scene with the burning bush makes me downright weep. The music gets so intense, and Moses is just floating weightless with light all around him and you can see it reflected in his eyes, it’s so impossibly beautiful and it makes me feel this emotion I can really only relate to religion, despite my being an atheist. He’s so close to God in that scene, and it’s breathtaking, kind of like being saved, or being told things will be okay. And of course him crying after the scene doesn’t help me not cry either. The music rises and recedes as this all takes place, and it really makes the seem magical. I listen to this part of the soundtrack just for that feeling it gives, despite the fact that’s it’s not really a song with lyrics.

And the feeling that’s poured into the soundtrack, even the “mundane” parts, it’s still ridiculously amazing. The recurring melodies at different parts of Moses’ life tie the events together. And they set the mood so so well. Like you know what’s going on by the music alone.

Deliver Us, and Yocheved’s lullaby, it’s so tragic and sorrowful, god damn it kills me. They’re begging for hope and an answer, any way out of the pain they endure, the whole song is really just a prayer. The lullaby is stuck in my head constantly.

And The Plagues. Holy shit, I’ve never heard a song that comes down as hard as that. It just resonates power, I mean it’s about God smiting Egypt with all His strength. And the conflict with Moses and Rameses is so heartbreaking, and Moses is losing everything he once had, it’s so emotional... and the choir singing out the plagues and “thus saith the lord” is so strong like it’s got some punch behind it...

Finally, Through Heaven’s Eyes is a favorite of mine. I listen to it when I feel downtrodden, and when I feel like I have nothing and I want more out of my life. That song really makes me think about how it’s better to see things through a different mindset than my own. Helps remind me that money isn’t everything and in the end life is about how good of a person you were, not your wealth or fame. Like “so how do you measure the worth of a man, in wealth or strength or size? In how much he gained, or how much he gave?” Like damn that’s a question that really makes you think... and it’s so poetic in its wording. There’s other deep lyrics too, e.g. “And that's why we share all we have with you, Though there's little to be found, When all you've got is nothing, There's a lot to go around” because yeah money isn’t everything, and it’s people who detach themselves from wealth that are the kindest and most giving, even though the rich have the most to give. Really hits me hard.

As for the animation, it’s stunning. The flowing hair, the background art, the water, the work they put into coordinating the music with the scene, there’s so much detail and effort that anyone who appreciates art at all can see that this movie took a lot and got a lot of hard work put into it. Moses’ speaking is so natural, and the characters’ movements are so fluid, it’s amazing to watch. And you can tell the pure feeling that went into it, like you can almost know the animator has been in love (Moses twirling Tzipporah, and kissing her in her sleep). And you can tell that they understand emotion, again by how Moses cries. When he sobs after the burning bush, and how he crumples on the palace wall after the tenth plague and seeing Rameses’ dead son. They really knew what they were doing when they animated those. And the parallels between Yocheved and Miriam, both looking up with tears in their eyes as they sing, holy shit... that’s heavy. And the blood in the Nile, how Moses can hear God, and it’s almost silent as he places the staff in the water and the blood starts flowing and everyone’s confused, until the soldiers realize what’s happening and they slosh blood everywhere. Damn powerful imagery there. Don’t even get me started with the burning bush scene oh god, it’s so BEAUTIFUL. You can almost feel Moses’ fear and trepidation as he first speaks with the bush, and how he cowers when he’s scolded. And he winces as he recalls his mistakes in Egypt. And the little tumbling rocks and light waves on the floor, and how God’s voice is emphasized on certain words with stronger light. And then, the best part, when Moses is lifted, and wrapped in light, he’s so awestruck and the light in his eyes and his flowing hair and clothes, it looks so divine and it really feels like encountering God myself. The feeling from that scene is so grand and wonderful, and like I said, I relate it to the feeling of being saved and being cared for. It’s the most religious thing I can relate to. It leaves me shaken, but in a good way. All that animation must’ve been hard but damn they did a beautiful beautiful job. And during when you believe, they coordinated the animation with the music perfectly. It starts in darkness before dawn, but gets more joyful as the song progresses. And you see families being happy and people working together. In particular I like how people slowly join the crowd, and it’s awesome how they even included Egyptian soldiers dropping their weapons and joining. Very cool of them to show that, I guess as a reminder that they weren’t all bad and could choose to turn to God. And before you know it the crowd is huge, and the lyrics become Hebrew, then it’s that big chorus... I love that. So pretty. And for the parting of the Red Sea, hot damn... Moses wades out into the water, with the army so close, and the column of fire in the back, and it’s so quiet it’s strange. And he looks up, listening to God, and he hears the words, and just like that he plunges the staff into the water, and the animation of his movement for that is so so so good. Like you can tell he’s putting his whole being into that miracle. And the water soars up, and it’s so majestic and miraculous, it’s breathtaking. The water just shoots out from his feet, and you get a real sense for what is at play in terms of God’s power. And the people with torches passing through, and the whale seen in the water, like who thinks of that?? They do because they wanted to emphasize how spectacular and even terrifying the experience was for the Hebrews. And when the water comes crashing down, that’s a masterpiece in itself. It sweeps the soldiers away and Rameses tries to stand up against it, only to be swept away himself (I dare say thats symbolism for him losing and yielding to God’s power). And when the waves close, the water still laps and vibrates, and you can see the mist on the surface being blown by the wind. So gorgeous...

honestly I could gush about this movies animation and music for days upon days. I’ll never get tired of it. It’s a beautiful masterpiece, a story of hope and overcoming obstacles. I want to make something like that, so people can see things in a similar way. That is my ultimate goal in life.

#rant #this was supposed to be a paragraph but i accidentally wrote an essay #prince of egypt #idk who would even read this whole thing #like its pretty much a movie analysis hot damn #im obsessed #this is so nerdy of me #why cant i be obsessed with normal things #like nah ill be the atheist kid obsessed with a 90s bible movie #i hope there are other nerds like me for this movie bc i feel whack #rants

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fran-is-a-writer · 6 years ago

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Hello folks and welcome to another blog post by A Healthy Dose of Fran, today I post my Top 10 Movie Musicals (Disney excluded as that’ll have its own segment). Now you may not agree with my list, and that’s OK, we can debate in the comments later. So, let’s get down to business then, shall we?

10. Girl Trash: All Night Long

If you haven’t heard of this, then you probably aren’t a lesbian or bisexual woman. And if you are a lesbian or bisexual woman who hasn’t, you are missing out! The first outright lesbian musical, with lesbians as the focus, the songs about lesbianism, and, even better, starring the queens of South of Nowhere, Mandy Musgrave (Ashley) and Gabrielle Christian (Spencer), and a few other notable lesbian character stars. This movie is kick ass and the music is hilarious, if a little cringy, but you can’t help but sing along as they say, “don’t shit on my dreams it’s just my fantasy, of what could possibly be”. This is a movie that should be seen.

After finishing this post of course.

9. Chicago

Have you committed a crime? Well you should have this performance tucked up your sleeve to get away with it, because surely, HE HAD IT COMING, HE ONLY HAD HIMSELF TO BLAME. Now If that doesn’t give you confidence, then any number of the tunes in this hit will, want some Jazz, well how about All That Jazz? Following the murderess tales of multiple women, but focusing on the dastardliness two, this film takes many twists and turns that ends with murderers on- ah, spoilers.

8. All Dogs Go to Heaven

Charlie B. Barkin – that name alone deserves a place on this list. Add in a surprisingly dark family film musical with gang war, murder plots, and the ideas of heaven and hell, a heart-warming tale about a young girl who wants a family and a dog who wants revenge but ends up changing for her – this film never fails to make me cry. With some awesome bops like ‘You Can’t Keep a Good Dog Down’ this is definitely a musical to see.

7. Bride and Prejudice

No life without wife? Damn woman you know how to break my heart. Well, this may be a surprising edition to this list as, more often or not, this film is forgotten, even though it is, in my opinion, the best Jane Austen adaption ever. And the tunes? Incredible. My first experience of a Bollywood film (which, considering it was made in conjunction with a UK studio, probably doesn’t count), and it was the first of many (thanks also to discussions about it with my best friend). Check out the soundtrack first if the film doesn’t sound interesting, but trust me, unlike most period-adaptions, this one is one to remember!

6. Hairspray

60s beats, 60s attitude, 60s hair and look, but a modern opinion. That’s Hairspray in a nutshell. A film (that was originally a stage production) that tells the tale of Tracey, a slightly hefty girl who loves to dance and tries out for the happening TV show for kids and gets on! But hey modernist views of happily conversing and dancing with blacks (shock horror!) and her non-conventional body shape, get her in trouble, not that she gives a damn, she’s proud and damn right she should be! Not to mention she can belt a bloody tune too, and this film is full of them! Cause WITHOUT LOVE, this movie wouldn’t have caught my attention – (but that may also be due to Zac Efron).

5. Burlesque

Christina Aguilera? Cher? STANLEY TUCCI! Sign me the F up! Oh God and Kristen Bell? Burlesquing? And Singing? Y’all trying to kill me??!!! Well you succeeded! I’m dead. This fantastic story not only grasped my attention, but the music added to the drama and was threaded in so nicely that I couldn’t not watch again and again. Downloading the soundtrack after the first watch, I go back to this musical at least once a year. With one song in at least every one of my playlists, it’s going to show me how to Burlesque.

4. Dreamgirls

If I thought Burlesque was star studded and a gem of a film that was nothing until I saw Dreamgirls starring Beyoncé, Jennifer Hudson, Jamie Foxx, Eddie Murphey and so many more. Set in the 60s and the eras to follow, we follow the lives of black musicians and their dreams, particularly the Dreamettes who take the music world by storm. Dark tales are alongside this tale including blackmail, drug abuse, and so forth. But not only that, we received the most beautiful tunes known including Listen sung by Queen B and I Am Telling You sung by Jennifer Hudson. This musical is a gem to be remembered, with the mesmerising story to go alongside it.

3. Anastasia

Yooo, surprised to see this? Well it’s not a Disney film if that helps the confusion, but with its Princess Anastasia, its animation style, and plot line of lost princess finding her family, you can see where people get confused. But this tale is one of my ultimate favourites – with the original badass Princess who doesn’t take nothing from know one and will happily punch you in the face, you know the story is going to be interesting. Add is some brilliant tunes like ‘Journey to the Past’ and ‘Learn to Do It’ and you have a hit, and now a Broadway musical – that’s why this is on my list.

2. Quest for Camelot

Anything with Celine Dion is recipe for success. But add in King Arthur, bad ass female characters, and a twist on the English Legend. Add in beautiful music and probably the best love story ever written, oh and a two headed dragon with conflicting personalities, and you have a recipe for AWESOMENESS. This musical was my childhood and continues to fill my days with joy as I watch the film on a regular basis (and yes Sister, I only bought it for you for Christmas for me, you have been duped). Adventure, love, mystery, and music – what’s not to love?

1. Prince of Egypt

Now, are y’all surprised? If you are, YOU ARE AN UNCULTURED SWINE (I say with love)! This is, the best musical of all time. Compelling story, the greatest soundtrack ever created, with breathtaking animation to boot – oh, and a brilliant meme maker too. Telling the story of Moses from the bible, we start with the most emotive opening song ‘Deliver Us’ and, you know things are going to be great when a movie goes as far as to use the original Hebrew language within a song as they tell the story of persecution with the visuals of it alongside. The story is dramatic, emotional, and a true learning experience – if you haven’t seen this film before, you need to.

Thank you guys so much for reading this post. What are your top non-disney musicals? What would you have added? Leave a comment!

If you aren’t already, be sure to follow my website for updates on new blogs and videos. Also, if you want to see more content from me, follow this link to my YouTube Chanel A Healthy Dose of Fran and hit subscribe! Be sire to also follow my instagram.

Till next time folks!

Top 10 Movie Musicals Hello folks and welcome to another blog post by A Healthy Dose of Fran, today I post my Top 10 Movie Musicals (Disney excluded as that'll have its own segment).

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dog-day-morning · 3 years ago

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THIS AIN'T LEGAL

Have you ever heard of absolute immunity? Federal officers who violate the Civil Rights of American citizens in an attempt to do harm with recorded video evidence of the violation in action or officers who willingly falsify a police report of a violent attack in order to frame the victim while the antagonist sits before a judge and jury perjuring herself with alligator tears before an all white jury with her blonde locks, and blue eyes, damn devil, and goes free while an innocent child spends 17 months behind bars. To say that Amerikkka is unjust is an understatement. Too many times Black people are dragged into a court that's already biased, having to face a judge, and jury who may have a vested financial interest in the private prison industry, but let's be real. The school to prison pipeline is not a myth, it's a bloody bruise on the face of Lady Liberty. Liberty, and justice for all never applied to the indigenous people of Amerikkka or any of the ADOS, and FBA citizens whose roots are entrenched in the Earth bleeding from a wound the wicked do not want to heal. The above mentioned scenarios actually happened to one of your own Amerikkka, and a child from the Middle East. It's funny that Amerikkkans appear to want peace seemingly always, but you're forever raising hell outside of your jurisdiction? Joe Biden is deporting Haitian refugees out of the country ASAP, while transporting inland, and giving amnesty to Afghan refugees, and South Americans even so far as to offer them free secondary education, and housing. The culture of Amerikkka is against a Black man ever rising up to experience the American Dream in a Taliban like Aristocracy or Totalitarian society that started centuries before Biden became president. He's not the answer to our problems nor is he the root of the issue. Amerikkka is a canker sore, and a blight that impedes the progression of a once dominant, but humble people. No one needs to preach of racial superiority and use terror tactics in order to justify a calloused approach to validate this viral disease that affects everyone with a modicum of common sense, decency, and compassion. Amerikkka was a Nation before Amerigo Vespucci set foot on these shores. Alkebulan was inhabited by some of the most brilliant minds, and still is before Scipio Africanus named the dark continent after himself, an albino. Ohhh the irony, and moral hypocrisy. Timbuktu, and the city of Alexandria were well established kingdoms in Alkebulan where Greek, and Roman scholars went to gather much needed knowledge because they were dumb as hell. Egypt is a mystery that none can determine for now. When the prophecy is fulfilled by the Father whom the Prophet Joel spoke thereof He would pour His Spirit down upon all flesh, the truth will set you and I free. And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions. What's impeding us from this prophetic word? Keep your thoughts to yourself. That's a luxury I haven't had since the age of stupid. Not wanting to call you out on the sins of your fathers, but you are just like him. I hope, and pray the Father fulfills His will in time before our hearts wax cold, too late. Amerikkka’s public enemy will not be our Black sons or daughters that are trying to follow the rules of man whose lawlessness has revealed itself to be an entire race of people. You create the laws, and break them leaving everyone with a bad taste in their mouth except those who profit from our pain. Chris Rock said this years ago. “The white man is the only one who profits from everyone's pain, especially a Black man’s.” you see how they treat us, and you have no inclination of what your future will hold for your people in the aftermath of the Zombie Apocalypse. I hate this form of pop culture rhetoric. There will be souls inhabiting these bodies that were once dead, and decomposing. God will deliver the dead from the sea, and He will deliver the dead from death, and hell.

Isaiah 26:17-21

17 Like as a woman with child, that draweth near the time of her delivery, is in pain, and crieth out in her pangs; so have we been in thy sight, O Lord.

18 We have been with child, we have been in pain, we have as it were brought forth wind; we have not wrought any deliverance in the earth; neither have the inhabitants of the world fallen.

19 Thy dead men shall live, together with my dead body shall they arise. Awake and sing, ye that dwell in dust: for thy dew is as the dew of herbs, and the earth shall cast out the dead.

20 Come, my people, enter thou into thy chambers, and shut thy doors about thee: hide thyself as it were for a little moment, until the indignation be overpast.

21 For, behold, the Lord cometh out of his place to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity: the earth also shall disclose her blood, and shall no more cover her slain..

When our Lord Christ Jesus does this work how do you think those who've hated, and betrayed us for a season of sin will react in the oncoming horror set before mankind? God has placed us on the Earth for a purpose, not to suffer. I can't put the blame on Joe Biden or those who came before him for what this nation or planet has done, and is doing to us; psych!!! The God of our fathers will judge you according to your works which has wrought death and destruction. The wrath, and judgment Joe Biden, trump, and their people will incur, and experience is worse than any Stephen King novel or Jordan Peele, and M. Night Shyamalan movies can induce in your alleged, fragile psyche. I've told Jacob, and warned the gentiles of God's incoming judgment, but no ones willing to heed the words of an idiot savant. I'm guilty of many things by way of my woeful condition. I'm compelled to elaborate these truths to you as they become relevant at a particular hour. Watch out for your young children who may be a pain, but they're innocent, and they're yours. The world sees us as prey, a potential payoff for an organ harvest, and fodder for the wickedly unjust. This woman that they have been searching for these last 5 or so days in a National Park has this Nation all a buzz. Who is she? Do you know how many women of Jacob go missing everyday without any press from the media? We can blame them, but are they at fault? Hell yeah!!! Continue to read. Our people have been limited by those who control the information, the social media platforms, infighting within our own tried Black media organizations that have blessed us over the years who are left open to attack by oppressive censorship that purposely restricts what they can, and cannot reveal to the Black masses. I was amazed to find out in 2017 that Coretta Scott King, and her family successfully sued the US government over the assassination of MLK Jr.; that was in 1999. The Atlanta Black Star might have covered the litigation process, but I didn't hear a peep from anyone I knew or even hear about it on any news media platform, especially from the major media news networks. That's how they've Silenced the Lamb with threats, and bullying tactics. We've come too far to go back to Egypt. The only time I wanna hear mention of going to Egypt is if my Church takes a sabbatical to the Motherland, and my Apostle takes the trip with us to seek the truths that have been denied us. Reference Joel 2:28. Those who stay committed to this ministry will see beyond the veil. If you placed all of your faith in me or Apostle Johnson you have overlooked the reasons God led you to this Church, Elders, Evangelists, Prophetesses, Deacons, Ministers, and the entire Church family. He nor I can do anything without the will of the Father, and I’m stuck on dufus. Get yo tail back to Church ASAP!!! We place our faith in men who have let us down many times. Apostle has done much for me, but Jesus has done everything. God will do a good work in all of us. I want every man, woman, and child in this ministry to reap what they have sown; don't leave. When the sky turns black, and the heavens roll back, peeling back the clouds, that's when you will see or hear the Son of God coming for His faithful. Apostle has taught us of the temporal mental mindset many times. Evidently it’s true as many of us have forgotten his teachings. My mind went off on a tangent, excuse me, where was I ? BET is owned by Jews, who used to own us. They run the entertainment industry that Buck breaks our men, and you wouldn't believe what they do to black women, and children who are all looking for a way to display their talents in order to get wealth, and their name up in lights. Leroy has the talent, all Mr. Epstein can offer you is a bogus contract that rips you off in the end leaving you po, broke, and lonely with a busted a-hole. Those who beat the system at their own game wind up 6 feet deep. Why do you think they murdered Michael Jackson, Prince, Sam Cooke, and James Brown? Michael owned half of SONY BMI. Prince owned all of his Masters that his

siblings sold for pennies on the dollar. Sam was going to start his own label, and brother James who had a label, but the IRS falsely audited him several times forcing him to sell his label keeping Soul Brother number 1 from becoming the first billionaire recording artist decades before JZ did. THIS AINT LEGAL. All that glitters isn't gold people. Ask Mr. Goldberg who runs several porn studios in Silicone Valley California. They run the majority of that particular industry as well as recording, movie and TV production studios while controlling the financial institutions. The majority heads of the Department of the Treasury including the current, Janet Yellen have been Jewish. Not trying to be a dissenter, but someone’s getting screwed. It's the middle class, and our fat, Black… ? William Randolph Hearst made the movie Reefer Madness which was a propaganda film not because hemp was a gateway drug to other crap, hell a pack of cigarettes has killed more people than ten thousand blunts. Smoke a blunt, and 30 minutes later you wanna eat. Smoke crack, and 30 minutes later you're sucking d**k. Hemp can be used in a vast amount of ways that would’ve crippled Mr. Hearst’s other industries. You can use it as fabric for clothes that's stronger, and more durable than cotton. The hemp plant had more useful potential than the soybean, and peanut combined!!! Marijuana isn't a drug at all, it's an herb. The Egyptians used it to cure many ailments including cancer. If I were still on Instagram Mark Suckerberg would personally shut my page down himself… again. That's why I no longer use white run social media websites. Mr. Hearst's only interest in getting the government to make hemp illegal was to keep his financial, investment interests ever increasing. In the end it turned out to do more harm than good. Now that the government has managed to tax the herb, they've made it legal. Why in the hell are Black men, and women still serving draconian, archaic prison sentences for minor marijuana drug offenses that don't make sense to a mongoloid retard?!! Like I said: “THIS AINT LEGAL.” Babylon the Damned will fall on its pancaked derriere soon enough. Pray to God the Zombie Apocalypse runs right past your abode or get some pads from your son's football uniform in order to appease the dead in Christ who may want a ham sandwich or your daughter Becky. This too shall pass. Try lamb's blood? The closer I get to death or that visitation with someone I've been wanting to see for a long time because I can't see, the more these things come back to my remembrance. This is enough for today. Whatever God reveals to me in the next few days hopefully I’ll relate some of that information to you. I thank those for judging me as a simp, punk b**ch, p**sy a** n**gah, punk a** n**gah, sorry a** n**gah, faggot, and everything you project or judge according to your flesh. I have no secrets so what am I trying to hide? Get your house in order Jeff, your life may be required of you, and ya boy in the wheelchair. Still someone else's identity Yippie Yai Kai Yay mother!@#$%& 9/21/2021

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witchlightsands · 7 years ago

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listen,,, if you leave six ninja on a flying boat for long enough they will come up with their own memes and inside jokes

“kai would hit on a sexy lamp”

one time lloyd dressed an actual lamp in a dress with a mini skirt and kai was so sleep deprived that he hit on it

when anyone does anything bad, they go sit in the corner of shame. theres a sign

saying lloyd is twelve no matter how old he gets

kai: sorry lloyd you cant come fight with us youre like twelve lloyd: im sixteen

jay: sorry lloyd you cant come clubbing with us you’re like twelve lloyd: ?? im twenty??

zane: i shouldnt use such big words, lloyd is only twelve lloyd: IM THIRTY THREE HOW LONG MUST I SUFFER

mix and matching parts of old uniforms and excusing it with “its called fashion”

making up parts that zane needs to keep up to date

nya: zane, is your thermalhydrothingabob functioning smoothly?

cole: zane’s been pretty slow lately, maybe his popcornjpgwhatsit is broken

lloyd: zane! better make sure your chickentron is updated!

stacking things on wu’s hat while he’s asleep. cole and nya are tied at 8

“morro made me do it”

this one is lloyd only and its definitely a coping mechanism so leave him be

lloyd: *breaks something* morro made me do it

kai: who ate the last cookie? lloyd: morro made me do it

jay: you look like you havent slept?? lloyd: morro made me do it

pls go get therapy lloyd

green ninja competitions similar to the ones in season 1 where they decide who gets to be the green ninja. lloyd is the judge

if someone (usually jay or lloyd) starts a disney or dreamworks song, everyone has to join in

wu once walked in on lloyd and kai singing “the plagues” from prince of egypt with absolutely no context, and walked right back out

exaggerated non swearing around lloyd

*someone finds out a new piece of information” wonder what else sensei hasnt told us

their pizza order changes every night and its always terrible

“yo can i get a hawaiian pizza with pineapple and sardines, deliver to the destinys bounty”

“yah id like a none pizza with left beef deliver to the destinys bounty”

“can i have one slice of pizza, but, like, with every topping you have on it. deliver to the destinys bounty”

“alright im gonna go to the store” “only bad things happen when we split up”

“whats the weirdest place you can find lloyd asleep” competitions. dareth is the judge. its been weeks and lloyd has no idea

they copy old memes too

kai: im going to taco bell you want anything lloyd: i want my dad back kai: yah i got like 12 dollars

nya: jay was found dead in miami cole: is he okay nya: he’s alright but he’s dead

jay: remember to drink your respect women juice guys!

“the singles club” thats permanently occupied by lloyd and cole, and the others have all been part of it at some point. they have meetings.

“how dare you break color coordination” when anyone wears anything other than their usual color

“well, we kept kai”

variants include “well, we kept lloyd” and “well i kept all of you” (said by wu, once, and the others were in shock for ten minutes and then laughed for five minutes straight)

regarding nya as the best thing since sliced bread

#ninjago #lego ninjago #lloyd garmadon #kai ninjago #nya ninjago #jay walker #zane julien #cole ninjago #rose writes #ninjago meme

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swiftbell · 7 years ago

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11 questions + 11 questions

I was tagged by the magnificent @misplaced-padawan

Rules: Always post the rules. answer 11 random questions posted for you, create 11 new ones and tag 11 people. Let the person who tagged you know that you answered.

1. Best book you’ve read so far in 2018? Ooooh that’s a hard one, but I think Redwall by Brian Jacques. It’s one of the first books I bought with my own money, and I adore a lot about his writing in the Redwall series, and reading it now in English for the first time really puts another perspective on certain things. Also it’s great to sometimes just read a book of good vs. evil, with bravery, friendship and heroic deeds written in a fairy tale like language.

2. Favorite performance by your favorite actor? Oh gods am I gonna have to decide a favourite actor now While perhaps not my favourite actor, I’ve always greatly enjoyed seeing David Suchet playing Poirot. The expressions, body language and the way he talks just seem so right for the detective, and I can’t help but love it.

3. One thing you’ve done that you’d like to do again sometime? I would actually really enjoy going shooting with an air rifle again, but this time I’d like to have my music with me, or some podcast. It’s actually quite relaxing and fun to do! That or go to another medieval market where they also have a tournament, it’s so much fun there, and the tournaments (ppl on horseback with medieval armor and weapons) are usually a lot of fun with rock music, funny commentator, people loving what they’re doing, good break entertainment etc etc

4. Worst episode of your fave show? I’m gonna put Firefly as my favourite show here because 1. I like it and 2. not many episodes to choose from. But I think it might be Jaynestown actually, I know people find it funny, but I’m not overly fond of Jayne, and I really don’t like misinformation, so while I do like the song they sing, I’m not comfortable with the way they use that misinformation to their advantage. Also I just get secondhand embarrassment from making a statue, song and celebrating real people like that, I’m not particularly comfortable with that either.

5. Thoughts on the latest movie you saw? Not entirely sure if my latest movie was Black Panther or Mirror Mirror so I’ll do both: Black Panther is one of the best movies I have seen in years and years, the characters were all so unique and memorable, the villain was the best I’ve seen in an action movie, the writing was beautiful, as was the scenery, clothing, makeup, and overall aesthetic. I loved the discussions that come out of this movie, as in what is the right thing to do when it comes to your country’s need vs the world’s need, the difference in worldview and experience for somebody born African and somebody with African-American descent (and how it just takes a step back from having only a North-American point of view regarding everything). And then we have all the character relationships, how natural they feel, and how we finally get a superhero origin movie that does not have to deal with the superhero having to learn responsibility! I mean, thank you gods! The amount of female characters as well, and their individual story arcs! I loved so much about this movie. Mirror Mirror I have to say is one of my favourite screen versions of Snow White. The main character has a very thought-out character arc, the characterisation of the queen feels very refreshing and interesting, and while I think they could have put some more focus on the dwarves (because that is a story very much worth telling), and the prince could have been a bit less of a douche (there was occasional potential, but he felt overall a bit too done-before as a character), it is an interesting re-telling of the story and something you can watch when you just want something to pass the time. I also love the song at the end and you can fight me about this.

6. If you could see any band (past or present) in concert which one would it be? Possibly Panic! at the Disco or Nightwish, both bands have songs well-suited for the stage, and Nightwish is one of the few band concerts I’ve been to before. That being said, I would not say no to a Queen concert.

7. A smell that reminds you of your childhood There’s a library near my mum called Kåken (the Slammer), because they decided to put two smaller libraries together and opened the new building on old prison grounds (I love Gothenburg’s naming sense). It opened when I was about 12 years old, which is around the time I started going to the library by myself to borrow books. The certain smell in their always puts me at ease.

8. Favorite anecdote from your DND party/parties? That time our party Druid turned into a giant lizard, accidentally woke the sentient armor when trying to get a key, and after defeating it and used the key to open the big gates we found that Fantasy Chernobyl was now looking suspiciously idyllic.

9. Say something nice about a character you don’t like Uuuuuuh…Mori (Bungou Stray Dogs) has a nice outfit. But he could also go to hell please.

10. Recommend me 4 songs! Alrighty: Follow You by Bring Me the Horizon Shape of You by Ed Sheeran The Other Side from The Greatest Showman Deliver Us from Prince of Egypt, cover by Caleb Hyles and Jonathan Young

11. Favorite superhero? Why so many difficult questions? But I’m probably gonna say Nightcrawler, he’s such a joy and very interesting.

My questions:

1. What is one of your favourite movies from childhood?

2. Is there any place you would like to explore?

3. Which era, in which country has the best aesthetic?

4. What book/manga/comic/series can you read over and over again?

5. What is your favourite mythological or folklore creature, and why?

6. Is there any type of dancing that you prefer to dance or watch?

7. Describe your ideal home.

8. I love to see what kind of music people listen to, can you recommend me 5 songs?

9. Which is your favourite fairy tale?

10. What’s your favourite D&D experience (that you’ve experienced, heard about or witnessed)?

11. Tell me about a dream you enjoyed.

I tag @niwwwi, @protectoroffaeries, @space-pastels, @makeroomforlaferry, @misplaced-padawan (who says I can’t tag the one that tagged me?), @paranoiajustified, @mistatdawn, and anyone who wants to do it but is never tagged!

#bibbly bobbly talkey talkey stuff #tagged #me #11 questions + 11 questions #hahaha this took a while to do #it's still fun though #and my cat has been sleeping on me the entire time #he's the cutest

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justanothercinemaniac · 8 years ago

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Epic Movie (Re)Watch #112 - The Prince of Egypt

Spoilers Below

Have I seen it before: Yes

Did I like it then: Yes.

Do I remember it: Yes.

Did I see it in theaters: No.

Format: DVD

1) The head of Jeffrey Katzenberg, the head of Dreamworks animation at the time and one of the former big wigs at Disney, had been pitching an adaptation of Moses’ story from Exodus to Disney far before he started Dreamworks with Steven Spielberg. During an early meeting of Dreamworks Katzenberg recalls that Spielberg looked at him during the meeting and said, "You ought to do The Ten Commandments."

2) I think the opening disclaimer is a nice touch.

“The motion picture you are about to see is an adaptation of the Exodus story. While artistic and historical license has been taken, we believe that this film is true to the essence, values and integrity of a story that is a cornerstone of faith for millions of people worldwide. The biblical story of Moses can be found in the book of Exodus.”

3) Music plays an incredibly important role in this film, mostly for setting its grand storytelling and dark tone. This is clearly apparent from the opening song “Deliver Us” which depicts the suffering of the Hebrew people in Egypt and also the hope of Moses.

4) This film also does an excellent job of immediately establishing the brotherly relationship between Moses and Ramses. It’s fun and honest, which makes the following events all the more heartbreaking.

5) Val Kilmer is quite effective in the role of Moses, being able to provide a healthy balance of his youthful joviality and privilege early on and the wisdom that would come to define the character later.

6) This film has three noteworthy actors who have very little lines. The first two of these are Patrick Stewart as Pharaoh Seti and Helen Mirren as The Queen.

Neither of them sing, so their lines are few and unfortunately Mirren feels wasted in the part (less of a comment on her acting, which is top notch as usual, and more from the lack of screen time). Stewart, however, gives Seti some depth. We see him as father and ruler, both roles where he cares about his people, but also murderer of Hebrew babies which gives him a sinister feel.

7) Moses could have been painted as a spoiled brat while acting as prince of Egypt, but he takes responsibility for his actions and mistakes while also trying to shield Ramses from some of their father’s heavy expectations.

8) Tzipporah is established as fierce as heck from the get go.

Kept as a foreign slave in her first scene, she still fights back with great vigor despite being in a room who don’t care if she dies by the hands of the pharaoh. Michelle Pfeiffer imparts some of the strength she brought to Catwoman into the part and it’s a wonderful take on the biblical figure.

9) Sandra Bullock may have more lines than Helen Mirren, Patrick Stewart, and (later) Danny Glover, but for some reason I’m always wanting more of her and her character Miriam by the time the film ends. I like what I see, I just wish there were more of her in the film (I think).

10) For some reason I don’t feel the way about her brother Aaron, who is voiced wonderfully by Jeff Goldblum. That may be because we see Aaron develop from non-believer to believer over the course of the film (wheres Miriam is consistently good and believing in Moses) and Jeff Goldblum plays both the doubter and the supporter well.

11) Continuing with the excellent music in this film, “All I Ever Wanted,” carries with it that sense of grandeur as well as the heartbreak of Moses denying his true heritage.

12) Moses’ nightmare is one of the most memorable non-musical sequences out of the film (not THE most memorable but one of them), and this is done both through the unique hieroglyphic art style and the lack of dialogue. It is true visual storytelling.

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13) Remember how I said Tzipporah is fierce as heck? Well, that continues throughout the film when she decides to drop Moses into a well as a bit of payback for being a prince of Egypt (although she does help him out because he helped her escape the palace).

14) Danny Glover is the third actor who doesn’t have enough lines. He plays the role of Jethro, a character with about ten spoken lines (more or less) and then the rest of his role is in song. And Danny Glover doesn’t sing the song.

In the little dialogue Glover does give though, he is able to establish Jethro as a man who’s heart is as big as his stature. I just wish we’d heard more of him.

15) I mentioned in The Road to El Dorado the effectiveness of using a song to cover large gaps of time. This film is no different, initial with Jethro’s song “Through Heavens Eyes.” It’s a rousing and hopeful number which talks of the Hebrew god and how we can only know our worth when trying to look through (one guess what I’m going to say next) heaven’s eyes. In that time we cover Moses learning what a free life is from these people, his growing humility, and his blossoming relationship with Tzipporah (and eventual marriage).

16) The Burning Bush.

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Val Kilmer provides the voice of god in this film, although that wasn’t the initial plan. Originally all the actors in the film were going to voice god at the same time, and were told to whisper so they wouldn’t overpower each other. When the time came to record Kilmer’s lines, they realized someone had to speak louder. It was a happy realization, as the filmmakers later noted that god usually speaks to us as the little voice in our own heads. And it parallels the Cecil B. Demille version of The Ten Commandments where it is said (although I don’t think confirmed) that Charlton Heston also provided the voice of god while also playing Moses.

17) Moses telling Tzipporah about his encounter with the burning bush is another fine example of how filmmaking is primarily a VISUAL medium. We don’t hear a word they saw to each other, but we see him talking and we see her reaction and we know EXACTLY what is happening.

18) Ralph Fiennes performance as Ramses is at its best when Ramses becomes villainous and conceited. Hmm, Ralph Fiennes playing a villainous and conceited villain. Sounds familiar...

19) Playing with the Big Boys is the only real villain song in this film.

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Performed by the evil lackeys Hotep and Huy (who are voiced wonderfully by Steve Martin and Martin Short respectively), the song shows off just how dark things in the Egypt really are and how tricky these two “magicians” are. Martin and Short breathe wonderful life and evil fun into the song, and even recorded their dialogue together. And the scenes uses wonderful use of darkness and shadows to make us feel like Moses is in over his head. Which in a way, he is. But the film wouldn’t be interesting if things were easy for the protagonist.

20) The growing conflict between Moses and Ramses is heartbreaking and I give credit to all those involved in this film for that. The directors, the writers, the animators, Val Kilmer & Ralph Fiennes, everyone. We see them go from the best of friends to archenemies and neither of them wants to be in that position. But they are, and they each think they’re doing what is best for their people. It hurts a lot to watch.

21) “The Plagues” is also a great example of how this film condenses what could have been a massive chunk of time into a little two-and-a-half minute song.

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It also does not make light of the plagues either. The plagues were horrible. True wrath of god type stuff that ruined people’s lives. And this song is an epic but dark representation of just what those were like while also developing the conflict between Moses and Ramses.

22) I’m not as familiar with my biblical readings as maybe I should be, but I like that this film depicts Moses reaching out to Ramses one last time before he releases the final plague. It is one final reminder that they are or, more appropriately, were brothers. And they almost seem to understand each other, to make peace. But they don’t. Meaning the final and most awful plague is released.

23) I don’t want to get into my own theological beliefs or philosophies, but I am always sickened about the death of the first borns of Egypt.

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The scene is animated beautifully but the entire thing is heartbreaking. The idea of a god who will take away the lives of children just to get what he wants, even though he later claims that we are all his children, just never sits right with me. I just...it sickens me. That’s all I can say. It sickens me.

24) “When You Believe” is probably THE song from this film. It won the Oscar for best original song that year, beating out “I Don’t Wanna Miss A Thing” by Aerosmith. It is the perfect representation of the power of hope and belief which is the central theme of this film. Michelle Pfeiffer and Sally Dworsky (along with the film’s chorus) do an excellent job performing the song written by Stephen Schwartz, but the pop version performed by Whitney Houston and Mariah Carey is just as good.

25) I think the most memorable part of this film has to be the parting of the Red Seas. And it could just be for this image alone:

That is such a powerful image which really gets across the wonder of what we’re seeing. A representation of the scene which few if any adaptations of the Exodus story have ever lived up to and which I think only animation can bring to life so wonderfully.

26) After the Red Sea crashes down and Ramses is washed away, we see Moses looking off in the distance and hear Ramses screaming, “MOSES!” The filmmakers have suggested that this may be in Moses’ head and that Ramses might actually be dead. I like that idea. It shows Moses still has hope for his brother.

27) And since this is an adaptation of Exodus, of course it has to involve the Ten Commandments in some way. I’m just glad that it’s the last shot of the film. A nice way of ending the story.

It makes sense to end a family film there, as opposed to Moses finding his people worshipping a false idol (a golden cow, I think) and smashing the tablet before God destroys the idol and forces his people to wander the desert for 40 years to kill off the rebellious generation. Oh, and Moses didn’t get to go into the promised land.

(GIF originally posted by @rocktheholygrail)

What’s not family friendly about that?

The Prince of Egypt is a great animated film who’s popularity has unfortunately lost steam in recent years. It represents its story well without beating you over the head with the religion, the animation and music are gorgeous, and the voice acting is top notch (if a little wasted at times). I highly recommend you see it.

#The Prince of Egypt #Exodus #Moses #The Ten Commandments #Prince of Egypt #Epic Movie (Re)Watch #Val Kilmer #Ralph Fiennes #Michelle Pfeiffer #Patrick Stewart #Helen Mirren #Sandra Bullock #Jeff Goldblum #Danny Glover #Martin Short #Steve Martin #Steven Spielberg

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imagitory · 8 years ago

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D-Views OFF TOPIC!: The Prince of Egypt

Hello, everyone! Welcome to another installment of D-Views Off-Topic! As stated previously, D-Views is a series primarily focusing on Disney-produced and/or owned films, but from time to time, we go “off topic” to discuss films that are sometimes mistaken for and/or were influenced by Disney projects, and that’s what we’re doing today.

I am super excited about today’s subject – it has been one of my favorite films since I was a child, and it is, in my opinion, the single best non-Disney-produced animated film ever made. This is The Prince of Egypt!

Before we talk about The Prince of Egypt, it is imperative to talk about the studio that created it, DreamWorks SKG. (As a side, get used to me calling it just “Dreamworks” from here on out – I’ve never been much one to capitalize the “W.”) Dreamworks was the baby of three media giants – David Geffen, Stephen Spielberg, and most of all Jeffrey Katzenberg. Katzenberg got his start in the world of animation at the Walt Disney Company during the Disney Renaissance, when he was head of the Disney animation department. Unfortunately Katzenberg was just one of three very big egos at the company in that period, and he butted heads with the other two – CEO Michael Eisner and vice-chairman Roy E. Disney – constantly. For a while Frank Wells, Eisner’s partner, was able to keep the peace and keep these three working toward the same goal, but when Wells tragically passed away in a helicopter crash in 1994, tensions began to rise. Disney and especially Eisner thought that Katzenberg had been promoting himself as the main face of Disney’s new-found success and taking all the credit for it, and so when Wells was to be replaced, Eisner pointedly passed Katzenberg over for promotion. Whatever one thinks about Eisner or Katzenberg as people, I think it is very clear that Eisner felt threatened by Katzenberg…and he had good reason, because when Katzenberg was forced to quit his position at Disney, he immediately turned around and enlisted the support of Stephen Spielberg and David Geffen to create Disney’s main rival in the world of animation in recent history.

Dreamworks Animation found most of its animators among Disney alumni and from Stephen Spielberg’s dead studio Amblimation, which had previously only worked on three films: An American Tail: Fievel Goes West, We’re Back!: A Dinosaur’s Story, and Balto. Despite their lack of experience, they were very talented, as is evident by Dreamworks’ first hand-drawn film. Yep – first hand-drawn film. Dreamworks released two films in 1998; their real first film, Antz, was released in theaters three months before The Prince of Egypt was. To be frank, I wish that The Prince of Egypt had been first – it would’ve made a much stronger first impression for the studio as a whole.

Fortunately The Prince of Egypt made a pretty good impression when it was released to theaters in December 1998. It earned over $218 million worldwide and received rather favorable reviews from critics for its animation and visual effects. It also won an Academy Award for Best Song and was nominated for two Golden Globes, two Grammy Awards, and five Annie Awards, and even tied with Pixar’s rival film to Antz, A Bug’s Life, at the Critics’ Choice Awards for Best Animated Film. Even at the time of its release, however, The Prince of Egypt was compared to Disney’s animated projects. Critic James Berardinelli said this –

“Like Fox (with Anastasia) and Warner Brothers (with the disappointing (sic) Quest for Camelot), Dreamworks intends to challenge Disney's reign as the King of Animation. The Prince of Egypt is a worthy starting point. It ranks alongside the Magic Kingdom's Mulan at the top of the year's traditional-style animated pile. (…)While last year's Anastasia managed to come close to Disney's visual elegance, The Prince of Egypt matches it. This impressive achievement uncovers yet another chink in Disney's once-impregnable animation armor.”

Now that I have effectively “prologued” you to death, let’s go ahead and talk about the film proper.

The very first thing we have to talk about when it comes to this movie is its music, written by film-scoring giant Hans Zimmer and lyrical god Stephen Schwartz. Just like in Beauty and the Beast and Anastasia, this soundtrack in my opinion is just flawless. Every single song hits your heart and stays with you long after they have passed, from the lyrical musical numbers to the instrumental tracks. The first one, “Deliver Us,” introduces us to the setting of the mature, real, passionate, epic story that is about to unravel. We hear the culture in the rhythms and instruments used and in the Hebrew lyrics sung by Ofra Haza, who plays Moses’s mother Yoheved. We feel the hopelessness of the slaves and the fragile hope of a young girl as she sees her baby brother being taken in by the Queen of Egypt. We watch this opening scene with almost no dialogue, being told solely with the images on screen and the wonderful music, and become completely emotionally invested in these characters by the end. With this opening, the film has already done what the best musicals do – introduce our story, conflict, and characters solely through song. And from here, the music only gets better.

After this prologue, we meet our main character again, as well as his adopted brother, the crown prince Rameses. Moses and Rameses are shown, in their youth, to be like two troublemaking college kids, constantly competing with one another and having no awareness of grim reality. They are two princes, born in wealth and affluence, and as of yet do not see their privilege. Once their fun is through, however, we are introduced to their father, Pharaoh Seti. In his first scene, we see Seti as a strict man, focused on his legacy and greatly disappointed in his sons’ misadventures, particularly on Rameses’s part. At this point, we can still understand where Seti is coming from – after all, Rameses and Moses did cause some damage and they should be setting a better example as princes – but that doesn’t make watching Seti viciously snap at Rameses and Rameses struggling to hold in his hurt any easier.

Like Anastasia as well, this film has an all-star cast. Val Kilmer, Ralph Fiennes, Michelle Pfieffer, Sandra Bullock, Jeff Goldblum, Patrick Stewart, Steve Martin, Martin Short…although I could argue in some future projects, Dreamworks focused too much on casting big names in a lazy attempt to get more butts in the theater seats (looking at you, Shark Tale), I think in this case, every casting choice made was pretty spot-on. My personal favorite casting is Fiennes as Rameses – Rameses as a character is much more complex than most “antagonists” in other mainstream family films, and I think it would’ve been hard to find someone better than Fiennes to portray that.

Rameses and Moses is my single favorite relationship in this movie, and it makes sense – it is clearly the one the filmmakers put the most focus and effort into. Rameses can be a serious, proud, ambitious cynic, while Moses can be a light-hearted, sympathetic, mischievous peacemaker. Basically it’s a bond between a Slytherin and a Hufflepuff – darkness and light – and the relationship between these two brothers is so well written that it alludes to years of history that justifies the strength of their trust. It’s why Moses tries to make peace between Rameses and Seti once Rameses storms out of the room. It’s why Moses tries so hard to cheer Rameses up afterwards. It’s why Rameses, upon being formally named Prince Regent, names Moses his Royal Chief Architect.

Speaking of which, at the party where Rameses is given that title, we meet the character of Tzipporah, who is given to Rameses as a gift, but who Rameses “re-gifts” to Moses. In this sequence, we see another hint of Moses’s compassion. When the guards try to capture Tzipporah, swords drawn, Moses immediately intercedes and tries to restrain her himself, so that she wouldn’t be hurt or killed by the guards. Admittedly he mischievously lets her fall into a fountain, but it is still an infinitely kinder way to halt her escape than the alternative would’ve been. Nonetheless, we see Moses regretting his action when he sees his mother’s disappointment and Tzipporah’s wrath. Later Tzipporah escapes from the palace, and Moses pursues her. When Moses spots that some guards are about to catch her escaping, however, he once again intercedes. This time he actually misdirects them, sending them up to his chambers and away from Tzipporah, who had been directly behind them. It gives a subtle hint that Moses, even before learning the truth of his heritage, does have something in him that sees the value of freedom. Moses then follows Tzipporah all the way to the border of Egypt, until she escapes off into the desert. It is here that Moses meets Miriam and Aaron – his real siblings.

GOOD GOD THIS SCENE. ALL OF THE FEELS FOR THIS SCENE. I swear, I can’t help but feel so much for Miriam here. The hope in her voice is just heartbreaking when Aaron tries so hard to shut her down and Moses retorts in ignorant outrage. Then Miriam starts singing her mother’s old lullaby, and everything just…stops. The music dies utterly, and the only thing hanging in the air is Miriam’s choked voice. (Fun bit of trivia: one of the film’s directors, Brenda Chapman, provided Miriam’s voice in this scene. You may also know Brenda Chapman as the brain behind Disney/Pixar’s film Brave.)

Miriam’s hushed reprise then dissolves into quiet, horrified orchestration that then slowly builds, until it stumbles back and charges into a run just as Moses does. This orchestration then leads us into my favorite song in the entire film, “All I Ever Wanted.” From the time I was young, this song could always get my heart pounding. I felt all of the fear, all of the longing, all of the denial, all of the pride, and all of the doubt that rippled through Moses’s voice and over his face. When I was in high school and I would listen to this in my headphones on my way to school, I would run down the streets just like Moses did in the film, plodding through all the emotions expressed in each note. Even now I think it is one of the most unique songs sung by a protagonist in a musical that I’ve ever heard. Most “I Want” songs are about wanting more, but this song is about wanting things to stay the same. Rather than seeking adventure, Moses seeks peace and happiness – to stay in this dream world that he’s only just seeing was just a dream. It reminds me of how I felt when the September 11th terrorist attacks happened. When you first see the fragments of your old life shattered around you, you first feel this instinct to grab them and try hopelessly to glue them back together. As time goes by, though, you see how painful such an effort is – it’s like even just clutching those broken shards of your childhood is making your hands bleed – and so you have no choice but to let go of them.

“All I Ever Wanted” dissolves into Moses’s dream sequence, which is entirely drawn in a hieroglyphic-inspired style. This is such a creative sequence – it’s so stylistic, and yet it doesn’t forget to make the stilted movements translate the proper emotions. When Moses wakes up from the nightmare, he also wakes up from his delusion, and decides he must learn the truth. This revelation scene is my favorite part of the entire film. Moses runs down the halls of hieroglyphics, combing wall after wall, until he finally finds what he’s looking for. He sees the image of his father, Seti, ordering his guards to throw babies into the Nile River. The young prince is horrified, heartbroken, at what he sees…and Seti brings a hand down on top of his head, trying to show him some comfort. Moses turns to look at him, pleading with him, “Father, tell me you didn’t do this,” but Seti cannot give Moses that “out.” Instead the old Pharaoh justifies the decision, and even worse, tries to excuse it. “They were only slaves.” Seti’s evil face is truly revealed – the face of callous, wicked ignorance, garbing itself in gold and silk. For more of my thoughts on this scene, you may read this post of mine analyzing it, but to sum it up here, this is the scene that taught me as a kid that evil is not always self-aware…and it even now chills me, just as much as it does Moses. That horrible shrieking of the strings that accompanies Moses’s facial shift from sorrow to horror as he slowly removes himself from Seti’s arms and backs away is a musical representation of everything I feel watching this scene.

After being counseled by his adopted mother Tuya, Moses tries simply to be happy with his fortunate circumstances, but now that he knows the truth of his birth, he can no longer not see the injustices and cruelty around him. He can’t block out the image of his people being worked within an inch of their lives. He can’t block out the furious shouts of an overseer and the horrible, pained cries of an elderly slave being whipped. And it is in this sequence that we get one of the best instrumental tracks in the entire film. The track is called “Goodbye Brother,” and it accompanies Moses accidentally killing an overseer to protect a slave and running away from home. I’ve also discussed this track (and a few others from this film) in another post, but like with Seti, I will restate my core points here. The best piece of this track is the middle, which happens just before Moses kills the overseer. It is a horrific, demented shrieking, one that sounds like what nails being driven into your brain should feel like. The sound is like the accompaniment of a nightmare that you can’t escape. And then just as suddenly, the nightmarish feeling is gone…to be replaced with a different kind of fear and horror, the kind that you feel when you realize it’s not just a horrible dream, the kind that gives way to panic. Moses running away is echoed in the music with every racing, plodding note, until it, like Moses, is brought to a rough halt. From here, a great sorrowful sound takes over – as if the music is mourning what could’ve been just as much as Moses is. Partner this with the tragic verbal exchange between Rameses and Moses, and I think just about everyone’s heart will break by the end of the scene.

So from here, Moses flees into the desert, shedding his identity as a Prince of Egypt, and joining Tzipporah’s tribe of Midianites. While there, we get another amazing song (“Through Heaven’s Eyes”) and see Moses grow from a boy into a man. Even though Moses has grown so much, however, there is still business for him to take care of, and that business becomes clear when he follows a lost sheep into a cave and finds a Bush alight with white, inhuman fire. The instrumental for this sequence, “The Burning Bush,” is in my opinion not only the best instrumental in the film, but also the best non-Disney instrumental I have ever heard. I have never been a particularly religious person – Hell, my parents are a non-practicing Christian and an Atheist. But whenever I encounter a particularly wonderful piece of art, landscape, or music, I think I feel what some people call spirituality. It is a sensation that makes you feel lighter and warmer, like a balloon slowly filling up with air, devoid of fear, worry, and pain. It is a dreamy feeling that makes you feel one with everything, and everything feel like it is as it should be…and once you know that feeling, you can’t imagine losing it. This track is a perfect representation of those feelings – it is enlightenment, in musical form, from its raindrop-like pattering to its slowly rotating tone like a globe spinning on its axel.

Something else interesting about this sequence is how God is depicted. Unlike in The Ten Commandments, which The Prince of Egypt is based upon, this God is depicted more like the New Testament God, being much kinder and gentler than the vengeful God that is more often found in the Old Testament. On top of this, this God is actually voiced by Val Kilmer, who also voiced Moses, making it so Val Kilmer is technically talking to himself in this scene. There are two ways I could read this – one, it speaks of how God is representative of Moses’s inner-voice, so this scene is a metaphor for Moses coming to grips with his own morality; or two, Moses is seeing himself in God, because Man was made in God’s image, and so by the end understands that he has God’s power inside of himself. Either way, Moses realizes that he can’t run away from his responsibility to his people and goes back to Egypt to confront the Pharaoh.

Alas, when Moses arrives, he does not confront Seti, but his brother Rameses. I cannot lie, Rameses and Moses reuniting is a scene that always makes me smile, even if my heart’s breaking at the same time. GODDAMN IT, MOVIE, HOW DARE YOU DO THIS TO ME. After the “Playing with the Big Boys” song number by Hotep and Huy (which I suppose is the weakest of the songs, but is still pretty damn good), Rameses and Moses talk the matter over. Moses tries to explain his position to Rameses, and it is here that Rameses too finds his rose-colored glasses cracking. His idealistic hope that his brother was back and they could live as they had is flickering and dying. There is no going back for Moses. He is choosing the well being of Hebrew slaves over the brother he grew up with. And this betrayal hurts Rameses deeply. The animation on Rameses’s face in this scene – from heartbreak, to anger, to shock, to regret, to grief, to vengeance – is perfectly paced and spot-on. From this scene on, Rameses has officially become the anti-villain of the film – the reluctant rival to our reluctant hero.

On the face of things, Moses has made everything worse with his return. Rameses has turned against him and the slaves bitterly scorn him for his battle against Pharaoh. But one slave is with him from the start – his sister Miriam. She rallies the slaves behind Moses, and Moses stands with new strength. He commands Rameses again to “let his people go,” again, again, again, with multiple plagues, to the accompaniment of “The Plagues.” My favorite part in this song is the inner-monologues from our hero and our anti-villain that unconsciously mirror each other.

Once I called you brother; // You who I called brother,

Once I thought the chance to make you laugh // How could you have come to hate me so?

Was all I ever wanted… // Is this what you wanted?

And of course the ending –

I will not LET your/my PEOPLE…GO!

The Plagues play out one by one, before we reach the Plague of Darkness. Moses goes to find Rameses and tries one last time to convince him to relent before the next Plague arrives. I’ve talked about this scene and Rameses’s son in the past, and you can read that here, but I will just add that I love the parallels this scene makes to earlier scenes of Moses in the palace. Not only do some shots parallel the scene of Moses comforting Rameses at the beginning of the movie, but Moses also passes the pillar and statues that he runs to in the “All I Ever Wanted” sequence. It’s such a bittersweet juxtaposition.

Sadly Moses and Rameses cannot go back to the way things were, however much they wish it. The destinies that have been written for them and the responsibilities therein make it impossible…and this scene proves this once and for all. Rameses, refusing to drop his pride and refusing to bow to the pressure of someone who threatens the security of his empire, crosses the line and threatens the murder of Moses’s people. Moses cannot save him or Egypt from the final Plague now…and so the First Born are slain, with an inhuman light that literally breathes His victims’ last breath.

The scene centering on the Death of the First Born is a very powerful one. A striking choice is having it mostly done in silence, with no instrumental music at all. The only sounds other than the Angel’s breathing are the blowing wind, some rattling of trees and roofs, crickets chirping, and finally the howls of despair from all of the parents upon discovering their dead children. The scene hits home when we see Rameses holding his dead son in his arms – Moses comes up behind him out of the white light beyond, and for a moment, he is the Angel of Death himself, bearing witness to the grief of the Pharaoh that was once his brother. And as much as I disapprove of Rameses’ sentiments in the last scene and agree that Moses’s people should be freed…I do not blame Rameses in the least for his inconsolable, furious withdrawal from Moses’s comforting hand. I don’t think I could forgive anyone who took someone I love from me…no matter how noble the person’s cause. This still does not make me feel any less for Moses when he walks off by himself, drops his staff, and then slowly falls to his knees, collapsing in on himself as he tries in vain to suppress his sobs.

At long last, the Hebrews have their freedom, and with it, we get our final lyrical number – the Academy-Award-winning song “When You Believe.” This song is a good example of how, even though this film can get so serious, those darker elements are mitigated perfectly with a lot of sincerity and heart. This song is like a beautiful sunrise after a night of thunderstorms. The mist is still clinging to the air and remnants of the rain are still falling from the shingles of roofs, but sunlight is bouncing off the droplets, sparkling like tiny diamonds, and the clouds are touched with pink. Then the children start their verses in Hebrew, and a new, youthful life is infused into the piece, ringing with the hopes and dreams of a new beginning. Where something has ended, something has now begun, and after the darkest of nights, the sun has returned.

Just when it seems the Hebrews have succeeded, Rameses does try one last time to circumvent them, by charging after them with his army. Moses parts the Red Sea, the Hebrews make it across, and the Sea comes back together just as Rameses and his army are charging through it. It is only after this that we come full circle – the music at last returns to the theme from the very beginning, “Deliver Us.” Moses has answered that prayer. He has delivered his people to freedom. And so as Moses comes down Mount Sinai with the Ten Commandments in hand, I frankly don’t care about what happens next in the actual Biblical story – the ending is more than enough to fulfill me.

The Prince of Egypt is very special to me. As you can tell from all of the links in this post, it is a movie I love talking about and I think I will never stop talking about. It saddens me that this film is not more recognized by the world at large, like so many other great animated films are. Its soundtrack is in my opinion one of the best animated musical soundtracks ever recorded. Its animation is stunning, evocative, and detailed. Its characters are multi-faceted and real. Its story is epic, timeless, and emotional. Recently there was an attempt to bring it to Broadway, but that attempt was scrapped because of the backlash in response to its all-white cast (gee, I can’t imagine why *oh hai there sarcasm*). I sincerely hope that the project will be attempted again, however – maybe The Prince of Egypt can be brought back to the public consciousness again by going to the Broadway stage, as Anastasia has. In the meantime, though, we do have the original masterpiece, and I will always view it as the best film ever produced by Dreamworks.

#d-views #disney reviews #off topic!#the prince of egypt #dreamworks #opinion #analysis #reviews

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dfroza · 3 years ago

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Today’s reading from the ancient book of Proverbs and book of Psalms

for may 26 of 2021 with Proverbs 26 and Psalm 26, accompanied by Psalm 68 for the 68th day of Spring and Psalm 146 for day 146 of the year

[Proverbs 26]

Like snow in the summer and rain in the time of harvest,

so honor is never fitting for a fool.

Like a bird that flits and flutters or a swallow in mid-flight,

so a curse that lacks cause will never come to light.

A whip is for the horse, a bridle is for the donkey,

and a rod is for the fool’s back.

Never answer a fool on his own foolish terms,

or you will become like him;

Rather, answer a fool on his own foolish terms,

or he will become wise in his own eyes.

Like someone who cuts off his feet or drinks to his ruin,

so is the one who uses a fool to pass on his message.

As lame legs are useless, dangling on the crippled,

so is a proverb in the mouth of a fool.

Like one who ties a stone in his slingshot,

so is one who honors a fool.

Like a thorn in the hand of a drunkard,

so is a proverb in the mouth of a fool.

Like an archer who shoots at random and injures everyone,

so is a person who hires a fool or someone off the street.

Like a dog who goes back to his own vomit,

so is a fool who always returns to his foolishness.

Have you seen a person who is wise in his own sight?

Know that there is more hope for a fool than for him.

A lazy person says, “There’s a lion in the road!

A lion in the streets!

Another good reason to stay in today.”

As a door swings on its hinges and goes nowhere,

so a slacker turns over in his bed.

Some people are so lazy that they reach for food on the plate

but lack the will to bring it up to their mouths.

The slacker sees himself as wiser by far

than seven men who can converse intelligently.

Like a man who seizes a wild dog by the ears,

so is anyone who walks by and meddles in someone else’s argument.

Like a madman who hurls flaming spears and shoots deadly arrows,

So is anyone who deceives a neighbor

and then says, “But I was only joking with you.”

When there is no wood, the fire goes out;

when there is no one to spread gossip, arguing stops.

Like charcoal to smoldering embers and dry wood to a fire,

so a hot-tempered man kindles strife.

Whispered gossip is like a delicious first course:

it is devoured with pleasure and then penetrates deep within you.

Like a shiny glaze coating a rough clay pot,

so are burning lips that conceal an evil heart.

One who hates may camouflage it beneath pleasant words,

but deep inside him, treachery still rages;

Don’t believe him when he speaks kindly

because his heart is completely ruled by evil.

And though he covers his hatred with cleverness,

his wicked ways will be publicly exposed.

The one who digs a trap for another will fall into it,

and the one who starts rolling a stone will have it roll back over him.

Liars take no pity on those they crush with their lies,

and flattery spoils everyone it touches.

The Book of Proverbs, Chapter 26 (The Voice)

[Psalm 26]

A song of David.

Declare my innocence, O Eternal One!

I have walked blamelessly down this path.

I placed my trust in the Eternal and have yet to stumble.

Put me on trial and examine me, O Eternal One!

Search me through and through—from my deepest longings to every thought that crosses my mind.

Your unfailing love is always before me;

I have journeyed down Your path of truth.

My life is not wasted among liars;

my days are not spent among cheaters.

I despise every crowd intent on evil;

I do not commune with the wicked.

I wash my hands in the fountain of innocence

so that I might join the gathering that surrounds Your altar, O Eternal One.

From my soul, I will join the songs of thanksgiving;

I will sing and proclaim Your wonder and mystery.

Your house, home to Your glory, O Eternal One, radiates its light.

I am fixed on this place and long to be nowhere else.

When Your wrath pursues those who oppose You,

those swift to sin and thirsty for blood,

spare my soul and grant me life.

These men hold deceit in their left hands,

and in their right hands, bribery and lies.

But God, I have walked blamelessly down this path,

and this is my plea for redemption.

This is my cry for Your mercy.

Here I stand secure and confident

before all the people; I will praise the Eternal.

The Book of Psalms, Poem 26 (The Voice)

[Psalm 68]

For the worship leader. A song of David.

May the True God rise up and show Himself;

may those who are united against Him be dispersed,

while the people who hate Him run away at the sight of Him.

As smoke disappears when it is blown by the wind,

may You blow away Your enemies forever.

As wax melts in the presence of fire,

may the wicked heart melt away in God’s presence.

But may those who are righteous rejoice

in the presence of the True God—so may they be glad and rejoice.

Yes, let them celebrate with joy!

Sing songs of praise to the name that belongs to the True God!

Let your voices ring out in songs of praise to Him, the One who rides through the deserted places.

His name is the Eternal;

celebrate in His glorious presence.

The True God who inhabits sacred space

is a father to the fatherless, a defender of widows.

He makes a home for those who are alone.

He frees the prisoners and leads them to prosper.

Yet those who rebel against Him live in the barren land without His blessings and prosperity.

O True God, when You led Your enslaved people from Egypt,

when You journeyed with us through the wilderness,

[pause]

The whole world trembled! The sky poured down rain

at the power of Your presence; even Mount Sinai trembled in Your presence,

the presence of the True God, the God of Israel.

You sent a heavy downpour to soak the ground, O True God.

You refreshed the land—the land Your people would inherit—when it was parched and dry.

Your covenant people made their homes in the land,

and because You are so good, You provided for those crushed by poverty, O True God.

The Lord gives the word;

there are very many women ready to tell the good news:

“Kings who lead the armies are on the run!

They are on the run!

And the woman who stays at home is ready, too,

ready to enjoy the treasures that they’ve left behind!”

When they lay down among the campfires and open the saddlebags, imagine what they’ll find—

a beautiful dove, its wings covered with silver,

its feathers a shimmering gold.

When the Almighty scattered the kings from that place,

it was snowing in Zalmon.

O Mount Bashan, you mighty mountain of the True God;

mountain of many peaks, O Mount Bashan.

Why are you so jealous, O mountain of many peaks,

when you look at the mountain the True God has chosen as His dwelling place?

The Eternal will surely abide on Mount Zion forever.

The chariots of God are innumerable;

there are thousands upon thousands of them.

The Lord is in their midst, just as He was at Mount Sinai.

He has come into the holy place.

When You ascended the sacred mountain,

with Your prisoners in tow, Your captives in chains,

You sat in triumph receiving gifts from men,

Even from those who rebel against You, so that You, the Eternal God, might take up residence there.

Blessed be the Lord

who carries our heavy loads every day,

the True God who is our salvation.

[pause]

We know our God is the God who delivers us,

and the Eternal, the Lord, is the One who saves us from the grip of death.

The True God will certainly shatter the skulls of those who oppose Him;

He’ll smash the hairy head of the man who continues on his sinful ways.

The Lord said,

“I will bring the enemy back from Bashan.

I will bring them back from the deepest parts of the sea,

So that you may plant your feet in their blood

and your dogs may lick up their portion of the foe.”

The solemn march in Your honor, O True God, has come into view;

the march that celebrates my God, my King, has come into the sanctuary.

The singers went first, and the musicians came last

between rows of girls who played tambourines.

Come, let us gather to bless the True God

and to praise the Eternal, He who is the fountain of Israel, the source of our life!

Look! There are the rulers of Benjamin, the youngest in the lead.

A great crowd follows

The princes of Judah,

the princes of Zebulun, the princes of Naphtali.

[Your God is the One who has given you strength];

show Your power, O True God, as You have done for us.

Because of Your magnificent temple in Jerusalem,

many kings will line up to bring You gifts.

Reprimand the beasts in the tall grass,

the herds of bulls that are with the people’s calves,

Trampling over the pieces of silver.

He has driven out the people who love to be at war.

Ambassadors will come from Egypt;

the people of Ethiopia will reach out their hands to the one True God.

Let all the kingdoms of the earth sing to the True God.

Sing songs of praise to the Lord.

[pause]

To Him who rides high up beyond the heavens, which have been since ancient times,

watch and listen. His voice speaks, and it is powerful and strong.

Attribute power to the one True God;

His royal splendor is evident over Israel,

and His power courses through the clouds.

O True God, You are awesome from the holy place where You dwell.

The True God of Israel Himself

grants strength and power to His people.

Blessed be our God!

The Book of Psalms, Poem 68 (The Voice)

along with these lines:

On that day that Shaddai scattered the kings,

snow fell on Black Mountain.

You huge mountains, Bashan mountains,

mighty mountains, dragon mountains.

All you mountains not chosen,

sulk now, and feel sorry for yourselves,

For this is the mountain God has chosen to live on;

he’ll rule from this mountain forever.

The Book of Psalms, Poem 68:14-16 (The Message)

[Psalm 146]

Our True Help

A poetic psalm by Haggai and Zechariah

Hallelujah! Praise the Lord!

My innermost being will praise you, Lord!

I will spend my life praising you and

singing high praises to you, my God, every day of my life!

We can never look to men for help;

no matter who they are, they can’t save us,

for even our great leaders fail and fall.

They too are just mortals who will one day die.

At death the spirits of all depart and their bodies return to dust.

In the day of their death all their projects and plans are over.

But those who hope in the Lord will be happy and pleased!

Our help comes from the God of Jacob!

You keep all your promises.

You are the Creator of heaven’s glory,

earth’s grandeur, and the ocean’s greatness.

The oppressed get justice with you.

The hungry are satisfied with you.

Prisoners find their freedom with you.

You open the eyes of the blind,

and you fully restore those bent over with shame.

You love those who love and honor you.

You watch over strangers and immigrants

and support the fatherless and widows.

But you subvert the plans of the ungodly.

Lord, you will reign forever!

Zion’s God will rule throughout time and eternity!

Hallelujah! Praise the Lord!

The Book of Psalms, Poem 146 (The Passion Translation)

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neo-losangeles · 8 years ago

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The Oceanic Feeling

Tavia Nyong'

Nineteen-year-old Christopher Breaux fell hard for another straight-acting boy who wouldn’t love him back, confessing his love in a car parked in front of the girlfriend’s house. Like many a millennial, he took to Tumblr to share his feelings about a love he described, with portentous adolescent drama, as “malignant.” But the queerest song released so far by the artist now known at Frank Ocean hasn’t been an ode to boy-on-boy love and lust but a corrosive satire of “traditional” American marriage in the era of Kim Kardashian and Newt Gingrich. If hip-hop is the CNN of the ghetto, then “American Wedding” aims to be its TMZ as well, replete with celebrities and courtroom hijinks, muscle motors, and divorce settlements, with Ocean ruefully rubbernecking at all the car crashes en route to the good life.subscribe to TNI for $2 and get Vol. 9 today

“American Wedding” has attracted the proprietary attentions of paleo-rockers the Eagles, whose radio staple “Hotel California” the track is based on. But the real story here isn’t about the sampling wars. It’s about a scapegoat generation struggling to find a path through the crumbling infrastructure of the American dream.

It has been said that while liberals won the culture wars of recent decades, the right won the political and economic ones. The absurdly elevated status of “marriage equality” as the ne plus ultra of gay rights is a symptom of this unhappy dispensation. Who wants equality, after all, on such threadbare terms? Sensing a bait and switch, Ocean takes down love, American style, in merciless couplets like:

She said, ‘I’ve had a hell of a summer, so baby, don’t take this hard But maybe we should get an annulment, before this goes way too far.’

Like Pretty Woman in reverse, “American Wedding” descends from true love to crass commercial exchange, reminding us on the outro that “we been some hustlers since it began.”

But this deconstruction of romantic comedy is done in the name of a different, murkier ideal of love, a redemptive love that won’t quite fit into the comforting melodic or narrative resolution of pop culture. We heard strains of such a love on Ocean’s performance at the 2012 VMA awards, where he delivered an assonant, astringent version of “Thinkin Bout You,” the opening track on Channel Orange. He wonders if his beloved is willing to “think so far ahead, cuz I’ve been thinkin’ bout forever.” But such a horizon can clearly no longer find expression in the shelf-worn sentiments of “till death do us part.” The ass-backwardness of the Eagles’ litigious response to Ocean’s meditation on love and commitment is best captured by NCWYS in the SoundCloud comments to “American Wedding”:

If you older people think that the younger generation is out of control and doing everything incorrectly then you should absolutely love this song, but you don’t.

Ocean is a practiced journeyman of popsoul songcraft, as the early demos on the fan-compiled Lonny Breaux Collection prove, but his writing on Channel Orange makes his preceding material for other artists seem like throat clearing. On “Sweet Life,” a sharply observed reverie of black-picket-fence California dreaming, Ocean sardonically queries his pampered date: “So why see the world, when you got the beach?” He elongates “world” to contrast with the punched out “beach” in a way that tells us everything we need to know about his mournful acceptance of life’s cruel optimism. “Sweet Life” makes the extended parable of parental neglect on “Super Rich Kids” almost superfluous, except for the self-conscious scene setting it adds—mixing substance abuse and class snobbery into a potent cocktail of something called “upward mobility”:

We’ll both be high The help don’t stare They just walk by They must don’t care.

This is the way Ocean inherits the past: not by respecting tradition, or Don Henley, but by staring down the foreshortened horizons and complacent inequality that the frantic pursuit of wealth or happiness brings.

Not that Ocean is lecturing, mind you, although Sierra Leone, sex work, global warming, and the hijab all make appearances in his rapidly expanding oeuvre. He is singing over the soundtrack of history, blunting its force with tried and true teenage tactics of insult, grandiosity, and desperate need. At 24 he isn’t quite old enough to know that he shouldn’t care, which is why he can gloat over “expensive news” on a pricey widescreen one moment, and say “my TV ain’t HD, that’s too real” in another. His is a realism that needs to be able to blur out of focus when it’s too intense or not intense enough, and the drugs come in handy. But so does channel surfing; on Channel Orange television is his angel of history, a flickering window onlooking the mounting wreckage of the past as he is blown into the future.

Despite his Tumblr post comparing the intensity of same sex love to “being thrown from a plane,” the theme of Channel Orange is less sexual orientation than chemical disorientation. Recreational substances surface frequently, often as a metaphor for a relationship gone wrong. Or is it the other way around, and addiction is now the core, common experience a generation is struggling to give sense to, turning to romantic clichés like “unrequited love” in a search for a more familiar, respectable language for it?

Frank’s oceanic feelings on Channel Orange crash in waves that obliterate distinctions between gay, bi, or straight. Some of the ostensibly straight songs, except for their pronouns, feel suspiciously same-sex. And when heterosexuality is foregrounded, it never resolves any confusions, it only produces new ones. The artistic showpiece of the album, the ten-minute long “Pyramids,” is an afrofabulation of ancient Egypt and postmodern Las Vegas, centered on a woman dressing for her job as a stripper, while her man looks on, waiting for her to “hit the strip” and “keep my bills paid.” But the song is a far cry from big pimpin’. “Pyramids” is drenched in delusions of the good life in a “top floor motel suite,” cruising on empty confused for the upward mobility that is now as rare as water in the American desert. Ocean has a heartfelt respect for his Afrocentric queen—“we’ll run to the future shining like diamonds in a rocky world”— but the feeling tone of “Pyramids” is closer to Janelle Monáe’s “Many Moons” than Michael Jackson’s “Remember the Time.” That is, where Jackson celebrated an image of a past in which we were kings and queens, Monáe and Ocean take a fish-eye view of a society where a multihued social apex rests atop masses of brown, black, and beige bodies “working at the pyramid,” like the slaves who built the original ones.

Where CNN anchor Anderson Cooper justified his belated coming out in terms of the reporter’s obligation not to get in the way of the news, Ocean knows better. A black boy is always getting in the way of the news. At 18 he fled Hurricane Katrina for Los Angeles. But as Fred Moten put it, “I ran from it, and was still in it” pretty much sums up the black experience in America. Channel Orange starts in a similarly fucked-up atmosphere—“A tornado flew around my room”—and ends with “Forrest Gump” perhaps the most oddball musical portrait of same-sex love since “Johnny Are You Queer?” A three-legged race featuring Tom Hanks’ dimwitted but fleet-footed hero and Christopher Breaux’s beau, “Forrest Gump” boils Hollwood sap down to a lubricious bump and grind:

my fingertips and my lips they burn from the cigarettes forrest gump you run my mind boy running on my mind boy

“Forrest Gump” is rhythm and blues as dark camp, nostalgia repurposed by a generation too young to remember, a generation whose cultural thefts seem premised on the awareness that anything original they create could be stolen.

But don’t confuse Ocean’s approach for pastiche or retromania, despite his affection for old cars and the vocal stylings of Prince, Stevie Wonder, and Donnny Hathaway. Just when you think he is recycling the familiar, he gives you something incredibly raw and real. On his first appearance on broadcast television, Ocean scaled the national-media echo chamber down to a backseat taxicab confessional, sharing a universal angst at a human level rarely captured by the contemporary celebrity coming out, with its strict protocols for explaining the murkiness of desire away:

He said Allah Hu Akbar I told him don’t curse me Bo Bo you need prayer I guess it couldn’t hurt me.

“Bad Religion” leaves it unclear whether it is his taxi driver’s effusive piety or his own devotion to the cult of true love that is more stunning. Confusing spirituality with a therapy designed to sand our sharp edges into shape for this world, Ocean is awestruck in a way that has little to do, in the end, with either Islamophobia or homophobia.

Rather, “Bad Religion” finds a pivot point in the “and” of Freud’s Civilization and Its Discontents, the book where Freud psychoanalyzed the oceanic feeling of cosmic oneness felt by natural mystics and prophesied that our adjustment to society would only ever leave us frustrated and unhappy. “The price we pay for our advance in civilization,” Freud warned, “is a loss of happiness through the heightening of the sense of guilt,” and “Bad Religion” has plenty of guilt to spare. But it also never fails to convey the sense of striving and resilience Freud grudgingly acknowledges when he notes, “We are never so defenseless against suffering as when we love, never so helplessly unhappy as when we have lost our loved object or its love. But this does not dispose of the technique of living based on the value of love as a means to happiness.”subscribe to TNI for $2 and get Vol. 9 today

Blown from New Orleans by the unnatural calamity of racist and economic neglect, separated from his beloved by lack of reciprocation, Ocean never stops striving for “the technique of living based on the value of love.” Whatever, wherever that may be. Even a curse, after all, probably couldn’t hurt him.

When Ocean, on his Tumblr, greeted us as “human beings spinning on blackness,” he invited us into that cab alongside him, but also onto the edge of that oceanic feeling of cosmic oneness that Freud could only associate with regression, so convinced was he that satisfaction was something all humans left in the womb.A version of this essay first appeared at Bully Bloggers

But spinning on blackness needn’t be just an image for depression, addiction, burn out, or malignancy. It could also be Ocean sidling up in an undercommons of prayer and malediction, where the singular soul brushes up against the dark night of the universe. Maybe that’s why a conventional coming out, with its endless reiterations of the transparently obvious and anodyne, seems beside the point. Frank Ocean isn’t like you or me; he isn’t even much like Christopher Breaux any longer.

https://thenewinquiry.com/essays/the-oceanic-feeling/

#music #favorite #frank ocean

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dfroza · 4 years ago

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Today’s reading from the ancient books of Proverbs and Psalms

for friday, february 26 of 2021 with Proverbs 26 and Psalm 26, accompanied by Psalm 68 for the 68th day of Winter and Psalm 57 for day 57 of the year

[Psalm 26]

A song of David.

Declare my innocence, O Eternal One!

I have walked blamelessly down this path.

I placed my trust in the Eternal and have yet to stumble.

Put me on trial and examine me, O Eternal One!

Search me through and through—from my deepest longings to every thought that crosses my mind.

Your unfailing love is always before me;

I have journeyed down Your path of truth.

My life is not wasted among liars;

my days are not spent among cheaters.

I despise every crowd intent on evil;

I do not commune with the wicked.

I wash my hands in the fountain of innocence

so that I might join the gathering that surrounds Your altar, O Eternal One.

From my soul, I will join the songs of thanksgiving;

I will sing and proclaim Your wonder and mystery.

Your house, home to Your glory, O Eternal One, radiates its light.

I am fixed on this place and long to be nowhere else.

When Your wrath pursues those who oppose You,

those swift to sin and thirsty for blood,

spare my soul and grant me life.

These men hold deceit in their left hands,

and in their right hands, bribery and lies.

But God, I have walked blamelessly down this path,

and this is my plea for redemption.

This is my cry for Your mercy.

Here I stand secure and confident

before all the people; I will praise the Eternal.

The Book of Psalms, Poem 26 (The Voice)

[Psalm 68]

Up with God!

Down with his enemies!

Adversaries, run for the hills!

Gone like a puff of smoke,

like a blob of wax in the fire—

one look at God and the wicked vanish.

When the righteous see God in action

they’ll laugh, they’ll sing,

they’ll laugh and sing for joy.

Sing hymns to God;

all heaven, sing out;

clear the way for the coming of Cloud-Rider.

Enjoy God,

cheer when you see him!

Father of orphans,

champion of widows,

is God in his holy house.

God makes homes for the homeless,

leads prisoners to freedom,

but leaves rebels to rot in hell.

God, when you took the lead with your people,

when you marched out into the wild,

Earth shook, sky broke out in a sweat;

God was on the march.

Even Sinai trembled at the sight of God on the move,

at the sight of Israel’s God.

You pour out rain in buckets, O God;

thorn and cactus become an oasis

For your people to camp in and enjoy.

You set them up in business;

they went from rags to riches.

The Lord gave the word;

thousands called out the good news:

“Kings of the armies

are on the run, on the run!”

While housewives, safe and sound back home,

divide up the plunder,

the plunder of Canaanite silver and gold.

On that day that Shaddai scattered the kings,

snow fell on Black Mountain.

You huge mountains, Bashan mountains,

mighty mountains, dragon mountains.

All you mountains not chosen,

sulk now, and feel sorry for yourselves,

For this is the mountain God has chosen to live on;

he’ll rule from this mountain forever.

The chariots of God, twice ten thousand,

and thousands more besides,

The Lord in the lead, riding down Sinai—

straight to the Holy Place!

You climbed to the High Place, captives in tow,

your arms full of plunder from rebels,

And now you sit there in state,

God, sovereign God!

Blessed be the Lord—

day after day he carries us along.

He’s our Savior, our God, oh yes!

He’s God-for-us, he’s God-who-saves-us.

Lord God knows all

death’s ins and outs.

What’s more, he made heads roll,

split the skulls of the enemy

As he marched out of heaven,

saying, “I tied up the Dragon in knots,

put a muzzle on the Deep Blue Sea.”

You can wade through your enemies’ blood,

and your dogs taste of your enemies from your boots.

See God on parade

to the sanctuary, my God,

my King on the march!

Singers out front, the band behind,

maidens in the middle with castanets.

The whole choir blesses God.

Like a fountain of praise, Israel blesses God.

Look—little Benjamin’s out

front and leading

Princes of Judah in their royal robes,

princes of Zebulun, princes of Naphtali.

Parade your power, O God,

the power, O God, that made us what we are.

Your temple, High God, is Jerusalem;

kings bring gifts to you.

Rebuke that old crocodile, Egypt,

with her herd of wild bulls and calves,

Rapacious in her lust for silver,

crushing peoples, spoiling for a fight.

Let Egyptian traders bring blue cloth

and Cush come running to God, her hands outstretched.

Sing, O kings of the earth!

Sing praises to the Lord!

There he is: Sky-Rider,

striding the ancient skies.

Listen—he’s calling in thunder,

rumbling, rolling thunder.

Call out “Bravo!” to God,

the High God of Israel.

His splendor and strength

rise huge as thunderheads.

A terrible beauty, O God,

streams from your sanctuary.

It’s Israel’s strong God! He gives

power and might to his people!

O you, his people—bless God!

The Book of Psalms, Poem 68 (The Message)

[Psalm 57]

Triumphant Faith

To the Pure and Shining One

King David’s golden song of instruction composed when he hid from Saul in a cave

To the tune of “Do Not Destroy”

Be good to me, God—and now!

I’ve run to you for dear life.

I’m hiding out under your wings

until the hurricane blows over.

I call out to High God,

the God who holds me together.

He sends orders from heaven and saves me,

he humiliates those who kick me around.

God delivers generous love,

he makes good on his word.

I find myself in a pride of lions

who are wild for a taste of human flesh;

Their teeth are lances and arrows,

their tongues are sharp daggers.

Soar high in the skies, O God!

Cover the whole earth with your glory!

They booby-trapped my path;

I thought I was dead and done for.

They dug a mantrap to catch me,

and fell in headlong themselves.

I’m ready, God, so ready,

ready from head to toe,

Ready to sing, ready to raise a tune:

“Wake up, soul!

Wake up, harp! wake up, lute!

Wake up, you sleepyhead sun!”

I’m thanking you, God, out loud in the streets,

singing your praises in town and country.

The deeper your love, the higher it goes;

every cloud is a flag to your faithfulness.

Soar high in the skies, O God!

Cover the whole earth with your glory!

The Book of Psalms, Poem 57 (The Passion Translation / The Message)

[Proverbs 26]

It is totally out of place to promote and honor a fool,

just like it’s out of place to have snow in the summer and rain at harvest time.

An undeserved curse will be powerless to harm you.

It may flutter over you like a bird,

but it will find no place to land.

Guide a horse with a whip,

direct a donkey with a bridle,

and lead a rebellious fool with a beating on his backside!

Don’t respond to the words of a fool with more foolish words,

or you will become as foolish as he is!

Instead, if you’re asked a silly question,

answer it with words of wisdom

so the fool doesn’t think he’s so clever.

If you choose a fool to represent you,

you’re asking for trouble.

It will be as bad for you as cutting off your own feet!

You can never trust the words of a fool,

just like a crippled man can’t trust his legs to support him.

Give honor to a fool and watch it backfire—

like a stone tied to a slingshot.

The statements of a fool will hurt others

like a thorn bush brandished by a drunk.

Like a reckless archer shooting arrows at random

is the impatient employer who hires just any fool who comes along—

someone’s going to get hurt!

Fools are famous for repeating their errors,

like dogs are known to return to their vomit.

There’s only one thing worse than a fool,

and that’s the smug, conceited man

always in love with his own opinions.

[Don’t Be Lazy]

The lazy loafer says, “I can’t go out and look for a job—

there may be a lion out there roaming wild in the streets!”

As a door is hinged to the wall,

so the lazy man keeps turning over, hinged to his bed!

There are some people so lazy

they won’t even work to feed themselves.

A self-righteous person is convinced he’s smarter

than seven wise counselors who tell him the truth.

It’s better to grab a mad dog by its ears

than to meddle and interfere in a quarrel

that’s none of your business.

[Watch Your Words]

The one who is caught lying to his friend

and says, “I didn’t mean it, I was only joking,”

can be compared to a madman

randomly shooting off deadly weapons.

It takes fuel to have a fire—

a fire dies down when you run out of fuel.

So quarrels disappear when the gossip ends.

Add fuel to the fire and the blaze goes on.

So add an argumentative man to the mix

and you’ll keep strife alive.

Gossip is so delicious, and how we love to swallow it!

For slander is easily absorbed into our innermost being.

Smooth talk can hide a corrupt heart

just like a pretty glaze covers a cheap clay pot.

Kind words can be a cover to conceal hatred of others,

for hypocrisy loves to hide behind flattery.

So don’t be drawn in by the hypocrite,

for his gracious speech is a charade,

nothing but a masquerade covering his hatred and evil on parade.

Don’t worry—he can’t keep the mask on for long.

One day his hypocrisy will be exposed before all the world.

Go ahead, set a trap for others—

and then watch as it snaps back on you!

Start a landslide and you’ll be the one who gets crushed.

Hatred is the root of slander

and insecurity the root of flattery.

The Book of Proverbs, Chapter 26 (The Passion Translation)

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