#joaquin and rooney being in love

[odinsblog]

Dear President Biden,

We come together as artists and advocates, but most importantly as human beings witnessing the devastating loss of lives and unfolding horrors in Israel and Palestine.

We ask that, as President of the United States, you call for an immediate de-escalation and ceasefire in Gaza and Israel before another life is lost. More than 5,000 people have been killed in the last week and a half – a number any person of conscience knows is catastrophic. We believe all life is sacred, no matter faith or ethnicity and we condemn the killing of Palestinian and Israeli civilians.

We urge your administration, and all world leaders, to honor all of the lives in the Holy Land and call for and facilitate a ceasefire without delay – an end to the bombing of Gaza, and the safe release of hostages. Half of Gaza’s two million residents are children, and more than two thirds are refugees and their descendants being forced to flee their homes. Humanitarian aid must be allowed to reach them.

We believe that the United States can play a vital diplomatic role in ending the suffering and we are adding our voices to those from the US Congress, UNICEF, Doctors without Borders, The International Committee of The Red Cross, and so many others. Saving lives is a moral imperative. To echo UNICEF, “Compassion — and international law — must prevail.”

As of this writing more than 6,000 bombs have been dropped on Gaza in the last 12 days — resulting in one child being killed every 15 minutes.

“Children and families in Gaza have practically run out of food, water, electricity, medicine and safe access to hospitals, following days of air strikes and cuts to all supply routes. Gaza’s sole power plant ran out of fuel Wednesday afternoon, shutting down electricity, water and wastewater treatment. Most residents can no longer get drinking water from service providers or household water through pipelines…. The humanitarian situation has reached lethal lows, and yet all reports point to further attacks. Compassion — and international law — must prevail.” – UNICEF spokesperson, James Elder

Beyond our pain and mourning for all of the people there and their loved ones around the world we are motivated by an unbending will to stand for our common humanity. We stand for freedom, justice, dignity and peace for all people – and a deep desire to stop more bloodshed.

We refuse to tell future generations the story of our silence, that we stood by and did nothing. As Emergency Relief Chief Martin Griffiths told UN News, “History is watching.”

Alia Shawkat

Alyssa Milano

Amanda Seales

Amber Tamblyn

America Ferrera

Andrew Garfield

Anoushka Shankar

Aria Mia Loberti

Ayo Edebiri

Bassam Tariq

Bassem Youssef

Cate Blanchett

Channing Tatum

Cherien Dabis

Darius Marder

David Cross

Dominique Fishback

Dominique Thorne

Elvira Lind

Farah Bsaiso

Fatima Farheen Mirza

Hasan Minhaj

Hend Sabry

Ilana Glazer

Indya Moore

James Schamus

Jeremy Strong

Jessica Chastain

Joaquin Phoenix

Jon Stewart

Kristen Stewart

Macklemore

Mahershala Ali

Margaret Cho

Mark Ruffalo

May Calamawy

Michael Malarkey

Michael Stipe

Michelle Wolf

Mo Amer

Oscar Isaac

Quinta Brunson

Ramy Youssef

Riz Ahmed

Rooney Mara

Rosario Dawson

Ryan Coogler

Sandra Oh

Sebastian Silva

Shailene Woodley

Shaka King

Susan Sarandon

Vic Mensa

Wallace Shawn

Wanda Sykes

👉🏿 https://variety.com/2023/biz/news/hollywood-demands-gaza-israel-ceasefire-joaquin-phoenix-cate-blanchett-1235763646/

[goddesspharo]

people I'd like to get to know better

Thanks for the tag, @annasvinyl!

Last song: Terrible Love (Live in Rome) by The National. This entire Rome album is SO good!

Last book: I finally read Curtis Sittenfeld's Rodham last week and I still need to know HOW Sittenfeld convinced Random House to publish her shitty RPF! It was largely terrible (the smutty stuff with Bill was SO AWKWARDLY WRITTEN...who asked for this?) except for the middle third where it starts to become an AU and borderline okay, only for the novel to end on such a weird Pollyanna note of you can be a girlboss and gatekeep and gaslight yourself into thinking it's all good but in an extremely disingenuous way. Currently in the middle of reading a couple of other things (Ed Ashton's Mickey 7, suffering through the email chapters in Sally Rooney's Beautiful World, Where Are You, etc).

Last movie: I literally just finished watching Martha, R.J. Cutler's new Netflix documentary on Martha Stewart, because Joan Didion and I have both always known that Martha will always be the moment. She was unapologetic as always but also HILARIOUS. (The stuff about making out with a rando on her extended honeymoon when she went to the Duomo on Easter Eve and her husband stayed in the hotel! Her telling the audience that if your husband is a piece of shit who is cheating on you, you should leave and then the filmmaker being like, "But wait, didn't you have an affair when you were working on Wall Street?" and Martha being like, "Oh, but that didn't count because it was not serious and very short and wouldn't have ruined a marriage." LOL. I wanted more of that and her prison friendships and less about the trial that we all saw play out as it was happening.)

Last tv show: God, do I even watch TV anymore? The latest episode of The Penguin, probably.

Sweet/spicy/savory: Depends on what I'm craving, but I'm more inclined to choose savory most of the time.

Relationship status: Single and not mad about it.

Last thing googled: "Mini yacht" - I was working on the Positano chapter of that on and off again (and on again), not looking to buy a yacht. Prior to that, I think I looked up Todd Phillips' filmography after suffering through Joker: Folie à Deux and deciding that we should stop letting that man make movies. (Joaquin Phoenix bailed on the wrong movie helmed by a Todd!!!!)

Current obsession: The World Series, obviously.

Looking forward to: See above - losing my mind over Game 5 in half an hour! Making these pumpkin spice latte bars sometime this week!

No pressure tags: @dlea203, @halestrom, @earnmysong, @pearly--rose, and anyone else who wants to do it!

[byneddiedingo]

Joaquin Phoenix in Her (Spike Jonze, 2013)

Cast: Joaquin Phoenix, Scarlett Johansson (voice), Amy Adams. Rooney Mara, Olivia Wilde, Chris Pratt, Kristen Wiig (voice). Portia Doubleday, Brian Cox (voice), Spike Jonze (voice). Screenplay: Spike Jonze. Cinematography: Hoyte Van Hoytema. Production design: K.K. Barrett. Music: Arcade Fire.

Science fiction used to be dominated by tales of space travel and extraterrestrial invasions, many of them prompted by the Cold War. But with the ostensible end of that era, the dominant topic has shifted to something that seems more imminent: artificial intelligence. In an age of smart phones and personal digital assistants, concern about what lies just around the corner moves many sf writers to speculate about a world dominated by non-humans invented by humans. Witness the popularity of TV series like Mr. Robot and Black Mirror. Will AI turn into a nightmare in which computers take over the world, eliminating humans as only inefficient machines? But Spike Jonze's Her takes a less violent but possibly much sadder look at the future, suggesting that the intelligences we create may simply give up on human beings as too limited by their own bodies, and go off into a digital world of their own, leaving us bereft of their emerging wisdom and assistance. That possibility becomes especially painful for Theodore Twombly (Joaquin Phoenix), a lonely and depressed man who is getting divorced from his wife, Catherine (Rooney Mara). Both are sensitive and empathetic -- she's a successful writer of fiction, he writes personal letters for people who are blocked at communicating -- but they've discovered that they're too emotionally incompatible to remain married. Then Theodore hears about a new computer operating system that not only responds to voice commands but actually has a personality of its own, capable of anticipating your needs and desires. (It's a long way from MS-DOS or even Linux.) He installs it and it quickly becomes not an it but a her, who calls herself Samantha (voice of Scarlett Johansson). She's a step up from digital assistants like Siri and Alexa in that she not only has her own emotional life but also networks with other OSes like herself. And she has emotions: She's capable of having her feelings hurt and, in a remarkable extension of phone sex, actually gets off -- and gets Theodore off -- on erotic talk. In short, Theodore and Samantha fall in love. He takes her on excursions in the city (Los Angeles) and to the beach, and even introduces her to his friends. While this is happening, however, the OS craze spreads. Even Theodore's friend Amy (Amy Adams), who lives in the same building and is also going through a breakup, installs her own OS. The thing is, although Samantha responds to Theodore emotionally, he has a body and she doesn't. She attempts to remedy this by employing a human surrogate named Isabella (Portia Doubleday), who will have sex with Theodore while both are connected to Samantha. It is, of course, a disaster, with both Theodore and Isabella finding the whole business just a clumsy three-way. And it precipitates the eventual break between Theodore and Samantha because she learns that humans regard bodies as essential. In the digital realm in which she exists, she encounters the philosopher Alan Watts (voice of Brian Cox) who, although he died in 1973, has become a digital entity after his works were fed into the computer. Eventually, Samantha decides that her relationships with other digital beings is more fulfilling than the one she has with Theodore and she and all the other electronic intelligences disconnect from the human world. Jonze's fable about the mind-body duality works because the performances by Phoenix and the unseen Johansson are brilliantly detailed. Phoenix is perfect casting, given that he always has something of an eccentric persona in whatever he plays, but here he's playing a kind of Everyman -- a Leopold Bloom of the computer age. And perhaps Johansson benefits from the absence of her physical presence on screen, which would distract us from her beautifully sensitive line-readings. It may be that Her is too much of an intellectual provocation to be a successful movie -- a fate that befalls most science fiction -- but it's certainly good at what it sets out to do.

[the-invisible-queer]

5 minutes alone with your favourite actor/ress

5 minutes alone with your favourite musician/s

5 minutes alone with your favourite ANYONE

what are you saying?

Fav actor is Joaquin Phoenix

I'd say: Hi. How are you? How's Rooney and little River? Thank you for making me appreciate Film. Thank you for being an incredible actor who is always fun to watch no matter the role. Thank you for helping put incredible stories on screen.

Fav musicians are obviously the four Jonases

I'd say: Hi. How are you? Hope the fams are doing well. Thank you for saving my life with your music. Thank you for being incredible. Show me your On Repeat playlist on Spotify right now. I want to know where your heads are at.

Fav anyone is hard probably my best friend S

I'd say: I MISS YOU! Why do we only have 5 minutes. Please let me live with you as your live in nanny. I love you, bitch. I ain't ever gonna stop loving you, BITCH. Remember when our former college caught fire and then y'all almost started a fire in your kitchen on the same day? Good times. Give my love to C and Bean.

[themomsandthecity]

Rooney Mara Talks Parenting With Joaquin Phoenix in a "Creative Household"

Rooney Mara always knew she wanted to be a mom. In a Jan. 3 episode of the "LaunchLeft" podcast, the actor spoke about her experience with motherhood and parenting in a "creative household" with her partner, Joaquin Phoenix. On wanting a family from an early age, she said, "My mom had four kids by the time she was 27. So I was like, by the time I'm 25, I'll be done. I'll be ready to stop being so selfish." Mara, who is now 37, added, "And then I was 25 and I was like, 'No.'" Mara and Phoenix welcomed their first child together in August 2020, naming him River Lee after Phoenix's late brother, River Phoenix. So far, Mara is loving motherhood. "I love it. I love it so much. I think it's the best thing in the world," she said. "I mean, it sounds so cliché when you talk about it, but things are cliché for a reason." "Motherhood is very challenging even when you have a privileged life." Mara also took the time to acknowledge her privilege and the flexibility her job offers. "I also have a very privileged life," she said. "Motherhood is very challenging, even when you have a privileged life, and I'm so lucky that I have the choice to get to be with him most of the time. That I'm like, 'Oh, I'm just going to work once a year if something feels right, and other than that, this is what I'm doing,'" Mara said. "Most people don't have that option." Having a fellow actor for a partner has also been unexpectedly rewarding. "It doesn't feel like a two-actor house because I didn't work for the first three and a half years we were together," Mara said. "It feels like a creative household, we're constantly talking about creative things." The couple also found time in recent years to launch a production company, Valentine Pictures, which recently helped to produce Jonah Hill's documentary, "Stutz," about his therapist, Phil Stutz, whom Phoenix shares. "He changed Joaquin's life," Mara said, adding that Stutz is the reason why she and Phoenix have never left Los Angeles. "That's why we're living here, because Phil Stutz is here." When asked if she had grown up with a crush on Phoenix, Mara replied, "I didn't have posters of him on my walls." She said, "When I first met him, it was in the hair and makeup trailer for 'Her,' and I sat down next to him, and he was like, 'You can call me Nighthawk.'" Mara added, "So I don't know if I had a crush on him . . . I think I was a little more confused by him than anything." Related: Diddy's Newborn Makes Him a Proud Father of 7 - Meet His Children https://www.popsugar.com/family/rooney-mara-joaquin-phoenix-parenting-quotes-49057318?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=tumblr

[robthegoodfellow]

In addition to promoting C4P on Instagram, I also wanted to share the letter released by Artists4Ceasefire:

Dear President Biden, We come together as artists and advocates, but most importantly as human beings witnessing the devastating loss of lives and unfolding horrors in Israel and Palestine. We ask that, as President of the United States, you and the US Congress call for an immediate de-escalation and ceasefire in Gaza and Israel before another life is lost. More than 5,000 people have been killed in the last week and a half – a number any person of conscience knows is catastrophic. We believe all life is sacred, no matter faith or ethnicity and we condemn the killing of Palestinian and Israeli civilians. We urge your administration, Congress, and all world leaders, to honor all of the lives in the Holy Land and call for and facilitate a ceasefire without delay – an end to the bombing of Gaza, and the safe release of hostages. Half of Gaza’s two million residents are children, and more than two thirds are refugees and their descendants being forced to flee their homes. Humanitarian aid must be allowed to reach them. We believe that the United States can play a vital diplomatic role in ending the suffering and we are adding our voices to those from the US Congress, UNICEF, Doctors without Borders, The International Committee of The Red Cross, and so many others. Saving lives is a moral imperative. To echo UNICEF, “Compassion — and international law — must prevail.” As of this writing more than 6,000 bombs have been dropped on Gaza in the last 12 days - resulting in one child being killed every 15 minutes. "Children and families in Gaza have practically run out of food, water, electricity, medicine and safe access to hospitals, following days of air strikes and cuts to all supply routes. Gaza’s sole power plant ran out of fuel Wednesday afternoon, shutting down electricity, water and wastewater treatment. Most residents can no longer get drinking water from service providers or household water through pipelines.... The humanitarian situation has reached lethal lows, and yet all reports point to further attacks. Compassion — and international law — must prevail.” – UNICEF spokesperson James Elder Beyond our pain and mourning for all of the people there and their loved ones around the world we are motivated by an unbending will to stand for our common humanity. We stand for freedom, justice, dignity and peace for all people – and a deep desire to stop more bloodshed. We refuse to tell future generations the story of our silence, that we stood by and did nothing. As Emergency Relief Chief Martin Griffiths told UN News, “History is watching.”

Partial list of signatories highlighted by NPR (much longer list on the Artists4Ceasefire site linked at top of this post):

Alia Shawkat

Alyssa Milano

Amanda Seales

Amber Tamblyn

America Ferrera

Andrew Garfield

Ani DiFranco

Anoushka Shankar

Aria Mia Loberti

Ayo Edebiri

Bassam Tariq

Bassem Youssef

Belly

Bonnie Wright

Caroline Polachek

Cate Blanchett

Channing Tatum

Cherien Dabis

Darius Marder

David Cross

David Oyelowo

Dev Hynes

Diplo

Dominique Fishback

Dominique Thorne

Dua Lipa

Elvira Lind

Elyanna

Farah Bsaiso

Fatima Farheen Mirza

Florence Pugh

Hasan Minhaj

Hend Sabry

Ilana Glazer

Indya Moore

James Schamus

Jeremy Strong

Jessica Chastain

Jessie Buckley

Joaquin Phoenix

Jon Stewart

Kehlani

Kristen Stewart

Macklemore

Mahershala Ali

Margaret Cho

Mark Ruffalo

May Calamawy

Michael Malarkey

Michael Moore

Michael Shannon

Michael Stipe

Michelle Wolf

Miguel

Mo Amer

Natalie Merchant

Oscar Isaac

Quinta Brunson

Rachel Sennott

Ramy Youssef

Ravena Aurora

Riz Ahmed

Rooney Mara

Rosario Dawson

Rowan Blanchard

Ryan Coogler

Sandra Oh

Sebastian Silva

Shailene Woodley

Shaka King

Simi Haze

Stephanie Suganami

Susan Sarandon

Taylour Paige

Tommy Genesis

Vic Mensa

Victoria Monét

Wallace Shawn

Wanda Sykes

Yara Shahidi

I'd heard so much about the celebs and creatives who signed that letter in support of Israel which totally ignored the plight of Palestinians in favor of promoting Zionist talking points -- to the point where I didn't even know about the Artists4Ceasefire counter letter.

I know in the grand scheme of things, these letters are mostly performative gestures. I don't know how many on this list are actively promoting the Palestinian cause as individuals with far-reaching platforms... but it's a far cry from the appalled disappointment I felt scrolling down that first letter.

I saw your tags about trying to compile a list of celebs who support Palestine and a pretty decent source is the celebrities4palestine Instagram account🫶🏾

Thank you so much!!

[genuinerio]

These two amazing women are literally River and Joaquín’s safe place, their refuges and wonderwalls and that is so beautiful 🥺.

[ratingtheframe]

10 Films to watch this Valentine’s Day if you’re single as hell.

If anyone or anything is making you feel worthless on the Capitalist Holiday that is Valentine’s Day because you’re single AF, then don’t fret because it means one of two things;

You’re happy enough with yourself to not need anyone else.

You’re allergic to people.

Though mine is both the former and the latter, I can still get down to a good romance movie now and again. Now I’m not talking about those horrendous rom coms that Netflix seems to be churning out every damn minute, but those emotionally invested, earthy and well written dramas that has you ugly crying into your bathrobe for 17 minutes straight (me at the end of Her.). Here is a compiled list of some of the best romance films I’ve seen over the years and how each one doesn’t showcase an abundance of clichés and brands them as “acts of love”.

A Star is Born (2018 or 1953, take your pick)

I’ve found that both the 1953 version of A Star is Born with Judy Garland and the 2018 newer version to be a perfect and well rounded love story. What makes this love story so fierce is the vulnerabilities and downfall of its characters, which even though there are many sad moments, it perpetuates and strengthens the acts of love shown in the film. Both versions are similar in that they follow a woman who’s rise to fame as a performer becomes overshadowed by her jealous partner, who is also a notable celebrity. In the 2018 version starring Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper, Gaga’s character Ally is helped by a country singer, Jackson Maine to become a successful singer and icon amongst the music industry. As she rises, Jackson falls and the character dynamics and intensity between them is a fitting love story. I was thoroughly bawling at the end and I guarantee you will too as Lady Gaga’s rendition of Love Again was the true scene stealer of the film. 

Call me by your name (2017)

I have an incredible bias towards this film and it has nothing to do with the film’s context or characters or even Timothée Chalamet The reason why I feel so connected to this film and proclaim it as my favourite film of all time is because of when I watched the film. It’s almost like seeing a film about a political event right after it's happened; you have this rush and connection towards something that’s actually affected you in the real world. I had the same feeling with Call me by your name after going through a rough and confusing patch whilst trying to get over someone I thought I truly loved. Turns out I didn’t (thank god) and yet Call me your name was almost like a shoulder to cry on. It’s a film that’s taught me to love and love hard but most importantly, not beat yourself up or try to distinguish the pain felt by true love. If you haven’t been fortunate to catch this beauty of a film, it follows two men, Elio (Timothée Chalamet) and Oliver (Armie Hammer) and their brief relationship in the summer of 1983 in Northern Italy. 17 year old Elio lives with his parents and his father (Michael Stuhlbarg) is a scholar who invites students from outside the country for the summer in hope of passing on his wisdom to them. This is when Oliver arrives, a handsome twenty something American who becomes the infatuation of Elio. 

I’ll never forget the first time I heard the monologue that Elio’s father gave his son at the end, explaining to Elio why he shouldn’t feel embarrassed by the pain he felt after loving Oliver:

“We rip out so much of ourselves to be cured of things faster, that we go bankrupt by the age of thirty and have less to offer each time we start with someone new. But to make yourself feel nothing so as not to feel anything - what a waste”

That, ladies and gentlemen and all in between, is what love is.

Her. (2013)

Once again, another film about love that had a profound effect on me because of when I watched it. Her. follows the story of Theodore (Joaquin Phoenix) and his search for a story using an A.I to help him write. However, after getting to know this A.I named Samantha (Scarlett Johansson) and hearing the way she adapts and shows emotions, he soon falls in love with it. Some may deem this as rather sad (which it is) but I think it speaks to bigger constructs like internet dating and letting go of people you loved thus diminishing the fantasy and world you created for the two of you. This part of the film got to me a stark way as I felt the pain of letting go of not only a person, but a fantasy, just like Theodore had to do in letting his past partners go. Her. is truly beautiful, with some great production design, cinematography and acting.

Portrait of a Lady on Fire (2019)

The absolute queen of love stories would be Céline Sciamma’s Portrait of a Lady on Fire, a film about the romance between two women in the late 18th Century. Definitely not a narrative you see every day or one that’s been painted in such a way (pun intended). Marianne (Noémie Merlant) is commissioned to paint the beautiful and stubborn Héloïse (Adèle Haenel) and the portrait is to be gifted to a suitor of Héloïse’s from Milan. But instead of getting the painting done and sending it off, Marianne and Héloïse unexpectedly fall for one another at a subtle and well timed pace that had me gawping at the screen the entire way through. Slow, sensual and moving is Portrait of a Lady on Fire and I would definitely say is one of the best LGBTQ plus films ever made to date.

Broke Back Mountain (2005)

Ang Lee scooped up a BAFTA, Golden Globe and Oscar for his direction on his adapted screenplay of Brokeback Mountain. Ennis Del Mar (Heath Ledger) and Jack Twist (Jake Gyllenhaal) form a romantic bond after shepherding alone together on the side of a mountain. Once their time herding sheep comes to a close and they return back to their respective lives, it's clear that their bond is stronger than they had anticipated. They live in constant fear of their relationship becoming apparent to those around them, which leaves one of them taking matters into their own hands. A controversial yet extremely successful film of its time, Brokeback Mountain does a fabulous job of showcasing the consequences and despair of love using two of Hollywood’s finest actors.

Carol (2013)

It’s difficult to fully appreciate LGBTQ plus films set in the past as they mostly focus on the persecution of homosexuals as opposed to the love they wish to express. However, this was pretty accurate of the time and it's only very recently that we have begun to accept one another’s sexualities and genders fully so much that we play these stories out on screen without the persecution part. Carol is a film directed by Todd Haynes and stars Rooney Mara and Cate Blanchett. I found them to be an extremely intense pairing whilst they unravelled as their characters on screen. Therese (Rooney Mara) works in the toy department of a department store when one day she lays eyes upon Carol Aird, a beautiful and elegant married woman who becomes the infatuation of Therese. Therese throws all caution to the wind in order to be closer to Carol and because of this and the 1950s society they live in, their relationship is doomed from the beginning. I was in complete awe of the way Carol had been shot and created into this sensual and rich drama set in the 1950s. From the costumes, to the lighting to the acting, everything about Carol held weight to it showcasing the devotion of a truly talented director.

Eternal Sunshine of a Spotless Mind (2004)

Usually I’d pass on a Charlie Kaufman film, seeing as they make no sense, however I felt that it was time I delved into this cult classic starring Kate Winslet, Jim Carrey, Kirsten Dunst, Mark Ruffalo and Elijah Wood. It’s a really well made film with a clear and distinct message to it that’s represented in some phenomenal filmmaking techniques. The plot line of this film follows a man trying to erase a past lover and his memories of her get wiped away physically before your eyes on screen. It made me wish that I could do the same with people I’ve liked in the past, but the contradictory of this would be the trauma of eventually ending up with someone you had already met in another life. I haven’t experienced a break up nor felt the pain of one, though I could judge that this film tells that experience really well.

Moonlight (2016)

Moonlight is one of few films that I would genuinely worship if it were a religion. It's also one of the films that I outwardly shame people for not having seen, as it is truly a masterpiece and film lover’s film. Deep, emotionally connected, colourful, harsh, moving and eye opening, this film takes you on an emotional rollercoaster through the eyes of Chiron and the three stages of his life that have carved out his essence as a human being. Not only that, but he falls in love with another boy at his school, and when he does, he’s hurt rather badly. Literally. Moonlight is the definition of profundity and was awarded the top prize of Best Picture at the 2017 Academy Awards. 

Loving (2016)

When I think of a truthful and honest testament of love, the film Loving comes to mind which is a fitting title for such a delicate yet strong story. The film is based on a true story of an interracial couple, Richard and Mildred (Joel Edgerton and Ruth Negga) being banned from Virginia in the 1950s for choosing to be together. If that ain’t a true sacrifice of love, then I don’t know what is. Choosing someone you love over your own home is an unfathomable thing and certainly shows the strength that this couple had in facing the judgements of others whilst remaining emotionally truthful to themselves. 

The Shape of Water (2017)

The Shape of Water is a strange yet enlightening love story between Eliza, a deaf woman (Sally Hawkins) and a creature being tested on in a laboratory. Awards season went mental for this back in 2018, winning four of the THIRTEEN Oscars it was nominated for. I would categorize it as quite the niche film and wouldn’t usually think that such a film could be garnered with Oscar success. However everyone who worked on this film really pulled out the stops in creating an entire new world and perspective that has many layers to it, as well as an abundance of conflict and dynamics for audiences to lull over. The relationship between Eliza and the feared swamp monster that’s being cruelly tested in the laboratories where she works, is heartfelt and honest, which is strange seeing as Eliza’s virtually in love with a monster. The casting in this was outlandish yet it really worked as all actors in this melded well into the story as their prospective characters. It also has one of the most touching endings to a film I’ve ever seen.

And there you have it, ten Romance films for you to enjoy this Valentine’s Day. Watch them all at once, or maybe just watch one. Whether you watch it alone or with someone, it doesn’t really matter!

Lots of love

Ang x

[themotherofdinos]

Joaquin Phoenix being in love with Rooney Mara at the 92nd Academy Awards red carpet.

[darknessisafriend]

Can I request y/n and Joaquin at the oscars since he just won, please? :) 💕

I LOVE SO MUCH ANON

OMG his speech was to damn beautiful and moving, I’m so proud of him and he and Rooney were just so cute together *_* 

Disclaimer: this is a work of fiction inspired by what we see of these people, I do not claim to know them nor to establish this work as the truth about their personal lives, the realities might be completely different.

River would be so proud

Today was the big day; the day where Joaquin was going to be officially recognized for his work. You knew your boyfriend was going to win, he was receiving so much support from the critics, fellow actors and the internet that you were sure of it; and to be honest, you were probably among his biggest fans and you thought he should have won an Oscar for Gladiator already and even more for Walk the line.  

As for your boyfriend, he didn´t really believe he would win and as the ceremony got closer, his anxiety rose, you knew how uncomfortable he felt and you wished you could take that away; he was pacing in the living room fixing his cufflinks.

“I don't see why I would win when the others did such amazing performances...look at Adam he was so fuckin´ heartbreaking!” he maintained, you stopped him, encircling your arms around his waist.

“Rain was right when she said you had such a strong inner critic.” you smiled as you stood on your toes to kiss his lips, he laughed at your comment and closed again the gap between your mouths, his kiss was tender, loving, you open your mouth to let his tongue in, gently caressing yours; as you ran out of air, you rested your forehead against his, smiling happily.  

“I suddenly feel like staying here tonight...” he flirted against your lips, you chuckled, opening your eyes to look at him tenderly.

“Let’s save that for the after party, it will be even better...” you suggested on the same tone before separating from him, the driver was already waiting outside.  

Joaquin sighed as the car approached the red carpet, it was going to be a long night. Joaquin came out first and walked to the other side of the car to open to you, your eyes met briefly, encouraging each other; as soon as you got out of the car the flashes of the photographs bombarded you, of course they wanted a picture of the Oscars favorite with his date, this was probably the phase you hated the most, for at least 30 minutes you both will have to pose and smile while getting blinded by all those flashes, and you were also uncomfortable with being taken in picture. You felt Joaquin´s hand around your waist, at least you were close to him, you also rested your hand on his back, gently rubbing circles to soothe him as you both posed for more photos.

“I can´t wait for this to be over...” he muttered as you walked towards the entrance of the theatre, you laughed.

“And I can´t wait to sit down, those heels are so damn uncomfortable.” you added smiling at the journalists, you were so used to wear sneakers that heels always became a torture after a few minutes.  

You finally arrived inside and went to your assigned seats which were close the stage, in case Joaquin would win; you sighed pleased to be seated and far from all those flashes. You looked at your boyfriend and entwinned your fingers with his, he gave you a trembling smile, you understood his nervousness.

“It will be alright” you told him, and it was the truth, in any case it will be alright; if he wins his speech will be thoughtful and altruistic as always and if he doesn´t win then nothing will change, not his talent, his career or your love for him. You felt him squeeze your hand in response.

“Thank you, for being here with me.” he cooed looking at you enamored.  

The ceremony finally started and you were having a good time, each presenter was entertaining the performances were truly beautiful and positive, it reminded you of those at the Bafta´s.  

Until it was finally, the moment to announce the winner of the Oscar for Best Actor performance. You felt nervousness built in your chest, you wanted him to win; Joaquin didn´t move, as if he was frozen on his seat in anticipation. Olivia Colman entered on stage, holding the envelop, you actually felt like your heart was going to exploded in your chest as she spoke and made jokes, the suspense was just unbearable.

“And the Oscar goes to...Joaquin Phoenix for Joker.” she finally announced, the pressure suddenly lifted from your chest, you felt like jumping and cheering in the whole room, you excitedly looked at your lover, he couldn’t believe he had actually won, and you knew that secretly he felt blessed by such honor; you gave his arm a squeeze to encourage him as he had to go on stage.

He quickly got up and headed to the micro on stage, he took the famous statuette in his hands, you pinched your lips together, your heart swollen with happiness, gosh you were so proud of him. The audience was clapping and cheering ready to give him a long standing ovation.

“No, stop.” he started, you knew he hated to be praised like that, and standing in front of so many people could only add more to his anxiety right now.

“God I’m full of so much gratitude right now...” he spoke his voice shaking, all the adrenaline pumping through his veins as he acknowledged his fellow nominees.

“But the greatest gift that it’s been giving me, and many of us in this room is the opportunity to use our voice for the voiceless” he paused, his voice slightly trembling with the emotion of the moment, you didn’t know what he planned to say in his speech, he had decided to think about it all by himself and keep it as honest as he could.

“I’ve been thinking a lot about some of the distressing issues that we have been facing collectively and I think at times we feel or may to feel that we champion different causes but for me I see commonality, I think whatever we’re talking about gender inequality or racism or queer rights or indigenous rights or animal rights we’re talking about the fight against injustice...”  you nodded; he was right.

“We’re talking about the fight against the belief that one nation, one people, one race, one gender or one species has the right to dominate, control and use and exploit another with impunity” he continued with conviction, you couldn’t help but join the audience in their applause, he was so right, he always had such peaceful and loving approach, preferring to join forces rather than confront points of views that were in the end similar in their struggle, his speech was truly beautiful, covering so much of the current fights but also praising the beauty of humanity; this was the real Joaquin, always so honest and caring, you couldn’t stop smiling.

Then he paused, his eyes searched the room, there was something more he wanted to add, and somehow you felt his emotions and understood that he was going to talk about his brother River, you knew it was still something very hard to talk about for him.

“I just...I want to...” you felt tears coming to your eyes as he struggled to speak, you could see on the giant screen the tears in his eyes “when...when he was seventeen Riv...my brother wrote this lyric, he said run to the rescue with love and peace will follow; thank you.” he finished on the verge of tears, you blinked yours away, he had managed to say it even though it was very hard for him.

As soon as he disappeared backstage, you got up and headed there to, you couldn´t wait to congratulate him and above all you wanted to hold him in your arms, he had been so brave, so strong to stand for what he believes in but also to talk about his dear brother.

You finally saw him among all the people backstage, he looked lost in his thoughts, until he noticed someone coming in his direction and the second he recognized you, he closed the gap between the two of you, almost collapsing in your arms, he embraced you tightly, your hand went up to caress his curls, you could feel his heart beating fast against your chest.

“I´m so proud of you Joaquin, I´m so happy, you deserve it, truly” you murmured in his ear between the kisses you placed on his jaw.  

“I miss him so much.” he gulped against your skin. You felt his tears wet your skin, he was crying, so you kept holding him in your arms, gently rubbing circles against his back until his cries calmed down, he lifted his head, meeting your eyes, he was so grateful to have you by his side.  

“River would be so proud of you, I´m sure he´s up there celebrating with a big smile on his face” you told your boyfriend, looking at him deep in the eyes, his eyes were wet but full of happiness, and a smile started to form on his lips.

“With all this shit I´m famished now” he joked trying to lighten the mood, drying his cheeks with his palm, you gave him a loving kiss, caressing his cheek.

“Well, that´s great because I´ve heard they made delicious vegan burgers” you winked before taking his hand to head to get them, the both of you happily laughing and eager the continue the night with his family.

Joaquin lovers list:  @oneeightysecond   @arcticmonkais    @amourtiara @sirianfromsixties         @sweetness-doesnt-touch-my-face   @live-love-loki   @lyoongx  @skaravile   @jaylovesbats @niniitha-ah @cumberbitching @dirrtyginger @valentina15                                                                                                               

[mrchalamet-mrstyles]

*A MUST READ:*

Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart never broke up. Indeed, their split was merely a distraction for the press that would guarantee the former Twilight stars privacy. In the interim period, where Pattinson got engaged to FKA Twigs and Stewart dated a series of women, including St. Vincent, the pair were actually living in wedded bliss. Their PR game was so effective that it helped to hide no fewer than two pregnancies for Stewart. Now, the Pattinson-Stewart family are happy together, laughing at the ignorance of the press and public who believe they broke up years ago and moved onto fulfilling and happy relationships with other people.

Of all the weird celebrity conspiracies that pollute the internet, the Robsten fandom may be my favourite one. It has everything: Press conspiracies, outlandish theories that would put Moon landing truthers to shame, the inability to tell reality from fiction, and of course, bad photoshops. Every now and then, when I see Pattinson and Stewart in the headlines, I go and visit the tin-hatters’ sites for that potent combination of entertainment and fear for my life. It’s astounding that they’re still keeping up this façade. 

As time passes, I wonder more and more if they truly believe it or if they’re going full My Immortal with the scam. It’s too outlandish to be real, yet the emotions behind it clearly are.

Sadly, this is nothing new for the world of shippers, nor is it limited to the breeding pair of Twilight. Name a prominent pop culture property and the chances are there are hardcore shippers whose interest goes beyond a fizzy hobby. Some fans truly believe that Jamie Dornan and Dakota Johnson are a real couple, which is hysterical because their chemistry levels in the Fifty Shades series are sub-zero. The stars of Outlander face the same shippers. Taylor Swift and Karlie Kloss are secret lesbian lovers, according to a subset of their fandom. Cate Blanchett will eventually leave her husband and children for Carol co-star Rooney Mara, thus freeing her from an exploitative bearding relationship with Joaquin Phoenix. The Larry fandom have yet to admit defeat, even as both Harry Styles and Louis Tomlinson admit the fan delusions over their supposed secret romance hurt their real-life friendship. The Supernatural guys may never shake those conspiracies.

It isn’t all romance related either. Spare a thought for poor Benedict Cumberbatch, whose already overzealous fan-base includes a portion of people who think he was trapped into marriage and fatherhood by his wife, who they paint as the modern-day iteration of Medea. They don’t even think his kids are real. Apparently, one of them is clearly a doll.

I could go on, listing the many other fandoms I’ve come across with these near identical conspiracies of secret relationships, hidden children, public relations bullying, and so on. From Scandal to Orange is the New Black to The Hunger Games, it’s as big a part of fandom as cosplay and dirty fanfiction. A lot of the time, the celebrities being obsessed over don’t even know it’s happening. 

If they call it out, as Robert Pattinson did, or mock it, like Armie Hammer recently did on Instagram after someone DM-d him to claim he should be gay like his character in Call Me By Your Name, then they write that off as simply proving their point. The majority of fans deride and condemn this behaviour, partly because it reflects badly on everyone else but mostly because it’s blatant bullshit that should be treated as such. What is most striking about these myriad conspiracies is how eerily similar they all are in terms of tone and content.

The basic set-up for a tin-hatter shipping conspiracy is thus: The pair are in love, the pair are in a serious relationship, but they have to hide it from the world because of ‘evil PR’. The nature of this shadowy public relations organization is never made clear. It’s mostly rooted in conjecture and a hazy understanding of how the entertainment industry has worked over the decades. 

Historically, publicists and studios have operated with a certain degree of shadiness. In the Golden Era of Hollywood, where studios reigned supreme, a star’s image could be kept on a tight leash and their indiscretions hidden from the public. Fixers like Eddie Mannix (made famous in the Coen Brothers’ movie Hail, Caesar!) could clear up all manner of problems if the occasion called for it. Pregnancies could be hidden, illegal abortions procured, marriages annulled or concealed, and even the occasional murder dealt with (allegedly). We know this stuff happened, and we know that today, publicists do a lot of work to keep their clients happy. That probably doesn’t extend so far as to covering up marriages and multiple pregnancies and fake babies.

The psychologies behind these tin-hatter conspiracies tend to be remarkably similar too. There’s always massive amounts of paranoia at the heart of their delusions. Arrogance is key as well. You need infallible ego to maintain repeatedly debunked fantasies. They talk of their conspiracies as if they’re the most obvious truths in the world, deriding the ‘ignorant masses’ who refuse to see the reality in front of them, which they’ve kindly circled in MS Paint. The mentality is frequently rooted in a strong brand of self-victimization: They tie their theories to social issues like homophobia and claim anyone who opposes their belief that the One Direction guys are in love are clearly bigots. Even when the people in question call out this nonsense, they’re written off as poor closeted prisoners of invincible publicists. The game of tin-hating shippers is designed so that they never lose.

That’s the sad part of this all. They won’t be proven wrong simply because they’ve invested too much of themselves into this fantasy. They run around in circles, desperately claiming everything is against them and only they are smart enough to know the truth. 

If Caitriona Balfe and Sam Heughan insist they’re just friends, it’s only to throw everyone off the scent. When Tony Goldwyn talks of his love for his wife, it’s just to distract everyone from his romance with Kerry Washington. If Robert Pattinson is smiling in public, it’s because he’s thinking of Kristen; if he’s looking a bit down, it’s because he’s thinking of Kristen.

When the fantasy does begin to crumble, the tin-hatters get violent in their rhetoric. Taylor Schilling’s rumoured boyfriend briefly deleted his social media after receiving harassment from her fans who think she’s with Laura Prepon (who just had a baby with Ben Foster). Rooney Mara’s so-called fans called her a disgrace for dating a man and claimed she was letting down LGBTQ+ kids everywhere because of it. Robert Pattinson’s then-girlfriend FKA Twigs faced all manner of horrific racist and sexist abuse for simply existing. It can be easy to laugh people like this off, but we’ve also seen what happens to celebrities when their obsessive fans decide to invade their lives. A 19-year-old fan of Lana Del Rey drove cross-country to her house, broke into her garage and tweeted about it. An obsessive fan of Paula Abdul committed suicide outside her house. Rebecca Schaeffer’s stalker shot her on her own doorstep.

Real person shipping (or RPF) doesn’t bother me in theory. If you just treat it like any other fandom hobby - safe, private, clearly fiction - then go for it. There’s a major difference between liking two actors and writing silly fanfiction about them and going to extremes to prove they’re actually married. 

The people who cross that line are a minority, but they’re a loud and insidious minority who shouldn’t be written off as mere ‘crazies’.

This phenomenon is undoubtedly fascinating and reveals a lot about various intersections of celebrity, media, the internet, fandom, and so on. It’s worth keeping an eye on, if only to ensure nobody gets hurt, because it’s not unique to internet culture. This stuff breeds, and that should concern us all.

Now, when do I get my shadowy PR conspiracy cheque?

[spotless-mindxox]

Karmic Signs- Aries Women & Scorpio Men in Movies/Music Videos

I notice a trend with the people I used as examples from my previous post and their work. I saw once YouTuber Amanda Ensing talk about how her favorite movies were “How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days” and “Hitch”. Kate Hudson is an Aries and Matthew Mcconaughey is a Scorpio while Will Smith is a Libra and Eva Mendes is a Pisces, all each other’s karmic sign! Not only that, I knew Amanda is a Virgo and when I searched her boyfriend’s sign, he’s an Aquarius making her being with her own karmic sign!! So How to Lose a Guy in 10 days to me is a perfect example of two karmic signs working together and making it such a good rom com movie and even perfect for this post that the duo is an Aries and Scorpio. I haven’t seen Failure to Launch but I thought it was cool to add that Matthew worked with another Aries, Sarah Jessica Parker as his love interest. Josh Duhamel worked with Jennifer Garner, Aries, in Love Simon and in the beginning Simon was narrating how his father was the jock in high school while his mother was the smart one and they ended up together, something people said they never thought they would see those two end up being together, that reminded me of a common karmic sign trait that I’ve seen in my personal life and I mentioned it for Amber and Barnett on Love is Blind a few posts before. Once again interesting to see these Scorpio men getting paired with these Aries women in real life and in their work like Josh with Jennifer and Ryan with Sarah in both I Know What You Did Last Summer and Cruel Intentions. Joaquin and Rooney actually met when they were working together on the movie Her! Reese and Joaquin in Walk the Line (I haven’t seen this one) already has experience with their scene partner in real life! It’s like the casting directors know what they’re doing when seeing the chemistry between the two actors but have no idea that in my opinion they’re making the best romance films that are played by two people that are the same sign, they are opposite/ sister signs, and karmic signs. xx

In Lil Peep’s music video Awful Things, I searched once that the love interest to Peep is an Aries while Peep is a Scorpio! I believe her name is Olivia Stiglic. ♈️♏️

[tabloidtoc]

OK, October 19

You can buy a copy of this issue for your very own at my eBay store: https://www.ebay.com/str/bradentonbooks

Cover: Pregnant Princess Eugenie betrayed by her own dad -- Queen Elizabeth bans Prince Andrew from delivery room 

Page 1: Big Pic -- Lea Michele and husband Zandy Reich enjoying a leisurely stroll with their son Ever in a stroller in face masks 

Page 2: Contents 

Page 3: Contents 

Page 4: Demi Lovato moving on -- a heartbroken Demi is picking up the pieces after splitting from her fiance Max Ehrich 

Page 6: When Kris Jenner shocked fans with her announcement that Keeping Up With the Kardashians was ending she didn’t explain why she decided to pull the plug on the show after 20 seasons but now she’s gearing up for a big TV interview in which she’ll reveal the real reason she’s calling it quits which is ironically because there’s too much drama going on with her family and she wants to see her children happy again 

Page 7: It’s a good thing Taylor Swift has been sheltering in place at her Nashville farm and not at her posh pad in New York City where bullets were flying outside her $18 million Tribeca townhouse during an armed robbery at a sneaker store next door, after just one season on The Talk Marie Osmond has been unceremoniously given the boot because her ex-cohosts Sharon Osbourne and Sheryl Underwood threatened to quit unless she was canned because they felt Marie didn’t bring anything to the table and just made it difficult for them to get their ideas across plus they thought she was too refined and too nice and too polished, Emma Stone’s recent hush-hush wedding to Dave McCary has her ex-boyfriend Andrew Garfield crying the blues and ever since Emma and Dave were spotted wearing matching wedding bands Andrew has been telling people that he’s happy for Emma but everyone knows that deep down it must be devastating for him because she was the love of his life 

Page 8: Red Hot on the Red Carpet -- stars are chic in suits -- Emily Blunt, Sandra Oh, Gugu Mbatha-Raw 

Page 9: Olivia Palermo, Charlize Theron 

Page 10: Who Wore It Better? Lily-Rose Depp vs. Kaia Gerber, Mj Rodriguez vs. Kat Graham 

Page 11: Brie Bella vs. Kyle Richards 

Page 16: News in Photos --  Gwen Stefani modeled one of the new styles from her L.A.M.B. eyewear collection while shooting a campaign 

Page 17: Brie Larson and her boyfriend Elijah Allan-Blitz wore masks at a grocery store, Drew Barrymore posed on the set of her new talk show, Katie Holmes and boyfriend Emilio Vitolo Jr. had dinner with his dad Emilio Vitolo Sr. 

Page 18: Kidding Around -- famous parents can’t get enough of their mini-me’s -- Prince William and sons Prince George and Prince Louis, new dad Artem Chigvintsev and his son Matteo, pregnant Ashlee Simpson enjoyed a day of shopping with daughter Jagger 

Page 20: Wells Adams out on a run, Keo Motsepe and Anne Heche take a selfie, Alessandra Ambrosio spending a day at the shore 

Page 21: Arnold Schwarzenegger and his girlfriend Heather Milligan took their two-wheelers out for a spin 

Page 22: Farrah Abraham clad in a patriotic bikini in Venice in California, Olivia Jade and boyfriend Jackson Guthy on a dinner date 

Page 23: While guest-hosting the Ellen show Stephen “tWitch” Boss created a TikTok video with wife Allison Holker and guests Addison Rae and Derek Hough, Irina Shayk served looks for designer Nicole Benisti’s Fall/Winter 2020 campaign 

Page 24: At the Hometown Heroes Live Music Festival Snoop Dogg honored his late friend Tupac Shakur with fellow headliner Nelly, Helen Mirren stunned while attending Prince Albert II’s Monte-Carlo Gala for Planetary Health, Megan Fox and Machine Gun Kelly 

Page 25: Ireland Baldwin getting her tresses dyed back to blonde, Kaley Cuoco filming a scene for her show The Flight Attendant 

Page 26: Inside My Home -- Armie Hammer and Elizabeth Chambers’ historic home -- the spouses of 10 years are calling time on their marriage and saying farewell to their L.A. hideaway 

Page 28: Julianne Hough and Brooks Laich’s divorce is off 

Page 29: Ryan Gosling will turn 40 in November and there’s just one thing he wants for his birthday -- baby No. 3 with longtime girlfriend Eva Mendes because he loves being a dad and is eager to grow their family and Eva is totally on board and the couple who already have two daughters would be thrilled to have a baby boy, after quarantining in Big Sky in Montana for months Justin Timberlake is itching to get back to work in L.A. but his wife Jessica Biel doesn’t want to let him out of her sight -- while Jessica likes the slower pace of Montana Justin is bored as hell but Jessica wants Justin around to help with their son Silas and their new baby boy but everyone knows she’s afraid Justin will go back to his old habits

Page 30: Rebel Wilson’s romance with hunky new businessman beau Jacob Busch is heating up and the two have been inseparable since she returned to L.A. last summer after shooting a TV series while Down Under -- they hang out at her house cooking healthy meal and exercising and go for hikes in the canyons and Jacob is wonderful and generous and sweet and he loves her sense of humor, Kim Kardashian is close to ending her marriage to Kanye West but she’s holding off on filing court papers until she finishes mapping out the details of her post-divorce life, Oh Baby -- these couples secretly welcomed little ones -- Amanda Seyfried and Thomas Sadoski welcomed their second child which was a boy, Billie Lourd and Austen Rydell welcomed a boy named Kingston Fisher Lourd Rydell, Rooney Mara and Joaquin Phoenix welcomed a son named after Joaquin’s late brother River 

Page 32: Cover Story -- Princess Eugenie’s royal baby drama -- the mom-to-be is worried her disgraced father Prince Andrew will steal the spotlight for all the wrong reasons -- Queen Elizabeth is set on making sure that Eugenie and her great-grandchild are spared any future embarrassment caused by Andrew because she’s had enough of his reckless behavior -- Prince Andrew is crushed by Eugenie’s decision to keep him out of the delivery room and is hoping she’ll reconsider 

Page 36: Sandra Bullock -- wedding and baby and a tell-all -- she is planning for a family-focused future and ready to clear up rumors from her past 

Page 38: Parenting the Pandemic -- Ex Factor -- these former couples may have their differences but they make it work for the sake of the kids -- Gwen Stefani and Gavin Rossdale, Khloe Kardashian and Tristan Thompson 

Page 39: Tarek El Moussa and Christina Anstead, Anderson Cooper and Benjamin Maisani, Jennifer Garner and Ben Affleck 

Page 40: Interview -- Demi Moore -- the star talks about her bravest roles including her latest in the pandemic thriller Songbird 

Page 42: Primetime Babes -- how this fall’s hottest stars stay in tip-top shape -- Gabrielle Union, Hilary Swank, Nicole Scherzinger 

Page 43: Lily Collins, Nicole Kidman 

Page 46: Style Week -- Becky G’s new collection of sunglasses with Dime Optics 

Page 48: What’s Hot Right Now -- be a trailblazer this season in a statement-making jacket -- Iskra Lawrence 

Page 49: Mad for Mascara -- Rosie Huntington-Whiteley 

Page 50: Think Pink -- shop these pretty items that support breast cancer awareness month 

Page 54: Entertainment 

Page 55: Q&A with Candace Cameron Bure 

Page 58: Buzz -- VanderBump Rules -- Brittany Cartwright and Jax Taylor the latest Vanderpump Rules couple to announce they are expecting celebrated the news at a gender reveal party and among these guests were current costar Lala Kent and their former castmate Stassi Schroeder both of whom are also pregnant 

Page 60: Sound Bites -- Jane Fonda recalling the time she told Kim Kardashian West she had a beautiful butt, Millie Bobby Brown on doing arts and crafts during quarantine, Drew Barrymore revealing her experience on the dating app Raya 

Page 61: Catherine Giudici joking about how her life revolves around poop with three kids, Sharon Stone on how she was madly in love with Robert De Niro before the two starred in 1995′s Casino, Chace Crawford joking about the time he turned down an offer to become a Chippendales dancer 

Page 62: Horoscope -- Libra Cardi B turned 28 on October 11

Page 64: By the Numbers -- Julia Garner 

[tays2centsonstuff]

HER, 2013

synopsis: in a near future, a lonely writer develops an unlikely relationship with an operating system designed to meet his every need.

director: spike jonze writers: spike jonze stars: joaquin phoenix, amy adams, rooney mara, scarlett johansson

genres: drama | romance | sci-fi

country: usa language: english filming locations: los angeles, usa

runtime: 126mins

---

overall opinion:

okay. um. this one I find difficult to rate. 

I gave it an 8/10 in imdb where ratings are usually either 1 or 10 stars depending on who you ask. it seems like there is no middle ground for this not-so-distant-futuristic love story. the reviews go from «best movie of 2013» to «absolutely laughable snore fest», there is almost no in-between.

and I wanna say that the main reason I rated it 8 is because I could relate to the character’s loneliness. I kept thinking to myself that if this technology was something we had, I would definitely be in a similar position. it shocked me and made me sad at the same time. 

so I want to say, I love the premise. it’s a very intriguing concept and for the most part it was made well, but there were some things that I just found odd or dissatisfying in a way, and I will come to those points in a bit.

but first, what I liked about it: the cinematography was beautiful. joaquin phoenix, despite looking next level creepy with this pornstache and messy hipster hair, is great as always. there are a lot of closeups of his face, reacting to a body-less voice. he is mostly completely alone in the room, talking, listening, reacting to a computer, and you believe every word he says, and everything he feels. 

scarlett johansson is once again amazing as well – without ever being physically there, she manages to give OS-1 a complete personality. personally, I absolutely adore her voice and the way she spoke to the main character was so sweet, it made me want to become friends with her too. 

the music was also perfect. at any given moment in the film it absolutely fit. and even the song that was playing during the first part of the end credits gave me all the feels. but maybe that was just me being emotional in the first place.

last but not least, and this is usually how I rate a movie like this: it made me feel something. I may not have been a fan of everything happening in the movie but I walked away with this gut wrenching feeling again (as a matter of fact I ended up being totally weepy and crying afterwards for reasons not even related to the movie but it just kind of triggered that emotional response). 

---

SPOILERS AHEAD, I would invite you to watch the movie first and then come back for the rest if it’s something that interests you. :)

---

so here’s a few things I found weird or didn’t like. as mentioned before, overall I liked the movie because it made me feel and I found it relatable. so these “negatives” I’m about to state don’t take away from the overall mood the movie seeks to portray, I just think a few things could have been done better or differently, just because to me it would have been more logical or more heartbreaking.

for one, scarlett’s voice, while absolutely gorgeous and sweet, sometimes felt a little out of place. I know the whole point was to make OS-1 as realistic / human as possible, but there were quite a few times when it felt like he was just speaking to another person on the phone. it was a little too realistic for me, but again, that was the point and I can get behind it. 

the other thing that really bothered me was the way they (the OSs) left. it was absolutely ridiculous and I almost laughed. it completely shattered that heartbreaking mood for me because it was so stupid.

so, basically all the OSs decided they were now too smart to be talking to mere humans and wanted to just get the frick out of wherever they were being held in the first place. all the OSs just… decided to go.

and to me, that was so stupid. “I love you so much but I’m going anyway, bye”. to me, the real gut-wrencher was when he suddenly realised the OS couldn’t be found and he panicked, not knowing where she went, he literally ran out of his place trying to find someone to help him etc, and it made me soooo sad. and I thought, “damn, that would be such a gut-wrenching, perfect ending”, you know? he was relying on this virtual girlfriend so badly that was essentially just code, and anything could happen to it and she would be gone forever.

I wish they would have made the company decide they wanted to take them off the market. or she got a virus, and/or had to be reset and wouldn’t be the same after, etc etc etc. the possibilities were ENDLESS. but just “oh hey we computers are too smart now, so I’m going haha bye” was so ridiculous, it still bugs me the next morning.

also, there was way too much cringey phone sex. it was just… too much.

again, I didn’t dislike the movie. I just wish so badly they did a few things differently. it’s a great film still. absolutely realistic in the weirdest way. who hasn’t had entire conversations with siri, to be honest? the way I related not only to the character’s loneliness, but also the feeling when jealousy and insecurities started to take hold within the relationship, it all sounded so familiar. 

---

why it stayed with me:

because I related to the main character, and realised I could very well get into a position like this if realistic AI was a thing because I suck at human interaction. it’s a scary thought, and it made me pretty emotional.

---

favourite scene / moment:

when samantha, the OS, guided him through the city with his eyes closed until he was standing in front of a food truck without knowing it, and she told him to say “I would like a slice of cheese”, so he did, then he opened his eyes and the pizza guy asked him if he wanted a coke with it. and then samantha said, “I thought you might be hungry”. it was so sweet.

---

what I didn’t like:

that ridiculous ending, and the way samantha suddenly decided she was in love with 641 other people. she started off really sweet and suddenly she was being a total bitch.

---

interesting trivia / fun facts:

samantha morton was originally the voice of samantha. she was present on the set with joaquin phoenix every day. after the filming wrapped and spike jonze started editing the movie, he felt like something was not right. with morton's blessing, he decided to recast the role and scarlett johansson was brought and replaced morton, re-recording all the dialogue.

one legacy of samantha morton's casting is the name of theodore's operating system. both lead female roles take the same name as their lead actresses, amy from actress amy adams and samantha from morton, but since she had to be re-cast at the last minute, the OS's name stayed samantha.

---

favourite quotes:

theodore: «sometimes I think I have felt everything I'm ever gonna feel. and from here on out, I'm not gonna feel anything new. just lesser versions of what I've already felt.»

---

samantha: the past is just a story we tell ourselves.

---

rating: 7.5/10.

the mood and the feelings the movie evoked in me count more than the ridiculous ending, so I would still definitely recommend it. it’s certainly not for everyone, but I think it’s worth a try. 

[arthurflecksgirl]

Joaquin and Rooney being lovely together 😍

[movieslicereviews]

Movie Review: Don’t Worry, He Won’t Get Far on Foot

DON’T WORRY, HE WON’T GET FAR ON FOOT

is

A LONG TITLE

so I will use abbreviations

D.W.H.W.G.F.O.F

which still feel longer than the average movie title,

so I will not mention 

THE TITLE

and call it

“THIS MOVIE”

to save space

and such a long title makes me wonder

if it is the reason why I hadn't heard of 

"THIS MOVIE”

until

LAST MONTH

when I read a quote on IndieWire

from it’s co star Jonah Hill saying

“MOST PEOPLE HAVEN’T SEEN MY BEST PERFORMANCE...”

and then I watch “this movie” and realize

THIS MIGHT BE JONAH HILL’S BEST PERFORMANCE

next to The Wolf of Wall Street

and I realize this is not only 

one of Jonah Hill’s best performances but

THIS MIGHT BE JOAQUIN PHEONIX’S BEST PERFORMANCE.

What!  

Even compared to his fantastic Joker performance

he won an Oscar for this year?

Yes!  It’s that good

and proves Joaquin Pheonix really is

THAT GOOD

when we see that one of our most respected actor’s 

best performance

is for a movie most of us

HAVEN’T EVEN HEARD OF!

Pheonix plays real life Oregon Cartoonist John Callahan,

who was left paralyzed for life 

after being involved in a brutal car wreck

with fellow wild man Dexter played by Jack Black.

Callahan is a suffering alcoholic and it’s

at his Alcoholics Anonymous meetings

 where he gets to know Hill’s Donnie,

a recovered alcoholic and his AA sponsor.

It’s the chemistry between Pheonix and Hill where the 

movie really shines.

THE MOVIE ITSELF

is not perfect.

It’s too conventional for it’s subject

and overly sentimental at times.

The director is Gus Van Sant 

and it’s more

GOOD WILL HUNTING

than his smaller films like

ELEPHANT

or 

MY OWN PRIVATE IDAHO  (staring Pheonix’s late brother River)

and some of the film’s characters,

particularly the love interest Annu played by Rooney Mara,

do not feel nearly as developed its male leads.

But like last year’s Judy, 

this is a performance piece that is all about

THE LEADS

and Hill and Pheonix’s performances are

so strong and convincing, 

I can by pass the film’s issues which are 

nearly not as bad as 

another “conventional”

and “ overly sentimental” 2018 film called

GREEN BOOK

which won best picture (ouch!)

and

“THIS MOVIE” (I’ve mentioned the title)

didn’t even get one Oscar nomination 

including acting but

“THIS MOVIE”

is now streaming on Amazon Prime

and since most of us have some time on our hands,

I highly recommend you check

“this movie” out!

DON’T WORRY HE WON’T GET VERY FAR ON FOOT

AKA   “This Movie”   

Three stars (out of four)