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starstwinkleplanetsshine · 2 months ago

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Daughter of the Sea

This one is dedicated to @aswallowssong. Thanks for being the Cady to my Angie, and thanks for trusting me with your beloved daughter of Apollo. It's been a blast getting to know her <3

Chapter Twenty-Nine: Drachma for Your Thoughts (Read on AO3)

“Drachma for your thoughts?”

Cady’s voice pulled me out of my swirling head and back to where we were sitting on the beach. It was well past curfew, but Percy had left earlier that evening with Nico to finally start the plan that the son of Hades had suggested almost a year ago now. A plan so dangerous, so insane, that the mere thought of my brother going through with it meant I had been on the verge of a total breakdown all day. So when I showed up to the infirmary well past midnight, my eyes bloodshot and my hands trembling, I didn’t argue when Cady suggested we take a walk to the beach.

The harpies hadn’t been very active this summer, anyway.

“I’m just thinking about how in a week all this will be over.” I kept my eyes on the dark waves in front of me, but I could feel that Cadys’ were trained on me. I wished I could just walk into the sea and run away from it all, but I knew things weren’t much better under the waves.

“Four days until your birthday.” Her voice was more somber than I had ever heard it. What she should’ve said was “four days until Percy’s birthday.” It didn’t matter that we were twins. His was the one that counted.

“Four days until the end of the world.” I was trying to make a joke, but Cady didn’t laugh.

“Do you ever think about the mortals?” I asked after a couple minutes of the waves being the only sounds between us.

“What?”

“They have no idea their whole world is hanging in the balance right now. They have no idea what's going on, the war we’re fighting, the battle that will determine the fate of…everything. They have no clue what we’re about to do for them. They just think there’s some really bad storms.” My words spilled out and I didn't try to stop them. There was no point censoring myself with Cady.

She was quiet again before chuckling lightly, which caught me by surprise. “I think about them all the time. I think…I think that’s who we’re really fighting for.”

I finally turned my head towards her, and I could see a look of resolute determination on her face in the pale moonlight.

“We have to fight for those who can’t fight for themselves,” she continued, “whether that’s the gods who are too busy or mortals who can't know the danger they’re in.”

I let her words settle on me as a smile crept onto my face. I thought about how much older she looked in the shine of the silver moon, and how much she had taught me about the world we shared in the past year. So much of the half blood I was, or was becoming, was thanks to her, Percy and Annabeth.

“That’s very heroic, Cady.”

She shrugged, her expression unchanging. “It’s our job.”

I had never thought of it that way before, but as soon as she said it, I knew it was true. If demigods had one purpose in the world, it was to span the gap between the gods and mortals—to fight both of their battles. It always had been.

My gaze wandered from the waves to the sky above and I began absentmindedly searching for stories in the sky, the ones that Annabeth had taught me—anything to get my mind off everything that had happened that day. My eyes landed on a new constellation, the form of a hunter who seemed to be a little older than a girl—Zoë. Percy had told me about her, how she was a Huntress of Artemis who had died fighting the Titan Atlas while defending him and, ultimately, the gods.

Her place was in the sky now, as Beckendorff’s was underground. Along with Lee Fletcher. And Castor. And so many others that had been lost in the past year.

Would I, too, find my own place amongst them soon? Would I join my namesake in the sky with my brother close behind as our souls found their way, hopefully, to Elysium?

“I only met her once.” Cady’s voice once again saved me from my thoughts. I peeled my eyes off the sky and turned to her.

“The Hunter?”

She nodded. “I saw you looking at her. She was strong, and brave, and very wise.”

“Do you think we’ll end up there someday?” The words tumbled out of my mouth before I could stop them, and Cady furrowed her brow.

“Angie…”

“I guess there’s already an Andromeda constellation, so probably not—”

“Angie!” Cady cut off my pathetic attempt to downplay my question. “Why would you say that?”

I met her eyes and immediately wished I hadn't. Something about them made me drop the walls I always had up. Maybe it was because I was so close to the sea, which always made me feel more honest. Or maybe it was the inherent vulnerability of being under the night sky after midnight. Or maybe it was just because Cady had become the closest thing to a sister I had in the past year.

But whatever it was didn’t matter as I let out a heavy sigh and took a deep breath.

“I don’t think I’m walking away from this, Cady.”

Her eyes got sad.

“You’re gonna be okay.”

I started getting flashbacks to my conversation with Percy just the night before that had sounded a lot like this. I heard his words echoed in my own.

“I wish I could trade places with him. Take what is supposed to be his.”

The words were a lot harder to say than I thought they would be. Cady was quiet, but I knew she understood who I was talking about.

“It should be me, anyways.” I finally got out.

“Why would you say that?”

“Can you imagine a world without Percy?”

Her eyes fell to the sand and she took a deep breath before answering. “No.”

I wondered if she was remembering those awful two weeks last summer like I was. The time we feared we had lost him for good.

“Me neither. I don’t…I don’t think I’m supposed to live in a world without him. I don’t know how to explain it, but I just know. So if that means I give my life so he lives, it’s what I’ll do.” I had never been more sure of anything in my entire life.

“Angie—“

“No, Cady. I’m serious.” I met the girl's eyes, and all I saw staring back at me was fear. And pain. And heaviness. Eyes that were usually as bright as the sun, kind and shining with her father’s light, were as cold and dark as the moon.

“It should be me.” I kept talking in the heavy silence. “Percy’s the hero, he’s the one everyone needs. If he was gone, camp would never be the same. You know it’s true, you felt it last year. Everyone would be…lost.”

Cady looked like she wanted to say something, but stopped herself.

“No one needs me that way. Maybe…” tears filled my eyes as I started to verbalize the one thing I had known for so long, but could never utter, “maybe that’s why I was sent here so late. Maybe that’s my destiny. To save my brother, the real hero, so he can fulfill his purpose. Fulfill the prophecy. Maybe I’m supposed to be the spare. And—” my voice broke— ”maybe that’s not a bad thing.”

“Angie, we’ve talked about this.” Cady’s eyes were filled with exhaustion.

“I know! But this time…this time these thoughts aren’t coming from Kronos. It’s not because I don’t think I’m good enough. It’s because I think I am. Just maybe. Maybe I’m enough to save him. To give him a future. To give everyone a future.” I watched as Cady's eyes filled with tears, her shoulders slumping even more. She stayed silent, as if she could tell there was more I needed to say, and I took a deep breath.

“For my whole life I never knew where my place was. It took me fourteen years to find it, to be shown it. And I know I haven’t been a part of this world for very long, but from the second that trident appeared over my head, I stepped into a shadow I didn’t even know was there. And I spent a long time resenting that shadow, even if I wouldn’t admit it. But the past few months, few weeks really, I realized—maybe that’s the point. Maybe if I can be a shield for Percy, somehow, that will be enough. Maybe I was brought here—“

“You weren’t brought to camp just to die.” Cady's words were sharp, cutting like the knives she loved to throw.

“But what if I was?”

Cady just sighed. “What aren’t you telling me?”

“What?”

“I can see it in your eyes. There’s something you’re not saying”

I took a deep breath, wondering if I was that bad at hiding my feelings or if she was just that good at reading them.

“Hestia visited me this afternoon.”

“Hestia?”

“Ya, like the goddess.”

“I know who Hestia is. But why did she visit?”

“She…” Now that I had to put it into words, I was having a hard time making sense of it. Between helping Percy prepare to leave, and feeling the need to be strong for the other counselors and younger campers after Beckendorff’s funeral, I hadn’t had much time to process her words. I told Cady everything the goddess said—the parallels between the original Andromeda and myself, the way that the fates of my brother and I were tied just as Perseus and Andromeda’s had been. I told her about the warning she gave me, how I shouldn’t fight Percy's battles.

“She said that learning to yield is powerful, and sometimes more important than fighting.” She was quiet for a while, probably trying to untie all the words I had laid in a tangled mess at her feet.

“What does that even mean?”

“I have no idea.” I began tracing my fingers in the sand, doodling seashells that didn’t hold their shape.

“There’s more, isn’t there?”

I let out a sigh—keeping any secrets around Cady was hopeless.

“I told you she warned me. But what that warning was…I’m really scared, Cady.”

My best friend's eyebrows pulled together as a concerned frown grew on her face. She reached a hand over and gripped mine tightly, the feeling grounding me and giving me the strength to continue.

“She said that I needed to learn to control myself, learn to yield, or I would ‘doom us all.’ Those are the words she used. ‘Doom us all.’”

“That’s encouraging.”

Cady’s words were so dry, I burst into laughter. She quickly joined me, both of us unraveling as we howled into the night. It must’ve been a ridiculous sight—and we were getting too loud, I knew it. Soon the harpies would find us, but we didn’t stop. We laughed until tears pooled in our eyes and our sides hurt.

It felt strange. There was nothing to be laughing at, really. Percy was gone. We were at war. The titans were getting closer by the day. But even so, we were laughing. It was almost as if we could forget it all, even just for a moment.

But then that moment ended.

Our laughter died and soon the sound of the waves was once again the only thing between us. The air grew heavier, and with it, my heart. The lightness the laughter had brought flew away on the wind, and we were left alone in the black night once again.

“I wish I knew what she meant.”

“I think…” Cady hesitated, as if she was afraid to keep going. “I think she was pretty clear, actually.” She turned to face me again, and her eyes were that mixture of gentle and serious that I had only ever seen her pull off. “You can’t fight Percy’s battles for him. When the time comes…maybe you step aside.”

I shook my head. “I can’t do that. Maybe…Maybe that’s not what she means.”

Her eyes got sad. “You need to realize that you’re not Percy.” Those words would’ve been harsh coming from anyone else. “You don’t need to be Percy. You said it yourself—ever since you got here, you’ve been living in his shadow, a shadow you didn’t even know was drowning you. And sometimes I wonder if you stay there because you think you have to. Because you think you’re not worthy of the sun.”

Tears rushed to my eyes quickly as her words knocked the air out of my lungs.

“But believe me when I say this, Angie—everyone is deserving of their place in the sun.” She managed a smile, and I swear the stars shined brighter. “You don’t have to live in Percy’s shadow. It’s like the myth—your destinies are intertwined, Percy’s success is yours. That means that you can do different things, be different people, and still stay connected. You don’t need to stay in his shadow for that.”

“But what if—” my voice caught and I couldn’t stop the tears from falling onto my cheeks. “What if I don’t do enough, and he dies. What if I don’t try and protect him, and we lose him.”

Cady took a deep breath as if the very thought pained her. “If Percy is…fated to die, there’s little we can do. But we don’t know that. Prophecies are tricky, and hard to understand. And the more we try and change them, or work against them, the quicker we make them come true.” She looked into the sky before continuing. “What if you interfere and that ends up causing more harm?”

A sense of hopelessness washed over me. “I don’t want to live without him.”

I saw a tear streak down Cady's cheek. “I know. But someone has to keep on living when others die.”

I felt my eyebrows pull together as a terrifying thought crossed my mind. I had never considered that I would live past this week, past my sixteenth birthday. I had made up my mind that Percy was the one walking away from this, not me, and I was determined to do anything I could to make that happen.

I hadn’t considered other people might be thinking the same thing, might be making those choices, too—regardless of what other people wanted.

“You don’t think you’re walking out of this either, do you?”

Cady dropped her head, staring at the sand. “I know I’m not.”

“Cady—”

“You’re not the only one who wants to protect people.” Her head snapped up, and I saw a harshness in her eyes. “This is what I’ve been trained for. My siblings walk away from this. You walk away from this. Gods willing, Percy walks away from this. But not me. Not if I can save them.”

My head felt like it was spinning. No no no, it screamed. This isn’t right. It as to be me, it has to—

“They need you, Cady.”

She shook her head. “Nobody needs me. They'll miss me, sure. But they’ll be alright. They’re strong.”

“I need you.” Desperation and fear were swelling in my chest as I choked back a sob. “I can’t do this alone.”

“You’re not alone, Angie. You never have been. And even when I go, you never will be.”

Her words weren’t making sense to me, and panic rose in my stomach as I thought about the very real possibility of losing Cady and Percy within the next week. And Annabeth. And Rosie. And—

I was about to break into hysterics when I felt Cady's hand on my arm, with it the familiar feeling of her magic spreading across my nervous system. Usually I didn’t like when Cady used her gifts on me without asking, but in this moment, I was glad. I couldn’t go down that spiral. I would be falling and falling into the darkness for days—that was a bottomless pit I knew I would never be able to climb out of.

“Thanks, Cades.” I breathed out as her healing touch calmed my anxiety. I took a deep breath, my first one all day, and met her burdened eyes.

“You’re gonna be okay, Angie. We don’t know what’s going to happen. Maybe we all walk away from this.” But I could tell she didn’t believe her words. “But even if we don’t, you’ll still be okay. Maybe staying behind is what you were sent for—if there’s still a Camp Half Blood in the next week, they’ll need someone to turn to. They’ll need a leader. They’ll need you.”

I shook my head instinctively. “I’m not—”

“But you are, Andromeda. You’re Percy’s sister. You’re Poseidon’s daughter. Whether you like it or not, that power is already within you. Everyone else sees it. It’s about time you start seeing it, too.”

It was all too much. I clenched my eyes shut and forced myself to listen to the waves, to think of nothing else but the sound as they crashed onto the shore. No more wars, or battles, or prophecies, or doomed brothers, or self-sacrificing best friends. No more gods and titans and doomsdays. Just the sand under my fingers and the sea in front of me.

It didn’t work.

“I’m not who everyone thinks I am. I can’t be what everyone needs me to be.”

I was on my feet and sprinting away from the water before Cady had time to call my name, and I didn’t stop running until the door to Cabin 3 was slammed shut behind me.

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thebigqueer · 4 years ago

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lee fletcher, ethan nakamura, alex fierro, sadie kane, pre-toa Apollo and post-toa apollo

Push off a cliff: PRE-TOA APOLLO 100% LMAO

Kiss: hm. probably alex my beloved

Marry: lee cuz idk where else to put him

Set on fire: sadie beacuse i feel like she’d be the one to peer pressure me into doing it but like only cuz she has a cool magic trick to show me and id be terrified and think i killed her but joke’s on me cuz she had some kind of magic spell LMAO she’d prank me into it

Wrap a blanket around: ethan nakamura for sure

Be roommates with: probably post-toa apollo because i feel like we’d get each other

send me 6 characters!

#WAIT THAT MOMENT WHEN YOU REALIZE YOU AND ALEX ARE LIKE LITERALLY AROUND THE SAME AGE LMAO #she seems so much older than me but she #she isn't???#my-o-my-what-a-horrible-day tag #asks #ask game

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dannyreviews · 6 years ago

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Bohemian Rhapsody (2018)

We are about 4 days away from knowing what films and actors will receive Academy Award nominations. My fingers are officially crossed that a wave of 1970s rock and roll will fill up as many categories as possible. Bryan Singer and Dexter Fletcher’s biopic of the band Queen, “Bohemian Rhapsody” is one of those epics that has Oscar written all over it. Every technical tactic and nuance goes off in sync and in turn the music and legacy of Freddie Mercury and Queen are on full display.

The film starts in 1970 where we meet young Freddie (or what he was known as before; Farrokh Bulsara) (Rami Malek) working as a baggage handler at Heathrow Airport. He has high hopes of making it as a rock singer, to the disapproval of his traditional parents. At a local nightclub, he meets Mary Austin (Lucy Boynton) and two members of the band performing that night; Brian May (Gwilym Lee) and Roger Taylor (Ben Hardy). Along with John Deacon (Joseph Mazzello), the four guys become Queen and take the world by storm. Through the fame and the prestige, Freddie’s personal life takes a toll, from his sexual identity and deciding between Mary and manager Paul Prenter (Allen Leach), all the way to his destructive and partying ways, which threaten to destroy the band.

When the film was first released, I was wondering what was up with the mixed reviews from the critics. Perhaps they saw a different film, because what I saw was nothing short of a masterpiece. Sure, there were several anachronisms in the chronology and the events unfolded seemed to go one on top of another, but the execution of the story and the homage to the music couldn’t have been any better. The time devoted to the genesis of the group’s most famous songs gave the viewer a fly on the wall experience of the sessions. For example, the scenes where the group is mixing the vocals of “Bohemian Rhapsody” with more than 20 overdubbed tracks in the famous operatic interlude and the idea that “We Will Rock You” would be written as an audience participation piece. For people that are familiar with the band, but not the way the songs originated, it gives fans a new perspective on the music and its impact on the world.

Rami Malek was born to play Freddie Mercury. Everything from his stage presence, to his speech made it look as if Freddie had come back from the dead. Some would say that Malek’s best scenes were the performing ones, but for me, he shines best during the scenes detailing his privacy. Especially, when Freddie is trying to make a life with Mary, but is more tempted by the company of other men. It’s at that point that Freddie the rock star becomes Freddie the conflicted human being. As for the rest of the band, the respected actors paid homage to their roles. Gwilym Lee matched Brian May’s manner of holding the guitar and even got his high pitched voice down to a T. The same also applied to Joseph Mazzello in becoming John Deacon down to the way that his legs were spread apart as he played. As for Ben Hardy, he didn’t look a lot like Roger Taylor, but his performance was just as stellar as the other 3. My impressions also spread to Downton Abbey actor Allen Leach’s performance as Paul Prunter, which transcended between the subtle and somewhat provocative.

Technically, Bohemian Rhapsody should do a clean sweep of the sound and editing awards at the Oscars and the reason lies with the scene at Live Aid. The manner in which the music was flawlessly edited made the concert come to life as well as the close up shots and quick cuts between the band and the audiences in the stadium, backstage and bar. I don’t think I have seen a biopic that turned one of the key moments into a full fledged recreation. There’s retelling and then there’s the replication of the stage moves and camera shots from the original broadcast. If it fails to receive a nomination for either Cinematography, Editing, Sound Editing, Sound Mixing or Visual Effects, then there’s definitely something wrong with the voting committees at AMPAS.

It is important that Rami Malek wins the Academy Award as a truthfully portrayed Freddie Mercury as opposed to Christian Bale for playing an exaggerated Dick Cheney. Mercury is a legend beloved by all and Cheney is a fool that has left nothing of high achievement in his life. Best Actor is pretty much a two man contest between these unlikely figures and while Bale’s performance and appearance as Cheney seems impressive, Malek looked, sounded, moved and just outright became the figure he was portraying. These performances come once in a blue moon and the Academy needs to take advantage of the moment and honor Malek with the top prize. As for Best Picture, it seems like a long shot, but like “Dunkirk” (which should have won last year), “Bohemian Rhapsody” is a through recreation of past events that shaped the world. Even if some of the bad reviews, such as the one from New York Times critic A.O. Scott state that the film was “a baroque blend of gibberish, mysticism and melodrama”, it resonates with fans of cinema and rock music and should be represented as such at the Academy Awards.

9.5/10

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pain-is-too-tired · 2 months ago

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BLOOD/ICHOR TW

Last days of Sparta, follow Him down to meet Apollo And he'll brace for battle in the night He'll fight because he knows he cannot hide He's never gonna make it, all the Poor people he's forsaken, karma Is always gonna chase him for his lies It's just a game of waiting from the Church steeple down to Satan karma There's really no escape until he dies

Outrunning Karma by Alec Benjamin

I know shocker shocker another angst art for them.

I do stand by that Luke should receive some punishment/consequences for his actions. But I also don't want it be something the gods inflict, because Luke's choices hurt other demigods more than the gods( main reason he shouldn't be forgiven immediately-)

So, Lee/image of Lee taking over that role just seems fitting. He was one of the first camper deaths.

Retribution and acknowledgement of mortal guilt is also something Apollo is often connected to. As well as protection of youth.

Lee is the son of the god who rained plague on the Greeks for the taking of one of his priest's daughter, in many versions assisted in the death of Achilles for the death of one or more of his sons. Slaughtered Cyclops more ancient then his own father out of anger and grief of lost of another son.

Absolutely Lee's gonna make sure Luke fully understand the effects of what he's done.

#mine #pjo #percy jackon and the olympians #percy jackson and the olympians #my art #lee fletcher #luke castellan #tw blood #unrealistic blood #golden blood #leeluke #i know he had to deal with Kronos taking over his body and all-#but I'm talking about consequences that isn't just him dealing with his own pain #but acknowledgement of what he's done to others #how many kids did he send to their death #we know he was offering payment for anyone bringing him demigods for his army #how many of those did he send to their death for a cause that never truly wanted or understood #how many of those were 10-12 like the di angelos?#just. him having to acknowledge the destruction outside of his bubble #interesting to think about #i swear I'll draw lee in a less angsty way at some point #i just have too much fun drawing him like this #Lee Fletcher my beloved #Apollo is a brutal god i seriously can't believe that's forgotten about or played lightly in both canon and fandom #i would've loved if he had been turned mortal for losing it in grief after BoM #Zeus using Giant War as way to keep him from going too far

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mediumgayitalian · 7 months ago

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Hi! I really like all the stuff you write, I think when I found your account I read most of your ao3 in a night :)

Do you have a favorite character to write besides Nico and Will?

that is FLATTERING i appreciate that very much. mwah <3

and YES do i ever. naomi solace my beloved. as of writing this answer i’ve written just under 8000 words of her. by the time this posts it will be more. i also love writing for lee fletcher and although i have not posted it yet, the rest of the (dead) apollo siblings

#considering also writing a bianca fic?? altho i haven’t come up w anything yet #if i do write it it will be PREEEEEE canon like pre pre canon #maybe even lotus casino #ask

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phoenix--flying · 2 years ago

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Connor "My brother hosted Kronos and started a war" Stoll and Will "All my older siblings are dead" Solace bond over the fact that neither of them were prepared to be head counselor at such a young age

#connor stoll #will solace #percy jackon and the olympians #lee fletcher #michael yew #pjo #luke castellan #will and connor sitting in the big house at like 3am shit talking him #will and connor my beloveds

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lastsonlost · 7 years ago

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LEAN ON ME (1989)

ROBERT GUILLAUME AS NATHAN DETROIT IN THE BROADWAY REVIVAL OF THE MUSICAL GUYS AND DOLLS (1976)

(Original Caption) NEW YORK: Robert Guillaume took a long time to learn how to get along with people. Some of that abrasiveness remains in his witty and memorable performance as Nathan Detroit in the current Broadway revival of the musical, "Guys and Dolls." Here he appears with Norma Donaldson in a scene from the show.

He garnered a Tony nomination for his portrayal of Nathan Detroit in the Broadway production of "Guys and Dolls" and received rave reviews during his run as the star of the Los Angeles production of "Phantom of the Opera."

It was as the irascible Benson DuBois that Guillaume won his two Emmy Awards. The first for Best Supporting Actor on "Soap" in 1979, the second for Best Actor in 1985, after the Benson character moved on to the series bearing his name. He guided the character through the positions of butler, state budget director, and finally Lieutenant Governor, a transformation that is rarely seen in characters on television today. Raised in St. Louis by his maternal grandmother, Jeannette, Guillaume interrupted his education with a stint in the United States Army. After his discharge, he attended St. Louis University as a business administration major, and Washington University as a voice major; for a while suppressing his true ambition of becoming the first Black tenor at the Metropolitan Opera in New York.

Born with the makings of a brilliant classical voice, Robert's talent was recognized by Washington University's Leslie Chabay, who arranged a scholarship for him to the Aspen (Colorado) Music Festival. This appearance led to a major turning point, Guillaume's apprenticeship at Cleveland's Karamu Theatre. There, under the tutelage of Russell and Rowina Jellife, he made his semi-professional debut in both opera and musical comedy. It wasn't long after Guillaume moved from Cleveland to New York City that he became one of the stage's best-reviewed young actors. His critical triumphs included "Kwamina," "Bambouche," "Tambourines to Glory," "Othello," "Porgy and Bess," "Apple Pie," and "Jacques Brel." He went on to even greater acclaim playing leads in "Purlie" and "Golden Boy;" and, of course in "Guys and Dolls," for his Tony-nominated performance as Nathan Detroit.

Actor Robert Guillaume, actress Sheila Frazier; actors Ron O'Neal and Roscoe Lee Browne in a scene from the Paramount Pictures movie 'Super Fly T.N.T.' circa 1973.

Guillaume has starred in theatrical films, including "The Lion King," "Meteor Man," "Wanted: Dead or Alive," "Seems Like Old Times," "Lean on Me," and "Death Warrant." His work in television has included "John Grin's Christmas" (which he also directed), "The Penthouse," "The Kid with the Broken Halo," "The Kid With the 200 IQ," "Greyhounds," "Children of the Dust," "Panic in the Skies," "His Bodyguard", "Silicon Towers," and “North and South.”

As a television performer on 'Soap,' 'Benson,' 'The Robert Guillaume Show,' and 'Pacific Station,' I sought consciously to avoid the stereotypical sociological traps," says Guillaume.

"I always wanted kids of any background to understand the characters I've portrayed were real, that the solutions they found were true and possible. It has always been important to me to stress that there was no diminution of power or universality just because my characters are African-Americans." Guillaume has also been the recipient of the prestigious Grammy Award for his reading of "The Lion King" book (on audiotape) in the voice of the beloved character, Rafiki. In 1992, Robert and his wife Donna Brown Guillaume, a producer, founded the Confetti Entertainment Company. The company publishes read-along books and tapes, and inspired the award-winning animated HBO television series, "Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every Child". The series showcases traditional fairy tales, with characters voiced by a multi-ethnic cast of celebrities. Robert's voice is featured as the narrator of each episode.

Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, The FRESH PRINCE OF BEL-AIR, THE -- 'You'de Better Shop Around' Episode 19 -- Pictured: (l-r) James Avery as Philip Banks, Robert Guillaume as Pete Fletcher, Will Smith as William 'Will' Smith

Guillaume has recorded three CDs which are available on iTunesand soon can be purchased on through this website: Robertguillaume.com. Classic songs from “Phantom of the Opera” as well as many beloved standards are on his collections. In addition to his work as a performer, Robert Guillaume has generously given both time and resources to numerous charitable and social organizations, among them, TransAfrica, AmFar, Sickle Cell Disease Association of America, the Special Olympics, and is a founding member of Artists for a New South Africa. TV audiences enjoyed Guillaume every week for two seasons as "Isaac Jaffe," executive producer of a national cable sports news show, on the ABC series "Sports Night." He was featured in the 2003 Tim Burton film “Big Fish” starring Albert Finney and Jessica Lange, where he played a small town Southern doctor and was seen in the drama “Century City,” which aired on CBS. Recently Guillaume directed a one-man show, “Looking Over the President’s Shoulder,” at the American Negro Playwright Theatre at Tennessee State University and recently completed shooting an independent film, “Jack Satin” . He played a wheeling-dealing gambler last season on CSI: Crime Scene Investigations, recently spoke at a conference in San Jose, California on behalf of the American Stroke Association and was featured in a May 2010 issue of Jet magazine.

Robert Guillaume Sighted at Spindletop Recording Studio LOS ANGELES, CA - JUNE 22: Robert Guillaume and Webster Lewis sighted on June 22, 1983 at Spindletop Recording Studio in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Ron Galella/WireImage)

Robert Guillaume Pictures and Images

#robert guillaume #MORE THAN JUST THE LION KING

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kelleypataki-blog · 4 years ago

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From her first early morning

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templeofgeek · 4 years ago

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Portrait of a Fangirl is a web series created by Monica Duarte and Emily Schuck. At the core of the project is the importance of telling the stories of women who have found inspiration, growth, and power through fandom.

Episode Four – Tiffany Michelle Cagle

In this episode, we talk to Tiffany Michelle Cagle, previous head baker at Calvary Christian conference center. She explains how fans can build each other up and enhance their own expressions. Tiffany tells us about her fandoms and how she expresses them, debunks the practices of gatekeeping, and tells us how fandom has changed her life for the better.

youtube

Portraits

This project began as a photography project with the goal of capturing the rich and diverse manifestations of fangirling. The idea was to take portraits of geeky women as a way to celebrate their fandoms. We soon came to realize that, even though a picture—as the cliché goes—is indeed worth a thousand words, these women have stories to tell that require a more robust mode of storytelling. Our photos hope to break the stereotype and their stories meant to praise their vast and unique expression—from sports to music, movies to books and history, and countless other fandoms.

Tiffany was the first person we interviewed for this project and she was a huge part of the original inspiration. Her stories and her perspective needed to be told in more than just photos. But nonetheless, the photos, to us, are extremely important in capturing who she is. In Tiffany’s portraits, we can see how creatively her vintage style and fandom heart align. (I mean, check out these tattoos!!!)

She’s drawn to creative and bold expressions of her fandoms. Her buttons on her jacket are a nod to her father’s jean jacket that he wore in the ’80s that she has adopted as her own.

She incorporates fandom into all aspects of her life, baking unique original creations such as Gryffindor butter shortbread, butterbeer fudge, and mind-if-I-Slytherin whoopie pies, among others.

“Mind if I slytherin” whoopie pies

The Nightlock White: chocolate blueberry and ginger cookie

Hogsmeade weekend butter beer fudge

English toffee coffee snickerdoodle for my Ravenclaws

Gryffindor butter shortbread “Golden trio short bread”

Harry Potter House Banners for Golden trio short bread

Tiffany has reminded all of us at Portrait that fandom is a shared experience that has the potential to connect us with one another in a way that nothing else can. Her passions for fandom have introduced her to some of the most important people in her life. It has influenced where and with whom she wants to spend her life. It is safe to say that her introduction to the fandom community has given her a new view of what life should look like and a compassionate and empathic look at people around her. Thanks to the power of community and social media, she had found her place in all of this.

Tiffany has a passion for the Harry Potter Fandom, and especially drawn to the character of Snape. Photo by Sarah Bliss

Tiffany is a big fan of the television show ‘Doctor Who’. Photo by Anne Reed

Lee Payne, Cat Fletcher and Tiffany during her trip to London wearing Harry Potter inspired cosplay and fashion

Tiffany at a Doctor Who and Harry Potter crossover meetup at Gallifrey One 2020

Tiffany holding 9th Doctor fan art from the TV show ‘Doctor Who”. Photo by Anne Reed

Ravenclaw group from a murder mystery group at Geeky Teas and Games in Burbank, CA.

Karen Elva, Cat Fletcher, Tiffany, Lou Woods, and Lee Payne

Tiffany and her dear friend Sarah Bliss

Follow Tiffany on social media:

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“…But times change and so must I. We all change, when you think about it. We are all different people all through our lives and that's okay, that's good you've got to keep moving so long as you remember all the people that you used to be. I will not forget one line of this, not one day, I swear. I will always remember..”-The Doctor Today, I said goodbye to my beloved bakery. I packed up my mugs, my cookbooks, wore my favorite Tardis apron, and whispered my goodbyes. I whispered about the good memories, and of the lessons. The midnight shifts, the bake sales, creating one of kind recipes. I also whispered of the thousands upon thousands of loaves of bread, plates of cookies, and of cake. Within these beautiful walls, a passion was found, a dream was realized and a mad scientist with a whisk was born. She will always have a special place in my heart. From lowly assistant to head baker, she will always be considered one of my greatest accomplishments and chapters in my life. The Lord gave me a beautiful season here and I will never to be able to thank him enough! Thank you to all the people who have been on this journey with me. It’s been one wild ride and i am excited to continue on with you all to my next chapter. I guess there’s only one thing left to say…See you when I see you!💙💙💙 #handsupgirlenjoytheride #daydreambeliever2020 #goodbye #endingofanera #newchapter #tardis #baker #nerdygirl #timetomoveon #lastdance

A post shared by Tiffany C. (@adventuresofthecheekybaker) on Apr 23, 2020 at 7:26pm PDT

More episodes

https://templeofgeek.com/portrait-of-a-fangirl-utahime-cosplay/

https://templeofgeek.com/portrait-of-a-fangirl-episode-two-jordan-ellis/

https://templeofgeek.com/portrait-of-a-fangirl-episode-three-victoria-male/

Check out more on our website, the Portrait of a Fangirl Instagram, Temple of Geek’s Instagram, or on Twitter.

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Tiffany wears her fandom with her wherever she goes! Her tattoos tell a special story about her life, her journey and her love for fandoms. Please share your tattoo stories with us. Tag us in photos or tell us your story in the comments. #portraitofafangirl #fandom #fandomtattoo #geekytattoo

A post shared by Portrait Of A Fangirl (@portraitofafangirl) on Mar 28, 2020 at 6:13am PDT

Video by Monica Duarte Edited by Emily Schuck Produced by Monica Duarte, Emily Schuck, and Danniel Slade

Photography by Monica Duarte

Music: “Girls Say” by Coyote Hearing “Run Until Your Wings grow” by Late Night Feeler “Please” by Wayne Jones “A Quiet Thought” by Wayne Jones

Portrait of a Fangirl: Episode Four - Tiffany Michelle Cagle #portraitofafangirl #geekchic Portrait of a Fangirl is a web series created by Monica Duarte and Emily Schuck. At the core of the project is the importance of telling the stories of women who have found inspiration, growth, and power through fandom.

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jillmckenzie1 · 5 years ago

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Don’t Let the Sun Go Down on Me

Hearing the right song at the right moment can be life-changing. It can put the love of your life into hyper-focus, pull you back from the abyss, and give you the confidence to stand up to someone twice your size. The right song can feel like it was written just for you, yet millions of people can relate to it.

Those kinds of songs are not easy to create, much less perform in a way that feels heartfelt. Elton John has been in the business of creating precisely those kinds of songs for decades. Fine, maybe his stuff isn’t necessarily for you, but whether you like his music or not is almost irrelevant. John and his work have permeated our culture so deeply that it’s become iconic, omnipresent.

It’s not only his music, but it’s also John himself that contributed to the myth-making. The man has performed thousands of concerts in scores of countries wearing some wild-ass outfits. He’s consumed gallons of alcohol and ingested a galaxy of drugs. He’s proudly out despite having struggled with his sexuality for decades. My dude has done a lot.

That all means that, sooner or later, somebody would make an Elton John biopic. Not just because he led a technicolor life in drab, grey times, but also because movies about rock stars make frickin’ bank. Last year’s Queen biopic Bohemian Rhapsody wasn’t very good and still made over $800 million at the box office. Should we expect Rocketman, the new film about Elton John, to be a similar financial juggernaut? Probably not, but pound for pound, it’s a better film.

There’s a somewhat clever notion of introducing us to Elton John (Taron Egerton) as he storms off the stage in a spangly devil costume, marches imperiously down a hallway…and enters an AA meeting. It’s here that he’ll regale us about his life and times.* We see the sub-optimal childhood of Reginald Dwight (Kit Connor and Matthew Illesley). His father Stanley (Steven MacIntosh) is distant and seems to have close to zero interest in him. His mother Sheila (Bryce Dallas Howard) isn’t much better, and she deals with the bitterness of her life through promiscuity and sarcasm.

As much as that all sucks, young Reggie has a few things going for him. The first is that he has the ability to intuitively understand music and copy it on the piano. The second is his grandmother Ivy (Gemma Jones) who believes in him. She encourages him to apply to the Royal Academy of Music. The third is, as a young man, his meeting with budding songwriter Bernie Taupin (Jamie Bell).

Taupin’s lyrics are clever and emotional, and Reggie puts his nearly mystical ability to work in creating musical arrangements. Their partnership is fruitful. So much so that Reggie’s career starts to explode. Perhaps realizing that the masses aren’t going to rapturously chant, “WE WANT REGINALD DWIGHT,” Reggie changes his name to…drum roll…Elton John.

From there, we see Elton play his legendary show at The Troubadour in Los Angeles. Spinning headlines and glittery montages show us Elton sprinting up the charts. He earns gold records, buys lots of stuff, and descends further into drug use. Will his new manager John Reid (Richard Madden) provide him with the love and acceptance he craves? Oh, absolutely not. Can he pull himself out of the abyss in time? Obviously, he’s still alive!

Ready to play the Rock Star Biopic Drinking Game? Take a drink when (insert rock star) demonstrates preternatural musical skill during childhood! Take a drink when (insert rock star) has their big break! Take a drink when (insert rock star) inhales a mountain of cocaine and acts obnoxious! Take a drink when (insert rock star) is told by their friend/lover/spouse/manager/bandmate that, “Maybe you need to slow down.” On second thought, don’t play that game during Rocketman, because if you do, you’ll die.

I used to think that audiences would immediately see through the pandering checking of boxes in so many music biopics and respond with scorn. I’ve since learned two things. First, by and large, audiences don’t care, since they’re showing up to tap their feet along to the greatest hits. That’s why they call it a “jukebox musical,” right? Second, maybe that’s okay if the biopic in question is made with at least a bit of creativity.

Director Dexter Fletcher had a couple of well-played opportunities recently. The first was developing a positive professional relationship with Taron Egerton in 2015’s Eddie the Eagle. The second was saving Bohemian Rhapsody after the firing of disgraced filmmaker Bryan Singer. Together, those got Fletcher the job directing Rocketman. He’s made a great-looking film filled with eye-popping costumes and lush sets. On the one hand, Dexter wisely chose to make a good chunk of the movie a musical, and the moments where the cast spontaneously breaks into song and dance are daring. Additionally, an R-rating allows Dexter to be more open about John’s life and sexuality.**

On the other hand? For every moment where an entire fairground sings “Saturday Night’s Alright for Fighting,” we have three or four moments that seem to be playing my beloved Rock Star Biopic Drinking Game. I know that, as a critic, I’m only supposed to review what’s on the screen and not pine for what could have been. But when Fletcher makes a film that lurches between a strong union of filmmaking and music, then awkwardly downshifts to a narrative that’s annoyingly predictable, I’m gonna be a little wistful for what might have been. Could you imagine a full Elton John musical? I can, and that’s a little tragic.

Speaking of music, you’ll remember that Bohemian Rhapsody concluded with Queen’s triumphant live performance at Live Aid, and that decision served to propel the audience out on a high note. Here, the film somewhat obviously ends with “I’m Still Standing.” It’s a pretty good song, but admit it — it’s not your favorite Elton John song. Rocketman needs to end powerfully, instead of merely satisfactorily. Besides, as my wife put it, “I’m Still Standing” isn’t even as good as “Benny and the Jets,” for God’s sake.

The screenplay by Lee Hall doesn’t help much. Much like Bohemian Rhapsody, Rocketman requires exactly zero heavy lifting from the audience. Over and over, the film hammers us with the point that Elton’s self-destructive tendencies come from a desire to be loved and gain approval. That’s fine, and from a psychological approach, that’s probably quite accurate. But instead of spoon-feeding the audience, why couldn’t the script display more sophistication? There’s even a scene during Elton’s AA session that’s so obnoxiously obvious, it took a certain kind of demented courage to make it in the first place. As I’ve said before, and to steal an appropriate line from Buffy the Vampire Slayer, the subtext has become text.

You’re probably wondering how the cast manages with such a weird fusion. For the most part, they’re solid. Let’s first talk about Bryce Dallas Howard as Sheila. Howard is a genuinely talented performer, and I’ve seen her do good work, particularly in the lovely Pete’s Dragon. I’m telling you that because she’s extremely miscast here. God knows she tries, but her dodgy English accent and distracting performance don’t do her any favors.

However, she and everyone else is overshadowed by Taron Egerton’s explosive performance. I know, Egerton doesn’t quite look like or sound like Elton John. However, he captures the essence of the man, the brassy confidence used as a shield, the temper tantrums, the moments of artistic genius. It also helps that Egerton did all of his own singing and dancing, and whether he’s pounding away at the piano or quietly walking through a party while singing, he’s magnetic.

As far as I can tell, Rocketman is going to be a success. Since fewer people than ever are physically going to the movies, I’ll take it as a good thing that a quality non-franchise film aimed at adults is doing well. Rocketman is a solidly good film, but Elton John has lived a life of gigantic peaks and valleys. He deserves a film that compliments his life.

*I desperately wanted one of the other members of the AA group to be pissed off that they didn’t get a chance to talk about their problems.

**Unsurprisingly, that artistic honesty isn’t going over well with everybody. You can read more here about Russia censoring five minutes of the movie due to “homosexual propaganda.”

from Blog https://ondenver.com/dont-let-the-sun-go-down-on-me/

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weekendwarriorblog · 6 years ago

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WHAT TO WATCH THIS WEEKEND November 2, 2018 - Bohemian Rhapsody, Nutcracker and the Four Realms, Nobody’s Fool

It’s November…hurray! Usually, this would mean the end of the slower fall months (not this year!) and the start of the profitable holiday movie season (ditto!), but we’re going to start off a little slower with a couple medium-profile films before building to the more anticipated holiday tentpoles over the next couple weeks.

BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY (20thCentury Fox)

Probably the most high-profile release this weekend is this biopic about Freddie Mercury and ‘70s/’80s rock legends Queen, which has been anticipated by so many of the band’s fans but has also been plagued from the early days of development with actors and writers on then off the project, plus even bigger problems once it started shooting.

Director Bryan Singer took over the project a few years back as his follow-up to his recent X-Men sequels, and Singer’s involvement is part of the controversy surrounding the film since he was fired halfway through filming for vague reasons involving his private life. A few years earlier, Singer was accused of sexual assault long before the #MeToo movement that took down his good friend and collaborator Kevin Spacey, but Eddie the Eagle director Brendan Fletcher took over the project. Only Singer received directing credit, and you have to assume that even some of the critics who saw the movie might have watched the movie with the above in mind. There’s also been rumors that there will be a new exposé about Singer published this week, which will bring these things back to the forefront. (Other movies where directors were replaced like Justice League and Solo also received mostly negative reviews.)

There’s so many things to consider for this movie but the first and foremost is that it’s the most high-profile leading role for Rami Malek, the Emmy-winning actor who broke out from playing the lead in USA’s Mr. Robot. Malek has serious Oscar chances for his portrayal of Freddie Mercury – a role that was once going to be played by Sacha Baron Cohen – and even the critics who panned the film have said that he’s the best part of the movie. The movie also stars Lucy Boynton (Sing Street, Apostle), Ben Hardy, Joseph Mazzelo, Aidan Gillen and Gwilym Lee as Brian May, but no one is really talking about them much.

There’s an interesting dichotomy about Queen in that it’s considered hard rock or even metal but it was a rock band with a predominantly gay lead singer, which likely helped them acquire some level of gay audience. That audience might also be interested in seeing how Freddie’s sexuality is handled, because there were a lot of concerns that that side of Freddie’s lifestyle and his death from AIDS has been softened up for the movie.

But will the macho guys who chant “We Will Rock You” and sing “We Are the Champions” at football games and generally love Queen’s music go out to see a movie about the band’s openly bisexual frontman that includes a number of strong homosexual scenes (as much as PG-13 will allow). Equally, there are worries that Freddie’s gay side and other debauchery has been softened up in the movie for that very reason.

At one point, I thought this could match the opening of A Star is Born, but with the mixed reviews so far and the potential backlash against Bryan Singer, that could keep it somewhere in the mid-$30 millions, possibly even lower. We’ll have to see how audiences react before determining if it could be another $100 million plus grosser or falls just short.

If interested, you can also read my positive review of Bohemian Rhapsody RIGHT HERE.

NUTCRACKER AND THE FOUR REALMS (Walt Disney Pictures)

What kind of world are we living in where the “sure-fire” Disney holiday movie based on one of the most beloved ballets ever, could possibly bomb? That’s the question that some might be asking on Monday as the Mouse House releases one of its weakest movies in years, because this spin on the Tchaikovsky ballet. I haven’t seen the movie yet, because just like every Disney movie for the last two years, I haven’t been invited to attend a press screening, so I’ll have to just assume the movie is bad because the trailers look like shit.

Of course, there have been other Nutcracker movies, but you assume that when Disney takes over a property (like The Muppets), it will automatically attract an even bigger family audience, since they have marketing to family audiences down to a science.

This film was originally directed by Swedish filmmaker Lasse Hallström, but Joe Johnston (Captain America: The First Avenger) took over as a co-director to finish the movie when Hallstrom wasn’t available for reshoots, and they’re both credited.

The film does have a great cast surrounding young Mackenzie Foy (no relation to Claire), which include Helen Mirren, Morgan Freeman and Richard E. Grant, but the movie is being promoted by those from other avenues of art including ballet dancer Misty Copeland and Andrea and son Matteo Bocelli from the world of opera doing the original song “Fall on Me*” for the film. (*Mark my words: this song will get nominated for an Oscar.)

In previous years, a family film kicking off November would do well since there’s a lack of family films in theaters, but this year is different, because we’ve already had The House with a Clock in its Walls, Goosebumps and Smallfoot, so kids probably won’t be driven to go to the movies for this one.

My first instinct is that there’s no way this movie makes $20 million, but this is Disney, a company that has the family audience wrapped around its corporate finger, so it’s likely to make more than $20 million only because Disney will saturate theaters with the “Nutcracker” name-brand helping to bring in important family business.

NOBODY’S FOOL (Paramount Players)

The other bit of cross-programming from the kiddie film and the all-white Queen biopic is the latest movie from Tyler Perry, as he shifts his deal over to the newly-formed Paramount Players. This is the second film of the year from the popular playwright, although his thriller Tyler Perry’s Acrimony was one of his lower money makers, grossing just $43.5 million, which is on the lower end for his films. Before that, Perry had slightly more success with last year’s Boo 2! Which grossed just $47.3 million compared to the $73.2 million grossed by Boo!A Madea Halloween a year earlier.

Nobody’s Fool is one of Perry’s first comedies not starring his cross-dressing character Madea, who seems to be the primary draw for many of his bigger films, so it will be interesting to see how this will fare without Madea. For this one, Perry is joined by the ever-popular Tiffany Haddish, coming off the success of Night School ($70 million grossed so far)and Ike Barinholtz’s indie The Oath. She plays a woman released from prison whose sister (Tika Sumpter, who appeared in the hit Ride Along movies) has been in an online relationship with a man who Haddish’s character believes isn’t real. Hilarity ensues.

The movie also stars Omari Hardwick from Power, who recently appeared in the Sundance hit Sorry to Bother You, as well as veteran Whoopi Goldberg, who appeared in Perry’s adaptation of For Colored Girls. Even with an impressive African-American cast, much of the film is riding on the recent success and popularity of Haddish.

The premise and marketing for the film has been fairly spot-on, not bad for Paramount, who haven’t had many hits with African-Americans in recent years other than maybe Denzel Washington’s Fences, which rode its Oscar buzz to $58 million from a mid-December limited release. The only other African-American targeted film from the studio was Chris Rock’s Top Five, which wowed critics at Toronto but only grossed $25.3 million domestically.

In most cases, I could see this movie opening with $20 million based on the combination of Perry and Haddish’s popularity, but I feel this is coming into a market with other options including Fox’s The Hate U Give and that might keep it just below. Having not seen the movie and there being no reviews, it’s hard to tell whether Perry’s fans will help give it legs over the rest of the month or it will get swallowed up by stronger films (like Steve McQueen’s Widows).

A couple wider expansions this weekend include Luca Guadagnino’s Suspiria remake going into 250 theaters and the family drama Beautiful Boy expanding into 350 theaters, although it’s hard to think either will make more than $2.5 million, which would be required to break into the top 10. After last week’s surprise expansion of Jonah Hill’s Mid90s, I’m not sure what to expect from either of these films that have done just as well in their platform releases.

Considering that two or three of the new releases will dominate, this week’s Top 10 should look something like this…

1. Bohemian Rhapsody (20thCentury Fox) - $37.5 million* N/A 2. The Nutcracker and the Four Realms (Disney) - $21.3* million N/A 3. Nobody’s Fool (Paramount) - $18 million N/A 4. Halloween(Universal) - $14.1 million -55% 5. A Star is Born (Warner Bros.) - $9.5 million -32% 6. Venom (Sony) - $5.5 million -48% 7. Goosebumps: Haunted Halloween (Sony) - $4 million -45% 8. The Hate U Give (20thCentury Fox) - $3.3 million -35% 9. Hunter Killer (Lionsgate/Summit) - $3 million -55% 10. First Man (Universal) – $2.5 million -49%

* A couple minor changes with the updated theater counts for the weekend, although I’m not going too crazy with either movie, since they both have things working against them.

LIMITED RELEASES

The good news this weekend -- especially if you have no interest in any of the wide releases above and are in a big city -- is that there are a lot of great specialty options, and actually three movies I highly recommend.

First up is Joel Edgerton’s second film as a director BOY ERASED (Focus), based on Garrard Conley’s memoir and starring Lucas Hedges as Jared, a boy with a preacher father (Russell Crowe) and worrying mother (Nicole Kidman) who is sent to conversion therapy under the tutelage of Victor Sykes (played by Edgerton) in hopes of “curing” his gayness. This powerful and timely drama opens in New York, L.A. and San Francisco this Friday and then expands to other cities on Nov. 9. I was really impressed with Edgerton’s adaptation of a book that I’ve yet to read, but also, Lucas Hedges proves that he’s the real-deal with a performance that bolsters his Oscar nomination for Manchester by the Sea a few years back. You can read my interview with Joel Edgerton over on NEXTBESTPICTURE.com.

Rosamund Pike gives a similarly compelling performance as war journalist Marie Colvin in A PRIVATE WAR (Aviron), directed by Matthew Heineman (Cartel Land, City of Ghosts), as it follows her daring exploits trying to get exclusive stories in the Middle East that eventually led to her death in Syria. Pike is fantastic in the film, really embodying Marie Colvin, particularly her heavy Long Island accent that really adds to the illusion. Jamie Dornan from Fifty Shades of Grey is also good as Marie’s photographer Paul Conroy, and the film also stars Stanley Tucci and Tom Hollander. It opens in select cities, but I’m hoping it will expand wider this month.

Over a year since it debuted in Toronto’s Midnight Madness section where it won the People’s Choice Award, BODIED (YouTube Originals/Neon) from Torque (and music video) director Joseph Khan will open in select cities. It stars Calum Worthy as Adam, who becomes interested in battle rap as a thesis subject until he becomes obsessed with it and starts taking part in them himself. I loved this movie when I saw it at Sundance earlier this year and sadly, I didn’t have a chance to see it a second time before its release but hopefully Neon will help get it out into theaters before it ends up on YouTube’s premium streaming network.

Tying into their streaming releases, Netflix will give Orson Welles’ long-lost and unfinished The Other Side of the Wind and Morgan Neville’s related doc They’ll Love Me When I’m Dead. Apparently, Welles was filming this over the course of fifteen years in what would have been the precursor for all those found footage movies I hate so much. The late John Huston plays a filmmaker throwing a party to show a rough cut of his latest “masterpiece” – and it’s obvious that whatever Welles was going for did not translate well into whatever was put together (by the likes of producer Frank Marshall and others) after his death. You can read more about the former in my New York Film Festival coverage, but both will stream on Netflix as well as get a nominal New York (IFC Center) and L.A. release.

Although Halloween is almost over (depending on when I get this posted), that doesn’t mean there won’t be a few more indie horror/thrillers this weekend.

For those who didn’t get enough creepy nun horror with The Nun, there’s Tommy Bertelsen’s Welcome to Mercy (IFC Midnight) starring Kristen Ruhlin (also the screenwriter) as a single mother named Madaline, who is struck with stigmata (essentially bleeding on the palms), so she’s sent to a remote convent where her and her friend August must confront the demons trying to possess her. It will get the typical limited run and VOD release of most IFC Midnight films.

The absence of the impending Halloween is also not gonna stop Chris von Hoffman’s horror/thriller Monster Party (RLJE Films), which stars Julian McMahon and is about three thieves who post a daring heist posed as waiters at a fancy Malibu dinner party only to learn that the dinner guests are not what they seem, forcing them to fight a desperate battle to escape.

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Opening at the Metrograph Friday is Shevaun Mizrahi’s Distant Constellation (Grasshopper Film), a cinema-verité doc filmed in a Turkish retirement home where the inhabitants talk about their lives and two of them ride an elevator up and down. This really wasn’t my kind of doc, although I’m sure others will find it compelling.

German filmmaker Margaret von Trotta pays homage to the Swedish filmmaker that inspired her with Searching for Ingmar Bergman (Oscilloscope Labs), which opens at the Quad Cinema on Friday. Co-directed by Felix Moeller and Bettina Böhler, the documentary is made-up of interviews with his collaborators like Liv Ullman, as well as other filmmakers he’s inspired such as Olivier Assayas. It will open in L.A. on Nov. 9 and other cities to follow.

A little mix-up last weekend, because I thought the documentary Maria by Callas (Sony Classics) from filmmaker Tom Volf opened last weekend, but it actually opens in New York and L.A. on Friday. Its title is fairly self-evident… that is, if you know opera (as I do).

I also somehow didn’t include Texan filmmaker Patrick Wang’s two-feature film A Bread Factory Part One and Two last weekend, but his second film The Grief of Others (In the Family LLC) will follow them at the Village East Cinema in New York and Laemmle Monica in L.A. (You can still see both parts of A Bread Factory starring Tyne Daly and Elisabeth Henryin those cities Weds night and Thursday.) The Grief of Others deals with the death of a baby mere days after its birth and how the parents and family try to get back to their previous lives.

South African director Nosipho Dumisa’s thriller Number 37 (Dark Star Pictures) will open in L.A. at the Laemmle’s Glendale and on Nov. 9 in New York at the Cinema Village. Set in the down-and-out neighborhood of Cape Flats, the film (based on Dumisa’s short of the same name) looks at the residents of one block of apartments filled with all sorts of criminals, low-life as well as a few cops. One drug trafficker has lost the use of his legs so he gets out to the rest of the world using his binoculars but before you can say, “Hey, this is the same plot as Hitchcock’s Rear Window!” he’s hatched a get-rich blackmail scheme after witnessing a crime. Dumisa is one of South Africa’s first black female feature directors and her film won the Cheval Noir at Fantasia in Montreal over the summer after premiering at SXSW.

STREAMING

As mentioned above, Netflix will start streaming the long-lost unfinished Orson Welles film THE OTHER SIDE OF THE WIND as well as Morgan Neville’s related doc They’ll Love Me When I’m Dead, which is about the making of that movie. The family holiday comedy The Holiday Calendar stars Kat Graham as a photographer who discovers an advent calendar that might be telling her future. Also, streaming Friday is House of Cards Season 6… I haven’t even watched the first five seasons and not sure if I should bother at this point.

REPERTORY

METROGRAPH (NYC):

Spring Dreams: The Cinema of Huang Ji & Yang Lina features four movies from the two woman directors from China, including Egg and Stone (2012), Foolish Bird (2017), Looking for the Rain (2013) and Old Men(1999) – I have never seen (or even heard) of any of these films but I trust the Metrograph’s programmers/curators. This weekend’s Playtime: Family Matinees is the animated The Secret of Nimh, showing on Saturday and Sunday at 11AM.

FILM FORUM (NYC):

Visconti’s Senso continues to show as well as the American remake The Wanton Contessa on Sunday afternoon.

EGYPTIAN THEATRE (LA):

Although it’s already sold out, the 50thanniversary of the Monkees concert movie Head with Mike Nesmith and Micky Dolenz in person takes place on Thursday night.

AERO (LA):

Charlize Person will be there on Thursday night to show a double feature of her recent film Tully and Patty Jenkins’ 2003 movie Monster, for which Theron won an Oscar. Friday sees a double feature of Harold Becker’s thrillers Sea of Love and Malice, and he’ll be there in person as well. Krasinski will show A Quiet Place on Saturday night… yeah, I know it only came out six months ago.

QUAD CINEMA (NYC):

In conjunction with the release of her new doc Looking for Ingmar Berman (see above), the Quad will have a special Margarethe von Trotta: The Political is Personal retrospective that includes most of her films like Rosa Luxemburg, The Lost Honor of Katharina Blum (on a special imported 35mm print), Sheer Madnessas well as some of the films she’s appeared in like Fassbinder’s Beware of a Holy Whore and The American Soldier. I have not seen a single one of these.

IFC CENTER (NYC)

I just realized this past week the connection between the IFC Center’s Coen Brothers and Shaw Brothers retrospectives… it wasn’t so obvious until I saw both names on the marquee. The Coens’ Weekend Classics this week is the Oscar-winning Fargo (1996) – both at 11AM and at midnight Friday and Saturday --while the Shaw Brothers offering at midnight Friday and Saturday is Intimate Confessions of a Chinese Courtesan (1972). Directed by Orson Welles ends on Thursday with Chimes at Midnight (1965)andF for Fake(1973).

LANDMARK THEATRES NUART (LA):

The 1979 doc The War at Homewill open here with director Glenn Silberg in person doing Q&As on Friday and Saturday night.

FILM SOCIETY OF LINCOLN CENTER (NYC):

A new addition to this section! The beloved uptown theaters of the Film Society of Lincoln Center! Okay, there’s nothing repertory starting this week but next week, for sure.

BAM CINEMATEK (NYC):

Another new addition! On Friday, they’re screening Ousmane Sembene’s 1966 film Black Girl with shorts Fannie’s Film and Fucked Like a Star. It kick-offs BAM’s program Women at Work: The Domestic is Not Free, a series that includes Todd Haynes’ 1995 film Safe, starring Julianne Moore, as well as the amazing Brazilian film Good Manners.

MOMA (NYC):

Modern Matinees: Vincent Price is over but Catalan Cinema’s Radical Years continues through Nov. 10

MUSEUM OF THE MOVING IMAGE (NYC):

The self-explanatory The Coen Brothers Go West runs from Friday to Nov. 18, including Blood Simple, No Country for Old Men, True Grit and more, leading up to their Western anthology The Ballad of Buster Skruggs, which is released on Nov. 16.

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