#like the boy would not survive a true gritty drama

[tediousdelusion]

my controversial(ish, maybe, idk) take on steddy hands is that two semi-apparently contradictory things have to happen first and they are both along the stizzy axis: 1) stede and izzy have to each recognize the other as competent. this takes more growth in stede’s part bc... look my dears, my loves, perhaps even my beloveds. as endearing as stede is, he still ends s1 as an incompetent pirate. he’s never taken a single ship and he has spent his entire life in the lap of luxury. (for his fuckery, he lets the danish board their ship. they live, but they don’t take any property - which is the entire fucking point of piracy). the boy needs to face a material hardship. it builds character, much like working customer service.

and 2.) izzy needs to accept some mild hedonism. pleasure for the sake of pleasure is gooooooood. anyone who tells you different is selling something. this is the one that takes growth on izzy’s part - he doesn’t see value in pleasure alone and like, god, my man perhaps i wish i vibed with you less but...

if these don’t both happen, i can enjoy it, but i can’t believe it, if you feel me. stede is a man who is insecure bc he doesn’t think that he deserves what he has... and up to this point this has lowkey been true. and izzy is fixated on being needed to the point where imo being wanted doesn’t occur to him. (ed is a whole ‘nother bag of worms and this post is toooooo Fucking Long)

but in the end, they need all need to both want and need each other. i think need comes first, but want shouldn’t be short to follow. the want has staying power.

also you can’t dom someone while also being a total incompetent i didn’t say that yes i did (guess im drunk enough)

[dimonds456]

What was “A Picture Perfect Hollywood Heartbreak” Really About?

What was Zach Callison’s A Picture Perfect Hollywood Heartbreak really about?

Hey all you people out there! How are you surviving quarantine? I had a bunch of spare time, and so I decided to write an essay that focuses on Zach Callison’s album, A Picture Perfect Hollywood Heartbreak. The album has been out for a while, but most people either only know Interlude IV or are really confused about the story it tells. I think I’ve finally got an answer, and I wanted to share it with you all.

If you’re only here to better understand Interlude IV, you can skip down there if you want, but you’ll still be pretty confused. Besides, you should listen to the rest of the album. The whole thing bops. 

Personal favorite song is Phantom Love, but I’m pretty sure no one cares about that.

Anyways, on to the show! One song at a time, in order.

WARNING: REALLY, REALLY LONG POST UNDER THE CUT!!

Phantom Love

Phantom Love sets up the whole story for us. Juanita is Zach’s old GF, who appears to only have dated him so she could get ideas for a music album she was writing. However, she had no ideas and/or is a masochist, and so wanted to get Zach to either break up with her, do something horrible to her, or just create drama in general she could write about. Whatever happens happens, and she is successful. 

Juanita seems to be suffering from some form of depression, but whether that’s actually the case or she, again, just wanted something to write about is up for debate. But either way, it’s hinted at several times that she slit her wrists and other self-harm-inducing activities. 

Many people follow her- she seems to be popular enough (which makes sense, due to the album being about two celebrities dating each other, just like Zach’s irl relationship). However, she has two different faces- her showbiz the-cameras-are-on face and her real face. Zach seems to have the same thing, as hinted at in She Don’t Know, but we’re not there yet. Point is, Juanita used Zach to try and get a tragedy out of the whole deal.

It was a phantom love- it never existed. 

“Made me promise I would never break your heart

How was I to know that’s what you wanted from the start?”

Both people got into Hollywood from a young age and grew up with it, and so were surrounded by drama constantly. This takes a toll on Zach, but he tries to deal with it whereas Juanita actively wants to partake in it. She causes drama- little triggers to get him to snap- until one day, he does.

Interlude I - Frantically

This one is pretty straight-forward. After the two break up, it’s the perfect excuse for Juanita to start spreading rumors and stirring tension. She’s quick to make Zach out to be the bad guy, when in actuality, he was the one who was being loyal in their relationship.

We’re clued in that these rumors aren’t true from one line: “I heard he got fired from that cartoon he does. (Nooo wayyy…)” We, as the audience, know for a fact he didn’t, but things get shaky as we realize that some of them are also true. 

“I heard he does coke now and, like, screams a lot.”

“AAAAAAAAAAAAA!”

[laughter]

Zach overhears them talking about them and runs away, going off somewhere to be alone. Once he’s alone, we get the disturbing audio of him sniffing some drugs, implying that he actually does, indeed, do coke.

DISCLAIMER: Irl Zach Callison did NOT turn to drugs! It’s a metaphor for how many people he knows who have decided to do so, and so he;s aware of what it does to one’s mind. Don’t worry; Zach is okay in that department.

She Don't Know

After gaining the following knowledge, this song is easier to understand. Zach really did love Juanita, and he misses her, even though he knows at this point that she used and abused him. 

“There ain’t no drug in all the world like loving you

Cocaine and cigarettes will have to do

Won’t somebody save me? My heart’s beating outta m’ chest

I just wanna hold you with those hands I once possessed.”

Juanita isn’t aware of the effect she had on him, and he laments this quite strongly (hence the title). Once she had her heartbreak, she ran off, leaving a broken lover behind. 

Trigger warning: there are hints of suicidal thoughts in this song. They get more prominent as the album goes on, which becomes important later. This is where we really start seeing them, though.

“F***ed up on my bedroom floor

And my first thought’s ‘let’s do some more’

They say it all kills for thrills

And I hope it does!

Can you hear me, love?”

He speaks about “where did I go” later on, meaning that he is losing himself/doesn’t feel like himself. He still wants to be with her, and her absence has utterly destroyed him. He’s still in love with her, and wants her to know that. However, Juanita doesn’t give a bat of the eye in his direction, only caring that she now had the material she needed to write her album.

Interlude II - Christie Only Knows

Here, we are introduced to Zach’s make-believe sister, Christie. Only she is aware that he is going through this, and we find out quickly that she isn’t supportive.

“It’s getting late now, but to me, it’s just beginning

‘Cuz life’s tearing me to pieces and I know I’ve been defeated

Oh, no

And Christie only knows.

Never seen someone like this before

An eight-ball power on the floor

And I’m staring at the ceiling 

Wondering if the reaper’s close

But Christie only knows

That there ain’t no drug in all the world like being you

\Glory on the silver screen just had to do

Won’t somebody save me? I am screaming out of breath

And my shadow, he’s holding a gun…

With those hands that I once possessed…”

This is the only time I’ll put all the lyrics in here, I swear. However, this one is important as it paves the way to Nightmare, bridging the gap between the two moods. She Don’t Know is angry, stressed, unsure, and frustrated, whereas Nightmare is just… depression. Interlude II is the middle ground, showing us that once Zach got all that off his chest, he feels… numb. He doesn’t know what to do. 

Now, who exactly is Christie? I don’t think she really exists, in the context of the album, that is. I believe that Christie is someone he’s hallucinating, an embodiment of all his most negative thoughts, sugarcoated into something pretty and worth listening to. We’ll explore her character later on in Interlude IV - Showtime, but for now, what you need to know is that his suicidal thoughts are getting more and more intense now that she’s here.

A sister is someone who you’re bonded to, whether it be in blood, relationship, or cause. In this case, I think it’s more relationship. She is telling him to let go, to accept that things are this way and won’t get better. It’d be easier to end it. And Zach is listening to her. We know this because of the line “And my shadow, he’s holding a gun with those hands that I once possessed…” He is seriously thinking about it, and the fact that it’s his shadow shows that the thought is always in the back of his mind. The same thoughts that led him to love Juanita are now ready to kill him- those same, once-steady hands he used to hold her with. And he’s done. He’s holding on by a thread.

Nightmare

This song is told in the 3rd person as Zach really explains what he’s been going through each and every day that lead him to this fateful decision to end it. He is done. He’s decided it. 

Every day, he cries. He hates himself, he hates looking at himself, he hates all of it. 

“Prosecutor at his own trial, 

The floor below him becomes so fertile 

by his very own vile, Nile, and exile source 

By the pitter-patter of his tears on the bathroom tile… 

...you’re nothing more than your feelings 

from your floors to your ceilings 

and out the all-bloodshot ocular faucets… 

Boy vs brain, white noise vs the sane, 

always vs the same, cries for help exclaim 

that he’s beyond repair. He’ll swear, he’ll despair, he’ll stare 

straight ahead in the mirror at the source of his waking nightmare.”

There’s an instrumental break, during which he says “Are you writing this down, Christie? Yeah…” This shows that he’s lamenting to himself, as again, Christie doesn’t really exist. He’s venting to her, jotting down everything that’s wrong with him.

This tells me that he’s writing a note. He is telling someone where he’s going and why he did what he’s about to do. Remember, Christie is in Zach’s head, and so if she is writing this down, that means that Zach is writing this down. His worst, most negative thoughts are writing all this down, showing him that this was the right decision. This will end all his suffering, and whoever reads the note will understand and be happy for him. This was his solution.

“He’s standing on a bluff overlooking the city

The city’s biggest bluff is making itself look so pretty

He tells himself to be tough, isolated and gritty

But gritty’s kinda hard when his brain’s run by committee”

This is how he decides to die. Now with a gunshot like Interlude II hinted at. He is willing to jump for it.

Look at the album cover. Did he go for it? I don’t think so, but we’ll get to that.

The song concludes with him saying this:

“So who do I speak of and why is he grey?

He rejects all his love, see the prices he pays

To his vices he caves, in a crisis of fates

No tragic history, only a mystery 

So I say to you, ‘who?’

Why don't’cha tell me?”

This is him confirming to us, the audience, that this is Zach’s character speaking about himself. He’s been hinting and clueing at us to this song all along, and now he is making sure that we know what’s going on in his head. He’s ready to end it. 

His love for Juanita broke his heart so severely that it left him broken and bruised beyond repair. And if you can’t fix it, it’s time to throw it away.

So he heads back out to the bluff to jump.

Interlude III - Second Thoughts

He’s standing on a bluff overlooking the city. The bluff’s height is making itself not so pretty. Is this being tough? Or just being petty? But petty’s not likely, it’s a selfish, single entity…

Doe she really want to do this? Looking down, Zach thinks about what made him come here. The drugs? They’re messing him up. He’s aware of it, he’s been aware of it. Would jumping be giving in to their influence? Or Juanita’s? 

“We put his record on until he’s bleeding on the needle

And he’s weeping in the street

Cut down on his curtain call

That’s where he’s gonna sleep.”

Standing on top of the bluff now, he looks down onto the road. He can see that there is where he could die, but he’s suddenly not so sure. The idea just slammed into him, reality slapping him in the face. “Do you really want to do this?” 

“Take aim with these hands he once possessed

A dozen roses on the pavement laid the rest

Oh, my dear sister Christie, will I feel some remorse?

She says ‘no, pull the trigger, ‘cuz he’s left us no recourse.

His brain has a sickness, so kill it at the source.’”

He steps closer. He can see, in his mind, the image of his dead body lying on the road, forever resting. But, was that the right call? To just throw in the towel like that? So, in true metaphorical fashion, he turns and asks Christie. His inner demons. They’ve been straight with him before, right? And, of course, they say “yes, go for it.”

But Zach still isn’t sure.

I believe he backs off for now, leading the way to Curtain Call.

Curtain Call

This is where it really starts to get difficult when it comes to dissecting this album, and from here on out, I guarantee that I got things wrong. However, stay with me, because I’m open to and want to discuss what everyone else thinks it all could mean. I’m going to share my ideas, and if you have a better one, tell me and I can either agree or argue it with you. Point is, like English class (in high school), if you have the evidence to back it up, you’re not wrong. Let’s have a serious discussion about this.

On with the show! Now, it appears as though Zach is arguing with himself in this one, one wanting to show people that he’s hurt so he can get help- the side that wants to live- but on the other hand, his other half knows that there’s nothing they can do if he does. He’d just weigh them all down. Because all of him agrees that he’s useless and hopeless. 

He sends up a prayer (I think Zach is Christian, so this makes sense), asking for, basically, karma of some kind. He’s done feeling this way, and wants it to stop. So he asks for “some price to pay,” hoping that there’s a solution, but knowing that the solution isn’t going to be handed to him on a silver platter. He’d need to work to get better, and this is him saying that he’s willing to do that. He WANTS to live, but he’s just not sure he can anymore. And that’s his main argument. Can he do this? Was it even worth it?

Obviously, with Zach being a famous actor (both irl and in the album), he has a double life. One is bringing joy to others, while the other is a constant internal struggle. The world is a stage, and at this point, Zach is basically admitting- through metaphors- that he has been acting. Pretending. 

Consider this lyric, put there- side by side- very intentionally:

“I find that I’m anything but fine.

No, I’m okay. Oh please just look away!”

It’s all a mask. And it’s one he’s tired of wearing. Notice how tired he sounds when he sings those lines. He’s done. He’s been done.

“Bourbon to kill my pain

Curtains to hold my shame

No, they can’t look away

Cannot contain my rage…”

These lines are telling us that people around Zach have started to notice that he’s off, but he wants to believe that he’s okay, that he’ll be okay. So he continues his career (“curtains to hold my shame”), even though it’s hurting him to do so at that point. And people are starting to notice. And that’s making him frustrated. At himself. At them. He’s tired. Let him rest. He just wants to rest and forget. Bourbon, alcohol, kill the pain. Make it go away so they can’t see. But they already see. The mask is old and withering in decay.

Towards the end, Zach’s voice becomes more echoey and distant (discluding the Italian that I have no hope of understanding, which is why I’ve yet to mention it). This shows that he’s distancing himself, running away, if you will.

Running back to the bluff.

And this time, he jumps.

Interlude IV - Showtime

Okay, meme time. This is the one everyone knows. However, we are not going to be talking about a Connverse fight that honestly makes no sense given the limited context of the song (as cool as those animatics are). We will be talking about, however, Zach facing and challenging his inner demons. Christie does not exist. Why should she rule over his life?

Let’s break this one down, since this one is the hardest to fit into the story.

He jumps, but survives the fall. Maybe dazed, maybe broken. Maybe it was just a dream. Maybe this song IS the dream. We can’t be sure. Everything is metaphorical in this one. Perhaps he didn’t jump at all. We can’t be sure.

Christie congratulates him. She tells him that he’s free. He did the right thing, and now it was just the two of them. They could do whatever they wanted without feeling so weighed down!

Zach disagrees, coming to a realization.

He jumped. Christie had said that it’d make everything okay again, that it’d be bliss. Well, he jumped, and it wasn’t. It was worse. He felt anger and fear, and this leads him to finally, for once, counter her. 

“The world is ours!”

“No it isn’t.”

“Get in the car.”

“This isn’t finished.”

“...What?”

She’s shocked that Zach openly argues with her, and as their bickering goes on (which I’m sure a lot of you reading this can hear perfectly in your heads, so I won’t write the exact lyrics down), Zach gains more confidence. He accuses her of murdering him. “And they’ll all think that it was suicide, but Christie, I know that it was you inside.” Remember, she’s not real and therefore didn’t really “kill” him, but he blames her as he allowed her to control and manipulate him. 

Christie is shocked, stating that everything she did, she did to comfort him. ”I saved him! I held him ‘til the moment he [Zach’s “innocence”] died!”) However, Zach realizes what she really is now, and decides that enough is enough. (“You choked him out of his goddamn mind! Promised the world to him, a goddamn lie!”) He knows what she is, and won’t let himself be manipulated by her again. 

Now, the whole time, they’re talking about someone who is dead. Who is that someone? Zach. However, it’s all a metaphor. When Zach jumped, a part of him died. The last of his humanity? His sanity? I think his “innocence,” which I say in quotes because I’m sure there’s a better word for it out there somewhere. He’s done being blind to the truth, blindly following Christie around. The part of him that was naive enough to do that, to listen to her influence and complain about the world, is gone. He’s dead.

And that means Zach isn’t taking anymore s***. 

C: “I won’t help you take [Juanita] down.”

Z: “Fine. I’LL DO IT BY MYSELF!”

C: “You don’t need it!”

Z: “Oh, I know that I need it.”

C: “She’s been gone for years, I know you can beat it!”

Z: “Oh, look in the mirror, you know we both fear her…

But you let me kill him, you’re WORSE than Juanita!”

Juanita herself never killed him. She never physically harmed him, not in any way that counts here. However, Christie did. She pushed and pushed him, taking a fragile boy and breaking him even more. Zach is now his own worst enemy, not Juanita, and this is him realizing it. But he doesn’t want to be his own enemy.

C: “I won’t help you take her down.”

Christie doesn’t want Zach to face her, because she knows that that would be him really facing his demons and starting down the path to healing. Juanita is Zach’s biggest obstacle, aside from himself. He has to face himself first, and that’s why this song is so powerful. Zach is taking a step back and realizing what he has to do, who he is, and why things are like this.

Z: “Oh, look in the mirror, you know we both fear her. 

We’re one and the same, we’re afraid to be near her!”

There’s that mirror metaphor again, except that he’s not looking at himself with hatred; he’s looking at himself with understanding (and a side of hatred). He’s ready to face her. He’s ready to get everything to stop.

“1, 2, 3, 4

Is this what love is really for? 

Is this all I get for being yours?

The kid in front of me in blood and gore?”

The kid is, again, Zach’s “innocence.” He understands, he’s ready to not only move on, but also confront her.

5, 6, 7, 8

Years left to waste for all I hate

They’ll all know Juanita’s fate!

Show’s about to start; don’t be late.”

He knows that it’s going to be a showdown, a big, epic throw down. And Christie isn’t coming with him. He’s leaving her behind. He’s leaving his demons behind, breaking free from them and moving on.

War!

The ultimate throw down begins!

“A wise man once said, ‘time is money’

So how much money did I lose to you, honey?

Find it kinda funny you wanna keep this feud runnin’

But I’m glad I’m on your mind, keep that canon fire coming, woah!”

This is 100% a diss track. Zach confronts Juanita in front of a lot of her friends (we hear multiple girls go “huh?” as they realize that Zach’s here and he’s ANGRY), and immediately starts in. No introductions, no “hey it’s nice to see you again”s, nothing. He’s here to make a statement, and he’s gonna do so.

He realizes Juanita for who she is now, and she has done so many horrible things to him. Spreading rumors and lies to ruin his life, after dating him just to get a story to write about. He’s sick of it and done. He calls her out, and it’s important that he does this in front of other people so they see what she’s really done. He’s hurt, he’s been hurt, and it’s because of Juanita, this amazing person a lot of people looked up to and liked (“I know, Juanita deserves so much more [Interlude I]”. “Step inside the life of the men weak enough to follow you [Phantom Love]). 

Juanita also appears to be dating someone else by this time. This is really important, because now due to context clues we got from before, the only reason Juanita dates is to get a heartbreak out of it so she can have the motivation and drive to write her own album. That’s why she dated Zach. So, if she’s dating again, that means she either lost the motivation and drive again, or she never had it in the first place since it wasn’t a real love between them. She didn’t truly experience a heartbreak at all. This is further backed up by the claim that “we’ve been waiting on your album for ages, no traces, and baby, we’ve already run out of patience!” She’s only dating to get that experience again.

This means that, at least in Zach’s eyes, she hasn’t changed. “To your new boy, let he be warned: you’re her new toy for blood and gore! What, you didn’t know?” She is going to destroy him emotionally, and he’s going to go down the same path as Zach, ending in death- blood on the pavement. The gore part is to emphasize how horrific the whole ordeal was.

“Sit down with me and sign this armistice

Get your big proboscis outta my s***, miss”

A proboscis is the butterfly equivalent of a tongue. They use it for sucking nectar out of flowers. So, what he’s saying here is that they need to settle this between them (“sign this armistice”), and that she needs to mind her own business. By her talking about Zach like that, she ruined his life and he’s sick of it. She literally sucked the joy out of him like nectar. 

“Welcome to the new me!

Paint your nails black and unscrew me

But that’s okay, Juanita

Know my business is booming”

His business is a reference to his own album, the very one you’re listening to. His music career took off now because of her and the fact that she broke his heart, not the other way around. Juanita can never understand that because she “only loves to be broken [Phantom Love].” 

“That’s alright, that’s okay!

You barely wrote them anyway

Half your songs got thrown away

Like ballets on voting day

All my ballads had more to say

Like a bullet through a motorcade”

In a twist, Zach got the story Juanita had wanted. He experienced a heartbreak, while she never really did. So he writes an album instead of her. It’s a cool kind of karma that Zach- or, at least, his character- can’t resist. 

The whole song ends with him forcing her/her friends to sing along with him, repeating her name, then yelling. She screams, and it cuts out. 

I think he’s lost his sanity (or again, his “innocence”) here. He gets carried away, and either attacks her or makes like he’s about to. I think he makes like he’s about to, but stops. This is the final song; if Zach killed her, there would more than likely be another song depicting the consequences and an Interlude V to show the aftermath of the incident. But because he stopped himself, he’s satisfied. Juanita learned her lesson, Zach got everything off his chest, and the people around them know the truth. 

That’s all he’s wanted for longer than we can possibly know.

Final Observations

Zach Callison has gone on record to say that “Juanita” has finally published an album of her own, but that happened months later. I don’t have any specific dates for anything, though. No one knows who the real-life “Juanita” is, which in my opinion, is noble of Zach. He had a lot of anger to get out, but unlike her, he wasn’t going to ruin her life to try and get something out there. He can make a statement without ruining someone else along the way.

With that knowledge, let us all stand and clap for this man.

Not only is the album just a really good listen, but each song tells a cohesive story. The tones each song sets, as well as the far under-appreciated interludes (or over-appreciated in terms of Showtime), really shows how his emotional state changes. Phantom Love is a lament, She Don’t Know is a classic “I’m sad bc my gf broke up with me :(“ which is how Zach perceives that incident at that point in time, whereas Nightmare is him falling into depression stronger than anything he’s ever felt before. Curtain Call is him arguing with himself about whether or not he should even live anymore, and it all comes back around with the upbeat, heavy-rock literal song of War!. The interludes take the tone of the next song and combine it with the lyrics of the previous to show that smooth transition between emotions as he grapples with his mental state, the only exception really being Interlude I, as it has an overall bouncy tone to it.

Zach not only made every single song enjoyable, but also unique and heartfelt. Just listen to how his voice shakes during Christie Only Knows. He is genuinely upset and lost, and because of this, he’s better able to convey the HUGE emotion dump that was his album.

Do I recommend it? Yes. I think there’s something in there for everyone, even if you only enjoy one of the songs. However, doing a review is going to be an entire post in and of itself.

Thanks for reading, guys. Now go listen to the album and tell me your thoughts. Does my explanation make sense? Do you have a better idea? Let me know. I want to have a real discussion about it with other people who have listened to the whole thing, not just Interlude IV.

If you haven’t listened to it yet, it’s on YouTube and ITunes. Do yourself a favor and check it out. The whole thing is ~45 minutes long.

Have a link to the playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_n1rA_1uUBtxoATot0ixiTgvdEHhj3lAn4

[thisweekingundamwing]

This Week in Gundam Wing Apr 1st - Apr 7th

Another week, another roundup! Special thanks to all who submitted works, both for themselves and others. 

As a gentle reminder, we’re here to highlight any new content from the previous week. If we missed a submission, we’ll be happy to update our post or carry it over to the next week, but if we tried to include everything beyond a week, we’d never get a post finished!

Thank you so much!

--Mod Rem

Fanfiction:

A Little Piece of Gundam Wing

The archive is being ported to AO3! Check it out!

AerisEithne

The Snow Queen 

Days after the incident that nearly sparked a new war, Relena returns to the Sanc Kingdom to contemplate her future. She can’t help but wonder which path the perfect soldier will choose… and whether their destinies will continue to collide.

Pairings: 1xR

Warnings: Gundam Wing: Frozen Teardrop, Preventers (Gundam Wing)

 @the-indomitable-bhg, Morbidbirdy

Animus

A ghost of Heero's past takes possession of his life, relationships and his identity.

Pairings: 1x3, 2xH

Warnings: Violence, Rape/Non-Con, Post-Canon, Psychological Torture, Blood and Violence, Explicit Sexual Content

@claraxbarton , @kangofu-cb

Bad Company 

"The only hell and the only paradise are the ones we build ourselves." - Unknown

Years after the wars, Preventers has decided to tackle one of the most powerful and oldest of all the Terran crime syndicates. Embedded dangerously deep in an undercover operation targeting the violent and bloodthirsty Sinaloa Cartel, Trowa Barton is pushed beyond even his flexible morals - and when his new "partner" arrives in the very unexpected and unwelcome form of Duo Maxwell, the one person he'd been trying to protect at all costs, both men must deal with the realization that preserving peace for humanity is turning into a bloodsport.

What follows is race against time to uncover the evidence they need to bring Sinaloa, and its beautiful but deadly leaders, down - all while keeping each other alive in the process

Pairings: 2x3

Warnings: Violence, Post-Canon, Undercover Missions, Undercover as a Couple, Implied/Referenced Torture, Implied Sexual Content, Implied/Referenced Drug Use, Human Trafficking, Gang Violence, Explicit Sexual Content, Moral Dilemmas

CosmicAether

Untitled GW Resistance AU 

When their communicator breaks down, Duo and Trowa must survive the night before attempting to rendezvous to their extraction point. Duo confronts Trowa about their relationship that night and vow to be more honest with each other, they need only to make it home first.

Pairings: 2x3

DarkDanc3r

April Writes Playlist Challenge 

30 days, 30 songs from a Spotify playlist. Characters and pairings will be at the start of each chapter.

Warnings: Tumblr Prompt, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Fix-It of Sorts, Damnit Prowl Lives

GlassAlice

The Pictures He Drew 

Hiatus is over! Last chapter will be up in two weeks. Re-write of a fic posted to 1x2 yahoo groups I wrote forever ago and lost. Only the bare bones of this fic have anything to do with the first one. Hopefully this one is a bit better. Originally posted under name Duos_hallelujah. Simple get together fic with Duo being an artist.

Pairings: 1xR, 1x2

Warnings: Rape/Non-Con, Song Fic Kinda, Rape/Non-con Elements, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, these boys are messed up, they need therapy, after war, the pilots trying to live their lives, 1x2, 2x1 - Freeform, 1x2x1, 1xR non con, 1x2 end game, we're back from hiatus, boys just trying to figure shit out, relena is kind of the bad guy, Sorry Not Sorry, i'm anti relena, so expect her to be treated badly, bullied duo, attempted suicide, Homophobia, Homophobic Language, language trigger warnings, a bit dark, Angst

Lithle

Like Oxygen 

Five years after the war, Wufei seeks Duo out for one more mission. But Duo has his reasons for wanting to be left alone. As Wufei and Duo grow closer, so do Duo's memories of the war, and with them, the old scars and dangerous thought patterns that make even breathing seem difficult.

--Note: Originally published on FF.net, this is my 'Editor's Choice' edition. It's been edited and slightly rewritten for flow and cohesion.

Pairings: 2x5

Warnings: Unhealthy Relationships, Post War Trauma, Suicidal Thoughts, no EW, Post-War, Post-Canon, POV Duo Maxwell, Explicit Language, Sex, Duo is Broken, Wufei is Pretty Broken Too, Gritty, Get Together

Luvsanime02

Just One Day 

Relena gets a surprise on her birthday.

Warnings: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Light Angst, Family Issues, Cocktail Friday

Maldoror

The Source of All Things

Center, a planet where magic and technology blend. Or more accurately, fight tooth and nail. A planet of Sources, holes in our boring dimension letting through arcane power, chaos and pseudo-deities. In this hot-house of myths and very real dangers, Trowa and Quatre find a mysterious man at the end of a shamanic voyage. Portents suggest this Heero Yuy is crucial to Center’s survival. He’s important enough to have some interesting enemies after him, at any rate: a devious killer and thief called ‘Shinigami’, and a very irate Dragon. Beyond them looms an even greater threat. Indeed, the greatest of them all.

Pairings: 3x4, 2x5, eventual 1x2x5

Warnings: Violence, alternative universe, Science Fiction, Fantasy, Plot Twists, fairly graphic depiction of sex, Mild description of self-harm, Mathematical Magic, weird science, crones - Freeform, Magic and Technology brawling and eventually screwing, Eventual Threesome, Kinda, Insanity of arcane origin, The universe is a pile of marbles and other dubious allegories

Two Halves

The two kingdoms of Sanq and Lin were at war for years; a conflagration involving magic, armies and political murder. The conflict left both nations devastated and strewn with refugees. The king of Sanq finds his infant son, lost at birth, among the death and the ruin, a miracle he barely dared to hope for. But there isn’t just one boy, there are two, clinging together like two halves of a whole that cannot be separated. Decades later, the truth behind that second child’s existence will put a hole in the world, or possibly save it.

Pairings: 1x2

Warnings: Fantasy AU, medieval setting with magic, starts with our heroes as children, Cousin Incest, sort of, eventually, being royalty this is in fact the norm and rather expected of them, Canon-Typical Violence

Margaret_Armstrong

Queen’s Rook 

Rook; definition:

1. a gregarious Eurasian crow with black plumage and a bare face, nesting in colonies in treetops.

2. a chess piece, typically with its top in the shape of a battlement, that can move in any direction along a rank or file on which it stands.

Queen's Rook; definition:

(chess) A rook on the queen’s side of the board at the start of the game.

Truly, a female bodyguard is just what the Vice Foreign Minister needs. There are dangers about.

Pairings: Canon Relationships, 3x4, 2xH, 1xR

Warnings: Violence, Women Being Awesome, brothers in arms, everyone protects Quatre except Quatre, L2 forever!, The Past Never Stays Buried

 @noelleian

The Pact 

After seducing Quatre, the other four ex-pilots brave the uncharted waters of their new abilities and learn to cope with the unintentional gifts they were given. But as always, power requires responsibility and the humbling acknowledgement of humanity's weaknesses. The struggle to stay true to themselves becomes a dangerous and terrifying endeavor as they skirt the boundary where conscience bleeds into chaos and the dark abyss of temptation.

Pairings: 1x2x3x4x5, 3x4, 1x4, 2x4, 4x5

Warnings: Smut, Porn With Plot, OT5, Fluff, Humor, Fivesome - M/M/M/M/M, Angst, Newtypes, Possessive Behavior, Alternate Universe - Dark, Non-Graphic Violence, Alpha/Omega, Omega Verse

Green Olive

Duo's had a rough day and needs to unwind, but this time he's in the mood for some company.

Warnings: Friendship, Bromance, Underage Drinking

@noirangetrois

Cocktail Friday

This will be a collection of my Cocktail Friday snippets.

Pairings: Various

Warnings: Cocktail Friday, Alcohol

The Story of Wrong 

Duo recounts his experiences during the war in order to explain... well, why he was wrong.

Pairings: 1x2

Warnings: Violence, Major Character Death, Duo POV, Angst, Drama, Tragedy, slight AU, Spoilers, very dark, Heero and Duo don't die, I promise, Yaoi, slowburn, Mental Instability, Mental Health Issues, Mental Breakdown, If those are in any way an issue for you then go ahead and skip this, Eventual Smut, VERY eventual, this is mostly canon-compliant but I've changed a couple things here and there

Outrightmight

MCU One Shot Series: After Colony 195 

"It took Bucky a split second to get his bearings. The portal had spit them out into an aircraft hanger. The make and model of the one and only small jet was unfamiliar. He would have said it was of Soviet make, but the 50-foot robot idly standing in the middle of the hanger was making him second-guess himself."

Warnings: Natasha Romanov (Marvel), James "Bucky" Barnes, Steve Rogers, Duo Maxwell, Sam Wilson (Marvel), Heero Yuy, Canon-Typical Violence, One Shot

@remsyk-blog

Souls for the Bayou 

For Trowa Barton, exploring the bayou is the ultimate adventure. Drawn to its borders since before he could walk, he spent his childhood learning its paths and uncovering its secrets.

But a chance encounter sets him on a path that spans across time, challenging everything he thought he knew, plunging him deeper into its mysteries than he ever thought possible.

Pairings: 2x3

Warnings: Supernatural - Freeform, Fae & Fairies, Fae Magic, Bayou, Cajun, Childhood Friends, Childhood Memories, Mystery, Slow Burn, Technically Speaking, Young Love, Use of accents, Original Character(s), Other Additional Tags to Be Added, I don't want to give it all away at once, Fandom Trumps Hate, Time Jump, Suspense, Quatre is a great friend, Mentions of Children Disappearing

Shenanigans

A Collection of my shitposts from Tumblr.

Enter looking for a good time. Expect the tags to change as more installments are added

Warnings: chat fic, shitpost, Professor!Trowa, Cooking, Pinterest, Pancakes, Exercising, Tumblr Prompt, Originally Posted on Tumblr, In depth analysis of riding dick, New Year’s Eve, Jenga, Stupid Dares, Just Heero Things

ShenLong

Bound, Bonded and Betrayed 

Heero is the eldest son of the King of Colonia. His 21st birthday is approaching and as tradition dictates his betrothed is soon to arrive. However he is also bound by tradition to select his own personal slave. The events that unfold lead him down a path that not only tests his sanity but his humanity and love as well.

Pairings: 1x2, 1xR, 3x4, 13x11

Warnings: sap, Angst, Bondage, Slavery, Yaoi, Lemon, Lime, Het, Violence, Fluff, AU, OOC. - Freeform

@softnocturne

P.S. I Miss You

Quatre is missing Trowa who is off on a month-long mission.

Pairings: 3x4

Warnings: Fluff, Angst

StarLove18

Believe in Yourself

Children will live what they learn. Pain is costly, until one incident sparks a new flame of hope and a promise to persevere.

Pairings: 1&2&3&4&5

Warnings: Original Character(s), Bullying, Comfort/Angst, School, Minor Violence, Loss of Parent(s), Alternate Universe, AO3 FB Challenge

Thai_tea_addict

Abyss

Duo's not in a good situation when he falls in love with the man next door, and it goes downhill from there.

Pairings: 1x2, 2x3x4

Warnings: Violence, Major Character Death, Rape/Non-con, Alternate Universe - Dark, Dark Character, Abuse, Stalking, Murder, Sadism, Infidelity

Warnings: DARK – please don't read if you think any of the following subject matter could hurt you: depictions of abuse, sexual assault, stalking, murder, sadism (not the fun kind).

Whenpigsfly84

Doormat Babe

A mysterious child is left with Duo one morning. As he seeks for answers he'll have to face his past and prepare for a haunting future he'd never expected. Will he be able to reconnect with old friends or will he lose all those he loves?

Pairings: 1x2, 2&H, 1x2x5, 3x4

Warnings: Violence, Drama, Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Minor Character Death, Swearing

White_fox

Life is a Highway 

On an impulsive plan to travel from California to New York City to propose to his longtime girlfriend, Heero Yuy did not plan to pick up a hitchhiker in nowhere Texas. Faced with some setbacks and a growing attraction to his passenger, Heero goes through more challenges than he planned on facing.

Pairings: 1x2, 1xR

Warnings: light slash, Fluff, Road Trips, Dubious Morality

Snippets:

@lifeaftermeteor

Duo’s Apartment

@noirangetrois

Ladies Night

@weiclown

WIP  

Headcanons / Meta / Discussions:

@remsyk-blog

Gundam Wing on Ao3 - Breakdown of Fanfiction stats 

 @terrablaze514

Ladies of Gundam Wing 

Secret Magic Heero Yuy 

Four Months after Mariemaia 

Fanart:

@noelleian

Zero Three Zero Four

Hipster Quatre 

@remsyk-blog

Duo Maxwell Hip Hop

 @showtime-eric

Trowa and Quatre, Sandrock and Heavyarms

 Crackposts:

@the-indomitable-bhg

BDSM 

Calendar Events:

Cocktail Friday

https://gwcocktailfriday.tumblr.com/

A new prompt every Monday!

Submissions should be posted Fridays between 3 and 5pm EST, and tagged with @gwcocktailfriday

Interview with a Creator by @remsyk-blog @interview-with-a-creator

Remsyk has created an online interview for fandom creators to fill out and then she features one each week so that everyone in the fandom can learn a bit about each other.

This week features @scacao

If you haven’t filled out her interview, go! do! now!

[axekerose54]

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Let's be real: 2020 has been a nightmare. Between the political unrest and novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, it's difficult to look back on the year and find something, anything, that was a potential bright spot in an otherwise turbulent trip around the sun. Luckily, there were a few bright spots: namely, some of the excellent works of military history and analysis, fiction and non-fiction, novels and graphic novels that we've absorbed over the last year. 

Here's a brief list of some of the best books we read here at Task & Purpose in the last year. Have a recommendation of your own? Send an email to jared@taskandpurpose.Com and we'll include it in a future story.

Missionaries by Phil Klay

I loved Phil Klay’s first book, Redeployment (which won the National Book Award), so Missionaries was high on my list of must-reads when it came out in October. It took Klay six years to research and write the book, which follows four characters in Colombia who come together in the shadow of our post-9/11 wars. As Klay’s prophetic novel shows, the machinery of technology, drones, and targeted killings that was built on the Middle East battlefield will continue to grow in far-flung lands that rarely garner headlines. [Buy]

 - Paul Szoldra, editor-in-chief

Battle Born: Lapis Lazuli by Max Uriarte

Written by 'Terminal Lance' creator Maximilian Uriarte, this full-length graphic novel follows a Marine infantry squad on a bloody odyssey through the mountain reaches of northern Afghanistan. The full-color comic is basically 'Conan the Barbarian' in MARPAT. [Buy]

 - James Clark, senior reporter

The Liberator by Alex Kershaw

Now a gritty and grim animated World War II miniseries from Netflix, The Liberator follows the 157th Infantry Battalion of the 45th Division from the beaches of Sicily to the mountains of Italy and the Battle of Anzio, then on to France and later still to Bavaria for some of the bloodiest urban battles of the conflict before culminating in the liberation of the Dachau concentration camp. It's a harrowing tale, but one worth reading before enjoying the acclaimed Netflix series. [Buy]

 - Jared Keller, deputy editor

The Only Plane in the Sky: An Oral History of 9/11 by Garrett Graff

If you haven’t gotten this must-read account of the September 11th attacks, you need to put The Only Plane In the Sky at the top of your Christmas list. Graff expertly explains the timeline of that day through the re-telling of those who lived it, including the loved ones of those who were lost, the persistently brave first responders who were on the ground in New York, and the service members working in the Pentagon. My only suggestion is to not read it in public — if you’re anything like me, you’ll be consistently left in tears. [Buy]

- Haley Britzky, Army reporter

The Body in Pain: The Making and Unmaking of the World by Elaine Scarry

Why do we even fight wars? Wouldn’t a massive tennis tournament be a nicer way for nations to settle their differences? This is one of the many questions Harvard professor Elaine Scarry attempts to answer, along with why nuclear war is akin to torture, why the language surrounding war is sterilized in public discourse, and why both war and torture unmake human worlds by destroying access to language. It’s a big lift of a read, but even if you just read chapter two (like I did), you’ll come away thinking about war in new and refreshing ways. [Buy]

 - David Roza, Air Force reporter

Stalingrad: The Fateful Siege: 1942-1943 by Antony Beevor

Stalingrad takes readers all the way from the Nazi invasion of the Soviet Union to the collapse of the 6th Army at Stalingrad in February 1943. It gives you the perspective of German and Soviet soldiers during the most apocalyptic battle of the 20th century. [Buy]

- Jeff Schogol, Pentagon correspondent 

America's War for the Greater Middle East by Andrew J. Bacevich

I picked up America's War for the Greater Middle East earlier this year and couldn’t put it down. Published in 2016 by Andrew Bacevich, a historian and retired Army officer who served in Vietnam, the book unravels the long and winding history of how America got so entangled in the Middle East and shows that we’ve been fighting one long war since the 1980s — with errors in judgment from political leaders on both sides of the aisle to blame. “From the end of World War II until 1980, virtually no American soldiers were killed in action while serving in the Greater Middle East. Since 1990, virtually no American soldiers have been killed in action anywhere else. What caused this shift?” the book jacket asks. As Bacevich details in this definitive history, the mission creep of our Vietnam experience has been played out again and again over the past 30 years, with disastrous results. [Buy]

 - Paul Szoldra, editor-in-chief

Burn In: A Novel of the Real Robotic Revolution by P.W. Singer and August Cole

In Burn In, Singer and Cole take readers on a journey at an unknown date in the future, in which an FBI agent searches for a high-tech terrorist in Washington, D.C. Set after what the authors called the "real robotic revolution," Agent Lara Keegan is teamed up with a robot that is less Terminator and far more of a useful, and highly intelligent, law enforcement tool. Perhaps the most interesting part: Just about everything that happens in the story can be traced back to technologies that are being researched today. You can read Task & Purpose's interview with the authors here. [Buy]

 - James Clark, senior reporter

SAS: Rogue Heroes by Ben MacIntyre

Like WWII? Like a band of eccentric daredevils wreaking havoc on fascists? Then you'll love SAS: Rogue Heroes, which re-tells some truly insane heists performed by one of the first modern special forces units. Best of all, Ben MacIntyre grounds his history in a compassionate, balanced tone that displays both the best and worst of the SAS men, who are, like anyone else, only human after all. [Buy]

 - David Roza, Air Force reporter

The Alice Network by Kate Quinn

The Alice Network is a gripping novel which follows two courageous women through different time periods — one living in the aftermath of World War II, determined to find out what has happened to someone she loves, and the other working in a secret network of spies behind enemy lines during World War I. This gripping historical fiction is based on the true story of a network that infiltrated German lines in France during The Great War and weaves a tale so packed full of drama, suspense, and tragedy that you won’t be able to put it down. [Buy]

Katherine Rondina, Anchor Books

“Because I published a new book this year, I've been answering questions about my inspirations. This means I've been thinking about and so thankful for The Girl in the Flammable Skirt by Aimee Bender. I can't credit it with making me want to be a writer — that desire was already there — but it inspired me to write stories where the fantastical complicates the ordinary, and the impossible becomes possible. A girl in a nice dress with no one to appreciate it. An unremarkable boy with a remarkable knack for finding things. The stories in this book taught me that the everydayness of my world could become magical and strange, and in that strangeness I could find a new kind of truth.”

Diane Cook is the author of the novel The New Wilderness, which was long-listed for the 2020 Booker Prize, and the story collection Man V. Nature, which was a finalist for the Guardian First Book Award, the Believer Book Award, the PEN/Hemingway Award, and the Los Angeles Times Award for First Fiction. Read an excerpt from The New Wilderness.

Bill Johnston, University of California Press

“I’ve revisited a lot of old favorites in this grim year of fear and isolation, and have been most thankful of all for The Collected Poems of Frank O’Hara. Witty, reflexive, intimate, queer, disarmingly occasional and monumentally serious all at once, they’ve been a constant balm and inspiration. ‘The only thing to do is simply continue,’ he wrote, in 'Adieu to Norman, Bon Jour to Joan and Jean-Paul'; ‘is that simple/yes, it is simple because it is the only thing to do/can you do it/yes, you can because it is the only thing to do.’”

Helen Macdonald is a nature essayist with a semiregular column in the New York Times Magazine. Her latest novel, Vesper Flights, is a collection of her best-loved essays, and her debut book, H Is for Hawk, won the Samuel Johnson Prize for Nonfiction and the Costa Book Award, and was a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award and the Kirkus Prize for Nonfiction.

Andrea Scher, Scholastic Press

“This year, I’m so grateful for You Should See Me in a Crown by Leah Johnson. Reading — like everything else — has been a struggle for me in 2020. It’s been tough to let go of all of my anxieties about the state of the world and our country and get swept away by a story. But You Should See Me in a Crown pulled me in right away; for the blissful time that I was reading it, it made me think about a world outside of 2020 and it made me smile from ear to ear. Joy has been hard to come by this year, and I’m so thankful for this book for the joy it brought me.”

Jasmine Guillory is the New York Times bestselling author of five romance novels, including this year’s Party of Two. Her work has appeared in O, The Oprah Magazine, Cosmopolitan, Real Simple, and Time.

Nelson Fitch, Random House

“Last year, stuck in a prolonged reading rut that left me wondering if I even liked books anymore, I stumbled across Tenth of December by George Saunders, a collection of stories Saunders wrote between 1995 and 2012 that are at turns funny, moving, startling, weird, profound, and often all of those things at the same time. As a writer, what I crave most from books is to find one so excellent it makes me feel like I'd be better off quitting — and so wonderful that it reminds me what it is to be purely a reader again, encountering new worlds and revelations every time I turn a page. Tenth of December is that, and I'm so grateful that it fell off a high shelf and into my life.”

Veronica Roth is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Divergent series and the Carve the Mark duology. Her latest novel, Chosen Ones, is her first novel for adults. Read an excerpt from Chosen Ones.

Ian Byers-Gamber, Blazevox Books

“Waking up today to the prospect of some hours spent reading away part of another day of this disastrous, delirious pandemic year, I’m most grateful for the book in my hands, one itself full of gratitude for a life spent reading: Gloria Frym’s How Proust Ruined My Life. Frym’s essays — on Marcel Proust, yes, and Walt Whitman, and Lucia Berlin, but also peppermint-stick candy and Allen Ginsburg’s knees, among other Proustian memory-prompts — restore me to my sense of my eerie luck at a life spent rushing to the next book, the next page, the next word.”

Jonathan Lethem is the author of a number of critically acclaimed novels, including The Fortress of Solitude and the National Book Critics Circle Award winner Motherless Brooklyn. His latest novel, The Arrest, is a postapocalyptic tale about two siblings, the man that came between them, and a nuclear-powered super car.

David Heska Wanbli Weiden, Riverhead

“I’m incredibly grateful for the magnificent The Heartbeat of Wounded Knee by David Treuer. This book — a mélange of history, memoir, and reportage — is the reconceptualization of Native life that’s been urgently needed since the last great indigenous history, Dee Brown’s Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee. It’s at once a counternarrative and a replacement for Brown’s book, and it rejects the standard tale of Native victimization, conquest, and defeat. Even though I teach Native American studies to college students, I found new insights and revelations in almost every chapter. Not only a great read, the book is a tremendous contribution to Native American — and American — intellectual and cultural history.”

David Heska Wanbli Weiden, an enrolled member of the Sicangu Lakota Nation, is author of the novel Winter Counts, which is BuzzFeed Book Club’s November pick. He is also the author of the children’s book Spotted Tail, which won the 2020 Spur Award from the Western Writers of America. Read an excerpt from Winter Counts.

Valerie Mosley, Tordotcom

“In 2020, I've been lucky to finish a single book within 30 days, but I burned through this 507-page brick in the span of a weekend. Harrow the Ninth reminded me that even when absolutely everything is terrible, it's still possible to feel deep, gratifying, brain-buzzing admiration for brilliant art. Thank you, Harrow, for being one of the brightest spots in a dark year and for keeping the home fires burning.”

Casey McQuiston is the New York Times bestselling author of Red, White & Royal Blue, and her next book, One Last Stop, comes out in 2021.

"I'm grateful for V.S. Naipaul's troubling masterpiece, A Bend in the River — which not only made me see the world anew, but made me see what literature could do. It's a book that's lucid enough to reveal the brutality of the forces shaping our world and its politics; yet soulful enough to penetrate the most recondite secrets of human interiority. A book of great beauty without a moment of mercy. A marriage of opposites that continues to shape my own deeper sense of just how much a writer can actually accomplish."

Ayad Akhtar is a novelist and playwright, and his latest novel, Homeland Elegies, is about an American son and his immigrant father searching for belonging in a post-9/11 country. He is the winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Drama and an Award in Literature from the American Academy of Arts and Letters.

Vanessa German, Feminist Press

“I'm most thankful for Daddy Was a Number Runner by Louise Meriwether. It's a YA book set in 1930s Harlem, and it was the first Black-girl-coming-of-age book I ever read, the first time I ever saw myself in a book. I appreciate how it expanded my world and my understanding that books can speak to you right where you are and take you on a journey, at the same time.”

Deesha Philyaw’s debut short story collection, The Secret Lives of Church Ladies, was a finalist for the 2020 National Book Award for Fiction. She is also the co-author of Co-Parenting 101: Helping Your Kids Thrive in Two Households After Divorce, written in collaboration with her ex-husband. Philyaw’s writing on race, parenting, gender, and culture has appeared in the New York Times, the Washington Post, McSweeney’s, the Rumpus, and elsewhere. Read a story from The Secret Lives of Church Ladies.

Philippa Gedge, W. W. Norton & Company

“As both a writer and a reader I am hugely grateful for Patricia Highsmith’s plotting and writing suspense fiction. As a writer I’m thankful for Highsmith’s generosity with her wisdom and experience: She talks us through how to tease out the narrative strands and develop character, how to know when things are going awry, even how to decide to give things up as a bad job. She’s unabashed about sharing her own ‘failures,’ and in my experience, there’s nothing more encouraging for a writer than learning that our literary gods are mortal! As a reader, it provides a fascinating insight into the genesis of one of my favorite novels of all time — The Talented Mr. Ripley, as well as the rest of her brilliant oeuvre. And because it’s Highsmith, it’s so much more than just a how-to guide: It’s hugely engaging and, while accessible, also provides a glimpse into the mind of a genius. I’ve read it twice — while working on each of my thrillers, The Hunting Party and The Guest List — and I know I’ll be returning to the well-thumbed copy on my shelf again soon!”

Lucy Foley is the New York Times bestselling author of the thrillers The Guest List and The Hunting Party. She has also written two historical fiction novels and previously worked in the publishing industry as a fiction editor.

“The books I'm most thankful for this year are a three-book series titled Tales from the Gas Station by Jack Townsend. Walking a fine line between comedy and horror (which is much harder than people think), the books follow Jack, an employee at a gas station in a nameless town where all manner of horrifyingly fantastical things happen. And while the monsters are scary and more than a little ridiculous, it's Jack's bone-dry narration, along with his best friend/emotional support human, Jerry, that elevates the books into something that are as lovely as they are absurd.”

T.J. Klune is a Lambda Literary Award–winning author and an ex-claims examiner for an insurance company. His novels include The House in the Cerulean Sea and The Extraordinaries.

Sylvernus Darku (Team Black Image Studio), Ayebia Clarke Publishing

"Nervous Conditions is a book that I have read several times over the years, including this year. The novel covers the themes of gender and race and has at its heart Tambu, a young girl in 1960s Rhodesia determined to get an education and to create a better life for herself. Dangarembga’s prose is evocative and witty, and the story is thought-provoking. I’ve been inspired anew by Tambu each time I’ve read this book."

Peace Adzo Medie is Senior Lecturer in Gender and International Politics at the University of Bristol. She is the author of Global Norms and Local Action: The Campaigns to End Violence against Women in Africa (Oxford University Press, 2020). His Only Wife is her debut novel.

Jenna Maurice, HarperCollins

“The book I'm most thankful for? Where the Sidewalk Ends by Shel Silverstein. My mother and father would read me poems from it before bed — I'm convinced it infused me not only with a sense of poetic cadence, but also a wry sense of humor.”

Victoria “V.E.” Schwab is the bestselling author of more than a dozen books, including Vicious, the Shades of Magic series, and This Savage Song. Her latest novel, The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue, is BuzzFeed Book Club’s December pick. Read an excerpt from The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue.

Meg Vázquez, Square Fish

“My childhood best friend gave me Troubling a Star by Madeleine L'Engle for Hanukkah when I was 11 years old, and it's still my favorite book of all time. I love the way it defies genre (it's a political thriller/YA romance that includes a lot of scientific research and also poetry??), and the way it values smartness, gutsiness, vulnerability, kindness, and a sense of adventure. The book follows 16-year-old Vicky Austin's life-altering trip to Antarctica; her trip changed my life, too. In a year when safe travel is almost impossible, I'm so grateful to be able to return to her story again and again.”

Kate Stayman-London's debut novel, One to Watch, is about a plus-size blogger who’s been asked to star on a Bachelorette-like reality show. Stayman-London served as lead digital writer for Hillary Rodham Clinton’s 2016 presidential campaign and has written for notable figures, from former president Obama and Malala Yousafzai to Anna Wintour and Cher.

Katharine McGee is grateful for the Redwall series by Brian Jacques. Chris Bailey Photography, Firebird

“I’m thankful for the Redwall books by Brian Jacques. I discovered the series in elementary school, and it sparked a love of big, epic stories that has never left me. (If you read my books, you know I can’t resist a broad cast of characters!) I used to read the books aloud to my younger sister, using funny voices for all the narrators. Now that I have a little boy of my own, I can’t wait to someday share Redwall with him.”

Katharine McGee is the New York Times bestselling author of American Royals and its sequel, Majesty. She is also the author of the Thousandth Floor trilogy.

Beth Gwinn, Time-Life Books

"I am thankful most for books that carry me out of the world and back again, and while I find it painful to choose among them, here's one early and one late: Zen Cho's Black Water Sister, which comes out in 2021 but I devoured just two days ago, and the long out-of-print Wizards and Witches volume of the Time-Life Enchanted World series, which is where I first read about the legend of the Scholomance."

Naomi Novik is the New York Times bestselling author of the Nebula Award–winning novel Uprooted, Spinning Silver, and the nine-volume Temeraire series. Her latest novel, A Deadly Education, is the first of the Scholomance trilogy.

Christina Lauren are grateful for the Twilight series by Stephenie Meyer. Christina Lauren, Little, Brown and Company

"We are thankful for the Twilight series for about a million reasons, not the least of which it's what brought the two of us together. Writing fanfic in a space where we could be silly and messy together taught us that we don't have to be perfect, but there's no harm in trying to get better with every attempt. It also cemented for us that the best relationships are the ones in which you can be your real, authentic self, even when you're struggling to do things you never thought you'd be brave enough to attempt. Twilight brought millions of readers back into the fold and inspired hundreds of romance authors. We really do thank Stephenie Meyer every day for the gift of Twilight and the fandom it created."

[purposefulthoughts]

Sleight (2017): Being young, gifted, and black...spoiler-filled analysis of random thoughts

As a film, Sleight is a typical story of the main character getting himself into trouble, and in the process, he puts himself and the people he loves in danger. He must grow into a hero, defeat the bad guys, and save the day all by the end of the film.  Yeah, it’s that kind of story...but the characteristics of the protagonist and the environment he finds himself in that takes this film from being a typical story, and makes it memorable. This film won’t impress most film-goers with its story or action, but in an era where Black people are looking for representation that is complex and different from stereotypes, this film attempts to offer something new.

 The plot

Jacob Latimore stars as Bo Wolfe, a young Black man living in Los Angeles who is attempting to take care of his pre-teen sister, Tina after the death of his mother (their father also died when Bo was a child). Bo is special though. He is highly intelligent - indicated by his former high school science teaching leaving a message as to why Bo didn't take the engineering scholarship. He is also highly talented - during his days, he hustles on the streets of LA doing magic tricks for tourists and other passerbys. Unfortunately, he isn’t using his intelligence to hustle at Boeing, and the street magic game doesn't pay the quickly growing bills. To survive, he's been selling drugs to white party-goers for the local drug dealer Angelo.  Bo is charming; He’s not rough as compared to Angelo’s boys who, in a way, are Bo’s foils. Overall, Bo is just someone who had to grow up too fast, and make some suspect decisions, in order to be responsible for the other people in his life - while maintaining his childhood love for magic. Oh, and he has an electromagnet machine in his arm.

The drama of the story happens when Angelo starts to include Bo as part of his boys who do the “dirty work” of the drug business. Angelo wishes to stop the expansion of a potential drug dealer, and uses force after diplomacy. Bo is subject to be harassed by the rival gang, and eventually he is forced - by Angelo - to remove the hand of the offending drug dealer. As Bo realizes he has “gotten in over his head,” he attempts to cut his product with baby powder in order to double his profit. However, Angelo finds out, and gives Bo an unreasonable task to pay back the money he owes to Angelo, as well as an extra few thousand dollars.  Bo, attempts this feat, but as plot demands, things do not fall into place; He takes his family to a friend’s house, as Angelo knows where he lives. As the deadline to appease Angelo this passes, Angelo kidnaps Bo’s sister in an attempt to draw Bo from hiding. Eventually, Bo has to take what is special about him [the electromagnet arm], in order to fight the bad guy. With the help of Mr. Granger, his former science teacher, (who is pretty chill about Bo having a potentially life-threatening device in his arm) he gets an upgrade to his cyborg arm, and goes to fight Angelo, “superhero style.” Bo does not kill them, but Angelo and his boys are definitely afraid of what they witnessed. Bo then completes the story, he saves his sister, runs away with his girlfriend, and lives happily ever after in San Diego.

 Liberalism?

Director and Writer J.D. Dillard (with co-writer Alex Theurer) make Bo into a likeable youth struggling in a rough world; he is a character that doesn't display those stereotypical “thuggish” qualities that are often associated with a lower-economic status; and so his anxiety from trying to make ends meet is a significant emotional connection throughout the film. Bo charms the audience as well as make them desire for his well-being. Dillard states, “there's certainly no shortage of movies centering on young black boys falling into crime...our goal with Sleight was to show that circumstances can trap anyone, forcing them to take desperate measures out of self-preservation.”[1] This good people in bad situations cliché is similar to 2015’s Dope, in both the drama of the main character, as well as their being good kids trying to get out of situations created by their environment. While these films try to show that the myth that ALL people from lower-economic situations aren't individually bad/lazy/stupid/etc, that’s as far as their systemic argument goes. These stories still say that the environment is damaged, and that the only way to “help” is for the people with potential to leave these bad environments.

 Magic?

As this film is innovating its own genre as it draws from aspects of other genres, it does not stray too far from being a traditional superhero-film. Yet the mixing of a story about crime, a story about magic, and a story about technological genius does not strengthen the simplicity of a hero-origin story, although Dillard assumed that it did:

“We (Dillard and Theurer) wanted to make something mixed genre with magic, crime, and a romantic and familial story. Very early on we realized if one of these pieces is too complicated, it muddies the whole movie. There came a point where we really cleaned up each major point of the story. That worked for us. It's not the most original crime, or coming-of-age story, but the most fun for us was blending these stories.”[2]

The sci-fi element was an unnecessary plot point, and how Bo did what he did could have been part of the mystical nature of who he was. The Iron Man element to the story is compelling, and has some interesting implications, however, Bo’s core beliefs revolve around magic. As the film takes time to tell the story of the magician who inspired Bo during his childhood, it would seem that the tone of the film would have the same effect and abide by the rules of magic – similar to the Prestige. The director does this thematic focus half-way when the camera keeps revisiting Bo at a desk in front of a Houdini poster, making a simile between the escape tricks which are a mainstay in the world of magic and the notions of escape this black youth desires from his bad situation. Without the technological piece, the plot already created a universe where it is easy to believe that the line between twirling rings in the air and stopping bullets isn’t that distant. Being an engineer isn’t a well-integrated or essential element of how Bo sees/interacts with his world. His technological intelligence becomes a means to an end, rather than an essential part of who he is – or was before his mother’s death. I would offer that to keep the science with the magic, that we should not have directly seen his struggles with his technology until he needs to level up at his science teacher’s house – then it would be the reveal that both allows us to see that he has been using technology this whole time, but it’s contained in the theme of magic.

 Superhero?

Sleight wants to be a superhero film that subverts the superhero genre, similar to Chronicle and Unbreakable. It is about what happens when extraordinary abilities are put in the hands of someone ordinary, and how they figure out how best to use these powers in a mundane world. Sleight, embraces the speculative struggles of being Black and gifted, but then again, it falls into the trap of attempting to be too real.

This narrative flies in the face of the superhero genre - many reviewers and the marketers have characterized this film in the superhero genre as the tagline reads “Chronicle meets Iron Man,” which often the hero, where ever they call home, attempt to save - not only the person of the week - but the overall hopefulness of the location. However, Bo’s constant plan is to use his magic for the good of himself, his sister, and as the plot develops his girlfriend, Holly. While this motivation is valid for a protagonist, it is a typical driving force of black male protagonists in the “hood movie genre” as examples by films such as Fresh or Menace II Society, and arguably Dope. Some unfortunate but hopeful black youth finds himself in a situation in which he has to think his way out of and in the end, he learns a lesson (good or honest) about life.  Yet, the magic tricks and science fiction draws feel almost trivial to the gritty drama of Bo’s life. There are many scenes of Bo doing magic in front of random people. The anxiety of his situation is paused for a moment, and from these moments, the audience is supposed to feel the joy of Bo showing off his talent. That the street magician is his true self, and the drug runner is a performance. While this dichotomy does become an issue of comparison between Bo’s multiple “shifts” to provide substance to our main character, Sleight makes it seem like Bo is an anomaly of his environment, rather than a normally occurring personality. Furthermore, as his does function as a diamond in the rough, the speculative aspects of the film – his cyborg arm – are used to transcend impoverishment, instead of being used as tool to empower himself and others. He rarely performs magic at home, for his sister, or anyone also in a similar situation. While his multifaceted nature is both a trait of being a magician, which parallels with being Black in America [code-switching being a necessary skills for many Black folx], the film doesn’t show where his personal allegiance lies - or could lay. Is he really for himself, for his family, for his new boo, or even for his magic? In watching this film, it does become difficult to center the dominant emotion we have for Bo. If this is a hood drama, can the viewer connect with Bo with sympathy or empathy? If this is a superhero movie, can the viewer connect with Bo with awe and desire? The emotional pull of the film feels muddied, as it attempts to make us both feel the need to save the main character, as well as BE the main character. Even if we suppose that the complex feeling of being both emphatic and awe-inspired is nuanced and relatable, it a feeling that again is drawn not from where the story takes us, but from the characteristics of the protagonist and the circumstance he finds himself in.

In this vein, Bo isn’t a “typical” superhero. He is similar to an Iron Man or Batman, and we can argue that superheroes can be self-made and man-made.  Bo is human, and he uses his technical intelligence in order to build an incredible impossible device to “save the world” (although for him, his world may be very small and personal). Yet, every hero doesn’t have to be super and every Black person who has an interesting ability doesn’t have to be “super” either. They can just be human. Octavia Butler says it best…”I write about people who do extraordinary things.” In many of her works, Butler attempts to show the humanity of her characters in spite of the circumstances they are in. She often uses the abilities or circumstances to also emphasize the inhumanity of others. Bo installed an electromagnet in his arm, so that he can be unique as a magician. He can do something no one else can. Yet, it is how he approaches the circumstances that he finds himself in that really emphasizes his humanity. That someone would use his intelligence while in a sense sacrifice himself - his body – in order to find joy, and save others. Many of us don’t have to have a cyborg arm to do that.

 Community?

For most of the film, Bo is trying to do everything “on his own.” Bo has increased anxiety about being under the thumb of Angelo, keeping the lights on, taking care of his sister, as well as providing space for his girlfriend fleeing domestic abuse, all the while trying to keep his dream of being a magician alive. We see that he sleeps, but I assume those were catnaps between jobs and other responsibilities. The scene where Tina burns the bacon is definitely indicative of his overworked life. The people in life that he is closest to -his sister, his girlfriend, and the family friend, Georgi – Bo only half-includes them in his plans, and spends most of the time by himself dealing with his troubles. He doesn’t tell anyone about his arm until he reveals it to his girlfriend, and he spends many days putting peroxide on the growing infection. He isn’t so proud that he won’t receive help, as Georgi often babysits Tina, Bo is grateful for the money Holly gives him to pay Angelo, and Mr. Granger helps upgrade his electromagnet.  However, his isolation is shown as the way that Bo protects his family, although in reality, it is Bo who needs protecting.

I don’t assume that this taking on too much is not a realistic depiction, but it feels disingenuous to present a hero with no sidekick or backup or anything who is also a young black man. Where are Bo’s peer group friends, or random older folks who most likely would be keeping an eye on this young man and his sister?  Story-wise it would be very ex-machina that some old black woman with a broom would come and give Angelo “a-taking to,” but at the same time, in the communities I’ve experienced, it’s not THAT far fetched.

 Black?

Sleight wasn’t marketed as a Black film. It played at mostly independent theatres, and maybe a few mainstream ones. It premiered at Sundance which may have affected the how it was distributed. But, the film feels similar to others “alternative” Black films that reject stereotypical tropes such as Get Out, Moonlight, Dope, and Dear White People. While many of the critics position the film as similar to Chronicle, I guess for its extraordinary in an ordinary world feel, but

It also relates to films such as Meteor Man, Blank Man, and Brother from Another Planet. These Black SF films, while incorporating typical science fiction elements, also address African American specific social issues such as masculinity, community, family, and power dynamics between intracultural or external forces. Sleight shows another perspective of these issues, and how they could be solved via technology – or whatever the technology is a symbol for.

Two themes that are unique to the Black experience are his outfit and body.

In the final showdown with Angelo – the “a superhero is born” scene - “Bo wears a hoodie, ball cap, and a backpack.”[3] His backpack, which in the rest of the film was used for holding drugs, hides his battery pack, giving him the power to rip the fillings out of someone’s mouth (although fillings are magnetic!). His cap, although just a brand name, has an H on it, a subtle recognition that he is in his hero role at that moment. His hoodie is an iconography of black youth, as well as the response to the death of black people - a gesture to remember the physical and symbolic killing of Trayvon Martin. Like Mike Colter in the Netflix series Luke Cage, the hoodie becomes the both an iconography of black murder by police and resistance to such dehumanization. Colter remarked that the hoodie in Luke cage is an acknowledgement of “Trayvon Martin and people like him. People like Jordan Davis, a kid who was shot because of the perception that he was a danger. When you’re a Black man in a hoodie, all of a sudden you’re a criminal.”[4] In these speculative worlds, the hoodie is recodified to be the armor of scientifically-enhanced people. Instead of being a symbol of dehumanization, the hoodie instead becomes similar to a cape. When you wear it, it represents both adversity, morality, culture, and a political position. Luke and Bo are seen as dangerous Black men to mainstream white society, but they are saviors to their local communities. Also, the hoodie is a practical outfit, however else would a superhero exist within a lower-economic community, tights or a silver tiara wouldn’t get you very far.

With a Black SciFi lens and as the film ended with a teaser of Bo perfecting his cyborg arm, I definitely left the theater with questions drawn from contemporary issues. Will he find a livable-wage job without a college education? Will he go back to college? Will he attempt to grow his magic career? What does the future hold for a Black man who can stop bullets with a few moments of his fingers? He may have temporarily stopped one of the intra-societal problems, but the external racial issues still exist. What will he use his extraordinary abilities for? Does he still have to mutilate his body?

“Anyone can learn a trick. But doing something that no one else is willing to do makes you a magician. I can do something no one else can” This statement is bold, as Bo, as a hero similar to Luke Cage, has to do something no one else can to find freedom - they have to subject their body to science. This calls back to the history of Black people and scientific experiments [Tuskegee Syphilis experiment, Holmesburg Prison experiments are two egregious examples].[5]   The challenge in these new representations of African Americans is that to become a hero, Black men almost embrace the repercussions of enslavement –the black body is a machine, a machine that can be enhanced to work even hard for others benefit. Yet, this script is flipped in both of these stories. These characters, although they were exposed to a skin hardening bioengineered agent or put an electromagnet in their arm, are working for the betterment of themselves and their community.

And to top it off, Bo, unlike Cage, did it to himself. It is a bodily sacrifice, but with the benefit that he made the choice as to what he was going to become, and how it would manifest. Bo is both the science experiment, and the scientist... he has more agency over his powers than most of the Black characters in the Marvel Cinematic Universe who have to hunt down some white man to give them upgrades or maintenance (Luke Cage, WarMachine, & Falcon don’t know much about how their tech work, although they are the primary users of it).

Unfortunately, and fortunately, the ideal black hero - science fiction - or superhero - has to be more powerful and intelligent than any human else to overcome the representational damage that has come before him.

 -JW

[1] Truitt, Brian. "Here's why 'Sleight' star Jacob Latimore is the black superhero we need now." USA Today. April 26, 2017. Accessed July 31, 2017. https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/entertainthis/2017/04/26/five-reasons-why-sleight-star-jacob-latimore-is-the-black-superhero-we-need-now/100889332/.

[2] Bennett, Tara. "Exclusive: director J.D. Dillard reveals how Star Wars and Bad Robot inspired Sleight." Syfy. May 05, 2017. Accessed July 31, 2017. http://www.syfy.com/syfywire/sleight-director-jd-dillard-interview.

[3] Truitt

[4] Ostroff, Joshua. "Marvel's Luke Cage Is The Bulletproof Black Superhero We Need Right Now." HuffPost Canada. September 30, 2016. Accessed August 02, 2017. http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2016/09/29/marvel-luke-cage_n_12202516.html.

[5] Washington, Harriet. Medical Apartheid The Dark History of Medical Experimentation on Black Americans from Colonial Times to the Present. Paw Prints, 2010.

[briangroth27]

Power Rangers (2017): Go, Go See This!

This is my 100th original blog post! Fitting that it’s about the modernization of one of my favorite things from childhood!

I was seven when Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers premiered on FOX Kids in 1993 and I still vividly recall watching the pilot in my parents’ living room. As soon as that Saturday’s morning cartoons ended, I immediately watched my newly-recorded VHS copy of “Day of the Dumpster” again: the adventures of five “teenagers with attitude” had hooked me instantly! Along with Superman, Batman, the Flash, and TMNT, the Power Rangers were some of the first live-action superheroes I ever saw, and they definitely left an impression. The giant robots (based on dinosaurs, another childhood obsession thanks to the recent release of my still-favorite movie, Jurassic Park) and monsters blew my mind. Amy Jo Johnson was my first celebrity crush. I took Tae Kwan Do for a few years solely because of Power Rangers. I still have all the original action figures, the Morpher & Power Coins, the Blade Blaster, the Megazord, and the Sega Genesis video game. I fell out of the Ranger fandom after Zeo ended, but I’ve always fondly remembered the originals. I went into the new movie just hoping it would be fun and proud of its roots; things like the R-rated Power/Rangers by Adi Shankar are cool and all, but the real Power Rangers don’t need to be grim and gritty. I left the theater humming the theme song with a huge smile; this movie is great!

If you were a fan of the show, you’ll love the new movie for taking the characters deeper than the original series did and for the clear love it has for its source material. If you thought the show was too cheesy, you’ll probably appreciate the modernized themes and issues the teens face here. The movie makes you wait for most of the action, but the characters were fun and compelling enough (and the actors strong enough) that it never felt slow. When the action does arrive, it’s earned and very well-tied to the characters’ arcs! That connection, striking at the core of the Rangers mythos, also makes for an important message about teamwork and understanding.

I didn’t think the Rangers needed to have powers when not morphed, but it didn’t hurt the story to introduce that aspect either (though it does remove an easy path to drama if they’re attacked and can’t morph). The Putties were formidable even with super-strength, so not having powers would’ve led to the unmorphed Rangers’ immediate deaths in this film (a rare case of the movies scaling the villains up to meet the standards of the heroes, something I wish Superman films would do with everyone not named Zod). I thought the suits were a little over-designed and bulky, preferring the ones from 1995’s film, but I didn’t hate them. Similarly, I prefer the simplicity of the original zord and Megazord designs, but these are good too. Jason gets his Power Sword during the fight with the Putty Patrol, but I wish everyone else had gotten their Ranger-specific weapons too (Zack’s ax, Billy’s lance, Kim’s bow, and Trini’s daggers). The final showdown didn’t feel rushed; I totally felt that it was worth the wait. That the team visibly showed fear during the final battle also humanized them and helped sell the idea that they were still teens and not at all polished superheroes, despite their mighty powers. 

Though the film looks a little washed out in terms of its color palette, there’s a great energy running through it. The effects were solid and felt realistic. I loved all the nods to the original series, such as the movie’s MacGuffin (the Zeo Crystal), what seemed like a shout-out to one of Rita’s best henchman (Scorpina), and an outstanding, iconic scene during the final battle. While there is a definite sequel teased in the mid-credits scene, this is a complete movie and I loved that it didn’t just feel like a stepping stone to bigger things.  

Absolutely see this!

Full Spoilers… 

My absolute favorite aspect of the movie was its focus on friendship and the need for the Rangers to harmonize in order for their powers to fully work. Like their Megazord, the Power Rangers are a team that’s stronger together than they are individually, and their literal inability to morph until after they’ve opened up and bonded with each other was portrayed perfectly. This was an excellent bridge between their character arcs (which felt like real things modern teens go through) and the superhero side of the story. There’s an important metaphor in your friends giving you the power to become a supercharged version of yourself capable of fighting your demons, and to paraphrase Zordon’s catchphrase from the series, that power protects these kids (and hopefully, the kids in the audience who see the value of connection and teamwork). Given the realistic diversity of this cast, it’s also easy to see this as a broader metaphor that the only way to survive and harness our true potential is to understand each other and work together.

Always believing the teens’ “attitude” meant good attitudes, I was initially skeptical when the trailer cast the Rangers-to-be as juvenile delinquents rather than the show’s socially conscious do-gooders, but the trailer was misleading. Jason (Dacre Montgomery), Kimberly (Naomi Scott), and Billy (RJ Cyler) meet in detention and Zack (Ludi Lin) skips school a lot, but none of them are terrible people needing epic redemption arcs. Instead, they’ve made mistakes (Jason’s in trouble for a prank gone very awry and Billy for an innocent experiment with explosives), but are still generally good kids. 

Kimberly did the worst thing—forwarding a scandalous picture of one of her ex-friends—but it didn’t mar her character as much as I feared it would (I was spoiled on that plot point). She and the movie acknowledge this as the awful thing it is and I was impressed that she immediately shot down Jason’s well-intended suggestion that she forgive herself because there are “lots of pictures out there.” Instead, she correctly points out that it changes nothing about the picture she sent or the effect it had on her former friend. “Everyone else does it” doesn’t comfort her or excuse her actions and the fact that she knows how bad it was and has clearly grown softened this change from the show’s Kimberly for me. Scott’s Kim isn’t the valley girl Johnson was, but you can definitely see hints that she used to be a similar popular girl. Despite the darker backstory, Scott channels the corresponding original actor more than anyone else in the film, crafting a performance that’s her own but includes strong shades of Amy Jo Johnson (as well as a dash of Buffy season 1-Sarah Michelle Gellar). She probably has the most personal growth in the film and, along with Billy, was my favorite character.

Billy’s still the brains of the team and sets their ascent to Rangerhood into motion. Though Cyler brought a different energy to Billy than David Yost did, he was still most definitely “Billy.” While Scott channeled her predecessor most, Cyler channels the essence of the original character most. Everyone deserves to see themselves as heroes, so I loved that the film delivered an autistic hero in Billy, something I don’t think any other superhero movie or TV show has done yet. To the film’s credit, his being on the Spectrum is never portrayed as something to overcome or a handicap he’s “so brave” to live with; it’s merely a fact of his life and doesn’t hamper his superheroics in any way. Cyler brought an instant likability to Billy that pulled me into the Rangers’ circle and played perfectly against his hidden pain over to the loss of his father. Because he’s so personable, Billy’s death hit me hard (even though I didn’t think it’d be permanent) and the other Rangers’ reactions felt realistic and believable—though they’re only together a week, the team’s bonding feels real.

Jason’s prank causes property damage so he isn’t initially the Boy Scout from the show (though he is a jock), but I really liked that his movie arc takes that idea and shows us how he might’ve gotten there, molding him into the upstanding (and understanding) father figure he craves as he takes on leadership of the Power Rangers. While he does have a father (David Denman) in the movie, there’s clearly a distance between them. What exactly caused it isn’t revealed beyond his dad not understanding him and perhaps having goals and expectations Jason doesn’t want for himself, so Jason’s issues felt the most routine and well-trodden in terms of movies and TV. However, his relationship with the Rangers is more important than with his parents, so I was satisfied that Jason’s parental issues were resolved by Zordon standing in for his dad, particularly when Jason found out why the Rangers morphing was so important to Zordon's plans. I liked that even though he was chosen to be the leader by virtue of being the Red Ranger, he wasn’t a natural and it felt like he had to earn that position, both in Zordon’s eyes and in terms of motivating the team. As familiar as Jason’s issues were (perhaps they were delivered in shorthand precisely because they're so universal), Montgomery never came off as boring or bland and he was a good lead.

Zack was fun and I liked that his up-for-anything bravado (an update of show Zack’s charisma, party-guy attitude, and jokester persona) was a cover for the knowledge that he’d probably very soon lose his mom (Fiona Fu) to her illness. While he and Trini (Becky G) could’ve definitely used more screentime to match the arcs Jason, Kimberly, and Billy had, I think Zack gets enough for Lin to display the fears just under the surface of his cool guy façade. He also gets to have some serious fun joyriding in his zord and physicalizes the tension and pressure the team’s under to become perfect superheroes in a week when he comes to blows with Jason. So, even though he wasn’t as big a focus as he should’ve been, he contributed to the personality mix in unique ways. Trini absolutely needed more material—her and Zack’s reduced screentime compared to everyone else is my one big negative note about the film—but what she got worked well. MMPR’s Trini was soft-spoken and polite, which here translated into a disaffected loner persona, owing to being moved around a lot and her parents’ (Erica Cerra, Patrick Sabongui) inability to accept her as anything other than the normal daughter they wanted. I liked that they made her the first LGBTQ movie superhero (Mystique and Harley Quinn are bi in the comics, but the X-films and Suicide Squad haven’t had that onscreen yet) and didn’t mind that this amounted to one conversation: none of the other Rangers have love lives explored here either. While Trini is guarded for a good portion of the film and her limited screentime gives her the hardest time when it comes to connecting with the others, I thought Becky G pulled the arc off. I bought her reasons for not talking sooner and her growing friendship with/trust in the others, particularly Kimberly, felt genuine. Not giving Trini more to do was a missed opportunity for what could’ve been a fun sequence of her using her superpowers to evade her helicopter parents to go train. Speaking of her parents, it’s odd they didn’t hear her room being trashed by Rita. She could’ve written the damage off as (extremely localized) effects of Goldar’s attack later on, but someone should’ve heard walls being dented. That could’ve been an opportunity to employ a classic “superhero has to explain extraordinary problems to keep their identity secret” moment. Given Becky G’s sardonic delivery when questioned about where she’d been spending her nights, she could’ve told her parents exactly what happened, comically upending those superhero tropes.

One of the film’s biggest surprises was that Zordon (Bryan Cranston) has an actual arc, making him far more interesting than the show’s version. I’d heard there was a prologue focusing on his history with Rita Repulsa (Elizabeth Banks), but feared a focus on Zordon and Rita might overshadow the Rangers themselves. That prologue is only a couple of minutes long, but Zordon’s desire to have a physical body again was still unexpectedly touching. His tension with the Rangers over this point provided some good conflict I didn’t see coming. Alpha 5 (Bill Hader) was another big improvement over the original version, who I always found annoying. Banks was entirely over the top as Rita, but that’s exactly who Rita is supposed to be! Like the Joker, I really don’t have an interest in an entirely serious version of Rita Repulsa. In fact, Banks’ casting—along with the tag line “Go Go”—was the first thing that convinced me this wasn’t going to be the super-serious mess it could’ve been in our current “gritty is automatically superior” pop culture mindset. Rita’s full-on insane and she fit in without breaking the tone of the movie, even against the grounded Rangers. I never felt she wasn’t a deadly serious threat (she kills several Rangers in this movie alone!).

It was cool that Amy Jo Johnson and Jason David Frank (my favorite original Rangers) got cameos here! I wish David Yost, Austin St. John, and Walter Jones also appeared; maybe next time. Jason Narvy and Paul Schrier really should get cameos too; as the original series’ Bulk and Skull, they were the longest-running characters in the show’s history. With that in mind, I was surprised a new Bulk and Skull didn’t make an appearance here…Jason’s prank buddy Damo (Matt Shively), possibly feeling rejected after Jason finds new friends, and the “Bully of Detention” (Wesley MacInnes) could’ve easily been them.

The post-credit scene lays out the arrival of Tommy Oliver, the Green Ranger, though I wouldn’t have minded one more film with just the original five Rangers. With five more films planned, there’s more than enough time to explore the dynamic between these kids before throwing Tommy into the mix. Still, I’m definitely excited for the prospect of a traitor Ranger, especially with this film’s emphasis on the team’s need for unity and trust to morph. Someone who can get past their defenses, earn their trust, and then stab them in the back will be a perfect, devastating adversary!

I love that we’re getting something of a Ranger renaissance now (to say nothing of the fact that 24 years and several iterations later, the show is still going). Not only did this movie come out (along with a tie-in sequel comic), but there’s an excellent ongoing Boom! Studios comic book featuring the original team! It’s set right after MMPR’s “Green With Evil” saga and deals with the Rangers learning to trust Tommy, and whether or not he can trust himself to be free of Rita’s influence. There’s also a fun Kimberly-focused 6-issue miniseries (“Pink”), set after she left the team, a crossover with the Justice League, and a brand new ongoing series set right after “Day of the Dumpster,” Saban’s Go Go Power Rangers, coming soon! While it’s at the other end of the tonal spectrum, Adi Shankar is trying to put together a gritty, adult-focused animated series about Power Rangers too. And of course, Saban & Lionsgate are planning at least five more films in the rebooted series, one of which may be a prequel focusing on Zordon and Rita’s team. With the film taking a series of hits at the box office after a strong opening, I think these plans might be pared down, but I really hope we get to see these Rangers’ adventures continue. Rather than rushing to create an entire universe at once, focus on making an excellent sequel to this one’s already superb foundation and then build from there!

[nerdynformed-blog]

Logan is a superhero movie - Part I: What a superhero movie is

I feel someone has to say it: Logan is a superhero movie. It is not a movie-with-superheroes-in-it-but-is-actually-something-else. It is a superhero movie.

Why do I care so much? Well, frankly I hear a lot of people saying that this movie teaches us (the audience and the moviemakers) that we don’t have to make superhero movies, just good movies with superheroes in it. If that does not sound familiar, maybe just go to some YouTube channels like Screenjunkies and the like (I love those guys, by the way).

However, I will argue the opposite: not only Logan is a superhero movie, but also it is what makes it such a great movie. Instead of making more movies-with-superheroes-that-are-not-superhero-movies, we should make better superhero movies. Like Logan.

Movies that don’t try to compensate or apologize for the “superhero stuff” in it. Movies that don’t try to be something else so people will say “it is not just a superhero movie”. Movies that excuse their laziness or unintended silliness with the phrase “it is a superhero movie”.

We need movies that embrace and explore what a superhero is. Like _Logan _did.

Let me just start saying that, predictively, I love this movie. It is great. There is so much good things that I can and will say about it in the future. However, to be blunt, everyone knows it is great. Not just that, there is a lot to be learned from it – both for those who love superheroes and those that make movies. It’s just that “stop making superhero movies” is the wrong lesson.

So I want to concentrate on something no one seems to notice: how good of a superhero movie it is and how we could and should make more movies like it. We don’t have too many superhero movies, we just got too few really good ones. That can be changed by understanding how _Logan _succeeds as being just that. A good superhero movie.

So, I am actually going to take 2 or 3 parts to talk about that. The first part is: what is a superhero movie. Yeah, sounds simple, but trust me.

‘Superhero’ is not a genre

Again, I hear a lot of people talking about the superhero genre – and that Logan is of course something else. It is a drama, it is a western, it is a movie about family. We could argue about it, but right now it doesn’t matter.

_Superhero _is NOT a genre – not to movies, comics, books, nor any medium.

I guess I have to be honest here, I did not go to film school. Far from it, my place in academia is, well… Some other time I will talk about it. But I am not an artist, scholar or critic in that sense – no formal artistic education about film making or anything like that. When it comes to movies, by any means, I am a layman.

However, I do love and study comic books and superheroes, and I obsess over them enough to really know what I am talking about. So my definitions may lack some conceptual finesse, but I think they can really help the conversation. Read them and judge me – but please read them first.

Genre is a very useful classification and, at the same time, misusing it can lead to a lot of trouble to an industry – be it games, movies or something else. Understanding the genre of a product helps the audience to select what they want to watch/read/play/smell.

If you like some movies of one genre, there is a good probability that you are going to enjoy other movies of the same genre. The opposite is also true – some people just cannot get into horror or action movies, doesn’t matter how good or well-made they are.

Understanding what genres people like also helps the industry decide what movies and games to make. It actually affects people’s livelihoods and careers, not to mention culture as a whole.

Honestly, there is a lot of criteria that can be used to classify a movie as part of a specific genre, so yes you will definitely find some definitions by witch I am completely wrong. But not every way to define “genre” actually works or helps the situation we got here – so also judge them with that in mind.

 My personal mechanism is this: a movie genre is defined by the emotional drive that leads the public to want to see it and to enjoy it. It is a simple definition and, if you stop to think about it, it works very well.

You watch dramas to be emotionally involved and moved. Comedies to make you laugh – either out loud or just smirk about the wittiness of the story. Terror is supposed to make you experience fear, and horror, repulse. Action is about the thrills, the benign adrenaline of a fight or a car chase. Fantasy is about the feeling of, well, the presence of the fantastical and awesome. Adventure, romance, suspense – each of those terms describe the emotional state of the audience and the mood/atmosphere the movie has to work with. And sure, you can and should mix them up, but you have to know what ingredients you are using.

However, try to put all superhero movies in a common emotional vibe and see how that goes. We have balls to the wall satirical metamodernist comedy in Deadpool, that gritty tragedy and suspense of The Dark Knight, bad cliché sci-fi in Green Lantern and loads and loads of action in the rest of it.

 There is a lot of movie genres that get confused with the subjects or themes that they usually explore. The best examples, for me, are cowboys, zombies and war. I believe that western and war are genres – and zombies are at least a subgenre of horror/terror. They are all marked by specific kind of character or scenario.

However, they also have their own emotional drives – and those are the real measures of which is a western or a zombie or war movie.

Westerns have that bleak post-apocalyptic dryness to them, with slow long silences and a violence that is dirty, quick and without spectacle.

War movies have that sense of sobriety and sad heroism, of the weight of duty and tragic importance, the loss of innocence and the risk of losing one’s own humanity– all wrapped in that feeling that we might not survive the next few hours.

And zombie movies are about a very specific kind of fear and sense of smallness.

That is reaaaaaaaally simplified, but you get the gist of it.

However, you have a lot of movies with cowboys, soldiers and zombies that are definitely NOT part of those genres, because they don’t have the same atmosphere.  Cowboys and Aliens, the remake of Magnificent Seven are some good examples – a westerns’ fan IS NOT going to like them.

You could argue that _Shawn of the Dead _and Zombieland are zombie-comedies, and that would be ok. But let’s not pretend that the Resident Evil how many? seven movies? are similar in tone to the Romero classics.

And oh boy you have movies with soldiers and battles that are not war movies. If someone tells you “I don’t want to watch Allies or Inglorious Bastards because I did not enjoy Saving Private Rian” they are grossly misinformed – and missing out. You could even say that a fan of war movies is going to enjoy Rogue One more than a fan of Star Wars.

You could say that a lot of nerds like me run to the theater whenever there is a superhero movie – that that is what dives us. And ok, far enough. But still, there are vast differently moods that they have to work with for me to enjoy the movie. So, it is not a genre in this simple and useful definition.

So, if superheroes are not a genre, what are they?

‘Superhero’ is…:

Well…

‘Superhero’ is a subject and a type of character.

Before you start screaming at the screen, here it is why it matters: 

Superheroes are a very special kind of character, and they are a very interesting subject to make movies about. That is the whole point I am trying to make: we need to explore these subjects and characters. We need to do it correctly, informed and unapologetically.

So, here it goes some information, corrections and a rude lack of apologies:

In those discussions about the genre of Logan, people talk about it being a western, and that is not by chance. Superheroes are literary descendent of the cowboy. They are just the last leafs of the same family three in which we have the cowboys, private detectives (no, not Sherlock, something more Dick Tracy or Philip Marlowe), space adventures (like Flash Gordon) and, finally, superheroes. I like to call this the American hero family.

All these heroes, including the superheroes, share some traits. Each one of them acts in a frontier – a dynamic space between civilization and savagery where there is people and humanity, but where safety and social stability are not guaranteed, creating both a place and a need for justice.

The heroes end up also being a mixture of the freedom of the untamed land and the responsibilities brought forward by the presence of other humans, families and society.

The cowboy has the literal frontier, but the cities of private eyes and superheroes are not that safer and/or more civilized when you go into the wrong alleys. Neon and concrete jungles and whatnot. And, in a very American way, those are socially dynamic spaces, with people always going up or down the ladder. (The most bizarre example I can think of this scenario is given by the analysis Extra Credits did on The Witcher 3 – that is fantastic).

They often act alone and are lonely, or at least independent of a higher authority. What drives them are not leaders or rulers, but their own internal moral compass that leads them straight to those in need of help.

They know violence, being able to survive it and inflict it – and that is a big part of it (be it guns, lasers or batarangs).

They are visibly extraordinary, and yet are in some sense common people. They carry our best values, but they are never our kings – so they inspire us, but never govern us.

And they fight for what is right, for justice and freedom: the cowboy may kill some bandits, while superheroes save the world or fight a giant monster, but it is the same thing in kind, if not in scale. Even when most superheroes refuse to kill, they are doing the same thing a cowboy does when he shoots bandits. They are obeying their own moral codes, even when that seems irrational or dangerous.

Even the heroes who work with or even for the government (like Captain America) follow their own morals instead of rules and orders – more often than not disobeying the last. And the Waynes and Starks of the world are always being reminded that, billionaires or not, they are just human. Even Thor in the comics has a double life as a human in a sense or another. Being part of humanity is very important to all these heroes.

However, by no means I want to say that superheroes are just like cowboys and the similar. They have three very necessary characteristics that makes the superhero a different species altogether, even if a member of the same family.

First of all, their superpowers. All superheroes are marked by one ability or a set of abilities that makes them something special. Even those with no superpower have access to some ability, technology or resource that makes them impossible to emulate, that sets them apart – even if it is just being really, really good with a bow and arrow. Even the Punisher has a very-much-above-average talent to kill and make war. Superheroes who lack this trait, either don’t last long or change soon.

More important than anything else, however, is their fashion sense. The cape, the mask, the symbol on the chest – the uniform makes a hero super. It is where the powers actually come from, if you believe the Mermaidman. They all have something that works as the face of their super persona – a color scheme, a recognizable silhouette, a pair of jeans and white shirt they love to wear. They even have special names that they use when dressed up: Superman, Wonder Woman, Gold Balls.

The most extreme cases are the Punisher, the Fantastic Four, the X-men (at least in the movies) and some of the Inhumans: character that don’t have secret identities, that don’t even wear masks, but still put on a uniform and call themselves by special names, as if invoking powerful beings that would never be called Reed, Frank or Hank.

Finally, the powers and the uniform combine to generate the most important trace of the superhero: the double identity. Not necessarily a secret identity, but always a double one.

Again, even heroes without secret identities have a need to be someone else or something else when “doing super stuff”. But they also have a birth name, civil clothing and a life outside of being super. In many (or most) cases, they keep their identities secret and completely separated, but even public supergenius have domestic lives and close people that call them Johnny or Charles.

They have human worries and relationships, being ever relatable in a sense or another. They are similar to us and – simultaneously – what we only dream of becoming. The mission is not everything to them. They save the world and have wives, they fight evil and pay rent, they fly and do the dishes. They have super adventures and human lives. That is what makes them superhuman.

They are at the same time human and divine – both aspects so clearly distinct that they have different names and appearances, but both deeply important for themselves and the stories.  

That is interesting, because we have people who are much more amazing than the cowboys and detectives, but so much more human than they are also. They are greater crime-fighters, lifesavers and alien-fighters than Dick Tracy or Flash Gordon; but also have a separate job and/or family, very much human and “normal” – and they relish in that. Their normal lives are nice and important to them.

That leads us the last point of Part I. Since I am arguing that _Logan _is a superhero movie, I am going to define what a superhero movie is.

Finally, Superhero Movies are…

Simply put, it is a movie of ANY GENRE that focuses on a character with those traits and/or the traits themselves.

A original superhero movie is one that explores that in a original way.

A deep superhero movie is one that uses that to explore some deep questions.

A good superhero movie is a movie that is good in talking about that.

 And I still defend the idea that ANY GENRE can benefit from doing that.

Dramas can focus on the weight and loneliness of living a double life. The sense of hopelessness of needing to do good, but being faced with a world that may never be completely fixed and even resists small changes. The hard work that is, more than doing the right thing, deciding what is right when you cannot just follow orders or “be normal”. And the emptiness that comes with the lack of certainty and closure after the fight is over and you just don’t know if you did the right thing. And the sacrifice – which one do you make? Your normal life or your grater purpose? Which will hurt you the most? Can you survive any?

Comedies can either make fun of the escapades and the excuses the hero has to improvise or lightheartedly poke holes in the whole attitude of some guy putting a colorful costume and calling himself a fantasy name. In the other hand, the larger than life superpersonas can be used to mock our occasional pettiness and thin skin, making us the strange and the superheroes the normal.

Action has a ton of possible situations to explore that “normal” people would not provide. Not just because of the powers – although, yes because of the powers – but also because of the appearance of the hero and the way they act out of the common structures of law enforcement. You can have a character that is much more of a common man than John McClane and, simultaneously, waaay more of a block buster than Rambo. And whose raison d'être necessarily leads him or her to action and danger.

The fantastical and the sci-fi can take all their iconic powers and narratives and see how they work when competing with the normal life of a normal human. Maybe we even get some perspective in how better we are in our imperfect world instead of Narnia, Middle Earth or Asgard.

Well, reading this, you probably already know how I justify calling Logan a superhero movie. If not, then even better! You are going to love to read Part II – Logan as a superhero movie. I will discuss then how it uses the superhero to make some grate drama.

When I post it, that is…

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23 Movies That Are Always Amusing No Matter How Many Times You Watch It

New movies can be hit or miss. Sometimes you find on a stellar piece of cinema, but often you reach the end of the film wishing you could get back the last two hours. When it comes to picking movies, most people like to look for something they have never seen before. You might seek out classics from a genre that you like, or wait for new movies to come out.

But some movies are meant to be replayed.

When a well-written film contains important life lessons and themes, you can re-watch it over and over. Sometimes you’ll see different aspects of the story, or your opinion about the film will change depending on what’s happening in your life. As your perspective alters, what you take away from the movie changes.

A second viewing can reveal plot points that you didn’t catch the first time. The best movies can be watched repeatedly because you get something new every time you see it—a fresh perspective, new opinions, and new emotions arise in subsequent viewings.

You may be wondering where to find movies that have a strong replayability factor. I’ve compiled a list of the best movies to watch over and over.

1. The Prestige

Two magicians become embroiled in a rivalry to create the best magic trick. Follow them on their harrowing quest to devise the ultimate illusion.

The Prestige (2006) is an electrifying tale that’s sure to leave you questioning the line between reality and stagecraft.

Watch The Prestige to see how this feud unfolds.

2. Black Swan

Nina is vying to play the lead in Swan Lake. Her entire life revolves around ballet, and though she dances beautifully, she only embodies the attributes of the White Swan. She has a tenuous friendship with a talented new dancer who embodies the darker aspects of the Black Swan.

Black Swan (2010) shows us the cost of perfectionism. Watch it a second or third time to see if you can spot where things start to unravel.

Find out more about the dark side in humans in Black Swan.

3. Lost in Translation

Bob, an aging actor, and Charlotte, a newlywed, strike up an unlikely friendship while staying at a hotel in Tokyo.

Watch Lost in Translation (2003) a second or third time to see if hindsight changes how you interpret the interactions between the lead characters.

Lost in Translation reminds us that often the best bonds come from happenstance meetings and in unexpected ways.

4. Pulp Fiction

Jules and Vincent are hit men who undergo a series of bizarre events in the line of duty. Pulp Fiction (1994) follows the hit men through several different vignettes of violence and dark comedy.

Expect all the grittiness and brilliance of a Tarantino film in Pulp Fiction. This movie is loaded with nods to the classic pulp fiction style of storytelling.

See something new every time you watch Pulp Fiction.

5. Se7en

A serial killer stages his crimes so that the victims represent the seven deadly sins. After a detective figures out the criminal’s modus operandi, authorities rush to stop the killer before he can carry out more murders.

Se7en (1995) is not a film for the faint-hearted, but it will make you think. Hit replay on this one to think about human nature.

Se7en will keep you on the edge of your seat—even after you know how it will end.

6. In the Mood for Love

A man and woman bond when they suspect that their spouses are having extramarital affairs. They grapple with temptation and morality as their relationship develops.

In the Mood for Love is visually stunning and full of an old Hollywood romanticism that is sure to keep you entertained for many viewings.

Watch In the Mood for Love to consider interpersonal boundaries.

7. Before Sunrise

Two strangers form a bond as they take a train from Budapest to Hungary. Though they can only be together for a short time, they make the most of it.

Before Sunrise (1995) reminds us to treasure every second we have with the people we love.

Pay attention to the conversations these two strangers have in Before Sunrise and you’ll be inspired every time.

8. The Pianist

Wladyslaw Szpilman is one of the greatest pianists and composers of his time, but World War II forces tragedy upon him. This true story follows a musician through the depths of despair and the heights of triumph.

The Pianist (2002) is a moving drama that will inspire you to appreciate the gifts that you’ve been given.

Watch The Pianist when you need to see a story about hope.

9. Her

Our world exists in a constellation of networked devices, but what would happen if you fell in love with an AI? In Her (2013) a writer does just that, and then must grapple with the consequences.

Contemplate the nature of love and loneliness when you watch Her. Regardless of where you are in your life and relationships, this film will have an emotional impact.

Think about how you define love when you see Her.

10. White Oleander

When Astrid’s mother is convicted of murder, she goes into the foster system. She endures a series of trials as she learns to stand on her own.

White Oleander (2002) is a coming-of-age story that highlights the different approaches that people have to life. This film will help you appreciate the depth of the human experience through the eyes of a young girl.

View White Oleander to remember that everyone has a complicated story.

11. Billy Elliot

Billy, a boy from a working class family, discovers that he is a dancer. He must buck the traditional paradigm for males in his social class to pursue his dreams.

When you have a gift that you need to share with the world, people may try to hold you back. Billy Elliot (2000) is a reminder not to give up on our dreams.

Watch Billy Elliot whenever you need to feel inspired.

12. Spirited Away

A wrong turn leads Chihiro and her family into a world inhabited by beasts and spirits. Chihiro must figure out how to navigate this complicated world, and along the way, she finds out who she is.

Spirited Away (2001) is a beautifully animated story with a powerful message. Watch it whenever you face a challenge and put your life into perspective.

Get Spirited Away by this fantastic tale.

13. Princess Mononoke

A young man is caught between humans and the gods of the forest. He meets a fierce warrior, Princess Mononoke, who was raised by a wolf-god. After seeing the good that exists on both sides of the dispute, he does his best to negotiate for a peaceful outcome.

With so much divisiveness in the news today, it’s important to have movies like this to remind us that every conflict can be viewed through multiple lenses.

Watch Princess Mononoke whenever you need to think about the big picture.

14. Good Will Hunting

Will is a janitor at M.I.T. with a brilliant mind. Despite his intellect, he feels stuck with his lot in life. He befriends someone who pushes him to dream boldly.

Sometimes someone else’s belief in you can compel to to do great things, and sometimes, you can inspire others with your belief in them. This film is a reminder of the ways that we can lift each other up to achieve incredible things. Good Will Hunting (1997) is perfect any time that you need encouragement to dare greatly.

Get inspired with Good Will Hunting.

15. The Green Mile

The guards on death row deal with inmates that have been convicted of horrible crimes. They have to question all their assumptions about their prisoners when they meet John Coffey, a man with supernatural powers.

You can find magic in unexpected places in The Green Mile (1999). Watch this film any time you need to remember to find the beauty in dark times and withhold judgement until you have the full story.

Take an emotional journey when you see The Green Mile.

16. Schindler’s List

Schindler’s List (1993) is set during World War II. This film recounts the true story of a man who used his wit and resources to save over 1,100 Jews during the Holocaust.

Sometimes we are faced with challenges that seem insurmountable. Oskar Schindler defied all odds and risked his life for the sake of others. We need to see this story over and over so that we can remember to have hope in times of despair.

Watch Schindler’s List when you need to be reminded of the impact that one person can have on the world.

17. The Shawshank Redemption

When Andy is imprisoned for a crime he didn’t commit, he befriends an older inmate. They navigate the difficulties of the prison system together, and Andy hangs onto hope that he will be free again.

The Shawshank Redemption (1994) encourages viewers to “get busy living, or get busy dying.” It’s worth rewatching because it shows us that freedom is a state of mind, and that there’s power in hope.

See The Shawshank Redemption when you need to assess what it means to be free.

18. Life of Pi

When Pi’s ship full of exotic animals goes down, he must fight for survival. He escapes on a lifeboat with a surprise companion, and the two endure many trials together.

Life of Pi (2012) is a visually stunning survival story. We could always use a reminder to have hope in difficult situations, which makes re-watching this film a natural choice.

Watch Life of Pi a few times and you may have different interpretation of the story every time.

19. Inception

Dominic Cobb uses a technology called “inception” to steal secrets from people’s dreams. He’s an excellent thief, but if wants a shot at redemption, he has to pull off his most complicated mission yet.

Inception (2010) is a cerebral thrill-ride. Watch this more than once to get a clearer understanding of the distinction between dreams and reality.

Inception will keep you thinking about the subtle differences between perception and real world.

20. Shutter Island

A rookie U.S. Marshall, Teddy Daniels, takes a missing persons case at a mental hospital for the criminally insane. He encounters many challenges on Shutter Island as he and his partner work to locate the murderess.

This psychological thriller has more twists and turns than a country road. Shutter Island (2010) is the kind of film that you watch over and over to see what you missed on the first viewing.

Question if seeing is believing on Shutter Island.

21. Interstellar

When Earth is on the brink of becoming uninhabitable, an astronaut embarks on a mission to find humans a new home. He has to fight to complete his work to ensure the future of humanity.

Interstellar (2014) is a story that reminds us to have faith and continue to push forward, no matter how impossible the odds are. Quitting is not an option in this story, and we could all stand to be reminded of that once in a while.

The relations between humans, time and universe are what make Interstellar worth re-watching.

22. The Matrix

The Matrix (1999) is the science-fiction equivalent of Plato’s “Allegory of the Cave.” As the characters discover the nature of their existence, they must grapple with the age-old question, “Is ignorance really bliss?”

The Matrix is a classic, and not just because the special effects dazzled us when the film came out. We live in a world where most of our perceptions of others are based on an identity that they’ve constructed. This movie reminds you to question what you see.

Watch The Matrix for a mind-bending experience.

23. La La Land

An actress and a musician struggle to eek out their existence in LA. The journey toward success is paved with obstacles, and they have to work to define their dreams and what they mean to one another.

La La Land (2016) takes us into the lives of hungry performers trying to make it in their respective fields. We get insight into how brutal show business can be, and we see the importance of perseverance.

Watch La La Land to see what the path to success looks like.

Keep Replaying

All the films on this list have a great replayability factor. Each time you watch them, you’ll gain some insight or experience some aspect of the work anew.

Keep this list handy for your next movie night. You won’t go astray watching (and re-watching) these tried-and-true titles.

The post 23 Movies That Are Always Amusing No Matter How Many Times You Watch It appeared first on Lifehack.

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23 Movies That Are Always Amusing No Matter How Many Times You Watch It

New movies can be hit or miss. Sometimes you find on a stellar piece of cinema, but often you reach the end of the film wishing you could get back the last two hours. When it comes to picking movies, most people like to look for something they have never seen before. You might seek out classics from a genre that you like, or wait for new movies to come out.

But some movies are meant to be replayed.

When a well-written film contains important life lessons and themes, you can re-watch it over and over. Sometimes you’ll see different aspects of the story, or your opinion about the film will change depending on what’s happening in your life. As your perspective alters, what you take away from the movie changes.

A second viewing can reveal plot points that you didn’t catch the first time. The best movies can be watched repeatedly because you get something new every time you see it—a fresh perspective, new opinions, and new emotions arise in subsequent viewings.

You may be wondering where to find movies that have a strong replayability factor. I’ve compiled a list of the best movies to watch over and over.

1. The Prestige

Two magicians become embroiled in a rivalry to create the best magic trick. Follow them on their harrowing quest to devise the ultimate illusion.

The Prestige (2006) is an electrifying tale that’s sure to leave you questioning the line between reality and stagecraft.

Watch The Prestige to see how this feud unfolds.

2. Black Swan

Nina is vying to play the lead in Swan Lake. Her entire life revolves around ballet, and though she dances beautifully, she only embodies the attributes of the White Swan. She has a tenuous friendship with a talented new dancer who embodies the darker aspects of the Black Swan.

Black Swan (2010) shows us the cost of perfectionism. Watch it a second or third time to see if you can spot where things start to unravel.

Find out more about the dark side in humans in Black Swan.

3. Lost in Translation

Bob, an aging actor, and Charlotte, a newlywed, strike up an unlikely friendship while staying at a hotel in Tokyo.

Watch Lost in Translation (2003) a second or third time to see if hindsight changes how you interpret the interactions between the lead characters.

Lost in Translation reminds us that often the best bonds come from happenstance meetings and in unexpected ways.

4. Pulp Fiction

Jules and Vincent are hit men who undergo a series of bizarre events in the line of duty. Pulp Fiction (1994) follows the hit men through several different vignettes of violence and dark comedy.

Expect all the grittiness and brilliance of a Tarantino film in Pulp Fiction. This movie is loaded with nods to the classic pulp fiction style of storytelling.

See something new every time you watch Pulp Fiction.

5. Se7en

A serial killer stages his crimes so that the victims represent the seven deadly sins. After a detective figures out the criminal’s modus operandi, authorities rush to stop the killer before he can carry out more murders.

Se7en (1995) is not a film for the faint-hearted, but it will make you think. Hit replay on this one to think about human nature.

Se7en will keep you on the edge of your seat—even after you know how it will end.

6. In the Mood for Love

A man and woman bond when they suspect that their spouses are having extramarital affairs. They grapple with temptation and morality as their relationship develops.

In the Mood for Love is visually stunning and full of an old Hollywood romanticism that is sure to keep you entertained for many viewings.

Watch In the Mood for Love to consider interpersonal boundaries.

7. Before Sunrise

Two strangers form a bond as they take a train from Budapest to Hungary. Though they can only be together for a short time, they make the most of it.

Before Sunrise (1995) reminds us to treasure every second we have with the people we love.

Pay attention to the conversations these two strangers have in Before Sunrise and you’ll be inspired every time.

8. The Pianist

Wladyslaw Szpilman is one of the greatest pianists and composers of his time, but World War II forces tragedy upon him. This true story follows a musician through the depths of despair and the heights of triumph.

The Pianist (2002) is a moving drama that will inspire you to appreciate the gifts that you’ve been given.

Watch The Pianist when you need to see a story about hope.

9. Her

Our world exists in a constellation of networked devices, but what would happen if you fell in love with an AI? In Her (2013) a writer does just that, and then must grapple with the consequences.

Contemplate the nature of love and loneliness when you watch Her. Regardless of where you are in your life and relationships, this film will have an emotional impact.

Think about how you define love when you see Her.

10. White Oleander

When Astrid’s mother is convicted of murder, she goes into the foster system. She endures a series of trials as she learns to stand on her own.

White Oleander (2002) is a coming-of-age story that highlights the different approaches that people have to life. This film will help you appreciate the depth of the human experience through the eyes of a young girl.

View White Oleander to remember that everyone has a complicated story.

11. Billy Elliot

Billy, a boy from a working class family, discovers that he is a dancer. He must buck the traditional paradigm for males in his social class to pursue his dreams.

When you have a gift that you need to share with the world, people may try to hold you back. Billy Elliot (2000) is a reminder not to give up on our dreams.

Watch Billy Elliot whenever you need to feel inspired.

12. Spirited Away

A wrong turn leads Chihiro and her family into a world inhabited by beasts and spirits. Chihiro must figure out how to navigate this complicated world, and along the way, she finds out who she is.

Spirited Away (2001) is a beautifully animated story with a powerful message. Watch it whenever you face a challenge and put your life into perspective.

Get Spirited Away by this fantastic tale.

13. Princess Mononoke

A young man is caught between humans and the gods of the forest. He meets a fierce warrior, Princess Mononoke, who was raised by a wolf-god. After seeing the good that exists on both sides of the dispute, he does his best to negotiate for a peaceful outcome.

With so much divisiveness in the news today, it’s important to have movies like this to remind us that every conflict can be viewed through multiple lenses.

Watch Princess Mononoke whenever you need to think about the big picture.

14. Good Will Hunting

Will is a janitor at M.I.T. with a brilliant mind. Despite his intellect, he feels stuck with his lot in life. He befriends someone who pushes him to dream boldly.

Sometimes someone else’s belief in you can compel to to do great things, and sometimes, you can inspire others with your belief in them. This film is a reminder of the ways that we can lift each other up to achieve incredible things. Good Will Hunting (1997) is perfect any time that you need encouragement to dare greatly.

Get inspired with Good Will Hunting.

15. The Green Mile

The guards on death row deal with inmates that have been convicted of horrible crimes. They have to question all their assumptions about their prisoners when they meet John Coffey, a man with supernatural powers.

You can find magic in unexpected places in The Green Mile (1999). Watch this film any time you need to remember to find the beauty in dark times and withhold judgement until you have the full story.

Take an emotional journey when you see The Green Mile.

16. Schindler’s List

Schindler’s List (1993) is set during World War II. This film recounts the true story of a man who used his wit and resources to save over 1,100 Jews during the Holocaust.

Sometimes we are faced with challenges that seem insurmountable. Oskar Schindler defied all odds and risked his life for the sake of others. We need to see this story over and over so that we can remember to have hope in times of despair.

Watch Schindler’s List when you need to be reminded of the impact that one person can have on the world.

17. The Shawshank Redemption

When Andy is imprisoned for a crime he didn’t commit, he befriends an older inmate. They navigate the difficulties of the prison system together, and Andy hangs onto hope that he will be free again.

The Shawshank Redemption (1994) encourages viewers to “get busy living, or get busy dying.” It’s worth rewatching because it shows us that freedom is a state of mind, and that there’s power in hope.

See The Shawshank Redemption when you need to assess what it means to be free.

18. Life of Pi

When Pi’s ship full of exotic animals goes down, he must fight for survival. He escapes on a lifeboat with a surprise companion, and the two endure many trials together.

Life of Pi (2012) is a visually stunning survival story. We could always use a reminder to have hope in difficult situations, which makes re-watching this film a natural choice.

Watch Life of Pi a few times and you may have different interpretation of the story every time.

19. Inception

Dominic Cobb uses a technology called “inception” to steal secrets from people’s dreams. He’s an excellent thief, but if wants a shot at redemption, he has to pull off his most complicated mission yet.

Inception (2010) is a cerebral thrill-ride. Watch this more than once to get a clearer understanding of the distinction between dreams and reality.

Inception will keep you thinking about the subtle differences between perception and real world.

20. Shutter Island

A rookie U.S. Marshall, Teddy Daniels, takes a missing persons case at a mental hospital for the criminally insane. He encounters many challenges on Shutter Island as he and his partner work to locate the murderess.

This psychological thriller has more twists and turns than a country road. Shutter Island (2010) is the kind of film that you watch over and over to see what you missed on the first viewing.

Question if seeing is believing on Shutter Island.

21. Interstellar

When Earth is on the brink of becoming uninhabitable, an astronaut embarks on a mission to find humans a new home. He has to fight to complete his work to ensure the future of humanity.

Interstellar (2014) is a story that reminds us to have faith and continue to push forward, no matter how impossible the odds are. Quitting is not an option in this story, and we could all stand to be reminded of that once in a while.

The relations between humans, time and universe are what make Interstellar worth re-watching.

22. The Matrix

The Matrix (1999) is the science-fiction equivalent of Plato’s “Allegory of the Cave.” As the characters discover the nature of their existence, they must grapple with the age-old question, “Is ignorance really bliss?”

The Matrix is a classic, and not just because the special effects dazzled us when the film came out. We live in a world where most of our perceptions of others are based on an identity that they’ve constructed. This movie reminds you to question what you see.

Watch The Matrix for a mind-bending experience.

23. La La Land

An actress and a musician struggle to eek out their existence in LA. The journey toward success is paved with obstacles, and they have to work to define their dreams and what they mean to one another.

La La Land (2016) takes us into the lives of hungry performers trying to make it in their respective fields. We get insight into how brutal show business can be, and we see the importance of perseverance.

Watch La La Land to see what the path to success looks like.

Keep Replaying

All the films on this list have a great replayability factor. Each time you watch them, you’ll gain some insight or experience some aspect of the work anew.

Keep this list handy for your next movie night. You won’t go astray watching (and re-watching) these tried-and-true titles.

The post 23 Movies That Are Always Amusing No Matter How Many Times You Watch It appeared first on Lifehack.

from Viral News HQ http://ift.tt/2gBfE3W via Viral News HQ