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fearsmagazine · 3 years ago

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Screamfest Horror Film Festival Announces Initial Lineup for 21st Edition

Screamfest® Horror Film Festival, the largest and longest-running horror film festival in the United States, announced their first-wave lineup of competitive features and shorts for its 21st edition. Running October 12th through 21st at the TCL Chinese Theater, Screamfest® welcomes audiences back to the big screen for a collective experience they won’t soon forget. Tickets can be purchased here: https://screamfestla.com

The Retaliators will open Screamfest® LA on October 12th for its North American premiere with a red carpet prior to the screening. The film follows an upstanding pastor who uncovers a dark and twisted underworld as he searches for answers surrounding his daughter's brutal murder. Directed by Bridget Smith and Samuel Gonzalez Jr. and written by the Geare brothers, The Retaliators also features a high-octane original soundtrack and cameos from some of the biggest names in rock music, including Five Finger Death Punch, Tommy Lee, Papa Roach, The Hu, Ice Nine Kills, Escape The Fate, and more appear on screen. Marc Menchaca (Ozark), Michael Lombardi (Rescue Me), and Joseph Gatt (Game of Thrones) star in this horror-thriller which reveals a game of revenge played using a new set of rules.

Considered the "Sundance of Horror," Screamfest® is proud to showcase new work from independent filmmakers from across the globe. Highlights from this year’s program include the World Premieres of Father of Flies, the haunting tale of family life and the supernatural and Teddy Grennan’s Wicked Games where a long weekend at a country estate is turned into a nightmare when a group of masked intruders invades the property. Little do they know one guest has a surprise for them.

Four films will be making their North American debuts at the festival. In addition to The Retaliators, Richard Waters’s dark folk horror Bring Out The Fear traps its protagonists in an unsolvable maze where a sinister presence awaits; Clare Foley stars in the sci-fi horror The Changed where an alien presence takes possession of the hearts and minds of her city; and Isolation depicts nine tales of terror which are woven together as remote people work to survive an increasingly deadly outbreak.

US premieres at the festival include Russia’s #Blue_Whale produced by Timur Bekmambetov, which follows Dana as she works to uncover the truth behind her sister’s suicide; Argentina’s fantasy horror film Nocturna: Side A- The Great Old Man’s Night which depicts one old man’s journey to rethink his past and present and question his reality; and Kratt by Rasmus Berivoo in which children stumble upon an instruction manual to create a supernatural being.

West Coast premieres at the festival include a joint production between the US, Mexico, and Venezuela, Exorcism of God which follows an American priest working in Mexico who, due to a botched exorcism, carries a dark secret with him; hailing from Ireland, Let the Wrong One In dives into the complications of family ties when a vampire is discovered in the family; Erik Bloomquist follows twins who spend a night at a remote inn to investigate their missing father in Night at the Eagle Inn; North American distribution rights to the Argentinian The Returned (Los Que Vuelven) - which follows a woman in 1919 prays to a mythical deity to resurrect her stillborn son - were acquired in a new venture between Peter Block of A Bigger Boat and Seth Nagel, Scott Einbinder and Garrick Dion of 5X Media; What Josiah Saw explores a farmhouse haunted by the past; Alone With You stars Emily Bennett, Emma Myles, and fan-favorite Barbara Crampton in a twisted tale of memory and horror unfolding over a romantic homecoming for a distant girlfriend; and When I Consume You by Perry Blackshear where two siblings get more than they bargained for when hunting a shadowy stalker.

The festival will also feature a Special Presentation of Daniel Farrands’s Aileen Wuornos: American Boogeyman starring Peyton List and Lydia Hearst, which follows the notorious killer through a little known chapter of her life in Deland, Florida.

“After a challenging year for cinema, we are excited to return to our home at the TCL Chinese Theatre for our latest lineup of frights,'' says festival founder Rachel Belofsky. “While last year’s drive-ins allowed us to continue to celebrate horror films as a community, we have missed the magic of the traditional theatrical experience.”

Formed in August 2001 by film producer Rachel Belofsky, Screamfest Horror Film Festival is a female-run 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that gives filmmakers and screenwriters in the horror and science fiction genres a venue to have their work showcased in the film industry.

Please find the 2021 Screamfest feature line-up below:

Aileen Wuornos: American Boogeyman (US, 2021) - Special Presentation Written and Directed by Daniel Farrands Produced by Lucas Jarach, Daniel Farrands, Meadow Williams, Swen Temmel, Luke Daniels, Daniel Davila Executive Producer(s) Nicolas Chartier, Jonathan Deckter, Lydia Hearst, Alan Pao Cast Peyton List, Lydia Hearst, Tobin Bell, Nick Vallelonga, Swen Temmel, Meadow Williams, Andrew Biernat Based on a little-known chapter in the life of America's most notorious female serial killer, "Aileen Wuornos: American Boogeyman" takes place in 1976 when 21-year-old Aileen (Peyton List) arrives in Florida attempting to escape her tragic past. Soon she marries wealthy yacht club president Lewis Fell (Tobin Bell) who offers her the chance to become part of Florida's high society. Ultimately, the victimized Aileen surrenders to her murderous impulses and wreaks havoc on the peaceful seaside community of Deland, Florida.

Alone With You (US, 2021) - West Coast Premiere Directed by Emily Bennett & Josh Brooks Written by Emily Bennett & Josh Brooks Produced by Andrew D. Corkin & Theo James Cast Emily Bennett, Emma Myles (ORANGE IS THE NEW BLACK), Dora Madison (BLISS, VFX), and Barbara Crampton (RE-ANIMATOR, YOU'RE NEXT) Charlie (Emily Bennett) is setting the atmosphere in her sleek, two-story apartment in Brooklyn for a romantic homecoming for her distant girlfriend Simone (Emma Myles) who’s been away for work. There are past glimpses of visual tension between the two, so we’re led to feel that this meticulous setting of mood may be a peacemaking gesture. Enamored beyond all good sense, Charlie begins to experience a myriad of unsettling incidents, and the horrors of what has transpired are slowly revealed in the shards of Charlie’s resistant memory.

#Blue_Whale (Russia, 2021) - US Premiere Directed by Anna Zaytseva Written by Evgeniya Bogomyakova, Anna Zaytseva, Olga Klemesheva Produced by Timur Bekmambetov, Anna Shalashina, Igor Mishin Cast Anna Potebnya, Timofey Eleckii, Ekaterina Stulova, Diana Shulmina, Olga Pipchenko, Polina Vataga, Daniil Kiselev After her younger sister Julia commits suicide, troubled adolescent Dana decides to find out what led to her death. Examining her sister’s computer, Dana finds a secret chat group where adolescents are encouraged to kill themselves through a challenge called "Blue Whale". Dana’s investigation leads her ever closer to the truth, but to really discover what happened, she herself must play the deadly game. #blue_whale // #I_want_to_play_the_game is inspired by real events that happened in Russia in 2015 and 2017.

Bring Out The Fear (Ireland, 2021) - North American Premiere Written and Directed by Richard Waters Produced by Alison Scarff & Richard Waters Cast Ciara Bailey, Tad Morari, James Devlin Rosie and Dan are a couple in a doomed relationship. While taking a final walk in their favourite forest, they find it has trapped them in an unsolvable maze. The paths lead nowhere, the trees never end, the sun never sets, and a sinister presence stalks and torments them, trying to drive them insane... There is no escape. But what exactly are they hiding? This dark folk horror will leave you questioning what is real and what is malicious trickery.

The Changed (US, 2021) - North American Premiere Written and Directed by Michael Mongillo Produced by Taylor Warren and Eloise Asmuth Cast Clare Foley, Jason Alan Smith, Carlee Avers, Doug Tompos, introducing Olivia Freer, with Kathy Searle, and Tony Todd Something has taken possession of the hearts and minds of the populace. Kim (Clare Foley), Mac (Jason Alan Smith), and Jane (Carlee Avers) try to convince themselves it's paranoia, but before long the city is besieged by the changed. By the time they realize an alien intelligence has merged with their neighbor, Bill (Tony Todd), a horde of changed is amassing outside their suburban home.

Exorcism of God (US/Mexico/Venezuela, 2021) - West Coast Premiere Directed by Alejandro Hidalgo Written by Alejandro Hidalgo, Santiago Fernández Calvete Produced by Alejandro Hidalgo, Joel Seidl, Karim Kabche & Antonio Abdo Cast María Gabriela De Faría, Will Beinbrink, Joseph Marcell Peter Williams, an American priest working in Mexico, is considered a saint by many local parishioners. However, due to a botched exorcism, he carries a dark secret that's eating him alive until he gets an opportunity to face his own demon one final time.

Father of Flies (USA/UK, 2021) - World Premiere Directed by Ben Charles Edwards Written by Kirsty Bell Produced by Kirsty Bell, Phil McKenzie Cast Nicholas Tucci, Camilla Rutherford, Davi Santos, Page Ruth, Keaton Tetlow, Colleen Heidemann A haunting tale of family life. A vulnerable young boy finds his mother pushed out of the family home by a strange new woman, and he must confront the terrifying supernatural forces that seem to move in with her.

Isolation (US, 2021) - North American Premiere Directed by Larry Fessenden, Andrew Kasch, Dennie Gordon, Bobby Roe, Alix Austin & Keir Siewert, Christian Pasquariello, Alexandra Neary, Zach Passero, Adam Brown & Kyle I. Kelley Written by Larry Fessenden, Cody Goodfellow, Dennie Gordon, Zack Andrews & Bobby Roe, Kyle I. Kelley & Adam Brown, Keir Siewert, Zach Passero, Alexandrea Neary, Christian Pasquariello Produced by Nathan Crooker, James P. Gannon Cast Larry Fessenden, Dennie Gordon, Graham Denman, Damien Gerard, Bobby Roe Sunny Roe, Bodhi Roe, Adam Brown, Alix Austin, Hannah Passero Marieh Delfino, Alex Weed, Fine Belger, Hans Gurbig Woven together are nine tales of terror that follow isolated citizens from around the world as they confront their darkest fears in an attempt to survive an increasingly deadly outbreak.

Kratt (Estonia, 2020) - US Premiere Written and Directed by Rasmus Merivoo Produced by Rain Rannu, Tõnu Hiielaid Cast Mari Lill, Ivo Uukkivi, Jan Uuspõld, Paul Purga, Nora Merivoo, Harri Merivoo When children are left at Grandma's without smartphones they’re bored to tears. That is until Granny finds them loads to do. She also tells them about a magical creature named KRATT that’ll do whatever its master says. When they stumble upon an instruction on how to build one they don’t hesitate. All they have to do now is to buy a soul from the devil…

Let The Wrong One In (Ireland, 2021) - West Coast Premiere Written and Directed by Conor McMahon Produced by Trisha Flood, Ruth Treacy, Julianne Forde, Michael Lavelle Cast Karl Rice, Eoin Duffy, Anthony Head, Mary Murray Let the Wrong One In follows young supermarket worker Matt, who is a little too nice for his own good. When he discovers that his older, estranged brother Deco has turned into a vampire, he's faced with a dilemma: Will he risk his own life to help his sibling, with blood being thicker than water? Or will he stake him before he spreads the infection further? The film stars upcoming Irish talent Karl Rice and Eoin Duffy, along with Buffy the Vampire Slayer icon Anthony Head, in the role of Henry; a taxi driver with a sideline in vampire hunting.

Night at the Eagle Inn (US, 2021) - West Coast Premiere Directed by Erik Bloomquist Written by Erik Bloomquist, Carson Bloomquist Produced by Erik Bloomquist, Carson Bloomquist Cast Amelia Dudley, Taylor Turner, Beau Minniear, Greg Schweers, Erik Bloomquist Fraternal twins spend a terrifying night at a remote inn to investigate the last known whereabouts of their father. As they dive deeper, the property's dark secrets ensnare them in a hellish labyrinth they must escape before dawn.

Nocturna: Side A - The Great Old Man’s Night (Argentina, 2021) - US Premiere Directed by Gonzalo Calzada Written by Gonzalo Calzada Produced by Alejandro Narváez, Javier Diaz Cast - Pepe Soriano, Marina Artigas, Lautaro Delgado Synopsis - Ulysses is a hundred-year-old man, he lives alone and is on the verge of death. The last night of his life, he will experience something that will force him to rethink his past, his present and his view about his reality.

The Retaliators (US, 2021) - North American Premiere - OPENING NIGHT Directed by Bridget Smith, Samuel Gonzalez, JR. Written by The Geare Brothers Produced by Allen Kovac, Michael Lombardi, Mike Walsh Executive Producer(s) Dan Lieblein Cast Michael Lombardi, Marc Menchaca, Joseph Gatt, Jacoby Shaddix, Katie Kelly, Abbey Hefer, Ivan Moody, Zoltan Bathory In THE RETALIATORS, an upstanding pastor uncovers a dark and twisted underworld as he searches for answers surrounding his daughter's brutal murder. A high-octane original soundtrack and cameos from some of the biggest names in rock music set the tone as this horror-thriller reveals a game of revenge played using a new set of rules. Marc Menchaca (Ozark), Michael Lombardi (Rescue Me), and Joseph Gatt (Game of Thrones) star. Five Finger Death Punch, Tommy Lee, Papa Roach, The Hu, Ice Nine Kills, Escape The Fate, and more appear onscreen and on THE RETALIATORS Original Soundtrack, coming soon via Better Noise Music.

The Returned (Los Que Vuelven) (Argentina, 2021) - West Coast Premiere Directed by Laura Casabe Written by Laura Casabe, Paolo Soria, Lisandro Colaberardino Produced by Alejandro Israel Cast Maria Soldi, Lali Gonzalez, Alberto Ajaka South America, 1919; a landowner's wife is desperate for a child of her own, having suffered through multiple miscarriages. She finds hope, however, in a seemingly outlandish plan: she'll pray to a mythical deity to resurrect her stillborn son. The plan works, but along with the child comes something else...something evil.

What Josiah Saw (US, 2021) - LA Premiere Directed by Vincent Grashaw Produced by Ran Namerode, Vincent Grashaw, Bernie Stern, Angelia Adzic Executive Producer(s) Cole Payne, Scott Haze Written by Robert Alan Dilts Cast Robert Patrick, Nick Stahl, Scott Haze, Kelli Garner, Tony Hale, Jake Weber Everyone in town knows about the haunted Graham Farm on Willow Road. You'll hear there's a bad history to it. Josiah and his youngest son, Thomas, are all that remain of this estranged family. But after experiencing terrifying visions from beyond, Josiah decides they must change their ways to right a great wrong. After being away for over two decades, Eli and Mary, Josiah's eldest children, are enticed to sell the property and reunite at the old farmhouse in hopes of closing this haunting chapter of their lives for good. Sins of the past will be paid in full.

When I Consume You (US, 2021) - West Coast Premiere Written and Directed by Perry Blackshear Produced by MacLeod Andrews, Perry Blackshear, Evan Dumouchel, Libby Ewing Cast Libby Ewing, Evan Dumouchel, MacLeod Andres, Margaret Ying Drake Siblings Daphne and Wilson Shaw practically raised one another. They’ve protected each other from everything life has thrown their way. Daphne’s professional life is soaring and she’s looking to adopt a child. Wilson is interviewing for a position at a local school, hoping to become a teacher. But Daphne has an unsettling, dangerous stalker whom she can’t seem to shake, and now threatens to destroy them both. They hunt for their tormentor through the shadowy streets of Brooklyn, honing their bodies and minds for a showdown. But this foe may prove to be more than they can handle. They will break and rebuild themselves if necessary to save each other, and protect the light they know is in this world for them... if only they can persevere.

Wicked Games (US, 2021) - World Premiere Written and Directed by Teddy Grennan Produced by Bennett Krishock, Heath Franklin, Burton Gray, Teddy Grennan, Christopher Walters Cast Christine Spang, Markus Silbiger, Michael Shenefelt, Conner Ann Waterman When Harley joins her new boyfriend for a long Halloween weekend at his country estate, they're invaded by a bank of masked freaks and forced to play a Wicked Game. To the intruders' unpleasant surprise, Harley's hard-boiled history has endowed her with a bag of tricks which give the game a surprise ending.

Standing out as one of the top tastemakers in the genre of horror, Screamfest has been a launchpad for top tier franchises and storytellers. Among the numerous films that have been discovered and/or premiered at the festival include box office hit The Wretched, Tigers Are Not Afraid, We Summons the Darkness, Pledge, The Master Cleanse, Tragedy Girls, American Mary, Paranormal Activity, 30 Days of Night, Trick ‘r Treat, and The Human Centipede.

Screamfest selects award winners at the close of the festival. Film entries are accepted in the categories of Best Feature, Directing, Cinematography, Editing, Special Effects and Musical Score. In addition, there are special categories for Best Animation, Best Short, Best Documentary and Best Student Film as well as a Screenplay competition.

Screamfest® takes the health and safety of its guests seriously and proof of vaccination or negative COVID test with a temperature check will be required for entry. Masks are required at all times while inside the venue. Hand sanitizer stations are placed throughout the theater and lobby with special cleanings in between screenings. Screamfest® will comply with all LA County regulations and policies are subject to change.

For more information or the latest news, visit screamfestla.com

#film news #movie news #festival news #screamfest #selections #lineup #2021

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brieflygorgeouss · 5 years ago

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17 and 95

17. nothing is wrong with you & 95. i’m a mess (part two of this fic aka The Angst Fest™)

Here is another mistake Lucas makes — he goes on a date with the Glasses Guy.

Or maybe it’s not quite a mistake. Just a change. It happens easily enough, quickly enough for him not to dwell on it. It’s a nice change of pace. Lucas tells himself that that’s what he needs — someone new to spend time with, someone new to like, someone different, someone else, anyone else. And if his heart’s not in it, maybe things will change with time. He needs a while, is all. It’s okay.

Lucas is not miserable, or anything. Not exactly. He’s just been better.

The Glasses Guy’s name is actually Marc. The next time their paths cross at the library, Lucas says, ”This seat is not taken” when he sees him looking hopefully in his direction, and the smile he sends him this time is amiable where it used to be artificial. So Marc comes over and they chat for an hour, surprisingly easy, and Lucas leaves the library that day with a new number typed into his contacts and a possibility of something new coursing through his veins.

Marc is an astrophysics student and wears neon shirts that remind Lucas of highlighters, blue and green and orange, and he’s a little stiff and a little awkward, but Lucas writes that off as an initial shyness rather than anything else. Marc talks about his job at the science museum with an eerie sort of pride and his voice has a lilt to it that makes everything he says sound a little like a sing-song tune and he keeps complementing Lucas’s eyes and it’s…nice, Lucas guesses. It’s nothing like when Eliott does it — the prettiest blue I’ve ever seen, like Monet’s ”Water Lilies”, you know, he’d said once, and Lucas blushed furiously back then even though he’d never even seen the painting — but Marc is, Lucas quickly realises, apart from his warm smile and messy hair, nothing like Eliott at all.

Maybe that’s the point.

Lucas is honest with him from the start and tries to give him a chance. ”I’m just trying to get over someone,” he says at the end of their first date, does his best to keep the bitter feeling away from the words, because that’s only for him to deal with. ”Sorry. This whole thing might be a little slow.”

He doesn’t really expect it when the answer he gets is a crooked smile and a lazy-paced, ”Slow is alright.”

Because, see — Marc is nothing like Eliott, but maybe that’s not a bad thing. He is understanding and patient and kind, and Lucas thinks, at the end of their second, then their third date, that maybe he could learn to like him. Love him, one day. Maybe he could pluck the feelings for Eliott from his chest and plant them elsewhere, grow them into something different but still similar, something he wouldn’t have to hide. It would be nice, to not think about the sunlight in Eliott’s eyes and the warmth of Eliott’s smile and how he’d said, I wouldn’t be good for you, instead of I don’t love you like he should have.

And even when they kiss at the end of date three and there are no fireworks, no rush down his spine and no thrill, Lucas thinks, keeping his eyes closed, that it’s okay. He can work with that.

They are in a coffee shop on their fourth date, holding hands over the table and talking about how the barista messed up Marc’s order when Lucas hears from behind, ”Oh. Hi.”

And there it is. It’s a little ridiculous, really, how something in his chest curls into itself as he turns, but ridiculous seems to be one of his main traits, these days. Lucas knows this voice. Knows this person, and knows how the last time they’ve seen each other, he spit everything he felt out onto a dark street corner and then hauled up and left. It’s like watching a car crash, the rush-like feeling suddenly there in his mind, except he is in the car, too, and can’t stop it.

He thinks, with no real reason behind it, fast forward to now, fast forward, fast forward.

It’s Eliott, because of course it is. He looks exactly like he always does, tall and relaxed and in another one of his weirdly patterned shirt, white and grey mixing. His hair is in his eyes. There is nothing about him, really, that should make Lucas’s throat close or his head spin, but it all happens anyway, in smooth sequence, one, two, three. Rinse and repeat.

They haven’t talked at all, ever since Lucas left him standing on the sidewalk that night. There were no calls, no texts, no unexpected visits. Lucas was grateful for that, for a while, because isn’t that what he asked for, from Eliott — space, and time, and a chance to reinvent himself, become someone with less to give so that he could come back and, in a weird twist of reality, give Eliott exactly what he wanted?

And if he’s missed Eliott all this time, so fucking much, then that’s on him. If he thought about the art Eliott had shown him, the feeling of his hand in his own, about alternate universes and better endings and about a different Lucas and a different Eliott, together, somewhere, then that’s on him only.

”Hi,” he says.

Eliott is looking at him. His eyes flit all over Lucas’s face like he can’t decide where to look at all, or like there’s too much to look at and too little time. Lucas watches as a hesitant smile blooms on Eliott’s face, corners of his mouth lifting just so, timid in a way Lucas isn’t used to seeing.

”How are you?” Eliott says, and the sound of his voice matches the smile, coy. Hopeful, maybe. Lucas can’t decide.

Something is starting to take roots in his chest again, right there behind his sternum. He knew it would happen the moment he saw Eliott again, but there he is anyway, stupidly surprised at the feeling, like a child that forgot about their own birthday with a gift being pushed into their hands, and just a little dazed at the sight of Eliott right here in front of him, and happy and worried and unsure all at once. It’s all there.

But he tries to swallow it down.

”I’m okay.” It comes out a little stiff, more than he intended, but once the words are out there, there’s not much he can do. He takes a breath. ”And you?”

For a second, Eliott looks like he’s expecting something more. He’d get it, too, if it was a different time and a different place. Lucas would start to complain about his lukewarm coffee, maybe, or say, come on, sit down, and launch into a story about something irrelevant, and Eliott would listen, amused, draw something on a napkin for him, or on his coffee cup, a silly little thing Lucas would spend the rest of the day thinking about, wondering if it meant something more than it really did.

But that’s—not them anymore. That’s not them yet. Lucas can’t afford to let the lines get blurred again. He thinks, despite himself, anew, I’m sorry.

”Yeah, I’m—” is what Eliott says after a moment of pause, ”Yeah, me too,” and then his eyes shift to somewhere beside Lucas. To Marc.

Oh.

Lucas blinks a few times. The world starts spinning again.

”Who’s your friend here?” Eliott asks and redirects his smile as it turns from timid into merely polite. Marc smiles back at him in the same manner and Lucas watches it happen with a weird notion in his gut, feeling like a character in one of those cliché romantic comedies Mika likes so much. And because he’s watching Eliott’s face, he catches the exact moment his eyes slide from Marc’s face down to his and Lucas’s hands still clasped together, to their intertwined fingers and the touch that’s still new but growing comfortable.

Something flickers in Eliott’s eyes. Lucas fights the sudden urge to move his hand away from Marc’s but only loosens his hold in the end.

”Marc,” Marc introduces himself before Lucas can. It’s friendly, but then Eliott is suddenly flitting his gaze from Marc to Lucas and then back and his smile gets a little weaker, grows a little stiff around the edges as if someone just pinned it in place to keep it there.

The thing is — Eliott is not stupid. It is a clear message. Lucas keeps looking at him and keeps thinking, this is me moving on, this is me doing what I promised I’d do. He doesn’t know, really, why Eliott’s relaxed posture suddenly turns into closed angles and tight shoulders, even if it’s subtle enough of a change for no-one else to notice, probably. Lucas sees anyway, like he sees everything about Eliott, all the time. It’s just what he does.

”Nice to meet you,” Marc provides after a few seconds of suddenly weird silence. Eliott’s gaze catches on his face and stays there. There’s something in it that Lucas isn’t sure about, like when clouds gather in the sky and you can’t tell if it’s going to rain or not, even when the world gets darker and darker.

But everything Eliott says is, ”Yeah. You too.”

”Marc, this is Eliott,” Lucas cuts in, and it makes Eliott look at him again. Lucas holds his gaze. ”He’s an old friend.”

He wants to backtrack, for a second. Wants to say, he’s more than that, because it’s the truth and that’s what Eliott seems to be pointing at with way he holds himself, unsure but wind up, with a strange tightness of his jaw and piercing gaze. Eliott is more than that, so, so much more, but he is also less, at the same time. It’s what Lucas gets, he guesses, after being so greedy before, after overshooting the mark, hoping to get something that was never his to take.

Out of the corner of his eye, he sees Marc shift a little awkwardly in his chair. The sudden tension that Eliott brought with him is, he guesses, impossible to miss. ”Cool,” Marc says, a feeble attempt at remaining casual. Lucas untangles their fingers, tells himself that it’s because his hand is getting stiff. ”How long have you known each other?”

”Oh,” Eliott says at that before Lucas can answer, and then his smile flickers like candlelight and turns into something else. Something wistful, for a nick of time, but then Lucas blinks and the thing’s gone from Eliott’s expression, whatever it was, as quick to vanish as it was to appear. ”We sure do have some history.”

It’s neither here nor there. Lucas’s chest tightens, minutely, and he just keeps looking and looking at Eliott’s expression, strange like a puzzle game that’s missing a piece, and Eliott keeps looking back.

Then, he says, ”I should go.”

Lucas feels his eyes on him as he moves his hand farther away from Marc’s, puts it in his lap. It’s not an admission, but it feels like it, in a way. ”Yeah,” he says, and that feels like a confession, too. He swallows. ”You probably should.”

So Eliott goes. Lucas looks at his back until he pushes the door of the coffee shop open and then closed, gets out of sight.

He only turns his eyes away when Marc says, suddenly, quieter than he usually is, ”So. Is he the one…you’re getting over?”

It’s not what Lucas expects to hear, but he doesn’t ask how he knew. It wasn’t that hard to figure out, maybe, with the way Lucas only had eyes for Eliott the second he noticed him, like a fucking idiot. Not hard to figure out when Eliott kept looking like that and smiling like that and being how he always is.

”Yeah,” he admits on a sigh. He’s been honest from the start, after all. For a change. ”I’m sorry, that— that was weird.”

Marc is quiet for a while, after that. His eyes are cast down. He’s curled his fingers into a loose fist, and Lucas thinks about taking his hand back in his own but doesn’t do it. He doesn’t think about a reason, even when Marc finally lifts his gaze and meets eyes with Lucas.

”I think…he might still be in love with you.”

And Lucas—stares.

It’s like a punch to the stomach, a little, and a lot like a very weird misunderstanding. He’s aware of the seconds passing by, and of the sounds of the coffee shop rush hour still there in the background, but he can’t—make a noise, suddenly. He feels like he has a punctured lung, with how difficult it is to take a breath.

”No, you—” he hears himself say eventually, ”you’ve got it wrong, he never—”

Marc shrugs.

”I’m just saying what I saw,” he mutters, and then turns his eyes away again.

Later at night, after Lucas turns the lights in his room off, after Mika shouts a ”goodnight” from his own bedroom for everyone else to hear, after the world gets darker and softer and a little less real, Lucas gets into bed and closes his eyes and doesn’t sleep for a long time.

He and Marc parted ways on a kind of awkward note, and Lucas’s phone has been silent ever since. It’s not like he’s expecting anything, really. Not after what happened, and not after what Marc told him, in a quiet voice and a little like a question Lucas would rather not answer just yet. But he stares at the phone anyway, a dark shape on his nightstand, right next to the lamp. If he tried hard enough, or waited a few minutes longer for his eyes to adjust, he could probably make out the sticker of a tiny hedgehog on his phone case, right there in the left corner, a little faded and worn out but here all the same.

He got it from Eliott. It was such a long time ago that he doesn’t even remember why Eliott gave it to him in the first place, but maybe there was no occasion at all. Eliott is like that, he thinks. It’s just him.

”It reminded me of you,” Eliott told him, back then, trying to wink at him and failing, and Lucas remembers his heart doing something weird, remembers trying to cover it up with mock-offence and pretend.

”I told you it’s not my fault I’m shorter than you,” he’d said, flipping Eliott off, which only made Eliott laugh. He’d taken the phone from Lucas’s hands, grinning wide, their fingers brushing, and he was probably completely unaware of how Lucas’s chest was suddenly too tight for his heart, how he had to fight another stupid blush from creeping onto his face.

”That’s not what I mean,” Eliott told him, inspecting the phone case as if a generic all-black plastic it was made of was somehow interesting for him. ”It’s because you’re very defensive and don’t let people get close easily, but you’re also very cute once you finally let someone in. You know?” and then, before Lucas’s overworked heart could decide on a response and his dazzled mind could come up with something to say, Eliott had already stuck the sticker onto his phone and was pushing the device back into Lucas’s loose grip, and then he was smiling at him again, saying, ”There you go, Lu.”

And as Lucas lies there in the dark, staring at his silent phone, his heart suddenly heavy at 1 in the morning, he thinks, fuck Eliott. Fuck him. Fuck him for being so unfair, for doing things he never had any right to do, for being so sweet and so nice and so kind through and through, with his smiles and his gifts and his attention.

Lucas thinks about picking his phone up from the nightstand and calling Marc. About telling him, I wanted to hear your voice, or sorry about today, or anything, really, just for the sake of it. He thinks he should — they are almost official, after all, four dates and a few perfectly nice kisses in, holding hands in coffee shops, sitting next to each other close enough for their knees to brush.

And then he thinks about how Eliott looked at him earlier, about his shy smile and hopeful gaze and how the world faded around the edges, the second their eyes met.

Love is not a decision. He knows that. But other things are, maybe.

Lucas doesn’t call.

Another throwback, just because — the night they talked about the confession, after Eliott said, ”Do you know what it’s like to be told that by someone like you?” and after Lucas made up his mind and got up from the ground to finally go home, after he’d said, ”We’ll figure it out,” Eliott said one more thing.

”It’s a goddamn honour, Lucas,” he’d told him. In the night air, the words sounded very raw. Lucas had turned to him, then, feeling a little dizzy and very tired and sad, overall, but still covering it up. The trick of the light in Eliott’s eyes settled, then solidified. ”To be loved by you. You, of all people.”

His fifth date with Marc begins with an awkward kiss on the cheek and ends with a break-up.

It’s very simple, really. In the end, there’s not much to say.

”I think your heart is not in it,” Marc tells him, looking a little defeated and a little disappointed, but not too hurt. That, at least, is a good thing. ”I think your heart is somewhere else.”

And what is Lucas supposed to say to that, exactly?

So they just…part ways. The ending comes like the beginning came, not anticipated but still there, and Lucas finds himself not feeling much at all, then. It’s awful of him, maybe. Probably, even. Maybe he should have tried harder, or should have been more stubborn, maybe he should have said, my heart is right there, what do you mean? and fight.

But the truth is — Lucas is tired of fighting. Tired of fighting himself, and Eliott, and everyone around, of fighting Imane’s soft glances and Basile’s unsubtle remarks and Yann’s too-kind questions and there is not much strength in him, really, there’s never been, despite what everyone else always thinks. So he doesn’t fight. Sometimes, that’s just how it is.

”I’m sorry,” he only says, at the end of it all, and if Marc was hoping for a different answer, it doesn’t show on his face. ”I’m a mess.”

Marc sighs, but then he’s shrugging, aiming for nonchalance, and Lucas takes it as such with a small flicker of relief behind his sternum.

”That’s okay, I guess,” Marc tells him, in his highlighter-like t-shirt and with his round glasses and dark brown eyes. ”Aren’t we all?”

The rest goes like this — he doesn’t know how the hell the boys find out that he’s freshly broken up with, but somehow they do, and they keep harassing him in the group chat to come over to Yann’s on Friday to ”drink the sadness away”. In all honesty, Lucas is not really sad. But maybe he is a little weary, and a little sick of going back and forth between what he’s feeling and who he’s feeling it for, and a little tired.

So he goes.

Yann’s apartment, when he gets there, is already full of people he’s never met before and loud music and booze, whiskey and vodka and beer, mostly the cheap, nasty kind, but Lucas barely drinks anything anyway. Arthur and Basile are having a karaoke battle in the corner of the living room, and it’s horrifying. At one point, he spots Emma and Daphné dancing together. It is almost fun, he thinks as he pushes past people to get to the kitchen, his red solo cup empty but his mind still clear. It’s not bad.

Eliott is here, too. It is, Lucas guesses, nobody’s fault. He spots him on the way, near the balcony, where he is talking to Idriss and Sofiane and a couple of other people Lucas doesn’t know, and again — Lucas is tired. Exhausted, just a little bit.

That’s why he allows himself a second of leeway, then. He leans against the doorframe and looks, for a moment, again, at the contour of Eliott’s profile, at how his shirt is loose on his shoulders, and catches the exact moment Eliott throws his head back and laughs at something, free and pretty, with his hair sticking to his forehead and his skin glistening in the lights.

Lucas turns his head away.

There is something, he thinks in the back of his head as he steps into the kitchen where it is less crowded and less suffocating, about standing in a room full of people and only really looking at one person.

He stays in the kitchen for a while. People keep coming and going, vanishing into the crowd like it’s an ocean, and Lucas watches it all from where he’s perched on the kitchen counter right next to the sink. He pours tap water into his slightly mistreated plastic cup and just sits and listens to bits of conversations as people pass him by, watches as the night gets darker and darker outside the window.

He doesn’t know how Eliott finds him, but it happens.

If it was in a different time, he would have thought that it’s a sign, maybe. See, Lucas used to read into it a lot, and build his high hopes on it — on how he and Eliott always seemed to gravitate towards each other, about how often they ended up huddled somewhere together, about how easy it’s always been to find Eliott in a crowd. Lucas has spent countless parties watching how Eliott turned people’s heads, how they followed him with their eyes, and used to flush happily at the fact that he was the one Eliott always sought out in the end. But it never meant anything. Still doesn’t.

That’s fine.

But Eliott finds him, anyway. Something passes over his face when he notices him, but it is quick to vanish, and then he’s walking over to where Lucas is sitting. Lucas tries to ignore the way his throat tightens a little at that and braces himself, on autopilot, for a confrontation, because that’s all they’ve been doing, lately, as much as he wished things were different.

But it doesn’t happen.

Eliott only fills a glass with water from the tap, instead, keeps his eyes on it and doesn’t say a word. Lucas just sits there next to him and barely moves himself. The noises of the party and other people’s chatter fade away into the background, somewhere far, mix with the clinking of glasses and bursts of laughter. Lucas thinks, I’d leave, if I were drunk, but he isn’t. So he doesn’t go.

He notices, almost involuntarily, that Eliott must be a little nervous if the way he fiddles with the tap is anything to go by.

”So, uhm,” is the first thing Eliott says to him after a drawn-out moment, after he’d filled his glass to the brim and put it on the counter and didn’t drink a drop from it, ”where’s your guy?”

For a second, Lucas doesn’t know what to say. Eliott sounds like Lucas is feeling — unsure and weird and muted, kind of, too quiet for the setting they’re in. Lucas isn’t used to that, from Eliott. It makes something in his chest stir.

He decides to go with, ”Not here.”

It’s a little too curt and Eliott flinches just slightly, then fiddles with his glass. He says, ”Oh. Okay.”

They’re quiet for a moment again. There are shouts coming from the direction of the living room, then someone turns the music down a bit, but Eliott doesn’t turn to check what’s happening, so Lucas doesn’t either. They stay as they are — close but also miles apart, hesitant, hovering. In another universe, it crosses his mind, maybe that’s how they met — at a party, in Yann’s kitchen, talking about something silly right there by the sink, without the mess of Lucas’s bundled up feelings to fuck it up even before it started.

Lucas takes a breath, tries to push whatever it is in his chest down and away before saying, softer this time, ”We’re not together. Anymore.”

Eliott turns his head at that, sharp, surprised. It’s the first time tonight that he looks Lucas right in the face and his eyes are huge, coloured dark with the scant light in the room. He looks like he’s waiting for Lucas to continue, maybe, just for a second, but Lucas doesn’t really have anything else to give, so he just shrugs. It feels like a capitulation of sorts. Like armistice.

Eliott asks, eventually, with something in his voice, ”Why?”

You know why, Lucas thinks. You know.

But he doesn’t say it.

He just shrugs again, helpless. It is how it is. There is nothing to explain, really, because he’s tried that already and failed, time and time again. It must show on his face, or Eliott is just looking for it, because when Lucas doesn’t say anything, he tells him, ”I’m sorry to hear that.”

Are you, is what Lucas wants to say at first, but it wouldn’t be fair, because Eliott sounds like he always does, infuriatingly kind. Don’t be wouldn’t be right also. He chews through all the words on his tongue and chooses carefully in the end, puts every ounce of lightness he has left in him when he says, ”I don’t think I need your drunk apologies, Eliott.”

Eliott clicks his tongue. ”I’m not drunk,” he says, and yeah, Lucas knew that already. They’re probably the only sober people at the party. And then Eliott says, ”Even though I don’t think he was right for you, I’m still sorry.”

And that—that’s not fair. That’s not fair.

The thing behind Lucas’s sternum grows, suddenly, makes it difficult to breathe. His chest is too tight for his heart. He grips the counter with such force that it digs into his palms and then he holds on, holds on.

He says, ”I don’t need your approval, either, you know.”

Eliott straightens up at that. Like this, Lucas sitting on the counter, they’re almost the same height. At least that, Lucas guesses, is fair when not much else isn’t, because here they are again, almost-arguing, even when he wished and hoped for it not to happen anyway. He thinks, how many more times.

”I know that,” Eliott is saying in the next moment, like an apology, but Lucas doesn’t want it. He doesn’t want another “I’m sorry” and “Don’t do this”. He doesn’t want that. Eliott can take it all back. ”I just meant—”

”I don’t care what you meant,” he cuts in. The counter is solid under his hands. ”I don’t care, Eliott. Do you really think I want your opinion on this?” And then, ”Am I supposed to be unrequitedly in love with you forever? Is that what you want?”

Eliott deflates, then. His facade drops steadily, just a little, and for once he isn’t smiling, and Lucas doesn’t know if it’s for better or worse. Eliott’s smile is the thing he loves the most, really, but recently, even the thought of it has only made him want to cry.

”No, that’s not what I want,” Eliott says finally. His eyes are gentle. He is looking right at Lucas, and Lucas thinks that it is, somehow, very brave. ”I want you to be happy. That’s all. It’s all I want.” And then, when Lucas doesn’t say anything to that, Eliott asks, quietly, ”Aren’t you going to ask why?”

Lucas wants to. He really does. But he is scared of questions, at this point, and of answers he hoped for that never came, of getting his heart broken again and again, of breaking it all by himself with how naive and stupid it is. He is angry at Eliott and mad at himself and why, why did Eliott even come here in the first place?

That’s why he says, ”I don’t think I want to know anymore,” and then, not giving Eliott the time to make him question this decision as well, Lucas adds, ”Please, can you just— can you just go?”

Eliott does, even though his eyes look sad.

It is another thing Lucas loves him for.

And then, later, as he’s stumbling home at 2 in the morning, he gets a text.

i’m at your apartment building, Lucas reads, squinting, i really need to talk to you.

And then, ten seconds after that, as if hesitating, Eliott sends, please.

”Hi,” is what Eliott says when Lucas gets there ten minutes later, already weirdly uneasy. ”Um— you haven’t answered my text?“

Lucas hasn’t. He doesn’t know what he was supposed to write anyway, because ”of course” was too vulnerable and ”i don’t want to see you” was not true, not entirely. So he just came, instead. He doesn’t know how long Eliott has been standing here on the street already, but he looks like he’s been here for a while — his hair is windswept and he’s kind of hunched, hands in his pockets, and he’s looking at Lucas through the dark. For a moment, Lucas just kind of looks back at him.

”What are you doing here?” he says at last. It comes out a little rough.

”I have— something to say,” Eliott says, then licks his lips a little like he does when he’s unsure of something. ”I wanted to talk.”

About what, Lucas wants to ask at first, but it would be a little rude. Talk, then would, too. He’s not sure if he’s ready to listen to whatever it is that Eliott has to say to him, but then again, maybe the sooner he deals with it, the better. Eliott’s listened to him, after all, the first time around, then the second. How much worse can it get, right.

”Let’s go inside, then.”

”Actually, I would — can we talk here?”

Lucas frowns. It’s almost completely dark here, outside, and kind of creepy with the only source of light being a streetlamp, and even though the day was warm, the night really isn’t. ”Why?”

Eliott sends him a strange half-smile. ”If we’re in public, you’re less likely to punch me when I’m done talking.”

In public, he says, even though there’s hardly anyone around. Lucas is not sure if it’s a bad joke to ease the weird tension between them or just Eliott being himself. It’s hard to tell, sometimes. ”Are you serious?”

In response, Eliott runs a hand through his hair. Lucas doesn’t think he’s aware of the gesture. ”Yeah? I don’t know. I’m kind of nervous.”

”Eliott, what is this about?”

Eliott looks up at him from where he’s been staring at the ground. He’s biting at his lip again. But there’s a firm set to his jaw, now, and something unyielding about the way he holds himself. His eyes lock with Lucas’s and then stay.

”Lucas, listen, I—” he starts, but then shakes his head, as if correcting himself. ”I’m gonna start at the beginning. This is going to be a mess, I’m sorry.”

What is going to be a mess, Lucas wants to ask, here in front of his apartment building, standing in the darkness, feeling a little unsettled, but then Eliott breathes in and starts talking.

”When you confessed, months ago,” he starts, and Lucas’s heart aches a little at the memory, still, ”I— didn’t see that coming at all. Looking back at it now, maybe I should have. Maybe a smarter person would have seen it. But I didn’t at the time, and I was— I was very blindsided. I panicked. I panicked and I turned you down because I didn’t want everything to change between us so suddenly, you know — which was fucking stupid, because I should have known it would change anyway.”

Lucas opens his mouth, but no sound comes out. Eliott looks down again, swallows, and then goes on.

”I told myself I wasn’t the right person for you, and I still kind of think that. You deserve someone brave, Lucas, and good and kind, and I’m not—there are so many things that are wrong with me. There’s so much.” A breath, a pause. ”And I was a coward, I was scared of talking to you at first, and then I was scared of what I was feeling, and you were so sad. You were— so sad, I made you so sad, but you were trying to make your peace, you were trying so hard, and I thought — if I were right for you, I would have never made you go through such a thing. But I’m selfish, and I’m a shitty person, so I did. I thought—”

Eliott still isn’t looking at him. Lucas can feel his heart in his throat, his pulse hammering in his head. It’s not that cold, really, but he feels like he’s freezing. It’s—

And Eliott’s saying, ”I thought I could fix it, you know. On my own terms, because that’s how I am, trying to cover my own ass when I’m not even the one hurt. I thought I had time, that I could show you slowly, find a way to make you see that I—yeah. Take you out somewhere, show you some paintings, or maybe invite you over, or say that I miss you and that you’re important to me, all those things. Those are all true,” he says, ”but aren’t the things I should be telling you.”

Lucas’s lungs feel too small, all of a sudden. ”Eliott,” he manages at last. He doesn’t know what’s happening. ”What—”

”And then you were suddenly moving on, already with someone else, and I saw you and just—” Eliott shakes his head like he’s frustrated with himself.“ I was running out of time, but it would be so unfair to take all the effort you put into rebuilding our friendship and just throw it out the window—”

Lucas more feels than hears himself speak. ”Eliott,” he says, feeling kind of numb. ”What are you—”

”I know those are all shitty excuses,” Eliott cuts him off. Lucas can’t remember the last time he’s seen him struggle with words so much. ”And I’m really sorry. But I don’t have any better ones.” He breathes in, breathes out. “I was scared and confused and selfish and I’m so sorry, Lu.” And then, outside of Lucas’s apartment building, in the dark, Eliott tells him, lifting his head up, ”I’m in love with you. I have been in love with you for a while, but I’m scared that I’m too late, now.” And then, quieter, ”Please tell me if I’m too late.”

And Lucas is— quiet. Very still. For what feels like a very long moment.

This is what it feels like when streams freeze over in the winter, he thinks numbly. His heart is beating so fast, but it feels like there’s no oxygen in his brain. He keeps looking at Eliott and keeps repeating his words in his head, but they barely make any sense. They barely make sense.

”Why didn’t you say anything,” is the first thing that finally comes to him, so that’s what he says. Lucas feels, for the second time tonight, a lot like someone just socked him in the face. The words feel foreign in his mouth, like he’s speaking some made-up language. ”Why didn’t you say something sooner?”

Eliott winces, kind of.

”What was I supposed to say, Lucas?” he asks, and he sounds weird. Breathless, like he never does. He sounds like Lucas feels. ”When you were sitting there with a different guy, looking more at peace than I’ve seen you look in months? More yourself than I’ve seen you look in a while?” A sigh. ”There’s no good way to bring something like that up, and you didn’t talk to me at all and…” When Lucas looks at him again, he’s looking back. ”I don’t blame you. I don’t. I understand — you were so brave, and all I had to do was say like, two words, and I didn’t even manage that because I was scared. That’s not okay.”

”No,” Lucas says, still dazed. ”No, that’s not okay.”

”Yeah,” Eliott says, smiling a little now, but it’s not a happy smile. It’s self-deprecating, tilted, heartbreaking, just a little. Lucas wants to wipe it off of his face. ”If I’m too late, I understand. If you don’t— want this, anymore.”

And Lucas thinks, God, dear God, and, dazed and with his heart in his throat, with the rush of blood in his head, he takes two steps and kisses him.

It’s a little graceless, at first. Eliott’s breath catches when their lips meet, and Lucas’s whole body still feels kind of numb. His own pulse is everything he can hear. But then Eliott cups his face, thumb stroking his cheekbone, and Lucas tilts his head and their lips slide together and they’re kissing. They’re kissing. He grips Eliott’s jacket, Eliott lets him press closer and they’re kissing, sweet and dizzying and warm and Lucas just lets it happen. Lets Eliott kiss him and lets himself kiss back, again and again until time goes a little wobbly. Until he runs out of breath.

”You’re such an asshole,” is the first thing Lucas says when they part, words shaky. He grips Eliott’s jacket tighter. ”You’re the biggest fucking idiot I’ve ever met.”

He can feel the warmth of Eliott’s breaths on his skin.

”I know,” Eliott says, a low sound. He is holding himself very still. ”I’m the biggest idiot I’ve ever met, too.”

And Lucas leans in again and kisses him, feeling angry and relieved and nervous and happy and a little like he’s dreaming, too. All those things, all at once. It blooms in his chest like a garden, and he is full of it.

Eliott keeps kissing back. He keeps kissing back as Lucas moves his hands from the front of Eliott’s jacket to his shoulders, keeps kissing back as Lucas deepens the kiss and as Lucas’s breath catches. Eliott kisses his bottom lip, his top lip, holds Lucas’s face in his hands and the touch is so gentle it’s almost cautious and they keep kissing. Lucas shivers, doesn’t know if it’s from the chilly wind or from something else entirely.

Then someone across the street cheers loudly, screams what sounds like a tipsy ”Go get some!” and Lucas can’t help the grin that breaks out at that, spills all over his features, feeling so dumb and so young and jittery. Eliott kisses the corner of his mouth, once, twice, again. His lips are warm.

”I’m so angry at you,” Lucas tells him because he is, he should be, will be later, but right now he’s also something else. Eliott’s ears are just slightly red, and the tip of his nose as well. His lips are red, too, but that’s from kissing. That’s because they kissed. It happened. ”But I understand, I think. Love is scary.”

”Yeah,” Eliott says, and then, in an attempt at lightening the mood, or maybe out of genuine concern, ”Does this mean you’re not going to punch me?”

”I haven’t decided yet.”

”Okay,” he says, low, tender like a bruise, then adds, ”That’s alright.”

And see — Eliott loves him. Lucas thought he knew what it was like to love someone, before. His parents, all his friends, Yann and Mika and Lisa and Manon, and then Eliott, too. But maybe he was a little bit wrong. He was wrong about many things, apparently.

Eliott’s still cupping Lucas’s face in his palms. His hands are shaking a little, either from the nerves or from the cold. Lucas covers Eliott’s hands with his own, because that is, apparently, something he can do, now.

”Just for the record,” he says, then, because it feels important that Eliott knows, ”nothing is wrong with you. Okay? There is nothing wrong with you, Eliott.” And then, he smiles just a little, hoping it looks like an encouragement. ”And if there’s anything wrong with you, then there must be something wrong with me as well. We are both a mess, me and you.” He catches Eliott’s gaze. ”Alright?“

And Eliott looks at him, open and vulnerable and so, so stupid, silly and kind and everything in between, and turns his head, kisses the inside of Lucas’s palm, presses his smile into Lucas’s skin, and says, ”Alright.”

A throwback to a different time and a different place: Lucas’s heart is in his throat and he keeps thinking, love is terrifying. He keeps staring at his own hands. He feels young and silly, just a little damaged, a little out of place and frail. He’s in love and keeps thinking, I made a mistake. What if I made a mistake?

Fast forward to now: it was the right universe all along.

It’s all okay.

#elu #elu fic #skam france #skamfr #elu fanfic #td #my writing #part 2!! angstfest is done #my internet connection is killing me #asks #anon

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seeking-star-wars · 5 years ago

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Obi-wan Kenobi Reading List

Below the cut is a list of books that Obi-wan Kenobi appears in. The list is in chronological order using the Canon timeline from Wookieepedia, with the title of the book, author of the book, a brief synopsis of the book, and a link to the book on Amazon. The Amazon link takes you to Kindle option, but you can select physical or audiobook from the same page.

Some books focus on Obi-wan specifically, in some he’s a supporting character, and in some, he only appears briefly or as a memory.

Age of Republic - Heroes

by Jody Houser, Ethan Sacks, Marc Guggenheim, Cory Smith, Leinil Francis Yu, Paolo Villanelli, Casper Wijngaard

Collects Star Wars: Age of Republic - Anakin Skywalker 1, Star Wars: Age of Republic - Obi-Wan Kenobi 1, Star Wars: Age of Republic - Padme Amidala 1, Star Wars: Age of Republic - Qui-Gon Jinn 1; material from Star Wars: Age of Republic Special 1. This is the Age of Star Wars — an epic series of adventures uniting your favorite characters from all three trilogies! Join the greatest heroes of the Old Republic. Witness the moments that define them, the incredible battles that shaped them — and their eternal conflict between light and darkness! Maverick Jedi Knight Qui-Gon Jinn is known to bend the rules — but a mission gone awry forces him to confront his conflicting beliefs! Anakin Skywalker has a chance to strike a devastating blow to the separatist cause. Will he choose the darker path or hold true to the Jedi code? Padmé Amidala sets out on a secret mission! Obi-Wan Kenobi, Master Jedi, takes on an apprentice. Will his mission alongside his young Padawan bring them closer together or sow the seeds that will drive them apart? Plus: Mace Windu, Captain Rex...and Jar Jar Binks!

Master & Apprentice

by Claudia Gray

A Jedi must be a fearless warrior, a guardian of justice, and a scholar in the ways of the Force. But perhaps a Jedi’s most essential duty is to pass on what they have learned. Master Yoda trained Dooku; Dooku trained Qui-Gon Jinn; and now Qui-Gon has a Padawan of his own. But while Qui-Gon has faced all manner of threats and danger as a Jedi, nothing has ever scared him like the thought of failing his apprentice. Obi-Wan Kenobi has deep respect for his Master, but struggles to understand him. Why must Qui-Gon so often disregard the laws that bind the Jedi? Why is Qui-Gon drawn to ancient Jedi prophecies instead of more practical concerns? And why wasn’t Obi-Wan told that Qui-Gon is considering an invitation to join the Jedi Council—knowing it would mean the end of their partnership? The simple answer scares him: Obi-Wan has failed his Master. When Jedi Rael Averross, another former student of Dooku, requests their assistance with a political dispute, Jinn and Kenobi travel to the royal court of Pijal for what may be their final mission together. What should be a simple assignment quickly becomes clouded by deceit, and by visions of violent disaster that take hold in Qui-Gon’s mind. As Qui-Gon’s faith in prophecy grows, Obi-Wan’s faith in him is tested—just as a threat surfaces that will demand that Master and apprentice come together as never before, or be divided forever.

Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace

Adaptation by Terry Brooks

A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away, an evil legacy long believed dead is stirring. Now the dark side of the Force threatens to overwhelm the light, and only an ancient Jedi prophecy stands between hope and doom for the entire galaxy. On the green, unspoiled world of Naboo, Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn and his apprentice, Obi-Wan Kenobi, arrive to protect the realm’s young queen as she seeks a diplomatic solution to end the siege of her planet by Trade Federation warships. At the same time, on desert-swept Tatooine, a slave boy named Anakin Skywalker, who possesses a strange ability for understanding the “rightness” of things, toils by day and dreams by night—of becoming a Jedi Knight and finding a way to win freedom for himself and his beloved mother. It will be the unexpected meeting of Jedi, Queen, and a gifted boy that will mark the start of a drama that will become legend. Features a bonus section following the novel that includes a primer on the Star Wars expanded universe, and over half a dozen excerpts from some of the most popular Star Wars books of the last thirty years, plus a brand-new Darth Maul short story by New York Times bestselling author James Luceno!

Obi-wan & Anakin, Complete

by Charles Soule and Marco Checchetto

Collects Obi-Wan and Anakin #1-5 single issues. Before their military heroism in the Clone Wars, before their tragic battle on Mustafar and many decades before their final confrontation on the Death Star, they were Master Obi-Wan Kenobi and his young Padawan, Anakin Skywalker. Now join them a few years into Anakin's, "chosen one" training. Teacher and student have grown closer over time, but it's been a difficult road. And things aren't about to get any easier. In fact, when they're called to a remote planet for assistance, the pair may be pushed to their breaking point. As they find themselves stranded on a strange world of primitive technology and deadly natives, will they be able to save themselves? When war breaks out around them, master and apprentice will find themselves on opposite sides!

Queen’s Shadow

by E. K. Johnston

Written by the #1 New York Times best-selling author of Ahsoka! When Padmé Naberrie, "Queen Amidala" of Naboo, steps down from her position, she is asked by the newly-elected queen to become Naboo's representative in the Galactic Senate. Padmé is unsure about taking on the new role, but cannot turn down the request to serve her people. Together with her most loyal handmaidens, Padmé must figure out how to navigate the treacherous waters of politics and forge a new identity beyond the queen's shadow.

Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones

Adaptation by R.A. Salvatore

Mischievous and resolved, courageous to the point of recklessness, Anakin Skywalker has come of age in a time of great upheaval. The nineteen-year-old apprentice to Obi-Wan Kenobi is an enigma to the Jedi Council, and a challenge to his Jedi Master. Time has not dulled Anakin’s ambition, nor has his Jedi training tamed his independent streak. When an attempt on Senator Padmé Amidala’s life brings them together for the first time in ten years, it is clear that time also has not dulled Anakin’s intense feelings for the beautiful diplomat. The attack on Senator Amidala just before a crucial vote thrusts the Republic even closer to the edge of disaster. Masters Yoda and Mace Windu sense enormous unease. The dark side is growing, clouding the Jedi’s perception of the events. Unbeknownst to the Jedi, a slow rumble is building into the roar of thousands of soldiers readying for battle. But even as the Republic falters around them, Anakin and Padmé find a connection so intense that all else begins to fall away. Anakin will lose himself—and his way—in emotions a Jedi, sworn to hold allegiance only to the Order, is forbidden to have. Based on the story by George Lucas and the screenplay by George Lucas and Jonathan Hales, this intense and revealing novel by bestselling author R. A. Salvatore sheds new light on the legend of Star Wars—and skillfully illuminates one of our most beloved sagas. Features a bonus section following the novel that includes a primer on the Star Wars expanded universe, and over half a dozen excerpts from some of the most popular Star Wars books of the last thirty years!

Star Wars Adventures I

by Landry Q. Walker, Cavan Scott, Derek Charm, Eric Jones, Elsa Charretier

Brand-new Star Wars comic book stories for readers of all ages! These new adventures make this sprawling universe more accessible than ever. Travel to a galaxy far, far away in the first volume of an all-new series as a rotating cast of characters (and creators!) journey through Star Wars history! Stories range from before the events of the first film all the way up to Episode VIII: The Last Jedi, in theatres December 2017. Characters major and minor, classic and new, expand the world of Star Wars into new territory, telling larger-than-life stories that encapsulate the breadth of the galactic struggle between good and evil for a new generation of fans

Dark Disciple

by Christie Golden

The only way to bring down the Sith’s most dangerous warrior may be to join forces with the dark side. In the war for control of the galaxy between the armies of the dark side and the Republic, former Jedi Master turned ruthless Sith Lord Count Dooku has grown ever more brutal in his tactics. Despite the powers of the Jedi and the military prowess of their clone army, the sheer number of fatalities is taking a terrible toll. And when Dooku orders the massacre of a flotilla of helpless refugees, the Jedi Council feels it has no choice but to take drastic action: targeting the man responsible for so many war atrocities, Count Dooku himself. But the ever-elusive Dooku is dangerous prey for even the most skilled hunter. So the Council makes the bold decision to bring both sides of the Force’s power to bear—pairing brash Jedi Knight Quinlan Vos with infamous one-time Sith acolyte Asajj Ventress. Though Jedi distrust for the cunning killer who once served at Dooku’s side still runs deep, Ventress’s hatred for her former master runs deeper. She’s more than willing to lend her copious talents as a bounty hunter—and assassin—to Vos’s quest. Together, Ventress and Vos are the best hope for eliminating Dooku—as long as the emerging feelings between them don’t compromise their mission. But Ventress is determined to have her retribution and at last let go of her dark Sith past. Balancing the complicated emotions she feels for Vos with the fury of her warrior’s spirit, she resolves to claim victory on all fronts—a vow that will be mercilessly tested by her deadly enemy . . . and her own doubt.

Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith

Adaptation by Matthew Stover

The turning point for the entire Star Wars saga is at hand After years of civil war, the Separatists have battered the already faltering Republic nearly to the point of collapse. On Coruscant, the Senate watches anxiously as Supreme Chancellor Palpatine aggressively strips away more and more constitutional liberties in the name of safeguarding the Republic. Yoda, Mace Windu, and their fellow Masters grapple with the Chancellor’ s disturbing move to assume control of the Jedi Council. And Anakin Skywalker, the prophesied Chosen One, destined to bring balance to the Force, is increasingly consumed by his fear that his secret love, Senator Padmé Amidala, will die. As the combat escalates across the galaxy, the stage is set for an explosive endgame: Obi-Wan undertakes a perilous mission to destroy the dreaded Separatist military leader General Grievous. Palpatine, eager to secure even greater control, subtly influences public opinion to turn against the Jedi. And a conflicted Anakin–tormented by unspeakable visions– edges dangerously closer to the brink of a galaxy-shaping decision. It remains only for Darth Sidious, whose shadow looms ever larger, to strike the final staggering blow against the Republic . . . and to ordain a fearsome new Sith Lord: Darth Vader. Based on the screenplay of the eagerly anticipated final film in George Lucas’s epic saga, bestselling Star Wars author Matthew Stover’s novel crackles with action, captures the iconic characters in all their complexity, and brings a space opera masterpiece full circle in stunning style. Features a bonus section following the novel that includes a primer on the Star Wars expanded universe, and over half a dozen excerpts from some of the most popular Star Wars books of the last thirty years!

Ahsoka

by E. K. Johnston

Fans have long wondered what happened to Ahsoka after she left the Jedi Order near the end of the Clone Wars, and before she re-appeared as the mysterious Rebel operative Fulcrum in Rebels. Finally, her story will begin to be told. Following her experiences with the Jedi and the devastation of Order 66, Ahsoka is unsure she can be part of a larger whole ever again. But her desire to fight the evils of the Empire and protect those who need it will lead her right to Bail Organa, and the Rebel Alliance….

Lords of the Sith

by Paul S. Kemp

A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away. . . . When the Emperor and his notorious apprentice, Darth Vader, find themselves stranded in the middle of insurgent action on an inhospitable planet, they must rely on each other, the Force, and their own ruthlessness to prevail. “It appears things are as you suspected, Lord Vader. We are indeed hunted.” Anakin Skywalker, Jedi Knight, is just a memory. Darth Vader, newly anointed Sith Lord, is ascendant. The Emperor’s chosen apprentice has swiftly proven his loyalty to the dark side. Still, the history of the Sith Order is one of duplicity, betrayal, and acolytes violently usurping their Masters—and the truest measure of Vader’s allegiance has yet to be taken. Until now. On Ryloth, a planet crucial to the growing Empire as a source of slave labor and the narcotic known as “spice,” an aggressive resistance movement has arisen, led by Cham Syndulla, an idealistic freedom fighter, and Isval, a vengeful former slave. But Emperor Palpatine means to control the embattled world and its precious resources—by political power or firepower—and he will be neither intimidated nor denied. Accompanied by his merciless disciple, Darth Vader, he sets out on a rare personal mission to ensure his will is done. For Syndulla and Isval, it’s the opportunity to strike at the very heart of the ruthless dictatorship sweeping the galaxy. And for the Emperor and Darth Vader, Ryloth becomes more than just a matter of putting down an insurrection: When an ambush sends them crashing to the planet’s surface, where inhospitable terrain and an army of resistance fighters await them, they will find their relationship tested as never before. With only their lightsabers, the dark side of the Force, and each other to depend on, the two Sith must decide if the brutal bond they share will make them victorious allies or lethal adversaries.

Darth Maul: Son of Dathomir

by Jeremy Barlow, Juan Frigeri

Collecting Star Wars: Darth Maul - Son of Dathomir #1-4 and material from Star Wars Tales #7-9. Getting cut in half by Obi-Wan Kenobi and being rejected by his former Sith Master Darth Sidious isn't going to defeat Darth Maul. In fact, it only makes him mad enough to take on the galaxy - with an army of Mandalorians! After forming the Shadow Collective - a criminal organization composed of the Hutts, Black Sun, the Mandalorians, and the fearsome Nightbrothers - Maul wages war against Darth Sidious and his generals, Count Dooku and General Grievous! Adapted from unproduced screenplays for Season 6 of The Clone Wars television show, this is the final chapter planned for Darth Maul' saga.

Star Wars #7

by Jason Aaron, John Cassaday, Simone Bianchi

A special one-off tale of Ben Kenobi! Injustice reigns on Tatooine as villainous scum run rampant. Will Ben risk revealing himself to do what's right? Guest artist Simone Bianchi (Wolverine, Astonishing X-Men) joins writer Jason Aaron for this special tale!

Star Wars #15

by Jason Aaron, Mike Mayhew

FROM THE JOURNALS OF OBI-WAN KENOBI. Another tale of Obi-Wan's exile on Tatooine! Owen Lars took Luke in...but he refused to let Ben be part of his life. Why? What trouble could have been stirred up by Ben protecting Luke?

Star Wars #20

by Jason Aaron, Mike Mayhew

Another dive into the journal of Obi-Wan Kenobi! Jabba has hired bounty hunter Black Krrsantan to find out who's been thwarting his men! The old hermit of the dune wastes might know something about that.

A New Dawn

By John Jackson Miller with a foreword by Dave Filoni

A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away. . . . “The war is over. The Separatists have been defeated, and the Jedi rebellion has been foiled. We stand on the threshold of a new beginning.”—Emperor Palpatine For a thousand generations, the Jedi Knights brought peace and order to the Galactic Republic, aided by their connection to the mystical energy field known as the Force. But they were betrayed—and the entire galaxy has paid the price. It is the Age of the Empire. Now Emperor Palpatine, once Chancellor of the Republic and secretly a Sith follower of the dark side of the Force, has brought his own peace and order to the galaxy. Peace through brutal repression, and order through increasing control of his subjects’ lives. But even as the Emperor tightens his iron grip, others have begun to question his means and motives. And still others, whose lives were destroyed by Palpatine’s machinations, lay scattered about the galaxy like unexploded bombs, waiting to go off. . . . The first Star Wars novel created in collaboration with the Lucasfilm Story Group, Star Wars: A New Dawn is set during the legendary “Dark Times” between Episodes III and IV and tells the story of how two of the lead characters from the animated series Star Wars Rebels first came to cross paths. Featuring a foreword by Dave Filoni.

Tales from Vader’s Castle

by Cavan Scott, Derek Charm, Chris Fenoglio, Corin Howell, Robert Hack, Charles Paul Willson III

How do a band of rebels distract themselves when sneaking into the creepiest place in the galaxy? Tell scary stories of course! Follow Lina Graf, Crater, and friends as they sneak—and fight—their way into the terrifying castle of Darth Vader! Along the way, they’ll trade spooky stories featuring the most terrifying villains and creatures in the universe!

Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope

Adaptation by George Lucas

Kindle | Other Versions

The classic adventure that started it all A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away . . . Luke Skywalker lived and worked on his uncle's farm on the remote planet of Tatooine—and he was bored beyond belief. He yearned for adventures out among the stars, adventures that would take him beyond the farthest galaxies to distant and alien worlds. But Luke gets more than he bargained for when he intercepts a cryptic message from a beautiful princess held captive by a dark and powerful warlord. Luke doesn't know who she is, but he knows he has to save her—and soon, because time is running out. Armed only with courage and with the lightsaber that had been his father's, Luke is catapulted into the middle of the most savage space war ever—and headed straight for a desperate encounter on the enemy battle station known as the Death Star. . . .

From a Certain Point of View

by Renee Ahdieh, Meg Cabot, Pierce Brown, Nnedi Okorafor, Sabaa Tahir

On May 25, 1977, the world was introduced to Han Solo, Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia, C-3PO, R2-D2, Chewbacca, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Darth Vader, and a galaxy full of possibilities. In honor of the fortieth anniversary, more than forty contributors lend their vision to this retelling of Star Wars. Each of the forty short stories reimagines a moment from the original film, but through the eyes of a supporting character. From a Certain Point of View features contributions by bestselling authors, trendsetting artists, and treasured voices from the literary history of Star Wars: • Gary Whitta bridges the gap from Rogue One to A New Hope through the eyes of Captain Antilles. • Aunt Beru finds her voice in an intimate character study by Meg Cabot. • Nnedi Okorofor brings dignity and depth to a most unlikely character: the monster in the trash compactor. • Pablo Hidalgo provides a chilling glimpse inside the mind of Grand Moff Tarkin. • Pierce Brown chronicles Biggs Darklighter’s final flight during the Rebellion’s harrowing attack on the Death Star. • Wil Wheaton spins a poignant tale of the rebels left behind on Yavin. Plus thirty-four more hilarious, heartbreaking, and astonishing tales from: Ben Acker • Renée Ahdieh • Tom Angleberger • Ben Blacker • Jeffrey Brown • Rae Carson • Adam Christopher • Zoraida Córdova • Delilah S. Dawson • Kelly Sue DeConnick • Paul Dini • Ian Doescher • Ashley Eckstein • Matt Fraction • Alexander Freed • Jason Fry • Kieron Gillen • Christie Golden • Claudia Gray • E. K. Johnston • Paul S. Kemp • Mur Lafferty • Ken Liu • Griffin McElroy • John Jackson Miller • Daniel José Older • Mallory Ortberg • Beth Revis • Madeleine Roux • Greg Rucka • Gary D. Schmidt • Cavan Scott • Charles Soule • Sabaa Tahir • Elizabeth Wein • Glen Weldon • Chuck Wendig All participating authors have generously forgone any compensation for their stories. Instead, their proceeds will be donated to First Book—a leading nonprofit that provides new books, learning materials, and other essentials to educators and organizations serving children in need. To further celebrate the launch of this book and both companies’ longstanding relationships with First Book, Penguin Random House has donated $100,000 to First Book, and Disney/Lucasfilm has donated 100,000 children’s books—valued at $1,000,000—to support First Book and their mission of providing equal access to quality education. Over the past sixteen years, Disney and Penguin Random House combined have donated more than eighty-eight million books to First Book.

Heir to the Jedi

by Kevin Hearne

A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away. . . . A thrilling new adventure set between A New Hope and The Empire Strikes Back, and—for the first time ever—written entirely from Luke Skywalker’s first-person point of view. Luke Skywalker’s game-changing destruction of the Death Star has made him not only a hero of the Rebel Alliance but a valuable asset in the ongoing battle against the Empire. Though he’s a long way from mastering the power of the Force, there’s no denying his phenomenal skills as a pilot—and in the eyes of Rebel leaders Princess Leia Organa and Admiral Ackbar, there’s no one better qualified to carry out a daring rescue mission crucial to the Alliance cause. A brilliant alien cryptographer renowned for her ability to breach even the most advanced communications systems is being detained by Imperial agents determined to exploit her exceptional talents for the Empire’s purposes. But the prospective spy’s sympathies lie with the Rebels, and she’s willing to join their effort in exchange for being reunited with her family. It’s an opportunity to gain a critical edge against the Empire that’s too precious to pass up. It’s also a job that demands the element of surprise. So Luke and the ever-resourceful droid R2-D2 swap their trusty X-wing fighter for a sleek space yacht piloted by brash recruit Nakari Kelen, daughter of a biotech mogul, who’s got a score of her own to settle with the Empire. Challenged by ruthless Imperial bodyguards, death-dealing enemy battleships, merciless bounty hunters, and monstrous brain-eating parasites, Luke plunges head-on into a high-stakes espionage operation that will push his abilities as a Rebel fighter and would-be Jedi to the limit. If ever he needed the wisdom of Obi-Wan Kenobi to shepherd him through danger, it’s now. But Luke will have to rely on himself, his friends, and his own burgeoning relationship with the Force to survive.

Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back

Adaptation by Donald F. Glut

Based on the story by George Lucas and the screenplay by Leigh Brackett and Lawrence Kasdan The adventures of Luke Skywalker did not end with the destruction of the Death Star. Though the Rebel Alliance won a significant battle, the war against the Empire has only just begun. Several months have passed, and the Rebels have established a hidden outpost on the frozen wasteland of Hoth. But even on that icy backwater planet, they cannot escape the evil Darth Vader’s notice for long. Soon Luke, Han, Princess Leia, and their faithful companions will be forced to flee, scattering in all directions—with the Dark Lord’s minions in fevered pursuit.

Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi

Adaptation by James Khan

It was a dark time for the rebel alliance...Han Solo, frozen in carbonite, had been delivered into the hands of the vile gangster Jabba the Hutt. Determined to rescue him, Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia, and Lando Calrissian launched a hazardous mission against Jabba's Tatooine stronghold. The Rebel commanders gathered all the warships of the Rebel fleet into a single giant armada. And Darth Vader and the Emperor, who had ordered construction to begin on a new and even more powerful Death Star, were making plans to crush the Rebel Alliance once and for all.

Aftermath: Life Debt

by Chuck Wendig

It is a dark time for the Empire. . . . The Emperor is dead, and the remnants of his former Empire are in retreat. As the New Republic fights to restore a lasting peace to the galaxy, some dare to imagine new beginnings and new destinies. For Han Solo, that means settling his last outstanding debt, by helping Chewbacca liberate the Wookiee’s homeworld of Kashyyyk. Meanwhile, Norra Wexley and her band of Imperial hunters pursue Grand Admiral Rae Sloane and the Empire’s remaining leadership across the galaxy. Even as more and more officers are brought to justice, Sloane continues to elude the New Republic, and Norra fears Sloane may be searching for a means to save the crumbling Empire from oblivion. But the hunt for Sloane is cut short when Norra receives an urgent request from Princess Leia Organa. The attempt to liberate Kashyyyk has carried Han Solo, Chewbacca, and a band of smugglers into an ambush—resulting in Chewie’s capture and Han’s disappearance. Breaking away from their official mission and racing toward the Millennium Falcon’s last known location, Norra and her crew prepare for any challenge that stands between them and their missing comrades. But they can’t anticipate the true depth of the danger that awaits them—or the ruthlessness of the enemy drawing them into his crosshairs.

#seeking star wars #star wars #obi-wan kenobi #reading list #canon books

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haroldgross · 6 years ago

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New Post has been published on Harold Gross: The 5a.m. Critic

New Post has been published on http://literaryends.com/hgblog/oscars-2019-final-call/

Oscars 2019 - Final Call

Since the nominations, there have been a slew of awards given out that may or may not be predictive. The Annies, The Eddies, PGA, Art Directors Guild, SAG-AFTRA, Directors Guild, BAFTA.

I will say it is one heck of an open field in a lot of categories, which is exciting. It speaks to a volume of talent. Of course, this also means a lot of people who are really good at what they do will not be going home with statuettes. But that’s the biz.

THE MAJOR AWARDS

Actress in a Leading Role

Yalitza Aparicio, Roma Glenn Close, The Wife Olivia Colman, The Favourite Lady Gaga, A Star Is Born Melissa McCarthy, Can You Ever Forgive Me?

This is one of those rare times where I wouldn’t be upset by any one of these people winning. They were all great performances, and all very different. To my mind, it is between Colman and Close. But McCarthy was also excellent and Aparaicio may have some momentum (and was a wild card for me in terms of getting on the list). And, of course, Gaga. Close has yet to win, so that may get her votes, but Colman’s performance is just so funny and powerful, it may win the day…and her movie was much better received.

My choice: Glen Close Likely win: Olivia Colman

Actor in a Leading Role

Christian Bale, Vice Bradley Cooper, A Star Is Born Willem Dafoe, At Eternity’s Gate Rami Malek, Bohemian Rhapsody Viggo Mortensen, Green Book

This is by no means a lock for Bale, but he so disappears into his role that it is astonishing. I am not a huge Bale fan, but he had me utterly mesmerized and not even able to see him under all that makeup. In terms of the field, only Dafoe’s name surprised me, though that last slot was somewhat open.

My choice: Christian Bale Likely win: Christian Bale

Actor in a Supporting Role

Mahershala Ali, Green Book Adam Driver, BlacKkKlansman Sam Elliott, A Star Is Born Richard E. Grant, Can You Ever Forgive Me? Sam Rockwell, Vice

Supporting roles are hard to pin some times. These were all good performances, though I think Elliott isn’t necessarily to the same level (and I didn’t expect him on the list over Chalamet), nor was Rockwell’s performance that brilliant, though it did win me over as it went on. But Mahershala Ali was incredibly affecting and Richard Grant, equally so, but with much less screen time. That said, Green Book is hitting headwinds due to aspects unrelated to the movie…but which are likely to affect its chances in any category. And while Driver is excellent, the character just never really got to fully develop for me.

My choice: Mahershala Ali Likely win: Richard E. Grant

Actress in a Supporting Role

Amy Adams, Vice Marina de Tavira, Roma Regina King, If Beale Street Could Talk Emma Stone, The Favourite Rachel Weisz, The Favourite

This is a brutal field. Stone and Weisz should have to mud wrestle for the win here and that is likely going to split the vote. Tavira was solid, but it wasn’t break-through and I was surprised to see her here rather than Clare Foy. Adams was also really good, but felt in the background most of the time…even though she really wasn’t.

My choice: Rachel Weisz (but only because I had to pick one) Likely win: Regina King

Adapted Screenplay

The Ballad of Buster Scruggs, Joel Coen & Ethan Coen BlacKkKlansman, Charlie Wachtel & David Rabinowitz and Kevin Willmott & Spike Lee Can You Ever Forgive Me?, Nicole Holofcener and Jeff Whitty If Beale Street Could Talk, Barry Jenkins A Star Is Born, Eric Roth and Bradley Cooper & Will Fetters

Again, so much to consider here. BlacKkKlansman was a great movie, but, like Green Book, it remade the facts freely. Which is fine, but that is being used as a wedge against Green Book, so not sure how to parse that effect. Star is Born is a great reinvention of the story, but it isn’t brilliant, however entertaining. I am surprised that Black Panther didn’t make it on, even though I didn’t think it should. I’m still behind on the other two at present, but hope to close that gap…but in the meantime I can make some guesses.

My choice: Can You Ever Forgive Me? Likely win: If Beale Street Could Talk

Original Screenplay

The Favourite, Deborah Davis and Tony McNamara First Reformed, Paul Schrader Green Book, Nick Vallelonga, Brian Currie, Peter Farrelly Roma, Alfonso Cuarón Vice, Adam McKay

Another interesting field. Green Book was one of the best films I saw this year. It was unexpected and complete. Favourite is hugely popular and darkly funny, but I think flawed. Was expecting Stan & Ollie and Eight Grade over Roma and First Reformed, but that was a tight race. However, of the remaining choices, Roma’s script is just too spare in comparison and Vice a bit too political and nauseating, while First Reformed is just too dark. So…

My choice: Green Book Likely win: The Favourite

Cinematography

Cold War, Lukasz Zal The Favourite, Robbie Ryan Never Look Away, Caleb Deschanel Roma, Alfonso Cuarón A Star Is Born, Matthew Libatique

Roma for me. Hands down just a beautifully shot film. The others are nice as well, but Cuarón’s use of the camera was just brilliant and the result gorgeous.

My choice: Roma Likely win: Roma

Directing

Spike Lee, BlacKkKlansman Pawel Pawlikowski, Cold War Yorgos Lanthimos, The Favourite Alfonso Cuarón, Roma Adam McKay, Vice

I’d have said this was Lanthimos’s to lose if it weren’t for the ending of his latest film. It is a brilliant bit of satire; just not a perfect one for me and some of the movie just doesn’t fit well together. Roma is brilliant on so many levels, but a bit self-indulgent in its direction. Vice is great, but mostly about the editing and script (and some performances). BlacKkKlansman, however, is really all about the performances, keeping you engaged without making you turn away. Lee had the hardest task and executed it well…and it’s been years since he’s had a shot.

My choice: Spike Lee Likely win: Spike Lee (though it may well go to Lanthimos)

Best Picture

Black Panther BlacKkKlansman Bohemian Rhapsody The Favourite Green Book Roma A Star Is Born Vice

I don’t even know what this category means anymore. Is it by what’s popular, what’s fun, what’s brave, what took the most skills? So, crap shoot.

My choice: Green Book Likely win: Roma

THE NEXT TIER AWARDS

Animated Feature Film

Incredibles 2 Isle of Dogs Mirai Ralph Breaks the Internet Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse

Nothing in the intervening time between nomination and tonight have changed my opinions. Add to that its near sweep at The Annies and Spider-Man should walk away with this award.

My choice: Spider-Man Likely win: Spider-Man

Foreign Language Film

Capernaum (Lebanon) Cold War (Poland) Never Look Away (Germany) Roma (Mexico) Shoplifters (Japan)

Shoplifters would have been my early bet here, but Roma is truly a great film and has huge momentum and a ton of noms. Those who have no interest in voting for it for Best Pic are likely to balance that by voting for it here. It may well cost Roma as Best Pic ultimately that the safety valve exists.

Likely Win: Roma

Documentary Feature

Free Solo Hale County This Morning, This Evening Minding the Gap Of Fathers and Sons RBG

How Won’t You Be My Neighbor and Three Identical Strangers missed this list, I don’t understand. However, this is the field we have to work with. But I’ll also admit I’ve not seen the majority of the nominees. Given the current state of politics, however, I’m going with our SCOTUS rep.

My Choice: RBG Likely Win: RBG

Documentary Short Subject

Black Sheep (The Guardian) End Game (Netflix) Lifeboat A Night at the Garden (Field of Vision) Period. End Of Sentence

Likely Win: no clue yet

Animated Short Film

Animal Behaviour Bao (Disney) Late Afternoon One Small Step Weekends

Likely Win: no clue yet

Live Action Short Film

Detainment Fauve (H264 Distribution) Marguerite (H264 Distribution) Mother Skin

Likely Win: no clue yet

THE TECHNICAL AWARDS

Production Design (production; set)

Black Panther, Hannah Beachler; Jay Hart The Favourite, Fiona Crombie; Alice Felton First Man, Nathan Crowley; Kathy Lucas Mary Poppins Returns, John Myhre; Gordon Sim Roma, Eugenio Caballero; Bárbara Enríquez

My choice: Black Panther Likely win: Mary Poppins Returns

Costume Design

The Ballad of Buster Scruggs, Mary Zophres Black Panther, Ruth Carter The Favourite, Sandy Powell Mary Poppins Returns, Sandy Powell Mary Queen of Scots, Alexandra Byrne

Period pieces abound in this list, but so do some inventive futures.

My choice: Black Panther Likely win: The Favourite (though Mary Poppins could sweep in)

Film Editing

BlacKkKlansman, Barry Alexander Brown Bohemian Rhapsody, John Ottman The Favourite, Yorgos Mavropsaridis Green Book, Patrick J. Don Vito Vice, Hank Corwin

I’ll say again, all of these films have solid editing, but only one lived and died by its edits: Vice. However. Vice wasn’t even nominated for an Eddie this year, so the fact that Bohemian Rhapsody and The Favourite won there wasn’t much help. And, of course, this is one of those which could become either part of a sweep or a consolation prize. But I’m sticking to my guns on this one. From a story-telling point of view, I didn’t think either of the Eddie winners came close the impact editing had for the remaining nominees. And of those, Vice was the only one to use the craft to enhance the story rather than to just shock or move it along.

My Choice: Vice Likely win: Vice

Original Score

Black Panther, Ludwig Goransson BlacKkKlansman, Terence Blanchard If Beale Street Could Talk, Nicholas Britell Isle of Dogs, Alexandre Desplat Mary Poppins Returns, Marc Shaiman

If old-school Hollywood wins out, Mary Poppins will be a runaway. It is certainly one of the more classic and evident scores in the field, and complex while trying to maintain and reflect on the original. Music certainly pushed along the tale in Isle of Dogs in an engaging, if repetitive, way, and the others were more subtly supported.

Likely win: Mary Poppins Returns

Original Song

“All The Stars” — Black Panther “I’ll Fight” — RBG “The Place Where Lost Things Go” — Mary Poppins Returns “Shallow” — A Star Is Born “When A Cowboy Trades His Spurs For Wings” — The Ballad of Buster Scruggs

There is only one song here that has any traction to my mind. It isn’t perfect (and story-wise it shouldn’t be) but just try to get it out of your head.

Likely Win: Shallow

Visual Effects

Avengers: Infinity War Christopher Robin First Man Ready Player One Solo: A Star Wars Story

Despite the wealth of blockbusters here, one is infinitely better than the rest in scope and seamlessness…

Likely win: Avengers: Infinity War

Makeup and Hairstyling

Border, Göran Lundström and Pamela Goldammer Mary Queen of Scots, Jenny Shircore, Marc Pilcher and Jessica Brooks Vice, Greg Cannom, Kate Biscoe and Patricia DeHaney

Typically, I’d stay the period piece would get this hands-down, but Vice has magic in its blood with its makeup and hair, completely remaking its actors and capturing the period perfectly.

Likely win: Vice

Sound Editing

Black Panther Bohemian Rhapsody First Man A Quiet Place Roma

My choice: A Quiet Place Likely win: Bohemian Rhapsody

Sound Mixing

Black Panther Bohemian Rhapsody First Man Roma A Star Is Born

My choice: Bohemian Rhapsody Likely win: Bohemian Rhapsody

#Movie Review

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theconceptoftheriverflowing · 7 years ago

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El Espejo [The Mirror].

There’s faint music playing in the background. We know about nostalgia/ Enough to keep in its place. You try to decipher what it is. Is it Destruction Unit?, you wonder. Or perhaps some Rabelais? But how can you hear both Destruction Unit and Rebelais, one thing is not like the other. Hmm, Black Marble would be so nice right now though, or perhaps some Drab Majesty. Simultaneous thoughts keep popping into your head as you struggle to remain sober, well no not sober, you’re way past that now but at least pull yourself together so the next second you’re not climbing walls, but who are you kidding? You’re fucking shitfaced, inside the bathroom at the Hammer’s residence no less. “Don’t make a fucking scene, Y/N. And please, easy on the liquor, remember what happened last time.” Timo had said to you before heading out. Last time you got drunk it was at his grandma’s house. She had made dinner and had invited the both of you. That old lady could fucking drink! First it was the whisky, then some bourbon, follow by some gin. At the end you were so out of it, Timo had to carried you all the way home, fucking heated, cursing all the way. “ What the fuck is wrong with you?! If you can’t handle your liquor why the fuck you kept drinking in the first place? Now look at you.” You had apologize profusely and he had told you to remain silent. Today, was different. It was his night, and he didn’t want any fuck ups. And you wanted to make him happy, so what could possibly go wrong?

Armie and Elizabeth had decided to throw an Oscar’s after party, at their home, regardless of who would’ve won or lose. It was a small crowd really, apart from the Hammers, Luca was here, as well as James, Nicole, Pauline, André, Marc, Timothée and myself. So it was a very intimate gathering, and honestly so full of love. We were all celebrating the movie, how wonderful it was for them to have found each other and being able to produce something so beautiful as CMBYN. The win for Ivory, and all the other nominations for all of them. Tim’s win at the Spirit Awards, the shirtless face timing with Armie, his speech and that goddamn shirt. Things you’ve heard a million times before, but still were able to strike a chord in you, in a beautiful way. And you got along splendidly with the Chalamets. Nicole and Marc were extremely sweet and polite, telling you stories on how Tim, one time as a toddler, started running naked down the streets of Le Chambon-sur-Lignon back in France and how Pauline had follow suit and it ended up being a mess. Ultimately a beautiful memory of their summers spent there. At some point of the night, Pauline had pull you aside and had told you, almost in a whisper: “We love you so much and you make my brother so happy. I couldn’t ask for a better sister in-law.” Then she pulled you into a hug, knocking the air out of you a bit, but you had welcomed it and it was genuine.

Right now though, you were hiding. You had seen the look on his face when you laughed out loud, perhaps too loud, about a joke his dad had said, regarding that one time he had been an obnoxious little shit when he didn’t get that A+ he expected when making that infamous “Statistics” video. You knew he died of embarrassment each time it was mentioned, so for him to see you laughing about it, and therefore AT him, it was a problem. Everybody had laughed , him included, but he was looking at you now, madden. Eyes scolding you, in judgement. “Because is you.”, he had said once. “ Don’t you dare judge me, I won’t allow it.”. The words resonating like an echo in your head, so you had excused yourself, and had left to go the bathroom, or anywhere for that matter. Away from him. You were wasted, in a good mood, really, slightly lightheaded and definitely not looking for a fight, but you knew better. He would always come a knocking. Always.

Of all the rooms in the house, you chose the one on the second floor, located on the far left, down the hall. It was, to say the least, one of the most interesting rooms in the house. Once you enter you see that it’s a bathroom and when you look at it you’ve realized where you ended up. This bathroom had a name: Le Mirage, they have called it. Only they would name a fucking bathroom. Elizabeth had said that Armie pretty much made it to his own liking. A huge window overlooking the backyard, and holy fucking shit a bunch of mirrors. EVERYWHERE. On the walls, on the ceiling, even inside the shower. You’ve never actually seen it, and honestly, in your drunken stupor you hadn’t realize where you were heading. You just happen to stumble into it. “What can I say, I like to look.”, Armie had said once at dinner, winking at Elizabeth. She had laughed…now you get it. Seeing yourself in ten different mirrors at the same time, from different angles, made you feel in the middle of a fucking Fun House. Suddenly, you stop and really look at yourself. You’re wearing a short black dress. Strappy, not flashy but tight. It accentuates every curve of your body nicely. Paired with black stockings and your black Doc Martens’. Tim knows you’re not a big fan of heels, and he’s ok with that. You turn around, and look at your back, which is exposed right now thanks to the dress, you look at your legs, your shoulders, your arms, really looking at yourself and you’re just…happy. Really happy to be here, and having this moment with yourself, being in this room, in this place. Intoxication taking a hold of you, making you shameless and content. The music plays in the background and is something you recognize immediately; Bad Love by White Lies. You smile. Did Timo put this? So you start to sway and dance to the music while looking at yourself in the mirror. Bet it was Armie. You’re so into the moment you don’t even realize the sound of footsteps down the hall, growing closer each passing minute.

You start singing:

I was waiting in the back-seat of the car When I knew I’d given up Down one of the back-streets by the park So sick of the taste of blood

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If I’m guilty of anything It’s loving you too much Honey, sometimes love Means getting a little rough This is not bad love

You don’t hear when the door clicks open nor when it closes or the person who enters through it. With eyes closed you keep singing and swaying to the music. The room is dark, illuminated only by a dim blueish light that changes color every three seconds, located somewhere in the room, you don’t even know where, don’t care either. Your dancing figure looks like a shadowed spectrum around the room; a vision, really.

The song continues:

And I won’t ask your God for mercy My spirit is low, my soul is dirty

If I’m guilty of anything It’s loving you too much Honey, sometimes love Means getting a little rough This is not bad love This is not bad love

When you open your eyes, you notice a figure standing behind you and as you open your mouth to scream, unable to make out who or what it is a hand goes flying towards your mouth covering it completely, blocking any sound coming out of it and another one on your waist, pushing you against them and towards the sink, holding you steady and in place. “Shhh, quiet, is me.” Timmy. Your eyes open in surprise, then a calmness washes over you, follow by a slight panic wondering how long he’s been standing there watching you. His hand uncovers your mouth, but he doesn’t move from you, if anything he pushes himself forward, more into you, putting both his hands on either side of you, like a trap. You look at each other in mirror. He seems…amused. Is he? Is he angry? The truth is, the second you left he had excused himself 5 minutes later and had followed you. Luca had stop him for a brief second along the way, making a joke about that time in Crema he fell off his bike and Armie had recorded the entire thing. They laughed and he had said to Luca. “ I’m so sorry Luca, but I really need to go the bathroom. Would you excuse me, for a minute?’-“Si! Si! I’ll see you in a few.” So when he went back to look for you, you were nowhere to be found. And this was a big fucking house, where the fuck could you’ve gone? Bad Love had came up, a request for you he had made at the very beginning of the party, a surprise. He did saw you going upstairs, so up he went. Suddenly a faint singing is heard from one of the rooms. A smirk. Found you.

He was not expecting you to be in this room, he was not expecting you to be singing and dancing and looking the way you were the moment he laid eyes on you. You were swaying, slowly, very slowly, to the rhythm of the music. He had managed to take a spot on the wall behind you, unnoticed. Watching your every move. You were emphasizing each word being said, by a sudden movement of your hands, or your hips, your hair. At one point you had put your hands on your breasts, trailing them down slowly over your stomach, almost between your legs. “Fuck”, he had mumbled under his breath. His eyes fixated on you. In the middle of your dancing your skirt had rode up a bit, giving him a view. You hadn’t even noticed. He was hard as a rock, and he wanted you. He wanted you now.

Now he was behind you, pushing your ass impossibly closer to him. He was so hard, oh god. Both hands on either side of you. Each movement, making your skirt ride up just a tiny bit more. Your breathing changes and a small moan threatens to escape your lips, but you hold back. He puts his mouth next to your ear and says , “You know, watching you earlier, dancing like that, made me wonder of who were you thinking about the whole time. Because I know what I was thinking about.” He tells you in the mirror. You start blushing. He manages to make you blush, why why? Goddamn him. And he notices, even in this poorly lit room. “Are we blushing?” You shake your head: No. “No?” His eyes are dark pools right about now. There’s a slight change in his voice, thicker, lower. You know what’s gonna happen next. You crave it. Like a drug.

You’re so wet, too. And his dick grinding against your ass behind you is not helping one bit. Suddenly he pulls the bottom of your dress up, finally exposing your ass through the stockings. He starts caressing it as if its the most delicate thing in this world, only to be followed by a loud and hard slap on your right cheek. Even with the fabric from the stockings in between, it stings like hell. You let out a loud gasp and your hands grab his in an attempt to stop him or to not stop him? You don’t even know what you’re doing. He pushes them away, pulling down your stockings in one swift move, ripping them in the process. You cry in frustration. “ Timothée! They were expensive!”

“J'en ai rien à cirer" [I don’t give a fuck], he says. He slaps your ass again. “Fuck!” you cry out. You look at him, his eyes focused on what he’s doing and your reactions in the mirror. Smirking and biting his lips while doing so. What a bastard. Each time you get hit, your breasts threaten to slip out your dress, so he pulls down your dress, entirely, leaving it to rest rest comically in a corner of the room. Now your breasts are exposed and he immediately takes one in his mouth. Sucking and licking hard, while slapping your ass at the same time. You’re so fucking wet and you’re overwhelmed, but you can’t move, and it hurts and Oh God.

Everytime you complain about the pain, it makes him harder. He gives the same attention to your other breast. You arch your back, granting him more access to them. He lifts up, finding your mouth and kisses you. Hungry, desperately. His tongue inside you, possessive. He slaps your ass again, and again, and again. And you moan in pain, (a smack) and you moan in pleasure, (again) in frustration, (again) and you’re teary eyed. Bruises are starting to form. You try again to move his hands away, but he pulls both your arms behind your back with anger, keeping them there in some sort of lock, preventing you from moving. He positions himself behind you, grabbing you by the waist and pressing you against him hard. It fucking hurts, your ass bruised from the previous assault. He stops the punishment for moment, his hand warm and red from the smacking, finding your core. You couldn’t be more wet, you’re dripping, is almost embarrassing. “Putain.” [Fuck] he says. He starts rubbing your clit, immediately setting a pace. His hot breath on your ear, his hair a tangled mess, his sweat and yours combined. “Do you have any idea how much I want to fuck you right now?” he tells you, voice heavy with arousal. You’re about ready to cum, but he stops and turns you around roughly. Leaving you out of breath. “No, you don’t get to cum. Not yet.” He takes a step a back, orders you to move forwards, and when you do, he looks at you with such pride. Smiling the entire time. No doubt proud about the marks he has left on your body. “Mine. All Mine.” He says to himself, more than anything. You feel very exposed, and for some reason bring your hands up to your breasts to cover them. He realizes what you’re doing and pushes them away. Then steps right in front of you, bringing his face close to yours. He sticks his tongue out and licks your lips, and then grabs you by the neck. “ Let’s see what you’re good for. Get on your fucking knees.” He literally shoves you on to the floor. You grab hold of the sink to keep you from falling. He stands right in front of you, tall as ever. Quite intimidating, really. You feel so small next to him, but you live for this.

He then starts to rub his crotch all over your face, demanding your eyes on him. Grabbing your face with both hands, forcing you too look up. When you do, you see the reflection in the mirror above , of him having you cornered, on your knees and him rubbing himself all over you. You get even wetter. “ You want it?” he asks you. Signaling with his eyes the growing bulge in his pants. No doubt in pain, for all this time without the proper friction it deserves. You nod, frantically. “Use your words.” he says, as he starts to unbuckle his pants. The sound of his belt triggers something in you, something primal and you really can’t wait any longer. “ Yes, yes, I want it, please let me have it.” He grins. “Such a good girl. Open your mouth. Tongue out.” He finally takes off his pants, freeing his throbbing cock in the process and you can’t help but moan and the mere sight. The first time you laid eyes on it, you were more that surprised. You knew it would be big, but the thickness had surprised you. It was big and thick and it hurt a lot at times, but fuck, it felt amazing. He starts teasing you, slipping the head of his cock in your mouth a bit, not giving you a chance to close your mouth on it, and then taking it out. You bring your hands up but he pushes them away. “No. Keep your fucking hands where they are. I just want your mouth right now and you will give it to me.” You nod. Without warning, he pushes his entire length inside your mouth, making you gag.

He lets out a loud moan. He thrusts into you again, and this time you’re a bit more ready. He grabs your face with both hands, one palm on either side of you and then he’s face fucking you. Spit dripping everywhere, eyes tearing up, makeup and hair a mess. The sounds of you sucking and gagging on his dick are loud and messy. “Merde! Don’t fucking move.That’s it, That’s it. Oh fuck.” he moans, his breath coming in gasps. He looks at you and himself in the mirror. Fucking beautiful. He says. His movements are so rough that with each thrust into your mouth your knees are scraping the floor, only increasing your arousal, dying to have him inside you. Suddenly, he stops, pulls himself from your mouth, grabs you by your neck, pulling you up and turning you around. Your eyes meet in the mirror. His chest going up and down, out of breath, you’re exactly the same way. He then tells you, in the softest tone, “ Open your legs, let me see you.” So, you do. He positions himself behind you, stroking himself a few times, bringing his face to yours. Kissing you. Your hand moves backwards, grabbing his hair, in a tight grip. You feel the tip of his cock, rubbing your clit, playing with your entrance. You close your eyes, the sensation being too much to handle at the moment. Just when you feel the pressure of him entering you, he pulls out. You grunt in frustration. Pushing yourself against him, looking for that desperate friction, but he’s taking his sweet time with you. He even grabs his dick and starts slapping it obscenely against your clit, creating wet sounds while biting your neck, hard. You moan and you beg. “ Oh my god, please please.”- “Please what, Y/N, tell me. Please what?” You look at him in the mirror and tell him in a plead, “Please fuck me.” And then he’s in you.

As soon as he enters you, you both moan simultaneously, almost synchronized. There had been times where he would had started slowly at first, giving you time to adjust to his size, but not tonight, not now. Soon he’s pounding into you, and you can’t help but scream like a blithering idiot with each thrust. Filling you up completely. One of his hands is on your neck, chocking you, cutting the air a bit, the other one around your waist, in a kind of embrace, keeping you in place while cupping one of your breasts. He’s pumping into you so hard and fast that you breasts are bouncing up and down, almost painfully. The sound of his hips meeting you halfway, flesh to flesh, every time he enters you is like music to your ears. Not to mention how much it hurts, all over, but you rather die than not have him at all. He’s so fucking hard, and you’re so fucking wet. Suddenly he takes the hand around your neck and puts it in your forehead, forcing you to look up, in the mirror above. “Look at yourself. Fucking look.” You watch as he pounds into you restlessly, setting up an impossible pace, entering you over and over again. Everywhere you look, there you are, getting fucked. You pussy grips him like a vice, and you know you’re close. His hand goes down your stomach, and right on to your clit, rubbing it frantically. Oh God. Omg. You get tighter. “Don’t you fucking dare.” He slows down, almost pulling out, putting his head down, watching himself move in and out of you. So slow. Is torture. “If you want something, you know what to do.” And then he’s fucking you hard again. Flesh on flesh, wet sounds, you’re moaning pretty loud, shamelessly, and so is he. “Fuck, I’m close” he says.

There’s music playing in the background, faint noises of people laughing, talking, many things happening at once, but the only thing that matters is this moment right here. “Please let me cum, please let me cum, please can I cu—.” but before you finish your sentence, you’re coming undone. You cum hard, his hands all over you, on your breasts, ass, pussy, touching you, kissing you, licking and sucking, leaving marks. Wave after wave, you even lose your balance, but he’s keeping you in place. Not slowing down his pace, he announces that he’s cummin as well. Without warning he pulls out of you, pushes you down to your knees and puts his cock in your mouth. This time he lets you use your hands, and you lick, suck, and stroke desperately for him to get the release he deserves. “You want my cum?” he asks. “Yes.” He pulls his dick out of your mouth, stroking himself, harder and faster with each second. He’s close. “Such a good girl.”

Your hair is a tangled fucking mess. Your breasts are swollen, with marks everywhere, as well as your neck. Your ass is covered in purple bruises. Lips puffy and red, just as down below. Your mascara a mess everywhere. “You’re so beautiful like this.” He says fascinated. “Now. Open.” You open your mouth, followed by his cock. You take it in your mouth and you feel it pulsating, he’s close. You look up as he closes his eyes and throws his head back, breathing in gasps. You deep throat his entire length, and almost immediately, he cums. His eyes closed, mouth partly open, body trembling, after load and load of cum shoots into the back of your throat. You swallow every single drop. Drinking him, all of him. Your hands travel up to his stomach, touching, caressing…appreciating. After he finishes, he looks at you. His cock still in your mouth, still half hard. You keep sucking it, gently, eyes locked on his the entire time. His mouth suddenly in a straight line. “Get the fuck up.” He tells you. You get up. Here we fucking go. All fun and games, over. He bends down to pick up your dress and throws it at you. “Get fucking dressed. Also, no more drinking, I think you’ve had more than enough and I don’t want to deal with your drunk ass later. I actually want to have a good time. D’accord?” You stand there naked, with the dress in your hands, the lamp throwing different shades of color around the room, almost comical. You looking like a small feeble creature, the way he always manages to make you feel, useless and insignificant. Suddenly you feel embarrassed. “Y-yes.” You manage to let out. “Good. Also, your fucking neck looks like shit right now, please cover it with whatever makeup you can find, my parents are here for christ sake!” So he leaves you bruises all over your body and now is YOUR FAULT?! You don’t even have the energy, so you ignore him. “Yes, Timmy.” He dresses up quickly, turning on the faucet, splashing some water in his face, and combing his hair a bit before heading out. No trace on him of having been fucking you for the past hour. You on the other hand…

When he leaves, you text Elizabeth:

Umm,

I need help.

#timothee chalamet #timothée chalamet #timostories #smut #mirrors #one shot #call me by your name #lady bird #hes a dick #but he'll fuck you good #fiction #timmy blurbs #mine

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reivenesque · 7 years ago

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SPOILERS FOR LAST THREE EPS OF MACGYVER

It feels like I haven’t watched MacGyver in ages and yet I barely settled into my seat and I’ve already finished season 2. What the fuck happened? *speaking as a person who binge watched a total of 14 seasons across 3 shows within a couple of weeks*

So among these 8 episodes that I watched, 3 of them are easily my faves of the season; the Colton episode, the one with Jesus and the finale (I’ve given up trying to remember the names).

In the Jesus episode, I liked that it finally focused on Mac again, if that makes any sense. Yes the show is called MacGyver and is in fact about MacGyver, but I feel like the last couple of episodes were less about him as a character and more about him being a tool almost, or a means to an end on a mission. Like @thehemingwaygoldfish mentioned already, I hate that Mac was the one who tipped off the mob guy they were tailing when Bozer was making such obvious googly eyes at Liana for 2/3rd’s of the episode. I really hate when the writing needs the smart guy be the klutz for no apparent reason.

(Also, I had nowhere to insert this bit but the scene on the trampoline in the air and Mac looking so fucking scared and when Jack shot off those fucking balloons like - be still my whumper heart!)

Minor criticism firstly. It isn’t in this particular episode, more like spread across a couple of episodes but the Die Hard reference episode especially. I know that Jack is the comic relief of the show but I honestly hate when he gets treated like the buttmonkey or when he’s made the butt of old man jokes by other people (and even by the team, besides Mac, cause lbr, Mac and Jack are the epitome of taking the piss out of each other but no one else can do it ever). Or when things just inevitably don’t work out for him just cause it’s supposedly funny.

Jack is always bad ass but I just want one Jack centered episode where everyone gets to see just how bad ass he truly is, especially Bozer and Riley. Cause this Jack is old and doesn’t get hip young kids stuff is just - well, getting old.

So anyway. I love the friendship between Mac and Jesus (Carlos I think his name was) and I love how much his family accepted Mac and their team and how his mom fawned over Jack and Jack just being so sweet and Jack-like about it. I seriously love him.

I love how everyone got to see how amazing Mac is - I always love when outsides get to bask in the awesomeness of Mac because obviously Jack and the team already know how great he is.

Also Marc Menchaca playing a bad guy, called it! I do have to say that Gunny Wynn is honestly working the hair and the scruff.

All in all, love the episode, but then again, I love when an episode brings in outside characters besides just the main such as Carlos and the Coltons. I do hope we get to see them again.

The alien episode was just okay for me. Like with many MacGyver episodes, it wasn’t boring but not exceptionally memorable either. I loved how adorable Jack was in the end and I do enjoy the dynamic between Mac and Riley. And I appreciate how willing the team are to break government rules and go behind their own boss’s back to help Mac without him even having to ask them to.

The final episode ugh, I was so conflicted. I honestly hated Mac’s dad and I was really pissed at Matty during the first quarter. For one thing, I hate when shows introduce a new character that’s smarter, stronger and better than the main character. I get the context of it since he is Mac’s dad, but it’s really just a trope I find irritating as hell.

Brief interlude because I clicked away to google the actor who plays Mac’s dad because I couldn’t stop thinking how familiar he looked all through out the episode and I’m so fucking glad I didn’t google him earlier because ajshdgliaudhfalkdfjhas TATE DONOVAN! I remember having a crush on him when I was younger and I probably couldn’t have disliked him as much as I did when I was watching if I knew who he was. But goddamn he aged like fine fucking wine.

I was annoyed at Matty mostly for keeping it a secret but by the end James MacGyver did win me over and Matty made it back into my good graces and firmly cemented her position there indefinitely.

I knew that Mac would quit and when I started I was under the impression that it was because his dad was an asshole and the fact that Matty lied and shit like that, but I was really happy to see that his relationship with his dad was on a pretty okay ground and it was just him sticking to his convictions and I honestly just respect Mac so fucking much for that. I love that he sets his mind to do something that he believes in his heart and he sticks to it regardless.

I also fucking love that it was Matty this whole time who was the one leaving the clues to his dad’s whereabouts. That’s how you fucking do a heel reveal and immediate redemption arc on fucking steroids. I have never loved this mother/son type relationship between Mac and Matty than I do at this very moment.

The only criticism I have is the faces of the team when Mac walked out after he quit. I don’t know, everyone just had that really weird, indecipherable look on their face which I didn’t know how to translate. I know that they knew he wanted to quit - did actually quit already, It was just weird.

So anyway. I’m really happy I waited and got to binge the last few episodes. It always more enjoyable for me to binge a whole bunch of episodes without having to sit around and wait like some normal tv watcher.

Mac is as usual amazing. I love the depths he had in he last couple of episodes (if nothing else cause Lucas Till does angst and anger amazingly and I wish the writers would utilize it more) and seeing him not being the lighthearted, optimistic Mac we’re used to.

I think I’ve covered just how much I love Jack and what I’d like to see the writers do more (and less) with his character because he deserves so much more than being just the butt of people’s jokes.

Bozer and Riley are just there for me. Apparently Liana is going to be a regular next season? Idk, she’s with the other two in my book. WHERE THE FUCK IS CAGE IS WHAT I WANT TO KNOW? I honestly really like Jill though, I won’t lie. I hope we see more of her.

One last thing, with the reveal of the new baddie at the end - also another person I know but am too lazy to google right now ( I think he was also in Justified as Boyd’s cousin or something, I could be wrong) and the shade about his dad and his old partner and the other turning to the dark side. I hope this is foreshadowing Mac - now away from Phoenix and his father’s eyes, maybe dipping into the darkness, perhaps not willingly. But maybe ending up on the wrong side of the law and Jack, Matty and the team having to hunt him down to save/catch him. Because can you imagine anything more dangerous that Mac using his abilities for bad?

I hope the writers do something with all this possibility though (they probably won’t but a whumper can hope right?)

So yeah, that’s what you missed on Glee MacGyver.

#macgyver #angus macgyver #jack dalton #james macgyver #lucas till #TATE DONOVAN #SHDGZJDHIKDSUG #spoilers

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grim-on-the-darkside · 5 years ago

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Star Wars Quotes regarding the Expanded Universe and it’s place in things under Lucas. -------------------------------------

I’ve shared quotes on this subject in the past, I don’t believe I have shared these ones, some I have only found recently, and other’s I had but I’m not the most organized person, so I found them again. I apologize if some of these are repeats, I tried to avoid that as much as possible. All of these quotes are verified, but you should never take anyone’s word for that on the internet. Feel free to verify them yourselves.

Anyone who would like to use these quotes and include in some of their works, by all means. It isn’t always easy to get to the truth of things, there is a great deal of misinformation on the Internet. It is only my wish to see George Lucas’ legacy remembered for what it was in truth. He gave us such a wonderful gift, that has touched the lives of so many, in so many ways. Wherever our interests may lie, I feel we own him something in return. - This is a decisive subject, and its been so for many years. This is in no way intended to speak to the artistic value found in the EU, that is a totally subjective consideration. There are no right or wrong opinions. Just opinions and everyone is entitled to their own.

I just want his Star Wars to be remembered as it truly was and his words and vision as they truly were. In the end, we all share our love for his creation with each other.

Star Wars is Forever.

"The importance of The Clone Wars that cannot be understated is that it was the last huge expansion of the Star Wars universe that came directly from George Lucas." ~ Pablo Hidalgo

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"I always think of the research you speak of as what I knew about the EU before I took this job. As I stated above, working directly with George changes the way you see the EU and everything in it."

~ Dave Filoni 2008

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DAVE FILONI: The First Time George Lucas Talked About Ahsoka https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VAjnLseHQwA

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"I get all my information on the Clone Wars from him. [George Lucas]"

"I can pitch him ideas and say 'lets do certain things', but at the end of the say he will say 'yes' or he will say 'no', and than that is the way it's gonna go." ~ Dave Filoni, 2019

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"From Issue 77 Of Star Wars Insider, Using Dark Empire & The Thrawn Trilogy As Examples. "So so episodes beyond Return of the Jedi exist? Nothing beyond possinle story points and ideas, certainly not fleshed out story treatments or scripts. Fans often wonder if Dark Empire or the Thrawn Trilogy were based off those notes or are meant to be Episodes VII, VIII, IX. - That's not the case. Those works are the creation of their respective authors with the guidance of editors at Lucas Licensing. They are not, nor ever were, meant to be George Lucas' definitive vision of what happens next" ~ Pablo Hidalgo, 2004 https://ibb.co/K9PMgH3

[This is a screenshot of the Original Text that I found]

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“Everything that I’ve worked on at Lucasfilm has been considered canon.” ~ Dave Filoni

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“Working on ‘Clone Wars,’ it was always canon.” ~ Dave Filoni

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One of the main characters in the feature film, a 90 minute introduction to the series that hits theaters August 15, is Anakin's teenage Padawan, Ahsoka. Lucas said:

"[With Ahsoka] I wanted to develop a character who would help Anakin settle down. He's a wild child after [Attack of the Clones]. He and Obi Wan don't get along. So we wanted to look at how Anakin and Ahsoka become friends, partners, a team. When you become a parent or you become a teacher you have to become more responsible. I wanted to force Anakin into that role of responsibility, into that juxtaposition. I have a couple of daughters so I have experience with that situation. I said instead of a guy let's make her a girl. Teenage girls are just as hard to deal with as teenage boys are."

~ George Lucas 2008

https://io9.gizmodo.com/george-lucas-spills-all-about-clone-wars-at-skywalker-r-5033398

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"Understand, that the Holocron's primary purpose is to keep track of Star Wars continuity for Lucas Licensing and to some degree Lucas Online. To my knowledge, it is only rarely used for production purposes."

~ Leland Chee 2005/6

[Lucas was in Production]

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"Star Wars continuity, even EU continuity, does not rest on my shoulders. Our licensees submit product directly to either our editors or our product development managers. The Holocron serves as a tool for them to check any issues regarding continuity, and after that, if the editors or developers have any questions, they pass it along to me to check for continuity. At the same time, I am constantly on the lookout to make sure that any new continuity being created gets entered in the Holocron. With regard to the the films and The Clone Wars, I am not involved in continuity approvals though I have often been asked to provide reference material."

~ Leland Chee

-------------------

"The question selected from The Furry Conflict poll was: How much does the Expanded Universe influence the movies?

As I asked him, Lucas leaned back a moment and said to me “Very little.” When he first had agreed to let people write Expanded Universe books, he had said “I’m not gonna read ‘em” and it was a “different universe” and that he wanted to keep away from the time period of his saga. He jokingly complained, however, that now when he writes a script he has to look through an encyclopedia to make sure that a name he comes up with doesn’t come too close to something in the EU.

He later commented that the future of Star Wars may lie in other venues outside of feature film."

- "Marc Xavier", November 2003, "The Furry Conflict and the Great ‘Beard‘ of the Galaxy" (report based on a Q&A session with George Lucas which occurred at USC on 11-19-03)

--------------

"Q: in that vein, is it possible we'll see more Star Wars TV product?

A: Because I"m retiring from this part of my creative life, I'm open to more TV Product. but not more feature films, the story is complete. [and any other story wouldn't be my philosophy and views,] the books are not the same philosophy as the movies."

George Lucas 2003

---------------

Q: Can you quote any good story other than the movies?

A: No, I don't think so. (laughs)." ~ George Lucas

----------------

"George's view of the universe is his view," Chee says with a slightly grudging tone. "He's not beholden to what's gone before."

~ Leland Chee 2008

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"And then there's the very top level of canon, the inviolable, infallible level of Truth, marked GWL—George Walton Lucas. It's the divine word of the Creator who stands outside his universe and is not subject to the rules that govern it."

~ Leland Chee 2008

Meet Leland Chee, the Star Wars Franschise Continuity cop.

[Actually, it was more like that Chee was standing outside of his.]

---------------

"Understand, that the Holocron's primary purpose is to keep track of Star Wars continuity for Lucas Licensing, and to some degree Lucas Online. To my knowledge, it is only rarely used for production purposes."

~ Leland Chee [I'm not sure about the exact date on this, but I think its from around 2004 or 2005]

[Lucas worked in production]]

------------

"I've been against a multiverse even before Disney"

~ Leland Chee 2018

[No, really? =p ]

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"Is the "C" class part of the overall continuity alongside "G" class?"

As far as LucasBooks and Lucas Licensing are concerned, of course it is. LucasBooks and Lucas Licensing hold sway over the content and storylines of the Expanded Universe, and thus have every right to declare a canon of those materials. Whether this internal declaration is subscribed to by parent company LFL or Lucas himself is another matter, one which, though interesting, is outside the scope of this Holocron-oriented thread.

Leeland Chee 2004

-----------------

"So with the Story Group overseeing all of the content in film and television and elsewhere, we don’t have to retroactively make those changes. We can anticipate those changes. We can seed things in one medium [and see them grow] in another. So we might be seeding things in books or TV that you might not realize is substantial until years down the road. And if people knew what the road map looked like, they would just be floored.”

Leland Chee, 2017 - SYFY WIRE

[Chee is much happier working for Disney. He finally got what he wanted. A one Universe Star Wars.- Which would be great besides for that whole Disney part! =p]

----------------

“In these early drafts, the planet was called Had Abbadon. The name Coruscant came from author Timothy Zahn for his 1991 novel, Heir to the Empire. It's actually a real word that means ”glittering” or ”giving forth flashes of light.” When it came time to name the city-planet for Episode I, after considering several other names, Lucas decided to go with the already established Coruscant."

- Steve Sansweet, LFL/Fan Relations, June 2003

------------------

“As far as I know he hasn’t read any of my novels. From what I’ve heard Lucas is a visual man, he likes the comic books for the visual aspect. Frankly I don’t think that he has time to read so I am not offended.”

-Timothy Zahn, Author for the EU, The book report interview November, 1997

-----------------------

That means Zahn’s books won’t be directly adapted, but the author says that was always the case: “The books were always just the books.”

“It could be an entirely new storyline, but if he picks and chooses bits and pieces from the expanded universe, we’d all be thrilled to death.”

~ Timothy Zahn

-----------------

"Q: Did George Lucas intend for Boba Fett to die in the sarlacc, despite what others may say or print?

A: Yes, in George's view -- as far as the films go -- the baddest bounty hunter in the Galaxy met his match in the Great Pit of Carkoon where --unfortunately for Mr. Fett -- the ghastly sarlacc made its home.

However, Lucas also approved Fett's comeback in the expanded universe. And of course, by going back in time with the prequels, the Star Wars creator has brought Boba Fett back to life himself, albeit at a much younger age."

- Steve Sansweet, LFL/Fan Relations, December 2002

-----------------

As far as I know, George Lucas himself is not involved. He has a liaison group that deals with the book people, the game people, etc. They do the day-to-day work. Occasionally, he will be asked a question and will give an answer."

"I did meet Lucas once for a few minutes."

~ Timothy Zahn

[They spoke about 1930′s cinema and Samurai movies. They never even talked about Star Wars! How nuts is that!]

Timothy Zahn’s Trilogy was outstanding. Gotta give him his due.

---------------

In 2014, Disney declared the Expanded Universe was no longer canon. It became ‘Legends’. What do you think of this, seeing all of your work suddenly become non-canon?

"Those of us writing the EU were always told, all along, from the very beginning (have I stressed that strongly enough?), “Only the Movies are Canon.” Sure, it was disappointing."

~ Kathy Tyers, EU author [Truce at Bakura] Interview: April 2018

https://starwarsinterviews.com/various/authors/kathy-tyers-author/

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EU Disclaimers [Stating these were not George Lucas' Sequels and not what he would use.] - [I did not take all of these personally, but they do match those that I did.]

https://ibb.co/GfwK0CB https://ibb.co/Tr3dj06 https://ibb.co/19B66B1 https://ibb.co/p1mCFcm https://ibb.co/rtSVh7d https://ibb.co/Tcm7dFy https://ibb.co/ygQXjCN https://ibb.co/GRvmV7V - Jonathan W. Rinzler is/was an author and editor for Lucas Licensing's book division. In 2005, he was hired to write three Star Wars guide books,respectively Star Wars: Visionaries (although he only wrote the introduction of this one), The Art of Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith and The Making of Star Wars Revenge of the Sith. He later went to write The Art of Revenge of the Sith that same year. In 2007, he wrote and published The Making of Star Wars: The Definitive Story Behind the Original Film amongst many other such works for Star Wars.

This is more than a disclaimer, it's a quote, this is a question directly to him as he worked in Lucas Licensing asking him if the Expanded Universe wasn't considered canon ever why did Lucas allow it to exist. Answer - Money. He was also a personal acquaintance of Lucas' for many years. He also is quoted as telling the story as to why Lucas hated Mara Jade so much. -

Rinzler, George Lucas “Couldn’t Stand” The Character Of Mara Jade - http://starwarshub.net/2019/02/01/according-to-author-j-w-rinzler-george-lucas-couldnt-stand-the-character-of-mara-jade/

[Lucas said [paraphrasing], ‘Jedi don’t marry. They take vows.’

[This site also contains a good amount of information on the only legitimate sequel trilogy to Return of the Jedi, the one Lucas came up with himself and completed Treatments for Episodes, 7, 8, and 9 in 2011.]

For a more in-depth look at Lucas’ Sequel trilogy treatment in so far as we know it, these are excellent sites and we know a lot more about his Sequel trilogy and his vision for how the Saga was truly meant to end. There’s some beautiful concept art to be found as well.

George Lucas’ Episode VII - https://medium.com/@Oozer3993/george-lucas-episode-vii-c272563cc3ba

George Lucas' Ideas for His Own Star Wars Sequel Trilogy-https://io9.gizmodo.com/george-lucas-ideas-for-his-own-star-wars-sequel-trilogy-1826798496

STAR WARS: The Original Plans for the Sequel Trilogy - YouTube -

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x1dM9qFe4p0

https://ibb.co/jvph85c

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daresplaining · 7 years ago

Text

Defenders Countdown: 28 Days

Power Man and Iron Fist

The time has come! In less than a month, Luke Cage and Danny Rand will finally be running headfirst (fist first?) into each other in glorious live action. In preparation, here is a quick overview of the history of this most beautiful of friendships.

Luke and Danny meet under less-than-ideal circumstances-- though as any longtime reader of superhero comics knows, the best friendships often start with an editorially-mandated Superpowered Showdown(TM). Luke’s loved ones-- Claire Temple and Noah Burstein-- are kidnapped by sleazy mob boss Bushmaster, and threatened with death unless Luke kidnaps one of Bushmaster’s own enemies. The kidnappee in question is Misty Knight-- bionic ex-cop, one half of Nightwing Restorations, and Danny’s girlfriend. Luke, who grudgingly agrees in order to ensure Claire and Burstein’s safety, learns that Misty is at the Rand townhouse and busts in to grab her.

Chaos ensues. It just so happens that Misty and Danny are out on a date, and instead, Luke runs into Colleen Wing-- who manages to call for backup just before Luke knocks her unconscious. Misty shows up next, and gets in a few good hits before getting KO’d as well. When Danny arrives and sees what’s happened to his two closest friends, he is... less than forgiving.

Danny: “Mr. Cage-- turn around.”

Power Man #48 by Chris Claremont, John Byrne, and Francoise Mouly

As anyone might after getting a building dropped on them, Luke comes up swinging. The fight is as intense as you’d expect, with Danny’s extreme training and chi powers balanced out by Luke’s sheer toughness and strength. They’re both used to winning, and this surprising challenge shocks and impresses them. Seeing at last that the fight can’t go on, and trusting Power Man’s heroic reputation in spite of his current behavior, Danny takes a gamble and lets Luke grab him.

Danny: “Hands like vise... can’t breathe... But... I... sense at heart... Power Man isn’t... killer. I can try... tiger claw to eyes... last resort... blind him... Then, if that works, if I can summon... strength... pop his eardrums... killing blow, but not yet.”

Luke: “Lord, no-- What am I doin’?”

Power Man #48 by Chris Claremont, John Byrne, and Francoise Mouly

This near murder shocks Luke out of the fight. Calming down enough to explain himself, he soon earns Danny, Misty, and Colleen’s trust and sympathy. As a team, they rescue Claire and Dr. Burstein from Bushmaster’s headquarters, and then-- with the help of Danny’s attorney Jeryn Hogarth-- free Luke, at last, of the drug charges that originally sent him to jail.

Danny: “Alone at last. You changed your name, huh? Jeryn says your real, legal identity is now Lucas Cage! [...] Luke, how do you feel?”

Luke: “Kid, if you live a thousand years, you’ll never know [...] how sick I felt when they put me away... an’ how gut-bustin’ good I feel tonight. I ain’t just free, Danny-boy, I been reborn!”

Power Man and Iron Fist vol. 1 #50 by Chris Claremont, John Byrne, Dan Green, et al.

Luke and Danny’s friendship progresses quickly after this. They start hanging out (their first one-on-one team-up occurs while Luke is giving Danny a tour of Harlem), and they come to realize that they really enjoy partnering up. At the time, Luke is working on retainer for Misty and Colleen’s P.I. business, but with Danny in the picture he considers revitalizing his own operation-- this time with some key changes.

Luke: “Y’know, Danny-- we make a pretty good team. If I wasn’t part of Misty’s detective agency...”

Danny: “You got fired, remember? Although I’m sure they’ll take you back. If you really want them to...”

Power Man and Iron Fist vol. 1 #53 by Chris Claremont, Ed Hannigan, Sal Buscema, et al.

When the offer comes, Danny eagerly agrees to join Luke’s Heroes for Hire business-- for several reasons. Having been born wealthy and then raised in a society without an emphasis on financial gain, Danny has no concept of the value of money. He hopes that joining Luke’s small, low-income business will fix this. It also gives him the sense of purpose and chance to use his skills that he has been desperately searching for since becoming stranded on Earth. But mostly, it allows him to spend more time with Luke. For the 72 issues that Heroes for Hire exists in its original form, Luke, Danny, and friends face down everything from dragons to Daleks (not a joke-- there are actual Daleks in this series)-- while building both a reputation as one of the baddest street-level teams around, and a friendship that is nothing short of legendary.

Danny: “--It’s me! [...] Are you all right?”

Luke: “Just fine now! Bet you’re the one who saved my hide, right?”

Danny: “Well, I, uh, suppose I did.”

Luke: “I knew that you did!”

Power Man and Iron Fist vol. 1 #85 by Denny O’Neil, Keith Pollard, and Christie Scheele

All good things must come to an end, however, and the first iteration of Luke and Danny’s partnership ends in the most sudden, shocking way possible. In a freak accident, Danny is beaten to death by another superhero, and Luke is blamed for it.

Tower: “Fact: Iron Fist was pummeled to death by someone with superhuman strength. Fact: the day before the murder you had an argument with Iron Fist. A very loud, very public argument. Fact: Iron Fist’s will names you as sole beneficiary of the Rand fortune. Fact: your P.I. firm, Heroes for Hire, has been going down the drain from the word go. Fact: you’re an ex-con with a reputation for being a hothead. [...] I may not have an airtight case... but I’ve got enough to hang on to you until I do.”

Luke: “What are you pushin’ for, Tower? District Attorney not good enough for you? You runnin’ for mayor or somethin’?! You’re grasping at straws, man. You got nothin’ and you know it. I loved that man.”

Power Man and Iron Fist vol. 1 #125 by James Owsley, Mark Bright, and Bob Sharen

Luke manages to avoid a prison sentence, but the experience seriously damages his psyche. He has once more been accused of a crime he didn’t commit, thus proving that in the eyes of the world, he’ll always be a morally suspect ex-con-- one capable of murdering someone he thought of as a brother. In the wake of Danny’s death he moves to Chicago, trades in the yellow v-neck and tiara for a more subdued, darker look, and starts a new solo act as a tough mercenary who’s only in it for the money. When it turns out that Danny didn’t actually die, but had been replaced by a shape-shifting sentient plant from K’un-Lun (er, long story...), it takes Luke a little while to sort out his feelings.

Danny: “Like the ‘in it for bucks’ attitude you throw in everyone’s face? That’s not you. [...] And it also stops anyone from getting too close, eh? Like I did?”

Luke: “Yeah! Don’t you get it? You proved the only one I could ever count on’s me.”

Cage vol. 1 #12 by Marc McLaurin, Dwayne Turner, and Kris Renkewitz

...But he and Danny figure things out.

Luke: “Got your ticket and... all, Fist?”

Danny: “Yeah, Luke. Look, despite all that’s happened-- all that’s changed-- I want you to know, you’re still my best friend. And I’ll always be there.”

Luke: “Me too, man. Me too.”

Cage vol. 1 #13 by Marc McLaurin, Scott Benefiel, and Frank Turner

Since then they have remained BFFs and de facto brothers, sticking together through several more iterations of Heroes for Hire, Luke’s own personal Avengers team, and everything in between. When Luke and Jessica Jones have a baby, they name her Danielle-- Dani for short.

Danny: “That’s really nice, guys.”

Jessica: “You’re her family. You know that, right? (Unless you’re really a Skrull, then you can go @##$ yourself.)”

Luke: “And you got matchin’ booties.”

Jessica: “Man, he’s been waiting to drop that joke on you.”

New Avengers vol. 1 #34 by Brian Michael Bendis, Leinil Yu, and Dave McCaig

...And in that one alternate universe where Danny and Misty’s baby is real (stay tuned for our Danny and Misty post for more on that...), they name her after her uncle Luke.

Jessica: “Lucy, how does your dad look?”

Lucy: “Daddy, you look beautiful.”

Danny: “Thank you, Lucy. Man, you look so much like your mom. How’d I get so lucky?”

Secret Wars: Secret Love, “Misty and Danny Forever” by Jeremy Whitley and Gurihiru

As is often the case with people who have spent years in close proximity, they’ve rubbed off on each other-- to the point where they can anticipate each other’s behavior, occasionally finish each other’s sentences, and (possibly most endearingly) have even picked up each other’s slang and speech patterns.

Guy: “What about the explosives?”

Luke: “Fist’s taken care of that.”

Guy: How do you know?”

Luke: “’Cause I know him!”

Power Man and Iron Fist vol. 1 #89 by Denny O’Neil, Denys Cowan, and Christie Scheele

Danny: “All right, mama, you may be bigger, badder and... a few thousand years more powerful than the last dragon I faced... but then I hadn’t mastered the power of the Iron Fist!”

Immortal Weapons #5 by David Lapham, Arturo Lozzi, and June Chung

Luke and Danny’s newest H4H venture was recently torpedoed by Diamondback, and they’re both currently working through some major changes in their own lives, but their love is stronger than ever.

Luke: “It’s gonna be okay, brother. I love you.”

Danny: “Love you, too.”

Power Man and Iron Fist vol. 3 #15 by David Walker, Sanford Greene, and Lee Loughridge

The teasing and baiting of Luke and Danny’s imminent encounter in The Defenders has been relentless-- from Danny worrying about Claire’s unnamed, bullet-riddled friend in Episode 11 of Iron Fist, to Mike Colter and Finn Jones hugging on stage at NYCC last year. In the interviews they’ve done together so far, the two actors have displayed what we consider to be fantastic chemistry, and when questioned about their characters’ relationship in the show, they’ve both indicated a level of care being taken to their interactions that, for us, is a big relief. After all, they can’t rely on viewers having read the comics-- this friendship needs to be built anew in the MCU.

Finn: "The dynamic between the characters is working really well. Before we started this, because there was such hype around our characters coming together for the first time, there was a worry that it might be too over- sensationalised or too over-written or too over-anticipated. But the way that it’s written and the way that we’re getting on and working together, it feels really natural.”

Mike: "They’re trying to organically allow our characters to get to know each other, without just going, ‘Hey, I like you, you like me, let’s hang out!’”

Source: SFX

At this point, we know that Luke and Danny will have their all-important bonding fight-- likely not on the building-destroying scale we’d like (see the beginning of the post), but that’s okay. We also know that both characters are starting from different emotional places than when they met in the comics-- with Luke relatively at peace following his acceptance as Harlem’s hero and the end of his prison sentence, and Danny feeling lost and untrusting in the wake of all his recent betrayals and the disappearance of K’un-Lun. It will be fascinating to see how these altered mindsets impact the development of their relationship in the show. We also have this little tidbit from Finn, which provides some hints as to the source of their initial tension:

“There's friction there at the beginning, and it's pretty obvious because we come from two different worlds. Luke Cage is from the streets. And he's trying to do good. He cares about community, he cares about lifting the bottom up... whereas Danny comes from a completely different side of New York, one of privilege, power, and money. And so when they come together, they definitely have a clash of ideals which, throughout The Defenders, they are coming to grips with.”

Source: Den of Geek

We have to admit to being nervous about this. The class difference is a notable element of Luke and Danny’s friendship, and something that has been a source of misunderstandings in the comics:

Luke: “Don’t seem fair, somehow... how some folks gotta hustle all their lives just to get by, and others got it made ‘cause they were born rich. Only thing all that hustling ever got me was a term in Seagate Prison-- ‘Little Alcatraz’-- for something I never even did.”

Danny: “Luke, we’re partners now. You’re my best friend. Anything I have is yours... whatever you want. Just name it.”

Luke: “No way! I got little enough as it is without losin’ my self respect, too.”

Danny: “But I didn’t... I only meant...”

Power Man and Iron Fist vol. 1 #56 by Mary Jo Duffy, Trevor Von Eeden, and George Roussos

Danny’s utter lack of interest in money jarring with Luke’s desire to make a living is a neat thing, and we would love to see it integrated into the show. However... it shouldn’t lead them to actually fight. Unless handled impeccably, that would feel out-of-character and weird. Danny is the most down-to-earth billionaire ever, who lacks the typical mindset of those born rich, and this needs to remain true since it’s a key component of his character. Even if Rand Enterprises had some direct, negative impact on Harlem that were to come to light in The Defenders (which-- hey-- is possible), we can’t imagine a reason why Danny wouldn’t be completely on Luke’s side.

But of course, we’ll reserve our judgement until we’ve actually watched the show. For the moment, we can’t wait to finally see this friendship happen. It’s gonna be beautiful.

#Luke Cage #Danny Rand #Iron Fist #Heroes for Hire #Commentary #Defenders Countdown

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thisdaynews · 5 years ago

Text

Garth Crooks' team of the week: Mane, Abraham, Longstaff, Grealish, Luiz

New Post has been published on https://thebiafrastar.com/garth-crooks-team-of-the-week-mane-abraham-longstaff-grealish-luiz/

Garth Crooks' team of the week: Mane, Abraham, Longstaff, Grealish, Luiz

A fantastic weekend of Premier League action saw Liverpool extend their lead at the top of the table to eight points following a last-gasp 2-1 victory over Leicester.

Champions Manchester City lost ground with a shock 2-0 home defeat by Wolves, while Tottenham’s week went from bad to worse with a heavy 3-0 loss at Brighton.

Newcastle moved out of the relegation zone with an impressive 1-0 win over troubled Manchester United, while there were wins for Burnley,Aston Villa and Crystal Palace.

Here’s my team of the week – have a read and select your own below.

Goalkeeper – Mat Ryan (Brighton)

Ryan:As bad as Tottenham were against Brighton, this game could have finished 4-4 had it not been for the brilliance of Mathew Ryan. Two wonderful saves from Lucas Moura, one from Erik Lamela and another from Harry Kane put Spurs firmly in their place.

The longer the game went on the more confident Ryan became. This was a first-class performance from the Brighton keeper.

Did you know?Ryan made three saves against Spurs, registering a clean sheet against the Lilywhites for the first time in his Premier League career.

Defenders – Gary Cahill (Crystal Palace), David Luiz (Arsenal), Lewis Dunk (Brighton)

Cahill:It is coming to something when Crystal Palace fans start ‘insisting’ who I should put in my team of the week. Just what it has got to do with them I don’t know.

However, I did find myself bowing to the wishes of one of their followers who was mightily impressed with Gary Cahill’s performance against West Ham.

He also went on to tell me that he couldn’t understand why Chelsea had let him go when they obviously need his experience in view of who they are currently playing at the back.

He then went on to say, “how could Arsenal pay Chelsea £8m for David Luiz when Cahill went on a free transfer?”. He does have a point.

Did you know?Cahill completed 95% of his 60 passes against West Ham for Crystal Palace – the best completion rate among the Eagles’ players.

Luiz:Just when Spurs fans think the week cannot get any worse, Arsenal win at home to Bournemouth and the victory takes them up to third in the table.

Luiz, who never does things the easy way, scored his first goal for the Gunners and the only goal of the game but more importantly kept his first clean sheet in an Arsenal shirt.

I cannot believe this Arsenal team are third in the table. I know we are only eight games into the Premier League season but their defence has been so bad, how is this possible?

Did you know?10 of Luiz’s 12 Premier League goals have been scored in home matches, with this his first goal for Arsenal.

Dunk:Another performance that was agony to watch for Tottenham, only this time Lewis Dunk was to blame. The defender slammed Brighton’s back door in Tottenham’s face.

He won every header, every challenge, trampled over any Spurs player who got in his way without so much as an apology or hint of respect and that is exactly how you deal with superstars indulging in a pity party.

I don’t know what is going on at Spurs – although manager Mauricio Pochettino insists there is a bad feeling at the club – but whatever is the matter they had better sort it out, and quickly.

Spurs’ players are paid an awful lot of money and fans are entitled to a performance, not a charade.

Did you know?Dunk helped Brighton to a clean sheet against Spurs, making 10 clearances – the most of any Brighton player.

Midfielders – Jack Grealish (Aston Villa), Matty Longstaff (Newcastle), James Milner (Liverpool), Adama Traore (Wolves)

Grealish:It has not been an easy journey for Jack Grealish over the years but he seems to have found his destination. To captain Aston Villa in the Premier League is no mean feat. Villa are a big club.

Grealish was outstanding away at Crystal Palace and he led his team to victory against a Norwich team that was demolished by a rampant Villa. I have not seen a Villa captain with such an appetite for the game since Dennis Mortimer, who played for the club between 1975-85 and skippered them to the 1982 European Cup.

Did you know?Grealish scored his first Premier League goal since netting against Leicester in September 2015 (1,483 days ago).

Longstaff:This was a massive win for Newcastle and Steve Bruce in particular. It was his first managerial win over Manchester United and he called on a young 19-year-old local Geordie lad to do it.

Matthew Longstaff is the kid. Remember the name. It is not often a manager takes up most of the column inches in my report but on this occasion Bruce deserves it.

It takes a tremendous amount of courage for a manager to give a young lad his debut against Manchester United when points are in desperate need. Not only did the kid deliver, he scored the winning goal.

This could have turned out very badly for Bruce, but instead it turned out extremely badly for United and their manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer

Did you know?At 19 years and 199 days, Longstaff became the youngest player to score on his Premier League debut for Newcastle United.

Milner:James Milner is back: back in the Liverpool team and back among the goals. The ball from Milner for Sadio Mane to slot home was just glorious.

However the pressure to score a 95th-minute penalty when your team have underperformed, and knowing a victory keeps your unbeaten run alive, must have been excruciating.

It is Milner’s coolness under extreme pressure that is so impressive and should Liverpool lift the title, he is a player that can seriously be considered for the Footballer of the Year award, if only for his service to the game. Or should that be an OBE?

Did you know?Milner’s penalty in the 95th minute was the latest Liverpool have scored from the spot in the Premier League since Christian Benteke against Crystal Palace in March 2016 (96th minute).

Traore:This lad is what is commonly known in the game as a speed merchant but also as somebody who seldom delivers the killer blow.

That theory (the killer blow part) was shot down in flames against Manchester City because Traore’s two goals against the champions may have already consigned Pep Guardiola’s side to a runners-up place in the title race.

I have begged Wolves to ditch the Europa League for fear of a team with limited resources struggling in the Premier League. With results like this I need not have worried.

Did you know?Traore had not scored in his last 32 Premier League games before netting twice against Man City. His previous goal was against West Ham in September 2018.

Forwards – Aaron Connolly (Brighton), Tammy Abraham (Chelsea), Sadio Mane (Liverpool)

Connolly:I thought that Wednesday, when Spurs got battered 7-2 in the Champions League, was a bad night but at least they were facing Robert Lewandowski and Bayern Munich.

I had only heard of Aaron Connolly when he came on briefly as a substitute for Brighton in their mauling by Manchester City. Every Spurs fan in the country knows him now. What a performance by the 19-year-old.

He took Toby Alderweireld and Jan Vertonghen, two experienced Belgium internationals, apart. If Brighton can continue to play like this at home and turn the Amex Stadium into a fortress, they won’t be talking about Premier League survival but mid-table security.

Did you know?Connolly became the first teenager from the Republic of Ireland to score a Premier League brace since Robbie Keane did so for Coventry against Derby in August 1999.

Abraham:It was the great Jimmy Greaves who said that football is a funny old game. Well, who would have thought that Chelsea fans would be chanting the name of Tammy Abraham in the same manner they used to celebrate Didier Drogba.

That is because the young striker is leading the line in a similar manner to the Ivory Coast legend. If Abraham continues to develop at this rate, manager Frank Lampard will have another problem on his hands – keeping him at Stamford Bridge.

Did you know?Abraham has scored nine goals for Chelsea across all competitions in 2019-20; the joint-most of any current Premier League player along with Raheem Sterling.

Mane:I thought the penalty awarded by referee Chris Kavanagh for the tackle on Sadio Mane was a poor decision. Do I blame Mane for going down when contact is made in the box? Of course I don’t, but it wasn’t an infringement, it was merely contact in a sport that allows an element of contact.

Regardless of that decision, Mane was back to his sparkling best and Leicester’s Marc Albrighton should have known better than to lay even a finger on the Senegal international in the box.

Did you know?Mane, making his 100th league appearance for Liverpool, scored his 50th Premier League goal for the Reds. He is the 10th player to reach the milestone for the club in the competition, more than any other side.

Now it’s your turn

You’ve seen my selections this season. But who would you go for?

Crooks of the Matter

If you are a Spurs fan then this has been a very bad week for all of us. Defeat by Bayern Munich at home was a humiliation and losing to Brighton away only added insult to injury.

However I have never laughed so much at the genuine ‘witty banter’ posted online by those fans who love to hate us.

It’s what real football fans used to be famous for. We also know who the real culprits are and it’s largely due to the fact that we always do things with an element of style. We even lose elegantly!

Football banter, when delivered properly, brings fans together like nothing else. The quip of the week was, without doubt, the shot of Tottenham’s famous Seven Sisters Tube station renamed (by some cleverclogs) Seven-Two Sisters Station after Wednesday night’s drubbing.

To make fans laugh in the midst of such anguish is quite a skill. More banter and less abuse, all.

I just hope it’s not all at Tottenham’s expense.

#Grealish #Longstaff

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tinseltine · 6 years ago

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Look Back at the Movies of 2018

Tinsel & Tine's

Look Back at the Movies of 2018

By Le Anne Lindsay, Editor

This year feels like the fastest movie season to date. I still feel like we just stopped talking about the movies up for awards last year, like The Shape of Water, Call Me By Your Name, 3 Billboards, Lady Bird, Phantom Thread etc.. Now we already have 2019 Golden Globe Awards nominations, and Oscar noms just a month away on Jan 22, 2019. This years’ crop of movies being talked about for awards are a bit more main stream than some of those films that I just mentioned from last year, which were not your average movie-goers cup of tea. Whereas this year: A Star is Born, Bohemian Rhapsody, Green Book, Vice, Black Panther, The Favourite, these movies have more universal appeal. They’re important, but contain more humor. Even If Beale Street Could Talk with all its social implications, on the surface is a romance. Then we have a couple of family dramas like Beautiful Boy, Boy Erased & Ben is Back which no one is going to be able to keep straight, as Lucas Hedges is in two of them and two are about drug addiction, but they’re not artsy films. I'd like to thank God and the Universe for continually orchestrating my life so that every year I get to see and enjoy an abundant number of movies. Between film festivals and often going to the theater 3-4x a week. I feel I can formulate a pretty darn good end of the year list. Much of which does coincide with the movies being bandied about as noteworthy, but I threw in a couple of surprises. I’m gonna start with my least favorite movies of 2018, because it's a short list. It's always difficult for me to say I hate a movie because of the work and number of people involved in getting even a short film to the screen. But there's always a few that should have gone through a lot of reworking before being released. Then I move on to my Top 10 Favorites. This was particularly difficult to pair down this year, I had 26 movies that I really, really liked. So I have a Just Missed the Top 10 category and an Honorable Mention category. Note: Links go to my full review of the movie Hope you enjoy and hit me up on Facebook or Twitter to discuss your favorites!

Worst Movies of 2018

In order of most disliked

RED SPARROW (20th Century Fox) dir Francis Lawrence, starring Jennifer Lawrence & Joel Edgerton. Lawrence plays a Russian ex-ballet dancer turned reluctant sex spy in a poorly executed thriller set in Russia. Everything about it felt phony and forced, except for one small scene where Mary Louise Parker steals the show. SECOND ACT (STX Films)– dir Peter Segal, starring Jennifer Lopez, Leah Remini, Vanessa Hudgens, Milo Ventimiglia. A movie about a woman without a college degree lying her way up the corporate latter in a cosmetic company. Parts of it remind me of a cheap imitation of Amy Schumer’s I Feel Pretty, but Shumer had a handle on her plot devices and comedic timing. I think if they kept the main plot of Second Act on the relationship of the mother and daughter discovering each other, that could have helped a lot, but really this movie is short on charm and big on makeup caked on like colorful spackle. A WRINKLE IN TIME (Disney) dir Ava Duvernay, starring Storm Reid, Chris Pine, Oprah Winfrey, Reese Witherspoon & Mindy Kaling. This much anticipated film based on a beloved children’s novel did not translate well to film - story-wise, visually it had some good moments, but Jennifer Lee, Jeff Stockwell’s screenplay needed punching up and smoothing out all over the place. And I can’t let DuVernay entirely off the hook as the pacing of the film is way off too, but mostly, it was a waste of Oprah. LIFE OF THE PARTY (Warner Bros) dir Ben Falcone, starring Melissa McCarthy, who I love (I’ve become addicted to reruns of Mike & Molly) but this movie about a 40 something year-old woman returning to finish her degree at the same time as her daughter, went nowhere. It wasn’t at all funny, it wasn’t heartfelt, it wasn’t mother/daughter bonding, it wasn’t McCarthy run amok, it was just boring. ADRIFT (STX Films) dir Baltasar Kormákur, starring Shailene Woodley & Sam Claflin. Based on the true story of Tami Oldham’s 42-day ordeal lost at sea, but told through a cheesy story device that’s a cheat for the movie and completely unnecessary to hold the attention of the audience.

My TOP 10 Favorites Movies from 2018

1. BLACK PANTHER (Marvel Studios) dir Ryan Coogler, starring Chadwick Boseman. The movie hit theaters last February and broke all kinds of box office records, heavily featured women (Lupita Nyong'o, Danai Gurira, Letitia Wright) in key roles. Once and for all it broke down the myth that movies with a black cast don’t make money overseas. But best of all, it’s a good movie. When I saw it a 2nd time I knew it wasn’t just about the social implications. It was about enjoying something that was cinematically pleasing. 2. CRAZY RICH ASIANS (Warner Bros.) dir. Jon M. Chu, starring Constance Wu, Henry Golding, Awkwafina, Michelle Yeoh. Same goes for this movie, which I also saw in the theater twice. The ensemble works very well together, the movie has great energy, Singapore is gorgeous and it was so nice to bring a quality rom/com back to the screen. 3. GREEN BOOK (Universal Pics) dir Peter Farrelley, starring Viggo Mortensen, Mahershala Ali as Tony Vallelonga an Italian-American bouncer & African-American classical and jazz pianist Don Shirley embarking on a road trip down to the segregated south- this is the new odd couple. As much as I love a good romance, I think friendships and bromances are more interesting to watch unfold on screen. Also saw this twice and loved it even more the second go round. 4. PUZZLE (Sony Pictures Classic) dir Marc Turtletaub, starring Kelly Macdonald & Irrfan Khan a remake of an Argentina film (2010). I know most people did not get a chance to see this movie, it played at Ritz 5 for probably only a week, but it’s a quiet gem about a current day housewife living in a New York suburb who discovers she has a knack for quickly putting together jigsaw puzzles and unexpectedly finds more than just a fitting puzzle partner after answering an ad to join a competition. 5. MR SOUL! (BlackStar Film Festival) dir. Sam Pollard and Melissa Haizlip. SOUL! was a nationally televised weekly variety show that aired from 1968-1973 on PBS featuring prominent and emerging Black artists including poets, classical, pop and jazz musicians, dancers and political figures. The documentary is not only an amazing look back on seeing early performances of people who became household names, but it's also an interesting biopic on the creative host and producer Ellis Haizlip, who had his finger on the pulse of an early post-Civil Rights Movement America. 6. A STAR IS BORN (Warner Bros) dir Bradley Cooper made this classic his own and made a fantastic decision to make his partner in this endeavor Lady Gaga. Not only does their chemistry and music make this a more than engaging film. But Cooper captures up-close the backstage feeling of the entertainment industry in so many ways. 7. SORRY TO BOTHER YOU (Annapurna Pictures) dir Boots Riley, starring Lakeith Stanfield, Tessa Thompson, Jermaine Fowler, Omari Hardwick a lot of buzz was generated for this first time filmmaker and rightly so as Riley's style is to keep dialing up the crazy, notch by notch until you're at a full rolling boil of absurdist, off-beat, comedic Sci-fi soup with a social message. Not easy to do in one movie, but I feel he really pulled it off. 8. HOTEL ARTEMIS (Global Road) writer/dir Drew Pearce, starring Jodie Foster, Sterling K. Brown, Sofia Boutella, Jeff Goldblum, Brian Tyree Henry, Jenny Slate, Dave Bautista, and Zachary Quinto. I know I’m alone having this one on my top 10 list, but I truly enjoyed this strange action thriller. From the production design to the pre-apocalyptic setting, to the idea of taking place inside a secret high-tech hospital and supposed safe space for criminals to get patched up by an agoraphobic nurse. 9. RBG doc (Magnolia Pictures) dirs Betsy West & Julie Cohen. I saw On The Basis of Sex too and Felicity Jones is good casting as a early pioneering Ruth Bader Ginsberg, but the documentary is so much more encompassing of this remarkable woman’s life and journey. Before seeing this doc what I basically knew about this female chief Justice of the Supreme Court, I got from SNL skits and seeing some “The Notorious RBG” T-shirts. So glad to now be aware of her huge contribution to our freedoms and civil liberties. 10. LOVE, SIMON (20th Century Fox) dir Greg Berlanti, starring Nick Robinson, Katherine Langford, Jennifer Garner, Josh Duhamel - In this post "Glee", legalized Gay marriage, "Moonlight" Oscar winning, Caitlyn Jenner accepting society we live in - it's hard to figure that a movie about a young boy feeling extreme anxiety about admitting he's gay would be anything worth discussing. Yet, that's part of the value and charm of this movie along with a likeable young cast.

Just Missed the Top 10

SPIDERMAN: INTO THE SPIDER-VERSE (Sony Pictures Releasing) dir Bob Persichetti, Peter Ramsey, Rodney Rothman. Since Columbia still owns the rights to the Spiderman character, they like to get good mileage out of the web slinger, hence the terrible Andrew Garfield Spiderman reboot thrust on us while we were still in the throes of the Toby Maguire, Kirsten Dunst upside down kiss. Thankfully, something was worked out between Marvel and Sony so that we have the Tom Holland Spiderman of the MCU. So when I first heard about this animated Spider-verse, I was like, why? Is this necessary? Probably not. But it’s so well done I don’t question it anymore! Love the mixed media graphics and the fantastic sci-fi premise of having multiple spider people from different dimensions come together and initiate a new black/latino Spiderman into the realm. A SIMPLE FAVOR (Lionsgate) dir Paul Feig, starring Anna Kendrick, Blake Lively, Henry Golding a good campy script, some excellent costuming and unexpected humor turned this quasi-thriller into an early fall sleeper hit. A QUIET PLACE (Paramount Pictures) dir John Krasinski, starring Krasinski and Emily Blunt. A tight, emotional ride containing horror tropes, yet written for someone like me who likes to be thrilled with fear at the movies, but not up for anything too sinister that stays with me as I try to sleep. WON’T YOU BE MY NEIGHBOR (Focus Features) dir Morgan Neville. This doc on Fred Rogers, the well-liked host of the popular children's television program "Mister Rogers' Neighborhood", is an honest look at this man of principals who truly believed in the transformative power of love - love for others, but most importantly, for yourself. MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE: FALLOUT (Paramount Pictures) dir Christopher McQuarrie, starring Tom Cruise, Henry Cavill, Ving Rhames, Simon Pegg this 6th installment in the Mission: Impossible film series shows there’s still A LOT of juice left in the franchise. So many amazing stunts, fun and thrills.

Honorable Mentions

(alpha order) ANT-MAN AND THE WASP (Marvel) dir Peyton Reed, starring Paul Rudd, Evangeline Lilly, Michael Douglas and Michelle Pfeiffer – kept pace with the original in terms of style and storytelling, while adding in more shrinking, enlarging sight gags in all the right places. BLINDSPOTTING (Lionsgate) dir Carlos López Estrada, starring Rafael Casal, Daveed Diggs – A good first effort by these screenwriters/actors, but it’s the final scene which makes the movie above average. BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY (20th Century Fox) dir Bryan Singer finished by Dexter Fletcher, starring Rami Malek, Lucy Boynton, Gwilym Lee, Ben Hardy, Joe Mazzello – seemingly Epic music biopic, not truly as good as it seems, but a fun ride. FIRST MAN - (Universal Pictures) dir Damien Chazelle, starring Ryan Gosling, Claire Foy, Jason Clarke, Kyle Chandler, Corey Stoll - Not as well loved as La La Land, but as far as commitment to filmmaking and vision this movie is stellar. GRINGO (Amazon Studios) dir Nash Edgerton, starring David Oyelowo, Charlize Theron, Joel Edgerton – Wish this movie had gotten more attention. It takes you on a nutty adventure showcasing Oyelowo's comedic chops. IF BEALE STREET COULD TALK (Annapurna Pictures) dir Barry Jenkins, starring KiKi Layne, Stephan James, Regina King – Beautifully directed, strong cast, wonderfully adapted from a James Baldwin novel. Didn’t make my top 10 because sometimes it’s hard to watch movies based on the themes of systemic racism.(click link for Q&A with Barry Jenkins) PETER RABBIT (Sony Pictures Releasing) dir Will Gluck, starring Rose Byrne, Domhnall Gleeson – Not just adorable, but truly entertaining. THE FAVOURITE (Fox Searchlight Pictures) dir Yorgos Lanthimos, starring Olivia Colman, Emma Stone, Rachel Weisz, Nicholas Hoult, Joe Alwyn - Stylized, female-centric period piece, balancing a delightful tone of zany ridiculousness and historical accuracy. THE HATE U GIVE (20th Century Fox) dir George Tillman Jr., starring Amandla Stenberg, Regina Hall, Russell Hornsby, KJ Apa, Common, Anthony Mackie – I really fell in love with this family unit and the messages ring clear, but not too loud. TULLY (Focus Features) dir Jason Reitman, starring Charlize Theron & Mackenzie Davis – Oddly, I condemned “Adrift” for using a similar storytelling device as “Tully”, but here it works. Besides, the meat of the story is about roads and paths started down, but not followed and wondering how you ended up being in your current life; which, I truly related too, despite not being a wife or mother. WIDOWS (20th Century) dir Steve McQueen, starring Viola Davis, Michelle Rodriguez, Elizabeth Debicki, Cynthia Erivo – After “Hunger” “Shame” and “12 Years A Slave” it was a great idea for McQueen to bring his extraordinary filmmaking skills to a heist film with a touch of Lifetime movie. The climax had our audience talking back to the screen, and the actresses are all on point. I had “Widows” in my Top 10 at first, then relegated it to those that just missed the top 10, and then honorable mention. I think it kept getting pushed down just because I don’t really like the final scene. Share :)

Tinsel & Tine

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cvrnewsdirectindia · 5 years ago

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Garth Crooks’ team of the week: Mane, Abraham, Longstaff, Grealish, Luiz

A fantastic weekend of Premier League action saw Liverpool extend their lead at the top of the table to eight points following a last-gasp 2-1 victory over Leicester.

Champions Manchester City lost ground with a shock 2-0 home defeat by Wolves, while Tottenham’s week went from bad to worse with a heavy 3-0 loss at Brighton.

Newcastle moved out of the relegation zone with an impressive 1-0 win over troubled Manchester United, while there were wins for Burnley,Aston Villa and Crystal Palace.

Here’s my team of the week – have a read and select your own below.

Goalkeeper – Mat Ryan (Brighton)

Ryan: As bad as Tottenham were against Brighton, this game could have finished 4-4 had it not been for the brilliance of Mathew Ryan. Two wonderful saves from Lucas Moura, one from Erik Lamela and another from Harry Kane put Spurs firmly in their place.

The longer the game went on the more confident Ryan became. This was a first-class performance from the Brighton keeper.

Did you know? Ryan made three saves against Spurs, registering a clean sheet against the Lilywhites for the first time in his Premier League career.

Defenders – Gary Cahill (Crystal Palace), David Luiz (Arsenal), Lewis Dunk (Brighton)

Cahill: It is coming to something when Crystal Palace fans start ‘insisting’ who I should put in my team of the week. Just what it has got to do with them I don’t know.

However, I did find myself bowing to the wishes of one of their followers who was mightily impressed with Gary Cahill’s performance against West Ham.

He also went on to tell me that he couldn’t understand why Chelsea had let him go when they obviously need his experience in view of who they are currently playing at the back.

He then went on to say, “how could Arsenal pay Chelsea £8m for David Luiz when Cahill went on a free transfer?”. He does have a point.

Did you know? Cahill completed 95% of his 60 passes against West Ham for Crystal Palace – the best completion rate among the Eagles’ players.

Luiz: Just when Spurs fans think the week cannot get any worse, Arsenal win at home to Bournemouth and the victory takes them up to third in the table.

Luiz, who never does things the easy way, scored his first goal for the Gunners and the only goal of the game but more importantly kept his first clean sheet in an Arsenal shirt.

I cannot believe this Arsenal team are third in the table. I know we are only eight games into the Premier League season but their defence has been so bad, how is this possible?

Did you know? 10 of Luiz’s 12 Premier League goals have been scored in home matches, with this his first goal for Arsenal.

Dunk: Another performance that was agony to watch for Tottenham, only this time Lewis Dunk was to blame. The defender slammed Brighton’s back door in Tottenham’s face.

I don’t know what is going on at Spurs – although manager Mauricio Pochettino insists there is a bad feeling at the club – but whatever is the matter they had better sort it out, and quickly.

Spurs’ players are paid an awful lot of money and fans are entitled to a performance, not a charade.

Did you know? Dunk helped Brighton to a clean sheet against Spurs, making 10 clearances – the most of any Brighton player.

Midfielders – Jack Grealish (Aston Villa), Matty Longstaff (Newcastle), James Milner (Liverpool), Adama Traore (Wolves)

Grealish: It has not been an easy journey for Jack Grealish over the years but he seems to have found his destination. To captain Aston Villa in the Premier League is no mean feat. Villa are a big club.

Did you know? Grealish scored his first Premier League goal since netting against Leicester in September 2015 (1,483 days ago).

Longstaff: This was a massive win for Newcastle and Steve Bruce in particular. It was his first managerial win over Manchester United and he called on a young 19-year-old local Geordie lad to do it.

Matthew Longstaff is the kid. Remember the name. It is not often a manager takes up most of the column inches in my report but on this occasion Bruce deserves it.

This could have turned out very badly for Bruce, but instead it turned out extremely badly for United and their manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer

Did you know? At 19 years and 199 days, Longstaff became the youngest player to score on his Premier League debut for Newcastle United.

Milner: James Milner is back: back in the Liverpool team and back among the goals. The ball from Milner for Sadio Mane to slot home was just glorious.

However the pressure to score a 95th-minute penalty when your team have underperformed, and knowing a victory keeps your unbeaten run alive, must have been excruciating.

Did you know? Milner’s penalty in the 95th minute was the latest Liverpool have scored from the spot in the Premier League since Christian Benteke against Crystal Palace in March 2016 (96th minute).

Traore: This lad is what is commonly known in the game as a speed merchant but also as somebody who seldom delivers the killer blow.

I have begged Wolves to ditch the Europa League for fear of a team with limited resources struggling in the Premier League. With results like this I need not have worried.

Did you know? Traore had not scored in his last 32 Premier League games before netting twice against Man City. His previous goal was against West Ham in September 2018.

Forwards – Aaron Connolly (Brighton), Tammy Abraham (Chelsea), Sadio Mane (Liverpool)

Connolly: I thought that Wednesday, when Spurs got battered 7-2 in the Champions League, was a bad night but at least they were facing Robert Lewandowski and Bayern Munich.

Did you know? Connolly became the first teenager from the Republic of Ireland to score a Premier League brace since Robbie Keane did so for Coventry against Derby in August 1999.

Abraham: It was the great Jimmy Greaves who said that football is a funny old game. Well, who would have thought that Chelsea fans would be chanting the name of Tammy Abraham in the same manner they used to celebrate Didier Drogba.

Did you know? Abraham has scored nine goals for Chelsea across all competitions in 2019-20; the joint-most of any current Premier League player along with Raheem Sterling.

Mane: I thought the penalty awarded by referee Chris Kavanagh for the tackle on Sadio Mane was a poor decision. Do I blame Mane for going down when contact is made in the box? Of course I don’t, but it wasn’t an infringement, it was merely contact in a sport that allows an element of contact.

Regardless of that decision, Mane was back to his sparkling best and Leicester’s Marc Albrighton should have known better than to lay even a finger on the Senegal international in the box.

Did you know? Mane, making his 100th league appearance for Liverpool, scored his 50th Premier League goal for the Reds. He is the 10th player to reach the milestone for the club in the competition, more than any other side.

Now it’s your turn

You’ve seen my selections this season. But who would you go for?

Crooks of the Matter

If you are a Spurs fan then this has been a very bad week for all of us. Defeat by Bayern Munich at home was a humiliation and losing to Brighton away only added insult to injury.

However I have never laughed so much at the genuine ‘witty banter’ posted online by those fans who love to hate us.

To make fans laugh in the midst of such anguish is quite a skill. More banter and less abuse, all.

I just hope it’s not all at Tottenham’s expense.

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yesweweresoldiers · 5 years ago

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What We’re Talking About: A MAHG Reading Roundup 4

Every summer, TeachingAmericanHistory brings together scholars and teachers from around the nation to our campus in Ashland to enjoy week-long seminars on focused topics in American history and government. These courses can be taken for graduate credit, or simply for your personal enrichment — some participants describe the experience as an “intellectual retreat” where they can enjoy both conversation and collegiality.

If you aren’t able to join us in person this summer, we hope you’ll consider joining us in spirit by checking out some of the myriad texts we’ll be discussing. If you’re reading along, we invite you to join the conversation using #TAHreading to share your thoughts!

Lucas Morel, GREAT AMERICAN TEXTS: RALPH ELLISON

My Ralph Ellison course will focus on his novel Invisible Man as a great American text. Although I supplement discussion of the novel with several of his essays and interviews, the course begins with discussion of one of his short stories, “In a Strange Country.” Published in 1944, eight years before the publication of Invisible Man, the story illustrates some elements that will Ellison will employ in his great novel: irony, music, and interior monologue to name a few. More importantly, the plot raises questions about race, diversity, humanity, inclusion, and the meaning of America, in general, that Ellison will return to not only in his novel but throughout the rest of his writing career. The story involves a black American named Mr. Parker, who is on shore leave in Wales during World War II. The plot thickens quickly when he is mugged by a group of bigoted white American servicemen and rescued by a Welshman, who takes him to a pub to recover. They eventually spend the rest of the evening at the Welshman’s private singing club. The harmony of the diverse Welshmen as they sing a variety of songs impresses Mr. Parker, who then is surprised and befuddled as they launch into the American national anthem, as they expect him to help them along. The story closes with his musing about “The Star-Spangled Banner,” thoughts and feelings reeling, as he notes, “For the first time in your whole life, he thought with dreamlike wonder, the words are not ironic.” What is the “strange land” of the story’s title: Wales or America? For racial minorities, or any numerical minority, is an imperfect America worth fighting for? How can diversity be a strength rather than a weakness of a free society? These and other questions come readily to mind, demonstrating Ellison’s close observations of American social and political life. See more of what we’ll be reading on the class syllabus.

William Atto and Thomas Bruscino, THE AMERICAN WAY OF WAR

Thomas Bruscino: My recommendation is General Orders No. 100, Lieber’s Code, 1863. It seems so banal–just a list of 157 articles, published with little fanfare and no preamble in 1863. Perhaps that is why General Orders No. 100 is not more well known. But a closer look at the code, written by Francis Lieber and issued by President Abraham Lincoln to govern armies in the field, reveals a document of remarkable importance and reach. General Orders No. 100 is one of the key documents in the laws of war, but more than that, it is the original American counterinsurgency manual, a wartime manifestation of the opposition to slavery built into the constitution, a guide to American principles of justice and fairness, and the fundamental expression of the American mind for war. As such, Lieber’s Code is one of the most important documents in American and world history. It deserves careful reading, study, and deliberation. See more of what we’ll be reading on the class syllabus.

Sarah Beth V. Kitch, RACE AND EQUALITY IN AMERICA

Abraham Joshua Heschel (1907-1972), a philosopher and political actor, observes that many persons regard care for justice as someone else’s task. Some persons, however, share in suffering in a way that moves them to awaken their communities to injustice. Harriet Jacobs (1813-1897) invites her audience to experience the pain of racial injustice in her account, Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl. Her account makes fresh a phenomenon that familiarity sometimes render abstract.

An invitation to ethical sensitivity, the narrative highlights the phenomenon of what Heschel would later call indifference to evil. Specifically, she reveals how Americans have accepted as part of their political order the oppression of some persons on the basis of race. Through thoughtful storytelling, Jacobs summons readers to name practices that degrade persons. “These God-breathing machines are no more, in the sight of their masters, than the cotton they plant, or the horses they tend.” She then shows the reader how an order contrived on racial inequality protects persons who commit sexual violence, breach her motherhood, and attack her practices of conscience and faith. The narrative creates a ringing awareness of the human capacity, whether consciously harsh or unconsciously habituated, to tolerate evil.

Jacobs concludes that the injustices she and others have experienced dehumanize both those who commit harm and those who suffer. As she unveils slavery, Jacobs beckons the reader with to consider its legacy in American political life today. She leaves the reader with a reminder of our common need for home along with a challenge to thoughtful action. See more of what we’ll be reading on the class syllabus.

Jeremy Bailey and Marc Landy, THE AMERICAN PRESIDENCY II: JOHNSON TO THE PRESENT

Jeremy Bailey: My serious recommendation is easy. I was just on the American Political Science Association American Political Thought organized section book award committee. And the best was Jonathan Gienapp’s Second Creation: Fixing the American Constitution (Harvard University Press:2o18) shows how the Constitution became “fixed” in the 1790’s and regarded as a settled agreement with its own authority. Allen Guelzo’s short Reconstruction (Oxford University Press: 2018) is also very good, as well as Daniel R’ Rodger’s history of the city on hill speech in As a City on a Hill: The Story of America’s Most Famous Lay Sermon (Princeton).

My summer-y recommendation is Mark Synnott’s The Impossible Climb: Alex Honnold, El Capitan, and the Climbing Life (Dutton), which gives a very good account of the free solo climb in the context of American climbing culture in the last several decades. For more recommendations on modern American politics, check out what we’ll be reading in class on the syllabus.

Jason Jividen, THE PROGRESSIVES (online)

Charles E. Merriam (1874-1953) was a professor at the University of Chicago and an early leader in the twentieth century discipline of political science. He was also an influential public intellectual in the Progressive Movement. Often cited as one of the founders of the “behavioral approach” to political science, he argued against the usefulness of “mere” theory or formal law and institutions in understanding politics. Rather, Merriam claimed, political scientists ought to derive data from the behavior of political actors and subject these things to quantitative analysis. For Merriam, if it is to be in any way useful, political science also ought to help citizens, politicians, and administrators realize progressive social, economic, and political reform.

In his 1903 book, A History of American Political Theories, Merriam surveyed the historical development of American political principles and ideologies, and he saw this history as setting the stage for the Progressive Movement. In the eighth chapter, Merriam examined “recent tendencies” in contemporary social science research. Among these recent tendencies was the willingness of progressive scholars to reject many of the theoretical principles associated with the American Founding, e.g. the state of nature, natural rights, social contract theory, limited government, and separation of powers. Few standalone pieces highlight so succinctly the basic tenets of Progressivism and its critique of America’s Founding principles. This piece is regularly taught across several sections of AHG 505 (The Progressive Movement).

Ken Masugi, THE LINCOLN-DOUGLAS DEBATES (online)

My favorite Abraham Lincoln speech to teach (next to the Gettysburg Address) is his Temperance Address. With our current increase in caustic political exchanges, its penetrating (and witty) reflections on social and political extremism are most instructive.

The Temperance Address was delivered on February 22, 1842 in a church at a meeting of the Washingtonian Society, a recently organized group of reformed alcoholics. Lincoln used the occasion of Washington’s Birthday to praise the Washingtonians for their rational persuasion in gaining members. He reminds a greater audience that such rhetoric is essential for self-government. In moving citizens toward a candidate or policies, persuasive speech, which appeals to self-interest, is the alternative to force. Hellfire and damnation preaching promotes civil war.

Throughout his political career Lincoln would use the rhetorical principles of the Temperance Address to teach supporters of noble causes, such as the abolition of slavery, how best to advance them. In its argument and the action Lincoln sobers us up for the duty of self-government. Among the moral and political vices, being drunk on power is possibly the worse.

I will teach this speech in my late August course on the Lincoln-Douglas Debates. See more of what we’ll be reading on the class syllabus.

The post What We’re Talking About: A MAHG Reading Roundup 4 appeared first on Teaching American History.

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