#matthew newman

[nobodysdaydreams]

I WAITED ALL THIS TIME FOR CUTTER’S TRAGIC BACKSTORY AND IT’S THAT HE GOT HIS TELESCOPE STOLEN AS A TEENAGER AND DECLARED REVENGE?

Oh, well then, forget Hilbert’s family dying of radiation, Jacobi’s guilt over his failures, and Maxwell’s alienation from her family, THIS was the sad villain backstory the show was building up to. And Cutter is so serious about it too, y’all I can’t. 🤣

(Or my reaction to Wolf359’s Special Episode: Volte Face)

Hi Dear Readers. Gonna be doing some work during this one, but I hope you like the reaction regardless because I've put off enough, but I hope you enjoy it anyway. Here we go!

Tagging the mutuals who got me invested in this, and if you want to be tagged or untagged from these posts, lmk, or you can follow my blog or simply follow the tag "#bods wolf359 reactions". Anyone who has followed me for a while knows my updates are inconsistent, so I apologize in advance for that and for any spelling/grammar mistakes in my posts.

@sophieswundergarten @oflightningandstars @acollectionofcuriousreblogs @herawell @commsroom @lovelyladylavie

Special Episode: Volte Face

Huh. A few years before the start of the show. This should be interesting.

Oh ew Rachel.

Wait is this her origin story?

Enlil (yes I looked up the spelling this time, yes I was careful, and yes I did this after the reaction) is so cheery. Like Cutter if he was actually nice.

Wait. Why are they calling her “Miss. Nash”?

Oh. They tried to kill her at the hotel. And she seems to know they’d try to do this, is totally okay with it, and willingly getting on a plan with them? Okay?

Don’t like this David Clark fellow.

Nash is not nice Enlil. She’s not nice at all.

Does Cutter kill or hire all the reporters that come to his door? If so, I hope Minkowski’s husband is okay.

The safety video is on mute? That’s symbolic.

The AI is the only character I like.

Andrea Nash? Am I hearing this wrong, I swear that’s Rachel Young.

So Enlil got the job Hera wanted. Flying a fancy jet all day. Hera did say that’s what happens when you’re happy and do as you’re told.

Huh. Did not expect Cutter to be a Harry Potter fan.

Ew not Cutter doing the “welcome to Wolf359” I hate it.

Was Goddard the OG Marcus? Wright-Goddard? Interesting… let’s see… 40s, 50s, 60s… AI.

Renamed in 1974… so that’s significant. Also when Cutter says “things no monkey could do” why do I think he means humans?

1976. So that’s when he took control.

People? I don’t like the sound of that.

Change the world for the better? …no. I respectfully disagree.

Oh she’s not asking about certain things. Restraining bolt?

“where were we” “how you were gonna change the world for the better” 🤣 yeah. Right after he removes everyone’s free will, sure.

Are all these people that are being listed Cutter? That’s a lot of new people.

Right they all disappeared.

Do the names of the stars have a similar pattern that the fake names have?

What does she mean by “I have EVERYTHING”? What is everything? Like… everything everything?

Oh they got that restraining bolt.

David. I think Cutter might decide to give you the restraining bolt instead.

“The same reason you don’t hold this job for more than a decade” DANG!

Matthew Newman?

Oh that’s him isn’t it? The real him?

IS THAT A GUN?

This escalated so quick.

Oh she got him. And Cutter took this so personally.

Come on Cutter. Drop the backstory. Oh Andrea Nash isn’t her name either.

Yep. Matthew Newman. Here he is.

Ah. A little high school student poking his nose where it didn’t belong. Oh so Cutter has been infatuated with aliens since he was a boy.

Wait. That’s it? The government took his telescope when he was 15 and he declared revenge? That’s his sad backstory? That’s the best he could do?

Oh and then he got fired when someone had to take the fall at the company. That too. But he still said he declared revenge when he was in high school? This is ridiculous. And further proof that science nerds who are also over dramatic theater kids cannot be trusted (expect for me because I’m special 🥰).

Oh so when Matthew left he gave the restructure order. I see… but then how did he get the new bodies?

He found Miranda Pryce. But how did she have the tech?

Maybe he used plastic surgery the first time around.

Oh. He was Miranda’s first test subject. And she wanted to manipulate the human body probably because of her blindness.

“Revenge is fun” “you can just steal one” “space exploration is only part of the bigger picture: progress. I want a better future” put those three statements together and tell me if you sound like a good guy, Cutter.

I see. So rather than stop him, Nash wants in so that she can have a hand in it. She’s just as gross as he is.

“No” *cuts to Andrea as Rachel head of special projects*

Cutter has seen Monsters Inc?

“More productive use” “Volte Face” okay this is the part where you should have brought a gun… oh the wave radiation. Good thing she’s knows that. I guess that’s enough to give Cutter the job. Rough day for you David.

Oh she has to reinvent herself. Rachel. Yep. So this is how she got here. I don’t like her. She knows what Cutter’s about, and her response is she wants in? Absolute worst.

“Goodbye Miss. Nash”

Well that was sort of a dark ending. You either willingly give up your humanity to join Pryce and Cutter or they take it. One way or another.

Anyway, now we know more about Rachel and Cutter. Gotta say, his sad backstory is funnier and lamer than I could have ever imagined. I was, bear minimum, expecting something like the board members who pushed him out of the company were close personal friends, or maybe his parents yelled at him and forced him to give up his space dreams or even a line about the kids at school laughing at him for being a high schooler who believed in aliens. But nope. He stumbled upon something, got his telescope stolen by the government and was like “you know what? I’m gonna spend the rest of my life and several more lifetimes getting revenge for this specifically.” The people who took the dang telescope aren’t even alive anymore! Look, I get they also ransacked his house and yelled at him, which is a lot for a teenager, but to respond by declaring revenge then and there and plotting world domination, I just…

I mean, I guess the moral of the story is don’t inconvenience a young science genius if they’re also a dramatic theater kid. Because they will immediately jump to world domination and change their name as part of that process and befriend(?) an evil woman who gives them next level tech. It’s happened too many times in too many of my fandoms (well two so far, show Curtain and Cutter. At least show Curtain’s sad thing was that his family left him. Still not an excuse considering his brother was also a kid at the time, but it’s better than a telescope).

I can see why you all hyped this up. It’s hilarious, but also shows how being affiliated with Cutter makes people slowly lose their humanity (again, one way or another) despite Cutter calling himself a “people person”.

Also if Rachel knows about the modified bodies, does that mean she has one? Or maybe she’s not old enough yet.

On a more serious note: Rachel’s character makes me sad. She could use her powers for good and expose so many bad people. And it sounds like she did for a while. But then she decided to sell out. Disappointing. What a waste. And since Rachel and Andrea were both fake names… we might never learn who she really is. Or maybe that doesn’t matter, since that person, who ever she was, no longer exists. Again, Cutter and Pryce do specialize in taking away other people’s humanity.

Well. Only 2 hours left. Not tonight, but later. When I have time to really sit and give a good listen. We’re in the endgame now dear readers. I hope y’all are ready!

[cinesludge]

Movie #71 of 2023: Drive

Driver: "My hands are a little dirty."

Bernie Rose: "So are mine."

[amaritheartist]

Major spoilers for Wolf 359 and TMA

Just finished Wolf 359 not long ago, and the way Cutter was just Jonah Magnus-ing his way through things!

Not the twist I was initially expecting, which is what makes it a twist, but that was a funny little thing he pulled.

[cranberrybogmummy]

So like regular cats then?

Cutter is a Ginger cat though and Elias is white and silver tabby. They are bapping each other over and over again. (Pictured below Elias Bouchard and Marcus Cutter)

Would Marcus Cutter and Elias Bouchard get along? Or would they hate each other

[asgoodeasgold]

Matthew Roydon wants to know what his dead (but alive and well) father-in-law from the 21st century whom he's just met in the streets of 1591 London is up to. 🤯

I need a lie down, not least coz that gaze...

I also had to laugh at Matthew sulking in a corner in this scene 🤣 The cranky pants are having an outing again.

📷 Sky/Bad Wolf A Discovery of Witches (2021) s2:10 my edits

[cinemaseeker]

Let's Review: Saturday Night

Biopics, not unlike live TV, are a tricky tightrope walk.

The line that actors and directors have to toe is razor thin and always shifting beneath their feet. The sweat starts to bead at the very beginning of conception, when an actor is chosen to mimic, and more often than not resurrect, any given celebrity/historical figure/actual real person of note for any particular project. And the very act of mimicking the appearance and mannerisms of these people strikes at the very heart of acting itself, which can be described as the uncanny ability to completely transform oneself, both physically and mentally, into a different person.

In short, to convincingly create a character.

Biopics pose a particularly unique challenge, wherein the actor has to both create a fictionalized character that can work within a fabricated narrative structure while still recreating a non-fictitious person who is then expected to reenact events important to both the person and the world at large.

Scrutiny and criticisms (from both the general public and the people who lived it) are hardwired to the very DNA of this genre in a way that no other genres are. Not to mention all of the fans that come out of the woodwork when these projects premiere, who are always more than ready to shoot down and fact-check every fictitious addition/omission/discrepancy, beating every bush into oblivion.

It is very easy to screw up spectacularly (and very many have) but these projects can also be absolutely magical when you get it right.

It can be tricky enough doing justice representing one key figure in the world of entertainment. Now add half a dozen more. And we have an ensemble biopic, a creature that just adds more balls for us to juggle.

So now, really, a biopic chronicling the chaotic countdown towards the very first SNL live show is nothing short of catching lightning in a bottle. At the very last minute. Almost on accident. After every other conceivable thing goes very, very wrong. Only to become, somehow, very, very right in the end.

Like lightning, this film has a zappy, kinetic energy to it (helped in very large parts by the editing, camerawork, and Jon Batiste's exciting frenetic score) as it zips and weaves it's way around every square inch of 30 Rockefeller Plaza on the night of October 11th 1975, playing out in roughly real time from 10pm to 11:30pm (aka showtime). It doesn't hold your hand so much as roughly drag you up and down the studio, huffing and puffing as the unsinkable Lorne Michaels (anchored by an earnestly steadfast Gabriel Labelle) rushes to put out little fires that keep popping up all over the place (mostly figurative, one very literal).

You've got a ragtag group of untested comics with large personalities that occasionally bump against each other like bowling balls against pins; some of whom wonder what they, as real actors, are even doing there. There's an anarchic writer with SNL's first head writer Michael O'Donoghue (played by a magnetic Tommy Dewey) pushing back for artistic freedom against the prudish NBC censor (the hilariously sour-pussed Catherine Curtin) in a heated interaction that marks a particularly bright spot in both the film and the fast-paced, wise-cracking script. Then there's countless technical problems with both the sound and lights, not helped by bitterly rebellious crew who won't even help a pour guy lay down some bricks. And all of this in service towards a sketch comedy show that, having run for 3 hours in dress rehearsal (a dress rehearsal that wasn't even taped) that has to be severely trimmed down for primetime.

And of course, there are the NBC executives that are breathing down their necks, waiting for Lorne and the show to fail. A show that, even Lorne admits, nobody has really figured out yet. As he states in one of the film's best lines, he has the ingredients in mind, just not the amounts.

Not to mention the Alpaca.

Oh, and Andy Kaufman's there. As well as Jim Henson and his Muppets. Both of whom are brought to impressive, gangly life by Nicholas Braun (aka Cousin Greg from Succession) pulling double-duty as the unconventional comic and innovative puppeteer with an equally commendable, underperforming monotony that provides the perfect sounding board for everyone else to bounce their insanities against.

The entire ensemble and supporting cast collide and compliment each like a finely tuned jazz band, creating great conflict in the cacophony and allowing great soloists to shine through all the noise.

Perhaps the most obvious standout is Cory Michael Smith as Chevy Chase (I'm sure he wouldn't have it any other way).

The natural physical resemblance always helps but Smith manages to effortlessly portray the egotistical smarminess of Chase in a way that's served him well in his other past roles.

This is the part of the review where I get to flex and say that I liked Cory Michael Smith before he was cool and btw I'm glad that he's getting bigger and better roles in his career. Good for him.

Shoutout to his kooky turn as Edward Nygma/Riddler on Gotham. Do yourself a favor and check it out. You won't be disappointed.

But if I had to pick a best supporting actor, I would have to give it to Matt Wood for his take on the late great John Belushi.

In any other movie, his part probably would've been much bigger (that's what she said). But all jokes aside he's wisely used rather sparingly, glaring at us from the background until he's brought in to punch up the tension with his explosive temper and mercurial demeanor. Your eye can't help but wander over to this strange little man who's obvious talent tips both the show and film's scales towards greatness, even as everyone can already see the deep shadow starting to darken the doorway.

One underappreciated aspect of the biopic is the opportunity it gets to lend voices to people who wouldn't otherwise get a chance to tell their side of the story. With all the big egos swinging their dicks around Saturday Night, the spotlight smartly tends to swing more towards Garrett Morris, the token black member of the cast.

You probably wouldn't have thought much about Garrett Morris before going to see this movie. But my hope is that after seeing this you'll go Google him and then hopefully Hollywood will finally give him his flowers. Played with indignant dignity by newly minted Emmy winner Lamorne Morris (no relation), Garrett rightfully chafes against having to play into limited black stereotypes, especially given that he graduated from Juilliard and performed on Broadway.

And finally, I would be remiss not the mention the incredible women of Saturday Night.

Like very much of SNL's history, the female cast members and writers, especially Lorne's wife Rosie Shuster (played with tender grit by the incomparable Rachel Sennott), have had to fight tooth and nail to make their voices heard. The film takes great strides to spotlight Rosie as the great unsung hero of Saturday Night, giving meat to a supporting wife role that far too often comes delivered bareboned. One of the very favorite lines in the film has Rosie desiring to be a writer rather than a wife and eventually choosing to go by her maiden name in the show's credits, her supportive husband by her side.

Although not the focal point of the film, their efforts do manage to shine brightly through the cracks, giving us glimpses into sketchwork that would lay the groundwork for future SNL superstars like Tina Fey and Maya Rudolph.

The fact that they get to do it while harassing former teen star Dylan O'Brien (aka Stiles from Teen Wolf) is just an added bonus.

But in all seriousness, O'Brien makes for a fun, buoyant Dan Aykroyd.

Without trying very hard, Saturday Night would've been able to give older viewers a shot of nostalgia for the early days of SNL while also giving younger generations a great first step back into learning about the early history of SNL, a show which is currently airing its 50th season and still going strong. The fact that it's also a great movie is truly an added bonus and a gift to the state of current cinema.

At the end of it all, Saturday Night is able to prove that while a biopic doesn't have to get all the facts right, it certainly has to capture the vibe. And it certainly does so, making us feel what it was like to be there in Studio 8H during a chaotic October night in 1975, where the Not Ready for Primetime Players were just trying to put on a show.

[brianbritigan]

Today marks 25 years since the attack that ended Matthew Shepard’s life.

Imagining the events of that evening was the hardest part of illustrating Always Matt but I hope these pages can help others to revisit and reflect on this tragedy with a new sense of clarity and purpose.

[spilladabalia]

Wire - Internal Exile

[bebe-benzenheimer]

[probably-a-plant-thing]

They're a ten, but... (Tag game)

tagged by @bluecoolr-main, @the-pinstriped-hood, and @devil-doll13 and probably more people

I did only like... 10 of my lil guys so lemme know if I should do more, ig?

Skulk - They're a ten, but he disappears for days without warning

Marshall: He's a ten, but he's never going to settle down

Matthew: He's a ten, but he's very caught up on the past

Nex: He's a ten, but he's scared of commitment

Catboy: They're a ten, but they post about 85% of their life

Rylan: He's a ten, but he'll run over your pet

Newman: He's a ten, but he won't sleep until he's plagued by visions instead of cords

Sebastian: She's a ten, but she'll wipe out a city with plague for funsies

OMA: It's a ten, but it doesn't understand personal space

John: He's a ten, but he's a cop

tagging @madbadash because she's a bestie and anyone else can do it if they want lol. @ everyone on this bitch.

[cinesludge]

Movie #20 of 2023: Sicario: Day of the Soldado

“So, you want to be a sicario? Let’s talk about your future.” 

[ichabodcranemills]

okay but like. Does the timeline for Cutter makes no sense or am I being terrible at math?

[100-art]

100+ Famous Modern Art Artists of All Time

2/8/2024 ♦ Framed Poster Print ♦ Canvas Print ♦ Metal Print ♦ Acrylic Print ♦ Wood Prints 🌐 Worldwide shipping

[depressedwetnapkin]

Liz: Why won't you just come to Italy on vacation with us?!

Cammie: Italy killed my dad!

Grant:...

Grant: My uncle broke his neck in Italy once

[roamingtigress]

My sappy Vandermatthews playlist which features Thomas Newman, Danny Elfman, RDR2 themes, Buddy Holly, Willie Nelson, Big & Rich, America, Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, Barry Mann, REO Speedwagon, and ABBA. Based on their goofy exploits Online and in my sappy fic ❤️‍����

[brianbritigan]

Today’s the day!! Always Matt: A Tribute to Matthew Shepard is now available wherever fine books are sold!

This project began for me back in November 2021 and it’s absolutely surreal to know that the book will be finding its way into to readers’ hands today. It’s an honor to help tell this story.

An enormous THANK YOU to author Lesléa Newman for breathing life into this project, to Jason Collins for sharing his story, and to all the folks at Abrams Books — editor Howard Reeves, assistant editor Sara Sproull, and designer Josh Johnson for bringing me onto this project and offering guidance from rough sketches to printed pages. And endless thanks to Dennis and Judy Shepard and the Matthew Shepard Foundation for all that they’ve done in Matt’s memory.