#movie thoughts: the tragedy of macbeth

[hotdaemondtargaryen]

TOM GLYNN-CARNEY INTERVIEWED FOR VESTAL MAGAZINE.

REFLECTING ON YOUR JOURNEY IN THE ACTING INDUSTRY, DO YOU REMEMBER THE MOMENT YOU REALIZED YOU REALIZED YOU WANTED TO PURSUE ACTING?

"The moment I realized I wanted to pursue acting was probably when I was around 12 years old, in high school."

"I was performing in a production of Shakespeare's Macbeth at the Royal Exchange in Manchester."

"I saw older actors and wondered what their "proper" jobs were outside of the theater."

'When I asked one of them, they said': — "No, this is my proper job. This is what I do."

"I didn’t know people could do that."

"From that moment on, I knew that this is what I wanted to do as a career."

YOU'VE DONE MULTIPLE SHOWS AND MOVIES IN THE DRAMATIC GENRE. WOULD YOU EVER BE OPEN TO DOING OTHER GENRES?

"Absolutely, I'd love to explore new genres in the future."

"I'd love to give comedy a go."

"I think that would be a good challenge."

"It’s difficult because timing is crucial delivering a joke at the right time can feel almost mathematical."

"But I think that good comedy actors don't see it that way at all."

"It just comes naturally to them."

"I'd love to give it a shot."

"I'm also interested in doing biopics, bringing real-life stories to life."

"Chet Baker and Gene Kelly, in particular, would be fascinating characters to portray."

"But I'm open to any interesting projects that come my way."

HOW DO YOU CHOOSE THE ROLES YOU TAKE ON? ARE YOU DRAWN TO A PARTICULAR TYPE OF CHARACTER OR STORY?

"Honestly, I'm drawn to anything that makes me feel uncomfortable and pushes me out of my comfort zone."

"I seek out roles where the character feels distant and challenging."

"I like to test myself and see if I can bring such characters to life."

"If a role feels like something I might struggle with, that's exactly what I want to tackle."

"I often joke that these challenging roles might be my downfall someday." [laughs]

CAN YOU SHARE ANY INSIGHTS INTO HOW YOUR CHARACTER, AEGON II TARGARYEN, ENVOLVES IN THE UPCOMING SEASON?

"I found it fascinating to delve deeper into Aegon this season because there's so much more to uncover about him."

"In the first season, we saw quite a two-dimensional view of Aegon—not due to Ty Tennant's portrayal, which I thought was fantastic, bringing a lot of vulnerability and teenage angst to the character."

"When I took over, the time frame was too short to really explore Aegon's complexities."

"This time, I've had an extended period to sit with the character and dig into his deeper layers."

"Playing a character experiencing profound grief is always a challenge."

"I'm lucky enough that I've never gone through anything like that myself, so I had to imagine it as vividly as possible."

"This season, Aegon is shown as more of an empath than a psychopath."

"It becomes clear that he has the capacity to love, feel, and grieve."

"There are so many comparisons between Aegon and Richard II."

"People are saying Aegon is cold, calculated, and evil, and while he's certainly done horrible things—I'm not justifying any of those—it's important to note that, rather than being a straightforward villain, he's a crumbling tragedy."

HOW HAS YOUR APPROACH TO PORTRAYING AEGON II CHANGED FROM THE PREVIOUS SEASON TO THE NEW ONE?

"There’s definitely a continuation of the drama and theatricality from season one."

"It's huge, rousing, and intense."

"I've seen episodes one to four, and they are just unbelievable, especially the battle scenes — you can't get any bigger than that."

"This season, though, there’s also an element of humor."

"At some point, they called Aegon 'the Magnanimous,' and it was important to bring some levity to his character."

"Aegon has just stepped into the role of King and is trying to figure it all out."

"We're at a point where he’s found a spring in his step, enjoying this new responsibility and purpose."

"He’s also got a lot of power now."

"Power can go to people's heads and make them crazy."

"It was nice to explore his boyishness and playfulness, as it gives his character more depth and leaves room for growth."

WHAT WOULD YOU TELL PEOPLE TO GET THEM ON TEAM GREEN?

"I don’t think I need to persuade them—obviously, we’re the best."

"But if you really want to see why, this season is packed with surprises that will make it clear."

SINCE THE SHOW IS BASED ORIGINALLY ON BOOKS, IS THERE A SPECIFIC BOOK YOU'D LIKE TO SEE BROUGHT TO THE SCREEN AND FOR YOU TO BE A PART OF?

"I'd love to see a film adaptation of Douglas Stuart's book Shuggie Bain."

"Another great choice would be The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet by David Mitchell."

"It’s a collection of beautiful and heart-wrenching short stories, and each one could make a compelling film."

"Looking at my bookshelf now, I see a lot of books on Bob Dylan, David Bowie, and Paul McCartney—mostly singer-songwriters."

"I also have a lot of poetry. I'd love to see a biopic of Patti Smith."

"That would be incredible."

YOUR CAREER HAS TAKEN YOU TO VARIOUS FILMING LOCATIONS AROUND THE WORLD. IS THERE A SPECIFIC LOCATION YOU HAVEN'T BEEN TO YET AND WOULD LOVE TO BE THE BACKDROP FOR A POTENTIAL FUTURE PROYECT?

"Oh, that's a good question."

"I think somewhere that’s a hybrid between beautiful rolling countryside and the coast."

"A place that offers both stunning landscapes and the sea."

"On your days off, you could go for a swim or hike through the mountains."

"I’d love to work in a scenic and peaceful location like that."

SOMETIMES, ACTORS WHO PLAY 'VILLAINS' CAN GET AN ADVERSE REACTION FROM SOME FANS OF A SHOW. WHAT HAVE YOUR INTERACTIONS BEEN LIKE?

"I've been very lucky."

"Many people have approached me with kind words about my portrayal of Aegon."

"It's a challenging task to humanize someone so seemingly poisonous."

"Fortunately, I haven't had negative encounters with fans who can't differentiate between the character and the actor."

"I think we're in a different phase in society now."

"When Jack Gleeson played Joffrey, there was less social media presence, making it harder for audiences to separate the actor from the character."

"Today I think we are a more technologically advanced community, with more behind-the-scenes and a better understanding of the distinction between actor and character."

"I think people have copped on. I hope that's the case, anyway."

YOU'VE COLLABORATED WITH RENOWNED DIRECTORS LIKE CHRISTOPHER NOLAN. WHAT HAVE YOU LEARNED FROM THESE EXPERIENCES?

"Doing Dunkirk was my first significant experience on a film set."

"I really didn't know where to start."

"The canvas was completely blank."

"And it was just such a gift, a pinch me moment that I was able to learn from some of, if not the best filmmaker in the world."

"It was overwhelming."

"And I had to remind myself to be present and soak in everything like a sponge."

"Chris's patience and the support from the rest of the cast were invaluable throughout."

"We were all in it together, especially us young lads who were new to such a big production."

"We learned and grew together during that incredible experience."

IN THE KING, YOU PORTRAYED A HISTORICAL FIGURE. HOW DID YOU APPROACH BRINGING THIS CHARACTER TO LIFE?

"When portraying a fictional character, there's often more freedom because there's no definitive blueprint to follow—even if they're written in a book, they're still fictional."

"You can infuse your own understanding and personality into the role."

"However, there’s added pressure when it comes to a historical figure because you're portraying someone real."

"I never let that pressure overwhelm or hinder the process."

"Instead, I took the character as presented and focused on doing my best with the role."

A NEW HUNGER GAMES MOVIE WAS JUST ANNOUNCED, SPECIFICALLY A PREQUEL FOCUSING ON HAYMITCH'S STORY, AND MANY FANS ARE EAGER TO SEE YOU IN THAT ROLE. WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON THAT?

"No way, that’s the first I’ve heard of it! But I'm incredibly flattered that people would like to see me on screen again."

"If all goes well, I'll fight for my life in the Hunger Games!" [laugh]

WHAT ARE SOME OF YOUR FAVORITE SHOWS DURING YOUR DOWNTIME?

"One show I watch repeatedly, and it never gets old for me, is the UK version of The Office."

"The humor is very relatable and comforting to me."

"I even laugh just thinking about it. It's one of those TV shows when it finishes, you're like: — “Oh no! What do I do with my life? I miss the characters already.” [laugh]

"I also enjoy the US version of The Office."

"Besides that, I'm fascinated by farming documentaries."

"Shows like This Farming Life on BBC are incredibly calming for me."

"And I have to mention The Great Pottery Throwdown — I'm a bit of a pottery nerd, and that show is brilliant!

WHO ARE SOME CREATIVES YOU WOULD LOVE TO WORK WITH IN THE FUTURE?

"The list is long."

"Firstly, there are directors I'd love to collaborate with again, like Chris Nolan and Sam Mendes, with whom I've had some of my best experiences and whom I consider friends."

"I'm eager to work with them again."

"Then there are filmmakers like Andrea Arnold, Yorgos Lanthimos, Greta Gerwig, Paul Thomas Anderson, and Ruben Ostlund, all of whom I admire and would love to collaborate with."

"When it comes to actors, there are many I admire as well."

"I plan to work with individuals who challenge me, from whom I can learn, and who are dedicated to their craft."

"I appreciate those who find joy and humor in their work because life is short, and it’s important to enjoy what you do."

LASTLY, WHERE DO YOU HOPE YOUR CAREER WILL HEAD INTO THE FUTURE?

"It’s more of a feeling than a checklist of achievements that I aim for."

"I understand that feeling because I can almost sense it in advance."

"It’s difficult to articulate—it’s a mix of happiness, creative fulfillment, diversity in roles, consistent challenge, and pushing boundaries."

"I aspire to transform and lose myself in characters."

"Equally important to me is collaborating with inspiring individuals whom I can learn from and grow with."

"I also value the freedom to select projects that resonate with me personally."

[cha-melodius]

Do you have a fic (either yours or someone else’s) that you just always go back to, that you love every single word of, that lives rent free in your head?

(Trying to get more rwrb fic recs)

I sat on this a few days to think about it, because this is so tough to narrow down. Little bits of lots of fics live in my head, but I'm going to be honest and say I haven't reread many RWRB fics because the fandom is just so active (even before the movie), there are tons of new fics coming out all the time. That said, here's a few that have definitely stuck with me. Also I'm trying not to rec fics I've seen repeatedly mention as must-reads for people new to the fandom. Very non-comprehensive, and I had to cut myself off.

Before I do my list, here is my fic rec tag on my blog (also 'fic recs' because apparently I'm inconsistent), which lately is mostly RWRB fics. Also, check out the @rwrbficrecs blog, which is full of great lists!

to the victor, the spoils by @rmd-writes Lawyer AU, this was the fic I thought of first because I think, of all RWRB fics, this one lives rent free in my head the most.

Screw Your Courage to the Sticking Place (and forget macbeth is a fucking tragedy) by @celaestis1 Canon-divergent, they break up at Kensington, hurts-so-good angst. The end of chapter 11 still haunts me.

Déjame Ver Cómo Es Que Floreces by @14carrotghoul Post-canon, Henry meets Alex's extended family, just pure joy. Also includes my favorite food-as-a-metaphor-for-love trope.

The Perils of Midsomer Residency by @clottedcreamfudge Murder mystery AU, Alex as a detective, hits every beat (when does Hattie not?).

Down For the Count by @welcometololaland Ok this is a deeper cut for sure, but I think about this unusual AU (card counter Alex and poker player Henry in Vegas) a lot.

We’ll Invite Something In by @smc-27 Canon-divergent future fic feat. President Alex and Prince Henry, the buildup of their relationship is so delicious.

Let Loose Your Glow by @athousandrooms College AU, sweet and soft and utterly delightful.

[gayahithwen]

Apparently my blog turns 10 years old today, woohoo.

My stats:

513 followers. 107 people I follow. 36 mutuals. 🖖💖

8.5 thousand posts.

Mostly reblogs, with or without additional commentary.

A few originals, most of which are under 5k notes.

1 which broke containment (the landlord post).

My second most popular original post was me commenting on OceanGate and the Titan submersible implosion from a perspective of being disappointed with the writing of this universe.

A random few of my more popular reblog addition posts: ⋄ The 3 dates on your wrist are life goal, meet soulmate, and death date writing prompt story with a positive twist (Untitled short story). ⋄ Did-you-know about JRR Tolkien's response to Shakespeare's Macbeth? The trees actually move. (My addition being, there are TWO non-Men who take down the person who can not be slain by any man.) ⋄ That one addition to that one long thread on why Star Trek is the way it is. As a story universe, the TV verse has always been on the forefront of pushing actual representation. (My addition is about Sulu being Pan-Asian by Gene Roddenberry's design.) ⋄ Stories being predictable. (Chekov, get the gun!) ⋄ Tragedies in stories are supposed to be cathartic. (Subverting expectation should not be a goal in itself.) ⋄ Tips on how to hack your brain to be kinder to yourself. (Don't argue with people who want to be nice to you.) ⋄ A Knight's Tale, and Paul Bettany being glorious. (With me gushing about what to expect from the movie and why I love it so much.) ⋄ Tumblr discussing how some real world events sound like a setup to a horror story, and creating the beginning plot of a horror mystery movie. (I have thoughts on how to incorporate the musical horror into the movie.)

Some of my more political additions that have spread around: ⋄ Man attacks school, kills no one because it happened in the Netherlands, and he and his knives were driven off by teenagers with backpacks. (Gun control sure helps disturbed people not kill so many.) ⋄ Why the queer community call ourselves queer. (Don't help our oppressors by trying to give the word back to them.) ⋄ Thread discussing a Disney annual pass holder and the reasons why his choice makes sense for a whole lot of people. (I summarize the thread by pointing out that no matter what else you think, everyone can agree that there's a lack of walkable community spaces in the US.)

Probably missing some of my popular additions on that list, just some of the ones I could find right now.

Been a pretty good 10 years. Cheers.

[mask131]

The witches of Macbeth (1)

For this witchy month I thought of doing a little collection of various incarnations of the Three Witches of "Macbeth" - one of the most famous and influential set of witches in fiction.

In Orson Welles' 1948 movie

In Roman Polanski's 1971 movie

In Joel Coen's "The Tragedy of Macbeth"

In the 1978/1979 Royal Shakespeare Company performance

In Geoffrey Wright's 2006 movie

In 2015's Justin Kurzel movie

In 2010's movie by Rupert Goold

[alicent-vi-britannia]

The parallels between Code Geass and Hamlet

In the first episode of R1, when Lelouch and Rivalz go back to Ashford Academy after the former defeated a noble in a game of chess, Lelouch reads a book. For a fraction of a second, we see that this book is Hamlet, a tragedy written by William Shakespeare between 1599 and 1601 and it is his most recognized work (some would define it as the quintessential Shakespearean and I personally call it the epitome of Baroque). This is a detail that called my attention because it wasn’t necessary to give the book a title. They could perfectly invent one or leave it empty. Instead, the creators of Code Geass opted to choose a real and distinguished work of English and world literature. I read Hamlet a few years ago and it's fresh in my mind, at least I remember it more than other books I've read, and I drew parallels between the two as I reminisced and came up with some interesting results that I'd love to share with you.

To do this, I have to gut the play of Hamlet. Therefore, if you are one of those who don’t like spoilers, or stop wasting time and go read Hamlet, which is on the internet, or, if you are lazy, go see the Kenneth Branagh film, which is Hamlet word for word (hence it is an even longer movie than Avengers Endgame) or continue reading my comparative analysis and I will convince you to give this great work a chance.

Hamlet is the story of a Danish prince who has just returned home to attend the funeral of his father, the king, who recently passed away. But then he hears that a ghost with a striking resemblance to the late king appears in the castle at night; so Hamlet is encouraged to investigate and manages to meet with the ghost that, in effect, is real and it is about his father who has crossed the threshold of the afterlife to entrust him with a mission: to kill his uncle Claudio; for it turns out that he killed his own brother to ascend the throne and marry Hamlet's mother, Gertrude. This is the first act of the play and constitutes the premise of it; as well as establishing its two main themes: revenge and madness.

Immediately, we distinguish several parallels between Lelouch and Hamlet: both are princes who decide to take revenge for their deceased parents against a member of their family, who is precisely the monarch of their kingdom, after receiving a supernatural summons (the ghost of their father, for Hamlet; the Geass, for Lelouch); however, none of them imagine that on this journey they will lose themselves and the beings they love. Throughout the plot, Lelouch and Hamlet will be assisted by C.C. and Horace respectively. Horatio is Hamlet's friend and, like C.C., is the voice of reason and is Hamlet's greatest confidant. He is present in most of the scenes in the play, always accompanying Hamlet and conversing with him. Even in his soliloquies, which are the moments when Hamlet bares his thoughts, he is there; as well as C.C. who remains on Lelouch's side. Neither Horacio nor C.C. take actions in the plot, they limit themselves to being simple spectators and both, additionally, wanted to kill themselves, but they were stopped by Hamlet and Lelouch who wanted them to continue living, for different reasons that I won’t go into details.

Both Hamlet and Lelouch are gray characters that critics and fans of their respective works like to argue about by raising the classic debate: is Hamlet/Lelouch a hero or a villain? In any case, the conclusion is the same for both: they are two of the most human characters both in Shakespeare's work, in the case of Hamlet, and in the anime industry, in the case of Lelouch (if you want an answer , don't think too much about it: both are undoubtedly tragic heroes).

As someone who loves Shakespeare and Code Geass equally, I think Lelouch is a hybrid of Hamlet and Macbeth (another great Shakespearean character). This is because Lelouch and Macbeth live tormented by their crimes, however, they continue to justify themselves that the blood spilled would be in vain if they stop. On the contrary, Hamlet is a bit more pusillanimous and very indecisive (he's not an action guy, he's more contemplative and thoughtful).

Although Hamlet has sworn an oath of vengeance in the first act, he doesn't take action right away because he doesn't fully believe the ghost's accusation or so he says (in my opinion, it's because he's afraid to act); so Hamlet decides to check if his uncle is the murderer of his father and find out who are his allies and his enemies by faking his madness (yes, like Lelouch, Hamlet has acting skills) . Of course, his alienated attitude causes strangeness at court, especially it baffles Polonius, who is the king's adviser and an impertinent bootlicker for Claudio, and that motivates him to investigate. At a certain point in the play, Gertrudis, worried about her son, confronts him alone in her room, while Polonius, who is a gossip, hides behind the curtains to spy on them. Hamlet spots Polonius's feet and, believing that he is his uncle, savagely stabs him, only to discover that he wasn’t who he thought he was. This stupid mistake will affect the children of Polonius, which will lead to the great tragic ending of the work.

On the one hand, there is Ofelia, the sweet and innocent youngest daughter of Polonius (well, I presume that she is younger). She is in love with Hamlet and has had affairs with him, they have even consummated sexual relations; but ever since he assumed the role of his madman, Hamlet has been cold and somewhat cruel to her, on the grounds that he believes she is part of plot. Returning to Ofelia, the pain caused by the murder of her father at the hands of the man she loved drives her crazy and leads her to commit suicide. In a sense, her tragic fate brings me back to Shirley.

Like Ofelia, Shirley is in love with Lelouch, due to which she suffers from the barriers he imposes and she is left disoriented, while being curious about his strange behavior (Hamlet's feigned madness, on the one hand, and the Lelouch's efforts to hide his double life, on the other). Her feelings are conflicted when she finds out that her lover is the murderer of her father. It’s worth noting that neither Hamlet nor Lelouch had the intention of killing the father of their respective love interests. It was all a unfortunate accident. From here on, Shirley and Ofelia's paths diverge, but they end at exactly the same point: dead and Lelouch/Hamlet are indirectly guilty, or at least that's how they both feel, because, despite everything, they did love Shirley/ Ophelia.

On the other hand, there is Laertes, the impulsive and bellicose eldest son of Polonius. Laertes has a brief but forceful introduction that is, at the same time, a prelude. Laertes warns his sister that she should be careful around Hamlet because he fears that his love for her is insincere and he is only taking advantage of her. And he adds something like this: "if I find out that Hamlet hurt you, I'll kill him" (of course, Shakespeare says it in a more sophisticated and beautiful way than me; that gentleman did know how to use language properly). Saying that, Laertes leaves for France. When the news of the terrible deaths of his father and his sister reaches his ears, he returns to Denmark to take revenge on Hamlet and I’m inevitably thinking of Suzaku.

Like Laertes, Suzaku was immersed solely in his own business, but when Lelouch kills Euphemia, Suzaku turns to revenge by vowing to kill him (Shakespeare is known for his love of building narrative parallels between two characters, and Code Geass is rife with this kind of parallelism, the most obvious being that of Suzaku and Lelouch: one way or another, they end up becoming the other in the second season). Needless to say, Euphemia's death was an irremediable event as a result of boasting to cover up his wounded pride, like Polonius's death that was a mistake. Two tragic accidents. (By the way, coincidence that Suzaku went crazy over Shirley's death afterwards? I don't think so). Suzaku and Laertes are blinded by pain and anger and, although Lelouch and Hamlet try to reach a middle ground, both flatly refuse to listen to reason; which pushes them into a confrontation that, to a certain extent, is sponsored by the enemies of the respective protagonists. Claudio, who already knows that his niece has discovered his crime and intends to end his life, manipulates Laertes to get rid of Hamlet. Charles never deliberately uses Suzaku's anger for his benefit, but Suzaku serves him and his empire, which works to their advantage in a certain way.

In the end, the poison of hatred corrodes Laertes in a literal and metaphorical sense, since he ends up perishing in the duel against Hamlet, being wounded by his own poisoned sword, although he doesn’t leave without first revealing the conspiracy he was hatching with Claudio and make peace with Hamlet, as he understands that his judgment was clouded.

And, to all these, what happens with Hamlet?

Well, he is killed by Laertes in said duel of swords (yes, they kill each other). As is Lelouch dies impaled by the sword wielded by Zero (Suzaku) in the Zero Requiem. Just like Laertes and Hamlet at the end, Lelouch and Suzaku also manage to settle their differences and make peace for the good of the world. And, just as Lelouch kills Charles, Hamlet gets revenge on him by murdering his Uncle Claudius.

See that Hamlet and Lelouch have in common that, though driven by a desire for justice, both are both victims and responsible agents of the misfortunes that befall them, their loved ones, and their nation, as Denmark falls into the hands of of a foreign king and I’m not going to dwell on the consequences of each battle of the Black Knights and the Zero Requiem, I trust that you remember in broad strokes how many losses and how much havoc there was in the world. 

Also see that both characters are haunted by death. In addition to the deaths that I mentioned and that are attributed to Hamlet, we must add those of his mother and his two childhood friends who succumb to the hatred and pain that Hamlet feels since his friends obeyed orders from his enemy and he believed that his mother was in cahoots or, in any case, that she didn't love her father because her mother got married quickly because she got married quickly, which, in his eyes, was a betrayal (yes, a lot of people die in this play and, in fact, I think it is the play that honors that Shakespeare meme that wanders Facebook saying that he has no idea how to finish his play, so he kills to all the characters; although it isn’t quite like that either, Horacio survives, a few characters who don’t appear again and Fortinbrás, who is the foreign king. Basically, it's like in Code Geass, all the important characters die except for C.C., the UNF members and the background characters). 

I must say that in a certain way it reminds me of Lelouch because he blamed all of his family, not only his father, for the misfortune that fell on him, his mother and his sister (this is because they didn’t respond for them). Lelouch hates his siblings as well and was equally responsible for the death of his mother. Hamlet's mother, Gertrude, dies by mistake, but he was indirectly to blame.

Oh, I almost forgot! Horace tries to commit suicide, but Hamlet stops him because he needs him to tell his story. 

Hamlet and Lelouch suffer more from the consequences of their own actions than those of others, that includes their enemies. Their vendettas consume them and make them lose themselves in madness; for until the damage is done, Hamlet and Lelouch are unable to see the destruction they leave behind. 

We could say that Hamlet and Code Geass address the stories of two great men who fight to keep their sanity, if not they have already lost it. 

I dare say that Hamlet is the most prominent tragedy in general culture (I think if I asked you to talk about tragedy you would think of Shakespeare and this play specifically) and I think it's great that they introduced this detail in the first episode of Code Geass because it's a subtle statement of intent: none of us knew what we were going to find in this series, so it ended up surprising us. Code Geass is properly a beautiful tragedy and no one better than Shakespeare to present it to us. I don’t rule out at all that Hamlet has been inspirational material for Code Geass. I perfectly imagine Okouchi in his house thinking: “hey! What if Laertes and Hamlet had been childhood best friends? That duel would have been more intense! Oh yes!”

Joking apart…

Maybe Shakespeare influenced the good reception that Code Geass had in me. I love tragedies. I love tragic characters. I love Shakespeare. I consider myself an admirer of his work and I recognize his influence on my writing. Hamlet isn’t my favorite work by the English playwright, although I enjoy the story and how things are handled, I find it hard to connect with Hamlet; unlike Lelouch, to whom I already professed eternal love. Anyway, I still have a lot of Shakespeare plays to read and fall in love with.

I hope you liked this analysis. I loved writing it, even though it took me longer than I had calculated. You should turn it into a video so that it lasts forever and ever. Let me know in comments the opinions of him. We will be reading soon.

PS: no, it's no coincidence that the Lelouch from my fanfic, Code Geass: Bloodlines, is a Shakespearean fanboy. I must even say that to build the dynamics of my Lelouch and C.C. I was inspired by Macbeth and his wife; just as I was inspired by the character of Brutus, from the tragedy of Julius Caesar, for my Suzaku.

[bentosandbox]

better late than never amirite

i think i haven't posted july (cause I thought global would have released TBC by now...) or october (commission) on here/twitter hopefully i remember to sometime this year

bonus chen edition because well i guess she is my cringefail girlboss blorbo

bonus chenswire edition

bonus bonus extremely boring stuff

films i watched in 2022 (tragedy of macbeth out of picture because it was on the next row)

top 10 (in watched order not a 1-10 ranking)

Marketa Lazarova (1967) Friend was streaming it, liked the script so much I asked my friend for the srt file after Everything Everywhere All At Once (2022) Rocks Petite Maman (2021) Personal Attack Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon (2000) :) My Life as a Zucchini (2016) Celine Sciamma truly don't miss Saturday Fiction (2019) It's not a 5/5 movie but...the soul... the period noir... Nope (2022) The Spectacle dot jpg Hands Over The City (1963) yes i watched this just before il siracusano Decision To Leave (2022) yuriyaoi straight romance can't elaborate Puss In Boots (2022) i'm so glad i didn't watch this as a kid i would have nightmares, but as an adult i got to see my traumas on the big screen yippee!!!

missed a local screening of My Broken Mariko because it only happened for ONE DAY fucking insane (I recommend reading the original manga it's so good)

Speaking of books hmm

Swordspoint yuriyaoi... Invisible Ink reread. and I think I need to reread again Fire & Blood read it after watching hotd ep 1 pretty good series btw dare i say even ...the best on-screen yaoiyuri of the year... Eagle Shooting/Condor Heroes Book 1 Not bad Water Margin Didn't I write a angry rant on this. rite of passage i guess...... How to Keep House While Drowning its funny because i WILL do chores......still good though What My Bones Know - insane how trauma can be so isolating yet universal lol A Wizard of Earthsea if only i read this instead of harry potter back then lmao wow

you can now basically psychoanalyse my issues from the last three books I think

Uhhhhhhh what else am I missing - oh yeah I did 3 gamejams this year (Art/Design and a liiiiiitle bit of trying to do the UI in Unity myself instead of giving the pngs to my friends)

my abysmal steam stats told me i only played 5 games this year so I need to get back my gamer license, backlog is like 75% VNs though what's up with that (there's only 4 games but. well)

had a really long blogpost (basically a 'look at all the things you did this year you didnt waste it' thing thus the above lists) but i think i'll just keep it to my notion notes lest this post becomes a traumadumping ground ecks dee tl;dr failed a Very Important (to me) Thing early 2022 that kind of shattered any crumb of self-esteem i had and made me question everything i did onwards (especially in regards to doujin stuff) and then basically physical health issues affecting mental health and vice versa which is fun but fuck it we ball.....(try)

don't really have any solid 'resolutions' (that i would remember to do) other than to 'live' more than just 'survive' as edgy as that sounds 🥴oh wait oc zine yea yea and go into illustration full time h-haha........... should really get around to making a patreon/fanbox but i really hate the idea of paywalling

also signed up for a AK doujin event in Nagoya in March so I now have a very heavy motivation to finish the second half of my LGD doujin and hopefully I get to table at AX too dot dot dot

[agentnico]

Drive-Away Dolls (2024) review

Do not see this movie with your mum. I repeat, do not not see this movie with your mum!!

Plot: Jamie regrets her breakup with her girlfriend, while Marian needs to relax. In search of a fresh start, they embark on an unexpected road trip to Tallahassee. Things quickly go awry when they cross paths with a group of inept criminals.

The Coen Brothers are behind some of the most thrilling crime capers in cinema history, and are known for their flashy neo-noir style and highly convoluted plots featuring eccentric characters. However recently the brothers decided to temporarily part ways and focus on their own separate projects, with Joel adapting the famous Shakespeare play Macbeth, which by the way was a superb piece of post-modern black-and-white cinema, and gave Roman Polanski a run for his money. Honestly, Tragedy of Macbeth was visually striking, as it stripped down the classic Bard play to its narrative and perceptible essentials, and also the cast was terrific! Then again, you can never go wrong with Denzel Washington. I honestly don’t know a single person who doesn’t love Denzel!

Anyway, whilst Joel was up to his master-class ways, what has the other Coen bro been up to? We would have found out last year if it weren’t for the strikes, but now we finally have an answer - Ethan has decided to go back to his roots and make a road trip movie that is infused with the 80s/90s goofy feel to it, and he even brings back the briefcase from Fargo! Or from No Country for Old Men. Or The Big Lebowski. Or Hail Caesar!. Pretty sure Brad Pitt also seeks a briefcase full of cash in Burn After Reading…. Honestly what is it with the Coens and their briefcases!? Not only that, I swear most of the time it’s the same model briefcase that’s used! So anyway, Ethan Coen is evidently driving down memory lane here, but is it a drive across the greatest hits, or a drive-away to disappointment?

It’s the latter unfortunately. Now we have seen the true colours and know which of the Coen bros is the talented one and which is riding on their sibling’s success! I’m kidding, everyone has a bad day at the office, but Ethan Coen has really made a stinker with Drive-Away Dolls. Playing out in less than an hour and a half, this is a very short film, so on a plus size is does whiz past you. However the storyline is so thin and disengaging, and the jokes are also really unfunny. The Coen Brothers are known for their signature wit and hilarious dialogue, however none of that is present here. Additionally, similar to how I found Poor Things to feature one too many sex scenes for my liking, Drive-Away Dolls features a lot of lesbian friction throughout, to unnecessary amounts. I thought it was bit too much, and too icky for my tastes.

The cast features a lot of talented people, all of whom I’ve seen give great performances in other projects, however here they were either miscast or simply wasted with their minimal inconsequential screen time. Margaret Qualley is way too over-the-top and silly as the fast talking Jamie with a cringe-inducing accent twang, and she got really overbearing by the end of the movie. Geraldine Viswanathan as Marian plays the straight faced counterpart to Qualley’s annoying energy ball. Again, it’s not the first time we’ve seen such a dynamic in films, yet Viswanathan can’t seem to find any interesting layers within her one-dimensional character and as such came off really boring. The rest of the cast comes and goes, some for sheer forced comedy and others to at least make some attempt to have a cohesive plot, but even then are taken out of the equation quickly and pointlessly. Pedro Pascal, Colman Domingo, Beanie Feldstein, Matt Damon, Bill Camp, Miley Cyrus….all wasted.

The movie also features very sloppy editing, and also the transitions! We have to speak about the transitions! What the hell was going on there? So from scene to scene we’d get these weird wacky psychedelic kaleidoscopic inserts, and I mean in a stoner film this would probably serve more purpose, but in a movie like this it felt totally random. To be fair at the end a character does mention about something that happened years ago that somewhat mildly justifies these inserts, but even then having so much of them throughout the film felt like a useless gimmick. I’m all for filmmakers trying something different and unique visually, but as long as it serves a purpose to the overall narrative, which in this case it did not.

It’s really disappointing as I’m a major fan of the Coen Brothers works, however this was such a messy misfire, I’m honestly shocked it made it through to actual release. It’s silly but not in a fun way, featuring wasted talent and bland gags, and one should simply drive away from this as far as possible.

Overall score: 2/10

[herroyalbubbliness]

MASTERLIST

Let's talk series and movies

Series:

1. Afro beats: The Backstory

2. Alchemy of Souls

3. A Teacher

4. Black Bird

5. Blacklist

Raymond Reddington

The Inner Voice

6. Blood & Water S2

7. Bridgerton

Quick Thoughts on S2

Additional Thoughts

8. Chernobyl

9. Cowboy Bebop

10. Echoes

11. Firefly Lane

12. Gilded Age

S1E1

S1E5

13. Godfather of Harlem: Home

14 Gossip Girl:

Gossip Girl Reboot S1E4

Gossip Girl Reboot S1E5

16. Inventing Anna

Gossip Girl Reboot S1E6

15. Interview With The Vampire

In Throes of Increasing Wonder

17. Killing Eve:

Villanelle

Villanelle 2

Is there really a side to pick?

Can't help but think of Villanelle

Parallels

It breaks my heart

18. Leverage: Redemption

Thoughts on S1E1-S1E8

Thoughts on S1E9-S1E16

Thoughts on S2E1-S2E3

19. Lucifer

A Scene From S4E1

S6-The Finale

20. Money Heist P1V1

21. Never Have I Ever: A Celebration of Quirks

22. Power Book II

S2E2: Selfless Acts...?

S2E8

Detective Diana

23. P-Valley

S2E8

S2E9

I miss the valley already

24. Scenes From a Marriage

S1E3

S1E4

25. Severance

26. Sex Education

27. Shadow and Bone:

Kaz Brekker

Matthias Helvar

General Kirigan

28. Ted Lasso

Intro

S2E12

Fatherhood

29. Tell Me Lies

30. The Bold Type

31. The Chair

32. The Handmaid's Tale

33. This World Can't Tear Me Down

S4E10

S5

34. The Time Traveler's Wife

35. The Witcher

S2 Intro

Who is a Monster Really?

Don't You Just Love Their Banter?

MINE

Scars To Your Perfect Ying Yang

I want to be powerful

Parallels

Kim Bodnia

The Darkness Growing Within

36. Virgin River S4

37. What If...?S1E2

38. Why Women Kill

39. You

S3

Film

1. Don't Look Up

2. Encanto

3. Everything Everywhere All At Once

4. Free Guy

5. Gunpowder Milkshake

6. Help (Channel4)

7. King Richard

8. Kissing Girl Booth 3

10. Passing

11. Taylor Swift - All Too Well

12. Tick, Tick... Boom

13. The Harder They Fall

14. The Last Duel

15. The Man From U.N.C.L.E.

16. The Suicide Squad (2021)

17. The Tragedy of Macbeth

18. Vivo

[theputterer]

Good Things In 2022

“It’s that time of year again! Time to remember all the good things that happened in 2022. I’ve done this since 2017, and highly recommend doing this as a fun way to reflect (and to have something for future reference when you are feeling Down.)

feels like I literally just did this for 2021, and yet.

just under the wire...

PERSONAL

I MOVED ACROSS THE WORLD!!!!! I am now living in Dublin, Ireland. it was a move I'd been aiming to do for years, and once I received my citizenship and Irish passport, I decided to give it a shot. I've been here for nine months and am having a wonderful time.

I did more traveling this year than I think I ever have in a single calendar year.

In Ireland, I've visited several counties and lots of Dublin, including: Malahide, Howth, Dún Laoghaire, Dublin Mountains, Glasnevin Cemetery, Little Museum of Dublin, GPO Museum, National Gallery of Ireland, National Museum(s) of Ireland, EPIC Museum.

I finally went to Paris for a few days in June! Visited: Musée d'Orsay, Eiffel Tower, Sacré-Coeur, Notre Dame (closed to visitors due to renovation/restoration work but wandered around the outside and had a fabulous lunch). Bonus points for the Paris Métro, which fuckin rules.

I finally went to Italy for a long weekend in October! Got to see my folks that weekend as well. Spent time in Venice and Florence. Ate a lot of good food and gelato.

My beloved Seattle Mariners broke a 21 year drought and made it to the PLAYOFFS!!!!!!

I have been puttering away on a ROGUE ONE-FRINGE fusion/AU, ENDLESS FORMS MOST BEAUTIFUL. it has been super slow going but I am trying and I WILL finish it.

Similarly, sorta, I took a writing class! I shared a snippet of my original writing which was well-received. I got some lovely comments from my teacher which is currently sustaining me.

Anything bolded below is something I particularly enjoyed and recommend. 

MOVIES

2022 movies I saw and liked:

TURNING RED

THE BATMAN

THE NORTHMAN

EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE ALL AT ONCE

TOP GUN: MAVERICK

3000 YEARS OF LONGING

NOPE

SEE HOW THEY RUN

TICKET TO PARADISE

THE WOMAN KING

ENOLA HOLMES 2

BLACK PANTHER: WAKANDA FOREVER

GLASS ONION

BONES AND ALL

THE MENU

AMBULANCE

THE UNBEARABLE WEIGHT OF MASSIVE TALENT

2021 movies I saw for the first time and liked:

ETERNALS

THE TRAGEDY OF MACBETH

FREE GUY

SPENCER

THE MATRIX RESURRECTIONS

UNCHARTED

TV

EUPHORIA (saw season 1, did not watch season 2. lol.)

MOON KNIGHT

FRINGE

STRANGER THINGS, SEASON 4

MS MARVEL

THE SANDMAN

THE CROWN (the first few seasons and then I stopped : / )

1899

DARK (BRO........ BRO........ BEST TV SHOW OF THIS CENTURY?????)

Special acknowledgment: ANDOR. what a trip and a half to see my beloved son on screen once more. I shared some thoughts here.

BOOKS

Did not read nearly as many as I should have! (I did read some other books but they are not on this last as I did not like them).

"Strangers to Ourselves" by Rachel Aviv

"Greywaren" by Maggie Stiefvater

"Babel" by RF Kuang

"She Who Became The Sun" by Shelley Parker-Chan

"Wild Game: My Mother, Her Lover, and Me" by Adrienne Brodeur

"The Hours" by Michael Cunningham

"The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo" by Taylor Jenkins Reid

"The Burning God" by RF Kuang (incredible series but BOY will it fuck you up!!!!!!)

"The Dragon Republic" by RF Kuang

"The Poppy War" by RF Kuang

"Winter Recipes From the Collective" by Louise Gluck

"You Feel It Just Below the Ribs" by Jeffrey Cranor

"Oscar Wilde: A Life" by Matthew Sturgis

OTHER GOOD THINGS

*some of these things are Good as in well-written or well-made, but maybe not Good in topic.

Saw a couple plays at the Abbey Theatre: "Translations" by Brian Friel and "Joyce's Women" by Edna O'Brien. Quite different, both devastating.

Morocco's run at the FIFA Men's World Cup.

Joplin Sibtain, who played Brasso on ANDOR, shared a reel on Instagram of the SPOILERS riot scene on Ferrix with "Killing in the Name" dubbed over it. Incredible.

Martin Scorsese watches DERRY GIRLS.

Local Man Sees Cheese For Sale At Incredibly Low Price, Makes Executive Decision, Purchases 40 Pounds of Cheese

Is Twitter dying? Probably. Here's a thread where everyone shared their favorite tweets.

This angry little dog.

Mother losing it over her baby's laughter.

Dave Sims' calling Cal Raleigh's home run that sent the Mariners to the playoffs for the first time in 21 years.

Janan Ganesh over at the Financial Times with an incredible and scathing assessment of why Liz Truss and the Tories have never gotten Brexit "right". (Hint: they think the UK is on par with the US.)

Twitter user attempts to summarize RIVERDALE in a thread.

This TikTok of two preteen girls discovering landlines that made me LOL and also made me feel DECREPIT.

Shauna Bowers for The Irish Times with a dispatch from Electric Picnic that featured bangers of lines, including: The most sacred Electric Picnic institution of all remains untouched: the inflatable chapel, where all true love stories begin. “That’s probably the only way I’d be able to get you to marry me,” a woman says to her boyfriend. He says nothing.

Ichiro Girl returns to T-Mobile Park and throws out the first pitch to, of course, ICHIRO.

A story about how dogs are the best.

Pianist named Alex Pian covers "Time" by Hans Zimmer in Lviv, Ukraine, as air raid sirens sound. Really powerful.

Emma Baccellieri for Sports Illustrated explores a topic we've all wanted to know more about: what baseball relief pitchers are thinking when they run in from the bullpen during a bench clearing.

This video of STAR WARS characters singing a classic.... just watch it.

MORE

CONTACT is one of my favorite movies and Rachel Handler for Vulture wrote an oral history for the film's 25th anniversary.

Stephania Taladrid for The New Yorker, on the ground at an abortion clinic in Houston when Roe was overturned. Required reading.

Linda Villarosa for The New York Times, "The Long Shadow of Eugenics in America". also required reading.

Joshua Rothman for The New Yorker, "Anatomy of Error". A neurosurgeon reckons with surgeries that go wrong. Fascinating!

Rachel Pearson for The New Yorker, "Waiting at a Texas Hospital for the Children Who Never Arrive". Dispatches from a trauma center in the aftermath of the Uvalde shooting. Required reading.

Similarly, Albert Burneko for The Defector, "What It's Like Here". On being a parent in America.

Palate cleanser: Cincinnati Reds allow no hits against Pittsburgh Pirates... and still lose. lol.

Evgenia Peretz for Vanity Fair with an absolutely wild ride of a read about a Grey's Anatomy writer who.... made up an entire life.

Rachel Aviv (who never misses, incidentally) for The New Yorker, "How an Ivy League School Turned Against a Student". What makes a "good" victim?

this thread about creepy shit kids say???

PIZZA FOR DOGS.

sending you all warmth and affection and hoping you have a safe, healthy, and wonderful 2023.

tagging anyone who wants to do this (and tag me so I see it!) as well as those who've done this in the past: @vaderkat @fortysevenswrites @leaiorganas @magalis @illuminahsti @i-am-slain @antifandor @alittlemomentum @cassianserso @callioope

[unnursvanablog]

The movies that I watched in 2022.

and what I thought of them.

Encanto: A really cute story, which I enjoyed but I did think it had a few pacing issues. Still did the job it was suppose to due, the theme hit home and the songs were fun (until the kids that I teach at the kindergarten made me play them one too many times and now I can't stand them)

A New Year's Medley: I usually have a hard time with films that follow more than so many little storyline that then just come together in the end. Some of the stories here were fun, others a completely bore.

The French Dispatch: There is a certain charm to the way Anderson sets up his movies and the visuals which is sometimes more interesting and fun than his actual plots. This one falls a victim of that, I fear.

Kiki's Delivery Service: So very cute, so cozy. Like a hot cup of tea on a sweet spring evening. A delight.

Valley Girl (2021): I had to google what movie this was, which probably says it all, really.

Pirates - Goblin Flag: the humor in this movie was just a bit too over the top and there wasn't really a good flow between it and the action in my opinion. Made it less fun.

The Tragedy of Macbeth: So stylized, so cool, but I didn't really enjoy the movie all that much.

Turning Red: Colorful and cute story with fun songs. I enjoyed myself a whole lot!

The King's Man: You know, I thought this was a step in the right direction in trying to recapture the charm of the first film. A good mix of action and comedy and it seems to know it's own strengths.

Doctor Strange - Into the Multiverse of Madness: This was a bit of a weird movie but in a fun way. Doctor Strange as a character doesn't really do anything for me in the MCU world, but I enjoyed how much this movie felt like an homage to old horror movies and sometimes feels like that b-horror movie at times. Way too long tho.

Everything Everywhere All At Once: What a treat! There was so much imagination and passion that went into this film and it just shows. It bleeds into everything and makes this film an unforgettable experience.

Berdreymi: I often felt very uncomfortable watching this film. I felt that it was possible to convey the message and the brutality of the world these boys lived in without it being showed down our throats like it was. And the kind of fantasy-but-not-so-fantasy twists in the movie just came a little too late.

The Norseman: Wow, that really was just a big hollywood viking that very much tried to have some new approach to these types of stories, but I personally couldn't see that from the characters, how it depicted the viking age (from a lens of hollywood) or the way the story unfolded. Quite boring.

Margaret - Queen of the North: A good costume drama, interesting period to be sure. I enjoyed the story even though nothing about it felt fresh or new. Just well made.

Tove: A sweet story about an awesome woman and her life. I thought it would cover more of Tove's life and I kinda felt like it just left me hanging there at the end.

Not Okay: Much more interesting than I thought it would be. There was a fair amount of satire and commentary about social media going around in this film, but I didn't feel it went deep enough.

Pleasure: From time to time it was very difficult to watch this movie or some scenes. I had to take it in several sections to finish it. It's really raw in it's approach, but that's also the point of it, I think.

Soul Vibes: I stopped paying attention to the story towards the end.

Welcome Árni: A sincere and beautiful story about a uncle of mine.

Do Revenge: Funny and clever. Really enjoyed the characters and style of the film. Went in slightly different directions than I thought it would, but in a good way. Fun twists.

Pinnochio (2019): This is an Italian version of this story, which was just okay-ish, but what really struck me (in a good way) was the costume design and all of the look that the movie had. There was a bit of that passion for filmmaking, of old hollywood tricks, there which I enjoyed.

Hocus Pocus 2: Not a sequel we needed, but a welcoming one nonetheless. It really felt like nothing had changed and there was a good heart to this story.

Death Becomes Her: Infinitely camp and that is what is awesome about it. Never takes itself too seriously, which I adore, but still has so much heart so it never feels too much.

Rosalina: It's kind of like the Reign version of Romeo and Juliet that doesn't take itself too seriously and that's what's good about this movie. The language and the way the characters act is all modern everything the film still feels a bit like it was written and filmed in 2016 and then just forgotten for several years. But you can have fun watching it.

Catherine Called Birdy: This was fun! There was humor and heart there and it was just a good, kind of contemporary comedy in a historical setting about what it was like to be a young girl of a certain age in the Middle Ages. And although it is possible to find more stories with a similar format, with similar emphasis, I felt that there was a little bit of a breath of fresh air in this story. And the casting was great.

Triangle of Sadness: Absolutely amazing and thought provoking. You never know where the movie is really going and a really cool take on this kind of human nature and our desire for power, however it comes to us. But still, I thought this movie was a bit too long.

Nope: Totally my type of horror. A bit strange, but really good reflection the characters and how their backstories have shaped them. That rejection and the greed for the limelight. A satire on Hollywood. The horror has something to say, but isn't just there to make you feel scared.

Knives Out: I don't normally go for a lot of mysteries like this one, but based on all the praise I've heard for this movie, I really couldn't ignore it anymore. And yes, there were really good twists there and it was constantly surprising. A really good fun.

Ready or Not?: This was my second attempt at watching this movie, because I started it once and I just couldn't finish it. This is not exactly my type of horror. So brutal and bloody almost for the sake of being brutal and bloody. I find this kind of chase frustrating to watch, but I can totally understand why it gets all the praise it does.

Enola Holmes 2: This little netflix movie series (because I hope we get more of Enola Holmes) is that unashamedly modern take on costume dreams that I personally love. It may be a bit exaggerated, but it knows it and plays with the form and really seems to know where its strengths lie. This is just such fun adventure, the puzzles are fun and it's just a blast. Managed to capture everything that was good about the previous film without seeming like too much of a copy.

Disenchanted: It wasn't exactly the sequel we needed, but still the good movie that mostly lived up to everything that was good about the first film. It has this fairy-tale quality and it seemed like the people behind it enjoyed the story and wanted to do it well. Very nice callbacks to the previous film and also just old fairytales and never took itself too seriously, as films such as this really have to do.

Broker: personally, it didn't touch my heart as much as the director's previous film (Shoplifters). There is a bit of the same heaviness among all these broken characters that come together, but I just expected to feel more things while watching it. It was almost like this story was a little too big for this movie.

Decision to Leave: I can appreciate the theme and the story on paper and I enjoy what the movie is saying and all that, but I can't necessarily say that I had a lot of fun with it. I thought it was a bit long-winded.

Last Christmas: A cute, maybe a little predictable Christmas movie but that is sort of what you're going for with these types films. I'm not really into them personally, they don't get me in the Christmas spirit, but some are the fun entertainment and it's a easy-going watch, which is nice.

Weird: The Al Yankovic Story: I will watch pretty much anything that my man Daniel Radcliffe stars in, and this movie is no exception. The humor, however, never really got to me. I can see what the movie was trying to do with this parody of all the celebrity memoirs we've seen in recent years, but I just didn't enjoy it.

The Wonder: A slow but amazing film that perhaps has a rather obvious twist, but does it so humanely that you kind of don't care about it until it comes towards the end. Lovely character work.

Hatching: An incredibly cool, well-made horror and the idea behind it is neat, but I thought it dragged a bit. It wasn't quite hitting the mark as much as I wanted.

Knives Out: Glass Onion: I actually enjoyed this movie just as much as the last one. Loved all the twists and turns here and it manages to keep what was good and fun about the first movie while doing something entirely new. This is a romp!

[gazzhowie]

My Top 25 Movies of 2022.

It has continued to be a weird time in cinema, post-pandemic, as we've started to get used to the glaring evidence that studios will sabotage their own content line to honour some new 45 day streaming deal... and the films that brace against said deal offer tsunamis cash in return but seemingly no means to change the studios' course.

We're now two or three back-to-back $250 million comic book disasters from the total destabilisation of cinema as we know it now! Anyway, rant over... it is time… or at least tradition… for me to dust off the cobwebs from my Tumblr account and post my Top 25 movies of the year. This time for 2022.

[Years 2008 through to present are available in the archive.]

Frequent visitors know that I’ll throw out a few special mentions to all the films that I wish I could’ve included but couldn’t make fit yet believe they deserve a shout-out regardless and then I get stuck into what I think are the 25 best films of the year.

As always, films listed are based on their UK release date whether that’s in the cinema or on DVD, VOD etc. Anyway, without further ado, here are the ‘also-rans’ and ‘near-misses’ separated per genre that very nearly made the final list:

Of the animated movies released this year - and in a year when I was drowning in this genre through content-overload due to having two young boys - Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio, Wendell & Wild, Mad God, Fireheart, The Bad Guys and The Sea Beast were all stand-outs.

Comedy-wise I liked both Weird: The Al Yankovic Story and The Lost City way, way, way more than I thought I was going to in the case of both. And when it comes to dramas I was impressed by The Tragedy of Macbeth, The Survivor, Thirteen Lives, Amsterdam (somewhat controversially, apparently), The Outfit and A Hero.

In the world of b-movies, exploitation flicks and straight to dvd/blu-ray/streamer I very much enjoyed Fall, Hell Hath No Fury, Violent Night, Smile, The Northman and Fresh. And blockbuster-wise, I really enjoyed Avatar: The Way of Water in all its heavily flawed / long-awaited glory, The Gray Man, RRR, Beast, Ambulance, Bullet Train, Raging Fire and Dune.

But really 2022 was where documentaries got to shine and I thoroughly enjoyed and highly recommend the varied selection of subjects offered up in Is That Black Enough For You, The Super Bob Movie, The Alpinist, Gladbeck: The Hostage Crisis, The Tindler Swindler, Sidney and Into The Deep: The Submarine Murder Case.

Now...

... without further ado, my TOP 25 MOVIES OF 2022!

25. Beavis & Butthead Do The Universe

I've spoken before of my accepted hypocrisy surrounding these characters / their show and how my apathy towards them turned to affection when their 1997 film was released.

I'm hereby cementing that hypocrisy by acknowledging that whilst I STILL don't get the appeal of those original shows, this sits solidly alongside the first film... and currently stands as one of the best comedies of 2022.

Nope, I can't explain it either.

But funny is funny and there's some terrifically funny stuff here.

24. Ted K

I can't believe there's apparently zero 'chatter' around this. It sneaks up on you as one of the best films of the year - a small-scale character study of the infamous Ted 'Unabomber' Kaczynski, measured in its approach but fiery in its central (and mostly solo) performance from Sharlto Copley.

I have a friend who's worked with Copley on both HARDCORE HENRY and FREE FIRE and described him as one of the most unnecessarily cruel people they've worked with - an egotist quick to flash between machismo-drenched "mate-iness" and irrational fury at the smallest of things.

A performance like this from Copley indicates there's truth to the old industry saying that all the best are bastards.

Written and directed (as well as produced and edited) by Tony Stone, the film is quietly methodical and completely involving. It has an unmatched authenticity to it by utilising only the content of Kaczynski's manifestos for dialogue and matters of court record for the plot.

It's so committed to staying within Kaczynski's "voice" that it is scary how you catch yourself occasionally agreeing with his perspective on certain matters now the things he 'warned' against have come to pass... then have to remember he was a fuckin lunatic first, a psychopath second and a 'prophet' much, MUCH further down the line!

23. X

I'm a big fan of Ti West. He's not prolific - though this already seems like an ‘out of date’ statement seeing as he used the pandemic lockdown(s) to turn this into an entire trilogy! - and he doesn't claim to be anything that he absolutely isn't (hello Eli Roth!) but he quietly delivers the goods.

His debut THE ROOST isn't a great film but there are flashes within it that show a filmmaker of real potential. THE HOUSE OF THE DEVIL is one of the best slow burns and has one of the best third acts in modern horror. THE INNKEEPERS is an absolutely underrated gem and his play on Jonestown with THE SACRAMENT slowly flips into a nasty and absorbing effort. I'm also a massive fan of his legit Western, IN A VALLEY OF VIOLENCE, which is fuckin mint and you should definitely seek that out.

It's very easy to dismiss what West is doing here as just an exacting homage to THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE but it's more than that. Obviously, there are overt nods to it but you could also suggest West is doffing his cap affectionately to Paul Thomas Anderson's BOOGIE NIGHTS, Alfred Hitchcock's PSYCHO and, yes, both Lewis Teague's ALLIGATOR and Tobe Hooper's EATEN ALIVE as well.

As both writer and director, he knows you've read the log-line - a group of 70s young filmmakers set out to make porn on a Texas farm but have to fight for their lives when their elderly hosts take against them - and he knows you're here for the sex and the gore. And he delivers solidly in both regards... but only as camouflage to play around thematically with cinema's complicated relationship with sex and violence, whilst commenting of sorts on religious/political conservativism and the well-known adage that nothing makes an old person feel old quite like the young.

The cast - Mia Goth (in dual roles, wink wink), Jenna Ortega, Martin 'Remember Him?' Henderson, a surprisingly great Brittany Snow and Scott "Kid Cudi" Mescudi - do grand work with what West gives them.

No one should try and suggest this is anything unique or any sort of game-changer in the world of horror. It isn't. It's a standard stalk-and-slash in most regards - that's a cut above the norm due to what West is bringing to the table.

22. Benedetta

I had an absolute blast with this - constantly enthralled as to whether it was ever going to lose balance of the precarious pile of tones it had amassed for itself, and plummet from one to the other beyond repair; high campery, religious/historical document or erotic psychological thriller.

Paul Verhoeven - long since done with Hollywood excess - masterfully curates and cultivates each so they somehow feel a complete companion to the other in ways that just simply shouldn't work.

After all, how many borderline camp historical erotic psychological nun dramas do you know of that are drowning in plaudits?

Verhoeven's handling is relaxed because he knows that he's hit a lottery win in casting Virginie Efira as Benedetta and Daphne Patakia as Bartolomea. With them nailing the material and the tone he is shooting for he can afford himself confidence that the end result will be as excellent as it is.

21. Christmas Bloody Christmas

I'm a Joe Begos fan and was very much looking forward to this, though I'll absolutely understand why it ain't going to be for everyone. Begos - who's ALMOST HUMAN and VFW I like a great deal (BLISS and THE MIND'S EYE somewhat less so) - makes movies for fans of 1980s exploitation and gutter cinema. He's the bastard step-child of Frank Henenlotter and James Glickenhaus and he writes and directs like he doesn't have a single fuck to give.

Nowhere is that screamingly more apparent than in the set-up for this, his latest movie where his attitude seems to be "Yeah, there's a department store robotic Santa Claus that has old military hardware in it, so fuckin what? Deal with it!"

Begos makes threadbare Carpenter / Romero homages; bargain basement gratuitous genre movies full of inventive gusto and practical effects - his movies don't 'mean' anything, he just wants to ink his influences onto a filmic bat and then bludgeon you with it.

A delightfully game and fully committed Riley Dandy really sells the schlock here. And there's a great time to be had here. It's a 'five beer masterpiece' of sandpaper raw creativity, with Begos rolling out a green and red neon-drenched BEFORE SUNRISE for piss-heads that evolves into a gory festive hack-and-slash horror flick before, with a quick salute to ASSAULT ON PRECINCT 13, kicking the gear up to the highest notch as a punk rock TERMINATOR.

20. Kimi

I was obviously going to be predisposed to liking this on the grounds that it is the master Steven Soderbergh working from a script by the repeatedly excellent David Koepp to do a modernised REAR WINDOW but with a 21st-century spin involving virtual assistant technology, starring "soooo hot right now" Zoë Kravitz.

But I wasn't prepared for just how thoroughly, thoroughly enjoyable it was.

It's a master craftsman making unashamedly pulpy, tight-as-hell, mainstream genre fare.

Kravitz is magnificent. Soderbergh barrels the whole thing along at a rate of knots...

... It was the first goddamn great ride of 2022 for me.

19. Elvis

I was pretty damn sure I was going to haaaate this because the marketing of it had me royally turned off and Baz Luhrmann tends to leave an inconsistent 'taste' in my mouth with his films.

Shockingly though from the get-go, this thing knocked me back and put a huge grin on my face - the Elvis "legend" done as a massively overblown live-action 'cartoon' with all the visual gaudiness that the man himself would be proud of.

It's so dazzlingly kinetic straight-out-the-gate that you wonder how they're going to maintain this - and the answer is they don't. Around the 40-odd minute mark, the giddy overblown live-action 'cartoon' gives way to a conventional biopic and you think to yourself "No. Wait. Where is the ~other~ film?"

It intermittently returns in fits and starts to that level of energy and when it does the film is all the better... the overblown live-action 'cartoon' area is where Tom Hanks' sort of iffy, insanely broad 'almost Batman villain esque' performance sits best for obvious reasons. In ELVIS' grand dramatic "straight" moments it's the super rare thing; a Hanks performance that could be considered bad.

The marketing and the trailers would have you believe Baz Luhrmann's choice of Elvis is stupefyingly basic and prettified. The reality is that Austin Butler does something here of real depth and texture that will surprise you. Especially seeing as he achieves this amidst Luhrmann's most gaudy excess.

John Carpenter's miniseries may well remain the granddaddy of the Elvis Presley mythos. But inconsistencies bedamned, there's still a grand time to be had here.

18. Chip & Dale: Rescue Rangers

I was as shocked as you probably will be yourselves that one of the funniest comedies of the year is this:

... a fucking CHIP N' DALE: RESCUE RANGERS movie - recalibrated by The Lonely Island trio as a, get this, redress of WHO FRAMED ROGER RABBIT with a loving ode to the work of Shane Black's action buddy movies and PI capers.

It's astonishingly good and, thanks to the insane amount of background gags and ridiculous in-jokes, its rewatch factor will prove to be insane.

Frankly, any movie that takes the best breakout comedian of the last few years and builds a role for him around the best Internet joke / biteback of 2019 deserves to be regarded as a masterpiece!

17. Lou

I saw the 'Bad Robot' production card come up instantly at the start of this and I immediately bristled because I can't remember a time when that wasn't a bastion for "fucking up a good thing". But I have to admit this thing bloody rocked - hard!

Like with NOBODY, the snarky expectation that this was going to be a smirk-inducing irreverent take on those 'elder-action' movies - with the casting of someone thoroughly unexpected (in this case character acting legend Allison Janney!) then building a crazy action b-movie around them - gives way to something surprisingly... legitimate!

Director Anna Foerster (a longstanding colleague and collaborator of Roland Emmerich) works closely with cinematographer Michael McDonough to make a great-looking, lean as fuck, propulsive film full of washed-out greys and vibrant greens as characters barrel through a drenched wilderness in an extremely solid play on TAKEN and DEADLY PURSUIT.

And Foerster's best asset is in the casting of folk like Allison Janney, Jurnee Smollett, Logan Marshall-Green and Matt Craven - none of whom are phoning this in, at all. Janney, in particular, is fully committed to this and its that commitment that accentuates the shit out of this.

You can go into this with your nose turned up and your standards dialled down, but that'll only serve to have the surprise hit you harder at what an excellent character study and impressively ace action movie this reveals itself to be.

16. Speak No Evil

"Why... are... you doing this?" "Because you let me!"

I'm very conflicted here on what I can or should say about this film by way of any sort of recommendation.

There's elements to it that easily secure it a place in my end-of-year Top 25... yet by granting it a place it works against my desperate need to do everything I can to forget I ever saw this.

It's the sort of film that in my twenties I'd be calling a "masterpiece" but now, as a parent (with its dialogue so on the nose that at its most harrowing it has characters saying reassuring things I say to my eldest all the time - only for them to be devastatingly proven a lie here!) I was left broken by it.

So much so that, no word of a lie, when it was finished I sat up into the early hours watching 'comfort movies' whilst muttering to myself "Why did they not run?" "Why did they accept their fate so willingly?" "What the... FUCK?"

Christian Tafdrup should absolutely be commended for making a film so expertly calibrated as he moves the narrative through observations on masculinity and assertiveness then onto a dark satire of social graces and expected norms... before throwing his hands up in a 'Yeah, you got me. I was just fucking with you - This IS a horror movie!' sort of manner.

His film wouldn't work without that quartet of performances either. And Morten Burian and Sidsel Siem Koch are exceptional as the Danish couple taken out of their depth by their own politeness, whilst Fedja van Huêt and Karina Smulders are outstandingly vile as the Dutch couple who... invite them over.

It all leads to a place that has to be left undescribed and unspoiled. Its potency will be at its highest if you go in knowing nothing. But it will and should destroy you. You can grimace and grumble at the lack of proactive protectiveness displayed by its leads (and no parent worth their salt is going to watch this without pulling a 'Mark Wahlberg after 9/11' by going "That ain't how it would've gone down on MY watch, motherfucker!!") but it won't dilute the truly upsetting and disturbing power of it anyway.

15. Nope

I went back for a second go-around and really liked it even more. I definitely appreciated it a lot more for what Jordan Peele was trying to pull off and genuinely admired it for pushing to be different.

Once it gets its 'ducks in a row' it goes off and goes off hard and fast. It delivers what you're wanting it to - effectively and efficiently, but not necessarily by way of "the little green men" route many will be expecting.

It's a terrific though wobbly horror thriller. Another sign that Jordan Peele is •developing• into a great director (not necessarily a great writer). He's just not your "new John Carpenter" right now so let's calm down, huh?

I just still don't 'get' the manner in which we have elevated Peele to "master craftsman" status as a filmmaker after just 3 movies when his efforts are in no way flawless or particularly 'masterful' as such.

I'm even saying this as someone who has really enjoyed the guy's work thus far too. Including this film. But each one shows a filmmaker who's really good... but just not quite there yet. Certainly, as a writer/director, whereby he displays a skill as the latter that's nowhere near matched with the former.

GET OUT is great but absolutely overcooks its own second act, allowing you the viewer to 'get out' ahead of the film and wait for it to catch up. There are elements of US that indicate Peele is even better there, only up until the end of the second act when it becomes obvious the man is all 'concept' and no 'clue'.

Here, the film feels positively laborious straight-out-the-gate as pieces are moved into place - it's another film that seems unwilling to acknowledge we've seen the trailer, we know what we're fuckin here for so there's no fun for us in watching Peele find his way on screen in the film itself to get us to the destination we're come to it for.

As I said though, once it gets its foundations laid it's a great ride with some very intense, effective and evocative set-pieces. This could actually be my favourite of Peele's movies so far.

14.  The Batman

Did you watch SE7EN and ZODIAC and think to yourself "Man, this thing would kick so much more arse if BATMAN was the lead investigator?" Then boy oh boy do I have the film FOR YOU!

Revisiting it at home on a smaller screen, this 'breathes' differently. The reality is that it is an overindulgent 2-hour action thriller in the body of a 3-hour blockbuster. It's surprisingly less stacked in the grandiose action set-pieces than you'd expect for a comic book movie of this ilk (it's 70-odd minutes before it puts anything remotely blockbustery on show in terms of bombastic action) so watching it in your living room means you can off-set its length by pretending it's actually a miniseries type of deal.

There were things that aggravated me about this (it's far too long - unnecessarily long) and the cinematography by Greig Fraser is just TOO damn dark; there are moments here where the lack of visual clarity in simple dialogue scenes makes it impossible to see who the hell is talking to who.

And the film's excessive length is padded out with investigations into riddles that are rudimentary at best and kind of lack sophistication considering the speed it is taking "the world's greatest detective" to solve them.

But overall I had an absolute blast with it.

It took me a ~little~ bit to bed in with Robert Pattinson, an actor I've never really rated outside of the phenomenal GOOD TIME, yet overall it didn't take me very long to fall into the world Matt Reeves has built.

Reeves - a stupendously talented director of high-end spectacle, as the APES reboot sequels showed - has nailed 'Gotham'. Christopher Nolan still regarded the city in his movies as a cosmopolitan one 'with fractures'. Here Reeves presents it as the dirty, broken cesspool that is consuming its inhabitants - and we are able to recognise it from the greatest comic books in the Batman run.

Okay, admittedly his homages get a LITTLE heavy and on the nose (there's a scene in which Batman kicks down the door of The Riddler's apartment that is framed, lit and even staged with the same red doored corridor in the background to match the moment Mills does the same to John Doe's in SE7EN... with both serial killers' having the same interior decorator) but you're not going to quibble when Reeves over-delivers on the spectacle.

(That car chase with The Penguin is a phenomenal experience - but, again, pedants could argue how wholly 'original' it is when elements of it are lifted from James Gray's WE OWN THE NIGHT.)

Reeves has also cast interestingly rather than big and, for the most part, it works (the Colin Farrell thing is... kinda... sorta... brilliant?)

I think if we've reached the point of accepting that the comic book movie now fully controls the cinematic market across all demographics than this is how you deliver your 'fight back':

You make your big, thematically dark serial killer / investigatory procedural movie with all your broad cap doffs to everyone from David Fincher and Christopher Nolan through to Sidney Lumet and William Friedkin... and you stick it inside of the mould of a BATMAN movie!

13. Av: The Hunt

I'm frustrated that one of the best action-thriller releases of 2022 is sitting right there on Netflix with zero promo and seemingly absolute silence in terms of internet chatter.

Emre Akay's AV (aka AV: THE HUNT) is a propulsive, timely, hard-edged Turkish spin on THE FUGITIVE esque 'man on the run' movies that sets its engines going 6 minutes in and doesn't stop for another 80 minutes thereafter.

The unique hook lies with its female protagonist (Billur Melis Koç's commendable and impressive turn as Ayşe) and the bare notion of her "crime" (infidelity) setting her up against what feels like one Turkish town's entire patriarchy.

Not everything Akay's attempting here works, the ending is abrupt to say the least and some may find a modicum of monotony sets in. But for the most part, it has simplicity in its structure on its side; Ayşe is set running and only stops to find herself in low-level situations that become high-wire tension drenched concerns every time a man walks into them.

12. Licorice Pizza

I was reminded watching this of an assertion David Mamet once made long ago about how a screenplay should 'throbbingly pulsate' with the *need* to be told. Because Paul Thomas Anderson's latest kinda/sorta proves Mamet wrong.

There's nothing here that screams out a story you 'need' to involve yourself in (a very good friend of mine would argue that would be true of all of Anderson's oeuvre, really) but that's not to say you wouldn't have a grand old time with it regardless.

Lazily (and incorrectly) attributed by some critics as being Anderson's paean to his own childhood in the Valley, it is in fact the filmmaker's ode to SOMEONE else's - hearing anecdotes of friend and producer (and co-owner of PlayTone with Tom Hanks) Gary Goetzman's childhood acting in YOURS, MINE AND OURS with Lucille Ball and starting businesses in his teens selling waterbeds and pinball, Anderson became fascinated by his life and was eventually tipped 'over the edge' into bringing it to the screen after finding out a teenage Goetzman once installed a waterbed in legendarily insane producer Jon Peters' home.

Radiohead's Jonny Greenwood composes a score that compliments Anderson's terrific curation of 1971 - 1974 musical 'deep cuts' that serve to soundtrack a loveably shaggy and messy movie (but a considerably less shaggy/messy one than Anderson's still mostly misunderstood INHERENT VICE).

There are things that work absolutely delightfully here and then there are things that don't (amongst them the entire John Michael Higgins bon mots with him using shockingly un-PC "Ahhh So" accents when speaking to his Japanese wives; Anderson saying its attitudes that would be "contemporaneous and accurate portrayals of the movie's time period" don't make them any less uncomfortable).

That same split exists in the performances. Sean Penn makes no attempt other than to play his usual 'notes' in embodying his William Holden facsimile whilst Bradley Cooper completely ~nails~ hairdresser-turned-producer / perpetual maniac Jon Peters. Alana Haim fluctuates scene-to-scene in terms of 'competency' as an actor (but mostly comes good in the end) whilst the late Phillip Seymour Hoffman's son Cooper lands straight-out-of-the-box as an actor of natural talent. And Skyler Gisondo drops in early to steal scenes left, right and centre as is his way these days (see also BOOKSMART).

Those 'outraged' by the age difference are right to highlight the hypocrisy that it would be very unlikely that a film of this ilk about a 25-year-old man falling in love with a 15-year-old girl would be met so rapturously. So it's a testament to Anderson's skill at play here that we spend the movie willing the two protagonists to end up together and thoroughly enjoying being in their company along the way.

11. All Quiet On The Western Front

I see some questioning why they did another adaptation of the 1929 novel by Erich Maria Remarque when Lewis Milestone's 1930 version is still so definitive, effective and beloved.

Perhaps to some, it's 'quaint' by today's standards and the epic anti-war sentiments deserve to be reconfigured for an audience of today whose sensibilities are calibrated (desensitised, even?) by CALL OF DUTY, etc?

Edward Berger has done that; equaling Lewis Milestone's 1930 achievement in delivering a truly horrifying, sobering anti-war screed with a flow of violence so unabashed in its reality and extreme it'll shake the 'first person shooter' to attention and must •surely• deter anyone from ever refusing to believe warfare is only futile and unappealing.

Director Paul Schrader recently used his [wonderful] Facebook account to discuss this film thusly:

"There's a valid argument that all war films are pro-war films. It's not possible to dramatize the fetishisms, the comraderies, the energies, the strategies, the technologies, the common purposes of war without glorifying them. Every anti-war film is a pretend anti-war film. Netflix's German update of All's Quiet is as close to an anti-war film as anything I've seen. There's no bravery, no comradery, no honor, no intelligence - just stupidity and brutality. A searing indictment of war. But it's still a pro-war film."

I'm not sure I agree entirely with Schrader there but it rolls me back around to something the late Samuel Fuller once said about how it was the responsibility of the studios to never let the war movie die as a genre though for it not to be used as a means to entertain but to educate, that an audience member should come away with no desire to see a frontline or that filmmaker had failed.

When Ridley Scott learnt US armed forces applications went •up• after the release of BLACK HAWK DOWN he acknowledged he'd failed in his intent. Edward Berger hasn't failed here, have no doubt there. And he's given tremendous assistance from Volker Bertelmann's thumbing trumpet-blast score.

His decisions within his adaptation aren't flawless. The addition of a secondary plot (as represented by Daniel Brühl's Matthias Erzberger) following the creation of the November 11 armistice is well intended but it pulls away from the intensity of the singularly first-person narrative of the novel and the 1939 version. It lengthens the film unnecessarily and dilutes (only ever so slightly) the intensity of Paul Bäumer's journey.

As Bäumer Felix Kammerer is nothing short of exceptional. In the final stretch of the film he is utterly unrecognisable and your heartbreaks for the inevitably of his character's fate.

In the conversation of great war films to land in the last 10 - 20 years, this has to hold a place.

10. Everything Everywhere All At Once

I will admit that the first 20-odd minutes of this provoked more anxiety and stress in me than the whole of (the still sublime) UNCUT GEMS. At the exact moment it wondrously kicked into gear I was frankly already exhausted... and then it didn't stop for the full stretch of its 2½ hour run time.

To say it is unrelenting is an understatement. It is completely exhausting. In its unwieldy, epic state it is the most ill-disciplined and unrefined film to be born of a film so clearly built upon refined structure and narrative discipline. To put it simply, there is just TOO MUCH of a good thing going here.

And it IS good. Very good in fact.

But I could only just about cope with it. And I'm intrinsically built for a Michelle Yeoh showpiece that doesn't just lean in on her martial arts majesty and her worth as an actually brilliant actress, but also delivers thematically on the meaning of life, existentialism, metatextuality, what some are referring to as "dadaist absurdism", Asian-American identity in today's society, nihilism and the concept of the 'multiverse' done in a manner FAR greater than Marvel have done thus far.

Come "Awards Season", if the conversation doesn't include Yeoh, Ke Huy Quan (the man responsible for the brilliant 'Data' / 'Shortround' double-strike of the 80s) and Jamie Lee Curtis - all of whom are frankly tremendous - than legitimate questions have to be asked about a race / age bias or some sort of lack of comprehension as to what "best" actually means at these awards.

Yeoh is the anchor and obvious star of the show. It's a given that her martial art skills are fabulous but it's the additional shades she brings to this too; the dramatic depths, the genuine human emotion and the surprisingly exquisite comic timing.

The whole cast are equally great too though, including the legendary James Hong, Stephanie Hsu (saving the film from the shitter by thankfully replacing Awkwafuckwit) and, yes, the mighty Randy Newman "as the voice of Raccacoonie".

It's all astonishingly well directed by Dan Kwan and Daniel Scheinert (collectively known as "Daniels") in a manner that will frequently drop your jaw... it's just they cause a drop so often and stay around for too long thereafter that you eventually begin to notice the jaw ache more than the film.

9. Hustle

I wonder whether Adam Sandler and director Jeremiah Zagar got some sort of early screening of TOP GUN: MAVERICK whilst it lay in 'pandemic situ' for 2½ years and realised there was still a way forward / no shame in unabashed feel-good cheese; staking a pole in the same warm, rewarding ground off the back of it.

Here's a film that stares at all the tropes that come with this sort of thing and lovingly embraces all of them - put-upon underdogs, stacked odds, boo-hissable villains and antagonists, training montages, rewarding endings - whilst finding a couple of new spins on a few of them.

It will probably reward more for those with an arcane knowledge of basketball and its current players (many of whom play themselves or roles herein) but it's rewarding in its own right too.

It's also a surprisingly funny film too. Sandler (who is very good here - he's sincere and natural, earning big laughs from being real and engaged) shows that his future must / should lie not in those soulless, joyless 'holidays with the buddies' broad anti-comedies he's become known for but in dry 'dramedies' that get to show how deft he can be as an actor whilst killing it with zingers dropped in his lap.

Sometimes you want cinema that's going to blow you away with something unexpected and unique. And sometimes you just need a new spin on dependable old standards to give you a good time.

8. Nightmare Alley

I absolutely ate this right up - loved it!

Yeah, it is drastically overstretched (does 150 minutes REALLY have to be the new 120-minute 'normal' now?) and there's a slight cruelty in putting someone like Bradley Cooper - who is considerably more a "movie star" than a strong actor, no matter what his ego tells him - up against wall-to-wall pitch-hitting exquisite acting talent as robust as [deep breath] Cate Blanchett, Toni Collette, Willem Dafoe, Richard Jenkins, Rooney Mara, Ron Perlman, Mary Steenburgen, David Strathairn, Holt McCallany, Clifton Collins Jr. and Tim Blake Nelson...

... but those are the most minor of issues offset by the fact we get to spend time being spoilt by a master craftsman who's made one of the most sumptuously framed and shot films of the last few years.

This is a film where Guillermo del Toro's sheer passion (and the gorgeous cinematography by Dan Laustsen) seeps through every shot. There's an entire layer beneath the film's narrative and performances where you could watch this with the sound off and still fall into the images like it's a warm bath.

Those praising / criticising Del Toro for making a 'homage' to old film noir really miss the point that he's actually made less a homage and more an actual entry into the noir pantheon. It's not a tribute to the greats of yesteryear. It's an equal that happens to be set in that era.

7. Barbarian

I was really worried this wouldn't hold up as joyously once all the 'revelations' were out there and what not - though I can't imagine a first-time experience of it would hit as hard knowing all of its directions beforehand, so thanks for *that* Empire Magazine - but it does; slightly less impactful yet still absolutely a fun thrill-ride!

Easily one of my favourite horrors in quite some time and one of the best films of this year, you've GOT to go into this knowing as little as possible. Preferably nothing, in fact. The joy (one of the film's many) lies in being routinely wrongfooted at each and every point that a 'standard' horror would drop a 'typical' trope, whilst the dial keeps getting ratcheted up and up and up - until you're neck deep in expertly crafted scares.

There is absolutely a reason that it is an old-fashioned word-of-mouth sleeper hit and a "Fuck You" variation of it at that, grossing over $42 million worldwide (currently) off a $4.5 million budget after a disastrous door-to-door trip around every major and mini studio in town and getting rejected by all of them initially.

Honestly, there are some truly terrific horror beats in this thing; big dollops of shadowy manipulation, "Ooooh you fucker!" jump bits, gratuitous gore, stomach-turning gross stuff and exceptional levels of foreboding. That this is all delivered by Zach Cregger in a solo directorial debut (after a career in Twitch streaming and comedy troupe membership!) is nothing short of astounding. This thing plays like the work of a genre craftsman.

The film is a really interesting construction that offers up mini-movies within a... Actually, even THAT is saying too much. Let's just say that the accentuating of its quality level and its ability to throw you on the backfoot is achieved in the casting of Georgina Campbell, Bill Skarsgård and Justin Long.

Campbell gives one of my favourite performances this year in this and I think the whole thing only works overall because of what her and Skarsgård pull off early on. And Long, who I'm a big fan of, is just... just... so deliciously wrong here that it's tremendous.

God, I can't wait to dig into this again and again. An instant genre classic, if you ask me!

6. Prey

I remain really impressed with this. Whilst a definite high watermark in the PREDATOR series (though is that THAT hard?), the notion that it may be an "instant action masterpiece" as stated by some critics is somewhat overblown. It certainly holds up to repeat viewing though as a terrific little actioner.

Dan Trachtenberg, working off a script by Patrick Aison and working with a performance by Amber Midthunder (an absolute find, by the way), delivers a clean, lean, rousing, thankfully streamlined action b-movie that in its final moments sets itself out as not so much a prequel but an opening chapter in a story trilogy that ends with the reveal in PREDATOR 2...

... and cuts out all the 'noise' drawn from the pretty naff PREDATORS, Shane Black's pretty disappointing THE PREDATOR and those pretty unwatchable ALIEN Vs PREDATOR 'side movies'.

There was a clear Joel Silver cultivated bombastic, borderline surreal, specifically McTiernan glossed perfection to the original PREDATOR that the franchise has frustratingly tried to emulate or flat-out rip-off. There's something very admirable here about how Trachtenberg manages to pay homage to it whilst trying to do its own thing.

5. Athena

Those opening 11 minutes are so audacious, so kinetic, so exhilarating and so sublimely choreographed and executed they serve to remind you how thoroughly tremendous cinema can be... on a streaming screen of your choosing through the Netflix app! Go figure.

What follows thereafter is a sheer rollercoaster ride whereby the film's smaller moments feel like a complete deflation because of the intensity of what's occurring on either side of them.

As a provocative political drama, it isn't entirely successful. It makes jabs in that regard rather than delivering effective blows. But the opening sequence is such a mighty, immersive 'statement of intent' that you're hooked and the film sneaks up on you as one of the best action thrillers of 2022.

And tucked away within this astounding, incendiary actioner is an acting debut from [then] 19-year-old Sami Slimane that isn't just thoroughly captivating but possibly one of the strongest debuts in the history of film.

Watch it as a double-bill with the very underrated and underseen Danish action flick ENFORCEMENT for extra accentuating!

4. Midnight

I put this up as the first truly great thriller of 2022. I was legitimately blown away by it - Kwon Oh-seung has crafted a high concept thriller (a deaf woman witnesses a serial killer's latest attack and must begin a silent flight and fight through one long night when she becomes his new target) that is so relentless and exhilarating there were long stretches where I forgot to breathe.

The film would be an absolute instant modern classic of its type just based on its jaw-droppingly impressive propulsion and the ingenuity of using deafness as a means to create additional danger out of everyday elements, but what it also has is two utterly exquisite performances:

Wi Ha-joon is deliciously odious as the serial killer but it's Jin Ki-joo as Kim Kyung-mi that will stagger you, most definitely in the film's final stretch where she delivers a monologue begging for her life that shatters your heart.

There's no country that is creating consistently magnificent cinematic content at the moment like the Koreans, who've absolutely mastered the ability to take the mainstream thriller and reconfigure it to fit a varying amount of co-genres (action, horror, sci-fi, etc) and themes. See the likes of THE YELLOW SEA, BEDEVILLED, THE SUSPECT, I SAW THE DEVIL, TIME TO HUNT, THE CHASER, THE MERCILESS, #ALIVE, THE GANGSTER THE COP THE DEVIL, AGE OF SHADOWS, THE VILLAINESS and now this.

3. Nitram

I was left genuinely shaken by this - a forensic recounting of the years of Martin Bryant's life (here identified as "Nitram" - 'Martin' spelt backwards - in order to continue the practice of 'dead-naming' him) leading up to the unfathomably evil 1996 massacre he committed at Port Arthur in Tasmania, in which he killed 35 people and wounded 23 others - several of whom were toddlers and children.

(This massacre - the worst in Australia's history - led to historic and fundamental changes in the country's gun laws in a manner that puts America to shame, though this film's postscript indicates the current statistics aren't impressive under scrutiny!)

It's easy to understand why this film was met with widespread concern and controversy within Tasmania itself. Only 2 cinemas in the whole island state chose to screen the film but opted out of advertising or listing showings. But those understandably perturbed and unsettled by its existence should draw something from the fact this is not a salacious nor gratuitous 'recreation'.

Justin Kurzel's previous jaunt around similar territory with his brilliant but thoroughly sadistic study of The Snowtown Murders easily leads you to believe the same level of unrestrained and unforgiving violence will be present here. That's not the case. The massacre itself is not shown other than to contextualise its beginning. There's an admirable restraint here that should be acknowledged.

Nor does the film seek to provide an 'out' or a rationalisation for Bryant's abhorrent behaviour. It presents his clear intellectual disabilities upfront and centre but never uses them as an excuse. Instead it leans in on how thoroughly damaged and dangerous he was long before 1996 and then clinically addresses how his social isolation and thirst for any form of inclusion on whatever term he could comprehend as 'normal' married with the neglect and lack of intervention from relevant authorities (parental, law, social services) created a harrowing / deadly storm - accentuated by decidedly odd circumstances and monies acquired.

The performances are across the board first rate; Essie Davis has the showy, quirky role that doesn't go where you think it will and Judy Davis is as dependably phenomenal as we've come to expect, but whilst this is very obviously Caleb Landry Jones' film and he is doing excellent and interesting work, it's Anthony LaPaglia who very softly and very delicately takes his role and uses it to break your heart.

This truly is one of the best films of 2022 - an uncompromisingly dark but important study that doesn't seem as interested in the "Why" as much as many suspected and instead quietly analyses the "How".

2. The Banshees of Inisherin

I fell instantly in love with this - hard! The marketing and Martin McDonagh's past work leads you into believing this is going to be a caustic comedic fable on fractured social graces and broken friendships, done 'the Irish way'. But that's just prologue.

Instead, McDonagh leads us into a tale of bizarro escalation and dysfunctional communication, of dented machismo, human warmth, unrequited love, repressed anger, extreme vengeance, loneliness and... maybe... metaphors for the Irish Civil War.

The script is dryly and frequently funny and the performances from the cast submerge themselves in the dialogue, knowing full well that they're being handed pure gold here.

Brendan Gleeson and Kerry Condon are dependably sublime as you'd expect but this is Colin Farrell and Barry Keoghan's film. It takes a lot to say this, having spent decades either detesting the dude or apathetic to him, but Farrell's work here completely broke through to me once and for all. Farrell made me laugh and made me well up...

... but it's Keoghan's work here - specifically THAT scene with Condon down by the river's edge - that quietly devastated me to an extent that I didn't even realise I was crying until I'd drenched my own face. There can be no conceivable way the Best Supporting Actor Oscar isn't his.

I genuinely, genuinely adored this film and how it almost seems to take perverse pleasure in luring you in with the notion of some Irish GRUMPY OLD MEN redo with 'The IN BRUGES Boys' - only to slowly dim the tone and wrongfoot you into darkness!

1. Top Gun: Maverick

I had some degree of reticence that this wouldn't hold up 'at home'. Because, well, that IMAX experience really is a fuckin drug rush. But I need not have worried because everything that made TOP GUN: MAVERICK the inexplicably joyous filmic experience of 2022 is still all present and correct on repeat viewings. The most shocking element of all is that one of the greatest blockbusters / best films of the decade is a 36-year-old... sequel to TOP GUN??

That first TOP GUN movie is beloved for reasons totally disassociated from judging the film conventionally as a whole. It suffers enormously from being an empty confection with a main protagonist who is conceited, selfish, pretty misogynistic, unprofessional, predatory and by the film's end the character hasn't journeyed THAT far from those characteristics at all.

Here, you have a film with actual arcs - character-wise, dramatically and whatnot. So successful is it in this regard that I had a 'bit of a weep' at the end... over characters I couldn't have given two fucks about 130 minutes earlier. A lot of that has to do with the casting choices with an excellent Tom Cruise being backed up well by a shockingly good Miles Teller, a really lovely Jennifer Connelly, a brilliant Glen Powell, an underused Ed Harris, and a tender appropriate turn by Val Kilmer - and Jean Louisa Kelly (aka 'Uncle Buck's Niece') as his wife! The only weak link is the continually odious Jon Hamm, who takes the role Harris should've had.

How do you make this a truly flawless blockbuster? You cast either Tom Skerritt or Michael Ironside in Ed Harris' role. And Ed Harris in Jon Hamm's role. Coz MORE Ed Harris is NEVER a bad thing... and Ed Harris has never tortured a man and left him sterile by dragging him by his testicles with a claw hammer. Fuck YOU, Jon Hamm!

It is a film that finds ~something~ to say about time, legacy, regret, grief, ambition, responsibility, surrogate fathering and ageing and it says it inside of a sequel to a • 36-year old• film of which the best thing you can say is that its soundtrack is great.

All of that though is just the "soft centre" at the core of what you're REALLY here for, which is some of the greatest cinematic craftsmanship in the history of blockbuster filmmaking. Seriously. Shitteth ye not one jot. In an age of ugly, cheap, less-than-competent greenscreen CGI in the likes of DR STRANGE 2 and UNCHARTED marvel at real actors being taken to the skies in actual planes and barreled/battered at legitimate high velocity for our entertainment in action sequences that are stunningly visualised and carried out with clean geography.

Director Joseph Kosinski has pulled off an astounding achievement here. Believe the hype - every word of it! This is a movie totally unashamed to not only lean in but actually fully embrace old-fashioned sensibilities in cinema; like wearing its heart on its sleeve, being unembarassed by 'high cheese', manipulative high octane musical scores and (best of all!) the BEST narrative trope in all of cinema:

Here is a film riddled with the highest tier of technical sophistication yet it's driven by a (story) engine of completely perfect simplicity - the 'men on a mission' structure; we watch our main man assemble a team, introduce a mission, train for it and complete it. There's nothing more to it than that and yet it really is quite brilliant.

So much so that it actually does the unthinkable and adds texture to Tony Scott's empty 1986 original.

I've legitimately been trying to think of a situation where there's been a belated follow-up to a film I didn't much care for that I ended up liking a great deal more than its predecessor. The best I could muster was the likes of RAMBO or SCREAM 4.

Then I started thinking about belated sequels that came, landed and blew me away on a vastly greater plane than where my affections sat on the preceding movie. I came up with CREED, MAD MAX: FURY ROAD (of course) and THE COLOUR OF MONEY - the Tom Cruise connection being not at all lost on me in this scenario.

TOP GUN: MAVERICK is a genuinely terrific piece of cinema. It is without a doubt built to be a euphoric blast of cheesy feel-good blockbuster filmmaking. And in the process it will likely end up as the absolute feel-good movie of the year. It's almost unfortunate that it is dependent on its association to such a lesser film.

---

And that’s that! 

See you all next year... Find me on Letterboxd as Gonzo McNulty if you fancy more of this, but daily.

[wrestlethethistles]

Top new-to-me films of 2022! Like last year, I watched a lot of great movies and picking only 10 was pretty wrenching. (At least they’re unranked; the list below is just in alphabetical order.) But you have to draw the line somewhere, and I feel good about these picks.

After Yang (2021) - While this kind of movie won’t be everyone’s cup of tea (pun intended), I love a slow, sad and beautiful sci-fi story. The central cast all give quiet but moving performances, and shot-for-shot, it was one of the most beautiful movies I saw this year (a year in which I saw a lot of beautiful movies).

Drive My Car (2021) - On my first watch, I was a bit skeptical the film was earning its runtime. It was tempting to backseat drive the opening section, especially. But by the last 45 minutes of this film, it was clear I wouldn’t change a thing. While it wasn’t my favorite of last year’s Best Picture Oscar nominees at the time, it’s the one that has been living in my brain rent-free ever since the credits rolled. Tremendous.

Cold War (2018) - Another one that has risen in my estimation the longer it’s been since I watched it. While I liked it plenty at the time, the longer I think about this one, the more devastating it becomes. Gorgeous and sad and perfectly balanced.

Everything Everywhere All At Once (2022) - Probably the least surprising entry on the list, but who cares? It really is that good. The chaos and the visual sense of play are great, but for me, it’s really the beating heart of the relationships between Evelyn, Waymond and Joy that makes this movie unforgettable.

Hero (2002) - I’d had a lot of people I respect recommend this movie to me, but it took me 20 years to finally get around to it. All of them were absolutely right. Visually stunning, yes, but also a beautifully constructed puzzle of a story, deployed to hit you right in the feelings where it counts.

Nope (2022) - One of only two films I saw in a theater in 2022, and I’m so grateful that I did. The cinematography and the sound design together made for a truly immersive (and stressful) experience. Great performances across the board, and a breath of fresh air for monster movies.

Palm Springs (2020) - This one also came highly recommended, even if it took me two years instead of 20 to get to it. I can see why. The freshest time loop story in ages, and Andy Samberg and Cristin Milioti have truly fabulous chemistry. Almost certainly a rewatch candidate in the near future.

Paper Moon (1973) - A perfect film. Absolutely adored it.

Ran (1985) - I can’t believe Akira Kurosawa invented color cinematography in 1985, who knew? A masterful adaptation with a gutting ending.

The Tragedy of Macbeth (2021) - Probably my favorite Shakespeare film adaptation of the last 20 years. The visuals are arresting, the dynamic between Washington and McDormand is affecting throughout, and the screenplay gets to the heart of the play while streamlining it in clever and thoughtful ways. Delighted that future 10th grade English classes will have something this good to watch when their teacher is out sick.

[morrisxn02]

An expression of pleasant surprise flickers on his face at the sound of perfectly spoken French, her voice carrying the subtlety and nuance only a few manage to master. Once again, he wants to tell her he is impressed but doesn’t, fearing she will readily dismiss his compliment. Instead, he says, “Pareil.”, guessing that she wouldn’t be able to turn down a compliment if he didn’t offer it directly. His lazy grin turns into a chuckle at her question about his decision to return to America and its fallible education system. His friends at the Lycée also enjoyed poking fun at it back in the day. And, even though he had spent most of his life attending private schools, Edward would choose the European curriculum over their own any day. But, then again, that had never really been his choice to make... “It was my junior year of high school. Had to take the SATs there and everything.” His counselor advised that he go on his sophomore year so he wouldn’t have to worry about the SATs or missing any senior-year events. But his overprotective parents' faulty rationale somehow led them to believe that sending a 16-year-old Edward overseas by himself was a much more responsible decision than sending a 15-year-old. “It is one of my favorite things I've ever done.” He adds, voice harboring a childlike enthusiasm that had become unfamiliar to him lately.  “But I was bound to come to Ogden, so here I am…” He looks away for a second, letting his gaze wander the beach for a second, his thoughts taunting him over what would've happened if he had told his parents he wanted to stay in Paris, that he didn't want to come back... "Where did you learn French?" He finally turns back to her.

Edward watches closely as she scrutinizes his sketches, gaze constantly alternating between Carmen’s face – trying to decode her thoughts through her expressions – and pages of his doodles of monsters and Shakespearean characters. There is something soothing about her kind curiosity, and her gentle non-judgmental way of talking about art that makes him, if not just comfortable, then almost eager to hear her thoughts on his work. It is something he very rarely shares with people, afraid that maybe it will crack the surface of this perfectly pristine caricature of a rich boy he has made himself into. But he and Carmen seem to see eye to eye on a few things, especially in this shared, open-minded interpretation of what art can be. Like recognizes like, isn’t that the saying? “Yeah, they actually did.” He mirrors her smile as she mentions the witches, glad that she, as an appreciator of art in all its forms, understands the reveries of his overly fertile imagination. “Thank you. I really wanted to amplify the creepy factor of the story; it really fascinates me.” Although he too considers himself an appreciator of art in all its forms, it seems as though lately, his mind has been particularly drawn to more macabre types of art – horror movies, gothic novels, baroque paintings… – maybe as a direct consequence of the Ogden zeitgeist finally catching up to him, maybe as a manifestation of his innermost emotions and thoughts or, most likely, both.

“Macbeth is my Roman Empire.” Although his statement is delivered like a joke, Edward couldn’t be more serious. And not just Macbeth, all of Shakespeare’s work tended to occupy his mind much more than it did the average person. “Well, along with the Roman Empire itself, of course.” This, in part, was due to it being a theme in some of Shakespeare’s most remarkable tragedies, of course, but also due to him being a stereotypical white man. “I played Macbeth in school, and I think the creepy, gory aspect of the story stuck with me. And I really wanted to go for something scary.” Back in school, when his unhealthy obsession with the Bard started, Edward would have regular nightmares of headless kings and mutilated princesses, but nothing was ever quite as haunting as the prophetic witches in Macbeth. “Reveal.” He echoes the word, lips turning upward in agreement. A much better fit to adapt the original text into something more modern, but that still carries the same gravity. “That’s a great one.” Edwards's long fingers slide over the iPad screen, readily replacing the older version of the text. “I’ll make sure to give you credit you for that.”

Carmen finds a wave of relief in his welcoming demeanor, even if a piece of her brain can't help but wonder if it was nothing more than the same behaviors she'd been taught. To offer niceties even in the times she shouldn't be, when people were undeserving or she wasn't in the head space to entertain company, doing so anyway not just in hopes of lightening the other person's day but to take her mind away from herself.

Regardless she's settling into the space he'd cleared for her, as if there wasn't an entire expanse of beach and the shift in his position was necessary, something both amusing and comforting in the act. The slight chill that lingered in the spring air more apparent in the sand she sinks down into, notably cool beneath her legs, the sun still creeping into position and not yet having warmed it as it would have a later hour.

"Lycée Carnot? Impressionnante." And while the french is used as a lighthearted jest, it is impressive. The school was one of the most prestigious in the country and while her own education clearly hadn't taken her to such places, though she's sure her parents would wish otherwise were they to bear witness to this conversation, she has no doubt it offered a curriculum much different and worthwhile than some of their own schools. "Was Lycée your senior year or did you just decide you missed our glorious education system too much and simply had to come back?"

"I guess I'm an appreciator of art in all it's forms." And she was, apparent not just in her recognition of the source material but in the interest she showed for his sketchbook, something that she's somewhat surprised to find him handing over willingly and rather quickly. She knew that everyone was different with their art, some excited and willing to share whenever they were able and other's, like herself, who had a preference of keeping it tucked away, afraid of what judgement someone might hold. It was merely surprising given his initial embarrassment at being caught, though perhaps their shared interests were enough to have eased that concern. "Besides, the witches helped." Gaze and book tilted his way, a playful smile dancing onto her lips before her focus drifts once more to the paper, taking it in more fully. "It's stunning." She remarks after a moment of quiet, sincerity in her tone. "Creepy...but stunning." Not an insult given such was what he had been going for.

Her fingers dance along the edges of one of the witches, careful to trace the paper and not the lead, to not damage the work. "Why Macbeth?" Not a judgement, simply an inquiry, a wonder about what had him so decided that it was the best. A moments pause as she continues to overview the image before she speaks again. "Reveal..." Carmen offers the word with seemingly no context, her own attempt at the phrase he was attempting to alter, the dialogue he'd been unsatisfied with. "Show me is too...lackluster."

[iphyslitterator]

Movie Thoughts: The Tragedy of Macbeth

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Tragedy_of_Macbeth_(2021_film)

A worthy addition to the Shakespeare film canon. I'm actually somewhat qualified to comment on this because I'm an English major and spent 2020 watching filmed Shakespeare productions until Destiel derailed my life. The other filmed Macbeths I have seen are the Patrick Stewart TV movie (a bad horror movie I did not like) and the Stratford Festival production (highly recommended, and a rare period-appropriate Shakespeare adaptation).

I've never loved this play, mostly because I struggle to connect to the Macbeths' ambition. Just...don't kill the king? It's very mean. Don't do it. Outside these complaints, my biggest critique of the film itself is insufficient variation at all levels: consistently sparse score, consistent Brutalist architecture, consistently slow pacing. It's all good stuff! but it's like playing 90% of a symphony mezzo piano. The parts that were good were SO good, though:

Kathryn Hunter is easily the best Witches I've ever seen: uncanny, horrifying, can't look away. Her introduction is a perfect cinematic choice -- the intimacy of the camera and a single performer, a mad contortionist talking to herself. The movie was at its best in its strange dream landscape. A lake appearing in the middle of the palace for Macbeth to speak to disembodied child faces? The door handle as the dagger of the mind? The integration of the wood with the throne room in the final duel? Inspired.

This is also the first adaptation with a better Banquo's Ghost scene than the time Slings & Arrows had Macbeth talk to an "empty" chair inhabited by an actual ghost. It's just so much better when he looks crazy to the audience! All the dinner guests follow him to a room where he's screaming and fighting a crow! It's genuinely never occurred to me that the Macbeths might not be lying when they say Macbeth's been afflicted with these fits since his youth -- could Macbeth be schizophrenic? What does that do?

The Nominations

Actor (Denzel Washington): Solid performance, very natural/believable in his delivery, and he was good at the yelling as well as the thoughtful parts. It didn't blow me away, but Denzel Washington is a consistently great actor.

Cinematography: Oh yeah. The black-and-white makes intuitive sense, and the light, the shadow, the shot composition were all soooo gorgeous. Even on a laptop, this was more beautiful and effective than any of the black-and-white nominees I've seen in recent years (The Artist, Belfast, Cold War, Mank, Roma). I wish I knew more about cinematography so I could praise it properly! This is Bruno Delbonnel's sixth nomination, so he's due for a win at some point.

Production Design: OH MY GOD YES. The cold enormity of those empty Brutalist buildings. The eerie barren landscapes (filmed on a soundstage to preserve a sense of unreality). A masterclass in cinematic minimalism that powered the whole thing. This film fully deserves both its craft nominations.

[celluloidandthecity]

On Roman Polanski's Macbeth (1971)

A box office bomb on its release, Roman Polanski's 1971 adaptation of William Shakespeare's classic tragedy Macbeth has deservedly undergone a reappraisal in recent years.

It was equally cursed and blessed by the benevolence of Hugh Hefner's Playboy Productions, who funded the movie when Paramount, Universal and MGM passed. Without the funding, the film wouldn't have been made. With it, much bad press was focused on the film's 'nudity and graphic violence', seemingly influenced by the perceived proclivities of Hefner himself.

The production was beset by production issues, with the British weather, and even more so by the petulance of its director. Polanski at this point in his career was highly marketable, with the successes of Repulsion and Rosemary's Baby under his belt. Which in no way helped mitigate his highly demanding behaviour on set. At one point financiers insisted that he be fired, not least because the film was over-budget, requiring both Polanski and Hefner to top up the pot and get the thing completed.

In my own personal opinion, I'm glad that the film has enjoyed a critical appraisal. Because I think it is a minor masterpiece. The casting - with Jon Finch and Francesca Annis playing against the historical norm as a younger and beautiful couple - is inspired. It feels new, yet acutely traditional. It's wonderful to look at. And the set pieces - far from being gratuitously violent - are appropriate.

Critics have made a lot of Macbeth being the first film Polanski directed after the brutal murder of his wife Sharon Tate in 1969. And it is definitely worth giving a thought to how his first-hand experience of this brutality fed into his depiction of Duncan's murder. It remains, to me, an important film and one unfairly diminished in the canon of adaptations of the works of William Shakespeare.

After the commercial failure of Macbeth, Polanski rose to the top again with the classic Chinatown (1974). In 1977 his career suffered a dramatic blow when he was arrested and charged with drugging and raping a 13 year old girl. He fled to Paris and remains a fugitive from the American justice system. Which has in no way affected his ability to direct critically acclaimed films such as Tess (1979) and The Pianist (2022). Considered as problematic by some as shamed director Woody Allen, actions in his private life continue to dominate the minds of many, to the detriment of his creative output.

Along with Francesca Annis, Jon Finch's youth and beauty (he was 29, she was 26 at the time of filming), shook up how the doomed Macbeth and his wife were depicted for a generation. The exceedingly private actor - the son of a merchant banker from Sussex - was in the right place at the right time, meeting Roman Polanski on a plane when the director was in the process of casting the movie.

Finch had played in amateur stage productions, television and in two Hammer horror movies, but Macbeth was his breakout role. Though a great career beckoned Finch's wasn't a life of much ambition, with the actor himself stating that he made a film a year to enable himself to live comfortably. He worked with Alfred Hitchcock on Frenzy (1972) but had to resign from Alien (he was originally cast in John Hurt's role) due to illness and turned down the role of James Bond, which later went to Roger Moore. He married actress Catriona MacColl in the 1980s, but they later divorced after five years of marriage, Finch later had a daughter from another relationship. His final film role was the Catholic Patriarch of Jerusalem in Ridley Scott's Kingdom of Heaven (2005). Jon Finch passed away in 2012.

An actress from her teens, Annis raised eyebrows with her 'naked sleepwalking' scene in Macbeth. She went from strength to strength after working with Polanski, with a stellar range of roles encompassing stage, film and television.

It would be great to know whether there are outtakes or other behind the scenes footage of Macbeth and this could be released along with a director's cut. I'd watch the hell out of it all.

[aella-targaryen]

I’m not that anon but holy shit ep 10 blew my mind. I read the books. I was hyped for Aemond to do The Thing. I follow the fan discourse online, people arguing back and forth bc “well fire& blood has an unrealiable narrator blah blah blah.” I was hyped to find out why see criston hates rhaenyra so much. I loved what they did with Daemon& Rhaenyras night out in the town.

But this? This was the ultimate “hey, heads up, even if you read the book - keep watching this series because we do have some aces up our sleeves.”

And it’s not even done for shock value I believe - GRRM was involved in the writing process for this episode.

And the more you think about it, Aemond Vhagar doing The Thing makes so much more sense and becomes so much more tragic in that context.

I’m firmly of the believe the Targa and their dragons were just diminished against me again over the centuries, making sure the family doesn’t grow too big. Keeping them around just to be there to fight the long night and then be discarded and extinguished once that job is done.

Some supernatural power going “Hm. Too many Targs, time to thin them out. Let’s get this Shakespearean tragedy started!” IS my overall Westeros headcanon tbh

Dear Anon

I'm glad that you enjoyed the ep. 10, what I wrote below is just my opinion and I hope that opinion does not change your enthusiasm for the series and its episodes.

-It doesn't bother me that they change some events, it bothers me that they change the personality of the main characters almost completely in such an important episode.In the case of Alicent , the change was good, because she is still a petty person, only with a good origin story for her evil. An explanation.

-I don't care if GRRM wrote every single word of the script of ep. 10 . The authors of the books can make terrible adaptations of their books. In Harry Potter jkr. She participated in the entire process of the movies, even so it is a bad cinematographic saga. HOWEVER, THE HP FILMS WERE SAVED BECAUSE THE ESSENCE OF THE CHARACTERS WAS RESPECTED.On FB jkr. She took care of almost everything and those are bad movies. That the author is involved does not mean that the series or the movies are good.

-Ok, the Aemond scene, I could have accepted it, but that scene at the moment is destroying the whole plot of Cheese and Blood and also the moment of his death. They will largely make Aemond's death the result of an accident and misunderstanding. A lack of respect for one of the best players on the team green.

-I a good tragedy you can't make all the characters pity.It's like you feel sorry for Benvolio, Tybalt and Mercurio in Romeo and Juliet or macbeth's wife.

-I've always thought the Targ died out because magic died out of the world.