#oek's baby

[diarykatharina]

𝗦𝗘𝗠𝗨𝗔 𝗧𝗘𝗡𝗧𝗔𝗡𝗚𝗠𝗨; 𝗦𝗘𝗟𝗔𝗟𝗨

Hal Paling Berkesan Di Posa

Banyak banget hal berkesan disini, tapi aku pilih pas bagian greeting dan mejeng di weekly schedule! I love bonding, jadi di greeting aku berusaha maksimalin interaksi walaupun ga semua diving tapi gapapa guys, i love you. Nanti kita bonding lebih banyak ia

Yang Paling Diingat Dari The Fairys

Bang Xavier ini keliatan tegas banget walaupun gitu, masih ada sisi jamet dikit dan bau sad boynya kuat banget. Btw abang, sorry to say but tiap kali liat kamu tuh bawaannya keinget pacarku kenapa ia, kaya... Bjil mirip pacarku ajeee (tapi pacarku ga sad boy), boleh kapan kapan kenalan kaya pinang dibelah dua(?)

Kalo Arka tuh dulu divingnya rajin ya pas aku masih pdkt, terus kalo sekarang yang paling aku inget arka itu bucin! Aku suka liat bucinan sama oa tetangga itu loh

Si lucu Dara, ini mah dari awal udah bawel banget oek. Lucu seperti kucing dan forever my baby! Vibesnya juga ceria banget, terus bokem but babynya kerasa banget, aku suka tiap liat dara

Pilih 2 Lagu/Tahapan Favorite

Kalo lagu aku pilih pertemuan singkat sama seandainya, kalo tahapan aku pilih terlalu lama (kalo ga salah) sama seandainya

Pesan Untuk The Romancer

Halo temen temenku! Ga kerasa udah mau pisah aja nih kita, aku sejujurnya sedih sih karna ngerasa deketnya sama itu itu aja... Entah aku yang kurang nyapa kalian di tl lalu akhir akhir ini aku jarang diving atau kalian yang emang lagi ada kesibukan jadinya jarang diving dan muncul di mentabku, hm idk ya. But I hope abis ini kita bisa ngobrol lebih proper ya, jangan sungkan buat jbjb upcharku atau tweet randomku karna tbh aku juga sering gitu kok kalo lagi gabut! Makasih ya udah jadi temenku, makasih udah ngobrol sama aku, maaf aku belum sempet reach out kalian dengan proper juga. Kalo aku reach out setelah Posa selesai gapapa kan? I mean like, aku kalo misalnya gabut suka tiba tiba mention soalnya hehe, jadi pls tanggapin aku...? Jebal?🥺 Udah ia kayanya segini aja, soon aku diving dan jbjb kalian jadinya tunggu aku di mt kalian ya

Pesan Singkat Untuk Diriku Sendiri Setelah Melewati 3 Tahapan Bersama

I just realized kalo semua tahapan ini pernah aku alami sendiri, dari nt, cinta yang berbalas dan juga kata seandainya yang hanya jadi penyesalan. Tapi bukankah itu memang yang dinamakan siklus kehidupan? Mau ga mau, kita juga akan alamin fase itu dan you did well Katharina, kamu bisa lewatin tiga tahapan itu dengan baik walaupun awalnya emang ga baik baik aja sih. Tapi setidaknya setelah ini mungkin bisa jauh lebih ikhlas dan kuat ketika harus melepaskan sesuatu yang bukan untuk kita, berhenti menggenggam sesuatu yang sudah gamau digenggam atau sesuatu yang memang ditakdirkan untuk pergi. Setelah ini, ayo lebih kuat? Kita memulai lembaran baru, dengan cerita baru yang lebih baik juga.

[cherries-bunny]

ROLL THE DICE

1. puisi dari huruf OTC : Outecomers Ternyaman Cekali >___<

2. describe 5 models :

witner : terlihat seperti wanita tangguh tapi sebenarnya dia tuh crying baby! 🥺 soft sekali dan sangat sangat supportive friends!

kimminjim : as always the moms figure karena adem banget kalau curhat sama yeshi, kayak di pukpuk!

naoirui : si kecil botol yakult yang ginuk ginuk! HEHEHEHE gemes banget, terus kalah ngobrol sama jojo kayak bawelnya aku di ladenin karena dia juga sama >__<

yiremn : jiejie yang beneran penyayang sekali, aku sayang sekali dan senang sekali kalau ngobrol sama kakak yiyi! 🥺♥️

sunghxon : papa ku yang keren! hehehe love the energy kalau lagi relay, semangat dan gercep sekali seperti sutet!!

3. first and current impression 3 models

kimminjim : first nya ini udah emang yg soft sekali, ternyata setelah kenal dan dekat tuh beneran konsisten soft nya 🥺‼️

witner : pertama kali kenal aku kira seperti wanita cool, setelah kenal WARGGGHHH lucu banget WKWKWK terus sangat fragile dan soft sekali sekarang!!

naoirui : aku kira pertama kali ini tuh kayak kakak able sekali soalnya pas dulu chaewon kan! setelah kenal dekat as rei, WARGRHHH LUCU BANGET... HELLO.. MAU CUBIT.

4. hal apa yang kamu tidak suka dari seseorang 3 :

pembohong. kalau udah bohong tuh rasanya nggak akan pernah aku percaya lagi

nggak tau basic manner seperti bilang makasih dan maaf

fitnah dan berbicara jelek tentang orang lain. ini kan jatuhnya bikin orang-orang berfikiran buruk padahal nggak kenal :(

5. kenangan masa kecil yang kamu ingat

waktu acara ulangtahun aku yang ke 5 hehehe. karena birthday nya tema princess pakai baju dress pink! walaupun waktu itu aku belum ngerti kado nya apa aja, tapi aku akan ingat selalu karena ulang tahun ku tema pink tidak akan diulang lagi. vibesnya udah beda karena nggak di cium pipi kanan sama mama :(

6. ubah satu hal di dihidupmu, apa?

mmm, mungkin jurusan aku mengambil kuliah ya? karena berat sekali. aku ambil ini karena tuntutan orang tua, jadi sekarang udah terlanjur ya dilanjutkan saja walaupun sambil nangis OEK.

7. deskripsikan hubungan terdekat kami saat ini

hehehehe pacarku! he's so cool! pokoknya semua itu ada di dia, orang yang selalu bilang kalau maunya aku bahagia terus, orang yang bakalan selalu ada buat aku disaat aku lagi down, orang yang selalu menyediakan bahunya buat aku nangis, karena aku ini sangat sensitive sebenarnya dan hanya dia yang mengerti dan memahami perasaanku yang suka sensitive ini. dia juga sangat amat perhatian! aku sangat sangat feel loved sama dia! 🥺🩷 aku sayang pacarku, fernando sebastian 🩷🥺

8. harapan kamu untuk masa depan oute

aku mau oute panjang umurnya sampai aku lulus weh :p terus aku harap masthead bisa sehat terus, bisa kuat kuat ngurusin models yang kadang nakal walaupun habis itu nggak nakal lagi dan nakal lagi :p terusss aku mau juga models nggak ada yg ngerasa kurang deket lagi, kita udah setahun lebih! mari wujudkan dua tahun itu 🥺🩷

9. apa kejutan paling menyentuh di hidupmu

pas di suprise ultah dan bikin kue ultah sama mama, sangat menyentuh sekali karena sebulan setelahnya beliau meninggal

10. sebutkan 3 hal yg kamu ahli banget

mmm, pede dikit tapi aku udah mulai bisa editing dikit dikit hehehe. terus aku bisa baking! aku hobi baking dan cooking! teruuss, aku juga ahli crochet!

11. 2 lagu yang describe oute banget

super seven - bff. karena aku bff nya semua models (i hope so!)

taylor swift - enchanted. soalnya aku seberuntung itu dan sesenang itu bisa bertemu sama oute, kenal sama masthead, kenal sama models!

12. impersonate agus

"wdyt gw jadi dia *kirim foto muse yg baru main film atau drama*", "jadi babi ya lu"

13. impersonate alice

"Lucunya dd! >___<", "Boleh seng 🥺"

14. bagaimana cara kamu menahan emosi

aku bakalan cari distraksi dan coba buat dinginin kepala. karena kalau aku emosi, udah pasti omongan aku gak ke kontrol. jadi lebih baik aku pergi dulu buat tenangin diri setelah itu baru deh!!

15. bnw kr colorful outfit, kenapa?

colorful! hehehe soalnya lucu ajaa pakai baju yang warna warniiii lucuu sepertinya tuh fresh banget!!! kalau bnw terlihat dewasa, aku masih umur 5 tahun!

16. kenapa harus oute?

karena oute tempat ternyaman, beneran deh!! jadi EMANG HARUS OUTE! biar hidup kalian di rp nyaman bisa diatur sama masthead super keren dan temenan sama models yang kece kece!!

17. apresiasi untuk dirimu sendiri 2 paragraf

thankyouu for still alive until now, luna! you did great as always, i'm proud of you! terimakasih udah bertahan dan berusaha sebaik mungkin selama ini, walaupun hasilnya masih dikit dikit, tapi pasti bakalan terlewati semua goals nya yang diimpikan! semangat yaa, terimakasih udah nggak pernah capek buat melakukan banyak hal walaupun itu pasti drained sekali.

terimakasih juga karena udah mulai mencintai diri sendiri, butuh waktu sampai 2 tahun buat bisa pulih dari ketakutan berlebih, dari rasa insecure dll, terimakasih yaa udah mengusahakan menjadi versi luna lebih baik dari sebelumnya! semoga nanti bakalan terus menjadi pribadi yang baik!

18. bagaimana hidupmu jika tidak pernah main rp

bakalan isinya tuh belajar belajar belajar sampai stress, karena tuntutan jurusan yang harus selalu belajar!! TuT terus juga, bakalan ngga bisa edit, nggak ngerti kalimat thesaurus dll! pokoknya bakalan monoton deh.. sepertinya..

[sahna-twice]

Back To Childhood ☆

Meet this sweet little baby, Me.

Hi! It's the 3 years old me speaking!

Lucu ya? Hihi. Emang umur segitu lagi lucu lucunya sih, tapi juga lagi nakal nakalnya, soalnya super kepo sama semua hal.

Aku tiap hari bangun jam 8 pagi, tebak buat apa? Betul, buat sekolah playgroup! Seru banget sekolah tapi isinya main main doang, mana aku suka banget bersosialisasi sama temen temenku di sekolah, jadi selalu happy tiap bangun buat sekolah walaupun pagi banget.

Coba tebak, aku ngompol nggak? Nggak dong, nggak sering maksudnya. Tiap malem masih pake MamyPoko >___< tapi nggak selalu ngompol kok! Kalo pas kebanyakan mimik cucunya pas malem aja baru paginya ngompol, hehe, maaf ya masih belum bisa ngontrol kandung kemihku OEK. Tapi kalo di sekolah aku pinter loh, tiap kebelet langsung izin sama guruku ke kamar mandi, nggak ngompol!

Aku paling seneng kalo pelajaran mewarnai!!! Aaa aku happy banget ngewarnain ini itu, kalo bisa muka guruku aku warnain juga. Terus suka banget renang! Kan umur segini masih demen demennya main air yaa, jadi seneng banget deh kalo pas pelajaran berenang, lengah dikit hampir tenggelam gak ngaruh wlee.

Terus pas pulang aku main bentar di playground sekolah sambil nunggu papa mama jemput, main sendirian juga gapapa (extrovert_banget). Abis itu langsung pulang! Makan masakan mama yang gak ada tandingannya itu, terus boci dong biar nggak kecapean terus jadi tantrum. 👺

Udah gitu aja deh, tiap hari rutin aja kayak gitu terus sampe lulus playgroup (alhamdulillah naik kelas ke TK).

[westfield1971]

BABY BOSS (JUNE 28, 2024)

Baby boss

Seperti judulnya, hari ini kita bakal berubah jadi anak kecil tapi versi baby boss! Maksudnya gimana? Kalian gunakan foto masa kecil kalian sebagai profile picture dengan ketentuan: wajahnya diedit menggunakan karakter baby boss. Setelah itu buat diary mengenai cita-cita kalian pada template yang kami sediakan, dan saling bertukar cita-cita alias ngobrol dengan minimal 20 Investors (HARUS DIBALAS minimal 4 convo: saya-dia-saya-dia atau dia-saya-dia-saya), DL besok sore/malam pukul 19.00 WIB. Dan yang paling penting adalah harus cuping ya ;)

TS dimulai dari pukul 12.00 WIB sampai 19.00 WIB.

Bahasa bayi: oek oek oek

1. Edit wajah bayi kalian dengan badan baby boss dari pukul 12.00 - 19.00 WIB

2. Buat diary cita-cita kalian dan bertukar cita-cita dengan MINIMAL 20 Investors dengan HARUS RIBALAS MINIMAL 4 CONVO (saya-dia-saya-dia)

3. BABY TYPING ADALAH WAJIB (athwu nda cuka cayuuuy~! 👶🏻🍼 ( ＞Д＜；)

4. Setiap convo include emoji 🍼👶🏻 Investors yang enggak pakai emoji ini boleh dicepuin ke Directors!

5. DL misi besok malam pukul 19:00 WIB.

p.s. Mission bersifat wajib walaupun enggak bisa ikut Baby Boss kecuali yang hiatus. Enggak kerjain mission = saham minus.

[mariehoneshop]

Mariehone’s Algodon yarn is- from the class of thinner threads. Ideal for knitting baby toys, Summer blouses, bustiers, in home accessories. Also you can use it to knit or crochet to basket weaves, macrame bags, for embroidery work and more. Content of Algodon yarn is made of recycled materials and its durability, strong. This is possible to stitch  two mile knitting and  with crochet needles. The Algodon yarn has  about 35 colors. Algodon - made from soft, recycled cotton. This yarn is perfect for baby clothes, light clothes, craft projects,  in amigurumi projects and even washcloths. Mariehone’s Algodon Yarn (Recycled cotton yarn), made from pieces of cotton fabric that would otherwise be thrown away when cutting to make T-shirts, reduces waste and conserves resources. These cuts are sorted by color, minimizing the amount of dyeing required for the final yarn. Although it is recycled cotton, Mariehone’s – this Algodon yarn is absolutely soft, thin and  sustainable, fine twisted  and best quality. The worldwide sourcing Mariehone brand will provide the best services for you, whether in special colors or a special thin-thickness, flocking, packaging and so on... whatever your request, Marihone is always open to you!

[trulyhumblenarcissist]

Tokyo ghoul:re chapter 131, about Touka and Kaneki

Well… Jokes aside, this chapter was really depressing. I knew from the very start of my experience with Tg that kaneki was probably going to die, but having it pretty much confirmed is disheartening anyways. The general mood is incredibly gloomy, kaneki’s health is so deteriorated that he looks like a ghost (he probably is one, in a sense). I’d really like to spend a few words for Touka. The poor girl is getting so much hatred that’s unfair. First people called her abusive, then accused her of forcing kaneki to have sex because she wanted to trap him or something, last chapter she was a monster for keeping her pregnancy secret, now she’s literally the devil because she chose to put her child’s future before everyone (even Yoriko omg!!). I’m going to write my two cents about all this drama, because I’m bored and insomnia is a bitch. Touka is a woman, but let me put this straight, she’s still very young. She grew up in a world that hated her even before she was born. Touka had a loving family and her heart was filled with kindness and affection, she knew that specific type of warmth, she played with her brother and a little bird. In a blink of an eye she lost everything, even hope. Left behind, betrayed by all that kindness that was her father’s condemn. So Touka put herself together alone, struggling to survive, no one around to guide her, to support and promote her emotional growth. She cried silently, shamefully, hating her innate tenderness. She didn’t want to end up like Arata. Loneliness and rage, power and distance altogether, but… She met Yoriko and her eyes were gentle, too gentle to be ignored. She met kaneki and he was an idiot, a useless, indecisive weakling; his eyes were full of sorrow and Touka let them sink into her own pain. Touka fell in love with someone, a stranger to be honest, and love itself is a difficult matter. She was lookin for an image, a memory, fond and terrible at the same time. Fear of losing as a twisted form of complacency… She doesn’t know how to be completely sane, she’s still craving love without understanding its multiple faces. SHE WAS ALONE, missing that precious piece of herself, always longing, waiting… She doesn’t want to feel isolated anymore. Kaneki… He is not a perfect lover, he has troubles, he aches constantly, but he is… Somehow… Sweet. Touka doesn’t know him, not so much, not as good as she should. Their relationship is tainted by their own warped concept of love. But is this really so terrible? Is this really so incomprehensible for a girl desiring more closeness, more understanding, more REALITY? She wishes for kaneki to become a real person for once, to complete the puzzle of his shattered identity. Someone she can be with, someone she can care for without any fear. I know a lot of readers will not like this statement, but the harsh truth is that, for many people, sex represents a way of bonding. A direct, imperfect, exclusive one, of course. Emotions are not easily manageable, especially when you have spent most of your life fighting to be “just invisible”. Touka wanted her answers, wanted to put a name to her swirling feelings, so she made her move. Kaneki was more than willing to embrace their moment together. Kaneki… He’s a young man. He was hurt a lot by the people he loved the most. He was told to shut up, to be a maggot (small, insignificant), to not upset anyone with his existence. His mother gave him the message he was a nuisance for the world and unfortunately he belived her. Kaneki doesn’t really want to live, to get attached, to feel. He’s good with his books, foreign worlds, inoffensive artificial emotions. Touka is the first ghoul he met after Rize. She is a blazing flame, she lives her personal hell with proudness and a bit of recklessness. She is beautiful and she shakes him from the inside. He fell for her twice, even when he didn’t know who he really was. Kaneki needs to be shaken, he really does. Kaneki enjoyed having sex with her and at the end, he quietly slept on her knees, SMILING. No one of them really thought about the consequences, they just AGREED to freed themselves from every intrusive thought, chasing after that precious thing so mysterious and always far away. Kaneki and Touka are two young adults overwhelmed by a crazy world that has never really protected them (actually they are still learning how to protect themselves). However this crazy world is also unforgiving. They are BOTH responsible of their actions, they had sex TOGHETER and sure as hell none of them wished to become a parent, especially not Touka. Yes, she has been carless, but Kaneki too. How can anyone ignore the torment she’s living? She found herself pregnant and nothing can change the past. So now, even tho she didn’t planned anything, she’s enduring terrible physical pain, even not knowing if her efforts are somehow useful, because she cannot let the creature inside of her die. And at first her greatest concern was still to PROTECT kaneki, sparing him from the responsibility of being a father. Kaneki has already the entire world on his shoulders, so she didn’t want to make him even more anxious. She was ready to live this hell alone, for Kaneki’s sake. I usually don’t like when other people try to impose their decisions on others, but I was still impressed by Touka’s abnegation. I’m happy she chose to tell kaneki everything in this chapter. The baby is also kaneki’s and he has has the right AND the duty to take full responsibility. Now please spare me the comments about Touka mentioning another girl or the childish argument “THEY DON’T SEEM HAPPY! THEY ARE SO FAKE!!”. First of all, Touka is a sarcastic person. We know this from the very beginning of Tg. Touka uses irony every time she feels uncomfortable, embarrassed or scared. Even when she confessed a few chapters ago she tried to appear casual about the matter, even if her thoughts were complex and also tinged with sadness (remember her referring to kaneki’s suicidal tendencies?). Please don’t be ridiculous by giving meaning to Touka’s silly ice breakers. If you want to criticize use more convincing arguments. As for the “ they don’t seem happy! ” thing, well… OF COURSE they are not happy! Kaneki is literally dying, he doesn’t even know if he’ll be lucky enough to see this child’s face, the pregnancy itself has an high risk of failure, Touka and kaneki know this for a fact and it’s frightening. The world is burning, ghouls and humans are at each others’ throats more violently than ever and at the moment ghoulkind is definitely losing. They are starving and are forced to live underground. So… Tell me: what exactly should kaneki and Touka be celebrating? At least kaneki tried to connect more this time. Touka gave him a ring, now he tells her in his typically childish way that he truly cares for her and that he wants them to be together like a real family.

As for Yoriko, I’m sorry for her, but I can totally understand Touka’s decision. Touka wants to protect her family, her child and the father of her child. You can’t help anyone if you don’t choose. It is painful indeed, but there is no other way. I guess Kaneki was really impressed by Touka’s will. His mother didn’t fight for him, so his son is already luckier in my opinion.

Disclaimer: I want to make this crystal clear, I’m not a shipping fangirl, or at least, I don’t have any favourite pairing at all in Tokyo Ghoul. I think none of these freaks should be allowed to experience romance and reproduce (lol). Seriously tho, I really don’t have any particular love for Touka or Touken in general. This post is just my honest feelings spilling together because I can’t sleep at night.

[dreamofcentipedes]

So with Roma's backstory it is possible that ghouls can extend their lifespan. Thus we can assume that the original OEK is incredibly old (skull depiction). if he is to parallel kaneki then it is possible for him to have children. Many children, due to his long life. now I have this far fetched theory going on where Hide is one of the og OEK's children (Naagas?) and is a quarter ghoul with inhuman capabilities. But I don't have enough info to prove me right. Still, wouldn't this be super cool?!

Oh, I’m still sticking by my theory that Hide was just a hyper intelligent human before the end of the first series. I very much agree with the OEK looking like the crowned skeleton of legend though, although I think the naagas are his kagune:

As for any children of the Old King, I think it would be more fitting if he were never able to conceive a child. In Kaneki’s case, his child with Touka (which I now believe will survive) will be a symbol of the possibility of Human-Ghoul coexistence. I think the Old King will serve as a negative reflection of Kaneki and a warning to him about the corruption of power; so for him to be childless would be an apt reflection of his failure to achieve that goal of creating a sustainable future.

[gyllenhaalstories]

YES!!! Henry's panel is up on YouTube - hopefully it'll let me post the link here!

https://youtu.be/joFSMgR-OEk

Enjoy 😉 Hope your week's off to a good start! Sending love x

... oh my sweet baby jesus 45 minutes of him looking like prime comfy cozy warm bf material?????? OH MY GOD YOU BET I WILL ENJOY THAT thank you for the link!!!!!! brb i'll get a blanket, light up a candle and enjoy the ✨ vibes ✨ thank you!!!! i hope yours is going good too!!!!!!! love love love you!!!!!! <3

[thatscalmdotcom]

long hair dreads swang aye #OEK soon art by @original-god @purpleboi @johnny_gee

[lottesseenaghoul]

RE:169 quick thoughts before I go into rabbit hole of tg posts on tumbler (edited)

So I was expecting the scans to come out on Thursday but was surprised to see some fresh panels in the uta tag and FLIPPED.jpeg at my behavioural economics lecture. Honestly not the best place for getting a nosebleed xdd

Anyways here are some of hot takes I got from reading the chapter. More nuanced meta probably on its way. I read it on mangastream and I did screenshots there.

The chapter starts with the first part of Uta’s tattoo quote and ends with the second part, forming a sort of narrative framework to read it.

We jump straight into the fray, with contrasting shots of Yomo’s damn fine looking face and Uta’s there as well, clearly guided by very basic thinking and mostly intuitive, emotional impulses:

Like this is typical, stereotypical “unhinged” face people do in mangas. A mix of enthusiasm and bloodlust, it says this guy went “insane”. Ugh. Uta’s mental health warrants a LOT of unpacking nevertheless so let’s leave this face’ implications for later. 

We glimpse their fight styles then:

Uta is on the offensive, honestly his is such forceful, visceral way of attacking here - straight up fuck up your opponent with the sheer force of your blow. He is shown to be a lot more nuanced and deliberate in previous fights, steering clear from attacking and content with evading the blows, dealing some psychological damage afterwards. But that is Uta just half-assedly toying - clearly he doesn’t stop himself with Yomo. The reasons can be manifold - that’s how they’ve always done it; he’s so pumped, he stops thinking and loses himself in pure bloodlust; he’s in a serious crisis - this is my preferred angle.

Now his fighting style, besides the raw strength behind it, is also quick and agile. In a second Uta gets behind Yomo, and tries to strike through his body mid-air. His face looks like this:

Very unstable.

Uta’s pupils are incredibly large here - again, a visual reminder how little conscious control he might have in this situation. OR how vicious his intents are.

My impression is that when he’s led by such murderous motivation (whatever its composing parts), Uta moves intuitively, we don’t see him playing around or allowing to be struck. Here he has the initiative but Yomo can so far fend off or otherwise deal with his attacks.

I’m honestly so thirsty for Yomo in this chapter, just look at this fine motherfucker:

{I’m interjecting to thank my lord satan for my pan-shipping, slutty heart because now UtaRen became another ship I love. Add in some Itori and you have another one. This one just keeps on giving <3}

Also Uta is so messy here, my baby all playful like a rabid hyena. 

Despite all the refinements older Uta keeps about himself (suave clothing, neat hair, designer mask studio, antiques in glass cases, chess), he didn’t seem to have done much growing up, emotionally. Donato comments on it like that:

You just gotta love the fact that for most of the manga Uta keeps the facade of actually being the least reckless of the ghouls. But I trust Donato on this, who seems to know Uta’s darker impulses fairly well. Possibly better than Yomo and that dude got his fair of beating from Uta too.

What got me interested is how Amon had commented how pointless Clowns endeavours were. Initially I thought it’s Donato who said it, but later on he tells Amon that he would soon understand...

Oh Amon looks fine AF too. Be still my slutty heart!

Furuta says something possibly pivotal for the incoming plot arc:

(IDK wtf this is, but if even Furuta comments on it as if he was both grossed out/scared, it must be important. Oh, he meets Kaneki too, no biggie. “That’s just freaky!!”, I love you Nimura)

Back to my boys, Yomo is getting beat up but mostly evades Uta’s attacks and looks more and more pissed. Uta just looks like a dumbass. Or rather as stupid as cats who torture smaller critters for fun and recreation do:

Also we get a glimpse of his kagune. It seems to be very elastic, easily changing shapes as Uta sees fit. It was just this gigantic mass of RC cells in the beginning panels, now it’s much more resembling the spider legs en masse that we remember from his fight with Juuzou:

But what is most important here, we finally get the first shot of Itori. She is wearing a mask in the beginning, and it’s important in context of what Uta will be saying shortly: edit: It’s Itori speaking, thoughts on that in a different post.

She’s an observer in that panel, very significantly voiceless, not shown to be nearly as amused as Nico here:

Uta’s Itori’s words are honestly a key to Clown’s philosophy and deserve a meta of its own. [In the beginning I thought these were Itori’s words, especially after I saw “Kanekichi” being mentioned; it’s how she had referred to Kaneki before.] - no wonder, it was my brain’s way to remind me I was far too concentrated on Uta to consider the awesomest queen Itori :/

Uta Itori says something very interesting here:

Obviously, if he were to be an OEK, first or the second one, that would be right up the alley. But even if not, it hints at very interesting possibilities. I want to see Ishida expand on it in some flashbacks. 

The most important words are coupled with shots of Itori slowly taking her mask off. It has a very dramatic effect.

Theres a heck ton to unpack here. Honestly I would never think Uta would look at his value system from that particular angle. Edit - and he wouldn’t because he is currently in the midst of a mayor meltdown. It’s Itori who actually bothers with explaining.

He She refers to the coldness of their existence as ghouls, of how senseless it is - like a vast, cold void stretching infintiely in front of them. 

Uta’s ways of searching for warmth are probably the only ones somebody as uprooted as him could come up with - he sees drawing blood, wounding (but also getting wounded - Uta seems to have a very laissez faire attitude to him perishing eventually as we remember from his talk with Donato).

According to Uta  Itori, Yomo is the warm one. For him her, it’s via bloodletting that he can get closer to taste it. Edit Uta def seconds that in the panels to come with his own actions

 I still think there’s some theatrics involved in this speech, as the next panel shows....

God, way to make your opponent unsuspecting of your next move Uta. 

And we get another important shot of Itori. She’s clearly positioned as somewhat stradling the line between Uta and Yomo but this series consistently shows her as being closer to Uta nevertheless.

Her eyes are shining so bright here, it’s clear she’s in deep thought and possibly a bit torn apart with what’s happening here. What Uta says clearly strikes a cord but her taking the mask off, idk it may signal some important differences between her and Uta’s worldview. That or it’s a sign she identifies with his words deeply. Edit ditto, these are her words and the scene took entirely different meaning and made me Love Itori, the first time since reading the series.

Honestly Uta is just beginning tho, as he has some creepy words about dreaming of the day where he would get his hands stained with Yomo’s blood. He actually left Yomo on the ground to have this mini speech properly. He’s posturing as far as my impressions go - Uta reverts to his younger persona, sans earlier sentiments of not wanting to cut his fun short by killing the only one ghoul who could match him somewhat. 

The most important thing in this chapter is what Yomo says next...

Here Uta is, going off about his strange blood kink and Yomo goes all shonen manga on him. But it’s not the same shonen posturing he did in previous chapter. We don’t see his eyes - we see Uta’s and that dude is honestly #shook. 

Naturally he reacts in ways only Ishida can think of. Honestly how Yomo’s words are literally drowned out by Uta’s uncontrollable and histerical laughter is such a masterful move:

This is the guy who dug up Ren from the ground because he was his “friend”. Now he’s just a mouth apparently.

Idk but this seems like the key panel for analyzing Uta from psychological angle. This dude most pronounced feature is his mouth which is nothing like human’s or ghoul alike. It’s like he’s truly the chaotic trickster god with none of the sentiments he was hinted to possess.

I was talking with @gaiajulz and I love how she pointed out that it seems like Uta is actually drowning out Yomo’s heartfelt words and he isn’t even fully aware he’s doing it. With Uta’s firm worldview, he’d rather go full crisis-mode instead of acknowledging how vulnerable and in need of closeness he is. 

Honestly Uta is soo Washuu-like in this panel, like Furuta’s older brother or something. First screech like a  Cthulu monster and then do a little happy dance!

What’s important is how Uta links what he sees as Yomo’s nivete with his emotional honesty and lack of any hidden agendas. Yomo is pure and good and this is why he is naive enough to trust a world like this. Uta saw so many sides to it, he literally sees no other option than to play the fool, including fooling around with one of the precious few of potentially close people in his life.

I also think he kind of looks like crying? From laughing so hard maybe. 

The chapter ends with my baby going full kakuja (predictably it’s his shifty face that’s the most inhuman part here, just a mass of flesh) and this flirty words:

Renji seems so shocked, it’s possible he had never seen this form. Either way he’s speechless.

And Uta’s philosophy is hinted at again - he’s willing to trample his friend just to feel anything. 

What we are dearly in need of is some good meta on Uta’s mental health, how his values feature into it and how his own actions contribute to it unraveling. Obviously such speculations are about as scientific as psych profiling but I feel it would be very important to try and understand this character better.

And boy, is there a lot to unpack here... 

Edit - crossed the parts where it’s suggested it’s Uta who summarizes Clown’s philosophy. It’s Itori and I don’t get my brain could hint at the discrepancies in my own thinking but not make the definite link. Gotta love that sweet ADHD folks.

[midnight-in-town]

Ok, here’s the big question: what do you believe touka’s role as an individual? Because while others are talking what relevance, all I could’ve gathered was “ the girl only wanted a peaceful life with her business and yet, still put her life on the line multiple times and had to save many many characters storylines and some she had to play the wise lady for, even when she didn’t have to to do any of that and could’ve lived her life.”

Hi! Okay so, I’m not sure of what exactly you’re asking, since you’re wondering about relevance but at the same time all your examples about Touka are relevant to explain her character, but anyway I’ll try to expand. 

First of all, maybe it’s a question of word choice, but as an “individual” your only role is to exist and live your life to me, so I’ll personally speak about Touka’s characterization instead: 

You were wondering about why Touka fights even though all she wants is a peaceful life? Well, what good is your “peaceful life” if there is no one by your side?

So the reason Touka fights is not because she believes in coexistence and thinks that her peaceful life will come along with it. On the contrary, she sees her own species in a more negative light than humans, going as far as to not even see herself as someone who would ever be “beautiful” because “she’s a ghoul”. 

No, the reason Touka fights is because she can’t just live while losing things and people. Not anymore. Initially, this philosophy was one she probably tried to live by between TG and :Re after Yomo told her to run away from the 20th ward:

But after Kaneki/Haise came back, this philosophy began to shatter. She went to help Tsukiyama’s escape during the Roze arc, she went with Ayato to save Hina in Cochlea and now…

She’s most likely going to save her husband. 

Again, this has nothing to do with coexistence. She doesn’t want to save “the one eyed king, so that he’ll stop rampaging through Tokyo and kill humans”, rather she wants to save her husband because she loves him and because

…she’s building a family with him. 

And I spoke about this before, even if it’s not really the subject here, but Kaneki is exactly the same. The OEK role was initially given to him by Eto and Arima, and the only reason he accepted was because at the time he had nothing else to focus on in order to keep on living. It’s different now, because of his love for Touka and yearning for a future with her, which is the main reason he ended up going berserk recently:

So you could call that “selfishness” if you want, but looking at the whole story, Touka and Kaneki are characters who could be summed up (in my opinion) by “I was selfless for a long time and I really tried to help everyone else, but now fuck it I come first”. 

That’s why deep down neither actually give a single care about the current conflict. Or well, they do, because ending it means their friends not dying anymore and that Kaneki will stop being a leading figure, but ultimately it’s about themselves, not about making the world a better place (they might eventually come to that though, for their child’s sake, but it’s not the case right now). 

In other words, Ishida called them a set, and a set they definitely are. :) 

Back to Touka, one of her biggest issues to solve in my opinion before she get to live a peaceful life would be finally accepting that ghouls aren’t inferior to humans, which is something she doesn’t see right now but which might change…

through finding out what happened to Arata, since his fate is one more proof that the CCG, a human organization, did terrible things too

through meeting again with Yoriko, who now knows about Touka being a ghoul and who still sees her as a precious friend anyway

through giving birth to her baby, which would help her with seeing herself in a different light.

Finally, if we were to speak more generally of Touka’s relevance in the story (since it seemed to be your original question), then I think the one mistake not to make on the subject (and that unfortunately more than a few readers do) would be to define her character based on the romance between her and Kaneki. 

In fact, both Touka and Kaneki, even if they were described to be a set, are not solely defined by the mutual love they share. They exist as two different individuals and falling in love with each other is but one part of their respective characterization. 

Anyway, so if I were to give an image to explain Touka’s relevance from my point of view, I’d describe her as everyone’s pillar of strength. Example: to be quite honest, even as a huge fan of hers, I was almost convinced that Tsukiyama would be the one leading ghouls during that common front with the CCG, but guess what…

I was wrong. And it’s extremely interesting because, as I was saying above, Touka isn’t and doesn’t want to be a leader.

She isn’t even vouching for this common front because it’s important for the ghouls’ rebellion and for coexistence, nope, and yet she’s the current leader figure after Kaneki went Dragon, which speaks a lot about how many characters look up to and respect her because of what she represents and did for them.

Even Yomo, who used to be like a mentor figure and who was the one who told her that “they could only live while losing things”, apparently left that philosophy aside too, probably because seeing Touka and Kaneki falling in love and wanting to build a future for themselves changed his mind.

So Touka’s relevance as a character has always been like a huge light shoved in the readers’ face throughout the whole story in my opinion, which is why I’m baffled whenever I read people saying “she isn’t doing anything” or “she’s just Kaneki’s love interest”. 

In fact, that’s the contrast with Hide’s own relevance as a character to the story (since people who shit on Touka generally love his character). He’s as relevant as she is, but it’s for different reasons and it’s also not expressed similarly in the story because of his strong shady game, which is why both their dynamic with Kaneki are interesting. 

In other words, Touka and Hide are both relevant, but for Touka it’s written in an almost blinding way while Hide shines too, but it’s as if it comes from behind the stage TG’s story takes place on.  

There, it was long, sorry for rambling. Anyway, I don’t know if this helps? You seemed to be wondering about Touka’s relevance as a character, so I hope I could at least answer this, if that’s what you meant.

Have a nice day Anon. :)

[lalamelon]

An AU:

After Kaneki escaped from Jason, he became the One Eye King and became the leader of the ghouls. The conflict between ghouls and humans eased with more conversations and treaties between the two parties. Hide became an Eng-Jap translator (part time) and sometimes served as consulting detective when the police or CCG need help. Kaneki and Hide were in a romantic relationship since college, and a couple years later they were married. Kaneki still hides his identity as OEK, but he goes back home everyday to be with his husband. A few years after their marriage, they decides to try for a child with surrogacy. It was a success, and, the surrogate mother gave birth to a healthy baby girl. This family of three is living happily in Tokyo now. 

yes I love them so much so I must give them a happy ending (in my mind). I haven’t thought of a name for her yet (and the surrogate mother)...

not important but I like kanehide more compared to hidekane ( ´ ▽ ` )ﾉ

[pervy-anon98]

Headcanon: Touka and kaneki’s first encounter with their baby’s first word

Its been a real while since their little bunny was born, 28th of December, 4 Days after the Christmas. On a snowy cold day. Where jingles and Christmas trees and colorfull lights were everywhere on the streets.

It was so hard for both Touka and Ken to look after a newly born baby girl , afraid because of how fragile she is.

It was until march until they got adapted into the situation. Him being a father , and her being a mother.

And the fact they can.. can live happily as a family.

As it became a habit of kaneki to kiss his wife’s forehead, before sleep and after waking up. To thank her for the gift he always thought he didn’t deserve.

By when their daughter has completed a whole two years of her life and now counting more.

It was morning when Kaneki has awakened by feeling a warm sticky saliva on his neck.

“Touka-chan... im sleeping” he murmured in his sleep , thinking its touka teasing him.

Less to his knowledge touka is sleeping and wont wake up even if you threw her out of the window, she has her reasons of waking up in night breastfeeding their daughter.

“Waaaahh” the baby made noise as she cameback snuggling into her Papa’s neck. Yet she slapped Papa’s chest strongly.

Making Kaneki open his eyes slowly and sighed.

“Touka-chan~” he whined as he turned his head to the side where touka sleeps yet he found her sleeping with her hair all messy.

As by then, he looked down, he found his child’s saliva falling from her mouth.

He pouted, actually wishing was touka-chan kissing him. But he was more happy knowing that he will get to have some time with his little monster before he is off to work.

“Good morning” he told her, as he brought her over his chest.

“Today papa has a busy day ,Mai-chan!” He said as he kissed her full cheeks.

The baby grinned her two teeth smile. As she lets out her little giggles.

“Say Papa!” He said. Wishing she’d speak. Although she wasnt at the age to speak yet.

The baby gazed at her papa in a confused look. Kaneki gave up. And sighed. Pouting again as he got up from the bed, holding the baby between his arms.

“Lets get you cleaned from all the saliva around you, you are worse than ghouls when they are hungry” he spoke as they went to the bathroom.

He wiped her face with a wet small pink towel that has bunny patterns , he washed the part where her saliva fell over him , good thing he doesnt wear a shirt while sleeping.

It was when the baby sneezed her cutest sneeze, and made his heart flutter. He frowned at her cuteness.

“Mai-chan, you are so cute!” He whined as he kissed her nose. And laid his forehead over her small forehead.

The baby reached her hands to lay them over her old man’s cheeks or thats what kaneki thought until she pulled his hair.

“Ahh! mai-chan! That hurts! Dont do that! Ou!ou!” He cried in pain, as the baby herself started laughing at her Papa’s reaction.

Mai-chan was born pure evil.

So, Mai-chan never let go of her dad’s white and black hair, and he had to go to the kitchen and start doing his and touka’s coffee with mai in his arms.

But since he cant do everything with one hand, he had to use his kagune. And bring in the cups and hold the filter using his kagune.

Mai used to be scared of them first, but then she got used to them and the fact kaneki sometimes use them to speak to her to sleep on the bed while he is working on his desk , a little far from her.

“Mai-chan its time to let go of my hair” he said as He put her on the kitchen’s small island.

Mai , at her age, can understand what people tell her. And can understand when they are serious. But because of how much she loved her Papa, she cant let go of him.

He is her most favourite person , the one who will always bring her to smiles and the one who will whenever hear his voice knows she’s safe. After him, Mama comes.

He grabbed her arm and slowly started pulling it slowly but she started to whine and scream, and when he removed her small puffy hands, she started crying.

Kaneki smiled, knowing he regretted that deed, but he had to, at some point he had to.

“Ow mai-chan! Dont get mad” he said as he carried her into his embrace , she cried on his shoulder wetting it with her salty tears, As he patted her hair.

“im sorry mai-chan, but Papa will be ouchie” he muttered as he kissed her hair. To his senses, Mai was different than Touka-chan in smell, Mai appearntly has inherited his scent.

Mai stopped crying and was sniffling while laid her head over his bite mark. And watched over Her mama there standing as she’s holding her phone and taking pictures.

“I know you are there, you dont need to hide” Ken said, smirking. As he was patting his baby’s back.

Touka smiled. “Good morning, Mr. Ouchie” she mocked him as she came up and hugged him from behind. Mai staring with tearful eyes at her Mama’s.

“Yeah yeah, i made some coffee” he spoke. And handed her a cup.

“Oh yeah right” she spoke as she took out two small rabbit ears pins from her pocket.

“Can you put her down?” She said, Ken did as she said and sat her on the sofa.

She put those rabbit ears on her head.

And both of ken and touka kneeled infront of her.

“Mai chan is adorable!” Ken said. With tears collecting in his glassy eyes.

“I know right, she is my daughter” touka replied as well as the tears falling slowly.

“Say Papa, Mai-chan” ken asked again. Knowing she wont but he was overwhelmed.

“And why would she say papa? Why not mama? I breastfeed , wash and clothe her, what do you do?” She told him, irrated.

It was by then when ken wanted to reply her with an apology but something shocked him.

“P-p-p... pa..pa..” she said.

He looked at her , widing his eyes, couldn’t believe it , her voice..

“say papa again” he spoke, but she was confused.

“Pa Pa” he said again.

Touka was there, already pulled her phone and filming as eyes were teary as much as the rain.

“P..pa..pa...Papa! Papa!” She Spoke as she giggled.

Ken sighed in relief, never in his life, felt this joy. Never he felt this amount of happiness.

He picked her up in a hug and started spinning her around. She giggled and hugged her papa’s neck.

Ken Kaneki, understood that this another gift, and he was already forgotten what pain felt like after being with touka and mai.

Pain? What was pain?

The pain .... when Mai-chan was all grown up discovering that her father was treated a monster and thats why he got killed...

Mai whailed her heart out after seeing the video of her when she was a child and her father. Sent by an anonymous.

“T-the-ey said he was a criminal” she cried.

“No, First class investigator, Haise.. i mean kaneki ken, your father, was trying to protect everyone, and you were his first person to protect, yet they killed him. And so they did to your mom, under a false targeting” Investigator Arima Yusa said.

“Why? Why my dad?!” She yelled as she grabbed his collars.

Yusa didnt know how to reply her back.

“The quinque you have, it was made from your dad’s kagune... thats why i had saved it for you, avenge your father if you want to, and use his powers that protected you all this time and become the OEK , or run away like a coward” he said. Pulling her arms away from him.

“And who i avange from?! I know nothing about my parent’s killer!!” She screamed

“V are the people who killed your father” he said And walked away.

She looks so much like the manager and yet smells the same as Haise-san, she grew up to be their legacy .

Yusa thought as he continued to walk away.

Mai fell on ground, crying hard as she hugged her quinque.

“Papa..” she muttered in her deep pain.

Holding onto her rabbit key-chain.

“They will pay for this....”

[weekendwarriorblog]

The Weekend Warrior’s January 2021 Preview

Happy New Year!

So we’re gonna do things a little different this month. If it works out, I might do this as a regular thing until I feel comfortable writing about box office on a weekly basis again. It may be a long while. As you’ll see, this is a fairly comprehensive preview of the month ahead, as it stands on the first day of posting this, which hopefully is Wednesday, January 6.

I will be updating this post regularly with reviews and any date changes, etc.  If you want to keep track of which movies I’ve reviewed, your best option is to bookmark my Rotten Tomatoes page, since more than likely, any new reviews will be added there at the same time they’re posted here.

Why do I have this bad feeling that doing the column this way is just gonna give me more work? (I was correct. Instead of writing about 6 movies every single week, I ended up writing about nearly 30 movies in one week.)

What’s surprising is that there are far fewer wide releases in January than any previous year, as I only count two or three in total. That’s not good.

Definitions:

Theatrical – Movie will play in any number of movie theaters, either in select locations or nationwide. Some of these may have a digital/VOD component.

Streaming – Movie is available to watch any time as part of a subscription streaming service aka Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, HBO Max, Apple TV+, Shudder, Hulu, etc.

Virtual Cinema – Movie is available to watch through a ticketed system which shares profits with any number of local or nationwide arthouses or festivals. Some of these may be geoblocked.

VOD – Video on Demand, movie can be rented, downloaded and watched either for a set amount of time (24 hours+) or bought to watch any time, available on a variety of platforms including iTunes, Amazon Prime Video, Fandango Now and others. (Also may be called “Digital,” “PVOD,” “TVOD,” or merely “On Demand,”)

TUESDAY, JANUARY 5

Digital/VOD: Gun and a Hotel Bible (Freestyle Digital Media) Scooby Doo director Raja Gosnell teams with Alicia Joy LeBlanc to adapt the award-winning play starring Bradley Gosnell as Pete, a desperate man who is about to commit a violent act when he encounters Daniel Floren’s Gideon, a personified hotel bible, as they get into a philosophical discussion. It will be available to buy or rent on iTunes, Amazon, Google Play, DirecTV, On Demand, YouTube Movies, Vudu, Xbox, & FandangoNOW.

Streaming:

History of Swear Words (Netflix) No less than Nicolas Cage stars in Season 1 of the “educational series” on swear words that goes into the origins of all of your favorites!

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 6

Virtual Cinema:

MY REMBRANDT (Strand Releasing) Dutch filmmaker Oeke Hoogendijk’s documentary looks at a few of the just 37 private owners of Rembrandt paintings, particularly Amsterdam’s Jan Six, a young art dealer and member of a family who has owned many Rembrandts, but he’s obsessed with an unknown painting that might even have Rembrandt having painted himself into the picture. Another owner, Baron Eric de Rothschild, is obsessed with selling two paintings, creating a bidding war between two top art museums.  The film will be available through New York’s Film Forum Virtual Cinema and others.

Streaming: SURVIVING DEATH (Netflix) The new six-episode doc series is directed and exec. produced by Ricki Stern (Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work) and based on Leslie Kean’s best-selling book that looks into the possibility of an afterlife.

THURSDAY, JANUARY 7

Streaming:

FEATURED FLICK!

PIECES OF A WOMAN (Netflix) Kornél Mundruczó’s drama starring Vanessa Kirby and Shia Labeouf as a Boston couple who lose their baby in a difficult home delivery will hit the streamer.  You can read my review of the film here.

FRIDAY, JANUARY 8

Theatrical:

FEATURED FLICK!

ONE NIGHT IN MIAMI… (Amazon Prime Video)   Regina King’s narrative directorial debut will open in more theaters after playing in Miami over the past few weeks will expand to other cities nationwide for a one-week theatrical release before streaming on Prime Video. You can read my reviews of the film here and here.

FEATURED FLICK! 

THE REASON I JUMP (Kino Lorber) Naoki Higashida’s best-selling book that was translated into English by David Mitchell (Cloud Atlas) is turned into an arty doc directed by Jerry Rothwell. It’s based on Higashida’s revelations as a 13-year-old boy suffering dealing with autism blended with portraits of five other young people with autism.

Quick Thoughts:  I haven’t read Higashida’s book or its English translation, but it makes a beautiful and lyrical  accompaniment, as narrated by Jordan O’Donegan, for this look inside the life of a number of young autistic people, as their parents talk about trying to help their children without fully understanding what they’re going through. In many ways, this doc may offer some of the best insights into what it’s like to be autistic or dealing with an autistic family member in order to create some much-needed empathy for a condition so many face. The film is haunting and even horrifying at times, but it’s beautifully filmed to create a fully immersive experience.

REDEMPTION DAY (Saban Films) Hicham Hajji’s action thriller stars Gary Dourdan (CSI) as U.S. Marine Captain Brad Paxton whose wife Kate (Serinda Swan) is kidnapped by a terrorist group while working in Morocco, which forces him back into action to save the woman he loves. It also stars Andy Garcia, Ernie Hudson and Martin Donovan, and it will get a limited theatrical release and be available on Tuesday, Jan. 12, On Demand and Digital.

Quick Thoughts: While Hajji seems to bring some authenticity to this Mideast revenge thriller, the film starts out as a tribute to our fighting troops but then soon turns ridiculous, first with the kidnapping of his wife less than 24 hours after going to Morocco, and then some of the politics involved with helping her. Eventually, Dourdan goes in guns a-blazin’ in a way more apt for a movie from the ‘90s, and Hajji undoes a lot of the good will the film would have received if things were handled even somewhat tastefully.  Appearances by better-known actors like Garcia, Hudson and Donovan tends to distract from the story more than adding or enhancing what was already a problematic premise.

IF NOT NOW, WHEN? (Vertical) Actors Meagan Good and Tamara Bass make their directorial debuts with this movie about four high school friends (Good and Bass are two of them, presumably) who are brought back together to help one of them during a crisis. From the official summary: “It’s a story of love, forgiveness and the incredible bond between women.)

Digital/On Demand:

STARS FELL ON ALABAMA (Samuel Goldwyn Films) V.W. Scheich’s romantic comedy stars James Maslow as successful Hollywood agent Bryce Dixon who returns to Alabama after 15 years for his high school reunion, only to learn that he is one of his few friends not married with children, so he pretends his client Madison Belle, to pretend to be his girlfriend. American Idol winner Taylor Hicks appears in the movie as himself.

FEATURED FLICK!

THE DISSIDENT (Briarcliff Bryan Fogel’s documentary about the murder of journalist Jamal Kashouggi will be released On Demand today via ITunes. Reviewed in the previous Weekend Warrior column.

Deon Taylor’s thriller Fatale (reviewed last month) will also be available to watch via VOD starting today.

Streaming:

WORTH WATCHING!

PRETEND IT’S A CITY (Netflix) No less than Martin Scorsese directs this 7-part limited series about his long-time friend, critic and essayist Fran Lebowitz, as they explore New York City, presumably pre-pandemic. As someone who is celebrating my 34th year in New York City this week, I absolutely loved the series. Lebowitz is absolutely hilarious and Scorsese really pulls some amazing stories from out of her in this series that’s like a “how-to” for anyone who might ever want to live here. A truly joyful albeit crotchety take on New York living, which is the perfect combination to keep this series entertaining.

FEATURED FLICK!

HERSELF (Prime Video) Phyllida Lloyd’s dramedy, starring Clare Dunne (who co-wrote the script) as a single mother trying to create a home for her two daughters and who decides to build an affordable home for them, hits the streamer today.  Also reviewed in the previous Weekend Warrior column.

SUNDAY, JANUARY 10

Critics Choice Super Awards The inaugural edition of the Critics Choice’s genre film and television awards show will be broadcast on the CW tonight, hosted by Kevin Smith and Dani Fernandez.

******************************************

TUESDAY, JANUARY 12

Digital/VOD: SKYFIRE (ScreenMedia) The Simon-West directed thriller is set on the Tianhuo Island in a Pacific Rim volcanic belt where a young scientist (Hannah Quinlivan), who has invented a volcanic warning system, returns to prevent more death only to find that it’s been turned into a volcano theme park by Jason Isaacs. Okay, then. This will available On Demand.

THE BID (GVN Releasing) Marquis Boone’s directorial debut has him and co-writer Richard Harris (not that one) playing Philadelphia rappers who get framed by a police officer who sends them to prison to fight the prison system from the inside. As I started that last sentence, I presumed it was a comedy until I got to the last half of it.

CURSE OF AURORE (Freestyle Digital Releasing) Mehran C. Torgoley’s horror film is about a “Dark Web” thumb drive found by a YouTuber that involves a trio of American filmmakers including Liana Barron’s Lena, who are in Quebec researching the true crime case of a young girl named Aurore Gagnon, murdered in 1920 by her parents in a case of child abuse. As the filmmakers investigate the place where she was killed, they experience paranormal occurrences… and yes, it’s 2021 an we’re still getting Blair Witch Project “homages.”

GO/DON’T GO (Gravitas Ventures) Alex Knapp writes/directs and stars in this “psychosexual thriller” in which he plays the sole survivor after an unknown cataclysm with visons of his best friend Kyle (Nore Davis) introducing him to Olivia Luccardi’s Kay, the love of his life. It will be out via digital and cable VOD platforms.

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 13

2021 New York Jewish Film Festival This long-running series from Film at Lincoln Center will run virtually this year, beginning with the Ophir Award-winning Here We Are from director Nir Bergman (who won Best Director), a road trip tale of a divorced dad hitting the road with his autistic son. The festival’s centerpiece is Winter Journey, co-directed by Anders Østergaard and Erzsébet Rácz, and starring the great Bruno Ganz. The festival also includes Israel’s entry to this year’s Oscars, Ruthy Pribar’s Asia. You can read all about the films in the program here and can get a 17-film All-Access pass for the entire line-up for $125.00.

FEATURED FLICK!

THE WHITE TIGER (Netflix) Ramin (99 Homes, Man Push Cart) Bahrani directs this comedic adaptation of Balram Halwai’s 2008 Man Booker Prize-winning bestseller. Halwai is played by Adarsh Gourav, as it follows his journey from being a poor driver who uses his wit and cunning to become a successful entrepreneur in India.  Although Balram has been trained by society to only be a servant, he finds a way to work his way up through the system and try to change things from a new position within society. This will get a very limited theatrical release today before hitting Netflix on January 22.

Streaming: STALKER: THE HUNT FOR A SERIAL KILLER (Netflix) Tiller Russell’s docuseries tells the story about a serial killer that struck Los Angeles in 1985 in the middle of a record-breaking heatwave, the victims ranging from six to 82 years old.

THURSDAY, JANUARY 14

Theatrical/On Demand:  BLOODY HELL (The Horror Collective) Alister Grierson’s violent horror-comedy stars Ben O’Toole as a man with a mysterious past who flees the country to escape his personal hell only to end up somewhere much worse. It opens in select cities and On Demand, and then will be on DVD and Blu-ray on Tuesday, January 19.

Streaming:

LOCKED DOWN (HBO Max) The Doug Liman-directed romantic comedy, starring Anne Hathaway and Chiwetel Ejiofor, about a heist set during a pandemic that’s written by Steven Knight will hit the streamer today. This movie was fully made during the pandemic.

HUNTED (Shudder) The live action English debut from Persepolis and Chicken with Plums director Vincent Paronnaud will stream on Shudder today. It stars Lucie Debay as Eve, who becomes the target of a misogynistic plot against two men who pursue her through the forest where she’s forced to survive. From the synopsis: “But survival isn’t enough for Eve. She will have revenge!” (Okay, that exclamation point is my own. Definitely sounds like something that would require one.)

FRIDAY, JANUARY 15

Note: This is Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday weekend, so many government agencies and schools are off on Monday. Not sure that will really have an effect on anything.

Theatrical:

THE MARKSMAN (Briarcliff/Open Road) (NEW REVIEW!) Liam Neeson stars in his second theatrical release in the past six months, Robert (Trouble with the Curve) Lorenz’s action-thriller in which Neeson plays a rancher on the Arizona border who ends up defending a young Mexican boy who is trying to escape from cartel assassins that followed him into the States. I haven’t seen this yet, nor do I know if I’ll have a chance. I’m guessing this is being released as a typical January release and not as an awards contender with the Oscar deadline pushed back to February 28.

Mini-Review:  Here we’re into a brand new year, and yet, we’re getting the third movie about an old man watching over a young child. This time it’s Liam Neeson as Vietnam sniper Jim Henson, who is living on his ranch in an Arizona border town with his dog Jackson with financial problems that might take his home away from him. A chance encounter on the border when Jim witnesses a single mother with her son being chased by the cartel, leaves the mother dead and the young, Miguel (Jacob Perez), in danger of being next. Jim decides to take the boy across the country to his family in Chicago, chased the entire way by the cartel.

While The Marksman attempts to create a topical action-thriller, it isn’t one that necessarily feels very timely, only because we’ve seen so many border-set movies over the past few years, maybe for obvious reasons. Director Robert Lorenz is a long-time Clint Eastwood collaborator, both as producer and assistant-director, and you probably will notice a number of similar stylistic flares in common –  you also can totally see Eastwood playing the Neeson role if he was twenty years younger.

The movie comes across more like last year’s Let Him Go rather than Neeson’s own 2020 movie, Honest Thief, and maybe that’s for the better since this seems to be better suited for his specialized skills, both in terms of action and drama.  Not that there is a ton of action in the movie, but the few shootouts and chases are decent enough, but nothing too insane. I’m sure ultra-liberals might have issues with certain scenes like how easy it is for Jim to buy a gun or teaching the young Miguel to use one, but that just seems creating an unnecessary political overlay.

While the majority of the film is Jim and Miguel on this road trip, there’s a nice role for Katheryn Winnick as Jim’s border police—well, it’s never really clear if she’s his daughter or not--but otherwise, the Mexican actors are not particularly good compared to Neeson – sadly, very stereotypical – and the writing is probably on the weaker side compared to the score by Sean Callery that goes a long way towards enhancing the emotions and tension when needed.

The Marksman is a decent enough dramatic thriller that feels a little by-the-books but gains enough humanity from Neeson’s performance to make it a worthwhile watch.

Rating: 7/10

THE DIG (Netflix) Carey Mulligan and Ralph Fiennes star in this drama that takes place just before WWII with Mulligan playing a wealthy widow wo hires Fiennes’ archeologist to excavate the burial mounds on her estate in which they make a historic discovery. I like when movie titles are very literal like this one. Will be released to select cinemas before its Netflix debut on January 29.

MLK/FBI (IFC Films) Sam Pollack’s doc that’s had a successful festival run will get a small limited run as well as be available On Demand today. As the title implies, it studies the FBI’s attempts to discredit Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. as his movement towards the Civil Rights Act continues to gain momentum. I didn’t like this as much as a few of Pollack’s other docs, including the recent Two Train Runnin’ and his co-directed doc, Mr Soul!

SOME KIND OF HEAVEN (Magnolia Pictures)

Lance Oppenheim’s first feature doc, co-produced by Darren Aronofsky, looks at the largest retirement community in America, the Villages in Central Florida, where a few residents are unable to find happiness despite the community’s pre-packaged paradise.

Quick Thoughts: This was a very different movie than I was expecting, since at first it seemed to thrive on the quirky personalities of the resident and their party-centric activities, but it then quickly focuses on three very particular cases, an elderly man named Dennis who is living in his van on the site of the Villages, trying to find himself a relationship (hopefully one with money). There’s also a couple who has been married for 47 years with a woman who has to deal with her husband’s ever-increasing eccentric behavior that involves drugs and troubles with the law. Lastly, there’s a widow who is trying to find happiness and companionship in the Villages, which is a particularly lonely experience as she goes from one group or club to another. All three of these stories keep the viewer invested but especially Oppenheim’s look at loneliness of people in that age group, which made it impossible for me not to think of my mother who has been suffering through the loneliness of the pandemic and not being able to be around other people her own age because of it. A terrifically insightful film that makes you think and hard about your own aging and mortality.

FLINCH (Ardor Pictures) Camron Van Hoy’s crime-thriller stars Daniel Zovatto as a young hitman who lives with his mother (Cathy Moriarty) who falls in love with a girl (Tilda Cobham-Hervey) who sees him kill someone. Since he can’t kill her, he instead brings her home and learns there’s more to her than he thought. This will ALSO be on TVOD starting on Tuesday, Jan. 21.

ACASA MY HOME (Zeitgeist, Kino Lorber) Romanian filmmaker Radu Ciorniciuc’s directorial debut doc, which premiered at Sundance last year (receiving an award for its cinematography), about the Enache family who lives in harmony with nature in the wilderness of the Bucharest Delta. When the area is turned into a public national park, they’re forced to move to the city where things are very different. It will open in select cities and via virtual cinema.

GOODBYE, BUTTERFLY (Gravitas Ventures) Tyler Wayne’s directorial debut is this crime thriller starring Adam Donshik (House of Cards) as Ryan Olsen, a family man whose five-year-old daughter is murdered, but with no leads, Ryan starts suspecting his oddball neighbor Stan (Andy Lauer), so Ryan takes the law into his own hands. This is getting day and date theatrical with TVOD (no idea what that is) and digital.

VOD:

AMERICAN SKIN Nate Parker’s second film as a director following the Sundance Prize-winning Birth of a Nation has him starring as a Marine veteran working as a school janitor who tries to fix things with his son, who is killed by a police officer who isn’t even put to trial for the death so he takes matters in his own hand. The drama also stars Omari Hardwick and will be available on iTunes and other VOD platforms.

Two of my favorite movies of 2020, Emmerald Fennell’s Promising Young Woman (Focus Features), starring Carey Mulligan, and Paul Greengrass’ News of the World (Universal), starring Tom Hanks, will be available starting today via PVOD, rentable for 48-Hour rental. These both should be in the Oscar race, so don’t miss them!

Virtual Cinema: 

TRIBUTE TO SAM POLLARD Film at Lincoln Center is running a one-week retrospective to editor, producer and director Sam Pollard to tie in with the release by IFC Films of MLK/FBI, which played at the New York Film Festival last year. It will include some of his own docs (including, hopefully, the excellent Mr. Soul!), as well as his collaborations with Spike Lee, St. Clair Bourne and Henry Hampton. Hopefully, there will be a line-up as it gets closer to the series start, and I’ll add that when it becomes available.

FILM ABOUT A FATHER WHO (Cinema Guild) Over a period of 35 years between 1984 and 2019, Lynne Sachs used various media, including 8 and 16mm film, videotape and digital images to capture a portrait of her father, Ira Sachs Sr, a Park Cit, Utah businessman, in order to understand the web that connects a child to her parents and a sister to her siblings. This will open in Virtual Cinema through the Museum of the Moving Image, Laemmle and others around the country. MOMI will also be holding a  30-year virtual retrospective of Ms. Sachs’ work, starting on Jan. 13.

MY LITTLE SISTER (Film Movement) Switzerland’s official Oscar entry is Stéphanie Chuat and Véronique Reymond’s drama starring Nina Hoss (Phoenix) as Lisa, a brilliant playwright who has stopped writing and now lives with her family in Switzerland. She dreams of returning to Berlin to be with her stage acting twin brother Sven (Lars Eldinger from Proxima) who is facing an aggressive leukemia. Lisa’s attention to her brother causes a rift in her marriage, but she hopes to write something that will get Sven back on stage before the inevitable. You can find a list of theaters showing this via virtual cinema here.

THE WAKE OF LIGHT (Laemmle) Renji Phillip’s drama stars Rome Brooks as a young woman who has to choose between seeking love with Cole (Matt Bush), a young man she meets who wants her to join him on his road trip, or caring for her aging father . This will have a virtual theatrical release through Laemmle Theaters today and then be available through Digital Platforms on February 15.

MANDABI (Janus Films) Senegalese novelist and the “father of African film” Ousmne Sembène’s 1968 film about an unemployed man who finds a windfall of money will get a release through Film Forum’s Virtual Cinema.

Streaming:

OUTSIDE THE WIRE (Netflix) Anthony Mackie stars in Mikael Håfström’s sci-fi thriller, playing android officer Leo who is teamed with drone pilot Harp (Damson Idris) to locate a doomsday device in a militarized zone before insurgents do.

WANDAVISION (Disney+) The long-awaited Marvel Studios television series that ties directly into the MCU, spinning-off Elisabeth Olsen’s Wanda and Paul Bettany’s Vision into their own series that seems to be playing with other dimensions and worlds but also

ONE NIGHT IN MIAMI… (Amazon Prime Video) Regina King’s powerful drama will finally stream on Prime Video, so those who haven’t had a chance to see it at a festival or awards screening or in theaters will get to see it. Woohoo!

SATURDAY, JANUARY 16

Streaming: SERVANT (Apple TV+) Season 2 of the M. Night Shyamalan produced thriller series will debut.  I hope to have some more to write about as it gets closer, since it’s currently under embargo.

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MONDAY, JANUARY 18 VOD/Digital:

STALLONE... FRANK, THAT IS (Branded Studio) Derek Wayne Johnson’s documentary takes an in-depth look into the life and career of Frank Stallone, the younger brother of the far-more-famous Sylvester Stallone, whose own four decade career has earned him three Platinum Albums, ten Gold Albums and five Gold Singles… which is odd, since I don’t think I could name a single one of his songs. He’s also done soundtracks for many of his brother’s films including The Expendables 2, the first three Rocky movies, Rambo II and more and appeared in 75 films and TV shows. Obviously, I’ll need to watch this doc to learn more about him.

YUNG LEUN: IN MY HEAD (Momento Film/Nonstop Entertainment) Henrik Burman’s doc about Swedish hip-hop artist Yung Leun aka Jonathan Leandoer, who turned his love for rap music into a career by making music on his computer and putting the results up on YouTube, but soon, the imaginary character he has been portraying starts to take over, leading to drugs and mental illness.

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 20

Virtual Cinema:

THE SALT OF TEARS (Distrib Films) Philippe Garrel’s black and white drama about toxic masculinity involving one young handsome man put amidst three vulnerable women will play as part of Film Forum’s Virtual Cinema.

FRIDAY, JANUARY 22

Theatrical:

NO MAN’S LAND (IFC Films) Conor Allyn’s thriller stars Frank Grillo as border “vigilante” Bill Greer, whose son Jackson (Jake Allyn) accidentally kills a Mexican immigrant boy while on patrol. Although Bill tries to take the blame, a Texas Ranger, played by George Lopez, urges Jackson to flee south via horseback into Mexico to hide out, chased by both rangers and Mexican federales, as he seeks forgiveness from the boy’s father (Jorge A. JIminez). Simultaneous theatrical and VOD.

FEATURED FLICK!

OUR FRIEND (Gravitas Ventures/Universal) Casey Affleck, Dakota Johnson and Jason Segel star in Gabriela Cowperthwaite’s adaptation of Matthew Teague’s novel The Friend: Love is Not a Big Enough Word (adapted by filmmaker Brad Ingelsby), which premiered at the Toronto Film Festival in 2019. It tells the story of the Teague family – Afleck’s Matt, a journalist, his wife Nicole (Johnson) and their two daughters – and how their life is upended when she’s diagnosed with terminal cancer, forcing Matt to take on more responsibilities as her caretaker and parent, so the couple’s friend Dane (Segel) offers to help out. The film will be in select theaters and On Demand.

THE HUMAN FACTOR (Sony Pictures Classics) Oscar-nominated doc The Gatekeepers director Dror Moreh takes a look at the peace process between Israelis and Arabs over the past thirty years through the eyes of American mediators, spending time with all of the key players in the conflict trying to find a solution.

BROTHERS BY BLOOD (Vertical) Jérémie Guez’s revenge thriller, based on Pete Dexter’s novel, stars Joel Kinnaman as Peter Flood, who as an 8-year-old saw his little sister be killed in a reckless driving accident, for which his father sought violent revenge. 30 year later, he’s still trying to deal with his guilt and tries to distance himself from his family crime business and his cousin Michael (Matthias Schoenarts) who has been rising up in the business. In select theaters, and on VOD/Digital.

PG: PSYCHO GOREMAN (RLJfilms/Shudder) Steven Kostanski’s horror-comedy follows siblings Mimi and Luke (Nita-Josee Hanna, Owen Myre), who resurrect an ancient alien overlord who had been entombed million years ago, nicknaming the evil creature “Psycho Goreman” aka PG (Matthew Ninaber), using an amulet to make him obey their wishes. Soon, lots of PG’s friends and foes from across the galaxy realize he’s been released, and they come to Mimi and Luke’s town to resume their battle.  This will also be in select theaters, On Demand and digital.

BORN A CHAMPION (Lionsgate)  (NEW ADDITION!) Dennis Quaid and Sean Patrick Flanery (The Boondock Saints) star in this mixed martial arts film directed by Alex Ranarivelo (American Wrestler: The Wizard) that hits select theaters, digital, and On Demand today before being released on Blu-Ray and DVD on Tuesday, January 26. Flannery plays fighting legend Mickey Kelly, who lost a blood-soaked jujitsu match in Dubai only to learn many years later, that his opponent cheated, so he has to get in shape for a revenge match.

Digital/VOD/Virtual Cinema:

IDENTIFYING FEATURES (Kino Lorber)  (NEW ADDITION!) Having just won the Gotham Award for Best International Feature on Monday (after winning the audience and screenplay awards in the World Cinema category at Sundance last year), Fernanda Valadez’s Mexican border thriller will be released on Kino Marquee and via various virtual cinemas nationwide. It stars Mercedes Hernandez as middle-aged Magdalena, who has lost contact with her son after he’s left their town to cross the border into the U.S. to find work. She ends up following on an equally dangerous journey to find him while a young man named Miguel (David Illescas), recently deported back to Mexico crosses paths with her. 

ATLANTIS (Grasshopper) Ukraine’s Oscar selection is this film from Valentyn Vasyanovych  set in a desolate post-war Ukraine where former soldier Sergiy delivers the rare resource of water and volunteers his time to recover the dead bodies of fellow soldiers in hopes of healing. This will open exclusively in Metrograph’s Virtual Cinema system Friday.

NOTTURNO (Super) (NEW ADDITION!) Gianfranco (Fire at Sea) Rosi’s new documentary is Italy’s entry to the Oscars, as the filmmaker spent three years on the borders of Iraq, Kurdistan, Syria and Lebanon capturing the day every day life that follows the tragedy of the dictatorships and civil wars within those countries.  It will get an exclusive virtual cinema launch today and then be available on Hulu and On Demand starting Jan. 29.

COMING CLEAN The new doc from Ondi Timoner (Dig!, We Live in Public) takes a comprehensive look at the opioid crisis, and the part in it played by Purdue Pharmaceutical and how it deceived patients (and doctors) to lure them in and get them hooked. Available via Virtual Cinema after its virtual festival run.

PREPARATIONS TO BE TOGETHER FOR AN UNKNOWN TIME (Greenwich) Hungarian filmmaker Lili Horvát makes a love story set in the male-driven world of neurosurgery, starring Natasa Stork as Márta Vizy, who returns to Hungary after time in America to discover that a colleague with whom she had a passionate affair says he’s never seen her before. This will open in Virtual Cinema at Film at Lincoln Center and other places. Part of Lincoln Center’s Virtual Cinema, as well as Hungary’s official entry for the International Film Oscar.

BREAKING FAST (Vertical Entertainment) Mike Mosallam’s romantic dramedy set in West Hollywood stars Haaz Sleiman as Mo, a practicing Muslim who recently had his heart broken. When All-American Kal (Michael Cassidy) agrees to come to nightly Iftars (the traditional Ramadan meal), they soon learn that they have more in common than they thought. Available on VOD and digital.

Streaming:

THE WHITE TIGER (Netflix) Ramin (99 Homes, Man Push Cart) Bahrani’s comic adaptation of Balram Halwai’s bestseller hits the streaming service today.

THE SISTER (Hulu) Neil Cross adapted his own novel Burial into this four-part original series starring Russell Tovey as Nathan, who has been keeping a secret from his past, a party that ended with the shocking death of a young woman. Only Nathan and Bob (Bertie Carvel) knew what happened, but then Bob appears on Nathan’s doorstep with horrifying news.

PIXAR POPCORN (Disney+) The Disney streamer debuts a series of short films starring your favorite Pixar characters from Toy Story, Finding Nemo, Cars and The Incredibles.

Blown Away and Busted! (Netflix) Season 2 of the glass-blowing competition reality series and Season 3 of the amateur celebrity sleuth series begin.

Fate: The Winx Saga (Netflix) Brian Young’s live-action version of the Italian cartoon “Winx Club,” a coming-of-age journey that follows five fairies as they enter the magical boarding school called Alfrea.

Derek Delgaudio’s In and Of Itself (Hulu) The comedy directed by Frank Oz and exec. produced by Stephen Colbert that’s “a new kind of lyric poem.” Telling “the story of a man fighting to see through the illusion of his own identity, only to discover that identity itself is an illusion.” Yeah, no idea what that means but even Oz isn’t able to describe it, so that’s pretty weird.

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TUESDAY, JANUARY 26

Theatrical:

WRONG TURN (Saban Films) Mike P. Nelson’s remake of the 00’s horror franchise will debut as a Fathom Event today. It stars Charlotte Vega, Adain Bradley, Bill Sage, Emma Dumont, Dylan McTee, Daisy Head, Tim DeZarn and Matthew Modine. It involves a group of friends hiking the Appalachian Trail who… you guessed it… make a wrong turn and end up in the land of the Foundation, a community of mountain dwellers who want to protect their lifestyle.

Digital/VOD:

CAGED (Shout Factory) Aaron Fjellman’s thriller stars Kenyan-born actor Edi Gathegi (The Blacklist), Melora Hardin, Angela Sarafyan, Tony Amendola and James Jagger. Gathegi plays an affluent African-American psychiatrist who is convicted of murdering his wife (Sarafyan) and sentenced to life and put in solitary. While trying to file an appeal, he’s pushed to the breaking point by an abusive female guard (Hardin), causing him to question his innocence and sanity.

#LIKE Sarah Pirozek’s thriller stars Sarah Rich as a Woodstock, NY teenager named Rosie who a year after her sister Amelia’s death from suicide after being cyberbullied learns that the man responsible (Marc Menchaca) is back online looking for new victims. It will be available via TVOD on iTunes, Amazon Prime, Vudu, FandangoNow and more.

A WOMAN’S WORK: THE NFL’S CHEERLEADER PROBLEM (1091) (NEW ADDITION!) Yu Gu’s documentary, which premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival in 2019, will be released on VOD today. It looks at a couple cases of professional NFL cheerleaders who re making far less than deserve, almost working at minimum wage while having to pay out of pocket for their own beauty, transportation and uniforms, putting them into debt. So they sue the Oakland Raiders in a class-action lawsuit.

WEDNESDAY, JANURY 27

Streaming: PENGUIN BLOOM (Netflix) Glendyn Ivin’s adaptation of Bradley Trevor Greive’s novel stars Naomi Watts as Samantha Bloom, an Australian mother of three boys who travelled with her husband Cameron (Andrew Lincoln from The Walking Dead) in 2013 and became paralyzed from the waist down after falling from a rooftop. She ends up bonding with a black and white bird her kids name “Penguin” that helps her heal.  

THURSDAY, JANUARY 28 The Sundance Film Festival begins today, running until February 3. Hope to have some coverage here and on Below the Line.

FRIDAY, JANUARY 29

Theatrical:

FEATURED FLICK! THE LITTLE THINGS (Warner Bros/HBO Max) John Lee Hancock directs this psychological thriller that puts Oscar winner Denzel Washington back into Bone Collectormode, as he plays Kern County Deputy Sheriff Joe “Deke” Deacon, who is sent to Los Angeles to gather evidence but ends up looking for a killer terrorizing the city with a local Sergeant, played by Oscar winner Rami Malek (Bohemian Rhapsody). Getting involved in the case, brings up secrets from Deke’s past. A third Oscar winner, Jared Leto, presumably plays the killer. This will be in theaters and streaming on HBO Max day-and-date. I will have a review for this closer to release.

FEATURED FLICK! SUPERNOVA (Bleecker Street) Harry Macqueen’s drama stars Colin Firth and Stanely Tucci as twenty-year partners Sam and Tusk, who travel across England in a camper van visiting friends, family and places from their past after a life-changing diagnosis that will test their love for each other. Look for my review of this very soon.

FEATURED FLICK! MALCOLM AND MARIE (Netflix) (NEW ADDITION!)

A week before its debut on the stream, Euphoria creator Sam Levinson’s new drama, starring John David Washington and Zendaya, will hit select theaters. Made during the pandemic, Washington plays a filmmaker on the night of the premier of his first feature gets into a very heavy conversation about their relationship with his partner (Zendaya) who doesn’t think he appreciates her and her contribution to his craft. Will have a review of this sometime later this week.

SAINT MAUD (A24) (NEW ADDITION!) Rose Glass’ acclaimed directorial debut starring breakout star Morfydd Clark as Maud, a hospice nurse who becomes obsessed with saving the soul of her dying patient (played by Jennifer Ehle) but sinister forces try to stop her. This will get a theatrical release today and then will get some sort of Epix Pay TV release on February 12. The movie just received eight nominations from the London Film Critics Circle, but honestly, I saw the movie so long ago, I don’t really remember it very much.

APOLLO 11: QUARANTINE (NEON) (NEW ADDITION!) This new doc short by Todd Douglas Miller follows up his Emmy-winning documentary, Apollo 11, this one covering the astronauts of the first spaceflight to the moon as they quarantine for three days after arriving back on earth. This will open in IMAX theaters this day and then be available On Demand starting February 5.

FINDING YOU (Roadside Attractions) Brian Baugh’s adaptation of Jenny B. Jones’ novel There You’ll Find Me is a romantic drama starring Rose Reid as violinist Finley Sinclair who is studying abroad at an Irish coastal village after failing to get into a New York music conservatory. Once there, she meets heartthrob movie star Beckett Rush (Jedidiah Goodacre) who is there filming his fantasy-adventure franchise, and a romance blooms between them.

THE NIGHT (IFC Midnight) Kourosh Ahari’s horror-thriller stars Shahab Hosseini and Niousha Noor as a married couple with a baby who take shelter in the eerie Hotel Normandie after a night out partying with friends. Over the course of the night, they realize they’re locked in with a malevolent force.

HAYMAKER (Gravitas Ventures)   Nick Sasso wrote, directed, edited and stars in the action-thriller in which he plays a retired Muay Thai fighter working as a bouncer who rescues a transgender performer (Nomi Ruiz) from a thug and becomes her bodyguard and protector in a relationship that also forces him back into the world of fighting. It will open in select theaters, On Demand AND Digital.

Virtual Cinema: DEAR COMRADES! (NEON) (NEW ADDITION!) Andrei Konchalovski’s 1962-set Russian drama about a rebellion and a strike following the rising of food prices in the industrial town of Novocherkassk and the massacre that follows. Following its December one-week qualifying, it will open in virtual cinemas this Friday (Jan 29) and then will be available On Demand and on Hulu starting February 5.

On Demand/Digital:

SAVAGE STATE (Samuel Goldwyn Films) David Perrault’s French-tinged Western takes place at the start of the Civil War as a family of French colonists in Missouri decide to return to France, but first they have to cross the entire country to get back to New York, led by a dangerous mercenary named Victor (Kevin Janssens).

Virtual Cinema: WHAT HAPPENED WAS... (Oscilloscope) Actor Tom Noonan’s 1994 directorial debut is a dark comedy about dating based on his own play, starring Noonan and Karen Sillas as co-workers who are stuck together on a Friday night after an intimate dinner that goes sideways. This won the Grand Jury Prize and Screenwriting Award at the 1994 Sundance, and will be added to Film Forum’s Virtual Cinema.

THE FUNERAL HOME (Uncork’d Entertainment) (NEW ADDITION!) Mauro Iván Ojeda’s supernatural thriller, which premiered at the Fantasia Fest last year, will hit virtual theaters today before its digital release on Tuesday, February 2. It’s about the dysfunctional family of an undertaker who experience all sorts of paranormal manifestations, but it could just be that they’re all MAAAAAD!

THE REUNITED STATES (Dark Star Pictures) (NEW ADDITION!) Ben Rekhi’s doc is about a group of unsung heroes trying to bridge the political and racial divides in the country as it’s being ripped apart at the seams.It will be available via virtual cinema today and on VOD platforms February 9.

Streaming:

THE DIG (Netflix) The Cary Mulligan-Ralph Fiennes drama is scheduled to hit the streamer.

PALMER (Apple TV+) Justin Timberlake stars in the Fisher Stevens-directed drama as an ex-convict who strikes up a friendship with a boy from a troubled home, played by Ryder Allen. It also stars Juno Temple and June Squibb.

BEGINNING (MUBI) (NEW ADDITION!) Georgia’s (the country, not the state) Oscar entry is the debut feature from  writer-director Dea Kulumbegashvili, a drama about a Jehovah’s Witness who undergoes a dramatic crisis of faith. Ila Sukhitshvili plays Yana, the wife of a Jehovah’s Witness leader whose community is attack from an extremist group that creates Yana’s discontent to grow.

WE ARE: THE BROOKLYN SAINTS (Netflix)

The new four-part docuseries from Rudy Valdez (The Sentence) looks at the youth football program in East New York, Brooklyn, where the Brooklyn Saints program gets 7 to 13-year-old boys ready to play and succeed in athletics, while also creating a community.

That’s it for January. Again, check back over the course of the month to see what reviews/movies have been added. Hopefully, we’ll be back to your normal weekly Weekend Warrior by February, but we’ll see.

[wishes-upon-dreams]

Touken baby naming headcanons:

Imagine...

- Hikari recognizing how Touka and Ayato take after her in their fondness of rabbits and joking around with Arata about how one of them might try naming their kid Usagi when they and their partner are preparing to have a child of their own. (Little does she know that’s exactly what happens when it becomes one of the names that Touka presents to her husband, Kaneki, several years in the future)

- Touka asking Ayato and Uncle Yomo for suggestions on baby names and Kaneki soon finding out that their tastes are in the same vein as that of his wife

- Hide suggesting to name the child after one of the members of those famous boybands he used to listen to and bringing up one of those magazines he had lent Kaneki in the past

- Hinami spending hours happily poring over books with her onee-chan and onii-chan in an attempt to find a name that they would both like.

- Shuu asking his father for baby name suggestions, and ending up reminiscing about his mother and own childhood.(Chie ends up with some rare pictures that day)

- The one name everyone tries to avoid suggesting is Ryuu, not wanting to call to mind the former OEK’s time as Dragon (although Nishiki almost lets it slip in front of Kaneki. He's only stopped by Touka's quick thinking as she steps on his foot. Kimi following up on her actions by pulling him away).

[littlemissymonster]

TG Crack theory: Everyone who we’ve never seen both of the parent’s of is a OEK kagune clone baby and/or a Washuu.