#she was literally John Adams’ backbone

[here-a-lee-there-a-lee]

Justice for Abigail Adams in 1776!!!

She is by far one of the most underrated people I’ve ever seen in the musical/movie 🤕🤕

[bagged-a-bazooka]

Now that Disney’s trilogy is over, we can more accurately assess what went wrong, and the core issue is that there was nobody with even an idea of a vision of what to do for this entire new tentpole franchise in one of the richest media properties in the known world

If they had planned this out from The Force Awakens, and had someone with a plan of where to take these characters and a story to tell, it would have been much more successful. Would it have been better? Hard to say, maybe yes, maybe no, but it wouldn’t have felt like such a jumbled mess

Rise of Skywalker literally gave me a headache because it felt like 8 movies crammed into one, I’ve heard stories about how it has like hours and hours of cut content, how they tried like 4 different endings and everyone was scrambling. This is what happens when you let a huge media conglomerate take control of an IP they don’t understand and just assume will make them easy money, the property ALWAYS suffers for it

And the worst part? I think that it COULD have had the potential to be good, if not interesting. I think that Finn and Poe were legitimately interesting characters, Finn ESPECIALLY (He was always my favorite of the hero cast) Rey was a little eh but you could have written a solid explanation for her, maybe something even a little more sinister and different. John Boyega, Oscar Isaac, and even Daisy Ridley are terrific actors with great chemistry, but they’re woefully underutilized and wasted. Adam Driver is the backbone of this new series, he’s a WONDERFUL actor and Kylo Ren legitimately is a really neat character with a good idea behind him, but again, woefully underwritten and the opportunity wasted (I’ll even say that Kelly Marie Tran is a good actress, she seems like a really nice and wonderful lady but they give her such crappy material and scenes to work with in Last Jedi, what a waste)

I would hope that Disney learns a lesson from this, but as long as people print money to see these movies....then it won’t matter much. It’s just so disappointing, Star Wars is a franchise really close to my heart since I was a little kid. And now, I’m just so sick of seeing it being used this way

[kindredsoulsoftimesofold]

Incoming TROS rant

yes, there will be spoilers as I will be breaking down everything I saw tonight. If I manage to type choking on my tears well after the movie finished.

----

FINAL WARNING IF YOU DON’T WANT SPOILERS

Let’s start with a few opening words, this rant will indeed be a long one.

ALL THE LEAKS ARE TRUE. And I mean ALL of them. To a T. As soon as I saw the first half was exactly as I’d read, I was crushed. As I knew what was coming. On that note, i was probably the only person in the theatre who was crying like 15-20 minutes before we were supposed to, I’ll get to that in a bit. I’m saving the WORST for last. Let’s break this shit down.

1. The plot is a mess. An actual mess. I feel like every five minutes I was shaking my head and mumbling ‘what kind of nonsense is this’. The breaking of lore or COMMON SENSE really is substantial. But that is definitely not what I cared about, as I already KNEW this even without the leaks. When you can’t get your two directors to FUCKING WORK TOGETHER TO MAKE A COHESIVE STORYLINE it is bound to grasp for straws and make shit up. IT AIN’T NOTHING NEW.

2. Here’s the kicker. THE DIALOGUE WAS SO BAD, it makes Anakin’s AOTC speech seem like a hymn, or poetry or whatever. They CONSTANTLY say what they’re doing, they’re literally reciting the exposition to each other and it comes off as extremely annoying and makes you feel like a toddler. No hate against toddlers, but I’d rather not be one right now. It feels unnatural, forced and STUPID to the point where I would start WISHING for 3PO to come back on screen because Anthony Daniels somehow managed to snag some actually decent lines for once? I love the man, but the droid usually really annoys the crap outta me. He was literally the highlight of the film. Don’t get me started on the stupidity of all of Lando’s lines, poor Billy. Daisy has to stare angrily most of the time so I don’t really care to recall her lines. Adam, my dear Adam, he tries SO HARD to make do with what he was given but even his lines 90% of the time come off as stupid and out of place. Or the worst type in this movie, EXPOSITIONYY. Don’t get me started on Mark Hamill and Harrison Ford. Boys looked like they didn’t sign up for this shit and were literally force choked to be there. I feel you guys, I feel you. ALSO FOR THE LOVE OF THE FORCE THE TIMES THEY REPEATED WORD FOR WORD LINES FROM OTHER MOVIES I WANTED TO SCREAM. Once is too much, THIS MANY TIMES IT IS A FELONY. And it needs to be punished somehow.

3. Let’s get the positives out of the way because there were FEW. The two scenes I actually REALLY enjoyed watching, for different reasons were:

Ben and Palps meeting. The scene was much longer than the clip and SUPER badass. Sheev’s voice echoes, Ben looks fucking cool and the whole scene is GORGEOUS.

The other is when Ben fights as a Jedi in the end. I’ll get to Ben later BELIEVE ME but without overexplaining, he fights with Anakin’s lightsabre, he’s really speedy and is doing all the Jedi spins and whatnot. I fucking ATE THAT UP. Replay that scene forever please CAUSE I LOVED IT. But I was already crying here so we’ll touch more on that later.

To conclude this segment, the visuals were SUPERB, the sound was AMAZING and (some) of the fights were jaw droppingly cool. But that about concludes the positives!

4. I will comment, as I know a lot of people will care even if I don’t particularily. Finn, Poe, Rose and the merry gang aside from our Jedi are reduced to EH this movie. If you thought you’d never miss Rose boy were you wrong. They introduce new characters and expect you to care about them when they SIDELINED the ones they’d hoped you’d care about BEFORE. And it made me care about NO ONE. Not to mention that, sadly, they are ALWAYS reduced to the boring side plot that really isn’t interested or key to much of ANYTHING. Sure they roused the people and all but would’ve been TOAST if Rey didn’t go all Jesus on the fleet. So at the end of the day, you MAY find some enjoyment with the side characters but their lines were some of the worst, you WILL be force fed new people and you might not really enjoy your previous faves here because even I found myself being completely indifferent this time. (I actually really ENJOYED Finn since TFA. He had a compelling storyline and John Boyega was alright. Couldn’t give two wits about him in this movie. Not a single one. But again, I may not be the perfect person to ask if you really,really like any of these characters.

5. Finally, we have arrived to the main event. THE REYLO.

The backbone of this clusterfuck of a new trilogy. The last Skywalker and Palpatine, coming together instead of apart. The arguably BEST actors (legacies aside) Disney managed to get. Now, I will start this off that I didn’t HATE Rey before this movie. I loved her in TFA, enjoyed her less in TLJ but the novelization fixed that. I was BACK ON BOARD to be her number one stan. In this movie, I couldn’t STAND her. Her lines are basically the director walking you through things, her plotline was obviously made last minute so almost none of it makes sense,  I literally wanted to curl up and DIE from cringing so hard every time someone said ‘you’re a Palpatine’. I thought I was looking at a very expensive rendition of terrible fan fiction. (Not to diss fan fiction in any way, you guys will be my heroes after this catastrophe.) ‘Empress Palpatine’, COME THE FUCK ON AND GET OUT WITH THIS SHIT. Bring back crusty old Snoke for crying out loud! Or even HUX! Who got killed off in a second and had three lines of dialogue, not important I guess? Like a great many things I guess, JJ. But, EVEN Palpatine aside, it was great seeing him again and every scene he was in I got chills, who cares that it makes zero sense at this point. Back to reylo.

Ben. Ben Solo Organa Skywalker. The last hope. The final remnant of something I have loved FOREVER. I grew up with Star Wars, like many others just in a different, post prequel era and they are still my favourites. This might sound ridiculous but Star Wars was part of my heart, my happiness. It brought me joy to watch it, read it, fantasize about it and have it in my life when times were dark or miserable. It MEANT something to me, as I am sure many of you will agree. And Ben was part of that. He was part of something that MEANT something to all of us. He was the last line of the characters we all grew up with and loved. The GRANDSON of Anakin, my favourite character of all time. This was their chance to stop the trend that Loki’s death in IW and Daenerys’ death and turn and many others started and STOP killing people who did wrongs. PEOPLE can change, they can grow and they can learn. Hell, to not stray to far from this franchise REY has killed A LOT of people in this movie alone. She DECIMATES the room full of Palpatine’s followers and never blinks an eye. SHE NEARLY KILLS CHEWIE, DOES KILL BEN (for a minute) and SHE DOESN’T NEED TO DIE. Of course she doesn’t but BEN DOESN’T EITHER. After all that YOU JJ, YES YOU, show me that the LAST SKYWALKER has gone through, suffered, alone and frightened. I would’ve ENDED you if you’d suggested killing him off to me, EVER. He was your chance to do a reverse Vader, AS YOU CLAIMED YOU WOULD. To show a character can come back to the light and be worthy of it WITHOUT DYING. You even set it up as such, which is my next and CRUCIAL POINT.

I’ve been a reylo since 2015. Their dynamic has always been fascinating to me and beautiful. I LOVED all the moments in TLJ, LOVED THEM. In this one, every time they force bond (terrible dialogue aside, again) I was happy. I had a hope that she would bring him back from the darkness and he will keep her balanced. WELL, JJ, guess fuck me huh? And anyone with common sense and human decency. JUST WHEN you shove Ben’s turn in my face, you make him talk to Han, you make him strut in to fight alongside Rey in full Ben Solo Jedi mode, hair blown and casually dressed. It was when he runs onto Exegol that I started weeping. Because knowing that he dies as I did, it broke my heart how it was done. You give me the scene where he fights and you give me hope of what his future could’ve been if only you’d listened to reason and done what was supposed to be done. He is chucked into the pit, WHICH MIGHT I ADD WOULD’VE MADE ME MAD IF THAT WAS HIS END BUT WOULD’VE BEEN SOOOO MUCH BETTER THAN WHAT WE GOT, comes back. And now comes the scene that cemented this as the ABSOLUTE WORST insult to me as a fan, possible. Ben is heartbroken that Rey is dead, the moment is sad and he cradles her dead body and hugs her desperately. Which would’ve been a beautiful and GOOD DIFFERENT type of ending. Or rather not having her die at all and being NEAR her death and him saving her and both living happily ever after BUT NO. JJ AFTER THAT has her come back, smile happily when she sees it’s him, her love her hope and the other half of her SOUL literally (the diad or whatever it’s called is so rare that Palpatine was thrilled they’d formed such a bond, basically space soulmates), he has them kiss, then hold each other and smile at each other with genuine feeling of joy and belonging both of them had sought all their life AND THEN YANKS IT FROM UNDER YOU. The scene where Ben falls flat onto his back is quite comical and I couldn’t help but laugh in my misery and sobbing. Rey doesn’t even cry, we don’t even LINGER on his body or mourn him afterwards or even mention it or EVEN SEE her, THE PERSON WHO LITERALLY FOUND HER SOULMATE AND WAS SO HAPPY WHEN SHE KISSED HIM AND WAS LITERALLY SAVED BY HIM, but no guess that doesn’t require a scene, sure, fuck it LIKE EVERYTHING ELSE. The cheery music that plays up until the moment of his fall, YES THE FALL OF SKYWALKER MIND YOU NOT A FUCKING RISE, was an insult to every fan everyhwere, lifelong or recent or otherwise, it was a punch to the gut, a slap in the face and after this happened I no longer paid attention to the movie. I’d been crying for some time leading up to the moment, I knew what was coming and the execution only made it worse and a more desperate cry rather than only sad, I was hoping it wouldn’t happen somehow. I choked back tears until I finally got home and cried. One of the things which MEANT so much to me, was dead. I no longer have any doubts, that this was intentional. Look at Game of thrones, that was this year. It seemed intentional to make series stop, right? Everyone agrees. They wanted to finally bury the Skywalkers so they could make something unrelated? They kill off all the Skywalkers. Well guess what disney? YOU DIDN’T HAVE TO BRING THEM BACK IN THE FIRST PLACE, YOU MONEY HUNGRY PIECE OF SHIT. No one would have minded a new trilogy, with new characters doing NEW things. Why even drag the Skywalkers and the leagies into this if YOU DON’T WANT THEM HERE? All you got was millions of lifelong fans of the old movies who have already felt or are only now beginning to feel BETRAYED. I swear it disney, I don’t want to feel this misery again. You won’t take Star Wars away from me and the joy it brought me. I will without a care in the world dismiss this new trilogy as something completely separate from canon. You’ve killed your own fanbase. You could’ve had us but you LOST us. You dangled something we wanted in front of us for our money and then you ripped it apart.

If you are anything like me, anything like me at all and have loved SW for however long. if it MEANS ANYTHING TO YOU, I beg you not to see this movie or at the very least, pay for it. You WILL feel betrayed, insulted, heartbroken, devastated and miserable, as I am feeling right now. I was supposed to go see this movie another two times but i cannot and will not spend another CENT on a company that chooses to alienate me. Fine, have it your way. I’m done.

This concludes my rant as I am tired and upset. If I missed out on anything and you are interested in anything else, please do DM me or leave a comment :) We’re all in this together now, the reylos the antis the new fans and the old. We’re all in the same heartbreaking boat, I love you all. And I will love Star Wars. The REAL Star Wars forever. I wasn’t even sad the ‘FRANCHISE’ was ending because it wasn’t. It had ended a long, long time ago.

[worshipmoment]

False Religion: Islam

Islam is one of the major world religions that, along with Christianity and Judaism, teaches monotheism which is the doctrine that there is only one God in all existence. Islam teaches that Allah is the one and only deity in all existence (Qur'an 5:73; 112:1-4). He is supreme, all-knowing (40:20), ever-present, different from all of creation (3:191), and in complete control of all things. According to Islam, Allah created the universe in six days (2:29; 25:61-62), and all that is in it continues to exist by his permission and will. Allah is non-Trinitarian (5:73), but he is absolute and eternal.  Compared to Christianity, Islam has some similarities but significant differences. These differences make Islam a false religion.

Muhammad:

Muhammad (c. AD 570—632) was from Mecca, a city near the Red Sea in what is now Saudi Arabia. Muhammad was a religious man, often going on retreats to the mountains where he would pray. During one of these retreats, he reported being visited by the angel Gabriel, who supposedly gave Muhammad a revelation from Allah. Muhammad reported having several other revelations from Allah as well, and Muslims regard him as Allah’s last and greatest prophet to mankind. Muhammad claimed to have continued to receive revelations from Allah until his death, and Muhammad’s revelations were compiled after his death and canonized into what is now called the Qur’an, the Muslim holy book. Other respected writings in Islam include the Hadith, which is a collection of teachings, deeds, and sayings of Muhammad; and the Tafsir, which is a commentary of sorts on the Qur’an.

Qur’an or Koran:

The Quran or Koran is the sacred book of Islam and is broken up into 114 chapters called Suras which cover the subjects of ethics, history, law, and theology. It is highly revered by Muslims as the direct, literal word of God and without error. However there a lot of problems and contradictions in the Quran. Some examples are:

Can Allah have a son?

Yes: Surah 39:4, "If Allah desire to take a son to Himself, He will surely choose those He pleases from what He has created. Glory be to Him: He is Allah, the One, the Subduer (of all)."

No: Surah 6:101, "Wonderful Originator of the heavens and the earth! How could He have a son when He has no consort, and He (Himself) created everything, and He is the Knower of all things?"

Allah forgets yet Allah know all?

Forgets: Surah 32:14, "Taste ye then - for ye forgot the Meeting of this Day of yours, and We too will forget you - taste ye the Penalty of Eternity for your (evil) deeds!"

Knows all things: Surah 24:60, "Such elderly women as are past the prospect of marriage—there is no blame on them if they lay aside their (outer) garments, provided they make not a wanton display of their beauty: but it is best for them to be modest: and Allah is One Who sees and knows all things."

Scientific problems in the Quran:

Sperm comes from the chest of a man: Surah 86:5-7, "Now let man but think from what he is created! He is created from a drop emitted-Proceeding from between the backbone and the ribs."

Birds can talk: Surah 27:16, "And Solomon was David's heir. He said: "O ye people! We have been taught the speech of birds, and on us has been bestowed (a little) of all things: this is indeed Grace manifest (from Allah)."

Ants can talk: Surah 27:18, "At length, when they came to a (lowly) valley of ants, one of the ants said: "O ye ants, get into your habitations, lest Solomon and his hosts crush you (under foot) without knowing it."

There are 7 heavens and 7 earths! Surah 65:12, "Allah is He Who created seven Firmaments and of the earth a similar number. Through the midst of them (all) descends His Command: that ye may know that Allah has power over all things, and that Allah comprehends, all things in (His) Knowledge."

Mary is the sister of Aaron and Moses: Surah 19:27-28, "Then she brought him to her own folk, carrying him. They said: O Mary! Thou hast come with an amazing thing. 28 O sister of Aaron! Thy father was not a wicked man nor was thy mother a harlot."

Having just outlined just a handful of many problems and contradictions to the Qur’an as a divinely inspired work, we are forced to reject the Islamic claim that the Qur’an represents an error-free word of God to humanity. However, when a similar standard is applied to the Bible, the result is self-vindicating, for the Bible emerges flawless.

Islam, the religion of peace:

Is Islam a religion of peace? Many of its advocates say that it is.  Let's see what the Qur'an actually says.

The Qur'an tells Muslims to kill and go to war to fight for Islam: Quran, chapters (Surahs) 9:5; 2:191; 2:193; 3:118; 4:75,76; 5:33, 8:12; 8:65; 9:73,123; 33:60-62.

Fight for Allah: "And kill them wherever you find them, and drive them out from whence they drove you out, and persecution is severer than slaughter, and do not fight with them at the Sacred Mosque until they fight with you in it, but if they do fight you, then slay them; such is the recompense of the unbelievers, (Quran 2:191).

Muslims are to battle for Allah: "Those who believe do battle for the cause of Allah; and those who disbelieve do battle for the cause of idols. So fight the minions of the devil. Lo! the devil's strategy is ever weak," (Quran 4:76).

Kill those against Islam: "The only reward of those who make war upon Allah and His messenger and strive after corruption in the land will be that they will be killed or crucified, or have their hands and feet on alternate sides cut off, or will be expelled out of the land. Such will be their degradation in the world, and in the Hereafter," (Quran 5:33).

Beheading: "When thy Lord inspired the angels, (saying): I am with you. So make those who believe stand firm. I will throw fear into the hearts of those who disbelieve. Then smite the necks and smite of them each finger. 13That is because they opposed Allah and His messenger. Whoso opposeth Allah and His messenger, (for him) lo! Allah is severe in punishment," (Quran 8:12).

Slay non-Muslims: "Then, when the sacred months have passed, slay the idolaters wherever ye find them, and take them (captive), and besiege them, and prepare for them each ambush. But if they repent and establish worship and pay the poor-due, then leave their way free. Lo! Allah is Forgiving, Merciful," (Quran 9:5).

Allah urges war: "O you who believe! fight those of the unbelievers who are near to you and let them find in you hardness; and know that Allah is with those who guard (against evil)," (Quran 9:123).

Allah urges killing: " . . . the hypocrites and those in whose hearts is a disease and the agitators in the city do not desist . . . 61Cursed: wherever they are found they shall be seized and murdered, a (horrible) murdering. 62(Such has been) the course of Allah with respect to those who have gone before; and you shall not find any change in the course of Allah, (Quran 33:60-62).

Allah loves those who fight for him: "Truly Allah loves those who fight in His Cause in battle array, as if they were a solid cemented structure," (Quran 61:4).

As you can see, the Qur'an definitely teaches that its people are to fight for the cause of Islam. This list of verses is important because they are within the holy book of Islam. What are we to conclude if a Muslim is to take the Quran seriously? Is he not obligated to slay non-Muslims, to go to war, to kill those against Islam, etc.? Isn't this what the verses are teaching? Yes, they are.

Jesus:

Muslims claim that Jesus was one of the most important prophets—not God’s Son. Islam asserts that Jesus, though born of a virgin, was created like Adam. Muslims do not believe Jesus died on the cross. They do not understand why Allah would allow His prophet Isa (the Islamic word for "Jesus") to die a torturous death. Yet the Bible shows how the death of the perfect Son of God was essential to pay for the sins of the world (Isaiah 53:5-6; John 3:16; 14:6; 1 Peter 2:24). So since they do not believe in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ they are lost and damned to hell, unless they repent and put their faith in Jesus Christ.

Works Salvation:

Islam is a religion of salvation by works because it combines man's works with Allah's grace. Consider the following verses from the Qur'an. 

"To those who believe and do deeds of righteousness hath Allah promised forgiveness and a great reward," (Surah 5:9).

"And He answers those who believe and do good deeds, and gives them more out of His grace; and (as for) the unbelievers, they shall have a severe punishment," (Surah 42:26).

"O you who believe! If you are careful of (your duty to) Allah, He will grant you a distinction and do away with your evils and forgive you; and Allah is the Lord of mighty grace," (Surah 8:29).

In Christianity, we appeal to the work of Christ on the cross (1 Pet. 2:24) completely and totally and in nothing in ourselves as a basis for forgiveness because no good thing dwells within us (Rom. 7:18), that is, apart from Christ. We sincerely believe in Christ, but we never claim that forgiveness is in any way merited or gained because of our sincerity or our works. Rather, our forgiveness is based on faith and trust in God in what He has done for us in Christ. Salvation in Christianity is God-centered. In Islam, forgiveness of sins is man-centered in that it is dependent upon man's sincerity and man's works in combination with Allah's forgiveness. Both Christianity and Islam teach that we must have faith in God. But in Christianity, this faith in God is enough to save us (Rom. 5:1; Eph. 2:8-9). In Islam, faith in God is not enough.

Conclusion:

Christians and Muslims disagree on the nature of God, salvation, prophets, the true Scriptures, and many more things.  I know most Muslims will not change their mind about their beliefs while reading this but I am a Christian, saved by the grace of my Lord and Savior, Jesus. In obedience to Christ and according to the Bible, I seek to expose error and teach the truth. Therefore, I must say that Islam is a false religion. I say this to convert Muslims to Christ so they may find salvation in Him and find everlasting peace.

[mindonfirebooks]

This article originally appeared in Gizmodo, written by Meredith Womer. You can find it here:

In celebration of the release of the truly gorgeous horror film It Follows, we’ve turned our lens onto the great, gorgeous horror movies of the past. Here are 16 utterly gorgeous horror films, and what made each of them so great.

Instead of spouting off what I personally think is the prettiest horror movie to ever spill pink blood on the screen, I reached out to various movie nerds, filmophiles, and io9 staffers, and cribbed the words of a few famous critics — because horror is really at its best when you’re sharing it with others.

Near Dark (1987)

This vampire Western centers around a pack of wild, roaming vampires and the small-town farm boy they’ve recently abducted.

“Despite the fact that the plot sort of implodes in the last 30 minutes, Kathryn Bigelow’s 1987 Near Dark is an otherwise worthy watch. With the help of Tangerine Dream’s brooding score and Adam Greenberg’s big-sky cinematography, Bigelow easily convinces the viewer that nasty stuff lurks in the wide-open spaces of the American West. In this case, an RV full of drifter vampires, which includes a method-acting Lance Henriksen and Bill Paxton as cinema’s finest Nosferatu asshat.” – Cyriaque Lamar Editorial Manager of Cracked.com

The Descent (2005)

The female-led film focuses on a strong pack of spelunkers and adventure junkies, who descend into an unmapped, Appalachian cave only to discover horror. Director Neil Marshall used the space (and sometimes lack thereof) to his advantage, trapping the audience in their own claustrophobic terror. But there’s also no lack of expansive, blood-tinged cave shots that hit you with the type of dread one would face while looking out into hell itself. A beautiful hell.

“The Descent works (and plays) not only with movie imagery, but with the stuff of myth and dreams as well. It evokes hellish visions, from famous paintings (Goya’s Black Paintings, Fuseli’s The Nightmare) to gothic gargoyles and Dore’s engravings for Dante’s Inferno. These almost subliminal references help drive The Descent, and give it a powerful mythic energy. It grasps when and how to draw upon these images to create just the right tone of hallucinatory fear, and set it reverberating in your head. The movie’s not pretentious or derivative, it’s just uncanny about knowing what to borrow and how to use it.” – Roger Ebert

The Fog (1980)

If you haven’t seen this movie, please do so, because even the succinct summary of this bonkers horror movie is wonderful and like no other: “Legend says that Antonio Bay was built in 1880 with blood money obtained from shipwrecked lepers but no one believes it. On the eve of the town’s centennial many plan to attend the celebrations, including the murdered lepers.” The lepers CAME BACK!

“It’s funny; John Carpenter has become a “Master of Horror” mainly through films with claustrophobic elements: people trapped in an Arctic base or an old church, Laurie Strode hiding from Michael Myers in increasingly small spaces, etc. – but one of the most striking shots in his career is also possibly one of his most wide open. It’s from his 1980 cult fave The Fog, and it’s nothing more than a horror-free (and daytime!) shot of Adrienne Barbeau walking down the endless path to the lighthouse where she works, with the sparkling Pacific Ocean filling up his customary widescreen frame. There’s something so gorgeous and yet ominous about the image that it remains one of my favorite moments in the film and his career as a whole; it’s almost worth watching the film for no other reason than to appreciate it.” — Brian Collins BadAss Digest writer, and a horror movie (a day) watcher.

The Hunger (1983)

Catherine Deneuve, David Bowie, and Susan Sarandon are all in a vampire movie — but it’s really so much more than that.

“The opening credits to The Hunger, ostensibly a music video for Bauhaus’ “Bela Lugosi’s Dead,” is the finest thing Tony Scott ever did. (Sorry Maverick and Goose, go peddle your Cold War paranoia elsewhere!) The color saturation, jump cuts and loping, demonic bass against that sprinkling guitar scratch – the kind of music that only got played on the far left of your FM dial – was one hell of a way to start a movie. That this opening scene, which is schizophrenically intercut with the “beginning of the actual movie,” got as much VHS rewind play as the film’s later Deneuve-Sarandon lovemaking says quite a bit.” — Jordan Hoffman, Critic for The Guardian & New York Daily News.

Devil’s Backbone (2001)

Guillermo del Toro sets up a ghost story from the POV of a young boy trapped in a haunted orphanage.

“This is a movie about ghosts, about the things that refuse to get left behind. And director Guillermo del Toro hammers that point home with agiant bomb that sticks in the school’s courtyard — a reminder that death is always present. Plus, it’s spooky as hell.” — Marc BernardinDeputy Editor at Playboy.com

The Strangers (2008)

Possibly one of the greatest “He’s right behind you!” home invasion horror flicks.

“The visual charm of Bryan Bertino’s The Strangers, which boasts a mostly unappealing color palette and a setting so limited as to be choking, is all in the framing, which is impeccable and makes for a series of scenes so well made that they’d make stills suitable for literal framing, as long as you like portraits of murderers and victims adorning your walls, and who am I to judge?The first appearance of the film’s main masked killer was foretold throughout the film’s marketing, appearing in both both posters and trailers, but that doesn’t dilute its terrifying power when it finally happens in the film. Suddenly, a boring suburban tableau is transformed into a crackling scene of powerful, terrible beauty, crisply framed and filled with horrific possibility.” — Kate Erbland Entertainment Journalist

Let The Right One In (2008)

The original, not the remake (which is also quite beautiful in its own right) reworks the classic vampire story with children.

“Let the Right One In makes all other horror movies look like a joke. The constant transgression of hollywood to heavy hand everything made these days just produces an onslaught of mediocre movies. What people forget is that a horror movie is made by showing the audience as little as possible, and the entirety of Let The Right One In is just that. The beginning of the film establishes an older man murdering someone and performing a ritual-like procedure on the dead body when a poodle finds him and begins barking loudly. The whole scene is shot on a long lens in one shot and is blocked like a scene on the stage. It plays out in three colors amidst the snow covered woods. The trees are a light flesh color brown and the ground is white. The actors in the scene are wearing flesh colored clothing, and the dog that enters is a white poodle. The murderer wears a red scarf and the victim bleeds red blood. The scene uses one light to illustrate the location and action occurring. What makes the films amazing is it’s minimal storytelling- but what makes the movie beautiful is it matching minimalism in cinematography.” – Nicholas Stango Associate Master of Video at Gawker Media

Black Narcissus (1947)

” When British filmmaker Michael Powell, who’d trained with Hitchcock, met Hungarian screenwriter Emeric Pressburger, who’d come to London to escape Nazis in Paris, one of cinema’s most enduring collaborations was born. Their 1947 Black Narcissus is a slow-burning, undeniably erotic thriller about nuns in the Himalayas, rendered in Technicolor that contrasts the nuns’ white habits (repression ahoy!) with pops of startling vibrance. The film won Oscars for cinematography and art direction, the merits of which are amply demonstrated in its final scene, a genuinely scary clifftop clash that’s spooky, gorgeously-composed eye candy at its finest.” —Cheryl Eddy, Senior Editor io9

The Cell (2000)

Tarsem Singh’s trip into the mind of a serial killer took the dreamscape to the next level. There’s yet to be a film to top this film’s visual splendor — and flippant disregard for physics, sound, life, and reality because you’re inside someone’s mind. And to top it all off, it’s stunning. Who knew the inside of a character so foul could be so horrifically wonderful? But it is — The Cell catapults the audience inside the mind of a monster… and you kind of want to stay. Especially when the villain descends his massive stairs with a cape (attached to his skin) that also drapes across the walls of his opulent throne room.

Halloween (1978)

“John Carpenter’s 1978 slasher is prototypical, though its aesthetics remain unmatched. In a subgenere known for its crassness, Halloween remains a paragon of taste. Elegant in composition and camerawork, Halloween’s look renders lurid, b-movie material into art. It makes watching senseless murders make sense, starting from its blindsiding first scene, in which we watch young Michael Myers’s first murder through the eye holes of his Halloween mask.” —Rich JuzwiakSenior Writer Gawker

Gozu (2003)

What starts off as a Yakuza hit story turns into something much, much darker.

The aggressor has this ominous, glam kind of androgynous andpowerfully beautiful presence that always kind of stuck with me. Kind of like Gozer in Ghostbusters. – Chris Person Video Production and Video Editor at Gawker Media

Rosemary’s Baby (1968)

“Rosemary’s Baby’s turned-up creep factor is largely due to the way Roman Polanski directed the characters through the apartment, showing how encroaching domesticity can be utterly horrifying. In this scene, Minnie Castavet pays Rosemary Woodhouse a neighborly call, but the way he swept the camera from the peephole-viewinto the home and through the hallway is ominous: she’s complimenting Farrow on her homemaking, but the deeper the duo descends down that hallway (ugh, the HALLWAY), the worse trouble you know she’s in. The butterscotch tones of the shot underscore the beautiful feeling of sunny normalcy, calm before the storm (aka being raped by Satan and conceiving his spawn).” – Julianne Escobedo Shepherd Culture Editor Jezebel

Byzantium (2012)

Two female vampires are on the run from an immortal boys’ club. Together they take refuge in a barren, off-season beach resort town and feed. Neil Jordan’s blue-grey and red hues really brought out Moira Buffini’s words (Buffini adapted her play for the film). The recurrence of these two gorgeous colors not only looks fantastic; it also really helps play into the life-versus-undead-life conflict the two mains are facing, from Saoirse Ronan’s Red Riding Hood look to her blood-streaked face in an elevator. But my favorite spectacle of color hit early in the film when the two women tiptoed through sleeping blue cabbages, trying to find a new place to hide out. It’s just shockingly gorgeous.

Ringu (1998)

Before there was the American Ring, there was Ringu, the tale of the VHS tape that was also a murderer. It was great, and it was scary, and it sparked a whole lot of copycat US films.

“I may be alone (lol rimshot), but I think even the footage of the well by itself in Ringu is rather beautiful. As Sadako emerges from it, it’s almost like a slow, traditional dance and the sound design making it even more like a standalone art piece.” – Katie Hasty Executive Managing Editor of Hitfix

The Shining (1980)

A movie so beautiful, not even Stephen King (the author of the film’s inspiration who famously loathed Stanley Kubrick’s adaptation) could deny its mouth-dropping spectacle of symmetry and color. Quoted in Stanley Kubrick, a Biography (by Vincent LoBrutto) King said:

“There’s a lot to like about it. But it’s a great big beautiful Cadillac with no motor inside. You can sit in it, and you can enjoy the smell of the leather upholstery – the only thing you can’t do is drive it anywhere. So I would do everything different.”

Not necessarily a compliment, but we’ve all seen this film. It’s gorgeous. And not even King could side step that.

Suspiria (1977)

A film so gorgeous, almost every single contributor above asked us, “Is Suspiria taken? I want it… No… Wait, that’s too obvious.” Because yes, Dario Argento’s horror film Suspiria is an absolute masterpiece of color and contrast.

Film Friday Picks This article originally appeared in Gizmodo, written by Meredith Womer. You can find it here…

[megdepetro]

Find Your Tribe

We’ve all heard the catchphrases among Millennials and youth alike.  “Girl Gang.” “Find your tribe.”  “My squad.”  “Crew love.” “Framily.”  This idea that we all have people who are “our people.”  The ones we do life with, experience the highs and lows with, hit the milestones with.   I have been thinking a lot about belonging and “finding my tribe” lately.  When we belong somewhere, are we tied to a place or to the people?  Is it a geographical location or is it a group of people that define the feeling of being home? I’m going to say the thing that will probably frustrate you, but I believe it is both and neither.  

By definition, a tribe is a social division in a traditional society consisting of families or communities linked by social, economic, religious, or blood ties, with a common culture and dialect, typically having a recognized leader.  What immediately comes to mind when I hear the word tribe are people like the Zulu Tribe, the largest tribe in Africa, known for the numerous members and rich tradition.  Or the Navajo Code Talkers, the Native American Tribe that created a code using their own language (fascinating story, Google it!) to help win World War II.  In New York City, many of us have left behind our like-minded people; family, friends, and churches and found ourselves in this bustling hub of different cultures, mentalities, work ethics, belief systems and preferences.  We have left our “tribe” and come to a place where having a backbone is essential and knowing who we are is a basic survival skill.  

For me, in the three iterations of moving to New York that mark my 20′s and early 30′s, I have wrestled with what it looks like to find my tribe each time.  The first time was in 2008 when I spent a summer studying acting.  I found my thespian tribe, the people who were trying to make it in the biz but knew as little as i did.  We shared the struggles (economic and social) of many other thespians (and there is Facebook evidence to prove it since clearly Facebook can never be deleted).  The second time was when I moved here in 2009 and met some friends who also had moved to New York from Ohio (geographic) so we had many commonalities that bonded us.  Not long after, I got saved and started regularly attending my church, where I met many like-minded people with similar experiences to me (religious, social).  You could say that I had a few different tribes.  Now, on my third iteration of moving back to New York, I find myself in a bit of a different situation.  I have my friends from my many tribes, still here in this incredible city, yet, I don’t seem to really belong to any of them full stop.  This actually led me to question what true community and belonging look like.  So I decided to do some research...

Community is a major player in the Old Testament and the New Testament.  The obvious origin of community is in Genesis when God created Eve as a partner for Adam.  In Genesis 2:18, after God had created the earth and all that is in it, he felt that it was not good for Adam to be alone.

The Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him. (Genesis 2:18)

So community is actually God’s idea.  He created a partner for Adam so that he wouldn’t be alone.  If you want to get technical about it, the Trinity (Father, Son and Holy Spirit) is actually the OG “community”, but that is a theological blog post for another time.

We continue to see community grow in the Old Testament by the establishment of the 12 tribes of Israel (there’s that word tribe again).  The establishment of the Levite priests to carry the responsibility of looking after the ark of the Lord brings a specific purpose to certain communities, giving them a very specific responsibility.  Another one of my favorite examples of community is in Ruth.  Ruth knew that her community was with Naomi, even after her husband had died.  This community led Ruth to the God of Israel, and ultimately the glorious future that God had for her as part of the lineage of Jesus.  

But Ruth replied, “Don’t urge me to leave you or to turn back from you. Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God.17 Where you die I will die, and there I will be buried. May the Lord deal with me, be it ever so severely, if even death separates you and me.”18 When Naomi realized that Ruth was determined to go with her, she stopped urging her. (Ruth 1:16-18)

That’s some community!

What I really want to focus on is the New Testament where we see a healthy example of what true community looks like through the eyes of Jesus.  Jesus had a few kinds of community.  He had his family, his 12 disciples, and his 3 most trusted confidantes.  This is actually an excellent check to see how you are doing with your own community.

1. Family

I know that this can be a difficult area for some.  We live in a time where coming from society’s definition of a broken home is actually very common.  Let me encourage you, family does not always have to be blood relatives.  Whether you were raised in a home with loving parents who are still married, loving parents who are divorced, single parent homes, foster care or adoptive parents, or you didn’t have kind and loving blood relatives, family are the people who loved you through the tough times.  Our God is a God of reconciliation and restoration, so no matter your family situation currently, I believe that He is sovereign and desires for restoration in that area.  In the mean time, identify those who are family to you; your spouse, your housemates, your aunts and uncles or grandparents, brothers, sisters, a mentor, a best friend.  Let these people know you are grateful for them and be intentional in building that familial bond.  It could be the first step to reconciliation and restoration of your family community.

2. The 12

I don’t think that we need to take this as literally 12 people, but think about the people who you have done life with through the years and still keep in contact with.  Jesus had his 12 disciples who was able to make deposits into but they were also the people he dined with, rested with, went on mission with, traveled with, got angry with, called out, lovingly corrected.  This example teaches us that this smaller group of people, the ones we experience the ups and downs of life with, are the friends who stand the test of time.  Many times these people are our friends over many years and many miles of separation, but they are still “our people” because our walks of life have brought us together.  In Mark, Jesus sends his disciples out in pairs to do the work of the Gospel, but they were still part of the 12.

And He summoned the twelve and began to send them out in pairs, and gave them authority over the unclean spirits (Mark 6:7)

The community of 12 was separated many times, but they were bound together in common cause, which brought them back to one another time and time again.

3. The 3

Jesus also gives us examples of his closes friends, his most trusted confidantes, Peter, James, and John.  These 3 are the men who were with him in the darkest of hours, with whom he revealed his true nature and showed the most transparency.  The transfiguration is mentioned in the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke and reveal just how much Jesus trusted these 3.  He revealed to them his divinity.  

After six days Jesus took with him Peter, James and John the brother of James, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. 2 There he was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and his clothes became as white as the light. (Matthew 17:1-2)

This kind of transparency not only encouraged their faith in him, but bonded them together through a common understanding.  Jesus showed his trust in them and they responded in kind.  These three were with him to the end, even though they made mistakes.  Peter turned his back on Jesus but made amends.  John was there with Jesus at the Crucifixion and was entrusted with the care of Jesus’ mother.  These three men walked through the fire with Jesus and were with him until the end. 

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Community is something that takes effort and intentionality.  We all have people in our lives who have shown us they love and care for us.  I want to encourage you today to find those people.  Know who your “12″ are and be intentional with them.  Invest time and equity into those relationships.  Yes, it will take effort.  Yes, it will cost you something.  Eventually, your closest confidantes will begin to stand out and you will find those you can truly be yourself with.  Give it the time and attention it deserves, because truthfully, we were never meant to do life alone.  If you are not sure how to begin, may I suggest your local church?  I have made some of my best friends in the local church and have never looked back.  It won’t be all sunshine and rainbows.  There will be hurt, there will be forgiveness, there will be emotions and doubts and fears.  But that is part of being human and learning to trust and forgive.  It’s worth it, because let’s face it...we were actually born for this.  Find your tribe, it’s your destiny.  

[thedaylieaficionado-blog]

Star Wars:The Last Jedi- A New Order For the Stars

Greetings from the dark side! This is a full disclaimer that, although a self-proclaimed and devout film buff, before Star Wars: Episode VIII- The Last Jedi I had not physically sat in a movie theater since Django Unchained and The Dark Knight Rises in 2012 nor am I up to date on the current Star Wars universe (having only seen the original trilogy). I come to this review with fresh eyes and an open mind, and what I saw on screen was honestly better than I expected! I’m not always, or even usually, a big-budget blockbuster enthusiast nor do I watch many current movies, but I digress. The plot of writer/director Rian Johnson’s The Last Jedi is expansive and action-packed yet simple enough; Rey is developing her newly discovered abilities with the guidance of Luke Skywalker, who is unsettled by the strength of her powers, while the Resistance prepares to do battle with the First Order, the millennial’s version of the Empire. This film, while good, was not without its flaws. While coming in at a total of 2h 33min., some scenes still felt rushed, particularly leading up to the climactic battle between the Resistance and New Order. While it was very entertaining and kept my attention throughout there were times when the dialogue felt sloppy (such as early on in Rey’s training, which also felt a bit too Karate Kid to me); and some details simply didn’t need to be there ranging from the unnecessary (why was Adam Driver shirtless?; why was a voice-over abruptly used and abandoned?) to the downright disturbing (Skywalker milking an alien creature and then taking a swig to both Rey’s and the audience’s disgust). Also, while the cinematography was visually stunning (there is great attention given to color and framing) with a good blend of both CGI and on-location filming in exotic settings ranging from Ireland to Bolivia, at times the movie simply didn’t feel like Star Wars, occasionally looking more like Middle Earth (I half expected Gandalf to appear at any moment, but again I’ve been away from the universe for a while, so maybe I’m just nostalgic). What did work were the blending of old and new characters as well as the charisma of relative newcomers to the franchise. Leia Organa, Luke Skywalker, Chewy, R2-D2, C-3PO and even Yoda are all there. The Last Jedi is an especially good send off for Carrie Fisher, this being both her final time in an iconic role and last film, she was given many touching moments and it felt like a tribute worthy of not just an amazing actor but amazing woman. The backbone of the film was carried by Oscar Isaac’s very likable and relatable Poe, John Boyega’s dignified and moralistic Finn, and Kelly Marie Tran’s emotionally vulnerable but strongly determined Rose. The many non-human characters often stole the show as well, providing many of the film’s comedic moments and tension breakers; BB-8 manages to be more emotive than several of the actors and the Porgs  are cute even if most of their on-screen time is spent pitying them. While I am personally a fan of Adam Driver’s acting and unique appearance, I felt his portrayal of Kylo Ren lacked passion for a character who is supposedly so emotionally torn between the dark and the light (although perhaps his stone-faced appearance is purposely done). The movie often leans hard on sentiment, some of it unwelcomed such as Kylo Ren’s strange sexual tension with Daisy Ridley’s Rey, which felt forced and out of place. And in times of doubt it was John William’s familiar score that helped hold everything together, even if at times the booming bass seemed to step over character’s lines. Overall, it was an engaging and worthwhile movie experience even if it didn’t always feel like it firmly belonged in the Star Wars vain. The old standards and actors have literally given way to a new order and way of doing things, a Disney way that sometimes really does feel like it’s coming from a galaxy far far away, but whether fans like it or not I don’t see the franchise showing any signs of slowing down. After forty years any Star Wars film that can still manage to seem fresh and unexpected is doing its job.    

**1/2 out of ****