#the ward (2009)

[classichorrorblog]

LO (2009)

[fanofspooky]

Scream Queen - Danielle Panabaker

[haveyouseenthishorrormovie]

SUMMARY: Kristen is committed to a psychiatric unit where it seems an angry spirit of a former patient is haunting the girls who are being treated there. Kristen makes desperate escape attempts after the staff ignore her warnings about the spirit.

[wildandmoody]

Michael Jackson wearing Givenchy Fall/Winter 2007 Women's Ready-to-wear studded shirt and blazer in May, 2009

[mickstart]

The way everyone said modern warfare 3 was bad but blops 6 reactions are suggesting it was so BAD it actually shifted the dial on how everyone feels about modern warfare and choked the demand for "ultra realistic I'm A Real Soldier recruitment game" to death.

Infinity Ward literally have to bring soap back and do some hardcore soapghost yaoi or they'll give Ghost's face of cod crown to Adler. Only fujoshis have the power to save them now.

[umseb]

"Silverstone Grand Prix After Party with the guys (from left to right): Christian Horner, Gavin Ward, Michael Manning, Sebastian Vettel, Guillaume Rocquelin, Tim Malyon." - december 15, 2023 📷 @.sebastianvettel / instagram

[epellucid]

[webbywatcheshorror]

Webby Reviews Horror: Lo (2009)

Lo. A story about a young man who faces off against demons in order to rescue his girlfriend- and is confronted with some uncomfortable truths. It rides the line between comical and outright campy, sometimes using that line as a jumprope, but still manages to tug on my heartstrings even though I've seen it probably a hundred times.

It's also weird as hell in some parts, both to its benefit and detriment, but I enjoy it all.

So get comfortable, keep your hands and arms inside the summoning circle, and let's get to the reviewing!

Review under the cut and as always, beasties and ghouls, there will be SPOILERS AHEAD!

This movie was made on a very limited budget, and takes place entirely in one location- the main character's living room. Despite the limitations of budget and locale, Lo manages to tell a very emotional story, and looks pretty good doing it!

(Side note- this movie, as far as I could determine, DOES NOT exist in HD form, and you know what? I think that's a good thing.)

The movie utilizes prosthetics for several characters, giving them unique and vaguely grotesque appearances; its also used when Justin, our main character, starts breaking down and enters into a conversation with his own brain through a wound on his hand.

The characters are what carry this movie, given its lack of flexibility in other categories as previously mentioned. We get drawn into Justin's struggle to command a powerful demon in order to save his missing girlfriend, and can't really help but laugh at Lo's wisecracks as it taunts its summoner and plays with his mind.

Justin is Just Some Guy, stepping out of his comfort zone and into the realm of the demonic and occult, in search of his girlfriend April who has been kidnapped by demons. He really has no idea what he's doing, but it's admirable how he keeps going, despite being threatened, humiliated, injured, and even poisoned. Even after he finds out his beloved's true nature, he still tries to bring her home.

April is, in fact, a demon herself, one of the murderous, vile, foul disgusting denizens of hell, unique among her people for being the only demon who possesses human emotions- the entire spectrum. She's the only one who can experience love, both the good parts of it and the bad. Other demons can't understand what love even feels like, and its shown that they're envious of this ability. (Though they'll deny it, of course.)

We get a musical number performed by the demon who kidnapped her (its name is Jeez, which I think about every time I use that word) that gives us her backstory, which amuses me and also kind of gives me secondhand embarrassment for reasons I cannot fathom. (It's called Demon Girl and you can find the scene on Youtube at the time of writing this.)

Lo, played by Jeremiah Birkett (who also stars as Bluebell the troll in the 10th Kingdom, another underrated early 2000s gem), is hilarious on first watch and compelling on additional ones. Its constant jabs at Justin, such as calling him 'Dinner' because that name better fits his future, make it likeable and blurs the lines of what evil really is. It's easy to forget that Lo, by its own admission, and I quote- 'will eat, kill, and rape anything, especially babies'.

The demon Lo does its best to dissuade Justin from his mission, suggesting multiple times that he dismiss it and burn the book like April had told him, which may be a hint to the twist that comes at the end of the film. Other possible hints include Lo using April's voice, going into details on what demons DO to people, and outright telling Justin that to call it disgusting is to call her disgusting, as they are the same.

Because they are. April is Lo, having fled Hell in the guise of a human, stealing a very special book- the book that Justin later uses to summon Lo. The revelation that they are one and the same seems to be the thing that finally convinces Justin that he and April can't be together, no matter how many demons he summons or how brave and determined he is.

I admit I had not clocked the twist on my first viewing, too caught up in the drama of Justin/Dinner vs the menagerie of demons (and the silliness of scenes like The Waiter putting on a performance while he makes a drink, shortly before he pours Justin's ACTUAL drink) to pick up on any of the hints.

I can't talk about this movie without mentioning the music. First we have the film's score, composed by Scott Glasgow, whose tracks 'Love, Misunderstood' and 'Love Theme From "Lo"' never fail to bring on a sense of melancholic nostalgia. Second, but equally as memorable To Me, are The Rondo Brothers, whose contributions to the film are their tracks 'Computers on Ice' and 'Ghost Patrol'. One of those tracks is fun and silly and the other one is played during the solemn ending, so of course it vexes and haunts me to this day.

I doubt the movie would have made such an impression on me without the music, but it's the dialogue that really gets me. We have comedic lines, like Lo accusing Justin/Dinner of being racist against demons, a solid 15 seconds of Justin muttering 'god damn it' repeatedly, and one of my favorites- 'Dude. Dude. I just heard you fell for the whole, "drink this and you can walk through Hell bit".' from Jeez.

There's also more serious lines that stick with me. Lo firmly stating that 'a demon should never entertain the notion that love is the answer to its question'. Justin pleading with April to stay, even after he knows she's a demon, by promising her 'Tell me you won't eat me and I'll make you my wife.'

The ending hurts in such a good way. Even after all he's been through, Justin doesn't get to rescue April and bring her home. Instead, he has to let her go, closing the circle and burning her book, cut off from her for good. Like most tragedies, there was no other way it could have ended.

Another thing I'd like to touch on is the creativity of using a stage performance to portray the flashback scenes, complete with 'actors', backstage crew, and some very expressive Comedy and Tragedy masks who are literally just people standing behind a curtain with only their faces visible.

And speaking of which, this is a movie that would translate very well to a stage, with the majority of the scenes consisting of Lo and Justin talking back and forth on the floor in a dark room, and secondary characters manifesting in various corners. (And a live version of Demon Girl sounds HILARIOUS.)

Overall I give this one 9 ghosts outta ten, as there are a couple things in it that it could probably have done without, but overall it's one of my favorite movies. No, it's not a scary movie, but there's a kind of horror to be found in knowing you love a monster, despite the monstrous things they've done.

[gangles-toybox]

My fav characters interacting <33

*Once-ler being a silly little goober, walking about*

Once-ler: Um...can you get off that tree? I'm going to be cutting it down soon

Holden Caulfield: You sonvuabitch moron, I was here first! Isn't that right, Stradlater?

Ward Stradlater: Please ignore him...just get down

Holden Caulfield: No! You're a goddam phony yourself

Ward Stradlater: We've been dating for 2 months

Holden Caulfield: DON'T TELL HIM THAT-

Once-ler: I could not give less of a fuck.

Holden Caulfield: ...

*Holden Caulfield gets out of the tree once he realizes that he will no longer get a reaction out of him.*

*Suddenly two men snap into their reality*

Stefan Butler: Where are we?

*Colin Ritman sighs and takes a drag on his cigarette*

Colin Ritman: We seem to be in some sort of Dr. Seuss book, The Lorax, yea?

Once-ler: How did-nevermind. Doesn't matter. Just everyone leave, I need to cut down this tree. Now.

*Holden Caulfield looks at Colin Ritman and Stefan Butler and quickly gets out of Ward Stradlater's arms. He didn't care what anybody thought, but he grew up in a time that was homophobic so you know*

Holden Caulfield: What kind of phony are you?

Colin Ritman: The kind that knows that Pacman is an allegory for program and control

Holden Caulfield: ...I don't know what Pacman is, but you're speaking my language!

*Once-ler sighs. He's already spent way too much time on this little escapade over one measly tree, but it was one of the last ones that had all of its fluff still there so he didn't have much of a choice. Plus, it's not like he would try to kill anybody for his business or anything.*

Once-ler: Can everybody *please* get out of my way for one second?

*The sound of children laughing soon filled the air as Once-ler's groaning became ever louder*

*Coraline Jones was chasing around Wyborn Lovat with a stick, pretending she was a water witch*

Wyborn Lovat: You'll never catch me alive with my secret weapon!

Coraline Jones: Oh yea? What's that? Didn't you leave the cat at home?

*Wyborn Lovat gulped, for you see he didn't realize that he even did. So, he looked around for anything else to throw. He found a white cat with a yellow button nose and threw it at Coraline*

*The cat in question was Hello Kitty, and though she could not speak you could hear her muffled screams*

[mistertonyward]

Tony Ward by Marc Cartwright: a Jockstrap & a Teddy Bear, September 2009

Photographer Marc Cartwright shares with us these fresh photos of Tony Ward. Captured a week ago, the antimodel was styled by Michael Schmidt and groomed by Johnny Stuntz. “People usually photograph Tony Ward very gritty and edgy,” explained Marc to Homotography. “When I met him for the first time, I noticed a certain sweet and vulnerable charm that I also wanted to capture. To me, the Teddy bear and the jock strap are like two different worlds which Tony made live in the same space effortlessly.”   Read more: http://homotography.blogspot.com/2009/09/tony-ward-by-marc-cartwright.html#ixzz7o7zEJE1x

[adamwatchesmovies]

The Stepfather (2009)

2009’s The Stepfather is the dead-beat, absentee dad’s equivalent of horror thrillers: it does the bare minimum. Even if that were enough, its utter lack of thrills and creativity means it scores low. If you’re young and you’ve seen no other films of this kind, it might entertain you. Anyone else will be calling out every single development a half hour before it occurs.

Michael Harding (Penn Badgley) is suspicious of his soon-to-be stepfather. His mom (Sela Ward) just met him six months ago and certain things just don’t seem to add up. The teen is right to be suspicious. David Harris (Dylan Walsh) is actually a serial killer named Grady Edwards.

You know every one of this movie’s tricks from the title. Michael is a formerly troubled teen who thinks his mother is moving too fast. To his mom, Grady seems like the nicest man on Earth - the total antithesis to her ex-husband, Jay (Jon Tenney). Michael's girlfriend, Kelly (Amber Heard) also thinks he's over-reacting. Cue the mysterious incident in the neighborhood. Maybe it’s a dead cat or a nosy neighbor that turns up dead. Either way, isn’t it convenient for Grady that the one thing he was complaining about not so long ago has suddenly been solved through violence? Cue the failed attempts to gather clues as Grady leaves the house but suddenly has to turn around because he forgot something. Do I need to say more?

Once you begin watching The Stepfather, you will develop precognitive abilities and foresee everything long before it happens. Even if you don't, this still isn’t an effective thriller. There’s no subtlety, sense of humor, ironic twist or any commentary in its 101 minutes. All you can think of is how much smarter you are than Susan Harding. I don’t know if it’s a US thing, but her house has a lock on the door in the basement. Is it to prevent someone from sneaking ice cream? One must assume it was there before the stepfather moved in because otherwise, what kind of irresponsible woman would let someone install latches willy-nilly in her home? Anyone with half a brain should be able to tell the man’s as dodgy as a locked cellphone sold without its charging cable. The Stepfather can’t even keep his own lies straight and his attempts to cover up his fake identity are as weak as a kitten. In his defense, this film is set in the late 2000s, when it should obviously take place in the 80s, like the original. You’ll be yelling at the screen in frustration as characters’ phones constantly fall on the ground, are left unattended or run out of battery to prevent the story from ending prematurely.

If there's one good thing to say about this picture by Nelson McCormick, it's that the performances are fine. Dylan Walsh is quite good at flipping the switch between charming and menacing. Penn Badgley and Amber Heard are believable as a couple of teenage sleuths and while Sela Ward is too beautiful to completely sell her role as a single woman desperate for love, she does a fine job with the material.

The Stepfather does not fall into the usual pitfalls of bad slasher films. Its killer may be unusually quiet when sneaking around but he’s not invincible or capable of teleporting. It’s well made enough to be described as “basic”, which I suppose is better than “terrible” but far less memorable and by no means an acceptable substitute for “good”. This remake is destined to be forgotten and no one will care. (On DVD, October 24, 2021)

[goatsghost]

I was just wondering about this a few days ago too, was Jason never adopted??? I swore he was Bruce’s son, but all evidence lately seems to prove against it

[books-to-add-to-your-tbr]

Title: The Demon Cycle

Author: Peter V. Brett

Series or standalone: series

Publication year: 2009

Genres: fiction, fantasy, adventure

Blurb: As darkness falls after sunset, the corelings rise - demons who possess supernatural powers and burn with a consuming hatred of humanity. For hundreds of years, the demons have terrorised the night, slowly culling the human herd that shelters behind magical wards - symbols of power whose origins are lost in myth and whose protection is terrifyingly fragile. It was not always this way; once, men and women battled the corelings on equal terms, but those days are gone. Night by night, the demons grow stronger while human numbers dwindle under their relentless assault. Now, with hope for the future fading, three young survivors of vicious demon attacks will dare the impossible, stepping beyond the crumbling safety of the wards to risk everything in a desperate quest to regain the secrets of the past. Together, they will stand against the night.

[30000songs]

#805 - Hold Time - M. Ward

Ward's always been underrated, but this is one of his lesser works, outside some gorgeous guitar lines.

60/100

[world-of-advice]

[hot-astrology]

Thank you for sharing your experience! It's very inspiring & interesting to hear your story. I love your energy! We need more people like you out here! 🩷

The Aqaurius Mind: Pluto in Aquarius, Age of Aqaurius, and 2024

The recent events surrounding Katt Williams have stirred my interest, though this event barely scratches the surface of the cosmic workings. The year 2024 portends a great unraveling, as deciphered through its numerology (8) : the influence of Pluto looms over this year, with its placement in Aquarius.

This year's fixed energies signal transformation (Aquarius and Scorpio) and raw power (Taurus and Leo), with Uranus and Jupiter in Taurus and Pluto in Aquarius. The impact of the fixed signs will be significant and profound.

Saturn's presence in Pisces heralds a great awakening. ;I am reminded of my own natal Saturn in the 12th house, which imbues this area of spirituality with discipline and authenticity.Saturn brings discipline and realness to this area of spirituality. And this is what we will see happening for those who are already tapped in. For those who are not this is another great chance similar to 2020 to awaken.

Turning to Vedic astrology, Saturn is positioned in Aquarius this year. In 2020, this was such a huge alignment the only difference is there won't be a great conjunction. But I could see similar potency already. With certain things being spoken about, and if you haven't heard. It's because the government (Saturn) is trying to hide (pisces) a lot of this information away from society. We are fully in the age of aquarius, and things will only continue to get exposed. And no matter how much certain authorities try to hide or stop it. It won't stop until the FULL truth is revealed. No matter how many people are killed, and etc. More and more will keep popping up until the mission is done.

Now switching to tarot, because this is how I connect a lot of my dots. Referring back to my Taurus & Aquarius post, I put the 21st card (The world card) in there. This card consists of a lion (leo), Eagle (scorpio), Human (Aqaurius), and A Bull (Taurus). We see all of these energies being pulled towards us. The world card is the very last card in the tarot deck, and represents completion. Now I would like to turn this over to venuz because he knows more about the cycles and years and stuff. But, Before i do, I want to also talk about the 10th card in tarot. This is the wheel of fortune. This card signifies karma, destiny, and fate. The cycle of life. This card also resembles the world card but not in a way where things are ending. It shows how life goes on &; on. This card also has The lion, The Bull, The Human, and The Eagle. The four corners of the world/ The angels of the four directions. We see how that number 4 is so significant. These are cycles and Fixed is the last stage. Beyonce was right, America really does have a problem...... The Seal has been broken. ☺ Now, to you venuz.

Cycles......Yes, cycles! Everything evolves in cycles and changes, it's only so long you can stay in the same scenario or comfort zone without chaos knocking at your door. Aquarius is all about change and revolutionizing its surroundings and its people. This energy is at its boiling point. Every 20 years there's a recurrent cycle of same-aged groups with specific behaviors that change. So, if you add 3 more cycles to that it will be a 4 cycle switch, which every generation would affect the other. When the 80-year mark comes around it is a crucial period. Everything is done in cycles, it doesn't matter what it is. Saturn in Pisces will materialize everything you think of, or focus on. This will also bring about what you have been hiding, and not speaking. Thoughts of your subconscious will be brought to the surface, and some will have to face those fears. For Example, Katt Williams has known all of these lies, secrets, backstabbing, cheating, phony, and false allegations, so it's being materialized. All his thoughts, dreams, and deep-rooted issues about other comedians came out to the forefront without any care. As he spoke and exposed their behaviors in front of millions (mass 11th house) and demanded a change (pluto). This calls on the energy of Pluto in Aquarius.

Pluto in Aquarius loves erratic behavior and unexpected scenarios. Pluto comes with a punch and is at full throttle here. Many people are outspoken now and about change and freedom. Aquarius is all revolutionary and Pluto is a generational planet so change is bound to come. This is just the beginning of this world being destroyed and reconstructed into a new and profound system that isn't in line with these new powerful souls. This makes an 80-year period. 10 more years from now will make 90 years which is energy 9 which will be the completion of a major cycle. 8 is just the transformation period and reconstructing period, everything and everyone who wasn't living in their own essence and misusing their fortune, fame and financial abundance in a non conducive manner will reverse roles and be exposed for their inequality.

Like gorgeous Moon Devi said they're trying to hide what they're up to but Saturn in Pisces is revealing everything they have been hiding. So everyone wakes up to all those lies, takes off the rose-colored glasses, no more fantasy land, and is in a delusional state of mind. Pluto in Aquarius will allow everyone to have a voice and speak up, change what's not right, and stand for something even if you never did your whole life. If you were born in this era or if you were born to still be alive in this era get ready for the showdown. If watched in Living Color, this movie promises to be a captivating experience, delivering the answers to long-standing questions and revealing hidden truths. It has the potential to evoke personal fears, making them tangible and forcing introspection. It's a crucial time for everyone, not just celebrities or elites, to focus on self-healing, purification of the soul, and actualizing personal aspirations. Astrologically, the influence of Aquarius, which rules the 11th house of hopes and aspirations, and Pluto provides the necessary impetus to transform negative situations into positive ones, for oneself and the greater good.

However you envision your world to be, you will get the results in this transit. Imagine yourself as a kid at the art table, and you have a box of crayons, an blank piece of paper. The teacher tells you to draw your new world. How would you create it? Would it consist of peace, prosperity, and love? Then she says," Stand up in front of the class, and explain what your world looks like." You say it out loud in front of the class with conviction and power. Then you close your eyes and watch it manifest right before you, VOILA!!! 

From two aqaurius/uranus dominant spirits, ~ Prinz Venuz & Moon Devi

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐌𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭

𝐎𝐮𝐫 𝐏𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐨𝐮𝐬 𝐏𝐨𝐬𝐭

𝑶𝒖𝒓 𝑷𝒂𝒈𝒆𝒔: 𝐏𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐳 𝐕𝐞𝐧𝐮𝐳 𝐌𝐨𝐨𝐧 𝐃𝐞𝐯𝐢