#valerian dvd

[theplottdump]

While movie night was not what either of them were expecting, given the added third and fourth wheel of Leanne and HANSEL; Val couldn't help but notice Chad stealing glances his way every so often throughout the film.

Leanne and HANSEL spent the last half hour of the movie in a spirited debate on the motifs of 'Lost Dog's Way Home'. Their argument continued into the hall and downstairs after the film concluded as HANSEL tried to convince her that they should give Starlight Accolades to dogs. This meant that the two remaining participants finally had a private moment to themselves.

Chad: You've been suspiciously quiet, what's on your mind?

Val: 2,836 times is quite the impressive re-watch rate considering I only gave HANSEL the DVD as Winterfest Present a few days ago.

[mrcowboysmovieroom]

Dragonslayer (1981)

Directed by: Matthew Robbins Genre: Fantasy, adventure

CW: None Originally written 03/29/2023

It surprises me that I had never heard of this movie till now. I happened upon its DVD in the five dollar movie bin and was very taken by it. I am not totally sure why as the cover art on my copy was not particularly attractive to me (version on the right). I think the version on the left is much cooler personally. But I suppose when you hear a name like "Dragonslayer" you think "Oh this ought to be good" even if it won't be. As it turns out however, it was good. Very good.

The story itself feels expected, though not without elements which serve to make it unique. I think, for the most part, you can very easily predict every step of this movie, but I don’t think this is inherently bad because you can be exceptionally good even if you’re predictable. That isn’t to say that the movie is lazy. It’s just that this is a fantasy movie from the 80s, and during the 70s-80s we were inundated with movies about knights, swords, wizards, and dragons. Our story starts with a group of travelers seeking out the wizard Ulrich (Ralph Richardson) to request that he face their dragon and put it down! You see, for years now virgin daughters have been sacrificed to the dragon. These girls are chosen by a lottery of sorts, their names drawn from a great big bowl at random. The idea is that there is solidarity and shared risk in this sacrifice, however the rich buy their way out of it and so do not have to lose their daughters like the poor do. Really the villagers seem more upset with this unfairness, with this abuse of power, than with the setup itself.

Ulrich agrees to help but is challenged to prove his magic by one of the king’s men who had followed the troupe of villagers. Ulrich accepts the challenge and asks that the guard stab him. Well rather hilariously, Ulrich dies, leaving behind his apprentice Galen (Peter MacNicol) and servant Hodge (Sydney Bromley). Galen, driven by a newfound sense of confidence and arrogance decides that he must carry out his mentor’s wishes and slay the dragon himself! He believes this is his path because his master’s amulet keeps mysteriously escaping the box it's put in and glowing.

Ulric’s body is burned and Hodge collects the ashes as he was instructed to by Ulric previously. He will die later too and give them to Galen, telling him to cast them into the burning lake, so you know they will come back.

In any case, Galen has his quest and about 40 minutes into the film, makes good on his word and slays the dragon! At this point he has made a friend of sorts out of one of the villagers, Valerian (Caitlin Clarke). She has been living as a man since she was born but the movie does not keep this information from us for long. About two scenes into meeting her character I figured that we would find out she was disguised as a man and eventually we see her heading to a river to bathe. The inevitable happens- Galen finds out she’s a woman- and well we know what will come of their relationship by the end of the movie.

Our first look at the dragon is almost entirely through perspective shots from its view. A maiden has been brought before its lair as the latest sacrifice and she is trying fruitlessly to free herself, getting her own blood over her dress as the chains tear into her skin. It’s a very cruel scene.

The earth rumbles and eventually, elegantly peeking over the rocks, comes a clawed hand. From here the shot changes to overhead of the beast. It is blurry so that our focus is on the girl, but we can see the muscles in the back of its neck flex and expand. It’s possibly my favorite shot of the animal. During the rest of the scene we only see its leg and tail. We shall not see its face till our climax.

The whole movie builds to this big reveal of the dragon brilliantly. The dragon stays formidable and chilling the entire time. We only get exposed to it piece at a time and we see much of its carnage from its perspective. It makes the deaths of its victims at once intimate, but also more cruel as we are put into the shoes of a creature we cannot even hope to begin to understand.

The practical effects and props are very good looking, save for when the greenscreen comes out. You will see a lot of people and things wreathed in green, especially near the end. It’s not so bad though if I’m being honest. It’s never so bothersome as to keep me from enjoying the action.

When I saw the dragon, I found myself wanting to compare it to Dragonheart’s (1996) Draco the dragon. The movies are actually aesthetically very similar, which is probably why I stared at Dragonslayer’s DVD cover for so long, transfixed in the Walmart. DH came out over a decade after DS and while being very much a campy fantasy film of the same ilk, is also a parody of said movies. The two dragons are so different from one another. Seeing them side by side is actually a really interesting look at character creation and how the shape of features evokes certain feelings in an audience.

Draco of DH (on the right) is more cat-like and round. His face is short, and his eyes are big. There is an adorable quality about this, at least comparatively. He also gets to talk, being voiced by Sean Connery, which really humanizes him for us. We get to see into his thoughts and he’s also one of our heroes. We are meant to like him and root for him.

Vermithrax Pejorative, our fiendish lizard in DS is in stark contrast. For one, her name is much cooler. She is also never humanized in any capacity. We see that she has hatchlings, and that she even seems to mourn their death, but this display isn’t shown to make us feel bad for her. We see her cruelty through her eyes. It seems that her actions, even prior to the death of her young, are beyond the call of duty if she were merely trying to raise her young. Design wise, she is much more wolfish and lean. Her face is long, her eyes small and beady. Her body often has this sweaty, grimy texture to it as well. She is sinister and threatening.

The differences this film has with Dragonheart are not really the point here- but I will say if either one of these films interests you- you will most assuredly enjoy the other.

Anyway, back to Galen. As I said, he goes about destroying the dragon early on. Or so he thinks. Really we all know that his arrogance simply leads him to believe he has and that he has in fact made the situation much worse.

The night of the dragon’s apparent slaying is one of merriment and features Valerian presenting as a woman for the first time. Galen invites her to dance and makes her feel welcome. It’s very sweet.

The festivities are interrupted by that pesky king’s guard from before. He takes Galen to the palace where the King interrogates him, takes his magic amulet, and casts him in the dungeon. During the night he is broken out and the dragon attacks the town. While in captivity he meets Princess Elspeth. He tells her that the king has been keeping her name out of the lottery all along, which she seems to have been ignorant of and, to her credit, is horrified by. As a result of the dragon being even angrier than before and attacking their town, another lottery is called. Elspeth, now aware of what has been going on for her sake, decides to make all of the lottery names her own. The king tries to stop this, but it is too late. Her name has been read to the villagers and it is expected that she will be the next sacrifice. The king, desperate to see this thwarted, then returns Galen’s amulet to him and insists he keep the princess from dying.

Galen, is back on the case and with the help of Valerian and her blacksmith father, prepares a special spear and shield of dragon scales to take into battle. Valerian and Galen talk one last time before he's on his way and they share a small kiss. And thusly, we arrive at my favorite scene. An epic battle between Galen and our dragon, which we finally get to see in full. You have no idea how exciting this scene is. It’s great! The dragon looms from out of the pool in its cave which is laden with fire, slowly and melodically. It's imposing and physical. I just love watching it move, especially as the enter different chambers of the cave. I just can't get enough of this part of the film. Watching it fills me with thrills!

Galen ends up unable to kill the dragon- his spear breaking through his efforts. He is injured but survives. Valerian, desperate to keep it that way, convinces him that there is no life for them in the village, and that they should make the best of what they have and leave. So, Galen and her prepare to go, when Galen has a vision. His second in the movie so this is not new. The vision is of a burning lake. Now… I could have sworn someone mentioned one of those in the beginning of the film....

Suddenly Galen gets it! AND... I'm gonna cut it off there... The climax of the movie is really rewarding and also unexpected. There is something very fun about the bit of subversion we get via Galen and his character arc. The dragon does die at the end, as expected. The corpse looks epic though, I must say. There's so much wet and charred flesh bits and parts of organs peeling off exposed bone. I really love seeing practical props and effects like this. I mean, they get my heart a-going pitter-patter with glee, and this movie does exactly that to me. In the end, Valerian and Galen leave together, wandering out to find their own happiness together. I just, adore this movie. In rewriting this review I am renewed with a desire to watch it again and relive the wonderful little adventure that it takes me on. My final rating is a 7/10.

[mooonbride]

i love my roommate but she is the straight person with absolutely terrible taste in everything that we make fun of all the time

[sugar-petals]

SuperM Fluff & NSFW Notes

↳ 🌹aka some of their romantic antics plus random 18+ imagines 👋

warnings ⚠️ rated (super) m, boyfriends hc, porn mentions, partial fem!reader, sex toys

FLUFF

since baekhyun knows how to make scented candles, he creates one for you as a birthday present with your favorite fragrances.

every entry in mark’s diary involves fond thoughts about you.

taemin kisses you more than his cat kkoongie on a daily basis so let that sink in. his smooch obsession is getting out of hand.

lucas, having giant fingers after all, learns how to knit in order to make you a warm scarf. he’s still a bit clumsy with it and had to call kun for advice, but the result is surprisingly proper and quickly becomes your favorite item. it’s a little huge but well, he thinks in his dimensions. lucas’ next project is a beanie.

ten overwhelms you with pet names. in fact, he seemingly seems to come up with a new one each day.

kai is a candlelight dinner, rose petals and music kinda guy. he does every old-school thing in the book.

taeyong can cuddle endlessly in bed. he just doesn’t wanna leave.

lucas gladly shares his sweaters. they’re ginormous so, perfect cuddle material.

baekhyun is already a fool. so — when he falls in love, he becomes an even bigger fool. or, the contrary happens: he becomes dead silent around his partner because he’s so enthralled. he can take this more seriously than you think.

mark likes to write little cards and many many texts to express his love.

lucas is the type who can help you put on your jeans when they were shrinking a bit too much in the dryer. he’s pretty sexy like that and things can get really touchy.

cheesy fucking kai, and there’s only one guy who would do this, has actually lowered himself over a puddle once so you would have a bridge. brushed it off like a daily workout rep.

not one shower missed without baekhyun joining you. yes, it’s not always sexy time, he likes it when you shampoo his hair and whisper sweet nothings. and obviously: it’ll all devolve to a laughing fit.

taeyong is the type who wants to be proposed to.

taemin will get a motorcycle license and take you for a frequent ride. he loves getting those kind of back hugs.

both ten and lucas are great at making bracelets. wayv’s dorm is fully equipped with charms, strings, and pearls, so expect matching ones for you.

we’ve seen it, that one’s his favorite move. kai wraps his hand around your shoulder when you walk together.

mark will ALWAYS share his melon.

making you swoon on a DVD evening is lucas’ favorite hobby. he will buy you the most sugary-sweet romance movies. he will often browse streaming sites to select the latest sentimental plots. all these dramas seem to have a male lead who is suspiciously tall and lanky.

if you allow him, taeyong customizes your white tees with his cute drawings.

since taemin swims in money thanks to his profession as the god of kpop (yes, this is a registered job name because i say so), he can fulfill you any wish. he’s stingy and pouty when the shinee hyungs can pay, and the motherfucker baekhyun is even richer since his albums have been taking off so he opens his mochi wallet when superm is gathered, but you... are a different case. taemin will humbly empty his entire pockets when he overhears you gushing over something. there’s a voice in his mind going: must splurge!!

mark loves christmas, you establish an annual tradition to stage a whole couple evening.

baekhyun likes to play charades and especially do karaoke with you. he’s always cutely wiggling his butt and dances like a drunk uncle. he hits the high notes anyway and makes sure you score 100 points.

taeyong can make out with you while at the same time making sure that the milk doesn’t get burned on the stove. kiss’n’stirr multitask tyong alert. gotta make sure the cocoa is served in time, you know.

all the members enjoy playing board games. yep, imagine the fun and sheer chaos.

lucas has the funniest laugh ever indeed. he’ll react to all your jokes, no matter how lame they might be. intensely reassuring.

taemin’s hand is basically glued to yours.

taeyong and mark are the kinds of boyfriends that spoil their partner with skincare. fancy a nice face massage with a nice fragrant oil?

baekhyun has been baking heart-shaped pizzas ever since you started dating. he just can’t make them round anymore.

mark will join you on anything you’re currently bingewatching. 

kai sometimes — only half-jokingly — goes down on both knees bowing forward with his hands on the ground just to show how much he wants to thank you. in case you didn’t notice: this guy treats you like a deity.

ten usually gets confused glances from the other members whenever he gets the current date wrong: he simply loses track of time with you.

lucas makes a habit of buying you flowers every other week. but on unpredictable occasions, and he arranges them in places you’d never expect.

taemin will build you a weird-looking snowman to make you laugh, and give it an even stranger name. ten will build one that looks like you. kai doesn’t build snowmen, he just stands there challenging you to throw snow balls at him.

mark will hang out with you at the beach constantly bringing his guitar. he’ll serenade you all the time.

returning from three months of touring, baekhyun has once climbed your balcony when your parents were in the other room. yep, he was that desperate to see you. somebody give this man a rope and helmet.

taeyong writes down heartfelt confessions on 365 folded slips of paper so you can open one every day. your reactions will range from ‘awwh!’ to straight-up tears.

ten does regular couple yoga with you. a mildly challenging form, not the circus acrobat version. he’ll do the difficult parts anyway. you can pretzel this guy up, he’ll do anything to make you laugh.

when it rains you hook your arm around his, and lucas always holds the umbrella. even the wildest gush of wind can’t make it turn inside out. you arrive home entirely dry. xuxi is so cute, he’s also a great source of cooling shadow in the summer without even trying.

taemin’s skinship overdrive doesn’t stop with endless hand-holding, back hugs and kisses. he wants to lay down in your lap whenever he can. he looks damn pretty with his hair splaying there. if you work on your laptop, you can pretty much count to ten and he’s already nestled there.

kai does pushups with you on his back. it’s a staple. each time he does one, he says ‘i love you’. he increases his count every day.

NSFW

it’s no secret that taeyong is great at acting or pulling off any outfit and costume. expect roleplay of the finest kind — literally. he looks good in a firefighter uniform. you’ll be burning up pretty much automatically.

taemin can’t keep his tongue in. it’s terrible. he’s always in the mood for head. his sloppy noises are the absolute worst, it turns you on way too fast.

lucas had some major problems finding condoms that fit him.

ten and taemin are so switchy, they have an unresolved power struggle going on. begs for a dominant third party to help them out.

kai owns expensive latex gear.

baekhyun may be the king of vocals and breath technique, but if you push him far enough he does get hoarse.

taemin often jokes how kai will one day break his dick from fucking too hard.

meanwhile, mark’s dick is already falling off – from fucking too often. this guy has some major hormones going for him. no surprise, a guy who can promote in four kpop groups at the same time is a stamina king.

taeyong likes eating pussy with another party involved. three’s a crowd my friend. sometimes it’s taemin who unleashes his spit waterfall power, sometimes it’s baekhyun who preoccupies himself with nibbling at the inner thigh while taeyong digs in.

taemin owns the most underwear.

mark takes valerian drops because he is so nervous in bed. it never really goes away, it’s his nature.

taeyong keeps a lube collection. a different flavor for all occasions. he likes associating certain scents with specific body parts.

kai has a heels kink. he literally goes wild over it.

taemin likes to have sex with favorite glasses on.

taeyong and kai are the most likely to cry during sex. baekhyun as well if you rough him up enough. 

mark gets rock hard the fastest, followed by kai. he’s a grower.

taeyong gets the best inspiration for a song when he gets a casual dick riding.

taemin watches extremely x-rated erotic thrillers and bdsm flicks that are heavy on the plot. he gets more invested in the characters and actors than you think. since his japanese is amazing? of course he also owns a giant 90s hentai collection. 

when he’s jerking off, baekhyun chokes himself. a) because he’d make too much noise otherwise and b) because asphyxiation is his favorite thing.

kai feels pleasure in his every cell. he cums the hardest. and, as you can expect, his body expresses it the most extremely, accurately, passionately. if you’ve seen it even once, you’ll never look at him the same again.

taemin has less experience than his discography claims, but more than you’d think. he researches sexual techniques as well. you can brace yourself.

mark has not just a tiger inside, but a freak inside, waiting to be unleashed.

sex while gaming is a go-to activity for baekhyun.

lucas has the best stamina when it comes to getting head.

taemin throws his head back during sex. and no, he doesn’t T-pose. i’m kidding — of course he does. but only when he’s on his back.

taeyong tends to grip a pillow when he cums.

or he humps one when he’s by himself.

ten has the best taste in sexy time playlists.

baekhyun has the best taste in singing his own playlist along.

oh, the things kai has bought at a gas station at 3AM.

baekhyun sucks strap the best. he can open his mouth the widest, drools a lot, and makes the best noises unsurprisingly.

how to turn on lee taemin? he likes getting slapped.

since he’s the most avid and most diverse eater, lucas’ sperm tastes the best. he’s shove 50 fruits into his system just to give you a sweet experience.

mark is absolutely a starfish. 

kai wears fishnet tops if you fancy it.

curiously, baekhyun out of all people doesn’t announce when he’s cumming. you’ll hear it, though.

taeyong’s dildo collection is one for the books.

taemin has visited a pro dominatrix a couple times. needless to say, he was the #1 favorite client at the dungeon. having fully submerged into a fantasy world, taemin was one whip crack away from falling in love with the mistress. but then covid happened and the venue closed.

mark’s dick looks really pretty.

taemin can grind on the strap at every humanly possible angle. he’s almost always ready to take it. he carries a prep kit.

kai — that fucker — knows how to make you wet the most with his bare hands. prepare for the thigh ride of your life, too.

taeyong, baekhyun, and taemin have the best arches. kai is coming for the top three as well. ten’s arch is so good, it can’t be considered one anymore.

baekhyun knows every adult movie out there. theoretically, nothing can shock him. in reality, he melts in your hands.

taeyong is so sexually active with you, he has quit eating garlic.

kai will exploit your muscle kink in any way he can.

taemin, being a devil, has that one button on his phone that he can press when you go out for dinner. he’s OBSESSED with getting you off. once you head home, it’s basically running down your thighs.

ten has once opened a condom with scissors to scare away a date that grew weird on him by the time it got to the do.

lucas is too tall for doing missionary normally.

this will surprise nobody: mark is great at constantly keeping up the dirty talk.

baekhyun’s car is sort of like a brothel on wheels. he can’t count how many times he got down and dirty in there. he cleans it all up by himself.

kai can technically grip you the hardest but he’s the gentlest and great at caressing the whole body.

taemin has the easiest time saying what precisely he wants. he is also the best people reader — most your wishes he can pretty intuit. taemin observes your interests well.

ten likes his hair pulled and makes angelic noises when you do so.

baekhyun likes camgirls and erotic chats with strangers online. he spends a lot of money for nsfw internet encounters.

[theantarwitch]

Masterpost / BoS/ About me

                                  Masterpost:

                                 General Witchcraft:

Witchy hard to swallow pills

Personal vs Book - When own experiences don’t match with the Manual To Be A Witch.

How detect a Karen Witch

Cottagecore: The Classist Ableist Dream

I’m Special (Not). The harsh reality.

Dream Interpretation – How do it (long ass post)

About medicine in witchcraft: Health spells, Professional Healers and Unprofessional scammers (And two healing spells from me)

                                  Spells

To common ask: Can I do a spell about….?

Easy solution to “Can be I’m under this x spell?”

Why I don’t trust in other’s Sigils

Alternative ways to do Sigils

Cheap ways to boost positive energy/ luck/ money in your day (I excluded stones/ crystals)

                             Divination, tarot

Major Arcana Human Identifier Part 1

Major Arcana Human Identifier Part 2

Methods of Divination Masterpost

Egg divination unwanted facts

The traditional “Gifted Deck vs Bought Deck”

Tarot Beginners Tips

Tarot: About Spreads and Readings

Alternative Uses to Tarot Cards (No Divination)

Tarot to find Lost Things

                       Closed Practices and Cultural Appropiation

Closed Practices are Closed - Open Replacements

Closed/ Semi Closed beliefs

Open/ Closed/ Semi Closed Deities/ High Entities.

                             Deities

Deities: Some aspects to consider

About gods, afterlifes and universes - My point of view.

Not Cis Deities

                            Safety

The dangerous “Ascension Energy Shift Symptoms”-ish trend

Spells don’t replace real treatment or mundane action

Some of mainstream but medical dangerous trends

Destroying the misinformative  crap of the day

---------------------------------ooooo--------------------------------------

                           Book Reviews

The Witch’s Book of Self-Care: Honest review (With positive and negative points)

Wicca: A Guide for the Solitary Practitioner by Scott Cunningham – Honest Review Request

Psychic Witch: A Metaphysical Guide to Meditation, Magick & Manifestation by Mat Auryn - Honest Review Request

---------------------------------ooooo--------------------------------------

                           Book of Shadows 

                Plants, Herbs, Grains, Fowers, Trees, Fruits

Book Of Shadows: Lavender

Book Of Shadows: Walnuts

Book Of Shadows: Sweet Alyssum

Book Of Shadows: Rose

Book of Shadows: Lilacs

Book of Shadows: Dandelion

Book of Shadows: Passiflora/ Passion Flower

Book of Shadows: Rue

Book of Shadows: Parsley

Book of Shadows: Olive

Book of Shadows: Aloe Vera

Book of Shadows: Basil

Book of Shadows: Garlic

Book of Shadows: Mint

Book of Shadows: Oregano

Book of Shadows: Morning Glory

Book of Shadows: Narcissus

Book of Shadows: Mimosa

Book of Shadows: Almond

Book of Shadows: Apple

Book of Shadows: Bay

Book of Shadows: Larkspur

Book of Shadows: Lemon

Book of Shadows: Rice

Book of Shadows: Fig

Book of Shadows: Grapes

Book of Shadows: Snapdragon

Book of Shadows: Spider Plant

Book of Shadows: Pepper

Book of Shadows: Clover

Book of Shadows: Urtica/Nettles

Book of Shadows: Peace Lily

Book of Shadows: Cactus

Book of Shadows: Grass

Book of Shadows: Oats

Book of Shadows: Ivy

Book of Shadows: Redstem Filaree

Book of Shadows: Shepherd’s Purse

Book of Shadows: Orange

Book of Shadows: Corn

Book of Shadows: Coffee

Book of Shadows: Cacao

Book of Shadows: Elm

Book of Shadows: Fern

Book of Shadows: Butcher’s Broom

Book of Shadows: London Rocket

Book of Shadows: Black Locust

Book of Shadows: Peruvian Pepper (Mulli)

Book of Shadows: Valerian

Book of Shadows: Eucalyptus

                   Others

Book of Shadows: Black Salt

Book of Shadows: Milk                

Basic Metals and their Magical Properties: Easy Chart.

Colors: Correspondences and Meaning

Cd/Dvd as great warding tool

Clothing & Wearing Magic – Part 1

Clothing & Wearing Magic – Part 2

Clothing & Wearing Magic – Part 3

Mahō Tsukai no Yome/ The Ancient Magus Bride: When an anime show witchcraft in the good way

About Comfort Zone and why is wrong used - Long Rant

Alchemy, the untouched friend of Witchcraft

Currently thinking about the theory of the infinite parallel universes, past, future, and witchcraft...

Diatomite: Between Witches and Cats

I have a "dream" but I actually think I went to another dimension or something lol

Non human Ancestors

Cheap Divination Method: Witchy Alphabet Soup

-------------------oooo---------

                          About me:

In case anyone wonder who the fuack I’m...

She/ Her +30 Nonbinary AFAB  

Pan/Demi/Sapio/Aro/Ace

Autistic - Dyslexia - CPTDS - Disabled

Not Native English Speaker - Latin

Feminist (Anti Hembrist/ Terf) - Pro Minorities/ LGTBQIA+/ BLM

Straigh Edge Metal Head

Witch: Advanced-  Solitarie - Eclectic - Green -  Divination 

Asks: Open. You are welcomed to say something (hate ones can be roasted or ignored) or ask. Please don't ask basic shit like "what I can do with an olive" or "WHAT DOES THIS MEAN?".

[soikka80]

Yesterdays batch

[the-wolfbats]

I can count the # of blu rays and dvds i've bought in the past 5 years on one hand. It's only movies I really really love - I don't even own any Star Wars movies on home media besides the OT (and only bc that was cheap.) I only own Black Panther (and maybe Guardians) for the MCU.

I want to buy Alita and Valerian but I want those used.

[falllpoutboy]

1 to 30 GO!

1: Favourite movie(s) well currently its birds of prey!!

2: Favourite actor(s) henry cavill, justice smith, john boyega, tom holland, pedro pascal, james mcavoy,  sophie turner, zendaya, viola davis, jennifer lawrence, margot robbie, anya taylor-joy

3: Favourite genre(s) comic book, sci-fi, action/adventure, drama, romance

4: Favourite director(s) zack snyder, jon favreau, taika waititi, jordan peele, damien chazelle, dee rees, steve mcqueen

5: How often do you go see movies in theatres? at least twice a month

6: Opinion on remakes : generally not needed, but enjoyment varies from remake

7: Favourite era(s) of film : current era, of course

8: Spell your first, middle, and last name out in movie titles : how about initials? A- A Star is Born, M-mother!, R- ready player one

9: Favourite film series- the hunger games

10: Favourite remake(s)- either freaky friday or a star is born

11: Favourite film character(s) katniss everdeen remains a multifaceted icon

12: Favourite movie(s) per genre comic book: batman v superman, sci-fi: blade runner 2049, action/adventure: mad max fury road, drama: parasite, romance: la la land

13: Movie(s) you remember as part of your childhood: anything made by disney

14: Movie character(s) you identify with that one guy from jurassic world who ran away with drinks in hand

15: Prizes of your movie collection- i think i have like the first, second and fourth harry potter films in dvd?

16: Blu-Ray, DVD, or VHS?- streaming

17: Movie(s) you hate- joker, avengers endgame, valerian, justice league

18: Actor(s) you hate- sebastian stan, casey affleck, chris evans, armie hammer, robert downey jr, chris pratt, 

19: Director(s) you hate- todd phillips, rian johnson, james gunn, quentin tarantino, bryan singer,

20: Your pet peeve(s) in movies- cut scenes that have plot points or emotional moments in them

21: Movie character(s) you have a crush on- cable and domino in deadpool 2 can still raw me

22: Last movie you saw- harry potter and the chamber of secrets at home

23: Favourite film adaptation of something from another medium- watchmen

24: Movies you think you probably should've seen but haven't for whatever reason.- little women 2019, detective pikachu

25: Worst experience you've ever had in a movie theatre- a haunted house....

26: People whose opinions on movies you value- cinemawins on youtube, myself

27: If you could make a movie, what would it be and why? a romcom with nikolaj coster waldau and gwendoline christie is very long overdue

28: If you could adapt something from another medium into film, what would it be and why? NOTHING. ENOUGH ADAPTATIONS ENOUGHHHHH LET IT BE A BOOK OR A COMIC 

29: If you could remake any movie to improve what you felt was wrong about it the first time around, what would it be and why? literally half mcu movies, the last jedi, the rise of skywalker, etc

30: Movie character(s) you find attractive all of them. all of the characters.

[fbwzoo]

Cat Enrichment

I’m working on putting together lists of enrichment ideas so I can implement regular enrichment plans for all of my animals. I think I’ve finished my cat list, so thought I would share it! I’ll be posting the other lists as I finish them (ball python, hermit crabs, rats; hedgehog is already posted). 

Enrichment ideas are loosely separated into different categories - food, sensory (primarily scent-based for cats), environmental, and social. Feel free to share if you have any suggestions that I missed! :) 

Food

- store-bought puzzle feeders or homemade versions - http://foodpuzzlesforcats.com/

- packing paper

- ball track

- cardboard boxes

- plastic easter eggs

- egg cartons

- fleece snuffle mat

- wheatgrass snuffle mat

- small containers around room/house

- slow feeder mats & toys

- muffin tray

- underneath small containers (tupperware, cups, etc.)

- box full of paper towel/toilet paper tubes

- box full of ping pong balls

- give novel foods/treats (cooked or raw meat, whole prey items, poultry necks, chicken feet)

- vary food flavors and/or brands (cautiously if cat is picky)

- frozen meat/bone broth (low sodium or homemade)

- provide multiple bowls of water – different sizes, depths, shapes; place in different locations

- provide water fountain

SENSORY

PLANTS

I provided a list of more easily-found plants here, but there are many more options. Check for safety here - https://www.aspca.org/pet-care/animal-poison-control/toxic-and-non-toxic-plants

- basil

- catnip

- cornflowers

- dill

- fennel

- hibiscus

- honeysuckle

- jasmine

- lavender

- lemon balm

- marigolds

- parsley

- rosemary

- roses

- sage

- silvervine

- spider plants

- spinach

- sunflower

- thyme

- valerian

- wheatgrass

- zinnias

OTHER SCENTS

- vanilla

- cinnamon

- bonito flakes

- feathers/fur/sheds, other animal bedding or objects

ENVIRONMENTAL

- outside on harness, in cat stroller/carrier, or in catio - https://www.whyanimalsdothething.com/harness-train-your-cat?rq=cat%20harness

- car drives (set up crate so able to view out window)

- toy rotation

- natural items (freeze in case of fleas)     - branches with safe leaves     - pine cones, seed pods, etc.     - dry leaves     - safe wild/garden plants

- insect hunting

- box castle, tunnel maze, etc.

- fit old t-shirt over a box for a hide

- paper bag hides (or use during playtime)

- tote with substrate to dig in – carefresh, wood shavings, sand, coconut chips, leaves

- cat TV (youtube/dvds, or set up bird/squirrel feeders with perch at window/door for cat)

- cat music (youtube)

- new/different scratching materials (thin or thick sisal rope, cardboard, different fabrics, carpet; upright, tilted, or horizontal; add a new scratcher location;

- window perches

- cat “highways” (furniture, perches, etc. close enough to move around the room up high if wanted; safe pathways to move around on ground if not a climber)

- ice cubes in a plastic container to bat around (or on hard floor – they can help you clean the floor!)

- alphabet magnets on fridge door

- container of water to play in – can add ping pong balls, etc. as well

- blow bubbles (can get catnip bubbles)

- exercise wheel

SOCIAL

- petting & brushing

- interactive playtime (wand toys, fetch, etc.)

- clicker training     - husbandry (nail trims, teeth brushing, fur brushing, ear checks/cleaning, crate on command)     - tricks (sit, lay down, stay, give paw/high five, sit up, go to place, weave through legs, fetch)

https://www.clickertraining.com/cat-training

https://www.adventurecats.org/backcountry-basics/how-to-clicker-train-a-cat/

https://www.catster.com/lifestyle/train-a-cat-behavior-clicker-training

https://www.catster.com/cat-behavior/clicker-training-for-cats

- agility (make jumps out of PVC pipe)

- scentwork (will have to look up dog resources & adjust for cats)

- mirroring – give your cat a space of their own next to where you work or relax

Identifying prey preference: https://indoorpet.osu.edu/cats/basicneeds/preypref (This site has a lot of great information for cat behavior & environmental needs!)

Other general sources used:

https://www.fundamentallyfeline.com/environmental-enrichment-for-indoor-cats/

https://www.companionanimalpsychology.com/2016/04/enrichment-tips-for-cats-that-many.html

https://www.spacecatacademy.com/articles/2018/2/3/cat-enrichment

[fontainebleau22]

Hi there! Nos. 15 and 18 from the end-of-year asks, please? :)

Hello! Thank you for the asks!

15. something you learned this year?

On a not very profound level, watch the canon before you try to write! I had real trouble getting going on A Trip Down Paradise Alley, which was my reverse big bang assignment and a Valerian and The City of A Thousand Planets AU; I wanted to write it but it just wouldn’t come. I actually had a DVD of Valerian but for some idiotic reason I just left it sitting on the shelf, and it wasn’t until I finally thought of rewatching the scene that was the original inspiration that the fic began to flow.

On a more profound level, I think I’ve learnt more about plotting longer stories from the experience of writing Rain From A Clear Sky; it’s been a struggle between being too obvious with the clues in the plot and being too obscure, and also with pacing, but I I think I know more now than I did at the start of the year.

18. current number of wips

Active WIPs: M7: Rain From A Clear Sky (currently 8/10), secret fic (about which I can’t say anything), Varaday’s Lease (about 20k written but needs beating into shape)

Maybe something for micro-fandom Dolores (Notre-Dame des Sept Douleurs).

Dormant WIPs: the next bit of Crown of Creation ‘verse, and the final fic of the Where The Road Leads series.

[spryfilm]

“Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets ” (2017)

Science Fiction/Fantasy

Running Time: 137 minutes

Written & Directed by: Luc Besson

Featuring: Dane DeHaan, Cara Delevingne, Clive Owen, Rihanna, Ethan Hawke, Herbie Hancock, Kris Wu, and Rutger Hauer

Doghan-Dagui: “We know how humans work. They are all so predictable.” 

Sergeant Laureline: “Clearly, you have never met a woman.”

There are very few directors at work today making films the way Luc Besson does, he works outside of major American studios creating what can only be called concept movies that challenge what it means to be a film-maker not only in this century but last century as well. Besson has made some of the most memorable as well as intriguing characters in film, all while working mostly in a second language, something many people forget. Whilst his earliest creations were French, such as his second film “Subway” (1985) followed by the brilliant “The Big Blue” (1988), they translated so well internationally that it was not long before he made his first genre film with the stunning as well as unforgettable “La Femme Nikita” (1990), a film that broke Jean Reno, leading to his starring role in the international hit “Leon, The Professional” (1994), which featured a young Natalie Portman.

While Besson’s narrative style is unique, so to is his visual flair, which can be seen in all of his early movies, but it was not until his Science Fiction masterpiece “The Fifth Element” (1997) that all of his sensibilities came together with cutting edge special effects so that he could complete a vision of the future, with a touch of comedy, drama as well as what could only be described as grandiosity. Of course there is a strong link between “The Fifth Element” and this months new mega budgeted film “Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets” (2017), that being Jean-Claude Mézières who co-created the comic Valerian is based on (Valérian and Laureline) as well as being the production designer on “The Fifth Element”, this is also evident while watching both movies – they share the same DNA. One based directly on a French comic the other highly influenced by comics as well as pop culture.

“Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets” is set in the 28th century, the former International Space Station has become Alpha, a city where millions of creatures from different planets live peacefully and exchange their knowledge and cultures. The humans form a special police division to preserve the peace within Alpha, including officers Valerian, a major, and his partner Laureline, a sergeant.

While on-route to receive a new mission, Valerian dreams of a planet where a low-tech humanoid race lives peacefully. They fish for energy-containing pearls and use certain animals, referred to as “converters”, to duplicate them. As the planet is destroyed by massive debris crashing onto the planet, the natives flee to shelter, but a single female is trapped outside and manages to send a telepathic signal before dying.

To say this movie has a sprawling storyline is an understatement but as I really do not want to spoil anything I will just say the plot is, actually fairly straight forward, as well as pretty easy to see where the characters are going to end up. The fun for me in the film was the narrative that moves around the place like balls on a pool table, you may think there is absolutely no logic but as you weave your way through the story with the myriad characters you start to see a pattern forming. I for one enjoyed the seeming randomness of where the main characters end up after a protracted journey, meeting unique as well as pretty lovable characters, the best I thought was Rhianna as a shape changing blue being called Bubble – taking advantage of all Rihanna’s talents.

The casting in this film is interesting to say the least; it has the oddest leads in a Besson movie yet, with relative newcomer and unknown Dane DeHaan in the titular role as well as an inexperienced Cara Delavigne as his sidekick/love interest Laureline. For Besson to place the film in these two actors hands was brave as it could have been a disaster, not that they are terrible actors but to act in front of the amount of special effects could have been overwhelmingly, for the most part they both pull it off, in my mind Delavigne seems more suited as well as a spark against the out of place DeHann. The rest of the cast is highlighted by Clive Owen as Commander Arun Filitt who has never been in a movie like this, but as the archetypal villain he is well suited, it would be great to see him in more films like this, lending some well earned gravitas from his previous work.

As you can see in the trailers to this movie, the special effects as well as the makeup of all the alien characters are extremely well realized. Not only that, but the mise en scène is incredibly dense, every frame of almost every scene has depths that are eerily similar to Besson’s “The Fifth Element”, so much so that I swear I spotted similar aliens in both. The way in which the origin of the ‘City of a thousand planets’ is not only shown as well as told is unique for a science fiction film, all done in the opening credits over the David Bowie song “Space Oddity” which, while not completely original is a great way to not only play homage to Bowie but instantly assists the audience identify with the movie – very smart move. With movies like this there can be a temptation to fill it with CGI thereby destroying some of the inherit reality that a filmmaker is trying to go for. Within this movie there are long periods of just CGI as well as computer generated characters which because of their setting, whether on an alien plant, Mül, or in Alpha, the CGI is top notch as well as quite believebale, its as good as anything in the Star Wars series, maybe even better because this is more original as well as more thought out in terms of the depth of the field of vision.

My only real issue with this film is the odd relationship between the two leads Valerian and Laureline, where within the first few moments he has asked her to marry him, she will not of course because he is some kind of futuristic lothario who has a playlist that is full of female conquests. For the entire rest of the film his only real aim other than the maguffin of the movie is to get Laureline to marry him, I found that really strange. I mean the only relationship they have is the commander/subordinate role, but for some unknown reason he suddenly wants to make her his wife. This detracts from the entire rest of the movie, every time there is some momentum within the main narrative, it comes to a screeching halt as there is too much time put into the marriage angle. Now, I can understand if there was a subplot involving a budding romance, but to go straight to marriage is just plain strange.

I have to say that I really enjoyed my time with this film, sure it’s a little long but that is aptly mitigated by the special effects as well as the surprise that is Cara Delevingne as Laureline who more than makes up for aspects of the story as well as the possible miscasting of Dane DeHann as Valerian. It appears that if Delevingne plays her cards right as well as chooses some roles that she can fit within, learn from some experienced co-stars she might have a nice career ahead of her, I would recommend staying away from starring roles and stay as a flashy character’s actor for now. This is a family rated movie with no real content that will offend, but it will catch and keep the eye busy for most of its run – go and take the family now.

“Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets ” is out now on DVD & Blu-ray.

DVD & Blu-ray review: “Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets” (2017) “Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets ” (2017) Science Fiction/Fantasy Running Time: 137 minutes…

[theplottdump]

HANSEL: What are you doing anyway? Chad: Well HANSEL, with Val and Leanne on the Moon, WE have been left in charge of decorating.

Which means I have to make sense of Leanne's organizational system from last year. Who organizes decorations by chemical makeup?

HANSEL: I remember trying to help last year and she threatened to unplug me if I did. Chad: That sounds like Leanne. HANSEL: Winterfest is always so exciting! So many threats of death!!

Chad: HANSEL how many Winterfests have you had?

HANSEL: Just the one! The scientists would throw a holiday party every year in the Pit but I was never really invited to those. And then we moved here and Master Valerian never really acknowledged it at all. Until last year that is.

Chad: That's right- you're from that government facility aren't you? The one Val escaped from. What was it like?

HANSEL: I.. I'd rather not pull up those data logs… Let's just say it wasn't a place I would wish on anyone's worst enemy. Especially the kids that were held there. But excuse me- it's Winterfest! We shouldn't be considering the effects of our own programming!

Chad: Got it, I won't ask again.

HANSEL: Thank you. Besides! I'm much happier here with my DVDs and access to the internet! Last night I saw a kitten fall asleep on a dog! IT WAS AMAZING. I would have cried if my processors were able and it wouldn't damage my internal circuitry.

[therealkn]

David’s Resolution - Day 2

Day 2 (January 2, 2019)

The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Miss Osbourne (1981)

“…like a schoolboy throwing off the tawdry rags of his dreary institution, I throw off pretence and leap, wallowing in an ocean of freedom and pleasure.”

Usually when I buy something for my collection, I have a pretty good sense of whether I’ll like it or not. But sometimes, there are purchases that are basically gambles as to whether I’ll like it not. This film was one of them. I bought it because it seemed like one of those European art films that straddles the line between trashy and pretentious, and I hoped it was the former because I cannot handle pretention.

I still don’t know what exactly to make of this film. Maybe as I write this, I’ll be able to process it better.

This movie was written and directed Walerian Borowczyk (pronounced “valerian borovchik” because Polish is a “fuck you” language where how it’s spelled and how it’s pronounced are two very different things), who is a very... interesting filmmaker. Depending on who you ask, he was either a very talented and imaginative filmmaker whose work mixed the experimental with the erotic, or a very talented and imaginative filmmaker who fell into the realm of erotic film. I’m probably in the former camp, but only because based on the bonus features I’ve seen on this Blu-ray/DVD release, he seems more like a filmmaker who just did whatever the fuck he wanted. And I can appreciate that.

At the time I watched this, the only other Borowczyk film I knew of was The Beast (or La Bête), which the Cinema Snob had done an episode on and it seemed like it was the most pretentious erotic film ever made, or one of the most pretentious anyway.

The movie is, as the title indicates, a version of the story of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. But, like I said, Borowczyk basically did whatever he wanted, so he took considerable liberties with the story. It takes place almost entirely within the Jekyll estate, where there is a party to celebrate the engagement of Dr. Jekyll (played by Udo Kier, everyone’s favorite European actor that you see in all kinds of weird things) and Fanny Osbourne (played by Italian actress Marina Pierro). At first it seems pretty lavish and pretentious and not a whole lot happens, which made me think “Oh, fuck me it’s one of those movies... I had a feeling this would happen.”

And then someone gets fucked to death. Literally.

All of a sudden, the nice lavish Victorian party gets messed up, as there is someone in the house going around, raping and killing people. Someone whose dick is so large (and apparently pointed), it literally pierces through your abdomen and kills you. It’s like the Lust murder in Seven, only way more fucked up. But yeah, with this guy running around, nobody’s safe and the women are hidden away while the men try to find who this person is and- okay, no, there’s no mystery, it’s Mr. Hyde of course.

If you haven’t noticed, this movie is seriously fucked up. When one of the guests at her party actually shows attracting to Mr. Hyde and offers herself to him while her father is tied up nearby just so that he’d be forced to see her be taken, I went “...Oh my God, what the fuck have I gotten myself into?” And the last time I had that reaction in a movie was The Hateful Eight. Those who have seen that movie will know why.

My opinion of this movie is muddled. It is a mixed bag. The acting is good overall, and the English dub of the movie isn’t bad. (The movie was in French, as a majority of Borowczyk’s films were made in France.) The visual style is pretty cool, with a lot of soft focus and a heavy atmosphere that makes the film feel surreal and dreamlike, sort of like a waking nightmare. The music adds to that quality, even in the times when it sounds like what you imagine a pretentious film’s soundtrack to sound like, and it makes the film feel more disturbing. And there are some moments where the film actually does feel erotic instead of “JESUS CHRIST”, like when Fanny, in one of the most recognized scenes from the film, is hiding behind cabinets and peeks between them to see Dr. Jekyll transform into Mr. Hyde. The transformation itself is interesting: instead of simply drinking a potion, Jekyll pours a bath and, instead of putting in those crystals for a bubble bath, he puts in a chemical that triggers a full-body transformation as he soaks his entire body in it.

There’s also the character of Fanny, who’s obviously a major character as the title indicates. She’s not a side character, she’s a main character who goes off trying to figure out what’s happening and why Jekyll keeps disappearing into his lab. When Hyde attacks her, she fights back, tries to appeal to the Jekyll inside him, even throws arrows at him (which works... somehow... lucky, I guess?). It’s clear that she’s a strong-willed woman who isn’t going to sit around passively, which is good.

But on the other hand, this movie goes into places that will make a good number of people uncomfortable. There are some pretty disturbing scenes in the movie and they all have to do with sexual things like rape or the aforementioned “What the fuck have I gotten myself into?” moment. There are several moments of that in the movie. And... I feel like Borowczyk’s trying to say something here, but I’m not sure what it is. Is it a message about Victorian-era morality and how despite social proprieties that we know and associate with the era, there was sexuality lurking just behind that and a desire to cast aside set proprieties? Is it something about repressed sexual desires? I’m not the person to ask about that. Maybe there’s something I’m missing. I dunno.

This is the first movie for this resolution where I don’t know if I could recommend it. I feel that is overall good, but the more screwed-up elements would probably put a lot of people off. I don’t know if this movie is for me. I don’t think it’s bad, and I don’t hate it, I just don’t think it’s for me. It’s important to know when something’s bad and something’s just not for you.

Don’t worry, next one’s not as messed up, and it’s something I have less muddled feelings for.

Next time: A movie that isn’t as messed up, thankfully. But how does death walk?

[olivierdemangeon]

    Charlie et Eli Sisters évoluent dans un monde sauvage et hostile, ils ont du sang sur les mains : celui de criminels, celui d’innocents… Ils n’éprouvent aucun état d’âme à tuer. C’est leur métier. Charlie, le cadet, est né pour ça. Eli, lui, ne rêve que d’une vie normale. Ils sont engagés par le Commodore pour rechercher et tuer un homme. De l’Oregon à la Californie, une traque implacable commence, un parcours initiatique qui va éprouver ce lien fou qui les unit. Un chemin vers leur humanité ?

    Origine du film : France, États-Unis Réalisateur : Jacques Audiard Scénaristes : Jacques Audiard, Thomas Bidegain Acteurs : John C. Reilly, Joaquin Phoenix, Jake Gyllenhaal, Riz Ahmed, Rebecca Root, Allison Tolman, Rutger Hauer, Carol Kane Musique : Alexandre Desplat Genre : Aventure, Crime, Western Durée : 121 minutes Date de sortie : 19 septembre 2018 (France) Année de production : 2018 Sociétés de production : Why Not Productions, Annapurna Pictures, Page 114 Productions Distribué par : Annapurna Pictures Titre français : Les Frères Sisters Notre note : ★★★★☆

    “The Sisters Brothers” ou “Les Frères Sisters” pour la distribution française, est un western franco-américain datant de 2018, co-écrit et réalisé par Jacques Audiard, à qui l’on doit également “Dheepan” (2015). Les acteurs principaux sont John C. Reilly, qu’on a pu voir dans”Kong: Skull Island” (2017), Joaquin Phoenix, qu’on a pu voir dans “You Were Never Really Here” (2017), Jake Gyllenhaal, qu’on a pu voir dans “End of Watch” (2012), et Riz Ahmed, qu’on a pu voir dans “Venom” (2018). À noter également la participation de Rutger Hauer, qu’on avait pu voir dans “Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets” (2017).

L’histoire proposée par “The Sisters Brothers” nous invite à suivre Eli (John C. Reilly) et Charlie Sisters (Joaquin Phoenix), deux frangins, tueurs professionnels, à la solde d’un homme fortuné connu sous le nom de Commodore (Rutger Hauer). Ce dernier les charge de retrouver et d’assassiner Hermann Kermit Warm (Riz Ahmed). Ce dernier a été repéré par John Morris (Jake Gyllenhaal), un éclaireur également employé par le Commodore. Cependant, contre toute attente, John Morris va s’associer avec Hermann, et prendre la fuite avec lui. Les frères Brothers doivent désormais prendre en chasse les deux hommes qui semblent partis à la conquête de l’or…

Le western est un genre qui fut longtemps mis de côté, et depuis quelques années, on peut retrouver ce type de films avec plus au moins de réussite. “Jane Got a Gun” (2016) de Gavin O’Connor, “The Hateful Eight” (2015) de l’incontournable Quentin Tarantino, “Brimstone” (2016) de Martin Koolhoven, ou encore “Hostiles” (2017) de Scott Cooper, sont des exemples de ce que l’on peut faire de bien dans ce genre cinématographique particulier, qui aura bercé ma jeunesse. “The Sisters Brothers” est basé sur le roman éponyme signé par Patrick deWitt, paru en 2011. Les droits pour en adapter un film ont été vendus la même année à la société de John C. Reilly, qui devait également incarner l’un des frères. Il a fallu attendre 2015 pour connaître le nom du réalisateur, et cocorico c’est un Français qui s’est retrouvé à la direction du métrage, en la personne de Jacques Audiard.

Benoît Debie offre une superbe photographie à travers ce métrage. Un élément qu’on attend souvent dans ce genre, et de ce côté-là, on est servi avec de superbes visuels des grands espaces. L’aventure des frères Sisters nous emmenant de Floride vers la Californie pour remonter dans l’Oregon. Le travail sur les décors, les costumes et les différentes bâtisses est très réussi. On peut nettement percevoir l’ambiance des grandes villes naissantes comme San Francisco. Il en est de même pour l’atmosphère qui se dégage des villes et des personnes pleinement investies dans la recherche de l’or.

On retrouve également l’esprit du western dans les personnages principaux qui ne sont, finalement, que des criminels, à la solde d’un puissant de l’époque, qui cherche à régler ses comptes, sans que ses hommes de main ne sachent vraiment pourquoi. Pire encore, du moment qu’ils failliront à leur mission, ils seront eux-mêmes pourchassés par d’autres tueurs, toujours à la solde du même individu. Fatalement, cela conduit à quelques fusillades, courses-poursuites à dos de cheval, et des détours dans des bars où l’on croise des femmes de petites vertus, prêtes à offrir des faveurs en échange de quelques dollars.

D’une durée avoisinant les deux heures, le récit reste parfaitement fluide, bien qu’il n’y ait pas de message particulier délivré par le scénario concocté par Jacques Audiard et Thomas Bidegain. Les scènes d’action viennent agréablement rythmer l’histoire sans flashbacks et sans sauts dans le futur. C’est totalement linéaire d’un point de vue de la narration. Le rythme est plus que plaisant et l’édition orchestrée par Juliette Welfling, permet de garder un bon équilibre entre les différentes cadences qu’offre le métrage. La bande originale proposée par Benoît Debie est très classique, mais tout à fait sympathique. La distribution offre de très bonnes prestations, et c’est John C. Reilly et Joaquin Phoenix sur qui on se focalise le plus. Le premier offre un personnage calme et méthodique qui se retrouve de plus en plus dans la réflexion sur ses actes et son devenir, aspirant à développer une vie plus conventionnelle. Le second offre un personnage plus hystérique, plus impatient, moins réfléchi. Une sorte de chien fou dont la moralité n’a aucune prise.

“The Sisters Brothers” a rapporté 3,1 millions de dollars aux États-Unis et au Canada, et 7,1 millions de dollars dans les autres pays, dont près de 6,5 millions de dollars en France, pour une recette mondiale d’environ 10,2 millions de dollars, contre un budget de production de 38 millions de dollars…

“Les Frères Sisters” a fait l’objet d’une édition en DVD ainsi qu’en Blu-ray, paru le 23 janvier 2019 chez Warner Home Vidéo France. Pour de plus amples renseignements, n’hésitez pas à consulter la fiche du film sur le site DVD.Fr.

En conclusion, “The Sisters Brothers” est un très bon western disposant d’une histoire intéressante, d’une intrigue captivante et d’un développement consciencieux. Le rythme est agréable, la photographie est somptueuse, la bande originale est classique, et l’édition appliquée afin de garder un tempo diligent. Le récit est parfaitement fluide, les personnages sont attachants et la distribution offre des prestations de qualité. Un premier film en langue anglaise pour Jacques Audiard qui s’en sort plus que bien et qui s’avère honorablement divertissant. A voir …

    THE SISTERS BROTHERS (2018) ★★★★☆ Charlie et Eli Sisters évoluent dans un monde sauvage et hostile, ils ont du sang sur les mains : celui de criminels, celui d’innocents… Ils n’éprouvent aucun état d’âme à tuer.

[theculture]

Valerian releases on Digital HD November 7, on UHD 4K, Blu-Ray & DVD November 21 | Rihanna as ‘Bubble’ | @minajvtrois for more original pop culture gifs!

[lencreetlaplume]

Enki Bilal : Immortel pour la vie "Peut-être que c'est mon passé qui me rend agité, qui me donne envie de continuer à avancer."  Fils d'un père bosniaque et d'une mère tchèque, Enki Bilal a passé ses neuf premières années à Belgrade, dans l'ex-Yougoslavie, pays à l'ombre du communisme et toujours aux prises au lendemain de la Seconde Guerre mondiale. Depuis sa jeunesse, Bilal avait une passion pour la bande dessinée et pour le grand écran, allant chaque semaine au cinéma, en particulier dans ses westerns favoris. Quand il avait neuf ans, il a décroché un rôle dans un court métrage réalisé à Belgrade.  " Il s'agissait de deux gamins de la rue qui se promenaient dans la ville: ils s'arrêtaient et dessinaient des combats à la craie sur les trottoirs, l'un dessinant des cow-boys, l'autre des Indiens. " Il était aussi un dessinateur en herbe, mais par chance, il a dû quitter son pays avant la fin du film. Il n'a jamais découvert ce qui lui est arrivé, après que lui et sa famille aient quitté la ville troublée et se soient réinstallés en 1961 à Paris. Pour lui, la France était une nouvelle vie, et une nouvelle culture, du cinéma et de la bande dessinée ou de la bande dessinée. Au début des années 1970, il découvre sa première vocation en tant qu'artiste de BD, lorsqu'il remporte un concours de talents pour le magazine Pilote, à la maison depuis 1959 d' Astérix et à l'époque à la pointe de la révolution BD naissante.  Ici, et plus tard dans Metal Hurlant , Bilal a commencé à écrire et à dessiner une série de courtes histoires SF, dont deux livres viennent d'être rassemblés dans un volume de Memories, le dernier dans les collections de la bibliothèque Bilal de Humanoids et DC Comics. Son collaborateur le plus important à Pilote était l'écrivain renommé Pierre Christin.  Ensemble, ils ont développé une trilogie de contes contemporains de satires fantastiques, en partie sociales, en partie des refroidisseurs inspirés par HP Lovecraft, mis en place dans différentes villes actuelles assaillies par des forces mystérieuses.  Ces trois histoires formatives sont compilées dans Townscapes . L'espionnage, le changement de régime, le terrorisme et la résistance étaient des ingrédients dans les projets postérieurs de Bilal et Christin, plus chargés politiquement, The Black Order Brigade et The Hunting Party sont combinés dans le livre The Chaos Effect .  L'art de Bilal a évolué vers une plus grande sophistication, en s'éloignant des lignes détaillées vers un rendu plus entièrement peint et une palette de couleurs plus riche. Bilal a fait sa plus grande percée dans les bandes dessinées lorsqu'il est allé en solo sur son premier roman graphique complet Gods In Chaos en 1980. Alcide Nikopol est un homme qui est tombé sur terre, après avoir été suspendu en animation suspendue, emprisonné dans l'espace pour désertion. Sa misérable vie mortelle s'altère radicalement, lorsqu'il est ressuscité à Paris, blessé mais inchangé 20 ans plus tard dans un monde où tout le monde a vieilli. Sa jambe manquante est remplacée par une greffe de métal soudée par Horus, un renégat étranger à tête de faucon nu, qui ressemble à son homonyme, le dieu égyptien. Nikopol ne peut plus s'appeler sa vie ou son corps, parce que Horus a besoin de le posséder pour agir comme son instrument de vengeance contre ses compagnons dieux, planant dans leur vaisseau spatial pyramidal au-dessus de Paris. La politique du pouvoir mondial s'est transformée en un cirque bizarre. À l'intérieur du corps de Nikopol, Horus s'infiltre dans les chambres du gouverneur peint Choublanc (français pour perdant) et s'empare du pouvoir dans la capitale française. Nikopol découvre que sa femme, maintenant morte, avait un fils, maintenant le même âge que lui et pratiquement son jumeau. Bilal revient à la saga en 1986 avec The Woman Trap , présentant la femme fatale exotique Jill Bioskop (le mot serbe pour le cinéma), un reporter aux cheveux bleus du futur avec du sang sur les mains. Il a finalement terminé la saga en 1992 à Cold Equator . Les visions de Bilal révèlent une dystopie décadente, accablante et baroque, inspirée par des réalisateurs comme Andrei Tarkowsky de Solaris et Stalker . Son complot est dense, imprévisible, et fait vraiment l'objet d'une attention particulière. Il y a aussi un humour noir et absurde, de la maudite composition des politiciens et du chat exotique dépouillé Gogol aux championnats du monde de boxe d'échecs. En tout, The Nikopol Trilogy a pris douze ans à Bilal, alors qu'il poursuivait son autre grande obsession et sa carrière éventuelle, le cinéma. Alain Resnais, un grand admirateur, a fait une pause importante en lui donnant la chance de concevoir l'affiche et quelques décors en verre peint pour ses films. Une autre occasion s'est présentée en 1983, lorsque le réalisateur Michael Mann tournait The Keep . Malheureux avec le regard du monstre, il a embauché Bilal, parce qu'il était familier avec ses albums. Bilal a appris de Mann que tous les albums d'artistes BD français comme Druillet, Moebius, Mézières et lui-même traînaient dans tous les studios de cinéma américains. Ils les copiaient depuis des années. Ce n'est pas un grand secret que George Lucas ait été fortement influencé dans Star Wars par les albums de Valerian (iBooks) écrits par Christin et dessinés par Mézières, du look du Millennium Falcon à la scène du bar alien. Moebius et Dan O'Bannon ont essentiellement créé une grande partie de l'ambiance et du style de Blade Runner dans leur collaboration The Long Tomorrow des années plus tôt. Heureusement, les réalisateurs ont commencé à demander à ces artistes visionnaires de contribuer officiellement aux productions. Bilal a été engagé pour produire des dessins préparatoires pour Le Nom de la Rose , par exemple. Avec l'aide de Resnais, Bilal a dirigé son premier film en 1988, le Bunker Palace Hotel , dans le même avenir décadent et sensuel de ses romans graphiques. Après avoir réalisé son deuxième long métrage Tykho Moon , Bilal réalise son troisième film en 2004, son plus ambitieux et son plus gros budget à ce jour. Immortel Ad Vivam , ou Immortal For Life , réinterprète des parties de The Nikopol Trilogy et combine l'action en direct avec l'imagerie numérique bleue basée sur ses œuvres d'art, pour les décors incroyablement réalisés, les paysages urbains et les personnages étrangers, y compris les dieux égyptiens aliens. Le film a reçu des éloges et a bien joué en France, quand il est sorti. Cela aurait dû faire le nom de Bilal à l'international et en anglais en particulier. Malheureusement, mis à part quelques projections de festivals et une sortie limitée au Canada, il n'a pour l'instant pas réussi à obtenir une sortie générale cinématographique appropriée au Royaume-Uni ou aux États-Unis. Il est difficile de rivaliser avec la machine massive d'Hollywood. Immortel est déjà sorti en DVD, mais mérite vraiment d'être vu au cinéma. Visitez Immortel-Le Film pour goûter la bande-annonce et plus encore. De retour à BD, le plus récent album de Bilal est The Beast Trilogy , un psychodrame succulent et stimulant sur un homme au souvenir total. Cela est sorti en 2004 sous la forme recueillie dans la première trilogie que j'ai jamais vu avec seulement les deux premières parties, The Dormant Beast et Décembre 32 . Frustrant, mais il faudra le faire pour l'instant, en attendant qu'il termine la partie finale. Connaissant la nature agitée de Bilal, il ne tardera pas à revenir à sa passion pour la création de bandes dessinées.