#verna fields

[zalrb]

[guillotineman]

A Steven Spielberg Film

[genevieveetguy]

. I'm a terrible, frightful flirt. Did you ever hear of a nice girl that wasn't? But now I guess you'll tell me I'm not a nice girl.

Daisy Miller, Peter Bogdanovich (1974)

[unclejohnfilms]

Demolition!!!

[letterboxd-loggd]

Picnic (1955) Joshua Logan

June 25th 2023

[twittercomfrnklin2001-blog]

Targets

Made before director-co-writer Peter Bogdanovich knew what he couldn’t do, TARGETS (1968, Criterion) is one of the screen’s most audacious directorial debuts.  As good as some of his work is, I’m tempted to call it Bogdanovich’s best film. And it certainly gave Boris Karloff one of the best roles of his career, essentially playing a variation on himself.

The film opens with the finale (almost) of one of Roger Corman’s most delirious films, THE TERROR (1963), which starred Karloff and the largely unknown Jack Nicholson. It then cuts to a screening room, where Karloff’s Byron Orloff has been unhappily watching the last of three low-budget horror films he’s just made. He informs his ambitious young director-writer (Bogdanovich) that he’s retiring without having read the young man’s new script, which you may suspect is the script for this film. The argument moves to the street, and suddenly we cut to Karloff seen through the sights of a sniper rifle. That moves us into the parallel story of Bobby Thompson (Tim O’Kelly), who’s stockpiling weapons for a killing spree. Bogdanovich switches between these stories almost effortlessly with the help of editor Verna Fields. The idea of the classic horror star who feels he’s no longer relevant in a world of real-life horrors like those perpetrated by O’Kelly may be a little too pat, and the inevitable merging of the two plots a little too convenient, but the ideas behind all this trump any objections.

Karloff is magnificent, giving a performance even more impressive when you know that between scenes he had to return to a wheelchair and breathe through an oxygen mask. He’s a master of subtlety. He never wastes a gesture, and he doesn’t just speak his lines; he makes love to them. O’Kelly is also strong, projecting a lot through long silent stretches. Bogdanovich wisely never explains the specifics that led him to mass murder (there’s a sense that he has father issues), but you get the impression that he and O’Kelly know exactly what’s going on in the character’s mind. Laszlo Kovacs did the pristine cinematography, with subtle camera moves to disguise the cutting and build tension. Bogdanovich’s then wife, Polly Platt, co-wrote the original story (there were uncredited writing assists from Sam Fuller) and did a terrific job designing the sets. Thompson lives with the family, and their home is a fascinating combination of story book setting and sterility. It’s the middle-class dream moldering around the edges.

[orangepeelshortbreadcookies]

Madeline Usher - Setting herself up for failure

Because the thing is, Madeline was never close to successfully develop an AI human consciousness. Not even by a long shot. Roderick convinced she was, because either he knew jackshit about tech and algorithms, idolised his sister, was delusional about her progress, or Madeline was lying to him the same way Vic did, or a combination of all of these. Or Madeline was deceiving herself.

Because, based on the themes of the show, how could she create a fully realised human mind from scratch, when she doesn't understand what it is?

She loved Roderick's kids and his grandkid, but only as extensions of her brother. Not as people. She failed to understand Tamerlane's cry for help, dismissing her desperate (and valid) need for love and companionship, her immense guilt, and ended up giving her niece the most batshit worst advice that only further exacerbated her paranoia and isolation. She didn't bother caring about what the children were up to, if what they did did not pertain immediately to the superficial benefits of the family. She thought Napoleon made "debutante balls". Napoleon, whose occupation was in video games, provided he had had better creative encouragement and guidance, potentially could have been the best person in the family to connect with Madeline on a professional level. As an equal.

It was not a huge surprise that Madeline's digital recreation of Lenore was that soulless, horrifying text chain Roderick received at the end. Even as Madeline was permitted to a diary full of the girl's thoughts and dreams, she did not understand her, and at that point was incapable of trying. She did not know Lenore as a person, the kindness that drove the girl, in the same manner that she did not understand how people like Annabel Lee and Dupin operate. The one time she was given a chance at instrospection, when Annabel Lee told her "You are so small.", she squandered that chance by burying it with Griswald and never thought of it again.

Madeline was brilliant. She had an incredible, ruthless drive for success. She foresaw the necessity of her field. She understands how the world works. When it concerned her. She understood the worst parts about a person. When it concerned her. It was her intelligence, arrogance and hubris that Verna respected. Madeline also did not understand the good parts about a person. What makes them whole. Her humanity was amputated, half of it by her own doing, and she lacked the self-awareness to realise that her amputated worldview was not the whole picture.

So of course she failed at her lifelong dream of creating a living digital consciousness.

[pupsmailbox]

NATURE ID PACK

NAMES ⌇ abelia. acacius. aciano. aini. alder. alfie. almus. amaryllis. ame. antonio. archer. arthur. ashe. ashley. aspen. asper. aster. aveline. aviv. azalea. basil. belle. benedict. berry. bloom. blossom. bluebell. brook. calix. calla. carli. carline. carly. carolina. carrillo. cassia. cassiopeia. cedar. cherie. chun. cider. cira. cirrus. clover. coral. cordelia. crescent. cynthia. cypress. cyrus. dahlia. daisy. daphne. douglas. dune. echo. eilir. elara. elm. elowen. elyana. enon. erica. ester. everest. everett. evergreen. ewan. fauna. fern. finn. finnley. fleur. floor. flora. florian. florise. flower. flynn. forest. forrest. glen. gracie. gunner. haru. haruhime. haruki. hawthorne. heather. hemlock. honey. hyacinth. ianthe. indigo. ione. ipomea. iris. ivy. jaskier. jasmine. jasper. juniper. kalina. kallie. karolina. karoun. kath. kelda. ken. kingsley. lake. lavae. lavender. leilani. lennox. lente. lief. lilac. lily. linnea. lotus. lucinda. lucky. lucy. maayan. madeline. maggie. magnolia. maple. maren. mari. marian. marigold. mars. mary. maud. mauve. meadow. miles. momo. moss. mossie. mossy. moxie. muna. narcisow. nimbus. noi. oak. oasis. oleander. oybahor. pandora. pearl. pebble. pege. petal. plum. poppy. pınar. quanlian. quill. river. rosa. rosalie. rosalind. rose. roswell. rue. rune. saem. sage. sakura. san. sky. sol. star. story. strider. striker. summit. sunny. sylvia. sylvie. tasnim. terra. thistle. thorn. thorne. tree. udaberri. vasanta. verna. violet. waipuna. wells. westley. willow. wisteria. wisty. wren. yuki. zephyr. ziedonis. zinnia.

PRONOUNS ⌇ amaranth/amaranth. aster/aster. bee/bee. bee/bees. bless/blessed. bloom/bloom. bloss/bloss. bloss/blossomself. bud/bud. camell/camell. camellia/camellia. carnati/carnation. chirp/chirp. ci/cir. cloud/cloud. colum/columbine. columbine/columbine. comfort/comfort. dais/daisy. dawn/dusk. dew/dew. dog/dogwood. dog/wood. ey/em. fe/fer. fer/fern. fern/fern. field/field. fir/fir. fleur/fleur. flor/flor. flor/flora. floral/floral. flori/florid. flow/flower. flower/flower. freesi/freesia. fruit/fruit. fuch/fuchsia. garden/garden. grass/grass. green/green. grow/growth. hawth/hawthorn. hawth/thorn. hi/hits. hib/hibiscus. honey/honey. hy/hys. hya/hyacinth. hyacin/hyacinth. h✦/h✦m. ir/iris. jas/jasmine. jessa/jessamine. jour/ney. laven/lavender. le/leaf. leaf/leaf. leaf/leave. lil/lily. lotu/lotus. lu/luna. mag/magnolia. mar/mar. matcha/matcha. misel/mistletoe. mo/moth. morning/morning. moss/moss. mossy/mossy. narc/narcir. narcissus/narcissus. nature/nature. orch/orchid. pe/peony. peace/peace. peak/peak. per/peri. peri/periwinkle. petal/petal. pi/pix. picnic/picnic. plum/plum. pollen/pollen. pop/poppy. prick/prick. pur/purple. qu/quest. rain/rain. rhod/rhode. ros/rose. rose/rose. sa/sap. sage/sage. sakura/sakura. scent/scent. se/ser. shine/shine. shroom/shroom. sh✦/h✦r. si/strike. smile/smile. soft/soft. sol/solar. spikes/spike. spring/spring. sprout/sprout. star/star. stem/stem. sun/sun. sun/sunrise. sun/sunset. syr/syringa. tea/party. tea/tea. thist/thistle. thorn/thorn. th✦y/th✦m. tul/tulip. vi/vier. vi/viol. wi/wild. win/winkle. wind/wind. wister/wisteria. yucca/yucca. zinni/zinnia. ☀️ . 🌱 . 🌳 . 🌷 . 🌿 . 🍎 . 🍏 . 🍵 . 🐝 . 🐞 . 💐 . 💐.🌷 . 🕷️ . 🦋 . 🦟 .

[rebeccathenaturalist]

*deep breath* This, folks, is EXACTLY why I am writing The Everyday Naturalist. Because it's not enough to have an app. You HAVE to know how to use multiple identification tools and have keen observational skills if you are going to safely forage or otherwise identify things in nature.

Here's the deal. Apps are a tool. They are not infallible, and they should never, ever, EVER be your only tool for identifying mushrooms and other organisms. This goes even moreso for when you're trying to determine whether something is edible or not. I go into more detail about why apps should never be used by themselves in this article that I wrote a few months back, but let's explore a bit more about how an app works.

Any identification app has access to a particular database of pictures and other information for various species. In the case of my favorite app, iNaturalist, it draws from the over 156 million (and growing) observations of animals, plants, fungi, and other living beings that have been uploaded to it over the years.

When you upload a photo to an app, your phone usually inputs the date, time, and GPS location automatically, though these can be updated manually if need be. Then the app's algorithms sift through the database looking for species that are found in the same location at the same time of year, and which have similar photos.

Notice that I said SIMILAR, not identical. Many organisms, to include many fungi, have varying appearances based on subspecies, life stage, and other factors. And there are a lot of species that have close lookalikes, whether we're talking birds, wildflowers, mushrooms, etc.

So the algorithms then use their search results to give you their suggestion(s) of what most closely resembles the organism you are trying to identify. Some give you one answer; others, like iNaturalist, offer you a list to choose from, and may also qualify their response with "We're not sure, but these were found nearby" or something similar. The first one on the list is NOT always going to be the correct answer. However, the app doesn't have reasoning skills, and all it can do is play match-up and then produce suggestions based on that. (Yes, other iNaturalist users can come along and comment on your observations once you've uploaded and saved them, but you always want to carefully assess their claims, too.)

There are several toxic mushrooms that are implicated in poisonings on a regular basis; among them are what I call the "deadly Amanitas": the death cap (Amanita phalloides) and the destroying angels (A. bisporigera, A. ocreata, and A. verna.) In addition to these species' respective native ranges in Europe and North America, some have managed to make their way to other parts of the world. This includes in Australia, where there is a current investigation underway over a woman who fed several family members deadly Amanitas, three of whom have died.

These poisonous mushrooms have several edible lookalikes. As one example, while matsutakes (Tricholoma matsutake) are often brown, they may sometimes appear white, especially if the brown layer has peeled off. And field mushrooms (Agaricus spp, especially A. bisporus and A. campestris) are also large white mushrooms, though their gills and spores tend to be brown rather than the white of Amanita species.

Still, someone taking a picture of a large white mushroom--especially if they neglect to take another picture of the gills (the more pictures you take, the better)--could easily end up with an app telling them an Amanita is an Agaricus. Or they might read that some people think it's safe to eat Amanita muscaria if you parboil it long enough, and assume that other Amanita species are the same way (one of MANY reasons I do not advocate for treating A. muscaria as an edible.)

So--again--DO NOT USE APPS AS YOUR ONLY ID TOOL. Use them in conjunction with multiple field guides, websites, other foragers, etc. Practice using these tools and developing a critical eye before you go out foraging. Be super cautious, and when in doubt, throw it out.

And my inbox is ALWAYS open, as is my email (rebeccathenaturalist(at)gmail(dot)com.) You can ALWAYS email me with questions about field guides, apps, and other resources, and I am also happy to look at pictures of mushrooms (and other living beings) you're trying to identify, whether edible or not. You might need to give me a few days to reply, but I will get back to you. Don't use ME as your only source, either; I'm just one person. But I can point you to online groups that are also good resources.

[simpcityy]

Location Status: In My Arms (Miguel O'Hara x Spider-Person!Reader) *Platonic*

Summary: Father figure Miguel is on a timer to find you before it's too late, he just can't lose another kid.

Disclaimer: I do not own Marvel or any of its characters. This is the final part for Location Status: Unknown (Link Below Warnings)

Word Count: 2k

Warnings: Use of (Y/N), Father Figure Miguel, father and daughter fluff? Miguel cursing in Spanish, Angst, blood. violence, comic villain reference, meltdown...ughhh I think that is all.

Pt.1 Pt.2 Pt.3

A hard punch gets thrown at you, making you slam out through the wall to the outside of the warehouse. “I’m getting tired of using you as my punching bag little spider” Verna walks out of the hole made in the wall smirking seeing your state. You cough up blood and slowly stand up, wiping your mouth with your sleeve. “Well, I’m not done with you yet.” You frowned looking at Verna before an idea pop into you. “Since you’re getting tired of me being your punching bag, how about a game of cat and mouse.” You fling your web into a box and throw it at her. Verna frowns shielding herself from the box letting it break from the contact of her hands before looking over. She growled seeing you were gone and saw you in the distance swinging away. “Alright, I’ll play that little game of yours” She chases after you, ready to end you once and for all. 

“Lyla! How much further to the warehouse!” Miguel quickly swings from roof to roof, following the coordinates she sent him. “Almost there Miguel.” She says before seeing the warehouse in the distance. “There!” Miguel looks over and jumps down looking around, “(Y/N)!” He yells running inside the warehouse seeing many boxes broken but what made his heart stop was puddles of blood around the place. “Por favor Lyla, dime que no es …” Lyla appears in front of him, “I’m sorry Miguel, scans show it is.” She watches as Miguel follows the trail of blood to the giant hole on the wall. He looks up, “Must have run to safety?” Lyla scans the other puddles of blood. “ Eso espero*” He quickly swings, following your trail of blood. 

“I’m getting tired of this game my little spider” Verna frowns as you guide her into an empty tall grass field with a cliff at the left side. “Well, that makes the two of us'' Your voice echoes around the field hiding within the tall fields of grass. Verna carefully looks around the field trying to locate you. “Just admit it, you’re going to lose anyways with those injuries. My guess is from blood loss” She hums walking around the tall grass, pushing the grass to the side trying to find you. You let your spider senses guide you away from her, getting closer to the left side of the field. “As if, I’m tougher than you think” You taunted before looking over your shoulder once your spider senses kicked in again. Verna lunged forward pinning you. “I had enough! I’ll have your head now!” She yelled having enough. Crying out in pain, you sucked in a breath before placing your feet on her hips and pushed your feet upwards, pushing her over you making her fall over the cliff. “I’m Immortal you fool!” She smirks. You get up quickly watching her fall. “But are you immortal to Radioactive waste?” You gave her a smug smile once her smirk twisted into fear. “No!” She tries to grab on to the hanging roots but snapped, making her fall in the pool of waste. “I need to let the mayor know about this hazard” You mutter before your vision slowly starts getting blurry. You tried to walk back to a safe distance but fainted over the cliff. As you get closer and closer to the radioactive waste pool. You landed in the arms of someone. 

Miguel was getting closer to the field before seeing you fainting over the cliff. “(Y/N)!” He yells, ignoring the fire on his arm and shoulder from swinging so aggressively to find you faster. He dives down catching you before shooting a web to a tree and pulling himself up with you in his other arm. Your feet were slightly close to the pool of waste. Miguel was there for you just in time. “Lyla, scan now.” He yells landing on the ground checking you over for any wounds that are visible to the eye. Lyla quickly scanned you, “Internal wounds are major, bleeding to death.” She then scans the area for the anomaly. “Anomaly seems to be taken care of.” She reports before detecting Miguel's vials. “Miguel, your heart rate is beating abnormally.” She turns to him, seeing him breathing heavily. “Miguel?” She appears in front of him. “  Esto es mi culpa….Lo siento*” He repeats over and over. He takes your mask off, seeing how pale and bruised you were made him feel worse. He was reminded of Gabriella. He feels his chest being constricted. “Miguel! Take deep breaths!” Lyla tries to bring him back. Everything around him was muffled, he shakes his head holding you close “No, por favor! No me hagas esto” he yells out to no one. He holds your head close to his chest shaking, repeating no multiple times. He snaps out of it, finally hearing Lyla calling out to him, he felt a cold hand on his cheek. “Deep breathes” You whisper out, waking up from the sound of his loud and quick heartbeat. “Now, please take me to the medical room…it hurts” You tried to bring the mood up but only groaned out in pain. Miguel nods, finally coming back to earth. “Yes…Si!” He shakes his head finally understanding what needs to be done right away. He opens the portal to HQ and walks through it. He was met with Peter all panicked. “Here, the doctor is ready, come on let's go” He hands him a watch to prevent you from glitching. Miguel only takes it and puts it on you before running down the hall with Peter behind him. Jess quickly helps the doctor push the bed closer to the entrance, laying you down, you were wheeled into the room. Miguel only stands there, feeling lost. “What the heck happened out there?” Peter looks at Miguel once you were behind closed doors. Miguel only shakes his head “I…I don’t know…” He whispers. Jess walks over with a worried look. “Miguel…you should clean up” She whispers. Miguel looks down at his holographic suit seeing your blood. “I…No I have to wait” He looks at the doors before seeing Peter pat his shoulder “Hey Man…we’ll stay here till you’re clean and take the time to understand this…you look so confused dude.” For once Miguel listened, “Lyla.” He calls out. “I know, I’ll let you know any updates.” She assures him watching him leave. 

After a clean shower, Miguel only sat in the waiting area of the medical bay, waiting for you to get out of surgery. It’s been over 4 hours and Miguel sat there, his leg bouncing up and down. He looks over seeing the entrance open, Miles walks in with a box. “I heard from Peter what happened…I…brought you food…requested by Peter.” He slowly places the box on the coffee table. He gets ready to be lashed out but is met with a soft response by Miguel, “Gracias.” He whispers, taking the box and eats it right away as his stomach was calling out for food not long ago. “You alive mate?” Hobie and Pav peek over watching Miles stand there in shock. Miles only glances at his friends before back to Miguel, “On the time I’ve been on this team…I’ve seen how strong …they really are...they’ll pull through” he tells Miguel before walking out leaving him alone, pushing Hobie and Pav away from the medical bay before they say anything to Miguel, especially Hobie. 

It’s been 6 hours now and he finally sees the doors open. Miguel stands up quickly “What’s their status?” He asked, towering over the doctor waiting. “All internal wounds have been sealed and we’ve been able to find someone of their blood type, they lost a lot of blood…so much that even some of the janitors had to wipe up the floors while I worked on them. Miguel looks away remembering how he was stained, and the hallways had drops as well. “Right now, they are resting but I can’t assure you when they’ll wake up, their body took a lot of hits and stabs, especially the stomach area. It was a big wound.” The doctor explains before stepping aside. “You can see them” Miguel quickly walked in the room, wasting no time. He took the chair and sat near you checking your bandages over seeing how many you had wrapped throughout your body. He took your hand and held it close to him. He whispers over and over how he should’ve been there for you. He quickly wipes his eyes hearing footsteps. “I heard the surgery went well…” Jess walked over sitting on the other chair. “All we have to do is wait. '' Migel looks at her, letting go of your hand. “I hope you didn’t mind…but I asked Lyla if there was any footage of what happened…there was one camera in the warehouse that captured it and apparently one in the field.” She looks at him. Miguel quickly looks at his watch pulling the file. 

After watching it, Miguel’s leg bounced more seeing the hits and jabs you took from Verna. “Verna is dead…” Jess confessed. Hearing this, Miguel frowns. “Please tell me you’re joking…” he lets out a frustrated sigh, “her siblings are going to go after her once they find out…” He whispers looking at you carefully. Jess looks at the time, “I’ll let you be, I know you’re going to stay the night here” She walks over to the door, “You take the day, I’ll be in charge tomorrow.” She walks away. Miguel nods, thankful of Jess. He lays his head on the bed holding your wrist able to feel your pulse, making sure nothing will happen to you while he sleeps. 

It’s been a week and Miguel looks at you sleeping peacefully through the monitors. Lyla appears and watches with him, “I hook their vitals to your watch so you can be aware if anything happens.” She looks at him as Miguel keeps working, “Thank you Lyla.” He looks at the new future on the watch seeing your vitals stable before rolling his eyes hearing Peter walking in. “What is it now?” He turns around, “I’m busy” He glares at him. Peter laughs nervously, “I know you said no to Miles being able to come to my dimension but it’s an emergency!” He begs. “Him being your babysitter so you can have a date with your wife is not an emergency.” Miguel turns around going back to work trying to ignore him. He frowns even more hearing the pings, “Shut your watch up!” He roars at Peter. The man puts his hands up, “it’s not mine.” he says confused. Miguel looks at him before quickly looking at his watch. ‘They woke up…They woke up!’ He thinks before going down his platform leaving Peter alone. “So is that a yes?” Peter calls out before the door closes.

You slowly open your eyes before covering your eyes from the bright lights. “Woah…where am I? Wait…am I not supposed to be dead?” You mutter remembering your fight with Verna. Slowly sitting up, you looked around your surroundings. You saw many get-well cards on your table, the machines all hooked up to you, and looking at your body seeing the bandages. Once you did, you finally felt the pain. “Ow…fuck” You whisper now feeling like a train fell on you. You tried to look for the call button for nurses and doctors before looking over to see the doors slam open. “Miguel?” You whisper seeing how much of a mess he was. Suddenly, you were feeling guilty, it was because of you. "Miguel…I’m Sorry” You began to say before feeling him hug you. You ignored the pain from your body and hugged him back. “No te disculpes…Es culpa mía*” He whispers his hand carefully on your head, holding you close. You felt the drops of tears fall on you. You only stood silent and held him close. “I’m okay” You whisper finally. Miguel didn’t say anything, he just kept you close in his arms. That’s all he needs, is you in his arms to feel as a whole once again. Gabriella slipped from his arms on that day, he never wants to go through that again, so he intends to keep you in his arms.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Authors Note: Finally done with this, so I can focus on requests and other on hold series I have on this blog. Thank you so much for the support. Please like and reblog so others can be aware of my works. As always sorry for any grammar errors. Remember to stay hydrated and to keep on simping! (Simp City Population: 139💕 *Wow! THANK YOU*)

Spanish Translation: 1. Por favor Lyla, dime que no es: Please Lyla, tell me it's not 2.  Eso espero: I hope so 3. Esto es mi culpa….Lo siento: This is my fault...I'm sorry 4. No, por favor! No me hagas esto: No! Please! Don't do this to me 5. Si: Yes 6. Gracias: Thank you 7. No te disculpes…Es culpa mía: Don't apologize, it's my fault

[fleshadept]

fun fact a huge reason why editing, despite being one of the most important jobs in filmmaking next to writing, directing, and cinematography, is largely ignored and unrecognized is because it was seen as women’s work for a long time. people learn about kubrick and hitchcock and spielberg and scorsese, but do you know thelma schoonmaker, who was scorsese’s editor for over 50 years?

the term “film editor” was first used to describe margaret booth, who worked in the film industry between 1915 and 1987. because of the low value of the position and her ultimate high level position at MGM, it’s estimated that there’s hundreds of films out there she worked on uncredited. she shaped the craft.

jaws was going to be a terrible movie until spielberg’s editor, verna fields, showed him what it could feel like if they avoided showing the shark itself and instead focused on reactions and POVs. she had her own editing lab at home, which if you don’t know what editing labs looked like before digital editing, was insane. she pioneered the fucking natural wipe transition that’s used in pretty much every movie today. she tutored george and marcia lucas! also her nickname was the “mother cutter” which is just badass

marcia lucas, by the way, was george lucas’s story and film editor. it’s pretty well known by now that most of the parts that made star wars strong came from her. the problem with attribution between them eventually led to their divorce, as george lucas kept getting credit for her ideas and skill.

when people think of filmmakers, they think of writers and directors and actors, but there are three phases to making a movie: pre-production, production, and post production, and by and large the reason post production is forgotten i because it was a women’s job for a long time—made easier because they could put the women in a dark room where they didn’t have to see them. but without editors movies would just be a bunch of separate, out of order video and audio clips in a huge folder. in the same way you can’t have a movie without a script or actors or a camera, you cannot have a movie without editors. and they should not be forgotten to time in favor of the male auteurs who took or received most of the credit

[knightotoc]

The Fall of the House of Usher spoilers:

I was wondering if there were any way for any member of Roderick's family to escape from their curse. The deal is that "your bloodline dies with you;" "bloodline" seems like a precise word, but there are a couple interesting qualifiers in this (unreliable Google) definition:

The first thing that stands out here is that "bloodline" is a modern word, increasing in use, not the kind of ancient language you'd expect in a demonic contract with an immortal being. If this timeline is correct, Verna wouldn't have been making deals using this exact phrasing in the past; the one with Roderick might be the first one.

The second thing to consider is the example phrase: "the survival of a legitimate royal bloodline." "Legitimate" and "royal" often contradict "bloodline;" all three concepts are social constructs that depend upon a culture's definition of fatherhood, motherhood, law, and power.

A king might have illegitimate kids but invent a new religion to make them legitimate, like with Henry VIII and Elizabeth I. Or a queen might have illegitimate kids and keep their true father a secret, like the James Hewitt rumor. Medieval upper classes in Europe and Japan commonly adopted/raised each other's kids to maintain a peaceful balance of power.

Modern ideas about genetics are based in science, but deals with the devil certainly are not. The Ushers made the deal in 1979, and the technology for and social trust in paternity testing did not become common until the late 80s.

What makes this curse so particularly twisted is the same thing that makes the TV show so fantastic: Roderick did have many illegitimate kids, but he claimed them all and made them his heirs. If he had been ignorant of or rejected his illegitimate kids, would they have been safe from the curse? In my opinion, yes.

The question reminds me of the phrase, "Blood is thicker than water," which is a misinterpretation of the Biblical quote, "The blood of the covenant is thicker than the water of the womb." The former means genetic family is stronger than social bonds, while the latter means the opposite. Both phrases and Verna's deal invoke "blood" as the source of their power, but they all mean it in a different way.

The "covenant" of the Ushers, Roderick's promise of wealth and power in exchange for obedience, is signed in blood -- the misery and deaths of all the innocent victims of Ligodone. This tragedy has a far greater social, physical, and spiritual impact on the world than the fact that a handful of people have similar genetics.

I think if a character truly wanted to escape this "bloodline," they could. It would be difficult, but people have been rejecting their families for as long as families have been worth rejection. It makes me think of Ruth in the Old Testament ("where you go, I will go"), or Elon Musk's daughter, who changed not only her first name but her last.

The most tragic aspect of this possibility of escape is that it would still be impossible for many people, especially children. In the show, the only character who I think would escape this way is Lenore, but the curse comes too quickly. If she only had five more years, she might have been able to create a new identity for herself.

I love stories of inescapable tragedy, and it breaks my heart that Lenore's fate reflects the reality of so many kids trapped in bad families, so I appreciate what her death means. I wouldn't want to change anything in the show, and I don't think my interpretation cheapens the curse, just adds to it.

A final story that I want to consider is the recent Bob Marley biopic "One Love," which has a motif of a childhood vision of a pith-helmeted horseman in a burning field of sugarcane. At first, this horseman is his white father who rejected him, but eventually he transforms into Haile Selassie, the Messiah of Rastafarianism. While Marley is able to escape the mental hold his father had over him, the movie also implies that Marley inherited a rare form of cancer from him, which led to his early death. It's not demonic, but it is still unfair.

[byneddiedingo]

Barbra Streisand and Ryan O'Neal in What's Up, Doc? (Peter Bogdanovich, 1972)

Cast: Barbra Streisand, Ryan O’Neal, Madeline Kahn, Kenneth Mars, Austin Pendleton, Michael Murphy. Screenplay: Buck Henry, David Newman, Robert Benton, Peter Bogdanovich. Cinematography: László Kovács. Production design: Polly Platt. Film editing: Verna Fields. Music: Artie Butler.

Peter Bodganovich's What's Up, Doc? is a tribute to the masters of screwball comedy,  Howard Hawks and Preston Sturges especially, but also the ones who made worthy contributions like Gregory La Cava, George Stevens, Mitchell Leisen, and Frank Capra. Bogdanovich followed a few of the rules of the genre: One, get stars who usually played it straight to make fools of themselves. Two, make use of as many comic character actors as you can stuff into the film. Three, never pretend that the world the film is taking place in is the "real world." Four, never, ever let the pace slacken -- if your characters have to kiss or confess, make it snappy. On the first point, Bogdanovich found the closest equivalents to Cary Grant and Katharine Hepburn (or Clark Gable, Joel McCrea, James Stewart on the one hand, Rosalind Russell, Claudette Colbert, Jean Arthur on the other) that he could among the stars of his day. Ryan O'Neal was coming off the huge success of the weepy Love Story (Arthur Hiller, 1970) and a five-year run on TV's Peyton Place, and Barbra Streisand had won an Oscar for Funny Girl (William Wyler, 1968). O'Neal is no Cary Grant: His timing is a little off and he overdoes a single exasperated look, but he makes a suitable patsy. But has Streisand ever been more likable in the movies? She plays the dizzy troublemaker with relish, capturing the essence of Bugs Bunny -- the other inspiration for the movie -- to the point that you almost expect her to turn to the camera and say, "Ain't I a stinker?" As to the second point, we no longer have character actors of the caliber of Eugene Pallette, Franklin Pangborn, or William Demarest, but Bogdanovich recruited some of the best of his day: Kenneth Mars, Austin Pendleton, Michael Murphy, and others, and introduced moviegoers to the sublime Madeline Kahn. And he set it all in the ever-picturesque San Francisco, while making sure no one would confuse the movie version with the real thing, including a chase sequence up and down its hills that follows no possible real-world path. And he kept the pace up with gags involving bit players: the pizza maker so distracted by Streisand that he spins his dough up to the ceiling, the banner-hanger and the guys moving a sheet of glass, the waiter who enters a room with a tray of drinks but takes one look at the chaos there and turns right around, the guy laying a cement sidewalk that's run over so many times by the car chase that he flings down his trowel and jumps up and down on his mutilated handiwork. This is comic gold of a sort we don't often see -- and, sadly, never saw again from Bogdanovich, whose career collapsed disastrously with a string of flops in the mid-1970s.  

[wutbju]

Gerald Dean “Jerry” Hilterbrand II passed away suddenly on Wednesday, January 19th, 2022, at Delta Health hospital in Delta, Colorado. He was 62 years young.

Jerry was born on October 27, 1959, in Springfield, Missouri to Verna (Hollis) and Gerald Dean Hilterbrand Sr. Jerry spent his childhood in the Denver/Lakewood area of the Eastern Slope of Colorado and graduated high school from Silver State Baptist School in 1978. He went on to graduate from Bob Jones University in Greenville, South Carolina earning a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1982. June 4, 1983, Jerry married the love of his life Diana (Smith) in Ava, Missouri.

At the Lord’s calling to serve, Jerry spent time in Forest Park, Georgia for two years and then was again called to serve in Galesburg, IL to be the Assistant Pastor/Youth Pastor and Bible teacher from 1986 to 1992. Jerry and Diana longed for the mountains, and moved to Montrose on the Western Slope of Colorado where he became the Senior Pastor at Faith Baptist Church. In 2000, it was a time for a change of venue so Jerry and Diana moved to the Parker area of Colorado where he became a bank manager for Wells Fargo. He transferred back to the Western Slope of Colorado in 2007, and moved to Austin, CO. His love for the Lord once again came calling in 2010, when he became the Pastor of Garnet Mesa Baptist Church until his work on earth was done and the Lord called him home to Heaven.

Jerry loved the outdoors. Hunting big game and birds, camping, fishing, and archery. He was an avid at home wood worker and handyman. He became quite the YouTube mechanic, and could fix just about anything. He also loved animals, and had many dogs. One of his special dogs is an Aussie named Katie who had learned to alert him when his blood sugar dropped, saving his life several times. He was also training his chocolate Labrador, Shadow, for bird hunting, and was looking forward to taking her into the field.

Jerry is survived by his loving wife Diana Hilterbrand, his daughter Aspen Joy Hilterbrand; his sister Victoria (Brian) Gottschall of Farmington, NM, nephews and nieces Chuk (Martha) Gottschall, Jon (Jen) Gottschall, Brian Jr. (Courtney) Gottschall, Ben (Becca) Gottschall, Clarissa (Andy) Gilbert, and Bethany (Adam) Joyner, and many great–nephews and great-nieces.

Jerry was preceded in death by his parents, Gerald Sr. and Verna Hilterbrand.

Arrangements are under the care and direction of Taylor Funeral Service and Crematory.

A celebration of his life will be held at Garnet Mesa Baptist Church on Saturday, January 29, 2022. Visitation will be at 9:00 a.m., and the service will be at 10:00 a.m. Interment will be at Grand View Cemetery in Montrose, CO.

[incrediblyfastfilms]

INVASION of the BODY SNATCHERS (1978) written by W.D. Richter (from the novel by Jack Finney) produced by Robert Solo directed by Philip Kaufman starring Donald Sutherland Brooke Adams Leonard Nimoy Jeff Goldblum Veronica Cartwright Art Hindle cinematography by Michael Chapman edited by Douglas Stewart music by Danny Zeitlin

JAWS (1975) written by Carl Gottlieb (from the novel by Peter Benchley) produced by Richard D. Zanuck and David Brown directed by Steven Spielberg starring Roy Scheider Robert Shaw Richard Dreyfus Lorraine Gary Murray Hamilton Carl Gottlieb cinematography by Bill Butler edited by Verna Fields music by John Williams

E r a s e r h e a d (1977) written, directed and produced by David Lynch starring Jack Nance Charlotte Stewart Allen Joseph Jeanne Bates Judith Roberts Laurel Near Jack Fisk cinematography by Frederick Elmes Herbert Caldwell edited by David Lynch sound design by Lynch w/ Alan Splet special effects by Lynch w/ Frederick Elmes

P s y c h o (1960) written by Joseph Stefano (from the novel by Robert Bloch) directed and produced by Alfred Hitchcock starring Anthony Perkins Vera Miles John Gavin Janet Leigh Martin Balsam Simon Oakland cinematography by John L. Russell edited by George Tomasini music by Bernard Hermann

A L I E N (1979) written by Dan O'Bannon (story by Dan O'Bannon and Ronald Sushett) directed by Ridley Scott produced by Gordon Carroll David Giler Walter Hill starring Tom Skerritt Sigourney Weaver Veronica Cartwright John Hurt Harry Dean Stanton Yaphet Kotto Ian Holm cinematography by Derek Vanlint edited by Terry Rawlings music by Jerry Goldsmith

John Carpenter's The THING (1982) written by Bill Lancaster (from the novella "Who Goes There?" by John W. Campbell) directed by John Carpenter produced by David Foster Lawrence Turman Wilbur Stark starring Kurt Russell A. Wilford Briley T.K. Carter David Clennon Keith David Richard Dysart Charles Hallahan Peter Maloney Richard Masur Donald Moffat Joel Polis Thomas Waites cinematography by Dean Cundey edited by Todd Ramsay music by Ennio Morricone

The Exorcist (1973) written by William Peter Blatty (from his novel) directed by William Friedkin produced by William Peter Blatty Noel Marshall David Salven starring Ellen Burstyn Max Von Sydow Jason Miller Lee J. Cobb Jack MacGowran Kitty Winn Mercedes McCambridge Linda Blair cinematography by Owen Roizman edited by Norman Gay Evan Lottman music by Jack Nitzche "Tubular Bells" by Mike Oldfield

R e p u l s i o n (1965) written by Roman Polanski Garard Brach screenplay adaptation by David Stone directed by Roman Polanski produced by Gene Gutowski starring Catherine Deneuve Ian Hendry John Fraser Peter Wymark Yvonne Furneaux cinematography by Gilbert Taylor edited by Alastair McIntyre music by Chico Hamilton

THE SHINING (1980) written by Diane Johnson Stanley Kubrick (from the novel by Stephen King) directed by Stanley Kubrick produced by Stanley Kubrick w/ Jan Harlan starring Jack Nicholson Shelley Duvall Danny Lloyd Scatman Crothers Barry Nelson Philip Stone Joe Turkel cinematography by John Alcott edited by Ray Lovejoy music by Wendy Carlos Rachel Elkind

Night of the Living Dead (1968) written by John Russo George A. Romero directed by George A. Romero produced by Karl Hardman Russell Streiner starring Duane Jones Judith O'Dea Karl Hardman Marilyn Eastman Keith Wayne Kyra Schon Judith Ridley cinematography by George A. Romero (uncr.) edited by George A. Romero (uncr.) Hugh Daly

Bram Stoker's Dracula (1992) written by James V. Hart (from the novel by Bram Stoker) directed by Francis Ford Coppola produced by Francis Ford Coppola Charles Mulvehill Fred Fuchs Michael Apted Robert O'Conner starring Gary Oldman Winona Ryder Anthony Hopkins Keanu Reeves Cary Elwes Richard E. Grant Billy Campbell Sadie Frost Monica Belluci Tom Waits cinematography by Michael Ballhaus edited by Anne Goursaud Glen Scantlebury Nicholas C. Smith music by Wojciech Kilar

TWIN PEAKS fire walk with me (1992) written by David Lynch Robert Engels (from the television series created by David Lynch and Mark Frost) directed by David Lynch produced by David Lynch Mark Frost Gregg Fienberg Johanna Ray John Wentworth starring Sheryl Lee Ray Wise Moira Kelly Grace Zabriskie Chris Isaak Kiefer Sutherland David Lynch Miguel Ferrer Harry Dean Stanton David Bowie Michael J. Anderson Frank Silva Al Strobel Jurgen Prochnow Dana Ashbrook James Marshall Frances Bay Catherine E. Coulson Kimberly Ann Cole Walter Olkewicz Lenny Von Dohlen Madchen Amick Peggy Lipton Julee Cruise Kyle Machlachlan cinematography by Ron Garcia edited by Mary Sweeney music by Angelo Badalamenti

Let the Right One In (2008) written by John Ajvide Lyndqvist (from his novel) directed by Tomas Alfredson produced by Frida Asp starring Kare Hedbrant Lina Leandersson Per Ragnar Henrik Dahl Ika Nord cinematography by Hoyte Van Hoytema edited by Tomas Alfredson Dino Jonsater music by Johan Soderqvist

W A R of the W O R L D S (2005) written by Josh Friedman David Koepp directed by Steven Spielberg produced by Kathleen Kennedy Damian Collier Paula Wagner Colin Wilson starring Tom Cruise Tim Robbins Dakota Fanning Miranda Otto Justin Chatwin Amy Ryan cinematography by Janusz Kaminski edited by Michael Kahn music by John Williams

Hannibal (2001) written by Steve Zaillian David Mamet directed by Ridley Scott produced by Martha De Laurentiis Dino De Laurentiis Ridley Scott starring Anthony Hopkins Julianne Moore Ray Liotta Gary Oldman Frankie Faison Giancarlo Giannini Francesca Neri Zeljko Ivanek Hazelle Goodman cinematography by John Mathieson editing by Pietro Scalia music by Hans Zimmer

The Hunger (1983) written by Ivan Davis Michael Thomas (from the novel by Whitley Strieber) directed by Tony Scott produced by Richard Shepherd starring Catherine Deneuve Susan Sarandon David Bowie Cliff De Young cinematography by Stephen Goldblatt edited by Pamela Power music by Michel Rubini Denny Jaeger

DON'T LOOK NOW (1973) written by Allan Scott Chris Bryant (based on the novella by Daphne Du Maurier) directed by Nicholas Roeg produced by Peter Katz starring Donald Sutherland Julie Christie Hilary Mason Clelia Matania Renato Scarpa cinematography by Anthony Richmond editing by Graeme Clifford music by Pino Donnagio

Prisoners (2013) written by Aaron Guzikowski directed by Denis Villeneuve produced by Broderick Johnson Kira Davis Andrew A. Kosove Adam Kolbrenner starring Jake Gylenhaal Hugh Jackman Maria Bello Viola Davis Melissa Leo Terrence Howard Paul Dano cinematography by Roger Deakins edited by Joel Cox Gary Roach music by Johann Johannsson

The Company of Wolves (1984) written by Neil Jordan Angela Carter (from the short story in Angela Carter's book "The Bloody Chamber and Other Stories") directed by Neil Jordan produced by Chris Brown Stephen Woolley starring Sarah Patterson David Warner Angela Lansbury Micha Bergese Stephen Rea cinematography by Bryan Loftus edited by Rodney Holland music by George Fenton

A Quiet Place (2018) written by Bryan Woods Scott Beck John Krasinski directed by John Krasinski produced by Michael Bay Andrew Form Brad Fuller starring Emily Blunt John Krasinski Millicent Simmonds Noah Jupe Cade Woodward cinematography by Charlotte Bruus Christensen edited by Christopher Tellefsen music by Marco Beltrami

W O R L D W A R Z (2013) written by Matthew Michael Carnahan Drew Goddard & Damon Lindelof (from the novel novel by Max Brooks) directed by Marc Forster produced by Brad Pitt Dede Gardner Jeremy Kleiner Ian Bryce starring Brad Pitt Mireille Enos Daniella Kertesz James Badge Dale Peter Capaldi Pierfrancesco Favino Ludi Boeken Matthew Fox Fana Mokoena David Morse cinematography by Ben Seresin edited by Roger Barton Matt Chesse music by Marco Beltrami

LOST H i g h w a y (1997) written by David Lynch Barry Gifford directed by David Lynch produced by Mary Sweeney Tom Sternberg Deepak Nayar starring Bill Pullman Patricia Arquette Balthazar Getty Natasha Gregson Wagner Robert Loggia Robert Blake Michael Massee Jack Nance Henry Rollins Gary Busey cinematography by Peter Deming edited by Mary Sweeney music by Angelo Badalamenti

N e a r D a r k (1987) written by Kathryn Bigelow Eric Red directed by Kathryn Bigelow produced by Edward S. Feldman Steven-Charles Jaffe Charles Meeker starring Adrian Pasdar Jenny Wright Lance Henriksen Bill Paxton Jenette Goldstein Tim Thomerson cinematography by Adam Greenberg edited by Howard Smith music by Tangerine Dream

S e c o n d s (1966) written by Lewis John Carlino (from the novel by David Ely) directed by John Frankenheimer produced by John Frankenheimer Edward Lewis starring Rock Hudson Salome Jens John Randolph Will Geer Jeff Corey Murray Hamilton Frances Reid cinemtography by Tak Fujimoto edited by David Newhouse Ferris Webster music by Jerry Goldsmith

Nosferatu The Vampyre (1979) written by Werner Herzog w/ Tom Shachtman Martje Grohmann directed by Werner Herzog produced by Walter Saxer Werner Herzog Michael Gruskoff starring Klaus Kinski Isabelle Adjani Bruno Ganz Roland Topor Walter Landengast Martje Grohmann cinematography by Jorg Schmidt-Reitwein edited by Beate Mainka-Jellinghaus music by Florian Fricke Popol Vuh

30 DAYS of NIGHT (2007) written by Steve Niles Stuart Beattie Brian Nelson (from the graphic novel by Steve Niles Ben Templesmith) directed by David Slade produced by Sam Raimi Robert Tapert starring Josh Hartnett Melissa George Danny Huston Ben Foster Mark Boone Jr. Amber Sainsbury Megan Franich Manu Bennett cinematography by Jo Willems edited by Art Jones music by Brian Reitzell

f r e a k s (1932) written by Willis Goldbleck Leon Gordon (from the short story "Spurs" by Tod Robbins) directed and produced by Tod Browning starring Wallace Ford Leila Hyams Olga Baclanova Roscoe Ates cinematography by Merritt B. Gerstad edited by Basil Wrangell

the M i s t (2007) written and directed by Frank Darabont (from the novella by Stephen King) produced by Frank Darabont Martin Shefer Liz Glotzer starring Thomas Jane Laurie Holden Marcia Gay Hardin Andre Braugher Toby Jones William Sadler Frances Sternhagen Jeffrey DeMunn cinematography by Rohn Schmidt edited by Hunter M. Via music by Mark Isham

Invasion of the BODY SNATCHERS (1956) written by Daniel Mainwaring (from the novel by Jack Finney) directed by Don Siegel produced by Walter Wanger starring Kevin McCarthy Dana Wynter Larry Gates King Donovan Carolyn Jones Jean Willes Ralph Dumke cinematography by Ellsworth Fredericks edited by Robert S. Eisen music by Carmen Dragon

[sudheervanguri]

VerGo Pharma Research Laboratories Pvt. Ltd., a leading CDMO based in Verna, is currently seeking candidates for the role of Analytical Development. If you have 2-3 years of experience in Analytical Development and Validation, this could be the opportunity you've been looking for. About VerGo Pharma Research Laboratories: VerGo Pharma Research Laboratories Pvt. Ltd. is a prominent Contract Development and Manufacturing Organization (CDMO) known for its cutting-edge solutions and innovation in the pharmaceutical industry. Located in Verna, the heart of Goa's pharmaceutical hub, VerGo Pharma offers a dynamic and collaborative work environment. Job Description: Analytical Development As part of the Analytical Development team at VerGo Pharma, you will be responsible for: Conducting analytical development and validation activities in accordance with regulatory guidelines. Performing analytical method development, optimization, and troubleshooting. Ensuring compliance with quality standards and documentation requirements. Collaborating with cross-functional teams to support drug development projects. Qualifications and Experience: To be considered for this role, you should have: 2-3 years of experience in Analytical Development and Validation within the pharmaceutical industry. A Bachelor's or Master's degree in Pharmacy, Chemistry, or related field. Strong knowledge of analytical techniques and instrumentation. Excellent communication and teamwork skills. How to Apply: If you meet the qualifications and are interested in joining VerGo Pharma's Analytical Development team, please email your CV to trupti.prabhudessai@vergolabs.com.