#we see little peeks of the eye of michael... but also not that much ultimately.

[orcelito]

Oh yeah, I was thinking about that Wolfwood one-shot again. Specifically, the character study exploration of his childhood trauma. It would be a heavy one, but I was thinking... since I'm chapters away from when he's introduced, I wanna maybe write this before I get real into it with him. I Did write him in Sentido, but that was only a little bit and that was all the back in April. I want a better feel for his "voice" before I start writing him longform, since he'll be here for basically the Rest of ITNL (for the most part)

This one-shot would be to Wolfwood what Sentido was to Vash, writing-wise. Aka a little thing to get myself used to getting in his brain. It'd be very useful for writing him properly.

And no, I haven't done this with any of the other characters (besides Vash), but... idk, there's a certain amount of "fuck it, we ball" to writing characters in ITNL. Me studying them and picking up their speech patterns and going "Alright, guess we're doin this!" Not too hard for ones like Meryl and Milly, but VERY hard for ones like Midvalley and Legato... I still am not confident in my Midvalley "voice", but it is what it is.

This is different though. Wolfwood is so important to the overall plot and he will be Very Present, which means I don't wanna get him wrong. If my writing of Midvalley isn't perfect, then like w/e bc he's not nearly as important to the fic as Wolfwood is. Wolfwood though... I need to have him down Solid before writing him in the fic. And Thus. The one shot.

Also though, irrelevant to all of this, I just really wanna write it lol. The rest of it is just incentive to write it sooner rather than later.

[themultiverseofmarvel]

Ranking Every Episode Of Marvel Studios' 'What If...?'

(updated weekly, be sure to check back next week!)

Only two episodes remain of Marvel Studios' What If...? Here is a little sneak peek of what is to come...

Here is every episode of What If...? ranked so far...

#7: What If… Killmonger Rescued Tony Stark

While it was great to hear Michael B. Jordan and Andy Serkis reprise their roles of Killmonger and Ulysses Klau, this felt like a story we really didn’t need to see. It’s the only episode of the show so far where I was genuinely bored at times, and it ultimately seemed pointless and ended up feeling like a more convoluted way for Erik Killmonger to achieve the same as what he did in Black Panther. Just when What If…? needed to step things up a gear, this episode actually held it back.

6/10

#6: What If... Captain Carter Were the First Avenger?

Although the episode had some fun action sequences, this episode really didn’t have much going for it. But perhaps that might have been by design? It was always going to be jarring seeing characters we know and love in animated form, but this episode was basically a retread of something we'd seen before and had some wildly inconsistent voice acting. It felt like it was just introducing us to the What If...? concept.

Not terrible, but it wasn't the best start.

6/10

#5: What If... the World Lost Its Mightiest Heroes?

The key to writing a good murder mystery is giving viewers just enough clues so that they can try and play along. Whilst this episode was fun (and pretty good to be fair) the payoff was slightly underwhelming because it came out of nowhere.

7/10

#4: What If... Zombies?!

Marvel Zombies is something that I, along with many others, have been hoping to see on the screen for many years. Whilst it's not entirely accurate to the comic book version, the 5th episode of What If...? was a fun and surprisingly heartwarming entry to the series. We got to see Hope van Dyne be the Avengers leader she should have been from the start, we got to see characters like Kurt actually get something to do, and we got to see a Futurama-esque version of Scott Lang, which was particularly silly.

This was one of the most gruesome entries of the MCU so far and left us with a twist that I hope we get to revisit in Season 2.

8/10

#3: What If... T'Challa Became a Star-Lord?

How good was it to hear Chadwick Boseman's voice again? After the slightly underwhelming first episode, What If...?'s second instalment provided us with a fun adventure, giving us a version of T'Challa we hadn't seen before, whilst also giving us fresh takes of The Collector and Thanos. We're still waiting to see what will happen after that finale with Ego and Star-Lord. Fingers crossed we'll find out what happens before the end of Season 1!

8/10

#2: What If... Thor Were an Only Child?

By the far the silliest episode of What If...? so far, this episode had me giggling like a child. A lot of the humour throughout the show has been more eye-rolling rather than chuckle-worthy, but Chris Hemsworth was clearly having a blast whilst recording this episode, which in turn made it a hugely enjoyable entry to the series. I couldn't help but laugh at his high-pitched squeals every time he was punched by Captain Marvel.

Considering What If...? is an animated show, and assumedly intended for children, it has delivered some of the MCU's darkest tales to date, so it was nice to have an episode that explored what it is like to be a teenager (even if you are a literal god) and the consequences of throwing a house party when your parents are away for the weekend.

Good silly fun.

8/10

#1: What If... Doctor Strange Lost His Heart Instead of His Hands?

This was the first truly great episode of What If...? and the darkest thing Marvel Studios have ever done, with Benedict Cumberbatch delivering his best performance in the MCU to date. Watching this, it's hard not to wish that Marvel and Disney would take risks as bold as this in their feature films and it proved that they can deliver more mature and darker content alongside the sillier entries such as Guardians of the Galaxy and Ant-Man.

Hopefully this is a good sign of things to come in Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness. We only have to wait until February to find out.

9/10

What's been your favourite episode of What If...? so far? Let us know!

[urslasherbaby]

May I request an imagine of the collector about to attack the s/o in her home but, she thinks he's a male stripper for her birthday her friends set up with? Humorous & nsfw-ish x3 😄

Okay, okay, okay... I don’t know who you are but you need to become a producer and start making movies 🤣🤣🤣

(also I know this took a really long time, I’m so sorry)

Rent-A-Booty - The Collector/Asa Emory x Reader and Her Birthday Surprise

In all honesty, you weren’t a big fan of birthdays. Your parents were a bit... overenthusiastic and it never really wound up the way you wanted. Fortunately, as you grew older, you got a lot more control over how many small horses showed up at your party. Unfortunately, as you grew older, you also gained friends--amazing friends--who also had their own ideas of how you should celebrate.

Which is why you are now in the middle of a conversation about how much a stripper would cost.

“Ooh! Ooh! Rent-A-Booty! I totally have enough for their Sexy Deluxe package,” one of the girls, Tori, exclaimed.

“No way, (Y/N) deserves at least the Sexy Premium package,” another friend, Charlotte, added, “Look! It even lets you touch the dancers!”

As your very good, yet very inappropriate, friends continued arguing about pricing, you couldn’t help the blush that rose to your cheeks. You weren’t the prudish type by any means, but that didn’t mean you wanted a strange man gyrating in front of your face. 

“Alright, that’s it: executive decision, no stripper,” you insisted. Both of the girls looked up from the laptop in shock. 

“(Y/N)! This would be so much fun!”

“Yeah, and the service even lets you do themes! Everything from police officer to movie characters,” Charlotte gushed. 

“Oh my god, remember in the ninth grade when you said you had a sex dream about Michael Myers? What if we could make that dream into a very sexy reality?” Tori added.

“First off, it was not a sex dream! We were just making out with some medium to heavy petting. Second off, the amount of tequila I would need to bump and grind with a stripper who looks like a serial killer in front of all of my close friends is inconceivable. No. Stripper.”

Tori and Charlotte slumped their shoulders in disappointment, but ultimately closing the laptop and dropping the matter. You nodded your head contently and everyone decided to head home to prep for the party. Luckily, Charlotte had kicked out her sorority sisters for the night so you had the house to yourselves. Tori had already set up snacks and booze beforehand, so by the time you met up with them, the party was practically in full swing.

Friends from class, people from work, and even a few past roommates all came to wish you a happy birthday. It was a little daunting at first, but having Tori and Charlotte by your side all night definitely helped. Before long, the mood changed from full-blown rager complete to the much more intimate get together you wanted complete with your favorite tequila.

“Okay, okay, okay,” Charlotte began, handing out the fifth round of shots, “Last round before we sing happy birthday, let’s go!”

“No, no, no! You know I hate that dumb song,” you whine.

“Exactly why we saved it for last! One, two, three!”

Hearing a drunken version of a song you already hated would’ve sounded like torture to sober ears, but it filled your heart with nothing but glee. Swaying your head to the beat of the song, you noticed something moving outside the window in front of you. The more you focused, you recognized a white truck posted just across the street. You couldn’t quite tell but the logo on the side had very familiar colors...

Rent-A-Booty.

“Hey, guys... do you have something to tell me?” Tori and Charlotte both looked at each other with wide eyes. Between the whispers and accusatory smacks against the arms, you definitely figured something was up.

“Alright, we may have gotten a small surprise for you. Don’t be mad, we just couldn’t help ourselves!” Tori defended. 

“Just wait here, we’ll go grab it for you,” Charlotte finished, grabbing Tori and stumbling out the front door giggling like little kids. You rolled your eyes and took another swig of the tequila they left. You figured you’d need it for what was about to go down.

Suddenly, as if on cue, you heard heavy footsteps that didn’t sound like either of your friends from down the hall. You smirked and slowly picked yourself up to claim your “surprise”.

Quietly rounding the corner, you got a peek at the guy the girls picked out. It looks like they kept their promise of hiring a true lady killer. He was dressed head to toe in black with a strange black mask covering his face. Funny, you imagined it would be a bit more gimmicky, but the doubt quickly left your mind as you noticed the rest of him. He was certainly big. It looked like he could toss you around the room and you were very curious how those nitrile gloves would feel on your skin. Before you knew it, the prospect of getting down and dirty with a stripper was a lot more appealing. The very idea had your core aching.

So you decided to shoot your shot. Why not? The half a bottle of tequila you drank was already making your skin hot.

“So,” you announced, clearly shocking the man who spun around to face you, “is this the part where I’m supposed to cower in fear and beg for my life?” The stripper cocked his head silently but didn’t approach you.

“Or would you like it more if I ran and hid while you tried to find me?” you pressed further. He still didn’t make a move, but you could tell his breathing was getting heavier. You were definitely having an effect on him. That’s when you noticed he had pulled something out from his side: a small knife. Going method, huh? You took a few steps closer and leaned up to his ear.

“Interesting... planning on cutting me up a bit while you have your fun,” you whispered teasingly, causing a low growl to leave the man’s throat. You couldn’t help but utter a similarly wanton moan. 

That’s when he pushed you up against the wall and held you there with a knife to your throat. You couldn’t help but reminisce about your dream and it made you all the wetter.

“Oh god... please tell me they paid for the Sexy Premium package,” you said to yourself. The man only squinted his eyes in confusion before pressing the knife further into your neck. It was sharper than you expected but somehow that made it better.

“Fuck if I care,” you sighed and pulled him closer until your lips met in a heated kiss. The stranger was hesitant at first but quickly took control with a level of ferocity that made you whimper. He bit on your bottom lip hard, making you gasp and allowing his tongue inside. Meanwhile, his free hand was already under your shirt and playing with your nipples. 

“Fuck, please... touch me,” you begged. The man seemed enthusiastic to oblige and spun you around so your chest was pressed against the wall. You could feel the knife pressed into your back, but your only concern was his hand reaching around and unbuttoning your shorts.

Just as he managed to get them undone, you heard a knock at the door that distracted you for a moment. You immediately elected to ignore it and waited eagerly for your Sexy Premium package. You realized, however, that the small prick you felt earlier was gone, and once you turned around, you saw the stripper was too.

“Goddamn it.”

You went back up front and ripped open the door to find Charlotte and Tori covered in clearly fake blood with a phony scared look on their faces.

“Oh god, (Y/N)! You have to help us! There’s a maniac after us!” Charlotte screamed. Wait a second...

“And he wants you too!” Tori finished. The two girls moved out of the way and revealed a shirtless man with a six-pack and a plastic machete wearing a clown mask. Tori then pulled out her phone and started playing a raunchy club mix. Clownface didn’t waste time to start dancing and gyrating while the girls waited for your reaction.

All you could was smile and nod along while panicking about whoever the hell you were seconds from fucking in the middle of the hall... and when you would get to see him again.

Luckily for you, Asa was watching you all from his truck across the street and was planning on finishing what you two started the moment he got you alone.

[aion-rsa]

Best War Movies to Watch: A Complete Streaming Guide

https://ift.tt/32Bbpxh

Sadly, the human race has pretty much never not been at war. We remain an ever violent, combative crew. Hopefully one day that’ll change and we’ll enter an era of unprecedented peace. Until then though, we have the movies!

War might be hell, but war flicks can be pretty great at times! Armed combat and all the other various theaters and forms of battle makes for high-octane drama and gripping backdrops. And that’s pretty much exactly what we are looking for out of our drama films.

What follows is a (mostly) comprehensive list of all the war movies available with a streaming subscription on the major streaming services. If you’re interested in paying per movie, options like Amazon, Google Play and YouTube should help broaden the field. Otherwise, scroll below because the films here are all free with a log-in subscription to Netflix, Amazon Prime, Hulu, or HBO Max.

‘71

Available on: Hulu (US), Amazon Prime Video (UK)

An underrated British thriller from the last decade, ’71 turns “the Troubles” in Ireland into a pseudo-horror movie. At a mere 99 minutes, this is lean, economical filmmaking with a barebones premise about a British solider (Jack O’Connell) who gets separated from his unit during a Belfast riot in 1971—the height of British-Irish tension. His plight to survive the night is riveting filmmaking and a grim look back to still fresh nightmares.

The African Queen

Available on: Amazon Prime Video (purchase only in UK)

An unlikely war movie at first glance, The African Queen is very much the story of two middle-aged people caught up in the chaos of the First World War. It’s also a crackling adventure yarn about autumn romance between a drunken river boat captain (Humphrey Bogart) and a Christian missionary (Katharine Hepburn) who’s brother was just killed by Germans in colonial Africa. Both set out to get down the river, and away from the Germans’ reach, in this charming John Huston classic with still stunning location photography.

The Alamo

Available on: Hulu

As an ironically little remembered version of the Alamo siege from director John Lee Hancock, The Alamo (2004) is still the best film version of these events. With a refreshing eye for historical authenticity instead of Texan mythmaking, the movie unpacks the lives of David Crockett (Billy Bob Thornton), James Bowie (Jason Patric), and William Travis (Patrick Wilson) with a warts and all approach. It also relays the events of the battle in its actual context at night, and in grim chaos, and gives needed attention to the overlooked contributions of the Tejanos to Texan independence.

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But most significantly, it has a bittersweet soul as expressed in Carter Burwell’s score, which is at its most beautiful when Crockett climbs a parapet to serenade both sides of the battlefield with his fiddle.

A Bridge Too Far

Available on: Netflix (US Only)

The last of its kind, A Bridge Too Far is one of those old-fashioned all-star war epics about World War II that came into vogue between the 1950s and ‘70s. But this nearly all-British production is not about one of the Allies’ greatest triumphs, but rather one of their most disappointing defeats: the failure of Operation Market Garden in the Netherlands.

Director Richard Attenborough and screenwriter William Goldman try to squeeze it all in, which will honestly be exhausting to some viewers. For others, seeing a historically accurate (if too lighthearted) rendering of this battle with the likes of Sean Connery, Michael Caine, Gene Hackman, Anthony Hopkins, Ryan O’Neal, Robert Redford, and more will be enough.

Casablanca

Available on: HBO Max

Another Bogie movie where the war is adjacent to the central conflict, Casablanca is the best wartime melodrama ever produced. Some even consider it the greatest American movie for that matter. Actually made during the Second World War, there is a great rush of patriotic idealism and anxious uncertainty about its vision of a seedy Moroccan city that is ostensibly under free French rule, but is not-so-secretly being occupied by the Nazis. There everyone goes to Rick’s, a café run by a disillusioned American (Bogart) who sticks his neck out for nobody.

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But Rick must soon pick up the fight again after an old flame named Ilsa (Ingrid Bergman) walks into his gin joint, bringing with her a French husband, a freedom fighter who has the Nazis breathing down his neck. All three are going to make some tough choices, as will complicit French police officer Louis (a marvelous Claud Rains) as the forces of World War II finally start pulling.

Cold Mountain

Available on: HBO Max

An attempt at an old fashioned sweeping wartime epic, Cold Mountain still brings modern historical insight to the oft-mythologized Civil War. The film is about several people from North Carolina’s Appalachian region. Like many Confederate soldiers, particularly from NC, Inman (Jude Law) has no slaves and no real reason to fight for the Southern cause. So after hellish battle, he deserts and attempts to make a sprawling trek back home.

Elsewhere, however, his sweetheart Ada (Nicole Kidman) must make hard decisions of her own with the leering eye of the Home Guard peeking over her shoulder, especially as word of Inman’s desertion reaches the mountains. An odyssey of the Civil War from the vantage of the impoverished it rolled over, Cold Mountain is a refreshing melodrama.

Da 5 Bloods

Available on: Netflix

Spike Lee’s latest joint is also one that opened up wounds from the Vietnam War that never really healed. Set more in the 2010s than 1960s, Da 5 Bloods follows four Black veterans who’ve ostensibly returned to Vietnam to find the remains of their fallen brother (Chadwick Boseman in one of his final roles). But they’re also here to reclaim gold that was stolen back in ’69.

Something of a heist movie, Lee mixes genres yet never loses sight about the anguish of those who fought in a war, and the legacy it leaves even decades and generations later.

The Dirty Dozen

Available on: HBO Max

Even if you haven’t seen Robert Aldrich’s epic 1967 adventure, the term “dirty dozen” and the basic premise of the movie have found their way into popular culture over the decades and influenced recent movies like Suicide Squad.

A grizzled (as if there’s any other kind) Lee Marvin leads a team of prisoners–including Ernest Borgnine, Charles Bronson, Jim Brown, John Cassavetes, George Kennedy, Telly Savalas, Donald Sutherland and more–on a suicide mission during World War II, with full pardons as their reward if they survive. The results are explosive and, at the time of release, controversially violent. They also make for one of the great war movies of the era.

Enemy at the Gates

Available on: Netflix, Amazon (US Only)

Sniper versus sniper; eagle versus eagle. That is the basic appeal of Enemy at the Gates, the rare Hollywood World War II drama where America is not even present. Rather this is a film about the war of attrition between the German and Russian forces at the Battle of Stalingrad, the nightmarish conflict which began turning the tide against the Third Reich. The movie features an all-star cast, including Jude Law, Ed Harris, Rachel Weisz, and Bob Hoskins, but it’s the chilly environs of hell on earth which make this worthwhile.

Five Came Back

Available on: Netflix

A film told in three parts, Five Came Back tracks the singular, and now fairly astonishing, choices made by five A-list Hollywood directors: John Ford, Frank Capra, George Stevens, John Huston, and William Wyler. They all chose to leave Hollywood either at the peak of their careers, or at the beginning of it, to make films about the Second World War. Each ultimately served as an officer, and several were in the actual thick of combat to capture war footage (and propaganda) for the first time in history. It was a patriotic and revealing choice then and now, and it’s examined with insight by the likes of Mark Harris and Steven Spielberg here.

Flags of Our Fathers

Available on: HBO Max

Not as good as director Clint Eastwood’s companion film told from the Japanese perspective, Letters from Iwo Jima, Flags of Our Fathers is nonetheless a worthwhile film. A rather skeptical look at the lives of American marines who were turned into an inaccurate legend by the U.S. military when they were photographed raising the American flag above the sands of Iwo Jima, the picture tracks the home lives of soldiers who did their job only too well and were then asked to return home as glorified heroes… and then live an ordinary American life.

The Four Feathers

Available on: HBO Max

One of the great British adventure films of the pre-war era, The Four Feathers is director Zoltan Korda’s sweeping reimagining of the A.E.W. Mason novel. Set during Britain’s colonial wars in Egypt and Sudan during 1882, the film tracks an English officer who only took a commission in the military to honor his family’s ancient war record. However, when the call of war comes, he fears he would not do his duty in battle and resigns his service… so his three friends and even a fiancée give him four white feathers: white for cowardice.

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To redeem himself, he travels to Sudan and helps the British cause while posing as a local. Filmed on actual African locations and in glorious Technicolor at a time when American movies were afraid to leave California, The Four Feathers is a classic (and politically incorrect) throwback.

Gallipoli

Available on: Amazon

Australian filmmaker Peter Weir has directed just 13 films, but probably 10 of them are classics, and this 1981 drama is one of them. A 25-year-old Mel Gibson stars as one of several young men who enlist in the Australian Army during the First World War. They eventually find themselves on the Gallipoli Peninsula in Turkey, site of a costly and lengthy battle that ended in defeat, but marked a turning point for Australia’s perception of itself and its place in the world and a seemingly disinterested British Empire. It’s a harrowing tale about the loss of innocence, national character, and the price of war for both.

Glory

Available on: Netflix (US Only)

Arguably the greatest film ever made about the American Civil War, Edward Zwick’s Glory continues to shine like one gallant rush. Based on the lives of the 54th Massachusetts Infantry regiment, the film tracks the hard fight for respect—and freedom—endured by the first African American regiment in U.S. history.

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With a still crackling ensemble that includes Morgan Freeman, Matthew Broderick, Andre Braugher, and Denzel Washington in his first Oscar winning role, the movie both mythologizes and humanizes the 54th’s struggle as the American struggle. It also soars with James Horner’s most transcendent and ethereal musical score.

The Great Dictator

Available on: HBO Max

The rare comedy on this list, The Great Dictator was a film of political courage by writer-director-producer-and-star Charlie Chaplin. Filmed in 1940 when much of the world was already at war, but the United States was not, this Hollywood film made a farce out of the hatred and fascism of the Third Reich, with Adolf Hitler being especially skewered.

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In the film, Chaplin plays both a fictional barber and Hitler-like dictator who switch places in a Prince and the Pauper styled mix-up. Chaplin thus makes a still hilarious deconstruction of Hitler’s madness and insecurities at a time when most Hollywood studios chose to pretend there wasn’t a war going on. The film also concludes in one of the greatest anti-war speeches in cinema history.

Hacksaw Ridge

Available on: HBO Max, Amazon Prime Video UK

The rare film that is told in merely two acts, director Mel Gibson’s World War II drama is fairly underrated. The film follows the remarkable true story of Desmond Doss (Andrew Garfield), an unlikely U.S. Army corporal since he was also a conscientious objector who refused to hold a gun. Nearly court-martialed for his defiance of orders, as a medic Doss insisted he could serve his country well by saving lives on the battlefield. He got his chance at the Battle of Okinawa when he pulled 75 lives out of the carnage, which is captured in grisly detail by Gibson. Likely the bloodiest WWII movie since Saving Private Ryan, Hacksaw Ridge is also one of the best.

Hamburger Hill

Available on: Amazon Prime Video (US Only)

This 1987 film set during the Vietnam War recounts one specific mission: a 1969 assault by the U.S. Army’s 3rd Battalion, 187th Infantry, 101st Airborne Division, known as the “Screaming Eagles,” on a well-fortified North Vietnamese position near the Laotian border. Dylan McDermott, Don Cheadle, Courtney B. Vance, and Steven Weber all make early career appearances in the film as young soldiers thrust into a situation where victory almost seems more like defeat—as good a metaphor for the Vietnam conflict as any.

Hostiles

Available on: Netflix

Director Scott Cooper did the rare thing with Hostiles: He looked back at American history with nuance and sincere contemplation. This film is ostensibly about a U.S. Cavalry officer on his final mission, which is to escort a family of Native Americans across the last remnants of American frontier. But when that officer (Christian Bale) knows he’s escorting the dying Cheyenne war chief (Wes Studi) who led the doomed side of American Indians in previous conflicts—and alongside a woman (Rosamund Pike) who just lost her family to Indian attacks—the ghosts of America’s sins and recriminations walk with them.

The Hurt Locker

Available on: Hulu, Netflix UK

The film which won Kathryn Bigelow the Oscar for Best Director, The Hurt Locker is the first great movie about the War on Terror in the 21st century. Boiling down the madness of war to being like “a drug” for some soldiers, the film essays the high-stake tension—and adrenaline—of being an officer in the Army’s bomb squad who is responsible for disarming IEDs, bomb vests, and other hidden weapons of death.

It’s terrifying… and exhilarating as personified by Jeremy Renner’s addicted Staff Sgt. William James. Also with a career-making performance by Anthony Mackie and a pseudo-journalistic script by Mark Boal, The Hurt Locker gets under your skin.

Platoon

Available on: Netflix, Amazon Prime Video (US Only)

There were plenty of Vietnam War movies before Oliver Stone’s Platoon, but what shook audiences in 1986 is that this was the first time one was made by a Vietnam veteran. Not that Stone didn’t take liberties: He makes his soldier’s eye view of the generation-defining conflict a fever dream of America’s darkest moments in the shit.

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But his lament for the soldier also brought a renewed sense of sorrow and regret to how veterans were treated in the aftermath. With a heartbreaking supporting performance by Willem Dafoe, whose demise in the film has become iconic, there’s a reason for many this remains the only Vietnam War movie of consequence.

Red Tails

Available on: HBO Max

Here is executive producer George Lucas and director Anthony Hemingway’s well-meaning but so-so aerial war epic about the Tuskegee Airmen. The real-life Black pilots, mechanics, bombardiers, and more made up a segregated flank of African American airmen (as well as flyers from Haiti, Trinidad, and other Caribbean nations) in World War II. This film attempts to honor them with a cast that includes Terrence Howard, David Oyelowo, Nate Parker, and Cuba Gooding Jr.

War Machine

Available on: Netflix

David Michod (Animal Kingdom) wrote and directed this Netflix satire set during the ongoing war in Afghanistan, eight years after the 9/11 attacks. Brad Pitt stars as four-star general Glen McMahon (loosely based on real-life general Stanley McChrystal), whose bleak assessment of the situation on the ground puts him at odds with President Obama and others. Like other less-than-reverent films before it, War Machine is interested in the sheer insanity of war: doing the same thing over and over again while hoping for a different outcome.

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[wmhalliwell]

just this once

a/n: this is just me wanting fem!presenting!aziraphale and i was inspired by a bunch of headcanons i've read from all around tumblr. ps thanks to the lovely @felicia-parker​ for looking over this for me! (find on ao3)

Italy, 1502

The noise of human life filled the air: the clatter of wagon wheels on stone and the screech of stray cats chasing each other down the streets. There was the suggestion of a sunny day, with the sun repeatedly hiding behind clouds, casting shade on all those walking and wandering along the streets.

Near the coast, the air was tinged with salt from the sea. Merchants cramped the area around the port, setting up their wears; selling everything from fresh bread to finely made silk, children’s toys to jewelry befit for royalty.

Crowley had no need for any such things, though a broach caught his eye: silver snake design curled around an emerald. Could look nice holding his half-cloak in place. Pausing by the merchant’s booth, he made a face trying to look at the broach he currently wore. It was by no means lowly, but it wasn’t nearly as shiny as the silver snake.

“Do you seem something that interests you, sir?” the merchant asked after exchanging another of his pieces for the rudimentary currency of the era: coins.

Crowley squinted at the snake through darkened glasses pinched across the bridge of his nose. “What do you think?” he mused. “Is it a bit much?”

The man’s eyes sparkled. He was definitely imagining the gold he could get in exchange for his workmanship. “Not at all, sir!” He plucked the broach from where it sat and held it so a momentary spark of sunlight glinted through the gem. “It would go quite handsomely with your complexion I would say.”

Crowley tilted his head to the side, the quirk of a smile on his face. “Oh you do, do you?” He reached out a long fingered hand to take the broach in his own hand when he felt it.

It was the exact opposite of the feeling of walking on consecrated ground. Which, when he thought about it too much, didn’t really make much sense, but he did try not to think about it too much. 

The merchant felt the sale slipping right through his fingers; Crowley could nearly taste the man’s aggravation as he turned away from the lopsided table and swung his gaze across the merchant’s square. It was busy; difficult to walk without brushing elbows with someone else, but ultimately, the angel should have stood out, like always.

“Sir! Sir!” the merchant’s desperation turned to a little fiery pit of anger as Crowley slinked away from his table.

Crowley ignored the man, deciding he may as well chalk it up to another accomplished temptation—the man would push his products hard on the next people, charge them extra out of greed—and walked through the crowd. He was taller than most of the people currently alive on the Earth, which should have made it easy to crane his neck and find the angel, but he had no such luck.

Feeling only the mild presence of Aziraphale, Crowley abandoned his desperate search and resorted to a sort of languid stalking, weaving his way past every merchant’s table with feline slowness and attention. 

The angel couldn’t have changed that much, could he? He was practically identical every time Crowley found him: naively optimistic, stubbornly good, potentially a bit of a pushover when it came from his head office…not that Crowley could blame him. Aziraphale was an angel; he was supposed to be good, after all.

And so it was no wonder that they kept arriving in the same place. That was kind of the point.

Crowley would even go so far as to say he occasionally sought the angel out. With most of his colleagues both lacking in social skills and mostly working in the bowels of Hell, he didn’t have many people to be himself around.

A familiar flit of mild tempered laughter cut across the square and Crowley stopped and twisted on his heel. He bumped and nudged his way around the corner and—

“I can say I’ve never tasted such scrumptiously fresh fruit before!” Aziraphale said, completely genuine, grinning at the rudy faced girl behind the table laden with newly imported fruits.

“Aziraphale?” Crowley said, voice a bit higher than usual, eyebrows making a slow journey to meet his hairline. For it was certainly Aziraphale, though the noble-styled cream colored gown and unruly curly hair reaching past the angel’s shoulders was a vast change from...well every other time Crowley had seen the angel.

The angel’s eyes widened. “Crowley!” She glanced at the merchant girl before stepping away from the table. “How pleasant it is to see you.”

“Is it?” Crowley smiled a ghost of a little smile and eyed Aziraphale from the somehow-pristine bottom embroidered hem of dress to the belted waist and puffy sleeves. Her hair was scandalously uncovered for the humans of this era, which the demon found both amusing and befitting of the angel. “Does your head office know about this?”

Aziraphale looked down, as if realizing for the first time her outfit. She brushed a hand, golden ring circling her pinkie, across the soft fabric of the skirt. “Yes well…”

“I thought your lot was into pristine and constant physical forms.”

Aziraphale clasped her hands together. “Yes, we are. But,” she paused and leaned a bit closer, lowering her voice as if expecting to be overheard, “you and I both have spent enough time on earth to know that change is natural. I…I wanted to try something new.”

Crowley’s eyebrows settled back in place. “Indeed. It suits you.” 

Aziraphale’s face brightened, eyes twinkling in the sudden appearance of the sun as the clouds moved out of the way. “Thank you, my dear.”

The demon’s expression softened into brief genuine adoration and then he paused, reconsidered, and bounced back onto his heels for a moment before speaking. “Are you miracle-ing anything in particular here? Today?”

Aziraphale tilted her head upward, frowned and then shook her head. “Not at this very moment. I was just enjoying a little slice of…well, life.”

“Alone?”

“Yes.”

Crowley blinked and nodded, looking everywhere but at the angel before eventually meeting her questioning eyes. “All right then. Come on.”

He started walking off and moments later, Aziraphale’s footsteps fell into place beside him. “Where are we going?” The angel was excited and intrigued; it nearly bled into the words coming out of her mouth.

“I know a place or two.”

“As do I. I’ve been on this planet as long as you have, Crowley.”

“I know that. But I know different places. Run with different crowds.” He glanced down at Aziraphale, challenging her to protest.

She didn’t. Merely sighing and saying, “Tell me this does not involve anything…criminal. I don’t like the thought of being put into a small, damp cell.” She shivered.

Just because they were immortal beings, did not mean they were above human laws if they broke them. The unfortunate side effect of having a corporeal body. 

“No,” Crowley said with a chuckle, not entirely convinced his response was true. “And you could just miracle yourself away.”

Aziraphale frowned, lips pinched. “No. I don’t think I could.”

“You would!”

She shook her head firmly. A piece of crazy hair bounced out of the loose knot at the nape of her neck and stuck out two inches straight into the air. “I couldn’t.”

“If you had to choose between discorporation and escape?”

Worry lined her face and she shrugged a shoulder ever so slightly. “When you put it that way…” And then she stopped. Both speaking and walking. “No. I wouldn’t.”

Crowley stopped and made a dramatic turn around. He walked a couple steps back to the angel and looked down at her. “Escaping prison isn’t inherently bad,” he said from experience. A crease formed in the middle of his brows.

“Oh, and you would know, would you?” she said, exasperated, ignoring Crowley’s hand as it lifted and moved over her shoulder. “But I suppose you’re ri—what are you doing?”

Her voice pitched from morally-right-I-must-have-the-high-ground to soft and questioning.

Crowley squinted, the tip of his tongue peeking out from the corner of his lips as he delicately twined the flyaway curl back into place. “There,” he said, dropping the former conversation and stepping back. And then moving yet another curl into place in front of Aziraphale’s left ear. “Your hair was looking as untidy as your wings the last I saw them.”

Azriaphale’s eyes grew wide. “Crowley!” She glanced around, as if expecting Michael or Gabriel to pop up out of a puddle and exclaim that she was a traitor. When that didn’t happen, she relaxed and her cheeks went nearly rosy. “Well, thank you.” She reached up a hand to pat down her hair, thought better of it and brushed her fingers against Crowley’s hand instead for the briefest of moments before turning back in the direction they’d originally been walking.

“Now, where were we headed?” she asked, hands once again clasped in front of her.

Crowley, frozen in place for a moment from the excruciatingly soft touch, cleared his throat and started forward, pointing upward and to the right. “There,” he said, as if there weren’t hundreds of buildings in that direction.

“Perfect,” Aziraphale said as the sun came fully out from the clouds. The clouds that quickly dissipated completely, leaving the angel and the demon bathed in the warm light and soft breeze as they walked through the streets of Brindisi.

a/n 2.0: this was just an excuse to imagine aziraphale with long hair and in a floor-length historic dress; originally this was gonna take place right after the arrangement was made but i wanted them to be more smitten with each other so here we are. i also left out the angsty epilogue about why aziraphale changed back to short hair and masculine clothes bc it was too sad.

[ilivelikeimtrying]

Here's an angsty one!

(P.S.: Sorry this was supposed to be a prompt but turned into a story idea/pamphlet instead)

-

-

So we all know Leon's crave for attention, especially from the people he loves (which probably stemmed from childhood), and his self-esteem issues, so picture this:

Leo gets de-aged back into a cute little tot, about 3 or 4 maybe?, and his brothers have to now not only care for him as older brothers (Mikey is ecstatic!) but also have to break the news to Splinter (who is either tired dad™ but fine, or tired dad "not again"), but boi is he a handful.

While Raph and Mikey (and occasionally Splinter) try to care for the little bundle of unreserved energy, Donnie tries hard to find a way to bring his twin back to twin age (a.k.a same age as Don). But this child is jumping off the walls, curious about everything, always tries to help (but doesn't really cuz he's so small and ends up making a bigger mess), and Raph has to watch out where he sits or steps because oh mi gosh he does not remember his brother being this small at age 3/4.

In Leon's little baby tot head though he wants to help! He wants his family happy with him! So he does what he can to do that while also having fun!

Attempted #1:

When he saw Raph knitting for the first time in his room (he was really stressed and needed an outing) and our little Leon thought "A wanna do tha' for Raffie too!" and determinedly tried to copy what he saw his brother doing, but ultimately failed and Raph found him later surrounded by yarn and wool, his latest scarf scattered and unraveled around him. He was... upset to say the least, and sent his little brother on his way out with a disappointed look while taking deep breaths, not wanting to do anything till he calmed down.

"Why don't you go see what Mikey's doin', k buddy?"

Attempt #1: failed

Leon was a bit huffy at being kicked out of his older brother's room. He was trying to make him something nice! and ended up getting pushed aside... but that's ok!

He has more brothers he can help!

Attempted #2:

Leon wanted to help Mikey with some of his art. He had noticed his brother constantly going into his room with a multitude of sheets of paper and drawing stuff. When he looked he saw amazing drawings everywhere. Mikey noticed him and invited him in. As they were both drawing (Mikey gave Leon a pencil and paper) Leon noticed how tired his orange clad brother was. 'Must be from drawing' he thought (Turns out taking care of a little brother was much more work that Michael thought, but still worth it!). So when Mikey turned around to gather more supplies Leon thought to surprise him by colouring his drawing for him. When Mikey turned back, suspicious at the long period of silence, he let out a loud gasp when he saw what Leon was doing, who just looked at him with a big smile.

Evidently, Leon was slowly and gently pushed out of Mikey's room too, with Mikey gritting out "Hey ya know, Donnie hasn't seen you all day way not go hang with him for a bit!" before closing the door a bit too hard.

Attempt #2: failed

Leon, pouting and slow, waddled over to Donnie's area sniffling.

He doesn't get it! He just wanted to help! But now Mikey was mad at him...

What was he doing wrong? What's wrong with him?...

Well that's ok! Cuz he still got one brother left he can count on: His Twin! Who for some reason is taller than him now but whatever twins are twins no matter what the height!

Attempt 3:

He peeked his head from the doorway into Bubby's quiet zone (a nickname he gave him) and was in wonder of how big and sparkly his quiet zone was. He called out with a quiet squeaky "bubba?" but got no reply in return, so he walked in. Donnie's back was turned to him, so he wandered around for a bit before his eyes landed on a piece of paper pinned to a board with what looked to be an unfinished number question on it. But he knew how to finish it! He saw Bubba do it once! He remembered! So he tried to climb the tall table to get to the papers and pencils.

If he helps with this Donnie is sure to be happy with him!

But he missteps and falls down, pulling down a few things with him in a loud crash. Donnie turns around in horror to find his little brother (now literally) standing in the middle of destruction.

......

"... Sowwy Bubba..."

Donnie doesn't know what came over him, anger? Frustration? Both? (and also a sense of fear that his brother could have been terribly hurt but he ignores that) and just yells at him, forgetting for a moment that this wasn't his same aged twin brother he was speaking to, ending his rant with "-can't you go be a nuisance and bother someone else! And I told you to stop calling me Bubba !" and when he's finished and sees his brother's face he instantly regrets it.

Attempt #3: failed

BEST TURTLE TOTS WRITING PROMPT GO

Tell me all the situations you’d wanna see the baby turtles in, wether it’s de-aging or childhood events.❤️💙💜🧡

[simplyy-imagine]

Aro Volturi x Reader: “Adjustment Period”

Idea: Aro and the human reader are mates and she’s still trying to get used to Volterra. Requested by anon.

Author’s Note: I have a headcanon that Aro looks a lot less imposing than he was portrayed as in the movies. If I recall correctly, in New Moon, Bella describes him as being more graceful than even Alice and uses the word “delicate” to describe him. Long story short, I used a gif of Ben Barnes as Aro instead of Michael Sheen. I hope my characterization of Aro is at least a little bit like you had in mind!

Word Count: 949

Your footsteps echoed along the dimly lit hallway, reverberating throughout the castle and making you cringe. If you thought they were loud, the other inhabitants of the castle could certainly hear them. Nevermind the footsteps; your heartbeat gives away exactly where you are, and to an extent, what you’re feeling, at all times. It was yet another thing you would have to get used to, you supposed. You frowned as all the other things you were going to have to get used to while living here flooded your mind. Volterra; Aro’s home. Your home. You sighed.

You pushed open the door to your destination; the library. You had done more reading than you ever had in your life during the short amount of time you had resided here. The Volturi had collected centuries worth of knowledge, most of which had gone untouched by anyone, save for Aro, before you arrived. He enjoyed your fascination with the room immensely; he loved how your hunger for knowledge could be rivaled only by him.

For you, it was a sanctuary. Besides the fact that you got to be with your vampire lover, it was the one perk of living in this boring old castle. It was also the only place in the castle besides your room that Aro allowed you to be without supervision. Though the Volturi guards certainly respected Aro’s wishes that you remain untouched, lapses in control for vampires weren’t unheard of, and the Volturi had lost many a secretary to a low-ranking vampire who had a slip-up.

The older, more restrained members of the Guard were another matter entirely. They had no respect for Aro’s ��human mistress”. Mate, you corrected them, indignantly. Jane especially disliked you, as she was envious of anyone who had Aro’s attention. This didn’t make you popular with Alec, either. As for the rest of them, you found that they were just about as loyal to the Volturi wives as they were to their Masters.

You understood, as much as you disliked it, that Sulpicia was still Aro’s wife. Sulpicia. Aro hadn’t had to directly instruct you to stay away from her. Although he had assured you that she had an errant disregard for what he was doing or with whom he was doing it with, you had gotten the impression several times that she severely disliked your presence here.

You ran your fingers along a row of books, contemplating which one to start on today, when you heard a silky voice fill the empty room.

“And what are we reading today?” It was smooth and soft, as Aro’s voice always was, but the unexpectedness of it still made you jump. He chuckled at your sensitivity as you turned to face him, redness creeping up your neck and over your face. His smile took your breath away, as it always did.

“I haven’t decided yet.” You replied, still stunned by his beauty.

He was at your side in an instant; you were used to his vampiric speed. He wasn’t human and he didn’t act like it, even around you, as much as he could help it.

“Perhaps I could recommend something.” He murmured, his voice gentle and sweet as he took his hand in yours. You shivered at the coldness his touch brought.

There was nothing romantic about the gesture; he was looking through your thoughts. It had made you feel extremely vulnerable, at first, though you had come to like it; it allowed him to understand you as no one else ever had. You were used to it now; it was almost routine. It was very rare that Aro held off peeking into your mind for long. Even now, despite the fact that he was just with you last night, he was greedily sifting through every thought you’d had since then. You saw him frown and immediately felt guilty for your earlier train of thought; you knew he tried his best to make this feel like home to you and that, despite everything, there was ultimately nowhere you’d rather be than here, with him.

“Perhaps I should arrange a visit with Corin?” He murmured, stroking the back of your hand lightly.

“Please don’t.” Despite your polite words, the disgust you felt at the idea was prevalent in your thoughts. His frown deepened.

“She could make your transition here easier.” He said gingerly, continuing his delicate caress of the back of your hand.

“I don’t want to be like...that.” You said, shuddering. You had never actually seen the withdrawal that being away from Corin’s power caused those who had prolonged exposure to it, but you had heard from Aro that it wasn’t pleasant; he even limited his own exposure to her. He pursed his lips as he observed your thought process.

“Then we’ll speak no more of it.” He said gently, his lips upturned in a rueful smile. You knew that in moments like this, he regretted telling you so much about the inner workings of the Volturi. He seemed thoughtful for a moment while he processed your new ideas.

“It’s not that, darling, I assure you. You know I trust you implicitly.” He sighed, sweetly, drawing you closer to him.

“I don’t necessarily think trust is the issue here.” You murmured, allowing him to envelop you in his arms. You inhaled his scent, deeply, and your mind became fuzzy, his saccharine aroma engulfing you.

“As perceptive as ever, I see.” He muttered, nuzzling his face into your hair and breathing in your scent. When you moved your head to look up at him, his eyes were pitch black. “Perhaps I could make your stay in this boring old castle a bit more interesting?”

[the-blue-closett]

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I don’t know what it is a Laying Pipe As Big As You Want As Deep As You Need T Shirt wide why their minds function that way but they just have to be miserable so they have a good man is doing what he needs to do is try to keep the family together she’ll get pregnant have the baby and break up with and act like he’s the one that left her just so they can play victim and get attention and get sent and is fucked up because even though that hurts the man ultimately is to children who suffer because like I said again if I wasn’t there to pick up the phone when DCF call to try to take my kid away are trying to try to take her downtown to God knows who in stripper naked in ice cold room will my daughter God knows what I have another mother got notes and women in a women to stop doing that shit stop having babies amended you don’t want to be and if you do have a baby with the Manning you don’t want to be with the man allow that man to be in his child because no way to protect the child like that me no other man is going to jump in front is going to take a bullet for that child like Batman. Some are from holly for the day she had paid off as the big times of america’s most wanted was a classic studio biggie be called the ig video buffy video as though by then you know this is in the bodywork is 30 as nasty as you know I haven’t done play would emergeand see everything is most amazing is that we all eyes on me I should call about you put a person is not project was slow to resolve video like this is azariah awkward song to listen to all one business must to remix russia phone number is likely to see how people make all that that so freaking about ready’s hold of us outside all birds like that I do stuff you go on to show the reinsand I talk with him about his community is to apply to know what is what is now miceli cinema give you all a song I was straight so whatever we want toand you are you get a lot of love back to the mailbox like a 40 4j known to down no talk of elementary side when we do that I can’t always be in the backand may decide to go side by side with no loud enough he safely so I sent them a claim based on what they know easily is laszlo who did not grant the right man you’re me before they represent the bag so we see all of his geography week has been to visit his weekly debate we have what they know about lifestyle list stuff so we clicked to dissolve a j los altos s nasa profits at my place homeand send lettersand i’ll just get back to rosas fabiano i’m infiltrating on his own god is my god listen to talk to pot know mike is in the beginning of our conversation on the commend you on your composition not only that the fact that you had all these obstacles in the message that the deal with for some reason you been blessed enough to prevail no matter which I believe what you hear from the media that his head togetherand have no doubt in my mind that he’s always come out timeand I appreciate youand is come down to is that they represent all the mall we ask whatever questions you asked everyone as real as the say so I was always just like you story I sent to you because you are out for is now in jail. Doesn’t me which would mean that the public is much more more aware of who’s making these films the United States loving people are super aware of like James wine I am speaking in a very witty and how they appear I now you did notand will ally the system that really shock I still shock that Justice league was like such a spotter at the box office visit just like with so many heavy hitters but I guess it’s a it’s not surprisingly easy like Black Panther become like the biggest marble movie in this countryand its Black Panther was pretty much a minor character cannot say this is Jeff in the design I’m notand Anthony but I might have if it John member let me now that is a casual superhero than on a huge film lover friend like with the ensemble moviesand are exhausted before I goand I would have to do homework ways when it Aquaman like a quasi scholastics dish movie with Jason the malign edges is a little less like I’m arty overwhelmed by the world sometimes when it’s even after I need to know because anyone I will examine Nati yeah well if you wanted to talk about the connected universe to me that that is one thing that that Marvel Studios did exceptionally welland they seem more more like the only studio to be able to pull that offand other franchises are kind of lessening their connectivity but that you really successful O��Brien to do great here the latest projections are but really I love you now didn’t really like I want to a lot of time in the world is just going to watch did you see that as of the DDC probably went to that school like an ideal situation for me any she’s into the theater this by a person I said I was incredibleand you think that will affect by the automated box office intolerant about the things in the box office Mobile as I think is it before I will also affect the says right about half the things the yes Jennifer shall be Aquaman being the one that I think while the most intimateand Boniface between efficientand be mucous at bonehead sees a living you just need to set I drive element before for bumblebee to it’s a lot I really really really well received they do is for the best Transformers movie badly is also getting a response is a great thing I want to be like I like all these films I wanted to Transformers film for yearsand never had one that I liked so I’m excited about all the things doing well because I need you Transformers for families to play with the toys as a kid on the big model phantom of being DC fan actually bombed after Spira saying I goddamn I guess so he can make it Spiderman movies like they did not morning feeling to yet on I just love that movie you are writing here thing to you think wholesale like appearance anymore just to see Aquaman with a slightly older children or something like that because like there is still listing of all it made it felt like I was I saw Spiderman from the old animated film smart into the spider yet everything is referring to the American girl despite it was and or 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happening we should started to slowly people that we love maybe we do the creamy maybe we pictureand I don’t particularly people down now if anything else youand then there’s a lot of very diverse films down the pipeline on which we’ll talk about but you mention not doing Henry is still soups according to himand he called his boy Henry is our last video answering the cell yes Jeffrey were were playing in real time the fans are seeing it with you all great D that is technology technologically back that he looks more comfortable doing this than on S L I would say you click as I had to go on on onand they were moments I mean some people may for that kind of thing to me by writing he was underserved by the writing it was like one of my favorite bits was like very much later in the shell is one of the last ones he was the father yeah we actually the only time actually laughed out loudand me maybe one of the prerecorded pieces yes S L in general it’s been backloaded which is so weird I used to be who watches after update going back to what mama last will quell me if you just talk character to character 100 this is Schrödinger’s Supermanand that he is both Supermanand not Superman until we have word on being a Superman meeting that he fired you but there’s also no new Superman plan so he’s both deadand alive as Superman much like Schrödinger’s you open the box he’s in a state of things with you yeah I mean as well I hated that point because people asking earlier in the week the Molokai said you know if bands like is done of Henry candles that may be just a point where they are in their career they readand he was being very kind to pray for careerand three you want to have live more than enough on the stage leaving the area live for a guy to meand my favorite conferencesand I think of what would be my favorite just be our most recent trainer is a gazillion of the performers out yesterdayand maybe whenever I try to do here was it’s not even the applicant about right all alland thinking before then all McGinnis to bring from them overand at this point I want Ellen a leader in younger more you know into a Batman is hard for me to see past it has been I really do like lead into a certain extent but at this point all this time if he was now on the other side he wasand be on the audience to out of the Batman movie American it be out but I just like so much time is past I think the reason the time is passing they had made any official announcement is good they want to make it less of a big deal when he when it when they do announce charges to the same man by saying that they actually light has mass doctorsand I’m with you but I do study in between ideas by parents yes I sure did as he used it produced found that very much cemented by the perimeter learning over there after gaining asking that it looks like very much like the man of steel trailer but but but but were warped little bit which we seen beforeand like him fixed limiting comics in comics before like the anti See Other related products: Laying Pipe As Big As You Want As Deep As You Need T Shirt

[davidmann95]

May I please ask how you would rank the various Live Action Lex Luthors? (also, if you were assembling a "Luthorstein" out of these performers then which bits of them would you stitch in before applying the vivifying shock?).

As usual with these I have to recuse myself from a couple of the takes in question since I’m not familiar with say, Lyle Talbot. But I do have to give the most honorable of mentions to Superboy’s Luthor actors, Scott Wells:

…and Sherman Howard:

Shine on, you beautiful loons.

5. Jessie Eisenberg

For the first two acts of Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice, Eisenberg is actually a really good Lex Luthor. A radical new take, no question, but that whole bit where he’s slowly turning up the intensity on a politician to get control of Kryptonian tech, culminating in literally shoving a jolly rancher in his mouth as a low-grade but unmistakable show of utter dominance? That is Lex Luthor as all get-out, and while not every choice Eisenberg, Snyder and company made with him totally hit the mark, it all at least made some kind of sense in the context of revamping him as a Zuckerberg-y 21st century Evil Businessman (not knowing just how much the 80′s corporate tycoon was about to come back into fashion as a horror story for America), with just enough darkness peeking out from underneath to stoke the appetite for seeing him laid bare. 

The problem is when the mask comes off, and it turns out his true nature is being very possibly the worst big-screen supervillain of all time; a tittering, spasmodic caricature of mental illness, squeaking and barking about circles and Alice In Wonderland in heartbreakingly pathetic attempts at faux-profundity between half-explanations for hating Superman because of his daddy proving God doesn’t exist. There’s a lot about the DCEU that gets ragged on that at least doesn’t deserve the intensity of the criticism, even some of the truly awful bits I can at least kind of conceive of someone getting stimulation or satisfaction out of, but the Luthor we’re presented with here is genuinely, inarguably unforgivable by any but the most pathologically dedicated of contrarians. Not that he’s necessarily unsalvageable - Eisenberg himself remains an inspired choice, and the worst bits could be written off in the future as a product of Darkseid’s influence - but given the establishment of a Lex Luthor Sr. to potentially return from the dead and take his son’s place, I suspect the creators themselves at least suspected this could turn out as horribly as it did.

4. Gene Hackman

His low ranking here isn’t meant as a knock on Hackman’s performance - if nothing else, “We all have our little faults. Mine’s in California” is stone-cold one of the best supervillain lines of all time. But while he’s fantastic as an enemy for Reeve’s Superman, unapologetically blown up on his own intellect and ambition, he’s only Luthor in the most technical sense as a selfish follically-challenged genius who needs Superman out of the way and has the narcissism to think he can get the job done. He works spectacularly in his context, but it’s ultimately a different character.

3. Kevin Spacey

If it weren’t for Eisenberg, Spacey would be the definition of wrong place, wrong time when it comes to Lex Luthor. He brings so much that works to the table - the quiet confidence, the callous disdain for humanity, the raw genius, and the venomous hate just waiting for a chance to claw its way to the surface - but Superman Returns was trying to have its cake and eat it too, playing up some more traditional Luthor attributes while keeping him in the mold of Hackman’s version with more wigs, goofy stage-left exits and another genocidal real-estate scheme, and while it doesn’t quite tear him apart, it critically undercuts what could have been a classic take on the character.

2. John Shea

Not many seem to hold any particular fondness for Shea’s performance on Lois and Clark, but I’ve always thought of his take on Lex as inspired. Certainly he was the smoothest Lex Luthor, the take on the character from any medium I could most easily believe conning Metropolis into seeing him as their savior, while just as plausibly cackling as he tortures Superman in a basement on his wedding day. But it was his overall air of amused but only vaguely self-aware superiority that won me over, quoting Shakespeare at the drop of a hat in a transparent attempt at proving his intellectual boda-fides even as he genuinely manipulates and destroys everything in his way, articulating the pettiness and ego that drives Luthor in a fashion unlike anyone else. And most importantly, we see in the first episode that he has his servant occasionally try to kill him to keep him on his toes - ala Cato in The Pink Panther - and when he sets a cobra on his master, Lex just stares at it with all the intensity he can muster until it backs off and slithers away, at which point Luthor sheds a single, perfect tear. It is the most metal moment of all time.

1. Michael Rosenbaum

His performance would have been iconic in any context, but on Smallville his every scene was the living embodiment of “listen up 5s, a 10 is speaking”. I’ve discussed his work as Lex before, and while certain aspects of this take only really suit the character in the show’s particular soap opera context - the focus on his business acumen over his genius, his relationship with his father (John Glover being the 11 in the previous metaphor), precisely how his rivalry with the man who would be Superman is born - Rosenbaum brought a scale of intensity, cold intellect, charisma, desperation and vulnerability to the role that defined Lex Luthor in the eyes of a generation and saw him easily bypass any competition as the greatest live-action Lex Luthor to date, likely for decades to come.

As for the Frankenstein, Rosenbaum as the base (or at least his passion and vulnerability), Shea’s charm, Hackman’s wit, Spacey’s cold cruelty, and Eisenberg’s attempt at delving into the more philosophical underpinings of his war with Superman, if hopefully dragged upwards by the residual quality of the others.

[adambarnardphotos]

The Undertaker and The Undeniable Truth

The crowd booed loudly as The Undertaker walked down the entrance ramp of the Spectrum in Philadelphia in 1992. Led in the ring by the equally pale and slightly more unnerving Paul Bearer, Undertaker set his sights for the ring, ominously sizing up his opponent. I felt the warmth of the stadium dissipate, giving way to a cold that ran up my spine, or so I had thought I’d felt. I sat with my eyes wide open under the bent brim of my Seattle Mariners hat, mesmerized by this gigantic and, apparently undead, man walk slowly and methodically towards the ring. I had no idea what “kayfabe” meant as a squirmy seven year old. I just knew this thing was the scariest thing I’d ever seen, and that my attention was completely focused on him. I was so entranced in his entrance, I couldn’t hear the roar of the crowd as his opponent, Jake “the Snake” Roberts, entered the ring to begin their match. I was captivated by the energy, the pageantry, the excitement of a WWE (then WWF) live event, and The Undertaker captured all of that by himself.

That day at the Spectrum was a wonderful touchstone in a lifelong fanaticism with professional wrestling. My brothers and I spent hours acting out all of our favorite promos from the Ultimate Warrior, belting out the theme songs of our favorite Superstars, and became deeply distressed at any sign of Hulk Hogan losing the upper hand. Saturday mornings were sacred, the squared circle our church, and the Superstars our Biblical figures, with their storylines as hallowed as the stories of Moses and Abraham. I can’t think of my childhood without the thought of the WWE in my mind. My brothers and I agonized over which Superstar would win the Royal Rumble and who, if anyone, would beat the Undertaker at Wrestlemania. WWE had grown with us, with Hulk Hogan and Randy Savage giving way to Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels, then giving way to The Rock and Stone Cold Steve Austin. Each year that passed brought a new storyline to become deeply involved with, new drama to be captivated by, a new Wrestlemania to desperately wait for.

We couldn’t have known as children the impact The Undertaker would have on professional wrestling and a generation of children, including the wide eyed, brown haired little boy in the nosebleed section of the Spectrum that day in 1992. His storied career has spanned more than three decades, the majority of that time as “The Deadman”. We watched him slay giants, be buried alive, become one of the darkest villains in the history of sports entertainment, transform into the American Bad Ass, and then take his rightful throne as the real “Mr. Wrestlemania” (sorry, Shawn Michaels, but you know it’s true). Last night, after his loss to Roman Reigns at Wrestlemania 33, the Deadman placed the pieces that made him iconic in the middle of the ring and symbolically brought an end to his historic career.

Life is funny sometimes. Some days bring reminders of good moments in your life. A cigarette smell brings you right back to the afternoon you spent swimming in your Uncle Lon’s swimming pool, while he enjoyed his Marlboro Lights and black coffee on the covered porch of his Levittown home. A crack of a baseball bat connecting with a 98 mile an hour pitch sends you to the hazy summer afternoon spent in the blue seats of Veterans Stadium with your brothers, dad, and favorite perpetual teenager, Uncle Rick. Waves crashing against the sandy beach transports you to the summer of your first vacation crush when you went to Cape May Courthouse with your mom and brothers, and the impending heartbreak that comes with saying goodbye when the trip is over. While her name has been eternally lost in translation between your short and long term memories, you can see her brown hair blowing in the wind as you threw sea shells into the ocean with her, and you can hear her laugh at the terrible joke you told her seconds before she kissed you. Wonderful, amazing moments that push the course of your life in new, exciting directions, and these life receipts, whether tangible or connected to senses, connect you directly to your past.

Other days are reminders of mortality and the unstoppable aging process that precedes our inevitable fate. Those reminders perpetually yield an absolute sadness, a melancholy that lingers over my daily routine like an obnoxious itch on your leg after a mosquito bite. It’s like a bitter aftertaste from a terrible drink your brother swore was delicious, and you knew better than to trust him on his decision making, but you drank it anyway, and no amount of water will dilute its foul remnants. No one and no actual thing prepares you for each loss you experience in life, nor do they buffer you from the successive losses of your childhood that accompany each passing year. There’s no guide to prepare for the first major loss in your life, as Uncle Lon slips away from cancer. The life lessons and tough skin Uncle Lon’s passing brought most certainly did not prepare you for the loss of Uncle Rick, also from cancer. Although you were older when Uncle Rick got sick, and you “convinced” yourself you could handle it because you knew it was coming, that the inevitability of his passing was sealed in his book of life, you’d literally give anything to sit and enjoy a Burger King cheeseburger and talk Phillies with him for another five minutes. You lose close friends by way of accident, and each loss never gets easier, as if I’m expecting the sudden, unexpected, and emotionally devastating passing of Scott Palek to somehow cushion me from the air constricting, guttural reaction I experience when learning Jeremy Fischer passed. Forty pounds and twice a day anxiety medicine told me that I wasn’t cushioned at all. They all become immediate reminders that the only constant in life is death, and, to quote John Mayer, “we’re never going to stop this train.”

Wrestlemania 33 brought one more reminder of this nonstop train. I remember speaking to my wife a few days before Wrestlemania 33, and saying, “I can’t believe Taker’s wrestling again. I don’t know how much more his body can take. He’s getting older, he’s probably past time to hang it up.” I said these things, not at all expecting him to do just that. I had the same thoughts about Goldberg, Sting, and other titans of professional wrestling coming back for one more round. Like Goldberg and Sting, The Undertaker owes us no more than he’s already given us. He’s entertained me, my brothers, and legions of fans across decades, putting his body and safety on the line in death defying, jaw dropping, heart pounding fashions, each and every time. I, like so many others, plead for more entertainment, more excitement, more action, but in reality, we’re pleading for a return to times long past. We project these fleeting wishes onto The Undertaker, a man who represents the last tangible piece of those times. The Undertaker hasn’t transitioned into that next plane of existence, like Robin Williams, The Ultimate Warrior, Chris Farley, Ryan Dunn, and countless other people, places, and things that no longer exist but in memory. The idea of him, however, his aura, and what he represents, now joins that plane in my mind. The Undertaker was the last tangible piece of my childhood that existed. I could watch his matches and remember that day vividly in the Spectrum, and become lost again as a child, discussing with my brothers whether or not was really dead and what was really in that urn. As I turn the calendar of another year of life, I find myself a year older, and another year as a father. I’ve shifted the life roles from child to father, and my father has become the wise grandfather, imparting wisdom and guidance on days where I can’t imagine my children acting any worse, and him gently reminding me that days like today don’t come back, and the better way to view life was to just breath and enjoy the ride. I snap back into the moment, looking towards two sets of little eyes above chocolate covered faces, and then repeating the Aladdin song to hear the sweet singing voice of my oldest serenade me one more time.

The seven year old boy is crying quietly, arms draped on the railing of the Spectrum, pulling his bent brimmed Seattle Mariners hat over his face to hide the tears, as another one of his heroes, and another, perhaps final, piece of his childhood makes the inevitable transition from present to past, short term to long term memory, taking its place with Uncle Lon, Uncle Rick, lost loves at the beach, and infinite life receipts, to peek out from time to time to remind us of who we are, the roads we’ve traveled, and where we’re headed next.

But I’m sitting here, typing through tears, saying “…maybe one more match for us? Please?”

Thank you for everything, Mark Calaway. You have made my life better and enjoyable in measurable ways I’m not sure I could accurately describe, and I thank you for every single moment of joy, excitement, and entertainment you’ve provided me.

[nightmareonfilmstreet]

Girls Night In: 35 Years of SLUMBER PARTY MASSACRE

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Girls Night In: 35 Years of SLUMBER PARTY MASSACRE

Four girls get together for a slumber party and find themselves fighting off a sadistic escaped mass murderer…with a drill.  On the surface, it’s easy to simply write off 1982’s cult classic, Slumber Party Massacre as just another 80’s exploitative slasher . But upon closer examination, this film is exposed as being much much more than that.  November 12th marked the 35th anniversary of the movie’s release and it’s the perfect time to re-examine and delve a bit deeper into this smart, intelligent and incredibly entertaining flick.

First, a bit of background.  The script was originally written by the feminist writer and activist Rita Mae Brown.  Originally titled Don’t Open the Door it was intended to be a parody of the slasher genre and the feminine and masculine roles that were normally represented.  The script crossed paths with Amy Jones who was then working for the infamous Roger Corman.  An established film editor at the time, Jones had previously worked as Martin Scorsese’s assistant on Taxi Driver, as well as on Joe Dante’s (Gremlins, The Howling) first film Hollywood Boulevard.  She produced a short prologue for Don’t Open the Door and Corman enjoyed it so much he told her to go ahead and finish the film.  Now, at this time Jones was already slated to work as a film editor on a little film called E.T.  But here was Corman offering her the opportunity to produce and direct her own film.  Tough choices.  Jones decided to seize the opportunity at really creating her own picture and Slumber Party Massacre was born. Originally marketed and sold to the public as a run of the mill slasher film, there’s really much more to this movie. Here’s a quick synopsis of the film courtesy of IMDB:

An eighteen-year-old high school girl is left at home by her parents and she decides to have a slumber party. There is friction between some of the invited guests and the new girl, who is better at basketball than they, so the new girl decides to stay at home (which is conveniently across the street from the host’s house). Meanwhile, a murderer of five people with a propensity for power tools has escaped and is at large, and eventually makes his way to the party, where the guests begin experiencing an attrition problem, with only the new girl to help them.

The real genius behind Slumber Party Massacre is the way that Jones and the cast play with the exploitation and slasher film stereotypes.  Right off the bat the audience is given the Corman classic of “tits, butts and blood.” This was expected from a Corman film and Jones simply gets it out of the way with a classic locker room scene involving the main group of girls after a basketball game.  We are also quickly introduced to Russ Thorn (played by Michael Villella), an escaped mass murderer who has chosen a drill (with a 12 inch bit) as his current weapon of choice.  His first victim, a beautiful phone repair woman meets her end inside her work van.  Now, this first victim could have been anyone, but Jones chose to make her not only female, but a capable, blue-collar working woman.  A female handyman also appears for a moment later in the film while installing a peephole at the girl’s basketball coach’s house.  Just something to take note of that wasn’t really seen in movies, and especially exploitation films up to this point.

Finally, we really get to see what Russ Thorn is all about as he stalks Linda (Brinke Stevens) through the gym when she goes to look for a forgotten book.  There’s no question who the killer is in this film.  He’s never really hidden, there’s no mystery who is killing off these girls.  He’s an average clean cut white guy wearing jeans, boots and a denim jacket…and yeah, wielding a giant drill.  After a bit of a hunt (accompanied by the really amazing synthy, simple, creepy score by Ralph Jones) Thorn claims his second victim without even uttering a word.

Now to the part we’ve all been waiting for, the slumber party.  The girls gather at Trish‘s (Michelle Michaels) house while new girl Valerie (Robin Stille) turns down the invitation, even though she conveniently only lives next door. The girls go about typical movie slumber party activities; smoking weed, drinking beer, getting naked and changing in front of each other, etc.  Outside, there are two teenage boys who are getting an eyeful while peeking in an open window.  Not just a throw away scene, the boys represent the “male gaze” and the fact that these girls, while friends of the boys, are being objectified in a way very similar to the way the killer objectifies them.  Lest you think it’s only the males that objectify in this film, there’s a really interesting scene that takes place over at Valerie‘s house.  Valerie‘s baby sister Courtney (one of the more interesting characters in the film) seizes an opportunity to search Valerie‘s room and commandeers her Sylvester Stallone Playgirl that she has hidden under her bed.  Here she is the one objectifying, and since the Playgirl belongs to Valerie, she obviously also takes part in this practice.  A clever little scene to be sure and an interesting counterpart to the teenage boys.

Let’s fast forward a bit.  One by one, Thorn manages to pick off not only the girls, but the boys, the neighbor, an unlucky pizza delivery boy, and their concerned basketball coach.  Each time he uses his drill in a variety of creative ways.  You know what, let’s talk about this drill.  This massive, intimidating drill that Thorn is constantly caressing and using to violate his victims. It doesn’t take a whole lot of reading between the lines to see that this drill is not just an interesting weapon, but a phallic metaphor.  This is no veiled metaphor either, there’s some incredible shots in the film that make it very clear what this weapon is supposed to represent.  As a character Thorn is intentionally bland and little is ever explained as to his motive.  His only lines in the whole thing are when he speaks to Trish telling her “All of you are very pretty. I love you. It takes a lot of love for a person to… do this. You know you want it. You’ll like it. Yes…” His lack of character development leaves plenty of room for interpretation as to what he is supposed to represent, the most obvious metaphor being the act of sex itself.

Finally Thorn finds himself in a showdown with Valerie who has obtained a machete, equal in size to Thorn‘s drill.  She manages to chop the drill bit in half leaving Thorn castrated and unable to fend of her attacks. The satire and the wit is so clever in Slumber Party Massacre and it still holds up incredibly well.  While Thorn may be the ultimate party crasher, the real stars of this film are the women involved in it; the actors, the writers, the directors and the characters themselves. While this film came out over 35 years ago now, it’s still so relevant and the issues that it addresses are sadly very timely.  If you haven’t yet, definitely spend a night with the girls of Slumber Party Massacre and enjoy a cult classic that offers up way more than one might initially think.

[flauntpage]

Answers to Golden State and Cleveland Lie in the NBA's Upper-Middle Class

On Tuesday, I wrote about how the Minnesota Timberwolves and the Milwaukee Bucks could potentially break the hammerlock that Golden State and Cleveland currently have on the NBA. Those two are long shots, but other teams are positioned to disrupt the league's reigning duopoly as early as next season. There are two, in fact, and I'll be talking about both of them today.

The Washington Wizards and the Houston Rockets are part of the NBA's upper-middle class, which until now has produced little more than mildly annoying foils for the Cavs and the Warriors. But maybe, just maybe, these two teams can become serious threats in 2018.

Washington Wizards

Shortly after his Wizards were eliminated by the Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference semifinals, Bradley Beal made a confident yet poorly timed comment about how petrified the defending champion Cavs should be of his team.

"Cleveland didn't want to see us," he said. "I always said that. I felt like that's the reason they didn't play us in the second round. They didn't want to see us in the second round. If they were going to go down, they were going to go down in the conference finals. They didn't want to go down in the second round."

On one hand, this came off as a feeble battle cry from a sore loser. How is Beal to be taken seriously after he made only 31.3 percent of his threes in the second round? (To be clear, Beal is awesome and shouldn't be blamed for Washington's demise, but he also doesn't look great claiming the team that demolished the team that his team lost to was shaking in their high-tops.)

On the other hand, maybe Beal has a point. Maybe the Wizards wouldn't have lost to the Cavs by 100 combined points over a five-game span like Boston did. Maybe their exuberant top-shelf star power would have been more formidable against LeBron James and Co.

Given that both Washington and Cleveland should remain fundamentally unchanged next season, the best way to analyze the future is to peek back at the recent past. Even though they went 1-2 against the Cavaliers during the regular season, the Wizards played them about even. Beal didn't take the floor in Washington's first loss way back in November, and the Wizards' second loss hinged on a say-your-prayers turnaround by James to send the game into overtime.

In the 73 minutes John Wall and Beal shared the floor, Washington outscored Cleveland by 2.0 points per 100 possessions. Neither team could guard the other, which has been a common theme over several matchups during these playoffs.

One thing working in Washington's favor is time. James will be 33 years old next season, and at some point his age is going to translate into a tiny step back. The Wizards, meanwhile, can reasonably hope for 27-year-old Wall, 23-year-old Beal, 23-year-old Otto Porter (assuming the Wizards bring him back—more on that in a second), and possibly even 28-year-old Markieff Morris all to come back as better versions of themselves, with head coach Scott Brooks on his second season in D.C.

Room to improve? Photo by Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports

Washington's bench is a concern, and largely the reason we just saw the Wizards flame out in the playoffs, but the front office has very few resources to improve it this summer. The Wizards will likely be in the luxury tax if Porter re-signs, which would leave mini-mid-level, biannual, and veteran's exceptions as their only available tools to fill the holes in those lineups. That's probably enough to go after guys like Michael Beasley, Omri Casspi, and Ray Felton, but those names hardly inspire confidence. Maybe Tomas Satoransky can give Washington decent minutes as a backup point guard. Maybe Ian Mahinmi can bounce back to have a healthy season. Or maybe not.

And yet, to reach the top of the Eastern Conference, it somehow seems less critical that the Wizards shore up their putrid reserves than ensuring that their best players can get even better. Wall is Washington's franchise player, but his jumper still has room to improve. Porter can get stronger, and perhaps receive an expanded offensive role. And Beal? His continued growth feels most crucial for this team's future, especially in a potential showdown against the Cavaliers.

It's hard to pinpoint any one specific area of Beal's game that needs to get better. He's already a sensational pick-and-roll playmaker who can create his own shot, rain fire off screens, and wreak havoc in transition. If one "weakness" was exposed in the playoffs, it was an inability to attack with his back to the basket. According to Synergy Sports, Beal finished only ten possessions with a post-up during the regular season. That number helps explain why the Celtics weren't terrified to have Isaiah Thomas guarding him in the playoffs, even if Beal ultimately dominated that individual matchup, but it won't dictate how Beal approaches off-season workouts.

"We'll do a little post game work, but he's not taller or longer than most of the guys that guard him, so that's not to his advantage," Beal's trainer Drew Hanlen told VICE Sports. "We'll add turnarounds over both shoulders. He already has a great face-up game."

Beal also plans to work on different ways to draw more fouls and create space off the dribble behind the three-point line. This should sound horrifying to opposing teams. Beal's True Shooting percentage was already in the high 60s in two games against Cleveland this year, with heavy minutes and a usage rate that was slightly above his season average. Him performing at that level in a seven-game series isn't inconceivable.

Even if they don't land a big fish to lift their bench this summer, Washington already has enjoyed a bit of success with lineups beyond its starting five that match up nicely against Cleveland's smaller groups. With Morris at the five, Porter at the four, and Kelly Oubre on the wing, the Wizards outscored opponents by 15.8 points per 100 possessions in just over 50 minutes this season. (The same group was barely utilized in the playoffs.)

The Wizards should really like their core. It led them to a 49-win season, and they were a few unlucky bounces and a Kelly Olynyk podium game from the Eastern Conference Finals. Just imagine what can happen if everyone stays healthy, and Beal leaps from awesome to unstoppable.

Houston Rockets

The Rockets were built to trade uppercuts with the Warriors. From top to bottom, this year's team felt engineered in a lab to dethrone last year's 73-win juggernaut.

The recipe starts and ends with an ideal supporting cast for James Harden, one that provides space for his drives and several outlets once he knifes into the paint. It was as fatal an offense as the NBA's ever seen.

We'll never know how close (or far) this experiment came to actually taking the Warriors down, however, because Houston flamed out in the conference semifinals against a San Antonio Spurs team that didn't have Kawhi Leonard in Game 6. It was one of the more perplexing series finales in recent memory, but extrapolating too much from any one game (or series) can be foolhardy.

The Rockets finished the 2016-17 season with the NBA's second-best offense and third-highest point differential. They deserved the "championship contender" label they wore for most of the year, and general manager Daryl Morey would be wise to roll back a majority of those pieces for another run.

A second season in Mike D'Antoni's system, with a full year for Lou Williams to acclimate himself and 23-year-old Clint Capela to grow, could lead to an even more diabolical attack. Granted, Nene will likely move on, but that could very well just open up more minutes for Capela, Montrezl Harrell, or Sam Decker to make the most of a new opportunity. Every other complementary Rockets part is under contract for at least one more year.

On the other hand, Morey may feel like accentuating Harden's strengths can only get the Rockets so far. Perhaps more star power is required to outclass a seemingly unbeatable foe. Houston doesn't have enough assets to outbid other teams for an All-Star on the trade market, but it can clear cap space and go all-in for one in free agency.

More help wanted? Photo by Soobum Im-USA TODAY Sports

The most intriguing target is Blake Griffin. At first glance, the five-time All-Star might seem badly miscast in D'Antoni's offense, but for the purpose of lessening Harden's burden and offering some variance to an attack that's increasingly predictable as a playoff series develops, Griffin can unlock so much more than meets the eye.

No, he can't spot-up beyond the arc or consistently threaten defenses as a pick-and-pop weapon, but his presence would open up more doors for Harden, beyond conducting high pick-and-rolls on every single possession.

Picture Harden as the screener for Griffin, a catch-and-shoot option on the weak side, or a cutter who occupies the defense's attention while Griffin operates in the post. Not having to be the architect of every open-floor opportunity would drastically simplify Harden's life. According to Synergy Sports, Harden turned it over on 28.9 percent of all possessions where he was the ball handler in transition. This ranked 77th among the 85 players who led at least 50 fast breaks last season. Griffin only turned it over 13.6 percent of the time and placed 11th in points per possession.

Much like James turning the keys over to Kyrie Irving for lengthy stretches here and there, situations where Harden can give the ball to Griffin and get out of the way could refresh other areas of his game.

On the defensive end, Griffin would be an undeniable upgrade in every way. He isn't Draymond Green, but opponents don't go out of their way to hunt him down, as the Spurs tirelessly did to Anderson in the second round. Griffin can switch screens, and he would make opponents think twice about sticking a smaller wing on him when he sets a pick for Harden.

Against the Warriors, Houston could trot out a Griffin, Harden, Trevor Ariza, Eric Gordon, and Patrick Beverley unit that matches up pretty well with Golden State's most versatile groups.

The Rockets could clear enough space to afford Griffin's max deal by attaching their 2018 first-round pick to Ryan Anderson's contract and letting a team like the Brooklyn Nets, the Philadelphia 76ers, or the Timberwolves absorb the three years and approximately $61 million left on it. And without dipping into the tax, they could stock their bench with a plug-and-play marksman at the veteran's minimum like Anthony Morrow, and maybe even add someone like Kyle Korver with the room exception (that's probably not enough, but signing him to a two-year deal near $10 million makes it slightly more likely than impossible).

Replacing Anderson with Griffin would change how the Rockets play, but that might be what's necessary to finally loosen the Warriors' stranglehold in the West.

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Answers to Golden State and Cleveland Lie in the NBA's Upper-Middle Class published first on http://ift.tt/2pLTmlv

[cnrage-blog1]

Hack Payday 2

Offense.internet access often is the main trainer play method, the place ll purchase quests from the active destination guide and acquire harmonized by incorporating soulmates in criminal offense. While it may appear boorish, it s truly the best aspects of the knowledge. |even so i necessary to immerse personally within the dream as a major funds loan company burglar, but a never ending steady flow of snafus saved shattering it. An element of why it really is so frustrating, and enticing, is the many various characteristics and aspects that play essential functions. Which leads us to Payday 2 Hack Pirate Perfection s ideal, most obtrusive problem the brick and mortar singular participant method. Payday 2 crimewave edition for xbox one particular and playstation 4 is, in most cases, precisely the same fabulous co op heist trainer that landed on the scene roughly 2 yrs earlier on xbox 360 console control console, playstation 3, and personal computer, along with the extra benefit from improved competence foliage, further tools, and the other changes and additions maker overkill has loaded on seeing that roll-out. Its technicians are exceedingly profound, and is particularly system so unusual when compared to customary shooters, it may well appear complex when civilians are racing every single which way, your energy drill is jamming onto your aim at loan company vault, and law enforcement officials sirens are getting to be louder and louder within your ears. No matter if you wish an very easily covered silenced pistol or maybe a big bullet garden hose that scares civilians into distribution choosing its throaty claim, crimewave edition comes with a rifle for you personally. Assured, Payday 2 Hack Pirate Perfection is truly a multi participant centered trainer, however, it possesses a technique to use single with 3 crawlers and while the choice can there be, it really should not be an undesirable option to play and workout. Crimewave edition gives listed here tremendously, each of those just because of all of the extra ability and systems, and on account of contributing the pre preparation work for a number of quests, which lets you unquestionably speak to mementos and spend some money in turn for digicam access, |It is a effective, logical special level of range for a trainer that without a doubt received an abundance. I have got tried out about 10 moments given that the 8gig revise they not too long ago revealed and that also i continually haven t change into straight into a game title seeing that that certain lucky time. ironed the f#@! Out. Simple transform of plan in advance, i d get rid of the rooftop defend, handle the pager, etc, then hold on on top into my colleagues to help get the 2nd defend and also the director simultaneously. Time for you to go very loud. Once you wear your masks and initiate buying safety measures patches, people blunders, or something that is just like that is going spectacularly enirely wrong. |other hand because of the imperceptible surfaces that sure our world, dialing law enforcement. The sport profits much from the siege system, as well. Due to this fact having a good time with randomly selected allies may just be much less fun. It s without a doubt contributed possessing a genuine issues once in a while, when i have conferred with my lobbymates even while analyzing the achievements of heavy risk, multi area heist because of the lesser beautiful pay out for one more jewelry retail outlet run. It is usually quickly unhappy that the whole thing ability and tools, masks and customizations unlocks progressively, or a whole lot worse, arbitrarily. But nevertheless, i could not go to your negative perspective in the trainer in the event it s been nicer close to The loot you predict how to locate may not be there, and also the end of heist compensation you can be looking for may possibly hardly ever appear. Intention aims are generally visible, even so there are lots of subtleties to treat as well. constancy and variability does an amazing process of producing you can be experiencing knowledgeable with every single intention even while concurrently continuing to keep with your feet. The person in the television will possibly not believe that you in the event you imagine often is the defend you only bumped out. |The small organization Whenever you attain values and provide funds and xp, you discover new purchasable tools to make the technique and so are recognized with competence guidelines that you might place toward numerous functions that also have a price tag. issues and carry lesser, bodily exercise swiftly and quietly, and implement numerous contextual procedures further proficiently. The equipment and technicians have the capability to modest imperfections and restrictions, but they put together goals setting transpires for thrilling heists that you will will want To get an epic criminal offense rampage. Only 2013,2014. The “point break” of trainer titles has came back for a subsequent I enjoyed this area of the trainer. The sole guide they will be performing markets are special ammunition totes along with a get when you get knocked decrease. |You ve 4 fairly authentic competence foliage to get over. The astonishing amount of customization is some of Payday 2 Hack Pirate Perfection‘s finest talents. My only need was that i likely have committed extra time outside the house taking advantage of sunlight sun rays, given that the place style of the exterior conditions are exceedingly popular with the eye as the confinements because of the indoor locations are boring and gloomy as they are bankers and jewelry sellers. Payday 2 takes solutions from several different origins and combines them towards a fairly fun, and at moments, shockingly profound trainer about tugging from distinctive criminal acts. Every single heist comes with a important plan beneath why you are working on, but there is not any overarching narrative that ultimately ties them completely. This in many cases engaged awaiting a little something to grow drilled into, Press for bigger variant and photograph art gallery. very difficult in single play. |If you should never end, you get zip. All around everyone loves Payday 2 Hack Pirate Perfection what in addition is any severe payday admirer more likely to say of this particular follow up? it is nearly criminal arrest how negatively maker overkill has mismanaged the actual endure. In a similar fashion, the fascinated out grind are very strenuous. Again, overkill does not provide me to take part in the sport i wish to use. Placed 4 inactive is undoubtedly an recognizable motivation, even so the entire experience with payday is image complete an exceptional admiration for range of motion impression shootouts. My preferred option because of the new heists takes place when overkill shuffles factors for virtually any presented intention. In addition to that, there is lesser variety in contrast to last trainer in the matter of who could supply which loadouts. The rear door was opened about this run that had been fabulous, because it designed the director would most certainly find a walk outside the house. |In several approaches, once wherever the whole thing is going totally enirely wrong is a cardiovascular system of helpful first human being shooter. remarkably pounding dancing song takes close to, blueprints get reformulated and functions reassigned shortly, furnish essentially the most serious helpful thrills i have got actually encountered outside the house of bet on placed 4 inactive 2. When my teams and that also i inevitably executed an imaginative, optimum heist we finished it simply using a absolutely nothing threshold scheme toward these unpredictable innocent bystanders we wiped out somebody in the periphery who could stop being tied up decrease. Payday 2 desires that you unquestionably break down since it is certainly not a heist trainer conversely a heist crafted siege shooter. Undoubtedly, a little something goes wrong at these occasions as well the drill will jam, the meth make sets flame to your optimum point surface. Although , you ll most certainly just await a intention you should peek, and, mainly because it gradually will your whole destination guide notion just gets to be a tedious Happily, the type progression menus keep on being visible a sufficient quantity of, and Payday 2 Hack Pirate Perfection provides for a complex range of competence foliage it is possible to flit approximately on impulse. Right here is the irony listed here. Like achievement and manly ability fantasies would definitely be a big a portion of admired trainer titles, and who wouldn t wish to be robert de niro within the michael mann original? The sport was unfortunately forgotten by most, conversely with added in benefit content and articles from valve and dlc charts, the sport featured a sufficient quantity of to warrant a follow up. |This wasn t an effective choice, as stealth isn t effective in first human being god mode premiums, and is particularly constructed even more complicated listed here using the unnecessary ai foes will randomly region you and also also stimulate alarm systems it doesn t factor how close or prohibited what we do is, also in the unhappy event that you will be relying on crawlers within your range of several, you can find fairly usually that they can may activate alarm systems or begin the process of firing into crowds, destroying any likelihood of secretly polishing off a intention. Payday 2 s scenarios contain a critical receive a factor back in the main. This really is allegedly helped by nicer systems unlocked using the trainer s rpg approach, wherever individuals can discover extra ability and merchandise by obtaining experience with heists, however it expenses hours soon after hours of trainer play to gain values and also the truly effective systems requires a multitude of Some heists may be done sneakily for a bigger pay out, you await extended Exactly why they would not select tricks up for you personally transpires because there d stop being any reason behind the online gamer to perform a good deal in addition. Bain would definitely flame whomever flaws, region their slice, and get rid of them, 2. You acknowledged it had been so difficult to find visitors to enjoy yourself with (though there is consistently visitors to enjoy yourself with following i executed) why do you need to allow it to be tougher? I give this summary a from 5. delight because of the chase dulled, our escapades increased to grow normal routine rather of daring, and something by one particular our attentions waned and we drifted to other stuff. Payday 2 is truly a trainer with shocking range. |But, it is advisable to try to get at the whole thing fantastic tricks. While you enjoy place 100, it is possible to primarily status for some superior infamy place to discover authentic cosmetic products and titles at the cost of your hard earned money. In a similar fashion, masks, materials, and motifs are unlocked all through randomly selected drops and after that place The big report features some of the formerly revealed dlc and piece delivers to your oncoming of 2016 that were featured piecemeal to personal computer individuals. idea rest (unfortunately the boring one in the 2015 remake and do not patrick “dirty dancing” swayze). sacks overflowing with priceless gemstones, totally bored with helping you haul these to the vacation truck, or stand alongside an heating up drill free of needing to unjam it. 3 years on and re re revealed, women and men imperfections are certainly not as simple to disregard and folks capabilities lesser beautiful. Who likely have believed we d finish up listed here, holed inside a lender, have lesser ammunition, swat teams type in your vehicle while using house windows xp all primarily we all do our very finest to have the drill centering on the protected just as before? And all sorts of just because we |Previous to stepping into why that s, allow us to examine just how the trainer is most effective. It could be your reception, where you can make your mind up should you wish to let other individuals sign up you or otherwise. I actually do not truly contain a popular loadout, it altogether is determined by which type of intention it s and just what all of the other squad s comprise is. denoting who what so when, combined with speaking about loadouts.

[nightmareonfilmstreet]

Girls Night In: 35 Years of SLUMBER PARTY MASSACRE

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Girls Night In: 35 Years of SLUMBER PARTY MASSACRE

Four girls get together for a slumber party and find themselves fighting off a sadistic escaped mass murderer…with a drill.  On the surface, it’s easy to simply write off 1982’s cult classic, Slumber Party Massacre as just another 80’s exploitative slasher . But upon closer examination, this film is exposed as being much much more than that.  November 12th marked the 35th anniversary of the movie’s release and it’s the perfect time to re-examine and delve a bit deeper into this smart, intelligent and incredibly entertaining flick.

First, a bit of background.  The script was originally written by the feminist writer and activist Rita Mae Brown.  Originally titled Don’t Open the Door it was intended to be a parody of the slasher genre and the feminine and masculine roles that were normally represented.  The script crossed paths with Amy Jones who was then working for the infamous Roger Corman.  An established film editor at the time, Jones had previously worked as Martin Scorsese’s assistant on Taxi Driver, as well as on Joe Dante’s (Gremlins, The Howling) first film Hollywood Boulevard.  She produced a short prologue for Don’t Open the Door and Corman enjoyed it so much he told her to go ahead and finish the film.  Now, at this time Jones was already slated to work as a film editor on a little film called E.T.  But here was Corman offering her the opportunity to produce and direct her own film.  Tough choices.  Jones decided to seize the opportunity at really creating her own picture and Slumber Party Massacre was born. Originally marketed and sold to the public as a run of the mill slasher film, there’s really much more to this movie. Here’s a quick synopsis of the film courtesy of IMDB:

An eighteen-year-old high school girl is left at home by her parents and she decides to have a slumber party. There is friction between some of the invited guests and the new girl, who is better at basketball than they, so the new girl decides to stay at home (which is conveniently across the street from the host’s house). Meanwhile, a murderer of five people with a propensity for power tools has escaped and is at large, and eventually makes his way to the party, where the guests begin experiencing an attrition problem, with only the new girl to help them.

The real genius behind Slumber Party Massacre is the way that Jones and the cast play with the exploitation and slasher film stereotypes.  Right off the bat the audience is given the Corman classic of “tits, butts and blood.” This was expected from a Corman film and Jones simply gets it out of the way with a classic locker room scene involving the main group of girls after a basketball game.  We are also quickly introduced to Russ Thorn (played by Michael Villella), an escaped mass murderer who has chosen a drill (with a 12 inch bit) as his current weapon of choice.  His first victim, a beautiful phone repair woman meets her end inside her work van.  Now, this first victim could have been anyone, but Jones chose to make her not only female, but a capable, blue-collar working woman.  A female handyman also appears for a moment later in the film while installing a peephole at the girl’s basketball coach’s house.  Just something to take note of that wasn’t really seen in movies, and especially exploitation films up to this point.

Finally, we really get to see what Russ Thorn is all about as he stalks Linda (Brinke Stevens) through the gym when she goes to look for a forgotten book.  There’s no question who the killer is in this film.  He’s never really hidden, there’s no mystery who is killing off these girls.  He’s an average clean cut white guy wearing jeans, boots and a denim jacket…and yeah, wielding a giant drill.  After a bit of a hunt (accompanied by the really amazing synthy, simple, creepy score by Ralph Jones) Thorn claims his second victim without even uttering a word.

Now to the part we’ve all been waiting for, the slumber party.  The girls gather at Trish‘s (Michelle Michaels) house while new girl Valerie (Robin Stille) turns down the invitation, even though she conveniently only lives next door. The girls go about typical movie slumber party activities; smoking weed, drinking beer, getting naked and changing in front of each other, etc.  Outside, there are two teenage boys who are getting an eyeful while peeking in an open window.  Not just a throw away scene, the boys represent the “male gaze” and the fact that these girls, while friends of the boys, are being objectified in a way very similar to the way the killer objectifies them.  Lest you think it’s only the males that objectify in this film, there’s a really interesting scene that takes place over at Valerie‘s house.  Valerie‘s baby sister Courtney (one of the more interesting characters in the film) seizes an opportunity to search Valerie‘s room and commandeers her Sylvester Stallone Playgirl that she has hidden under her bed.  Here she is the one objectifying, and since the Playgirl belongs to Valerie, she obviously also takes part in this practice.  A clever little scene to be sure and an interesting counterpart to the teenage boys.

Let’s fast forward a bit.  One by one, Thorn manages to pick off not only the girls, but the boys, the neighbor, an unlucky pizza delivery boy, and their concerned basketball coach.  Each time he uses his drill in a variety of creative ways.  You know what, let’s talk about this drill.  This massive, intimidating drill that Thorn is constantly caressing and using to violate his victims. It doesn’t take a whole lot of reading between the lines to see that this drill is not just an interesting weapon, but a phallic metaphor.  This is no veiled metaphor either, there’s some incredible shots in the film that make it very clear what this weapon is supposed to represent.  As a character Thorn is intentionally bland and little is ever explained as to his motive.  His only lines in the whole thing are when he speaks to Trish telling her “All of you are very pretty. I love you. It takes a lot of love for a person to… do this. You know you want it. You’ll like it. Yes…” His lack of character development leaves plenty of room for interpretation as to what he is supposed to represent, the most obvious metaphor being the act of sex itself.

Finally Thorn finds himself in a showdown with Valerie who has obtained a machete, equal in size to Thorn‘s drill.  She manages to chop the drill bit in half leaving Thorn castrated and unable to fend of her attacks. The satire and the wit is so clever in Slumber Party Massacre and it still holds up incredibly well.  While Thorn may be the ultimate party crasher, the real stars of this film are the women involved in it; the actors, the writers, the directors and the characters themselves. While this film came out over 35 years ago now, it’s still so relevant and the issues that it addresses are sadly very timely.  If you haven’t yet, definitely spend a night with the girls of Slumber Party Massacre and enjoy a cult classic that offers up way more than one might initially think.