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sleep-i-ness · 4 years ago

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Dance With Me (Steve Rogers x reader)

FOR SSB21

Pairing: Steve Rogers x reader

Warnings: None? A little alcohol and rich people being hypocritical

Word Count: 1.9k

Square Filled: Dancing

Summary: You’ve been assigned a recon mission at a fancy ball and you’re dreading it, most of all because you’re pretty certain your partner is your colleague Mark. But you’re pleasantly surprised.

A/N: Yes I busted the end of this out in 30 minutes because I hit 500 followers and I thought it was deserved. Enjoy!

You tugged at the zip of your gown, huffing as it refused to budge. When you’d been assigned to a reconnaissance mission, you had assumed it would be simple subterfuge. Ducking around corners, your usual gear and more of an in-and-out situation. Instead, you were dolled up to the nines in a dress you could hardly breathe in and no weapons. You were posing as a couple with a colleague; you weren’t sure who, but you were hoping that it wasn’t Mark. You were sure he was a lovely guy, but something about him unsettled you so you had never stayed close enough to him to ever find out.

A knock at the door interrupted your train of thought, attention slipping, and you hissed as you stabbed your scalp with a bobby pin. Dammit. Mouth full of hair grips, you spat them out onto the desk once you’d deemed that your bun was virtually indestructible.

“Coming,” you called, silky-soft fabric swishing around your ankles as you rushed to the door. How on earth were you meant to fight if you encountered any trouble?

Pulling the door open, you smiled politely at Commander Hill, waiting for the rest of the mission debrief. Although you loved your job, it was very last-minute prep-wise, and you would have preferred to have the information more than 30 minutes before going in.

“Agent Y/L/N.” Hill nodded at you, flicking through something on her tablet.

“Commander Hill. Come in.”

Your room was sparse; simple SHIELD accommodation while you waited to be deployed, no knick-knacks or personal belongings because you were never too long in one place. Hill hovered beside you as you returned to the desk, touching up your mascara with a brush of the wand.

“You will be undertaking a reconnaissance mission at the annual Clanwing Ball. All the richest people in the world will be in attendance and you are looking out for this man, a Mr Ian Quinn, owner of Quinn Worldwide.” Hill held up a picture of an attractive man with dark hair and piercing blue eyes. You scanned his features, committing every last wrinkle to memory. “We believe that he is interested in an element known as Gravitonium, discovered by our very own Franklin Hall, and it is your job to find out if he is looking for funding or any further information on the subject. You have been paired with Captain Steve Rogers.”

Steve Rogers? You couldn’t lie, you felt a lot more at ease now you had an Avenger at your side. It was surprising that someone with such a recognisable face had been chosen to accompany you, but perhaps that was the whole point. There was no point wasting time mulling it over; you’d never be able to understand the inner workings of Director Fury’s mind.

“Understood. Where will I be meeting Captain Rogers?”

“At the Avengers Tower in Manhattan. A car has been arranged to transport you.”

The car rolled to a stop in the garage, seeming out of place amongst the collection of expensive vehicles. The door was opened for you and you stepped out, smoothing down any creases in your skirt. You let your eyes trail up the man in front of you, offering a small smile. Your gaze moved from the polished black shoes, army clean, to the spotless black trousers, to the crisp white shirt, tight black waistcoat and matching tailored blazer.

“Captain Rogers, a pleasure,” you offered your hand, which he shook effusively.

“Likewise, Agent Y/L/N. Please call me Steve,” Captain Rogers chuckled politely, looking almost as uncomfortable in the suit as you felt in your dress.

“Well then, you should call me Y/N.” You grinned, readjusting a slipping strap.

Steve offered you his arm, inclining towards you slightly. You took it, trying not to seem too eager as you followed.

“I hope you don’t mind, but I took the liberty of asking Tony – Mr Stark to speak with us as he has had dealings with Quinn in the past. Director Fury has expressed the importance of the mission’s success which is why we met here, rather than at the main facility.”

You nodded; he was very serious, and you hoped that the evening wouldn’t be too dull. Maybe Mark would have been an improvement.

Any complaints were wiped from your mind as you stepped out of the elevator, eyes widening almost imperceptibly as you caught sight of the view from the floor-to-ceiling windows. You would bet that they were a massive security issue, but the view was worth it. Manhattan was spread out in front of you and you felt like a god with the city at your feet.

A low whistle broke your reverie and you spun, making eye contact with an amused-looking Tony Stark. He sauntered over to you, slinging an arm over your shoulder, and, out of the corner of your eye, you caught Steve rolling his eyes.

“What do you think?”

“The view is incredible,” you murmured.

“I’d say there’s something much more beautiful right next to me.”

You glanced back at Steve. “Oh, well, Steve is gorgeous.”

Stark chuckled. “I like you.” He sipped on his drink, swirling the ice cubes round as Steve stepped up next to you. “Hey, hey, no need to get all possessive Cap.”

“Stark.” There was a warning tone in Steve’s voice as he raised one perfect eyebrow.

Stark clapped his hands together. “So, you want to know about Ian Quinn? Well, he’s your typical billionaire; arrogant, loves beautiful women, so you’ll have no problem there,” he sent you a wink, “and pretty much believes he’s untouchable. Make it worth the chase for him and get him to brag.”

Was that not obvious?

Bright lights flashed as you stepped out the car, clutching onto Steve as you would a life ring. You fixed a pearly smile onto your face, cheeks aching by the time you got through the doors and away from the cameras. You just hoped that they wouldn’t be particularly interested in publishing the ones of you; you’d have to speak to Director Fury or Commander Hill about stopping any publication in case it would jeopardise your career.

Woah. Any thoughts of work slipped from your mind as you descended the grand staircase, admiring the grand opulence surrounding you. Polished marble frescoes decorated the walls and ceiling, spotted with Renaissance-like artwork. It felt like the Sistine Chapel, only tackier. Bright gowns shimmered and sparkled in the sea of moving bodies, shining like gems amongst the darker tuxedos. However, among them was an unavoidable obstacle. Bodyguards stood at every corner, aquiline eyes following their principles. You would be unable to sneak off at any point with this many eyes on the floor.

You tugged Steve over to the side of the ballroom, avoiding the twirling couples as you made your way across to a less populated section. As a waiter passed, you grabbed two flutes of champagne, offering one out to Steve, who shook his head.

“Alcohol doesn’t do much for me.”

“Can’t let it go to waste, I guess.” You downed one after the other, returning them to a nearby waiter’s tray. God, they were everywhere. You guessed rich people must be able to afford that many staff.

You turned your body to face Steve, stepping closer into his personal space; to any nosy onlooker you’d seem deep in conversation which allowed you both to scan the room for the man you were looking for.

“Can you see him?” Your gaze returned to his face, roving over the sculpted jaw and enviably long lashes.

Steve hesitated. “No.”

Damn it. You could see little from your corner and you doubted Steve could see much more, despite his height.

“Dance with me, Steve.”

Leaving him no time to answer, you pulled him into the midst of the bodies, slipping a hand onto his shoulder. He begrudgingly took your hand, placing his other on your waist as you began the waltz. 1,2,3..1,2,3.. You spun and dipped as though it was second nature, Steve’s hands catching you in the right position as you twirled out and back into his arms.

“Anything?” He murmured as he dipped you, eyes locking onto yours.

You righted yourself, glancing over his shoulder. “Nothing.”

The orchestra grew to a crescendo, players moving in synchronisation as the conductor waved frantically. It was so much better dancing with a live orchestra than practising in a cold room with a recording. Especially when you had a man like Steve as your partner.

The man in question glanced back at you, raising an eyebrow as he caught you staring at him. You looked away hurriedly, pretending you had been surveying the floor the entire time.

“Although I’m sure I’m interesting to look at, as you told Tony,” you grimaced, “Quinn seems to be hiding from me so I think it would help to keep your eyes on the floor.”

You paused. “Shut it, Rogers.”

He pulled you close, returning to the classic 3-step as you revelled in being so close to his warm chest. It was stupid to feel so secure in his arms, especially on a mission like this one, but there was just something about him.

The strings soon died to a silence as Mr Clanwing himself took to the stage, smiling broadly at the crowd thronging in front of him. Steve’s hand remained on your lower back as you slipped to the edge of the crowd. It was always handy to be able to make a quick escape.

“Ladies and gentlemen, I would like to thank you, on behalf of the Clanwing Charity, for your generous donations and attendance tonight. It is wonderful to see so many of you show such support for combatting the atrocities in the world.”

You rolled your eyes, zoning out. You really couldn’t be bothered to hear a billionaire prattle on about how he’s helping the poor when he only gives a tiny fraction of his fortune away to avoid having to pay tax.

Steve’s grip on your arm tightened as a crash echoed across the room. Glass from one of the high arching windows shattered across the floor as a raucous group clambered through the frame. Gate-crashers. Mr Clanwing rushed off stage, engaging in furious discussion with a member of staff. You snorted as his face grew redder and redder.

Security quickly surrounded them, thick beefy men with biceps twice the size of your head, but the damage was done. The mood was dampened and already you could hear whispers across the crowd and shuffling feet as people thought about leaving.

“My apologies, but it seems that the evening will have to be cut short as there is a health and safety risk due to the glass strewn across the floor and cold winter air. Do not fear, we will attempt to reschedule despite your very busy lives.”

A grumble echoed across the crowd and you sighed. Well that was a waste of time. No Quinn and only two glasses of probably very expensive champagne to make you feel better.

Steve offered you his arm as you manoeuvred through the crowd, hoping to escape before everyone else. You clutched on gratefully. You just wished you could spend a little longer with him.

Steve squeezed your arm softly. “Considering that was a disappointing mission, how about you come back to the Tower and we make up for it with pizza?”

You grinned. “I’d love that.”

marvel tags: @1marvelavengers1 @neymarlionelmessi7 @okkulta @yourenotafailureoverall

steve tags: @uglipotata72829 @cheapglitter @persephonehemingway @a-stressedstudent @ccosmic-illusion @20coldhearts @blackblossomqueen @atomic-chickenwings @its-evita-here @inkandpen22

ssb21: @star-spangled-bingo

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howlandreads · 6 years ago

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I Really Hate This Show, Which I Love More Than Life Itself

Hey guys!! I know I haven’t posted any metas in months, (I’ve been super busy between work and school) but Game of Thrones is back and I’m really going to try and make Tumblr a priority for at least the next six weeks! As you can probably tell from my previous posts I’m pretty anti D&D and have significant issues with their adaptation of ASOIAF, but I’m also pretty excited that one of the biggest events in fandom history is taking place every Sunday for the next month and a half, so I’m pretty conflicted about my feelings for the show right now -- That being said, here’s my general thoughts on Season 8 Episode 1 – “Winterfell”:

I don’t have too much to say about the “previously on” section of the episode, but I did find two things particularly interesting. The first is something @theusurpersdog mentioned to me; Cersei says “The monsters are real,” and then we get a smash cut to D*ny riding Drogon. Most people have assumed the audience is meant to see the dragons as monsters, but it could also be foreshadowing some oncoming Dark!Dany content. The second thing I found interesting was how the clip of Bran’s Warg eyes is shown right before we see Viserion’s Wight eyes, which might be some foreshadowing for the popular theory that Bran’s going to Warg a dragon this season.

Next is the opening scene where we see Jon and D*ny arriving to the North, which is the first of this episode’s 1,000 callbacks to the first episode. It’s a scene that’s clearly meant to mirror Robert’s arrival to Winterfell from “Winter Is Coming��, which mostly works except for the fact that the Baratheon theme is playing in the background despite the fact that there’s not a Baratheon in sight, except for Gendry, who’s not even a true Baratheon.

I adore Maisie Williams in this scene. Last season’s Arya was such a mess, and though I still feel show Arya is nothing compared to the complexity of ASOIAF’s Arya, she seems to be much more herself this episode. The look on her face when she sees Jon is perfect, as is her subtle heartbreak when he doesn’t notice her. I continue to be tired of the amount of The Hound content D&D continue to subject us to, but I do like that we see Arya’s joy at seeing that Gendry is alive.

Though I love Arya in this scene, the most important part is D*enarys. In a crowd of dark fur coats, she stands out clothed in pure white, and the Northerners take notice. This scene also sets her up as a liability to Jon, both with the North and his own family. When he’s with D*ny he misses Arya in the crowd, setting up the recurring theme of the episode that the more he’s with her the less he’s a Stark. I also appreciate that her first appearance of the season shows that the fear of the subjugated is what she’s after, not their love or respect. Her delight at the terror her dragons instill seems to bode well for Dark!Dany theories. Overall, I enjoyed how the dragons were portrayed. I love that Arya is awestruck, and that Sansa is in wonder for a moment, but immediately sees the danger in their presence in the North. Sophie plays this brilliantly, and the look of resolve Sansa has shows that she won’t be intimidated by grand displays of superiority from D*ny.

I have a lot of thoughts on the courtyard reunion scene, but I’ll only mention the really important things since I don’t want this post to be too long. The reunion of Jon and Bran was good, but not nearly as good as their relationship deserved. Jon and Sansa’s reunion left a lot to be desired. Why is Sansa only glad to see him for less than a second before she’s side-eying D*ny? So many of my issues with D&D come from their inability to write women who aren’t reduced to pure pettiness, and this episode was a classic example of their failure to provide complex female characters. Sansa is so justified in her concerns about D*ny and I wish the writing portrayed her as a an incredibly intelligent Lady of Winterfell, who has every right to bitterness towards the woman who’s demanded the fealty of her people, instead of just another small-minded and petty female character who’s more concerned with glaring at D*ny than she is with fighting the fast approaching White Walkers. D*ny stans also have a right to be offended by this episode as D*ny is fairly one dimensional as well.

Sexist writing aside, my biggest issue with this scene is that somehow nobody cares that a freaking undead dragon is coming their way. Not even D*ny, the Mother of Dragons, is given more than a two second reaction shot. This should be devastating for her, and her plotline for the episode should have been her processing her grief.

There’s a lot of issues with this scene, but I will say that Bran is amazing throughout this scene and the whole episode. Is he the ASOIAF Bran that I love? No, but he is spectacularly dramatic and I’m here for it.

Next is the Great Hall scene. Again, the Northerners are treated as small-minded and petty over their concern for titles and independence, and I fail to see why. Westeros is a feudal society, which means of course titles mean everything. And beyond titles, of course Northerners are justified in their want for independence. Each Kingdom has its own argument for independence, but the North’s is by far the strongest. They’re larger than the other kingdoms combined, and have a completely different climate and a completely different set of needs than the southern kingdoms. Not to mention the fact they’ve been the most consistently victimized by the tyrants of King’s Landing.

This scene is much better about treating Sansa as an intelligent leader who’s aware of the North’s situation. Again, there’s a lot more I have to say but this post is already getting pretty long, so I’ll move on to Sansa and Tyrion’s reunion.

I’m so torn on how to feel about this particular reunion. It’s deeply upsetting because it’s a wretched reminder of so many of D&D’s past sins, in particular the whitewashing of Tyrion’s character, and how Sansa’s development was completely undercut in the process. This scene also shows a stark contrast between show Sansa and book Sansa. It’s impossible to imagine book Sansa fondly remembering Joffrey clawing at his own throat, unable to breathe – it’s actually essential to her character that she wouldn’t. What leaves me torn is that I still really love show Sansa. Though D&D’s adaptation will never compare to the beautiful and brilliant character GRRM created in Sansa, I can still root for a badass Sophie Turner fondly remembering the day her serial abuser died.

Now onto my favorite scene of the whole episode, Jon and Arya’s reunion. Both Kit and Maisie were so good in this scene. I love their genuine happiness and comfort at seeing each other again after all these years apart. I love the silent mourning of their youth when Arya confesses to Jon that she’s used Needle once or twice. It was also really nice to see Arya defending Sansa after the absolute tragedy that was Arya and Sansa’s plotline last season. It was also good to see how clearly hurt Jon is by what he perceives as Sansa’s lack of faith in him.

I don’t have all that much to say when it comes to the section of this episode that takes place outside Winterfell, since there’s not a whole lot of substance in it. All I really need to say is that I continue to adore Lena Heady, I love the reference to elephants, I’m continually upset by the writers seeming lack of understanding when it comes to consent, and the Theon and Yara plotline is mostly a waste of time, which is incredibly disappointing because it has so much potential.

The next scene is by far the worst of the episode. I still can’t get over how unbelievably disrespectful to the source material it is to have Jon’s first time riding a dragon be written as comedy. The only thing worth noting from this sequence is the ominous way Jon keeps his eyes open while making out with Dany, and how foreboding his eye contact with Drogon was.

Though I loved every second of Arya and Gendry’s reunion, it was a mostly superficial scene so I’ll skip passed it.

Jon and Sansa’s candlelit and tense conversion was content™, but I’m hoping to make a Jonsa focused post about this week’s episode in the next couple of days so all I’ll say is that I loved this scene.

Next, we have Sam’s discovery that his family has been executed, the reveal of R+L=J, and the beginning of the emotional and political fallout these revelations will cause. I’m so unbelievably disappointed by this sequence. Jon discovering the truth of his parentage should have easily been the most important scene in the series to date, and the whole thing just fell flat. The main problem with this scene is that it focuses on the political ramifications instead Jon’s emotional response.

In the second to last scene Tormund discovers the dead body of the child Lord Umber surrounded by some pretty horrific centipede arms. The White Walkers haven’t really been all that threatening since Hardhome, but damn was that shriek unsettling.

The episode closes with Jaime’s arrival at Winterfell, and I couldn’t be happier. Hopefully confronting the man who crippled him will be enough for Bran to not be a robot, at least for one episode. That combined with the fact that Sansa and Jaime will finally be meeting is more than I can handle. As much as I was excited for this week’s episode, I can’t begin to express how ready I am for next week.

Overall, I had some issues with D&D’s execution, but I’m mostly excited for where it seems this season is going.

#game of thrones #A Song of Ice and Fire #ASoIaF #got #asoiaf meta #Jaime Lannister #Sansa Stark #jon snow #gotjonsa #jonsa #anti daenerys #anti targaryen #house stark #gothousestark #bran stark #I really hate this show which I love more than life itself

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09yards · 5 years ago

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8 - When You’re Gone (days gone by - nct)

All the mystery and the magic You light up what once was tragic And I know that I will miss you when you're gone I could never have imagined All the heavens pour with passion But I know that I will miss you when you're gone

Johnny had been right about one thing tonight; it was indeed a family affair. What felt like just about everyone Mark was close to, was dispersed throughout Yuta's house. The parents had all congregated in the kitchen, about five too many bottles of wine left empty on the side for the number of people - the chatter and laughter rang in Mark's ears.

God, he hated being drunk. The smallest of sounds seemed to echo in his ears but at the same time it felt like he was hearing things underwater, his head was spinning and he was about six too many drinks in and he'd barely been there two hours. The air around him feels thick, muggy from too many people being crowded into the various rooms.

Jisung had somehow managed to get out of the whole ordeal, arguing with their mum about how it would be inappropriate for someone who is (even more so than the others) underage to be surrounded by drunk people and the possibility of him therefore partaking in said underage drinking would be increased and that's not good for his health. Johnny had called him a pussy under his breath and had promptly earned a slap to his stomach from their mum and a stern "watch your language John" who then turned to Jisung (whose face was now adorning the slight pout and puppy dog eyed look - aka how to get their mum to do whatever they wanted look), her face relaxing into a gentle smile before kissing the top of his head (on her tiptoes which made her pout) and telling him to rest well and not stay up too late studying or engrossed in whatever novel he was currently working his way through. Mark stuck his tongue out on the way out the door - the kid could get away with everything, he and Johnny had dubbed it the youngest child effect. Johnny was pretty upset that he'd wasted good chocolate milk and now Yuta was going to get to drink it.

Mark had been dancing around since he'd first arrived, back and forth between rooms in hopes of avoiding Donghyuck. Honestly, he wasn't entirely sure why he felt the need to avoid him, the younger was probably doing the exact same thing though since the lack of communication between the two since way back to Mark's birthday. Mark had spent some time pining and was okay about the whole situation now (as okay as he could be on the surface anyhow). Mark had been so busy with school - even with only being a month and a half in - he'd been spending lunches in the library, study periods with his tutor to talk about his personal statement and what felt like every second of his free time was spent pouring over his textbooks, homework and whatever else he could get his hands on. The only breath of fresh air was when he finally submitted his uni applications, nudging the whole ordeal to the back of his mind rather than playing the waiting game to see if he'd get accepted or not. He'd drifted apart from everyone in a sense but with Donghyuck it was weird. When he passed the others in the hallways, they'd spare a second to flash a smile or give a quick wave, things were normal, but with Donghyuck it felt like he purposefully averted his eyes every time, maybe Mark's mind was playing tricks on him, maybe it wasn't.

Renjun had ranted to him over facetime at three am one night about how Donghyuck seemed to squash any and all rumours quite quickly about whether or not he was gay, Heejin and him had made up somehow apparently and Renjun had seen the two of them spending time together - what for, Mark didn't know, nor did he want to. Renjun had said it was probably some sort of ploy due to Hyuck's parents. They all knew the story and they weren't the worst, but when Hyuck's older brother, Taeyong, had come out they just seemed to ignore it - they pretended like it hadn't happened and they never brought up dating around Taeyong ever again until Taeyong had gotten quite sick of it and had decided to bring his boyfriend (although he hadn't introduced him as his boyfriend, it was quite clear by the two's body language that Taeil very much was) to their annual family Christmas party. Not his proudest moment he has admitted on multiple occasions but, to Mark and the others it was quite the scandal, particularly as lovely as Donghyuck's parents were, they just seemed to not realise the number of people around them that were gay, much to the amusement of the majority of their friends. Just about everyone was gay, bisexual or pan between Mark and Johnny's friends, as well as a copious amount of people attending their school alone were part of the LGBTQ+ community and openly expressed their support of it and how the Lee's were yet to realise it no one would ever know, as well as how they've managed to live in their surprisingly accepting small town where political and social 'issues' weren't taboo. Taeyong had moved out the moment he was accepted into uni and promised that he wouldn't end their relationship for the sake of Hyuck, even if it meant the only time he spoke to his parents these days was when 'required' to at family events and the occasional birthday phone call. Mark and Donghyuck had grown distant over the last two months and Mark couldn't help but feel like it was to do with the rumours. Mark knew Donghyuck's parents wouldn't be happy about him being gay, if he was (Mark was still confused as to whether or not he'd come out to him that day) they would just pretend like it wasn't happening, make up a girl that he was supposedly dating to rely it to the family - it had happened before and it would more than likely happen again. But alas, Mark was far too drunk for him to be able to work up the emotional capacity to act like the best friend, if he could even call himself that anymore, he should be too Donghyuck.

- - - -

"Jaehyun, please stop, I'm too drunk for this-"

"Being drunk is the perfect time young padawan! As the expert on all thing’s soulmates, please remember I have known mine since I was a mere five years of age, I am the most qualified to educate you here."

"You're probably more drunk than I am right now-"

"I probably am, okay, I definitely am but, doesn't stop me from being happy and in love and married to the best person in the world."

"You aren't married?"

"That's what you think."

"Jaehyun, what on earth is that supposed to mean?"

"It means that just because I may not be legally married, yet, that doesn't mean I won't be anytime soon. I just need to pick a ring and then ask him but it's not like he's going to say no right? Having a soulmate, you are bound to that person for the rest of your life, that's the whole idea of marriage, is it not? Oh look, there's Doyoung, see you later Mark!" Mark was flabbergasted, apparently Jaehyun had turned into some kind of Tumblr drabble reciting robot when drunk off the dubious substance in his cup, although if you asked him he'd probably just say it's what happens when you're in love and then flash you the famous Jung smile - dimpled and gummy.

"Wait!" Even when he raised his voice himself it made his head pound, "You didn't give me your advice?"

"Oh yeah," Jaehyun could barely stand straight, gently swaying as he paused in his steps half turned to Mark, “Just confess already. The pining isn't doing you any good and there's no other way to find out if he's your soulmate or not unless he tells you he's the one who caused your tattoo. Right now, you're only hurting yourself, stop feeling guilty all the time and be a little selfish for once, not that telling someone how you feel is selfish. You'll only make yourself sick, literally, either way and yes it could end up worst case scenario but you could also end up happy. You deserve to be happy Mark, you've spent so long doing things for everyone else because you felt like you had to, do something for yourself." Mark let his weight sink to the floor, his back pressed against the cold wall of the hallway.

Maybe it's what he needed to be able to let go?

"Mark, hey," Jungwoo turned the corner, finding Mark still cuddled up against the wall where Jaehyun had left him earlier, "I was looking for you, you disappeared on everyone."

"Jungwoo... I want to apologise again about what happened at my birthday. I was drunk, wasn't thinking straight. What I did was wrong, so wrong and I'm so sorry for it and for upsetting you and-"

"How many times do I have to tell you I'm okay? Taeyong introduced me to this older friend of his anyway, very cute, very mature so no risk of him doing any classic teenage pining. Besides, neither of us were exactly thinking straight Mark. You and Haechannie will figure things out soon enough."

"Jaehyun told me to confess, that's why I'm here, debating whether that would be easier than yeeting myself off a cliff." Mark couldn't look at Jungwoo, he still felt guilty, sure they'd both been drunk and neither were exactly hoping to start anything in the future but it felt sucky, Mark never wanted to hurt someone else and in that moment he did, whether Jungwoo was okay now or not.

"Maybe you should, get everything out in the open rather than keeping all those emotions bottled up. You never know, maybe good things will come from it."

"Thank you, Woo, I know what I did was super shitty and I really hope you know how sorry I am."

"Shut up Mark, it never happened."

"Right, it never happened."

For the first time in a while, an actual smile threatened to appear on Mark's face. "Come on, lets re-join the party! Winwin got everyone dancing, even Johnny," Jungwoo grabbed his hand to pull him up from the floor, "let’s have some fun."

As Jungwoo and Mark joined the makeshift dance floor of Yuta's living room, more drinks were pushed into their hands as their friends whooped and cheered that they were back, all far too drunk to remember any of their actions come morning. Jaehyun and Doyoung were cooped up in a corner, speaking in hushed voices to one another, both of their eyes filled with complete adoration for one another. Lucas was twirling Yuqi, the two of them bursting into fits of giggles whenever they made eye contact, it was endearing, Mark thought. Yuta and Winwin seemed to no longer be hiding their relationship status when Sicheng was not-so-subtle, sitting on Yuta's lap, the two leaning in for an R-rated kiss that Mark swiftly looked away from. Jaemin's head was resting on Renjun's thigh as they sat down on the sofa, evidently Jaemin had drunk more than he could handle and Renjun's hands gently cascaded through the younger's hair. Mark liked seeing his friends together, it made him realise just what having one’s soulmate can do, how it can make you feel. But he couldn't help the pang in his chest at the thought, he was alone, his eyes somehow having found Donghyuck among the copious amounts of people dancing. Mark couldn't take his eyes off of him, he gravitated towards him, dancing with some girls from his class who dragged Mark to join them - pushing him towards Donghyuck.

The younger's head snapped up at the mention of Mark's name, no longer focused on perfecting the choreography to whatever song was playing with Yeri and Irene. Before Donghyuck could escape, Mark clasped his wrist, looking at him with pleading eyes. Now or never, now or never.

Donghyuck freed himself, flashing Mark a disgusted look before walking out of the room as fast as he could without drawing attention to them, Mark close behind.

"Hyuck, wait up please!"

"Leave me alone Mark."

"Come on Hyuck, at least let me speak," Mark's shoulders slumped as he let out a deep sigh, attempting to build up his courage, now or never. "J-just let me say this and then you can scream, yell, runaway or whatever it is you want to do," Donghyuck's resistance against Mark pulling his arm again relaxed, "just, please let me speak."

"Fine. What do you so desperately have to say?" His voice was wobbly, Donghyuck was telling himself that it was because of the cold October air and not his emotions getting the better of him. Donghyuck doesn’t even remember at what point they’d made it outside – nor does he see the audience of one they’ve gathered.

"Okay, right, here we go."

"I don't have all night Mark."

"Right, sorry. Of course, I just need a second." Was the air getting thicker or was Mark just having trouble breathing?

"Here goes nothing," Mark took one last deep breath and closed his eyes, he had this speech engraved in his mind ready to use it at any moment, "I like you Hyuck. I'm pretty sure I'm in love with you and I'm also fairly certain that you're my soulmate.

I know that we're young and I'm definitely dumb and you aren't even eighteen yet but, I know that I'm in love with you and I trust that the universe made us meet that day in the library because you are my soulmate. I can't imagine my life without you, I can't imagine waking up next to anyone else. I can't imagine kissing someone else, holding someone else in my arms, running my hands through their hair, listening to them hum along to the radio. It's always you, in my daydreams and my nightmares, whether I'm asleep or awake you're always by my side.

Believe me when I say I tried to stop, I tried to convince myself that you're not the one. I spent so long crying myself to sleep, begging the universe to let me stop loving you, I tried, I really, really tried... but, I'm always going to love you. I think I've known that since the day we first met and I need you to know that, I'm always going to love you. No matter what. I've imagined me saying this to you hundreds of thousands of times and I was never going to say anything but I can't keep doing this. I can't fake another smile, I can't fake like everything’s alright all of the time, I can't fake that I'm alright. I love you Donghyuck."

"Mark," Donghyuck inhaled sharply, "I don't know what you want me to say..."

"Say you feel the same, say you can feel your soulmate mark showing up, whatever," the pleading in Mark's words was clear by his breathlessness, "Hyuckie, please, I know you can feel it too."

"I'm sorry Mark, I really am," his shoulders slumped and he couldn't meet Mark's eyes, Mark's pleading gaze, "I'm so sorry. I can't do this. I don't feel the same, I'm not in love with you Mark. You're hurting someone else by doing this, please get over me and stop - I know you won't be able to handle the guilt. I can't let you hurt someone else, I can't hurt you by lying like that. I'm sorry... I'm so sorry."

And with that he turned away, leaving Mark behind, hiccupping in attempts to breathe while he sobbed uncontrollably. A pair of arms wrapped around him, pulling Mark into a warm chest, a gentle hand patting his head and muttering "it's okay" over and over again.

Mark had never felt more sober than he did in that moment. Dizziness overtook him, the walls if the hallway felt like they were closing in around him, getting closer and closer, suffocating him. He sobbed and sobbed until he didn't have a single tear left to cry, his body spasming as he tried to catch his breath, hiccupping into the comfort of Johnny's arms.

Mark had never wanted to get drunk more in his life.

- - - - -

Donghyuck is peacefully absorbed in his history textbook when his attention is snapped away from medieval medical treatments and to Jaemin quite literally plonking himself in the chair over the other side of the table to Donghyuck, letting out an exasperated sigh as he does so, backpack discarded on the floor by his feet as his eyes meet Donghyuck's - they're inquisitive and Donghyuck feels himself shrink in on himself a little, out of apprehension, fear or embarrassment, Donghyuck isn't sure.

"What happened with you and Mark?"

There was a slight bite to Jaemin's voice, no traces of any gentleness or subtly. Jaemin wasn't for softness when it came to life generally, particularly when someone’s upset, he approaches situations with the grace of a herd of elephants.

"Nothing."

Jaemin tuts, rolls his eyes and lets out a deep sigh, clearly not satisfied with Donghyuck's answer - or rather lack thereof.

"Oh, that’s not what I heard?"

Donghyuck can't tell if Jaemin drew the short straw and is the one tasked with interrogating him over the events of the weekend or if he's genuinely doing it for himself. Maybe Mark is keeping quiet about the events of that night, however even with how good the two are at avoiding one another it is clear Mark hasn't been in school the last few days, they aren't that good at not having crossed paths remotely once. Donghyuck couldn't help the pang of guilt. Donghyuck also knows that Jaemin isn't giving up, he's tapping his fingers against the desk as if he's hoping that'll prompt Donghyuck to talk. Jaemin is nonchalant about most things in life (aside from anything Renjun related), yet he doesn't back down and is evidently undaunted when it comes to getting what he wants.

"Well, nothing happened."

"Bullshit." Jaemin counters, without missing a beat.

Donghyuck is taken back by the harshness of his voice. Honestly, Donghyuck thought they would drag this out for longer, more like he was hoping he could keep up his charade of 'nothing happened' for longer, staying in his little bubble where he could pretend like everything was okay - like that night hadn't happened and he hadn't broken his best friends heart. Jaemin was the type to bug you to just the right level of being ridiculously annoying to get what he wanted out of you - driving you to insanity bit by bit was more his style unlike the current look of utter despair lacing his usually kind features.

"That's utter bullshit and you know it. Whatever fantasy charade you're keeping up by pretending everything’s okay is ending right now. You keep sighing in lessons, I can practically feel the anguish radiating off of you from the other side of town and here you are straight up lying to my face and just about everyone else, including yourself."

"Why do you care so much?" Hyuck didn't mean to sound so cold, it was just a second-nature defence mechanism at this point as well as being caught off-guard by Jaemin's sudden outburst.

Jaemin looks at him again, staring dead into Hyuck's eyes like he's searching for Donghyuck's last remaining brain cell, jokes on him though because it's not there. "Because Haechannie, I actually care about you and want to make sure you're okay as well as Mark. The tension between you two is downright depressing and I thought all the melodrama ended when Renjun and I got together but clearly, I was wrong, the two of you are so much worse. Both with permanent pouts on their faces, avoiding talking about whatever happened so no one can do anything to help which again, is just," Jaemin let out some disgruntled sound in lieu of an adjective but laced with the same disgust he was attempting to convey, "you see? Everyone has been here before, we're not all Jaehyun and Doyoung, you're more like Johnny and Ten and the utter mess that was the start of their best-friends-to-boyfriends transition. We all care about you; we all want to make sure that you're coping and not making yourself sick." Jaemin's now looking at him with one eyebrow raised as if Donghyuck's now supposed to magically understand whatever Jaemin's word vomit was actually implying.

Donghyuck lets his eyes wander over Jaemin's appearance, his hand griping his hair in anticipation of Hyuck's reply, pupils blown, wide and gazing at Donghyuck's face for any hint of emotion, looking slightly manic. Donghyuck evaluates his current position and with a deep breath he feels calmer, his muscles have relaxed, a smirk graces his face and-

"Oh, I've been meaning to ask, how are Johnny and Ten?"

6 NEW MESSAGES FROM RENJUN

I don't know what you did but you broke Jaemin

I've been trying to get him to shut up for years and you did it in less than half an hour

teach me your ways

he hasn't said anything since he got back, he's just sat there staring out the window with his mouth hanging open

Jisung and Chenle are seeing how many blueberries they can get in his mouth until he snaps out of it

they're up to nine

let me know how many they get up too

and tell Jaemin I'm sorry and that I'll

talk when I'm ready.

Donghyuck smiles, its only small but it’s his first genuine smile in a while.

- - - - -

The rain is bouncing off the ground as he walks home, splashing his ankles and soaking the ends of his jeans. The temperature seems to have dropped by a million degrees since this morning and he's wishing he checked the weather app and put a warmer coat on. He's at the point where the harsh October air feels like it’s getting in his bones, just about every inch of him is freezing and just when he thinks things can't get any worse, as he turns the corner to his house he's met by a tall figure sat on the steps leading up to his door.

The rain is the last thing on his mind as he lets his umbrella drop to his side, tilting his head as if that would help him get a better look at the boy that's slouched over, flicking his phone between his hands.

Upon hearing Donghyuck let out a pathetic attempt at a cough in hopes of gaining the others attention, the mop of blonde hair moves until Hyuck is met with a heart-warming, lopsided smile he could recognise anywhere.

"Hey, Haechannie."

"Hello, what can I help you with?"

"I think you know why I'm here."

#cznnent #nct #markhyuck #nct fic #markhyuck fic #nct 127 #nct fanfic #nct fluff #nct mark #dojae #nct donghyuck #johnten #luqi #renmin #yuwin

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theopenphotoproject · 8 years ago

Video

youtube

Chris: I just want to start this that I struggle with the entire racial construct. But for the sake of studying it and for the sake of conversation, I use those terms.

Zindzi: A lot of constructs.

Chris: A lot of constructs.

Zindzi: We question constructs all the time, and especially being in academia, we’re in the academy, we know that they’re constructions.

Interviewer: Yeah.

Zindzi: But this reality and this truth is not on the street.

Chris: Right.

Zindzi: The layperson does not understand what the hell we’re talking about when we say “race is a construction, gender is a construction.”

Interviewer: Monogamy is a construction.

Chris: – A construction.

Zindzi: Monogamy is a construction. It’s a man-made construction, to blah, blah, blah, we get that. But unfortunately, again, we’re limited by language and forms of communication so, with that being said we know that.

Chris: Right.

Zindzi: But then again, we’re existing in a certain structure and there’s [sic] still major issues that need to be addressed.

Chris: So when you think of the black American crusade, you think of culture, you think of a certain culture that it surrounds. The black American culture, when it comes to things of even relationship structures, sexuality progressiveness, is behind. I could quote numerous resources for it, whether it be literally the inability or the lack of opportunity to really self-evaluate in a healthy way because of certain economic constructs that have people focused on so many other things. It’s really hard to dissect yourself when you’re in a situation where at any point in time you’re making less money everybody surrounding you. You may not get a job or you may not get resources because of your racial group. Above and beyond that, you’re improving an education, but the majority still don’t have adequate or expensive education.

Zindzi: My observation is politics of respectability.

Chris: That as well.

Zindzi: Because we are –

Chris: Religiosity.

Zindzi: – Finding multiple oppressions already. There’s some times where if we fit in, we will kind of monopolize. You know, “Oh, this is where I’m O.K. and accepted in culture, and this is how it should be,” and then policing. A lot of policing.

Chris: Yeah.

Zindzi: When you look at pre-colonial societies, there’s a lot of natural polyamory happening. In the context of abundance –

Chris: Even polyandry.

Zindzi: Yeah. You have all kinds of very complex relational configuration, extended families, communal –

Chris: Housing –

Zindzi: Communal environment. And in this, knowing that actually a very major peacekeeping force is sexual activity, keeps peace in communities.

Chris: Right.

Zindzi: Would you imagine? That being utilized as a way of creating community, keeping community together, keeping peace, conflict resolution –

Chris: P.S.A. Go in! [Tapping and laughing]

Interviewer: [Laughing]

Zindzi: But these kinds of things have been suppressed and subject to historical amnesia.

Chris: We also even on the portion of given economic status, the idea of the concept that polyamory could bring about a concept or a [sic] actualization, a synergistic economics, where you have people who are traditionally impoverished -

Zindzi: Yeah.

Chris: And traditionally –

Zindzi: Collective economics as well.

Chris: Yeah, just pull resources together rather than trying to extend one adult’s or one person’s resources to try and take care of everything. If you look at other races, or other cultures that, some western and some not –

Zindzi: Chinese.

Chris: – That do this on a –

Zindzi: Jews.

Chris: – Regular basis – Interviewer: Pulling their resources.

Chris: Yeah.

Zindzi: Together.

Chris: When I lived in Hawaii, I literally lived next door to U.S. Navy, a Korean family, a Samoan family, a Vietnamese family, and a Philippian family. All of them lived together, literally, from grandmother to grandfather to boom. Whenever somebody was born, another part of the house together. All of them were dumb rich. [Laughs]. All of them wanted for nothing because they weren’t afraid to share everything. Particularly in the black community, we really have a crabs in the barrel mentality, that if I get something, I worked hard for this, and -

Zindzi: It’s mine.

Chris: – I’ll give you pieces of it and it’s mine, but because we have such a mindset of scarcity instead of abundance, and been deprived of so much stuff for so long, it’s reluctance to open up and trust and share. Some of that is the fault of a system of how we got here and what was taught to us –

Interviewer: Yeah, historical.

Chris: Historically. Some of that is our fault. Being a person of color, being black, and living this lifestyle, you’re not only fighting the greater societal mono-normativity, but you’re then trying to fight the old cultural normativity that is in. I come from the south, and then you’ve got religious normativity, but really if you look at particularly Christianity, and if you look at biblical text, all of those people had multiple people!

Zindzi: Oh yeah, there’s poly up in the bible.

Interviewer: Oh yeah?

Chris: There’s poly everywhere!

Zindzi: Oh yeah.

Chris: Like King Solomon, this is a good one, this is the one I use.

Interviewer: What? Zindzi: Classic.

Chris: Every preacher –

Zindzi: With the harems and the fifty wives.

Chris: With the harems. He had like fifty wives and the harems, and if you actually read –

Zindzi: Not even – and if you count the girlfriends –

Chris: They didn’t count the girlfriends.

Interviewer: This doesn’t sound it was a super – it sounds pretty patriarchal.

Chris: It was extreme.

Zindzi: Yeah, that was patriarchal system.

Chris: It’s the idea that this existed.

Zindzi: Nonetheless, it was to say, it was non-monogamous.

Interviewer: Right, it existed. They’re saying we are naturally (inaudible: 3:13).

Chris: Right.

Zindzi: Well, a lot of arguments use the bible to promote mono-sexism when actually –

Chris: It’s clearly not.

Zindzi: Yeah. There’s alternative relational structures -

Chris: Right.

Zindzi: – Within the bible.

Interviewer: Sure.

Chris: And if you actually read it thoroughly, like King Solomon for example, it didn’t say that he awesomely failed because he had multiple wives or whatever. It said he failed because he had multiple foreign wives. Meaning that he was mixing with people outside of his tradition, and they had a problem with that because they was [sec] (inaudible: 2:44).

Interviewer: Oh, different –

Zindzi: But –

Chris: But that’s text.

Zindzi: Ahh, we can dissect that text too, because –

Chris: I mean, it’s dissectible.

Zindzi: I like Queen of Sheba –

Chris: And – Yeah.

Zindzi: And she was foreign, and –

Chris: And she lived –

Zindzi: Anyway. [Laughing]

Chris: But it was it. But it was a whole idea of Zionism, Imperialism, that is very clear, particularly the Old Testament.

Zindzi: And the old fear of the Goddesses, and the power of the woman, I mean, there’s a lot of issues going on.

Chris: But it’s – in the black affinity, religiosity is heavy, particularly in the south –

Zindzi: It’s important, an-

Chris: – And to question it, or even to do something that’s counter to it, it ruffles so many feathers because then you’re seeing like, oh God’s not happy with that.

Zindzi: The irony is the practice, the natural inclination for individuals to be poly, yet because we’re dealing with politics of respectability, conforming to religious morals, dogma, that -

Chris: – We’re living with a culture of P.T.S.D.

Zindzi: – Then there’s guilt. Then there’s cheating. There’s negative consequences, and there’s – when, actually, if we were open about it and honest, and polyamory was destigmatized and accepted, then there could be a lot more room for authentic ways of being within the community. We have places -

Chris: For people to just explore.

Interviewer: – Or to figure out that they want to.

Zindzi: What is the word? Basically, I’m forgetting the fancy word, but there are mom’s that have multiple baby-daddies intentionally.

Chris: Polyandry?

Zindzi: Yeah, like polyandry mothering or something, I don’t know.

Interviewer: Polyandry is technically marriage, right? But-

Chris: Technically.

Zindzi: Yeah, so it’s –

Interviewer: So it’s poly-paternity or something like that? I don’t know if that’s a real word.

Zindzi: Well..

Chris: Poly-paternity, but that terms been stretched away from its’ original Greek and Latin, to say partners, or the idea that a woman has multiple male partners and the men can’t have anybody else. Which is actually something I’ve considered too, because there may be a day when I’m well, you know, you just go out and do your thing. You know, have at it, just make sure I can chill with you, too.

Interviewer: Well, yeah. As great as the rewards are, it’s also a lot of work and it’s hard, and depending on whatever emotional bandwidth you have at different times in your life, it could make sense to change your views.

#polyamory #intersectionality #poc #nonmonogamy #constructs #black america #Religion #racial construct #The open photo project #audio #christopher smith #Zindzi devoe

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weekendwarriorblog · 5 years ago

Text

Weekend Warrior Extra: What to Watch Over the Holidays!

Since this is the last column of the year, and honestly, I have no idea if I’ll be able to continue this into another year, I’m going to change things up a little. I’m not even sure if anyone is reading anything I write about repertory or limited releases anyway, so we’ll see how I feel about continuing to write all that stuff for free.

1917 (Universal)

One of my favorite movies of the year is Sam Mendes’ absolutely brilliant World War I epic, following the journey of two soldiers, played by George MacKay and Dean-Charles Chapman, as they’re sent on a mission to the frontlines to deliver a message to hold off an attack on the Germans. I already reviewed the movie for ComingSoon.net, so I won’t say too much more about it, but it is a movie that works well on repeat viewings just because every aspect of the filmmaking is so masterful, particularly the decision to make the film a single shot. There’s a lot to talk about the technical aspects of the film from Roger Deakins’ cinematography to the breath-taking production design and gorgeous score by Thomas Newman, but I want to draw special attention to the screenplay by Mendes with Kristy

Wilson-Cairns, which I feel is being overlooked in favor of the technicality of the film, maybe since there are so many stretches without dialogue. Don’t let that fool you. It takes a great deal of research and description in a screenplay to lead to a movie this good, and the writing that forms the backbone of Mendes’ latest and greatest should not be ignored. 1917is easily one of the year’s best film, and though it only opens in New York and L.A. on Christmas Day, it will be nationwide on January 10.

KNIVES OUT (Lionsgate)

I also reviewed Rian Johnson’s comedic whodunnit right here, so I don’t have a ton more to say about it, but I’m so happy that it’s continued to do well since opening over Thanksgiving. If you haven’t seen it and want a fun couple hours at the movies, Johnson’s movie can provide that, but it’s also quite a brilliant twist on the ensemble whodunnit that I’ve generally been a fan of as a kid, and the movie definitely stands up to repeat viewings.

BOMBSHELL (Lionsgate)

I also highly recommend Jay Roach’s “workplace drama,” which is about the Fox News sex scandals, mainly surrounding the news corp’s founder Roger Ailes, as played by John Lithgow. The movie stars Charlize Theron as Megyn Kelly, Nicole Kidman as Gretchen Carlson and Margot Robbie as “Kayla Pospisil,” as a composite character, the story following the three FOX News employees as they navigate the difficult Venn Diagram of politics and sexuality (or sexualization). Most of the events take place around the 2016 Presidential Election and Donald Trump’s grilling by Kelly about his statements about women, something that backfires for the anchor. At the same time, Carlson is moved to an afternoon slot, and she decides to fight back against Aisles’ demotion (and her subsequent firing) by getting lawyers and accusing Aisles of sexual harassment. As we learn from Robbie’s character, Aisles gets up to much worse, and I loved what her character brought to the mix, particularly her relationship with Kate McKinnon’s character. I’m thinking the movie hasn’t gotten nearly as much traction with critics because it’s written and directed by men, in the former case, Charles Randolph, the Oscar-winning writer of The Big Short, but we have to give some credit to the amazing female cast assembled and what they were able to bring to the material to make the film far less dreary than it might have been despite the yucky nature of the Fox News world. I also think that attention should be paid to John Lithgow’s performance as Ailes, which is a lot more than a good make-up job. Lithgow is such a nice person so for him to play such an oily, slimy character so well makes me think he shouldn’t be overlooked in the awards conversation. This is now playing in about 1,500 theaters across the country, and hopefully, it will be in even more over the coming weeks.

LITTLE WOMEN (Sony)

Sort of related to Bombshell in that it explores women’s issues from a very different standpoint, that of Louisa May Alcott’s classic piece of coming-of-age literature set post-Civil War. Greta Gerwig ably tackles far more difficult material for her second feature as a filmmaker, proving that Lady Bird was no fluke. It reunites Gerwig with that film’s Oscar-nominated star, Saoirse Ronan, playing Jo March, the writer who is trying to make her way in life and through her career as a writer. I’m not a huge fan of the source material but Gerwig and Ronan have created such a marvelous bundle of joy in this film that follows the journey of the four March girls, but does so in a non-linear way that forces to pay close attention. Ronan is wonderful, as always, but I was equally and maybe even more impressed by Florence Pugh, who plays the super-dramatic Amy in a way that makes her far more convincing as the younger and older versions of her character than some of the other young actresses. I think Emma Watson as Meg might be somewhat the weak link of the movie but she isn’t terrible and I did enjoy some of her scenes. Gerwig’s movie is rounded out by wonderful performances from the likes of Laura Dern, Timothée Chalamet (fantastic as Theodore Lawrence), Chris Cooper, Tracy Letts and others. Actually, I really loved all of the interactions between Chalamet, Ronan and Pugh, three fantastic actors who I’m sure we’ll continue to see more great things from over the next few decades. I haven’t seen enough of the adaptations of Alcott’s book to really know how this stands up, but it’s the first time I really was interested in these characters and their story, and that’s quite an achievement.

CLEMENCY (NEON)

Although Warner Bros’ JUST MERCY (see below) is getting a ton more attention and marketing, personally I preferred Chinonye Chukwu’s CLEMENCY (NEON), which premiered at Sundance way back in March but just had a much more lasting impact. It stars Alfre Woodard as a prison warden where the pressures of death row executions have started to take a toll on her personal life, especially with the impending execution of Aldis Hodge’s Death Row inmate, who claims his innocence. This is a really tough drama to watch at times, but with such amazing performances by Woodard and Hodge that it pulls you in and keeps you riveted to what might happen next. I’m a little bummed that Chukwu isn’t getting more attention for her brilliant work writing and directing the film vs. other films like the recent Queen and Slim. She’s a great filmmaker and I can’t wait to see her next film, A Taste of Power.

UNCUT GEMS (A24)

I’m not as big a fan of the works of Ben and Josh Safdie as many of my fellow critics are, but this crime-comedy (of sorts?) starring Adam Sandler, helped make me see their crazy mode of filmmaking in a new way. While I recommend this with reservations, I do think that Sandler’s role in the movie as Howard Ratner, a New York jeweler merchant to the stars, could help the Safdies break out to a new audience as they certainly seemed to have refined their mode of filmmaking with Uncut Gems, and the mix of characters and situations really make the movie something unlike anything else you’re likely to see this year. The gist of the story is that Howard gets his hands on a valuable gem from Africa and that seems to change his luck as a chronic gambler where everything seems to be going right for him… until it doesn’t. Much of the story involves him trying to get the rock back from basketball player evin Garnett (played by himself) who borrows the valuable gem and then won’t give it back. All-in-all, it’s a pretty entertaining film with an absolutely amazing last act that will expand nationwide on Christmas Day.

THE TWO POPES (Netflix)

In case you don’t want to go out in the cold this week, you can also stay home and watch some of the great films now on Netflix. While I assume you’ve already seen The Irishmanand Marriage Story, I hope you’ll also check out this wonderful two-hander written by Anthony McCarten (Darkest Hour), which explores the relationship between Pope Benedict (Anthony Hopkins) and his successor Pope Francis (Jonathan Pryce), as they try to get along even though they don’t see eye-to-eye on how the Catholic Church should be won. I was a little surprised how much I enjoyed this movie, but it reminded of a little-seen 2016 movie called The Journey, a two-hander starring Timothy Spall and Colm Meaney as two sides of the war in Northern Ireland trying to come to an accord while driving to the airport from talks that have fallen apart. I’ve long been a fan of Pryce but playing the Argentine cardinal who would become Pope is a fantastic role that allows him to show so much more depth as an actor, but we also learn a lot about Pope Francis’ past and the regrets he has about his involvement with the government’s anti-religious actions. Hopkins is also great, and for a movie that’s mainly two men talking, it’s perfectly captivating.

Although it’s been out for a while now and has already been losing theaters, I also recommend checking out Marielle Heller’s It’s a Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood, starring Tom Hanks as Mr. Rogers, if it’s still playing anywhere near you, because it’s a really wonderful story about a journalist whose spotlight of Mr. Rogers turned into a way that he can find redemption in his own family issues.

I’ve actually seen a lot of the other movies opening in limited release this weekend, including the doc WHAT SHE SAID: THE ART OF PAULINE KAEL (Juno Films), which opens at New York’s Film Forum on Wednesday. If you’re even remotely interested in film criticism and its origins through the story of one of the most respected and beloved critics, you definitely should check this one out. I haven’t seen it since Doc-NYC back in 2018

As mentioned in my write-up of Clemency above, I wasn’t nearly as crazy about Destin Daniel Cretton’s JUST MERCY (Warner Bros.), which is a different movie with similar elements, this one starring Michael B. Jordon as Bryan Stevenson, a young civil rights attorney who is trying to free a wrongly-convicted Death Row inmate, played by Jamie Foxx. Cretton’s good luck charm Brie Larson (they first teamed for Short Term 12) is also in the movie, but I don’t feel she’s nearly as good, and there was just something about the movie that really didn’t click with me. Even so, it will also be nationwide on January 10 and maybe I’ll try to give it another chance before then.

I was semi-excited about Donnie Yen’s return in the title role of Wilson Yip’s grand finale, IP MAN 4: THE FINALE (Go USA Films), which has the martial arts master who trained Bruce Lee (and whose first name, I only just realized, is “Man”) comes to San Francisco in the late ‘60s to back up his pupil’s desire to teach non-Chinese martial arts. Along the way, he gets into issues with the local martial arts masters as well as the Marines, who believe that Japanese judo is the only proper martial art. As with some of the other movies in the series, this one is mainly good for Yen’s performance and his martial arts scenes, although Kwok-Kwan Chan is also excellent as Bruce Lee in one particularly good fight scene, and there are a few others as well. My main issue with this, as with may martial arts film from China, is that the American actors are written terribly and the performances they’re giving (particularly by regular offender Scott Adkns) are just terrible. It’s a classic case of over-villifying the non-Asian characters to the point of them being a joke, and there are few surprises about who is going to win in most fights. It’s been a while since I’ve seen the other chapters, and martial arts fans will probably like parts of this, but it’s not a particularly good movie when all is said and done.

A movie I liked quite a bit more is François Girard’s historical drama THE SONG OF NAMES (Sony Pictures Classics), produced by Robert Lantos (Barney’s Version), another terrific Canadian film that deals with Jewish issues. It stars Tim Roth as Martin Simmonds, a young British man whose family took in a Polish Jew named Dovidl, who was also a violin virtuoso, to live with them just before the start of WWII. The night of Dovidl’s anticipated 1951 live concert debut in London, he vanishes, and years later, Martin, starts to track down his old friend to find what happened to him. It’s a pretty amazing movie, partially due to Roth’s performance, but also the two young actors playing Martin and Dovidl, since so much happens in the past. Like much of Sony Classics’ output, this will probably appeal more towards older audiences, but it’s another original story set during the period of the Holocaust that puts its own spin on the times with the musical element, which plays such a large part in the film. (Clive Owen plays the older Dovidl, but it’s a fairly small role compared to the others.)

I’m very excited that The 21st Annual Animation Show of Shows (ACME Filmworks)is returning to the Quad Cinema on Christmas Day, and while I was hoping to write something more extended about this, I just haven’t had the time. There’s an amazing line-up of films from a lot of different countries including Germany, Switzerland, Russia, Belgium and more, but there’s also a couple doc shorts about the filmmakers among the films. The Czech Republic film Daughterwas recently included on the Oscar shortlist for animated shorts, but otherwise, it’s a fairly strange mix of films, including the very disturbing Kids.

I haven’t seen Wayman Boone’s horror film Apparition (Vertical Entertainment), starring Mena Suvari and Kevin Pollak, but apparently, it’s another horror movie involving an APP that connects to the user to the dead. It’ll open this Friday.

A few other things on Netflix over the next couple weeks including John Mulaney and the Sack Lunch Bunch special, which looks like more quirky fun from one of my favorite stand-up comics. That opens on Christmas Eve i.e. today, while a couple new series begin on Netflix on New Year’s Day, The Messiah(starring the wonderful Michelle Monaghan) and Spinning Out.

I decided to take a much-needed break from the repertory stuff this week, but we’ll see what happens with that going into the New Year, and I’ll have my annual Top 25 to share with you all next week!

#TheWeekendWarrior 1917 Uncut Gems Bombshell LittleWomen Movies REviews

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weekendwarriorblog · 5 years ago

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Weekend Warrior Extra: What to Watch Over the Holidays

1917

KNIVES OUT (Lionsgate)

BOMBSHELL (Lionsgate)

LITTLE WOMEN (Sony)

CLEMENCY (NEON)

UNCUT GEMS (A24)

THE TWO POPES (Netflix)

In case you don’t want to go out in the cold this week, you can also stay home and watch some of the great films now on Netflix. While I assume you’ve already seen The Irishman and Marriage Story, I hope you’ll also check out this wonderful two-hander written by Anthony McCarten (Darkest Hour), which explores the relationship between Pope Benedict (Anthony Hopkins) and his successor Pope Francis (Jonathan Pryce), as they try to get along even though they don’t see eye-to-eye on how the Catholic Church should be won. I was a little surprised how much I enjoyed this movie, but it reminded of a little-seen 2016 movie called The Journey, a two-hander starring Timothy Spall and Colm Meaney as two sides of the war in Northern Ireland trying to come to an accord while driving to the airport from talks that have fallen apart. I’ve long been a fan of Pryce but playing the Argentine cardinal who would become Pope is a fantastic role that allows him to show so much more depth as an actor, but we also learn a lot about Pope Francis’ past and the regrets he has about his involvement with the government’s anti-religious actions. Hopkins is also great, and for a movie that’s mainly two men talking, it’s perfectly captivating.

I’m very excited that The 21st Annual Animation Show of Shows (ACME Filmworks)is returning to the Quad Cinema on Christmas Day, and while I was hoping to write something more extended about this, I just haven’t had the time. There’s an amazing line-up of films from a lot of different countries including Germany, Switzerland, Russia, Belgium and more, but there’s also a couple doc shorts about the filmmakers among the films. The Czech Republic film Daughter was recently included on the Oscar shortlist for animated shorts, but otherwise, it’s a fairly strange mix of films, including the very disturbing Kids.

#TheWeekendWarrior 1917 UncutGems Bombshell LIttleWomen Movies Reviews

0 notes