#yes I will be making more posts from the baftas

[mizgnomer]

David Tennant's red carpet/1st outfit as the host of the EE BAFTA Film Awards 2025

[ingravinoveritas]

wtf is that all she has to say about her boyfriend michael fans praised him more than. so is this her saying the show phenomenal or her boyfriend cos honestly this chick don't make sense what ur thoughts on this post

Hi there! And oh, wow. I've had a little time to process this now that I'm home, and I think the biggest thing that comes to mind is how this Insta story feels so...obligatory, and the bare minimum. As you said, it's not clear whether Anna is talking about the production itself or Michael's performance, and there is hardly any energy or enthusiasm to the post, especially not compared to the multiple posts AL made about Photobombing Michael J. Fox at the BAFTAs.

It becomes even more noticeable when you look at it next to the Insta story that Georgia posted:

Georgia and David didn't even attend the show tonight, and yet they hyped Michael up in a way Anna did not. You can feel the warmth and silliness and love in how they're rooting for him and cheering him on--David, in his manic Scottish way, and Georgia in her more sarcastic/dry English way--and how they seem genuinely excited for Michael. Yet I got absolutely none of that from AL's post.

All of the above is augmented by the choice of pictures in the post, with David and Georgia's photo centering Michael, literally and figuratively. He is the focus of the picture and of their attention, and the message there seems to be that Michael is what David and Georgia are most excited about. In contrast, the picture AL used is of a nearly empty dimly lit stage with a hospital bed on it, and I do not think that is by accident.

As I have said previously, my reaction is never to any one post in isolation, but to the continuation of a pattern of posts/comments from Anna over the course of several years. The same thing happened when production photos were released of Michael as Prince Andrew a few months ago, and when he played Chris Tarrant in Quiz in 2021:

AL hated the wig then, and my feeling is that she hates the wig Michael is wearing now, as well as the pyjamas that are his costume for a significant portion of the play and how he looks in them. I think that she does not care at all about the play itself or its significance to Michael, and has no desire to hype him up because his appearance in Nye is not what she considers "attractive." In addition, a fan posted stage door pictures on Twitter, including one with AL, and it seems to very much echo the lack of enthusiasm in her Insta story.

So yes, I think AL's post seems very generic (at best). It makes her come across as disinterested and somehow "removed" from both Michael and the show itself, again in contrast to David and Georgia's picture that conveys the exact opposite.

Those are my thoughts, at any rate, and I could be completely off the mark, but as always I'd be glad to hear from my followers about what you think. Thanks for writing in! x

[david-tennant-wearing-things]

I was about to make a very short post about the buttons on his shirt at the Olivier awards and I was going to include a link to this one and then realized I never actually posted it. Oops. Pretend I posted this last month, thanks

Found more info on the kilt, sporran, tartan, and shoes! and then I got distracted by this image I've seen a million times (yes I have been staring at these pictures for weeks) but somehow it's the first time I noticed the sparkly button on his sleeve!

It's the sort of thing I see and instantly know is going to demand my attention for the next hour, minimum.

Zoomed way in on another pic and I couldn't immediately identify the button, but the cufflink gave me a hint, because Mithridate (designer of two of his BAFTA looks, including this one) has been doing a lot with bugs, specifically moths, in the AW24 collection and in their other BAFTA look.

I am confident that the cufflink is a moth, based on these earrings, and I believe the button is a silver version of these beetles.

This image comes from Mithridate's website and features the moth earrings and also a beetle button

Fun fact! If you zoom in on the sleeves of Mithridate's other BAFTA piece, you'll notice the same moth buttons!

[saintmeghanmarkle]

In the Room Where It Happened by u/lastlemming-pip

In the Room Where It Happened Someone threw it out there as a probability & the more I’ve thought about it, the more I’m convinced it’s true. Because these guys are insane. Because these guys couldn’t read a room (where it happened) if their life depended on it. They actually thought they could bulldoze Charles into this because Charles was nice enough to call Harry & give him a personal heads up about his cancer diagnosis. That was all it took. That was the beginnings of a thaw, no? Détente, yes? Of course, Harry would have to fly out & make the ask in person. Couldn’t let Wet Blanket Willy or the Suits get in the way of Family Unity, Right? But in order for this to make sense, let’s go back a bit.On January 29, 2024, Charles left London Clinic after a 3 day stay for a prostate procedure. Following this, on February 5, it was announced that he was suffering from cancer, type & prognosis unspecified. His sons had already been advised of this personally by Charles & his partially estranged son, Harry, living in Santa Barbara, California, takes it upon himself to fly fourteen hours to London for what has variously been described as a 14 minute or a 30 minute visit before immediately returning home to Santa Barbara. What was that visit about? We don’t really know except, supposedly “cancer.” Rumor has it that he offered to put Megs on the phone to speak with his father & that his father advised him that that wouldn’t be necessary. Speak about what? “Cancer?” That’s all? I, for one, doubt it.I suspect that phone call from Charles caused Harry to believe that relations between Harry & his wife & Charles were back on the mend. Unlike Big Willie, Charles wasn’t holding a grudge. And what better time, thought Harry (& Megs) to push for rapprochement than when the Family was overworked, understaffed, stretched to the limit. So few players. Plenty of room.And this year especially Will & Kate couldn’t provide the usually glamor so Harry & Meghan would! Imagine the headlines! The Fab Four are back, well the Fab Two any way. The breach was healed! So Megs cooked up the plan to send Harry to his Dad for the big ask. He had to ask in person because if any sane person (ie William) heard about it, they would stop in it’s tracks. But it the King somehow got it in his head & decided his darling boy….So King Charles would decide Harry & Meghan would present at the BAFTA’s. William wouldn’t even have to go! He could stay home w/ Kate! “Think of the publicity! Think of how much stress it would remove from the family! Here, just call M! She’ll explain it all to you. She even has the dress. I don’t even have to go home. I can fly to Balmoral w/ you. She can meet us there.”But it didn’t work. Charles, after a shocked silence, “Darling boy. That won’t be necessary.”I really think it happened this way. He didn’t fly out just for “support.” He flew out to ask if they could preside at the BAFTAs. post link: https://ift.tt/KIXVzF7 author: lastlemming-pip submitted: April 07, 2024 at 03:34PM via SaintMeghanMarkle on Reddit disclaimer: all views + opinions expressed by the author of this post, as well as any comments and reblogs, are solely the author's own; they do not necessarily reflect the views of the administrator of this Tumblr blog. For entertainment only.

[weirdly-specific-but-ok]

I have a horrible cold, the sleep meds are hitting, but it's been two and a half months and htis feels like a good day for making questionable choices so HERE I AM TO SEE HOW WELL THIS FUCKING POST HOLDS UP HUH LET'S SEE HOW IT HOLDS UP, MAGGOTS, AHAHAH.

"signals foir help" lmao bitchboy you THOUGHT.

i mean tyeah we're all queer it's trUe of this entire hellsite not just the show but yes so queer oh my god it's more queer than a pineapple-platypus fanart

oooooh yes they likey and then we all see them likey and we think me likey

fuck you pasta asmi it's black literally anything can be silver or white if you make it reflect enoguh light is that phislosophical maybe

AHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAH CROWLEY BEING EMO AHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHA BITCH HE WISHES HE COULD BE THAT COOL AHAHAHAHAHHAHAHA OMG THAT DISASTER

listen. listen. it's true. but you doN'T HAVE TO BE SO FUCKING UPPITTY ABOUT IT OKAY YOU'RE NEARLY THERE YOU'RE GOING TO BE A CHILD OF DIVORCE TOO WAIT AND SEE.

i think gabriel causes problems just be existing tbh but big mood anyway fuCK YOU GABRIEL LOVE YOU JIM OR SOMETHING IDK

no no that's true that's true that's fair marriage is a social construct and theyre so married fr

shut the fuck up DON'T JUST SAY THINGS LIKE THAT DON'T STAND AND WATCH EVERYTHING CROWLEY LOVES BURN FIRST THE BOOKSHOP WHICH WAS THE ONLY PLACE HE WAS SAFE FROM HELL AND THEN THE BENTLEY AND THEN HE HAS TO STAND AND BURN IN THE BODY OF THE ANGEL HE LOVES OKAY SHUT UP PAST ASMI SHUT UP

I--HOW DID YOU NOTKNOW ABOUT TDAVID TENNANT LIKE OKJAY YOU WERE JUST TWO WEEKS INTO THE HELLSITE BUT EVERYONE HERE KEEPS TALKING ABOUT HUIM (REFER BAFTA INCIDENTS)

NO HE ISN'T FICTIONAL, TERRY GNU

Is Neil fictional? Am I fictional? I mean I still haven't evaded all the I'm Delirium from Sandman accusations so like. Um. ANYWAY GONNA ASSUME YOU'RE PROUD OF ME NEIL OKAY SINCE YOU'VE NEVER SAID OTHERWISE K COOL THANKS.

Uhhhhhh two preteens actually well I mean depends I mean. I mean. Why am I trying to make sense of either my rambling or the show. Why am I trying.

The baby delivered was the son of satan and became the preteen idk what to tell you man it do be like that sometimes

diSCo TonYyyYYY he even has a stripper name (NO HE DOESN'T, BY THE WAY. WHY DID YOU ALL LIE TO ME ABOUT THIS I WATCHED THE SHOW WAITING FOR THE DISCO TONY STRIPPER ERA.)

....what

you enver understand anything what's new (neither do i, it's ok)

and just like it's mascot.

like the book says "every little bit helps". I mean the book also says "right mumbled crowley suddenly feeling very alone" so like AAA

is there anything they DONT do with homoerotic undertones tho IS there because i haven't seen it yet

man y'all were right i really did make crowley sound like a stripper in this post i'm sorry crowley i love you but your disaster ass could never actually go through with that career stick to being in love with aziraphale as a full time occupation okay

WHICH FUCKING HAIRCUT ARE YOU INSLUTING ASMI CME FACE ME WHICH ONE HUH BECAUSE THEY LOOK GEOGROUS IN THEM ALL FUCK YOU

stop saying queer it's so redundent queer and good omens are the same ffs

i feel fucking called out by MY OWN PAST SELF OW OKAY FINE MESSAGE RECEIVED DID I EVER BLAME NEIL NO SO STOP BRAINROT-SHAMING ME PAST-ME, OK? I KNOW. I KNOW I'M THE PROBELM.

NIOPE JUST GONNA LEAVE THAT THERE NOPE

*nasally front bench student voice because yes* ACTUALLY, it was both oF THE--i forgot what the point i was making was but uh it was both of them is generally a safe point about everything in GO

children. THE THEM,MMMMM AND TY TENNENT AND IM JEMBIMAN AND I MADE THIS POT /NOT DRUG

oh wow really was there nearly missed that apocalypse damN NO I DIDN'T THE APOCALYPSE WAS COOL YOU ALL REALLY CONVINCED ME IT DIDN'T EXIST HUH no fair you were brainroted i exucse it

WE'RE ALL SAD AND AZIRAPHALE DOESN'T WANT TO GO TO HEAVEN EITHER AND AZIRAPHALE IS SAD TOO I MEAN NO WAIT CROWLEY IS SAD TOO IDK OKAY I AM SO ILL RIGHT NOW

shut THE FUCK UP I'VE NEVER BEEN CALLED OUT SO HARD BY MYSELF. FUCKING BITCH-SLKAPPED BY THE PAST. WHO LET YOU HUH. WHO.

HAHAHAHAH SANIOTY WHAT SANITY WHUICH SANTY HEY MAGGOTS YOU SEE ANY SANITY BECVAUSE I SURE AS FUCK DON';T

holds up pretty wrlll methinks i'm just shocked that you all didn't instantly punch me in the face klike that's so wiLD.

oh i am so ill and wozozy i may have covid who knows i'll go to a doc but mainLY I'M IN LOVE WITH CROWLEY. just gonna run with the assumption that neil is proud of me and that you maggots are proud too because i am so dazed that i do not entertain alternate thoughts i barely entertain thoughts at all love you xoxoxo

Pt III good omens but i STILL SOMEHOW haven't watched it (and i'm increasingly passive aggressive)

i'm now basically held hostage adopted as mascot by this fandom. it's fine i'm fine *SIGNALS FOR HELP DESPERATELY*

Alright fuckers I swear this time I'm going to get some shit right. Without further ado, here's my third attempt at a good omens summary:

Everything everywhere is queer all at once

Angel Aziraphale and demon Crowley on earth likey each other

The car is a bentley and it is BLACK not silver and everyone is very upset about this. my bad yall it was reflecting light therefore i guessed more silver than black but I'm not Anish Kapoor take your black.

Then it is yellow, and aziraphale likes it. crowley preferred the black because he's a flamboyant emo.

God is a deadbeat absentee parent and you are all children of divorce.

There's a naked archangel and they cause problems for the husbands somehow. By being naked? By being an archangel? By being at their doorstep? Who knows not me

They were actually married for 6000 years, they just are the last to know about it.

Crowley is on fire. Like, he's slaying for sure, but also he is literally on fire, like Aziraphale's bookstore.

The actors like I said before are Michael Sheen and David Tennant but this is the place where I finally admit that I don't actually know who is whom. I'm going to assume Michael is Aziraphale because Michael sounds angel-y and David is Crowley because uh Michaelangelo made David and was gay for him.

Terry Pratchett is not fictional.

He co-wrote the book with @neil-gaiman, who IS fictional, because he does not have social media. Several of you have assured me that he is in fact a fandom inside joke. I like to think he would be proud of me.

They adopt a preteen and Crowley gives him bad advice.

At some point a baby was delivered to someone and was exchanged for the son of Satan. Idk if the baby is the preteen, or the son of satan is the preteen, or neither. This could be a fanfic, I have no way of differentiating the fanfic from canon on tumblr, except that the canon is weirder.

Crowley does not go down a chute. He goes down a telephone cord after making himself microscopic to pole dance on a pin with shroom-induced backgrounds.

During this his stage name is Disco Tony. Get it king go slay you're making better life choices than I am tbh.

Aziraphale is a biblically accurate angel, and you have all gone to extensive lengths to prove this to me. I understood nothing, but there you go.

It's all very queer, just like the fandom.

Crowley is a retired demon but he still sins by breaking the speed limit.

They eat at fancy restaurants and bicker but like in a sexual undercurrent way.

Crowley gives Aziraphale a private dance that is not a lap dance, it is an apology dance, but not in a kinky way, until it is.

Their haircuts keep changing and range from 'this is acceptable and gay' to 'i let a drunk chimpanzee take gardening shears and a blowtorch to my hair'

It's all ineffably queer my good fellows

Everyone keeps trying to convince me Neil Gaiman is the villain yeah no guys I know it's really you. Y'all be like 'SEASON TWO BROKE ME' and then you're making headcanons to make it sadder yeah I see you mmhm.

There is a final fifteen. It is sad. What is it? No one told me.

The demon turns goats into crows and the angel turns them back and then children are turned into newts (does the angel turn them back? who cares not yall) and the demon was the snake in the Eden garden and everyone's furry game seems to be on point.

There are a rather lot of children. I have not seen them. But I am assured they are there. They are, guys. I assume they were turned into the alcohol Aziraphale and Crowley drink or something.

There was an apocalypse plotline. It was averted. It is not important. You don't talk about plotlines in this fandom, no sir.

Crowley doesn't want to go to heaven. Aziraphale is sad.

The kiss is not nice, just like this fandom. It is queer, just like this fandom. It is sad and desperate and masochistic, just like this fandom.

Aziraphale doesn't want to stay back with Crowley. Crowley is sad.

Season 2 ends. Fandom is sad.

Everyone's sanity is hinging on the promise of a happy ending in season 3. Good luck guys.

Y'all better appreciate this. I can't even boast to my mother about this legacy of mine, hey mum your son has been held hostage kidnapped inducted into a cult adopted by a fandom he's not part of look he's winning at life.

[thejacksmit]

First Take: We Live in Time - the director of Brooklyn + Film4 funding = a great start to 2025

SYNOPSIS: An up-and-coming chef and a recent divorcée find their lives forever changed when a chance encounter brings them together, in a decade-spanning, deeply moving romance.

Next year marks 10 years since John Crowley made the criminally underrated Brooklyn - and while there have been ups and downs with his work in the Hollywood system (infamously making The Goldfinch for Warner… and it bombing big time), at long last he is back making independent film with StudioCanal and A24. So ahead of its release on New Years Day on these shores and earning many plaudits at the BFI London Film Festival and various preview screenings during December, it gives me a lot of pride to say that he’s back on form with his latest work, which, believe it or not, was exec produced by one Benedict Cumberbatch.

Crowley does a hell of an effort to tell this story in 1 hour 48 minutes, with most of the film being all killer no filler - the nonlinear nature of it does take a bit of getting used to but ultimately that script from Nick Payne delivers a lot of light and comedic charm to really emphasise the darker moments of this film, of which there are many considering the subject matter. Tissues definitely advised, even recommended for the second half, and that’s about as much as I can say about the plot without revealing how it plays out. It’s shot brilliantly by Stuart Bentley, and with Bryce Dessner (of The National) on score duties, it looks like an A24 commission, sounds like an A24 commission, and importantly has the star power to prove it.

At its core are two performances from talents who arguably command any film they make - on their own, Florence Pugh and Andrew Garfield have had stellar careers but combined, they create some absolute magic and sell this plot so incredibly well with young Grace Delaney playing their daughter (and by all accounts forming a lifelong bond with Pugh and Garfield if recent Instagram posts are to be believed). Supporting them are talents like Niamh Cusack, Aoife Hinds, Kerry Godliman, Adam James, Douglas Hodge and many more, but it is the work of that main trio which take this film into the realms of a very special release. I honestly hope it opens well because it is not often that the local film industry can hit it out of the park like this.

THE VERDICT

We Live in Time is going to break many hearts when it goes wide in UK cinemas next week, and while it might get some awards nods from BAFTA at the very least, it's another gem supported by those fine folks at Film4, continuing their fantastic strike rate of backing homegrown talent. Yes, it takes a while to get into but by god does it stick the landing.

RATING: 4.5/5

[galunacycheckyourheadtour]

Acting up, feeling down

I’m struggling. There it is - I put my white flag up.

You wouldn’t know it to look at me. I am doing all the right things. Putting the right positive posts up on social media. Going out. Started a job. But every single minute of every single day I am battling with the black dog and his incessant negative woofing inside my head, telling me I cannot do things and that I am useless, lazy…well you get the gist.

I know I have once again, set myself for a fall because I panicked and did what I thought everyone else thought I should do and not what I want. If self sabotaging was a sport, I would be an Olympic athlete. I find it fascinating that I do the same things, time and time again and think I am so self aware but in fact, I am far from it. I know what I am doing is wrong each time, I know my gut instincts are right but part of me goes ‘no this time it will be different.’ But it is not and then I have to try and work my way out of the situation

I’m constantly exhausted, mostly because I am not sleeping, which I know makes things so much worse. I lie in bed and dread everything I need to do and wish that I could disappear, hoping that some exterior force will mean that I can just stop being.

But that is not the answer, I know that is not the answer. Nor is acting and pretending I am ok or coping, when I am definitely not. I keep seeing myself, the smiling fool who says yes to everything and sounds so enthusiastic on zoom calls and the minute I come off, I fall apart. I could get a BAFTA for some of my performances.

I went for a mental health annual review part 1 last week. The minute I walked into the surgery, I felt my eyes watering and I was on the edge. As my name was called, I knew I was crying - so but told the nurse I thought I had allergies - what the actual fuck?!

When I sat down, the nurse asked me how I was and I burst into tears, a howling embarrassing stupid ugly cry and of course, I immediately apologised as I hate crying in front of strangers. She was absolutely amazing, and spent twenty minutes listening and offering support. I don’t think I had realised how low I had got, how lonely I had felt and at that moment, I knew I needed more help. She escalated my part 2 with the doctor for an asap appointment, as felt it was important that I was seen and had a medication review, especially as I am not taking anything at the moment.

Its been years now of this and I am tired of not feeling well, tired of fighting it, tired of going 5 steps forward and ten steps back in a matter of days and I am tired of constantly having to make excuses about it and letting people down. I just want to be normal and do normal things, and not feel like I am acting my way through life.

So for now, I know I need to see the doctors and probably go back on meds, be more honest with my friends and family, ask for help, increase my counselling and try and focus on what is good for me in the short term, and come up with a plan. Rather than obsessing over chucking my phone in the sea, driving to Scotland barefoot whilst eating a Toblerone.

I also reminded myself of the statements I wrote when I was feeling a bit better in

Today I choose to work for myself.

Today I chose to say goodbye to what does not serve me anymore.

Today I chose to stop being a victim of my past.

To stop sabotaging my own progress, falling into negative patters and to step forward into the light

Today I choose me, as me is pretty ok.

**I’m so grateful for the NHS, as it continuously takes a battering from our awful leadership - they helped me so much and I felt lucky I was offered that appointment and was given so much care and kindness.

[1ddiscourseoftheday]

Mon 5 April ‘21

Louis came online to tweet about The Snuts again (the Scottish indie band he followed after their livestream recently)-- or wassss that why he was around? He also unfollowed Jedward, the Irish singing twin act who got famous on The X Factor, who were tweeting a series of posts about 1D and contracts that hadn’t really gotten a lot of attention- but OH BOY DID THEY after Louis unfollowed! “We have 1D’s contract which was sent to use by mistake cuz we had the same label! Same management! Same security and accountants!” they said, and a long series of related tweets, including “Legally posting contracts online is gonna end up in court but we’ve known for many years the situation! Niall! Liam! Louis! Zayn! Harry! You’re survivors”, “There’s a reason Syco is called Psycho! 1D and Little Mix are legally fucked in contracts and can never speak out so we are!”, “There’s nothing MODEST about their previous management dictating their every move from Relationships to how they live their own lives! Justice for 1D & Little Mix”, and “Simon Cowell thinks he’s the Mafia leader of the music industry when in reality he’s nothing but a bad facelift.” They went on to talk more generally about industry issues, saying “eating disorders and depression are very common in the music industry”, “When artists ask too much questions they’re a threat and are blacklisted and not given the Radio/PR cuz they want them to fail”, and more. This stuff isn’t news but as long as it continues to be relevant, I guess it will need to be repeated.

Louis did not respond to the tweets (the screenshot of him commenting on it in a group-chat is fake), but the guys from The Snuts did respond to his support of their album, which is poised to potentially hit #1 this week; “Yes brother appreciate that massively.” Blogger Jaiden Michael, who has been tweeting about Louis being gay (ie, attempting to use his public platform to out him) for many years did respond so he could get back to doing that, with a bonus of bragging that he’d been doing it longer. That’s not really something to be proud of, mate! And Rebecca Ferguson, who has been talking a lot about her experiences of getting screwed over by Syco/ The X Factor (as well as the very memorable “a boyband member told me they were being picked up and thrown against walls [by management] when they challenged decisions”) also commented, calling for a Netflix documentary about it all. Any platform with a legal department brave (and well funded) enough to take on that project will definitely have a wide and ever increasing pool of people willing to talk on the record...

Anyway, Liam is playing a show! A show that sounds really weird and confusing thanks to the absolutely ludicrously jargon-y press announcement but is actually not that complex. The BAFTAS (British Film and TV Awards) are next week (April 10 & 11 at Royal Albert Hall) and Liam is performing as part of the show, but also it’s a special high tech performance, because the awards show is presented by a mobile network. He’ll perform on the 11th at 6:45, viewable in real time but only via a special app (and augmented reality, more on that in a minute) 15 minutes before the main broadcast, but then he’ll also perform as the opening act of the broadcast show at 7:00 (viewable by everyone). But not just him! The early version is only viewable through the special 5G app that will turn Liam into an avatar (in an animated scape of some kind if I understand correctly which I definitely might not) but that’s just the set up-- “the avatar will then join Payne as a hologram on the stage of Royal Albert Hall.”  YESS CLONE!LIAM! INTO IT!! So he’ll perform a 15 minute set, which you can get this special app to watch, with him as a cartoon, they’ll record the avatar singing, then he’ll immediately perform the same set again (on the opposite side of the stage one assumes) and they’ll project a hologram of the performance he just did to, like, harmonize with him. So that’s really silly, and also I LOVE IT, it will be ridiculous(ly awesome?!) Just think, finally one of them will do a live show collab with a member of 1D!! (WDYM that wasn’t what you meant? Aren’t you excited, I don’t understand I thought this was what you wanted??) Anyway if you think that’s weird, wait’ll you see his promo spot announcements which say “we’re BLEEPING excited!” and have him bleeped out as if he were swearing every couple minutes, and honestly make no sense; possibly they were trying to imply they were bleeping out exciting details which will later be revealed? Not real sure.

And finally, some random Bonus Content to tie the days reports together, why do Louis and the guy from The Snuts both follow the mobile network that’s sponsoring Liam’s BAFTAS performance? I really couldn’t tell you.

Also Niall tweeted about golf.

[lonelier-version-of-you]

I... I don’t even know what to say. Once again, Paula’s storyline has left me speechless. I’m in awe. Another incredible episode in a truly incredible storyline.

I’m trying to come up with more words, but I just... I’m just blown away. I know I said it earlier, but I’ll say it again: there is no denying that the Paula storyline is not only the strongest story on Casualty right now, but the strongest story between Casualty and Holby combined.

I just. Where do I even start? The BAFTA-worthy acting from Rosie Jones and William Beck? The consistently brilliant writing? The importance of covering a topic like this? The horrifically realistic depictions of ableism? It’s just incredible all around. Best storyline in years.

The friendship between Dylan and Paula is beautifully yet heartbreakingly written. Two disabled people, both with a history of mental illness, both survivors of abuse. Both having their own traumatic histories with how awful the system is, both well aware of the bias against them. The fact that Dylan’s sticking with Paula because he genuinely cares about her and is loyal to her... but also because he knows there’s no one else to help her fight in her corner. The way it’s just the two of them up against the world.

It’s incredibly complex writing, and so realistic, and shows yet again why I say Casualty is one of the best shows on television for disability representation. Can you imagine Holby ever having done a storyline like this? I know I can’t. (Say what you want about Holby, praise it for whatever else you want, but you really can’t deny that Casualty is the better show at disability representation. Casualty has, or has had respectively, main characters like Dylan and Jade, recurring characters like Paula, guest characters like Jules tonight. Holby has... Jason. The difference is shocking.)

I might post later about the actual specific scenes between Dylan and Paula, but I don’t think I have the words to analyse them tonight. All I can say is they were fantastic. Again, Will and Rosie were incredible. And I loved the range of emotions the writing evoked - there were moments of joy and lightheartedness, yet still so much sadness and melancholy. It was fantastic.

The guest storyline with Jules and Sian was very good. It was a wonderful decision, I think, to have a happy storyline with a disabled character at the forefront in the same episode as Paula’s tragedy - a way to address systematic bias while still showing that that bias doesn’t make it hopeless and there are disabled people who live happy lives, too. Paula had to contend with having her own child taken away from her, for the second time. Jules, meanwhile, only had to come to terms with retiring her guide dog... and joyfully made an agreement to have said dog as the ringbearer at her wedding with her girlfriend.

Speaking of which, it was just wonderful to see a lesbian disabled character! Queer disabled people don’t get much representation, so I’ll always appreciate any such rep.

And for anyone wondering, yes, the actress who played Jules (Georgie Morrell) is blind in real life. :) Another point towards Casualty for representation! (Although I still think they need to get a bit more diverse with their disabled characters - it feels like the ones we see are almost always white, so seeing some disabled characters of colour, whether in main, recurring, or guest roles, every once in a while would be good. Other than that, the disability rep on this show is fab. And that one criticism isn’t even an issue with the portrayals we are getting, just with the ones that we aren’t.)

Also, Robyn’s pregnant. That’s a thing. I’m not really invested in Robyn, she’s just kind of bland, so I don’t really care about the outcome of this.

However, even that story I thought was used to very good effect tonight. The fact that Robyn has a choice in whether she wants to bring up another kid... but Paula didn’t. :(

Marty, get as far away from Adi as possible. I was willing to give Adi the benefit of the doubt after his first appearance and then the Christmas episodes, because he seemed like maybe he was just a cog in a bad system, a part of the problem but not a problem himself exactly, but after this and the episode a couple of weeks ago... yeah, I’ve changed my mind. He’s been too awful to Paula. Marty deserves a better man for a boyfriend.

All in all, tonight was fantastic, I definitely cried, I really wanted to write a longer post analysing the Paula storyline and the characters involved in detail but I’m too lost for words over how good the storyline is. My one issue is that I wish Jade were here to be involved in it, given her mother was made to give her up because she was Deaf. But even then, that’s not the show’s fault, Gabriella Leon chose to leave, it’s just all been a case of bad timing.

[mcfiddlestan]

I posted 9,799 times in 2022

92 posts created (1%)

9,707 posts reblogged (99%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@mischief-and-tea-by-the-sea

@bouncydragon

@thekaiqueen

@maeve-curry-writes

@clintfbarton

I tagged 2,079 of my posts in 2022

#loki - 177 posts

#tony stark - 135 posts

#tom hiddleston - 102 posts

#frostiron - 84 posts

#sebastian stan - 79 posts

#bucky barnes - 60 posts

#chris evans - 44 posts

#steve rogers - 38 posts

#the essex serpent - 32 posts

#moon knight spoilers - 29 posts

Longest Tag: 124 characters

#🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣😃😃😃😃😃😃😃😃😃😃😃😃😃😃😃🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂👀👀👀👀👀👀👀👀👀😀😀😀

My Top Posts in 2022:

#5

I hope Sebastian Stan gets to hang out with his crush, Tom Hiddleston at the BAFTAs.

23 notes - Posted March 13, 2022

#4

I have been trying for about three days to write a smut scene between Bucky and Loki.

A lot of factors have contributed to this situation. My own frustrating block — I haven’t been able to write for the past three months. Lack of focus? Maybe. Mind blank? For sure.

Also since it’s smut, I need to be in a position to kind of picture it — like a movie in my mind (which, tbh, is how I write everything. I’ve had people tell me it’s easy to picture what I write bc of the way I write it. Now you know why). And that’s hard to do when parents are interrupting every five minutes asking for pills or help with making food/getting up/any mundane activity that they are both getting too weak to do on their own. And of course the nephew. Who just wants my attention. Because…I’m Nina and the closest thing he has to a Mommy.

Anyway….just thought I’d vent my frustration. Thanks for listening and here’s a snippet to what I’m working on…

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

Loki was in the middle of the living area, standing before a large easel, swiping a paint brush furiously across it. He was barefoot, his black hair pulled up into a messy knot on top of his head, his worn-looking button-up shirt and loose-fitting sweatpants splattered with various colors of paint.

Bucky watched him for a moment, mesmerized by the intensity of his movements. It was like a violent dance. If there had been a way to punch the paint on the canvas, Bucky had no doubt Loki would have excelled at doing it. After a few moments, he remembered why he was there and crossed over to the stereo, lowering the volume to a level they would be able to hear each other over. Loki didn't bother to acknowledge Bucky's presence; he barely paused his movements, continuing to add more colors to his creation.

“Hey,” Bucky finally spoke up. Loki didn't respond, so Bucky took a step closer, studying the painting over his shoulder. “What's it supposed to be?” he asked quietly.

“I don't know yet,” Loki muttered under his breath.

“Look, I know you're busy…”

“That I am.”

Bucky swiped a hand over his forehead, carding his fingers through his hair. “Could you take a break for a second?”

Loki gave the canvas one more violent swipe of a bright red streak before stepping back, looking over his work. Bucky wondered if it was done yet. Judging by the way Loki scoffed at it and dumped his brush in a cloudy mason jar of water, he thought maybe not. Loki grabbed a hand towel and a bottle of what looked like oil, dampened the towel with it then dragged a stool away from its spot by the table. He dropped onto it, and lifted his eyes to settle on Bucky's, as he began to scrub at his hands.

Unsure why, Bucky expected Loki to say something first, but instead, for a few long moments, they just stared at each other. Until Loki finally gestured at him.

“Are you going to speak?”

“Yes. Sorry. Um.” He cleared his throat and rubbed at the nape of his neck. “So, I owe you an apology. For this morning.”

Loki said nothing, and made no movement but to continue scrubbing at his skin. Bucky swiped at the hair falling over his face, feeling more anxious than he expected. Especially with Loki's unflinching gaze directly on him.

“I admit, I jumped to conclusions.” He shrugged his shoulders when Loki still had no reply. “Obviously, I understand now that you were just trying to help.”

“I did help.”

“Right.”

“I picked you up off the floor, passed out in a corner, and put you in a more comfortable spot – which is how you ended up in your bed.”

“Y…yes.” Why did he suddenly feel like he was being scolded?

“I made sure you were safe and what did I get in return? Accusations and assumptions.”

“I know! I'm – Jesus, Loki, I'm saying I'm sorry here.”

“But for what are you sorry, James?” Bucky wasn't sure he was supposed to answer that. Thankfully, Loki continued, answering for him. “Insulting me? Or embarrassing yourself?”

Loki was more observant than Bucky gave him credit for. There were not many in this world who could call him on his bullshit. In fact, before Loki, there had only been one. His jaw clenched while he worked up the nerve to answer, “Both?”

After a beat, Loki scoffed lightly, and looked away as he tossed the rag to the table. Bucky tensed more. “If you're done then…”

“Hey, come on.” Bucky rushed forward, drawing up short when Loki whipped around again. He swallowed. Something about Loki being angry was strangely…attractive. He shrugged his shoulders, unsure of what else to do. “Haven't you ever made a mistake? I'm owning up to it, aren't I? The least you could do is accept it.”

Loki took a step forward, and it took all of Bucky’s strength not to retreat. “The least you could do is tell me exactly why you're sorry. Are you that unused to kindness? I'm not often that nice to people, so I thank you for helping me regret it.”

For a moment, Bucky's words jumbled together in his head. “No, I’m not – look. It wasn't about you, Loki.”

See the full post

34 notes - Posted April 3, 2022

#3

WIP Game!

Post the titles of your current works in progress – then, if someone sends one of those titles to you, explain the concept or post a snippet!

Tagging: @rennemichaels @bouncydragon @slenbee @incredifishface @incubigirl and anyone else who wants to participate.

(I'm not including my ongoing challenges here, the 30 Day OTP Porn Challenge and 100 Ways to Say ILY challenge)

Fools Rush In

Just A Fool

Royals AU

The Flame

The House Guest

Untitled MaLoki fic

Untitled SamTasha fic

Untitled Post WS Stucky fic

Hurricane

The Christmas Date

All I Ask

Second Time Around

Whatever It Takes

P.S. Thanks to @mischief-and-tea-by-the-sea and @just-fandomthings for the tags! xoxo

35 notes - Posted July 26, 2022

#2

New header.

47 notes - Posted February 3, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

See the full post

72 notes - Posted March 14, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

[bisluthq]

Look...I agree that Taylor pulled back for her own sanity after the whole Kimye/Hiddleston/Cancelation, but I do think in many ways she stays so low key now for him. And yes, I do think SM activity in this case is a valid argument because she used to like ALL his posts (minus like 1), but now that his star is rising and the spotlight is on him....she stopped. Come on, you fucking know it's so SHE doesn't take over his headlines. And holding court at an after party in Ireland with no formal media is a hell of alot different than her attending and remaining very discreet and as invisible as possible at premieres and their after parties. Does she want as normal a life as possible? Absolutely, I agree with you. Does she have a desire to live her life like 1989 era? ABSOLUTELY NOT! Would she like to attend places like Cannes, the BAFTAs, etc. and support her partner? Absolutely, but it doesn't seem like Joe wants that or wants her there, so she steps back and lets him do his own thing so SHE isn't a distraction from HIM. So..yes, that's making herself smaller for him. And I understand the whole "press bullshit", but it's not like Taylor is the first or last partner in the history of HW, to cause a small distraction on the Red Carpet. Give me a break.....the more they make it a HUGE thing, the more it will be treated that way. The first time it happens it will be front page news, but after that it would become normal.

Ehhhh I hear you (as you hear me) but let’s agree to disagree. I don’t get the sense that she would have liked to be at Cannes but he asked her not to go dude. He’s had her at all the premieres she was available for. She posted about CWF. He talked about her in CWF press whenever he was asked, as did his costars. He has NEVER blacklisted her as a topic.

Her not being at Cannes doesn’t feel like him requesting she stay away - it seems like she didn’t really want to go, in part I think because it would’ve been very fucking difficult for her to (he was going London -> Cannes -> Ireland within one week, and he had a ton of shoots and shit scheduled in Cannes like he wasn’t chilling - he’d barely have seen her). That schedule would be difficult for anyone, let alone for someone who needs to travel with security. Jack was also not attending because he’s on tour so that would’ve been another factor to say “hey why don’t you just have fun with your costars.”

I’m just not at all convinced he tells her not to attend even though she wants that, same as I’m not sure she’s inviting him left and right to shit and he’s refusing.

They have separate PROFESSIONAL lives, and both do support one another dude idk.

Your final thing is also unrealistic lmao. Taylor attending anything will be front page news until she stops being relevant. Right now, anything about her is newsworthy - especially a Red Carpet appearance.

[ingravinoveritas]

I can see David being someone who prefers to misdirect with technically correct language rather than lying. "Ally" - technically true, he's an ally to other parts of the community including trans/nonbinary so technically correct. Not an active participant - technically true, he's not going out to gay clubs on a Friday night. But he doesn't call himself straight or outright say he's not queer, because that's just a flat out lie. His words imply he's straight but he specifically doesn't say that.

Yes! That is exactly what I was trying to convey in my previous answer about the Attitude magazine interview. That David is more than intelligent enough to know how to answer these questions in a clever way. Let me put the screenshot up here again to address the rest of your comment:

What you said about "technically correct" language makes complete sense and speaks to that idea of answering these questions in a nuanced way--not lying, but also not revealing too much. I am not at all disputing that David is an ally, because he has solidly shown himself to be one to specific parts of the community. But "rather than an active participant" is such a unique choice of words, because as you said, David could have easily called himself "straight" or said he isn't queer, but he chose not to do that. So that just made me wonder why that was the case.

The idea of "misdirecting" I think makes sense as well with the idea of David putting a barrier between his real self and the world, because it enables him to share a version of himself that feels safe for him/his current situation. I also feel that, given how much David clearly cares about the community, he would not spend years and years quietly (or lately, not-so quietly) implying he is something other than 100% straight, only for that to be a fake-out/"Gotcha!" moment.

It is for these reasons that my focus tends to be more on David's actions than his words, and is something I have talked about previously at length on my blog (to give just a few examples). I think people tell us who they are in all sorts of ways, often just by being who they are, rather than labeling or talking about it. And again, this was a random interview promoting the BAFTAs, so it made sense for him to answer in as non-committal a way as possible.

So those are my thoughts on your comments. Always appreciative of other perspectives, and happy to hear from folks with their thoughts in the comments on this post. Thank you for writing in! x

[duskholland]

I kinda want a first blurb of them first knowing about eachother. Maybe a toms pov??? Where haz is constantly talking about her and idk, I'd like to see their first impressions (without the bafta incident) play out. Love tfg

yes yes yes yes yes. I love this so much, thank you! parts of this are briefly mentioned in the main story, so getting to finally write out their bad first impressions was so much fun for me. 

status: pre-story; tom’s pov // read the fame game!

— tfg blurb night! —

“I’m telling you, Tom, she’s amazing. So talented and funny. Heart of gold, too. I think you’d really get on.”

Tom’s got a very fake, very forced smile on his lips, and he nods vacantly as he listens to Harrison prattle on about his new friend: you. Harrison doesn’t seem to realise that he’s been gushing about you for ten consecutive minutes, nor that Tom tuned out about eight minutes ago.

“Cool,” Tom adds. He’s reached the point where he’s just interjecting a filler word every few minutes, adding to Harrison’s otherwise one-sided conversation.

“Yeah, really cool,” Harrison replies.

Tom’s distractedly staring at his phone, scrolling through Twitter, liking a few tweets as he goes. His eyebrows furrow as he looks at a particularly funny thread, smiling as he likes it. In the background, Harrison’s continuing to speak.

After about a minute, Tom feels Harrison kick him - hard.

“Ow, you prick!” Tom mutters, looking up angrily. The two men are sat at their kitchen table, Harrison’s opposite Tom, arms crossed over his chest. “What was that for?”

“You’re not listening to me!” Harrison whines, frowning at Tom. “I’m trying to tell you a story, and you’re just ignoring me.”

Tom feels guilty as he looks at Haz’s wide, blue eyes.

“Sorry,” he murmurs, putting down his phone. “You’ve just been rambling on about Y/N for ages, and I’m pretty sure she doesn’t like me, so it’s hard to stay interested.”

Harrison pulls a face. “What?” He asks, looking at him with confusion on his face. “But you’ve never met her.”

Tom nods. “I know, but I reply to her Instagram stories sometimes, and she opens them and never says anything back.” 

It’s quite disheartening, actually. When Tom had got the notification that you’d followed him, he’d seen that as a green light to try and initiate something with you - a friendship, perhaps, or maybe something more. So he’d taken to leaving comments on your posts and always, always, replying to your stories - only to draw up a blank every single time.

“Well, if that’s the only thing she’s done to give you that impression, then I think you’re reading into it too much.” Harrison grabs Tom’s phone from the table and unlocks it, moving it out of Tom’s grasp before he can do a thing. “Here, I’ll give you her number. Just text her when we’re back in LA and see if she wants to meet. I’m sure she’d be down.”

Tom eyes his friend sceptically, gnawing over his lower lip. There’s turmoil in his heart - churning continuously. His desire to pursue a relationship with you fights against the humiliation of being left on read, but after a moment’s contemplation, he sighs in agreement.

“Fine,” Tom agrees. “But only because she’s your friend.”

———

A month later, Tom’s back in America, Harrison at his side. He’s here on promo, hurrying from interview to interview, doing the rounds through the television stations. He’s on cloud nine, but he’s tired, which is why he’d turned down Harrison’s offer to go out to a bar with a few of his friends.

Tom’s alone, and it’s late. He’s scrolling through Instagram, and his eyebrows shoot up his forehead as he opens Harrison’s story and sees you staring back at him. As Tom clicks through the whole thing, there’s only more - you and Harrison, you dancing in the bar, Harrison smiling at you. Tom groans, and when the story runs out, he opens up his texts and goes to his conversation with you.

Maybe ‘conversation’ is a bit too kind. The screen shows two messages, but they’re both from Tom, and both left on read - again.

Tom: Hey Y/N, it’s Tom Holland. Harrison gave me your number, so I thought I’d drop you a message just to say I’ll be in town next week if you were free and wanted to grab a drink? Big fan of your work.

Tom: Hi again, just wondering if you saw my last message…?

Tom groans, tossing his phone aside and pinching the bridge of his nose with his fingers. He knows - or, rather, hopes - that he hasn’t done anything to annoy you. You’ve never met each other, never communicated - nothing. And yet, you’re continuously avoiding him, and now you’re hanging out with his best mate without him.

It’s bewildering.

The front door slams shut, and Tom sighs as he hears Harrison enter the house with a clatter. He stands up, walking through to the porch where he leans up against the doorframe and watches his friend hop about, trying to pull off his shoes and jacket, and getting stuck in the process - jacket half hanging off, one shoe discarded in the middle of the room.

“Had fun, Haz?” Tom asks, smirking. Harrison jumps, looking up, and Tom scoffs as he takes in how red and bloodshot his eyes are.

“Yeah,” Harrison murmurs, “Fucking great. Just had… A bit too much to drink, I think.” He looks down, glaring at his shoe. “Stupid fucking thing won’t come off.” He waggles his leg, and Tom sighs.

“Stay still,” he mutters, dropping to the floor in front of Harrison. As he unpicks his best mate’s incredibly knotted laces, he asks, “Y/N was there. Did she mention me?”

Harrison hums. “Yeah, yeah. I told her what you said- y’know, about thinking she was rude for ignoring you. She didn’t really like that.”

Tom feels his blood run cold, fingers slacking. “You told her what?”

Harrison blinks down at Tom, shrugging. “Yeah, sorry mate, I realised once I said it that I fucked up. But- but if it’s any consolation, she said it wasn’t intentional. Apparently, she’s just been busy.”

Tom sits back on the floor after he’s pulled off Harrison’s shoe, glaring at his friend.

“But she probably thinks I’m a dickhead now,” Tom complains. He watches as Harrison goes back to wriggling out of his jacket.

“Eh, I mean… I told her you just wanted to be friends, but she was quite hung up on it.” Harrison bites his lip before staggering over to Tom, pulling him off the floor and giving him a rough pat on the back. “Look, mate. You’re both going to the BAFTAs soon, right? Just make up then. It’ll be fine, I’m sure.”

Tom sucks in a breath, and he has to try very hard to bite back a snarky comment.

“Fine,” he mutters. “But Haz, if what you’ve told her has fucked up our relationship, then-”

“Oh, it’ll be fine.” Harrison’s twirling a hand through the air, but behind the carefree drunken buzz, Tom knows his friend is nervous. “You’ll get on great, Tom. You’re so similar.” He nudges him, grinning. “I think you guys could be a lot more than just great friends, you know.”

Tom rolls his eyes but finds himself smiling fondly at his friend nonetheless.

“Let’s get you to bed, then,” he says, wrapping an arm around Harrison. “You’re just talking shit now.”

[yeonchi]

Doctor Who Hiatusbreaker Update 2

Although the premiere of Doctor Who Series 13 is still a while off, let alone the announcement of a premiere date, there are a few things I’d like to talk about before that time comes. Let’s get right into it.

Filler series plans to talk about Series 1-10

Some time ago, I had plans to make a ten-part series talking about Series 1-10 in detail, but because I had a lot of stuff going on, those plans were reduced to something I call Doctor Who 10 for 10 - 10 Things for 10 Series, which was to state ten things about each series with at least 4 to 6 of these things being my opinions on each series. This was intended to be a filler series to bide the time before Series 13 comes out, but that may have to come at another time. I’m also continuing with Kisekae Insights if anyone wants to check it out.

The post-Series 13 forecast

Since Series 13 would be Jodie Whittaker’s third series as the Doctor, signs are pointing to this being her final series. There are also rumours stating that there will be two specials in 2022 that would serve as her final episodes. If this is the case, then it means that Jodie Whittaker would have been the Doctor for five years; a five-year-long ordeal of pain because series seem to be released pretty much every other year as a result of the almost-year-long gaps between them, not to mention the fact that less episodes are being produced as time goes on. Whether Chris Chibnall will be remaining on is still unknown at this time. Frankly, I’ll be glad when this is all over because I (and many other fans) have been kept hanging for so long. I just hope the Timeless Child payoff will be worth it.

At this point, the only reason why I’m still watching the series is mainly because I want to know how the Timeless Child arc plays out. The initial shocks have come and gone, but now this is where we wait and see if the aftershocks are as worse.

When I started my Thirteenth Doctor Reviews, I made a pact that I would cut off all ties with the series going forward if the Fourteenth Doctor was another female. Given the Timeless Child arc and the rumours that Olly Alexander would replace Jodie Whittaker (which would make him the first gay actor to play the Doctor) that came and went because his agent stated that he was focusing on music for the time being, I’ve honestly stopped giving a shit at this point. I’ll probably continue being a casual fan of Doctor Who, watching episodes as they come out, but regardless, all that this series will be to me is like what the Koei Warriors series has degraded itself to over the past decade. I’ll still be grateful for all the inspiration and opportunities it has provided me with over the years, but I’ll probably accept that the series has gone on a downward spiral with seemingly no way of coming back up. But hey, all will be revealed in due time, so the forecast isn’t that bleak for now.

The first look into Series 13 (added 26 July 2021)

So just today, two days after I originally published this post, the teaser trailer for Doctor Who Series 13 was released following the 2021 San Diego Comic Con@Home. Aside from the Doctor, Yaz and Dan, the only other character we see is Vinder, a recurring character throughout the series who will be played by Jacob Anderson. Recurring character, you say, and that’s because Series 13 will apparently be a single serialised story. This brings callbacks to The Trial of a Time Lord or more loosely, the multiple two-parters of Series 9. We still don’t get an exact premiere date, only that it will premiere “later this year”, but given that Series 11 and 12 took about 10 months to film, we can predict that filming of Series 13 will likely be wrapping up in the next month. Whether there will be a shorter run of five or six episodes (thereby reserving two of those episodes for the 2022 specials, assuming they won’t be filmed separately to Series 13) is unknown, but regardless, I’m looking forward to watching and reviewing the series for myself.

Jodie Whittaker and Chris Chibnall leave Doctor Who (added 30 July 2021) 

In news that will surprise no one, Jodie Whittaker and Chris Chibnall have announced that they will be leaving the series in 2022. Technically, the news isn’t much of a surprise in terms of Whittaker than it is for Chibnall, as Russell T Davies and Steven Moffat have been showrunner for two Doctors each. But hey, with this, it means that my Thirteenth Doctor Reviews will also be a review of Chibnall’s run as showrunner.

My initial thoughts on this, which may or may not change coming up to Whittaker’s final episode - it was an okay run while it lasted, but honestly, good riddance. How’s that five year plan of yours going, Chibnall? If your plan was to divide the fanbase and leave them hanging with gaps between series, then you’ve really done it.

On top of this, Series 13 will be six episodes long, with the remaining two episodes to be broadcast as specials in 2022. The first of them will be a New Year’s Special (surprise surprise) and the second will follow in Spring 2022 (Northern Hemisphere). The Thirteenth Doctor’s final episode will premiere in Autumn 2022 (Northern Hemisphere) as part of the BBC’s Centenary celebrations. Some tentative dates I’m predicting are 18 October 2022, the 100th anniversary of the BBC, 23 November 2022, the 59th anniversary of Doctor Who, or 1 January 2023, which would make it another New Year’s Special (I’m not discounting 25 December 2022, I just think it’s less likely given how this era has been).

With this, the Fourteenth Doctor is expected to debut in 2023, the 60th anniversary year of Doctor Who. I just hope the new production team doesn’t disappoint the fans with that.

In terms of statistics, Jodie Whittaker has played the Doctor for 31 episodes, making her run the second shortest behind Christopher Eccleston. Peter Capaldi played the Doctor for 40 episodes, Matt Smith for 44 episodes and David Tennant for 47.

My hopes for Whittaker and Chibnall’s final episodes haven’t changed; I want to see what happens with the Timeless Child arc (and also Ruth). Whether the Fourteenth Doctor will be male or female (or played by a non-binary or trans actor), I have a few basic preliminary hopes for the next run; make each series 13 episodes again with a Christmas Special each year and put the series back on Saturday nights, like it was before Whittaker and Chibnall. Also, can we go back to filming in the 16:9 ratio? I can never get over how weird it looks on my screen (at full screen, it doesn’t look so weird when I have it playing on half screen, which is what I usually do when I write my reviews).

Jay Exci - The Fall of Doctor Who

Yes, it has been a while and I know I could have told everyone about this earlier, but better late than never I suppose. A couple of months ago, Jay Exci did a 5-hour long critique of the Chibnall era in his video, The Fall of Doctor Who. For some reason, there are those who see it as controversial because they’re NPCs who don’t want to hear criticism of the Chibnall era or they’re spergs who aren’t mature enough to sit through a 5-hour video they can watch in chunks, but hey, it’s pretty good. This is more in-depth than the reviews that people like Bowlestrek or Nerdrotic make, which essentially put Jay on their level in the eyes of the NPCs despite denying that they are on their level and being a sperg about how they’re better than them. Welcome to the party, Jay, you can check out anytime but you can never leave. 

Anyway, you can check out the video below. Even if you don’t feel like watching the whole video, I highly suggest that you watch section 4.2 onwards (timestamped link here) as it does resonate with my feelings on the Timeless Child arc. I swear, this is just like Dynasty Warriors 9 all over again. I know the feeling.

Cancel culture comes for Noel Clarke and John Barrowman

The thing about cancel culture is that people can be petty about things other people have done or said years ago and they can justify it with the excuse that they’re doing it to hold those people accountable. Depending on the context, it can expose the fact that that person is a major piece of shit or it can be an overreaction to something, which in the minds of today’s society is normally the latter.

Around the time that Noel Clarke was nominated for a Bafta at the end of March, allegations emerged of abuse and sexual misconduct against him. 20 women came forward with their stories and as a result, the final episode of Viewpoint was pulled from broadcast (but still released on Blu-ray and DVD) and Bulletproof was cancelled before filming on the fourth series would begin.

In May, video emerged of Clarke at Chicago TARDIS in 2014 talking about how John Barrowman would expose his genitals and slap it on people and things. This led to allegations about Barrowman surfacing, resulting in him apologising for his actions even though he had already been reprimanded for them over a decade ago and apologised in November 2008. Despite this, his contribution to the immersive theatrical event Doctor Who: Time Fracture was pulled and Big Finish have decided to shelf the release of Torchwood: Absent Friends, which would have featured David Tennant as the Tenth Doctor.

Now, I don’t care about Noel Clarke by any means, but this situation is honestly sad for John Barrowman because it shows that cancel culture spares no victims and leaves no fossil undiscovered. These PR stunts have clearly shown that the spineless people involved with those productions are so concerned with saving face that they are unable to just overlook these transgressions for the sake of fans who actually wanted to see him reprise his role as Captain Jack Harkness. But hey, what do I know? I don’t really care for anything other than the TV series, but it really shows how shameless corporations can be.

Once again, we don’t exactly know when Doctor Who Series 13 will premiere, but if you ask me, I predict that it will premiere in October or November. I’ll see you all again around that time.

[amphtaminedreams]

Filling the Met Shaped Hole (No, Not Like That): The Best Red Carpet Looks of Awards Season 2020

Hi to anyone reading,

I want to jump straight into things and ask a question. Which is the best Met Gala theme of the last 5 years and why is it Heavenly Bodies: Fashion and the Catholic Imagination?

Seriously though, despite the fact that I’m not sure anything will top Heavenly Bodies with the preceding and succeeding Met Galas being relatively disappointing (the camp theme definitely could have been taken further and lets not even talk about the Comme Des Garcons disaster), I still get excited for the gala every year, staying up til whatever hour of the morning so I can see all the fashion live. Of course, it makes complete sense that this year’s event has been postponed until October given the circumstances but the chosen theme of Fashion and Duration had the potential to be quite interesting, so I hope we do eventually get to see it; whilst I don’t miss endlessly scrolling through photos of every white male celebrity wearing the exact same suit and tie to the point where fangirls claim Harry Styles to be a pioneer of breaking gender norms because he wore a pink top, I long for the days where we could all temporarily coexist in peace and harmony thanks to the internet’s collective dragging of the Kardashians for paying no attention to the theme whatsoever. We should’ve guessed life as we know it was about to be flipped on its head when they actually turned up in something interesting last year.

What I’m trying to say is that I would love nothing more than to jump back in time to when tomorrow morning’s top Google search would be best Met Gala looks, and not how many lives did Boris Johnson’s fuckery cost us today. So in honour of the lack of trivial content, I thought I’d fill the Met shaped hole in our lives (amongst many other unfilled holes; today the freezer door at work hit me on the ass whilst I was putting ice cubes out and I think for a split second I got all flushed) by putting together a collection of my personal favourite red carpet looks from this year’s awards season and their respective afterparties: the BAFTAs, Brits, Critic’s Choice Awards, Golden Globes, Oscars, SAG Awards, and the Grammys to finish with.

Enjoy!

British Academy of Film and Television Arts Award (yes, that’s the BAFTAs but I needed a longer title)

(L-R: Zoe Kravitz in Dior, Rooney Mara in Givenchy, and Scarlett Johansson in Versace)

I am a British fan of television and arts but I will gladly say it: of all the awards ceremonies, the BAFTAs is hardly the most exciting, and the red carpet even less so. As I said, lots of boring men in boring suits and middle aged women being dressed by stylists who seem to think we’re dead from the neck down by the time we hit 40 and dress us accordingly so. Any hint of a décolletage explicitly forbidden.

There were a few good looks, however. From left to right, above we have Zoe Kravitz in Dior, Rooney Mara in Givenchy and Scarlett Johansson in Versace, who looks so amazing I almost forget that 1). Versace is going down the drain and 2). Scarlett Johansson would stand in front of a forest and take the role of a tree if she could. Which, along with her whole defence of Woody Allen, is really shit-she’s genuinely great in Marriage Story and an otherwise talented actress. As for Zoe Kravitz, she is up there with Robert Pattison as one of my biggest crushes right now and looks amazing in literally everything she wears, and Rooney Mara is consistently low-key yet elegantly dressed. 

(L-R: Greta Gerwig in Gucci, Florence Pugh in Dries Van Noten, Renee Zellweger in Prada)

Renee Zellweger proved an exception to the rule when it came to women over the age of 40 generally having clueless stylists-her dress is beautiful, very reminiscent of the delicate, demure beauty of 50s icons such as Grace Kelly and Audrey Hepburn. Florence’s dress, I actually really loved. It didn’t seem to go down all too well with actual Florence Pugh fans but red and pink together is an elite combo; I’m still firmly on the “surprised that it works but I’m into it” train. I mainly included Greta’s dress for the green velvet, to be honest; it’s disappointingly low-key for Gucci but nice enough all the same.

(L-R: Andrew Scott in Paul Smith, Charlize Theron in Dior, Daisy Ridley in Oscar de la Renta, and Emilia Clarke in Schiaparelli)

I was particularly excited to see Emilia Clarke in Schiaparelli-yes, I adore her because she played Daenerys Targaryen and I was ride or die for that bitch but also whenever I see her interviewed she has the most exuberant energy and honestly I want to be best friends. It’s not the most interesting dress Schiaparelli has ever put out there, but I like the fact that she went for something unique all the same.

Forest green is a colour I find hard to resist which is why I included Andrew Scott’s otherwise kinda basic suit (points for it being velvet) and Daisy Ridley in Oscar de la Renta. As elegant as the dress is, I would love for her stylist to have really leaned into the forest nymph vibes I’m getting and do something a bit less uptight with the hair and makeup; like imagine loose curls with tiny braids and hair rings and a dark lip and a slight smoke around the eye and...yes, I have very specific visions, I know. As for Charlize Theron, her work with Dior is the only reason I care about the brand; there’s definitely a case to be made here for giving Maria Grazia the benefit of the doubt, assuming that she tries all the prototypes on women who look like Charlize and that that’s why she’s happy to send dresses that are otherwise relatively underwhelming down the runway. 

The Brit Awards

(L-R: Charli XCX in Fendi, Ellie Goulding in Koche, Hailee Steinfeld in Fendi, and Harry Styles in Gucci)

In my opinion a much better reflection of quintessential British style than the BAFTAs, I originally ruled out including any music award ceremony red carpets in this post until I saw Maya Jama and Charli XCX’s looks. Consider me pleasantly surprised by Hailee Steinfeld’s cobalt blue burnout dress, a classic incarnation of the regal bohemian aesthetic Fendi channelled in their 2019 haute couture show. Plus Charli’s emo take on Glinda the Good Witch is also Fendi, driving home for me just how much I love their collections. I don’t know if I’d be sure about Ellie Goulding’s dress on the rack but the simple styling makes it work and she looks gorgeous, and Harry Styles looks just as pretty in a Gucci look that is MADE for him.

(L-R: Adwoah Aboah in Vivienne Westwood, Celeste in Gucci on the far right! I’m not sure who the guy in the middle is, I’m sorry and if anybody knows drop me a message and I will correct this immediately!)

Unfortunately, Harry Styles and Celeste didn’t get to pose together because this is really a perfect his and hers Gucci look; I feel like seeing one outfit next to the other would really highlight the quirky elegance of each. That being said, it feels criminal to talk about elegance without including Adwoah Aboah in Vivienne Westwood in the sentence; the dress is obviously stunning quality on its own merit, but Adwoah is what elevates it from unremarkable to ethereal. Fuck the weird ass knight figure that’s currently on top of the Brit Award, this woman is the definition of statuesque! Put her on top of the trophy you cowards!

And just to get it out of the way, when it comes to the guy in the middle, to quote Keke Palmer:

Sorry to this man.

Honestly, I saved all the red carpet photos from a Nylon (I think it was Nylon?) article back when the awards aired and towards the end of the photos they stopped including names-this happened a few times when I was looking through red carpet galleries. I reverse image searched where I could but not every photo turned anything up. If anyone does know who this man is, message me so I can include his name. He looks sick, and as far as suits go, this one is built upon and accessorised enough that it’s actually a look rather than the same old variation of a suit we’ve seen a million times before that may as well be the straight man’s designated red carpet uniform. 

(L-R: Maya Jama, Neh Neh Cherry in Bottega Veneta, Laura Whitmore)

And now the woman that forced me to include the Brits red carpet in this post in the first place: Maya Jama. Don’t get me wrong, my mind isn’t blown by this dress on its own, I probably prefer Laura Whitmore’s (Jaded do a similar newspaper dress and I’ve resisted adding it to my basket for 6 months now, this is the ultimate test of whether or not I finally cave), but Maya looks fucking MAGNIFICENT. The fit, the gloves, the confidence with which she carries it, it’s all SO good. Considering the timing, this is basically her Princess Diana revenge dress levelled up, 2020′s Jessica Rabbit moment. 

(L-R: Maya Jama, Ellie Goulding, Kendall Jenner)

Obviously anything is gonna be a step down from the red carpet look but Maya’s Brits afterparty outfit was cute too, if a tad Pretty Little Thing. 

Don’t ask me what Kendall Jenner was doing at the Brits afterparty btw, because I have no idea. We live in a world where the Kardashian-Jenners just seem to occupy every public space possible and I’ve begrudgingly accepted it at this point. I don’t have the energy to question it-and it helps that green catsuit is actually Very Cool™. 

For the last of my favourite Brit Awards looks, we have a few more afterparty photos-from left to right we have Charli XCX again, Lizzo, and Anne Marie. It was Charli posting her dress on Instagram that sent me searching for afterparty looks in the first place; apparently wearing nothing but feathers and crystals is something that appeals to me, and the more I read that statement, the more it sounds spot-on. I’d categorise it as gothic glamour hoe, and slot it in with the rest of the night-out clothes in my wardrobe that I think I’ll finally have the balls to wear out of sheer desperation once this lockdown is over. The Blossom to Charli XCX’s Buttercup here, we’ve also got Anne Marie looking extra AF and I loveeeee it; it’s an ensemble somewhere between a high-end version of Alaska Thunderfuck’s candyfloss Sugar Ball dress from season 5 of Drag Race (Alaska DID deserve to win AS2 nation, rise up) and a low-key version of a Katy Perry California Dreams Tour costume. I don’t call it low-key as a drag, just a regretful admission of the fact that maybe wearing a cupcake bra which squirts whipped cream out of the boobs is a bit too much for most of us. 

Critic’s Choice Awards

(L-R: Alison Brie in Brandon Maxwell, Chloe Bridges in Azeeza, Cynthia Erivo in Fendi, Florence Pugh in Prada)

I was going to say the Critic’s Choice Awards is kind of America’s version of the BAFTAs but then I remembered that the BAFTAs is really the only big TV and film awards ceremony we have here in the UK and that it’s kind of sad that I have to compare our most high-profile red carpet of the year to L.A’s most low-key one. Getting Cynthia Erivo and Florence Pugh to infiltrate is the best we can do. 

THAT BEING SAID! 

They both look amazing. This is Florence’s best red carpet look of this year, imo (she the prettiest icicle I’ve ever seen), and Cynthia Erivo’s arm must ache from serving the entire awards season. And in Fendi! Taste!

Side note before we move onto the next set of looks: has anybody else watched Alison Brie in Mad Men and Community simultaneously and experienced the extreme cognitive dissonance that comes from watching her play a tragically nerdy (relatable tbh) 18 year old and an overly-sophisticated 30 something married to an ad man in the 60s at the same time? Weird, but anyway! The orange dress with the red lipstick is channelling Marina Diamandis’ Froot era style subtle sex appeal and is a timeless, playful combo. Put the hair up into a beehive and it’s Megan Draper on a date in Cabo-don’t know much about the place but I know the sea is aqua and the sun seekers are blindingly white and the cocktails are plentiful (and whatever colour you want them to be), and all that together is a juicy palette if we’re talking cinematography. The Mad Men directors are out there somewhere shaking their fists at the sky that they never got to consult me on that, I’m sure. 

(L-R: Phoebe Waller-Bridge in Dior, Saoirse Ronan in Erdem and Zendaya in Tom Ford)

Zendaya’s red carpet look was the stand out of the Critic’s Choice Awards for sure; the skirt I can do without but I hope that hot pink metal breastplate ends up on display somewhere because that is ART, and she is the perfect person to wear it. The Tiffany Pollard “she's so powerful” meme was made for this moment. 

Also, can we talk about Phoebe Waller-Bridge backing up my Dior 2019 Haute Couture wasn’t *that* bad hypothesis? Because unless I’m mistaken this is one of the dresses from that collection and it is quite beautiful. Yeah, black mesh isn’t going to start a revolution or anything but it’s so delicate looking it almost seems out of place on a red carpet-I don’t know if it’s the structure of the bodice or the tulle but I can totally see this in a gothic ballet, whether that’s sensible in theory or not. Probably not. But then again I did quit ballet when I was 10 after months of getting people to near poke me in the eye on the way out of class so it would look like I’d been crying and I didn’t have to go to my lessons after school. So what do I know? Fuck all, in case that wasn’t clear. I also feel a little vindicated by Saoirse wearing one of the Erdem dresses I loved from last year’s collection-if multi-award winning actress Saoirse Ronan’s probably ridiculously well-paid stylist liked it enough to pick it out for her then I guess I’m doing okay in terms of taste levels.

(L-R: Olivia Wilde in Valentino, Lucy Hale in Miu Miu, Mandy Moore in Elie Saab, and Margaret Qualley in Chanel)

The last few Critics Choice Awards looks I picked out above aren’t thrilling or anything but they’re cute enough to include-from left to right we have Olivia Wilde in Valentino, Lucy Hale in Miu Miu, Mandy Moore in Elie Saab and Margaret Qualley in Chanel. It’s kind of besides the point, but Margaret worked with Chanel throughout awards season and I just wanted to add my two cents in here and say that I think she’s the perfect person to collaborate with (also think Laura Harrier would be a good match, anyone agree?) and that in a similar vein, I urge Miu Miu, the creative directors of which I’m sure are eagerly awaiting the opinion of irrelevant Tumblr user amphtaminedreams, to work with Lucy Hale more often. I feel like if girl stopped starring in those shitty Blumhouse horrors and did something a bit more sophisticated she’d fit the brand right down to a T.

The Golden Globes

(L-R: Cynthia Erivo in Thom Browne, Dakota Fanning in Dior, Jane Levy in Steven Khalil, and Janina Gavankar in Georges Chakra)

Finally! I hear you cry! A more exciting red carpet! It’s not the Oscars, but celebrity stylists still pulled the big guns for this one, the Golden Globes probably being considered the second most prestigious American awards ceremony of the year. Plus Dakota Fanning was there! Big yay for me! She and Elle can practically do no wrong in my eyes and are probably the only 2 women that could take on Dakota Johnson and Jennifer Lawrence when it comes to established red carpet style. 

Cynthia Erivo did it again, of course, as slick, as dignified and as regal as she was at the Critic’s Choice. The woman really has got this power stance thing locked down; she always seems so cool and confident in everything she wears that the whole getting dressed up to go out out out (we call going to the club going “out out”, but I’d say a red carpet is a slightly bigger deal than my local club with the sticky floors hence the 3rd out) thing looks like second nature.

(L-R: Zoey Deutch in Fendi, Karamo Brown in Grayscale, Lucy Boynton in Louis Vuitton and Kat Graham in Georges Hobeika)

Lucy Boynton was another of my Golden Globes stand outs, and in general is someone who I really look forward to seeing at red carpet events. She (or her stylist, I don’t know how much of a role she plays!) always seems to commit fully to an outfit and sees it as part of a whole concept where the makeup, hair and accessories are equally as important and that is a girl after my own heart. 60s space age empress is the theme here and I’m all about it-well, either that or a feminine editorial take on the tinman from the Wizard of Oz but the former sounds a bit cooler and does way more justice to how good she looks so we’ll go with that. Quick shoutout to Kat Graham too because she looked absolutely radiant. 

(L-R: Shailene Woodley in Balmain, Winnie Harlow in Laquan Smith, and Zoe Kravitz in Saint Laurent)

The trio above I really couldn’t skim over, Winnie Harlow especially; my America’s Next Top Model grudges aside, she consistently turns it out at every event she’s invited to. She’s another woman that wears pieces with such confidence that they look like they were actually made on her body-even if the garment itself isn’t the most breathtaking in the room, she’s the one that draws my attention. Though she’s got these dainty, other-worldly qualities about her, what you’d expect to be a gentle presence is firm and commanding and whilst the sharp drama and glitz of the dress probably helps, that’s just the way Winnie Harlow is naturally, based on her other red carpet appearances. 

Zoe Kravitz is an interesting one because, on the one hand, her looking amazing with that bone structure (I would trade a vital organ to look like that any day) is a given, but it does also seem like she went out of her way to do something a bit different this past awards season. I have always loved her street style for its trademark edge and the androgynous, oversized silhouettes that she leans towards, and the overt femininity of her red carpet dresses is that grungy, skater girl aesthetic completely flipped on its head. It’s cute, and if anyone can pull a dress as kitschy as this off, it’s Zoe. She’s got that just rolled out of bed look we all dream of that screams “I’m over this shit” whereas the rest of us have to rely on dark circles to get the message across. It’s very weird to think that she and Shailene Woodley were in Divergent together, especially since Zoe in particular has changed so much since. 

My main note with Shailene was just that I got excited to see that Balmain dress off the runway-it was one of my favourites from the S/S 2020 collection (IIRC, mostly on the basis that I’m pretty sure it wan’t haute couture), and it looks good! Not wildly good because I’m not sure the fit of the dress is inherently all that flattering, but still good-she makes it work.

(L-R: Taylor Swift in Etro, Sofia Carson in Giambattista Valli and Scarlett Johansson in Vera Wang)

I know a lot of people online didn’t seem to like Taylor Swift’s dress, but she looks cute, imo. I will say that I’m surprised it’s Etro! At first glance I would’ve thought Carolina Herrera or Oscar de la Renta or something along those lines. And predictably, I think Sofia Carson looks flawless. If you’ve read any of my other posts you’re probably sick of hearing it but I really can’t resist anything that is this modern Disney princess, like powder pink layered tulle? Feathers? What did you expect me to say, ew? I think deep down my clothing preferences will always be that of a 9 year old girl and you know what, that’s okay. Sometimes. Well, when it comes to red carpets. That’s when you can kinda get away with it.

(L-R: Bell Powley in Miu Miu, Billy Porter in Alex Vinash, and Charlize Theron in Dior)

There’s a few things worth mentioning when it comes to the above outfits. Firstly, and most importantly, I need to proclaim my love for Billy Porter. No man is doing it like him, honestly. To compare Harry Styles in his pink suits is unfair. The drama and the beauty and the flair that Billy brings every awards ceremony is on another level and that’s all I have to say about that. If you disagree, I’m gonna need a bullet pointed essay-I am that firm in my opinion.

Second, Bell Powley in Miu Miu semi confirms the direction their PR team tend to head in when choosing women to work with. I might be totally alone here but I feel like she and Lucy Hale both have one of those porcelain doll faces which work really well with Miu Miu’s signature girlish silhouettes and overly-ornate details. 

And thirdly, just to restate my earlier point: someone give Charlize Theron a pat on the back for bringing some life to a Dior design. That is all.

(L-R: Jodie Comer in Mary Katrantzou, Joey King in Schiaparelli and Kaitlyn Dever in Valentino)

All the newcomers really turned it out too, which is a sentence I type through gritted teeth; to call Jodie Comer of My Mad Fat Diary origins a newcomer pains the former depressing 2013 black and white Tumblr user in me, though I suppose to the US audiences uncultured in the ways of British teenage angst Vilanelle is her breakthrough role. And how Vilanelle is this dress too!? It’s bold and it’s attention-grabbing and it’s fun and it is definitely very theatrical female fictional villain that you were inexplicably drawn to as a child before you realised why as an adult-”oh, it’s because she was hot”. 

Joey King in Iris van Herpen was a pleasant surprise too considering that when I first looked through the red carpet photos I only knew her as the girl who was in that shitty Netflix original-having watched her in The Act, I apologise for the dismissal! And I admire the sartorial choice! I adore Iris van Herpen designs but as a short girl, wearing one of her dresses to a red carpet event is a risky decision-I hate to admit it because casting a diverse range of people for shows is something I have come to expect of my favourite brands, but the appeal of a lot of IvH pieces comes from the movement of the garments on standard willowy runway models. Fortunately, the styling is really complementary here, and whilst it can’t be denied that the dress itself does swamp her a bit, I liked that she and her stylist stepped out of the box. 

Kaitlyn Dever’s red carpet look is obviously a lot more typical, but you can't go wrong with a Valentino dress, and this one in particular is so suited to the aura she gives off-it’s young and it’s fun and it’s fresh and the intricate floral print, otherwise muted if not for the spring influenced pops of pink and red, is timelessly pretty.

(L-R: Akwafina in Dior, Saoirse Ronan in Celine, Beanie Feldstein in Oscar de la Renta, and Renee Zellweger in Armani)

Lastly, there was Saoirse Ronan in Celine-one of my highlights of the night; she looked phenomenal, a glacial toned dream, and it was pretty different to what I generally expect to see her in. I might be way off base and in need of a bit of a review of her red carpet style, but I feel like she usually leans more towards pretty than edgy with regards to her styling at these kinds of events and a loose fitting, gun metal glittered slip dress is, imo, the perfect way to hit that previously uncharted midway point between the two.

(L-R: Kate Bosworth in Prabal Gurung, Kathryn Newton in Valentino and Sarah Hyland)

Now onto the afterparty looks, and I’m not gonna lie, they’re usually the highlight of the ceremonies for me; I feel like the initial ceremony is all about looking respectful and maintaining that whole dedicated actor image, whereas it seems the literal point of these showbiz parties is a competition to be the best dressed person in the room. Competition really makes people step their game up, and we always get to see more young talent whose style tends to be more current than that of the people we see on the red carpet. 

I’ve got to say, as annoying as I found her character in The Society, I have to overlook that gut instinct of irritation when I see Kathryn Newton and accept how stunning everything going on here is; honestly, she looks like an angel, and I feel like the team at Valentino must reeeeally like her to put her in that dress.

(L-R: Alexa Demie, Ashley Benson in Georges Hobeika, Maude Apatow and Barbie Ferreira)

Obviously I was super excited to see the Euphoria girls on the red carpet, especially Alexa Demie-she does 90s/early noughties inspired glamour better than anyone else on the young actor scene right now and her personal style and the sass she does so well as Maddy Perez shines through every time. Whilst Barbie Ferreira’s look is more casual and achievable for the rest of us in terms of wearability, it’s just as interesting a take on the same period; the delicate pink makeup, hair and jewellery with the 90s inspired slip dress in light teal is a red carpet take on soft grunge for the ages. As for Ashley Benson, she always looks gorgeous and that’s all I’m gonna say before I get emotional and start going into a rant about how her and Cara Delevigne’s relationship was one of the only good things about this shitshow of a year and how now that they’ve broken up the single flame of hope inside me has been extinguished and how their sex swing is gonna get so lonely with them caught in the middle of an ugly custody battle and-

You get the idea.

(L-R: Storm Reid, Sophia Bush in John Paul Ataker, and Sydney Sweeney)

(L-R: Billie Lourd, Paris Hilton, and Camila Morrone)

The Oscars

(L-R: Charlize Theron in Dior, Cynthia Erivo, and Florence Pugh in Louis Vuitton)

Ah, the Oscars. This is where the big money is really spent, and bad decisions are made-in fairness, this year’s winners were a lot more satisfying than usual and I think all of us felt that Parasite was a well-deserved win. I really thought it was gonna be Once Upon a Time in Hollywood just as a bit of a token gesture to Tarantino considering it’s his 9th film, though undoubtedly his worst of the ones I’ve seen, so I was relieved that this wasn’t the case. That being said, it still pains me to see the horror genre being ignored by the academy-in my mind, Florence is here for her performance in Midsommar just as much as Little Women. 

At the risk of getting repetitive, just assume my opinions on Charlize Theron in Dior here are the same again, that Cynthia Erivo is still bringing goddess energy (this is probably my favourite of her looks), and that against the opinion of the masses, Florence looks divine in this colour. I mean, when I say the masses I just mean the people I follow on Twitter, but still, I just wanted be an excuse to be dramatic so that I could insert a meme.

(L-R: Natalie Portman in Dior, Regina King in Versace, Scarlett Johansson in Oscar de la Renta, and Sandra Oh in Elie Saab)

Once again, Scarlett Johansson’s stylist is doing God’s work; this outfit is everythingggg-the Oscar de la Renta dress is probably my favourite thus far. Like we’re talking angel, but make it fitted and sexy, and I hope you read that in the Tyra Banks voice I intended because 2 memes in a row would rob me of any credibility I’m building as a fashion account and I’m not ready to trash that for bad memes just yet; give it a couple of mental breakdowns and I’ll be there. Natalie Portman’s look was a favourite of mine too, with the cape over the top adding a sophisticated touch to the celestial, slightly bohemian feel of the dress. I initially found the detail of the names embroidered into said cape to be quite moving-in a dream world, directing would be my career of choice and so I really admired the statement-but finding out that Portman herself is the only director hired by her own production company ruined that for me a little bit. Then again, multi-millionaire celebrities making performative gestures for good publicity and not doing all that much to make any real change? Colour me shocked.

(L-R: Beanie Feldstein in Miu Miu, Brie Larson in Celine and Billie Eilish in Chanel)

Now, of all the Miu Miu looks so far, I think Beanie Feldstein definitely got the best one. The intricacy of the embroidery, the silhouette, the old Hollywood stye curls-it’s all so graceful. I’d say this is probably her best look of awards season and she and her stylist did a really great job.

And as for Billie Eilish...Guys...do you think she might be wearing...Chanel...by any chance? I’m not sure.

Seriously though, as far as an oversized tweed suit with the brand’s logo emblazoned all over it goes, I like this look. The acid green roots and the jewellery are what make it for me, adding to the grunginess of the outfit which is interesting against Chanel’s prim and proper aesthetic of the last few years. I know she has good reason for the way she dresses, but I’ve never quite been able to appreciate it-this outfit proves to me that her style doesn't automatically equal ugly and occasionally, she can make it work.

(L-R: Leona Lewis, Colton Haynes, Dita von Teese)

Elton John’s Oscars afterparty being the less exciting of the two big ones in terms of fashion-the other being the Vanity Fair afterparty which I’ll cover in a moment-I thought I’d whizz through it (posturing aside though, I bet Sir Elton’s party was a lot more fun).

(L-R: Chiara Ferragni, Donatella Versace, Bella Thorne)

This is a big statement considering Alexa Demie attended, but I think Chiara’s outfit and overall styling might be my favourite of the partygoers; if they decided to do a live action Barbie film in 2020 minus the PG ratio-because lets be real, she’d be a noughties Paris Hilton type and get up to some SHENANIGANS-this is the look that would become iconic. 

(L-R: Ashley Greene in Off-White, Alexa Demie, Sydney Sweeney, Annalynne McCord)

It was a hard decision to make though: I’m just as into Sydney Sweeney’s interpretation of burlesque come 1950s red carpet Barbie, Ashley Greene’s surprisingly delicate Off-White number, and Alexa’s dress and (as always) impeccable styling. That being said, Chiara’s clearest contender here for the best dressed of the night is Annalynne McCord. I know I'm one to throw similes around but she looks like an ACTUAL Disney princess-the dress is magical and an absolutely flawless fit. She carries it with such grace. I'm truly in love.

(L-R: Tessa Thompson in Versace, Vanessa Hudgens in Vera Wang, SZA)

As for the Vanity Fair Oscars afterparty, there were SO many iconic moments this year. SZA was the definition of the fire emoji, Tessa Thompson’s throwback Versace was the mermaid’s take on BDSM fashion I never knew I need to see, and I’d die to turn up to my graduation ceremony (here’s hoping for a successful attempt at the old uni shebang this time, lol) looking as elegant and simultaneously extra as Vanessa Hudgens did in Vera Wang. I mean, this was before Vanessa went on her dumb Instagram live corona rant because she was upset she couldn’t go to Coachella and I still kinda lived for her, mostly because of moments like this. She’s always been the queen of channelling a more hedonistic, carefree era and this dress is the most refined example of that boho decadence yet. It sounds dramatic to say but the rich purple is such a bold choice considering it’s a a colour we rarely see on the red carpet but now I’ve seen eggplant coloured silk I need it, lol. 

(L-R: Suki Waterhouse in Fendi, Lili Reinhart in Marc Jacobs, Lucy Boynton and Margaret Qualley in Chanel)

Then there was Suki, Lilly, Lucy and Margaret as well who all went full angel mode in some of my favourite runway looks of last summer’s haute couture week; Suki’s Fendi dress and Lili’s Marc Jacobs number were highlights of both their shows and there’s something even more magical about them both when the uniformity of the runway is removed. I also would go on about how much I love Lucy Boynton’s style for the millionth time but I think you get my point.

(L-R: Nicole Richie, Cynthia Erivo, Hunter Schafer, Billie Porter)

The more I look at the photos I saved from the Vanity Fair “red” carpet, the more I come to the firm conclusion that these looks are my favourite as a collective. Along with the elegance and sex appeal of the outfits above, we’ve got all these looks too which are so VIBRANT and fun and experimental. Billie Porter is absolutely majestic and continues his reign as the king of in-your-face, theatrical red carpet style, and Hunter and Cynthia look so radiant. Whilst Nicole’s look isn’t as colourful, she still brought drama with the satin gloves and the smoke lined eyes, and she is definitely ready to step on someone’s neck here.

(L-R: Halima Aden, Ella Balinska in Schiaparelli, Emma Roberts, Ciara)

(L-R: Kiki Layne in Michael Kors, Kim Kardashian in Alexander McQueen, Kylie Jenner in Ralph and Russo, Lashana Lynch in Michael Kors)

(L-R: Rowan Blanchard in Iris van Herpen, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, Stella Maxwell, and Sarah Paulson with Holland Taylor)

I’ve got to say, it’s really cool to see Rowan Blanchard in Iris van Herpen too; it’s interesting that as far as I know, she and Joey King were the only ones to wear her this awards season, both being up and coming actresses. It would be a good choice for the brand, probably best known for its futuristic, conceptual aesthetic, to also focus its PR efforts on the young potential inheriting that future. Orrrr it could just be that Rowan, Joey and I have the same (good, lol) taste-not gonna lie, from my experience of stalking her instagram Rowan Blanchard does make some unique fashion choices and her feed is full of bold outfit inspiration.

(L-R: Adriana Lima in Ralph and Russo, Alessandra Ambrosio in Armani, Billie Eilish in Gucci, and Donatella Versace in Versace)

Then there’s Billie Eilish, who is really on another level. This is her second custom made baggy suit of the night, this time Gucci. IMAGINE. Chanel and Gucci making custom pieces to suit your very specific style. Again, though, I really like this; whilst it’s very clearly a Billie outfit, it’s got a level of sophistication, cohesiveness and glamour to it that takes it to that I can admire. 

(L-R: Camila Mendes in Moschino, Barbara Palvin and Dylan Sprouse, and Chiara Ferragni)

Honestly, the Vanity Fair red carpet really belonged to young talent this year, and Camila Mendes in one of my favourite Moschino looks from the Picasso collection really seals it. She could’ve just gone for a basic pretty dress-this isn’t a natural choice-but she really does have the proud, regal look of a woman who knows some man is gonna paint her a portrait that will end up in a famous gallery one day. 

One last thing before I move on, though. How the fuck does Chiara Ferragni get everywhere?! And by that I don’t mean how does she get invited, I had the shock of finding out this woman I followed on Instagram because I liked her outfits and thought she was pretty is a hugely successful businesswoman in Italy long ago. Power to her. She’s a big deal! I get it! I just mean, physically HOW? How do you hit Elton John’s party AND the Vanity Fair party in one night and look this good? God really does have favourites, huh. Well, I guess in this hypothetical scenario where I believe in him anyway. 

The SAG Awards

(L-R: Dakota Fanning in Valentino, Kaitlyn Dever in Ralph Lauren, Scarlett Johansson in Armani, and Zoe Kravitz in Oscar de la Renta)

So, I kinda forgot the SAG awards existed and thought that my post was basically finished before I looked in my folder and saw the one dedicated to this ceremony. My initial reaction was like “oh, this is the shitty Oscars, right?” and I assumed the red carpet would be shit and that I could call it a night-it’s 3:30am, I wish I was calling it a night-but then I looked and saw that I had even more outfit photos saved in that folder than I did for my Oscar dedicated one. Because fuck, I want to to sleep, but the SAG awards had a surprisingly good turn out?! So maybe not as irrelevant a ceremony as I thought? Because Dakota Fanning turned up looking like some divine mythical being again, Scarlett Johansson pulled another incredible look out the bag, Zoe Kravitz was a modernised Audrey Hepburn, and Kaitlyn Dever read my comments about her dress being “timelessly pretty” and said “bitch, you really thought” before showing up looking hot as fuck. Truth be told, I think the SAG awards were first but in this universe where Kaitlyn Dever would pay any attention to my opinion of her outfit do we really care? 

(L-R: America Ferrera, Andrew Scott in Azzaro Couture, Camila Mendes in Ralph and Russo, Caleb McLaughlin )

(L-R: Lupita Nyongo in Louis Vuitton, Lily Allen, Nathalie Emmanuel in Miu Miu, Cynthia Erivo in Schiaparelli)

See, I was going to make a comment above how I took back what I said about Camila Mendes not just going for pretty dresses (which I guess I just did here instead-JUST TO BE CLEAR SHE STILL LOOKS STUNNING) and then I uploaded the next photo set and got distracted by 2 things:

1. How weird it is that British legend Lily Allen, who does not get NEAR enough credit for her smart her songs were might I add, is dating David Harbour AKA. Hopper off Stranger Things!?

2. How mad I still am about Game of Thrones and how dirty the writers did Nathalie Emmanuel (and Emilia Clarke and Lena Heady and Nikolaj Coster-Waldau and basically everyone else on that show but that’s another story).

In this same universe where Kaitlyn Dever cares about my opinion can we make the issues I have in the last bullet point not exist? Please?

(L-R: Sophie Turner in Louis Vuitton, Renee Zellweger in Maison Margiela, Phoebe Waller-Bridge in Armani, and Renee Bargh)

(L-R: Gwendoline Christie in Rick Owens, Madeline Brewer in Monique Lhuillier, Kathryn Newton in Valentino, and Lili Reinhart in Miu Miu)

Finishing off the SAG looks, we’ve got the four above. 

Once again, Kathryn Newton was Valentino’s blushing crown jewell; Allie Pressman hate aside, she really is the perfect dressing up doll for the brand. Fresh faced and poised, she has all the elegance and gentle femininity necessary to make floating down the runway as Valentino models do look natural, and Lili Reinhart did an equally good job being a Miu Miu girl. She makes that idiosyncratic cutesy-ness work, all the frills and fragility of a china tea set look easy where I’d just look like I’d been consumed by a charity shop doily. Madeline Brewer did a good job too, helping a Monique Lhuillier design pop in a way that it doesn’t usually. When your hair is bright red and your dress cerulean blue, coral tinted lipstick is a *ahem* choice, buuut in this case it paid off because the result is a look which demanded my attention-ML dresses are reliably pretty, however, they tend to be predictable. Madeline and her styling did a good job subverting that formula. To end the section, though, I feel it’s only fair to save my fave woman til last-probably one of the few people in the world that isn’t a Rick Owens model that can pull off his designs. Ofc, I’m talking about the queen that is Gwendoline Christie. If we’re talking embodying brands, she did justice like nobody else could to the spectacle of Owens’ formidable, out-of-this-world aesthetic. This is her version of the princess moment, and when you’re as striking as she is, nothing less would do. 

At least my girl Brienne of Tarth is thriving<3

The Grammys

(L-R: Ariana Grande in Giambattista Valli, Cardi B in Mugler, and Pia Mia in Julien Macdonald)

TBH, like I said with the Brits, I never planned to do any music award ceremony red carpets, just because I feel like the fashion tends to be more geared towards a younger audience buuuut I’m kinda glad I changed because Ariana looks INCREDIBLE. MESMERISING. TRANSCENDENT. JFC. There’s a reason the photo of her on her Wiki page has been changed to one from this night and it’s because she looks absolutely exquisite, like some kind of moon goddess with an R&B touch which I suppose is kind of her brand? Sometimes I go kind of lukewarm on Giambattista Valli and forget how mystical but at the same time frothy and indulgent and all around luxurious the pieces can be. This is a cupcake of a dress and I want to eat it. Cardi B has become a bit of an unexpected fashion icon and Pia Mia looks as hot-party-girl as ever but I feel to put anyone next to Ariana in this dress seems harsh because she just completely stole the show and I don’t even know if she won any Grammys.

(L-R: Josephine Relli, Gwen Stefani, Jameela Jamil in Georges Chakra, and Chrissy Teigen in Yanina Couture)

Other than Ariana, I’m not gonna lie, there was nothing wildly exciting, BUT I did think there were some beautiful colours out on the runway-plus for all her occasionally bad takes I really like what Jameela Jamil stands for and her style has always been very quirky cool. The electric blue tiled effect with the black mesh underneath kinda reminds me of a peacock, and contrasts wonderfully with the carpet-it’s very reminiscent of her T4 days. She’s one of those people that seems to get aggression directed at her that’s completely disproportionate to whatever it is she’s supposed to have done; sometimes the way she goes about saying things is wrong but the intention behind what she’s saying is usually good. Then again, the internet still despises Chrissy Teigen (in a way that’s kind of excessive considering what we seem to collectively let some people get away with) for a dumb AirPods tweet and I’ve included her too. THIS IS NOT A POLITICAL STATEMENT, this time anyway. I just think she looks good!

If I’m going to get controversial about anything, it’ll be Gwen Stefani. She looks stunning, the dress is stunning, and the boots are stunning. The outfit is not my problem! My problem is how she seems not to have aged at all. This woman is 50 years old! That she drank the blood of her Harajuku girls is the only explanation here. Can you imagine if she tried to pull that shit today? She’d get rightly accused of being a culturally appropriating weeb in about 10 seconds flat and we’d have to pretend to stop liking Cool and Hollaback Girl. 

(L-R: Finneas O’Connell in Gucci, Lucky Daye, and Shaun Ross)

(L-R: Tess Holliday, Dua Lipa in Alexander Wang, Tyler the Creator, and Grace Elizabeth in Giuseppe di Morabito)

Back to what I’m supposed to be talking about in this blog post: the fashion. And here, most importantly, Tyler the Creator looking like a cast member of the Grand Budapest Hotel. IDK why. But I love this man.

(L-R: Lil Nas X in Versace, Lizzo in Versace, and Shawn Mendes in Louis Vuitton)

(L-R: Billie Porter, FKA Twigs in Ed Marler, and Swae Lee in Giuseppe Zanotti)

See in general, the men were a lot more interesting on the Grammys red carpet. With the exception of Twigs, Dua and obviously Ariana, the men’s outfits are a lot more memorable; Billie Porter became the most fashionable meme on the internet, for god’s sake. And even when their outfits weren’t extravagant, they were just more interesting, imo, which is a rare occurrence. I didn’t expect Finneas O’Connell to be the writing half of Billie Eilish (the other half being Billie herself) I cared about and yet, in that Gucci blazer, here we are. 

(L-R: Jessie J, Hailee Steinfeld, and Madison Beer)

(L-R: H.E.R, Usher, FKA Twigs, and Matt Shultz)

Of the afterparty looks, my favourites are what we can see of these more casual outfits-I love what F.K.A Twigs and H.E.R are wearing, the headscarf with the leatherjacket on top is in particular very throwback rockabilly, and I’m even into whatever it is Usher’s got on.

(L-R: Olivia O’Brien, Amine, and Alrissa)

(L-R: Salem Mitchell, Machine Gun Kelly, and Sydney Sweeney)

Now, how to round this all up!? How to relate the confusingly persistent but very welcome presence of Sydney Sweeney on, like, ALL these red carpets back to the MET!?

IDEK. It’s been a long year. 

The Met Gala has usually come and gone before we know it, but with everything going on, it’s been the longest January-May I think most of us have ever known. I keep going on about COVID-19 in all my posts now but I have almost forgotten how to write an intro and outro because the pandemic is pretty much consistently on the brain and unless I have something right in front of me to use as a distraction, my mind tends to wander off into a very anxious place. I think, like many others, I feel frustrated and disappointed and angry with the way the situation is being handled by the people who are supposed to protect their citizens, and by how much of a fight some are putting up against measures that are in place to try and save lives. The point of this ramble, I guess, is that whilst we should never forget what’s going on and do the best we can to help prevent the spread of the virus, it’s okay to still care about mundane shit. Was this post one big long distraction for me? Probably. But if there’s something harmless you can do to keep your anxiety at bay, don’t feel bad for doing it. Contrary to popular belief, you can care about more than one thing at once. You can be sad that something you were looking forward to has been cancelled whilst still being sad for the people who are suffering because they’ve lost love ones or who have been forced into precarious living conditions. If talking about clothes on the internet is going to help you get through this pandemic, power to you.

If anyone has read til the end, thank you! I hope you are well! As always, feel free to reply to the post or inbox me with your thoughts! It doesn’t even have to be related to this post. If you’re struggling with everything going on, feel free to reach out too. I spend too much time on the internet anyway, lol! My plans are to finish my fashion week reviews and then I have a Lana Del Rey albums inspired lookbook which I pinched off the stans on Twitter (who I will of course credit when I write it!). For the time being, look after yourselves!

Lauren x

[that-shamrock-vibe]

Movie Review: Birds of Prey (Spoilers)

Spoiler Warning: I am posting this review a week after the movie airs worldwide, so if you have not yet seen the movie do not read on until you have.

Characters:

Harley Quinn:

This is most definitely Margot Robbie’s signature role. Just like Johnny Depp has Jack Sparrow and Gal Gadot has Wonder Woman, Margot Robbie is Harley Quinn and I am not just saying that because she’s the only cinematic version we have.

I really enjoyed the “Galentine’s” movie angle as this movie was released around the traditionally loved-up holiday and Galentine’s is an anti-approach to it. But showing how Harley bounced back after being dumped by the Joker with the traditional break-up tropes of a bad haircut, partying, drinking and generally hitting self destruct was a lot of fun, particularly from Harley’s perspective.

Also the link with her roller derby hobby at the start of the movie showing how she’s moved on to the end of the movie when she uses her roller derby skills in a positive way was really great, and one of the few things I really like about her comics redesign.

As I said in my non-spoiler review, I thought Margot Robbie’s comedy as Harley Quinn had greatly improved from Suicide Squad to here, whether or not that’s better writers or Robbie’s own performance I don’t know. But Margot Robbie, to be fair to her, is funny when given the right material. Just look at how she delivered Brad Pitt’s acceptance speech at the BAFTAs.

But she had a lot of great one-liners and even character moments where it was just physical acting or face acting that just make me laugh every time I watch the movie, and I so far have seen it three times.

My favourite funny lines from her are “Run piggy run!” when she’s gunning down the GCPD officers with glitter rounds, “Does she have to keep running?!” when trying to chase Cassandra through the evidence room while also battling with the mercenaries looking to claim Sionis’ bounty, and when she is explaining why the main women of the movie need to team-up in the most realistic way possible ending with “...so unless we all want to die extremely painful deaths and let Roman go finger fondling around the kid’s intestinal track...”.

In terms of her silent comedy, I loved when she ran for the truck she used to blow up Ace Chemicals, Margot Robbie is a good drunk actor. The way she ran with her arms out but then momentarily stopped seeing the actual driver before continuing anyway, I’m cracking up now just thinking about it.

Also whenever she came across someone who was after her or she had an idea, the way she would sign or look confused or have her trademark devilish grin was fantastic.

In regards to her character development, I am beyond thrilled that they let Harley be Harleen in this movie.

During Suicide Squad she had one or two moments where she did analyse the team and especially in the extended cut she went through the group.

Here though right from the start with Roman in his club she lays out his psyche in front of him and in turn I believe throughout the movie analyses all the main players with the exception of Zsasz.

It did weigh in to the comedy but the fact she had an analysis for everyone so unique to them; Sionis with his insecurities, Canary being a harlequin of sorts, Montoya being stuck in the past, Huntress and her childhood trauma. It was all superb and exactly what I want from Harley.

Even psychoanalysing herself when explaining herself to Cassandra, how she was a psychologist working at Arkham before falling in love with her patient and helping him escape, then being arrested herself and becoming a member of the Suicide Squad, but escaping before being dumped. Serious and professional Harley is just as important to me as the wacky Harlequin of Chaos.

Also the fact she is still a dangerous character both with her actions and unhinged mind. She is a very calculating individual and that’s again a lot to do with her psychological background.

When she manages to save her skin (literally) with Black Mask by telling him she can get his diamond back from Cassandra Cain, the fact she’s clearly hesitant from just turning her over and simply wants the diamond, you can see the frustration in her when Cassandra originally refuses to hand it over before admitting she ate it.

Speaking of what I want to see from my Harley, her action sequences were so good. Harley is an acrobatic character and while we saw shades of that in Suicide Squad, here not only was she doing kicks and flips, but the way she used that baseball bat and her roller skates was everything for me.

Yes Harley with a mallet and a form of firearm will always be Harley, but this is old-school Harley and it works so well.

While I do think Margot Robbie’s storytelling style could be considered all over the place, in the context of Harley Quinn it is such a good narrative because Harley’s mind is all over the place.

I love me a cute animal sidekick and, while neither animals in this movie are cute (or real), I thought Bruce the Hyena was a great addition despite not really doing anything. If you’ve seen him in the trailers you’ve seen him in the movie.

I am hoping that some day soon they could afford to render two hyenas so we can finally get Bud and Lou on the big screen because Harley with her hyenas is such a great partnership.

Harley with a beaver on the other hand...I am just glad it wasn’t played up and used in cheap inuendos. It is slightly annoying that when her apartment was blown up, she had to save the beaver and even at the end of the movie, once it was revealed that Bruce was safe, the beaver was also there. I just don’t get the fascination with it.

Black Canary:

Jurnee Smolett-Bell, as I said in my non-spoiler review, is the breakout star of this movie for me. I know Black Canary quite well thanks to Injustice 2, the Arrowverse and even some animated properties, but seeing her in a more realistic setting rather than the suited up version was very refreshing.

Even the smaller moments for Dinah worked really well thanks to Smolett-Bell’s acting. For example, when that one guy roufees Harley and tries abducting her, the look on Dinah’s face as she’s deciding whether or not to get involved or not was really great.

Giving Black Canary some good action sequences was also the right thing to do because that’s partly what Canary is known for. Not only did she have some great kicks but it was just her attitude and her bravado about how she engaged in her fight choreography.

Also allowing her to sing, I haven’t talked about the music in this movie because while I do love some of the songs used here it wasn’t a lot to rave about, “Man’s World” may be slightly too on the nose for this movie but Smolett-Bell delivered it very well.

And let’s not forget the other way her voice was used, we have our Canary Cry and I am thrilled...mostly. Having it used once at the end of the movie and that’s it does seem like a bit of a waste, but it does make sense with in the context of this movie.

Black Canary is the only metahuman in this movie and on the team and so if she used her power all the time there would be no need for Huntress or even Harley.

However, the fact she fainted after using it once I found interesting. I am not taking the same approach as some by saying it was stupid because I feel the way Dinah’s story is told in this movie that she may not use it a lot and so she may not be vocally trained or durable enough to sustain.

On that note, the nod to Dinah’s mother, aka the original Black Canary, originally being a vigilante with the same Canary Cry as Dinah I also felt played into Dinah’s character. She knows what her mother was like and the fact she died, so of course she didn’t want that life and so didn’t use her power which is why it’s so overwhelming for her.

I do wish her outfits had been more Black Canary-esk. I would have loved more fishnets and definitely a leather jacket rather than that weird disco suit jacket she had on for a lot of the movie.

However, the gold trousers and matching boots were fabulous.

Black Mask:

Ewan McGregor can do no wrong for me really, there is just such a charm and charisma about the actor that I can’t help but like him in everything he is in.

That being said, I will say I know nothing about Black Mask from the comics other than he is a psychologically damaged crime lord. I do not believe he is this campy but I am sorry it works for the movie.

I did like how the movie played up Black Mask’s insecurities which Harley diagnosed at the start of the movie. When that one woman was laughing and he thought it was at him so decided to humiliate her, then later on when Zsasz revealed that Dinah betrayed him and he just flipped.

I’m not entirely sure if Black Mask is this misogynistic in the comics but it seems to be that every woman in this movie was at his mercy. At the start of the movie he clearly had a begrudging relationship with Harley because of her association with The Joker, however, after it was revealed that she had been dumped it seemed like he wanted her but then it’s revealed he just wants to kill her.

Bottom line, Roman Sionis was definitely a dangerous individual and Ewan McGregor played that brilliantly, but there was also a campy and somewhat sadistically comedic edge to him which gave way to a rather brilliant DC villain.

However, the very fact that his tenure in the DCEU is short-lived given that he was literally blown up at the end of the movie, it is sad that we will never see him going forward.

Also on the subject of his actual mask, I know it’s supposed to be welded to his face or something, I’m kind of glad it wasn’t but do wish we had seen it more throughout the movie. Also I feel it would have popped more with the white suit rather than the black, just saying.

Huntress:

While Mary Elizabeth Winstead was a great choice for Huntress here, I do feel that the movie missed a trick and a way to bring other strong female characters into the movie.

Alright so the movie honours Helena’s origins of being the daughter of a crime boss whose entire family is murdered and so she trains to become an assassin and comes to Gotham seeking vengeance.

However, how great would it have been if, rather than Sicily, if she was trained by either the League of Assassins or even Lady Shiva herself.

I know that this is more of a Cassandra Cain origin, which they still didn’t do, but it would have been a great way to tie-in these characters and also show a bond between Helena and Cassandra being raised by the same woman maybe.

Then also, if Black Canary and Huntress do get their own spin-off, Lady Shiva could come in as an antagonist and it would see Huntress going up against her old mentor.

I do think that Winstead did a good job with what she had, I am hoping that Huntress is meant to be socially awkward because that’s definitely the vibes I got from her.

I appreciated her tracksuit attire because Gotham is meant to be in New Jersey and it’s a very gangster Jersey attire.

I hated her last outfit though right at the end, loved the mask but that actual outfit was hideous.

I do see a future for Huntress going forward which is great, I’m not as disappointed with the character as I thought I would be.

Victor Zsasz:

This was an interesting conundrum of a character for me because, like the other two left on this list, if you don’t read the comics or watch the TV shows with these characters in, you’re not going to know who Victor Zsasz from this movie.

I will say, having seen the actor’s transformation from how he normally looks to his Zsasz look, it is a very impressive change and does fit in with the Suicide Squad level changes made to the characters.

Unfortunately though this is where the impressiveness stops. Yes, Zsasz is an assassin and I did like how they confirmed that he works for various employers, despite the fact it seems that the crime boss who had the Bertinellis killed was in fact working for or with Sionis so was Zsasz just on loan?

But the misogyny of the character was so cringe-worthy and at times unnecessary that it actually makes me side with the fans who put misogyny as this movie’s biggest problem, despite knowing logically that is not strictly true but I do accept it is one of the big problems.

For instance, it is implied that Zsasz only cuts himself to tally the number of women he’s “set free” as opposed to everyone he kills...that is not how Victor Zsasz is supposed to operate. He gives himself a point for every person he kills, that’s what makes him such a terrifying and grotesque adversary.

Okay so I know Anthony Carrigan on Gotham also didn’t go deep into that side of the character, but they didn’t have that Zsasz single out women either.

Also, when he paralysed Harley with that dart and then was effectively playing with her while she was unresponsive...I get she was still aware but even so where I thought that scene was going to go was both unnecessary and only added to why fans were laughing when Harley started repeatedly stabbing Zsasz with that same dart despite him already being dead.

I did like the subtle LGBT representation they tried to showcase with him and Sionis, because even if Sionis wasn’t reciprocating, this was a case of one guy crushing hard on another and feeling he knew what was best and wanting to protect him. That I liked and they played that rather well in my opinion.

But overall, I just didn’t feel that threatened by a supervillain who is essentially the living embodiment of torture porn. I know he cut off people’s faces and had visible scars, but there wasn’t a lot of anything else to make me believe this was the same Victor Zsasz that can easily inspire nightmares just by looking at him.

Cassandra Cain:

I’m just going to put this out there, I don’t know that much about Cassandra Cain. From what I have been told, she was someone who became Batgirl, I know in Young Justice she is in it as Orphan despite I don’t think ever speaking or having her real name revealed, and I know her mother is Lady Shiva.

Which brings me back to a potential storyline going forward for a Black Canary/Huntress TV series to feature Lady Shiva which could also include the return of Cassandra Cain...because I don’t think we need to see her again in the movies.

It is very harsh to judge a child actress, but much like Zsasz honestly if you are unfamiliar with Cassandra Cain as I am you would not really have much takeaway from the character based on this movie.

I also recall there being reports that Margot Robbie stole Cassandra Cain from the upcoming Suicide Squad as a plot point...but now I want to know what the original plan was for Cassandra Cain in The Suicide Squad and if James Gunn would have handled her better.

There just wasn’t a lot of depth to her character. She had a broken arm, potentially from her foster parents, but other than that she was just so angry all the time. She tried being sassy particularly with Harley but it fell flat.

Then in the climactic battle, she is the girl everyone is after to either kill or protect, but in that fun-house scene, as cool as the action was, Cassandra was essentially a hot potato going from character to character and it reminded me a lot of The Jungle Book when Baloo and Bagheera were trying to keep Mowgli away from King Louis and the monkeys.

I don’t really see the point of Harley having an apprentice either, I like the idea that she’s a free agent with no ties. Now that the Birds of Prey are formed she can float between helping them out and doing her own thing or going on another Suicide mission but the point is she rides solo...how are we going to explain where Cassandra is in The Suicide Squad?

Renee Montoya:

I continuously keep calling Rosie Perez’s character Maggie Sawyer because, in my opinion, this is who she is most like, not Renee Montoya.

Renee is young, determined and the woman who can stand alongside Jim Gordon and Harvey Bullock. She comes from the same origin as Harley Quinn which is Batman: The Animated Series. Yet so far the only incarnation to get her right outside of that has been Batman: Bad Blood where she had a minor appearance as Batwoman’s love interest...which is actually supposed to be Maggie Sawyer.

I said how Cassandra was played as angry, Renee was simply one of these rather aggressive soccer mom characters, especially in that final battle.

She had her funny moments and I do understand where the movie was coming from in trying to show how she was hard done by because of her male colleagues always stealing her glory, but this is a character who again led GCPD missions when Gordon and Bullock were detained in the past, yet I am not getting that essence from this character.

Also Renee, like Maggie Sawyer, is an LGBT character, but while her ex-girlfriend was shown here, if it wasn’t for Harley narrating that fact you would not know they had that history.

I don’t understand why she also became a founding member of the Birds of Prey, I get that in the comics she has been a liaison between them and the GCPD, but to actually quit her job and fight alongside Black Canary and Huntress? There is a third member needed in that line-up but Renee Montoya is not it.

DCEU Connections:

I will keep calling this universe the DC Extended Universe because until DC itself makes up its mind I am going to stick to what I know.

So in the wider scope of the DCEU, this movie definitely is a follow-up to Suicide Squad, not only because of Margot Robbie’s Harley and the flashbacks we saw of her diving into the acid vat from Ace Chemicals, but also the cheeky Easter-Egg of Captain Boomerang’s wanted poster at the GCPD.

I don’t understand why Captain Boomerang is wanted by the GCPD particularly when he is supposed to be a Flash rogue but I just loved seeing Jai Courtney getting some love.

Also, when the women are suiting up to fight Black Mask and his army, we see Black Canary equip herself with Harley’s Good Night bat from Suicide Squad but also Renee pick up Harley’s “Daddy’s Little Monster” shirt from said movie which Harley takes back as “sentimental value”. I love little connections like that.

In terms of where this movie could branch out to, again I do see a Black Canary/Huntress series in the future maybe including Cassandra Cain and Renee Montoya as guest characters, but movie-wise aside from Harley returning, I don’t see any of this lot coming back.

Also, despite Arrow severely screwing this over, the Black Canary/Green Arrow relationship I could see happen in a TV series but the way they have developed this version of the character I do not see Dinah needing an Emerald Archer in her life.

Overall I rate the movie a solid 7/10, I know I rated Suicide Squad the same and have said this was a better movie, but with everything that DC is pushing recently like Wonder Woman and Aquaman I expected something at that level rather than Shazam! level. Maybe if we got a Gotham City Sirens movie the mark would be higher.

So that’s my review of Birds of Prey and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn, what did you guys think? Post your comments and check out more DC Movie Reviews as well as other reviews and posts.