#you can watch me become Patrick Bateman in real time as the day goes on

[mostdeviouswizard]

Austim is so weird because some days it's like hell yeah this human interaction shit is EASY. Made a joke and everything and i'm the funniest coolest bitch in the room and everyone loves me and then some days it's like Aliens First Day On Earth Simulator. Yeah i've known this person for over a year and consider them one of my closest friends, but suddenly i've forgotten how to interact with them in a way that is even close to normal. Conversation?? How does that work. I am just going to sit here and stare with wide eyes at them to show them I am listening and say a thing Sometimes, I guess.

[bi-bard]

They Say Looks Can Kill and I Might Try - Tyrell Wellick Imagine (Mr. Robot)

Title: They Say Looks Can Kill and I Might Try

Pairing: Tyrell Wellick X Reader

Based On: Vigilante Shit

Word Count: 1,497 words

Warning(s): arrest, mention of cheating

Summary: Tyrell Wellick liked to play the role of the confident businessman. (Y/n) hated watching him act like that. After Tyrell goes one step too far, (Y/n) decides that he deserves to be humbled.

Author's Note: Does this completely fuck up the plot of Mr. Robot? Yes. Do I care? Not even a little.

What's more fun than bullshitting your way through the middle of a Mr. Robot plotline?

MIDNIGHTS - TAYLOR SWIFT WRITING CHALLENGE MASTERLIST

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If you had told me when I started at E-Corp that I would've fallen into a fight for power for a position at said company, I would never have believed you.

It wasn't my style.

But Tyrell Wellick always had a way of bringing out the worst in me.

We had joined the company around the same time. We seemed to constantly be taking the same steps at the same time. Position after position, step after step. One right after the other.

It started what I originally considered a friendly rivalry. Two people taking small jabs at each other as we both focused on climbing the ladder.

And then, Tyrell was appointed Senior Vice President of Technology.

Any "friendly" component went out the window after he stopped seeing us as equals. He was condescending, overbearing, cocky. All traits that should've made him hated across the company.

But he had that smile. He had the wife and the house. He had everything perfectly in place for all of his negatives to become nothing of importance.

To put it very simply: he drove me up a wall.

I tried to ignore it.

I hyper-focused on my work. I was set on proving to them that promoting Tyrell over me was a mistake. If I couldn't prove that he was nothing more than a real-life Patrick Bateman- a little boy wearing a shell to make him look like a man- then I could prove that I was simply better on my own without using a very cheap disguise.

And then, Tyrell pushed a little too hard.

He had called me into his office to discuss something.

In all honesty, whatever had been discussed has since been lost on me. The only moment that mattered to me now was the moment Tyrell grabbed my jaw and forced me to hold still.

The grip wasn't tight enough to cause serious injury, but it was enough to hurt. To make me hiss in pain and shock and embarrassment.

I refused to break eye contact with him.

He wanted to play tough. I could play that game too.

"You are trying to play checkers when everyone else is playing chess," his voice was quiet. His smile was condescending. My stomach churned. "Time to quit the game. You aren't going to win."

He let go of me but didn't move back.

There was a pause between us. Like a stare-down. A dare.

I forced a grin to him. "Have a good day, Mr. Wellick."

"You too," he replied in that sickeningly sweet voice that made me feel sick.

I walked out of his office as confidently as I could.

The gears had already started turning in my head. By lunch that day, I had everything planned out. I knew exactly how to get exactly what I wanted and needed.

Tyrell was right.

I was playing the wrong game.

I was going to show him how stupid it was to accidentally invite me to the board.

When I said Tyrell was cocky, I meant it. He loved discussing his genius with computers. His humble beginnings as a tech. He loved telling people all of it. Including me.

It was all foundation I needed.

The thought implanted in people's minds. Enough for them to believe.

My first turn in my game with Tyrell was far easier than I anticipated.

Someone had done a bit of the leg work for me. A bit. They had done most of it. It was a bigger bombshell than I had intended to drop, but who was I to mess with a good thing?

Just a few added instructions, a few changes that no one would notice unless they were truly set on who their fall guy was.

That simple.

At the end of the day, I wasn't changing their plan all that much. I was just changing who got blamed for pulling the trigger.

I smiled to myself.

I should've started this little game a long time ago. Would've had so much extra time on my hands.

My next step was a visit to Joanna Wellick.

I didn't know much about her other than the fact that her hunger for wealth and status rivaled Tyrell's. But she could be very useful if I played my cards right.

I knew Tyrell would be gone. At a meeting of some kind, according to the calendar. I knocked on their front door.

She knew of me.

It was the only reason that she let me in the door.

"I'm so sorry to interrupt your evening," I said. I had mastered the kind, worried act a long time ago. "I... I just felt the need to tell you about something."

I stood on the opposite side of the kitchen island. I placed a large yellow envelope down on the counter.

She was a smart woman. She didn't need answers. She needed the evidence for the answers. Evidence so if she utilized those answers, she would get exactly what she wanted.

I slid it over to her. She just looked at it for a moment, not reaching for it. Like she knew what was in there.

"What's in there," she asked.

I reached out and touched her hand, putting on a gentle and kind gaze. "I just want to make sure that you're happy, Joanna. You deserve the best."

She looked down at my hand for a moment before meeting my eyes again. She was trying to see my true intentions. Either she couldn't, or she could and didn't care all that much.

"You can what you'd like with that," I continued. "Have a good rest of your evening."

"You too," she nodded to me once.

She let me leave without another word.

That seemed to be the key to everything I wanted to do. As long as I had the appropriate skills and the right level of confidence, I could walk through any door with little questioning.

I decided it was an art.

I had set the pieces for Tyrell's demise.

All I had to do now was watch the show play out.

I wouldn't know the true reward of my actions until a few nights later.

I had turned on the TV just before I started making dinner. There was a breaking news alert running. I stood for a moment and watched as Tyrell was dragged out of his home with his hands handcuffed behind his back.

I let out a chuckle.

My phone started ringing.

"Hello," I said, not pulling my eyes away from the news.

"The police just showed up and took Tyrell away-"

It was Joanna.

"I know, I saw the news," I stopped her. I kept on a sad, compassionate voice even though I was smirking at the screen. "I am so sorry, Joanna. This must be so difficult."

"Did you know," she asked. She had an alarming calm about her. I admired it.

"I had no idea. I was trying to help you. I never imagined Tyrell could do anything like this."

My phone went off before she could respond.

"I'm getting another call," I explained. "I have to go. Good luck, Joanna. I wish you the best."

"You too."

I switched to the other call a moment later.

"Turn on the news."

It was Mr. Colby.

"I've been watching, sir," I replied. "Very disappointing."

"It certainly is," he muttered. "I need you to come in. We're holding a bit of a last-minute meeting."

"I'll be there as soon as possible, sir."

I was guided into Tyrell's office when I got to E-Corp. There was a group of men sitting around Mr. Colby when I walked in.

"I hope I'm not too late."

"No, no, not at all," he assured me. "This was more a congratulations than anything."

"I'm sorry, sir?"

"We here at E-Corp are happy to welcome (Y/n) (Y/l/n) as the new Senior Vice President of Technology," he announced to the group. They clapped. I looked around at their face. Smirks. All smirks. True pride. "We'll hold a more formal meeting in the morning. Get the papers drawn up and make everything official. You just needed to be aware of your job now."

I smiled at him. "Don't worry, sir. I'll be sure to clean up whatever mess Mr. Wellick left behind."

"Good, good," he replied. "We'll leave you to get acquainted with your office. Please feel free to box up any of Tyrell's personal belongings. His wife will come to collect them in the morning."

I nodded.

"Make me proud."

"Certainly, sir."

Another few days would pass before there was another break in the Tyrell Wellick case.

Photos proving his unfaithfulness to his wife.

A distancing tactic.

That's what I had handed Joanna that night in her home.

I sat in my new office, reading the news on my new computer.

I leaned back in my new chair, finally content with a small grin sitting on my lips.

And I muttered one word to myself, "Checkmate."

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Author's Note: Not gonna lie, I'm really happy with how this one came out.

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[slashingdisneypasta]

Slashers / Horror Villains as: Animated (Children’s) Movie Villain Songs

+ A Nightmare Before Christmas 

First of all, its mostly Disney. Second of all, I hope you know that this was a struggle for me. 

Also, note, Bubba will be the only Leatherface in this post and Billy and Stu will be the only Ghostfaces. There is Norma Bates though, so sort of a consolation. 

There are links to videos on YouTube ^^

~~~

Billy Loomis and Stu Macher / Ghostface: Playing With the Big Boy’s Now (Hotep and Huy, Prince of Egypt) 

Well... they’re part of the ‘big boys’, now! They are part of the Slashers group that, uh, ‘inspired them’. Imagine instead of Egyptian Gods, they’re chanting Slasher names. 

[HUY] Pick up your silly twig, boy [HOTEP & HUY] You're playing with the big boys now! Ha ha ha ha!

[EGYPTIAN PRIESTS] By the power of Ra Mut, Nut, Khnum, Ptah Sobek, Sekhmet, Sokar, Selket Anubis, Anukis Hemsut, Tefnut, Meshkent, Mafdet... 

Chop Top and Nubbins + Bubba Sawyer / Leatherface: Kidnap Mr Sandy Claws (Lock, Shock and Barrel, Nightmare Before Christmas) 

I mean... they aren't Drayton’s minions, but they are like this XD 

I say that we take a cannon, aim it at his door And then knock three times And when he answers Sandy Claws will be no more

Yes you're so stupid, think now If we blow him up to smithereens We may lose some pieces And then Jack will beat us black and green

Kidnap the Sandy Claws Tie him in a bag

Chucky / Charles Lee Ray: In The Dark Of The Night (Rasputin, Anastasia)

Mystical man? Check! ‘Betrayal’ (As far as he sees it)? Check. Made them pay? Check; I think Nica, Sarah and all the other families he destroys throughout the franchise can attest to that. And ‘One little girl got away’? Well Andy isn’t a girl, but yeah. Check. 

I was once the most mystical man in all Russia When the royals betrayed me they mad a mistake My curse made each of them pay But one little girl got away Little Anya, beware Rasputin's awake

Drayton Sawyer: Don’t Fall In Love (Forte, Beauty and the Beast: The Enchanted Christmas) 

Its such a crochety, unessessarily rude way of describing relationships to someone! I mean, I understand completely and resonate deeply with the desire to be alone and not be responsible for anyone else, but- come on! Beast doesn't share your view! Let it go! 

Its just like Drayton’s reaction to Bubba having a crush. Super cool video too! 

As soon as your heart rules your head Your life is not your own It's hell when someone's always there It's bliss to be alone

And love of any kind is bad A dog, a child, a cat They take up so much precious time Now, where's the sense in that?

Freddy Krueger: No More Mr Nice Guy (Rothbart, Swan Princess) 

A man with an uncomfortable relationship with the main female character pretending to be normal and not homicidal for a while before unlocking more power and letting there inner bad guy loose and taking great pleasure in it? Sounds familiar. They also have a similar vocabulary- except of course Rothbart is rated G. 

I'll become that nasty, naughty, dirty, spiteful Wicked, wayward, way-delightful Bad guy I was born to be

Lyin' loathesome, never-tender Indiscreet repeat offender No more Mr Nice Guy That's not me 

Inkubus: The World’s Greatest Criminal Mind (Professor Rattigan, The Greatest Mouse Detective)

‘Inkubus’ is literally a movie about him listing all his crimes over the centuries and messing with the police force because he has a bone to pick with a detective. Sounds pretty similar to me! Listen to the song! ^^

Now comes the real tour de force Tricky and wicked, of course! My earlier crimes were fine for their times But now that I'm at it again An even grimmer plot has been simmering In my great criminal brain! 

Jason Voorhees: Despicable Me (About Gru, Despicable Me) 

I... this is all I could think of!! But the more I listen to it and read the lyrics... it f i t s Jason so well! XD Please just let this slide; I know Gru isn't really a villain but he is at the start!! Let me have this. 

Why ask why? Better yet "Why not?" Why are you marking x on that spot? Why use a blow torch isn't that hot? Why use a chainsaw? Is that all you got? Why do you like seeing people in shock? But my question to you is "Why not?" Why go to the bank and stand in line Just use a freeze gun it saves me time. I'm havin' a bad, bad day It's about time that I get my way Steam rollin' whatever I see, Huh, despicable me I'm havin' a bad, bad day If you take it personal that's okay Watch, this is so fun to see Huh, despicable me

Jennifer Check: Trust In Me (Kaa, The Jungle Book) 

She’s a succubus demon. Tempting boys into a safe-feeling, docile state so she she can strike is her thing. 

Will cease to resist Just relax Be at rest Like a bird In a nest

Trust in me Just in me Shut your eyes And trust in me

Mayor Buckman and Granny Boone: Savages (Governor Ratcliffe and the Colonizer’s parts, Pocahontas) 

Obviously, because of the (Inaccurate) historical relevance of both movies (Different time’s, same terrible prejudice,) and also because there is definitely a very cult-ish feel about both Governor Ratcliffe’s song and Buckman’s leadership. How easily they’re able to gather support from their people for the most horrible reasons. How horrifying it is to audiences and historians. 

They're only good when dead They're vermin, as I said And worse

They're savages! Savages!

Barely even human

Savages! Savages!

Drive them from our shore! They're not like you and me Which means they must be evil We must sound the drums of war!

Michael Myers: The Gospel Truth II (Muses about Hades, Hercules)

In a Disney movie, Michael would have others sing his song about him as he goes about his silent, determined walking XD 

If there's one God you don't want to get steamed up It's Hades 'Cause he had an evil plan He ran the underworld But thought the dead were dull and uncouth He was as mean as he was ruthless And that's the gospel truth He had a plan to shake things up And that's the gospel truth

Midnight Man: Oogie Boogie’s Song (Oogie Boogie, Nightmare Before Christmas)

A song about a “Gamblin’ Boogie Man” is perfect for the Midnight Man! He and Oogie could be pals. 

Woah! The sound of rollin' dice To me is music in the air 'Cause I'm a gamblin' Boogie Man Although I don't play fair It's much more fun, I must confess When lives are on the line Not mine, of course, but yours, old boy Now that'd be just fine

Norma Bates: Mother Knows Best Reprise (Mother Gothel, Tangled)

Norma is soooooo so so so unbelievably manipulative towards Norman (And Dylan. It just works better on Norman) and this song absolutely presents that. She can go from sweet, loving mother to spiteful, heinous bitch in two seconds if Norman or Dylan don't do what or react the way she wants them to. 

Likes you? Please, Rapunzel, that's demented

This is why you never should have left! Dear, this whole romance that you've invented, Just proves you're too naive to be here Why would he like you? Come on now, really! Look at you, you think that he's impressed? Don't be a dummy Come with mummy

Pamela Voorhees: My Lullaby (Zira, The Lion King 2)

In a opposite approach to a villainous mother to Norma, we have Pam, who was heartbroken by the camp councillors letting her son die and vowed to get revenge. She didn't know she was teaching Jason to be the Crystal Lake killer like Zira did, but she did, and the whole song does have her kind of feel to it also. 

Sleep, my little Kovu Let your dreams take wing One day when you're big and strong You will be a kingI've been exiled, persecuted Left alone with no defense When I think of what that brute did I get a little tense But I dream a dream so pretty That I don't feel so depressed 'Cause it soothes my inner kitty And it helps me get some rest

Patrick Bateman: Cruella De Vil (Arthur, 101 Dalmations) 

Never before was there a song that described audiences reaction to watching Patrick living in his daily life and hearing his thoughts better then this one. 

Cruella De Vil Cruella De Vil If she doesn't scare you No evil thing will To see her is to Take a sudden chill Cruella, Cruella De Vil

The curl of her lips The ice in her stare All innocent children Had better beware She's like a spider waiting For the kill Look out for Cruella De Vil

Pennywise (Both): You’re Only Second Rate (Jafar, Return of Jafar)

Mostly for the video and Jafar’s energy in this scene actually XD So many transformations, so many tasteless puns! I was going to give this to Freddy but its the closest thing to Penny I could think of. 

Go ahead and zap me with the big surprise Snap me in a trap, cut me down to size I'll make a great escape It's just a piece of cake You're only second rate You know your hocus-pocus isn't tough enough And your mumbo-jumbo doesn't measure up Let me pontificate upon your sorry state You're only second rate

Sheriff Hoyt / Charlie Hewitt: Hellfire (Judge Claude Frollo, Hunchback of Notre Dame) 

A nasty filthy man who think’s he’s in the right despite being the biggest creep and monster ever? Mhm. 

*Note: I honestly didn't notice the deformed baby, Quasimodo/Thomas link until the day after I wrote this. Don't know how I feel about it. I mean, Hoyt is actually nice, in his way, to Thomas so the connection isn't totally there but onwards:

Beata Maria You know I am a righteous man Of my virtue I am justly proud

Beata Maria You know I'm so much purer than The common, vulgar, weak, licentious crowd 

End of Post! 🌼

(Bonus’ under the cut) 

I did think of other connections which I obviously didnt landed on but still have merit! Here! 

Billy Loomis and Stu Macher: ‘Gaston’ was considered, but that would have just been a joke XD I don’t think Stu is quite as obsessed with Billy as LeFou is with Gaston. 

Chucky: Friends on the Other Side. Obviously! That link was actually what inspired me to make this post. In The Dark of Night fits to a T though. 

Freddy Krueger: You’re Only Second Rate! Ah, its perfectttt. But No More Mr Nice Guy fits better. If I ever do a Slashers as Disney Villains post, he’ll be Jafar for sure. Or Hades. Or Scar. Or Oogie. Probably Hades. You know what? Without the gore and blood and explicit sexual references, Freddy could be a Disney Villain himself. Its not like Disney hasn't towed the line before with perverted villains. >_> (Jafar and Frollo) 

Jason and Pamela Voorhees: Mother Knows Best! Of course. 

Jennifer Check: Love is For Peasants (Barbie Island Princess) Because Jennifer thinks like this: 

Men? <<< Literally anything else. 

Patrick Bateman: How Can I Refuse? (From Barbie Princess and the Pauper) XD If Patrick were a kids movie villain, he would totally join the ranks of corrupted usurpers pretending to be trustworthy royal advisory staff. Also ‘Let It Die’, that little interruption part of another song that O’Hare sings in the Lorax and ‘How Bad Can I be?’. 

[theinquisitivej]

Late to the Party - ‘American Psycho’ (2000)

I’ve recently found it difficult to get into films or television series about deplorable people. On the one hand, I can understand why these types of stories are so prevalent. Life is full of stories which are driven by the actions of unpleasant people, and it is important that we examine this troubling subject matter in our stories, even if confronting this brutal part of life and processing what it makes us feel is challenging.

         However, I often get the sense from certain films or TV series that the people making them aren’t doing so because they want to genuinely examine the impact that cruelty, violence, rape, or other upsetting subject matter has on people’s lives and society as a whole. Instead, they seem to be using it as exotic window dressing, churning out dark dramas which all hope to one-up each other as they each try to grab your attention with shocking events. The biggest problem I have in the lesser examples of such dramas is that I don’t feel drawn to any of the characters. No one shows any warmth, sweetness, or any earnestness to contrast against the unceasing bleakness of the tone these dramas always aim for. Dark stories aren’t inherently bad, and there has been some great stuff in this wave of dark film and television dramas in recent years. But speaking for myself, I’m a little uncomfortable with how frequently a new TV series I hear about leans towards this kind of oppressively dour tone or subject matter.

         This is probably why I ended up responding as positively as I did to American Psycho. Even though the film centres on a homicidal serial killer and features sexual violence, misogyny, and undertones of uncomfortable dissonance between the social status of different races, it somehow does all of this in such an exaggerated manner that it takes on a dark humour I found to be really effective, and it never loses sight of the finer point it’s trying to make.

         American Psycho, directed in 2000 by Mary Harron, doesn’t place a great deal of importance on telling a story that goes through set plot points as it takes you from A, to B, to C, and so on. Instead, it’s about showing you what it’s like to be Patrick Bateman. Watching this today, I can see how Dexter took some inspiration from American Psycho (or at least the book it was based on), as they both focus on the inner thoughts of a serial killer as they go about their day-to-day life. Every scene in the movie, except for when the assistant is looking through Patrick’s day planner near the end, has Patrick in the scene, and it’s often stressed that we’re seeing things from his perspective. Different camera techniques are applied to emphasise the disconnection between Bateman and the world around him. Sometimes this is accomplished by Patrick being the focus of the shot while everything else is out of focus, while in other scenes this is done by having Patrick move a lot more than the people around him, or at least in a more distinctive way, which makes him the centre of attention in the frame. The editing will also snap between shots with the same aggressive energy that Patrick keeps barely buried beneath the surface, especially when he brusquely responds to people disrupting his environment or upsetting the order he needs in order to maintain his façade of fitting in with society. The film tells the story of a man who is frighteningly fixated on every little detail, and it does well at reflecting this attention to detail with its staging, cinematography, and editing.

         How much you enjoy the film will depend on a few important factors. If you’re frustrated by a film ending ambiguously and making you uncertain whether the events you’ve been following even matter, or if you’re not thrilled about the idea of spending over 90 minutes with a character who kicks a dog to death in the first half hour, then I’d recommend looking elsewhere. Still, even though I wasn’t sure what the final point of the film was at first, and the ending initially left me feeling confused, I still felt satisfied that I had been shown something which fitted together cohesively. As a film which shows you the experience of its unusual, unhinged protagonist, it works remarkably well as a character study, inviting you to develop your own reading of Patrick and this film about him. When the ambiguous ending does happen, it doesn’t come out of the blue, as the film has been encouraging you all along to interpret and establish your own impression of what you’ve been seeing. We are much like his assistant at the end, peering through the diary of this man and seeing the crude, violent, sexual imagery scattered throughout it, and we’re not entirely sure what to make of it.

         Besides, this is a film about a psychopath who works in a misogynistic environment where everyone’s competing against each other in a constant match between egos. If you’re familiar enough with this that you have zero problem understanding the film or the headspace of its unhinged protagonist, then frankly, I’d have concerns.

         Having said that, I’d be lying if I said that some of Patrick Bateman’s unstable behaviour and over-the-top violence didn’t make me laugh and draw me into his story. I think we’ve all come to realise that Christian Bale can be … intense, both on and off the camera. He balances the manic insanity of being someone who just has to kill people with the smooth, authoritative façade of being a successful bigshot which convinces you that he would fit in in this Wall Street environment (as a side note, it’s funny to think that Leonardo DiCaprio was considered for this role at one point. If he had done exactly what he would go on to do in The Wolf of Wall Street, I personally think he would’ve done just fine). Seeing Bale let loose and have fun in this role as he dances, plays into the phoniness and pretentiousness of his character, and experiences moments of snapping with uncontrollable yet hilarious rage is brilliantly awkward and very enjoyable dark comedy. Once you enter the film’s second half and you’ve gotten used to Patrick’s personality and his psychotic actions, it starts to have some fun. During one sequence, the kills stack up so much that it becomes intentionally ridiculous, with the camera not even cutting away or doing anything to emphasise particular kills as anything other than just another casual kill on this massacre that has clearly gotten out of hand. The pointlessness of the revolving door kill is a great bit of absurd comedy which is staged so effectively that the whole sequence feels like it’s devolved into a Monty Python sketch. Telling a story about an extremely violent man and incorporating humour can be a difficult line to walk, but American Psycho does it successfully for the most part.

         That’s not to say that you will laugh at all the scenes or entirely sympathise with Patrick Bateman. The first murder we see him commit on screen is very uncomfortable to watch, as his victim is a homeless man who is, if I am remembering this correctly, the only noteworthy black character in the film. It is skin-crawling to see Patrick Bateman, this wealthy, privileged, twenty-something white man condescendingly belittle and taunt this guy who’s had a rough time, and then brutally kill him. I suspect that this is intentional commentary which ties the savagery of racial conflict with the unjust disparity between the rich and poor, so it does make sense to emphasise that what Patrick is doing is truly abhorrent. I suppose all I mean to say is that it’s a difficult scene to watch, and while I ultimately settled into the rest of the film’s tone, scenes like this did throw me into the deep end in terms of showing the me the kind of monstrous character I would have to put up with for the rest of the film.

SPOILERS FOR THE ENDING IN THE NEXT TWO PARAGRAPHS.

         So what is the ending about? What is the point which the film’s final moments seem to be hinting towards? For me, it seemed like the film was about a man who does terrible things, and yet, while his psychotic nature is abundantly clear to the audience, his crimes go by unnoticed and unremarked upon by the people around him. Patrick repeatedly says out loud, in no uncertain terms, that he has intensely violent urges. But no one ever hears him. They’re either too busy, too drunk, or too caught up in their own interests to really take in what he’s saying. As much as Patrick wants to fit in and puts a lot of care into his pristine, classy appearance, he is desperate to tell anyone and everyone that Patrick Bateman is a violent serial killer. In the final twenty minutes of the film, we see several instances of people telling him that his murder of Paul Allen, and possibly even all his other murders, never happened; the real estate agent says that Paul Allen never lived in the apartment where he was keeping all the dead bodies of the women he had killed, and when Patrick meets with his lawyer, he tells Patrick that he saw Paul alive and well in London just a few days ago. Neither Patrick nor the audience are sure of what he’s done anymore.

         Whether Patrick did or didn’t kill anyone is largely irrelevant. What’s important is that Patrick feels very intense violent urges, and they feel very real to him. But every time he tries to confess or share this with anyone, the world either ignores him or tells him that those violent urges aren’t real, that he never really killed anyone. The one thing that marks him from the crowd has been taken away from him, and, by the end of the movie, even he isn’t sure of his own nature. As he sits down in the final scene, he sees how the people at his table are all having their own conversations with themselves without listening to a word that anyone else is saying. He looks around this party, seeing this self-absorbed, consumerist environment which dismisses any cry for attention or identity which strays from the crowd, and concludes ‘this confession has meant nothing’. As shocking as Patrick Bateman’s psychopathic nature is to us, it seems that his world has no interest in acknowledging this aspect of him, taking away any possibility that he will find validation by having the world see him the same way he sees himself.

END OF SPOILER SECTION.

         American Psycho has a bleak resolution, depicts terrible events, and its occasional comedic tone could easily be very problematic for some viewers. But I nevertheless really enjoyed watching it and thinking about it after I had finished. I found it to be hilarious at times, but also shot and edited remarkably well, making it clear that this is a character study, and a layered and intriguing one at that. If you enjoyed Christian Bale’s breakdown on the set of Terminator: Salvation some years back, then this film puts all of that into a complete narrative, and the result is oddly compelling.

8/10 – Unnerving, funny, and thought-provoking, American Psycho’s subject matter and tone can be jarring and off-putting at times, but if you take it as a character study and dark comedy, then it can be very satisfying to watch.

[filmista]

Zero Dark Thirty (2013)

‘Zero Dark Thirty’ was one of those films that I was really only familiar with because of how controversial it apparently is; I’ve heard and read literally everything about the film, ranging from ‘Zero Dark Thirty’ is absolutely emotionless, ‘Zero Dark Thirty’ has no conscience and ‘Zero Dark Thirty’ delves into senseless violence.

It’s so much truly conflicting information that in the end, you’ve just got to see it and draw your own conclusions. One of the reasons that I’ve been wanting to watch it is Jessica Chastain. I’ve been watching more films with her lately and Maya in ‘Zero Dark Thirty’ is supposed to be one of her best roles up to date, if not the best.

Now after having seen the film, I quite frankly didn’t know what to think for a few days, ‘Zero Dark Thirty’ is as many have said clinical, cold and distant and it never takes a clear side. But it’s not emotionless. 

When the film’s main enemy dies, there is no sense of joy and release. the question that came into my head was: and now what? You could have made an entire film about the traumas and the psychological damage war leaves on people.

And the film does this to some degree, which makes it more than a chirurgical reconstruction of a chain of events. But it couldn’t focus solely on that. The children at the end of the film, deserve a film entirely of their own, there are very few scenes that have chilled me and at the same time moved me more.

In the final raid on Bin Laden’s hiding place *not really a spoiler* the children have basically just watched their entire family be murdered, of course, they’re upset… One child, in particular, won’t stop crying, one of the soldiers says “shut that kid up.”

But you do get to see some kind of humanity, the soldiers realize the children are innocent and really have nothing to do with it all, and they calm them down, by talking softly to hem or playing around with them for a bit. And I wish there were more moments like these in the film…

Lots of things can be said about ‘Zero Dark Thirty’ but not that it’s forgettable, the film leaves a strong impression, I’ve been thinking about it, ever since I saw it. One question I’ve pondered over is did I like what I saw?

The answer to that I’m still not quite sure off, I liked what I saw on a technical level, ‘Zero Dark Thirty’ has been executed impeccably, gorgeous cinematography and confident direction (the final raid, is probably one of the best scenes Bigelow has ever directed) and an entrancing performance by Jessica Chastain, she’s magnetic to watch here, you impossibly could keep your eyes off her.

But did I like what I saw content wise? Not really.  As I said the film really gave me no big sense of release at the end, after Zero Dark Thirty, military jargon for the time of Bin Laden’s death.

No matter how you interpret it, ‘Zero Dark Thirty’ can become anything but emotionless in my eyes; as even, the seemingly most hard, insensitive people in it have flashes of humanity.

You could term the film cowardly for staying away from a clear political standpoint, according to some even as military propaganda. I guess it truly depends on how you wish to interpret it.

But the fact is that I found that the film gave us no overly macho CIA agents, ready to sling their guns at any moment, in fact, you don’t get to see all that many guns in the film…

The film punches hard without much need for big effects and fancy toys, to amuse the audience. There are those famed torture scenes at the beginning, granted very unpleasant but I lived through them.

So controversial because it brought up questions of whether the makers of the film and the CIA really stood by torture as an effective method, but let’s not get political, each can think of that what they wish when they watch the film. 

Perhaps the only thing I found distasteful is how it opens with audio footage from 9/11, you hear the harrowing words a woman says to a woman: “you’re doing fine, they’re coming to get you.” Followed by that same woman whispering “my god…”

It’s chilling to hear, as it kind of feels like you’re listening to some kind of ghost recording, it’s just really creepy… it’s got to do something to you unless your heart is carved out of stone.

The film very adeptly gathers sympathy here, but then it immediately goes to a rough interrogation, well torture would be the term you’re looking for… Waterboarding, heavy metal, sleep deprivation, naturally, all those lovely things are here.

But it actually later shows it’s inefficiency and that humane treatment in war establishes a much better way to obtain info. 

The man they torture for information at the beginning of the film is so worn out and so mentally shaken up, that even the threat “you lie, I hurt you” doesn’t make a difference, he can’t  possibly utter anything that even makes sense anymore. It’s only when they treat him humanely, when they talk to him as a person, that he opens up and tells them exactly what they want to hear. 

It wasn’t filmed in an explicit way (I’ve seen much worse) but I felt bad and uneasy, many people saw this as straight up propaganda for torturing, I found it rather raises the morally uncomfortable question of “does one evil justify another?” I found that the CIA agent in question took a little too much pleasure in it, and my conclusion of that character was “he’s a fucking sadist!”

But we later see that same man wants to get out of there because he can’t mentally take much more of the same. In Maya the female CIA agent played by Chastain who it’s all about, we also see an interesting evolution.

At the beginning of the film, she’s cowering in a corner, as a colleague performs the waterboarding technique. And she’s informed there’s no shame in watching from a monitor.

A smart moral wink; watching violence and making decisions of life and death is much easier from a screen, and the line of moral consciousness becomes somewhat thinner. Watching from a monitor would bring a distance and would make Maya feel like she’s not as directly involved. But she declines and holds out.

As she becomes more consumed in her mission of capturing and killing Bin Laden, so consumed that she doesn’t even give herself proper time to grief at the loss of her only friend; she merely briefly breaks down in her office.

She becomes more and more ruthless, perhaps as bad as the bad guy. She threatens her colleagues and doesn’t step out of the way of some, how do they so elegantly put it? “enhanced interrogation techniques”, that I think Freddy Krueger or Patrick Bateman would approve of.

But anyways that’s not the point here, the point is that it has transformed her, her obsession has climbed into her mind and her heart.

What it then illustrates is that war always leaves an impression on those involved; it damages and breaks a person sometimes irreparably, it’s capable of completely transforming a person’s character.

Maya has committed acts all in the name of the greater good and her country, that would break anyone and they do. In the final shot after she has tracked down Bin Laden and had him ordered killed she has finally achieved her big goal: the man, she hunted after so relentlessly that it consumed and tortured her mentally and physically is dead.

She gets on the military plane as the only passenger, the pilot asks her: “where do you want to go” in a few last heartbreaking moments, it’s both a plain and terrible question, she never answers because she doesn’t know or doesn’t like the answer to that question…

She finally reached her breaking point. And overwhelmed by stifling sorrow can only silently, uncontrollably sob… the pain, guilt and probably moral doubt are overwhelming.

It made me think of a Tolkien quote: “How do you go on when in your heart you begin to understand… there is no going back? There are some things that time cannot mend. Some hurts that go too deep.” No matter that the consequences of what happened are ultimately good,  it has destroyed Maya as a person possibly forever, she’ll always be haunted and won’t ever fully recover, and her home no longer feels familiar; and she much less feels like a war hero.

It’s a primary example of Shell Shock: (Shellshock (also called bullet wind, soldier's heart, battle fatigue, and operational exhaustion) is a phrase coined in World War I to describe the type of PTSD many soldiers were afflicted with during the war (before PTSD itself was a term).  It is a reaction to the intensity of the bombardment and fighting that produced a helplessness appearing variously as panic and being scared, or flight, an inability to reason, sleep, walk or talk.)

‘Zero Dark Thirty’ also brilliantly explores how digital warfare allows for more distance as I mentioned earlier; Maya watches and orchestrates everything from behind a screen, she’s the master brain behind many of the soldier’s ultimate actions, she takes decisions of life and death on a whim of a second, at the push of a button and seems to feel absolutely nothing, a blank expression sits on her face...

It allows for a greater moral flexibility, it’s almost exactly like watching someone play or playing video games, only guess what? every single character is a real one, you kill actual people.

And the point that I found that ‘Zero Dark Thirty’ makes is that even if those people are “evil” and deserve to die, you are perhaps scooping to the same level at certain points, thus what it shows is that there is no black and white and ambiguity in war, it brings out the worst in people, blackens their hearts destroys them and haunts forevermore.

In the case of ‘Zero Dark Thirty,’ it breaks it’s heroine, even in her apparent victory there is no absolution, no rest. There is only a broken spirit and heart.

Maya is one person and she’s fictional but there’s been much more Maya’s throughout history, what it reflects is that there is a lot of hurts even in victory, that there are wounds left that shall not ever be healed.

According to some ‘Zero Dark Thirty’ glorifies the military, but unlike so many military films, it doesn’t show off military complexes and cool gadgets, it’s much more emotional than those as it showed how it destroyed one woman, it doesn’t make war into something beautiful or poetic.

It ultimately shows the senselessness of it all, after Bin Laden’s death, many people were joyous and celebrated. But in the film, while others are joyous Maya is left all alone and no one is by her side, she is not once asked if she wants to talk, because it’s assumed she can cope and is expected to as well.

While I find it an excellent film, ‘Zero Dark Thirty’ was not a pleasant watch for me, I felt as I said no sort of release at all, at its finale it simply showed how war can at times either take away or invoke humanity, depending on the circumstances.

But as it illustrates here the price some people pay is simply too great and no one ought to pay that price. ‘Zero Dark Thirty’ offers no further deep digs, the rest is a simple reconstruction of events.

It in my opinion neither defends, promotes or critiques war and that’s what was for some probably so frustrating and infuriating, there’s no big “look how great we did”, or “how awesome I am moment”, there is only an emptiness inside of a fleeting victory. 

The moment when the three bullets are chased through Bin Laden’s body - the three bullets engraved by immeasurable loss and sorrow, the excuse for an invasion war and billions of military charges - passes emotionlessly and almost unnoticeably. 

When a war ends and the world cheers and rejoices in the death of an enemy, Maya remains broken.

As we all know humans have a tendency to continue to wage war thus the same process is repeated and repeated and the same wounds inflicted time and time again and again! To quote Anne Frank: 

“Don’t believe the war is simply the work of politicians and capitalists. Oh no, the common man is every bit as guilty; otherwise, people and nations would have re- belled long ago! There’s a destructive urge in people, the urge to rage, murder and kill. And until all of humanity, without exception, undergoes a metamorphosis, wars will continue to be waged, and everything that has been carefully built up, cultivated and grown will be cut down and destroyed, only to start all over again!”

That heartbreaking knowledge is condensed in that one suffocatingly sad final shot, it gave me quite literally goosebumps, so emotionless ‘Zero Dark Thirty’?, I don’t think so…

I think brave, it dares to stare the war on terrorism, the horrors and the effects of war on people (even if it’s largely digital) and the fact that it can transform us,  straight in the face. The fact that it makes you uncomfortable, as it enters territory that’s morally confronting and can make one shift in their seat, I think is only proof of the fact that it’s a good film. ‘Zero Dark Thirty’ is a beautiful film (an aesthetic stunner, the lighting, and colours my god!) about an ugly, painful truth. 

There were characters I at times loathed and found disgusting even it’s protagonist at times, later I was filled with compassion and sadness for her. She’s one of the most complex film heroines (not even a heroine, she’s good, she’s bad, she’s hard, she’s compassionate and warm, she’s emotional, distant and closed off, weak and strong all at once, she’s simply a woman) I’ve ever encountered.

I both hated and loved the film, it gave me an even bigger repulsion of war than I already had, not too many films have done that, so I’m impressed, to say the least.

C.I.A. Director: Who are you? Maya: I'm the motherfucker that found this place. Sir.

“But in the end, everybody breaks.”

[yamijay357]

Top 10 Movies of 2016

Another year has passed and another Top 10 movie list must follow. I found this year to be a tad weaker than 2015, with many of my picks for this list not coming to theaters until November or December. This year started to show, quality wise at least, the blockbuster fatigue that constant releases in expanded universes (superheroes, especially) can evoke. Fortunately, once I narrowed down my list along with a few honorable mentions, it became very difficult to put them in order, which is usually a sign of some great films. I believe that every movie listed here will be a great addition to one of your movie night queues. So, without further ado...

Honorable Mentions

Deadpool

Superhero movies have flooded our theaters to the point that we’ll soon be getting over half a dozen in a single year. This year they ranged from the painfully mediocre (Batman v. Superman, Doctor Strange) to just bad (Suicide Squad). Deadpool was a nice breath of fresh air as Ryan Reynolds brought the much loved Merc with a Mouth to the screen. Deadpool is funny, lampooning everything from the superhero genre as a whole to the questionable decisions made regarding both previous appearances of Deadpool and the career of Reynolds himself. If only all comic book movies could be this faithful to the spirit of the character.

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story

Another year, another Star Wars movie. This installment was a landmark film for the franchise in that it was the first major release not to focus on the main narrative following the Skywalker family. Instead, we were given the story of how Princess Leia ended up with the Death Star plans she had at the beginning of A New Hope. We get a look at a different side of the universe not particularly focused on magic space wizards but instead on real people fighting the threat of the Empire. Felicity Jones leads a great cast in a solid movie that has one of the best third acts of the franchise. Alan Tudyk stands out as a reprogrammed Imperial droid that is loyal to the Rebellion but throws shade like no other. While not all characters were developed fully, in the end, Rogue One stands as the best blockbuster of 2016.

The Top Ten

10. Manchester by the Sea

Grief is often the hardest thing to sell on screen, so making such a deep theme the focus of your movie is a bit of a risk. However, Kenneth Lonergan deftly writes and directs a unique view of grief for a unique family dynamic. Casey Affleck plays Lee Chandler, a handyman who resides in Boston away from his home of Manchester following a family tragedy. The death of his brother brings him home where he discovers that he is now the guardian of his nephew Patrick, played by Lucas Hedges. The film follows both of the men as they deal with death and all of the complications that come from it. However, their story is both painful and funny, as the movie makes for several reactions that seem all too real to those of us that have lost someone close. While the ending leaves several elements uncertain, Affleck and Hedges give strong performances that give us one of the truest depictions of loss ever set to film.

9. Pete’s Dragon

I hate the original Pete’s Dragon. When I found out a remake was being made the chances of me seeing it were slim. However, when it received several good reviews, I fit it into a four-movie day at the theater, mostly because I was curious. I didn’t expect to walk away with such a satisfied feeling. All of the awkward elements of the original (Animation that stood out in a bad way, sub par musical numbers, and Mickey Rooney) are gone, leaving a wonderful modern fairy tale about an orphaned boy and his invisible dragon friend that hit in all of the right places. Bryce Dallas Howard leads a great cast including Karl Urban, Robert Redford, and promising newcomer Oakes Fegley as Pete. A great story, seamless effects, and an ending that will bring tears to your eyes allows this movie to soar above its predecessor and claim its place on this list.

8. Lion

This movie snuck into theaters near the end of the year and I saw it on New Year’s Eve. It was a pretty great way to end the year. Lion is the true story of Saroo Brierley, an five-year-old Indian boy who, while searching for work with his older brother, gets transported across India to a region that is entirely alien to him, including the language. After Saroo finds his way to an orphanage, he is adopted by a loving Australian couple. 25 years later, Saroo is obsessed with finding out what happened to the family he lost. This may be the most genuine, human film made this year, as the audience feels the panic and fear of a strange new place with young Saroo, and the hope and frustration plaguing his adult counterpart as he searches one of the most populated countries in the world for a single small village. Dev Patel gives his best performance yet as Saroo in a film that will take you on quite the feels trip when both you and Saroo reach the conclusion.

7. Jackie

We all know what happened November 22nd, 1963. But have you ever thought about what the person most affected by that day did in the week that followed? Natalie Portman plays Jackie Kennedy, who is interviewed the week after her husband President Kennedy was assassinated. The movie rests completely on her and she doesn’t disappoint. She completely becomes Kennedy as we see a world that is rocked by loss on both a personal and national level. Kennedy must face everything that comes in the aftermath from being moved out of the White House for the Johnson family to trying to explain to her children why their father won’t come home again. There are times that I forgot I was watching Natalie Portman as I fell into the world captured so perfectly by Pablo Larraín. This film speaks not only to the humanity of Jackie Kennedy, but also to her amazing contribution to the legacy JFK left behind.

6. Arrival

What would happen if we really were visited by alien lifeforms? A history of cheesy and often terrible movies (cough, Independence Day, cough) has built in the assumption that the aliens would be hostile and seek to destroy us. If aliens were to visit, I believe that Arrival shows us the most likely outcome compared to anything else. Amy Adams plays linguistics professor Louise Banks who is called in by the government to try to decipher the communications of alien visitors. Along with a brilliant physicist (Jeremy Renner), Banks must figure out the intentions of the visitors before other countries take hostile actions. This movie does an amazing job of displaying both our actual ignorance of other lifeforms and all of the possible directions we could take with it. In the midst of people not understanding each other, Arrival is a brilliantly made film that speaks to all people.

5. Moonlight

Similar in structure to Steve Jobs, Moonlight consists of three short films focusing on Chiron (aka Little), and his coming of age in a poor neighborhood that has no shortage of drug dealers. As a child, he finds a crack dealer named Juan (Mahershala Ali) who, along with his girlfriend, serve as loving parental figures in the place of his disinterested and drug-addicted mother. Juan helps Chiron trust people, which leads to him sharing an intimate moment with his high school friend Kevin. Circumstances lead to Kevin and Chiron separating but encountering each other as adults, leading to one of the most beautiful ending scenes of the year. Alex Hibbert, Ashton Sanders, and Trevante Rhodes give stellar performances as each stage of Chiron’s life. Such a simple story gives way to profound emotions that will resonate with you well after the film is over.

4. Loving

Speaking of simple, there was probably no more simply put-together movie this year than Loving. And yet, it managed to be one of the most profound films of the year. Joel Edgerton and Ruth Negga play Richard and Mildred Loving, a couple whose illegal interracial marriage led to the Loving v. Virginia Supreme Court case that ruled all marriage laws having to do with race unconstitutional. But that is not what the movie is really about. With limited dialogue and politics, Loving focuses almost solely on the relationship of the two main characters and the hardship they have to face from their home state. We learn about their dreams and the lengths they will go to in order to be together. The leads are absolutely fantastic and give you the entire weight of the story while spending only a few minutes of screen time in courtrooms. In a year where several films on this list took my heart, Loving is a true standout.

3. Zootopia

The reason that The Good Dinosaur didn’t succeed as much as everyone thought it would was because it failed to deliver on its premise of a world full of dinosaurs by showing us just a few dinosaurs. Zootopia doesn’t suffer from this problem, as the world of Judy Hopps (Gennifer Goodwin) and Nick Wilde (Jason Bateman) is a rich world of animals with different personalities, troubles, and ambitions. This movie would have succeeded as a fun movie on that alone. But Zootopia goes a step further and delivers one of the most profound messages of almost any animated film ever made. It not only highlights the obvious prejudices different groups of people feel toward each other, but also how we may not even be aware of our own unwarranted feelings of distrust and how they can affect people close to us. This was the movie that 2016 needed and that we’ll need for years to come. Also, who wants a full Gazelle album? (Raises hand)

2. La La Land

Earlier this year, when introducing one of my friends to my favorite movie, Singin’ in the Rain, I made the comment that “they don’t make this kind of movie anymore, and it’s sad.” Well, turns out that Damien Chazelle felt the same way and gave us an amazing film that serves as both an homage to the musical genre that preceded it and as a beautiful piece of art that will inspire future artists for years. Emma Stone plays Mia, a girl trying to pursue her acting dreams in LA, along with thousands of other people. She frequently runs into Sebastian (Ryan Gosling), an unemployed jazz musician who dreams of owning his own club. The two chase their dreams together to the tune of the best soundtrack of the year and delightful dance numbers and city backdrops. La La Land succeeds in every technical aspect as Los Angeles is turned into a magical, musical dreamland. Stone and Gosling go beyond their usual charm and give us amazing characters with surprisingly good singing voices that would make Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers proud. And then the ending. Well, if the ending sequence doesn’t fill you with emotion, then you’re probably a robot.

1. Hell or High Water

The biggest surprise of the year for me turned out to be my favorite movie of 2016. Hell or High Water is David Mackenzie’s neo-Western masterpiece that is perhaps the best possible step to take after the Cohen Brothers’ No Country for Old Men. The film shows Chris Pine and Ben Foster playing brothers Toby and Tanner Howard. When their mother dies and Tanner gets out of jail, the bank handling the loan for their mother’s farm seeks to seize the property. In order to pay off the bank that overcharged their mother for years, the brothers begin to pull off small robberies of the local branches. While authorities don’t see it as a priority, the crimes attract the attention of two Texas Rangers (Jeff Bridges and Gil Birmingham) and a chase across Texas begins. Every performance is incredible in this movie. Chris Pine shows his dramatic chops while giving the best performance of his career (so far) and Jeff Bridges is outstanding beyond even what you would expect. The cinematography shows off the gritty yet beautiful western landscapes yet never loses the scope of how the region has been hit by the advancement of modern times. But the true winner here is the best screenplay of the year as every character is able to draw you into a story that begs questions of morality and loyalty. While La La Land may walk away with all of the awards, Hell or High Water is my pick for Best Film of 2016.