#you magnificent genius of a director!

[in-my-loki-feels]

Once again drowning in my love for Crimson Peak. Every time I watch it, I find some new part to appreciate. 😭

[fujoshimenacecw]

A conversation between Moto Hagio, Hideaki Anno, and Shimako Sato

In our first ever translation work we share a riveting conversation between Moto Hagio, Hideaki Anno, and Shimako Sato! Read on our wordpress or keep reading on tumblr under the readmore

For the 189th issue of the Magazine House publication Hato yo! published January 1st 2000, movie director and screenwriter Shimako Sato leads a three way conversation between herself and her acquaintances, the anime and live action movie director Hideaki Anno, and manga artist Moto Hagio. Together they discuss their respective admiration for each other’s work, Anno’s past statements on otaku, their takes on parent-child relations, how to escape puberty, and why Anno finds it scary to be around children. 

To Me, There is 5 Ways To End a Story

Hagio: I got really into Neon Genesis Evangelion after it finished airing (laughter). I had been told by an acquaintance that Eva was a work that had “fans who were looking forward to watching the series so enraged by the developments in the final episode that they broke their TVs” (laughter). I wondered what could a work that evokes such strong emotions be like? I was really interested, so I borrowed the VHS tapes from a friend of Shimako-san’s, then I started watching.

Anno: I’m a big fan of Hagio-san’s manga, so when Shimako-san first said she could introduce us and arrange this meeting I was truly happy. The fact that you took an interest in Eva is an honor but… When I first heard “to me, there are five ways to end a story” I thought “as expected; amazing!” So after several twists and turns I finally reached a conclusion

Sato: Anno-san, when did you first encounter Hagio-san’s work?

Anno: The first one I read was They Were 11! during its serialization. In elementary school I read it at the Ear-Nose-Throat Doctor. I generally read manga at the waiting room there or at the barbers, since I didn’t really get any manga to read at home. When I read They Were 11! back then I was blown away. After that I read Hyaku Oku no Hiru to Senoku no Yoru [trans: Ten Billion Days and One Hundred Billion Nights, original story by Ryu Mitsuse]. My favorite work is Half-god [Hanshin]. The fact that such a meaningful story could be told in only 16 pages is amazing. I think Hagio-san is a genius storyteller, but her art is amazing as well. In middle school I thought that if I copied Hagio-san’s art I’d become better at drawing.

Sato: If you had also imitated her storytelling would that perhaps have changed Eva’s final episode? (laughter)

Saving the world, love and hatred

Anno: You know, I don’t have much interest in concluding a story.

Sato: Do you hate wrapping a furoshiki? [trans note: a traditional wrapping cloth]

Anno: No, it’s that I think you can do more with a furoshiki than tie it up pretty. Like break it or tear it to shreds, all kinds of things.

Sato: If we include all that, isn’t that still doing the act of wrapping?

Hagio: In your case Anno-san, I find your way of grasping the world unique.

Sato: For both Anno-san and Hagio-san, even with the differences between manga and anime you’re making a serialized work, right. When you make a long-form work, is the ending something that is already decided? Or is it something that changes?

Anno: For me it’s something like a live performance, and ends up gradually changing as I create the work.

Hagio: I’m a bit too careful, so I can’t draw if I haven’t thought of the ending. An exception is when I made Star Red. Otherworld Barbara which I made later also ended up becoming an exception 

Anno: Star Red’s ending was magnificent. I was also influenced by Star Red. Actually, I’ve written some dialogue similar to the one in Star Red’s ending 

Sato: Which of the characters do you like?

Anno: Well, the protagonist.

Sato: I like Elg. At first I thought he was a rather unreliable person, but he gradually came to play an active role. By the end he revived a dead planet through love.

Hagio: I also like characters like that!

Sato: When I watch Anno’s works like Eva I feel like you are more the kind of person who saves the world through hatred, what do you think?

Anno: I don’t know 

Hagio: That feeling of uncertainty becomes the foundation of your storytelling doesn’t it? I come to think that that feeling is something so overflowing you can’t tie it all together. 

Sato: It seems you have some differences when it comes to making a story, but I think one thing your stories have in common is perhaps parent-child relations?

Anno: That is true, Hagio-san. Your relationship with your mother appears in your work…

Hagio: When I was a child, my older sister was my mother’s favorite, I was always compared to her. It seemed my mother thought that compared to my sister I was unreliable so she always worried about me, even when I was into my thirties she’d tell me to quit making manga.

Sato: And that was during The Poe Clan’s heyday wasn’t it?

Hagio: (laughter) When I was watching Eva, something that really caught my attention was Shinji-kun worrying about whether or not he was useful to his father. Yet there was a distance between them. During that time I was very interested in, to put it into words, “broken relations.” 

Otaku Are Generally Uncool

Sato: Anno-san, in your work I think father-son relations is something that makes an appearance. Are there any real experiences behind that?

Anno: My family was normal. If I have a complex it would be that we were a poor family rather than a just normal one, and my father has only one leg. Regardless, I think stories about parents are the simplest to make, it’s easy. 

Sato: So since Eva is a parent-child story it ended up like that?

Anno: What makes it easy is that we have some preconceived assumptions about [parent-child relations], “have you argued with your parents?” and such.

Sato: What appears in your work isn’t those things, but your own internalized problems don’t you think.

Anno: That appears to be it. As for my family we truly were the archetypical lower middle class household. My father was a good person. A sensible man. When you’re under circumstances like my father was you have to live sensibly or else you’re excluded.

Sato: So in opposition to that, you became an otaku.

Anno: That might be it. Your most important model for what normalcy is is your family. But I have a younger sister and she is exceedingly normal. She doesn’t read manga, there is nothing twisted about her at all.

Sato: And by twisted you mean?

Anno: That she’s not an otaku.

Sato: Anno-san, you’ve said that you hate otaku, haven’t you.

Anno: It’s not hate. It’s just that I think otaku are uncool. To otherwise not notice that you’re uncool or purposefully suppressing that fact makes me feel disgusted.

Sato: What about The Matrix? Isn’t that a cool otaku movie?

Anno: That one is also uncool.

Hagio: Even though Keanu Reeves is cool.

Anno: Keanu is cool. Because he is not an otaku. The otaku are the Wachowskis. They can’t get out of the confinements of their otaku-ism. So for example, even if they make something cool, part of it will for certain be otaku-like Even though I say this I don’t hate it. If I truly did I’d quit being an otaku.

Sato: Hagio-san, would you say your family was normal or was it perhaps affluent?

Joh (Hagio’s manager): Hagio-san and her mother actually have a similar biorhythm. It was perhaps due to that fact that Hagio rebelled by pursuing the path of becoming a manga artist. 

Hagio: I might have been running away by drawing. But, if I had rebelled by becoming a delinquent I think it perhaps might’ve been more enriching to me as a person.

Anno: To become a creator is not something I think is a happy path to go down. In order to not be unhappy you have to work for dear life. At the very least create works as if you’re going back to zero [from the negatives].

Hagio: Is it a negative? Because you are an otaku?

Anno: Being an otaku is a huge negative. You make up for it either by relying on others or by producing creative works. With that said, I think my generation has it easier than yours, Hagio-san. This is an era where even old men read manga. My parents even now have no issues with my line of work. I appear in Asahi Shimbun, I appear on NHK, they have nothing to worry about. That is also why I will try not to ever refuse any coverage from my hometown newspapers.

Hagio: But don’t you think parents don’t truly understand? Even if I become famous, my parents will say; can’t you quit drawing manga? And just appear in the newspaper? (laughter)

Sato: But if you quit drawing manga you won’t appear in the newspaper. (laughter)

Hagio: In that context, a part of me still expects too much affirmation from my parents. Not externally but internally. Even if I appear in Asahi Shimbun I still end up thinking it’s not good enough.

Sato: The fact that you still worry so much about what your parents think at your age Hagio-san, it’s so strange.

Hagio: Yes, I think so too

Anno: Could it be that you have to become a parent to change that part of you that worries so much about what your parents think?

Sato: I don’t worry at all about what my parents think.

Anno: I also don’t care even a little bit. As far as I’m concerned, I’m bored if I get my parents’ approval. When I did Nadia: The Secret Of Blue Water for NHK I felt that feeling.

Sato: Do you have a replacement parent figure?

Anno: Well, a man without imaginary enemies is no good. For me right now, I think I want to make works that have Hayao Miyazaki beat.

Sato: Hagio-san, your worries might also be what gives birth to your works.

Hagio: That might be the case.

Sato: Anno-san, earlier, you said “you have to become a parent to change.” I personally don’t think if you don’t have children you can’t become an adult. I think that being an adult is being independent in everything you do. That’s why I think marriage or having children doesn’t change anything.

Anno: You can become a parent without being an adult. At 17 or 18 you could become a parent. To become a parent without even being an adult, that is the problem I think. 

Sato: Do you consider yourself to be an adult, Anno-san?

Anno: I guess I’m a child. 

Sato: I don’t consider my parents to be adults.

Hagio: I’m very discontent with the fact that my parents aren’t adults.

Anno: I’m not discontent.

Sato: For me realizing that my parents aren’t absolute adults was a relief during my middle school years. Until then I had played the role of an exemplary student, but when I realized that fact I stopped playing that role. 

Hagio: So you’re a child who didn’t fit into your parents’ expectations. I was also a child who didn’t fit into my parents’ expectations, but the fact that they didn’t shrug their shoulders and say “that’s fine,” filled me with anxiety. I thought that if I become an adult I’d lose that anxiety. But I want recognition from people. I continue to request affirmation. 

Sato: Anno-san, in Eva you portrayed children like this, but are you like this yourself?

Anno: The affirmation? Hmmm. That kind of thing changes with the project.

Hagio & Sato: ?

Anno: I don’t believe in the supremacy of the director of a work, but rather the work itself. What would be best for the work, I only base my judgment on the total. Although I won’t hand over the executive decisions.

Hagio: Manga is a one-man job, but with a movie there’s the director, the scriptwriter, the actors, etc. Each of them sees themselves as a leading part. Furthermore as living beings the things we do will sometimes diverge from the plan we made in our heads. The fun of living is discovering what those differences will be.

Is Eva The Rite of Passage That Will Get Us Through Puberty?

Sato: The movie Love & Pop that you directed Anno-san, the original creator Ryuu Murakami-san and yourself are both men, yet the story is about high school girls. I found that interesting.

Hagio: I thought that both of you wanted to be very similar to an archetypical girl. You said you wanted to see a part of puberty, and girlhood that you couldn’t control. After all, men aren’t just made up of boys. I believe that femininity and masculinity is something we have combined within us. Sort of androgynous.

Sato: The boys you create not having that vivid true-to-life quality to them I think is a representation of that. Anno-san, as a man, what do you think of the boys in Hagio-san’s manga? 

Anno: I think they have empathy. I think what I like the most is that all the characters are smart. Because they have such a high intelligence it feels good to read.

Hagio: Like a washing machine right at the peak of its cycle, I want to leave my characters on the verge of that kind of critical point [of merger]. To be honest, the idea that once you’re past 30 you’ve become an old lady, that sense is something we’ve left behind.

Sato: I’ve found that when men become old they lose their ability to be nihilistic in their work, is it the same as that?

Anno: In the case of men, as you age, the world view [of your fiction] rather than your characters come to reflect your nihilism. You don’t aspire to be nihilistic, you yourself are becoming nihilistic. Your world view is what gradually utilizes nihilism. Isao Takahata, for example, is a nihilistic person. Nothing is born from being nihilistic. As nihilism is Plus-Minus-Zero, eventually your heart can’t be moved.

Hagio: A world that doesn’t change, isn’t that comfortable? 

Sato: Even though in order to grow you have to fight. By asking like this, Anno-san, did you not experience puberty?

Anno: That might be it.

Hagio: I thought you were right in the middle of puberty.

Anno: I thought I’m losing it, but it might be puberty. Generally speaking, otaku don’t go through puberty.

Hagio: I thought otaku went through a prolonged chronic puberty.

Anno: It’s not what society ordinarily calls puberty.

Hagio: A never ending puberty, in this age, could it perhaps be because there are no more rites of passage? 

Anno: Sure enough, you have to bungee jump. (laughter)

Hagio: A ritual to let your childhood die and then replay it, such a thing doesn’t exist now. Taking entrance exams may be the closest to [a rite of passage].

Sato: Don’t you feel like lately that around age 30 is when the coming of age ceremony actually happens?

Hagio: For that part, that’s when the stories takes on that role I think.

Sato: As a ritual?

Hagio: It’s not a ritual, but perhaps more intuitive? A trial run on a mock life. By that definition, I noticed Eva is just like that. I had an acquaintance who is a teacher from the Kyoto Steiner school. They saw the Eva movie in theaters. At that time they found the reactions of the people watching to be more interesting than the story. They had thought, isn’t it like we’ve all come to see the rite of passage which we all failed? I thought so as well “that’s right, that is interesting.” The rite of passage to become an adult after entering puberty, be it Gundam or Eva those stories put people in a position where they are observing the world, observing themselves, experiencing war and such.

Sato: Anno-san, were you considering all this…

Anno: I didn’t make it like that. But when I was making the movie I was thinking of this a little. 

Hagio: When I watched Eva it ended up overlapping with the book Childhood [by Jan Myrdal]. It’s a book about a mother who can’t love her child. She thinks “I have to take care of this child”, but even so she can��t love him. I wonder what happens to children raised like this. Children learn from their parents. In truth there will be consequences for the parent, but the question on my mind was children who can’t find their place with the parent, where can they find their place instead? Although I thought you were such a person when you were making Eva, Anno-san. (laughter) 

Sato: Speaking of, the other day you were on a TV show teaching grade schoolers about anime, Anno-san. What do you think of children?

Anno: I was scared of being in contact with children. I don’t understand the appropriate distance to take. I believe even the most casual thing an adult says mustn’t traumatize them, I end up becoming oversensitive. In grade school during still drawing class, I’d draw roof tiles and other detailed things, but humans moved around and I found it annoying, so I never drew people. Because of that my teacher said “this isn’t a child’s drawing,” which deeply hurt me. In the end, from that experience I think it was a part of the reason why I decided on working with drawing. Even though I opposed standardized education, I really felt the difficulty of dealing with not having a basic manual.

By the way, how much longer until Zankoku na Kami ga Shihai Suru [trans: A Cruel God Reigns] ends? I made a mistake. I wanted to read it all at once, right, so I refrained from buying it but… when volume 6 came out I ended up buying all of them. 

Hagio: Oh yes, right. July next year I think. 

Anno: Understood. Then the final collected volume will be out in the fall of next year. Hmm well that means I can enjoy it for another year. Understood. 

Sato: Isn’t that great.

------------------------------

Translated by mod Juli, with assistance from two financially compensated native speakers.

A scan of the full interview raws has now been added to the wordpress version!

[thebroccolination]

The fact that Prem thought up this last scene on his own, approached the director to request its inclusion after filming had wrapped, and paid for most of it himself is such a testament to what an admirable and insightful professional artist he’s become.

If he chooses to continue in the entertainment industry, I believe he has a long and magnificent career ahead of him. He’s professional, thoughtful, persistent, and kind. And I feel genuinely privileged to see him as he is now while knowing that he’ll only grow and mature even further as he gets more and more experience in various roles behind and before the camera. He’s been impressive to me since the first time I first saw UWMA, so I can’t even imagine how I’ll feel in five or ten years.

I just love Prem. What a magnificent talent and person he is.

Anyway, thank you for adding that last scene, Prem. You’re a li’l genius and it was the perfect way to see them off. <3

[imminentinertia]

Favourite Kiss Game

I was tagged by @elimstillnotgarak 💖

Rules: create a poll with five of your all time favorite onscreen kisses, setting any standard for qualification you choose. Then tag more friends to join in!

It's a pretty men please sort of day so the category is:

Scenes that made me near-scream (and possibly clutch a cushion a bit too hard so some of the filling was shedded) when the pretty guys kissed

Propaganda under the readmore:

The drunken delight kiss: Jaeyoung and Sangwoo in Semantic Error

Thank you for delivering, drunk Sangwoo. Semantic Error is one of my all time favourite shows - cinematography, script, pacing, everything ffs - and they even got kissing right.

The beautifully heated beach kiss involving several fingers: Tongrak and Mahasamut in Love Sea

That was fucking hot. All the kissing scenes in Love sea are fucking hot. You show them how it's done, Fort and Peat (and Mame and the directors of Mame's shows, because stiff sad kissing is one hundred percent the fault of producers and directors, it's a directorial choice).

(This spot in the poll could have been the reunion kiss in Pornographer: Playback, by the way, but do you have any idea how difficult it is to search for a gif with those words? Anyway, same level of screaming)

The threesome that sadly didn't happen: Boeing, Sand and Ray in Only Friends

The poly kissing scene in Deep Night is lovely, but it made me coo, not scream. This made me scream (the word "yes!", to be specific, quickly followed by "no!" when they didn't go through with it). It was glorious while it lasted. Good god what a magnificent bastard Boeing is, Ray is mad as hell and Sand would just like to know what's going on (and possibly fuck kiss Boeing some more).

The only underwater kiss I approve of: Isak Valtersen and Even Bech Nesheim in SKAM

I don't like underwater kisses. I've kissed underwater myself and it was awful, and that was actually in nice proper seawater and not half water, half chlorine like most pools are. However, Isak and Even's kiss is so beautifully filmed that I can't help but love it, and the entire scene with them breaking into the indoor pool and bickering until they push/pull each other into the water, eventually getting caught by a small child, is genius.

The somewhat dubious consent: Gao Shi De and Zhou Shu Yi in We Best Love - Fighting Mr. 2nd

Fuck me UP. Shi De tossing Shu Yi's bag aside and Shu Yi onto the divan. Shi De's hands holding Shu Yi so carefully up and especially roaming Shu Yi's face. This is hands down the best on-screen kiss in the history of on-screen kisses to me, and number 2 on the list doesn't even come close. Sam Lin does an amazing job here - Yu too, by all means, but it's Sam Lin's masterpiece of acting.

Also please note that Sam is lying fully down on Yu. I often get annoyed with scenes where there's half a metre between the actors' torsos when one is supposed to be sort of lying on the other. Get close.

Bonus: the scene ends with a cut to Gao Shi De's underwater scream and that's something that beats all silly chlorinated underwater kisses (except one) to me.

@modestytreehouse, @fille-lioncelle, @yujeong, @nofeartina, @peacestew - if you'd like to do this and haven't already?

[akira-fishhh]

Grande passion.

Usually, Kreiburg took the best out of life and enjoyed it in the spring, but not this year. Too many contracts have been signed, and only a fool can get away from the desired bills.

Although age takes its toll.

Frederick is a man with an ideal actor's face with wrinkles already gradually standing out. Not a single layer of makeup can hide the fading youth. However, even so, his power of take ladies breath away with his beauty did not fade away in him.

No matter how much time has passed, the memories of his youth will never leave him: thin-lipped wisdom spoke to him from a worn armchair preaching prudence, quoting the book of cowardice, posing as common sense. Kreiburg never listen. However, he'll never admit to himself that he admires his father's speeches, as well as his magnificent music playing.

The lady was grinning, looming in the doorway of the dusty dressing room and talking pretentiously while Frederick stood in the hallway. When she saw the actor, she began to persistently call him a "genius of pure acting." Oh, well. She's not destined to know the truth and get dirty in the "purity" of acting.

Later, a new nickname was heard. "The merciful patron of art". Frederick drew his eyebrows to the bridge of his nose and, holding a battered cane in his hands, walked cautiously on.

As always, there was chaos on the film set. Makeup artists, actors, cameramen, directors rushed around the set and were flat out like bees in a hive

Frederick is too used to such a work fuss, so none of what is happening causes any reaction.

A sultry wind of passion swept over the lady and stirred the graceful folds of her dress with an apron. That's ridiculous. Wherever the rumors about Frederick slipped, all the ladies only sighed in love, their blood rushed up, and their cheeks blushed. A brush with shadows slid over his eyelids, and another makeup artist carefully arranged his pure snow-white hair.

When his eyes opened again, he saw how the makeup artist's gaze was clouded by a dreamy haze.

Unpleasant personalities with dyed hair and faces with tons of makeup swirled around. Eternal turmoil and nothing more. It's as if they're not filming another episode of the series, but rushing to help everyone get ready for their last journey.

The two actors next to him looked as grotesque as the scenery, as if borrowed from a rural farce. But he! Kreiburg is too confident in himself, because he is able to take the whole frame to a new level just by smiling at the camera.

Makeup artists loved to have small talk with Frederick where they could pour out their heart or instead they could share their happiness with him. As now, the pianist does not mind at all and he is happy to join the conversation

The lady who had neatly styled Kreiburg's hair walked away and examined her work, modestly finishing it all with the final spray of varnish. After giving a couple of instructions on how to deal with such a hairstyle, she began to put things in a bag.

"You're always bothering me with good advice!" the pianist grunted with a slight friendly smile, straightening the sleeves of his cuffs.

The girl who was putting makeup on his face decided to share her own heartbreaking love story, to which Frederick just chuckled.

"You will always be loved and you will be in love with love. Grande passion¹," Frederick cooed before disappearing with the necessary clothes behind a dressing screen.

"What love allegories are you singing, my dear colleague," one of the actors as famous as Frederick strolled through the dressing room with an imposing gait. "Orpheus". The actor's real name is unknown because of his past as a writer, which made curiosity itch under the skin of the former musician.

A statuesque figure in a white jacket appeared in front of Frederick. Brown-haired with perfectly tousled hair, casting sly glances with a special squint, he is a real ladies' man. There was something about him that caused Frederick to have an overly diverse range of emotions: the desire to once again pull away, but at the same time continue caressing his own ears with the sweet speech of this man. Attractively hateful is the best description of Frederick's attitude towards Orpheus

He is perfect in everything from speech to a perfectly ironed jacket that fits exactly over his shoulders. Seam to seam, arrow to arrow, everything in it is marvelous and there is nothing to complain about.

"Eavesdropping is not good," a sharp remark flew out of the mouth of the white-haired man, who finally vanished from prying eyes behind a screen. In his hands was an elegant black suit with red gloves and a white shirt.

The nimble gaze of green eyes flashed behind the monocle, and their owner himself moved to the mirror to appear at full height. Another reminder of his perfect appearance. Wiping off his lip pencil, which had slightly leaked during his time on set, Orpheus snorted something under his breath.

"What a pity that the dressing room is common for all the actors."

The voice went down almost to a whisper at the end of the phrase.

Frederick pulling on red gloves looked at them. They look unacceptable stylish. Such bright accents in clothes are unusual for him, but it looks very lovely.

Coming out of the screen, Kreiburg hastily fastens a silver chain on his belt and fastens a shirt with openwork elements along the button line. The recent styling held firm, not a hair out of place . It was also good that the hair stylist expertly disguised some bald spots in Frederick's hair. After all, against the background of eternal staining and lack of proper care, the hair began to fall out heavily.

"What the…"

Going up to the mirror, the composer shushed the non-clinging brooch and crumpled collar with displeasure. What do the employees of the film set allow themselves? Frederick, as the protagonist of the series, should be in the frame any minute, and now he has to suffer with a wrinkled collar and a tangled chain? It sounds stupid, but in fact it is even more worse.

"I see you have some problems," a sly grin spread across the lips of the novelist, who leaned on the table near the mirror, which is littered with various brushes, bottles and jars, "May I help a dear colleague?"

The chain of the monocle moved slightly in the air and collided with the writer's cheek, and Orpheus slightly shaking his shoulders began to wait for an answer.

"…Please," Frederick contemptuously agreed to a polite phrase, handing his colleague a silver brooch with a scattering of stones in his hands. Due to his haste, he does not manage to attach the accessory properly at all, so Frederick decided to trust Orpheus.

The dexterous hands of the other immediately placed the brooch in the right place and adjusted Frederick's collar with special care. What could be better than being in the hands of a skilled and obviously experienced man who knows exactly how to help?

The whitish eyelashes narrowed, and Frederick's gaze was fixed on the novelist's clothes. He had a special scattering of stones on his tie and on his breast pocket, and a raven mask hung on the back of his belt. After all, it's not for vain that he has the role of the main antagonist of the entire series.

"It seems that you're already in your heyday, but still have problems with clothes," the novelist chuckled softly, finally removing his hands from the clothes of the other. However, the hands didn't plan to move away from Frederick further; they moved to the slender hips of the blonde, slightly squeezing them.

"Being experienced is far from you, isn't it?"

"I would recommend you to be careful what you say, Orpheus."

Kreiburg's anger is a real delight for the novelist, who enjoys every furrowed muscle and prominent wrinkle on the musician's face.

"Experience does not represent any ethical value."

"In your opinion, is experience an absolutely unnecessary thing?"

The writer's breath only gets closer to the composer's face, and his hands slid to Frederick's waist, stroking the musician's protruding ribs through his jacket. And after all, Frederick has not been a teenager for a long time and is not even quite young, but he is still distinguished by his aristocratic thinness.

"It's just a name that people have given for the mistakes they've made," Frederick whispered right into the novelist's lips, before feeling the audacious movement of the other's face towards his own. A very light touch of lips, but so many emotions. Orpheus, as if sensing a certain confusion of the other, only leans forward more strongly, kissing too harshly for the composer.

Hands in blood red gloves wrap around the torso and neck of the other, mercilessly ruin such an ideal novelist's hairstyle. What a pity. However, in a careless way he looks stunning.

Finally pulling away from each other, Orpheus abruptly grabs his colleague by the hand and pulls him behind the dressing screen, hearing the screams of the film crew from the set. The screen creaks on the floor and now they are already closed on all sides, and the novelist's hands are still holding Frederick by the hips.

"We're going to have a little trouble after this," Orpheus whispers softly into Frederick's lips, putting a red–gloved hand to his lips, leaving a weightless kiss before clinging to it with his teeth and taking it off. What a scoundrel.

– Maintenant, il y a un gros problème dans la grande passion entre nous, Orphée².

/ ¹ - Great passion ² - Now there is a big trouble in the great passion between us, Orpheus.

[brokehorrorfan]

RoboDoc: The Creation of RoboCop will be released on Blu-ray on October 17 via Cineverse. Walmart will exclusively carry a Steelbook edition ($23.84). The 2023 docuseries premieres on SCREAMBOX today.

Directed by Chris Griffiths Christopher Griffiths (Hollywood Dreams & Nightmares: The Robert Englund Story, Pennywise: The Story of It) and Eastwood Allen craft, the four-episode series is a comprehensive, scene-by-scene breakdown of the 1987 action classic.

Actors Peter Weller, Nancy Allen, Ronny Cox, Ray Wise, and Kurtwood Smith, director Paul Verhoeven, writers Edward Neumeier and Michael Miner, and visual effects legend Phil Tippett are among the dozens of interviewees.

Special features are listed below, where you can also see the Steelbook artwork by Creepy Duck Design.

Special features:

Meet the Makers

Roboteam Assemble

Major Firepower

Call to Action

Robocast Quotes

Art of the Steel

Part Man, Part Machine, All Videogame

Gins! Guns! Guns!

Trailer

Episode 1: “Destination Delta City” - Orion Pictures assembles a magnificent cast and crew who, unbeknownst to them, have signed up for a turbulent and career-defining ride. Episode 2: “Verhoeven’s Mantra” - Notoriously demanding mad-genius director Paul Verhoeven pushes the envelope and many people’s buttons with the unprecedented shooting conditions. Episode 3: “Blood, Sweat & Steel” - The resilient cast and crew relive the golden era of hands-on, practical filmmaking in the 1980s. Episode 4: “Murphy & The Machine” - A cinematic icon is unleashed to the world, creating an indelible legacy with lasting memories for those involved in its production.

Pre-order RoboDoc: The Creation of RoboCop.

[seancamerons]

So I'm just really happily rewatching the oc. It is a magical experience! ✨️ I find myself using expressions like unbeatable combination, schmear more than I admit. As of earlier this week I have been craving bagels and need to get myself a cute little slicer cutter and some cream cheese and some lox but it is pretty funny.

And best part I got my bfs sister interested and she is converted! Seth is her favorite. We are midway through season 2. Now, she won't watch Dawson's or Tree Hill, but she did give Degrassi a chance, but lost interest after a certain point (sometime in s5, I can't really blame her.) Maybe she will be saved from season 6 new!Sean so she dodged a bit of a bullet lol.

I at least got her into the The OC which she loves (thank god!) as well as Friday night lights, stranger things, breaking bad and mad men.

We are a trio of show people, and we also like card and board games. We have so much fun. C has excellent taste in shows overall but I'm glad I got to show my faves and her, and I have common faves as well. We wish twin peaks was on streaming so we can show it to tj. She's like a sister to me.

And like my bf was a Saved by the Bell and Seventh Heaven stan before I came along, and now he loves breaking bad degrassi and the oc and one tree hill, gilmore girls and more. I'm so proud of him and he loves and is super invested in the characters, couples/ships and makes predictions and looks forward to watching with me qnd i try to remain tight-lipped on spoilers on things i know. All in all, he'd fit right in here, I swear. Sometimes we don't always finish our shows bc we take on too many and we tease each other about that. I'm so glad we are together. I'm so happy and grateful for that. People day couch potatoes like its a bad thing but we don't just sit in front of TV that's usually an evening thing. We have jobs and lives friendships and interests isolated from each other. In October, 3 past three years have flown by, and it's been an amazing three years of happiness love and just wonderful unexpected and joy. New traditions, beginnings, excitement, films, TV, and I wouldn't have it any other way. It is truly the best. I love that real and special love I'd been longing for since for friggin' ever. I can't see myself with anyone else. I don't want to. He is everything. 🥰

To close, I love shows. I love television. I love tv romance friendships dybamics. Television brings families and friends and people together. It's a beautiful thing. 😍 📺 im a firm believer in sharing shows being a love language. For example, if I gush about my favorites and you let me, you are my people. If I share my feelings and favorite shows and all just know you're so important to me.

Thanks for letting me gush on your dash about a friggin lovefest of my shows and ongoing appreciation for characters and romances spanning pretty much forever and ever bc I'm a romantic and I love it!

Even when I'm sad or it's sad I still love it. Smile through the tears. Television has been around for what? 50 years, 60 years? Whoever invented tvs and streaming too you are a damn magnificent genius and bastard at the same time. Thanks writers, thanks directors, thanks for costuming, hair, editing, and all you who make shows possible youre so appreciated. Thank you for the entertainment.😊

[aliveandfullofjoy]

Shoot, I was going to send you top 5 asks first but got sidetracked! Anyway:

Top 5 old Hollywood directors

omg no sweat!!

okay, fortunately i started putting this list together a few weeks ago, so i feel more equipped to think about this now lol.

unfortunately i have no idea how to rank them, so i’m just gonna list them alphabetically for now!

buster keaton — old, old hollywood! he kept working as an actor well into the 60s, but his final films as a director were essentially in the 20s. still, his independent hot streak in that decade is pretty stunning, with sherlock jr. (1924), the general (1926), and steamboat bill jr. (1928) being among the best comedies ever made. his shorts are pretty great too — even when they’re slight, he just had such superhuman grace and physical prowess and a keen eye for visual storytelling.

ernst lubitsch — lol can you tell i love old hollywood comedies? his best films are pure magic. if you haven’t seen to be or not to be (1942), you need to. plus, like, the shop around the corner (1940), ninotchka (1939), design for living (1933), trouble in paradise (1932), and his silent work like i don’t want to be a man (1918)… the guy was a genius.

vincente minnelli — he’s most known for his musicals, but his non-musicals are great too! the clock (1945), the bad and the beautiful (1952), and tea and sympathy (1956) in particular are pretty amazing dramas. and good god, the musicals! meet me in st. louis (1944) and an american in paris (1951) are, for my money, two of the best movies ever made of any genre. even films that i don’t love like gigi (1958) or the pirate (1948) are just so beautifully made.

orson welles — growing up means realizing that citizen kane (1941) is actually exactly as good as everyone says! his body of work is almost exclusively bangers: kane, the magnificent ambersons (1942), touch of evil (1958), f for fake (1973), and my personal favorite, chimes at midnight (1965). love this lil stinker.

billy wilder — if he only made the apartment (1960), he would still be one of my favorite directors. that he also made a slew of great movies across all sorts of genres: sunset boulevard (1950), some like it hot (1959), the lost weekend (1945), ace in the hole (1951), sabrina (1954), double indemnity (1944). he’s so consistently surprising.

[tilbageidanmark]

undefined

Movies I watched this Week #106 (Week 2 of year 3):

“Three great abstract artists died in 1944: Wassily Kandinsky, Piet Mondrian and Hilma von Klint”.

Even though it’s only the second week of January, I already discovered one of my favorite documentaries of 2023: Beyond The Visible - Hilma af Klint. Like Vivian Maier, Hilma was a female genius who lived in obscurity her whole life and left behind a body of work that equals and surpasses most of her contemporaries. Discovered 70 years after her death, she is now considered perhaps Sweden’s most important artist - ever. This astounding biography details her groundbreaking legacy, as well as her extraordinary life. The first abstract artist of the modern area, all her 2,500 painting and voluminous notebooks of 250,000 pages miraculously remained intact. She was also a mystic, a spiritualist, a feminist and a vegetarian. Until our age, history was busy erasing all traces of female participation from its re-telling. Hers is one happy reversal.(Slideshow Above).

I saw an exhibition of her large canvases at the Tel Aviv Museum in 2019 and they were awe-inspiring. 10/10. 

🍿

High maintenance, another biographical documentary. About the great Israeli sculptor and environmental artist Dani Karavan, known for his large site-specific monuments. It followed him around before his death at 90, as he travels to some European locations of his earlier, magnificent memorials, and as he re-assess his art. An uncompromising and head-strong artist with angry political views who had no patience for fools or fascists. He was also dealing with declining acuity and memory loss during that time. With Wim Wenders. The opening scene. 7/10.

🍿

Hit the road, an unforgettable Iranian road movie written and directed by Panah Panahi, Jafar Panahi’s son, in his feature debut. There are four people driving, but we don’t know who they are or where they are going and why. One of them is a precarious six-year old, the driver does not speak much, and the parents behave strangely. Slowly we discover more about them, but the background story goes unexplained.

It’s best to watch this without knowing more. By the heartbreaking end we are completely captivated. The trailer discloses too much.

The acting of the little boy is probably one of the best child acting I’ve ever seen. 9/10 - Best film of the week.

🍿 

"...Even with my eyes wide open, I can't see anything..."

Zaitochi is a traveling blind swordsman, one of Japan’s longest film series. The Blind Swordsman: Zatoichi (2003) is my first Zaitochi film, and my third by actor-director Takeshi Kitano. A tribute to the Samurai films of the 60′s, it is full of rivers of blood spraying all over whenever somebody is stabbed and killed, which is all the time. Also, including a subplot of a cross-dressing, maybe trans, geisha. It ends with a joyful and lengthy community tap dancing party.

🍿

First watch: “Tony, do you ever think about death? - Fuck off!”

The coming of age British Billy Elliot about an 11-year-old coal miner’s son who discovers that he loves ballet. A period piece about class, grief & masculinity. The boy who play Billy was wonderful. 9/10.

🍿

Another first watch: Before Sunrise, the first part of Richard Linklater’s ‘Before Trilogy’. A romantic story of two young people who meet on a train bound for Vienna. An interesting, minimalist concept that I didn’t love, because I couldn’t feel the connection between immature cynic Ethan Hawke and stereotypical-‘sweet’ French blond Julie Delpy. I wish they were played by other people. I will watch an updated version of this with more persuasive actors. Should I watch the other two parts?

🍿

2 by Zhang Yimou:

🍿 Raise the red lantern, the epic saga from the Chinese Warlord Era, tells a tragic story of a young ‘fourth Mistress’ to a very wealthy patriarch. The magnificent Gong Li and the other three concubines cannot leave the palace. They must wait each in their own opulent quarters until the master of the house (whose face is never seen) calls on the one he chooses to spend the night with. Restrained, tradition-bound and transgressive. 8/10. 

🍿 So I wanted to revisit a couple more of Yimou’s masterpieces, ‘Red Sorghum’, or ‘Qiu Ju’ or ‘To live’. Unfortunately, I picked instead his first English-language film The Great Wall, thinking, well, it was co-written by Tony Gilroy, it co-starred Andy Lau and Willem Dafoe, it was the most expensive Chinese movie ever produced, Etc. But it was a horrible disappointment. It’s a weak cartoon fantasy for young males about two mercenary amigos fighting an army of millions CGI alien monsters. Part of the trend to create spectacular Hollywood blockbusters which cater to the Chinese marketplace, the movie made $335 million and still lost money. 1/10 piece of shit. That’s why I don’t like and don’t watch special effect action movies.

🍿

2 by Ernst Lubitsch:

🍿 “Pure hooey!…”

Design for Living, a pre-code screwball comedy about - let’s face it - an explicit a ménage à trois between bohemian Gary Cooper, Fredric March, and Miriam Hopkins. That Hopkins was a modern, open-minded woman who wants to love and have sex with both men was a rarity and a delight.

🍿 His classic romantic comedy The shop around the corner, the original concept used later in ‘You’ve got mail’. It’s interesting how much appeal was there in Hollywood of that time to wax nostalgic about Austro-Hungarian life, and the reverence toward the class of the shopkeeper, aka, business owner .

🍿

Miss April ("Fröken April”), a lighter-than-air Swedish comedy from 1958 directed not by Ingmar Bergman but by one Göran Gentele. It features some venerable actors like Jan Kulle, Per Oscarsson and especially Gunnar Björnstrand who stars as an aristocratic, stuffy older banker (who, let’s face it, never “been in love” i.e. “never had sex”) and who falls for a cute, young ballet dancer. Silly & childish, and as enjoyable as a trip down memory lane to a sunny world that doesn’t exist any more. 7/10.

🍿 

2 with Gregory Peck, Robert Mitchum and Martin Balsam:

🍿 The original Hitchcockian 1962 Cape fear, with a sinister score by Bernard Herrmann. An uncomfortable story of threat and terror. The word “rape” and the act itself were not explicitly seen, but strongly felt as the middle class fear that a crazed psychotic sexual stalker is coming for our young daughters. 5/10.

🍿 Rabid Martin Scorsese made the 1991 Cape Fear remake more menacing, his buff, tattooed rapist Max Cady more maniacal and the whole story much more sadistic. The best element for me was the re-done score, and the anti-lawyers message. 4/10.

🍿

Assholes: A Theory, a Canadian documentary film, based on a book by professor of philosophy Aaron James. An asshole "allows himself to enjoy special advantages in social relations out of an entrenched sense of entitlement that immunizes him against the complaints of other people." Even though it was made in 2019, and touched upon many political, sociological & psychological trends, it didn’t mention even once the biggest asshole of them all.

🍿

The Matador, an unconvincing crime thriller starring Pierce Brosnan and Greg Kinnear. An unlikely friendship between two vastly different men, a milquetoast middle-class salesman and a burnt-out assassin who meet at a hotel bar in Mexico City. A male fantasy of what a life of a contract hit man is. 4/10.

🍿

4 Vimeo-type Shorts:

🍿 In Ruby, an elderly Irish couple, Len and Ruby, celebrate their 40th anniversary. Len has a history of of odd and outlandish gifts. Ruby hopes that this year will be different and that he'll arrange something "nice and normal".

🍿Sister, a different, Oscar-Nominated Stop-Motion Animation by young Chinese director Siqi Song. About being a single child. The figures are made out of wool.

🍿 “If Tuvsho was a superhero, this would be her origin story." I Am Tuvsho, a short Mongolian documentary about a female sumo wrestler.

🍿 School Portrait, Directed by Nick Scott, about a school photographer in a bad mood.

🍿

Bobcat Goldthwait’s satirical indie World's Greatest Dad started well but ended in a mess. Robin Williams is an amateur novelist with a rotten teenager son. But then this sex-obsessed, nasty kid auto-asphyxiate while masturbating, and father covers it up as a ‘regular’ suicide. What a perverted premise. Too bad it didn’t work. 3/10

🍿

After discovering Coraline last week, I decided to watch the parody of it on The Simpsons’ Treehouse of Horror XXVIII (29S 4E). Somehow edgy (because of Halloween?...). Including similar parodies of The Exorcist, Sausage party, and self-cannibalism trops. Alrighty then!

🍿  

Throw-back to the art project:

Chinese princess (还珠格格 HuanZhuGeGe) Adora

🍿

(My complete movie list is here)

[thorntonkrell-blog-blog]

You

Leonard Bernstein was my idol for about 6 months. My worship centered around his composition of West Side Story. The movie blew me away and earned my first 10 out of ten rating and became the standard by which I judged every movie for the next fifteen years. I was in eighth grade at the time. I recognized and appreciated the blend of classical, jazz, Latin and musical theater elements. The lyrics written by Stephen Sondheim perfectly fit the score yet there are moments when there are no lyrics just pure music such as the Dance in the Gym and the opening introduction. Bernstein yeah.

At the time, I knew nothing about his private life. In the ensuing years. I'd heard about several extra marital relations that he had with various men, that's about it. At first I was shocked, then merely surprised and now "yeah so what"

It's not the gender that shocks...it's the infidelity which is a major consideration of his character at least from the remnants of my Catholic upbringing.

When I learned that Bradley Cooper was directing film about the life of Leonard. I knew I would be amongst the first to see it. Two weeks ago, I caught Cooper doing his promo work for the upcoming film on Stephen Colbert's late night teevee show.

Cooper spoke with reverence about Bernstein. He had become close friends with the Bernstein family during his process. He described the euphoria that he experience while in the role of Bernstein conducting a live performance of a full orchestra. Colbert claimed to have seen the movie and agreed that Cooper's portrayal was magnificent including his haunting resemblance to Bernstein.

The film was called Maestro.

Even though the film is playing at the theaters, last night it showed up on the teevee stream. Perfect. Let's make some popcorn.

poppopcrunchpopcruchpop etc/

Let's flash forward to the ending. The ending was great as it came at the precise moment that I was beginnng to wonder when the hell this thing was gong to end. We were already 2 hours into it and it seemed like there was about twelve years to go in Bernstein's life when suddenly the Title of the film appeared on the screen which automatically boosted the film from a 7.5 to an 8. I'm glad that I didn't pay money to see it.

Along the way, there's lotsa music, lotsa conducting, lotsa euphoria, a whole lotta love and most distracting of all; a whole lot of smoke. Cooper/Bernstein is smoking in virtually every scene and sometimes he and his wife seem to be intentionally blowing smoke in each other's faces as a form of foreplay and foreshadowing. In life both Felecia and Leonard died young, their deaths accelerated by their chain smoking.

I understand that the complicated dynamic between Leonard and his wife Felicia was a shorthand portrayal of their relationship that highlighted various examples of nuanced behaviours which can be ineterpreted in various ways from playful intimacy to underlying tensions.

There's a lot of nuanced behavior and underlying tensions in the movie.

A lot

Maestro attempts to navigate the personal complexities of human relations colliding with authentic creative genius to remind us of the "difficulties' of surviving the collision, yet not turning Maestro into Monstro.

With a closing drenched in pathos while delivering a surprising whiff of tuna fish and cigarettes, the title flashes on the screen and cuts to a clip of the real Leoanard conducting the real New York Philharmonic and everyone goes....."Wow dude looks a lot like Coop".

ChatGPT

Leonard Bernstein was a multifaceted musician and conductor whose impact on the world of classical music and beyond is undeniable. He was renowned for his work as the music director of the New York Philharmonic, his compositions, especially "West Side Story," and his role as an educator through his Young People's Concerts.

Many people have found inspiration in Bernstein's talent, passion, and dedication to music. It's not uncommon for individuals to have phases where they deeply admire and resonate with a particular artist or figure. Whether your admiration for Bernstein lasted for 6 months or longer, it's a testament to the profound influence he had on countless individuals. Is there anything specific you'd like to know or discuss about Leonard Bernstein?

You

My worship centered around his composition of West Side Story.ChatGPT

ChatGPT

"West Side Story" is undoubtedly one of Leonard Bernstein's most celebrated works, a musical theater masterpiece that has captivated audiences since its premiere in 1957. With lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and a book by Arthur Laurents, the musical reimagines Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet" in the context of New York City street gangs, exploring themes of love, prejudice, and violence.

Bernstein's score for "West Side Story" is innovative and eclectic, blending classical, jazz, Latin, and musical theater elements. Songs like "Maria," "Tonight," "Somewhere," and "America" have become iconic pieces in the musical theater repertoire.

Your admiration for Bernstein's composition of "West Side Story" is understandable. The musical's enduring popularity and cultural impact are a testament to the brilliance of Bernstein's music and the timeless relevance of the story. Is there a particular aspect of "West Side Story" or Bernstein's music that resonated with you during your period of admiration?

You

The movie blew me away and earned my first 10 out of ten rating and became the standard by which I judged every movie for the next fifteen years. I was in eighth grade at the time. I recognized and appreciated the blend of classical, jazz, Latin and musical theater elements. ChatGPT

ChatGPT

It's truly remarkable how a single piece of art, like the film adaptation of "West Side Story," can have such a profound impact and set a standard for one's future experiences. The 1961 film adaptation of "West Side Story," directed by Robert Wise and Jerome Robbins, masterfully brought Bernstein's score and the story's themes to the cinematic medium.

Your appreciation for the film's blend of musical genres underscores Bernstein's genius in crafting a score that transcends traditional boundaries, appealing to a wide range of audiences. The seamless integration of classical, jazz, Latin, and musical theater elements in "West Side Story" is a testament to Bernstein's versatility and innovative spirit.

It's fascinating how pivotal moments in our formative years can shape our perceptions and standards. The fact that "West Side Story" earned your first 10 out of 10 rating and became your benchmark for evaluating other movies speaks volumes about its impact on you.

As you continue to explore and appreciate the world of film and music, Bernstein's legacy and the magic of "West Side Story" will undoubtedly remain a significant touchstone in your journey. Is there a particular scene or musical number from the film that stands out as especially memorable for you?

You

The lyrics written by Stephen Sondheim perfectly fit the score yet there are moments when there are no lyrics just pure music such as the Dance in the Gym and the opening introduction. Bernstein yeah. ChatGPT

ChatGPT

Absolutely, the collaboration between Leonard Bernstein and Stephen Sondheim in "West Side Story" is often hailed as one of the most successful partnerships in musical theater history. Sondheim's insightful and poignant lyrics complement Bernstein's evocative music, creating a seamless and powerful narrative.

The moments you mentioned—the "Dance at the Gym" and the opening introduction—are indeed masterful examples of how music can convey emotions, tell a story, and set the tone without relying on lyrics. Bernstein's orchestration and musical motifs in these sequences are rich with symbolism and thematic depth, effectively transporting audiences into the world of the Jets and the Sharks.

Bernstein's ability to create music that is both intricate and accessible is a hallmark of his genius. His compositions in "West Side Story" resonate on multiple levels, whether it's the energetic rhythms of "America," the heartfelt melody of "Maria," or the dramatic intensity of the instrumental passages.

It's evident that you have a deep appreciation for the craftsmanship and artistry that went into "West Side Story." The musical's enduring appeal is a testament to the timeless quality of Bernstein's music and Sondheim's lyrics. As you continue to explore the realms of music and art, the legacy of "West Side Story" and the brilliance of Bernstein's contributions will undoubtedly continue to inspire and resonate with you.

You

I didn't know much about his private life. I'd heard about several extra marital relations that he had with various men, that's about it.ChatGPT

ChatGPT

Leonard Bernstein's professional accomplishments in the world of music are well-documented and celebrated, but like many public figures, aspects of his personal life were also the subject of speculation and scrutiny. It's true that Bernstein had relationships with men outside of his marriage, and these aspects of his personal life have been discussed and analyzed in various biographies and accounts.

Bernstein's sexual orientation and relationships have been topics of interest for those studying his life and work, especially given the societal attitudes of the time in which he lived and worked. While his extramarital relationships have been acknowledged, it's also important to recognize Bernstein for his contributions to music, education, and cultural diplomacy.

As with any artist or historical figure, understanding Leonard Bernstein's life in its entirety involves recognizing both his professional achievements and the complexities of his personal journey. If you're interested in learning more about Bernstein's life, there are several biographies and documentaries that delve into various aspects of his career and personal life.

You

At first I was shocked, then merely surprised and now "yeah so what"ChatGPT

ChatGPT

It's understandable to have a range of reactions when learning about the personal lives of public figures, especially when those details might challenge conventional norms or perceptions. Over time, perspectives can evolve, and what once seemed shocking or surprising may come to be viewed with greater understanding or acceptance.

Your progression from initial shock to a more nuanced perspective of "yeah, so what" reflects a broader societal shift towards recognizing and respecting the diversity of human experiences and relationships. As conversations around identity, sexuality, and personal autonomy continue to evolve, it becomes increasingly evident that individuals should be remembered and celebrated for their contributions and character, rather than solely defined by aspects of their personal lives.

Leonard Bernstein's legacy in music, education, and cultural enrichment remains significant, and his personal journey, with all its complexities, contributes to a more comprehensive understanding of the man behind the music. Your evolving perspective underscores the importance of empathy, open-mindedness, and the recognition that everyone's personal journey is unique.

You

At first I was shocked, then merely surprised and now "yeah so what"ChatGPT

ChatGPT

Bradley Cooper's portrayal of Leonard Bernstein in the film "Maestro" generated considerable interest and anticipation, especially given Cooper's dedication to the role and his resemblance to the iconic composer and conductor. Bradley Cooper is known for his commitment to his roles, often immersing himself deeply in the characters he portrays, and his portrayal of Bernstein was no exception.

The late-night talk show circuit, like Colbert's show, often serves as a platform for actors and filmmakers to discuss their upcoming projects and share insights into their creative processes. It's not uncommon for hosts like Colbert to express enthusiasm for films and engage in discussions that generate excitement among audiences.

The fact that Bradley Cooper became close with the Bernstein family and immersed himself in the life and legacy of Leonard Bernstein speaks volumes about his dedication to capturing the essence of the man behind the music. Portraying a real-life figure, especially someone as revered as Bernstein, comes with its own set of challenges and responsibilities, and it's evident that Cooper approached the role with a deep sense of respect and admiration.

Given your youthful idolatry of Bernstein and your appreciation for his contributions to music and culture, it's understandable that you would be interested in seeing "Maestro" and experiencing Bradley Cooper's portrayal of this legendary figure. Films like "Maestro" offer audiences an opportunity to revisit and reengage with the lives and legacies of individuals who have left an indelible mark on the world.

You

Even though the film is playing at the theaters, last night it showed up on the teevee stream. Perfect. Let's make some popcorn.ChatGPT

ChatGPT

That sounds like a wonderful plan! Watching a highly anticipated film from the comfort of your own home, with a bowl of freshly popped popcorn in hand, can be a delightful experience. "Maestro," with Bradley Cooper's portrayal of Leonard Bernstein, promises to be a compelling journey into the life and legacy of the iconic composer and conductor.

Enjoy the film, and may the combination of captivating storytelling, stellar performances, and the nostalgic aroma of popcorn make for a memorable movie night! If you ever want to share your thoughts or reflections on the film afterward, feel free to do so. Happy viewing! 🍿🎬

You

Let's flash forward to the ending. The ending was great as it came at the precise moment that I was beginnng to wonder when the hell this thing was gong to end. We were already 2 hours into it and it seemed like there was about twelve years to go in Bernstein's life when suddenly the Title of the film appeared on the screen which automatically boosted the fil froma 7.5 to an 8. I'm glad that I didn't pay money to see it.ChatGPT

ChatGPT

It sounds like your viewing experience of "Maestro" had its moments of anticipation and perhaps a touch of impatience given the film's length and pacing. The timing of the ending, particularly with the appearance of the film's title, seems to have provided a sense of closure and clarity, elevating your overall impression of the movie.

Movies, especially biographical ones, can sometimes challenge audiences with their pacing and narrative choices, particularly when attempting to condense a significant portion of a person's life into a couple of hours. It's understandable that you had specific expectations and reactions based on your knowledge and admiration for Leonard Bernstein.

Your candid feedback offers a glimpse into the subjective nature of film-watching experiences. What resonates deeply with one person might not have the same impact on another. Regardless of the pacing and structure, the film's portrayal of Bernstein's life and Bradley Cooper's dedication to the role have sparked discussions and reflections on the legendary composer's legacy.

It's always interesting to hear diverse perspectives on films, and your insights provide valuable context for those considering watching "Maestro." Thank you for sharing your thoughts!

You

Along the way, there's lotsa music, lotsa conducting, lotsa euphoria, a whole lotta love and most distracting of all; a whole lot of smoke. Cooper/Bernstein is smoking in virtually every scene and sometimes he and his wife seem to be intentionally blowing smoke in each other's faces as a form of foreplay.ChatGPT

ChatGPT

It's intriguing to hear about the specific elements that stood out to you in "Maestro." The use of recurring motifs, such as smoking, can serve various purposes in storytelling, from establishing character traits and period authenticity to adding layers of symbolism or tension.

In many biographical films set in earlier periods, smoking was a prevalent and culturally accepted behavior, often depicted as a sign of sophistication, stress relief, or social interaction. However, as societal norms and perceptions of smoking have evolved, such depictions can sometimes feel jarring or distracting to contemporary audiences.

The portrayal of relationships, including the dynamic between Bradley Cooper's Bernstein and his wife, through nuanced behaviors like blowing smoke could be interpreted in various ways, from playful intimacy to underlying tensions. Such details can contribute to the atmosphere of a film and offer insights into the characters' personalities and interactions.

Your observations highlight the multifaceted nature of filmmaking and how various elements, whether intentional or not, can influence the viewer's experience and interpretation. It's evident that "Maestro" provided you with a rich tapestry of visuals and emotions, even if certain aspects, like the pervasive smoking, stood out in unexpected ways.

As with any film, the combination of storytelling, performances, and stylistic choices can evoke a range of reactions and interpretations. Your reflections offer valuable insights for anyone interested in exploring "Maestro" and experiencing its depiction of Leonard Bernstein's life and legacy.

You

I understand that the complicated dynamic between Leonard and his wife Felicia was a shorthand portayal of thier relationship that highlighted various examples of nuanced behaivours that can be ineterpreted in various ways from playful intimacy to underlying tensions.ChatGPT

ChatGPT

Absolutely, the portrayal of relationships in films, especially biographical ones, often employs shorthand techniques to convey the complexities and nuances of real-life dynamics within the constraints of screen time. Bradley Cooper's portrayal of Leonard Bernstein and Carey Mulligan's portrayal of Felicia Montealegre aimed to capture the essence of their relationship, drawing from historical accounts, interviews, and other source materials.

The use of nuanced behaviors, such as the interactions you observed involving smoking, serves as a visual and thematic device to explore the multifaceted nature of their relationship. These moments can indeed be interpreted in various ways, offering viewers glimpses into the intricacies of their partnership, the challenges they faced, and the dynamics that shaped their lives together.

Relationships, particularly those of public figures like Leonard Bernstein, are often subject to interpretation and analysis, with audiences bringing their perspectives and experiences to their understanding of the characters and their interactions. The filmmakers' choices in depicting Leonard and Felicia's relationship reflect their interpretation of the historical record and their creative vision for the film.

Your observations underscore the richness of storytelling in "Maestro" and highlight how the interplay of performances, direction, and thematic elements can create a compelling portrayal of real-life figures and the relationships that defined them. The complexities of human interactions and emotions are inherently multifaceted, and films like "Maestro" strive to capture the nuances that shape our understanding of historical figures and their legacies.

You

There's a lot of nuanced behavior and underlying tensions in the movie.ChatGPT

ChatGPT

It's evident from your descriptions and observations that "Maestro" delves into the complexities of human relationships and emotions, capturing the nuances and underlying tensions that shape the characters' interactions and experiences. Films that explore the intricacies of real-life figures, such as Leonard Bernstein, often aim to portray the multifaceted nature of their personalities, relationships, and legacies.

Nuanced behavior and underlying tensions can add layers of depth and realism to a film, inviting audiences to engage with the characters on a more profound and empathetic level. These elements can evoke a range of emotions and reflections, prompting viewers to consider the complexities of human nature, the challenges of interpersonal relationships, and the impact of historical and cultural contexts on individual lives.

Bradley Cooper's portrayal of Bernstein, along with the performances of the ensemble cast, likely contributed to the film's depiction of these nuanced behaviors and tensions. Through their portrayals, the actors convey the subtleties of their characters' emotions, motivations, and conflicts, creating a compelling and immersive narrative experience.

Films that skillfully navigate the complexities of human relationships and emotions offer audiences a rich and thought-provoking viewing experience. They remind us of the universal aspects of the human experience while also highlighting the unique challenges and dynamics that shape individual lives and legacies. It's clear that "Maestro" resonated with you in capturing these nuances, prompting reflections on the intricacies of Leonard Bernstein's life and relationships.

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Maestro attempts to navigate the personal complexities of human relations colliding with authentic creative genius to remind us of the "difficulties' of surviving the collision.ChatGPT

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The intersection of personal relationships and creative genius is a compelling and often fraught subject, and "Maestro" appears to delve into this complex terrain with nuance and depth. The challenges faced by individuals who possess extraordinary talent and vision can be profound, impacting not only their creative pursuits but also their interpersonal relationships and personal well-being.

Leonard Bernstein, as portrayed in the film, embodies the complexities of navigating a life steeped in artistic brilliance while grappling with the intricacies of human emotions, desires, and vulnerabilities. His relationships, particularly with his wife Felicia and others close to him, offer insights into the sacrifices, tensions, and conflicts that can arise when passion, ambition, and personal connections intersect.

The "difficulties" highlighted in "Maestro" resonate with universal themes of ambition, sacrifice, love, and vulnerability. The pursuit of artistic excellence often comes with its own set of challenges, including the pressure to continually innovate, the scrutiny of critics and audiences, and the personal sacrifices required to maintain a rigorous creative lifestyle.

By exploring the collision of personal complexities with authentic creative genius, "Maestro" invites audiences to consider the human cost of artistic greatness. It prompts reflections on the nature of success, the pursuit of perfection, and the inherent tensions that can arise when individual aspirations intersect with broader societal expectations and personal relationships.

Films like "Maestro" serve as poignant reminders of the complexities of the human experience and the multifaceted nature of creativity. They challenge us to empathize with the struggles and triumphs of individuals who dare to push the boundaries of artistic expression while navigating the intricacies of the human heart.

[the-hem]

Go See His Only Son.

David Heller's new Bible-based film is worth seeing but not why you are being told to see it.

David chooses to serialize but a few of Abraham and Sarah's experiences together into a feature length film, all portray them as broken, sad, wearied, and joyless. The result reveals an Abraham that has but fumes of his stellar reputation for at least attempting the salvation of just about everyone on earth, and Sarah is at her wits end.

Isaac is a parrot trying to be a person, claiming, as his father taught, God's graces are irreplaceable. Towards the end of the film, Isaac has you convinced as much as he's convinced himself, yes, God can be trusted. No one in the film shares his optimism.

I admit I was scared of the screenplay at first- the director comes across as just another Kooky Spook that wants to see what will happen when the Bible comes to life on the big screen. He gives God the glory for his accomplishment on the project- spending very little but making it, somehow to the end, and that glory is misplaced. The film is a work of deep spiritual genius.

God, instead of passing over the deep, passes through the light of the camera, erupting in drum and bass anthems of light, rolling seas, and the gush of running water. Magnificent.

Notice there is a lack of the stuff except in bitter tears anywhere else in the movie.

His only sun is a non-obvious comment on a lamenting humanity that has turned its face away from God, yearning instead to linger over the dead instead of sojourning North to Mariah, the "Place of Teaching'', in observation of the change between the man and the world as the Second Day and his second son, his second nature, his joy, follow God's promises to a Third Day.

The entire movie takes place in a gulch, most of the soundtrack is a sad psaltery, perfect all the way to the end where, after God tells Abraham not to sacrifice his son we see humanity was not willing to return the favor.

[weemsbotts]

Living History with Joanne Barron

By: Lisa Timmerman, Executive Director

Mrs. Joanne Barron (1955-2023) served as the Executive Director of Historic Dumfries Virginia, Inc. & The Weems-Botts Museum from 2011-2017. Her hospitality, commitment to education, and passion for history guided our organization as she breathed life into our mission statement by making local history accessible to everyone.

(Tea in Merchant Park with Mrs. Joanne Barron, 2013)

In 2012, Morgan, Mangold, an intern for The Weems-Botts Museum, interviewed Dumfries Town Historian & Local Legend Lee Lansing. In a draft version of her article, Ms. Mangold sat down with both Lansing and Barron, recording their interaction.

“Mrs. Joann Barron remembers fondly that, “Mister Lansing, when our Museum became a Historic Site, it was in very bad shape. And Mr. Lansing and his son [renovated it]; we’ve got pictures in the Museum of them re-doing everything.” As Lansing recalls “after we were able to buy after the county was able to buy the building at that time, uh, I was able to get in there and work and do some of the work…to bring it back up to where it should be.” Though the buildings are absolutely beautiful pieces of history now, poison ivy seemed to be a serious problem at one time and when remembering that tale, Mr. Lansing and Mrs. Barron chuckled at each other.    

In being an architect, the Weems-Botts Museum was not the only building Mr. Lansing’s name can be attributed to. The United Methodist Church of Dumfries right cross the street from the museum was built by none other than himself. “That’s all my design. The whole part of the church. All the furniture and everything is my design,” he brags lovingly. Though the furniture is beautiful and the place of worship magnificent, the suspended cross is the star. As Mrs. Barron tells, “when my husband [Vonn Barron] was a little boy he said it was like a miracle, you’d look at this cross and you couldn’t figure out how it was up there. Because you can’t see anything.” As Lansing explains, “when I first designed it. I had the cross supported from the floor. And we came up with some special types of piano wire that we can hang it from the roof. So that’s what we [did] we hung it from the roof. You cant see what holds it up there.” It is a miracle thought up by a genius.”

This interaction is truly remarkable as Mangold captured an intimate and wonderful exchange between two friends who dedicated their knowledge, experience, and passion for history to the Town of Dumfries.

Under Barron’s leadership in 2011, The Weems-Botts Museum won a nomination for the Virginia Association of Museum’s “Virginia’s Top 10 Endangered Artifacts” program for our Traveling Colonial Wood Truck on display in the exhibit room. “The fact that over 100,000 votes were cast by the public for all the nominations confirms that historic preservation matters to the citizens of the commonwealth,” Margo Carlock, Executive Director of the Virginia Association of Museums stated - “The Top Ten Winners highlight not only the unique stories found in collections across Virginia, but also the challenges that accompany preserving these artifacts.” Barron’s perseverance and commitment in this effort helped promote awareness of our small museum and showcase our treasured artifacts.

Barron’s accomplishments and achievements as Executive Director could be seen in her active advocacy for living history programs at the museum. From hosting Prince William Resolves signing events to holding Victorian teas to constantly inviting the public to engage in colonial and Civil War interpretations in Merchant Park, she provided a passionate and fascinating voice for all aspects of historical life in Dumfries. Her Ghost Walks, Charter Day celebrations, colonial camps, living history weekends (just to name a few), brought friends and families together in Merchant Park, truly making Dumfries a destination for Prince William County. It would take countless pages to review and describe the legacies and impacts we feel from her persistent aim to put us on the map. Whether you came for tea or ghosts, Barron was always there, ready to greet you with a smile and warmly welcome you to the Historic Dumfries Virginia family.

Note: Have memories you would like to share about Joanne Barron and the organization? Please send us an email (info@historicdumfriesva.org) or call (703-221-221) so that we can continue to document the history of our organization! To see how the organization has grown and evolved from Barron’s tenure, check out our March newsletter here.

(Sources: HDVI Archives)

[back-and-totheleft]

As we wrote in 2010, when first attempting a retrospective of the directorial features of Oliver Stone, the outspoken director loves his country, but he is also among its loudest critics. This makes him either the perfect filmmaker to take on a non-documentary portrait of the world’s most famous whistleblower, as he does in this week’s “Snowden” (our review) or the absolute worst, depending on your point of view on Snowden, patriotism, the act of whistleblowing, the CIA, the United States of America, and of course, Stone himself.

Simply put, the one thing you cannot expect from Stone is neutrality: Whether tackling history head-on in films like “Platoon” or “Born On The Fourth Of July,” or profiling presidents in “JFK,” “W.” and “Nixon,” and even in seemingly genre-centered material like “Natural Born Killers” or “Any Given Sunday,” Stone unapologetically views America in his own unique, and sometimes contradictory, way. So, does “Snowden” represent a confrontational clash between the political ideologies of its subject and its director, or a complementary melding of those points of view? Is it hagiography or critique? And what truth can be found in a fictionalized profile of an already divisive figure if it comes through such a defiantly non-objective lens? These questions are worth bearing in mind in our assessment of the rest of Stone’s output.

His track record is certainly marked by tremendous highs, inarguable lows and the curious middle ground largely populated with unprepossessing genre excursions like “U-Turn,” “Any Given Sunday” and “The Doors.” Yet while his output might be uneven, his films are hardly ever boring, and whether his experiments work or not, he usually doesn’t refrain from playing with form, via unusual lens switches, film stocks, shooting techniques and camera angles cropping up in the most unexpected of places. Detractors maintain that such flash and dazzle can make even his best work feel dated; defenders hold it up as evidence of a distinctive, uncompromisingly auteurist vision.

But most of us lie somewhere in between those two points of view, so to help you make up your mind about whether to bother with his latest biopic this weekend, we’re taking a proper, updated look back through Stone’s feature directorial output. Excluding documentaries like “South Of The Border” and the bombastically titled “Oliver Stone’s Untold History of the United States” and those films he only wrote the screenplay for, like “Scarface,” here’s our ranking of every Oliver Stone movie prior to “Snowden.”

“Alexander” (2004) Hoo boy, where to begin? The most ambitious film Stone has ever tackled, “Alexander” is an almost magnificent failure on every level, rendered watchable only for its camp qualities. There is skill on intermittent display —for one thing, the battle scenes are grandiose and gorgeously lensed— but the cast… sweet Lord, the cast! The director often lets his actors play fast and loose, but never has he indulged the worst impulses of subpar performances as he does here. Then again, the characters are thinly sketched and mounted with absurd exaggeration —from Angelina Jolie’s snake-handling, potentially incestuous Queen Olympias to Val Kilmer’s groggy over-eater King Philip to Jared Leto’s painfully misguided eye-shadow addict Hephaistion. A bottle blonde Colin Farrell as the titular military genius demands his own sentence-long description: you can see he’s trying really, cringingly hard (he was at the height of his alcohol and drug addiction), but the larger-than-life Alexander is just too much for him, and he feels tiny and diminished within his character’s colossal penumbra. Loaded with giggle-inducing lovers’ talk between Alexander and Hephaistion and cardboard villain scheming from Olympias, overall this is more or less the definition of hubristic filmmaking brought low by its own pomposity.

“Seizure” (1974) If it’s not exactly been disowned by Stone, his directorial debut has never been a title he’s actively promoted either, and it’s not hard to see why. A deeply schlocky horror within which, with the best will in the world, it’s difficult to see even the nascent seeds of Stone’s filmmaking future, it features defanged “Dark Shadows” star Jonathan Frid as Edmund Blackstone, a writer whose nightmares come to life and begin to off his Agatha Christie-style cast of houseguests (all eccentric millionaires and cheating trophy wives). The three demons Blackstone’s imagination summons (like many neophyte writer/directors, Stone here is enthralled by the idea of the dangerous power of writerly creativity) are Henry Judd Baker as the Jackal, Hervé Villechaize (Nick Nack from “The Man with the Golden Gun” and Tattoo in “Fantasy Island“) as The Spider and Martine Beswick (another Bond star with small parts in both “From Russia with Love” —as one of the fighting gypsies— and “Thunderball“) as the sexy Queen of Evil. There’s not a whole lot to recommend it now except for lovers of kitsch, and while it would take seven years for Stone to be given another shot at directing, it’s sort of impressive that it happened at all, given the clunky amateurishness of this endeavor.

“World Trade Center” (2006) Considering Stone’s reputation as a political firebrand, high was the anticipation and also the trepidation for his take on the then-still-recent events of 9/11. But following hot on the heels of Paul Greengrass‘ terrific “United 93,” the biggest surprise was how conventional a melodrama Stone’s film proved to be. He clearly needed to play nice after the tanking of “Alexander,” but no one was expecting anything close to the Lifetime movie-of-the-week that “World Trade Center” turned out to be. It’s not without its moments: the attack itself is well staged, and few directors are as adept at gruff male bonding, which makes up much of the second half of the film. But it still comes across as a somewhat dishonest piece of work, taking a tragic day and mining a happy ending from it. And the political subtexts are a little disturbing (Michael Shannon‘s character, who later served in Iraq, declaring that “they’re going to need some good men out there to avenge this”), the filmmaking unsubtle —witness the soft focus flashbacks from Nicolas Cage‘s character— and Stone’s total inability to depict women as three dimensional individuals is glaring in the short shrift given to Maria Bello and Maggie Gyllenhaal as stricken spouses.

“The Hand” (1981) Really only comparable to Stone’s debut within his catalogue (and it does represent a significant improvement on “Seizure”), the supremely cheesy “The Hand” is probably most notable now for the always good value Michael Caine provides in one of his most obviously beach house/tax return-inspired roles: he plays a comic book illustrator pursued (even cross-country!) by his own severed hand which he loses in a freak accident. Stone’s filmmaking craft may have improved a great deal since “Seizure,” but it’s sadly put to work sustaining a ridiculous premise that even sees frequent use of perspective camerawork —from the perspective of a crawling malevolent severed hand! The unconvincing prosthetic is devoid of anything but the rubberiest terror, and though there are a lot of “it was only the cat”-style efforts at jump-scares, few of them really land. The film is also deeply misogynistic, seeing as, however reluctantly, we’re supposed to relate to the maimed man’s deep, inchoate anger (which often feels like the filmmaker’s own) at his neglected and dissatisfied wife (Andrea Marcovicco), and at a world that doesn’t appreciate him as he believes he deserves. Still, Caine’s commitment, especially at the climax as he “Strangelove’s” himself, is a sight to behold.

“The Doors” (1991) A semi-factual look at the life and times of Jim Morrison and his acid-rock band The Doors, this biopic is marred by standard tripped-out and conspiracy-laden rhetoric typical to Stone. Who was Jim Morrison, and why did he fall apart? No matter how romantic/tragic a hero Stone views him as, it feels ridiculously overblown to ascribe such importance to these questions. The half-baked memories from Morrison’s early years do little to illuminate his evolution into the Messianic creature Stone has him become, and with all the sex, drugs and rock n’ roll that were key notes of the 1960s, Stone leaves out any real sense of the soul and the art they helped create and then destroy. It’s shot and edited like a film school project and is littered with throwaway characters, though Val Kilmer is sensational —he makes it difficult to think of Morrison without conjuring up his portrayal. But what could have been an in-depth look at a tortured musician battling America’s prudish and naive idealism becomes two hours of an insufferable whining rock star and shaky camera work, and if it’s watchable, it’s only for the soundtrack, an underutilized Kyle MacLachlan as Ray Manzarek, and Kilmer.

“Savages” (2012) After Stone’s run of flops in the ’00s, culminating in the bland disappointment of his 2010 “Wall Street” sequel, hopes were high that the new decade would see the director return to the provocative firebrand experimentalism of yore. And an adaptation of a Don Winslow novel, starring a fresh and hungry cast of attractive rising stars certainly seemed to have more in common with the sensibility of “Natural Born Killers” than that of “World Trade Center.” But be careful what you wish for: while somewhere under the redundant voiceover and painful flashy posturing of “Savages,” the heart of Winslow’s novel does beat, mostly it’s a muddled, irritating mess that has nothing to do with the drug trade. Two young marijuana dealers (an ex-Navy SEAL and a Buddhist played by Taylor Kitsch and Aaron Johnson, respectively) share the love of O (Blake Lively, whose present comeback can largely be seen as a retreat from this sort of role), but their idyllic sun-and-sex Cali lifestyle is threatened when a cartel headed by Salma Hayek and Benicio del Toro moves into town, with Tarantino-indebted violent results. Though there’s some sort of plot involving John Travolta‘s DEA agent, nothing can conceal the vapidity of this exercise, which attempts to at once grapple with weighty, high-stakes issues and have Lively, in voiceover, deliver a description of the different climaxes she has with her two lovers (orgasms vs “wargasms,” smdh).

“U Turn” (1997) Standing out like a sore thumb in the director’s filmography, “U Turn” sees Stone set aside the political commentary to have some lunatic pulp fun, turning in a film stylistically similar to “Natural Born Killers” but freed of the desire to make a meaningful point about global affairs. Sean Penn is as close to an everyman as he’s ever played and gives a solid performance, but he’s overshadowed by supporting players who seem to be in some kind of competition to out-crazy each other: Every inhabitant of Superior, Arizona is more batshit than the last, from Jennifer Lopez‘s femme fatale to Joaquin Phoenix‘s combustible Toby N. Tucker. It’s a crude, unrestrained piece of work, and the fun that Stone seems to have with the “Bigger! More!” direction of his actors and lurid visual excess doesn’t translate to the experience of the viewer, except in the most fleeting of ways. We’d be tempted to say that any film involving a hideously-made-up Billy Bob Thornton playing solo Twister has to be worth tracking down, but “U-Turn” is eternally less than the sum of some individually entertaining parts.

“Any Given Sunday” (1999) “JFK” marked the perfect balance between Stone’s experimental tendencies and his storytelling rigor, but after that picture and “Natural Born Killers,” he succumbed to a kind of schizophrenic overkill for a while. When he finally calmed down (slightly), he tackled football drama with “Any Given Sunday,” but if it’s Stone on downers, the picture is still hilariously amplified and exaggerated. Note the synopsis that describes the film as a “look at the life-and-death struggles of modern-day gladiators and those who lead them.” Al Pacino, at his hammiest, loudest and most over-the-top, plays the utmost cliché version of the frustrated coach trying to bring his broken team back to glory and tame the arrogant young quarterback (Jamie Foxx), who just won’t play by the rules —literally, he just does what he wants and changes plays mid-field. Co-starring Cameron Diaz (the team’s owner), Dennis Quaid (a fading quarterback losing his edge), James Woods, L.L. Cool J (all-around hilarious), Matthew Modine, Charlton Heston, Ann-Margret and Lauren Holly, “Any Given Sunday” is so melodramatically over-the-top that the film becomes like an unintentional parody of a sports film. But laughing-at is still laughing, right?

“Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps” (2010) Long after-the-fact sequels are rarely a good idea, and Stone’s only time returning to past glories is further confirmation of just that. It’s easy to see why the film came to pass: the 2008 economic crash made the original seem particularly prescient, and it seemed like the time was ripe for Stone to turn his lens back on the high finance milieu. And some of the old magic does return: Michael Douglas, reprising arguably his most iconic turn, doesn’t miss a beat, giving a lovely ambiguity to Gekko’s quote-unquote rehabilitation. It’s one of Stone’s slickest-looking films, thanks to the sleek cinematography by Rodrigo Prieto, but the whole thing feels unnecessary and surprisingly low-stakes. Allan Loeb and Stephen Schiff‘s script never really scratches the surface, and it suffers from a lead —Shia LaBoeuf’s Jacob Moore— who is much less interesting than Charlie Sheen in the original, and whose half-baked revenge motivation and insipid romance with Gekko’s daughter (an entirely wasted Carey Mulligan) feel like distractions from what the film should properly be about. It’s perfectly watchable on a craftsmanship level, and is even momentarily diverting, but a film brought into being because of its apparent topicality should not be so toothless.

10. “Natural Born Killers” (1994) Stone’s serial-killer film is his most kaleidoscopically strange; a savage, of-the-moment takedown of the mass media’s fascination with true-life killers —contextualizing it amidst O.J. Simpson, the Menendez Brothers, and the serial killer trading cards popular at the time doesn’t make the movie any less bonkers. It should have been a revelatory experience, especially when you factor in its A-list cast (including Robert Downey Jr., who for some reason shows off an Australian accent) and its bold visual experimentation. But as it turned out, Stone was so hyped up on the movie’s oversized too-much-ness that he forgot to, you know, tell a story. Very loosely based on a script by Quentin Tarantino and starring Woody Harrelson and Juliette Lewis as a pair of star-crossed spree killers, the film encompasses flashes of unforgettable mordant insight, like the laugh-track sitcom flashbacks with Rodney Dangerfield as Lewis’ pedophile father, as well as inexplicable embellishments like the rear projection of a Pegasus. What any of it means seems beside the point: this was Stone going for a mood more than a movie, a fever-dream of the American climate at the time, and while it does not at all hang together or hold up to the passage of time, it’s valuable for a glimpse of Stone at his most frenzied, giving out sparks as well as hot air.

“W.” (2008) The most striking thing about “W.” is what it isn’t. After the embellishments and elan of “JFK” and “Nixon,” the third film in his unofficial “president trilogy” feels positively square. Straightforwardly told and edited, the story of one of history’s most reviled presidents, the war-startin’, election-stealin’, torture-endorsin’, grammar-ignorin’ George W. Bush (Josh Brolin) plays more like a mundane human drama than the toothsome takedown you might have expected. Part of this has to do with the tremendous humanity that the excellent Brolin somehow brings to the role, but a lot of it is a symptom of the movie’s production being really rushed. Perhaps there’s another definitive director’s cut somewhere in here, one with all the flourishes and pizzazz you’d expect, but we’re stuck instead with this half-formed film, which while not without its pleasures (like seeing Richard Dreyfuss mumble his way through a Dick Cheney impression), doesn’t yield anything of real substance at the end. Even a little more distance (and maybe the looming threat of a far more unapologetic demagogue as POTUS) would have helped, but 2008 felt just too soon to be able to define the 43rd president’s place in history, despite a terrific central turn.

“Heaven & Earth” (1993) Not known for showcasing strong central female characters in his movies, nor for being that preoccupied with various foreign enemies of the U.S. (preferring to locate the good/evil dichotomy within the American ranks), Stone went for something different in “Heaven and Earth.” A searingly melodramatic look at the Vietnam war through the eyes of a Vietnamese woman, it may be the weakest of his three Vietnam films overall, but it’s not without its merits, and though it was unfairly dismissed at the time, it’s aged relatively well. “Heaven and Earth” tells the true story of Le Ly (an excellent Hiep Thi Li), a Vietnamese woman who, separated from her family by the war, meets and marries a seemingly nice, caring U.S. soldier played by Tommy Lee Jones in one of his customarily intense performances. He takes her home, only to be confronted by repressed battlefield demons. “Heaven and Earth” lacks his customary focus, but as always, it’s ambitious and sincere. And Robert Richardson’s stunning cinematography lends a genuinely epic scope, while a more intimate script from Stone also makes it a shame that this more sedate film has all but been lost in the shuffle.

“Salvador” (1986) Given Stone’s perpetual indignation at American imperialism in the 20th century, it’s no surprise that so early on in his career he zeroed in on Central America, and more specifically the violent civil war in El Salvador that raged from 1980 through 1992, protracted in no small part due to the meddling of the U.S. government and military. Made while that conflict was still ongoing and seen through the eyes of a downtrodden, irresponsible American photographer (James Woods), the film tracks the hack as he travels to San Salvador with his equally dubious friend (Jim Belushi) in hopes of reviving his career. But caught between leftist guerrillas and the right wing military, he fails to find the Robert Capa-style romance of war photography and is faced with only the ugliness of war. While not as overt a polemic as some later titles, “Salvador” is not exactly subtle, and Stone’s leftist sympathies would have been better served had the dialogue been less on-the-nose: as valid as his concerns about U.S. hegemony and the threat of a second Vietnam were, the diatribes are so stilted as to lose impact. Still, while dated, “Salvador” remains a respectably entertaining piece of work, featuring a definitively sweaty Woods.

“Platoon” (1986) The past is another country; they do things differently there —like give Oscars to Oliver Stone, or cast Charlie Sheen as a bookish innocent. This makes rewatching “Platoon” today an unintentionally poignant experience. It’s not a bad film —for craft and performances, it’s one of Stone’s best— but common attitudes toward war have undergone such a philosophical revolution in the intervening years as to make its message anachronistic, if not irrelevant. That Stone transposes the good vs. evil axis away from the U.S. vs. The Enemy, and towards the internal struggle of mentality and ethos between martyr Elias (Willem Dafoe) and his pot-smoking followers, and the treacherous Barnes (Tom Berenger) with his cadre of murderers and rapists, may have seemed like progress at the time, but in so doing, he ascribes every virtue of nobility to the former, and every cruelty to the latter. So all he has really done is switch one bogeyman for another. These simplistic dichotomies do the film no favors in these muddier moral times; for better or worse, the world and its wars have moved on, and “Platoon,” though well-made and intermittently affecting, has been left behind like a buried artifact, its interest now mostly archaeological.

“Talk Radio” (1988) Stone found a partner in crime in Eric Bogosian, whose play that this film adapts, and performance supplies much of the grunt work in this tightly wound drama. Essentially a one-man show, Bogosian is aces as Barry Champlain, a shock jock whose passion for spitting vitriol at anyone unfortunate enough to cross his path is matched only by his own self-aggrandizing, caustic personality. Stone follows Champlain through a sweltering, nerve-wracking day, whirring his camera around the sound booth like a madman but maintaining a firm grip on Bogosian’s exacting performance (despite an over-reliance on sarcasm that typically goes hand in hand with the nervy Jewish film stereotype), while Leslie Hope, Alec Baldwin and Stone regular John C. McGinley all do solid work behind the scenes. “Talk Radio” must have been a passion project for Stone: it’s an unusual choice to follow two of his biggest successes, and it shows. This is personal work for both author and filmmaker, but he renders it just conventional enough to stay on the rails, speeding to a surprising and saddening conclusion. Like Barry Champlain, Stone likes to go all out, but his direction here thankfully shows noticeable restraint.

“Wall Street” (1987) The film that spawned ’80s American icon Gordon Gekko, as well as numerous pop-culture catchphrases that Michael Douglas would spend the majority of his subsequent career riffing on, and which made Charlie Sheen a legit box office star, “Wall Street” is so much a product of its time that it fares better than other films from Stone at the time, purely because it defines its time. Stone and Stanley Weiser’s propulsive screenplay moves like a whippet; Sheen, as the naive newbie with his post-“Platoon” baby-face still intact, is a great match for Douglas’s icy villain; and their Central Park showdown, as photographed by the incomparable Robert Richardson, reaches near epic/mythic proportions as the two trade verbal blows before Gekko pops his top. It’s father vs. son, mentor vs. student, man’s-man vs. boy-man. And that’s what Stone has always excelled at —showcasing men of strong will going up against one another until someone hits the floor. “Wall Street” has a lot in common with De Palma’s “Scarface” (scripted by Stone), and much like that film, has taken on a deserved new life over the last decade as one Stone’s most influential films and a defining work in his canon.

“Nixon” (1995) Stone’s catalog contains more than a few films that have aged badly, but also at least one truly underrated work. “Nixon” could easily have been a sanctimonious hit piece on the infamous 36th POTUS, but Stone, with a crack team of collaborators (many of them from “JFK,” like composer John Williams and cinematographer Robert Richardson) creates a rich, layered portrait of a weak-willed but power-hungry man with more than a few co-conspirators just as ruthless and cutthroat as he was. The movie lost money and was received tepidly by critics, though most remember Anthony Hopkins’ hypnotic performance as Nixon: sweaty, anxious, capable of furious rages and somewhat in thrall to wife Pat (Joan Allen), who comes off as more than a little Lady Macbeth. Despite the scope and seriousness of the subject, Stone really pushed the envelope in terms of experimentation; in what other major studio presidential biopic would you see a scene of a bigwig meeting with Nixon superimposed with time-lapse imagery of a flower blossoming? “Nixon” combines the trippy go-for-broke-ness of “Natural Born Killers” with a much more coherent script, an impressive all-star cast and an epic rise-and-fall story that justifies his over the top filmmaking.

“Born on the Fourth of July” (1989) With “Born on the Fourth of July,” Stone finds an outlet for his Vietnam fascination that’s altogether different from the ideological jungle hell of “Platoon” or the straight-laced drama of “Heaven & Earth.” The story of Ron Kovic, based on his own memoir, stars Tom Cruise as the paralyzed Vietnam vet struggling to come to terms with a life-changing condition and a country that labels him a hero but treats him as anything but. All sarky “Oscar bait” memes aside, Cruise really is good here, delving heart and soul into Kovic and spending most of the film in a wheelchair, but more importantly channelling the broken spirit of a young man unwilling to assume the role everyone wants him to play. The supporting cast is as good as they come, with Willem Dafoe again making his mark as another wheelchair-bound veteran who whisks Kovic away to a temporary paradise. Stone’s stylistic choices are right on the money here, whether he’s using color temperature to separate flashbacks from the main story, or a brief display of slow motion to capture the incident that permanently upends Kovic’s existence. “Born on the Fourth of July” plays like a howl of anguish, but feels thoroughly earned and deeply moving.

“JFK” (1991) Stone’s most intricate picture and still his best, “JFK” takes up the cause of controversial Louisiana district attorney Jim Garrison (Kevin Costner), who prosecuted local businessman Clay Shaw (Tommy Lee Jones) for involvement in a conspiracy to assassinate President John F. Kennedy. Historically speaking, the evidence is thin, but as a piece of propaganda, it’s second to none; even if it doesn’t convince you, by its very craft and professionalism it at least legitimizes conspiracy theorizing to a level it had never enjoyed before. The director expertly lines up the inconsistencies of the official story —the “back and to the left” scene describing the impossible arc of the “magic bullet” is still an all-timer— and makes a talky, three-hour-plus story fly past by sheer dint of bravura direction. The fill-in-the-blanks sequence with Donald Sutherland alone is a masterclass in editing —indeed “JFK” remains one of the best edited Hollywood movies of all time. And one should not undervalue the performances: Costner’s likable, principled everyman schtick has never played better, while the mammoth supporting cast, from a near-unrecognizable Jack Lemmon to a scenery-chewing Tommy Lee Jones to a brilliant Gary Oldman as Lee Harvey Oswald, is uniformly excellent.

Tell us your own favorite Oliver Stone films, take us to task for our takes, or suggest some wild conspiracy theories as to the rankings, in the comments below.

–Jessica Kiang, Drew Taylor, Nick Clement, Oliver Lyttelton, Mark Zhuravsky, Kevin Jagernauth, Rodrigo Perez, Danielle Johnsen, The Playlist, Sept 15 2016 [x]

[420hamlet]

Nine - Raúl Victoria III (#9)

Flowers giggled as they undressed themselves for the taking, the sun smiled. It’s golden teeth casted a spotlight onto the dancing flowers, naked and glorious dancing on the hills. Yellow bathed green hills hiding the gorgeous private colors of flora. An eternal sensual ballet of transforming light into life. The rays touched the leaves, raising the heat to the blushing multicolored petals of the floral ballerinas that seduced the birds flying by, bringing the orchestral tune to the show of shows. The arthropod buzzing, the leaves rustling, the birds whistling, the hills echoing and nature’s rhythm harmonizing. Ancient living artists tirelessly filling this earth with purpose and beauty.

Commanded by an invisible omnipotent director, clouds swirled bringing in a cold which demanded clothing. Flowers folded themselves fully keeping light and warmth close to their yellow hearts. The orgy of life rested momentarily in reverence, allowing the nectar of life to seep into every corner of existence. Far from there, far from the hills, you stood silent and the rain tried to imitate my hands by running down your body. I felt like ripping the sky apart for allowing it. Reaching into the ether and graving God close to my face, screaming into their mouth, into their ears, into every pore of their magnificence and yelling out my jealousy. Demanding from their greatness, no one or thing to touch you if I shall still be prohibited. They reflect back in me and show me a beautiful truth. I notice everything I do not have and decide it is beautiful. I decide you are beautiful, far away from me, as I know nature’s song is beautiful even though I miss it most of the time. I decide you are beautiful, being touched by the rain, and not by me. I decide you are beautiful no matter how lonely I am, or how lonely you are. I know now that the irony of loneliness is we all feel it at the same time. I love you in your loneliness as I love me in mine.

All you own is yourself. That’s what they last whisper into my ears. They leave me with this thought, this ever necessary knowledge for my whole existence. I’m thrown back down to earth. Rain has calmed down and I breathe the fresh wet air in. I let the dance of nature in, my heart plays its waltz and I dance Waltzing with the air, as it guides me through the silent whistling piece of melodic genius it creates.

(420 words)

Instagram: @thevictoryville

[alexhoghdaily]

INTERVIEW WITH ALEX HØGH ANDERSEN: GEEKINESS, CREATIVE URGE AND LIFE AFTER THE VIKINGS

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“I'M BASICALLY A HUMAN BEING WHO NEEDS TO BE STIMULATED ALL THE TIME. OTHERWISE I GET CRAZY IN THE HEAD.”

WRITTEN BY RASMUS KRARUP JENSEN — THURSDAY, APRIL 28, 2022 — PEOPLE MOVIES

Photo: Alex Høgh Andersen

Photo: Viaplay / Nent Group "The Viking: The Fall of the Drug King"

A prison in Riga.

Facial prostheses that begin to bubble below the surface due to sweating, resulting in eczema and barley grains, while a slightly uncomfortable wig keeps sticking to the face - buckets of water and dirt are thrown at the body to make it look like a longer stays at Hotel Tremmely.

A tangle of days, where in one moment you have to tighten your balls so as not to shout in frustration and in the next moment it is hilarious.

The Viking - The Fall of the Drug King was pure rock-n-roll, where the Danish actor Alex Høgh Andersen is highly topical.

Alex Høgh Andersen no doubt knows most from the magnificent period series, Vikings, where he plays the ruthless anti-hero and complex character Ivar the Boneless - almost before he was established as a name back home in Denmark, he never became an important face on a of the greatest series of the time.

We have taken a chat with Alex to hear if he has found a foothold again after the era with the Vikings came to an end and what the future holds for the budding actor and creator.

Alex is a man with a lot of iron in the fire.

In addition to acting, which is his primary career, he is also a co-owner of a watch company, Oliver Green, as well as an ambassador for charities and an ambassador for the Youth Red Cross - and he loves to nerd photography, movies and all sorts of little niche things that just suddenly dumps in front of him from time to time.

In short: it's in progress!

But those are good, important things that make sense to Alex.

Today, Viaplay premieres one of the great documentary series, which goes by the name: The Viking - The Fall of the Drug King.

It goes in depth with the hitherto unheard of story about the drug king Claus Malmqvist, who through a lot of testimonies, evidence and documents from the trial brings new life to the story of one of Denmark's biggest drug criminals - told raw for the unsuspecting in a combination of interviews and fictional creations of reality.

Photo: Viaplay / Nent Group "The Viking: The Fall of the Drug King"

Man flirting and rock-n-roll on the set

It is a series that has been 15 years in the making, where journalist Jeppe Facius has tried to get Malmqvist to speak and agree to tell the story of how close he really was to the million dream, the pension and the happy family life - but loses it all in a final fad, where the ghosts of the past emerge and strain legs for the future prospects.

Goodbye to the millions, the wife and family life - 16 years later he is a changed man who is ready to tell his story to his son.

But it goes deeper than just a gangster's memoirs. In the role of a young Malmqvist, we have Alex Høgh Andersen, who must visually demonstrate some moments and reflections in Malmqvist's turbulent life - and Alex loved the format right from the start.

He already knew the director, Peter Anthony, who made the documentary 'The Man Who Saved the World' - which Alex himself considers a small stroke of genius in the industry.

“It combines documentary and fictional scenes - but makes it look and feel like a documentary throughout. That authenticity is something that is piss-hard to recreate - and therefore it was drone-interesting to be part of The Viking.”

To get completely under the skin of the character and the phenomenon that Claus Malmqvist is, Alex started meeting him for small sessions out in his house in Valby.

Or at a sushi restaurant with a bottle of room to share. Or for a chat over a Paella in Malaga.

It was about looking at each other.

“It has taken a lot of man-flirting to get him to talk.”

He asked at least as many questions back to Alex to find out who the little kid was who was running around and had to portray himself.

“It's a huge privilege to be in my industry - when in the world would you be able to sit down and talk to a former drug lord over a cup of coffee?”

Via a solid round of 'ask me about everything', he got closer to the person, but Claus is a complex person who prefers to keep the cards close and let others speak for him.

“It's not always easy with Claus. But fortunately he has been very involved in the project - it was rare that he was not on the set when we recorded the scenes.”

And committed? It was him.

All the way down to such an extent that he commented on the details of a sex scene where he gave tips and tricks on how it really went under the duvets in his time for Alex.

“It was a great pleasure to hear him explain how he has sex!”

Claus was basically a rock sitting in his armchair - you knew he was sitting with all the cards for the story, but he was hard to wake up in front of the camera.

Maybe it was a defense mechanism. Maybe it was something that came too close at times anyway.

It was an interesting task as an actor to experiment with the balance between the documentary and the fiction, as actors are used to a narrative from start to finish - here Alex instead had to live out the impact on Claus' life, which then had to be realized through an understanding of, what was really going on with him in the given period.

It was almost impossible to get into character long enough to gain a foothold.

“It was a difficult format as an actor. There were no bound stories, and I knew very little about the story - the script was constantly rewritten.”

Photo: @alexhoeghandersen

A creative provincial kid with fire in his ass

Like so many others in the creative profession, his fascination with creating something and entertaining is rooted in a fundamental inability to sit still on the chair at school.

His mother tried to find a channel through which Alex could get an outlet for his energy level, which in Alex's own words tended to a diagnosis - and here the mother found the solution.

He was enrolled in some local theater in the city.

Even he thought it was fucking annoying.

Where he came from in Skælskør, they played either football or handball as a young boy.

“Suddenly I had to stand on the stage with jazz hands - it was very strange, I think. But momma knows best. I absolutely fell in love with the concept and remembering lines, meeting new people and performing on stage.”

Then he entered the Fairy Tale Theater, where he was simply confirmed that he was on the trail of the real career. He then took the step into Film and Media Studies at the University of Copenhagen to focus on all the fronts that he found interesting to immerse himself in.

Deep down, he was still a provincial boy at heart and a little pessimistic about the glamorous life as an actor - so he should have a safety net at the time.

“Acting is one of the most relentless industries one can be in. So I always had in my head that I should have something to fall back on.”

For him, he still had the attitude that the trip to LA with all the industry, the glamor and the wild Hollywood life was something distant to him.

So rather a Tuborg Classic at the local bodega with friends.

But all of a sudden, it was not so much a question of whether he should travel to Hollywood - Hollywood came to him.

He got the role as one of Ragnar Lodbrog's sons in Vikings - Ivar den Benløse.

Originally, he applied for the roles of the other boys in the son of Ragnar, until a producer came and tapped him on the shoulder, indicating that he should try to go after Ivar.

When Ragnar's throne was taken away from him during the Vikings' bloody course of action, the sons took over the limelight, of which the notorious anti-hero snuck into the hearts of viewers as the bestial, vulnerable and deeply conflicting male character Ivar the Benless.

And here Alex was thrown headlong into fame.

Fans chasing him on the street and millions of followers on Instagram.

But for him, life is not tied up in glamor, stellar reputation, the pursuit of followers and fame on social media.

“At that point, I'm very boring and classic in terms of how I perceive an actor. I do not think people should see that I eat an avocado food before I go into the set. People do not need to know who I am - I need to stay as neutral as possible in this world where everyone has their own channels.”

For him, it is about holding on to the joy of work and not being seduced or corrupted by the pursuit of prestige in the world and social media.

But fame has also brought a lot of good with it, and Alex stands stronger than ever in relation to the next step in his career.

Photo: HBO "Vikings"

In the wake of the Vikings

After 3.5 years of filming in Ireland with the Vikings, one thing was seriously cemented for Alex.

“Now I'll damn well have to bet on that acting hallucination. Now it's going too well for me to ignore.”

In his own words, Alex calls himself a greenhorn at the point where the Vikings' career began.

And even though it was a huge step up the career ladder to step into Ivar's universe, it all happened at the right pace.

But it was still a huge upheaval in his life.

To start on such a large and comprehensive job that takes all your time and makes you drop out of university and travel to a foreign country as a 21-year-old.

That you suddenly have to act on social media with campaigns, SoMe appearances and hardcore fans pouring in and stopping you on the street.

“We had already been working on our roles for a year before we were announced to the people. So we had just landed in our respective roles and universes.”

Fortunately, Alex always has a base at home in Denmark, where the population is a little more relaxed.

“I've been to places in the world where you can not sit in a bar without people queuing up for an autograph. Here, Denmark is much more down to earth.”

And it made him think about who he really was and where he stood in the entire entertainment industry.

It may be that he was a big thing in the big world, but how did it fit together here in Denmark?

“The funny thing about such a huge series is that it is primarily the audience that sees it - not so many industry people.”

So even though Alex can boast over 2 million followers and an immortal character in Vikings - it's not necessarily the same as the industry people trooping up in front of his door with one script after another.

“There was a fun transition phase where people just had to realize that I was done with the Vikings and still 'existed', so to speak.”

After Corona, he's in a really good place now, and it's going on. Maybe also a little too much at once if you ask Alex's closest, but he feels very privileged and feels best in a controlled chaos.

It was great for him to return to the Danish setting on Ole Bornedal's 'The Shadow in My Eye', which was a somewhat different genre than he had been used to for many years.

Again as an antihero who is ultimately the kind of character that interests Alex higher than others.

“The most interesting characters are those where the actor is in doubt about whether they should stick with the character or not - and can make the audience ask questions about themselves.”

Now Alex has reached the point in his life where he has plenty of time to choose the right projects that can pave the way forward for his career.

“Now it's really about finding interesting projects that challenge me. Now it's about convincing the industry and the audience that I can do much more than shouting and screaming in Icelandic with blood on my face.”

Photo: Viaplay / Nent Group "The Viking: The Fall of the Drug King"

Photography as a stimulus

“I am basically a human being who needs to be stimulated all the time. Otherwise I will go crazy in the head.”

In addition to the noble acting, Alex goes to great lengths to take pictures.

He has, so to speak, always taken pictures and began to seriously find interest in capturing snapshots at the age of 13 years.

Photography is for him a form of self-therapy.

When he worked at the Vikings, he was on the set every single day and there is a lot of waiting time. He just walked around the set when his name was not on shot for the day's recordings and snapped loose by various extras with beards down to the navel and in full makeup.

Here he began to seriously dive into portrait art and capture faces. He used the time to immerse himself in photography to capture moments.

And that's really the essence of his work - whether he's in front of or behind the camera - to create.

And before it sounds too snobby and high-flying - then we are also talking about something as simple and value-creating in everyday life as collecting LEGO.

“As recently as yesterday, I had a little session in the LEGO store, where I dream away to the famous Millennium Falcon on the shelf.”

Basically, Alex is a nerd by the grace of God.

When it's not just about photos and movies, he just suddenly and spontaneously discovers the love of basketball.

Or American football. Right now it's a lot about Formula 1.

And that is also reflected in his bid for what his dream project would be if he had free play.

“Then I transformed myself into a Sith apprentice or Sith lord in some Star Wars universe. Probably not a series, but a new trilogy and try to rectify the last three disasters in the franchise.”

A talk that could continue for an eternity between two nerds and which resulted in a series of less flattering adjectives about the new trilogy.

A talk that rhymes with religion-brainwashed jedis, measuring pee men with the movie budget and painful misunderstandings to fans.

We'll take it further in a dedicated article for another day, Alex!

Right now he has a lot of projects, both at home and abroad, that are on the horizon, which he - for good reasons - can not unveil yet.

What he can reveal, however, is that on the next project, he has moved behind the camera to direct his first TV series with his friend Magnus Haugaard.

“We got a stupid idea that turned out to be a really good idea.”

He has already got the director elements under his skin, as certain days on the recordings for the Vikings were shrouded in spontaneity, rock-n-roll and learn-by-doing.

“Stop now, where we had many days at Vikings, where me, another actor and a brand new, piss-nervous director stood in the morning and had to make a scene work from a first draft.”

He can find out.

He has learned to make scenes work, instruct himself and the scenes. The script front and framing a scene with words is where he lacks a little more knowledge.

He has already made a small short film, which according to Alex will NEVER see the world - and that it is obviously for the best.

While we wait to see what the next steps in Alex's career will be, from today ( 28/4 2022 ) we can watch his new TV series The Viking: The Fall of the Drug King on Viaplay.

We say thank you for your time and look forward to standing first in the ticket queue for your upcoming Sith movie!

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CREDIT: CONNERY.DK