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humunanunga · 1 year

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So I looked it up, because of course the Holmes books aren't alone to enter the public domain this year, and Metropolis has too. So here's the list I found of creative works that are now public domain:

Books

— The Gangs of New York, by Herbert Asbury (original publication)

— Death Comes for the Archbishop, by Willa Cather

— The Big Four, by Agatha Christie

— The Tower Treasure, the first Hardy Boys mystery by the pseudonymous Franklin W. Dixon

— The Case-Book of Sherlock Holmes, by Arthur Conan Doyle

— Copper Sun, by Countee Cullen

— Mosquitoes, by William Faulkner

— Men Without Women, by Ernest Hemingway

— Der Steppenwolf, by Herman Hesse (in German)

— Amerika, by Franz Kafka (in German)

— Now We Are Six, by A.A. Milne with illustrations from E.H. Shepard

— Le Temps retrouvé, by Marcel Proust (in French)

— Twilight Sleep, by Edith Wharton

— The Bridge of San Luis Rey, by Thornton Wilder

— To The Lighthouse, by Virginia Woolf

Movies

— "7th Heaven," directed by Frank Borzage

— "The Battle of the Century," a Laurel and Hardy film directed by Clyde Bruckman

— "The Kid Brother," directed by Ted Wilde

— "The Jazz Singer," directed by Alan Crosland

— "The Lodger: A Story of the London Fog," directed by Alfred Hitchcock

— "Metropolis," directed by Fritz Lang

— "Sunrise," directed by F.W. Murnau

— "Upstream," directed by John Ford

— "Wings," directed by William A. Wellman

Musical compositions

— "Back Water Blues," "Preaching the Blues" and "Foolish Man Blues" (Bessie Smith)

— "The Best Things in Life Are Free," from the musical "Good News" (George Gard "Buddy" De Sylva, Lew Brown, Ray Henderson)

— "Billy Goat Stomp," "Hyena Stomp" and "Jungle Blues" (Ferdinand Joseph Morton)

— "Black and Tan Fantasy" and "East St. Louis Toodle-O" (Bub Miley, Duke Ellington)

— "Can't Help Lovin' Dat Man" and "Ol' Man River," from the musical "Show Boat" (Oscar Hammerstein II, Jerome Kern)

— "Diane" (Erno Rapee, Lew Pollack)

— "Funny Face" and "'S Wonderful," from the musical "Funny Face" (Ira and George Gershwin)

— "(I Scream You Scream, We All Scream for) Ice Cream" (Howard Johnson, Billy Moll, Robert A. King)

— "Mississippi Mud" (Harry Barris, James Cavanaugh)

— "My Blue Heaven" (George Whiting, Walter Donaldson)

— "Potato Head Blues" and "Gully Low Blues" (Louis Armstrong)

— "Puttin' on the Ritz" (Irving Berlin)

— "Rusty Pail Blues," "Sloppy Water Blues" and "Soothin' Syrup Stomp" (Thomas Waller)

Source: https://www.voanews.com/a/public-domain-debuts-include-last-sherlock-holmes-work-/6898309.html

#sherlock holmes #public domain #news #january #january 2023 #2023 #psa #tldr #etc

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jojo-0-o-deactivated20231228 · 1 year

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The wooden floorboards creek and croak under the clickety clack of your newly acquired gilded leather boots as you make your way up to the deck, over vast hordes of fortune, past engorged piles of gold and spice, doubloons and silks, navigating mazes of stacked chests brimming with books and boundless scrolls. You tip- toe around your comatose crewmates, satiated by plunder and ransacked stores of rum, to the mast of your ship, and look out onto the horizon.

Heliotrope hues of dusk creep up behind the melting sunset, calming the raging gusts of the sea to caresses of the breeze. Wisps of ghostly silver swirl hazily amongst sporadic speckles of spangling starlight like a stewing soup in the sky, its delicate marbling mirrored on waves that twinkle under the moonlight. Skull and crossbones whip in the wind and the ship rocks lazily as if lulled to sleep by the cradle of the sloping sea. You sigh, contented, and pray to avoid a watery grave for many moons to come.

or, Books Master list:

A Series of Unfortunate events by Lemony Snicket, 1 through 13(Epubs)

Tales of Dunk and Egg by George R. R. Martin 01-03, 1, 2 & 4(Epubs)

A song of Ice and Fire by George R. R. Martin, 1 through 5, including 4.5, A World of Ice and Fire, and Fire and Blood(no.1 is a PDF, the rest Epubs)

A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas, 1 through 4(Epubs)

All For The Game by Nora Sakavic, 1, 2, &3(Epubs)

Anne of Green Gables by L. M. Montgomery, 1 through 8(Epubs)

The Fowl Twins by Eoin Colfer, 1&2(Epubs)

Artemis Fowl by Eoin Colfer, 1 through 8(PDFs)

Carry On by Rainbow Rowell, 1, 2, &3(no.3 is a PDF, the rest Epubs)

Chaos Walking by Patrick Ness, 1,2 &3, including 2.5 and snowscape(snowscape is a PDF, the rest Epubs)

Chronicles of Alice by Christina Henry, 1&2(Epubs)

City of Ghosts by Victoria Schwab, 1,2 &3(no.1 is a PDF, the rest Epubs)

Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi, 1&2(Epubs)

Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation by Mo Xiang Tong Xiu(Epub)

Heaven's Official Blessing by Mo Xiang Tong Xiu(PDF)

The Scum Villain's Self Saving System by Mo Xiang Tong Xiu(Epub)

Discworld by Terry Pratchett, 1 through 41(Epubs)

Divergent by Veronica Roth, 1,2 &3, including 0.5(Epubs)

Earthsea by Ursula k. Le guin, 1 through 6(Epubs)

The Farseer Trilogy by Robbin Hobb, 1,2 &3(PDFs)

Fence by Sarah Rees Brennan, 1&2(Epubs)

Folk of the air series by Holly Black, 1,2 &3(Epubs)

Harry Potter by J K. Rowling, 1 through 7(Epubs)

Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, 1, 2&3(Epubs)

In Other Lands by Sarah Rees Brennan(Epub)

Tears waiting to be Diamonds by Sarah Rees Brennan Parts 1&2(PDFs)

Inheritance Cycle by Christopher Paolini, 1 through 4(Epubs)

The History of the Middle Earth by J R. R. Tolkien, 1 through 12(Epubs)

The J R. R. Tolkien collection: Bilbo's Last Song, Tales from the Perilous Realm, The Children of Hurin, The Fellowship of the Ring, The Hobbit, the Hobbit(enhanced edition), The Legend of Sigurd and Gudrun, The Letters of J R. R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings (collection) Illustrated by J R. R. Tolkien; Alan Lee, The Lord of the Rings (collection), The Return of the King, The Silmarillion, The Silmarillion(illustrated) by J R. R. Tolkien; Ted Nasmith, The Two Towers, Unfinished Tales(Epubs)

The Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer, 1 through 5, Including 3.1(4&5 are PDFs, the rest Epubs)

Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard by Rick Riordan, 1, 2&3, including From the Nine Worlds and Hotel Valhalla Guide to the Norse Worlds(Epubs)

Once Upon a Broken Heart by Garber Stephanie, 1&2(Epubs)

Percy Jackson by Rick Riordon, 1 through 5, including 4.5, Camp Half Blood confidential, Demigods and Monsters, Percy Jackson and the Singer of Apollo, Percy Jackson's Greek Gods, and Percy Jackson's Greek Heroes(Percy Jackson and the Singer of Apollo is a PDF, the rest Epubs)

The Heroes of Olympus by Rick Riordan, 1 through 5, including The Demigod Diaries(Epubs)

The Trials of Apollo by Rick Riordan, 1 through 5, including Camp Jupiter Classified(Epubs)

The Demigods of Olympus - An Interactive Adventure by Rick Riordan(Epub)

Shades of Magic by V. E. Schwab, 1,2&3(PDFs)

The Dark Artifices by Cassandra Clare, 1,2 &3(Epubs)

The Infernal Devices by Cassandra Clare, 1,2&3(Epubs)

The Last Hours by Cassandra Clare, 1&2(Epubs)

The Mortal Instruments by Cassandra Clare, 1 through 6(Epubs)

The Eldest Curses by Cassandra Clare 1(Epub)

Shadowhunter Chronicles extras by Cassandra Clare, including An Illustrated History of Noble Shadowhunters and Denizens of Downworld, Ghosts of the Shadow Market, The Bane Chronicles, and the Shadowhunter Codex(Epubs)

Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo, 1&2(Epubs)

The Grisha Trilogy by Leigh Bardugo, 1,2&3, including 1.5 and the Darkling Prequel - Demon in the Woods(Epub)

Skullduggery Pleasant by Derrick Landy, 1 through 14, including 1.5, 2.5, 6.5, 7.5, 8.5, &13.5(Epubs)

The Kane Chronicles by Rick Riordan, 1,2&3, including The Kane Chronicles survival guide, and Demigods and Magicians(Epubs)

The Locked Tomb by Tamsyn Muir, 1,2 &3, including 0.5 and 2.5(Epubs)

The Magesterium series by Holly Black and Cassandra Clare, 1 through 5(Epubs)

The Raven Cycle by Maggie Stiefvater, 1 through 4, including 4.5(Epubs)

The Dreamer Trilogy by Maggie Stiedvater, 1&2(Epubs)

The Witcher by Andrzej Sapkowski, 1 through 6, including 0.5 & 0.75(Epubs)

The Wolves of Mercy Falls by Maggie Stiefvater, 1,2&3(Epubs)

Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas, 1 though 7, including 0.5(Epubs)

The Underland Chronicles by Suzanne Collins, 1 through 5(Epubs)

Unwind Dystology by Neal Shusterman, 1 through 4, including 1.5 and 4.5(Epubs)

The Vampire Chronicles by Anne Rice, 1 through 12(Epubs)

The Warrior cats series by Erin Hunter :The Prophecies Begin 1 through 6(PDFs), The New Prophecy 1 through 6(Epubs), Power of Three 1 through 6(PDFs), Omen of Stars 1 through 6(PDFs), Dawn of the Clans 1 through 6(PDFs), Vision of Shadows 1&2(PDFs)

A discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness(Epub)

Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Saenz(Epub)

Blindsight by Peter Watts(Epub)

Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Patterson(Epub)

Dune by Frank Herbert(Epub)

Elantris by Brandon Sanderson(Epub)

Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell(Epub)

Hollow Kingdom by Kira Jane Buxton(Epub)

How to Live Safely in a Science Fictional Universe by Charles Yu(PDF)

I Am Still Alive by Kate Alice Marshall(Epub)

I Wish You All the Best by Mason Deaver(Epub)

Kafka on the Shore by Haruki Murakami(Epub)

More Happy Than Not by Adam Silvera(Epub)

One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich by Alexander Solzhenitsyn(Epub)

More Than This by Patrick Ness(PDF)

The Rest of Us Just Live Here by Patrick Ness(Epub)

Red, White and Royal Blue by Casey Mcquiston(Epub)

Salt to the Sea by Ruta Sepytis(Epub)

The Adventures of Charles, the Veretian Cloth Merchant, Captive Prince Short Stories Book 3 by C. S. Pacat(Epub)

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak(Epub)

City of Brass by S. A. Chakraborty(Epub)

The Martian by Andy Wier(Epub)

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern(Epub)

They Both Die at the End - Adam Silvera(Epub)

The Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo(Epub)

The Poppy War by R. F. Kuang(Epub)

The Song of Achilles by Madison Miller(Epub)

The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern(Epub)

Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zerin(Epub)

Torture Mom by Ryan Green(Epub)

Where I End and You Begin by Preston Norton(Epub)

Radio Silence by Alice Oseman(Epub)

Message me, or make a request in the notes, and I’ll send you a copy(via email)

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scotianostra · 8 months

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On the 23rd August 1305 Scotland lost one of it's greatest warriors when the English executed Sir William Wallace.

Most of what we know about William Wallace today comes from a 15th-century poem by minstrel Blind Harry entitled, Actes and Deidis of the Illustre and Vallyeant Campioun Schir William Wallace.The poem is a long narrative work composed in decasyllabic rhyming couplets that forms a biography of hs life from his boyhood until his execution.

Based on assumptions by Blind Harry, it is suggested that William Wallace was born in 1270 in Elderslie and was the second son of Sir Malcolm Wallace, a minor landowner and vassal of James, 5th steward of Scotland.

However, William’s own seal on a letter sent to the Hanse city of Lübeck in 1297 gives his father’s name as Alan Wallace, possibly an Alan Wallace in the Ragman Rolls as a crown tenant in Ayrshire.

The Wallace surname means “foreigner” in Old Low Franconian, or in Anglo-Norman French means “Welshman”, suggesting that the Wallace family line could have originated in Wales, possibly in the former Kingdom of Strathclyde.

After the death of King Alexander III in 1286, King Edward I of England was invited by the Scottish nobility to arbitrate who had claim to the Scottish crown. At a great feudal court held in the castle at Berwick-upon-Tweed, judgment was given in favour of John Balliol having the strongest claim in law based on being senior in genealogical primogeniture, even though not in proximity of blood.

Edward treated Scotland as a feudal vassal state, demanding homage and military support from the new king. Scotland went to conclude a treaty of mutual assistance with France, for which Edward responded by invading Berwick-upon-Tweed, commencing the First War of Scottish Independence.

Wallace was part of a company that attacked Lanark in South Lanarkshire near the start of the war, killing William de Heselrig, the English High Sheriff. Wallace then marched on Scone, driving out the English justiciar, and attacked the English garrisons between the Rivers Forth and Tay.

In 1297, an army led by Wallace and Andrew Moray were victorious in battle against English forces near Stirling on the River Forth, an engagement known as the Battle of Stirling Bridge. After the battle, Moray and Wallace assumed the title of Guardians of the Kingdom of Scotland, with Wallace later knighted in a ceremony at the ‘Kirk o’ the Forest’.

Edward sent a second invasion of Scotland in 1298, engaging the now Sir Wallace at the Battle of Falkirk. The Scottish forces were crushed by the English army, resulting in Wallace resigning as Guardian of Scotland in favour of Robert the Bruce, Earl of Carrick and future king, and John Comyn, King John Balliol’s nephew.

Some sources suggest that Sir William Wallace left for France to secure French assistance, but in 1305 he was turned over to the English by John de Menteith, a Scottish knight loyal to Edward, I covered this in more detail at the beginning of August.

Wallace was taken to London where he was tried for treason and for atrocities against civilians in war, “sparing neither age nor sex, monk nor nun.” During the trial he was crowned with a garland of oak to suggest he was the king of outlaws. He responded to the treason charge, “I could not be a traitor to Edward, for I was never his subject.”

It was Edwards intention to make an example of Sir Wallace, and on the 23rd of August in 1305, Sir Wallace was taken to the Tower of London for his sentence. There, he was stripped naked and dragged through the city at the heels of a horse to Elms at Smithfield.

#scotland #scottish #history #execution #sir william Wallace #meideval history

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videoreligion · 11 months

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Happy #FrancoFriday !

The Girl from Rio (1969)

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denimbex1986 · 2 months

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'Even though the 2023 production "All of Us Strangers" could not be released in our country, it fascinated festival lovers. Not being nominated for an Oscar created a completely different problem. Now, let's take a look at this movie, which was appreciated by critics, won awards and won the hearts of movie lovers.

For those who don't know, the movie 'All of Us Strangers', directed by Andrew Haigh and starring Andrew Scott and Paul Mescal, follows the story of a gay couple.

Adam (Andrew Scott) is a lonely television screenwriter living an isolated life in London . The man encounters his drunk neighbor Harry (Paul Mescal) and although he does not want to host him at his home, he eventually cannot resist Harry's insistence and invites him inside. The man meets with the ghosts of his family and talks about the traumatic events he experienced in the past. As her relationship with Harry progresses, they experience various events and begin to live their lives together. But eventually, she comes to terms with Harry's death and is forced to sever ties with her reality. His family's ghosts also guide him in this process. After accepting Harry's death, Adam embraces his spirit and they sleep peacefully together. Accompanied by music , they disappear in a beam of light and the screen goes black.

Scott plays Adam, a screenwriter who is struggling with a script inspired by his past and things haven't been going so well for him lately.

At first glance, the film focuses on Adam's face reflected in the windows of the flat in the London twilight. Adam dives into the music of his childhood and rummages through a box of family treasures that provide a link to the distant past. However, he seems cut off from the world - in the echoey, tidy but cold flat, an almost empty Ballardian tower block, something that further emphasizes his loneliness.

A tender relationship begins to blossom between the man and his neighbor Harry (the building's only other occupant).

During a research visit for a screenplay he is writing, Adam travels to his childhood home of suburban Dorking. There Adam encounters his deceased parents (Claire Foy and Jamie Bell), unchanged, unaged, and exactly as they were when they died 30 years ago. While Scott provides an emotional balance by keeping the supernatural elements of the story in place, the entire cast accompanies him in this harmony.

As the bond between Adam and Harry grows stronger into the possibility of a future together, Adam is continually drawn back into the past, into the unresolved trauma of his childhood.

Time doesn't actually heal all wounds. Instead, it makes them deeper and more paralyzing. The man cannot rewrite the moment his parents were killed in a car crash. But he can get to know them as an adult gay man , not as a bullied and beaten child .

The excellent, highly sensitive script is adapted from the novel Strangers (1987) by Japanese author Taichi Yamada.

The Japanese author's book was translated into Turkish under the name 'A Summer with Foreigners'. The 2023 movie is not the first adaptation of the book. The first film was Nobuhiko Obayashi's 1988 The Discarnates. But Haigh has put his own stamp on the story.

The use of his real childhood home as a location for scenes between Adam and his parents emphasizes the emotional connection between the director and the material.

There are also clues that connect this film to director Haigh's previous works: It links to his second feature, the gay romance Weekend. At the same time, lives are turned upside down with the discovery of a lost lover's body preserved in ice, with a window into the past and the feeling of the cycle of time, as in 45 Years.

We can guarantee that you won't be able to get over the heartbreaking emotional impact of the movie upon your first watch.

We are among those who think that watching the movie once is not enough to fully understand it. The harmony of the music composed by Emilie Levienaise-Farrouch with the complexity of the sound further strengthens the meaning of the film. The mastery of Jonathan Alberts' fluid editing guides us, with the lightest of touches, between parallel timelines and through a cityscape filled with simultaneous moments in Adam's life. So, we can say that the success of the film is a product of collective work.'

#The Discarnates #Andrew Haigh #All of Us Strangers #Andrew Scott #Paul Mescal #Claire Foy #Jamie Bell #Taichi Yamada #Strangers #Jonathan Alberts #Emilie Levienaise-Farrouch

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random-jot · 2 years

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Top 15 Current Favourite Movies Tag

Tagged by @smalltownfae !!! Thank you 😸

Fair warning, this is gonna be a long’un, but here we go, starting with the top spot:

1. Jurassic Park

Dinosaur kid gang rise up! Everything about this movie is so good, as a kid I loved it because big dinosaurs make brain go brrr, growing up I grew to appreciate the direction, the cast, the storytelling element of it, the character arc of Alan Grant learning to accept the responsibilities of being a parent, with commentary on the dangers of abusing scientific progress and trying to subdue nature oh my god this movie is good. No wasted space in this movie as well, every single scene adds something, some other layer to it. God, remember when the Jurassic movies were actually about something? This movie absolutely rules.

2. The Lord Of The Rings: The Fellowship Of The Ring

You do not have to follow me for a long time before realising I FUCKING LOVE Lord Of The Rings, I grew up with these movies and rewatching them - especially this one - feels like coming home. The attention to detail, the care taken in adapting Tolkien’s work, the cast, the insanely-good-for-the-time special effects (I’m talking about the Balrog sequence, not so much the Elrond’s floating head bit) the goddamn score? Howard Shore went off. These movies will always hold a special place in my heart. Buckle in, ‘cause you might’ve guessed what the next two are gonna be.

3. The Lord Of The Rings: The Two Towers

What can I say here that I didn’t say above? Well, I love the new characters we get; Treebeard, Faramir, Éomer and Éowyn, et al. The way this movie takes time to really demonstrate the impact of Saruman’s warmongering and devastation; the Two Towers is a war movie disguised as a fantasy movie. I adore the further development of Merry and Pippin’s character arcs, forcing the two seemingly most dependable members of the Fellowship into a situation where they have to fend for themselves, allowing them both to grow. Helms Deep. Just, all of Helms Deep. And of course the absolutely incredible performance of Andy Serkis as Gollum/Sméagol is just the cherry on top of it all.

4. The Lord Of The Rings: The Return Of The King

C’mon, you knew this was coming. This is one of the earliest movies I really vividly remember seeing in cinemas, feeling the sheer excitement of it all as the New Line Cinema logo fades in. The emotional payoffs in this movie are second to none. “I can’t carry it for you, but I can carry you” “Are you going to leave me? No Merry, I’m going to look after you” “I am no man” “My friends, you bow to no-one” “I will not say do not weep for not all tears are an evil.” Pippin’s growth as a character is incredible and not talked about enough, and the way that Frodo returns after the war but knows he is so fundamentally changed and traumatised by his experience that he can never truly return to the life he once had and aaaaaaaaaa i just really fucking love Lord Of The Rings!

5. Spider-Man (2002)

“I had a father. And his name was Ben Parker.” It’s more than just nostalgia goggles on this one; was Tobey a bit too old to play a high-schooler? Yes. Did Raimi take some artistic liberties with the source material? Sure. But do Tobey and Kirsten have amazing on-screen chemistry? Yes! Does this movie accurately reflect what Spider-Man is all about at its core? One hundred percent!

6. Spider-Man 2

It’s often said that the sequel is always worse that the original - this movie may just be an exception to that rule. It further develops all the characters in a really compelling way, especially in the bubbling conflict between Peter and Harry, but perhaps the most outstanding feature of this one is Alfred Molina’s turn as the villainous Doctor Otto Octavius. The tragic downfall of Dock Ock is one the most compelling parts of this movie, culminating in one of the greatest superhero fight scenes ever put to screen; that being the train scene. I won’t delve too deeply into behind the scenes drama, but it is something of a minor miracle that this movie was even good, let alone great, but here it stands: an iconic piece of superhero cinema.

7. Rat Race

“My grandfather used to say good things take time; great things happen all at once.” A change of pace here, no superhero’s or sci-fi antics, this is a balls-to-the-wall feel good comedy with an absolutely star-studded cast; John Cleese, Rowan Atkinson, Whoopie Goldberg, to name a few. I’ve never put on this movie and had a bad time, in fact no matter how many times I watch it is always elicits a good few laugh out loud moments that never lose their impact.

8. Kingsman: The Secret Service

This is one of few movies, in fact perhaps the only movie, that I walked out of after seeing the first time and thought, nay, knew ‘this is one of my favourite movies of all time’ and that sentiment has stayed true to this day. The church scene is of course amazing, but the movie is so much more than just that. This movie is a masterclass in keeping tension, a loving homage to the spy movies of old with an infectious new directing style and impeccable choreography, with both a licensed soundtrack and an original soundtrack that elevate the entire experience. I was on the edge of my seat the entire time I saw this for the first time, it’s got action, laughs, gadgets, style and substance in spades. It’s just a shame that the sequels did away with the substance part of that equation. I also maintain that this is the best James Bond movie ever made.

9. The Faculty

A more obscure cult movie, though surprisingly star-studded. This is the sci-fi horror counterpart to Scream, kicking off strong as it opens with The Offspring’s ‘The Kids Aren’t Alright’ and shortly introducing us to Casey, played by a pre-LOTR Elijah Wood no less! An unlikely group of teens team up to prevent alien parasites taking over their school and it is a gory and glorious rollercoaster ride of insanity. Like with Rat Race, I have never put this movie on and had a bad time.

10. Hot Fuzz

Absolute banger of a film. The jokes, the cast, the directing, this is undoubtedly the pinnacle of the Cornetto Trilogy, as well as being a Hoffman masterclass in foreshadowing. Edgar Wright’s unique directing style combined with the unstoppable chemistry of Pegg and Frost in the lead roles and boom! An iconic piece of British filmmaking.

11. Back To The Future

Speaking of excellent scripts, I think BTTF has one of the most tightly written screenplay’s in Hollywood, which is no mean feat for a time travel movie. Alan Silvestri’s score for the movie is fantastic, it is funny, it is tense, it is original, it’s just good.

12. Die Hard

I had heard much about Die Hard before ever watching it, and I had thought to myself ‘surely it can’t live up to the hype.’ Boy howdy, was I wrong. There is a reason this is remembered as one of the greatest action movies of all time; John McClane is a sympathetic and charismatic protagonist, but Alan Rickman’s performance as the villainous Hans Gruber is what really kicks this movie up a notch. An action movie with tension and real stakes, that doesn’t forget to still have heart and emotional stakes as well as physical ones. Die Hard is great. Also yes it is a Christmas movie.

13. The World’s End

Another one from the Cornetto Trilogy, and certainly the most underrated of the three. To be fair, it had big shoes to fill, but this is the one I find myself coming back to over and over. It is insanely funny, like it’s predecessors, has brilliant foreshadowing, like it’s predecessors, but where this movie truly excels is in the complexity of its characters. Watching this movie not as a comedy but as a character study of Gary King is where you’ll get the most out of it, watching the desperation of a man who is at his world’s end, desperately trying to cling to the past, to the last time he ever felt truly happy. The movie really takes on a whole new level when you realise that even before the alien robots attack, Gary never had any intention of surviving this night. The weaving of comedy and tragedy here is done to perfection.

14. The Truman Show

Speaking of tragedy, here is a movie that has aged like a fine wine, accidentally predicting many of the flaws and insidious aspects of Reality TV, which would rise to prominence in the following years. Your heart breaks for Truman as he comes to realise that his entire world, even down to his own friends and family, is completely fake, a facade constructed by someone else for the voyeuristic entertainment of others. This movie showcases Jim Carrey is so much more than a wacky comedic actor, but has the chops to pull off some incredibly dramatic and serious acting. This movie is excellent, and it inspired the music video for ‘If The World Was To End’ by Lower Than Atlantis, which is a fun bonus.

15. American Pie 2

Perhaps incongruous compared to my other choices on this list, but I’ll always have a nostalgic sweet spot for this movie - watching this series was a right of passage when I was growing up, and of all of them the second one was always the most feel-good, not to mention the banging soundtrack. It’s just a silly, funny movie that really makes you want to hang out in the summer with your friends. Another simple comfort/feel-good movie.

Tagging: @b-listbadboy @tazzypenguin @primatechnosynthpop @ifeelasongcomingon @meowtalhead @binders-and-beanies @blagueofchaos AND anyone else who wants to, go ahead just say i tagged ya

#tag game #thanks for the tag!!#top movies #favourite movies #jurassic park #lord of the rings #spider-man #spider-man 2 #kingsman: the secret service #rat race #the faculty #hot fuzz #back to the future #die hard #the truman show #american pie 2 #the world's end

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artificialkids-2k23-official · 1 year

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As promised, I got around to writing up the dinner table vore conversation between Vincent and Harry (and others) for @toxic-ship-tournament. The conversation was written on Discord between myself and @astro-b-o-y-d

Vincent: This food is too hot. Harry: So am I but I'd let you eat me. >:}c Lyall, slamming his fists on the table: ONE DINNER! I JUST WANT ONE! DINNER! Vincent: I would stuff you with the most painful spices and slow roast you on a spit until you were done Haniel: Vincent, Harry, what have I told you about foreplay at the dinner table? Lyall: Oh tha- Vincent and Harry, in dejected unison: Not-until-after-you've-said-grace-u_u Lyall: What did I do to deserve this? Alan: They're the worst, aren't they? Lyall: Please stop trying to relate to me I've read your blog

((Me: I'd say "poor Lyall" but frankly he deserves this Boyd: Sam Graves also hates how much they flirt but also it makes Lyall miserable so he keeps quiet about it Me: By the way my favorite part of all of this is the implication of 1, Family dinners at the tower and 2, Haniel makes them say grace before eating Boyd: I mean they have that big fucking table, they might as well use it for SOMETHING other than meetings))

Harry: You want us to do what with the table? Haniel: Not where we eat dinner. I'm putting my foot down. Lyall: relief Haniel: Put down a tablecloth first Lyall: Sam Graves: …Alright, now I'm putting my foot down and going to eat in my room.

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endversewinchester · 1 year

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This one for fanfic reference. Sirius in deep bloodred instead of just stripes like the hogwarts uniform is quite the sight 🤤

Snape isn’t appearing a whole lot but the shift on his writing from last book to this is very visible. HP 4 was published shortly before 1 begun filming, and I do believe Voldemort meeting Alan Rickman (🖤👑) during auditions or even discussing writing (we know he was the only one of them she fed spoilers to) prompted this. Whatever it may have been, it’s interesting to see him not just be mean to Harry for the sake of it, but rather actively protect and respect Dumbledore.

LOL what did he do, Minnie? Leave him alone 😂😭

PLEASE Harry isn’t wrong. His dad is very overprotective and though I think he behaved the exact same way with James and Lupin, the responsibility of being Harry’s godfather is definitely a factor.

Harry wanting to share feelings but not knowing how because he never really had an adult to do that for. What a mood. At the same time, he doesn’t want to worry Sirius and cause him to barge through the front doors and get arrested, so the message was really objective. Except for that final line. Harry is so cute.

Okay then Voldemort jr. Love you being protective of Hermione but relax.

Ah and Sirius mirroring him “I can’t say everything I would like to in a letter”. I gotta give him a shoutout because he must be super overwhelmed. He is dealing with the emotional toll of being innocent but still being hunted down to have his soul sucked out, all the while trying to be a semi present parent. That is A LOT.

But changing the subject, if I was Harry I would have freaked out. What do you mean you’re coming straight into the gryffindor tower by floo (Harry doesn’t know any other way that could involve a fireplace at that point)?????? You’re gonna get arrested!!! Again!!!! DO NOT!!!

#cami reads #Harry Potter and the goblet of fire

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mcbastardsmausoleum · 1 year

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THREE BETWEEN THE SHEETS

ECSTASY (1984) - BLACK VENUS (1983) - MELODY OF PASSION (1985)

Indulge your ‘80s fantasies with two softcore classics produced by Harry Alan Towers (99 Women, Franco’s Count Dracula): In Black Venus, former Miss Bahamas Josephine Jacqueline Jones (Love Circles) leads a sumptuous orgy of Victorian lust co-starring Florence Guérin (Faceless), Karin Schubert (Black Emanuelle), Helga Liné (Black Candles) and Profumo Affair temptress Mandy Rice-Davies. Drive-in goddess Tiffany Bolling (The Candy Snatchers) stars in Ecstasy – also known as Love Scenes – as a Hollywood actress caught between reel passion and her own erotic hungers that include Britt Ekland, Julie Newmar, Monique Gabrielle and Jack Carter. As a Bonus, Austrian centerfold Sonja Martin (Red Heat, Emmanuelle IV) stars in Melody of Passion from director Hubert Frank (Vanessa), with all three features scanned in 2K from their original negatives.

ECSTASY (1984)

Label: Severin Films

Region Code: Region-Free

Rating: Unrated

Duration: 90 Minutes

Audio: English DTS-HD MA 2.0 Mono with Optional English Subtitles

Video: 1080p HD Widescreen (1.85:1)

Director: Bud Towsend

Cast: Franc Luz, Tiffany Bolling, Julie Newmar, Jack Carter, Britt Ekland, Daniel Pilon

In the Playboy Channel produced Ecstasy (1984) (aka Love Scenes) up and coming director Peter Binnes (Franc Luz, Ghost Town) has just won a critics choice award, and looking to cash-on this windfall her tries to get a new erotic thriller, penned by Belinda (Julie Newmar, Catwoman from the 60's Batman TV series!), into production, but his cigar-chompin' producer Sidney (Jack Carter, Alligator) says that no studio wants to finance an erotic film without some star power. Luckily Peter's wife Val (Tiffany Bolling, Kingdom of the Spiders) is a renowned actress, but she's never done nudity in film before. After some prompting from her hubby, as well as some reinforcement from a photographer friend Annie (Britt Ekland, The Wicker Man) she agrees to do the film, but with reservations.

Problems soon arise when the leading man in the erotic thriller, Rick (Daniel Pilon, Scanners III - The Takeover), who well-known for being a hand-on lothario ends up unexpectedly igniting Val's libido, and she embarssingly climaxes while film is rolling during their first filmed hook-up. This very real moment of passion exacerbates Val's mundane faked-orgasm sex life with her director-husband. Conflicted by her attraction to her co-star Val worries that her married life is on the rocks, but the self-obsessed Peter is too consumed with making his film to worry too much about his wife's concerns. This is a fun lightweight bit of softcore erotica that is heavy on the daytime soap opera drama vibes, but does feature some titillating softcore nudity, and it's capably directed by Bus Townsend (Nightmare In Wax). The film is less tawdry that I would have liked, and is lousy with sax-heavy score, but plenty entertaining, and getting an eyefull of drive-in goddess Tiffany Bolling (Candy Snatchers, Bonnie's Kids) nude is always a pleasure, and both Ekland and Newmar seem to be having a blast in their non-nude roles,

Special Features:

- Trailer (50 sec)

BLACK VENUS (1983)

Label: Severin Films

Region Code: Region-Free

Rating: Unrated

Duration: 95 Minutes

Audio: English, French, German DTS-HD MA 2.0 Mono with Optional English Subtitles

Video: 1080p HD Widescreen (1.66:1)

Director: Claude Mulot

Cast: José Antonio Ceinos, Josephine Jacqueline Jones, Florence Guérin, Emiliano Redondo

Another Playboy Channel produced slice of erotica, Black Venus (1984) directed by Claude Mulot (The Blood Rose), is a Victorian era set erotic film that begins with penniless sculptor Armand (José Antonio Ceinos, Leonor) meeting the gorgeouse Venus (Josephine Jacqueline Jones, Christina). Entranced by her beauty she becomes his muse and lover, and he sets about sculpting a statue of her likeness. With no source of income from his artwork Venus begins working as a model at a fashion house, but the attention she draws and the money she makes proves to be a blow to his ego, he drowns his sorrows in drinks, and Venus ends up leaving him, embarking on sexual adventures with a horny wealthy couple, but growing tired of being exploited by others, she teams-up with Louise (Florence Guérin, Faceless) to work at a brothel, until Armand, no longer tortured, returns to reclaim his muse.

Black Venus has some solid period set production value, conjuring the Victorian era convincingly for a low-budget film, it's attractively lensed, and is well-acted, not to mention chock full of nudity and actual erotic scenes that are a turn on. This one also has a bookend scenes of an older gent (Emiliano Redondo, The People Who Own The Dark), who is turned on by being a voyeur, touring a brothel down a secret hallway that allows him to peep through two-way mirrors to witness the sexy cosplay shenanigans happening inside themed rooms where people indulge in fantasies involving pirates, slaves, and kings.

Special Features:

- Trailer

MELODY OF PASSION (1985)

Label: Severin Films

Region Code: Region-Free

Rating: Unrated

Duration: 91 Minutes

Audio: English or German DTS-HD MA 2.0 Mono with Optional English Subtitles

Video: 1080p HD Widescreen (1.66:1)

Director: Hubert Frank

Cast: Sonja Martin, Montse Bayo, Marina Oroza, Klaus Münster, Martin Garrido

The final titillating softcore delight is Hubert Frank's Melody of Passion (aka La chica que cayó del Cielo) German gal Betty (Sonja Martin, Emmanuelle IV) is notified that she has inherited a family castle in Spain. Arriving there she finds the castle and learns from the lawyer handling the estate, Don Cervantes, that it might be haunted and more trouble than it's worth, and insists that she should sell it to him sight unseen. Now this guy has reasons for wanting the castle, in that he is partnered with a madame and they are running a profitable high-class brothel within it's stone walls!

This is certainly the most offbeat of the bunch this Austrian-Spanish co-production throws a little bit of everything into the mix. We get the expected softcore delights, plentiful nudity, some nice atmosphere, plus a robbery, high-speed car chase, Gothic horror elements and quite a bit more. The tone is uneven to say the least but the unexpected camp-factor and exploitation entertainment quotients are through the roof, making this wild slice of Euro-rotica the best of the bunch in my estimation.

Audio/Video: All three films make their North American Blu-ray debuts from Severin Films on region-Free Blu-ray presented in 1080p HD widescreen. Both Black Venus and Melody of Passion are framed in 1.66:1 while Ecstasy gets 1.85:1. These are advertised as being scanned in 2K from the original negatives, and they look pretty terrific. Film grain is unmolested and organic, colors and skin tones look natural throughout. Audi comes by way of uncompressed DTS-HD MA Mono with optional English subtitles. Ecstasy gets uncompressed English while Melody of Passions has both German and English audio options, with Black Venus sporting English, German, and French audio options. All the tracks are clean and free of issues, a bit limited in range, but clean and well-balanced. Extras are anemic, we only get trailers for Black Venus and Ecstasy, so that is a disappointing, I would have loved commentary tracks on these, but the HD upgrades are appreciated and blow away the previous DVD editions. The three disc release arrives in a black keepcase with a single sides sleeve of artwork, inside a flipper tray houses the three films on separate discs with separate artworks.

If you're looking to indulge in some vintage ‘80s softcore fantasies Severin has you covered with this titillating triple-threat collection. The extras are slim but the A/V is wonderful, and the erotic delights are plentiful. The three films are handsomely produced for what they are and look fantastic in HD. The films range from horny melodrama, to sleazy Victorian debauchery, and bonkers 80's raunchiness - it's a wonderful assortment of vintage erotica that all lovers of softcore should have on their shelf.

http://mcbastardsmausoleum.blogspot.com/2023/04/three-between-sheets-severin-films-blu.html?m=1

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brokehorrorfan · 9 months

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The Girl from Rio will be released on 4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray on September 26 via Blue Underground. The 1969 sci-fi/action spy movie is a loose sequel to 1967's The Million Eyes of Sumuru.

Jess Franco (Vampyros Lesbos, A Virgin Among the Living Dead) directs from a script by Harry Alan Towers (The Mangler). Shirley Eaton, Richard Wyler, George Sanders, and Maria Rohm star.

The Girl from Rio has been newly restored in 4K from the uncensored camera negative with Dolby Vision/HDR and 1.0 DTS-HD MA sound. The first pressing includes an embossed slipcover.

Special features - including a RiffTrax edition of the film - are detailed below.

Special features:

The Girl from Rio: RiffTrax Edition - Riffed by Mike Nelson, Bill Corbett, and Kevin Murphy (new)

Audio commentary with film historians Nathaniel Thompson and Troy Howarth (new)

Interview with Murderous Passions: The Delirious Cinema of Jesus Franco author Stephen Thrower (new)

Additional scenes from German version (new)

Rolling in Rio – Interviews with director Jess Franco, writer/producer Harry Alan Towers, and star Shirley Eaton

Trim reel

Poster & still gallery

Bisexual super-villain Sumitra (Shirley Eaton) launches a diabolical plan to enslave the male species with her army of lusty warrior women. But when Sumitra kidnaps a fugitive American playboy, she crosses a sadistic crime boss (George Sanders) and ignites a battle of the sexes that will bring Brazil to its knees in more ways than one. Get ready to experience director Jess Franco at his most erotic, exotic and bizarre.

Pre-order The Girl from Rio.

#the girl from rio #jess franco #jesus franco #rifftrax #shirley eaton #60s movies #1960s movies #george sanders #blue underground #dvd #gift #maria rohm #mike nelson #bill corbett #kevin murphy

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twistedtummies2 · 2 years

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Christopher Lee: A Sinister Centenary - Number 27

Welcome to Christopher Lee: A Sinister Centenary! Over the course of May, I will be counting down My Top 31 Favorite Performances by my favorite actor, the late, great Sir Christopher Lee, in honor of his 100th Birthday. Although this fine actor left us a few years ago, his legacy endures, and this countdown is a tribute to said legacy! Today’s Subject, My 27th Favorite Christopher Lee Performance: Fu Manchu, from the 1960s “Fu Manchu” Film Series.

Oh, dear…this one’s gonna be awkward… Okay, so…I think the reasons this one ranks so low are obvious, but let’s focus on the history first. For those who do not know, Fu Manchu was a pulp fiction character and the titular main antagonist of a series of crime thriller stories by author Sax Rohmer. The stories focused on the neverending rivalry between the so-called Devil Doctor and his arch-nemesis, a Scotland Yard detective called Sir Nayland Smith. The character of Fu Manchu is widely regarded as one of the first supervillains ever created; he is, if nothing else, one of the grandfathers of the supervillain, generally lumped in alongside Professor Moriarty from Sherlock Holmes as one of the forerunners to the basic type. Fu Manchu has appeared onscreen a great (and an unfortunate) number of times, being played in the past by such actors as Boris Karloff, Henry Brandon, and Charlie Chan himself, Warner Oland. In the 1970s, a resurgence in popularity with the character led to a whole series of films, produced and frequently written by Harry Alan Towers, and starring Christopher Lee as the titular villain. Many regard Lee’s Fu Manchu as the best portrayal of the character onscreen, largely due to the number of features he appeared in…though how much that’s really saying is up to debate… …Sigh…I…guess I can’t ignore the elephant in the room for too long, can I? Very well, let’s get this out of the way: Fu Manchu is NOTORIOUSLY racist as a character. You almost never see him nowadays, and it’s for good reason: Fu Manchu has been one of the most negative influences on Asian culture in America and other Western countries ever created. To be fair – and yes, I’m going to be fair – that was actually kind of the point of the character: the villain was described as “The Yellow Peril Incarnate.” In other words, he’s intended to be the worst nightmare anyone could imagine from that area of fear, and the writer, Sax Rohmer, was well-aware of it when writing. One also has to give Fu Manchu props, he’s not actually a one-dimensional character: his motivations for his villainy, in the original stories and most adaptations – including Lee’s work – are not as cut and dry as “evil guy from China wants to take over the world.” His reasons are complex, and so is his character: Fu Manchu, in most versions, has a twisted sense of honor and dignity, following a particularly warped but still very much present moral code. He’s also devoted to his family, genuinely loving and caring for his loyal daughter, Fah Lo Suee, and can even be kind and generous under the right circumstances. However…yeah…one look at the character’s visual design alone tells you all you need to know. There’s no avoiding the fact that the character (and the treatment of Asian culture, in general, in the books and most of his appearances in film) is unforgivably prejudiced. HAVING SAID ALL THAT…it’s telling that Fu Manchu is still one of Lee’s most iconic characters, and for all the awkwardness that comes with him, he’s still a fine villain in his own right. Sophisticated, cold, but with flashes of humor and even occasional grains of sympathy sprinkled throughout his appearances, the seemingly immortal Devil Doctor – using a mixture of arcane magic and cutting-edge science to do battle with his nemeses – wasn’t a character entirely without merit. He was an interesting antagonist, and you can tell Lee tried his hardest to bring more to the character than what others might perceive, making him one of the most threatening and unironically interesting takes on the character put to film. The sad fact is simply that, for all the merits one can find in Lee’s Fu Manchu…he IS still Fu Manchu, and that’s sadly a character name that will always carry a tragic stigma with it. As a result, while I enjoy Lee’s performances and treatment of the role, I don’t think I can rate him too highly in good conscience. Don’t worry, future entries on this list will be far, FAR less sweat-inducing to discuss. Tomorrow the countdown continues with My Number 26 choice!

#sinister centenary #christopher lee #happy birthday christopher lee #top 31 christopher lee performances #countdown #list #number 27 #may special #fu manchu #films #movies #actor #acting #awkwardness abounds

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