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grigori77 · 5 years

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Summer 2019′s Movies - My Top Ten Favourite Films (Part 2)

The Top Ten:

IMPORTANT NOTE: You WILL NOT find It Chapter 2 here, but that does not mean it isn’t awesome. I saw it AFTER I had sompleted this but while it was still editing., Technically it’s part of the Autumn/Winter period anyway, opening as it did in September. Undoubtedly look out for it at the end of the year when I post my Top 30 for the year.

10. CAPTIVE STATE – WAY back in 2011, Rupert Wyatt followed up his impressive directorial debut The Escapist with an even more astounding show helming sci-fi franchise reboot Rise of the Planet of the Apes, and I knew here was a talent it was definitely gonna be worth my while to watch in future. Then the years ticked by and he spectacularly failed to follow it up, and I began to think he might become one of those frustrating auteur talents that explode onto the scene, wow us with their wares and then just STOP, like Donnie Darko’s Ryan Kelly or Blade’s Stephen Norrington. I was just about to give up hope when Wyatt returned with this dark and troubling skewed take on the alien invasion trope, but now, perversely, this film’s failing fortunes make me think his career might just take a swan dive after all, and as far as I’m concerned, on the evidence of the final film, that would be a crying shame. Instead of telling the story of how the Earth falls to the conquering might of invading alien forces, Captive State concentrates on what happens after, focusing on a humanity stagnating under the thumb of an all-powerful occupying force, the collaborating police force that maintains discipline on the populace through tagging and intrusive surveillance, and the deep cover resistance movement that’s built up in the eight years since “The Legislators” took over. The main narrative focus of the story is Gabriel Drummond (Moonlight’s Ashton Sanders), a downtrodden Chicago youth working a menial job but dreaming of getting out with his pregnant girlfriend, who discovers a tentative connection to the underground resistance when his brother Rafe (White Boy Rick’s Jonathan Majors), whom he previously thought was dead, re-enters his life with a desperate request. Unfortunately Gabriel has also come to the attention of local cop Will Mulligan (John Goodman), who’s looking to use this connection to finally penetrate the “dangerous terrorist element” his office has been working for years to eradicate. This is about as far from the classical invasion action territory of films like Independence Day, Skyline or even Signs as you can get, playing out much more like a World War 2 occupation thriller, and this is, in my opinion, one of its great strengths – there’s a palpable, knife-edged tension throughout, Wyatt cranking up the suspense as each new plot development ups the stakes for all involved, and when that tension does eventually break it does so in suitably explosive style, leading to some taut and harrowing set-pieces, while the director and his co-writer Erica Beeney pull off some impressive twists and skilful rug-pulls that consistently surprise. Indeed, this is one of the most skilfully written pieces of science fiction I’ve come across for a good while, brimming with big ideas and asking some suitably challenging questions throughout, before finally paying off our patience with a suitably powerful climax. It’s also extremely well-performed by a uniformly impressive ensemble cast – Goodman offers a performance of cool subtlety that proves the equal to much of his showier work on hits like 10 Cloverfield Lane and The Big Lebowski, while Sanders and Majors are both exceptional in what should have been major breakthrough roles that really built on their already impressive debuts, and there’s quality support from the likes of Machine Gun Kelly, Vera Farmiga, Alan Ruck, Kevin Dunn and Madeline Brewer. This is DEFINITELY one of the most robust and challenging pieces of scif-fi cinema I’ve seen this decade, and it certainly does deserve a lot more attention and appreciation than it’s received – it essentially bombed on its long-delayed release and suffered from painfully mixed, sometimes quite negative reviews, and I genuinely don’t understand either. This is an EXCELLENT film, and it’s a strong indicator of just what a great talent Rupert Wyatt is – I just have to hope this hasn’t ruined his chances for the future, because I couldn’t bear seeing him pull an undeserved vanishing act like so many others …

9. GODZILLA: KING OF MONSTERS – back in 2014, rising star director Gareth Edwards (already one-to-watch thanks to the sleeper hit success of his debut Monsters) proved he wasn’t going to be a one-hit-wonder when he aced his first major studio gig, reinventing Japanese superstar property Godzilla for western audiences and EFFORTLESSLY wiping out the appalling stigma of Roland Emmerich’s underwhelming previous attempt (needless to say he was then a no-brainer to helm the first Star Wars spinoff movie, Rogue One, but that’s another, even more awesome story). Suffice to say, the Big G’s name was good in western cinema again, and Legendary Pictures swiftly put their planned Monsterverse franchise into action, building on this solid foundation with a similarly stylish “prequel” in 2017’s Kong: Skull Island, with a showdown between the two screen icons intended further down the line. The next major hurdle, however, was this super-important follow-up, intended to get all the gears turning – if THIS ONE flunked, the Monsterverse would take a massive nosedive. Did it pull it off? Not quite … turns out this one’s not looking likely to scrape even on its massive investment, never mind make a profit, but that sure ain’t for lack of trying. Sure, the plot’s a bit of a far-fetched muddle and, as with its predecessor, the human characters are drawn in broad strokes and somewhat lacking in real spark, but the spectacle’s still there in spades and besides, the REAL selling point of these movies has always been their more gigantic characters. Godzilla’s just as much of a colossal badass as he was in the first film, still a skyscraper-high bruiser with a moody mean streak and some suitably apocalyptic bad breath, but ultimately just the kind of monumental reptile you want on your side in a cataclysmic scrap, and he’s sure got his work cut out for him with one serious collection of similarly massive monsters crawling out of the woodwork (or, in this case, compromised secure black sites controlled by covert Titan management organisation Monarch) – they’re a colourful bunch, from returning nasty Muto to newcomers Rodan and, particularly memorable, the beautiful but deadly Mothra, and most of them are heeding the call of the film’s TRUE scene stealer, triple-headed rival alpha Titan King Ghidorah, who is in every way a genuinely viable nemesis for the Big G himself. Needless to say, the BIG stars are presented without compromise throughout, as gargantuan and terrifying as their reputations make them out to be, and whenever they’re on screen it just lights up, the visual effects budget working overtime and all the money’s up there on the screen, while the property damage quota shoots through the roof in suitably pulse-racing style … and yet again, the human story does kind of get buried in the fallout. Not that they’re a completely unmemorable lot – it’s great to see Ken Watanabe return as elegantly noble Monarch honcho Dr Ishiro Serazawa, along with his assistant Dr Vivienne Graham (another winning turn from Sally Hawkins), and the rest of Monarch gets much stronger representation this time round as we’re introduced to a crew that includes Bradley Whitford, Ice Cube’s son O’Shea Jackson Jr. (Straight Outta Compton) and Aisha Hinds, while there’s a typically classy bad guy turn from Charles Dance as Alan Jonah, the amoral ex-soldier leading an eco-terrorist group who (for baffling reasons) want to awaken all the Titans at once so they can fight for supremacy. The main narrative focus, however, is on the fractured family unit of former Monarch specialist Dr Mark Russell (Super 8’s Kyle Chandler) and his fellow scientist wife Emma and daughter Madison (Vera Farmiga and Stranger Things’ Millie Bobby Brown), who have both been kidnapped by Jonah, a story that’s contrived and clumsily written, shot through with plot-holes when the twists aren’t painfully telegraphed ahead of time, and Brown barely gets ANYTHING to do other than be scared or stubborn, but they still give it their all and, since they’re all great actors, they largely win out against the writing. This certainly isn’t the best movie released this year, definitely leaning more towards the guilty pleasure category, but there’s more than enough good here to outweigh the bad, so this is definitely one of those wonderful movies where you get PLENTY out of it if you just sit back and GO WITH IT. It’s certainly got a strong director and co-writer in Michael Dougherty, who cut his teeth working for Bryan Singer on X2 and Superman Returns (which was similarly flawed, but still enjoyable in its own right) before making his big break behind the camera on Krampus, and for all its clunkiness it wins you over with its big-wow factor, can-do attitude and industrial-sized bucket-loads of heart and emotional heft, as well as a particularly cracking score from Bear McCreary, one of the most deservedly well respected composers working on both the big and small screens today, so in spite of the flaws this still deserves to be counted as a pretty rousing success. Thankfully Godzilla Vs. King Kong is still greenlit and scheduled to arrive next spring, so there’s still life in the old lizards yet – long live the King indeed.

8. DARK PHOENIX – wow, this really has been a summer for mistreated sequels, hasn’t it? There’s a seriously stinky cloud of controversy surrounding what is now, in light of recent developments between Disney and Twentieth Century Fox, all but QUARANTEED to be the last true Singer-era X-Men movie, a film which saw two mooted release dates (first November 2018 then this February, before finally limping onto screens with very little fanfare in June, almost as if Fox wanted to bury it. Certainly rumours of its compromise were rife, particularly regarding supposed rushed reshoots because of clashing similarities with Marvel’s major tent-pole release Captain Marvel (and given the all-conquering nature of the MCU there was no way they were having that, was there?), so like many I was expecting a clunky mess, maybe even a true stinker to rival X-Men Origins: Wolverine. In truth, while it’s not perfect, the end result is nothing like the turd we all feared – the final film is, in fact, largely a success, worthy of favourable comparison with its stronger predecessors. It certainly makes much needed amends for the disappointing mismanagement of the source comics’ legendary Dark Phoenix saga in 2006’s decidedly compromised original X-Men trilogy capper The Last Stand, treating the story with the due reverence and respect it deserves as well as serving as a suitably powerful send-off for more than one beloved key character. Following the “rebooted” path of the post-Days of Future Past timeline, it’s now 1992, and after the world-changing events of Apocalypse the X-Men have now become a respected superhero team with legions of fans and their own personal line to the White House, while mutants at large have now mostly become accepted by the regular humans around them. Then a hastily planned mission into space takes a turn for the worst and Jean Grey (Game of Thrones’ Sophie Turner) winds up absorbing an immensely powerful, thoroughly inexplicable cosmic force that makes her go powers haywire while also knocking loose repressed childhood traumas Professor Charles Xavier (James McAvoy) would rather had stayed buried, sending her on a dangerous spiral out of control which leads to a destructive confrontation and the inadvertent death of a teammate. Needless to the situation soon becomes desperate as Jean goes on the run and the world starts to turn against them all once again … all in all, then, it’s business as usual for the cast and crew of one of Fox’s flagship franchises, and it SHOULD have gone off without a hitch. When Bryan Singer opted not to return this time around (instead setting his sights on Queen biopic Bohemian Rhapsody), key series writer Simon Kinberg stepped into the breach for his directorial debut, and it turns out he’s got a real talent for it, giving us just the kind of robust, pacy, thrilling action-packed epic his compatriot would have delivered, filled with the same thumping great set-pieces (the final act’s stirring, protracted train battle is the unequivocal highlight here), well-observed character beats and emotional resonance we’ve come to expect from the series as a whole (then again, he does know these movies back to frond having at least co-written his fair share). The cast, similarly, are all on top form – McAvoy and Michael Fassbender (as fan favourite Erik Lehnsherr, aka Magneto) know their roles so well now they can do this stuff in their sleep, but we still get to see them explore interesting new facets of their characters (particularly McAvoy, who gets to reveal an intriguing dark side to the Professor we’ve only ever seen hinted at before now), while Turner finally gets to really breathe in a role which felt a little stiff and underexplored in her series debut in Apocalypse (she EASILY forges the requisite connective tissue to Famke Janssen’s more mature and assured take in the earlier films); conversely Tye Sheridan (Cyclops), Alexandra Shipp (Storm), Kodi Smit-McPhee (Nightcrawler) and Evan Peters (Quicksilver) get somewhat short shrift but nonetheless do A LOT with what little they have, and at least Jennifer Lawrence and Nicholas Hoult still get to do plenty of dramatic heavy lifting as the last of Xavier’s original class, Raven (Mystique) and Hank McCoy (Beast); the only real weak link in the cast is the villain, Vuk, a shape-shifting alien whose quest to seize the power Jean’s appropriated is murkily defined at best, but at least Jessica Chastain manages to invest her with enough icy menace to keep things from getting boring. All in all, then, this is very much a case of business as usual, Kinberg and co keeping the action thundering along at a suitably cracking pace throughout (powered by a typically epic score from Hans Zimmer), and the film only really comes off the rails in its final moments, when that aforementioned train finally comes off its tracks and the reported reshoots must surely kick in – as a result this is, to me, most reminiscent of previous X-flick The Wolverine, which was a rousing success for the majority of its runtime, only coming apart in its finale thanks to that bloody ridiculous robot samurai. The climax is, therefore, a disappointment, too clunky and sudden and overly neat in its denouement (and we really could have done with a proper examination of the larger social impact of these events), but it’s little enough that it doesn’t spoil what came before … which just makes the film’s mismanagement and resulting failure, as well as its subsequent treatment from critics and fans alike, all the more frustrating. This film deserved much better, but ultimately looks set to be disowned and glossed over by most of the fanbase as the property as a whole goes through the inevitable overhaul now that Disney/Marvel owns Fox and plans to bring the X-Men and their fellow mutants into the MCU fold. I feel genuinely sorry for the one remaining X-film, The New Mutants, which is surely destined for spectacular failure after its similarly shoddy round of reschedules finally comes to an end next summer …

7. FAST COLOR – intriguingly, the most INTERESTING superhero movie I’ve encountered so far this year is NOT a major franchise property, or even a comic book adapted to the screen at all, but a wholly original indie which snuck in very much under the radar on its release but is surely destined for cult greatness in the future, not least due to some much-deserved critical acclaim. Set in an unspecified future where it hasn’t rained for years, a homeless vagabond named Ruth (Gugu Mbatha-Raw) is making her aimless way across a desolate American Midwest, tormented by violent seizures which cause strange localised earthquakes, and hunted by Bill (Argo’s Christopher Denham), a rogue scientist who wants to capture her so he can study her abilities. Ultimately she’s left with no other recourse than to run home, sheltering with her mother Bo (Middle of Nowhere and Orange is the New Black’s Lorraine Toussaint), and her young daughter Lila (The Passage’s Saniyya Sidney), both of whom also have weird and wondrous powers of their own. As the estranged family reconnect, Ruth finally learns to control her powers as she’s forced to confront her own troubled past, but as Bill closes in it looks like their idyll might be short-lived … this might only be the second feature of writer-director Julie Hart (who cut her teeth penning well-regarded indie western The Keeping Room before making her own debut helming South By Southwest Film Festival hit Miss Stevens), but it’s a blinding statement of intent for the future, a deceptively understated thing of beauty that eschews classic superhero cinema conventions of big spectacle and rousing action in favour of a quiet, introspective character-driven story where the unveiling and exploration of Ruth and her kin’s abilities are secondary to the examination of how their familial dynamics work (or often DON’T), while Hart and cinematographer Michael Fimognari (probably best known for his frequent work for Mike Flanagan, including forthcoming Stephen King horror Doctor Sleep) bring a ruined but bleakly beautiful future to life through inventively understated production design and sweeping, dramatic vistas largely devoid of visual effects. Subtlety is the watchword, but that doesn’t mean that there aren’t fireworks here, it’s just that they’re generally performance-based – awards-darling Mbatha-Raw (Belle) gives a raw, heartfelt performance, painting Rith in vivid shades of grey, while Toussaint is restrained but powerfully memorable and Sidney builds on her already memorable work to deliver what might be her best turn to date, and there are strong supporting turns from Denham (who makes his nominal villain surprisingly sympathetic) and Hollywood great David Strathairn as gentle small town sheriff Ellis. Leisurely paced and understated it may be, but this is still an incendiary piece of work, sure to become a breakout sleeper hit for a filmmaking talent from whom I expect GREAT THINGS in the future, and since the story’s been picked up for expansion into a TV series with Hart at in charge that looks like a no-brainer. And it most assuredly IS a bona fide superhero movie, despite appearances to the contrary …

6. ONCE UPON A TIME IN HOLLYWOOD – since his explosion onto the scene twenty-seven years ago with his runaway smash debut Reservoir Dogs, Quentin Tarantino has become one of the most important filmmakers of his generation, a true master of the cinematic art form who consistently delivers moving picture masterpieces that thrill, entertain, challenge and amuse audiences worldwide … at least those who can stomach his love of unswerving violence, naughty talk and morally bankrupt antiheroes and despicably brutal villains who are often little more than a shade different from one another. Time has moved on, though, and while he’s undoubtedly been one of the biggest influences on the way cinema has changed over the past quarter century, there are times now that it’s starting to feel like the scene is moving on in favour of younger, fresher blood with their own ideas. I think Tarantino can sense this himself, because he recently made a powerful statement – after he’s made his tenth film, he plans to retire. Given that OUATIH is his NINTH film, that deadline is already looming, and we unashamed FANS of his films are understandably aghast over this turn of events. Thankfully he remains as uncompromisingly awesome a writer-director as ever, delivering another gold standard five-star flick which is also most definitely his most PERSONAL work to date, quite simply down to the fact that it’s a film ABOUT film. Sure, it has a plot (of sorts, anyway), revolving around the slow decline of the career of former TV star Rick Dalton (Leonardo Dicaprio), who languishes in increasing anonymity in Hollywood circa 1969 as his former western hero image is being slowly eroded by an increasingly hacky workload guest-starring on various syndicated shows as a succession of punching-bag heavies for the hero to wale on, while his only real friend is his one-time stunt double, Cliff Booth (Brad Pitt), a former WW2 hero with a decidedly tarnished reputation of his own; meanwhile new neighbours have moved in next door to further distract him – hot-as-shit young director Roman Polanski (Rafal Zawierucha), riding high on the success of Rosemary’s Baby, and his new wife Sharon Tate (Margot Robbie). Certainly this all drives the film, along with real-life events that involving one of the darkest crimes in modern American history, but a lot of the time the plot is largely coincidental – Quentin uses it as a springboard to wax lyrical about his very favourite subject and pay loving (if sometimes irreverently satirical) tribute to the very business he’s been indulging in with such great success since 1992. Sure, it’s also about “Helter Skelter” and the long shadow cast by Charles Manson and his band of murderous misfits, but these are largely incidental, as we’re treated to long, entertaining interludes as we follow Rick on a shoot as the bad guy in the pilot for the Lancer TV series, visit the notorious Spahn Ranch with Cliff as he’s unwittingly drawn into the lion’s den of the deadly Manson Family, join Robbie’s Tate as she watches “herself” in The Wrecking Crew, and enjoy a brilliant montage in which we follow Rick’s adventures in Spaghetti westerns (and Eurospy cinema) after he’s offered a chance to change his flagging fortunes, before the film finally builds to a seemingly inevitable, fateful conclusion that Tarantino then, in sneakily OTT Inglourious Basterds style, mischievously turns on its head with a devilish game of “What If”. The results are a thoroughly engrossing and endlessly entertaining romp through the seedier side of Hollywood and a brilliant warts-and-all examination of the craft’s inner workings that, interestingly, reveals as much about the Business today as it does about how it was way back into Golden Age the film portrays, all while delivering bucket-loads of QT’s trademark cool, swagger, idiosyncratic genius and to-die-for dialogue and character-work, and, of course, a typically exceptional all-star cast firing on all cylinders. Dicaprio and Pitt are both spectacular (Brad is endearingly taciturn, playing it wonderfully close to the vest throughout, while Leo is simply ON FIRE, delivering a mercurial performance EASILY on a par with his work on Shutter Island and The Wolf of Wall Street – could this be good enough to snag him a second Oscar?), while Robbie consistently endears us to Tate as she EFFORTLESSLY brings the fallen star back to life, and there’s an incredible string of amazing supporting turns from established talent and up-and-comers alike, from Kurt Russell, Al Pacino and a very spiky Bruce Dern to Mike Moh (in a FLAWLESS take on Bruce Lee), Margaret Qualley, Austin Butler and in particular Julia Butters as precocious child star Trudi Fraser. Packed with winning references, homages, pastiches and ingenious little in-jokes, handled with UTMOST respect for the true life subjects at all times and shot all the way through with his characteristic flair and quirky, deliciously dark sense of humour, this is cinema very much of the Old School, and EVERY INCH a Tarantino flick. With only one more film to go the implied end of his career seems much too close, but if he delivers one more like this he’ll leave behind a legacy that ANY filmmaker would be proud of.

5. CRAWL – summer 2019’s runner-up horror offering marks a rousing return to form for a genre talent who’s FINALLY delivered on the impressive promise of his early work – Alexandre Aja made a startling debut with Switchblade Romance, which led to his big break helming the cracking remake of slasher stalwart The Hills Have Eyes, but then he went SPECTACULARLY off the rails when he made the truly abysmal Piranha 3D, which I wholeheartedly regard as one of THE VERY WORST FILMS EVER MADE IN ALL OF HISTORY. He took a big step back in the right direction with the admittedly flawed but ultimately enjoyable and evocative Horns (based on the novel by Stephen King’s son Joe Hill), but it’s with this stripped back, super-tight man-against-nature survival horror that the Aja of old has TRULY returned to us. IN SPADES. Seriously, I personally think this is his best film to date – there’s no fat on it at all, going from a simple set-up STRAIGHT into a precision-crafted exercise in sustained tension that relentlessly grips right up to the end credits. The film is largely just a two-hander – Maze Runner star Kaya Scodelario plays Haley Keller, a Florida college student and star swimmer who ventures into the heart of a Category 5 hurricane to make sure her estranged father, Dave (Saving Private Ryan’s Barry Pepper), is okay after he drops off the grid. Finding their old family home in a state of disrepair and slowly flooding, she does a last minute check of the crawl-space underneath, only to discover her father badly wounded and a couple of hungry alligators stalking the dark, cramped, claustrophobic confines. With the flood waters rising and communications cut off, Haley and Dave must use every reserve of strength, ingenuity and survival instinct to keep each other alive in the face of increasingly daunting odds … even with a premise this simple, there was plenty of potential for this to become an overblown, clunky mess in the wrong hands (a la Snakes On a Plane), so it’s a genuinely great thing that Aja really is back at the height of his powers, milking every fraught and suspenseful set-piece to its last drop of exquisite piano-wire tension and putting his actors through hell without a reprieve in sight. Thankfully it’s not JUST about scares and atmosphere, though – there’s a genuinely strong family drama at the heart of the story that helps us invest in these two, Scodelario delivering a phenomenally complex performance as she peels back Haley’s layers, from stubborn pedant, through vulnerable child of divorce, to ironclad born survivor, while reconnecting with her emotionally raw, repentantly open father, played with genuine naked intensity in a career best turn from Pepper. Their chemistry is INCREDIBLY strong, making every scene a joy even as it works your nerves and tugs on your heartstrings, and as a result you DESPERATELY want to see them make it out in one piece. Not that Aja makes it easy for them – the gators are an impressively palpable threat, proper scary beasties even if they are largely (admittedly impressively executed) digital effects, while the storm is almost a third character in itself, becoming as much of an elemental nemesis as its scaly co-stars. Blessedly brief (just 87 minutes!) and with every second wrung out for maximum impact, this is survival horror at its most brutally, simplistically effective, a deliciously vicious, primal chill-ride that thoroughly rewards from start to finish. Welcome back, Mr Aja. We’ve missed you.

4. BRIGHTBURN – torpedoing Crawl right out of the water is this refreshing, revisionist superhero movie that takes one of the most classic mythologies in the genre and turns it on its head with TERRIFYING results. The basic premise is an absolute blinder – what if, when he crashed in small-town America as a baby, Superman had turned out to be a bad seed? Unsurprising, then, that it came from James Gunn, who here produces a screenplay by his brother and cousin Brian and Mark (best known for penning the likes of Journey 2: the Mysterious Island, but nobody’s perfect) and the directorial big break of his old mate David Yarovesky (whose only previous feature is obscure sci-fi horror The Hive) – Gunn is, of course, an old pro at taking classic comic book tropes and creating something completely new with them, having previously done so with HUGE success on cult indie black comedy Super and, in particular, Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy movies, and his fingerprints are ALL OVER this one too. The Hunger Games’ Elizabeth Banks (who starred in Gunn’s own directorial debut Slither) and David Denman (The Office) are Tori and Kyle Breyer, a farming couple living in Brightburn, Kansas, who are trying for a baby when a mysterious pod falls from the sky onto their land, containing an infant boy. As you’d expect, they adopt him, determined to keep his origin a secret, and for the first twelve of his life all seems perfectly fine – Brandon’s growing up into an intelligent, artistic child who loves his family. Then his powers manifest and he starts to change – not just physically (he’s impervious to harm, incredibly strong, has laser eyes and the ability to disrupt electronic devices … oh, and he can fly, too), but also in personality, as he becomes cold, distant, even cruel as he begins to demonstrate some seriously sociopathic tendencies. As his parents begin to fear what he’s becoming, things begin to spiral out of control and people start to disappear or turn up brutally murdered, and it becomes clear that Brandon might actually be something out of a nightmare … needless to say this is superhero cinema as full-on horror, Brandon’s proclivities leading to some proper nasty moments once he really starts to cut loose, and there’s no mistaking this future super for one of the good guys – he pulverises bones, shatters faces and melts skulls with nary a twitch, just the tiniest hint of a smile. It’s an astonishing performance from newcomer Jackson A. Dunn, who perfectly captures the nuanced subtleties as Brandon goes from happy child to lethal psychopath, clearly demonstrating that he’s gonna be an incredible talent in future; the two grown leads, meanwhile, are both excellent, Denman growing increasingly haunted and exasperated as he tries to prove his own son is a wrong ‘un, while Banks has rarely been better, perfectly embodying a mother desperately clinging to the idea that her son is innocent no matter how compelling the evidence becomes, and there’s quality support from Breaking Bad’s Matt Jones and Search Party’s Meredith Hagner as Brandon’s aunt and uncle, Noah and Meredith, and Becky Wahlstrom the mother of one of his school-friends, who seems to see him for what he is right from the start. Dark, suspenseful and genuinely nasty, this is definitely not your typical superhero movie, often playing like Kick-Ass’ even more twisted cousin, and there are times when it displays some of the same edgy, black-hearted sense of humour, too. In other words, it’s all very James Gunn. It’s one sweet piece of work, everyone involved showing real skill and devotion, and Yarovesky in particular proves he’ll definitely be one-to-watch in the future. There are already plans for a potential sequel, and given where this particular little superhero universe seems to be heading I think it could be something pretty special, so fair to say I can’t wait.

3. FAST & FURIOUS PRESENTS HOBBS & SHAW – it’s official, this summer’s most OTT movie is THE MOST FUN I’ve had at the cinema so far this year, a genuinely batshit crazy, pure bonkers rollercoaster ride of a film I just couldn’t get enough of, truly the perfect sum of all its baffling parts. The Fast & Furious franchise has always revelled in its extremes, as subtle as a brick and very much playing to the blockbuster, popcorn movie crowd right from the start, but it wasn’t until Fate of the Furious (yup, ridiculous title, says it all) that it really started to play to the inherent ridiculousness of its overall setup, paving the way for this first crack at a new spin-off series for the post Vin Diesel years. Needless to say this one has fully embraced the sheer ludicrousness, and director David Leitch is the perfect choice to shepherd it into the future, having previously mastered OTT action through John Wick and Atomic Blonde before helming manic screwball comedy Deadpool 2, which certainly is the strongest comparison point here – Hobbs & Shaw is every bit as loud, violent, chaotic and thoroughly irreverent, definitely playing up the inherent comic potential at the core of the material as he cranks up the humour. Dwayne Johnson and Jason Statham take centre stage now as, respectively, DSS agent Luke Hobbs and former SAS black operative Deckard Shaw, the ultimate action movie odd couple once again forced to work together to foil the bad guy and save the world from a potentially cataclysmic disaster. Specifically Brixton Lore (Idris Elba), a self-proclaimed “black superman” enhanced with cybernetic implants and genetic manipulation to turn him into the ultimate warrior, who plans to use a lethal designer supervirus to eradicate half of humanity (as supervillains tend to do), but there’s one small flaw in his plan – the virus has been stolen by Hattie Shaw (Mission: Impossible – Fallout’s Vanessa Kirby), a rogue MI6 agent who also happens to be Deckard’s sister. Got all that? Yup, the movie really is as mad as it sounds, but that’s very much part of the charm – there’s an enormous amount of fun to be had in just giving in and going along with the madness of it all, as Hobbs and the two Shaws bounce from one over-the-top, ludicrously destructive set-piece to the next, kicking plenty of arse along the way when they’re not jumping out of tall buildings or driving fast cars at ludicrous speeds in heavy traffic, and when they’re not doing that they’re bickering with enthusiasm, each exchange crackling with exquisite hate-hate chemistry and liberally laced with hilarious dialogue delivered with gleeful, fervent venom (turns out there’s few things so enjoyable a watching Johnson and Statham verbally rip each other a new one), and the two action cinema heavyweights have never been better than they are here, each bringing the very best performances of their respective careers out of each other as they vacillate, while Kirby holds her own with consummate skill that goes to show she’s got a bright future of her own. As for Idris Elba, the one-time potential future Bond deserves to be remembered as one of the all-time great screen villains ever, investing Brixton with the perfect combination of arrogant swagger and lethal menace to steal every scene he’s in while simultaneously proving he can be just as big a badass in the action stakes; Leitch also scatters a selection of familiar faces from his previous movies throughout a solid supporting cast which also includes the likes of Fear the Walking Dead’s Cliff Curtis, From Dusk Till Dawn’s Eiza Gonzalez and Helen Mirren (who returns as Deckard and Hattie’s mum Queenie Shaw), while there’s more than one genuinely brilliant surprise cameo to enjoy. As we’ve come to expect, the action sequences are MASSIVE, powered by nitrous oxide and high octane as property is demolished and vehicles are driven with reckless abandon when our protagonists aren’t engaged bruising, bone-crunching fights choreographed with all the flawless skill you’d expect from a director who used to be a professional stuntman, but this time round the biggest fun comes from the downtime, as the aforementioned banter becomes king. It’s an interesting makeover for the franchise, going from heavyweight action stalwart to comedy gold, and it’s direction I hope they’ll maintain for the inevitable follow-up – barring Fast Five, this is the best Fast & Furious to date, and a strong indicator of how it should go to keep conquering multiplexes in future. Sign me up for more, please.

2. SPIDER-MAN: FAR FROM HOME – this summer’s been something of a decompression period for fans of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, with many of us recovering from the sheer emotional DEVASTATION of the grand finale of Phase 3, Avengers: Endgame, so the main Blockbuster Season’s entry really needed to be light and breezy, a blessed relief after all that angst and loss, much like Ant-Man & the Wasp was last year as it followed Infinity War. And it is, by and large – this is as light-hearted and irreverent as its predecessor, following much the same goofy teen comedy template as Homecoming, but there’s no denying that there’s a definite emotional through-line from Endgame that looms large here, a sense of loss the film fearlessly addresses right from the start, sometimes with a bittersweet sense of humour, sometimes straight. But whichever path the narrative chooses, the film stays true to this underlying truth – there have been great and painful changes in this world, and we can’t go back to how it was before, no matter how hard we try, but then perhaps we shouldn’t. This is certainly central to our young hero’s central arc – Peter Parker (Tom Holland) is in mourning, and not even the prospect of a trip around Europe with his newly returned classmates, together with the chance to finally get close to M.J. (Zendaya), maybe even start a relationship, can entirely distract him from the gaping hole in his life. Still, he’s gonna give it his best shot, but it looks like fate has other plans for our erstwhile Spider-Man as superspy extraordinaire Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) comes calling, basically hijacking his vacation with an Avengers-level threat to deal with, aided by enigmatic inter-dimensional superhero Quentin Beck, aka Mysterio (Jake Gyllenhaal), who has a personal stake in the mission, but as he’s drawn deeper into the fray Peter discovers that things may not be quite as they seem. Of course, giving anything more away would of course dumps HEINOUS spoilers on the precious few who haven’t yet seen the film – suffice to say that the narrative drops a MAJOR sea-change twist at the midpoint that’s EVERY BIT as fiendish as the one Shane Black gave us in Iron Man 3 (although the more knowledgeable fans of the comics will likely see it coming), and also provides Peter with JUST the push he needs to get his priorities straight and just GET OVER IT once and for all. Tom Holland again proves his character is the most endearing teenage geek in cinematic history, his spectacular super-powered abilities and winning underdog perseverance in the face of impossible odds still paradoxically tempered by the fact he’s as loveably hopeless as ever outside his suit; Mysterio himself, meanwhile, frequently steals the film out from under him, the strong bromance they develop certainly mirroring what Peter had with Tony Stark, and it’s a major credit to Gyllenhaal that he so perfectly captures the essential dualities of the character, investing Beck with a roguish but subtly self-deprecating charm that makes him EXTREMELY easy to like, but ultimately belying something much more complex hidden beneath it; it’s also nice to see so many beloved familiar faces returning, particularly the fantastically snarky and self-assured Zendaya, Jacob Batalon (once again pure comic gold as Peter’s adorably nerdy best friend Ned), Tony Revolori (as his self-important class rival Flash Thompson) and, of course, Marisa Tomei as beloved Aunt May, as well as Jackson and Cobie Smoulders as dynamite SHIELD duo Fury and his faithful lieutenant Maria Hill, and best of all Jon Favreau gets a MUCH bigger role this time round as Happy Hogan. Altogether this is very much business as usual for the MCU, the well-oiled machine unsurprisingly turning out another near-perfect gem of a superhero flick that ticks all the required boxes, but a big part of the film’s success should be attributed to returning director Jon Watts, effectively building on the granite-strong foundations of Homecoming with the help of fellow alumni Chris McKenna and Erik Sommers on screenplay duty, for a picture that feels both comfortingly familiar and rewardingly fresh, delivering on all the required counts with thrilling action and eye candy spectacle, endearingly quirky character-based charm and a typically winning sense of humour, and plenty of understandably powerful emotional heft. And, like always, there are plenty of fan-pleasing winks and nods and revelations, and the pre-requisite mid- and post-credit teasers too, both proving to be some proper game-changing corkers. The future of the property may be in doubt, but this is still another winner from the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but then was there really ever any doubt?

1. JOHN WICK CHAPTER 3 – needless to say, those who know me should be in no doubt why THIS is at the top of my list for summer 2019 – this has EVERYTHING I love in movies and more. Keanu Reeves is back in the very best role he’s ever played, unstoppable, unbeatable, un-killable hitman John Wick, who, when we rejoin him mere moments after the end of 2017’s phenomenal Chapter 2, is in some SERIOUSLY deep shit, having been declared Incommunicado by the High Table (the all-powerful ruling elite who run this dark and deadly shadowy underworld) after circumstances forced him to gun down an enemy on the grounds of the New York Continental Hotel (the inviolable sanctuary safe-house for all denizens of the underworld), as his last remaining moments of peace tick away and he desperately tries to find somewhere safe to weather the initial storm. Needless to say the opening act of the film is ONE LONG ACTION SEQUENCE as John careers through the rain-slick backstreets of New York, fighting off attackers left and right with his signature brutal efficiency and unerring skill, perfectly setting up what’s to come – namely a head-spinning, exhausting parade of spectacular set pieces that each put EVERY OTHER offering in any other film this year to shame. Returning director Chad Stahelski again proves that he’s one of the very best helmsmen around for this kind of stuff, delivering FAR beyond the call on every count as he creates a third entry to a series that continues to go from strength to strength, while Keanu once again demonstrates what a phenomenal screen action GOD he is, gliding through each scenario with poise, precision and just the right balance of brooding charm and so-very-done-with-this-shit intensity and a thoroughly enviable athletic physicality that really does put him on the same genre footing as Tom Cruise. As with the first two chapters, what plot there is is largely an afterthought, a facility to fuel the endless wave of stylish, wince-inducing, thoroughly exhilarating violent bloodshed, as John cuts another bloody swathe through the underworld searching for a way to remove the lethal bounty from his head while an Adjudicator from the High Table (Orange Is the New Black’s Asia Kate Dillon) arrives in New York to settle affairs with Winston (Ian McShane), the manager of the New York Continental, and the Bowery King (Laurence Fishburne) for helping John create this mess in the first place. McShane and Fishburne are both HUGE entertainment in their fantastically nuanced large-than-life roles, effortlessly stealing each of their scenes, while the ever-brilliant Lance Reddick also makes a welcome return as Winston’s faithful right-hand Charon, the concierge of the Continental, who finally gets to show off his own hardcore action chops when trouble arrives at their doorstep, and there are plenty of franchise newcomers who make strong impressions here – Dillon is the epitome of icy imperiousness, perfectly capturing the haughty superiority you’d expect from a direct representative of the High Table, Halle Berry gets a frustratingly rare opportunity to show just how seriously badass she can be as former assassin Sofia, the manager of the Casablanca branch of the Continental and one of John’s only remaining allies, Game of Thrones’ Jerome Flynn is smarmy and entitled as her boss Berrada, and Anjelica Houston is typically classy as the Director, the ruthless head of New York’s Ruska Roma (John’s former “alma mater”, basically). The one that REALLY sticks in the memory, though, is Mark Dacascos, finally returning to the big time after frustrating years languishing in lurid straight-to-video action dreck and lowbrow TV hosting duties thanks to a BLISTERING turn as Zero, a truly brilliant semi-comic creation who routinely runs away with the film – he’s the Japanese master ninja the Adjudicator tasks with dispensing her will, a thoroughly lethal killer who may well be as skilled as our hero, but his deadliness is amusingly tempered by the fact that he’s also a total nerd who HERO WORSHIPS John Wick, adorably geeking out whenever their paths cross. Their long-gestating showdown provides a suitably magnificent climax to the action, but there’s plenty to enjoy in the meantime, as former stuntman Stahelski and co keep things interestingly fluid as they constantly change up the dynamics and add new elements, from John using kicking horses in a stable and knives torn out of display cases in a weaponry museum to dispatch foes on the fly, through Sofia’s use of attack dogs to make the Moroccan portion particularly nasty and a SPECTACULAR high octane sequence in which John fights katana-wielding assailants on speeding motorcycles, to the film’s UNDISPUTABLE highlight, an astounding fight in which John takes on Zero’s disciples (including two of the most impressive guys from The Raid movies, Cecep Arif Rahman and Yayan Ruhian) in (and through) an expansive chamber made up entirely of glass walls and floors. Altogether then, this is business as usual for a franchise that’s consistently set the bar for the genre as a whole, an intensely bruising, blissfully blood-drenched epic that cranks its action up to eleven, shot with delicious neon-drenched flair and glossy graphic novel visual excess, a consistently inspired exercise in fascinating world-building that genuinely makes you want to live among its deadly denizens (even though you probably wouldn’t live very long). The denouement sets things up for an inevitable sequel, and I’m not at all surprised – right from the first film I knew the concept had some serious legs, and it’s just too good to quit yet. Which is just how I like it …

#movies 2019 #captive state #godzilla king of the monsters #dark phoenix #fast color #once upon a time in hollywood #crawl #crawl movie #brightburn #hobbs and shaw #spider man far from home #John Wick Chapter 3 #awesome sauce

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dawnasiler · 4 years

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SAG Awards 2020: The Best Skin, Hair and Makeup Looks on the Red Carpet

As award season marches on, this week brings another round of celebrity beauty looks to inspire us, courtesy of last night's SAG Awards.

Also known as the Screen Actors Guild Awards, the ceremony celebrates the best in television and film—which means we get a double dose of glam from our favourite red carpet stars.

These were the best skin, hair and makeup moments:

Zoë Kravitz

Zoë Kravitz at the 2020 SAG Awards.

Close-up of Zoë Kravitz at the 2020 SAG Awards.

Two words: Blown. Away! Zoë looks like a modern-day Audrey Hepburn in this gown, gloves and elegant hair and makeup. The peach tones are doing incredible things for her skin—which isn't too covered up, since we can still see her freckles—and I love the cat eyes and subtle shading of her lids. She is flawless!

Dakota Fanning

Dakota Fanning at the 2020 SAG Awards.

Close-up of Dakota Fanning at the 2020 SAG Awards.

Dakota traded her usual girly aesthetic for a sexy, beachy vibe, and I'm here for it. Especially the messy, mermaid hair texture, which dresses down the sparkly green dress. (I think it's bad lighting that is making her blonde seem so yellow!) The makeup couldn't be more delicate, with sheer washes of peach on her lids and cheeks.

Dakota is wearing: Tinted lip balm in Super Cashmere

Lupita Nyong‘o

Lupita Nyong'o at the 2020 SAG Awards.

Close-up of Lupita Nyong'o at the 2020 SAG Awards.

You don't often see old Hollywood hairstyles with Afro hair texture, but Lupita's 1940s-inspired updo shows us how it's done. Then, she matched her makeup to her dress by layering white next to black eyeliner. The rich berry blush and lipstick bring it all together.

Lupita is wearing: Blush in Haute Couture • Eyeliner in Black Vinyl • Eyeliner in French Lace • False lashes in C.10 • Lipstick in Jezebel

Reese Witherspoon

Reese Witherspoon at the 2020 SAG Awards.

Close-up of Reese Witherspoon at the 2020 SAG Awards.

Reese is wearing the exact same flippy bob hairstyle we saw at the Golden Globes, but now I like it even better. I think it's because the makeup colours are a lot more flattering here—no brown tones, and a cherry lipstick that brings her face to life. All together, the effect is young and fresh.

Scarlett Johansson

Scarlett Johansson at the 2020 SAG Awards.

Close-up of Scarlett Johansson at the 2020 SAG Awards.

Scarlett is back on her game with this slick, tight updo and bright orangey-red lipstick. I love how healthy her skin looks (and there's no sign of the white under-eyes we saw at the Golden Globes!). Her eyes are emphasized with warm shimmery shadow, a sweep of liquid liner, and a pop of gold at the inner corners.

Sophie Turner

Sophie Turner at the 2020 SAG Awards.

Close-up of Sophie Turner at the 2020 SAG Awards.

While it doesn't have the wow factor of her 2019 Met Gala look, Sophie's long waves and peachy-pink makeup are super pretty. Rather than dark eyeliner or shadow, she's relying on extra long lashes to make her eyes pop. I also like the light dusting of sparkly shadow on top of the pink.

Joey King

Joey King at the 2020 SAG Awards.

Close-up of Joey King at the 2020 SAG Awards.

I appreciate how Joey keeps mixing it up this award season. This time, it's all about the slicked-back hair, extra long earrings and sultry, smoky charcoal eyeshadow. Although I'd prefer a slightly lighter touch, this is probably my favourite look I've seen on her yet. (I hope she tones down the lip injections, though!)

Joey is wearing: Moisturizer • Primer • Foundation in 20CP • Concealer in 20CP • Powder in 30NN • Blush in Going Native • Setting spray • Eyeshadow primer • Eyeshadow in Stranded, Jet and Drift • Eyeshadow in Midnight Cowboy • Eyeliner in Perversion and Smoke • Mascara • Brow pencil in Cafe Kitty • Lip liner in Liar • Lipstick in Ex-Girlfriend

Michelle Williams

Michelle Williams at the 2020 SAG Awards.

Close-up of Michelle Williams at the 2020 SAG Awards.

After her stiff waves and orange dress at the Golden Globes, I'm happy to see Michelle upping the glam factor. The makeup is much more intense than usual, with long lashes, black liner and a rich red lip. (And stars are just like us—they get pimples, too!) But it's the Art Deco barrette and angular waved bob that really make this stand out.

Michelle is wearing: Serum • Moisturizer • Eye cream • Lip balm

Camila Mendes

Camila Mendes at the 2020 SAG Awards.

Close-up of Camila Mendes at the 2020 SAG Awards.

Is anyone else getting Kendall Jenner vibes from Camila? She didn't take any risks with this simple hair and makeup, but it still looks lovely. The key elements are matte skin, matte rose lipstick and soft lashes—with her unusual arched brows framing her face.

Rachel Brosnahan

Rachel Brosnahan at the 2020 SAG Awards.

Close-up of Rachel Brosnahan at the 2020 SAG Awards.

I loved Rachel's mid-length soft waves at the Golden Globes, but she's had a haircut since then and possibly a blonder hair colour. I'm not as into this textured bob, which seems too trendy for her, but I do love these smoky eyes. And she has gorgeous skin and brows.

Rachel is wearing: Foundation in Porcelaine • Concealer in 1 • Powder in 1 • Powder • Blush in Glow (as highlighter) • Blush in Petal • Eyeshadow in Steel, Marine and Baby Pink • Eyeshadow in Silky Rose, Metallic Pink and Silky Steel • Eyeliner in Sparkling Black • Mascara in Deep Black • Brow pencil in Cappuccino • Brow gel • Lip balm • Lip liner in Nude • Tinted lip balm in Nude

Jennifer Garner

Jennifer Garner at the 2020 SAG Awards.

Close-up of Jennifer Garner at the 2020 SAG Awards.

I'm glad Jennifer wore her hair down in these textured waves, because otherwise, her ensemble would've looked way too "prom." I can't fault the au naturel makeup—just a hint of mascara and a pinky tinted balm on the lips—but I feel like she deserves a stronger overall style statement. We need more edge!

Lili Reinhart

Lili Reinhart at the 2020 SAG Awards.

Close-up of Lili Reinhart at the 2020 SAG Awards.

If you feel like you've seen this before, you have—Lili wore a similar tight updo and smoky eye makeup the last time she made a red carpet appearance, at TIFF. It's nothing groundbreaking, but it shows off her beautiful skin, and I love the shading around her eyes.

Madeline Brewer

Madeline Brewer at the 2020 SAG Awards.

Close-up of Madeline Brewer at the 2020 SAG Awards.

Madeline didn't shy away from colour, choosing a bright turquoise dress and even brighter orange lipstick to go with her signature red hair. I don't find it the most sophisticated combination, though, and the hair seems a bit too casual for the outfit. What I do love are her brows, skin finish and barely-there eye makeup.

Madeline is wearing: Foundation • Lipstick in Laugh Louder

Margot Robbie

Margot Robbie at the 2020 SAG Awards.

Close-up of Margot Robbie at the 2020 SAG Awards.

What is going on with Margot this award season? She's still rocking the dark roots from the Golden Globes, and in this loose bun, it truly looks like she didn't have time to go to the hairdresser's. The makeup seems like a repeat, too—just flushed cheeks and a slightly deeper lip colour. Margot, you are better than this!

Margot is wearing: Moisturizer • Skin balm • Blush in Rosewood • Eyeshadow in Blurry Blue

Jennifer Aniston

Jennifer Aniston at the 2020 SAG Awards.

Close-up of Jennifer Aniston at the 2020 SAG Awards.

This is classic Jen, but at least she didn't wear black this time. I think her hair looks better in this straight-ish blowout, rather than the waves she had at the Golden Globes. The makeup is exactly the same. Pretty, but predictable.

Nicole Kidman

Nicole Kidman at the 2020 SAG Awards.

Close-up of Nicole Kidman at the 2020 SAG Awards.

Nicole should wear blue more often—it looks so good with her blue eyes, pale skin and strawberry blonde hair. I like the matching hint of silvery blue shadow at the inner corners of her eyes (although I don't love the lashes), and the vintage waves look thick and luscious.

Millie Bobby Brown

Millie Bobby Brown at the 2020 SAG Awards.

Close-up of Millie Bobby Brown at the 2020 SAG Awards.

Believe it or not, Millie is only 15... but here, she's been styled like someone 20 or 30 years older. The entire look is too mature—the mother of the bride outfit is the worst part, but also the stiff long hairstyle and brown smoky shadow. She needs to be taking cues from Kiernan Shipka!

Millie is wearing: Serum • Moisturizer • Eye mask • Foundation in Light Medium 8 • Powder in Light 1 • Blush in Shy Shi • Eyeshadow in Telepathic Taupe and Deep Velvet • Eyeshadow in Sublime • Eyeliner in Shade and Blk Coffee • Mascara • Brow gel in Brown • Lip oil • Lip liner in Supernatural • Lipstick in LaBeija • Lip gloss in Flesh Astral

Charlize Theron

Charlize Theron at the 2020 SAG Awards.

Close-up of Charlize Theron at the 2020 SAG Awards.

Apparently, Charlize didn't have time to do her roots, so she adorned them with a diamond tennis bracelet instead! I can't say I'm a fan (although I'm not going to complain about her blonde because I'm pretty sure it's the lighting). Her go-to neutral makeup was updated with a pinky shadow from lash lines to brows.

Sarah Hyland

Sarah Hyland at the 2020 SAG Awards.

Close-up of Sarah Hyland at the 2020 SAG Awards.

Sarah's dress and spray tan seem more fitting for a springtime music event, not the SAG Awards in January. If she'd leaned into the pastel tones for a more ethereal look, it might've worked okay. But the tan plus the lashes, liner and contouring cheapen this.

Sarah is wearing: Foundation in 550 Light/Medium • Blush in Innocence • Eyeshadow in Peach Punch • Mascara • False lashes in Mia • Brow pencil in Soft Brown • Lip gloss in Fling

Jennifer Lopez

Jennifer Lopez at the 2020 SAG Awards.

Close-up of Jennifer Lopez at the 2020 SAG Awards.

I was hopeful that JLo would give us a head-to-toe old Hollywood moment, but the hair and makeup just aren't cutting it. The two face-framing pieces pulled out of her updo are really dated, as are the smoky eyes and heavy lashes. It's also a shame that her skin is covered in thick, shiny foundation... and that goopy nude lip look needs to go!

Who had your favourite (and least favourite) beauty look on this red carpet?

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SAG Awards 2020: The Best Skin, Hair and Makeup Looks on the Red Carpet syndicated from The Skincare Edit

#skincare #beauty #makeup

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pearlpiineda · 4 years

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Troublesome Emojis in Criminal Cases (Guest Blog Post)

By guest bloggers Jeff Breinholt and Madeline Brewer

[Jeff is an Adjunct Professor at George Washington University Law School. Madeline is an LLM Candidate at George Washington University Law School]

Emojis are frequently showing up in court cases throughout the United States. As a consequence, according to CNN, “Attorneys are having to argue for different interpretations of the small illustrated characters that are used to express emotions, activities or objects. And courts are struggling to handle the nuances of emojis as evidence.”

Can a person’s sending an emoji be the basis for criminal liability, probably the most important function of a court? If so, which particular emojis have gotten people into trouble?

To answer this question, we turned to Professor Eric Goldman of Santa Clara Law School, who keeps a running list of American judicial opinions – state or federal – that mention emojis. [Here is the list from earlier this year]. As of this writing, there are about 170 such opinions in history, dating back to the first mention of emojis in a court case in 2015. About half of these opinions arose out of criminal prosecutions.

The first thing to note is that kids like emojis, and their casual use of them sometimes conflict with adult standards of good taste.

B.C., an Ohio high school student, adjudicated delinquent of inducing panic. He posted a photo to Snapchat depicting a revolver laying on its side next to an open box of ammunition with the caption, “hoco warm up” with two laughing emojis. The word “hoco” referred to “homecoming.” Matter of B.C., 2019 WL 4303033 (Ohio 2019).

Another Ohio youth, C.I.R., was adjudicated as a delinquent for a similar post. Matter of Comm’r, 2019 WL 422354 (Ohio 2019).

Examples of some other juvenile emoji cases include:

Three Georgia teens were adjudged as delinquents for committing a burglary. Prosecutors introduced into evidence printouts from the Facebook pages which displayed emojis that included guns, bombs, and dollar signs. In Interest of W. B., 801 S.E.2d 595 (Ga. 2017).

A Maryland youth was adjudged a delinquent for electronic harassment after posting explicit photographs of a young woman with the following text: “Nasty ass thot cnt believe I dated her.” Following that text were three surgical mask emoji faces. In re M.J., 2018 WL 904421 (Md. 2016).

In Colorado, a high school student was disciplined for posting a comment comparing a fellow student’s rear end to a tub of cottage cheese, with three laughing emojis. Shen v. Albany Unified School District, 2017 WL 5890089 (D. Colo. 2017).

Nebraska school officials had to deal with the threat of a student “fire” emoji that seemed to suggest a violent attack would occur at the school the next day. J.S. v. Grand Island Public Schools, 899 N.W.2d 893 (Neb. 2017).

A California juvenile was adjudged to have made a criminal threat over a three-hour Tweet stream which included laughing and clapping emojis interspersed with her threats to shoot up her high school. In re L.F., 2015 WL 3500616 (Cal. 2015).

Troublesome emojis are not limited to kids or to sending emojis of guns or bombs or knives. Sometimes, they are emojis that you would expect from romantic relationships, although there trouble starts when these relationships are not mutual or legal. About three dozen opinions involve sexual abuse, and what might be considered “electronic foreplay” in which a sexual predator uses romantic emojis in an attempt to seduce or groom their victims. These cases include state court opinions from:

Arkansas [Manek v. State, 2019 Ark. App. 2142019 (2019)]

California [People v. Maldonado, 2019 WL 3822516, (Cal. Ct. App. 2019) (unpublished opinion)]

Indiana [Jansen v. State, 2019 WL 848185 (Ind. 2019)]

Kansas [State v. Bemis, 2019 WL 4230510 (Kan. Ct. App. 2019) (unpublished opinion)]

Massachusetts [Commonwealth v. Hunt, 94 Mass. App. Ct. 2019 WL 855635 (2019) (unpublished opinion)]

Michigan [People v. Hastings, 2018 WL 6184892 (Mich. Ct. App. 2018)]

New Jersey [State v. M.F., 2018 WL 333493 (N.J. Super. Ct. App. Div. Jan. 9, 2018) (unpublished opinion)]

Nevada [Estrada-Puentes v. State, 2018 WL 1720662 (Nev. App. Mar. 30, 2018) (unpublished opinion)]

Pennsylvania [Commonwealth v. Hackenberger, 2019 WL 1749475 (Pa. Super. Ct. 2019)]

Tennessee [State v. Foster, 2019 WL 1546996 (Tenn. Crim. App. 2019) (unpublished opinion)]

Texas [Melendez v. State, 2019 WL 5406051 (Tex. App. 2019)]

Washington [State v. Rene-Gomez, 2019 WL 4933687 (Wash. Ct. App. 2019) (unpublished opinion)]

There are also similar cases from federal and military courts. United States v. Lanier, 2018 WL 4997139 (E.D. Tenn. 2018); United States v. Lewis, 2018 WL 3008008 (M.D. Pa. 2018) (not reported); United States v. Martin, 2019 WL 2896444 (6th Cir. 2019); United States v. Grubbs, 2019 WL 4899010 (N-M. Ct. Crim. App. 2019); United States v. Smith, 2018 WL 718358 (A.F. Ct. Crim. App. 2018) (not reported); United States v. Jungklaus Dadona, 2018 WL 3241488 (A.F. Ct. Crim. App. 2018) (not reported); United States v. Schweitzer, 2018 WL 3326645 (A.F. Ct. Crim. App. 2018).

Sergeant First Class Quantrell L. Anderson of the US Army was court martialed for abusive sexual contact and sentenced to 30 months of confinement. In February 2016, after the Super Bowl, another junior air traffic controller in the unit engaged in a text conversation with Anderson regarding the outcome of the game. After a few messages were exchanged on this topic, Anderson asked her if she wanted “to know a real secret.” Upon her response of “ok,” Anderson sent the message: “When you arrived I wanted to do u,” and this emoji:

United States v. Anderson, 2019 WL 899233 (A. Ct. Crim. App. 2019).

Plenty of adults have gotten into trouble for using emojis in threatening ways. For example:

In Pennsylvania, Shauntell Bree Danzey was convicted of stalking and harassment. Among other things, she posted a text message “DING DONG THE BITCH IS DEAD” along with the common smiley face emoji. Commonwealth v. Danzey, 2019 WL 2049902 (Pa. 2019).

In Ohio, Michael H. DiSaboto was convicted of threat for sending unwanted text messages such as “Winter is Coming” and the phrase “TicToc” followed by two rat emojis. State v. Disabato, 2019 WL 4165097 (Ohio 2019).

Magan Marie Kryzak was convicted in Dallas or manslaughter for shooting her ex-boyfriend after he broke up with her. Shortly before the killing, she sent the victim a text message “Well I’m on my way,” followed by the sad face emoji. Kryzak v. State, 2019 WL 4027074 (Tex. App. 2019).

Dayvon Lamar Smith was convicted of witness intimidation in California for, among other things, sending a text to a witness that included emojis of guns, rodents, and eyeballs. People v. Smith, 2019 WL 1122768 (Cal. 2019).

In Ohio, Richard F. Urich was convicted of violating a protective order for, among other things, sending an emoji of a waiving hand to the victim. State v. Urich, 2019 WL 3544019 (2019).

Joy McShan Edwards was convicted in Ohio of witness intimidation for posting an image to her Facebook account with a photo of a cooperating witness cropped on a body of a person holding a T-shirt with a badge printed on it, and the caption below the photo stating “This n____ look like he just snitch for fun,” with laughing faces and a skull emoji in the caption. United States v. Edwards, 2018 WL 456320 (S.D. Ohio 2018).

In California, Landon Richard Cramer was convicted of criminal threat after he sent the victim a text message stating: “You have 12 hours to find me, before I find you.” The message included several emoji images of bombs, guns, knives, needles, and a fork and knife. People v. Cramer, 2016 WL 4087259 (Cal. 2016).

Sometimes, the emoji is included in the court opinion for a more subtle purpose: showing the defendant’s criminal intent or knowledge.

This was the case of Darnell Lamarr Bryant Bey, charged in Ohio with murder, who posted several gun emojis around the time of the incident, which were presented against him. State v. Bey, 2019 WL 495588 (Ohio 2019).

Following his Pennsylvania drug conviction, Darnell Foster raised the attention of his probation officer by posting photographs depicted guns, drugs, large amounts of money, along with pill emojis. Commonwealth v. Foster, 2019 WL 3926375 (Pa. 2019).

In a California gang murder case, prosecutors presented the defendant’s emojis depicting a crying face, hands praying, thumbs down, and a gun emoji. People v. Griffis, 2019 WL 762208 (Cal. 2019). Similarly, in another California assault case, prosecutors presented the defendant’s posting three skull emojis as evidence of his guilt. People v. Lopez, 2019 WL 1370716 (Mich. 2019).

Two California pimping prosecutions show how emojis – money bags, high heels and bare feet emojis, can symbolize prostitution or human trafficking activities. People v. Jamerson, 2019 WL 459012 (Cal. 2019); People v. Webster, 2019 WL 2754791 (Cal. 2019).

In a Texas murder case, prosecutors presented evidence that the defendant used his cell phone to take a photo of the victim’s beaten face. He posted, “I hit him a couple times on this one, then f––––d him up even worse,” and he inserted a “grinning emoji.” Crowley v. State, 2018 WL 3580741 (Tex. 2018).

In a federal robbery case out of Kansas, prosecutors presented evidence that, after the robbery, the defendant posted “Can’t wake up broke” on his Facebook page, and included a picture of a hand holding a wad of cash and a number of emojis, including a firearm emoji. United States v. Jefferson, 911 F.3d 1290 (10th Cir. 2018).

In a Michigan federal gang prosecution, prosecutors presented the defendant’s drug and guns emojis. United States v. Dailey, 2017 WL 5664185 (E.D. Mich. 2017). In a Pennsylvania probation violation case, prosecutors presented evidence that the defendant had begun to associate with gang members and made frequent postings on social media platforms regarding his affiliation with gang activity, such as one post in which he said his “gun [emoji] was not broken.” Commonwealth v. Paddy, 2017 WL 2713648 (Pa. 2017).

It is evident that emojis are used as a regular form of communication. So much so that certain emojis have their own commonly known definitions. But as indicated above, the definitions can be dangerous. Even though the use of emojis have appeared in court cases, there is still not a court that has thoroughly interpreted the definitions behind an emoji, as they are used in colloquial conversation. (For example, everyone really knows what the peach emoji references, but there has not been a court opinion that verifies that.)

Emojis hold a lot of power in our society. In fact, in 2016 Apple removed the gun emoji and replaced it with a green squirt gun, following a public campaign. It is now the industry standard and has been adopted by most of the other big tech companies.

Courts have used experts to help interpret emojis. In context, some are self-explanatory. The rat emoji is a well know euphemism for someone, who is well, a rat, or disloyal. Some are more specific to the community or context they are used. For example, in the sex trafficking industry, the crown emoji represents the pimp being the king, and the combination of the high heels and the money bag refers to prostitutes wearing high heels to make money. But without an expert, they could appear as regular and innocent use of emojis.

This could cause larger issues for courts, especially due to the fact that emojis can appear different on multiple platforms and devices. This can lead to confusion and misinterpretation. While emojis appear in almost every area of the law, they are most commonly represented in sexual abuse cases. Courts will struggle with interpretation of this form of non-verbal communication as they continue to be present in everyday conversations.

The post Troublesome Emojis in Criminal Cases (Guest Blog Post) appeared first on Technology & Marketing Law Blog.

Troublesome Emojis in Criminal Cases (Guest Blog Post) published first on https://immigrationlawyerfirm.weebly.com/

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edisonashley · 4 years

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Troublesome Emojis in Criminal Cases (Guest Blog Post)

By guest bloggers Jeff Breinholt and Madeline Brewer

[Jeff is an Adjunct Professor at George Washington University Law School. Madeline is an LLM Candidate at George Washington University Law School]

Can a person’s sending an emoji be the basis for criminal liability, probably the most important function of a court? If so, which particular emojis have gotten people into trouble?

The first thing to note is that kids like emojis, and their casual use of them sometimes conflict with adult standards of good taste.

Another Ohio youth, C.I.R., was adjudicated as a delinquent for a similar post. Matter of Comm’r, 2019 WL 422354 (Ohio 2019).

Examples of some other juvenile emoji cases include:

Arkansas [Manek v. State, 2019 Ark. App. 2142019 (2019)]

California [People v. Maldonado, 2019 WL 3822516, (Cal. Ct. App. 2019) (unpublished opinion)]

Indiana [Jansen v. State, 2019 WL 848185 (Ind. 2019)]

Kansas [State v. Bemis, 2019 WL 4230510 (Kan. Ct. App. 2019) (unpublished opinion)]

Massachusetts [Commonwealth v. Hunt, 94 Mass. App. Ct. 2019 WL 855635 (2019) (unpublished opinion)]

Michigan [People v. Hastings, 2018 WL 6184892 (Mich. Ct. App. 2018)]

New Jersey [State v. M.F., 2018 WL 333493 (N.J. Super. Ct. App. Div. Jan. 9, 2018) (unpublished opinion)]

Nevada [Estrada-Puentes v. State, 2018 WL 1720662 (Nev. App. Mar. 30, 2018) (unpublished opinion)]

Pennsylvania [Commonwealth v. Hackenberger, 2019 WL 1749475 (Pa. Super. Ct. 2019)]

Tennessee [State v. Foster, 2019 WL 1546996 (Tenn. Crim. App. 2019) (unpublished opinion)]

Texas [Melendez v. State, 2019 WL 5406051 (Tex. App. 2019)]

Washington [State v. Rene-Gomez, 2019 WL 4933687 (Wash. Ct. App. 2019) (unpublished opinion)]

United States v. Anderson, 2019 WL 899233 (A. Ct. Crim. App. 2019).

Plenty of adults have gotten into trouble for using emojis in threatening ways. For example:

In Ohio, Richard F. Urich was convicted of violating a protective order for, among other things, sending an emoji of a waiving hand to the victim. State v. Urich, 2019 WL 3544019 (2019).

Sometimes, the emoji is included in the court opinion for a more subtle purpose: showing the defendant’s criminal intent or knowledge.

The post Troublesome Emojis in Criminal Cases (Guest Blog Post) appeared first on Technology & Marketing Law Blog.

Troublesome Emojis in Criminal Cases (Guest Blog Post) published first on https://immigrationlawyerto.weebly.com/

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shmosnet2 · 4 years

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10 Of The Most Successful People With Down Syndrome

It’s no secret that people with Down Syndrome are not always fully embraced by society. Even in the wealthiest, most advanced parts of the world, prejudice of this kind continues to persist, and doesn’t appear to be going anywhere anytime soon. But wherever there is prejudice, there are those who stand up against it, and the following are just 10 examples of people who have torn down barriers and broken glass ceilings for people with Down Syndrome all over the world. See Also: 10 Epic Tales Of Survival Against All Odds 10 Ángela Bachiller—Politician

Ángela Bachiller kicked off her political career in 2011, when she began working at City Hall in the Spanish city of Valladolid. A member of the People’s Party, Bachiller spent over two years working as an administrative assistant in City Hall, before standing for election in 2011. Although Bachiller did not win a seat in that election, placing 18th for 17 available posts, she assumed office two years later when a corruption scandal forced Jesús García Galván to step down. While some may attempt to downplay Bachiller’s success by pointing out that she didn’t win the election outright, it should also be noted that she very well may have, if people with Down Syndrome were allowed to vote in Spain. While there is no outright ban on people with intellectual disabilities voting, Spanish courts usually declare people with Down Syndrome as “incapacitated”. Intended to protect them from fraud and exploitation, such a ruling also revokes their right to vote, making it all the more impressive that Bachiller managed to hold a position when she couldn’t even vote for herself.[1] 9Collette Divitto—Entrepreneur

Even without laws that explicitly forbid them from fully integrating into society, people with Down Syndrome consistently face an uphill battle in trying to do so. Collette Divitto discovered just how true this is when, despite finishing a 3 year cooking course at Clemson University in just two years, job interview after job interview was met with nothing but polite rejection. Hellbent on entering the workforce, Collette took her most popular recipe, “The Amazing Cookie”, and founded Collettey’s Cookies. Initially working with a single grocery store, Collette gradually built up her client base, raising her profile with media appearances on CNN, MSNBC, CBS, GMA, BBC, and more, ultimately leading to a partnership with Lays Potato Chips. Collette now employs 13 people, and hopes to use her platform to reduce unemployment and poverty levels among people with disabilities.[2] 8Jamie Brewer—Actor

Probably the most-famous person on this list, Jamie Brewer is an actor that many of you will recognise from her prominent and recurring roles in the American Horror Story series. Having worked in theatre for over a decade, Brewer skyrocketed to international fame when she made her TV debut portraying Adelaide “Addy” Langdon in the pilot of the hit horror show, and has been a regular fixture ever since. In an interview conducted shortly after season one aired, Brewer said “the most difficult part of playing Adelaide is learning how to portray someone who isn’t always viewed acceptable to her mother and society. This is a new challenge for me”. Since she started on the show, Brewer has worked on a number of TV shows & films, and is currently slated to play Princess Aurora (a.k.a. Sleeping Beauty) in a film series that takes old fairytales and gives a more active role to the leading ladies.[3] 7Marte Wexelsen Goksøyr—Playwright

Born in Norway in 1982, Marte Wexelsen Goksøyr is a public speaker and disability activist, but she is most well-known for her work as a writer—more specifically, a playwright. Her most famous work is her interpretation of Cinderella, which is based on her own life, performed at one of Oslo’s most prestigious theatres, and features live music from the naughties pop band Hellogoodbye. Goksøyr’s work made her the first woman to win The Bjørnson Prize from the Norwegian Academy of Literature and Freedom of Expression, and her version of Cinderella was even used as the basis of a scientific study that examined the differences in attitudes towards disabled actors between adults and children.[4] 6 Judith Scott—Sculptor

Judith Scott (1943-2005) had exactly the kind of childhood you would expect from someone who became a world renowned artist. Judith’s parents chose not to acknowledge her condition, which was compounded by the fact that she had gone deaf, unbeknownst to anyone in her life. At seven years old, Judith’s twin sister Joyce woke up to find Judith had been taken to a care home, where her undiagnosed deafness meant she failed to qualify for any sort of classes at all. Forbidden by their mother to visit Judith, Joyce spent much of her life working with children in need until, after a 35 year battle, she became Judith’s guardian and moved her to another institution. For years, Judith took almost no interest in any of the creative activities available there, until the day a guest teacher came in to give a class on fiber art. Judith immediately took the the art form, taking all sorts of objects and wrapping them in threads and yarn. It was clear that her work went well beyond pure aesthetics, with the director of the institute saying that Judith was “learning to speak”. Much of her work clearly reflects the loneliness & isolation she experienced in childhood, with twins being a major theme as well. After 10 years, Judith was given her first exhibition which, coupled with a book about her work, caught the attention and acclaim of the international art community. She soon became the subject of 4 documentaries in three languages, and to this day has permanent exhibitions in 12 museums across 6 countries.[5] 5Madeline Stuart—Supermodel

Madeline Stuart is a professional supermodel who was born in Australia in 1996. After attending a Brisbane fashion show in 2014, Stuart decided she wanted to be a model and began training. The following year, her mother launched an online campaign, which quickly gathered steam, resulting in Stuart signing 2 contracts in one week. Stuart’s career didn’t stop there, and she quickly racked up quite the collection of accolades, such as walking the catwalk in New York Fashion Week, Paris Fashion Week, London Fashion Week, and various other weeks and shows around the world. Stuart has also been profiled in both Vogue & Forbes, and has completed the Special Olympics triathlon three times.[6] 4Pablo Pineda—DipT BA

Pablo Pineda is an actor and educator most well-known for being the first European with Down Syndrome to obtain a university degree, having completed both a Diploma in Teaching and a BA in Educational Psychology. In 2009, he won the Silver Shell Award at the San Sebastián International Film Festival for his role in Yo Tambien, a film about a university graduate with Down Syndrome. Despite the name, the Silver Shell award is actually the top acting prize at the festival, which is one of only 14 category A film festivals in the world. Upon returning to his native Malaga, Pineda was also presented with the Shield of the City by the local Mayor. Although he still acts, Pineda wants to build a career in education, and is currently working on implementing an international strategy to increase employment opportunities for people with disabilities. Pineda is a regular guest speaker at universities across the world, has written multiple books, and has a TedTalk available to watch online.[7] 3 Sujeet Desai—Musician

Sujeet Desai is a musician from Buffalo, New York who graduated from high school with a 4.3 GPA before graduating from Berkshire Hills Music Academy two years later. All in all, Desai can play seven instruments: Piano, violin, drums, Bb clarinet, Bass clarinet, trumpet, and saxophone. Two documentaries have been made about his accomplishments, and he has received major media attention throughout the years, featuring on shows such as The View, 20/20, The Oprah Winfrey Show, as well as in the Wall Street Journal & New York Times. His greatest accomplishment so far was his 2015 performance at Carnegie Hall, for which he received a standing ovation. Needless to say, Desai has a Pantheon of awards to his name, including a number of Olympic medals. That, along with his musical ability, may be why he was chosen to give a solo performance at the opening ceremony of the 2009 Winter Special Olympics. He currently lives in New York with his wife Carolyn, and is working towards earning a second performance at Carnegie Hall.[8] 2 Karen Gaffney—Athlete

In 1977, Jim Gaffney held his 9 month old daughter Karen, and blew air in her face. Once her lips were closed, he placed her briefly underwater, in the hopes that he could gradually improve her breathing and muscle tone. This unusual idea proved to be a bit of a Moana moment for Karen, who has gone on to enjoy an incredibly successful career as a swimmer. In addition to winning two gold medals in the Special Olympics, Karen was the first person with Down Syndrome to complete the English Channel relay race, but even then her career was just getting started. Since crossing the channel, she has also conquered Boston Harbor, San Francisco bay (16 times and counting), Lake Champlain, Dun Laoghaire Harbor, and the Escape from Alcatraz triathlon. In 2007, she was the focus of the Documentary Crossing Tahoe: A Swimmer’s Dream.[9] 1 Isabella Springmuhl Tejada—Designer

From an early age, Isabella Springmuhl Tejada followed in the footsteps of her grandmother, who was also a designer. As a child, Isabella would create clothes for her dolls, but play eventually turned into work when she enrolled in a fashion course, where she began working on clothes inspired by Guatemalan culture, as well as designs aimed specifically at people with Down Syndrome. Springmuhl had her first big showcase in 2015, where she sold her complete collection. The success of her show garnered international attention, and a second exhibit was quickly set up in Panama. Her momentum continued to build, and in 2016 her designs were shown at London Fashion Week, which was followed by another exhibit in Rome. All of this landed her a spot in the BBC’s 100 Women list, an annual collection of the most inspirational and influential women in the world, alongside the likes of Alicia Keys, Simone Biles, and Zoleka Mandela.[10] About The Author: Simon has entered his final lap of being a 20-something year old, but still loves Irish stereotypes and potatoes.

https://ift.tt/340AbFf . Foreign Articles December 06, 2019 at 11:49AM

#. Foreign Articles 10 Of The Most Successful People With Down Syndrome

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thehandmaidstalehulu · 7 years

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As The Handmaid’s Tale nears the end of its first season, a poignant moment from the drama’s first episode comes to mind: Offred (Elisabeth Moss) is trying to comfort Janine (Madeline Brewer) at the red center, where all of the women who will become handmaids go for training. Janine is having a nervous breakdown, hallucinating and babbling nonsense. Offred gently tries to talk her down, to no avail, until Moira (Samira Wiley) slaps Janine. Moira turns to Offred with harsh instructions: “She does this again and I’m not around, you slap her. Hard. I’m serious. Hey—that shit is contagious. You want to see your baby girl again, you need to keep your fucking shit together.”

That sentiment has permeated each episode that follows, as Offred endures abuse after abuse, all in the hopes of reuniting with her child—and as Janine crumbles further and further under her own suffering. Throughout the series, with Moira mostly off on her own journey, Janine has emerged as one of the Hulu drama’s most important players—a tragic foil to Offred that reminds viewers just how extraordinary Offred’s constitution is. Not everyone is that strong; not everyone can keep themselves together under these conditions. And indeed, as Brewer notes in an interview about this week’s episode, Janine “represents to the other handmaids what could happen if you lose your shit.”

“The opportunity that we’ve had with this 10 hours of television is, we’ve been able to suss out Janine’s character a lot more [than in the book],” Brewer said. “Along with many other characters—Moira, the Commander, Serena, and just everybody. But in the book, Janine is more a source of … frustration and kind of annoyance for the other handmaids—because she’s the first one to get pregnant, but she’s also kind of batshit crazy.”

Indeed, over the past few weeks, Brewer’s character has displayed a slow but undeniable mental breakdown—one that culminates in Episode 9, “The Bridge,” when Janine’s story becomes even more difficult to watch. (To prepare for her character’s tragic trajectory, Brewer said she researched sexual-assault survivors and the various ways they react to and cope with trauma.) By the time viewers see Janine in the season’s penultimate installment, she’s been captured and raped, like the rest of the handmaids—and on top of that, she’s also been lied to by her first Commander, Warren, who convinced her to perform sexual acts outside of the prescribed procreation ceremony by saying he was in love with her.

As it turns out, he never actually intended to run away with his handmaid. And as Janine moves on to her new posting—this time with a Commander named Daniel—she begins to show obvious signs of cracking. This week, viewers saw her finally break during her first ceremony with Daniel—throwing herself on the floor, then collapsing into the fetal position in the corner of the room. At the end of the episode, things get even worse: Offred, Commander Waterford, and Serena Joy rush to the bridge where Janine is standing on the edge—holding her and Warren’s baby. Offred talks her down in a tender moment, as the two fantasize about going for a wild night out once the horrors of Gilead come to an end. Janine hands over the baby, but ultimately jumps off the bridge into the frigid water below. It’s the second suicide attempt this series has seen—following Ofglen’s more amusing foray into car theft, which almost certainly ended in that character’s death.

“I think a distinction that can be made between those two suicides is Ofglen is letting the world know that they won’t break her,” Brewer said. “And Janine is kind of succumbing to the fact that this world has broken her. I think that the big difference between the two of them is that [Ofglen], all the shit that happens to her, she only gets more and more fire. And Janine, all the shit that happens … she’s just tired of it. This world hasn’t completely broken her. She just doesn’t know what else to do.”

The Handmaid’s Tale is chock-full of characters whose strength is both undeniable and inspirational. Offred’s refusal to give up is nothing short of heroic; Moira, too, proves her boundless bravery when she makes a second escape attempt—this time from the brothel Jezebel’s. It’s this abundance of courage and fortitude that makes Janine—a more fragile person—so important to this world. Viewers need a reminder that while survival and sanity can be found in Gilead, some people will permanently collapse under its weight. The collateral damage this dystopia has wrought amounts to not just psychological trauma—as bad as that alone would be—but also the loss of so much innocent life. Janine represents that loss—and because of that, her decision to jump from the bridge is one of the drama’s most powerful moments yet.

“Janine, to me, kind of represents—I think she represents how someone can be broken inside this world,” Brewer said. “I don’t think her jumping off the bridge was necessarily [her saying], ‘I just want to die.’ It was, ‘I need to do something, because something needs to change.’”

#the handmaid's tale #handmaid's tale #tht #article #vanity fair #the bridge #1x09 #janine #madeline brewer

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dna-creative-blog · 7 years

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The Handmaid’s Tale Season 1, episode 1

I’ve been anticipating this series adaptation for quite some time now, and after watching the first episode - I am quite pleased at the treatment. In general the most important elements got incorporated in smart ways. The acting across the board is quite excellent! Below are my thoughts on the episode and the differences between the book/show I noticed. Feel free to reply or send me a message on your thoughts! I would love to discuss! I will try not to go too far into the later story from the books, but fair warning that the show does skip around a little and more might be revealed to you in my writings as I navigate around those story points.

Review/Recap S1.episode 1

The show starts with the forest scene in the book where Offred (Elizabeth Moss) describes how she tried to escape with her husband & daughter. In the book, this scene happens much later, but for the purposes of the show, I thought it was appropriate to frame Offred’s motivations in terms of her family unit. It is, after all, her main intrinsic motivator throughout her story to keep going and to take the risks she takes. For me, the scene where Hannah (her daughter) is ripped away from her is gut wrenching and we witness it right from the start. It’s an early indicator that this show is going to pull all the punches - they will not shy away from anything hard or uncomfortable from the story.

I think it’s interesting that they show Offred being taken into the van in the opening. It alludes to a point in the book later on - those of you who’ve read It know what I’m talking about ;)

I am pleased that Offred’s character relays a lot via voiceover in the story. As you get to know the society of Gilead (not yet revealed in the show), it is of course extremely repressive. Being as Offred and the other handmaids, Martha's, etc cannot speak/chat with each other freely about their emotions and what they’re really thinking. The voiceover mechanism is really useful in letting us in to her inner workings and everything she’ll be working through as the story progresses.

Offred’s first meeting with Serena Joy (Yvonne Strahovski) and Commander Waterford (Joseph Fiennes) was a very awkward affair. I don’t recall if in the books the Commander exchanged that many word with Offred in their first meeting, or if at all? But it does emphasize the awkwardness with which these social interactions carry on, because Gilead is still very fresh. The behaviors of the caste society they are imposing are not yet engrained into everyone’s natural day to day - most of the lower caste (handmaids, Martha’s) were all taken and forced into their new positions.

Commander, “It was nice to meet you.” Offred, “...You too.”

You can literally see in everyone’s faces how freaking weird that was.

During this meeting Serena Joy’s most important line was, “It was like training a dog.” - when she was talking about the previous handmaiden. It is very clear between Serena Joy and Offred the relationship dynamic Serena will be keeping with Offred. It’s obvious Serena does not like Offred’s presence.

When Offred comes down to the kitchen to speak with Rita (the Martha played of Amanda Brugel), we see the wings for the first time! I like the design and in general I love the designs of everyone throughout the show. In the book, I always imagined them as really large, but these wings are sensible - gets the job done of blocking things out/hiding a handmaid’s face, and doesn’t get in the way of their daily duties.

When Rita is making the bread, Offred talks about how “they” fought for Traditional Values. Now you can come to interpret that in many ways, but as the story goes on, you get the sense of where the values are truly being glorified from.

There’s an extra scene here with Serena Joy and the Commander interacting during their breakfast. Not particularly significant, but I think the show is trying to build up Serena & the Commander’s relationship more than in the books.

Nick and Offred’s dialogue is quite refreshing - although they are still very conscious of the social restraints that are supposed to be dictating their interactions. I definitely felt the immediate chemistry between Nick & Offred! Max Minghella, who plays Nick, is for sure giving me that smolder-y, hunky vibe ;)

As we meet Ofglen, Offred’s internal monologue really kicks it up a notch and we really start to get her own brand of edginess.

“I sincerely believe that Ofglen is a pious little shit with a broomstick up her ass.”

We have not lost our sense of humor!

When they get to the supermarket, I’m kind of surprised. Honestly, from the descriptions in the books, it sounds like a bunch of independent shops like in a small town or something. Repurposing the supermarket is a very smart idea - but it does give off some sense of abundance, and in the book there is to me a sense of scarcity. The war or ongoing military action could be causing shortages here and there of food and supplies. The image of the supermarket is kind of jarring, because as a viewer it feels so familiar and innocuous. These women who have shopped for themselves their whole life with their own money are basically shopping as part of their household duty as part of the household ‘staff.’

I was not prepared to actually see the wall. Yikes.

Offred has her first flashback of the Red Center and sees Moira (Samira Wiley). In the books, Offered is in the Red Center before Moira gets taken there. Aunt Lydia (Ann Dowd) is exactly the way I imagined her. Spot. On.

The first glimpse of the Red Center does a good job of the purpose and lengths they go to in order to indoctrinate the women into their new roles as handmaidens.

When Offred gets in her bath we see an ear chip that has a designation & number. Here she has a flashback of her daughter at the aquarium and we get some gorgeous cinematography by Colin Watkinson. Beautiful!

We get another flashback of the Red Center, this time of the confession circles. It is truly chilling to witness them forced to indoctrinate each other of the victim blaming mentality that is still very prevalent in our present society. It’s always the part in the book that makes me nauseous and super cringe. Yuck. However! In this scene we get an INCREDIBLE cameo by Margaret Atwood herself when she slaps the heck out of Offred! I was super happy about that (sorry Elizabeth Moss).

Getting ready for the ceremony, Rita & Nick line up behind Offred. I had hoped that Cora - another Martha from the books - would pop up by now, but it looks like she’s not going to be included. Maybe she’ll appear later in the series, but not for the time being. I always liked the character of Cora. Cora was sort of a happy go lucky sort of person (considering the circumstances). Her presence lends a sort of levity to the otherwise very tense and anxious mood of the Waterford house. Rita is usually very terse and Nick is mysterious at best.

“In this house, little things mean everything.”

We get alluded to the fact that women in Gilead are forbidden to read - and the Bible literally being locked is such a clear sign the lengths they’ve gone for even the Bible - the one text that everything in this society is based on.

So the Ceremony... the entire premise of Offred’s servitude and story is about this moment when the Commanders actually have to have intercourse with the Handmaids. The Handmaid’s duty and servitude is in the hopes that they can reproduce. The looks here express everything. Everything else is very business - all clothes on, no touching. So. Damn. Awkward. You get every sense of how weird and wrong and crazy this all is.

Afterwards, I liked Serena’s scene. You really don’t like Serena for the way she treats Offred, and her whole complicit role in this society. However, I really couldn’t help but feel bad for her in this scene. You can really feel how attached she is to her husband, and the immense sense of loss she feels that this has to happen in order for her to have a family.

Next we go back to the Red Center, where Janine (Madeline Brewer) is having a full blown mental breakdown. Kudos to the acting here.

“Keep your fucking shit together.”

We go back to the present and The Salvaging. Now I’ve always thought how diabolically clever and fucked it up it was that Gilead came up with the “Particicution.” Here we see Offred triggered by the news Janine tells her - Moira was sent to the Colonies and is probably dead. Offred’s intense emotion - rage, sadness, frustration - is the perfect embodiment of all the things that get bottled up inside from being forced into sexual slavery by a militant government. Now with all of this pent up emotion, it would be natural that a group use that energy to resist or revolt. However, the Aunts administer this Particicution and it allows the Handmaids to have a catharsis. This tool helps keep them in submission and control. Juxtaposed to the execution, Janine has a crazy, joy in the sunshine moment. That imagery together definitely gives you the uneasy and disjointed feeling - the continued corruption of the society but it’s all based on “traditional values.” Now you can take that to mean that traditional values = good, but in this case not really.

You can see the internal turmoil Offred has after the salvaging. She let herself go in that moment of the particicution, thinking about Moira and everything else she’s lost in the world. She does not feel good about what she’s done.

Ofglen reveals to Offred that there’s an Eye in the Waterford house. This really does not sit well with Offred obviously. She can’t piece it together, but her resentment for her station grows.

She goes back to the Waterford house with a new sense of purpose -

“Her name is Hannah.

“My husband was Luke.”

“My name is June.”

Overall, this is an excellent first episode! You got A LOT of information, enough to get some perspective. Still much more to come! Most importantly, I really get the spirit of Offred in this first episode. It’s an exciting character - she’s relatable, she’s complex and she’s really trying to survive. It’s a great platform for the things ahead.

#the handmaid's tale #Margaret atwood #Hulu original #books #literature #tv show #review #recap #offred #ofglen #ofwarren #serena joy #waterford #aunt Lydia #red center

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