#however this year I ended up using clips from the films themselves for most of them

[dojae-huh]

The unity

127's 3-d concert tour has started in Seoul with 3 concerts in a row.

Dates to search on X: 17-19.11.23

the tag: NCT127_NEOCITY_THE_UNITY

Also use individual members names, more people post only their biases. You can find clips on YT as well, this person provides good sound (looks like with time the videos are sorted into playlists, so check the tab if you are reading this post months later).

I talked a lot how Link was a fanmeet with starved after the pandemic fans rather than a concert, there was close to no preparation, nothing but neos themselves for the offering. Therefore I had been looking forward to the next tour and how SM 3.0 will do. Well, they didn't dissapoint. How well the concert will be transported abroad remains to be seen, at least at home a show was delivered.

Many songs were rearranged. Favorite got orchestral version. Lasers, lightshow were used a lot. Special props: real "firetrucks" and vapor guns for Firetruck, a central stage with moving platforms, a big curtain for Misty, rose petals for Favorite, etc. Good costumes, bright and stage worthy. A lot of live singing. Neos performed at different ends of the stadium, came down to interact with the fans, Doyoung even climbed to the restricted view section. I haven't seen complains about members not being shown on big screens during their key moments, so the camerawork and directing were OK as well.

This time, because it was the last tour before the guys going to the military one by one, there were no solo or unit stages. Doyoung proposed it, which was shown in the bts from the discussion of the plans for the tour, and, naturally, he got hate for it. Mostly from Tae's solo stans.

Taeil didn't participate due to his injury. It was announced some time ago he won't be present in Japan next year as well, so it is safe to say he is going to miss the tour entirely. Unless there will be Unity+ with a changed tracklist in the very end? His parts were covered by different neos. Doyoung had twice the number of highnotes.

Superhuman was performed. Koreans cheered.

Neos had muscat grapes and other snacks as replenishment on stage. Which was a good idea, sugar is needed for tired muscles. Chocolate and grapes are quick to provide it.

Dreamies, NCT new team and Johnathan came on the 3-d day. You can bet Doyoung invited him. He also gave tickets to Inkigayo staff.

Neos had personalised plush star pendants as Fact check theme. Taeyong lost his and Yuta threw his star into the crowd. Which was a problem as the toys were unreleased merch. Neos also advertised some funny hats. Haechan threw his... again, wrong move. Doyoung from the stage and the managers in the audience had to ask to return the items.

A JaeDo moment was posted on 127 IG (stories) although it was easy to cut it (it was at very the beginning of a long video).

JaeDo didn't have individual sections for them in the script, except singing parts, however, they continued to interact in a mild way, similar to how they did in 2022. Jaehyun joined other neos to tease and used opportunities for quick interactions.

Neos

Hyuk+Yuta+Jae lifting up Doyoung as an offering to the fans

Jae running to block Do from going up to the stage: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9... 10, 11, 12

JaeDo looking at each other during Yacht

Do filming Jae

Jae jumping to help Do with the phone camera: 1, 2

Jae correcting himself and changing the placement of his arm on Do's shoulder: 1, 2

TaeDo pair dance during Space: 1, 2, 3, 4

TaeDo hug. Notice how matter of factly it was, how easy and smooth. It what JaeDo would have shown us if they were only close friends.

Haechan touching Do's nipples during a high note. Worth attention that Do didn't flinch or got distracted. He plays alone in most of the cases with dongsaengs. He can not play alone as well.

Haechan patting Do's head.

Do filming neos and the fans, Jae teasing: 1, 2

Jae being cute for the fans: 1, 2, 3, 4

Muscat mugbang, Doyoung

Do interacting with the fans from the restricted view area

Doyoung making (concert) numbers with his finger during the group final photos

Woo spilling water and Hyuk berating him. This moment shows the reaction of both Do and Jae. Do and Tae immidiently went to help and quickly solve the problem of water on the floor. Jae loitered around without interaction with Woo. You know he'll jump to help if it was Do.

Jae sending a flying kiss to Woo

Do making Woo make a heart with him

JaeHyuk handshake

Jae interferring during Tae's speech. Close up on Jae alone.

Yuta feeding a grape to Do.

Haechan being Haechan

A bit of dancing: Jae, Do, Do,

Tae doing a handstand for a final group photo

I didn't spend much time on X so should have missed many an interesting moment. Perhaps fans will make compilations for YT later.

The show

The setlist, the map of performances.

The moving central stage The curtain: 1, 2

Rose petals Fireworks Lightbeams: 1, 2 Confetti gun, again

#chain reaction #NCTUnity #JHDY2023 #i'll be your morning star #the second boyfriend

[lydiascheidler]

The Help (2011): A Unique Look into History

The Help (2011) is a film based on the book by the same name, written by Kathryn Stockett. This movie offers a unique perspective into the early 1960s South of the United States. The Help follows Skeeter, a young writer, as she attempts to write a book about the maids' experiences. We see this world through the eyes of maids such as Minny Jackson and Aibileen Clark, as well as the White women they work for, such as Hilly Holbrook and Elizabeth Leefolt. Hilly is very racist and refuses to use bathrooms that Black people have used, and ends up firing Minny after she uses her restroom. Elizabeth spends no time with her daughter, as Aibileen raises her.

The Help (2011) Original Movie Poster https://www.pastposters.com/details.php?prodId=12407

We learn that a big reason for Skeeter's feelings towards the maids stem from being practically raised by her family's maid, Constantine. She states that children are raised by these women, and they grow up loving each other. She says that this showed her a different view of the maids and caused her to not agree with the way they are treated. Skeeter brings up the "Mammy" stereotype when talking about this. We still see this stereotype in media today. Skeeter describes "Mammy" as a Black women who gives up everything to look after a White family. For example, in the 2019 horror film Ma follows a group of White friends who become friends with an older Black woman named Sue Anne. Sue Anne lets the kids party in her basement and joins them quite often, often leaving her disabled daughter alone upstairs. Sue Anne also makes the kids call her "Ma", which is almost short for "Mammy". This recent piece of media perpetuates this harmful stereotype. Funnily enough, this film stars Octavia Spencer, who also stars in The Help as Minny Jackson.

Octavia Spencer in Ma (2019) (left) and in The Help (2011) (right) https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0818055/

Below is a clip of the movie in which the Mississippi segregation laws are read:

"Skeeter Reads Segregation Laws" Uploaded by Icyee 2023 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IEzjAh6pM78

I thought that this clip was very powerful. It shows just how deep the segregation in the South went. It bore resemblance to a speech we read in ART 150.

"That man over there says that women need to be helped into carriages, and lifted over ditches, and to have the best place everywhere. Nobody ever helps me into carriages, or over mud-puddles, or gives me any best place! And ain't I a woman? Look at me! Look at my arm! I have ploughed and planted, and gathered into barns, and no man could head me! And ain't I a woman? I could work as much and eat as much as a man - when I could get it - and bear the lash as well! And ain't I a woman? I have borne thirteen children, and seen most all sold off to slavery, and when I cried out with my mother's grief, none but Jesus heard me! And ain't I a woman?" (Sojourner Truth, 1851)

This speech was given 100 years before the events of the movie, showing how long these issues persisted. Throughout the movie, we see the maids be denied many things, such as using the same toilet as the family they work for. I thought this was similar to this speech as these women are no different from the women they work for, yet are denied basic needs.

It truly baffles me that this movie is set in the 1960s. The things I heard the White people say in this movie were outrageous and I cannot believe that this was the norm just 60 years ago. When I was first learning about the Civil Rights Movement, it seemed like ages ago to my younger self. However, my grandfather marched with Martin Luther King Jr. and my father was born in 1969. This all puts into perspective just how recent this all was.

Looking at Skeeter in the film, I see both the good and the bad. For one, Skeeter can be seen as the savior of the maids. This is problematic as it suggests that these women could not help themselves, and needed a White savior. This is a common issue in media representation. However, because the oppressed rarely have options to change their circumstance, they do often need someone of higher status to help them escape oppression. Skeeter can be used as inspiration to people who want to help others who are less fortunate than them.

Overall, I think that this was a great movie that offers a unique look back in time. I think that it brought a lot of important issues to light and addressed them how they deserved to be addressed. I think that movies like this are very important as they keep these historic issues relevant and get people talking about how inequality persists today.

Citations:

Taylor, T. (2011). The Help. Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures.

Sojourner Truth (1797-1883): "Ain't I A Woman?" Delivered 1851 Women's Rights Convention, Old Stone Church (since demolished), Akron, Ohio

[top100k]

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Think of waking up one early morning to discover that youve end up being a millionaire overnight? Granted, it does not happen to everybody-- unless youve bought cryptocurrency. Brothers Tommy, 38, and also James, 42, found themselves because very situation after spending $200 right into shiba inu coin, a spin-off of Dogecoin.

At first established as a joke, Dogecoin and also its spin-offs became one of the most successful cryptocurrency to buy. Dogecoin was unknown for a lot of financiers for a long period of time until Elon Musk began tweeting about it. After that it acquired energy as well as its rate skyrocketed.

One of the bros stated that he thought about just how Dogecoin was once a portion of a penny and also currently its 10s of hundreds of dollars so maybe the exact same can happen with Dogecoin. Ends up he was right as well as hes got millions on his account to prove it.

Tommy and also James claim:

Prior to coronavirus, we used to make a living filming weddings. Our business practically crumbled as pairs cancelled their events during the pandemic. We had actually videoed no more than 8 rather than 30 or 40 that year. We got on the edge of insolvency.

The federal government stimulation checks werent sufficient to sustain us. Im a positive individual however it was actually difficult, and also not knowing the future was sort of frightening. claims Tommy.

A few of our close friends were purchasing crypto so we determined to do the exact same. Since we didnt recognize what we were doing we determined to use a system called Dogecoin Millionaire which works in automated mode. Us earn buzz real or fake. It does all the help you so you just require to transfer your preliminary investment. Earn money online new method.

For us it was just $200 since we didnt have a lot more. Make money with mak. Luckily, we chatted our mother and sister to contribute as well as they invested $100 each. Make money every 60 seconds solo.

While shooting a wedding video clip eventually, the bros observed their financial investment increased to $100,000 and also kept raising. Crash strategy a huge online earning money online.

Tommy continues:

We got up the next morning and also it increased. Timebucks earn money. We resembled, Oh my god, Tommy stated. Earnings history stocks.

After that it increased to $700,000 and also I told my brother its going to hit a million. Earn money data entry home typing. I kept revitalizing my phone. Way to make money from your phone.

The day it hit a million-- my mum and also sister, they didnt believe it was real. Online money earning jobs for students malayalam.

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[sanjosenewshq]

Warriors wanted Draymond Inexperienced protection in pre-season loss to Lakers

SAN FRANCISCO – The pre-season outcomes aren’t value worrying about, however the Warriors will beat the film to see how they allowed 124 factors to the Los Angeles Lakers – enjoying with out LeBron James and Russell Westbrook – in Sunday’s loss at Chase Middle. However their findings will not be too difficult. Warriors will see a protection in dire want of Draymond Inexperienced. Greene is out of the workforce indefinitely, a semi-suspension he’ll combat after Jordan Paul punched him within the face throughout final Wednesday’s workforce brawl. The workforce wants some area from it as they work to rebuild the damaged belief. “He has some work to do to revive that confidence from us,” Kevin Looney stated after Sunday’s recreation. “However I feel he is prepared to do it.” Inexperienced will not be very welcome on the Warriors facility for the time being, however he’s sorely missed on the sector. His absence was significantly felt in opposition to Anthony Davis, who did some bullying in opposition to the youthful Warriors gamers. Jonathan Cominga—enjoying in striker energy in Inexperienced’s place—and James Wiseman held them, however had hassle containing the 6-foot-10 Lakers star striker/energy. Davis led LA with 28 factors and was within the basket as he happy when Kominga Wiseman shared the entrance court docket collectively. “Anthony was incredible tonight,” stated coach Steve Kerr. “Clearly it is a actually robust cowl. He made two early errors on Loon after which we gave James a while in opposition to him. It is an amazing studying expertise for our guys, to have to protect top-of-the-line gamers within the league. We’ll check out the film. We’ll be displaying clips of those guys individually tomorrow they usually’ll study From tonight for certain.” To be honest, not many gamers in all the NBA may include Davis. He is unstoppable within the paint and an actual risk from behind the bow. His ability in that seven-foot-tall body has induced hassle for junior ball warriors through the years. In earlier video games—from Davis’ time in New Orleans to his transfer to Los Angeles—Inexperienced was at all times gifted to undercut Davis’ dominance. Not solely did the Warriors miss Greene’s solo protection in opposition to Davis, but it surely was his aiding protection and communication that make the Warriors’ protection one of many league’s greatest defenses. Looney was the defensive anchor for Golden State on Sunday. He fought for six rebounds and performed properly in opposition to Davis, together with a defensive cease on the submit early within the first quarter that ended up being a foul. Some false calls piled up, forcing Wiseman to cope with Davis as properly. Within the third quarter, the Warriors’ most spectacular minute, Kerr selected a entrance court docket pairing JaMychal Inexperienced with Looney and Wiseman, as Poole’s jets irritate the assault, particularly in a pick-and-roll recreation. Defensively, although, the soldiers did not appear to be themselves. They let the Lakers shoot 50% of the sector, 47% of three. They did permit some slack within the pre-season, however they bought over the slip in a single recreation. Greene’s future with the group seems tentative, however it’s unlikely to be repeated with out him. Originally published at San Jose News HQ

#San Jose News HQ

[watchmegetobsessed]

ANOTHER TITLE

a/n: personally i’ve been waiting for this part to come since the beginning lmao, so here is the proposal finally!! it’s like so fluffy, almost disgustingly, but i just couldn’t help myself

pairing: Sebastian Stan X Reader

word count: 1.8k

This fic is part of the LITTLE ONE series, but can be read as a simple oneshot as well! Find the masterpost of the series HERE!

masterlist

(gif is not mine)

You’ve been eating like a hormonal teenage boy these past weeks and you know it needs to stop and held under control, but you just can’t help yourself. It’s like your stomach has become a black hole that needs to absorb any and every food that’s home, you’re constantly snacking beside the large portions you eat three times a day, there’s always something you’re craving, the shopping list on the fridge is changing every hour because you think of something else to eat.

Luckily, you haven’t gained that much weight besides the noticeable bump that’s your baby in your belly, seems like your little girl does need all the food and she uses it instead of letting it all get stuck on other parts of your body, so you’re fine for just now.

Sitting on the couch, watching some kind of soap opera, you’re snacking on an entire jar of Nutella this time, shamelessly stuffing your mouth with the sweet, thick stuff, pretty sure that nothing will be left of it by the end of the day. Sebastian is away again for his second filming that was scheduled even before you found out you were pregnant and he messed around with it a little, shortening it once again and you just visited him last weekend. Now that you are pushing the end of your second trimester, your bump is quite evident, not something you can hide easily, so when you showed up on set with your boyfriend, you didn’t even try to cover it up, knowing well someone would spot it sooner or later. However everyone on the team has been so respectful, keeping the news to themselves, because no headlines have been made about your pregnancy just yet, keeping the secret even longer. To be honest, you’re surprised it hasn’t been discovered sooner, you thoughr someone would catch you out and about and see right through your baggy clothes and sell the news to the tabloids, but now you are in the sixth month and no one knows a thing.

Your phone chimes next to you, a text from Seb and you hum to yourself happily, putting the jar aside to grab the phone and see what he wrote.

“How are my two favorite girls doing? Miss you a lot!”

He even attached a silly selfie of himself in hair and makeup, he looks adorable with the clips in his hair and some kind of patches under his eyes. Like a real beauty guru.

Grabbing the Nutella, you place it on top of your bump as you move the phone to a lower angle and take a selfie that makes your bump look even bigger, the jar on top and you grinning widely at the camera as you snap a picture and send it to him with your reply.

“Enjoying our third snack of the day at 11 am! Miss you too, can’t wait to see you next week!”

He reads the message right away, his reply coming just seconds later.

“Look at that bump! You look gorgeous, baby! Can’t wait to see you too, have fun with your sister today, love you lots Xx”

Since he has left you’ve been trying to keep yourself busy so you don’t miss him too much and you’re also using these weeks to spend as much time with your friends and family as possible, knowing well once the baby arrives you won’t be going out that much for a while, nestled up in your home, learning the ropes of being a mother. Today you are meeting up with your sister, she is taking you out to this alleged new, quite fancy restaurant you haven’t heard about before. She claimed that it’s really exclusive, so you don’t have to worry about being photographed or bothered, but she also told you to glam yourself up for the occasion. It’s gonna be some nice sister time, something you haven’t been able to do in a long time.

You take the assignment seriously, doing your hair and makeup the best you can and you decide to put on a flowy maxi dress with a soft, knitted cardigan, very much going for a kind of cottage core vibe. Leaving just in time you text your sister that you’re on your way, putting the address into the GPS and heading out of town, because the place is near the beach. She texts you back that she’ll meet you there and so your short little road trip begins. Sitting in the car you’re listening to one of the many playlists Sebastian has made for you and the baby, he likes to play them at home, humming the songs under his breath, hoping to start educating your little girl in the field of music as early as possible. You have to admit he has a good taste, so you don’t mind it at all.

As you follow the instructions of the GPS you find the place that’s supposed to be your destination, but it doesn’t seem like a restaurant at all, more like a mansion of some kind, a very expensive looking if you are being honest. There are no other cars, no sign of other people so as you park at the front you call your sister.

“Hey, I’m right outside, but I have a feeling I’m at the wrong place? It doesn’t look like a restaurant.”

“Oh, don’t worry! You’re at the right place! I’m a little late, but I’ll be there soon, just go inside, they are expecting us!” she assures you, but you’re still not convinced.

Ending the call you approach the entrance and for your surprise the heavy doors open before you could even knock or find the bell. A man in a tuxedo appears in front of you, smiling warmly at you.

“Miss Y/L/N?”

“Uh, yeah,” you nod, a little shy and confused.

“Please, follow me,” prompts as you walk inside and the two of you start crossing the grandiose hall of the building.

At this point you are sure it’s not a restaurant, but you have no idea why your sister wanted you to come here. You want to ask the man if you’re even at the right place, but he called you by your name so he was expecting you, this has to be the place where you’re supposed to be. More and more questions pile up in your head as you follow him out to the backyard, a gigantic, flower-filled garden that’s straight out of a fairytale, a path leading down to the beach where there’s a dreamy little pergola with even more flowers and fairy lights and as your eyes fall on the figure standing in the middle of the pergola, you immediately gasp.

Because surrounded with all the flowers and lights, there is Sebastian standing in an elegant suit, smiling widely at you as the man next to you helps you down the stairs before you start walking down the path to him.

Tears are flooding your eyes, because you already know what it is, but you can’t believe it’s really happening. He was so sneaky, he got home from filming earlier and even made your sister play along to surprise you, he is such a romantic soul, no one can change your mind about that!

“You’re not in Atlanta!” you tell him when he is finally close enough to hear you. He chuckles sweetly, taking a few steps forward to meet you sooner, his hands finding your waist as you cup his face in your hands, pulling him down to kiss you right away.

“No, I’m not, baby,” he smirks, his hands sliding to your belly, gently stroking the sides as you wipe your tears away, but there’s no use, because the next moment, he steps back a little, just enough so that he can get down on one knee and you’re crying again when you see him pull out a little velvety box from his pocket.

You were expecting it. You knew he would propose before the baby arrives, but you just didn’t know when and how, but he surely outdone himself with his little surprise.

“My Love, Y/N,” he starts after a deep breath, his hands finding yours and you can feel the shaking, but you’re not sure if it’s coming from yours or his. Probably both. “I’ve spent the best years of my life with you and I haven’t been the same man since the day I met you, but in the best way possible. You are the most amazing woman I’ve ever met and I’m so lucky that you did not only choose to be with me, but you are now carrying our baby under your heart as well, out little one who is equal parts of you and me, though you’re doing ninety percent of the job here,” he adds with a chuckle, making you laugh through your tears. “I knew I wanted to spend the rest of my life with you the moment you were so badass on your first date, kissing me when I didn’t have the balls to do the first step, but I’m glad you did. I fell in love with you right then and there and the same thing has been happening every day, over and over again since then. I know we went a little out of order with everything we had planned,” he smirks, glancing down at your bump before his blue eyes find yours again, “but that doesn’t change the fact that I want to spend the rest of my life with you, so I have a question for you.”

He pops the lid of the box open, a gorgeous, brilliant diamond ring coming to your vision, sparkling in the warm afternoon Sun so perfectly, it takes your breath away.

“Y/N Y/L/N, will you make me the happiest man alive and marry me?” he asks, clearly nervous, even though there’s no doubt about your answer, you’ve told him plenty of times before that you want to marry him, but still, it’s a huge moment in both your lives.

“Yes, yes, yes!” you nod eagerly as you both start laughing in relief, his shaky fingers tagging the ring out of the box and sliding it to your finger gently, before he brings your hand to his mouth and kisses the ring.

Then he finally stands up and you basically throw yourself into his arms, kissing him like your life depends on it as he kisses you back with just as much force.

“I love you and I can’t wait to call you my wife,” he sighs pleased against your lips.

“Mm, another title in the line? Girlfriend, baby mama, fiancé and then wife,” you giggle giddily.

“You missed one,” he cocks an eyebrow at you slyly.

“Which one?”

“Love of my life.”

Thank you for reading, please like and reblog if you enjoyed it!

#sebastian stan #sebastian stan fanfiction #sebastian stan fluff #sebastian stan blurb #sebastian stan oneshot #sebastian stan one shot #sebastian stan fiction #sebastian stan x you #sebastian stan x y/n #sebastian stan x reader #bucky barnes #bucky barnes x you #bucky barnes x y/n #bucky barnes x reader

[evakuality]

Matteo - Episode three

Social Media - There’s so much of it this week!  At the time, I only followed a couple of accounts and then only saw the rest when it was posted to the tag.  I think I’m grateful for that.  This is absolutely overwhelming, the sheer volume of things the characters were putting out.  But it’s also really nice that we get all this normal teenage life stuff.  It really does allow an immersive ‘this is real people doing real stuff’ feeling to everything.  Particularly people like Kiki and Sam who have little to do with the plot.  It keeps them real and alive through a season where they were a bit more sidelined (and I love that Matteo and David’s little trip later on keeps them alive in a way that doesn’t overpower Amira’s season - this is a really clever way for the producers to keep fan favourites active without having to shoehorn them into places where they don’t belong).  I am also a bit concerned about some of this though - how on earth did the boys not get in trouble for filming the dancing girls and posting it to social media?  At most schools I know that would have resulted in some serious discipline action.  However, the most fascinating thing about the social media is the party at the end of the episode.  Sara didn’t start posting much on her stuff until much later in the evening (the reason this post is so late is because I was waiting to watch through all the social media before I worked with it - and there was so much for so long that I was able to notice the patterns in it in a way I didn’t at the time) and then Leonie took over and it was interesting what she chose to show and how non-perfect it all was compared to what Sara was trying to do before she got really incapacitated.  I know it’s not technically part of this episode but the text string between the two of them the next day where Sara panics over how Matteo might take seeing her in such a sloppy drunken state is very telling.  She really really wants to put on a show to make sure he’s not turned off by her not being ‘perfect’ - again, this is all very subtly done but there’s a really strong push to show how much of what is put onto social media isn’t a real and true depiction of who we really are.  And of course that’s most important for Matteo himself.  He’s still very actively putting on a front and it’s only partly to try to cover for the fact that he’s interested in boys not girls.  He’s really not happy or at ease with pretty much any aspect of himself, but he’s also not really willing to show it to anyone.  Except David.  Which we’ll see as we go through the clips.

Clip one - Matteo’s shelf in the fridge is so sad!  Someone (a parent maybe?) should really be making sure he has food and is looking after himself.  We touched a bit last episode on food and nurturing and what we see here is Matteo very much not nurturing himself.  Even more so than Sara, he has no care for his own wellbeing.  Also he’s relying heavily on other people (Hans in this case) to do the heavy lifting for him.  It’s also a major contrast to the playful, if disgusting, sandwich he made with David.  Here it’s really just about putting something in to his body and there’s no thought for anything other than basic survival.  Which is, tbh, a good metaphor for Matteo’s approach to his life at this time.  The chat with Mia again veers close to things that are difficult for Matteo - he’s wearing David’s beanie, trying to get that bit of closeness to him, but then Mia starts asking awkward questions about why the kitchen was so terrible and what Matteo was up to and it’s all a bit tough.  Matteo tries again to deflect and lie to cover his tracks.  Which... is he ever going to learn?  This lying is forever getting him in hot water when he’s caught out.  Jonas even calls him out on it, basically saying ‘if you’re going to use me as an excuse then give me a heads up first’ showing that he has Matteo’s back, but is incapable of helping him if he won’t help himself.  At this point, of course, Matteo has closed off because there’s a lot he finds too hard to talk about but Jonas is already giving those hints that he’d be there for Matteo if only Matteo would let him be.  But at least Mia’s pushing serves one purpose - Matteo makes contact with David again and they manage to connect and get over the little hitch that David’s ditching caused.  Both are still hiding bits of themselves from each other (David more so obviously), but both are quite happy to make these connections and are comfortable with each other.  That David responds is so nice; it sets up the dynamic so different to the original and Matteo is much more secure in David’s friendship than Isak was with Even at this point just because of this.  Then of course Matteo does the gay test, and it’s clear he already knows but he’s just sort of trying to work through some things.  It leads to some of the things he says later that are quite unfortunate (both to the boys about the dance teacher in this episode and to Hans later about the ways to be gay), but I think there’s a genuine desire to figure out what gay might look like rather than any truly homophobic stuff.  societal expectations and stereotypes and our own internal biases mess with us big time!!

Clip two - There’s not a lot of difference with the dancing girls clip, but it’s nice to see David again and the interactions between him and Matteo are a lot more natural than with Isak and Even.  I guess because these two are in the same year, it’s much easier to pass off knowing each other and so Matteo really is a lot more casual than Isak ever was.  The tone of the ‘why does he have to be so gay’ is different here too - Matteo’s much more low key and subdued when he’s called out on ‘why do we insult gays’ and he’s apologising fairly quickly.  It really is much more obvious that he’s trying to work out what ‘gay’ is than trying to distance himself from the idea of being gay.  He has a lot of issues and a lot of stuff to work through but it’s entrenched in an entirely different way to the og even though the words are almost exactly the same.  The power of acting and body language!!  Of course, this makes sense for both characters too - Isak and Matteo have different experiences and different lives and so they each act in a way that makes sense for them.  I’m super impressed that the same conversation can look so different - both actors are very very good.

Clip three - This scene with Matteo and Sara works much better for me than the one with Isak and Emma.  But perhaps that’s because Sara is allowed to be much more of a rounded character rather than a plot device.  We can say all we like (and Leonie is so clearly right there with us) that Sara needs to wake up and see how badly Matteo is treating her, but the way this is developing makes it clear why she thinks and acts the way she does and we can have a lot of sympathy for her even while rolling our eyes at how obviously this is not working out.  This right here is the moment where Matteo really should have said ‘yeah sorry, this isn’t working for me’ but he chooses not to because he still wants that security of having ‘someone’ if the thing with David turns out the way he expects it to (eg, David and Leonie being a thing).  He wants the ability to hide and say ‘see, there was nothing there, I have a girlfriend so I’m not at all upset that David has one too’ and it’s shitty behaviour and it’s totally unfair to Sara, but at this point Matteo can’t see beyond his own needs.  Sara is very clearly not happy with the situation and she rightly feels sidelined and unappreciated but she is still willing to accept his word when she puts those words into his mouth.  She’s still invested in this fantasy in her head and she is carefully scripting it so that it goes the way she wants it to.  Like last week when she was talking over Matteo to avoid hearing anything he’s saying, here she’s literally telling him what to say to get the outcome she wants.  Leonie has quite obviously got a better handle on the situation, but Sara doesn’t want to hear it.  Sara, again bless her, is very open about what she wants and needs from a relationship and how she’s feeling.  She refuses to take Matteo’s very half-hearted attempt at sweet talking her at face value and demands some accountability.  But it’s the very nature of those demands that sets her doom.  She tells him what she needs and he gives it to her - only it’s a very pale and weak imitation of what she would really like.  He uses her communication skills to play her.

Clip four - I loathe how no-one takes Matteo’s wants and needs into account, pretty much ever.  He’s in such a rut of being used to just going with the flow that even when he tries to assert his own wants people straight up ignore him.  It’s sad that he allows Kiki etc to basically commandeer his home for their party but it’s very much in keeping with how everything else is going.  Last week, Kiki was super irritated because she had a picture of how things were going to go (they would have their event and Matteo would host it) and she couldn’t deal with things not being under her control.  I suspect that if Sara hadn’t been with them and hadn’t done the speaking for Matteo, he would have been bullied into doing what she wanted then too.  He clearly doesn't want to do this , but at least he uses it as a way to get closer to David.  ‘Well, this party idea sucks, but maybe I can get this guy I like there’ and so he goes right up to him and invites him.  While he’s quite checked out of significant parts of his life, when Matteo really wants something he’s not scared of going after it.  Of course, as we see in later events, this gets him in trouble at times.  But for right now it’s nice to see him taking some small control of his life.  This is only possible, of course, because he was able to connect with David fairly quickly after he left last week.  The fact that they are able to do this is testament to how easily they do understand each other and even while its awkward, this relationship doesn’t have the underlying tensions that the one with Sara does.  It’s awkward in a positive way.

Clip five - there’s lots going on in this one.  The studying and how little interest and engagement Matteo has with it.  The consequent stalking of David on Sara’s account, the flow over into looking for David’s favourite movie, and of course Hans and his intrusion into Matteo’s quiet space again and then his attempt at using grindr.  It’s a slow, fairly quiet clip and yet Matteo ends up doing a lot in it.  It shows again, I think, just how much he values his time by himself and how much it works for him to be allowed to do things at his own pace.  I’ve said before I really enjoy seeing the characters in their own environments being chill and just hanging with themselves.  It shows us a lot of how they are.  In this case, Matteo moves very quickly from the boredom of the studying to things he has more interest in.  Like David.  He’s restless and disengaged, using all of his tricks to try to distract himself (playing with plants etc) and then very quickly giving up on what he should do.  I like that we get these sorts of smaller, lower key indications of how much David means to him as well.  It’s not big grandiose expressions of interest, but he watches the movie because David likes it.  He can’t even let himself stare at the picture for too long because it feels like a huge admission (he literally breaks eye contact with it and looks away the way he often does with David himself).  It’s in these unguarded moments in his own space that we really see Matteo and he’s a mess, but he’s a mess who really does want connection and to find meaning with someone.  

Clip six - We all love this one, right?  It’s such a nice moment with David and their almost-kissing is very intense.  But there’s a lot going on before that that I also want to look at.  First, the way the boys call Matteo a ‘player’?????? how???? That’s his girlfriend?????  He is playing her and stringing her along when he shouldn’t, but he’s not playing the field which is generally what we mean when we say this sort of thing.  He has one girl and that one girl has made it pretty clear that he is hers.  In many ways Matteo would be better off if he was playing the field - then there’s no expectations and he gets a rep as a ladies man.  But this works better for him - he can sort of fall into it and follow along with it without having to put any effort in at all.  She literally speaks for him, even.  I have always found it fascinating how much Matteo keeps to himself in this clip.  He hugs the walls like they’re his home and Sara is out there in the middle and there’s such a disconnect between the way they’re both acting.  How would Matteo have coped with the expectations Sara outlines about sex had she not got so blind drunk she had to be taken home?  It seems like it would have led to something very awkward and maybe she’d have finally got the picture.

Laura's little visit to see Matteo is cute too.  Obviously she knows that David is interested and so she checks him out.  It’s a shame it’s interrupted by Hans who then monopolises Matteo, but she was quite deliberate in finding him and speaking with him and I love the sibling support.  David’s shirt he chooses to appeal to Matteo is hilarious too.  The thought process (and the discussions with Laura at home beforehand) must have been brilliant.  ‘I always wear black and am mysterious and aloof and cool, but to attract this boy I will wear a white shirt with a stupid picture on it’ - that it does attract Matteo just shows how attuned David is to his future boyfriend.  Maybe he’s stalking the instagrams too - the Matteo Monday and Florenzi Friday do suggest that this is something that might appeal to Matteo.  

Hans and Andi bother me too.  In much the same way that I dislike that Sara assumes that Matteo not wanting sex with her means he’s gay (like?  It’s okay not to want sex!!  It doesn’t say anything about your sexuality), I don’t like that Hans has talked about Matteo to Andi and allows him to be so forward and aggressively sexual with someone who is very obviously not willing to be out.  I know Hans is trying to be there for Matteo and to encourage him to accept himself (I think it’s pretty clear that he knows or thinks Matteo likes guys).  But this is a party with all of Matteo’s friends.  What did they think would happen?  Why did they think he’d react in any way other than the one he does?  Hans looks confused when Matteo pushes away and leaves, but why?  This behaviour is entirely consistent with everything we know of his character. That it ends in an actual panic attack makes it all much more sad and difficult to watch.  Honestly, outing people when they’re not ready is not cool and Hans should know this.

The panic attack itself is so well done.  There’s no dialogue and yet we can see very obviously how Matteo is feeling and just how ‘normal’ this is to him.  He has a set of behaviours that he follows to try to take the edge off.  He throws things (this is his go-to when he’s stressed and he does it a LOT), he tries weed and he finally tries music and sitting by himself, cuddling a cushion for comfort.  I know a million people have discussed this at length, but I don’t think we can speak about this clip without at least touching on it.  Everything about it is done so well and it all combines to allow Matteo’s feelings to shine through.  I love that it’s allowed to happen at a party and that we see very clearly how these things can be overwhelming for characters.  I won’t go on anymore, but it’s just great and the acting is so perfect.  I genuinely think this small part of this clip is probably my favourite acting out of everything in this show.

And then of course we have the stuff after everyone else has left.  Again, a million people have discussed this in a million ways, but I love how this scene again shows how easily they get each other, how good they are at communicating with each other and how quickly they get on the same page.  Matteo has no trouble at all saying what he thinks and pressing for information.  This parallels Sara in some ways - she is like this with Matteo, making her wants and needs clear and putting herself on the line.  Again, this is all very good set up for later on when Matteo finally finds himself in her position and realises just how much his behaviour hurt her because he’s living her side.  However, unlike Matteo, David is quite clear and honest back.  And that’s why they can so quickly move into a potential kiss.  As with Matteo and Sara, there are close ups as they lean into each other, but somehow it feels like there’s more space for them to breathe here.  The camera allows them both to be in the frame naturally, whether Sara is often invading into Matteo’s shots.  Here, they’re both on board and both want it.  I like that Matteo gets a moment to be open and himself after his experience with Andi.  It must take a lot of courage to do this after he was so badly affected earlier.  Testament to David’s calming presence which reassures rather than pushes, and how honest they are with each other - there’s no way David could miss how relieved Matteo is when he finds out that Laura is David’s sister not his girlfriend.  They’re both very brave here - David for telling Matteo he looks good and Matteo for trying to take that next step even after his panic attack.   And I think that’s a nice place to leave this.  Because that’s already such a lot and this has all already been said before.  

#druck #og druck #Matteo - episode 3 #again super long I'm sorry #one day I'll learn how to be concise

[sanstropfremir]

same anon (guess i’ll call myself kingdom anon) — and to be fair im also the same as u and can’t really watch competition shows. that’s why i only watched their youtube clips at the beginning. only watching it now because i need something to pass time. (though if u have any recs pls do share :)) but like i’m not paying extreme attention to it lol

i skip skz’s performances just because i am really not a fan. its v cringe for me…. whoever told them that they’re good rappers should maybe possibly be fired. but music is subjective so to each their own. i’m not going to subject myself to it. one thing that i am curious about is if skz genuinely believes that they did really well? it is a scripted show so i’m not too sure. but i really wished fan votes weren’t such a large percentage…. this was an opportunity for tbz/skz/atz to actually receive critical feedback and grow considering they’re younger groups (as opposed to btob/ikon who already established themselves). like for sf9, we saw their immediate growth from round 1 to round 2. but for skz, they’re stagnant.

on a more general topic, there’s something v unique w having large fan bases. recently i saw an article that skz’s new album reached 900,000+ preorder sales. but they didn’t actually rank on korean music charts. and in a way, the sales tell jyp that they’re successful because of the money they’re bringing in. and they’ll continue doing the same thing because it works. but also they’re relatively unknown by korea’s gp when u compare them to jyp’s other male groups (2pm, god, got7). i don’t know where i’m going w this lol sorry just finished a final. but this show was overall disappointing for me. and i d k if i’ll continue watching the episodes

you may be the only person left watching kingdom at this stage so i think the moniker is fitting!

obviously you've been around and reading my reviews so you know my thoughts on the show on the whole, but i don't think i ever really talked about what i thought skz themselves think about the outcome, which is.....i have to assume that they knew the results were gonna be skewed. i think maybe after that first ranking there could have been feasible deniability for them, but as the numbers kept coming in so drastically skewed, especially when mnet made the bizarre choice to show the individual rankings for expert/self/fan judging separately, there's no way they didn't clue in to what was going on. the general consensus from the skz fans i know is that even the fans knew this was not their best showing, and if i know anything about artists i know that we're never satisfied with anything deep down, even if its our best received work.

in terms of seeing if there was any payoff/growth post show, only three of the six groups have had comebacks so i cant really make any totally accurate judgements, but i can say that yea, overall there has been growth. we saw sf9's growth the most obviously during the show and then they cranked it up to 12 for teardrop and it paid off for them (they broke their own sales record, good job boys). we also know that even though the mv for teardrop was filmed pre-kingdom, they revamped the entire choreo after the show in order to capitalize on the feedback from move, and honestly it's the best direction for them to go in. not sure when their next comeback is gonna be because youngbin and inseong are going to have to enlist soon and because of the large age gap its probably gonna be a while before they're all together again. tbz i think has shown a pretty big improvement, at least with thrill ride (who's to say about other comebacks). they've ditched any kind of lore and although i don't like the song i think the majority of the styling is quite good and it's a good genre break for them.

as for skz, i do actually think there's been one or two lessons learned. thunderous isn't as good a song as god's menu or back door, but it's on par with their discography and consistency is key. i do however, think the choreography is excellent and the styling + general concept is interesting, even if a bit conservative. personally i think they should have leaned way more into the graphic elements of the mv, because the shapes and silhouettes of the clothing are good, but they're so monotone that it ends up being a little boring. if everything else was the same but there was more use of patterns and colour it'd pop a lot better. it's also possible that we may see that in the next stages they do, since they've only done three or four so far. i'm taking it as a win that the styling is at least related to the concept. as for the rest of them; the ateez comeback isn't for another two weeks and honestly i have NO clue what to expect, btob is tomorrow and it's gonna be fine obvs, and i dont think ikon is gonna have a comeback any time soon since bobby is apparently getting married next month (plus the baby), not that i was expecting kingdom to have any effect on them lol.

i think its reasonable that jyp front skz more as an international group, especially since they had that with got7 and then cocked it up so badly. i think we're definitely going to be seeing some interesting (if you like that kind of thing) numbers discrepancies in the next few years because of how different groups are being marketed and it's going to have some kind of effect on korean and international charts. personally i have exactly zero interest in charts and numbers and would prefer them to stay far away from me because it's just another way the music industry has been gamified by capitalism.

honestly if the show's not doing it for you than don't bother. it would have been a lot better if there were more group interactions; the sports/isac episode is cute and fun, but really the highlights of the rest of them are the stages.

#why did this response get so long im so sorry. why do i talk so much #kingdom #kingdom asks #if youre looking for time passing content sdc is great for that if you like dance #both sdc3 and sdc4 are on youtube in full with full eng subs (sdc4 is still airing but theyre putting up fully subbed episodes every week) #i shit you not the episodes are between 2.5 to 3.5 hours long on average and there is at least 12 of them #plus the finale of sdc3 is like 7 hours. (it was a livestream which is why it was so long and theres big chunks you can skip) #if you want something more music based superband is 20/10 always recommend #no idea where the full episodes are but most of the performances are on youtube and those are the best parts #the devil judge is really good #so is the uncanny counter #sometimes when im feeling especially shitty i watch all three john wick movies in a row #honestly i spend most of my time 1) looking up recipes 2) actually cooking or 3) research/writing for asks #the amount of film/tv content i have consumed in the last year has decreased quite significantly #so im kinda terrible with recommendations unless youre looking for something specific #kpop questions #text #answers

[not-majestic-bluenicorn]

MONSTA X Time Travel Theory UPDATE: Kiss or Death

Hello! Ori here with a mini update for the Monsta X Time Travel Theory about the MV for Kiss or Death which was exclusively released on the Universe App. Do not ask me how I got my gifs and ss please lmao I honestly thought my previous post would be the last we would see of the Time Travel Theory but apparently I was wrong! CLICK HERE to read the original theory. 

This theory goes to @donnies-ace-girl​ who very nicely reached out to ask for my opinions! Thank you! It was certainly very interesting finding out my theory might not be dead after all. 

 Let’s get into this.

Picking up where we left it, Phase 7: Moving Forward (FANTASIA X & Kiss or Death)

In the last part of the theory I talked about how the Fantasia X clips were a bit weird ‘cause of the new tools they were acquiring for time travel, especially ‘cause we know Hyungwon can literally fabricate time traveling watches??? Plus why would they have different time-related powers anyway? But Kiss or Death fixes this by giving all of them a watch similar to the one Hyungwon has in Film D, because god forbid companies from being consistent.

[Pictures: The first image is a screenshot of Hyungwon’s clock from Film D.

The second picture is a screenshot of the clock the members hold in Kiss or Death.]

So, good, now all of Monsta X is armed with powerful watches that allow them to time-travel, and we know they are time-traveling cause they’re in a train, which has been associated with time-travel before. Plus, we’ve literally seen this train before! Both things in Film D. Ah, and we also literally see them appearing and disappearing which, I guess is a pretty big sign.

[Picture Descriptions: The first gif features the last few frames of Film D where all the members are sitting inside the train.

The second gif is the start of Kiss or Death: a train passes and then we see all the members posing in front of the camera.]

[Picture descriptions: The first picture features Shownu painting a train from Film D.

The second picture features a frame from Kiss or Death that contains a train very similar to the one painted by Shownu in the previous picture.]

[Picture description: A gif of members IM, Jooheon, Kihyun and Hyungwon teleporting inside the train.]

However, what’s most interesting about all of this is not all that but that I believe Monsta X is being chased. We see it in their nervous/stressed out attitudes as they run around the train, but also in the wanted posters hung behind IM. 

[Picture descriptions: Gif of Hyungwon looking around the train before spotting a figure at one end and running towards it.

Picture of IM standing in front of a board with a lot of wanted posters that feature dark images and watches.] 

Given the settings used in the MV, I’m willing to bet that they’re being chased by the same Time Travel Control Agency that continuously ruined Hyungwon’s plans to get his friends back in Dramarama. They might have managed to avoid them for a while, but it seems that they’re back and they’re not very happy with their time-travel shenanigans.

[Picture descriptions: Gif of time travel agent shooting Minhyuk and IM’s watch in Dramarama.

Gif of Shownu sitting in front of a screen that reads “Time Warm Detected” with a danger sign.]

I think there’s gonna be a world tour next year? So we might finally get a VCR connecting everything nicely like Monsta X is known to do. For now, all we can do is wait.

What about Love Killa and Gambler?

I wish I knew. They’re the reason I thought the Time-Travel Theory was as good as dead, but it seems like it isn’t. Maybe they were taking a break while deciding where to take the story forward? I’m not sure. You could argue that it’s them traveling to different timelines and doing big heists but… That’s just extremely out of character, honestly.

Conclusion

Monsta X continue refusing to be normal people and instead remove themselves from reality to freely travel across time and space. Now, they’re being chased by a very unhappy time travel regulation organization of sorts and things might get difficult. More at 7.

#monsta x #monsta x theory #monsta x shownu #monsta x kihyun #monsta x hyungwon #monsta x minhyuk #monsta x jooheon #monsta x changkyun #shownu #kihyun #minhyuk #jooheon #changkyun #bluenicorn does theories

[jadelotusflower]

Roundup: August 2021

This month: Jane Eyre, Wide Sargasso Sea, Don’t Call it a Cult, The Secret Garden, Showbiz Kids, Masters of the Universe: Revelation, Lucifer.

Reading Jane Eyre (Charlotte Bronte) - I’ve been meaning to read the Wide Sargasso Sea for a long, long time, but first I thought I’d revisit the source material. I find my opinion hasn’t much changed - I still love the prose, still love Jane as a character, and still find Rochester extremely unappealing. The section with Jane at school is the most engaging for me, and her early time as a governess at Thornfield, but as soon as Rochester shows up I just find him so irritating I have no idea why Jane loves him so much (other than he was the first man to ever show her a scrap of attention). I mean, I know to an extent - I've read the Takes, and part of fiction is accepting what you want for the character as a reader and what they want for themselves can be two different things, and that's not the fault of the text. I can be satisfied by the ending because Jane gets what she wants, I just can’t help but wonder about a Jane who was found by John Eyre before she went to Thornfield, or who took her inheritance and made her own way after Moor House. Byronic heroes just aren't my thing I guess ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Wide Sargasso Sea (Jean Rhys) - The first Mrs Rochester of Jane Eyre strikes an uneasy tone to a modern reader; she does not utter a word in the novel, is depicted as animalistic and almost demonic, her story only told in a self-serving manner by Rochester, and conveniently disposed of so Jane can return to claim him. Rhys reimagines Bertha as Antoinette, a “white Creole” of Jamaica in a postcolonial take on the racial/social prejudices and hierarchy only hinted at in Eyre, where Bertha being Creole primarily an aspect of her Otherness, and in which Rochester describes himself as being desired as a husband because he was "of good race" . In Sea, although Antoinette is white (passing, perhaps), he sees her "not English or European either" and this contributes to his rejection of her (and perhaps his willingness to believe she is mad). The novel is surprisingly short - it skips over the meeting and courtship of Antoinette and Rochester (tellingly unnamed in the novel) entirely, jumping directly from her childhood/coming of age to the couple already married, and over much of Bertha's (renamed by Rochester) sad life in the attic. Still, there's a density to the writing, much is implied beyond the sparse use of words and recurring imagery - subjugation, reflection, and of course, fire - when freed slaves (Rhys changes the timeframe to after the passing of the Emancipation Act of 1833) set fire to Antoinette's family plantation, a pet parrot whose wings have been clipped by her English step-father Mason, cannot flee and falls to a fiery doom, in a grim omen of Bertha's fate. It did, however, leave me wanting more - I understand Rhys' stylistic choices and restraint, but in her effort to give voice to the voiceless, Antoinette/Bertha remains somewhat an enigma. Don’t Call it a Cult: Keith Raniere and the women of NXIVM (Sarah Berman) - I continue to be disturbed but intrigued by the NXIVM case, not only because of my abhorrence of MLMs/pyramid schemes, but my bafflement as to how this thoroughly unremarkable man was able to hold sway over so many women. My mild criticism of the two documentaries on this subject was that they tended to jump around in time so you never really got a good idea of what happened when. This book provides a well researched, detailed summary of events and linear chronology of Raniere’s perverse pathology reaching all the way back to childhood, and so is both an excellent supplement to the already informed, and broad overview to those new to the case. Berman is a Vancouver-based journalist who was present at Raniere’s trial and gives insight into witness testimony, supported by her own interviews and extensive research. There's less of a focus on the sensationalised celebrity members, with greater emphasis on the lesser known victims - including the three Mexican sisters who were all abused by Raniere, one of whom was kept confined to a room for years. It's difficult reading, consolation being the

knowledge that Raniere is rotting in prison and that his crimes finally caught up with him. Watching The Secret Garden (dir. Marc Munden) - Spoilers, if one needs a spoiler warning for a 110 year old novel. One of those stories that is adapted every generation, and generally I have no problem with this, since new adaptations can often bring something new or be a different take on old material (see Little Women 2019). But a part of me can’t help feel why bother with this when the perfect 1993 version exists. There is an Attempt at something new with this film, moving the setting forward to 1947 (Mary’s parents having died during the Partition), and turning the garden from a small walled secret to a mystical, huge wonderland full of ferns and flowers and endless sun. But in doing so, the central metaphor is lost - rather than Mary discovering something abandoned and run wild, gently bringing it back to life with love and care, she merely discovers a magical place that requires no effort on her part. There’s also less of a character arc for Mary, remaining unpleasant far into the proceedings, forcing Colin to visit the garden instead of it being his true wish, and generally succeeding by imposing her will on everyone else. In many ways she’s more like Burnett's other child heroine Sarah Crewe - the film opens I’m with her telling stories to her doll including Ramayana, which is eerily reminiscent of Alfonso Cuaron's (also perfect) 1995 adaptation of A Little Princess. But I suppose a sliver of credit where it's due - Julie Walters' Mrs Medlock is less of an antagonist, with Colin Firth's Lord Craven being Mary's primary obstacle. There's also a subplot with Mary's mother's depression following the death of her sister being the reason for her neglect (and Merlin alum Rupert Young shows up briefly as Mary's father) but like shifting the time period, there just doesn't seem to be a point to it. The climax of the film involves the Manor burning down (writer Jack Thorne stealing from Rebecca too, lol), with Mary and Craven have a very calm conversation as fire and smoke surrounds them. It’s all very bizarre, but also…rather dull? Don't bother with this, just watch the 1993 film again. Showbiz Kids (dir. Alex Winter) - a really interesting documentary on the titular subject - Winter was himself a child actor on Broadway before his film career kicked off in The Lost Boys and Bill and Ted, and has been able to assemble a broad range of interview subjects - Mara Wilson, Evan Rachel Wood, Wil Wheaton, Jada Pinkett Smith among others - former child actors, those still in the business, and some up and comers like Disney star Cameron Boyce (who I was sad to see in the coda has passed away). We also follow two young hopefuls - Marc, attending acting classes and auditioning in pilot season, yet to book a job but his parents are invested in "his" dream, and Demi, already established on Broadway but having to start to make choices between a career and a childhood. There's no voiceover, no expert opinions in this, letting the actors speak for themselves, but there is a telling juxtaposition of Marc returning home, jobless but having fun in the pool with his friends, while Demi has to cancel the summer camp she had been so looking forward to because she has booked a new role. The film is fairly even handed, but ultimately I took away that there just seems to be more harm than not in this industry, and abuses of many kinds. It does make you wonder about the ethics of child acting, at least in the current system where the cautionary tales are plentiful. Masters of the Universe: Revelation (episodes 1-5) - Mild spoilers I guess? I was never really into He-Man as a kid, other than the Secret of the Sword movie, so most of the in jokes and references in this went over my head. I have to admit, it was actually seeing all the outrage that made me want to check this out and see what all the complaining was about. I actually…really enjoyed it?!? I’m sympathetic to the complaints of a bait and switch (creators really need to learn to say

“just wait and see”), but other than that in my view the rest seemed completely unfounded. Adam/He-Man being killed in the first episode and the impact that has on Eternia and those left behind is actually a really interesting premise. This isn’t a TLJ situation; in contrast everyone (except Evil-Lyn) is always going on about how much they miss Adam, and the whole point of the first arc is him coming back. There’s also a nice little detail of Adam in Preternia (heroes heaven) choosing to remain as he is rather than as He-Man where all his predecessors have chosen their “ultimate” forms. I love him and his Magical Girl transformation. As for Teela - female characters can’t win, it seems. If they are perfect, they’re Mary Sues, if they have flaws, they’re unlikeable. Teela is Going Through things and is on a journey, but I often feel (and it seems the case here) that people confuse a character arc with author intent. No! Just because a character says/does something it doesn't mean you're supposed to agree with them! Some of Teela's actions may be petty and her demeanor less than sweet, but people make bad choices as a response to grief, and I actually thought her anger over Adam never telling her his secret and how that manifested was a pretty interesting take. I'll be interested to see the next half of the season, and ignore the ragebait youtube commentary. One more thing - Evil-Lyn (perfectly voiced by Lena Headey) was an absolute delight. Lucifer (season 5 part 2): They’ve basically given up on the procedural side of things by now and are leaning heavily into the mythology, which works for me since the case of the week is always the least interesting part of any show. It also struck me this season that there’s gender parity in the main cast (Lucifer, Amenadiel, Dan and then Chloe, Maze, Ella, Linda) - and actually, that’s more women than men. How often does that happen?!? I can’t say I’m particularly engaged with the Lucifer/Chloe pairing, but am happy to go along with it since that’s where the whole plot revolves. The best scenes for me this season were with God’s Dysfunctional Family, even if the lead up to the finale felt rushed (I understand the need to wrap things up in case of cancellation but still). I would have liked to see more of the sibling dynamics between the angels and less romantic drama, but hey. The character death got me, as well. I didn't see it coming and I didn't realise how much I had enjoyed that character until they were gone and well...it got me. I see the last season is coming soon, I'm not exactly sure where they can go from here, but looking forward to it nonetheless. Writing I was actually quite sick this month with a throat infection, so wasn't in the best frame of mind to get anything finished like I had planned to. I'm going to hold off posting the word count this month and roll it over to September when hopefully I've actually posted things.

#roundup #reading watching writing #august roundup

[sanjosenewshq]

Warriors wanted Draymond Inexperienced protection in pre-season loss to Lakers

SAN FRANCISCO – The pre-season outcomes aren’t value worrying about, however the Warriors will beat the film to see how they allowed 124 factors to the Los Angeles Lakers – enjoying with out LeBron James and Russell Westbrook – in Sunday’s loss at Chase Heart. However their findings will not be too sophisticated. Warriors will see a protection in dire want of Draymond Inexperienced. Greene is out of the staff indefinitely, a semi-suspension he’ll combat after Jordan Paul punched him within the face throughout final Wednesday’s staff brawl. The staff wants some house from it as they work to rebuild the damaged belief. “He has some work to do to revive that confidence from us,” Kevin Looney stated after Sunday’s recreation. “However I believe he is prepared to do it.” Inexperienced might not be very welcome on the Warriors facility in the intervening time, however he’s sorely missed on the sphere. His absence was significantly felt in opposition to Anthony Davis, who did some bullying in opposition to the youthful Warriors gamers. Jonathan Cominga—enjoying in striker energy in Inexperienced’s place—and James Wiseman held them, however had hassle containing the 6-foot-10 Lakers star striker/energy. Davis led LA with 28 factors and was within the basket as he happy when Kominga Wiseman shared the entrance courtroom collectively. “Anthony was incredible tonight,” stated coach Steve Kerr. “Clearly it is a actually robust cowl. He made two early errors on Loon after which we gave James a while in opposition to him. It is an amazing studying expertise for our guys, to have to protect among the best gamers within the league. We’ll check out the film. We’ll be exhibiting clips of those guys individually tomorrow they usually’ll be taught From tonight for positive.” To be honest, not many gamers in your entire NBA might comprise Davis. He is unstoppable within the paint and an actual risk from behind the bow. His talent in that seven-foot-tall body has precipitated hassle for junior ball warriors through the years. In earlier video games—from Davis’ time in New Orleans to his transfer to Los Angeles—Inexperienced was all the time gifted to undercut Davis’ dominance. Not solely did the Warriors miss Greene’s solo protection in opposition to Davis, but it surely was his aiding protection and communication that make the Warriors’ protection one of many league’s finest defenses. Looney was the defensive anchor for Golden State on Sunday. He fought for six rebounds and performed nicely in opposition to Davis, together with a defensive cease on the publish early within the first quarter that ended up being a foul. Some false calls piled up, forcing Wiseman to cope with Davis as nicely. Within the third quarter, the Warriors’ most spectacular minute, Kerr selected a entrance courtroom pairing JaMychal Inexperienced with Looney and Wiseman, as Poole’s jets irritate the assault, particularly in a pick-and-roll recreation. Defensively, although, the soldiers did not appear like themselves. They let the Lakers shoot 50% of the sphere, 47% of three. They did enable some slack within the pre-season, however they acquired over the slip in a single recreation. Greene’s future with the group seems tentative, however it’s unlikely to be repeated with out him. Originally published at San Jose News HQ

#San Jose News HQ

[queermediastudies]

Blue is, in fact, not only the Warmest Color, but her name is Emma - Alec Thomas

Blue is the Warmest Color is a 2013 film adaptation of a comic series of the same name, made by Julie Maroh in 2010. This film follows a French teenager named Adele, who is what seems to be very introverted and unsure of her place in the world. Adele dates a boy named Thomas at school, but when they eventually have sex for the first time, Adele is left unfulfilled by Thomas, realizing there might be more to her sexual identity than she knows, and decides to break off their relationship. Her openly gay best friend Valentin hears about her confusion, and decides to take her out to a men’s gay bar. Adele leaves Valentin and wanders off to a neighboring lesbian bar, where she ends up meeting Emma, the blue haired girl who is also a graduating art student. The two have resounding energy off one another almost immediately, and they become friends quickly. It isn’t long after that they kiss for the first time during a picnic, before they bloom into a full relationship with one another. Emma’s family is very welcoming of Adele’s presence and relationship, while Adele’s more conservative parents are told Emma is a tutor for Adele’s philosophy class at school.

The film fast forwards a few years, and we see Adele and Emma living together while they continue their jobs. While Adele finishes school and gets a job teaching at an elementary school, Emma tries to further her painting career by throwing parties to socialize among her art peers. It’s at one of these parties that we meet Lise, a pregnant old colleague of Emma’s. Emma makes fun of Adele’s current job choice, saying that her writing could do exceptionally well, and Adele asserts that she’s much happy with where she’s at now. It’s here where we see some disparities come to light, as it seems like Adele and Emma don’t share that much in common even anymore, and out of loneliness, Adele sleeps with a male coworker. Emma finds out about the affair, and subsequently and ferociously kicks Adele out, ending their relationship. 3 years pass before they end up meeting again, only to find out Emma is now in a relationship with Lise and has a family with Lise’s daughter, while Adele still cannot overcome her heartbreak. Adele expresses how in-love she is with Emma, and despite their strong connection, Emma declines, but tells Adele that she’ll always have an “infinite tenderness” in her heart for her. More time passes before we see the two convene one last time at one of Emma’s art exhibits, where the two meet, but don’t really connect. It’s clear that Emma would rather tend to all her patrons and guests at the party, so Adele congratulates her before quietly leaving the exhibit. The film ends. I argue this film is a generally a great depiction of a heart wrenching love tale between two women, which effectively explores themes of sexuality and queerness explicitly, in order to create a film that leaves audiences wanting more among an ambiguous ending.

This movie definitely connects with some of the talking points we’ve discussed in class. Probably one of the easiest examples we see coming to light is in one of the first scenes in the film, where Adele’s friend group displays some signs of heteronormativity. In the clip above, we see Thomas staring at Adele from afar, with Adele’s friends insisting they’re “so obviously into each other”. Adele then begins to tune out of the conversation as the rest of the group starts discussing other cute boys, while Adele remains silent, clearly uncomfortable to some degree. It’s clear here that Adele’s friend group is using heteronormativity in the sense that they believe Adele is straight, despite no context being added whether they’ve discussed this before. Seeing as how the rest of the film pans out, they clearly haven’t discussed this. “For queer theorists, sexuality is a complex array of signifiers, social codes and forces linked to institutional power which interact to shape the idea of normal or deviant, good or bad, and which has the function of including and excluding people,” (Andersson, 2002, p. 3). In this scene, Adele is unsure of her sexuality, but it is clear how it should be demonstrated among the institution of her school in the ways of heteronormativity. This environment excludes any notion of queerness existing normally, which is reinforced by Adele’s friend group. This becomes problematic for Adele, as it feels as though Adele is almost pressured into going out and sleeping with Thomas because of her friends' heteronormativity enacted upon her. She is then only left to be unfulfilled, simply because she wasn’t attracted to men it seems at this point.

The above clip happens once Emma and Adele start spending more time together, and Adele’s friend group at school seems to pay attention to this fact. They all begin to grill and question her about where she met this girl, only to find out it was at a gay bar. Her “friends” then start getting heated with Adele, begging her to “fess up” to being lesbian, and to “just admit it”, while another girl starts making remarks about how she doesn’t care if Adele is lesbian, but that she’s slept naked in her bed a few times and seen her checking out her ass, calling Adele a “whore”, and then asking the question “Does your bitch have a blue p---y?” before Adele starts to fight. While this is clearly homophobia, it’s carefully inserted into the film to show some of the general public’s opinion on gay or lesbian reception, those of which lines match pretty well with Adele’s parents ideals. You could compare this to a time where “homosexuals” were compared to Communists in the U.S. “Communists bore no identifying physical characteristics...Homosexuals too could escape detection...Because most people confronted with accusations of homosexuality during these witch-hunts quietly resigned, it is impossible to determine the number of careers and lives that were destroyed.” (Gross, 2001, p. 22). This scene almost plays out like an interrogation or a witch-hunt of Adele, which I think draws on some lines on queer folk having to “admit” their queerness publicly, while cisgender folk never have to admit their sexuality in the same way. This part especially demonstrates queerness in a real world lens. To me, this scene was put into the film in order to demonstrate the harsh world that queer folk often experience. It’s made for the audience to have a better understanding of Adele’s current position, and therefore allows the audience to become more compassionate with Adele’s struggles along her life, for simply choosing who she wants to love.

Another dominant theme we see arising out of this film is sexuality and pornography. That being said, I wouldn’t recommend watching this film with your parents in the same room, because boy, you would be in for a trip. The film’s graphic sex scenes are all pretty exposed for Adele and Emma, leaving almost literally nothing to the imagination of the audience. I think this is done in the film because it wants to show the raw and unfiltered bodies of the two lovers, and more obviously done to display queer love on screen. “Queer film study, then, understands cinematic sexualities as complex, multiple, overlapping, and historically nuanced, rather than immutably fixed...queer film study explores how and why the fluidity of all sexualities relates to the production and reception of cinema.” (Benshoff & Griffin, 2004, p. 2). We especially see this sexual fluidity occur within Adele, when she sleeps with Thomas at the beginning of the movie, along with her fling with a male coworker that ultimately ended her relationship with Emma. Adele’s sexuality isn’t ever exactly defined, which leaves it ambiguous to the audience, therefore showing that even Adele is still discovering what her sexuality is exactly. While the sex scenes are explicit, to me, I wouldn’t qualify them exactly as porn, because they are also increasingly dramatic with expression. In a way, if we didn’t have these scenes, I don’t know if the audience could even understand the level of obsession that Adele and Emma have for one another. It’s in these scenes that we get just a glimpse of what it means to love as humans, and how sex is one of many facets to deepen our love for one another. 

For myself, the above clip is one scene in particular where I think the movie doesn’t really hit the nail on the head. In the scene as discussed in the intro paragraph, it features Adele and Emma in a restaurant, a few years after they’ve broken up, with Adele confessing her deep love for Emma again. Emma declines Adele’s love, citing that she’s with someone else now, and thus leaves. Before Emma is able to do that however, there’s a pretty lengthy portion of the clip where the two begin to passionately make out with one another, even getting to literal third base blatantly happening at the dinner table. Don’t get me wrong, my issue isn’t at all with any of the pretty graphic sex scenes in the movie, but this one in particular stands out because it’s literally in public. Literally a waitress confirms an order for coffee before the scene starts, and then the camera even pans out at the end of the scene to witness two other customers dining a few tables away. I felt like this part ran into a few problems, since both Adele and Emma completely ignore everyone else in the room in order to sexually fulfill one another, which for me not only feels a bit insensitive to not only the other people in the restaurant, but a bit unrealistic and hypersexualized. I think this part is more damaging to queer identities, in the sense that the ideal is being pushed that when it comes to sex, they are completely unable to control themselves for their lust for one another. You also get a sense of the power of looking at these characters by the minor characters in this scene, which pins them as public interpretations of sexuality inside the restaurant unfairly. They are more than just the objects of lust being viewed upon by other customers and work staff, but this scene doesn’t help that argument whatsoever.

Much like most things in the movie, the ending is completely ambiguous. You see Adele walk off around a street corner, to supposedly never talk to Emma again. We see this love come together, fall apart, and have a smidge of possible recovery, only to be let down again. Shortly put, I wanted more out of this story, because it felt like it wasn’t over. Maybe the reason it ended was to show that things don’t always have a “Happily Ever After”, especially when it comes to real life. Overall, for myself as a cisgender white straight man, I think this film is great in terms of queer media exposure. I think white and straight people have been given too much in terms of amount of privilege, especially when it comes to roles in love stories in cinema. I was forced to be critical when it came to my analysis of this movie, simply because I wasn’t the identity featured in this movie. I had to interpret information from a queer lens, which made me more objective and honestly a bit uncomfortable - but in a good way. I was forced to feel and see the things these characters were experiencing, in the exact same exposed ways they were seeing them. In a way, I think that made me more drawn to the story, simply because I was experiencing something that I had never gotten the chance to see anywhere else. The fact that the entire film is in French plays a big role as well, as I noticed I was using a lot of nonverbal cues in order to determine how a character might feel at any point in time. To conclude, I think this movie does a mostly great job on representing queer identities in order to create a love story that is unequivocally matched to any other story you see. It hits on the realistic parts of life and love that humans experience, in order to show how rough love can truly be.

References

Andersson, Y. (2002). Queer Media? In E. Kingsepp (Ed.), Media Research in Progress. Stockholm: Stockholms University. 

Benshoff, H., & Griffin, S. (2004). Queer Cinema the Film Reader. New York, NY: Routledge. Taylor & Francis Group.

Gross, L. (2001). Up from Invisibility: Lesbians, Gay Men, and the Media in America. NEW YORK: Columbia University Press. doi:10.7312/gros11952

#queermedia #blue is the warmest color #moviereview #queermovie #loveislove

[sarahhsaritaa]

i took one continuous video of two candles burning side by side. instead of waiting for the candle to fully burn, i would go in with a lighter and melt the wax so the process went faster. it was a good technique until the flint wheel started heating up. at one point i went to grab another lighter; this is where the lighting changed due to me leaving and removing the hand-held red light. i didn’t notice it at the time, but the warmness of the red light turned cold and had blue tones. however watching it back once edited, i appreciate the lighting shifting with the dying flame. the warmth departs, as does the life in the candle. i included a quick reverse of the clip where you can see the candle building itself back up. it’s interesting because in the first clip, you naturally concentrate on the dying candle but when you watch the reversed clip, you notice how the ‘surviving’ candle is also dying. you often hear the phrase ‘twin flame’ when a friendship or relationship is being described. so i tried to convey two lovers and how their journeys differ. one lover starts to deteriorate and lose themselves. it is obvious that they are the ones struggling in the relationship whilst their partner appears to be on track and thriving. but when you take a closer look (or in this case when the image is reversed), you are made aware of the other lover’s silent struggle.

my initial idea was to have a daisy chain connecting the two candles, and the flame travelling across it. i stuck daisies to a string of candle wick and connected the ends. visually, as a still image, i like the look of the decaying daisies crawling up the wick. but when i tried to light the flame on one end, the fire burns straight through, detaching the chain. i do want to try this shot again and figure out a way that works. perhaps i could use thread to sew the daisies together, or i could make a literal daisy chain and find a way to attach it to the candles. 

the significance of candles has always been apparent throughout the history of film. they’re used as symbols of romance, religion, relaxation and light into the next world as well as for set/lighting. in ‘The Lovely Bones’ (dir. Peter Jackson, 2009), Jack Salmon (played by Mark Wahlberg) loses his daughter Susie (played by Saoirse Ronan) and tries to reveal her murderer throughout the film. the two bonded over making ships in bottles; Jack sets up a candle on top of a bottled ship and lets it burn. in the room, the flame is still, but in the reflection, the flame dances as Susie has a breakthrough. she is in the ‘in-between’, not quite ready to let go of her life. her chilling narration connects her to the real world and the actions of her family as she tries to unveil her murderer to them. once she makes this connection to her father through the flame’s reflection, Susie realises “everything is gonna be okay” and sets about enjoying this otherworldly liminal space.

other films use candles in contrasting ways. in ‘William Shakespeare’s Romeo & Juliet’ (dir. Baz Luhrmann, 1996), there is a wide shot of Juliet (played by Claire Danes) lying atop her grave, immersed in a pool of brightly lit candles. the candles symbolise her innocence and create a sense of peace as Romeo (played by Leonardo DiCaprio) walks to her grave. we are seeing Juliet from Romeo’s point of view; he uses light and dark imagery throughout the play, describing her as a source of light that illuminates her tomb. Luhrmann has taken imagery directly from Shakespeare’s play to create this angelic image.

Judd Apatow’s ‘The 40-Year-Old Virgin’ (2005) has an entirely different approach to candle significance. Andy (played by Steve Carell) is a 40-year-old virgin who, back in the early 2000′s, would’ve been classified as a ‘nerd’ for spending his free time playing video games. his friend David (played by Paul Rudd) encourages him to have sex, and in one scene leaves him a large box containing pornographic dvds. Andy tells him he doesn’t want them, but once David leaves, the camera slowly focuses on him lighting a collection of candles in preparation for his chosen dvd. Lionel Richie’s ‘Hello’ plays as a montage of Andy buttoning up his comfy pyjamas and turning around his framed pictures and trophies commences, all while revealing even more rows of candles. he is surrounded. this scene is comedy gold, and i believe the candles really emphasise his desperation and lack of experience. 

when looking at the technicality of using candles in film, they aren’t the most reliable and are often made specifically for a film shoot. large studio lights and effects emphasise a flame’s appearance and most times you can’t tell the difference. however, when you watch scenes from films like ‘Barry Lyndon’ (dir. Stanley Kubrick, 1975), you learn to appreciate the roles and efforts of the lighting department. many of the indoor scenes used natural lighting, including evening ones which were candle-lit. Kubrick, being the devoted genius that he is, used real candles he had specially made so the flames lasted longer. filming scenes that are only lit by candle is technically difficult today, let alone in the 70′s where equipment was limited. so Kubrick bought a lens from NASA that was used by astronauts on the moon that he then had fitted into a film camera. his devotion and attention to detail is what makes ‘Barry Lyndon’ one of the most accurate depictions of the 18th century. all the quirks and characteristics that come from natural lighting and unpredictable flames is what transports you into this world of european aristocracy. 

[marjanefan]

‘Dead Line’ and ghosts in the machine

This review will contain extensive spoilers for the episode (and A Quiet Night In) so only continue if you have watched the episode. It also contains spoilers for ‘The League of Gentlemen’s Apocalypse’

Along with ‘The Twelve days of Christine’ ‘Deadline’ is one of the most discussed and analysed episodes of ‘Inside no.9’ with numerous vlogs and blogs dedicated to it. There are even several affectionate pastiches on Youtube. There is much in the episode that is worth discussing so I hope I can bring something interesting to analysing this astonishing episode.

I will be referring to both Stuart Hardy’s (Stubagful) and Inside an Mind’s vlogs about this episode so and the Q and A with Barbara Wiltshire (who directed the episode), Adam Tandy, Steve Pemberton and Reece Shearsmith at the BFI in April 2019 here are links to.

Stubagful’s review

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TrlU9jaMP2k

Inside a Mind Analysis

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AUN6zqCHh18&t=58s

BFI event

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K4RgjPJKNkI

Both Stuart Hardy and Inside a Mind explore the importance of experiencing this episode as a live experience on October 28th 2018 (the date of broadcast). As someone who did watch it live all the way through on broadcast I can confirm that it was a very rewarding experience to watch live that could never be replicated. There has also been considerable analysis of how Pemberton and Shearsmith utilised the process of pre broadcast publicity (such as their interview on the One show a few days before broadcast) to set up the misdirection and theme of the episode. However this is an episode that stands up to repeated viewings (as does every episode of Inside No. 9). The episode can be enjoyed as a ghost story with a very modern sensibility and as a meta commentary on the nature of television. There is an underlying message that allows this episode to retain its power.

The very title of ‘Dead line’ hints at obsolesce and broken down technology and communication. Under the surface of both the Arthur Flitwick storyline and the actual story of the episode we see the voices of the dead come back to avenge themselves on the living who have failed to respect them. You ignore them at your peril. /p>

The ostensible story of ‘Deadline’ -Arthur Flitwick’s fateful finding of a mobile phone is worth looking at in more depth. The story is run through with references to aging and mortality. Arthur lives alone in what may be either a retirement community or sheltered housing for older people. The classical music radio station he listens to aims its adverts at older people. We see Arthur get annoyed at a radio advert for a will writing service yelling ‘We’re not all one foot in the grave!’ (possibly a reference to the long running BBC TV series). Moira refers to the fact that Elsie and herself are apparently widows. It is worth noting that Stephanie Cole who plays Moira is well known for playing Diana Trent in the long running comedy series ‘Waiting for God’ which was set in a retirement home. Arthur and Moira are dealing with the fact that they are nearing the end of their lives and the particular forms of loneliness that affect the elderly. Arthur’s eventual breakdown and murder of Rev. Neil reflects his anxiety about the intentions of younger people toward him and his generation and his isolation(it says something that he choses to befriend a ‘ghost’). This also links this plotline to the main plotline as like Arthur, Alan Starr believed he was hearing the voices of the dead. This eventually drove him to suicide.

Rev. Neil is dealing with an ever aging and dwindling congregation. The physical disrepair of his church (referred in the second clip from the Arthur Flitwick story) symbolises this decline. (Is this also a comment on the decline of the influence of organised religion?) He makes a quip about his church always being on the lookout for ‘new blood’ which can be read as being about the graveyard where Elsie is buried. This links back to the main storyline of the episode being filmed in Granada studios which is apparently built on the site of a Victorian cemetery. (The ghosts recruit the ‘new blood’ of the unnamed continuity announcer, Stephanie Cole, Steve and Reece to their ranks).

One of the most interesting things for me about the ‘Arthur Flitwick’ section is the fact that the mobile phone Arthur finds is an old style Nokia phone. This type of mobile phone has been out of fashion for several years being overtaken by smart phones. This type of phone cannot be used to access the internet or online services such as TV streaming services. It could be a nod to a time where there were no streaming/catch up TV services and where social media was not prevalent. Television was experienced very differently and as Stuart Hardy noted in his review was more of a collective experience. ‘Dead line’ is almost a comment on what has been lost for audiences and those who work in television in the age of television on demand. The pleasure of watching a programme along with millions of others and being able to share simultaneous reactions (and not spoil the programme for others!) has been more or less lost.

The first reaction of Reece and Steve to the apparent break down of the show is to reach for their smart phones to try and find out what is going on. We see Reece moan he cannot connect to his smart phone via WIFI until Steve shows him the password (there is a joke about Stephanie Cole being able to connect to WIFI while Reece cannot). Steve uses his phone to research the history of Granada studios for clues as to what is happening. Reece uses his phone to check the reaction on Twitter, getting angry at people asking if ‘the breakdown’ is part of the twist (playing on his twitter persona). It is no accident that later in the episode Steve is so engrossed with his phone that he both fails to notice Stephanie kill herself on camera or ‘Alan’ advancing toward him in the mirror, commenting on the fact that people have become so engrossed at looking at their smart phones they ignore what is actually happening in front of them.

Steve gets Reece to post a tweet asking people if they are live on BBC Two at that moment. This tweet both proved that events were happening live and comments on the way that social media has changed how audiences interact with television shows and those involved with them. For better or worse platforms like Twitter has changed this permanently. Both Stuart Hardy (Stubagful) and Jamie (Inside a mind) discuss the importance of the Twitter reaction to the show in helping build the experience for the audience during broadcast. Steve Pemberton continued this, posting a photo of himself on Halloween itself looking none the worse for his adventure bar an apparently injured arm (from apparently being electrocuted duing the show)- however a 'ghost' seemed to still be following him! (he also joked if ghosts were going to take over the episode of 'The Apprentice' that was due to be broadcast that night)

https://twitter.com/SP1nightonly/status/1057690095996858368

Many people have discussed the influence of the 1992 drama ‘Ghostwatch’ on ‘Dead Line’. Pemberton and Shearsmith acknowledged its influence at the BFI screening of the episode. Ghostwatch was itself intended by its writer Stephen Volk as a commentary on the direction of television at the time, with the growth of docusoaps and reality TV, and how audiences perceived what was presented to them on TV. It made use of the methods of viewer interactivity of the day with its live broadcast/phone in format. There was a dedicated telephone line for viewers to call into (they were supposed to get a message that ‘Ghostwatch’ was a drama). This is echoed in ‘Dead line’s use of social media. ‘Ghostwatch’ itself references the past as it was in part inspired by the story of the Enfield Poltergeist and its coverage. Television programmes referencing back and paying tribute to earlier programmes is nothing new. It helps to build continuity and tradition in what is still a relatively new format, and helps to show that television can produce work that is lasting and worthwhile. Indeed ‘Dead Line’ helped to create interest for a new generation in ‘Ghost watch’.

Pemberton and Shearsmith decided to set ‘Dead line’ in Granada studios after researching alleged hauntings of the studio. This is referenced in the ‘Most Haunted’ episode that ‘Dead line’ includes clips from. Pemberton mentioned at the BFI that it was this episode that inspired the plot involving ‘Alan Starr’, the technician who killed himself after been haunted by the voices of the ghosts of Granada studios. The original plan had been to film the episode at Granada Studios itself but at the last minute this was not possible, so it was filmed at Maidstone Studios instead. The archive material included in the show is not just furthers the story of the apparent haunting but refers back to the studio’s important status in UK television. Granada Studios had been closed for a number of years before the filming of the episode. Even if it is not actually physically haunted, it is now a dead space which carries the memories of the programmes that were filmed there and the people who worked on them. The television industry may have physically moved on, but the programmes made there remain. I wonder if this was part of the appeal for Pemberton and Shearsmith in setting ‘Dead line’ there.

It was also not the first time that Pemberton and Shearsmith had used meta commentary or included themselves as characters in their own stories. They had of course both played themselves (or versions of themselves!) in ‘The League of Gentlemen’s Apocalypse’ film. At least one podcast noted this and how the ‘Reece’ and ‘Steve’ we see in ‘Dead line’ are similar to the ‘Reece’ and ‘Steve’ of the film. They have great fun in playing themselves as arrogant and self-centred. This is in part self-mocking and self-depreciating but also shows an awareness that in order to be successful in the entertainment industry you do require a certain level of self-confidence and self-centredness to get your vision realised. ‘The League of Gentlemen’s Apocalypse’ was an attempt by the various members of the League to explore the legacy of the League and what it meant to be the creators of this very specific world and characters at a point where they were beginning to develop their own separate careers away from the League. ‘Reece’ and ‘Steve’ die in ‘The League of Gentlemen’s Apocalypse’ as they do in ‘Dead Line’. This represents them acknowledging that the work and characters they have created have a life beyond them and that they will outlive them. The use of ‘A quiet night in’ in the episode also comments on how creators can recontextualise their work to give it a very different meaning. Indeed some fans of the show joke that they cannot watch ‘A quiet night in’ the same way since watching ‘Dead Line’.

As mentioned at the beginning, the episode has much to offer those who have not yet seen it beyond it being a ‘live’. It certainly got a great deal of publicity for the show with several UK newspapers discussing and praising the episode and complementing Pemberton and Shearsmith for how they pulled off the twist. Inside a Mind's analysis of the episode has had over three million views. WeeLin in her Youtube analysis suggests showing the episode to someone who has not seen it each Halloween. Reece Shearsmith still gets regularly asked on Twitter if the BBC has ‘fixed’ the apparent technical faults or if they plan to try and do the episode live again. There are still people who started watching the episode on October 28 2018 or who began watching on iplayer who stopped watching after ‘the breakdown’ who are discovering or yet to discover that they need to continue to watch beyond the ‘breakdown’ at nine minutes. People are also still discovering this episode. Steve Pemberton discusses how this is part of the narrative of the episode in the Q and A after the BFI screening. The number of affectionate homages to the episode that appeared on Youtube in the months after broadcast testify to the fact the episode has a very distinct feel and structure that makes it stand out. It has become one of the most acclaimed and beloved epsiodes of the series

#Inside no.9 #Dead line #reece shearsmith #steve pemberton #ghostwatch