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yespolkadotkitty · 5 years

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The Angel’s Share, pt 5

Part I / Part II / Part III / Part IV

Eddie owed her Friday nights off for a month. Maybe two, depending on how this visit went.

Her train to the countryside the following Friday afternoon was just pulling out of the station when her phone had vibrated. She reread the text message again, hoping that maybe it would change upon second glance: Sorry, Kate, still dealing with half the staff getting over being sick. It was go in or close the pub for the weekend. Try not to kill him; there’s a lot of paperwork involved if you want to employ criminals.

Another text followed five minutes later: Let me live, too. Please? I’ve got kids.

“If by kids, you mean cats, then I guess,” Kate muttered, rolling her eyes and letting her head fall against the sun-warmed glass of the window, wondering how staunchly she would have to follow that last command. Eddie had probably purposefully waited until after the train had left before he sent the text so that she had no choice but to go on the journey, alone. She could turn back around once the train stopped, head back to London and pretend this weird arrangement never happened.

But that was the coward’s way out, and she wasn’t going to let the thought of spending the weekend at a stuffy, unbearably stiff country estate and distillery - if indeed there was one and Sharpe wasn’t bluffing - send her running scared with her tail tucked between her legs.

Two hours later, she stopped reading her book - a tight Swedish thrilled tipped for the Booker prize - on her phone as the scenery outside slowed, the gently rolling green hills stretching for as far as the eye could see. For someone born and raised in London, it was odd to see so much open space. Even the air smelled better, crisp and pure, as she stepped out onto the open-air platform. It was warm, clean, the faint smell of grass that had been freshly cut mingling with the less-than-pleasant smells of the station.

Hoisting her duffel bag over her shoulder and her large black purse over the other, she set off toward the taxi line. Just before the exit, though, stood several groups waiting for the arrivals of their loved ones. And one man, dressed elegantly in a fine black suit with a flat cap to boot - seriously?! - held a sign with her name on it.

“Just couldn’t help but show off, could he?” she grumbled at the man, strolling up to him. “I’m Katherine Adams. I’m assuming you’re taking me to the Sharpe Estate?”

It was hard to tell his age behind his sunglasses, but the driver’s smile was kind when he offered his hand to take her luggage from her. She only adjusted it on her shoulder more resolutely, waving in the direction of where she assumed the waiting car was parked.

“Yes ma’am. They are very much looking forward to receiving you. If you’ll just pop your baggage in the boot, we can get going.”

She followed him up to a sleek black car, clearly expensive at one point, although even her less-than-knowledgeable eye could see that it was a few years old. But the leather seat that she slid onto was comfortable and had clearly been well-maintained, cushioning and supporting her curves nicely.

The driver didn’t offer any conversation, which was just as well, as she was too busy attempting to enjoy the beauty of the passing trees and greenery despite the nerves rolling in her stomach. She knew nothing about the Baronet beside what she had learned from the occasional bit of gossip: he had an older sister, Lucille - unmarried the last anyone knew, he was the head of the business, and his father had squandered away a great deal of their fortune on his dreadful alcoholism. He hadn’t added much to it until recently, choosing to spend several years gallivanting around the world with demure debutantes and stunning socialites.

Kate was neither. But, that was besides the point.

So when the car rolled down the fine white avenue of gravel, shadowed by massive oak trees on either side, anticipation and anxiety manifested themselves in one hand rubbing lightly over the tight blue jeans on her thigh, the other tugging on the collar of her simple blue and black flannel she had left open over a black tank top. She hadn’t known what to expect for the tours, so her scuffed black boots sounded quietly on the floor of the car as she tapped her feet.

The house - if she could call it that - was massive, bigger than anything she’d ever seen in person excluding Buckingham Palace. Light brown stone comprised the outer walls, combining with the ivy that crept along some of the walls to suggest just a hint of wildness, and an age to the building beyond her lifetime. She caught what looked to be a few balconies interspersed on the second floor, along with many tall, thin windows peppered over the facade that hinted at the great number of rooms found within. Some windows shone, others looked untended.

She briefly caught sight of the great wooden front door opening before the driver stepped into view, opening her door and stepping wide to allow her to get out. She did so, smoothing her hands over non-existent wrinkles on her jeans, feeling like she wasn’t dressed nicely enough to even look at the home.

Surely they’ll realise I’m an imposter here. I’ll be back on the train in a hot minute.

Out of nowhere, a little boy ran up to her, face flushed and light eyes bright. He tugged on the pants leg of the driver urgently. “AndyAndyAndy,” he sang out. “Is that the lady Uncle Thomas was talking about?” he asked, pointing unabashedly at Kate.

Uncle Thomas? That was an interesting development. She got down on one knee, smiling at the fair-skinned boy. “I probably am. Is your Uncle Thomas around anywhere?”

“Gideon Sharpe! You cannot just run off when I’m talking to you!”

Kate lifted her gaze to the house to see a woman who could be nothing other than Thomas’ sister - the similarities were just uncanny - striding towards them purposefully, her finger pointed at the little boy. Her tall frame suited her knee-length leather boots, navy barbour and jeans perfectly. About an acre of midnight dark hair was piled atop her head in a haphazard style that managed to look perfectly chic.

Opposite her, Kate felt like she’d been dragged through a hedge backwards.

Thomas’ sister scooped up the boy - Gideon. Her cool, assessing gaze swept over Kate, not unkindly, but without a smile. “Welcome to Allerdale Hall.”

“Thank you,” Kate replied, trying to inject some warmth into her tone.

“My brother’s no doubt at the stables. I’ll take you. That’ll be all thank you, Andy.”

“Yes ma’am.” Andy dug in his pocket and produced a small sherbet lollipop.

Gideon looked up at his mother from his position in her arms. “Can I? Pleeeeaaasssseeeee.”

Lucille rolled her eyes - and the typical long-suffering mother expression made Kate thaw to her a bit. “Go on, then.”

Gideon took the candy and thanked Andy. The employee got back in the car and drove off to goodness knew where. Another rich family? A huge garage for rich-people cars?

Kate dutifully grabbed her duffle bag and followed in Lucille’s wake as she and Gideon proceeded around the back of the enigmatic house - if a house could be called that. Kate imagined it as the star of some glossy period drama; the pretty facade with a hint of wild, the sprawling ivy alluding to both love and disrepair.

*******

God, Kate would be fit to be tied when Andy picked her up, Thomas thought, shaking his head with a smile as he mucked out stables.

They had a stable man for this job normally, but Thomas liked the hard manual work some days. It stopped him thinking of what his life had been like for those few dark years before he’d finally turned the family fortunes around. How he and Lucille had begged, borrowed and stole to keep from starving. When Lucille had worried that Gideon wouldn’t have a roof over his curly little head.

He wiped his forearm over his brow and pulled off the henley he wore, tossing it over his shoulder like a rag as he continued to work, shovelling the straw into the wheelbarrow. His muscles begged for mercy, but he preferred this labour to running on a treadmill in a gym. The circulated air in those places made him feel stifled; trapped.

“Uncle Thomaaaaasssssss!”

He recognised that urchin’s voice. Thomas turned just in time to scoop up his nephew with one arm as the boy barrelled towards him, all speed and no stealth. Gideon hugged him tightly and then grimaced. “Ew! You’re wet!”

“I’ve been doing sweaty work.” He lifted his gaze to see Lucille and Kate - a vision in a sleek black tank top and an open plaid shirt, the female lumberjack fantasy come to life in a very vivid way - walking towards him. He set Gideon down and leaned on the shovel he’d been working with.

“Your guest is here, Thomas,” Lucille said shortly. “Come on Gideon. Let’s go see what’s happening for dinner.”

“Bye Missus Kate!” Gideon called as he scrambled to run after his mother, grabbing her hand as they disappeared into the looming house.

Thomas tossed the shovel aside. “I’d have cleaned up if I knew you’d be early.” He used the henley to wipe his face and dab at the hollow of his throat where sweat habitually pooled when he worked.

Kate looked at him for a long moment. Once again he had the sense that she saw every part of him, who he’d been and who he might be in the future. She had an arresting gaze, and he liked it. “I didn’t know you did…. This.” She gestured up and down his long frame with a lax wave of her hand.

“Didn’t know I shovelled horse shit?” he asked quietly, a smile tugging the corner of his mouth.

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#crimson peak fic #thomas sharpe x ofc #thomas sharpe fic #imagine thomas sharpe #crimson peak au

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peppersandcats · 5 years

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Well okay.

So I have just finished the Elseworlds crossover, and while there is a lot to say, I feel like geeking about stuff from a very specific perspective. It is the perspective of someone whose knowledge of DC comics is extremely patchy--as I may have mentioned before, I think I spent around twenty years knowing that J’onn J’onzz was a Martian, the last survivor of an ancient race, somewhat religious, and fond of Oreos.

(If you can figure out where I learned that information and only that information, congrats! It will come up again later.)

A decade-ish later, I learned he could shapeshift.

The whole “telepath who can credibly punch a Kryptonian” thing didn’t come up until sometime in the last couple of years.

Also: spoilers ahead.

So this is not a critical analysis; this is me squee-ing over things I think I have seen that remind me of other things. And I mean... maybe this is all totally obvious and everyone who’s been looking at the script and the character names knows it? Or maybe this is as purely a product of my own personal geekery/history as my inability to not read comics!Commander Cold as a Judge Dredd homage? I don’t know. But I’m happy.

Mostly this is about the second and third episodes of Elseworlds, although in the first episode I did notice that they defeated Amazo by uploading a virus (at arrowpoint) through his eye, and in comics!Flashpoint he was deactivated by Plastic Man going in through his eye and plucking out his operating system (namely Ray Palmer). Is that a standard Amazo-coping tactic?

((also: holy crap comics!Flashpoint was grim.))

The Shakespeare head in Kate Kane’s office was a reference to the old Batman TV show, right? The Adam West one? They’d... pull on the head and the grandfather clock would slide sideways and they’d go down the Batpole and be in costume when they got to the Batcave, I think? (I laughed.)

I liked that Mark Guggenheim showed up as an inmate. Or his name did; I couldn’t pick him out of a lineup to tell you if he was in any of the shots.

I squeaked so hard when other!Barry (old-TV!Barry? who knows?) looked at John and was surprised he didn’t have a ring. John Diggle as a Green Lantern makes me happy. He would knock that out of the park. I like Diggle.

Also: Alex Danvers, badass on any Earth. I love Alex Danvers being a badass. I love that in the first season, you can see her going hand-to-hand with a Kryptonian, and a bunch of other DEA agents are just running past like “yep, it’s Agent Danvers, she’s got that, she’s fine”.

Was so pleased to see that the Book of Destiny was written in the Speed Force language. Of course it makes sense.

One thing I didn’t think was a reference, but that I loved about the third episode; all our main characters are in black-and-white. Mostly black. Just seeing those characters who are usually so damn bright in such utterly colourless outfits was a kind of lovely note about the setting. (Also, one thing I didn’t catch but that the LOML pointed out to me as we were watching: black-and-white Superman is Justice Lords Superman. (My understanding of Justice Lords comes secondhand from @demiurgent and can best be summed up as “those fascist versions of the Justice League that Billy Batson was absolutely not like”.))

Loved no-powers everyone's-a-criminal Barry and Ollie, too. Looking forward to fics. (Also, was I the only one looking at Barry and thinking he always looks like kind of a doof when he's dressed up as a criminal?)

I honestly wasn’t sure Barry wasn’t going to die. Partly that was the suspension of disbelief kicking in enough to make me ignore that we’ve got mumble more episodes this season and it’d probably be hard to miss Tumblr flipping out over the actor not being on contract or something. Partly that was... well, this season has been about Nora coping with Barry disappearing, and the skies were red which is a callback to That Headline from the time vault, and That Headline references the Crisis, and I have managed not to miss the fact that ?Monitor + Crisis + Barry running until he starts to fall apart can mean he dies. Like, there’s precedent. I didn’t think they’d kill both him and Kara, and wouldn’t kill just him on someone else’s show, but you know...

It was nice, to be unsure. It made them surviving even more awesome.

Also: props to you, Oliver Queen, for yelling loud enough that the Monitor actually decided to talk to you. I have suspicions about what you two talked about, and they are heavily related to your very bad habit of not telling people shit, but props.

But the big thing, for me, was Deegan.

(This ties back to where I first learnt about J’onn J’onzz.)

So. In the first ep, Deegan is a poorly-presented kind of dude who’s got unspecified but weird ideas about how to help his patients. Okay. That could be a “good intent, bad execution” kind of guy. He was going on about his patients feeling inferior, and about how to make people feel super without them actually being super. I legit thought he might have swapped Barry and Ollie because he wanted to see if letting someone be super would be safe, and thought that giving a hero superhero powers might be a small way to test it.

(Yeah, I’m a gentle optimist sometimes.)

But the second episode, man.

He’s from Arkham and has a history of being horrible to his patients. He’s wielding an object of Destiny to reshape reality. In fact, he’s wielding an object that might or might not be something the Monitor uses (hell if I know, I only vaguely figured there was a Monitor because I’d heard there was an Anti-Monitor), but that is called the Book of Destiny and is definitely looking like Destiny’s book in which all things are written.

I’m sure there are other gigantic tomes in the DC universe, but that one is mine.

And I begin to hope that instead of John Deegan, I’m seeing Dr. John Dee. Doctor Destiny. I mean, we’ve got an Arkham inhabitant who got his hands on a reality-rewriting artifact belonging to one of the Endless and is making himself a god and making things horrible-- that’s him, right?

And then he gets affected at the end of the third episode, and... yeah, I’m going with that being him.

Dr. John Dee is (for me) from the first Sandman graphic novel, which I loved very much; the issue “24 Hours” was probably the high point of my introduction to horror comics that were not of the EC genre or gloppy adaptations of public-domain short-stories. (Not that there’s anything wrong with EC. (I... I’m now envisioning Dr. John Dee as drawn by Ghastly Graham Ingels, and I may need to lie down a moment. That’s approaching Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark levels of creep factor.))

(My introduction to J’onn J’onzz was also from the first Sandman graphic novel. Like two pages in which I saw him interact with Dream and Scott Free.)

But yeah. For the longest time, the only DC I read was some Batman and some Vertigo, and Sandman was the reason I read Vertigo. And I haven’t read a lot of it in years and I still remember it, and I got to see part of it on the small screen.

And 2019: I’m holding out for the Eye Guy. Don’t disappoint me.

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weekendwarriorblog · 4 years

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The Weekend Warrior Home Edition 7/31/20 – THE SHADOW OF VIOLENCE, SUMMERLAND, THE SECRET: DARE TO DREAM, SHE DIES TOMORROW and More!

As I started to gather what’s left of my wits for this week’s column, there seemed to be fewer movies than usual, and I was quite thankful for that. Then, a few of the movies scheduled for some sort of theatrical release this weekend were delayed and I discovered a bunch of movies I didn’t have in my release calendar to begin with, so this is a little bit of an odd weekend but still one with 8 movies reviews! I went into most of the movies this weekend without much knowledge of what they were about, probably was the best way to go into many of them, since it allowed me to be somewhat open-minded about what I was watching.

The first surprise of the week is that we’re getting another decent film from the one and only Saban Films, so maybe the VOD distributor has been using the pandemic to step up its game as well. Directed by first-time feature director Nick Rowland, the Irish crime-drama THE SHADOW OF VIOLENCE (Saban Films), based on the book “Calm with Horses,” stars relative newcomer Cosmo Jarvis as Douglas Armstrong, known as “Arm,” the enforcer for the drug-dealing Devers family. Douglas also has a young toddler with local woman Ursula (Niamh Algar), but when his handler Dympna (Barry Keoghan) orders Arm to kill for the first time, he’s forced to rethink his career.

Much of the story revolves a member of the Devers family caught making a lurid pass at Dympha’s 16-year-old sister, leading to consequences, as Arm is sent to beat the crap out of him. For head of the family, that isn’t nearly enough and soon, Arm is ordered to kill the man. (This aspect of the story reminds me a little of Todd Field’s Little Children, particularly the Jackie Earle Haley subplot.)

As I mentioned above, I watched this film with zero expectations and was taken quite aback by how great it was, despite not having been that big a fan of Keoghan from some of his past work. On the other hand, Cosmo Jarvis, in his first major role, is absolutely outstanding, giving a performance on par with something we might see from Thomas Hardy or Matthias Schoenaerts, at least in their earlier work. Barely saying a word, Jarvis instills so many emotions into “Arm” as we see him playing with his young autistic son, Jack, trying to keep his jealousy over Ursula under control, while also being there when Dympna needs him. Even as you think you’re watching fairly innocuous day-to-day stuff, Rowland ratchets up the tension to an amazing degree right up until a climactic moment that drives the last act.

Despite the film’s title, The Shadow of Violence isn’t just about violence, as much as it is about a man trying to figure out how to change the trajectory of his life. If you like character-based films like The Rider, this movie is definitely going to be for you. Another surprise is that the movie will be available only in theaters this Friday, rather than the typical VOD approach Saban Films generally takes, so check your local theater if it’s playing near you.

The faith-based drama THE SECRET: DARE TO DREAM (Lionsgate), starring Katie Holmes and Josh Lucas, is directed by Andy Tennant (Hitch, Sweet Home Alabama) and adapted from Rhonda Byrne’s self-help book, The Secret (which is based on a 2006 movie also called The Secret). Originally planned for a theatrical release, it’s now being released as PVOD, which seems to be the way that so many movies are going now. In it, Holmes plays Miranda Wells, a struggling widow living in New Orleans with three kids who on a stormy night meets a kind stranger (Lucas) who tries to pass on his philosophy of using positive thinking to get whatever you want in life.

Mini-Review: I don’t usually buy into some of the faith-based movies that are released every year, but that’s mainly because I rarely get a chance to see any of them, so why bother? I was ready to go into The Secret: Dare to Dream with a healthy amount of skepticism, because it seemed to be another movie about grand miracles… but in fact, it’s just a bland movie pimping Rhonda Byrne’s New Thought technique from her New Age-y self help book.

The idea is that positive thinking is all that it takes to get anything you want, something no less than Oprah quickly glommed onto. While the movie doesn’t hit you over the head with such a message, and “God” is only mentioned once, it also just doesn’t seem to offer much in terms of storytelling to maintain one’s interest.

Katie Holmes does a fine job playing an amiable single mother who meets Josh Lucas’ Bray Johnson as a huge storm is about to hit New Orleans, and he seems like a nice enough fellow as he helps her replace a broken bumper (after she rear-ended him, no less) and then fixing up the house after the storm. But Bray has a secret (hence the title) and it’s in an important envelope that he hesitates to give to Miranda.

The film’s biggest problem is that there never is much in terms of stake when it comes to the drama, because Bray seems to be there to fix everything and make everything better. Miranda’s only other real relation is an awkward one with Jerry O’Connell’s long-time (presumably platonic) friend Tucker, which only gets more awkward when he surprises her by popping the question. She says “Yes” without talking to her own kids first. The whole time while watching the film, I was expecting some sort of big Nicholas Spark level romance between Miranda and Bray, so when Tucker proposes, it throws a real spanner in the works, but only for a little while.

Incidentally, the “secret” of the title that Bray resists telling Miranda until pressured isn’t particularly groundbreaking either. I won’t ruin it. You’ll just be annoyed when it’s finally revealed.

The Secret: Dare to Dream is as generic and bland a tale you can possibly get, one that really doesn’t accomplish very much and feels more like a Lifetime movie than something particularly revelatory.

Rating: 6/10

Jessica Swale’s WW2-set SUMMERLAND (IFC Films) stars Gemma Arterton as fantasy author Alice Lamb, quietly living on the South of England in a small beachside town when she’s presented with a young London evacuee named Frank (Lucas Bond) for her to mind while his father’s at war. Alice lives alone but many years earlier, she had a friendship with a local woman named Vera (Gugu Mbatha-Raw) that turned into something more, despite the taboo of their relationship during those times.

This was another nice surprise, and as I watched the movie, it was hard not to compare it to last week’s Radioactive, since they’re movies intended to appeal to a similar audience. This one seems to be more focused, and Arterton does a better job being likeable despite being as persnickety as Pike’s Marie Currie. Although this isn’t a biopic, it did remind me of films like Goodbye Christopher Robin and Tolkien, and possibly even Finding Neverland. (Incidentally, the Summerland of the title is a mythical place that Alice is writing about, which adds to the fairy tale angle to the film.)

As the film goes along, there’s a pretty major twist, of sorts, and it’s when the stakes in the film start to feel more dramatic as things continue to elevate into the third act. The movie actually opens in 1975 with Penelope Wilton playing the older Alice, although I’m not sure the framing sequence was particularly needed for the film to work the way Swale intended.

Summerland is generally just a nice and pleasant film that stirs the emotions and shows Swale to be a filmmaker on the rise.

Another really nice indie film that might involve a bit more searching is director Sergio Navaretta’s THE CUBAN (Brainstorm Media), written by Alessandra Piccione. It follows 19-year-old Mina (played by Ana Golja), a Canadian pre-med student who lives with her aunt, Bano (Shohreh Aghdashloo), who pushes her career in medicine, although Mina would rather be a singer. At her part-time job at a long-term care facility, Mina meets Luis (Louis Gossett Jr.), a quiet elderly patient who sits in his wheelchair never talking to anyone until Mina discovers his love for music, and the two bond over that, although Mina’s employers don’t think she’s helping Luis despite his obvious change in nature.

This was just a lovely film driven by Golja, who is just wonderful in the lead role with an equally terrific cast around her, and while it gets a little obvious, I can’t imagine anyone not enjoying this film that harks back to some of the great earlier work by Thomas McCarthy, as it follows a touching story that mixes a number of cultures in a surprisingly fluid way. It turned out to be quite a pleasant and unexpected film in the way it deals with subjects like dementia in such a unique and compelling away, especially if you enjoy Cuban music.

The Cuban already played at a couple Canadian theaters, but it will be available via Virtual Cinema and in some American theaters Friday, and you can find out where at the Official Site.

I was pretty excited to see Amy Seimetz’s new film, SHE DIES TOMORROW (NEON), since I was quite a fan of her previous film, Sun Don’t Shine. Besides having played quite a fantastic role in recent independent cinema through her varied associations, Seimetz also cast Kate Lyn Sheil, a fantastic actress, in the main role. It’s a little hard to explain the film’s plot, but essentially Sheil plays Amy, a woman convinced she’s going to die tomorrow, a feeling that starts spreading to others around her. I’m not sure if you would get this just from watching the film, because it’s pretty vague and even a little confusing about what is happening despite the high concept premise.

For the first 15 minutes or so, the camera spends the entire time watching Sheil as she cries and hugs a wall, while listening to the same opera record over and over. When her friend Jane (Jane Adams) comes over to check on her, she finds her vacuuming in a fancy dress. Amy tells her friend that she’s going to die tomorrow, and she wants to be turned into a leather jacket. Soon, after we’re watching Jane, a scientist, going down the same wormhole as Amy. That’s pretty much the running narrative, although the film opens up when we meet some of Jane’s family and friends, including Katie Aselton, Chris Messina, Tunde Adebimpe, Michelle Rodriguez and more. Soon after we meet them, they TOO are convinced that they’re going to die tomorrow. Incidentally (and spoiler!), no one actually dies in the movie. Heck, I’d hesitate even to call this a “horror” movie because it takes the idea of a pandemic that we’ve seen in movies like Bird Box, Contagion and others and sucks all the genre right out of it, but it still works as a character piece.

The thing is that the film looks great and also feels quite unique, which does make She Dies Tomorrow quite compelling, as well as a great vehicle for both Sheil and Seimetz. Even so, it’s also very much a downer and maybe not the best thing to watch if you aren’t in a good place, emotionally. You’ve been warned. It will open at select drive-ins this weekend, but it will then be available via VOD next Friday, August 7.

Next up, we have two fantastic and inspiring docs that premiered at Sundance earlier this year…

In recent years, Ron Howard has made a pretty amazing transition into respectable documentary filmmaker, and that continues with REBUILDING PARADISE (National Geographic), which takes a look at the horrible fires that struck Northern California in November 2018, literally wiping out the town of Paradise and leaving over 50,000 people homeless and killing roughly 85 people.

It’s really horrifying to see the amount of destruction caused when a spark from a faulty transmission line ignites the particularly dry forest surrounding the town of Paradise, destroying the hospital and elementary school and displacing the homeowners. This is obviously going to be a tough film to watch, not only seeing the fires actually raze the town to the ground but also watching these not particularly wealthy people having to contend with losing their homes. (It’s even tougher to watch now since you wonder how COVID may have affected the town as it’s in better shape now then it was last year.)

Using a cinema verité approach (for the first time possible?), Howard finds a small group of people to follow, including the town’s former mayor, the school superintendent, a local police officer, and others. It’s pretty impressive how much time this doc covers, and often, you may wonder if Ron Howard was there at all times, because it seems like he would have to have been embedded with the townspeople for an entire year to get some of the footage.

As I said, this is not an easy film to watch, especially as you watch these people dealing with so much tragedy – if you’ve seen any of the docs about Sandy Hook, you might have some idea how hard this movie may be to watch for you. But it is great, since it shows Howard achieving a new level as a documentary filmmaker with a particularly powerful piece.

Produced by Kerry Washington, THE FIGHT (Magnolia Pictures) is the latest doc from Weiner directors Elyse Steinberg, Josh Kriegman, this time joined as director by that film’s editor, Eli B. Despres. The “fight” of the title is the one between the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and the Trump administration that began shortly after his inauguration in 2017, his Muslim travel ban that quickly followed, and going up until mid-2019 when a lot of obvious civil rights violations were being perpetrated by the U.S. government.

This is a particularly interesting doc if you weren’t aware of how active the ACLU has been in helping to protect people’s rights on a variety of fronts. The doc covers four particular cases involving immigration, LGBTQ rights, voting rights and reproductive rights, and we watch the lawyers involved in four important cases, including a few that are taken right up to the Supreme Court. In following these four particular lawyers, the filmmakers do a great job helping the viewer understand how important the ACLU is in keeping the conservative right at bay from trying to repeal some previous laws made to protect Americans’ rights.

Of course, this film is particularly timely since it covers a lot of dramatic changes, including the nomination of Justice Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court, which ends up being ironic, since he was the judge presiding over an earlier ACLU case involving a pregnant teen immigrant who isn’t allowed to get an abortion. The movie doesn’t skirt the fact that often the ACLU is called upon to help the likes of white supremacists and potential terrorist factions, since they’re about protecting everyone’s rights. I would have loved to hear more about this, but it does cover the backlash to the ACLU after the Charlottesville protests went horribly wrong in 2017.

Be warned that there are moments in this film where the waterworks will start flowing since seeing the ACLU succeed against oppression is particularly moving. If you’ve been following the country’s shifting politics keenly and want to learn more about the ACLU, The Fight does a great job getting behind closed doors and humanizing the organization.

The Fight will be available on all digital and On Demand platforms starting Friday, and you can find out how to rent it at the Official Site.

Vinnie Jones (remember him?) stars in Scott Wiper’s crime-thriller THE BIG UGLY (Vertical) about a pair of British mobsters who travel to West Virginia to make an oil deal in order to launder money. Once there, they encounter some troubles with the locals, particularly the sadistic son of Ron Perlman’s Preston, the man with whom they’re dealing.

Sometimes, as a film critic, you wonder how a movie that has so much potential can turn into such an unmitigated disaster, but then you watch a movie like The Big Ugly, and you realize that some bad filmmakers are better at talking people into doing things than others.

That seems to be the case with this film in which Jones plays Leland, who comes to West Virginia with his boss Harris (McDowell) to make an oil deal with Ron Perlman’s Preston, only for the latter’s son “PJ” (Brandon Sklenar) causing trouble, including the potential murder of Leland’s girlfriend. Of course, one would expect to see tough guy Vinnie Jones out for revenge against the endless parade of sleaze-balls he encounters, and that may have been a better movie than what Wiper ended up making, which is all over the place in terms of tone. (It was only after I watched the film did I realize that Wiper wrote and directed the absolutely awful WWE Film, The Condemned, also starring Jones. If I only knew.)

Jones isn’t even the worst part of the cast, in terms of the acting, because both McDowell and Perlman, two great actors, struggle through the terrible material, though Perlman generally fares better than McDowell, who doesn’t seem to be giving it his all.

There’s a whole subplot involving one of PJ’s friends/co-workers (recent Emmy nominee Nicholas Braun from HBO’s Succession) and his relationship with a pretty local (Lenora Crichlow) that goes nowhere and adds nothing to the overall story. Once PJ is seemingly dealt with, there’s still almost 35 minutes more of movie, including a long monologue by Perlman telling a sorely wasted Bruce McGill how he met McDowell’s character. Not only does it kill any and all momentum leading up to that point, but it’s probably something that should have been part of the set-up earlier in the film.

The fact this movie is so bad is pretty much Wiper’s fault, becuase he wrote a script made up of so many ideas that never really fit together – kind of like Guy Ritchie doing a very bad Deliverance remake before deciding to turn it into a straight-up Western. Wiper then tries his hardest to salvage the movie by throwing in violence and explosions and leaning heavily on the soundtrack. (The fact that both this and the far superior The Shadow of Violence used a song from the Jam was not lost on this music enthusiast.) Regardless, The Big Ugly is a pretty detestable piece of trash that couldn’t end fast enough… and it didn’t. (It played in drive-ins and select theaters last Friday but will be available on digital and On Demand this Friday.)

Available through Virtual Cinemas (supporting Film Forum and the Laemmle in L.A) is Martha Kehoe and Joan Tosoni’s documentary, Gordon Lightfoot: If You Could Read My Mind, about the Canadian singer-songwriter who changed people’s impressions of Canadian culture, covering Lightfoots’s greatest triumphs and failures.

Film at Lincoln Center’s Virtual Cinema will premiere Koji Fukada’s Japanese drama A Girl Missing (Film Movement) on Friday, while New York’s Metrograph Live Screening series continues this week with Manfred Kirchheimer’s Bridge High & Stations of the Elevated starting today through Friday, and then the premiere of Nan Goldin’s Sirens (with two other shorts) starting on Friday. You can subscribe to the series for $5 a month or $50 a year.

Premiering on Disney+ this Friday is Beyoncé’s Black is King, her new visual album inspired by the lessons from The Lion King, as well as the new original Muppets series, Muppets Now. Since I haven’t seen either Lion King movie, I’m definitely looking forward more to the Muppets returning to "television.”

Launching on Netflix today is Matias Mariani’s Shine Your Eyes about a Nigerian musician who travels to Sao Paulo to look for his estranged brother and bring him back to Nigeria, as well as Sue Kim’s doc short, The Speed Cubers, set in the world of competitive Rubik cube solving and the friendly rivalry between two young “speedcubers.” Also, Season 2 of The Umbrella Academy will premiere on Netflix this Friday.

Premiering on Shudder tomorrow (Thursday, July 30) is Rob Savage’s Host, the first horror movie made during the quarantine about a group of six friends who decide to hold a séance over Zoom.

Amazon’s drive-in series continues tonight with “Movies to Inspire Your Inner Child,” playing Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse and Hook.

Next week, more movies not in theaters!

By the way, if you read this week’s column and have bothered to read this far down, feel free to drop me some thoughts at Edward dot Douglas at Gmail dot Com or drop me a note or tweet on Twitter. I love hearing from readers … honest!

#TheWeekendWarrior #SheDiesTomorrow #Summerland #TheCuban #Movies #Reviews #TheFight #RebuildingParadise #TheShadowOfViolence #VOD #Streaming #TheSecretDareToDream

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illusteresa · 5 years

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Pick a Card

2019 Brighton Illustration Fair overview

I got on a train early in the morning and went to the BIF, one of the illustration fairs I always wanted to attend hosted by the University of Brighton. I went with the curiosity for the overall market and the kind of illustration style the participants had so I could gain more knowledge. So many booths and so little time to see it all and Brighton School of Art was full in every square meter you could find with not only beautiful art pieces, their artists and editorial companies but also with a big crowd of art lovers.

The urge to augment my visual culture made me spend 5 hours on my feet that seemed like only 30 minutes had passed since its beginning. The way time is perceived when we are enjoying ourselves seems unfair to me especially since I am a forgetful person and wanted to take it all in. This lack of memory made me collect mementos everywhere I go since I was a young girl. So at BIF I was set on collecting business cards.

These, in the business of illustration world, are most effective for elevator pitching and events like art markets, when illustrators want those who pass by to notice their work and to reach them with potential commissions. For the client, fairs are just like window shopping, they will pass by the booth and if interested in what the illustrator has done they will stop, ask stuff, maybe buy stuff too but, in the end, no one wants to lose these clients so making sure they get a business card is incredibly important for the art business to prosper since it’s the fastest way to give your contact and social media just by handing out a simple card.

Being a designer I found these mementos quite interesting since I have a different perspective on illustration business cards and I emphasize the importance of a good card design specially to the illustration field.

Most books underline that the “perfect postcard” or the promotional piece is the right way to get your work seen by Art directors (Rees, 2014 and Heller & Arisman, 2004) but nowadays it is my belief that the social media is way more effective and a business card does the same trick as the postcard since nowadays people value one on one elevator pitching more than the mail loads they receive each week.

To my disappointment, some illustrators didn’t bring enough or just didn’t make those. Two mistakes I learnt myself through experience: always make 100 or more for an illustration event, never less and the illustrator should always have at least 5 of these in its wallet wherever he goes because you never know who you might bump into (Graham, 2012). This exemplary network starter called business cards runs out quicker than we think.

Social media is the most important thing illustrators should write on the cards and I thought actually that this was common knowledge but there were a lot of illustrators without their Instagram or Facebook on the cards they had on display. Social media nowadays is the portfolio of the illustrator’s journey first hand and people who are interested on our work will always follow us because it is as simple as clicking on a button.

Others made the big mistake of printing cards on 70g paper which to the future client just looks like we don’t care at all about our work. It is that kind if disregard to the business that clients avoid. An illustrator does not print in shitty paper. We print in high quality. Every detail of a business card design portraits the work quality of the holder if he takes himself seriously. Or at least it should!

Talking about the graphics and typography, overall I have no big comment on it. There was an obvious lack of knowledge in some cases where the typography had too much of an impact and took the attention from the work itself due to exuberance or inadequacy which is something an illustrator should avoid. Others just had a lot of fonts on it instead of settling for one or two at most when they lacked the typographical skills of a professional designer. Another aspect I found worrying in terms of graphics and typography was that there were some illustrators who had only the name and a colour on the background. Even though a freelance illustrator can actually give those away and be effective, in these events there are more than a hundred illustrators so if the artist doesn’t brand himself with imagery or a good logo he will easily be lost and forgotten in the middle of the other cards. This is always worse than having a card that is badly cut or a little pixelated.

Looking back on the cards I collected, I can remember most of the artists’ works as if it was yesterday. Some better than others, some displayed their work in a modular way, others in a more random way. Some artists’ work matched well with their cards and others didn’t. But I can easily say that I feel that their care for their business was as good as their cards. It mirrors them not only in their work quality but also in their attention to details, time and organization.

Every person will know that carrying around 100 different business miniature cards is complicated since no one has enough storage space for them in their wallets. Viewing all the artists as a whole, I decided on making a digital collage using their business cards graphics in order to portray my visual memorabilia in one single image: the BIF’s business crowd.

For such, I started by displaying the cards with paper tape in three A3 sheets of paper so I could scan them. With the scan done, I made the collage in photoshop. No changes were made to the originals other than cutting and pasting.

After doing this piece out of the mementos I accidentally shaped it like a head in profile. I found it very intriguing since most memories are kept in our brains and the feeling I got after the event was of a massive amount of information that filled up all my head with colourful imagery. A perfect protrait of my overall experience.

Illustration’s credits

Lizzie Lomax - Anna Soba - Dommy Sullivan - Bárbara Malagoli - Catherine do art - Alice Monvaillier - Shake Bristol - George Manson - Kissi Ussuki - Flying Eye Books - Nobrow - Angela Hadrill - Mia Minerva - Monosodium - Ewe Rynkiewicz - Ella Willson-Smith - Lloyd Stratton - Jo Dertili - Olivia waller - Aysha Tengiz - Illwookie - Meneer Heirman - Robert Sae-Heng - Honey Parast - Maya Doyle - Printed Goods - Hannah Peck - Hayley Wells - Wingki But - Arabella Simpson - Kate Lorton - Yuk Fun - Evie May Adams - Jessica Smith - Owen Davey - Beya Rebai - Pencil Bandit - Sundance Goods - Michael Vankehem - Alex Norris - Hazel McCoubrey - Aga Giecko - Laura Girling - Jayde Perkin - Lauren Morsley - Marie-Yaé - Fern Eleanor - Family Store - Amber Timm - Guy Field - Ellie Fryer - Playtime - Jack Snelling - Shanti Rai - Nikoo Bafti - Stacey Thomas - Hiffy Ulrich - Leanne Rule - Lineette - Brandon Seager - Rachael Presky - Carlett Li

References

Graham, A. (2012) Chapter 47: Business Cards. In: From Business Cards to Business Relationships: Personal Branding and Profitable Networking Made Easy, New Jersey: Wiley.

Heller, S. & Arisman, M. (2004) Inside the Business of Illustration. New York: Allworth Press.

Rees, D. (2014) How to Be an Illustrator. London: Laurence King Publishing.

#bif #illustration business cards #illustration

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harryandmeghan0-blog · 5 years

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Meghan Markle boasted about serving ‘200’ marijuana joints at her wedding to Trevor Engelson before meeting Pr - The Sun

New Post has been published on https://harryandmeghan.xyz/meghan-markle-boasted-about-serving-200-marijuana-joints-at-her-wedding-to-trevor-engelson-before-meeting-pr-the-sun/

Meghan Markle boasted about serving ‘200’ marijuana joints at her wedding to Trevor Engelson before meeting Pr - The Sun

MEGHAN Markle boasted to pals about how she’d serve illegal marijuana at her first wedding.

Leaked emails reveal plans to put the dope in party bags at her nuptials to Trevor Engelson.

Mega

Meghan Markle, with her first husband Trevor Engelson, who bought enough weed to roll 200 joints at their wedding

The Mega Agency

Meghan Markle parties with mates at celebrity wedding to Trevor Engelson

Urged to buy a certain type of bag by a pal, the Duchess replied: “Already ordered ’em. And teeny ones for the pot that say ‘shh’.”

The American actress even personally ordered small muslin bags for the illegal drug to be placed inside glitzy gift bags to guests.

The future Duchess then signed off to the friend with a jokey smiley face.

Meghan’s estranged father Thomas revealed last month that guests at the wedding in Jamaica were given a bag of marijuana.

Refer to Caption

Meghan Markle and blonde mum Doria Ragland in Jamaica for the 2011 wedding

Meghan Markle, with her first husband, even personally ordered small muslin bags for the illegal drug to be placed inside glitzy gift bags to guests

Prince Harry married Meghan Markle earlier this year and the pair had a carriage ride through Windsor

Who is Meghan Markle’s ex-husband Trevor Engelson? Film producer who divorced Prince Harry’s bride in 2013

But the emails show for the first time how Prince Harry’s wife was directly involved in the planning of the druggy stunt.

Sources claimed she even had a hand in rolling the joints and inserting the filter tip.

Splash News

An insider called Meghan Markle’s first wedding in Jamaica in 2011 a ‘boozy beach wedding with a magical backdrop’ and ‘an epic weekend under the sun and stars’

Splash News

Pregnant Meghan Markle joins Prince Harry in Sandringham for Christmas Day service

Splash News

Meghan Markle curtsies for the Queen as she joins Royals for Christmas Day

Getty – Contributor

Meghan Markle and Kate Middleton show off unity and friendship in Sandringham amid rumours of a feud

Meghan Markle and Kate Middleton brush off ‘rift’ rumours as they arrive side-by-side for Christmas Day service

At the time of the wedding in 2012 any possession of cannabis was illegal in Jamaica.

In 2015 laws were relaxed to make possession of small amounts a “petty offence” unlikely to lead to a criminal conviction.

An insider called Meghan’s first wedding in Jamaica in 2011 a “boozy beach wedding with a magical backdrop” and “an epic weekend under the sun and stars”. But as well as alcohol, there was plenty of weed, too.

Guests said Meghan and first husband Trevor bought marijuana through a member of staff at their hotel.

Getty – Contributor

Meghan Markle wows in figure-hugging, black dress on the red carpet with her first husband

Image Bank – Getty

At the time of the wedding in 2012 any possession of cannabis was illegal in Jamaica

Meghan Markle spoke with pals about ‘special bags for the wedding containing illegal drugs’, leaked emails claim

But a guest added that although she was “very excited” about surprising guests with marijuana, it was more of a gimmick and she did not smoke too much herself.

The guest said: “It didn’t seem like it was really her thing.

“Trevor and his friends definitely had more experience with it. I think she is more of a champagne and rose kind of girl. It almost looked like she didn’t know how to smoke.

“It is not something that was very much ‘her’, but it was part of the theme and the couple were very excited to have this surprise gift for the guests.

“It was a destination wedding in Jamaica, so they thought it would be appropriate and cool to supply this. She thought it would make it memorable.

“She was excited about making that a thing, showing a cheeky side people wouldn’t have imagined she had, especially at her wedding.”

Prince Harry and Meghan nicknamed ‘Monica and Chandler’ by royal staff

Splash News

Meghan Markle spoke to members of the public in Sandringham and it’s thought her baby is due in Spring

PA:Press Association

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry’s wedding was world’s away from her first one

AFP and licensors

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle share a romantic smooch on their wedding day

Queen warned Prince Harry over Meghan Markle’s ‘difficult’ behaviour and attitude after row over bride’s tiara for royal wedding

The wedding plan included procuring enough marijuana to hand-roll over 200 joints, delivered to guests in gift bags left in their hotel rooms for their arrival.

Although there was just one tote bag per room – designed for the occasion – each contained a baggie with 3-5 ready-to-smoke joints.

Older guests received gift bags without the drugs inside.

The guest said: “Trevor used his charm and very easily found a member of staff at the hotel willing to supply the party.”

Meghan Markle’s nephew is a cannabis farmer who ‘wanted to launch a special strain called Markle’s Sparkle to mark the Royal Wedding’

“It wasn’t great quality, I heard he didn’t pay much more than $100 for a couple of bags, but it didn’t really matter. There was enough to roll all the joints in the goodie bags and have plenty of left-overs to pass around as and when needed over the weekend.

“I’m told it took hours to roll them up. People were surprised, but no-one seemed to be against it, it went down really well.

“I don’t think Meghan thought for a second about it as a legal issue, even though they were holding a large quantity of it. It was part of their plan.

“Some people were lighting up all weekend, particularly Trevor’s friends. Meghan herself not so much, she was fairly constrained. She preferred to drink but I don’t think she wanted to be a party-pooper so she would take a puff from time to time to be a part of it.”

Splash News

Duchesses walk through Sandringham and share jokes before chatting to well-wishers

Splash News

Meghan Markle chats to the crowds about baby excitement

Moment Meghan Markle felt her baby KICKING on stage at the British Fashion Awards

One guest who had not looked through her gift bag almost flew home to the US with a joint in her luggage.

The wedding was a four-day weekend with around 100 guests at the Jamaica Inn, in Ocho Rios, followed by a honeymoon at celebrities’ favourite Rockhouse Hotel, in Negril.

“Meghan always wanted to get married with her toes in the sand,” said the insider. She went to Jamaica with her mom a handful of times when she was younger, the two of them loved the beaches there, so there was a childhood connection.

“She had stayed previously at the Inn with Trevor in a romantic trip and they said they both felt a connection to the place too. You had 100 friends jumping on a plane and gathering on an island, it was an epic weekend under the sun and stars. There was drinking games, dancing, marijuana… it was a boozy beach wedding with a magical backdrop.”

PA:Press Association

Meghan Markle’s first wedding was a four-day weekend with around 100 guests at the Jamaica Inn, in Ocho Rios, followed by a honeymoon at celebrities’ favourite Rockhouse Hotel, in Negril

Getty – Contributor

Prince Harry grins at Meghan Markle in their star-studded Royal Wedding

AP:Associated Press

‘It was worlds away from her wedding to Harry,’ said the source

Kensington Palace has confirmed Meghan Markle is pregnant and the Duke and Duchess of Sussex are expecting a baby in Spring 2019

Guests included both Meghan’s parents Doria and Thomas, her only family members, as well as Suits stars Patrick Adams and Rick Hoffman.

Aside from them, and her bridesmaids, those attending were almost all from Trevor’s side – including various family members and friends he had introduced her to – so in that sense it was similar to her Royal Wedding. That is where the similarities ended though.

Meghan and Trevor arrived on the tropical island around four days before the festivities to have everything in place for the occasion.

The wedding was funded mostly by Thomas Markle and Trevor’s parents, but Meghan and Trevor picked up some of the costs themselves.

PA:Press Association

Royal expert Ingrid Seward, Editor of Majesty magazine, said it was extremely unusual for a duchess to be caught discussing drugs

“It was worlds away from her wedding to Harry,” said the source.

“There was a lot of drinking all weekend. There were cocktails like Pina Colada and Long Island Iced Tea, and of course lots of rum and a lot of Red Stripe beer (local beer, featured in the couple’s wedding invitation).

“You could tell there was other sorts of things going on. Some people got really rowdy, including Trevor’s friends and some of Meghan’s Suits co-stars. There was debauchery, drinking games on the sand, people passing out and others being loud.

“They set up some competitions on the sand, like tug of war, wheel-barrel racing and drinking games like beer pong. It was out in the sun, so people got pretty drunk. Most guests were couples but there was some hooking up between the single people, but nothing too crazy and public. And the night of the wedding the party went until very late.”

Reuters

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry wave to the crowds in Windsor in May

Getty – Contributor

Royal Fab Four Meghan Markle, Prince Harry, Prince William and Kate Middleton pictured earlier this year

John Legend talks to Dan Wootton about the Royal wedding of Meghan Markle to Prince Harry

The cannabis wedding gift was revealed by Meghan’s dad Thomas Markle earlier this month.

He said: “It’s illegal, but it’s no big deal in Jamaica. It’s almost customary down there. I don’t smoke weed and to the best of my knowledge nor does Meghan. I don’t know what I did with mine. I think I gave it away.”

Prince Harry was ordered to visit a drugs rehabilitation clinic by his father Prince Charles after the teenager confessed to smoking cannabis and heavy drinking.

The short sharp shock treatment came after Harry, who was 16 at the time, admitted experimenting with the class B drug with older teenagers at Highgrove, at private parties in Gloucestershire and in an outbuilding at a local pub. He also told how he had been taking part in underage drinking at the same pub during after-hours sessions.

Getty – Contributor

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle beam at the altar

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Royal expert Ingrid Seward, Editor of Majesty magazine, said it was extremely unusual for a duchess to be caught discussing drugs.

She said: “Members of the Royal Family would never normally talk about such things. The Royals have been touched by drugs before, but it has always been brushed under the carpet.

“The Queen may be a bit disappointed by this, but she is a very pragmatic woman, and will be well aware that Meghan has had a life before joining the Royal Family. This will no doubt cause some tut-tutting among certain elements, but we mustn’t forget that Meghan lived quite a full life before meeting Harry.

“Back then she was a normal LA girl, living an LA lifestyle where everyone probably smoked cannabis. This is a fascinating insight into Meghan’s previous life, and I’m sure there will be more.”

Meghan Markle ‘left Kate Middleton in tears’ over her strict demands for Princess Charlotte’s bridesmaid outfit

Source: https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/8071308/meghan-markle-marijuana-illegal-drugs-first-wedding/

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londontheatre · 7 years

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Isabella Nefar in Salomé a new play by Yaël Farber. Photo by Johan Persson

Most people who have been brought up in some form of Christian society know certain stories from the bible. However, supposing those stories were not just wrong but in fact virtually the opposite of everything you thought you knew. If it was Adam that tempted Eve with the apple, or Samson tricking Delilah into cutting his hair, or Lot deliberately turning his wife around so she turned into a pillar of salt. Why these biblical musings you may wonder? Well last night, at the National Theatre, I saw Yaël Farber’s version of Salomé and, believe me, that really turned my knowledge of the story on its head.

The story opens with Nameless (Olwen Fouéré) on the day of her death being questioned by Pontius Pilate (Lloyd Hutchinson), prefect of the Roman province of Judaea, who has been summoned back to Rome to explain his methods in putting down a rebellion in his province. He has a simple question for Nameless, why did she ask for the head of John the Baptist? – known to the Romans as Iokanaan (Ramzi Choukair) – at the birthday of her lustful relative Herod (Paul Chahidi). Without answering, Nameless takes the audience back to the events leading to John’s beheading. We see a younger version of Nameless – Salomé so-called (Isabella Nefar) – and get to witness the ‘real’ story. The creepy lust of Herod, puppet king for the Romans. The political maneuvering of the Sanhedrin under Annas (Raad Rawi) and Caiaphus (Philip Arditti) and the final victory of Iokanaan himself.

I did a quick Wikipedia check on Salomé and it’s surprising how obsessed we are with her story. There were over 40 individual references to her including one of the earliest silent movies made in 1910. Of course, for most people, their knowledge of Salomé comes from Oscar Wilde’s 1893 play which not only was the basis of two operas but also created the picture of the scheming femme fatale being manipulated by her mother to bring about the downfall of God’s prophet John the Baptist. In this version, Yaël Farber paints Salomé as a young tragic figure, preyed upon by a very slimy and repellent relative, and abused by all around her. She finds solace with John the Baptist who baptises her and enlists her help. I think the ‘new’ story is quite fascinating and, whilst I can’t vouch for the historical accuracy, it works as a piece of theatre.

Director Yaël Farber has made full use of the stage available in the Olivier to produce a quite striking looking production. With two turntables, water-filled pits and a huge ladder, the action is forever moving across Designer Susan Hilferty’s interesting stage. As you would expect from a production involving John the Baptist, there is a lot of water – pilate even starts off washing his hands (a very recognisable gesture from that character) – and also sand, which is used most effectively and in vast quantities. There is also smoke and I do wonder what the obsession is with smoke. Yes it looks good on the stage and creates a nice effect but then it starts wafting out over the audience, partially blocking the view and setting every asthmatic in the vicinity off into a coughing fit.

Isabella Nefar, Paul Chahidi in Salomé a new play by Yaël Farber. Image by Johan Persson

The costumes are pretty authentic for the time of the Roman occupation of Judaea and the lighting by Tim Lutkin is very atmospheric, though If I had been seated near the platform that runs along the centre of the of the aisles, I would have got annoyed at the amount of light being shone on me. My one other gripe with the performance is that Ramzi Choukair speaks all of his lines in a Middle-Eastern tongue which means that the audience, on the whole, has to rely on a projected translation which is at times rather difficult to see.

On the acting, I have to say that both Isabella Nefar and Olwen Fouéré were very impressive in their roles and I have to raise a hand in admiration to Isabella who’s Salomé is treated badly physically by pretty much everyone she encounters. There is a lot of bravery in Isabella’s performance for which she should be lauded.

So, for me, this was a fascinating production. Like many people, I ‘knew’ the story of Salomé and was really stunned that this show came up with such a different take on the events of the lives of Salomé, Herod, John and Pilate. I found the entire thing captured my imagination from when I first sat down and saw the strange apparition in the centre of the stage. At the end, I actually found there was a pause after the lights came down until I started applauding, almost as if my mind wanted to fully get over the shock and wonderment of what I had just witnessed before being able to acknowledge it. I don’t think that Salomé will be for everyone, in fact, I can imagine some people being very negative at being presented with a show that is really outside of the proverbial norm. However, if you have a taste for something different, and with some really amazing acting, then I would suggest you get yourself along and give it a whirl.

Review by Terry Eastham

The story has been told before, but never like this. An occupied desert nation. A radical from the wilderness on hunger strike. A girl whose mysterious dance will change the course of the world. This charged retelling turns the infamous biblical tale on its head, placing the girl we call Salomé at the centre of a revolution. Internationally acclaimed director Yaël Farber (Les Blancs) draws on multiple accounts to create her urgent, hypnotic production on the Olivier stage. Salomé is designed by Susan Hilferty with lighting design by Tim Lutkin, music and sound by Adam Cork, movement direction by Ami Shulman, fight direction by Kate Waters and dramaturgy by Drew Lichtenberg. Cast includes Philip Arditti, Paul Chahidi, Ramzi Choukair, Uriel Emil, Olwen Fouéré, Roseanna Frascona, Lloyd Hutchinson, Shahar Isaac, Aidan Kelly, Yasmin Levy, Andrew Lewis, Anna Lindup, Theo T J Lowe, Isabella Nefar, Lubana al Quntar,and Raad Rawi.

Previews from 2 May, with Press Night 9 May. Continuing in the repertoire until 15 July. Broadcast to cinemas by NT Live on 22 June. Salomé will be broadcast live from the Olivier Theatre on 22 June 2017

http://ift.tt/2r1IxKj LondonTheatre1.com

#IFTTT #LondonTheatre1.com

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writmedium · 7 years

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Cat Reads Comics - Week of 15 Feb. 2017

#mighty thor #invincible iron man #doctor strange #spider-man #patsy walker aka hellcat #ultimates2 #star-lord #black panther world of wakanda #us avengers #gamora #lumberjanes #sex criminals

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prettypaprika · 7 years

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2016 Year in Fic

This year I wrote a lot (especially for me!) and wanted to take the opportunity to look back and see just exactly what I spent all that time doing…

STATS Fics: 14 Word Count: 91,174 (give or take)

Fandoms: 8 Star Wars: The Force Awakens: 4 Original: 4 (Although two of which were fake superhero, so not completely original) Misc: 6

Ships: 10 different ships m/m: 6 f/f: 2 m/f: 2 gen: 1 most written character: Poe Dameron and Finn most written ship: Poe/Finn (shocker) OVERALL:

Did you write more fic than you thought you would this year, less, or about what you'd predicted? In terms of words, absolutely! I’m a little bit in awe of just how many words I wrote this year, although I ended up doing two long fics for exchanges that pushed up the number. In terms of stories, less. Last year, I think I wrote 11 or 12 fics and thought I would write a lot more this year. But, I think that my most productive period last year was October/November and this year I was packing and moving during those two months, which really cut into my ability to write.

What pairing/genre/fandom did you write that you would never have predicted in January? Gen in Over the Garden Wall--I hadn’t even heard of this wonderful, amazing show in January. I think it’s also been years since I wrote anything truly gen, so that was definitely a surprise.

What’s your own favorite story of the year? I think that my Charlie/Adam Mighty Ducks fic, “@thatduckingcharlie” is my favorite. It evolved very naturally from a fake twitter quote about one of the characters to a whole story told through twitter. I had so much fun writing it and trying to figure out how tell a story from snippets of a public life. I also really enjoyed writing the two stories set in a rip-off superhero world, mainly because of all the bad jokes I got to make in those stories. My s2b2 story was also a blast–I took a lot of inspiration and spirit from one of my favorite movies, The Thin Man, and tried to translate that into a fun slash 1930s occult mystery.

Did you take any writing risks this year? What did you learn from them? I like to think that I took some risks this year--I tried to diversify my style as well as write stories outside of my usual repertoire. I think that non-romance focused stories as still hard for me, but something that I’d like to keep working on.

Do you have any fanfic goals for 2017? Maybe to finish and publish some of my random WIPs that are hiding on my computer. Survive the big bang that I signed up for. I would also like to write the original story that I spent about three months researching this year but wasn’t able to write in time for the s2b2 issue it would have been for. Write more in general!

Did you meet your goals from last year? No clue. Knowing me, I probably set goals that aren’t able to be easily measured and so would deem myself has having failed them.

BEST AND WORST:

My best story of the year: Stylistically, probably “@thatduckingcharlie” since it was told from an interesting perspective. Technically, I would probably say “Mystery in the Adirondacks”, which I wrote for s2b2′s October issue. I wanted to evoke the banter and gaiety of The Thin Man, because it’s a film that I’ve always thought had fantastic dialogue and atmosphere. At times it was difficult to convey that luminosity on paper, but, I think that the end product turned out well and I had an amazing artist, @beili, working with me who did breathtaking illustrations.

My most popular story of the year: Kudos-wise, it’s “Barks and Recreation” for sure (it also wins in bookmarks). Kudos/hits ratio, I think it’s “Drowning in Our Blood” mainly because it’s in a super tiny fandom.

Story of mine that is most under-appreciated by the universe: “The Violators” which was a story I wrote for the Trick or Treat challenge that featured a superhero and supervillain that fall in love without knowing who the other when they first meet playing rec league hockey. Mainly, this was a story that I cracked myself up writing as I created ridiculous fake superheroes and supervillains. I also gave a lot of blood, sweat and tears for “This Story Does Not End With A Kiss” which was a modern retelling of the fairytale Kate Crackernuts, but it’s definitely a super tiny fandom, so I didn’t expect much attention.

Most fun story to write: Probably “@thatduckingcharlie”, because of the coming up with twitter handles and figuring out how to convey fights and confessions of love without outright saying anything was explicitly happening. Coming up with the dialogue in “Mystery in the Adirondacks” was also a blast.

Story with the single sexiest moment: Toss-up between “The Priestess of Divinity” featuring dubious consent between a priestess possessed by a god and the priestess’ loyal knight and “Mystery in the Adirondacks” with Hank and Jack finally getting together after having UST for the entire fic.

Most “oh um.... uh ok....” story: Probably the closest that I got was “The Priestess of Divinity” featuring dub con all around, divine possession during sex, a threesome and...more!

Story that shifted my perceptions of the characters: This is a hard one...how I think about characters constantly changes throughout every story I write. I think that “The Woods Are Lovely, Dark and Deep” definitely changed my perception and understanding of how Over the Garden Wall functioned as a show and how difficult it is to balance between whimsicality, appropriateness for kids but also depth and darkness. Buuuut, I suppose the answer to the actual question asked would be “Yo Helga!” because it gave me a chance to explore Helga as a character not just in Hey Arnold! but also how her experiences would continue to affect her as an adult.

Biggest disappointment: Not getting to write my epic slash story set in the 70s about two actors in New York. I really wanted to write it in time for the December issue of s2b2 but training for a triathlon in the summer and moving in the fall decimated my free time.

Biggest surprise: Deciding to write two treats for the Trick or Treat Exchange (after not signing up) and writing for the October issue of s2b2. On a whim, I decided to write those stories all around the same time period and they were done fairly quickly.

Most unintentionally telling story: “The Woods are Lovely, Dark and Deep” definitely echoes some of the uncertainty that I feel in my own life, including my reluctance to change paths.

WIPs

untitled joseph liebgott/david webster big bang fic Joe followed David in and they both stood there for a few seconds in the entrance, awkwardly measuring each other up. Joe had been a skinny guy back in the day, army rations persistently unhelpful, but now he’d evened out a bit, muscle thicker in his arms and chest, making him less lanky and more wiry. He was paler than he’d been in the war; with a faint scar up above his left eyebrow and he was exactly as David had dreamed the other night. The resemblance was so complete, it took David’s breath away for one heart-hammering second. untitled dan/blair pregnancy fic Blair turned back to Dan and began taking off her coat to drape over a chair. “Well, you said that you wouldn’t move back to New York, so you only left me with one option.”

“One option—” Dan started and then stopped abruptly. Blair was wearing a very fashionable print wrap dress with black kitten heels. Dan would hazard a guess that the dress was probably Marc Jacobs or Gucci. The shoes, Alexander McQueen. But even clearer than Blair’s continued sartorial achievements was the fact that Blair was definitely, most certainly pregnant.

“Eleanor is embarrassed beyond belief that her only daughter is having a child out of wedlock. She is also no longer speaking to me since I refuse to tell her who the father is. Serena has promised to come out and help when I’m due, but I can’t exactly crash with her and her husband in Chicago,” Blair said, pronouncing Chicago like it was a bad word. To Blair, it probably was.

untitled femslash mermaid story (based on this picture) When she'd been a young mermaid, every time that Adriane had gotten in trouble from skipping classes to hang out with the kelpies or learning to smoke from the selkies, her father would threaten to send her up one of the rivers where there were plenty of humans. "If you keep this up," he used to say. "They'll find you and skin you for your pelt and you'll deserve it."

untitled 28 days later fic The refugee camp is fucking depressing, which says a lot after having survived a rage virus pandemic. There are only a few hundred people in the camp. They’re told that several thousand people have been rescued since the United Kingdom and Ireland were quarantined and that the search is still ongoing, but the facts are pretty plain: tens of millions of people—entire villages, cities, metropolitan areas have been wiped out. Out of the seventy or so million people living in Great Britain and Ireland, maybe only seven or eight million remain.

On their second day in the camp, they find out that Hannah apparently has some distant family in Canada. The immigration officer comes to speak to Jim, Selena and Hannah in barely accented English about sending Hannah to live with her family, Hannah flatly says that she’ll kill herself if they separate her from Jim and Selena.

“Jim and Selena are the only family that I have left,” Hannah says. “I’m not going anywhere without them except in a body bag.”

untitled cinderella fic In the glimpses the woman-child had taken of her dance partner throughout the evening, a spectator watch a spark begin to deepen. It was one thing to abstractly know that such a life of luxury and wealth existed, but to have a taste—to have an intoxicating glimpse of lust and richness—there was no return from that knowledge.

Although the woman-child could not have identified the flame beginning to burn within her, her observer could. It was the deepest longing, the start of a desire that would go to the very core of the woman-child’s soul. A desire that, once it had taken root, would accept water at any cost so that it could grow.

RECS!

AT THE SAME STARS by spicyshimmy -- (Star Trek) Kirk/Spock with a Tarsus IV divergence. Such Great Heights by softlyforgotten - (HP) Draco/Harry EWE where Draco has a dragon. A Year and a Day in Old Theradane by Scott Lynch -- (Original) Amazing fantasy universe heist! Sixteen Days in September by Tevere -- (GenKill) Nate/Brad AU set during the 1999 East Timorese crisis The King’s Road by Tsukizubon Saruko -- (Original) Femslash utterly fantastic story of the kidnap and ransom of a noble daughter got a million ugly words for what you are by spock -- (Slow West) Silas/Payne pre-canon

(i make no guarantees regarding when these were written, only when I read them)

#year end review #2016 in fic

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oovitus · 5 years

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Opening April 2019: The Precision Nutrition Level 1 Certification.

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Want to learn even more? Join the Presale List Today

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The post Opening April 2019: The Precision Nutrition Level 1 Certification. appeared first on Precision Nutrition.

Opening April 2019: The Precision Nutrition Level 1 Certification. published first on

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paulthesteam · 5 years

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Favourite Quotes

I would rather be happy than right anyday - Slartibartfast, Hitchhikers guide.

“Oh, there it is. Silly old universe. The more I save it the more it needs saving. It’s a treadmill.

Yes, yes I know they’ll get it all wrong without me.

Well, I suppose….one more lifetime won’t kill anyone. Well, except me.

You wait a moment, Doctor. Let’s get it right. I’ve got a few things to say to you. Basic stuff first.

Never be cruel, never be cowardly. And never ever eat pears! Remember – hate is always foolish…and love, is always wise.

Always try, to be nice and never fail to be kind. Oh, and….and you mustn’t tell anyone your name. No-one would understand it anyway. Except….

Except….children. Children can hear it. Sometimes – if their hearts are in the right place, and the stars are too. Children can hear your name.

But nobody else. Nobody else. Ever.

Laugh hard. Run fast. Be kind.

Doctor – I let you go.” 12th Doctors final speech

“We demand rigidly defined areas of doubt and uncertainty!”

― Douglas Adams, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

“Earthman, the planet you lived on was commissioned, paid for, and run by mice. It was destroyed five minutes before the completion of the purpose for which it was built, and we’ve got to build another one.”

― Douglas Adams, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

“Commander, I always used to consider that you had a definite anti-authoritarian streak in you.”

“Sir?”

“It seems that you have managed to retain this even though you are authority.”

“Sir?”

“That’s practically zen.”

― Terry Pratchett, Feet of Clay

"There are worlds out there where the sky is burning, and the sea's asleep, and the rivers dream; people made of smoke and cities made of song. Somewhere there's danger, somewhere there's injustice, and somewhere else the tea's getting cold. Come on, Ace. We've got work to do." - The 7th Doctor, (the last line of the original series)

“That's what I don't like about magic. It does everything by magic.”

― Sam Vimest, Thud!

“I am and always will be the optimist. The hoper of far-flung hopes and the dreamer of improbable dreams” - Eleventh Doctor

Admiral William Adama: "I'm not a religious person Mr. Gaeta, as you both know. So if this is the work of a higher power, then they have one hell of a sense of humor"

"There's a reason you separate military and the police. One fights the enemies of the state, the other serves and protects the people. When the military becomes both, then the enemies of the state tend to become the people." - Adama BSG

Delenn:" Then I will tell you a great secret, Captain. Perhaps the greatest of all time. The molecules of your body are the same molecules that make up this station, and the nebula outside, that burn inside the stars themselves. We are starstuff. We are the universe made manifest, trying to figure itself out. And as we have both learned, sometimes the universe requires a change of perspective." - Babylon 5

"We all change, when you think about it. We’re all different people all through our lives. And that’s okay, that’s good, you’ve got to keep moving, so long as you remember all the people that you used to be" - Eleventh Doctor

"Fear doesn't have to make you cruel or cowardly… fear can make you kind. It doesn't matter if there’s nothing under the bed or in the dark, so long as you know it's ok to be afraid of it. So, listen. If you listen to nothing else, listen to this. You're always going to be afraid, even if you learn to hide it. fear is like… a companion. A constant companion, always there. But that's ok. Because fear can bring us together. Fear can bring you home" - Clara Oswald

The Doctor: And we're off! Fingers on buzzers! Are you feeling lucky? Are you ready to play the game? Who's going to be quickest? Who's going to be the luckiest?

Kate: This is not a game!

The Doctor: No, it's not a game, sweetheart, and I mean that most sincerely.

Bonnie: Why are you doing this?

Kate: Yes, I'd like to know that too. You set this up -- why?

The Doctor: Because it's not a game, Kate. This is a scale model of war. Every war ever fought right there in front of you. Because it's always the same. When you fire that first shot, no matter how right you feel, you have no idea who's going to die. You don't know who's children are going to scream and burn. How many hearts will be broken! How many lives shattered! How much blood will spill until everybody does what they're always going to have to do from the very beginning -- sit down and talk! Listen to me, listen. I just -- I just want you to think. Do you know what thinking is? It's just a fancy word for changing your mind.

Bonnie: I will not change my mind.

The Doctor: Then you will die stupid. Alternatively, you could step away from that box. You could walk right out of that door, and you could stand your revolution down.

Bonnie: No, I'm not stopping this, Doctor. I started it. I will not stop it. You think they'll let me go after what I've done?

The Doctor: You're all the same, you screaming kids, you know that? "Look at me, I'm unforgivable." Well here's the unforeseeable, I forgive you. After all you've done. I forgive you.

Bonnie: You don't understand. You will never understand.

The Doctor: I don't understand? Are you kidding? Me? Of course I understand. I mean, do you call this a war, this funny little thing? This is not a war. I fought in a bigger war than you will ever know. I did worse things than you could ever imagine, and when I close my eyes... I hear more screams than anyone could ever be able to count! And do you know what you do with all that pain? Shall I tell you where you put it? You hold it tight... Til it burns your hand. And you say this -- no one else will ever have to live like this. No one else will ever have to feel this pain. Not on my watch. - A exert from the Zygon Inversion

Sisko: "That may be the most important thing to understand about humans. It is the unknown that defines our existence. We are constantly searching, not just for answers to our questions, but for new questions. We are explorers. We explore our lives day by day, and we explore the galaxy, trying to expand the boundaries of our knowledge. And that is why I am here. Not to conquer you with weapons, or with ideas. But to coexist... and learn."

#quotes #favourite #thoughts

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leohq-blog · 7 years

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LEONARDO DICAPRIO has entered the DIARY ROOM.

Leonardo blew out a shaky breath as he pushed open the door to the diary room, the envelope held loosely between his fingers. He hadn’t opened it yet but he knew what was inside, his letter had finally arrived. He was beginning to wonder if he was even going to receive one, that Big Brother had forgotten about him altogether. He wouldn’t be too surprised if that were the case, he knew he didn’t make himself very known within the resort. He must get the least amount of air time out of all the residents because he would imagine it would be quite boring to watch him on the screen. All he seemed to do is sleep, barely eat and get treatment. He didn’t live the exciting fulfilling life that he once did. That made him quite sad to think about actually. He used to be the life of the party, literally. He would be the center focus of everything celebrity get-together and he went to all of them. Mingling, chatting, flirting. Catching up with all the friends he didn’t get to see most of the year due to restricting schedules. And now? Now he just felt like he was rotting away into nothing, a complete waste of a man.

@jfcamyadams @cbbresort-rpg

He tried to think positive thought but that was very hard to do when he could literally feel himself dying. He didn’t need to be told, just one look in the doctor’s eyes could tell him his fate. He didn’t know how long, he didn’t want to know. He was riddled with enough anxiety as it was, he didn’t need the weight of knowledge that he didn’t have that long on Earth left. At first, he thought pushing people away would make things easier. That doing this alone was the best option because he didn’t want to see the pity and pain in his friends’ eyes but he hadn’t countered on the gut-wrenching loneliness that he felt. Despite being in a resort filled with people, people who he had pushed away in order to deal with his problems all alone, he felt completely alone. Well, that wasn’t completely true. There was still one person, one person who he knew he would never be able to get rid of no matter how much he tried. Kate. And, honestly, he was grateful that she had ignored his pleas and stuck it out by his side because he didn’t think he could really do this all alone. On his bad days when he could hardly move, barely breathe and she was there to wipe at his sweaty brow and to squeeze his hand in reassurance, he felt a small amount of relief flow through him. He needed that. Needed her. He needed to know that he wasn’t alone, that whatever happened he wouldn’t -- alone. He shook that thought from his head, his throat constricting. He couldn’t bare the thought of that, of dying. Even though it was inevitable and coming at him faster than it should. He couldn’t bare the thought of leaving Kate on this Earth alone, and without him. They just didn’t work without each other. He knew if it was the other way he would find it impossible to go on without her. To not be able to hear her voice on the other side of the phone or to be able to pull her into a hug, to not have any of that anymore. It would kill him. Leonardo furrowed his brow, he couldn’t be thinking about that right now. He wasn’t there yet so he should just enjoy that time that did have instead of dwelling on the time that he didn’t. He sighed as he gingerly sat down in the diary room chair and rotated the envelope in his hands a couple of times. He wondered who the letter was from, he knew they were meant to be anonymous but from what he’d seen, most of them had been pretty obvious who they were from. He cleared his throat and lifted his head, forcing a weak smile for the camera directly in front of him. ‘I guess, I better see who this is from.’ He focused back on the envelope in his hand and slid his index finger under the seal, sliding it along the top of the letter to open it. He breathed in deeply, suddenly nervous but not entirely sure why. It was just a stupid letter from someone inside the resort. He flipped the letter over, glad that it was short and sweet, unlike his own letter where he had gotten carried away and ended up writing a page and a half. His eyes started scanning the words with a small smile before he realised he was probably supposed to be reading it aloud for the camera and viewers at home to hear. Leo looked up with a sheepish smile and began to read the letter out loud. It didn’t take him long to figure out who had written in thanks to the not-so-subtle references. He found himself chuckling slightly at some parts and it felt good. Wow, he couldn’t remember the last time he laughed. Or even, genuinely smiled. Maybe he should go back on his being alone thing. Maybe it wasn’t too late to save some relationships in here. He found himself desperately wanting to find the person who had written the letter after this to talk, to hug and to maybe rebuild a connection that had been lost. He looked back up at the camera once he had finished reading the letter out loud. ‘Amy.’ He spoke simply, a small smile on his face that reached his eyes. ‘If you hadn’t guessed who this was from, it’s Amy Adams.’ He let out a small sigh. ‘I feel so bad. She’s done nothing wrong yet she’s blaming herself. It’s not her fault, it’s mine. I’m the one who’s practically become a recluse and blocked all human contact except for Kate and occasionally Brad.’ He brought a hand up to his head, taking a moment to massage his temple to try and soothe the pounding headache he was currently experiencing. ‘I should go find her. Apologise, maybe take her on a lunch date or something at catch up because she’s right, something does need to change and I think the thing that needs to change is me.’ He looked up at the camera with a lopsided smile before standing up and leaving the room.

THE LETTER

Leo, I love this whole letter concept especially when I get someone I know and love. It is cheesy but I really want to say just how much I treasure our friendship and how much of an amazing person you are. I remember when I was told I that I got the part in Catch Me If You Can and I was ultimately going to end up working with you. It was like an absolute dream come true and then the nerves came because you’re Leonardo DiCaprio and I’m just me. At this point in time, I had only had a couple movies under my belt and a massive gigantic celebrity crush on you from your Growing Pains days- even if that did get squashed quickly. That isn’t to say you’re not a great kisser because you definitely are (is that weird to say?? Eh, who cares). You made me nervous, I am not going to lie. I was so afraid of messing up and embarrassing myself around you. Not to mention, what if in 10 years Leonardo DiCaprio says I am a horrid kisser? That would be absolutely devastating. I quickly realized while on the set though how much of an amazing person you are and how absolutely genuine your friendships are. We haven’t really talked much since I got here (and I take full blame for that because I have been in my own world and my own head lately) but we need to change that because I miss you. Even before this show, we hadn’t hung out in a while and I know we’re both insanely busy with filming but like I said, I do miss you. I don’t really know what else to say in this letter except for how much I admire your passion and drive and acting ability. We really need to change the whole not hanging out thing, okay?

XoXo, A.A

#bbrtask #bbrdiary #( &. task )#i go on about leo and kate a bit too much as per but !!

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thehealthology-blog · 7 years

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New Post has been published on http://thehealthology.com/2017/05/how-to-get-rid-of-the-belly-fat-in-a-week/?utm_source=TR&utm_medium=TheHealthology+blog&utm_campaign=SNAP

How to Get Rid Of the Belly Fat in a Week

How to remove the fat from the stomach quickly?

Most people struggling with excess weight have long known that it is impossible to melt the fat overnight, especially if you are sitting and doing nothing.

The only answer to remove fat from the abdomen is the correct combination of aerobic exercise and regulating the daily diet. Kate Adams, publisher of books on health and nutrition, and founder of the club “Flat Tummy Club” is like many of us fallen into the trap of everyday sitting in front of a computer, which had led her to being overweight and storing fat deposits in the stomach and hips.

She has developed an outstanding program of exercise and diet with which it is possible to lose 7 pounds in just 7 days.

The quickest way get rid of the belly fat

She gathered a lot of knowledge and experience during her ten years of work, Kate has developed a unique program that provides more than good results. In the first week she lost 7 pounds, and in the next two months, she lost another 25 pounds of body weight. I know that when you look at your stomach you fall into depression – and the thought that you won’t fit in the swimsuit or bikini it makes you really angry. Do not despair, most of the ladies are feeling the same as you do, be sure you’re not alone, especially now, in the spring, many of us have this passion, which consequently monitors and lack of confidence. With proper diet and exercise, it is possible to achieve great results and to remove the fat from the abdomen. Kate shared her newfound secret at first only with her friends, and then founded the now famous club.

The first step to losing weight

Take notes on what, when and how much you eat. Also write down your measures so that you can later compare it with the results that you have achieved. You may think that it is completely unnecessary, but the notes will certainly help you make a plan and make you realize your weak points in the implementation of the diet. It is necessary to rest, because cortisol – a stress hormone that is released on this occasion, is forcing our bodies to store fat deposits in the stomach.

How to remove fat from the belly in a week – Step number two

To remove the fat from the stomach, it is necessary to adhere strictly to the plan that is listed in eight points – which are used by all members of Kate’s Club:

You need to eat 3 main meals a day and 5 small snacks consisting of fresh fruit and vegetables.

Do not be hungry. If you crave for salty snacks, it would be best to replace them with healthy snacks.

Start your day with a glass of lukewarm water with a lemon squeezed in. Hot water with lemon helps to easier and much faster removing of the fatty deposits from the stomach. During the day, drink at least eight glasses only lukewarm water or consume unsweetened mild herbal tea.

Preparation of the beverage with lemon: In a glass of lukewarm water squeeze half a lemon and drink it as soon as you wake up on an empty stomach. During the day it is recommended that you drink another two to three glasses of water with lemon. If you cannot stand the taste of sour lemon you can add stevia to sweeten it up a bit.

Be sure to try to avoid bread during the day, instead of sandwiches, it is healthier to eat a plate of healing vegetable soup.

Replace sweets with seasonal fruit or a few squares of high quality dark chocolate.

Be careful with salt. Avoid further salting of the food that encourages water retention in the body which makes you feel inflated. If you needed salt, it is recommended to use Himalayan salt.

Eat slowly and peacefully, and don’t do it in front of the TV or computer.

Reduce the portions on your plate. At first it is possible that you will all work very hard, but trust me, you will soon feel much better and easier to burn off fat from the belly and you will not be over-eat – which is today very often among the population.

What foods are recommended for weight loss?

Organic oatmeal is always a good choice, because they are full of fiber and do not causes flatulence, and it creates a feeling of satiety. Yogurt is excellent for a snack, and you can complete it with honey and fresh seasonal fruit. A big plus is that it helps with digestion and metabolism. You must avoid yogurt with extremely low fat, because it improves bloating stomach – still drink regular probiotic yogurt. Fruit acids contained in nuts, avocados, various seeds and dark chocolate are extremely healthy and you can eat them every day. Green tea is an antioxidant that is good for the health of the whole body and helps with stomach fat to be quickly melted. Influences the regulation of blood sugar, and is an excellent diuretic. Cucumber is also an excellent food that helps in expelling excess fluid from the body. Eat it with the rind, because it causes the body to digest better and contributes to quickly remove of the excess oil and fat from the abdomen.

Sweet snacks that you can afford to eat every day:

– A bowl of berries,

– One small banana,

– Pear or peach without bark,

– One fig,

– One tangerine,

– 3 – 4 small squares of dark chocolate,

– A glass of freshly squeezed juice from fresh fruit,

– Integral biscuits with fruit,

– Half an avocado.

Salty snacks that you can afford to eat on a daily basis:

– Two middle sized pieces of ham and one fresh cherry tomato,

– A cup of plain yogurt,

– A handful of stone-fruit.

Which exercises are recommended for burning the belly fat, quickly

A few simple exercises will help you quickly get to the finish line. Take 30 minutes a day for exercise to get a perfectly flat stomach in a week, and be persistent, do not give up easily.

Exercise No. 1:

You need to lay on your back, bend your legs, and to lift only the upper body. The view should be diverting from the ceiling. Repeat this exercise in 3 sets of 10 repetitions.

Exercise No. 2:

Lie on your back, legs slightly bend at the knees, arms raised toward the ceiling. With the breath lift the upper part of the body, and with a gasp return to the starting position. Repeat this exercise in 4 sets of 8 reps.

Exercise 3:

Laying on your back, lift your legs at right angles, and put your hands on your head. Now push your elbows as much as you can backwards. From this position, touch the left knee with the right elbow and vice versa. Do three sets of 8 reps. These exercises are great for quickly removing fat from the abdomen.

TESTED RECIPES FOR REMOVING THE STOMACH

The combination of a healthy natural diet with a regular schedule of food and daily exercises for the stomach returns the eagerly awaited result. Kate Adams, with the help of this phenomenal recipe managed easily and quickly removes unwanted fat from the abdomen.

You will need:

– 6 tablespoons of cinnamon,

– 4 tablespoons honey

– 6 dl water.

Preparation: Boil water and let it cool down a little, then fill it with cinnamon and honey, and mix them well. You need to drink this potion 4 times a day. Cinnamon is a great purifier of the stored and deposited fat from the waist. Before breakfast, drink this potion required on an empty stomach. Besides being magical the recipe will make your skin fresh and smooth…