#the gentlemen film review

[edwardprendick1896]

My review of The Gentlemen (2019) taken from my letterboxd

I wish I could have liked this film more, because it seemed to have been trying really hard, but unfortunately I didn't.

To get my opinion out of the way, where are all the WOMEN!? I need women in a film to enjoy it, alright. Michelle Dockery (Rosalind) was brilliant, and was the highlight of every scene she was in. Given how long the run time was, I wish the film had more female characters like this.

Now for the quality of the film itself. It would have probably reached 3 stars for me if 1) the run time was cut down by about 20 minutes and 2) the bad taste humour was more carefully done, so as to not be cruel to particular audience members.

To explain the last point, the "bad taste"/offensive humour is done in a light hearted funny way throughout most of the film, in a way that the audience can clearly see that the film intends to mock prejudice, not endorse it. However, the antisemitism in my opinion was taken to the point that it upset me (someone who isn't Jewish) and therefore I believe the film could be insulting to some Jewish viewers.

MINOR SPOILERS (Reference to a scene)

For those who have seen the film, I'm referencing the "pound of flesh" scene here. The film seems to encourage the audience to laugh or take joy from a Jewish character being treated in a sadistic fashion that specifically references centuries-old antisemitic tropes. I personally believe the character could have had his comeuppance in a way that wouldn't have been as cruelly disrespectful and insensitive to audience members. Before I get any one telling me "I'm missing the point", I get the point, I just think the point went too far in this instance.

I've slept on it, and I've decided that the writing of this film is just poor. The whole "oOOOOooOOOOooooooh you gotta be like a lion yEaH king of the jUnGLe" stuff is extremely cringey, it sounds like something that would be posted on by a billionaire fellating self-improvement (potential) bot account on Instagram. The film might be intending to portray this in an ironic fashion, but it's hard to tell when the man spouting it comes out victorious.

An entire concept for one scene is 1) ripped off of black mirror and 2) incredibly inane and beyond belief. The stupidity of the scene ruined the immersive effect of the film's mystery and drama. No drug can make you sexually attracted to an animal. It would have been far more realistic if the man in question had been pressured to do that with violence. Then again, realistic writing doesn't seem to be the goal here. The film's portrayal of drugs and drug users seems to be inspired by other cheesy media portrayals, rather than first-hand knowledge. The same can be said of the film's portrayal of gay people and homosexual behaviour. It could have been more offensive, but it still felt hurtful and condescending.

Finally, there are some scenes where one character lectures another (e.g. the scene where colin farrell tells a black man what he should and should not find racist), and due to how uneccessary and out-of-the-blue said lectures are, it very much feels like the writer(s) are trying to find an excuse to lecture the audience. Again, this ruined the immersion of the film and caused me to lose respect for the writers.

I could go on. But I'm not going to.

Seen as the only content related to this film on tumblr seems to be written porn, I don't think I should get too much hate for this review.

2/5 ⭐️

#the gentlemen #the gentlemen (2019) #the gentlemen review #the gentlemen film review #film review #guy ritchie #cw antisemitism #film #action film #tw antisemitism #possibly the cringiest film i have ever watched #epitome of trying too hard

[br3akfestattiffanys]

I hate watched blonde and this is my take:

- Using this woman’s trauma in an exploitative manner is disgusting.

- Using this woman’s trauma to push your own political agenda is disgusting.

- Depicting this woman as a ditz when she literally wasn’t is disgusting.

- I’m not a director but aside from all of the discourse, it’s literally a garbage film… millions wasted on this film for what?

Let this woman rest.

#ana de armas #blonde #gentlemen prefer blondes #marilyn monroe #norma jeane #john f kennedy #pro life bullshit #arthur miller #James Dougherty #jane russell #andrew dominik #brad pitt #movies #movie review #cut the cameras #stop the films #butterfly’s thoughts #💭

[spouseoftherisingsun]

20 and 21 for the film ask! ✨

Hello 🫂 These two specifically were so hard, offering three picks for each: one Nostalgic, one Niche, one Obvious but Nonetheless True. This is actually me exhibiting so much restraint you have no idea

20. A film where the vibes are immaculate:

Krysar: La Joueur de Flúte d'Hamelin (1986) - The first weird film my best friend brought to me like, "I've never seen this but I read the description and saw some screencaps and this is a You film". It's a Czech stop motion feature adapting The Pied Piper of Hamelin, it really elevates the original folklore into something special imo

Blood Tea and Red String (2006) - Another film my best friend brought to me, essentially a poem as a film. Highly suggest going in blind, just know that there's no dialogue and it has slowburn pacing

The Fall (2006) - Obvious but very, very good pick. Can't recommend highly enough, can recommend to anyone

21. Films with a great needledrop/score/soundtrack:

Grosse Pointe Blank (1997) - Joe Strummer from the Clash is one of my favorite Guys of all time and he was the music guy for this and I love it, it's about a high school reunion and you can tell he had so much fun finding places to drop his favorite throwbacks

The Phantom of the Paradise (1976) - Yet another film my best friend and I found together, also very heavy influence over Guillermo del Toro in terms of style and subject matter, Paul Walker did the music and also cameos as a music producer who's done a deal with the devil, also Jessica Harper from Suspiria (1977) is in it, and um who knew she could sing? God, I love her

Moonlight (2016) - Gorgeous score by Nicholas Brittell, almost picked this for the previous number as well. Same as The Fall, can't recommend highly enough and will recommend to anyone

Also, I almost picked Troy (2004) for this one because it brought us together and also I included it among a bunch of movies the scores of which I studied for a science project in middle school <3 she's always been like this actually 🤔

#mine #asks #mutuals #hiiii im kicking my feet hiiiiiiiii #this reminds me i need to start actually updating and posting reviews on letterboxd #i was torn between picking the pied piper or morgiana for the nostalgic one bc morgiana is also czech and nostalgic for best friend reasons #morgiana 1972 is also really fun and more Pretty in terms of vibes a very fun watch with friends #but storytelling wise krysar is just better imo #also almost picked how to marry a millionaire for vibes and gentlemen prefer blondes for music #but my answer to film cant be marilyn monroe every time i have grown since i was five presumably #oh shit moulin rouge couldve been a good answer for either too...... i have to post NOW or ill go on forever ahhhhhhhhh #wait also joe strummer putting one of his own band's underappreciated songs in the soundtrack he was asked to put together.... rip icon ily

[dceuw0rldsfinestenjoyer]

I was rewatching The Gentlemen film earlier today and I just noticed in the opening credits that Michael Wilkinson is the costume designer?!?! How did I miss that on my first watch idk, but that man never misses when it comes to costume design

#the gentlemen #rambles #unrelated note this movie is so funny and underrated #I am an enjoyer of some of guy ritchie’s films #update I’m looking through the tags and my reviews are literally the same kinda 😭 #anyways my point still stands

[the-celluloid-correspondent]

The Gentlemen

An American ex-pat tries to sell his highly profitable drug empire in London, triggering plots, schemes, bribery, and blackmail in an attempt to steal his domain.

My my, this film was a pleasant little surprise. The Gentlemen is a witty and intelligent action-comedy that feels like a breath of fresh air to the genre. The story is told with a classic British twist and etiquette that makes the film stand out from others. The writing is scintillating and potent. The directing from Guy Richie and the ensemble cast further add to this engrossing film. You are able to tell the cast was having a lot of fun while making it. The action sequences have the classic Richie aesthetic, so expect some cool action scenes. Overall, this film is a blast to watch and I highly recommend it.

I am giving The Gentlemen, a B+.

#film #cinema #movies #movie #film making #film maker #movie making #movie maker #cinephile #cinematography #film community #cinephile community #film critic #movie critic #film review #movie review #the gentlemen #guy ritchie #matthew mcconaughey #charlie hunnam #colin farrell #jeremy strong #henry golding #hugh grant #michelle dockery

[djstormpresents]

'The Gentlemen' - Review.

‘The Gentlemen’ is simply put, a sight to behold, NOT to be confused with the film. Within the realm of each of its eight captivating episodes, The Gentlemen unfolds with a seamless blend of cinematic finesse and narrative intricacy, where the passage of time becomes almost imperceptible. Director Guy Ritchie’s signature knack for storytelling shines brightly throughout, as he deftly navigates…

View On WordPress

#Breakdown #Cast #Chanel Cresswell #Daniel Ings #DJ Storm #DJ Storms Blog #Film #Harry Goodwins #Joely Richardson #Kaya Scodelario #Logan Dean #Michael Vu #Movie #Netflix #Review #Show #Stephane Fichet #The Gentlemen #Theo James #Vinnie Jones

[madmoviemark]

Great Expectations (1946) Review - After meeting the beautiful girl Estella, Pip dreams of becoming a real gentlemen. One day he is told that a mysterious benefactor wishes to pay for his schooling to become a perfect gentlemen, making his wish come true. Who is this mysterious benefactor and will Pip be able to become a gentlemen and win the heart of Estella? You'll have to tune in to find out!

#Movie #Movie Review #Film #great expectations #charles dickens #Gentlemen #London #Death #Love #Mystery #Drama #rotten tomatoes #Youtube

[angelxmikaelson]

save a horse

save a horse | dr3

summary: when daniel ricciardo’s famous girlfriend has a new movie coming out he wastes no time taking the chance to brag about her.

face claim: margot robbie

pairings: daniel ricciardo x fem!reader,  

warnings:  none.

liked by: danielricciardo, tchalamet, ariana_greenblatt and 2,135,925 more

yourusername: this barbie can’t wait to share her new movie with you all. everyone involved in the creation of this film deserves the biggest round of applause EVER. @gretagerwig, has put her heart and soul into making sure you all love this film, so we really hope you love it. 

comments

danielricciardo that’s my girlfriend. suck it! >danielricciardo seriously though, i am so incredibly proud of you >landonorris danny the simp ladies and gentlemen >yourusername aww dan i love you

florencepugh i can’t wait for this, so excited >yourusername 💗

gretagerwig couldn’t have done it without my real life barbie  >danielricciardo isn’t she the best 

user1 daniel simping over y/n in every post she’s in brings me so much joy

user2 i want a relationship like daniel’s and y/n’s

user3 don’t mind me, just screaming over my childhood dreams coming true

lilymunihe my barbie 🤍 >yourusername my ken 🤍 >danielricciardo something to tell me @yourusername?? >yourusername it’s not what it looks like baby i promise

alexalbon can’t believe barbie stole my girlfriend, how am i supposed to compete? >pierregasly you’re not, she did the same to me

francisca.cgomes i’m so proud of you, i can’t wait to watch it >carmen.mundt movie night at mine?? @lilymunihe @francisca.cgomes @charlottesiine >lilymunihe i’ve got the popcorn >charlottesiine be there in 20 x

liked by: charlesleclerc, yourusername, lewishamilton and 983,743 more

danielricciardo: this ken loves his barbie. so proud of you baby, even though you didn’t make me a ken. (i would have rocked that shit) 

comments

user4 daniel as a ken is something i need in life 

user5 cowboy ken >yourusername now there’s an idea

yourusername i can’t explain how much i’m grateful for you daniel, i love you

landonorris i don’t think i’ll ever be free from the lovey dovey energy you two give off >danielricciardo go cry about it >yourusername daniel be nice to our child >landonorris thanks mom >danielricciardo what the fuck?!?!

user6 lando being daniel and y/n’s child makes so much sense >danielriccardo it’s cause he’s such a baby

liked by: maxverstappen1, lilireinhart, americaferrera and 1,857,356 more

yourusername don’t be mad, sometimes barbie and ken need to match. throwing it back to 1960s barbie so my ken could live his ‘just ken’ moment.

comments

maxverstappen1 who’s that in the second pic? he looks sexy >yourusername he really is >danielricciardo @ maxverstappen1 hit me up baby

maxverstappen1 i’d like to see what type of nude blob he’s packing under his jeans >landonorris if you know, you know >yourusername there are CHILDREN present maximus

danielricciardo to be honest, when i found out that the patriarchy wasn’t about horses i lost interest. should have gone with the pink >yourusername you’re kidding, now you tell me. 

user3 i can’t wait to see this movie now

user9 barbie is such an icon

danielricciardo everyone go watch my girlfriend be the epitome of perfect, like she is all the time but you actually get to watch it this time

carlossainz i am so glad he is out of the country right now, he would be unbearable otherwise >charlesleclerc i agree

lewishamilton well done y/n/n, so proud 💜 >yourusername thank you lew💜

enews our barbie review, out now

authors note: barbie was such a good movie ngl, go watch it

#daniel ricciardo #daniel riccardo x reader #f1 #x reader #daniel ricciardo x fem!reader #f1 grid x reader #barbie movie

[tiffanys-aus-and-headcanons]

Appendix D: Some Pig/One More Final

The first three posts in this series are here.

Undertale was a slightly postmodern children's fantasy movie produced by Jim Henson's Creature Shop in the '80s. Noah Hathaway played the protagonist, Frisk, who went on a long quest to escape from a magical prison inside Mt. Ebott; Frisk's father had thrown them into the mountain, known to be full of monsters, in an attempt to kill them. However, it's suggested that as a human, Frisk is inherently more of a protagonist than a monster can be, and has a vague sort of magical power over them. Toriel's death, which Frisk accidentally causes early in the movie, is commonly listed as a Peak Sad Childhood Moment.

George Orwell wrote The Writing In The Web, a political fable about a cult started by a well-meaning spider. E. B. White wrote Snowball's Farm, a whimsical children's tale about a farm whose animals decide to take over.

Infamously, Emmanuel Goldstein's monologue fills dozens of pages, takes at least three hours to read aloud, and brings the plot of Ayn Rand's 1984 to a screeching halt.

Short story collections and anthologies often keep the same title, author, and spirit, it's just the stories that are swapped out. For example, classic episodes of Rod Serling's The Twilight Zone include A Wonderful Life, The Secret Life Of Walter Mitty, Miracle On 34th Street, and The Sixth Sense. 1983's The Twilight Zone Movie includes segments based on classic episodes Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (directed by John Landis and given anti-war themes), Cocoon, The Poltergeist, and In Search of the Twelve Monkeys (the original starred a young William Shatner). Candle Cove is an episode of Black Mirror.

League of Extraordinary Gentlemen was a 1999 Ben Stiller comedy about a team of low-rent superheroes who theme themselves after public domain characters because they cannot afford licensing fees. The film was well-reviewed, but a box office bomb. It was actually the first film to use Smash Mouth's One Week - the One Week music video is actually cross promotion with League of Extraordinary Gentlemen - and it would remain the film most associated with the song until Dreamworks' Happily N'Ever After hit theaters two years later.

The Amazing Digital Circus was a virtual pet game and toy line that struck when the iron was hot on that niche, before being bought out by Hasbro and rebooted a few times in different forms and mediums. Lauren Faust created a long-running television cartoon of it that was a huge smash hit with fandom culture despite the show's clearly very young target audience. The property's canon is all very light kiddie fare; the scariest thing about The Amazing Digital Circus is that for a brief and touchy stretch of time in the early 2000s, it was owned by the Peoples Temple, which was seriously considering turning it into a recruiting platform.

Your cringe unpublished works that you gave up on were almost certainly swapped around with other people's cringe unpublished works that they gave up on. There's lots of upwards and downwards mobility to the scramble, but not usually that much. Exceptions are very rare - like a beggar suddenly being made king, or a god being reincarnated into an ant - but they do occasionally happen. For example, what you know as the land of Oz exists only in the head of a young Milwaukee stoner, who suddenly came up with the idea for an epic graphic novel one day in the 2010s while sitting on the bus, and spent a couple of years absolutely convinced she would eventually make it. (She cannot draw.) Conversely, L. Frank Baum's children's fantasy series, Enormia, which has been adapted and reimagined many times, most notably as audiences' introduction to color film, exists in your world only as a different Milwaukee stoner's overly elaborate backstory for his jerkoff sessions. This kind of thing is much more the exception than the rule, and even such exceptions are almost always much smaller in scope - an obscure stillborn project getting swapped around with an obscure out-of-print novel, or an obscure direct-to-video z-movie.

The True Detectives forum and its many schismatic spinoffs, all of which are devoted to discussing mystery fiction, host literally thousands of Wind fanfics. Many of the writers - perhaps most of them - have never actually read Wind, just other fanfiction of it; next to none of the fics are worth reading. Most Wind fics reuse the original protagonist, Rorschach, but treat him as a generically relatable blank slate. The most common fic format by far is the "altdunnit", a form of what-if scenario in which the mystery that sets off Wind's plot is different in some way.

Rorschach is held by a substantial portion of the fandom to be an egg (a trans woman who has not realized it yet). Wildbow has never endorsed this interpretation, and it doesn't seem to be much on his radar. In recent years, the trans Rorschach portion of the fandom has grown; they don't tend to look especially kindly on Warn, much of which Wildbow wrote as a response to fans (like those on the True Detectives forum) he felt had been too inclined to take Rorschach's side in Wind. Flame wars over Warn's content were constant throughout its serial publication, and made it easily the rockiest experience of Wildbow's writing career.

Some noteworthy and relevant podcasts include Jonathan Sims' The Dresden Files, the Ranged Touch Network's Scott Pilgrim Made The World, Doof Media's Winding Down (later Warning Down), and the McElroy family's The Adventure Zone (an actual play podcast which has currently had three major campaigns, two anthology series, and various one-shots). Film Reroll is still an actual play podcast that runs the basic setups of movies (and occasionally other media) as short tabletop campaigns; occasionally, their version of a movie will be much closer to ours than it is to the version of the movie in their own universe.

Xenobuddy was an early childhood public access show, originally created for the BBC in the late 1990s but later aired internationally. The title character is a small alien puppet who lives on a futuristic spaceship staffed by children (who speak a vague conlang akin to a dollar store Esperanto). At the end of every episode, it gets lost and is found, usually by (harmlessly) bursting out of one of the children. It was very popular with its target audience and much loathed by parents. Edgy ironic fanart depicting the titular Xenobuddy as some kind of dangerous parasite abounds.

Static is a supernatural slasher franchise created by Wes Craven, with the first film, also simply titled Static, released in 1984. The movies concern a group of gibbering neotenous ogre-fae who wake up in the modern day after a long sleep, incorporate televisions into their bodies, and start eating people by sucking them into hellish pocket dimensions. The Screen-Guts collectively are probably in the top five antagonists most people think of when they think of slasher horror.

Toby Fox's ROSEQUARTZ is especially known for its meta take on video game morality systems. The game has a mission-based structure; throughout it, the player is encouraged to take on a pacifist playstyle, championed by the player character's late mother, the title character. However, the Crystal Gems give the player enough autonomy that you are entirely able to take a much more violent tack; doing so has a rippling effect on the game's writing in countless immersively-integrated ways. If the player goes out of their way to be as murderous as possible - the so-called "genocide route" - the differences from the main route grow much more extreme, and rather than gaining allies, you start to lose them, as the Crystal Gems realize what you're doing and one by one turn against you. If you manage to shatter Garnet - it's the hardest and most iconic fight in the game, Megalovania is playing, her Future Vision gets used for all it's worth - then you use your knife to slash at the cosmos, erasing Earth, Homeworld, and everything else. This, Toby Fox is saying, is apparently all you want out of a video game - another toy to break.

Warner Bros still did Space Jam with Michael Jordan and the Looney Tunes, it's just that the Looney Tunes in question were Mickey Mouse and friends. They also still did a second one with LeBron James, which was, by God, somehow worse. They put Ms. Frizzle in it.

Walt Disney made his squeaky clean reputation on the back of adaptations of things like Rudyard Kipling's adventure novel The Call of Cthulhu, P. L. Travers' Thomas the Tank Engine, and Erich Kästner's feel-good coming-of-age kidnapping tale about the power of perseverance, Lolita, originally done with Hayley Mills and later remade with Lindsay Lohan.

Nabokov's extremely controversial literary classic that has defined the idea of the unreliable narrator is Father's Trap, from the perspective of a man who plots to obtain custody of both of his daughters for nefarious purposes. Most publishers ignored Nabokov's instructions not to depict the twins, Lisa and Lottie, on the cover. Stanley Kubrick and Adrian Lyne have directed mediocre film adaptations, and songwriting team Lerner and Loewe did a musical that was a legendary flop.

The Japanese fashion movement is Gothic Pollyanna, after an otherwise-forgotten series of penny dreadfuls about a cute, cheery, rules-minded young girl who is, despite appearances, an insane criminal. Minor character Bonesaw in Alan Moore's Worm Turns also clearly hearkens back to the Pollyanna stock character.

The DEA was a prime-time soap opera about the ongoing "war on drugs"; it ran for eleven seasons from 1982 to 1993. Its plot focused on federal agents working at the Drug Enforcement Administration office in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and especially partners Hank Schrader and Steve Gomez and their families. It is mostly remembered today for its downer ending (in which the treachery of late-show villain Walter White, or "Heisenberg", gets the leads killed, and he escapes from justice), and for its far-more-acclaimed spinoff series Better Call Saul, which also ran for eleven seasons from 1993 to 2004, functioning as a prequel, midquel, and sequel to The DEA.

Between The DEA and Better Call Saul, Kelsey Grammer played crooked lawyer Saul Goodman for twenty consecutive years of primetime TV, first as featured comic relief and later as a leading man. (He also guest-starred on the mostly-forgotten Mall Cop, establishing that it, too, was set in the world of The DEA and Better Call Saul.) Better Call Saul won more than a dozen Primetime Emmys. Peri Gilpin received several of these for her performance as Kim Wexler.

St. Elsewhere was a film written and directed by M. Night Shyamalan in the late 1990s; it was highly acclaimed and successful, and established Shyamalan in the public eye as a skilled auteur with an affinity for twist endings. The film's final scene reveals that its main setting, St. Eligius Hospital, exists entirely within the imagination of an autistic boy, Tommy Westphall, as he gazes into a snowglobe. The so-called "Tommy Westphall Universe Hypothesis", which posits that this same twist applies to most of fiction due to a network of crossovers, was invented by a Saturday Night Live sketch shortly postdating the film's release, in which an amnesiac Charles McGill (from Better Call Saul) wakes up in St. Eligius, attended to by a cast of characters who are more concerned with their own nonexistence.

After rising to prominence as a writer, storyboarder, and composer for Pendleton Ward's Science Time (where she established the Summer/Jessica relationship that would come to define later seasons), Rebecca Sugar got to make her own cartoon, Henry Ichor. Set in a recently post-apocalyptic but strangely cheerful world, Henry Ichor concerns a young teenage boy who is conscripted as a mech pilot due to his rare and innate ability to link to the powerful Evangelion mecha. (His preferred Evangelion is eventually revealed to be a form of his late mother, the reason he can do this in the first place.) Henry turns out to be a vital asset in protecting humanity from the monstrous "Angels" that frequently threaten it, and is surprisingly emotionally mature for his age. However, the adults around him (especially his father, Gennady) frequently push him too far, especially considering his generally noncombative and pacifistic nature. There is much interpersonal drama and much singing about it, with a very vocally trained cast. After several seasons of slow buildup, the show was forced to suddenly rush to its ending in only a few (infamous) episodes after an arc where Henry had a romance with an Angel in male human form. Henry Ichor The Movie and an ensuing miniseries, End Of Henry Ichor, helped bring the show to a more thematically satisfying conclusion.

Although he has played a creative or consultant role in many animated projects, Alex Hirsch is best known for the one he was actually the showrunner for, Disney Channel's smash hit Sunnydale. Focusing on a small California town constantly plagued by supernatural threats, Sunnydale generally followed a simple monster-of-the-week format, but kept audiences on the hook with teases at a deeper underlying mystery. The show almost didn't get a season two, as Hirsch found working with Disney very tiring, but he was eventually persuaded; season two ran through the rest of Hirsch's ideas at a faster pace, and concluded the show with the leads graduating from Sunnydale High.

For a brief historical moment, Daron Nefcy's show, Ender vs. the Space Bug Army, looked like it would become the successor to Sunnydale, keeping Disney Television Animation prestigious after Sunnydale ended. However, though Ender drew in a big crowd, and lasted almost twice as long as Sunnydale, it was not ultimately as well-received. EvtSBA is a children's space opera, wearing its Starship Troopers (Joss Whedon) inspiration on its sleeve, but also clearly copying some (superficial) notes from Philip Pullman. Set in a future where mankind has come into violent conflict with bug-like aliens, the show follows unbearably smug boy supergenius Ender as he is sent to military school to prepare for interstellar warfare. The show has an extremely cutesy and hyperactive tone; typical filler episodes include the one (generally taken as meta about fandom drama) in which Ender's siblings' futuristic internet arguments prove instrumental to the survival of the human race. Later seasons get a bit more serious, but focus heavily on shipping. The show is infamous for its ending, in which Ender, for his final exam, destroys the Formics' home planet and releases a psychic signal that eradicates the Formic race. Although the show explicitly notes that this includes many individual Formics who we have previously known as sympathetic characters, it is nonetheless played as a happy ending in which a hostile colonial power is defeated. Ender has ended the war; he has beaten the Space Bug Army.

"Meugh-Neigh. 'Meugh' like the cat, 'neigh' like the horse." "Does it mean something?" "No answer; none at all."

Orson Scott Card is an extremely prolific author of speculative fiction. Although it isn't as close to his heart as the Steel Gear series, in which he got to flex his military sci-fi muscles and allegorically retell stories from his faith, he is undoubtedly best known for Ishtar's Curse. Initially a short story and later expanded into a full novel, the plot concerns young Princess Ishtar, or Star, heir to the heathen fairy kingdom of Meugh-Neigh. (In later novels, she changes her name to Bethlehem Diaz, or Beth.) Spoiled and destructive but magically talented, Star is sent to twentieth century Earth so she can develop the wits and the strength of character to be a viable wartime leader for her people - or at least so she can be kept out of the way. After several years of personal growth and magical misadventures with companions she met on Earth, a more grounded Star devises a spell to erase the magic that makes up the bodies of most of her throne's enemies. This plan works, and merges Meugh-Neigh into the Earth as a small and ordinary European country. However, though her subjects are eager to celebrate her for this, Star is devastated when she realizes that she has killed trillions of innocent spirits, and, seeking to atone, she takes on the title of Speaker for the Dead (also the title of the book's first sequel). Although it's frequently ranked highly in lists of fantasy novels of the twentieth century, Ishtar's Curse has received some harsh criticism, with the standard line being that Star is an idealized fantasy of a repentant Hitler figure, and that the text presents excessive justifications for her actions. The story has also been called a reactionary response to Wilde's The Little Mermaid. After more than twenty years, a film adaptation of Ishtar's Curse was released in 2009, starring Dakota Fanning, to mixed reviews. The box office took a further hit due to a boycott campaign, after Card's views on homosexuality (and, relatedly, his membership in the LDS Church) became widely known. In the end, it lost the studio a lot of money.

Hideaki Anno is best known for the classic smash hit anime he made for Studio Gainax, Einstein Goliath Nestorian, a psychologically intense deconstruction of martial arts shonen like Yoshiyuki Tomino's Dragon Ball. Einstein Goliath Nestorian concerns a mystery man known only as Saitama, who finds that he has become dissatisfied with life and alienated from the world after only three years of training have enabled him to easily surpass any physical challenge. The original series is known for its sudden, surreal, and clearly budget-driven ending, although this was quickly alleviated with a similarly surreal but more definitive finale movie. Although many Western anime fans often think of Einstein Goliath Nestorian as pretentious and ultra niche, it was actually a huge mainstream hit in Japan, with a colossal franchise of adaptations, merch, and spinoffs (notably including a series of Retrain films, which began as extremely close shot-for-shot remakes of the original series but wound up spiraling into a very different updated timeline).

Previously most noteworthy for his 2003 visual novel Oreimo, Gen Urobuchi was tapped by Shaft for their extremely successful and acclaimed anime Ohayou Hana!, hailed as a deceptively dark deconstruction of the teen idol genre. The plot concerns a girl, Saionji Mayuri, who leads a double life, being of little note at school, out of costume, but spending much of her time as #1 idol Hana. Her mental stability begins to deteriorate as she realizes that the adults in her life - especially her father, himself a former idol - have groomed her to serve as a drugged and hypnotized propaganda mouthpiece for a shadowy conspiracy. She winds up in the worst of both worlds as her ensuing breakdown, and her handlers' response to it, destroys both of her lives and brings ruin to those she cares about. In addition to the popularity of the actual anime, many of its songs became decontextualized J-Pop hits. The idol anime genre would then receive a glut of edgy lesser imitators, like Love Live: School Idol Project, Cheetah Girls, and magical girl fusion Symphogear. Although the original Ohayou Hana! was a self-contained twelve-episode story, it received a sequel movie shortly thereafter, Ohayou Hana! Rebel!, which ended on a cliffhanger that has still not been resolved over a decade later. The upcoming Ohayou Hana! MK Ultra! is expected to get things back on track. An abridged series originating on 4chan, focusing on cropped screencaps from Ohayou Hana!, called the title character "Miss Ohio", producing the memetic tagline "being Ohio is suffering".

Zack Snyder first came up with the idea for Madoka around 2000, a long time before he'd actually get to make it; he put the project on hold in 2006 to make his adaptation of Worm Turns. He developed the idea with his wife Deborah and a cowriter, Steve Shibuya. Inspired by the Disney Princess phenomenon, as well as Naoko Takeuchi's Pretty Cure (one of the few anime that had already become a hit in the States), Snyder wanted to tell a coherent story about fights between magical girls who could make anything happen, who could make any fantastical world or visual appear. In Snyder's film, we follow Madoka Kaname, a teenager attending a Catholic school in Los Angeles. Madoka and her friends are approached by a strange young woman who goes only by "Mommy", and her animal companion (a CGI-ed up squirrel-cat thing), QB. They offer to make the teens into "magical girls", granting them one wish each in exchange for a life devoted to spiritual warfare. (Another mysterious new girl, Lilly, urges them not to take the deal in the strongest possible terms.) This turns out to be a scam; QB is pitting the magical girls against one another for his own reasons, and in the end, every magical girl and her wish gets corrupted. Despite much of the film's plot being a horrific bloodbath - the MPAA demanded a lot of cuts to get it down to a PG-13 rating - there is a happy ending; Madoka finally makes her own wish and uses it to topple QB's whole system. Madoka isn't often discussed nowadays but it was a major discourse bomb when it came out in 2010, alternately being called misogynistic Orientalist trash and a subversive feminist masterpiece. Snyder, for his part, often notes that QB is intended as an allegory for exploitative forces within the entertainment industry that treat young women as disposable resources with an expiration date; this is already clear to anyone who's watched the film, which is not exactly subtle in its symbolism. He also explains that the film sexualizes the girls in an effort to shame the audience, to get people to understand that they are objectifying the characters in the same way that QB does. The soundtrack's got a really cool ethereal cover of Nine Inch Nails' King Nothing on it, which is probably the most remembered part of the film today.

Selena Gomez became a star by playing Violet Parr on Disney Channel's superhero sitcom The Incredibles. While the show was initially a very throwaway villain-of-the-week affair whose leads had to keep their powers hidden from the public and their caped escapades secret from the government for self-explanatory comes-with-the-genre reasons, it would eventually unfold that the show was set in something of an X-Men-style dystopia where superheroism had been outlawed and supers oppressed by the government as a potential societal fifth column.

Brad Bird directed one of Pixar's most celebrated films, Wizards of Waverly Place; it was Pixar's first film with a predominantly human cast. Disney was hungry for a fantasy property after losing a bidding war for the Luz Noceda rights. It had strong populist anti-eugenic themes, with an elaborate wizarding hierarchy of antagonists who seek to remove the Russo family's magic as part of an effort to curb wizard overpopulation. The sequel came more than a decade later, and wasn't nearly as good.

In addition to Worm Turns, Alan Moore is notable for the heavily metafictional comic Pagemaster, about a boy, Richard, who finds a magical library that contains all stories that have ever been or could ever be told; he becomes lost and imperiled in assorted pieces of historically noteworthy literature (initially ones in the public domain, though later volumes would start using legally safe serial-numbers-filed-off versions of modern stories). The 2003 film, in which Sean Connery played the librarian in one of his last film roles, is widely regarded as a terrible, deeply-toned-down adaptation that didn't grasp the tone or themes of the original story at all; it only covered the first half of the first volume, in which Richard meets "genre spirits" who wish to sort all stories into rigid categories. In a later volume, Pagemaster Millennium, an aged Richard Tyler, who has since taken on the mantle of librarian himself, meets a teenage girl, heavily implied to be Luz Noceda, who has also become lost in the library. She has become corrupted by an eldritch book, or "Necronomicon", written by "the Wrong Author", heavily implied to be the devil (and/or Hugo Astley, an Aleister Crowley caricature from W. Somerset Maugham's The Winged Bull). Flushed with demonic power and enraged by what she's become, a monstrous Luz tears through the library in a blaze of hellfire, seeking to destroy all of literature and the world. It is only through the intervention of the Fat Controller - heavily implied to be God - that Luz is defeated; he mercifully erases her by hitting her with a train, and laments what she became.

#queued post #the scrambled timeline #I tinkered around with the ordering of these entries so much that I guess this is a scrambled post for the scrambled timeline #credit to hieronymous-botch for the Alex Hirsch's Sunnydale idea #credit to Lorelei for the Orson Scott Card's Steel Gear idea

[luxthestrange]

TWST Incorrect quotes#351 Adult Film~

Then...It was the 3rd years class turn-

Yuuka*After they reviewed the SAME info with the 1st and 2nd years to the 3rd years, Sees that You got the projector ready and dim the lights of the classroom*And so now We're gonna watch...a kinda adult film~Do you think you boys are mature enough for that?~

3rd-year students*Think they are FINALLY catching a break*OH MY SEVENS YES!?I can't BELIEVE this is happening...

Idia: Y-yeah man I didn't know they're allowed to show us stuff like that!

Cater*Hums is feeling iffy*...Mmh I dont know guys...this feels sus...like a trap

Trein*Refilling his wine glass*Huh well...Glad to know at least SOMEONE is not completely stupid today...

Yuu*Winking at them*WE'RE GONNA WATCH THE MIRACLE OF LIFE!~,FILM ABOUT A LIFE BIRTH!~ENJOY!~*Hits the play button*

3rd-year students:...WHAT-AAAAAAAOOOOH!?

Idia: OMS WHAT IS THAT!?!*covering his eyes but the...SOUNDS...*

Trey:...Um...I believe that is referred to as..."Crowning"...SIR'S WHY?

Crewel*Recording their reactions smiling at him*Um~For Y'all to suffer...so I can LAUGH MHAHAHA!~

Vil & Rook: Alright men, the gentlemen' way would be at least we can do is watch this all the way thru... it's the least we can do..given we will never ever have to actually DO THAT*Both also disturbed by it but they take a breath, Rook being sure to remain smiling*

Yuuka*Snaps fingers and points at him with a smug face*EXACTLY!

Idia*Waking up after he fainted*Ok I think im doin' better-*Sees the video eyes roll back and falls to the floor again*

Lilia*Looking at him, and turns to the teacher...also wanting to join them in the drinking and laughing at the younglins*Idia fainted again!~

Cater*Looking at the straight-faced Leona & Malleus*DUDE'S HOW ARE YOU WATCHING THIS SO CALMLY!?

Leona*Completly unphased looking at the birth, learn this at a very young age, drinking from his water bottle that has "Respect Woman Juice"*...

Mal*Beside him also has a straightfaced beside him arms crossed looking at the film*...

Malleus Draconia INTERNALLY*Silently screaming on the inside*

Its the "ENJOY~"That sends rollin'...Malleus now can't look at female humans in the eyes without apologizing-

Part of 3:

#disney twst #twst #twisted wonderland x yuu #twisted wonderland x reader #twst yuu #twst yuuka #yuuka hirasaka #3rd years x yuu #3rd years x reader #trey clover x yuu #trey clover x reader #cater diamond x reader #cater diamond x yuu #leona kingscholar x reader #leona kingscholar x yuu #vil schoenheit x yuu #vil schoenheit x reader #rook hunt x reader #rook hunt x yuu #idia shroud x reader #idia shroud x yuu #lilia vanrouge x reader #lilia vanrouge x yuu #malleus draconia x yuu #malleus draconia x reader #divus crewel #mozus trein #twst incorrect quotes #incorrect quotes

[scotianostra]

Happy Birthday to the actor Tony Curran born 13th December 1969 in Glasgow.

Tony took to acting while still in his teens, he recalls the days in the Scottish Youth Theatre with Gerard Butler. Young Anthony Curran went on to attend the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama before gaining notoriety with a prominent role on the BBC series This Life. He would go on to make a name for himself in movies with a sci-fi/fantasy bent, like The 13th Warrior, Blade II, The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Beowulf, of his small screen credits, our old favourite Taggart returns after not appearing on Kenneth Cranham’s CV yesterday!

Curran has made a name for himself in over the Atlantic in a number of US shows which include, Numb3rs, Medium, 24, Sons of Anarchy and Elementary. His most notable appearances over here have been in the ITV series Ultimate Force, Dr Who, as Vincent van Gogh , and more recently in the E4/Netflix original series Crazyhead.

Tony appeared in the 2018 Netflix film Outlaw King about Robert the Bruce and the Wars of Scottish Independence, where he played the part of Aonghus Óg of Islay, ( Angus Macdonald) chief of Clann Domhnaill. Back over in the states he has recently been in Ray Donovan, which is a great series series and few episodes of the CBS show SEAL Team. He also turned up in the mini series, Your Honor, which also stars the excellent US actor Brian Cranston of Breaking Bad fame, it’s great hearing Scottish accents in US shows, don’t you think?

Tony is another guy I follow on twitter, the guy has a heart of gold, I remember he tweeted “Me and my lass woke up this morning temperatures dropping compelled to help our homeless, loaded up some blankets pillows clothes, sweaters jackets, I’m sure we all have stuff we can donate, it all helps.” He was then out on the streets handing them out to the homeless, Tony was involved in a charity weekender with all funds raised going to St Mary’s & St Alphonsus and the great community work they do. He has in the past played charity football matches in Glasgow.

In the past couple of years Tony has been playing Despero in the Super Hero series The Flash, Tony has also appeared in the US movie, Two Deaths of Henry Baker where he plays a town Sheriff, this year he appeared in the US crime series The Calling, the show has some good reviews on IMDB with a 7.1/10 rating, and in an episode of the US show For All Mankind

Last year Tony appeared in a homegrown project. The two part “series”, Mayflies is set in a Scotland and Manchester in the 80′s Martin Compston co-stars along with new Shetland star Ashley Jensen, it is on BBC1 on December 28th. The show is based on a novel by Scottish author Andrew O'Hagan's book of the same name. It tells the story of Jimmy (Compston) and Tully (Curran) who ignite an “unforgettable friendship” defined by music, films and their shared rebellious spirit in a small Scottish town in the 1980s. if you haven't seen it, please look it up, and keep the hankies close by.

In the past couple of years Tony has appeared in a couple of US series, an unexpected second season of Your Honor and Secret Invasion.

On fame Tony commented;

"I've been lucky. I don't for a minute take for granted the good fortune I have had. You don't like to get ideas above your station, especially a boy from the south side of Glasgow."

#scotland #scottish #history #actor #television #cinema #happy birthday

[world-of-wales]

─ • ✧ CATHERINE'S YEAR IN REVIEW : JULY ✧ • ─

4 JULY - Catherine attended Day-2 of the Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Championships at Church Road. She first saw Katie Boulter Vs Daria Saville match on Court 18. Afterwards, she joined Roger Federer to watch Ryan Peniston Vs Andy Murray in the Royal Box on Centre Court. 5 JULY - Catherine and William featured in a series of photographs and short film as they attended a Tea Party to celebrate the NHS's 75th anniversary at St. Thomas Hospital. The Duchess of Rothesay and Prince William attended a Service of Thanksgiving and Dedication to celebrate the Coronation in St. Giles' Cathedral. Afterwards, they witnessed an RAF Fly-past from the Palace of Holyroodhouse. 6 JULY - Catherine and William attended Royal Charity Polo Match at the Guards Polo Club. 14 JULY - Catherine and William along with George, Charlotte and Louis were received by Air Marshal Sir David Walker (Deputy Lieutenant of Gloucestershire) at the Royal International Air Tattoo at Royal Air Force Fairford. Afterwards, Catherine visited the event's Techno Zone. 15 JULY - Catherine attended the Ladies' Final of the Wimbledon Tennis Championships at Church Road. 16 JULY - Catherine was accompanied by William, George and Charlotte to the Gentlemen's Final of the Wimbledon Tennis Championships.

#british royal family #british royals #royalty #royals #brf #british royalty #kate middleton #royal #catherine middleton #duchess of cambridge #princess charlotte #prince george #catherine princess of wales #william prince of wales #princess of wales #the princess of wales #princess catherine #princess kate #year in review : catherine #year in review 2023 : catherine #catherine review : july #review july #review 2023 #year in review : 2023 #prince of wales #royal family #the prince of wales #prince william #prince louis

[loycspotting]

8. Ewan McGregor Movie Review: Emma (1996)

Plot: "Emma" is a movie based on the Jane Austen novel of the same name. It boasts a large cast of talented, recognizable actors. The titular character, Emma, is played by Gwyneth Paltrow. Supporting actors include Jeremy Northam, Toni Collette, Alan Cumming, Sophie Thompson, Polly Walker, Greta Scacchi, and of course, Ewan McGregor. Several of these actors will go on to work with Ewan again in future projects. The movie is about Emma Woodhouse, a young socialite. Although she is an available bachelorette, she enjoys secretly matchmaking couples in her town instead of finding love for herself. She believes greatly in her matchmaking skills, though her pride and naivety cause her to fumble more often than not. When Emma befriends Harriet Smith, a debutante with unknown family heritage, she makes it her mission to find her new friend a fitting husband. Instead, she finds herself more trouble than she knows what to do with.

Ewan Review: Ewan plays the character Frank Churchill. Frank is the stepson of Emma's friend and former governess, Mrs. Weston. He is a charming young man who thrives on being the center of attention. When he arrives in town to visit his father, the townswomen immediately become enamored with the handsome bachelor. Even Emma, who previously thought she was not interested in marriage, can't help being swept off her feet by the gentlemen's advances. Ewan wears a wig in this role I believe because his hair would still be short from filming "Trainspotting." It's not a bad wig but there were some moments where I had to squint and say "yeah, I don't think that's his hair" lol. He uses an English accent for this role and honestly, it doesn't sound very good. He's done English accents before but this one just doesn't sound natural especially compared to his co-stars. He sings twice in the movie! He performs two duets and the first one always makes me laugh because of how he randomly jumps in. He's also in a dance scene which was really fun. As far as his performance, it's nothing special in my opinion. Again, maybe it's because he was surrounded by a large cast of talented actors, but he didn't seem to shine like he normally does. Or maybe he was tired from filming four movies back to back and the fatigue had begun to set in. Luckily, since his character is a minor one, it doesn't really matter and I still had a good time watching him.

Screentime Percentage (numbers are rounded to the nearest whole number): Ewan is on screen for a grand total of 13/121 minutes making his SP 11%.

To Ewan or not to Ewan: Is the movie worth watching for Ewan content alone? My opinion is no. He's a fun perk that you get with the movie but I wouldn't turn it on just to see him. Is the movie worth watching in general? Yes! It's fun. It's cute. It has a happy ending for everyone. It even won two Oscars for best movie score and costume design. It's a calm, low stimulating movie that's still entertaining.

Where to Watch: "Emma" is currently available for rent on YouTube and can be streamed on Amazon Prime Video if you have a subscription.

Conclusion: If you like period pieces then I think you'd like "Emma". It's a beautiful movie and a nice change of pace from the overstimulating movies of today.

#ewan mcgregor #ewan mcgregor characters #ewan mcgregor fanfiction #film review #movie review #ewan mcgregor movie review #emma 1996 #gwyneth paltrow #toni collette #mr. knightley #alan cumming #polly walker #bridgerton #frank churchill #jane austen #classic literature

[thenightling]

My review of Asylum's Monster Mash: How Asylum managed to do what Univeral Studios Dark Universe could not

Last night I watched the new Asylum mockbuster, Monster Mash. What is Asylum? And What is a Mockbuster? A Mockbuster is a low budget knock-off movie of a film that is either already a blcokbuster hit or anticipated to be a hit. When Pacific Rim came out Asylum released a Mockbuster called Atlantic Rim. When Dracula 2000 came out, Dracula 3000 aired on The Scifi Channel. When Morbius came out, Asylum made Dracula: The Original Living Vampire. Sometimes the connection to the blockbuster they were "inspired by" is very slim. Asylum was founded twenty-five-years-ago to make mockbusters of high budget, blockbuster, and mainstream scifi and horror films. A lot of Asylum's creations have been released on Syfy (Formerly the Scifi Channel) as Syfy original movies. Most Asylum movies are either made-for-TV or direct to DVD / Blu Ray / Streaming. One season of the Netflix incarnation of Mystery Science Theatre were all Asylum mockbusters. This year there was a highly anticipated vampire movie called Abigail. The plot was about the daughter of a crime boss (heavily implied to be Dracula all along). The daughter gets kidnapped and it turns out her kidnappers are actually her intended victims. So Asylum released their own Mockbuster called Monster Mash and managed to release it two weeks before Abigail came out.

And what a treat this Monster Mash was! It was so delightfully corny! So wonderfully bad. I actually loved it. This was a so-bad-it's-good movie. There are other films called Monster Mash, including a semi-Juke Box musical. This is the only one from 2024. I think I liked Asylum's Monster Mash more than the 2012 Dario Argento's Dracula, which until now, was my favorite campy, bad Dracula movie. My nickname for Dario Argento's Dracula is Mantis Drac because Dracula transforms into a giant female preying Mantis at one point with very low quality CG effects. In Monster Mash, Dracula's daughter is kidnapped by Boris (A rather simple minded but sweet hearted Frankenstein monster) serving the evil Dr. Frankenstein, who wants to use Dracula's daughter as bait to lure out Dracula. Dr. Frankenstein is dying and wants to transfer his consciousness to a new monster, an utterly indestructible monster- supposedly. Dr. Frankenstein wants to use the parts of all the classic monsters including blood from Dracula, skin from The invisible Man, the heart of Rameses The Mummy, and the limbs of an immortal werewolf. Werewolves in traditional folklore, and the original Universal monster movies actually were immortal except when it came to silver.

The movie has minimum gore and suspense (except perhaps where Dracula almost kills his daughter's slave girl). It's tame enough where I think it could work for a child's first introduction to the classic monsters in a horror setting. (You know, outside of cartoons like Hotel Transylvania). I liked it a lot. For an Asylum film there was limited low-quality CG except once Dr. Frankenstein's creation came to life. That's when Asylum brought it its trademark low quality SFX.

The movie was not just a mockbuster of Abigail. It also felt like League of Extraordinary Gentlemen but with the classic monsters. There were aspects that reminded me of House of Frankenstein. Dracula's daughter even had wanted a cure for her vampiric condition, like in the Universal monster movie, Dracula's daughter. There are a lot of nice, subtle, homages to classic monster movies. You realize pretty fast that the classic monsters are the heroes of the story (even though Dracula does occasionally snack on a hapless damsel). And I found myself delighted through the corny cheese. THIS is what Universal studios should have give us with their promised Dark Universe. THIS was a classic monsters version of Avengers and with the campy cheese of an asylum mockbuster it was actually fun. It was charming. I usually have difficulty sitting through an Asylum mockbister, let alone want to watch it again. This one I would happily watch again. It was fun. It was cheesy, good, fun. I liked it. I liked it a lot. Honestly, the actor who played Dracula was so much fun in this, Asylum doesn't deserve him. He deserves to be in something better but man, he made the movie. It was the sort of corny movie you might imagine Peter Vincent from the 1985 Fright Night starring in. Much like a classic Hammer Horror movie you can't quite tell what country it's set in or even what time period. There's almost a fairytale-like quality to it. An agelessness that is nostalgic and also refreshing.

This is, hands down, my favorite Asylum Mockbuster. Honestly, I loved it. If I had kids I'd have probably used it as their first horror film exposure to the classic movie monsters, not too scary, yet also well paced and the characters are likable. It was cheesy, corny, fun. I want to see more monster movies like this. THIS is the sort of film Universal Studios Dark Universe should have produced for us. Somehow Asylum managed to give us what Universal should have. It's rare that I say something like this but Universal Studios take note. The low budget mockbuster did what you wanted to but could not. I liked this so much I want Asylum to make a whole franchise out of it or even a TV series. I'd watch the Hell out of Dracula and his team of monsters trying to be the heroes. This was some damn good brain candy. My harshest complaints are that I prefer articulate and intelligent Frankenstein monsters like in Mary Shelley's novel but as this creature was named Boris he's obviously a homage to the zeitgeist Universal Studios tropey idea of the Frankenstein Monster. Also there's an odd moment where Dracula's daughter (named Elisabeta as a nod to the Bram Stoker's Dracula movie) comments about how she can read minds (with the aid of psychometry) but Dracula cannot read minds. I find this particularly odd since psychic abilities are some of his more common powers, even in films where they forget his ability to turn into Bat, wolf, and mist. Other than these petty details I loved this movie. It was very bad but very fun, a deliciously cheesy monster movie.

#Monster Mash #Asylum #Asylum films #Asylum pictures #Asylum movies #Asylum 2024 #Dracula #Frankenstein #The Invisible Man #Griffin #The Mummy

[rhoorl]

Week in Review | September 17

Another week in the books! My Sunday started off early and abruptly as my daughter got sick all over herself and her crib 😬 She seems to be in good spirits (even though we're on three outfit changes and counting. We've also gone through a full roll of paper towels and a package of water wipes). Hopefully, she can get over whatever stomach bug this is quickly. Never a dull moment …

I spent the majority of the last week away from home for work. The week went well, for the most part, and I’m glad my big events are finally done. 

I didn’t get much writing done, but I got a good amount of reading in!

Fics I read this week:

Frankie Morales

The Pilot and His Girl by @avastrasposts I've sung the praises of this TLOU/TF crossover before and finally caught up on the latest chapters while at the airport!

(Some kind of) addiction by @legendary-pink-dot In a little under 700 words I fell even more in love with Frankie, I just want to give him a hug. 

To the Bride and Groom by @linzels-blog An unexpected addition to the Just a Number series, this was such a cute look into the bachelor and bachelorette parties. I don't want to spoil it, but the shirts the boys had made are hilarious and so on brand.

Joel Miller

The Hunted by @patti7dc - Finally got around to reading this which has been on my TBR list for a while. It's a little spooky and a little smutty with a twist I didn't see coming!

Javier Peña

It's Never Too Late by @javierpena-inatacvest I love this series with sweet fluffy Javi. The latest chapter cracked me up because as someone who grew up in the Midwest Osita's family reminded me so much of people I knew growing up.

Marcus Pike

I'm fully entrenched in the Pike Puddle thanks to @secretelephanttattoo and these two fics..

Personal Best Super cute run in with Marcus, a dog, and some jazzy gloves. 

Open Mic Night Marcusssss in a band. That it all. That's the recap.

Tim Rockford

Private Dick by @wardenparker and @absurdthirst - I'm pretty sure this was my first Tim Rockford fic and I'm hooked. Tim was so body-positive and supportive in this!

Jack “Whiskey” Daniels

The House by @gemmahale continues to be such a great read. I can't wait to learn more about the history between Andie and Jack.

Dieter Bravo 

Destiny & Deliverance by @mysterious-moonstruck-musings My companion in the Dieter Dumpster. I eagerly await the chapter teasers to try and suss out what’s happening next. This is such a great story and I have been hooked since the beginning. 

Ezra 

Exposed by @maggiemayhemnj Fresh off my watch of Prospect, I was excited to read this beautiful story. I loved the way everything was pieced together…what a great first fic, congrats on posting! 👏

Mr. Ben

Visiting by @ladamedusoif This continues to be such a joy to read. I absolutely love these two and the little world around them. 

Benny Miller

How Good It Is by @wildemaven This is a continuation from another fic and it is so good! I love seeing where the relationship between these two is going!

Things I watched:

Like many of us, The Sixth Gun entered my life this week and took it by storm. Agent Ortega is … something. And I promptly added a few fics I saw pop up to my TBR, so expect those in weeks to come. But seriously, how does this man make a bowler hat look this good?

I watched WW84 on the plane – it had been a while since I spent time with Max Lord. When I got home, I streamed Prospect. I recruited my husband to watch it with me. Now that I have Ezra fresher in my brain, I’m looking forward to reading some of his fics.

I also watched The Gentlemen, which has Charlie Hunnam in it among others. If you are familiar with Guy Ritchie movies then you'll like this, it has several tropes from his other films. 

Posts from this week:

A big thank you to @morallyinept who has compiled a few master lists of Pedro character fics. I felt so honored to have Working Title make the Dieter list!

Feral corner:

Young Joel continues to run rampant on my feed like here and here - sorry not sorry. Thank you to @trulybetty for being my go-to Young Joel ™️ aficionado.

There were those series of gifs of Javi. And thank you @wildemaven for pointing out how he bites her lip in the third one, my brain short circuited after that realization. Speaking of Javi, this kiss will always make me 🫠

I also had some thots after seeing Tim and his holster again. How cute is Pedro in these Strange Way of Life photos? I see Dieter when I look at them, but then again that fool is always on my mind. This man also is incapable of taking a bad photo, especially if it's in black and white. 

And finally, in a late addition, @mysterious-moonstruck-musings brought this video of Oscar Isaac prepping for his role of MoonKnight into my life. 

Things I'm excited for:

My husband and I are celebrating our sixth wedding anniversary in a few weeks and we finally made our plans to celebrate. We’re going to be doing a behind-the-scenes tour of the TLOU Halloween Horror Nights house at Universal Studios! I can’t wait to see all of the details and hidden Easter eggs. We’re taking the whole day off of work while our daughter is at daycare. Let the countdown begin! 

Fic updates:

If everything goes well, I plan on publishing the next chapter of Working Title by Monday 9/18, and then Delta Landscaping sometime during the week (for those who were curious about Santi, we’ll find out what he was up to). I also have a Frankie one-shot I’ve been working on here and there that I may actually post this week. I’ve tossed around the idea of that story being in the Delta Landscaping universe, but we’ll see … it could also just be left as a one-shot separate from that world.

Yay! You made it all the way to the end of my ramblings, thank you for reading! Hope you have a great week! 

#rhoorl week in review #pedro pascal fanfiction #pedro pascal characters

[the-celluloid-correspondent]

Challengers: Everything in Life is Tennis, Including Sex. A Review

Tashi, a former tennis prodigy turned coach, turned her husband into a champion. But to overcome a losing streak, he needs to face his ex-best friend and Tashi's ex-boyfriend.

Have you ever met someone who makes their entire personality about a single thing and devotes their entire life to it? And what happens when three of these people who are obsessed with tennis get stuck in a sizzling love triangle? Ladies and gentlemen may I present to you Luca  Guadgnino’s Challengers. A dazzling and smoking-hot romance that will turn everyone on. 

We follow Art Donaldson (Mike Faist), a former tennis champion who has hit his thirties-slump after a string of injuries and losses. Tashi Duncan (Zendaya), his coach, and his wife sign him up for a minor league Challenger, to boost his confidence. However, emotions and sexual tensions rise as Art’s former best friend and Tashi’s ex-boyfriend, Patrick Zweig (Josh O’Connor) signs up for the competition as well while cosplaying as a starving artist tennis player who is down on his luck. 

The final game of the tournament between Art and Patrick serves as a bookend to the film’s narrative. Throughout the film, interwoven flashbacks and flashforwards navigate the intricate web of the characters’ love triangle, akin to the rhythmic volleying of a tennis ball between players. Much like the intensity of a final match in a tennis tournament, Challengers has an unstoppable and frenetic energy, albeit occasionally veering into confusion. You are constantly on the edge of your seat from the pounding and pulsating synthwave/techno score by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross. Sayombhu Mekdeeprom's innovative cinematography pushes boundaries, whether by placing the camera within the tennis ball's perspective or beneath the court, capturing the raw intensity exuded by the talented ensemble cast. From the glistening sweat of Hollywood's finest to the kinetic action on screen, Challengers delivers a visual and emotional experience unlike any other.

While some may find it disappointing that Challengers lacks explicit sexual content, the film compensates with an abundance of erotic tension and a palpable atmosphere that more than suffices. Even innocuous scenes, such as two "best friends" sharing churros in close proximity, exude a homoerotic undercurrent that underscores the intricate power dynamics within the trio. These moments offer a revealing glimpse into the competitive desires driving Art and Patrick's pursuit of Tashi, while she deftly manipulates their affections to serve her own ends. Through these interactions, the film skillfully unravels the complex interplay of ambition and desire that will ultimately shape their destinies. Whether it's Tashi's vicarious living through her husband's tennis career or Patrick's conflicted relationship with his own athletic prowess, Challengers adeptly navigates the intricate psychology of its characters, laying bare their vulnerabilities and motivations with finesse.

Despite their characters' somewhat underdeveloped nature, the ensemble cast delivers performances brimming with fervent intensity. Mike Faist captivates with a physically charged portrayal that evolves from vigor to a melancholic resignation, embodying the struggles of navigating the pitfalls of early thirties ennui. John O'Connor exudes devilish charm as Patrick, skillfully balancing between ineptitude and magnetic unpredictability, keeping audiences on edge with every twist of his character's whims. Zendaya commands attention as Tashi, exuding a commanding presence that borders on intimidating, deftly manipulating her male counterparts to fulfill her desires. The palpable chemistry among the trio ignites the screen, infusing the film with a smoking-hot dynamic that adds an extra layer of intrigue to their complex relationships. 

Challengers serve up a riveting and provocative exploration of love, ambition, and rivalry amidst the competitive world of tennis. Director Luca Guadagnino crafts his most accessible and captivating work yet, seamlessly blends provocative themes with sheer entertainment. The film ignites with an irresistible allure, evoking visceral reactions and stirring emotions within viewers. Unapologetically seductive, Challengers basks in its own sensuality, embracing its innate allure with unbridled confidence.

My Rating: A

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